Life Starts Out Small

For something as big as a panda bear...and to see it start out as small as a mouse, this is awesome. See all the pictures in the article link below. Now only if they had these at the pet store I would end up with a pretty cool roommate. Pictures borrowed from the article...Development of a new born Panda Dave, hope you enjoyed National Treasure 2 on Friday, and it won't be but a week or two until SR has you running around like a madman in Florida. Enjoy the perks buddy and show 'em what you're made of. Even though not as cute as the panda to the right, they do deserve some big credit as the Tarheels rolled over Valparaiso tonight. It wasn't pretty at first, but UNC comes out in the second half and doubles all points that Valpo put up on the board(54-27) to finish 90-58. Their next game is on Wednesday against Kent St on ESPN.

Final weekend 2007

Today after work I will be heading home for the weekend...mostly to celebrate mom's birthday, but also to hang with Dave(because he wants to retire early down in Florida for some reason...oh & by the way, I am going to steal your iPod Touch too) & friends. I'll have some pictures up later sometime this weekend of the past few shots. Hopefully your Christmas was just as fun & fulfilling as ours in China Grove & Pilot Mt.

GMail users: beware of thieves...

For any of you, like me, that use GMail as your email client, make sure you read this article: WARNING: Google’s GMail security failure leaves my business sabotaged. It's a developing story of why you need to check your GMail settings right away to make sure no one is seeing or forwarding any of your private information to another email account without you knowing it. Make sure to check your settings on your 'Filters' & 'Forwarding and POP.' Any forwarding or filtering that sends any messages to unknown email addresses look at carefully and delete if necessary. Also make sure you recognize all of the email addresses entered into the filters. GMail has fixed this issue, but the fix does not delete any issues that could be in the Filters & Forwarding settings.

Also, if you have personal information saved in GMail, think about saving it on a thumb drive to keep on you physically instead of having it on the internet. Keeping a passwords file, personal information, etc...on GMail is not a good idea.

Bad Day at the office

This is beautiful!

Christmas Schedule

Merry Christmas(No Happy Holidays please). So the schedule for this coming week isn't so bad despite having to work half a day on Christmas Eve. After work I'll be flying(not literally, just fast in the car) home then heading up to Pinnacle, NC for some Christmas festivities. The next day on CHRISTmas will be all in China Grove. Unfortunately I have to work the 26th but have the 27th & 28th off. Maybe I should start wrapping presents now? Maybe so.

By the way, the Carolina Tarheels just finished their Saturday game to stay at #1. They are 11-0.

Texas Pete Hot Sauce commercial

Hahahaha, Genius!

Poor lame Duke

Worthy of its own space on the internet(here), I had to post that Duke lost last night to a lesser ranked team(Pittsburgh Panthers). See to the right as Jon "Lamer" Scheyer(misses Duke's last two chances to win the game) whines as they lose the game. Just watching the game and how Duke's head coach has always taught his players to "act" out a touch foul in the most extreme makes anyone mad. But, seeing them lose their large lead in the second half and get a little behind was worth it. Duke losing = priceless!

Sorry Ab, it is true.

I've watched the actual show a few times, Man vs Wild. It is interesting for a few reasons, but nothing to be taken to seriously. After all, it is just another "reality" show that tries to pull in more and more of an audience. But, the truth is, and Sorry Abby & Charlie, it is not real.

To live up to his public image of a rugged, ex-SAS adventurer, it must have seemed essential for Bear Grylls to appear at ease sleeping rough and catching his own food in his television survival series. But it has emerged that Grylls, 33, was enjoying a far more conventional form of comfort, retreating some nights from filming in mountains and on desert islands to nearby lodges and hotels.

Now Channel 4 has launched an investigation into whether Grylls, who has conquered Everest and the Arctic, deceived the public in his series Born Survivor. The series, screened in March and April and watched by 1.4m viewers, built up Grylls’s credentials as a tough outdoorsman. In a question and answer session on Channel 4’s website, he recalls how station bosses pitched the venture to him stating: “We just drop you into a lot of different hellholes equipped with nothing, and you do what you have to do to survive.”

But an adviser to Born Survivor has disclosed that at one location where the adventurer claimed to be a “real life Robin-son Crusoe” trapped on “a desert island”, he was actually on an outlying part of the Hawaiian archipelago and spent nights at a motel. On another occasion in California’s Sierra Nevada mountains where he was filmed biting off the head of a snake for breakfast and struggling for survival “with just a water bottle, a cup and a flint for making fire”, he actually slept some nights with the crew in a lodge fitted with television and internet access. The Pines Resort at Bass Lake is advertised as “a cosy getaway for families” with blueberry pancakes for breakfast.

In one episode Grylls, son of the late Tory MP Sir Michael Grylls, was shown apparently building a Polynesian-style raft using only materials around him, including bamboo, hibiscus twine and palm leaves for a sail. But according to Mark Weinert, an Oregon-based survival consultant brought in for the job, it was he who led the team that built the raft. It was then dismantled so that Grylls could be shown building it on camera.

In another episode viewers watched as Grylls tried to coax an apparently wild mustang into a lasso in the Sierra Nevada. “I’m in luck,” he told viewers, apparently coming across four wild horses grazing in a meadow. “A chance to use an old native American mode of transport comes my way. This is one of the few places in the whole of the US where horses still roam wild.”

In fact, Weinert said, the horses were not wild but were brought in by trailer from a nearby trekking station for the “choreographed” feature. “If you really believe everything happens the way it is shown on TV, you are being a little bit naive,” he said. Channel 4 confirmed that Grylls had used hotels during expeditions and has now asked Diverse, the Bristol-based production company that made the program, to look into the other claims. “We take any allegations of misleading our audiences seriously,” said a spokeswoman for the channel.

The latest suggestion that Channel 4 may have breached viewer trust comes as the broad-caster’s supervisory board prepares to issue new editorial guidelines to suppliers in order to stamp out alleged sharp practices that mislead viewers. “Born Survivor is not an observational documentary series but a ‘how to’ guide to basic survival techniques in extreme environments,” the spokeswoman said.

“The program explicitly does not claim that presenter Bear Grylls’s experience is one of unaided solo survival.” Nevertheless, the disclosure is likely to disappoint fans of the Eton-educated adventurer, who at the age of 23 became the youngest Briton to scale Everest. Just two years before that he had broken his back in three places after his parachute ripped during a military exercise. On screen he has emerged as a natural performer, with stunts such as squeezing water from animal dung and sucking the fluid from fish eyeballs. Grylls could not be contacted for comment this weekend as he was trekking in the Brecon Beacons with his four-year-old son.

Article from Times Online

Another short video of Bear wearing a life jacket during a fake shot of him "roughing it."

Gotcha Gift Box

These are very cool, cause who wouldn't want to add 5+ pounds to a hat they are wearing or have a huge whisk set for your kitchen(professional set at that, haha)? I know I would! Check out all three below.

Close call

Definitely!

1 week remaining

After a pretty busy weekend I'm back in Fayettenam...There was a required drive from Wilmington to get back home, but worth it. I had a fun time over the weekend, seeing I Am Legend(good movie, needed a better ending or a sequel would be nice) with "D-Money" & watching some college volleyball with G-pa Cress. Scott, good seeing you at the mall. Little Lauren is getting big.

Tonight was the Christmas concert at my church here in FAY, which was awesome, but nothing close to Ab's 300 seat choir at The Summit. All in all, throw out the lame sense America has put into the Christmas season and forgetfulness and it would be a lot better.

Also, tonight's Tarheel game went as expected. They win big, even though Hansbrough was hurt in the 2nd half. The funny thing to me was hearing all the Tarheel fans in the stands OVER Rutger. You could hear the obligatory "Tar" pause "Heels" over the TV commentators.

For Christmas, around 8 days left and I have 99% of the lame shopping done with. The 1% is waiting for the shipments to arrive.

Intel announces industry's smallest SSD chips

The picture says it all, Intel's going crazy small with its latest SSD chips, but it's certainly not leaving capacity behind. The new Intel Z-P140 PATA SSD chips come in 2GB and 4GB capacities, are extendable up to 16GB, and weigh less than a drop of water. We're already impatient for phone manufacturers and DAP makers to start cramming these into their devices, and the RAID opportunities are really sinful. Intel should be showing the chips off at CES in January, no word on when we'll see 'em hit the market.

The Laziest Cat In The World

Priceless...View here.

Oh bye the way, since it is the day, I'm heading up to Charlotte in just a few minutes to see I Am Legend. Sweet!

I Am Legend

This coming weekend I'm super excited to see I Am Legend, a semi horror film with Will Smith as the last man on earth. If you haven't seen the trailer, check it out here.

---

On the funny side, this mp3 has been spotted across some drug stores and is just hilarious to see compared to the size of the iPod Touch. It's 256MB of space is double funny.

