I ran into something funny earlier today. Check this out from my buddy Jason Hughlett on his blog. (I am of course assuming that people other than my friend Jason actually read this thing, since he's just about the only one who ever leaves me a post.)
His blog really got me thinking,.....hmm.....
Enjoy!
Friday, June 22, 2007
Saturday, June 16, 2007
Manly-Man Pre-Father's Day Manliness...
So, Carl (My Big Brother) came by to brag about the fishies he caught with his family today. I gladly helped clean 'em.
He did pretty well I'd say - check this bad boy out - pretty big (Yes, I mean the fish!) It measured in at 16+ (they have to be 15+ if taken from Lake Jacksonville).
Honestly, we rarely catch one that is legal - and when we do, we often throw them back.
He did pretty well I'd say - check this bad boy out - pretty big (Yes, I mean the fish!) It measured in at 16+ (they have to be 15+ if taken from Lake Jacksonville).
Honestly, we rarely catch one that is legal - and when we do, we often throw them back.
Should be good eatin'.
Somebody stop me......
I have a new hobby folks. It's called E-bay. I still feel like I'm in control, but then there are those times when......I just gotta go looking for some obscure item at a yard sale- or worse yet, I start looking around the house to see what I can sell - cause it's just so much fun. (Let's not mention all the crap we've been buying lately...)
The other day I had that look in my eye (no, not the nervous twitch I sometimes get when I am tired and stressed out - those of you who know me well are chuckling right now). No, I had that wild look that said -"...what can I get rid of?" I asked Beth if we could get rid of a particular item in our house I didn't think we needed any more (we have four of them). She said - "No, I don't think its' legal to sell one of your sons on Ebay."
I do feel pretty proud of myself though - I found four 35mm cameras at a yard sale. They sat in the closet for about a year. I paid $5- .......just sold 'em on Ebay for $119 and some change.
So what's next? Do we really need that front door?????? Maybe someone wants a cat...hmmmm.
The other day I had that look in my eye (no, not the nervous twitch I sometimes get when I am tired and stressed out - those of you who know me well are chuckling right now). No, I had that wild look that said -"...what can I get rid of?" I asked Beth if we could get rid of a particular item in our house I didn't think we needed any more (we have four of them). She said - "No, I don't think its' legal to sell one of your sons on Ebay."
I do feel pretty proud of myself though - I found four 35mm cameras at a yard sale. They sat in the closet for about a year. I paid $5- .......just sold 'em on Ebay for $119 and some change.
So what's next? Do we really need that front door?????? Maybe someone wants a cat...hmmmm.
Tuesday, June 12, 2007
My advice - invest in a "REAL" life...
So, I have a really painful, huge confession to make. Brace yourselves....I wasted - yes WASTED about three hours of my life Saturday evening - simply because of curiosity. Let me 'splain.
I read an article a few weeks back discussing the "true" nature of certain violent crimes in light of international laws and in particular, the legal reach of certain territories as they pertain to.................... virtual space. It seems, there is a quandry with regards to the legal definition of rape and other violent crimes (child abuse, assault, etc...) in cyberspace - and in particular in the ever-popular virtual world - Second Life.
The article then went on to expound on how Second Life has grown into a whole economy of it's own - with virtual real estate, etc... Real world businesses, recording artists - even politicians are setting up virtual interfaces in this place that doesn't tangibly exist. Sweden (I believe) has even designed an Embassy in Second Life.
After hearing about this, I couldn't take it - Dangerous or not, I had to check it out.
I first heard about Second Life about 9 months ago. My good friend signed up and checked it out for a while. He eventually got bored with it and I don't believe he's been back for a few months.
The big deal about Second Life is that it has literally been taking over people's lives. There are people who are becoming overnight millionaires by creating stuff in this virtual world (virtual real estate - furnishings for their virtual houses - you name it - all because people are willing to pay real (real world dollars) for this "virtual" stuff. Crazy!!!!! I had never gotten around to checking it out. That changed after I read the latest article. (I would link to it, but I can't find it anywhere.)
Apparently there are over 7 MILLION subscribers to Second Life with tens to hundreds of thousands of people "present" at any given time. This has become a huge thing.
