Luck is an Attitude

I'll take, "What is Trivia", for a thousand

2009-05-30T16:40:00.000-07:00

I was watching an old episode of some game show the other day, and had a revelation. Trivia based game shows, for example Jeopardy and trivia type games, like Trivial Pursuit, used to be easier. Why? Because, with our relatively fast advancements in many areas (technology, medicine, entertainment, science), there comes much more history. What does this mean? It means that there is A LOT more stuff to know. So, when my grandparents were young, there was not movies or internet, much less even TV or radio. But now, by the time my kids are contestants on Who Wants To Be A Millionaire or Jeopardy, just imagine all the books, movies, celebrities, tv shows, historical events, sporting events, politicians and so on and so on and so on that will have happened. People's heads are becoming more and more filled with all this useless trivia of things that have happened, are happening and will happen. It's no wonder that all the great thinkers and inventors seem to be so long ago....they had more time and less to think about!

Look, Ma! No hands!

2009-05-28T13:40:00.001-07:00

So here's a picture of me driving down the freeway.....right after I.....made a cell phone call while driving! I know, I know, it is now illegal in California (and quite a few other states) to make a cell call while driving and not use a hands-free device. Well, sometimes, you just need to make a very brief call to see if someone is home, or what they want for dinner, and so on. I used to feel indifferent making these quick calls while driving around, never giving it a second thought, feeling nice and confident while driving. However, now when making these calls, I feel like my make focus of attention is on looking out for a law enforcement vehicle. Now that these calls are ticketable, I feel like my driving has become more dangerous rather than more safe, as I'm sure that the law makers intended. If I crash or get a ticket, I blame them!

Back again....again

2009-05-07T14:33:00.001-07:00

So it's been awhile. About six months since the last post, I think we had a strech about that long once before. I don't remember why I had such a dry spell in posting last time, but this delay in posting was mainly caused by two reasons...one is about 20 months old and the other was just born. Yup, the little boy and wife being pregnant really take a lot of time. Oh, and there's the whole work thing. Anyway, there have been countless times I've seen or thought about something and had a lightbulb go off above my head and thought, "That would make a great blog topic", then only to get busy with the above mentioned things or just some needed but not deserved rest.
So what prompted me to finally get back to postin'? Well, I'm trapped in a waiting room at a clinic while wifey is at an appointment and I walked to a cafe across the parking lot and saw the following...

Yes, I know, it's just a hill. But where I live the terrain is so flat and monotonous, it was so nice to see a geographic structure within walking distance. Yes even if it is just a hill. I see what I'm missing by being surrounded on every side with miles of manmade conveniances. Oh, well, the grass is always greener.

Future Sean?

2008-11-05T18:29:00.001-08:00

Saw this car ahead of me driving home the other night. In case you can't see the license plate, it is "I SPK K9". Maybe it was me in the future and I came back in time, got a vanity plate with a message and drove in front of current me to convey it. Does it mean that I, Sean P Kennedy am a dog? If I figured out this message, then it means it is a message that I would create. Wait, I'm confused. I guess I better just be nicer to evryone, just in case.

We need this why?

2008-08-30T08:20:00.001-07:00

If you can't see what's going on in the above picture, it's the top of a bag of socks I recently purchased. What's interesting is two words in small yellow print just below the Men's Socks and Spanish version of the same. The two words are "resealable bag". Really? I mean, really?!? This is wrong on so many levels. First of all, I'm not complaining about the invention or making a bag "resealable". There have been plenty of recent products -'ve bought that had a resealable feature and I was really glad it did. Like raisins, Oreo cookies, salad and so on and so on. But, I'm sure you notice something that all those products have in common...they all depend on not having contact with air to retain freshness and thus quality and usability. Hmmm...nothing worse than stale, dried out, moldy socks. But wait, whew, my package of socks came with a resealable package. Now comes the question of who decided to include this "feature" with a package of socks? I would have loved to be there in the meeting where the guy that thought this up, pitched it to the others present. How could you possibly sell that?
"Well, who hasn't taken one pair of socks out of a plastic bag package of socks and wished he could seal that bag up to keep the other socks safe and fresh? If we only would put a resealable, ziploc type top on our sock packages, this could be a reality for all our customers! Now, who's with me!?!"
What else could the guy have said? And who actually one uses ONE pair of socks at a time? I know I take them all out, wash them, then put them all in my drawer. Am I weird? Do others only take out one pair and just replace the one pair that got a hole in it, while resealing the rest, safe and sound and fresh in their closet, until another pair meets an unfortunate fate, then returning to the sock bag for one more fresh pair? How about a resealable bag on....oh, let's say....something that might mold or get stale in a week or so....like BREAD! Instead of that little piece of paper covered metal that we twist and un-twist every time you want a slice, maybe just a nice ziploc would work better. At least the under-garment people got something right with the tagless t-shirts.

The name game

2008-08-20T08:13:00.001-07:00

What would you call the above bug if you saw it in the wild, wild streets of neighorhood? Well, I and a group of friends saw the exact bug above (thus the picture), and in between insane gestures, jumping up and down, and people screaming, everyone was yelling to look at the "leaf-bug". So, I'm pretty sure that the really name for the insect isn't "leaf-bug". But we were all so quick to spew that name out, almost all at the same time, like we knew that was the name. Maybe it is named that. Anyway, the point I'm getting to is: why are some things named so descriptively simple? Such as the "leaf-bug", and while on insects, how about a "walking-stick". Then things such as an "orange". What about "cork-board". The list goes on and on. It seems to be more of a modern phenomenom though. Anything new that comes out or is invented seems to be a description of what it does (printer), what it can do (flushables), or what it looks like or is (keyboard). When are we going to have some inventive and creative names for the next big thing? My suggestion is to call whatever it is....Smookle. I can't wait to see what it is.

Winner, winner, chicken dinn...breakfast?

2008-05-07T15:56:00.000-07:00

I saw a billboard a few days ago advertising the new Southern Style Chicken sandwiches at McDonalds. The ad showed a breakfast one on a biscuit and a lunch/dinner one on a bun (I think). Well, being the advertising lemming that I am, I couldn't wait for a trip to Mickee Dee's to try this puppy out. Here's the sandwich...

Nothing too exciting. Pretty much a biscuit with an over-sized chicken McNugget on it. I'm not saying it wasn't good. The biscuit was moist and buttery, the chicken had a seasoned batter it's fried in, so it tasted alright, although a little on the dry side. It could have used a quick swab of mayo or something else to make it a bit more unhealthy, while multiplying the party for my taste buds. I think I would by something else on a regular basis, but if you're not in the mood for a red meat breakfast sandwich, this is a nice alternative.

I also ordered a large coffee with the sandwich. No surprises. However, I noticed something interesting on the lid of the coffee. It has to do with what is written on top, click the picture to see it larger and see if you notice something odd like I did.

Ok, so you need to know some Spanish to "get" it, so let me expound. The lid says, "Caution I'm Hot:Precaucion Esta Caliente!" Let me translate : Warning I am at a High Temperature : Precaution This is Hot! (If my Spanish is still good enough) So, the English version is written in a way that portrays that the lid is an animate object telling you about it self, and the Spanish version is a blatant stating of the facts. Does McDonalds feel that its English speaking costumers need to be "talked down" to, treating them like kids that believe a cup lid is talking to them. Or, does Ronald think that the English users have a better sense of humor and will think it's cute or funny that a lid is telling one about it self. Or, does Sean just think about weird and insignificant stuff too much. Don't answer, please.

