Separated at birth? Ford Verve/Chevy WTCC & Beat

Ford took the wraps off an "exciting" design study called the Verve. Although it's a nice looking car, I think I've seen it elsewhere. Perhaps last year as a Chevy?

Listed left to right: Ford Verve - Mid 2007 / Chevy WTCC - 2006 / Chevy Beat Early 2007

New Logo

You might be wondering about my new logo. Well, when you are called something long enough, one starts to believe it's true...

Flocked, again.

*8/3/07 Edit - Some people have asked me what Flock is. Flock is considered a "Social Network Browser." Basically, it is an alternative to Internet Explorer or Firefox. It just happens to have a bunch of cool bells and whistles.

Flock 0.9 was released the other day. Although a bit slow, I like the improvements. The new look is gorgeous. Integration between social networks has been tidied up a bit. And getting to the features of Flock has been made easier. A new feature that's pretty nifty is the "My World" page which incorporates your favorite bookmarks, RSS feeds, and Media Favorites (such as Flickr, YouTube, Photobucket, etc.). The ability to blog an article or picture directly from Flock still remains, as well as using del.icio.us to manage your bookmarks. Magnolia is available, too, but I haven't gotten a chance to mess around with it. Overall the new Flock is much improved, and I highly recommend it, as I rarely have a desktop to call my own. This way I don't have to actually go to any web pages to publish, watch, look, or pull up. Everything is integrated into one slick browser. Flock is still in Beta, so other than the speed deficiency, there are a few bugs still being worked out, but is very stable in XP and OS X.

In a minute...

"In a minute..." That's a phrase I'm used to hearing now. Sara's busy making dinner, or selling some stuff on eBay. I'll use it because I'm working on one of my blogs, doing some model photography, mowing, or working on some models. I never gave it much thought. But, like everything else, R3 has put a new spin on it. Lately, when we request his presence at the dinner table, want to show him something cool, or we need to discipline him, we hear "In a minute!" I'm rather self critical by nature, so I started thinking about it. I'm not upset that he uses this term to buy some time to finish up what he's working on. In fact, I really don't mind that he uses the phrase at all. What does bother me, is how many times did he have to hear us saying that to him for him to add it to his vocabulary? How many times did he want to share an idea? How many times did he just want to enjoy our company while he played? And our response was "In a minute.."

More than 12 years without Antivirus

After over twelve years of computing, I finally installed an anti-virus/anti-intrusion/keep-me-safe/anti-spyware/anti-hacker software program today. I only put it on my computer at work, too. (My Mac goes on in this cruel, cruel world, uprotected and naked to all those nasty bugs out there.) I tend to not care for those things. They take up unnecessary computing power, typically cause erratic behavior, and generally just stink. One reason I have gone so long, is that I have a Mac at home. 'Nuff said. I do believe Macs can get a virus, etc. I'm not naive, it's just not very common. But I think if you just use some common sense, computing can be very safe, without the need for additional software. At work though, I have to count on the lowest common denominator. I'm not always the one commanding my computer. Since I share my little compy, I felt it was time to go ahead and lock 'er down. I have had enough of cleaning everyone elses Winboxes of that foul junk for awhile. By the way, anti-virus is only as smart as it's user.....hint, hint.

Tip: If your computer asks you to buy software to rid itself of viruses, don't. Plain and simple. We had a fellow pay $40 to some mysterious anti-spyware company that showed up in a pop up ad and installed a mess of a programs onto his computer. That included what? Spyware! Viruses! And Bloatware! Oh my! After formating the stupid thing, it seemed to run fine.

The regulars around here seem to know what's going on. But the short timers invariably get to screwing around with a computer and put some junk on it that completely destroys the OS. Just because "The computer told me too..."

Second, if you like fancy screen savers, games, and weather trackers... Wait, I'm not even going to go there, either. Just don't. All I'm saying is use common sense. Get to know you're operating system. You know what real error messages look like. If you are surfing the web, and something pops up and tells you you just haaave to put a program on (and the window has home, back, and forward buttons), go to download.com, or cnet.com, and see what others say. Or run your updater from Windows or OSX and use that. I am not some sort of guru when it comes to computers, but for me to go my ENTIRE computing life, and not get ONE virus, I must be doing something right. I just installed a name brand Antivirus on three computers at work, as a precaution. Mine was the only one that didn't have a single virus on it. Just be smart, do your research. Try to go to trusted sites. Use programs like McAfee, Norton, Panda, etc. If you don't know what to do, ask someone that does. No, not your neighbors kid. Call a computer repair shop, or find a real personal reference. I may sound like I am venting, I am. I just hate spending time, and having to spend money working on computers, when the whole problem was caused by ignorance. It's not that difficult, but fixing it can be.

Update: Sara's fine

We got a call from the doctor this morning. Sara is going to be fine. The area in question was in fact something to be worried about. However, they feel that all of it was removed. God definitely answered our prayers. Thanks for all your prayers as well.

Just some thoughts on photography

I am an avid amateur photographer. I've just got a couple of point and shoot cameras. A Canon A530 and a Sony DSC-S85. I really enjoy trying to capture good shots. It is amazing how well a decent point and shoot will do, though. Above are a couple of shots I took while in Springfield, Illinois. When I was in school, I took an awesome photography course at OSU. I had some really wonderful professors. They really opened my eyes, and showed me alot about the process behind photography. I ended up leaving the course with three first place photos. One of the subjects we covered was shooting with slide film. It was a bit more difficult to get that elusive "great shot," but the resulting photos were so well colored. Typically, the photos were much more vivid, and deeper in color. I was pleased to find that one of the modes on my little A530 attempted to replicate that style of film. I'm not big on scene modes, but I thought I'd give it a try. I happy to announce that this little Canon does a fine job. Neither of the shots above were retouched. The one on the left was taken in "Auto," the one on the right was taken in "Positive." As you can see, it really made the sky pop out. It also seemed to add a bit more depth to the overall picture. I will definitely be using this mode more often.

