I want to say a very HAPPY BIRTHDAY to my Dad :cake

For so many years, I didn't understand all the things that my Dad did to make sure that we were the luckiest kids ever - and we truly are. It's taken all these years to understand that were plenty of times that my Dad didn't want (for example) to go on a business trip. The early drive to an airport, the hours on the plane, the stuffy meeting in a hot suit, the cold hotel food, the uncomfortable bed, the lonely room, the phone call home with kids asking, "When are you coming home?", and somehow finding the strength to do it all over again on the next trip. But he did it as often as he had to because he was making a better life for us. He worked so hard to give us opportunities he never had, just like his dad did for him.

He would get up at ridiculous hours (I remember it being dark when dad went to work - if I was even out of bed yet!) to head off to work and work 11, 12 or more hours a day for us. But he always came home with a smile. I've worked some 12 hour days and I come home dead tired. I don't even want to eat some nights, so I can only reflect in awe at how my Dad was never short with us and always took time to spend with us. On top of that, he made time to be involved with the Lion's Club and teach us to try to do something for other people.

I remember a lot of special times with my Dad - too many to mention. To me, they are just magical memories I'll keep for the rest of my life. What I didn't realize at the time is that there were a lot of times that my dad probably just wanted to sit down and rest. But, he never did.

He'd work all day just to come home and help me build a pine wood race car for a scout project, or help my brother with a science project, or throw ball with us, or come to one of our ball games, or watch the band, or any number of a thousand different things my dad would do with my brother and me.

Like his dad, he set the bar high. My brother and I now have to do our best to live up to it. If you were to ask him, I'm sure he'd say we're doing it. But I know that - even if we never make it - he'll be proud of us. He always is.

Today's your birthday, Dad, but I feel like the one with all the presents. I wish I could go back and say thank you for all the times I never realized I should. I'm blessed with a wonderful man as my father, who chose a wonderful woman as my mother.

Happy Birthday, Dad. I love you!

Because some of you might be making life altering decisions during the holiday season (ie. satellite — ooh, spooky!), I thought it was time to have the talk. No, not that "the talk." The TiVo talk.

What is TiVo?
TiVo is the revolution, my friend. Forget everything you've ever known about television. Forget racing home to watch something that starts at…oh, gosh - what time does it start?! Forget setting the VCR. Heck, forget the VCR!! TiVo has been the single most life-altering "thing" I have ever purchased without a doubt. But back to the question: What is TiVo?

TiVo is a computer, essentially. It's got most of the parts you would find in your regular computer. It essentially combines the recording ability of a VCR with the "smarts" of a computer. It's important to point out that –right now– there are two kinds of TiVo: STANDALONE TiVo and TiVo for DirecTV.

What does TiVo do?
Let's stick to the technical. (I promise not to add 2 paragraphs per question telling you that TiVo gives you your life back, if you promise to appreciate the implied message, OK?!)

TiVo connects to your incoming television/cable/satellite signal and allows you to manipulate and manage the signals. For example, you could choose to record a show, pause live TV, fast forward during a program (perhaps during the commercials?!), watch an instant replay, or slow-motion of the program. This is the basic premise of what TiVo calls "TRICK PLAY". How? TiVo has a hard drive (or several hard drives) and it records the signal as it comes into your home. Perhaps it's easier to understand that TiVo is always recording and your watching the recording. It's the underlying premise of digital video recorders. Essentially, all "DVRs" have these "TRICK PLAY" features.

But wait, that's not all! This is where TiVo starts to separate itself from the pack a little bit and take on some functionality that other DVRs don't have. TiVo is a digital recorder but it's also a service. With TiVo, you can set up "SEASON PASSES" for your favorite shows. TiVo will search the listings and schedule the recordings automatically. You'll never miss an episode again - even if it shows on a different day, time, or channel! And you'll never have to watch a repeat, unless you tell TiVo to record the repeats too. (More on Season Pass)

Another feature is the TiVo WISHLIST. You can set up Wishlists for your favorite actors, directors, genres, you name it. TiVo searches and records the shows that match your interests. Tell TiVo to record cooking shows about chocolate…no problem! Record everything Tom Cruise is in (interviews, movies, talk shows)? No problem! (More on Wishlists)