Don't Walk

2008-04-10T16:12:00.000-07:00

Here's a picture of the elevator button panel on the elevator where I work everyday. I work on the 3rd floor and park in the underground garage, marked by the button that's lit...LL. Here's the great part. It seems that I'm just on the right floor to have to stop on every floor almost every time I ride. You see, I get in on the third floor, and hit the LL. Then the elevator comes to a stop on the second floor 97% of the time, and the person pushes the 1 button. So then I get to stand there while the person gets out one floor below where they got in. Nice. Oh, and of course it works the same way when I'm going from the garage to the third floor, somebody always gets in on the first, only to ride to the second floor. I guess I could always just take the four flights of stairs and stop complaining. But, then what would I have to blog about?

How to:

2008-04-01T13:56:00.001-07:00

Ok, so I found this tiny, mini Kit Kat with dark chocolate. It was good, since I enjoy the darker varieties of chocolate. However, the interesting thing is what is written on the wrapper. I don't think you can see it in this picture, try clicking it to make it bigger or let me help. "To open:Lift flap and tear at end". Ummm, when did our society digress backward so far that we instructions on how to open a candy bar? Let me just say that anyone that needs instructions on how to open this treat, shouldn't be eating it and should be somewhere learning how to tie their shoes.

Crunchie Cap't

2008-03-29T11:42:00.000-07:00

What's this?!? Two posts within a month of each other? We'll see how long this lasts. Anyway, back to my old standby...food. I was in line at Carl's JR today to buy lunch and was only going to get a burger and find something to drink at home. But, nooooo.....Carl's had a different idea. Lo and behold, there was an ad for Cap't Crunch Shakes and Malts. Oh man, how could I say no? It's like peanut butter and jelly or pizza and pepperoni, you take two of the best things ever and throw them together for an unforgettable taste journey. So I ordered it and here's my review...not bad but not the best shake I've ever had. As a matter of fact, it pretty much tasted like I ordered a vanilla shake and dumped in a handful of crushed Cap't Crunch and mixed it. That's it. Like I said, it wasn't bad though. Oh well, I'm sure if you keep reading this post you'll find some more food reviews and maybe they'll be better.

Where the gas flows

2007-10-11T08:12:00.000-07:00

Ok, so its been a few days since I last posted. Or a few weeks. Or maybe half a YEAR. What do you want?...your money back? Anyway, as anyone reading this knows, I had a little person and became quite busy in the last few months.

So I learned something kinda new (at least to me) the other day. Don't you hate when you're driving someone else's car, a rental or even your own when you're just out of it, and you go to get gas and don't have a clue as to which side the gas tank is on? Don't you? Well, I do. I found out that on most newer cars, there's a tiny little triangle arrow next to the gas pump icon on the gas gauge. Click on the pic above to see an example in one of the cars I drive. And check it out in your own car next time you're driving and thinking of Sean and his crazy blog and where does he get those ideas and...oh, yeah, what about that little arrow thingee he wrote about...well, tickle me pink, he was right, there it is.

Pieces of my mind

2007-07-30T10:34:00.000-07:00

I was thinking of the phrase “peace of mind”….or is it “piece of my mind”? Guess it could be either. Can you think of any other phrases that have the same sound/words, yet totally different meanings? Neither can I, but I didn’t really try.
While I was walking to my car this morning, which happened to be at around 5:50am, I saw the Moon above the Western horizon. It was full, or nearly so, and was hypnotizing. What is it about the full Moon that makes it so captivating. It seems bigger, more colorful and just different. I know there’s scientific explanations as to what makes it appear different, but it’s nice to just look and wonder.
Speaking of walking to my car early, I heard someone’s alarm clock buzzing in the distance as I tromped out to my car. Isn’t that the most annoying thing? It always seems to happen when someone in your house leaves for the weekend or goes on vacation. You’re laying there, sleeping like a baby, then out of no where you hear that high pitched, electronic screeching that was scientifically invented to make sure that any normal human can not possibly sleep through it. You’re half asleep, but awake enough that you are thinking of going into the next room and strangling your roommate, only to realize the horror that your roommate is gone and that alarm is not going to be put to silence. You lay there thinking, “Maybe I can sleep through it”. But just as you drift off, your brain wakes you back up, since that alarm sound seems to be instinctually embedded as a fail safe so you won’t be late to work. The back, subconscious part of your brain is screaming to the other areas to “WAKE UP! Don’t you remember the last time you slept through the alarm and almost got fired!? GET UP!” So it goes, and you keep waking up, getting angrier every time, then you start to wonder if maybe it will automatically turn off after an hour. Then you start watching your clock. But, more likely than not, it doesn’t go off after an hour, and you start planning out how you're going to get over to the other room, turn it off and get back in bed without waking up fully. The only way this situation get worse, is when you’re in a hotel or apartments with thin walls and the whole thing happens, and turning off the alarm is not even an option.
Speaking of alarms, that reminds me of when I would visit my cousins when I was younger. When I had a moment alone in their room, I would pounce on the opportunity to change the alarm on their clock to 3 or 4am and would silently have a laugh. The only downside was not seeing their face when the alarm sounded while it was still dark out.
Don’t you hate it when something goes wrong and you have no one to blame except yourself? As soon as something goes wrong, such as leaving something at home when you were supposed to bring it with you, you brain instantly fires through anyone and everyone that could possibly be to blame. You think of the others and you start rationalizing why they caused this mistake, trying to have a reason to be mad. But eventually, hopefully, you dismiss all others, let out a sigh and conclude that you’re the one to blame and your only release is pure frustration at yourself and the situation.
Watched “1408” over the weekend with my wife. Movie was ok. Was about a haunted hotel room that a horror writer stayed in, trying to debunk the claims of ghosts and ghoulies inhabiting it. It reminded me of a similar happening in my life that apparently I had never told my wife about. It was the summer of 1980-something, and I was in Vegas to attend my cousin’s wedding. It so happened that my best-friend and neighbor, Jeff, and his family were also invited and were staying at the Circus Circus Hotel with my family. Being that Jeff and I were underage for gambling, we had to find other ways to entertain ourselves. After playing soccer in the halls got old, we noticed something interesting about the room numbering system in the hotel. Every room started with the floor number and then with an ascending number for the specific room. So, the eighteenth room on the fourth floor would be 418. I guess it’s not all that interesting, since I’ve discovered that almost every hotel uses this system, but we just figured it out on that weekend. We also noted that there were at least 80 or so rooms on every floor. So, we did the math and figured out that the sixty-sixth room on the sixth floor would be an interesting door to look at. I don’t remember having a plan of what we would do when we got there, but just the idea of such a room was enough to tingle the spine and spawn a curiosity to see it with our own eyes. I’m sure each of us had ideas swimming around in our heads of how the door would turn into a giant monster-mouth with teeth lining the frame and the floor would start to incline in such a way that we couldn't help but slide to our untimely doom at the Circus Circus before having our nightly buffet. So, we got on the elevator and pushed in the six, watching it illuminate. After the elevator came to a stop and opened, we looked over the signs on the wall, and trekked off, following an arrow to the right leading our way. Once we got in the hallway, off of the elevator lobby area, we saw that it was long! There seemed to be almost sixty doors just in this hall alone. We started our march, 618, 620, 621, 623, 622, 624, watching the numbers gradually increase, along with our sense of dread and anticipation. I noticed that the even numbered doors were on the right side of the hallway, odds on the left. As our journey continued, we started to ponder if the room in question was even at the end of this hallway that stretched forever. However, even though it seemed like a horror movie in which the hall stretches farther the faster you run, we realized our progress as we neared the end. With only a few pairs of doors left, we could start to mentally tally the numbers up and figured out that the dubious door would be the last one on the right. Of course. I remember our pace slowing as we got closer, both of us trying to let the other go first without letting each other know that was our intention. We were about four doors away, close enough to see the door, but still not read the identifying plate bolted on. Then... it happened. Hmmmm, I guess that’s enough of that story until the next post. Trust me, it has an ending and it’s not…”then nothing happened and we went back to our rooms”. But I have to keep you interested enough to check back every now and then. Cheers!

