Game time:
This game reminds me of a time when I was doodling spaceships when I should have been studying.
This one I played as a text-based adventure years ago too. And with the current hype (or lack of) for the new movie . . .
Thursday, April 21, 2005
Sick Day/Game Day
Strep throat is no fun. But I think I caught it early and I'm not hurting too badly. Susan has been awesome taking care of me. Last night she made oatmeal cookies for me. This morning I had to work, and she made and brought me coffee. She's the best. I can't believe she loves me as much as she does. I don't ask questions anymore; I just accept it.
Game time:
This game reminds me of a time when I was doodling spaceships when I should have been studying.
This one I played as a text-based adventure years ago too. And with the current hype (or lack of) for the new movie . . .
Game time:
This game reminds me of a time when I was doodling spaceships when I should have been studying.
This one I played as a text-based adventure years ago too. And with the current hype (or lack of) for the new movie . . .
Monday, April 18, 2005
What makes a requirements document
A Slashdot reader asked what made a good requirements document. The following response was more true to what I've experienced. I thought I would share.
- Talk to the various stakeholders. Hold meetings. Get everyone's input on what's the Right Thing To Do.
- To the degree these ideas are not the Wrong Thing, do them, even if they're less efficient than you'd like, or are less fun to code. You're going to be giving them a prostate exam with a cheese grater in a couple of steps, so soothe their egos proactively by letting their ideas make it into the final product.
- Take the draft to your dev team. Circulate copies, have everyone read it, then have a short meeting--one hour, tops--not to discuss how to do things, but which parts of the design will require a lot of experimentation and fiddling.
- If your dev team doesn't already have someone fluent in Corporate Weaselspeak, then get one.
- Give your translator this sentence: "We will use our magic powers to accomplish this part of the design document." Have him turn it into a five-page monstrosity that lets every stakeholder think these difficult parts are going to be done their way, without really committing your dev team to anything.
- Take the weaselized design doc back to the stakeholders. Your Corporate Weasel's job is to make the stakeholders sign off on it.
- The easy and routine parts of the job get done the way the stakeholders want, assuming their way isn't completely braindamaged. The hard parts of the job will be solved by your development team's magic powers. It's right there in the design document.
- Bring the project to completion. As you're doing the hard part, write This Is How It Really Works documentation for engineers who are coming after you.
- When your project is ready for handoff, make sure to praise the (easy, routine) parts for which you used Marketing's ideas of how the software ought to be written.
- Gloss over the fact that you did the hard part via magic powers. The other stakeholders probably don't care. You're giving them a beautiful bullet point for their end-of-year performance eval. That's what they care about at this point.
- Move on to the next project. ...
Is all this weasel office politics? Damn straight. On the other hand, it's weasel office politics meant to shield your development team from unnecessary weasel office politics. As much as we hate weasel office politics, sometimes it's necessary.
Site Updates
I'm oftentimes fascinated by the google ads on some of the blogs I read. I don't think that I'll often generate enough traffic to make much money of them but I am now part of the many using AdSense by Google. I'm not asking you to click on the links, but if you see an interesting ad associated with a post, drop me a line.
I've also added MapBlog. You'll see a map of where I am and other registered blogs in my vicinity. It was developed by a MapPoint developer at Microsoft. If your in the area, drop me a note; we'll discuss the topic of the day.
I've also added MapBlog. You'll see a map of where I am and other registered blogs in my vicinity. It was developed by a MapPoint developer at Microsoft. If your in the area, drop me a note; we'll discuss the topic of the day.
Current reading list
Red Storm Rising - Tom Clancy: I just started this again. I was in the mood for something light and Clancy always fits the bill for me.
Asimov's Guide to the Bible - Isaac Asimov: You want the history around the Bible. This is your book. The book is a bit dated, but when one writes about a book 2000 years old . . . the dating is not so much an issue.
Island of the Day Before - Umbreto Eco: This is the book on the back burner. I'm reading it, but it's hard. I really enjoyed The Name of the Rose and Baudolino by Eco. Interesting, fun reads. With a taste of European history thrown in. I've started Island a few times over the last few years. I can never finish it. It just goes on . . . and on . . . and on. The only other books I have started and not finished are Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance and some mystery about a female FBI agent that my sister gave me. I don't remember why I quit on Zen. I think it was because I was expecting so much more than it was. The FBI chick book spent more time on feelings than on suspense. Ugh.
Next on the list: If on a Winter Night a Traveler by Italo Calvino. It was recommended by my cousin Lisa, whom I love. After that I think will be System of the World by Neal Stephenson. The first book in the series rocked, the second was enjoyable. I'm hoping that Jack plays a more prominent role in the third.
Asimov's Guide to the Bible - Isaac Asimov: You want the history around the Bible. This is your book. The book is a bit dated, but when one writes about a book 2000 years old . . . the dating is not so much an issue.
Island of the Day Before - Umbreto Eco: This is the book on the back burner. I'm reading it, but it's hard. I really enjoyed The Name of the Rose and Baudolino by Eco. Interesting, fun reads. With a taste of European history thrown in. I've started Island a few times over the last few years. I can never finish it. It just goes on . . . and on . . . and on. The only other books I have started and not finished are Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance and some mystery about a female FBI agent that my sister gave me. I don't remember why I quit on Zen. I think it was because I was expecting so much more than it was. The FBI chick book spent more time on feelings than on suspense. Ugh.
Next on the list: If on a Winter Night a Traveler by Italo Calvino. It was recommended by my cousin Lisa, whom I love. After that I think will be System of the World by Neal Stephenson. The first book in the series rocked, the second was enjoyable. I'm hoping that Jack plays a more prominent role in the third.
Thursday, April 14, 2005
Updated! Which religion (or lack of) is the right one for me (or you)?
Today there was a confluence of events that had to do with spirituality and religion. The first was one of those stupid on-line polls and the other was the release (Washington Times story) of a report on Generation Y and faith sponsored by Reboot, a non-profit to encourage the traditions of Judaism for a modern age.
As is often the case when I read these types of reports, I find myself going, "Oh, I knew that," and "How interesting."
The Godly are becoming less focused on denomination though. They are more interested in expressing faith in more personal ways. They are diverse, only 7% reported friends being the same faith.
Gen Y members are more liberal that previous generational groups. They are not as engaged in politics though. But the Godly are more involved than the God-less or undecided.
It's an interesting report.
The results of my on-line survey are no surprise. I define myself as a searcher. I'm not happy as an agnostic, or atheist, or one of the saved. I'm like the teaser for the X-Files; I want to believe.
I am not sure what "Gen" I am. Depending on time and place I'm a Boomer, an X-er and a touch of Y. Religiously, I am a agnostic theist. I look at the world and say to myself, "Self, something wonderful had to have put all this in motion." Followed by, "Self, this place is a mess. Who would do a thing like this?"
As is often the case when I read these types of reports, I find myself going, "Oh, I knew that," and "How interesting."
The breakdown is that in Gen Y (18-25 year olds) 27% are Godly, 27% God-less, and 46% are undecided."This study is informed by three goals:
- To ascertain how young people are coming to understand
their religious identity;- To describe what their religious practices look like in
this era of customization and change; and- To explore the ways religious identity informs the civic
participation of today's youth. Throughout, we were careful to note that
religious life does not operate in a vacuum and we embed the role religion in
the context of their other concerns, such as finding a job or getting good
grades in school."
The Godly are becoming less focused on denomination though. They are more interested in expressing faith in more personal ways. They are diverse, only 7% reported friends being the same faith.
Gen Y members are more liberal that previous generational groups. They are not as engaged in politics though. But the Godly are more involved than the God-less or undecided.
It's an interesting report.
The results of my on-line survey are no surprise. I define myself as a searcher. I'm not happy as an agnostic, or atheist, or one of the saved. I'm like the teaser for the X-Files; I want to believe.
I am not sure what "Gen" I am. Depending on time and place I'm a Boomer, an X-er and a touch of Y. Religiously, I am a agnostic theist. I look at the world and say to myself, "Self, something wonderful had to have put all this in motion." Followed by, "Self, this place is a mess. Who would do a thing like this?"
 | You scored as agnosticism. You are an agnostic. Though it is generally taken that agnostics neither believe nor disbelieve in God, it is possible to be a theist or atheist in addition to an agnostic. Agnostics don't believe it is possible to prove the existence of God (nor lack thereof). |
Update: UCLA's Higher Education Research Institute released another survey Wednesday. Their report expresses a view that young people are looking for spirituality but not religion. [Executive Summary]
Wednesday, April 13, 2005
Thank Goodness my kids are good looking
Researchers show parents give unattractive children less attention
A researcher at the University of Alberta has shown that parents are more likely to give better care and pay closer attention to good-looking children compared to unattractive ones. Dr. Andrew Harrell presented his findings recently at the Warren E. Kalbach Population Conference in Edmonton, Alberta.
Harrell's findings are based on an observational study of children and shopping cart safety. With the approval of management at 14 different supermarkets, Harrell's team of researchers observed parents and their two to five-year-old children for 10 minutes each, noting if the child was buckled into the grocery-cart seat, and how often the child wandered more than 10 feet away. The researchers independently graded each child on a scale of one to 10 on attractiveness.
Findings showed that 1.2 per cent of the least attractive children were buckled in, compared with 13.3 per cent of the most attractive youngsters. The observers also noticed the less attractive children were allowed to wander further away and more often from their parents. In total, there were 426 observations at the 14 supermarkets.
Harrell, who has been researching shopping cart safety since 1990 and has published a total of 13 articles on the topic, figures his latest results are based on a parent's instinctive Darwinian response: we're unconsciously more likely to lavish attention on attractive children simply because they're our best genetic material.
"Attractiveness as a predictor of behaviour, especially parenting behaviour, has been around a long time," said Harrell, a father of five and a grandfather of three. "Most parents will react to these results with shock and dismay. They'll say, 'I love all my kids, and I don't discriminate on the basis of attractiveness.' The whole point of our research is that people do."
Dr. Harrell is the executive director of the Population Research Lab at the University of Alberta. He can be reached at 780-492-4659 or aharrell@ualberta.ca.
See?
A researcher at the University of Alberta has shown that parents are more likely to give better care and pay closer attention to good-looking children compared to unattractive ones. Dr. Andrew Harrell presented his findings recently at the Warren E. Kalbach Population Conference in Edmonton, Alberta.
