Today, I wanted to dedicate my blog to an awesome family that lives right around the corner from me, Charlie Haughey and his family. I’m going to let his mother, Julie tell you guys what they are up to…

“I am writing you today to ask for your support of an incredibly important organization, CureSearch for Children’s Cancer. As you may know, my son Charlie was diagnosed with stage 4 neuroblastoma on December 24, 2009. Three days later he celebrated his 3rd birthday and began 14 months of very aggressive treatment at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia. Your generous donation supports CureSearch for Children’s Cancer, a national non-profit foundation whose mission is to fund and support children’s cancer research and provide information and resources to all those affected by children’s cancer. CureSearch raises funds for collaborative research conducted at more than 175 hospitals across the nation, including CHOP. These hospitals participate in National Cancer Institute sponsored clinical trials conducted by the Children’s Oncology Group. In the last 40 years, collaborative research has increased the overall survival rate for children’s cancer from 10% to 78%. At CureSearch, our goal is 100%.

Two years ago, I ran the New York Marathon with Team CureSearch. This year, I have chosen to join CureSearch in their fight for a cure by participating in The CureSearch Walk. The CureSearch Walk celebrates and honors children, like Charlie, whose lives have been affected by children’s cancer, while raising funds for lifesaving research. I have set an aggressive fundraising goal, because all children living with cancer and those who have lost their fight deserve it. Please consider making a donation to my campaign – there is no gift too big or too small.

Thank you for your support. I can promise that you are making a difference in the lives of all those affected by children’s cancer. Together, we can Reach the Day when every child with cancer is guaranteed a cure.

With hope and gratitude,

Julie Haughey”

To donate to CureSearch for Children’s Cancer, please use this link.

Do something good today folks. A Child Dies From Childhood Cancer Every 38 Seconds. Who is ready to stand with this brave family? Make a difference today.

Movie Reviews…

Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides – there’s only two reasons you want to see this movie… either you’re 12 or you would pay money to watch Johnny Depp do anything. Or both I guess.

Small Business/Tech Links…

• OS X 10.7.3 causing CUI errors for some, Combo Update recommended
• SQL Fiddle
• 7 Ways to Lower Your Website’s Bounce Rate

Funny/Interesting Links…

• OK, Sonic you might be on to something here… the guys from the real TV commercials have filmed a response video to Giorgio’s I Love Sonic video (posted yesterday). If Sonic puts Giorgio in a Super Bowl commercial, I (and lots of other folks) will suddenly become big Sonic fans.
• Is LoMoing the New Tebowing?
• Old Spice’s Terry Crews Crashes a Bounce Ad
• How to ward off a mental disorder during a meeting
• What every woman wishes her ex-boyfriend’s dating profile looked like
• Sh*t Barefoot Runners Say - thanks Bill!
• Tea Party Jesus

The cheese shoppe may have closed, but the bonds remain… this is Abbe’s former co-worker and our very good friend, Caroline. She now works at one of my client’s stores. She misses Abbe. A lot.

Small Business/Tech Links…

• The Top 10 Reasons You Need a Blog
• The Super Simple Guide to Using and Marketing Through Pinterest – Part One
• Perception is Worth 1,001 Words
• Mac OS X 10.7.3 hits Software Update, ready to plug bugs on your Wednesday
• Facebook files $5 billion IPO, values the company at nearly $100 billion
• Showcase of the Best Google Fonts
• The Anti-Piracy Discussion We Haven’t Had Yet
• Git For Designers (Part 1)
• “Think Profit.”
• How to Make Your Company More Social
• Anti-Patterns for Technical Leaders

Funny/Interesting Links…

• Far Side of the Moon Captured on Video for the First Time
• Fascinating facts about dreams
• I do what I want (26 Photos)
• The single greatest fast-food order ever placed at a drive-thru - more people like this guy in the world are needed
• A compilation of ridiculous lip readings from all of this year’s ridiculous presidential candidates
• Don Cornelius, Soul Train creator, RIP
• Kim Jong Un Looking at Things
• The Buffalo Beast’s 50 Most Loathsome Americans of 2011
• Top five regrets of the dying

I had one of those days yesterday that us coders run into once and a while – lots of stuff done, but one unsolved problem ruins the entire day. Microsoft is world renowned for their ability to break previous versions during upgrades and MS Access 2010 is brutal. I ultimately had to tell a customer that I wouldn’t be able to help them, ate the 3+ billable hours of research time, and let them know they need an Access programmer that can come on site to take a look at what is going on. I did fix a couple of issues, but I am still agonizing over not getting that fixed for them. You win some, you lose some.

