Deserving of tale told

The following is a tale of our adventures in the World of Warcraft.

It was pitiful, these once powerful Ogres milling around, not even taking notice. The one time terror they held was now a distant memory of another time. We ignored them as they did us. We went to this "Dire Maul" to return a book, for which we needed a key, to whit we needed to find a little impish demon.

The Ents packed a punch, though they fell quite easily to our prowess. We have walked on other worlds and honed our skills and craft far above these denizens abilities. It was in no sense a fair fight, or even a battle of note. We skirted many opponents. Then the oddness occurred. Being a bit too secure in his ability the Orc Gorlach attempted a leap across a gap in the suspended walkway. The brittle floor gave way and he plummetted downward into the soft foliage below. Some of the creatures, startled by his appearance attacked only to quickly be dispatched by the Warlock.

His bound demon servant (Thokthang by name) had started to give chase to his master, not by dropping down. Instead the void creature followed some ethereal directions that guided him along the labyrinth. Gorlach besieged sacrificed the void to gather some fortitude and finish off his foes.

High above, Boans and Tuuk pondered how to re-unite with Gorlach and gingerly traversed the less then solid precipice with Orc proven due caution. As they neared an Ent infested hallway and girded for battle, ladylike screams came wafting up from below. Panic, disbelief and laughter ended the life of Gorlach. Tuuk and Boans engaged another Ent, confident the fight would be short.

Little did they know the petulant screams from there companion was an onrushing wave of death. The void walker has an ability for making creatures angry. In its searching for Gorlach it aggravated quite a few denizens then when sacrificed switched their aggravation towards the Warlock. They moblike started the march towards.

Gorlach was taken unprepared for the ocean tide of creatures who promptly beat him about the neck and head until he gave up the ghost. Gorlach was actually bemused by this unlikely suicide he had foisted upon himself.

This group then turned its attention to Boans and Tuuk who were near toppling the Ent as as the group descended. Carefully weighing his options, Boans Hiked up his robes and ran as fast as his undead form could take him. He shouted words of encouragement to his Bovine companion, which faded into the distance. Boans had wispy memories from some long-forgotten past that crept into his undead brain as the pitch of the battle rose. First a bit of wisdom from who-knows-where: an avalanche of small grains will take down the mighty grasshopper. Adding to that, the cryptic phrase from a similarly unknown source: “Run, Forrest, Run!” The seemingly random thoughts nevertheless were enough to set Boans into action following a tactic from a mysterious song floating through his consciousness: “Brave, brave Sir Robin…”.

Even with vast experience and magical power, his undead legs had not gained speed over time. Boans could run no faster now then the last time he was in this structure. Worse yet, the enraged mob behind him was slightly faster than Boans. His only hope was to reach the portal through which he knew the crowd would not pass.

Two key pieces of magic were all that separate Boans from being torn apart by the mob. First, he had the ability to emit a circle of ice to freeze those closest behind him. This ability took time to recharge, but with each blast it bought Boans time by stopping the fastest of the pursuers. Secondly, Boans could teleport very short distances with another magical ability. Just as the hot breath of the chasing mob was upon him and fingers were starting to grasp at his robes, Boans would make a teleportation leap that would open another small gap from the increasingly enraged group in pursuit.

After a few nerve wracking minutes, Boans made his escape through the swirling portal that acted as a solid barrier to the angry denizens that were following. His undead mind quickly forgot the death of his companions behind him as the ghosts of Gorlach and Tuuk arrived for another attempted penetration of the structure.

Responsibility.

There is a news item that seems ridiculous. The California Department of Transportation must pay out 6.3 million for being partially responsible in the wrongful death of two teenage girls.

The driver, Gina Norris, who plead guilty in juvenile court to vehicular manslaughter received no jail time. The 17-year-old girl intentionally sped on a rolling road in the San Bernardino Mountains in a deliberate attempt to get airborne, lost control and killed two passengers. A survivor and mothers of the dead girls sued Caltrans for wrongful death, arguing the road was hazardous. Caltrans argued the road was safe when driven legally.

There is defined right and wrong here that is set aside. Culpability belongs to Gina Norris. She is not an adult so her parents (or guardian) should be held accountable for certain fiscal aspects.

Your average parents would not be able to afford a 6.3 million dollars. Teens dying in a crash is a sad tragic thing. The State of California has a large cash flow, so lets compensate the loss from someone with money... What exactly does that say about this particular jury?

What example does it set when the leader of your country brings about a cutback of charitable giving and states that the government will take up the slack? We hear a lot about government responsibility and quite a bit more of the government blaming the government for what the government did and how only the government can fix this mess the government made.

Responsibility for your actions and choices is not marginalized by your ability to pay. Neither is it mitigated by which direction you point. You are responsible for yourself and your family, your community and your representatives and your fellow human beings. You can not delegate responsibility away, you can only be irresponsible in your choices.

Goverment Responsibility? Harry Truman is rotating in his grave.

Radio Gaga

AM and FM Radio is having a difficult time. It could be they are obsolete.

Or possibly it is the business model that is broken? If I want to start up a radio station today, I need to get the okay to broadcast, get the equipment then the personnel. After a format is decided upon you would have to pay to play the music or some fee for broadcasting someones show. or you have local talent. Next you will need to sell advertising on your station to cover the capital, upkeep, fee's and salaries.

How much would that cost? No clue, but my best guess is considerable.

or

I could use my computer sign up with a web based radio company and pay $10.00 a month or so to be a DJ. Much less capital and expenditure. Probably low to zero return.

I am a radio fan. I love the history the genre. I am fascinated by the old shows and enjoy hearing new personalities.

Just seems to me that the given model for the business is difficult to sustain in the current market. What are the kids listening to? Ipods and Zunes. How do folks get local news? They don't, unless they have cable TV or something big enough locally comes to MSN or Yahoo.

If I want to hear music I have a dozen or so Internet stations I can tune into. If I am in my car, I will play an old fashion CD while the kids sit rocking out in their ear buds.

The more I think about it maybe this is one of those cases where something has to die in order to be reborn.

Michael Jackson

The rumor\innunedo\gossip\slime\sleezeball\speculation\conspirac\culture Stock market has rung the bell. The "company in question?" Michael Jackson.

We hear how tragic he was, how talented he was, what an Icon he was... All hail the king! That all might just be true, there are certainly more then enough known facts justify his talent and his tragedy. He was a flawed human being.

However, I am finding the polarization of one aspect rather curious. That is the allegations of inappropriate behavior. Crime of which he was exonerated. Was that due to him being rich? or being innocent? If you bother to read the various documents from the trial, you will find a lack of any credible evidence.

Add a couple more arguments into the pot and I think you can see my point. First off the McMartin Preschool debacle. That case shows how difficult it is to get accurate eyewitness testimony from kids.

Next in speaking as a parent, I would NEVER settle a case against someone who molested my child. I would NEVER accept payment over a chance at justice. IMHO if you accept money from someone who molests your kid, that makes you vile and the definition of evil.

Cap and Trade

Common Sense

"sound and prudent judgment based on a simple perception of the situation or facts."

Quiet days

This AM I was greeted to silence, I had to shut the windows due to the cacophony of crickets and early morning birds. The bed was uncomfortably warm and kicking off the covers and cooling with the morning chill was nice. A glance at my clock offer proof that I awaken 15 minutes before my alarm has a chance. I debate waiting for the digital messenger to have a purpose, then I roll out of bed anyways. This was a six hour night, pretty good for me as of late.

Without concious thought I meander to the bathroom and turn the shower on. I have this little test of how tired I actually am. I reach across the shower and turn on the water. If I can pull my arm back and not get hit with the cascade of water, I am hitting on all twelve cylinders.

I do and I am. Good morning so far.