Harrell's findings are based on an observational study of children and shopping cart safety. With the approval of management at 14 different supermarkets, Harrell's team of researchers observed parents and their two to five-year-old children for 10 minutes each, noting if the child was buckled into the grocery-cart seat, and how often the child wandered more than 10 feet away. The researchers independently graded each child on a scale of one to 10 on attractiveness.
Findings showed that 1.2 per cent of the least attractive children were buckled in, compared with 13.3 per cent of the most attractive youngsters. The observers also noticed the less attractive children were allowed to wander further away and more often from their parents. In total, there were 426 observations at the 14 supermarkets.
Harrell, who has been researching shopping cart safety since 1990 and has published a total of 13 articles on the topic, figures his latest results are based on a parent's instinctive Darwinian response: we're unconsciously more likely to lavish attention on attractive children simply because they're our best genetic material.
"Attractiveness as a predictor of behaviour, especially parenting behaviour, has been around a long time," said Harrell, a father of five and a grandfather of three. "Most parents will react to these results with shock and dismay. They'll say, 'I love all my kids, and I don't discriminate on the basis of attractiveness.' The whole point of our research is that people do."
###
Dr. Harrell is the executive director of the Population Research Lab at the University of Alberta. He can be reached at 780-492-4659 or aharrell@ualberta.ca.
See?
Tuesday, April 12, 2005
Social Security and you
I don't expect social security to be there for me in any significant way. And I believe that it's a bad thing as a whole. It's not the role of the government to make people save.
The thought process is that since Americans don't save voluntarily, if the feds don't make us save now, they'll have to pay for our upkeep after we have stopped earning an income.
My uncle John sent me the text of the following link. It contains an editorial originally in the Wall Street Journal. I have read it a few times now and, in all honesty, I need to read it a few more times. He thinks I'm much smarter than I am.
I'll let him introduce it:
The other link concerns "designer social security." The gist of it comes down to options.
The thought process is that since Americans don't save voluntarily, if the feds don't make us save now, they'll have to pay for our upkeep after we have stopped earning an income.
My uncle John sent me the text of the following link. It contains an editorial originally in the Wall Street Journal. I have read it a few times now and, in all honesty, I need to read it a few more times. He thinks I'm much smarter than I am.
I'll let him introduce it:
"Below is an article in last weeks Wall Street Journal. I thought it was an idea that was likely to start getting some air time in Washington and appears to be a reasonable compromise on solving social security issues.
Like you, I'd like to have them pay what was promised. We all know that is mathematically impossible. This seems to be a workable solution. You should know about it.
Here's the deal, you are getting this email because you are likely to be asked one more time to solve a problem. Why? Because you are or will be successful. Hence, you are most likely to receive less from social security while others receive their promised benefits. The article below uses the term "progressive indexing". A fancy term for means testing. However, it takes from you in a way that is likely more palatable than raising taxes, currently or in the future, doesn't require the income limit to be raised beyond how Congress already changes the base, provides a workable solution to solvency, allows individual specific accounts and has much less effect on current deficits.
Enjoy.
Hope all of you are well. "
"When the late Democratic Senator Daniel Patrick Moynihan was asked why he favored personal Social Security accounts, he liked to answer in two words: "wealth inequality." That insight is also driving a useful idea now being tossed into the reform debate -- "progressive indexing." More
The other link concerns "designer social security." The gist of it comes down to options.
- Pick when you want to retire.
- Pick how much you want as a benefit when you retire.
- Pick how much you want to invest now.
- Pick where you want to invest your money.
I like the idea of choices. It makes the concept of paying for people that didn't think of the future more palatable.
Sunday, April 10, 2005
"Today is a good day"
How many times have you heard this conversation?
One day I realized that I was tired of the life I was leading myself into. Part of it was probably related to hearing the Dave Ramsey radio program. When asked by a caller how he was doing he answered "Better than I deserve." He thought about his response.
So I decided to start doing the same thing and answering questions with real thought.
I decided to be positive. I started out by thinking about the things that were making my life less than it should have been. I found that my life was pretty good. I have an awesome family. A job I love. Friends. Leisure time. Hobbies. I have a good life. The things in my days that were negative were fleeting.
After some introspection, I found that amongst time with family, time working, time sleeping, and general crappy-ness, most of my day was good. Very little was THAT bad. Most days are good days.
Then I made an internal scale of days. A great day is a day that has a child's birth. Another great day was my wife accepting my marriage proposal. The terrible day on my scale is the death of my little sister. She was born on my birthday and was the best gift I ever got or will ever get.
I know it's possible to have worse days. I'm sure mine can't compare with some. But that's my current scale.
So now, when people ask me how I am doing or a related question, I stop and think about the day so far. I think about my expectations for the rest of the day. I think about my scale. And I answer, "Today is a good day."
It's amazing how many people stop after hearing that response. Then they ask me why. It's easy to find something that made today good. Some days it may be that I woke up alive again. I have days like that too.
I've been doing this for a few months now. And I am hearing other people say it now. And I am seeing people smile when they say it; when they hear it.
The real point is that I am reminded by my own response every time I say it.
I believe that today is a good day.
"How's it going?"For years I heard people answer that question with those answers or not even pay attention to the question and respond with an "OK" in passing. I actually found myself doing the same thing more often than not.
"It's Monday."
Or "Thank God it's Friday."
Or "At least it's payday"
One day I realized that I was tired of the life I was leading myself into. Part of it was probably related to hearing the Dave Ramsey radio program. When asked by a caller how he was doing he answered "Better than I deserve." He thought about his response.
So I decided to start doing the same thing and answering questions with real thought.
I decided to be positive. I started out by thinking about the things that were making my life less than it should have been. I found that my life was pretty good. I have an awesome family. A job I love. Friends. Leisure time. Hobbies. I have a good life. The things in my days that were negative were fleeting.
After some introspection, I found that amongst time with family, time working, time sleeping, and general crappy-ness, most of my day was good. Very little was THAT bad. Most days are good days.
Then I made an internal scale of days. A great day is a day that has a child's birth. Another great day was my wife accepting my marriage proposal. The terrible day on my scale is the death of my little sister. She was born on my birthday and was the best gift I ever got or will ever get.
I know it's possible to have worse days. I'm sure mine can't compare with some. But that's my current scale.
So now, when people ask me how I am doing or a related question, I stop and think about the day so far. I think about my expectations for the rest of the day. I think about my scale. And I answer, "Today is a good day."
It's amazing how many people stop after hearing that response. Then they ask me why. It's easy to find something that made today good. Some days it may be that I woke up alive again. I have days like that too.
I've been doing this for a few months now. And I am hearing other people say it now. And I am seeing people smile when they say it; when they hear it.
The real point is that I am reminded by my own response every time I say it.
I believe that today is a good day.
Saturday, April 09, 2005
Deep Fried Live!
This is the only on-line cooking show hosted by a cephelapod that I am aware of.
It's not veggie freindly, but some of the nicest people I know eat the dead flesh of animals.
Freaks.
Tuesday, April 05, 2005
New feature at Google
I love maps in general. I like looking at them and reading the names of places. Maybe following up with a little history about a joint.
So I saw thins and decided to share.
"Look ma! I can see my house from here!"
Map feature in Google
With satellite imagry!!
So I saw thins and decided to share.
"Look ma! I can see my house from here!"
Map feature in Google
With satellite imagry!!
Monday, April 04, 2005
365 and a Wakeup
I don't recall where I ran across this blog article by a soldier deployed in Iraq. (I really should take better notes.) His post on why HE was in Iraq touched me. He's there because it's the right thing to do. And he tells it much better than I could.
"What SPC Frances said as he sheepishly stood before my desk staring at the floor was “Sir, you’re like, ummmm, you know, really smart. And you’re doing this when you could ummmm, you know, so many other things. Don’t you wish you were, ummm doing something better?”.
The question is one I’ve heard from several well meaning individuals, but never, ever from a soldier. If it were possible I would have torn the implicit assumption that question housed and crushed it beneath my muddy heels. Because wrapped in that question like two fat maggots in an otherwise perfect roast sits two false postulates that have poisoned many clear thinking individuals. The first deadly lie is that soldiers are stupid. The second is that the Army is a dumping ground for people with no other options.
I paused for a long moment after SPC Frances asked his question, unsure of how to answer the question and simultaneously leach its poisonous implications. . . [More]
He's why I support the troops; why I vote for the people I vote for; why I talk to people about why they should do the same.
There is evil in the world. People like him are the reason people like you and I don't have to deal with it. People like him are heroes.
Intimacy within a group of friends
I was talking last week with some friends about intimacy; how we as a group get together weekly and have been for years and there is still a hesitation to open up and be intimate with the group.
I think that the biggest deterrent that came up was a fear of being judged.
As usual, I have mixed feelings about this.
I think that as responsible people we have an obligation to judge. I think that a fear of being judged poorly is a control in our society. I further think that judging within a group will improve (more on this in a second) one's powers of judgment.
The hard part about judging is finding balance. I tell my kids that they should assume people are good. But I also tell them that if there a person who looks wrong walking toward you, move away from them. There's a thin line between reasonable pre-judging based on experience and wisdom and prejudice based on fear and stereotype.
I think there are things that we all want to do or have wanted to do in the past that society as a whole may not have approved of. Maybe things that aren't illegal but just not right. What defines "not just right"? Other people. Other people judging you. It's a good thing.
The function of group judgment should be wicked strong (as they might say in the Boston of my imagination). The trick there is the group that's doing the judgment. If the judging group is not a sampling of the greater whole; instead, is a group that might reinforce the behavior being judged; all benefits of judgment is lost. If the fear of being judged harshly is stopping a person from revealing a behavior, perhaps they need to evaluate stopping that behavior.
Group judgment does not have to be negative though. Positive reinforcement is likely and should be encouraged. The above points are just as valid (with the alteration of the anticipation of being judged positively in place of fear of poor judgment).
In regards to intimacy, the evening made me recall a . . . . Poem (?) from my youth that has stuck with me over the years.
