joeysplanting

Air Mouse Pro (Remote/Trackpad) iPhone App

2009-10-31T00:49:20Z

I just stumbled across a really cool iPhone app called Air Mouse Pro that allows you to use your iPhone as an air mouse, trackpad or remote for your computer. I bought it (for 99¢) and played around with it for a little bit here at work and it seems to work okay. I used it mostly as a trackpad, since the air mouse mode takes some getting use to.

Growing a Greener World TV

2009-10-27T07:14:13Z

I just read about an upcoming TV series on PBS called "Growing a Greener World" which will be hosted by Joe Lamp'l (Garden Smart, Fresh From the Garden and joegardener.com) and Patti Moreno (Garden Girl). I can't wait to see it.

Here's more info:
joegardener.typepad.com/dailycompost/growing-a-greener-world-tv/
www.facebook.com/GGWTV

Friday

2009-10-24T21:12:42Z

Friday, October 24, 2009

I was so glad it was Friday yesterday. I was so tired at work and although I only worked 4 days (I was sick on Monday), the week seemed to have taken forever. I guess one of my work projects that kept on coming back with client revisions had a little something to do with it... anyways...

After work, I headed to a Darwin/Janet/AJ's place so we can head to Yojimbo Sushi in Alameda to celebrate AJ's birthday. Happy Birthday AJ!!! We had tons of yummy food at a really reasonable price, and the staff kept giving us a lot of "extras", because they said our food took a while to get to us. We weren't complaining though, but this just reaffirms that they have pretty good service.

After dinner, we were planning to go see the movie Astroboy, but we ended up seeing Paranormal Activities, which was an okay movie. I didn't know anything about it, so I was just kinda a bit scared since I heard a comments about it from some of my Facebook friends.

Mangosteen

2009-10-23T08:50:12Z

This evening, me and some friends bought a bag of fresh Mangosteen at an Asian market at the Ranch 99 Shopping Center in El Cerrito. (I forgot the name of the shop). I don't recall ever having Mangosteen, so I was really curious to see what it taste like... plus, I wanted to get seeds to try to plant.

I was surprised at how thick the skin was and how hard they were to open... but once opened, they smelled good. I don't know how to describe it; kinda tropical fruity. The texture of the fruit inside was kinda jelly-like, like a Lychee or Longan. It even tasted similar to a Lychee or Longan. It was pretty good :)

I saved the seeds and will try to plant them in the spring.

My Twitter Account is Worth $5...

2009-10-22T19:02:54Z

$5?... Hey, that's enough for 8 pieces of legs and thighs at Popeye's on Tuesdays...

Last night, I was trying to figure out how to update my Twitter automatically when I update my Facebook status. I found a couple of methods, but they no longer worked because Facebook keeps changing the URL for your own status RSS feeds, which you can feed into TwitterFeed to update your Tweets.

I couldn't figure it out, so I found another method which will do the opposite: automatically update my Facebook status with my lastest Tweet... It's a Facebook app called Twitter by Twitter... so I guess that'll work for now, although I wish I can figure the other way around.

Anyways, I guess I will start Tweeting more now. You can follow me at this link.

Created by WhatsMyTwitterAccountWorth.com

Official Start of My Fall/Winter Garden...

2009-10-22T06:15:57Z

Saturday, October 17, 2009

I haven't been gardening much during the summer, but on Saturday, I made a point to get my butt to Mid-City Nursery to see if they had any fall/winter vegetables to plant. They had a lot of variety of cool weather plants and I ended up with three kinds of Kale plants, a White Alpine Strawberry and Brussels Sprouts in my cart.

When I was at the counter, the cashier asked if I found everything okay. I reply yes... then remembered that I wanted a Chilean Guava plant, so I asked if they carried it. She actually knew what it was because she called it Ugni (its genus). She then lead me to the shrubs area and found the plant right away. There was one left and it's now mine :)

When I got home I took photos of the plants, but I haven't uploaded them to my Mac yet, so those are still to come.

Can't wait to start planting!!! :)

Chilean Guava

2009-10-18T09:15:10Z

I saw this article about Chilean Guava and decided that I must get one.
Chilean Guava -- why doesn't everyone have one of these?

Posted using ShareThis

Calli

2009-09-25T22:57:46Z

Our dog Calli passed away today.

This is a photo of her resting in the garden, which was one of her favorite passtimes. She didn't learn many tricks, except "shaking hands"; she was a pro at that. Calli was such a gentle dog and a big sweetheart.

