Unsatisfied Humanity

PJ

2011-12-20T06:52:00.000-05:00

Today I want to write about my son.

Last night I watched 300 for the hundredth time, and I noticed a couple subtle details regarding the father/son relationship I hadn't noticed before. After the son had been killed, the father said he regretted he hadn't told his son that he was the son he'd loved most. Now, I don't really have that problem because he's my only son, but that's besides the point. At age 7, I can already tell he's the son I love most.

I believe when it comes to boys you never know what card you're going to be dealt. Are you going to get a crazy, loud boy that never seems to calm down? Or, will you get the boy that is calm, courteous, collected, but still has a love for boy things (sports, cars, etc)? I believe we lucked out; our boy is of the latter variety.

For me, it's the little things that make the difference. He's constantly respectful of others, especially adults. He always wants to do the right thing. This reminds me of a few times at school he would complain that if he obeyed the rules (of not running, in this case), he'd never get the good seat (or whatever). He was learning the lesson that good guys finish last. I thought for sure this would sway him to become a little insubordinate. It didn't. In fact the closest he's come to being a "bad kid" was a few weeks ago when he got suspended from school. Apparently he & a friend were horsing around when PJ bit his friend on the arm. The kid complained to the lunch lady, and PJ received a suspension. I was a little afraid that day would come, but when it did, it was easy to blow off. Boys will be boys.

He's a softy, but he still loves boy things: football, baseball, cars, 4-wheelers, motorcycles, etc. The few things we have in common, really give me hope for the future. I love these days with my son. I just hope there's still a little more uphill before things go downhill.

'tini Girl

2011-12-04T23:00:00.001-05:00

'tini Girl, originally uploaded by AmateurX.

April Fools Day recap

2011-04-04T11:13:00.001-04:00

I think April Fools Day should be re-named April Rules Day. This infographic I think makes my point.

Brought to you by ZippyCart.com and Designed by Killer Infographics

Home built Media Center

2011-02-28T13:57:00.000-05:00

Caution: very boring, and technical prose ahead. Read on only if you like computers...

A few weeks ago, I couldn't pass up the deals on Newegg.com for computer parts. I dove in with both feet and took the plunge to build myself the family a computer to stream movies, music & pictures to my TV over a LAN.

The hardware was the easy part. I already had a 1.5TB HDD, so I managed to buy the CPU, motherboard, PSU, case, and another 1.5TB HDD (for RAID 1 - mirroring) for all under $300. I had considered an all-in-one solution, like a Drobo, but those are way too expensive, and I was looking for cheap. I could've also gone with a cheaper/lower power CPU setup, like an Intel Atom, but those motherboards are either limited in features or are expensive. Additionally, if there's any video transcoding necessary, an Atom would not have done the job.

The software is always the wildcard, especially when you're going for the cheapest setup possible. At first I chose to use FreeNAS. This is basically a simple operating system that can turn virtually any PC into a Network Attached Storage. I've successfully implemented FreeNAS in the past with little issue. I reviewed the specs, and found that it would be capable to stream my video, and supported a plethora of RAID cards. What's really cool about FreeNAS, is that it's really small. You can install it on a 1GB (possibly less) USB thumb drive. Since I had a spare 2GB thumb drive laying around, that was my plan.

Even though I was planning on using the on-motherboard RAID configuration (for the 1.5TB storage disks), I assumed that FreeNAS supported the RAID, because it was a popular chipset. I was wrong. I set up the 2 HDDs in RAID 1, using the on-motherboard RAID setup. It was actually, pretty painless. But, to my surprise, FreeNAS would attempt to start, but would only result in a reboot. If I put the HDDs back to IDE mode, it would boot fine, but that's not what I wanted. After a lot of scoping thru the FreeNAS forums, I decided to abandon FreeNAS altogether. Apparently there was a new beta release that could've possible solved my RAID problem, but the DLNA streaming wouldn't be available for the foreseeable future. :-( So, on to Linux I go.

I've installed and used Ubuntu, OpenSuse, and a couple others before, with reasonable results. This time though, would be different. I've never had to create a server before. I decided to use Mandriva for two reasons. 1) the KDE interface looked pretty, and 2) the wiki and Mandriva forums had a wealth of information regarding servers, and shares. Luckily the streaming application (PS3 Media Streamer) that I currently use for Windows, to stream video to my PS3, has a Linux version that works in Java, so no installation necessary. w00t!

I still have a couple things to iron out. 1) Under the disk management in Mandriva, it shows 2 1.5TB HDDs. This is not what I would've expected since they're configured in RAID 1. I plan on writing a bunch of information to 1 HDD, and see if the free space of the 2nd HDD goes down at the same time. 2) I can't figure out how to share the drive location, to a Windows computer, using SMB shares. Right now, I just think I have more reading to do... When I get this all done, maybe I'll throw up some info on how anyone can do it...

I'm hoping that after all is said and done, I can check off my "learn linux" goal on 43things.com

Resolutions - Revisited

2010-12-28T10:29:00.000-05:00

At the beginning of this year I posted my resolutions, and such, for 2010. Well, here it is, the end of the year. Let's see if I've accomplished anything of value...

My resolutions for 2010 were as follows:

Pray with both my son & my girls before they go to bed.
Do coffee or breakfast with all my kids, but especially Carly. (Remember, God has engineered YOU to mesh with your family. You, not Mark, not Ryan, not Will, are the spiritual leader of your family for a REASON.)
Continue with small group. It's been a while since I've been encouraged in such a way that I'm motivated to go home and lead my family in the pursuit of following God.
Be diligent, honest, & committed to my spending plan. Understand that it's OK to revise the plan as long as we both agree.
Join a reading plan on Youversion.com. Make reasonable attempts to stick with it. Hold laura accountable.
Pick out a Bible verse with the kids to memorize. Attempt more as time permits.
Pray more frequently
When is God most apparent to you? Is it during worship? Driving, what?
God has placed His desires in our hearts! What are YOU going to do about it?!

Ok, let's see how I did...

Fail. I don't think I did this at all.
Neither fail nor success. Although I didn't really do coffee or breakfast with any of them this year, I did make a point to take them individually out with me to do things, like errand running and such. It's not nearly the face time I had in mind, but it was something. And the kids & I did have had some good conversations. I like this one though, and I think I'll keep it on the list for 2011.
Fail. Joined a small group, but dropped out. No fault to the group; I was feeling the demand of the commitment I'd made, and I didn't like that.
Success! Although I wouldn't call it a complete success, we did stay (relatively) committed to our spending plan, and managed to come out in the black. (considering it's post-Christmas I consider that a definite success) So, to improve upon this goal, I plan to make some revisions, and keep better track of where my money is actually going.
Fail. Although I joined the plan, motivation was nonexistent. I'm not really sure what the solution is here.
Fail. Completely forgot about this one once I wrote it.
Neither fail nor success. Although I feel I prayed rather frequently, I definitely didn't pray as much as I wanted to.
I think this is an ongoing question. My answer as of now: during Worship.
This question fuels a complicated answer that I'm not prepared to answer now.

Although it appears that 2010 was mostly a FAIL for me, I'm not looking at it that way. I did manage to carve out a new position at work, that I actually like. Football this year was a success. The hopes I have for my kids have not subsided. I have worked out at the gym a bit...

That leads me to my resolutions for 2011:

Continue working out at the gym, but progress toward a 5 day workout week.
Significantly reduce my daily sugar intake.
Revise budget to include 401k contributions, and better weekly expenditure tracking
Read a novel
Better refine my work duties, responsibilities
Create an actual schedule for one-on-one time with each of the family members - especially Laura. (see number 2 above)
Find a Disciple that works with me.
Take more pictures, and publish them.
Create and develop long-term goals
Pray with, and for my children.
Learn Mandarin (a little)
Get another tattoo
Do at least 1 fun thing with my cousin, Eric
Visit my sisters (both of them)

It'll be interesting to see how I do this year.

Figured out what's making the racket in the truck...

2010-09-23T17:47:00.001-04:00

Not good.

What Made You A Car Guy? [Question Of The Day]

2010-09-21T15:30:00.000-04:00

Found this on Jalopnik the other day:

What Made You A Car Guy? [Question Of The Day]:

Whether we're born with an innate love of automobiles or not, environmental factors fan the flames. Just ask an Andretti. What made you a car guy (or gal for the 4% of the Jalopnik readership who is female)?

Personally, growing up in a steadfastly working class neighborhood I had little access to fine automobiles or classics. It was mostly trucks and cars kept barely running. So quirky cars like an Isuzu Impulse and Subaru Brat became my objects of affection and shaped me into a strange car guy. The next transformation came when we moved to an apartment complex in Houston and a neighbor's son, a dentist, would bring over well-worn issues of Road & Track too dog-eared for his lobby.

Reading Peter Egan, Phil Hill, and Thos L. Bryant gave me an appreciation of the finer things in life. Finally, a grandfather willing to drive me anywhere to see anything (firetrucks, classic cars, new car shows) sealed the deal. Thus I can like a new fire engine, an old rusty El Camino, and a perfectly restored Bugatti. All in the same day.
What's the source of your car love?

For me, I'd have to say it was my dad taking me to car shows, crash-up derbies, drag races, etc. From there, the cars themselves took over. The countless color schemes, smoke from burnouts, the smell of burnt racing fuel, and the revs of V8 engines, was like the perfume and make-up of a pretty girl walking by. It still makes my heart flutter. The funny thing is, it's not the ride in the car(s) that I remember. I didn't get very many of those.

I actually think I'm more a car guy now than only just a few years ago. I recently let go of all my auto-inhibitions and started taking a car for what it is, rather than how old it is, or who it was made from/by. I have a greater appreciation for the automobile now than I ever have.

I sometimes notice how my son is attracted to cars. I'm finding he likes many of the same attributes, but really likes trucks & Jeeps. ...not my thing, but that's ok. I really think this stuff runs in the blood. Thanks dad!

Getting there...

2010-07-16T19:49:00.001-04:00

Ok, joined the gym last month, and have gone 2-3 times a week ever since. I still feel there’s a long way to go to look good naked, but at least I have a regimen. The next step is to eat healthy…no easy task.

See more progress on: exercise more

Discipline is a challenge

2010-04-27T11:20:00.001-04:00

For over a year I've been stashing money away for the purchase of a new car. I decided on what I wanted last August, but was nowhere near the down payment I wanted. I had even considered purchasing the car late last fall, to take advantage of the sales tax savings, but decided that a larger (30%) down payment outweighed the good interest rate, & tax savings. It was then that I decided to buy a 2010 model toward the late spring of 2010.

A couple weeks go the 2011 models were announced. I reviewed the specs & looked at the pictures, but decided that I didn't really like the styling changes, and was glad that I had decided on the 2010 model.

So, it was yesterday that I had contacted the dealer to see what's available and place my order if need be. Come to find out, the last date to place an order for the 2010 model was a month ago (March 19th), and there's no cars on the lot in all of Michigan, Indiana, & Ohio. I'm screwed.

People keep trying to talk me out of the new car purchase. I completely understand the difference in value new vs. used. I am conscious of the whole “the car goes down in value by X% as soon as you drive it off the lot” argument. I have 2 rebuttals: 1) I'm not going to sell my car as soon as I drive it off the lot; I plan to keep it for 10+ years, and 2) This car is absent in the used market; people buy these cars and keep them. Buying used isn't really a viable option.

