Engineeredmadness

What to do in California

2011-05-17T16:59:00.000-07:00

So since I'm out here for a while I figure I should see whilst here. This is my list of what I'm considering:

- Disneyland

-San Francisco

-Napa Valley

-Yosemite

-LA/Santa Monica

-Montana de Oro State Park

-San Diego Zoo

-ComicCon

Monterey Bay Aquarium

-Las Vegas

-Sequoia National Park

-Reagan Library

-Hearst Castle

If you have any other suggestions, let me know

Super Bowl Party

2011-02-04T20:07:00.001-08:00

So then, as you may or may not know the Super Bowl is this Sunday. The Packers will play the Steelers, so clearly I will cheer for the Packers. We are having people over.

We have:

Coke Zero

Cherry Coke Zero

Landshark

Hawaiian Punch

Sparkling Cider

Buffalo Wings

Pigs in a Blanket

Chicken Nuggets

Meatballs

Chili

Chips and Salsa

Feast of Stephen

2010-12-26T07:13:00.001-08:00

Good King Wenceslas looked out
On the feast of Stephen
When the snow lay round about
Deep and crisp and even
Brightly shone the moon that night
Though the frost was cruel
When a poor man came in sight
Gath'ring winter fuel

"Hither, page, and stand by me
If thou know'st it, telling
Yonder peasant, who is he?
Where and what his dwelling?"
"Sire, he lives a good league hence
Underneath the mountain
Right against the forest fence
By Saint Agnes' fountain."

"Bring me flesh and bring me wine
Bring me pine logs hither
Thou and I will see him dine
When we bear him thither."
Page and monarch forth they went
Forth they went together
Through the rude wind's wild lament
And the bitter weather

"Sire, the night is darker now
And the wind blows stronger
Fails my heart, I know not how,
I can go no longer."
"Mark my footsteps, my good page
Tread thou in them boldly
Thou shalt find the winter's rage
Freeze thy blood less coldly."

In his master's steps he trod
Where the snow lay dinted
Heat was in the very sod
Which the Saint had printed
Therefore, Christian men, be sure
Wealth or rank possessing
Ye who now will bless the poor
Shall yourselves find blessing

Merry Christmas everyone

2010-12-19T09:37:00.000-08:00

Merry christmas, alabama
Merry christmas, tennessee
Merry christmas, louisiana
To st. barths and the florida keys

Merry christmas, mississippi
Where i started this wild and crazy run
Such a long way from that first birthday
Merry christmas, everyone

And merry christmas, colorado
Though far from you all i have roamed
'tis the season to remember
All the faces,
And the places that were home

'tis the season to remember
And to count up all the ports of call i've known
And to thank his mercies tender
For i'm never far from home

Merry christmas to my saints and guardian angels
Who protect me as i roam
'tis the season to remember
All the faces
And the places that were home

Guess my life's moved at near light speed
Since i started this wild and crazy run
Such a long way from that first birthday
Merry christmas, everyone

'tis the season to remember
No we're never far from home
Merry christmas, everyone.

A bit of humor

2010-12-04T08:48:00.000-08:00

December 1st
TO: ALL SQUADRON MEMBERS
I'm happy to inform you that the Squadron Chrismas Party will take place on December 23rd at Luigi's Open Pit Barbecue. There will be lots of spiked eggnog and a small band playing traditional carols...feel free to sing along. And don't be surprised if our Commander shows up dressed as Santa Claus to light the Christmas tree! Exchange of gifts among employees can be done at that time; however, no gift should be over $10.

Merry Christmas to you and your family.
Patty Lewis, Captain, USAF
Executive Officer

December 2nd
TO: ALL SQUADRON MEMBERS
In no way was yesterday's memo intended to exclude our Jewish members. We recognize that Hanukkah is an important holiday that often coincides with Christmas (though unfortunately not this year). However, from now on we're calling it our "Holiday Party." The same policy applies to unit members who are celebrating Kwanzaa at this time. There will be no Christmas tree and no Christmas carols sung.

Happy Holidays to you and your family.
Patty Lewis, Captain, USAF
Executive Officer

December 3rd
TO: ALL SQUADRON MEMBERS
Regarding the anonymous note I received from a member in the Alcohol Rehabilitation Program requesting a non-drinking table, I'm happy to accommodate this request, but, don't forget, if I put a sign on the table that reads,"AA Only," you won't be anonymous anymore. In addition, forget about the gifts exchange-- no gifts will be allowed since the junior airmen in the squadron feel that $10 is too much money.

Patty Lewis, Captain, USAF
Executive Officer

December 7th
TO: ALL SQUADRON MEMBERS
I've arranged for members who are enrolled in the Air Force Weight Management Program (AFWMP) to sit farthest from the dessert buffet and pregnant women closest to the restrooms. Gays are allowed to sit with each other. Lesbians do not have to sit with the gay men; each will have their table. Yes, there will be a flower arrangement for the gay men's table. Happy now?

Patty Lewis, Captain, USAF
Executive Officer

December 9th
TO: ALL SQUADRON MEMBERS
People, people -- nothing sinister was intended by wanting our Commander to play Santa Claus! Even if the anagram of "Santa" does happen to be "Satan," there is no evil connotation to our own "little man in a red suit."

Patty Lewis, Captain, USAF
Executive Officer

December 10th
TO: ALL SQUADRON MEMBERS
Vegetarians -- I've had it with you people!! We're going to hold this party at Luigi's Open Pit whether you like it or not, you can just sit at the table farthest from the "grill of death," as you put it, and you'll get salad bar only, including hydroponics tomatoes.. But, you know,tomatoes have feelings, too. They scream when you slice them. I've heard them scream. I'm hearing them right now... Ha! I hope you all have a rotten holiday!

Drive drunk and die, you hear me?

The Bitch from Hell

December 14th
TO: ALL SQUADRON MEMBERS
I'm sure I speak for all of us in wishing Captain Lewis a speedy recovery from her stress-related illness. I'll continue to forward your cards to her at the Mental Health Clinic. In the meantime, I've decided to cancel our Holiday Party and give everyone the afternoon of the 23rd off, instead.

Happy Holidays!
Ron Donaldson, Lt Col, USAF
Commander

Hail West Virginia

2010-09-04T06:23:00.000-07:00

It's West Virginia, it's West Virginia,
The pride of every Mountaineer,
Come on you old grads, join with us young lads.
It's West Virginia now we cheer!
Rah! Rah! Rah!
Now is the time boys to make a big noise.
No matter what the people say,
For there is naught to fear, the gang's all here,
So hail West Virginia, hail.

Jerseys

2010-08-31T18:25:00.000-07:00

So, I happen to enjoy having jerseys about. So if any one is keeping track here are a few I wouldn't mind having

New WVU football jersey: http://wvu.bncollege.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/WVU_Mountaineers_Nike_Football_Replica_Jersey/ProductDisplay?catalogId=10001&storeId=15062&categoryId=40041&topCatId=40000&langId=-1&parentCatId=40009&productId=400000101879&level=

WVU Hockey jersey: http://www.footballfanatics.com/COLLEGE_West_Virginia_Mountaineers_Jerseys/West_Virginia_Mountaineers_Navy_Blue_Hockey_Jersey

USA 1980 Olympic Hockey Jersey

http://www.icejerseys.com/item_details.php?id=1496

some Songs for you

2010-08-14T12:18:00.001-07:00

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-ja9C5XfB7A

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CsTM96W8TNE

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5mFXGi_2nh8&feature=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cXtJJwqSbes&feature=related

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

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h2QyGLYakl4

What I'm drinking tonight

2010-08-10T20:36:00.000-07:00

WhistlePig Rye (Bottled by WhistlePig Farm at 50% ABV, tasted 7/2010): This is a rarity...a 10-year-old, 100% rye whiskey. The nose is freshly toasted rye bread, along with honey, oak, cinnamon, and vanilla notes. The taste is spicy rye and sweet maple syrup at first, with honey notes that develop as the rye fades. The finish has a hint of almonds, along with lingering rye and a hint of maple.

Whiskey!

2010-07-22T17:23:00.000-07:00

So then...i have come across 2 whiskeys that have peaked my interest:

Whistlepig Rye Link

George Washington's Whiskey Link

Bass, the instrument, not the fish

2010-07-14T21:03:00.001-07:00

songs i am working on on the bass:

peter gunn theme, simpsons theme, imperial march, star wars theme, crazy train, some blues progressions

songs i am getting decent at on the bass:

happy birthday

songs i am good at on the bass:

please feel free to suggest other music to start off with

Independence Day

2010-07-04T07:38:00.000-07:00

Today in 1776 56 men signed the Declaration of Independence, since 2 days earlier the Continental Congress decided they should become independent.

The Unanimous Declaration
of the Thirteen United States of America

He has refused his assent to laws, the most wholesome and necessary for the public good.When, in the course of human events, it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another, and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the laws of nature and of nature's God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation.

We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. That to secure these rights, governments are instituted among men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed. That whenever any form of government becomes destructive to these ends, it is the right of the people to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their safety and happiness. Prudence, indeed, will dictate that governments long established should not be changed for light and transient causes; and accordingly all experience hath shown that mankind are more disposed to suffer, while evils are sufferable, than to right themselves by abolishing the forms to which they are accustomed. But when a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same object evinces a design to reduce them under absolute despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such government, and to provide new guards for their future security. --Such has been the patient sufferance of these colonies; and such is now the necessity which constrains them to alter their former systems of government. The history of the present King of Great Britain is a history of repeated injuries and usurpations, all having in direct object the establishment of an absolute tyranny over these states. To prove this, let facts be submitted to a candid world.

He has forbidden his governors to pass laws of immediate and pressing importance, unless suspended in their operation till his assent should be obtained; and when so suspended, he has utterly neglected to attend to them.

He has refused to pass other laws for the accommodation of large districts of people, unless those people would relinquish the right of representation in the legislature, a right inestimable to them and formidable to tyrants only.

He has called together legislative bodies at places unusual, uncomfortable, and distant from the depository of their public records, for the sole purpose of fatiguing them into compliance with his measures.

He has dissolved representative houses repeatedly, for opposing with manly firmness his invasions on the rights of the people.

He has refused for a long time, after such dissolutions, to cause others to be elected; whereby the legislative powers, incapable of annihilation, have returned to the people at large for their exercise; the state remaining in the meantime exposed to all the dangers of invasion from without, and convulsions within.

He has endeavored to prevent the population of these states; for that purpose obstructing the laws for naturalization of foreigners; refusing to pass others to encourage their migration hither, and raising the conditions of new appropriations of lands.

He has obstructed the administration of justice, by refusing his assent to laws for establishing judiciary powers.

He has made judges dependent on his will alone, for the tenure of their offices, and the amount and payment of their salaries.

He has erected a multitude of new offices, and sent hither swarms of officers to harass our people, and eat out their substance.

He has kept among us, in times of peace, standing armies without the consent of our legislature.

He has affected to render the military independent of and superior to civil power.

He has combined with others to subject us to a jurisdiction foreign to our constitution, and unacknowledged by our laws; giving his assent to their acts of pretended legislation:

For quartering large bodies of armed troops among us:

For protecting them, by mock trial, from punishment for any murders which they should commit on the inhabitants of these states:

For cutting off our trade with all parts of the world:

For imposing taxes on us without our consent:

For depriving us in many cases, of the benefits of trial by jury:

For transporting us beyond seas to be tried for pretended offenses:

For abolishing the free system of English laws in a neighboring province, establishing therein an arbitrary government, and enlarging its boundaries so as to render it at once an example and fit instrument for introducing the same absolute rule in these colonies:

For taking away our charters, abolishing our most valuable laws, and altering fundamentally the forms of our governments:

For suspending our own legislatures, and declaring themselves invested with power to legislate for us in all cases whatsoever.

