Sometimes I'm a...

(_E=mc2_) but mainly I'm just a (_zzz_).

I may have to start using assicons in my emails to coworkers regularly.

These Were The Best Part Three

These Were The Best Part Two

These Were The Best Part One

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De plane, de plane!

Ugh!

I want a toothbrush that will last at least a month. Or even two months would be ideal. I think toothbrushes are manufactured to be replaced every month. Give me a break. Oh, and I've decided that there is something terribly wrong with American Idol and refuse to watch it now.

I Won!

Got this in my inbox this morning and I tried it out a little while ago. I can't believe I won. I never win at anything. Playing also kept me awake. Who in their right mind schedules meetings in the morning? Here are the "rules" and some testimonials...


>1. Before (or during) your next meeting, seminar, or conference call,
> prepare yourself by drawing a square. I find that 5"x5" is a good
> size. Divide the card into columns-five across and five down.
> That will give you 25 one-inch blocks.
>
> 2. Write one of the following words/phrases in each block:
>
> * synergy
> * strategic fit
> * core competencies
> * best practice
> * bottom line
> * revisit
> * expeditious
> * to tell you the truth (or "the truth is")
> * 24/7
> * out of the loop
> * benchmark
> * value-added
> * proactive
> * win-win
> * think outside the box
> * fast track
> * result-driven
> * empower (or empowerment)
> * knowledge base
> * at the end of the day
> * touch base
> * mindset
> * client focus(ed)
> * paradigm
> * game plan
> * leverage
>
> 3. Check off the appropriate block when you hear one of those
> words/phrases.
>
> 4. When you get five blocks horizontally, vertically, or diagonally,
> stand up and shout "BULLSHIT!"
>
> Testimonials from satisfied "Bullshit Bingo" players:
> -- "I had been in the meeting for only five minutes when I
> won."- Adam W., Atlanta
>
> -- "My attention span at meetings has improved dramatically."-
> David T., Florida
>
> -- "What a gas! Meetings will never be the same for me after my
> first win."- Dan J., New York City
>
> -- "The atmosphere was tense in the last process meeting as 14 of
> us waited for the fifth box." - Ben G., Denver
>
> -- "The speaker was stunned as eight of us screamed 'BULLSHIT!'
> for the third time in two hours." - Karen D., Los Angeles

What Did They Use?

I was reading an interesting entry in Wikipedia about toilet paper. Why, you ask? I'm not exactly sure anymore but I was originally looking up something else and the clicking of different links eventually took me here. Very interesting reading indeed. I had an idea but was surprised to read about the different alternatives people used before toilet paper was invented. Ouch! But it also got me thinking about my childhood and seeing a different color roll of toilet paper in the bathroom every week. Different pastel colors if my memory is correct. You know, I don't recall seeing colored toilet paper at the stores these days. Did they go the way of the Dixie Cup? Maybe it's just that I'm not paying attention or not looking hard enough. Anyway, the question of the day is: Are you a folder, scruncher, or wrapper? Don't bother letting me know. It's just a question that I have no desire to know the answer to.

Cancel That Vacation

The State Department has issued its latest travel updates for persons traveling out of the country. Among them are these:

"Driving in Qatar is (like) participating in an extreme sport."
"Police involvement in criminal activity is both legendary and true in Mexico."
"Be aware of drink prices" in Croatia's gentlemen's clubs, where tourists can unknowingly run up exorbitant bar bills, sometimes in the thousands of dollars."

I wonder who writes this stuff? You can read the story here.

I Am Not Green

Although this quiz is not scientifically accurate it is sort of an eye opener and offers a general idea. According to the Ecological Footprint Quiz, if everyone lived like me, we would need 4.4 planets.

Peel and Stick

It's just too bad that I hardly use the mail service these days. Maybe I'll become a philatelist.

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - The U.S. Postal Service turned to the characters of "Star Wars" for inspiration on Wednesday as it unveiled 15 new first-class stamps featuring the whole gang from Chewbacca to Darth Vader.

The stamps were unveiled at Grauman's Chinese theater in Hollywood where the original "Star Wars" movie opened 30 years ago. The stamps will go on sale on May 25, after a contest to choose the most popular of the stamps.

Among the "Star Wars" characters depicted on the stamps are Han Solo, Luke Skywalker, Yoda, Darth Vader, R2-D2, C-3PO, Princess Leia, Obi-Wan Kenobi and Boba Fett.

The images are from all six "Star Wars" films and David Failor, executive director of stamp services for the U.S. Postal Service, said, "Because of the movies' popularity, we believe these stamps have the popularity of reaching the blockbuster status of the Elvis stamp."

Earlier in the month to publicize the new stamps, about 400 mailboxes around the country were designed to look like R2-D2.

Standing In Dilbert's Shoes

Please Remain Seated Until...

Since the family and I are flying out of town for Easter, I thought it would be best to check and see what the latest rules are for airline passengers. It has been a long time since I've flown anywhere so I was concerned about what I could and could not carry onto an airplane. The TSA website was helpful but I was shocked to learn that I could not bring a meat cleaver on board. Really, you can see for yourself here. Sabers and swords and ice picks being prohibited I can understand. It's just COMMON SENSE. But meat cleavers?? Come on, folks. Next thing to be prohibited will probably be spear guns. Oops, those are already prohibited.

Name That Commercial

1. Too much bounce.
2. I can't believe I ate the whole thing.
3. Where's the beef?
4. Zoom Zoom
5. We'll leave the light on for you.
6. You can't sell yourself for a buck.
7. Apply directly to the forehead.
8. Paper clip, ballpoint pen, rubber band, tweezers, nasal spray, turkey baster: $14
9. 4 out of 5 dentists recommend sugarless gum for their patients who chew gum.
10. So, what level Dungeon Master are you guys?