However, I think the reason these colors come out so well, brings me to my next point. I photography, light is very important. Most real photographers have reflectors and lights to help illuminate their subjects and eliminate shadows. As always, I'm a little too thrifty for a couple of hundred dollars worth of this equipment. What I normally do is take most of my shots in the late afternoon/dusk light and without a flash. Two things result from this. First, very little shadow. The light is bouncing off the atmosphere, houses, typically everything, except the subject. So you don't have people squinting, a harsh black outline around them (from the shadow the cast with your flash), or overexposed whites. The other added bonus, is that the light in the evening adds a wonderful warm tone to everything. Again, look at the pictures above, notice how warm the colors are? The warm building, against the cool blue sky? To me, it just adds a little richness. By the way, I forgot my tripod at home, please forgive some of the camera shake. Like I said, these are just my thoughts. If you have any tips or tricks, please leave a comment, I'm always looking to improve.

From one thing to another...

Sara went to the doctor a few weeks ago. They were afraid that she may have early stages of skin cancer. After a few late nights, some fervent prayer, and a second opinion, it was decided that everything was fine, but they wanted to remove it anyway. The doctor said he wanted to be safe rather than sorry. That's fine.

Fast forward to today. We get a call from the "female doctor." They tell her on the phone that she may have a cancer in her "girl parts." Of course, there's not alot of different ways to interpret this. So we scramble around trying to make an appointment, get a sitter for R3, and pray some more. Sara, of course is pretty upset. Her second "Hello. You've got cancer!" phone call in a month's time. After she had done some research (Google), she felt a little better. I guess it's not that uncommon for this type of thing to happen. It doesn't mean she has cancer, it just means she needs to be checked a little more often. I guess the people that call make it sound worse so that you come in faster, I guess.

I just pray that the Lord let me know why. Not so much that I question his plan, I would just like to know what we are to do with this circumstance. Are we to use this as a witness? Are we to use this as a cautionary tale? Is this to deter us from some future plans? I just pray that we understand the Lord's plan for us. I pray that his will be done. I pray for Sara's comfort. I learned along time ago, not to question God's motives. But asking for direction and revelation is the best way to get through times like this. We'll know a bit more after she goes to the doctor tomorrow. I ask you to pray for her/our understanding and that all is well.

Thanks.

The big 3-0

Well. I turn thirty years old tommorow. Wow. I feel old. As always, I chose where we ate tonight. As always, I chose Asian. More specifically, Japanese. Even more specifically, we had to try somewhere new, so that meant going to OKC. Shiki Steakhouse is the only Japanese restaurant featuring an oil derek out front,at least I'm pretty sure of it. It was a good meal. But, I really think Kyoto, here in town, is a better restaurant. Everyone got the hibachi, except me. I am the only real sushi fan in my family. I had the sammy roll (tempura shrimp, cucumber, raw tuna, and raw salmon) and the crispy salmon skin roll (pretty self explanitory). Both were very good. I hope Kyoto has the latter next time I visit. Very tastey with a great texture. The Kyoto roll, however, is much better than the sammy roll (very similar ingrediants, if not the same). I will have to say, my old roomate James Beckman is the guy that got me into sushi. I'm glad he did. My family, however...

Anyway. 30. Yikes. I still feel like I'm about 23 or so. With a child and a mortgage, that is.

Some stuff that happened in 1977:

• 01/03/1977 - Apple Computers incorporate
• 01/15/1977 - Coneheads debut on "Saturday Night Live"
• 02/18/1977 - Space Shuttle above a Boeing 747 goes on it's maiden flight
• 03/02/1977 - 1st time Jay Leno appears on Tonight Show
• 05/19/1977 - "Smokey & the Bandit," premieres
• 05/26/1977 - Movie "Star Wars" debuts
• 06/04/1977 - Apple II, the 1st personal computer, goes on sale
• 08/20/1977 - NASA launches Voyager 2 towards Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus & Neptune
• 09/18/1977 - US Voyager I takes 1st space photograph of Earth & Moon together
• 11/21/1977 - 1st flight of Concorde (London to New York)

Born in 1977:

• 01/07/1977 - Dustin Diamond, San Jose Calif, actor (Screech-Saved By Bell
• 04/14/1977 - Sarah Michelle Gellar, actress (Kendall-All My Children, Buffy)
• 08/02/1977 - Edward Furlong, Pasedina Calif, actor (John Connor-Terminator 2)

Oh, yeah. And Elvis died that year.

Lightning pics

Well, I try to get a few good shots when thunderstorms move through. I have to just set the camera on a tripod, set the exposure for 15 seconds, and hope I capture something good. I took about 40-50 pictures last night, and all I got were a few so-so shots. Check a few out at my Flickr account.

6-19-07-1.jpg on Flickr - Photo Sharing!

My cousin needs your prayers.

I have a serious request right now. My cousin seriously needs some prayer right now. He was found by his girlfriend unconscious floating on his jet ski. He was blue by the time she found him. He has water in his lungs, as well as internal bleeding. The last I heard he is not breathing. I know he is saved, but he is too young to leave this earth, yet. Please pray for him and his family. They really need your support right now.

Thanks.

Rant: I don't ignore orders.

I have a special ability. Maybe it's the only one. Evidently, it is. When I am tasked with a request, I can, in a split second, analyze the entire situation, see what is required, and make an assesment of the situation immediately. My downfall, however, is that I take these tasks asked of me to heart. In other words, I take it personally when called a failure.

I was tasked with doing two things over the past two days. Nothing big, just things that needed to be done. Well, I have been in charge of doing these things in the past. So, I was able to determine the amount of man power, compare that to what we had available, add to that the amount of time required, make sure customers would be waited on, and make sure it was done speedily and to perfection. Both things were asked of me the at closing the evening before I had scheduled them to be done. I assessed the situation, gathered the required information, made a judgement call, scheduled the work to be done, and guess what? I was called defiant, lazy, and essentially irresponsible. I'm sorry, but I would rather not lie and tell someone it will be done immediately, when it will done at the next possible time. I would rather be up front (as asked) and make it clear, that it would be taken care of when the necessary resources are available. Now, if we were talking about the request being filled days, or even weeks later, I would understand the anger directed at me. When it's minutes, not even hours are separating the job from completion, I have a hard time taking that. When criticized, I take it to heart. Especially in front of an audience.