He has abdicated government here, by declaring us out of his protection and waging war against us.

He has plundered our seas, ravaged our coasts, burned our towns, and destroyed the lives of our people.

He is at this time transporting large armies of foreign mercenaries to complete the works of death, desolation and tyranny, already begun with circumstances of cruelty and perfidy scarcely paralleled in the most barbarous ages, and totally unworthy the head of a civilized nation.

He has constrained our fellow citizens taken captive on the high seas to bear arms against their country, to become the executioners of their friends and brethren, or to fall themselves by their hands.

He has excited domestic insurrections amongst us, and has endeavored to bring on the inhabitants of our frontiers, the merciless Indian savages, whose known rule of warfare, is undistinguished destruction of all ages, sexes and conditions.

In every stage of these oppressions we have petitioned for redress in the most humble terms: our repeated petitions have been answered only by repeated injury. A prince, whose character is thus marked by every act which may define a tyrant, is unfit to be the ruler of a free people.

Nor have we been wanting in attention to our British brethren. We have warned them from time to time of attempts by their legislature to extend an unwarrantable jurisdiction over us. We have reminded them of the circumstances of our emigration and settlement here. We have appealed to their native justice and magnanimity, and we have conjured them by the ties of our common kindred to disavow these usurpations, which, would inevitably interrupt our connections and correspondence. They too have been deaf to the voice of justice and of consanguinity. We must, therefore, acquiesce in the necessity, which denounces our separation, and hold them, as we hold the rest of mankind, enemies in war, in peace friends.

We, therefore, the representatives of the United States of America, in General Congress, assembled, appealing to the Supreme Judge of the world for the rectitude of our intentions, do, in the name, and by the authority of the good people of these colonies, solemnly publish and declare, that these united colonies are, and of right ought to be free and independent states; that they are absolved from all allegiance to the British Crown, and that all political connection between them and the state of Great Britain, is and ought to be totally dissolved; and that as free and independent states, they have full power to levy war, conclude peace, contract alliances, establish commerce, and to do all other acts and things which independent states may of right do. And for the support of this declaration, with a firm reliance on the protection of Divine Providence, we mutually pledge to each other our lives, our fortunes and our sacred honor.

2010-06-28T15:38:00.000-07:00

the right to keep and bear arms must be regarded as a substantive guarantee, not a prohibition that could be ignored so long as the States legislated in an evenhanded manner

Justice Samuel Alito

2010-06-27T19:28:00.000-07:00

We, the people are the rightful masters of both Congress and the courts, not to overthrow the Constitution, but to overthrow men who pervert the Constitution. Abraham Lincoln

2010-06-26T04:43:00.000-07:00

Mawidge...mawidge is what bwings us togewer today... Mawidge, the bwessed awwangement, that dweam wiffim a dweam... ... Ven wuv, twoo wuv, wiw fowwow you fowever..

--Peter Cook as The Impressive Clergyman

2010-06-23T20:38:00.001-07:00

Government is not reason; it is not eloquence. It is force. And force, like fire, is a dangerous servant and a fearful master. George Washington

2010-06-22T20:25:00.001-07:00

Our constitution was made only for a moral and religious people. It is wholly inadequate to the government of any other. John Adams

2010-06-21T21:22:00.001-07:00

It is not down in any map; true places never are. ~Herman Melville

2010-06-20T07:53:00.000-07:00

"Never pay more than 20 bucks for a computer game."

Guybrush Threepwood, The Secret of Monkey Island

Links

2010-06-19T13:56:00.000-07:00

In honor of E3, some video game links.

Goldeneye what?

Monkey Island returns!

On the subject of Monkey Island

Ending credits of Monkey Island

You've seen him on a steamboat, you've seen him with an army of buckets, you've seen him make eyes at Minnie..

2010-06-19T13:55:00.001-07:00

I recently learned something quite interesting about video games. Many young people have developed incredible hand, eye, and brain coordination in playing these games. The air force believes these kids will be our outstanding pilots should they fly our jets.

RONALD REAGAN

2010-06-18T20:11:00.000-07:00

The NRA believes America's laws were made to be obeyed and that our Constitutional liberties are just as important today as 200 years ago. And by the way, the Constitution does not say Government shall decree the right to keep and bear arms. The Constitution says 'The right of the people to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed.'

Ronald Reagan

2010-06-17T20:59:00.001-07:00

An informed patriotism is what we want.

Ronald Reagan

2010-06-16T16:57:00.000-07:00

It would seem that not only is religion lacking in the schools -- so is common sense. I wonder what a teacher is supposed to say if a kid asks about those four words on a dime -- 'In God We Trust.' Or maybe that's why they aren't being taught how to read these days.

-Ronald Reagan

2010-06-15T16:30:00.000-07:00

Republicans believe every day is the Fourth of July, but the democrats believe every day is April 15.
Ronald Reagan

2010-06-14T20:07:00.001-07:00

Freedom prospers when religion is vibrant and the rule of law under God is acknowledged.
Ronald Reagan

2010-06-13T07:09:00.000-07:00

How do you tell a communist? Well, it's someone who reads Marx and Lenin. And how do you tell an anti-Communist? It's someone who understands Marx and Lenin.

Ronald Reagan

Videos

2010-06-12T10:47:00.000-07:00

Since it is Saturday there was already a quote for the day, but here are a few links.

And with props to Skippy:

Its too Late

2010-06-12T08:44:00.000-07:00

"Before a standing army can rule, the people must be disarmed; as they are in almost every kingdom of Europe. The supreme power in America cannot enforce unjust laws by the sword; because the whole body of the people are armed, and constitute a force superior to any band of regular troops that can be, on any pretence, raised in the United States."
-Noah Webster

2010-06-11T17:06:00.000-07:00

To compel a man to furnish funds for the propagation of ideas he disbelieves and abhors is sinful and tyrannical.
-Thomas Jefferson

2010-06-10T17:45:00.001-07:00

"Democracy does not guarantee equality of conditions - it only guarantees equality of opportunity."
-- Irving Kristol

D-Day

2010-06-06T06:46:00.000-07:00

An invading army had not crossed the unpredictable, dangerous English Channel since 1688 -- and once the massive force set out, there was no turning back. The 5000-vessel armada stretched as far as the eye could see, transporting over 150,000 men and nearly 30,000 vehicles across the channel to the French beaches. Six parachute regiments -- over 13,000 men -- were flown from nine British airfields in over 800 planes. More than 300 planes dropped 13,000 bombs over coastal Normandy immediately in advance of the invasion.

War planners had projected that 5,000 tons of gasoline would be needed daily for the first 20 days after the initial assault. In one planning scenario, 3,489 long tons of soap would be required for the first four months in France.

By nightfall on June 6, more than 9,000 Allied soldiers were dead or wounded, but more than 100,000 had made it ashore, securing French coastal villages. And within weeks, supplies were being unloaded at UTAH and OMAHA beachheads at the rate of over 20,000 tons per day.

Captured Germans were sent to American prisoner of war camps at the rate of 30,000 POWs per month from D-Day until Christmas 1944. Thirty-three detention facilities were in Texas alone.

Five years before he died, General Eisenhower (who was a conquering hero at war's end and later served two terms as America's president) came back to Colleville-sur-Mer. It was the first, and only, time he made that journey after the war. Looking over Omaha Beach, he spoke from his heart:

. . . these men came here - British and our allies, and Americans - to storm these beaches for one purpose only, not to gain anything for ourselves, not to fulfill any ambitions that America had for conquest, but just to preserve freedom. . . . Many thousands of men have died for such ideals as these. . . but these young boys. . . were cut off in their prime. . . I devoutly hope that we will never again have to see such scenes as these. I think and hope, and pray, that humanity will have learned. . . we must find some way . . . to gain an eternal peace for this world. (Eisenhower: A Soldier's Life, by Carlo D'Este, p. 705.)

Mosin Nagant

2010-05-31T19:14:00.000-07:00

So in the Russo-Turkish War the Russians didn't fair too well. They had single shot rifles while their opponents had semi-automatic weapons. So the Russian army launched a search for a new rifle. Capt Mosin of the Imperial Army submitted a design as well as Leon Nagant. At first Nagant's submission looked better, but on further examination Mosin's shown. After taking a idea's from Nagant's they made the Model 1891.

The Model 1891 was used until approximately the 1930s, at that point some updates where made and the new weapon was classified as M91/30. This weapon was made through the end of WWII and was the standard Russia battle rifle through the war.

A number of carbine versions were produced (1907, 1938, 1944, and 1959). Also a number of other countries produced similar versions of the rifle and use them through a number of years.

The Soviet Union continued to use Mosin Nagants as sniper rifles until they fell. The Russian Federation continued to use it as a sniping weapon through at least 1998. Others continue to utilize it, making the service life well over 100 years.

As for mine, it is from 1943 and is from the Izhevk Arsenal located in Russia (founded in 1807 by Tsar Alexandar 1)

Pictures to come

Some Random Quotes

2010-05-18T20:00:00.000-07:00

The democracy will cease to exist when you take away from those who are willing to work and give to those who would not. - Thomas Jefferson

I contend that for a nation to try to tax itself into prosperity is like a man standing in a bucket and trying to lift himself up by the handle. -Winston Churchill

This year will go down in history for the first time a civilized nation has full gun registration. Our streets will be safer, our police more efficient, and the world will follow our lead into the future. - Adolph Hitler

These are the most feared words in the English language: "I'm from the government, and I'm here to help you." -Ronald Wilson Regan

Americans have the right and advantage of being armed - unlike the citizens of other countries whose governments are afraid to trust the people with arms. - James Madison, The Federalist Papers

The best we can hope for concerning the people at large is that they be properly armed. - Alexander Hamilton, The Federalist Papers at 184-188

Among the many misdeeds of British rule in India, history will look upon the Act depriving a whole nation of arms as the blackest. - Mohandas Gandhi

The people of the various provinces are strictly forbidden to have in their possession any swords, short swords, bows, spears, firearms, or other types of arms. The possession of unnecessary implements makes difficult the collection of taxes and dues and tends to foment uprisings. - Toyotomi Hideyoshi, dictator of Japan

The most foolish mistake we could possibly make would be to permit the conquered Eastern peoples to have arms. History teaches that all conquerors who have allowed their subject races to carry arms have prepared their own downfall by doing so. - Adolph Hitler

If gun laws in fact worked, the sponsors of this type of legislation should have no difficulty drawing upon long lists of examples of criminal acts reduced by such legislation. That they cannot do so after a century and a half of trying -- that they must sweep under the rug the southern attempts at gun control in the 1870-1910 period, the northeastern attempts in the 1920-1939 period, the attempts at both Federal and State levels in 1965-1976 -- establishes the repeated, complete and inevitable failure of gun laws to control serious crime. - Senator Orrin Hatch

To announce that there must be no criticism of the President, or that we are to stand by the President, right or wrong, is not only unpatriotic and servile, but is morally treasonable to the American public. - Theodore Roosevelt

Never interrupt your enemy when he is making a mistake. - Napoleon Bonaparte

I have never let my schooling interfere with my education. - Mark Twain

scissors cuts paper, paper covers rock, rock crushes lizard, lizard poisons Spock, Spock smashes scissors, scissors decapitates lizard, lizard eats paper, paper disproves Spock, Spock vaporizes rock, and as it always has been...rock crushes scissors -Dr. Sheldon Cooper

Things to do in Salt Lake City

2010-04-28T10:48:00.000-07:00

So while I'm here I'm developing a list of things that I should do. Here's what I have so far:

- See the temple/temple square

- See the Great Salt Lake

- Go to the photography event at REI

- Go to the trekking in Asia event at REI

- Hike Mt Raymond (in a kilt)

- See Iron Man 2 on IMAX

- Visit Laura

- Go backpacking (still determining where....)