Christmas Concert/Shopfest

So last night me & dad attended Ab's Christmas concert put on at her church(The Summit). It was awesome, especially seeing a 300 person choir. The 1200 people there had to of been impressed also. Since mom was stuck in Charleston she had to wait until tonight to see it. So, she was able to finally make it out to my new place here in Fayettenam and visit my church before heading to Raleigh for the Christmas event.

I made some headway on the Christmas shopping frenzy today and will hopefully finish most of it tonight after church. Despite the lame influence Americans have had on making Christmas a full out shopping holiday and forgetting why there is a Christmas, I have to head out in the madness and buy stuff. On the plus side, this will make it two years that the Cress side of things are giving money to a needy family. Anyway, Dave, I'll be in town on the 14th...and since you are leaving NC for a nice imaging job in Florida we'll have to make the best of it. Still though, I'm sure it's a huge Christmas gift to you that you have a definite position before you have even graduated...something huge to look forward to at the beginning of the year. You're the man Dave!

Oh and Tucker is pretty excited about Christmas. I'm sure.

Nice to hear

I ran across this company today that is based around making speaker systems for audiophiles, Perfect8. Anyway, their products look extremely interesting but wouldn't be something set in an area for children to play on of course. From the site it looks like they are based out of Sweden...so most likely I'll never get to hear them in action unless there is a trip planned to Europe sometime. We'll see.

This weekend...possibly be heading into Raleigh on Saturday to see Abby's Christmas concert at The Summit.

Christmas Dinner: Blendtec Style

Earlier this year someone showed me this site (Will It Blend) and it is just fun. So, just in time for Christmas dinner, enjoy the blending!

The Guys' Rules

At last a guy has taken the time to write this all down. Finally, the guys' side of the story. We always hear "the rules" from the female side. Now here are the rules from the male side. These are our rules! Please note... these are all numbered "1" ON PURPOSE!

1. Learn to work the toilet seat. You're a big girl. If it's up, put it down. We need it up, you need it down. You don't hear us complaining about you leaving it down.

1. Sunday sports. It's like the full moon or the changing of the tides. Let it be.

1. Shopping is NOT a sport. And no, we are never going to think of it that way.

1. Crying is blackmail.

1. Ask for what you want. Let us be clear on this one: Subtle hints do not work! Strong hints do not work! Obvious hints do not work! Just say it!

1. Yes and No are perfectly acceptable answers to almost every question.

1. Come to us with a problem only if you want help solving it. That's what we do. Sympathy is what your girlfriends are for.

1. A headache that lasts for 17 months is a problem. See a doctor.

1. Anything we said 6 months ago is inadmissible in an argument. In fact, all comments become null and void after 7 days.

1. If you won't dress like the Victoria's Secret girls, don't expect us to act like soap opera guys.

1. If you think you're fat, you probably are. Don't ask us.

1. If something we said can be interpreted two ways and one of the ways makes you sad or angry, we meant the other one.

1. You can either ask us to do something or tell us how you want it done. Not both. If you already know best how to do it, just do it yourself.

1. Whenever possible, please say whatever you have to say during commercials.

1. Christopher Columbus did not need directions and neither do we.

1. ALL men see in only 16 colors, like Windows default settings. Peach, for example, is a fruit, not a color. Pumpkin is also a fruit. We have no idea what mauve is.

1. If it itches, it will be scratched. We do that.

1. If we ask what is wrong and you say nothing," we will act like nothing's wrong. We know you are lying, but it is just not worth the hassle.

1. If you ask a question you don't want an answer to, expect an answer you don't want to hear.

1. When we have to go somewhere, absolutely anything you wear is fine...Really.

1. Don't ask us what we're thinking about unless you are prepared to discuss such topics as baseball, the shotgun formation, or monster trucks.

1. You have enough clothes.

1. You have too many shoes.

1. I am in shape. Round is a shape.

1. Thank you for reading this. Yes, I know, I have to sleep on the couch tonight; but did you know men really don't mind that? It's like camping.

3D coolness

I went to see Beowulf in 3D over the weekend...very cool. As always, I can't help myself when a soldier's sword or spear is coming out of the screen and I have to see if it is real, haha. And, we got to keep the cool ultra ugly 3D glasses.

Now = Weekend

No work for me tomorrow. I have a lot of time built up and need to use some of it, plus there are things to take care of. Tonight a bunch of us met up from work at a local sports pub to watch Dallas play Green Bay. Since we have a fantasy football club going between everyone at work and two of the premium teams were playing, there was a lot riding on it. It was definitely funny watching T.O. make good plays then become a complete bonehead the other half.

We'll have to do this again soon.

Good email from Dad

Thanks Dad for the email. And this is the truth. Lame corporate America and their little idea on not hurting anyone's feelings by saying "Christmas."

T’was the month before Christmas
When all through our land,
Not a Christian was praying
Nor taking a stand.
Why the Politically Correct Police had taken away,
The reason for Christmas - no one could say.
The children were told by their schools not to sing,
About Shepherds and Wise Men and Angels and things.
It might hurt people's feelings, the teachers would say
December 25th is just a " Holiday ".
Yet the shoppers were ready with cash, checks and credit.

Pushing folks down to the floor just to get it!
CDs from Madonna, an X BOX, an I-pod.
Something was changing, something quite odd!
Retailers promoted Ramadan and Kwanzaa
In hopes to sell books by Franken & Fonda.
As Targets were hanging their trees upside down
At Lowe's the word Christmas - was no where to be found.
At K-Mart and Staples and Penny's and Sears
You won't hear the word Christmas; it won't touch your ears.
Inclusive, sensitive, Di-ver-si-ty
Are words that were used to intimidate me.
Now Daschle, Now Darden, Now Sharpton, Wolf Blitzen
On Boxer, on Rather, on Kerry, on Clinton !
At the top of the Senate, there arose such a clatter
To eliminate Jesus, in all public matter.
And we spoke not a word, as they took away our faith
Forbidden to speak of salvation and grace.
The true Gift of Christmas was exchanged and discarded
The reason for the season, stopped before it started.
So as you celebrate "Winter Break" under your "Dream Tree"
Sipping your Starbucks, listen to me.
Choose your words carefully, choose what you say
Shout MERRY CHRISTMAS, not Happy Holiday!

Dave has landed

Glad to hear you had the two offers back to back and have decided on taking the Swiss Ray position...I hope they don't work you too hard and make you travel too much. Let me know if you need any help buddy.

Christmas With a Capital "C"

Eat it Americans!...and your excuse for saying what it really is!

Giant Israeli flag breaks world record

This is very cool, a flag almost 2/5^th of a mile.

Beneath the ancient Jewish desert strong point of Masada, the world's largest flag was unfurled Sunday, covering a large stretch of sandy hinterland. The huge blue and white Israeli flag, 660 meters (2,165 feet) long and 100meters (330 feet) wide and weighing 5.2 metric tons, breaks the record for the world's largest, according to the Tourism Ministry.

It was measured by representatives for the Guinness Book of Records. Filipino entrepreneur and evangelical Christian Grace Galindez-Gupana said she decided two years ago to produce a giant Israeli flag as a testament to her love for Israel and the Jewish people, and as a celebration of 50 years of diplomatic relations between the Philippines and Israel.

"God spoke to me in thunder and lightening," Galindez-Gupana said. "The Lord said, 'Make the flag of Israel, the standard of my people.' This is a tall order," she said, as she broke down in tears.

The record-breaking Israeli flag was accompanied by a giant Philippines flag - huge, but not quite as big. It weighed only about 3.8 metric tons. Large stones anchored both flags as they billowed in the desert winds. "They were made in the Philippines and shipped to Israel days ago," said Daniel Rozen, spokesman for Living Stone Ministries, a group that helped bring the flags to Israel.

"There are about 31,000 Filipinos in Israel, most of whom are foreign workers," said Gilberto Asuque, consul general of the Philippine Embassy in Israel. "This flag expresses the friendship between the Philippines and the state of Israel, and also the friendship between Jewish and Christian communities," said Shaul Zemach, director of the Tourism Ministry

Back/Fat

No, not back-fat. It means I'm back from the ThxGiving holiday and fat from all the overeating. I believe there were at least 12 pies made on Friday over mom's house. Ridiculous? Yes indeed. Since I had never braved the entire black Friday before, I decided to join in. Dad & me went to observe, not become one of the yelling moms(we called those people "retards" for short) that "had" to get their kids what they wanted for Christmas. Despite the madness I seemed to laugh most of the time over the moms/dads that are for some reason enslaved into getting their children exactly what they want, NOT need. Just the thought of a grown woman yelling at some poor Walmart employee over how long she had been standing in line for is ridiculous, but seeing it first hand is entertainment. If I do decide to go again next year, I'll bring a bag of popcorn and a chair for the entire show.
After getting out of there we headed to Best Buy. I ran across two friends that were in fact heading up the sales for the store...so the hookups were made for my dad's buying frenzy for that shiny LCD he actually did need for his computer. Thanks to Paul & Jeff.
Not to self(and anyone that is still sane)...in the future, don't sell yourself to the commercialized holiday madness for the sake of a lame "must-have" gift that someone doesn't really need...and for the sake of their spoiledness. The $1.8 billion spent on Friday could've been put to better use. Shame on us Americans!