If you aren't familiar with the concept here is my lame attempt to catch you up to speed:
You sign up (there is a free trial and there are paid subscriptions - I tried the freebie - Thank God!)
You then create an Avatar (customizable online persona) - during your interaction this is the "You" that others see. Here's a shocker - I found myself designing a somewhat overweight, brown-haired, pinkish skinned guy in a baggy shirt with some facial hair (does that remind you of anyone?) However - you can make yourself an Alien, or whatever you like - and you can aquire a virtual wardrobe - you can dress like a super hero - doesn't matter. (It's also kind of creepy.)
Once you create your online self (Avatar) you then are mandated to go to "Orientation Island." There are four tasks you must complete in order to be given a "key" to the rest of the outlandish world that is - Second Life. Basically you have to learn how to get around, pick things up, walk, chat, etc... One thing I like about it was this: You can FLY!!!!!!!! There is also a teleport feature that allows you to go anywhere or attend any "event" instantly - much like an internet search engine.
So, once you figure out how to get yourself off of "Orientation Island" you can then explore Second Life. .......
Yep, the whole world has just opened up for you........ the whole thing....... yep......
So I did a search - what to do?, what to do....? Don't get me wrong, there was plenty to do - plenty of the "Mature" variety (No, I DIDN"T) I honestly didn't have to - some of the Avatars people picked out were PLENTY mature enough.
So, filtering OUT the mature content I checked out two places. First place I went was to a concert at a club. I teleported my chubby pink-skinned online self to this club. The "band" was apparently taking a break, cause the stage was empty - and there were wierd naked alien people dancing. The minute I "entered" the indoor/outdoor club people started "talking/chatting" with me - "come dance with us..." they said. Huh? Dance? I then realized that these were actual "people" - who had unfortunately chosen to make "themselves" look like naked aliens. These real people were at that moment "seeing" me, the chubby pink-skinned me - fly into this club - they wanted me to dance with them. I immediately felt a creepy sensation come over me. Would I, the real me (VERY happily married)- EVER go into a club and dance with complete strangers - for fun? Nevermind that they were the naked alien variety (This was not a "Mature" venue either - according to their online standards). I immediately teleported out of there and into another wierd place.
I Searched and found a venue that advertised ways to make "money" in Second Life. O.K. - should be interesting. Apparently, many of the things you "do" in Second Life cost you money - "Linden" dollars to be specific. If you pay for a subscription you get a $400 per week stipend - enough to do things with. However, there are folks making some serious Linden Dough by setting up "Virtual" businesses with the Second Life universe. I teleported to a location to find out how. Shock and Awe - many of the ways to "Make Money" involve "Mature" themed activities. I was again chatted with - propositioned, etc..... apparently by real people...... I got the heck out and deleted my account.
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O.K. - now it's time for my take on the whole Second Life thing (which took about 3 hours of my time - most of which was spent trying to get off of Orientation Island).
Here are some observations about the world we live in: (The REAL world)
Given these observations I would assert that they all say a similar thing about our society at large: We all want to belong to something - we crave interaction. It also says that we aren't so good at interacting with each other on a "personal" level. We are more comfortable doing it online. (I for one will admit it!) We like to be in control of what others see.
Here's an example: I have a friend who made up a character on myspace - it isn't really him - he's pretending to be somebody else! Just think, there are millions of people on Myspace & Facebook who may be doing the same thing - they just don't realize it.
In a way, we have all become Avatars - online personas - craving interaction. We want to be known, to belong to something. Deep inside, we long to be touched by others, but we don't know how. We can't let anybody in. We are afraid to let people see who we really are.
My final ruling on Second Life is this: For all the effort, all the time and expense - do yourself a favor - invest in REAL relationships. If we all spent as much time, energy and money (not just Linden Dollars) - tangible resources - making THIS life all that it could be we wouldn't find the need to escape to a fantasy life where we are Gods, or Super Heroes - or even naked aliens.
Another thing - I will be VERY careful the next time I decide to be curious about something. My son Darian was laughing his head off when he saw me "exploring" this creepy world - and trying to get away from those aliens.
