***End of File***

I have not given up on blogging, but I will not post here any longer. This web log is now defunct. I will only keep it here for historic reasons.

If you want to read anything that I'm currently writing, then visit my newest blog:

Happiness Inculcate

I also have my original blog: My Dirty Little Secret

I won't blog at MDLS nearly as much as my newest blog. However, I won't consider MDLS dead just yet. I may post there from time to time, but I have nothing to say there at the moment that isn't ready being said very well by lots of other people.

Real Chicken

My five year old daughter was sitting at the table, eating some chicken wings when it finally dawns on her:

"Daddy, do these chicken wings come from the kind of chickens that goes BOK! BOK! BOK!?

Hardly containing my laughter, I answer, "Yes, they are from those kinds of chickens".

"So these are really their bones?? Why do we eat the chickens, Daddy"?

Because we like the way they taste. Why else?

My daughter hardly eats meat as it is. Now that she knows that chicken really comes from-- well -- chicken . . . I think she's going to end up being a vegetarian.

Too Smart for Me

My son wanted to sign up and create his own login account on Cartoon Network.com. But, he needed an e-mail address to use during sign-up. So, he asked me for mine.

Son: Dad, what's your e-mail address?

Me: Why do you want to know?

Son: I wanna sign up so that I can log in and keep my profile on Cartoon Network games.

Me: Am I going to get any spam after you sign up?

I was expecting to stump him with my question.

But instead, my nine year old son responds with:

Nope. You won't get any spam. I read their Privacy Agreement.

Part of the Team

In my previous post, I talked about feeling "outnumbered" racially.

Well after some reflection, I feel that I should balance that post out with this one.

Though I do feel outnumbered quite often, I have moments where I feel warmly welcomed.

One neighbor brought us cookies when we moved in and gave us some firewood. That was very, very kind. They have always been very friendly towards us since we've moved into the neighborhood.

On the soccer field yesterday, my daughter played in her first scrimmage game. She got to play as much time as anybody else. She was treated just the same as any other child, in my view.

That's all I can ask for.

And when the game was over, the parents form two lines that face each other. We then reach out and touch our raised hands together. Then, our kids run between the two lines that we've made as though they are running through a tunnel.

They loved it!

And at that moment, I didn't feel outnumbered. I felt just as my daughter did. I felt like I was part of the team.

That was a great feeling.

And to top it off, our little girls won their scrimmage game 4-0.

Outnumbered

I generally try to remain anonymous. I've tried not to reveal too much about myself as far as demographics are concerned.

In this post, I will break away from that trend a bit. Otherwise, I cannot write about my true feelings on this subject matter.

I've been living in a new city, neighborhood, and house for about two years as of the date of this post. Same state, mind you. Just a smaller suburb outside of the capital city. Overall, I enjoy living here compared to the capital from which I've moved. But, I feel quite outnumbered where I live because . . . well . . . I'm a minority.

I guess that goes without saying; if you're outnumbered, you're in the minority.

But, I'm a demographic minority; A racial minority.

In that regard, my family is unique on my street.

That's not a big deal.

But when I go to the park with my family, we are often unique "demographically" speaking in that situation, too.

When I take my kids to soccer practice, I look across field and scan the seven or eight other teams practicing various sports only to find myself and my son or daughter as the only dark skinned people around.

When my kids stand at the bus stop . . . it's all the same story.

Sure, this shouldn't be a big deal.

And usually, it's not.

But sometimes, I feel like people look down on me and my family. I feel sometimes that people wish I wasn't present-- as though I've ruined their day. My presence rubs in the fact that the town is not exclusive to only one kind any longer . . . whatever that's supposed to mean.

Some days, I feel like a mangy dog that someone finds to be pesky and bothersome; perhaps even repugnant.

I feel sometimes as though people see me as the bringer of blight to the community-- as though my visit to the park heralds the commencement of the perfect neighborhood's downfall.

No . . . no one has been cruel to me. No one has been offensive or mean to me. The few neighbors I've talked with have mostly been cordial.

But most people ignore us. And then, there are those who deeply frown at us when we pass by.

See . . . in the South, people smile and wave all the time to most people who pass by. People say "hello" and "good-morning" to total strangers constantly. As a matter of fact-- in Southern culture, to not greet someone with a "hi" or a slight wave is considered insulting to most people who or products of Southern culture. You don't have to wave to everyone, but you are expected to wave back if someone speaks to you . . . within reason, of course.

So, to "not speak" or snub someone who greets you can be considered quite insulting in the South. At the very least, ignoring someone is often perceived as snobbery or coldness. This behavior can possibly draw comments out of other Southerners such as "ya damn Yankee".

This is said under the breath or behind the Yankee's back, of course.

We ain't known for our hospitality for nothin'.

But when snubbing happens between races, the words Yankee, snob, or cold, aren't used. Especially if the one doing the snubbing is a Southerner.

The word most often used in that case just mentioned above is: racist.

So, what am I to think when my neighbor of two years from across the street never acknowledges my existence even as we pass by on the street?

When out at the park, what am I think when my greetings are returned with a snub or a sour grunt and a furrowed brow from other parents?

And what should I think when someone dons a Rebel flag on their hat, T-shirt, or F-450 pickup truck? How about when they draped it in their window like a curtain or fly it high with a really tall flag pole in their front yard?

I don't know what I'm supposed to think.

But I do remind myself that I mustn't be hypersensitive. I remind myself that not everyone feels comfortable "speaking" as we say and not every frown is wish that we'd pack our things a leave town.

I think these things, then I just take a deep breath and carry on.

I carry on and hope that one day we all get past our ancient evolutionary circuitry and finally see all people as simply people.

Tacos

At bedtime, my wife told our five-year-old daughter to pick out a "good-night" shirt for bed.

She crawls off into her closet and emerges moments later with a shirt.

She proceeds to put in on, but then pauses.

A furrow forms in her brow and with much gesticulation she says, "Momma, this shirt smells like tacos!"

We haven't had any tacos that week.

As nasty as little kids can sometimes be, she was sophisticated enough to put that shirt into her hamper and pick out another.

Out of the Mouth of Babes

Kids really know how to cut you down.

I had lost some weight, but I still have a long way to go. I have a hefty gut and I really need to trim it down for my health. And well . . . I haven't been working out like I'm supposed to be lately.

Enter my five year old daughter, who lovingly pats me on my tummy and asks, "Daddy, are you having a baby?"

What can I say? That's what I get for getting off track and eating that hamburger tonight.

Humpville

So, my wife asks my mom if she'd keep our kids for a few hours so we can have some time together.

My mom quips, "So, where are you two going tonight . . . Humpville?"

Moms know how to make you cringe, huh?

Mongol

Just finished watching the movie Mongol, then after that, set up a tftp server for work. Getting ready to get some sleep. But before going to bed, I just wanted to make a quick post about the movie.

Overall, I really enjoyed that one. Very beautiful scenery, in my opinion.

I just hated seeing how hard life was depicted for the main character. That was hard to watch at times.

But I guess if I were ever treated like that and lived to tell about it, I'd try to conquer half the planet, too!

I hear this is a trilogy. But, I don't see any other titles. I guess the others haven't been made yet.

I'm interested if there will be others, but I think this movie stands alone quite well.

Back to School -- Again.

School has already started for the little kiddies. But, only now have the implications dawned on me that my wife has decided to go back to school, too.

Among her first assignments, she has to write a short essay on the challenges of the adult college student.

I helped her proof the essay. While helping her, all the challenges she mentions have now become apparent in our personal lives:

Hefty student loans.

She's nervous as hell and constantly doubting herself.

No personal time for herself.

No time with family (meaning, me and the kids).

That last one translates into me having to handle the kids a whole lot more on my own. Cooking and cleaning is something I always try to help with, but now I will practically become a single dad for a few months while my wife studies for school.

The kids hate it when I cook. Hardly have I seen my kids scowl so hard. Especially my son.

Despite all of this, my wife's endeavors are completely worthwhile if she sees them through to completion. She's got what it takes.