Correction: $10.295 billion is the actual sales for the retail stores.

Nude man accused of causing I-95 crashes

Alright, who wants to call this one? Comment back with a good reason if you think this guy had a legitimate reason for running across the highway nude, or comment back with the response of "retard."

Brandywine Hundred, Del. - Delaware State Police have arrested a Chester, Pennsylvania, man who they said was running naked and drunk on Interstate-95 and caused three accidents.

Police said Ardonas Gilbert, 26, was running along the southbound lanes near Marsh Road about 10 p.m. Monday. He is charged with two counts of assault and a single count of being drunk on the highway.

Two citizens tried to help Gilbert, but police say he began to assault them. Then police said he ran back into traffic and caused three accidents when cars tried to avoid hitting him. No one was seriously injured. Gilbert is being held at the Howard Young Correctional Institute in Wilmington.

What is the Exaflood?

This is sort of a joke, considering the whole 2010 internet slow down is based on current hardware and governed internet speeds. How about waiting until USA's ISPs actually catch up with the rest of the world in bandwidth? ...then maybe I'll take it seriously. You can read the Reference I ran across for some text backing from DSL Reports. The makers of the video are the scary people at InternetInnovation.org. On top of it all, since most medical facilities use the internet to implement case/physician/facility communication using the internet, I cannot see them allowing any type of slowdown for something as important as medical practice.

Big guy on the way

Dave, best of luck in the morning...It has definitely been awhile since you started but has flown by. Let me know how it goes, and hopefully the position won't mean you staying in the armpit of the states. I am pretty dang sure you don't need to start growing a mullet. Be safe on your way back buddy.

As for the week, one day down and just a couple more to go before starting the gorge-fest with family, friends, and anyone who likes to eat multiple plates of fattening food...time to break out the sweat pants cause I am thankful. So...back in China Grove midweek!

This is just genius

...or just lack of genius. Guns can be fun, but not in the hands of someone without an active brain. Read on...

Southworth, Wash. - A man trying to loosen a stubborn lug nut blasted the wheel with a 12-gauge shotgun, injuring himself badly in both legs, sheriff's deputies said. The 66-year-old man had been repairing a Lincoln Continental for two weeks at his home northwest of Southworth, about 10 miles southwest of Seattle, and had gotten all but one of the lug nuts off the right rear wheel by Saturday afternoon, Kitsap County Deputy Scott Wilson said.

"He's bound and determined to get that lug nut off," Wilson said. From about arm's length, the man fired the shotgun at the wheel and was "peppered" in both legs with buckshot and debris, with some injuries as high as his chin, according to a sheriff's office report. "Nobody else was there and he wasn't intoxicated," Wilson said.The man was taken to Tacoma General Hospital with injuries Wilson described as severe but not life-threatening.

Chocolate was NO accident!!!

The article I read earlier today made me think...yes, think. You know that chocolate has been recently linked to a healthy diet, in small portions of course, effecting mental and physical aspects of the people who eat it. Well, apparently the article below states that chocolate started out as an ingredient in a beer-like drink...much longer ago than predicted before. The funny "fact" that they talk about is that chocolate or chocolate drinks were discovered by accident. Riiight!

It(chocolate in general), being interesting, is a good topic to read any time. The article is good also(below).

The chocolate enjoyed around the world today had its origins at least 3,100 years ago in Central America not as the sweet treat people now crave but as a celebratory beer-like beverage and status symbol, scientists said on Monday.

Researchers identified residue of a chemical compound that comes exclusively from the cacao plant -- the source of chocolate -- in pottery vessels dating from about 1100 BC in Puerto Escondido, Honduras. This pushed back by at least 500 years the earliest documented use of cacao, an important luxury commodity in Mesoamerica before European invaders arrived and now the basis of the modern chocolate industry.

Cacao (pronounced cah-COW) seeds were used to make ceremonial beverages consumed by elites of the Aztecs and other civilizations, while also being used as a form of currency. The Spanish conquistadors who shattered the Aztec empire in the 16th century were smitten with a chocolate beverage made from cacao seeds served in the palace of the emperor. However, this was not the form in which cacao had its beginnings.

"The earliest cacao beverages consumed at Puerto Escondido were likely produced by fermenting the sweet pulp surrounding the seeds," the scientists wrote in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. One of the researchers, anthropologist John Henderson of Cornell University in Ithaca, New York, said cacao beverages were being concocted far earlier than previously believed -- and it was a beer-like drink that started the chocolate craze.

"What we're seeing in this early village is a very early stage in which serving cacao at fancy occasions is one of the strategies that upwardly mobile families are using to establish themselves, to accumulate social prestige," Henderson said in a telephone interview. "I think this is part of the process by which you eventually get stratified societies," Henderson said.

The cacao brew consumed at the village of perhaps 200 to 300 people may have evolved into the chocolate beverage known from later in Mesoamerican history not by design but as "an accidental byproduct of some brewing," Henderson said.

The chocolate enjoyed by later Mesoamerican civilizations like the Maya and Aztecs was made from ground cacao seeds with added seasonings, producing a spicy, frothy drink. The Spanish brought cacao back to Europe in the 16th century. Many innovations occurred in the ensuing centuries, including the advent of solid chocolate treats.

The scientists used chemical analysis of residues extracted from pottery vessels from the Honduran site to determine that cacao had been used. The style of the 10 small, elegant serving vessels suggests the cacao brew was served at important ceremonies perhaps to celebrate weddings and births, the scientists said. Henderson said the first use of cacao may be earlier still by perhaps a couple of centuries. He said the scientists intend to test earlier pottery from the region for chemical proof.

The world's tallest pooch meets the smallest

This is such a size difference. I found this on Daily Mail UK this week.

Despite their radical difference in size, these two dogs have something in common - Gibson the Great Dane and Boo Boo the toy Chihuahua are both world record holders. Measuring a whopping 107cm, gentle giant Gibson was named tallest dog back in 2004. Joining him in the hall of fame for 2007 is tiny Boo Boo who only measures 10.16cm tall and is smaller than Gibson's head. The two celebrity hounds, who were both bred in America, met up to celebrate Guinness World Records Day 2007 outside the White House in Washington D.C. Boo Boo's owner Lana Elswick has bred Chihuahuas in Kentucky for 19 years and said she always knew her one-year-old pooch was special. The tiny mutt was only about the size of a thumb when she was born; so small, in fact, that she had to be fed with an eye dropper every two hours before she could eventually nurse a bottle. Now she is a diminuitive diva. "She has the attitude of a big dog she would let me know if anyone was around and she would try to guard me if she could," said Ms Elswick. Owner Sandy Hall lives with her dog Gibson in Sacramento, California. The Great Dane is also the world's tallest therapy dog and regularly visits children's hospitals. "He just puts a smile on people's faces," Ms Hall said. "In one split second, people forget their cares and worries."

Joost

I ran across a nifty website after watching an episode of AOTS a week or so ago. The website(Joost) offers free streaming TV to your computer. It isn't live and it doesn't work behind proxy servers(some have worked around this problem) but it is quite good considering it is free. The quality is good and it starts streaming right when you select the program you want to watch. Hopefully in the future they will offer more channels but most likely will not have any channel "live" considering rights blah blah.

Some of the channels it offers as of today are CNN, Reuters, Comedy Central, CBS, etc. Anyway, it is free and is extremely easy to use. Try it out.

Download Joost

Pets need their attention too

So yea, I'm not going out for Halloween tonight, no surprised. I'm not really into the candy anymore, and seeing girls dress up as corner walkers isn't all that impressive. But, anyway, make sure you take up pets into thought when you go out...because pets need their attention too. Here are a couple good ideas.

Tomorrow starts November and marks me being back two months. I haven't forgotten you guys out in Texas and appreciate the calls, emails, and messages since I've been gone.

Since I'm now back in NC and don't need to save up my vacation time for the holidays, I need some good ideas on places to go for that time. It's building up and needs to be taken soon. Mind you, I've never been to a tropical place and wouldn't mind experiencing scuba or wildlife diving, and spelunking(cave exploring, and not the tour ones because those are limited and sometimes lame) would be a plus.

Busy---ness

This past week & weekend was extremely busy. After a quick Friday at work, a run to Pender, and some organizing some things, I finally got back to unload the new bed room suite that Dad & Dave brought out to me. Going back to the week before was fun enough driving that stuff home. I am very positive that I looked funny in the back of Dave's truck holding everything down for the drive from Kannapolis to China Grove. Plus, stuffing that king-size mattress up my stairway had me laughing..."making" it fit was fun.

After Dave was finished getting his back in some pain, we headed back. Well I'm not a fan of slow drivers, especially on rural roads. So, it happened that Dave had his GPS with him, but he didn't believe that we got to that speed passing the little truck. Too bad there wasn't another straightaway after to test out 150.