We actually don't remember exactly how old she was, but she had a litter in 1996 and she was probably about 1 or 2 at that time, so our best guess is that she was 14 or 15...

Calli, rest in peace... We will miss you!

Spring/Summer 2009 Garden Plan (v01)

2009-06-05T08:57:53Z

I really need to start planting my Summer veggies, so I drew up a preliminary plan. I will think this over and probably move things around, but I think I have most of my veggies accounted for. I will probably either buy more plants or sow more seeds to plant in the blank spaces.

Veggie Bed #1 (left):
Sugar Ann Snap Peas with Corn
Lemon Cucumber
Brandywine Tomato
Garlic (already planted)
Eggplant
Red Bell Pepper
Serrano and Jalapeño Pepper
Straight Eight Cucumber
Kabocha Squash
Swiss Chard and Snapdragons (already planted)

Veggie Bed #2 (middle):
Various flowers (already planted)
Brandywine Tomato
Sunflower
Red Pear Tomato
Red Mini Sweet Peppers
Red Bell Pepper
Kabocha Squash
Winged Beans
Ace Tomato
Lemon Cucumber
Orange Mini Sweet Peppers
Eggplant
Leafy green (to be determined)
White Onions (already planted)

Veggie Bed #3 (right):
Sunflower
Elephant Garlic (already planted)
Red Mini Sweet Peppers
Beefmaster Tomato (already planted)
Red Bell Pepper
Winged Beans
Kabocha Squash
Fireball Tomato
Summer Squash (x2) (I forgot the name)
Unknown Tomato
Elephant Garlic (baby bulbs)
Eggplant (x2)
Red Bell Pepper

Shirts + Nanay's Online Banking

2009-06-05T08:46:07Z

Hi LiveJournal... Long time no see... Dang, I haven't posted forever...

Couple of items for today...

I been looking for shirts online, cuz many of mine are getting tighter... I think I may be getting a bit bigger in my old age. Dang it!

I've been eyeing some graphic tees on threadless.com but never ordered... So I placed an initial order of two $5 shirts, one medium and one large, to check out their sizes and quality. I'll get more later.

This evening, I signed my Mom up for online banking... She's 77 years old and doesn't use computer (although she loves playing with my iPhone), but I'll be the "banker" and help her along. In order to create an onine account with her bank, I had to create an email for her, so I set one up on Gmail. Wow! My Mom's first email account!!! :)

The main reason for setting up online banking for her was so she can do bill pay. She 's been asking me about it, because her bills say "pay oniine"... and she's tired of writing checks and buyings stamps to mail the payments...

Now I have to try to get her to stop using checks in the store and just use her ATM or credit card... so she can collect reward points too... Baby steps...

Good night :)

Bad Coleus Caretaker...

2009-02-28T20:33:22Z

Today, I checked up on my Coleus cuttings which I have neglected and, um.... many are not in good shape. Dang it! I thought the mini-greenhouse dome would keep them watered and healthy, but I guess I left them too long. I will be going through them and saving what I can and take some inventory to see what I have left and see if I can still place an order with Rosy Dawn Gardens for some new varieties for this year.

Driving Home

2009-02-28T20:30:06Z

Monday, February 16, 2009

I am actually typing this on my laptop on our way home. It's about 9:30pm and I am so tired and kinda home sick. I can't wait to get home... plus, my but hurts from sitting in this car since this morning.

Our trip has taken so long, because we made numerous stops, to gas stations, fast foods, rest areas and a lunch break in Santa Barbara, which I never been to before. There was also pouring rains along the way and the accidents go along with that. We took 101 again, because Interstate 5 was closed down in some locations.

I can't wait to take a shower and watch my recorded show Battlestar Galactica, Kyle XY and The Big Bang Theory in bed. I also am very anxious to see if any of my other sowed seeds have sprouted.

Vacation Continues + Legoland

2009-02-28T20:29:06Z

Sunday, February 15, 2009

We were not sure if we were going to be able to go to Legoland today, but luckily the weather was nice and there was no rain in the forecast. I've never been to Legoland, so I wasn't sure what to expect. I knew it had legos and some rides, but I thought it was going to be the size of something like a miniature golf course. It was actually the size of a full blown amusement park and my friends who have been there before said that they have expanded it my adding a aqurium-like attraction, althought that was an added cost.

If you are into Legos, this is like a dream come true. They have everything made of lego or Lego themed. There are numerous sculptures that are larger than myself throughout the park. In one section called Mini Lego Land (or something like that), they constructed entire miniature cities like Las Vegas, San Francisco, New Orleans, New York, Washington D.C. and more. They even constructed a new Capitol building depicting President Obama's inauguration. This was very popular.

