Happy Thanksgiving!

No one says Happy Thanksgiving better than my favorite cartoon character!

Change-Not Everything Happens For A Reason

A few months back, I was introduced to some books by a writer named John Scalzi. They are excellent reads and I highly recommended them. I also was introduced to one of his blogs, which soon became one of my favorite places to lurk.

Every week in his blog, he invites other bloggers to write about a topic of his choice. When you participate, you post the topic and invite others to do so:

Weekend Assignment #191: Show us, or tell us a story about, change. A before and after picture of the street where you grew up, a story about meeting an old friend after many years, two pictures of yourself separated by a number of years, a tale about changing your life, or showing or tell us about something in the process of changing itself. Any of these is good. And doesn't have to be a negative, because sometimes change is a good thing.

Want to play along? Go to John's journal here

This week the topic is Change.
I've been wanting to participate in these assignements for a while, and either I didn't have the guts to try a post, or the topic didn't strike me, so when I saw his post today about this weeks assignement, I started thinking.
At first a few thoughts on my career and how it's changed popped into my head, then thoughts of the kids, our church life and a few other similarly appropriate ideas flitted thru....but nothing stuck out.

That all changed tonight however, when my family and I attended the 3rd annual St. Joseph's NICU fashion show.
One of the main speakers of the night was my dear sister in law, Billie. She was a speaker tonight because she has two, wonderful, little girls who both spent 110 days in the St. Joe's NICU when they were born rediculously early.
During the night, watching my 'little' sister tell the tale of the amazingly difficult and trying time she and her husband have gone thru since the girls were born, I saw, for really the first time, this remarkable women.
Not that Billie hasn't always been remarkable....she has. And not that she hasn't always been a women, she has (hehehe) but I guess I just saw her tonight in a new light.
She's changed...she's grown, she's struggled and she's overcome so very much and that's remarkable. She's remarkable.
Billie in 2004

Billie in 2007

She doesn't look much different, but she's become a strong, determined and formidable advocate for the NICU at St. Joe's as well as a vocal, articulate spokeswomen for raising premature birthing awareness everywhere.

Equally remarkable though is the change in her girls. I could tell you their tale, but I'm not qualified...only Billie and maybe someone as talented as Mr. Scalzi could do it justice. However, I'm posting a few pictures...then and now.
Eden and Holland in 2004:


Eden and Holland, Now:

I'm not entirely sure if this is within the scope of the weekend assignment that John was looking for...pointing to another blog, but if you want to read a story of change, then look to the story of Holland and Eden, the Micropreemie Twins.

Christmas list...Year 2

Last year I posted a Christmas wish list, so I figured I'd do it again...without the rant.
Feel free to gift any of these!!!
- The Happiest Days of Our Lives by Wil Wheaton
- Guitar Hero Encore: Rock the 80's for the PS2
- Please Santa! I've been goot!!!1!

Gift Cards

• iTunes has become a big part of my life now that I have an iPod Touch!
  
• Best Buy
  
• Home Depot
  
• Any one of several dining establishments
  

T-Shirts!

• My Rules
  
• Video Games Ruined My Live
  
• Poker Hand Values
  
• Birds and the Bees
  
• At XKCD there are two shirts, one called Useless and the other called Witty (story of my life!) that are schweet!
  

Books

• Thomas Covenant Books!
  
• Android's Dream
  

Don't you wonder about what a Christmas List says about you?
What do you think mine says about me?
What does yours say about you?

You know you're a geek when....

Ingredients List:
1 Star Trek fanatic (check)
1 PS3 Blu-Ray Laser (check)
1 Toy Star Trek Phaser (check)
several pieces of wire and some electrical components (check)

Toss in a dremmel tool and a bit of glue and what do you get?
You get your very own Phaser!


Blu-Ray Laser Phaser! - video powered by Metacafe

You know what this means, don't you?

SWEET!
A new study came out today...it says being overweight isn't so terrible afterall!