Leave No Stone Unturned

It was very busy today at work. Plus we had internal auditors auditing one of my departments. Will it ever end??? Oh, it's time to go. Yay!

WTF?

I think a lot of people who voted after American Idol last night were smoking crack. I cannot believe that Sinjay, Vanjaya, whatever, is still on the show. And in the top 10. Ugh, at least he's a little better than William Hung. What the hell am I saying???

No Picture

For some reason 10 channels wouldn't come in on my cable system last night. One of those channels happened to be the channel that broadcasts my show 24. Of course I didn't discover the problem until a couple of minutes before the show started. I called the cable company's customer service line and they couldn't resolve the problem. Only made some excuse about the lower end of channels being converted to digital signals and that some boxes weren't handling the change very well. Dammit, I thought all the channels were digital when I subscribed to digital service. Long story short, I missed 24 and the cable company won't be out until Saturday to fix the problem. Bastards.

Hmmm

Is it a sin to just think about work on Sunday? I'm no expert in Theology or Doctrine but I might know enough to be dangerous. Or maybe just think I know. Whatever. Catholics would probably consider it a sin but just a venial one. No big deal. Baptists and those non-denominational churches would probably say that you were going straight to Hell. What a pleasant thought. This was just a little experiment in thought and in no way should be considered accurate or scientifically acceptable. Work, work, work, oops...lustful thought, work, work.

Chill, It's Just Marketing...Not an Invasion

I think the city of Farmers Branch should just kick out (deport) all Hispanics from its city limits. While they're at it they can do the same to the Blacks, Asians, American Samoans, and anyone else who is not an "American." Then they can build a fence around the city and set up check points to prevent these persons of different descent from entering or traveling through their wonderful city without permission. Then the City Council wouldn't have to worry about a diverse population bringing the city to ruin or branded stores catering to minorities entering their tiny Land of Oz. I seem to remember a long time ago that there was a XXX theater located in the city's coveted Four Corners area. Read the latest row here.

Use the Force, Luke

Almost thirty years ago a little sci-fi movie opened up at theaters named Star Wars. I remember there were full-page ads in the papers advertising the opening. I also remember discussing with my friends whether the movie was being hyped so much because it was some cheesy low budget flick or perhaps it was going to rock everyone's world. I ended up seeing the movie a few times, having a crush on Carrie Fisher, and envying Luke Skywalker. I don't think the movie changed my life in any way except for maybe feeding my imagination and curiosity for science and space and the search for EBEs.

Any how, the postal service is announcing a new stamp on March 28 and as a teaser to the announcement, they are covering 400 mailboxes to look like the droid R2-D2. Anita T. Bizzotto, the post office's chief marketing officer said "When you look at a mailbox, the resemblance to R2-D2 is too good to pass up." I wonder how many of these special mailboxes might end up in someone's collection at home?

Can You See the Seas?

The Cassini probe has discovered significantly large bodies of liquid on Titan that scientists consider are seas of liquid methane or ethane. This is just too cool. I wish I could teleport to the surface of Titan and take in the view. And to hear Titan. Of course I would have a force field around myself to protect against the cold and inhospitable environment there. Wishful thinking. Read the story here.

Time Keeps Ticking

The kids and I (my wife had to go to a funeral) had dinner tonight with an old friend and her husband who were driving through town. I had not seen either of them since they deployed to Japan in 2000. That was also the last time I saw their two children and man have they grown. They weren't on this trip but Reesy gave me some photos. It's scary the way time just seems to move so quickly in one instance and can also seem to move so slowly in other instances. I've got to get working on that darned time machine.

My Friend Flickr?

I spent a lot of time today working on my Flickr account. There are some nifty features included and it was easy to work with. I just don't understand why I can't move my photos from Yahoo! to Flickr with one click though. Maybe I'll use Flickr more than I've used my Yahoo Photos account but who knows. I'll have to check out Google's Picasa Web Album before I get too involved with Flickr just in case I decide to switch. Gotta go it's time for my show.

Ring Around the Planet

This photo of Saturn released by NASA/JPL/Space Science Institute on March 1 2007 shows the planet in the light of day and the dark of night. And in other Cassini-Huygens mission news, the next flyby of Titan, one of dozens of Saturn's moons, will occur tonight around 6:45 PM PST. The last flyby revealed a large island in one of Titan's largest lakes. Titan is the size of a terrestrial planet and is one of the mission's highest priorities because of the similarities it has with early Earth. Any bets on organic life on Titan?

What Time Is It?

This weekend we turn our clocks ahead one hour. This year we start daylight savings three weeks earlier and end it one week later. I've read that a lot of electronic devices that can't be flashed will cause some confusion by displaying the wrong time. I really dislike this time of year because moving the time an hour ahead always screws with my internal clock, too. Also there are some countries that will not adjust the time this weekend but will wait until the "normal" first weekend of April before doing so. I know Mexico is one of them. Imagine leaving for work an hour later to get there on time and getting home an hour later than when you left work...if you work in one of those countries that isn't adjusting their clocks this weekend.

You're Fired

NASA has fired poor Lisa Nowak. This is a first for the space agency. I said before that this is the stuff of movies or soap operas and it continues to be so. Although Nowak has been fired as an astronaut, she returns to her job as a Naval officer in a couple of weeks but I think her career is short lived. The male love interest William Oefelein is also a Naval officer and I think he should be under review for conduct unbecoming. Heavens, committing adultery as an officer and a gentleman. Do I hear a toilet flushing? Read the whole story here.