I read an article a few weeks back discussing the "true" nature of certain violent crimes in light of international laws and in particular, the legal reach of certain territories as they pertain to.................... virtual space. It seems, there is a quandry with regards to the legal definition of rape and other violent crimes (child abuse, assault, etc...) in cyberspace - and in particular in the ever-popular virtual world - Second Life.
The article then went on to expound on how Second Life has grown into a whole economy of it's own - with virtual real estate, etc... Real world businesses, recording artists - even politicians are setting up virtual interfaces in this place that doesn't tangibly exist. Sweden (I believe) has even designed an Embassy in Second Life.
After hearing about this, I couldn't take it - Dangerous or not, I had to check it out.
I first heard about Second Life about 9 months ago. My good friend signed up and checked it out for a while. He eventually got bored with it and I don't believe he's been back for a few months.
The big deal about Second Life is that it has literally been taking over people's lives. There are people who are becoming overnight millionaires by creating stuff in this virtual world (virtual real estate - furnishings for their virtual houses - you name it - all because people are willing to pay real (real world dollars) for this "virtual" stuff. Crazy!!!!! I had never gotten around to checking it out. That changed after I read the latest article. (I would link to it, but I can't find it anywhere.)
Apparently there are over 7 MILLION subscribers to Second Life with tens to hundreds of thousands of people "present" at any given time. This has become a huge thing.
If you aren't familiar with the concept here is my lame attempt to catch you up to speed:
You sign up (there is a free trial and there are paid subscriptions - I tried the freebie - Thank God!)
You then create an Avatar (customizable online persona) - during your interaction this is the "You" that others see. Here's a shocker - I found myself designing a somewhat overweight, brown-haired, pinkish skinned guy in a baggy shirt with some facial hair (does that remind you of anyone?) However - you can make yourself an Alien, or whatever you like - and you can aquire a virtual wardrobe - you can dress like a super hero - doesn't matter. (It's also kind of creepy.)
Once you create your online self (Avatar) you then are mandated to go to "Orientation Island." There are four tasks you must complete in order to be given a "key" to the rest of the outlandish world that is - Second Life. Basically you have to learn how to get around, pick things up, walk, chat, etc... One thing I like about it was this: You can FLY!!!!!!!! There is also a teleport feature that allows you to go anywhere or attend any "event" instantly - much like an internet search engine.
So, once you figure out how to get yourself off of "Orientation Island" you can then explore Second Life. .......
Yep, the whole world has just opened up for you........ the whole thing....... yep......
So I did a search - what to do?, what to do....? Don't get me wrong, there was plenty to do - plenty of the "Mature" variety (No, I DIDN"T) I honestly didn't have to - some of the Avatars people picked out were PLENTY mature enough.
So, filtering OUT the mature content I checked out two places. First place I went was to a concert at a club. I teleported my chubby pink-skinned online self to this club. The "band" was apparently taking a break, cause the stage was empty - and there were wierd naked alien people dancing. The minute I "entered" the indoor/outdoor club people started "talking/chatting" with me - "come dance with us..." they said. Huh? Dance? I then realized that these were actual "people" - who had unfortunately chosen to make "themselves" look like naked aliens. These real people were at that moment "seeing" me, the chubby pink-skinned me - fly into this club - they wanted me to dance with them. I immediately felt a creepy sensation come over me. Would I, the real me (VERY happily married)- EVER go into a club and dance with complete strangers - for fun? Nevermind that they were the naked alien variety (This was not a "Mature" venue either - according to their online standards). I immediately teleported out of there and into another wierd place.
I Searched and found a venue that advertised ways to make "money" in Second Life. O.K. - should be interesting. Apparently, many of the things you "do" in Second Life cost you money - "Linden" dollars to be specific. If you pay for a subscription you get a $400 per week stipend - enough to do things with. However, there are folks making some serious Linden Dough by setting up "Virtual" businesses with the Second Life universe. I teleported to a location to find out how. Shock and Awe - many of the ways to "Make Money" involve "Mature" themed activities. I was again chatted with - propositioned, etc..... apparently by real people...... I got the heck out and deleted my account.
-------
O.K. - now it's time for my take on the whole Second Life thing (which took about 3 hours of my time - most of which was spent trying to get off of Orientation Island).
