(9225,1,'2012-01-23 21:19:07','2012-01-24 04:19:07','<a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/?attachment_id=9220\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-9220\"><img class=\"alignleft size-medium wp-image-9220\" title=\"6053333742_cfea2607cc\" src=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/6053333742_cfea2607cc-300x199.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"199\" /></a>I am not a gadget person.  Romeo Mio is a gadget person.  Therefore, I am now learning how to play nicely with gadgets.\n\n&nbsp;\n\n<span style=\"font-size: medium; color: #800000;\"><strong>Gadget du Jour:  The iPad 2.</strong></span>\n\n&nbsp;\n\nWould I ever buy an iPad 2?  Heck, no.  <strong>I may be drinking the Magic Kool-Aid,</strong> but there\'s still a trace amount left at the bottom of my dixie cup.\n\n&nbsp;\n\nI have a MacBook Pro which is beyond A-W-E-S-O-M-E.  It does everything that I want it to do and oh so much more.  Why <em>on earth</em> would I complicate my life with yet another gadget that isn\'t as functional as my most cherished treasure (next to Romeo Mio, my family, my friends, and Little Miss B, of course)?\n\n&nbsp;\n\nI won the iPad 2 at work for a sales contest.  Woo hoo!\n\n&nbsp;\n\nIt sat in the box unopened for about 3 weeks until Romeo Mio arrived.\n\n&nbsp;\n\nRomeo Mio and I actually had our one and only spat over that bloody iPad 2.  It started with me whining about emails.  Something to the effect of . . . . I am under a steady email stream at work, at home, on my Crackberry (See? I told you there was some Kool-Aid leftover!), and now I am expected to manage emails on my iPad 2?!?!  ARGH!!!!\n\n&nbsp;\n\nMy temper tantrum annoyed Romeo Mio to no end.  Romeo Mio, who consumed every last drop of his Kool-Aid years ago, reprimanded for me behaving like a selfish wench.  If I wasn\'t grateful for my FREE iPad 2, then he would gladly take it off my hands.\n\n&nbsp;\n\nHmph.\n\n&nbsp;\n\nI realized that it was a tad silly for me to get ornery over a gadget that so much of the world coveted.  There must be something to all this fuss.  Why not play with it and see for myself what all this fuss was about?  After all, I could disable the email deluge from my iPad.  I sweetly asked Romeo Mio to help me with that task.\n\n&nbsp;\n\nI then journeyed into App World.  Ooooo.  Ahhhhh.\n\n&nbsp;\n\nYou could easily become lost in App World because there\'s an app for everything.  Need to play a game?  There\'s a zillion apps for that.  At the grocery store and need a dinner recipe accompanied by the shopping list of ingredients?  There\'s an app for that?  Want to turn your photos into pop art so you can look cool on facebook?  There\'s an app or two or more for that.\n\n&nbsp;\n\nAs a former teacher, I\'m always a fan of play that is educational in nature.  Last week, I gravitated towards the \"I\'m leaving for France in 10 days and I barely remember any of the French that I studied for a year in college\" app.  Other people, including the app\'s creators, call this app \"MindSnacks French\".\n\n&nbsp;\n\nOo la la!  J\'adore snacks!  I couldn\'t wait to feed my brain with all things French!  For FREE!\n\n&nbsp;\n\n&nbsp;\n\n<a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/?attachment_id=9195\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-9195\"><img class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-9195\" title=\"OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA\" src=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/P1170007-225x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"225\" height=\"300\" /></a><a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/?attachment_id=9196\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-9196\"><img class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-9196\" title=\"OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA\" src=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/P1170009-225x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"225\" height=\"300\" /></a>\n\n&nbsp;\n\nWhat describes my current French?  We\'ve already been over that.  \"I\'m leaving for France in 10 days and I barely remember any of the French that I studied for a year in college\" wasn\'t an option.  I chose the closest thing:  \"Jumbled up words without any structure\".\n\n&nbsp;\n\n&nbsp;\n\n<a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/?attachment_id=9197\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-9197\"><img class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-9197\" title=\"OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA\" src=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/P1170010-225x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"225\" height=\"300\" /></a>\n\n&nbsp;\n\nNeat?  Did you seriously just say that?  Well, gosh oh golly, aren\'t you swell!  Wait a minute.  Am I talking to a computer?\n\n&nbsp;\n\nAnd hold on a sec.  Shouldn\'t I review my numbers first?  Kindly take me back to Level 1, per favore.  (I could only remember \"please\" in Italian at the time.  At the time of this writing, I\'ve just remembered that \"please\" in French is \"si vous plait\".  I\'m quite pleased with myself.)\n\n&nbsp;\n\n&nbsp;\n\n<iframe src=\"http://www.youtube.com/embed/AbDh25_T_Yk\" frameborder=\"0\" width=\"640\" height=\"480\"></iframe>\n\n&nbsp;\n\n&nbsp;\n\nThat\'s right.  I filmed my MindSnack lesson demo with my low-tech Olympus camera.  Sideways.  (Unintentionally.)\n\n&nbsp;\n\nI thought about staging a \"Take Two\" until I realized how this mishap would prove my non-gadgetness and make you laugh at the same time.  I\'m always willing to take a hit to entertain my troops.  :-D\n\n&nbsp;\n\nI mastered Level 1 -- Numbers in no time flat!  Woo hoo!\n\n&nbsp;\n\n&nbsp;\n\n<a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/?attachment_id=9198\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-9198\"><img class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-9198\" title=\"OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA\" src=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/P1170013-300x225.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" /></a>\n\n&nbsp;\n\n&nbsp;\n\nWait a minute.  Are you kidding me?  I knew there was no such thing as a free lunch.  Now you\'re telling me that there\'s no such thing as a free MindSnack???\n\n&nbsp;\n\nHmph.\n\n&nbsp;\n\nMaird.\n\n&nbsp;\n\nOh, well.  Imaginative people deserve to be paid for their creations.  I dished out the more than reasonable $4.99 for more fun and games.   I am now reacquainted with my colors in French.\n\n&nbsp;\n\nThank goodness I have a built-in translator aka Romeo Mio when I descend on the French Alps in 4 days.\n\n&nbsp;\n\n&nbsp;','Playdate #3:  Gadget Girl Tackles French Lessons','','inherit','open','open','','9189-revision-30','','','2012-01-23 21:19:07','2012-01-24 04:19:07','',9189,'http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/2012/01/23/9189-revision-30/',0,'revision','',0),(9222,1,'2012-01-23 21:17:27','2012-01-24 04:17:27','<a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/2012/01/23/playdate-3-gadget-girl-tackles-french-lessons/6053333742_cfea2607cc/\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-9220\"><img class=\"alignleft size-medium wp-image-9220\" title=\"6053333742_cfea2607cc\" src=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/6053333742_cfea2607cc-300x199.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"199\" /></a>I am not a gadget person.  Romeo Mio is a gadget person.  Therefore, I am now learning how to play nicely with gadgets.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-size: medium; color: #800000;\"><strong>Gadget du Jour:  The iPad 2.</strong></span>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nWould I ever buy an iPad 2?  Heck, no.  <strong>I may be drinking the Magic Kool-Aid,</strong> but there\'s still a trace amount left at the bottom of my dixie cup.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nI have a MacBook Pro which is beyond A-W-E-S-O-M-E.  It does everything that I want it to do and oh so much more.  Why <em>on earth</em> would I complicate my life with yet another gadget that isn\'t as functional as my most cherished treasure (next to Romeo Mio, my family, my friends, and Little Miss B, of course)?\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nI won the iPad 2 at work for a sales contest.  Woo hoo!\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nIt sat in the box unopened for about 3 weeks until Romeo Mio arrived.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nRomeo Mio and I actually had our one and only spat over that bloody iPad 2.  It started with me whining about emails.  Something to the effect of . . . . I am under a steady email stream at work, at home, on my Crackberry (See? I told you there was some Kool-Aid leftover!), and now I am expected to manage emails on my iPad 2?!?!  ARGH!!!!\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nMy temper tantrum annoyed Romeo Mio to no end.  Romeo Mio, who consumed every last drop of his Kool-Aid years ago, reprimanded for me behaving like a selfish wench.  If I wasn\'t grateful for my FREE iPad 2, then he would gladly take it off my hands.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nHmph.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nI realized that it was a tad silly for me to get ornery over a gadget that so much of the world coveted.  There must be something to all this fuss.  Why not play with it and see for myself what all this fuss was about?  After all, I could disable the email deluge from my iPad.  I sweetly asked Romeo Mio to help me with that task.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nI then journeyed into App World.  Ooooo.  Ahhhhh.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nYou could easily become lost in App World because there\'s an app for everything.  Need to play a game?  There\'s a zillion apps for that.  At the grocery store and need a dinner recipe accompanied by the shopping list of ingredients?  There\'s an app for that?  Want to turn your photos into pop art so you can look cool on facebook?  There\'s an app or two or more for that.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nAs a former teacher, I\'m always a fan of play that is educational in nature.  Last week, I gravitated towards the \"I\'m leaving for France in 10 days and I barely remember any of the French that I studied for a year in college\" app.  Other people, including the app\'s creators, call this app \"MindSnacks French\".\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nOo la la!  J\'adore snacks!  I couldn\'t wait to feed my brain with all things French!  For FREE!\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n<a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/2012/01/23/playdate-3-gadget-girl-tackles-french-lessons/olympus-digital-camera-688/\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-9195\"><img class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-9195\" title=\"OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA\" src=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/P1170007-225x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"225\" height=\"300\" /></a><a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/2012/01/23/playdate-3-gadget-girl-tackles-french-lessons/olympus-digital-camera-689/\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-9196\"><img class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-9196\" title=\"OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA\" src=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/P1170009-225x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"225\" height=\"300\" /></a>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nWhat describes my current French?  We\'ve already been over that.  \"I\'m leaving for France in 10 days and I barely remember any of the French that I studied for a year in college\" wasn\'t an option.  I chose the closest thing:  \"Jumbled up words without any structure\".\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n<a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/2012/01/23/playdate-3-gadget-girl-tackles-french-lessons/olympus-digital-camera-690/\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-9197\"><img class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-9197\" title=\"OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA\" src=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/P1170010-225x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"225\" height=\"300\" /></a>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nNeat?  Did you seriously just say that?  Well, gosh oh golly, aren\'t you swell!  Wait a minute.  Am I talking to a computer?\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nAnd hold on a sec.  Shouldn\'t I review my numbers first?  Kindly take me back to Level 1, per favore.  (I could only remember \"please\" in Italian at the time.  At the time of this writing, I\'ve just remembered that \"please\" in French is \"si vous plait\".  I\'m quite pleased with myself.)\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n<iframe src=\"http://www.youtube.com/embed/AbDh25_T_Yk\" frameborder=\"0\" width=\"640\" height=\"480\"></iframe>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nThat\'s right.  I filmed my MindSnack lesson demo with my low-tech Olympus camera.  Sideways.  (Unintentionally.)\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nI thought about staging a \"Take Two\" until I realized how this mishap would prove my non-gadgetness and make you laugh at the same time.  I\'m always willing to take a hit to entertain my troops.  :-D\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nI mastered Level 1 -- Numbers in no time flat!  Woo hoo!\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n<a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/2012/01/23/playdate-3-gadget-girl-tackles-french-lessons/olympus-digital-camera-691/\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-9198\"><img class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-9198\" title=\"OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA\" src=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/P1170013-300x225.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" /></a>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nWait a minute.  Are you kidding me?  I knew there was no such thing as a free lunch.  Now you\'re telling me that there\'s no such thing as a free MindSnack???\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nHmph.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nMaird.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nOh, well.  Imaginative people deserve to be paid for their creations.  I dished out the more than reasonable $4.99 for more fun and games.   I am now reacquainted with my colors in French.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nThank goodness I have a built-in translator aka Romeo Mio when I descend on the French Alps in 4 days.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;','Playdate #3:  Gadget Girl Tackles French Lessons','','inherit','open','open','','9189-revision-27','','','2012-01-23 21:17:27','2012-01-24 04:17:27','',9189,'http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/2012/01/23/9189-revision-27/',0,'revision','',0),(9223,1,'2012-01-23 21:17:27','2012-01-24 04:17:27','<a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/2012/01/23/playdate-3-gadget-girl-tackles-french-lessons/6053333742_cfea2607cc/\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-9220\"><img class=\"alignleft size-medium wp-image-9220\" title=\"6053333742_cfea2607cc\" src=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/6053333742_cfea2607cc-300x199.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"199\" /></a>I am not a gadget person.  Romeo Mio is a gadget person.  Therefore, I am now learning how to play nicely with gadgets.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-size: medium; color: #800000;\"><strong>Gadget du Jour:  The iPad 2.</strong></span>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nWould I ever buy an iPad 2?  Heck, no.  <strong>I may be drinking the Magic Kool-Aid,</strong> but there\'s still a trace amount left at the bottom of my dixie cup.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nI have a MacBook Pro which is beyond A-W-E-S-O-M-E.  It does everything that I want it to do and oh so much more.  Why <em>on earth</em> would I complicate my life with yet another gadget that isn\'t as functional as my most cherished treasure (next to Romeo Mio, my family, my friends, and Little Miss B, of course)?\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nI won the iPad 2 at work for a sales contest.  Woo hoo!\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nIt sat in the box unopened for about 3 weeks until Romeo Mio arrived.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nRomeo Mio and I actually had our one and only spat over that bloody iPad 2.  It started with me whining about emails.  Something to the effect of . . . . I am under a steady email stream at work, at home, on my Crackberry (See? I told you there was some Kool-Aid leftover!), and now I am expected to manage emails on my iPad 2?!?!  ARGH!!!!\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nMy temper tantrum annoyed Romeo Mio to no end.  Romeo Mio, who consumed every last drop of his Kool-Aid years ago, reprimanded for me behaving like a selfish wench.  If I wasn\'t grateful for my FREE iPad 2, then he would gladly take it off my hands.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nHmph.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nI realized that it was a tad silly for me to get ornery over a gadget that so much of the world coveted.  There must be something to all this fuss.  Why not play with it and see for myself what all this fuss was about?  After all, I could disable the email deluge from my iPad.  I sweetly asked Romeo Mio to help me with that task.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nI then journeyed into App World.  Ooooo.  Ahhhhh.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nYou could easily become lost in App World because there\'s an app for everything.  Need to play a game?  There\'s a zillion apps for that.  At the grocery store and need a dinner recipe accompanied by the shopping list of ingredients?  There\'s an app for that?  Want to turn your photos into pop art so you can look cool on facebook?  There\'s an app or two or more for that.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nAs a former teacher, I\'m always a fan of play that is educational in nature.  Last week, I gravitated towards the \"I\'m leaving for France in 10 days and I barely remember any of the French that I studied for a year in college\" app.  Other people, including the app\'s creators, call this app \"MindSnacks French\".\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nOo la la!  J\'adore snacks!  I couldn\'t wait to feed my brain with all things French!  For FREE!\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n<a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/2012/01/23/playdate-3-gadget-girl-tackles-french-lessons/olympus-digital-camera-688/\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-9195\"><img class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-9195\" title=\"OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA\" src=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/P1170007-225x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"225\" height=\"300\" /></a><a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/2012/01/23/playdate-3-gadget-girl-tackles-french-lessons/olympus-digital-camera-689/\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-9196\"><img class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-9196\" title=\"OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA\" src=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/P1170009-225x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"225\" height=\"300\" /></a>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nWhat describes my current French?  We\'ve already been over that.  \"I\'m leaving for France in 10 days and I barely remember any of the French that I studied for a year in college\" wasn\'t an option.  I chose the closest thing:  \"Jumbled up words without any structure\".\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n<a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/2012/01/23/playdate-3-gadget-girl-tackles-french-lessons/olympus-digital-camera-690/\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-9197\"><img class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-9197\" title=\"OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA\" src=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/P1170010-225x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"225\" height=\"300\" /></a>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nNeat?  Did you seriously just say that?  Well, gosh oh golly, aren\'t you swell!  Wait a minute.  Am I talking to a computer?\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nAnd hold on a sec.  Shouldn\'t I review my numbers first?  Kindly take me back to Level 1, per favore.  (I could only remember \"please\" in Italian at the time.  At the time of this writing, I\'ve just remembered that \"please\" in French is \"si vous plait\".  I\'m quite pleased with myself.)\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n<iframe src=\"http://www.youtube.com/embed/AbDh25_T_Yk\" frameborder=\"0\" width=\"640\" height=\"480\"></iframe>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nThat\'s right.  I filmed my MindSnack lesson demo with my low-tech Olympus camera.  Sideways.  (Unintentionally.)\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nI thought about staging a \"Take Two\" until I realized how this mishap would prove my non-gadgetness and make you laugh at the same time.  I\'m always willing to take a hit to entertain my troops.  :-D\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nI mastered Level 1 -- Numbers in no time flat!  Woo hoo!\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n<a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/2012/01/23/playdate-3-gadget-girl-tackles-french-lessons/olympus-digital-camera-691/\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-9198\"><img class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-9198\" title=\"OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA\" src=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/P1170013-300x225.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" /></a>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nWait a minute.  Are you kidding me?  I knew there was no such thing as a free lunch.  Now you\'re telling me that there\'s no such thing as a free MindSnack???\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nHmph.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nMaird.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nOh, well.  Imaginative people deserve to be paid for their creations.  I dished out the more than reasonable $4.99 for more fun and games.   I am now reacquainted with my colors in French.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nThank goodness I have a built-in translator aka Romeo Mio when I descend on the French Alps in 4 days.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;','Playdate #3:  Gadget Girl Tackles French Lessons','','inherit','open','open','','9189-revision-28','','','2012-01-23 21:17:27','2012-01-24 04:17:27','',9189,'http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/2012/01/23/9189-revision-28/',0,'revision','',0),(9224,1,'2012-01-23 21:18:02','2012-01-24 04:18:02','<a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/2012/01/23/playdate-3-gadget-girl-tackles-french-lessons/6053333742_cfea2607cc/\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-9220\"><img class=\"alignleft size-medium wp-image-9220\" title=\"6053333742_cfea2607cc\" src=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/6053333742_cfea2607cc-300x199.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"199\" /></a>I am not a gadget person.  Romeo Mio is a gadget person.  Therefore, I am now learning how to play nicely with gadgets.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-size: medium; color: #800000;\"><strong>Gadget du Jour:  The iPad 2.</strong></span>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nWould I ever buy an iPad 2?  Heck, no.  <strong>I may be drinking the Magic Kool-Aid,</strong> but there\'s still a trace amount left at the bottom of my dixie cup.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nI have a MacBook Pro which is beyond A-W-E-S-O-M-E.  It does everything that I want it to do and oh so much more.  Why <em>on earth</em> would I complicate my life with yet another gadget that isn\'t as functional as my most cherished treasure (next to Romeo Mio, my family, my friends, and Little Miss B, of course)?\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nI won the iPad 2 at work for a sales contest.  Woo hoo!\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nIt sat in the box unopened for about 3 weeks until Romeo Mio arrived.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nRomeo Mio and I actually had our one and only spat over that bloody iPad 2.  It started with me whining about emails.  Something to the effect of . . . . I am under a steady email stream at work, at home, on my Crackberry (See? I told you there was some Kool-Aid leftover!), and now I am expected to manage emails on my iPad 2?!?!  ARGH!!!!\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nMy temper tantrum annoyed Romeo Mio to no end.  Romeo Mio, who consumed every last drop of his Kool-Aid years ago, reprimanded for me behaving like a selfish wench.  If I wasn\'t grateful for my FREE iPad 2, then he would gladly take it off my hands.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nHmph.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nI realized that it was a tad silly for me to get ornery over a gadget that so much of the world coveted.  There must be something to all this fuss.  Why not play with it and see for myself what all this fuss was about?  After all, I could disable the email deluge from my iPad.  I sweetly asked Romeo Mio to help me with that task.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nI then journeyed into App World.  Ooooo.  Ahhhhh.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nYou could easily become lost in App World because there\'s an app for everything.  Need to play a game?  There\'s a zillion apps for that.  At the grocery store and need a dinner recipe accompanied by the shopping list of ingredients?  There\'s an app for that?  Want to turn your photos into pop art so you can look cool on facebook?  There\'s an app or two or more for that.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nAs a former teacher, I\'m always a fan of play that is educational in nature.  Last week, I gravitated towards the \"I\'m leaving for France in 10 days and I barely remember any of the French that I studied for a year in college\" app.  Other people, including the app\'s creators, call this app \"MindSnacks French\".\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nOo la la!  J\'adore snacks!  I couldn\'t wait to feed my brain with all things French!  For FREE!\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n<a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/2012/01/23/playdate-3-gadget-girl-tackles-french-lessons/olympus-digital-camera-688/\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-9195\"><img class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-9195\" title=\"OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA\" src=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/P1170007-225x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"225\" height=\"300\" /></a><a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/2012/01/23/playdate-3-gadget-girl-tackles-french-lessons/olympus-digital-camera-689/\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-9196\"><img class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-9196\" title=\"OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA\" src=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/P1170009-225x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"225\" height=\"300\" /></a>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nWhat describes my current French?  We\'ve already been over that.  \"I\'m leaving for France in 10 days and I barely remember any of the French that I studied for a year in college\" wasn\'t an option.  I chose the closest thing:  \"Jumbled up words without any structure\".\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n<a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/2012/01/23/playdate-3-gadget-girl-tackles-french-lessons/olympus-digital-camera-690/\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-9197\"><img class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-9197\" title=\"OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA\" src=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/P1170010-225x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"225\" height=\"300\" /></a>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nNeat?  Did you seriously just say that?  Well, gosh oh golly, aren\'t you swell!  Wait a minute.  Am I talking to a computer?\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nAnd hold on a sec.  Shouldn\'t I review my numbers first?  Kindly take me back to Level 1, per favore.  (I could only remember \"please\" in Italian at the time.  At the time of this writing, I\'ve just remembered that \"please\" in French is \"si vous plait\".  I\'m quite pleased with myself.)\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n<iframe src=\"http://www.youtube.com/embed/AbDh25_T_Yk\" frameborder=\"0\" width=\"640\" height=\"480\"></iframe>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nThat\'s right.  I filmed my MindSnack lesson demo with my low-tech Olympus camera.  Sideways.  (Unintentionally.)\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nI thought about staging a \"Take Two\" until I realized how this mishap would prove my non-gadgetness and make you laugh at the same time.  I\'m always willing to take a hit to entertain my troops.  :-D\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nI mastered Level 1 -- Numbers in no time flat!  Woo hoo!\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n<a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/2012/01/23/playdate-3-gadget-girl-tackles-french-lessons/olympus-digital-camera-691/\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-9198\"><img class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-9198\" title=\"OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA\" src=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/P1170013-300x225.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" /></a>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nWait a minute.  Are you kidding me?  I knew there was no such thing as a free lunch.  Now you\'re telling me that there\'s no such thing as a free MindSnack???\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nHmph.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nMaird.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nOh, well.  Imaginative people deserve to be paid for their creations.  I dished out the more than reasonable $4.99 for more fun and games.   I am now reacquainted with my colors in French.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nThank goodness I have a built-in translator aka Romeo Mio when I descend on the French Alps in 4 days.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;','Playdate #3:  Gadget Girl Tackles French Lessons','','inherit','open','open','','9189-revision-29','','','2012-01-23 21:18:02','2012-01-24 04:18:02','',9189,'http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/2012/01/23/9189-revision-29/',0,'revision','',0),(9226,1,'2012-01-23 21:19:27','2012-01-24 04:19:27','<a href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/carbonnyc/6053333742/\" target=\"_blank\"><img class=\"alignleft size-medium wp-image-9220\" title=\"6053333742_cfea2607cc\" src=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/6053333742_cfea2607cc-300x199.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"199\" /></a>I am not a gadget person.  Romeo Mio is a gadget person.  Therefore, I am now learning how to play nicely with gadgets.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-size: medium; color: #800000;\"><strong>Gadget du Jour:  The iPad 2.</strong></span>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nWould I ever buy an iPad 2?  Heck, no.  <strong>I may be drinking the Magic Kool-Aid,</strong> but there\'s still a trace amount left at the bottom of my dixie cup.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nI have a MacBook Pro which is beyond A-W-E-S-O-M-E.  It does everything that I want it to do and oh so much more.  Why <em>on earth</em> would I complicate my life with yet another gadget that isn\'t as functional as my most cherished treasure (next to Romeo Mio, my family, my friends, and Little Miss B, of course)?\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nI won the iPad 2 at work for a sales contest.  Woo hoo!\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nIt sat in the box unopened for about 3 weeks until Romeo Mio arrived.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nRomeo Mio and I actually had our one and only spat over that bloody iPad 2.  It started with me whining about emails.  Something to the effect of . . . . I am under a steady email stream at work, at home, on my Crackberry (See? I told you there was some Kool-Aid leftover!), and now I am expected to manage emails on my iPad 2?!?!  ARGH!!!!\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nMy temper tantrum annoyed Romeo Mio to no end.  Romeo Mio, who consumed every last drop of his Kool-Aid years ago, reprimanded for me behaving like a selfish wench.  If I wasn\'t grateful for my FREE iPad 2, then he would gladly take it off my hands.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nHmph.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nI realized that it was a tad silly for me to get ornery over a gadget that so much of the world coveted.  There must be something to all this fuss.  Why not play with it and see for myself what all this fuss was about?  After all, I could disable the email deluge from my iPad.  I sweetly asked Romeo Mio to help me with that task.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nI then journeyed into App World.  Ooooo.  Ahhhhh.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nYou could easily become lost in App World because there\'s an app for everything.  Need to play a game?  There\'s a zillion apps for that.  At the grocery store and need a dinner recipe accompanied by the shopping list of ingredients?  There\'s an app for that?  Want to turn your photos into pop art so you can look cool on facebook?  There\'s an app or two or more for that.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nAs a former teacher, I\'m always a fan of play that is educational in nature.  Last week, I gravitated towards the \"I\'m leaving for France in 10 days and I barely remember any of the French that I studied for a year in college\" app.  Other people, including the app\'s creators, call this app \"MindSnacks French\".\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nOo la la!  J\'adore snacks!  I couldn\'t wait to feed my brain with all things French!  For FREE!\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n<a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/?attachment_id=9195\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-9195\"><img class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-9195\" title=\"OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA\" src=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/P1170007-225x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"225\" height=\"300\" /></a><a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/?attachment_id=9196\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-9196\"><img class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-9196\" title=\"OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA\" src=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/P1170009-225x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"225\" height=\"300\" /></a>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nWhat describes my current French?  We\'ve already been over that.  \"I\'m leaving for France in 10 days and I barely remember any of the French that I studied for a year in college\" wasn\'t an option.  I chose the closest thing:  \"Jumbled up words without any structure\".\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n<a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/?attachment_id=9197\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-9197\"><img class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-9197\" title=\"OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA\" src=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/P1170010-225x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"225\" height=\"300\" /></a>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nNeat?  Did you seriously just say that?  Well, gosh oh golly, aren\'t you swell!  Wait a minute.  Am I talking to a computer?\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nAnd hold on a sec.  Shouldn\'t I review my numbers first?  Kindly take me back to Level 1, per favore.  (I could only remember \"please\" in Italian at the time.  At the time of this writing, I\'ve just remembered that \"please\" in French is \"si vous plait\".  I\'m quite pleased with myself.)\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n<iframe src=\"http://www.youtube.com/embed/AbDh25_T_Yk\" frameborder=\"0\" width=\"640\" height=\"480\"></iframe>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nThat\'s right.  I filmed my MindSnack lesson demo with my low-tech Olympus camera.  Sideways.  (Unintentionally.)\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nI thought about staging a \"Take Two\" until I realized how this mishap would prove my non-gadgetness and make you laugh at the same time.  I\'m always willing to take a hit to entertain my troops.  :-D\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nI mastered Level 1 -- Numbers in no time flat!  Woo hoo!\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n<a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/?attachment_id=9198\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-9198\"><img class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-9198\" title=\"OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA\" src=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/P1170013-300x225.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" /></a>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nWait a minute.  Are you kidding me?  I knew there was no such thing as a free lunch.  Now you\'re telling me that there\'s no such thing as a free MindSnack???\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nHmph.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nMaird.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nOh, well.  Imaginative people deserve to be paid for their creations.  I dished out the more than reasonable $4.99 for more fun and games.   I am now reacquainted with my colors in French.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nThank goodness I have a built-in translator aka Romeo Mio when I descend on the French Alps in 4 days.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;','Playdate #3:  Gadget Girl Tackles French Lessons','','inherit','open','open','','9189-revision-31','','','2012-01-23 21:19:27','2012-01-24 04:19:27','',9189,'http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/2012/01/23/9189-revision-31/',0,'revision','',0),(9227,1,'2012-01-23 21:19:27','2012-01-24 04:19:27','<a href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/carbonnyc/6053333742/\" target=\"_blank\"><img class=\"alignleft size-medium wp-image-9220\" title=\"6053333742_cfea2607cc\" src=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/6053333742_cfea2607cc-300x199.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"199\" /></a>I am not a gadget person.  Romeo Mio is a gadget person.  Therefore, I am now learning how to play nicely with gadgets.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-size: medium; color: #800000;\"><strong>Gadget du Jour:  The iPad 2.</strong></span>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nWould I ever buy an iPad 2?  Heck, no.  <strong>I may be drinking the Magic Kool-Aid,</strong> but there\'s still a trace amount left at the bottom of my dixie cup.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nI have a MacBook Pro which is beyond A-W-E-S-O-M-E.  It does everything that I want it to do and oh so much more.  Why <em>on earth</em> would I complicate my life with yet another gadget that isn\'t as functional as my most cherished treasure (next to Romeo Mio, my family, my friends, and Little Miss B, of course)?\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nI won the iPad 2 at work for a sales contest.  Woo hoo!\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nIt sat in the box unopened for about 3 weeks until Romeo Mio arrived.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nRomeo Mio and I actually had our one and only spat over that bloody iPad 2.  It started with me whining about emails.  Something to the effect of . . . . I am under a steady email stream at work, at home, on my Crackberry (See? I told you there was some Kool-Aid leftover!), and now I am expected to manage emails on my iPad 2?!?!  ARGH!!!!\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nMy temper tantrum annoyed Romeo Mio to no end.  Romeo Mio, who consumed every last drop of his Kool-Aid years ago, reprimanded for me behaving like a selfish wench.  If I wasn\'t grateful for my FREE iPad 2, then he would gladly take it off my hands.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nHmph.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nI realized that it was a tad silly for me to get ornery over a gadget that so much of the world coveted.  There must be something to all this fuss.  Why not play with it and see for myself what all this fuss was about?  After all, I could disable the email deluge from my iPad.  I sweetly asked Romeo Mio to help me with that task.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nI then journeyed into App World.  Ooooo.  Ahhhhh.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nYou could easily become lost in App World because there\'s an app for everything.  Need to play a game?  There\'s a zillion apps for that.  At the grocery store and need a dinner recipe accompanied by the shopping list of ingredients?  There\'s an app for that?  Want to turn your photos into pop art so you can look cool on facebook?  There\'s an app or two or more for that.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nAs a former teacher, I\'m always a fan of play that is educational in nature.  Last week, I gravitated towards the \"I\'m leaving for France in 10 days and I barely remember any of the French that I studied for a year in college\" app.  Other people, including the app\'s creators, call this app \"MindSnacks French\".\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nOo la la!  J\'adore snacks!  I couldn\'t wait to feed my brain with all things French!  For FREE!\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n<a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/?attachment_id=9195\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-9195\"><img class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-9195\" title=\"OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA\" src=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/P1170007-225x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"225\" height=\"300\" /></a><a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/?attachment_id=9196\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-9196\"><img class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-9196\" title=\"OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA\" src=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/P1170009-225x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"225\" height=\"300\" /></a>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nWhat describes my current French?  We\'ve already been over that.  \"I\'m leaving for France in 10 days and I barely remember any of the French that I studied for a year in college\" wasn\'t an option.  I chose the closest thing:  \"Jumbled up words without any structure\".\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n<a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/?attachment_id=9197\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-9197\"><img class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-9197\" title=\"OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA\" src=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/P1170010-225x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"225\" height=\"300\" /></a>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nNeat?  Did you seriously just say that?  Well, gosh oh golly, aren\'t you swell!  Wait a minute.  Am I talking to a computer?\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nAnd hold on a sec.  Shouldn\'t I review my numbers first?  Kindly take me back to Level 1, per favore.  (I could only remember \"please\" in Italian at the time.  At the time of this writing, I\'ve just remembered that \"please\" in French is \"si vous plait\".  I\'m quite pleased with myself.)\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n<iframe src=\"http://www.youtube.com/embed/AbDh25_T_Yk\" frameborder=\"0\" width=\"640\" height=\"480\"></iframe>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nThat\'s right.  I filmed my MindSnack lesson demo with my low-tech Olympus camera.  Sideways.  (Unintentionally.)\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nI thought about staging a \"Take Two\" until I realized how this mishap would prove my non-gadgetness and make you laugh at the same time.  I\'m always willing to take a hit to entertain my troops.  :-D\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nI mastered Level 1 -- Numbers in no time flat!  Woo hoo!\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n<a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/?attachment_id=9198\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-9198\"><img class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-9198\" title=\"OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA\" src=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/P1170013-300x225.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" /></a>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nWait a minute.  Are you kidding me?  I knew there was no such thing as a free lunch.  Now you\'re telling me that there\'s no such thing as a free MindSnack???\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nHmph.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nMaird.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nOh, well.  Imaginative people deserve to be paid for their creations.  I dished out the more than reasonable $4.99 for more fun and games.   I am now reacquainted with my colors in French.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nThank goodness I have a built-in translator aka Romeo Mio when I descend on the French Alps in 4 days.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;','Playdate #3:  Gadget Girl Tackles French Lessons','','inherit','open','open','','9189-revision-32','','','2012-01-23 21:19:27','2012-01-24 04:19:27','',9189,'http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/2012/01/23/9189-revision-32/',0,'revision','',0),(9229,1,'2012-01-23 21:21:20','2012-01-24 04:21:20','<a href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/carbonnyc/6053333742/\" target=\"_blank\"><img class=\"alignleft size-medium wp-image-9220\" title=\"6053333742_cfea2607cc\" src=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/6053333742_cfea2607cc-300x199.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"199\" /></a>I am not a gadget person.  Romeo Mio is a gadget person.  Therefore, I am now learning how to play nicely with gadgets.\n\n&nbsp;\n\n<span style=\"font-size: medium; color: #800000;\"><strong>Gadget du Jour:  The iPad 2.</strong></span>\n\n&nbsp;\n\nWould I ever buy an iPad 2?  Heck, no.  <a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/2011/01/21/day-113-i-joined-a-cult-please-dont-tell-my-mother/\" target=\"_blank\"><strong>I may be drinking the Magic Kool-Aid,</strong></a> but there\'s still a trace amount left at the bottom of my dixie cup.\n\n&nbsp;\n\nI have a MacBook Pro which is beyond A-W-E-S-O-M-E.  It does everything that I want it to do and oh so much more.  Why <em>on earth</em> would I complicate my life with yet another gadget that isn\'t as functional as my most cherished treasure (next to Romeo Mio, my family, my friends, and Little Miss B, of course)?\n\n&nbsp;\n\nI won the iPad 2 at work for a sales contest.  Woo hoo!\n\n&nbsp;\n\nIt sat in the box unopened for about 3 weeks until Romeo Mio arrived.\n\n&nbsp;\n\nRomeo Mio and I actually had our one and only spat over that bloody iPad 2.  It started with me whining about emails.  Something to the effect of . . . . I am under a steady email stream at work, at home, on my Crackberry (See? I told you there was some Kool-Aid leftover!), and now I am expected to manage emails on my iPad 2?!?!  ARGH!!!!\n\n&nbsp;\n\nMy temper tantrum annoyed Romeo Mio to no end.  Romeo Mio, who consumed every last drop of his Kool-Aid years ago, reprimanded for me behaving like a selfish wench.  If I wasn\'t grateful for my FREE iPad 2, then he would gladly take it off my hands.\n\n&nbsp;\n\nHmph.\n\n&nbsp;\n\nI realized that it was a tad silly for me to get ornery over a gadget that so much of the world coveted.  There must be something to all this fuss.  Why not play with it and see for myself what all this fuss was about?  After all, I could disable the email deluge from my iPad.  I sweetly asked Romeo Mio to help me with that task.\n\n&nbsp;\n\nI then journeyed into App World.  Ooooo.  Ahhhhh.\n\n&nbsp;\n\nYou could easily become lost in App World because there\'s an app for everything.  Need to play a game?  There\'s a zillion apps for that.  At the grocery store and need a dinner recipe accompanied by the shopping list of ingredients?  There\'s an app for that?  Want to turn your photos into pop art so you can look cool on facebook?  There\'s an app or two or more for that.\n\n&nbsp;\n\nAs a former teacher, I\'m always a fan of play that is educational in nature.  Last week, I gravitated towards the \"I\'m leaving for France in 10 days and I barely remember any of the French that I studied for a year in college\" app.  Other people, including the app\'s creators, call this app \"MindSnacks French\".\n\n&nbsp;\n\nOo la la!  J\'adore snacks!  I couldn\'t wait to feed my brain with all things French!  For FREE!\n\n&nbsp;\n\n&nbsp;\n\n<a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/?attachment_id=9195\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-9195\"><img class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-9195\" title=\"OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA\" src=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/P1170007-225x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"225\" height=\"300\" /></a><a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/?attachment_id=9196\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-9196\"><img class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-9196\" title=\"OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA\" src=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/P1170009-225x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"225\" height=\"300\" /></a>\n\n&nbsp;\n\nWhat describes my current French?  We\'ve already been over that.  \"I\'m leaving for France in 10 days and I barely remember any of the French that I studied for a year in college\" wasn\'t an option.  I chose the closest thing:  \"Jumbled up words without any structure\".\n\n&nbsp;\n\n&nbsp;\n\n<a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/?attachment_id=9197\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-9197\"><img class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-9197\" title=\"OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA\" src=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/P1170010-225x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"225\" height=\"300\" /></a>\n\n&nbsp;\n\nNeat?  Did you seriously just say that?  Well, gosh oh golly, aren\'t you swell!  Wait a minute.  Am I talking to a computer?\n\n&nbsp;\n\nAnd hold on a sec.  Shouldn\'t I review my numbers first?  Kindly take me back to Level 1, per favore.  (I could only remember \"please\" in Italian at the time.  At the time of this writing, I\'ve just remembered that \"please\" in French is \"si vous plait\".  I\'m quite pleased with myself.)\n\n&nbsp;\n\n&nbsp;\n\n<iframe src=\"http://www.youtube.com/embed/AbDh25_T_Yk\" frameborder=\"0\" width=\"640\" height=\"480\"></iframe>\n\n&nbsp;\n\n&nbsp;\n\nThat\'s right.  I filmed my MindSnack lesson demo with my low-tech Olympus camera.  Sideways.  (Unintentionally.)\n\n&nbsp;\n\nI thought about staging a \"Take Two\" until I realized how this mishap would prove my non-gadgetness and make you laugh at the same time.  I\'m always willing to take a hit to entertain my troops.  :-D\n\n&nbsp;\n\nI mastered Level 1 -- Numbers in no time flat!  Woo hoo!\n\n&nbsp;\n\n&nbsp;\n\n<a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/?attachment_id=9198\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-9198\"><img class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-9198\" title=\"OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA\" src=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/P1170013-300x225.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" /></a>\n\n&nbsp;\n\n&nbsp;\n\nWait a minute.  Are you kidding me?  I knew there was no such thing as a free lunch.  Now you\'re telling me that there\'s no such thing as a free MindSnack???\n\n&nbsp;\n\nHmph.\n\n&nbsp;\n\nMaird.\n\n&nbsp;\n\nOh, well.  Imaginative people deserve to be paid for their creations.  I dished out the more than reasonable $4.99 for more fun and games.   I am now reacquainted with my colors in French.\n\n&nbsp;\n\nThank goodness I have a built-in translator aka Romeo Mio when I descend on the French Alps in 4 days.\n\n&nbsp;\n\n&nbsp;','Playdate #3:  Gadget Girl Tackles French Lessons','','inherit','open','open','','9189-revision-34','','','2012-01-23 21:21:20','2012-01-24 04:21:20','',9189,'http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/2012/01/23/9189-revision-34/',0,'revision','',0),(9228,1,'2012-01-23 21:20:16','2012-01-24 04:20:16','<a href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/carbonnyc/6053333742/\" target=\"_blank\"><img class=\"alignleft size-medium wp-image-9220\" title=\"6053333742_cfea2607cc\" src=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/6053333742_cfea2607cc-300x199.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"199\" /></a>I am not a gadget person.  Romeo Mio is a gadget person.  Therefore, I am now learning how to play nicely with gadgets.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-size: medium; color: #800000;\"><strong>Gadget du Jour:  The iPad 2.</strong></span>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nWould I ever buy an iPad 2?  Heck, no.  <a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/2011/01/21/day-113-i-joined-a-cult-please-dont-tell-my-mother/\" target=\"_blank\"><strong>I may be drinking the Magic Kool-Aid,</strong></a> but there\'s still a trace amount left at the bottom of my dixie cup.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nI have a MacBook Pro which is beyond A-W-E-S-O-M-E.  It does everything that I want it to do and oh so much more.  Why <em>on earth</em> would I complicate my life with yet another gadget that isn\'t as functional as my most cherished treasure (next to Romeo Mio, my family, my friends, and Little Miss B, of course)?\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nI won the iPad 2 at work for a sales contest.  Woo hoo!\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nIt sat in the box unopened for about 3 weeks until Romeo Mio arrived.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nRomeo Mio and I actually had our one and only spat over that bloody iPad 2.  It started with me whining about emails.  Something to the effect of . . . . I am under a steady email stream at work, at home, on my Crackberry (See? I told you there was some Kool-Aid leftover!), and now I am expected to manage emails on my iPad 2?!?!  ARGH!!!!\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nMy temper tantrum annoyed Romeo Mio to no end.  Romeo Mio, who consumed every last drop of his Kool-Aid years ago, reprimanded for me behaving like a selfish wench.  If I wasn\'t grateful for my FREE iPad 2, then he would gladly take it off my hands.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nHmph.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nI realized that it was a tad silly for me to get ornery over a gadget that so much of the world coveted.  There must be something to all this fuss.  Why not play with it and see for myself what all this fuss was about?  After all, I could disable the email deluge from my iPad.  I sweetly asked Romeo Mio to help me with that task.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nI then journeyed into App World.  Ooooo.  Ahhhhh.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nYou could easily become lost in App World because there\'s an app for everything.  Need to play a game?  There\'s a zillion apps for that.  At the grocery store and need a dinner recipe accompanied by the shopping list of ingredients?  There\'s an app for that?  Want to turn your photos into pop art so you can look cool on facebook?  There\'s an app or two or more for that.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nAs a former teacher, I\'m always a fan of play that is educational in nature.  Last week, I gravitated towards the \"I\'m leaving for France in 10 days and I barely remember any of the French that I studied for a year in college\" app.  Other people, including the app\'s creators, call this app \"MindSnacks French\".\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nOo la la!  J\'adore snacks!  I couldn\'t wait to feed my brain with all things French!  For FREE!\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n<a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/?attachment_id=9195\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-9195\"><img class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-9195\" title=\"OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA\" src=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/P1170007-225x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"225\" height=\"300\" /></a><a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/?attachment_id=9196\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-9196\"><img class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-9196\" title=\"OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA\" src=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/P1170009-225x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"225\" height=\"300\" /></a>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nWhat describes my current French?  We\'ve already been over that.  \"I\'m leaving for France in 10 days and I barely remember any of the French that I studied for a year in college\" wasn\'t an option.  I chose the closest thing:  \"Jumbled up words without any structure\".\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n<a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/?attachment_id=9197\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-9197\"><img class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-9197\" title=\"OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA\" src=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/P1170010-225x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"225\" height=\"300\" /></a>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nNeat?  Did you seriously just say that?  Well, gosh oh golly, aren\'t you swell!  Wait a minute.  Am I talking to a computer?\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nAnd hold on a sec.  Shouldn\'t I review my numbers first?  Kindly take me back to Level 1, per favore.  (I could only remember \"please\" in Italian at the time.  At the time of this writing, I\'ve just remembered that \"please\" in French is \"si vous plait\".  I\'m quite pleased with myself.)\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n<iframe src=\"http://www.youtube.com/embed/AbDh25_T_Yk\" frameborder=\"0\" width=\"640\" height=\"480\"></iframe>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nThat\'s right.  I filmed my MindSnack lesson demo with my low-tech Olympus camera.  Sideways.  (Unintentionally.)\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nI thought about staging a \"Take Two\" until I realized how this mishap would prove my non-gadgetness and make you laugh at the same time.  I\'m always willing to take a hit to entertain my troops.  :-D\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nI mastered Level 1 -- Numbers in no time flat!  Woo hoo!\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n<a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/?attachment_id=9198\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-9198\"><img class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-9198\" title=\"OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA\" src=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/P1170013-300x225.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" /></a>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nWait a minute.  Are you kidding me?  I knew there was no such thing as a free lunch.  Now you\'re telling me that there\'s no such thing as a free MindSnack???\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nHmph.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nMaird.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nOh, well.  Imaginative people deserve to be paid for their creations.  I dished out the more than reasonable $4.99 for more fun and games.   I am now reacquainted with my colors in French.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nThank goodness I have a built-in translator aka Romeo Mio when I descend on the French Alps in 4 days.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;','Playdate #3:  Gadget Girl Tackles French Lessons','','inherit','open','open','','9189-revision-33','','','2012-01-23 21:20:16','2012-01-24 04:20:16','',9189,'http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/2012/01/23/9189-revision-33/',0,'revision','',0),(9230,1,'2012-01-23 21:23:52','2012-01-24 04:23:52','<a href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/carbonnyc/6053333742/\" target=\"_blank\"><img class=\"alignleft size-medium wp-image-9220\" title=\"6053333742_cfea2607cc\" src=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/6053333742_cfea2607cc-300x199.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"199\" /></a>I am not a gadget person.  Romeo Mio is a gadget person.  Therefore, I am now learning how to play nicely with gadgets.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-size: medium; color: #800000;\"><strong>Gadget du Jour:  The iPad 2.</strong></span>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nWould I ever buy an iPad 2?  Heck, no.  <a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/2011/01/21/day-113-i-joined-a-cult-please-dont-tell-my-mother/\" target=\"_blank\"><strong>I may be drinking the Magic Kool-Aid,</strong></a> but there\'s still a trace amount left at the bottom of my dixie cup.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nI have a MacBook Pro which is beyond A-W-E-S-O-M-E.  It does everything that I want it to do and oh so much more.  Why <em>on earth</em> would I complicate my life with yet another gadget that isn\'t as functional as my most cherished treasure (next to Romeo Mio, my family, my friends, and Little Miss B, of course)?\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nI won the iPad 2 at work for a sales contest.  Woo hoo!\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nIt sat in the box unopened for about 3 weeks until Romeo Mio arrived.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nRomeo Mio and I actually had our one and only spat over that bloody iPad 2.  It started with me whining about emails.  Something to the effect of . . . . I am under a steady email stream at work, at home, on my Crackberry (See? I told you there was some Kool-Aid leftover!), and now I am expected to manage emails on my iPad 2?!?!  ARGH!!!!\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nMy temper tantrum annoyed Romeo Mio to no end.  Romeo Mio, who consumed every last drop of his Kool-Aid years ago, reprimanded for me behaving like a selfish wench.  If I wasn\'t grateful for my FREE iPad 2, then he would gladly take it off my hands.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nHmph.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nI realized that it was a tad silly for me to get ornery over a gadget that so much of the world coveted.  There must be something to all this fuss.  Why not play with it and see for myself what all this fuss was about?  After all, I could disable the email deluge from my iPad.  I sweetly asked Romeo Mio to help me with that task.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nI then journeyed into App World.  Ooooo.  Ahhhhh.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nYou could easily become lost in App World because there\'s an app for everything.  Need to play a game?  There\'s a zillion apps for that.  At the grocery store and need a dinner recipe accompanied by the shopping list of ingredients?  There\'s an app for that?  Want to turn your photos into pop art so you can look cool on facebook?  There\'s an app or two or more for that.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nAs a former teacher, I\'m always a fan of play that is educational in nature.  Last week, I gravitated towards the \"I\'m leaving for France in 10 days and I barely remember any of the French that I studied for a year in college\" app.  Other people, including the app\'s creators, call this app \"MindSnacks French\".\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nOo la la!  J\'adore snacks!  I couldn\'t wait to feed my brain with all things French!  For FREE!\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n<a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/?attachment_id=9195\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-9195\"><img class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-9195\" title=\"OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA\" src=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/P1170007-225x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"225\" height=\"300\" /></a><a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/?attachment_id=9196\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-9196\"><img class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-9196\" title=\"OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA\" src=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/P1170009-225x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"225\" height=\"300\" /></a>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nWhat describes my current French?  We\'ve already been over that.  \"I\'m leaving for France in 10 days and I barely remember any of the French that I studied for a year in college\" wasn\'t an option.  I chose the closest thing:  \"Jumbled up words without any structure\".\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n<a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/?attachment_id=9197\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-9197\"><img class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-9197\" title=\"OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA\" src=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/P1170010-225x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"225\" height=\"300\" /></a>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nNeat?  Did you seriously just say that?  Well, gosh oh golly, aren\'t you swell!  Wait a minute.  Am I talking to a computer?\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nAnd hold on a sec.  Shouldn\'t I review my numbers first?  Kindly take me back to Level 1, per favore.  (I could only remember \"please\" in Italian at the time.  At the time of this writing, I\'ve just remembered that \"please\" in French is \"si vous plait\".  I\'m quite pleased with myself.)\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n<iframe src=\"http://www.youtube.com/embed/AbDh25_T_Yk\" frameborder=\"0\" width=\"640\" height=\"480\"></iframe>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nThat\'s right.  I filmed my MindSnack lesson demo with my low-tech Olympus camera.  Sideways.  (Unintentionally.)\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nI thought about staging a \"Take Two\" until I realized how this mishap would prove my non-gadgetness and make you laugh at the same time.  I\'m always willing to take a hit to entertain my troops.  :-D\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nI mastered Level 1 -- Numbers in no time flat!  Woo hoo!\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n<a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/?attachment_id=9198\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-9198\"><img class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-9198\" title=\"OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA\" src=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/P1170013-300x225.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" /></a>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nWait a minute.  Are you kidding me?  I knew there was no such thing as a free lunch.  Now you\'re telling me that there\'s no such thing as a free MindSnack???\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nHmph.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nMaird.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nOh, well.  Imaginative people deserve to be paid for their creations.  