KevinDonahue.com

I need your help. College football starts in two days. The first Florida State game of the year is just 11 days away. I feel woefully unprepared. Heck, even Merrin went to get her toes all garnet & gold yesterday!

So… help me out. Check out this website and help me buy a new FSU hat for game day. I'm not partial to color (no pink), but I could go white, garnet, gold… whatever. (PS - I'm not terribly fond of camo, either, but it was the first image that popped up in the rotation. Who knows. Maybe camo is my look.)

Please pick on you like and post a link in the comments. Thanks!

Hello, there, Tropical Depression 7
Originally uploaded by kevindonahue.

From NOAA, Tropical Depression 7 is strengthening in the Caribbean and is expected to become a named storm today or tomorrow. Current projections put Florida in its path.

Ggggrrrrrrreat!

In all seriousness, I'm beginning to think that this system makes slightly more sense than the electoral college.

One of the great additions to the Disney parks over the past ten years has been the Fast Pass. While some loathe it, I love the Fast Pass system.

And there's really only one thing lacking from Disney's FP approach - a universally accessible ledger that tracks wait times for each park's attractions. Sure, there are other ideas on how to improve Fast Pass, but this is the kind of everyday genius that you would have expected from Disney.

But… fear not. The fine folks at Twisney have created a mobile site that allows park visitors to post & view current wait times for any attraction… even dining.

To view & post wait times for the Disney Parks, visit Twisney's Mobile Wait Times site.

And spread the word - the more users that contribute, the more timely the updates will be!

With college football season just eight days away and the first dropping of the spear in just 16 days, it's time to look back at the greatest fourth quarter in college football history.

I remember sitting there for three quarters and thinking… when are we going to start playing. The answer came in the fourth quarter in what became known as "The Choke at Doak".

Brings a tear to the eye, doesn't it? CAN.NOT.WAIT.

Bad news: Tropical Storm Fay may be setting her sights on Orlando. Here's the latest map.

Good news: Our hatches have been sufficiently battened.

[The phrase] has a nautical origin and 'battening down' was done on ships when bad weather was expected.

The earliest known citation is from John Badcock, in Domestic Amusements, 1823 (referring to a sea voyage):

"The severity of the climate having compelled them to batten down and caulk their abiding place."

A batten is a strip of wood. Caulking is the filling of gaps with oakum of similar, to prevent leaking.

We're expecting Faye to roll on in Tuesday and clear out by late Wednesday.

I will be posting updates online here, whether we have power or not.

It's no secret that I like to do things the easy way. It's not (just) that I'm lazy, but I… appreciate efficiency.

So… as in years past, I'll be renewing my Amazon Prime membership again this fall.

Why? Well, it's simple really.

I like Amazon Prime because:

1. I get FREE two-day shipping on almost anything I buy at Amazon
2. I can upgrade to overnight shipping for just $3.99 per item (perfect for that last minute gift!)
3. I get the free shipping (or upgraded overnight shipping) regardless of how much (or how little) I buy, which is awesome because I generally buy one thing at a time
4. I can share my Amazon Prime membership with Merrin or anyone else in my household

I mean, think about it: Let's say I forgot to get you something for Christmas, and we're supposed to do a gift exchange tomorrow night. ACK! I can jump on Amazon, pick something you would like, and have it in my hands (gift wrapped, even!) tomorrow.

Or, let's say I ate the last popcorn in the house. I can order some Orville Redenbacher's Smart Pop from Amazon and have it delivered to the house with Amazon Prime. Not only would I save on the price versus the grocery, but I also save the gas, tolls, time, sanity, etc.

Pretty cool? You're damn skippy.

Now I bet you're thinking, "I wish I had Amazon Prime." Well… you can.

In fact, you can try Amazon Prime free for a month through a special promotion. Check it out, kick the tires, and see if you like it.

But… take it from an efficiency expert… you're gonna love you some Amazon Prime.

Oliver at ~18 weeks
Originally uploaded by kevindonahue.

Not much going on this weekend, but I'm probably past due with an Oliver update.

The little guy has been with us for about six weeks and –quite honestly– he is now completely in charge of everything that happens in and around Chez Donahue. We sleep on his schedule. We play on his schedule. We take walks on his schedule. And we don't dare leave the house without his expressed written permission.

He got another visit to the vet yesterday - checking in for more boosters and tipping the scales at a healthy 16 pounds. He's standing about 11-12 inches at the shoulder, and we're thinking that he'll likely end up as a 15" beagle (as opposed to the 13" variety).

He's been working with Merrin every day and is outstanding in 95% of his commands. Seriously - that dog is a sit machine. He's now going to the door to go outside, which is a blessing. He waits at all the doors and lets you enter/exit first, following only when allowed. He can shake hands, wave, and roll over on command. Merrin's teaching him some other tricks, but the names escape me. I'm looking forward to one that looks like "sit and give a high five" - as that will come in handy during football season.

He's definitely a TV watcher, with a preference for children's shows and NASCAR. I don't think he likes the news very much… but that's understandable.

All in all, he's a good little beagle dog. I think we'll keep him.

MTV Films is genius enough to combine Stifler AND McLovin. Life as we know it may never be the same.

So, I've been thinking a lot about the presidential election. I know that I don't like Obama and McCain is… umm… not so great. This realization sent me to "the google", where I found a candidate I can really get behind. (Other than my own candidacy, of course.)

Get your own "Jimmy Buffett for President" t-shirt online.

The news today that Christina Applegate is battling breast cancer reminds me that the Annual Blogger Boobie-thon for breast cancer is less than two months away. (Woo-hoo!) But - for those who can't wait - the Boobie-thon has gone all Web 2.0… with the Boobie-Thon Facebook Group. Check it out!

I was very excited when Google announced that Google Calendar would support CalDav, because that means you can now have a native, two-way sync with iCal without buying any crazy add-on software.

I set up Google Calendar to sync in iCal and have been very happy with the results so far. There are a few limitations and bugs to be squashed, but it's working pretty well.

It's been three months and I figure its about time I check in with a life update. I know a lot of you have asked and I suppose I'm overdue, so… here goes.

First and foremost, I feel great - absolutely great. I feel like an 18-year-old kid again. I've lost 40 pounds. FORTY. 4-0. That in and of itself is amazing to me.

I've been to my cardiologist and GP — both were very pleased with my recovery. I'll go back to the cardiologist again next month where we'll put together a schedule for my future visits.

Merrin has been amazing, as you could probably guess. She's helped me learn how to stick to my new diet and kept me on schedule. I'm quite certain that I would have fallen "off the wagon" a long time ago were it not for her. She is an angel who loves me more than I could ever deserve.

Most of all, I think I've learned to appreciate every day. I suppose that's not an easy lesson to learn - it certainly hasn't been for me. But… I guess that's what living life is all about.

For those stalkers in the crowd who are interested in following all my digital footprints, check out the my lifestream over at kevindonahue.me.

I'm ready for my close-up
Originally uploaded by kevindonahue.

Oliver is growing like a weed. He's almost four months old and clocking in at 11 pounds.

The big dogs are finally starting to include him in their reindeer games and are adjusting pretty well to him. They even have a new game that is Oliver's favorite - Gauntlet.

Oliver runs around the room at like… Mach One… and then turns towards the other two and tries to shoot past both of them before they can knock him over. If they succeed, he barrel rolls a couple times and then they wrestle (Chloe's favorite game). If he gets past them, he barks a little en route and circles back for another pass.

I mention that because… if you call us and it sounds like a total dog chaos, now you'll know.