Shower, brush teeth, shave, smellies and pick out a shirt for the day. I like my nice assortment of Polo's a dressy T-shirt is a comfortable thing. I toss yesterdays pants into the laundry, after extracting the much too long belt from its loops. Undies on and clothes are tossed on the floor as I detour to microwave a cup-o-joe. While the whirring noise rotates my tall mug in a countdown dance of caffinated goodness, I am noticing how dead and grey the kitchen feels. Trevor did a good job cleaning up the room last night. He actually showed some pride in the job he did on his and Connors room last night. That gives me the first smile of the day.

A beeping noise, some sugar free hazelnut creamer and it is back to the desk and my morning bloodletting. My sugars are lingering around 100-110, which are good numbers, below 100 is better.

Coffee is nice and strong. The cup is drained much to quickly.

My morning pills packed in a small tin, ear-buds in and the local AM radio news playing in my ears, it is time to hike to work.

Cranius and Legs have been making consistently first rate WoW videos. I am impressed that they can show a cohesive storyline with characters and emotions with the limited animations available to them. Peratus provides the sutible pounding rock music.

Summer Entertainment fare

We saw the new Trek film (liked it). Saw the new Pixar film (liked it).

There is the New Harry Potter film. After that it looks pretty bleak.

GI Joe, may be fun. There is the Tarantino film Inglourious Basterds. Julia and Julia might (long shot) lure me in to buy a ticket.

Usually with economic downturn there is an increase at the box office. I'm guessing that is only if the studio's put something on the screen that people want to see.

I am sure there is some good word of mouth, type film that will capture my $4.50. In the meantime, films I missed that are now on AMC and FX. Burn Notice and Doctor Who specials will have to fill the bill. Maybe its a good time to pick up a sport?

Website review

Redundantly, I am actively loosing weight. Because I live in the real world, and that means going out to eat every so often. Which means finding out, calorically, what I ate after the fact. This is daunting and suprising.

So Mens Health has this nice website. It's based on the book "Eat this not That"

Now you can look up the resturant (national chains), and find out in advance what options you have and the calories, sodium and fats involved are.

I found some of the look ups fun to know as well:

Baskin Robbins Large Chocolate Oreo Shake
2,600 calories
135 g fat (59 g saturated fat, 2.5 g trans fats)
263 g sugars
1,700 mg sodium

We didn't think anything could be worse than Baskin Robbins' 2008 bombshell, the Heath Bar Shake. After all, it had more sugar (266 grams) than 20 bowls of Froot Loops, more calories (2,310) than 11 actual Heath Bars, and more ingredients (73) than you'll find in most chemist labs.

Experiment

So I am reading that you should cover the clocks in your bedroom and when you feel like falling asleep, do so. When you wake up, assess if your tired or not without benefit of a clock.

So last night around 10:00 I covered up the clocks and proceeded to read. I had cleverly put my wristwatch in a sock and when I got tired. I hit the timer.

I know I laid in bed for a bit before drifting off.

When the morning came, I felt tired so I went back to sleep. I believe this happened two more times. At that point I felt well rested so I got up. When I checked the clock it was 5:45. The timer on my watch showed 3 hours 21 minutes.

Ugh..

"Head!" Pants, NOW!

Today I am wearing 20 year old pants that are brand new. About the same time Sgt. Pepper was teaching the band to play, my wife went to the Broadway and purchased me some Dockers. Unfortunately I had gained too much weight to wear them.

They were nice pants and we opted to put them in the closet till I lost the weight. I guess that was till now. At 218 they fit nicely and despite the fact they hid themselves quite well, Tina was able to wrest them from hiding into viability.

I'm pretty sure this is the longest something of mine has gone from purchase to useage.

Daddys Day story.

When our oldest two were small, I came home from work one day to find my wife, stir crazy. She had not had adult conversation for quite awhile and being stuck in a condo in Long Beach was not helping. The previous weekend while at the mall I had noticed a help wanted sign on a clothing store.

It took little prompting for Tina to apply, she got the position and began working nights. This got her out of the house, made a little extra cash and clothing at bargain prices. More importantly it gave her adult time.

As such I got to spend the evening just me and the kids. After a couple of nights, I came up with a routine for the kids to follow. After Dinner we would play, then watch their TV show. At the conclusion they would get dressed for bed, brush teeth, give kisses and go to bed.

Tina's first few weeks at the new job was fairly busy and she really did not experience the kids routine, which had become ingrained with the consistency. Neither had I explained that I had set up the routine.

One evening off we all were sitting watching the kids Television show. As it ended I said my usual. Okay Kids, time for bed. To which the dutifully got up, got into PJ's, brushed and gave kisses marching off to bed.

Tina shockingly looked at me and said "What did you do to our kids?"

You would think the tale ends there but not quite. Not with Connor.

While in Canada yesterday, They had a very windy evening. Connor spent a lot of it up at the gazebo just looking out over the neighborhood & toward the lake. He'd come in for a while, then go back out to the gazebo. A bit later he came up and said, "Get on the night clothes, melatonin, and brush teeth." He kissed Diana, Omi and then went downstairs with Tina to do just that.

All others Pay Cash!

There is an ongoing question in many scientists' mind around humans ability to formulate understandable mathematical expression of virtually every natural phenomenon. Could this be speaking to a supernatural existence?

In the book, Quantum Questions, Ken Wilber compiled the original writings of thirteen important founders of modern quantum and relativistic physics, to explore their understanding of the relationship of physics and mysticism. Without exception, each one of them believed that modern physics does NOT prove spiritual realities in any fashion. And yet each of them was a mystic, not because of physics, but in spite of it. By pushing to the outer limits of their discipline, a feat of true genius, they found themselves face to face with realities that physics categorically could not explain.

One scientist explained that quantum physics provides us with a precise map of a part of God's creation, and in this respect we get more precise knowledge and understanding of God obliquely, He thinks science can never decisively "prove" the presence or absence of God. He felt God was somebody whom we trust and accept without proof.

DNA may prove my own Pop is my biological father, but I don't care about that. I know my Pop and Mom, love and care for me, and that's more then enough.

Acceptance of God is a matter of faith, not of scientific proof.

There is a professor of brain neurology who has became an Christian because he had been caught by an inexplicable awe when he was examining the mechanism of brain function. He concluded that nobody-else than God could have made the brain in such an orderly and sophisticated manner.

Cardinal Giovanni Lajolo said: "The Church never fears the truth of science, because we are convinced that all truth comes from God"

I think we should examine our "old maps" more seriously and be open-minded to refer to the "new maps" that science provide us. This does not mean that we throw the old away and accept new uncritically. Because an old map is still relevant and a new map can contain false information.

oooh za za

In a quiet town, this time of night has some odd noises. Like the nighbor across the street doing something on his roof...

At least the dog is snoring....

As sayeth the bard Für möglicherweise zu träumen

That probably is a horrid translation. I guess it has been a while since I get to hang around the house by my lonesome. Tina is on vacation, she has Connor and Diana up in Canada with her.

Trevor is busy with a musical and some chores and hopefully finding a job, so I tend not to see him until bedtime. Which is an issue I had almost forgotten.

Sleep eludes me when my family is away. It is the damnedest thing. I was sitting down, getting the nods, last night. I rousted myself to bed, as I laid down. BOOM! wide awake! Some conditioned response? I'm not sure.

So far I am averaging four hours of sleep since Sunday night. I feel fine and I have not noticed an impact on my work. For whatever reason my circadian rhythm believes I am living on Neptune or something. I stared a Novina, last night without much intervention from Saint Joseph (or Saint Jude for that matter).

I guess it is just an odd psychological phenomenon.

Computer Family

I like computers. Going back to 1976 working on a PDP-8 Teletype set up (I even had the awesome yellow, oil impregnated, computer tape).

There is a stark contrast between my siblings degree of computer knowledge. Recently it was brought to my attention how odd my family's Computer to TV ratio was.