I dished out the more than reasonable $4.99 for more educational fun and games.   I am now reacquainted with my colors in French.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nThank goodness I have a built-in translator aka Romeo Mio when I descend on the French Alps in 4 days.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;','Playdate #3:  Gadget Girl Tackles French Lessons','','inherit','open','open','','9189-revision-35','','','2012-01-23 21:23:52','2012-01-24 04:23:52','',9189,'http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/2012/01/23/9189-revision-35/',0,'revision','',0),(9231,1,'2012-01-23 21:23:52','2012-01-24 04:23:52','<a href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/carbonnyc/6053333742/\" target=\"_blank\"><img class=\"alignleft size-medium wp-image-9220\" title=\"6053333742_cfea2607cc\" src=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/6053333742_cfea2607cc-300x199.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"199\" /></a>I am not a gadget person.  Romeo Mio is a gadget person.  Therefore, I am now learning how to play nicely with gadgets.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-size: medium; color: #800000;\"><strong>Gadget du Jour:  The iPad 2.</strong></span>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nWould I ever buy an iPad 2?  Heck, no.  <a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/2011/01/21/day-113-i-joined-a-cult-please-dont-tell-my-mother/\" target=\"_blank\"><strong>I may be drinking the Magic Kool-Aid,</strong></a> but there\'s still a trace amount left at the bottom of my dixie cup.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nI have a MacBook Pro which is beyond A-W-E-S-O-M-E.  It does everything that I want it to do and oh so much more.  Why <em>on earth</em> would I complicate my life with yet another gadget that isn\'t as functional as my most cherished treasure (next to Romeo Mio, my family, my friends, and Little Miss B, of course)?\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nI won the iPad 2 at work for a sales contest.  Woo hoo!\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nIt sat in the box unopened for about 3 weeks until Romeo Mio arrived.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nRomeo Mio and I actually had our one and only spat over that bloody iPad 2.  It started with me whining about emails.  Something to the effect of . . . . I am under a steady email stream at work, at home, on my Crackberry (See? I told you there was some Kool-Aid leftover!), and now I am expected to manage emails on my iPad 2?!?!  ARGH!!!!\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nMy temper tantrum annoyed Romeo Mio to no end.  Romeo Mio, who consumed every last drop of his Kool-Aid years ago, reprimanded for me behaving like a selfish wench.  If I wasn\'t grateful for my FREE iPad 2, then he would gladly take it off my hands.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nHmph.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nI realized that it was a tad silly for me to get ornery over a gadget that so much of the world coveted.  There must be something to all this fuss.  Why not play with it and see for myself what all this fuss was about?  After all, I could disable the email deluge from my iPad.  I sweetly asked Romeo Mio to help me with that task.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nI then journeyed into App World.  Ooooo.  Ahhhhh.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nYou could easily become lost in App World because there\'s an app for everything.  Need to play a game?  There\'s a zillion apps for that.  At the grocery store and need a dinner recipe accompanied by the shopping list of ingredients?  There\'s an app for that?  Want to turn your photos into pop art so you can look cool on facebook?  There\'s an app or two or more for that.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nAs a former teacher, I\'m always a fan of play that is educational in nature.  Last week, I gravitated towards the \"I\'m leaving for France in 10 days and I barely remember any of the French that I studied for a year in college\" app.  Other people, including the app\'s creators, call this app \"MindSnacks French\".\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nOo la la!  J\'adore snacks!  I couldn\'t wait to feed my brain with all things French!  For FREE!\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n<a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/?attachment_id=9195\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-9195\"><img class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-9195\" title=\"OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA\" src=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/P1170007-225x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"225\" height=\"300\" /></a><a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/?attachment_id=9196\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-9196\"><img class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-9196\" title=\"OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA\" src=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/P1170009-225x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"225\" height=\"300\" /></a>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nWhat describes my current French?  We\'ve already been over that.  \"I\'m leaving for France in 10 days and I barely remember any of the French that I studied for a year in college\" wasn\'t an option.  I chose the closest thing:  \"Jumbled up words without any structure\".\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n<a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/?attachment_id=9197\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-9197\"><img class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-9197\" title=\"OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA\" src=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/P1170010-225x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"225\" height=\"300\" /></a>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nNeat?  Did you seriously just say that?  Well, gosh oh golly, aren\'t you swell!  Wait a minute.  Am I talking to a computer?\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nAnd hold on a sec.  Shouldn\'t I review my numbers first?  Kindly take me back to Level 1, per favore.  (I could only remember \"please\" in Italian at the time.  At the time of this writing, I\'ve just remembered that \"please\" in French is \"si vous plait\".  I\'m quite pleased with myself.)\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n<iframe src=\"http://www.youtube.com/embed/AbDh25_T_Yk\" frameborder=\"0\" width=\"640\" height=\"480\"></iframe>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nThat\'s right.  I filmed my MindSnack lesson demo with my low-tech Olympus camera.  Sideways.  (Unintentionally.)\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nI thought about staging a \"Take Two\" until I realized how this mishap would prove my non-gadgetness and make you laugh at the same time.  I\'m always willing to take a hit to entertain my troops.  :-D\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nI mastered Level 1 -- Numbers in no time flat!  Woo hoo!\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n<a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/?attachment_id=9198\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-9198\"><img class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-9198\" title=\"OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA\" src=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/P1170013-300x225.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" /></a>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nWait a minute.  Are you kidding me?  I knew there was no such thing as a free lunch.  Now you\'re telling me that there\'s no such thing as a free MindSnack???\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nHmph.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nMaird.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nOh, well.  Imaginative people deserve to be paid for their creations.  I dished out the more than reasonable $4.99 for more educational fun and games.   I am now reacquainted with my colors in French.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nThank goodness I have a built-in translator aka Romeo Mio when I descend on the French Alps in 4 days.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;','Playdate #3:  Gadget Girl Tackles French Lessons','','inherit','open','open','','9189-revision-36','','','2012-01-23 21:23:52','2012-01-24 04:23:52','',9189,'http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/2012/01/23/9189-revision-36/',0,'revision','',0),(9234,1,'2012-01-24 09:27:11','2012-01-24 16:27:11','<a href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/carbonnyc/6053333742/\" target=\"_blank\"><img class=\"alignleft size-medium wp-image-9220\" title=\"6053333742_cfea2607cc\" src=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/6053333742_cfea2607cc-300x199.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"199\" /></a>I am not a gadget person.  Romeo Mio is a gadget person.  Therefore, I am now learning how to play nicely with gadgets.\n\n&nbsp;\n\n<span style=\"font-size: medium; color: #800000;\"><strong>Gadget du Jour:  The iPad 2.</strong></span>\n\n&nbsp;\n\nWould I ever buy an iPad 2?  Heck, no.  <a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/2011/01/21/day-113-i-joined-a-cult-please-dont-tell-my-mother/\" target=\"_blank\"><strong>I may be drinking the Magic Kool-Aid,</strong></a> but there\'s still a trace amount left at the bottom of my dixie cup.\n\n&nbsp;\n\nI have a MacBook Pro which is beyond A-W-E-S-O-M-E.  It does everything that I want it to do and oh so much more.  Why <em>on earth</em> would I complicate my life with yet another gadget that isn\'t as functional as my most cherished treasure (next to Romeo Mio, my family, my friends, and Little Miss B, of course)?\n\n&nbsp;\n\nI won the iPad 2 at work for a sales contest.  Woo hoo!\n\n&nbsp;\n\nIt sat in the box unopened for about 3 weeks until Romeo Mio arrived for his Thanksgiving visit.\n\n&nbsp;\n\nRomeo Mio and I actually had our one and only spat over that bloody iPad 2.  It started with me whining about emails.  Something to the effect of . . . . I am under a steady email stream at work, at home, on my Crackberry (See? I told you there was some Kool-Aid leftover!), and now I am expected to manage emails on my iPad 2?!?!  ARGH!!!!\n\n&nbsp;\n\nMy temper tantrum annoyed Romeo Mio to no end.  Romeo Mio, who consumed every last drop of his Kool-Aid years ago, reprimanded for me behaving like a selfish wench.  If I wasn\'t grateful for my FREE iPad 2, then he would gladly take it off my hands.\n\n&nbsp;\n\nHmph.\n\n&nbsp;\n\nI realized that it was a tad silly for me to get ornery over a gadget that so much of the world coveted.  There must be something to all this fuss.  Why not play with it and see for myself what all this fuss was about?  After all, I could disable the email deluge from my iPad.  I sweetly asked Romeo Mio to help me with that task.\n\n&nbsp;\n\nI then journeyed into App World.  Ooooo.  Ahhhhh.\n\n&nbsp;\n\nYou could easily become lost in App World because there\'s an app for everything.  Need to play a game?  There\'s a zillion apps for that.  At the grocery store and need a dinner recipe accompanied by the shopping list of ingredients?  There\'s an app for that?  Want to turn your photos into pop art so you can look cool on facebook?  There\'s an app or two or more for that.\n\n&nbsp;\n\nAs a former teacher, I\'m always a fan of play that is educational in nature.  Last week, I gravitated towards the \"I\'m leaving for France in 10 days and I barely remember any of the French that I studied for a year in college\" app.  Other people, including the app\'s creators, call this app \"MindSnacks French\".\n\n&nbsp;\n\nOo la la!  J\'adore snacks!  I couldn\'t wait to feed my brain with all things French!  For FREE!\n\n&nbsp;\n\n&nbsp;\n\n<a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/?attachment_id=9195\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-9195\"><img class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-9195\" title=\"OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA\" src=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/P1170007-225x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"225\" height=\"300\" /></a><a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/?attachment_id=9196\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-9196\"><img class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-9196\" title=\"OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA\" src=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/P1170009-225x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"225\" height=\"300\" /></a>\n\n&nbsp;\n\nWhat describes my current French?  We\'ve already been over that.  \"I\'m leaving for France in 10 days and I barely remember any of the French that I studied for a year in college\" wasn\'t an option.  I chose the closest thing:  \"Jumbled up words without any structure\".\n\n&nbsp;\n\n&nbsp;\n\n<a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/?attachment_id=9197\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-9197\"><img class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-9197\" title=\"OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA\" src=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/P1170010-225x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"225\" height=\"300\" /></a>\n\n&nbsp;\n\nNeat?  Did you seriously just say that?  Well, gosh oh golly, aren\'t you swell!  Wait a minute.  Am I talking to a computer?\n\n&nbsp;\n\nAnd hold on a sec.  Shouldn\'t I review my numbers first?  Kindly take me back to Level 1, per favore.  (I could only remember \"please\" in Italian at the time.  At the time of this writing, I\'ve just remembered that \"please\" in French is \"si vous plait\".  I\'m quite pleased with myself.)\n\n&nbsp;\n\n&nbsp;\n\n<iframe src=\"http://www.youtube.com/embed/AbDh25_T_Yk\" frameborder=\"0\" width=\"640\" height=\"480\"></iframe>\n\n&nbsp;\n\n&nbsp;\n\nThat\'s right.  I filmed my MindSnack lesson demo with my low-tech Olympus camera.  Sideways.  (Unintentionally.)\n\n&nbsp;\n\nI thought about staging a \"Take Two\" until I realized how this mishap would prove my non-gadgetness and make you laugh at the same time.  I\'m always willing to take a hit to entertain my troops.  :-D\n\n&nbsp;\n\nI mastered Level 1 -- Numbers in no time flat!  Woo hoo!\n\n&nbsp;\n\n&nbsp;\n\n<a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/?attachment_id=9198\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-9198\"><img class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-9198\" title=\"OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA\" src=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/P1170013-300x225.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" /></a>\n\n&nbsp;\n\n&nbsp;\n\nWait a minute.  Are you kidding me?  I knew there was no such thing as a free lunch.  Now you\'re telling me that there\'s no such thing as a free MindSnack???\n\n&nbsp;\n\nHmph.\n\n&nbsp;\n\nMaird.\n\n&nbsp;\n\nOh, well.  Imaginative people deserve to be paid for their creations.  I dished out the more than reasonable $4.99 for more educational fun and games.   I am now reacquainted with my colors in French.\n\n&nbsp;\n\nThank goodness I have a built-in translator aka Romeo Mio when I descend on the French Alps in 4 days.\n\n&nbsp;\n\n&nbsp;','Playdate #3:  Gadget Girl Tackles French Lessons on the iPad','','inherit','open','open','','9189-revision-38','','','2012-01-24 09:27:11','2012-01-24 16:27:11','',9189,'http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/2012/01/24/9189-revision-38/',0,'revision','',0),(9232,1,'2012-01-23 21:24:27','2012-01-24 04:24:27','<a href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/carbonnyc/6053333742/\" target=\"_blank\"><img class=\"alignleft size-medium wp-image-9220\" title=\"6053333742_cfea2607cc\" src=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/6053333742_cfea2607cc-300x199.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"199\" /></a>I am not a gadget person.  Romeo Mio is a gadget person.  Therefore, I am now learning how to play nicely with gadgets.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-size: medium; color: #800000;\"><strong>Gadget du Jour:  The iPad 2.</strong></span>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nWould I ever buy an iPad 2?  Heck, no.  <a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/2011/01/21/day-113-i-joined-a-cult-please-dont-tell-my-mother/\" target=\"_blank\"><strong>I may be drinking the Magic Kool-Aid,</strong></a> but there\'s still a trace amount left at the bottom of my dixie cup.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nI have a MacBook Pro which is beyond A-W-E-S-O-M-E.  It does everything that I want it to do and oh so much more.  Why <em>on earth</em> would I complicate my life with yet another gadget that isn\'t as functional as my most cherished treasure (next to Romeo Mio, my family, my friends, and Little Miss B, of course)?\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nI won the iPad 2 at work for a sales contest.  Woo hoo!\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nIt sat in the box unopened for about 3 weeks until Romeo Mio arrived.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nRomeo Mio and I actually had our one and only spat over that bloody iPad 2.  It started with me whining about emails.  Something to the effect of . . . . I am under a steady email stream at work, at home, on my Crackberry (See? I told you there was some Kool-Aid leftover!), and now I am expected to manage emails on my iPad 2?!?!  ARGH!!!!\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nMy temper tantrum annoyed Romeo Mio to no end.  Romeo Mio, who consumed every last drop of his Kool-Aid years ago, reprimanded for me behaving like a selfish wench.  If I wasn\'t grateful for my FREE iPad 2, then he would gladly take it off my hands.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nHmph.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nI realized that it was a tad silly for me to get ornery over a gadget that so much of the world coveted.  There must be something to all this fuss.  Why not play with it and see for myself what all this fuss was about?  After all, I could disable the email deluge from my iPad.  I sweetly asked Romeo Mio to help me with that task.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nI then journeyed into App World.  Ooooo.  Ahhhhh.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nYou could easily become lost in App World because there\'s an app for everything.  Need to play a game?  There\'s a zillion apps for that.  At the grocery store and need a dinner recipe accompanied by the shopping list of ingredients?  There\'s an app for that?  Want to turn your photos into pop art so you can look cool on facebook?  There\'s an app or two or more for that.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nAs a former teacher, I\'m always a fan of play that is educational in nature.  Last week, I gravitated towards the \"I\'m leaving for France in 10 days and I barely remember any of the French that I studied for a year in college\" app.  Other people, including the app\'s creators, call this app \"MindSnacks French\".\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nOo la la!  J\'adore snacks!  I couldn\'t wait to feed my brain with all things French!  For FREE!\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n<a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/?attachment_id=9195\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-9195\"><img class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-9195\" title=\"OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA\" src=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/P1170007-225x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"225\" height=\"300\" /></a><a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/?attachment_id=9196\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-9196\"><img class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-9196\" title=\"OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA\" src=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/P1170009-225x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"225\" height=\"300\" /></a>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nWhat describes my current French?  We\'ve already been over that.  \"I\'m leaving for France in 10 days and I barely remember any of the French that I studied for a year in college\" wasn\'t an option.  I chose the closest thing:  \"Jumbled up words without any structure\".\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n<a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/?attachment_id=9197\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-9197\"><img class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-9197\" title=\"OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA\" src=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/P1170010-225x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"225\" height=\"300\" /></a>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nNeat?  Did you seriously just say that?  Well, gosh oh golly, aren\'t you swell!  Wait a minute.  Am I talking to a computer?\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nAnd hold on a sec.  Shouldn\'t I review my numbers first?  Kindly take me back to Level 1, per favore.  (I could only remember \"please\" in Italian at the time.  At the time of this writing, I\'ve just remembered that \"please\" in French is \"si vous plait\".  I\'m quite pleased with myself.)\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n<iframe src=\"http://www.youtube.com/embed/AbDh25_T_Yk\" frameborder=\"0\" width=\"640\" height=\"480\"></iframe>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nThat\'s right.  I filmed my MindSnack lesson demo with my low-tech Olympus camera.  Sideways.  (Unintentionally.)\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nI thought about staging a \"Take Two\" until I realized how this mishap would prove my non-gadgetness and make you laugh at the same time.  I\'m always willing to take a hit to entertain my troops.  :-D\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nI mastered Level 1 -- Numbers in no time flat!  Woo hoo!\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n<a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/?attachment_id=9198\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-9198\"><img class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-9198\" title=\"OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA\" src=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/P1170013-300x225.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" /></a>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nWait a minute.  Are you kidding me?  I knew there was no such thing as a free lunch.  Now you\'re telling me that there\'s no such thing as a free MindSnack???\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nHmph.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nMaird.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nOh, well.  Imaginative people deserve to be paid for their creations.  I dished out the more than reasonable $4.99 for more educational fun and games.   I am now reacquainted with my colors in French.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nThank goodness I have a built-in translator aka Romeo Mio when I descend on the French Alps in 4 days.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;','Playdate #3:  Gadget Girl Tackles French Lessons on the iPad','','inherit','open','open','','9189-revision-37','','','2012-01-23 21:24:27','2012-01-24 04:24:27','',9189,'http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/2012/01/23/9189-revision-37/',0,'revision','',0),(9411,1,'2012-02-02 09:11:12','2012-02-02 08:11:12','<a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/2012/02/02/photo-du-jour-torino-italia/p1010156/\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-9412\"><img class=\"alignnone  wp-image-9412\" title=\"P1010156\" src=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/P1010156-801x1024.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"449\" height=\"574\" /></a>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nRomeo Mio and I ventured out into a snowstorm yesterday to visit his roots.  He grew up just outside of Torino.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;','Photo du Jour:  Torino, Italia','','publish','open','open','','photo-du-jour-torino-italia','','','2012-02-01 21:22:11','2012-02-01 20:22:11','',0,'http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/?p=9411',0,'post','',3),(9235,1,'2012-01-24 09:27:48','2012-01-24 16:27:48','<a href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/carbonnyc/6053333742/\" target=\"_blank\"><img class=\"alignleft size-medium wp-image-9220\" title=\"6053333742_cfea2607cc\" src=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/6053333742_cfea2607cc-300x199.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"199\" /></a>I am not a gadget person.  Romeo Mio is a gadget person.  Therefore, I am now learning how to play nicely with gadgets.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-size: medium; color: #800000;\"><strong>Gadget du Jour:  The iPad 2.</strong></span>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nWould I ever buy an iPad 2?  Heck, no.  <a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/2011/01/21/day-113-i-joined-a-cult-please-dont-tell-my-mother/\" target=\"_blank\"><strong>I may be drinking the Magic Kool-Aid,</strong></a> but there\'s still a trace amount left at the bottom of my dixie cup.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nI have a MacBook Pro which is beyond A-W-E-S-O-M-E.  It does everything that I want it to do and oh so much more.  Why <em>on earth</em> would I complicate my life with yet another gadget that isn\'t as functional as my most cherished treasure (next to Romeo Mio, my family, my friends, and Little Miss B, of course)?\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nI won the iPad 2 at work for a sales contest.  Woo hoo!\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nIt sat in the box unopened for about 3 weeks until Romeo Mio arrived for his <a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/2011/11/15/guess-whos-coming-to-dinner/\" target=\"_blank\"><strong>Thanksgiving visit</strong></a>.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nRomeo Mio and I actually had our one and only spat over that bloody iPad 2.  It started with me whining about emails.  Something to the effect of . . . . I am under a steady email stream at work, at home, on my Crackberry (See? I told you there was some Kool-Aid leftover!), and now I am expected to manage emails on my iPad 2?!?!  ARGH!!!!\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nMy temper tantrum annoyed Romeo Mio to no end.  Romeo Mio, who consumed every last drop of his Kool-Aid years ago, reprimanded for me behaving like a selfish wench.  If I wasn\'t grateful for my FREE iPad 2, then he would gladly take it off my hands.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nHmph.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nI realized that it was a tad silly for me to get ornery over a gadget that so much of the world coveted.  There must be something to all this fuss.  Why not play with it and see for myself what all this fuss was about?  After all, I could disable the email deluge from my iPad.  I sweetly asked Romeo Mio to help me with that task.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nI then journeyed into App World.  Ooooo.  Ahhhhh.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nYou could easily become lost in App World because there\'s an app for everything.  Need to play a game?  There\'s a zillion apps for that.  At the grocery store and need a dinner recipe accompanied by the shopping list of ingredients?  There\'s an app for that?  Want to turn your photos into pop art so you can look cool on facebook?  There\'s an app or two or more for that.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nAs a former teacher, I\'m always a fan of play that is educational in nature.  Last week, I gravitated towards the \"I\'m leaving for France in 10 days and I barely remember any of the French that I studied for a year in college\" app.  Other people, including the app\'s creators, call this app \"MindSnacks French\".\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nOo la la!  J\'adore snacks!  I couldn\'t wait to feed my brain with all things French!  For FREE!\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n<a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/?attachment_id=9195\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-9195\"><img class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-9195\" title=\"OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA\" src=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/P1170007-225x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"225\" height=\"300\" /></a><a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/?attachment_id=9196\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-9196\"><img class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-9196\" title=\"OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA\" src=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/P1170009-225x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"225\" height=\"300\" /></a>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nWhat describes my current French?  We\'ve already been over that.  \"I\'m leaving for France in 10 days and I barely remember any of the French that I studied for a year in college\" wasn\'t an option.  I chose the closest thing:  \"Jumbled up words without any structure\".\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n<a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/?attachment_id=9197\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-9197\"><img class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-9197\" title=\"OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA\" src=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/P1170010-225x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"225\" height=\"300\" /></a>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nNeat?  Did you seriously just say that?  Well, gosh oh golly, aren\'t you swell!  Wait a minute.  Am I talking to a computer?\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nAnd hold on a sec.  Shouldn\'t I review my numbers first?  Kindly take me back to Level 1, per favore.  (I could only remember \"please\" in Italian at the time.  At the time of this writing, I\'ve just remembered that \"please\" in French is \"si vous plait\".  I\'m quite pleased with myself.)\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n<iframe src=\"http://www.youtube.com/embed/AbDh25_T_Yk\" frameborder=\"0\" width=\"640\" height=\"480\"></iframe>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nThat\'s right.  I filmed my MindSnack lesson demo with my low-tech Olympus camera.  Sideways.  (Unintentionally.)\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nI thought about staging a \"Take Two\" until I realized how this mishap would prove my non-gadgetness and make you laugh at the same time.  I\'m always willing to take a hit to entertain my troops.  :-D\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nI mastered Level 1 -- Numbers in no time flat!  Woo hoo!\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n<a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/?attachment_id=9198\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-9198\"><img class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-9198\" title=\"OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA\" src=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/P1170013-300x225.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" /></a>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nWait a minute.  Are you kidding me?  I knew there was no such thing as a free lunch.  Now you\'re telling me that there\'s no such thing as a free MindSnack???\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nHmph.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nMaird.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nOh, well.  Imaginative people deserve to be paid for their creations.  I dished out the more than reasonable $4.99 for more educational fun and games.   I am now reacquainted with my colors in French.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nThank goodness I have a built-in translator aka Romeo Mio when I descend on the French Alps in 4 days.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;','Playdate #3:  Gadget Girl Tackles French Lessons on the iPad','','inherit','open','open','','9189-revision-39','','','2012-01-24 09:27:48','2012-01-24 16:27:48','',9189,'http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/2012/01/24/9189-revision-39/',0,'revision','',0),(9236,1,'2012-01-24 09:31:51','2012-01-24 16:31:51','<a href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/carbonnyc/6053333742/\" target=\"_blank\"><img class=\"alignleft size-medium wp-image-9220\" title=\"6053333742_cfea2607cc\" src=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/6053333742_cfea2607cc-300x199.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"199\" /></a>I am not a gadget person.  Romeo Mio is a gadget person.  Therefore, I am now learning how to play nicely with gadgets.\n\n&nbsp;\n\n<span style=\"font-size: medium; color: #800000;\"><strong>Gadget du Jour:  The iPad 2.</strong></span>\n\n&nbsp;\n\nWould I ever buy an iPad 2?  Heck, no.  <a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/2011/01/21/day-113-i-joined-a-cult-please-dont-tell-my-mother/\" target=\"_blank\"><strong>I may be drinking the Magic Kool-Aid,</strong></a> but there\'s still a trace amount left at the bottom of my dixie cup.\n\n&nbsp;\n\nI have a MacBook Pro which is beyond A-W-E-S-O-M-E.  It does everything that I want it to do and oh so much more.  Why <em>on earth</em> would I complicate my life with yet another gadget that isn\'t as functional as my most cherished treasure (next to Romeo Mio, my family, my friends, and Little Miss B, of course)?\n\n&nbsp;\n\nI won the iPad 2 at work for a sales contest.  Woo hoo!\n\n&nbsp;\n\nIt sat in the box unopened for about 3 weeks until Romeo Mio arrived for his <a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/2011/11/15/guess-whos-coming-to-dinner/\" target=\"_blank\"><strong>Thanksgiving visit</strong></a>.\n\n&nbsp;\n\nRomeo Mio and I actually had our one and only spat over that bloody iPad 2.  It started with me whining about emails.  Something to the effect of . . . . I am under a steady email stream at work, at home, on my Crackberry (See? I told you there was some Kool-Aid leftover!), and now I am expected to manage emails on my iPad 2?!?!  ARGH!!!!\n\n&nbsp;\n\nMy temper tantrum annoyed Romeo Mio to no end.  Romeo Mio, who consumed every last drop of his Kool-Aid years ago, reprimanded for me behaving like a selfish wench.  If I wasn\'t grateful for my FREE iPad 2, then he would gladly take it off my hands.\n\n&nbsp;\n\n<strong>Hmph.</strong>\n\n&nbsp;\n\nI realized that it was a tad silly for me to get ornery over a gadget that so much of the world coveted.  There must be something to all this fuss.  Why not play with it and see for myself what all this fuss was about?  After all, I could disable the email deluge from my iPad.  I sweetly asked Romeo Mio to help me with that task.\n\n&nbsp;\n\nI then journeyed into App World.  Ooooo.  Ahhhhh.\n\n&nbsp;\n\nYou could easily become lost in App World because there\'s an app for everything.  At the grocery store and need a dinner recipe accompanied by the shopping list of ingredients?  There\'s an app for that?  Want to turn your photos into pop art so you can look cool on facebook?  There\'s an app or two or more for that.\n\n&nbsp;\n\n<strong>I just heard this one on the radio this morning and couldn\'t believe it:  Need to know why he hasn\'t called you back?  There\'s an app for that.</strong>\n\n&nbsp;\n\nAs a former teacher, I\'m always a fan of play that is educational in nature.  Last week, I gravitated towards the \"I\'m leaving for France in 10 days and I barely remember any of the French that I studied for a year in college\" app.  Other people, including the app\'s creators, call this app \"MindSnacks French\".\n\n&nbsp;\n\nOo la la!  J\'adore snacks!  I couldn\'t wait to feed my brain with all things French!  For FREE!\n\n&nbsp;\n\n&nbsp;\n\n<a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/?attachment_id=9195\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-9195\"><img class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-9195\" title=\"OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA\" src=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/P1170007-225x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"225\" height=\"300\" /></a><a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/?attachment_id=9196\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-9196\"><img class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-9196\" title=\"OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA\" src=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/P1170009-225x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"225\" height=\"300\" /></a>\n\n&nbsp;\n\nWhat describes my current French?  We\'ve already been over that.  \"I\'m leaving for France in 10 days and I barely remember any of the French that I studied for a year in college\" wasn\'t an option.  I chose the closest thing:  \"Jumbled up words without any structure\".\n\n&nbsp;\n\n&nbsp;\n\n<a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/?attachment_id=9197\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-9197\"><img class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-9197\" title=\"OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA\" src=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/P1170010-225x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"225\" height=\"300\" /></a>\n\n&nbsp;\n\nNeat?  Did you seriously just say that?  Well, gosh oh golly, aren\'t you swell!  Wait a minute.  Am I talking to a computer?\n\n&nbsp;\n\nAnd hold on a sec.  Shouldn\'t I review my numbers first?  Kindly take me back to Level 1, per favore.  (I could only remember \"please\" in Italian at the time.  At the time of this writing, I\'ve just remembered that \"please\" in French is \"si vous plait\".  I\'m quite pleased with myself.)\n\n&nbsp;\n\n&nbsp;\n\n<iframe src=\"http://www.youtube.com/embed/AbDh25_T_Yk\" frameborder=\"0\" width=\"640\" height=\"480\"></iframe>\n\n&nbsp;\n\n&nbsp;\n\nThat\'s right.  I filmed my MindSnack lesson demo with my low-tech Olympus camera.  Sideways.  (Unintentionally.)\n\n&nbsp;\n\nI thought about staging a \"Take Two\" until I realized how this mishap would prove my non-gadgetness and make you laugh at the same time.  I\'m always willing to take a hit to entertain my troops.  :-D\n\n&nbsp;\n\nI mastered Level 1 -- Numbers in no time flat!  Woo hoo!\n\n&nbsp;\n\n&nbsp;\n\n<a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/?attachment_id=9198\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-9198\"><img class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-9198\" title=\"OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA\" src=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/P1170013-300x225.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" /></a>\n\n&nbsp;\n\n&nbsp;\n\nWait a minute.  Are you kidding me?  I knew there was no such thing as a free lunch.  Now you\'re telling me that there\'s no such thing as a free MindSnack???\n\n&nbsp;\n\nHmph.\n\n&nbsp;\n\nMaird.\n\n&nbsp;\n\nOh, well.  Imaginative people deserve to be paid for their creations.  I dished out the more than reasonable $4.99 for more educational fun and games.   I am now reacquainted with my colors in French.\n\n&nbsp;\n\nThank goodness I have a built-in translator aka Romeo Mio when I descend on the French Alps in 4 days.\n\n&nbsp;\n\n&nbsp;','Playdate #3:  Gadget Girl Tackles French Lessons on the iPad','','inherit','open','open','','9189-revision-40','','','2012-01-24 09:31:51','2012-01-24 16:31:51','',9189,'http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/2012/01/24/9189-revision-40/',0,'revision','',0),(9237,1,'2012-01-24 09:32:09','2012-01-24 16:32:09','<a href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/carbonnyc/6053333742/\" target=\"_blank\"><img class=\"alignleft size-medium wp-image-9220\" title=\"6053333742_cfea2607cc\" src=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/6053333742_cfea2607cc-300x199.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"199\" /></a>I am not a gadget person.  Romeo Mio is a gadget person.  Therefore, I am now learning how to play nicely with gadgets.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-size: medium; color: #800000;\"><strong>Gadget du Jour:  The iPad 2.</strong></span>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nWould I ever buy an iPad 2?  Heck, no.  <a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/2011/01/21/day-113-i-joined-a-cult-please-dont-tell-my-mother/\" target=\"_blank\"><strong>I may be drinking the Magic Kool-Aid,</strong></a> but there\'s still a trace amount left at the bottom of my dixie cup.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nI have a MacBook Pro which is beyond A-W-E-S-O-M-E.  It does everything that I want it to do and oh so much more.  Why <em>on earth</em> would I complicate my life with yet another gadget that isn\'t as functional as my most cherished treasure (next to Romeo Mio, my family, my friends, and Little Miss B, of course)?\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nI won the iPad 2 at work for a sales contest.  Woo hoo!\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nIt sat in the box unopened for about 3 weeks until Romeo Mio arrived for his <a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/2011/11/15/guess-whos-coming-to-dinner/\" target=\"_blank\"><strong>Thanksgiving visit</strong></a>.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nRomeo Mio and I actually had our one and only spat over that bloody iPad 2.  It started with me whining about emails.  Something to the effect of . . . . I am under a steady email stream at work, at home, on my Crackberry (See? I told you there was some Kool-Aid leftover!), and now I am expected to manage emails on my iPad 2?!?!  ARGH!!!!\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nMy temper tantrum annoyed Romeo Mio to no end.  Romeo Mio, who consumed every last drop of his Kool-Aid years ago, reprimanded for me behaving like a selfish wench.  If I wasn\'t grateful for my FREE iPad 2, then he would gladly take it off my hands.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-size: medium; color: #800000;\"><strong>Hmph.</strong></span>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nI realized that it was a tad silly for me to get ornery over a gadget that so much of the world coveted.  There must be something to all this fuss.  Why not play with it and see for myself what all this fuss was about?  After all, I could disable the email deluge from my iPad.  I sweetly asked Romeo Mio to help me with that task.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nI then journeyed into App World.  Ooooo.  Ahhhhh.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nYou could easily become lost in App World because there\'s an app for everything.  At the grocery store and need a dinner recipe accompanied by the shopping list of ingredients?  There\'s an app for that?  Want to turn your photos into pop art so you can look cool on facebook?  There\'s an app or two or more for that.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-size: medium; color: #800000;\"><strong>I just heard this one on the radio this morning and couldn\'t believe it:  Need to know why he hasn\'t called you back?  There\'s an app for that.</strong></span>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nAs a former teacher, I\'m always a fan of play that is educational in nature.  Last week, I gravitated towards the \"I\'m leaving for France in 10 days and I barely remember any of the French that I studied for a year in college\" app.  Other people, including the app\'s creators, call this app \"MindSnacks French\".\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nOo la la!  J\'adore snacks!  I couldn\'t wait to feed my brain with all things French!  For FREE!\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n<a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/?attachment_id=9195\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-9195\"><img class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-9195\" title=\"OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA\" src=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/P1170007-225x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"225\" height=\"300\" /></a><a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/?attachment_id=9196\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-9196\"><img class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-9196\" title=\"OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA\" src=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/P1170009-225x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"225\" height=\"300\" /></a>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nWhat describes my current French?  We\'ve already been over that.  \"I\'m leaving for France in 10 days and I barely remember any of the French that I studied for a year in college\" wasn\'t an option.  I chose the closest thing:  \"Jumbled up words without any structure\".\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n<a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/?attachment_id=9197\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-9197\"><img class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-9197\" title=\"OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA\" src=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/P1170010-225x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"225\" height=\"300\" /></a>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nNeat?  Did you seriously just say that?  Well, gosh oh golly, aren\'t you swell!  Wait a minute.  Am I talking to a computer?\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nAnd hold on a sec.  Shouldn\'t I review my numbers first?  Kindly take me back to Level 1, per favore.  (I could only remember \"please\" in Italian at the time.  At the time of this writing, I\'ve just remembered that \"please\" in French is \"si vous plait\".  I\'m quite pleased with myself.)\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n<iframe src=\"http://www.youtube.com/embed/AbDh25_T_Yk\" frameborder=\"0\" width=\"640\" height=\"480\"></iframe>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nThat\'s right.  I filmed my MindSnack lesson demo with my low-tech Olympus camera.  Sideways.  (Unintentionally.)\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nI thought about staging a \"Take Two\" until I realized how this mishap would prove my non-gadgetness and make you laugh at the same time.  I\'m always willing to take a hit to entertain my troops.  :-D\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nI mastered Level 1 -- Numbers in no time flat!  Woo hoo!\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n<a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/?attachment_id=9198\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-9198\"><img class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-9198\" title=\"OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA\" src=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/P1170013-300x225.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" /></a>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nWait a minute.  Are you kidding me?  I knew there was no such thing as a free lunch.  Now you\'re telling me that there\'s no such thing as a free MindSnack???\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nHmph.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nMaird.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nOh, well.  Imaginative people deserve to be paid for their creations.  I dished out the more than reasonable $4.99 for more educational fun and games.   I am now reacquainted with my colors in French.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nThank goodness I have a built-in translator aka Romeo Mio when I descend on the French Alps in 4 days.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;','Playdate #3:  Gadget Girl Tackles French Lessons on the iPad','','inherit','open','open','','9189-revision-41','','','2012-01-24 09:32:09','2012-01-24 16:32:09','',9189,'http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/2012/01/24/9189-revision-41/',0,'revision','',0),(9238,1,'2012-01-24 09:32:09','2012-01-24 16:32:09','<a href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/carbonnyc/6053333742/\" target=\"_blank\"><img class=\"alignleft size-medium wp-image-9220\" title=\"6053333742_cfea2607cc\" src=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/6053333742_cfea2607cc-300x199.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"199\" /></a>I am not a gadget person.  Romeo Mio is a gadget person.  Therefore, I am now learning how to play nicely with gadgets.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-size: medium; color: #800000;\"><strong>Gadget du Jour:  The iPad 2.</strong></span>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nWould I ever buy an iPad 2?  Heck, no.  <a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/2011/01/21/day-113-i-joined-a-cult-please-dont-tell-my-mother/\" target=\"_blank\"><strong>I may be drinking the Magic Kool-Aid,</strong></a> but there\'s still a trace amount left at the bottom of my dixie cup.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nI have a MacBook Pro which is beyond A-W-E-S-O-M-E.  It does everything that I want it to do and oh so much more.  Why <em>on earth</em> would I complicate my life with yet another gadget that isn\'t as functional as my most cherished treasure (next to Romeo Mio, my family, my friends, and Little Miss B, of course)?\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nI won the iPad 2 at work for a sales contest.  Woo hoo!\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nIt sat in the box unopened for about 3 weeks until Romeo Mio arrived for his <a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/2011/11/15/guess-whos-coming-to-dinner/\" target=\"_blank\"><strong>Thanksgiving visit</strong></a>.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nRomeo Mio and I actually had our one and only spat over that bloody iPad 2.  It started with me whining about emails.  Something to the effect of . . . . I am under a steady email stream at work, at home, on my Crackberry (See? I told you there was some Kool-Aid leftover!), and now I am expected to manage emails on my iPad 2?!?!  ARGH!!!!\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nMy temper tantrum annoyed Romeo Mio to no end.  Romeo Mio, who consumed every last drop of his Kool-Aid years ago, reprimanded for me behaving like a selfish wench.  If I wasn\'t grateful for my FREE iPad 2, then he would gladly take it off my hands.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-size: medium; color: #800000;\"><strong>Hmph.</strong></span>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nI realized that it was a tad silly for me to get ornery over a gadget that so much of the world coveted.  There must be something to all this fuss.  Why not play with it and see for myself what all this fuss was about?  After all, I could disable the email deluge from my iPad.  I sweetly asked Romeo Mio to help me with that task.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nI then journeyed into App World.  Ooooo.  Ahhhhh.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nYou could easily become lost in App World because there\'s an app for everything.  At the grocery store and need a dinner recipe accompanied by the shopping list of ingredients?  There\'s an app for that?  Want to turn your photos into pop art so you can look cool on facebook?  There\'s an app or two or more for that.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-size: medium; color: #800000;\"><strong>I just heard this one on the radio this morning and couldn\'t believe it:  Need to know why he hasn\'t called you back?  There\'s an app for that.</strong></span>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nAs a former teacher, I\'m always a fan of play that is educational in nature.  Last week, I gravitated towards the \"I\'m leaving for France in 10 days and I barely remember any of the French that I studied for a year in college\" app.  Other people, including the app\'s creators, call this app \"MindSnacks French\".\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nOo la la!  J\'adore snacks!  I couldn\'t wait to feed my brain with all things French!  For FREE!\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n<a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/?attachment_id=9195\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-9195\"><img class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-9195\" title=\"OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA\" src=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/P1170007-225x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"225\" height=\"300\" /></a><a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/?attachment_id=9196\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-9196\"><img class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-9196\" title=\"OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA\" src=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/P1170009-225x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"225\" height=\"300\" /></a>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nWhat describes my current French?  We\'ve already been over that.  \"I\'m leaving for France in 10 days and I barely remember any of the French that I studied for a year in college\" wasn\'t an option.  I chose the closest thing:  \"Jumbled up words without any structure\".\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n<a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/?attachment_id=9197\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-9197\"><img class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-9197\" title=\"OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA\" src=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/P1170010-225x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"225\" height=\"300\" /></a>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nNeat?  Did you seriously just say that?  Well, gosh oh golly, aren\'t you swell!  Wait a minute.  Am I talking to a computer?\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nAnd hold on a sec.  Shouldn\'t I review my numbers first?  Kindly take me back to Level 1, per favore.  (I could only remember \"please\" in Italian at the time.  At the time of this writing, I\'ve just remembered that \"please\" in French is \"si vous plait\".  I\'m quite pleased with myself.)\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n<iframe src=\"http://www.youtube.com/embed/AbDh25_T_Yk\" frameborder=\"0\" width=\"640\" height=\"480\"></iframe>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nThat\'s right.  I filmed my MindSnack lesson demo with my low-tech Olympus camera.  Sideways.  (Unintentionally.)\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nI thought about staging a \"Take Two\" until I realized how this mishap would prove my non-gadgetness and make you laugh at the same time.  I\'m always willing to take a hit to entertain my troops.  :-D\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nI mastered Level 1 -- Numbers in no time flat!  Woo hoo!\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n<a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/?attachment_id=9198\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-9198\"><img class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-9198\" title=\"OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA\" src=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/P1170013-300x225.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" /></a>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nWait a minute.  Are you kidding me?  I knew there was no such thing as a free lunch.  Now you\'re telling me that there\'s no such thing as a free MindSnack???\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nHmph.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nMaird.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nOh, well.  Imaginative people deserve to be paid for their creations.  I dished out the more than reasonable $4.99 for more educational fun and games.   I am now reacquainted with my colors in French.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nThank goodness I have a built-in translator aka Romeo Mio when I descend on the French Alps in 4 days.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;','Playdate #3:  Gadget Girl Tackles French Lessons on the iPad','','inherit','open','open','','9189-revision-42','','','2012-01-24 09:32:09','2012-01-24 16:32:09','',9189,'http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/2012/01/24/9189-revision-42/',0,'revision','',0),(9242,1,'2012-01-24 09:34:24','2012-01-24 16:34:24','<a href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/carbonnyc/6053333742/\" target=\"_blank\"><img class=\"alignleft size-medium wp-image-9220\" title=\"6053333742_cfea2607cc\" src=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/6053333742_cfea2607cc-300x199.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"199\" /></a>I am not a gadget person.  Romeo Mio is a gadget person.  Therefore, I am now learning how to play nicely with gadgets.\n\n&nbsp;\n\n<span style=\"font-size: medium; color: #800000;\"><strong>Gadget du Jour:  The iPad 2.</strong></span>\n\n&nbsp;\n\nWould I ever buy an iPad 2?  Heck, no.  <a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/2011/01/21/day-113-i-joined-a-cult-please-dont-tell-my-mother/\" target=\"_blank\"><strong>I may be drinking the Magic Kool-Aid,</strong></a> but there\'s still a trace amount left at the bottom of my dixie cup.\n\n&nbsp;\n\nI have a MacBook Pro which is beyond A-W-E-S-O-M-E.  It does everything that I want it to do and oh so much more.  Why <em>on earth</em> would I complicate my life with yet another gadget that isn\'t as functional as my most cherished treasure (next to Romeo Mio, my family, my friends, and Little Miss B, of course)?\n\n&nbsp;\n\nI won the iPad 2 at work for a sales contest.  Woo hoo!\n\n&nbsp;\n\nIt sat in the box unopened for about 3 weeks until Romeo Mio arrived for his <a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/2011/11/15/guess-whos-coming-to-dinner/\" target=\"_blank\"><strong>Thanksgiving visit</strong></a>.\n\n&nbsp;\n\n<span style=\"color: #800000;\"><strong><span style=\"font-size: medium;\">Romeo Mio and I had our one and only spat over that bloody iPad 2.  </span></strong></span>\n\n&nbsp;\n\nIt started with me whining about emails.  Something to the effect of . . . . I am under a steady email stream at work, at home, on my Crackberry (See? I told you there was some Kool-Aid leftover!), and now I am expected to manage emails on my iPad 2?!?!  ARGH!!!!\n\n&nbsp;\n\nMy temper tantrum annoyed Romeo Mio to no end.  Romeo Mio, who consumed every last drop of his Kool-Aid years ago, reprimanded for me behaving like a selfish wench.  If I wasn\'t grateful for my FREE iPad 2, then he would gladly take it off my hands.\n\n&nbsp;\n\n<span style=\"font-size: medium; color: #800000;\"><strong>Hmph.</strong></span>\n\n&nbsp;\n\nI realized that it was a tad silly for me to get ornery over a gadget that so much of the world coveted.  There must be something to all this fuss.  Why not play with it and see for myself what all this fuss was about?  After all, I could disable the email deluge from my iPad.  I sweetly asked Romeo Mio to help me with that task.\n\n&nbsp;\n\nI then journeyed into App World.  Ooooo.  Ahhhhh.\n\n&nbsp;\n\nYou could easily become lost in App World because there\'s an app for everything.  At the grocery store and need a dinner recipe accompanied by the shopping list of ingredients?  There\'s an app for that?  Want to turn your photos into pop art so you can look cool on facebook?  There\'s an app or two or more for that.\n\n&nbsp;\n\n<span style=\"font-size: medium; color: #800000;\"><strong>I just heard this one on the radio this morning and couldn\'t believe it:  Need to know why he hasn\'t called you back?  There\'s an app for that.</strong></span>\n\n&nbsp;\n\nAs a former teacher, I\'m always a fan of play that is educational in nature.  Last week, I gravitated towards the \"I\'m leaving for France in 10 days and I barely remember any of the French that I studied for a year in college\" app.  Other people, including the app\'s creators, call this app \"MindSnacks French\".\n\n&nbsp;\n\nOo la la!  J\'adore snacks!  I couldn\'t wait to feed my brain with all things French!  For FREE!\n\n&nbsp;\n\n&nbsp;\n\n<a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/?attachment_id=9195\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-9195\"><img class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-9195\" title=\"OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA\" src=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/P1170007-225x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"225\" height=\"300\" /></a><a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/?attachment_id=9196\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-9196\"><img class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-9196\" title=\"OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA\" src=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/P1170009-225x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"225\" height=\"300\" /></a>\n\n&nbsp;\n\nWhat describes my current French?  We\'ve already been over that.  \"I\'m leaving for France in 10 days and I barely remember any of the French that I studied for a year in college\" wasn\'t an option.  I chose the closest thing:  \"Jumbled up words without any structure\".\n\n&nbsp;\n\n&nbsp;\n\n<a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/?attachment_id=9197\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-9197\"><img class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-9197\" title=\"OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA\" src=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/P1170010-225x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"225\" height=\"300\" /></a>\n\n&nbsp;\n\nNeat?  Did you seriously just say that?  Well, gosh oh golly, aren\'t you swell!  Wait a minute.  Am I talking to a computer?\n\n&nbsp;\n\nAnd hold on a sec.  Shouldn\'t I review my numbers first?  Kindly take me back to Level 1, per favore.  (I could only remember \"please\" in Italian at the time.  At the time of this writing, I\'ve just remembered that \"please\" in French is \"si vous plait\".  I\'m quite pleased with myself.)\n\n&nbsp;\n\n&nbsp;\n\n<iframe src=\"http://www.youtube.com/embed/AbDh25_T_Yk\" frameborder=\"0\" width=\"640\" height=\"480\"></iframe>\n\n&nbsp;\n\n&nbsp;\n\nThat\'s right.  I filmed my MindSnack lesson demo with my low-tech Olympus camera.  Sideways.  (Unintentionally.)\n\n&nbsp;\n\nI thought about staging a \"Take Two\" until I realized how this mishap would prove my non-gadgetness and make you laugh at the same time.  I\'m always willing to take a hit to entertain my troops.  :-D\n\n&nbsp;\n\nI mastered Level 1 -- Numbers in no time flat!  Woo hoo!\n\n&nbsp;\n\n&nbsp;\n\n<a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/?attachment_id=9198\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-9198\"><img class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-9198\" title=\"OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA\" src=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/P1170013-300x225.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" /></a>\n\n&nbsp;\n\n&nbsp;\n\nWait a minute.  Are you kidding me?  I knew there was no such thing as a free lunch.  Now you\'re telling me that there\'s no such thing as a free MindSnack???\n\n&nbsp;\n\nHmph.\n\n&nbsp;\n\nMaird.\n\n&nbsp;\n\nOh, well.  Imaginative people deserve to be paid for their creations.  I dished out the more than reasonable $4.99 for more educational fun and games.   I am now reacquainted with my colors in French.\n\n&nbsp;\n\nThank goodness I have a built-in translator aka Romeo Mio when I descend on the French Alps in 4 days.\n\n&nbsp;\n\n&nbsp;','Playdate #3:  Gadget Girl Tackles French Lessons on the iPad','','inherit','open','open','','9189-revision-46','','','2012-01-24 09:34:24','2012-01-24 16:34:24','',9189,'http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/2012/01/24/9189-revision-46/',0,'revision','',0),(9239,1,'2012-01-24 09:32:55','2012-01-24 16:32:55','<a href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/carbonnyc/6053333742/\" target=\"_blank\"><img class=\"alignleft size-medium wp-image-9220\" title=\"6053333742_cfea2607cc\" src=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/6053333742_cfea2607cc-300x199.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"199\" /></a>I am not a gadget person.  Romeo Mio is a gadget person.  Therefore, I am now learning how to play nicely with gadgets.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-size: medium; color: #800000;\"><strong>Gadget du Jour:  The iPad 2.</strong></span>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nWould I ever buy an iPad 2?  Heck, no.  <a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/2011/01/21/day-113-i-joined-a-cult-please-dont-tell-my-mother/\" target=\"_blank\"><strong>I may be drinking the Magic Kool-Aid,</strong></a> but there\'s still a trace amount left at the bottom of my dixie cup.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nI have a MacBook Pro which is beyond A-W-E-S-O-M-E.  It does everything that I want it to do and oh so much more.  Why <em>on earth</em> would I complicate my life with yet another gadget that isn\'t as functional as my most cherished treasure (next to Romeo Mio, my family, my friends, and Little Miss B, of course)?\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nI won the iPad 2 at work for a sales contest.  Woo hoo!\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nIt sat in the box unopened for about 3 weeks until Romeo Mio arrived for his <a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/2011/11/15/guess-whos-coming-to-dinner/\" target=\"_blank\"><strong>Thanksgiving visit</strong></a>.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n<span style=\"color: #800000;\"><strong><span style=\"font-size: medium;\">Romeo Mio and I actually had our one and only spat over that bloody iPad 2.  </span></strong></span>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nIt started with me whining about emails.  Something to the effect of . . . . I am under a steady email stream at work, at home, on my Crackberry (See? I told you there was some Kool-Aid leftover!), and now I am expected to manage emails on my iPad 2?!?!  ARGH!!!!\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nMy temper tantrum annoyed Romeo Mio to no end.  Romeo Mio, who consumed every last drop of his Kool-Aid years ago, reprimanded for me behaving like a selfish wench.  If I wasn\'t grateful for my FREE iPad 2, then he would gladly take it off my hands.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-size: medium; color: #800000;\"><strong>Hmph.</strong></span>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nI realized that it was a tad silly for me to get ornery over a gadget that so much of the world coveted.  There must be something to all this fuss.  Why not play with it and see for myself what all this fuss was about?  After all, I could disable the email deluge from my iPad.  I sweetly asked Romeo Mio to help me with that task.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nI then journeyed into App World.  Ooooo.  Ahhhhh.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nYou could easily become lost in App World because there\'s an app for everything.  At the grocery store and need a dinner recipe accompanied by the shopping list of ingredients?  There\'s an app for that?  Want to turn your photos into pop art so you can look cool on facebook?  There\'s an app or two or more for that.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-size: medium; color: #800000;\"><strong>I just heard this one on the radio this morning and couldn\'t believe it:  Need to know why he hasn\'t called you back?  There\'s an app for that.</strong></span>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nAs a former teacher, I\'m always a fan of play that is educational in nature.  Last week, I gravitated towards the \"I\'m leaving for France in 10 days and I barely remember any of the French that I studied for a year in college\" app.  Other people, including the app\'s creators, call this app \"MindSnacks French\".\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nOo la la!  J\'adore snacks!  I couldn\'t wait to feed my brain with all things French!  For FREE!\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n<a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/?attachment_id=9195\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-9195\"><img class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-9195\" title=\"OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA\" src=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/P1170007-225x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"225\" height=\"300\" /></a><a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/?attachment_id=9196\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-9196\"><img class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-9196\" title=\"OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA\" src=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/P1170009-225x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"225\" height=\"300\" /></a>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nWhat describes my current French?  We\'ve already been over that.  \"I\'m leaving for France in 10 days and I barely remember any of the French that I studied for a year in college\" wasn\'t an option.  I chose the closest thing:  \"Jumbled up words without any structure\".\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n<a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/?attachment_id=9197\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-9197\"><img class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-9197\" title=\"OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA\" src=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/P1170010-225x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"225\" height=\"300\" /></a>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nNeat?  Did you seriously just say that?  Well, gosh oh golly, aren\'t you swell!  Wait a minute.  Am I talking to a computer?\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nAnd hold on a sec.  Shouldn\'t I review my numbers first?  Kindly take me back to Level 1, per favore.  (I could only remember \"please\" in Italian at the time.  At the time of this writing, I\'ve just remembered that \"please\" in French is \"si vous plait\".  I\'m quite pleased with myself.)\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n<iframe src=\"http://www.youtube.com/embed/AbDh25_T_Yk\" frameborder=\"0\" width=\"640\" height=\"480\"></iframe>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nThat\'s right.  I filmed my MindSnack lesson demo with my low-tech Olympus camera.  Sideways.  (Unintentionally.)\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nI thought about staging a \"Take Two\" until I realized how this mishap would prove my non-gadgetness and make you laugh at the same time.  I\'m always willing to take a hit to entertain my troops.  :-D\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nI mastered Level 1 -- Numbers in no time flat!  Woo hoo!\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n<a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/?attachment_id=9198\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-9198\"><img class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-9198\" title=\"OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA\" src=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/P1170013-300x225.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" /></a>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nWait a minute.  Are you kidding me?  I knew there was no such thing as a free lunch.  Now you\'re telling me that there\'s no such thing as a free MindSnack???\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nHmph.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nMaird.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nOh, well.  Imaginative people deserve to be paid for their creations.  I dished out the more than reasonable $4.99 for more educational fun and games.   I am now reacquainted with my colors in French.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nThank goodness I have a built-in translator aka Romeo Mio when I descend on the French Alps in 4 days.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;','Playdate #3:  Gadget Girl Tackles French Lessons on the iPad','','inherit','open','open','','9189-revision-43','','','2012-01-24 09:32:55','2012-01-24 16:32:55','',9189,'http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/2012/01/24/9189-revision-43/',0,'revision','',0),(9240,1,'2012-01-24 09:32:55','2012-01-24 16:32:55','<a href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/carbonnyc/6053333742/\" target=\"_blank\"><img class=\"alignleft size-medium wp-image-9220\" title=\"6053333742_cfea2607cc\" src=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/6053333742_cfea2607cc-300x199.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"199\" /></a>I am not a gadget person.  Romeo Mio is a gadget person.  Therefore, I am now learning how to play nicely with gadgets.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-size: medium; color: #800000;\"><strong>Gadget du Jour:  The iPad 2.</strong></span>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nWould I ever buy an iPad 2?  Heck, no.  <a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/2011/01/21/day-113-i-joined-a-cult-please-dont-tell-my-mother/\" target=\"_blank\"><strong>I may be drinking the Magic Kool-Aid,</strong></a> but there\'s still a trace amount left at the bottom of my dixie cup.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nI have a MacBook Pro which is beyond A-W-E-S-O-M-E.  It does everything that I want it to do and oh so much more.  Why <em>on earth</em> would I complicate my life with yet another gadget that isn\'t as functional as my most cherished treasure (next to Romeo Mio, my family, my friends, and Little Miss B, of course)?\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nI won the iPad 2 at work for a sales contest.  Woo hoo!\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nIt sat in the box unopened for about 3 weeks until Romeo Mio arrived for his <a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/2011/11/15/guess-whos-coming-to-dinner/\" target=\"_blank\"><strong>Thanksgiving visit</strong></a>.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n<span style=\"color: #800000;\"><strong><span style=\"font-size: medium;\">Romeo Mio and I actually had our one and only spat over that bloody iPad 2.  </span></strong></span>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nIt started with me whining about emails.  Something to the effect of . . . . I am under a steady email stream at work, at home, on my Crackberry (See? I told you there was some Kool-Aid leftover!), and now I am expected to manage emails on my iPad 2?!?!  ARGH!!!!\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nMy temper tantrum annoyed Romeo Mio to no end.  Romeo Mio, who consumed every last drop of his Kool-Aid years ago, reprimanded for me behaving like a selfish wench.  If I wasn\'t grateful for my FREE iPad 2, then he would gladly take it off my hands.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-size: medium; color: #800000;\"><strong>Hmph.</strong></span>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nI realized that it was a tad silly for me to get ornery over a gadget that so much of the world coveted.  There must be something to all this fuss.  Why not play with it and see for myself what all this fuss was about?  After all, I could disable the email deluge from my iPad.  I sweetly asked Romeo Mio to help me with that task.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nI then journeyed into App World.  Ooooo.  Ahhhhh.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nYou could easily become lost in App World because there\'s an app for everything.  At the grocery store and need a dinner recipe accompanied by the shopping list of ingredients?  There\'s an app for that?  Want to turn your photos into pop art so you can look cool on facebook?  There\'s an app or two or more for that.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-size: medium; color: #800000;\"><strong>I just heard this one on the radio this morning and couldn\'t believe it:  Need to know why he hasn\'t called you back?  There\'s an app for that.</strong></span>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nAs a former teacher, I\'m always a fan of play that is educational in nature.  Last week, I gravitated towards the \"I\'m leaving for France in 10 days and I barely remember any of the French that I studied for a year in college\" app.  Other people, including the app\'s creators, call this app \"MindSnacks French\".\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nOo la la!  J\'adore snacks!  I couldn\'t wait to feed my brain with all things French!  For FREE!\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n<a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/?attachment_id=9195\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-9195\"><img class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-9195\" title=\"OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA\" src=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/P1170007-225x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"225\" height=\"300\" /></a><a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/?attachment_id=9196\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-9196\"><img class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-9196\" title=\"OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA\" src=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/P1170009-225x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"225\" height=\"300\" /></a>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nWhat describes my current French?  We\'ve already been over that.  \"I\'m leaving for France in 10 days and I barely remember any of the French that I studied for a year in college\" wasn\'t an option.  I chose the closest thing:  \"Jumbled up words without any structure\".\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n<a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/?attachment_id=9197\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-9197\"><img class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-9197\" title=\"OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA\" src=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/P1170010-225x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"225\" height=\"300\" /></a>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nNeat?  Did you seriously just say that?  Well, gosh oh golly, aren\'t you swell!  Wait a minute.  Am I talking to a computer?\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nAnd hold on a sec.  Shouldn\'t I review my numbers first?  Kindly take me back to Level 1, per favore.  (I could only remember \"please\" in Italian at the time.  At the time of this writing, I\'ve just remembered that \"please\" in French is \"si vous plait\".  I\'m quite pleased with myself.)\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n<iframe src=\"http://www.youtube.com/embed/AbDh25_T_Yk\" frameborder=\"0\" width=\"640\" height=\"480\"></iframe>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nThat\'s right.  I filmed my MindSnack lesson demo with my low-tech Olympus camera.  Sideways.  (Unintentionally.)\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nI thought about staging a \"Take Two\" until I realized how this mishap would prove my non-gadgetness and make you laugh at the same time.  I\'m always willing to take a hit to entertain my troops.  :-D\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nI mastered Level 1 -- Numbers in no time flat!  Woo hoo!\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n<a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/?attachment_id=9198\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-9198\"><img class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-9198\" title=\"OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA\" src=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/P1170013-300x225.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" /></a>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nWait a minute.  Are you kidding me?  I knew there was no such thing as a free lunch.  Now you\'re telling me that there\'s no such thing as a free MindSnack???\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nHmph.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nMaird.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nOh, well.  Imaginative people deserve to be paid for their creations.  I dished out the more than reasonable $4.99 for more educational fun and games.   I am now reacquainted with my colors in French.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nThank goodness I have a built-in translator aka Romeo Mio when I descend on the French Alps in 4 days.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;','Playdate #3:  Gadget Girl Tackles French Lessons on the iPad','','inherit','open','open','','9189-revision-44','','','2012-01-24 09:32:55','2012-01-24 16:32:55','',9189,'http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/2012/01/24/9189-revision-44/',0,'revision','',0),(9241,1,'2012-01-24 09:33:21','2012-01-24 16:33:21','<a href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/carbonnyc/6053333742/\" target=\"_blank\"><img class=\"alignleft size-medium wp-image-9220\" title=\"6053333742_cfea2607cc\" src=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/6053333742_cfea2607cc-300x199.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"199\" /></a>I am not a gadget person.  Romeo Mio is a gadget person.  Therefore, I am now learning how to play nicely with gadgets.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-size: medium; color: #800000;\"><strong>Gadget du Jour:  The iPad 2.</strong></span>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nWould I ever buy an iPad 2?  Heck, no.  <a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/2011/01/21/day-113-i-joined-a-cult-please-dont-tell-my-mother/\" target=\"_blank\"><strong>I may be drinking the Magic Kool-Aid,</strong></a> but there\'s still a trace amount left at the bottom of my dixie cup.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nI have a MacBook Pro which is beyond A-W-E-S-O-M-E.  It does everything that I want it to do and oh so much more.  Why <em>on earth</em> would I complicate my life with yet another gadget that isn\'t as functional as my most cherished treasure (next to Romeo Mio, my family, my friends, and Little Miss B, of course)?\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nI won the iPad 2 at work for a sales contest.  Woo hoo!\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nIt sat in the box unopened for about 3 weeks until Romeo Mio arrived for his <a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/2011/11/15/guess-whos-coming-to-dinner/\" target=\"_blank\"><strong>Thanksgiving visit</strong></a>.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n<span style=\"color: #800000;\"><strong><span style=\"font-size: medium;\">Romeo Mio and I had our one and only spat over that bloody iPad 2.  </span></strong></span>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nIt started with me whining about emails.  Something to the effect of . . . . I am under a steady email stream at work, at home, on my Crackberry (See? I told you there was some Kool-Aid leftover!), and now I am expected to manage emails on my iPad 2?!?!  ARGH!!!!\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nMy temper tantrum annoyed Romeo Mio to no end.  Romeo Mio, who consumed every last drop of his Kool-Aid years ago, reprimanded for me behaving like a selfish wench.  If I wasn\'t grateful for my FREE iPad 2, then he would gladly take it off my hands.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-size: medium; color: #800000;\"><strong>Hmph.</strong></span>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nI realized that it was a tad silly for me to get ornery over a gadget that so much of the world coveted.  There must be something to all this fuss.  Why not play with it and see for myself what all this fuss was about?  After all, I could disable the email deluge from my iPad.  I sweetly asked Romeo Mio to help me with that task.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nI then journeyed into App World.  Ooooo.  Ahhhhh.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nYou could easily become lost in App World because there\'s an app for everything.  At the grocery store and need a dinner recipe accompanied by the shopping list of ingredients?  There\'s an app for that?  Want to turn your photos into pop art so you can look cool on facebook?  There\'s an app or two or more for that.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-size: medium; color: #800000;\"><strong>I just heard this one on the radio this morning and couldn\'t believe it:  Need to know why he hasn\'t called you back?  There\'s an app for that.</strong></span>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nAs a former teacher, I\'m always a fan of play that is educational in nature.  Last week, I gravitated towards the \"I\'m leaving for France in 10 days and I barely remember any of the French that I studied for a year in college\" app.  Other people, including the app\'s creators, call this app \"MindSnacks French\".\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nOo la la!  J\'adore snacks!  I couldn\'t wait to feed my brain with all things French!  For FREE!\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n<a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/?attachment_id=9195\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-9195\"><img class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-9195\" title=\"OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA\" src=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/P1170007-225x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"225\" height=\"300\" /></a><a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/?attachment_id=9196\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-9196\"><img class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-9196\" title=\"OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA\" src=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/P1170009-225x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"225\" height=\"300\" /></a>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nWhat describes my current French?  We\'ve already been over that.  \"I\'m leaving for France in 10 days and I barely remember any of the French that I studied for a year in college\" wasn\'t an option.  I chose the closest thing:  \"Jumbled up words without any structure\".\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n<a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/?attachment_id=9197\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-9197\"><img class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-9197\" title=\"OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA\" src=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/P1170010-225x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"225\" height=\"300\" /></a>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nNeat?  Did you seriously just say that?  Well, gosh oh golly, aren\'t you swell!  Wait a minute.  Am I talking to a computer?\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nAnd hold on a sec.  Shouldn\'t I review my numbers first?  Kindly take me back to Level 1, per favore.  (I could only remember \"please\" in Italian at the time.  At the time of this writing, I\'ve just remembered that \"please\" in French is \"si vous plait\".  I\'m quite pleased with myself.)\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n<iframe src=\"http://www.youtube.com/embed/AbDh25_T_Yk\" frameborder=\"0\" width=\"640\" height=\"480\"></iframe>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nThat\'s right.  I filmed my MindSnack lesson demo with my low-tech Olympus camera.  Sideways.  (Unintentionally.)\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nI thought about staging a \"Take Two\" until I realized how this mishap would prove my non-gadgetness and make you laugh at the same time.  I\'m always willing to take a hit to entertain my troops.  :-D\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nI mastered Level 1 -- Numbers in no time flat!  Woo hoo!\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n<a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/?attachment_id=9198\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-9198\"><img class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-9198\" title=\"OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA\" src=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/P1170013-300x225.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" /></a>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nWait a minute.  Are you kidding me?  I knew there was no such thing as a free lunch.  Now you\'re telling me that there\'s no such thing as a free MindSnack???\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nHmph.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nMaird.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nOh, well.  Imaginative people deserve to be paid for their creations.  I dished out the more than reasonable $4.99 for more educational fun and games.   I am now reacquainted with my colors in French.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nThank goodness I have a built-in translator aka Romeo Mio when I descend on the French Alps in 4 days.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;','Playdate #3:  Gadget Girl Tackles French Lessons on the iPad','','inherit','open','open','','9189-revision-45','','','2012-01-24 09:33:21','2012-01-24 16:33:21','',9189,'http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/2012/01/24/9189-revision-45/',0,'revision','',0),(9244,1,'2012-01-24 09:37:06','2012-01-24 16:37:06','<a href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/carbonnyc/6053333742/\" target=\"_blank\"><img class=\"alignleft size-medium wp-image-9220\" title=\"6053333742_cfea2607cc\" src=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/6053333742_cfea2607cc-300x199.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"199\" /></a>I am not a gadget person.  Romeo Mio is a gadget person.  Therefore, I am now learning how to play nicely with gadgets.\n\n&nbsp;\n\n<span style=\"font-size: medium; color: #800000;\"><strong>Gadget du Jour:  The iPad 2.</strong></span>\n\n&nbsp;\n\nWould I ever buy an iPad 2?  Heck, no.  <a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/2011/01/21/day-113-i-joined-a-cult-please-dont-tell-my-mother/\" target=\"_blank\"><strong>I may be drinking the Magic Kool-Aid,</strong></a> but there\'s still a trace amount left at the bottom of my dixie cup.\n\n&nbsp;\n\nI have a MacBook Pro which is beyond A-W-E-S-O-M-E.  It does everything that I want it to do and oh so much more.  Why <em>on earth</em> would I complicate my life with yet another gadget that isn\'t as functional as my most cherished treasure (next to Romeo Mio, my family, my friends, and Little Miss B, of course)?\n\n&nbsp;\n\nI won the iPad 2 at work for a sales contest.  Woo hoo!\n\n&nbsp;\n\nIt sat in the box unopened for about 3 weeks until Romeo Mio arrived for his <a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/2011/11/15/guess-whos-coming-to-dinner/\" target=\"_blank\"><strong>Thanksgiving visit</strong></a>.\n\n&nbsp;\n\n<span style=\"color: #800000;\"><strong><span style=\"font-size: medium;\">Romeo Mio and I had our one and only spat over that bloody iPad 2.  </span></strong></span>\n\n&nbsp;\n\nIt started with me whining about emails.  Something to the effect of . . . . I am under a steady email stream at work, at home, on my Crackberry (See? I told you there was some Kool-Aid leftover!), and now I am expected to manage emails on my iPad 2?!?!  ARGH!!!!\n\n&nbsp;\n\nMy temper tantrum annoyed Romeo Mio to no end.  Romeo Mio, who consumed every last drop of his Kool-Aid years ago, reprimanded for me behaving like a selfish wench.  If I wasn\'t grateful for my FREE iPad 2, then he would gladly take it off my hands.\n\n&nbsp;\n\n<span style=\"font-size: medium; color: #800000;\"><strong>Hmph.</strong></span>\n\n&nbsp;\n\nI realized that it was a tad silly for me to get ornery over a gadget that so much of the world coveted.  There must be something to all this fuss.  Why not play with it and see for myself what all this fuss was about?  After all, I could disable the email deluge from my iPad.  I sweetly asked Romeo Mio to help me with that task.\n\n&nbsp;\n\nI then journeyed into App World.  Ooooo.  Ahhhhh.\n\n&nbsp;\n\nYou could easily become lost in App World because there\'s an app for everything.  At the grocery store and need a dinner recipe accompanied by the shopping list of ingredients?  There\'s an app for that?  Want to turn your photos into pop art so you can look cool on facebook?  There\'s an app or two or more for that.\n\n&nbsp;\n\n<span style=\"font-size: medium; color: #800000;\"><strong>I just heard this one on the radio this morning and couldn\'t believe it:  Need to know why he hasn\'t called you back?  There\'s an app for that.</strong></span>\n\n&nbsp;\n\nAs a former teacher, I\'m always a fan of play that is educational in nature.  Last week, I gravitated towards the \"I\'m leaving for France in 10 days and I barely remember any of the French that I studied for a year in college\" app.  Other people, including the app\'s creators, call this app \"MindSnacks French\".\n\n&nbsp;\n\nOo la la!  J\'adore snacks!  I couldn\'t wait to feed my brain with all things French!  For FREE!\n\n&nbsp;\n\n&nbsp;\n\n<a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/?attachment_id=9195\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-9195\"><img class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-9195\" title=\"OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA\" src=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/P1170007-225x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"225\" height=\"300\" /></a><a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/?attachment_id=9196\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-9196\"><img class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-9196\" title=\"OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA\" src=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/P1170009-225x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"225\" height=\"300\" /></a>\n\n&nbsp;\n\nWhat describes my current French?  We\'ve already been over that.  \"I\'m leaving for France in 10 days and I barely remember any of the French that I studied for a year in college\" wasn\'t an option.  I chose the closest thing:  \"Jumbled up words without any structure\".\n\n&nbsp;\n\n&nbsp;\n\n<a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/?attachment_id=9197\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-9197\"><img class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-9197\" title=\"OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA\" src=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/P1170010-225x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"225\" height=\"300\" /></a>\n\n&nbsp;\n\nNeat?  Did you seriously just say that?  Well, gosh oh golly, aren\'t you swell!  Wait a minute.  Am I talking to a computer?\n\n&nbsp;\n\nAnd hold on a sec.  Shouldn\'t I review my numbers first?  Kindly take me back to Level 1, per favore.  (I could only remember \"please\" in Italian at the time.  At the time of this writing, I\'ve just remembered that \"please\" in French is \"si vous plait\".  I\'m quite pleased with myself.)\n\n&nbsp;\n\n&nbsp;\n\n<iframe src=\"http://www.youtube.com/embed/AbDh25_T_Yk\" frameborder=\"0\" width=\"640\" height=\"480\"></iframe>\n\n&nbsp;\n\n&nbsp;\n\nThat\'s right.  I filmed my MindSnack lesson demo with my low-tech Olympus camera.  Sideways.  (Unintentionally.)\n\n&nbsp;\n\nI thought about staging a \"Take Two\" until I realized how this mishap would prove my non-gadgetness and make you laugh at the same time.  I\'m always willing to take a hit to entertain my troops.  :-D\n\n&nbsp;\n\nI mastered Level 1 -- Numbers in no time flat!  Woo hoo!\n\n&nbsp;\n\n&nbsp;\n\n<a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/?attachment_id=9198\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-9198\"><img class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-9198\" title=\"OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA\" src=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/P1170013-300x225.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" /></a>\n\n&nbsp;\n\n&nbsp;\n\nWait a minute.  Are you kidding me?  I knew there was no such thing as a free lunch.  Now you\'re telling me that there\'s no such thing as a free MindSnack???\n\n&nbsp;\n\nHmph.\n\n&nbsp;\n\n<strong><span style=\"font-size: medium; color: #800000;\">Maird.</span></strong>\n\n&nbsp;\n\nI suppose imaginative people deserve to be paid for their creations.  I dished out the more than reasonable $4.99 for more educational fun and games.   I am now reacquainted with my colors in French.\n\n&nbsp;\n\nThank goodness I have a built-in translator aka Romeo Mio when I descend on the French Alps in 4 days.\n\n&nbsp;\n\n&nbsp;','Playdate #3:  Gadget Girl Tackles French Lessons on the iPad','','inherit','open','open','','9189-revision-48','','','2012-01-24 09:37:06','2012-01-24 16:37:06','',9189,'http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/2012/01/24/9189-revision-48/',0,'revision','',0),(9243,1,'2012-01-24 09:36:01','2012-01-24 16:36:01','<a href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/carbonnyc/6053333742/\" target=\"_blank\"><img class=\"alignleft size-medium wp-image-9220\" title=\"6053333742_cfea2607cc\" src=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/6053333742_cfea2607cc-300x199.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"199\" /></a>I am not a gadget person.  Romeo Mio is a gadget person.  Therefore, I am now learning how to play nicely with gadgets.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-size: medium; color: #800000;\"><strong>Gadget du Jour:  The iPad 2.</strong></span>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nWould I ever buy an iPad 2?  Heck, no.  <a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/2011/01/21/day-113-i-joined-a-cult-please-dont-tell-my-mother/\" target=\"_blank\"><strong>I may be drinking the Magic Kool-Aid,</strong></a> but there\'s still a trace amount left at the bottom of my dixie cup.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nI have a MacBook Pro which is beyond A-W-E-S-O-M-E.  It does everything that I want it to do and oh so much more.  Why <em>on earth</em> would I complicate my life with yet another gadget that isn\'t as functional as my most cherished treasure (next to Romeo Mio, my family, my friends, and Little Miss B, of course)?\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nI won the iPad 2 at work for a sales contest.  Woo hoo!\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nIt sat in the box unopened for about 3 weeks until Romeo Mio arrived for his <a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/2011/11/15/guess-whos-coming-to-dinner/\" target=\"_blank\"><strong>Thanksgiving visit</strong></a>.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n<span style=\"color: #800000;\"><strong><span style=\"font-size: medium;\">Romeo Mio and I had our one and only spat over that bloody iPad 2.  </span></strong></span>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nIt started with me whining about emails.  Something to the effect of . . . . I am under a steady email stream at work, at home, on my Crackberry (See? I told you there was some Kool-Aid leftover!), and now I am expected to manage emails on my iPad 2?!?!  ARGH!!!!\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nMy temper tantrum annoyed Romeo Mio to no end.  Romeo Mio, who consumed every last drop of his Kool-Aid years ago, reprimanded for me behaving like a selfish wench.  If I wasn\'t grateful for my FREE iPad 2, then he would gladly take it off my hands.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-size: medium; color: #800000;\"><strong>Hmph.</strong></span>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nI realized that it was a tad silly for me to get ornery over a gadget that so much of the world coveted.  There must be something to all this fuss.  Why not play with it and see for myself what all this fuss was about?  After all, I could disable the email deluge from my iPad.  I sweetly asked Romeo Mio to help me with that task.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nI then journeyed into App World.  Ooooo.  Ahhhhh.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nYou could easily become lost in App World because there\'s an app for everything.  At the grocery store and need a dinner recipe accompanied by the shopping list of ingredients?  There\'s an app for that?  Want to turn your photos into pop art so you can look cool on facebook?  There\'s an app or two or more for that.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-size: medium; color: #800000;\"><strong>I just heard this one on the radio this morning and couldn\'t believe it:  Need to know why he hasn\'t called you back?  There\'s an app for that.</strong></span>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nAs a former teacher, I\'m always a fan of play that is educational in nature.  Last week, I gravitated towards the \"I\'m leaving for France in 10 days and I barely remember any of the French that I studied for a year in college\" app.  Other people, including the app\'s creators, call this app \"MindSnacks French\".\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nOo la la!  J\'adore snacks!  I couldn\'t wait to feed my brain with all things French!  For FREE!\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n<a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/?attachment_id=9195\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-9195\"><img class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-9195\" title=\"OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA\" src=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/P1170007-225x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"225\" height=\"300\" /></a><a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/?attachment_id=9196\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-9196\"><img class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-9196\" title=\"OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA\" src=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/P1170009-225x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"225\" height=\"300\" /></a>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nWhat describes my current French?  We\'ve already been over that.  \"I\'m leaving for France in 10 days and I barely remember any of the French that I studied for a year in college\" wasn\'t an option.  I chose the closest thing:  \"Jumbled up words without any structure\".\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n<a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/?attachment_id=9197\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-9197\"><img class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-9197\" title=\"OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA\" src=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/P1170010-225x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"225\" height=\"300\" /></a>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nNeat?  Did you seriously just say that?  Well, gosh oh golly, aren\'t you swell!  Wait a minute.  Am I talking to a computer?\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nAnd hold on a sec.  Shouldn\'t I review my numbers first?  Kindly take me back to Level 1, per favore.  (I could only remember \"please\" in Italian at the time.  At the time of this writing, I\'ve just remembered that \"please\" in French is \"si vous plait\".  I\'m quite pleased with myself.)\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n<iframe src=\"http://www.youtube.com/embed/AbDh25_T_Yk\" frameborder=\"0\" width=\"640\" height=\"480\"></iframe>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nThat\'s right.  I filmed my MindSnack lesson demo with my low-tech Olympus camera.  Sideways.  (Unintentionally.)\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nI thought about staging a \"Take Two\" until I realized how this mishap would prove my non-gadgetness and make you laugh at the same time.  I\'m always willing to take a hit to entertain my troops.  :-D\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nI mastered Level 1 -- Numbers in no time flat!  Woo hoo!\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n<a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/?attachment_id=9198\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-9198\"><img class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-9198\" title=\"OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA\" src=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/P1170013-300x225.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" /></a>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nWait a minute.  Are you kidding me?  I knew there was no such thing as a free lunch.  Now you\'re telling me that there\'s no such thing as a free MindSnack???\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nHmph.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n<strong><span style=\"font-size: medium; color: #800000;\">Maird.</span></strong>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nOh, well.  Imaginative people deserve to be paid for their creations.  I dished out the more than reasonable $4.99 for more educational fun and games.   I am now reacquainted with my colors in French.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nThank goodness I have a built-in translator aka Romeo Mio when I descend on the French Alps in 4 days.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;','Playdate #3:  Gadget Girl Tackles French Lessons on the iPad','','inherit','open','open','','9189-revision-47','','','2012-01-24 09:36:01','2012-01-24 16:36:01','',9189,'http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/2012/01/24/9189-revision-47/',0,'revision','',0),(9245,1,'2012-01-24 09:37:27','2012-01-24 16:37:27','<a href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/carbonnyc/6053333742/\" target=\"_blank\"><img class=\"alignleft size-medium wp-image-9220\" title=\"6053333742_cfea2607cc\" src=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/6053333742_cfea2607cc-300x199.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"199\" /></a>I am not a gadget person.  Romeo Mio is a gadget person.  Therefore, I am now learning how to play nicely with gadgets.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-size: medium; color: #800000;\"><strong>Gadget du Jour:  The iPad 2.</strong></span>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nWould I ever buy an iPad 2?  Heck, no.  <a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/2011/01/21/day-113-i-joined-a-cult-please-dont-tell-my-mother/\" target=\"_blank\"><strong>I may be drinking the Magic Kool-Aid,</strong></a> but there\'s still a trace amount left at the bottom of my dixie cup.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nI have a MacBook Pro which is beyond A-W-E-S-O-M-E.  It does everything that I want it to do and oh so much more.  Why <em>on earth</em> would I complicate my life with yet another gadget that isn\'t as functional as my most cherished treasure (next to Romeo Mio, my family, my friends, and Little Miss B, of course)?\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nI won the iPad 2 at work for a sales contest.  Woo hoo!\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nIt sat in the box unopened for about 3 weeks until Romeo Mio arrived for his <a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/2011/11/15/guess-whos-coming-to-dinner/\" target=\"_blank\"><strong>Thanksgiving visit</strong></a>.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n<span style=\"color: #800000;\"><strong><span style=\"font-size: medium;\">Romeo Mio and I had our one and only spat over that bloody iPad 2.  </span></strong></span>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nIt started with me whining about emails.  Something to the effect of . . . . I am under a steady email stream at work, at home, on my Crackberry (See? I told you there was some Kool-Aid leftover!), and now I am expected to manage emails on my iPad 2?!?!  ARGH!!!!\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nMy temper tantrum annoyed Romeo Mio to no end.  Romeo Mio, who consumed every last drop of his Kool-Aid years ago, reprimanded for me behaving like a selfish wench.  If I wasn\'t grateful for my FREE iPad 2, then he would gladly take it off my hands.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-size: medium; color: #800000;\"><strong>Hmph.</strong></span>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nI realized that it was a tad silly for me to get ornery over a gadget that so much of the world coveted.  There must be something to all this fuss.  Why not play with it and see for myself what all this fuss was about?  After all, I could disable the email deluge from my iPad.  I sweetly asked Romeo Mio to help me with that task.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nI then journeyed into App World.  Ooooo.  Ahhhhh.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nYou could easily become lost in App World because there\'s an app for everything.  At the grocery store and need a dinner recipe accompanied by the shopping list of ingredients?  There\'s an app for that?  Want to turn your photos into pop art so you can look cool on facebook?  There\'s an app or two or more for that.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-size: medium; color: #800000;\"><strong>I just heard this one on the radio this morning and couldn\'t believe it:  Need to know why he hasn\'t called you back?  There\'s an app for that.</strong></span>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nAs a former teacher, I\'m always a fan of play that is educational in nature.  Last week, I gravitated towards the \"I\'m leaving for France in 10 days and I barely remember any of the French that I studied for a year in college\" app.  Other people, including the app\'s creators, call this app \"MindSnacks French\".\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nOo la la!  J\'adore snacks!  I couldn\'t wait to feed my brain with all things French!  For FREE!\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n<a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/?attachment_id=9195\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-9195\"><img class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-9195\" title=\"OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA\" src=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/P1170007-225x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"225\" height=\"300\" /></a><a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/?attachment_id=9196\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-9196\"><img class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-9196\" title=\"OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA\" src=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/P1170009-225x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"225\" height=\"300\" /></a>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nWhat describes my current French?  We\'ve already been over that.  \"I\'m leaving for France in 10 days and I barely remember any of the French that I studied for a year in college\" wasn\'t an option.  I chose the closest thing:  \"Jumbled up words without any structure\".\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n<a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/?attachment_id=9197\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-9197\"><img class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-9197\" title=\"OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA\" src=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/P1170010-225x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"225\" height=\"300\" /></a>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nNeat?  Did you seriously just say that?  Well, gosh oh golly, aren\'t you swell!  Wait a minute.  Am I talking to a computer?\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nAnd hold on a sec.  Shouldn\'t I review my numbers first?  Kindly take me back to Level 1, per favore.  (I could only remember \"please\" in Italian at the time.  At the time of this writing, I\'ve just remembered that \"please\" in French is \"si vous plait\".  I\'m quite pleased with myself.)\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n<iframe src=\"http://www.youtube.com/embed/AbDh25_T_Yk\" frameborder=\"0\" width=\"640\" height=\"480\"></iframe>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nThat\'s right.  I filmed my MindSnack lesson demo with my low-tech Olympus camera.  Sideways.  (Unintentionally.)\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nI thought about staging a \"Take Two\" until I realized how this mishap would prove my non-gadgetness and make you laugh at the same time.  I\'m always willing to take a hit to entertain my troops.  :-D\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nI mastered Level 1 -- Numbers in no time flat!  Woo hoo!\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n<a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/?attachment_id=9198\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-9198\"><img class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-9198\" title=\"OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA\" src=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/P1170013-300x225.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" /></a>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nWait a minute.  Are you kidding me?  I knew there was no such thing as a free lunch.  Now you\'re telling me that there\'s no such thing as a free MindSnack???\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nHmph.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n<strong><span style=\"font-size: medium; color: #800000;\">Maird.</span></strong>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nI suppose imaginative people deserve to be paid for their creations.  I dished out the more than reasonable $4.99 for more educational fun and games.   I am now reacquainted with my colors in French.  Colors and numbers will\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nThank goodness I have a built-in translator aka Romeo Mio when I descend on the French Alps in 4 days.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;','Playdate #3:  Gadget Girl Tackles French Lessons on the iPad','','inherit','open','open','','9189-revision-49','','','2012-01-24 09:37:27','2012-01-24 16:37:27','',9189,'http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/2012/01/24/9189-revision-49/',0,'revision','',0),(9246,1,'2012-01-24 09:39:05','2012-01-24 16:39:05','<a href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/carbonnyc/6053333742/\" target=\"_blank\"><img class=\"alignleft size-medium wp-image-9220\" title=\"6053333742_cfea2607cc\" src=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/6053333742_cfea2607cc-300x199.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"199\" /></a>I am not a gadget person.  Romeo Mio is a gadget person.  Therefore, I am now learning how to play nicely with gadgets.\n\n&nbsp;\n\n<span style=\"font-size: medium; color: #800000;\"><strong>Gadget du Jour:  The iPad 2.</strong></span>\n\n&nbsp;\n\nWould I ever buy an iPad 2?  Heck, no.  <a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/2011/01/21/day-113-i-joined-a-cult-please-dont-tell-my-mother/\" target=\"_blank\"><strong>I may be drinking the Magic Kool-Aid,</strong></a> but there\'s still a trace amount left at the bottom of my dixie cup.\n\n&nbsp;\n\nI have a MacBook Pro which is beyond A-W-E-S-O-M-E.  It does everything that I want it to do and oh so much more.  Why <em>on earth</em> would I complicate my life with yet another gadget that isn\'t as functional as my most cherished treasure (next to Romeo Mio, my family, my friends, and Little Miss B, of course)?\n\n&nbsp;\n\nI won the iPad 2 at work for a sales contest.  Woo hoo!\n\n&nbsp;\n\nIt sat in the box unopened for about 3 weeks until Romeo Mio arrived for his <a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/2011/11/15/guess-whos-coming-to-dinner/\" target=\"_blank\"><strong>Thanksgiving visit</strong></a>.\n\n&nbsp;\n\n<span style=\"color: #800000;\"><strong><span style=\"font-size: medium;\">Romeo Mio and I had our one and only spat over that bloody iPad 2.  </span></strong></span>\n\n&nbsp;\n\nIt started with me whining about emails.  Something to the effect of . . . . I am under a steady email stream at work, at home, on my Crackberry (See? I told you there was some Kool-Aid leftover!), and now I am expected to manage emails on my iPad 2?!?!  ARGH!!!!\n\n&nbsp;\n\nMy temper tantrum annoyed Romeo Mio to no end.  Romeo Mio, who consumed every last drop of his Kool-Aid years ago, reprimanded for me behaving like a selfish wench.  If I wasn\'t grateful for my FREE iPad 2, then he would gladly take it off my hands.\n\n&nbsp;\n\n<span style=\"font-size: medium; color: #800000;\"><strong>Hmph.</strong></span>\n\n&nbsp;\n\nI realized that it was a tad silly for me to get ornery over a gadget that so much of the world coveted.  There must be something to all this fuss.  Why not play with it and see for myself what all this fuss was about?  After all, I could disable the email deluge from my iPad.  I sweetly asked Romeo Mio to help me with that task.\n\n&nbsp;\n\nI then journeyed into App World.  Ooooo.  Ahhhhh.\n\n&nbsp;\n\nYou could easily become lost in App World because there\'s an app for everything.  At the grocery store and need a dinner recipe accompanied by the shopping list of ingredients?  There\'s an app for that?  Want to turn your photos into pop art so you can look cool on facebook?  There\'s an app or two or more for that.\n\n&nbsp;\n\n<span style=\"font-size: medium; color: #800000;\"><strong>I just heard this one on the radio this morning and couldn\'t believe it:  Need to know why he hasn\'t called you back?  There\'s an app for that.</strong></span>\n\n&nbsp;\n\nAs a former teacher, I\'m always a fan of play that is educational in nature.  Last week, I gravitated towards the \"I\'m leaving for France in 10 days and I barely remember any of the French that I studied for a year in college\" app.  Other people, including the app\'s creators, call this app \"MindSnacks French\".\n\n&nbsp;\n\nOo la la!  J\'adore snacks!  I couldn\'t wait to feed my brain with all things French!  For FREE!\n\n&nbsp;\n\n&nbsp;\n\n<a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/?attachment_id=9195\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-9195\"><img class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-9195\" title=\"OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA\" src=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/P1170007-225x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"225\" height=\"300\" /></a><a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/?attachment_id=9196\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-9196\"><img class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-9196\" title=\"OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA\" src=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/P1170009-225x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"225\" height=\"300\" /></a>\n\n&nbsp;\n\nWhat describes my current French?  We\'ve already been over that.  \"I\'m leaving for France in 10 days and I barely remember any of the French that I studied for a year in college\" wasn\'t an option.  I chose the closest thing:  \"Jumbled up words without any structure\".\n\n&nbsp;\n\n&nbsp;\n\n<a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/?attachment_id=9197\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-9197\"><img class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-9197\" title=\"OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA\" src=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/P1170010-225x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"225\" height=\"300\" /></a>\n\n&nbsp;\n\nNeat?  Did you seriously just say that?  Well, gosh oh golly, aren\'t you swell!  Wait a minute.  Am I talking to a computer?\n\n&nbsp;\n\nAnd hold on a sec.  Shouldn\'t I review my numbers first?  Kindly take me back to Level 1, per favore.  (I could only remember \"please\" in Italian at the time.  At the time of this writing, I\'ve just remembered that \"please\" in French is \"si vous plait\".  I\'m quite pleased with myself.)\n\n&nbsp;\n\n&nbsp;\n\n<iframe src=\"http://www.youtube.com/embed/AbDh25_T_Yk\" frameborder=\"0\" width=\"640\" height=\"480\"></iframe>\n\n&nbsp;\n\n&nbsp;\n\nThat\'s right.  I filmed my MindSnack lesson demo with my low-tech Olympus camera.  Sideways.  (Unintentionally.)\n\n&nbsp;\n\nI thought about staging a \"Take Two\" until I realized how this mishap would prove my non-gadgetness and make you laugh at the same time.  I\'m always willing to take a hit to entertain my troops.  :-D\n\n&nbsp;\n\nI mastered Level 1 -- Numbers in no time flat!  Woo hoo!\n\n&nbsp;\n\n&nbsp;\n\n<a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/?attachment_id=9198\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-9198\"><img class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-9198\" title=\"OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA\" src=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/P1170013-300x225.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" /></a>\n\n&nbsp;\n\n&nbsp;\n\nWait a minute.  Are you kidding me?  I knew there was no such thing as a free lunch.  Now you\'re telling me that there\'s no such thing as a free MindSnack???\n\n&nbsp;\n\nHmph.\n\n&nbsp;\n\n<strong><span style=\"font-size: medium; color: #800000;\">Maird.</span></strong>\n\n&nbsp;\n\nI suppose imaginative people deserve to be paid for their creations.  I dished out the more than reasonable $4.99 for more educational fun and games.   I am now reacquainted with my colors in French.  I\'m hoping that the next level includes key phrases such as \"Where is the bathroom?\" and \"May I have a chocolate croissant, si vous plait\n\n&nbsp;\n\nThank goodness I have a built-in translator aka Romeo Mio when I descend on the French Alps in 4 days.\n\n&nbsp;\n\n&nbsp;','Playdate #3:  Gadget Girl Tackles French Lessons on the iPad','','inherit','open','open','','9189-revision-50','','','2012-01-24 09:39:05','2012-01-24 16:39:05','',9189,'http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/2012/01/24/9189-revision-50/',0,'revision','',0),(9247,1,'2012-01-24 09:39:08','2012-01-24 16:39:08','<a href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/carbonnyc/6053333742/\" target=\"_blank\"><img class=\"alignleft size-medium wp-image-9220\" title=\"6053333742_cfea2607cc\" src=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/6053333742_cfea2607cc-300x199.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"199\" /></a>I am not a gadget person.  Romeo Mio is a gadget person.  Therefore, I am now learning how to play nicely with gadgets.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-size: medium; color: #800000;\"><strong>Gadget du Jour:  The iPad 2.</strong></span>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nWould I ever buy an iPad 2?  Heck, no.  <a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/2011/01/21/day-113-i-joined-a-cult-please-dont-tell-my-mother/\" target=\"_blank\"><strong>I may be drinking the Magic Kool-Aid,</strong></a> but there\'s still a trace amount left at the bottom of my dixie cup.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nI have a MacBook Pro which is beyond A-W-E-S-O-M-E.  It does everything that I want it to do and oh so much more.  Why <em>on earth</em> would I complicate my life with yet another gadget that isn\'t as functional as my most cherished treasure (next to Romeo Mio, my family, my friends, and Little Miss B, of course)?\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nI won the iPad 2 at work for a sales contest.  Woo hoo!\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nIt sat in the box unopened for about 3 weeks until Romeo Mio arrived for his <a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/2011/11/15/guess-whos-coming-to-dinner/\" target=\"_blank\"><strong>Thanksgiving visit</strong></a>.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n<span style=\"color: #800000;\"><strong><span style=\"font-size: medium;\">Romeo Mio and I had our one and only spat over that bloody iPad 2.  </span></strong></span>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nIt started with me whining about emails.  Something to the effect of . . . . I am under a steady email stream at work, at home, on my Crackberry (See? I told you there was some Kool-Aid leftover!), and now I am expected to manage emails on my iPad 2?!?!  ARGH!!!!\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nMy temper tantrum annoyed Romeo Mio to no end.  Romeo Mio, who consumed every last drop of his Kool-Aid years ago, reprimanded for me behaving like a selfish wench.  If I wasn\'t grateful for my FREE iPad 2, then he would gladly take it off my hands.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-size: medium; color: #800000;\"><strong>Hmph.</strong></span>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nI realized that it was a tad silly for me to get ornery over a gadget that so much of the world coveted.  There must be something to all this fuss.  Why not play with it and see for myself what all this fuss was about?  After all, I could disable the email deluge from my iPad.  I sweetly asked Romeo Mio to help me with that task.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nI then journeyed into App World.  Ooooo.  Ahhhhh.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nYou could easily become lost in App World because there\'s an app for everything.  At the grocery store and need a dinner recipe accompanied by the shopping list of ingredients?  There\'s an app for that?  Want to turn your photos into pop art so you can look cool on facebook?  There\'s an app or two or more for that.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-size: medium; color: #800000;\"><strong>I just heard this one on the radio this morning and couldn\'t believe it:  Need to know why he hasn\'t called you back?  There\'s an app for that.</strong></span>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nAs a former teacher, I\'m always a fan of play that is educational in nature.  Last week, I gravitated towards the \"I\'m leaving for France in 10 days and I barely remember any of the French that I studied for a year in college\" app.  Other people, including the app\'s creators, call this app \"MindSnacks French\".\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nOo la la!  J\'adore snacks!  I couldn\'t wait to feed my brain with all things French!  For FREE!\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n<a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/?attachment_id=9195\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-9195\"><img class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-9195\" title=\"OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA\" src=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/P1170007-225x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"225\" height=\"300\" /></a><a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/?attachment_id=9196\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-9196\"><img class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-9196\" title=\"OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA\" src=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/P1170009-225x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"225\" height=\"300\" /></a>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nWhat describes my current French?  We\'ve already been over that.  \"I\'m leaving for France in 10 days and I barely remember any of the French that I studied for a year in college\" wasn\'t an option.  I chose the closest thing:  \"Jumbled up words without any structure\".\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n<a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/?attachment_id=9197\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-9197\"><img class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-9197\" title=\"OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA\" src=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/P1170010-225x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"225\" height=\"300\" /></a>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nNeat?  Did you seriously just say that?  Well, gosh oh golly, aren\'t you swell!  Wait a minute.  Am I talking to a computer?\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nAnd hold on a sec.  Shouldn\'t I review my numbers first?  Kindly take me back to Level 1, per favore.  (I could only remember \"please\" in Italian at the time.  At the time of this writing, I\'ve just remembered that \"please\" in French is \"si vous plait\".  I\'m quite pleased with myself.)\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n<iframe src=\"http://www.youtube.com/embed/AbDh25_T_Yk\" frameborder=\"0\" width=\"640\" height=\"480\"></iframe>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nThat\'s right.  I filmed my MindSnack lesson demo with my low-tech Olympus camera.  Sideways.  (Unintentionally.)\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nI thought about staging a \"Take Two\" until I realized how this mishap would prove my non-gadgetness and make you laugh at the same time.  I\'m always willing to take a hit to entertain my troops.  :-D\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nI mastered Level 1 -- Numbers in no time flat!  Woo hoo!\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n<a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/?attachment_id=9198\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-9198\"><img class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-9198\" title=\"OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA\" src=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/P1170013-300x225.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" /></a>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nWait a minute.  Are you kidding me?  I knew there was no such thing as a free lunch.  Now you\'re telling me that there\'s no such thing as a free MindSnack???\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nHmph.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n<strong><span style=\"font-size: medium; color: #800000;\">Maird.</span></strong>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nI suppose imaginative people deserve to be paid for their creations.  I dished out the more than reasonable $4.99 for more educational fun and games.   I am now reacquainted with my colors in French.  I\'m hoping that the next level includes key phrases such as \"Where is the bathroom?\" and \"May I have a chocolate croissant, si vous plait?\"\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nThank goodness I have a built-in translator aka Romeo Mio when I descend on the French Alps in 4 days.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;','Playdate #3:  Gadget Girl Tackles French Lessons on the iPad','','inherit','open','open','','9189-revision-51','','','2012-01-24 09:39:08','2012-01-24 16:39:08','',9189,'http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/2012/01/24/9189-revision-51/',0,'revision','',0),(9248,1,'2012-01-24 09:39:08','2012-01-24 16:39:08','<a href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/carbonnyc/6053333742/\" target=\"_blank\"><img class=\"alignleft size-medium wp-image-9220\" title=\"6053333742_cfea2607cc\" src=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/6053333742_cfea2607cc-300x199.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"199\" /></a>I am not a gadget person.  Romeo Mio is a gadget person.  Therefore, I am now learning how to play nicely with gadgets.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-size: medium; color: #800000;\"><strong>Gadget du Jour:  The iPad 2.</strong></span>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nWould I ever buy an iPad 2?  Heck, no.  <a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/2011/01/21/day-113-i-joined-a-cult-please-dont-tell-my-mother/\" target=\"_blank\"><strong>I may be drinking the Magic Kool-Aid,</strong></a> but there\'s still a trace amount left at the bottom of my dixie cup.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nI have a MacBook Pro which is beyond A-W-E-S-O-M-E.  It does everything that I want it to do and oh so much more.  Why <em>on earth</em> would I complicate my life with yet another gadget that isn\'t as functional as my most cherished treasure (next to Romeo Mio, my family, my friends, and Little Miss B, of course)?\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nI won the iPad 2 at work for a sales contest.  Woo hoo!\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nIt sat in the box unopened for about 3 weeks until Romeo Mio arrived for his <a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/2011/11/15/guess-whos-coming-to-dinner/\" target=\"_blank\"><strong>Thanksgiving visit</strong></a>.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n<span style=\"color: #800000;\"><strong><span style=\"font-size: medium;\">Romeo Mio and I had our one and only spat over that bloody iPad 2.  </span></strong></span>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nIt started with me whining about emails.  Something to the effect of . . . . I am under a steady email stream at work, at home, on my Crackberry (See? I told you there was some Kool-Aid leftover!), and now I am expected to manage emails on my iPad 2?!?!  ARGH!!!!\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nMy temper tantrum annoyed Romeo Mio to no end.  Romeo Mio, who consumed every last drop of his Kool-Aid years ago, reprimanded for me behaving like a selfish wench.  If I wasn\'t grateful for my FREE iPad 2, then he would gladly take it off my hands.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-size: medium; color: #800000;\"><strong>Hmph.</strong></span>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nI realized that it was a tad silly for me to get ornery over a gadget that so much of the world coveted.  There must be something to all this fuss.  Why not play with it and see for myself what all this fuss was about?  After all, I could disable the email deluge from my iPad.  I sweetly asked Romeo Mio to help me with that task.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nI then journeyed into App World.  Ooooo.  Ahhhhh.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nYou could easily become lost in App World because there\'s an app for everything.  At the grocery store and need a dinner recipe accompanied by the shopping list of ingredients?  There\'s an app for that?  Want to turn your photos into pop art so you can look cool on facebook?  There\'s an app or two or more for that.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-size: medium; color: #800000;\"><strong>I just heard this one on the radio this morning and couldn\'t believe it:  Need to know why he hasn\'t called you back?  There\'s an app for that.</strong></span>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nAs a former teacher, I\'m always a fan of play that is educational in nature.  Last week, I gravitated towards the \"I\'m leaving for France in 10 days and I barely remember any of the French that I studied for a year in college\" app.  Other people, including the app\'s creators, call this app \"MindSnacks French\".\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nOo la la!  J\'adore snacks!  I couldn\'t wait to feed my brain with all things French!  For FREE!\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n<a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/?attachment_id=9195\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-9195\"><img class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-9195\" title=\"OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA\" src=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/P1170007-225x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"225\" height=\"300\" /></a><a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/?attachment_id=9196\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-9196\"><img class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-9196\" title=\"OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA\" src=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/P1170009-225x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"225\" height=\"300\" /></a>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nWhat describes my current French?  We\'ve already been over that.  \"I\'m leaving for France in 10 days and I barely remember any of the French that I studied for a year in college\" wasn\'t an option.  I chose the closest thing:  \"Jumbled up words without any structure\".\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n<a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/?attachment_id=9197\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-9197\"><img class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-9197\" title=\"OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA\" src=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/P1170010-225x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"225\" height=\"300\" /></a>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nNeat?  Did you seriously just say that?  Well, gosh oh golly, aren\'t you swell!  Wait a minute.  Am I talking to a computer?\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nAnd hold on a sec.  Shouldn\'t I review my numbers first?  Kindly take me back to Level 1, per favore.  (I could only remember \"please\" in Italian at the time.  At the time of this writing, I\'ve just remembered that \"please\" in French is \"si vous plait\".  I\'m quite pleased with myself.)\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n<iframe src=\"http://www.youtube.com/embed/AbDh25_T_Yk\" frameborder=\"0\" width=\"640\" height=\"480\"></iframe>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nThat\'s right.  I filmed my MindSnack lesson demo with my low-tech Olympus camera.  Sideways.  (Unintentionally.)\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nI thought about staging a \"Take Two\" until I realized how this mishap would prove my non-gadgetness and make you laugh at the same time.  I\'m always willing to take a hit to entertain my troops.  :-D\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nI mastered Level 1 -- Numbers in no time flat!  Woo hoo!\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n<a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/?attachment_id=9198\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-9198\"><img class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-9198\" title=\"OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA\" src=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/P1170013-300x225.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" /></a>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nWait a minute.  Are you kidding me?  I knew there was no such thing as a free lunch.  Now you\'re telling me that there\'s no such thing as a free MindSnack???