http://www.tomrobinsonphotography.com/images/romania/_DSC0916.jpg
Brilliant photo. I love it, which is why it's on this page.
Friday, January 04, 2008
Long and Winding Road
http://www.tomrobinsonphotography.com/images/romania/_DSC0916.jpg
Brilliant photo. I love it, which is why it's on this page.
Sunday, December 09, 2007
So I found this article in the December edition of Real Simple Magazine (in the Life Lessons: Good Intentions) and I thought it just had to be shared:
Bad Santa
You want: a present that expresses how he feels about you (bonus points if it's romantic). He wants: a detailed wish list (bonus points if you'll settle for gift cards). Men aren't Scrooges, Kyle Smith explains. They're just holiday-shopping challenged.
In the mobster movie Donnie Brasco, there's a scene that every guy loves. Al Pacino's broken-down old wise-guy, Lefty Ruggiero, celebrates Christmas by giving a cash-filled envelope to Brasco, a young street hood who has become his protégé (and who is, actually, an undercover FBI agent, played by Johnny Depp). Brasco reciprocates with an envelope stuffed with what appears to be the same amount of money. The two men hug, and everybody seems happy.
The scene is supposed to underline how dumb and crude gangsters are, but doesn't it really show how clueless the rest of us are? Unless yo have kids, you expect to spend about the same amount on holiday presents that others spend on you. But, unlike Donnie Brasco, much of what yo get - and give - will be the wrong size, the wrong style, or completely ill considered.
Just to be clear, I'm not against Christmas. I love Christmas. Midnight Mass is beautiful and serene and holy; Meet Me in St. Lois is a great movie that can be watched only between December 1 and 25 (so is Love Actually); and in the Northeast, where I’ve spent most of my life, the question of whether there will be a white Christmas is always surprisingly suspenseful. I look forward to the family reunions, crackling fires, and goofy shared jokes carried over from last year, especially when all of this is accompanied by pie. It’s the gift giving where I, and many of my male brethren, run into some trouble.
A Jewish friend of mine once expressed incredulity that exchanging Christmas gifts was a valid expression of love or friendship. “Aren’t you just doing each other’s shopping?” she said.
Sort of, except, like most men, I can’t stop.
I feel overwhelmed in malls, and last-minute crowds irk me. (Of course, I cold do my shopping in October, like my mother, but I happen to be really busy every October. Do you have any idea how many football games there are to watch?)
In his novel Microserfs, Douglas Coupland writes that the average male has only about 73 calories of shopping energy, and once they’re gone, they’re gone for the day, if not for the week, and can’t be regenerated. We’re shopping light-weights, and the reason is that the experience stirs up some dour, primal memories of being helpless little kids who spent long stretches of our most impressionable years being dragged from every Casual Corner to Marshall’s to Dress Barn by never-quite-satisfied mothers who responded to our whining by telling us to just hush up and be patient for six more hours. I think I have Post-Traumatic Shopping Disorder.
I’m man enough to admit that many guy gifting errors spring from within. Our misfires, while well-intentioned, are usually a result of our poor listening skills or a general lack of knowledge of women’s vocabulary. I confess that, over the years, I’ve been guilty of the latter many times. (“I thought you said you wanted a tennis racket…. Oh…. What’s a tennis bracelet?”) Female sizes remain a mystery to me. (Why is it that my pants have specific measurements - 32-inch waist, 30-inch inseam – but women’s pants carry mysterious numerals, like 8, that don’t indicate anything? Eight what?) To me, luggage is something made out of sensible glow-in-the-dark nylon held together with thick, webbed straps and stainless-steel D rings so you can strap it onto your back when you’re about to march up a mountain in China. How was I to know it meant a cute quilted bag like something Helena Bonham Carter would have carried to a tea party in Howards End?
My inept gift exchanging hasn’t always been entirely my fault. Before I got married this year, I used to engage in a dismal hobby dating passive-aggressive girls. Christmas is the day they look forward to all year; it is to the passive-aggressive what Halloween is to the Goth. In mid-November, a variation on this conversation would occur about once a week:
She: “So, what are you going to get me?”
He: “What would you like?”
She: “I’m not going ot tell you. You have to guess. Bt it better to be something original, thoughtful, and personal.”
He: “OK. So… a gift certificate to the nearest chain store.”
She: (Icy stare, storms from room, doesn’t speak for four hours.)
Unlike the exes, my wife has been very understanding about my gift-giving issues, and she and other members of my family no longer bother dropping hints to me. They don’t say things like “Oh, just pick out some earrings or a sweater that looks nice.” Left to my own devices, I’m liable to buy something that went out of style back when Joanie Loves Chachi went off the air. Instead, they provide me with detailed Christmas wish list, and I do the same.
But here’s the thing about buying me Christmas presents: I don’t want any. I live in a Manhattan apartment the size of a dog kennel, and my closets and shelves are already heaped with stuff. But if I tell my relatives not to get me anything, they won’t listen. If I don’t give them a list, I could wind up with a grandfather clock or a kayak or a cello. So I’m careful to suggest items readily available from established national retailers. Not everyone in my family plays this way.
My mother collects ceramic Santa Clauses, which stand in phalanxes on her shelves and in a vast china closet. I have no problem with getting her what she wants, even if I find these little figurines frightening and am convinced that every time I turn my back, they move an inch closer to me. But they are limited-edition, special handcrafted signature collectible, and the one she decides to add to her collection every year is, according to eBay, available only from one woman in Lawrence, Kansas. (That holds true whether I’m looking to buy Caribbean Santa, baseball-playing Santa, or unicyclin’ Santa.) I don’t know how to win an auction on eBay, so, in a full-on December 21 panic, I end up paying the inflated “Buy it now” price with extra tacked on for overnight shipping and yet more for gift wrapping, only to discover the next day 15 identical Santas selling for a third of what I just paid.
At other times, Mom has asked for an item she saw in a specific store (sorry, it’s not available on the website), and this is no less terrifying. The stores are teeming with immense, seething crowds and sinister perfume ladies who spritz everyone who comes within 10 yards of them. Because it’s cold outside, I wear a winter coat. But it’s 84 degrees inside, so I develop a boiling headache as I wait in line at the jewelry counter, only to be sent to a different jewelry counter, where I wait behind someone who is determined to try on every bauble in the case. I finally ask about the watch Mom wanted. They probably don’t have it, because it’s nearly Christmas and they’re sold out of everything. But if I’m lucky and find the present I’m looking for, then I get to wait in a gift-wrapping line like the one at the post office on tax day.
Luckily, I have acquired a secret weapon. My wife loves to wrap presents – even her own. She likes some of the same things my mother does and knows where to get them. She actually likes ot shop, especially for other women. I’ve already had the undeniable peasurable experience of sitting by the Christmas tree and seeing my mother open a perfectly wrapped present marked. “To Mom. Love, Kyle.” My mother will respond with something like “Oh, lovely! How did you know I wanted this?” And I’ll just smile mysteriously and look up to see what I got her.
Bad Santa
You want: a present that expresses how he feels about you (bonus points if it's romantic). He wants: a detailed wish list (bonus points if you'll settle for gift cards). Men aren't Scrooges, Kyle Smith explains. They're just holiday-shopping challenged.
In the mobster movie Donnie Brasco, there's a scene that every guy loves. Al Pacino's broken-down old wise-guy, Lefty Ruggiero, celebrates Christmas by giving a cash-filled envelope to Brasco, a young street hood who has become his protégé (and who is, actually, an undercover FBI agent, played by Johnny Depp). Brasco reciprocates with an envelope stuffed with what appears to be the same amount of money. The two men hug, and everybody seems happy.
The scene is supposed to underline how dumb and crude gangsters are, but doesn't it really show how clueless the rest of us are? Unless yo have kids, you expect to spend about the same amount on holiday presents that others spend on you. But, unlike Donnie Brasco, much of what yo get - and give - will be the wrong size, the wrong style, or completely ill considered.
Just to be clear, I'm not against Christmas. I love Christmas. Midnight Mass is beautiful and serene and holy; Meet Me in St. Lois is a great movie that can be watched only between December 1 and 25 (so is Love Actually); and in the Northeast, where I’ve spent most of my life, the question of whether there will be a white Christmas is always surprisingly suspenseful. I look forward to the family reunions, crackling fires, and goofy shared jokes carried over from last year, especially when all of this is accompanied by pie. It’s the gift giving where I, and many of my male brethren, run into some trouble.
A Jewish friend of mine once expressed incredulity that exchanging Christmas gifts was a valid expression of love or friendship. “Aren’t you just doing each other’s shopping?” she said.
Sort of, except, like most men, I can’t stop.
I feel overwhelmed in malls, and last-minute crowds irk me. (Of course, I cold do my shopping in October, like my mother, but I happen to be really busy every October. Do you have any idea how many football games there are to watch?)
In his novel Microserfs, Douglas Coupland writes that the average male has only about 73 calories of shopping energy, and once they’re gone, they’re gone for the day, if not for the week, and can’t be regenerated. We’re shopping light-weights, and the reason is that the experience stirs up some dour, primal memories of being helpless little kids who spent long stretches of our most impressionable years being dragged from every Casual Corner to Marshall’s to Dress Barn by never-quite-satisfied mothers who responded to our whining by telling us to just hush up and be patient for six more hours. I think I have Post-Traumatic Shopping Disorder.