Great flood of '07

Yes, we had a gulley washer. I have heard 9 inches of water. Add to that 2 inches from the night before, and you have a flood. Pictures are on my flickr account.

R3 Dancing at The Sage Room

We went to dinner with my parents the other night. We headed up to Enid and ate a little place called The Sage Room. The food was quite good. The ambiance was nice, too. The piano player in the corner added quite a nice touch to the overall experience. However, R3 was enjoying himself quite a bit. Maybe too much. Sorry for the poor quality, I was using my camera to capture this.

I wish I had a camera

As construction continues on the road to our neighborhood, we have to find many different ways out, in order to get to town. If we are going to the west side of town, we go the easy way. If we are going to the east side of town, we have to take the hard way. It's not really all that hard, just long and twisty. We have to snake through a neighborhood behind our edition. We end up driving for five minutes to get to a street less than a 500 yards from our house. With all the construction, there is also alot of heavy equipment. Backhoes, pavers, fuel trucks, and whatever the little brush cars are. R3 is quite observant, and during his many rides in and out of the neighborhood he sees some of his favorite characters from Bob the Builder. It is a wonderful show that he watches in his down time. As Sara would pass the backhoe, on the way out, he would say "Can I give Scoop (the backhoe) hugs and kishes?" Sara would say we'll do it soon.

We got permission to go see one at a friends house, but I never have time to go by there. Last night I had just a little time before dusk to take R3 for a little bike ride. So I set up his little trailer, mounted up, and he, my wife, and I set out to see Scoop. Fortunately, Scoop (a backhoe), Mac (a Mack fuel truck), and Rollie (a paver) were sitting lined up, right in front of our edition. I got off my bike, took R3's helmet off, and took him out of the trailer. It was really something special to see the amazement in his face as he saw his heroes sitting there in the flesh. He looked around and smiled real big. He then looked at me and asked, "Can I give Scoop hugs ans kishes?" I said sure. He walked over, like he would to NaNa or PaPa, and gingerly bent over and hugged the step that towered over him. He then followed that up with a sheepish kiss. His little faced blushed, then beamed with glee. He repeated the little scene with Mac, and Rollie. It was really touching, ans so sweet, Sara and I kinda had a hard time not tearing up. When he was satisfied, he got back in the trailer, donned his helmet, and we headed back home.

I don't know for sure, but under the metal and dirt, I think I saw those big scary machines blush a little...

This was funny. Then it became very sad.

TopGear is a wonderful British automotive show that tests cars, and has fun doing it. Save for their typical attitude that "all that is not British is crap" approach, it is very enjoyable. One feature I rather enjoy is their TopGear Challenge. Basically, they but a cheap car (think $1000 or so), and then have to complete a race with some quirky challenge thrown in. It's not so much a race as it is a competitive Sunday drive. Most of the cars they buy are barely road worthy.

In this specimen, they took three typical American cars, an IROC Camaro, a Dodge pickup, and a Cadillac. The challenge was to drive across Alabama. Easy enough. The quirky part was that they had to do it without getting shot or pulled over. Easy enough, still. Each opponent was asked to paint an offending phrase on the other opponent's car. Well, that proved to be the problem. The Cadillac had "Hillary for President" and "NASCAR SUCKS" written on it. The Camaro had "Country Western is Rubbish" written on it. The pickup had "Man Love Rules" written on it. They may be offensive to some, but as I watched the video, I saw the ugly side of humanity (not necessarily America) rise up. The trip was uneventful on the highway, save for a few dirty looks, "the fingers," and some horn honking. It was when the stopped off for some "petrol" that things got ugly...

The station manager comes out with a raised voice making some unkind remarks. The hosts explain a little bit of what was going on. If that weren't tasteless enough, she hollers out, "I'm calling the boys!" A few minutes later a truck pulls up and these hooligans jump out and start throwing rocks at these guys. Earlier in the program, they made a comment about how the order of importance in America is George Bush, God, and Country &Western. The problem is he seems to be on the right path, at least with this group of people he came across. The problem is, if these people really were after God's heart, they could have tried to reach out to these "lost souls." They could have found out what their stories were. They could have offered them a helping hand.

The point is, that the act was seen, judgement was passed, and the sentence was almost carried out. I know I'm going a bit deep, after all, the same thing could happen in any part of the globe, which TopGear so conveniently left out. There is a parallel to our own hearts though that we should always be on guard against. So often, I have found myself judging others before I knew anything about them. Could you imagine what would happen if God, or Jesus, saw us doing something wrong in his eyes, and he just started pelting us with stones? Or worse? Fortunately, we have the love and compassion of Christ, so that we may be forgiven, corrected, and allowed to enter the kingdom in heaven.

So next time you see a car driving down the road, with offending phrases painted on it, or see a somebody doing "wrong," stop and think about what is going on. If you are in a position to help, offer assistance. If you are really bothered, say a little prayer for them. And for goodness sake, look for the film crew on the other side of the road!

We go to the Doctor Monday.

My wife had some spots looked at on her skin a while back. Well, long story short, the test results came back suspect. So we go back Monday to see what this means, what to do next, and where to go from here. Please pray that everything turns out OK.

Thank you.

Fun Fact: Some People Enjoy Their Power a little too much.

I read this article to day and, strangely, not surprised. A judge in D.C. is suing a dry cleaners for 65 million dollars. Let me repeat that, $65, 000,000.00. Part of his suit includes the cost of a rental car to drive to the next preferred dry cleaners, for dropping off and picking up his laundry. This is a perfect picture of how litigious our society is.

AOL News: Judge sues dry cleaners for $65 million

Welcome Home Daddy

Fun Fact: I have super powers!