Anyone have any other suggestions?

Drive

2010-04-28T10:34:00.000-07:00

So then... I drove from Southern New Mexico up to Salt Lake City in my Subaru. It is awesome. Now most of the way I was not on interstate highways, so I saw an awful lot of country side and all. It also meant that I had a lot of windy roads and all. It was a great drive, I really do like the Outback more than the Ranger. As you can see from the picture I had a little bit of tech with me on the drive. Now, I would eventually like to upgrade my in car radio so that the Sirius is integrated into the car and that would remove one piece of equipment. The line in for the MP3 player rocks. I just need to update my playlists so I don't always have it on random and have Christmas music popping up.

Oh, so I had about 13 hours of driving. I filled up before I left, I had to fill up in Gallup (about 1/4 of a tank left) then i filled up in Moab (about half a tank left) and got into Salt Lake with about a half a tank. Twas rather impressive. Especially coming from the truck. I do really enjoy the little onboard computer. Usually it stays on the outside temp, but it is nice to know the current mpg and my average.

Subaru! (part 2)

2010-03-28T15:04:00.000-07:00

So I'm thinking that I will need a Flying WV sticker (Link). Also I think that I will need to get a little ibex sticker from backcountry.com. I just need to order something and they tend to send them with orders.

I also need a different sun shade. I have seen some that are basically 2 circles that you can fold down into a smaller size. I think those could work well.

Subaru!

2010-03-28T10:01:00.000-07:00

I now own a Subaru Outback. It is a black 07 legacy outback. I actually have a car with power windows, locks, mirrors, and driver seat. I also have heated seats, which will be really nice during winter months. The daytime running lights are still a bit odd, but the headlights are really nice during the night. I enjoy having the AUX in, I can have my MP3 player and can run music and such off of that.

The back seat is nice, a bit small but its a back seat so it doesn't need to be that big. The seats fold down so I can have a bunch of stuff in the back if needed. there is some storage in the back with the spare tire, so I have room to put stuff back there like jumper cables, oil, first aid kit and the like.

Well, I have some pictures and will post them on the photo blog.

Vegas

2010-03-10T16:27:00.000-08:00

So then, I'll have to post a longer entry when I get the chance, but for now some notes:

-Craps > roulette

-Craps >> slots

-What is Pai Gow Poker anyhow?

-Penn and Teller where awesome

-Lots of food

- the card flickers are annoying

- The volcano was cool

- it doesn't take much wind to cancel the pirates

- everywhere has a party pit

- its a hike to the Rio or the far end of the strip

Tada!

2010-02-25T19:25:00.000-08:00

Hooray! I now have a new laptop featuring a functional keyboard. I can type words like keyboard, pizza, dunderhead and Zamboni with no issues and not having to use the on screen keyboard. I am still setting things up and getting them all installed and loaded. It is a 15 inch screen as opposed to my older one that is a 17 in, but it is bigger then's Stella's 13 in. It is much lighter too and it fits nicely in my new bag. And I didn't realize it had it, but there is a HDMI port on it. Sweetness! And I got the backlit keyboard. Tis awesome!!

Well, sadly the USA ladies lost the gold medal game, but lost to Canada, so I guess if you have to loss to someone they would be people to loss to. As of right now the US has 32 medals, so we are winning the Olympics. Also during the opening ceremony I realized I don't really have any Team USA gear. Looking around I really like the blue team USA hockey jersey. It is this one: http://www.vancouver2010.com/store/clothing/nike/nike-usa-olympic-replica-jersey/prod365229451.html I will work on getting it, at some point or another. It has hints of the 1980 Miracle on Ice jersey, which is really cool. OO, the other night we watched Miracle, Stella had never seen it.

Well, we must accept that the Olympics are coming to an end. This Sunday we will have the gold medal men's hockey game and the opening ceremony. However, feel not sports fans! The Iditarod starts in only 8 days! March 6! For more information look here:http://www.iditarod.com/ If you care, and you should, go ahead and post your pics. One for veteran and one for rookie. For veteran I'll go for Lance Mackey. For the past 3 years that I've been following pulling him as my vet. For my rookie I have to go with Newton Marshall. He is from Jamaica. (oo..and he is sponsored by Margaritaville) That is cool.

Also sometime in March we get the whole March Madness deal, so go 'Eers! Well I think things have copied onto the external so now I have to copy them to this computer. Eventually I'll want to get a case so I can pull the hard drive out of the old laptop and make it an external.

P90X

2010-02-21T07:16:00.000-08:00

So I started on P90X last monday. I finished week 1, with today being my off day. It was a lot of work and I was sore most days from it, but hopefully its working. Part of the program is working on eating better as well. I didn't do so well this week, I ended up eating out a bit more than I should have, a friend was in town and we had a meeting that ran long on base and all. So I have to work on doing better on it this week. Also I am trying hard to get at least 7 hours of sleep. To get up at 5 to do P90X I am trying to go to sleep at 10. It is a bit tough some nights, but I have done a decent job of it this week.

Well...Yikes and Away...I'm off

Oh, if you haven't seen the photo blog in a while there are some pics up there.

Rock Paper Scissors Spock Lizard

2010-02-15T19:55:00.000-08:00

Scissors cut Paper

Paper covers Rock

Scissors decapitate Lizard

Rock smashes Lizard

Lizard eats Paper

Lizard poisons Spock

Spock vaporizes Rock

Spock smashes Scissors

Paper disproves Spock

Rock crushes Scissors

Olympics

2010-02-14T06:53:00.000-08:00

So this morning will be the men's 10km sprint in the biathlon. There are 2 Americans taking part and this is a medal event. In the sprint the athletes start and do 3 laps around a 3.3 km track. They stop 2 times to shoot 5 metal targets, once standing and once prone. Standing the tracks are the size of grapefruits an prone they are the size of golfballs. Missing a target results in taking another lap around the track.

Also on 16 Feb the US men's curling team takes on Germany in the 1st session. The women's team takes on Japan.

For ice hockey the US women take on China today and the men take on Switzerland on the 16. Both of these are preliminary games.

Finally...I like the 2010 USA hockey jersey. I prefer the away one more (the blue one) Only problem is they seem to be sold out everywhere.

My New Computer

2010-02-12T18:03:00.000-08:00

1	224-7415	Studio 15 Laptop
1	317-3521	Intel Core i3-350M 2.26GHz (3M cache)
1	317-3931	4GB Shared Dual Channel DDR3 at 1066MHz
1	330-2938	Back-lit Keyboard
1	320-1178	15.6 inch High Definition (720p) LED Display with TrueLife and Camera
1	421-1009	Dell Webcam Software 1.4 Application Kit
1	330-6729	ATI Mobility Radeon HD 4570 512MB
1	342-0091	500GB 7200 RPM SATA Hard Disk Drive
1	313-8416	Black Chainlink
1	330-6868	DELL RESOURCE DVD,BACK-UP,1558
1	330-6222	Windows 7 Label
1	420-6436	PC-Restore, Dim/Insp
1	420-6576	DELL WELCOME,Software Dimension/Inspiron
1	420-7938	Dell Connect 2.1
1	420-9691	DataSafe Local BackUp 2.0 Basic
1	421-0187	Dell Support Center Software 64 Bit 2.0
1	421-0323	Windows Live Search,Multiple User Interface
1	421-1193	Download Store Links
1	421-1737	Genuine Windows 7 Home Premium, 64bit, English
1	421-0092	DELL-DOWNLOAD-FLAG
1	420-9352	Dell, Software, Wild Tangent Inc Games
1	420-9876	Cozi-Calendar
1	421-1362	Dell Software,Roxio 1.0
1	421-1582	Cyberlink Power DVD 8.3 Playback
1	313-8878	8X DVD+/-RW Dual Layer Drive
1	421-2000	Creative Sound Blaster X-Fi MB
1	430-0729	Dell Wireless 1397 802.11g Half Mini Card
1	420-9100	Dell Dock Consumer
1	410-2185	McAfee Sapphire MUI, 15-Month
1	312-0694	56 WHr 6-cell Lithium Ion Primary Battery
1	420-8051	Microsoft Works 9.0, English For Inspiron

What to do in a snow storm

2010-02-10T16:41:00.000-08:00

From Foxnews.com

The House has canceled votes for the rest of the week. The Senate looks likely to do the same. The federal government is shut down entirely. And that means the president of the United States essentially has the seat of U.S. power all to himself.

Lucky President Obama. As Washington hunkers down in its worst snowfall in decades, he gets to work at home. And having his office a flight of stairs away gives him some rare opportunities.

Here are nine helpful suggestions on how the president, a notorious multitasker believed by many to read his Blackberry while asleep, can make the most of the D.C. blizzard:

1. Start all over on a health care reform bill, just as the Republicans have suggested. It'll blow their minds.

2. Commandeer a snowplow from the city fleet, dig out Washington's Penn Quarter and out-Scott Brown the truck-driving senator by topping his campaign pitch line. "I'm Barack Obama. I'm from Chicago. I drive a snowplow."

3. Settle the score with the media, permanently. In his latest lament over the 24/7, he-said, she-said, cable and Internet media environment, Obama told Senate Democrats last week to turn off CNN, Fox News and the blogs. This is his chance. A delicately worded executive order could eliminate all cable news channels, Internet-based outlets and other ill-favored media so all that remains is a print-only reincarnation of the Washington Star, whose only writer is liberal columnist E.J. Dionne. Finally, some peace and quiet.

4. Hold a press conference every day the government is down. By knocking out three or four at once, he could bank his total for the rest of the year.

5. Prepare for post-snowpocalyptic life in the nation's capital. Draft a pothole restoration and recovery plan -- then claim every repaired pothole as a job saved or created.

6. Compose the next State of the Union address as if it were a movie trailer. More people will pay attention and Republicans will be far more willing to cooperate if every line of the speech begins with, "In a world where ..."

7. Kiss and make up with C-SPAN. Perhaps the channel is still miffed that it didn't get to cover the backroom health care negotiations, but that's nothing a content-sharing agreement can't fix. Obama could give them unfettered access to health care talks. In exchange, Obama aide Dan Pfeiffer could blog every day on WhiteHouse.gov about what C-SPAN CEO Brian Lamb has for breakfast. How's that for access?

8. Plan Valentine's Day with the first lady. But keep it simple this year. A helicopter ride over the Himalayas, dinner at The French Laundry and matching vanity jet packs is tasteful, but not excessive.

9. Actually start taxing tea. That'll give the Tea Partiers something to cry about.

http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2010/02/10/peace-quiet-ways-obama-capitalize-dc-snowstorm/

Saturday Evening's Dinner

2010-02-01T20:57:00.000-08:00

Duck!

oh yes...with Chipotle Mashed Sweet Potatoes, Cornbread dressing, mixed veggies, a salad and dessert.

Grand Canyon

2010-01-01T21:51:00.000-08:00

So then...I have a backcountry permit for the Grand Canyon National Park. 2 people, 1 night at Bright Angel Campground, at the bottom of the Grand Canyon. Now... how did we get there?

