Celtic Knot

September 11, 2011

2011-09-11T05:46:00.000-05:00

Now it's 10 years later and still no police state.

This was my post from 5 years ago that recounted my whereabouts.

http://celtic-knot.blogspot.com/2006/09/and-so-here-we-are.html

I feel like you kind of have to make a post about a something. I had hoped our country would become more patriotic. Unfortunately, it has not. It has only fallen deeper into idiocracy, which means Baz Lurhman was right, "Accept certain inalienable truths, prices will rise, politicians will philander, you too will get old, and when you do you'll fantasize that when you were young prices were reasonable, politicians were noble and children respected their elders."

I think, if anything, we have missed the boat as a nation. I don't think we get what it's about or why and we just don't care. Which is sad.

How to Fix the Country

2011-08-21T14:10:00.001-05:00

We have a mess on our hands in our country. How do we fix it?

1. We have to reduce the number of people.

I'm not talking about exterminating populations, I'm talking about ways to reduce the number of people dependent on government. I didn't know this until recently, but our population in 1790 was 3 million. It's up to 300 million now and there is more government around. Supporting more people means more money and more infrastructure. What's the fix?

I'm an obvious supporter of population control by means of limiting the number of people entering our country legally. This is a great country to live, but if we aren't careful we get too many people who want to take advantage of it.

Second way to reduce population is to enforce birth control for those on welfare. Why not? Louisiana is known for a scheme that people perpetually live on welfare by getting willing young girls pregnant.

Finally, we have to identify and deport those not here legally. We can simplify the citizenship process, but our priority should be to remove those who shouldn't be here.

See this video for more details:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u5iFESMAU58

2. We need to produce some type of product.

You may ask, "If we don't have as many people in the country, how are we going to produce something?" It's economics. With fewer workers, wages should increase, when wages increase, and there is more opportunity for work, more people spend money. We haven't really produced anything for a long time. We need to make a product and sell it. The problem is that most items can be produced more economically in other countries.

First thing we need to do is decrease the influence of union bargaining power on wages. Part of the wage issue is exactly the solution. We produce things overseas because the cost of labor is too high. So reduce the cost of labor.

3. Decrease dependence on foreign oil. We've invested a lot in green energy, but we haven't seen a return. If you get a government grant for developing something for green energy we have to set the bar pretty high. Since NASA is not doing shuttle missions, we need them to start developing ways to decrease dependence on foreign oil.

Why foreign oil? Because we don't control the price of things that we consume a great quantity of. By reducing the price or making foreign oil insignificant, we reduce the income of terrorist groups that get funding from oil revenue. We also stabilize the Middle East by making their influence on the world less than significant.

So basically, we need higher standards for investments in green energy and, in turn, we reduce terrorism.

4. Term limits for all elected officials. Government has become too much of a business. Plain and simple, they don't need to be there all year and they don't need to be paid what they are paid and they don't need to be there that long.

The T Girl

2011-06-14T15:54:00.001-05:00

Why do I find the T-M0b!l3 girl so hot in this commercial? I don't even like rap.

Of Zombie Movies

2011-06-13T08:09:00.003-05:00

It's really slow at work when students leave. So much so I usually partake of a morning movie feature. I make sure it doesn't interfere with work.

This summer has been the Zombie Summer. I've bought a bunch of zombie movies used and watched them. Among the film festival features are:

28 Days
28 Weeks Later
Dawn of the Dead
Day of the Dead
Zombie Diaries
Trailer Park of Terror
Shawn of the Dead
I am Legend

I've learned the following.

1. There will be nudity

No zombie movie can exist without nudity.

2. 60% of the cast will die

More than likely, no one that's in the first few scenes will live. The more offensive the character, the more likely they will die. The dumber the character, the more likely they will die.

3. People who keep secrets, die.

If you try to hide something, you die.

4. To kill a zombie you have to shoot it in the head, cut off it's head or generally bash it's brain in

Despite the fact that this is common knowledge in the entire world, it must be re-iterated over and over and at least one person must die in a zombie movie before they realize you have to go for the head shot.

5. Zombie infections are transmitted like an STD.

The zombie virus - a.k.a. The Rage Virus, Captain Trips, etc - is transmitted through bodily fluids. Kissing, sex, bites, getting infected pigeon poo in your eye will turn you into a zombie. Even if you kill them and get blood all over you, it will only get you infected if it enters your blood stream. Don't know how THAT'S possible. Therefore, practice safe zombie hunting and condomize yourself.

6. No one ever has enough bullets.

Good lord, if you are going to carry a weapon, bring enough bullets. A good sword or spear is much more useful than a gun. A blade is only good for close quarters, but much more effective than a gun it seems.

7. Despite the government/military's best effort to quarantine, zombies will escape.

8. White people always want to split up.

Stupid honkeys. Stay together and keep your backs together.

9. Children not infected in the first 15 minutes live.

No one kills a kid in a movie unless it's real drama.

10. Commit Suicide if You Are Infected

It's much easier to not fight at all and commit suicide especially if you are infected. It also never fails that if you are infected, the hottest leading lady will be in love with you.

I can't let this one go by

2011-06-11T09:11:00.000-05:00

The unfortunate crossing of a last name and a news event.

Commencement Speech

2011-06-09T07:20:00.003-05:00

I was challenged to write a commencement speech. So here you have it.

Thank you for letting me speak today to the class of 2011. It is an honor and a privilege to be with you and your loved ones today. I hope my words will bring you insight and footing for your journey ahead.

I wish I could say that the rest of your life will be a page from Dr. Seuss' Oh, The Places You Will Go! but I would be lying to you if I told you that. As a matter of fact, I believe Dr. Seuss was terribly wrong in filling your heads with these silly notions that you will be so incredibly brilliant that the rest of your life will be amazing. Horse $h!t!

In the next few months you will discover that not everyone gets a trophy. As a matter of fact, most people will receive a pink slip more than any corporate reward. Your promotion will not depend on your merits or the thousands of dollars of education you received from this fine institution, but rather depend on who's a$$ you kissed or who you slept with to get you to a higher level. I do not suggest doing either of those, but there are plenty who have made their way to the top using such nefarious means.

Your generation has been hovered over and raised to believe you are incredibly special. This, in fact, is once again horse $h!t. You know very little regarding the workings of the real world unless you have been working your way through college. All that stuff you regurgitated from the $150 textbooks is nothing more than theory from an aging hippie who sells pie-in-th-sky ideas for profit. He cares little about you and will not remember you after you leave unless you had big boobs.

You are special, just like the 6.2 billion other people in the world. As a matter of fact you are incredibly common, pampered and disillusioned. You will not run the company in 6 months, 6 years or 6 decades. Look around the neighborhood you grew up in. How many of those people are running companies, making millions and living a life of fame and fortune?

Life is hard. It forces you to make difficult decisions. It beats you down, makes you feel inadequate and scars you as an old wound from a lover.

What words, then, can I offer to keep you from slitting your throat after this speech? I will offer you this in a few sentences.

First, you are not common, but that does not mean you have to act that way. You choose and you decide how you treat people and the decisions you will have to live with. I have learned that helping people advances my inner peace more than anything.

Second, sharing is good despite what the world tells you. Give something. It is uncommon to do that.

Next, fail and fail often. Your generation has not been allowed to fail and therefore has not been allowed to learn from their mistakes. Failing is beneficial to learning only if you take the time to learn from your mistakes.

Continuing, time is a precious natural resource. It cannot be saved, hoarded or mined and insists, like a tyrant, that it be used and depleted. Therefore, spend it wisely and generously because the common phrase, "I can save some time," is again, horse $h!t.

Finally, you deserve nothing. God placed you on this planet with a real purpose and objective and yours is not nearly as grand as His. Invest that time, sharing and love into Him and there is no amount of riches you will ever receive that will compare to the peace and joy you desire on this planet.

I hope I have sobered you up to the way the world works. I would have done you a disservice to stand here and tell you that everyone gets a trophy and everything will be marshmallows, unicorns and rainbows the rest of your life. It will not, but cherish those marshmallows when they come for they are sweet and light.

I wish you the best I possibly can and encourage you as you leave to spend the time you've been given in the most appropriate way possible.

Thank you.

Wish I had skipped today

2011-03-18T19:15:00.003-05:00

Ever notice I'm not funny anymore? I mean, even I notice it.

So, I'm no longer working with TDB anymore.

Seems I'm "difficult to work with" according to ... let's be honest, one group of morons, not TDB.

It's hard to be technical in a world of people who absolutely cannot copy and paste. And I'm not joking.

Good side is that I get to work with a fairly skillful manager. I fear it's too late. They pretty much nailed it on the head when they said, "Well, it looks like you haven't been given any direction for a while."

Duhhhhh!

No, really, I'm ok on SPD

2011-03-17T04:32:00.002-05:00

At about 3:30 AM I got out of bed to heed the call of nature. As I turned the corner of my bed, I slipped and fell and hit my head. Fortunately, 1) I did not lose consciousness, 2) there is no blood.

However, there is a casualty. Our bed. For some odd reason, our bed broke. We have an old B0mb@y C0mp@ny bed that looks like the one over there. Well, we don't have it any more. Quite a shock for 3:30 AM. The bed is in pieces. Truly strange.

So, tonight I'll make my traditional Shepherd's Pie and Guiness Bread.

The worst thing

2011-02-11T07:19:00.001-06:00

I have a question for you ladies and men can chime in if they want.

Ladies, what's the WORST thing about being a woman? And then, what's the BEST thing about being a woman?

The Worst Generation

2011-01-23T11:31:00.004-06:00

I'm not a fan of millenniums or boomers. Shocking ...

Millenniums annoy me because of their sense of entitlement and lack of effort to actually DO anything. If it's not handed to them, they call mommy and demand they call their boss to get it fixed.

Found this rather interesting article online from Esquire. Pretty damning. Good read.

Found here

"The Worst Generation"

by Paul Begala

I hate the Baby Boomers. They're the most self-centered, self-seeking, self-
interested, self-absorbed, self-indulgent, self-aggrandizing generation in
American history. As they enter late middle age, the Boomers still can't grow
up. Guys who once dropped acid are now downing Viagra; women who once eschewed
lipstick are now getting liposuction.

I know it's a sin to hate, so let me put it this way: If they were animals,
they'd be a plague of locusts, devouring everything in their path and leaving
but a wasteland. If they were plants, they'd be kudzu, choking off ever other
living thing with their sheer mass. If they were artists, they'd be abstract
expressionists, interested only in the emotions of that moment -- not in the
lasting result of the creative process. If they were a baseball club, they'd be
the Florida Marlins: prefab prima donnas who bought their way to prominence,
then disbanded -- a temporary association but not a team.

Of course, it is as unfair to demonize an entire generation as it is to
characterize an entire gender or race or religion. And I don't literally mean
that everyone born between 1946 and 1964 is a selfish pig. But generations can
have a unique character that defines them, especially if they are the elites of
a generation -- those lucky few who are blessed with the money or brains or
looks or skills or education that typifies an era. Whether is was Fitzgerald and
Hemingway defining the Lost Generation of World War I and the Roaring Twenties,
or JFK and the other heroes of the World War II generation, or the high-tech
whiz kids of the post-Boomer generation, certain archetypes define certain
times.

You know who you are. If you grew your hair and burned your draft card on campus
during the Sixties; if you toked, screwed, and boogied your way through the
Seventies; if you voted for Reagan and believed "Greed is good" in the Eighties;
and if you're trying to make up for it now by nesting as you cluck about the
collapse of "family values," you're it. If not, even if demographers call you a
Boomer, you probably hate our generation's elite as much as I do.

Let's start with the Sixties, the Boomers' dilettante ball. While a few
courageous people like John Lewis and the Freedom Riders risked their lives --
and others like Andrew Goodman, James Chaney, and Michael Schwerner gave theirs
-- the civil-rights movement was led by pre-Boomers like Martin Luther King Jr.
(who would be 71 if he were alive today) and continued without strong support
from the Boomers on college campuses.

Still, I must say this: If you were one of those young people who did risk their
lives to fight racism in the Sixties, who put their bodies on the line to
register voters, who marched and sang and taught and preached against
segregation, you stand as the best refutation of my anti-Boomer tirade. In that
one moment of conscience and courage, you did more with your life than I've done
in all the moments of mine. In a generation of selfish pigs, you were saints.

But the reality is that most campuses did not become hotbeds of unrest until the
Boomers' precious butts were at risk as the Vietnam War escalated. They didn't
want to end the war because they were bothered by working-class kids being blown
apart; if they had been, they wouldn't have spat on those working-class kids
when they came home from Vietnam, or tried to make heroes out of the Communists
who were trying to kill them.