So now that I have to wait an additional 3-4 months, I must stay diligent with my saving. It's very difficult to see a woot-off and not press the I Want One button. I see the deals at Newegg on a weekly basis, & have to close the site as soon as I open it, because I know that I'll be tempted. There's a video game that I want to get next month, and it pains me to know that I can't. Keeping my 'eye on the prize' takes more willpower than I had originally thought. I just hope I can make it. :)

Photo courtesy of Autoblog

Great idea, no place to put it...

2010-02-05T13:19:00.001-05:00

This morning as I lay awake in bed, not wanting to get up for work, I had an epiphany.

I’ve been trying to come up with a tattoo idea for my left forearm, for the better part of 3 years. I knew how I wanted the tattoo to make me feel when I looked at it, but that was all I could come up with. I knew that it had to be a certain size in order to fit my forearm. That there is the problem.

So I lie awake in bed, brain is contemplating the crazy dream I had, when this image popped into my head! (I’m going to attempt to explain what the image was in text, so please bear with me.) Picture Jesus’ face. Now picture his face made up of puzzle pieces. Now picture some of those puzzle pieces missing. I believe that this image represents how we know Jesus. We have some idea what he looks like (metaphorically of course), but we’re missing some important details.

I would love to get this tattoo, but there’s no way it’ll fit on my forearm. I’m stuck; I don’t know what to do. :(

See more progress on: get another tattoo

Resolutions

2010-01-03T21:06:00.002-05:00

Today a friend asked me what my spiritual goals/resolutions are for 2010. I didn't really have any definitive resolutions that were specifically spiritual so I didn't really answer the question. On the drive home I managed a little reflection time & came up with a laundry list of things that I want to do, be able to do, or accomplish this year. (Please note that sometimes it helps me think to write in the third person.)

Goals for 2010:

Pray with both my son & my girls before they go to bed.
Do coffee or breakfast with all my kids, but especially Carly. (Remember, God has engineered YOU to mesh with your family. You, not Mark, not Ryan, not Will, are the spiritual leader of your family for a REASON.)
Continue with small group. It's been a while since I've been encouraged in such a way that I'm motivated to go home and lead my family in the pursuit of following God.
Be diligent, honest, & committed to my spending plan. Understand that it's OK to revise the plan as long as we both agree.
Join a reading plan on Youversion.com. Make reasonable attempts to stick with it. Hold laura accountable.
Pick out a Bible verse with the kids to memorize. Attempt more as time permits.
Pray more frequently
Baby steps...

I also came up with a couple questions that I'd like to answer:

When is God most apparent to you? Is it during worship? Driving, what?
God has placed His desires in our hearts! What are YOU going to do about it?!

The only way to get lost in pictures

2009-12-11T14:57:00.000-05:00

For the most part, I wouldn't call myself “artsy”. After my first (and only) year of architecture school, I realized that I have an engineering mind, rather than an art mind. Even though I'm convinced that I am all-left-brained, I seem to have this emotional connection with some art forms (music & photos). I actually like to look at pictures more than I like to make them. I wouldn't quite call myself a photo connoisseur, more of an enthusiast. I have a ritual that I like to go through every so often: I put on some trance music & stare at hundreds of photos. It sounds so trivial, but it's so much more! You'd be surprised at the emotions that can be triggered with this awesome combination. I'll briefly break it down:
Why trance music?

Simply put, trance music doesn't distract. It tunes out the world so you can really look at the pictures as if you had blinders on.
It's simple. You're not going to find yourself singing along, possibly looking up the lyrics because you forgot that particular line. Most of the time, there are no words to sing along to.
It's energetic. You're not going to find yourself falling asleep or bored. I betcha you'll be tapping your foot before you know it.

Why photography?

I enjoy photographs more than any other art-form, aside from music. One simple picture can tell a whole story.
It's not a video. Pictures don't have to hold your hand. Video takes your hand & leads you down a path for up to 4hrs! A photograph can tell its story in a measly 2-5 seconds, with the same, or greater impact.
High consumption rate. Because of the 2-5 second rule (above), you can experience hundreds of pictures in a matter of a few minutes.

Where can you go to find an endless supply of pictures? There are quite a few sites that have zillions of pics, but I have to say, I prefer Flickr's interface. I especially like their slideshow feature. There's a little bit of up-front work to finding what you like, but it's worth it.
Photo preparation: To do this proper, you should create an account. Take a few days to browse around and find photographers that you like, and add them as a contact. This concludes the prerequisite work.
Music preparation: There are several ways to get good trance music these days. For me, the easiest way is to subscribe to the Trance Around the World podcast on iTunes. There you can download the latest episode for free. (You could also listen live on Trancearoundtheworld.com, but to me, that's too much trouble.) There's minimal talking, and it's 2 hours long - plenty of time to get lost in some pictures. A State of Trance is another weekly show that's pretty good. There's also a couple dance/trance internet radio stations that are options, Digitally Imported is an oldy & goody.

So, now go. Put on some music, and look at some awesome pics. It's a great experience.

Uh-oh: LA 2009: Subaru Impreza WRX STI Special Edition is sportier, less expensive

2009-12-03T14:35:00.000-05:00

LA 2009: Subaru Impreza WRX STI Special Edition is sportier, less expensive: "

Filed under: LA Auto Show, Performance, Hatchback, Subaru

2010 Subaru Impreza WRX STI Special Edition - Click above for high-res image gallery

So often, the tag of 'Special Edition' comes with a not-so-special price increase. Fortunately for Subaru fans, the newly-introduced Impreza WRX STI Special Edition is actually less costly. At $32,995 it's actually $2,000 cheaper than the base price of the standard STI.

Of course, buyers of the Special Edition will have to go without certain features, namely HID headlights, premium audio, and automatic climate control. It's not just a de-contented package, though, as the car also comes with the suspension from the spec C model in Japan that includes a thicker rear stabilizer bar, stiffer bushings and stiffer springs.

Initially, each car will be painted in Aspen white with the charcoal-colored 14-spoke wheels also cribbed from the spec C. Just 125 examples will be built in the first quarter of 2010, although Subaru says that more will be available later in the year in additional colors. High-res gallery below, pricing press release available after the jump.

Gallery: LA 2009: 2010 Subaru Impreza WRX STI Special Edition

Continue reading LA 2009: Subaru Impreza WRX STI Special Edition is sportier, less expensive

LA 2009: Subaru Impreza WRX STI Special Edition is sportier, less expensive originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 03 Dec 2009 12:29:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Comic: 2009-12-01

2009-12-03T11:55:00.000-05:00

Comic: 2009-12-01: "

Sell No: Why You Don’t Need A New Car [New Cars]

2009-11-25T09:04:00.000-05:00

Sell No: Why You Don’t Need A New Car [New Cars]: "

According to recent reports, new-car sales in this country are slowly climbing out of the toilet. We love you, Driving America, so we have some advice: Stop it.

We know what you're thinking: The American economy is barely alive. Detroit is busily attempting to reverse decades of bad choices. Speed has never been cheaper, interest rates are still in the gutter, and everyone and their brother — hello, Black Friday — wants you to buy, buy, buy. It looks like an easy call.

We're here to tell you to hold off. If you can stomach it, we suggest you do something radical: If it has wheels, don't buy it new. Period. Sound like sacrilege? Maybe, but there's more to it than you might think.

Photo Credit: Getty Images

Argument One: Cost

As obvious as it seems, the money bit can't be overlooked. Sure, you lose a hefty chunk of change the moment you drive your new snazzmobile off the lot, but that old saw rarely stops people. And yeah, interest rates are low, and the guy in the nice tweed suit is going to talk to his boss and almost lose his job so you can save a few bucks. It's tempting. But it's also a game for suckers.

Look at it this way: Yes, there's never been a better time to buy a new car. But by the same token, there's also never been a better time to save your money and buy something older and a heck of a lot cheaper. The same economy that made that brand-new Porsche 911 seem affordable also trashcanned the values of every used car on the planet. Never has so much fun been available for so little, and the tradeoffs are relatively benign. (In the case of the 911, a good used 996 Carrera will be almost as fast, half as expensive, and just as much fun to fling into a fencepost ass-first.) And if you're worried about repair costs, don't — unless you buy in the rain, at night, and while drunk, a year's worth of fix-it bills will rarely outweigh the heft of twelve car payments.

Take the cash you saved and go on vacation. Invest it. Hell, for that matter, just use it to — wait for it — buy a second car. (What can we say? Jalopnik wants you to roll.) The possibilities are endless.

Photo Credit: Getty Images

Argument Two: The Environment

It doesn't matter what you buy, how old it is, or how much it says "hybrid" on the trunk — if you're buying a new car, you're consuming resources. Great strides have been made in the field of automotive recycling, and for the most part, large-scale manufacturing is cleaner than it's ever been. But you can't negate the laws of physics: If it already exists, then you don't have to make it. Creating things takes work, and work, by definition, makes something happen by using up something else.

A few years ago, a company called CNW Market Research created a 'dust to dust' study that examined the net environmental impact of a host of new cars. The study received a lot of press, largely because it claimed that a Jeep Wrangler used less energy from cradle to grave than a Toyota Prius. The firm's methods have since been the subject of a great deal of controversy, but the argument they make is valid: Things aren't always what they seem, and planetary harm has a lot more to do with sustainable design than with tailpipe emissions.

Photo Credit: Getty Images

Argument Three: Safety

This is the bit that comes with a caveat: No matter what you drive, the newer it is, the less likely it is to kill you in an accident. Vehicle safety standards are like the laundry — they never rest, and the only thing you can do is try to keep up. That said, thanks to Ralph Nader (I can't believe I just typed that), the curve isn't linear.

By and large, things are much better than they were fifty years ago. Your dad's '61 Cadillac may have killed him if he so much as looked at it funny, but anything built since the first Bush administration is going to be safe enough that you shouldn't feel terrorized by traffic. When in doubt, err on the side of newer, more airbags, and more crush space. Just because it's older doesn't mean that it wants you dead.

Argument Four: Fun

If you regularly read car magazines, the following may come as a shock: New cars aren't always more fun. Here at Los Jalops Con Carne, we've driven everything on the market, and most of what's out there simply isn't that special. Thanks to ever-increasing safety, emissions, and comfort standards, the average new car is a lumpy pile of bloated meh. There are exceptions — a lot of them, thankfully — but they aren't available for beer money, and most of them are either wildly impractical or more expensive than a small house. Buy older, and you get access to the once-costly fun stuff at cut-rate prices; you also get lighter curb weights, better steering feel, and more seat-of-the-pants Kickass.

The Caveat: Sometimes…

OK, we give — none of this is set in stone. There are obviously exceptions to each and every one of these arguments, and sometimes a new car is simply the best answer. We feel your pain. But if you remember nothing else, remember this:

Save the old cars. Please. Don't let your children grow up thinking that 4000-pound sport sedans with foot-thick doors are the way of the future. Help us, before it's too late. This is Jalopnik, signing off from the future. You have been warned.

Joy revisited

2009-11-10T21:13:00.002-05:00

Finding joy has been one of those things that I've struggled with for a long time. Not really knowing what it looks like makes it all the more difficult to know it when I have it. I've always known it's more than just “being happy”. This weekend, God has blessed me with just a taste of what His joy can be. I can only imagine what His joy can look like at its full glory!