Day 1: South Kaibab Trail

Rim (7260 ft) to Cedar Ridge (6120 ft) - 1.5 mi

Cedar Ridge (6120 ft) to Skeleton Point (5220 ft) - 1.5 mi

Skeleton Point (5220 ft) to Tipoff (4000 ft) - 1.4 mi

Tipoff (4000 ft) to Bright Angel Campground (2480 ft) - 2.6 mi

Total 7.0 miles, 4780 ft of elevation change.

Day 2: Bright Angel Trail

Bright Angel Campground (2480 ft) to River Resthouse (2480 ft) - 1.5 mi

River Resthouse (2480 ft) to Indian Garden (3800 ft) - 3.2 mi

Indian Garden (3800 ft) to Three-Mile Resthouse (4748 ft) - 1.7 mi

Three-Mile Resthouse (4748 ft) to Mile-and-a-Half Resthouse (5729 ft) - 1.5 mi

Mile-and-a-Half Resthouse (5729 ft) to Rim (6860 ft) 1.6 mi

Total 9.5 miles, 4380 ft of elevation change.

For a grand total of 16.5 miles and 9160 ft of elevation change over 2 days.

Both days ended after dark, knife edge trails, miles of packed snow and ice, amazing views, fresh powder, freezing weather and wind blown trails with a 1000 ft drop inches from the trail. It was an awesome trip and we got some great pictures.

Rest of Break

2009-12-26T15:29:00.000-08:00

So, we had our second Christmas together and it was quite nice. It started out with some families and Father Bob enjoying Wigilia and then heading out to midnight mass. We got back and I elected to stay up and finish dishes as Stella got some sleep so she could wake up in the morning. We got up and opened gifts and had breakfast (not cold cereal, we had cinnamon buns). It was a rather camping Christmas for us, we both got gear for our upcoming trip. We watched up and then went to another couple's home for dinner with them and father followed by playing Wii.

This brings us to 4 advent dinners, 1 we survived November party, 1 court of honor/scout party, 1 Los Posada, 1 Wigilia, 1 Christmas dinner and 1 Catholic Young Adult dinner in December. (so many parties)

Well today was a quite bum around town day, but we will need to pack for our trip. Tomorrow we will clean out the car and finish getting the house in order. Then Monday we drive out to the Grand Canyon. Looking at our route we will be stopping in the Petrified Forest for our lunch break. Tuesday we will head down to the canyon floor and Wednesday we will head back up. Thursday we will return and hit Mass and casino night at the parish. So it is just a short trip, but we get to get away.

Then on Jan begins. And to start the year there will be sleeping in. And of course I will need to re-season the cast iron. 2 Jan will be the OA banquet down in El Paso. And the 4th work starts up again. So that is the plan for the rest of break. I'm sure there will be pictures posted eventually.

Oh, and Stella has determined that the AK-47 is pretty.

Wigilia Menu

2009-12-17T16:42:00.001-08:00

So then...for Wigilia

We will start with crackers, an Irish Cheddar, a brie and some crab dip.

We will then move to a lovely potato soup followed by a spinach salad.

The main dish will be flounder with platskis, perogis, and green bean casserole.

Dessert will be up in the air

Wassailling

2009-12-14T20:35:00.001-08:00

1. Here we come a wassailing
Among the leaves so green,
Here we come a wandering
So fair to be seen.

Chorus
Love and joy come to you,
And to you your wassail too,
And God bless you and send you a happy New Year.
And God send you a happy New Year.

2. Our wassail cup is made
Of the rosemary tree,
And so is your beer
Of the best barley. Chorus

3. We are not daily beggars
That beg from door to door,
But we are neighbours' children
Whom you have seen before. Chorus

4. Good Master and good Mistress,
As you sit by the fire,
Pray think of us poor children
Are wandering in the mire. Chorus

5. We have a little purse
Made of ratching leather skin;¹
We want some of your small change
To line it well within. Chorus

6. Call up the Butler of this house,
Put on his golden ring;
Let him bring us a glass of beer,
And the better we shall sing. Chorus

7. Bring us out a table,
And spread it with a cloth;
Bring us out a mouldy cheese,
And some of your Christmas loaf. Chorus

8. God bless the Master of this house,
Likewise the Mistress too;
And all the little children
That round the table go. Chorus

Thanksgiving Dinner

2009-11-24T23:28:00.000-08:00

We will start off with a butternut squash soup

Then a Spinach and Prickly Pear salad with a prickly pear dressing before the main course...

of roast Turkey, green bean cassorole, yams, cranberry sauce, mashed potatoes, and gravy

a pumpkin bread will be served as well

we will finish up with a pumpkin pie for desert

We will have cider and the wine for the evening will be a Tularosa Vineyards Gewürztraminer

The Hike

2009-09-07T14:03:00.000-07:00

So then, we went into the Gila Wilderness. We saw the cliff dwellings, which you are allowed to walk through which is pretty cool. Of course the real fun was packing into the Gila. We hiked in through the middle fork route. It was 6 miles from the trail head to the mouth of little bear canyon, which is where we made camp for the night. It was really cool, at points the trail was over grown. There were about 36 river crossings for those 6 miles. The river was cool, not overly cold and the crossings ranged from a few inches to about knee deep. So we ended up hiking with wet soggy boots. It wasn't too bad, it was warm so the cold water didn't feel too bad.

At the mouth of Little Bear Canyon we set up our camp, it started to sprinkle and there was some thunder. After a short break the weather let up a bit and we set out to the hot springs. It was 2 miles out and it took a bit and 14 more river crossings but we got to Jordan Hot Springs. It was more like warm bath water than a hot spring, but it was still nice to relax a bit. But you can't dunk your head, cause there are ameobas that will cause menegitis. So after a bit of a soak we headed home and made it back to the camp. Since we had a bit of a fire ring we had a bit of a fire and had dinner.

The next morning we got up had breakfast and set out through the canyon. It was 4 miles back to the road and then 3/4 of a mile back to were we parked. We got back to the car and visited a few more people that were camping in the area. Then we headed home and just made it in time for mass.

So then for starters we were testing out the new water filter. We got an MSR Miniworks and it is great. It takes a bit of effort to pump and I think that about a gallon is all that I want to pump at one given time. But the water tastes really great. So I would definetly recommend it to anyone that is looking for a filter. Also I was trying out backpacking in a kilt. It really worked out well. It was nice, so again, if you haven't tried it out, give it a shot. Lastly Stella tryed out her new therma-rest. She really enjoyed it, said it was comfy, so all around things were good.

Back

2009-09-06T19:57:00.001-07:00

ok, i survived the Gila. the route we took in had 50 river crossings. I'll see about putting up some pics. And since i'm tired i'll post more on it later.

Tomorrow

2009-09-03T20:14:00.000-07:00

So then...tomorrow my next packing trip is tomorrow. I will be trying out the new water filter. Also....wait for it...wait for it...will try out backpacking in a kilt! prepare to be amazed! More to come.

Tada!

2009-08-30T18:25:00.000-07:00

So then... I was up in the mountians camping this past weekend. And last weekend, and the weekend before. Also I will be camping next weekend. I must say it was nice and cool up there. It is odd to live in a place where you can be in the mountains and it can be hailing. Then you drive 20 minutes and you are in the basin and it is atleast 80 degrees and sunny.

But I have completed my woodbadge course and in between hit up an ordeal weekend. Next weekend will be backpacking with Stella in the Gila wilderness. We are going to see about finding one of the hotsprings out there. Now, i've seen some stuffs about backpacking in kilts, so I might attempt to try that out. Seeing as how i own one.

Also it would seem that REI is having a sale, so I am looking at getting a water purifer. Seeing as how i have not one of those. And we need to see about a new pad for Stella.

Lastly I think it is time to post some pictures!

A post

2009-07-05T18:28:00.000-07:00

Yes, I have not posted for a while, but i'm not dead yet. I've been down to Florida a few times, then out to WV and then home for a bit. Spent a weekend in Wisconsin, and now home again. I'll probably post more later, but for now I'm gonna rest.

Eat Your Way Through Disney Tour

2009-05-26T07:16:00.000-07:00

Well then, I am now back to the Friendliest Place on Earth (From the Happiest Place on Earth). And I must say that the Deluxe Disney Dining Plan can be a grand thing. The only problem is it seems that all we did was eat. But we ate amazingly well.

Day 1: Flew in so only 1 meal, Grand Gathering for Illuminations

They had a buffet from stuff all over the world, so there was much sampling. The Canadian cheese soup was really good. Then we got to go and watch Illuminations, was a very good time.

Day 2: Breakfast: Character Breakfast at Tony's (Magic Kingdom) We got to get into the park a bit early to make this reservation. Got to see Mickey and Minnie, Donald and Daisy and Goofy (who it seems I am as tall as). They had breakfast pastries, eggs, sauage, bacon, hash browns, and waffles.

Lunch: Another character meal, this one at the Crystal Palace (Magic Kingdom) This time we saw Pooh and Tigger and Piglet and Eeyore, they gave us an anniversary card. Another buffet, I had some chicken nuggets and pizza some veggies and pork tenderloin. Then Max got a cake and we had that for desert.

Dinner: Liberty Tree Tavern (Magic Kingdom) [No Characters] This one they brought out bread and green beans, mashed potatos, ham, turkey, gravy and mac and cheese. Then apple cobbler and ice cream for desert. We sat in the Jefferson Room

Day 3: No Breakfast, saving meal points

Lunch: Rose and Crown (Pub in the England Pavilion of EPCOT) I had the cheese platter appetizer, shepards pie and I forget the desert (i think it was some form of a cake). Oh yes, and the Imperial Sampler - 6 different British Beers. It was good stuff.

Dinner: Teppan Edo (Japanese Pavilion of EPCOT) I had the seaweed salad with ginger dressing, the steak and chicken and green tea pudding for desert. It was all very good, but we were soaking wet cause of the rain.

Day 4: Breakfast at the Tusker House (Animal Kingdom) Another character meal, we saw Goofy, Donald, Daisy and Mickey. Another buffet, had some more eggs, biscuit and gravy and some ham. Plus they had Pineapple Orange Guava juice which was really good.

Lunch: Yak and Yeti (Animal Kingdom) I had pork egg rolls, the Mahi Mahi and fried wontons. It was a really neat restaruent and the food was really good.

Dinner: Safari Grand Gathering (Animal Kingdom) Went on the Safari ride and the then to the tusker house for another buffet. I don't really remember what all they had, but it was good. The also brought out a spider and owl for everyone to see and Timon and Raffiki stopped by.

Day 5:Breakfast at Boma (Animal Kingdom Lodge) More of the juice from the previous breakfast and a buffet. Mostly had a crossiant and some fruit.

Lunch: Mama Melrose (Hollywood Studios) A little Italian style place. I had a Caesar Salad and a pepperoni pizza with Gelato for desert.

Dinner: Spirit of Aloha Dinner Show (Polynesian Resort). We had pineapple and salad with sweet bread, followed by barbeque ribs and chicken with rice and a cake thingie for desert. Plus we had Pelea Fire Punch in a coconut monkey. And the traditional dances were really cool to watch as well.

Day 6: Breakfast at the Kona Cafe (Polynesian Resort). Another character meal, this time we saw Mickey, Pluto, Lilo and Stitch. They brought out more of the juice and a big skillet with eggs, bacon, sauage and potato wedges. And I got a picture with Stitch.

Lunch: Marrakesh (Morroco Pavilion at EPCOT) I had roast lamb and Marrakesh delight. And they had really good mint tea.

