Well, folks, it's been 24 hours since the Kindle DX arrived, and I have to say, it is worth every stinkin' penny I paid for it.

I've seen a lot of crappy reviews.  Whiny ones, too, complaining that the PDF support is minimal and that it's a pain to hold the bigger frame of the DX, and blah blah blah.  None of that is true.

After a full day of use, I can report that the only things I dislike about the Kindle DX are kind of minor.  First, there are no folders.  Yes you can organize your files by date, type, and author, but there is no true file structure to help you keep things organized.  This would really be helpful for those of us who carrying around a lot of PDF files.  They get overwhelming fast.  The other thing I am not a fan of is the robot voice of the text to speech feature.  Either of them, for that matter.  You get your choice of male or female. I'm not sure how it is with standard English texts, using only simple words, but you start throwing in complex sentence structure and foreign words, and the robot gets lost.  All in all, though, it's still smarter than I thoguht it would be.

The Kindle has a number of uses.  First and foremost, it's a LOT lighter to carry than some of the books I have already downloaded.  Second, it's useful for a lot of tasks that would otherwise require a lot of paper: PDFs, Cookbooks (just take care to keep the Kindle clean and dry inthe kitchen!), and sheet music to name a few.  You can also annotate any text file, so taking notes during rehearsal ought to be a SNAP with the Kindle DX.  Text to Speech also makes a great alternative to books on tape (CD?) in the car.

The e-ink is another awesome thing.  It's like a real page, so reading outside is totally possible, unlike working on most laptops.  In fact, I spent much of yesterday evening sitting on the patio with the Kindle DX until it got too breezy to stay out.  Long before the sun went down. Unfortunately.

My favorite feature, though, I think, is the free wireless internet access (thanks, Amazon!).  It's Sprint 3G (where available) and not only can you download books from Amazon (many are free!), but you can also surf the web.  I think the web browser on the Kindle, while clearly limited, is still MILES beyond the one on my Instinct.  Not as good as my trusty ol' Firefox, though.  Maybe on the next one.  Several popular sites are pre-bookmarked, and you can add any number of your own, too.  You can also download files.  Kindle compatible files are automatically displayed on your home page by type, title, and author.  There are a number of sites out there that offer free e-Books that display on the Kindle and are available for Text- to- Speech as well.

The only feature I haven't played with is the mp3 player.  I'd rather listen to the books for the nonce.  The speakers are better than I expected, though nothing fancy, so I assume sound quality isn't terrible.

It has been quite an experience so far, from the moment I laid eyes on the box.  Even the packaging says "this is something special."

This is what arrived:

yeah, and the junk mail, too. 

But it was soon apparent that this is no ordinary box:

the inside was pretty too:

And it's so awesome.  Even the screensavers are cool:

There's a couple more pictures of the Kindle on Flickr!, including a very smart sticker and also some new jam and garden shots.

Posted by: caltechgirl at 10:30 PM | Comments (5) | Add Comment
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1 Finally! I've been waiting for you to say something about it and I trust your review! That's what I want for Christmas! Thank you!

Posted by: Theresa at June 24, 2009 03:48 AM (h1wTG)

2 Oh, I wish we could get that here ... but it's only in the US at the moment

Posted by: Amanda at June 24, 2009 03:04 PM (cqrWD)

3 It's really unfortunate that copyright laws are so far behind the times.

Posted by: caltechgirl at June 24, 2009 03:07 PM (sBr70)

4 I've flirted with the idea of a Kindle...your review helps me to feel more positively about the money aspect of it.

Posted by: Mrs. Who at June 25, 2009 08:35 AM (7qoMR)

5 I've had my Kindle2 since Feb and I haven't found a thing I don't like! I've carried it across the country and back; the only problem I've had is with people interrupting me to ask how I like it!! *L*

Posted by: Michele at June 25, 2009 02:08 PM (iYpaU)

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Lots of new pics on the Flickr page.  Including Flea performing with the Caltech Jazz bands (and our own Kjerstin, too!) and lots of glorious jam/marmalade food pRon.