A Grim Reaping (entry 2)

2007-07-21T13:45:00.000-07:00

Here's the next entry to the story I started way back when. I had plenty of time to write while flying from Chicago to LA, so this entry is a bit longer. I'll get you caught up by reposting the first entry. Enjoy.

A Grim Reaping
The universe has been around for a long time. Millions of stories have been lived, told and read. This is just one of those.

Sara Finley felt great. Whenever she left from a visit with her father, she felt like she just woke up from ten hours of deep sleep on a Saturday morning with no responsibilities to fulfill and nothing on her schedule. Her mind was free of distractions and almost felt like a little girl again, knowing that everything in her life would be taken care of by her daddy, leaving her to care-free fun and play. She thought about how lucky she was...every one of her friends had some sort of problem with their parents. They all were so quick to dismiss their relationships as "dysfunctional" and equating that to "normal". But she knew that any and every one of them would trade places with her in an instant if they knew the joy of a true, loving parent.

Eventually she started to sober away from her emotionally induced high, expedited by the occasional siren or pump of brakes by the car in front of her. She lazily rode the dreamy state as long as she could, not wanting to arrive back in the real world just yet.

Scot Finley felt proud. The time he spent with his daughter was always better than any trip he could imagine to a Floridian well discovered by de Leon. He felt as young and energetic as the moment he looked through a hospital window and saw his hazel eyes staring back at him from a tiny angel swaddled in a nurse's arms. He would never forget how instantaneously his overwhelming fatigue evaporated that night when he saw Sara for the very first time.

His pride did not last long on this night. Like a feeling of someone walking in the room then right up behind him, an almost tangible feeling a dread crept through his body leaving a river of goose bumps in its wake. Something had happened to Sara.

ENTRY 2 How he knew, why he knew, he wasn’t sure. But he did and that’s all that mattered. He reached over to his end table and unplugged his connection to his daughter and peered at it. His cell phone displayed the hour and the minute, not taking any notice of his color quickly draining and a slight sheen forming on his forehead. Scot could only wait.

Sara awoke for a moment, overwhelmed by her senses. People talking, loud noises, lights flashing, traffic, a taste of metal in her mouth, her entire body throbbing, exhaust and burnt rubber crawling up her nostrils…she tried to focus on one…any one, but could only succumb to a deep sleep holding her by the ankles. It would not let her up, would not let her focus or breath, much less open her eyes again. Sara clearly heard a man’s voice, “It’ll be ok, you’re gonna be O.K.!” She knew that was the last thing she wanted to hear. She released an internal sigh and gave up. She drifted away.

Scot almost stood up before the sharp rap at the door sounded. He was waiting, knowing that it would come. He quickly strode across his dark living room and approached the front door. He watched himself in the bronze handle reflecting his image upside down as he got closer. He figured that his life was about to change and wanted to postpone this moment in anyway he could. But he could not. As his hand touched the metal that was as cold as his heart, he saw the peephole in front his face. He closed his grip on the doorknob and considered what he would see through the small tube if he looked, whether a medic or police officer, a badge wearing official for certain. He felt like he was in a movie. Wasn’t this always how people were informed of bad news in the movies? What year was this, he thought. Shouldn’t they call me? Sara would definitely have him listed as an emergency contact somewhere in her purse. After all of this flashed through his mind, Scot swallowed the knot that was forming in his throat. He squeezed round knob and turned.

As Scot pulled the door open, he had his eyes closed slightly and downcast. He pursed his lips, let his eyelids rise and searched for the spit shined work boots of the caller at the door. Only, he did not see highly polished black leather boots planted in front of him. He saw the boots of a Halloween costume. There were two, light brown, suede leather boots, spaced a shoulder lengths apart. Scot’s mind went blank. He started his confused gaze upward, higher, until he reached a sun-baked face with some of the most handsome features he had ever seen on a man in person. The complete man could only be described as a human, but not one of this world or time. Or a joke. However, when Scot looked into the eyes of this man, he knew this was no joke. The man’s dirty blond hair was mussed, most of it resting just beyond his shoulders. There appeared to be a day or two’s growth of a beard around the chiseled jaw and mouth. As Scot looked back down to the man’s chest, he saw a very lean and athletically built torso covered by some sort of light shirt that appeared to be handmade, with only openings for the head and arms, like a poncho. It had numerous stains that had be set, but the shirt was obviously washed and cleaned carefully. The man’s pants looked to be made from a heavy fabric, but they also had no signs of being made by production or machine. There was a belt wrapped around the man’s waist, with a satchel attached. Scot looked back into the man’s eyes, and saw many things explained to him by the man’s gaze. Scot knew this was no joke. Scot knew this man was ready to pounce at any second, Scot saw the look of a panther in the grass counting down the seconds until it exploded forth onto an unsuspecting gazelle. Scot knew this man had information about Sara. Scot knew this man had killed. After Scot stared into the man’s eyes, frozen for another second, the man’s lips parted and he spoke.

“I must apologize for my appearance, but there hasn’t been much time. My name is Pane and I must talk to you about Sara.”

Sights of the city

2007-07-19T16:20:00.000-07:00

So here are a couple pictures I took around the city I'm in. First is obviously the city's 'welcome' sign. Then a couple flowers. It's always hard not to take pictures of flowers when walking around. Finally an interesting building that apparently had an art gallery in the ground level. Not too much say, but just wanted to share a little of what I saw during a walk on my lunch. Click on the pics for a bigger view.

American Gothic

2007-07-17T20:37:00.000-07:00

Hopefully you've all seen the painting to the right. You may not know the name of it though...American Gothic. Well, it just so happens that the house in the background of the painting is a real house that is very close to the area I'm doing my training. Apparently the window in the upper part of the house is in a Gothic style and is a famous icon from the painting. I took out a little time and went by the house. There was a small museum and gift shop next to the house, however it was closed by the time I got there. But the sun wasn't down and I got a few photos. The first pic is of the painting and I actually took it through the glass front doors of the museum. Came out pretty good! The next picture was also through the doors, and I can only assume that it's of the happy couple from the painting. The next picture is one of the house as it stands today and finally a picture of the window close-up.
I don't know if it's just me, but I love visiting places like this. I imagine myself in the time that the "event took" place and wonder how things could have looked different, what the other people around there were doing and things like that. I also imagine all the people that could have walked around, right where I was standing, looked up into the same section of sky and what were they thinking. I do the same thing when I'm in museums. Looking at the displays, wondering about the people that used the tools, wore the clothes or painted the paintings. I especially love the Smithsonian's, considering all the millions of people that have come through their days in the years. Alright, time for bed and another day of training tomorrow.