TiVois smart, too. Tell it what you like by assigning up to three "Thumbs Up" or "Thumbs Down" to a program and TiVo will learn what types of program you enjoy watching. Then TiVo spend it's spare time finding shows similar to the ones you like. For example, say you really enjoy TLC's "TRADING SPACES", TiVo might auto record BBC's "CHANGING ROOMS", which is essentially the British version of the same show. Then you can choose to watch the similar program or just delete it! (More about Smart Recording)

Finally, TiVo brings Parental Controls to the small screen. You can set password limits on channels and recordings. (Note: This works great when your husband hasn't cut the grass yet and insists on watching the FSU game!) But TiVo gives you another parental control that you might not have thought of - auto recording your children's favorite programs. With a few extra episodes of Square Bob Sponge pants, your kids are gonna keep watching the shows they love instead of surfing for shows you wouldn't approve of.

How much does TiVo cost?
TiVo is a unit and a service, but you'll like the pricing. You have to purchase the unit first and that can run you up to $299, depending on how many hours you want to be able to record. For $299, you can get the big daddy 80-hour unit. Once you have a TiVo, you need TiVo service. There are two options: monthly and lifetime. I think the monthly fee for a stand alone unit is about $10 and lifetime is $250. For DirecTV only systems, it's $4.99 per month.

What is the difference between a STANDALONE TiVo and a TiVo for DirecTV?
You can use a Stand alone unit with any video signal: rabbit ears, cable, DirecTV, DishNetwork, you name it. Stand alone units can record one "signal" (or channel) at a time. Stand alone units accept your analog feed, convert it to digital and save it. Then, they convert the signal back to analog when you're ready to watch it.

DirecTV units or "DTivos" (which are now being called DirectDVR) can be used only with DirecTV. DTivos can record up to two signals at a time and (since the satellite feed is digital) they retain the digital format at all times. DTivos can receive signals in Dolby Digital or 5.1 audio and output it when you're ready to watch the programs. (More about DTivo)

What kind of TiVo(s) do you have?
We have two DTivos (TiVo for DirecTV). We have a Philips DSR6000 and Hughes GXEBOT.

What's the difference between a DirecTV TiVo and a DishPVR?
There are some core differences which people don't seem to understand. Most DishPVR user think TiVo is a commodity term to describe a PVR, like "TV", "DVD", "VCR", etc. If you ask them if they have a TiVo, they'll say "yes" but they actually have a DVR. If you're looking at the two (DishPVR vs. standalone TiVo or DirectDVR/DTivo), it's important to understand that each one is a Digital Video Recorder. Only the TiVo units are TiVos. Why the big deal?

Both TiVo units and DishPVR can perform the "TRICK PLAY" features I described above. Both types of units can record. That's where the similarities end.

DTivo/DirectDVR can record two signals at once - DishPVR cannot. Even better, your DTivo/DirectDVR lets you watch one saved program and record two others at the same time. This is a key feature in our house when West Wing goes up against Amazing Race or when Monday Night Football is on opposite some sappy, girly movie. Another drawback (as I understand it) is that you pretty much have to watch what you're recording. You can't record Friends and watch something else. If you want to record Friends, you have to sit there and watch Friends. Boo!

Also, DishPVR units do not have the TiVo service. That means they cannot search out programming, accept thumbs up/down, wishlists and other features described above.

Essentially, the DishPVR is a fancy VCR - nothing more. You still need to figure out what you're going to record and when you're going to record it.

One "feature" of the DTivo/DirectDVR is that you could upgrade/add hard drives if you were so inclined. I say that carefully, because you could void your warranty. But, if you have to have a larger hard drive, its definately possible.

Even if you get a DishPVR for free, it really doesn't do that much for your TV experience other than let you fast forward through commercials. The smart money is on the TiVo system which offers a lot of service features that truly change the way you experience television.