\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nHmph.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n<strong><span style=\"font-size: medium; color: #800000;\">Maird.</span></strong>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nI suppose imaginative people deserve to be paid for their creations.  I dished out the more than reasonable $4.99 for more educational fun and games.   I am now reacquainted with my colors in French.  I\'m hoping that the next level includes key phrases such as \"Where is the bathroom?\" and \"May I have a chocolate croissant, si vous plait?\"\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nThank goodness I have a built-in translator aka Romeo Mio when I descend on the French Alps in 4 days.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;','Playdate #3:  Gadget Girl Tackles French Lessons on the iPad','','inherit','open','open','','9189-revision-52','','','2012-01-24 09:39:08','2012-01-24 16:39:08','',9189,'http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/2012/01/24/9189-revision-52/',0,'revision','',0),(9252,1,'2012-01-24 09:40:57','2012-01-24 16:40:57','<a href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/carbonnyc/6053333742/\" target=\"_blank\"><img class=\"alignleft size-medium wp-image-9220\" title=\"6053333742_cfea2607cc\" src=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/6053333742_cfea2607cc-300x199.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"199\" /></a>I am not a gadget person.  Romeo Mio is a gadget person.  Therefore, I am now learning how to play nicely with gadgets.\n\n&nbsp;\n\n<span style=\"font-size: medium; color: #800000;\"><strong>Gadget du Jour:  The iPad 2.</strong></span>\n\n&nbsp;\n\nWould I ever buy an iPad 2?  Heck, no.  <a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/2011/01/21/day-113-i-joined-a-cult-please-dont-tell-my-mother/\" target=\"_blank\"><strong>I may be drinking the Magic Kool-Aid,</strong></a> but there\'s still a trace amount left at the bottom of my dixie cup.\n\n&nbsp;\n\nI have a MacBook Pro which is beyond A-W-E-S-O-M-E.  It does everything that I want it to do and oh so much more.  Why <em>on earth</em> would I complicate my life with yet another gadget that isn\'t as functional as my most cherished treasure (next to Romeo Mio, my family, my friends, and Little Miss B, of course)?\n\n&nbsp;\n\nI won the iPad 2 at work for a sales contest.  Woo hoo!\n\n&nbsp;\n\nIt sat in the box unopened for about 3 weeks until Romeo Mio arrived for his <a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/2011/11/15/guess-whos-coming-to-dinner/\" target=\"_blank\"><strong>Thanksgiving visit</strong></a>.\n\n&nbsp;\n\n<span style=\"color: #800000;\"><strong><span style=\"font-size: medium;\">Romeo Mio and I had our one and only spat over that bloody iPad 2.  </span></strong></span>\n\n&nbsp;\n\nIt started with me whining about emails.  Something to the effect of . . . . I am under a steady email stream at work, at home, on my Crackberry (See? I told you there was some Kool-Aid leftover!), and now I am expected to manage emails on my iPad 2?!?!  ARGH!!!!\n\n&nbsp;\n\nMy temper tantrum annoyed Romeo Mio to no end.  Romeo Mio, who consumed every last drop of his Kool-Aid years ago, reprimanded for me behaving like a selfish wench.  If I wasn\'t grateful for my FREE iPad 2, then he would gladly take it off my hands.\n\n&nbsp;\n\n<span style=\"font-size: medium; color: #800000;\"><strong>Hmph.</strong></span>\n\n&nbsp;\n\nI realized that it was a tad silly for me to get ornery over a gadget that so much of the world coveted.  There must be something to all this fuss.  Why not play with it and see for myself what all this fuss was about?  After all, I could disable the email deluge from my iPad.  I sweetly asked Romeo Mio to help me with that task.\n\n&nbsp;\n\nI then journeyed into App World.  Ooooo.  Ahhhhh.\n\n&nbsp;\n\nYou could easily become lost in App World because there\'s an app for everything.  At the grocery store and need a dinner recipe accompanied by the shopping list of ingredients?  There\'s an app for that?  Want to turn your photos into pop art so you can look cool on facebook?  There\'s an app or two or more for that.\n\n&nbsp;\n\n<span style=\"font-size: medium; color: #800000;\"><strong>I just heard this one on the radio this morning and couldn\'t believe it:  Need to know why he hasn\'t called you back?  There\'s an app for that.</strong></span>\n\n&nbsp;\n\nAs a former teacher, I\'m always a fan of play that is educational in nature.  Last week, I gravitated towards the \"I\'m leaving for France in 10 days and I barely remember any of the French that I studied for a year in college\" app.  Other people, including the app\'s creators, call this app \"MindSnacks French\".\n\n&nbsp;\n\nOo la la!  J\'adore snacks!  I couldn\'t wait to feed my brain with all things French!  For FREE!\n\n&nbsp;\n\n&nbsp;\n\n<a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/?attachment_id=9195\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-9195\"><img class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-9195\" title=\"OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA\" src=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/P1170007-225x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"225\" height=\"300\" /></a><a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/?attachment_id=9196\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-9196\"><img class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-9196\" title=\"OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA\" src=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/P1170009-225x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"225\" height=\"300\" /></a>\n\n&nbsp;\n\nWhat describes my current French?  We\'ve already been over that.  \"I\'m leaving for France in 10 days and I barely remember any of the French that I studied for a year in college\" wasn\'t an option.  I chose the closest thing:  \"Jumbled up words without any structure\".\n\n&nbsp;\n\n&nbsp;\n\n<a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/?attachment_id=9197\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-9197\"><img class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-9197\" title=\"OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA\" src=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/P1170010-225x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"225\" height=\"300\" /></a>\n\n&nbsp;\n\nNeat?  Did you seriously just say that?  Well, gosh oh golly, aren\'t you swell!  Wait a minute.  Am I talking to a computer?\n\n&nbsp;\n\nAnd hold on a sec.  Shouldn\'t I review my numbers first?  Kindly take me back to Level 1, per favore.  (I could only remember \"please\" in Italian at the time.  At the time of this writing, I\'ve just remembered that \"please\" in French is \"si vous plait\".  I\'m quite pleased with myself.)\n\n&nbsp;\n\n&nbsp;\n\n<iframe src=\"http://www.youtube.com/embed/AbDh25_T_Yk\" frameborder=\"0\" width=\"640\" height=\"480\"></iframe>\n\n&nbsp;\n\n&nbsp;\n\nThat\'s right.  I filmed my MindSnack lesson demo with my low-tech Olympus camera.  Sideways.  (Unintentionally.)\n\n&nbsp;\n\nI thought about staging a \"Take Two\" until I realized how this mishap would prove my non-gadgetness and make you laugh at the same time.  I\'m always willing to take a hit to entertain my troops.  :-D\n\n&nbsp;\n\nI mastered Level 1 -- Numbers in no time flat!  Woo hoo!\n\n&nbsp;\n\n&nbsp;\n\n<a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/?attachment_id=9198\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-9198\"><img class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-9198\" title=\"OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA\" src=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/P1170013-300x225.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" /></a>\n\n&nbsp;\n\n&nbsp;\n\nWait a minute.  Are you kidding me?  I knew there was no such thing as a free lunch.  Now you\'re telling me that there\'s no such thing as a free MindSnack???\n\n&nbsp;\n\n<strong><span style=\"font-size: medium; color: #800000;\">Hmph.</span></strong>\n\n&nbsp;\n\n<strong><span style=\"font-size: medium; color: #800000;\">Maird.</span></strong>\n\n&nbsp;\n\nI suppose imaginative people deserve to be paid for their creations.  I dished out the more than reasonable $4.99 for more educational fun and games.   I am now reacquainted with my colors in French.  I\'m hoping that the next level includes key phrases such as \"Where is the bathroom?\" and \"May I have a chocolate croissant, si vous plait?\"\n\n&nbsp;\n\nThank goodness I have a built-in translator aka Romeo Mio when I descend on the French Alps in 4 days.\n\n&nbsp;','Playdate #3:  Gadget Girl Tackles French Lessons on the iPad','','inherit','open','open','','9189-revision-56','','','2012-01-24 09:40:57','2012-01-24 16:40:57','',9189,'http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/2012/01/24/9189-revision-56/',0,'revision','',0),(9249,1,'2012-01-24 09:39:32','2012-01-24 16:39:32','<a href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/carbonnyc/6053333742/\" target=\"_blank\"><img class=\"alignleft size-medium wp-image-9220\" title=\"6053333742_cfea2607cc\" src=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/6053333742_cfea2607cc-300x199.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"199\" /></a>I am not a gadget person.  Romeo Mio is a gadget person.  Therefore, I am now learning how to play nicely with gadgets.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-size: medium; color: #800000;\"><strong>Gadget du Jour:  The iPad 2.</strong></span>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nWould I ever buy an iPad 2?  Heck, no.  <a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/2011/01/21/day-113-i-joined-a-cult-please-dont-tell-my-mother/\" target=\"_blank\"><strong>I may be drinking the Magic Kool-Aid,</strong></a> but there\'s still a trace amount left at the bottom of my dixie cup.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nI have a MacBook Pro which is beyond A-W-E-S-O-M-E.  It does everything that I want it to do and oh so much more.  Why <em>on earth</em> would I complicate my life with yet another gadget that isn\'t as functional as my most cherished treasure (next to Romeo Mio, my family, my friends, and Little Miss B, of course)?\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nI won the iPad 2 at work for a sales contest.  Woo hoo!\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nIt sat in the box unopened for about 3 weeks until Romeo Mio arrived for his <a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/2011/11/15/guess-whos-coming-to-dinner/\" target=\"_blank\"><strong>Thanksgiving visit</strong></a>.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n<span style=\"color: #800000;\"><strong><span style=\"font-size: medium;\">Romeo Mio and I had our one and only spat over that bloody iPad 2.  </span></strong></span>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nIt started with me whining about emails.  Something to the effect of . . . . I am under a steady email stream at work, at home, on my Crackberry (See? I told you there was some Kool-Aid leftover!), and now I am expected to manage emails on my iPad 2?!?!  ARGH!!!!\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nMy temper tantrum annoyed Romeo Mio to no end.  Romeo Mio, who consumed every last drop of his Kool-Aid years ago, reprimanded for me behaving like a selfish wench.  If I wasn\'t grateful for my FREE iPad 2, then he would gladly take it off my hands.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-size: medium; color: #800000;\"><strong>Hmph.</strong></span>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nI realized that it was a tad silly for me to get ornery over a gadget that so much of the world coveted.  There must be something to all this fuss.  Why not play with it and see for myself what all this fuss was about?  After all, I could disable the email deluge from my iPad.  I sweetly asked Romeo Mio to help me with that task.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nI then journeyed into App World.  Ooooo.  Ahhhhh.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nYou could easily become lost in App World because there\'s an app for everything.  At the grocery store and need a dinner recipe accompanied by the shopping list of ingredients?  There\'s an app for that?  Want to turn your photos into pop art so you can look cool on facebook?  There\'s an app or two or more for that.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-size: medium; color: #800000;\"><strong>I just heard this one on the radio this morning and couldn\'t believe it:  Need to know why he hasn\'t called you back?  There\'s an app for that.</strong></span>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nAs a former teacher, I\'m always a fan of play that is educational in nature.  Last week, I gravitated towards the \"I\'m leaving for France in 10 days and I barely remember any of the French that I studied for a year in college\" app.  Other people, including the app\'s creators, call this app \"MindSnacks French\".\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nOo la la!  J\'adore snacks!  I couldn\'t wait to feed my brain with all things French!  For FREE!\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n<a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/?attachment_id=9195\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-9195\"><img class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-9195\" title=\"OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA\" src=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/P1170007-225x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"225\" height=\"300\" /></a><a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/?attachment_id=9196\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-9196\"><img class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-9196\" title=\"OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA\" src=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/P1170009-225x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"225\" height=\"300\" /></a>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nWhat describes my current French?  We\'ve already been over that.  \"I\'m leaving for France in 10 days and I barely remember any of the French that I studied for a year in college\" wasn\'t an option.  I chose the closest thing:  \"Jumbled up words without any structure\".\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n<a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/?attachment_id=9197\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-9197\"><img class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-9197\" title=\"OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA\" src=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/P1170010-225x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"225\" height=\"300\" /></a>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nNeat?  Did you seriously just say that?  Well, gosh oh golly, aren\'t you swell!  Wait a minute.  Am I talking to a computer?\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nAnd hold on a sec.  Shouldn\'t I review my numbers first?  Kindly take me back to Level 1, per favore.  (I could only remember \"please\" in Italian at the time.  At the time of this writing, I\'ve just remembered that \"please\" in French is \"si vous plait\".  I\'m quite pleased with myself.)\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n<iframe src=\"http://www.youtube.com/embed/AbDh25_T_Yk\" frameborder=\"0\" width=\"640\" height=\"480\"></iframe>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nThat\'s right.  I filmed my MindSnack lesson demo with my low-tech Olympus camera.  Sideways.  (Unintentionally.)\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nI thought about staging a \"Take Two\" until I realized how this mishap would prove my non-gadgetness and make you laugh at the same time.  I\'m always willing to take a hit to entertain my troops.  :-D\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nI mastered Level 1 -- Numbers in no time flat!  Woo hoo!\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n<a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/?attachment_id=9198\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-9198\"><img class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-9198\" title=\"OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA\" src=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/P1170013-300x225.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" /></a>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nWait a minute.  Are you kidding me?  I knew there was no such thing as a free lunch.  Now you\'re telling me that there\'s no such thing as a free MindSnack???\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n<strong><span style=\"font-size: medium; color: #800000;\">Hmph.</span></strong>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n<strong><span style=\"font-size: medium; color: #800000;\">Maird.</span></strong>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nI suppose imaginative people deserve to be paid for their creations.  I dished out the more than reasonable $4.99 for more educational fun and games.   I am now reacquainted with my colors in French.  I\'m hoping that the next level includes key phrases such as \"Where is the bathroom?\" and \"May I have a chocolate croissant, si vous plait?\"\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nThank goodness I have a built-in translator aka Romeo Mio when I descend on the French Alps in 4 days.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;','Playdate #3:  Gadget Girl Tackles French Lessons on the iPad','','inherit','open','open','','9189-revision-53','','','2012-01-24 09:39:32','2012-01-24 16:39:32','',9189,'http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/2012/01/24/9189-revision-53/',0,'revision','',0),(9250,1,'2012-01-24 09:39:32','2012-01-24 16:39:32','<a href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/carbonnyc/6053333742/\" target=\"_blank\"><img class=\"alignleft size-medium wp-image-9220\" title=\"6053333742_cfea2607cc\" src=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/6053333742_cfea2607cc-300x199.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"199\" /></a>I am not a gadget person.  Romeo Mio is a gadget person.  Therefore, I am now learning how to play nicely with gadgets.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-size: medium; color: #800000;\"><strong>Gadget du Jour:  The iPad 2.</strong></span>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nWould I ever buy an iPad 2?  Heck, no.  <a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/2011/01/21/day-113-i-joined-a-cult-please-dont-tell-my-mother/\" target=\"_blank\"><strong>I may be drinking the Magic Kool-Aid,</strong></a> but there\'s still a trace amount left at the bottom of my dixie cup.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nI have a MacBook Pro which is beyond A-W-E-S-O-M-E.  It does everything that I want it to do and oh so much more.  Why <em>on earth</em> would I complicate my life with yet another gadget that isn\'t as functional as my most cherished treasure (next to Romeo Mio, my family, my friends, and Little Miss B, of course)?\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nI won the iPad 2 at work for a sales contest.  Woo hoo!\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nIt sat in the box unopened for about 3 weeks until Romeo Mio arrived for his <a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/2011/11/15/guess-whos-coming-to-dinner/\" target=\"_blank\"><strong>Thanksgiving visit</strong></a>.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n<span style=\"color: #800000;\"><strong><span style=\"font-size: medium;\">Romeo Mio and I had our one and only spat over that bloody iPad 2.  </span></strong></span>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nIt started with me whining about emails.  Something to the effect of . . . . I am under a steady email stream at work, at home, on my Crackberry (See? I told you there was some Kool-Aid leftover!), and now I am expected to manage emails on my iPad 2?!?!  ARGH!!!!\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nMy temper tantrum annoyed Romeo Mio to no end.  Romeo Mio, who consumed every last drop of his Kool-Aid years ago, reprimanded for me behaving like a selfish wench.  If I wasn\'t grateful for my FREE iPad 2, then he would gladly take it off my hands.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-size: medium; color: #800000;\"><strong>Hmph.</strong></span>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nI realized that it was a tad silly for me to get ornery over a gadget that so much of the world coveted.  There must be something to all this fuss.  Why not play with it and see for myself what all this fuss was about?  After all, I could disable the email deluge from my iPad.  I sweetly asked Romeo Mio to help me with that task.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nI then journeyed into App World.  Ooooo.  Ahhhhh.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nYou could easily become lost in App World because there\'s an app for everything.  At the grocery store and need a dinner recipe accompanied by the shopping list of ingredients?  There\'s an app for that?  Want to turn your photos into pop art so you can look cool on facebook?  There\'s an app or two or more for that.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-size: medium; color: #800000;\"><strong>I just heard this one on the radio this morning and couldn\'t believe it:  Need to know why he hasn\'t called you back?  There\'s an app for that.</strong></span>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nAs a former teacher, I\'m always a fan of play that is educational in nature.  Last week, I gravitated towards the \"I\'m leaving for France in 10 days and I barely remember any of the French that I studied for a year in college\" app.  Other people, including the app\'s creators, call this app \"MindSnacks French\".\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nOo la la!  J\'adore snacks!  I couldn\'t wait to feed my brain with all things French!  For FREE!\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n<a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/?attachment_id=9195\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-9195\"><img class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-9195\" title=\"OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA\" src=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/P1170007-225x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"225\" height=\"300\" /></a><a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/?attachment_id=9196\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-9196\"><img class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-9196\" title=\"OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA\" src=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/P1170009-225x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"225\" height=\"300\" /></a>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nWhat describes my current French?  We\'ve already been over that.  \"I\'m leaving for France in 10 days and I barely remember any of the French that I studied for a year in college\" wasn\'t an option.  I chose the closest thing:  \"Jumbled up words without any structure\".\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n<a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/?attachment_id=9197\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-9197\"><img class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-9197\" title=\"OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA\" src=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/P1170010-225x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"225\" height=\"300\" /></a>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nNeat?  Did you seriously just say that?  Well, gosh oh golly, aren\'t you swell!  Wait a minute.  Am I talking to a computer?\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nAnd hold on a sec.  Shouldn\'t I review my numbers first?  Kindly take me back to Level 1, per favore.  (I could only remember \"please\" in Italian at the time.  At the time of this writing, I\'ve just remembered that \"please\" in French is \"si vous plait\".  I\'m quite pleased with myself.)\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n<iframe src=\"http://www.youtube.com/embed/AbDh25_T_Yk\" frameborder=\"0\" width=\"640\" height=\"480\"></iframe>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nThat\'s right.  I filmed my MindSnack lesson demo with my low-tech Olympus camera.  Sideways.  (Unintentionally.)\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nI thought about staging a \"Take Two\" until I realized how this mishap would prove my non-gadgetness and make you laugh at the same time.  I\'m always willing to take a hit to entertain my troops.  :-D\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nI mastered Level 1 -- Numbers in no time flat!  Woo hoo!\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n<a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/?attachment_id=9198\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-9198\"><img class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-9198\" title=\"OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA\" src=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/P1170013-300x225.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" /></a>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nWait a minute.  Are you kidding me?  I knew there was no such thing as a free lunch.  Now you\'re telling me that there\'s no such thing as a free MindSnack???\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n<strong><span style=\"font-size: medium; color: #800000;\">Hmph.</span></strong>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n<strong><span style=\"font-size: medium; color: #800000;\">Maird.</span></strong>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nI suppose imaginative people deserve to be paid for their creations.  I dished out the more than reasonable $4.99 for more educational fun and games.   I am now reacquainted with my colors in French.  I\'m hoping that the next level includes key phrases such as \"Where is the bathroom?\" and \"May I have a chocolate croissant, si vous plait?\"\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nThank goodness I have a built-in translator aka Romeo Mio when I descend on the French Alps in 4 days.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;','Playdate #3:  Gadget Girl Tackles French Lessons on the iPad','','inherit','open','open','','9189-revision-54','','','2012-01-24 09:39:32','2012-01-24 16:39:32','',9189,'http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/2012/01/24/9189-revision-54/',0,'revision','',0),(9251,1,'2012-01-24 09:39:53','2012-01-24 16:39:53','<a href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/carbonnyc/6053333742/\" target=\"_blank\"><img class=\"alignleft size-medium wp-image-9220\" title=\"6053333742_cfea2607cc\" src=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/6053333742_cfea2607cc-300x199.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"199\" /></a>I am not a gadget person.  Romeo Mio is a gadget person.  Therefore, I am now learning how to play nicely with gadgets.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-size: medium; color: #800000;\"><strong>Gadget du Jour:  The iPad 2.</strong></span>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nWould I ever buy an iPad 2?  Heck, no.  <a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/2011/01/21/day-113-i-joined-a-cult-please-dont-tell-my-mother/\" target=\"_blank\"><strong>I may be drinking the Magic Kool-Aid,</strong></a> but there\'s still a trace amount left at the bottom of my dixie cup.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nI have a MacBook Pro which is beyond A-W-E-S-O-M-E.  It does everything that I want it to do and oh so much more.  Why <em>on earth</em> would I complicate my life with yet another gadget that isn\'t as functional as my most cherished treasure (next to Romeo Mio, my family, my friends, and Little Miss B, of course)?\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nI won the iPad 2 at work for a sales contest.  Woo hoo!\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nIt sat in the box unopened for about 3 weeks until Romeo Mio arrived for his <a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/2011/11/15/guess-whos-coming-to-dinner/\" target=\"_blank\"><strong>Thanksgiving visit</strong></a>.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n<span style=\"color: #800000;\"><strong><span style=\"font-size: medium;\">Romeo Mio and I had our one and only spat over that bloody iPad 2.  </span></strong></span>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nIt started with me whining about emails.  Something to the effect of . . . . I am under a steady email stream at work, at home, on my Crackberry (See? I told you there was some Kool-Aid leftover!), and now I am expected to manage emails on my iPad 2?!?!  ARGH!!!!\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nMy temper tantrum annoyed Romeo Mio to no end.  Romeo Mio, who consumed every last drop of his Kool-Aid years ago, reprimanded for me behaving like a selfish wench.  If I wasn\'t grateful for my FREE iPad 2, then he would gladly take it off my hands.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-size: medium; color: #800000;\"><strong>Hmph.</strong></span>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nI realized that it was a tad silly for me to get ornery over a gadget that so much of the world coveted.  There must be something to all this fuss.  Why not play with it and see for myself what all this fuss was about?  After all, I could disable the email deluge from my iPad.  I sweetly asked Romeo Mio to help me with that task.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nI then journeyed into App World.  Ooooo.  Ahhhhh.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nYou could easily become lost in App World because there\'s an app for everything.  At the grocery store and need a dinner recipe accompanied by the shopping list of ingredients?  There\'s an app for that?  Want to turn your photos into pop art so you can look cool on facebook?  There\'s an app or two or more for that.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-size: medium; color: #800000;\"><strong>I just heard this one on the radio this morning and couldn\'t believe it:  Need to know why he hasn\'t called you back?  There\'s an app for that.</strong></span>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nAs a former teacher, I\'m always a fan of play that is educational in nature.  Last week, I gravitated towards the \"I\'m leaving for France in 10 days and I barely remember any of the French that I studied for a year in college\" app.  Other people, including the app\'s creators, call this app \"MindSnacks French\".\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nOo la la!  J\'adore snacks!  I couldn\'t wait to feed my brain with all things French!  For FREE!\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n<a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/?attachment_id=9195\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-9195\"><img class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-9195\" title=\"OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA\" src=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/P1170007-225x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"225\" height=\"300\" /></a><a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/?attachment_id=9196\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-9196\"><img class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-9196\" title=\"OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA\" src=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/P1170009-225x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"225\" height=\"300\" /></a>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nWhat describes my current French?  We\'ve already been over that.  \"I\'m leaving for France in 10 days and I barely remember any of the French that I studied for a year in college\" wasn\'t an option.  I chose the closest thing:  \"Jumbled up words without any structure\".\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n<a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/?attachment_id=9197\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-9197\"><img class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-9197\" title=\"OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA\" src=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/P1170010-225x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"225\" height=\"300\" /></a>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nNeat?  Did you seriously just say that?  Well, gosh oh golly, aren\'t you swell!  Wait a minute.  Am I talking to a computer?\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nAnd hold on a sec.  Shouldn\'t I review my numbers first?  Kindly take me back to Level 1, per favore.  (I could only remember \"please\" in Italian at the time.  At the time of this writing, I\'ve just remembered that \"please\" in French is \"si vous plait\".  I\'m quite pleased with myself.)\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n<iframe src=\"http://www.youtube.com/embed/AbDh25_T_Yk\" frameborder=\"0\" width=\"640\" height=\"480\"></iframe>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nThat\'s right.  I filmed my MindSnack lesson demo with my low-tech Olympus camera.  Sideways.  (Unintentionally.)\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nI thought about staging a \"Take Two\" until I realized how this mishap would prove my non-gadgetness and make you laugh at the same time.  I\'m always willing to take a hit to entertain my troops.  :-D\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nI mastered Level 1 -- Numbers in no time flat!  Woo hoo!\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n<a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/?attachment_id=9198\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-9198\"><img class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-9198\" title=\"OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA\" src=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/P1170013-300x225.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" /></a>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nWait a minute.  Are you kidding me?  I knew there was no such thing as a free lunch.  Now you\'re telling me that there\'s no such thing as a free MindSnack???\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n<strong><span style=\"font-size: medium; color: #800000;\">Hmph.</span></strong>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n<strong><span style=\"font-size: medium; color: #800000;\">Maird.</span></strong>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nI suppose imaginative people deserve to be paid for their creations.  I dished out the more than reasonable $4.99 for more educational fun and games.   I am now reacquainted with my colors in French.  I\'m hoping that the next level includes key phrases such as \"Where is the bathroom?\" and \"May I have a chocolate croissant, si vous plait?\"\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nThank goodness I have a built-in translator aka Romeo Mio when I descend on the French Alps in 4 days.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;','Playdate #3:  Gadget Girl Tackles French Lessons on the iPad','','inherit','open','open','','9189-revision-55','','','2012-01-24 09:39:53','2012-01-24 16:39:53','',9189,'http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/2012/01/24/9189-revision-55/',0,'revision','',0),(9253,1,'2012-01-24 09:41:36','2012-01-24 16:41:36','<a href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/carbonnyc/6053333742/\" target=\"_blank\"><img class=\"alignleft size-medium wp-image-9220\" title=\"6053333742_cfea2607cc\" src=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/6053333742_cfea2607cc-300x199.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"199\" /></a>I am not a gadget person.  Romeo Mio is a gadget person.  Therefore, I am now learning how to play nicely with gadgets.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-size: medium; color: #800000;\"><strong>Gadget du Jour:  The iPad 2.</strong></span>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nWould I ever buy an iPad 2?  Heck, no.  <a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/2011/01/21/day-113-i-joined-a-cult-please-dont-tell-my-mother/\" target=\"_blank\"><strong>I may be drinking the Magic Kool-Aid,</strong></a> but there\'s still a trace amount left at the bottom of my dixie cup.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nI have a MacBook Pro which is beyond A-W-E-S-O-M-E.  It does everything that I want it to do and oh so much more.  Why <em>on earth</em> would I complicate my life with yet another gadget that isn\'t as functional as my most cherished treasure (next to Romeo Mio, my family, my friends, and Little Miss B, of course)?\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nI won the iPad 2 at work for a sales contest.  Woo hoo!\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nIt sat in the box unopened for about 3 weeks until Romeo Mio arrived for his <a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/2011/11/15/guess-whos-coming-to-dinner/\" target=\"_blank\"><strong>Thanksgiving visit</strong></a>.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n<span style=\"color: #800000;\"><strong><span style=\"font-size: medium;\">Romeo Mio and I had our one and only spat over that bloody iPad 2.  </span></strong></span>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nIt started with me whining about emails.  Something to the effect of . . . . I am under a steady email stream at work, at home, on my Crackberry (See? I told you there was some Kool-Aid leftover!), and now I am expected to manage emails on my iPad 2?!?!  ARGH!!!!\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nMy temper tantrum annoyed Romeo Mio to no end.  Romeo Mio, who consumed every last drop of his Kool-Aid years ago, reprimanded for me behaving like a selfish wench.  If I wasn\'t grateful for my FREE iPad 2, then he would gladly take it off my hands.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-size: medium; color: #800000;\"><strong>Hmph.</strong></span>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nI realized that it was a tad silly for me to get ornery over a gadget that so much of the world coveted.  There must be something to all this fuss.  Why not play with it and see for myself what all this fuss was about?  After all, I could disable the email deluge from my iPad.  I sweetly asked Romeo Mio to help me with that task.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-size: medium; color: #800000;\"><strong>I then journeyed into App World.  Ooooo.  Ahhhhh.</strong></span>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nYou could easily become lost in App World because there\'s an app for everything.  At the grocery store and need a dinner recipe accompanied by the shopping list of ingredients?  There\'s an app for that?  Want to turn your photos into pop art so you can look cool on facebook?  There\'s an app or two or more for that.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-size: medium; color: #800000;\"><strong>I just heard this one on the radio this morning and couldn\'t believe it:  Need to know why he hasn\'t called you back?  There\'s an app for that.</strong></span>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nAs a former teacher, I\'m always a fan of play that is educational in nature.  Last week, I gravitated towards the \"I\'m leaving for France in 10 days and I barely remember any of the French that I studied for a year in college\" app.  Other people, including the app\'s creators, call this app \"MindSnacks French\".\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nOo la la!  J\'adore snacks!  I couldn\'t wait to feed my brain with all things French!  For FREE!\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n<a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/?attachment_id=9195\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-9195\"><img class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-9195\" title=\"OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA\" src=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/P1170007-225x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"225\" height=\"300\" /></a><a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/?attachment_id=9196\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-9196\"><img class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-9196\" title=\"OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA\" src=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/P1170009-225x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"225\" height=\"300\" /></a>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nWhat describes my current French?  We\'ve already been over that.  \"I\'m leaving for France in 10 days and I barely remember any of the French that I studied for a year in college\" wasn\'t an option.  I chose the closest thing:  \"Jumbled up words without any structure\".\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n<a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/?attachment_id=9197\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-9197\"><img class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-9197\" title=\"OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA\" src=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/P1170010-225x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"225\" height=\"300\" /></a>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nNeat?  Did you seriously just say that?  Well, gosh oh golly, aren\'t you swell!  Wait a minute.  Am I talking to a computer?\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nAnd hold on a sec.  Shouldn\'t I review my numbers first?  Kindly take me back to Level 1, per favore.  (I could only remember \"please\" in Italian at the time.  At the time of this writing, I\'ve just remembered that \"please\" in French is \"si vous plait\".  I\'m quite pleased with myself.)\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n<iframe src=\"http://www.youtube.com/embed/AbDh25_T_Yk\" frameborder=\"0\" width=\"640\" height=\"480\"></iframe>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nThat\'s right.  I filmed my MindSnack lesson demo with my low-tech Olympus camera.  Sideways.  (Unintentionally.)\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nI thought about staging a \"Take Two\" until I realized how this mishap would prove my non-gadgetness and make you laugh at the same time.  I\'m always willing to take a hit to entertain my troops.  :-D\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nI mastered Level 1 -- Numbers in no time flat!  Woo hoo!\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n<a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/?attachment_id=9198\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-9198\"><img class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-9198\" title=\"OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA\" src=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/P1170013-300x225.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" /></a>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nWait a minute.  Are you kidding me?  I knew there was no such thing as a free lunch.  Now you\'re telling me that there\'s no such thing as a free MindSnack???\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n<strong><span style=\"font-size: medium; color: #800000;\">Hmph.</span></strong>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n<strong><span style=\"font-size: medium; color: #800000;\">Maird.</span></strong>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nI suppose imaginative people deserve to be paid for their creations.  I dished out the more than reasonable $4.99 for more educational fun and games.   I am now reacquainted with my colors in French.  I\'m hoping that the next level includes key phrases such as \"Where is the bathroom?\" and \"May I have a chocolate croissant, si vous plait?\"\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nThank goodness I have a built-in translator aka Romeo Mio when I descend on the French Alps in 4 days.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;','Playdate #3:  Gadget Girl Tackles French Lessons on the iPad','','inherit','open','open','','9189-revision-57','','','2012-01-24 09:41:36','2012-01-24 16:41:36','',9189,'http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/2012/01/24/9189-revision-57/',0,'revision','',0),(9254,1,'2012-01-24 09:41:36','2012-01-24 16:41:36','<a href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/carbonnyc/6053333742/\" target=\"_blank\"><img class=\"alignleft size-medium wp-image-9220\" title=\"6053333742_cfea2607cc\" src=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/6053333742_cfea2607cc-300x199.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"199\" /></a>I am not a gadget person.  Romeo Mio is a gadget person.  Therefore, I am now learning how to play nicely with gadgets.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-size: medium; color: #800000;\"><strong>Gadget du Jour:  The iPad 2.</strong></span>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nWould I ever buy an iPad 2?  Heck, no.  <a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/2011/01/21/day-113-i-joined-a-cult-please-dont-tell-my-mother/\" target=\"_blank\"><strong>I may be drinking the Magic Kool-Aid,</strong></a> but there\'s still a trace amount left at the bottom of my dixie cup.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nI have a MacBook Pro which is beyond A-W-E-S-O-M-E.  It does everything that I want it to do and oh so much more.  Why <em>on earth</em> would I complicate my life with yet another gadget that isn\'t as functional as my most cherished treasure (next to Romeo Mio, my family, my friends, and Little Miss B, of course)?\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nI won the iPad 2 at work for a sales contest.  Woo hoo!\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nIt sat in the box unopened for about 3 weeks until Romeo Mio arrived for his <a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/2011/11/15/guess-whos-coming-to-dinner/\" target=\"_blank\"><strong>Thanksgiving visit</strong></a>.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n<span style=\"color: #800000;\"><strong><span style=\"font-size: medium;\">Romeo Mio and I had our one and only spat over that bloody iPad 2.  </span></strong></span>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nIt started with me whining about emails.  Something to the effect of . . . . I am under a steady email stream at work, at home, on my Crackberry (See? I told you there was some Kool-Aid leftover!), and now I am expected to manage emails on my iPad 2?!?!  ARGH!!!!\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nMy temper tantrum annoyed Romeo Mio to no end.  Romeo Mio, who consumed every last drop of his Kool-Aid years ago, reprimanded for me behaving like a selfish wench.  If I wasn\'t grateful for my FREE iPad 2, then he would gladly take it off my hands.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-size: medium; color: #800000;\"><strong>Hmph.</strong></span>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nI realized that it was a tad silly for me to get ornery over a gadget that so much of the world coveted.  There must be something to all this fuss.  Why not play with it and see for myself what all this fuss was about?  After all, I could disable the email deluge from my iPad.  I sweetly asked Romeo Mio to help me with that task.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-size: medium; color: #800000;\"><strong>I then journeyed into App World.  Ooooo.  Ahhhhh.</strong></span>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nYou could easily become lost in App World because there\'s an app for everything.  At the grocery store and need a dinner recipe accompanied by the shopping list of ingredients?  There\'s an app for that?  Want to turn your photos into pop art so you can look cool on facebook?  There\'s an app or two or more for that.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-size: medium; color: #800000;\"><strong>I just heard this one on the radio this morning and couldn\'t believe it:  Need to know why he hasn\'t called you back?  There\'s an app for that.</strong></span>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nAs a former teacher, I\'m always a fan of play that is educational in nature.  Last week, I gravitated towards the \"I\'m leaving for France in 10 days and I barely remember any of the French that I studied for a year in college\" app.  Other people, including the app\'s creators, call this app \"MindSnacks French\".\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nOo la la!  J\'adore snacks!  I couldn\'t wait to feed my brain with all things French!  For FREE!\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n<a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/?attachment_id=9195\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-9195\"><img class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-9195\" title=\"OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA\" src=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/P1170007-225x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"225\" height=\"300\" /></a><a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/?attachment_id=9196\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-9196\"><img class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-9196\" title=\"OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA\" src=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/P1170009-225x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"225\" height=\"300\" /></a>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nWhat describes my current French?  We\'ve already been over that.  \"I\'m leaving for France in 10 days and I barely remember any of the French that I studied for a year in college\" wasn\'t an option.  I chose the closest thing:  \"Jumbled up words without any structure\".\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n<a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/?attachment_id=9197\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-9197\"><img class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-9197\" title=\"OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA\" src=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/P1170010-225x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"225\" height=\"300\" /></a>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nNeat?  Did you seriously just say that?  Well, gosh oh golly, aren\'t you swell!  Wait a minute.  Am I talking to a computer?\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nAnd hold on a sec.  Shouldn\'t I review my numbers first?  Kindly take me back to Level 1, per favore.  (I could only remember \"please\" in Italian at the time.  At the time of this writing, I\'ve just remembered that \"please\" in French is \"si vous plait\".  I\'m quite pleased with myself.)\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n<iframe src=\"http://www.youtube.com/embed/AbDh25_T_Yk\" frameborder=\"0\" width=\"640\" height=\"480\"></iframe>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nThat\'s right.  I filmed my MindSnack lesson demo with my low-tech Olympus camera.  Sideways.  (Unintentionally.)\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nI thought about staging a \"Take Two\" until I realized how this mishap would prove my non-gadgetness and make you laugh at the same time.  I\'m always willing to take a hit to entertain my troops.  :-D\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nI mastered Level 1 -- Numbers in no time flat!  Woo hoo!\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n<a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/?attachment_id=9198\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-9198\"><img class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-9198\" title=\"OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA\" src=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/P1170013-300x225.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" /></a>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nWait a minute.  Are you kidding me?  I knew there was no such thing as a free lunch.  Now you\'re telling me that there\'s no such thing as a free MindSnack???\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n<strong><span style=\"font-size: medium; color: #800000;\">Hmph.</span></strong>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n<strong><span style=\"font-size: medium; color: #800000;\">Maird.</span></strong>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nI suppose imaginative people deserve to be paid for their creations.  I dished out the more than reasonable $4.99 for more educational fun and games.   I am now reacquainted with my colors in French.  I\'m hoping that the next level includes key phrases such as \"Where is the bathroom?\" and \"May I have a chocolate croissant, si vous plait?\"\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nThank goodness I have a built-in translator aka Romeo Mio when I descend on the French Alps in 4 days.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;','Playdate #3:  Gadget Girl Tackles French Lessons on the iPad','','inherit','open','open','','9189-revision-58','','','2012-01-24 09:41:36','2012-01-24 16:41:36','',9189,'http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/2012/01/24/9189-revision-58/',0,'revision','',0),(9255,1,'2012-01-24 09:42:08','2012-01-24 16:42:08','<a href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/carbonnyc/6053333742/\" target=\"_blank\"><img class=\"alignleft size-medium wp-image-9220\" title=\"6053333742_cfea2607cc\" src=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/6053333742_cfea2607cc-300x199.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"199\" /></a>I am not a gadget person.  Romeo Mio is a gadget person.  Therefore, I am now learning how to play nicely with gadgets.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-size: medium; color: #800000;\"><strong>Gadget du Jour:  The iPad 2.</strong></span>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nWould I ever buy an iPad 2?  Heck, no.  <a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/2011/01/21/day-113-i-joined-a-cult-please-dont-tell-my-mother/\" target=\"_blank\"><strong>I may be drinking the Magic Kool-Aid,</strong></a> but there\'s still a trace amount left at the bottom of my dixie cup.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nI have a MacBook Pro which is beyond A-W-E-S-O-M-E.  It does everything that I want it to do and oh so much more.  Why <em>on earth</em> would I complicate my life with yet another gadget that isn\'t as functional as my most cherished treasure (next to Romeo Mio, my family, my friends, and Little Miss B, of course)?\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nI won the iPad 2 at work for a sales contest.  Woo hoo!\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nIt sat in the box unopened for about 3 weeks until Romeo Mio arrived for his <a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/2011/11/15/guess-whos-coming-to-dinner/\" target=\"_blank\"><strong>Thanksgiving visit</strong></a>.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n<span style=\"color: #800000;\"><strong><span style=\"font-size: medium;\">Romeo Mio and I had our one and only spat over that bloody iPad 2.  </span></strong></span>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nIt started with me whining about emails.  Something to the effect of . . . . I am under a steady email stream at work, at home, on my Crackberry (See? I told you there was some Kool-Aid leftover!), and now I am expected to manage emails on my iPad 2?!?!  ARGH!!!!\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nMy temper tantrum annoyed Romeo Mio to no end.  Romeo Mio, who consumed every last drop of his Kool-Aid years ago, reprimanded for me behaving like a selfish wench.  If I wasn\'t grateful for my FREE iPad 2, then he would gladly take it off my hands.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-size: medium; color: #800000;\"><strong>Hmph.</strong></span>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nI realized that it was a tad silly for me to get ornery over a gadget that so much of the world coveted.  There must be something to all this fuss.  Why not play with it and see for myself what all this fuss was about?  After all, I could disable the email deluge from my iPad.  I sweetly asked Romeo Mio to help me with that task.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-size: medium; color: #800000;\"><strong>I then journeyed into App World.  Ooooo.  Ahhhhh.</strong></span>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nYou could easily become lost in App World because there\'s an app for everything.  At the grocery store and need a dinner recipe accompanied by the shopping list of ingredients?  There\'s an app for that.  Want to turn your photos into pop art so you can look cool on facebook?  There\'s an app or two or more for that.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-size: medium; color: #800000;\"><strong>I just heard this one on the radio this morning and couldn\'t believe it:  Need to know why he hasn\'t called you back?  There\'s an app for that.</strong></span>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nAs a former teacher, I\'m always a fan of play that is educational in nature.  Last week, I gravitated towards the \"I\'m leaving for France in 10 days and I barely remember any of the French that I studied for a year in college\" app.  Other people, including the app\'s creators, call this app \"MindSnacks French\".\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nOo la la!  J\'adore snacks!  I couldn\'t wait to feed my brain with all things French!  For FREE!\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n<a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/?attachment_id=9195\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-9195\"><img class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-9195\" title=\"OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA\" src=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/P1170007-225x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"225\" height=\"300\" /></a><a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/?attachment_id=9196\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-9196\"><img class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-9196\" title=\"OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA\" src=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/P1170009-225x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"225\" height=\"300\" /></a>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nWhat describes my current French?  We\'ve already been over that.  \"I\'m leaving for France in 10 days and I barely remember any of the French that I studied for a year in college\" wasn\'t an option.  I chose the closest thing:  \"Jumbled up words without any structure\".\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n<a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/?attachment_id=9197\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-9197\"><img class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-9197\" title=\"OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA\" src=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/P1170010-225x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"225\" height=\"300\" /></a>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nNeat?  Did you seriously just say that?  Well, gosh oh golly, aren\'t you swell!  Wait a minute.  Am I talking to a computer?\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nAnd hold on a sec.  Shouldn\'t I review my numbers first?  Kindly take me back to Level 1, per favore.  (I could only remember \"please\" in Italian at the time.  At the time of this writing, I\'ve just remembered that \"please\" in French is \"si vous plait\".  I\'m quite pleased with myself.)\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n<iframe src=\"http://www.youtube.com/embed/AbDh25_T_Yk\" frameborder=\"0\" width=\"640\" height=\"480\"></iframe>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nThat\'s right.  I filmed my MindSnack lesson demo with my low-tech Olympus camera.  Sideways.  (Unintentionally.)\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nI thought about staging a \"Take Two\" until I realized how this mishap would prove my non-gadgetness and make you laugh at the same time.  I\'m always willing to take a hit to entertain my troops.  :-D\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nI mastered Level 1 -- Numbers in no time flat!  Woo hoo!\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n<a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/?attachment_id=9198\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-9198\"><img class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-9198\" title=\"OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA\" src=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/P1170013-300x225.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" /></a>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nWait a minute.  Are you kidding me?  I knew there was no such thing as a free lunch.  Now you\'re telling me that there\'s no such thing as a free MindSnack???\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n<strong><span style=\"font-size: medium; color: #800000;\">Hmph.</span></strong>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n<strong><span style=\"font-size: medium; color: #800000;\">Maird.</span></strong>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nI suppose imaginative people deserve to be paid for their creations.  I dished out the more than reasonable $4.99 for more educational fun and games.   I am now reacquainted with my colors in French.  I\'m hoping that the next level includes key phrases such as \"Where is the bathroom?\" and \"May I have a chocolate croissant, si vous plait?\"\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nThank goodness I have a built-in translator aka Romeo Mio when I descend on the French Alps in 4 days.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;','Playdate #3:  Gadget Girl Tackles French Lessons on the iPad','','inherit','open','open','','9189-revision-59','','','2012-01-24 09:42:08','2012-01-24 16:42:08','',9189,'http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/2012/01/24/9189-revision-59/',0,'revision','',0),(9256,1,'2012-01-24 09:42:08','2012-01-24 16:42:08','<a href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/carbonnyc/6053333742/\" target=\"_blank\"><img class=\"alignleft size-medium wp-image-9220\" title=\"6053333742_cfea2607cc\" src=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/6053333742_cfea2607cc-300x199.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"199\" /></a>I am not a gadget person.  Romeo Mio is a gadget person.  Therefore, I am now learning how to play nicely with gadgets.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-size: medium; color: #800000;\"><strong>Gadget du Jour:  The iPad 2.</strong></span>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nWould I ever buy an iPad 2?  Heck, no.  <a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/2011/01/21/day-113-i-joined-a-cult-please-dont-tell-my-mother/\" target=\"_blank\"><strong>I may be drinking the Magic Kool-Aid,</strong></a> but there\'s still a trace amount left at the bottom of my dixie cup.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nI have a MacBook Pro which is beyond A-W-E-S-O-M-E.  It does everything that I want it to do and oh so much more.  Why <em>on earth</em> would I complicate my life with yet another gadget that isn\'t as functional as my most cherished treasure (next to Romeo Mio, my family, my friends, and Little Miss B, of course)?\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nI won the iPad 2 at work for a sales contest.  Woo hoo!\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nIt sat in the box unopened for about 3 weeks until Romeo Mio arrived for his <a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/2011/11/15/guess-whos-coming-to-dinner/\" target=\"_blank\"><strong>Thanksgiving visit</strong></a>.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n<span style=\"color: #800000;\"><strong><span style=\"font-size: medium;\">Romeo Mio and I had our one and only spat over that bloody iPad 2.  </span></strong></span>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nIt started with me whining about emails.  Something to the effect of . . . . I am under a steady email stream at work, at home, on my Crackberry (See? I told you there was some Kool-Aid leftover!), and now I am expected to manage emails on my iPad 2?!?!  ARGH!!!!\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nMy temper tantrum annoyed Romeo Mio to no end.  Romeo Mio, who consumed every last drop of his Kool-Aid years ago, reprimanded for me behaving like a selfish wench.  If I wasn\'t grateful for my FREE iPad 2, then he would gladly take it off my hands.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-size: medium; color: #800000;\"><strong>Hmph.</strong></span>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nI realized that it was a tad silly for me to get ornery over a gadget that so much of the world coveted.  There must be something to all this fuss.  Why not play with it and see for myself what all this fuss was about?  After all, I could disable the email deluge from my iPad.  I sweetly asked Romeo Mio to help me with that task.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-size: medium; color: #800000;\"><strong>I then journeyed into App World.  Ooooo.  Ahhhhh.</strong></span>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nYou could easily become lost in App World because there\'s an app for everything.  At the grocery store and need a dinner recipe accompanied by the shopping list of ingredients?  There\'s an app for that.  Want to turn your photos into pop art so you can look cool on facebook?  There\'s an app or two or more for that.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-size: medium; color: #800000;\"><strong>I just heard this one on the radio this morning and couldn\'t believe it:  Need to know why he hasn\'t called you back?  There\'s an app for that.</strong></span>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nAs a former teacher, I\'m always a fan of play that is educational in nature.  Last week, I gravitated towards the \"I\'m leaving for France in 10 days and I barely remember any of the French that I studied for a year in college\" app.  Other people, including the app\'s creators, call this app \"MindSnacks French\".\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nOo la la!  J\'adore snacks!  I couldn\'t wait to feed my brain with all things French!  For FREE!\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n<a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/?attachment_id=9195\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-9195\"><img class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-9195\" title=\"OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA\" src=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/P1170007-225x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"225\" height=\"300\" /></a><a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/?attachment_id=9196\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-9196\"><img class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-9196\" title=\"OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA\" src=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/P1170009-225x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"225\" height=\"300\" /></a>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nWhat describes my current French?  We\'ve already been over that.  \"I\'m leaving for France in 10 days and I barely remember any of the French that I studied for a year in college\" wasn\'t an option.  I chose the closest thing:  \"Jumbled up words without any structure\".\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n<a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/?attachment_id=9197\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-9197\"><img class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-9197\" title=\"OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA\" src=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/P1170010-225x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"225\" height=\"300\" /></a>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nNeat?  Did you seriously just say that?  Well, gosh oh golly, aren\'t you swell!  Wait a minute.  Am I talking to a computer?\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nAnd hold on a sec.  Shouldn\'t I review my numbers first?  Kindly take me back to Level 1, per favore.  (I could only remember \"please\" in Italian at the time.  At the time of this writing, I\'ve just remembered that \"please\" in French is \"si vous plait\".  I\'m quite pleased with myself.)\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n<iframe src=\"http://www.youtube.com/embed/AbDh25_T_Yk\" frameborder=\"0\" width=\"640\" height=\"480\"></iframe>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nThat\'s right.  I filmed my MindSnack lesson demo with my low-tech Olympus camera.  Sideways.  (Unintentionally.)\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nI thought about staging a \"Take Two\" until I realized how this mishap would prove my non-gadgetness and make you laugh at the same time.  I\'m always willing to take a hit to entertain my troops.  :-D\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nI mastered Level 1 -- Numbers in no time flat!  Woo hoo!\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n<a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/?attachment_id=9198\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-9198\"><img class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-9198\" title=\"OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA\" src=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/P1170013-300x225.