It was written by Piers Anthony to a teenager who was in desperate need of love. He wrote about her in the author's note of Wielding Red Sword (Full Note). I extracted the poem here:
For me, intimacy with people outside of family never seemed to be necessary. It never paid to get too close to anyone because either they would move or you would move. I was never that close to my extended family; didn't have any close cousins to confide in. Even within my own family I don't recall being very intimate. It's just the way I'm wired I guess.
I try though. I see the value in it. And I'm getting better all the time. Practice, practice, practice.
I think that the biggest deterrent that came up was a fear of being judged.
As usual, I have mixed feelings about this.
I think that as responsible people we have an obligation to judge. I think that a fear of being judged poorly is a control in our society. I further think that judging within a group will improve (more on this in a second) one's powers of judgment.
The hard part about judging is finding balance. I tell my kids that they should assume people are good. But I also tell them that if there a person who looks wrong walking toward you, move away from them. There's a thin line between reasonable pre-judging based on experience and wisdom and prejudice based on fear and stereotype.
I think there are things that we all want to do or have wanted to do in the past that society as a whole may not have approved of. Maybe things that aren't illegal but just not right. What defines "not just right"? Other people. Other people judging you. It's a good thing.
The function of group judgment should be wicked strong (as they might say in the Boston of my imagination). The trick there is the group that's doing the judgment. If the judging group is not a sampling of the greater whole; instead, is a group that might reinforce the behavior being judged; all benefits of judgment is lost. If the fear of being judged harshly is stopping a person from revealing a behavior, perhaps they need to evaluate stopping that behavior.
Group judgment does not have to be negative though. Positive reinforcement is likely and should be encouraged. The above points are just as valid (with the alteration of the anticipation of being judged positively in place of fear of poor judgment).
In regards to intimacy, the evening made me recall a . . . . Poem (?) from my youth that has stuck with me over the years.
It was written by Piers Anthony to a teenager who was in desperate need of love. He wrote about her in the author's note of Wielding Red Sword (Full Note). I extracted the poem here:
- Chapter One: Once upon a time, there was a little unicorn. She lived in a shell.
- Chapter Two: There was a funny thing about this shell. No one else could see it.
- Chapter Three: But to her, it was very heavy, as if an elephant were on it.
- Chapter Four: Sometimes that shell just seemed to crush all the happiness right out of her.
- Chapter Five: Of course, she wasn't really a unicorn, because little unicorns don't' live in shells.
- Chapter Six: She was really an alicorn, which is a flying unicorn. Her mane was brown.
- Chapter Seven: Alicorns live in shells, because they like privacy. When anyone comes near, they close.
- Chapter Eight: Of course that means that hardly anyone ever sees an alicorn, which is unfortunate.
- Chapter Nine: Because alicorns are really very special creatures, when they come out of their shells.
- Chapter Ten: But the little unicorn didn't know she was an alicorn. She wanted to die.
- Chapter Eleven: This is because a magical creature who stifles her magic is in deep trouble.
- Chapter Twelve: No one else understood about this, because no one else could see the shell.
- Chapter Thirteen: Except for maybe on old centaur; but he was too far away to help.
- Chapter Fourteen: He hoped the little unicorn would learned to fly, before she learned to die.
For me, intimacy with people outside of family never seemed to be necessary. It never paid to get too close to anyone because either they would move or you would move. I was never that close to my extended family; didn't have any close cousins to confide in. Even within my own family I don't recall being very intimate. It's just the way I'm wired I guess.
I try though. I see the value in it. And I'm getting better all the time. Practice, practice, practice.
Sunday, April 03, 2005
Reflections on the Pope's passing
Yesterday I got a call from a non-Catholic friend offering condolences on the passing of Pope John Paul II. Susan said that she got a similar email. It's good to see that people of differing faiths can come together in so many things but especially at a time of sadness.
I saw the Pope say mass once. Granted, I was like a mile away but I felt it was something special, almost magical. He was God's spokesman and he spoke to us. It rocked.
Everyone and their mother on the internet is saying something about him and his passing. And I think that more will be said as time passed and history has time to judge.
But for me, I think that he died peacefully, perhaps joyfully.
When I was a student at St. Mary's College (now University of St. Mary) I worked food-service at the Sister's of Charity Motherhouse. It was a nursing home for nuns. And when these women became sick and got ready to die, they were seemed very happy. Happy to leave the weight of weak bodies and slipping minds. They expressed that they were ready be with God after years of service.
How great is that? Not just that you have been saved, but you gave your life to Him and now you get your reward.
And those were just your average (!) everyday nun. I'm going to assume that even a man as humble as John Paul II is looking forward to a reward for a job done well.
Rest in peace and Joy Karol Józef Wojtyła. You deserve it.
I saw the Pope say mass once. Granted, I was like a mile away but I felt it was something special, almost magical. He was God's spokesman and he spoke to us. It rocked.
Everyone and their mother on the internet is saying something about him and his passing. And I think that more will be said as time passed and history has time to judge.
But for me, I think that he died peacefully, perhaps joyfully.
When I was a student at St. Mary's College (now University of St. Mary) I worked food-service at the Sister's of Charity Motherhouse. It was a nursing home for nuns. And when these women became sick and got ready to die, they were seemed very happy. Happy to leave the weight of weak bodies and slipping minds. They expressed that they were ready be with God after years of service.
How great is that? Not just that you have been saved, but you gave your life to Him and now you get your reward.
And those were just your average (!) everyday nun. I'm going to assume that even a man as humble as John Paul II is looking forward to a reward for a job done well.
Rest in peace and Joy Karol Józef Wojtyła. You deserve it.
--Nunc dimittis servum tuum, Domine, secundum verbum tuum in pace
----Luke 2:29
Lord, now lettest thou thy servant depart in peace, according to thy word
Saturday, April 02, 2005
My wedding ring
Every day I drive to work and I notice my wedding ring.
I don't mean that I see my wedding ring. I mean that I notice it. I think about how lucky I am and how I am happy about the life I traded for the life I got.
I don't mean that I see my wedding ring. I mean that I notice it. I think about how lucky I am and how I am happy about the life I traded for the life I got.
Friday, April 01, 2005
There's a lot of pressure being a dad
Susan calls me and relates that Gwen was upset because the new water park wasn't going to be available at the ribbon cutting because the floor didn't cure right or some such thing.
Gwendolyn responds that they should call me, because I can fix anything.
Being a father changes how I look at myself. And all for the good, ya know?
I am fundamentally lazy. And I procrastinate. And I don't smile enough (especially when trying to be funny).
With children in the picture, I have to be a better person because I want them to be better people. I want them kinder, and smarter, and wiser than their old man. How else will they be able to take care of me in my dotage?
Gwendolyn responds that they should call me, because I can fix anything.
Being a father changes how I look at myself. And all for the good, ya know?
I am fundamentally lazy. And I procrastinate. And I don't smile enough (especially when trying to be funny).
With children in the picture, I have to be a better person because I want them to be better people. I want them kinder, and smarter, and wiser than their old man. How else will they be able to take care of me in my dotage?
Wednesday, March 30, 2005
Chocolate Mpire
I'm better than most but I know I have a problem. But how can you resist when M&Ms are having promotions like the following link? I want DARK chocolate. I want to believe that Episode III will rock. |
Penguin
If you have ever been in my house you know you can't ever have enough penguins. If you haven't been in my house, we have penguins. Everywhere.
From Jake Ludington's MediaBlab:
From Jake Ludington's MediaBlab:
We may never learn if androids truly dream of electric sheep, but this cartoon short advocates the possibility of penguins dreaming of flight. Billed as, "A story of a penguin hoping for intergalactic voyages," this animated short demonstrates a boy's willingness to sacrifice to help his aquatic avian friend achieve his dream. Originally appearing on the CBC's Zed Open Source Television, which I assume is Canada's answer to public
access the imagery and backing soundtrack are both quite talented from the second offering by director Wojtek Wawszczyk. His other work, Mouse, also available through Zed is worth checking out too. Link
Tuesday, March 29, 2005
They Might Be Giants - Bloodmobile
From boingboing.net:
"Infringing teenager's awesome They Might Be Giants video"
"Dave Logan is a high school senior who just finished his latest animation, which is a music video for They Might Be Giants' excellent song ' Bloodmobile.' This is a really excellent video, and I hope we can all appreciate a good science song. I think this is pretty in-fringe-ified, but I imagine it's just a matter of time before it's available on the Giants' site. What's the status of student work and fair use anyway?"
Pictures from Susan's trip to NY
Susan and the two little girls went to her home town of Lindenhurst NY to visit family. Here are their pictures . . .
PopPop, Miriam, and my nephew Logan in NY
Gwendolyn in NY with her cousin, Logan
Miriam in NY
G in NY
More snow in NY
Relaxing in NY
Poor Miriam, she thinks she's so cool
Gwen at the beach in NY
PopPop, Miriam, and my nephew Logan in NY
Gwendolyn in NY with her cousin, Logan
Miriam in NY
G in NY
More snow in NY
Relaxing in NY
Poor Miriam, she thinks she's so cool
Gwen at the beach in NY
Multiplicity
Multiplicity is the newest software purchase I have made and it has made me so much more productive.
It's a hard application to describe. Mostly because people think they know what it is and go from there. But they usually miss it.
Multiplicity connect two seperate computers to one mouse and keyboard over a network.
Thnk of it as like a switch that gives focus to whatever PC you are using via the mouse.
What multiplicity is not:
- Remote desktop/remote control. Those systems allow you to bring a remote computer into the PC you are using. Usually in another window. Think pcAnywhere or VNC or Windows Remote Desktop. I use tightVNC to connect to the G4 Man at the house and Remote Desktop at work. Both rock.
- VirtualPC. VirtualPC is great for testing. I have every flavor of Windows since Win3.1 running in VPC. I run BeOS and some Linux distros too. Everything is networked together (except the Win3.1, I had to drop that but my WFWG is running)
- Dual monitors. We have these at work and they work well. You get twice the desktop. I work with developers that have code on one monitor and app on the other. It's pretty efficient.
Multiplicity is for people who have two or more PCs next to each other and want to use both. But they don't wnat to have to switch back and forth between mice and keyboards. Seemlessly.
I have a TabletPC that travels with me too and from the office. It's a good PC but it's a tablet, there are limitations. It feels slower. The keyboard is cramped. The touchpad is not a mouse.