They also had some rides, but most it were kiddy rides. I would describe this more as a viewing attraction... and great for taking photos... and I took tons and tons of photo.

One thing that surprised me was that the plants and landscaping was terrific. They had many plants which I don't see often including a black Bird of Paradise, Variegated Abutilon, many succulents like Aloes in bloom, Cacti, Plectranthus and many, many more. I wanted to take cuttings, but theu were not within reach. One in particular I saw was a beautiful Begonia.

After Legoland, we met up with Rachel, and went to see the movie "He's Not That Into You". It was a romantic comedy, which I then to like... and I enjoyed this one.

Afterwards, they wanted to get some stuff from Walmart and I found larger peat pots, which I've been looking for and a plastic container that matches my existing one where I keep my seeds. I've been looking for this for a while now and haven't found it til now.

We then went to dinner, where I just got a salad, because I've been eating so much this vacation.

Rachel's Bat Mitzvah

2009-02-28T20:27:19Z

Saturday, February 14, 2009

We woke up early this Saturday to attend my friend Rachel's Bat Mitzvah. Growing up Catholic, I actually was a little nervous and didn't know what to expect. I didn't know if I had to participate in any of the Jewish customs or if Catholics were allowed inside. I just didn't know... The only thing I knew was the ceremony was going to take about three hours.

Once we got to the temple, it was actually not bad. I could tell that we were not the only non-Jewish people there. There were about 15 adults taking their Bar/Bat Mitzvah so it took a while with all the normal ceremonial stuff plus the individual reflections that each person presented.

After hearing much of the prayers and speeches, I kinda felt like the participants were actually similar to how Catholics get confirmed. It's much like reaffirming your religion, your beliefs, etc... and trying to lead a better life. I actually felt okay except at one point where one of the participants did say something about Catholics, which kinda made me feel uncomfortable.

All and all, it was a good experience and it was nice to support a friend with an important event in her life.

Afterwards, me and my friends went to a mall to kill time before Rachel's party and get together later that evening.

Around 7pm or so, we went to a senior center where Rachel was having her party and had dinner. It was catered by a Mexican catering service, so we had yummy tacos and salad with all the fixings. There was also a lot of music and karaoke and dancing.

Off to Vacation

2009-02-28T20:23:51Z

Friday, February 13, 2009

I'm off to a vacation with my three friends Howard, Bill and Dave to Southern California to visit our friend Rachel who is having her Bat Mitzvah.

I started waking up early, but before leaving home, I quickly planted some seeds. I figured that they'll have a four day heads start if I sowed them now than if I sowed them when I return. I planted Coreopsis ' Plains (Bicolor)', Yu Choy '50 Days', Broccolu Raab and Misome into Jiffy Peat Pots... my first time using this medium. I placed them into a propagation tray with a plastic lid (mini-greenhouse) and once I see sprouts, I'll start hardening them off and bring them outside.

We left the Bay area around 11am and the weather was not bad, but after a hour or so it started pouring rain. At times, I think it was hailing, but most of the time it was sprinkling.

After a few hours driving, we stopped at San Luis Obispo at get some gas and some lunch at Burger King. It's funny, because I saw a Bottlebrush Bush–I think that's what they are called–at the Burger King parking lot and upon close examination, found what I think are seeds. So, knowing me, I collected some...

We continued driving and the weather got better. We drove on 101 because we heard that Interstate 5 required chains because of snow. The drive is longer, but I must say the views are nice, especially once we got to the Ventura/Channel Island area. We could see the Pacific Ocean and it was beautiful.

Some things I observed on the road was that there were lots of wild Prickly Pear Cactus and Agave along the freeway. There were also many Orange Orchards and I think we past by a place called Monrovia. I don't know if that's where the plant grower Monrovia is located, but I did see a lot of greenhouses and plant growers along the highway.

We encountered the evening commute around the LA area, so we were in stop and go traffic and it was bad. I was driving at this point and I hated it. My hands were sweating since it was stressing me out just a bit. We finally reached our destination around 9 or 10pm, checked into our hotel room then grabbed a bite to eat. Afterwards, we headed to bed and I checked my email, updated my Facebook and all that stuff.

New African Violet Flower Buds.

2009-02-05T11:44:32Z

The African Violet that a coworker gave me is starting to produce new flower buds. Heidi was right, this seems to be a hardy African Violet.