Ummm, That Was Dreadful

I think the singing of all the men (or boy-men) tonight on Idol sucked. Big time. Based on their performances they should all be voted off the show. Simon rules.

Not Asking For Much

I would like to see child-proof DVD cases. This evening I watched The Little One open around six DVD cases to find the one she wanted. Oh yes, she perused the front and back of the case but I guess she had to see the actual disc before deciding whether it was the one she wanted or not. She opened every case in less than a second or two. She did have trouble with the cases that had two clips you had to open before being able to open the case itself but she figured that one out pretty fast. If only the case were as hard to open as some of the discs are to remove from the case. You know, the ones where you have to push the center button and use your index finger to lift the disc and it starts to bow at alarming angles and you think the darn thing is going to snap in two before it pops out. Now that's how hard it should be to open the case.

What the Hell is That?

It seems that "sand circles" have been discovered in the dry riverbed of the Rio Grande in far West Texas. Prior to the discovery, strange lights were allegedly seen in the area. I personally have seen strange lights in the sky way out there in the desert southwest and even black helicopters flying out of the riverbed. I'm not surprised that the visitors finally left something interesting behind. Of course, this will probably be debunked in the following days under the guidance of the government or MIB. Don't let them brainwash you. Remember Roswell! Read the story here.

Hey, That's My Seat

I don't know all the ins and outs of American Idol but I'm curious as to whether the producers tell the contestants where to sit before the results of voting are announced. So, according to my calculations, over the past 5 seasons 71% of the contestants seated in between the two on the ends went on to the next round. Of those, 87% were booted off the show if they were seated third from the right and a staggering 96% were gone if they were seated third from the right of a contestant with brunette hair. Coincidence? I think not.

I'll Have The Stromboli

One of Europe's most active volcanoes is erupting right this very second. Italy's Stromboli volcano, near Sicily, has been spewing lava into the Mediterranean for two days. Luckily there is no danger at this time for anyone in the vicinity. Read the story here.

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What are friends for?

No Bueno

Visited the pediatrician today. It seems the whole family is suffering from seasonal allergies. I hate that. Itchy, watery eyes, congestion and sneezing. NO BUENO!

Lost and Found

So, last night starting at 11:53 PM, I started receiving a series of text messages on my cellular phone. At 12:42 AM another, then at 1:00 AM, again at 3:28 AM, and the final one (so far) at 6:37 AM. They were all from Blogger telling me that my multimedia message had posted successfully to my blog.

I had been having trouble with mobile blogging in the sense that I would try to post something but it would never make it to my blog. In some instances I would send something from my phone three or four times before I finally receive a confirmation from Blogger that it had posted. These sent messages cost money you know and it was really irritating to have to send the same message multiple times before it would post. I don't know if it is a problem with Blogger or my cellular service provider.

Anyway, during a recent road trip, I had tried to post some photos and ran into the same problem. I had to send the same message multiple times before it would actually post and then receive my confirmation. All the confirmation text messages I received last night and this morning were from attempted posts dating 2/16/07 and 2/19/07. And I had to go in and delete those "lost" posts because one of each had already posted successfully back when I was originally trying to post them.

Doomsday

There's a 1 in 45,000 chance that my birthday present in 2036 may be an asteroid. Cool. The U.N. is being urged to take action now to protect the Earth from these types of threats. I say we just freeze Bruce Willis now and thaw him out when the time comes so he can save the day. Read the full story here.

Mummified Domestic Servant

When I was reading the article regarding the discovery of a pharaoh's butler in a tomb in Egypt, I began thinking about whether the butler had died at the same time as his employer or if he was killed to follow the employer into the afterlife. Much funnier when I ran across the blog entry of Scott Adams about the mummy titled Mummy Dearest.

Science Myths

LiveScience.com has twenty of the most popular myths in science for your reading pleasure here. I remember Fox Mulder stating myth #2 to Dana Scully during an episode and I had always thought myth #4 was a perfect excuse for some of the people I've worked with or dealt with in the world. I guess it's better to say it like it really is...you're just plain stupid. By the way, do you know what your dog has been licking?

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Going home

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'nuf said

A Visit to Burger King Circa 1975

Mmmm. I want a Whaler with fries. No, wait. Make that a Yumbo with fries. And do they have Rondo, the thirst crusher? Neato, I'll take that. Oh, and I'd like a grape Ice Burger for dessert. Yay! After we're done can we go to the movies? Please?

I Thought I Saw A Dancing Dog

I had seen this video before but for some reason wanted to see it again today. Very strange. Maybe it has something to do with the reality show commercial I saw the other day.

It Never Fails

Why does it always rain after I wash my car? The weather forecast called for a ten percent chance of rain today and I heard this forecast on Friday evening. It hasn't changed in three days. Ha, ten percent might as well be zero percent around here. So I wash my car on Saturday thinking it will be clean for at least a week. But oh no, it's got to rain on my parade. That's just my karma.

Violation

It turns out the last time I used the Tollway I received a violation. I seem to recall one of the "call" lights blinking at me when I went through but didn't think anything of it. I finally get a nastygram from the Toll Authority saying they want the .60 cents that's owed to them or face the consequences. I called them up and asked them why I had a violation and they said that the license plate information didn't match with the tolltag vehicle information. I explained to the woman that I had bought a new car and had forgotten to update the vehicle information online. She said it was my mistake so I needed to pay and take care of maintaining my account. Geesh, throw me in jail why don't you.