While we're one the subject, what's better: DirecTV or Dish Network?
Well, a lot of people have some stong opinions and they're are pros and cons of each, I guess. After you look at the packages and the pricing, I would say there are a few things which tilt the balance for DirecTV - at least through my eyes.

DirecTV offers TiVo integrated into the receiver, for starters. Granted, you can buy a standalone TiVo, but it is worth mentioning. Also, DirecTV offers complete sports packages - Dish does not. DirecTV offers NFL Sunday Ticket, NHL Center Ice, NBA League Pass, MLB Extra Innings, and YES Network (NY Yankees). If you like sports, it's important to know that you can only get these packages with DirecTV. Each provider has some local markets in which it offers "local channels" that the other does not, so that may be a factor for you. My only gripe with the Dish locals is that you need an extra antenna in some markets. Overall, I prefer (and chose) DirecTV.

What TiVo should I buy?
If you have DirecTV or are considering DirecTV, get the DTivo/DirectDVR combo unit. The dual tuner functionality and audio capabilities are they way to go. If you have cable, satellite, or any other signal, go with the standalone TiVo.

FINAL ANALYSIS
I'm only going to say this one time. If you buy a TiVo, you need to be aware that you will not be able to watch TV ever again with out TiVo. I'm not kidding. It takes about two-three weeks before you can truly appreciate what TiVo can do for you.

At first, you'll still dash home to catch Survivor and then watch it in "real time". Once you unlearn all your TV-dependent habits, though, you'll soon find that you don't know what time/day Survivor is on. And - you don't need to know that anymore! You'll just come home and watch it whenever you want. You'll go to bed at night rather than try to stay awake for the Letterman monolouge because you can watch it anytime you want.

In fact, you will probably start to question other devices as to why there's no TiVo features in them. When we first got ours, I found myself cussing at the radio because I couldn't fast forward the commercials or get the radio to auto-play a program that was on at a different time! :tongue

If I haven't explained TiVo well enough, I would strongly encourage you to WATCH THIS!

"In my mind I'm going to Carolina NORMAN, OKLAHOMA"

So the holidays are coming up and neither Merv nor I can come up with just a whole lot of things to put on our list for one another. I was surfing the web and came across some note that James Taylor was doing a tour of smaller college venues and thought, "Dang! That would kick ass!"

After scanning high and low, I got two tickets for JT's December 6th show @ The University of Oklahoma. It's about a three hour drive on a Friday night, so let's hit the hotel and make a weekend of it! YAHOOTIE!

I enjoy listening to my wife's telephone conversations with her girlfriends. Now understand, I don't mean like some psycho husband or the FBI, but just hearing her speak when she's on the phone. Sometimes I'll even join in!

These "conversations" generally occur two to three times per week and go something like this.

Merrin: Right.

M: Right.

M: Right.

M: Exactly!

M: Right. Right. Right.

ME: Left! :tongue

M: {{snide look}} Right.

M: Yeah.

M: Right.

ME: WRONG! :wink

M: Right.

M: OK. Talk to you later.

ME: What was that about?

M: Nothing.

ME: Right.

M: Right.

So I went to the ol' eye doctor today. They showed me little letters, big letters, and blew wend in my eye. Seems like little has changed in the five years since my last little visit. After all was said and done, no change to the ol' eyeglass presciption. Humph! All that trouble for nothing!

Merrin helped me pick out some new frames for glasses and sunglasses. As soon as I get them in, I'll get her to take some pictures so you can compare.

"Better one? Better two?" :smile

I have no idea who wrote this, but THANK YOU. I had lost the orange folder that one of our XP Home Upgrade CDs came with. (Yeah, I can't beleieve I actually paid for it twice either! I've never paid for…. Enough of that sentance!)

When I lost the Product Key, I knew I was going to have a hard time if I ever needed to reinstall or do a fresh install on a new hard drive.

Now you can run this program on your XP computer (Windows XP Home or Windows XP Professional) and display the Product Registration Key.

Note: I downloaded the app and did a virus scan (no problems), but your milage may vary.

If you have the Windows cd, follow these instructions on how to locate the windows product key on the Windows XP CD.

