Storytelling

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How to Select Glasses that Compliment Your Face Shape: Infographic

How to Select Glasses that Complement Your Face Shape

I came across this handy infographic this morning and I liked it so much that I decided to do a quick blog post on it; for selfish reasons more than anything else.

The next time I need to get new frames, I’m going to pull up this blog post with this infographic on it, at the bottom. Then I’ll show it to the optometrist to help me pick the best frames for my face shape.

It can be difficult to self-diagnosis yourself on something like this, but I believe I have a heart-shaped face.

(I could be wrong, though!)

When I snapped this Instagram today to use as a reference, as well as going back and watching my newest webisodes of my new web series, Uncle Nick’s Enchanted Forest, I see a guy with a prominent forehead, high cheekbones, and a pointed chin.

While I’m not fully confident my current frames are the best for my face shape, I do know they’re my most favorite ever: I’ve had them for 2 years now and I have zero interest in getting new ones.

Granted, I only need my prescription eyeglasses to (legally) drive and whenever I’m in front of a computer screen. But considering I’m a commuter (nearly 2 hours round trip, daily) who is front of a computer all day long; plus, I am a blogger with my own YouTube channel, that means my glasses on my face most of my waking hours.

Hopefully, by me (selfishly) posting this infographic today, my readers and subscribers can personally benefit from it as well.

This, to me, is the perfect kind of infographic I can appreciate. It covers the kind of obscure yet relevant material that I don’t consciously spend time thinking about, but once I see it, makes me think, “Oh yeah! I’ve always wondered about that!”

Well, here it is. Enjoy.

[via Visualistan, image via FramesDirect.com]

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Leave a comment Posted on funny, Nostalgia, parenting, Storytelling, Uncategorized

Dear Jack: Your “Dually Relieving” Animals Artwork

5 years, 1 month.

Dear Jack: Your “Dually Relieving” Animals Artwork

Dear Jack,

Monday afternoon when I picked you up from Pre-K, you asked me to help you get all your artwork from that day out of your folder. It was quite a stack of papers; probably at least 20 different pictures you had drawn there.

Right away, I noticed a peculiar, yet subtle piece of art. You had drawn a dog standing near an anthill.

Near the anthill was a sign that read “Boo” backwards. There were ants and spiders nearby as well.

As I examined the dog carefully, I noticed that as he smiled, he was also “dually relieving” himself.

To be clear, the dog was both “going #1 and #2” at the same time.

I verified what I was seeing, and you quickly admitted what was going on in the picture.

However, you weren’t laughing about it. You kept a straight face, as if to say, “What’s funny about this? This is art. It’s nature.”

I followed up by asking if either your friends or your teacher had seen the picture. They had not.

As soon as we got home, Mommy hung your picture up on the refrigerator.

To my surprise, the next day when I picked you up, déjà vu occurred as I saw a very similar picture; this time with a cat.

Dear Jack: Your “Dually Relieving” Animals Artwork

This time you smiled: “I made this picture for Mommy!”

We are indeed very proud of your artwork, as were many people on Facebook who saw the pictures as well.

Now that I look back on it, this wasn’t the first time you drew a “dually relieving itself” animal as artwork.

The weekend before the 2015 CMA Awards, a couple of months ago, our family met our friends Mohamed and Lena at the Cool Springs Whole Foods (in Franklin, TN) for a late lunch, around 2:00 PM.

As we were sitting down at the table with our food, Mohamed showed me a picture of both Jessica Biel (Justin Timberlake’s wife) with her baby, as well as Justin Timberlake’s mother.

Then Mohamed pointed over to just a tables away, asking us to verify that the people at the table were indeed the same as the ones he had pulled up on his phone.

Turns out, he was right.

Apparently, Justin Timberlake’s wife, son, and mother were having lunch while Justin was assumedly preparing for his appearance at the CMA Awards; where he would go on to do an instantly legendary performance with Chris Stapleton.

All of that was lost on you. I looked down to see you had just finished drawing a picture of an animal dually relieving itself.

Fast forward to this week: You decided to bring back the concept.

Love,

Daddy

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Kids’ Show: Uncle Nick’s Enchanted Forest- Webisodes 4-6; the Flood Story Arc

Kids Show: Uncle Nick’s Enchanted Forest- Webisodes 4-6; the Flood Story Arc

By now, I’ve made it no secret that I am legitimately attempting to become the next Mr. Rogers’ Neighborhood/Blue’s Clues.

My main hobby right now is to crank out as many webisodes I can of my new web series, Uncle Nick’s Enchanted Forest.

It is my hope that eventually my show will catch on and that I can get enough traffic to gain the attention of the talent scouts for major networks like PBS, Nickelodeon, Disney, Animal Planet, and the Discovery Channel.

My agenda with each webisode is to provide innocent and engaging entertainment for children who are watching YouTube on their parents’ smartphones.

For this newest batch of webisodes, 4 through 6, I’ve added not only a new song (“Animal Hat”) but also a segment where I try to guess which color the viewer is thinking of, while I play the drums. (I also play the guitar on camera now, in addition to just the harmonica as I did before.)