Yet as troubling as that may be, the Sixties were in many ways the Boomers'
finest moment. It was at least a fad then to pretend to care about racial
justice at home and war abroad, to speak out against pollution and prejudice.
But it was mostly just talk. As they came of age, and as idealism might have
required some real sacrifice, idealism suddenly became unfashionable.

And so the Boomers careened into the Seventies without a thought to picking up
where King and the Kennedys left off. Without a war to threaten them, their
selfishness came into full bloom. You know the results: Drug abuse, once a
boutique curse of hip musicians, became more common than the clap. And speaking
of sexually transmitted diseases, the Boomers began to fornicate with such
abandon that rabbits we asking them to cool their jets. They didn't invent sex
or drugs or rock 'n' roll, but they damned near ruined them all.

And don't give me this crap about Boomer music. The Beatles were all born before
the end of the war. So was Janis. So while the Boomers can claim they had the
good taste to listen to gifted pre-Boomers, when it came their turn to make
music, the truest expression of their generation, what did they give us?

Disco.

The generation that came before the Boomers gave them Dylan. The Boomers gave us
KC and the Sunshine Band. Thanks a lot.

Unfair? Perhaps it is a bit of an overstatement. Some friends of mine have
suggested it's an outrage to ignore Baby Boomer Bruce Springsteen, for one. True
enough.

But even more than music, our remarkable economy is what drives and defines the
times we live in today. And as the generation in the economic driver's seat, the
Boomers should get the credit for building this remarkable prosperity, right?

Well, not quite. Nothing can detract from the breathtaking entrepreneurship of
Boomers like Bill Gates and Steve Jobs. But what's interesting is that much of
today's prosperity owes its origins more to the high-tech young nerds of the
post-Boom generation than to the Boomers themselves. The most vital role the
Boomers have in the current economy is to sit on their brains and invest in
post-Boomer high-tech start-ups. The same folks who sponged off their parents
when they were young are now, as they age, getting rich off the industry of
their younger brothers and sisters.

Boomer political and economic values reached their most perfect expression under
pre-Boomer president Ronald Reagan in the Eighties: Screw your neighbor, lay off
the factory workers, shuffle a lot of paper, build an economy in which a few
people get the gold mine and most people get the shaft. It is telling that when
he ran for reelection, Reagan got higher support among Boomers than he did from
his fellow older Americans. Perhaps some of the Greatest Generation saw the
selfishness in Reaganism and turned away from it. And perhaps the Boomers saw
those same qualities, that savage selfishness, and embraced it.

In the long run, will it matter that one generation was so spectacularly
selfish? Maybe not. In a great karmic irony, the Worst Generation may in turn be
raising another great one. Having taught the children of the Baby Boomers off an
on for five years now, at the University of Texas at Georgetown, I find them to
be the opposite of everything I despise about their parents -- they are engaged
in their communities, spending endless hours volunteering to build housing for
the poor or to feed the homeless. They are concerned about their classmates,
having calmed down the PC mania and replaced it with a sensible sensitivity to
the feelings of others. They care about the future and are concerned about their
grandparents. They are more responsible in their private lives and more engaged
in our public life. I have no idea whether it's because of the Boomers or in
spite of them.

Greatest Generation chronicler Tom Brokaw has the difference pegged: "The World
War II generation did what was expected of them. But they never talked about it.
It was part of the Code. There's no more telling metaphor than a guy in a
football game who does what's expected of him -- makes an open-field tackle --
then gets up and dances around. When Jerry Kramer threw the block that won the
Ice Bowl in '67, he just got up and walked off the field."

That kind of self-effacing dignity is wholly alien to the Boomer elite. But when
that day comes, when they finally walk off the field -- or what's left of the
field -- a few of us who've been trailing behind them will be doing a little
dance of our own.

- ESQUIRE, April 2000

Are they REALLY a good Samaritan

2011-01-12T12:29:00.002-06:00

So this post is kind of Biblical. Now that I've lost half of you ...

Anyway, seems there are homeless people in F0rt W0rth. Oh no ... can't be true ... well it is and this article proves it.

Not sure how I feel about these people denying the services of a shelter over tents. Kind of odd.

The other thing I was curious about was the so called "Good Samaritan", specifically this quote, "But now, they have to go, the upshot of good intentions from good samaritans. They brought food, blankets and better tents to the encampment."

I don't think that's being a good Samaritan. The real Good Samaritan did find the guy on the road. Then he took him to an inn, told the inn keeper to take care of him and provide for his needs.

These people gave them tents. In a sense, they just handed them some food and said, "Errr, ugghhh, good luck!?!?!"

The good Samaritan saw the whole thing through, he was committed, and I think what these people did was good for a short time, but not really helpful beyond their immediate need.

That's why I have a problem with churches building big 9 brazillion dollar auditoriums instead of vocational schools for the homeless.

I really don't like parents ... or their sports children either

2011-01-10T12:48:00.004-06:00

My daughter is playing indoor soccer this winter. I love the place she plays, I hate the teams she plays. They are all these "select" teams. How do 7 year olds get to be that good. Steroids, that's how.

At her age they stop keeping score when one team goes above 9, but they keep playing. At 7 years old most of them don't care what the score is, sort of.

I care about the parents whose team is up by 12 and they keep screaming for their kid to score more. Or the kid who keeps elbowing or the coach who won't pull all but three of his players back to mid field when you are so far ahead.

Seriously people! Yes, there are winners and losers in life, but you don't have to be a$$h0les about it.

And guess what? Soccer moms that have no life, no job, too much money and Kate Gosselin, hair, ladies. Dude, get a boyfriend, anything, but stop being crappy soccer moms. Winning isn't everything.

Don't you understand just by sheer percentages, your kid will not get a free ride to college from soccer? Or that the chances of them becoming Pele is so minuscule, it would be better to bet on beetle racing?

Geez Louise, get a life and let the kids just play and have fun. We don't need your help. Or your failed high school football playing husband.

I don't care about your politics

2011-01-05T18:49:00.003-06:00

I just think it's funny the new Speaker of the House's name is Boehner. So when I read this headline I giggled.

Boehner takes charge as new Congress convenes

I believe in ghosts ... sort of

2011-01-05T14:35:00.002-06:00

Despite my Baptist brethren I do whole heatedly believe in "spirits". Not drinking, more like white sheet ghosts. the term "ghost" is really generic.

I've always been fascinated by the spirit world. As a kid I would buy the ghost books from the school book thing you got every few weeks. Had one on Poltergeists I liked.

I've been watching "The Haunted" on Animal Planet. It tips it's hat to animals and I believe it is a reincarnation (no pun intended) of a show called "A Haunting". TH is a fascinating show about hauntings and how they affect people. Two episodes have been my favorite. One on a Succubus. Freaky. And one about a woman who was haunted by her grandfather who happened to be into the occult.

I believe there are more things that go on than what we can see. We are a rather arrogant lot if we think that we know so much. We are sooooo weak. Most spirits are either disembodied "people" or demons. I think angels are probably less intrusive and less obvious but definitely all around us.

Anyway. There are some cool gadgets they use. One is a ghost box. Video here. It's a small radio that scans frequencies and actually picks up on EVP which is a complicated acronym for ghosts talking.

I'm having a rough time

2010-12-24T17:32:00.002-06:00

I have a really hard time during the holidays. Like very depressed. All the horrible memories of everything overshadow the great memories that didn't go past age 10.

I also lost a model today. I loved working with her. It was my fault and I don't want to talk about why, but it was my fault. That's hard.

I have this incredible desire to please people and be accepted and when people yell at me it's hard.

I don't do well. I want to be a different person, but I'm slowly learning that I will always be who I am.

I just want to be accepted. Flaws and all.

So, umm, I was just wondering since we haven't spoken in a while ...

2010-12-22T04:35:00.005-06:00

Grad school took it out of me. Funny thing is that the two classes I took this semester were what I do for a living. I ended up having panic attacks when I went to do homework. I'm a little burnt out. Talked it over with my professor and she agreed I was burnt out. So maybe next semester will be better. As a general policy I don't look at my grades. I'm in it to learn, not compete.

I'm throwing a lot of my effort into my photography. I keep telling myself I'm good even though I don't get hired. Can't tell you how that destroys your ego and if you are a guy, that's a big blow. Women think of it as someone telling you your boobs are small and your hair looks bad. But I'm having fun. If you want to read more of that blog it's at http://photographybyjefblog.blogspot.com/ I've also been doing some Vlogs at http://www.youtube.com/user/photographybyjef

Came to some catharsis concerning my dysfunctional life. It's my mom, not my dad. That's been sad. My tank is empty. Not sure if I will be able to recover from it. There comes a point, you just let go and drift and sink deeper into the water like watching Titanic or that movie with Michelle Pfieffer and Harrison Ford where the girl he kills sinks into the water at the end.

At some point I want to write the fictional book I've been wanting to write.

Thought to ponder: Just because you work hard, doesn't mean you will be successful. There are tons of hard working people who are not successful or well known. Not everyone gets a trophy.

Yes, I did both of the pictures and yes they are the same person. One of my favorite models. One of the sweetest kids I have ever met.

Yes, it's been a while for me too

2010-10-26T11:38:00.001-05:00

My wife is now a world class - and I mean that literally -blogger. She has over 200 followers world-wide. She's a rock star.

I just vent here. So I 'm going to pick it up because this is my spot to vent and put ideas out.

This weekend I spoke at length with a young man about many things. He grew up in Germany (military family) and has some interesting views on culture.

We spoke of slave reunions in the south. How the North actually tried to destroy the south by freeing the slaves. It totally disrupted the south's economy on many levels glutting unemployment and bankrupting the south and then being run by the carpetbaggers as well as the education system.

The U.S. doesn't teach problem solving as a skill any more. That bothers me.

OMG TINH

2010-08-28T04:45:00.002-05:00

I can't believe the turn my job has taken. I now work for the dumb blonde marketing lady - to be known as TDB from here on out. She knows NOTHING about technology and has sold "the old hippie" (the big boss, retiring in 5 years, the one who dodged the draft by being in divinity school and got to his post through nepotism) a bill of marketing crap.

I've never worked with anyone in marketing who has a clue about what they are doing. We used to make fun of them in college because it was the easiest major you could get in the school of business.

I'll have to teach ANOTHER boss everything. I'm getting too old for this. Things like, the marketing department is fine if you want a project to take 3 times the amount of time you need. Or facts like, if you want to spend you day explaining things to dumb people, schedule a session with marketing. So I'll be looking and padding my resume in the next year. Looking for a good job. Tough in this economy.

She's a ladder climber and she needs me and that will be expressed to her right off the bat. Nothing she does will happen unless she uses me. I'm sure she's hoping to move into marketing at FrogWarts.

Uggghhh, yes Sh!t does rise to the top, and stupidity is more common than intelligence.

To the point

2010-08-24T17:09:00.003-05:00

Here's the deal. My workplace doesn't believe in technology. They don't believe in planning. They don't believe in anything that takes effort. I am a technologist. My work requires planning, hard work and effort. I am an anathema to them.

I have two meetings in the next two days. I believe that the head guy doesn't want to deal or have any technology anymore in his group. That is so stupid.

My first meeting is tomorrow to lay out a strategy to correct the stupidity that has existed for 30 years.

My second meeting is to explain to the top guy what I do.

He has no clue what I do. So today I listed 23, yes 23, things I do at my job.

BBBB Wants me to post

2010-08-07T16:48:00.003-05:00

It was communicated to me that I don't post very much lately. I don't and specifically it was Blonde Brilliant Beautiful Bombshell who said it.

I've been busy. I work, well, ya I do work, not necessarily using my brain on most occasions. I use my brain to do homework. Which is a re-hash of the last 15 years of my life and then there's my photography business that took a HUGE turn for the better this week. I figured out how to make money. Now if I can live up to it and not kill myself trying to keep up, I should be good.

So, no, I don't post much. Remember I dropped that class earlier in the summer? The repercussions were that I was threatened with Fin Aid suspension, and then got the state school run-around only to be told that I was fine. .... blank stare ... blink ... blink ... ok ... So I'm on for the fall and two classes I'm looking forward to HTML and Structured Programming. I hope I'm not disappointed and I hope they aren't disappointed in me. I've done both for .... ummm 15 years.

So anyway, I read the entertainment news and I don't know anyone, which means I'm irrelevant. I'm not worried by it, but I there it is.