Houston We Have A Problem

The more I hear about the astronaut-love triangle-kidnap-murder story, the more it makes me think how goofy and strange it all is. Perfect for a Lifetime made-for-T.V. movie or even the big screen if you throw in an alien or something. I don't mean to demean Lisa Nowak or ignore the fact that she obviously has some mental problems and needs help. But I think she could have been more creative in her plot. You know, like make sure that she and the other two involved were assigned to the next shuttle mission and then blow them out of the airlock into space. Or when one of the triangle is outside during a space walk, use the giant robotic arm and accidentally crush them or cut their safety line. Those scenarios would probably make for a better book and movie deal than racing across the southern U.S. wearing diapers. You can read the story here.

Semi Gloss vs Satin

I was driving through town the other day and passed a Sam's Club on the east side of town. I saw a gasoline tanker truck leaving the fuel pumps there and get on the highway behind me. When I arrived on the west side of town I went to the Sam's Club there, which is about fifteen miles west of the one I passed earlier, and after shopping there saw the same gasoline tanker truck at the fuel pumps. Now, riddle me this Batman. The gasoline price at the Sam's Club on the east side is $1.84 a gallon and here at the Sam's Club on the west side the price is $1.94 a gallon. The fuel came out of the same truck so why is there a price difference? Explain that to me, Mr. Smarty Pants.

Check This Out

I read that many more people are paying for their goods and services using electronic means such as debit cards and online bill pay rather than the old fashioned check writing. I think I mentioned in the past that I usually only write one check a month and all my other bills are paid online and most of my purchases are paid for using a debit card. But there are still those who choose to write checks for everything under the sun and yes, it seems I'm always stuck behind them at the check out. Even so, the wonders of the electronic age never ceases to amaze me although I'm still waiting for my flying car like in The Jetsons. You can peruse the whole article here.

Just Passing By

The family and I were out and about this morning and as we were approaching the zoo I made a decision to go there. The zoo, the zoo, the zoo. Repeat that really fast. Since this was The Little One's first visit to a zoo we were all looking forward to how she would react to the animals. Well, she really enjoyed herself. She was running around with her big sister from one exhibit to another. She especially enjoyed watching the monkeys and sea lion feeding/exhibit. I'd say she liked viewing all the animals except for the insects in one of the nocturnal exhibits. I didn't enjoy that either, though. Yuck.

Hmmm?

So, Texas governor Rick Perry has ordered that schoolgirls in Texas must be vaccinated against the sexually transmitted virus that causes cervical cancer. Hmmm. I don't know whether he's doing a good thing or not. Apparently the manufacturer of the vaccine supported Perry's reelection campaign and there are other ties between them also. Hmmm. But it would be a good thing to reduce the chances of women contracting cervical cancer. I just don't know. Hmmm. You can read the whole story here.

The Frugal Technophile

I was thinking about how far technology has gone in the past fifteen years and how those changes had affected most people's way of life. Nowadays I don't leave the house without my cell phone and go back to get it if I do because no one would be able to get a hold of me. Many years back I had six remote controls but now I only have one that does the work of six. I do just about everything I can on the Internet because it usually saves me time and money. Unless your dealing with city, county, or state government that is.

For example, it's time for me to renew my vehicle registration and I thought to myself why I haven't been doing that online. When I did go online I realized that the reason I didn't in the past is because the county charges me a "convenience fee" to do it online. Well, I'm just too darned cheap to pay a fee to the county. It's kind of like when there weren't many ATMs around the city and if you used one that wasn't affiliated with your bank then you were charged a fee. I would drive a couple of miles down the road to find my bank's ATM before I would pay that darned fee. There are also some restaurants around town that will take orders online but they will add on a fee for doing it. So I just pick up the darned telephone and phone in my order because that doesn't cost extra. Explain the logic to me. But the amazing thing here is that I pay all my bills online through my bank's website. For free. It doesn't cost me a penny even though I have a lot of bills every month. Go figure.

70's Toy Commercials

Since I'm in this retro kind of mood right now, I found this on YouTube. I was a proud owner of Bing Bang Boing and the SSP Smash-Up Derby set. It got me thinking about things like Shaker Maker and G.I. Joe. There are a lot of vintage toy commercials on YouTube that I still need to look at.

Please, Please, I Promise To Be Good

As I was trying to say last week, I had a memory pop into my mind as fast and as real as being hit by a line drive foul ball at a MLB game. I was attending a private school in Virginia during my second grade and every now and then a parent would bring someone in my class their lunch that they had either forgotten at home or to celebrate some special occasion. The latter was almost always a meal from McDonald's. I remembered that I thought it was so cool that someone could eat a burger and fries from McDonald's during school. I remembered pleading with my dad to bring me lunch from McDonald's during school someday. And I can still remember my dad walking into my class with *my* special lunch from McDonald's.

After that memory came another of a restaurant I remembered going to when we lived in Virginia and never saw again when we moved. It was a place called Gino's. I could remember how the place looked and even some of the small toys they gave to kids with their meals. I found a tribute site to Gino's that has pictures and such here. I just wish they had more stuff circa 1972. Then I thought about Shakey's Pizza and birthday parties and...well that's another story.

Daughtry

Daughtry (sort of) rocks.

Oh, So That's the Reason

I've always wondered why the drive-up ATMs have Braille on them. Now I feel much safer driving around town.

Q: Why Is There Braille On Drive-Through ATMs?

We have been looking into the reason for why there is Braille on drive-up ATMs. After scratching our heads for a little while, we decided that the best place to search would be in the Americans with Disabilities Act , or ADA. In section 4.34.4 of the ADA Accessibility Guidelines for Buildings and Facilities -- Appendix to Part 1191, 36 CFR Chapter XI, issued pursuant to the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 -- it says, "Instructions and all information for use (of an automated teller machine) shall be made accessible to and independently usable by persons with vision impairments."