Traveling

2007-07-16T19:20:00.000-07:00

Well, here comes a blog entry from 31,000 feet. How does that happen one may ask? Ok, probably no one reading this is asking that question, since you more than likely already know that I'm flying on this here Monday the 16th. So far, so good, pretty smooth flying as they say. I don't have any wood to knock on or I would. This may be a pretty long blog entry too, since my flight is a bit over three hours long. I say that, but I'm sure I'm just a few sentences from wrapping it up and loading some games or movie on my lappy to distract myself. Although, now that I look around and see people with their eyes closed, reading a book, or just sitting there gazing into space while sipping their club soda, I realize that I didn't like guys like me before
when I was flying. Let me clarify that. I used to not like guys or gals that whipped out a laptop right after the fasten seat belt sign went out. Why? Because I wanted to have one myself. If you know me (and since you're reading this you do) I'm a total computer gnerd (pronounced guh-nerd, meaning a half-nerd half-geek...what's the difference between a geek and a nerd? A nerd is just an all around smart guy that has a higher than normal intelligence, while lacking in other social and coolness skills. A geek is a technology junkie, someone who knows way too much about home-theatre or digital stuff, usually focused on computers though. And a gnerd is a mixture of the two.) So being a gnerd, I have so many uses for computers. I load computers till they are ready to pop with programs and stuff, then buy more memory and load some more.
Hmmm, now that I write that out, it makes me think....I'm kind of an electronic pack-rat. I say this because I know I'm a real world pack-rat. I hate throwing things away, and I end up with much more junk and trinkets than any person should. I've gotten over collecting useless stuff a bit in my life by figuring out the following. How much is that thing I'm keeping worth? Let's use a pencil box for an example. Maybe it's worth five dollars. And you know that old saying, “As soon as you throw something away, then you need it.” Then I figure, would the tidiness and extra space I would have be worth five dollars if I did throw it away and ended up needed that thing and have to buy a new one? In the case of a five dollar pencil box….if I haven’t used it in awhile, then yeah, it would probably be ok to throw away. A couple hundred dollar tv sitting in the corner not being used, that’s a different story. But, back onto the electronic pack-rat. I love to read, and I usually end up reading tech magazines, computer articles and the like, so I’m always discovering new programs to do this or that. I end up loading them all up on the computer, some to be used, some to be forgotten, hidden away in that dusty, dark back corner of the hard drive never to be seen again. At least with computer programs, they don’t take up physical space and make clutter, although they do bog down computers eventually, leaving a good spring cleaning the only answer. So, I guess that’s about it for now, I think there’s about an hour left on this flight, then about an hour on the next. Maybe, on the ride home, I’ll take a look at continuing A Grim Reaping since there’s been interest by at least two readers. Wow. That’s close to one hundred percent positive feedback.

Starbucks Stargood

2007-07-12T18:10:00.001-07:00

Here's a pic of a flower...obviously. What is special about it is that it was grown from within a piece of felt. On my last birthday, my Uncle and Aunt gave me a Starbucks giftcard. Inside the little cardboard giftcard holder, there was a piece of pink felt. (By the way, I know that it's probably a big waste of paper and supplies to offer those giftcard holders, but I really like them. You used to get a giftcard that was just a plastic card all by its self, but now they feel fancy and like to person that bought it put some extra thought into it.) There was also a little note with the pink felt that stated the felt contained seeds of wildflowers within and you would only need to plant the felt, water it and voila...flowers! So in late April, bury it in dirt I did, and now look at the pretty little flower that has come to life on my porch after waiting patiently in a piece of felt on the counter at a local Starbucks. Some people don't like Starbucks, feeling that the place is some sort of monopoly, but how can you hate them after seeing this.

On a different topic, I just got back from Phoenix and it was probably around 110º everyday, so basically hot cha cha. However, every time you tell someone that you'll be going to a desert region and it'll be hot or someone is coming or going there, they chime in with "But it's a dry heat." Ok, it's a dry heat. You know what, it's a dry heat in my oven too, but when it gets over 100º it really doesn't matter if it's a dry heat, a wet heat or a cold heat....it's HOT! If you're on fire, it doesn't matter if you are wet or dry, humid or not...it's HOT! Just my two cents. By the way, it was hot in Phoenix. I think that people say that whole "But it's a dry heat" thing because they've heard it their whole life and just repeat it like a Pavlovian dog salivating at the bell. Just like when you tell someone you're going to the baseball game and they have to say "Oh, hotdogs always taste better at the ball game." Do they? You mean a hotdog that's probably been sitting in dirty, hot water for hours, then thrown on a grill for a few seconds before they slap it in a folded piece of bread they call a bun, then drown in toppings so you really don't taste it? That one? It must be the atmosphere that makes it taste great.

The Simpsons......

2007-07-09T08:07:00.001-07:00

Everyone should know by now that The Simpsons are releasing a movie on 7/27/07. And as part of the promotions of the film, select 7-11 stores have been converted into bona fide Kwik-E-Marts. So, being a Simpsons fan since high school (has it been that long?), I wanted to go and see one for myself.

My first attempt was futile however. As I approached the Kwik-E-Mart in West Los Angeles, I could see the sign in the distance and knew that I would be sipping a Blueberry Squishy, guzzling Buzz cola and opening a box of Krusty-O's soon. But my building excitement quickly fizzled as I saw a line of nerds wrapped around the corner of the building. How dare they! And there was actually a security guard posted at the door making sure the geek ratio didn't get out of balance in the store. I didn't have the time to wait in line with the other mouth-breathing four-eyes waiting to get an over-priced dust-collecting trinket to sit on the shelf next to my personally built computer. Although my coworker pointed out if I went on my way to work at 6:30 in the morning, there should be plenty of space for me to waste my time and money. In the words of Homer Simpson...woohoo!

So I dropped by this morning and as anticipated, there was only the regular flow of coffee seekers crawling around the store. I waltzed up to the front door and saw the reason for the lack of nerdism....they had sold out of everything! Well, they still had plastic commemorative Slurpee cups with Simpsons characters on the side, but it was too early for a Slurpee, even for me. So I settled for a cup of coffee and a Simpsons looking donut. Trying to look normal among all the other customers, I stood in line with my pink sprinkles donut and strode out with my head held high. The donut was too sweet, I guess Homer would like it. Maybe I'll try again when I see a steam of nerds funneling towards the local 7-11.

What the what?

2007-06-21T19:54:00.001-07:00

Ok, you may be asking yourself...what is that a picture of and what is it supposed to mean? Well, join the club. I finally broke down and bought a laptop after many months of saving and debating and finding the best deal to come along in awhile. So when I opened the box from Dell and peered in at my laptop, it was wrapped in a very thin layer of sort-of bubble plastic wrap and it had this picture on it. Usually when you see some sort of warning sign, especially without any words be they in English or of a foreign tongue, you can figure out what it means or at least have a close guess that you're confident of. So, let's break down this image. First, we know it's a warning since it has that circle with a slash through it. We must assume it's advising us "not" to do whatever is portrayed in the middle of the circle. Now, this is where it gets tricky. It's obviously a person. And we can clearly see that it's said person's torso with his right hand up to his chin area. And now, I'm done. There's a person's face...but is it the torso's head? It could be his, as it's in the right area, however, it seems to be in some sort of box or on a piece of paper. Is the torso holding up a mask on his way to a Halloween masquerade ball after buying a laptop and Dell is trying to warn me that that is highly unadvised? Dell wants all of it's new owners to stay in and start using the laptop right away? And what is going on with the face that the head is making? Is he a contestant on American Idol, singing for joy after buying his new Dell laptop, only to no avail, since he forgot to put a microphone in his cupped hand? Dell is warning highly against doing that on accident. Well, I have to be honest. I really didn't know what the heck that warning sign was supposed to mean until I started writing this post. While I kept looking at it and trying to think of funny things that could be garnished from the image, I think I figured out the real meaning of it. Don't read any further if you want to try to figure it out yourself. What I'm pretty sure that it means is....don't put this plastic bag over your head, because then you won't be able to breathe, and then you'll grab your throat as you're choking and grasping with your mouth wide open. Then you would die and sue us here at Dell. A picture is worth a thousand words.