An odd thing happened to me this past Saturday. Friday night, I had a strange dream. Our pre-owned manager was going on vacation next week, and we were all getting ready for him to be gone. Anyway, Friday night, I could not sleep well. I tossed and turned all night long. I dreamt that as our manager was getting ready to leave, I noticed he was packing everything he had into a bag. I mentioned that I'd see him the following week, to which he replied that I indeed would not. He was quitting. The next morning, I told our General Manager about my dream.

We had a heck of a day! We sold several cars. It was not a typical Saturday, by any means. Things were pumping. We were working like a well oiled machine. And then the end of the day came.

As said manager was getting ready to leave, I told him I'd see him the following week. To which he replied, "No, you won't! I 'm quitting!" He had turned in his resignation just moments earlier. My heart just dropped. It happened exactly like I had dreamt it. If I hadn't said anything, it would have probably felt like deja vu. But the fact that I have 3 witnesses, kinda weirds me out. If selling cars doesn't work out, you will probably be able to find me doing card trick in Vegas...

This is gonna be fun....

Last night, I put R3 to bed. I gave him his bottle for the night, turned Thomas the Tank Engine on and went to tidy a few things up before I read him his Bible story. I finished up pretty soon, and decided it was time to turn the TV off. R3 and I had an interesting conversation:

Me: "Say goodnight, Thomas." As I reach for the TV

R3: "No."

Me: "Ronnie, it's time to go to bed. Say goodnight, Thomas."

R3: "No."

Me: "RONNIE." I raised my voice a bit.

R3: "It's Edward."

Me: "Oh....... Say goodnight, Edward."

R3: "Ok. Goodnight Edward." He then rolls over and snuggles into his bed.

I turn the TV off.

It turns out that as I was asking R3 to say goodnight to Thomas, Edward was the train on the TV at that moment. For someone that isn't 3 years old yet, that's pretty sharp. I'm gonna have to be pretty careful in his teen years...

Rant: Dis-connect

It's amazing how when people get use to a certain life style, they sometimes forget what it was like before. Sara and I have made certain choices that limit our income dramatically. Firstly, I will say that we are blessed beyond measure. We have been able to maintain a wonderfully full lifestyle. But, we made the conscience decision to allow Sara to stay home to take care of R3. Sara is a wonderful mother, and we did not want R3 (and possibly another) to go to a school were we essentially let "someone else" raise our child. We made a promise to the Lord that we would raise him to love him and his laws. R3 has a great gig going. He watches Bob the Builder, Thomas the Tank Engine, Cars, and etc. He has play time. We have a whole mess of Thomas the Tank Engine tracks, cars, stations, etc. In other words, he has everything a little boy would want. I make an effort to put him to bed every night, and read him a Bible story. We run a strict house hold, but also one of love, forgiveness, and fun. In other words, we have put our efforts into building a good life for R3, instead of trying to amass earthly wealth. He is comfortable. He is not ignored. Most importantly, he is loved. I'm not saying this can't be done if my wife had a job, but it would not be as consistent. Financially, we shouldn't have all that we do. God, like I said earlier, has blessed us beyond measure. Our ship runs like a well oiled machine. We just don't have the money to blow on "luxury items." Items like computers, cars, boats, and trips. Sometimes, I feel like people just don't understand our situation. I will, by no means, say we are poor. We just don't have much extra cash. What we spend, we spend on things that can be seen as an investment of sorts. People that know me, know that I always have a project I'm working on. For instance, we just finished our home theater. I love getting up in the attic and doing the manual labor. Running wires, measuring, cutting, and so forth. In fact, the way I did our last house was quite unique. So unique in fact, it help sell the house for more than it should have. In other words, we spend money in a way that it will eventually come back somehow. Some day, I hope to take our family on big vacations. I promised Sara to take her to Greece or Europe someday. I also promised my Asian family I would be back to visit them as well. With any luck, R3 could go, and I can show him the wonders of Japan. We just don't have the ability to do that stuff right now, however. And you know what? I don't care. I'm investing in R3's future. When R3 grows up, he will be well adjusted, he'll look back on a family that loved him no matter what, and he will have a history of no regrets. I may shelter him some, but I want him to experience everything the world has to offer. Getting back on topic. There are many things that Sara and I don't have the "luxury" of doing/owning/enjoying. And it bugs me when people expect me to have that ability. Sometimes it seems that people are sometimes even put-off or completely lost by our "inability" to do these things. I have made my choice of lifestyle, and instead of having that fleeting excitement of doing/owninig/enjoying something, I have the comfort of knowing that R3 will have the best childhood I could give.

This is our inspiration: Titus 2: 11-14

For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men. 12It teaches us to say "No" to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives in this present age, while we wait for the blessed hope—the glorious appearing of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ, who gave himself for us to redeem us from all wickedness and to purify for himself a people that are his very own, eager to do what is good.

This verse has hung over his bed since we dedicated him to God.

Easter 2007

Happy Easter everyone. Easter service was very good. It was, of course, about the resurrection of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. This Easter was also special because R3 really did have a clue as to what was going on. He opened his Easter basket at home, and after a lunch at my parents, he opened another. After which, we had an Easter egg hunt. We were also able to share Easter with my sister's husband and in laws, his aunt and uncle, and our good friend Hide. Everyone had a great time. Of course everybody left stuffed and went home to find a cozy spot to nod off and take a nap.

Happy Easter!

Some Easter pics at flickr.

Fickleness

I won't go into great detail, but it's funny how you can be a part of something, even be completely absorbed by it, and at the same time feel as if you are on the outside looking in. I kinda felt like I found where I belong, but that reality has slipped away yet again. At least if feels like it. Maybe I'm just tired and cranky. Maybe I'm just right.

Random Fact: The Heder Effect

A theory I have developed, but not yet proven is the Heder effect. I heard this morning that "Blades of Glory" was one of the biggest weekend openings in a while. So, my theory is, that the worse Jon heder's hair is, the better the movie does...

A sign of the times

Our town is growning rapidly, very rapidly. I have already complained about all the construction. Now, due to more development, they are taking down the second billboard I ever designed. This is coming into town, on the eastbound side of the road. Our lease is up soon, but the land owner will not renew the contract with Lamar Outdoor anyway. I thought I'd get a quick pic before they tore it down. Sorry for the shoddy quality. I'll get a better pic later. I hope I can before they start taking it apart.