So that takes care of most ATMs, but what about the drive-through? While most bankers thought drive-through machines would be exempt from the ruling, the Architectural and Transportation Barriers Compliance Board disagreed, reasoning that ATMs without Braille "would not allow the (blind) individual to use the ATM independently." Some argue that any blind person could use the drive-through machines while riding as a passenger and then have the driver help enter information. Again, this goes against the ADA’s code requiring “independently usable” ATMs for those without sight.

Chlamydoselachus anguineus

I was going to post an entry regarding a memory that came to me yesterday but I forgot what it was. No, not really. I just thought this entry would be a lot cooler and my memory could wait until tomorrow.




Anyway, it seems a very rare species of shark was captured on film by staff of a Japanese marine park. The captured five foot long Frilled shark, which has changed very little since prehistoric times and usually lives 2,000 feet below the sea, was seen swimming in shallow water and moved to a pool at the park. Unfortunately it died a short time later. You can read the article and view the video and pictures here. Looks almost like something out of a SF or Horror movie. Fascinating.

Phobia

Breaking Benjamin rocks!

Well, Well, Well

I'll be a monkey's uncle. It snowed last night. We woke up to about three inches of snow this morning. Some school districts canceled classes and some opened late due to the temperature staying below freezing during most of the morning. Of course it all melted away by noon but it sure was pretty while it lasted.

I Should Have Been...

A Meteorologist. Then I could get paid for guessing what the weather is going to be like. And I would have been right on the money the past couple of days. Some of you out there may see some ice and snow and some of you may not. But it will be cold and then warm up a little before tumbling down to cold again. You may see more sun than clouds depending on where you are. But this will all clear up soon and temperatures will be back to normal. Just remember to bundle up and layer your clothing. I could have been a contender.

Is It or Isn't It?

When will the freezing rain/sleet/snow begin? The weather people here have been instilling fear in everyone who watches their newscasts about the severe winter storm that is supposed to be upon us right now. Schools and County offices didn't open today based upon the forecast. It has been raining since yesterday evening but that's about it. Not that I don't doubt the accuracy of the forecast but I am anxious to see three to five inches of snow on the ground. I'm in this snowman building mood. I'll be very disappointed if it doesn't snow after all this.

Surprised Again

Well, not really. Lindsay Lohan checked into rehab yesterday. OMG! Did she have some kind of addiction? Oh, that's right. She was attending AA meetings but I thought everything was fine. Guess not. Read the entire article here.

Surprised

Took The Little One to the pediatrician today for her immunizations this morning. The doctor also wanted to do a blood count and lead screening so they had to draw blood, too. I was really dreading hearing her cry but she was cool as a cucumber. Not a wimper as they poked her arm to draw the blood nor did she flinch when she got the shots in her leg. Actually, when they stuck the needle in her vein she turned her head to see what had happened and was transfixed on the vial filling with her blood. I think she was more relaxed than me. Now if only my other daughter were the same when it comes to shots I'd be a happy guy!

Heartless?

Actually, contrary to popular belief, I *do* have a heart as this screen shot of my echocardiogram sort of shows. My wife was pleasantly surprised. :-)

They Were Doing Their Job

A little history in a nutshell first. Two Border Patrol agents encounter a drug smuggler along the Rio Grande river and shoot him as he is running back into Mexico. They then pick up their shell casings and do not report the shooting to their supervisor. The smuggler survived being hit by a bullet and ends up being a witness in the trial against the two agents. They are found guilty in a jury trial of "violating the civil rights of Osvaldo Aldrete Davila by shooting him, then tampering with evidence by picking up shell casings from the shooting" and sentenced to prison. They are to report to prison by Wednesday.

I've been reading a lot of articles regarding vigils and petitions for clemency for the two ex-agents and have had some problems with the ideas presented in them. I don't doubt that these two individuals served their country by protecting its border or that their job was difficult. I also don't doubt that the smuggler was committing a crime. I don't believe this case has anything to do with current immigration issues. I do think that the only reason politicians are getting involved is to gain publicity and to roll with the momentum created by current immigration issues.

The bottom line here is that they broke the law and committed a crime. And then tried to cover it up. In my opinion they should be held to a higher standard because they worked in law enforcement. If the average Joe did the same thing there would be no demonstrations for leniency and absolutely no question of guilt. They shouldn't be pardoned because they were just doing their job or because the victim was an illegal immigrant or drug smuggler. Again, they broke the law and should have to be accountable for their actions.

You can read a current article here or what the Canada Free Press has to say here.

Terrorists Beware

I am totally pumped for this Sundays premier of 24. Can't wait to see how Jack will end up saving the country this time. I guess in honor of this fast-paced action show, McFarlane toys will be releasing a line of 24 action figures. The full story can be had here. Wow, now I can put Jack on the shelf and have the talking Jesus doll minister to him. Or maybe not. Uh oh, I guess I'll have to start watching Heroes on the computer.

For The Earth Breathes No More

It's humanity's last breath. Literally. In a post apocalyptic world, a family of four and their dog struggle to survive the after effects of the devastating consequences of global warming and ensuing civil strife. Food and water are scarce, no comforts of the 21st century, roaming gangs of murderous marauders, and an invisible but deadly phenomenon survivors call "voids"...pockets of the atmosphere at ground level which contain no oxygen and seemingly moves on its own...hunting. And they're getting bigger. Any thing unlucky enough to stumble into a "void" quickly suffocates and dies. Can the world heal itself and mankind rebuild from this horrible situation?

Movie trailer? Synopsis for a book? No, the description is from the dream I had last night. Weird stuff.

Is It Safe?

Saw this little article on a news feed. Very scary, indeed. Isn't Jennifer Lopez filming a movie about the city of Juarez and disappearing women?

There were 243 homicide victims in 220 incidents, including 49 cartel-style executions, in Juárez Mexico, in 2006, Juárez police said.