Hat tip to: NeoTechCC

Many of you said "yeah" to our Online Christmas Lists last year and I did end up getting the best gifts I've ever gotten, so don't be surprised if we roll out the Christmas Lists again this year.

Once we're ready, the lists should appear as a "link" over in the menu bar (for computer users) and as a link from the "home/menu" pages at www.kevindonahue.com and www.merrindonahue.com.

And, as always, "THANK YOU, SANTA!"

Questions courtesy of smattering.org >Friday Five:

1. How many TVs do you have in your home?
Believe it or not, we have two. Merrin has always wanted a third for our bedroom, but I laid down the law on that one! :wink

2. On average, how much TV do you watch in a week?
Well, that's tough. It has to be said that we have 2 Tivos for DirecTV, so we could (theoretically) watch/record 6 different programs at once. Given that fact, we probably watch a lot more TV than some people because we never "miss" a show or have to choose between one or the other. So, I'd guess that I watch about 40 hours a week during football or hockey season and maybe, 20 hours the rest of the year.

3. Do you feel that television is bad for young children?
I think children should be encouraged to have lots of different activities. Within that context, I think TV can be a positive option for children. Again, all things in moderation and definately pre-screening of the shows.

4. What TV shows do you absolutely HAVE to watch, and if you miss them, you're heartbroken?
We don't miss any shows, period. Tivo, baby! We just set up our favorites and it catches 'em whenever there's a new episode. We always Tivo: Sopranos, Beg-Borrow-Deal, Amazing Race, West Wing, Survivor, and Merrin's soap.

5. If you had the power to create your own television network, what would your line-up look like?
My network would be a combination of the following:

This is year two of the online letter to Santa and I must say it really worked out well last year. Y'all seemed to like it because I actually wrote down some things I wanted and it worked out pretty well for me, too! So, thank you very much for thinking about me, Santa. I've been good most of the year and I promise to make up for the one or two "bad" times with extra cookies!!

A great shirt that's sure to look good with jeans or khakis! What more could a guy want?! Here's some that I've found online:

Old Navy Red Plaid Long Sleeve Shirt — Size: L

Lands End Denim Blazer Shirt — Lt. Indigo — 16.5"/32"

Lands End Long Sleeve Chino Shirt — Size L
Hmm…which color?! How 'bout Orange, Crimson, or Spruce?

Wrinkle-Free LL Bean Long Sleeve — Size L
What do you think? Is the Olive/Cream nice?

Long story short here, I need a couple of nice looking shirts that I can wear for casual stuff. Use your discretion. Generally speaking, I wear a Large in a sized shirt or a 16.5/17" collar and 32/33" sleeves in a fitted shirt.

Is it just me or do these look like the best casual shoes ever created?! A cross between an "outdoor boot/hiking shoe" and a sneaker, these are all weather mocs that can take on everything Texas weather has to offer.

I shopped a lot of places online, but I really couldn't find a better shoe or price than this one at Lands End. I think the dark brown has got to be the color for me. As far as size goes, I think I'll try this one in an 8.5. Besides, if it's not right, Lands End offers easy exchanges!

Men's All Weather Mocs — Size 8.5 — Dark Brown

Can you ever have enough great movies?? I don't think so. Here's a couple that I've been meaning to get for myself, but I never have:
The Godfather Collection
Saving Private Ryan
That Thing You Do

Uniflame Premium Grill

Since my beloved Char-Broil Grillmaster was smited down in the psuedo-twister of '02, Merrin & I have been forced to make do without our bi-monthly grill-a-thon. For those of you who have sampled the fine work of Chef Kev, you know I was starting to get pretty good at grilling. Now it's time to "kick it up a notch. BAM!" But it isn't exactly simple to find a 3-burner gas grill with 400+ sq. inches of space in the dead of winter, either. Here are two that I'm in love with:

Note: These suckers ain't cheap, so I'm perfectly content with a gift card I can use towards the purchase. Thanks, Santa!

With the way things are going this year, you can probably find a good looking FSU sweatshirt on sale! Seriously, though, I've been asking for an FSU sweatshirt for 3 years. Here's your chance to come through Santa!