Now back in town and no more furniture to move, Saturday was just fun...I became one with nature by feeding a squirrel from my lap, had a fun birthday/family get-together, and oh yea, ate a lot. Good seeing everyone.

Attempting to acquire pillow face...

...also called "trying to find time to sleep." After working to about 9pm last night I needed to come in extra early to finish up a room. And by extra I mean 2am. Surprisingly I wasn't that tired all day and am not now...not sure if I am just too geared up for the weekend back home seeing everyone or getting things ready for the new bedroom suite being delivered tomorrow by big Dave & Dad.

Anyway, the weekend is almost here, and I need an early turn-in to make up for last night.

God Lives Under the Bed

This is a good story that was sent to me...

Don't start reading this one until you've got more than 3 or 4 minutes to just "scan" over it. It deserves some time for reflection. I envy Kevin. My brother Kevin thinks God lives under his bed. At least that's what I heard him say one night. He was praying out loud in his dark bedroom, and I stopped to listen, "Are you there, God?" he said. "Where are you? Oh, I see. Under the bed..."

I giggled softly and tiptoed off to my own room. Kevin's unique perspectives are often a source of amusement. But that night something else lingered long after the humor. I realized for the first time the very different world Kevin lives in. He was born 30 years ago, mentally disabled as a result of difficulties during labor. Apart from his size (he's 6-foot-2), there are few ways in which he is an adult. He reasons and communicates with the
capabilities of a 7-year-old, and he always will. He will probably always believe that God lives under his bed, that Santa Claus is the one who fills the space under our tree every Christmas and that airplanes stay up in the sky because angels carry them.

I remember wondering if Kevin realizes he is different. Is he ever dissatisfied with his monotonous life? Up before dawn each day, off to work at a workshop for the disabled, home to walk our cocker spaniel, return to eat his favorite macaroni-and-cheese for dinner, and later to bed. The only variation in the entire scheme is laundry, when he hovers excitedly over the washing machine like a mother with her newborn child. He does not seem dissatisfied. He lopes out to the bus every morning at 7:05, eager for a day of simple work. He wrings his hands excitedly while the water boils on the stove before dinner, and he stays up late twice a week to gather our dirty laundry for his next day's laundry chores.
And Saturdays-oh, the bliss of Saturdays! That's the day my Dad takes Kevin to the airport to have a soft drink, watch the planes land, and speculate loudly on the destination of each passenger inside.

"That one's goin' to Chi-car-go!" Kevin shouts as he claps his hands. His anticipation is so great he can hardly sleep on Friday nights.

And so goes his world of daily rituals and weekend field trips. He doesn't know what it means to be discontent. His life is simple. He will never know the entanglements of wealth of power, and he does not care what brand of clothing he wears or what kind of food he eats. His needs have always been met, and he never worries that one day they may not be.

His hands are diligent. Kevin is never so happy as when he is working. When he unloads the dishwasher or vacuums the carpet, his heart is completely in it. He does not shrink from a job when it is begun, and he does not leave a job until it is finished. But when his tasks are done, Kevin knows how to relax. He is not obsessed with his work or the work of others. His heart is pure. He still believes everyone tells the truth, promises must be kept, and when you are wrong, you apologize instead of argue. Free from pride and unconcerned with appearances, Kevin is not afraid to cry when he is hurt, angry or sorry. He is always transparent, always sincere. And he trusts God.

Not confined by intellectual reasoning, when he comes to Christ, he comes as a child. Kevin seems to know God - to really be friends with Him in a way that is difficult for an "educated" person to grasp. God seems like his closest companion. In my moments of doubt and frustrations with my Christianity I envy the security Kevin has in his simple faith. It is then that I am most willing to admit that he has some divine knowledge that rises above my mortal questions.

It is then I realize that perhaps he is not the one with the handicap . . I am. My obligations, my fear, my pride, my circumstances - they all become disabilities when I do not trust them to God's care. Who knows if Kevin comprehends things I can never learn? After all, he has spent his whole life in that kind of innocence, praying after dark and soaking up the goodness and love of God.And one day, when the mysteries of heaven are opened, and we are all amazed at how close God really is to our hearts, I'll realize that God heard the simple prayers of a boy who believed that God lived under his bed.

Kevin won't be surprised at all!

Weekend 'o fun

So after a fairly busy week at work I got to come home this weekend, mainly to look at a computer system to recover some data on a crashed hard drive. After that was taken care of, I had the pleasure of being HOME, hanging out with Dave, Mom , Dad, and heading to Charlotte for a fun night. Oh, and I finally got a bedroom suite after a couple months of looking around. Hopefully it'll be in Fayetteville this Friday with some good help...And to think I'll finally have some storage for the rest of my mess.

This coming Friday, the 26th, I'll hopefully be back near China Grove for some festivities.

Oh yea, enjoy the fall weather...and the picture to the right---------------->

Old Man Jumps From Bridge!! Great story!!

This is pretty awesome

The weekend...then the month

So after a decent week at work(cannot complain) so far, I'm heading out near Wilmington to handle some more work things, then it'll be time for some Tarheel madness. UNC is having their big basketball event dubbed, "Late Night with Roy." I'll be joining Mike & Misty Hinesley & Abby is going to be going for her first time. Dave, sorry you can't make it...I'll photoshop you in the pictures if you want ;) .

Soon after(actually a couple weeks), I'll be back in town to celebrate some birthday events that were put together by wonderful mom. Dave & Mike(& Misty), you guys are welcome to come out for some chaos & F00D!

In the meantime, enjoy this sweet (cooler) weather.

Doughnut Heist

This is pretty sad...man may get 30 years up to a life sentence for stealing a doughnut.

52-cent doughnut may cost man 30 years to life
By Todd C. Frankel
ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH

FARMINGTON, MO. — Shoplifters at Country Mart tend to favor cold medicines and packaged meats. They used to steal cigarettes, too, until tobacco was moved behind the counter. But the doughnuts were never a target for thieves.

Country Mart's doughnuts — fried fresh daily in the store — sell for just 52 cents each. That is why the "shoplifters will be prosecuted" signs are displayed in aisle 4 with the pricey pain and allergy pills, and not in aisle 5 beside the glass doughnut case with its tiger tails, jelly-filleds and eclairs.

Then one man's sweet tooth got the better of him. He stole a doughnut. A single doughnut.

Authorities called it strong-arm robbery. The "doughnut man," as the suspect is now known, faces five to 15 years in prison for his crime. And Farmington, a town of 14,000 people about 70 miles south of St. Louis, has been buzzing about it ever since.


"That someone would take just a single doughnut, not something very expensive or extravagant, that's unique," supermarket assistant manager Gary Komar said, smiling.

Scott A. Masters, 41, is accused of shoplifting the pastry and pushing a store worker who tried to stop him. The worker was unhurt. But with that shove, his shoplifting turned into a strong-arm robbery. Masters, who appeared in court Friday, is stunned. The prosecutor shows no signs of backing down. In fact, because Masters has a prior record, he could get a sentence of 30 years to life.

Lanell Gibbs was there the day of the doughnut heist.

...

And Masters never got a chance to enjoy that fateful doughnut.

He said he threw it to the ground when he fled.

Read full article

Mr. Potato Head in ecstasy bust

I thought it was a joke at first, but read on:

SYDNEY, Australia (AP) -- Customs officers discovered nearly 10.5 ounces of ecstasy tablets hidden inside a Mr. Potato Head toy sent to Australia from Ireland, the agency said Thursday.

Upon opening the parcel, the officers were greeted with the smiling face of the popular children's toy, which features a potato-like head and removable facial features. But when they removed a panel from the back of the toy, the officers found 10.34 ounces of ecstasy in a plastic bag.

The Australian Customs Service referred the matter to federal police, but no arrests were immediately made, the agency said. The maximum penalty for importing drugs to Australia is life imprisonment.

"Whilst this is one of the more unusual concealments that we have seen in recent times, people need to be aware that Customs officers are alert to unusual and often outlandish methods of concealment," Customs Director Post Karen Williams said.

To Raleigh

So just after 4pm I'll be heading to Raleigh to hang out with Abby & Charlie for the weekend...be back in Fayetteville sometime on Sunday most likely. Reach me on the cell.

Anyone wanna make the call?

This is sad and funny at the same time. Despite it being a ridiculous reason(shopping, especially under the influence) for driving fast, it was a female driver, haha.

Car racing for parking spot smashes into store

BELLEVUE, Washington -- A driver rushing to beat someone else to a parking spot slammed into a department store Friday night, injuring a 14-year-old girl inside the building, police said.

The girl was being treated at Overlake Hospital for scrapes and bruises, police Cpl. Marcia Harnden said, while the driver, a 37-year-old woman from Bellevue, was arrested for investigation of driving under the influence. "She was just racing to get in and beat the other person to the parking spot," Harnden said. "She said she stepped on the accelerator and she just couldn't get herself stopped after that."