There's no doubt about it, the warm sunny weather did a good deal to improve my attitude this weekend. Saturday was a busy day. The morning was packed with Cheer-Off for the OMYFA. It's always chaotic, but usually worth it in the end. Carly's team got 3rd place out of 10ish teams, & the Chargers managed to get the Sportsmanship award (the whole team, football & cheer). It was so wonderful to see the girls enjoy themselves.
From then it was a nice wedding of a friend, followed by a monster truck show for PJ & I. None of these event were all that special. I don't really know how else to explain it, other than “it came from God.”

Sunday got even better. There was a short section of our church service where people could share their testimonies. I'm not averse to offering mine, but most of the time, I have nothing to share. This day was different. I felt lead to share that I had found just a little bit of joy. Ever since, I'd been on a high.
After church I sat in the sun watching as a bunch of kids (neighborhood, church, & ours) played in the leaves, laughed out loud, & chased each other around the house. The Sunday ended with a nice trip to the cider mill & a dinner out.

The funny thing is, it was so similar to weekends past, yet this one had so much more peace & love. It probably sounds a bit cheesy to the outsider, but very authentic to me; and it's clear as to where these feelings are stemming from.

Soon to be debt free(ish)!

2009-11-10T14:50:00.000-05:00

Come this December 2nd, the Nielsens will be debt-free! Well, for the credit card anyway. We've been credit card debt-free before, but I actually think it'll stick this time. We've made some mindset changes that has enabled both Laura & I to stop using the credit card, but use the bank card instead. We still have a little more to go (some weeks we run out of money - oops!), but for the most part it's working out. The next step is budgeting. I have a feeling that is going on the New Year's resolution blog entry; stay tuned.

Windows 7 is out! (But I can't have it)

2009-10-22T12:09:00.000-04:00

I took advantage of Microsoft's pre-order promotion a few months ago. If you pre-order W7, you can get a huge ($50-$100) discount; so I did. I placed my order through Amazon. This will be my last pre-order from Amazon.

Today's the today M$ officially releases Windows 7. The last few times I've pre-ordered something from Amazon, I have received the item a few days after the release date. Typically they'll ship on the release date. (which, to me, seems kind of stupid) Wondering if they've shipped my copy, I check my account status. This is what I see:

I know I'm bitching about only a few days, but come on! 4 days, really?! I'm tired of being treated like this, and I'm putting my foot down. No more (pre-)orders from me...

Sprained Ankle - I don't recommend it at all!

2009-10-08T14:53:00.000-04:00

Late last month I sprained my ankle. I don't recall ever feeling that kind of pain before. I'm on my road to recovery, but it's been a difficult journey.

The weekend of September 12th didn't turn out as well as I had hoped. I had been struggling with feelings of being a less-than-stellar father. Monday morning, I had been brainstorming with the wife on how I can be a better dad.

At 6:30pm the kids & I were discussing what we could do for the evening. All three of them voted to play video games. Given my recent propensity to do the right thing, I vetoed all their votes and stipulated that if we go out on a bike ride to the park, they can do something “fun” when we get back. (Assuming we would indeed have fun at the park)

Just after 7:00pm we arrive at the park, approximately ¾ miles away. There was a soccer practice going on, but the play structure was empty, so we decided to play tag on the structure. During one of my escape maneuvers, I proceeded to walk down a 3-step stairway. On the first step, my foot turned sideways, and I heard a loud “pop” sound, followed by a “crunch”. An immediate surge of pain brought me to my knees on the wood-chip covered ground. Rolling around, in a futile attempt to get away from the pain in my ankle, I manage to drag myself, only using my hands, to the edge of the wood-chip area. At first my kids thought I was being funny. It wasn't until they noticed I wasn't addressing them at all that they realized I was indeed not being funny.

Laura had a PTA meeting to go to and was over at the school at this time. She had been there only 15 minutes when she received a phone call from our oldest daughter (I was in too much pain to hold a conversation) saying she had to come pick up her husband. I laid there a good 20 minutes, before she pulled up to the park. We attempted to hop the ~50' to the curb, but it was a no-go. I made her drive up onto the park lawn so I could crawl up into the van's backseat. She drove me home while the kids rode their bikes back home. (Luckily a neighbor saw what was going on, and volunteered to keep my bike along the side of their house until we could pick it up.)

Since it was now the kids' bedtime, Laura called my mom to take me to the hospital. It was at least 9:30 before I actually saw a doctor. X-rays showed no break, but a “severe sprain”. They gave me crutches, a “4-layer wrap” (sounds like a Taco Bell meal), and an air-cast. We got home at 11:30pm.

I figured I'd be back to work in a couple of days. My instructions were to wait until the swelling went down. 14 days , and 2 doctors visits later, I went back to work. (That whole situation is for another day). Me and my paycheck didn't get along for the following 2 weeks.

Recovery has probably been on-track, but my perception is that it's slow. I literally stayed off my feet for 16 days. I used crutches for an additional 5 days. I am now using the air-cast exclusively, and keep it on all day. It's saved my ankle from re-injury more than a few times. I have scheduled to keep it on until the beginning of November. I do manage to walk around, albeit slowly.

The orthopedic doctor gave me a statistic that is looming over my head. He told me that about 10% of people re-sprain their ankles. He added a side note saying that given the amount of people that sprain their ankles, that's a lot of re-sprains.

I've had to refuse playing outdoor sports with my son a few times. It pains me to see him say, “Okay dad.” and move on. I can't help but think I'm letting him down.

The moral of this story is this: if the kids want to play video games, don't argue. You just might sprain your ankle. (Alternately the moral could be this: You don't have to play on a play structure to be a good dad; video games will do fine.)

Postponement

2009-10-07T12:29:00.001-04:00

I’ve decided to postpone buying a new car until I have more cash to put down. I’m 80% sure I’ve decided on a model, but there are a few things I still need to nail down (color, options, etc). Waiting also throws a monkey wrench into the options of “good” APRs, as well as being able to write-off in sales tax on my taxes… I still figure that if I can put more money down (and get a lower payment), it’s the best decision.

See more progress on: buy a new car

How to pay off my student loans

2009-10-07T12:04:00.001-04:00

"Slow & steady payments..."

How I did it: It took several years, but what it really boils down to is just keep making the payments, use the standard payment plan, & make extra payments when you can afford to.

Lessons & tips: Make sure you're not on the extended pay-off plan. While in the beginning, this may seem like an attractive option, it really makes the burden of payments seem to last forever.

It took me 10 years.

It made me Ecstatic

See more progress on: pay off my student loans

Intelligentsia in the Morning

2009-09-01T11:46:00.001-04:00

Intelligentsia in the Morning, originally uploaded by AmateurX.

I forgot to mention our awesome trip to Chicago the week of July 31st. This was Laura's birthday. We made sure to see Jersey Boys while we were there. Here's one pick from that week. Can't wait to go back.

Sunday FAIL

2009-08-31T11:23:00.001-04:00

Ask any parent and they'll tell you that at one point within the last week or two they've felt like a failure. Well, Sunday was the day for me. We woke up Sunday morning, and decided to ditch church. This happens on occasion, usually to do family activities, but this time, we had no agenda. (mistake number 1). We decided to go out for a walk, then on to the mall for some school shopping. (mistake numbers 2, & 3). Laura couldn't find the proper shoes for trail walking, & The Somerset Collection always makes me crabby. (I may tackle this in another post). When we got back, Laura & I did some housework, while the kids played with their friends inside, and out.

I should note that having the neighborhood over to play usually ends up with the Laura & I cleaning the shambles that our house becomes. To nip this in the bud, we decided to force the children to go outside and play. While discussing this preemptive action with the wife, it was at this time that I realized that we were both snippy, and probably should have taken naps. On, we trotted.

Fast-forward. The neighborhood kids have left, we are getting in the van to go to a group meeting, and there is stuff all over the yard, my truck, and the driveway. I don't like stuff strewn about the yard, especially while we're gone. I manage to bite the heads off all three kids to pick up their stuff, all within a couple of minutes. It struck me as a pretty-shitty-thing-to-do when I watched my once, chipper daughter, mope her way back to the van after reluctantly walking in the house to put away a water bottle. I had broken her spirit.

Laura has brought to my attention that this is one thing she wants to avoid: breaking their spirits. I agree with her. It's a line that's difficult to see while you're trying to shoehorn your children into being “responsible”. Once you cross it though, you see that joy escape from their eyes. Seeing that rips a hole in my heart.

I am realizing these last few months that, with regard to parent/child relationships, no amount of apologizing can take away the damage that's been done. You might be forgiven, but the only way to escape damaging your children, is to avoid the damage in the first place. It's in this, that I realize I am unable to do this on my own. The only way I can parent properly is to have God by my side.

Technorati Tags: parenting, FAIL

Where the heck does all the time go?

2009-08-25T14:41:00.001-04:00

I want to start a magazine called American Christian Father. It would have tips on time management, specifically how to work in everything that all Christian dads should be doing on a daily basis; praying, working out, eating healthy, playing with the kids, mentoring, serving the community, reading the Bible, proper budgeting, fixing the car, fixing the house, taking the kids to football practice, helping with homework, proper child rearing & discipline, etc. I just know that I'm not the only dad in America that is constantly struggling with proper time management. Trying to cram all these things into the post-work 5hrs seems nearly impossible.

It occurred to me this morning that even if I had the motivation to actually start a workout routine, I wouldn't have the time. With kids' extra-curriculars, bedtime routine, (and everything else listed above) it's no wonder why we Americans are fat (and lazy). I'm headed right down that path. The hour or two that I'm actually commitment-free usually borders my bedtime. That, obviously, rules out many of the above To-Dos.

Some would argue that the woman of the house's list is even longer. As I'm sure that's true, I am unable to adequately represent that point of view, so I won't.

Decisions, decisions...not to buy

2009-08-24T14:58:00.001-04:00

I've sadly decided to wait until the spring to by my WRX. I had originally planned to by an '09 on “sale” but I haven't saved up enough loot to be at the payment I want (even with the auspicious 0%). I also figure, why should I buy a new car in the winter, so it can sit in the garage? (I have an S-10 beater that I plan to drive this winter). It pains me to not have this fine piece of machinery! But I know in my gut that this is the right decision. By stashing money this winter, I estimate I'll be able to put down nearly 40% on a 2010 next spring (tax return included). As much as my heart aches, I think it's the right decision. :(

Technorati Tags: Subaru, finances, goals, cars, WRX

Safety is awesome, but adventure is better.

2009-07-23T16:06:00.001-04:00

I often replace God with other things in my life. In the words of Britney, “I am a slaaaave for you”; with “you” being money, children, finances, household responsibilities, etc.

Two nights ago, I thought, “maybe tomorrow I'll actually read some scripture.” Did I? No. I thought about it twice throughout the day, but I failed. The sad thing is, I have a bible sitting here on my desk. Heck, I set my phone on it every day. I'm burying God's Word underneath my daily crap!

I've been praying for safety, and comfort for years, and God has answered those prayers. I knew could lead to a boring life, but I was willing to take that chance. I am now struggling with complacency, feel an itch to expand. Yes, I desire a stable home, job, healthy family. But, where's the joy, the adventure?

I am a very cognitive person, & consider myself aware of my surroundings. I love movies; and I know it's because I can live vicariously through the characters on the screen. It allows me to feel that thrill of adventure, pain & joy of love and family. We as humans hunger for joy & love! The cool thing is, God can provide! You just have to believe.