I’m man enough to admit that many guy gifting errors spring from within. Our misfires, while well-intentioned, are usually a result of our poor listening skills or a general lack of knowledge of women’s vocabulary. I confess that, over the years, I’ve been guilty of the latter many times. (“I thought you said you wanted a tennis racket…. Oh…. What’s a tennis bracelet?”) Female sizes remain a mystery to me. (Why is it that my pants have specific measurements - 32-inch waist, 30-inch inseam – but women’s pants carry mysterious numerals, like 8, that don’t indicate anything? Eight what?) To me, luggage is something made out of sensible glow-in-the-dark nylon held together with thick, webbed straps and stainless-steel D rings so you can strap it onto your back when you’re about to march up a mountain in China. How was I to know it meant a cute quilted bag like something Helena Bonham Carter would have carried to a tea party in Howards End?
My inept gift exchanging hasn’t always been entirely my fault. Before I got married this year, I used to engage in a dismal hobby dating passive-aggressive girls. Christmas is the day they look forward to all year; it is to the passive-aggressive what Halloween is to the Goth. In mid-November, a variation on this conversation would occur about once a week:
She: “So, what are you going to get me?”
He: “What would you like?”
She: “I’m not going ot tell you. You have to guess. Bt it better to be something original, thoughtful, and personal.”
He: “OK. So… a gift certificate to the nearest chain store.”
She: (Icy stare, storms from room, doesn’t speak for four hours.)
Unlike the exes, my wife has been very understanding about my gift-giving issues, and she and other members of my family no longer bother dropping hints to me. They don’t say things like “Oh, just pick out some earrings or a sweater that looks nice.” Left to my own devices, I’m liable to buy something that went out of style back when Joanie Loves Chachi went off the air. Instead, they provide me with detailed Christmas wish list, and I do the same.
But here’s the thing about buying me Christmas presents: I don’t want any. I live in a Manhattan apartment the size of a dog kennel, and my closets and shelves are already heaped with stuff. But if I tell my relatives not to get me anything, they won’t listen. If I don’t give them a list, I could wind up with a grandfather clock or a kayak or a cello. So I’m careful to suggest items readily available from established national retailers. Not everyone in my family plays this way.
My mother collects ceramic Santa Clauses, which stand in phalanxes on her shelves and in a vast china closet. I have no problem with getting her what she wants, even if I find these little figurines frightening and am convinced that every time I turn my back, they move an inch closer to me. But they are limited-edition, special handcrafted signature collectible, and the one she decides to add to her collection every year is, according to eBay, available only from one woman in Lawrence, Kansas. (That holds true whether I’m looking to buy Caribbean Santa, baseball-playing Santa, or unicyclin’ Santa.) I don’t know how to win an auction on eBay, so, in a full-on December 21 panic, I end up paying the inflated “Buy it now” price with extra tacked on for overnight shipping and yet more for gift wrapping, only to discover the next day 15 identical Santas selling for a third of what I just paid.
At other times, Mom has asked for an item she saw in a specific store (sorry, it’s not available on the website), and this is no less terrifying. The stores are teeming with immense, seething crowds and sinister perfume ladies who spritz everyone who comes within 10 yards of them. Because it’s cold outside, I wear a winter coat. But it’s 84 degrees inside, so I develop a boiling headache as I wait in line at the jewelry counter, only to be sent to a different jewelry counter, where I wait behind someone who is determined to try on every bauble in the case. I finally ask about the watch Mom wanted. They probably don’t have it, because it’s nearly Christmas and they’re sold out of everything. But if I’m lucky and find the present I’m looking for, then I get to wait in a gift-wrapping line like the one at the post office on tax day.
Luckily, I have acquired a secret weapon. My wife loves to wrap presents – even her own. She likes some of the same things my mother does and knows where to get them. She actually likes ot shop, especially for other women. I’ve already had the undeniable peasurable experience of sitting by the Christmas tree and seeing my mother open a perfectly wrapped present marked. “To Mom. Love, Kyle.” My mother will respond with something like “Oh, lovely! How did you know I wanted this?” And I’ll just smile mysteriously and look up to see what I got her.
Friday, November 30, 2007
Sunday, November 18, 2007
All Better
Everything is better now. My computer is back and running. Admittadly, the Geek Squad did nothing but tell me what I already knew. Well, they did copy files off of my harddrive, so that's good. Anyway, I did the right thing and restarted my computer completely. It's running faster. Connecting easier. A lot better. I re-installed Quicken, Microsoft Office, and Blackberry items. All is running like a brand new computer. Yeah!!!
So since my computer is better now, I'm better now.
So since my computer is better now, I'm better now.
Saturday, November 17, 2007
iPlunge
Hi guys. Listen.
Um.
I'm preparing to join a cult.
The iCult.
That's right, I'm thinking about buying a Mac.
Don't look at me like that. It's not because I think I'm better than you. It's just that ... they're so easy. (And pretty). And they apparently don't give as much guff as PCs, which is good, because I'm about done with getting guff from my friggin' Dell. (And it's pretty).
I read reviews and compared specs online, and even when taking various PCs into account, Mac still seemed closer to my iNeeds. Ooops, I mean needs. Needs.
So hopefully I can beam up to the mothership in the next few weeks here. Gotta figure out if I want to order an Apple. Either way, if the thing acts up I can take it to my nearest Apple store -- wherever that may be when this hypothetical situation occurs -- and say "here, fix this." Which is another big, big plus for Apple, in my book.
Um.
I'm preparing to join a cult.
The iCult.
That's right, I'm thinking about buying a Mac.
Don't look at me like that. It's not because I think I'm better than you. It's just that ... they're so easy. (And pretty). And they apparently don't give as much guff as PCs, which is good, because I'm about done with getting guff from my friggin' Dell. (And it's pretty).
I read reviews and compared specs online, and even when taking various PCs into account, Mac still seemed closer to my iNeeds. Ooops, I mean needs. Needs.
So hopefully I can beam up to the mothership in the next few weeks here. Gotta figure out if I want to order an Apple. Either way, if the thing acts up I can take it to my nearest Apple store -- wherever that may be when this hypothetical situation occurs -- and say "here, fix this." Which is another big, big plus for Apple, in my book.
Today I was doing some more iResearch -- um, research, I mean -- including an entertaining click-through on the Japanese Apple site, which led me to this:
Tell me. Does anything seem eerily ... familiar ... about those guys?
Take a gander at the Japanese PC/Mac commercials here. Quit yer whining that you don't know Japanese. Trust me, you'll get it. And you'll be simultaneously amused and weirded out.Wednesday, November 14, 2007
As for now
Feeling a lot better now. Thanks to drugs and rest I'm doing better. My hand is still recovering. I feel revived. Hopeful.
Friday, November 02, 2007
Bein' an Okie
Forget Rednecks, here is what Jeff Foxworthy has to say about folks from Oklahoma ...
If someone in a store offers you assistance and they don't work there, you may live in Oklahoma .
If you've worn shorts and a coat at the same time, you probably live in Oklahoma .
If you've had a lengthy telephone conversation with someone who dialed a wrong number, you most likely live in Oklahoma .
If "Vacation" means going anywhere south of Oklahoma City for the weekend, you probably live in Oklahoma .
If you measure distance in hours, you may live in Oklahoma . Is there a different way of measuring distance when traveling? ;)
If you know several people who have hit a deer more than once, you may live in Oklahoma .
If you install security lights on your house and garage, but leave both unlocked, you may live in Oklahoma .
If you carry jumper cables in your car and your wife knows how to use them, you may live in Oklahoma .
If the speed limit on the highway is 55 mph -- you're going 80 and everybody is passing you, you may live in Oklahoma .
If you find 60 degrees "a little chilly", you may live in Oklahoma .
If you actually understand these jokes and forward them to all your Oklahoma friends & others, you definitely live in Oklahoma
Tuesday, October 16, 2007
Monday, October 08, 2007
Feeling Better
Okay, so I'm feeling quite a bit cheerier today. I'm starting a new weight loss thing. I've joined the Y, and so has Chris... hopefully we'll start going soon. I'm going to be going and doing swim laps on Wednesdays. That'll be really nice. I haven't been swimming in forever, and I miss it so!
Chris has started the Alli and it's helping with his digestion. So I decided to start it too... and so far I've actually had a bowl movement! If you were me, you'd be excited as well. Finally. Sorry, it's disgusting, but it makes me feel better. No wonder I've been bitchy lately... I've been full of crap!
Also, my sweet English teacher read my paper aloud because she thought it was so beautiful. I knew she was liking my papers, but this one was really prime. She said I could get it published if I worked on it and turned it back in. That'd be way awesome.
Let's see... Oh yes. I'm getting married! My ring is fitting tighter because Chris and I went to the local Zales and got a free sizing band. So I'm not worried about waving it about or playing with the pups and loosing it.