Like this:

Posted by: caltechgirl at 08:38 PM | No Comments | Add Comment
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Picking up on a very simple meme:

Open up your computer, click on the 6th file of pictures, and then on the 6th picture, and post what you get.

And here it is (reposted from Flickr):



Looking down from the top level of the Air Force One Pavilion at the Ronald Reagan Library to the Presidential Motorcade diorama on the lower level.  On display are President Reagan's actual limousine and a secret service follow vehicle.

This is a lot of fun!  I'm not tagging anyone, but you can do it if you like!  Leave your link in the comments so everyone can click around and see all the pictures!

Posted by: caltechgirl at 09:12 PM | Comments (4) | Add Comment
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1 That's where I left my limo! So embarrassing...

Posted by: Helen at November 23, 2008 12:35 AM (yeF5m)

2 these limo looks so good.

Posted by: Limo Rentals at November 23, 2008 05:17 AM (G7cuL)

3 What a great shot!! Mine's up; nothing special... Enjoyed doing it, though. Great meme!

Posted by: pam at November 23, 2008 06:55 AM (l6NIn)

4 What a neat meme...and a neat picture too. (Anything about RR is great, anyway!) Mine's up...it might lead to another post down the road.

Posted by: Mrs. Who at November 24, 2008 05:26 PM (3mj6F)

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Not only can I not brain, but I suffer from this malady, too!



Yep.  That's it.  Exactly.

Posted by: caltechgirl at 06:44 PM | Comments (1) | Add Comment
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This weekend was our un-official staycation. We went out and had fun on both Saturday and Sunday.

Saturday evening, Hubby's college roomie and his wife joined us for dinner and a movie. Had some terribly overpriced Mexican food at Paseo Cantina and then wandered over to the Paseo theater for a moderately over priced film. $21 just for the tickets. Ouch. Especially considering the last time we went to movies regularly, we'd get in for just $10. For both of us. Of course, this is was Sunday afternoons in Chapel Hill, not Friday night in Pasadena.

In case you're wondering, we saw the X-Files movie. It wasn't terrible. I'd give it 3 stars out of 5. Mostly because there was nary an alien to be found. It was, has our friend described it a "monster-of-the-week" episode, albeit a long one. Mulder-Scully shippers will truly appreciate the film, because (spoiler here, sorry) it pretty much answers the "Are they or Aren't they?" question once and for all, portraying our favorite odd couple in a long term, somewhat committed, and intelllectually intimate relationship. My take: It was a good X-files fanfic. But I appreciate that as a Mulder/Scully fan.

On Sunday we drove out to Simi Valley and took in the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library. We also met Jen and Beau and Jesse "Speaks" there! They are in CA on vacation, and were staying with family in Santa Barbara, so we met in the middle!

Jen and Beau are both as fun and awesome as you would imagine from their blogs, and that little Jesse is a charmer. If a bit shy.... although he seemed to really warm up to DH and even let DH hold him for a bit in the elevator!

The museum itself is really amazing. It was a lot like the Presidential Gallery in the Smithsonian, but more up close and personal. My favorite exhibit, other than Air Force One, which deserves its own post, was the Reagan Diaries display with his personal diary on the desk, laid open to March 30, 1981, the day he was shot. At the top of the right-hand page, he wrote "Getting shot hurts."

DH was also a big fan of the doodads and geegaws and random things that were given to the Reagans as gifts from people around the world. The sheer randomness of some of it was just unbelievable.

A funny story: The former president oversaw much of the construction detail, especially the White House replicas (the South Portico, Colonnade, and the Oval Office), and he was very concerned when the contractor indicated that the Oval Office would be an exact replica of the White House, except for the ceiling, which would have to be 2.5 feet lower in the museum due to the building's engineering. Never one to back down, Mr. Reagan replied, "Well, if you can't raise the ceiling, lower the floor." And indeed, you must go down a ramp to the Oval Office, and then up 4 stairs to the rest of the museum and the gardens.