We have one Television (there is a second, it is a Wii monitor, more then a TV). Not counting the computers in storage we have seven active systems. One for every member of the family and two laptops. We recently added a second pay-as-you-go, cell phone for Trevor, I myself and Tina have not owned one.

You would think such a high tech family would be sporting the latest in cell phone fashion? Nope.

I actually see cell phones as a bane to my existence. I do not want to be that connected. There are times when it would be handy to have one, I suppose. Still we continue to function fine without one.

About the time I start pondering the acquisition, I observe some hapless fool in the store going aisle by aisle with the phone glued to his ear asking if he should purchase item after item on the shelf. In other words this marvel of modern communication allows him to go to the store while the person on the other side of the conversation is doing the "shopping".

Seems a paper and pencil list would be a better option.

If your a businessman. Understood, thats the nature of business today. I really think having a "turn off time" is paramount. So I remain blissfully unfettered by cellular plague.

Alone again

The house is too quiet. I did not get to hear the customary bathroom door slam as Connor starts his day. There was no listing of "what to do" today.

Last night I really had a tough time trying to find some busy work. At least I got to bed early. It is always a bit uneasy when Tina is driving all day and I am here. I whisper a lot of prayers for an uneventful journey and ask Mr. Christopher to intervene.

They made it to Kelso WA. In good time. They got to eat at one of the family favorite places. Connor had his travelling blanket and pillow, he was ready to go to Canada "No East, just North!" and he was looking forward to the "flying car" through Portland.

I have been popping Ibuprofen like mad due to an exercise injury on my neck. My foot is feeling much better so I am going to try the walk to work thing today (I got an ace bandage on said foot for some extra support).

It is going to be a quiet week while I think about Canada.

At least the news has some items that lift my spirit.

Help save our Healthcare!

There are four arguments for the single-payer system.

Obama says:"it will keep them honest." Because the Government is such an honest entity and above corruption? This is from the same man who's economic assumptions in his 2010 budget is pure fantasy.

Obama says, it will play by the same rules as the private insurers, and therefore, won’t drive them out of business. If the rules of the private insurers are sound enough to be adopted by government, why a government program at all?

Secretary Sebelius says it's necessary to give a choice to the consumer. So 1,300 entities offering health care plans isn't choice? We need one more? Also, many of these will close up shop against the government. so that's LESS options?

Then there’s the argument that the American people are not smart enough to handle something as complicated as health care and have a competitive market. Well that is a liberal theme to be sure. "people aren't smart enough to figure things out, and that's why government needs do it for them."

Do not buy into the 47 million uninsured. Fourteen million of are eligible for government programs and haven’t signed up. Ten million have households with incomes of $75,000 a year. Quite a lot are not American Citizens.

Sixty percent of the uninsured in San Francisco are not citizens.

Thank you Mr. George Will.

Fitness Goal setting

In all honesty, I have not put that much thought into what I want to do.

I like skating, I enjoy swimming, rock climbing was always fun for me. Doing a Marathon at least once would be nice. Playing some sport. If I lived someplace with Ice I would really like playing hockey or try curling. They have soccer, softball, baseball and bowling. None of which really sounds "fun." Kayaking or other river sports does sound fun, its seasonal. There is some MMA in the area, but I would not want to compete due to the punshing aspect, although I do admit to having a bit of interest in that.

I want to be stronger and have more 'wind'. I guess thats a goal...

To all the jobs I've loved before!

My favorite work has been ones were I can see progress due to my actions. Ressurecting a computer from the dead. Implimenting an elegant solution for an on going problem. Bringing a project in early and under budget. Getting that five minute of being a hero.

That is usually all you get. Good Job, great work... hmmmm, maybe you can...(and its gone!)

Jobs that have been annoyance have been the ones were there is nothing to do. Waiting for something to break, wondering when you get the next sales call. Give me a project and a deadline anyday.

This old body

Started off with a weird landing while on the trampoline. I pulled it further doing a bridge exercising. Then made it worse by stretching.

...Joy...

The high point of the arch of my foot has a muscle knot and the bone or ligiment directly above that point can have a sharp pain when walking or stretching.

..More Joy!...

After riding my bike (due to my foot) to work, I noticed some ache with either tensor fasciae latae or vastus lateralis where it connects to the bone near the top of the knee.

..STRIKE THREE...

So what the heck is happening here? Its like I am falling apart. As my wife warned me I was doing too much too soon. My old HS buddy who got me on this health and wellness kick pontificated the same: "Train for a while at one level before raising the bar or adding anything new. And then only a tiny bit (or one small thing) at a time. You are moving stuff that hasn't been moved. Take it slowly and tendons will get re lubricated and find their way back into the track"

While I was walking to and from work. I was trying to increase my speed, even sprinting the uphill portions. With my bike riding, again I was pushing the envelope going up over the hills. Even with the body weight exercises, doubling and tripling the number of reps quickly. I was even annoyed with myself for not increasing at a quicker level.

Looks like patients is yet another personal challenge. Which is pretty amusing seeing as how I have been very patient with my 2 lbs a week average loss. So now I am going to figure out a better slower progressive program. Starting with healing up.

Rage at the educational machine

Educators have horrid paradigms. Periodically I need to engage our educational system to get needed things in place for Connor (If you do not know, Connor has autism). The teach-speak term is "Advocating". This runs in a near predictable pattern.

I want something "extra" from the school for my child.

The educators say this is not needed and they have something already in place which will fill that requirement.

I then question what they have in place, point out how that "something" will not fill the needs of my request. After all this is not something they can just "do" for all the students.

The educators assure me that said "something" will work fine and be flexible enough to cover the needs.

I further point out the apples .vs. oranges of what my son needs compared to what they are actually offering.

The educators begin to "educate me" on what my child "really" needs and try to minimize my request. Stating they need to "assess" the situation to make a better decision.

Further, they explain this will take into account my little concern and will allow them to make an intelligent choice which will be the best thing for my child.

Around this point of the conversation, I have either been convinced that this would be the best route...

or...

They have belayed out enough rope for a good ole fashion hanging.

You see I have some experience with negotiations (I have been a purchasing agent). There have been many studies on my child's classification of Autism, and I have either read them or via my wife been informed of the outcomes. Also, I have detailed knowledge of mistakes the school system has made with my sons education and the outcome of those as well. In other words, I am well armed. Finally I am tenacious and I have no fear of confrontation.

The usually results in getting needed services into place for my Son. I just wish it was not always a battle to demonstrate I know what the hell I am talking about. *sigh*

Autism is not widely understood. Perhaps educators are stuck on thinking its a behavioral problem. There are those who dismiss Autism as a myth spread by enabling parents. People tend to fear the unknown and defensively define to justify what they observe. Perhaps some people do not have the luxury of curiosity or cannot be bothered.

Bikes

Seems to be bike year.

With some oddball injury to my arch and walking being difficult I have been riding the bike to and from work. I have an idea in the back of head about riding to various spots here in Oregon for fun and exercise. I am not ready to do that, but I am thinking.... soon... soon!

Trevor, as reported earlier, was almost crushed by a truck. He escaped harm but his bike was destroyed. he got a newer, better, nicer one on the cheap via a local pawn shop. My daughters bike was stolen over the weekend, while she was at collage.

In her case she was not actively using the bike. It has been locked up static for a while. The thieves took the fence as well. I guess her lock worked. She has been interested in getting inline skates. I was not thrilled with the idea as her prowess with said skates is not that good. However, school is out and she is heading up to Canada with Tina and Connor, that would give her a good chance to strap them on and learn the in's and out's of blading.

Online Entertainment primer (games)

So you have searched Google, watched YouTube, interact on Facebook, Played Bejeweled, Made a Blog and had some fun doing various things. There may be an interest in something more Entertaining and more interactive. Something that is an alternative to channel surfing. This blog is an introduction to Social Gaming, better known as MMORPG (Massively Multi-player Online Role Playing Game).

