This is a Sponsored Post written by me on behalf of Boost Mobile. All opinions are 100% mine.

I’m a blackberry man. I’m on my 4th blackberry and my wife is on her second. I like the form factor, I like the OS and the apps. I like the fact that with a BES I can sync my email world to the device. Perhaps the only thing I don’t like about the Blackberry (or the iPhone) is the fact that I’m tied to having both a phone plan and a data plan for the thing. Total, it runs about $100 on AT&T at the moment and its comparable for the other two big providers. Enter Boost Mobile and the SANYO Incognito™.

Boost is upping their game with the Incognito™, a qwerty flip smartphone that has features to rival the big boys. Even cooler is the fact that you can get it with Boost’s $50 a month UNLIMITED plan. That’s Right, $50 a month (sans contract) for talk, text and data. Plus, you can use the damned thing anywhere in the US.

The SANYO Incognito features a 2MP camera with VGA camcorder, music and video player, enhanced web browsing, EVDO capabilities and a full QWERTY keyboard. You also get the Multi-Media messaging (Picture & Video), Stereo Bluetooth® Capable & GPS Enabled in this tight little package starting at around $129 (plus tax). Its not a game changer in the mobile market, but Boost is working on it.

The combination of the phone and the plan for less then $200 with out a contract is going to make many in the industry stand up and take notice.

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Yes, I’m a day late with my AmieStreet Music Wednesday post, but at least I’m here right? Today’s selection comes from an unlikely place when you hear the type of music this dynamic duo produces. The Two Man Gentleman Band hails from New York and brings a unique style of music to life with their instruments. You’ll notice their main stringed instrument is a banjo, but it’s played more like a guitar then the Earl Scruggs style of Bluegrass. On the Ghostbusters track below, you’ll also notice kazoos. Yes. Kazoos.

Their songs are fun and very light hearted. From the track Prime Numbers, which talks about his woman’s measurments, to I can Get Drunk and I can Sing Songs the whole collection is pretty fun to listen to. These two certainly aren’t going to hit it big as the next big group, but they will be around a while as their unique style of humor and music are hard to come by. Give their album a listen and see why they’re one of the fastest rising duos on Amie Streets Top 25!

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This is a Sponsored Post written by me on behalf of Tony’s Pizza. All opinions are 100% mine.

I don’t know if you’ve seen recently, but Tony’s Pizza has undergone a transformation. Used to be, Tony’s was the cheap pizza that we’d buy when we were having a party where food mattered less then the drinks being served. We didn’t always buy it because the pizza was good, we bought it because the pizza was cheap. Well, things don’t change that much. This weekend, Amy stopped by the Grocery and noticed that Tony’s was a buck a pizza so she stocked up (I could eat pizza all the time!).

And I’m glad she did!

I heated up a Tony’s Peperoni pizza today for lunch and unlike the normal Tombstone’s I have I was able to eat the whole thing and I was surprisingly full after. The pizza was a little lacking in the cheese area, but add some shredded mozzarella or 4 cheese mix to the top and it’d be perfect, but for the price I was happy.

I’ve got an amazing deal for you! Be one of the first FIVE people to comment on this post and I’ll snail mail (with a stamp and everything) a coupon for a FREE Tony’s Pizza! Can’t beat that. Tell me what the weather’s like, what you like on your pizza or what beer you’ll pair with the pie and the coupon is yours.

Also, if you hit up Chris.pirillo.com, comment on ANY post there you may be elegible to win a Tech Prize Pack from Tony’s Pizza worth up to $500!! To win you simply have to:

1. Leave a comment on the participating blog. Contest participants must send their email address with the comment to the Participating Blog. This should be done in the private field provided by the Participating Blog and should not have to be included publicly in the comment.
2. Use Twitter to tweet a message containing the URL of the blog post that they are entering through as well as the hashtag #TonysPizza.

How about that? Free PIzza and a chance to win a prize pack worth $500!! Can’t beat that can you?

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Or at least thats what it felt like. Last weekend (the 16th?) I dropped my blackberry Bold on the ground. Usually, I pick it up, dust it off and go on with life, but this time it landed just the right way on the tile floor that the screen cracked sending me in to a world of helplessness. I could see some stuff on the screen. Kind of. I could make and receive calls if I dialed the right number, but I could do little else.