My wife's career is taking off. She was promoted to her dream job. She's a rock star. Read my FB posts regarding things. She's now trying to get a web site setup and going to start selling downloads. Maybe I can be a kept ~~sex slave~~ man.

Oh ya, I lost 20 pounds in 3 weeks. Hoping to show some pics soon.

Speaking of the dead

2010-07-24T15:52:00.005-05:00

This little story was kind of interesting to me. Takes about 30 seconds to read and watch.

What interests me is that part of me says, "Why did you expect the city to clean it when it's in your neighborhood?" And at the same time I wondered why a cemetery was neglected so long.

A co-worker is very much into planting trees and plants at public parks. He has over 500 trees in his backyard he plans to plant in a public park. Thing is, he has to water and care for them. He tells me the city is cutting back on care of parks and I can see in the not so distant future cities ruling that public parks will be the responsibility of the neighborhood to care for.

That doesn't look good for parks in poorer parts of town. The rich will continue to have nice parks, the poor will have trashy parks.

Again, I also look at how parks are cared for by the people in a neighborhood. There is no graffiti in nice parks. There is no loitering. The population around the park dictates the environment.

Maybe cities should sell the park land so they don't have to maintain it.

Either way, I'm thinking it doesn't look good for public parks.

Friday Thoughts

2010-07-16T04:08:00.005-05:00

Don't blog about work ... Don't blog about work ... Don't blog about work ... Don't blog about work ...

Obviously, some chaos is at hand.

(This was supposed to go out last Friday, but machine problems which resulted in a SWEET new HP and two monster 22" monitors - ya, I roll with 22's - and a hand full of hair. So, enjoy and maybe next week I'll post my weight loss pics. 3 days to go and I've lost 20 lbs. in 3 weeks roughly. )
========

I have a really cool post I want to write that is a collection of memories of my grandparent's house in 0dessa, Texas. Tune out if you must for that one, but it's been on my mind a while.

========

Despite what I say on FB about the 1Ph0ne, I don't think M1cr0s0ft is the bee's knees. But I don't think @pple is everything everyone is making it out to be.

What I'm seeing in America is a reluctance to think. Sad, sad state we are falling in. The thing I hear from M@c users most is, "Oh, it's great, I don't have to think about anything when I use it." That's a slippery slope.

Same thing with GPS'. I got turned around the other day downtown and had to think my way out of it. If I didn't, I was going to be late for an appointment. I'm watching people not know how to pick up and read a map because they don't know how to think about where they are and listen to a small electronic device instead.

Think people! Stop being sheep.

=========

Here is eye-candy for you ladies and maybe us men. This is a model I shot last Friday who needed some bikini pics. Photography is ROUGH! LOL! Actually I've done 4 or 5 shoots with this model. She is super nice and has a huge boyfriend. Judge for yourself.

And this is my favorite shot from the set. Lost 3 pounds in water weight that night. Everyone was sweating.

Gotta love Texas!

Checking In

2010-07-11T05:17:00.005-05:00

I ended up dropping one of my summer school classes. Seems to have been the correct move as all good Solitaire players know. Dropped project management, only the second class I've ever dropped in my life. Both have been in grad school. I was taking my comprehensive core classes and was falling behind so I dropped. Seems the other class had some sort of something go on and there have been no new assignments in over a week. So couple that with passing all my comps and I'm fairly happy.

=========

Unless you consider my weightloss. Yes, I'm going on a diet, and have been on one for a week. I picked up the HCG diet. Generally, I'm not a fan of diets other than Body For Life or Weight Watchers. HCG is not for everyone. Shamefully, I'm 5'7.5" and I weigh 200 pounds. According to my doctor my target weight is 150. Nonsense! I look like a turtle at that weight. I'm happiest at 170. So my goal is 30 pounds in 21 days. "Absurd!" you say? Not really, I dropped 10 pounds in 2 days.

Basically, you take these drops under your tongue that suppress the appetite and eat the fat we want to get rid of. All on 500 calories a day and I mean 500 calories .... per ... day. I can eat only about 5 vegetables and most any leaaaaaaaan mean. I mean LEAN. I eat fruit for breakfast, lettuce or asparagus, chicken or beef or fish, for lunch and dinner and maybe a bread stick ( think skinny hard kind ) or a piece of Melba toast.

The whole process last 21 days on 500 calories and 18 days to up the intake to 1500 calories. I can already notice a difference. So you can see some b/a pics soon.

============

We have a cat. I hate cats, but if any of you have been on FB you have seen the gray monster there. She is behind me now doing something. Not sure. She loves to climb my legs with her razor sharp claws. We got her from my sister and was already litter trained. (As I was typing she climbed up my leg.) Easy maintenance, but dumb as a rock. Doesn't know her name and can't do tricks. It's like having a plant that moves.

But she's fun and Knot Minor is happy.

============

Knot Major is a flaming teen liberal all in to saying she has freedom of speech and wearing "Make G@y Legal" shirts. Unfortunately, she doesn't have common sense. So ... more fodder for the Democratic party. I did my time in the late 80's supporting Amnesty International. Ya, that was a phase. Eventually, we all go to the right.

============

As a policy, I usually never post about work, but I'm so mad. Since I have no boss, and "Dubledore" at "Frogwarts" doesn't provide leadership or understand technology, this has been causing major gaps and vacuums. Suffice it to say, if things don't change I'm moving on or asking for the hippies and homos to transfer me.

Comedy of errors folks ... comedy of errors.

============

I got a windows mobile phone. Very much in love with it. Much better than an iPhone and promises to improve with WinMo 7.0. It's taken me less time to get up and running on this phone than any I've ever had before. Got my wife an Android phone. She's liking it as well. Need to investigate app downloading for her.

I need to go pee now. I have to drink water to supplement calories.

Let's see what's interesting today

2010-06-01T15:00:00.003-05:00

Al And Tipper

Looks like Al and Tipper are separating. Sources say since Al invented the internet Tipper has complained he couldn't get enough p0rn. Tipper is now trying to put labels on all web sites.

I really think it's because he was so wrong about global warming.

==========

BP Is Taking A Leak

They can't plug it. Which leads me to wonder a few things. Why haven't they tried the oil eating microbes? Why did they not suction the oil onto other ships. See below.

=============

Gary Coleman is dead. Oh man, how sad. He lived a tragic life of people mooching off of him.

Do not feel the same towards Dennis Hopper. I see him as the icon of the baby boomers. All fluff, no substance.

==============

The A Team

this generation sucks at the arts. It's so bad they have to recycle my generation's TV shows, Dukes of Hazard, and I'm looking forward to The A Team!

Yes, J.Hi, twice in one month

2010-05-27T13:27:00.003-05:00

In education things fall off dramatically when school is out. I could hunt rabbits it's so quiet.

On Sex
=========

I've moved on from Christian bashing, which is really bashing myself. But, I have a theory; women who don't like sex, probably never had good sex or a competent lover.

Was shooting with a model. Beautiful woman, her friend and I were joking and she threw out, "I can get sex when I want it; sex really doesn't do much for me."

Really? And in my own research mind I determined that:

1. Most women ( most, not all ) below the age of 27 have never had good sex, because most men don't know how to treat a woman sexually until they are at least 30.

2. Sex shouldn't be over for him before her.

3. A giver is better in bed than a taker.

And that's all I have on that.

On Flaky Models
=============

I have been stood up 3 times this week. Three times. I am furious. One had the audacity to say that her son had to go to the hospital and couldn't find my number. It was 2 messages up in the email. I pointed that out to her rather bluntly.

It ended a good streak of about 5 great models. There is a whole world of photography business out there that is very interesting. People are fascinating. It's like living American Idol or Dancing With The Stars or, most of the time, The Biggest Loser. It's like a combination of business and dating and fantasy. None of which should ever go together.

On Children
==========

So Knot Major is really pushing me. She has this habit of running into curbs with her car. This time to the tune of a new wheel, tire and a caliper pin she ruined. This is in addition to the other new tire. We have put her on notice that she will be paying for her gas June 20th and that one more accident/ticket and she will not be driving any more. Our insurance doubled. She got her second ticket going 101. Since when do they not arrest you for 101 mph? There is no deferred adjudication for 101 btw.

This and that

2010-05-19T17:58:00.002-05:00

I have pictures of stuff. I'll show you later.

On Arizona
=========
http://www.cnn.com/2010/US/05/19/mexico.president.visit/index.html?hpt=T2

When Felipe Calderon, Presidente of ~~Drugs-R-Us~~ Mexico becomes a U.S. citizen I might take his OPINION seriously.

When does illegal not mean illegal? Oh ya, when you're an illegal immigrant from Mexico.

On Something I Saw
================

I saw an elderly woman and her physically challenged adult child walking down the street. It reminded me of my next door neighbors Faye and Keith. They were a throw back to the 50's. When I moved in next door they brought me a pie. I was stunned and in awe and humbled.

They moved to San Diego later and the new owners said the house was haunted by Faye's deceased husband. It was. They told him that Faye moved to San Diego and it all stopped.

On Photography
=============

I'm shooting a lot. Lots of models, some paying customers. All interesting people. It proves when you practice you get better. It DOES NOT prove that when you work hard you become successful.

On Knot Major
==========

The kid is an idiot. Wants to be in an Ivy League school, but can't face her issues at school with a teacher. Asked me if Ohio was a city or a state. Stayed home skipping school a liiiiiiitle too much and now has to do attendance school. Got a ticket for going 101 and doubled my insurance.

Feel the burn ... feel the anger. Not ivy league material. I'm getting her a toilet brush for graduation so she doesn't have to invest in work tools.

On The Back Yard
==============

Against my better advice, Knot Minor got a swing set in the back yard. It fits, believe it or not. The wife bought a plastic pool. Might as well be D!sn3yland in my back yard as far as Knot Minor is concerned.

On A New Dog
===========
Seems there might be a canine in our future. Looking at different dogs.

On School
=========
Still going. Hoping to graduate in summer 2011. That would be nice.

On White Trash
============

Not ok to ask me to do pictures at your house if

There are Cheetos on your bedroom floor
The hall smells like urine, poo and smoke
You talk about how you are going to use a gift card to take your kids to the dentist

All real ... all the time.

Random
=======

Why do Muslim women not wear a bra?
Why do Vietnamese women squat a lot?
Why do people not have one lick of common sense any more?
Why do people get less intelligent the older I get?

Caustic Jaded GenX Venom

2010-04-23T08:11:00.001-05:00

"We hold these truths to be self evident: that all men are created equal; that they are endowed by their Creator with certain inalienable rights; that among these are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness” Thomas Jefferson

Jefferson owned slaves.

==========================

I’m going to audition for the new church band. “New” as in the church we are visiting is new. We’ll join, it’s one we used to go to and liked a lot.

The audition process is long and can take 6 months to complete then I have to audition again. Anyway, I am not a fan of “Christian” music. I mean, there are some guys I can stomach and I believe are spot on, but most of it is poorly produced and formulaic. I’m not a fan of music that has a full choir singing the verses and chorus WITH the lead singer. It’s too melodramatic, it’s not really deep. There are some songs I like and are very powerful and moving. And well written.

I also learned in the early 90’s that large companies just want to market and make money off of it. Although there is good music, money mongers ruin it. I can’t stand the local “Christian” for profit station. Because their slogan is “It’s safe for the whole family”. The true Christian life has never been “safe” ask the millions of martyrs. For years they wouldn’t play a local band, MercyMe, then all of a sudden MM releases “I Can Only Imagine” and they are buddy-buddy with MM. Hypocrites. Then they will play “Where the Streets Have No Name” by someone other than U2, because U2 is a “secular” band. Big honkin’ wheel barrow of crap.

Look at this video. It’s one of the songs I have to learn for the audition. I almost can’t listen to it, so sugary sweet and melodramatic.

===========

So I’m watching “Psychic Kids” last night and one of those “Christians” again are irritating me. [I put that in quotes because I believe a lot of people are just church cult members and more into needing some control mechanism than a true relationship. Not all Christians behave the way this woman did. ] She has NO logic.

The synopsis is that her daughter, Ashley, can “see” spirits. For many years she’s had this ability. Mom says they are all demons because “that’s what we’ve been taught.” So a psychiatrist and a medium come to help the girl deal with this by pairing her with a boy who has similar abilities.

The mom is a total roadblock. Eventually, 5 people tell this woman all the things they see and she’s still all “We don’t believe that, it’s not true.”

Listen woman, there are things I don’t see, but that doesn’t make them untrue. I don’t see air, but it’s there. Isn’t it possible there are things you don’t understand and the Bible is silent on that could actually exist?