These are virtual worlds and you have an Avatar (read representative) who's actioins you control. In this example I am using World of Warcraft which currently has 12 million people playing, which is more people then the state of Ohio.

This is not your typical arcade game. There is no real score, or even a real ending. It is goal oriented with a deep storyline you participate with and nearly unlimited choices.

The basics start with installing the game. This can take several hours, I recommend setting it up for overnite and going to bed. Registering an account (again, use a free 10 day trial so your not out any cash). Then jumping into game.

You will then have to create your character, Avatar. Choosing Race, Gender, appearance and class. Class is a definition of how your avatar will interact in the game. Once you get a name chosen (believe it or not, choosing a name can take a long time), you are then deposited into the world following a short video giving you some information on your characters race is integrated with the ongoing story line, or Lore.

You use your keyboard and mouse to move the avatar and interact with the virtual world. There are assignments given to you (Quests). These will advance the story, or be given current reasons, or launch you into a sub-plot line. As you do and accomplish quests in game you learn more Lore and unlock new skills and abilities, referred to as increasing in level. The first ten levels is a tutorial that will teach you the bulk of game mechanics and the background history of your character.

Around level 12 you will find yourself interacting with people from all over. The other players. Like all situations, some will be nice, some will be less so. You will find a group of people and become associated with them in a group known as a Guild. They will be a support group, that can answer questions and help out with assignments in various ways.

Time needed? With a 30 minute chunk you can actually do quite a bit. If you play about two hours a week (figure that much less television time), you can find it quite entertaining and very social. It can be nice unwinding after a stressful workday.

What about all the bad stuff you hear, about playing too much and loosing wife, family, friends? If you are an alcholoic, have gambling issues, or find yourself quickly addicted to anything. Get help, If your like the majority of the population and can self regulate behaviors, you really have nothing to worry about.

I hope this makes sense to the neophytes out there. If you have a little adventure, try out the 10 day trial (you can do the trial over and over again). Its what will replace TV.

Cousin Daniel

Daniel is my nephew, more specifically he is my sisters youngest. He is closest in age to my, Trevor and Diana. He graduated high school today and he is already set to head off to Collage in the fall.

This was a great graduation ceremony, followed the next day by a party at my sisters place. Tina the kids and I got to spend the grad night there. All of my brothers and sisters were in attendance and its really nice to see and have that kind of family support.

I believe my Mom and Pop have made it to every graduation, that is 12 out of 13 grand kids (leaving my youngest Connor). Quite the legacy.

So Congratulations Daniel, you have my admiration for such a successful High School experience, your family has much to be proud in you. We are eagerly waiting to see what adventure the future holds for you.

worsening

It certainly is uncertain times. Some of the plans out there have the appearance of bad fiscal idea's that stagnate investment and job creation. Opposition viewpoints are not analyzed, they are dismissed via the origination. Even the subjective nature of humor can be met with villification if it dares cross certain boundries. The Fourth estate has become state media in its blinded onesided devotion.

Locally we have 19% unemployment, falling county and state revenues and more and more looking to the Federal Government for "help". This is a time of sacrifice, we are told, by those who are not leading by example, rather the opposite.

It all comes back to we the people. in a democracy, you get the politicians you deserve. If you start from the proposition that politicians are crooks, you will eventually make that proposition true. If you complain but do not participate in the voting process at a minimum you loose any moral authority.

As we see the current administration spending more and more borrowed money and blaming it on the previous administration, you have to wonder when that finger pointing rings hollow.

To me it seems like there is this hole that need filling and we are all being forced to buy shovels to dig it bigger, so it will fill in nicer...

Words or Actions?

"Oh, but he has changed"

The above quote in any given context should be viewed with skepticism. Fact of the matter is people are slow to change, people dislike change and rally against change.

Ambiguity is public enemy number one. When someone says one thing, and does another, there is a dishonesty that needs to be noted. Yet, holding someone accountable for words and actions has a disconnect. Just as responsibilities for ones own words and actions is often redirected.

Honesty is more common in personal relationships then the national stage. Honor and loyalty has an air of naivete and quaintness.

Virtues that have been taught out of our society?

My Father-in-law prided himself on business deals made on a handshake. His reputation in his field was built on his high standards.

My own Father never considered his work ethic as a virtue, it was what it was, the way he was.

Both were satisfied with jobs done right, it was something that reflected upon them and earned them respect. People you could trust without reservation.

I consider myself lucky in the people whom I have that level of trust. I wonder if that number is smaller then my grandfathers and if my kids will have a smaller circle as well.

How to Paladin

There is probably no reason to watch this, unless you like wow and have a curiosity for watching the product of a mind unhinged.  Yes, he has made 32 of these.  Yes, every one is pretty similer.  There is no plot, there is no reason.  It is just whimsey in Warcraft at the highest level.

To me, it warms my heart to see someone having so much fun with active entertainment. 

Enjoy 5 min of maddness.

Why fit, How fit?

Lets put up some arbitrary scale.

Lets say Iron Man Triatheletes  are the pinnacle of fitness.  How sustainable is that exactly?

In my mind, not very.  From a physcial standpoint, there would be injuries that you would have to recover from doing a Triathelon every week.  Not to mention the time element.  The human machine being what it is, I am quite sure someone could adapt their body to do such a hellish feat weekly.  There would have to be some downside. 

It is said that Michael Phelps trains for six hours a day, six days a week, without fail. He swims approximately 50 miles each week, which is over 8 miles per training day. He has two massages everyday and also takes ice baths to help his body to recover.  

Note two things, he does take time off from training, second, his career as an Olympic level swimmer is going to end earlier then later. In other words, he will not be at "peak fitness"  most of his life.  Obviously.

The extreme opposite would have to be laying in a bed, possibly eating at Phelps level of intake.  So there is some grayish area of being fit that is reasonable.  And some modicum of activity to maintain this.

In my mind, being in at the fitness level where I could run a marathon given a month of training. 

Healthy Wealth and wise.

Physical fitness is defined as "a set of attributes that people have or achieve that relates to the ability to perform physical activity" (USDHHS, 1996). Fitness is made up of five main components:

Cardiorespiratory endurance is the ability of the body's circulatory and respiratory systems to supply fuel during sustained physical activity (USDHHS, 1996 as adapted from Corbin & Lindsey, 1994).

Muscular strength is the ability of the muscle to exert force during an activity (USDHHS, 1996 as adapted from Wilmore & Costill, 1994).

Muscular endurance is the ability of the muscle to continue to perform without fatigue (USDHHS, 1996 as adapted from Wilmore & Costill, 1994).

Body composition refers to the relative amount of muscle, fat, bone, and other vital parts of the body (USDHHS, 1996 as adapted from Corbin and Lindsey, 1994).

Flexibility is the range of motion around a joint (USDHHS, 1996 as adapted from Wilmore & Costill, 1994).

Fooding

Connor likes to to on a bike ride.  We got a swing bike that makes my mountain bike into a kind of tandem.  He started writing notes at school "requesting" we do some such activity.  His latest note was to take a bike ride to Wendy's.

Seeing as how there is not much for a Vegetarian bent on weight loss to eat at Wendy's I negotiated going to Burger King (The BK Veggie, sans Mayo 240 Calories).  This is the first outing this summer and since I started my quest to limit gravitational pull upon my mass.  I was curious to see how it would go.  We have a nice City park, Stewart park, which goes along the I5 Freeway, the Umpqua river and two other traffic corridors.  It has a good size trail.  Connor wanted to head from the "train tracks" which is a pathway that follows the river for a good stretch.  