Police said homicides were down compared with 2005, but did not have 2005 figures available.

Police said that in 2006, 153 of the 220 incidents involved deaths by gunshot wounds, 33 involved deaths caused by beating, 22 involved stabbing deaths and 12 involved deaths caused by other means. Police also attributed 23 homicides to street gangs and said 49 were executions, probably by drug cartel members. At least 14 victims were minors and 22 were women. There were 14 homicides in the city of El Paso Texas and seven in El Paso County in 2006.

Craving

I don't know why but I've been craving Chinese food for about 2 weeks now. I went out to lunch today with a sales rep and funny that he should suggest Chinese. We ended up at a restaurant called Mayflower and I have to say that the food there was outstanding. And my opinion isn't biased because I was craving it. I'm a picky eater and I take my food seriously, folks. Now how about some sushi?

Bravo...Forte

It's about time someone came up with a solution to the information that displays for digital recordings of classical music on your MP3 player. A new standard announced today would help organize and display correct information for classical music on your portable audio player.

Essentially, the new approach offers a standardized way of cramming the additional relevant data in classical music — such as composer, ensemble, movement number or soloist — into the three-line display.

One resulting "track" would appear like this:

"Vivaldi: The Four Seasons, Op. 8/1, `Spring' — 1. Allegro"

Meanwhile, the "artist" line for the same track would cite both the star violinist and his conductor on the recording:

"Joseph Silverstein, Seiji Ozawa, Boston Symphony Orchestra"

I am really picky about what and the accuracy of the displays for each song. And I get annoyed when the information is wrong for my particular recording. Hopefully, this will help. You can read the entire article here.

Is It Getting Hot In Here?

Scientists are predicting that 2007 will be the hottest year on record due to El Nino and carbon emissions. Really depressing and scary news when you think that if all the industrialized countries would just apply a fraction of their resources to combat greenhouse gases now, then this world catastrophe could be minimized a little. It's also depressing that the United States rejected the Kyoto Protocol thereby influencing other countries but that's politics. Read the entire article here.

On another note, NASA and the JPL are holding the Cassini Photo Contest II to mark the second anniversary of the Huygens Probe descent. You can vote for your favorite Cassini spacecraft photo and the most popular will be announced in February. You can also read about the liquid lakes on Titan here. Cool.

The Amazing Robertson

Apparently, God has been talking to Pat Robertson again. He said on Tuesday that God told him that the United States would suffer a terrorist attack late in 2007 and would affect millions of people. This isn't the first time Robertson claims that God has given him some inside information although these moments of prophecy have been hit and miss the past few years. Why can't God tell him how to make world peace a reality? Read the full story here.

First Gripe of 2007

I was reading a newspaper article regarding the results of increased police presence on the roads during the New Year long weekend. Apparently the local police and sheriff's departments saw no traffic fatalities and very few DUI arrests. All in all a busy but safe holiday weekend. It seems that the local policing agencies always step-up enforcement around the holidays. I think they should do it more often and not just on holidays since there are intoxicated drivers on the roadways every day.

Something else that bothers me is that the local newspaper and newsrooms always announces law enforcement's locations and days of compliance checkpoints or what traffic violation they are on the lookout for during monthly stepped-up enforcement. Hello? If you don't have vehicle insurance then avoid Main Street next Monday between 7 PM and 10 PM. Geez, let's just start informing the violent felons when and where their warrants are going to be served, too.

Well, enough griping for this post. In other news it snowed here yesterday. Came down fairly heavy but the ground just wasn't cold enough. It did accumulate on rooftops, yard, and fields, though. Probably around a quarter of an inch. As the temperature dropped the snow on the roadways eventually turned into slush and then into ice overnight. I hope, and my kids hope, that we get a lot more snow this winter. We'll see.

Happy New Year

Well, it's in with the new and out with the old. Hello 2007. It doesn't seem like the world has changed much since last year. Still policing in Iraq, violent felonies are still being committed, still can't solve Rubik's Cube. But I'm still looking forward to another year with endless possibilities. Perhaps this is the year I'll win the Lottery. Or maybe there will finally be world peace. My cat might even come home. So many possibilities to consider that by the time you think of all of them, it will be time to welcome the next New Year. Anyway, hope everyone has a safe and prosperous 2007.

To Explore Strange New Worlds

Scientists will now be able to seek out planets that are similar to Earth outside of our solar system thanks to the just launched Corot space telescope. They will be looking for "small rocky planets" that may have water on it under the right circumstances. Very cool. Read the complete story here.

I Can See the Light

I forgot to mention that at The Little One's birthday party, a friend of ours broke a major rule of gift giving. They gave her a puppy. At first I thought it was just a stuffed animal because it was sleeping but upon further examination I realized it was real. Ugh. I'm a firm believer that giving an animal away to someone as a gift without checking with them first is a big faux pas. This rule runs right up there at the top along with 'Never date a girl who's father calls her Princess.' Anyway, lucky for me that we had a birthday party to go to the next day and we regifted the puppy.

I am just about done shopping for Christmas. Every year I say I'm going to finish earlier but it never seems to work out that way. I think it's the same story for the thousands of other shoppers out in the stores today. I absolutely will not go to the stores this weekend, though. Much too much pressure and stress. Along with that goes this thought that I've been mulling around in my head. I can't decide what's worse; the commercialization of Christmas or organized religions' insistence that Christmas is too commercialized. I guess that could be discussed at another time, besides I've got to figure out if the Nativity Scene in the front yard is shorting out Santa and the reindeers on the roof. Oh, and I was just kidding about regifting the puppy. The thought did cross my mind but I quickly disregarded it.