Home Theater Geek

I had been writing about my home theater odyssey for a while now. I actually finished sometime before Christmas, but I still need to install a wall mounted outlet in the wall behind the TV. I'll do that later this summer, probably. The last thing that may take a while, is to find a new cabinet for the audio equipment. In total I ran a couple hundred feet of cable through the walls to get everything done. 3 coax (480p HD feed), 1 video, 1 digital coax back to the receiver, 1 cable feed, and 4 12 gauge audio drops. I won't run HDMI for some time, that is until I can afford both the player and cable. Right now a 50 cable cost about $150. Oh, yeah. They need to settle the format war, too. It all works pretty well. I picked up a IR/RF remote from my sister (my hookup at Sears), so I can leave the audio cabinet closed (away from a two year olds hands). I took the lazy way out and just ran an RCA lead under base board to the sub woofer. All in all, it sounds pretty good. I also pick up HD, due to the fact that my TV has an HD tuner (BONUS!), so I ran the audio feed back to the receiver. That sounds great, and affords me 720i/720p/1080i. I'll call it a success, but I'll always be tweaking it.

Oh, and by the way, the fireplace columns open on both sides to reveal a super geeky DVD colection!

Fun Fact:I'm now facebooked...

After much prodding from friends, I finally decided to join facebook. Problem is, I don't know where any of them are. I'm new, so if you want to facebook me, do it here: Facebook me!

The hole in the ground

Tuesday was a busy day. I put down insecticide, followed with the pre-emergent/fertilizer. I am trying to get a head start on the yard this year. Followed by a heavy watering. We usually have our yard sprayed, but decided that I would try to do it myself this year. Considering I haven't really been out and checked all the way around the house the past few months, I did a complete survey, just checking around, gathering up dead leaves, sticks, and branches. As I rounded the north corner of the house I stopped.

As many of you know, we lost a precious member of our family this Christmas. In a freak accident Turbo was taken from us early. But the good die young, right? Anyway, I had never buried anything before, much less a pet. I thought I had left enough dirt to make up for the air that would eventually go away and let the ground on top settle. Instead, there was a foot-and-a-half by two-foot square of sunken earth. It was kinda depressing. I subscribe to the out of sight out of mind kinda thinking. However, that doesn't change the fact that he is gone. That hole in the ground is sorta representative of the hole in our hearts left by Turbo's absence. It's healing, but it will still be there. It just needs time.

My little teacher

R3 Sandbox.jpg
Originally uploaded by rsnumber2.

I figured as I grew older, that I would better understand my faith. You know, maturity, life experiences, and such. I regularly go to church, I try to keep up a bible study on my own. I read challenging books that test my mental capacity. I really do try to learn from all the materials and people around me.

But the real teacher is the one that is about waist high to me. R3. It's funny how that little heartbeat is completely dependent upon every decision that I make has taught me so much. I have never grown so fast in my understanding of the kind of love and forgiveness that our God grants us, that is until he came into our lives.

Many times, I have wondered why God would remain silent. Why would he not give me this or that. The truth is, I didn't need it. Sure I complained and moaned, but to no avail. God knew that wasn't the best thing for me. Out of ignorance and greed, I didn't see that it would have been detrimental at a later stage in life. Until after the fact. I know I'm not omnipotent, but I can see consequences of R3's action before he can. God sees my consequences, before hand, too. But on a much larger scale. R3 doesn't realize that when I make him go to bed, it's because I want him to feel refreshed in the morning. That why he can play hard. I know what it's like to have a terrible night's sleep. He doesn't. God knows why I shouldn't buy that new camera, or shiny new Mac. In our case, I think it's so that we can try to have another child. That will be revealed later.

My point is, that through a fatherly role, I have learned much about God's role as my heavenly father. A view point that I may have never seen, without two shiny light blue eyes that light up my day. Even if they are only waist high.

Fun Fact: They make blue sand.

R3 Sandbox.jpg
Originally uploaded by rsnumber2.

At least he hasn't figured out how to make mud yet. Blue mud, at that...

My Autobiography

Someday, I may write a book about all my vast accomplishments. Which I need to get started on...
Anywhoo. Below is a clip from a TV show called Talk Radio. This is probably what would happen.

Save Internet Radio!

As a big fan of Internet radio, I urge everyone that reads this to check out this petition. Please, follow the link and sign the petition. Internet radio bring so many wonderful kinds of music to our ears that we may not otherwise ever have the chance of hearing.

Save Internet Radio!

Seperation of Fact and Fiction

The other day I finally made the jump and separated my hobbyist tendencies from my home blog. I started another blog to write about my modeling interests. I'm going to keep this blog primarily focused on family, friends, and other goings on. This way I can still blog, but be perceived as a much older person... ; )

Books: Five by Endo

My wife has recently introduced me to a luxury I stayed away from normally, as a kid. It is a wonderful place that is serenely quiet, has a wealth on information, and more importantly, you can borrow anything in it for free. Yes, I am talking about the library. I used to try to stay away from them as much as I could. I have found lately that I rather enjoy borrowing books, rather than buying them and finding out that they are terrible.

Sara, R3, and I all went to the library this past Sunday. It was a very nice time. Sara and I found the books we were looking for and let R3 play in the children's activity center. And behold, it was quiet. With all of today's electronic doo-dads, it's nice to have a small retreat away form the norm. Which brings me to my book.