I can speak it, but living it is considerably harder. I was told recently that I am afraid to ask the tough questions to God. “...Break me, use me...” It's true. I can superficially ask God to use me, but since I'm not asking with my heart, I don't see anything happening.

Technorati Tags: Britney, Jesus, faith,

Where does all the time go?

2009-07-17T07:36:00.001-04:00

Taking 30 seconds to reflect on all that's happened since my last update, I've determined that I'm way behind! Oops. Here's all the things we've been up to:

Bought a pop-up camper, and drove it to Kentucky for a family reuinion. It was hot!
Replaced the struts in my car (by myself), had the car alignment done, twice, and it still pulls to the left. Arg!
Determined that our marriage seems to do better when the kids aren't around.
Decided to put all our kids in public school this fall (for the first time), both of us are nervous.

There's a few other things but they're even less interesting. I think I'll make a few more entries this month for old-times sake. I'll be sure to include pictures.

The all-elusive Joy

2009-05-22T11:13:00.001-04:00

Real Joy by Technowannabe

Joy for me is so difficult to get a-hold of. Some days I can walk throughout my day, arms wide, eyes closed, basking in God's awesomeness. Most days though, I feel stuffed in the box that is my life. Such is the working stiff. I can find joy in my kids (when they're being nice to each other), and nature, even the city in the early morning. Other days I feel like I wouldn't know joy if it kicked me in the face.

For the cognitive soul that I am, “joy” is difficult to wrap my head around. What does it mean to be joyful? What does that look like?

Technorati Tags: Joy, reflection

Pain – Mind over matter

2009-05-07T11:41:00.002-04:00

Photo by Jake Liefer

This past Monday I took some time after work to work on the garden. We decided after pulling entirely too much grass & weeds, on Saturday, that we needed to build a garden “platform”. So, I bought a bunch of gardening timbers and was assembling the box Monday evening. I had borrowed my father-in-law's sledge hammer to drive the rebar through the timbers into the ground to stabilize the contraption. I had two hammers I was using, and frequently switching between the two. Being the lazy, fat-ass that I am, I didn't feel like bending over to pick up the sledge. Instead, I attempted to use my foot to flip up the handle to a vertical position so I could, then, pick it up. My suave move quickly turned inept, when the handle whacked my knee, hard. Acute pain entered my knee. I immediately started to limp toward the back door so I could lay down on the couch in agony. Halfway to the door I felt a little lightheaded. My thoughts turned from “OMG, this hurts!” to “seriously, lightheadedness? This is bull-crap!” I decided then, & there that I wasn't going to let the pain over-take my body. I turned around and limped back to the garden. I concentrated on ignoring the throbbing pain. A few minutes later, I was fine. A bump on the knee, but fine nonetheless.

It occurred to me that I could probably use this same technique for other things, like tattoos. I'm sure birthing women use a similar technique during labor. It's like a door has opened to a new world. I'm laying it on a little thick, but you get my point. I'm going to stop being a wimp, and suck it up, from now on.

Technorati Tags: pain, mind-over-matter, sledgehammer

Friends 'n Fam

2009-04-27T12:05:00.001-04:00

Technorati Tags: portraits, photos, pictures

Battleship!

2009-04-11T09:28:00.002-04:00

Tessa loves Battleship. We played 5 games last night, and at 9 this morning, she comes barging in our bedroom begging to play more. I never would have thought she would have liked this game quite this much. It sure beats video games, which she tends to have an addiction. Kids always amaze. Make sure you take note of my awesome ship placement!

Buying American ignorance

2009-04-07T16:15:00.000-04:00

(4/1/09)

I saw a bumper sticker on a car on the way home from work today. It said, “Please don't put my flag on your foreign car.” Living in the Detroit area I see this one all the time, “Out of a job yet? Keep buying foreign!” I am SO SICK of all those stupid, ignorant stickers, and therefore, viewpoints. Have these people thought of where all their other crap comes from? Where are your clothes made? Where is your new Playstation3 made? What about your FLAG STICKER? I suppose there are a few things still made in the States, but when it really boils down to it, no one cares until it affects their selfish asses. No one seemed to give a shit where their textiles were made, and the Carolinas had a tough time when all the textiles moved out of the US.

I grew up with a father working for GM for over 25 years. He made a moderate income and had the luxury of borrowing cars from GM on occasion. I was brainwashed as a child to think GM made the best cars in the world... and when it came time for me to buy my first new car, I didn't hesitate. I went on over to the Pontiac dealer and bought a Grand Am. I really wanted a stick-shift, but it wasn't offered. I needed a car, as I had recently totaled mine. I reluctantly bought the car, even though I KNEW I was just 'settling'. When it came time to purchase my next new vehicle, a van, I was already aware of the quality problems the big 3 had with their minivans, and drove right past. I bought a Honda. My dad was “disappointed” to say the least. It was then and there that I decided I am a “consumer”. I am not forced to buy a particular brand.

I'm nearly ready to buy my next new car. This one to replace my Grand Am. The big 3 don't make a car that I like. Why should I settle all over again? I refuse.

I am a person that likes to drive. I love the feeling of a stick shift in my hand. It's like the car & I are one. (It's a little cheesy, but that's ok) I guess this is where I differ from the average American. I guess you could call me an enthusiast; I have certain expectations that I guess many other people don't.

The lines of “American made” are becoming more blurry. Many “foreign” cars are either assembled here, or have a large American content. And conversely, many “American” cars are made of a large number of foreign parts. What about the foreign car companies that are owned by American car companies; are those foreign, or domestic? These are all things that people don't consider when making ignorant accusations.

(4/7/09)

I saw a lawn sign today that read “OUTSOURCING: Just say NO” on it. (It actually referred to a school district, but this is often a hot-button topic for manufacturers as well.) I laughed a little. Not all outsourcing is bad. If there were no outsourcing, I'd be out of a job. We don't design any of the parts we make. We build to our customers' designs. Our customers want to be able to take the part out of the package and place it in the assembly. Frankly, in many cases, we make a better-quality part than what they can make themselves. In addition, large companies don't have the time or resources to manage a considerable amount of small parts. It's sure easier (read: cheaper) to track/control a part number than it is to control the design and manufacture of that item.

I'm just tired of listening to all the whining about job losses due to a many-year history of falling quality, and design. The Big 3 have dug their own hole. Why should I jump in it? I expect to buy another new car in about 5-10 years. Perhaps by then the American car companies will earn the respect they desire, and I will buy one of their cars.

Technorati Tags: auto industry, cars, mony, rant

God's cool.

2009-03-17T15:54:00.001-04:00

8:30am

Every once in a while I realize how special I am to God. So far, today is one of those days. I started off in a funk. My heart felt lead to read the Bible a bit here at work, but it wasn't the reading of the Bible, but the “tug” I felt. (I'm also checking out Youversion by recommendation of a friend) I'm actually getting to experience what I hear others so frequently talk about.

A while back I asked God to show me what it meant to give Him my pain/anguish/frustration/anger... Slowly, but surely, I'm starting to figure that out. He's really taking the lead on this, as I am still unable to explain it. I get this peace, sometimes happiness, wash over me following said pain/frustration/etc. I am unbelievably thankful for God's patience with me. With every struggle in my gut, I feel reassurance in my heart. How cool!

I hear it's going to be 65°F today; it's my birthday (read: I am alive one more year); there's a bunch of people coming over tonight to help me celebrate; I received a zillion (10) messages on my Facebook wall wishing me a happy birthday.

It's now 4pm & this has been a difficult day. The potential for anger & frustration is there, but doesn't come to fruition. He keeps my heart open and peaceful. I'm looking forward to the blue sky, some green beer, some friends over, and a bunch of love in the air. Thank you Jesus.

Technorati Tags: birthday, St. Patrick's Day, Jesus

Art

2009-02-27T11:16:00.002-05:00

I'm an engineer by profession. My brain has always had a difficult time using its right side. In fact, that's the main reason why I dropped out of architecture school; I couldn't figure out my professors. I thought they were all quacks. In my old age, although I'm still applying logic to art, I'm starting to understand art better; I think.

I was listening to This Week in Photography again, and Fred is interviewing one of the most popular photographers on flickr, Rebekka. She made a comment that struck me. Basically she was saying it doesn't matter how the image is created. It only matters how you feel when you look at it. (I'm paraphrasing). Generally I find that I'm in the camp of "you must get the image correct out of the camera" rather, "only a little post-processing should be required." But I realize now that it really doesn't matter. How do you feel when you look at that image?

Logically, this also applies to music. Who cares if it was written by a team of writers, and the singer is only so-so, but looks good? How do you feel when you listen to it? I still have a lot more respect for vocalists & bands that can write their own material. Similarly, I have a lot of respect for those that can do it all in the camera. I figure this is because I have some idea of how hard it is to get it right, right out of the camera.

Art is cool.

Technorati Tags: art, music, photography, photoshop,

Sledding in '09

2009-02-26T22:30:00.001-05:00

Sledding in '09 from Mark Nielsen on Vimeo.

15 Albums

2009-02-25T16:00:00.002-05:00

Below are the 15 albums that have made a significant impact on my life (in no particular order):

Master of Puppets - Metallica. This was my first introduction to speed metal at the age of 12ish. I was complaining to a friend at summer camp that my ZZ Top wasn't cutting it anymore. He had this and a Megadeth album. The Megadeth album made a bit nervous due to the name of the band. So I chose Metallica. I was quite surprised at its genious.
(black) - Metallica. Even though I was an avid Metallica fan, I didn't buy this album until a year after it was released. I saw them in concert (for this tour) twice, and was awestruck at their musical-ness (don't judge me for my lack of vocabulary). The contrast between this and their previous albums was significant. They were able to produce music that the masses could take in...
Thriller - Michael Jackson. I used to lie on my livingroom floor, staring at the album sleeve whilst listening to the awesomeness that is Thriller. (First real intro to pop)
Automatic for the People - REM. For most this was just another good REM album. For me it was the foot in the door of all things REM and more. I had avoided REM for many years, as I didn't want to be a part of "that" crowd. I liked my hair metal.
IV - Led Zeppelin. I don't think I really need to say anything about this. If you don't know this album, shame on you.
(?) - Colgate 13 from Colgate University circa 1991. This album was entirely accapella. 13 guys singing an assortment of rearranged songs, all in perfect pitch. This, I thought, was talent.
Siamese Dream - Smashing Pumpkins. I bought this CD on a whim, and was pleasantly surprised. Every song contrasts the other; melodic sweetness.
Villains - Verve Pipe. One of those "college CDs" that I have fond memories about. This one in particular reminds me of Laura & I when we lived together at CMU.
With Teeth - Nine Inch Nails. Now, you may have expected me to say Pretty Hate Machine, or Downward Spiral, but no. Although Laura owns both of those, With Teeth was really the album that showed me how cool NIN is now (then). From there I watched Beside You in Time and was blown away. I then went back to Downward Spiral and listened as if I had never heard it before (at least the non-radio tracks). I now call myself a NIN fan, and am still pissed I've never seen them in concert.
In Search of Sunrise 3 - DJ Tiesto. This album really opened the doors of Trance to me. From here I went on to explore Armin van Burren, Above & Beyond (my current favorite), Paul van Dyk, etc. You can't help but dance when listening to this album.
Static & Silence - The Sundays. I listened to this album walking back & forth to class everyday back in '98. Since Laura had already graduated and was living back at home, the georgous voice of Harriet Wheeler reminded me of Laura. (Awwww...) I think this is The Sudays' best album, although many think differently.
(himself) - Eddie Murphy. Back in 7th grade my buddy & I would wait until his parents went to sleep, and would listen to this album with the volume as quiet as we could stand it, shoving our faces in pillows to lessen our hysterical lafter. It's not music, but it opened up my world to comedy in the audio form.
Glo - Delerious?. This was the first Christian CD that that I found cool i.e., the first time I learned Christian music could be cool.
Can You Hear Us? - David Crowder Band. The most identifiable lyrics evar!
Morning View - Incubus. Even though this is not my favorite Incubus album, nor is it the first I've owned, it's the album that I was listening to heavily when I proclaimed my first favorite artist/band: Incubus. This is quite significant because, until that time I had never had a favorite. In fact it's still difficult to determine a favorite even today.