Chris has started the Alli and it's helping with his digestion. So I decided to start it too... and so far I've actually had a bowl movement! If you were me, you'd be excited as well. Finally. Sorry, it's disgusting, but it makes me feel better. No wonder I've been bitchy lately... I've been full of crap!
Also, my sweet English teacher read my paper aloud because she thought it was so beautiful. I knew she was liking my papers, but this one was really prime. She said I could get it published if I worked on it and turned it back in. That'd be way awesome.
Let's see... Oh yes. I'm getting married! My ring is fitting tighter because Chris and I went to the local Zales and got a free sizing band. So I'm not worried about waving it about or playing with the pups and loosing it.
Monday, October 01, 2007
Excited
YEEEEEEEEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!! I'm so excited! It doesn't help that I've just tried the YUMMY iced coffee from McDs. But Jeni's getting married in December in a lovely castle and I get to be her Maid of Honor! I guess this'll be the last wedding I go to as a Maid and and not a Matron!!! I can't wait to find out what I get to wear. I know it's in David's Bridal Marine color, which is super pretty. Jen's having a blue and silver winter wedding. I'm so excited.
Friday, September 21, 2007
Wedded Bliss
It's official! Chris and I are getting married! **SQUEEL** Anyway... in lue of the blessed event, I created yet another blogger page. Just check out randrwedding.blogspot.com
And I'll see you there.
And I'll see you there.
Sunday, September 02, 2007
Culture fest
Just wanted to say HI. Not much's been going on personally. Chris' been gone and he'll be coming back tomorrow. We're learning to tighten our wallet and start a better budgeting program. The dogs and chins have been doing okay.
I helped out at the First Annual Culture Fest. It was a really impressive event. I know I wasn't planning on it being such a big event but was plesantly surprised by it. I participated in the kids activity department. At first it was pretty quiet with everything else going on, but suddenly there was a boom of children down stairs under the tent coloring, painting, creating, etc. It was a really good time. I even got some facepainting in. Abby was a gem at it, so she did it for a majority of the time.
It was definetly a real success. Someone said there was over 1,500 there! That's amazing!
Despite it being a Saturday (which means I was already worn down) it was a good one. I did get a bit more worn out, so it's a good thing we have this three day weekend, so that I have two days to recover.
I helped out at the First Annual Culture Fest. It was a really impressive event. I know I wasn't planning on it being such a big event but was plesantly surprised by it. I participated in the kids activity department. At first it was pretty quiet with everything else going on, but suddenly there was a boom of children down stairs under the tent coloring, painting, creating, etc. It was a really good time. I even got some facepainting in. Abby was a gem at it, so she did it for a majority of the time.
It was definetly a real success. Someone said there was over 1,500 there! That's amazing!
Despite it being a Saturday (which means I was already worn down) it was a good one. I did get a bit more worn out, so it's a good thing we have this three day weekend, so that I have two days to recover.
Thursday, August 23, 2007
Kids at play
These are a bit old since Chris is in Oklahoma now, but I guess I wanted to share the joys of yard work with everyone. So here are a couple of pictures of the new people that do the lawn...
Chris and I.
Chris and I.
Class Act
I like my new english class. It's gonna be a great ease to get this out of the way. It's nice that it works around work as well.
Hard part is waking up that early.
But it looks like I've already read a lot (a LOT) of the stuff.
Hard part is waking up that early.
But it looks like I've already read a lot (a LOT) of the stuff.
Saturday, August 11, 2007
Gotta Go Back...
Hey Everyone! Guess who's a new student... again!
glitter-graphics.com
That's right, I'm going to AUM (Auburn University of Montgomery) for my remaining classes. This semester I'm just taking one because, hopefully, I'll be working a bit more as well.
I'm really excited. Wish me luck!
glitter-graphics.com
That's right, I'm going to AUM (Auburn University of Montgomery) for my remaining classes. This semester I'm just taking one because, hopefully, I'll be working a bit more as well.
I'm really excited. Wish me luck!
Saturday, August 04, 2007
Reminder
I had to be reminded of it today, but I have a pretty sweet life. I mean, I have a house... I actually own a house! I have two loving dogs, and two cuddly cute chinchillas. A loving boyfriend who I know I will marry someday. A loving family that constantly expresses it's care and affection for me. Friends both far and near, though I could do better at keeping in touch. I have a wonderful job that I'm enjoying that actually takes care of me. My boss is my best friend and bowling partner, and my co-workers are as wonderfully entertaining as lovable characters in a TV sitcom. I have a bright future and am already a success.
Thursday, June 21, 2007
Boys, Bikes, and Bucks
Chris did it! He finally did it! He bought a Harly Davidson Motorcycle... isn't it hot?
I was a little skeptical at first because it was something he'd talk about ever so often with furvor, but then it'd die off and dissapear. But he found the perfect bike for the best price ever! I agreed on the buy. It was the best buy for the price... and we came to the agreement recently that it's the only bike he plans on having for a while. He already had some fun with it today, riding it around every kind of terrain he could find. He was so proud of it, I even let him take in in the house.
Cute, isn't he?
Chris really did debate greatly over getting a bike or not. He found one that everyone, even people who didn't ride bikes, said was the perfect beginner bike for him. It sounded like such a great deal, he was completely excited about it. He'd gone a few times to check out different ones, and found this perfect one at the honda store. He was so excited about it that we sat down and talked about it realistically.
The big thing was, of course, the money. Chris knew how much we were already in the red, and so did I. We didn't want to do anything frivolous, but with rising gas prices and an afordable solution within view, we considered our options. Chris came to the descision that he would take money out from the Employee Emergency Fund to bring us out of the red and be good for some time. This would make things possible for the both of us to feel comfortable about financing a motorcycle.
First off, I must say that Chris does make quite the argument for the cycle. He does have a large SUV that drinks gasoline weekly, while a cycle could keep him going for weeks back and forth to work on a much cheaper balance. He feels comfortable riding one, I'm not yet to that point. But he's not stupid, he knows that he's not ready for a huge chopper or anything. But he did find a good cruiser that worked well with him.
My big part in all this, besides reality check and support, was getting a hold of the insurance people, who ended up giving him a really great rate.
We prayed over it, on weither or not it was right, and what to do. Chris needed a big sign on weither or not it was right for him to buy at this time or not, so we prayed hard.
Well, he got his sign... We were both so excited for him to get the check in, but it took a while longer than we expected. By the time the check got deposited, the bike was gone. The place had sold it, despite Chris' constant telling them that he'd buy it.
Se-la-vie. It was disappointing to hear that, especially after the build up. I kept my hopes up when he said that he'd found another one to think about. I'd already told everyone he was getting one. I'd gotten so excited about the bike, I didn't think about Chris and how it'd all effect him.
But God did speak to us... and He solved our financial problems through this venture... not by saving us from high gas payments, but from ourselves. By Chris geting out the loan from the EEF we were able to bring ourselves out of the whole and beyond. It's a blessing.
I hope he does eventually find the perfect bike for him again. And now we know we can afford it, and even better, we can save up for it. I know that he's still got it in his head, and I know it'd be good for him because he'd get to hang out with his pal Rick, who's been an good friend to him. He's been a mentor of sorts, and would to help him with the bike and understanding on how to ride. I know it'll all happen sooner or later, but at least now we're prepaired.
I was a little skeptical at first because it was something he'd talk about ever so often with furvor, but then it'd die off and dissapear. But he found the perfect bike for the best price ever! I agreed on the buy. It was the best buy for the price... and we came to the agreement recently that it's the only bike he plans on having for a while. He already had some fun with it today, riding it around every kind of terrain he could find. He was so proud of it, I even let him take in in the house.
Cute, isn't he?
Chris really did debate greatly over getting a bike or not. He found one that everyone, even people who didn't ride bikes, said was the perfect beginner bike for him. It sounded like such a great deal, he was completely excited about it. He'd gone a few times to check out different ones, and found this perfect one at the honda store. He was so excited about it that we sat down and talked about it realistically.
The big thing was, of course, the money. Chris knew how much we were already in the red, and so did I. We didn't want to do anything frivolous, but with rising gas prices and an afordable solution within view, we considered our options. Chris came to the descision that he would take money out from the Employee Emergency Fund to bring us out of the red and be good for some time. This would make things possible for the both of us to feel comfortable about financing a motorcycle.
First off, I must say that Chris does make quite the argument for the cycle. He does have a large SUV that drinks gasoline weekly, while a cycle could keep him going for weeks back and forth to work on a much cheaper balance. He feels comfortable riding one, I'm not yet to that point. But he's not stupid, he knows that he's not ready for a huge chopper or anything. But he did find a good cruiser that worked well with him.
My big part in all this, besides reality check and support, was getting a hold of the insurance people, who ended up giving him a really great rate.
We prayed over it, on weither or not it was right, and what to do. Chris needed a big sign on weither or not it was right for him to buy at this time or not, so we prayed hard.
Well, he got his sign... We were both so excited for him to get the check in, but it took a while longer than we expected. By the time the check got deposited, the bike was gone. The place had sold it, despite Chris' constant telling them that he'd buy it.
Se-la-vie. It was disappointing to hear that, especially after the build up. I kept my hopes up when he said that he'd found another one to think about. I'd already told everyone he was getting one. I'd gotten so excited about the bike, I didn't think about Chris and how it'd all effect him.