The car smashed through the automatic sliding glass doors of a T.J. Maxx store and took out several clothing racks. It came to a stop 20 yards inside the store.

The driver exhibited "obvious signs of impairment," but not from alcohol, Harnden said. Toxicology results were not expected for at least a month.

What really matters

This was forwarded to me:

Mayonnaise and 2 Cups of Coffee

When things in your life seems almost too much to handle, when 24 hours in a day is not enough, remember the mayonnaise jar and the 2 cups of coffee.

A professor stood before his philosophy class and had some items in front of him. When the class began, he wordlessly picked up a very large and empty mayonnaise
jar and proceeded to fill it with golf balls. He then asked the students if the jar was full. They agreed that it was.

The professor then picked up a box of pebbles and poured them into the jar He shook the jar lightly. The pebbles rolled into the open areas between the golf
balls. He then asked the students again if the jar was full. They agreed it was.

The professor next picked up a box of sand and poured it into the jar. Of course, the sand filled up everything else. He asked once more if the jar was full. The students respond ed with an unanimous "yes."

The professor then produced two cups of coffee from under the table and poured the entire contents into the jar effectively filling the empty space between the sand. The students laughed.

"Now," said the professor as the laughter subsided, "I want you to recognize that this jar represents your life. The golf balls are the important things---your family, your children, your health, your friends and
your favorite passions---and if everything else was lost and only they remained, your life would still be full.

The pebbles are the other things that matter like your job, your house and your car.

The sand is everything else---the small stuff. "If you put the sand into the jar first," he continued, "there is no room for the pebbles or the golf balls. The same
goes for life. If you spend all your time and energy on the small stuff you will never have room for the things that are important to you.

"Pay attention to the things that are critical to your happiness. Spend time with your children. Spend time with your parents. Visit with grandparents. Take time
to get medical checkups. Take your spouse out to dinner. Play another 18. There will always be time to clean the house and fix the disposal. Take care of the golf balls first---the things that really matter. Set
your priorities. The rest is just sand."

One of the students raised her hand and inquired what the coffee represented. The professor smiled and said, "I'm glad you asked." The coffee just shows you that
no matter how full your life may seem, there's always room for a couple of cups of coffee with a friend."

Please share this with someone you care about.

I JUST DID!

Cup of coffee anyone?

"The best things in life are NOT things at all."

Fun week

This past week was very fun...and also getting more used to things around here at Cape Fear Valley. Last night, me a couple friends went to see Good Luck Chuck. If you haven't seen it, don't bother. The previews made it out to be a good funny movie, but it turned out to be a very sketchy movie. I am, on the other hand, looking forward to a new sitcom starting tomorrow on CBS called The Big Bang Theory. It's a show about nerds/geeks...and should be good.

Weekend at home

This past weekend was sweet. One, I got to go home. It had been awhile. Two, the weather was perfect...thinking it got down into the low 60s(where I like it). On Sunday morning, the church I grew up in celebrated homecoming, marking 40 years, and me, mom, Dave, and dad went. It had been a long time since seeing a lot of old faces. Here are just a couple pictures...(by David Wyatt):

The drive back from China Grove to Fayetteville was almost perfect...a convertible would've made it the best...no clouds and signs of autumn rolling in. I'll be back in town soon, hopefully.

The start has finished

Alrighty, almost done with the first week, and definitely some different ways on doing things around the new place here. Everyone here is super nice and quite funny to work with. Now I've got to just back in the routine of work then busting tail at the gym. It's Gold's Gym from now on.
Ken, I wish you & Becca the best. The wedding was a success and you two look great together. We all had a good time...enjoyed every minute of it. Make the best of it every day.
I'll be heading back home for the weekend after work & Gold's tomorrow. It's only been since June that I was back in China Grove, but a visit is needed...glad to be back in NC and so close to family & old friends.

Weddings-Я-Us

So there is another wedding to attend this weekend..Ken's wedding, in Raleigh or Durham or somewhere in between. Following the surprising move that happened this past weekend, there won't be any stress-related activities involving flights or accident prone flight attendants spilling orange juice all over me....hopefully.

Yesterday was all about Tucker really. I don't think the little guy was in shape to outrun two people at the same time at the doggy park. He ended up spilling sideways on the ground, which made the ride home good enough so he could pass out. And yes, one of the pictures I caught him with his tongue out...waiting for someone to throw the ball.

'Zhe' Story

So it started back sometime in July. I received a call concerning some recruitment from within the company I work for about a job I applied for. They said they wanted an interview, so that happened over the phone for several minutes. After that, they wanted to bring me in a few weeks after for a second interview. So it goes that I flew into Raleigh on Friday, July 27th, for the interview. Abby picked me up to greet me since her & mom were in Peru the last time I visited. So I had a few minutes before I needed to head south to Fayetteville for the business part of the day.

After leaving the great interview I headed back towards Durham to spend the remaining time of the night with Charlie, Abby, and Tucker. A nice meal at a Japanese steakhouse ended the night well. All this time, mom & dad are kept out of the loop so that maybe it'll spawn into an even better surprise. I leave out of Raleigh on Saturday the 28th back to Abilene and wait out the decision to be made. Since there were others to be interviewed and me the first, I had some time to wait.

It wasn't long, maybe one to two weeks that I received the call involving the good news...still the parents didn't know about it. Now comes the planning and organizing a new place without leaving Texas, all from the help from Abby & Dave. Now things are rolling well. Casey & Collin help out with the packing up, and everyone is super nice the week that I am to leave. So, I leave out of Abilene just a couple days ago, on the 31st, after work...driving as far as my eyes will allow before taking a couple hours of nap for myself. The calls and text messages did help Brent, Dave, Mike & Abby, but I'm not so sure about the safety of me trying to text while driving a 40 foot long vehicle, including my car.

After crashing for an hour or so, I couldn't sleep. I didn't want to start out too late in the morning and get caught in traffic, especially in Atlanta. Somehow I managed to drive 3 more hours before finally getting a couple hours of sleep somewhere in Alabama. It was concluded that is and will always be extremely hard to nap in a truck with bucket seats and nothing to lay on, also considering the seats don't recline. So anyway, I was making good time. The truck was governed at 78 mph, and yes I reached that...even though the trailer recommended staying under 55 mph. I figured I would take the risk of going faster than driving the extra 5+ hours.

Then Atlanta came...yes the traffic was horrible and people brake for no reason, or maybe they were just too busy on their phones to pay attention to traffic. Someone after losing an hour in traffic I managed to make up the time in South Carolina. It was good timing. Dave had just picked up the key for me in Fayetteville to my new place(which I had not seen at all). Abby was in the works of formulating a plan to trick mom into coming to Fayetteville for the surprise. And, I was on my way to Mike & Misty's for the night after some Japanese with them & Dave. All was looking good, no wreck on the long drive and I'm not hungry after a good meal. Now comes my first night's sleep in a real bed after several days.

On with more driving...7am EST I pick up Dave at his apartment in Charlotte so we can go unload all my belongings at the new place. Since my dad had other plans outside of staying to help Abby on Sunday, I had to break him the news of my arrival & new place. He agreed to help us out as well. So, we have a couple of hours to unpack everything at the new place before mom gets there. Things go well and we are done in very little time...it's hot, humid and we are relaxing. Ab & mom show up, and the surprise happens. The bomb drops, and it is a success.

Back Home

So as tired as I am, I need to sit down and relax a little bit. Today dad, Dave, and me unloaded everything from the moving truck into my new place here in Fayetteville. I have some things to take care of and a lot of running around to do starting tomorrow, but for now, I believe relaxing a lot on the couch is ranked at the top of the list for me. Catch me later.

1 year, 8 months

So the wall of boxes have disappeared...more to come of it on Monday.

Wall of boxes

Some of you know what I'm referring to, and others will learn of the whole deal...in due time.

PS. the picture has nothing to do with it.

Water-Front property

So the rains were predicted to fall yesterday and pretty much this entire weekend...due to that tropical storm that decided to come onto land. Over at Brent's house last night, it wasn't bad getting there, only a little water on the road. After a few more people showed up, the rain came down a little harder, and then the floods came. Abilene, not known for its underground drainage system(lacking one altogether), become the essence of chaos from water.

Brent now had riverfront property. A nice 10 mph current of water passed in front of his house now and things were pretty funny. Mind you this wasn't the normal draining of water. It was a few feet deep. I really wanted to float down the road too. And, the dare to try and cross the street on a bicycle was a little extreme considering the fast moving water. You guys just wanted to watch me drown, maybe!

Corporate blah blah

The picture to the right explains this week...so yea...

So over the past couple of days I've been working on something(solution forum for imaging engineers) for the company I work for to use and to make things more efficient. The company has apparently promised this to its engineers in the past but has never "got around" to it. The "thing" they have set up now works, but is very outdated, ugly, very cluttered with other department's problems, and most importantly...is extremely unorganized. Over the years, I've been told by every employer at every job to think creatively and bring ideas up to the company to try out. So what did I do, I created the forum(online discussion board usually for specific subjects that has secure login, especially for sensitive or private postings) in a matter of an hour or so. I tested it out with various dummy accounts, and made it to where only company employees can access. It is organized, each person's account has contact information, an area that they can post their specific equipment strengths in, and most importantly, everything is categorized by equipment and OEM. WOW...but...