This list was surprisingly more difficult to generate than I thought. I've listened to so many different styles of music, let alone artists, that have had some sort of impact. In fact, music alone has an emotional impact. That's why humans identify with it so much. This is one gift that God has granted us that I appreciate above many others. It's easy for me to be move to tears by tonality alone.

Technorati Tags: 15 albums, music

The Nights Earnings

2009-02-14T15:55:00.001-05:00

The Nights Earnings by AmateurX on Zooomr

Really!?!

2009-02-08T19:46:00.001-05:00

Amt Farm

2009-01-23T15:58:00.002-05:00

25 Things you probably don't know (or care to know) about me

2009-01-22T11:54:00.001-05:00

My first car accident was when I was 16 & 2 weeks old. I was hit by a drunk driver whilst "borrowing" my mother's car to cruise around with my girlfriend. It scared the crap out of me.
My first job was working in a pizza place. I lasted 2 months. I learned a lot: don't work in the food business, & don't complain about everything.
I can't decide what my favorite color is. Sometimes it's blue, sometimes it's green.
When I was a kid I longed to work at Lego. It was my dream job, and I really thought I had the "stuff" to do it. I later came to the realization that I really wasn't that good. :)
When I was 16 I skipped out on the family tradition of going to our church's Christmas Eve service (which I really did enjoy). Instead I went to my girlfriend's family party (yes, the same one in #1). It was then that I learned how much my then-girlfriend enjoyed the bottle & the pipe (if you know what I mean). I vowed to never skip Christmas Eve service again.
I love dance music. About 8-9 years ago my friend played me some Detroit Techno. I then went to explore other types of electronic music and finally settled on dance (house, club, euro-trance, etc). Internet radio has been my saving grace in this regard. I've blogged about Pandora.com many-a-time.
I really, really, really, want to travel to Europe and see a huge, spectacular DJ show like Sensation White, Armin Only, Mayday, etc. See #6.
My first car was a 1979 Chevrolet Nova; maroon, inline 6, automatic. The trunk was rusted shut and the valve cover gasket leaked oil like a gunshot victim on blood thinners.
The first time I went to Canada I was 19, dumb, and asked too many questions. I tried to make chit-chat with the Canadian border patrol. When they were searching my car (the Nova), they found a couple of my girlfriend's feminine hygiene products in the glove compartment. They asked me whose it was since she wasn't with me. I said, "My girlfriend's". They asked me to open the trunk. I said I couldn't; it's rusted shut. I showed the officer and that was good enough for her. Obviously this was well before 9/11.
My first time having a beer cooler was during my trip to Canada (see #9).
I've always thought that my life would make a good movie.
I’ve lived my entire life in Michigan. Although some days in the winter I’d like to move someplace warm, I don’t think I’ll ever leave.
I married the girl I took to my high school senior prom:

When I was a kid (<12), whenever I fell off my bike, I made sure to get up quickly & not make much fuss, because I felt like an idiot when the neighbors would come out to “rescue” me.
When I was 13, my friend & I would sneak into a quiet place in the house and listen to Eddie Murphy tapes.
About 4 years ago I spent a week in Amsterdam on a short-term mission trip assisting a local church called Zolder50. Although we were there doing God’s work, it didn’t really feel like we accomplished much. I loved the city, and want need to take my wife there.
I have a serious problem with authority, namely cops. I have a feeling this is an inherited trait, which strangely, makes me proud.
I’m constantly intrigued by people and society. I often wonder how people cope with their individual life struggles, and who their friends are.
I’m a jack of all trades, master of none. I am often jealous of people that are really good at things I am interested in, e.g. photography, Guitar (Hero), home improvement, parenting, etc.
I changed my own oil in every car I’ve owned.
I love cars like I love dance music (see #6). I just can’t afford to own anything new(ish).
My first computer was a 386 DX20 with a 40MiB HDD. It was a Christmas present in 1989, & cost about $3400. When I installed a copy of Windows 3.1, it was 20 floppy discs, & I had to use a Stacker program to bring my HDD to 80MiB.
I always complain about not having any friends, but I’m not willing to do all the work to obtain/maintain them. What to 2 married men talk about anyway, their wives?
When I was quite young (<6) I would sometimes play doctor with the girl down the street (per her request). One day my buddy got busted by her mother for playing the same game, and was banned from seeing her again. I was too little to really understand what was going on or its ramifications. I even, often, felt uncomfortable playing that “game” but didn’t have any idea about how to express my feelings. She & I eventually stopped playing each other when she moved on to Jr. High (she was a few years older than I).
Although I’m not a fanatic, I do love movies. I prefer dramas, but I’m also a sucker for those sappy romantic comedies.
(Bonus) I have 2 tattoos. One on each arm.

Technorati Tags: 25 things, personal, friendfeed

American Ale

2009-01-21T12:00:00.001-05:00

Technorati Tags: American Ale, Budweiser, Photograph, Depth of Field

Revelation...history

2009-01-21T10:47:00.001-05:00

Yesterday I was driving home listening to a re-broadcast of Obama's speech. I thought it was good. I identified with much of what he had to say. One of his bullet-points, he mentioned about schools today, made me think. My mind raced at the possibilities of the future of our schools. It quickly went to the extreme of forcing all children to be in state-run schools. I coupled that with Bush's history of unauthorized wiretapping, and increased Homeland Security authority. Then in popped my a thought, "Socialism". Of course I haven't really heard that term since government class in high school.

When I was a kid in high school, I asked my parents why I had to learn the crappy subjects like history & social studies. They told me a simple answer, "so we don't repeat the mistakes we made in the past." It sounded reasonable enough, but I never gave it any more thought. My parents were "smart" so I assumed they knew what they were talking about. Now that I'm an adult, and I am directly affected by the government and its restrictions, I am naturally more interested in politics. (Of course it's more apparent with this past election, and its significance.) I realized that if we as a people don't know our history, and the history of other countries, we are doomed to repeat mistakes of the past. We won't be able to recognize when a capitalist society slowly turns into a socialist society.

These thoughts really have nothing to do with Obama in particular, but only the presidential position in general. You may be thinking I'm taking things too far with my thoughts, but remember, Hitler was elected (sort of), and so was Chancellor Palpetine.

Debris Kills Boy in Stands at Monster Truck Show

2009-01-19T11:54:00.001-05:00

"TACOMA, Wash. – Debris flew into the grandstands at a monster truck show in Washington state, killing a 6-year-old boy and injuring another spectator, witnesses and fire officials said Saturday. A red truck came apart while doing doughnuts during the freestyle competition of Friday night's Monster Jam show, the witnesses said. "I can't help but think of how much my 4 year old son LOVES cars/trucks. He would love to be at an event like this. I imagine what this boy was like during the show; happy, exuberant, excited to see the loud monster trucks doing their thing. I can only imagine how I would be in this situation if this were to happen to my son.

read more | digg story

Resolution update

2009-01-07T09:53:00.001-05:00

Last week I stated that one of my New Year's resolutions was to significantly reduce my sugar intake. Yesterday I read a great post on why people fail at their resolutions. I had a realization that it's a combination of consistency, and in my case, moderation. So far I've been pretty successful at paying attention to my sugar intake. I am constantly avoiding (extra) chocolate, and other related candies. I refuse to buy more chocolate once my Christmas stash gifts run out. If I must have a doughnut for breakfast, I'll just eat half the doughnut. So far so good. I figure once I master the moderation, I can move into ridding myself of that garbage once and for all.

Technorati Tags: goals, resolutions, doughnuts, food

This is a good one...

2009-01-05T11:58:00.001-05:00

9 Methods for Mastering Your Money in 2009 ∞ Get Rich Slowly

Starting tonight I'm going to put forth intentional effort to my our finances. I'm going to start with a priority list (needs vs. wants), then move on to the debt-reduction plan. I didn't make this a "resolution" but I don't need to; it's on my mind a lot. I plan on using the tips from GRS in the link above. I expect to be in good financial position by April. Oh yeah, that reminds me. I need to adjust my federal exemption again!

Technorati Tags: budget, money, spending plan, GRS

Interview with the Nielsens

2009-01-03T01:21:00.001-05:00

Interview with the Nielsens from Mark Nielsen on Vimeo.

New Year resolutions

2009-01-02T14:41:00.002-05:00

Photo by iirraa

Until now, I have never really believed in New Years resolutions. I figured if I don't have any resolutions, then I can't not keep them, and therefore, I can't be ridiculed. So this is the first time I'm going to make a resolution. I plan on joining millions of other Americans and am going to go on a diet. What I should really do is exercise more, but considering my schedule, it'll be easier to control what I eat. This is going to be tough. I've been eating pretty much anything I can get my hands on as of late. Sugar is going to be the main substance that's getting deep cuts. No candy canes, Hershey's Kisses, doughnuts, animal crackers, ice cream, chocolate chips, cookies (except for an extreme rationing of Girl Scout cookies), sugar-cereal, etc. It's going to be painful for a little while, but not nearly as bad if I were to continue this downward spiral.

I've also been thinking about getting the family to exercise regularly. I'd like to think as much as the kids run around all day they wouldn't need it. But I think we can all (at least) go for a walk everyday, it'll get the kids into a structured exercise routine that, hopefully, they carry on for their entire lives. This item may take a little more finesse in the logistical department.

I have a few others that I'm not placing as much weight on, but would still like to keep track of them. Here are all of my resolutions in bulk:

Control eating
Develop exercise plan & execute
Take more video of the family (without fancy editing)
Take more pictures of all the family. This includes both Laura & me.
Create emergency savings (aka don't be stupid with the money)
Expand photography skills by taking more pictures.

Technorati Tags: new years resolutions

Guilty pleasures...so?

2008-12-06T22:57:00.001-05:00

54 by !SOY 89¡ on Zooomr

We all have guilty pleasures, although it's more guilty for men, I'm thinking. A friend of mine has created a list of his top 5 guilty pleasure movies; one of which is Mean Girls. I have to admit, I have several guilty pleasures. Here are a few:

Mean Girls
Sky High
Freaky Friday
"One Step at a Time" by Jordan Sparks
nearly anything by Justin Timberlake
"Womanizer" by Britney Spears
"Disturbia" & "SOS" by Rihanna

As you can see, these are pretty bad. But you need to understand, I don't care. Who's judging me? My friends? My coworkers? You?