But hey, Tom Cruise, there are no aliens.

I can’t wait for this woman to “see” something her daughter sees and get a big ole scoop of “SHUT UP!”

It just never ends …

2010-04-14T09:02:00.001-05:00

The nice lady who cuts my hair loaned me the movie “Idiocracy”. Watched it, loved it. If you aren’t familiar, they put Luke Wilson and a prostitute in a cryogenic chamber, forget about them and they wake up 500 years later. The planet is stupid. He’s the smartest person alive.

See, the people around me have been living this out for me. I don’t need be cryogenically frozen like the head of Ted Williams to know that crazy is everywhere and the most abundant resource on the planet.

Is my mind a scary place to live? No, but when you step inside, things become incredibly clear. Businesses are in business to make money, they don’t care about ethics or morals, so everything they do is to make money. Governments will do anything to stay in power, that’s why toilet seats cost $20,000 on the Space Shuttle. Never doubt the people in power are there and will do what they can to screw you over if it means they stay there.

The next idiocracy is from one of my friends. I love this guy. Very talented man, musically, intellectually, spiritually. But I just don’t agree with him on one simple point, well, two points. Homeschooling and kids.

He has 6 kids and is the sole breadwinner of the family. His wife does not work, rather, goes stir crazy homeschooling. They believe public schools are filled with evil people. Thanks, that’s my wife and kids you are talking about. Trust me, as stated above, there is plenty of the “crazy” natural resource.

Well, his wife is prego again with kid #7. Not … Impressed … with … that … decision. The verse that keeps getting thrown around is:

Psalm 127:3: "Behold, children are a gift of the Lord, the fruit of the womb is a reward."

Really? So the teen on crack who gets knocked up is getting a “reward”. Or the parents who lock their kids in the closet are getting a “reward”. Or the wonderful family who can’t have kids isn’t rewarded by God? Maybe so, maybe God loves them enough to give them a child. Our salvation has never been based on our deeds.

In my opinion these are more fitting:

Proverbs 14:8 “The wisdom of the prudent is to give thought to their ways, but the folly of fools is deception.”

Proverbs 14:15
A simple man believes anything, but a prudent man gives thought to his steps.

Here’s the thing. We have 3 kids. Maybe we aren’t the best parents. But we know we want to give our kids the best we can. We work, spend time with them, love them. Our time isn’t spent depriving them of an education or limiting their opportunities.

I’m pro-life, but I also believe there is a point you need to practice birth control.

Ironic thing is, in Idiocracy, they determine smart people aren’t having kids, but the idiots keep overpopulating the world.

I'm a Pi$$ed off Christian

2010-03-19T08:08:00.002-05:00

I have to tell you I've had a few thoughts lately. Thinking isn't smart for me when I have a platform.

First thing is the Post Office. Ok, so they are going to cut Saturday delivery which should save them $23B yes BILLION over 10 years. Well, ok good move, but how did you get that far in the hole? Every day I show up to my PO I find a million people in line and one or two clerks moving as slow as molasses in the winter.

So I scoot over to the automated postal teller. Why the H-E double hockey sticks aren't there a million of these machines around? It's like an ATM with a scale. You touch the screen, weigh your letter or package, pay and get a stamp. How darn easy is that? Why aren't there a million of these machines scattered about creation? Holy Crap, why is government so inefficient? And you want the government to start managing health care? Again ... Holy Crap government is inefficient.

I hope to see more ATM structures in places, McD0n@ld's, Chic-fil-@, every place you can order or need someone to do nothing more than punch buttons. They have one at the movie theater we frequent. Why people stand in line for tickets is beyond me.

Second rant is some dipstick on FB who posted and I quote, "We should be teaching the Bible in schools, if we did, there would be fewer people in prison." Really? You dumb@#$@! Stop making Christians look stupid! There is absolutely NO logic in that statement.

What he's saying is that if we taught the Bible in school, there would be fewer prisoners. The Bible is taught extensively in private schools and universities and seminaries and it doesn't seem to be helping the prison population. And if I read Dr. Seuss there would be fewer professional athletes! Get OUT!

Let's do a little analisys.

Why are they in prison? - they broke the law and were convicted
Why did they break the law? - because they don't respect authority or the established rules of society
Why don't they respect rules and authority? - Because they weren't taught discipline and respect.
Why weren't they taught discipline and respect? - Because they had no one in their life to guide and direct them when they were young.

PARENTS, NOT THE PUBLIC SCHOOL SYSTEM, ARE TO BLAME!

So, you dumba$, I TOTALLY see your logic in that it's the public school system's fault these people are in prison because the Gideon's didn't hand out or teach the Bible in public schools.

D U M B A $ $

Is it any wonder people think Christians are stupid with crap arguments like that?

Did you know there are public schools who teach the Bible as a class?

What problems will teaching the Bible solve.

1. It will make people more Biblically literate from a text perspective.

2. More people will be exposed to the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

It's not an issue of separation of church and state. That amendment states, "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof . . ."

It says the government cannot establish a religion. Basically, the argument is ALWAYS used against Christians that if they want religion in schools it violates this law. HOGWASH! It only guarantees that the government won't establish a state religion and that the government won't interfere with the freedom to worship. If you want to have the Koran taught in school or the Torah, have at it! That's the beauty of this amendment. If you don't believe in the Bible or Christianity or Judaism or Hinduism or Islam, DON'T TAKE THE CLASS!

One of the BEST Days Of the Year

2010-03-17T09:15:00.002-05:00

Happy SPD! Other races get a month. The Irish need more, but we pack a pretty mean punch into one day!

Thoughts:

You can't say you've traveled until you have

1. Had to sleep in an airport overnight
2. Traveled by bus by more than 6 hours

(this video inspired that thought)

Sara Evans - Backseat Of A Greyhound Bus (Live Cmt)

- My wife is becoming an incredibly popular teacher blogger. No joke. In a couple of months she has really taken off nationally.

- Did you hear Kansas City is closing half of it's schools? Really, why doesn't that catch on in Dallas at the DISD?

- My kid wants to go to Br0wn. Ya, right! The other day she asked me if Ohio was a city. Seriously, you're not Br0wn material.

- I'm shooting a lot of pictures. I'm not making a lot of money yet.

Enjoy some Flogging Molly

Prepare for a racially charged post

2010-03-07T07:11:00.002-06:00

First, you have to watch this short video clip.

How racist is it to make the claims that were made? My stance is and will always be that no matter what race you are, we ALL have a bias and tinges of racism. I will also stick to my stance that when you carry the anger with you, it WILL become racism after a while. Creating your own culture, is, in fact, a form of racist behavior.

And you can say that about Christians, Muslims, African Americans, Asians, Caucasians, kindergartners, etc.

You will never, ever get around the fact that we want to be around people who are like us, either physically, emotionally, spiritually or whatever.

... rant off

P.S. Kanye West hates white people

Time to write

2010-03-04T14:53:00.001-06:00

I had a minute so I’ve woken up from my nap and I wanted to enlighten you about the lavish life I’ve been leading shooting models. See, I need a portfolio of work to show people that doesn’t necessarily include my family. Kind of looks like you don’t do a lot of business if you have pictures of your kid everywhere. And I’m not making money off of it … yet.

Sooo … I have been shooting models through a web site that’s half Debbie Does Dallas, Cr@ig’s List and Eb@y.

Myth number one is that all models are beautiful. Hogwash! In this day and age most models are 90% Photoshop. Trust me, I am going to post pictures.

Second myth is that models are stuck up. No, not really, but they run the gamete of the spectrum. I haven’t shot one I just couldn’t stand. But it will happen. Most are kids trying to make a buck. Some are hobbyists. Some are older models who just like being in front of a camera. Some won’t shut up about their ex.

It’s all fun and pretty people. Actually, I spend about 75% of my time setting things up and doing a lot of lifting or set design. I only spend about 25% of my time shooting. So in an hour shoot I try to setup about 1 hour before the shoot and then spend as much time as I can shooting. In between wardrobe changes and walking to locations can take a good bit of time.

And it’s cold in the winter shooting. I have been shooting in cold and rainy conditions lately. It’s hard work. Studio guys are sissies.

Believe it or not, if you ask for reliable transportation, a model will instinctively tell you they can get to the shoot and then tell you 2 hours before they can’t get a ride. No joke … I have had to cancel probably half of my shoots because of no transportation or bad transportation. And remember I setup too, so I’m pretty hot under the collar when they say, “Uhhh, I can’t be there, my boyfriend can’t give me a ride.” They don’t get called back.

So pretty women and caviar? No, more like cheap soda and maybe a burrito after. And a bunch of Tylenol for back pain.

Enjoy the out-takes. (All Unedited)

Click here to see a “finished product”.

Your turn

2010-02-19T10:18:00.002-06:00

Today is Friday, a day on which many rejoice. A day in which I usually do, "What's on My Cell Phone And On My Mind," but today, I am sleep deprived from making a cheerleader video for a banquet.

I have learned not to ~~send email to co-workers~~ write when I am deprived of sleep. Screwed that up this morning.

So, bottom line, I'm busy.

I do grad school
I try to run my photography business dodging bad models and booking good ones and hopefully a paying customer now and then
I'm a dad
On the RARE occasion lately, the wife and I indulge in s3x.
I work ...

I want to know - no mater how mundane - something you would like to tell me. Your lives are of interest to me.

As those in the hood say, where I live, "Because I'm caring and $h!t."

I left the band

2010-02-09T07:44:00.001-06:00

Yes, as much as I totally loved playing in the church band, I left. In fact the wife and I have left the church which was the bigger issue. We had never connected with a Sunday school class or really anyone. It was hard. The band had some great friends. We just couldn’t keep going to a church that wouldn’t reach out to Knot Major and we had never made a connection. There were issues with me being sick and no one even saying anything.

I broke the news in between services. I simply said, “The next set is my last set, [the wife] and I are leaving the church.”

Shock … all around. Tears from the piano player. Hugs from the drummer.

Will miss all of them!

You Suck!

2010-02-02T10:33:00.005-06:00

Which is what most of you are probably saying about the regularity of my posts.

Well, you suck for not calling me.

I know you are but what am I?

Totally immersed in school and photography. I hate school. I love photography.

My mom turned 76 the other day. We went to lunch. I bought, she picked cheap food. I hate that, she won't let me take her some place nice. I asked her how it felt to be in the 4th quarter. She said, "I'm not in the 4th quarter, I'm 76!" Then a couple of days later she fell and broke her arm. Has a lovely pink cast. Crazy woman I love! We talked about how they didn't used to hire newlywed women because they were afraid they would get pregnant and stop working. And we always talk about immigration.

Kissed my wife and sent her off to Ph.D. class. We schedule sex around work and school now. Maybe we need a Google calendar ... She is soooo busy. I don't want my Ph.D. Another masters, maybe, not a Ph.D.

So ... photography ...

Here are some of my recent favs.

Oh man ... lots to catch you up on

2010-01-16T02:46:00.003-06:00

Photography has been consuming me. Grad school starts next week and I can't believe I'm going to add MORE to my life. I shoot my first "Goth Ballerina" today. Should be fun. Models are soooo funny sometimes.

Deep Thoughts
===========

I had some time to kill the other day so I stopped in a little bistro across from a community college. Nice Muslim family owns it. Its had 3 or 4 different owners and themes. I immediately thought about my stance on immigration. Basically, I think we let too many people in. I curb this to say that I know someone personally who was trying to escape certain death in his home country. He immigrated here, his status ran out and tried to go to Canada, but through some odd circumstances would up in immigration jail here. Great guy, wonderful human being just trying to keep his family alive. He wasn't looking for a handout, just to stay alive. So when you think I'm an immigrant blow hard, remember, I have reasons for my points of view.

The phrase that comes to mind often in my immigration stance is "Just because you can, doesn't mean you should,"

The Longest Forced Training Ever
========================

I was forced to go to a GLBT sensitivity training yesterday for 4 hours where I was basically told that because I was a white, straight male I was "privileged" and my opinions and views were wrong no matter what they were. I was totally furious as were MANY other people, male and female. Every time someone would say, "But I don't look at people as gay or transgendered or whatever, they are who they are and I accept them," they were shot down. The gay agenda is very angry and very confused.

For 30 minutes we had to list negative phrases for homosexuals. I finally said, "But I don't use any of those phrases, and if 'homosexual' is now derogatory, you are giving me no choice. I'd rather just say, 'That's Bill or Jane' and not attach a category to them. How they want to classify themselves is their business." Oh man, they HATED that. Then I got a 5 minute speech on I needed to let them tell me their sexual orientation. Hey, I don't care what your SO is, that's your business, but when you come to our workplace, you better be there to work and not push your agenda.