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" /></a>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nWait a minute.  Are you kidding me?  I knew there was no such thing as a free lunch.  Now you\'re telling me that there\'s no such thing as a free MindSnack???\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n<strong><span style=\"font-size: medium; color: #800000;\">Hmph.</span></strong>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n<strong><span style=\"font-size: medium; color: #800000;\">Maird.</span></strong>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nI suppose imaginative people deserve to be paid for their creations.  I dished out the more than reasonable $4.99 for more educational fun and games.   I am now reacquainted with my colors in French.  I\'m hoping that the next level includes key phrases such as \"Where is the bathroom?\" and \"May I have a chocolate croissant, si vous plait?\"\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nThank goodness I have a built-in translator aka Romeo Mio when I descend on the French Alps in 4 days.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;','Playdate #3:  Gadget Girl Tackles French Lessons on the iPad','','inherit','open','open','','9189-revision-60','','','2012-01-24 09:42:08','2012-01-24 16:42:08','',9189,'http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/2012/01/24/9189-revision-60/',0,'revision','',0),(9258,1,'2012-01-24 09:44:11','2012-01-24 16:44:11','<a href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/carbonnyc/6053333742/\" target=\"_blank\"><img class=\"alignleft size-medium wp-image-9220\" title=\"6053333742_cfea2607cc\" src=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/6053333742_cfea2607cc-300x199.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"199\" /></a>I am not a gadget person.  Romeo Mio is a gadget person.  Therefore, I am now learning how to play nicely with gadgets.\n\n&nbsp;\n\n<span style=\"font-size: medium; color: #800000;\"><strong>Gadget du Jour:  The iPad 2.</strong></span>\n\n&nbsp;\n\nWould I ever buy an iPad 2?  Heck, no.  <a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/2011/01/21/day-113-i-joined-a-cult-please-dont-tell-my-mother/\" target=\"_blank\"><strong>I may be drinking the Magic Kool-Aid,</strong></a> but there\'s still a trace amount left at the bottom of my dixie cup.\n\n&nbsp;\n\nI have a MacBook Pro which is beyond A-W-E-S-O-M-E.  It does everything that I want it to do and oh so much more.  Why <em>on earth</em> would I complicate my life with yet another gadget that isn\'t as functional as my most cherished treasure (next to Romeo Mio, my family, my friends, and Little Miss B, of course)?\n\n&nbsp;\n\nI won the iPad 2 at work for a sales contest.  Woo hoo!\n\n&nbsp;\n\nIt sat in the box unopened for about 3 weeks until Romeo Mio arrived for his <a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/2011/11/15/guess-whos-coming-to-dinner/\" target=\"_blank\"><strong>Thanksgiving visit</strong></a>.\n\n&nbsp;\n\n<span style=\"color: #800000;\"><strong><span style=\"font-size: medium;\">Romeo Mio and I had our one and only spat over that bloody iPad 2.  </span></strong></span>\n\n&nbsp;\n\nIt started with me whining about emails.  Something to the effect of . . . . I am under a steady email stream at work, at home, on my Crackberry (See? I told you there was some Kool-Aid leftover!), and now I am expected to manage emails on my iPad 2?!?!  ARGH!!!!\n\n&nbsp;\n\nMy temper tantrum annoyed Romeo Mio to no end.  Romeo Mio, who consumed every last drop of his Kool-Aid years ago, reprimanded for me behaving like a selfish wench.  If I wasn\'t grateful for my FREE iPad 2, then he would gladly take it off my hands.\n\n&nbsp;\n\n<span style=\"font-size: medium; color: #800000;\"><strong>Hmph.</strong></span>\n\n&nbsp;\n\nI realized that it was a tad silly for me to get ornery over a gadget that so much of the world coveted.  There must be something to all this fuss.  Why not play with it and see for myself what all this fuss was about?  After all, I could disable the email deluge from my iPad.  I sweetly asked Romeo Mio to help me with that task.\n\n&nbsp;\n\n<span style=\"font-size: medium; color: #800000;\"><strong>I then journeyed into App World.  Ooooo.  Ahhhhh.</strong></span>\n\n&nbsp;\n\nYou could easily become lost in App World because there\'s an app for everything.  At the grocery store and need a dinner recipe accompanied by the shopping list of ingredients?  There\'s an app for that.  Want to turn your photos into pop art so you can look cool on facebook?  There\'s an app or two or more for that.\n\n&nbsp;\n\n<span style=\"font-size: medium; color: #800000;\"><strong>I just heard this one on the radio this morning and couldn\'t believe it:  Need to know why he hasn\'t called you back?  There\'s an app for that.</strong></span>\n\n&nbsp;\n\nMamma mia!\n\n&nbsp;\n\nAs a former teacher, I\'m always a fan of play that is educational in nature.  Last week, I gravitated towards the \"I\'m leaving for France in 10 days and I barely remember any of the French that I studied for a year in college\" app.  Other people, including the app\'s creators, call this app \"MindSnacks French\".\n\n&nbsp;\n\nOo la la!  J\'adore snacks!  I couldn\'t wait to feed my brain with all things French!  For FREE!\n\n&nbsp;\n\n&nbsp;\n\n<a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/?attachment_id=9195\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-9195\"><img class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-9195\" title=\"OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA\" src=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/P1170007-225x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"225\" height=\"300\" /></a><a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/?attachment_id=9196\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-9196\"><img class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-9196\" title=\"OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA\" src=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/P1170009-225x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"225\" height=\"300\" /></a>\n\n&nbsp;\n\nWhat describes my current French?  We\'ve already been over that.  \"I\'m leaving for France in 10 days and I barely remember any of the French that I studied for a year in college\" wasn\'t an option.  I chose the closest thing:  \"Jumbled up words without any structure\".\n\n&nbsp;\n\n&nbsp;\n\n<a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/?attachment_id=9197\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-9197\"><img class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-9197\" title=\"OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA\" src=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/P1170010-225x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"225\" height=\"300\" /></a>\n\n&nbsp;\n\nNeat?  Did you seriously just say that?  Well, gosh oh golly, aren\'t you swell!  Wait a minute.  Am I talking to a computer?\n\n&nbsp;\n\nAnd hold on a sec.  Shouldn\'t I review my numbers first?  Kindly take me back to Level 1, per favore.  (I could only remember \"please\" in Italian at the time.  At the time of this writing, I\'ve just remembered that \"please\" in French is \"si vous plait\".  I\'m quite pleased with myself.)\n\n&nbsp;\n\n&nbsp;\n\n<iframe src=\"http://www.youtube.com/embed/AbDh25_T_Yk\" frameborder=\"0\" width=\"640\" height=\"480\"></iframe>\n\n&nbsp;\n\n&nbsp;\n\nThat\'s right.  I filmed my MindSnack lesson demo with my low-tech Olympus camera.  Sideways.  (Unintentionally.)\n\n&nbsp;\n\nI thought about staging a \"Take Two\" until I realized how this mishap would prove my non-gadgetness and make you laugh at the same time.  I\'m always willing to take a hit to entertain my troops.  :-D\n\n&nbsp;\n\nI mastered Level 1 -- Numbers in no time flat!  Woo hoo!\n\n&nbsp;\n\n&nbsp;\n\n<a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/?attachment_id=9198\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-9198\"><img class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-9198\" title=\"OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA\" src=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/P1170013-300x225.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" /></a>\n\n&nbsp;\n\n&nbsp;\n\nWait a minute.  Are you kidding me?  I knew there was no such thing as a free lunch.  Now you\'re telling me that there\'s no such thing as a free MindSnack???\n\n&nbsp;\n\n<strong><span style=\"font-size: medium; color: #800000;\">Hmph.</span></strong>\n\n&nbsp;\n\n<strong><span style=\"font-size: medium; color: #800000;\">Maird.</span></strong>\n\n&nbsp;\n\nI suppose imaginative people deserve to be paid for their creations.  I dished out the more than reasonable $4.99 for more educational fun and games.   I am now reacquainted with my colors in French.  I\'m hoping that the next level includes key phrases such as \"Where is the bathroom?\" and \"May I have a chocolate croissant, si vous plait?\"\n\n&nbsp;\n\nThank goodness I have a built-in translator aka Romeo Mio when I descend on the French Alps in 4 days.\n\n&nbsp;','Playdate #3:  Gadget Girl Tackles French Lessons on the iPad','','inherit','open','open','','9189-revision-62','','','2012-01-24 09:44:11','2012-01-24 16:44:11','',9189,'http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/2012/01/24/9189-revision-62/',0,'revision','',0),(9257,1,'2012-01-24 09:43:08','2012-01-24 16:43:08','<a href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/carbonnyc/6053333742/\" target=\"_blank\"><img class=\"alignleft size-medium wp-image-9220\" title=\"6053333742_cfea2607cc\" src=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/6053333742_cfea2607cc-300x199.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"199\" /></a>I am not a gadget person.  Romeo Mio is a gadget person.  Therefore, I am now learning how to play nicely with gadgets.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-size: medium; color: #800000;\"><strong>Gadget du Jour:  The iPad 2.</strong></span>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nWould I ever buy an iPad 2?  Heck, no.  <a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/2011/01/21/day-113-i-joined-a-cult-please-dont-tell-my-mother/\" target=\"_blank\"><strong>I may be drinking the Magic Kool-Aid,</strong></a> but there\'s still a trace amount left at the bottom of my dixie cup.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nI have a MacBook Pro which is beyond A-W-E-S-O-M-E.  It does everything that I want it to do and oh so much more.  Why <em>on earth</em> would I complicate my life with yet another gadget that isn\'t as functional as my most cherished treasure (next to Romeo Mio, my family, my friends, and Little Miss B, of course)?\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nI won the iPad 2 at work for a sales contest.  Woo hoo!\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nIt sat in the box unopened for about 3 weeks until Romeo Mio arrived for his <a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/2011/11/15/guess-whos-coming-to-dinner/\" target=\"_blank\"><strong>Thanksgiving visit</strong></a>.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n<span style=\"color: #800000;\"><strong><span style=\"font-size: medium;\">Romeo Mio and I had our one and only spat over that bloody iPad 2.  </span></strong></span>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nIt started with me whining about emails.  Something to the effect of . . . . I am under a steady email stream at work, at home, on my Crackberry (See? I told you there was some Kool-Aid leftover!), and now I am expected to manage emails on my iPad 2?!?!  ARGH!!!!\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nMy temper tantrum annoyed Romeo Mio to no end.  Romeo Mio, who consumed every last drop of his Kool-Aid years ago, reprimanded for me behaving like a selfish wench.  If I wasn\'t grateful for my FREE iPad 2, then he would gladly take it off my hands.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-size: medium; color: #800000;\"><strong>Hmph.</strong></span>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nI realized that it was a tad silly for me to get ornery over a gadget that so much of the world coveted.  There must be something to all this fuss.  Why not play with it and see for myself what all this fuss was about?  After all, I could disable the email deluge from my iPad.  I sweetly asked Romeo Mio to help me with that task.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-size: medium; color: #800000;\"><strong>I then journeyed into App World.  Ooooo.  Ahhhhh.</strong></span>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nYou could easily become lost in App World because there\'s an app for everything.  At the grocery store and need a dinner recipe accompanied by the shopping list of ingredients?  There\'s an app for that.  Want to turn your photos into pop art so you can look cool on facebook?  There\'s an app or two or more for that.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-size: medium; color: #800000;\"><strong>I just heard this one on the radio this morning and couldn\'t believe it:  Need to know why he hasn\'t called you back?  There\'s an app for that.</strong></span>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nMamma mia!\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nAs a former teacher, I\'m always a fan of play that is educational in nature.  Last week, I gravitated towards the \"I\'m leaving for France in 10 days and I barely remember any of the French that I studied for a year in college\" app.  Other people, including the app\'s creators, call this app \"MindSnacks French\".\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nOo la la!  J\'adore snacks!  I couldn\'t wait to feed my brain with all things French!  For FREE!\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n<a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/?attachment_id=9195\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-9195\"><img class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-9195\" title=\"OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA\" src=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/P1170007-225x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"225\" height=\"300\" /></a><a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/?attachment_id=9196\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-9196\"><img class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-9196\" title=\"OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA\" src=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/P1170009-225x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"225\" height=\"300\" /></a>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nWhat describes my current French?  We\'ve already been over that.  \"I\'m leaving for France in 10 days and I barely remember any of the French that I studied for a year in college\" wasn\'t an option.  I chose the closest thing:  \"Jumbled up words without any structure\".\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n<a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/?attachment_id=9197\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-9197\"><img class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-9197\" title=\"OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA\" src=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/P1170010-225x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"225\" height=\"300\" /></a>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nNeat?  Did you seriously just say that?  Well, gosh oh golly, aren\'t you swell!  Wait a minute.  Am I talking to a computer?\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nAnd hold on a sec.  Shouldn\'t I review my numbers first?  Kindly take me back to Level 1, per favore.  (I could only remember \"please\" in Italian at the time.  At the time of this writing, I\'ve just remembered that \"please\" in French is \"si vous plait\".  I\'m quite pleased with myself.)\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n<iframe src=\"http://www.youtube.com/embed/AbDh25_T_Yk\" frameborder=\"0\" width=\"640\" height=\"480\"></iframe>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nThat\'s right.  I filmed my MindSnack lesson demo with my low-tech Olympus camera.  Sideways.  (Unintentionally.)\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nI thought about staging a \"Take Two\" until I realized how this mishap would prove my non-gadgetness and make you laugh at the same time.  I\'m always willing to take a hit to entertain my troops.  :-D\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nI mastered Level 1 -- Numbers in no time flat!  Woo hoo!\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n<a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/?attachment_id=9198\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-9198\"><img class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-9198\" title=\"OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA\" src=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/P1170013-300x225.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" /></a>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nWait a minute.  Are you kidding me?  I knew there was no such thing as a free lunch.  Now you\'re telling me that there\'s no such thing as a free MindSnack???\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n<strong><span style=\"font-size: medium; color: #800000;\">Hmph.</span></strong>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n<strong><span style=\"font-size: medium; color: #800000;\">Maird.</span></strong>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nI suppose imaginative people deserve to be paid for their creations.  I dished out the more than reasonable $4.99 for more educational fun and games.   I am now reacquainted with my colors in French.  I\'m hoping that the next level includes key phrases such as \"Where is the bathroom?\" and \"May I have a chocolate croissant, si vous plait?\"\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nThank goodness I have a built-in translator aka Romeo Mio when I descend on the French Alps in 4 days.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;','Playdate #3:  Gadget Girl Tackles French Lessons on the iPad','','inherit','open','open','','9189-revision-61','','','2012-01-24 09:43:08','2012-01-24 16:43:08','',9189,'http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/2012/01/24/9189-revision-61/',0,'revision','',0),(9259,1,'2012-01-24 09:45:59','2012-01-24 16:45:59','<a href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/carbonnyc/6053333742/\" target=\"_blank\"><img class=\"alignleft size-medium wp-image-9220\" title=\"6053333742_cfea2607cc\" src=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/6053333742_cfea2607cc-300x199.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"199\" /></a>I am not a gadget person.  Romeo Mio is a gadget person.  Therefore, I am now learning how to play nicely with gadgets.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-size: medium; color: #800000;\"><strong>Gadget du Jour:  The iPad 2.</strong></span>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nWould I ever buy an iPad 2?  Heck, no.  <a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/2011/01/21/day-113-i-joined-a-cult-please-dont-tell-my-mother/\" target=\"_blank\"><strong>I may be drinking the Magic Kool-Aid,</strong></a> but there\'s still a trace amount left at the bottom of my dixie cup.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nI have a MacBook Pro which is beyond A-W-E-S-O-M-E.  It does everything that I want it to do and oh so much more.  Why <em>on earth</em> would I complicate my life with yet another gadget that isn\'t as functional as my most cherished treasure?  (Next to Romeo Mio, my family, my friends, and Little Miss B, of course.)\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nI won the iPad 2 at work for a sales contest.  Woo hoo!\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nIt sat in the box unopened for about 3 weeks until Romeo Mio arrived for his <a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/2011/11/15/guess-whos-coming-to-dinner/\" target=\"_blank\"><strong>Thanksgiving visit</strong></a>.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n<span style=\"color: #800000;\"><strong><span style=\"font-size: medium;\">Romeo Mio and I had our one and only spat over that bloody iPad 2.  </span></strong></span>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nIt started with me whining about emails.  Something to the effect of . . . . I am under a steady email stream at work, at home, on my Crackberry (See? I told you there was some Kool-Aid leftover!), and now I am expected to manage emails on my iPad 2?!?!  ARGH!!!!\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nMy temper tantrum annoyed Romeo Mio to no end.  Romeo Mio, who consumed every last drop of his Kool-Aid years ago, reprimanded for me behaving like a selfish wench.  If I wasn\'t grateful for my FREE iPad 2, then he would gladly take it off my hands.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-size: medium; color: #800000;\"><strong>Hmph.</strong></span>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nI realized that it was a tad silly for me to get ornery over a gadget that so much of the world coveted.  There must be something to all this fuss.  Why not play with it and see for myself what all this fuss was about?  After all, I could disable the email deluge from my iPad.  I sweetly asked Romeo Mio to help me with that task.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-size: medium; color: #800000;\"><strong>I then journeyed into App World.  Ooooo.  Ahhhhh.</strong></span>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nYou could easily become lost in App World because there\'s an app for everything.  At the grocery store and need a dinner recipe accompanied by the shopping list of ingredients?  There\'s an app for that.  Want to turn your photos into pop art so you can look cool on facebook?  There\'s an app or two or more for that.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-size: medium; color: #800000;\"><strong>I just heard this one on the radio this morning and couldn\'t believe it:  Need to know why he hasn\'t called you back?  There\'s an app for that.</strong></span>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nMamma mia!\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nAs a former teacher, I\'m always a fan of play that is educational in nature.  Last week, I gravitated towards the \"I\'m leaving for France in 10 days and I barely remember any of the French that I studied for a year in college\" app.  Other people, including the app\'s creators, call this app \"MindSnacks French\".\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nOo la la!  J\'adore snacks!  I couldn\'t wait to feed my brain with all things French!  For FREE!\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n<a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/?attachment_id=9195\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-9195\"><img class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-9195\" title=\"OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA\" src=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/P1170007-225x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"225\" height=\"300\" /></a><a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/?attachment_id=9196\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-9196\"><img class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-9196\" title=\"OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA\" src=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/P1170009-225x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"225\" height=\"300\" /></a>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nWhat describes my current French?  We\'ve already been over that.  \"I\'m leaving for France in 10 days and I barely remember any of the French that I studied for a year in college\" wasn\'t an option.  I chose the closest thing:  \"Jumbled up words without any structure\".\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n<a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/?attachment_id=9197\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-9197\"><img class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-9197\" title=\"OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA\" src=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/P1170010-225x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"225\" height=\"300\" /></a>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nNeat?  Did you seriously just say that?  Well, gosh oh golly, aren\'t you swell!  Wait a minute.  Am I talking to a computer?\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nAnd hold on a sec.  Shouldn\'t I review my numbers first?  Kindly take me back to Level 1, per favore.  (I could only remember \"please\" in Italian at the time.  At the time of this writing, I\'ve just remembered that \"please\" in French is \"si vous plait\".  I\'m quite pleased with myself.)\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n<iframe src=\"http://www.youtube.com/embed/AbDh25_T_Yk\" frameborder=\"0\" width=\"640\" height=\"480\"></iframe>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nThat\'s right.  I filmed my MindSnack lesson demo with my low-tech Olympus camera.  Sideways.  (Unintentionally.)\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nI thought about staging a \"Take Two\" until I realized how this mishap would prove my non-gadgetness and make you laugh at the same time.  I\'m always willing to take a hit to entertain my troops.  :-D\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nI mastered Level 1 -- Numbers in no time flat!  Woo hoo!\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n<a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/?attachment_id=9198\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-9198\"><img class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-9198\" title=\"OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA\" src=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/P1170013-300x225.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" /></a>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nWait a minute.  Are you kidding me?  I knew there was no such thing as a free lunch.  Now you\'re telling me that there\'s no such thing as a free MindSnack???\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n<strong><span style=\"font-size: medium; color: #800000;\">Hmph.</span></strong>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n<strong><span style=\"font-size: medium; color: #800000;\">Maird.</span></strong>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nI suppose imaginative people deserve to be paid for their creations.  I dished out the more than reasonable $4.99 for more educational fun and games.   I am now reacquainted with my colors in French.  I\'m hoping that the next level includes key phrases such as \"Where is the bathroom?\" and \"May I have a chocolate croissant, si vous plait?\"\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nThank goodness I have a built-in translator aka Romeo Mio when I descend on the French Alps in 4 days.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;','Playdate #3:  Gadget Girl Tackles French Lessons on the iPad','','inherit','open','open','','9189-revision-63','','','2012-01-24 09:45:59','2012-01-24 16:45:59','',9189,'http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/2012/01/24/9189-revision-63/',0,'revision','',0),(9260,1,'2012-01-24 09:45:59','2012-01-24 16:45:59','<a href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/carbonnyc/6053333742/\" target=\"_blank\"><img class=\"alignleft size-medium wp-image-9220\" title=\"6053333742_cfea2607cc\" src=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/6053333742_cfea2607cc-300x199.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"199\" /></a>I am not a gadget person.  Romeo Mio is a gadget person.  Therefore, I am now learning how to play nicely with gadgets.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-size: medium; color: #800000;\"><strong>Gadget du Jour:  The iPad 2.</strong></span>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nWould I ever buy an iPad 2?  Heck, no.  <a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/2011/01/21/day-113-i-joined-a-cult-please-dont-tell-my-mother/\" target=\"_blank\"><strong>I may be drinking the Magic Kool-Aid,</strong></a> but there\'s still a trace amount left at the bottom of my dixie cup.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nI have a MacBook Pro which is beyond A-W-E-S-O-M-E.  It does everything that I want it to do and oh so much more.  Why <em>on earth</em> would I complicate my life with yet another gadget that isn\'t as functional as my most cherished treasure?  (Next to Romeo Mio, my family, my friends, and Little Miss B, of course.)\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nI won the iPad 2 at work for a sales contest.  Woo hoo!\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nIt sat in the box unopened for about 3 weeks until Romeo Mio arrived for his <a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/2011/11/15/guess-whos-coming-to-dinner/\" target=\"_blank\"><strong>Thanksgiving visit</strong></a>.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n<span style=\"color: #800000;\"><strong><span style=\"font-size: medium;\">Romeo Mio and I had our one and only spat over that bloody iPad 2.  </span></strong></span>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nIt started with me whining about emails.  Something to the effect of . . . . I am under a steady email stream at work, at home, on my Crackberry (See? I told you there was some Kool-Aid leftover!), and now I am expected to manage emails on my iPad 2?!?!  ARGH!!!!\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nMy temper tantrum annoyed Romeo Mio to no end.  Romeo Mio, who consumed every last drop of his Kool-Aid years ago, reprimanded for me behaving like a selfish wench.  If I wasn\'t grateful for my FREE iPad 2, then he would gladly take it off my hands.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-size: medium; color: #800000;\"><strong>Hmph.</strong></span>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nI realized that it was a tad silly for me to get ornery over a gadget that so much of the world coveted.  There must be something to all this fuss.  Why not play with it and see for myself what all this fuss was about?  After all, I could disable the email deluge from my iPad.  I sweetly asked Romeo Mio to help me with that task.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-size: medium; color: #800000;\"><strong>I then journeyed into App World.  Ooooo.  Ahhhhh.</strong></span>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nYou could easily become lost in App World because there\'s an app for everything.  At the grocery store and need a dinner recipe accompanied by the shopping list of ingredients?  There\'s an app for that.  Want to turn your photos into pop art so you can look cool on facebook?  There\'s an app or two or more for that.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-size: medium; color: #800000;\"><strong>I just heard this one on the radio this morning and couldn\'t believe it:  Need to know why he hasn\'t called you back?  There\'s an app for that.</strong></span>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nMamma mia!\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nAs a former teacher, I\'m always a fan of play that is educational in nature.  Last week, I gravitated towards the \"I\'m leaving for France in 10 days and I barely remember any of the French that I studied for a year in college\" app.  Other people, including the app\'s creators, call this app \"MindSnacks French\".\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nOo la la!  J\'adore snacks!  I couldn\'t wait to feed my brain with all things French!  For FREE!\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n<a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/?attachment_id=9195\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-9195\"><img class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-9195\" title=\"OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA\" src=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/P1170007-225x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"225\" height=\"300\" /></a><a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/?attachment_id=9196\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-9196\"><img class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-9196\" title=\"OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA\" src=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/P1170009-225x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"225\" height=\"300\" /></a>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nWhat describes my current French?  We\'ve already been over that.  \"I\'m leaving for France in 10 days and I barely remember any of the French that I studied for a year in college\" wasn\'t an option.  I chose the closest thing:  \"Jumbled up words without any structure\".\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n<a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/?attachment_id=9197\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-9197\"><img class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-9197\" title=\"OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA\" src=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/P1170010-225x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"225\" height=\"300\" /></a>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nNeat?  Did you seriously just say that?  Well, gosh oh golly, aren\'t you swell!  Wait a minute.  Am I talking to a computer?\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nAnd hold on a sec.  Shouldn\'t I review my numbers first?  Kindly take me back to Level 1, per favore.  (I could only remember \"please\" in Italian at the time.  At the time of this writing, I\'ve just remembered that \"please\" in French is \"si vous plait\".  I\'m quite pleased with myself.)\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n<iframe src=\"http://www.youtube.com/embed/AbDh25_T_Yk\" frameborder=\"0\" width=\"640\" height=\"480\"></iframe>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nThat\'s right.  I filmed my MindSnack lesson demo with my low-tech Olympus camera.  Sideways.  (Unintentionally.)\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nI thought about staging a \"Take Two\" until I realized how this mishap would prove my non-gadgetness and make you laugh at the same time.  I\'m always willing to take a hit to entertain my troops.  :-D\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nI mastered Level 1 -- Numbers in no time flat!  Woo hoo!\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n<a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/?attachment_id=9198\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-9198\"><img class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-9198\" title=\"OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA\" src=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/P1170013-300x225.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" /></a>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nWait a minute.  Are you kidding me?  I knew there was no such thing as a free lunch.  Now you\'re telling me that there\'s no such thing as a free MindSnack???\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n<strong><span style=\"font-size: medium; color: #800000;\">Hmph.</span></strong>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n<strong><span style=\"font-size: medium; color: #800000;\">Maird.</span></strong>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nI suppose imaginative people deserve to be paid for their creations.  I dished out the more than reasonable $4.99 for more educational fun and games.   I am now reacquainted with my colors in French.  I\'m hoping that the next level includes key phrases such as \"Where is the bathroom?\" and \"May I have a chocolate croissant, si vous plait?\"\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nThank goodness I have a built-in translator aka Romeo Mio when I descend on the French Alps in 4 days.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;','Playdate #3:  Gadget Girl Tackles French Lessons on the iPad','','inherit','open','open','','9189-revision-64','','','2012-01-24 09:45:59','2012-01-24 16:45:59','',9189,'http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/2012/01/24/9189-revision-64/',0,'revision','',0),(9261,1,'2012-01-24 09:46:05','2012-01-24 16:46:05','<a href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/carbonnyc/6053333742/\" target=\"_blank\"><img class=\"alignleft size-medium wp-image-9220\" title=\"6053333742_cfea2607cc\" src=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/6053333742_cfea2607cc-300x199.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"199\" /></a>I am not a gadget person.  Romeo Mio is a gadget person.  Therefore, I am now learning how to play nicely with gadgets.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-size: medium; color: #800000;\"><strong>Gadget du Jour:  The iPad 2.</strong></span>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nWould I ever buy an iPad 2?  Heck, no.  <a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/2011/01/21/day-113-i-joined-a-cult-please-dont-tell-my-mother/\" target=\"_blank\"><strong>I may be drinking the Magic Kool-Aid,</strong></a> but there\'s still a trace amount left at the bottom of my dixie cup.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nI have a MacBook Pro which is beyond A-W-E-S-O-M-E.  It does everything that I want it to do and oh so much more.  Why <em>on earth</em> would I complicate my life with yet another gadget that isn\'t as functional as my most cherished treasure?  (Next to Romeo Mio, my family, my friends, and Little Miss B, of course.)\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nI won the iPad 2 at work for a sales contest.  Woo hoo!\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nIt sat in the box unopened for about 3 weeks until Romeo Mio arrived for his <a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/2011/11/15/guess-whos-coming-to-dinner/\" target=\"_blank\"><strong>Thanksgiving visit</strong></a>.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n<span style=\"color: #800000;\"><strong><span style=\"font-size: medium;\">Romeo Mio and I had our one and only spat over that bloody iPad 2.  </span></strong></span>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nIt started with me whining about emails.  Something to the effect of . . . . I am under a steady email stream at work, at home, on my Crackberry (See? I told you there was some Kool-Aid leftover!), and now I am expected to manage emails on my iPad 2?!?!  ARGH!!!!\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nMy temper tantrum annoyed Romeo Mio to no end.  Romeo Mio, who consumed every last drop of his Kool-Aid years ago, reprimanded for me behaving like a selfish wench.  If I wasn\'t grateful for my FREE iPad 2, then he would gladly take it off my hands.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-size: medium; color: #800000;\"><strong>Hmph.</strong></span>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nI realized that it was a tad silly for me to get ornery over a gadget that so much of the world coveted.  There must be something to all this fuss.  Why not play with it and see for myself what all this fuss was about?  After all, I could disable the email deluge from my iPad.  I sweetly asked Romeo Mio to help me with that task.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-size: medium; color: #800000;\"><strong>I then journeyed into App World.  Ooooo.  Ahhhhh.</strong></span>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nYou could easily become lost in App World because there\'s an app for everything.  At the grocery store and need a dinner recipe accompanied by the shopping list of ingredients?  There\'s an app for that.  Want to turn your photos into pop art so you can look cool on facebook?  There\'s an app or two or more for that.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-size: medium; color: #800000;\"><strong>I just heard this one on the radio this morning and couldn\'t believe it:  Need to know why he hasn\'t called you back?  There\'s an app for that.</strong></span>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nMamma mia!\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nAs a former teacher, I\'m always a fan of play that is educational in nature.  Last week, I gravitated towards the \"I\'m leaving for France in 10 days and I barely remember any of the French that I studied for a year in college\" app.  Other people, including the app\'s creators, call this app \"MindSnacks French\".\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nOo la la!  J\'adore snacks!  I couldn\'t wait to feed my brain with all things French!  For FREE!\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n<a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/?attachment_id=9195\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-9195\"><img class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-9195\" title=\"OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA\" src=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/P1170007-225x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"225\" height=\"300\" /></a><a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/?attachment_id=9196\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-9196\"><img class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-9196\" title=\"OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA\" src=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/P1170009-225x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"225\" height=\"300\" /></a>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nWhat describes my current French?  We\'ve already been over that.  \"I\'m leaving for France in 10 days and I barely remember any of the French that I studied for a year in college\" wasn\'t an option.  I chose the closest thing:  \"Jumbled up words without any structure\".\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n<a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/?attachment_id=9197\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-9197\"><img class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-9197\" title=\"OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA\" src=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/P1170010-225x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"225\" height=\"300\" /></a>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nNeat?  Did you seriously just say that?  Well, gosh oh golly, aren\'t you swell!  Wait a minute.  Am I talking to a computer?\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nAnd hold on a sec.  Shouldn\'t I review my numbers first?  Kindly take me back to Level 1, per favore.  (I could only remember \"please\" in Italian at the time.  At the time of this writing, I\'ve just remembered that \"please\" in French is \"si vous plait\".  I\'m quite pleased with myself.)\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n<iframe src=\"http://www.youtube.com/embed/AbDh25_T_Yk\" frameborder=\"0\" width=\"640\" height=\"480\"></iframe>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nThat\'s right.  I filmed my MindSnack lesson demo with my low-tech Olympus camera.  Sideways.  (Unintentionally.)\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nI thought about staging a \"Take Two\" until I realized how this mishap would prove my non-gadgetness and make you laugh at the same time.  I\'m always willing to take a hit to entertain my troops.  :-D\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nI mastered Level 1 -- Numbers in no time flat!  Woo hoo!\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n<a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/?attachment_id=9198\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-9198\"><img class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-9198\" title=\"OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA\" src=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/P1170013-300x225.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" /></a>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nWait a minute.  Are you kidding me?  I knew there was no such thing as a free lunch.  Now you\'re telling me that there\'s no such thing as a free MindSnack???\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n<strong><span style=\"font-size: medium; color: #800000;\">Hmph.</span></strong>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n<strong><span style=\"font-size: medium; color: #800000;\">Maird.</span></strong>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nI suppose imaginative people deserve to be paid for their creations.  I dished out the more than reasonable $4.99 for more educational fun and games.   I am now reacquainted with my colors in French.  I\'m hoping that the next level includes key phrases such as \"Where is the bathroom?\" and \"May I have a chocolate croissant, si vous plait?\"\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nThank goodness I have a built-in translator aka Romeo Mio when I descend on the French Alps in 4 days.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;','Playdate #3:  Gadget Girl Tackles French Lessons on the iPad','','inherit','open','open','','9189-revision-65','','','2012-01-24 09:46:05','2012-01-24 16:46:05','',9189,'http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/2012/01/24/9189-revision-65/',0,'revision','',0),(9262,1,'2012-01-24 09:46:05','2012-01-24 16:46:05','<a href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/carbonnyc/6053333742/\" target=\"_blank\"><img class=\"alignleft size-medium wp-image-9220\" title=\"6053333742_cfea2607cc\" src=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/6053333742_cfea2607cc-300x199.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"199\" /></a>I am not a gadget person.  Romeo Mio is a gadget person.  Therefore, I am now learning how to play nicely with gadgets.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-size: medium; color: #800000;\"><strong>Gadget du Jour:  The iPad 2.</strong></span>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nWould I ever buy an iPad 2?  Heck, no.  <a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/2011/01/21/day-113-i-joined-a-cult-please-dont-tell-my-mother/\" target=\"_blank\"><strong>I may be drinking the Magic Kool-Aid,</strong></a> but there\'s still a trace amount left at the bottom of my dixie cup.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nI have a MacBook Pro which is beyond A-W-E-S-O-M-E.  It does everything that I want it to do and oh so much more.  Why <em>on earth</em> would I complicate my life with yet another gadget that isn\'t as functional as my most cherished treasure?  (Next to Romeo Mio, my family, my friends, and Little Miss B, of course.)\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nI won the iPad 2 at work for a sales contest.  Woo hoo!\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nIt sat in the box unopened for about 3 weeks until Romeo Mio arrived for his <a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/2011/11/15/guess-whos-coming-to-dinner/\" target=\"_blank\"><strong>Thanksgiving visit</strong></a>.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n<span style=\"color: #800000;\"><strong><span style=\"font-size: medium;\">Romeo Mio and I had our one and only spat over that bloody iPad 2.  </span></strong></span>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nIt started with me whining about emails.  Something to the effect of . . . . I am under a steady email stream at work, at home, on my Crackberry (See? I told you there was some Kool-Aid leftover!), and now I am expected to manage emails on my iPad 2?!?!  ARGH!!!!\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nMy temper tantrum annoyed Romeo Mio to no end.  Romeo Mio, who consumed every last drop of his Kool-Aid years ago, reprimanded for me behaving like a selfish wench.  If I wasn\'t grateful for my FREE iPad 2, then he would gladly take it off my hands.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-size: medium; color: #800000;\"><strong>Hmph.</strong></span>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nI realized that it was a tad silly for me to get ornery over a gadget that so much of the world coveted.  There must be something to all this fuss.  Why not play with it and see for myself what all this fuss was about?  After all, I could disable the email deluge from my iPad.  I sweetly asked Romeo Mio to help me with that task.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-size: medium; color: #800000;\"><strong>I then journeyed into App World.  Ooooo.  Ahhhhh.</strong></span>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nYou could easily become lost in App World because there\'s an app for everything.  At the grocery store and need a dinner recipe accompanied by the shopping list of ingredients?  There\'s an app for that.  Want to turn your photos into pop art so you can look cool on facebook?  There\'s an app or two or more for that.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-size: medium; color: #800000;\"><strong>I just heard this one on the radio this morning and couldn\'t believe it:  Need to know why he hasn\'t called you back?  There\'s an app for that.</strong></span>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nMamma mia!\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nAs a former teacher, I\'m always a fan of play that is educational in nature.  Last week, I gravitated towards the \"I\'m leaving for France in 10 days and I barely remember any of the French that I studied for a year in college\" app.  Other people, including the app\'s creators, call this app \"MindSnacks French\".\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nOo la la!  J\'adore snacks!  I couldn\'t wait to feed my brain with all things French!  For FREE!\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n<a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/2012/01/23/playdate-3-gadget-girl-tackles-french-lessons/olympus-digital-camera-688/\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-9195\"><img class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-9195\" title=\"OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA\" src=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/P1170007-225x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"225\" height=\"300\" /></a><a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/2012/01/23/playdate-3-gadget-girl-tackles-french-lessons/olympus-digital-camera-689/\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-9196\"><img class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-9196\" title=\"OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA\" src=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/P1170009-225x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"225\" height=\"300\" /></a>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nWhat describes my current French?  We\'ve already been over that.  \"I\'m leaving for France in 10 days and I barely remember any of the French that I studied for a year in college\" wasn\'t an option.  I chose the closest thing:  \"Jumbled up words without any structure\".\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n<a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/2012/01/23/playdate-3-gadget-girl-tackles-french-lessons/olympus-digital-camera-690/\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-9197\"><img class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-9197\" title=\"OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA\" src=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/P1170010-225x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"225\" height=\"300\" /></a>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nNeat?  Did you seriously just say that?  Well, gosh oh golly, aren\'t you swell!  Wait a minute.  Am I talking to a computer?\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nAnd hold on a sec.  Shouldn\'t I review my numbers first?  Kindly take me back to Level 1, per favore.  (I could only remember \"please\" in Italian at the time.  At the time of this writing, I\'ve just remembered that \"please\" in French is \"si vous plait\".  I\'m quite pleased with myself.)\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n<iframe src=\"http://www.youtube.com/embed/AbDh25_T_Yk\" frameborder=\"0\" width=\"640\" height=\"480\"></iframe>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nThat\'s right.  I filmed my MindSnack lesson demo with my low-tech Olympus camera.  Sideways.  (Unintentionally.)\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nI thought about staging a \"Take Two\" until I realized how this mishap would prove my non-gadgetness and make you laugh at the same time.  I\'m always willing to take a hit to entertain my troops.  :-D\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nI mastered Level 1 -- Numbers in no time flat!  Woo hoo!\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n<a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/2012/01/23/playdate-3-gadget-girl-tackles-french-lessons/olympus-digital-camera-691/\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-9198\"><img class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-9198\" title=\"OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA\" src=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/P1170013-300x225.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" /></a>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nWait a minute.  Are you kidding me?  I knew there was no such thing as a free lunch.  Now you\'re telling me that there\'s no such thing as a free MindSnack???\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n<strong><span style=\"font-size: medium; color: #800000;\">Hmph.</span></strong>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n<strong><span style=\"font-size: medium; color: #800000;\">Maird.</span></strong>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nI suppose imaginative people deserve to be paid for their creations.  I dished out the more than reasonable $4.99 for more educational fun and games.   I am now reacquainted with my colors in French.  I\'m hoping that the next level includes key phrases such as \"Where is the bathroom?\" and \"May I have a chocolate croissant, si vous plait?\"\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nThank goodness I have a built-in translator aka Romeo Mio when I descend on the French Alps in 4 days.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;','Playdate #3:  Gadget Girl Tackles French Lessons on the iPad','','inherit','open','open','','9189-revision-66','','','2012-01-24 09:46:05','2012-01-24 16:46:05','',9189,'http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/2012/01/24/9189-revision-66/',0,'revision','',0),(9263,1,'2012-01-24 09:49:32','2012-01-24 16:49:32','<a href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/carbonnyc/6053333742/\" target=\"_blank\"><img class=\"alignleft size-medium wp-image-9220\" title=\"6053333742_cfea2607cc\" src=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/6053333742_cfea2607cc-300x199.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"199\" /></a>I am not a gadget person.  Romeo Mio is a gadget person.  Therefore, I am now learning how to play nicely with gadgets.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-size: medium; color: #800000;\"><strong>Gadget du Jour:  The iPad 2.</strong></span>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nWould I ever buy an iPad 2?  Heck, no.  <a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/2011/01/21/day-113-i-joined-a-cult-please-dont-tell-my-mother/\" target=\"_blank\"><strong>I may be drinking the Magic Kool-Aid,</strong></a> but there\'s still a trace amount left at the bottom of my dixie cup.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nI have a MacBook Pro which is beyond A-W-E-S-O-M-E.  It does everything that I want it to do and oh so much more.  Why <em>on earth</em> would I complicate my life with yet another gadget that isn\'t as functional as my most cherished treasure?  (Next to Romeo Mio, my family, my friends, and Little Miss B, of course.)\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nI won the iPad 2 at work for a sales contest.  Woo hoo!\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nIt sat in the box unopened for about 3 weeks until Romeo Mio arrived for his <a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/2011/11/15/guess-whos-coming-to-dinner/\" target=\"_blank\"><strong>Thanksgiving visit</strong></a>.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n<span style=\"color: #800000;\"><strong><span style=\"font-size: medium;\">Romeo Mio and I had our one and only spat over that bloody iPad 2.  </span></strong></span>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nIt started with me whining about emails.  Something to the effect of . . . . I am under a steady email stream at work, at home, on my Crackberry (See? I told you there was some Kool-Aid leftover!), <em>and now I am expected to manage emails on my iPad 2 as well</em>?!?!  ARGH!!!!\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nMy temper tantrum annoyed Romeo Mio to no end.  Romeo Mio, who consumed every last drop of his Kool-Aid years ago, reprimanded for me behaving like a selfish wench.  If I wasn\'t grateful for my FREE iPad 2, then he would gladly take it off my hands.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-size: medium; color: #800000;\"><strong>Hmph.</strong></span>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nI realized that it was a tad silly for me to get ornery over a gadget that so much of the world coveted.  There must be something to all this fuss.  Why not play with it and see for myself what all this fuss was about?  After all, I could disable the email deluge from my iPad.  I sweetly asked Romeo Mio to help me with that task.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-size: medium; color: #800000;\"><strong>I then journeyed into App World.  Ooooo.  Ahhhhh.</strong></span>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nYou could easily become lost in App World because there\'s an app for everything.  At the grocery store and need a dinner recipe accompanied by the shopping list of ingredients?  There\'s an app for that.  Want to turn your photos into pop art so you can look cool on facebook?  There\'s an app or two or more for that.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-size: medium; color: #800000;\"><strong>I just heard this one on the radio this morning and couldn\'t believe it:  Need to know why he hasn\'t called you back?  There\'s an app for that.</strong></span>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nMamma mia!\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nAs a former teacher, I\'m always a fan of play that is educational in nature.  Last week, I gravitated towards the \"I\'m leaving for France in 10 days and I barely remember any of the French that I studied for a year in college\" app.  Other people, including the app\'s creators, call this app \"MindSnacks French\".\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nOo la la!  J\'adore snacks!  I couldn\'t wait to feed my brain with all things French!  For FREE!\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n<a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/2012/01/23/playdate-3-gadget-girl-tackles-french-lessons/olympus-digital-camera-688/\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-9195\"><img class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-9195\" title=\"OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA\" src=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/P1170007-225x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"225\" height=\"300\" /></a><a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/2012/01/23/playdate-3-gadget-girl-tackles-french-lessons/olympus-digital-camera-689/\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-9196\"><img class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-9196\" title=\"OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA\" src=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/P1170009-225x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"225\" height=\"300\" /></a>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nWhat describes my current French?  We\'ve already been over that.  \"I\'m leaving for France in 10 days and I barely remember any of the French that I studied for a year in college\" wasn\'t an option.  I chose the closest thing:  \"Jumbled up words without any structure\".\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n<a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/2012/01/23/playdate-3-gadget-girl-tackles-french-lessons/olympus-digital-camera-690/\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-9197\"><img class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-9197\" title=\"OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA\" src=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/P1170010-225x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"225\" height=\"300\" /></a>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nNeat?  Did you seriously just say that?  Well, gosh oh golly, aren\'t you swell!  Wait a minute.  Am I talking to a computer?\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nAnd hold on a sec.  Shouldn\'t I review my numbers first?  Kindly take me back to Level 1, per favore.  (I could only remember \"please\" in Italian at the time.  At the time of this writing, I\'ve just remembered that \"please\" in French is \"si vous plait\".  I\'m quite pleased with myself.)\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n<iframe src=\"http://www.youtube.com/embed/AbDh25_T_Yk\" frameborder=\"0\" width=\"640\" height=\"480\"></iframe>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nThat\'s right.  I filmed my MindSnack lesson demo with my low-tech Olympus camera.  Sideways.  (Unintentionally.)\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nI thought about staging a \"Take Two\" until I realized how this mishap would prove my non-gadgetness and make you laugh at the same time.  I\'m always willing to take a hit to entertain my troops.  :-D\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nI mastered Level 1 -- Numbers in no time flat!  Woo hoo!\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n<a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/2012/01/23/playdate-3-gadget-girl-tackles-french-lessons/olympus-digital-camera-691/\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-9198\"><img class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-9198\" title=\"OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA\" src=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/P1170013-300x225.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" /></a>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nWait a minute.  Are you kidding me?  I knew there was no such thing as a free lunch.  Now you\'re telling me that there\'s no such thing as a free MindSnack???\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n<strong><span style=\"font-size: medium; color: #800000;\">Hmph.</span></strong>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n<strong><span style=\"font-size: medium; color: #800000;\">Maird.</span></strong>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nI suppose imaginative people deserve to be paid for their creations.  I dished out the more than reasonable $4.99 for more educational fun and games.   I am now reacquainted with my colors in French.  I\'m hoping that the next level includes key phrases such as \"Where is the bathroom?\" and \"May I have a chocolate croissant, si vous plait?\"\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nThank goodness I have a built-in translator aka Romeo Mio when I descend on the French Alps in 4 days.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;','Playdate #3:  Gadget Girl Tackles French Lessons on the iPad','','inherit','open','open','','9189-revision-67','','','2012-01-24 09:49:32','2012-01-24 16:49:32','',9189,'http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/2012/01/24/9189-revision-67/',0,'revision','',0),(9264,1,'2012-01-24 09:49:32','2012-01-24 16:49:32','<a href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/carbonnyc/6053333742/\" target=\"_blank\"><img class=\"alignleft size-medium wp-image-9220\" title=\"6053333742_cfea2607cc\" src=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/6053333742_cfea2607cc-300x199.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"199\" /></a>I am not a gadget person.  Romeo Mio is a gadget person.  Therefore, I am now learning how to play nicely with gadgets.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-size: medium; color: #800000;\"><strong>Gadget du Jour:  The iPad 2.</strong></span>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nWould I ever buy an iPad 2?  Heck, no.  <a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/2011/01/21/day-113-i-joined-a-cult-please-dont-tell-my-mother/\" target=\"_blank\"><strong>I may be drinking the Magic Kool-Aid,</strong></a> but there\'s still a trace amount left at the bottom of my dixie cup.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nI have a MacBook Pro which is beyond A-W-E-S-O-M-E.  It does everything that I want it to do and oh so much more.  Why <em>on earth</em> would I complicate my life with yet another gadget that isn\'t as functional as my most cherished treasure?  (Next to Romeo Mio, my family, my friends, and Little Miss B, of course.)\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nI won the iPad 2 at work for a sales contest.  Woo hoo!\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nIt sat in the box unopened for about 3 weeks until Romeo Mio arrived for his <a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/2011/11/15/guess-whos-coming-to-dinner/\" target=\"_blank\"><strong>Thanksgiving visit</strong></a>.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n<span style=\"color: #800000;\"><strong><span style=\"font-size: medium;\">Romeo Mio and I had our one and only spat over that bloody iPad 2.  </span></strong></span>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nIt started with me whining about emails.  Something to the effect of . . . . I am under a steady email stream at work, at home, on my Crackberry (See? I told you there was some Kool-Aid leftover!), <em>and now I am expected to manage emails on my iPad 2 as well</em>?!?!  ARGH!!!!\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nMy temper tantrum annoyed Romeo Mio to no end.  Romeo Mio, who consumed every last drop of his Kool-Aid years ago, reprimanded for me behaving like a selfish wench.  If I wasn\'t grateful for my FREE iPad 2, then he would gladly take it off my hands.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-size: medium; color: #800000;\"><strong>Hmph.</strong></span>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nI realized that it was a tad silly for me to get ornery over a gadget that so much of the world coveted.  There must be something to all this fuss.  Why not play with it and see for myself what all this fuss was about?  After all, I could disable the email deluge from my iPad.  I sweetly asked Romeo Mio to help me with that task.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-size: medium; color: #800000;\"><strong>I then journeyed into App World.  Ooooo.  Ahhhhh.</strong></span>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nYou could easily become lost in App World because there\'s an app for everything.  At the grocery store and need a dinner recipe accompanied by the shopping list of ingredients?  There\'s an app for that.  Want to turn your photos into pop art so you can look cool on facebook?  There\'s an app or two or more for that.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-size: medium; color: #800000;\"><strong>I just heard this one on the radio this morning and couldn\'t believe it:  Need to know why he hasn\'t called you back?  There\'s an app for that.</strong></span>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nMamma mia!\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nAs a former teacher, I\'m always a fan of play that is educational in nature.  Last week, I gravitated towards the \"I\'m leaving for France in 10 days and I barely remember any of the French that I studied for a year in college\" app.  Other people, including the app\'s creators, call this app \"MindSnacks French\".\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nOo la la!  J\'adore snacks!  I couldn\'t wait to feed my brain with all things French!  For FREE!\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n<a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/2012/01/23/playdate-3-gadget-girl-tackles-french-lessons/olympus-digital-camera-688/\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-9195\"><img class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-9195\" title=\"OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA\" src=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/P1170007-225x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"225\" height=\"300\" /></a><a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/2012/01/23/playdate-3-gadget-girl-tackles-french-lessons/olympus-digital-camera-689/\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-9196\"><img class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-9196\" title=\"OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA\" src=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/P1170009-225x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"225\" height=\"300\" /></a>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nWhat describes my current French?  We\'ve already been over that.  \"I\'m leaving for France in 10 days and I barely remember any of the French that I studied for a year in college\" wasn\'t an option.  I chose the closest thing:  \"Jumbled up words without any structure\".