I was talking with a friend the other day about why we're homeschooling our kids. One of the bullet-points that popped in my head was self-esteem.
I can remember numerous times where my peers in school would give me a hard time about what I liked. I tried my darnedest to blow them off, and enjoy what I liked anyway. I wasn't strong enough. It took many years, (and a wonderful wife) to get over those fears of "what will people think?".
I want my kids to have the freedom to like what they like, why they like it. Not because their friends like it.

So, basically I'm exercising my right to like stupid stuff.

Pandora Radio - Listen to Free Internet Radio, Find New Music

Technorati Tags: pandora.com, guilty pleasures, music, movies, freaky friday, mean girls

Sunset

2008-12-06T16:32:00.001-05:00

In an effort to ignore the freezing weather & tons of snow falling from the sky...

Sunset by AmateurX on Zooomr

6th photo on the 6th page

2008-12-04T17:47:00.002-05:00

IMG_5606, originally uploaded by AmateurX.

From Flickr Meme on Friendfeed:

“It works like this: if you use Flickr, go to the sixth page of your photostream and pick the sixth picture there, then post it to your blog.”

This is my cousin, taken at my late grandmother's house. The extended family was taking pictures that day...will probably be the last time the whole family will get together like that.

Getting up the guts

2008-12-03T13:10:00.002-05:00

Inspired by Dmom's post on getting emails to avoid Costco, I am reminded of ThanksNo.com.

I have a few friends/family members that send me email that are ~~meaningless~~ forwards. Ah, the dreaded "FW:" in the subject line. I could just filter them out, but I'd rather not get them in the first place. In fact, recently I received an email that I thought for sure was a personal, (hand) written email straight from the heart. It started off nice, but then melted away into a chain letter! I was flaberghasted.

ThanksNo does a pretty good job of getting the message across. Listen, I like you. You're my friend/relative/loved-one. I just don't want to receive emails like this. Please don't take offense...yadda, yadda, yadda.

The problem I'm having is, I don't want them to be offended. Which is funny, because I just said ThanksNo does a pretty good job of laying it all out. Still, these are good friends/relatives. And, I don't do well in the "too bad they got offended, that's their problem" department. Of course, if these people would read my blog I wouldn't even have to send them the link. :)

Technorati Tags: ThanksNo, friends, relatives, junk-email, etiquette

Barrier

2008-11-27T11:00:00.001-05:00

Barrier, originally uploaded by AmateurX.

Yeah, I think I want a Chi-Rho

2008-11-26T14:30:00.001-05:00

I've been wanting a new tattoo for ages. I have a place picke out (on the inside of my forearm) I just haven't decided what to get. I think I want one of these.

I really want to show you the pic, but I don't want to hot-link. Please check out this link above for all the cool pics.

Technorati Tags: tattoo, Chi-Rho, body-art

Flewallen Family Reunion

2008-11-25T18:28:00.002-05:00

Flewallen family reunion from Mark Nielsen on Vimeo.

Here's a video of Laura's family reunion over the 4th of July. Hillbillies, fireworks, guns, and fire, what more can you ask for? Click thru for the hi-def version!

Halt the endless wanting!

2008-11-24T12:52:00.001-05:00

Today I read this fantastic blog-post on GetRichSlowly called You Can't Always Get What You Want. He made the distinction between wanting by itself, and satisfying those wants. This is my exact problem. I want to satisfy every want I have, regardless of financial consequences. It's good to want, but not necessarily to satisfy every want you have. This might be one of my New Year's resolutions. "...to differentiate the wants I can/should satisfy, and those I can't/shouldn't. Every person in the U.S. needs to read this article.

Technorati Tags: money, blog,

SV at Bean & Leaf

2008-11-09T19:13:00.000-05:00

SV at Bean & Leaf from Mark Nielsen on Vimeo.

Parenting is more than just the "do's" and the "don't's"

2008-11-05T15:13:00.002-05:00

Last Wednesday (10/29/08) I took the girls out to dinner at National Coney Island. We were out and had the opportunity to grab some food outside the house for a change. The kids were pretty excited. They both chatted the whole time, while eating, & coloring on their place-mats. Little Tessa was going on & on about how she wanted her birthday there... (I need to note that this conversation was funny in and of itself, but is not the main focus of this post.) She eventually decided that she wanted to go to Red Robin because they sing, cheer, & bring dessert. Buried in this discussion though, I could see she just wanted to go out to dinner. ...and not just the whole family, but with me specifically. It broke my heart.

It wasn't long ago that I posted about how I was going to take each of the kids out to breakfast, individually, so we can have some quality one-on-one time. Fears of heart attack, and obesity have stifled my plans. I have come to realize, it's not the meal. It's the time. I'm thinking we could go grocery shopping, for that matter, and have a good time.

The more I think about it though, the more I realize it's state of mind. I need to be aware that wherever I am, whatever I'm doing, I could be spending time with the kids. Logistically this could get a little crazy, but I think if it's in my heart, the logistics will follow.

Why does God gotta be teachin' me humility?

2008-10-30T09:20:00.001-04:00

These last few years I've acquired a bad attitude. I frequently find myself judging others for their shortcomings. The funny thing is, I'm not completely oblivious to my own shortcomings, Mainly, I just block them from my consciousness. God unfailingly inserts snippets of clarity into my life on a regular basis. (I'd like to think that most of the time I pick up on them, but that could also be one of my shortcomings.)

Today's lesson is on grammar. Within a half an hour of arriving at work, I was slapped across the face with an email containing, what I considered, horrible grammar. Minutes later, I came across a newsletter that contained a word I had felt been misused: “diametrically”. (Without going into much detail, we use the word “diametral” at work all the time. Some people use the word diametrical in its place. Until today I felt this was completely incorrect, and all users should be punished.) I looked both words up on both Definr & dictionary.com to verify their use. I read the definitions, and son-of-a-gun, I was wrong.

I'm not dumb. I know the right answers. I lack the discipline to stick to God's guidelines. Being humbled, when not expecting it, can be a bitch. But humility is necessary. I found a few verses that illustrate:

Do nothing from rivalry or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. Philippians 2:3 (English Standard Version)
The reward for humility and fear of the LORD is riches and honor and life. Proverbs 22:4 (English Standard Version)
For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted. Luke 14:11 (English Standard Version)

God always says it better than I do.

Technorati Tags: Jesus, humility, reflection

A dark day...

2008-10-24T11:06:00.000-04:00

What the hell? Why does it seem that my recent days are littered with dark days? To many, this will seem like I'm a whiner, and to a certain degree I am; but this issue is important to me.

Take away all other websites, but leave me my internet radio!

We recently received a memo at work re-stating the computer use policy. Teamed with the purchase of some new internet logging software, management wants to crack down on internet use. Generally speaking I don't have any problem with that. They already filter out Facebook, and I could give a rip about Myspace. Obviously, without the distraction of the internet, there's nothing really else to do except work.

Here's my dilemma. I've been with this particular company for 9 years. I've been listening to internet radio the entire time. I've watched internet radio go from flourishing in the beginning to the almost skeletal state that resides now. I've written several posts celebrating Pandora for its unique idea, and song selection methods. I've been listening to Pandora almost exclusively for the last 3-4 years. I've found that I'm most productive with the headphones on, and Pandora rockin'. I'm able to tune out all the BS that goes on, and concentrate on my work.

I've written before that music is a lifeblood of mine. I get cranky when I don't get my daily allowance; think of it as sleep. It's hard to explain so I won't do it here. Let's just say music plays an extremely important role in my life so a change like this has its adverse affects.

I can hear it now from all 3 of you...”get an MP3 player!” You're actually missing the point. Internet radio contains music I don't have. In the case of Pandora, it's all about music discovery; finding music I might like based on what I do like. Quite often, they're right. The alternatives (read: bit-Torrent) I don't consider practical; not for music discovery. The radio is a joke, so don't even say it.

I stand by my headline, “take any website, just don't take my internet radio.”

Technorati Tags: music, pandora.com, frustration, work

Baby steps...

2008-10-17T13:54:00.001-04:00

I have recently re-evaluated my federal tax exemption. When I claimed “6”, I would get a fairly large return in April. I have since changed that for the rest of the year. Did you know you can claim “19”? That’s the max. On the IRS.gov website, there’s an withholding calculator. It’s actually quite interesting.

My plan involves paying down debt for the remainder of the year, and stashing as much as I can get away with. I’m going to then re-evaluate my withholding exemption in January, and again in June. I hadn’t thought of optimizing my exemption until recently.

See more progress on: Save money

Dear Digg: Girl Missing. Have You Seen Her?

2008-10-14T14:53:00.001-04:00

Ok, so a friend of mine tipped me on to this. If you've got any information, it'd be hugely appreciated.

read more | digg story

Annoyed...LBP, where are you?

2008-10-08T12:25:00.003-04:00

LittleBigPlanet - The Human Body Level

When I placed my pre-order for LPB a month ago, I used trusty Amazon.com. (Even though they had recently eliminated their 30 day price protection policy, I figured that game wouldn't drop in price for quite a while.) I haven't pre-ordered anything for probably 5 years, so I wasn't sure I would get it on the day of release. At the time, I didn't care. "What's a few days?" I thought. "I am saving $4 in sales tax." Little did I know...

During the last month, I have been amazed at all the things surrounding this game; from the plethora of pre-order goodies, to the reviews from all those using the beta. Screenshots, in-game videos, costumes, user-created levels, all get my hands twitching with excitement.

LittleBigPlanet TGS 2007 Trailer

Today I receive an email stating if I want to receive the game on the release day, I have to pay $5.98. Screw that! Even with the pre-order incentives, I'm way too cheap to pay $6 to ship something I can go up to the store, cheaper. But at the same time, I can't wait 5-9 days for shipping! I've decided to go up to GameCrazy and place my pre-order there. That way, I can pick up the game on the way home from work. (Not to mention, they have a cool carrying case.) I'll pay the $4 tax to have it on that day.

Now, I'm sure that all 2 of you who read my blog wonder why I would make such a big deal about having this game at launch. Just search LBP on google or youtube, and you'll see; or go to the LBP website. This game is going to be awesome for the whole family...

...and look at this cute costume for those who get the game at launch:

Technorati Tags: LittleBigPlanet, Amazon, video games,

And soeth starteth the film festival...eth

2008-10-06T14:41:00.002-04:00

I started this tradition last year and I think it worked well. All year I add "scary" movies to my Netflix que. In October I watch all said scary movies, all month long. It makes for a pretty exciting month of October. Plus, it gets me in the mood for Halloween. This time though, I think I'm going to have to interject some 'kid movies' into the mix. The kids were somewhat annoyed that I used my 'emergency powers' to take over the que. The problem is, last year I watched many, many of these movies, and now I don't have many that I haven't seen. I'm really on the look out for a good, scary (not gory) movie. Take a look at my que (if you have Netflix. I can't figure out how to show it to the public) and give me a recommendation! I need it.