So I do my heavy lifting with the desktop. But I want my portable (travel) work to be on the Tablet.
In steps MP. I can be working on the desktop and as I slide my cursor over to the side of the monitor closest to the tablet . . . the cursor jumps to the tablet and there I am.
I type on the keyboard plugged into the desktop and the keystrokes appear on the tablet.
I can copy and paste clipboard content; images, text. I use it to copy URLs a lot. and if I run a quesry on the desktop but want to send the email from the client on the tablet; copy and paste.
The Pro version (the one I use) also allows me to copy files among the PCs I have connected. I save something on PC1, drag my cursor across PC2 and continue an to PC3 where I right click and paste. There's my file. Nice.
Customer support from the vendor rocks. They are available via web forum, email, and IRC. ALL THE TIME.
If you have multiple PCs on your desk now I reccommend this product. (They are planning to support Mac an Linux in the near future for those of you who swing that way.)
Monday, March 28, 2005
DNRs, Living Wills, Wills, and Terri Shaivo
The Terri Schaivo case has been on my mind a lot the last few weeks. I am sure it's been on the mind of most Americans at some point or another.
How can it not? It touches on religion, the courts, the Congress, in-laws, children, civil rights. Somewhere in that mess every American must at least one opinion.
I . . . I have feelings and thoughts (note that I acknowledge the difference) about almost all of them. And I've reversed those thoughts and feelings a number of times. It's just a mess. And I feel so sad for the family. What a terrible place to be and to have been there for so long.
For the record,
And the fact is that all this could have been made so much simpler if Terri had made her wishes known before hand. I did a search on the internet and found all the forms required to make this situation clear for my family if not easy for them.
So in case it comes up and the forms can't be found. Please use emergency measures to keep me alive long enough to determine if I am going to have quality life. If I am going to be a vegetable, please pull the plug and move on with your lives.
Better yet, move me to Oregon and make use of the assisted suicide laws to put me down. Consider this my go-ahead. And I don't want my body to starve. That's barbaric. The doctors caring (not caring) for Terri should be disgusted with themselves.
And while we are on the topic of death, I would prefer cremation. I would like some of my ashes entombed with my sister Sarah. She was my birthday present and I'd like to be with her. I know it's goofy. But ask anyone that knows me; I'm goofy. If anyone else wants my ashes, you are welcome to them. [I have some of Sarah's on my dresser and they bring me . . . something. Not joy, or closeness, or anything that I can describe. But I'm glad she's there.]
So go out and do your own search.
Get the forms your state uses and fill them out. Pay the money if you can't find the free ones. Or send a notarized letter to someone.
Your death or incapacitation is going to be hard enough.
Make your family's life AND your death as easy as possible.
Do what you can.
Do something.
And tell the people that you love that you love them.
Because you never know.
DD
Texas forms
How can it not? It touches on religion, the courts, the Congress, in-laws, children, civil rights. Somewhere in that mess every American must at least one opinion.
I . . . I have feelings and thoughts (note that I acknowledge the difference) about almost all of them. And I've reversed those thoughts and feelings a number of times. It's just a mess. And I feel so sad for the family. What a terrible place to be and to have been there for so long.
For the record,
- I think that the only place the courts had a place was whether Michael Schaivo was a competent guardian and could speak for Terri. They did that. Move on.
- Congress should be able to make all the laws they want but this case had all the law that was necessary beforehand. And it'll be interesting to see how fast the discussion gets dropped after Terri dies.
- If Terri is brain-dead and her parents want to maintain her; let them. Get a proxy divorce Michael or whatever court order you need to get on with your life and move on.
- Parents, let your daughter go.
- Supreme Court - great job. Continue to focus on enforcing law and not making it.
- Religious folks - decide if you believe in God's will or not. Act accordingly. If God wants Terri to stay alive, He'll take care of that. If He wants to take her home, why are you getting in the way?
And the fact is that all this could have been made so much simpler if Terri had made her wishes known before hand. I did a search on the internet and found all the forms required to make this situation clear for my family if not easy for them.
So in case it comes up and the forms can't be found. Please use emergency measures to keep me alive long enough to determine if I am going to have quality life. If I am going to be a vegetable, please pull the plug and move on with your lives.
Better yet, move me to Oregon and make use of the assisted suicide laws to put me down. Consider this my go-ahead. And I don't want my body to starve. That's barbaric. The doctors caring (not caring) for Terri should be disgusted with themselves.
And while we are on the topic of death, I would prefer cremation. I would like some of my ashes entombed with my sister Sarah. She was my birthday present and I'd like to be with her. I know it's goofy. But ask anyone that knows me; I'm goofy. If anyone else wants my ashes, you are welcome to them. [I have some of Sarah's on my dresser and they bring me . . . something. Not joy, or closeness, or anything that I can describe. But I'm glad she's there.]
So go out and do your own search.
Get the forms your state uses and fill them out. Pay the money if you can't find the free ones. Or send a notarized letter to someone.
Your death or incapacitation is going to be hard enough.
Make your family's life AND your death as easy as possible.
Do what you can.
Do something.
And tell the people that you love that you love them.
Because you never know.
DD
Texas forms
Monday, March 21, 2005
Susan is almost home
It has been a week but Susan is on her way home.
House is still standing. Older kids are alive.
What more could she ask for?
http://www.cheaptickets.com/trs/cheaptickets/flighttracker/flight_tracker_graphic.xsl
House is still standing. Older kids are alive.
What more could she ask for?
http://www.cheaptickets.com/trs/cheaptickets/flighttracker/flight_tracker_graphic.xsl
Tuesday, March 15, 2005
Browser Central - my second widget
From now on. . . .I save my posts before I submit. Blogger crash. Argh!!
Below is my second widget.
I thought my last (first) widget did what it was supposed to do. I wanted an app that could market the self-service tools that we were deploying yet be unobtrusive.
I think that I accomplished what I set out to do. But I thought it could be better.
Instead of describing what each tool did and launching a separate browser, why not integrate the browser into the app? Or if made full screen, use the browser as a kiosk?
So first a drawing:
I use the same template I used before (thanks Brad Wardell). Resize it a bit here and there.
I use the ActiveX control for IE and throw some script to accept URLs from the buttons.
I set the functionality of the buttons to send the URL.
Pretty much done at that point.
I moved the buttons from the side to the top to allow more screen space. I also grouped the forward and back buttons at the top. Why ,make a user go all over everywhere?
I didn't want to search the web for arrows that we public and matched so I used text to control going forward and back in the browser.
I used the TabletPC to create my own font based on my handwriting. DesktopX lets me embed the font (or whatever else really) into the object. So a user without my font, can still use it.
Things I would like to do (am thinking about doing): {updated}
Download: link
Requires DesktopX.
Below is my second widget.
I thought my last (first) widget did what it was supposed to do. I wanted an app that could market the self-service tools that we were deploying yet be unobtrusive.
I think that I accomplished what I set out to do. But I thought it could be better.
Instead of describing what each tool did and launching a separate browser, why not integrate the browser into the app? Or if made full screen, use the browser as a kiosk?
So first a drawing:
I use the same template I used before (thanks Brad Wardell). Resize it a bit here and there.
I use the ActiveX control for IE and throw some script to accept URLs from the buttons.
I set the functionality of the buttons to send the URL.
Pretty much done at that point.
I moved the buttons from the side to the top to allow more screen space. I also grouped the forward and back buttons at the top. Why ,make a user go all over everywhere?
I didn't want to search the web for arrows that we public and matched so I used text to control going forward and back in the browser.
I used the TabletPC to create my own font based on my handwriting. DesktopX lets me embed the font (or whatever else really) into the object. So a user without my font, can still use it.
Things I would like to do (am thinking about doing): {updated}
Show an alert if there is no internet connection.I added some code that puts up an alert box. Maybe do something about it?- Show the descriptions of the tool (website in this example)
- I removed the minimize image in the upper right-hand corner and repalced it with a Under score. It looks more like a standard minimize button.
- I changed the setting on the title to allow it to move the whole app.
- I resized the buttons and lined up the text
Download: link
Requires DesktopX.
Should I rip this?
I have had two conversations in the last month about ripping songs. One with a teenager and one with a father of a pre-teen.
The arguement were the similar:
The arguement were the similar:
- I'm not stealing from the artist, I'm liberating from the evil record companies who are exploiting the poor artists.
- I'm not stealing because the artist has so much money that they wouldn't notice my purchase.
- It's not stealing becaus I would have never bought the album (song).
- Muic should be free for everyone.
- You don't understand! I'm not going to talk about this anymore.
Of course, you ask them how it's different from shoplifting and who knows what argument they may come up with, because, that's WRONG! Whatever.
My kids think I am harsh because I don't let them burn music at my house. I think I am giving because I don't make them remove all pirated material from the house.
I think that it's stealing. If someone produced some material and expects recompense and doesn't get it; it's stealing. Software, music, movies; all the same thing. Stealing.
I'm on the line about TV. I think I'm OK with watching a show I missed as long as the commercials are intact.
Granted, if I were watching live, I would be flipping to other channels or getting a snack or chasing a kid and probably miss the ad. But the option is there.
You want to burn music you own? Convert all those cassettes to CD (but download the hirher quality version from the web)? Knock yourself out. Have fun. Make that Eighty's mix tape of your favorite monster ballads. You did your part. Thanks.
In any case, I saw a tongue-in-cheek chart at inreview.co.uk that will help those who want to steal justify that theft. And those others . . . enjoy.
Friday, March 11, 2005
My first Desktop X widget
The company I work for does IT support. Our focus is moving users closer to solving their own problems; self-service.
We have three major componants and they ar all web based. But users don't know how to get to them. It's a marketing problem really.
So Wedneday at 11:30 PM in bed I had an idea to build a launcher. Somehting that sat on the desktop and obviosly provided links to the tools. I whipped out the TabletPC. Opened Journal and drew out the design.
The next morning I open MS Paint and started drawing buttons and stuff.
Background:
Button:
InfoPanel:
They stunk. Horribly.
So I thought to myself . . that aero thing is pretty popular at WinCustomize Link, I'll see if there is an image I can use like that. And lo and behold, there it was; an aero template by Brad Wardell.
So I grab that and start building my objects. I resized that one image over and over again for different functions. I then added a few text objects on top of my graphpical objects. Set them to do nothing.