...It wasn't even 3 hours after the project was online and working that I received a two "bashing" emails from two people(non engineers) about how what I was doing was bad or wrong...mind you they had no clue what was going on and had not even checked out the forum themselves. I think they felt a little threatened because I do not work in the information systems department and am not supposed to create stuff like this, even though it is that simple using the internet. If that wasn't enough, I was suspended from future postings about the new promised "idea," even though they promised this forum years ago. Will it work better than what they now? Yes. Do they know that? Apparently that doesn't matter to them. Creative thinking is looked on as good from what they say, but acting on those thoughts is bad. An even bigger slap to the face was the phone call from a person(who I know personally from school) back at the Charlotte office who thought the project was a "personal advertisement" thing(again, he was clueless of what was going on). Is this a personal thing? NO! It's work. Creating this was not fun. Overall, it shows me how bad the system works. People being in an industry for years and years doesn't prove they know the most efficient way to handle problem solving.

...and counting

So, this entire weekend was pretty relaxing. I did a little more research on the "housing" situation around here which led up 'til Saturday...which was a waste to begin with. I should've just slept in, but the day progressed, got to hang out with good friends, take in Rush Hour 3(which was just alright), and go for a long ride in a convertible on an extremely clear night.

Plus, playing the bass at church has been great, something I've missed since going to Gospel Light back home. Anyway, got a lot going on this week as far as planning goes, so...night!

Drivers are bad as it is!

from The Register(UK):

Nine out of ten Americans think that texting while driving is dangerous and should be banned, but over half admitted to indulging in the act behind the wheel. A survey carried out by Harris Interactive found that while 91 per cent of people surveyed said it was as dangerous as getting behind the wheel after a couple of drinks, 57 per cent said they had sent a message while driving. Despite 89 per cent of the respondents saying they would like to see the practice banned, more than 65 per cent said they had read texts or emails while on the move. The younger age group are more frequent offenders, with 64 per cent of those who text and drive in the 18 to 34 age group. Only six per cent were aged 55 and older. The survey, which was commissioned by mobile messaging service Pinger, came after the first ban on texting while driving was introduced in Washington state in May. New York, California, and Florida are said to be currently considering similar legislation. In Ireland, it has been an offense to use a mobile phone - whether it is texting or talking - behind the wheel since September last year. Offenders may find themselves slapped with two penalty points on their driving licence and a fine of €60. If the matter is brought to the courts, drivers run the risk of four penalty points and a maximum fine of €2,000.

I believe it's bad enough seeing someone swerve all over the road while driving just because they are so involved in their conversation, but actually seeing someone taking the time to tap-type or send out text messages is scary. People have died due to accidents caused by text-messaging...terrible!

Gallons & a puppy!

I believe I'll catch up on some Conan O'Brien today. It's been awhile. So over the next 7 days it's supposed to be 99 or higher...which is ridiculous. Meanwhile back in the homeland of North Carolina it's been over 100 for a couple days already, plus the humidity. I feel sorry for you guys.

On Monday, one of my friends, Brad, attempted the Gallon Challenge. The challenge is to drink an entire gallon of milk in one hour. The difference on Monday was that Brad claimed he could complete the gallon in half the time. I happened to get it all on video cause Brad wanted to be famous on YouTube(or JumpCut)...until he started drinking the entire gallon. So, here below you can watch what brad completed.

On top of that, here is another video I uploaded today of Abby attempting to catch her little pup, Tucker. He is quite fast despite the tiny legs. Check him out below and let me know what you think.

What flavors are missing?

In today's food world there are tons of new things coming out as "flavors," but aren't they missing some good ones or not combining some better ones? I'm suggesting a donut flavored ice cream, or jello. A fresh Krispy Kreme donut is hard to pass up, or a dozen of them. Brent & Mark, you guys were making it entirely too hard to not go out and find the "Fish Food" ice cream by Ben & Jerry's...after our long discussion about your Blue Bell obsession. It's either the Fish Food flavor(which has nothing to do with fish at all actually) or the one I can't think of with the fudge core down the middle of the carton. mmm!

So tonight after going to an outdoor wedding(there were chocolate covered strawberries there), I got to see The Bourne Ultimatum...awesome dang movie! It definitely finishes out the story nicely. Even though I haven't read all four books to compare between the two, it's a no-brainer to watch it.

Patience...indeed

Ab & Charlie, awesome to hear about a possible closing on a house. Charlie, make sure the doors are wide enough...you know, for Abby. Heading out of town this weekend just for a little...to somewhere but can't reveal some pertinent information. So, later. My weekend starts today after work, then some real work begins.

Here's a recent picture of all the old roomies from UNCC at Mike's wedding.

Pretty nice

Had an awesome weekend, despite recent events around. So, check out the new design here. I got a little bored on the weekend on Saturday and decided to change some things up, add some things, and just make it fresh all over. I'm really liking Google's PicasaWeb photo storage system, hence the image on the left. It'll take you to the entire collection.

Hopeful

Friday the 13th isn't scaring me! This will mark the first weekend without a forced mess around me. I'm looking forward to it I guess. There is another good thing today that happened. I received a great phone call that might just turn into something awesome and worthwhile, but no details for right now...maybe later. I would love to surprise the ones waiting. So, anyway, as of this week, it's Me -mess and back to normal. Later...

Free Indeed

So...come and has gone. One thing learned...time spent on something without a compromise isn't worth much.

"Given up on getting through"

Bad day

Not really wanting to get on a plane anytime soon

So now we are finally out of the Dallas airport and back to normal things. This past weekend was awesome with a few headaches due to airline mess-ups. Things in Dallas were pretty messed up flying back out to Abilene, so American Airlines put us up in a nice expensive suite for the night and gave us lots of food. Swell. Misty & Mike's wedding went great and they should be enjoying Georgia beaches then the Florida beaches. Dave, good hanging out with you a lot, and I'll see you again this weekend in Dallas. Dad, thanks for taking the time to pick us up in Raleigh and not fall asleep on the way back...or almost not fall asleep. Charlie, thanks for letting us stay in Durham our last night and hang out with Tucker.

This past weekend, Erin saw her first wedding & many actual trees...because Texas does not have trees.

A few straws left

So last night I got to eat at Fuji...everything else was same old, same old. Tomorrow I'm out.

Anticipation...blah

So yesterday was Erin's first cookout hosting event...the hamburger patties were funny/excellent. Next time I think the eggs should be left out of the recipe, just an idea. Hey, at least Cinch got to eat a lot of good food. So, french toast? The storm watching on the roof was cool afterwards.

As of Friday, Mom & Abby were in Peru...and will be there a week. Enjoy it! ...and I wish I was there with you two.

Butter is sweet

So this week marks National Biomedical/Clinical Engineering Appreciation Week...Got free Steak Express today because of it. Nice. Only one week now and counting.

Have to wait for next week?

So I stayed up a little too late last night...but here is what I have so far on Picasa.

Just letting things go...

So I'm trying out all that Google has to offer...already everything I use like calendar, contacts, email, and daily etc stuff has been transfered over to google allowing me to access it from anywhere almost. Now, I'm in the process of putting all my photos on Google's photo storage service called Picasa. It has been a hassle being somewhere and trying to find exactly where I've stored various pictures when there are many places I have things placed on the internet.

I just want to say "hello" again

So much confusion of thoughts can come from an unexpected abundance of silence. The trick is to let it go.

So yea, this week there is supposed to be another surprise from Miss Erin or something along the lines of that...I don't know, but we'll see. And to settle the dispute, the hair looks better than before and better than before again. Alrighty...I'm hoping to see Evan Almighty sometime too this weekend. Just having an unstoppable growth of facial hair is funny to think of in a movie. And, I can't imagine seeing a gazel & lion on the ark together and there not be a little bit of a struggle. I am guessing the lion would win.

It's just one week away until I'm back to "the good state" for Mike & Misty's wedding...with Miss Erin. She has never been to North Carolina so it will be interesting seeing her take in all she has missed out on. In fact, she has never been outside the surrounding states of Texas...weird. All I know, is that every restaurant in the "real" south has sweet tea available...something I can't say about Texas. It will be odd being back home when Ab & Mom are down in Peru...what timing!!! Anyway, back late next Thursday.

skill & the will

Time moving fast, making things better.

just here

Crappy night last night, couldn't sleep a wink, but at least it's Friday. I sense a lot of relaxation this weekend.

Out of it

Definitely looking forward to the end of June after this past weekend...will be a nice get-away.

Ready for a peaceful 3 day weekend

Free billiards all month at a local place...I'm there. It's something to take the mind off of mess. Monday is definitely offwork for me.

Ready for next month to come...

