shorepound.net

This is the easiest way to present external blog content on your rails site. In my case, I am parsing RSS generated from a wordpress site. At the top of your controller, add this line of code:

require 'rss'

In the same controller, add this line of code to the instance method for the view you wish to present the blog content:

@rss = RSS::Parser.parse(open('http://www.shorepound.net/wpblog/?feed=rss2').read, false)

In your view, add these lines of code (I’m using HAML):

- @rss.items[(0..3)].each do |rss|
.feed-item
%h4=link_to rss.title, rss.link, :target => ‘blank’
%br/
%p=truncate(rss.description, :length => 150)

The above code will show you the most recent 4 blog entries, with the title linking to the blog itself, and a truncated version of the blog post.

That’s it, you’re done.

Once again Summer has managed to fly right by us on the heels of what seemed like an entirely too long and too cold of a Winter. Such is life. Though the Summer was short, hot, and dry, it was by no means boring and uneventful. Thank you Mama Julz for updating your blog and in turn, inspiring me to do the same. Let’s get right to it.

In June, Julia and I celebrated our 8 year wedding anniversary. We had planned to enjoy an evening out at one of the finer beaches restaurants, but after working a long day, we decided to stay in. I did take the following day off of work, however. I think it was around 11 am that next day when I got the call. I won’t go into the details of what had happened in this blog, but if you are curious as to what happened, we can discuss it in person, or, of course, over the phone. But as most of you know, there was a huge misunderstanding, and now we are all putting the pieces back together as best as we can.

The above mentioned ordeal lasted throughout the entire month of July, and the better part of August. As it were, we are just now getting things back in order. Throughout that time, we did manage to enjoy Florida as only we know how. Captain Dunable arrived in our local waters via the Abacos just in time for the 4th of July. We decided to take Milton’s 42 footer out to Ft. George on Saturday, July 3rd, in hopes of avoiding the dangers related to the hordes of uninformed and intoxicated boaters that come with 4th of July on the water. Our planning was effective, and we had a great day without any unsavory encounters. 4th of July was spent in the safety of Oak Harbor. Nice and low key, just the way we like it.

With all of the uncertainty revolving around the events beginning June 30, my birthday was a bit of a bust. I’m the least bit concerned, as the older I get, the less I like celebrating that very fact. Don’t get me wrong, I love being a grown up; an example to my son.

As we entered the month of August, the dark cloud that was positioned directly overhead seemed to be shifting and waning. What a ride. Several things kept us holding high hopes in those dark times:

• Mom and Dad would be Florida residents again very soon
• Donovan would be starting 2nd grade
• Donovan would be starting his second season playing in the Beaches Soccer League
• I would be coaching Donovan’s soccer team for the upcoming Fall season
• Little Jetties Park, Sharks Teeth, great friends

Julia found a great deal on a 900 gallon pool that fits on one half of our back patio. We’ve enjoyed it, and I imagine we’ll enjoy it all the way through September and into October. Honestly, I think we enjoy it more that Donovan.

We have finally been getting some good rain here at the beach. June and July was quite dry for us. On the upside, it was so hot and dry, the mosquitos were almost nonexistent. Enter August, and the rain, and yes, the mosquitos. The little buggers are pretty thick right now. Thick and persistent. You have to use the heavy duty bug spray if you want to avoid itching yourself silly.

So now we are in our second week of school, and our second week of Fall soccer. Donovan is doing great so far, and for that we are very pleased. I am very much enjoying coaching my son’s soccer team. Most of the kids have played previous seasons, so they know most drills. My favorite part of the whole gig is watching them progress.

Speaking of progress, Julia has volunteered for the PTA, and she has a full plate. Her biggest mission is to raise money for the school using Box Tops For Education. I can see her using her networking skills and great personality to make this one of the best years for fundraising that this school has seen in some time. I am so very proud of her.

Finally, Hurricane season is in full swing, and it looks like we will have plenty of surf through October. Let’s just hope these storms stay away from land.

We’ve been busy in the backyard the past few weeks; fertilizing, mulching, planting, weeding, and watering. Everything is green and for that, we are quite content to sit in the backyard and enjoy the fruits of our labor (literally). Here’s what we have growing so far:

• Tomatoes (various kinds)
• Strawberries
• Pumpkins
• Cucumbers
• Eggplant
• Watermelon
• Habanero Peppers
• Datil Peppers
• Green Bell Peppers
• Sweet Peppers
• Jalepeno Peppers
• Banana Peppers
• Cilantro
• Basil
• Rosemary
• Parsley
• Lavender
• Green Beans
• Roses
• Calla Lilly
• Various other flowers

Most everything is flowering and/or already bearing fruit. We’re excited, to say the least. Here’s some photos:

Cucumbers

Pumpkins

Tomatoes and Flowers

Jalepenos (large) and Banana Peppers (small)

Habanero Pepper Plant

Mutant Green Bell Pepper Plant

Eggplant, Cilantro, and Sweet Peppers

Two nice Datil Pepper Plants

Everything is fertilized with organic fertilizer, fish emulsion, and other stuff that The Family Julz knows more about.