We parked at a local pharmacy's back lot, hooked up the bikes, helmeted up and started riding.  Connor likes to say hello to the people walking the trail, there was quite a few for him to offer salutations towards.  He also has control of a bike bell, to warn those ahead of our path.  This ride has tree's on one side with the river, the right side is a field that bluffs up to various businesses and cell towers.  The train tacks parallel the path for the first section, unfortunately no trains for Connor to enjoy.  The trees then over hand the pathway, giving a woodsy feeling with small park like alcoves along the river.  Some blind curves as well.  This opens up to the baseball park complex and the first real challenge. 

So far the ride had been nice gradual up and down, now the section that goes under the I5 bridge over the river.  There is a nice downhill prior to the climb which allows you to get some speed in which to aid the primary ascent.  This was going pretty well until my downshifting threw the chain.  In not much time at all, I had the chain back on and we had walked to the top of the first hill.  The path go's down a bit with a gradual snake like curve left then right as it goes under the freeway, on the far side of the bridge it bears right and has a steep climb to the park proper.

Without a repeat of the chain incident we low geared it up to the top.  Connor was very helpful as a bit of an extra boost of leg power.  

This put us into the grove like wooded section of the park, where there is a rather large and popular Frisbee golf course.  This is a tee intersection Connor chose to head South which takes us back by the river.  This was also nice as it has a downhill section.  Then it got a little interesting.  Connor wanted to ride through the Veterans Hospital grounds.  This is a rather palatial looking brick building estate.  It has a large looping driveway with a 15 MPH posting.  Surrounded by an 18 hole golf course.  It is tree lined which kept me out of the sun even longer (I tend to burn).

This brought us to the crosswalk on the busiest street in town.  Connor pushed the button and we crossed and made it to BK.  I was good and did not consume any of Connors fries's.  The entire ride was about an hour, fed Connor and provided me with exercise and him with a big smile.

I really need to get him a bike.

The dieting blues

First off my wife and our TOPS club is amazingly supportive.  Even my blogger friends are great support as well.

On 3/9/2009 I started loosing weight after a great conversation with an old friend.  By 5/1/2009 I had created a 69,472 calorie debt in my food consumption.  That is just under 20 pounds of loss in eight weeks.

Now I am five weeks into my next set.  The original was very restrictive calorie wise.  24,006 deficit so far. Which is 6.8 pounds of loss. 

When your tracking your calories, odd things happen.  Food takes on it own personality and agenda.  You find yourself stopping to grab something and wondering how many calories is this and how will you compensate for it later.  Also, diet drinks occupy a more important spot in your gastronomic day, giving that full flavor with no calories to jot down.

At one point you really want to say "screw this" and go get something that will break the bank.  If you give in, you will feel bad and if you dont give in you can end up with the blues.

There are lots of positives about loosing unhealthy weight, blood sugars normalize, you reduce the strain on your internal systems  (heart, joints, etc.).  You can just google benifits of weight loss to get a listing.

And yet, a large frito pie would be just wonderful about now.  *sigh*

ache's and pains

For some reason my right knee has started hurting.  Its actually below the knee in the medial colletral ligaments.  Logic states it is due to my biking to and from work.

More in depth I am not fond of travelling to and fro.  I would rather be there, I am the  person patiently waiting for teleportation.  

So here is the breakdown.  I want to include about 450 calories burned a day doing exercise.  This is about and hours worth of walking at a brisk pace.  My house is just under a mile away and it takes me approx. 13 minutes to traverse one direction.  If I jog parts I can cut three minutes off that time and get to my destination faster.

I  know in the back of my mind that I could run the whole thing and make it there in under six minutes.  Of course this desire to get there pushes me to go that much faster and probably why my knee hurts now and why my foot got injured.  

Leave it to me to be impatient about getting someplace.

Connor's School

We found out Connor was student of the month at his elementry school.  Tina and I both got the time available to be at the school assembly.   When his name was called, he looked suprised and headed up with the other kids.  A very 'normal' moment for him.  When he got to the area with the other recognized kids, they congradulated him by name gently touching him on his arm or shoulder.  There was genuine affection, it was touching.

We stuggled keeping him in a classroom setting.  Trying to convince academic minded people that socalizing for Connor is more important.   I want his peers to know who Connor is, what he is like, and how he works.  These kids are going to be the ones around him as he grows older.  Assuming our plans to stay here in Roseburg hold.

AC story I recalled.

The first massive online game I got involved in was Asherons Call.  It was truely an immersive environment. While I enjoy the World of Warcraft, AC holds  a special place in my heart.

I was reminded of a funny story involving my blog link mate, Shoo, though it needs a little background info first...

The fantastic world of Dereth was populated with three races, Aluvians, Gharu'ndim, and Sho.  As a player you choose one of the three human races to being your epic.

There were many different skills and pretty much everyone used magic.  The items or gear aquired would greatly enhance you gameplay.  One of the sources for the better gear was chests deep inside dangerous dungeions. 

It was not unusual for an adventurer to fight his way down to the deepest recesses of some dark tomb and wait for the chest to re-appear over and over again, waiting for that one item that would make a difference.

Anyways, Shoo was a member of the same guild I was, The Silver Citadel.  We had a website and forums to ask and bestow interesting bits of knowledge upon.  One day Shoo posted a query: "Who has the better chest, Aluvians, Gharu'ndim, or Sho?"

As we had a number of actual female players the answer came back much different then intended.  One posted that Sho women have fine supple chests, not like the disproportionate Aluvians. and so on.

I could only imagine Shoo's confused face for that microsecond prior to the understanding grin.

Obama Helping loose 16,000 jobs a day!

Since the Obama Stimulus bill we have lost 16,000 jobs a day!  Does anyone have any confidence left  in this administration?

source GOP.gov

Exercising diminishing returns.

So person A walks distance C five days a week.  They walk at a brisk pace and burn approx. 500 calories.

Person B starts riding a bike distance D five days a week.  He rides at a decent pace and burns approx. 500 calories.

Person A has developed a certain amount of muscle mass to allow this activity.  

Person B is going to experience muscle change, glycogen stores will increase,  the muscle will respond to the additional work load being called upon.

At some point you get an equilibrium, the muscles are going to maintain instead of build.  So my question is this, do you burn less calories as your muscles become more efficent?  

If you are exercising, in part, to eliminate excess fat from your system, by creating a calorie deficit, are you becomming counter productive?

When I walk to and from work, I keep a steady pace.  There are two hills that I climb on the way home. One that I climb over to work.  I figure these about 70 foot.  Getting to the top became easier at a brisk pace over time.  I was at a point were the only way to increase my speed was to jog.  On a bike, I have considerable more options to increase the speed.  The gears alone increase the load on my legs or decrease.  My mindset is to such that I want to get to work and home in the shortest time possible.  So on a bike I continually try to push myself to be a litte faster, keep in a higher gear etc.

Weighty Questions

Someone recently inquired in regards to how much better I feel having lost some weight (I tipped the scales at 285, currently I am 220ish).  My recent loss of 40 pounds should have some positive effects right?

Do I feel any different?  Not really...

Do I have more energy?  Not that I have noticed, seems about the same.

Am I sleeping better?  Maybe, my wife says my snoring has stopped.  Then again, I have never needed oodles of sleep.  As it is, I still wake up around 5:00 AM and lay around until I either sleep or 6:15 rolls around.  

What have I noticed?  At the upper ends of weight sitting in a chair and tie my shoes would require me holding my breath as I tied.  My belt appears to be getting longer.  My pants are more likely to creep downwards.  I was able to get up and over Douglas hill on my bike after two days .vs. the week it took last time. 

When I look in the mirror I do not notice any change either.  In fairness this is a smaller rectangle mirror that is to my left side in the bathroom.  I generally do not look at any other reflections.  My blood work was good, per my doctor.  