Wow

It was an exciting weekend for the family. Friday night around 9 PM, The Little One fell down while playing with her sister. I went to her and picked her up and turned her towards me and that's when I saw all the blood running down her face. I quickly went to the other room and got some paper towels and about this time my wife sees all the blood. Her sister was with her so we all piled into the SUV and rushed to the hospital. About a minute after we started driving, The Little One stopped crying and was just talking away. She really likes to go for rides.

We got to the Emergency Room and she had the wound cleaned and x-rayed. The doctor didn't see anything major but had to put 3 stitches to close the cut on her forehead. When they gave her the anesthetic instead of a scream and crying, only a loud "ouch" came from The Little One. She gets to go back in a week to get the stitches taken out.

Also, the next day was her birthday party. You can see the bandage on her forehead in all the birthday pictures. Oh well, it will be something for her to laugh about when she's older. Man, splitting her head open and stitches before she's two years old. At least she was calmer than I was.

Thought For Today

Conspiracy or Fate?

We could argue the "decisions" or whether there were five or five hundred of them but it all boils down to one thing: a tragic loss. Read Christopher Dickey's commentary Five Fatal Decisions.

Whatever You Do, Don't Look Down

The glass walkway being built by the Hualapai Tribe at their Grand Canyon West destination is slated to be completed and opened to the public on March 28 2007. The Skywalk will extend 70 feet from the canyon wall and 4000 feet above the canyon floor. I don't usually have a problem with heights but walking out onto a glass walkway with a 4000 foot drop below might be a problem. I was going to have a link to the site but it seems to have suddenly gone down. Maybe I'll be able to do it later.

Look, It's Over There

There is something very wrong with this and I'm not being discriminatory towards the blind:

AUSTIN - A state lawmaker wants to make sure no Texan is left out when it comes to hunting, even if the hunter is legally blind. Rep. Edmund Kuempel, a Seguin Republican, has filed a bill for the 2007 legislative session that would allow legally blind hunters to use a laser sight, or lighted pointing instrument. The devices are forbidden for sighted hunters.

"This opens up the fun of hunting to additional people, and I think that's great," Kuempel said.

The Texas Parks and Wildlife Department, which regulates hunting in Texas, currently does not have a definition of what constitutes a legally blind hunter. Kuempel's bill would give the agency until Jan. 1, 2008, to come up with a definition so that the law could be enforced. The hunter would have to carry proof that he or she is legally blind.

Ha Ha

Take this short Quiz.

Arrrg

Spent over 1 hour and a half sitting in the pediatrician's waiting room this afternoon. After the wait, we were in and out in 10 minutes. Diagnosis: common cold. Rx: Prescription cough medicine. It's a wonder The Little One didn't catch anything else from being around all those other sick children. I guess the good thing is that in my opinion, all the children manifested the same symptoms. Cough, cough, sniffle, sneeze.

Testers and Testees

So the USCIS is testing new questions for a revised citizenship exam. Now I'm not complaining but I've looked at the proposed new questions and wonder how many Americans can answer these questions. I only ask that because we've all heard about those supposed questionnaires given to college bound seniors by teachers or news reporters containing basic questions on U.S. history and such and most can't answer any of them. See all the questions here.

Snow!

It was snowing last night. No accumulation to mention but it was a nice sight. We still have a lot of time to do better.

Winter Is Coming

The weather outside is frightful. The wind is starting to pick up and there's a chill in the air. I guess the wintry weather is nearly upon us. The lows tonight are forecasted to be in the low 30s, tomorrow's high only in the mid 40s and tomorrow night's low in the low 20s. Yes! I can finally use a real jacket for once. There's also a very, very, slight chance of some precipitation meaning we might see some flurries overnight into tomorrow. I'm not holding my breath, though. I like this time of year. Really, I do.

An Interactive Tour

Of the Eagle Nebula courtesy of the Hubble telescope site.

This Could Happen

But how do you really prove that you had nothing to do with it? What can you really do if the store or police don't believe you?

ST. LOUIS -- A Missouri couple said that when they opened the box for their new camcorder, they found something they hadn't pictured -- a jar of pasta sauce where their camera should have been. Jim Rittenberg, of Perryville, Mo., bought a $1,600 camcorder at a Best Buy store in the St. Louis suburb of Ellisville last week. Inside the Sony box, he said he found a jar of Classico pasta sauce, a telephone cord and an outlet cover where the electronics were supposed to be. So far, the Rittenbergs are stuck without a camcorder. Ellisville police are investigating. Best Buy manager Wade Trapp said that the store is working to resolve the matter.

I have nightmares of similar circumstances...I come home from the grocery store and open the 12-pack of beer and a couple of bottles are empty.

Service With A Smile

I must give my "thumbs up" to FlatSigned Rare Books, which specializes in rare, antique, or hard to find books as well as publishing exclusive signed limited editions, for their customer service attitude. Way back in 2002 I bought To Kill A Mockingbird signed by Harper Lee. When I received the book I noticed that there were some dirt marks or something similar on the edges of the book. I contacted the owner, Tim Miller, and explained the problem. He told me to return the book and he would get me another one and would refund the shipping on my next order. I received the replacement book and it is now in my library. Unfortunately, I have not been able to buy (afford) another book from them until a couple of days ago.

So this morning I called Tim Miller and explained the circumstances from my previous purchase over four years ago and asked if he would knock off the shipping charges for this book. I really didn't expect him to do it but without hesitation he said that that was not a problem. Wow, if only I could get service like that at Walmart or Target or McDonald's. But seriously, if you or someone you know is looking for that special or hard to find book, I confidently recommend that you check out FlatSigned Rare Books first.