Enjoy!

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I had an entire blog post typed up but I somehow managed to delete more than half of it. Lucky for me, my beautiful bride posted a very nice recap to our quick jaunt to Puerto Rico last month. Read all about it, here.

It has been exceptionally cold the past week here in sunny Florida. I don’t remember it being this cold for this many consecutive days. Maybe I’m spoiled, maybe I’m a sissy. Either way, it is cold enough for me to buy Julz and I two tickets to Puerto Rico for a weekend getaway. Next weekend is a 3 day weekend, so we took the chance and found a great deal. I won’t miss any work, and Donovan won’t miss any school. Funny thing is that D is probably more excited to be away from his parents for a whole weekend.

Be as it may, Julia and I are both looking forward to shedding a few pounds in the warm tropical surf, relaxing in the evenings with good, healthy food, and of course, some of that finely crafted Puerto Rican Rum.

I would like to wish a Belated Merry Christmas, and Happy New Year to all of you. May 2010 bring you much success in life, and in love.

Peace.

Donovan was born! He had a great birthday on Saturday. He had some friends over, and Mom and Dad cooked up burgers and dogs for all of the guests. It was a great day, with no stress to speak of. All of the children behaved very well and all of them had a great time playing Sing Star, Corn Hole, and whatever other games they could make up themselves.

Yesterday the three of us went down to the boat ramp to catch some fish with Donovan’s new fishing pole (Thanks, Uncle Buster!) before the Jaguar game. On the way back to the house we stopped and chatted with some neighbors. It was there that Donovan really wanted me to pull his loose tooth. I obliged, of course. Here he is, our 7 year old snaggle tooth:

Another year, another Happy Halloween for the Arnold family. We started the day as we have been doing quite a bit recently: Soccer practice in the back yard.

After soccer, some of the Gator game, and a nice walk in the neighborhood, it was time to get Donovan’s costume on and head over to the Brown’s for trick or treating. This year Donovan had elected to be a ‘Mummy’ and his Mom was very excited to make his costume from scratch. She did this by procuring a pair of off white thermals for $9, some cheese cloth, and some double sided cloth tape. I was skeptical at first, but I must say, she REALLY pulled it off.

He had worn the costume to a party a week previous, and he really wore it ragged. I still think it looks fantastic. Excellent work lover!

Earlier that day I cooked up some sausage, chicken, rice, and tomato soup for us all to line our stomachs with before ingesting all of the candy that we were soon to have. Here, the kids (Donovan, Isabella, and Lola) loved it so much they could barely sit still (i kid, i kid):

We walked around the neighborhood until just after dark; roughly an hour plus or minus a few minutes. The kids were happy to rest their legs and sample their haul. We stuck around for a while, until it was time to put Donovan to bed. He was ready, for sure.

All in all, it was a great time. Next year, we have already committed, will be the year that Julia dresses as Princess Lea, I as Han Solo, and depending on how tall Donovan gets, he will be either Yoda, or Luke.

Three weeks ago Donovan got to go to his first live NFL game here in Jacksonville. The Jags put a serious beat down on the Titans (a division rival) and D was very pleased to witness it all. He was great the whole time; no fussing, lots of cheering, smiling, and happiness. I can’t wait to take him and Mommy to another game!

The 2009 Arnold Olympics was a great success. This post is a little late, but you know what they say: Better late than never. It was an adventure to say the least. We ended up spending more money than we ever imagined, but in the end it was well worth it.

We left town on Thursday September 3, 2009 at around 2:00 pm. We made decent time, though I was exhausted from work and a late night on Wednesday night. By 7:00 pm I couldn’t drive any further, so we got off I75 on a perfect exit: cheap, clean hotel next to a gas station, and a liquor store for only $40 a night. We checked in, got a small bottle of rum (hey, we’re on vacation here) and proceeded to unwind. We had some pizza and wings delivered to our room, watched some TV, and just relaxed. We ended up staying up a little later than we had planned, but like I said alreay, we were on vacation.

The next morning we took advantage of the bagels, tea, and orange juice in the lobby, showered up, and we were on our way. We were expecting only 3 more hours to cap off our journey in the 4Runner. And as expected, without incident, we finally made it to Mineral Bluff, GA on the banks of the Ocoee River.