I was expecting Doc Rose, to comment on my weight loss (245 down to 228).  He was reading and asking me some questions about my current state.  I decided to point out the loss.  He corrected that my weight was written as 240.  A trip back to the scale told the tale.  All my blood work is great and even my insulin intolerance (read Type II diabetes) is trending downwards.  Good BP and pulse as well.

My next goal is to get in the 2 hundred 'teens'.   After that it is to drop down to the 190's

I have been doing the royal court of exercised (three body weight).  I wish I could be more diligent but I cannot seem to do it that way.  So it has been hit and miss.  Due to an injury on the arch of my right foot I have gone from walking to biking to work.  So I had to modify my route to try to keep the same calorie burn.

Currently I am averaging around 1450 calories a day. According to my RMR that puts me at a 6000 calorie per week deficit.   This is week four of a ten weeks (Ends July 18th).

I guess I should be feeling "better"  maybe there are more positives I would be noticing however things like our country going down the toilet under the current administration, no jobs, massive government growth and spending is kinda stressful.

Memorial Day, formerly Decoration Day.

"Freedom is Never more than one generation away from extinction.  We didn't pass it to our children in the bloodstream.  It must be fought for, protected, and handed on for them to do the same, or one day we will spend our sunset years telling our children and our children's children what it was once like in the United States where men were free."  -- President Ronald Reagan.

One political tid bit here.

"And I can make a firm pledge: under my plan, no family making less than $250,000 a year will see any form of tax increase - not your income tax, not your payroll tax, not your capital gains taxes, not any of your taxes." -- B. Obama

FAIL!

Being told what to do.

Universal Truth #4557:  People do not like being told what to do.  

There are negative terms for this, badgering, harping, demanding etc. Which further confirms the above truth.  There is a relationship between Age, Relationship, Knowledge and Tone that varies the response to being told what to do.

Example: 

The "teller" is young and the relationship to the "tasked" is a child.  

The "tasked" person is older and relationship to the "teller" is parent.

The level of knowledge of the "teller" is "average child"

Level of knowledge of the "tasked" is "adult insightful"

The tone of the "being told" is harsh.

The actual demand is: "I want ice cream now!"

The resulting action has a wide range.  None of which is a gracious dallop of icecream for the "teller".  In fact this may trigger some form of retribution.

At the other side:

The teller is a skilled rescue worker, the tasked is an injured person who is aware of the given situation and recognises the teller for what he\she is.

In this situation there is NO chance of resistance from the tasked. Who may be grateful to have someone telling them what to do.  They would still not be happy that they are now in this position.

Comedy

I married one of the best audience members that a comic could ever hope for.  Tina appreciates a funny joke or story.  Add to that her laugh is health and fun to hear, one of those kinds of laughs you cannot help but smile or laugh along yourself.

I myself enjoy humor, irony, sarcasm, schadenfreude and anecdote's with the best of them. I am more likely to smile at these then laugh.  On rare occasions when I find myself laughing really hard, people who know me are shocked at the sight.  My mother and father-in-law once came downstairs to see who was making that sound.

When it comes to humor I find myself at odds with obscene use of language.  The use of the colorful metaphor can shut down the humor centers of my brain, this is not always the case though.

For instance Robin Williams, when he is on stage and spews the stuff out I see it taking from the performance.  Kevin Smith it enhances his stories.  The clean comics, Seinfeld, Foxworthy and Jim Gaffigan can bring tears of laughter and still be family viewing.    Bringing a 10 year old to a Dane Cook show, would probably get a parent squirming.

It is a gift to have a wide range of appeal.

It takes 40 pounds.

With the strong butt kick from Jack K. I embarked on loosing weight.

I am around 40 pounds down from were I started a good 10 weeks ago.  Today, for the first time someone at my place of work actually commented I had lost weight.  

My thinking is either I just carried the 40 pounds well, or the day to day loss was not enough to notice, or most people do not give a rats ass about their fellow worker. 

At any rate, it was very nice to have someone who I spend 40 hours a week around actually could tell I was smaller.

Now to get rid of the credit cards, or stop being a good customer.

Music Video WoW (explained!)

This Machinima  was created by Cranius and Legs.  They are notable for creativity in the genre. Taking the limited motions, doing creative 'camera' work along with visuals that impress and actually coincide with the lyrics takes time, talent and patient.  The song kicks as well...

The story, such as it is: Boy and a Girl drawn together by circumstance find their seperate worlds comming between them.   Yup, think Romeo and Juliette.  Our Romeo (the Blood Elf guy, Crainius) is into Player .vs. Player.  While our Juliette (the Troll Girl, sung by Summergale), likes Player .vs. Environment.

As with any genre specific song there are a few WoW gamer terms tossed in: 

I ain't got no epics    Epics are pieces of armor that enhance your abilities
I ain't got no achievements 'cause I ain't first rate   Achievements are in game awards
I can't even clear Naxxramas  Naxxaramas is one of the lower level quest areas of the new Lich King expansion
But you know Ima be your favorite group mate
Invite me girl

Baby it's alright, now
You don't have to PUG around me  PUG is slang for Pick Up Group, where a random group forms
Everything's farmed, Maly, Naxx and Sarth 3D Farm is to get all the good stuff by going someplace over and over.
The raids are boring, I don't wanna PvP Player .vs. Player
Wipe the raid 'til we get it right  Large groups 25 to 40 are called Raids.  The funnest parts of the game require raids.

Nothin' left to do, let's do something new
So come meet me at Ulduar  Ulduar is the highest level Raid dungeon in game.
Nothin' left to do, waitin' in the queue  The queue is a virtual line for the PVP battle grounds.  Special in game games.
But I don't want any Ulduar
I don't need achievements or buffs please  Buffs are enhancements to skills that other players can bestow
I'm so ready now for Ulduar
Nothin' left to do, we need something new
'Cause I want ...

I ain't got no titles
I ain't got no fancy-schmancy epic mount  Epic mounts are in game transportation like Motorbikes, elephants. 
We can't go nowhere heroic  Heroic is a setting you can use to make quest dungeons much harder
It don't matter 'cause there is really nothin' left
Where we goin' girl?

Baby it's alright, now
You don't have to pug 'round me
Everything's farmed, Maly, Naxx and Sarth 3D
The raids are boring, I don't wanna PvP
Wipe the raid 'til we get it right

Nothin' left to do, let's do something new
So come meet me at Ulduar
Nothin' left to do, waitin' in the queue
But I don't want any Ulduar
I don't need achievements or buffs please
I'm so ready now for Ulduar
Nothin' left to do, we need something new
Cause I want (to go to/no part of) Ulduar

Summergale
I don't got heroic raids
I do alliance raids  Alliance raids is were a group of PVP go into the other sides city and take out the leaders.
Listen Summergale,
Hop on my mechano-hog, and we'll never log
So listen Summergale
Once you PvP with me
We're gonna pwn, you see
So listen Summergale
When you're gankin' you won't go back,  Ganking is the time honor tradition of taking out an opponent by ambush.
You won't go back, yeah 

more then you wanted to know right?  

Magical Glowing Box

I was saddened at the eminent cancellation of Chuck and Dollhouse.  These are two shows of a dwinding list I find consistently entertaining.  

Dollhouse is the weaker of the two, but this is Joss Wheadon.  I am glad he is getting the chance that they never gave FireFly.  The series did start out slow, but built up considerably over the season.  There were creative differences with Joss and the suits, which made for rewrites and a confusing direction.  The last two episodes really made a solid storyline that I am hoping to see go forward.

Chuck had a wonderful season finale.  The last few shows really change a lot of dynamics. Timming would be perfect to Jettison the elements that were becomming drab and avoid the "Not this again"

Both budgets were cut to ensure a next season.  This could be a good thing, if you have read The Trouble with Tribbles, by David Gerrold.  You get a really good feel for what writers go through.  With the belt tightening on sets  and extra's ands stunts, you have to focus on the writing and dialog.  Both of these shows excel in this.