Now, if she would only recognize that herself and embrace that, she'd realize that everything will be fine on her first day back to school.

Even if I do have to find something to cook tonight.

On Being Free

Today, I learned about an organization called Free the Slaves by viewing a TED talk by Kevin Bales. I had no idea that modern slavery was so prevalent. I certainly believed slavery still existed-- but not in the way that Bales described.

I then read an article where an author defended the French outlawing the burqa.

I then reflected upon my freedoms, other people's slavery, and whether the French really ought to outlaw the burqa.

I am moved by the efforts of Free the Slaves. My money is hella tight. But I think I'll budget a small, but continual donation to this organization. One day, my wife and I may even volunteer some time with this organization after we've cleaned up some financial issues in our lives.

And for slavery-- that seems to be what it all comes down to. Money. Slavery is driven by the allure of cheap labor. Modern slaves, according to Bales, usually walk into the trap of slavery because they are financially destitute. A suspicious character comes into the village offering jobs to everyone. Villagers get on the truck out of desperation only to never be allowed to go back home. After they realize they aren't getting paid and don't want to risk their lives in a rock quarry for free, they villagers try to leave. Unfortunately, they only discover that they are both too far away from home and brute force greets them at the gate as they try to leave.

That's when it hits them . . . they are now slaves.

But Bales also mentioned that a process is necessary for emancipation. True emancipation isn't accomplished by simply setting a slave free. A former slave must also be given a solid education and opportunity to earn his or her own living.

The United States could have benefited so much from this concept had they realized that during the 1800's.

So then, freedom isn't just escaping an oppressor. Freedom must be supported with education, finances, and a will to remain emancipated.

Perhaps freedom must even earned, in a sense.

Don't get me wrong. Well all deserve freedom up front. But because the world has so many oppressive people living in it, freedom isn't always the default option given to all people. That's why I say it must be earned. Perhaps, enforced is a better word.

But freedom must be enforced by those who want it as much as by those who lend a hand to help provide justice.

That how Free the Slaves actually does free the slaves; they realized that emancipation required that the slaves be active participants in their own freedom. They must want to be free and they must be solidly supported while they embrace independence.

And from what I can tell, the emancipated usually do.

But there are times when the object of emancipation does not want freedom for whatever reason. Many African-American slaves did not know anything other than slavery after slavery was abolished in the United States. And in a sense, returned back to slavery-like conditions in many cases. Not out of love for it; Just simply because they were dumped into society as second class citizens. There was hardly any leverage to become independent. So, slavery in a sense still continued for a time with African-Americans.

Now, I will turn my attention to France. Outlawing the burka is an attempt to enforce emancipation on people who may not want to be "free" in this sense. Of course, not all women want to wear a burka that wear them. But at least some do. Can you tell them not to?

I agree with the goal of setting people free from oppression-- even if that slavery is in the form of religious oppression. But freeing people that don't realize they want this emancipation may be of little use.

I think first, they have to want the be free. And those that already do want to be free, need a shelter or hiding place. They need support for their stance for freedom. Otherwise, they will be greeted with brute force for their "disobedience".

Set up shelters for women who are religiously oppresses to escape and start their own lives anew might be a good idea. And for those who still want to wear a burka-- expose them to the opposing view point. Educate them. Whet their appetite for freedom from the burka. Outlawing the burka may only make opponents cling to it more. Besides-- if they want to wear it yet it's outlawed . . . isn't that oppression, too?

They won't want to be free from it if they feel empowered by it. And they won't want to be free from it if defying that law becomes a badge of honor.

That's my two cents, anyhow. Now see how far two cents gets you these days.

I do think I can afford to give more than two cents as a donation to Free the Slaves, however.

Under the Weather

I've been battling my own personal sever cold, upset stomach, a vomiting kindergartner, a sullen fourth grader, and my wife's depression.

I just don't feel so good lately.

I've been keeping up with other blogs a lot and writing more stuff on my other one rather than here, lately. I took a partial sick day. And even with that, I still feels like shit.

This half of my life has sort of run out of steam lately.

Man, I can't wait for the weekend.

Hell, I can't wait to finally come out from up under the weather!

Whatever the hell that means.

Late Night Maintenance

When you work with servers, you'll have those day . . . er . . . I mean, nights, where you'll have to work into the wee hours of the morning.

On one hand, I enjoy it. I'm a night owl by nature. I love staying up until 4:00 AM -- just so long as you let me sleep in until noon.

No matter how sleepy I feel, I seem to get a high around 4:00 AM or so. I'm not sure why. I just like the night air, I guess.

But, I cannot go to bed at 9:00 PM and wake up at 4:00 AM a happy person.

I don't know why, exactly.

Nor can I stay up until 4:00 AM and wake up at 6:00 AM refreshed.

Nah, I'll wake up more like pissed.

So, I'm having one of those moments where I'm waiting on some data to copy over from one server to another at 4:32 AM. I've been up since 7:00 AM yesterday and I plan to catch up on some sleep once I'm done with this maintenance job. I have to do this at a bizarre time so that customers won't be impacted too much during the day.

I wish I could keep this sort of schedule all the time, but alas, I appear to be stuck in the 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM world-- the world of the dreaded "morning people".

Uptight

Seems like everyone around me is really up tight and wound up.

My son gets very, very angry if I beat him in a game of chess. But then, he gets upset if he gets the sense that I let him win or went easy on him.

My daughter wants me to let her play chess, but she really just likes to randomly move pieces around. That nice. I think that's cool that she has a great interest in chess for her age-- except when I'm trying to play a real game against her brother.

And my dear wife . . . she worries about many things herself.

Everyone is complaining to me or whining about something. I just take it all in.

*Sigh*

If it wasn't so late already, I think I'd have myself a beer and go to bed. I think I'll skip the beer and just head on to bed since I've got work.

I wonder why everyone around me stays so uptight.

Gettin' It Together

Sometimes I feel like I'm sinking in quicksand when I try to keep up with everything in my life. Work gets hectic sometimes; my projects seem like one continuous steam of never-ending tasks that can never get done.

My wife and kids are a bit needy of my attention. I love 'em and they deserve all I've got. But, they sure do take all I've got without much hesitation!

I do get back in return, though.

Anyhow . . .

Lately, I've come across a few applications that have really helped me out quite a bit.

GNUCash

Money management to the rescue! This program helps me keep up with our family's spending. I've been poor with my money management lately. Now that I don't have daycare costs any longer, it's time to do some financial healing with that extra cash.

GNUCash is a free, opensource program that comes with Linux, but also can run on Windows and Mac.

It's a little tricky to use at first. I think sometimes powerful programs give you so many choices that you really don't know where to start. Read though the help files. Understanding how this program ticks is well worth the effort--especially if you're serious about taking those first steps towards a better financial life.

GoogleCalendar

I've gotten so busy that I need to start putting important dates on a calendar. GoogleCalendar works great for me. It's free and handy to use. GoogleCalendar will also give SMS, e-mail, and pop-up reminders for all your calendar dates and appointments.

And I just like Google stuff in general. So pretty and colorful. Oooohhhh . . .

Producteev

Sometimes, having a smart calendar just isn't enough. You day sucks when your boss asks you if you made "those changes yet" and you clearly forgot. But the e-mail is clearly in your inbox.

Enter, Producteev.

You can forward important e-mails to your Producteev account to build a task list so that your important reminders (be they personal or work related) won't get burried in your inbox.

You can use your smart phone to also manage Producteev.

And Producteev can sync with GoogleCalendar-- thus, marking dates on your calendar without you ever having to stop and log into your Google account separably.

Producteev has both free and pay levels of service.

Since I've started using GNUCash, GoogleCalendar, and Producteev, I finally see light at the end of the tunnel concerning my finances, my hectic schedule, and the constant onslaught of projects at work.

Now, if I could only come up with a popular application of my own that generated a huge user base. Then someone like Google could come along and buy me out and send me on a permanent vacation.

Then, I could forget about all those utilities that I just mentioned.

Emotions Pt. 2 -- Trigger Happy

I've also learned from reading Ekman's book Emotions Revealed that the events of your past can determine how easily various emotions are triggered within a person.