This totally supported my theory that the gay agenda doesn't really believe in working out differences, but rather is just out to force their views on people. I see it over and over and over.

What really irked many people was that one of the presenters equated homosexuality to slavery in the Bible stating that the Bible was full of slavery issues and people thought it was ok, so just because the Bible speaks out on homosexuality stating it's wrong then, it's ok now. No, no. NO! Interpretations may change, but scripture doesn't. The Bible is VERY clear that homosexuality is not in God's design. If that's a struggle you face, then Christians need to be there to be a friend and CLEARLY state what God says. It DOES NOT mean you are broken or wrong. God is about love, but he's also about justice. You can't have one without the other.

Needless to say, many people marked the response form as a bad presentation. The whole thing could have been covered in an hour with training on how to help students who are dealing with GLBT issues and how to talk to them. I guarantee you, that would have been a much better use of my time.

And just like immigration, I have many friends and colleagues who are GLBT, so it's not like I'm sitting around in my red neck outfit taking pot shots with no experience or malice. People are who they are. It's not my job to fix them or condemn them. But I certainly don't like being accused of something I'm not doing.

Dieting
=====

I want to try to lose 20 pounds. Please encourage me.

So ... deeper than what I wanted to do, but ... well there you have it.

This is about all you get from me today.

2010-01-06T11:18:00.003-06:00

Photography is going great guns. If only I could get people to actually pay me to take their picture. Winter break is almost over and I'll have to get a little more photography quiet. But I got to work with an amazing model on 12/30. I've never had the luxury of just sitting there and pulling the trigger.

And this is why I love POWM. The comment made me audibly laugh.

Read on ...

Nothing "New" Here

2010-01-01T03:07:00.002-06:00

So, we are old people. We eat at 4 PM, in bed by 7 or 8 on winter breaks. Our celebration yesterday consisted of us "talking" about having sex while Knot Minor and Major were gone, having Ch33s3 C@ke F@ctory and Seeing Sh3rlock Holmes. Good movie.

I don't do resolutions. Never have. You need to do those every day. It is early so there is time for sex with the misses.

I'm really glad I started shooting photography again. I like meeting people and taking good pictures. I'm the biggest anti-photographer out there. The ones I run into that are "real" photographers are usually stuck up and arrogant. Drives me nuts. So ... ya know ... The models are interesting too. They have their own quirks. But they are better than the photographers.

I'm rambling. Sorry.

Merry Christmas Bedford Falls!!!

2009-12-25T08:28:00.004-06:00

North Texas gets first white Christmas in 83 years

Yes, Virginia — North Texas is getting a white Christmas for the first time since 1926, with snow accumulations of an inch or more throughout the Dallas-Fort Worth area by late Thursday.

"The snow that you have on the ground right now, it will not melt overnight — it will stay in place, so you will wake up with a white Christmas," WFAA-TV Chief Meteorologist Pete Delkus said.

Big, white flakes of snow began falling near the Stonebriar Centre shoping mall in Frisco just before noon.

"This is a pretty intense band of snow that's moving into the Dallas area," Delkus said.

By 6 p.m., Burleson had received 2 inches of snow; 1.5 inches was recorded in Justin; and one inch was measured at Denton and in Granbury.

There was half a foot of snow on the ground in Springtown and Breckinridge, and Nocona and Olney residents were looking at 8 inches of snow.

A winter storm warning was extended through 9 p.m. for counties to the north and west of Dallas-Fort Worth, including Denton County.

Dallas, Tarrant and Collin counties are included in a winter weather advisory during the same time period.

The National Weather Service says the region west and northwest of the Dallas-Fort Worth area saw blizzard-like conditions throughout the day Thursday. Winds gusting at up to 65 mph drifted the snow as deep as 5 feet in some areas.

Christmas Eve started with widespread rain in North Texas, but precipitation switched over to snow as temperatures fell through the day.

The National Weather Service also issued a wind advisory for all of North Texas through 9 p.m. Thursday, with sustained wind of 20 to 30 mph and gusts as high as 45 mph.

Motorists should be aware of the potential for icy road conditions during the evening hours as skies clear and overnight temperatures drop into the mid-20s in North Texas.

"The sun will come out tomorrow," Delkus said. "It will be a cold Christmas Day, but it will be a sunny, dry Christmas Day — something that I think everyone's looking forward to."

Dear Santa, …

2009-12-23T21:46:00.001-06:00

Dear Santa,

Since you aren’t Jesus, I get to write to you and ask for things without guilt. Hey, that’s nice, but you didn’t come back to life from the dead, so, put one in the loss column …

So … this year, was a hard year for lots of people. Would you mind helping this economy thing for me please? I’m sure there are plenty on the naughty list that could swap places with some on the nice list. Especially those nice ones on the unemployment list. Kinda sucks …

And I love pharmaceuticals and all, but 75% of my house is now on an anti-depressant. Ya, if you could help with that, no? Ok … well, then could you help us decrease the dosage? And this socialized medicine, not really happening. I hate going to the DMV, if the doctor becomes like the DMV, then I might as well go to a real DVM – doc of veterinary medicine. Much appreciated, doc.

So … ummm, that guy in the White House, not a fan, sorry, any chance he only has to stay 4 years? I mean, his wish must have gotten here early since he got that Nobel Prize. He was only president 12 days. Ok, ummm, if they hand them out like beads at Mardi Gras, I’ll take one too. Whatever reason you want to give is fine with me.

And thanks for Jenny McCarthy. Oh man, thank you. Ya, I know she wasn’t a gift to ME, per se, but thank you. Brains, bod, funny. The real triple threat.

And thanks for BBQ and Chicken Express.

Yours in spirit, even if the music minister drives me nuts around Christmas and makes me bonkers wanting me to play my trumpet even though it’s been 20 years since I’ve even looked at it expecting me to be able to play 10 songs on a day’s notice just so people who never go to church can complain about “that lousy trumpet player.” Ya,Tiger Woods has a better chance being a marriage counselor than me pulling that off.

Yes, I know I’m on the naughty list. Not a problem. Just please send a naughty girl to keep me company. Nothing spectacular, just one to keep me company until I can make it back to the good side of the force.

And oh ya, photography customers, please. People in my house like to hang out at movies and such and that kind of pays for our fun. So, you know, throw me a bone now and then. Hey, send Mrs. Claus down now and then if you like for photos. If you want a boudoir shoot, hey, it’s a free country. I’ll see if W@lM@rt has her size thong.

Hang loose and don’t eat any snowman poop.

PS - Are you Canadian being from the North Pole and all?

Here's one you don't hear a lot in December, except in Texas ...

2009-12-21T20:01:00.001-06:00

Dallas-area hail and tornadoes just in time for holiday travel?

Thanks to F.O.W.B. (Friend of the Weather Blog) Lance G. for bringing to my attention a growing discussion about possible stormy weather headed this way. According to the National Weather Service, increasing Gulf moisture and an approaching cold front could spark large hail, damaging winds and even tornadoes. The slight risk begins Tuesday evening, but is a greater concern for Wednesday afternoon. As you can see in the NWS map, the main area forecasters will be watching is east of Interstate 35. Tornadoes in December? Don't scoff at the idea. The NWS's Gregory R. Patrick, Ted Ryan, Stacie Hanes, Eric Martello and Jennifer Dunn remind us of the unprecedented 26 reported twisters on Dec. 29, 2006.

Alright ... let's get this laid out ...

2009-12-17T09:00:00.003-06:00

My eyes are fine, thank-you-very-much! My annual eye exam was on the 15th. I still am farsighted which I still don't know what that means. While being examined by my hottie blond eye doctor, we happened to hear a very familiar tune on the interoffice radio-muzak.

( I've been up a loooong time and I've had caffeine, just sayin' )

So we are trying to pin the song and I think it's from a V!@gr@ ad. Only later have I corrected myself and supposed it to be the little song from eH@m0ny. I know, some of you hate eH@rm0ny. Not the point. Point is we started talking like it was the V!@gr@ theme song and I made two hot sports opinions.

First, V!@gr@ and L3v!tr@ are marketed to women, not men. Look at the ads. Or this one. What self respecting dude sits in a tub overlooking Napa Valley all happy his thingy is limp? What strong man talks to his reflection about his visit with his family physician about how he can't get it up?

I swear if my reflection ever starts a conversation with, "So, are you going to tell him about our problem?" My reflection says that and I'm goin' Rambo on his skinny flat self and ask him when was the last time he got laid. Then I'm taking some kind of anti-psychotic for talking reflections. And if an erection lasts more than 4 hours ... you should get a medal.

The ads are meant for chicks because they get the benefit. "Here honey, take this, I need sweet lovin' for 36 hours." If it was marketed for men, dude ... It would be Gene Simmons up there saying, "Party like a rock star, you'll get everyone of these bikini babes hanging off me wanting more than they can handle." Or they would say, "She'll need batting gloves to handle your Louisville Slugger," then it cuts to you smashing that sissy bathtub overlooking sissy Napa Valley.

Second observation ( sorry, I'm over my paragraph limit ) is that you can tell if a song is written by a man or a woman.

1. Songs written by women talk about feelings and love and security.
2. Songs written by men talk about physical stuff and man awesomeness.

Fact of life. Start listening to some songs and think about it.

Just sayin ...

From my generation to the Sopranos

2009-12-15T06:47:00.002-06:00

Some good ear candy for you. YouTube has some pretty talented people.

I killed him with peanut bitter!

2009-12-10T08:33:00.004-06:00

I should be in the Nutcracker. Forget it I SHOULD be the Nutcracker. It got cold here in Texas this week. Finally, and as such, the mice like to cozy up next to our hot water heater and the cold drink fridge in the garage. The War Department came home yesterday and activated the garage door only to see a little brown creature scurrying to get out of the headlights like Tiger Woods trying to get out of the media.

So I set the traps last night and BINGO!!! I am the Nutcracker! In case you are wondering how I bait them, I used peanut butter and some foccacia bread. I also use what I call the "paper clip" traps seen at right. Disposal is great, squeeze and drop in the trash or hole in the ground or your neighbor's yard.

==============

It's not that I hate the holidays, it's just that I don't like family time or people around the holidays. I listened to a watered down prayer yesterday and sermonette by someone who could fire me. Now, granted, he couldn't stir the pot, but he zigged and zagged around the fact that Jesus = Christmas. Basically, Jesus was a great prophet. Uggghhhh .... ( I need this job, I need this job)

Which leads me to my next rant. As someone who is at church from 7 AM to 1 PM every Sunday, I get a little offended when the "Two Timer" Christian pops in on Christmas and Easter, drops a 20 spot in the plate and feels like he's bought his yearly "good Christian ticket". Chaps my hide.

BTW - we take that 20 and go eat lunch.

My vote this year was that the band gets 2 weekends off a year both Christmas and Easter.

If you do this, hey, I understand, but try to show up a little more.

==========

Knot Minor has had a loose tooth for 6 months. We can't convince her to get rid of it. She won't pull it and it's not getting pushed out. I hate these parts of being a parent.

==========

I'm doing more photography since school is out. I had a wild time with a model from M0d3l M@h3m (potentially NSFW). There are people in the world who need help and someone to guide them. Most of them are on M0d3l M@h3m. But the shoots have been going really well. Yes that is the model to the left. Trouble is I'm not making money.

I can't give sessions away. I don't understand it. I offered to do pictures for free on FB and people didn't respond. I don't get it. Free pictures by a professional photographer.

So if you are in the DFW area and you want a free session ( 1 hour ) with a free CD of your stuff, get in touch with me.

Another childhood icon has fallen ...

2009-12-04T08:01:00.003-06:00

It seems to be my year to lose icons. John Hughs, Farrah Fawcett, Patrick Swayze who I mix up with another guy all the time. I bet he's glad. And I don't count MJ as an idol.

Looks like the closet door flung open again. This time piercing my teenage hormones deeply. Alex Keaton's mom is gay ... RAT TURDS!

I can't tell you how routine my Sunday nights were as a teen ordering a thin crust pepperoni pizza delivered and watching Family Ties. HOLY SMOKES I thought Meredith Baxter-Birney was hot.

I do take issue with the fact that she's 62 and just now discovering this. Although I find this semi-believable, I keep chewing on the question, "Did it really take you 3 kids and 62 years to figure this out?" I know there is no statue of limitations, but I just look at this and wonder if this isn't a "born with it" thing and more of a choice? Three kids? Sixty-two years? And it's not a choice?