In a time of Twitter, facebook, blackberry messages, constant contact through Gtalk or SMS, loosing what is the equivalent of a lifeline sucks. I could have dealt with the problem if it had happened on Sunday, but my unfortunate stroke of luck happened on Saturday. At lunch time. That meant I had roughly 48 hours before I could even begin to think about replacing the beautiful device. To make it worse, it was a holiday weekend.

Being the resourceful guy I am, I immediately fired off an email (on my laptop of course) to the company AT&T rep to see what could be done. Turns out he is no longer our rep, but he was able to help me anyways and an order was placed for a new phone. Yes, I had to wait until Tuesday for the phone to get there, but I actually survived and I think I managed to spend more time with the kids. Of course, the fact that my wife mocked me every time I had a blinking red light meaning a message had come in and I couldn’t do anything about it didn’t help, but I like to think it made me a stronger person.

What piece of technology could you not do with out? Your iPod? Laptop? Cell Phone?

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This is a Sponsored Post written by me on behalf of Coldwell Banker. All opinions are 100% mine.

Its a buyers market. You hear that all the time, but now its especially true. There’s developers who over extended and can’t sell, there’s home owners who bit off more then they can chew and now have to unload their 400k house before it hits them hard. That’s where you come in.

The government had issued a credit for First time Buyers in 2009 in order to get homesales jumpstarted and according to The 2009 National Association of Realtors® Profile of Home Buyers and Sellers, the number of first-time home buyers rose to 47 percent of all home sales from 41 percent of transactions in last year!s study, and was the highest on record dating back to 1981. The previous high was 44 percent in 1991.

The good thing for both first time and second (or third or fourth) time buyers is that the credit has been extended again to April. If you have a contract by April 30th and you close by June 30th, first time buyers stand to receive 8k in tax credits and if you’ve been in a home for more than 5 years you can get 6,500 when you move on up. It seems to be a win win.

I checked out the 2010 Homebuyer Tax Credits info that’s been put together and its a pretty good resource for those looking to take advantage and it’s laid out pretty well. Let me know if you plan on (or already have) taken advantage of the tax credit.

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Its funny, but these guys don’t really look like Vampires. In fact, if you had to place them in a category, Paul Simon would come to mind. The second cut on their new album Contra has a very Paul Simon feel to it. Its a fun light listen that anyone who likes that kind of alternative rock (not heavy) sound like Simon is known for (think Diamonds on the soles of her shoes) would definitely like this cut.

Another fun track on their latest album is Run. Its got a catchy beat that you’ll find yourself bobbing your head to whether or not you want to. Follow it up with Horchata and you have a pretty good album to listen to. Check out the track White Sky below and then head over to Amie Street for the rest.

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This is a Sponsored Post written by me on behalf of Allison Maslan, author of “Blast Off!”. All opinions are 100% mine.

If you’re like me (or most people for that matter) you’re looking for ways to maximize your earning potential right? I work two jobs. I run 4 different websites and I’m itching to start my own business. But I don’t know how or where to begin. The other problem I (and people like me) suffer from is how do I turn my dreams in to reality. Well, that’s where Life and Business coach (I hate that term) Allison Maslan comes in.

Allison’s book Blast Off! is a tool that aims to help you reach your goals while reinvigorating yourself at the same time. available on Amazon, the book lists for $24.95 but you can get it for as low as $17, it came out YESTERDAY, so it ships as soon as you hit order.

I’ve checked out Allison’s site and I’ve looked the book over. It looks like a valuable asset when trying to nail down your goals and lay out a plan to reach them and the Blast Off book covers topics like “Soulful Living”, “Love of Your Life Relationship” and “Financial Freedom and Prosperity”. I also checked out some of the reviews on Allison and her books and she gets pretty solid reviews all the way around.

If you’re looking for the inspiration you need to get off your couch and put your dreams in motion, it might not hurt to check out Blast Off! today!

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Since a young age, we’ve known Emma was going to end up with glasses. She’s had the good fortune of being blessed with the poor sight that most of the family (on both sides) have (somehow I’ve managed to escape it….) and her pediatrician sent her when she was one or two to a pediatric ophthalmologist to have her eyes checked. It wasn’t bad then, but he did say she was going to be in glasses at some point.

We noticed the past couple of months as we were out looking at Christmas decorations that she had trouble seeing the ones far away. So we figured it was time to take her back to the eye doctor for another check up.