I then added actions to my buttons; launch the right tool. Easy enough.
Now for the infopanel; I wanted to have a description of the tool displayed when a user moused over the button. By sending messages to a bunch of new text objects (with different states for mouse over and mouse away) on top of the infopanel I accomplished this.
I tried to add a fourth button to show system stats. I go the meters to work, but I couldn't get them to go away when mousing over the other buttons. Something to work on later.
Then I added a minimize object, locked everything down, and exported.
Total build time: under two hours
I also want to get the widget to start minimized. But for that I need code. And for code I need to study.
That brings up a good point. To build this object I didn't need to know any code. The property fields for objects in DX is wicked easy to understand.
So there I had it, my first DesktopX object:
I wanted to share my object with the community at WC. But the tools referenced are all on the intranet or otherwise non-accessible. So I updated the Text on the three button objects and title. Updated the descriptions on the infopanel objects.
Updated the URLs on the button objects to point to some great sites. Exported and uploaded.
Total time: 23 minutes
Launch Central
Download: Link (DesktopX required)
We have three major componants and they ar all web based. But users don't know how to get to them. It's a marketing problem really.
So Wedneday at 11:30 PM in bed I had an idea to build a launcher. Somehting that sat on the desktop and obviosly provided links to the tools. I whipped out the TabletPC. Opened Journal and drew out the design.
The next morning I open MS Paint and started drawing buttons and stuff.
Background:
Button:
InfoPanel:
They stunk. Horribly.
So I thought to myself . . that aero thing is pretty popular at WinCustomize Link, I'll see if there is an image I can use like that. And lo and behold, there it was; an aero template by Brad Wardell.
So I grab that and start building my objects. I resized that one image over and over again for different functions. I then added a few text objects on top of my graphpical objects. Set them to do nothing.
I then added actions to my buttons; launch the right tool. Easy enough.
Now for the infopanel; I wanted to have a description of the tool displayed when a user moused over the button. By sending messages to a bunch of new text objects (with different states for mouse over and mouse away) on top of the infopanel I accomplished this.
I tried to add a fourth button to show system stats. I go the meters to work, but I couldn't get them to go away when mousing over the other buttons. Something to work on later.
Then I added a minimize object, locked everything down, and exported.
Total build time: under two hours
I also want to get the widget to start minimized. But for that I need code. And for code I need to study.
That brings up a good point. To build this object I didn't need to know any code. The property fields for objects in DX is wicked easy to understand.
So there I had it, my first DesktopX object:
I wanted to share my object with the community at WC. But the tools referenced are all on the intranet or otherwise non-accessible. So I updated the Text on the three button objects and title. Updated the descriptions on the infopanel objects.
Updated the URLs on the button objects to point to some great sites. Exported and uploaded.
Total time: 23 minutes
Launch Central
Download: Link (DesktopX required)
Monday, March 07, 2005
Miriam learns well from her sister . . .
. . from a certain point of view.
When we moved into the new house the "Green Room" became my den. We moved in some furniture that was very comfortable but a wee bit too stained for the livingroom.
Gwen discovered very quickly that the couch, seat, and ottoman made great platforms to jump from. I was cool with it. Susan . . . put up with my choice.
Then Miriam came. And she watched. And she learned. And she put it to practice.
She does not nail the landings like Gwendolyn does. But she is not two yet. I have faith.
Miriam Jumping: wmv (380KB); AVI (8.86 MB)
[I made a token effort to find a free MPEG encoder . . . failed.]
When we moved into the new house the "Green Room" became my den. We moved in some furniture that was very comfortable but a wee bit too stained for the livingroom.
Gwen discovered very quickly that the couch, seat, and ottoman made great platforms to jump from. I was cool with it. Susan . . . put up with my choice.
Then Miriam came. And she watched. And she learned. And she put it to practice.
She does not nail the landings like Gwendolyn does. But she is not two yet. I have faith.
Miriam Jumping: wmv (380KB); AVI (8.86 MB)
[I made a token effort to find a free MPEG encoder . . . failed.]
Wednesday, March 02, 2005
A tribute to my Aunt: Pizza Burgers!
http://www.favoritebrandrecipes.com/Recipes/220/3674001220.htm
Last summer the family went to Green Bay, WI for my father's wedding. We stayed a few days at my Aunt Gail and Uncle Jim's house (with cousins Paul and Jeni) and one night had Pizza Burgers. I vaugly recall having these as a child but had not had them in years. And I didn't recall them being called "Pizza Burgers."
But last night dinner was a little loose. So we had Pizza burgers. Used Susan's delicious no-recipe sauce and vegie pepporoni for those of us who are freakish about our cunsumption of dead animals.
And I thought of my Aunt.
Ingredients
1 pound ground beef
2 cups RAGÚ® Old World Style® Pasta Sauce
1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese (about 4 ounces)
1/4 teaspoon salt
6 English muffins, split and toasted
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 15 minutes
1. In small bowl, combine ground beef, 1/2 cup Ragú Pasta Sauce, 1/2 cup cheese and salt. Shape into 6 patties. Grill or broil until done.
2. Meanwhile, heat remaining pasta sauce. To serve, arrange burgers on muffin halves. Top with remaining cheese, sauce and muffin halves.
Last summer the family went to Green Bay, WI for my father's wedding. We stayed a few days at my Aunt Gail and Uncle Jim's house (with cousins Paul and Jeni) and one night had Pizza Burgers. I vaugly recall having these as a child but had not had them in years. And I didn't recall them being called "Pizza Burgers."
But last night dinner was a little loose. So we had Pizza burgers. Used Susan's delicious no-recipe sauce and vegie pepporoni for those of us who are freakish about our cunsumption of dead animals.
And I thought of my Aunt.
Ingredients
1 pound ground beef
2 cups RAGÚ® Old World Style® Pasta Sauce
1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese (about 4 ounces)
1/4 teaspoon salt
6 English muffins, split and toasted
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 15 minutes
1. In small bowl, combine ground beef, 1/2 cup Ragú Pasta Sauce, 1/2 cup cheese and salt. Shape into 6 patties. Grill or broil until done.
2. Meanwhile, heat remaining pasta sauce. To serve, arrange burgers on muffin halves. Top with remaining cheese, sauce and muffin halves.
It's Freedom of Religion, Not Freedom FROM Religion
I'll continue my theme of government involvement in our lives. My two previous rants were about about Freedom of the press and government charity. If you read those you can guess my views on the subject; "Freedom of" is not "freedom from" religion.
It's amazing to me, after reading the briefs, it's apparent that the supremes really have to make a decision. Case law supports both sides of the arguments. That's where I think we went wrong though. There should not be case law supporting the the petitioner in the first argument (Van Orden v. Perry[Governor of Texas]) and the respondent in the second (McCreary County v. ACLU of Kentucky).
The Constitution is very clear; the federal government will not force a religion or prevent a citizen from choosing their own religion. Some of the other arguments justifying why the commandments should remain in place seem spurious to me. They claim that the monuments are part of history, or part of a museum setting., or it's less religious than other religious symbology that the Supreme Court has already allowed.
The only argument that needs to be made is that the commandments are not endorsing any specific religion or religion at all. Believe, don't believe, change your beliefs, whatever. If you think that the government is cramming faith down your throat, petition them to put up a monument to your beliefs. Petition the government to take it down. Call all your friends, family, neighbors, mosque-mates, church-buddies, temple pals, and vote. Then you can make the rules. Have fun, good luck.
On a personal note, I think the ten commandments are good rules to live by. Ignore the first 2 or three (depending on your interpretation) if you don't believe in Yahweh or any other deity. And I don't see the harm. They don't take anything away from your faith or lack of faith.
Wiki link: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Freedom_of_religion
“Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, orToday the Supremes will hear two arguments about religion (specifically the Ten Commandments) in public places.
prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech,
or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to
petition the Government for redress of grievances.” U.S. Const.,
Amend. I."
It's amazing to me, after reading the briefs, it's apparent that the supremes really have to make a decision. Case law supports both sides of the arguments. That's where I think we went wrong though. There should not be case law supporting the the petitioner in the first argument (Van Orden v. Perry[Governor of Texas]) and the respondent in the second (McCreary County v. ACLU of Kentucky).
The Constitution is very clear; the federal government will not force a religion or prevent a citizen from choosing their own religion. Some of the other arguments justifying why the commandments should remain in place seem spurious to me. They claim that the monuments are part of history, or part of a museum setting., or it's less religious than other religious symbology that the Supreme Court has already allowed.
The only argument that needs to be made is that the commandments are not endorsing any specific religion or religion at all. Believe, don't believe, change your beliefs, whatever. If you think that the government is cramming faith down your throat, petition them to put up a monument to your beliefs. Petition the government to take it down. Call all your friends, family, neighbors, mosque-mates, church-buddies, temple pals, and vote. Then you can make the rules. Have fun, good luck.
On a personal note, I think the ten commandments are good rules to live by. Ignore the first 2 or three (depending on your interpretation) if you don't believe in Yahweh or any other deity. And I don't see the harm. They don't take anything away from your faith or lack of faith.
Wiki link: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Freedom_of_religion
Tuesday, March 01, 2005
A Fun and Twisted message to Congress
Consumers Union is working to drive attention to a bill (s.470)to amend the Public Health Service Act so that we the people can see all the results of clinical trials.
The video has a Schoolhouse rock kind of thing going but the cause is just.
Watch the video and fill out the linked letter. You may do yourself some good.
Monday, February 28, 2005
My take on Bankruptcy Reform
This week the U.S. senate is scheduled to look at the Bankruptcy Abuse Prevention and Consumer Protection Act of 2005 (S.256). The meat of the act is that if a person can afford to pay back debt, they must. And the determining factor is if the debtor is above the state median income.
It illustrates in my mind the type of thinking that is wrong with this country. Who in their right mind would argue that people that accrue debt should NOT have to pay it back.
My biggest complaint about the act has nothing really to do with the act. It has to do with some of the major backers; credit card companies and the auto finance companies. These companies are predators. They feed off the American dream to have the "good life" now and pay for it later. And they know full well that most Americans don't pay off the full mount of their debt every month and the interest eats them alive.