Dinner: Le Cellier (Canada Pavillion at EPCOT) I had a spicy chicken sauage and then veal for my dinner. Had a nice Chardonnay with it. Also my little brother proposed and she said Yes.

Day 7: No breakfast, went to Mass instead.

Lunch: Chefs de France (French Pavillion at EPCOT) I had another cheese plate, sampled the escargo (nick ordered it) and then had the ham and cheese sandwhich. It was good stuffs.

Dinner: Went to Artist Point (Wilderness Lodge) [As a point of order I think the Wilderness Lodge looks amazing and would love to stay there, perhaps in a december setting] We had a gewuritanmer then I had venison pot stickers (with a chardonney) wild boar tenderloin (with a merlot) and berries in a muscat (with an ice wine chardonney). Since it was our anniversary they gave us copies of the menu with an anniversary message printed on them, plus a certificate. It was really nice.

Then finally we returned home, very very full.

Disney

2009-05-25T03:16:00.000-07:00

So then.. I went to disney with the family and we ate our way through Disney World. The deluxe dining plan was wonderful, but we ate so very much. Currently in the airport waiting to go home, kinda tired. I'm sure that I'll post more later.

Happy Memorial Day to All.

Happy Towel Day!!

I'm still around

2009-05-17T18:53:00.000-07:00

So then...

It is once again time to fly to Orlando, it hasn't happened for a while. Luckily this time is for fun! I will be going to Disney World with my family. In fact tomorrow night will be the first time in about a year that I will have seen my family. Its kinda weird.

Ahh.. the trip to Orlando. Wake up at 2 AM, leave the house by 3 AM. Get to the airport by 430 AM. Check in, through security, to the gate.... board at 530 AM. Plane departs at 6 AM, lands at Dallas at 8 AM. Transfer from terminal C to D, Board plane at 9 AM, plane departs at 930 AM. Land in Orlando at 1 PM. All times being local of course.

This time will be grand, since I don't have to get a rental car and drive for another hour. The Disney shuttle will pick me up and take me to the hotel. Plus they will take my luggage for me. It shall be nice. Yay! Anyhow.. the photo blog will most likely have some Disney pics in the not to distant future.

Star Trek

2009-05-06T19:36:00.000-07:00

Space: the final frontier. These are the voyages of the starship Enterprise. Its five-year mission: to explore strange new worlds, to seek out new life and new civilizations; to boldly go where no man has gone before.

Star Trek opens this Friday. As such I have been watching the Star Trek which I have, which would be the original series. I think that the 4th movie is one of the best, I would say the best of the original series. First Contact is a great movie as well.

Any how, leave a message with your favorite movie, episode or such.

As for the new movie...is a 23rd century Constitution class starship any match for a 24th century Romulan mining ship outfitted with Borg technology that can fire while cloaked?

Menu for this past week

2009-05-01T17:30:00.000-07:00

Sunday

-Homemade fioccia bread pizza

-V Sattui Chardonnay (06)

Monday (rather busy)

-Left over pizza

Tuesday

-Fajitas

-Margaritas

Wednesday

-Chicken Caesar Salad

-Martinis

Thursday

-Pork cooked in white wine

-mixed veggies

-salad

Friday

-Caesar Salad

-Lasagna

-Pinot Noir

San Francisco and Napa Valley

2009-04-19T11:46:00.001-07:00

Alright, I have managed to return safely.

I drove out and got into my hotel. The first place I went was up to Fisherman's Wharf, I walked from the BART station since the line was really long for the cable car (I don't know why they are called cable cars since they are trolleys). Turns out the hills where a bit more steep then I first though. But I made it all the way the Wharf and wandered about. Got to go on a bay cruise and go under the Golden Gate Bridge and around Alcatraz. Plus I got to see the Sea Lions. From there I wondered over to Lombard Street, which is apparently the crookedest street in the world. It was too steep to drive down, so they added a bunch of turns in it. After that I went over to Chinatown to see it. Then it was back to the wharf to stroll about pier 39 and get dinner

. I had to get some seafood since I was right there on the wharf. (Oh and since the cruise passed under the bridge I was on the pacific ocean. Twas cool). After dinner I went down and got on a cable car. I stopped by a speak easy. You had to ring the bell and give the password. Then you go back behind the bookshelf to the bar. Finally it was time to go and get sleep.

The next morning I got up and found out that I couldn't get tickets on the ferry to Alcatraz. I had wanted to go, but I guess that I will have to go back to see it. So instead I ended up renting a bike and biking across the Golden Gate Bridge. I biked from Fisherman's Wharf to Sausalito. It was a bit more then 8 miles. I got a bunch of pictures, check the photo blog. I had lunch at a nice little Italian cafe in Sausalito and then hopped the ferry back to San Francisco. A bit more biking and then I hopped in the car and drove the bridge on the way to Napa Valley.

I drove out and passed through Sonoma Valley first. It was cool to cruise along and see all the wineries. Then I rolled into Napa and stopped at the visitor's center and got some info. It was a bit late and so I didn't stay to long. The first winery I visited was the Robert Mondavi winery. (by the way one of the attraction types in my GPS is winery). Apparently this was like the first winery in Napa valley. I tasted a few wines there, then headed off to the V Sattui winery. I must say that I really enjoyed it. It had a little deli area and a picnic lawn. I tasted some more wine here. I would recommend it should you find yourself in the area. Stella, this means that when we go we will be stopping here. After that it was time to head back "home".

One thought though, why is it that when you are driving at night and you come across a construction area they flash all sorts of lights at you in an effort to destroy your night vision and blind you as you drive through the area?

Quick Notes

2009-04-17T23:57:00.000-07:00

A few things before bed

- The cruise was cool

- The hills are a bit steepier then I though

- It gets a bit chilly at night

- The speak easy was cool

A Belated Easter

2009-04-13T10:13:00.000-07:00

Ok then, I haven't posted in a bit on here, so I think that now is the time to. When last I posted I had returned from Philmont. I have set out on another grand adventures and can now claim Neveda as a state that I have been to. So hooray!

Now if you have been watching the photo blog you have probably seen a number of pictures go up. I went to Lake Tahoe on Saturday and then on Sunday for Easter I went to Yosemite. Cause I could sit around a hotel or go see something. Now it ended up meaning my Easter dinner was via a drive through at McDonalds on my way back, but I don't really mind, cause I got to see Yosemite. And now I want to go back.

Otherwise its been kinda dull out out here. I did go to Reno on Friday, but it is basically just another big city. I'm sure that I could find some stuff to do there should I wonder around a bit, but I didn't really feel it. So I stopped by the REI and the Barnes and Noble. Wandered through a mall but it was just dull. My other adventures have been much cooler.

This upcoming weekend I will be going to San Francisco. I plan to stop off at Napa Valley on the way back, so I will have to see about picking up some wine there. I'm sure that there will be pictures that go up from that adventure too. By now I'm sure that you all know where to find them. As for now, I think it is time to relax a bit.

And I'm home

2009-04-05T20:41:00.000-07:00

So last time that I got to Philmont was in 2001, I was still a scout and I did a back country trek. It was grand. This past weekend I went again, this time as a scouter for an OA conclave. It was a bit chilly. I woke up this morning and it was 20 degrees out, and yes there was snow on the ground. Consider for a moment your thoughts of spring. Now consider your thought of New Mexico. I was in New Mexico in the spring and it was snowing.

So then... twas a good time altogether, look for some photos and a new synth (One and Two). Should be pretty cool. I got a shirt for Stella and a new shell. Plus I got some patches. Some are cool, others are going on my Hawaiian scout shirt. Once I get it all put together I will see about getting some pictures.

And tomorrow I will be heading out again. So many trips to Elbonia, so little time. Plus I will need to look into some beading again and will have need to learn how to make some head dresses for the chapter, or atleast learn how to make them.

And for now, I shall be watching Austrailia.

WoooHOOO!

2009-04-02T18:50:00.000-07:00

Alright then, tomorrow I go up to Philmont for the weekend. It shall be a good time. I will be taking my camera with me, I am just about done packing. It looks like it will be cold, I might even get snowed on. You can all look foward to pictures at some point or another.

Also on monday I go up to Nevada for about 3 weeks. Unfortunatly I will not be near Vegas, but other adventures may ensue. Look for pictures of that as well. Luckily I think I am ready. I will be taking Firefly with me, plus I've been getting my CDs into digital form so I can load up my Zune. I've also installed my Civ IV stuff onto the laptop, and now I'm removing old programs and I'll defrag before I go.

Other then that, I don't know what else to put up here. So I will end this post......now!

I am offically trained

2009-03-22T07:13:00.000-07:00

Now I am an offically trained assistant scoutmaster. I've done all of my online training plus the first weekend in march I went to new leaders essentials and scoutmaster specific training. This past weekend was outdoor leader skills. This adds to going to merit badge university the weekend in between and the scout expo next weekend. So I am doing lots of scouting this month. Also I am signed up for Wood Badge this summer. So hooray for scouts!

Also Stella is back in VA so I am all alone for the week. But today I got to sleep in, which was rather nice. I haven't really gotten to sleep in for a while, so it was a good change. But there are things that I must get done today like laundry and food shopping. I am considering what to have for breakfast, so I will end this post.

Dinners

2009-03-06T20:08:00.001-08:00

Well then.. I do believe that the next few days' menu is the most ambitious that I've attempted for some time.

Yesterday was Fry Bread Tacos.

Today was New Orleans style fried fish with coucous and pepper.

Tomorrow is Chicken Kiev and as of yet undetermined sides.

Sunday is going to be BBQ ribs with homemade bread (no not out of the bread machine)

Monday is a down day as far as cooking goes.

Then there are some easy things, and next saturday I'll be doing up some Corned Beef and Cabbage.

Luckily I happened upon some kitchen toys today. I got some more tongs and a digital thermal guessing device as well as a kitchen scale. I'm still looking for a pizza peel and a salt pig. I kinda like the one Alton Brown has.

I have been making good use of my cast iron skillet. Also I learned that in part of the process of making the cast iron they clear off the sand with steel buckshot. Oh and it was washed with river rocks. Tis quite exciting.

Oh and I am considering an apron. Does anyone have any suggestions?

Its the heart of the dunes!

2009-03-01T08:35:00.000-08:00

Alright, another week done. Stella is out in California on TDY. I was out at White Sands to help out the cub scout klondike derby. Then I also went to a blue and gold because some webelos were crossing over to our troop. Oh, plus I went bowling. Turns out during the day on Saturday its $7.50 for two people to bowl for an hour. So I might have to go more often. I didn't do quite as well as last time, but its ok.

Today I have to see about going food shopping. But of couse that means I have to figure out what I will be making this week. Oh, and I have dishes to do and some more laundry to finish, plus Mass this evening. So there is lots to do, but I may have to watch Donald in Mathemagic land.

As for now, I think it may be time for blueberry pancakes.

Oscars!

2009-02-20T12:38:00.000-08:00

Oh my.. the oscars are coming!!! Run in fear!! Head for the hills!!! Oh wait... thats for the space monsters, disregard. In fact, lets start again.

Oh my... the oscars are coming!! Now I know what you are all a buzz with, who will win? What will people wear?

We'll start with the first question, who will win? It doesn't really matter. But we'll go over a few categories. First off, Best Picture. I don't really care. Not only have I not seen any of the nominated movies, I have no desire to see them. So there. In fact, I haven't seen most of the movies that are nominated for things. So we'll stick to the few that I have seen some or most of the movies that are up. First up, animated feature film. I haven't seen Bolt, but I think that it should go to Wall E. Kung Fu Panda was good, but I think Wall E was better. Sound editing, I don't know, I think perhaps Iron Man.

