This is just a reminder to let you know my digital camera giveaway ends after this Sunday, January 31. I’m giving away a shiny, new, red digital camera! All you have to do to enter is buy a copy of my book, Half-Assed: A Weight-Loss Memoir between Thanksgiving 2009 and January 31, 2010. Get full details here.

Big thanks to all of you who have already entered. I truly appreciate the support!

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My mother still uses a camera with film, the kind that needs to be developed. When I won a Kodak M340 EasyShare camera at the BlogHer conference this year, I gave it to her, hoping she’d learn how to use the new gadget. Four months later, I saw the camera on her bookshelf, still in the unopened box.

“Mom, have you used your new camera?”

“Uh, no, I haven’t,” she admitted. I think my mother will remain committed to film cameras until the stores stop developing her film. With her permission, I took the camera back, and tried to think of someone else to give it to. None of my friends or family are in desperate need of a camera, so I thought, “Why not do a giveaway on the blog?”

So, that’s what I’m doing! This contest is open to anyone in the United States. To enter, all you have to do is buy a new copy of Half-Assed: A Weight-Loss Memoir any time between Thanksgiving Day, November 26, 2009 and January 31, 2010 and forward a [...]

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Here’s a photo of me and my mom at an awards ceremony.

And here’s a photo of me with Maggie Rodriguez on the set of The Early Show.

What’s that you say? You can’t tell that’s Maggie Rodriquez? You wouldn’t be able to ID my mom in a line-up? Why yes, that’s because my camera SUCKS!

The Canon PowerShot SD1000 was affordable and is easy to carry around because it’s the size of a pack of cards. (It cost me a lot less than what Amazon.com is listing it for. Don’t know what that’s about.) Sadly, 1/5 of the time the pictures it takes look like Vaseline was smeared on the lens of the camera. It’s a testy little device and it takes some training to learn how to push the button halfway to focus and then take a photo. I know about its quirks, but if I do not get a new camera in a month I’m going to have a lot of blurry photos of me standing in front of Big Ben and the Arc [...]

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I woke up this morning to find pictures of the bridal shower and bachelorette party I attended last month in my inbox. Check it out:

Oh yeah, did I mention my brother is marrying Aja from the 80′s band Jem and the Holograms? (She’s the one with blue hair.) She got the old band together and we had a fun night on the town. We invited Jerica too, but she didn’t show up for some reason. Before you ask, no, they’re not playing at the reception. It would be rather silly for the bride to be playing at her own wedding, wouldn’t it? And don’t worry, security will be very tight. We don’t want The Misfits crashing the party! Oh that Pizazz, what misdemeanors and felonies will she commit next?

When I looked at this photo I noticed three things:

1) Being the only person without animated hair really makes me stick out.

2) I am rather tall, aren’t I? I’m even taller than Kimber’s blown-out hair. Maybe that’s why people are surprised to find out I weigh 180. [...]

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