(Burn Notice starts up in June!)

A backwards poet writes inverse.

So there is this guy at work.  He likes to talk about other peoples bad choices and how they ignore his sage advice, which if followed, would result in a much better world.

It is amusing because of his own inability to follow advice he agrees he should follow.  Having been on both sides of the advice business, I realize that situations often do not conform to advice.  Someone touting what you should and why you should, does not have the entire complexity of an issue in view.

There is this strong desire in us to resolve issues, this is particularly true with men.  

The road to hell is paved with good intentions. [1855 H. G. Bohn Hand-Book of Proverbs 514]

On going fixing of the abuse

My Planet now hugs me with a mere 225 pounds of force.  This is due to my eating less and exercising more.

Exercize is problematic.  It is something I require of myself, yet finding the motivation to crank out 50 Hindu pushups and Squats daunts me.

So far doing them throught the day in smaller sets, has worked somewhat.  I am not happy with the progression.

In the past I have found my preferred method was doing something that obliquely exercised.  Such as playing roller hockey.

The rink is now used for basketball by the Boys and Girls club with the boards half removed.  Most of the players have moved on to other places.

Aside from building an ice rink, I am pretty sure getting another hockey venue together would complicate things much more then I want, need or require.  

So I am considering bicycling and rollerblading.  I have a nice mountain bike that is in need of some basic maintenance.  We have some pretty nice stretches of road that I could tour as well.

Roller Blading is something I would need to look into more.  I would need to invest in a pair of skates, as my hockey skates are NOT designed for any kind of long distance skating, add to that the asphalt needs bigger wheels then my frames will allow. 

Running is something I can do with minimum of equipment. However, I am looking out for my knees.  

So what is your exercise methodology?

Stupid people

I fall on the optimistic side that a majority of people are intelligent, reasonable,  well meaning and helpful.  Further these people believe in freedom, low or no taxes, self defence, national pride, personal responsibility, morality and dignity.

Every so often you will run into someone who has become so narrow in their viewpoint that any ambiguity brings out their animus.  Such hateful venom gets spewed out that your average person feels they may have some responsibility for said reaction.

The fact is your dealing with someone lacking in intellectual faculties, you would be best served by backing away and hoping they do not break whatever tether keeps them from you.  A true Pandora's box.  Adding to the frustration is the information super highway, that allows pervasiveness that makes avoidance all but impossible.

As I believe that life is about choices, and living with your decisions.  You have to also consider that the mental minority will blame you(or someone) for their druthers.   I am left with the sad conclusion that you can only ignore stupid people and hope they "go away"

Punitive Benifits

So due to a cut in the budget, we were all informed that our hours are going to be cut for the next fiscal year.  Not sure how we are going to weather that.  Belts are pretty tight now.  I will be looking for other employment opportunities.  The fact where we live is at 20% unemployment and the current administration seems to be doing everything in its power to raise that number is not helping.

Now I find out I am going to be dinged even more.  When you work full time for the County you must have health insurance.  I actually fought this, as I have full coverage under my wives job.  There is no way to opt out of coverage, so I picked up the plan that took zero out of my pay.

It is a low tier coverage with a high deductible.  With my hours reduced I will now be charged for this coverage.  Until the next enrollment period in November.  It seems like I am being forced to take health insurance that I do not want, need nor require.  

Our HR department is working on something and the ask for time.  But, the clock is ticking.

My mind is trying to figure out what other alternatives I have.  One is to put in my two weeks notice then get rehired as part time, so I can opt out of the insurance.  Of course then I loose my accrued vacation and sick leave.  While I would be able to cash out of vacation time, I prefer to actually have the days.  I can live with that though.

Or I could ask payroll to stop deducting the payment to the insurance company from my paycheck and thereby be cancelled.  Which could carry some kind of negative forward.  

Add to that the fact the School District is in a bind and they may be cutting positions, including my wife's.  More and more it is looking like a great time to win the lottery.  Wheee.

Mothers day meal time

In Eugene Oregon there is a restaurant called The Oregon Electric Station.  Inside you have train cars converted into dinning rooms.  It has a great atmosphere and Connor enjoyed looking out the window at the other customers... *ahem* and saying train related things to them...

Tina had been here a couple of times, she had attempted to go the previous weekend but it was closed.  Being mothers day and being in Eugene I made reservations to dine.  

I had always wanted to go there and it seemed like a good fit. The interior was fine the waitress was prompt, but not in a great mood apparently.  Still she was professional.  The starters arrived in good time and tasted good.  The bread was fresh and hot and delicious as well (even if they were hot due to the microwave).  The salad was bagged greens with some rather dried out cucumber.  However the blue-cheese dressing was excellent, almost a stark contrast.

Then came the main meal, I had vegetable ravioli.  I am not sure if it was good or not, it had been smothered in a red sauce that was not lacking in garlic.  The people from Gilroy CA would complain about the amount.  It totally overpowered the ravioli, which is a shame, as they looked like they could have been delicious with a more lighter treatment.   Diana had the Alfredo which was a very bland sauce with overcooked noodles.  I suspect the sauce was not made fresh.

My dessert was exceptional though, I got an apple pie, it was just the right amount of sweet and the apples a smack of tart.  Diana got a cheese cake, which tasted like it had been dried out in the fridge a day too long.  Tina had a frozen mocha cake that was equal to my apple pie.

Lots of lazy cooking for a "fine dining" restaurant with that high of prices.  I probably will not be back.

Enough for now

I was looking at my postings from the start of this blog.  I like them more then the last years.  With being unemployed and getting into a presidential race, I feel I have strayed too much into the political spectrum.

Obama has an extreme liberal agenda.  Without any opposition he is going to get it all passed.  The USA is going to go through a lot of hard times, for the next two years.  The Media is now an Obama Propaganda machine.

If your a liberal (progressive) you are, no doubt, thrilled by all the deficit spending and huge government programs.  The high unemployment is just dandy and the projections that it is going to get worse makes you giddy beyond belief!  This is what you wanted! This is Change you can believe in!

I for one am going to set my soap box in the corner and focus my blog thoughts on other things. Important things.

California .vs. Obama Depression.

California has the economy of a country.  They are facing some major hurdles, namely a 21.3 billion dollar shortfall.  Long ago their Spectorish Republican Governor gave up fighting the spending.

Now it is in the hands (and wallets) of the people.  If the people do not bend over and take the budget related ballot measures then something draconian will have to be done.

Two budgets are supposed to hit on the 14th, one if the people say yes, another if they say no.

The Obama Depression machine has already done more to redistribute money and loose wealth with no sign of stopping this year.  I am personally wondering if this is not his goal?  

So in its dire straights with a huge pork stimulus bill, what would Obama do to help out California?  Why threaten to pull stimulus if his beloved unions are cut. Ouch!  What was it Clinton said?  Oh yeah, Illinois thug tactics.

During this Obama economic depression all the companies are downsizing to survive, they are also afraid of what the government might decide to do to them.  Central control is a scary thing.  Oh one sector is hiring, the government, they are adding more and more positions as they print more and more money to pay for these "needed" services.  Think about this, every government job has to be paid for with public taxed funds.  That means anyone who DOESNT work for the government pays for those who DO.

Again, let your congressmen know that spending more money then you have is a bad idea.  

OMG Obama, Stop the Maddness!

A quick googling shows that family insurance coverage costs, on average, $10,728.  

Someone explain how this makes any sense to anyone other then or government?

"$59 billion in changes to the tax code that would help pay for the cost of efforts to cover the more than 40 million Americans without health insurance, including a substantial tightening of estate and gift tax rules.

Other new revenue raisers would affect life insurance products, limit certain accounting methods, and bar the paper industry from reaping a tax credit for a recycled fuel known as "black liquor."

