Hearing protection equipment is a must in my job.  I work in a job where I am often subject to loud noises.  Noises loud enough that they could over time damage my hearing. Once a year I have to have my hearing tested to see if there are any signs of hearing loss.  Finding the right kind of hearing protection is the hard thing for me.  My work place supplies me with different forms of protection but they are not the best for me. There are the foam plugs but more often than not they just  don’t fit right. Then there are the over the ear style.  Sure they work but I live in Florida. It is like putting ear muffs on and that is no fun when it is 98 degrees out with 100% humidity. I was doing an internet search on noise reduction and I came across a great product from Sonomax.They make custom fit hearing protection. There is a lot of great information on their site. For instance “Noise induced hearing loss (NIHL) affects 30 million North American workers. It is recognized as the #1 occupational illness worldwide.” I totally believe this. I know plenty of guys who suffer from hearing loss. I do not want to end up like them.  In 20 years I want to be able to hear out of my own ears.  I don’t want to have to wear hearing aids.  Eventually it might come to this but I will do everything I can to prevent this from happening.  Like I said earlier the fit of the ear plus is essential. Sonomax offers custom fit plugs so you know they are sure to fit. Noise reduction headphones are great but like I said I work outdoors and they just are too hot. The Sonomax technology lets their earplugs create an acoustic seal that blocks out ambient noise. This is a must if you are in the music industry. Whether you need hearing protection for work or recreation you should check out Sonomax. Your ears will thank you.

Santa Claus will soon be travelling around the world visiting all the good boys and girls.  The North American Aerospace Defense Command has flipped on the North Warning System radar and is currently in progress of tracking the jolly old fellow. Check out Santa’s Progress here. 

I hate game console bundles.  I want to choose the accessories and games.  I don’t need the retailers telling me that if I want the console I have to buy three games and two controllers.  It looks like Nintendo agrees

“Retailers have already been given feedback that we are not big fans of that. We think it masks some of the price advantage we have versus our competition and, frankly, the consumer should decide what they want,” Fils-Aime said.

It remember when I bought my XBox.  I got the XBox and bundled with it was a crappy racing game that I didn’t want.  I sold the game on ebay and made a couple of bucks and went and bought a game I wanted.  Good for Nintendo.

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It finally got cold in Florida.  It probably won’t last long but while it does it would be nice to have a drink that warms you from the inside.  Kentucky Cider is one of those drinks and it is easy to make.  Here is what you need:

• Warm apple cider 
• 1 1/2 oz Makers Mark Bourbon
• Allspice

Pour the Makers Mark into a mug.  Fill the rest of the mug with warm apple cider.  Add a dash of allspice.  Stir and garnish with a cinnamon stick.  It doesn’t get any easier than that. 

One of my favorite Christmas movies is National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation. Two years ago I dressed as Cousin Eddie. I was looking for a moose mug to carry around. I found some but the prices for the mugs were out of this world. Finally I can have my moose mugs and they are reasonably priced.

Maybe the Christmas pickle ornament isn’t for you.  I admit it isn’t for everyone.    Well if you don’t like the Christmas pickle maybe you will like the yodeling pickle. You read that right a yodeling pickle. The plastic pickle has button.  As you have probably guessed you press the button and the pickle will yodel like a Swiss mountaineer.  Nothing says Merry Christmas like a yodeling pickle.

Shopping for the person who has everything is hard.  If you search long enough you usually stumble across something they don’t have.  This year I did all the work for you.  I am pretty sure that person doesn’t have a leather beer holster.  The people at Brew Holster Cult have three styles to choose from.  The holster will fit both cans and bottles.  I suggest you buy two.  One for each leg.  You can have your own beer duels with this.  Meet your buddies at high noon and see who can draw and drink their beer the fastet. 

I am getting a DSLR soon.  It will have a lot more features than my current ultra compact digital camera.  I am not sure how to take advantage of all of the features.  This is Part 1 of a tutorial to master your DSLR.

Anheuser-Busch has a new premium vodka on the market.  It is going by the name Purus.  Kind of sounds like a car to me.  I am sure they chose Purus because they are marketing this as a 100% organic vodka.  It is made from Alpine water and they use 100% organic Italian wheat.  There are no pesticides or fertilizers used in the growing of the wheat.  If you go to their website you can even have them plant a tree for you.  Mr. Mai Tai did his part and had a tree planted in the Purus Forrest.  I am not sure where this forrest is but if you happen to find it look for my tree.  I don’t know if Al Gore drinks vodka but if he did he would probably drink Purus. 

ASCAP (American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers) has released their list of top 25 Holiday Songs.  I can’t really say any bad things about the list.  I agree with almost all of their choices.  These are the usual classic songs you hear around Christmas.  There are not a lot of newer songs and there aren’t many novelty songs.  Grandma Got Runover By a Reindeer thankfully is not on the list. 

1. Santa Claus Is Coming to Town (J. Fred Coots, Haven Gillespie)
2. The Christmas Song (Chestnuts Roasting on an Open Fire) (Mel Tormé, Robert Wells)
3. Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas (Ralph Blane, Hugh Martin)
4. Winter Wonderland (Felix Bernard, Richard B. Smith)
5. White Christmas (Irving Berlin)
6. Let It Snow, Let It Snow, Let It Snow(Sammy Cahn, Jule Styne)
7. I’ll Be Home for Christmas (Walter Kent, Kim Gannon, Buck Ram)
8. Jingle Bell Rock(Joseph Carleton Beal, James Ross Boothe)
9. Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer (Johnny Marks)
10. Little Drummer Boy(Katherine K. Davis, Henry V. Onorati, Harry Simeone)
11. Sleigh Ride (Leroy Anderson, Mitchell Parish)
12. Silver Bells (Jay Livingston, Ray Evans)
13. It’s the Most Wonderful Time of the Year(Edward Pola, George Wyle)
14. Feliz Navidad(Jose Feliciano)
15. Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree (Johnny Marks)
16. Blue Christmas (Billy Hayes, Jay W. Johnson)
17. Frosty The Snow Man (Steve Nelson, Walter E. Rollins)
18. A Holly Jolly Christmas (Johnny Marks)
19. I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus (Tommie Connor)
20. Here Comes Santa Claus (Right Down Santa Claus Lane)(Gene Autry, Oakley Haldeman)
21. (There’s No Place Like) Home For The Holidays (Bob Allen, Al Stillman)
22. Santa Baby(Joan Ellen Javits, Philip Springer, Tony Springer)
23. It’s Beginning To Look A Lot Like Christmas(Meredith Willson)
24. Carol of the Bells(Peter J. Wilhousky, Mykola Leontovich)
25. Wonderful Christmastime (Paul McCartney)