It positively worked

2007-05-01T07:56:00.000-07:00

I'm sure we've all heard about the positive thinking technique of imagining success or telling yourself something will happen the way you want. What a bunch of humbug! Or is it? I've seen it a million times in a movie where the coach instructs the player to imagine himself hitting the home run, making the free throw or winning the race. We go along watching the player continue on to success and everyone lives happily ever after. But how many of you have actually tried this method of positive thinking? I mean really tried it? After dismissing the positive envisioning as new-age, movie magic mumbo-jumbo forever, I decided to give it a try the other day. I hadn't gone jogging for a few days due to appointments, shopping that had to be done, dinners to attend and all the regular "things" that seem to pop-up, however I was starting to feel like if I didn't get around to jogging soon, I never would. So one afternoon while at work, the idea popped into my head. It almost felt like I was conducting an experiment on myself. Which usually isn't the best way to conduct experiments...with the subject knowing full and well what's going on. It's a situation that is ripe with possibilities for misinterpretation. Oh, well, I wasn't publishing this "study" in Scientific American Journal or anything, just seeing if it worked for me. So, starting near the end of the day, I started repeating in my head "I want to go running today". I figured that statement would be better than, "I will go running today", because it seemed to be better to tell myself I "wanted" to do something, than telling myself I "will" do something. More of a desire than a chore. On the drive home, which typically lasts an hour to an hour and a half, whenever I could think of it, I would repeat, "I want to go running today." By the last half of my drive, I started getting tired of sitting in the car for so long and started thinking that changing my clothes and plopping down in front of the tv was a better idea. But, I would rudely interrupt myself with "I want to go running today" and imagining myself out on the tough streets of Seal Beach scampering along. The discussion went through my head a good five or six times by the time I got home. So, did it work? It did. I went running and may not have, had it not been for me envisioning success and talking myself into it, because I was pretty tired. I still wonder if the technique itself worked, if I ran just because I "wanted" the technique to work, maybe I would have run anyway, or some other not thought of reason. But, I guess the bottom line is...I went running. So it worked, right? I know there's plenty of methods and ways of positive thinking, and I believe they help with one's outlook. Thinking positively will definitely lead one down the path of becoming an optimist, but at the same time, I have a skeptical side...always do. At times, I feel like one is just fooling oneself. Like you're tricking yourself, or just patting yourself on the back saying, "it'll be ok" when you know good and well, everything's not ok. But, in the end, I went running.

Now we need bees...

2007-04-15T18:17:00.001-07:00

Here's a quick first look at the flowers perched on our patio. Nothing spectacular...yet. Just wait until I have better lighting, the flowers get accustomed to their new home and I have a hummingbird hovering above posing for a picture. Then you will all say, "Wow, what a spectacular patio shelf."

New? Improved? Better?

2007-04-11T07:46:00.000-07:00

I bought this cereal the other day and had some for breakfast this morning. I noticed, as you can see, a bursting splat of purple declaring "Now better tasting!" It's hard to miss. I didn't give it too much thought at first, but after eating a bowl, I did start to consider. Now, I do like Honeycomb. I mean, that's why I bought the cereal. However, it tastes just the same as always to me....and that's a good thing. But, why do they advertise that it's now better tasting? First off, better tasting to who? Do they have a job at Post where someone tastes the products after a change and said employee announces, "Hey, this tastes better now!" Well, I would hope it was actually more of a committee that does the deciding so we're not subjected to one person's like and dislikes. And secondly, the phrase "Now better tasting!" implies that 'now' it tastes better than then. Like, last time I bought a box it didn't taste quite as good as it does 'now'. So what if there's a box of the old, worse tasting Honeycomb on the shelf next time I'm in the market, should I pass on it and get the Lucky Charms instead? The whole now our product is better than before is kind of like an insult....same as the Most Improved award. You weren't all that good when the season started, but by season's end, you seemed to improve the most. And, finally on this topic, I ate a lot of sweet cereals going up, probably at least tried a box of every one that ever graced the shelves of the Alpha-Beta (local grocery store when I was young). I remember picking cereals in a particular order 1.which has the best prize in it 2.what tastes the best. So, I know what all the sweet cereals taste like, and in my opinion, most of these changes for improved, better, gooderest tastes are usually for the worst. Now, it's been said that sometimes one remembers things more fondly from their childhood and your tastes change as you get older. But, frosted flakes and Capt' Crunch still have the same delicious taste to me. Well, that's enough about that. Side note - seems like a lot of my recent posts have to do with food. I'll have to do something about that. Maybe I'll go on a hunger strike until the author of this blog stops writing about food...hmm think that one through.

Missing Pic

2007-04-02T12:18:00.000-07:00

In the post preceding this one, I mentioned a picture of me pouring coffee into the powdered creamer. Well, through the powers of technology....it's missing. I think I know why, but, whatever it wasn't the greatest photo anyway, just something that struck my fancy at the moment. So, in lieu of that photo, I give you this site, it has a bevy of great pictures of milk meeting coffee. Enjoy!

Food for thought

2007-03-26T12:19:00.000-07:00

This post is all about food. Well, it's not going to be a huge post that will answer all your edible item questions, but just a quick thought about a couple things I've eaten lately. First is a pic of my morning coffee. That's me pouring in the joe, on top of the creamer and sugar. A lot of times I pour the coffee in slowly, because it makes a cool effect. The powdered creamer is very absorbent or dissolves very quickly, depending on how you look at it. Either way, I can pour just a little bit of coffee and then watch as the liquid creeps across the powder mound, making little riverlets, twists, forks and turns as it goes, looking like a different roadmap everyday, giving directions from one side of the mug to the other. I suppose I think about stuff too much. But speaking of coffee creamer, I always used to use the liquid flavored creamer in my coffee. Then, when I went on a business trip in which I was working a lot of late hours and drinking coffee. At that office, they only had powder creamer. I was very pleasantly surprised that I actually liked it more than all those "foo foo" flavored creamers I had been using. I guess "coffee" is actually a "flavor" and I actually like it, not needing to add "caramel hazelnut sunrise mist" to it to make it good. Go figure.

Here's a picture of the new McDonald's Angus third pounder burger. Apparently, MceeDee's testing the burger in Southern California before a nationwide release. So, being the helpful person I am, I went and tried it (to the tune of three times now). It's pretty good, probably my favorite burger at McDonald's now, beating out the Quarterpounder. I really like the Carl's JR Six Dollar Burger though, the flame broiling makes the difference.

Bunny Lacerated

2007-03-15T13:01:00.000-07:00

Yes, I'm finally back and this post is regarding a bunny lacerated, or hare cut, or more commonly known as a haircut. I did it. I haven't had a "real" haircut since before Halloween way back in 2005, so in almost a year and a half! What, you may ask, pushed me over the edge and made me do it? Well, two things. Cost...which this haircut had none, it was free. And second, it was part of a promotion by my favorite radio station and show The Kevin & Bean Show(K&B) on KROQ. K&B have a reoccurring personality named Sam "The Armenian Comedian" that they always make fun of and generally put-down (which he deserves, since his comedy is neither funny or makes any sense), but he seems to be oblivious and come back for more. Well, Sam happens to be a hair stylist as his day job, and he got the idea of setting the Guinness World Record for most haircuts in a 24hr period. K&B set up all the details for him, having a hair salon on the campus of CSULB as the locale and asking listeners to come out and get a free haircut and t-shirt being a part of this record setting attempt. So, on my way into work at 6am, I stopped off and was the first in line to be a victim. I actually was interviewed on the air and will try to make another post including the audio of it. Here are a couple pics of the momentous occasion....

Sam working his magic fingers.

Me with my free t-shirt and KROQ host Ralph Garman. Look how interested Ralph is in taking a photo with me. Actually, it might have helped if I asked him if he could take a picture with me.