Five by Endo: written by Shusaku Endo. A break from the norm is one way to describe this book. I have already read Silence and The Samurai. Both were great books. The Samurai felt a little long winded at times, but it was a good book overall. Five by Endo is actually a collection of five stories. Unzen: a story of a writer researching a martyrs dieing place. Fifty-year-old Man: a story about a man dealing with death. Japanese in Warsaw: a story about a business man having a strange encounter. The Box: in which a photo album and postcards tell a story. The end of the book is actually the first chapter to a book called Deep River where Japanese tourists go to bathe in the mystic river of Ganges. I have read the first story, and I can already tell it is Shusaku's work. Unzen is an offshoot of Silence, which by the way is one of my all time favorite books. It follows a writer visiting Unzen and viewing the natural hot springs where Christians were tortured for their faith during the anti-Christian movement in the 1800's in Japan. The writer is researching the area for a book and has come to see the area described in letters and books from that period. As a Catholic writer he is seeing what some of the latter Christian martyrs had to endure. The odd thing is, he starts to identify himself closer to the "spineless" Kichijiro. In other words, in a romantic view of one's self, we would normally say that we could endure all, even death, to say that we are a Christian. We did not live in those times of yesteryear, however. In those times the torture didn't always stop with the believer. Sometimes the killing or torture would be directed at loved ones, family, or even the very people they were trying to save. He starts to realize that faced with such torturous surroundings, he himself may very well have apostatized (publicly denied Christ as lord and savior).

Endo's books are very trying. I have often found myself feeling both relieved to know that many others have internal conflicts as I do. On the other hand, it has also turned my stomach to read about some of the things that people have endured, that in a worldly view, led nowhere. Most of his books end with failure of the protagonist. They often, however, stress forgiveness, and through forgiveness, an ultimate sense of peace and deeper understanding of the very faith they tried to cling to. Either way, it helps to illustrate the loving forgiveness our heavenly father has for us, even though we will never be perfect. Because we aren't.

All that's just from the first 13 pages....

Who owns who...

Although a bit dated, I find this chart better sums up the ever changing automotive landscape. It is not simply one against the other. Many times companies are very interrelated. Take for example, the old Honda Passport SUV. Built by Isuzu, powered by GM, and branded as a Honda, hmmmm. Or, how about GM owns 10% of Fiat which owns 56% of Ferrari? Interesting, huh? Follow the link below to see the graph. Keep in mind Chrysler is up for sell, which could change the map as well.

whoownswho

Enough Already!

Most of you that read this blog do not live in Stillwater. Right now, that is a good thing. I was leaving for work this morning and saw many concrete drainage pipes lined up. Guess what, more construction. That's not really all that bad, right? Construction means growth, and easier access. The problem lies with the fact that every major road in Stillwater is now under construction. Just to list a few; Hall of Fame, 6th & Jardot, 6th & Western, 19th & Western, 19th and Sangre, 19th Street between Sangre and Western, and 6th between Sangre and Western. It may not sound like a lot, but in my little world, that is every intersection and main road I use. As well as most of the people in my area of town. As an example, my parents live about 800 feet from my house. If I want to drive over to visit them, a 30 second trip has now turned into a 7 minute ordeal. I know, it could be worse, however when you factor in three or four 7 minute slow downs on the way to work, it adds up quickly. What used to take me 4 minutes to get from my house to my office now takes 18 minutes. I live two miles closer to work than I did last year and it takes me just as long to make the shorter trip. Progress is fine, but please, not all at once!

Stillwater Construction Update (pdf)

Question du Jour: Should I go split personality?

I think those of you who read my blog know I am a geek. My question to you is this, I was thinking about making another blog to house my otaku side. That would leave this blog for family, life, and well, stuff most of you would want to read about. Leave your comments below. Remember, you can leave it anonymously, if you want. That way neither personality can be upset.

Fun Fact: Lost in Translation

Well, what can I say, at least I tried. I had one of my friends that actually is Japanese try on my new translator. And his assesment; in a word, terrible. He informed me that gramatically, it was all over the map, was hard to follow, and at best totally unintelligible. Oh well. If any body knows a better solution, let me know. I'll keep what I've got until a better alternative is found. I'd really like to keep it going because I have had hits in Asia, Europe, as well as the states.

Fun Fact: Going International!

I "borrowed" some code that allows people to translate my blog on the fly. Pretty cool stuff. If you can read it. It basically just takes my page through Google Translate, essentially saving you a step. I'm sure the translation works, I just don't know if my humor translates very well...

Hindsight - John Reuben

John Reuben is a hard artist to categorize. But he has a unique ability to say what needs to be said. Take a second and read the lyrics to Hindsight. It is a song that has haunted me for quite some time. It really sums up what I've been feeling lately and how I hope to feel someday. As a Christian, living in this world is not easy, but we pray to see just what the reason was for the trials and tribulations we had to go through. In someway, the always make you a better person, open a closed door, close an open door, or provide an opportunity for somebody that needs it. I've got faith that things will get better. This is just a good summation of what I've been feeling lately.

Hindsight - John Reuben

I screamed to God out of frustration
After another day of waking and hating the fact
That I’m still where I’m at
What’s the point of all of this
Cuz I’m not seeming to find it
Is it meaningless? I search the reason behind it
Because these moments seem to drag on forever
And these years on end seem to have never been this
Desperation has formed repetition within
Too insecure to pretend and I’m too weak to defend
Here it comes again all in my world again
Left with no direction no beginning no end
The days blend together and the weather never changes
Numb to the outcome but yet not quite painless
Aimless to whether or not I made a mistake
And if so how far is too far before it’s too late
Should I wait but then what would be too long
To reverse the effects if I was wrong

(chorus)
Hindsight is a beautiful thing
When you can look back and see what patience and time can bring

Is it a must that I’m here is it a must that I stay
In order to look forward must I look away
We're moving towards a new day
Unsure of what tomorrow will bring our way
I’m not even quite sure of what this day holds
I say we travel the unknown and watch it unfold
Hold today close while still reaching for tomorrow
Through the test of time I’ve seen joy overcome sorrow
So with every trial I endure
With hopes to mature into what I was created for
More than life itself I want life itself
Press past the present until forever is felt
And take hold of the hidden mystery
Wide eyed and open I now see differently
If it’s to be then give me the strength to be content
And find peace in knowing one day it will all make sense

(chorus)

Learning to accept the unexpected
Because the unknown wasn’t here for me to correct it
So I let it go and stopped trying to control the impossible
Simply put tossed in the shuffle
At a young age just like everyone else
So I don’t feel sorry for you or for myself
Love is bigger than that and I’m not below or above
The way it moves even though the things it does
To my train of thought can bring about doubt and uncertainty
Patience tends to not agree with my psyche
That’s more than likely just some pride in me
Fighting expectations of where I think my life should be
Selfishly I forget so quickly
Let me never forget Lord break me in humility
Some sort of amazing grace on me
As I look back upon my life and where You’ve taken me

(chorus)

Hear the call peace fall
From trial to triumph I want your hand in it all
Allow me to know where to stand in it all
Life Giver

Fun Fact

I can tie my shoes without drooling all over myself....