After the indoors portion of each show, I then take the viewer outdoors to my Enchanted Forest (the woods of Fort Payne and Mentone, Alabama) for a magical adventure, featuring talking animals.

I filmed 8 webisodes during my 3 day Christmas vacation last week, with help from my dad and brother-in-law serving as camera men. (That means I soon will be releasing even 5 more.)

During that time, I took advantage of the fact that the area was experiencing a flash flood. I based these 3 (of the newest 8) webisodes around that, making that the overall story arc for them.

In Webisode 4, I must rush to the rescue as Betsy the Bunny gets trapped in a tree alongside a rushing waterfall (Little River Falls in Fort Payne, AL).

Next in Webisode 5, I must save Tiny the Turtle before his home is swept away by the flood (DeSoto Falls in Mentone, AL).

And in the final segment of this “flood” story arc, in Webisode 6, I must help Scuttles the Skunk move forward in his life as he deals with the aftermath of losing his home in the flood as well.

I designed the outdoors segment of each webisode to be a good mix of action, adventure, and psychology. However, the first (indoors) part of each webisode is designed to engage the viewer in creative thinking.

Sure, right now, Uncle Nick’s Enchanted Forest is just getting off the ground. But I am committing to this show. I am not giving up until I reach my goal of taking my show to the big screen: the TV screen, via a major network.

I believe that I have the talent, skills, creativity, charisma, and personality to host my own TV show on a major children’s network. This web series is my way of proving it to the world.

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Dear Holly: Your Room’s Theme, “Rock-a-bye Baby in the Treetop”

23 weeks.

Dear Holly: Your Room’s Theme- Rock-a-bye Baby on the Treetop

Dear Holly,

It was all a complete coincidence.

Many months ago before we even knew we were going to have a baby, Mommy ordered a wall decal of a tree branch with birds, for what at the time was simply our guest room. Your Aunt Dana and I spent some time placing it on the wall and making it look nice.

It was simply a guest room; not even a “hopefully in the near future a baby’s room”.

If anything, it was a “maybe one day, a baby’s room.”

But then we found out about you this past summer.

Instead of painting your bedroom a predictable girly color, we decided to embrace and translate the tree decal into a baby girl’s room.

This past weekend your Nonna and Papa (my parents) came up and helped us prepare our house for your arrival… which is still 4 months away.

After Papa and I put together your crib, we instantly realized it was the same length as the tree decal.

Therefore, your bedroom has the theme of the nursery rhyme, Rock-a-Bye Baby:

Rock-a-bye baby, in the treetop

When the wind blows, the cradle will rock

When the bough breaks, the cradle will fall and down will come baby

Cradle and all

Instead of painting your room, Mommy had us paint our office, which will now double as the guest room.

Dear Holly: Your Room’s Theme- Rock-a-bye Baby on the Treetop

We also painted the bathroom and Mommy hung up a fun frame that celebrates you and Jack, with it being your shared bathroom.

Again, you’re still 4 months away of actually being born and needed your room.

But hey, we had already bought our Christmas gifts by September and had them wrapped by October; and put our tree up in early November.

So in our household, you can only imagine that having your room ready now isn’t too early at all.

Love,

Daddy

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Dear Jack: One Day I Want to Drive Our Family Back Across the Florida Keys

5 years, 1 month.

Dear Jack: One Day I Want to Drive Our Family Back Across the Florida Keys

Dear Jack,

Four years ago this month, two major things happened: 1) Our family became (and has remained) vegetarians. 2)  Our family was recruited by Chevy to drive across the Florida Keys in a Chevy Volt, beginning in Naples.

At the time, you were barely a year old; so while Mommy and I had a wonderful time, you don’t remember it at all.

Now at age 5, you are the age to where I believe you would be able to truly be able to appreciate and remember such a fun trip.

We spent our first night in Naples, which might be my favorite American beach yet. That’s the first time we ever saw dolphins in the wild. We collected seashells that first morning; those shells remain in our home 4 years later.

From there, we drove through the Everglades and then to the Keys.

It was such a dreamlike experience to be literally driving in the middle of the ocean, driving on a series of bridges connecting islands off the Florida coast.

But on both sides of the narrow roads, all we saw was ocean.

And I remember how Chevy put our family up in this really cool, historic house. You would love it now!

If our family were to revisit that trip, it wouldn’t simply be better just because you’re older now. There’s also the fact I have better camera equipment, as well as the skills and ability to make more artistic photo collages and well as music-laden videos to put on YouTube… like these two:

I don’t know when we can do this trip again, but at some point, I would love to make it happen.

Our family has made two different trips to Florida this year; back in June to Pensacola, then to Destin for your birthday in November.

My inner Jimmy Buffet is starting to reveal itself; it’s only enhanced because I tend to leave Sirius XM on Channel 24: Margaritaville.

As for now, these few pictures I took from 4 years ago serve as bookmarks of that trip, as well as inspirational images for us to get back to Key West.

Love,

Daddy

Dear Jack: One Day I Want to Drive Our Family Back Across the Florida Keys