We took lots of pictures, which are posted at my Flickr page. Most of them are public, so click over!

After the museum we headed over to Marie Callendar's for dinner. Now, I know it's maybe not the nicest place in town, but I knew where exactly 3 restaurants were in Simi, and they have Applebee's and Chili's in Virginia! So Marie's it was. Food was good, company was better, and we had a nice meal. And pie. Until Jesse got tired and his dad had to take him out, so we finished our pie and said goodbye to the Speaks clan, knowing Jesse would conk out in the car on the way back to SB.

Posted by: caltechgirl at 04:47 PM | Comments (2) | Add Comment
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1 We just found (while driving x-country) that Marie Callendar's is related to Perkins Restaurant. Not sure if the menus are the same and all, but the table tents in the Perkins we visited were copyrighted Perkins/Marie Callendar's. Of course, I have no idea if the Speaks family has a Perkins close by, but they were all over the place in the midwest

Posted by: ZTZCheese at July 31, 2008 12:31 PM (Iw+8+)

2 Hey ZTZCheese, thanks for the tip about the Perkins chain. One is about 40 miles away and another is a bit farther but towards my sister's.

Posted by: Beau at August 05, 2008 06:13 PM (0wyQJ)

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Sums up my life most days.....

Posted by: caltechgirl at 10:59 PM | Comments (6) | Add Comment
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Flickr, that is. Lots of springy backyard pictures and a few of the Princesses latest exploits!

A taste:

Posted by: caltechgirl at 02:50 PM | Comments (2) | Add Comment
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I finally got around to posting more pictures. Puppy goodness and the saga of installing the dishwasher are now available at Flickr.

Posted by: caltechgirl at 11:26 AM | Comments (3) | Add Comment
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On Flickr:

And lots more, including photographic evidence that big sister is learning to tolerate Puppy.

Posted by: caltechgirl at 01:22 AM | Comments (2) | Add Comment
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Don't let her sleeping, jailed appearance fool you.  This is a high-speed, mightily independent monster with a bladder the size of a thimble and big, nasty teeth! (well, ok, little nasty teeth...)





It's a miracle she even sleeps.  She didn't shut up until 6 AM Saturday, and last night was pretty bad, although she quit crying a LOT earlier.  I'm hopeful that sleeping in the crate/ pen/ whatever means she's ok with it now......

Posted by: caltechgirl at 06:17 PM | Comments (8) | Add Comment
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1 Aw, what a sweetie. Have you tried putting a clock (that ticks) under her pillow? We did that when our girls were new and it really helped with the crying.

Posted by: beth at January 06, 2008 06:47 PM (9skvr)

2 aaaaawwwwww... how sweet! I don't even have to ask if you're working on bite inhibition...! LOL! Thank God my dog is a year old now; I couldn't live through puppyhood again...!

Posted by: pam at January 07, 2008 07:13 AM (l6NIn)

3 Oh but she is cuuuuuute!!

Posted by: Richmond at January 07, 2008 07:52 AM (GvGiJ)

4 Oh man, puppy crying all night! How well I remember that phase. I figured out one way to stop the crying was to put the puppy in a big cardboard box with blankies *on the floor next to the bed*. Then I dangled my arm and hand downward and into the box. She seemed comforted and slept quietly. I got some sleep too, finally. Maybe my arm was a little numb the next day. Heh. I'm not saying this is a good or proper technique, just that when I got desperate for a quiet night's sleep . . . it worked.

Posted by: dogette at January 07, 2008 04:53 PM (q/UVc)

5 Hey, I know I'm probably the last to notice or clue in, but is that by any chance a message to Hillary scrolling across the top of your screen?