Free Money

Well, not really. Technically it's money that I've already spent but for some reason or another it needs to be returned to me. But in my mind, since I had no clue that it was owed to me, it doesn't exist. Hence, it's free money or found money to me. It all started this morning when I was reading the news and came across an article about Texas' unclaimed property website. Just type in your name to see if anyone has reported to the state any unclaimed funds. I tried my full name first, then variations of it, and came up with an exact match. It wasn't a jackpot but $35 is still better than nothing. For grins I tried some friends' names and lo and behold I found one that is owed some money from one of the apartments she used to live in. So if you live in the great state of Texas, go here to check if you're owed any money. There's also a link there that points to searches for other states. Cha-ching!

Kramer's A Kook Part 2

Well, it seems Michael Richards has hired Rubenstein Associates to do a little crisis management for him. Let's see if they can untarnish his reputation and rescue him from his meltdown. Full story here.

Kramer's A Kook

I can't believe what Michael Richards, a.k.a. Kramer from Seinfeld, did last week during a stand-up routine. I had heard about it, but didn't give it much thought because I was sick until I saw the video clip on YouTube. He basically lost it and went out of control. It's really unbelievable and there's no excuse for it. I can sort of understand that out of anger, some people will say the things that they know will hurt the other person, and wouldn't normally say those things at all under ordinary circumstances. But control was something that went out the window for Michael Richards last week. I think he's going to have to do a little more than say he's sorry on Letterman.

It Figures Part 2

I can't believe I missed 8 Films To Die For. Oh, that's right, I was sick. The site is still running with video but I don't know for how much longer.

It Figures

So I took three days of vacation last week and was sick during two of those days. That just aggravates the hell out of me. Most everything I had planned to do ended up not being accomplished. Got a lot of T.V. time in, though. Rachael Ray is just too damned perky.

Resemblance?

Comparison of one2believe's Messengers of Faith talking Jesus doll with Colin Farrell and Val Kilmer. You decide...

Start Planning A Head

It's just around the corner...Global Orgasm Day!!

Deal I Couldn't Pass

I was in Best Buy this weekend and for no particular reason was looking around in the computer area. I passed by the display of portable flash drives and stopped to look at them because I've always thought about getting one. I was looking at a Sandisk 1 GB model for $50 when I saw the Sandisk Cruzer Micro 2GB with a sale sign. It was regularly priced at $103 but it had an instant rebate of $59 making the price a mere $44. I just couldn't pass that deal up.

Important Note

Directly from my wife's cell phone instruction book:

If your phone becomes wet do not place in microwave oven to dry.

Duh.

What Are The Odds?

I have two computers at home and last week when I sat down at one I noticed it was off. This is unusual since my computers are always on. I turned it back on and started to do whatever it was I needed to do and it suddenly turned off right in the middle of things. This was about 10 minutes after I turned it on. I turned it on again and while it was booting I began checking the connections and such. That's when I noticed that the fan in the power supply was not working. After it was on for about 5 minutes this time it abruptly cut off. From that point it wouldn't turn on at all. Dead power supply I imagine from overheating. I'm a procrastinator so I just used the other computer and told myself I'd pull the power supply out later and change it.

So I sit down at the working computer yesterday evening and move the mouse to wake it up and nothing happens. I can see that the monitor is on although the light is amber signifying it isn't getting a signal. I move the mouse again because I'm still thinking that the computer is asleep and still nothing happens. I then try to reboot the computer and nothing happens. I check the connections and all that but still no working computer. I have to assume that this computer's power supply also burned up. What are the odds of this happening?

Now I've got to get two power supplies and replace them or I could once again procrastinate and pull out the laptop and connect it to the network instead. Hmmm, that would be a whole lot easier than pulling out two power supplies and running across town to CompUSA. I am *so* lazy. ;-)

Mentos Phenomenon Accident

Check this video out. I heard that the same thing happened to a small boy in Brazil after drinking a Coke and eating some Mentos candy. Poor kid.

Wow

I just had some fresh salsa during lunch. The salsa in a bottle can't compete against the freshly made stuff in my opinion. This was a bit on the hot side. I can't feel my mouth. I think I'm going to die. But it was really good.

A Noble Concern, He, He, He

Although I can't think of 101 things to do with Helium, I am concerned that at some point we may not have helium filled balloons anymore. Entire story here.

11/05/2006
Associated Press
The second-most abundant element in the universe is suddenly getting harder and harder to find. Party stores and florist shops grounded in the balloon business are caught in a helium shortage gripping suppliers across the country and in Texas, where one-third of the world's helium production is overseen.

Supply of the noble gas — second only to hydrogen in the universe but rare on Earth in terms of quantity — has depleted while production from two large international sites is temporarily down. Not helping matters is scheduled maintenance at the U.S. Bureau of Land Management's National Helium Reserve complex in Amarillo, which will curtail production for 10 days starting Wednesday.

"We're so close to the edge now, and every molecule counts," said Leslie Theiss, manager of agency's field office in Amarillo. "We're walking the tightrope right now."

Businesses that depend on helium have met with shortages from suppliers. In downtown Houston, American Balloon and Novelty Co. owner Deborah Muse said there have been times when she couldn't get helium for weeks. Mike Havard, co-owner of Havard Welding in Galena Park, said he's kept his customers supplied but
acknowledged that demand is heavy.

"There is a shortage. There is some concern of allocation," said Havard.

Ow!

Why do I always manage to cut my tongue when eating a Tootsie Roll Pop? Not that I really care how many licks it takes to reach the Tootsie Roll center of the Tootsie Pop. There seems to always be a section of the candy that has a tiny, tiny crevice and the edges are very, very sharp. Almost like eating a piece of glass. Mmmm.