Here are some observations about the world we live in: (The REAL world)
- People spend a lot of time in chat rooms.
- People also visit web cams (and their not all adult sites - there are web cams in college libraries - at the beach, on the freeway, at outdoor deli's - pretty cool stuff I guess).
- Second Life is growing every day.
- Other "virtual" worlds - like World of Warcraft are also becoming increasingly popular.
- Myspace and Facebook tout MILLIONS of subscribers.
- Blogging is also a popular way for people to stay in touch and put their ideas, experiences and thoughts into something meaningful in a media that larger audiences can then share and comment on. (I am guilty as charged)
Given these observations I would assert that they all say a similar thing about our society at large: We all want to belong to something - we crave interaction. It also says that we aren't so good at interacting with each other on a "personal" level. We are more comfortable doing it online. (I for one will admit it!) We like to be in control of what others see.
Here's an example: I have a friend who made up a character on myspace - it isn't really him - he's pretending to be somebody else! Just think, there are millions of people on Myspace & Facebook who may be doing the same thing - they just don't realize it.
In a way, we have all become Avatars - online personas - craving interaction. We want to be known, to belong to something. Deep inside, we long to be touched by others, but we don't know how. We can't let anybody in. We are afraid to let people see who we really are.
My final ruling on Second Life is this: For all the effort, all the time and expense - do yourself a favor - invest in REAL relationships. If we all spent as much time, energy and money (not just Linden Dollars) - tangible resources - making THIS life all that it could be we wouldn't find the need to escape to a fantasy life where we are Gods, or Super Heroes - or even naked aliens.
Another thing - I will be VERY careful the next time I decide to be curious about something. My son Darian was laughing his head off when he saw me "exploring" this creepy world - and trying to get away from those aliens.
Monday, June 11, 2007
Fishing Fun!
Just a quick note - went catfishing with my son Cameron & good buddy Mike K. Cameron & I both got skunked. Mike (of course) caught 2. They just weren't really biting like usual. Last time we went to the same pond we had 20+ fish between three guys in about two hours.
Mike gave 'em to me, cause he's somewhat retired, gets to fish all the time, and had no more room in his freezer. I gladly accepted and just got through cleaning them. Here's a pic of what your average central Illinois farm pond channel cat looks like just before excecution.
He was just over 19in. I didn't weigh him. - yes, he's average - to somewhat small for that pond.
I have personally pulled out fish from that pond that wouldn't fit head to tail in my sink - head out one side, tail out the other - no lie! I had heard about such things from people who fished the California Aquaduct - never saw it personally though.
Well, enough braggin for one night. More to resume tomorrow.
Mike gave 'em to me, cause he's somewhat retired, gets to fish all the time, and had no more room in his freezer. I gladly accepted and just got through cleaning them. Here's a pic of what your average central Illinois farm pond channel cat looks like just before excecution.
He was just over 19in. I didn't weigh him. - yes, he's average - to somewhat small for that pond.
I have personally pulled out fish from that pond that wouldn't fit head to tail in my sink - head out one side, tail out the other - no lie! I had heard about such things from people who fished the California Aquaduct - never saw it personally though.
Well, enough braggin for one night. More to resume tomorrow.
Saturday, June 9, 2007
Father -Son Time...
So, I went fishing today with my youngest son, Austin. Our church had a father-son fishing thingy with the Royal Rangers. Some nice folks at our church have a little (4-acre) pond/lake that they open up from time to time. We ended it with a gool ol' fashioned fish fry. (Stuffed myself I did!)
There were about 20 or so boys and a bunch of dads and other guys from the church. Me and Austin befriended another boy who was there solo. I spent much of the day untangling, re-tying and baiting, re-baiting, showing how to bait, giving casting lessons - you know what I mean. All-in-all we had a pretty cool time though.
Here is an un-doctored pic of a really nice Red-ear (blue-gill hybrid) I hooked today. No, they aren't normally that big - this one looks to be slightly more than 9 inches (my hand is 8in. +). This one was much thicker than my hand too. Normally a "big one" is about 6 - 8 Inches.