Odds and ends

2007-01-30T08:08:00.000-08:00

By the way....whenever a word or phrase is highlighted like this, then you can click it as a link to something else.

I posted the other day that microwaving your kitchen sponges can render them bacteria-less and clean. But now of course, there is an opposing viewpoint. It's almost inevitable when something good, easy and helpful is invented or discovered, then someone finds a problem or flaw with it. The only thing to be careful of, is where the motivation of the person telling you the information lies. For example, this opposing viewpoint comes from Good Housekeeping and who knows how much money they get from the various cleaning sprays as advertisement, so hence, they don't recommend you to keep reusing those sponges, saving money, and think it more prudent to use sprays and paper towels.

Just got satellite tv and have one question...why am I addicted to watching channels that are available locally (NBC,CBS,ABC,FOX) but from a different city? I only enjoy seeing commercials that are specific to that area or even watching the local newscast. I have no idea about the areas that they're talking about, but maybe that's the draw. If something bad happened, then I can't see the area in my mind's eye or how close it is to my home. And if something good happened, then I can imagine it being even better than it probably is, since I've never seen it and probably never will. It's like someone from Iowa watching the Los Angeles news and seeing stories on Disneyland or the beach and thinking that those must be the most perfect places in the world. I guess the world is really becoming smaller all the time. (see this book for more on this topic) I'm not sure if that's a good thing though, because if someday in the future, we can just transport anywhere instantly, then all the magic of not really seeing something and filling in the details with your imagination will be gone. Pros and cons, pros and cons.

2007-01-26T19:45:00.001-08:00

Went to dinner with my wife the other night. There were plenty of open tables around the restaurant, but the host made us wait while the busboy cleared, cleaned and set one particular table. I was thinking, "why the heck doesn't he just sit us somewhere else?!?". Then after finally sitting, I noticed the number of the table on top of the napkins and realized fate had just slapped me upside my head.

2007-01-24T09:46:00.001-08:00

So here's a picture of the "snow" collecting on the railing outside my office when it "snowed" last week. Weee!

And a pic of an actual snowball made in Los Angeles, California. Don't know when you'll ever see that again! Looking at the pic, I now feel like I should have ate it or at least made a drink with it. I feel that I'll never have the opportunity again. Wah! Too bad there wasn't someone around to throw it at, although, it appears to be more iceball than snowball.

About time!!!

2007-01-23T11:09:00.000-08:00

Ok, ok, maybe its been a million years since my last post, so sue me. I've had plenty of good intentions to update and post, but we all know that good intentions are like warnings on tv that the following content may be objectionable and/or graphic... basically useless. Speaking of those warnings, has anyone ever known anyone else to actually heed those warnings and say "oh, I don't want to be offended, quick turn the channel". Maybe when someone is eating and the show is going to show uncensored footage of surgery, but even then, most will wait until they get a quick glance of the open chest cavity before they turn it. Oh well, so is human nature.

I was listening to the news today (radio and tv) and they had to announce the Oscar nominations. Of course I listened, since I'm sure it'll be the big talk for a day or two. But then I started wondering, why are the Oscars so important? Without getting too deep, why does society put so much weight on the opinions of those few people (actually I don't know how many there are) that make the decisions. Every year people debate why one film got picked and why another didn't. In the end, does a movie winning "Best whatever" honors make the movie better for the particular viewer? Probably not, but I guess sometimes people see a movie they wouldn't have based on the nominations or wins. After seeing the nominations every year, I think one would be better served just going on the recommendations of friends and family.

Quick article on how microwaving your kitchen sponge will kill the germs. I need to try it out and see if it kills the smell too.

Speaking of smell, do you know anyone that could use a pair of these? I'm sure I know some people that would buy me a pair if I would wear them.

2007-01-18T09:19:00.001-08:00

I just tried the McDonald's cinnamon roll breakfast on the recommendation from my Mom. She said they were good, tasting like a Cinnabon. I have to agree. Very moist and gooey. Although this is probably a good thing, my only complaint is that they are smaller than a Cinnabon.

2006-12-13T07:09:00.000-08:00

Here's a picture of a lunch at IKEA. The reason I took this picture was to remind myself of how proud I was of this meal. Before I got in line, I knew I only had a five dollar bill and a one. But my coworker was with me, so I figured if it ran over, I could borrow. I picked out a dessert (the loganberry cheesecake), got the ten meatballs and mashed potatoes. When my coworker was at the register and I was standing behind, I made a point of talking loud enough for the clerk to hear. I made mention to the effect, "Oh dear, I only have six dollars, I won't have enough, I'm gonna have to borrow." I knew mine would be more than six, since my coworker's food was over six and she didn't get the dessert. When I got to the clerk, I gave her my best puppy dog eyes, she started ringing me up, then said, "I won't charge you for the drink". And much to my surprise, but not enough to rattle my cool, the total came out to five and some change. Score! I told the waitress that she was an All-star and we spent a moment together in time after bringing smiles to each other's faces. My coworker probably just shook her head, rolled her eyes and walked away mumbling, but I don't know since my eyes were glazed over from the small victory.

2006-11-08T19:08:00.000-08:00

Oh, dear. How could someone! Ok, I put the message next to the dead bird. But, can you blame me? It had been laying on the ground for almost a week! Maybe now someone will take it.

Great Idea!

2006-11-06T04:01:00.000-08:00

In case you can't read the traffic sign in the picture, it says "Left on red permitted, after stop". This is at an intersection that I drive through ever day on my way home from work, while here in Indiana. I think every intersection should be like this, since, if drivers can be trusted to make a left onto a street in which the cross traffic doesn't have to stop, then drivers should be trusted to be able to make a left at an intersection after stopping at the light. Genius!

FOUR!!!!

2006-11-04T05:34:00.000-08:00

I saw this pack of crackers laying on a desk at the office I'm temporarily working in. I have never seen a 4-pack of crackers before. What's that all about? Everything is becoming super-sized. While it seems that we're in a day and age that companies try to put less and smaller portions in things you buy, I find this package that contains double the amount of product that is usually there. I do find this to be a nice enlargement though. When I eat soup or a salad and want to add crackers, it never seems that a single pack is enough. Three cheers for Krispy! I wouldn't be surprised though, if when buying the box of these cracker packs, there are fewer total packages and at a higher cost so as to actually save the company money. Like the story I read about a toilet paper brand bragging about still giving 1000 sheets per roll, while actually shinking the size of each sheet to actually give the consumer less. Those stinkers!

No favorites

2006-11-02T03:05:00.000-08:00

I know I'm weird sometimes (or most of the time), but am I the only one who doesn't want to play favorites with his appendages? Whenever I take off a sock or glove, or am putting a pair on, I try to do it the same for both the left and the right. If one gets wiped or aired out or something, I make sure that the other gets the same attention. Equality for all.

I got a rock!

2006-10-31T21:09:00.000-08:00

Of course I had to make a Halloween post. It won't be a big one, but it is a post. Even though I was out of town, I found a way to watch It's the Great Pumpkin Charlie Brown on Halloween. I brought the dvd and watched it while at work! Still as good as ever, full of twists and turns, numerous surprises. And that poor Charlie still only gets a bag full of rocks. He needs to stay at the pumpkin patch one of these years and keep Linus company.

2006-10-30T03:27:00.000-08:00

So, I decided to use my day off to visit the zoo and have lunch somewhere. I wanted to see the zoo since it was listed as a tourist spot in all the local guides (actually tagged as the largest zoo in Indiana if I remember correctly). I wanted to eat at a restaurant for two reasons. One, I had been eating packaged meals and soup/chili all week. And two, I had seen many billboards on the way from Louisville for "Homestyle, Real Amish cooking" restaurants.