Being 25 pounds overweight doesn't appear to raise your risk of dying from cancer or heart disease, says a new government study that seems to vindicate Grandma's claim that a few extra pounds won't kill you.

I guess that means the DIET'S OVER!!!

Ok, not really, but still, it's kinda good news, but also a little irritating.

Doesn't it seem to always happen? First, some study comes out and says that something we love is bad for us. It can't be something we don't like...oh no...it's something we love. Like chocolate or coffee or wine or whatever.
Wouldn't it be awesome if some study came out and said that paying our bills was detrimental to our health! (ok, I know, it is, but work with me!!)

Could you imagine that conversation: "I'm sorry Mr. Banker, but my health insurance won't cover me so long as I'm paying my car payment....take it up with them!"

So stuff we like is bad for us, then, a few years later, new studies come out and say why the first study was all wet and stupid.
For years we've heard that being even a few pounds overweight is equivalent to putting a gun to your head and pulling the trigger. Now, it comes out that there may actually be BENEFITS to it! Huh? What did I miss?

Chocolate was bad for you...now, not so much.
Coffee was bad for you...now, not so much.
Wine was bad for you...now, not so much.
Being overwieght was bad for you...now, not so much.

Don't get me wrong, all those things CAN be bad for you....in excess.
So can excercise, so can reading, so can tofu (whatever that is!)

I guess God had it right when he said "temperate in all things". Amazing! (sw)

Elbow.
And.
Send.

What! No plans to build flying cars!!!

Drat!


Mean Automakers Dash Nation's Hope For Flying Cars

I love The Onion!

More Cowbell

Probably posted this before...and I'll probably post it again, but....
I was listening on my SICK new iPod, and (Don't Fear) The Reaper started flowin' out of it...and of course, that always makes me think: MORE COWBELL!!!!

Shakespearian Insult

I've got a widget on my iGoogle page that generates Shakespearian Insults...today's was ridiculously cool:

Do you set down your name in the scroll of youth, that are written down old with all the characters of age? Have you not a moist eye, a dry hand, a yellow cheek, a white beard, a decreasing leg, an increasing belly? Is not your voice broken, your wind short, your chin double, your wit single, and every part about you blasted with antiquity? And will you yet call yourself young?
    -Taken from: Henry IV, part 2

Maybe it's just me...

Does this hurt your eyes to look at?
It does me!

Technology Update

Ok, so, from what I understand it's a genetic 'disorder'. My great uncle had it. He passed it down to my dad. My dad passed it on to me, so I've got it, and I'm pretty sure I've passed it on to at least two of my kids.
What might this disorder be you ask? (Go ahead...ask...I'll wait!)
Neophilia
Sounds kinda dirty doesn't it? Well it's not. Basically, I'm a gadget nut.
Well, the latest gadget that I've come into possesion of is an iPod Touch.


Oh dear goodness is this thing cool. I don't even mind having to fiddle around with iTunes in order to get stuff onto it.

It's got a sweet little browser built into it that allows me to surf the web, just like a normal browser (albeit small).

It's got a bit more kick in the volume department than my Nano did, so I can damage my hearing even MORE! CRANK IT TO 11!

The whole Album Browsing thing (I'm sure there's a better name for it, but it, like most things worth knowing, escapes me) is worth the price of admission!

It's got an accelerometer built into it, so it can figure out how your holding the thing and display appropriately. Yeah, I said accelerometer! That's fun to SAY! And I got a gadget with one in it!!!

It also changes the intensity of the picture, based on the brightness of the room you're in!!!

And (oh yeah, there's more!)...I said And, it's got a MULTI TOUCH screen. No single touch sissified screen thingy here...oh no. Multi touch baby!
SWEET!

All in all, this gets five "Dude, this is cool"'s

Dieting Advice You Can Count On

Since the beginning of the year, I've been concerned about my weight. On and off all year, I've been dieting or exercising. I'm currently in a cycle of doing both, and very much enjoying it.
In doing this, I've learned a great deal about dieting, and many, many people come to me for advice regarding this subject. So, in light of this, I felt I should compile a list of commonly asked questions and answers. They are as follows:

---

Q: I've heard that cardiovascular exercise can prolong life. Is this true?
A: Your heart is only good for so many beats, and that's it. Everything wears out eventually. Speeding up your heart will not make you live longer; that's like saying you can extend the life of your car by driving it faster. Want to live longer? Take a nap.