She'll still always be hot to me. Alex P. Keaton would not approve, however.

Blog Recycle - Tiger Woods

2009-12-03T19:46:00.003-06:00

Lots of funny stuff about Tiger and since I just got into it on FB about home schooling ( trust me, we have recycled that WAAAAYYYY too much ) I wanted to recycle this article.

Gordon Keith is a local radio co-host on KTCK The Ticket. He's a rather cerebral funny man who has hit on one of my favorite topics ... logic.

Thanksgiving #26

2009-11-26T02:59:00.002-06:00

Well ... here we are. The end of the thanksgiving posts. It wasn't as hard as I thought and the past couple of days I have been bummed, so I didn't feel like posting.

And maybe it sounds odd, but I've learned to embrace the hard times. Quite a few years ago, I shed the idealism of youth while still in my youth. I needed to. I learned through hard knocks that you need to be thankful for the hard times. They teach you about yourself, others and the ins and outs of life.

Much of my growth has been attributed to a then 21 year old girl and now to a 41 year old whack job man. But not just those two psychos. Also myself, my own worst psycho enemy. Although I don't like hard times, my spin and view of them has changed. And although I'm not the best Christian - Lord, most of you can attest to that - I do the best I can with lots of room for growth.

So when I read this verse from the brother of Jesus, things seem a little clearer.

James 1:2-4 (New International Version)
Trials and Temptations
Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.

I'm thankful for the hard times in my life.

__________________

It’s our own fault.

2009-11-24T08:45:00.001-06:00

This may be longer than 5 paragraphs.

Recently someone posted a very insightful comment on FB. Unfortunately, I’m not able to find the exact quote or the genius to attribute it to. But, I believe this comment speaks VOLUMES about our society. In a nutshell, the comment was something like this:

The greatest act we can do for women’s rights is to teach our sons to be better men.

And from watching how boys in their early teens to early 20’s behave I am in whole hearted agreement. I hear first hand from Knot Major about how poorly boys behave. Not “young men” because they are truly juvenile in their actions.

The other day I witnessed some true stupidity as I was leaving work. My office is a renovated girl’s dorm. As I was leaving the grand front facade, two students were talking. The young girl wanted the young boy on the bike to wait for her. He said he had to pick something up and he would be right back. Her response was, “Ok, well I hate you.” Her tone was joking, but her immaturity was at the surface.

That to say, women are much more mature than men these days especially in their 20’s. We expect so little from boys and chalk it up to, “Oh he’s just being a boy.” Frankly, I think that’s one of the biggest cop outs of our times. It’s really parents with little or no morals letting their sons do what they want.

This isn’t a race issue. White parents are horrible about teaching their kids not only manners but proper behavior with women. Black kids rarely have a solid father figure in their life, Hispanics teach their kids male dominance in a their culture and that women should not go to college, just stay home and make babies. Asians seem to be the only ones I can tell that get it close to correct.

Of course there are exceptions. There are always exceptions. Always. There are good kids. But they seem to be getting fewer and fewer. It would be easy to point my finger and say, “Oh well, this is to blame,” but being a Dallas Cowboys fan has taught me that there is always more than one reasons for stupidity.

Look, I believe the Bible. And it’s gotten a bad rap lately for this little verse:

Ephesians 5:21 "Wives, submit yourselves unto your own husbands, as unto the Lord."

That verse has been taken so out of context and I can understand why women are angry about it. They are angry because men behave like spoiled little pigs most of the time. Especially the younger ones. Not all of them, but a good majority. What people fail to do is read that entire passage.

The verses just before state, “Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and [died]for it;" and later, “Submitting yourselves one to another in the fear of God.” (emphasis added)

That is a direct charge to treat your wife better. A later verse goes on to say:

²⁵Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her ²⁶to make her holy, cleansing^[a] her by the washing with water through the word, ²⁷and to present her to himself as a radiant church, without stain or wrinkle or any other blemish, but holy and blameless. ²⁸In this same way, husbands ought to love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself. ²⁹After all, no one ever hated his own body, but he feeds and cares for it, just as Christ does the church— ³⁰for we are members of his body. ³¹"For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh."^[b] ³²This is a profound mystery—but I am talking about Christ and the church. ³³However, each one of you also must love his wife as he loves himself, and the wife must respect her husband. (emphasis added)

If that’s not chalked full of, “Dude, treat your woman better!” I don’t know what is.

The bulk of the work should be on men. Women get one sentence, men get a laundry list. We’re failing to teach young men to be a man.

We’ve put way too much emphasis on women doing all the work lately and way too little on men doing their part. HOLY CRAP, men, pick it up! Teach your boys to respect women. And I’m pretty sure we need to teach our little girls that they don’t need to accept anything less than proper and good behavior from the boys in their life. I would bet money women would knock down doors for a man who treats them with love and respect.

Not good ...

2009-11-23T14:40:00.001-06:00

Things are sad around the compound. Very tense, lots of opportunity for sadness. Lots of antidepressants being consumed. Not much I can do about it all.

Thanksgiving #23

2009-11-23T03:06:00.001-06:00

I'm thankful for having a stable mind.

_______________

Thanksgiving #22

2009-11-23T03:03:00.003-06:00

I had a busy day yesterday playing music in church, which is my thanksgiving. I started down the music road when I was 12 or 13 and my sister and mom wisely pointed me to be in the band. Through that. Without that I would have never made friends or gotten the opportunity to travel. Many doors were opened with music.

I'm thankful thankful I learned to play a musical instrument.

====================

Healthcare Debate

2009-11-21T16:12:00.000-06:00

I'm not getting into the healthcare debate ... well maybe for a minute.

I read a plastic surgery blog and, at one point in my life, wanted to be a surgeon. And I would have loved being a plastic surgeon. No insurance, regular customers ... no illness ... and on and on. Only greater gig is radiology or anesthesiology.

The latest debate is how to pay for socialized medicine (come on people, let's call it what it is). The new debate is taxing plastic surgery. The blog I read lays out the cons of this. Again, you know I'm not a Democrat, and a pretty poor Republican, but these arguments pretty much sum up how little homework politicians do. Below are the arguments, but I encourage you to take a look at the complete article. All of 2 minutes of your time.

1. This tax disproportionately targets women, who make up 90% of plastic surgery patients.

2. It is not a tax on the rich, since plastic surgery patients are represented in every socioeconomic group. Arguably, the people who are earn less money will suffer more, since many of them take out loans or save for years to pay for their surgery.

3. They were initially considering a 10% tax on plastic surgery, but dropped it to 5% after aggressive lobbying.

4. A similar initiative in New Jersey has been considered a complete failure by many.

5. Is plastic surgery considered a 'sin', like cigarettes and alcohol, and therefore subject to taxing? It is far from it.

Thanksgiving #21

2009-11-21T05:01:00.002-06:00

I thought I would give you one today so I don't forget it tomorrow. I'm glad I'm a Gen X'er. Very happy to be part of that small group sandwiched between two larger groups of whiners! If you rocked the 90's in your 20's at some point and remember flannel and spandex and Reagan, here's to you. Not many generations like us, but we are the generation.

I'm thankful I'm a Gen X'er

______________

Thanksgiving #20

2009-11-20T09:12:00.002-06:00

I woke this morning to the sound of the Count Basie Orchestra playing "Here's That Rainy Day" and the sound of rain on my roof. Smooth ...

I'm thankful for jazz music and rain.

________________

It occurred to me ...

2009-11-19T11:08:00.002-06:00

Yesterday I had a conversation with a co-worker about a car he is going to buy. He's also retiring soon. It struck me last night that the thought going through his mind might be, "This is the last car I will own before I die."

We all talk about retiring "one day" and finally sleeping in and all, but the reality is, I won't. I'll work until I drop just because I'm screwed up in the Benjamin category. But the thought of, "This is the last time I ________ before I leave this earth," is both comforting to me and troubling. I think about the people I know who have these thoughts. Their life is still partially ahead of them, but the majority of their time to contribute is behind them.

That's sad. I will be there in very short order. It will pass quickly. I hope to be in a nice light brown cardigan watching TV while my daughter brings her kids over and gives me kisses on the head as she asks how my day was.

As it stands, I don't know how it will shape up. I don't, none of us do. I do know I won't buy a Toyota for my last car.

Thanksgiving #19

2009-11-19T07:59:00.001-06:00

I have gotten to date my fair share of women. More than my fair share. Mostly in my late teens. Each of them taught me something. Sometimes I even learned a few things about myself. Most are now moms. I’m grateful they didn’t kill me.

I’m thankful for ex-girlfriends

* PS the requirement for being an ex is pretty much “we made out at least once”

____________

Thanksgiving #18

2009-11-18T08:23:00.004-06:00

My mom still buys me lunch. I'm 40 and she comes by work once a month or so and takes me to lunch. Yes, I'm a Nancy, a mama's boy, whatever. The story is that she refuses to let me pay except for mother's day or her birthday. I get my stubbornness from her. And we have never been able to be within 10 minutes of each other until I started working for the big university. So, I'm very thankful for my mom and it's not just about the food. She's very consistent and still is a word of wisdom and love for me.

I'm thankful for my mom.

__________

Thanksgiving #17

2009-11-17T11:55:00.004-06:00

I married a single mom. It has it's ups and downs. I inherited 2 kids. Things weren't always fun. Most of the time there is drama. But ... looking back, I grew and life has been an event. My wife has been an excellent choice for me. We put up with each other. I balance her out and keep her from worrying too much. Well, more than that of course. Sex is good. We are truly blessed with health and opportunities. She's a VERY hard worker. Very patient.

I'm thankful for my wife.

______________

Thanksgiving #16

2009-11-17T11:54:00.002-06:00

Sorry I'm late again.

I'm thankful for the pain in my life. It makes the good times sweeter.

__________

Thanksgiving #15

2009-11-15T03:22:00.002-06:00

I grew up in the perfect little town. Perfect in the sense that there were things offered that you probably couldn't find in combination anywhere else. It was a town of 100,000 people, most with degrees, an interest in the arts and education and an emphasis on good morals and values. At my 20 year reunion, I sat at a table with 2 doctors, a Navy commander and a U.S. Marshall.

I'm thankful for my hometown.

_____________

Thanksgiving #14

2009-11-15T03:19:00.003-06:00

Sorry I missed my deadline yesterday. As odd as this may sound, my parents getting a divorce was probably a good thing for me. They didn't fight all the time or yell or scream, but I grew up quickly had to depend on myself more.

I'm thankful my parents got divorced. It helped me mature.

_________________

When College GameD@y Comes To Town

2009-11-13T13:29:00.004-06:00

Holy Crap. People absolutely lose their mind around here when national television hits. This is the first time I've seen students wear their colors .... ever ... fair ... weather .... f@ns ...

Thanksgiving #13

2009-11-13T13:22:00.002-06:00

When I was 6 my oldest sister looked at me sternly and said, "Always look women in the eye when you talk to them and not at their chest." I had no clue what she was talking about or why she was telling it to me.

I'm thankful my sisters taught me to look women in the eye. I have seen some really pretty eyes in my day and I feel like women appreciate that I look them in the eye.

_____________

Thanksgiving #12

2009-11-12T13:15:00.002-06:00

I grew up in a town where Chinese food was really exotic. I'm very thankful that I have food to eat (most of the world lives on rice and beans and not even that much) and that the food around me is so international. I don't just get Chinese now, I get Cantonese, Vietnamese, Tai, etc.

I'm thankful I live in a place where I can experience a world of cuisines.

_________________

Thanksgiving #11

2009-11-11T07:57:00.001-06:00

When I was 18 I traveled Europe with a wind band. It took me 3 days to get back home at the end of that trip. Planes were missed, I slept in stairwells and lived on very little money.

I'm thankful I learned to travel when I was 18. I learned to pack light and there are never any missed flights, only flights you have to catch at another time.

_______

Thanksgiving #10

2009-11-10T16:02:00.001-06:00

I'm thankful that I have a profession that allows me to work in any industry from toys to defense contracting. Doesn't matter, everyone needs a web site.

___________

You won't change my mind

2009-11-10T16:01:00.001-06:00

How do I feel about a Muslim shooting up a military base? How do I feel about Islam? Really, don't you know my by now? Nothing you say is going to change my mind about Islam.

Hookerween Sweets

2009-11-09T20:05:00.002-06:00

I find it mildly entertaining that the moms on FB like to complain about the leftover Hookerween candy. And I'm not talking about the sloppy seconds of Lindsay Lohan. This past few weeks all I've heard is, "Get that candy out of here! She doesn't need that much candy!" ... she said in her shrillest of voices ...