\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n<a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/2012/01/23/playdate-3-gadget-girl-tackles-french-lessons/olympus-digital-camera-690/\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-9197\"><img class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-9197\" title=\"OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA\" src=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/P1170010-225x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"225\" height=\"300\" /></a>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nNeat?  Did you seriously just say that?  Well, gosh oh golly, aren\'t you swell!  Wait a minute.  Am I talking to a computer?\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nAnd hold on a sec.  Shouldn\'t I review my numbers first?  Kindly take me back to Level 1, per favore.  (I could only remember \"please\" in Italian at the time.  At the time of this writing, I\'ve just remembered that \"please\" in French is \"si vous plait\".  I\'m quite pleased with myself.)\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n<iframe src=\"http://www.youtube.com/embed/AbDh25_T_Yk\" frameborder=\"0\" width=\"640\" height=\"480\"></iframe>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nThat\'s right.  I filmed my MindSnack lesson demo with my low-tech Olympus camera.  Sideways.  (Unintentionally.)\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nI thought about staging a \"Take Two\" until I realized how this mishap would prove my non-gadgetness and make you laugh at the same time.  I\'m always willing to take a hit to entertain my troops.  :-D\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nI mastered Level 1 -- Numbers in no time flat!  Woo hoo!\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n<a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/2012/01/23/playdate-3-gadget-girl-tackles-french-lessons/olympus-digital-camera-691/\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-9198\"><img class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-9198\" title=\"OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA\" src=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/P1170013-300x225.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" /></a>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nWait a minute.  Are you kidding me?  I knew there was no such thing as a free lunch.  Now you\'re telling me that there\'s no such thing as a free MindSnack???\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n<strong><span style=\"font-size: medium; color: #800000;\">Hmph.</span></strong>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n<strong><span style=\"font-size: medium; color: #800000;\">Maird.</span></strong>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nI suppose imaginative people deserve to be paid for their creations.  I dished out the more than reasonable $4.99 for more educational fun and games.   I am now reacquainted with my colors in French.  I\'m hoping that the next level includes key phrases such as \"Where is the bathroom?\" and \"May I have a chocolate croissant, si vous plait?\"\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nThank goodness I have a built-in translator aka Romeo Mio when I descend on the French Alps in 4 days.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;','Playdate #3:  Gadget Girl Tackles French Lessons on the iPad','','inherit','open','open','','9189-revision-68','','','2012-01-24 09:49:32','2012-01-24 16:49:32','',9189,'http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/2012/01/24/9189-revision-68/',0,'revision','',0),(9265,1,'2012-01-24 09:50:09','2012-01-24 16:50:09','<a href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/carbonnyc/6053333742/\" target=\"_blank\"><img class=\"alignleft size-medium wp-image-9220\" title=\"6053333742_cfea2607cc\" src=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/6053333742_cfea2607cc-300x199.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"199\" /></a>I am not a gadget person.  Romeo Mio is a gadget person.  Therefore, I am now learning how to play nicely with gadgets.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-size: medium; color: #800000;\"><strong>Gadget du Jour:  The iPad 2.</strong></span>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nWould I ever buy an iPad 2?  Heck, no.  <a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/2011/01/21/day-113-i-joined-a-cult-please-dont-tell-my-mother/\" target=\"_blank\"><strong>I may be drinking the Magic Kool-Aid,</strong></a> but there\'s still a trace amount left at the bottom of my dixie cup.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nI have a MacBook Pro which is beyond A-W-E-S-O-M-E.  It does everything that I want it to do and oh so much more.  Why <em>on earth</em> would I complicate my life with yet another gadget that isn\'t as functional as my most cherished treasure?  (Next to Romeo Mio, my family, my friends, and Little Miss B, of course.)\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nI won the iPad 2 at work for a sales contest.  Woo hoo!\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nIt sat in the box unopened for about 3 weeks until Romeo Mio arrived for his <a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/2011/11/15/guess-whos-coming-to-dinner/\" target=\"_blank\"><strong>Thanksgiving visit</strong></a>.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n<span style=\"color: #800000;\"><strong><span style=\"font-size: medium;\">Romeo Mio and I had our one and only spat over that bloody iPad 2.  </span></strong></span>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nIt started with me whining about emails.  Something to the effect of . . . . I am under a steady email stream at work, at home, on my Crackberry (See? I told you there was some Kool-Aid leftover!), <em>and now I am expected to manage emails on my iPad 2 as well?!?!  </em>ARGH!!!!\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nMy temper tantrum annoyed Romeo Mio to no end.  Romeo Mio, who consumed every last drop of his Kool-Aid years ago, reprimanded for me behaving like a selfish wench.  If I wasn\'t grateful for my FREE iPad 2, then he would gladly take it off my hands.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-size: medium; color: #800000;\"><strong>Hmph.</strong></span>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nI realized that it was a tad silly for me to get ornery over a gadget that so much of the world coveted.  There must be something to all this fuss.  Why not play with it and see for myself what all this fuss was about?  After all, I could disable the email deluge from my iPad.  I sweetly asked Romeo Mio to help me with that task.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-size: medium; color: #800000;\"><strong>I then journeyed into App World.  Ooooo.  Ahhhhh.</strong></span>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nYou could easily become lost in App World because there\'s an app for everything.  At the grocery store and need a dinner recipe accompanied by the shopping list of ingredients?  There\'s an app for that.  Want to turn your photos into pop art so you can look cool on facebook?  There\'s an app or two or more for that.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-size: medium; color: #800000;\"><strong>I just heard this one on the radio this morning and couldn\'t believe it:  Need to know why he hasn\'t called you back?  There\'s an app for that.</strong></span>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nMamma mia!\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nAs a former teacher, I\'m always a fan of play that is educational in nature.  Last week, I gravitated towards the \"I\'m leaving for France in 10 days and I barely remember any of the French that I studied for a year in college\" app.  Other people, including the app\'s creators, call this app \"MindSnacks French\".\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nOo la la!  J\'adore snacks!  I couldn\'t wait to feed my brain with all things French!  For FREE!\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n<a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/2012/01/23/playdate-3-gadget-girl-tackles-french-lessons/olympus-digital-camera-688/\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-9195\"><img class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-9195\" title=\"OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA\" src=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/P1170007-225x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"225\" height=\"300\" /></a><a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/2012/01/23/playdate-3-gadget-girl-tackles-french-lessons/olympus-digital-camera-689/\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-9196\"><img class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-9196\" title=\"OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA\" src=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/P1170009-225x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"225\" height=\"300\" /></a>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nWhat describes my current French?  We\'ve already been over that.  \"I\'m leaving for France in 10 days and I barely remember any of the French that I studied for a year in college\" wasn\'t an option.  I chose the closest thing:  \"Jumbled up words without any structure\".\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n<a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/2012/01/23/playdate-3-gadget-girl-tackles-french-lessons/olympus-digital-camera-690/\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-9197\"><img class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-9197\" title=\"OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA\" src=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/P1170010-225x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"225\" height=\"300\" /></a>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nNeat?  Did you seriously just say that?  Well, gosh oh golly, aren\'t you swell!  Wait a minute.  Am I talking to a computer?\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nAnd hold on a sec.  Shouldn\'t I review my numbers first?  Kindly take me back to Level 1, per favore.  (I could only remember \"please\" in Italian at the time.  At the time of this writing, I\'ve just remembered that \"please\" in French is \"si vous plait\".  I\'m quite pleased with myself.)\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n<iframe src=\"http://www.youtube.com/embed/AbDh25_T_Yk\" frameborder=\"0\" width=\"640\" height=\"480\"></iframe>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nThat\'s right.  I filmed my MindSnack lesson demo with my low-tech Olympus camera.  Sideways.  (Unintentionally.)\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nI thought about staging a \"Take Two\" until I realized how this mishap would prove my non-gadgetness and make you laugh at the same time.  I\'m always willing to take a hit to entertain my troops.  :-D\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nI mastered Level 1 -- Numbers in no time flat!  Woo hoo!\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n<a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/2012/01/23/playdate-3-gadget-girl-tackles-french-lessons/olympus-digital-camera-691/\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-9198\"><img class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-9198\" title=\"OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA\" src=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/P1170013-300x225.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" /></a>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nWait a minute.  Are you kidding me?  I knew there was no such thing as a free lunch.  Now you\'re telling me that there\'s no such thing as a free MindSnack???\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n<strong><span style=\"font-size: medium; color: #800000;\">Hmph.</span></strong>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n<strong><span style=\"font-size: medium; color: #800000;\">Maird.</span></strong>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nI suppose imaginative people deserve to be paid for their creations.  I dished out the more than reasonable $4.99 for more educational fun and games.   I am now reacquainted with my colors in French.  I\'m hoping that the next level includes key phrases such as \"Where is the bathroom?\" and \"May I have a chocolate croissant, si vous plait?\"\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nThank goodness I have a built-in translator aka Romeo Mio when I descend on the French Alps in 4 days.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;','Playdate #3:  Gadget Girl Tackles French Lessons on the iPad','','inherit','open','open','','9189-revision-69','','','2012-01-24 09:50:09','2012-01-24 16:50:09','',9189,'http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/2012/01/24/9189-revision-69/',0,'revision','',0),(9266,1,'2012-01-27 01:11:05','2012-01-27 08:11:05','[caption id=\"attachment_9273\" align=\"alignleft\" width=\"300\" caption=\"Each morning I wake up to photos and videos from Romeo Mio. Here is a recent one.\"]<a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/2012/01/27/photo-du-jour-begins-on-sunday/photo-6/\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-9273\"><img class=\"size-medium wp-image-9273\" title=\"photo\" src=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/photo4-300x223.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"223\" /></a>[/caption]\r\n\r\nAu revoir, mes amis!  I\'m off to the French Alps!\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nEveryone keeps telling me that my life is currently like a movie.  When I say \"everyone\", I am referring to friends, family, colleagues, and saleswomen at the mall.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nWhilst in the middle of a lunchtime errand at the mall yesterday, I ran into two lovely ladies who curiously inquired about my upcoming trip.  When they heard a brief snippet of the rest of the story...\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n<em>You see, I was traveling in Tuscany this summer and fell off my bike and for my Italian cycling guide who is now my boyfriend who visited me for 10 days at Thanksgiving and now I\'m off to visit him at his picturesque village in the French Alps where he is a ski instructor in the winter....</em>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nThis is the point in the snippet where women melt and profess their unwavering belief in romance, adventure, and True Love.  I hear \"I want to live vicariously through you!\" a lot these days. *\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nIn the past 48 hours, I have been hearing a lot of \"I want to see photos of the Alps!!!  Now!!!\"\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nWell, I\'m not there yet, sillies.  But once I am there, I will be more than happy to post a Photo du Jour.  That means \"Photo of the Day\" for all you who speak absolutely no French.  <strong><a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/2012/01/23/playdate-3-gadget-girl-tackles-french-lessons/\" target=\"_blank\">(Please don\'t feel badly about yourself because I am not far ahead of you.) </a></strong>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nCheck back starting Sunday to see the Alpine Photo du Jour.  Romeo Mio has many storybook surprises in store for me, and I look forward to sharing them with you!\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n*******************\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nOh!  I almost forgot!  <strong><a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/2012/01/19/these-boots-are-made-for-walkin-in-the-french-alps/\" target=\"_blank\">For those of you who fretted about my new Ugglies getting ruined by snow,</a></strong> look what I found on sale at Nordstrom the other day!  We can all breathe a collective sigh of relief now.  I am officially prepared for ALL elements with only two pair of shoes to pack.  :-D\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n<a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/2012/01/27/photo-du-jour-begins-on-sunday/olympus-digital-camera-692/\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-9284\"><img class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-9284\" title=\"OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA\" src=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/P1260001-300x225.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" /></a>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n*******************\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n*  If you are new to this blog, I need to point out that no one wanted to live vicariously through me about a year and a half ago.  I vowed to haul myself out of the Mother of All Ruts through <strong><a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/365-or-bust/\" target=\"_blank\">my 365 Day project -- The Year of Living Curiously.</a>  </strong>What a difference a year makes!\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nIf you are in a place of Yuck, I hope my story provides a glimmer of promise for you.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;','Photo du Jour Begins on Sunday!','','publish','open','open','','photo-du-jour-begins-on-sunday','','http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/2012/01/23/playdate-3-gadget-girl-tackles-french-lessons/\nhttp://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/365-or-bust/','2012-01-26 21:35:05','2012-01-27 04:35:05','',0,'http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/?p=9266',0,'post','',12),(9267,1,'2012-01-26 19:06:57','2012-01-27 02:06:57','Au revoir, mes amis!\n\n&nbsp;\n\nFriends, family, colleagues, strangers at the mall','Au revoir!  I\'m Off to the Alps!','','inherit','open','open','','9266-revision','','','2012-01-26 19:06:57','2012-01-27 02:06:57','',9266,'http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/2012/01/26/9266-revision/',0,'revision','',0),(9268,1,'2012-01-26 19:07:53','2012-01-27 02:07:53','Au revoir, mes amis!  I\'m off to the French Alps!\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nEveryone has been Friends, family, colleagues, strangers at the mall','Photo du Jour ','','inherit','open','open','','9266-revision-2','','','2012-01-26 19:07:53','2012-01-27 02:07:53','',9266,'http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/2012/01/26/9266-revision-2/',0,'revision','',0),(9269,1,'2012-01-26 19:10:59','2012-01-27 02:10:59','Au revoir, mes amis!  I\'m off to the French Alps!\n\n&nbsp;\n\nEveryone keeps telling me that my life is currently like a movie.  When I say \"everyone\", I am referring to friends, family, colleagues, and strangers at the mall','Photo du Jour Begins on Sunday!  (Internet permitting.)','','inherit','open','open','','9266-revision-3','','','2012-01-26 19:10:59','2012-01-27 02:10:59','',9266,'http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/2012/01/26/9266-revision-3/',0,'revision','',0),(9270,1,'2012-01-26 19:24:32','2012-01-27 02:24:32','Au revoir, mes amis!  I\'m off to the French Alps!\n\n&nbsp;\n\nEveryone keeps telling me that my life is currently like a movie.  When I say \"everyone\", I am referring to friends, family, colleagues, and saleswomen at the mall.\n\n&nbsp;\n\nWhilst in the middle of a lunchtime errand at the mall today, I ran into two lovely ladies who curiously inquired about my upcoming trip.  When they heard a brief snippet or the rest of the story...\n\n&nbsp;\n\n<em>Well, you see, I was traveling in Tuscany this summer and fell off my bike and for my Italian cycling guide who is now my boyfriend who visited me for 10 days at Thanksgiving and now I\'m off to visit him at his picturesque village in the French Alps where he is a ski instructor in the winter....</em>\n\n&nbsp;\n\nThis is the point in the snippet where women melt and profess their unwavering belief in romance, adventure, and True Love.  I hear \"I want to live vicariously through you!\" a lot these days.\n\n&nbsp;\n\n&nbsp;','Photo du Jour Begins on Sunday!  (Internet permitting.)','','inherit','open','open','','9266-revision-4','','','2012-01-26 19:24:32','2012-01-27 02:24:32','',9266,'http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/2012/01/26/9266-revision-4/',0,'revision','',0),(9271,1,'2012-01-26 19:40:33','2012-01-27 02:40:33','Au revoir, mes amis!  I\'m off to the French Alps!\n\n&nbsp;\n\nEveryone keeps telling me that my life is currently like a movie.  When I say \"everyone\", I am referring to friends, family, colleagues, and saleswomen at the mall.\n\n&nbsp;\n\nWhilst in the middle of a lunchtime errand at the mall today, I ran into two lovely ladies who curiously inquired about my upcoming trip.  When they heard a brief snippet or the rest of the story...\n\n&nbsp;\n\n<em>You see, I was traveling in Tuscany this summer and fell off my bike and for my Italian cycling guide who is now my boyfriend who visited me for 10 days at Thanksgiving and now I\'m off to visit him at his picturesque village in the French Alps where he is a ski instructor in the winter....</em>\n\n&nbsp;\n\nThis is the point in the snippet where women melt and profess their unwavering belief in romance, adventure, and True Love.  I hear \"I want to live vicariously through you!\" a lot these days. *\n\n&nbsp;\n\nIn the past 48 hours, I have been hearing a lot of \"I want to see photos of the Alps!!!  Now!!!\"\n\n&nbsp;\n\nWell, I\'m not there yet, sillies.  But once I am there, I will be more than happy to post a Photo du Jour.  That means \"Photo of the Day\" for all you who speak absolutely no French.  <strong>(Please don\'t feel badly about yourself because I am not far ahead of you.) </strong>\n\n&nbsp;\n\nPlease check back starting Sunday to see the Alpine Photo du Jour.  Romeo Mio has many storybook surprises in store for me, and I look forward to sharing them with you!\n\n&nbsp;\n\n*******************\n\n&nbsp;\n\n*  If you are new to this blog, no one wanted to live vicariously through my Mother of All Ruts about a year and a half ago.  I vowed to haul myself out of that rut through my 365 Day project -- The Year of Living Curiously.  What a difference a year makes!\n\n&nbsp;\n\nIf you are in a place of Yuck, and t\n\n&nbsp;\n\n&nbsp;\n\n&nbsp;\n\n&nbsp;\n\n&nbsp;\n\n&nbsp;\n\n&nbsp;','Photo du Jour Begins on Sunday!  (Internet permitting.)','','inherit','open','open','','9266-revision-5','','','2012-01-26 19:40:33','2012-01-27 02:40:33','',9266,'http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/2012/01/26/9266-revision-5/',0,'revision','',0),(9272,1,'2012-01-26 19:41:01','2012-01-27 02:41:01','Au revoir, mes amis!  I\'m off to the French Alps!\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nEveryone keeps telling me that my life is currently like a movie.  When I say \"everyone\", I am referring to friends, family, colleagues, and saleswomen at the mall.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nWhilst in the middle of a lunchtime errand at the mall today, I ran into two lovely ladies who curiously inquired about my upcoming trip.  When they heard a brief snippet or the rest of the story...\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n<em>You see, I was traveling in Tuscany this summer and fell off my bike and for my Italian cycling guide who is now my boyfriend who visited me for 10 days at Thanksgiving and now I\'m off to visit him at his picturesque village in the French Alps where he is a ski instructor in the winter....</em>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nThis is the point in the snippet where women melt and profess their unwavering belief in romance, adventure, and True Love.  I hear \"I want to live vicariously through you!\" a lot these days. *\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nIn the past 48 hours, I have been hearing a lot of \"I want to see photos of the Alps!!!  Now!!!\"\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nWell, I\'m not there yet, sillies.  But once I am there, I will be more than happy to post a Photo du Jour.  That means \"Photo of the Day\" for all you who speak absolutely no French.  <strong>(Please don\'t feel badly about yourself because I am not far ahead of you.) </strong>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nPlease check back starting Sunday to see the Alpine Photo du Jour.  Romeo Mio has many storybook surprises in store for me, and I look forward to sharing them with you!\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n*******************\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n*  If you are new to this blog, no one wanted to live vicariously through my Mother of All Ruts about a year and a half ago.  I vowed to haul myself out of that rut through my 365 Day project -- The Year of Living Curiously.  What a difference a year makes!\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nIf you are in a place of Yuck, I hope my story provides a glimmer of hope for you.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;','Photo du Jour Begins on Sunday!  (Internet permitting.)','','inherit','open','open','','9266-revision-6','','','2012-01-26 19:41:01','2012-01-27 02:41:01','',9266,'http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/2012/01/26/9266-revision-6/',0,'revision','',0),(9273,1,'2012-01-26 19:46:26','2012-01-27 02:46:26','','photo','Each morning I wake up to photos and videos from Romeo Mio.  Here is a recent one.  ','inherit','open','open','','photo-6','','','2012-01-26 19:46:26','2012-01-27 02:46:26','',9266,'http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/photo4.jpg',0,'attachment','image/jpeg',0),(9274,1,'2012-01-26 19:48:33','2012-01-27 02:48:33','[caption id=\"attachment_9273\" align=\"alignleft\" width=\"300\" caption=\"Each morning I wake up to photos and videos from Romeo Mio. Here is a recent one.\"]<a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/?attachment_id=9273\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-9273\"><img class=\"size-medium wp-image-9273\" title=\"photo\" src=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/photo4-300x223.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"223\" /></a>[/caption]\n\nAu revoir, mes amis!  I\'m off to the French Alps!\n\n&nbsp;\n\nEveryone keeps telling me that my life is currently like a movie.  When I say \"everyone\", I am referring to friends, family, colleagues, and saleswomen at the mall.\n\n&nbsp;\n\nWhilst in the middle of a lunchtime errand at the mall today, I ran into two lovely ladies who curiously inquired about my upcoming trip.  When they heard a brief snippet or the rest of the story...\n\n&nbsp;\n\n<em>You see, I was traveling in Tuscany this summer and fell off my bike and for my Italian cycling guide who is now my boyfriend who visited me for 10 days at Thanksgiving and now I\'m off to visit him at his picturesque village in the French Alps where he is a ski instructor in the winter....</em>\n\n&nbsp;\n\nThis is the point in the snippet where women melt and profess their unwavering belief in romance, adventure, and True Love.  I hear \"I want to live vicariously through you!\" a lot these days. *\n\n&nbsp;\n\nIn the past 48 hours, I have been hearing a lot of \"I want to see photos of the Alps!!!  Now!!!\"\n\n&nbsp;\n\nWell, I\'m not there yet, sillies.  But once I am there, I will be more than happy to post a Photo du Jour.  That means \"Photo of the Day\" for all you who speak absolutely no French.  <strong><a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/2012/01/23/playdate-3-gadget-girl-tackles-french-lessons/\" target=\"_blank\">(Please don\'t feel badly about yourself because I am not far ahead of you.) </a></strong>\n\n&nbsp;\n\nPlease check back starting Sunday to see the Alpine Photo du Jour.  Romeo Mio has many storybook surprises in store for me, and I look forward to sharing them with you!\n\n&nbsp;\n\n*******************\n\n&nbsp;\n\nOh!  I almost forgot!  For those of you who worried about my new Ugglies getting ruined by snow, look what I found on sale at Nordies the other day?  We can all breathe a collective sigh of relief now.  I am officially prepared for ALL elements with only two pair of shoes to pack.  :-D\n\n&nbsp;\n\n&nbsp;\n\n*******************\n\n&nbsp;\n\n*  If you are new to this blog, no one wanted to live vicariously through my Mother of All Ruts about a year and a half ago.  I vowed to haul myself out of that rut through my 365 Day project -- The Year of Living Curiously.  What a difference a year makes!\n\n&nbsp;\n\nIf you are in a place of Yuck, I hope my story provides a glimmer of hope for you.\n\n&nbsp;\n\n&nbsp;\n\n&nbsp;\n\n&nbsp;\n\n&nbsp;\n\n&nbsp;\n\n&nbsp;','Photo du Jour Begins on Sunday!  (Internet permitting.)','','inherit','open','open','','9266-revision-7','','','2012-01-26 19:48:33','2012-01-27 02:48:33','',9266,'http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/2012/01/26/9266-revision-7/',0,'revision','',0),(9275,1,'2012-01-26 19:48:58','2012-01-27 02:48:58','[caption id=\"attachment_9273\" align=\"alignleft\" width=\"300\" caption=\"Each morning I wake up to photos and videos from Romeo Mio. Here is a recent one.\"]<a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/?attachment_id=9273\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-9273\"><img class=\"size-medium wp-image-9273\" title=\"photo\" src=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/photo4-300x223.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"223\" /></a>[/caption]\r\n\r\nAu revoir, mes amis!  I\'m off to the French Alps!\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nEveryone keeps telling me that my life is currently like a movie.  When I say \"everyone\", I am referring to friends, family, colleagues, and saleswomen at the mall.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nWhilst in the middle of a lunchtime errand at the mall today, I ran into two lovely ladies who curiously inquired about my upcoming trip.  When they heard a brief snippet or the rest of the story...\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n<em>You see, I was traveling in Tuscany this summer and fell off my bike and for my Italian cycling guide who is now my boyfriend who visited me for 10 days at Thanksgiving and now I\'m off to visit him at his picturesque village in the French Alps where he is a ski instructor in the winter....</em>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nThis is the point in the snippet where women melt and profess their unwavering belief in romance, adventure, and True Love.  I hear \"I want to live vicariously through you!\" a lot these days. *\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nIn the past 48 hours, I have been hearing a lot of \"I want to see photos of the Alps!!!  Now!!!\"\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nWell, I\'m not there yet, sillies.  But once I am there, I will be more than happy to post a Photo du Jour.  That means \"Photo of the Day\" for all you who speak absolutely no French.  <strong><a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/2012/01/23/playdate-3-gadget-girl-tackles-french-lessons/\" target=\"_blank\">(Please don\'t feel badly about yourself because I am not far ahead of you.) </a></strong>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nPlease check back starting Sunday to see the Alpine Photo du Jour.  Romeo Mio has many storybook surprises in store for me, and I look forward to sharing them with you!\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n*******************\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nOh!  I almost forgot!  <strong><a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/2012/01/19/these-boots-are-made-for-walkin-in-the-french-alps/\" target=\"_blank\">For those of you who worried about my new Ugglies getting ruined by snow,</a></strong> look what I found on sale at Nordstrom the other day?  We can all breathe a collective sigh of relief now.  I am officially prepared for ALL elements with only two pair of shoes to pack.  :-D\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n*******************\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n*  If you are new to this blog, no one wanted to live vicariously through my Mother of All Ruts about a year and a half ago.  I vowed to haul myself out of that rut through my 365 Day project -- The Year of Living Curiously.  What a difference a year makes!\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nIf you are in a place of Yuck, I hope my story provides a glimmer of hope for you.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;','Photo du Jour Begins on Sunday!  (Internet permitting.)','','inherit','open','open','','9266-revision-8','','','2012-01-26 19:48:58','2012-01-27 02:48:58','',9266,'http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/2012/01/26/9266-revision-8/',0,'revision','',0),(9276,1,'2012-01-26 19:50:33','2012-01-27 02:50:33','[caption id=\"attachment_9273\" align=\"alignleft\" width=\"300\" caption=\"Each morning I wake up to photos and videos from Romeo Mio. Here is a recent one.\"]<a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/?attachment_id=9273\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-9273\"><img class=\"size-medium wp-image-9273\" title=\"photo\" src=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/photo4-300x223.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"223\" /></a>[/caption]\n\nAu revoir, mes amis!  I\'m off to the French Alps!\n\n&nbsp;\n\nEveryone keeps telling me that my life is currently like a movie.  When I say \"everyone\", I am referring to friends, family, colleagues, and saleswomen at the mall.\n\n&nbsp;\n\nWhilst in the middle of a lunchtime errand at the mall today, I ran into two lovely ladies who curiously inquired about my upcoming trip.  When they heard a brief snippet or the rest of the story...\n\n&nbsp;\n\n<em>You see, I was traveling in Tuscany this summer and fell off my bike and for my Italian cycling guide who is now my boyfriend who visited me for 10 days at Thanksgiving and now I\'m off to visit him at his picturesque village in the French Alps where he is a ski instructor in the winter....</em>\n\n&nbsp;\n\nThis is the point in the snippet where women melt and profess their unwavering belief in romance, adventure, and True Love.  I hear \"I want to live vicariously through you!\" a lot these days. *\n\n&nbsp;\n\nIn the past 48 hours, I have been hearing a lot of \"I want to see photos of the Alps!!!  Now!!!\"\n\n&nbsp;\n\nWell, I\'m not there yet, sillies.  But once I am there, I will be more than happy to post a Photo du Jour.  That means \"Photo of the Day\" for all you who speak absolutely no French.  <strong><a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/2012/01/23/playdate-3-gadget-girl-tackles-french-lessons/\" target=\"_blank\">(Please don\'t feel badly about yourself because I am not far ahead of you.) </a></strong>\n\n&nbsp;\n\nPlease check back starting Sunday to see the Alpine Photo du Jour.  Romeo Mio has many storybook surprises in store for me, and I look forward to sharing them with you!\n\n&nbsp;\n\n*******************\n\n&nbsp;\n\nOh!  I almost forgot!  <strong><a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/2012/01/19/these-boots-are-made-for-walkin-in-the-french-alps/\" target=\"_blank\">For those of you who worried about my new Ugglies getting ruined by snow,</a></strong> look what I found on sale at Nordstrom the other day?  We can all breathe a collective sigh of relief now.  I am officially prepared for ALL elements with only two pair of shoes to pack.  :-D\n\n&nbsp;\n\n&nbsp;\n\n*******************\n\n&nbsp;\n\n*  If you are new to this blog, I need to point out that no one wanted to live vicariously through me about a year and a half ago.  I vowed to haul myself out of the Mother of All Ruts through <strong>my 365 Day project -- The Year of Living Curiously.  </strong>What a difference a year makes!\n\n&nbsp;\n\nIf you are in a place of Yuck, I hope my story provides a glimmer of hope for you.\n\n&nbsp;\n\n&nbsp;\n\n&nbsp;\n\n&nbsp;\n\n&nbsp;\n\n&nbsp;\n\n&nbsp;','Photo du Jour Begins on Sunday!  (Internet permitting.)','','inherit','open','open','','9266-revision-9','','','2012-01-26 19:50:33','2012-01-27 02:50:33','',9266,'http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/2012/01/26/9266-revision-9/',0,'revision','',0),(9280,1,'2012-01-26 19:54:33','2012-01-27 02:54:33','[caption id=\"attachment_9273\" align=\"alignleft\" width=\"300\" caption=\"Each morning I wake up to photos and videos from Romeo Mio. Here is a recent one.\"]<a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/?attachment_id=9273\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-9273\"><img class=\"size-medium wp-image-9273\" title=\"photo\" src=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/photo4-300x223.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"223\" /></a>[/caption]\n\nAu revoir, mes amis!  I\'m off to the French Alps!\n\n&nbsp;\n\nEveryone keeps telling me that my life is currently like a movie.  When I say \"everyone\", I am referring to friends, family, colleagues, and saleswomen at the mall.\n\n&nbsp;\n\nWhilst in the middle of a lunchtime errand at the mall yesterday, I ran into two lovely ladies who curiously inquired about my upcoming trip.  When they heard a brief snippet of the rest of the story...\n\n&nbsp;\n\n<em>You see, I was traveling in Tuscany this summer and fell off my bike and for my Italian cycling guide who is now my boyfriend who visited me for 10 days at Thanksgiving and now I\'m off to visit him at his picturesque village in the French Alps where he is a ski instructor in the winter....</em>\n\n&nbsp;\n\nThis is the point in the snippet where women melt and profess their unwavering belief in romance, adventure, and True Love.  I hear \"I want to live vicariously through you!\" a lot these days. *\n\n&nbsp;\n\nIn the past 48 hours, I have been hearing a lot of \"I want to see photos of the Alps!!!  Now!!!\"\n\n&nbsp;\n\nWell, I\'m not there yet, sillies.  But once I am there, I will be more than happy to post a Photo du Jour.  That means \"Photo of the Day\" for all you who speak absolutely no French.  <strong><a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/2012/01/23/playdate-3-gadget-girl-tackles-french-lessons/\" target=\"_blank\">(Please don\'t feel badly about yourself because I am not far ahead of you.) </a></strong>\n\n&nbsp;\n\nCheck back starting Sunday to see the Alpine Photo du Jour.  Romeo Mio has many storybook surprises in store for me, and I look forward to sharing them with you!\n\n&nbsp;\n\n*******************\n\n&nbsp;\n\nOh!  I almost forgot!  <strong><a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/2012/01/19/these-boots-are-made-for-walkin-in-the-french-alps/\" target=\"_blank\">For those of you who worried about my new Ugglies getting ruined by snow,</a></strong> look what I found on sale at Nordstrom the other day?  We can all breathe a collective sigh of relief now.  I am officially prepared for ALL elements with only two pair of shoes to pack.  :-D\n\n&nbsp;\n\n&nbsp;\n\n*******************\n\n&nbsp;\n\n*  If you are new to this blog, I need to point out that no one wanted to live vicariously through me about a year and a half ago.  I vowed to haul myself out of the Mother of All Ruts through <strong><a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/365-or-bust/\" target=\"_blank\">my 365 Day project -- The Year of Living Curiously.</a>  </strong>What a difference a year makes!\n\n&nbsp;\n\nIf you are in a place of Yuck, I hope my story provides a glimmer of promise for you.\n\n&nbsp;\n\n&nbsp;\n\n&nbsp;\n\n&nbsp;\n\n&nbsp;\n\n&nbsp;\n\n&nbsp;','Photo du Jour Begins on Sunday!  (Internet permitting.)','','inherit','open','open','','9266-revision-13','','','2012-01-26 19:54:33','2012-01-27 02:54:33','',9266,'http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/2012/01/26/9266-revision-13/',0,'revision','',0),(9277,1,'2012-01-26 19:50:50','2012-01-27 02:50:50','[caption id=\"attachment_9273\" align=\"alignleft\" width=\"300\" caption=\"Each morning I wake up to photos and videos from Romeo Mio. Here is a recent one.\"]<a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/?attachment_id=9273\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-9273\"><img class=\"size-medium wp-image-9273\" title=\"photo\" src=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/photo4-300x223.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"223\" /></a>[/caption]\r\n\r\nAu revoir, mes amis!  I\'m off to the French Alps!\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nEveryone keeps telling me that my life is currently like a movie.  When I say \"everyone\", I am referring to friends, family, colleagues, and saleswomen at the mall.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nWhilst in the middle of a lunchtime errand at the mall today, I ran into two lovely ladies who curiously inquired about my upcoming trip.  When they heard a brief snippet or the rest of the story...\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n<em>You see, I was traveling in Tuscany this summer and fell off my bike and for my Italian cycling guide who is now my boyfriend who visited me for 10 days at Thanksgiving and now I\'m off to visit him at his picturesque village in the French Alps where he is a ski instructor in the winter....</em>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nThis is the point in the snippet where women melt and profess their unwavering belief in romance, adventure, and True Love.  I hear \"I want to live vicariously through you!\" a lot these days. *\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nIn the past 48 hours, I have been hearing a lot of \"I want to see photos of the Alps!!!  Now!!!\"\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nWell, I\'m not there yet, sillies.  But once I am there, I will be more than happy to post a Photo du Jour.  That means \"Photo of the Day\" for all you who speak absolutely no French.  <strong><a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/2012/01/23/playdate-3-gadget-girl-tackles-french-lessons/\" target=\"_blank\">(Please don\'t feel badly about yourself because I am not far ahead of you.) </a></strong>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nPlease check back starting Sunday to see the Alpine Photo du Jour.  Romeo Mio has many storybook surprises in store for me, and I look forward to sharing them with you!\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n*******************\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nOh!  I almost forgot!  <strong><a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/2012/01/19/these-boots-are-made-for-walkin-in-the-french-alps/\" target=\"_blank\">For those of you who worried about my new Ugglies getting ruined by snow,</a></strong> look what I found on sale at Nordstrom the other day?  We can all breathe a collective sigh of relief now.  I am officially prepared for ALL elements with only two pair of shoes to pack.  :-D\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n*******************\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n*  If you are new to this blog, I need to point out that no one wanted to live vicariously through me about a year and a half ago.  I vowed to haul myself out of the Mother of All Ruts through <strong><a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/365-or-bust/\" target=\"_blank\">my 365 Day project -- The Year of Living Curiously.</a>  </strong>What a difference a year makes!\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nIf you are in a place of Yuck, I hope my story provides a glimmer of hope for you.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;','Photo du Jour Begins on Sunday!  (Internet permitting.)','','inherit','open','open','','9266-revision-10','','','2012-01-26 19:50:50','2012-01-27 02:50:50','',9266,'http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/2012/01/26/9266-revision-10/',0,'revision','',0),(9278,1,'2012-01-26 19:50:50','2012-01-27 02:50:50','[caption id=\"attachment_9273\" align=\"alignleft\" width=\"300\" caption=\"Each morning I wake up to photos and videos from Romeo Mio. Here is a recent one.\"]<a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/?attachment_id=9273\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-9273\"><img class=\"size-medium wp-image-9273\" title=\"photo\" src=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/photo4-300x223.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"223\" /></a>[/caption]\r\n\r\nAu revoir, mes amis!  I\'m off to the French Alps!\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nEveryone keeps telling me that my life is currently like a movie.  When I say \"everyone\", I am referring to friends, family, colleagues, and saleswomen at the mall.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nWhilst in the middle of a lunchtime errand at the mall today, I ran into two lovely ladies who curiously inquired about my upcoming trip.  When they heard a brief snippet or the rest of the story...\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n<em>You see, I was traveling in Tuscany this summer and fell off my bike and for my Italian cycling guide who is now my boyfriend who visited me for 10 days at Thanksgiving and now I\'m off to visit him at his picturesque village in the French Alps where he is a ski instructor in the winter....</em>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nThis is the point in the snippet where women melt and profess their unwavering belief in romance, adventure, and True Love.  I hear \"I want to live vicariously through you!\" a lot these days. *\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nIn the past 48 hours, I have been hearing a lot of \"I want to see photos of the Alps!!!  Now!!!\"\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nWell, I\'m not there yet, sillies.  But once I am there, I will be more than happy to post a Photo du Jour.  That means \"Photo of the Day\" for all you who speak absolutely no French.  <strong><a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/2012/01/23/playdate-3-gadget-girl-tackles-french-lessons/\" target=\"_blank\">(Please don\'t feel badly about yourself because I am not far ahead of you.) </a></strong>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nPlease check back starting Sunday to see the Alpine Photo du Jour.  Romeo Mio has many storybook surprises in store for me, and I look forward to sharing them with you!\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n*******************\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nOh!  I almost forgot!  <strong><a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/2012/01/19/these-boots-are-made-for-walkin-in-the-french-alps/\" target=\"_blank\">For those of you who worried about my new Ugglies getting ruined by snow,</a></strong> look what I found on sale at Nordstrom the other day?  We can all breathe a collective sigh of relief now.  I am officially prepared for ALL elements with only two pair of shoes to pack.  :-D\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n*******************\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n*  If you are new to this blog, I need to point out that no one wanted to live vicariously through me about a year and a half ago.  I vowed to haul myself out of the Mother of All Ruts through <strong><a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/365-or-bust/\" target=\"_blank\">my 365 Day project -- The Year of Living Curiously.</a>  </strong>What a difference a year makes!\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nIf you are in a place of Yuck, I hope my story provides a glimmer of hope for you.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;','Photo du Jour Begins on Sunday!  (Internet permitting.)','','inherit','open','open','','9266-revision-11','','','2012-01-26 19:50:50','2012-01-27 02:50:50','',9266,'http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/2012/01/26/9266-revision-11/',0,'revision','',0),(9279,1,'2012-01-26 19:51:28','2012-01-27 02:51:28','[caption id=\"attachment_9273\" align=\"alignleft\" width=\"300\" caption=\"Each morning I wake up to photos and videos from Romeo Mio. Here is a recent one.\"]<a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/?attachment_id=9273\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-9273\"><img class=\"size-medium wp-image-9273\" title=\"photo\" src=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/photo4-300x223.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"223\" /></a>[/caption]\r\n\r\nAu revoir, mes amis!  I\'m off to the French Alps!\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nEveryone keeps telling me that my life is currently like a movie.  When I say \"everyone\", I am referring to friends, family, colleagues, and saleswomen at the mall.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nWhilst in the middle of a lunchtime errand at the mall today, I ran into two lovely ladies who curiously inquired about my upcoming trip.  When they heard a brief snippet or the rest of the story...\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n<em>You see, I was traveling in Tuscany this summer and fell off my bike and for my Italian cycling guide who is now my boyfriend who visited me for 10 days at Thanksgiving and now I\'m off to visit him at his picturesque village in the French Alps where he is a ski instructor in the winter....</em>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nThis is the point in the snippet where women melt and profess their unwavering belief in romance, adventure, and True Love.  I hear \"I want to live vicariously through you!\" a lot these days. *\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nIn the past 48 hours, I have been hearing a lot of \"I want to see photos of the Alps!!!  Now!!!\"\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nWell, I\'m not there yet, sillies.  But once I am there, I will be more than happy to post a Photo du Jour.  That means \"Photo of the Day\" for all you who speak absolutely no French.  <strong><a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/2012/01/23/playdate-3-gadget-girl-tackles-french-lessons/\" target=\"_blank\">(Please don\'t feel badly about yourself because I am not far ahead of you.) </a></strong>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nPlease check back starting Sunday to see the Alpine Photo du Jour.  Romeo Mio has many storybook surprises in store for me, and I look forward to sharing them with you!\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n*******************\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nOh!  I almost forgot!  <strong><a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/2012/01/19/these-boots-are-made-for-walkin-in-the-french-alps/\" target=\"_blank\">For those of you who worried about my new Ugglies getting ruined by snow,</a></strong> look what I found on sale at Nordstrom the other day?  We can all breathe a collective sigh of relief now.  I am officially prepared for ALL elements with only two pair of shoes to pack.  :-D\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n*******************\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n*  If you are new to this blog, I need to point out that no one wanted to live vicariously through me about a year and a half ago.  I vowed to haul myself out of the Mother of All Ruts through <strong><a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/365-or-bust/\" target=\"_blank\">my 365 Day project -- The Year of Living Curiously.</a>  </strong>What a difference a year makes!\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nIf you are in a place of Yuck, I hope my story provides a glimmer of hope for you.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;','Photo du Jour Begins on Sunday!  (Internet permitting.)','','inherit','open','open','','9266-revision-12','','','2012-01-26 19:51:28','2012-01-27 02:51:28','',9266,'http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/2012/01/26/9266-revision-12/',0,'revision','',0),(9282,1,'2012-01-26 19:55:33','2012-01-27 02:55:33','[caption id=\"attachment_9273\" align=\"alignleft\" width=\"300\" caption=\"Each morning I wake up to photos and videos from Romeo Mio. Here is a recent one.\"]<a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/?attachment_id=9273\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-9273\"><img class=\"size-medium wp-image-9273\" title=\"photo\" src=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/photo4-300x223.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"223\" /></a>[/caption]\n\nAu revoir, mes amis!  I\'m off to the French Alps!\n\n&nbsp;\n\nEveryone keeps telling me that my life is currently like a movie.  When I say \"everyone\", I am referring to friends, family, colleagues, and saleswomen at the mall.\n\n&nbsp;\n\nWhilst in the middle of a lunchtime errand at the mall yesterday, I ran into two lovely ladies who curiously inquired about my upcoming trip.  When they heard a brief snippet of the rest of the story...\n\n&nbsp;\n\n<em>You see, I was traveling in Tuscany this summer and fell off my bike and for my Italian cycling guide who is now my boyfriend who visited me for 10 days at Thanksgiving and now I\'m off to visit him at his picturesque village in the French Alps where he is a ski instructor in the winter....</em>\n\n&nbsp;\n\nThis is the point in the snippet where women melt and profess their unwavering belief in romance, adventure, and True Love.  I hear \"I want to live vicariously through you!\" a lot these days. *\n\n&nbsp;\n\nIn the past 48 hours, I have been hearing a lot of \"I want to see photos of the Alps!!!  Now!!!\"\n\n&nbsp;\n\nWell, I\'m not there yet, sillies.  But once I am there, I will be more than happy to post a Photo du Jour.  That means \"Photo of the Day\" for all you who speak absolutely no French.  <strong><a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/2012/01/23/playdate-3-gadget-girl-tackles-french-lessons/\" target=\"_blank\">(Please don\'t feel badly about yourself because I am not far ahead of you.) </a></strong>\n\n&nbsp;\n\nCheck back starting Sunday to see the Alpine Photo du Jour.  Romeo Mio has many storybook surprises in store for me, and I look forward to sharing them with you!\n\n&nbsp;\n\n*******************\n\n&nbsp;\n\nOh!  I almost forgot!  <strong><a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/2012/01/19/these-boots-are-made-for-walkin-in-the-french-alps/\" target=\"_blank\">For those of you who fretted about my new Ugglies getting ruined by snow,</a></strong> look what I found on sale at Nordstrom the other day?  We can all breathe a collective sigh of relief now.  I am officially prepared for ALL elements with only two pair of shoes to pack.  :-D\n\n&nbsp;\n\n&nbsp;\n\n*******************\n\n&nbsp;\n\n*  If you are new to this blog, I need to point out that no one wanted to live vicariously through me about a year and a half ago.  I vowed to haul myself out of the Mother of All Ruts through <strong><a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/365-or-bust/\" target=\"_blank\">my 365 Day project -- The Year of Living Curiously.</a>  </strong>What a difference a year makes!\n\n&nbsp;\n\nIf you are in a place of Yuck, I hope my story provides a glimmer of promise for you.\n\n&nbsp;\n\n&nbsp;\n\n&nbsp;\n\n&nbsp;\n\n&nbsp;\n\n&nbsp;\n\n&nbsp;','Photo du Jour Begins on Sunday!  (Internet permitting.)','','inherit','open','open','','9266-revision-15','','','2012-01-26 19:55:33','2012-01-27 02:55:33','',9266,'http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/2012/01/26/9266-revision-15/',0,'revision','',0),(9281,1,'2012-01-26 19:54:43','2012-01-27 02:54:43','[caption id=\"attachment_9273\" align=\"alignleft\" width=\"300\" caption=\"Each morning I wake up to photos and videos from Romeo Mio. Here is a recent one.\"]<a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/?attachment_id=9273\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-9273\"><img class=\"size-medium wp-image-9273\" title=\"photo\" src=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/photo4-300x223.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"223\" /></a>[/caption]\r\n\r\nAu revoir, mes amis!  I\'m off to the French Alps!\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nEveryone keeps telling me that my life is currently like a movie.  When I say \"everyone\", I am referring to friends, family, colleagues, and saleswomen at the mall.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nWhilst in the middle of a lunchtime errand at the mall yesterday, I ran into two lovely ladies who curiously inquired about my upcoming trip.  When they heard a brief snippet of the rest of the story...\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n<em>You see, I was traveling in Tuscany this summer and fell off my bike and for my Italian cycling guide who is now my boyfriend who visited me for 10 days at Thanksgiving and now I\'m off to visit him at his picturesque village in the French Alps where he is a ski instructor in the winter....</em>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nThis is the point in the snippet where women melt and profess their unwavering belief in romance, adventure, and True Love.  I hear \"I want to live vicariously through you!\" a lot these days. *\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nIn the past 48 hours, I have been hearing a lot of \"I want to see photos of the Alps!!!  Now!!!\"\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nWell, I\'m not there yet, sillies.  But once I am there, I will be more than happy to post a Photo du Jour.  That means \"Photo of the Day\" for all you who speak absolutely no French.  <strong><a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/2012/01/23/playdate-3-gadget-girl-tackles-french-lessons/\" target=\"_blank\">(Please don\'t feel badly about yourself because I am not far ahead of you.) </a></strong>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nCheck back starting Sunday to see the Alpine Photo du Jour.  Romeo Mio has many storybook surprises in store for me, and I look forward to sharing them with you!\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n*******************\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nOh!  I almost forgot!  <strong><a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/2012/01/19/these-boots-are-made-for-walkin-in-the-french-alps/\" target=\"_blank\">For those of you who worried about my new Ugglies getting ruined by snow,</a></strong> look what I found on sale at Nordstrom the other day?  We can all breathe a collective sigh of relief now.  I am officially prepared for ALL elements with only two pair of shoes to pack.  :-D\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n*******************\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n*  If you are new to this blog, I need to point out that no one wanted to live vicariously through me about a year and a half ago.  I vowed to haul myself out of the Mother of All Ruts through <strong><a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/365-or-bust/\" target=\"_blank\">my 365 Day project -- The Year of Living Curiously.</a>  </strong>What a difference a year makes!\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nIf you are in a place of Yuck, I hope my story provides a glimmer of promise for you.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;','Photo du Jour Begins on Sunday!  (Internet permitting.)','','inherit','open','open','','9266-revision-14','','','2012-01-26 19:54:43','2012-01-27 02:54:43','',9266,'http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/2012/01/26/9266-revision-14/',0,'revision','',0),(9283,1,'2012-01-26 19:55:52','2012-01-27 02:55:52','[caption id=\"attachment_9273\" align=\"alignleft\" width=\"300\" caption=\"Each morning I wake up to photos and videos from Romeo Mio. Here is a recent one.\"]<a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/?attachment_id=9273\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-9273\"><img class=\"size-medium wp-image-9273\" title=\"photo\" src=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/photo4-300x223.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"223\" /></a>[/caption]\r\n\r\nAu revoir, mes amis!  I\'m off to the French Alps!\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nEveryone keeps telling me that my life is currently like a movie.  When I say \"everyone\", I am referring to friends, family, colleagues, and saleswomen at the mall.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nWhilst in the middle of a lunchtime errand at the mall yesterday, I ran into two lovely ladies who curiously inquired about my upcoming trip.  When they heard a brief snippet of the rest of the story...\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n<em>You see, I was traveling in Tuscany this summer and fell off my bike and for my Italian cycling guide who is now my boyfriend who visited me for 10 days at Thanksgiving and now I\'m off to visit him at his picturesque village in the French Alps where he is a ski instructor in the winter....</em>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nThis is the point in the snippet where women melt and profess their unwavering belief in romance, adventure, and True Love.  I hear \"I want to live vicariously through you!\" a lot these days. *\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nIn the past 48 hours, I have been hearing a lot of \"I want to see photos of the Alps!!!  Now!!!\"\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nWell, I\'m not there yet, sillies.  But once I am there, I will be more than happy to post a Photo du Jour.  That means \"Photo of the Day\" for all you who speak absolutely no French.  <strong><a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/2012/01/23/playdate-3-gadget-girl-tackles-french-lessons/\" target=\"_blank\">(Please don\'t feel badly about yourself because I am not far ahead of you.) </a></strong>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nCheck back starting Sunday to see the Alpine Photo du Jour.  Romeo Mio has many storybook surprises in store for me, and I look forward to sharing them with you!\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n*******************\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nOh!  I almost forgot!  <strong><a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/2012/01/19/these-boots-are-made-for-walkin-in-the-french-alps/\" target=\"_blank\">For those of you who fretted about my new Ugglies getting ruined by snow,</a></strong> look what I found on sale at Nordstrom the other day?  We can all breathe a collective sigh of relief now.  I am officially prepared for ALL elements with only two pair of shoes to pack.  :-D\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n*******************\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n*  If you are new to this blog, I need to point out that no one wanted to live vicariously through me about a year and a half ago.  I vowed to haul myself out of the Mother of All Ruts through <strong><a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/365-or-bust/\" target=\"_blank\">my 365 Day project -- The Year of Living Curiously.</a>  </strong>What a difference a year makes!\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nIf you are in a place of Yuck, I hope my story provides a glimmer of promise for you.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;','Photo du Jour Begins on Sunday!  (Internet permitting.)','','inherit','open','open','','9266-revision-16','','','2012-01-26 19:55:52','2012-01-27 02:55:52','',9266,'http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/2012/01/26/9266-revision-16/',0,'revision','',0),(9284,1,'2012-01-26 20:00:00','2012-01-27 03:00:00','','OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA','','inherit','open','open','','olympus-digital-camera-692','','','2012-01-26 20:00:00','2012-01-27 03:00:00','',9266,'http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/P1260001.jpg',0,'attachment','image/jpeg',0),(9291,1,'2012-01-26 20:04:08','2012-01-27 03:04:08','[caption id=\"attachment_9273\" align=\"alignleft\" width=\"300\" caption=\"Each morning I wake up to photos and videos from Romeo Mio. Here is a recent one.\"]<a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/?attachment_id=9273\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-9273\"><img class=\"size-medium wp-image-9273\" title=\"photo\" src=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/photo4-300x223.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"223\" /></a>[/caption]\n\nAu revoir, mes amis!  I\'m off to the French Alps!\n\n&nbsp;\n\nEveryone keeps telling me that my life is currently like a movie.  When I say \"everyone\", I am referring to friends, family, colleagues, and saleswomen at the mall.\n\n&nbsp;\n\nWhilst in the middle of a lunchtime errand at the mall yesterday, I ran into two lovely ladies who curiously inquired about my upcoming trip.  When they heard a brief snippet of the rest of the story...\n\n&nbsp;\n\n<em>You see, I was traveling in Tuscany this summer and fell off my bike and for my Italian cycling guide who is now my boyfriend who visited me for 10 days at Thanksgiving and now I\'m off to visit him at his picturesque village in the French Alps where he is a ski instructor in the winter....</em>\n\n&nbsp;\n\nThis is the point in the snippet where women melt and profess their unwavering belief in romance, adventure, and True Love.  I hear \"I want to live vicariously through you!\" a lot these days. *\n\n&nbsp;\n\nIn the past 48 hours, I have been hearing a lot of \"I want to see photos of the Alps!!!  Now!!!\"\n\n&nbsp;\n\nWell, I\'m not there yet, sillies.  But once I am there, I will be more than happy to post a Photo du Jour.  That means \"Photo of the Day\" for all you who speak absolutely no French.  <strong><a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/2012/01/23/playdate-3-gadget-girl-tackles-french-lessons/\" target=\"_blank\">(Please don\'t feel badly about yourself because I am not far ahead of you.) </a></strong>\n\n&nbsp;\n\nCheck back starting Sunday to see the Alpine Photo du Jour.  Romeo Mio has many storybook surprises in store for me, and I look forward to sharing them with you!\n\n&nbsp;\n\n*******************\n\n&nbsp;\n\nOh!  I almost forgot!  <strong><a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/2012/01/19/these-boots-are-made-for-walkin-in-the-french-alps/\" target=\"_blank\">For those of you who fretted about my new Ugglies getting ruined by snow,</a></strong> look what I found on sale at Nordstrom the other day?  We can all breathe a collective sigh of relief now.  I am officially prepared for ALL elements with only two pair of shoes to pack.  :-D\n\n&nbsp;\n\n&nbsp;\n\n<a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/?attachment_id=9284\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-9284\"><img class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-9284\" title=\"OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA\" src=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/P1260001-300x225.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" /></a>\n\n&nbsp;\n\n&nbsp;\n\n*******************\n\n&nbsp;\n\n*  If you are new to this blog, I need to point out that no one wanted to live vicariously through me about a year and a half ago.  I vowed to haul myself out of the Mother of All Ruts through <strong><a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/365-or-bust/\" target=\"_blank\">my 365 Day project -- The Year of Living Curiously.</a>  </strong>What a difference a year makes!\n\n&nbsp;\n\nIf you are in a place of Yuck, I hope my story provides a glimmer of promise for you.\n\n&nbsp;','Photo du Jour Begins on Sunday!','','inherit','open','open','','9266-revision-23','','','2012-01-26 20:04:08','2012-01-27 03:04:08','',9266,'http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/2012/01/26/9266-revision-23/',0,'revision','',0),(9285,1,'2012-01-26 20:00:33','2012-01-27 03:00:33','[caption id=\"attachment_9273\" align=\"alignleft\" width=\"300\" caption=\"Each morning I wake up to photos and videos from Romeo Mio. Here is a recent one.\"]<a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/?attachment_id=9273\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-9273\"><img class=\"size-medium wp-image-9273\" title=\"photo\" src=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/photo4-300x223.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"223\" /></a>[/caption]\n\nAu revoir, mes amis!  I\'m off to the French Alps!\n\n&nbsp;\n\nEveryone keeps telling me that my life is currently like a movie.  When I say \"everyone\", I am referring to friends, family, colleagues, and saleswomen at the mall.\n\n&nbsp;\n\nWhilst in the middle of a lunchtime errand at the mall yesterday, I ran into two lovely ladies who curiously inquired about my upcoming trip.  When they heard a brief snippet of the rest of the story...\n\n&nbsp;\n\n<em>You see, I was traveling in Tuscany this summer and fell off my bike and for my Italian cycling guide who is now my boyfriend who visited me for 10 days at Thanksgiving and now I\'m off to visit him at his picturesque village in the French Alps where he is a ski instructor in the winter....</em>\n\n&nbsp;\n\nThis is the point in the snippet where women melt and profess their unwavering belief in romance, adventure, and True Love.  I hear \"I want to live vicariously through you!\" a lot these days. *\n\n&nbsp;\n\nIn the past 48 hours, I have been hearing a lot of \"I want to see photos of the Alps!!!  Now!!!\"\n\n&nbsp;\n\nWell, I\'m not there yet, sillies.  But once I am there, I will be more than happy to post a Photo du Jour.  That means \"Photo of the Day\" for all you who speak absolutely no French.  <strong><a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/2012/01/23/playdate-3-gadget-girl-tackles-french-lessons/\" target=\"_blank\">(Please don\'t feel badly about yourself because I am not far ahead of you.) </a></strong>\n\n&nbsp;\n\nCheck back starting Sunday to see the Alpine Photo du Jour.  Romeo Mio has many storybook surprises in store for me, and I look forward to sharing them with you!\n\n&nbsp;\n\n*******************\n\n&nbsp;\n\nOh!  I almost forgot!  <strong><a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/2012/01/19/these-boots-are-made-for-walkin-in-the-french-alps/\" target=\"_blank\">For those of you who fretted about my new Ugglies getting ruined by snow,</a></strong> look what I found on sale at Nordstrom the other day?  We can all breathe a collective sigh of relief now.  I am officially prepared for ALL elements with only two pair of shoes to pack.  :-D\n\n&nbsp;\n\n<a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/?attachment_id=9284\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-9284\"><img class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-9284\" title=\"OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA\" src=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/P1260001-300x225.