Now then, moving on to question the second. I will be wearing my pajamas, a WVU jersey and some sleep pants. And other then what Stella is wearing, I don't really care.

Oh, and I'm going camping this weekend. I suppose I oughta pack for that.

Bucket List

2009-02-18T20:02:00.000-08:00

This was on face book, figure I'd share it hear:

Things you have done during your lifetime:
( ) Gone on a blind date
(x) Skipped school
( ) Watched someone die
( ) Been to Canada
(x) Been to Mexico
(x) Been to Florida
( ) Been to Hawaii
(x) Been on a plane
(x) Been on a helicopter
(x) Been lost
(x) Gone to Washington, DC
(x) Swam in the ocean
(x) Cried yourself to sleep
(x) Played cops and robbers
( ) Recently colored with crayons
( ) Sang Karaoke
(x) Paid for a meal with coins only
(x) Been to the top of the St. Louis Arch
(x) Done something you told yourself you wouldn't
(x) Made prank phone calls
(x) Been down Bourbon Street in New Orleans
(X) Laughed until some kind of beverage came out of your nose
(x) Caught a snowflake on your tongue
(x) Danced in the rain
(X) Written a letter to Santa Claus
(x) Been kissed under the mistletoe
(x) Watched the sunrise with someone
(x) Blown bubbles
(X) Gone ice-skating
(x) Gone to the movies
( ) Been deep sea fishing
(x) Driven across the United States
( ) Been in a hot air balloon
( ) Been sky diving
( ) Gone snowmobiling
(x) Lived in more than one country
(x) Lay down outside at night and admired the stars while listening to the crickets
(x) Seen a falling star and made a wish
( ) Enjoyed the beauty of Old Faithful Geyser
(x) Seen the Statue of Liberty
( ) Gone to the top of Seattle Space Needle
( ) Been on a cruise
(x) Traveled by train
( ) Traveled by motorcycle
(x) Been horse back riding
( ) Ridden on a San Francisco CABLE CAR
(x) Been to Disneyland/World
(x) Truly believe in the power of prayer
( ) Been in a rain forest
( ) Seen whales in the ocean
( ) Been to Niagara Falls
( ) Ridden on an elephant
( ) Swam with dolphins
( ) Been to the Olympics
( ) Walked on the Great Wall of China
( ) Saw and heard a glacier calf
( ) Been spinnaker flying
(x) Been water-skiing
(x) Been snow-skiing
(x) Been to Westminster Abbey
(x) Been to the Louvre
(x) Swam in the Mediterranean
(x) Been to a Major League Baseball game
(x) Been to a National Football League game

Oils

2009-02-17T18:41:00.000-08:00

Since I have been spending some time in the kitchen, this may be mostly for me....

Smoke Points

Butter - 350 F

Olive Oil - 375 F

Corn 410 F

Canola 435 F

Peanut 450 F

Safflower 450 F

And look!

http://www.thinkgeek.com/homeoffice/kitchen/a346/

http://www.thinkgeek.com/homeoffice/kitchen/99c7/

http://www.thinkgeek.com/homeoffice/kitchen/a3f6/

http://www.thinkgeek.com/homeoffice/kitchen/aeb9/

http://www.thinkgeek.com/homeoffice/kitchen/8024/

http://www.thinkgeek.com/homeoffice/kitchen/b0be/

Tada!

2009-02-14T17:34:00.000-08:00

Alrighty then! Happy Valentines Day to all. I got Stella a bush, along with a few other things. I got a bottle of wine!

And I made pancakes this morning. I have been watchin good eats and have been enjoying a bunch of the recipes on there. So I used the pancake one today. They were light and fluffy and yummy, but I had to run out the door to go to scouting for food.

So now I am off to cook up some dinner and then I think that we are going dancing tonight.

Valentines Day?

2009-02-13T07:01:00.000-08:00

What???

Tomorrow???

Since when???

Happy Half Time

2009-02-01T17:12:00.001-08:00

Greetings all. I hope you are enjoying the game. I have been having some wing, some beer and some football. So it is all good. As you can see it is now half time and it seems the gon don steelers are up a bit. Any how, back to the beer and wings.

Bacon and Dead President

2009-01-29T18:22:00.000-08:00

Both in the same post! WOW!

First copeous amounts of bacon! Check this out

I may just have to try making that some time. It looks aweful yummy.

Now then, on the the President. I got this today and thought I'd share with you:

I believe we have arrived at the destination Jefferson warned us about.

And if you add the quote from A. Lincoln that you cannot tax people into
prosperity, you have the real picture of today.

Jefferson in some cases could be called a prophet.

When we get piled upon one another in large cities, as in Europe, we
shall become as corrupt as Europe.
Thomas Jefferson
<http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/quotes/t/thomasjeff109181.html>

The democracy will cease to exist when you take away from those who are
willing to work and give to those who would not.
Thomas Jefferson
<http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/quotes/t/thomasjeff122881.html>

It is incumbent on every generation to pay its own debts as it goes. A
principle which if acted on would save one-half the wars of the world.
Thomas Jefferson
<http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/quotes/t/thomasjeff136389.html>

I predict future happiness for Americans if they can prevent the
government from wasting the labors of the people under the pretense of
taking care of them.
Thomas Jefferson
<http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/quotes/t/thomasjeff136410.html>

My reading of history convinces me that most bad government results from
too much government.
Thomas Jefferson
<http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/quotes/t/thomasjeff157220.html>

No free man shall ever be debarred the use of arms.
Thomas Jefferson
<http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/quotes/t/thomasjeff125076.html>

The strongest reason for the people to retain the right to keep and bear
arms is, as a last resort, to protect themselves against tyranny in
government.
Thomas Jefferson
<http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/quotes/t/thomasjeff100991.html>

The tree of liberty must be refreshed from time to time with the blood
of patriots and tyrants.
Thomas Jefferson
<http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/quotes/t/thomasjeff109180.html>

To compel a man to subsidize with his taxes the propagation of ideas
which he disbelieves and abhors is sinful and tyrannical.
Thomas Jefferson
<http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/quotes/t/thomasjeff157246.html>

Very Interesting Quote

In light of the present financial crisis, it's interesting to read what
Thomas Jefferson said in 1802:

'I believe that banking institutions are more dangerous to our liberties
than standing armies. If the American people ever allow private banks to
control the issue of their currency, first by inflation, then by
deflation, the banks and corporations that will grow up around the banks
will deprive the people of all property until their children wake-up
homeless on the continent their fathers conquered.'

Ahhh

2009-01-24T15:49:00.001-08:00

So then.. yesterday I was stuck at home cause I had to wait for the FEDEX guy to show up with the desktop. And then last night we had the dinning out. It was kinda fun. I still think it would have been more fun to be backpacking, but that is me. Stella looked all sorts of amazing. I'll see about putting up some photos on the other blog.

Today has been a slower day. I got up and started setting up the computer. I think that I have it where it should be. Only the webcam doesn't seem to be working. It is a bit annoying, but oh well. Worse things happen at sea you know. Also today we rented some movies from Hastings. So overall it has been a rather slow day.

We are going to be placing a few orders today. We are joining this Disney Movie Club. We will be getting the Muppet Movie, Enchanted, The Rescuers and one with the 3 Cabelleros. So yay for Disney Movies. I still need to see about getting the 09 vacation DVD and those maps Skip keeps telling me about.

Also I need to thank mom and dad O for the ribbon gifts. Those are other things that will be getting placed today along with seeing about the wolfermans stuffs. Then tomorrow will be another quite day. I need to cut my hair and consider doing my taxes. Yay! Taxes!

Well then... I think its about time to end this post.

Camping

2009-01-23T15:37:00.000-08:00

Why is mountain camping so fun?

There are just soo many relaxing things to do....

Hiking a mountain trail....

Enjoing the mountain scenery.....

Fishing in a mountian stream....

Playing scrabble with a mountain goat.

Ho Hum

2009-01-19T10:48:00.001-08:00

So then, this weekend we were going to go up to the mountians and spend a night camping out for the Klondike Derby with the scouts. However they started late and finished late and since it was getting cold and dark they opted not to spend the night. So we ended up hiking down the hill to the cars, but the scouts took a while and we ended up hiking in the dark. Luckily Stella and I had our flashlights. We had been carrying our packs all day.

Then yesterday we got to hang out and not do much. After mass we went bowling with the youth group. I ended up averaging 120 over the 2 games that we played. So it was a good time, plus there was pizza. It meant that we didn't end up using the beef and barley soup that I had made, but we can have it for tonight's dinnner.

The 2 previous posts are song lyrics. The one is Happy Birthday by the Arrogant Worms and Weird Al. The more recent is Big Bang Theory Theme song which is done by the Barenaked Ladies. I got season one of the Big Bang Theory for my birthday and we watched it and the song got stuck in my head. So I posted it.

Today we will be going to the Space Museum here in town should I be able to convince Stella to get dressed. Then I think that we will watch some Firefly. I have to go to work tomorrow, but its a short week. So it shouldn't be too bad.

Big Bang Theory

2009-01-18T08:21:00.001-08:00

Our whole universe was in a hot dense state,

Then nearly fourteen billion years ago expansion started. Wait...

The Earth began to cool,

The autotrophs began to drool,

Neanderthals developed tools,

We built a wall (we built the pyramids),

Math, science, history, unraveling the mysteries,

That all started with the big bang!

"Since the dawn of man" is really not that long,

As every galaxy was formed in less time than it takes to sing this song.

A fraction of a second and the elements were made.

The bipeds stood up straight,

The dinosaurs all met their fate,

They tried to leap but they were late

And they all died (they froze their asses off)

The oceans and pangea

See ya, wouldn't wanna be ya

Set in motion by the same big bang!

It all started with the big BANG!

It's expanding ever outward but one day

It will cause the stars to go the other way,

Collapsing ever inward, we won't be here, it wont be hurt

Our best and brightest figure that it'll make an even bigger bang!

Australopithecus would really have been sick of us

Debating out while here they're catching deer (we're catching viruses)

Religion or astronomy, Encarta, Deuteronomy

It all started with the big bang!

Music and mythology, Einstein and astrology

It all started with the big bang!

It all started with the big BANG!

Happy Birthday

2009-01-17T04:18:00.000-08:00

Happy birthday

Happy birthday to you

Happy birthday

Happy birthday to you

Well, it's time to celebrate your birthday, it happens every year

We'll eat a lot of broccoli and drink a lot of beer

You should be good and happy that there's something you can eat

A million people every day are starving in the street

Your daddy's in the gutter with the wretched and the poor

Your mama's in the kitchen with a can of Cycle Four

There's garbage in the water

There's poison in the sky

I guess it won't be long before we're all gonna die

Happy birthday

Happy birthday to you

Happy birthday

Happy birthday to you

Well, what's the matter little friend, you think this party is the pits

Enjoy it while you can, we'll soon be blown to bits

The monkeys in the pentagon are gonna cook our goose

Their finger's on the button, all they need it an excuse

It doesn't take a military genius to see

We'll all be crispy critters after World War III

There's nowhere you can run to, nowhere you can hide

When they drop the big one, we all get fried

(Come on boys and girls, sing along, ok?)

Happy birthday

Happy birthday to you

Happy birthday

Happy birthday to you

wow! (background screaming, sound effect)

Well there's a punk in the alley and he's looking for a fight

There's an Arab on the corner buying everything in sight

There's a mother in the ghetto with another mouth to feed

Seems that everywhere you look today there's misery and greed

I guess you know the Earth is gonna crash into the sun

But that's no reason why we shouldn't have a little fun

So if you think it's scary, if it's more than you can take

Just blow out the candles and have a piece of cake

Happy birthday

Happy birthday to you

Happy birthday

Happy birthday to you

wow!