Then the FB comments come out and it's the MOMS WHO ARE EATING THE CANDY!!!

Thanksgiving #9 ... number 9 ... number 9

2009-11-09T17:24:00.002-06:00

I'm glad my parents were depression babies and taught me how to fix things.

_____

Thanksgiving #8

2009-11-08T15:16:00.002-06:00

I'm thankful I have the best guitar gig in the world. I practice once a week and play 2 "sets" in a smoke free, player friendly environment.

____

Thanksgiving #7

2009-11-07T06:47:00.002-06:00

As I was at Knot Major's last football game last night I realized I grew up in the 50 yard line of high school football. So much so, they used to call the district of schools I was in "The Little Southwest Conference". It was that good. Bissinger wrote a book about it ... not many people have heard of it ... a few, ever read or hear about Friday Night Lights? Ya, written about a school 30 minutes away we played in football every year. We were the team that lost the coin toss in the end of that book.

I'm thankful I grew up in a place that I could experience the pomp and circumstance of Texas high school football at its finest.

__

Thanksgiving #6

2009-11-06T08:43:00.001-06:00

I’m thankful that I have had really good work friends … most of the time.

I’ve had the opportunity to work with some not so great people and some really great people. Par for the course. Yesterday was one of those landmark days where I got to peek into the life of one of those really cool people.

I work with a man who does all the card swipers for the university. He is an amazing man. He’s worked at the university for over 30 years. What you don’t know about him is that he was LBJ’s co-pilot for a while AND he builds organs. Like the kind that go in churches.

Yesterday he took me to a phenomenally beautiful church in FTW and showed me the church organ.

Amazing …

View Full Album

Of course one of the pieces he played was Toccata and Fugue in D Minor. You know, the phantom of the opera organ thing.

Thanksgiving #5

2009-11-05T04:30:00.002-06:00

I have the best kid in the world. I only have one that's biologically and genetically linked to me, but I can't imagine life without her.

I'm thankful for my wonderful daughter. She's more than I ever dreamed about and makes parenting so much fun.

____

Thanksgiving #4

2009-11-04T06:17:00.002-06:00

I'm thankful that, compared to the rest of the world, I live in a castle and eat, sleep and I'm clothed like a king.

-------

Thanksgiving #3

2009-11-03T07:17:00.001-06:00

I'm thankful my mom only had a partial hysterectomy before she had me.

___

Thanksgiving #2

2009-11-02T09:07:00.001-06:00

I'm thankful that I was able to fix my washing machine by myself. I'm rather handy, but it's nice to fix something on your own. Lots of people can't say that.

I'm putting it all behing Thanksgiving this year

2009-11-01T02:06:00.005-06:00

I've decided that Thanksgiving needs some love. As such, I'm going to try to do something less negative and angsty here. I would like to post something I am thankful for everyday. Don't worry, when there is idiocracy to be displayed, this will be the first place you should go to read about it. But for not, thankfulness.

I'm thankful for God's love and getting the opportunity to experience it.

As much as I hate Hookerween

2009-10-30T08:29:00.007-05:00

I love Halloween. I hate what people have done to it.

Every year I have worked at the big university we have attended a very old school tradition. For 36 years the all female dorm has been hosting a trick-or-treat in their hall. I'm sure this goes on all over the planet, but what impresses me is this; on Halloween, you don't invite total strangers to come into your house, let them wander around for 2 hours and give them candy.

I'm totally impressed and humbled by these ladies generosity every year. This was the first year we were first in line. Like ... the FIRST people in line. Knot Minor had a GREAT time.

American Consumerism

2009-10-23T04:12:00.003-05:00

No one in my house uses the same kind of toothpaste. This may shock a few of you and may make a few of you look at me and say, "Ya, so?"

Besides growing up the son of African American sharecroppers in rural Alabama, I also grew up the son of depression babies. They are VERY brand loyal. No matter how bad a car Buick produced, my mother thinks Buicks are the best cars made on the planet. Generic brands aren't nearly as good as the name brands she buys and Kenmore is the ONLY company to make a decent washing machine and dryer. I have to agree on the last one.

So growing up, we all used Crest toothpaste. To this day other toothpastes taste funny to me. Of course at one time all there was to buy was a limited communistic supply of Crest, Colgate and Sensodyne. Holy Crap! Now everyone has their own brand of toothpast. Knot Minor has about half of them. But in our house it's preference. I still like Crest, my wife brushes with Mentadent, and then there's a fan of Dora Strawberry Colgate and an Aquafresh or two or something. I think Ashton Kutcher and the Jonas Brothers have some kind of toothpaste deal as well. Maybe Google is going to have their own toothpaste soon. It will be called "Google Mouth".

It's amazing that as consumers - in aggregate - we have demanded more and more of products. It's not just cornflakes any more, it's "multi-grain cornflakes with a touch of spice and love ... low fat". I wonder how many people, so used to broad varieties, would fare with one line of Raisin Bran being the "fringe specialty cereal"? People from communist block countries must blow a gasket when they go to a grocery store for the first time in The States.

In the back of my mind, it's nice to live with variety, but really, do I need Low Sugar, Low Fat, High Fiber, Organic, Cocoa Pebbles?

We can't afford the alternative

2009-10-22T06:02:00.001-05:00

Again, you get to see my opinion about something.

Read this in CNN concerning not being able to afford the death penalty. It basically costs California $130M a year to house death row inmates. All well and good. That' s a lot of money.

But if you just keep them in prison it costs $32B yes BILLION a year to keep them in prison. Basically, that's a free lifestyle for someone who doesn't want to play by the rules.

Billions or Millions?

Here's the thing. Executing a serial killer only reduces the number of homicides a year by about 4-5, maybe 10 if the guy really gets off on it. So executing them, economically, to keep the death rate down isn't statistically smart. So maybe if you looked at it as, you are paying your taxes to give these guys free health care, free room and board, free work out facilities and free education ... uggghhh, you don't even get that being a law abiding citizen. The unemployed don't get that.

So you see, I do believe in the death pennalty. I just think we don't deliver the sentence quickly enough.

Open letters to the idiocrats

2009-10-21T07:57:00.002-05:00

Dear Rhianna,

I think what that Chris guy did to you was bad. I think you are stupid and encourage people to look at you like a piece of meat when you wear barbed wire. Can't be real, I had a piece of barbed wire bite me in the a$$ when I was 16. I know barbed wire. That's not barbed wire.

See here

Dear Etsy ... WTF? How sexist of you. You don't offer a men's version?

See here

Dear Ms. California Officials .... SUCKAAAAASSSSS! Like you've NEVER loaned money for this before.

See Here

Dear Atheists. If you are right and I'm wrong. Big deal. If I'm right and you're wrong ... woa .... sucks to be YOU!

See Here

The Logic Of An Argument

2009-10-20T05:20:00.000-05:00

In college I took a Humanities class on logic. It was stuff like, "If A = B and B = C then A MUST = C." It has served me well in both reading the newspaper and in my logically driven computer field. So when I read this article in the Dallas Morning News, my college training came into play.

First, I'm not going to make broad sweeping generalizations about Hispanics. That's not what this is about. What my point is about is that the logic of the first sentence,

"State higher education officials are developing a plan to address the lagging college attendance of Latinos and to close the gap within that group – where men are behind."

What if I said, "State Board looks to put more blacks in manual labor jobs," or "State board wants more white males in positions that don't require degrees or education?"

The premise I have a problem with is that just because you are Hispanic you NEED to be in college. To me that's as racist as saying, "Because you are black you need to work on a plantation."

The Texas State Board of Education is ignoring some major factors.

1. Not everyone WANTS to go to college or DESIRES to go to college that is Hispanic.
2. The problem lies more in getting Hispanics the time and means to get a basic high school diploma first.
3. The Hispanic culture is steeped in family and working for the family FIRST. Education comes later.

So, logically, the TX State Board of Education is ignoring the logic of their statement. Their focus should be on encouraging a shift in Hispanic culture. The overall message should be, "Stay in school, invest in your future, seek the help you need at the high school level first, plan ahead."

Money does make a difference. If you are fed and clothed and your family is as well, you do better in school.

If the State Board is really concerned it should shift it's efforts away from policies focused on race.

Another reason I love Nokia

2009-10-19T12:01:00.000-05:00

I don't think Apple tests their fruit phones like this. (link to video)

Everything's Amazing ... Nobody's Happy

2009-10-17T08:54:00.002-05:00

I love this video. I see it every day in students. We've lost our sense of wonder and amazement.

"Everything is amazing and nobody is happy"
Uploaded by Meowbay. - See more comedy videos.

I'm 40

2009-10-16T07:32:00.013-05:00

I'm 40 today. I'm not sure how that sits. Does it mean I'm old? Does it mean I'm "seasoned"? What it does mean is that you ladies can send me pictures of yourself in your birthday suits.

Today, I'm watching Ghost Lab, I'm writing you, I'm excited about my new gifts - a new wedding ring and two DVD's of The Big Bang Theory Seasons 1 & 2 - I went to birthday breakfast at Donald's, I'm having lunch with three hot first grade girls - we'll be dining on .... Donald's ... - I got put to bed "in that special way", I have some homework (who cares about THAT?).

So what's different?

Then	Now
Jazz musician Duke Ellington receives the Presidential Medal of Freedom.	Our first African American president, Barak Obama wins the Nobel Peace Prize, The Stanly Cup, The Cy Young and the Country Music Association Entertainer of the year.
Rock group The Band release their influential debut Music From Big Pink.	Activision releases Rock Band - The Beatles
A day after murdering Sharon Tate and four others, members of Charles Manson's cult kill Leno and Rosemary LaBianca.	Jay Leno starts his own show many try to kill.
Vietnam War: Anti-war protesters in Washington, DC stage a symbolic "March Against Death."	Tens of thousands of gays, lesbians and supporters marched through the nation's capital Sunday in a festive, forceful call for equality, culminating in a boisterous rally at the Capitol. The National Equality March took place one day after President Obama made sweeping pledges to the gay community, including a vow to end the military policy of "don't ask, don't tell" -- which bans gays and lesbians from serving openly in the armed forces. Obama gave no timetable for repealing the policy.

My dad and I share a birthday. I never get a card or phone call, nothing and I have no idea where he lives. My sisters talk to him all the time. You would think that his only biological child would be important to him. I can't imagine not totally being in love with my only biological child - Knot Minor.

A girl I had a crush on in high school has the same birthday as me. She's hot, even at 41.

My gifts

You get two this week

2009-10-09T07:59:00.007-05:00

Things I didn't realize or did, but haven't vocalized:

Men will have sex whenever, wherever, however. Especially when they are sick. Women are like Formula 1 race cars, they don't run unless everything is finely tuned. If my wife is sick, there is no love. If I'm sick it's just another day. I'm like Eddy Murphy, I want to party all the time.

===============

There's still no cure for stupid, but aptly put, please don't, it's too entertaining.

===============

Really??? ... Our first African American President Barak Obama won the Nobel Peace Prize??? Really??? Why? Oh wait I know why, let's see ...

Ended the War in Iraq, check
Ended the war in Afghanistan, check
Talked Iran out of making nukes, check
Got Mexico to end their border violence, check
Found Jimmy Hoffa's body, check
Got the Korean War to end and N. Korean to stop testing missiles, check

I'm going to start referring to him as "Easter Candy" - sweet and yummy on the outside, hollow on the inside.

This is interesting.

==============

This is my only avenue to let loose about work, but I don't because I don't want to get Deuced. Suffice it to say, you can't fix stupid. But it's obvious that I'm on the right track, I'm getting asked to do things WAAAAAYYY outside of my sphere of influence even though it's outside my job description.

==============

Went to the Fair last night. Holy Cow it's expensive. The SFoT runs on a ticket system. One ticket is fifty cents. To ride the Texas Star ferris wheel - The Texas Star - costs 12 tickets. That's $6! Dang GINA!!!! Can't figure out why the price on everything went up so much. It really is interesting. Still love the SFoT though.

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I like panoramas. I've started taking them with my cell phone camera and stitching them in Photoshop. This the home stadium for Knot Major's team. Knot Major is on the left under the goal post in that gaggle of cheerleaders.

Check out the lady in pink on the right checking me out taking pictures stuffing her frau maw with nachos or something.

=============

Speaking of cell phones. I have a new lust love in my life I am going to try to purchase. I'll have to sell about 15 gallons of my own plasma to get it. DANG YOU AT&T FOR NOT CARRYING MORE NOKIA MODELS!!! It's the sleek and sexy new Nokia N900. Makes the fruit phone look like a rotted golden delicious.