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" /></a>\n\n&nbsp;\n\n&nbsp;\n\n*******************\n\n&nbsp;\n\n*  If you are new to this blog, I need to point out that no one wanted to live vicariously through me about a year and a half ago.  I vowed to haul myself out of the Mother of All Ruts through <strong><a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/365-or-bust/\" target=\"_blank\">my 365 Day project -- The Year of Living Curiously.</a>  </strong>What a difference a year makes!\n\n&nbsp;\n\nIf you are in a place of Yuck, I hope my story provides a glimmer of promise for you.\n\n&nbsp;\n\n&nbsp;\n\n&nbsp;\n\n&nbsp;\n\n&nbsp;\n\n&nbsp;\n\n&nbsp;','Photo du Jour Begins on Sunday!  (Internet permitting.)','','inherit','open','open','','9266-revision-17','','','2012-01-26 20:00:33','2012-01-27 03:00:33','',9266,'http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/2012/01/26/9266-revision-17/',0,'revision','',0),(9289,1,'2012-01-26 20:02:09','2012-01-27 03:02:09','[caption id=\"attachment_9273\" align=\"alignleft\" width=\"300\" caption=\"Each morning I wake up to photos and videos from Romeo Mio. Here is a recent one.\"]<a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/?attachment_id=9273\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-9273\"><img class=\"size-medium wp-image-9273\" title=\"photo\" src=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/photo4-300x223.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"223\" /></a>[/caption]\n\nAu revoir, mes amis!  I\'m off to the French Alps!\n\n&nbsp;\n\nEveryone keeps telling me that my life is currently like a movie.  When I say \"everyone\", I am referring to friends, family, colleagues, and saleswomen at the mall.\n\n&nbsp;\n\nWhilst in the middle of a lunchtime errand at the mall yesterday, I ran into two lovely ladies who curiously inquired about my upcoming trip.  When they heard a brief snippet of the rest of the story...\n\n&nbsp;\n\n<em>You see, I was traveling in Tuscany this summer and fell off my bike and for my Italian cycling guide who is now my boyfriend who visited me for 10 days at Thanksgiving and now I\'m off to visit him at his picturesque village in the French Alps where he is a ski instructor in the winter....</em>\n\n&nbsp;\n\nThis is the point in the snippet where women melt and profess their unwavering belief in romance, adventure, and True Love.  I hear \"I want to live vicariously through you!\" a lot these days. *\n\n&nbsp;\n\nIn the past 48 hours, I have been hearing a lot of \"I want to see photos of the Alps!!!  Now!!!\"\n\n&nbsp;\n\nWell, I\'m not there yet, sillies.  But once I am there, I will be more than happy to post a Photo du Jour.  That means \"Photo of the Day\" for all you who speak absolutely no French.  <strong><a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/2012/01/23/playdate-3-gadget-girl-tackles-french-lessons/\" target=\"_blank\">(Please don\'t feel badly about yourself because I am not far ahead of you.) </a></strong>\n\n&nbsp;\n\nCheck back starting Sunday to see the Alpine Photo du Jour.  Romeo Mio has many storybook surprises in store for me, and I look forward to sharing them with you!\n\n&nbsp;\n\n*******************\n\n&nbsp;\n\nOh!  I almost forgot!  <strong><a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/2012/01/19/these-boots-are-made-for-walkin-in-the-french-alps/\" target=\"_blank\">For those of you who fretted about my new Ugglies getting ruined by snow,</a></strong> look what I found on sale at Nordstrom the other day?  We can all breathe a collective sigh of relief now.  I am officially prepared for ALL elements with only two pair of shoes to pack.  :-D\n\n&nbsp;\n\n&nbsp;\n\n<a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/?attachment_id=9284\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-9284\"><img class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-9284\" title=\"OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA\" src=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/P1260001-300x225.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" /></a>\n\n&nbsp;\n\n&nbsp;\n\n*******************\n\n&nbsp;\n\n*  If you are new to this blog, I need to point out that no one wanted to live vicariously through me about a year and a half ago.  I vowed to haul myself out of the Mother of All Ruts through <strong><a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/365-or-bust/\" target=\"_blank\">my 365 Day project -- The Year of Living Curiously.</a>  </strong>What a difference a year makes!\n\n&nbsp;\n\nIf you are in a place of Yuck, I hope my story provides a glimmer of promise for you.\n\n&nbsp;\n\n&nbsp;\n\n&nbsp;\n\n&nbsp;\n\n&nbsp;\n\n&nbsp;\n\n&nbsp;','Photo du Jour Begins on Sunday!','','inherit','open','open','','9266-revision-21','','','2012-01-26 20:02:09','2012-01-27 03:02:09','',9266,'http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/2012/01/26/9266-revision-21/',0,'revision','',0),(9286,1,'2012-01-26 20:00:38','2012-01-27 03:00:38','[caption id=\"attachment_9273\" align=\"alignleft\" width=\"300\" caption=\"Each morning I wake up to photos and videos from Romeo Mio. Here is a recent one.\"]<a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/?attachment_id=9273\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-9273\"><img class=\"size-medium wp-image-9273\" title=\"photo\" src=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/photo4-300x223.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"223\" /></a>[/caption]\r\n\r\nAu revoir, mes amis!  I\'m off to the French Alps!\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nEveryone keeps telling me that my life is currently like a movie.  When I say \"everyone\", I am referring to friends, family, colleagues, and saleswomen at the mall.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nWhilst in the middle of a lunchtime errand at the mall yesterday, I ran into two lovely ladies who curiously inquired about my upcoming trip.  When they heard a brief snippet of the rest of the story...\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n<em>You see, I was traveling in Tuscany this summer and fell off my bike and for my Italian cycling guide who is now my boyfriend who visited me for 10 days at Thanksgiving and now I\'m off to visit him at his picturesque village in the French Alps where he is a ski instructor in the winter....</em>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nThis is the point in the snippet where women melt and profess their unwavering belief in romance, adventure, and True Love.  I hear \"I want to live vicariously through you!\" a lot these days. *\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nIn the past 48 hours, I have been hearing a lot of \"I want to see photos of the Alps!!!  Now!!!\"\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nWell, I\'m not there yet, sillies.  But once I am there, I will be more than happy to post a Photo du Jour.  That means \"Photo of the Day\" for all you who speak absolutely no French.  <strong><a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/2012/01/23/playdate-3-gadget-girl-tackles-french-lessons/\" target=\"_blank\">(Please don\'t feel badly about yourself because I am not far ahead of you.) </a></strong>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nCheck back starting Sunday to see the Alpine Photo du Jour.  Romeo Mio has many storybook surprises in store for me, and I look forward to sharing them with you!\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n*******************\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nOh!  I almost forgot!  <strong><a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/2012/01/19/these-boots-are-made-for-walkin-in-the-french-alps/\" target=\"_blank\">For those of you who fretted about my new Ugglies getting ruined by snow,</a></strong> look what I found on sale at Nordstrom the other day?  We can all breathe a collective sigh of relief now.  I am officially prepared for ALL elements with only two pair of shoes to pack.  :-D\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n<a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/?attachment_id=9284\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-9284\"><img class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-9284\" title=\"OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA\" src=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/P1260001-300x225.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" /></a>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n*******************\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n*  If you are new to this blog, I need to point out that no one wanted to live vicariously through me about a year and a half ago.  I vowed to haul myself out of the Mother of All Ruts through <strong><a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/365-or-bust/\" target=\"_blank\">my 365 Day project -- The Year of Living Curiously.</a>  </strong>What a difference a year makes!\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nIf you are in a place of Yuck, I hope my story provides a glimmer of promise for you.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;','Photo du Jour Begins on Sunday!  (Internet permitting.)','','inherit','open','open','','9266-revision-18','','','2012-01-26 20:00:38','2012-01-27 03:00:38','',9266,'http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/2012/01/26/9266-revision-18/',0,'revision','',0),(9287,1,'2012-01-26 20:00:38','2012-01-27 03:00:38','[caption id=\"attachment_9273\" align=\"alignleft\" width=\"300\" caption=\"Each morning I wake up to photos and videos from Romeo Mio. Here is a recent one.\"]<a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/?attachment_id=9273\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-9273\"><img class=\"size-medium wp-image-9273\" title=\"photo\" src=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/photo4-300x223.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"223\" /></a>[/caption]\r\n\r\nAu revoir, mes amis!  I\'m off to the French Alps!\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nEveryone keeps telling me that my life is currently like a movie.  When I say \"everyone\", I am referring to friends, family, colleagues, and saleswomen at the mall.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nWhilst in the middle of a lunchtime errand at the mall yesterday, I ran into two lovely ladies who curiously inquired about my upcoming trip.  When they heard a brief snippet of the rest of the story...\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n<em>You see, I was traveling in Tuscany this summer and fell off my bike and for my Italian cycling guide who is now my boyfriend who visited me for 10 days at Thanksgiving and now I\'m off to visit him at his picturesque village in the French Alps where he is a ski instructor in the winter....</em>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nThis is the point in the snippet where women melt and profess their unwavering belief in romance, adventure, and True Love.  I hear \"I want to live vicariously through you!\" a lot these days. *\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nIn the past 48 hours, I have been hearing a lot of \"I want to see photos of the Alps!!!  Now!!!\"\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nWell, I\'m not there yet, sillies.  But once I am there, I will be more than happy to post a Photo du Jour.  That means \"Photo of the Day\" for all you who speak absolutely no French.  <strong><a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/2012/01/23/playdate-3-gadget-girl-tackles-french-lessons/\" target=\"_blank\">(Please don\'t feel badly about yourself because I am not far ahead of you.) </a></strong>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nCheck back starting Sunday to see the Alpine Photo du Jour.  Romeo Mio has many storybook surprises in store for me, and I look forward to sharing them with you!\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n*******************\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nOh!  I almost forgot!  <strong><a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/2012/01/19/these-boots-are-made-for-walkin-in-the-french-alps/\" target=\"_blank\">For those of you who fretted about my new Ugglies getting ruined by snow,</a></strong> look what I found on sale at Nordstrom the other day?  We can all breathe a collective sigh of relief now.  I am officially prepared for ALL elements with only two pair of shoes to pack.  :-D\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n<a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/?attachment_id=9284\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-9284\"><img class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-9284\" title=\"OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA\" src=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/P1260001-300x225.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" /></a>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n*******************\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n*  If you are new to this blog, I need to point out that no one wanted to live vicariously through me about a year and a half ago.  I vowed to haul myself out of the Mother of All Ruts through <strong><a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/365-or-bust/\" target=\"_blank\">my 365 Day project -- The Year of Living Curiously.</a>  </strong>What a difference a year makes!\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nIf you are in a place of Yuck, I hope my story provides a glimmer of promise for you.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;','Photo du Jour Begins on Sunday!  (Internet permitting.)','','inherit','open','open','','9266-revision-19','','','2012-01-26 20:00:38','2012-01-27 03:00:38','',9266,'http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/2012/01/26/9266-revision-19/',0,'revision','',0),(9288,1,'2012-01-26 20:01:05','2012-01-27 03:01:05','[caption id=\"attachment_9273\" align=\"alignleft\" width=\"300\" caption=\"Each morning I wake up to photos and videos from Romeo Mio. Here is a recent one.\"]<a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/?attachment_id=9273\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-9273\"><img class=\"size-medium wp-image-9273\" title=\"photo\" src=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/photo4-300x223.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"223\" /></a>[/caption]\r\n\r\nAu revoir, mes amis!  I\'m off to the French Alps!\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nEveryone keeps telling me that my life is currently like a movie.  When I say \"everyone\", I am referring to friends, family, colleagues, and saleswomen at the mall.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nWhilst in the middle of a lunchtime errand at the mall yesterday, I ran into two lovely ladies who curiously inquired about my upcoming trip.  When they heard a brief snippet of the rest of the story...\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n<em>You see, I was traveling in Tuscany this summer and fell off my bike and for my Italian cycling guide who is now my boyfriend who visited me for 10 days at Thanksgiving and now I\'m off to visit him at his picturesque village in the French Alps where he is a ski instructor in the winter....</em>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nThis is the point in the snippet where women melt and profess their unwavering belief in romance, adventure, and True Love.  I hear \"I want to live vicariously through you!\" a lot these days. *\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nIn the past 48 hours, I have been hearing a lot of \"I want to see photos of the Alps!!!  Now!!!\"\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nWell, I\'m not there yet, sillies.  But once I am there, I will be more than happy to post a Photo du Jour.  That means \"Photo of the Day\" for all you who speak absolutely no French.  <strong><a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/2012/01/23/playdate-3-gadget-girl-tackles-french-lessons/\" target=\"_blank\">(Please don\'t feel badly about yourself because I am not far ahead of you.) </a></strong>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nCheck back starting Sunday to see the Alpine Photo du Jour.  Romeo Mio has many storybook surprises in store for me, and I look forward to sharing them with you!\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n*******************\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nOh!  I almost forgot!  <strong><a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/2012/01/19/these-boots-are-made-for-walkin-in-the-french-alps/\" target=\"_blank\">For those of you who fretted about my new Ugglies getting ruined by snow,</a></strong> look what I found on sale at Nordstrom the other day?  We can all breathe a collective sigh of relief now.  I am officially prepared for ALL elements with only two pair of shoes to pack.  :-D\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n<a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/?attachment_id=9284\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-9284\"><img class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-9284\" title=\"OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA\" src=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/P1260001-300x225.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" /></a>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n*******************\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n*  If you are new to this blog, I need to point out that no one wanted to live vicariously through me about a year and a half ago.  I vowed to haul myself out of the Mother of All Ruts through <strong><a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/365-or-bust/\" target=\"_blank\">my 365 Day project -- The Year of Living Curiously.</a>  </strong>What a difference a year makes!\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nIf you are in a place of Yuck, I hope my story provides a glimmer of promise for you.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;','Photo du Jour Begins on Sunday!','','inherit','open','open','','9266-revision-20','','','2012-01-26 20:01:05','2012-01-27 03:01:05','',9266,'http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/2012/01/26/9266-revision-20/',0,'revision','',0),(9290,1,'2012-01-26 20:03:03','2012-01-27 03:03:03','[caption id=\"attachment_9273\" align=\"alignleft\" width=\"300\" caption=\"Each morning I wake up to photos and videos from Romeo Mio. Here is a recent one.\"]<a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/?attachment_id=9273\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-9273\"><img class=\"size-medium wp-image-9273\" title=\"photo\" src=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/photo4-300x223.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"223\" /></a>[/caption]\r\n\r\nAu revoir, mes amis!  I\'m off to the French Alps!\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nEveryone keeps telling me that my life is currently like a movie.  When I say \"everyone\", I am referring to friends, family, colleagues, and saleswomen at the mall.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nWhilst in the middle of a lunchtime errand at the mall yesterday, I ran into two lovely ladies who curiously inquired about my upcoming trip.  When they heard a brief snippet of the rest of the story...\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n<em>You see, I was traveling in Tuscany this summer and fell off my bike and for my Italian cycling guide who is now my boyfriend who visited me for 10 days at Thanksgiving and now I\'m off to visit him at his picturesque village in the French Alps where he is a ski instructor in the winter....</em>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nThis is the point in the snippet where women melt and profess their unwavering belief in romance, adventure, and True Love.  I hear \"I want to live vicariously through you!\" a lot these days. *\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nIn the past 48 hours, I have been hearing a lot of \"I want to see photos of the Alps!!!  Now!!!\"\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nWell, I\'m not there yet, sillies.  But once I am there, I will be more than happy to post a Photo du Jour.  That means \"Photo of the Day\" for all you who speak absolutely no French.  <strong><a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/2012/01/23/playdate-3-gadget-girl-tackles-french-lessons/\" target=\"_blank\">(Please don\'t feel badly about yourself because I am not far ahead of you.) </a></strong>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nCheck back starting Sunday to see the Alpine Photo du Jour.  Romeo Mio has many storybook surprises in store for me, and I look forward to sharing them with you!\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n*******************\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nOh!  I almost forgot!  <strong><a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/2012/01/19/these-boots-are-made-for-walkin-in-the-french-alps/\" target=\"_blank\">For those of you who fretted about my new Ugglies getting ruined by snow,</a></strong> look what I found on sale at Nordstrom the other day?  We can all breathe a collective sigh of relief now.  I am officially prepared for ALL elements with only two pair of shoes to pack.  :-D\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n<a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/?attachment_id=9284\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-9284\"><img class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-9284\" title=\"OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA\" src=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/P1260001-300x225.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" /></a>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n*******************\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n*  If you are new to this blog, I need to point out that no one wanted to live vicariously through me about a year and a half ago.  I vowed to haul myself out of the Mother of All Ruts through <strong><a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/365-or-bust/\" target=\"_blank\">my 365 Day project -- The Year of Living Curiously.</a>  </strong>What a difference a year makes!\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nIf you are in a place of Yuck, I hope my story provides a glimmer of promise for you.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;','Photo du Jour Begins on Sunday!','','inherit','open','open','','9266-revision-22','','','2012-01-26 20:03:03','2012-01-27 03:03:03','',9266,'http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/2012/01/26/9266-revision-22/',0,'revision','',0),(9292,1,'2012-01-26 20:04:35','2012-01-27 03:04:35','[caption id=\"attachment_9273\" align=\"alignleft\" width=\"300\" caption=\"Each morning I wake up to photos and videos from Romeo Mio. Here is a recent one.\"]<a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/?attachment_id=9273\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-9273\"><img class=\"size-medium wp-image-9273\" title=\"photo\" src=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/photo4-300x223.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"223\" /></a>[/caption]\r\n\r\nAu revoir, mes amis!  I\'m off to the French Alps!\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nEveryone keeps telling me that my life is currently like a movie.  When I say \"everyone\", I am referring to friends, family, colleagues, and saleswomen at the mall.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nWhilst in the middle of a lunchtime errand at the mall yesterday, I ran into two lovely ladies who curiously inquired about my upcoming trip.  When they heard a brief snippet of the rest of the story...\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n<em>You see, I was traveling in Tuscany this summer and fell off my bike and for my Italian cycling guide who is now my boyfriend who visited me for 10 days at Thanksgiving and now I\'m off to visit him at his picturesque village in the French Alps where he is a ski instructor in the winter....</em>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nThis is the point in the snippet where women melt and profess their unwavering belief in romance, adventure, and True Love.  I hear \"I want to live vicariously through you!\" a lot these days. *\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nIn the past 48 hours, I have been hearing a lot of \"I want to see photos of the Alps!!!  Now!!!\"\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nWell, I\'m not there yet, sillies.  But once I am there, I will be more than happy to post a Photo du Jour.  That means \"Photo of the Day\" for all you who speak absolutely no French.  <strong><a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/2012/01/23/playdate-3-gadget-girl-tackles-french-lessons/\" target=\"_blank\">(Please don\'t feel badly about yourself because I am not far ahead of you.) </a></strong>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nCheck back starting Sunday to see the Alpine Photo du Jour.  Romeo Mio has many storybook surprises in store for me, and I look forward to sharing them with you!\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n*******************\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nOh!  I almost forgot!  <strong><a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/2012/01/19/these-boots-are-made-for-walkin-in-the-french-alps/\" target=\"_blank\">For those of you who fretted about my new Ugglies getting ruined by snow,</a></strong> look what I found on sale at Nordstrom the other day?  We can all breathe a collective sigh of relief now.  I am officially prepared for ALL elements with only two pair of shoes to pack.  :-D\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n<a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/?attachment_id=9284\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-9284\"><img class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-9284\" title=\"OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA\" src=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/P1260001-300x225.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" /></a>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n*******************\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n*  If you are new to this blog, I need to point out that no one wanted to live vicariously through me about a year and a half ago.  I vowed to haul myself out of the Mother of All Ruts through <strong><a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/365-or-bust/\" target=\"_blank\">my 365 Day project -- The Year of Living Curiously.</a>  </strong>What a difference a year makes!\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nIf you are in a place of Yuck, I hope my story provides a glimmer of promise for you.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;','Photo du Jour Begins on Sunday!','','inherit','open','open','','9266-revision-24','','','2012-01-26 20:04:35','2012-01-27 03:04:35','',9266,'http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/2012/01/26/9266-revision-24/',0,'revision','',0),(9298,1,'2012-01-26 21:32:41','2012-01-27 04:32:41','[caption id=\"attachment_9273\" align=\"alignleft\" width=\"300\" caption=\"Each morning I wake up to photos and videos from Romeo Mio. Here is a recent one.\"]<a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/?attachment_id=9273\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-9273\"><img class=\"size-medium wp-image-9273\" title=\"photo\" src=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/photo4-300x223.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"223\" /></a>[/caption]\r\n\r\nAu revoir, mes amis!  I\'m off to the French Alps!\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nEveryone keeps telling me that my life is currently like a movie.  When I say \"everyone\", I am referring to friends, family, colleagues, and saleswomen at the mall.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nWhilst in the middle of a lunchtime errand at the mall today, I ran into two lovely ladies who curiously inquired about my upcoming trip.  When they heard a brief snippet of the rest of the story...\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n<em>You see, I was traveling in Tuscany this summer and fell off my bike and for my Italian cycling guide who is now my boyfriend who visited me for 10 days at Thanksgiving and now I\'m off to visit him at his picturesque village in the French Alps where he is a ski instructor in the winter....</em>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nThis is the point in the snippet where women melt and profess their unwavering belief in romance, adventure, and True Love.  I hear \"I want to live vicariously through you!\" a lot these days. *\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nIn the past 48 hours, I have been hearing a lot of \"I want to see photos of the Alps!!!  Now!!!\"\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nWell, I\'m not there yet, sillies.  But once I am there, I will be more than happy to post a Photo du Jour.  That means \"Photo of the Day\" for all you who speak absolutely no French.  <strong><a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/2012/01/23/playdate-3-gadget-girl-tackles-french-lessons/\" target=\"_blank\">(Please don\'t feel badly about yourself because I am not far ahead of you.) </a></strong>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nCheck back starting Sunday to see the Alpine Photo du Jour.  Romeo Mio has many storybook surprises in store for me, and I look forward to sharing them with you!\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n*******************\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nOh!  I almost forgot!  <strong><a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/2012/01/19/these-boots-are-made-for-walkin-in-the-french-alps/\" target=\"_blank\">For those of you who fretted about my new Ugglies getting ruined by snow,</a></strong> look what I found on sale at Nordstrom the other day!  We can all breathe a collective sigh of relief now.  I am officially prepared for ALL elements with only two pair of shoes to pack.  :-D\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n<a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/?attachment_id=9284\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-9284\"><img class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-9284\" title=\"OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA\" src=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/P1260001-300x225.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" /></a>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n*******************\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n*  If you are new to this blog, I need to point out that no one wanted to live vicariously through me about a year and a half ago.  I vowed to haul myself out of the Mother of All Ruts through <strong><a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/365-or-bust/\" target=\"_blank\">my 365 Day project -- The Year of Living Curiously.</a>  </strong>What a difference a year makes!\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nIf you are in a place of Yuck, I hope my story provides a glimmer of promise for you.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;','Photo du Jour Begins on Sunday!','','inherit','open','open','','9266-revision-29','','','2012-01-26 21:32:41','2012-01-27 04:32:41','',9266,'http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/2012/01/26/9266-revision-29/',0,'revision','',0),(9293,1,'2012-01-26 20:04:36','2012-01-27 03:04:36','[caption id=\"attachment_9273\" align=\"alignleft\" width=\"300\" caption=\"Each morning I wake up to photos and videos from Romeo Mio. Here is a recent one.\"]<a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/2012/01/27/photo-du-jour-begins-on-sunday/photo-6/\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-9273\"><img class=\"size-medium wp-image-9273\" title=\"photo\" src=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/photo4-300x223.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"223\" /></a>[/caption]\r\n\r\nAu revoir, mes amis!  I\'m off to the French Alps!\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nEveryone keeps telling me that my life is currently like a movie.  When I say \"everyone\", I am referring to friends, family, colleagues, and saleswomen at the mall.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nWhilst in the middle of a lunchtime errand at the mall yesterday, I ran into two lovely ladies who curiously inquired about my upcoming trip.  When they heard a brief snippet of the rest of the story...\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n<em>You see, I was traveling in Tuscany this summer and fell off my bike and for my Italian cycling guide who is now my boyfriend who visited me for 10 days at Thanksgiving and now I\'m off to visit him at his picturesque village in the French Alps where he is a ski instructor in the winter....</em>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nThis is the point in the snippet where women melt and profess their unwavering belief in romance, adventure, and True Love.  I hear \"I want to live vicariously through you!\" a lot these days. *\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nIn the past 48 hours, I have been hearing a lot of \"I want to see photos of the Alps!!!  Now!!!\"\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nWell, I\'m not there yet, sillies.  But once I am there, I will be more than happy to post a Photo du Jour.  That means \"Photo of the Day\" for all you who speak absolutely no French.  <strong><a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/2012/01/23/playdate-3-gadget-girl-tackles-french-lessons/\" target=\"_blank\">(Please don\'t feel badly about yourself because I am not far ahead of you.) </a></strong>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nCheck back starting Sunday to see the Alpine Photo du Jour.  Romeo Mio has many storybook surprises in store for me, and I look forward to sharing them with you!\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n*******************\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nOh!  I almost forgot!  <strong><a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/2012/01/19/these-boots-are-made-for-walkin-in-the-french-alps/\" target=\"_blank\">For those of you who fretted about my new Ugglies getting ruined by snow,</a></strong> look what I found on sale at Nordstrom the other day?  We can all breathe a collective sigh of relief now.  I am officially prepared for ALL elements with only two pair of shoes to pack.  :-D\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n<a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/2012/01/27/photo-du-jour-begins-on-sunday/olympus-digital-camera-692/\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-9284\"><img class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-9284\" title=\"OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA\" src=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/P1260001-300x225.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" /></a>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n*******************\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n*  If you are new to this blog, I need to point out that no one wanted to live vicariously through me about a year and a half ago.  I vowed to haul myself out of the Mother of All Ruts through <strong><a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/365-or-bust/\" target=\"_blank\">my 365 Day project -- The Year of Living Curiously.</a>  </strong>What a difference a year makes!\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nIf you are in a place of Yuck, I hope my story provides a glimmer of promise for you.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;','Photo du Jour Begins on Sunday!','','inherit','open','open','','9266-revision-25','','','2012-01-26 20:04:36','2012-01-27 03:04:36','',9266,'http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/2012/01/26/9266-revision-25/',0,'revision','',0),(9294,1,'2012-01-26 21:29:16','2012-01-27 04:29:16','[caption id=\"attachment_9273\" align=\"alignleft\" width=\"300\" caption=\"Each morning I wake up to photos and videos from Romeo Mio. Here is a recent one.\"]<a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/2012/01/27/photo-du-jour-begins-on-sunday/photo-6/\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-9273\"><img class=\"size-medium wp-image-9273\" title=\"photo\" src=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/photo4-300x223.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"223\" /></a>[/caption]\r\n\r\nAu revoir, mes amis!  I\'m off to the French Alps!\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nEveryone keeps telling me that my life is currently like a movie.  When I say \"everyone\", I am referring to friends, family, colleagues, and saleswomen at the mall.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nWhilst in the middle of a lunchtime errand at the mall yesterday, I ran into two lovely ladies who curiously inquired about my upcoming trip.  When they heard a brief snippet of the rest of the story...\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n<em>You see, I was traveling in Tuscany this summer and fell off my bike and for my Italian cycling guide who is now my boyfriend who visited me for 10 days at Thanksgiving and now I\'m off to visit him at his picturesque village in the French Alps where he is a ski instructor in the winter....</em>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nThis is the point in the snippet where women melt and profess their unwavering belief in romance, adventure, and True Love.  I hear \"I want to live vicariously through you!\" a lot these days. *\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nIn the past 48 hours, I have been hearing a lot of \"I want to see photos of the Alps!!!  Now!!!\"\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nWell, I\'m not there yet, sillies.  But once I am there, I will be more than happy to post a Photo du Jour.  That means \"Photo of the Day\" for all you who speak absolutely no French.  <strong><a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/2012/01/23/playdate-3-gadget-girl-tackles-french-lessons/\" target=\"_blank\">(Please don\'t feel badly about yourself because I am not far ahead of you.) </a></strong>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nCheck back starting Sunday to see the Alpine Photo du Jour.  Romeo Mio has many storybook surprises in store for me, and I look forward to sharing them with you!\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n*******************\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nOh!  I almost forgot!  <strong><a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/2012/01/19/these-boots-are-made-for-walkin-in-the-french-alps/\" target=\"_blank\">For those of you who fretted about my new Ugglies getting ruined by snow,</a></strong> look what I found on sale at Nordstrom the other day!  We can all breathe a collective sigh of relief now.  I am officially prepared for ALL elements with only two pair of shoes to pack.  :-D\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n<a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/2012/01/27/photo-du-jour-begins-on-sunday/olympus-digital-camera-692/\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-9284\"><img class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-9284\" title=\"OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA\" src=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/P1260001-300x225.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" /></a>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n*******************\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n*  If you are new to this blog, I need to point out that no one wanted to live vicariously through me about a year and a half ago.  I vowed to haul myself out of the Mother of All Ruts through <strong><a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/365-or-bust/\" target=\"_blank\">my 365 Day project -- The Year of Living Curiously.</a>  </strong>What a difference a year makes!\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nIf you are in a place of Yuck, I hope my story provides a glimmer of promise for you.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;','Photo du Jour Begins on Sunday!','','inherit','open','open','','9266-revision-26','','','2012-01-26 21:29:16','2012-01-27 04:29:16','',9266,'http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/2012/01/26/9266-revision-26/',0,'revision','',0),(9295,1,'2012-01-26 21:32:29','2012-01-27 04:32:29','[caption id=\"attachment_9273\" align=\"alignleft\" width=\"300\" caption=\"Each morning I wake up to photos and videos from Romeo Mio. Here is a recent one.\"]<a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/2012/01/27/photo-du-jour-begins-on-sunday/photo-6/\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-9273\"><img class=\"size-medium wp-image-9273\" title=\"photo\" src=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/photo4-300x223.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"223\" /></a>[/caption]\n\nAu revoir, mes amis!  I\'m off to the French Alps!\n\n&nbsp;\n\nEveryone keeps telling me that my life is currently like a movie.  When I say \"everyone\", I am referring to friends, family, colleagues, and saleswomen at the mall.\n\n&nbsp;\n\nWhilst in the middle of a lunchtime errand at the mall today, I ran into two lovely ladies who curiously inquired about my upcoming trip.  When they heard a brief snippet of the rest of the story...\n\n&nbsp;\n\n<em>You see, I was traveling in Tuscany this summer and fell off my bike and for my Italian cycling guide who is now my boyfriend who visited me for 10 days at Thanksgiving and now I\'m off to visit him at his picturesque village in the French Alps where he is a ski instructor in the winter....</em>\n\n&nbsp;\n\nThis is the point in the snippet where women melt and profess their unwavering belief in romance, adventure, and True Love.  I hear \"I want to live vicariously through you!\" a lot these days. *\n\n&nbsp;\n\nIn the past 48 hours, I have been hearing a lot of \"I want to see photos of the Alps!!!  Now!!!\"\n\n&nbsp;\n\nWell, I\'m not there yet, sillies.  But once I am there, I will be more than happy to post a Photo du Jour.  That means \"Photo of the Day\" for all you who speak absolutely no French.  <strong><a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/2012/01/23/playdate-3-gadget-girl-tackles-french-lessons/\" target=\"_blank\">(Please don\'t feel badly about yourself because I am not far ahead of you.) </a></strong>\n\n&nbsp;\n\nCheck back starting Sunday to see the Alpine Photo du Jour.  Romeo Mio has many storybook surprises in store for me, and I look forward to sharing them with you!\n\n&nbsp;\n\n*******************\n\n&nbsp;\n\nOh!  I almost forgot!  <strong><a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/2012/01/19/these-boots-are-made-for-walkin-in-the-french-alps/\" target=\"_blank\">For those of you who fretted about my new Ugglies getting ruined by snow,</a></strong> look what I found on sale at Nordstrom the other day!  We can all breathe a collective sigh of relief now.  I am officially prepared for ALL elements with only two pair of shoes to pack.  :-D\n\n&nbsp;\n\n&nbsp;\n\n<a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/2012/01/27/photo-du-jour-begins-on-sunday/olympus-digital-camera-692/\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-9284\"><img class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-9284\" title=\"OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA\" src=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/P1260001-300x225.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" /></a>\n\n&nbsp;\n\n&nbsp;\n\n*******************\n\n&nbsp;\n\n*  If you are new to this blog, I need to point out that no one wanted to live vicariously through me about a year and a half ago.  I vowed to haul myself out of the Mother of All Ruts through <strong><a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/365-or-bust/\" target=\"_blank\">my 365 Day project -- The Year of Living Curiously.</a>  </strong>What a difference a year makes!\n\n&nbsp;\n\nIf you are in a place of Yuck, I hope my story provides a glimmer of promise for you.\n\n&nbsp;','Photo du Jour Begins on Sunday!','','inherit','open','open','','9266-autosave','','','2012-01-26 21:32:29','2012-01-27 04:32:29','',9266,'http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/2012/01/26/9266-autosave/',0,'revision','',0),(9296,1,'2012-01-26 21:29:16','2012-01-27 04:29:16','[caption id=\"attachment_9273\" align=\"alignleft\" width=\"300\" caption=\"Each morning I wake up to photos and videos from Romeo Mio. Here is a recent one.\"]<a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/2012/01/27/photo-du-jour-begins-on-sunday/photo-6/\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-9273\"><img class=\"size-medium wp-image-9273\" title=\"photo\" src=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/photo4-300x223.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"223\" /></a>[/caption]\r\n\r\nAu revoir, mes amis!  I\'m off to the French Alps!\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nEveryone keeps telling me that my life is currently like a movie.  When I say \"everyone\", I am referring to friends, family, colleagues, and saleswomen at the mall.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nWhilst in the middle of a lunchtime errand at the mall yesterday, I ran into two lovely ladies who curiously inquired about my upcoming trip.  When they heard a brief snippet of the rest of the story...\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n<em>You see, I was traveling in Tuscany this summer and fell off my bike and for my Italian cycling guide who is now my boyfriend who visited me for 10 days at Thanksgiving and now I\'m off to visit him at his picturesque village in the French Alps where he is a ski instructor in the winter....</em>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nThis is the point in the snippet where women melt and profess their unwavering belief in romance, adventure, and True Love.  I hear \"I want to live vicariously through you!\" a lot these days. *\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nIn the past 48 hours, I have been hearing a lot of \"I want to see photos of the Alps!!!  Now!!!\"\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nWell, I\'m not there yet, sillies.  But once I am there, I will be more than happy to post a Photo du Jour.  That means \"Photo of the Day\" for all you who speak absolutely no French.  <strong><a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/2012/01/23/playdate-3-gadget-girl-tackles-french-lessons/\" target=\"_blank\">(Please don\'t feel badly about yourself because I am not far ahead of you.) </a></strong>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nCheck back starting Sunday to see the Alpine Photo du Jour.  Romeo Mio has many storybook surprises in store for me, and I look forward to sharing them with you!\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n*******************\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nOh!  I almost forgot!  <strong><a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/2012/01/19/these-boots-are-made-for-walkin-in-the-french-alps/\" target=\"_blank\">For those of you who fretted about my new Ugglies getting ruined by snow,</a></strong> look what I found on sale at Nordstrom the other day!  We can all breathe a collective sigh of relief now.  I am officially prepared for ALL elements with only two pair of shoes to pack.  :-D\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n<a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/2012/01/27/photo-du-jour-begins-on-sunday/olympus-digital-camera-692/\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-9284\"><img class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-9284\" title=\"OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA\" src=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/P1260001-300x225.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" /></a>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n*******************\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n*  If you are new to this blog, I need to point out that no one wanted to live vicariously through me about a year and a half ago.  I vowed to haul myself out of the Mother of All Ruts through <strong><a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/365-or-bust/\" target=\"_blank\">my 365 Day project -- The Year of Living Curiously.</a>  </strong>What a difference a year makes!\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nIf you are in a place of Yuck, I hope my story provides a glimmer of promise for you.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;','Photo du Jour Begins on Sunday!','','inherit','open','open','','9266-revision-27','','','2012-01-26 21:29:16','2012-01-27 04:29:16','',9266,'http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/2012/01/26/9266-revision-27/',0,'revision','',0),(9297,1,'2012-01-26 21:32:41','2012-01-27 04:32:41','[caption id=\"attachment_9273\" align=\"alignleft\" width=\"300\" caption=\"Each morning I wake up to photos and videos from Romeo Mio. Here is a recent one.\"]<a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/2012/01/27/photo-du-jour-begins-on-sunday/photo-6/\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-9273\"><img class=\"size-medium wp-image-9273\" title=\"photo\" src=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/photo4-300x223.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"223\" /></a>[/caption]\r\n\r\nAu revoir, mes amis!  I\'m off to the French Alps!\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nEveryone keeps telling me that my life is currently like a movie.  When I say \"everyone\", I am referring to friends, family, colleagues, and saleswomen at the mall.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nWhilst in the middle of a lunchtime errand at the mall today, I ran into two lovely ladies who curiously inquired about my upcoming trip.  When they heard a brief snippet of the rest of the story...\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n<em>You see, I was traveling in Tuscany this summer and fell off my bike and for my Italian cycling guide who is now my boyfriend who visited me for 10 days at Thanksgiving and now I\'m off to visit him at his picturesque village in the French Alps where he is a ski instructor in the winter....</em>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nThis is the point in the snippet where women melt and profess their unwavering belief in romance, adventure, and True Love.  I hear \"I want to live vicariously through you!\" a lot these days. *\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nIn the past 48 hours, I have been hearing a lot of \"I want to see photos of the Alps!!!  Now!!!\"\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nWell, I\'m not there yet, sillies.  But once I am there, I will be more than happy to post a Photo du Jour.  That means \"Photo of the Day\" for all you who speak absolutely no French.  <strong><a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/2012/01/23/playdate-3-gadget-girl-tackles-french-lessons/\" target=\"_blank\">(Please don\'t feel badly about yourself because I am not far ahead of you.) </a></strong>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nCheck back starting Sunday to see the Alpine Photo du Jour.  Romeo Mio has many storybook surprises in store for me, and I look forward to sharing them with you!\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n*******************\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nOh!  I almost forgot!  <strong><a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/2012/01/19/these-boots-are-made-for-walkin-in-the-french-alps/\" target=\"_blank\">For those of you who fretted about my new Ugglies getting ruined by snow,</a></strong> look what I found on sale at Nordstrom the other day!  We can all breathe a collective sigh of relief now.  I am officially prepared for ALL elements with only two pair of shoes to pack.  :-D\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n<a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/2012/01/27/photo-du-jour-begins-on-sunday/olympus-digital-camera-692/\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-9284\"><img class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-9284\" title=\"OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA\" src=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/P1260001-300x225.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" /></a>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n*******************\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n*  If you are new to this blog, I need to point out that no one wanted to live vicariously through me about a year and a half ago.  I vowed to haul myself out of the Mother of All Ruts through <strong><a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/365-or-bust/\" target=\"_blank\">my 365 Day project -- The Year of Living Curiously.</a>  </strong>What a difference a year makes!\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nIf you are in a place of Yuck, I hope my story provides a glimmer of promise for you.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;','Photo du Jour Begins on Sunday!','','inherit','open','open','','9266-revision-28','','','2012-01-26 21:32:41','2012-01-27 04:32:41','',9266,'http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/2012/01/26/9266-revision-28/',0,'revision','',0),(9299,1,'2012-01-26 21:34:06','2012-01-27 04:34:06','[caption id=\"attachment_9273\" align=\"alignleft\" width=\"300\" caption=\"Each morning I wake up to photos and videos from Romeo Mio. Here is a recent one.\"]<a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/?attachment_id=9273\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-9273\"><img class=\"size-medium wp-image-9273\" title=\"photo\" src=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/photo4-300x223.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"223\" /></a>[/caption]\r\n\r\nAu revoir, mes amis!  I\'m off to the French Alps!\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nEveryone keeps telling me that my life is currently like a movie.  When I say \"everyone\", I am referring to friends, family, colleagues, and saleswomen at the mall.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nWhilst in the middle of a lunchtime errand at the mall today, I ran into two lovely ladies who curiously inquired about my upcoming trip.  When they heard a brief snippet of the rest of the story...\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n<em>You see, I was traveling in Tuscany this summer and fell off my bike and for my Italian cycling guide who is now my boyfriend who visited me for 10 days at Thanksgiving and now I\'m off to visit him at his picturesque village in the French Alps where he is a ski instructor in the winter....</em>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nThis is the point in the snippet where women melt and profess their unwavering belief in romance, adventure, and True Love.  I hear \"I want to live vicariously through you!\" a lot these days. *\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nIn the past 48 hours, I have been hearing a lot of \"I want to see photos of the Alps!!!  Now!!!\"\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nWell, I\'m not there yet, sillies.  But once I am there, I will be more than happy to post a Photo du Jour.  That means \"Photo of the Day\" for all you who speak absolutely no French.  <strong><a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/2012/01/23/playdate-3-gadget-girl-tackles-french-lessons/\" target=\"_blank\">(Please don\'t feel badly about yourself because I am not far ahead of you.) </a></strong>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nCheck back starting Sunday to see the Alpine Photo du Jour.  Romeo Mio has many storybook surprises in store for me, and I look forward to sharing them with you!\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n*******************\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nOh!  I almost forgot!  <strong><a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/2012/01/19/these-boots-are-made-for-walkin-in-the-french-alps/\" target=\"_blank\">For those of you who fretted about my new Ugglies getting ruined by snow,</a></strong> look what I found on sale at Nordstrom the other day!  We can all breathe a collective sigh of relief now.  I am officially prepared for ALL elements with only two pair of shoes to pack.  :-D\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n<a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/?attachment_id=9284\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-9284\"><img class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-9284\" title=\"OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA\" src=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/P1260001-300x225.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" /></a>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n*******************\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n*  If you are new to this blog, I need to point out that no one wanted to live vicariously through me about a year and a half ago.  I vowed to haul myself out of the Mother of All Ruts through <strong><a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/365-or-bust/\" target=\"_blank\">my 365 Day project -- The Year of Living Curiously.</a>  </strong>What a difference a year makes!\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nIf you are in a place of Yuck, I hope my story provides a glimmer of promise for you.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;','Photo du Jour Begins on Sunday!','','inherit','open','open','','9266-revision-30','','','2012-01-26 21:34:06','2012-01-27 04:34:06','',9266,'http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/2012/01/26/9266-revision-30/',0,'revision','',0),(9300,1,'2012-01-26 21:34:07','2012-01-27 04:34:07','[caption id=\"attachment_9273\" align=\"alignleft\" width=\"300\" caption=\"Each morning I wake up to photos and videos from Romeo Mio. Here is a recent one.\"]<a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/2012/01/26/photo-du-jour-begins-on-sunday/photo-6/\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-9273\"><img class=\"size-medium wp-image-9273\" title=\"photo\" src=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/photo4-300x223.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"223\" /></a>[/caption]\r\n\r\nAu revoir, mes amis!  I\'m off to the French Alps!\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nEveryone keeps telling me that my life is currently like a movie.  When I say \"everyone\", I am referring to friends, family, colleagues, and saleswomen at the mall.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nWhilst in the middle of a lunchtime errand at the mall today, I ran into two lovely ladies who curiously inquired about my upcoming trip.  When they heard a brief snippet of the rest of the story...\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n<em>You see, I was traveling in Tuscany this summer and fell off my bike and for my Italian cycling guide who is now my boyfriend who visited me for 10 days at Thanksgiving and now I\'m off to visit him at his picturesque village in the French Alps where he is a ski instructor in the winter....</em>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nThis is the point in the snippet where women melt and profess their unwavering belief in romance, adventure, and True Love.  I hear \"I want to live vicariously through you!\" a lot these days. *\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nIn the past 48 hours, I have been hearing a lot of \"I want to see photos of the Alps!!!  Now!!!\"\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nWell, I\'m not there yet, sillies.  But once I am there, I will be more than happy to post a Photo du Jour.  That means \"Photo of the Day\" for all you who speak absolutely no French.  <strong><a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/2012/01/23/playdate-3-gadget-girl-tackles-french-lessons/\" target=\"_blank\">(Please don\'t feel badly about yourself because I am not far ahead of you.) </a></strong>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nCheck back starting Sunday to see the Alpine Photo du Jour.  Romeo Mio has many storybook surprises in store for me, and I look forward to sharing them with you!\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n*******************\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nOh!  I almost forgot!  <strong><a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/2012/01/19/these-boots-are-made-for-walkin-in-the-french-alps/\" target=\"_blank\">For those of you who fretted about my new Ugglies getting ruined by snow,</a></strong> look what I found on sale at Nordstrom the other day!  We can all breathe a collective sigh of relief now.  I am officially prepared for ALL elements with only two pair of shoes to pack.  :-D\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n<a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/2012/01/26/photo-du-jour-begins-on-sunday/olympus-digital-camera-692/\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-9284\"><img class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-9284\" title=\"OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA\" src=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/P1260001-300x225.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" /></a>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n*******************\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n*  If you are new to this blog, I need to point out that no one wanted to live vicariously through me about a year and a half ago.  I vowed to haul myself out of the Mother of All Ruts through <strong><a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/365-or-bust/\" target=\"_blank\">my 365 Day project -- The Year of Living Curiously.</a>  </strong>What a difference a year makes!\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nIf you are in a place of Yuck, I hope my story provides a glimmer of promise for you.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;','Photo du Jour Begins on Sunday!','','inherit','open','open','','9266-revision-31','','','2012-01-26 21:34:07','2012-01-27 04:34:07','',9266,'http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/2012/01/26/9266-revision-31/',0,'revision','',0),(9301,1,'2012-01-26 21:34:51','2012-01-27 04:34:51','[caption id=\"attachment_9273\" align=\"alignleft\" width=\"300\" caption=\"Each morning I wake up to photos and videos from Romeo Mio. Here is a recent one.\"]<a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/2012/01/26/photo-du-jour-begins-on-sunday/photo-6/\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-9273\"><img class=\"size-medium wp-image-9273\" title=\"photo\" src=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/photo4-300x223.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"223\" /></a>[/caption]\r\n\r\nAu revoir, mes amis!  I\'m off to the French Alps!\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nEveryone keeps telling me that my life is currently like a movie.  When I say \"everyone\", I am referring to friends, family, colleagues, and saleswomen at the mall.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nWhilst in the middle of a lunchtime errand at the mall today, I ran into two lovely ladies who curiously inquired about my upcoming trip.  When they heard a brief snippet of the rest of the story...\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n<em>You see, I was traveling in Tuscany this summer and fell off my bike and for my Italian cycling guide who is now my boyfriend who visited me for 10 days at Thanksgiving and now I\'m off to visit him at his picturesque village in the French Alps where he is a ski instructor in the winter....</em>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nThis is the point in the snippet where women melt and profess their unwavering belief in romance, adventure, and True Love.  I hear \"I want to live vicariously through you!\" a lot these days. *\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nIn the past 48 hours, I have been hearing a lot of \"I want to see photos of the Alps!!!  Now!!!\"\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nWell, I\'m not there yet, sillies.  But once I am there, I will be more than happy to post a Photo du Jour.  That means \"Photo of the Day\" for all you who speak absolutely no French.  <strong><a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/2012/01/23/playdate-3-gadget-girl-tackles-french-lessons/\" target=\"_blank\">(Please don\'t feel badly about yourself because I am not far ahead of you.) </a></strong>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nCheck back starting Sunday to see the Alpine Photo du Jour.  Romeo Mio has many storybook surprises in store for me, and I look forward to sharing them with you!\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n*******************\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nOh!  I almost forgot!  <strong><a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/2012/01/19/these-boots-are-made-for-walkin-in-the-french-alps/\" target=\"_blank\">For those of you who fretted about my new Ugglies getting ruined by snow,</a></strong> look what I found on sale at Nordstrom the other day!  We can all breathe a collective sigh of relief now.  I am officially prepared for ALL elements with only two pair of shoes to pack.  :-D\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n<a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/2012/01/26/photo-du-jour-begins-on-sunday/olympus-digital-camera-692/\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-9284\"><img class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-9284\" title=\"OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA\" src=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/P1260001-300x225.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" /></a>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n*******************\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n*  If you are new to this blog, I need to point out that no one wanted to live vicariously through me about a year and a half ago.  I vowed to haul myself out of the Mother of All Ruts through <strong><a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/365-or-bust/\" target=\"_blank\">my 365 Day project -- The Year of Living Curiously.</a>  </strong>What a difference a year makes!\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nIf you are in a place of Yuck, I hope my story provides a glimmer of promise for you.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;','Photo du Jour Begins on Sunday!','','inherit','open','open','','9266-revision-32','','','2012-01-26 21:34:51','2012-01-27 04:34:51','',9266,'http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/2012/01/26/9266-revision-32/',0,'revision','',0),(9302,1,'2012-01-26 21:34:51','2012-01-27 04:34:51','[caption id=\"attachment_9273\" align=\"alignleft\" width=\"300\" caption=\"Each morning I wake up to photos and videos from Romeo Mio. Here is a recent one.\"]<a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/2012/01/27/photo-du-jour-begins-on-sunday/photo-6/\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-9273\"><img class=\"size-medium wp-image-9273\" title=\"photo\" src=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/photo4-300x223.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"223\" /></a>[/caption]\r\n\r\nAu revoir, mes amis!  I\'m off to the French Alps!\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nEveryone keeps telling me that my life is currently like a movie.  When I say \"everyone\", I am referring to friends, family, colleagues, and saleswomen at the mall.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nWhilst in the middle of a lunchtime errand at the mall today, I ran into two lovely ladies who curiously inquired about my upcoming trip.  When they heard a brief snippet of the rest of the story...\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n<em>You see, I was traveling in Tuscany this summer and fell off my bike and for my Italian cycling guide who is now my boyfriend who visited me for 10 days at Thanksgiving and now I\'m off to visit him at his picturesque village in the French Alps where he is a ski instructor in the winter....</em>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nThis is the point in the snippet where women melt and profess their unwavering belief in romance, adventure, and True Love.  I hear \"I want to live vicariously through you!\" a lot these days. *\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nIn the past 48 hours, I have been hearing a lot of \"I want to see photos of the Alps!!!  Now!!!\"\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nWell, I\'m not there yet, sillies.  But once I am there, I will be more than happy to post a Photo du Jour.  That means \"Photo of the Day\" for all you who speak absolutely no French.  <strong><a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/2012/01/23/playdate-3-gadget-girl-tackles-french-lessons/\" target=\"_blank\">(Please don\'t feel badly about yourself because I am not far ahead of you.) </a></strong>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nCheck back starting Sunday to see the Alpine Photo du Jour.  Romeo Mio has many storybook surprises in store for me, and I look forward to sharing them with you!\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n*******************\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nOh!  I almost forgot!  <strong><a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/2012/01/19/these-boots-are-made-for-walkin-in-the-french-alps/\" target=\"_blank\">For those of you who fretted about my new Ugglies getting ruined by snow,</a></strong> look what I found on sale at Nordstrom the other day!  We can all breathe a collective sigh of relief now.  I am officially prepared for ALL elements with only two pair of shoes to pack.  :-D\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n<a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/2012/01/27/photo-du-jour-begins-on-sunday/olympus-digital-camera-692/\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-9284\"><img class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-9284\" title=\"OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA\" src=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/P1260001-300x225.