Posted by: dogette at January 07, 2008 04:55 PM (q/UVc)

6 looks like a sweetie! We have our younest poodle box trained..she heads for it at night to sleep..and we close the door. My older dawg..Miss Sassie Poodle has been sleeping with me since she was two months old and she is 14 now..I think the highlight of her day now is to cuddle up next to me at night..and sometimes when I am up late she comes looking for me and barks at me until I go to bed..

Posted by: GUYK at January 07, 2008 07:23 PM (uyoGg)

7 Very cute and great reason not to be at the computer. ;-)

Posted by: vw bug at January 08, 2008 04:45 AM (FPOeI)

8 Oh how sweet!!! She looks so cuddly and adorable!! Aww, puppy snuggles.

Posted by: Amanda at January 08, 2008 10:59 AM (5PUVj)

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But where is Master Splinter?

Posted by: caltechgirl at 07:36 PM | Comments (3) | Add Comment
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We had a minor plumbing emergency.... click over to flickr to see more!

Posted by: caltechgirl at 07:33 PM | Comments (3) | Add Comment
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1 Totally understandable. TWO PARTIES! Hee! Loved the birthday cake. YUM!

Posted by: Margi at November 12, 2007 08:04 PM (wSEpS)

2 Nice pedi; love the flower!

Posted by: pam at November 13, 2007 07:12 AM (l6NIn)

3 Purdy toes. *grin* I'm glad you got the shower fixed!!!

Posted by: Teresa at November 13, 2007 03:18 PM (rVIv9)

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And I got a few nice shots. Posted to flickr.

Can you tell how much I love having my camera back?

Posted by: caltechgirl at 11:33 PM | Comments (1) | Add Comment
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Lots of new pictures on the Flickr site, including several that are Public!
Here are a couple of favorites:


The US Navy's Leapfrog Parachute team. Very cool. The first time I have ever seen them, although I have seen the Army's Golden Knights MANY times.


The LA Coliseum, home of the Trojans


Our Princess, cuddled up last night in a blanket

Posted by: caltechgirl at 05:00 PM | Comments (1) | Add Comment
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The camera and I just spent some quality time together.  Results are up on Flickr, and are actually public, for the time being....

Posted by: caltechgirl at 02:33 PM | Comments (7) | Add Comment
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One of my most treasured possessions is my Sony DSC F717 camera. I love it like no other. We did months of research and field testing of high end digital cameras (alas, the Digital SLRs were FAR too expensive, then) and finally settled on the Sony. There were three major reasons we loved it (and still do!): 1) The real Zeiss lens. Both of us come from fields in which we do a LOT of microscopy, and Zeiss is the real deal. So a Zeiss lens on a consumer camera is a big deal to us. 2)The incredible detail in Macro mode. At the time this camera was leaps and bounds ahead of its competitors in Macro, and it's still better than a lot of what you can get. 3) I can take the pictures I want to take with little hassle. In fact, in 3 years of use, the ONLY time I've had trouble getting the shot I want is in front of chain link fencing (drop by flickr and see my zoo pictures...). So while maybe this camera would never be the professional's choice, as an advanced amateur, it works great for me.

Sadly enough, with all the business of moving, etc, the camera got laid away for quite a while. Earlier this summer I unpacked it, with the notion of capturing some "before" and "after" shots of various projects in the house. Sadly, this is what I saw:

That's Darlin' Hubby hiding behind the black box.

You can see my dilemma. Luckily, friend Google had an answer for me: The CCD chip was dying, and Sony would replace it for free! Assuming I could get off my butt and send it in on time (yesterday, 10/2/07 sadly, was the deadline for you googlers out there)...

So I finally sent it off two weeks ago. They sent me a free UPS shipping label, so I put it in a box full of packing paper with a memory stick loaded with the picture above and the previous picture (taken before the chip failed) and a nice note explaining what I was seeing.