If they would've just made the bracket with some smarts backing it...but I'm going to bed tonight with a handful of insulation burried in each arm.

Really getting tired of gas prices...but the weekend is almost here.

Loving the rain

The fog this morning reminds me back home. ...so this diet thing that I'm supporting on, is terrible, but worth it.

I'd give up everything for another day from last year.

Good stuff

The ankle is getting better, and actually played lots of basketball on it this past week...and through football with Erin, but her dog showed her up. Oh and nice frisbee golfing. I now see the two left hands you have. Weakling Hope it keeps raining. I looked online today a little for flights & time I want to take off for Misty & Mike's big day in June...and it looks like I'll be back on the 28th of June & staying until July 1st. You two enjoy getting the new house ready.

Erin, next time we're in Walmart, you're getting a punch in the back, haha.

Weekend...plus other half.

Weekend it is. Going to the drive-in tonight, first time ever. Tomorrow, rib cookout.

Tossed around

Finally got a decent chance to sit down at the computer & relax a bit. So this past weekend was three days instead of two outside of work. I took a long long long drive up the tiny town of Dalhart with Erin(her tiny hometown), a speck on the map if you want. It was definitely different than any place I've been to before. Four hours of riding horses around the town gave me a nice sleeve tan and nice red all over the neck. You know what that's called. After getting burned, the 4wheeler was next. The next day was hit with a splurge of tornados(16 that were counted at least), but I didn't get to see one and still haven't. Then the power went out everywhere, great! Playing UNO in the dark for hours was fun and definitely a ginormous challenge telling green from blue under candlelight. The three males won 2 games apiece while the females didn't get a single win. Ah, too bad. Then on Sunday was the candlelit service at church, different but good at the same time. There was actually a time on Saturday when we were out in the middle of field with no roads or anything about 1 foot you could see in all directions...making it pretty hard to tell which way was North, South, East or West. I actually felt lost, weird.

Now back to the routine & things with much much much shorter hair...ankle is almost healed up completely.

Tired & hungry. At least the chocolate milk stayed down!

So there was snow on the ground on Easter. That's sorta weird, especially for being out in Texas. Dad was here to join in on the confusion of the super cold temperatures. Eating was good this past weekend too, probably the best.

Anyway, last night I got a nice case of food poisoning, which would be my first I think. That meant zero sleep and an even crappier start to the day of having to go to work anyway. Now I'll have to take a long leave of visiting Little Italy for food. Boo!

fried buscuits really do taste good!

Went camping this past weekend...and ice fishing = fun!

Oh yea! That's how it is supposed to work!

Eight days, huh! So this past Thursday at the 3v3 basketball tournament...playing a short pickup game, I decided to grab a rebound. After, someone else's foot decided to break my fall, causing a loud snap(ouch! bad sprang) & me to hit the ground. Yay. What do I do despite the swelling & bad, bad, bad rotation pain? I play on it anyway, colors & all. Almost winning against the best team there, I had five 3s in their face, lol. Oh well, summer will be filled with more basketball stuff, and hopefully without anymore ankle problems. Plus, I'm almost walking normal again.

So trying to drive back home wasn't fun either, but Ab & mom were coming later...picked them up late at the airport, then headed to Wal-mart because females need to go there quite often apparently. So I bought an ace bandage...Not too bad now. The coloring isn't too bad. Eating at Fuji's was nice, following by Perini's Ranch the next day. Sorry Ab & mom, the disc golf will come next time when I'll be able to walk then. Thanks you two for coming out here again.

So Erin decides to be funny on the game night on the 23rd...She goes out and spends real money on a Duke(DooK) hat as a joke. Mom, Ab & me were planning on doing a ritual burning of the Duke product but Casey would've missed out, so we're going to be lighting it up soon. Sorry, DooK for the terrible year. Better luck never.

So the deadlift didn't stop on Wednesday despite the gimp ankle, still managed 410xFour! Almost April...time moving on. Ronnie, CEP will survive. Let it ride a month, haha.

Time flies by...what have I missed so far

Family arrives today late, after the 3v3 b-ball event. It better not rain tonight! Tomorrow, no work...instead having a good time every minute.

Again, called out...and again, not a lamer

Carolina...the last ACC team left in the tournament, and was also looking forward to seeing Texas play UNC, but oh well. Sorry Texas. We'll see what happens. Only a couple days until a good family visit & a 3v3 basketball tournament over at the healthclub.

For a second I wish the tide would swallow every inch of this city,
As you gasp for air tonight.
I'd scream this song right in your face if you were here!
I swear I won't miss a beat, cause I never have before

Dandy...with some sugar on top

Today marks a new step for the deadlift goal towards 500 pounds. I got a full rep on 470lbs...only 30 pounds away!!!

Batting cages & Erin & Casey...fun. Beating Erin at air hockey...a breeze. Watching Erin hit the puck so hard it flies across the entire game room...of course, priceless.

Weekend = blast

So this whole new daylight savings time thing(starting this morning) messed with the morning bigtime. Some "devices" with clocks were confused making getting to places a little difficult. Oh well, anything to save a couple more barrels of oil for Exon(where's the gas price drop!). So, the Tarheels get another ACC Tournament trophy & are placed as a #1 seed in the East bracket. Nice try State, better you coming close to winning than Duke. Anyone but Duke please!

Saw the new epic movie, 300. Very nice, bloody, and lots of slow-motion gore for all to see. Minus the 1 cheap scene with the king's wife, it was a good movie. The guitar session after the film was much better(Really liked that Head over Heels song).

Baffled/Perplexed

This weekend(and from Thursday) has so far been filled with the ACC tournament and watching the bigger & better teams lose to the not so good NC State...which still makes me laugh(at Duke, VT, and VA). NC State, ranked #10 in the ACC advances to the tournament...against the #1 Heels. So last night 300 finally came out, and tomorrow I'm going to see it. Dave(still Mr. 4.0), you said it was awesome, and I believe it'll be just the same.

This Wednesday was a douple repper on 450 lbs on deadlift...progress noted.

Slow & Low...and results happen

Found a good time and place to play against some people in basketball finally...every week. Sweet! It's just in time for the NCAA tournament too.

Read the box below...unless you want to be a bad statistic. Also try out fitday.com to help out with goals. It is free to anyone. Ok, now on to the info below:

The 10 roads to Fatsville - Exclusive from New Scientist Print Edition
by Alison Motluk

Ask anyone why there is an obesity epidemic and they will tell you that it's all down to eating too much and burning too few calories. That is undoubtedly true - you cannot get round the first law of thermodynamics. It's also true that we live in an "obesogenic environment": calorific food is plentiful and cheap and our lifestyles are increasingly sedentary. Most of us have to make an effort not to get fat.

That explanation appeals to common sense and has dominated efforts to get to the root of the obesity epidemic and reverse it. Yet obesity researchers are increasingly dissatisfied with it. Many now believe that something else must have changed in our environment to precipitate such dramatic rises in obesity over the past 40 years or so. Nobody is saying that the "big two" - reduced physical activity and increased availability of food - are not important contributors to the epidemic, but they cannot explain it all (see "Why the 'Big Two' just will not do", below).

Earlier this year a review paper by 20 obesity experts set out the 10 most plausible alternative explanations for the epidemic (International Journal of Obesity, DOI: 10.1038/sj.ijo.0803326). Here they are.

1 Not enough sleep

It is widely believed that sleep is for the brain, not the body. Could a shortage of shut-eye also be helping to make us fat?

Several large epidemiological studies suggest there may be a link. People who sleep less than 7 hours a night tend to have a higher body mass index (BMI) than people who sleep more, according to data gathered by the US National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. Similarly, the US Nurses' Health Study, which tracked 68,000 women for 16 years, found that those who slept an average of 5 hours a night gained more weight during the study period than women who slept 6 hours, who in turn gained more than those who slept 7. Two recent studies, one in Canada and the other in Germany, show that sleep duration and weight are linked in children too.

It's well known that obesity impairs sleep, so perhaps people get fat first and sleep less afterwards. But the nurses' study suggests that it can work in the other direction too: sleep loss may precipitate weight gain. One factor that could be at work here is the way sleep deprivation alters metabolism. Leptin, the hormone that signals satiety, falls while ghrelin, which signals hunger, rises - and this boosts appetite. Sleep-deprived rats eat about twice as much as rested ones. "They're voracious," says Carol Everson at the Medical College of Wisconsin in Milwaukee.

The same goes for people. In men allowed only 4 hours' sleep for two consecutive nights in a sleep lab, leptin levels dropped 18 per cent and ghrelin levels rose 28 per cent, and the volunteers reported they felt a lot hungrier. A big study recently confirmed these trends outside the lab. "Sleep loss seems to alter the ability of leptin and ghrelin to accurately signal caloric need," says Karine Spiegel at the Free University of Brussels (ULB), who ran the lab study, "and could lead to excessive caloric intake when food is freely available."