Happy birthday

Happy birthday to you

Happy birthday

Happy birthday to you

(Happy Birthday!)

And a pinch to grow an inch!

Once a year we celebrate,

With stupid hats and plastic plates,

The fact that you were able to make

The trip around the sun.

And the whole gang gathers round,

And gifts and laughter do abound.

And we let out a joyful sound

And sing that stupid song.

Happy birthday!

Now you're one year older.

Happy birthday!

Your life still isn't over.

Happy birthday!

You did not accomplish much.

But you didn't die this year, I guess that's good enough.

So let's drink to your fading health,

And hope you don't remind yourself,

Your chance of finding fame and wealth,

Decrease with every year.

Cause if you feel you're doing laps,

And eating food and taking naps,

And hoping that someday perhaps

Your life may hold some cheer.

Happy birthday!

What have you done that matters?

Happy birthday!

You're starting to get fatter.

Happy birthday!

It's downhill from now on.

Try not to remind yourself your best years are all gone.

If cryogenics were all free,

Then you could live like Walt Disney.

And live for all eternity,

inside a block of ice.

But instead your time is set.

This is the only life you get.

And though it hasn't ended yet,

Sometimes you wish it might.

Happy birthday!

You wish you had more money.

Happy birthday!

Your life s so sad it s funny.

Happy birthday!

How much more can you take?

But your friends are hungry, so just cut the stupid cake.

Happy birthday!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY!

Dear [names]

White Sands

2009-01-03T12:32:00.000-08:00

So I have returned from my trip out to White Sands, fear not. This is just a short post to direct you to the photoblog to see some pictures or to look at this photosynth.

I'll post more later.

Backpacking

2009-01-01T16:08:00.000-08:00

So then... part of my goal this year is to do more backpacking done. To work on this I am going to work on logging down my various backpacking trips that I've done in the past and then keep a log of training and treks that I've gone on.

For starters Stella and I will be going out to White Sands to do an overnight trip. It should be rather easy since it is only a mile hike from where we will be parking the car to the campsite. We are only really cooking one meal which makes it easy as well.

For now we must go bring in the gear so we can start packing and get it all ready for tomorrow. Look for more to come.

Happy New Year!!

2009-01-01T15:20:00.000-08:00

Greetings all! It is a new year and all. So far it has been quite good. Last night we had a casino night at the chapel. Mostly we played blackjack and poker, but I learned a bit more about craps. Stella ended up winning some door prizes (I gave her all my winnings to get tickets also). So that was fun.

As far as today we have some pizza since I didn't get any last night. Right now there is a Twilight Zone marathon on. I think that later we will see about watching some Bond films. Plus we still need to pack for the backpacking trip. Don't worry, there will be some pictures from that.

Plus we need to do some laundry and such. But I want to wish you all a very happy New Year and hope that you all enjoy 09. There is much to look foward to. Lots of good movies coming out, Disney trip, other travels, it should be quite the fun year. Now then... I'm off to, well, fold laundry!

Good Bye 2008

2008-12-31T08:09:00.001-08:00

Well then, it seems that it is time to end another year. It has been a crazy one with gas prices bouncing all over, the economy sucking and all. There have been some good movies that came out and some good video games as well. I personnally have gotten to do a lot this year, bunch of traveling and got married and all. Hopefully next year works out fairly well also.

Anyhow as far as a year in review, I'll leave it to JibJab. I'm gonna go make breakfast.

Tada!!!

2008-12-28T12:58:00.000-08:00

Ok... real quick like. Look to ths side of the page. Check out the photoblog and my nerdy blog for info on the trip to New Mexico Skies. It was really cool, and now it is nap time.

Goodies

2008-12-26T20:21:00.000-08:00

Ok, so I figured I would post up some of the stuffs that I got for Christmas. Undoubtly I will forget stuffs, but it will give you all an idea.

Little Big Planet for the PS3 (it is a really cool game, and even Stella will play with me)
Iron Man Bluray
Indiana Jones Bluray (the new one)
A nice red sweater
A knit cap
Brad Paisley CD (the new one)
A book on being the president
A book about Eagle Scouts
An American flag flow on a combat mission over Afghanistan
A pail o' people chow
A set of coaster with pictures I took in them
A little multitool
Canasta deck

Again, I'm sure that there is more. I would like to thank everyone that I got something from and I hope you have all enjoyed your gifts as well. Go ahead, post up some of the cool things you got, either as a comment or on your blog.

As for me now, I'm enjoying another present. I am up at an observatory for a couple of nights. Hopefully there will be some really cool images to put up on the photo blog.

Christmas Morning Video

2008-12-25T10:57:00.000-08:00

Christmas Menu

2008-12-24T09:32:00.000-08:00

Just thought it would be fun to post up our Christmas Menus.

Wigilia

Caesar Salad

Platski

Dinner Rolls

Seared Salmon Steaks

Shrimp with Cocktail Sauce

Parmesan and Romano Rice

Vegetable Medley

Sparkling Cider

Christmas Cookies

Christmas Breakfast

Cinnamon Rolls

Fruit Salad

Mimosa

Christmas Dinner

Caesar Salad

Warm French Bread with Dipping Sauce

Honey Glazed Ham

Orzo

Green Bean Casserole

Garlic Mash Potatoes

Gewürztraminer

Ice Cream

Feel free to post your Christmas Menus as well.

Happy First Day of Winter

2008-12-21T11:22:00.000-08:00

Well... unless you should be on the southern hemisphere... in which case, welcome to summer time!

Yes, once again we are in winter according to the calendar. Today we will get the least amount of sun of any day of the year. This will be much more noticable if you live in say, Alaska. But still, less sunlight then any other day of the year.

Turns out that meterologically we were in winter right after thanksgiving. There is a very interesting thing about winter out here. Yesterday I was wondering about in a tshirt during the day, but at night it dips down around freezing. Oh, and there is snow in the mountains. The ski resorts are open, but apparently only texans are there since there is only about 20 inches of snow. Thats right, 20 inches of snow and everyone is waiting for them to get real amounts of snow. Last year the ski report had some with close to 150 inches of snow. And that is a lot of snow.

Now then... where are my tacos?

Christmasy Stuffs

2008-12-20T14:19:00.000-08:00

Greetings to all of you,

I know it has been a bit busy since I posted last so it has been some time. But fear not, there has been much happening. A lot of it has been work, which just hasn't been all that fun. Also we finished out scouts for the year.

Now then, as far as Christmas stuff goes, we have been having our advent dinners. It has been really nice to get every one together and just get to relax. As you may have guessed our last one will be tomorrow.

The tree and inside stuff went up the friday after Thanksgiving. A week or so later the outside lights went up and had a timer and all. I should probably put a few pictures of them up so you can all bask. It is not at the levels of Spud extravaganza, but I do have lights up outside.

This morning I made Christmas cookies! There are now happy chocolate chip cookies and not so happy oatmeal raisin cookies. The oatmeal raisin cookies lack cohesion. I think that I may need to get a new recipe for them. But the chocolate chip ones came out quite nicely. And they are red and green for the holiday spirit.

Tonight we will be having a Holiday movie marathon. I am working to watch all of our holiday movies plus a few that we rented. I have made up a list of Holiday movies that we own (in no particular order):

Bells of St. Mary's
Muppet Christmas Carol
How the Grinch Stole Christmas (animated)
The Year without a Santa Claus
White Christmas
Santa Claus is coming to Town
Frosty the Snowman
Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer
Little Drummer Boy
Mr. Magoo's Christmas Carol
Cricket on the Hearth
Frosty Returns
Christmas with the Simpsons
The Simpson's Christmas 2

Now before you ask, I don't really know this Cricket on the Hearth business, it was in a set of Christmas DVDs and I knew all the others.

I need to look into getting Its a Wonderful Life as well and would like to get National Lampon's Christmas Vacation. Feel free to add your suggestions too.

Happy...well, whatever today is, Saturday I think

2008-12-13T12:20:00.000-08:00

So then... I know I haven't posted so much lately. And there has been blogage by other happy bloggers, which is good to see. Now then, that past week I have been busy as anything. Getting up early and pting an then work and then other errands and then by the time I would get home collapse in bed.

Thursday night we watched Horton Hears a Hoo on bluray which is really good. The opening looks amazing from a quality standpoint. It looks very realistic. All of the movie is good, the opening is striking on bluray with a 1080P screen.

On Friday I got to run around and get some stuff done. I finally put up the outsite Christmas lights. I have them on a timer with a photocell in it, so that they will come on a dusk and stay on for 3 hours. Its pretty sweet. Of course and added bonus of this was that I needed to get a staple gun too. I was going to see about a ladder, but it seems they are a bit more expensive then I thought, so I am sticking with the step stool for now. That night was a tacky sweater party at one of our friends places. It was a good time and there was some good eggnog, so all was good.

Today has been a lot of home stuffs, cleaning dishes, laundry and the like. Not all that productive, but stuff that needs to get done. Then we have some errands to run and later today is the Christmas parade here in town. Tomorrow is week 3 of our Advent dinners.

Anyhow, I think that is about enough blogging for now, so I think that I shall stop and prehaps there will be more later. Don't forget to check the twitter.

Fed Ex sucking continues!

2008-12-03T19:54:00.000-08:00

As you may have picked up from the last post I have had issues with Fed Ex. Being a customer and not being pleased with their relations to me (ie sucking at life) I wrote their customer relations department (see the post below), since they don't seem to have a customer service office. This was their reply to me:

Thank you for taking the time to contact us.

I apologize, but you have reached FedEx Office Customer Relations, and
we do not have the ability to assist you with your request. Your
inquiry is one that will need to be addressed by a FedEx shipping
representative.

For your convenience, I have forwarded your inquiry to
webmaster@FedEx.com. A FedEx representative will be contacting you
shortly to address your questions or concerns. Please feel free to
contact them directly by dialing 1-800-GO-FEDEX (1-800-463-3339).

Thank you again for writing.

Alisa Nielsen
Customer Relations

Now, since they have fowarded this email to Fed Ex shipping, just like they did last time, I'll give Fed Ex shipping till tomorrow to try to contact me. Then it will be time to reach out again. Of course, being confused that apparently the customer relations office is not about customer relations, I had to write back to them:

Dear Sir, Ma'am, or Automated Machine that will tell me that this is not the function of your office,

I have emailed this address twice. As far as I can tell you are customer relations. As far as I can tell, since I have done shipping through you I am a customer. In both of my emails I have complained that your customer service sucks. I have written how I continually reach out to you and your company continues to ignore me. This seems to be an issue with the way that you related to your customers, hence contacting customer relations. However both of my emails have been replied to by saying that you can not help me that it isn't your office's job and then forward the email to Fed Ex shipping, who by the way is even worse at customer relations than you are. I'm curious at this point, since your replies to my previous emails have led me to believe that your office (customer relations) has nothing to do with customer relations, so what is it you do?

Luckily their first response was quick, and automated! Lets have a look:

Thank you for contacting FedEx Office! Your comments are extremely important to us as they help us to improve our products and services. Every email we receive is reviewed and in most instances responded to within 48 hours. You may also contact one of our customer service professionals at 1-800-GoFedEx, 24-hours a day.

Please note if your email is regarding the change or cancellation of an online order we encourage you to contact us at our toll-free number listed above in order for us to provide you with immediate assistance.