Today, my camera is back, apparently fully functional, and this is what the pictures look like now:

YAY! Thanks, Sony, for a free repair and a quick turnaround. Let's hope it stays this way! Especially as we are going to be at this this weekend.

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See, I did decorate....





some...

Posted by: caltechgirl at 07:49 PM | Comments (6) | Add Comment
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1 Feel like coming to finish mine? I just don't feel that I'm creative! It sucks! The tree is up as well as some garland. That's about it. Ugh!

Posted by: Sissy at December 08, 2006 07:59 PM (AFfne)

2 looking good! i started addressing the xmas cards tonight and made hubby and step-child sign them. almost ready to mail!

Posted by: wRitErsbLock at December 08, 2006 08:03 PM (0Pi1o)

3 It IS looking a lot like Christmas! I love the decorations

Posted by: b at December 08, 2006 08:50 PM (X6tm3)

4 Okay, that worked. I'm off to eat lunch and then hit the Barnes & Noble to get the gift cards for nieces and nephews... then Christmas cards. I WILL get them done this weekend. *grin* Thanks for the inspiration.

Posted by: Teresa at December 09, 2006 08:56 AM (o4pJS)

5 Pretty - very festive.

Posted by: LadyGunn at December 10, 2006 02:19 AM (mqpYh)

6 purty! Our tree is outside -- waiting for us to clean up & make room in the living room...

Posted by: Marie at December 11, 2006 08:13 AM (Ujp1o)

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So of course I celebrated like an adult:

I went to the zoo and then I came home and took a nap.

Of course, I did take a lot of fabulous pictures. The best were of course of the chimps.  I take better pictures of chimps than anything else.  Here are a couple:

Posted by: caltechgirl at 06:33 PM | Comments (26) | Add Comment
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1 Happy birthday!!

Posted by: Fausta at November 10, 2006 06:44 PM (ANpp6)

2 happy 30th birthday!!!! Whoo hooo!

Posted by: Bou at November 10, 2006 06:51 PM (iHxT3)

3 Beth Ceeeeeeeeee!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! You stole my song. HAPPY BIRTHDAY SISTA

Posted by: Jane at November 10, 2006 07:46 PM (YadGF)

4 Happy Birthday Girly! Let me know when you are done with the present I got you. I need to, um, return him...or something :-)

Posted by: Sissy at November 10, 2006 07:47 PM (e+8WB)

5 ...or something....

Posted by: caltechgirl at November 10, 2006 07:48 PM (r0kgl)

6 happy birthday babe!

Posted by: wRitErsbLock at November 10, 2006 08:09 PM (0Pi1o)

7 Have a most amazing birthday! I remember 30 . Only 2 and I'll be remembering the big 40. Eh....age is relative, right? The zoo sounds great...have a GREAT rest of the day! :-)

Posted by: Merri at November 10, 2006 08:18 PM (/qy9A)

8 [singing] Put another candle on your birthday cake your birthday cake your birthday cake Put another candle on your birthday cake You're another year old today! as I remember from Sheriff John (oh god, please don't let me be the only Angelino to remember Sheriff John and his Lunch brigade!)

Posted by: Darleen at November 10, 2006 08:51 PM (cXz8w)

9 Happy Birthday and many, many more! Hugs to a dear friend! Chrissie On your birthday I wish you much pleasure and joy; I hope all of your wishes come true. May each hour and minute be filled with delight, And your birthday be perfect for you!

Posted by: Wild Thing at November 10, 2006 09:15 PM (tj1zH)

10 Happy Happy!

Posted by: LindaSoG at November 11, 2006 03:09 AM (GBBmd)

11 Happy belated birthday! Even in my advanced age, celebrating at the zoo sounds like fun!

Posted by: Michele at November 11, 2006 05:00 AM (DqxwU)

12 Belated Happy Birthday, Sam!!!!!! I love going to the zoo. And Beth C. stole the song I was going to sing to you! I love monkeys!