Although getting figures is difficult, it appears that we really are sleeping less. In 1960 people in the US slept an average of 8.5 hours per night. A 2002 poll by the National Sleep Foundation suggests that the average has fallen to under 7 hours. According to Spiegel, the decline in sleep is mirrored by the increase in obesity (see Diagram).

2 Climate control

We humans, like all warm-blooded animals, can keep our core body temperatures pretty much constant regardless of what's going on in the world around us. We do this by altering our metabolic rate, shivering or sweating. Keeping warm and staying cool take energy unless we are in the "thermoneutral zone" - around 27 °C for a naked body - which is increasingly where we choose to live and work.

There's no denying that ambient temperatures have changed in the past few decades. Between 1970 and 2000, the average British home warmed from a chilly 13 °C to 18 °C. In the US, the changes have been at the other end of the thermometer as the proportion of homes with air conditioning rose from 23 to 47 per cent between 1978 and 1997. In the southern states - where obesity rates tend to be highest - the number of houses with air con has shot up to 70 per cent from 37 per cent in 1978.

Could air conditioning in summer and heating in winter really make a difference to our weight? Sadly, there is some evidence that it does - at least with regard to heating. Studies of people enclosed in respiration chambers for a few days show that in comfortable temperatures we use less energy. In one study of women exposed to 27 °C versus 22 °C, it amounted to a difference of about a megajoule (239 kilocalories) a day. That's the amount of energy in 27 grams of body fat.

Sweating burns up energy, however, and there's good evidence that high temperatures reduce the amount people eat, according to biostatistician David Allison of the University of Alabama, Birmingham. Whether these factors significantly alter energy balance is not clear, but it's got to be worth investigating.

3 Less smoking

Bad news: smokers really do tend to be thinner than the rest of us, and quitting really does pack on the pounds, though no one is sure why. It probably has something to do with the fact that nicotine is an appetite suppressant and appears to up your metabolic rate.

Katherine Flegal and colleagues at the US National Center for Health Statistics in Hyattsville, Maryland, have calculated that people kicking the habit have been responsible for a small but significant portion of the US epidemic of fatness. From data collected around 1991 by the US National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, they worked out that people who had quit in the previous decade were much more likely to be overweight than smokers and people who had never smoked. Among men, for example, nearly half of quitters were overweight compared with 37 per cent of non-smokers and only 28 per cent of smokers.

Between 1978 and 1990, the prevalence of obesity in the US increased by about 9 per cent. Flegal reckons that about a fifth of this increase can be attributed to people giving up smoking (The New England Journal of Medicine, vol 333, p 1165). That's not to say that quitting smoking is a threat to public health - far from it. Smoking is so dangerous that you'd have to gain about 45 kilograms to justify continuing.

4 Prenatal effects

Your chances of becoming fat may be set, at least in part, before you are even born. Children of obese mothers - especially those who develop gestational diabetes - are much more likely to become obese themselves later in life. While this may be largely down to genetics, there is also evidence that some "intrauterine programming" goes on.

Offspring of mice fed a high-fat diet during pregnancy are much more likely to become fat than the offspring of identical mice fed a normal diet. Intriguingly, the effect persists for two or three generations. Grandchildren of mice fed a high-fat diet grow up fat even if their own mother is fed normally - so your fate may have been sealed even before you were conceived.

At the other end of the spectrum, we know from studying people born during the famine inflicted on the Netherlands during the second world war that energy restriction in the womb can lead to obesity later in life. This is especially likely if there is a period of rapid catch-up growth in the first two years of life. In the prosperous west, that might appear to be of little relevance, yet in the US the incidence of low birthweight has been rising since the mid-1980s and is now at its highest level for 30 years (National Vital Statistics Report, vol 53, p 1).

5 Fat equals fecund

Heavier people have more children. A study by Lee Ellis at Minot State University in North Dakota found "small but highly significant correlations" between BMI and reproductive rates. Women of normal weight or below had an average of 3.2 children, while overweight or obese women had an average of 3.5 children.

Does having more children make women gain weight, or does being overweight cause women to have more children? Probably both. Having lots of kids can increase the chances of getting fat - if for no other reason than poor sleep (see above). But Ellis also showed that people's BMI before they ecome parents is associated with the number of children they eventually have.

Explanations vary. Extreme thinness impairs fertility in both men and women. Extreme obesity does too, but Ellis thinks the effect is probably stronger at the thin end. Also, as David Allison of the University of Alabama at Birmingham points out, obesity can lead to lower socioeconomic status, which in turn is associated with having more children.

So why is this relevant to the epidemic? It's because obesity is heritable - twin studies indicate it's about 65 per cent genetic - so a tendency for this to be associated with having a large family will cause the proportion of overweight people to go up.

6 A little older...

Some groups of people just happen to be fatter than others. Surveys carried out by the US National Center for Health Statistics found that adults aged 40 to 79 were around three times as likely to be obese as younger people. Non-white females also tend to fall at the plumper end of the spectrum: Mexican-American women are 30 per cent more likely than white women to be obese, and black women have twice the risk (Journal of the American Medical Association, vol 295, p 1549).

In the US, these groups account for an increasing percentage of the population. Between 1970 and 2000 the chunk of the US population aged 35 to 44 grew by 43 per cent. The proportion of Hispanic-Americans also grew, from under 5 per cent to 12.5 per cent of the population, while the proportion of black Americans increased from 11 to 12.3 per cent. These demographic shifts may account in part for the increased prevalence of obesity.

7 More drugs

In the 1970s a new class of antipsychotic medication called neuroleptics came on the market, and millions of people worldwide now take these drugs. Alongside their undoubted success in treating psychosis, neuroleptics have a drawback: users typically gain 4 kilograms in the first 10 weeks, and another 4 or 5 kg in the year that follows.

Neuroleptics are not the only class of drugs to cause weight gain: anticonvulsants to treat epilepsy, antihypertensives for high blood pressure, protease inhibitors to treat HIV and diabetes medications, including insulin, have all been associated with packing on the pounds. Beta blockers add an average 1.2 kg to people using them, and taking contraceptive pills for two years will pad you out with an extra 5 kg. Even common, over-the-counter antihistamines can fatten you up.

So have pharmaceuticals contributed to the obesity epidemic? There is no firm evidence either way, but there is no doubt that the use of all these drugs has mirrored the rise in obesity over the past 30 years.

“Just as people pair off according to their looks, so they do for size”

8 Pollution

In daily life, people are exposed to tens of thousands of industrial chemicals: pesticides, dyes, flavourings, perfumes, plastics, resins and solvents, to name but a few. We swallow them, inhale them and absorb them through our skin.

There is some evidence that low levels of some of these chemicals can lead to weight gain. Mice given small amounts of the pesticide dieldrin, for instance, more than doubled their body fat. Hexachlorobenzene, another pesticide, caused rats to gain significantly more than controls, despite eating half as much. Studies of humans exposed to PCBs by eating fish caught in North America's Great Lakes have found similar associations: the more the toxic load, the greater the body weight.

Some of these chemicals are endocrine disruptors that interfere with the functioning of hormones such as oestrogen. Numerous animal and human studies suggest that when oestrogen is not functioning properly, adiposity increases. Our exposure to such chemicals is on the rise: one Swedish study found that the concentration of PBDE (polybrominated diphenyl ether, a now-banned fire retardant) in breast milk doubled every five years between 1972 and 1998.

9 Mature mums

Mothers around the world are getting older. In the UK, the mean age for having a first child is 27.3, compared with 23.7 in 1970. Mean age at first birth in the US has also increased, rising from 21.4 in 1970 to 24.9 in 2000.

This would be neither here nor there if it weren't for the observation that having an older mother seems to be an independent risk factor for obesity. Results from the US National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute's growth and health study found that the odds of a child being obese increases about 14 per cent for every five extra years of their mother's age, though why this should be so is not entirely clear.

Could sheep hold a clue? Michael Symonds at the University of Nottingham, UK, has found that lambs born to older ewes lay down more adipose tissue in the first year of life. Symonds also found that first-born offspring have more fat than their younger siblings. As family size decreases, firstborns account for a greater share of the population. In 1964, the British woman gave birth to an average of 2.95 children; by 2005 that figure had fallen to 1.79. In the US in 1976, 9.6 per cent of women in their 40s had had only one child; in 2004 it was 17.4 per cent. This combination of older mothers and more single children could be contributing to the obesity epidemic. "It could skew the population to having fatter offspring," says Symonds.

10 Like marrying like

Just as people pair off according to looks, so they do for size. Lean people are more likely to marry lean and fat more likely to marry fat. In a study of 1341 Canadian families published in 1999, Peter Katzmarzyk at York University in Toronto found that there is a small but significant correlation between spouses of both BMI and "skinfold" measures of flabbiness that cannot be accounted for by the fact that they live together.

On its own, like marrying like cannot account for any increase in obesity. But combined with others - particularly the fact that obesity is partly genetic, and that heavier people have more children - it amplifies the increase from other causes.

From issue 2576 of New Scientist magazine, 03 November 2006, page 34-38