Such a notion may sound like a no-brainer, but the implications can be quite powerful.

Consider this idea: when a person's emotional triggers have become sensitive due to exposure to certain situations or traumas, anything remotely similar to those events can cause very strong emotions.

For instance, a person who was bullied constantly may hold constant restrained anger at those who impose themselves. When an adult, that same person can become just as angry at some being mildly pushy or bossy. This anger often comes across as an overreaction to others. Whereas the person who has become emotional feels justified.

Here's perhaps the most important information found in Ekman's book.

An abused person will have very sensitive emotions for anything that brings back memories related to abuse. So, if the abused still harbors fear, anger, or guilt, those emotions will surface very quickly and strongly.

Learning this, I have found it easier to diffuse tense situations with people that I see from day to day. Now, I don't look at my wife as a hysterical, overreacting female pumping too much estrogen. Now, I see that she simply has a very sensitive trigger over certain issues because of events from her past. She is overreacting. But not because she's unreasonable or has too much estrogen. She's overreacting because she was injured by some similar event.

Same thing happens with me. I have my sensitive triggers, too. Perhaps not as many since I've had a happier childhood than my wife.

Be that as it may . . . now it's time that we take this knowledge and use it for our advantage.

Learn where your sensitive triggers are. Count to ten or 20 before you speak if you've noticed that you're getting emotional. Especially if the emotion is anger. Anger can be justified and is many times quite necessary. But unchecked anger can cause another sour feeling-- regret.

Learn your loved ones' sensitive triggers-- but, not to exploit them. Rather, learn this so that you'll know when to back down and give them a minute to vent. You'll know that it's a moment when you shouldn't take their emotions too personal if you know a sensitive trigger has been set off. Still take them seriously, but don't take things so personal. An emotion usually fades from a few seconds to a few minutes in most cases, unless you or someone else adds fuel to the flame.

Learning the expressions on people's faces is very helpful, but again, isn't the ultimate goal of the book. This book will not turn you into some covert FBI agent so that you can tell when people are lying by the way they dart their eyes.

But it can help you better understand what people are going through. And this understanding can help you know when to console, encourage, or get ready to move out the fucking way!

Emotions

I'm reading a book called Emotions Revealed by Paul Ekman. I'm finding it to be a very interesting book. His research focuses on how facial expressions are tied to our emotions and that these expressions are universal for (but not necessarily limited to) the emotions of amusement, surprise, sadness, fear, anger, and contempt.

But, he also delves into how we can better understand emotions as they rise up in us. He also gives tips in how to deal with the emotions of others as we better learn how to read them on other people's faces.

Emotions are bound very much to our motivations and needs, or to those objects perceived as obstacles standing between us and our needs and desires.

Anger is an emotion that signals something is standing between us and our goals-- and we want to move it out of the way before it thwarts us. Sometimes with violence, if we're bothered enough.

Sadness is an emotion that tells others we need help. We've lost something or someone dear to us. We may feel helpless or our anger has turned into some sort of resignation. We may be going though or have recently experienced trauma of some sort emotionally. Perhaps the trauma was a long time ago, but remains unresolved.

Contempt is most interesting to me. I used to simply think of contempt as hate. But that's not quite right, according to Ekman's research. Contempt is a feeling of superiority as one looks down on another. Contempt is someone taking pleasure in knowing that he or she is better than someone else, and therefore, it's reasonable to mistreat the object of contempt. It has been reported that terrorists often have this look of contempt before they carry out their plans. Surveillance videos and interrogation reports under the lens of Ekman's research has brought this phenomena to light.

I worry about this emotion. I will be sure to look for it more often upon other people's faces.

And, I will try to pay more attention to see if I ever feel the muscles in my face form a look of contempt. Once you learn how to better identify facial expressions, you can identify them a bit better on yourself as well.

Back to School

Time for the little kiddies to start going back to school.

Time to become a slave to the daily grind.

Around here, traffic amplifies and you have to get up much, much earlier to get anywhere on time when school starts. The daily schedule simply becomes far more complicated when school starts.

Sigh.

My little girl starts kindergarten this year. She'll be riding the bus with big brother. That's a cute sentiment, but I wish I could enjoy it without knowing it time to start the drudgery all over again.

I should have went to bed an hour and a half ago.

Between Two Worlds

As I sit here, my wife's grandmother is slowly passing away. She's "stable" but her death seems imminent. She's been to the emergency room about five times this week. The last two times were in the same 24 hour period. She keeps losing consciousness. She's over 90 years old, bedridden, and blind. She loses oxygen and passes out upon any level of exertion-- like say, during a bowel movement attempt. The family keeps reviving her regardless of how tired she looks.

On the other end of the spectrum, we have a young niece who is about to bring life into this world any day now. Her parents are cruel people who never deserved children. Funny . . . those are the kinds of parents who keep having as many children as they can.

So, we have a young woman who isn't ready to be a mother in any sense. She lives with her parents who constantly threaten to kick her out of the house. She has no job (Duh! She's about to drop a baby any moment now!), no money, and no idea what life with a new child will bring.

My wife and I sit here between these two worlds, wondering what we can do to help.

But we only find ourselves watching helplessly as we hope for the best while bracing for the worst.

More St. Vincent

Here's one more Annie Clark (aka St. Vincent) video:

And here's another rendition of the same cover, Dig a Pony:

And finally, here's my favorite song by St. Vincent. It's not a video, exactly. Just an upload of The Apocalypse Song:

Enjoy!

Raised from the Dead!

Woo-hoo! I thought my Creative Zen Vision M player was dead, but it's not! It's back to life!!

I let my wife borrow it during her gym workouts.

Well, I fished it out of her purse to listen to some of my favorite tunes one evening.

My heart sank as it struggled to boot up. The splash screen appeared, but then was replaced by snow!

I tried to hide my hurt, because I knew my wife was probably feeling really, really guilty when she saw that it wouldn't boot up.

My son immediately asked to have it. He loves to take things apart. He couldn't wait to take a hammer to it and have it strewn across the house in bits and pieces.

But, I couldn't let go. I just couldn't.

I morned for about a week.

But then, I became desperate. I started reading online about the symptoms my player was having. I started reading up on how to (properly) take one apart and where I can order replacement parts.

I made plans to order a new hard drive and perhaps a new battery if the pricing made sense.

But before ordering anything, I made one last ditch effort and decided to just let it charge. Maybe the battery was just so low that it was behaving in a bizarre fashion. I plugged in the charger, hit the reset button with a paper clip, and watched it boot to the recovery mode.

There, I just let it sit and soak in the power.

And Lo! After charging for several hours, my Creative Zen player was filled once again with the breath of life!

My wife promises to never touch my player again. I don't believe her, though. And I don't mind if she sees it again. I think her only crime was simply not charging it now and then. Yeah, she borrowed it for that long.

But my son is very disappointed. He though he had a new toy to break.

Boy, am I glad I didn't let him have his way with my MP3 player! I would have been sick if I had found out later that it still have a fighting chance! Just sick!

IDE to USB-- Oh, So Cool

One of my wife's co-workers has become a good friend to us over the years. She helped keep our kids while my wife and I were out of town. A favor like that is hard to fully pay back.

Before our out of town trip, our friend ended up with a computer virus on her laptop. I cleaned it off for her and gave it back to her-- all nice and clean again. She gave me a gift certificate to a really high class restaurant in exchange for my help. Sweet!

I will work for food . . .

But not long after that, her computer wouldn't boot at all. It wouldn't even go through the Power On Self Test routine (POST). That's bad news. Something isn't soldered properly to the mother board any longer or something. That reaches a bit beyond my skill level. I don't go around soldering mother boards. I think it might be time to learn, though. If I had soldering skills, I could probably fix a lot of things that would otherwise be thrown away.

Anyway, after getting a second opinion about her laptop, she is now in the market for a new computer or a new mother board-- which ever comes cheapest.

She can by a netbook or mini laptop for the quoted price of a replacement motherboard. Hmmmm . . .

