The Post About A Photo Every Day and 16 Apps To Help

I'm that annoying person who wants you to stop the car, the fork, or whatever you're doing so I can take a picture with my phone.

January 2012 has led to even more mobile photography aggression because of a Photo A Day Challenge created by Fat Mum Slim.

I like everything about it. I like:

1. Telling my story with pictures.

2. Being guided in each chapter of that story.

3. Snooping on other folks as they tell their stories.

I'm already being nosy with many of you (thanks for not blocking me) but I want us all to do it. ALL OF US.

So here's February.

You can share your pics on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, your blog, or simply send them directly to my inbox : jamiesrabbits@gmail.com. 

I'm serious about prying on your life. 

If you're using a smartphone to capture moments, might I suggest the following apps?

Camera+, Snapseed and PolyMagic are my favorites, but every one of my children gets quality attention.

Another way to go is simply snap the pic with your camera and call it a day. You'll have to spend all that free time hanging out with friends or sleeping in, but whatever. 

Comments? Concerns? Suggestions for therapy topics?

The Post About TV Kids I Wouldn't Want To Parent

I'm fond of the TV show Parenthood.

I love Adam Braverman and Joel Graham and Mark Cyr. I love the premise and plot.

What I don't love is Haddie Braverman.

• 17-year-old daughter of Adam and Kristina. 
• Caught with drugs.
• Whines.
• Pocket dials her parents in the midst of having sex with her older boyfriend who used to be homeless.
• Whines a lot.

I wouldn't want to parent Haddie. I would push her out of a moving minivan.

Here's 5 more TV kids I'm not interested in raising.

1. Candace Flynn, Phineas & Ferb

Obsessive, controlling, panicky, and paranoid. I'm pretty sure I was her carbon copy at 15. So, not good.

2. Stephanie Tanner, Full House

Jealous of one sister and annoying to the other. How rude, indeed. And those bangs. I can't help a girl who clearly can't help herself.

3. Scrappy Doo, Scooby-Doo

More like Scrappy Doo Doo. Acted tough as nails, but he's a faker. His uncle should have let him at 'em and then we would have been free from this irritating pup.

4. Henry Mills, Once Upon A Time

JUST LISTEN YOU STUBBORN FAIRYTALE PUNK. I wouldn't want to be Henry's mom, but I'd definitely want him as my lawyer. You know, if I ever needed it.

5. Harriet Brindle, Small Wonder

Nosy and hyperactive and solely focused on capturing the heart of a boy. Wait, that doesn't sound so bad when I type it out. Those are really adorable qualities.

Add to the list. Which TV kids would you not want in your custody? 

P.S. Have you entered this month's Rabbit giveaway? It's a Roku. And unlike the above, you want it to live with you. Pinky swear.

The {Guest} Post About Rabbits And Their Lucky Feet

Today's guest rabbit chaser is Carl Carter from Carl's Lost & Found. I met Carl in real life at a blogger shindig in Birmingham and he immediately agreed to let me be his friend. No one can resist my stalking charms.

 

{image: just.Luc}

It’s not superstition. It’s simply physics, or biology, or something…

Pity the poor rabbit.

Not the effervescent Jamie who follows her bunny trails here, but the kind with fur and long ears. People kill them, cut off their feet, dye them, add cheap chains and sell them for $2.

For the moment, let's ignore the fact that the rabbit actually had four “lucky” feet. Cultures all over the world respect the rabbit’s foot, but they have rules. In North America, it’s believed to have grown out of the African-American hoodoo tradition. In that case, it had to be a left rear foot, killed or captured in a graveyard, preferably under a full moon and shot with a silver bullet.

We all have our own ways of controlling the universe. Tim Tebow's PDR (public displays of religion) have called attention to our habit of praying for a win. Last year, during the NFL playoffs, someone posted: "The Texans have had so many challenges this season. Please pray that God will give them a win on Sunday." He didn't give them that win.  Having thousands praying on both sidelines must put God in a terribly awkward position. 

Leaving issues of faith aside, it still comes down to engaging in some behavior to control some part of the universe.

We pick up a penny if it’s face up and leave it behind if it’s face down. Even the penny tradition can get complicated. At Texas A&M, students on their way to an exam will stop by the statue of former Governor Sul Ross, a former school president. Supposedly, ol’ Sul had always been willing to help out a student, but he would never accept more than a penny for his trouble. So the idea must be Ross is helping turn their wrong answers into right ones.

The real luck may belong to the person who comes along next October 20 and picks up those pennies. The Aggies play LSU that day. Welcome to the SEC.

I’m not immune to this human need to control the universe. In my case, it all started when I was a kid at the railroad tracks in Woodlawn, Alabama. Everyone pretty much accepted you shouldn’t be touching anything with your hands or feet when your car crossed the tracks. Whenever we approached the crossing, we raised our hands and lifted our feet off the floorboard. It's an impressive feat when driving a straight shift.

But most of my superstitions developed independently over time. As noted in a recent post on my blog MediaGuyCarl.com - one of mine is watches. I own several. When I've had a bad day, it’s because the watch has run out of luck, so I try a different one the next day. I’ve been known to go home in the middle of a very bad day and change watches.