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" /></a>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n*******************\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n*  If you are new to this blog, I need to point out that no one wanted to live vicariously through me about a year and a half ago.  I vowed to haul myself out of the Mother of All Ruts through <strong><a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/365-or-bust/\" target=\"_blank\">my 365 Day project -- The Year of Living Curiously.</a>  </strong>What a difference a year makes!\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nIf you are in a place of Yuck, I hope my story provides a glimmer of promise for you.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;','Photo du Jour Begins on Sunday!','','inherit','open','open','','9266-revision-33','','','2012-01-26 21:34:51','2012-01-27 04:34:51','',9266,'http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/2012/01/26/9266-revision-33/',0,'revision','',0),(9303,1,'2012-01-26 21:35:05','2012-01-27 04:35:05','[caption id=\"attachment_9273\" align=\"alignleft\" width=\"300\" caption=\"Each morning I wake up to photos and videos from Romeo Mio. Here is a recent one.\"]<a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/2012/01/27/photo-du-jour-begins-on-sunday/photo-6/\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-9273\"><img class=\"size-medium wp-image-9273\" title=\"photo\" src=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/photo4-300x223.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"223\" /></a>[/caption]\r\n\r\nAu revoir, mes amis!  I\'m off to the French Alps!\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nEveryone keeps telling me that my life is currently like a movie.  When I say \"everyone\", I am referring to friends, family, colleagues, and saleswomen at the mall.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nWhilst in the middle of a lunchtime errand at the mall yesterday, I ran into two lovely ladies who curiously inquired about my upcoming trip.  When they heard a brief snippet of the rest of the story...\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n<em>You see, I was traveling in Tuscany this summer and fell off my bike and for my Italian cycling guide who is now my boyfriend who visited me for 10 days at Thanksgiving and now I\'m off to visit him at his picturesque village in the French Alps where he is a ski instructor in the winter....</em>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nThis is the point in the snippet where women melt and profess their unwavering belief in romance, adventure, and True Love.  I hear \"I want to live vicariously through you!\" a lot these days. *\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nIn the past 48 hours, I have been hearing a lot of \"I want to see photos of the Alps!!!  Now!!!\"\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nWell, I\'m not there yet, sillies.  But once I am there, I will be more than happy to post a Photo du Jour.  That means \"Photo of the Day\" for all you who speak absolutely no French.  <strong><a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/2012/01/23/playdate-3-gadget-girl-tackles-french-lessons/\" target=\"_blank\">(Please don\'t feel badly about yourself because I am not far ahead of you.) </a></strong>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nCheck back starting Sunday to see the Alpine Photo du Jour.  Romeo Mio has many storybook surprises in store for me, and I look forward to sharing them with you!\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n*******************\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nOh!  I almost forgot!  <strong><a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/2012/01/19/these-boots-are-made-for-walkin-in-the-french-alps/\" target=\"_blank\">For those of you who fretted about my new Ugglies getting ruined by snow,</a></strong> look what I found on sale at Nordstrom the other day!  We can all breathe a collective sigh of relief now.  I am officially prepared for ALL elements with only two pair of shoes to pack.  :-D\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n<a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/2012/01/27/photo-du-jour-begins-on-sunday/olympus-digital-camera-692/\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-9284\"><img class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-9284\" title=\"OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA\" src=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/P1260001-300x225.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" /></a>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n*******************\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n*  If you are new to this blog, I need to point out that no one wanted to live vicariously through me about a year and a half ago.  I vowed to haul myself out of the Mother of All Ruts through <strong><a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/365-or-bust/\" target=\"_blank\">my 365 Day project -- The Year of Living Curiously.</a>  </strong>What a difference a year makes!\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nIf you are in a place of Yuck, I hope my story provides a glimmer of promise for you.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;','Photo du Jour Begins on Sunday!','','inherit','open','open','','9266-revision-34','','','2012-01-26 21:35:05','2012-01-27 04:35:05','',9266,'http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/2012/01/26/9266-revision-34/',0,'revision','',0),(9304,1,'2012-01-29 18:26:26','2012-01-29 17:26:26','<a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/2012/01/29/photo-du-jour-annecy-by-night/p1010045/\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-9305\"><img class=\"alignnone  wp-image-9305\" title=\"P1010045\" src=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/P1010045-1024x683.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"425\" height=\"325\" /></a>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n<strong><a href=\"http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Palais_de_l%27Isle\" target=\"_blank\">Palaise de l\'Isle in Annecy, France.  </a></strong>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nBon jour, peeps!  <strong><a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/2012/01/27/photo-du-jour-begins-on-sunday/\" target=\"_blank\">As promised, today begins my Photo du Jour.</a></strong>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nPlein de bisous de la belle France!\r\n\r\n&nbsp;','Photo du Jour:  Annecy By Night','','publish','open','open','','photo-du-jour-annecy-by-night','','\nhttp://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/2012/01/27/photo-du-jour-begins-on-sunday/','2012-01-29 18:31:04','2012-01-29 17:31:04','',0,'http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/?p=9304',0,'post','',7),(9305,1,'2012-01-29 09:47:18','2012-01-29 16:47:18','','P1010045','','inherit','open','open','','p1010045','','','2012-01-29 09:47:18','2012-01-29 16:47:18','',9304,'http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/P1010045.jpg',0,'attachment','image/jpeg',0),(9306,1,'2012-01-29 09:40:53','2012-01-29 16:40:53','','Photo du Jour:  Annecy By Night','','inherit','open','open','','9304-revision','','','2012-01-29 09:40:53','2012-01-29 16:40:53','',9304,'http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/2012/01/29/9304-revision/',0,'revision','',0),(9307,1,'2012-01-29 09:48:23','2012-01-29 16:48:23','<a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/?attachment_id=9305\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-9305\"><img class=\"alignnone size-large wp-image-9305\" title=\"P1010045\" src=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/P1010045-1024x683.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1024\" height=\"683\" /></a>','Photo du Jour:  Annecy By Night','','inherit','open','open','','9304-revision-2','','','2012-01-29 09:48:23','2012-01-29 16:48:23','',9304,'http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/2012/01/29/9304-revision-2/',0,'revision','',0),(9308,1,'2012-01-29 09:51:23','2012-01-29 16:51:23','<a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/?attachment_id=9305\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-9305\"><img class=\"alignnone size-large wp-image-9305\" title=\"P1010045\" src=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/P1010045-1024x683.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1024\" height=\"683\" /></a>','Photo du Jour:  Annecy By Night','','inherit','open','open','','9304-revision-3','','','2012-01-29 09:51:23','2012-01-29 16:51:23','',9304,'http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/2012/01/29/9304-revision-3/',0,'revision','',0),(9309,1,'2012-01-29 09:52:57','2012-01-29 16:52:57','<a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/?attachment_id=9305\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-9305\"><img class=\"alignnone  wp-image-9305\" title=\"P1010045\" src=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/P1010045-1024x683.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" /></a>','Photo du Jour:  Annecy By Night','','inherit','open','open','','9304-revision-4','','','2012-01-29 09:52:57','2012-01-29 16:52:57','',9304,'http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/2012/01/29/9304-revision-4/',0,'revision','',0),(9310,1,'2012-01-29 09:52:57','2012-01-29 16:52:57','<a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/?attachment_id=9305\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-9305\"><img class=\"alignnone  wp-image-9305\" title=\"P1010045\" src=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/P1010045-1024x683.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" /></a>','Photo du Jour:  Annecy By Night','','inherit','open','open','','9304-revision-5','','','2012-01-29 09:52:57','2012-01-29 16:52:57','',9304,'http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/2012/01/29/9304-revision-5/',0,'revision','',0),(9311,1,'2012-01-29 09:52:58','2012-01-29 16:52:58','<a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/?attachment_id=9305\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-9305\"><img class=\"alignnone  wp-image-9305\" title=\"P1010045\" src=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/P1010045-1024x683.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" /></a>','Photo du Jour:  Annecy By Night','','inherit','open','open','','9304-revision-6','','','2012-01-29 09:52:58','2012-01-29 16:52:58','',9304,'http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/2012/01/29/9304-revision-6/',0,'revision','',0),(9312,1,'2012-01-29 09:54:01','2012-01-29 16:54:01','<a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/?attachment_id=9305\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-9305\"><img class=\"alignnone  wp-image-9305\" title=\"P1010045\" src=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/P1010045-1024x683.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" /></a>','Photo du Jour:  Annecy By Night','','inherit','open','open','','9304-revision-7','','','2012-01-29 09:54:01','2012-01-29 16:54:01','',9304,'http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/2012/01/29/9304-revision-7/',0,'revision','',0),(9313,1,'2012-01-29 09:55:45','2012-01-29 16:55:45','<a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/?attachment_id=9305\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-9305\"><img class=\"alignnone  wp-image-9305\" title=\"P1010045\" src=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/P1010045-1024x683.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"400\" height=\"325\" /></a>','Photo du Jour:  Annecy By Night','','inherit','open','open','','9304-revision-8','','','2012-01-29 09:55:45','2012-01-29 16:55:45','',9304,'http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/2012/01/29/9304-revision-8/',0,'revision','',0),(9314,1,'2012-01-29 09:55:45','2012-01-29 16:55:45','<a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/?attachment_id=9305\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-9305\"><img class=\"alignnone  wp-image-9305\" title=\"P1010045\" src=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/P1010045-1024x683.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"400\" height=\"325\" /></a>','Photo du Jour:  Annecy By Night','','inherit','open','open','','9304-revision-9','','','2012-01-29 09:55:45','2012-01-29 16:55:45','',9304,'http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/2012/01/29/9304-revision-9/',0,'revision','',0),(9315,1,'2012-01-29 09:55:52','2012-01-29 16:55:52','<a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/?attachment_id=9305\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-9305\"><img class=\"alignnone  wp-image-9305\" title=\"P1010045\" src=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/P1010045-1024x683.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"400\" height=\"325\" /></a>','Photo du Jour:  Annecy By Night','','inherit','open','open','','9304-revision-10','','','2012-01-29 09:55:52','2012-01-29 16:55:52','',9304,'http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/2012/01/29/9304-revision-10/',0,'revision','',0),(9316,1,'2012-01-29 09:55:52','2012-01-29 16:55:52','<a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/?attachment_id=9305\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-9305\"><img class=\"alignnone  wp-image-9305\" title=\"P1010045\" src=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/P1010045-1024x683.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"400\" height=\"325\" /></a>','Photo du Jour:  Annecy By Night','','inherit','open','open','','9304-revision-11','','','2012-01-29 09:55:52','2012-01-29 16:55:52','',9304,'http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/2012/01/29/9304-revision-11/',0,'revision','',0),(9317,1,'2012-01-29 10:12:43','2012-01-29 17:12:43','<a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/?attachment_id=9305\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-9305\"><img class=\"alignnone  wp-image-9305\" title=\"P1010045\" src=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/P1010045-1024x683.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"325\" height=\"225\" /></a>','Photo du Jour:  Annecy By Night','','inherit','open','open','','9304-revision-12','','','2012-01-29 10:12:43','2012-01-29 17:12:43','',9304,'http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/2012/01/29/9304-revision-12/',0,'revision','',0),(9318,1,'2012-01-29 10:22:49','2012-01-29 17:22:49','<a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/?attachment_id=9305\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-9305\"><img class=\"alignnone  wp-image-9305\" title=\"P1010045\" src=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/P1010045-1024x683.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"325\" height=\"225\" /></a>\n\n&nbsp;\n\n<strong><a href=\"http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Palais_de_l%27Isle\" target=\"_blank\">Palaise de l\'Isle in Annecy, France.  </a></strong>\n\n&nbsp;\n\nBon jour, peeps!  <strong>As promised, today begins my Photo du Jour.</strong> Plein de bisous de la belle France!','Photo du Jour:  Annecy By Night','','inherit','open','open','','9304-revision-13','','','2012-01-29 10:22:49','2012-01-29 17:22:49','',9304,'http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/2012/01/29/9304-revision-13/',0,'revision','',0),(9319,1,'2012-01-29 10:22:57','2012-01-29 17:22:57','<a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/?attachment_id=9305\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-9305\"><img class=\"alignnone  wp-image-9305\" title=\"P1010045\" src=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/P1010045-1024x683.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"325\" height=\"225\" /></a>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n<strong><a href=\"http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Palais_de_l%27Isle\" target=\"_blank\">Palaise de l\'Isle in Annecy, France.  </a></strong>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nBon jour, peeps!  <strong><a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/2012/01/27/photo-du-jour-begins-on-sunday/\" target=\"_blank\">As promised, today begins my Photo du Jour.</a></strong> Plein de bisous de la belle France!','Photo du Jour:  Annecy By Night','','inherit','open','open','','9304-revision-14','','','2012-01-29 10:22:57','2012-01-29 17:22:57','',9304,'http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/2012/01/29/9304-revision-14/',0,'revision','',0),(9320,1,'2012-01-29 10:22:57','2012-01-29 17:22:57','<a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/?attachment_id=9305\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-9305\"><img class=\"alignnone  wp-image-9305\" title=\"P1010045\" src=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/P1010045-1024x683.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"325\" height=\"225\" /></a>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n<strong><a href=\"http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Palais_de_l%27Isle\" target=\"_blank\">Palaise de l\'Isle in Annecy, France.  </a></strong>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nBon jour, peeps!  <strong><a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/2012/01/27/photo-du-jour-begins-on-sunday/\" target=\"_blank\">As promised, today begins my Photo du Jour.</a></strong> Plein de bisous de la belle France!','Photo du Jour:  Annecy By Night','','inherit','open','open','','9304-revision-15','','','2012-01-29 10:22:57','2012-01-29 17:22:57','',9304,'http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/2012/01/29/9304-revision-15/',0,'revision','',0),(9322,1,'2012-01-29 10:23:49','2012-01-29 17:23:49','<a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/?attachment_id=9305\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-9305\"><img class=\"alignnone  wp-image-9305\" title=\"P1010045\" src=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/P1010045-1024x683.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"325\" height=\"225\" /></a>\n\n&nbsp;\n\n<strong><a href=\"http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Palais_de_l%27Isle\" target=\"_blank\">Palaise de l\'Isle in Annecy, France.  </a></strong>\n\n&nbsp;\n\nBon jour, peeps!  <strong><a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/2012/01/27/photo-du-jour-begins-on-sunday/\" target=\"_blank\">As promised, today begins my Photo du Jour.</a></strong>\n\n&nbsp;\n\nPlein de bisous de la belle France!','Photo du Jour:  Annecy By Night','','inherit','open','open','','9304-revision-17','','','2012-01-29 10:23:49','2012-01-29 17:23:49','',9304,'http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/2012/01/29/9304-revision-17/',0,'revision','',0),(9321,1,'2012-01-29 10:23:20','2012-01-29 17:23:20','<a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/?attachment_id=9305\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-9305\"><img class=\"alignnone  wp-image-9305\" title=\"P1010045\" src=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/P1010045-1024x683.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"325\" height=\"225\" /></a>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n<strong><a href=\"http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Palais_de_l%27Isle\" target=\"_blank\">Palaise de l\'Isle in Annecy, France.  </a></strong>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nBon jour, peeps!  <strong><a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/2012/01/27/photo-du-jour-begins-on-sunday/\" target=\"_blank\">As promised, today begins my Photo du Jour.</a></strong>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nPlein de bisous de la belle France!','Photo du Jour:  Annecy By Night','','inherit','open','open','','9304-revision-16','','','2012-01-29 10:23:20','2012-01-29 17:23:20','',9304,'http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/2012/01/29/9304-revision-16/',0,'revision','',0),(9323,1,'2012-01-29 18:26:26','2012-01-29 17:26:26','<a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/?attachment_id=9305\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-9305\"><img class=\"alignnone  wp-image-9305\" title=\"P1010045\" src=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/P1010045-1024x683.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"325\" height=\"225\" /></a>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n<strong><a href=\"http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Palais_de_l%27Isle\" target=\"_blank\">Palaise de l\'Isle in Annecy, France.  </a></strong>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nBon jour, peeps!  <strong><a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/2012/01/27/photo-du-jour-begins-on-sunday/\" target=\"_blank\">As promised, today begins my Photo du Jour.</a></strong>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nPlein de bisous de la belle France!','Photo du Jour:  Annecy By Night','','inherit','open','open','','9304-revision-18','','','2012-01-29 18:26:26','2012-01-29 17:26:26','',9304,'http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/2012/01/29/9304-revision-18/',0,'revision','',0),(9324,1,'2012-01-29 18:26:26','2012-01-29 17:26:26','<a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/2012/01/29/photo-du-jour-annecy-by-night/p1010045/\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-9305\"><img class=\"alignnone  wp-image-9305\" title=\"P1010045\" src=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/P1010045-1024x683.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"325\" height=\"225\" /></a>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n<strong><a href=\"http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Palais_de_l%27Isle\" target=\"_blank\">Palaise de l\'Isle in Annecy, France.  </a></strong>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nBon jour, peeps!  <strong><a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/2012/01/27/photo-du-jour-begins-on-sunday/\" target=\"_blank\">As promised, today begins my Photo du Jour.</a></strong>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nPlein de bisous de la belle France!','Photo du Jour:  Annecy By Night','','inherit','open','open','','9304-revision-19','','','2012-01-29 18:26:26','2012-01-29 17:26:26','',9304,'http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/2012/01/29/9304-revision-19/',0,'revision','',0),(9325,1,'2012-01-29 18:27:07','2012-01-29 17:27:07','<a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/2012/01/29/photo-du-jour-annecy-by-night/p1010045/\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-9305\"><img class=\"alignnone  wp-image-9305\" title=\"P1010045\" src=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/P1010045-1024x683.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"325\" height=\"225\" /></a>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n<strong><a href=\"http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Palais_de_l%27Isle\" target=\"_blank\">Palaise de l\'Isle in Annecy, France.  </a></strong>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nBon jour, peeps!  <strong><a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/2012/01/27/photo-du-jour-begins-on-sunday/\" target=\"_blank\">As promised, today begins my Photo du Jour.</a></strong>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nPlein de bisous de la belle France!\r\n\r\n&nbsp;','Photo du Jour:  Annecy By Night','','inherit','open','open','','9304-revision-20','','','2012-01-29 18:27:07','2012-01-29 17:27:07','',9304,'http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/2012/01/29/9304-revision-20/',0,'revision','',0),(9326,1,'2012-01-29 18:27:07','2012-01-29 17:27:07','<a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/2012/01/29/photo-du-jour-annecy-by-night/p1010045/\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-9305\"><img class=\"alignnone  wp-image-9305\" title=\"P1010045\" src=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/P1010045-1024x683.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"325\" height=\"225\" /></a>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n<strong><a href=\"http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Palais_de_l%27Isle\" target=\"_blank\">Palaise de l\'Isle in Annecy, France.  </a></strong>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nBon jour, peeps!  <strong><a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/2012/01/27/photo-du-jour-begins-on-sunday/\" target=\"_blank\">As promised, today begins my Photo du Jour.</a></strong>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nPlein de bisous de la belle France!\r\n\r\n&nbsp;','Photo du Jour:  Annecy By Night','','inherit','open','open','','9304-revision-21','','','2012-01-29 18:27:07','2012-01-29 17:27:07','',9304,'http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/2012/01/29/9304-revision-21/',0,'revision','',0),(9327,1,'2012-01-29 18:31:04','2012-01-29 17:31:04','<a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/2012/01/29/photo-du-jour-annecy-by-night/p1010045/\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-9305\"><img class=\"alignnone  wp-image-9305\" title=\"P1010045\" src=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/P1010045-1024x683.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"425\" height=\"325\" /></a>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n<strong><a href=\"http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Palais_de_l%27Isle\" target=\"_blank\">Palaise de l\'Isle in Annecy, France.  </a></strong>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nBon jour, peeps!  <strong><a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/2012/01/27/photo-du-jour-begins-on-sunday/\" target=\"_blank\">As promised, today begins my Photo du Jour.</a></strong>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nPlein de bisous de la belle France!\r\n\r\n&nbsp;','Photo du Jour:  Annecy By Night','','inherit','open','open','','9304-revision-22','','','2012-01-29 18:31:04','2012-01-29 17:31:04','',9304,'http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/2012/01/29/9304-revision-22/',0,'revision','',0),(9328,1,'2012-01-30 09:11:35','2012-01-30 08:11:35','<a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/2012/01/30/photo-du-jour-medieval-castle/p1010095-2/\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-9338\"><img class=\"alignnone  wp-image-9338\" title=\"P1010095\" src=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/P10100951-1024x683.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"425\" height=\"325\" /></a>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n<strong><a href=\"http://www.google.com/translate?u=http%3A%2F%2Fchateau.over-blog.net%2Farticle-5685840.html&amp;langpair=fr%7Cen&amp;hl=fr&amp;ie=UTF8\">Château de Chantemerle, La Bâthie, France</a></strong>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;','Photo du Jour:  Medieval Castle','','publish','open','open','','photo-du-jour-medieval-castle','','','2012-01-29 19:15:43','2012-01-29 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wp-att-9354\"><img class=\"alignnone size-large wp-image-9354\" title=\"P1010107\" src=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/P1010107-683x1024.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"683\" height=\"1024\" /></a>','Photo du Jour:  I Saw the Sign ','','inherit','open','open','','9353-revision-6','','','2012-01-30 18:46:07','2012-01-30 17:46:07','',9353,'http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/2012/01/30/9353-revision-6/',0,'revision','',0),(9361,1,'2012-01-30 18:46:07','2012-01-30 17:46:07','<a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/?attachment_id=9354\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-9354\"><img class=\"alignnone size-large wp-image-9354\" title=\"P1010107\" src=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/P1010107-683x1024.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"683\" height=\"1024\" /></a>','Photo du Jour:  I Saw the Sign ','','inherit','open','open','','9353-revision-7','','','2012-01-30 18:46:07','2012-01-30 17:46:07','',9353,'http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/2012/01/30/9353-revision-7/',0,'revision','',0),(9362,1,'2012-01-30 18:47:07','2012-01-30 17:47:07','<a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/?attachment_id=9354\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-9354\"><img class=\"alignnone  wp-image-9354\" title=\"P1010107\" src=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/P1010107-683x1024.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"625\" height=\"525\" /></a>','Photo du Jour:  I Saw the Sign ','','inherit','open','open','','9353-revision-8','','','2012-01-30 18:47:07','2012-01-30 17:47:07','',9353,'http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/2012/01/30/9353-revision-8/',0,'revision','',0),(9363,1,'2012-01-30 18:47:07','2012-01-30 17:47:07','<a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/?attachment_id=9354\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-9354\"><img class=\"alignnone  wp-image-9354\" title=\"P1010107\" src=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/P1010107-683x1024.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"625\" height=\"525\" /></a>','Photo du Jour:  I Saw the Sign ','','inherit','open','open','','9353-revision-9','','','2012-01-30 18:47:07','2012-01-30 17:47:07','',9353,'http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/2012/01/30/9353-revision-9/',0,'revision','',0),(9364,1,'2012-01-30 18:47:47','2012-01-30 17:47:47','<a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/?attachment_id=9354\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-9354\"><img class=\"alignnone  wp-image-9354\" title=\"P1010107\" src=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/P1010107-683x1024.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"525\" height=\"625\" /></a>','Photo du Jour:  I Saw the Sign ','','inherit','open','open','','9353-revision-10','','','2012-01-30 18:47:47','2012-01-30 17:47:47','',9353,'http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/2012/01/30/9353-revision-10/',0,'revision','',0),(9365,1,'2012-01-30 18:48:51','2012-01-30 17:48:51','<a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/?attachment_id=9354\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-9354\"><img class=\"alignnone  wp-image-9354\" title=\"P1010107\" src=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/P1010107-683x1024.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"525\" height=\"625\" /></a>\n\n&nbsp;\n\nBut I didn\'t see the light.  You can calm down, mother!','Photo du Jour:  I Saw the Sign ','','inherit','open','open','','9353-revision-11','','','2012-01-30 18:48:51','2012-01-30 17:48:51','',9353,'http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/2012/01/30/9353-revision-11/',0,'revision','',0),(9366,1,'2012-01-30 18:49:47','2012-01-30 17:49:47','<a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/?attachment_id=9354\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-9354\"><img class=\"alignnone  wp-image-9354\" title=\"P1010107\" src=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/P1010107-683x1024.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"525\" height=\"625\" /></a>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n. . . But I didn\'t see the light.  You can calm down, mother!','Photo du Jour:  I Saw the Sign . . . ','','inherit','open','open','','9353-revision-12','','','2012-01-30 18:49:47','2012-01-30 17:49:47','',9353,'http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/2012/01/30/9353-revision-12/',0,'revision','',0),(9367,1,'2012-01-30 18:49:47','2012-01-30 17:49:47','<a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/?attachment_id=9354\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-9354\"><img class=\"alignnone  wp-image-9354\" title=\"P1010107\" src=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/P1010107-683x1024.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"525\" height=\"625\" /></a>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n. . . But I didn\'t see the light.  You can calm down, mother!','Photo du Jour:  I Saw the Sign . . . ','','inherit','open','open','','9353-revision-13','','','2012-01-30 18:49:47','2012-01-30 17:49:47','',9353,'http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/2012/01/30/9353-revision-13/',0,'revision','',0),(9368,1,'2012-01-30 18:50:09','2012-01-30 17:50:09','<a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/?attachment_id=9354\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-9354\"><img class=\"alignnone  wp-image-9354\" title=\"P1010107\" src=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/P1010107-683x1024.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"525\" height=\"625\" /></a>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n. . . But I didn\'t see the light.  You can calm down, mother!','Photo du Jour:  I Saw the Sign . . . ','','inherit','open','open','','9353-revision-14','','','2012-01-30 18:50:09','2012-01-30 17:50:09','',9353,'http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/2012/01/30/9353-revision-14/',0,'revision','',0),(9369,1,'2012-01-30 18:51:13','2012-01-30 17:51:13','<a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/?attachment_id=9354\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-9354\"><img class=\"alignnone  wp-image-9354\" title=\"P1010107\" src=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/P1010107-683x1024.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"525\" height=\"625\" /></a>\n\n&nbsp;\n\n. . . But I didn\'t see the light.  You can calm down, mother!','Photo du Jour:  I Saw the Sign . . . ','','inherit','open','open','','9353-revision-15','','','2012-01-30 18:51:13','2012-01-30 17:51:13','',9353,'http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/2012/01/30/9353-revision-15/',0,'revision','',0),(9370,1,'2012-01-30 18:52:10','2012-01-30 17:52:10','<a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/?attachment_id=9354\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-9354\"><img class=\"alignnone  wp-image-9354\" title=\"P1010107\" src=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/P1010107-683x1024.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"525\" height=\"625\" /></a>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n. . . But I didn\'t see the light.  You can calm down, mother!','Photo du Jour:  I Saw the Sign . . . ','','inherit','open','open','','9353-revision-16','','','2012-01-30 18:52:10','2012-01-30 17:52:10','',9353,'http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/2012/01/30/9353-revision-16/',0,'revision','',0),(9371,1,'2012-01-30 18:52:10','2012-01-30 17:52:10','<a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/2012/01/31/photo-du-jour-i-saw-the-sign/p1010107/\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-9354\"><img class=\"alignnone  wp-image-9354\" title=\"P1010107\" src=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/P1010107-683x1024.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"525\" height=\"625\" /></a>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n. . . But I didn\'t see the light.  You can calm down, mother!','Photo du Jour:  I Saw the Sign . . . ','','inherit','open','open','','9353-revision-17','','','2012-01-30 18:52:10','2012-01-30 17:52:10','',9353,'http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/2012/01/30/9353-revision-17/',0,'revision','',0),(9372,1,'2012-01-30 18:52:28','2012-01-30 17:52:28','<a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/2012/01/31/photo-du-jour-i-saw-the-sign/p1010107/\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-9354\"><img class=\"alignnone  wp-image-9354\" title=\"P1010107\" src=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/P1010107-683x1024.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"525\" height=\"625\" /></a>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n. . . But I didn\'t see the light.  You can calm down, mother!','Photo du Jour:  I Saw the Sign . . . ','','inherit','open','open','','9353-revision-18','','','2012-01-30 18:52:28','2012-01-30 17:52:28','',9353,'http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/2012/01/30/9353-revision-18/',0,'revision','',0),(9373,1,'2012-01-30 18:52:28','2012-01-30 17:52:28','<a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/2012/01/31/photo-du-jour-i-saw-the-sign/p1010107/\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-9354\"><img class=\"alignnone  wp-image-9354\" title=\"P1010107\" src=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/P1010107-683x1024.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"525\" height=\"625\" /></a>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n. . . But I didn\'t see the light.  You can calm down, mother!','Photo du Jour:  I Saw the Sign . . . ','','inherit','open','open','','9353-revision-19','','','2012-01-30 18:52:28','2012-01-30 17:52:28','',9353,'http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/2012/01/30/9353-revision-19/',0,'revision','',0),(9405,1,'2012-01-30 19:12:15','2012-01-30 18:12:15','&nbsp;\r\n\r\n<a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/2012/01/31/photo-du-jour-i-saw-the-sign/p1010107/\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-9354\"><img class=\"alignnone  wp-image-9354\" title=\"P1010107\" src=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/P1010107.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"544\" height=\"816\" /></a>\r\n\r\n. . . But I didn\'t see the light.  You can calm down, mother!\r\n\r\n&nbsp;','Photo du Jour:  I Saw the Sign . . .','','inherit','open','open','','9353-revision-30','','','2012-01-30 19:12:15','2012-01-30 18:12:15','',9353,'http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/2012/01/30/9353-revision-30/',0,'revision','',0),(9374,1,'2012-01-30 18:53:22','2012-01-30 17:53:22','<a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/2012/01/31/photo-du-jour-i-saw-the-sign/p1010107/\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-9354\"><img class=\"alignnone  wp-image-9354\" title=\"P1010107\" src=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/P1010107-683x1024.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"525\" height=\"625\" /></a>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n. . . But I didn\'t see the light.  You can calm down, mother!\r\n\r\n&nbsp;','Photo du Jour:  I Saw the Sign . . . ','','inherit','open','open','','9353-revision-20','','','2012-01-30 18:53:22','2012-01-30 17:53:22','',9353,'http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/2012/01/30/9353-revision-20/',0,'revision','',0),(9375,1,'2012-02-01 09:11:55','2012-02-01 08:11:55','<a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/2012/02/01/photo-du-jour-the-clock-tower-of-st-jean-de-belleville/p1000648-version-2/\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-9376\"><img class=\"alignnone  wp-image-9376\" title=\"P1000648 - Version 2\" src=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/P1000648-Version-2-782x1024.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"328\" height=\"430\" /></a>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n. . . aka Romeo Mio\'s village.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nThe bells toll on the hour and make my heart smile.  Just another example of storybook life here in the French Alps.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;','Photo du Jour:  The Clock Tower of St. Jean de Belleville . . .','','publish','open','open','','photo-du-jour-the-clock-tower-of-st-jean-de-belleville','','','2012-01-30 19:08:32','2012-01-30 18:08:32','',0,'http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/?p=9375',0,'post','',4),(9376,1,'2012-01-30 19:00:00','2012-01-30 18:00:00','','P1000648 - Version 2','','inherit','open','open','','p1000648-version-2','','','2012-01-30 19:00:00','2012-01-30 18:00:00','',9375,'http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/P1000648-Version-2.jpeg',0,'attachment','image/jpeg',0),(9377,1,'2012-01-30 19:00:37','2012-01-30 18:00:37','<a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/?attachment_id=9376\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-9376\"><img class=\"alignnone size-large wp-image-9376\" title=\"P1000648 - Version 2\" src=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/P1000648-Version-2-782x1024.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"782\" height=\"1024\" /></a>\n\n&nbsp;\n\n. . . aka Romeo Mio\'s village.','Photo du Jour:  The Clock Tower of St. Jean de Belleville . . . ','','inherit','open','open','','9375-revision','','','2012-01-30 19:00:37','2012-01-30 18:00:37','',9375,'http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/2012/01/30/9375-revision/',0,'revision','',0),(9384,1,'2012-01-30 19:01:56','2012-01-30 18:01:56','<a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/?attachment_id=9376\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-9376\"><img class=\"alignnone  wp-image-9376\" title=\"P1000648 - Version 2\" src=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/P1000648-Version-2-782x1024.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"547\" height=\"717\" /></a>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n. . . aka Romeo Mio\'s village.','Photo du Jour:  The Clock Tower of St. Jean de Belleville . . . ','','inherit','open','open','','9375-revision-8','','','2012-01-30 19:01:56','2012-01-30 18:01:56','',9375,'http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/2012/01/30/9375-revision-8/',0,'revision','',0),(9378,1,'2012-01-30 19:00:42','2012-01-30 18:00:42','<a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/?attachment_id=9376\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-9376\"><img class=\"alignnone size-large wp-image-9376\" title=\"P1000648 - Version 2\" src=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/P1000648-Version-2-782x1024.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"782\" height=\"1024\" /></a>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n. . . aka Romeo Mio\'s village.','Photo du Jour:  The Clock Tower of St. Jean de Belleville . . . ','','inherit','open','open','','9375-revision-2','','','2012-01-30 19:00:42','2012-01-30 18:00:42','',9375,'http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/2012/01/30/9375-revision-2/',0,'revision','',0),(9379,1,'2012-01-30 19:00:42','2012-01-30 18:00:42','<a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/?attachment_id=9376\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-9376\"><img class=\"alignnone size-large wp-image-9376\" title=\"P1000648 - Version 2\" src=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/P1000648-Version-2-782x1024.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"782\" height=\"1024\" /></a>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n. . . aka Romeo Mio\'s village.','Photo du Jour:  The Clock Tower of St. Jean de Belleville . . . ','','inherit','open','open','','9375-revision-3','','','2012-01-30 19:00:42','2012-01-30 18:00:42','',9375,'http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/2012/01/30/9375-revision-3/',0,'revision','',0),(9380,1,'2012-01-30 19:01:00','2012-01-30 18:01:00','<a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/?attachment_id=9376\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-9376\"><img class=\"alignnone size-large wp-image-9376\" title=\"P1000648 - Version 2\" src=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/P1000648-Version-2-782x1024.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"782\" height=\"1024\" /></a>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n. . . aka Romeo Mio\'s village.','Photo du Jour:  The Clock Tower of St. Jean de Belleville . . . ','','inherit','open','open','','9375-revision-4','','','2012-01-30 19:01:00','2012-01-30 18:01:00','',9375,'http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/2012/01/30/9375-revision-4/',0,'revision','',0),(9381,1,'2012-01-30 19:01:00','2012-01-30 18:01:00','<a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/?attachment_id=9376\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-9376\"><img class=\"alignnone size-large wp-image-9376\" title=\"P1000648 - Version 2\" src=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/P1000648-Version-2-782x1024.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"782\" height=\"1024\" /></a>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n. . . aka Romeo Mio\'s village.','Photo du Jour:  The Clock Tower of St. Jean de Belleville . . . ','','inherit','open','open','','9375-revision-5','','','2012-01-30 19:01:00','2012-01-30 18:01:00','',9375,'http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/2012/01/30/9375-revision-5/',0,'revision','',0),(9382,1,'2012-01-30 19:01:06','2012-01-30 18:01:06','<a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/?attachment_id=9376\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-9376\"><img class=\"alignnone size-large wp-image-9376\" title=\"P1000648 - Version 2\" src=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/P1000648-Version-2-782x1024.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"782\" height=\"1024\" /></a>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n. . . aka Romeo Mio\'s village.','Photo du Jour:  The Clock Tower of St. Jean de Belleville . . . ','','inherit','open','open','','9375-revision-6','','','2012-01-30 19:01:06','2012-01-30 18:01:06','',9375,'http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/2012/01/30/9375-revision-6/',0,'revision','',0),(9383,1,'2012-01-30 19:01:06','2012-01-30 18:01:06','<a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/?attachment_id=9376\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-9376\"><img class=\"alignnone size-large wp-image-9376\" title=\"P1000648 - Version 2\" src=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/P1000648-Version-2-782x1024.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"782\" height=\"1024\" /></a>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n. . . aka Romeo Mio\'s village.','Photo du Jour:  The Clock Tower of St. Jean de Belleville . . . ','','inherit','open','open','','9375-revision-7','','','2012-01-30 19:01:06','2012-01-30 18:01:06','',9375,'http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/2012/01/30/9375-revision-7/',0,'revision','',0),(9385,1,'2012-01-30 19:01:56','2012-01-30 18:01:56','<a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/?attachment_id=9376\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-9376\"><img class=\"alignnone  wp-image-9376\" title=\"P1000648 - Version 2\" src=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/P1000648-Version-2-782x1024.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"547\" height=\"717\" /></a>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n. . . aka Romeo Mio\'s village.','Photo du Jour:  The Clock Tower of St. Jean de Belleville . . . ','','inherit','open','open','','9375-revision-9','','','2012-01-30 19:01:56','2012-01-30 18:01:56','',9375,'http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/2012/01/30/9375-revision-9/',0,'revision','',0),(9386,1,'2012-01-30 19:02:09','2012-01-30 18:02:09','<a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/?attachment_id=9376\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-9376\"><img class=\"alignnone  wp-image-9376\" title=\"P1000648 - Version 2\" src=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/P1000648-Version-2-782x1024.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"547\" height=\"717\" /></a>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n. . . aka Romeo Mio\'s village.','Photo du Jour:  The Clock Tower of St. Jean de Belleville . . . ','','inherit','open','open','','9375-revision-10','','','2012-01-30 19:02:09','2012-01-30 18:02:09','',9375,'http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/2012/01/30/9375-revision-10/',0,'revision','',0),(9387,1,'2012-01-30 19:02:10','2012-01-30 18:02:10','<a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/?attachment_id=9376\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-9376\"><img class=\"alignnone  wp-image-9376\" title=\"P1000648 - Version 2\" src=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/P1000648-Version-2-782x1024.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"547\" height=\"717\" /></a>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n. . . aka Romeo Mio\'s village.','Photo du Jour:  The Clock Tower of St. Jean de Belleville . . . ','','inherit','open','open','','9375-revision-11','','','2012-01-30 19:02:10','2012-01-30 18:02:10','',9375,'http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/2012/01/30/9375-revision-11/',0,'revision','',0),(9388,1,'2012-01-30 19:02:54','2012-01-30 18:02:54','<a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/?attachment_id=9376\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-9376\"><img class=\"alignnone  wp-image-9376\" title=\"P1000648 - Version 2\" src=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/P1000648-Version-2-782x1024.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"328\" height=\"430\" /></a>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n. . . aka Romeo Mio\'s village.','Photo du Jour:  The Clock Tower of St. Jean de Belleville . . . ','','inherit','open','open','','9375-revision-12','','','2012-01-30 19:02:54','2012-01-30 18:02:54','',9375,'http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/2012/01/30/9375-revision-12/',0,'revision','',0),(9389,1,'2012-01-30 19:04:58','2012-01-30 18:04:58','<a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/?attachment_id=9376\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-9376\"><img class=\"alignnone  wp-image-9376\" title=\"P1000648 - Version 2\" src=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/P1000648-Version-2-782x1024.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"328\" height=\"430\" /></a>\n\n&nbsp;\n\n. . . aka Romeo Mio\'s village.\n\n&nbsp;\n\nThe bells toll on the hour.  Just another example of storybook life here in','Photo du Jour:  The Clock Tower of St. Jean de Belleville . . . ','','inherit','open','open','','9375-revision-13','','','2012-01-30 19:04:58','2012-01-30 18:04:58','',9375,'http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/2012/01/30/9375-revision-13/',0,'revision','',0),(9390,1,'2012-01-30 19:05:37','2012-01-30 18:05:37','<a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/?attachment_id=9376\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-9376\"><img class=\"alignnone  wp-image-9376\" title=\"P1000648 - Version 2\" src=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/P1000648-Version-2-782x1024.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"328\" height=\"430\" /></a>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n. . . aka Romeo Mio\'s village.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nThe bells toll on the hour and make my heart smile.  Just another example of storybook life here in the French Alps.','Photo du Jour:  The Clock Tower of St. Jean de Belleville . . . ','','inherit','open','open','','9375-revision-14','','','2012-01-30 19:05:37','2012-01-30 18:05:37','',9375,'http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/2012/01/30/9375-revision-14/',0,'revision','',0),(9391,1,'2012-01-30 19:05:58','2012-01-30 18:05:58','<a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/?attachment_id=9376\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-9376\"><img class=\"alignnone  wp-image-9376\" title=\"P1000648 - Version 2\" src=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/P1000648-Version-2-782x1024.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"328\" height=\"430\" /></a>\n\n&nbsp;\n\n. . . aka Romeo Mio\'s village.\n\n&nbsp;\n\nThe bells toll on the hour and make my heart smile.  Just another example of storybook life here in the French Alps.\n\n&nbsp;','Photo du Jour:  The Clock Tower of St. Jean de Belleville . . . ','','inherit','open','open','','9375-revision-15','','','2012-01-30 19:05:58','2012-01-30 18:05:58','',9375,'http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/2012/01/30/9375-revision-15/',0,'revision','',0),(9392,1,'2012-01-30 19:07:21','2012-01-30 18:07:21','<a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/?attachment_id=9376\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-9376\"><img class=\"alignnone  wp-image-9376\" title=\"P1000648 - Version 2\" src=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/P1000648-Version-2-782x1024.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"328\" height=\"430\" /></a>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n. . . aka Romeo Mio\'s village.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nThe bells toll on the hour and make my heart smile.  Just another example of storybook life here in the French Alps.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;','Photo du Jour:  The Clock Tower of St. Jean de Belleville . . . ','','inherit','open','open','','9375-revision-16','','','2012-01-30 19:07:21','2012-01-30 18:07:21','',9375,'http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/2012/01/30/9375-revision-16/',0,'revision','',0),(9393,1,'2012-01-30 19:07:57','2012-01-30 18:07:57','<a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/2012/01/30/photo-du-jour-medieval-castle/p1010095-2/\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-9338\"><img class=\"alignnone  wp-image-9338\" title=\"P1010095\" src=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/P10100951-1024x683.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"425\" height=\"325\" /></a>\n\n&nbsp;\n\n<strong><a href=\"http://www.google.com/translate?u=http%3A%2F%2Fchateau.over-blog.net%2Farticle-5685840.html&amp;langpair=fr%7Cen&amp;hl=fr&amp;ie=UTF8\">Château de Chantemerle, La Bâthie, France</a></strong>\n\n&nbsp;','Photo du Jour:  Medieval Castle','','inherit','open','open','','9328-autosave','','','2012-01-30 19:07:57','2012-01-30 18:07:57','',9328,'http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/2012/01/30/9328-autosave/',0,'revision','',0),(9394,1,'2012-01-30 18:53:22','2012-01-30 17:53:22','<a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/2012/01/31/photo-du-jour-i-saw-the-sign/p1010107/\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-9354\"><img class=\"alignnone  wp-image-9354\" title=\"P1010107\" src=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/P1010107-683x1024.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"525\" height=\"625\" /></a>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n. . . But I didn\'t see the light.  You can calm down, mother!\r\n\r\n&nbsp;','Photo du Jour:  I Saw the Sign . . . ','','inherit','open','open','','9353-revision-21','','','2012-01-30 18:53:22','2012-01-30 17:53:22','',9353,'http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/2012/01/30/9353-revision-21/',0,'revision','',0),(9395,1,'2012-01-30 19:08:07','2012-01-30 18:08:07','<a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/2012/01/31/photo-du-jour-i-saw-the-sign/p1010107/\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-9354\"><img class=\"alignnone  wp-image-9354\" title=\"P1010107\" src=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/P1010107-683x1024.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"525\" height=\"625\" /></a>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n. . . But I didn\'t see the light.  You can calm down, mother!\r\n\r\n&nbsp;','Photo du Jour:  I Saw the Sign . . .','','inherit','open','open','','9353-revision-22','','','2012-01-30 19:08:07','2012-01-30 18:08:07','',9353,'http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/2012/01/30/9353-revision-22/',0,'revision','',0),(9396,1,'2012-01-30 19:07:22','2012-01-30 18:07:22','<a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/2012/02/01/photo-du-jour-the-clock-tower-of-st-jean-de-belleville/p1000648-version-2/\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-9376\"><img class=\"alignnone  wp-image-9376\" title=\"P1000648 - Version 2\" src=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/P1000648-Version-2-782x1024.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"328\" height=\"430\" /></a>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n. . . aka Romeo Mio\'s village.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nThe bells toll on the hour and make my heart smile.  Just another example of storybook life here in the French Alps.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;','Photo du Jour:  The Clock Tower of St. Jean de Belleville . . . ','','inherit','open','open','','9375-revision-17','','','2012-01-30 19:07:22','2012-01-30 18:07:22','',9375,'http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/2012/01/30/9375-revision-17/',0,'revision','',0),(9397,1,'2012-01-30 19:08:32','2012-01-30 18:08:32','<a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/2012/02/01/photo-du-jour-the-clock-tower-of-st-jean-de-belleville/p1000648-version-2/\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-9376\"><img class=\"alignnone  wp-image-9376\" title=\"P1000648 - Version 2\" src=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/P1000648-Version-2-782x1024.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"328\" height=\"430\" /></a>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n. . . aka Romeo Mio\'s village.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nThe bells toll on the hour and make my heart smile.  Just another example of storybook life here in the French Alps.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;','Photo du Jour:  The Clock Tower of St. Jean de Belleville . . .','','inherit','open','open','','9375-revision-18','','','2012-01-30 19:08:32','2012-01-30 18:08:32','',9375,'http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/2012/01/30/9375-revision-18/',0,'revision','',0),(9398,1,'2012-01-30 19:08:07','2012-01-30 18:08:07','<a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/2012/01/31/photo-du-jour-i-saw-the-sign/p1010107/\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-9354\"><img class=\"alignnone  wp-image-9354\" title=\"P1010107\" src=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/P1010107-683x1024.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"525\" height=\"625\" /></a>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n. . . But I didn\'t see the light.  You can calm down, mother!\r\n\r\n&nbsp;','Photo du Jour:  I Saw the Sign . . .','','inherit','open','open','','9353-revision-23','','','2012-01-30 19:08:07','2012-01-30 18:08:07','',9353,'http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/2012/01/30/9353-revision-23/',0,'revision','',0),(9399,1,'2012-01-30 19:08:49','2012-01-30 18:08:49','<a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/2012/01/31/photo-du-jour-i-saw-the-sign/p1010107/\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-9354\"><img class=\"alignnone  wp-image-9354\" title=\"P1010107\" src=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/P1010107-683x1024.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"525\" height=\"625\" /></a>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n. . . But I didn\'t see the light.  You can calm down, mother!\r\n\r\n&nbsp;','Photo du Jour:  I Saw the Sign . . .','','inherit','open','open','','9353-revision-24','','','2012-01-30 19:08:49','2012-01-30 18:08:49','',9353,'http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/2012/01/30/9353-revision-24/',0,'revision','',0),(9400,1,'2012-01-30 19:08:49','2012-01-30 18:08:49','<a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/2012/01/31/photo-du-jour-i-saw-the-sign/p1010107/\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-9354\"><img class=\"alignnone  wp-image-9354\" title=\"P1010107\" src=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/P1010107-683x1024.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"525\" height=\"625\" /></a>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n. . . But I didn\'t see the light.  You can calm down, mother!\r\n\r\n&nbsp;','Photo du Jour:  I Saw the Sign . . .','','inherit','open','open','','9353-revision-25','','','2012-01-30 19:08:49','2012-01-30 18:08:49','',9353,'http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/2012/01/30/9353-revision-25/',0,'revision','',0),(9401,1,'2012-01-30 19:11:23','2012-01-30 18:11:23','&nbsp;\r\n\r\n<a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/2012/01/31/photo-du-jour-i-saw-the-sign/p1010107/\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-9354\"><img class=\"alignnone  wp-image-9354\" title=\"P1010107\" src=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/P1010107.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1512\" height=\"2266\" /></a>\r\n\r\n. . . But I didn\'t see the light.  You can calm down, mother!\r\n\r\n&nbsp;','Photo du Jour:  I Saw the Sign . . .','','inherit','open','open','','9353-revision-26','','','2012-01-30 19:11:23','2012-01-30 18:11:23','',9353,'http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/2012/01/30/9353-revision-26/',0,'revision','',0),(9402,1,'2012-01-30 19:11:23','2012-01-30 18:11:23','&nbsp;\r\n\r\n<a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/2012/01/31/photo-du-jour-i-saw-the-sign/p1010107/\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-9354\"><img class=\"alignnone  wp-image-9354\" title=\"P1010107\" src=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/P1010107.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1512\" height=\"2266\" /></a>\r\n\r\n. . . But I didn\'t see the light.  You can calm down, mother!\r\n\r\n&nbsp;','Photo du Jour:  I Saw the Sign . . .','','inherit','open','open','','9353-revision-27','','','2012-01-30 19:11:23','2012-01-30 18:11:23','',9353,'http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/2012/01/30/9353-revision-27/',0,'revision','',0),(9403,1,'2012-01-30 19:11:39','2012-01-30 18:11:39','&nbsp;\r\n\r\n<a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/2012/01/31/photo-du-jour-i-saw-the-sign/p1010107/\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-9354\"><img class=\"alignnone  wp-image-9354\" title=\"P1010107\" src=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/P1010107.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"907\" height=\"1360\" /></a>\r\n\r\n. . . But I didn\'t see the light.  You can calm down, mother!\r\n\r\n&nbsp;','Photo du Jour:  I Saw the Sign . . .','','inherit','open','open','','9353-revision-28','','','2012-01-30 19:11:39','2012-01-30 18:11:39','',9353,'http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/2012/01/30/9353-revision-28/',0,'revision','',0),(9404,1,'2012-01-30 19:11:39','2012-01-30 18:11:39','&nbsp;\r\n\r\n<a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/2012/01/31/photo-du-jour-i-saw-the-sign/p1010107/\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-9354\"><img class=\"alignnone  wp-image-9354\" title=\"P1010107\" src=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/P1010107.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"907\" height=\"1360\" /></a>\r\n\r\n. . . But I didn\'t see the light.  You can calm down, mother!\r\n\r\n&nbsp;','Photo du Jour:  I Saw the Sign . . .','','inherit','open','open','','9353-revision-29','','','2012-01-30 19:11:39','2012-01-30 18:11:39','',9353,'http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/2012/01/30/9353-revision-29/',0,'revision','',0),(9406,1,'2012-01-30 19:12:15','2012-01-30 18:12:15','&nbsp;\r\n\r\n<a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/2012/01/31/photo-du-jour-i-saw-the-sign/p1010107/\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-9354\"><img class=\"alignnone  wp-image-9354\" title=\"P1010107\" src=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/P1010107.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"544\" height=\"816\" /></a>\r\n\r\n. . . But I didn\'t see the light.  You can calm down, mother!\r\n\r\n&nbsp;','Photo du Jour:  I Saw the Sign . . .','','inherit','open','open','','9353-revision-31','','','2012-01-30 19:12:15','2012-01-30 18:12:15','',9353,'http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/2012/01/30/9353-revision-31/',0,'revision','',0),(9407,1,'2012-01-30 19:13:08','2012-01-30 18:13:08','&nbsp;\r\n\r\n<a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/2012/01/31/photo-du-jour-i-saw-the-sign/p1010107/\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-9354\"><img class=\"alignnone  wp-image-9354\" title=\"P1010107\" src=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/P1010107.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"381\" height=\"571\" /></a>\r\n\r\n. . . But I didn\'t see the light.  You can calm down, mother!\r\n\r\n&nbsp;','Photo du Jour:  I Saw the Sign . . .','','inherit','open','open','','9353-revision-32','','','2012-01-30 19:13:08','2012-01-30 18:13:08','',9353,'http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/2012/01/30/9353-revision-32/',0,'revision','',0),(9408,1,'2012-01-30 19:13:18','2012-01-30 18:13:18','&nbsp;\r\n\r\n<a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/2012/01/31/photo-du-jour-i-saw-the-sign/p1010107/\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-9354\"><img class=\"alignnone  wp-image-9354\" title=\"P1010107\" src=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/P1010107.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"381\" height=\"571\" /></a>\r\n\r\n. . . But I didn\'t see the light.  You can calm down, mother!\r\n\r\n&nbsp;','Photo du Jour:  I Saw the Sign . . .','','inherit','open','open','','9353-autosave','','','2012-01-30 19:13:18','2012-01-30 18:13:18','',9353,'http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/2012/01/30/9353-autosave/',0,'revision','',0),(9409,1,'2012-01-30 19:13:08','2012-01-30 18:13:08','&nbsp;\r\n\r\n<a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/2012/01/31/photo-du-jour-i-saw-the-sign/p1010107/\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-9354\"><img class=\"alignnone  wp-image-9354\" title=\"P1010107\" src=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/P1010107.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"381\" height=\"571\" /></a>\r\n\r\n. . . But I didn\'t see the light.  You can calm down, mother!\r\n\r\n&nbsp;','Photo du Jour:  I Saw the Sign . . .','','inherit','open','open','','9353-revision-33','','','2012-01-30 19:13:08','2012-01-30 18:13:08','',9353,'http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/2012/01/30/9353-revision-33/',0,'revision','',0),(9410,1,'2012-01-30 19:13:41','2012-01-30 18:13:41','&nbsp;\r\n\r\n<a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/2012/01/31/photo-du-jour-i-saw-the-sign/p1010107/\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-9354\"><img class=\"alignnone  wp-image-9354\" title=\"P1010107\" src=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/P1010107.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"381\" height=\"571\" /></a>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n. . . But I didn\'t see the light.  You can calm down, mother!\r\n\r\n&nbsp;','Photo du Jour:  I Saw the Sign . . .','','inherit','open','open','','9353-revision-34','','','2012-01-30 19:13:41','2012-01-30 18:13:41','',9353,'http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/2012/01/30/9353-revision-34/',0,'revision','',0),(9417,1,'2012-02-01 21:09:40','2012-02-01 20:09:40','<a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/?attachment_id=9412\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-9412\"><img class=\"alignnone  wp-image-9412\" title=\"P1010156\" src=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/P1010156-801x1024.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"561\" height=\"717\" /></a>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;','Photo du Jour:  Torino, Italia','','inherit','open','open','','9411-revision-5','','','2012-02-01 21:09:40','2012-02-01 20:09:40','',9411,'http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/2012/02/01/9411-revision-5/',0,'revision','',0),(9418,1,'2012-02-01 21:09:58','2012-02-01 20:09:58','<a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/?attachment_id=9412\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-9412\"><img class=\"alignnone  wp-image-9412\" title=\"P1010156\" src=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/P1010156-801x1024.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"561\" height=\"717\" /></a>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;','Photo du Jour:  Torino, Italia','','inherit','open','open','','9411-revision-6','','','2012-02-01 21:09:58','2012-02-01 20:09:58','',9411,'http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/2012/02/01/9411-revision-6/',0,'revision','',0),(9419,1,'2012-02-01 21:09:58','2012-02-01 20:09:58','<a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/?attachment_id=9412\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-9412\"><img class=\"alignnone  wp-image-9412\" title=\"P1010156\" src=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/P1010156-801x1024.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"561\" height=\"717\" /></a>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;','Photo du Jour:  Torino, Italia','','inherit','open','open','','9411-revision-7','','','2012-02-01 21:09:58','2012-02-01 20:09:58','',9411,'http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/2012/02/01/9411-revision-7/',0,'revision','',0),(9420,1,'2012-02-01 21:10:30','2012-02-01 20:10:30','<a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/?attachment_id=9412\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-9412\"><img class=\"alignnone  wp-image-9412\" title=\"P1010156\" src=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/P1010156-801x1024.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"449\" height=\"574\" /></a>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;','Photo du Jour:  Torino, Italia','','inherit','open','open','','9411-revision-8','','','2012-02-01 21:10:30','2012-02-01 20:10:30','',9411,'http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/2012/02/01/9411-revision-8/',0,'revision','',0),(9421,1,'2012-02-01 21:11:58','2012-02-01 20:11:58','<a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/?attachment_id=9412\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-9412\"><img class=\"alignnone  wp-image-9412\" title=\"P1010156\" src=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/P1010156-801x1024.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"449\" height=\"574\" /></a>\n\n&nbsp;\n\nRomeo Mio and I ventured out into a snowstorm yesterday to visit his roots.  He grew up just outside of Torino.\n\n&nbsp;','Photo du Jour:  Torino, Italia','','inherit','open','open','','9411-revision-9','','','2012-02-01 21:11:58','2012-02-01 20:11:58','',9411,'http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/2012/02/01/9411-revision-9/',0,'revision','',0);