But what about that poor hard drive of hers? Nothing is wrong with it to my knowledge. I think her laptop is totally suffering from bad wiring. If only I could somehow access her hard drive. I could make an image of her OS and restore it to her new laptop and everything will come back as though nothing happened.

I conceived of such a device in my mind's eye, but didn't know what it was called or where I could find one. I didn't know if anyone even made such a device.

A few days later, I watch my co-worker plug in a hard drive into some gadget thingy that he just bought. He told me that it converted a computer hard drive into a USB drive.

That's just what I imagined I would need! Awesomeness!

I ordered one the same day. It can convert SATA drives and IDE drives (even from laptops) into a USB drive. You plug it in and your computer and you can see the drive. You can make a disk image, scan the drive for viruses-- what ever you want! The SATA / IDE to USB 2.0 Adapter is awesome!

I made a boot-able disk image that's ready to restore to any other hard drive. Once our friend gets her new netbook, I can restore her Windows image to the new computer and all her programs and personal information will reappear like magic. Or, if we do get a new motherboard, she'll have a backup of her laptop. If another virus comes along, we can just scrub the hard drive and restore the last good image.

Tonight, I feel like a technological Jedi.

St. Vincent

Over the past few years, I've become a fan of Annie Clark's music (aka St. Vincent). I think she has a strong voice with a tinge of quirkiness that makes her stand out. Also, she appears to be an excellent musician and a good composer.

To me, she's a musical artist. Not just a singer.

I subscribe to her news letters, which come out once every few months. She's on tour performing work from her second album, Actor.

One of my favorite songs come from her first album, Mary Me.

Her newsletter had a link to WBEZMusic. She's featured on their page doing a live rendition of her song Actor Out of Work. Now that I've done a lot of reading on emotions and human nature, I like this song even more. I suppose that would make sense because I've come to respect acting far more than I once did. Executing a believable portrayal of emotion to an audience takes skill.

Singing a neat song that also carries philosophical undertones about the phenomena of acting takes skill, too.

Anyway, I just thought I'd embed the video of her street performance her. You don't have to like her music. But I like it, regardless.

St Vincent performs for WBEZ Music at Pitchfork Music Festival 2010 from WBEZ on Vimeo.

Caveat Emptor

I had the good fortune of reading the book Influence: Science and Practice a few years back.

That has helped me to look back and see when I have been taken advantage of in my life. I can also better tell when someone is trying to bullshit me into buying something I may not need or want.

The goal of most sales people is to take away all your excuses for turning down their product. They want to convince you that your purchase is a "no-brainer".

That's exactly the problem; they don't want your brain involved in the process.

A pair of salesmen came along to my house peddling home security systems. They rolled out about every sales tactic found in the Influence book that I read.

First, they insinuated that the alarm system was "free".

Yeah. Uh-huh.

This was a setup for the "low-ball" technique.

They also said that this was a promotion only being done for about maybe three houses in the area.

That was the tactic of scarcity. Make something seem precious, and people will want it. I would be foolish to turn down a rare opportunity.

They got me to admit that I would want a security system. They got me to verbally acknowledge that having a system would increase the value of my home and make my wife and children feel so much safer. If I say "yes" to this, then I would be foolish to say "no" to the system if it were "free". They even had zeros in all the blanks on the contract showing that I wouldn't owe anything at all if I signed up. They even said that I could try it for a week, and have the service turned off if I don't stay with the plan. The equipment would even be mine to keep!

Then they shove the contract at me and try to get me to sign it while they "see" if the company has enough money in their advertising budget to follow though with this exclusive "promotional" offer that I've been given.

Had I not known about these kinds of sales tactics, I probably would have signed without even reading the contract!

And I would have found myself royally pissed about week later when I realized that I didn't get what I had expected. Worse-- I would have been locked into a three year contract paying for something that I thought was totally free.

Since I could recognize that they were being aggressive, (though they were such polite and nice fellows on the surface) I went into critical thinking mode and starting asking a ton of annoying questions. I slowed things down a bit because they were trying to ram this sell down my throat despite how gentle they came across in conversation.

After all, maybe they do have a good product. I like what I see. Even when you get a decent deal, you've got to wade through a lot of the sales fluff you get during a purchase.

But, I'm not buying if I don't know exactly what I'm getting into.

Up front.

• I finally find out that you DO have to pay $50.00 a month for the monitoring of your home.
• You DO get locked into a contract of three years.
• You do get a grace period to try the product. But it's NOT a week. It's only three days.
• The techs will come out and fix any problems for free-- but only for the first 120 days.

I wouldn't have known any of these things, if I hadn't read the contract right there in front of them and challenge them on all the contradictions between their speech and their contract. The contract itself even says, "Do not sign this form if you don't understand the terms of this agreement and have not read this contract in it's entirety".

See why you should read the contract?

Now, here are some pros in the product's favor:

• The company head quarters did receive awards for their customer service recently.
• Their product seems to have quality, seems solid and appears to be quite advanced.
• They are very affordable. My wife really, really wanted an alarm system a few years ago, but we didn't get it; Too expensive. I would have to pay lots of money up front for the equipment, get a phone line, and then pay their monitoring fee. Here, I only had a monitoring fee. That's a huge savings compared to the offer I received a year ago.

I still didn't like the sales tactics they used, but I was impressed with the product and even the price (which they try to hide for as long as they can). Since I knew I had three days to cancel, I gave it a try.

I did my homework some more during the grace period. I tested out the system. I read up on the company.

I discovered that most people like their service when they know what they've gotten into. But most people hate the company when they unwittingly signed a binding contract without understanding the terms of agreement.

There seems to be a dichotomy between their product and their sales force. The product seems worth having if you want a security system. Their customer service is even award winning. But, the sales team will eat you alive if you don't stay on your toes. So buyer, beware!

I can deal with $50.00 a month for three years if I know that's what I'm signing up for. I CANNOT, however, deal with $50.00 a month if someone surprises me with that news a month later!

After doing my research, I have decided to keep the system.

I called back to see what I would have to expect if I wanted any enhancements or upgrades. They started trying to sale me more stuff after giving me the prices for all the upgrades I asked about.

I told them I'd like to sleep on it. They tried the "scarcity" thing again. If you hang up . . . you might not get this deal from my manager later.

"OK, well, that's too bad for me then. I'll call you back if I'm interested. Thanks."

I did the math. I know what I want in the future if I upgrade. And I know that I don't want their exclusive deal that supposedly discounts the upgrades I want.

By now, you might be saying to yourself, "Uruk, you said that you recognized all of these sales tactics, yet you still bought the product. Weren't you still fooled by them anyway?"

Possibly. But, the way I see it . . . I didn't treat this situation like a "no-brainer". That's what the sales guys wanted. Rather, I walked into this knowing what I'm getting. So the difference is that I purchased this knowing the terms and agreeing with them, rather than having terms I don't like or didn't realize imposed upon me later.

In short: I bought the system of my own free will because I evaluated the product. I did not buy the system simply as a reflex to psychological cues. I don't think I'll be waking up in the morning wondering, "how the hell did I get trapped" three days later. I walked into the deal with my eyes wide open.

At least, I think.

Caveat emptor.

Where the Money Goes

I feel as though I'm a personification of the father who is talking to his son in this classic School House Rock video. I didn't understand this cartoon short as a kid, but boy, oh boy, do I understand this one now.

Where the Money Goes

The Singularity: When Humans Become the Robots' Bitches

I've finally noticed a reoccurring theme in a few science fiction movies and TV series. From 2001:Space Odyssey, to The Matrix and to newest Battlestar Galactica TV series, humankind has to constantly worry about becoming the Robot's be-atch.

Cultivating technology seems to be one of the hallmarks of humanity. Opposable thumbs made tool usage come naturally. More protein to eat as a result. And more brain power for better tool building.

That's at least, one possibility of how history unfolded. That's how I believed it happened.

Anyhow-- what happens if humankind ever becomes indistinguishable from the artificial intelligence that many scientists dream about?

Some say it's already happening.

Cell phones remember all of our numbers for us. Some people can't even remember to go to the store without a reminder from their phone or some calendar software sending them an e-mail or a text message.