Another is a fear of turning 360 degrees. This only applies when walking or standing, and I’m very strict about it. When I shower and turn my back to rinse, I’m careful to turn back the same way. When I cut the grass, I make sure I alternate right and left turns. This one can get downright comical when I’ve got my two dogs on leashes and they start circling in opposite directions.

I’ll let somebody else figure out the complex psychological, biological and physical origins of these. For me, it’s just a matter of covering all the bases.

How do you cover the bases? Do you have any superstitions? 

Carl Carter is a PR professional, media watcher, woodworker, grandpa, and pen turner. He loves good dogs, good beers and good burgers. Read his blog. Follow him on Twitter.

The Post About The Rabbit Recommends v.106 GIVEAWAY

Each week or so I post a readable or watchable and/or a listenable of which I'm fond. You can choose what happens after my recommendation. Ignore, embrace, debate. Earlier volumes of The Rabbit Recommends can be found here. 

Watch

Dave Ramsey, Suze Orman and the Holy Spirit combined their efforts to convince me to spend less money. On anything.

I evaluated my monthly expenses by carefully reviewing the Chick-Fil-A and Starbucks and Arby's receipts populating my handbag. The budget item of excess was clear. 

Entertainment.

I asked mah internets how to make the cable bill bend to my will and the answer was "Roku." 

Roku is a streaming player that connects to your TV and Wi-Fi network. Then, you can access existing subscriptions like Netflix, Amazon On Demand, HuluPlus, and more sassy channels.

I compared this device to Apple TV, Blu-ray players, gaming consoles, and other devices and the internet kept chanting "Roku."

 

So I canceled my cable and this lil' gadget moved in. I'm hooked.

CNET recently named Roku as one of the best gifts for under $50. Here's a 3-minute recap of highlights. 

I love Roku and I want you to love it too, so I'm giving away a Roku LT ($49.99) to one lucky Rabbit reader. 

How To Enter:
Leave a comment answering the following: 

Name a must-see TV show.

**2 Extra Credit Entries**
Each of the following will give you 1 extra entry. Make sure to leave a separate comment for each, whether you're doing it for the first time or you've already been there, done that.

1. "Like" Jamie's Rabbits on Facebook.
2. Follow Jamie's Rabbits on Twitter. 

Important Details: Open to anyone 18 or older in the US or Canada. Must enter before 11:59pm CST on Monday, January 30 to qualify. Winner will be chosen randomly using Research Randomizer and announced next week.

Note: Although Roku and I are in a committed relationship, the makers of this wonder don't know the first thing about this blog or this giveaway. Sponsored by yours truly.

{image: Jamie}

The {Guest} Post About The Unlikely Reciprocation of Irrational Crushes, Or How to Boost Your Self-Esteem

Today's guest rabbit chaser is Jessica from Meet the Buttrams. I prefer to think of her as JButtWhatWhat, as she is lovingly known on Twitter.  I've not met Jessica in real life, but I'm fairly certain I could not adore her more. We share a love for Krispy Kreme, a distaste for Les Miles and a not-so-secret crush on Schmidt from Fox's New Girl.

She is short and hilarious. You've been warned.

I define the word "crush" very loosely. 

I used to define it, "the super hot boy in third period my coke tab predicted I would marry," but now it's merely someone I admire and/or can laugh at (with) and/or long to store in my pocket for when I need a pick-me-up. (Smidget sister Jamie fits that criteria, PS. Traveling Rabbits!)

 

Additionally, I have always made it a practice to assume that my crushes were in fact secretly and desperately in love with me too, something that sort of continues today. And listen, it really helps with the self-confidence. 

 

Here's how that worked out for me:

 

1. The Dad - My first irrational crush was on my friend's dad when we were in the second grade. Her mom was also our girl scout troop leader. Later that year, they got a divorce. Coincidence? I'm still not entirely convinced it wasn't because her dad thought I was especially adorable in my Brownie uniform. In my mind's eye, he resembled a mustached Pedro in Hammer pants. Hardly Brad Pitt. 

Verdict: Single dad of two. Was I really prepared to be a seven-year-old stepmom?

 

2. The Coach - I've played soccer my whole life. When I finally got good enough to play on an elite traveling team, I JUST KNEW my coach had me sit the bench because he preferred my wit-filled sideline screaming to all the other girls on the team. Until he berated some of my teammates for being lazy by saying, "I don't expect Jessica to score any goals, but she works her butt off out there!" At the very least, he needed to work on his pick-up lines. Broken-heart revenge was mine when he later got arrested for assault. 

Verdict: Anger-Management Candidate.

 

3. The Teacher - When my crush definition started taking on more lax perimeters, I nurtured an artist's crush on the totally sketchy fella who taught photography courses at my college. Over the two semesters I took his class, we spent more than a few hours alone in the darkroom, as well as one weird day at his house when I used his personal darkroom to develop color film. I figured Artsy College Coed was practically irresistible to a fiftyish single man who spoke fondly of his biker days...until a few years ago when he got busted for owning child pornography.

Verdict: Pedophile!

 

So, as you can see, not only do I have questionable taste, but I also assumed the highly unlikely outcome of requited love was IN THE CARDS, YO. And assuming these characters were actually in love with me was, in some instances illegal, but MORE IMPORTANTLY a total confidence booster. 

That they actually weren't is probably the more beneficial outcome.

 

'Fess up with your irrational crushes, and make me feel more normal. Cool? Cool.