We arrived at around 2:00 pm on Friday and began unwinding and catching up with family. As dusk neared, more and more Arnold’s and friends of the family began to show. Opening ceremonies were to begin at 8 pm.

This year Dave and I were selected to help organize and basically create the event from the bottom up. Dave and I were up to the task, and the event was a blast. Everyone had a great time. Dave and Sharon handled the food and medals. Dave printed out rules and the event schedule, along with heat sheets for the events. I created and maintain the web site, and I ran & scored many of the events.

Dave and I gave a short speech explaining rules, schedules, and fielding any and all questions from the competitors. After opening ceremonies, we all shared many laughs and drinks well into the evening.

The next morning, we would begin the Olympics with target practice (had to get this out of the way first so we could start drinking). Shooting guns into the side of a mountain is great fun! So, with that out of the way, it was on to the rest of the events for Saturday. We managed to get horseshoes, bocce, and home run derby all completed before dinner (grilled burgers and dogs). I think we may have done the kayak race as well. Not sure. Anyways, after dinner we completed darts, and the kids competed in Sing Star. Sing Star was actually pretty fun! I was impressed. Needless to say, it was an early night Saturday night (well, kinda) after all of that activity.

Sunday morning was a slow morning. Uncle Don made a pitcher of Bloody Mary’s, which really seemed to brighten everyone’s morning. I know it made mine much better. After the rest of the crew showed up, we began to finish up the events. Cornhole, Potato Sack Race, and Croquet were all completed, as well as an art contest for the kids, and perhaps women’s bocce?

That evening, a lasagna dinner was served, and everyone enjoyed it along with salad, and garlic bread. Soon thereafter, we all gathered in the downstairs den / bar area and Dave and I held the awards ceremony and subsequent closing ceremonies, where we gave out medals for all events. It was very loud, full of laughs and smiles and true happy family togetherness. We did our best to stretch our time with our cousins, who we knew we probably wouldn’t be seeing again for quite some time. Just thinking about the whole weekend makes me smile. We bid our farewells to the crew that were staying at Dave and Sharon’s, and spent some more family time with my parents & brother, Uncle Don & Joanne, and the Skunk, Julie Bear, Melon, Morning Dove, Owen, and the kids.

Monday morning came WAY too fast, but eventually we got packed up and hit the road before noon. I drove until I couldn’t see straight anymore, and got a tip from a friend about a great exit in Valdosta (I mear 2.5 hours from home, but nearly 6+ hours from Mineral Bluff). We took it, and found a nice hotel right next to a gas station, a liquor store, and a Mexican Restaurant all within a few blocks of each other (remember, still on vacation). We checked in, got our supplies, and relaxed for a bit before dinner. Donovan was thrilled to be traveling so much with his parents. We were thrilled that he was thrilled, so it was big smiles all the way around for everyone. Dinner was decent. Quick and easy if anything, and we headed back to the hotel to enjoy it for a few more hours before bed.

Up the next morning, we were so excited to be almost home, we were up and at em. After a continental breakfast and quick refuel, we were back to barreling down I75. I noticed, while in Valdosta, that my transmission was slipping for some reason. This concerned me quite a bit, as we were still a good distance from home. We were only on the road for about 30 minutes on Tuesday morning when traffic came to a halt. We would later find out that a tanker truck filled with noxious chemicals had overturned early that morning and spilled it’s contents all over the interstate. We were diverted onto a highway, which luckily connected with I10 only a few miles down the road, so that only put us back about 45 to an hour. I know that sounds like a lot but it could have been much, much worse.

We finally made it home without any major incident, and what a relief that was. We got everything put away and some friends came by to welcome us home. We then noticed the red gooey liquid dripping from the front left of the 4Runner. That’s right, transmission fluid. But how the heck was it all the way up near the radiator, you ask? I’ll tell you. There is a separate transmission fluid cooler inside the radiator. Well, this cooler cracked, and transmission fluid began mixing with the radiator fluid. The pressure from the transmission was causing this goo to surge out through the radiator flood reservoir, which is right were we noticed the dripping. $900 later I had a new radiator and thermostat installed, and 62 quarts of transmission fluid were flushed through my transmission to clean out the radiator fluid / transmission fluid mixture.

So, if you add the gas, hotel room stays, and 4Runner repair, we could have easily bought 3 plane tickets from JAX to ATL, and rented a car for the weekend. We would have spent far less money and we would have more time to relax and less time stressing with driving. But when I really think about it, I wouldn’t have it any other way.

Oh dear, I almost forgot. Here are some photos my brother shot during the event: 2009 Arnold Olympics