But God did speak to us... and He solved our financial problems through this venture... not by saving us from high gas payments, but from ourselves. By Chris geting out the loan from the EEF we were able to bring ourselves out of the whole and beyond. It's a blessing.
I hope he does eventually find the perfect bike for him again. And now we know we can afford it, and even better, we can save up for it. I know that he's still got it in his head, and I know it'd be good for him because he'd get to hang out with his pal Rick, who's been an good friend to him. He's been a mentor of sorts, and would to help him with the bike and understanding on how to ride. I know it'll all happen sooner or later, but at least now we're prepaired.
Tuesday, June 19, 2007
Harley Man
Chris is getting a bike! No, not that bike...a motorcycle! Cool, huh? He's so psyched about it. He's been thinking about getting one for a while, but he's finally found one that would be great for him, and it's loaded with all sorts of extras. I'll take some pix and load them up so you guys can see him on it.
He officially goes through with the paperwork today. And it's something we prayed over this past weekend on wether or not it was the right decision. The real truth will come if the bike is still there by the time he gets everything lined up. We're hoping it does. He's so excited about it... it's so cute.
Although he probably won't get the loan $$ til tomorrow, but he's going to go oogle at it for a while until then.
He officially goes through with the paperwork today. And it's something we prayed over this past weekend on wether or not it was the right decision. The real truth will come if the bike is still there by the time he gets everything lined up. We're hoping it does. He's so excited about it... it's so cute.
Although he probably won't get the loan $$ til tomorrow, but he's going to go oogle at it for a while until then.
Tuesday, June 05, 2007
Pixi's first haircut
She's sooo cute! We got her shaved clean because it was getting so hot outside. Her little tale is so thin without that hair!
And since Chris and I were gone for almost a full week, she's been all cuddly since the moment we've gotten her back. It was so cute yesterday she just curled up and fell asleep in my lap while Chris and I watched the Riches last night. She rarely cuddles when she's sleeping, but she just didn't even move when I tried to get her to. So adorable, my baby pup.
And since Chris and I were gone for almost a full week, she's been all cuddly since the moment we've gotten her back. It was so cute yesterday she just curled up and fell asleep in my lap while Chris and I watched the Riches last night. She rarely cuddles when she's sleeping, but she just didn't even move when I tried to get her to. So adorable, my baby pup.
Monday, June 04, 2007
Weekend Wedding
This weekend was Heather Rich's wedding to Clayton Ward. It was beautiful... absolutely georgous! She came in by horse-drawn carrage with her father. They did their vows on an island in the middle of the "lake". And the party lasted through the night.
I'm trying to find a place to put the pictures, but I'm not sure. suggestions are welcome
I'm trying to find a place to put the pictures, but I'm not sure. suggestions are welcome
Wednesday, May 16, 2007
Tuesday, May 15, 2007
Everyone loves talking about Tapoos
It's true... so very true. Not neccessarily taboos, but not polite. Like, in spite of my manners, I started a topic on the MS20somethings myspace site about poop... it's the one topic that's had the most hits this year on their site! It's simply because someone (I) had had enough of not knowing about a subject that people don't talk about. I was frustrated in not knowing about MS and bowel movements being related... turns out a lot of people have felt that way and everyone was releived (haha) to have the subject finally broached. So don't be afraid to speak your mind, don't hold anything in... especially when it comes to holding stuff in!
Sorry guys, I just had to spread the word that it's okay to not be polite on the subject matter, as long as you are polite to one another in talking about it. :P
Sorry guys, I just had to spread the word that it's okay to not be polite on the subject matter, as long as you are polite to one another in talking about it. :P
Chris Flinstone
Sometimes I feel like Wilma Flinstone. Not because I feel like a sexy pre-historic red-head... but because Chris' newest hobby/sport: BOWLING
It's good to see him active in something. And since it's indoors he'll be doing it all year round. There are a lot of people here in a league and he's on the team. It's fun, but I like to tease him I feel like Wilma because he's doing it so much.
I've even made a deal with him that for every frame that has less than 8 pins down he has to do a set of 10 push ups and sit ups. This was devised because he complained that it wasn't really a "sport" or "excersize"... so I made up this rule. Haha.
Anyway, hope all is going well, just a basic update... mainly because he just left to go bowling with the guys.
Loss of Wisdom
Alright, I went today to the dentist who as really nice (Dr. Dean) and she said that my teeth were in perfectly good shape, minus the two wisdom teeth coming in. I just went for a routine cleaning. But now I've got a consultation with an orthodontic sergon to take my two wisdom teeth out (yes, I only have two... I must not be that smart). I'm nervous, but it's not gonna happen for a while, so I'm actually not bad. I have a consultation when we get back from Ok, July 7th. Fun, fun, fun.
Movin' Out
I'm so excited! We're nearly out of the old house and into the new! There are tons of boxes littering my living room, but I'm fine with that. I'm just happy that the other house is emptying out. Chris is getting excited too.
The chin's have been moved, and are enjoying their clean "new" home (same cage, just reformatted). We try to take the pups over every day, walk them about and get to know the neighborhood, and neighborhood kids. Pixi is being pickey and just whines and whines when we're moving the boxes running in and out of the house. She's even tried to get out from under the fence. Tira, on the other hand, just stays calmly indoors and watches us, waiting for us to let her check out the stuff we bring in.
Pixi, the poor dear, has been acting like an abandoned child and just following us around everywhere she can, even trying to guard the bathroom for me a time or two.
Anyway... back to the house! We're getting the big truck to move stuff this upcoming weekend. So the remaining part of this week is moving the small stuff and moving it around, so that there's room for the furniture when it gets here. Ohh, excitement!
We're trying to sell one of the former MFAs the fridge that's in the new house and one of the washer/dryer sets. We haven't heard back from him, but we need to know before this weekend. Grrrrr.
Chris has completely changed the locks over and loves the new presspad system he put in. He thinks it is the coolest... and I do too. I can't wait to actually spend a night there, though. I keep waiting, urgh.
Friday, April 20, 2007
Home Sweet Home
This should probably go under News & Views but I thought about it and it's such good news I can't help but put it here. I've got a new home! I'm so excited. I'll be moving into it next month.
I'll tell you more about it later, but I'm so drugged right now It's hard to make complete sentences... I've had to go back a few times already now. Love you all, I'll send pictures later.
I'll tell you more about it later, but I'm so drugged right now It's hard to make complete sentences... I've had to go back a few times already now. Love you all, I'll send pictures later.
Revelry
I've found this great cool web-site: www.reverendfun.com
It's got some cute, religiously based, comics that are actually pretty funny. Here's one I thought fit on this page... but check it out for yourself.
It's got some cute, religiously based, comics that are actually pretty funny. Here's one I thought fit on this page... but check it out for yourself.
Monday, April 16, 2007
MS150!!!
The MS 150 is right around the corner. Graham Lowrey is my pedal partner again this year. You can go and support him here. He's the co-captain this year and is hoping he and his team exceed the $3,000 from last year! Go and support him. His company is matching all funds raised, so please donate! You can do so via the link. The MS 150 has already raised $4.2 million so far! If you'd like to learn more, just go to http://ms150.org/
Friday, April 06, 2007
Happy Easter
Build your own Blingee
Keep going to www.bythebridgephotography.com/contest.html and voting for PC 15!!!
Saturday, March 17, 2007
Tuesday, March 13, 2007
Sammy Boy!
Ohh! I found the cutest pictures of little Sam! He's such a doll! Go check out his site here:
http://growingsam.blogspot.com/
I wasn't able to post comments, but I absolutely love the one of him by the big snowman on the bench and the one where he's peaking out from under his chair... oh, and the one at Christmas with the huge smile on his face! He's absolutely adorable. Check out the slide shows, and his awesomely fun twin sisters.
http://growingsam.blogspot.com/
I wasn't able to post comments, but I absolutely love the one of him by the big snowman on the bench and the one where he's peaking out from under his chair... oh, and the one at Christmas with the huge smile on his face! He's absolutely adorable. Check out the slide shows, and his awesomely fun twin sisters.
VOTE PC 15!!!
Hey everyone,
I've recently entered my dogs (Chris' dog Tira & my little Pixi) in the Pet Supplies Plus "Cutest Pets" Contest.
I'm trying to win this poll and some other dog is way ahead. I need you all to VOTE as best you can EVERY DAY! It takes one vote a day per computer! But other than that you can vote as many times as you'd like (even go into the store and vote!)... So, vote at home, work, school, coffee shops, wherever! The contest ends at the end of April, and the winner gets free dog food for a year! So spread the word for me, get everyone you know to vote for PC 15, and get them to spread the word, too!!!
The Web page is : http://www.bythebridgephotography.com/contest.html
I know ti's a bit biase, but I'd really like it if you'd vote for my dogs: PC 15
I've recently entered my dogs (Chris' dog Tira & my little Pixi) in the Pet Supplies Plus "Cutest Pets" Contest.