Don't get me wrong; I think that those people are morons (excluding yourself, of course). [Susan and I have two debts, the house and one of our three cars. We don't do credit. We save and buy. And sometimes we have to wait for the things we want. And sometimes we don't get what we want at all. But we know that bankruptcy is not in our future.] I believe credit is a bad thing. And I have a hard time listening to people who say that it's required, even if just for emergencies. Saving a little something on the side is good for emergencies, credit just puts it off.
And the thing about bankruptcy is that the stigma of filing is gone. You hear about huge corporations filing all the time. and they stay in business, make acquisitions, get bailed out by the government. And with the current laws, personal bankruptcy doesn't have to change your life. You keep your house, your car, no one is going to repo that PCyou bought because you were feeling blue. What's supposed to happen to break you of your habit is your credit is shot. I hear stories though of people in bankruptcy that can get approved for new credit cards.
You can look at the stats yourself, bankruptcy filings are going through the roof. I am glad to see this reform go before the Senate. I think you should go out and find what your senators and representative are going to do and make sure they know what you want them to do.
And save some money, don't rely on credit. Because if you file bankruptcy, someone has to eat that debt, and someone else is going to have to pay for it.
It illustrates in my mind the type of thinking that is wrong with this country. Who in their right mind would argue that people that accrue debt should NOT have to pay it back.
My biggest complaint about the act has nothing really to do with the act. It has to do with some of the major backers; credit card companies and the auto finance companies. These companies are predators. They feed off the American dream to have the "good life" now and pay for it later. And they know full well that most Americans don't pay off the full mount of their debt every month and the interest eats them alive.
Don't get me wrong; I think that those people are morons (excluding yourself, of course). [Susan and I have two debts, the house and one of our three cars. We don't do credit. We save and buy. And sometimes we have to wait for the things we want. And sometimes we don't get what we want at all. But we know that bankruptcy is not in our future.] I believe credit is a bad thing. And I have a hard time listening to people who say that it's required, even if just for emergencies. Saving a little something on the side is good for emergencies, credit just puts it off.
And the thing about bankruptcy is that the stigma of filing is gone. You hear about huge corporations filing all the time. and they stay in business, make acquisitions, get bailed out by the government. And with the current laws, personal bankruptcy doesn't have to change your life. You keep your house, your car, no one is going to repo that PCyou bought because you were feeling blue. What's supposed to happen to break you of your habit is your credit is shot. I hear stories though of people in bankruptcy that can get approved for new credit cards.
You can look at the stats yourself, bankruptcy filings are going through the roof. I am glad to see this reform go before the Senate. I think you should go out and find what your senators and representative are going to do and make sure they know what you want them to do.
And save some money, don't rely on credit. Because if you file bankruptcy, someone has to eat that debt, and someone else is going to have to pay for it.
Sunday, February 27, 2005
Friday, February 25, 2005
Voodoo Knife Rack
Have you ever seen a cooler knife rack?
It even matches the kitchen. It almost make me wish that Susan would open up her kitchen to my own peculier tastes. But I get the "green room" downstairs and she gets the kitchen.
Viceversa-Voodo knife rack
It even matches the kitchen. It almost make me wish that Susan would open up her kitchen to my own peculier tastes. But I get the "green room" downstairs and she gets the kitchen.
Viceversa-Voodo knife rack
Sunday, February 20, 2005
Humble Independant School District in the 21st Century
My wife is so lucky! Usually she is forced to listen to the following rant as we register one of the kids for school here. This year I get to rant here and she has the option to read it. Isn't the internet great?
Every year the school district sends send home around eight pages of forms. The forms have so much duplicated information required. It is such a waste of time filling out the same fields over and over aain.
Why must I put the child's name, address, phone number, social security number, date of birth, parents' contact information, emergency contact information, grade, sex, doctor, parents' work information on multiple forms? And why must I do it every year?
Here's an idea. Let's put it all in a database. Let's put it on the web. Let's allow parents to populate it and every year the school district send a single form to the home with all the information so the parents can go online or mail it back if anything has changed.
I would love to know what the district does with all these forms. Do different departments use different forms? Do they put them in filing cabinats? Do they enter them into a computer system themselves? Do they shred them because the forms aren't really used but they've got to collect them.
I'll bet they use Macs too.
Saturday, February 19, 2005
Heritage Days at Jesse Jones Park
Today Susan and I took the little girls to a local park to experience "American heritage".
On a hay ride (behind a tractor!) to the main area . . .
Dressing up . .
Crossing the nation by wagon (average speed of a covered wagon - 12 mpd [miles/day])
On a hay ride (behind a tractor!) to the main area . . .
Dressing up . .
Crossing the nation by wagon (average speed of a covered wagon - 12 mpd [miles/day])
Friday, February 18, 2005
Do I Need A Jacket? - The Weather Right Now
There are lots of ways to tell the weather. But do you really want the weather?
No.
You want to know if you need to wear a jacket. maybe you want to know WHY you need a jacket. Try Do I Need A Jacket? - The Weather Right Now.
No.
You want to know if you need to wear a jacket. maybe you want to know WHY you need a jacket. Try Do I Need A Jacket? - The Weather Right Now.
Thursday, February 17, 2005
A Valentine's Gift from Gwendolyn (and Susan)
Forgive the crappy photo. All I had on hand was the eyemodule for my Handsping Visor and if the light isn't perfect . . you get shots like this.
But the point is that Gwendolyn with Susan's help made me a pencil cup for work as a Valentine's Day gift. So here it is on my desk.
But the point is that Gwendolyn with Susan's help made me a pencil cup for work as a Valentine's Day gift. So here it is on my desk.
Susan's YMCA Partners Kick-off
Superbowl Sunday was also the kick-off of Susan's big fundraiser for the year. The theme this year is a western one.
This of course strikes anyone who knows Susan as funny. She is creeping up on being more of a Texan than a New Yorker (based on time spent) but she wallows in her Yankee-ness. Never have I met someone who has four kids born in this state, friends for life, and political involvement disparage a people and customs more.
The kick-off and theme did lend themselves to fun pictures though.
All four girls on a hay-ride. (Hay ride is defined as driving around the YMCA parkinglot twice [TWICE!] behind a pick-up truck. For reference, in Kansas the trailer would be pulled behind a tractor or horse, in Green Bay by a tractor or snow-mobile.)
Miriam rides her first horse . . Susan seems pretty comfortable in her denim shirt and bandana . . hmmm . . . interesting. I wonder where this can lead?
It could only lead to LINE DANCING!!
And we close out this little album with Gwendolyn on another hay-ride.
This of course strikes anyone who knows Susan as funny. She is creeping up on being more of a Texan than a New Yorker (based on time spent) but she wallows in her Yankee-ness. Never have I met someone who has four kids born in this state, friends for life, and political involvement disparage a people and customs more.
The kick-off and theme did lend themselves to fun pictures though.
All four girls on a hay-ride. (Hay ride is defined as driving around the YMCA parkinglot twice [TWICE!] behind a pick-up truck. For reference, in Kansas the trailer would be pulled behind a tractor or horse, in Green Bay by a tractor or snow-mobile.)
Miriam rides her first horse . . Susan seems pretty comfortable in her denim shirt and bandana . . hmmm . . . interesting. I wonder where this can lead?
It could only lead to LINE DANCING!!
And we close out this little album with Gwendolyn on another hay-ride.
Friday, February 11, 2005
Google mapping phone numbers
I received an email last week warning me that if you typed your phone number into google it would return a link to map the address associated.
The warning centered around the possibility of kids giving out their number and a pervert using it to get the address of the child.
The email went on to provide instructions on blocking your number.
I have to counter that the problem isn't with Google and blocking your number is not the solution.
The solution is two-fold.
The warning centered around the possibility of kids giving out their number and a pervert using it to get the address of the child.
The email went on to provide instructions on blocking your number.
I have to counter that the problem isn't with Google and blocking your number is not the solution.
The solution is two-fold.
- Teach your children not to give out personal information. Don't give it out on-line or at the park or anywhere. It's a bas idea.
- Know what your kids are doing. Talk to them about who they are chatting with and emailing. If they get evasive, watch more closely. Read their mail. Check their browser history. Know their passwords. Make sure they know that they have a right to privacy, not secrecy.
The goal is not to be a tyrant, the goal is to keep your kids safe.
And do me a favor, don't block your phone number from google, I forget where you live, I need that map.
"What Democracy Means to Me" - Johnny Carson
"What Democracy Means to Me"
by Johnny Carson ()
To me, democracy means placing trust in the little guy, giving the fruits of nationhood to those who built the nation. Democracy means anyone can grow up to be president, and anyone who doesn't grow up can be vice president.
Democracy is people of all races, colors, and creeds united by a single dream: to get rich and move to the suburbs away from people of all races, colors, and creeds. Democracy is having time set aside to worship — 18 years if you're Jim Bakker.
Democracy is buying a big house you can't afford with money you don't have to impress people you wish were dead. And, unlike communism, democracy does not mean having just one ineffective political party; it means having two ineffective political parties.
Democracy means freedom of sexual choice between any two consenting adults; Utopia means freedom of choice between three or more consenting adults. But I digress. Democracy is welcoming people from other lands, and giving them something to hold onto — usually a mop or a leaf blower. It means that with proper timing and scrupulous bookkeeping, anyone can die owing the government a huge amount of money.
Democracy means a thriving heartland with rolling fields of Alfalfa, Buckwheat, Spanky, and Wheezer. Democracy means our elected officials bow to the will of the people, but more often they bow to the big butts of campaign contributors.
Yes, democracy means fighting every day for what you deserve, and fighting even harder to keep other weaker people from getting what they deserve. Democracy means never having the Secret Police show up at your door. Of course, it also means never having the cable guy show up at your door. It's a tradeoff. Democracy means free television. Not good television, but free.
Democracy is being able to pick up the phone and, within a minute, be talking to anyone in the country, and, within two minutes, be interrupted by call waiting.
Democracy means no taxation without representation, and god knows, we've just about had the hell represented out of us. It means the freedom to bear arms so you can blow the "o" out of any rural stop sign you want.
And finally, democracy is the eagle on the back of a dollar bill, with 13 arrows in one claw, 13 leaves on a branch, 13 tail feathers, and 13 stars over its head. This signifies that when the white man came to this country, it was bad luck for the Indians, bad luck for the trees, bad luck for the wildlife, and lights out for the American eagle. I thank you.
by Johnny Carson ()
To me, democracy means placing trust in the little guy, giving the fruits of nationhood to those who built the nation. Democracy means anyone can grow up to be president, and anyone who doesn't grow up can be vice president.
