What Cool Gifts Did You Receive? Did You Get Anything We Can Share With Our Newsviners Serving Overseas?

Incidentally, this has been a wacky day. This morning, before leaving to go to the San Diego Wild Animal Park (it was my first time so I asked my nieces (3 1/2 and 5) to keep me safe from the animals (not knowing at that point about the tiger attack at the S.F. zoo), I suggested, half in jest, a Newsvine zoo story. I then went off-line for 10 hours. While on the way to the zoo I decided to do what I just wrote above and wrote it out in longhand while crunched in the backseat between two girls in car seats asking if I'd pretend to be a prince so they could marry me (since they are princesses)

Anyway the cool gift I received which captured my attention today was a pedometer. I know I don't exercise enough but I like to think that since I walk a lot I might get enough exercise that way. I saw on a tv news health segment that a good healthy xmas present is a pedometer so one can see if they do the doctor-recommended 10,000 steps a day. So I requested and received that.

And today was the first test drive of that. I wondered if all that walking around this zoo would equal 10,000 steps. And the answer is... it depends what pedometer you're wearing.

Wha-?
My pedometer by Omron asked me my height and weight but did not, unlike my mom's, measure my stride.
That pedometer said I walked 9,777 steps today. So close! But mom also has a pedometer and it said she walked 12,000 steps. Hers is by the same company but hers measures her stride. We're about the same height (she's 5 10 and I'm 6 foot) and we walked the same places. (though now I'm wondering if she takes smaller strides than I.)

I think the difference, and we spent way too much time trying to figure this out (probably to the consternation of other family members) is that my odemeter doesn't count steps that it considers shuffling or inconsistent. So when waiting for what seemed like an hour for a tram ride we were in line and moved slowly and my pedometer counted 10 step for the hour. Hers counted many more.

It's all sort of pointless - the important thing is to exercise regardless of what this device says - but somewhat intriguing nonetheless

p.s. someone send Rob and J. a pedometer:)

Great. You guys know how to share, right?

There is a bit of irony - and postage- involved in mailing to U.S. troops in Iraq a book written by, well, U.S. troops in Iraq.

The book lists the name and email address of the editor for the book and the site. I circled it in the book. You two might also want to see if you can do an interview with him. If dropping my name helps feel free - I've done prior interviews with authors from the same publisher.

Rob and Josh, I have a second part to the assignment. I received a book that I think would interest you too – it's called Reporting Iraq: An Oral History of The War By Those Who Covered It. It's put out by Columbia Journalism Review. I have an interview lined up with one of the editors.

But once I read it and do the interview – that should take about a month – would you two like to read and review it?

OK
I need your mailing address.
Email it to me please