Busy, bored, and beat.

Just so you know, I haven't stopped blogging. It's just been a wierd week or so. I'm trying to get myself motivated to do something. But I'm not sure what. It's too cold to work outside. I'm too tired to work on anything very complicated. I dunno. I am trying to get myself back on finishing my MG Gouf Custom. You may not know what that is, or care. But it's sitting there just staring at me begging me to sand, ink, decal, and clear coat it. Maybe when it get warmer. But by that time I'll be cutting grass... Oh, well. Maybe I'll just put that off, too. I'll try to write about something more important later.

When I get around to it.

It's all relative

I just received a deeply disturbing phone call today. I've been having some bad times. Now, most of my problems seem pretty stupid in comparison. One of my best friends called and told me that his grandpa is in the hospital and has just a few days left on this earth. I can't imagine being in that position again. It will happen again someday, I know. But, I love his family to pieces and I hate this for them. Please take a second to send some prayers up his way. Please, pray for his comfort, the comfort for his family, that he and his brother have a safe passage back home, and that he may know the peace of Christ.

Groovera

I've been at wits end for the better part of the week (or year) and the other day I went back to an old favorite. It's changed formats a few times and names as well. It's all electronic, so it may not be everyone's cup 'o tea. The music carries me through the day pretty well. It's punchy enough to keep me moving, toned down enough to not distract me, and catchy enough to remember a few tracks. When you get there there are three flovors, Jet City Lounge, Ambient Popsicle, and Low Mercury. If you have ever been to a more modern club or art house, this is the kind of stuff to expect. If your at the office, or just trying to get your blood pressure back down to earth, you ought to give it a try. Good stuff.

Groovera.com

And so it begins

Finally got our car bought yesterday. This has been the most drawn out tiring thing I have done in a long time. For those of you that don't know, we had an accident just before Christmas. We lost our cat Turbo, in a freak accident involving Sara's car, a '99 Grand Prix. It was really hard on both of us, as Turbo was very much a part of the family. After the car was cleaned the car up and repaired a few nit-picky things. We then put our car on consignment and waited.

And waited.

And waited.

We finally sold it about three or four weeks ago. In the process of selling it we traded for a little Honda. It was a good car, but didn't get us any closer to our ultimate goal of getting Sara her new car. We polished it up, put it out on the lot, and waited.

And waited.

And waited.

I finally got it sold and the CV joints went out as I was showing it. So I replaced those and did several hundred dollars worth of work to it to get it right. I thought there for a short time, I might actually be able to eek out a profit to put towards our new car. Nope. Every penny I would have made on the car went towards different repairs needed. The car was basically in great shape. I just didn't want a customer to be upset if something broke. I'm picky like that.

There is more (a lot more) to it, but long story made short. I finally picked up Sara's new car. A black '04 Grand Prix. I had the windows tinted Thursday night, had exhaust tips put on it today, and have wheels coming for it next week. Overall, I think the car will look pretty good. When we started the paperwork on it, it looked like a rental car. Now it is already starting to look like something I won't mind making my payments on for the next couple of years. Besides, when it come time to turn it, the better it looks, the quicker I should be able to sell it. It worked with my last one. And he is one very happy owner.

This my inspiration. We'll see how close I actually get.

Grrrrrrrrrrrrrr...

I've had about a month of bad days, all in row. What is that exactly? Is it a bad month? Or is it just a bunch of bad days? Either way it sucks. I won't elaborate, but I'm sick of being on edge, and I need a flipping vacation.

My kind of USB drive

This is the kind of Tech that can change the world. Well, maybe not. It would be cool to drive a little car around your desk on slow days by using your cell phone.

Pointless Gadgets: Cell phone controlled toy auto flash drive

When a group of people, such as the Asians, have practically invented/manufactured everything else in the world, why not mass produce a completely pointless but none the less amusing design someone probably sketched on a dinner napkin. Marsilli has created this mobile phone controlled toy car that has a little usb port where the exhaust pipe should be. When you place it on the board you can control where it drives with your cell phone. We assume there must be some sort of infrared controlling this device. The board reminds me of a 1980’s board game like “Operation”. But in this case if your little toy usb car crashes into another one your cell phone bursts into flames. Posted by Dani Via: Engadget

CARSCOOP

Blogged with Flock

Yo-Yo Fool

I don't know if it was the Smothers brothers or not, but since I was a kid, I have always been a yo-yo fan. Someday when I grow up, I might be as good as these guys.



It's a long video, so it needs some extra time to load...

False sense of security

We moved into the new neighborhood not long ago. The house is really nice, but not near as nice as the people that live in our little cul-de-sac. We are quite secluded from the rest of the neighborhood, let alone the rest of Stillwater. Hardly any traffic. Our last house was like having a track side seat at a NASCAR event. Plus, if anyone ever drove through, we generally knew who it was. Well, yesterday my wife goes out to check the mail and finds some rather personal information on the ground. Ours. We had shredded a pile of old paperwork, but somehow these "items" were not shredded. Why? I don't know. Most upsetting is the unfamiliar footprints around our mailbox. We have called the credit bureau and alerted our banks etc. Whoever did this will probably not end up impacting our life much. But it will make me tighten down the hatches a little more. I'm just glad that they weren't after something I couldn't replace. My family.

Ms. Dewey: The search for lonely single men...