I'm trying to win this poll and some other dog is way ahead. I need you all to VOTE as best you can EVERY DAY! It takes one vote a day per computer! But other than that you can vote as many times as you'd like (even go into the store and vote!)... So, vote at home, work, school, coffee shops, wherever! The contest ends at the end of April, and the winner gets free dog food for a year! So spread the word for me, get everyone you know to vote for PC 15, and get them to spread the word, too!!!
The Web page is : http://www.bythebridgephotography.com/contest.html
I know ti's a bit biase, but I'd really like it if you'd vote for my dogs: PC 15
Please vote for PC 15!!!
Tuesday, March 06, 2007
Just News
Okay, so today was a weird day and I don't know if this blog entry should actually be in Job, but I thought it was funny, so it's here.
Today I was locked out of my house... again. I was wearing my summer pajamas, houseslippers, and long coat when Pixi decided to run the other way instead of going to the back. I quickly stopped her from running away, but in the process I slammed the door so Tira wouldn't escape outside and run either. Silly me... I didn't have a key! Everything was well locked, and I didn't have my phone. I must have looked pretty odd running around the house trying all the windows and doors.
I am, however, happy to report that our house is very safe! I won't tell you how I got in, I'll just say Chris and I have some shopping to do after work today. I got in with enough time to get ready for work, and run out... with my keys.
Oye, vey!
Today I was locked out of my house... again. I was wearing my summer pajamas, houseslippers, and long coat when Pixi decided to run the other way instead of going to the back. I quickly stopped her from running away, but in the process I slammed the door so Tira wouldn't escape outside and run either. Silly me... I didn't have a key! Everything was well locked, and I didn't have my phone. I must have looked pretty odd running around the house trying all the windows and doors.
I am, however, happy to report that our house is very safe! I won't tell you how I got in, I'll just say Chris and I have some shopping to do after work today. I got in with enough time to get ready for work, and run out... with my keys.
Oye, vey!
Friday, March 02, 2007
I'm not as crazy as I thought...
Which Britney Spears Are You?
created by Catherine
Your Results:
Stable Britney
You are quite happy with your achievements and you just keep on winning. You love your life and your goal is to continue living a well balanced life of work, family, friends, and boyfriend! People admire you and you love that, but you some of your favorite things about life includes good home cooking, dance, passion and of course, shopping!
created by Catherine
Your Results:
Stable Britney
You are quite happy with your achievements and you just keep on winning. You love your life and your goal is to continue living a well balanced life of work, family, friends, and boyfriend! People admire you and you love that, but you some of your favorite things about life includes good home cooking, dance, passion and of course, shopping!
Wednesday, February 28, 2007
28 Days Later
Why February gets the shaft.
By Melonyce McAfee
Posted Tuesday, Feb. 27, 2007, at 6:51 PM ET
The shortest month of the year seems to have gone by in a flash. Why does February have only 28 days?
It's the Romans' fault. Our modern calendar is loosely based on their old, confusing one. Though records on the Roman calendar are sparse and sketchy, legend has it that Romulus, the first king of Rome, devised a 10-month lunar calendar that began at the spring equinox in March and ended with December. It is unclear whether there were any official months between December and March, but it's likely they were left off because the wintertime wasn't important for the harvest.
The second king of Rome, Numa Pompilius, decided to make the calendar more accurate by syncing it up with the actual lunar year—which is about 354 days long. Numa tacked on two months—January and February—after December to account for the new days.
The new months each had 28 days. But that didn't sit well with Numa because even numbers were considered bad luck at the time. So, he added a day on to January, giving the year an odd-numbered 355 days. No one knows why February was left with 28 and remained an unlucky month. It may be related to the fact that Romans honored the dead and performed rites of purification in February. (The word februare means "to purify" in the dialect of the ancient Sabine tribe.)
The 355-day calendar couldn't stay in sync with the seasons because it didn't account for the amount of time it took for the Earth to orbit the sun. So, an extra "intercalary" month of 27 days was inserted after February 23 every couple of years or so to even things out. The pontiffs who were in charge of calendar upkeep didn't always add the extra month on schedule. (Some officials took advantage of the system to extend their time in office, for example.)
In around 45 B.C., Julius Caesar commissioned an expert to put aside the lunar origins of the Roman calendar and make it sun-based, like the Egyptian one. Caesar added 10 days to the calendar year and an extra day in February every four years. (The leap-year day was inserted after the 23rd, the same time as the old intercalary month.) Now, the year averaged out to 365.25 days, very close to the actual average length of a year: 365.2425 days (and even that varies).
Some have speculated that Caesar added a day to February when he reformed the calendar—making it 29 days long. The story goes that when the Senate renamed the month of Sextilis to honor the emperor Augustus, that day was subtracted from February and added to August in order to make it equal in number to July—the month named for Caesar. But this theory is now believed to be bunk; it's likely that Julius never even added a day to February.
By Melonyce McAfee
Posted Tuesday, Feb. 27, 2007, at 6:51 PM ET
The shortest month of the year seems to have gone by in a flash. Why does February have only 28 days?
It's the Romans' fault. Our modern calendar is loosely based on their old, confusing one. Though records on the Roman calendar are sparse and sketchy, legend has it that Romulus, the first king of Rome, devised a 10-month lunar calendar that began at the spring equinox in March and ended with December. It is unclear whether there were any official months between December and March, but it's likely they were left off because the wintertime wasn't important for the harvest.
The second king of Rome, Numa Pompilius, decided to make the calendar more accurate by syncing it up with the actual lunar year—which is about 354 days long. Numa tacked on two months—January and February—after December to account for the new days.
The new months each had 28 days. But that didn't sit well with Numa because even numbers were considered bad luck at the time. So, he added a day on to January, giving the year an odd-numbered 355 days. No one knows why February was left with 28 and remained an unlucky month. It may be related to the fact that Romans honored the dead and performed rites of purification in February. (The word februare means "to purify" in the dialect of the ancient Sabine tribe.)
The 355-day calendar couldn't stay in sync with the seasons because it didn't account for the amount of time it took for the Earth to orbit the sun. So, an extra "intercalary" month of 27 days was inserted after February 23 every couple of years or so to even things out. The pontiffs who were in charge of calendar upkeep didn't always add the extra month on schedule. (Some officials took advantage of the system to extend their time in office, for example.)
In around 45 B.C., Julius Caesar commissioned an expert to put aside the lunar origins of the Roman calendar and make it sun-based, like the Egyptian one. Caesar added 10 days to the calendar year and an extra day in February every four years. (The leap-year day was inserted after the 23rd, the same time as the old intercalary month.) Now, the year averaged out to 365.25 days, very close to the actual average length of a year: 365.2425 days (and even that varies).
Some have speculated that Caesar added a day to February when he reformed the calendar—making it 29 days long. The story goes that when the Senate renamed the month of Sextilis to honor the emperor Augustus, that day was subtracted from February and added to August in order to make it equal in number to July—the month named for Caesar. But this theory is now believed to be bunk; it's likely that Julius never even added a day to February.
New News Blogger
Alright, because I've become somewhat obsessed with the weird news on Fark, I've noticed I've been sharing more and more of those stories on my home blogger page (this one). That's all about to change!! I've started a new page of weird, amazing, crazy, cool, and/or informative news that I find interesting. That means I won't be filling up this page every day with informational news, so it might be blank more often, but feel free to check out the News & Views page... have fun.
Saturday, February 24, 2007
WTF!! Phantom Sequel
Is a Phantom Sequel in the Works?
By Andrew Gans
and Kenneth Jones
20 Feb 2007
The on-again, off-again sequel to Andrew Lloyd Webber's The Phantom of the Opera seems to be in the on-again mode.
In his Feb. 16 blog, the award-winning composer writes, "I can confirm what I told the studio audience whilst on the set of 'You're The One That I Want' last week in the U.S., that I am considering writing a sequel to Phantom of the Opera based on an idea presented to me over a decade ago. I will be returning to the U.K. shortly and hopefully have a blog for you, but let's just say, I am full of ideas!"
Lloyd Webber had previously written "The Heart Is Slow to Learn," a song for a Phantom sequel. That song was unveiled to the public at the televised London concert celebrating Lloyd Webber's 50th birthday. Kiri Te Kanawa performed the ballad. The composer later dropped the idea of the sequel and chose to collaborate on the musical The Beautiful Game.
The winner of seven 1988 Tony Awards, including Best Musical, The Phantom of the Opera became the longest-running show in Broadway history on Jan. 9, 2006. It surpassed Cats' record-holding run of 7,485 performances. The musical at the Majestic Theatre recently celebrated its 19th birthday on Broadway Jan. 26.
The musical, based on the Gaston Leroux novel, has music by Andrew Lloyd Webber and is directed by Harold Prince. Lyrics are by Charles Hart (with additional lyrics by Richard Stilgoe) and the book is by Richard Stilgoe and Andrew Lloyd Webber.
By Andrew Gans
and Kenneth Jones
20 Feb 2007
The on-again, off-again sequel to Andrew Lloyd Webber's The Phantom of the Opera seems to be in the on-again mode.
In his Feb. 16 blog, the award-winning composer writes, "I can confirm what I told the studio audience whilst on the set of 'You're The One That I Want' last week in the U.S., that I am considering writing a sequel to Phantom of the Opera based on an idea presented to me over a decade ago. I will be returning to the U.K. shortly and hopefully have a blog for you, but let's just say, I am full of ideas!"