I wouldn't be half the worker I am without having Google to look up the particularly mysterious problems that make me scratch my head.

What happens when computers find out they are smarter than us? What happens when they find out they live longer than us? What happens when they realize they don't want to serve us?

What happens when they decide to make us their bitch?

Maybe they won't even bother. Maybe they will ignore us and leave us to our folly. Or maybe they will hunt us down like Cylons. Maybe they will turn us into bio-batteries like in The Matrix.

Or maybe we'll evolve enough to work peacefully with Robots. Maybe that's the next step in evolution.

And maybe the singularity will never happen at all, because we'll be smart enough to not let computers ever come to life in the first place.

Isaac Asimov, help us all.

OK, I just Found Out I'm a bit Nerdy

I'm not a total nerd. Nor am I a true geek, though I work with computers.

I'm a bit too social to be a nerd for one thing. And, I'm not a true expert in computers. I endeavor to be, but I'm not a guru by any stretch-- which precludes me from being a geek.

I am a bit nerdy and geeky, though. I found out I'm more so than I once thought after I found myself really enjoying watching the first season of The Big Bang Theory on DVD.

I really get that show; Watching The Big Bang Theory helps ease my IT Crowd withdrawal. It doesn't totally quench my withdrawal, but it does help ease the ache.

Damn! When are they going to release the 4th season of IT Crowd on DVD?!

Hopefully after I've caught up on The Big Bang Theory and Battlestar Galactica the next season of IT Crowd will be out.

Geesh, I am a nerd and a geek.

What a Nice Surprise

I don't like surprises.

I got one coming back from my trip.

I returned to find that a really important computer at work was having some big issues.

That's the first thing my co-worker tells me after I get comfy in my chair at my desk.

Yeah. What a nice surprise.

So, I think I'll be neglecting my blogging for a few days.

Avatar Aang

I'm a huge fan of the Nickelodeon cartoon series Avatar: The Last Air Bender. I love that story. This show may sound silly and goofy because I used the words Nickelodeon and cartoon in the same sentence. But, don't let those two terms fool you. The Nickelodeon presentation of Mike DiMartino's epic masterpiece is unfolded through his nigh flawless story telling while dressed in the medium of solidly good animation. The show ranked high in ratings among adults, kids, and critics alike.

But when I heard that the movie adaptation directed by M. Night Shyamalan was on the horizon, I had mixed feelings. I was excited to know that people wanted to see more of Avatar (no, not Cameron's twelve-feet-tall blue people. I mean Avatar Aang).

But I wasn't very excited about Shyamalan being the director.

After all, how can the nigh perfect story be told even better?

I don't think one can unless one does a better job of bringing the original story to life.

Shyamalan did not accomplish this. He deviated from the original story in subtle ways that irked true Air Bender fans. Add on rushed story telling, rushed character development, and bland acting and you end up with critics and Avatar Fans alike slamming Shyamalan very hard for what is being declared a cinematic block-blunder.

I've read people say that Shyamalan only has one more chance to make a good movie before Hollywood throws him out of the movie making business. And people are already saying that the rest of the Air Bender movies will never get made because he sank the Air Bender cinematic franchise before it ever went afloat.

But let it be known, that this movie and all the bitter reviews are in no way a reflection upon the original series headed by Mark DiMartino and his partner Bryan Konietzko.

See, when a co-worker of mine told me that she really enjoyed watching Avatar: The Last Air Bender, yet she hated all other anime . . . I knew this Avatar cartoon had be great stuff.

So, I eventually started with renting disk one, season one from Netflix and our family watched every single episode in every single season-- all the way to the end (over the course of several weeks, mind you).

I might have to watch the entire cartoon series all over again in order to wash my mind of the mediocre movie experience I had watching The Last Air Bender movie adaptation.

If Shyamalan somehow gets clearance to make any of the other Air Bender movies, he would be well advised to sit down and pay closer attention to the cartoon series himself. Apparently, he missed the heart of the story. Shymalan and DiMartino need to have a serious talk if the rest of the movies have any hope of being successful.

Smiling Faces

We're home, safe and sound.

The kids ran to us and hugged us. They really missed us.

We missed them, too.

All is well.

We all have broad smiles on our faces.

Heading Home

Well, my time here is up. I'm getting on a plane and heading back home with my wife.

I've learned a lot that can help me do my job better.

I've had a little fun.

I've complained a good bit while out of town. But honestly, I've had a decent time. Caught a movie or two. Finally found a few neat places to eat. Spent some time with my wife. And she got to lay around and just relax and unplug while I was in class.

Now we're getting ready to board the plane. And like I said before making my way here . . . if this blog doesn't update again after this post . . . you'll know what happened.

But again . . . let's be positive, eh?

The Sunshine State

Florida is the Sunshine State, right?

Not this week.

It has rained every single fucking day that I've been here.

Everyday after 3:00 PM, it rains buckets. Thunder and lightning. Rain. Rain. Rain.

Before it rains, I look up at gray, heavy, overcast skies. I packed my sunglasses all for nothing.

Sunshine State my ass!

Chipotle

I found a Chipotle restaurant in the area where I'm staying for my training class this week.

I heard of this place from a new employee who had moved in from another state. He raved about Chipotle and was very disappointed that one couldn't be found in his new local.

I became very interested in this place. He talked about it a good bit for his first few weeks at work. He talked about it so much that I too became disappointed that we have no Chipotle anywhere nearby-- and I had never been there before!

I started to feel a bit offended. What? My town isn't good enough for a Chipotle restaurant?

I even wrote the owners and asked them that very question. They replied and said that they admitted to being selective about where they open new restaurants. But, they try to take care in how fast they grow their business. They don't just haphazardly open restaurants anywhere. But, they assured me that they would consider opening up in my area one of these days.

Hmph.

Well, I ran across a Chipotle while I'm out here training in Tampa, Florida.

Chipotle is awesomeness!

I still feel a bit offended that they won't open a restaurant back home where I must soon return.

I think I'll write the owners again.

Maybe it's time for me to quit my job and open one myself. I know the perfect spot where I can start one when I get back home.

Right around the corner from that Five Guys Burgers and Fries joint that recently opened up at that cool shopping park they just built. I'd make a killin' and Five Guys wouldn't even miss a beat from my presence. If anything, we'd feed on each other's attraction of hungry customers longing to get rid of the munchies.

A Little Better . . .

Well, we've finally found some good eats. We've had to ask around some.

Now, we're hoping to find some good sites. The problem? It rains every day after I get out of class.

Oh well . . . this town ain't so bad if you look around and ask for some help.

Time to go to bed. Got class in the morning and my belly is full.

Cookie Cutter U.S.A

Now, I'm not well traveled. I've been a few places across the Southeast United States. I've been just barely out towards the Southwest and I've been up north a little around Chicago and Michigan. I've also had the pleasure of visiting our nation's Capitol for a week many, many years ago.

But other than that, I really haven't been anywhere.

So maybe my comments are a bit unfair and off base.

With the exception of Washington D.C., some parts of Chicago, and Louisville, KY, all of the parts of the United States that I've been to seem like they were produced out of a cookie cutter.

I've flown over to a different time zone, but I can't find anything different to eat than what I can find back at home. At least, not yet. And I haven't seen anything different or captivating so far when compared to the current city in which I live.

I'm sure something interesting is out there somewhere, but where is it???

In the training class I'm attending, our instructor is a native of Cuba. He came back from lunch and complained that the so called Cuban restaurant where he visited wasn't authentic enough.

I'm in Tampa, Florida as I write this. I wasn't too familiar with Tampa before I got here. But from what I've noticed in just staying here one day is that there ought to be some really good Cuban food around here somewhere. I mean . . . I've seen Spanish billboards here that have no English translation. If you don't speak Spanish, that advertisement just wasn't for you.

Not to say that everyone who is Hispanic in Tampa is from Cuba. But, I bet a lot of Cubans come here to Florida. So . . . there ought to be some Cuban food that a native Cuban would call "authentic".