Feel the weight, feel the love.

You can't fix stupid

2009-10-08T09:35:00.002-05:00

The title was my favorite saying last week. I've held it over at #1 for another week ... or two.

If some of you haven't been FB'ing, you may have missed that I have to take the GRE again. Ya, I didn't keep my records after a move and getting married after taking the exam in 1995. And no one keeps those records so ... Tuesday, 8:00 AM I'm doing it all over. In my eyes, this is a formality as I've already taken 2 courses this semester and 3 courses from back in the mid-90's. There should be some kind of reciprocity or some such nonsense for my stupidity, right? I mean, we are socialists and all now.

=============

I have a new fun website I like. All most as much as guess her ... well, we've talked about that. The site is People Of Walmart. Holy CRAP! I didn't know half the crazy until I started watching this site. I guess I know the other half of crazy now.

==============

Got a new favorite ghost TV show. Ghost Lab. Reminds me a little of "Trick My Truck" in that they script some of the dialog, but other than that, cool, uber cool! Their bit is that they go to haunted places and collect data. Very scientific. No mediums or anything. They do historical research and then measure activity. Really cool. Check it out on the Discovery Channel.

Yes, I believe in ghosts for many reasons. It's a topic I love to talk about. Would love to go on a ghost hunt.

==============

I'm playing in a southern gospel review this Saturday. I'm really kind of excited about it. The bass player, pianist, drummer - who will be playing guitar on a song or two - and I (mandolin) got roped into backing one of our choir members. He has a super deep voice and likes to sing southern gospel. We're going to play more than his 3 songs. We're doing the warmup music before the acts start and singing "I'll Fly Away", something and "This Little Light Of Mine". Little light is going to be funny.

==============

I'm going to send a post card to post secret soon. If and when it posts I'll let you know it was me.

==============

Tonight is fair night for my little fam. If you are out at the GREAT STATE FAIR OF TEXAS, see if you spot me!

This is why ...

2009-09-26T06:25:00.002-05:00

TDK and I disagree on many things. One more deeply is our opinions of closing the border.

Some whack job tried to bomb a building in Dallas.

This is why we need close the f'ing border so tight you can't even pi$$ through it.

We let too many of these people in. I'm tired of it. Now it's student visas. Is there not a kid from the ghetto that wants to get ahead that could have taken that whack job's spot in class? Are we so desperate we have to let foreigners in BEFORE a citizen? Look I know lots of people here on visas. Good people, but we have to stop this. It's not helping now that we have a target on our back.

There is nothing wrong with letting people in, but good gosh, why do we have to let everyone in?

My Friday thougths are fizzling.

2009-09-24T20:51:00.002-05:00

Slowly the world is turning to FB. I'm just going to post thoughts here.

If Britney Spears wasn't a celeb, would guys think she's a hotty MILF? I might...

====

I work with a group that loves to chase shiny objects, have worthless retreats, paint their toenails, hug and sing cum-bay-ya. In the end, they put out a crappy product and the rest of us know it. So they tell me I'm a jerk ... go figure.

====

I enjoy being around people who have had TRUE hardship in their life. Like they have been through some sort of deep reality check. I have read a couple of blogs of people, mostly women, who can't make a decision and the worst thing that's ever happened to them is their heel broke. Call me when you are peering over the rail wondering if it will hurt when your head cracks open on the pavement.

=====

My boob hurts after surgery. I still can't ride over a speed bump or a bumpy road without some pain. I still find this mildly funny.

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Fall came early to Texas. It actually came on the first day of fall. That's so cool literally and figuratively. Fall reminds me of my grandmother and all the good things in life. Even if it only lasts a short time.

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I've been obsessed with women's pubic hair hygiene lately. I have no idea why. Ok, it's a lot more than lately.

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Knot minor is going to be a witch for Hookerween. She's so excited. So will our pastor. We are one of "THOSE" churches that discourages paganism. I'm one of those "fringe" elements at our church. Knot minor is going to be soooooo cute though!

======

Phat's blog gets really good during football season. I love it when he asks me to pick.

======

It's hooker ... uggggghhh .... Halloween time

2009-09-19T05:33:00.004-05:00

I'm shocked. Halloween has turned into "dress like a hooker day". Now my 16 year old understand and is grossed out by it. Last year she was a pilot with the big gold Raybans (I feel old, I have a pair from back in the original day.)

We traded sentences about this the other day. I'm afraid my 6 year old is going to grow up thinking, "Hmmm, when I turn 10 I need makeup and a g-string for Halloween." No, No, No!

What freak decided that cute little kids need to dress like Britney Spears and Lindsey Lohan right out of the club? Hey, I'm not so irked by you STARTING to sell Halloween stuff in August, thank-you-very-much-Wal-Fart, but turning children into pimps and hoes??

I googled "women's Halloween costume". This is what I got (love the aging wonder woman). When is enough enough?

I want popcorn balls and candy apples, not "I want balls" and "Candy's Cherry".

Too funny not to post

2009-09-17T08:15:00.000-05:00

Not sure I would have accepted this client

2009-09-15T07:59:00.001-05:00

Ya ... not sure I would have known what to do with a client that wants me to shoot her posing nude (probably not an issue) with a snake ... big issue. And then do a topless wedding dress picture.

NSFW link ... see what I mean?

George Bush May Hate Black People

2009-09-14T07:14:00.002-05:00

Kanye West, the world's most classless individual, has readed his ugly a$$ again. Drunk from congnac he interupted Taylor Swift's acceptance speech to say that his friend Beyonce had a better video.

Am I allowed to use the "N" word in situations like this? Seriously ... your life is a circus Kanye. You've had 2 #1 hits. Both Taylor Swift and Beyonce have had many more #1's than you ever will. What's sad is that there is an element that thinks this guy is worth something enough to publish his albums and I'm doing a disservice by even printing his sorry a$$ name.

Let's talk about Beyonce's class. Thank you Beyonce for giving Taylor her belated moment.

And Kanye, you are one sorry piece of wasted flesh. Let me cock and load the gun for you.

MTV Shows

Let's re-live your brilliance. F'ing a-hole.

"F" You Terrorists

2009-09-11T07:36:00.002-05:00

There will be way too many posts today about how people "remember" this or that or how "things are never going to be the same". Screw that. I'm not wasting my 5 paragraphs on whining. I'm wasting mine on anger.

Nothing will ever be the same, but it won't be the same tomorrow after today either. And screw you terrorists. We have the best pagan way of life on the planet. And I'll lump you Muslims in there too. Screw you all. Here is a quote from your leader.

"We love death. The US loves life. That is the difference between us two." - Osama Bin Laden

Fence them in, shoot the nukes. We're done. I don't have love for people who believe that horse shit. And when you think we should pull back on our spending to protect our borders, then I think you need to watch a few more hours of planes flying in buildings, buses blowing up or innocent people dying.

DO NOT FORGET the horror you witnessed. If you do, then you will be doomed to repeat it. DO NOT LET anyone water down what you saw and minimize the tragedy.

Surgery Went Well

2009-09-08T15:20:00.003-05:00

Got a late start, but things turned out ok. I had a lump in my chest and one in my arm. The one in my chest was the one I was concerned about since my dad had non-H Lymphoma. I've already had Taco Bueno and I'm starving again. I look like this now. You can bring me dessert if you want.

This is a very off color post

2009-09-04T12:40:00.003-05:00

I warned you.

I have acquired a 17" laptop from those fine folks from Round Rock, Texas, a suburb of Austin. Yes, verily, verily I speak of the greatness of Dell brotha.

As such I have noticed that fruit computers, Mac's, Apple's ... whatever, can be like a bad girlfriend. And thus the off colorness begins.

If you pull a device out of a Mac unexpectedly, she gripes about it, even if pulling out is the best thing to do.
A Mac costs a lot to maintain and you get good looks in return, but not a lot of function or practicality.
My mac hooks up with lots of things in my house. Even if I don't want her to.
She's very antisocial. She says she'll talk with my PC friends, but she sure acts dumb trying.
Mac's go on and on about how superior they are.
My PC doesn't care how much money I make and if she gets a virus she doesn't mind opening up for me.
My Mac is pretty on the outside but on the inside I can't figure out what she's doing.

I have't even had time to talk about the Dead Kennedy's

2009-08-29T12:07:00.003-05:00

I have been butt-kicking busy at work and school, but I haven't forgotten about you. Nay, nay, nary a day has passed that I haven't thought of you. Some of you fully clothed, others ... not so much!

I didn't even know Ted Kennedy died. I was driving home - I pass like 3 IHOP's on the way home - and all the car lots and places have their flags lowered. I kept asking myself, "Self [I call myself that when I'm in town], who died?" Then I remembered Teddy.

What you are expecting me to say is that I hated the guy or he was an evil Democrat. No, not so much. He was what he was, a career politician. It's widely noted how I feel about career politicians. And although I can drag out fact after fact and vote after vote on his record, someone else will pull out fact after fact and vote after vote of things they think were good.

As a person, not to impressed with him. The Kennedy's as well as the Bush's are the closest thing we have to a monarchy in the U.S. And as a believer in the Constitution, it should be known that we DO NOT support a monarchy in this here republic. The Kennedy's in general are not my favorite clan. Not at all.

My other though was on the girl they found who was abducted at 11 in the early 90's. Jaycee Dugard has been found. This is a good thing. Most of the time we hear these stories and later these children are uncovered in a shallow grave in the woods.

When I go to Wal-Fart or the Post Office I pray they find the kids that are missing and I pray they catch the criminals on the FBI most wanted list. I don't do much good in the world, but I do ask my Maker for those little things.

I'm shocked this guy was on parole and no one ever searched his home. The trail of disgust widens. Not only did he rob this small child of her teens and 20's but he robbed Dugard's mother and father and his two illegitimate kids of a normal life. In this case I'm not for the death penalty.

You say, "Knot, why so ever for? You are a staunch believer in the death penalty." Nope, in horrible cases like this, I say torture is appropriate. Do you know this sweet little girl will never be right mentally? Not to mention her kids. Will taking this guy's life - and it's noted he will stay in prison for life ... ON MY DIME!!! - will really not have to pay for anything. Long .... slow ... torture lasting the length he held his captive. THAT'S right and fair punishment. And unless you have kids, you may NEVER understand.

8 paragraphs today ... 3 over, I'll do better next time.

Need to know

2009-08-24T12:33:00.002-05:00

I need to know about comments. Most of you I have your email address and we have conversed a little. But comments are always interesting.

I know I'll get all kinds of answers.

When you comment would you rather I post a return comment or would you rather I email you personally?

In other news, the lump in my chest has not gone away. Surgery is the 8th. Not a big deal at all just tissue that needs to be removed.

It's just not what it used to be.

2009-08-20T08:45:00.003-05:00

I used to date a girl that worked at Victoria's Secret in the mid 90's. No doubt it was a dream come true for me and for her. Most of my college days, we had no interwubz to look at hot women in next to nothing. Now and then one of our girlfriends would get the VS catalog in the mail.

What I remember most was that VS was a "classy" place that played classical music and smelled good. Fredrick's was kind of skanky and everything looked like it was packed on two racks and you needed a crowbar to remove it from the rack without damaging the vinyl or the feathers.

My girlfriend came home with something new every paycheck. It looked good on the floor. She would buy me a pair of silk boxers now and then. They were great, do I wear anything like that now? Hardly.

Somewhere between 1995 and 2009 things changed. Doing Knot Major's laundry has proved VS has gone cheap. Everything is cotton. My wife sends me in to get "the free giveaway" now and then. Yes, ladies, one more skill I possess - lingerie hunter. There is NOTHING in there that has any class or beauty in my opinion. Of course Knot Major has no clue what I'm talking about when I tell her VS used to be a classy place. They do have the token teddy or thigh highs, but lord ... NOTHING like used to be there. Floor length silk gowns, intricate lacy stuff. Bustiers, body suits and it was ALL classy.

Now it's a t-shirt and cotton panties. I swear this generation has no sense of style. Flip flops and jeans and a t-shirt that says "Hurley" is NOT high fashion.

Maybe there will be a resurgence in class soon. But not by this generation. I fear Gen-X will be the last generation that had clothing that looked good, even though by today's standards it's outdated.

Jill Goodacre, I miss you.

Correction

2009-08-20T08:22:00.002-05:00

"Woot!" is not a phrase or expletive of jubilation.

The closest thing might be the Aggie "Whoooop!" or "Woooohoooo!"

But "Woot!" is a word that only exists in the Urban Dictionary.

Carry on.