The zoo was ok. Ok, who am I kidding. It was actually kind of depressing. The animals all looked bored beyond belief and it seemed to be contagious. I walked from cage to cage and noted how all the exhibits seemed to be on the small size and lacking much of what one would think was the animal's natural habitat. I guess I had been spoiled by going to all the zoo's in my past. From Los Angeles to San Diego to Pittsburgh, even the Santa Ana zoo seemed more festive, for lack of a better word. There is probably more animals in the Santa Ana zoo, but in a smaller total area. To top off the visit to the zoo, it seemed that it was field trip day at the zoo. There were tens of groups of elementary age kids with an adult chaperone. They all had a list of questions regarding animals that they were insistent on completing. This multiplied their total disregard for other guests (which seemed to be only me) and led to them sprinting from animal to animal, only reading the wooden placard in front of the cage in search of their all important answers. I felt that if you even asked most of them what color the animal was in the cage they just left, they would have had no idea. Oh well, I bet I would have been sprinting ahead of all of them if I were that age again. Or had gotten a question sheet that day.

The restaurant was another experience. I saw the coupon above in a tourist map/guide. It was so enticing with its cute headline of "take that itty bitty drive" and claim of "homemade Amish cooking" below a picture of a horse drawn carriage. Ok, I'll cut to the chaise, the coupon for 10% off sold me. I really wanted to go to an Amish place after seeing all the billboards, but the final decision of which was made after finding the coupon. So I embarked on the "itty bitty" drive. It was a good description, as the drive turned out to be not too far, but not really close. As I pulled in the parking lot, I already was having sinking feelings. It looked like a normal Denny's or similar restaurant building. I was expecting something like a barn or hand built house with no electricty. I parked and went in, and instantly realized I had been bamboozled. Off to the right was the gift shop with your candles, windchimes and wall decorations. There was also all kinds of jams, jellies and sauces. Mixed in were a few "handmade" crafts from "real" Amish communities. I'm not calling anyone a liar, but all the crafts looked mighty professionally and mass produced. Then I peered into the dining area and might as well have looked into the Senior Living cafeteria. Well, I was here, so I went ahead, got seated, then took my plate to the rows of fried foods and carb loaded sides. I guess this could be "real" Amish cooking, as they could have just taken the recipe for boiling water from a Amish woman, then used it to boil all their food. The buffet was really lacking in variety and taste. I guess that might be the Amish part. The only thing I really enjoyed was the fried pork chops. I actually had three of those, as they were on the small side. Well, lesson learned. Actually not. I feel like if I see another billboard, I'll have the desire to try another "real Amish" cooking restaurant. I've always been a sucker for advertising. I think it stems from my love of reading. I read everything I see, which in this day and age, is usually ads. Oh, and by the way, I didn't even use the coupon, because I was picturing these poor Amish people without any electricity or modern conviences, slaving away in a hot kitchen and I couldn't even bring myself to bring the coupon in. Like I said, I got bamboozled.

I learned a new, valuable trick today. The bathrooms in the building where I'm working have auto flush sensors. The sensors have hair triggers and flush way too easily. Whenever I would put a paper seat cover down, by the time I would turn around, it would start flushing and pull the cover in. Then, if I tried to put another one on quick, the moving water would pull that one in too. So, I was left with trying to hold the seat cover up to my rear-end, turning around quickly and sitting all in one motion. This technique would work half the time, and even when it did, would end up with the seat cover being crooked or half off the seat altogether. Well, the solution just came to me tonight. I pulled out about five or six sheets of toilet paper, laid it over the pipe and sensor structure so it was covered, and went about my business with all the time in the world. It worked perfectly. It's the small victories that are the best.

Corny post

2006-09-14T12:47:00.000-07:00

Mmmm...CORN!!!

Here's my beautiful wife reacting to a dish of one of her favorite foods...corn. I'm sure she will hate the posting of this pic (which was with my cellphone in a darkish room-hence the quality), protesting that the pic is not a very good one of her, but she always looks great to me. Cue awwwww.

A Grim Reaping
The universe has been around for a long time. Millions of stories have been lived, told and read. This is just one of those.

Sara Finley felt great. Whenever she left from a visit with her father, she felt like she just woke up from ten hours of deep sleep on a Saturday morning with no responsibilities to fulfill and nothing on her schedule. Her mind was free of distractions and almost felt like a little girl again, knowing that everything in her life would be taken care of by her daddy, leaving her to care-free fun and play. She thought about how lucky she was...every one of her friends had some sort of problem with their parents. They all were so quick to dismiss their relationships as "dysfunctional" and equating that to "normal". But she knew that any and every one of them would trade places with her in an instant if they knew the joy of a true, loving parent.

Eventually she started to sober away from her emotionally induced high, expedited by the occasional siren or pump of brakes by the car in front of her. She lazily rode the dreamy state as long as she could, not wanting to arrive back in the real world just yet.

Scot Finley felt proud. The time he spent with his daughter was always better than any trip he could imagine to a Floridian well discovered by de Leon. He felt as young and energetic as the moment he looked through a hospital window and saw his hazel eyes staring back at him from a tiny angel swaddled in a nurse's arms. He would never forget how instantaneously his overwhelming fatigue evaporated that night when he saw Sara for the very first time.

His pride did not last long on this night. Like a feeling of someone walking in the room then right up behind him, an almost tangible feeling a dread crept through his body leaving a wake of goosebumps in its wake. Something had happened to Sara.

Enjoy the silence

2006-09-10T22:20:00.000-07:00

As the Depeche Mode song goes.

Smart computer

2006-09-09T13:20:00.000-07:00

Ok, in case you can't see what the above pic says "Keyboard failure.....Strike the F1 key to continue". This beauty popped up on my work computer a few days ago. Hmmm. It would be like a talking car telling you "Engine failure....drive to a mechanic to get it fixed".

Met with my wife's friends last night....went to dinner and then to a pool hall. Got to the hall Friday and didn't get on a table until Saturday...literally. It was really busy there. When I end up playing pool, I enjoy it, not my favorite game, but I enjoy it. But for some reason, if you ask my before playing, I never look forward to playing and I almost dread it. I'm not sure why that is. I guess since it's one of those games that I don't feel like I'm very good at, so I know I'm not going to do well, so what's to enjoy. Oh well. I need to go play some football or softball.

NFL 2006 Kickoff

2006-09-08T14:41:00.000-07:00

Here's the kickoff of the opening game of the 2006 NFL season. It's the Steelers defending their Super Bowl title against the Miami Dolphins. I truly enjoyed the game, as it was what I would want out of a game. The Steelers played well, then trailed fairly late in the game, only to come out in the 4th quarter to dominate the 'Fins. I feel good about this season already. And this was with the Steelers backup quarterback playing.

2006-09-07T01:54:00.000-07:00

Here's a pic of my little "sis" I guess, since I'm an only child. My mom's dog, Teddi. I'm glad no one in my family is a real "pet parent". Those people that name their animal a human name, dress them up in clothes all the time, have birthday parties or just generally treat an animal like a person. It's funny to see a dog in a costume sometimes, but as long as you understand it's just for fun. But all this isn't to say that animals don't have their own personalities. Teddi definitely is different from a dog we owned "Chief". I enjoy Teddi's antics when I go to visit, she's a little character.

2006-09-06T20:40:00.000-07:00

Does anyone else remember "Buddy Lee", from the Lee jeans advertising campaign? I used to love those commercials. I know that I'm a sucker for advertising, since my buddy Tuan reminds me ever chance he gets. But when I see a campaign that I feel has a great use of intelligent humor, I really respect that product. I'll touch on various ads that I've loved over the years, in later entries.