Lloyd Webber had previously written "The Heart Is Slow to Learn," a song for a Phantom sequel. That song was unveiled to the public at the televised London concert celebrating Lloyd Webber's 50th birthday. Kiri Te Kanawa performed the ballad. The composer later dropped the idea of the sequel and chose to collaborate on the musical The Beautiful Game.
The winner of seven 1988 Tony Awards, including Best Musical, The Phantom of the Opera became the longest-running show in Broadway history on Jan. 9, 2006. It surpassed Cats' record-holding run of 7,485 performances. The musical at the Majestic Theatre recently celebrated its 19th birthday on Broadway Jan. 26.
The musical, based on the Gaston Leroux novel, has music by Andrew Lloyd Webber and is directed by Harold Prince. Lyrics are by Charles Hart (with additional lyrics by Richard Stilgoe) and the book is by Richard Stilgoe and Andrew Lloyd Webber.
Thursday, February 22, 2007
Rambo goes for another tour!
SLY Stallone is making his new Rambo film without blockbuster action scenes for the hero.
The 60-year-old star hopes his fourth movie featuring the Vietnam veteran will follow the success of Rocky Balboa.
Sly said: “It’ll be Rambo reaching old age and dealing with that and a new threat.
“He won’t be outrunning helicopters and dropping napalm. It’s more of an emotional journey.”
Filming on John Rambo is due to begin later this year.
The 60-year-old star hopes his fourth movie featuring the Vietnam veteran will follow the success of Rocky Balboa.
Sly said: “It’ll be Rambo reaching old age and dealing with that and a new threat.
“He won’t be outrunning helicopters and dropping napalm. It’s more of an emotional journey.”
Filming on John Rambo is due to begin later this year.
Tuesday, February 20, 2007
Uses for Ear Hair
Saturday, February 17, 2007
Ear-hair powered space-suits
NASA is investigating the use of a protein found in human ear-hair as a means of powering space suits. The protein converts motion into electrical energy -- and if it's augmented with an electricity-conducting microbe, it could form self-healing, semi-living "skins" that convert Martian wind and even the jogging and walking of astronauts into juice.
They are focusing on a protein called prestin, which is found in the outer hair cells of the human ear. In the cell membranes of these cells, prestin converts electrical voltage into motion, elongating and contracting the cell. This movement amplifies sound in the ear.
However, prestin can also work in reverse, producing electrical charges in response to mechanical stresses, such as tiny vibrations. Each protein is only capable of making nanowatts of electricity, but Matthew Silver and Kranthi Vistakula, both of IntAct Labs, believe that many proteins used together may be able to power small devices or help charge a battery...
But eventually, they say networks of the proteins could form 'power skins' to coat spacesuits, so that the astronauts' natural movement would be able to generate power for their equipment. The skins could also wrap around buildings on the Red Planet, where gusts of wind would activate prestin.
Ear-hair powered space-suits
NASA is investigating the use of a protein found in human ear-hair as a means of powering space suits. The protein converts motion into electrical energy -- and if it's augmented with an electricity-conducting microbe, it could form self-healing, semi-living "skins" that convert Martian wind and even the jogging and walking of astronauts into juice.
They are focusing on a protein called prestin, which is found in the outer hair cells of the human ear. In the cell membranes of these cells, prestin converts electrical voltage into motion, elongating and contracting the cell. This movement amplifies sound in the ear.
However, prestin can also work in reverse, producing electrical charges in response to mechanical stresses, such as tiny vibrations. Each protein is only capable of making nanowatts of electricity, but Matthew Silver and Kranthi Vistakula, both of IntAct Labs, believe that many proteins used together may be able to power small devices or help charge a battery...
But eventually, they say networks of the proteins could form 'power skins' to coat spacesuits, so that the astronauts' natural movement would be able to generate power for their equipment. The skins could also wrap around buildings on the Red Planet, where gusts of wind would activate prestin.
Thursday, February 15, 2007
| Which Disney Princess Do You Relate Best To? | |
  Snow White YOU ARE SNOW WHITE!!!! | |
| Take The Quiz Now! | Quizzes by myYearbook.com |
Tuesday, February 13, 2007
US Navy uses Dolphins with Freaking Lasers!!!
Navy May Deploy Anti-Terrorism Dolphins
By THOMAS WATKINS
Associated Press Writer
SAN DIEGO (AP) -- Dozens of dolphins and sea lions trained to detect and apprehend waterborne attackers could be sent to patrol a military base in Washington state, the Navy said Monday. In a notice published in this week's Federal Register, the Navy said it needs to bolster security at Naval Base Kitsap-Bangor, on the Puget Sound close to Seattle.
The base is home to submarines, ships and laboratories and is potentially vulnerable to attack by terrorist swimmers and scuba divers, the notice states.
Several options are under consideration, but the preferred plan would be to send as many as 30 California sea lions and Atlantic Bottlenose dolphins from the Navy's Marine Mammal Program, based in San Diego.
"These animals have the capabilities for what needs to be done for this particular mission," said Tom LaPuzza, a spokesman for the Marine Mammal Program.
LaPuzza said that because of their astonishing sonar abilities, dolphins are excellent at patrolling for swimmers and divers. When a Navy dolphin detects a person in the water, it drops a beacon. This tells a human interception team where to find the suspicious swimmer.
Dolphins also are trained to detect underwater mines; they were sent to do this in the Iraqi harbor of Umm Qasr in 2003. The last time the animals were used operationally in San Diego was in 1996, when they patrolled the bay during the Republican National Convention.
Sea lions can carry in their mouths special cuffs attached to long ropes. If the animal finds a rogue swimmer, it can clamp the cuff around the person's leg. The individual can then be reeled in for questioning.
The Navy is seeking public comment for an environmental impact statement on the proposal.
The Navy wanted to deploy marine animals to the Northwest in 1989, LaPuzza said, but a federal judge sided with animal-rights activists concerned about the effects of cooler water, as well as how the creatures would affect the environment. Water in the Puget Sound is about 10 degrees cooler than in San Diego Harbor, which has an average temperature of about 58 degrees, LaPuzza said.
Since then, the Navy has taken the dolphins and sea lions to cold-water places like Alaska and Scandinavia to see how they cope.
"They did very well," LaPuzza said. If the animals are sent to Washington, the dolphins would be housed in heated enclosures and would patrol the bay only for periods of about two hours.
Stephanie Boyles, a marine biologist and spokeswoman for People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, said that sea mammals do not provide a reliable defense system, and that they should not be kept in small enclosures.
"We believe the United States' citizens deserve the very best defense possible, and this just isn't it," Boyles said, adding that dolphins are easily distracted once in open water. "They don't understand the consequences of what will happen if they don't carry out the mission."
Dolphins can live as long as 30 years. LaPuzza said the Navy occasionally gives its retired animals to marine parks but generally keeps them until they die of old age.
The Navy has been training marine mammals since the 1960s and keeps about 100 dolphins and sea lions. Most are in San Diego, but about 20 are deployed at Naval Submarine Base Kings Bay, Ga.
The Navy hopes eventually to downsize its marine mammal program and replace the animals with machines.
"But the technology just isn't there yet," LaPuzza said. "The value of the marine mammals is we've been doing this for 35 years, and we've ironed out all the kinks."
Monday, February 12, 2007
Car Trash
A car crash in West Yarmouth led police to the discovery of a filthy car filled to the brim with trash and rubbish.According to police, there was so much trash inside 53-year-old Ann Biglan's Ford Focus, it completely filled the inside from the floor to the ceiling front and back.
The copious amounts of trash apparently caused the crash. Biglan told police several old coffee cups and pieces of trash fell onto the gas and brake pedal, which caused her to lose control while backing out of a parking space near the West Yarmouth Post Office.
Police said the trash that fell on the pedal caused the Focus to pick up speed, drive over a curb, across Route 28, hit a Ford Explorer and back over a sidewalk. Biglan's car finally came to a rest after crashing into a flowerpot in the parking lot of the West Yarmouth Mobil gas station.
No one was injured during the crash. Bigan is charged with impeded operation of a motor vehicle, negligent operation of a motor vehicle, failure to use care in backing, operating with a rejected safety inspection sticker.
Tuesday, February 06, 2007
The Holy Grail of Geek Lists
Star Trek Meets the Holy Grail!!!...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cnCvpJwKKpw
Which brings us to....
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cnCvpJwKKpw
Which brings us to....
Fifteen geek movies to see before you die!!!!
- Brazil
- The Matrix
- The Fifth Element
- Star Trek: The Wrath of Khan
- Star Trek: The Voyage Home
- Serenity
- Dark City
- 12 Monkeys
- Shaun of the Dead
- Darkman
- Army of Darkness
- War Games
- Monty Python & the Holy Grail
- Office Space
- Repo Man
11 Most Important Philisophical Questions (& Why)
1. “The unexamined life is not worth living” – Socrates (470-399 BCE)
Socrates felt so passionately about the value of self-examination that he closely examined not only his own beliefs and values but those of others as well. More precisely, through his relentless questioning, he forced people to examine their own beliefs. He saw the citizens of his beloved Athens sleepwalking through life, living only for money, power, and fame, so he became famous trying to help them.