Posted by: Beth and John Donovan at November 11, 2006 05:27 AM (9FPYz)

13 You're YOUNGER than me and have a Ph.D.? It may only be by a few months, but damn that makes me feel old. ;-) Happy birthday, CTG!

Posted by: Dave J at November 11, 2006 06:34 AM (SKqxt)

14 HA! That looks like my ex-wife's current husband.

Posted by: Thomas Warlock at November 11, 2006 08:34 AM (xROg2)

15 Happy, happy birthday, so it's so late.

Posted by: Tink at November 11, 2006 08:47 AM (11q5z)

16 Happy 30th Birthday!!!

Posted by: Paul Burgess at November 12, 2006 06:10 AM (7EVyU)

17 Oh God I'm late! I'm so sorry! HAPPY BIRTHDAY! 30 is glamorous, babe. Welcome to it

Posted by: Helen at November 12, 2006 06:28 AM (bkT68)

18 Happy Birthday! Hope it was happy! : )

Posted by: Sharon at November 12, 2006 08:11 AM (+Lo6Z)

19 Happy birthday! Remind me to tell you about the time I saw an orangutan masturbate....

Posted by: holder at November 12, 2006 02:42 PM (gvl4P)

20 Happy Birthday wishes from me as well! :-)

Posted by: Richmond at November 12, 2006 03:37 PM (e8QFP)

21 I was outta town on Saturday, so Happy Belated Boitday from the Garden State, where corruption is OK.

Posted by: Jim - PRS at November 12, 2006 09:15 PM (a6/Kb)

22 Okay so I'm really really late. Hope you had a wonderful birthday! Trip to the zoo... LOL. Love it.

Posted by: Teresa at November 12, 2006 09:18 PM (o4pJS)

23 Dang - I'm really late to the party. Hope your day was as lovely as you are.

Posted by: LadyGunn at November 13, 2006 01:13 AM (YRLrR)

24 .. many, many happy returns!...

Posted by: Eric at November 13, 2006 04:54 AM (NlzwQ)

25 Hippo birdies, two ewes Hippo birdies, two ewes Hippo birdies deer caltechgirl Hippo birdies, two ewes!

Posted by: Jenna at November 13, 2006 08:01 AM (fd/rX)

26 Sorry I missed your birthday, CTG. Hope you had a wonderful day!!!

Posted by: zonker at November 17, 2006 06:14 AM (PrUNH)

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From our little lady bug:

wait, where's my head??


mom! get this offa meeee!

Posted by: caltechgirl at 06:22 PM | Comments (9) | Add Comment
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1 hee hee hee

Posted by: wRitErsbLock at October 31, 2006 07:24 PM (0Pi1o)

2 LOL - my dog would have never sat for that - she would have been rolling on the floor in that "get it off me!!!" mode. Very cute.

Posted by: Teresa at October 31, 2006 09:23 PM (o4pJS)

3 Aw, she's adorable! And such a good sport, sitting there waiting for mommy to get it out of her system. I hope she was paid well in tasty snacks. Happy Halloween!

Posted by: Janette at October 31, 2006 09:42 PM (OcgcA)

4 How cute!!!!

Posted by: Jane at November 01, 2006 06:44 AM (Eodj2)

5 very cute photo, yesterday i also saw a daschound dressed up as a hotdog and nearly fell down laughing

Posted by: tim key at November 01, 2006 10:17 AM (rtU/i)

6 VERY cute!

Posted by: Marie at November 01, 2006 10:31 AM (XzzJz)

7 Love that you picked a bug!

Posted by: vw bug at November 02, 2006 05:03 AM (NoCe/)

8 Cuuuuuuuuute!!!

Posted by: Richmond at November 02, 2006 03:11 PM (e8QFP)

9 How cute is THAT??

Posted by: Dana at November 05, 2006 07:23 AM (MxZ0R)

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