Democracy is people of all races, colors, and creeds united by a single dream: to get rich and move to the suburbs away from people of all races, colors, and creeds. Democracy is having time set aside to worship — 18 years if you're Jim Bakker.
Democracy is buying a big house you can't afford with money you don't have to impress people you wish were dead. And, unlike communism, democracy does not mean having just one ineffective political party; it means having two ineffective political parties.
Democracy means freedom of sexual choice between any two consenting adults; Utopia means freedom of choice between three or more consenting adults. But I digress. Democracy is welcoming people from other lands, and giving them something to hold onto — usually a mop or a leaf blower. It means that with proper timing and scrupulous bookkeeping, anyone can die owing the government a huge amount of money.
Democracy means a thriving heartland with rolling fields of Alfalfa, Buckwheat, Spanky, and Wheezer. Democracy means our elected officials bow to the will of the people, but more often they bow to the big butts of campaign contributors.
Yes, democracy means fighting every day for what you deserve, and fighting even harder to keep other weaker people from getting what they deserve. Democracy means never having the Secret Police show up at your door. Of course, it also means never having the cable guy show up at your door. It's a tradeoff. Democracy means free television. Not good television, but free.
Democracy is being able to pick up the phone and, within a minute, be talking to anyone in the country, and, within two minutes, be interrupted by call waiting.
Democracy means no taxation without representation, and god knows, we've just about had the hell represented out of us. It means the freedom to bear arms so you can blow the "o" out of any rural stop sign you want.
And finally, democracy is the eagle on the back of a dollar bill, with 13 arrows in one claw, 13 leaves on a branch, 13 tail feathers, and 13 stars over its head. This signifies that when the white man came to this country, it was bad luck for the Indians, bad luck for the trees, bad luck for the wildlife, and lights out for the American eagle. I thank you.
Thursday, February 10, 2005
Monday, February 07, 2005
How Bush Won
This is old news, but it came up in conversation during a Superbowl party last night. Most of the blue states really weren't all that blue when one looks at the county map.
http://www.usatoday.com/news/politicselections/vote2004/countymap.htm
http://www.usatoday.com/news/politicselections/vote2004/countymap.htm
Saturday, February 05, 2005
Star Wars Ep. III - Please don't be too bad
Lucasarts has released the opening crawl of Episode III: Revenge of the Sith:
Episode III
REVENGE OF THE SITH
War! The Republic is crumbling
under attacks by the ruthless
Sith Lord, Count Dooku.
There are heroes on both
sides. Evil is everywhere.
In a stunning move, the
fiendish droid leader, General
Grievous, has swept into the
Republic capital and kidnapped
Chancellor Palpatine, leader of
the Galactic Senate.
As the Separatist Droid Army
attempts to flee the besieged
capital with their valuable
hostage, two Jedi Knights lead a
desperate mission to rescue the
captive Chancellor....
I am so hoping that this movie is a good one. And I define good as rekindling the magic of the first one for me.
I am not crazy. None of the movies are great. The dialog, the acting, they are not going to go down in history books the same way To Kill a Mockingbird will. [Man I love that movie. Gregory Peck was amazing. And filming it in black and white . . . brilliant. {Sub note, props to the cast of TKaM St. Mary's College, Leavenworth KS 1992, I miss you guys, wherever you are}]
But I saw Star Wars in '77. We were living in El Paso, TX and I remember clearly my Dad reading the crawl for me. And I remember looking up at the stars after we left the theater and KNOWING that Luke and Han and Leia were out there, fighting the good fight.
My children were going to be Anakin because of that memory. Because I shared it with my father. [It's hard to think of him as a young guy. He was only 24, a kid himself.]
And I remember vividly the horror when, in Empire, Vader claims to be Luke's father. My friends and I argued for that spring and into summer whether Vader was telling the truth or just screwing with Luke's head.
I block out Return of the Jedi. It's just better that way. I do need to say though, my older kids like Jedi the best.
I read all the novels and they sparked that something . . . that joy that was Star wars. The Brian Daly Han Solo adventures . . . Tim Zahn's . . .the X-wing series. Fun reads. I saw the special editions and they still had what I was looking for. They took me back to a galaxy far, far away.
The first two movies of the current trilogy haven't done it for me. Being in the theater with all the fans was great . . the movies . . . eh. Gwendolyn watches Episode II the most. It's better than Jedi and I love reading the crawl [Thanks Dad].
I just want that magic back . . . just for a little while . . just one more time.
Friday, February 04, 2005
Not Yours to Give
After the tsunami the company I work for sent out an email addressing it. More precisely, the head honcho for North America sent out an email to all the North American employees. He stated that he was donating to the Red Cross a fairly sizable amount of money. He encouraged everyone to do what they thought was right and here were some links where they might give.
I was impressed at the time that the company itself was no donating any company funds. Just like I am . . . Chagrined by companies the do give. And why I don't invest in companies that are "socially aware."
I don't think that a company has the right to give away funds that belong to the shareholders. That money should be put back into the company or paid out in dividends so those that have netted a profit can donate as they see fit.
I feel the same way about the government in the US too but with reservations. I mean, doing the right thing is a good thing, and sometimes it takes a business like a government to apply the money and logistics to accomplish a task in the face of emergency. But the money spent is not theirs to give. The money collected through taxes and fines and tariffs are to maintain the government. [Don't get me started on social programs in the US. That's a separate post.]
There should never be a surplus to give away. And going in to debt to assist an interest outside the US . . . I'd rather not.
The logic of course is that we vote for our representation and they vote to give whatever resources they think we would want them to give. Let's just say that they haven't asked my opinion lately and when they've made choices counter to mine . . . they don't get my vote next time around (unless of course the idiot they are running against would be a worse choice. Dangit!)
I found the story below that illustrates what I'm trying vainly to communicate:
I was impressed at the time that the company itself was no donating any company funds. Just like I am . . . Chagrined by companies the do give. And why I don't invest in companies that are "socially aware."
I don't think that a company has the right to give away funds that belong to the shareholders. That money should be put back into the company or paid out in dividends so those that have netted a profit can donate as they see fit.
I feel the same way about the government in the US too but with reservations. I mean, doing the right thing is a good thing, and sometimes it takes a business like a government to apply the money and logistics to accomplish a task in the face of emergency. But the money spent is not theirs to give. The money collected through taxes and fines and tariffs are to maintain the government. [Don't get me started on social programs in the US. That's a separate post.]
There should never be a surplus to give away. And going in to debt to assist an interest outside the US . . . I'd rather not.
The logic of course is that we vote for our representation and they vote to give whatever resources they think we would want them to give. Let's just say that they haven't asked my opinion lately and when they've made choices counter to mine . . . they don't get my vote next time around (unless of course the idiot they are running against would be a worse choice. Dangit!)
I found the story below that illustrates what I'm trying vainly to communicate:
" . . . One day in the House of Representatives a bill was taken up appropriating money for the benefit of a widow of a distinguished naval officer. Several beautiful speeches had been made in its support. The speaker was just about to put the question when Crockett arose:
"Mr. Speaker--I have as much respect for the memory of the deceased, and as much sympathy for the suffering of the living, if there be, as any man in this House, but we must not permit our respect for the dead or our sympathy for part of the living to lead us into an act of injustice to the balance of the living. I will not go into an argument to prove that Congress has not the power to appropriate this money as an act of charity. Every member on this floor knows it."We have the right as individuals, to give away as much of our own money as we please in charity; but as members of Congress we have no right to appropriate a dollar of the public money. Some eloquent appeals have been made to us upon the ground that it is a debt due the deceased. Mr. Speaker, the deceased lived long after the close of the war; he was in office to the day of his death, and I ever heard that the government was in arrears to him.
"Every man in this House knows it is not a debt. We cannot without the grossest corruption, appropriate this money as the payment of a debt. We have not the semblance of authority to appropriate it as charity. Mr. Speaker, I have said we have the right to give as much money of our own as we please. I am the poorest man on this floor. I cannot vote for this bill, but I will give one week's pay to the object, and if every member of Congress will do the same, it will amount to more than the bill asks."
"He took his seat. Nobody replied. The bill was put upon its passage, and, instead of passing unanimously, as was generally supposed, and as, no doubt, it would, but for that speech, it received but few votes, and, of course, was lost.
Originally published in "The Life of Colonel David Crockett," by Edward Sylvester Ellis, 1884
Later, when asked by a friend why he had opposed the appropriation, Crockett gave this explanation: . . . ."
Baby Got Bible
I don't know if this is a parody or what . . . but it is entertaining, amusing, and still doctrinal.
BabyGotBible.avi (18MB)
BabyGotBible.avi (18MB)
Wednesday, February 02, 2005
Giving Grades for effort at Benedict College
The State 08/20/2004 2 Benedict professors fired over grade policy
The news is old, from August of last year (oh that I were 31 years old again) but NPR must have been in need of a story and presented it this morning during "All Things Considered". [They will have the transcript posted in a few hours]
The story is this; a traditional, open, black college in South Carolina has a policy where, during the freshman year 60% of the grade is for effort. During the sophomore year, 50% is effort. For the junior and senior year the grades are based on academic performance.
Two professors have been fired for not going along with the policy.
David Swinton, president of Benedict says this:
And on the surface, it's not an incorrect premise. Benedict takes in everyone, there are no grade requirements, test scores, or whatnot. You apply, you get in. Maybe these kids need encouragement. OK. Let's do that. But 60% !!
How can a graduate of this school interview for a job with this policy in their past? Blacks have a hard enough time, why shoot themselves like this?
I can't say I'm too surprised though. My experience with the elementary and high school system makes this a logical progression. We start worrying about the feelings of the children being left behind or ostracized because they are falling behind. We let them use "creative spelling" because we don't want to stifle their creativity. We give every child a ribbon for participating in events. We have multiple valedictorians or remove the position.
I'm not surprised, just disgusted.