2. “Entities should not be multiplied unnecessarily” – William of Ockham (1285 - 1349?)
The ultimate irony of Ockham’s razor may be that some have used it to prove God is unnecessary to the explanation of the universe, an idea Ockham the Franciscan priest would reject.
3. “The life of man [is] solitary, poor, nasty, brutish, and short.” – Thomas Hobbes (1588 – 1679)
Whereas Rousseau said, “Man is born free, and he is everywhere in chains,” Hobbes believed we find ourselves living a savage, impossible life without education and the protection of the state. Human nature is bad: we’ll prey on one another in the most vicious ways. No doubt the state imposes on our liberty in an overwhelming way. Yet Hobbes’ claim was that these very chains were absolutely crucial in protecting us from one another.
4. “I think therefore I am” – René Descartes (1596 – 1650)
On the heels of believing in himself, Descartes asked, What am I? His answer: a thinking thing (res cogitans) as opposed to a physical thing extended in three-dimensional space (res extensa). So, based on this line, Descartes knew he existed, though he wasn’t sure if he had a body. It’s a philosophical cliff-hanger; you’ll have to read Meditations to find out how it ends.
5. “To be is to be perceived (Esse est percipi).” Or, “If a tree falls in the forest and no one is there to hear it, does it make a sound?” – Bishop George Berkeley (1685 – 1753)
Though he never put the question in the exact words of the famous quotation, Berkeley would say that if a tree fell in the forest and there was no one (not even a squirrel) there to hear it, not only would it not make a sound, but there would be no tree.
The good news is, according to Berkeley, that the mind of God always perceives everything. So the tree will always make a sound, and there’s no need to worry about blipping out of existence if you fall asleep in a room by yourself.
6. “We live in the best of all possible worlds.” – Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz (1646 – 1716)
The principle of sufficient reason holds that for everything, there must be sufficient reason why it exists. And according to Leibniz the only sufficient reason for the world we live in is that God created it as the best possible universe. God could have created a universe in which no one ever did wrong, in which there was no human evil, but that would require humans to be deprived of the gift of free wills and thus would not be the best possible world.
7. “The owl of Minerva spreads its wings only with the falling of the dusk.” G.W.F. Hegel (1770 – 1831)
Marx (1818 – 1883) found Hegel’s apt description to be indicative of the problem with philosophy and responded, “the philosophers have only interpreted the world differently, what matters is to change it.”
8. “Who is also aware of the tremendous risk involved in faith – when he nevertheless makes the leap of faith – this [is] subjectivity … at its height.” – Søren Kierkegaard (1813 – 1855)
The final stage, the religious stage, requires passionate, subjective belief rather than objective proof, in the paradoxical and the absurd. So, what’s the absurd? That which Christianity asks us to accept as true, that God became man born of a virgin, suffered, died and was resurrected.
Abraham was the ultimate “knight of faith” according to Kierkegaard. Without doubt there is no faith, and so in a state of “fear and trembling” Abraham was willing to break the universal moral law against murder by agreeing to kill his own son, Isaac. God rewarded Abraham’s faith by providing a ram in place of Isaac for the sacrifice. Faith has its rewards, but it isn’t rational. It’s beyond reason. As Blaise Pascal said, “The heart has its reason which reason does not know.”
9. “God is dead.” – Friedrich Nietzsche (1844 – 1900)
Nevertheless, Nietzsche endorsed the words. “God is dead” is often mistaken as a statement of atheism. It is not, though Nietzsche himself was an atheist. “Dead” is metaphorical in this context, meaning belief in the God of Christianity is worn out, past its prime, and on the decline. God is lost as the center of life and the source of values. Nietzsche’s madman noted that himself came too soon. No doubt Nietzsche, too, thought he was ahead of his time in heralding this news.
10. “There is but one truly serious philosophical problem, and that is suicide.” – Albert Camus (1913 – 1960)
For Camus, the absurd hero is Sisyphus, a man from Greek mythology who is condemned by the gods for eternity to roll up a stone up a hill only to have it fall back again as it reaches the top. For Camus, Sisyphus typified all human beings: we must find a meaning in a world that is unresponsive or even hostile to us. Sisyphus, Camus believed, affirms life, choosing to go back down the hill and push the rock again each time. Camus wrote: “The struggle itself toward the heights is enough to fill a man’s
heart. One must imagine Sisyphus happy.”
11. “One cannot step twice in the same river.” – Heraclitus (ca. 540 – ca. 480 BCE)
In modern times Henri Bergson (1859 – 1941) described time as a process that is experienced. An hour waiting in line is different from an hour at play. Today contemporary physics lends credence to process philosophy with the realization that even apparently stable objects, like marble statues, are actually buzzing bunches of electrons and other subatomic particles deep down.
Bonus: Fake Your Way Through a Conversation (with Correct Pronunciation!)
If you fumble with a philosopher’s name, nothing you say afterward will sound credible. So, learn to pronounce these names correctly, then start worrying about their ideas.
(George) Berkeley is properly pronounced like Charles Barkley (bark-lee). This name is commonly mispronounced “burk-lee” like Berkeley, California, which, ironically, is named after George Berkeley.
(Friedrich) Nietzsche is commonly mispronounced as “nee-chee.” The correct pronunciation is “nee-ch-ya” and rhymes with “pleased ta meetchya.” “Pleased ta meetchya, Neechya.” Say it!
Lao-tzu (born ca. 604 BCE) is spelled several different ways in English transliteration from the Chinese. But no matter how you spell it, the proper way to pronounce it is “lau” (sounds like “ouch”)-“dsuh”. The stress goes on the first syllable.
(Charles Sanders) Pierce (1839 – 1914) is commonly mispronounced as “peer-s.” The correct pronunciation is “purse,” which is somewhat funny because Pierce rarely had a penny in his purse. Oddly, Pierce took his middle name, Sanders, as an anglicized form of Santiago, or “St. James,” in honor of a fellow pragmatist, William James (1842 – 1910), who helped him out financially.
(Ludwig) Wittgenstein (1889 – 1951) is a name that demands authentic German pronunciation, and there are plenty of ways to slaughter it. Here’s one that embodies all of them, “wit-jen-steen.” The correct pronunciation is “vit” (rhymes with bit)-“ghen” (rhymes with ken)-“shtine.” The first name is pronounced “lude-vig.” If you think it’s hard to pronounce his name, try reading his Tractatus.
Sunday, February 04, 2007
Thursday, February 01, 2007
Tuesday, January 30, 2007
Hobbits becomes a new Species
By Will DunhamWASHINGTON (Reuters) - The tiny woman dubbed the Hobbit who lived 18,000 years ago on a remote Indonesian island deserves to be deemed a new human species and not a deformed modern human as skeptics assert, researchers said on Monday.
In the latest salvo in a heated scientific shootout, an international team led by Florida State University anthropologist Dean Falk compared the Hobbit's skull to those of nine people with microcephaly, a rare condition in which the head is abnormally small due to improper brain development.
They concluded the 3-foot-tall (1-meter) adult woman had a highly evolved brain, unlike that of a microcephalic person, confirming she belongs to the proposed extinct species Homo floresiensis, closely related to modern Homo sapiens.
"Lo and behold, it doesn't look anything like a microcephalic. In fact, it's antithetical," Falk said in an interview, rebutting scientists like primatologist Robert Martin of the Field Museum in Chicago who suggest the skull came from a person with microcephaly.
A previous study by Falk had been criticized because it compared the Hobbit, with a brain a third the size of modern people, to just a single microcephalic skull.
Martin remained unconvinced. "My gut feeling is what they (Falk's team) did is just played around with the measurements until they got something that suited them," Martin said.
Martin said the new study was flawed, questioned whether Falk's team knew enough about microcephaly and insisted the question of a separate species is unresolved.The study appears in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. Michael Morwood, part of the group that discovered the remains, is a co-author.
WONDROUS PLACE
Scientists in 2003 found the bones in a cave on the island of Flores east of Bali, contending they were a previously unknown species living at a time the species Homo sapiens was thought to have been the world's only human inhabitant.
These little people -- bones from several other individuals also were found -- lived in a wondrous place populated by strange animals like pygmy elephants and large rodents. In this isolated locale, evolutionary forces stemming from limited resources may have pushed some inhabitants toward dwarfism and others toward gigantism.
Tools and evidence of fire were found near the bones of the adult female, dubbed the Hobbit after the small people in the writings of J.R.R. Tolkien.
Falk's team compared three-dimensional, computer-generated reconstructions of the brain of the Hobbit to those of nine microcephalics from all over the world and 10 normal people.
Two features in the frontal lobes and a structure called the cerebellum separated the two groups, with the Flores woman fitting in with normal humans, not microcephalics, the study found. But she was unlike modern humans in four other features distinguishing her from Homo sapiens, crying out for recognition as a separate species, the researchers said.
Falk said the origin of this new species is now the key question, adding she is open to the possibility it descended from Australopithecenes, ape-like human ancestors, or was a dwarf form of the extinct species Homo erectus.