On the bright side, Abbe had a great first day of work yesterday. My buddy Ricky Oyola came over to watch the Flyers beat the Wild (and Viv made him sit and watch a bunch of Simon’s Cat videos, then Bubs showed him a few things on the Xbox). And I have a couple of potential clients that would lead to some fun projects and nice people to work with in the next few months. I need to shrug that speed bump off and enjoy the ride. Life is good.

Small Business/Tech Links…

• How To Measure The Return On Investment For Social Media In Marketing
• Google demos QR code Gmail access, claims something better in store
• Facebook to Introduce New Open Graph Apps, Gestures Wednesday [REPORT]
• Google+ Now Lets You Create Memes
• STOP SOPA Code Turns Any Site Dark to Protest Stop Online Piracy Act, Where Do SOPA and PIPA Stand Now?, On the Street: Do You Understand SOPA? [VIDEO], SOPA Isn’t Dead, It’s Just Sleeping (Until February), Why SOPA Is Dangerous, Wikipedia Blackout: Survive with These 12 Alternatives
• Why the iPad Works For Productivity
• Google’s Launches Good to Know Campaign for Web Safety
• 5 Ways Businesses Can Use Social Media as a Tool for Progress
• Impress.js – Create presentations with open web standards
• The Proxority Principle in Web Design

Funny/Interesting Links…

• The Replicator Stop Motion Music Video
• Shakespeare’s The Tempest banned by Arizona schools - Arizona, c’mon.
• The Annotated Jagger/Bowie “Dancing in the Street”
• Hello
• Apocalypse Later, Surf Now

Our last day in Disney was pretty great. We hit Hollywood Studios and Epcot. I felt pretty crummy in the morning after breakfast, but that was due to me overeating at breakfast (not a good idea the day after a marathon). Abbe is in good shape, but she is down about not being able to do the half marathon. So although, we pretty much had our minds up NOT to Disney for a while, that could change – there is definitely some unfinished business for her. We are considering doing the Perfect Goofy which is a small step up from the Goofy – adding a 5K to the half marathon and full marathon on consecutive days.

In the ER, Abbe and I talked about getting married – and although we talked about grand plans of doing a getaway vacation – we just want to be married. In my mind, the immediacy of being able to protect her really are in the forefront of my noggin. I want her to be OK if something ever happened to me. I want to be able to cover her with a health insurance policy. And most importantly, I want to call her my wife.

Abbe was so sad about missing the half and not completing the Goofy. I reminded her that what she did – having two seizures a day and a half before running a full marathon may not have ever been accomplished. She is a much more elite person than I am in my mind, but then again, she always has been to me.

And here are some pictures of our last day in Disney! Leaving Florida this afternoon and back to Jersey!

Small Business/Tech Links…

• 10 Ways to Maximize the Power of Your About Us Page
• Using Customer Service To Get Social Media Marketing Benefits
• You Don’t Need A College Degree to Be a Great Coder

Funny/Interesting Links…

• I do what I want (30 Photos)
• I miss college….(52 Photos)
• Disney Face Swap!
• WE ARE THE COMIC SANS DEFENDERS
• An open letter to the people who hate Obama more than they love America - thanks Derek

Wow, what an weekend this has been! Time is short, because we need to head off to breakfast and then go have some fun at the Disney parks! So, I’ll do most of the explaining in pictures…

Pictures from the day of the half marathon…

Pictures from the full marathon…

Oh and here is Viv and Abbe doing their celebration handshake…