Monday morning, we woke up and all piled in to the car to head to the Eye Doctor. At the end of her checkup, his recommendation was that she didn’t NEED the glasses right now as it would really only affect her distance viewing which would be blurry with out glasses. Since she wasn’t driving or operating heavy machinery he said it wasn’t necessary to get them, but he wrote a prescription anyways.

We got Miss Emma her glasses Monday afternoon and she’s still adjusting to them. Sometimes its a fight to get her to wear them, but she’s doing pretty well for the most part. Its yet to be determined whether or not they’re helping her, but she looks pretty darn cute in them and now she doesn’t have to squint all the time to see stuff far away.

The hard part for me, is adjusting to how big she looks in them….

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This is a Sponsored Post written by me on behalf of Hiltons of Branson. All opinions are 100% mine.

To the “LIVE MUSIC Capitol of the world”? Branson, MO (Missouri) has been called many things, but one thing is for certain, it’s never been called lacking in the entertainment department. In fact, looking at the list of things to do in Branson on the Explore Branson website could send one in to an information overload.

From Horseback riding, to boating of all kinds, to live shows ranging from Christian music shows to Yakov (the russian comedian that was popular in the 80’s) you can find anything to please anyone. Including shopping at some of the worlds best outlets, awesome fishing on one of THREE local lakes or shows and events at any time of the year. In fact, Branson has ongoing events for everyone’s entertainment like the exciting fourth annual professional ice sculpting competition, Master’s Trout Championship, the Tri-Lakes Building and Home Show, live entertainment, theaters and much more.

For those looking to get away from the hustle of city and family life (who couldn’t use a little adult time with the one you love) the Hilton Promenade at Branson Landing is the perfect place for you, offering a special Romance Package that includes complimentary Champagne and breakfasts or any number of other special offers and for those looking for the perfect place for the next company retreat or family reunion, why not check out the Hilton Branson Convention Center Hotel. Both hotels are with in a short distance from everything Branson has to offer and as they’re both Hiltons, you know the quality of service is second to none. Why not check out what Branson has to offer and schedule some much needed R&R for you and your loved one?

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Apparently there’s a war going on in this great country and its being fought in households, companies and truck stops everywhere. Thats right, I’m talking about the great debate on which way your toilet paper roll should face. Do you put the roll over and fold a fancy little triangle like hotels the world over, or do you hang your roll under to your guests a little stretching exercise?

The first I became aware of this problem plauging our country was when I read a post regarding this matter by @sarahinmi. Of course, she’s wrong in that she thinks the paper should be rolled under, but she does provide a good link to a pretty valuable resource on the subject.

Also out there right now is a plot by Cottonelle to decide the issue once and for all, with their Roll Poll in which they ask which way do you roll (for the record, over is winning by a large margin!). They’ve even gone as far as to create facebook and Twitter pages and accounts for the vote. Its a pretty good campaign and one that will probably help bring their TP a little more recognition. Of course, it won’t end the debate.

For the record, I always put the roll on so its over. What about you?

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This is a Sponsored Post written by me on behalf of Heineken. All opinions are 100% mine.

Add this to the ever growing list of available iPhone apps, the Breathalyzer by Heineken aims to help you be a more responsible drinker. Last year Heineken worked to help make people aware of the importance of being a responsible drunk by introducing us to several characters; The Crier, The Fighter, The Sleeper, The Exhibitionist, The Groper. This year, they’ve introduced two more, The Flirt and The Stumbler.

Once you Download the Heineken Breathalyzer iPhone app you and your friends can “blow” in to your iphone to find out which one you are and watch the results. While it doesn’t actually measure your BAC like a true breathalyzer would, it is a good reminder that we all need to take it easy. Especially in this season of never ending parties (especially with Mardi Gras coming!) we need to remember the importance of drinking responsibly. The app is available in itunes and loads easily on your phone or iPod Touch. You can also watch the videos and share the app with friends.

Heineken is working to become the leader of the social responsible beer brands and this year’s update to their program seems to be doing just that! Be sure to check out the The Heineken Know The Signs website for more information about their campaign and to make sure you know the signs!

Download the app and let us know what you think.

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I don’t know if you missed it or not, but most of the country has been under an immense cold snap for most of the last week. Temps here in Georgia have topped out in the 30’s. This morning with the windchill, it was -5 outside. We NEVER get that cold here in Georgia, yet we’ve now been there for a week.