FSU Printed Sweatshirt — Size XL

Garnet & Gold is a great Tallahassee store for all kinds of Seminole goodies. Point the sleigh that way, Santa, and you're sure to get extra cookies this year!!

Somehow I missed the classic navy suit and the "new" classic taupe suit! Help me Santa!

Joseph & Feiss Navy Blue Suit — 42 Short

Claiborne Taupe Check 3 Button Suit — 42 Short

Casual Day Blended Mocks — Black & Ivory (Size: L)

Great Silk Ties1, 2

Men's Wearhouse Gift Card

I love the look of these sweaters. They remind me of the great blue wool sweater I got a couple of years ago.

LL Bean Lakeside Rag Sweater — Grey Marl — Size L

LL Bean Lakeside Rag Sweater — Russet Marl — Size L

LL Bean Lakeside Rag Sweater — Loden Marl — Size L

If you don't like the look of these, here's some a couple of less casual sweaters in the same awesome colors:

Loden Crewneck — Size L

Vintage Red - Size L – Not sure this is the color for me, but it is good looking.

Santa, dude - Get me a Dell!

OK. So we've got a lot of computers in this place. We've got a lot of computers in this family. We've got so many computers that some of them are just sitting around in boxes unopened! Meanwhile, back in the Southwest Regional offices of Big Kev & Co, I've got a unit that is giving it's life's blood to keep up with me. Don't get me wrong, it's a great little box. (I know someone who might even consider it an upgrade!) But when it comes to gobbling up video and other heavy lifting, this one is just 2Ghz or so behind the times. So, Santa, if you've got a couple P4s sitting around, hook a brother up, OK?

Fly me to the moon…
What's the old saying…"When you think the world of someone, give it to them"? Well, maybe you don't think the world of us, but I bet you would like us out of your hair for a couple of days, right?! We've been talking about spending 3-4 days together in some great places like San Franscisco, New York, DC, or maybe a jaunt back to Mexico. They say you should do it while you're young, right? I've got the hotel connections in almost any city in the world, so…. Put the onus on us…tell us to "get the heck out of here"…did you know that American Airlines sells gift certificates?

Gift cards never go out of style, especially those from Best Buy!

Shop Online! Here's some Big Kev favorites:
Old Navy, Lands End, Eddie Bauer, L.L. Bean, Kohl's, Men's Wearhouse
Best Buy, Circuit City, CompUSA

NOTE: This is NOT intended for users with a DirecTIVO, DirectDVR, or standalone Tivo running less then ver 3.0, myself included! :wink

I found this link on the Underground and thought there might be someone out there with a dead modem on their standalone Tivo. If you've ever cracked the case, you know the only way to replace a Tivo modem is to solder a new one. Not a pretty site for most of us, myself included! :wink

Anyway, Otto has come up with an easy method of connecting a standalone Tivo box to WinXP via Serial PPP. Your standalone Tivo must be using ver 3.0.

Why would you want to connect your Tivo to WinXP? Simple. Service/Program downloads via broadband instead of your modem. So, if your Tivo modem is dead, take a look at this guide. Hope this helps!

OK, I've mourned long enough. I now must post something about college football. (Actually, I haven't been mourning, I've basically been working 12+ hour days trying to get acquainted at my new hotel.)

Note: As Todd & Robyn have pointed out, I judge through my own, garnet-colored glasses. I judge on my scale. If you want a less biased opinion, go talk to somebody else. But, without a doubt, if you've followed my poll all year, the BCS won't shock you because I've been telling it like it is all year. Let the debate begin!

Rounding out the top ten, in order: Iowa State, Florida State, NC State, Notre Dame, Georgia.

This Weeks Picks (Last week: 9-2)
Iowa State (+9.5) over Oklahoma
Kansas State (-2) over Texas
Air Force (-3) over Notre Dame
Colorado State (+1) over Utah
Oregon (-10) over Arizona State
Bowling Green (-15) over Western Michigan

First and foremost, thank you 100 times over to every one who called/emailed regarding my job situation. It really means a lot to me. You guys are the best.

