Ultrasounds

These things are rock solid! I mean, really, how cool is it that we can lather a belly up with slimy-goo, stick a puck on the belly and see what's inside? Awesome! Just yesterday we saw our fourth baby, barely a peanut right now but well on it's way to growing into another baby, ready to face the world on/about September of this year. The kids got to watch this time and it didn't require much in the way of corrective supervision - they were mesmerized! The only thing I don't understand is why clinics can charge so much for a 4-D ultrasound (the nicer one's). Just to flip a switch on the exact same machine to go from 2-D to 4-D, you have to fork over $150. I'm thinking about having Rachel get one for this baby just to see what happens. Maybe the room starts spinning and dancers come out of the walls to usher in your purchase of this technology. Or, maybe they strap you in to a cradle that gently sways as you "fly" through an IMAX-size image of your innards. Whatever it is - it's got to be really good to fork out 150 clams. Besides, the 2-D is already remarkable enough and didn't cost me a dime!

A prayer (um, sort of)

Thank you, Lord, for inspiring people to invent things like sliced bread, chainsaws and fire. This time, however, you've really outdone yourself.

Universal remotes have existed for quite some time. The Harmony 550 is not a universal remote. It is a universal consciousness.

It lights up when I enter the room (like my dogs, except smarter), it picks me up when I am down, and I think it pays my bills, too (or maybe that's Obama). I think it accidentally launched a space shuttle the other day.

Seriously, folks, believe da hype--Harmony is foe reals, yo. So, thank you God for my new remote; and thank you for inspiring your wise and willing vessel, David, to buy it for me for Christmas.

Logitech Harmony 550 Universal Remote Control

This review is way overdue, mainly because I waited so long before acquiring the coveted Harmony remote, the industry standard for unversal remotes. I didn't want to buy it myself due to the somewhat lofty pricetag, but I really wanted one nonetheless, so it wasn't until several years of pleading and my 31st birthday that "Harmony" finally made its way into our home.

To say it is great would be a grand understatement. A more precise description would be, "the single catalyst that caused me to reorganize a lot of our life at home and work." That may seem like too lofty a claim for any single device, yet I can point to empirical data as proof.

Yes, I replaced the five remotes it usually took to operate our entertainment center with this single, completely programmable, easy-to-setup and use device making the juggling act just to watch TV a thing of the past. With one press of a programmed button, my projector turns on and switches to the right setting, the A/V receiver does the same, and the DVD player turns on and begins playing the disc in the position last used. What followed was a surprise to me and Rachel. Now that we didn't have remotes scattered around and Harmony had secured a prominent home laying directly in front of my center surround speaker on the mantle, it seemed only appropriate to tidy up the rest of the family room. Bookshelves were straightened up and CD cases will soon be gone, considering each and every one now has a permanent home in another recent gift, a 400-disc Sony CD Jukebox. I ordered a third DVD album that will hold another 100 two-disc DVDs which will easily clear the rest of the stand-alone DVD cases into the attic where they belong.

The whirlwind of tidiness didn't stop with the family room. Rachel went on a normal trip to the commisary and returned to find that I had completely re-arranged our bedroom, cleaning it in the process. The re-arranged bedroom finally gave me the space to buy and put in place a cheap bookshelf for my grad work materials. Now that my books aren't lying all over the place, I have room on my ad hoc desk (a Lifetime plastic folding table) for the printer, laptop, speakers, electronic components, and a mouse! Even my office was effected. In the last week, I have successfully cleaned off, thrown away, and filed most of the mess that was on my desk - a feat that my co-workers would verify is way beyond my typical M.O.

What's next you may ask? Well, I can't be for sure, but I've had my eyes on several boxes in our garage for quite some time. It seems they may be happier in the attic and I'm sure the kids bedroom could use a quick glance by an efficiency expert.

Truly, this device has changed my life. Here's to Logitech, and their Harmony line of remotes. What is really bugging me though, is this: If this is the outcome from getting the entry-level model, what would happen were I to someday gain the top-of-the-line, all-color touchscreen, RF Harmony remote. I might discover a cheaper and safer way to travel to space and back. Perhaps I'll be given the secret to maintaining sock pair integrity (it's a technical term) through the laundry cycle. Or maybe I'll just be able to control all of my devices from anywhere in the house. Regardless, I recommend the Logitech Harmony 550 to anyone who is interested (at the very least) in finding the motivation to clean their bedroom.

God Bless!