One of the high points of the week was the posibility of snow to hit our area. As soon as the forecasters were predicting it on Monday, the stores were hit by people stocking up on milk and bread. On top of that, people who shouldn’t be out driving (they have enough problems when it rains) have been out on the roads since this started. People skidding back down hills, out of neighborhoods or driving just fast enough to keep the car moving forward.

Its enough to drive a person insane.

I know many of you above the mason dixon line see the reports of school and business closings and laugh at us silly southerners, but you have to remember, we don’t have the infrastructure in place to keep ALL the roads clear (hell, GADOT is doing good if they can keep the interstate clear). So a half inch of snow or ice is a big deal. Especially when it refreezes as quickly as they get salt and sand on it.

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This is a Sponsored Post written by me on behalf of iCoke.ca. All opinions are 100% mine.

For Once, I think I’m a little jealous of our bretheren to the frigid north… As the 2010 Winter Olympics swiftly approach, the quest for anything Olympic is on and those of you in Canada have it a little easier then the rest. Why’s that? Simply because if you head to a Mac’s to fill up on petrol (see, I can talk canadian…) and you pick up TWO Coca-Cola 591mL products (make one a cherry coke for me will you?) you can get one of three FREE Coca-Cola Collectible Medallions.

While its little wonder that Canada has a leg up on say, Jamaica, in the Winter Olympic medal hunt, this makes the odds a little better in YOUR favor that Canada will end up with a mountain of Olympic Medals. These things look pretty sweet too… makes me *almost* want to venture in to the great white north in search of a Mac’s to pick up some Coke and a medal. Gotta hurry fast though, these medals are subject to Availability and the giveaway ends February 28th in most parts of Canada. Hey, if you get two can I have one?

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I received this in an email and it was too good NOT to post…

If George W.. Bush had been the first President to need a teleprompter installed, to be able to get through a press conference, would you have laughed and said this is more proof of how he inept he is on his own and is really controlled by smarter men behind the scenes?

If George W. Bush had spent hundreds of thousands of dollars to take Laura Bush to a play in NYC, would you have approved?

If George W. Bush had reduced your retirement plan’s holdings of GM stock by 90% and given the unions a majority stake in GM, would you have approved?

If George W. Bush had made a joke at the expense of the Special Olympics, would you have approved?

If George W. Bush had given Gordon Brown a set of inexpensive and incorrectly formatted DVDs, when Gordon Brown had given him a thoughtful and historically significant gift, would you have approved?

If George W. Bush had given the Queen of England an iPod containing videos of his speeches, would you have thought this embarrassingly narcissistic and tacky?

If George W.. Bush had bowed to the King of Saudi Arabia, would you have approved?

If George W. Bush had visited Austria and made reference to the nonexistent “Austrian language,” would you have brushed it off as a minor slip?

If George W. Bush had filled his cabinet and circle of advisers with people who cannot seem to keep current in their income taxes, would you have approved?

If George W. Bush had been so Spanish illiterate as to refer to “Cinco de Cuatro” in front of the Mexican ambassador, when it was the 5th of May (Cinco de Mayo), and continued to flub it when he tried again, would you have winced in embarrassment?

If George W. Bush had misspelled the word “advice” would you have hammered him for it for years like Dan Quayle and potatoe as proof of what a dunce he is?

If George W. Bush had burned 9,000 gallons of jet fuel to go plant a single tree on Earth Day, would you have concluded he’s a hypocrite?

If George W. Bush’s administration had okayed Air Force One flying low over millions of people followed by a jet fighter in downtown Manhattan causing widespread panic, would you have wondered whether they actually get what happened on 9-11?

If George W. Bush had failed to send relief aid to flood victims throughout the Midwest with more people killed or made homeless than in New Orleans, would you want it made into a major ongoing political issue with claims of racism and incompetence?

If George W. Bush had created the position for 32 or more  Czars, who report directly to him, bypassing the House and Senate on much of what is happening in America, would you have approved?

If George W. Bush had ordered the firing of the CEO of a major corporation, even though he had no constitutional authority to do so, would you have approved?

If George W Bush had proposed to double the national debt, which had taken more than two centuries to accumulate, in one year, would you have approved?

If George W. Bush had then proposed to double the debt again within 10 years, would you have approved?

If George W. Bush had spent more than all the Presidents combined since George Washington, would you have approved?

So, tell me again, what is it about Obama that makes him so brilliant and impressive?

Can’t think of anything?

Don’t worry. He’s done all this in 10 months — so you’ll have 3 years and 2 months to come up with an answer.

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