If he is having trouble finding some authentic and unique, how can I find something new and different in a town that is just a mirror image of where I already live?

Maybe that isn't a fair question. Perhaps I've made a false correlation. But, I feel like all hope is lost when it comes to doing something that's unique in Tampa-- something that I can't do back home. Because so far, everywhere I've been in Tampa looks the same to me.

The sweltering heat is the same.

The afternoon thunderstorms are the same.

OK, no palm trees where I live. But, I see plenty of other trees back home.

"Variety is the spice of life", I hear. I think that saying has some merit.

Ah well . . . I can't complain too much. Our hotel is really, really nice and familiarity is also comforting. But still, I'd like to see something a little different from back home. Just a little.

And on a side note: although I miss my kids, I've got a really, really, really, really, really nice break from them. They stayed back home with other family members while my wife and I traveled together. And by the way, they are doing just fine.

Touch Down!

Touch down! We've landed!

I've made my destination; I'm in my hotel room. Yea!

Boy . . . the accommodations are really nice, too.

I'm not used to this!

The lady in our finance department gave me and my wife the hook-up!

Now it's time to relax for a bit before I try to find the location of my training class.

And my wife . . . she's lovin' it!

They May Love to Fly, but I don't.

My job is sending me to a training class. I'm headed out of town.

My wife will tag along. The company is OK with this as long as I understand that I'm responsible for taking care of her expenses. The company will only take care of my plane ticket, hotel, and car rental.

The hotel will accommodate us both, but I have to take care of the my wife's air fare.

I'll be in a training class from 9 to 4:30. My wife will get a nice little vacation while I'm in class.

Family and good friends will watch our kids while we're gone for a week.

Cross your fingers; I'll be in the air early Sunday morning.

I've got blogs queued up on MDLS (my other blog). However, if this post on this blog ends up being my last, you'll know what happened.

But hey, let's try to be positive, huh?

You can probably tell that I don't like flying much. I like it, but then again I don't.

I love when the plane lifts off the ground. I stare down with wonder when looking out of the window.

But, I become very nervous when I wonder if our pilot is drunk, sleepy, angry, suicidal, or incompetent. I get worried wondering if the airline has cut corners on safety and my plane might burst into flames on the run way, or we go careening towards the ground because of some malfunction that was ignored to save some money.

I don't even think about terrorists. I just have to ignore that idea . . .

And that's when I realize that I don't like to fly in the long run. But, I can't let my fears show.

Even though my wife has flown a few times, she is a little scared, too. So, I gotta be strong for her.

Anyhow-- hopefully, I'll live to update this blog another day.

All in all, I think I will.

GoogleCL

Hey, all you Google fanboys (and fangirls) out there! Google has released a new command line interface that works with Blogger, Picassa, Google Calendar, Google Docs, and YouTube! If you enjoy the command line environment, you'll get a kick out of GoogleCL.

Using the Google command line a little tricky to get the hang of it at first (to me) but if you're no stranger to the command line, you'll find it quite neat!

Also, you can upload text files if you don't want to type the whole post out onto the command line. That helps with puncuation, spacing, and spell checks if you edit in a word processing program before uploading with the command line.

This new feature from Google will be great for people who want to develop their own software tools.

And this feature will also be great for those who want to write their blogs while at work, yet still sound productive because of all that command line typing they're making at the keyboard!

Who? Me?

I wouldn't dare do something like that while at work.

Four Inches

I'm having to deal with maintenance for two houses.

I bought my first home years ago. It was a tiny match box.

That's fine for a newlywed couple in love, love, love.

Ah . . . I remember those days . . .

But a matchbox house sucks when you've been living in it for five years now and your second child is on the way.

Our house changed from our nest to the incredible shrinking box. It just got smaller right before our eyes.

My wife eventually told me that she was moving, with or without me.

She wasn't joking, either.

Hmmmm . . . .

So now I live in a second home. My first home is still my financial problem. Oh, and so is the current one. But I won't gripe about my current house. It's not shrinking like the first one. But I pay enough on it each month to where it had better not start shrinking.

I'm renting my first house out to someone (finally). I had a different tenant months ago, but she vanished after not paying rent for several months.

At least the place was really clean when she left and she didn't steal the stove and refrigerator.

So, now I have to be the landlord and Mr. Handyman. I have to fix things I don't even know how to fix around my current home.

I had to change the locks because of the previous tenant. Kinda neat-- but only when you don't have a million other problems to fix. At least I found out that you can have a lock re-keyed instead of buying new locks. That saved me several hundred dollars!

I also learned how to get a broken key out of a door knob. Take the cylinder off the door and then carry it up to Ace hardware! Oh, and don't throw away the broken handle part of the key in disgust. It can come in handy if you need to make a new copy of your broken key.

I had to get a guy to add freon to the refrigerator. He educated me on the implications of a freon leak. While cheap to repair, leaking freon is your refrigerator warning you that a $500.00 repair is in your feature should the leak be a bad one.

Or, perhaps you're being forewarned that a new refrigerator is in your future. Which ever comes cheapest-- $500.00 part or a cheap (but decent) refrigerator for a rental property.

Hmmmm . . . .

At least I'm informed.

And I had the illustrious opportunity to fix a toilet as well. I didn't know I could fix toilets. But I can.

A little. Just a little.

All that-- a broken key in a lock, changing locks, fixing a refrigerator, and fixing a toilet all in one day!

I even went to the hardware store and found the concrete based tile for the siding of the house. A few pieces have to be replaced or my insurance company won't renew my insurance policy.

Apparently the style of this tile is rare. I tried to get some custom pieces made. I measured and everything.

But they didn't have any sheets that were wide enough to make the pieces the correct size.

But maybe I can still make it will work . . . so I decided to take a chance.

I'm four inches short.

Four inches stands between me and getting the most important task out of the way concerning that old house that I've grown to hate so much.

Just four inches.

Grrrr . . .

Back to the drawing board.

It might also be time to look for a different insurance company.

Day Two

I had Green Tea today.

My brain felt washed, cleansed, and renewed by the goodness of the golden liquid.

I felt as though the Tea washed down the actual organ of my brain as I drank it.

Straight from the roof of my mouth, then somehow up and over the inside of my cranium, washing away all the subtle tensions of caffeine withdrawal.

It was WONDERFUL!

Yes, I know.

I'm a weak bastard.

But, now I am at peace with the universe.

Day One

Day one without caffeine.

It sucks.

Very tired. Headaches. Tylenol.

I have uncontrollable salivation every time someone walks by me with a cup of coffee in their hand.

I can smell my co-workers coffee before they round the corner on their return to their cubicle. I can smell coffee three aisles away while in the grocery store after work.

I smell coffee as I'm typing this even though there is none brewing. There is none to be found near me at the moment. My brain is just re-creating the aroma in hopes that I will cave.

I'm going to bed now, right after I take out the trash.

Maybe day two will be less difficult.

Maybe a cup of coffee will help get me through this.

On Being Dad

Today is probably the nicest Father's Day I've experienced. It was simple, but everyone made it a point to tell me why they think I'm a good father.

It's not that I'm perfect. It's that I try and stay committed. I get the important things taken care of, even though I could do better with a lot of things.

My family really came across looking like a wonderful gift today.

Some days . . . well, I just hang in there.

But, today (and yesterday) made all that hanging in there so worth it.

I want to do better now. I want to try and become the best Dad that I can be. They deserve at least that much.

The Kung Fu Kid

Just saw the new remake of Karate Kid with Jaden Smith and Jackie Chan.

I enjoyed myself. I generally (not always) like a movie with Jackie Chan and Jaden Smith looks like he's going to walk in his daddy's foot steps.

The details are very different the original Karate Kid movie, but the essence of the story is basically the same as the original.

Anyway, I enjoyed it. I walked away wanting to learn Kung Fu more than ever. I've wanted to learn. I suppose I shouldn't keep putting it off.

Vital Records

Why can't you find your child's birth certificate when you need it?

It's like that sock that vanishes forever after you do laundry.

Just fuckin' gone. No trace.

Why do I even need to show someone my child's birth certificate? Just look at him! Look at her!!