I was reading the Wall Street Journal today, and read an interesting piece on search engines. It was about all the different ways search companies are trying to attract new customers. The unique part, was that many of the companies set up an alter-ego search engine. If the type of search engine fails, they don't devalue the brand at all. Alltheweb is actually Yahoo!, SearchMash is actually Google, and Ms. Dewey is actually Microsoft's. Ms. Dewey, actually, is the one that caught my attention most. Not because she's "a sexy new search engine," but because it was just plain spooky. The star of the new page is Janina Gavankar. Some sort of a movie star that I am not familiar with. While you have her page loaded, she reads magazines, talks to you, and complains that you're not paying attention to her. It is certainly a different approach, but I don't know if I'll use this as a default search just yet. If at all.

Ms. Dewey

Finally, someone is paying attention....

I never thought I'd see this, but it is something that can make my day a little bit brighter. It appears that the more fundamentalist eco-movement is finally starting to pass on the kool-aid. As good as Toyota is, not all their cars emit sunshine and happy feelings through their exhaust pipes. Nor does GM emit only turmoil and smog...

Toyota, the longtime darling of the environmental movement, takes flak for the attention paid to its new Tundra fullsize pickup at the North American International Auto Show here.The campaign, backed by groups such as the Rainforest Action Network, cannot afford to “give Toyota a free pass,” a spokeswoman says.Campaign organizers commend Toyota for its track record of addressing fuel economy. They also laud GM for expanding its plans for hybrid-electric vehicles.

Green Groups Target Toyota Tundra

Blogged with Flock

Wings (Kyoto Station)

Wings (Kyoto Station)
Originally uploaded by rsnumber2.

I took this photo of Kyoto Staion while on my vacation to Japan last year. I don't know why I like it so much, but I do. The glass reflects the canopy just right and gives it the look of a pair of wings...

Flock

I'm using Flock, and I like it. Flock is a browser that is based on Firefox, and has some social networking built in. It has some pretty nice features that make it easier for using Flickr, Blogger, and other websites. The Aesthetics are kinda swanky, too. Very Mac-like. RSS Feeds are beefed up a little, Flickr is actually integrated into the browser bar. Blogger Beta is supported in Flock 0.7.9, however, I am at home typing this up on my 'ol G3, and 0.7.8 is all that is available for Mac. The blogging feature is pretty cool because you just drag what you want to blog about from one page to a holder at the bottom, and it shows up on your blog. Or so I'm told. I can't actually experience that, due to my use of OS X. I guess I'll see how that works tomorrow. Adding photos to comment, like MySpace, is easy in Flock. Just drag a photo to the comment box, drop it, and your done. One thing I am not sure about yet is the favorites. The save more like (and directly to) delicious. I have never really cared for that service. I like my favorites to be a bit more tidy. That's why I use Backflip, besides, I really don't use built in favories anyway. It really can be considered a social network swiss army knife of the browser world. Does the world really need another browser? MAybe not, but the rest of them could take some lessons from the new kid. Anyway, Download it youself and give it a while. I'm actually digging this as much as Camino.

Winter Wonderland

Man, it is slick out there! I have seriously thanked the Lord for keeping the the freezing rain away. All around Oklahoma there are people without power and/or stranded, let alone just outright cold. Personally, I have never seen anything like it. I have seen ice storms, high volumes of snow, and hefty amounts of sleet. What I haven't seen is two inches of sleet coated with a thick layer of ice. This stuff is so hard cars ar driving through our lot and not leaving any tracks whatsoever. It's so slick outside, one does not simply walk to their car, but we do a hybrid slide/waddle thing. It's not very attractive, really. Sara and I went sleding yesterday, and it was painful. Ice is not as forgiving as snow, mind you. Ice also has a tendency to help you pick up speed as you hurtle yourself down a hill. The problem is that all the hills we have here are at the top of a worksite. As we gather speed, we look for all the projecting plywood, 2x4s, and saw horses that one would normally try to avoid. I had in my head some bloody images as I flew down on a couple of passes. The only fun hill, was one next to our house. It was only about 4 foot high, but we regularly got about 60-75 feet of distance off of it.

It is very dangerous out there, if it doesn't change soon, I will be looking at some new footwear.

A Day Out With Thomas

A Day Out With Thomas
Originally uploaded by rsnumber2.

I'm actually testing the posting feature in Flickr. This was a picture I took of R3 when we went to "A Day Out With Thomas" this last September. He was in a bit of awe the entire time, but he really did enjoy himself.

Hobbies

I've been thinking lately. I have a lot of cool stuff; Home Theater, Xbox, PS2, ye 'olde trusty Mac, and my GunPla collection. I have several cool hobbies. From electronics, to photography, to watching movies, and home improvement. My question is, do I really need all these hobbies? Do they really make me a happy person?

Or do they take time away from what really makes me feel a sense of accomplishment. My son.

He has his hobbies now. Mostly Thomas, but anything involving trains will do.

I'll admit, sometimes, after a hard day of work all I want to do is veg out. Sitting in front of the TV, or staring at the computer is the easiest thing to do. The problem is, when I'm done zoning out, R3 is already asleep. I missed out on another "guy time." Generally I'll put him to bed 4-5 nights a week out of 7. That is a priority I have tried to keep. I'll change his "doopy," get his jammies on, give him his nightly bottle of milk and finish off by reading him two stories. One train story followed by a Bible story.

When I think about it. R3 is the most fulfilling "hobby" I have. That is what has made me question my priorities lately.

It's Hard to be a kid...

Poor R3. He must run on Lithium Ion batteries. Full blast, and then, stop. The little guy just runs as hard as he can until he runs out of juice. The nice thing is that he can recharge just about anywhere.

Lucky guy...

The Dining Room


The Recliner


The Hallway


The Firetruck Bed

Anybody want a Honda?

Well, we finally sold the 'ole Grand Prix. The problem is that we are now the owners of a gently loved Honda Accord. We can't buy the pre-owned Grand Prix on the lot until we get this Honda sold. If ANYBODY knows anyone that could use a cheap car, let me know. I've got to move this thing, so I can get Sara in something to drive. I can email details.