(Saintpaulia) Family: Gesneriaceae

Cymbidium Blooms

2009-02-05T11:43:58Z

My Mom was excited that her Cream/White Cymbidium Orchid just started to bloom. I don't believe they bloomed last year.

These are kept outside in our back patio.

(Cymbidium) Family: Orchidaceae

Bite Club...

2009-02-05T10:38:17Z

Wednesday, February 4, 2009

After work, I participated in our work's "Bite Club"... a group of coworkers go out to a restaurant one Wednesday each month to explore new cuisines and bond a bit... I usually don't participate because it is a hassle to try to get back home in the evening, but this time it was in the East Bay and my studio manager offered to drive me to my car at the car pool lot.

We went to Zachary's Pizza in Oakland and it was pretty good. We had two deep dish pizzas, one Pepperoni and one Spinach and Mushroom. Both were really good and I really liked the tomato sauce. The tomatoes were chunky and a little subdued, which was refreshing. After a slice of each, we decided to get another pizza, Chirrizo and Green Peppers, which was equally good... but I think that gave me heartburn.

Afterwards, we walked a few blocks to the Dreyer's Grand Ice Cream shop, which I was told is where their world headquarters is. I had two scoops, one Green Tea and another Strawberries Cheesecake... yumm...

Last SF Flower and Garden Show...

2009-02-04T08:14:54Z

I just read from greenshadows journal that this year's San Francisco Flower & Garden Show will be the last one :(

I've only learned about this Flower & Garden Show two years ago, but since then, me and my Mom really enjoy going. We usually make a day of it, bringing food and armed with our cameras. It's a such big garden extravaganza for us... and there are so many cool things to see, buy and do...

I already requested a PTO day from work for Thursday, March 19 to go.

Here's a news article about the news: NW Flower and Garden show to end

Here's the Garden Show's website: www.gardenshow.com

Here's some photos I took from 2008 and 2007.

Car Tune-up + Garden Purchases

2009-02-04T07:47:11Z

I took my car into the shop for a tune up early this morning before going to work. I wish I had the knowledge and energy to fix my car on my own, but I don't... so I pay for it. It costed me more than I thought, but hey someone did it for me...

Once I got it, I passed by an large discount store to get some q-tips... I noticed that the garden department was still open and I saw tons of seeds and bulbs and they already had Tomato seedlings for sale... but I didn't get some 'cuz it's still too cold in the mornings.

I ended up buying:
- a bag of Potting Mix
- Jiffy Peat Pots
- Zinnia 'Envy' seeds
- Carrot 'Big Top' seeds
- White Onions (bag of 80 small bulblets)

Slug + Snail Patrol...

2009-02-03T09:11:44Z

It's about 11:45pm and I just got in from picking slugs and snails from the garden. Eww...

[JOEL]

2009-02-03T01:30:38Z

My coworker, Ed, took a photo of me with the Polarize app on his iPhone.

Happy 97th Birthday Lola...

2009-02-01T07:51:22Z

Today was my Lola's (Grandma in Tagalog) 97th birthday. We celebrated by going to Empire Buffet for lunch. Lola is still going strong and as spunky as ever.

Winter '09 Garden Plan (2009-01-31)

2009-02-01T07:48:45Z

This is what I have planted so far in my Square Foot Garden Vegetable Beds.

Fax Machine plus more...

2009-01-31T09:33:40Z

My Mom has been wanting to get a fax machine, since ours is pretty old and repeatedly having problems. We use faxes to send letters and documents to and from Philippines, since it's cheaper than a 5 minute phone call and way faster than postal mail.

We went to out local Best Buy to see what's available and I saw a great multi-function fax/copier/wireless network printer/photo printer/answering machine/scanner/etc... (Brother MFC790CW) The one problem with it is that the phone is not cordless. I was a little hesitant to immediately purchase it and told my Mom that I will check the internet to see if they have a cheaper and better one with a cordless phone.

Well, she reminded me again this evening that she wants to get a new fax machine, so I searched online and found a big brother to the one above... plus it's cheaper. (Brother MFC-885CW)

Some features I really like:
- Cordless phone / Speaker phone / Caller ID / Answer machine
- Auto feed fax machine
- Scanner to email, image, file, memory card or OCR
- Wireless network printer (802.11b/g)
- USB/Ethernet connection
- 4.2" LCD touch screen
- Separate 4 color inks
- 4x6 photo prints
- Mac compatible
- plus more...

All this for $140... with a online store coupon for $15, free shipping and tax... My total came to $134. Pretty good deal...

I sounds like a commercial, don't I?