Technorati Tags: movies, October, netflix, Star Wars, scary, Halloween

Economist: Why Bankruptcy is Better than Wall Street Bailout

2008-09-30T11:26:00.002-04:00

This is an excellent explanation of the bailout

.Congress has balked at the Bush administration's proposed $700 billion bailout of Wall Street. Under this plan, the Treasury would have bought the "troubled assets" of financial institutions in an attempt to avoid economic meltdown. This bailout was a terrible idea. Here's why.

read more | digg story

Michigan Voters To Decide Medical Marijuana Issue

2008-09-29T11:58:00.001-04:00

On November 4, the citizens of Michigan will decide whether to legalize the medical use of marijuana in their state. Polls are showing the measure with 67% support.

read more | digg story

Atheism on digg scares me

2008-09-29T07:09:00.000-04:00

I'm not linking to the particular digg story on purpose. The comments there kinda freak me out.

Today I ran across a comic that showed God being thankful that atheists don't 'bug' him with requests, and heartache. That, in conjunction with the comments about how atheism is so much better than religion kinda got me sick to my stomach. Everything was riddled with ignorance; hundreds of people having no clue of what God's character is. It actually made me sad to know that all these people lead lives of ignorance, & don't/won't know God's love or grace.

Clarification...not a douche

2008-09-26T10:12:00.001-04:00

Yesterday I posted my rebuttal to an article about ways to improve the romance in your relationship. I need to clarify that many of my "psssh, that wont work for me" comments were based on personality differences between the "standard couple" and my relationship with my wife. I had not intention to make Laura look like a douche. Please accept my apologies for any douche-ical emphasis.

Technorati Tags: apology, wife, douche, relationship, oops

7 Ways To Inject Romance Into Your Relationship...uh, not for me

2008-09-25T10:45:00.001-04:00

photo by luigi morante

Dumb Little Man has a good post about how to interject (more) romance into your relationship. I'll list them briefly, but go read the article. They are as follows.

Eye Gazing
Book a romantic surprise getaway
Touch your partner more often
Play romantic games
Write a love letter
Surprise your partner with a romantic dinner
Spend more time together

I love running across blog posts like these because everybody's got their opinion. For the most part, the "experts" have a formula that works. The problem I have is that Laura & I don't fit the mold. The standard formulas don't apply; they need to be modified.

Eye gazing - Won't work. About once a week I comment to my lover to come sit closer so we can gaze into each others' eyes. She laughs in my face. She may think I'm kidding, but I don't think that matters. She makes comments like, "Why are you staring at me?"

Book a surprise getaway - I don't have a spare $300 minimum that is required for a day or two outside the home. If there are cheaper options, it's rare that she'll consider them. I have no doubt that getting out of the house for an overnight, or longer, would be beneficial to her/us. It would be even more cool if I were to surprise her with all the details taken care of. I won't disregard this one altogether, but for now it's not realistic.

Touch your partner more often - I'm the touchy one in the relationship. I can relate being gently rubbed on my back, or leg, or whatever, to sitting in a hot tub. It's very comforting to me. For me to return the favor gets mixed results. Sometimes she thinks I want have ulterior motives, other times she finds it downright annoying. I tend to shy away from this behavior, and therefore keep my hands to myself, figuratively of course.

Play romantic games - Naughty films don't cut it. We've been there before. I think I've even tried one of those "relationship books" before...

Write a love letter - If I had any decent writing skills, and patience, I might actually try this. Laura loves to write, and is genuinely appreciative of hand-written letters. I consider myself a decent typist; a writer I'm not. Shoot, when was the last time you have read a love letter? Me too. I don't even know what they're supposed to say, or sound like. Maybe the content wouldn't be as important as long as it's stated 'from the heart', and of course, hand-written. I know, I've seen the movies. I love those sappy romantic-comedies, but that's another post. I'll concede that this one may work. Just don't ask me to do it on a regular basis.

Surprise your partner with a romantic dinner - The hard part with this one is more getting the kids out of the house than making the dinner. In addition, Laura often gets stressed out when we're home when the kids are somewhere else. It's the chronic "what needs to be done now? Laundry?" feeling voices she has. I might be able to calm those inner-voices with a little (or a lot) of gin & tonic. Hmm.... Let me think about this one.

Spend more time together - Well, duh! This one is harder than it sounds. With the constant distractions of children, Blackberries^®, etc. it's hard to spend time together, other than just next to each other. Now that it's football season, we have a whole hour to sit and chat at the park while the kids practice & play on the structure. She, on the other hand would rather use that time to clean up the house, grocery shop, run any errands that have to be done, etc. I can't really blame her for wanting to get things done so the voices stop (see above). I think this one is the most important, but the hardest to accomplish. Let's face it, it takes a shit-ton of work on both parties' part.

Okay, so after a little reflection on each bullet point, I concede that there are a few I could try. Some are going to be a lot of work, others I'm not even going to attempt. I even chuckle at the thought of a couple. I still think the easiest solution is sexytime. ;) I'd love to hear some of your solutions/ideas...preferably free.

Technorati Tags: relationships, marriage, reflection, tips, familly

Nervous...

2008-09-23T14:16:00.001-04:00

A while back, I wrote Pandora to make some suggestions to go out with a "bang". I realize today that I may have jumped the gun. Obviously they don't want to dissolve, and will be doing whatever they can to avoid closing the doors. The problem, I realize, is that I'm nervous. I've had several of my favorite net radio stations close their doors, and I'm paranoid that it'll happen again.

So basically, I had given up on them. I guess I hadn't really thought about it, but that's the risk of using start-up, web2.0 companies. You may be the only one who likes the site.

I have an HDRadio tuner for my car. I spend probably 1/4 of my time listening to traditional/terrestrial radio. When I actually do listen to the radio, I have 2 stations that I listen to. One of those stations plays old hip-hop classics, & the other plays (new) dance music. The horrific repeating of tracks still exists, but because I only listen once-in-a-while, I can live with it.

More or less, if terresterial radio dissappeared tomorrow, I wouldn't shed a tear. Now, if internet radio left us, I would be very upset.

Technorati Tags: pandora.com, internet radio, music, radio

Top 10 80’s Cartoons

2008-09-23T06:47:00.001-04:00

Okay, so the title isn't entirely accurate. It's close enough for me. Make sure you click on the digg link, because the thread is awesome (as always) with links to other shows & videos!Oh the 80’s. The decade that gave us the Wonder Years, Who’s the Boss, great video games and a flippant hairstyle as high as a skyriser. What else could the 80’s be known for? What about all the great cartoons that came out in the 80’s? In this list, we will go through what we think are the top 10 cartoons from the 80’s.

read more | digg story

Arrr....

2008-09-19T09:26:00.001-04:00

Avast! Happy Talk Like a Pirate Day!

Ye should be visiten' http://www.talklikeapirateday.com/
for more info, savvy?

Music video games (aka Guitar Hero): family friendly?

2008-09-19T09:18:00.001-04:00

I was reading a good point-counterpoint over at AnandTech: Parenting And Rock Band 2: Why I'm Not Getting The Game. Although the wife had some valid points, I still ended up siding with the father.

For me deciding to buy Guitar Hero III was a no-brainer. Heck, I didn't even consider the kids until I saw the scantily-clad girl (character) with her thong sticking out of her pants. Buying the alternate outfit, to cover up the bra-for-a-top, for said character was one of the first things I did. (I still haven't "unlocked" the devil character for obvious reasons).

One of the counter-points of the article was about language. I know, for the most part, they censor the swear words (as a parent, I applaud; as a grown-up, I cringe). But it's the other words and their respective contexts that I hadn't really thought about. In fact, even though I had heard 90% of all the songs before, I never payed any attention to the words; heck, I still don't. So, without dragging this topic on, here's my stance: I'm way too busy trying to hit the notes to pay attention to the words. I think my kids are the same way. I'm not worried.

For me Guitar Hero III (and soon to be World Tour) is, or at least should be, part of our homeschool curriculum; hear me out. I place a great importance on music and film with repsect to our culture. It is important to me that kids know who Led Zeppelin, Metallica, Rolling Stones, The Doors, Aerosmith, etc, etc, etc are. Guitar Hero does a pretty good job at exposing my kids to musical culture. Caveat: I know that there are many, many more genres of music; that's a whole other post.

So, the bottom line, is that I'm going to let, and even encourage my children to play Guitar Hero Rock Band, et. al.

[Photo by Vracing]

Technorati Tags: music, video games, Guitar Hero, kids, AnandTech, Rock Band,

Can 365 Nights Of Sex Bolster A Marriage?

2008-09-15T16:24:00.001-04:00

When Their Marriages Fell Into The Doldrums, Two Long-Married Couples Took Action. Hit the read link for more.

read more | digg story

Amazon.com to stop post-order price guarantee

2008-09-15T10:00:00.001-04:00

As of September 1, 2008 Amazon.com will stop giving refunds if the item you purchased drops in price within 30 days. I used this 'feature' all the time. I will no longer consider Amazon like I used to. That sucks...for them.

read more | digg story

Transferred balance to 0% int. card

2008-09-15T07:52:00.001-04:00

I recently transferred my huge credit card balance to a 0% interest credit card. I think I get like 9mos to pay it off. In theory, this shouldn’t be a problem. The problem is, my car(s) have a bunch of servicing that needs to be done.

At least it’s a step in the right direction!

See more progress on: pay off my credit card

I knew there was justification for my many hours spent looking at pictures!

2008-09-15T07:09:00.001-04:00

TWIP » Improve Your Images - TWIP

Here’s How To Improve Your Photography - Look at lots of pictures!

It all makes sense. The more pictures you study, the better pictures you take. I am very selective when I favorite photos on Flickr. I only press that little star when I really like an image. The suggestion over on TWiP is to not only view, but study tons of images. This way you can better understand what you like and what you don't; and how it's achieved.

This is an image by one of my favorite photographers on Flickr. There's so much about this picture that speaks to me: perfectly sharp eyes; math on the hand; smirk underneath the hand; the framing that puts her eyes toward the top right, her hand toward the middle, and just enough shoulder as to not over-power the shot. I'm not the only one. There's ~119 comments on this image alone. (Her profile says she's 15; I think that might be an old bio.)

Photo by *Zara

If you haven't already, make sure you check out the This Week in Photography podcast. It always has useful information for all skill levels of photography. It's run by some professional photographers, but is dumbed-down for the amateur like me.

Technorati Tags: TWiP, photography, Flickr

I am a f*cking idiot

2008-09-12T15:19:00.001-04:00

I am a f*cking idiot, originally uploaded by gmr2048.

Don't freak out, this isn't *my* lens. It's not something you really think about until it happens to you. His story about this has mirrored a story of mine (with the exception of anything broken). Time to maybe stitch a "quick clip" on my backpack to (hopefully) prevent these types of accidents.

Not the first time

2008-09-05T16:22:00.001-04:00

Pandora Radio - Listen to Free Internet Radio, Find New Music

I don't know what it is, but why is it that music always sounds better through headphones here at work? Normally, I am sick & tired of "classic rock". I grew up on that stuff, and now I'm pretty much over it. For some reason though, I put on the headphones and listen to my Led Zeppelin station, and off I go...peace.

So was sitting there at my desk thinking about ho much better the music sounded. I envisioned listening to the same awesome tunes of the 70s in my car, or the stereo at home. Nuthin'. No thanks. It's not the same! I can't put my finger on it. I think there's something about being 'stuck' in front of the computer; you're forced to listen. Even if you're busy at work...