Thank you again for taking the time to contact us, we sincerely appreciate your business.

Best regards,

FedEx Office Customer Relations

More Fed Ex Grumbles

2008-12-03T18:55:00.000-08:00

So Fed Ex is still screwing with me. I wrote to their customer relations people (for the second time now). Here is what I had to say (the subject line was epic fail):

Dear Customer Relation Person,

Lets start off that this is a customer relation issue. You have failed me, and I happen to be the customer. We'll start off at the beginning. I placed an order from Amazon, and had it sent to me via 2 day shipping. It was scheduled to be delivered 20 Nov. Its tracking number was 994133804353. Checking both the Amazon site and your site it stated it was delivered and let on my door at 1445. I arrived home that day at 1700. The box was not at my door, so I called your 800 number. I was told that they would contact the local office, who would talk to the driver and they would call me the next day. Today is 2 Dec, 12 days after I was told I would get a call about this package. You have failed me.

Since I did not get the call that I was suppose to get I emailed via your website. I was told in an email reply on the night of 21 Nov that you would investigate under the number 20081120026160 and you would let me know as soon as you located the package. I never heard anything else from that contact. Since todays is 2 Dec and there has been nothing more from this it seems that you have just ignored me, the customer. You have failed me.

Since you have never followed up on that I suppose that you have yet to locate the package. I have gotten the package, it arrived in my mailbox (opened by the way) last week. Now I emailed your customer relations on 25 November. In this email I let you know that my box has arrived and asked why your company never followed up. Your response was that it wasn't a customer service issue, and that Fed Ex ground would be contacting me. Now hear it is 2 Dec and I still have yet to hear anything from Fed Ex ground from that contact. You have failed me.

Now, I have reached out to you a number of times. Each time I get one email immediately after I contact I get one response that we will get back to me at some point. Then I don't hear anything more from it. Since I am a customer and you have continually failed me, I view this as a customer relations issue. I would like to know why you don't seem to care about customers. Perhaps why you can't keep track of packages (which I thought was what your company was based on). Might be nice to know why my box was open when it finally got here.

But of course, based on my previous experiences from this, you'll send an email that we'll get to you and then I'll never hear back from you again. So this means that you get today's Epic Fail.

And today's epic fail goes to...

2008-12-02T18:46:00.000-08:00

FEDEX

So they still haven't responded to me. I am gonna have to re-email them. First they failed to get my box to me on time. Then when I called to let them know that I didn't get my box and they promised that I would be hearing from them the next day. They never called. So I emailed again, got an email back that they were investigating and would get back to me. So after a while I emailed the customer service people. They of couse emailed me and said that it wasn't a customer service and they told me that it wasn't a customer service. So now I am going to have to email them once again to let them know that they have failed.

In other news we had the first of our advent dinners. I have posted some pictures of the table all done up nice. Stella was quite happy to get to decorate everything and make it look like a magazine. Everyone said that it was quite grown up and amazing looking. So it was fun. Now we have several other dinners, they will be a different locations, perhaps a little less formal.

Well... follow the twitter

Happy Thanksgiving

2008-11-27T05:50:00.000-08:00

So the past several nights Stella and I have been watching some shows on the History Channel (yes, the History Channel, not "History" as they would call themselves). Mostly they've been on Thanksgiving and the holidays and food. It has been quite interesting especially when the shows don't argee with each other, like one show said that Ben Franklin did not back the turkey as the national bird and another did. But all in all they have been good.

We learned all about the Puritans and how views of Thanksgiving evolved and such. And how football became a large part of the holiday. And yesterday Stella cooked up a turkey and was making bread and such. So it was all very good.

I would have to say that I'm thankful for my family (especially my beautiful wife) and friends. And I hope that all of you have something to be thankful for as well. As for me, I'm about to go turn on the Thanksgiving day parade. Oh, and its raining here, I wonder if it'll be snow up in the mountains...

Grumble Grumble Fed Ex

2008-11-25T17:04:00.000-08:00

Just so you all know....

I placed an order with a reputable online store (name here omitted to protect someone who will be getting some gifts this Christmas). I have done business with them before and they have my trust. They shipped this package to me via Fed Ex. It was suppose to be 2 day shipping. I had my tracking number and did a little tracking of the package, being a 2 day ship there is not much tracking that can be done. So it was scheduled to be delievered on 20 Nov. That evening I came home and I had a stack of boxes (stuff from a candle party and some other orders) but not this particular package. So I checked the Fed Ex website. It said that it had been delivered that day at 2:45 PM. I had returned home at 5PM. So not being able to find the box that they said was left at my front door, I called 1800 GOFEDEX (their telephone number) and had to fight with a machine for a while, which was totally useless, it merely told me what I already knew. I finally got a human on the line and she pulled up the files and again told me the computer said that it had been delivered that day and was left at my door. When I explained that it was not there she said that she would put in a note and the local office would contact the driver and I would get a call the next day.

The next day came and went I received no phone call as to the location of my box. So that evening I went online and contacted them through their website. They sent a reply that it was being investigated and gave me a case number and promised that I would be contacted once they found something.

Well, time continued to march on and such. Today when I came home the box was in my mailbox. It had been opened and taped closed again. Luckily everything was there that was suppose to be there. However I still haven't heard anything else from Fed Ex. I sent them another email, to which I just got the automated reply that they would answer me with in 48 hours. It will be interesting to see if they do, if not by 6 PM on Thanksgiving I will be sending more emails and such to them.

All in all this leaves some questions:

Where did my box go?

Why can't Fed Ex keep track of it packages, when its job is to keep track of its packages?

Who opened my box? Was it a Fed Ex employee?

and the big one.... Why did Fed Ex never follow up on any contacts? Do they not care about their customers?

Another Saturday is upon us

2008-11-22T09:26:00.000-08:00

So again it is Saturday, so again I shall post!

Bernoulli decided to wake me up at 640 this morning cause she wanted to go out. So since I was up I let her out and launched into the dishes and started laundry. This then moved into more cleaning and I ended up vacuuming and cleaning the kitchen and the bathroom. Then I decided the rest of the house needed to be vacuumed. Plus I took the plege to the wood and waxed the floor. Once everything was clean Stella and I broke out the bread machine and it is now in the process of making some Italian bread for us. It should go well with stuffed peppers tonight.

Oh, there has been a minor change in decoration. There are now 2 Cork flags hanging behind the tv at that window. And there are a number of candles through the house. Stella says the place smells like a pine tree exploded. So I am happy with the smell.

We rented Kung Fu Panda last night and watched that and then sorta passed out. Today we still need to take the critters to get nails trimmed and drop off the movies. We will see if they have Tropic Thunder in today. Then I think that we will bring the animals home and do some more errands. We have stuff to drop off at goodwill and such. Plus this evening we are going to see about getting some packages ready to mail out. Plus there is undoubtedly some recycling that we need to take to the collection point.

I started doing some Christmas shopping and have come across a problem. I placed and order and Fed Ex says that they have delievered it, but when I got to the door that night there was not that box waiting for me. I had a number of other boxes all happily waiting there. Another Christmas present, some things from William Sonoma (we now have more knives), candles from the candle party.

In other good news our Advent wreath came in. I'll take some pictures, they will probably end up on the photo blog at some point. This works out, since next Sunday we are hosting the first Advent dinner for our group. We will be having an apple stuffed pork loin. Haha! Now you all wish that you lived here, don't you? Stella will be going over to Cruces on Monday to pick up some stuffs which will include a holiday serving tray and some candles for the wreath.

So then, I am still having problems with the desktop. But I have contacted Compaq and they will be sending me a box so that I can send it back since it is still under warranty. So hopefully it will be fixed and they can send it back to me in working order so that I can set it up. Stella's laptop is on the fritz again, it is not having trouble booting. So she is saving up to get a macbook. So that will be interesting.

Oh, and I've recieved some questions wether or not it has been cold enough to have the fire going. It has been, last night it got down into the mid 20's.

Other then that I can't think of anything for this blog, so I will end my post and wish you all a happy weekend. Oh, and we have been living in this house for over a month now. And mom, should you want to come out and visit just let us know when you want to come and if Spud will be coming too.

Avast All yee Land Lubbers!

2008-11-15T08:00:00.000-08:00

Well, some body has to post here still. So I will. Ta Da!

Now then, if you follow the Twitter you will know that Stella and I were out in Cruces yesterday (which happens to be the second largest city in New Mexico [Albuquerque being one and Santa Fe being 3]). We ran some errands and all, stopped by Best Buy, which turned out to have Cool Runnings for 5 bucks, so now we own that. Plus Stella got to gaze upon Macbooks. Then we went over to Hobby Lobby which is like Micheals. There was much stuffs to look at and all, and Stella really enjoyed it. The we went up and strolled through the mall. The Chick-fil-a peppermint chocolate chip milkshakes are pretty darned good. And it happens to be the location of the closest Barnes and Noble to me.

Speaking of Barnes and Noble, we got books! We got a collection of 7 HG Wells books, the antique looking collection of all the Hitchhicker's Guide to the Galaxy Books, The Brothers Karamov (I think thats the spelling) and a soup cook book. Yes, that is how cool we are, I know you are all jealous.

Anyhow, after that we went over to Bed Bath and Beyond, cause we still had a gift card from the wedding. So now we have some more thanksgiving towels and a nice Christmas tablecloth and matching napkins. Plus we have some napkin rings, so things can look all nice when we have peoples over. Then there was a trip to Target. We got more curtians and a Christmas rubbermade for the storage of Christmas items. Yay!

We got back into town and had to head over to St. Jude's for the St. Martin's Day celebration with the Germans. There was singing (in German) and then a procession and of course a bon fire. Now, I am sad to say that there were no sugared pretzels. However we did have gluehwien and I had a bockwurst. And now Stella likes gluehwien.

And finally we came home and lit a fire and got pizza. It is really cool to have a fire place out here. I suppose mom will have to come out and visit again so she can see the new house and meet the puppy. But I think that is all the posting for today, for we must make a run to the commissary and then Stella has craft day with the CWOC and I must do some houseworks. There will be cleaning afoot!

Happy Veterans Day

2008-11-11T08:53:00.000-08:00

A veteran is someone who has served or who is serving in the US Armed Forces. So take a moment and think about any veterans you know.

Veterans day started with the end of World War I, the Great War. Germany signed an armistice on the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month in 1918. This offically ended the bloody conflict. It wouldn't become a legal holiday for another 20 years. It was frequently remembered with ceremonies, but in 1938 Armistice Day became a legal holiday to commemorate the veterans of WWI. And so it would continue for a time.

Soon though another war broke out, and more men and women served in the armed forces. And thus more veterans came home. A shoe store owner in Kansas thought that the all veterans should be remembered, not just those of WWI. So he started in his town and the idea caught on, one of the Kansas representatives brought the idea to Washington. And finally on May 26, 1954 President Dwight D. Eisenhower signed off on it changing Armistice Day to Veterans Day.

So take a few moments, think about the people you know who are veterans. Think about those that you don't know who are half way around the world in harm's way. If you get a chance, thank a veteran.

I'd like to thank:

Pop

Spud

Mr. O

Uncle Jimmy

Uncle John

Mike

Fuzzy

Bill

and all of my other friends who are veterans.

Oh, and you can go here and look at stuff.

This is today's cartoon from Air Force Blues. I strongly recommend you visit their site.

Engineeredmadness

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Fed Ex sucking continues!

More Fed Ex Grumbles

And today's epic fail goes to...

The Unanimous Declaration
of the Thirteen United States of America