Q: Should I cut down on meat and eat more fruits and vegetables?
A: You must grasp logistical efficiencies. What does a cow eat? Hay and corn. And what are these? Vegetables. So a steak is nothing more than an efficient mechanism of delivering vegetables to your system. Need grain? Eat chicken. Beef is also a good source of field grass (green leafy vegetable). And a pork chop can give you 100% of your recommended daily allowance of vegetable slop.

Q: How can I calculate my body fat ratio?
A: Well, if you have a body, and you have body fat, your ratio is one to one. If you have two bodies, your ratio is two to one, etc.

Q: What are some of the advantages of participating in a regular exercise program?
A: Can't think of a single one, sorry. My philosophy is: No Pain -- Good.

Q: Aren't fried foods bad for you?
A: You're not listening. Food is fried these days in vegetable oil. The fact is they're permeated with it. How could getting more vegetables be bad for you?

Q: What's the secret to healthy eating?
A: Thicker gravy.

Q: Will sit-ups help prevent me from getting a little soft around the middle?
A: Definitely not! When you exercise a muscle, it gets bigger. You should only be doing sit-ups if you want a bigger stomach.

I hope this has cleared up any misconceptions you may have had.

How many's a Brazilian?

Being a bit of a geek, and hanging around like minded fellows, I've heard the term brazillion thrown around a bit. I've always wondered exactly how many a brazillion is. Now, I know I'm in good company:

Quote of the Day!

From The Onion's horoscope page for this week:

Curiosity may have killed the cat, but laziness will be responsible for its decomposition in the middle of your living room floor.

That makes me giggle.....

Agnes Rocks

Everyday I have a little ritual at work where it check out about a dozen or so comics. I love comics. Have since I was just a wee lad. Of course I do the popular ones, Dilbert, B.C. and such, but I have two that I love that are not so widely known. One is called Kevin and Kell. I've followed it for a few years now. It's strickly web published.
The other, my personal favorite, is called Agnes. Today's comic, in a nutshell, is why she's my favorite:

Human LCD --- Far Out!

Ok, so who among you love their sports team(s)? You may THINK you love your sports team, but, are you as nutty as these South Korean boys toward their soccer team?



The most amazing thing is that they do this with their CLOTHES (not holding up cards). They apparently have a jacket that is one color on the back, one on the front, and that they can open or close to show a third color shirt on the inside. One school has also figured out how to use their pants to make shading.

Now these are fanatics!

Just 'cause it's perty

One of my new, favorite bloggers posted a link to this picture.



Click here for the explanation of the picture...

Cutest. Ever.

Oh. My. Goodness.
If you like cute stories, you're gonna love this story.
If you like cute pictures, you're gonna love this picture.
If you like cute pictures that have cute stories....forget about it!!!

This Story!

Make Your Own Hot Air Balloon!

Kudos to whoever tries this!



If you give this a shot, send me a picture!

One happy dog

This just cracks me up


Wouldn't you like to be able to do this?

Occam's Razor

Well, I crossed another Rubicon this week.
I started a new position here at FoMoCo. I'm working in the ETO Group. That means I'm technical support for (most of) the big shots.
I think it's going to be a pretty cooly job. I get to do some hardware troubleshooting and will be part of setting up new processes to make the company safer and more secure.

While moving, I came across a Word doc that I had printed out and posted in my cube. The printout didn't make the move, so I just printed it again and reposted:

Use Occam's Razor
PLURALITA NON EST PONENDA SINE NECESSITATE

Translated:
Entities should not be multiplied unnecessarily.

Usefulness:
When you have two competing theories which make exactly the same predictions, the one that is simpler is the better.

Boilded Down:
Keep it simple, stupid.