More than one time my mind was thinking, "MAN, this is good sh*t!" <head groove>, <head groove>

Shoot, I have to wait. >:o|

2008-09-04T07:31:00.005-04:00

Welp, I think I've decided that I need to wait probably at least 6 months before I can buy a (new) car. I realized today that I need to dig myself out of debt before I plunge into more debt. It's like ripping the bandaid^(r) off. I know it's going to hurt, I sure as hell don't want to do it, but I know it needs to be done. It doesn't help when I see events like this going on:

Capture by AmateurX on Zooomr

ABC Reporter Arrested in Denver Tracing the Money Trail

2008-08-28T12:15:00.001-04:00

It's not even about the story that he was trying to report. It's about the fact that he was arrested for being on public property (the sidewalk). Watch the video to see the officer push the reporter into the street, then later another officer grabs him by the throat. ...gets my blood boiling.

read more | digg story

Abandoned Michigan Central Train Station in the fog - Detroit

2008-08-27T11:18:00.002-04:00

Abandoned Michigan Central Train Station in the fog - Detroit, originally uploaded by Derek Farr ( DetroitDerek ).

I have fond memories of, as a kid, sitting in the HUGE lobby, on the long wooden benches. I have no idea why I was there, I just remember being there. :)

Suggestion for going out with a bang! (letter to Pandora)

2008-08-21T08:46:00.003-04:00

Tim and gang,
Shortly after wiping the tears off my face after reading the New York Times article, my mind was racing to figure out what I'm going to do after Pandora goes black. I have been a huge fan of Pandora for a long time, and I really don't know what I'm going to do without it. So, to my point:

Idea 1) for the last 24hrs (or so) set up all the users' stations so that they only play the thumbed up songs. That way, they'll be guaranteed great radio on their(your) last day.
Idea 2) Make it easy for the user to export all their fave'd (or even thumbed-up) songs so that at a later date the user can refer to the list when looking for the music they like.

The bottom line is that Pandora is a great resource, not only audibly, but it holds a lot of data the I'm sure users would like to have (about themselves).

These are just a couple of thoughts I thought might be worth (someone's) while. Thank you for the many years of AWESOME service. You are loved by many, and will be missed.

Mark
(AmateurX)

Basic Rights Denied At J.F.K. Airport

2008-08-20T08:56:00.001-04:00

Although I'm not surprised, I am still bothered by stories like this. You must read it.I was recently stopped by Homeland Security as I was returning from a trip to Syria. What I saw in the hours that followed shocked and disturbed me.

read more | digg story

GT350

2008-08-19T06:10:00.001-04:00

GT350, originally uploaded by AmateurX.

My Pandora Bio

2008-08-18T13:25:00.001-04:00

I figured since Pandora is probably going to shut down soon, I'd post my Pandora bio for all my ~~millions of~~ blog readers see. Here it is:

I grew up exploring hard rock, then eventually hair metal in the 90s. In college I went thru a music identity crisis; listening to all sorts of things, none of which really struck me. In 1999 I discovered electronic music with a now defunct internet radio station Pajamajammyjam. I quickly dove in with both feet & have been stuck there ever since. I like Euro-Dance, Trance, some funk, some downbeat, some goa, and the occasional D&B. I'm sure there's other categories I can't define...

Now I'm a Pandora die-hard with no intentions of stopping. Curse SoundExchange with their bogus royalty rates. Long live internet radio!!

Technorati Tags: Pandora.com, music, biography

Pandora Nears Its 'Last Stand'

2008-08-16T21:58:00.001-04:00

The burgeoning company may be on the verge of collapse, according to its founder, and so may be others like it. "We're approaching a pull-the-plug kind of decision," said Tim Westergren, who founded Pandora. "This is like a last stand for webcasting."

read more | digg story

Saddest Picture You'll See Today

2008-08-15T09:37:00.001-04:00

U.S. Army Capt. Charles Ford plays a video game with seven-year-old Wa'ad, who lost an arm and a leg to an improvised bomb, during a visit to the child's home near Muqdadiyah, about 90 kilometers (60 miles) north of Baghdad in Iraq's volatile Diyala province.

read more | digg story

Inspiration...revisited

2008-08-08T16:11:00.002-04:00

Flickr: Explore interesting photos from the last 7 days in FlickrLand...

I could hit the reload button for hours... It's amazing how many good pictures there are out there in the world. It kinda makes me feel challenged to improve my picture-taking performance. Now all I need is more hours for post-processing...

Technorati Tags: photography, flickr, pictures, web

I'm a sucker for financing...Canon 70-200mm yummy goodness

2008-08-08T10:47:00.003-04:00

70-200mm...yummy

Amazon.com: Canon EF 70-200mm f/4 L IS USM Lens for Canon Digital SLR Cameras: Camera & Photo

No Interest if Paid in Full in 24 Months...
when you purchase this item or other select Camera, Photo & Video products using the Amazon.com Store Card. Minimum monthly payments required. Applies only to products sold by Amazon.com. Does not apply to products sold on our site by third-party sellers. 1-Click and phone orders do not apply. Offer ends September 30. Additional restrictions apply.

I saw this today, on my usual check-for-deals web searching. I've been wanting this lens ever since it came out a couple of years ago. I haven't really been able to justify the expense. In fact, last year was the first football season where I really wished I had that lens. The girls are cheering again this season, so when I saw this financing deal (and a good price to boot), I started shuffling around in my seat. Picture a 10 year old boy jonesin' to go to the bathroom during a test in class.

Now, all I have to do is justify the cost, v.s. the financing, & see if I can wedge it into the budget.

Photo by GregCee
Technorati Tags: deals, photography, Amazon, photography, budget

Some days I LOVE Pandora. This is one of them.

2008-08-05T09:34:00.002-04:00

I've been using Pandora for quite a while now. Most of the time I listen is at work. Lately, I've been quite busy & unable to slap on the headphones. The few times I've had chances to listen, I've been unimpressed. I'm not sure if it's the mood I'm in, or the selections that Pandora has been making...

Today on the other hand, it's as if the big P has been saving up all the good songs! I'm grooving like crazy here at my desk (my colleagues are most certainly snickering at my toe-tapping).

The last time I had such a good listen, I emailed them and they sent me a shirt! I'm not trying to get another shirt (although, that would be pretty righteous), but I just needed to give them props...again.

PandoraScreen by AmateurX on Zooomr
Technorati Tags: Pandora.com, music, web

Just got back from Vacation...

2008-08-01T12:00:00.001-04:00

..and boy am I whipped. I know it's "vacation" so I'm supposed to be recharged. Well, when you go camping with an overworked wife, and 3 kids under age 9, relaxation isn't automatic. I'm making some attempts to get back into the craziness of the city. I'll post pics later...

I gotta stop watching Martin Scorsese movies...

2008-07-24T06:56:00.001-04:00

I recently watched The Departed. I was really enjoying it until the last 10ish minutes where I was expecting all my questions to be answered. Needless to say, my questions were not answered, & I felt hung on several, albeit small, plot points. Now, I'm not an expert on Mr. Scorsese by any means. I usually don't really pay attention to the director when I put movies in my Netflix que. I think I might have to start.

I've seen a few of Mr. Scorsese's films. As I reflect on my experience with those movies, with the exception of Casino, I am finding myself disappointed. I have no doubt that he is a "good" director. I just have decided his directing style, & my movie expectations don't mix. Maybe the crying director can turn me around...

Technorati Tags: movies, Martin Scorsese, netflix

Zoom boycott challenge results

2008-07-22T22:08:00.001-04:00

Ok, so the other day I posted a challenge directed by the Digital Photography school. I used my 85mm, because that's the only fixed-focal length lens I have. I took many, many pictures. But I only really liked a couple.

Technorati Tags: pictures, photography, family, vacation

Caffeine...

2008-07-22T09:10:00.001-04:00

When I was young, I could drink pop from morning 'till night without any affect on my system. Now that I'm older, I am starting to notice the effects of caffeine on my body; especially at night. ...most notably is the Americano from Caribou Coffee. Yum!

Java Cup by AmateurX on Zooomr

Technorati Tags: macro, coffee, cafeine, cup

Pi-an-er

2008-07-03T16:23:00.001-04:00

Can you resist the zoom?

2008-07-03T16:19:00.001-04:00

Digital Photography School has a weekend challenge; can you do it? I'm going to try it. Since the only fixed focal length I have is an 85mm, I'm going to use that. I've done this before, albeit not for an entire weekend. We'll see. I'll be sure to post the results next week.

Technorati Tags: photography, challenge, digital

Craziest person of the day!

2008-06-17T16:18:00.001-04:00

Today, I was voted "Craziest person of the day" for June 16, 2008! Woohoo! I owe it all to my neighbors for their attendance of our weekly neighborhood party/get-together kick-off! Thank you all. :)

Morale-O-Meter

Is "No Child Left Behind" still the right choice?

2008-06-16T08:44:00.001-04:00

Schools, Facing Tight Budgets, Leave Gifted Programs Behind - New York Times

Bridget Williams, the principal of Mountain Grove Middle School, maintains that very bright children do not deserve specially tailored classes, especially when the district is focusing on bringing all children up to a minimum standard of competence.
Ms. Williams said it was not so much the education, but merely status, that gifted children lost when their program was cut in September. ''They lost the title,'' she said.

She is not, obviously, gifted nor talented. That statement above can only be made out of ignorance. I'm not about to say that I am gifted either, but I managed to skate through 12 years of public school without having to do any real "work". I received A's & B's my entire school career; that is, until college. I had supposedly been taking "college prep" in high school, but when I arrived in college, it was a rude awakening. All-of-a-sudden, I didn't know how to study. I actually had to work to achieve a decent grade. It only took me a semester of college to realize I was "short-changed" by my public school. There are numerous cases where highly intelligent children have severe side-effects when not challenged.

Others contend that cutting programs for such students threatens the nation's future by stunting the intellectual growth of the next generation of innovators. Not only do gifted children learn faster, but often they learn in a different way, experts say.

This is exactly my thought. So, couple the continued reduction in programs geared toward the intelligent with stricter home-school laws, making it increasingly more difficult to teach your (own) children, and what do you get? You get a country that is bleeding all its intelligence away. I fear the innovative-less future of our nation.

Here's another incident. I've always thought it was pretty stupid to deprive a child of learning as a punishment; especially for something like this where intent is clear.

Technorati Tags: news, school, homeschool, parenting, laws

Mercy

2008-06-11T16:25:00.000-04:00

Technorati Tags: kids, photography, friends

Inspiration, or discouragement?

2008-06-09T16:11:00.001-04:00

For the past couple of months I've been listening to a photography podcast called This Week in Photography, or TWiP. I've listened to other photography podcasts in the past, but I haven't really been inspired, after listening, quite like I have been with this one. I also read a blog of a photographer that has really made an impact on the 'net, in the photography community anyway, and me. I first found Thomas Hawk's blog through digg. He told this story about this ridiculous situation with PriceRightPhoto. I was blown away by how badly a store could behave. I added his RSS feed, and the rest is history.

The real point here is that I listen to this podcast, look through Mr Hawk's photos, and I get inspired to take more pictures. Although, I often get discouraged. These people are so good, even their crappy pictures look better than mine. I often wonder, "how the hell did they even picture that in their mind prior to taking that shot?" I guess the real solution is just to get out there and shoot.

All-in-all though, if nothing else, Mr. Hawk has inspired me to at least get my camera out to take a shot every day. The hard part though, is that sometimes all you can get is a picture of a package of cigarettes.

Technorati Tags: photography, frustration
Photo by me