The news is old, from August of last year (oh that I were 31 years old again) but NPR must have been in need of a story and presented it this morning during "All Things Considered". [They will have the transcript posted in a few hours]
The story is this; a traditional, open, black college in South Carolina has a policy where, during the freshman year 60% of the grade is for effort. During the sophomore year, 50% is effort. For the junior and senior year the grades are based on academic performance.
Two professors have been fired for not going along with the policy.
David Swinton, president of Benedict says this:
"The logic of the SEE Policy is simple. Student learning outcomes are positively related to two factors: student learning efforts and instructional inputs. In the past most of our focus has been on instructional inputs. While we will continue to improve instructional inputs, we believe that significant gains in learning outcomes require significant gains in student inputs or efforts. Therefore, in order to improve student outcomes, all else remaining equal, we must improve student efforts. The more students work at learning the more they will learn. The SEE Policy is intended to increase the campus wide emphasis on student efforts and student responsibility to actively engage in learning activities. If the policy is successful, it will result in significant improvements in student learning and graduation rates. "
And on the surface, it's not an incorrect premise. Benedict takes in everyone, there are no grade requirements, test scores, or whatnot. You apply, you get in. Maybe these kids need encouragement. OK. Let's do that. But 60% !!
How can a graduate of this school interview for a job with this policy in their past? Blacks have a hard enough time, why shoot themselves like this?
I can't say I'm too surprised though. My experience with the elementary and high school system makes this a logical progression. We start worrying about the feelings of the children being left behind or ostracized because they are falling behind. We let them use "creative spelling" because we don't want to stifle their creativity. We give every child a ribbon for participating in events. We have multiple valedictorians or remove the position.
I'm not surprised, just disgusted.
Monday, January 31, 2005
Houston MasterWorks Chamber Ensemble
Sunday afternoon we went to see Sarah perform with the Houston MasterWorks Chamber Ensemble at Christ the King Church across from Rice Stadium. There were about 20 singers and around 100 people. I don't think the church could hold much more than 500 people so it was very intimate and their voices filled the chapel.
The theme was "And Say to All the World, Chants and songs: In Remembrance", inspired by the tsunami and war in Iraq. The program was a mix of readings and songs.
My favorite reading was called the Litany of Remembrance although favorite might not be the right word for the mix of joy and sadness that comes with losing someone you love.
In the rising of the sun and its going down,
My favorite musical piece of the night was "O Vos Omnes" by Tomas Luis da Vittoria (1548-1611).
Susan and I are so very proud that Sarah is singing in the chorus and in this ensemble. It appears that the ensemble is usually filled by try-outs but Sarah was invited to participate by the director.
The theme was "And Say to All the World, Chants and songs: In Remembrance", inspired by the tsunami and war in Iraq. The program was a mix of readings and songs.
My favorite reading was called the Litany of Remembrance although favorite might not be the right word for the mix of joy and sadness that comes with losing someone you love.
In the rising of the sun and its going down,
We remember them.
In the opening of the buds and in the rebirth of spring,
We remember them.
In the blueness of the sky and in the warmth of summer,
We remember them.
In the rustling of the leaves and in the beauty of autumn,
We remember them.
In the beginning of the year and when it ends,
We remember them.
When we are lost and sick at heart,
We remember them.
So long as we live, they too shall live, for they are part of us,
We remember them.
My favorite musical piece of the night was "O Vos Omnes" by Tomas Luis da Vittoria (1548-1611).
Susan and I are so very proud that Sarah is singing in the chorus and in this ensemble. It appears that the ensemble is usually filled by try-outs but Sarah was invited to participate by the director.
Gwen knows cleaning
So Gwen and I are unloading and loading the dishwasher.
She asks how it works and we go through the process of water being pushed around.
She says how great it is that ever house has a dish cleaning machine.
I tell her that not every house has a dishwasher. Her grandmother doesn't have one.
Stunned silence.
Followed by, "So what does she do? Go to the river?"
You can't buy that kind of humor. And she's cute too!
She asks how it works and we go through the process of water being pushed around.
She says how great it is that ever house has a dish cleaning machine.
I tell her that not every house has a dishwasher. Her grandmother doesn't have one.
Stunned silence.
Followed by, "So what does she do? Go to the river?"
You can't buy that kind of humor. And she's cute too!
Gwendolyn Knows the Bible
Susan and I were talking the other day in the green room and mentioned the Bible.
Gwen says she knows the Bible as she jumps from the chair to the ottoman to the couch and back to the ottoman.
Says she:
- Jesus was born on Christmas
- He died on Easter
- God loves us
Susan and I look at each other, nod our heads and go on with our life. Gwendolyn is right, she does know the Bible.
On a related note, she is an observant and loving kid. When we pray before bed she almost always asks God to look after someone (or someone’s’ family).that she heard about on the radio. Maybe it’s a soldier in Iraq, or someone who died in the Tsunami, or in a car accident. I love her when she does that.
It reminds me of Susan.
Friday, January 28, 2005
What's one more mixer?
My wife Susan makes and decorates amazing cakes. And she uses two Kitchenade mixers a blue 5 QT and a red 6 QT.
They look great as kitchen art, pinnacles of industrial design. I love the sound of them going together because I know that soon the house will smell of chocoalte or vanilla or (heaven help me) cheesy pound cake.
But I think we need another one. A manly one. One that takes me back to my youth.
One like this: Hot Wheels
They look great as kitchen art, pinnacles of industrial design. I love the sound of them going together because I know that soon the house will smell of chocoalte or vanilla or (heaven help me) cheesy pound cake.
But I think we need another one. A manly one. One that takes me back to my youth.
One like this: Hot Wheels
Tuesday, January 25, 2005
Juggling for life
Years ago, back in the early nineties I went to the renaissance festival outside of Kansas City and was amazed by a juggler with torches. He was funny and talented and had girls all over him. Pretty cool.
A few years later I was in Washington D.C. and in need of a hobby. I thought I would learn to juggle. I started off with the Klutz kit. Then some Dube clubs. And more clubs. Then knives, and devil sticks. A diabolo. Then there was the unicycle and the newest edition, the fireballs (which I did very poorly and need to spend more time on).
I used to attend meetings ("Hi, My name is Aaron . . . and I am a juggler) at Fairfax Jugglers and attended the Juggling festival with my sister Sarah in '93.
When I lived in Montana I did a little stand-up, birthday parties and taught a self-confidence course.
Since I moved to Texas, I haven't juggled as much as I should. I just don't make the time. But I like doing it. It's something that I didn't think I would be able to do and I do it pretty well. But I need more practice.
I am lucky. The few times in the past year that I juggled in front of people they majority of the audience was under 5 years old. They think the best part is when I drop stuff.
I'm going to watch the World Juggling Federation competition Thursday and Friday and get inspired. Yeah, that's the ticket.
A few years later I was in Washington D.C. and in need of a hobby. I thought I would learn to juggle. I started off with the Klutz kit. Then some Dube clubs. And more clubs. Then knives, and devil sticks. A diabolo. Then there was the unicycle and the newest edition, the fireballs (which I did very poorly and need to spend more time on).
I used to attend meetings ("Hi, My name is Aaron . . . and I am a juggler) at Fairfax Jugglers and attended the Juggling festival with my sister Sarah in '93.
When I lived in Montana I did a little stand-up, birthday parties and taught a self-confidence course.
Since I moved to Texas, I haven't juggled as much as I should. I just don't make the time. But I like doing it. It's something that I didn't think I would be able to do and I do it pretty well. But I need more practice.
I am lucky. The few times in the past year that I juggled in front of people they majority of the audience was under 5 years old. They think the best part is when I drop stuff.
I'm going to watch the World Juggling Federation competition Thursday and Friday and get inspired. Yeah, that's the ticket.
Monday, January 24, 2005
QDB: Latest 50 Quotes
QDB: Latest 50 Quotes
This is, by far, the funniest link I have seen in a very long time. I see work being impacted.
A sampling:
#449314
[knobboy]I hate physics
[knobboy]Having to learn all this crap about wave and frequency is killing me
[knobboy]Some might even say it Mhz
#449313
[mystman]you followed me!! you freaky stalker!
[cyber_akuma_zero]I am not a stalker
[cyber_akuma_zero] btw, you're out of milk
#449287
[laertes]NAPLES, Italy (Reuters) - Christmas has never tasted this good. Thirty-two pastry chefs in the southern Italian city of Naples unveiled on Saturday what they say is the biggest ever nativity scene made entirely of chocolate.
[skolex] sweet jesus
This is, by far, the funniest link I have seen in a very long time. I see work being impacted.
A sampling:
#449314
[knobboy]I hate physics
[knobboy]Having to learn all this crap about wave and frequency is killing me
[knobboy]Some might even say it Mhz
#449313
[mystman]you followed me!! you freaky stalker!
[cyber_akuma_zero]I am not a stalker
[cyber_akuma_zero] btw, you're out of milk
#449287
[laertes]NAPLES, Italy (Reuters) - Christmas has never tasted this good. Thirty-two pastry chefs in the southern Italian city of Naples unveiled on Saturday what they say is the biggest ever nativity scene made entirely of chocolate.
[skolex] sweet jesus
Sunday, January 23, 2005
More of Gwen's Party
I had a bad post yesterday. Well, not bad really. I just didn't communicate all that I wanted to.
So here is the addendum to Gwen's party . . .
And I thought that being chased by a bunch of girls at teh pool was cool . . maybe not so much . .
I am very aware that the picture is not me at my best. However, I am married, and if this is my best, she still loves me and I'm doing OK.
I had as many as eight on my arms and back at one time. They had their heads extended to keep out of the water and tehy got right in my face yelling all sorts of crazy stuff. It really freaked me out.
I honestly thought of my friend Michael Bell.
Kids freak him out in general and it would have been wicked funny to watch him "interact". I know I'm evil, but that's the kind of things I think of.
So here is the addendum to Gwen's party . . .
And I thought that being chased by a bunch of girls at teh pool was cool . . maybe not so much . .
I am very aware that the picture is not me at my best. However, I am married, and if this is my best, she still loves me and I'm doing OK.
I had as many as eight on my arms and back at one time. They had their heads extended to keep out of the water and tehy got right in my face yelling all sorts of crazy stuff. It really freaked me out.
I honestly thought of my friend Michael Bell.
Kids freak him out in general and it would have been wicked funny to watch him "interact". I know I'm evil, but that's the kind of things I think of.
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