Not that catching a blue-gill is such a great feat - we usually throw 'em back - but just wanted to show people (especially in Cali.) that yes, the rumors are true about farm ponds out here! You probably won't catch anything like this at Apollo Park (wink wink). Just wait till I go catfishing next week!
There were about 20 or so boys and a bunch of dads and other guys from the church. Me and Austin befriended another boy who was there solo. I spent much of the day untangling, re-tying and baiting, re-baiting, showing how to bait, giving casting lessons - you know what I mean. All-in-all we had a pretty cool time though.
Here is an un-doctored pic of a really nice Red-ear (blue-gill hybrid) I hooked today. No, they aren't normally that big - this one looks to be slightly more than 9 inches (my hand is 8in. +). This one was much thicker than my hand too. Normally a "big one" is about 6 - 8 Inches.
Not that catching a blue-gill is such a great feat - we usually throw 'em back - but just wanted to show people (especially in Cali.) that yes, the rumors are true about farm ponds out here! You probably won't catch anything like this at Apollo Park (wink wink). Just wait till I go catfishing next week!
Thursday, June 7, 2007
Don't mean to brag, but...
Hey - guess who's got some talented kids.....me!
Just thought I'd share a couple of pics from tonites' piano recital.
Enjoy!
Just thought I'd share a couple of pics from tonites' piano recital.
Enjoy!
Here's Bryce - he played a couple of great songs including Kum-By-Yah and Bless the Lord... Handsome fella, isn't he?
Austin wowed the crowd with an awesome version of Malaguena(sp?) - doesn't he look serious though?
Really Big News!!!!
So, I know it's been awhile. A lot has been going on. Let me recap:
We are currently experiencing high winds in central Illinois. We'll be keeping the candles close by - supposed to be some tornados - SCARY!
In addition to my busyness, I left work early today - sniff - sick. (Not too sick to blog a little bit I s'pose, but I'll be going to bed in a few.) I did realize however that there has been a lot going on this past few days that I should comment on.
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This seems to be the IMPORTANT headline of the day.
If Aliens landed, or if Santa Clause appeared riding on the back of the Loch Ness Monster accompanied by the Tooth Fairy, Bigfoot and the Easter Bunny - Paris Hilton getting out of jail early would pre-empt them all.
What a country we live in.
We are currently experiencing high winds in central Illinois. We'll be keeping the candles close by - supposed to be some tornados - SCARY!
In addition to my busyness, I left work early today - sniff - sick. (Not too sick to blog a little bit I s'pose, but I'll be going to bed in a few.) I did realize however that there has been a lot going on this past few days that I should comment on.
- There was a huge announcement that embryonic stemcell research may not be necessary after all - some bright guys have been able to replicate cells from mouse skin. (whatever that means). I just think that embryonic stem-cell research opens the door to a whole lot more mess.
When does life begin? At conception! It's a baby if you want it - it's a fetus if you want to suck it into a sink, or burn it alive in the mother's womb and give birth to it dead into a toilet in some "doctor's" office and tell yourself it's o.k. - isn't an "embryo" just a tiny unborn baby? Nuff said.
- Scooter Libby was sentenced to 30 months. Probably appeal, may take a couple of years. He'll be pardoned for sure on Bush's last day in office.
No big deal in the long run. The whole thing smells like entrapment - He wasn't convicted of anything but forgetting a few details about what he said during the investigation. Look into it!
- Apparently, the bigwigs in Russia are all upset over the proposal of an addition to our missile defense systems (in light of a few crazies in Iran & No. Korea).
Isn't the cold war over?????
- A 15 year-old girl was kept prisoner in a small locked room by some fruitcakes in Oregon.
That's just not right! Let me at 'em!
- The Mighty Ducks of Anaheim have won the Stanley Cup!!!!
(As if I actually kept up on sports.) Apparently this is a really big deal - they defeated some team from Canada, eh?. Hurrah for us!
- But, the really big news is this.....
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Paris Hilton got out of jail early.
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This seems to be the IMPORTANT headline of the day.
If Aliens landed, or if Santa Clause appeared riding on the back of the Loch Ness Monster accompanied by the Tooth Fairy, Bigfoot and the Easter Bunny - Paris Hilton getting out of jail early would pre-empt them all.
What a country we live in.
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