They have been born, see? And my son looks just like me. My daughter looks just like her momma.

You can just look and tell that they're our kids!

So, why else do you need my child's birth certificate?

Greene Means "Go"

Looks like Alvin Greene is hanging in there.

The South Carolina Democratic party couldn't find any fraudulence after investigating Greene's unlikely nomination.

So, they gave Greene the "green" light. He may keep his nomination.

Now he doesn't need to lift a finger to pay for his campaign. The news media is doing it for him.

I've heard people call this guy a moron. I've heard people call him dumber than Sarah Palin.

(I personally don't think Palin is all that dumb. I think she's just doing what she has to in order to stay in the media [make money]).

Greene isn't that great of a speaker from what I've seen-- true dat.

And Greene does seem a bit unprepared for the daunting task ahead of him. No visible campaign efforts. No money. Hell . . . no employment! And he's facing Federal charges!

But, maybe he has an inner genius that told him he'd win if he did something different and unexpected-- like run for office without spending a dime on campaign signs.

I think there's something to this because, you see . . . I like all those things about him (minus the Federal Charges if they are true). It seems like the political process might actually have a glimmer of hope just by the mere fact that he's gotten this far.

Maybe Alvin Greene bit off more than he can chew. Or maybe he knows exactly what he's doing.

And maybe he just got lucky.

Time will tell.

LA Lakers Win It in Big Game Seven!

I'm a bit late in posting this, but I unexpectedly ended up working for 26 hours before the big Game 7 of the 2010 NBA Finals series. The last thing I felt like doing was posting anything on my blog. I had spent all that time on a malfunctioning server. After 26 grueling hours, I needed a break from technology.

I was whooped down when I finally got home. I was only sustained by a 30 minute nap and a 5 hour break that occurred between getting of at 5:00 PM Wednesday night and having to go back into the office at 10:00 PM. I ended up staying up all night at work, and then into the morning. I worked Thursday and all the way until 6:30 PM. Ugh!

I felt like a zombie.

But, I just HAD to watch Game 7 after I finally got home!

And it was great!

It makes sense that this series came down to a final "Game 7". Both teams were really good this year and deserved to be at the top. Neither team was going to lay down and let the other simply "win".

But a sporting series usually has an odd number of games for a reason. They only give out one big trophey at the end. And this year, it went to the LA Lakers!

To see a great best of seven series by two great teams that was tied at the six minute mark was a thrill! And even better when the team you're rooting for wins!!

What a way to end a 26 hour workday from hell!

Woot! Woot!

I Gotta Stop Being a Fat Ass

I struggle with my weight. I have for a long while now. I grew up really skinny. I marvel at old photos of myself. I looked pretty good back then (but I didn't think so back then).

Now, I'm a fat slob.

But I've been working on changing that these past two months.

I've lost about 20 pounds so far. I'm getting back into clothes that I couldn't wear for a few years.

I'm eating better, jogging every other day (more or less), and lifting weights on the days I don't jog. I give myself one day off within the week for recovery and I let myself splurge on the weekend.

So hopefully, I'll go from fat ass to being able to kick yo' ass.

OK, not you personally-- you who might be reading this. I meant "you" figuratively.

I've been on this weight loss journey before. But this time I think I'm going to stick with it and succeed.

I've realized that it's really not about losing any particular amount of weight. It's simply about adopting a consistent lifestyle of health and wellness.

The weight loss-- that will simply be the icing on the cake, so to speak.

The region I live in is noted for having a population with high obesity. That seriously needs to change. That's gotta start with me. My family and our habits.

Just can't eat those fried Twinkies any more.

OK, I've never had a fried Twinkie before. But I eat my share of burgers, French fries, pizza, fried chicken and fish, chips, chocolate, cookies, cake, and Southern Iced Sweet Tea.

OK, see . . . I'm not helping myself right now.

Arts & Crafts

My wife is quite creative. She is an artist and has command over the elements of design.

No, she did not help me with the look and feel of this blog.

Thus the shoddy look.

She helped me just a hair with MDLS. So, don't judge her abilities based on that blog, either.

Anyway . . . I digress.

She got the idea from a friend to take some heavy duty cardboard boxes and use them as toy chests. The kids can just dump their shi . . er, toys in the box after they play, therefore making clean up time less of a chore.

Well, my wife isn't going to just get cardboard boxes and throw them in their bedrooms like I would do.

She sat the kids down, made them plan out what they will draw on each panel of the box. She had them sketch it out on paper first. Then, she had them color their sketches.

Then she went and got supplies based on their ideas. She bought cut out rockets, robots, butterflies, glue, glitter, paint, sponge brushes, beads-- the works!

Then she had them painting their boxes, painting their cut-outs, and decorating the panels of their boxes.

She reminds me of an arts & crafts kindergarten teacher.

And the kids love it!

Yes, even my 8 year old know-it-all cynic.

And I love my wife for it, too.

And I can also tell that my wife wants to make her own box, too.

They Just Won't Quit

Damn. These 419 scams are getting ridiculous! If you can stomach it, read the one below. I got this in my spam box. And by the way, do not visit any of the links in the quoted e-mail below. Your computer could get ate up by viruses.

Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI)

Anti-Terrorist And Monitory Crime Division.

J.Edgar. Hoover Building Washington D.C.

Customers Service Hours / Monday To Saturday

For more information call during working period

Telephone number: 2033330996

Attention Beneficiary,

Records show that you are among one of the individuals and organizations who are yet to receive their overdue payment from overseas which includes those of Lottery/Gambling, Contract and Inheritance. Through our Fraud Monitory Unit we have also noticed that over the past you have been transacting with some imposters and fraudsters who have been impersonating the likes of Prof. Soludo of the Central Bank Of Nigeria, Mr. Patrick Aziza, Bode Williams, Frank, Anderson, none officials of Oceanic Bank, Zenith Banks, Kelvin Young of HSBC, Ben of FedEx, Ibrahim Sule, Dr. Usman Shamsuddeen and some imposters claiming to be The Federal Bureau of Investigation.

The Cyber Crime Division of the FBI gathered information from the Internet Fraud Complaint Center (IFCC) formerly known as the Internet Fraud Complaint Center (IFCC) of how some people have lost outrageous sums of money to these imposters. As a result of this we hereby advise you to stop communication with any one not referred to you by us.We have negotiated with the Federal Ministry of Finance that your payment totaling $6,100,000.00 will be released to you via a custom pin based ATM card with a maximum withdrawal limit of $5,000 a day which is powered by Visa Card and can be used anywhere in the world were you see a Visa Card Logo on the Automatic Teller Machine (ATM). We have advised that this should be the only way at which you are to receive your payment because it’s more guaranteed, since over $5 billion was lost on fake cheque last year 2009.

We guarantee 100% receipt of your payment, because we have perfected everything in regards to the release of your $6.1 million United States Dollars to be 100% risk free and free from any hitches as it’s our duty to protect citizens of the United States of America and aslo Asia and Europe including Canadians. (This is as a result of the mandate from US Government to make sure all debts owed to citizens of American and also Asia and Europe which includes Inheritance, Contract, Gambling/Lottery etc are been cleared for the betterment of the current economic status of the nation and its citizens as he has always believed “Our Time for Change has come” because “Change can happen”).Below are few list of tracking numbers you can track from UPS website to confirm people like you who have received their payment successfully.

Name :Racheal Frank :UPS Tracking Number...1z89249r2210011070 (www.ups.com)

Name :Zaidi Mohammed :UPS Tracking Number...1z89249r2210011025 (www.ups.com)

Name :Stephen Medaris :UPS Tracking Number..1z89249r2210011089 (www.ups.com)

Name :Seddek Farhard :UPS Tracking Number..1z89249r2210011098 (www.ups.com)

To redeem your fund you are hereby advised to contact the ATM Card Center via email for their requirement to proceed and procure your Approval of Payment Warrant and Endorsement of your ATM Release Order on your behalf which will cost you $135.00 only nothing more and no hidden fees as everything else has been taken cared of by the Federal Government including taxes, custom paper and clearance duty so all you will ever need to pay is $135.00 only.