Get Motivated!

2006-09-05T19:22:00.000-07:00

I know you can't tell, but that's a stage on the floor of the Arrowhead Pond. And that's former Secretary of State Colin Powell sitting in the middle of it. He had a cast on his right foot, after hurting it. Well, I felt that he was the best speaker of the day. And it was a very distinguished line-up, with all the names I mentioned yesterday, plus a few more. Only two didn't really do anything for me...Dr. Robert Shueller and the show organizer Peter Lowe. Peter Lowe's talk turned into a literal sermon by the end of it and his whole talk seemed forced and over rehearsed. But, as I said, I had a good time and would recommend it to people in the right field of work.

Crikey!

2006-09-04T13:22:00.000-07:00

I was never a huge Crocodile Hunter fan, but you have to admit that he was a huge influence. I defy you to find some one that wouldn't recognize him. I know he'll be missed.

My quarterback, Big Ben, went in for an emergency appendix removal on Sunday morning, and he'll miss the first two games of the season. Charlie Batch is more that adequate as a back-up, but I guess we now have an excuse if we lose either of those games.

I'm going to a big motivational seminar tomorrow at the Arrowhead Pond in Anaheim. It has some really big name speakers....Joe Montana, Colin Powell, Rudy Guilianni(sp?), Zig Ziglar. I'm looking forward to it. I always feel like I can conquer the world after attending something like this. So look out world, on Tuesday night.

Favorite Napkin

2006-09-03T15:22:00.000-07:00

On my stop by Starbucks this morning...(I usually on get Starbucks on the weekend, but it seems as if I've had it everyday lately) I got this napkin. I can't believe Starbucks still prints this one. It must be at least ten years old by now, but it still makes my shake my head when I see it..."growing...let me touch it...on my face...I feel the sun". Is it just me?

2006-09-02T17:57:00.000-07:00

So, I'm driving home from dropping my mother-in-law at the airport, then going to Walmart and I see this car. I don't think you can see it in the pic, but this Mercedes has a vanity plate of "LLLLLEY". I'm glad someone is paying extra money for nothing, to the DMV to help the state fill potholes.

While at Walmart, they already had the Halloween stuff out. I hate when people whine about seasonal items coming out so early, then I find myself thinking the same thing....what the heck?!? Halloween stuff already! Oh well, I'm just glad that Starbucks rolled out the pumpkin spice already.

Speaking of Walmart, I needed a small unique battery for a garage door opener. I looked around a little, but to no avail. I'm of the opinion that Walmart has retarded monkeys designing the layout of their stores, since everytime I go there, things are never where you would expect them. For instance, if you need a flashlight, you would have to go to the toy section, because boys love to play with flashlights. Well, I asked a middle aged woman employee, and she instantly knew what I was asking for and actually walked me to the place the were stocked, took a package down and handed it to me. Talk about your one-in-a-million events. I bet that'll never happen again. At least I know in the future, what type of employee to ask if I need something.

People are Bad

2006-09-01T08:57:00.000-07:00

So, while I was getting gas this morning, there was a woman sitting in her car at the pump across from me. She had an older car, looked kind of tore-up and had stuff piled up to the ceiling in the back seat, along with what looked like a pet carrier back there. She got out of her car and looked over toward me and asked if I had a dollar she could have. I immediately said I don't have any cash on me. I was surprised and proud of myself that I blurted that out so quickly, even though I had three $5 bills in my pocket, after indulging in a $4.30 venti Starbucks pumpkin spice latte before stopping for gas. Anyway, she gets back in her car and started to drive away when I notice that her car has a vanity plate that said something like "HEAVEN4". What the heck is that? I can pay for a vanity plate, can stop at Chevron the most expensive gas station, but do you have a dollar I can have? Whatever. I don't ever give any money to beggars. I'm too cynical when it comes to them. I'll write more on that someday.

While driving, I heard the commercial for "The Wicker Man" movie starring Nick Cage. It sounded so good, listening to the deep voice of the narator, hearing the tension, fear, desperation and all the emotion in the actors voices as they spoke their lines, the moving background music. I felt like pulling over and listening all morning. However, I know that the movie probably won't be as good as that commercial/trailer/teaser. It's exactly the same in the theater. I look forward to watching the trailers before the movies, because they are almost all so good. It can make the worst movie like "Be Cool" actually look like the best movie ever made, that you need to see at all costs. I wish they could make all the movies about 45 minutes long, with the narator talking throughout and just jumping from important scene to action and back. Then every movie would be good. Of course, there are some movies that move along slow and I do love. If they are done well, with great cinematography, then I could watch forever. Like, "2001" "Kill Bill" "Shawshank Redemption", those keep my interest.

I also heard a commercial talking about a car lot giving a 0% apr on newly purchased cars from them, regardless of your credit. I know that usually they only give those great promotional low apr's to people with outstanding credit scores. I never understood that. I guess they are rewarding the people that have been good about paying their bills and are low risk with nice and low interest rates. However, the people that have messed up their credit, and probably need the lower interest rates more, end up getting the higher rates. It's like having a race and asking everyone who's the fastest. "You are the fastest? Ok, we'll put you up front here, ahead of everyone. You are the slowest? Ok, let's put you way back here in the back, oh and also you have to carry a jug of milk in both hands. Alright, is everyone happy, does this seem fair?" I guess there's a reason for all this, but no one's explained it to me.

The Starting Line

2006-08-31T19:37:00.000-07:00

Well, here goes nothing.

I used to hate flying, but recently have found it to not be so bad. I used to fly a lot when I was younger, flying every summer to visit my Dad in Pittsburgh. I never really thought about flying then, I guess I was more concerned about leaving my Mom for a length of time and being with relatives that I only knew for a month at a time. I can't really remember the first time I got scared of flying, but I know I can recall being really anxious on a flight home one time when I was in my teens. I can remember having a stomach ache and hoping that I would get sick, so I wouldn't have to fly. What was I thinking? I would be sick forever and never have to go home? I told my Dad about it while we where having a lunch at a restuarant before I left, and he told me to walk down the block to a drug store and get some Tums or Rolaids. Needless to say, I don't think they helped. Then there was the time I actually went to the doctor and got a prescription for a couple Valium. That didn't help either. It got so bad that I actually went across the country a couple times on a train (that'll be an entry for another day). But, recently, I've had to fly more often for work, and it hasn't bothered me as much. My wife asked why, and I replied that maybe it was because I had to fly for work to keep my job (which I love, more later). While all these other flights were elective trips that could be begged off one way or another.

I just got a text message on my phone, while folding laundry, that the Steelers lost their final preseason game. Oh well. In past seasons I would have been a little scared that a winless preseason might mean bad things for the regular season. But not this year. After winning the Super Bowl last year, I feel very confident about this season, and can't wait for the season to start next Thursday.

While I was folding laundry, I noticed I had many types of underwear. I had some regular cotton boxers from Gap, some t-shirt type cotton boxers (what's that material called, I also have some sheets made of it), some boxer briefs from Hanes and the old standby tighty whiteys. It's funny that I wear them with different clothes, some for working out, some for my tight pants, some when I don't want a pattern showing through light pants. I actually think about when I'm in the bathroom at work in the public stall, and my pants are around my ankles and wonder if anyone can see my boxers. Some of the boxers from Gap have weird patterns on them, and I try to tuck them in my pants out of sight while I sit there. I guess I'm thinking of what I would think if I saw someone else's boxers and they were a bright color or had a girly pattern on them, and I would be thinking "what a fruitcake".