Martin said it is possible it is a new species. "But the other strong possibility is that this is actually just a pathological modern human," Martin added.
"At the end of the day, hopefully, the truth will come out," Martin added. "And I'm not mad enough to think I'm right about everything. But there are ways of doing it and ways of not doing it."
© Reuters 2007. All Rights Reserved.
Hair Theft is the Unkindest Cut of All
IN a new twist in Rio de Janeiro's crime files, scissor-wielding thieves have clipped off the long, flowing locks of a 22-year-old Brazilian woman as she rode in a city bus.
"We got on at the same stop and they sat behind me,''"sales assistant Mirna Marchetti says.
"Then all of a sudden I felt someone pulling my hair. My friend tried to help me but they just cut it off, right at the base.''
Marchetti's hair was dark, straight and reached down to her waist.
Police suspect the thieves hope to sell the hair to a hairdresser or beauty salon, which can charge more than 500 reais ($320) for top-quality hair extensions.
"This is a new kind of crime," said a police officer at the station where the report was filed.
"They really did mean to steal her hair."
Why I wear glasses...
A Chinese man had to have his contact lenses surgically removed after he did not take them out for a year.
Liu, 40, started to wear contact lenses a year ago and never took them out because he found it difficult.
"I only have some eye drops for when they feel uncomfortable," he told Chutian City News.
Liu recently felt his eyesight was getting worse, so he bought another pair of lenses and wore them on top of the old ones.
But when his eyesight still didn't improve, he took another startling decision.
"I put a pair of used disposal contact lenses over the other two pairs in my eyes. By then, I was wearing three pairs of lenses," he said.
By the next day, Liu's eyes had reacted badly to his DIY eyecare and he finally sought medical attention.
A doctor was shocked to find the first lenses had grown into his eyes and surgery was needed to take them out. - Ananova.com
Liu, 40, started to wear contact lenses a year ago and never took them out because he found it difficult.
"I only have some eye drops for when they feel uncomfortable," he told Chutian City News.
Liu recently felt his eyesight was getting worse, so he bought another pair of lenses and wore them on top of the old ones.
But when his eyesight still didn't improve, he took another startling decision.
"I put a pair of used disposal contact lenses over the other two pairs in my eyes. By then, I was wearing three pairs of lenses," he said.
By the next day, Liu's eyes had reacted badly to his DIY eyecare and he finally sought medical attention.
A doctor was shocked to find the first lenses had grown into his eyes and surgery was needed to take them out. - Ananova.com
Ok Miss America #6
Congratulations, Miss Lauren Nelson. And major congratulations to all Oklahomans! We are the prettiest state! This is the sixth Miss America we have produced, and certainly not the last.
Sunday, January 21, 2007
Wednesday, January 17, 2007
Phone Calls
Allright everyone. I have my new phone. But they were unable to transfer all the numbers to it because the Cingular Store had burnt out the cord to do so, so I'm trying to answer all the phone calls I get so I can figure out who is calling. It's the same number, so feel free to call... between the hours of 6:30pm and 10pm. Remember, folks, I work from 9-6, and won't be answering it then. Sorry. Try and leave a message, but this phone is kind of screwy right now in getting to my voice mail (it won't let me, and when it does, there's nothing there). It's best to text, and add your number in there somewhere, because I get those. Talk to you all soon.
Stolen McDonald Statue
Ronald McDonald Statue Reported Stolen
Email this Story
Jan 16, 4:13 PM (ET)
STEWARTSTOWN, Pa. (AP) - A broken Ronald McDonald statue brought home by a McDonald's assistant manager, repaired, and used to decorate her family's lawn for 20 years has vanished.
"It was a holiday today," Thomas Grieger II said Monday. "I think the kids came and got him."
State police were seeking information about the cement statue that Grieger estimated must weigh about 300 pounds.
The statue originally sat outside the Shrewsbury McDonald's where Grieger's wife, Joy Grieger, was assistant manager. Someone tried to steal it, breaking off a hand and cracking a foot before giving up on the attempt.
McDonald's did not want it back, so the Griegers took it home, patched it up and have used it as a lawn mascot ever since.
---
Information from: York Daily Record, http://www.ydr.com
Email this Story
Jan 16, 4:13 PM (ET)
STEWARTSTOWN, Pa. (AP) - A broken Ronald McDonald statue brought home by a McDonald's assistant manager, repaired, and used to decorate her family's lawn for 20 years has vanished.
"It was a holiday today," Thomas Grieger II said Monday. "I think the kids came and got him."
State police were seeking information about the cement statue that Grieger estimated must weigh about 300 pounds.
The statue originally sat outside the Shrewsbury McDonald's where Grieger's wife, Joy Grieger, was assistant manager. Someone tried to steal it, breaking off a hand and cracking a foot before giving up on the attempt.
McDonald's did not want it back, so the Griegers took it home, patched it up and have used it as a lawn mascot ever since.
---
Information from: York Daily Record, http://www.ydr.com
Wednesday, January 10, 2007
Name Calling
I think I've figured out a name for my little one: Pixie. Full name: Tinkerbell Pixie Goodness Rano. Long name for a little pup, but Pixie seems to fit, I think, and it's a name that will work when she gets bigger without being weird (like Little Bear or Munchkin if she ends up being part Lab... or bigger). I Like the name Tinkerbell, but so does trashy socialite Paris Hilton, who has already named her pet chiwawa (I know my spelling is terrible) that. I'm not big on copying her. And I think Pixie thinks her name is Goodness because she has that "Kennel Cough" and every time she would sneeze or cough I would say "oh, goodness." or "goodness, girl." So in trying to find a more appropriate name Pixie seems to work.
It's hard to say her name and Tiras. It ends up one of them getting called Trixie.
It's still early, so if anyone has suggestions I'm welcome to try them. As of now, Pixie is doing well and her cough is being medicated. She and her aunt, Tira Masu, are getting along wonderfully.
I better go, Pixie's looking at me like "why aren't I in bed yet?"... and I'm thinking the same thing.
Night folks!
It's hard to say her name and Tiras. It ends up one of them getting called Trixie.
It's still early, so if anyone has suggestions I'm welcome to try them. As of now, Pixie is doing well and her cough is being medicated. She and her aunt, Tira Masu, are getting along wonderfully.
I better go, Pixie's looking at me like "why aren't I in bed yet?"... and I'm thinking the same thing.
Night folks!
Monday, January 08, 2007
Too Cute A Story to Let Slide By
You don't foal anyone pretending to be a dog
by ANDREW LEVY Last updated at 10:35am on 8th January 2007
Just like his labrador friends, he wags his tail, fetches sticks and rolls on his back to have his tummy tickled.
But the hooves and mane give away his real identity - as a Shetland pony.
Eight-week-old Rory picked up his canine traits after he was befriended by dogs at the Essex Horse and Pony Sanctuary in Pitsea.
Owner Sue Allery said: "In 18 years I've never seen anything like it. When vets visit us they can't believe it either."
Rory was rejected by his mother after he was born in Colchester on Friday the 13th of October. After arriving at the sanctuary he became ill and spent all his time being nursed in the office - attracting the interest of labradors Alfie and Millie, owned by stable manager Sam Edwards.
"Rory would be lying in my lap with his little hooves sticking out and Alfie would come up and wash them,' said Mrs Allery.
"And when he was left with a white moustache after drinking milk, Alfie would clean that too. Despite all that, Rory ended up being closer to Millie because she is nearer to his size."
Shetland pony expert David Hodge said: "They are a herd animal by nature which means they learn by copying other ponies. So if you put them with another animal, they'll copy them."
by ANDREW LEVY Last updated at 10:35am on 8th January 2007
Just like his labrador friends, he wags his tail, fetches sticks and rolls on his back to have his tummy tickled.
But the hooves and mane give away his real identity - as a Shetland pony.
Eight-week-old Rory picked up his canine traits after he was befriended by dogs at the Essex Horse and Pony Sanctuary in Pitsea.
Owner Sue Allery said: "In 18 years I've never seen anything like it. When vets visit us they can't believe it either."
Rory was rejected by his mother after he was born in Colchester on Friday the 13th of October. After arriving at the sanctuary he became ill and spent all his time being nursed in the office - attracting the interest of labradors Alfie and Millie, owned by stable manager Sam Edwards.
"Rory would be lying in my lap with his little hooves sticking out and Alfie would come up and wash them,' said Mrs Allery.
"And when he was left with a white moustache after drinking milk, Alfie would clean that too. Despite all that, Rory ended up being closer to Millie because she is nearer to his size."
Shetland pony expert David Hodge said: "They are a herd animal by nature which means they learn by copying other ponies. So if you put them with another animal, they'll copy them."
Saturday, January 06, 2007
My Newest Addition
This little girl is unnamed right now. She's a cocker mix we got from the humane society, and she is adorably cute. Just a baby at 6 weeks, Tira is a little jealous and unsure of what to do with it. They'll be friends in no time.
Thursday, January 04, 2007
Phone
A Phone is on it's way!!! I got one, finally and it's in the mail! YEAH
You'll be able to call me soon enough, for now just call through Chris. Thanks!
You'll be able to call me soon enough, for now just call through Chris. Thanks!
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