Budget documents released Monday reiterate President Barack Obama's plans to create a $630 billion "health reform reserve fund" to help pay for the health-care efforts, which are expected to cost at least $1.2 trillion over 10 years. Tax provisions in the plan should cover $325.6 billion of the reserve fund, with the rest coming from savings to the federal government's health-related costs."

$59 billion to cover 40 million Americans... 

Obama buying crap with our money.

The Air Force estimated the photo shoot cost taxpayers $328,835. Yes, I know that all the presidents have spent good money on bad stuff. How many scared the holy crap out of NYC while spending it though?


And for what? I mean seriously look at this picture. I'm no Ansel adams but its a poor composition.


Freedom Eden discribed it as: "it looks like the plane is about to drop a bomb on it (The Statue of Liberty). If the plane is viewed as a symbol of the presidency and the Statue of Liberty as a symbol of our freedoms, it makes the president seem like an oppressor, a powerful force intimidating and assaulting liberty. "


So here I am sitting in a county with 20% unemployment. The US lost another 500,000 jobs this month.


However we did get a fairly bad picture of Air Force One. Even though we have plenty. All for the wages of four familes for a year.


um... yeah...

Back to "cuts" not being cuts?

President Obama today released a list of 121 proposed program terminations and reductions at a savings of $17 billion.  This is a good thing, a nice first step towards some fiscal responsibility at the fed level.  

A couple of problems: Every Dollar we "save" is going into new spending. Congress already said yes to $1,086 billion on regular discretionary spending in FY 2010.  even if the entire $12.5 billion in discretionary spending cuts are enacted, the savings would automatically be plowed into other programs to maintain discretionary spending at that level. So its just moving money around and touting that as "savings".

Add to that the fact that $17 billion is 1/2 of 1% of the total FY 2010 budget. It is pretty much equal to the interest paid on the $787 Pork laden stimulus bill.

If Obama was serious about streamlining he would mandate that savings go towards Deficit reduction.  Next keep going through and cutting.  Unless of course  1/2 of 1% is the sum total of wasted government spending... (I don't think it is)

The next time someone spouts off that Obama "Inherited" the economy, kindly remind them that is Bullshit.  He RAN for president, so he had a choice.

Specter ripping Jefferods about moving to Democratic party

Irony abounds!

Gotta love pop-culture Easter Eggs

WoW is pervasive.  We have seen references on various Television shows and some fun commercials etc.

In German with Smudo Schurke Thomas D. Sprinter

Mr. T talking smack to the director.

Southpark featured an entire episode "Make Love, Not Warcraft" (It won an Emmy)

The TV show Leverage had a Warcraft "For the Horde!" sequence.

It was the "question" on Jeopardy.

Willy Toledo is a Paladin (spanish)

Jean Claude Van Damme plays a mage (It's either French or Dutch)

And one of the best Truck Commercials ever! 

Even How I Met your Mother.

The latest is a reference in the Wolverine game.  You see the Lich Kings sword, Frostmorne and an NPC quest giver (with !) laying on the ground!

Finally, my all time favorite William Shatners Shaman!

So Whats YOUR game?

weighting loss

I actually have an irrational fear.  I have a fear of starving.  Not just starving but having hunger pangs, eating something, it being enough calorie wise but still being hungry.  I never really knew this until I got serious about my weight and health. 

When your counting calories you get to a point where your done for the day.  If you hit that and still feel hungry it really sux.  The way around this is eating high bulk low calorie foods.  You can eat a lot of carrots for the same calories as a brownie (still the brownie will be more decadent fun to eat).

Baby Seals

Seals aren't endangered; they're a menace to fish stocks--Daniel Hannan

This blindsided me, made me realize that I bought into a media hart tugging fantasy that really makes no sense.  Then again, should that matter?

Paraphrased text Follows: What is it about baby seals? Why do they excite our sympathy in a way that seagulls or scorpions or slugs do not? After all, they're hardly an endangered species: on the contrary, there are many millions of them, and they are extremely efficient hooverers up of fish. Canadian seals chomp their way through 1.5 million tons of cod every year. They have played a cameo role in the collapse of the Labrador and Newfoundland trawling industry. So what makes us go all gooey about them?

The answer is obvious. They are mammals. They are anthropomorphic. Their faces have deceptively human characteristics: they seem soulful, innocent, child-like. Evolutionary biologists would explain that the desire to protect babies is so deep in our DNA that it predisposes us to empathy with other species which happen to have baby-like features, such as big eyes, small noses, or a cute way of toddling trustingly towards waiting clubs.

In other words, our objection to Canadian seal-clubbing is aesthetic rather than ethical. I am not talking here to those vegans who object evenly to the slaughter of all animals: their position is consistent. I am addressing those who call for bans on seal products while happily tucking into eggs or veal produced in conditions of unimaginable horror (yes, unimaginable: try holding in your mind the image of a battery farm the next time the yolk spills across your spoon).

Then again, since when did emotion invalidate the democratic process? People have just as much right to object to something on irrational as on rational grounds. To take a recent example, the campaign to admit former Gurkha soldiers to Britain, in plain defiance of what they had clearly understood when they joined up, was not strictly logical. But it represented a sincere and generous national instinct and that, in a democracy, should be the trump argument.

So with the cute baby seals. Who am I to say that the voters are wrong? In a democracy, the voters are never wrong. They may be inconsistent, sentimental, mercurial; but not wrong. If I were to say: "People are being sappy about seals", I would be in the same category as those (politicians) who say "People are being emotional when they vote against the (topic here), and we who understand their true interests should therefore disregard their stated views".  As John Milton argued, when superior authorities make such decisions on an individual's behalf, they rob him of the capacity for virtue. 

Government Budgets

Working at a County Library and seeing first hands the wheels of Government at work is a fascinating study of cogs with no concept of the machine.

To start with, no one knows the required operational cash for a year.  That is to say the Library has no budget for being run.  Instead whatever the budget handed down is your bottom line.  Also, monies are very specific.  You can buy books, books and books and yet you cannot pay someone to catalog the books, or source purchasing the books.  So a library can have millions of dollars waiting for someone to buy books and be unable to pay its utility bill.

And this is a microcosm's for the Federal way of doing things as well. 

Under My Bus!

Truely funny political humor!  GO ZO!

Welcome Back [GM] Dave!

[GM] Dave was linked on my blog for quite some time.  Then he stopped creating new posts.  Time passed and I forgot about him.  Well, the other day I remembered and googled him and guess what!  He has been back for some time.

In the world of massivly online gaming, if you need help you call for a Game Master (GM).  Dave works as a GM for Final Fantasy online MMORPG.  He dosen't like people. This, of course, means that he had to take a job in customer service. 

Witness his awesomeness:

[GM]Dave>> He couldn't just be better than you?

Player>> He went to every point I went to.

[GM]Dave>> Okay, funny question...

[GM]Dave>> Wouldn't that mean you're a bot?

Player>> Of course not.

Player>> Would a bot make a GM call?

[GM]Dave>> Well, those botting programs can be really sophisticated.

Player>> I'm not a bot!

[GM]Dave>> I assume that's what they'd program a bot to say.

[GM]Dave>> Who'd make a bot that says "I'm totally a bot"? That would be stupid.

Player>> THIS IS RIDICULOUS!

[GM]Dave>> Calm down, calm down. You'll blow a chip or something.

Player>> I'M NOT A BOT!

[GM]Dave>> Do not worry.

[GM]Dave>> We have a simple test to determine if you are a bot.

Player>> Thank God! For a second there, I thought you were going...

*warp*

Area: Mordion Gaol.

Player>> Oh no...

Jormungand hits Player for 16,709 points of damage.

Player was defeated by Jormungand.

[GM]Dave>> Good news.

[GM]Dave>> He says you're too squishy to be a bot.

----------------------------

Note Jormungand is a big nasty evil Dragon. GM teleported the hapless player (bot?)