I'm very excited to annouce that I have accepted a transfer to The Westin Stonebriar Resort in North Dallas. It's a beautiful resort property with two golf courses and a full day-spa. The folks there are incredibly nice and good friends of mine. I can't wait to join them on Monday.

Thank you again for all your support over the last week. Now that that little detail is taking care of, I can begin the painful mourning process regarding the FSU/Miami game. (More later)

Somehow Merrin has managed to eek her way to the top of some strange searches over at Google.com. By the time you read this, the results could change, but somehow Merrin is at the top for:

1. "blog car salesman"
2. "carmela & furio"
3. "sopranos 2002 recap"
4. "sopranos recap"
5. "Moveable Type skins"
6. "um ok" — This is my favorite, personally!

I'm ticked off at the networks. ABC, NBC, CBS, & FOX — in their infinite wisdom — decided to use the peoples' airwaves to bring us Raymond, Drew Carey, Fear Factor, and Baseball. So what else could they have shown?

For months, ABC (especially ABC), NBC, & CBS have been showing story after story, segment after segment on how the US government has "failed to make a case against Iraq". So President Bush appears tonight and addresses the nation to explain his rationale for international action in Iraq. What station carries it? None of 'em.

This isn't a groundbreaking development, mind you. None of the four broadcast networks showed President Bush's much more technical and persuasive speech to the UN last month either. Why?

We have two reasons to consider as to why the networks refuse to provide the government's side to the issue:

1. They disagree with the President's position that Saddam must be removed. Note: They thought it was a good idea when Clinton recommended it in 1999, but now it's not a wise move in their eyes.
2. The networks would rather cash in on bad TV shows than inform the country.

Both excuses are dispicable. Damn liberal TV media. Five dollars says that their will be an ABC/Communist poll tommorrow showing that Americans don't understand why action is needed. Gee, ABC, why is that? Perhaps because you're showing Drew Carey?

For those of you who seek some level of unbiased information, I invite you to take a look at the testimony before Congress, the President's speech to the United Nations, and the documentation of Iraqi violations.

Don't be uninformed, people. As Merrin likes to say, "Read something!"

This college football season is getting ridiculous. I've never watched so many high-ranked teams struggle against mediocre opponents. I can't tell you how steamed I am that Oklahoma can't get it together, because I think they've got the talent and the coaching. But, put them on the field and the play down to their competition. I've watched four games this year where OU let a team hang around or won the game in the last 2 minutes. And don't get me started on Texas. I think they've got one of the most talented teams in the country, but they don't play hard. That's a coaching problem - plain & simple.

Big Kev's College Top 5 (Last Week's Top 5)

Rounding out the top ten in order are: Oklahoma, Notre Dame, Texas, NC State, Georgia.

Texas/Oklahoma:
It's time for the "Red River Shootout" and both teams limp into Dallas for a showdown. Texas has more talent, but can't seem to use it on the field. OU has better coaching, and it's saved them a couple of times this year. That being said, the "major" polls (those other than the Big Kev Top 5) rank Texas and OU at #2 and #3, depending on the poll. Even though I don't think these two are top 5 teams, I do think this will be a heck of a game. It will be decided late, but OU beats Texas and Texas fans decide Mack Brown has to go at the end of the year.

Florida State/Miami:
When I was at FSU, this was the one "blood" game of the year. Yeah, UF was important, but FSU was beating the Gators every year while Miami was knocking FSU out of the National Championship. Twice during my years there, FSU got derailed by the Hurricanes. Wouldn't it be nice to get a little revenge? Unfortunately, FSU may not have the tools on defense this year to stop the Hurricanes and –even though I hate to say it — Miami is a better team than the 'Noles. I'll be rooting for an FSU victory, but don't be shocked if Miami wins it and leads most of the second half.

Other Predictions:
Virginia Tech over Boston College
Oregon over UCLA
Ohio State over San Jose State
Notre Dame over Pitt
Michigan over Penn State
Air Force over BYU
Georgia over Tennessee
Kentucky over South Carolina
Florida over LSU