Contact Information

Name: Dr. Fred Williams,

Email: wdrfred@yahoo.com.hk

Phone: +234-807-625-4991

Do contact Dr. Fred Williams of the ATM Card Center via his contact details above and furnish him with your details as listed below:

Your full Name:

Your Address (where you will like your ATM CARD to be sent to):

Home/Cell Phone:

Occupation:

Age:

Bank Info:

On contacting him with your details your files would be updated and he will be sending you the payment information in which you will use in making payment of $135.00 via Western Union Money Transfer for the procurement of your Approval of Payment Warrant and Endorsement of your ATM Release Order. After which the delivery of your ATM card will be effected to your designated home address without any further delay, extra fee or any authority raising eyebrow.Upon receipt of payment the delivery officer will ensure that your package is sent within 24 working hours. Because we are so sure of everything we are giving you a 100% money back guarantee if you do not receive your ATM CARD Shippment Confirmation within the next 24hrs after you have made the payment for shipping.Once again we are so sure of you receiving your payment at no any other cost as we have taking it upon our duty to monitor everything in other to cub cyber crime that is perpetrated by those

impostors.

Thanks and hope to read from you soon.

ROBERT S. MUELLER,DIRECTOR

FEDERAL BUREAU OF INVESTIGATION

UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE

WASHINGTON, D.C. 20535

TELEPHONE: 206-666-5283

FAX: 206-666-5283

Note: Disregard any email you get from any impostors or offices claiming to be in possession of your ATM card, you are hereby advice only to be in contact with Dr. Fred Williams of the ATM card center who is the rightful person to deal with in regards to your payment and forward any emails you get from impostors to this office via the above fax number so we could act upon it immediately. Help stop cyber crime.

Grounds Keeping

Adam and Eve weren't kicked out of the Garden of Eden.

Adam gave God "the finger" and walked out.

Adam said, "I'll be damned if I tend to this garden for the rest of my life!"

I finally had this revelation after cutting down a lot of neglected weeds and vines that were growing up around my house this weekend.

Yeah Adam. I don't blame you for leaving Eden one bit.

The Night Owl

I'm a night owl. I think I have a sleep disorder.

No, really. I think I do.

I think I have delayed sleep phase syndrome. When I read the Wiki article, I felt like someone had been spying on me all of my life and then wrote this article.

I thought it was a joke at first. But, that's really an accurate description of me. I have all the challenges and emotions in that article. And the problem started when I was in middle school. I just started staying up and couldn't go to sleep one summer. And that become natural to me.

Dude! I'm living in the wrong time zone!

The problem with this disorder is that if I had trouble taking it seriously and I have it . . . who else will take it seriously?

Not my employer on my dreaded 8 to 5 job.

Honestly, I really, really, really like (not quite love, just like) my job.

I hate mornings. Mornings is what makes my job "dreaded".

I wish I worked at nights, could sleep all day, and run around town in the evenings before and after work.

If I could work from 2:00 PM to 11:00 PM every day, I'd be in hog heaven!

My struggle with my coffee addiction doesn't help one bit. Coffee just makes the vicious cycle worse. Lately I've drank tea in place of coffee. I get by, but man-oh-man do I miss grinding coffee beans and slipping on that rich, hot, fresh coffee with sugar and creme and . . .

OK, I'd better quit that.

Hell, my coffee deprivation runs deep enough to where I'll drink grocery store brand instant coffee at this point!

My Favorite Animal

Here's a cute little e-mail I ran across. It reminds me a lot of my son-- not just the wit of the narrator, but also the endearing affection the speaker apparently has for fried chicken:

Our teacher asked us what our favorite animal was, and I said, "Fried chicken."

She said I wasn't funny, but she couldn't have been right, because everyone else in the class laughed.

My parents told me to always be truthful and honest, and I am. Fried chicken is my favorite animal. I told my dad what happened, and he said my teacher was probably a member of PETA. He said they love animals very much. I do, too. Especially chicken, pork and beef.

Anyway, my teacher sent me to the principal's office. I told him what happened, and he laughed too. Then he told me not to do it again.

The next day in class my teacher asked me what my favorite live animal was. I told her it was chicken. She asked me why, just like she'd asked the other children. So I told her it was because you could make them into fried chicken. She sent me back to the principal's office again. He laughed, and told me not to do it again.

I don't understand. My parents taught me to be honest, but my teacher doesn't like it when I am. Today, my teacher asked us to tell her what famous person we admire most.

I told her, "Colonel Sanders".

Guess where I am now...

A Pot to Shit In: Part 2

Here's Vangaurd's full documentary entitled The World's Toilet Crisis.

*VIEWER DISCRETION IS ADVISED*

But interestingly . . . that's the point of this piece. It has to be very gross because this is a very gross problem. People are either oblivious of this problem, or very numb to it.

Don't worry. If you make it to the end of this piece, you'll see that there is hope.

And you will certainly walk away with a new found respect for your toilet.

Shit, I know I did.

Sleepwalking

Under everyone's noses, a fellow named Alvin Greene snagged the win at the Democratic Primary for a Senate seat for South Carolina.

He was not only unknown, but has absolutely no political back ground whatsoever.

At first, I was really excited about the idea of a "no-namer" coming out of nowhere and wining a primary. He spent NO money on campaigning. Not one commercial. Not one ad. He only did the bare minimum and got his name on the ballot and then went door to door.

Awesomeness!

But then I learned that after he paid his $10,400 fee to run for the Senate, he never attended one meeting of the Democratic party for his state. (I didn't know you had to pay a fee to run for the Senate. This in and of itself is an outrage to me. Yet, everyone else around me shrugs their shoulders at the fee).

Not only did this guy not show up for any functions with the leaders of the Democratic party in his state, he ran for office knowing that he has Federal charges hanging over his head. If he were elected, he could possibly be carted off to Federal prison right after he finishes taking his oath of office.

He was honorably discharged from the military and earned a few medals for his service. That's good to know at least.

Currently, he is unemployed-- which really isn't a shocker in this economy. But, you'd think someone running for the Senate would be employed-- especially if there's a $10,400 fee just to run!

I mean, shit, man . . . $10,400 just to run!

But on the other hand, you gotta admire his resourcefulness.

Now that he's won the primary, the Democratic headquarters in South Carolina wants him to withdraw from the race as they threaten a Federal investigation concerning his payment of the Senate race fees. He used a personal check rather than an account fund according to Democratic headquarters in South Carolina. The Democratic party claims that this is not acceptable and that this action voids his candidacy from the start.

Some members of the Democratic party even claim that the Republicans planted Greene so they could get an easy win for that Senate seat.

You know what I say . . . .

Too much sleep walking going on.

The Dems should have cared enough about that seat to encourage a sound candidate to run if they didn't like Greene. They should have at least noticed that Greene could use some grooming before being taken seriously as an honest contender against an opponent with four million dollars of campaign cash on hand. Remember, Greene is running his campaign off of unemployment benefits. This is noble, but this is daunting against an established incumbent with deep pockets.

Perhaps the people were sleepwalking when they voted. Did they simply click on the first name they saw? Did he reach across the state so much that he picked up the majority vote in the primaries?

I realize that when you point one finger at someone else, three point back at yourself. I am guilty of this sleepwalking, too. And this whole episode inspires me to try and wake up and not just blindly punch names just because I don't know anyone on the ballot. No longer will I simply default to my party of choice just because I need to select a name. Voting isn't eeny-meeny-miney-mo.

And there is also the possibility of electronic voter fraud. Maybe someone hacked into the machines and altered the votes. Hacking voter machines isn't so far fetched these days. Someone might have been sleep walking in the security department as well.

But worse, it is very clear that only the wealthy can run for office. This is dangerous that only a certain class of people can expect to ever be successful in politics. This is the most frighting notion of all, in my view.

Or maybe Greene will prove that notion wrong.

Either way, we need to wake up and smell the coffee. We need to stop sleepwalking.

In case your interested, here's an embedded YouTube video of a recent media interview with Alvin Greene: