Betcha didn't hear about this rocket explosion.

In a pre-launch test of a VLS-1 booster at Alcantara, Brazil the rocket exploded on the launch pad killing 21 and injuring 20. The payloads SATEC and UNOSAT were destroyed. The explosion took place at about 1630 GMT on 22 August 2003. Reference: space.com

The non-sleepy syndrome

Last night, Richard could not sleep because he ate two bratwurst and a load of macaroni and cheese, plus a rather large bowl of Chocolate chip ice cream. Once that big ole meal sat in his tummy for a couple of hours, he just could not get to sleep. I could tell he was tired so we had him sleep in our bed. Richie has the bad habit of wrapping up in every blanket there is on a bed. So, when I got in, he was radiating about 110 degrees. So I unwrapped him and cooled him off and he was fine. The only problem, is he is a very "active" sleeper. Dang kid kicks, twitches, rolls, and stretches all night. What makes it worse is I hug him tight all night so he can't squirm very much. I think it makes him angry when he is asleep. Tonight, it is a light dinner and it should be good sleeping weather. It is supposed to rain. That extra humidity will help the AC units transfer more heat out of the house too

So, now there is a catastrophe in Iraq...

Remember the response from the Arab world during the September 11th terrorist attack against New York, where people were jumping up and down with glee at our strife (remember that on TV)? Should non-Arabs be jumping up and down at the strife in Iraq? (BTW, there was a bombing in Iraq where dozens of people were killed as well as a well known Cleric) My response is no, but apparently I am one of those "right wing majority" who wants peace in the Middle east. I actually heard that on cable TV today. It was really childish as several people expounded their glee an another's demise. I had to turn off the TV so I would not see how heinous and infantile some of us have become. The only distinction is that they were from the deep south and complete red-necks. So I don't even consider them "Americans" in the sense they probably don't have an IQ above 50. The problem was they were able to get onto National (which is now worldwide) television and profess their hatred of anyone not American (and pretty much anyone who is a "non-white"). Why is it, that most of these racist assholes are always white and waving an American flag? That crap effects me since I am Caucasian and just wanting to live my life the way I want. I am only talking about the ones on TV lately. I am not talking about J.Jackson and his harem. That is for another bloc and for another time. Go figure.

What you get for screwing around.

Yesterday on the school bus, Richard and his friends were screwing around and making like his lunchbox was a volleyball. well it went out the window and the bus driver was nice enough to turn around, get it and then continue home. He is a nice guy. Mr. Dieter (his first name) is from Germany and very nice and that is all I can do in a discription. I made Richard write him a letter saying he was sorry and would not do it again. I want to talk to him and make the three of them sit together. That will help in keeping them in line. 40%

Another home showing

This time, Bridget said she returned after the preset time they would be gone and they were still here. She said that the woman (the home buyer) was not very nice and said she didn't like it at all. "There is too much yard work and your way out here in the woods" was bridget's quote. I guess she didn't like it but the seclusion is what you want when you look at this house.

In contrast to age....

To counter the idea I am getting old, I would like to put in my 2¢ worth. * I was born in 61, but remember every horrifying detail my Great Uncle told me about the Marines landing on Okinawa. * I was very little but remember laying on my Grandmothers living room carpet and watching the big black and white console TV, showing the parade of solders and one wagon with a coffin. I remember being perplexed that there was a horse that had boots, which were backwards in the stirrups. * I could see feel the worry in my Mom's voice when the twin towers went down and she reminded me how close it sounded and felt to her when she heard the broadcasts of Pearl Harbor when she was young, * I remember albums and how great they sounded when you put them on the turntable and how disappointed I was when they dismantled the huge wall of 8 track tapes and conveyor at Swallens on Red Bank. * I still use Jiffy-pop when ever I can (and when I can find it) * I remember the "Heroes" of my day. The Apollo landings, the Men on the moon, and that Apollo 13 is not just a movie (and Tom Hanks, Kevin Bacon, and Bill Paxton are not astronauts, they are actors). The members were James A. Lovell, Jr.; Thomas K. Mattingly III, and Fred W. Haise. I still have my Apollo "The Astronauts" lunch box from Elementary. It even has Snoopy stickers inside it I put there in 1970. * I can recall my Grandfather telling me of him and his friends trip to visit Yellowstone in a Model-A Ford. Also, that they worked their way across the country for gas for food. And that it took them months to get there and back, (not hours). Matter of fact, it took about 3 days for him to tell that story and that it was one of the best adventures he ever had. I heard that one while sitting out on the front porch "glider" one summer. We were there till about 3 in the morning and until my Grandmother was so mad you could just about see the steam coming out of her ears. The funny part was she made us come inside so "she could go to bed". By the way, does anyone ever have an "adventure" anymore? * I know the story why my last name is not "Von Wuerdeman". It was changed during WWI to Wuerdeman. I also know my Great Grandfather fought for the Kaiser in WWI but immigrated here right after the war. (Can't answer why at the moment, researching that one) * I still have a 13 channel TV. I also have several B&W ones but not one of both. * The kids can't understand why the big wooden Motorola radio we have only makes music after about a minute after you turn it on, but I do! * I have a clock radio. The radio part only has AM and a 5 pound , 76 volt battery "set" that is about the size of a tennis ball can. Plus the clock is one you have to wind every 12 hours. It worked last time I tried it. * I now know why my parents were so upset when I left for the Navy and how proud they were when I came home for leave in my dress Blues. My Great Grandparents, Grandparents, and even my Parents never said they felt old, just that they were "happy to see the day when......". It's not how old you feel, but how you see the times in which you lived.

Today is Uncle Lou's Birthday.

I wanted to take the time to remember Uncle Lou and all the things he did for me when I was little and (not to forget) when I was in the Navy and stationed onboard the USS Canopus in Kings Bay, GA (as well as any other time in my life I got to see him). When I was little, I always remembered the way Uncle Lou would fix the worlds best turkey stuffing. It was something I always looked forward to as a kid. The way it smelled, and especially the way everyone made a big deal of the stuffing. I know that later on when he didn't have all day to make it, it was from a box but I never said anything but that "It's Uncle Lou's and it will always be the best stuffing in the world". I also remember Aunt Katty saying when I was in the Navy and stopped in to see them that "the reason everyone made such a big deal out of Lou's stuffing, is because that was the only thing he could make that didn't taste like crap". Those were her words and everyone was laughing so hard, I could never tell if it was the truth or bullcrap. Uncle Lou was in the Marines in WWII. He was in the Pacific and even though I heard him speak of the situation, I never heard what happened while he was over there. He would not speak of it (or at least, not with me when I was a kid). Even When Uncle Lou progressed in years, I still remember his voice as when I first remember it. It was a rather raspy and deep voice. One that would make you feel happy when ever you heard it. There always seemed to be a joke coming on no matter what the day or situation. When I was out to sea and Bridget and I were living out from the sub base, Bree would go there and eat lunches and sometimes dinner with them. I always felt safer knowing she knew both my Uncle Lou and Aunt Katty. When she would tell me what was going on with them, it seemed as though years had passed but they were still talking about the same tomatoes and pole beans. It was always something in keeping with their way of living. I almost forgot about the blue crabs. When I was little, we would visit and Uncle Lou and I would go crabbing. Take his crab traps down to the pier on St. Simons Island and tie pieces of chicken to the bottom and lower them in. Now that I think of it, I imagine that the chicken Lou used probably cost more than buying the crabs in the end, but that does not matter now. We would pull up crabs inside and sometimes hanging outside the basket. He would let them scurry around on the pier and I would run around and grab them. Tossing them into the big basket to take home and eat. The end of those days would be spent tossing the crabs into a pot of boiling water on the grill outside and waiting for them to cook. Uncle Lou and Aunt Katty for most of the time I was little were smokers. They were the type that would be glamour smokers. Always holding their cigarettes in movie star poses, and washing the smoke down with an icy beer. They both quit later both smoking and the beer later on in life. But both still retained that raspy voice I will never forget. The only things I know at this moment for history is that he graduated from Batavia High school way back when. He also attended the University of Kentucky, Lexington, where he learned to be a pharmacist. Even though Uncle Lou (Louis Fishback) is gone, I wanted to take the time to remember him and all the things he did for me. I will always remember him.

I subscribed again

Well, I did it again! I subscribed to the Cincinnati Enquirer newspaper. There was a special for 13 weeks. I need to get into a daily regiment of getting the "weekday" want ads as well as the weekend one. This should help.

graphics......, well i'm looking into it.

I am trying to get graphic capabilities here so I can post the various things I want like pictures I collect, things I have, outside shots, etc. Please be patient, I am trying.

Another position applied for 25 Aug 2003

Location - Richmond Washington COMPANY: City of Redmond, Support Services Manager SKILLS REQUIRED: Bachelor's and three years increasingly responsible support services experience. Windows environment. MCSE preferred. LOCATION: Redmond, WA RATE: to $87K AREA: 425 LENGTH: no end date TERM: FULLTIME SUMMARY: DUTIES: Under the direction of the Information Services Manager, this position manages acquisition, control, maintenance and training related to personal computer resources. Duties include but are not limited to: managing capital budget for technology upgr No positions found@: U.S.V.I. U.K.V.I. 50%

A reply to the Rebuttal

Well, I think you misread me. You said pretty much what I was thinking. I worked with some really great people in and from Bangalore for 3 years. They were doing everything they could to get here permenently because they could see the unrest starting. The persecution of one of the great guys I worked with was due to him being Muslum in a generally non-Muslum geographic area. My P.O.V., I see that the US has just reciently fallen over the edge and lost it's ability to lead the world. Not the people in the Military to this exact moment (after today, I can not honestly answer this one). I am a retired Navy Chief Petty Officer and saw the downfall of the US "moral system" when Clinton was elected President. The programs that were initiated to strip the people in uniform of any humility and self respect (and nominal pay) were so extreme that people left the military in enormous numbers. Or in other words, why risk your life (and many are risking their lives on a daily basis) for a government who "was" doing everything in their power to prosecute and dishonorably discharge you? It was history repeating itself for many. You could see the dishonest attempting to disenfranchise the honorable for nothing more than spite and power. Once President Bush was elected, I could see that the turmoil in the military had subsided. Trust in the top-most leadership had stopped declining and even though it didn't return (you can't expect people to recover overnight from 8 years of disparagement, repudiation, and "abandon of command leadership"), trust is returning. My fear, honestly, is that inside of about 5 years, we (The United States) will be in social chaos and unable to do anything we must to correct the situation. It will probably inescapeable because of legal maneuvering by blind liberals and a large socialist adjenda that is growing in strength in the fringes of America (Southern California & New York to name just two areas). With most of our middle economic infrastructure in India or moving there, we will not be able to recover from either a terroristic or malicious attack to our information. I know for a fact (do a google search) that several credit card companies have transferred all their credit information to India where there are not safeguards in place to protect our accounts from malicious tampering. All there has to be is either a civil war or economic upheaval there (which, by the way is happening right now) to allow our infrastructure to crash. There are no economic safeguards to fall back on. Rolling all our (United States) economic foundation can not be returned and reinstitued in any nominal amount of time. That would be the equilivent of trying to stop and turn around an Aircraft Carrier. It just can't be done quickly. Personal experience and knowledge from past positions of Information Technology management has given me a special outlook. I know we are poised for a fall. Whether we fall over the edge or continue down the road, is something only time will tell. Thanks for the reply. I really appreciate the insight and Point of view (and a special thanks for reading my blog). Todd

A Rebuttal to the August 23 post

See below, Sat Aug 23, 11:33:36 PM Hey Todd, I'm not really sure I see the connection between the current US foreign policy and Indian aspirations to go to the moon. While I would certainly agree that India is a nation with many problems to be solved, I would at least applaud their space program for having the vision to realize that some of our world's solutions may lie in our willingness to realize our potential as explorers. Compare that kind of vision to one where a nation spends $200 billion to drop bombs on a wretched country in the desert, and you start to see that at least returning to the moon is a project that seeks a more lofty and worthwhile application of considerable intellectual and financial resources. Also, it is not entirely difficult to imagine such projects being pursued by India. I don't know if you've ever been there, and if you have, what parts you have visited, but India is an emerging nation where things change for the better every time I visit. The pace of improvement is not fast enough for some, (myself included), but I for one strongly feel that it is ambitious and visionary programs like this one which might really galvanize the minds and passions of many in the that country to think harder about how to bring prosperity to those in India who so desperately need it. It certainly requires more imagination than unprovoked live-fire exercises on medievalist Islamic nations. My 2 cents. Arka C. Todd: Good points!

My favorite JAVA site

This is the tracking program for determining the placement of all the satellites in orbit. This is a little processor intensive so be warned, it takes a processor above 300mhz to run any good. Warning: This program is computationally intensive.  The faster your computer, the more usable it is. 
Run preferably on PC's faster than 166 MHz with Java JIT (Just-in-time) compiling enabled.

India Plans manned Moon Mission between 2005 and 2015 (Uh, what is wrong with this picture?)

BANGALORE: India plans to send a manned mission to the moon sometime between 2005 and 2015, a senior space research official said on Saturday. (The latest is for a mission by India in 2008) "In a few months from now, there will be a review of our plans for a lunar mission. We would first send an unmanned flight around the moon," said Krishnaswamy Kasturirangan, head of the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO). Kasturirangan made the announcement in a speech to the Indian Science Congress. He did not give further details. Kasturirangan said India's latest launch vehicle can put satellites weighing up to 2,000 kg into a geostationary orbit, in which a satellite remains above the same spot on earth. Future developments will enable the launch of satellites weighing up to 4,000 kg, he told the conference of scientists in Bangalore, India's technology hub. My 2¢s worth: So, the United States is policing the screw-ups and assorted bullcrap from the rest of the world, while the countries responsible for cleaning up their own problems continue on like nothing is happening. Screw this, pull everyone back, cut all funding (except to Russia who are remarkably enough, one of our most needed allies) and when they annihilate themselves (and / or each other), let God sort them out. If not, our kids will be never be able to see what we have continue.

What the title means,

THe phrase "Klaatu Barada Nikto" was what stopped the huge robot from destroying the Earth in the movie "The Day the Earth Stood Still". My thought is, "well, nevermind, go on and do it.

School started today

Today was the first day where all the kids went to school. Richard is in thrid grade, William is in First, and Maryann is now in Kindergarten. What a change in life this has been. Bridget was holding back the tears all day. When Maryann went into school, she really was emotional. I can't blame her, I was too. It was not because our last child finally started school (Bridget's thinking), it was because "I finally get some peace and quiet for once!" Well, that is not really it, but it was funny all the same. We have some nice pictures to send out to all the Grandparents. I will get that going tonight.

Size does matter!

Just a friendly reminder. You should never save graphic items your going out within an e-mail or onto a web page as a .BMP format. Why?, because the extreme file sizes that are generated. For example, here are some other format sizes for the same 1.1MB Bitmap graphic: BMP - 1.10 MB (1,155,072 bytes) JPG = 102 KB (105,003 bytes) GIF - 172 KB (176,128 bytes) TIF - 1.10 MB (1,155,072 bytes) You can use a number of graphic editing applications to do this. I use Microsoft Photo editor, Mainly because I have it and it is already in Microsoft Office and I know how to use it. Just remember, there are hundreds that can do the same thing. Many are free if you don't have anything right now. Just search here if you don't know of any yourself.

Nominated for Quote of the Year

Steven sent me this one, and I have to agree with it: This statement made by Texas Congressman Dick Armey when asked, "If you had been in President Clinton's place would you have resigned?" Armey's reply: "If I had been in the president's place I would not have gotten the chance to resign. I'd have been lying in a pool of my own blood, looking up, and listening to my wife ask, 'How do you reload this son-of-a-bitch'?". (Honesty is the best policy, Todd) The pathetic part is, Hillary Clinton is probably running for President. If she can't stand up for herself against her husband, what makes all these blind liberals think she can stand up for anything else? (I think I will go throw up now after using the name 'Hillary Clinton' in a sentence) :)

Starting a business.

I talked with Pam today while I helped her setup the new router. The main theme was our ideas on what to start up in the way of a business. Several good options were brought up. Even though I didn’t talk about the business plans I previously wrote up, we came up with some real good “current event” ideas. Hopefully, we can sit down soon and start something. It would be helpful to have more or a focus than filling out resumes for hundreds of seperate jobs every month. One of the best so far is one Bree came up with. Opening a sewing machine shop. Now that the kids are all in school, I imagine I can devote some more quality time to that thought.

The VA Rep meeting

The meeting on Monday with the VA representative went very good. We were able to discuss several options for procuring me a position of some value. With my background in education, she was really interested in getting me into somehow teaching information technology. It seems a good situation, considering my experience and level of commitment in staying with IT as my main focus. I have numerious training plans (class lession plans) already. There were also several other options discussed. Things like consulting and starting my own business. Those are items we will go over more at a later time.

The DVD movie list

If you want to see the current listing of movies we have. go to my list-blog. If you want to borrow one or two, just say so. :)

The door isn't scratched, it's cracked

Man, just when things can't go any worse, I was cleaning the sliding glass door and the dirt was not dirt at all, it is a crack. Go figure. I doubt that this is covered by insurance. :( .

Why the banners?

Because I want the banners I have chosen. The one up at the tippy-top of my Blog is to help pay to keep me online. The others are ones I thought conveyed information whom ever reads my blog could use. That is why! Like this one for Dshield.org. I thought the information was good to know. And, you would probably learn something useful if you looked into it further.

CNN article on prison statistics

Pam sent me this article and I read it all the way through. It was interesting but seemed to be lacking in 'something'. Look, I really hate CNN's liberal attitude, but one in a while, they pull something interesting out of their butts which actually makes sense. I will look into this further to see what they left out. I know there has to be something important that was excluded. Todd Study: 1 in 37 U.S. adults have 'prison experience' Sunday, August 17, 2003 Posted: 8:19 PM EDT (0019 GMT --------------- WASHINGTON (AP) -- About one in every 37 U.S. adults was either imprisoned at the end of 2001 or had been incarcerated at one time, the government reported Sunday. The 5.6 million people with "prison experience" represented about 2.7 percent of the adult population of 210 million as of December 31, 2001, the report found. The study by the Justice Department's Bureau of Justice Statistics looks at people who served a sentence for a crime in state or federal prison, not those temporarily held in jail. The study is the first to measure the prevalence of prison time among American adults. Last month, the bureau reported that a record 2.1 million people were in federal, state or local custody at the end of 2002. Between 1974 and 2001, the number of current and former inmates rose by 3.8 million, the study found. Of those, 2.7 million were former inmates. Experts say the growing numbers of ex-prisoners means more people in society have difficulty finding jobs because they have felony convictions. Many cannot vote and they are more likely to have family or emotional problems that exact a toll on state and local government budgets. "We're talking about a large number of people -- bigger than a lot of countries in Western Europe -- who face the barriers that exist when you have been in the correctional system," said Jason Zeidenberg, director of policy and research at the Justice Policy Institute, which advocates alternatives to prison. "That's a really upsetting number." The number of people sent to prison for the first time tripled from 1974 to 2001 as sentences got tougher, especially for drug offenses. There are more ex-prisoners as well, the result of longer life expectancies and a larger U.S. population. Prison experiences vary greatly by gender and ethnic origin. "At every age, men have higher chances of going to prison than women, and blacks and Hispanics have higher chances than whites," statistician Thomas P. Bonczar said in the report. Almost 5 percent of men in 2001 had done prison time, compared with less than 1 percent of women. Almost 17 percent of black men in 2001 had prison experience, compared with 7.7 percent of Hispanic men and 2.6 percent of white men. The percentage of black women with prison time was 1.7 percent, compared with less than 1 percent of Hispanic and white women. No matter their ethnic origin, people between ages 35 and 44 in 2001 had the highest rates of lifetime incarceration -- 6.5 percent for men, almost 1 percent for women. About one-third of the former prisoners in 2001 still were under correctional system supervision, including 166,000 in local jails. The rest were either on parole or on probation. The study projects that, by 2010, about 3.4 percent of the adult U.S. population will have had served time in prison. That translates to about 7.7 million people. If 2001 incarceration rates remain the same, about 6.6 percent of people born that year can expect to serve a prison sentence during their lifetimes, based on life expectancy tables, the study said. That compares with 5.2 percent of those born in 1991 and 1.9 percent of people born in 1974, according to the estimates. About 11.3 percent of men and 1.8 percent of women born in 2001 will go to prison during their lifetimes. For black males, that translates into a one in three chance of doing time, compared with one in six for Hispanic males and one in 17 for white males, according to the projections.

The Toshiba e740 PDA repair fiasco [10 months later]

#1: The Recall Did you know that the e740 had a recall? Neither did Circuit City nor I (even 3 months after buying it). Not that Circuit City has ultra informed people (but it would have been a good reason to go ahead and get the iPaq instead). #2: The Battery: First, after fighting for 9 months on the more than 3 repeated repairs for an e740, I finally received a replacement e740. #3: The replacement: The replacement took weeks to get here, and the replacement for the dysfunctional e740 I originally purchased (which was new in the box when I bought it), Well they replaced the new unit with a "remanufactured" model. On top of that, Not only did it take the extreme amount of time, but the "remanufactured" POS unit was broken right out of the box. The thing reset and reset and reset without any assistance from me. The factory packaged e740 replacement unit also had a Satellite Laptop user manual included. (Personally, I wonder if they actually have a "quality assurance" department / group / person / whatever?) #4: The Form(s): The remanufactured (and broken) replacement finally was at Toshiba now. After faxing credit card numbers and the like, the forms said "$0.00" was to be charged to my card and the person doing the "customer service" assured me that nothing was to be charged. Well, they did try to charge my card and it was declined after the bank called and wanted to verify that Toshiba was trying to charge my account for what appeared to the bank as a suspicious charge. It was declined because I told the bank that $0.00 was to be charged per the Toshiba form. The bank said it was probably either an error with the person doing the replacement or the person with my card was pulling a fast one. On my request, my card was immediately canceled on recommendation of the bank. What ever you do, do not trust the forms "you have to sign" that state you will have to have $0.00 expunged from your account. If you do, double check for the remainder of the time you have that card active and you have my sympathies. #5: The "New" Customer Service Rep: I must have played phone and e-mail tag with the first rep for two weeks before receiving an e-mail from someone completely different pertaining to my replacement. Another reason to cancel the Visa when my information was bouncing around from rep to rep. #6: The new unit: Finally, Toshiba indicated (in an e-mail) that they were no longer able to replace the e740 with e740, so they sent me an e750. #7: The changes: The e750 has a ROM area of 32MB, which if you want to store your outlook attachments, totally screws up your ability to push them out to your SD or Flash card. Just hope you never have more than 32 MB of attachments. (Actually there is a change I just found out about today. I received an e-mail from Toshiba technical support which said that the e750 is incapable of using the outlook feature of placing your attachments onto either a Compaq flash or any SD storage cards you have. So, don’t buy the e750 if you have any intention of syncing your outlook attachments. It does not work. This is the word from the Toshiba website: Resolution: At this time, saving email attachments automatically to the SD or CF storage devices is not available. The work around is to manually copy email attachments to these storage devices. http://www.csd.toshiba.com/cgi-bin/tais/su/su_sc_dtlView.jsp?soid=480622 ) The ‘Final’ solution? For about $400, you can get a really nice 266Mhz Fujitsu Tablet PC, running 98SE or NT Workstation with 96MB of RAM and a 4GB hard drive. Yes, I know, I bought one (every day I use it). IMHO, The bottom line is “why spend the money on a PDA when the technology changes week by week and you can get a used tablet for less?� Anyone want to buy a new e750 with a 3 year extended warranty?

Man did it ever look real.

Bridget received an e-mail from ebay today. I was going to delete it but for some reason I didn't. I actually opened it and read it. Well, from all outward appearances, it was from ebay. It also looked like you needed to update your account information. OK, I understand that, and the address 'appeared' nominal. But I was looking at the address you were supposed to use to update your information. It just didn't look right. The numbers in the link were..... unusual. I looked at the source code in the message and then the linked web page. Well. It was not from ebay alright. It was actually 99% correct. The links all pointed to ebay, the legal information was ebay an pointed to ebay and everything else was all for e-bay. The only thing is, when you entered in your account login and password, it sent it to a business in PA. Which, by the way is not ebay. So, they are able to steal your account info and if you have a credit card associated with the account, the get your credit card and can do what they want. I called the FTC and they are now investigating the criminal activity with this fraud. This is an excerpt of the e-mail I forwarded on to the FTC and treasury Department Reference: FTC ticket# XXXXXXXXX-XXXXX Check this out. If anyone enters in their information, you get taken to a site in Lithuania. The owner is listed in Lithuania and is going by the domain name of ebay.com (spoof). So, you go there, put in your account information and your account is then stolen. So, also, the next page is for a Colorado based company and they also will steal your login. The main company is a place in PA with technical support in FL. check out http://XXX.XXX.XXX.XXX/4line_b/v3r_info%253bay// which is in the original e-mail. every link is ligit, except the submit which seals your login information. (No silly, I didn't put in the real URL, I know how people are, and they would actually click on it) The original message is attached and everything you need to stop this criminal.

Stopping hackers and scanners?

Is it possible to stop hackers and scanners from finding you while doing a 'search and destroy mission?' If you have a presence on the net through either a DSL or Cable connection, you are going to get hacked. one of the only ways to really stop this crap and protect your data is to run a router. I am not going to go into the hundreds of ways to protect yourself, I am just going to go over a couple of ways I found which work best. If you want to chat about this or anything associated with "self preservation", click on the yahoo messenger link at the top of the left frame or e-mail me. The only people I know who were not slammed the last round of malicious code (i.e., the Blaster Worm) were the ones who were running a router. I even had one associate who was using a dialup and they said Blaster got them and their NT4 box. One thing is clear, no one I knowdon't know one person that could afford to waste the time to reformat and reinstall everything. Of the hundreds of people I work with or support, only 5 are running routers between their machines and their cable / DSL modems. So, for the few who are running routers and want to keep your machines online, I have found several sites to assist us in our quest to keep others out of our system. LinkLogger is an application which assists you in determining who is out there, and trying to hack in. This app is free for 30 days so it is a good practice application to show you 'what to do to protect yourself' and 'what to do with what you find'. Even if you want to keep it, it's only 20 bucks. Most people waste that amount on computer games they never play. I am not one, I don't have time to play games anyway. VisualZone 5.7 This is a free application which works with Zone Alarm and you can even get a free version of that too! Shoot, if you don't have Zone Alarm, you can get a free version of that too. VisualZone does for ZoneAlarm and ZoneAlarm Pro what VisualICE does for BlackICE. Although truly one of the best software firewalls around, ZoneAlarm does an even worse job of gathering and displaying information about attacks than BlackICE. With VisualZone, the information that is collected during the intrusion is complemented by all the information ZoneAlarm missed. And ZoneAlarm misses a lot! VisualICE Report Utility 4.7 The VisualICE Report Utility is an intrusion analysis tool, purpose built to be used with BlackICE Defender from Network ICE, without doubt one of the best intrusion detection systems around. But however great a product, there is always room for improvement. BlackICE does an absolute bang-up job of detecting intrusions and keeping hackers out. That's what it was built for and that's what it does, period. Yes, period! Because that's ALL it does. So what do you do if you would like to know more about what the hacker tried to do? Or who he is? Or where he's from? Or how to report him to the proper authorities? Microsoft Baseline Security Analyzer (MBSA) Microsoft has created a tool to help you. The Microsoft Baseline Security Analyzer (MBSA), analyzes Windows systems for common security misconfigurations. Version 1.0 of MBSA includes a graphical and command line interface that can perform local or remote scans of Windows systems. MBSA runs on Windows 2000 and Windows XP systems and will scan for missing hotfixes and vulnerabilities in the following products: Windows NT 4.0, Windows 2000, Windows XP, Internet Information Server (IIS) 4.0 and 5.0, SQL Server 7.0 and 2000, Internet Explorer (IE) 5.01 and later, and Office 2000 and XP.

Radio from Sri Lanka.

Here are a pair of the radio stations I regularly listen to from Sri Lanka. Give them a listen. Whether your into "alternative music" or not, they are interesting all the same.

What is in your clipboard? (revisited)

In response to my note on "What is in your clipboard?" (Dated: Wed Aug 13, 09:01:38 PM) Okay Todd, I was reading your "Blog" and now I am totally paranoid regarding the Clipboard. How do I go about checking this and more importantly, is there a way to delete anything I find? Lora OK, the problem is not what you find, it is more along with what data you used or manipulated. The clipboard contains anything you use as a copy or move operation. In other words, if you highlight some text in a notepad text document, and paste it in a different document, that information you copied / moved stays in the clipboard. until you highlight and work with other data. In other words, if you copy your account numbers and passwords from your online bank account statement, then visit some other unscrupulous site, they can grab the data. Yep, its scary. To view the information in your clipboard while running XP, you can run the Clipbook viewer. Go to "Start", then "run", and type in "clipbrd.exe" and hit enter. That will start the 'Microsoft® Clipbook Viewer', where you can see what you have at this moment. I don't have a 98 or 2000 machine running at the moment but the situation should be the same. Most times, people don't even install the 'Clipbook' or 'Clipboard' viewer. If you don't see it in your windows/system32 directory, go to "add and remove programs", then the "Windows Components" area. you can install it from there. Just remember to have your CD ready. If it isn't one thing, it's another (thousand things).

What constitutes a marriage?

If the situation or definition of "marriage" changes, this will be "the big one", or "the start of it all". This will effect every one of our decedents, friends, neighbors and all. This will mean the gay and lesbian community will be able to marry and carry on as a "married couple", group(s) or communal marriage will be available, the "Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints" will be allowed to practice polygamy, The and so on and so forth, yadda-yadda-yadda. For some reason, I can foresee some sick freak in Southern California suing the state because they won't let him marry his mother or dog or something like that, but that is off the topic at hand. IMHO, I see that the term marriage (Merriam-Webster's current definition) will have to be modified to "breeding pair", or even better, "Reproductive Dyad". Even all the government and social rules and laws will need to be changed to assure that procreation will be subject to "reproductive laws". Yes, a lesbian couple can have a child without any interaction of a Y-chromosome human, but does it constitute a "reproductive dyad"? (I really like the term, "Dyad", it fits perfectly***). Matter of fact, why not just change it now. Make the term "marriage" an oxy-moron in itself?!? I know that Bridget and I do not judge our relationship by the definition of one word. We judge our relationship by our commitment towards each other. I have no problem saying Bridget and I are classified as a "Interminable Reproductive Dyad". Who cares what the title is, as long as the facts are clear?!? My parents can be classified as "Interminable Reproductive Dyad", They are coming up on their 50th anniversary as a Dyad. The term "marriage" can then be changed in definition to "the legal and cooperative joining of two or more human beings" (or what ever makes the social liberals & lawyers happy). That way, it is a temporary legal term so everyone can get "divorced" from the other (or others) in their marriage when ever they want. That makes the contract or marriage have no legal binding ramifications. After all, that is what is in the minds of the people pushing for this movement isn't it? The ability to "live free of moralities chains", or "Free love" (or what ever other term you can come up with). Then "Reproductive Dyad" would take over as the legal and conceptual (no pun intended) union between one man and one woman. There is no way to alter it. Example; and apple can be a title, but is it a Red Apple?, a Green Apple?, or Yellow Apple? You can't be sure. On the other hand, a "Manatees Trichechus" is so specific, that you can not define it as anything but a Manatee, Seacow, or "Big gray mammal that swims around in Florida's waterways" (and at the Cincinnati Zoo). Evolution of the species has progressed to this point, and we as people are going to have to put up with one hell of a change coming, either way it goes. Anyone one want to throw their 2¢ worth in? I would appreciate that.

Weather map test

Do you think I should put these in once in a while??? I'm not sure if anyone cares about this. I also can add a link on the left. What do you think about that?

I put in another set of resumes

Well, I have another set or resumes put out to the world. The various situations are vast and diverse. Most are IT related, but none are Burger and Fry related. I get to work with a Veterans Administration contractor on Monday to see if anything she can do will help in obtaining me a position. I think that she will be able to help immensely. 10%

If you have Windows 98 or ME, PLEASE don't call me.

Enough of the calls from people with 98. Here is the CERT advisory statement and what systems are effected by the worm. If you caught the virus, then you didn't have your system status updated. Thanks, CERT Advisory CA-2003-20 W32/Blaster worm Original issue date: August 11, 2003 Last revised: -- Source: CERT/CC A complete revision history is at the end of this file. Systems Affected * Microsoft Windows NT 4.0 * Microsoft Windows 2000 * Microsoft Windows XP * Microsoft Windows Server 2003

Questionable Doctors?

Now the idea that there is a website devoted to exposing 'Questionable Doctors', but there is enough information and enough 'Questionable Doctors' to actually warrant a friggin' website. I am not telling you that your personal GP is on this list. But I have actually looked up all my previous physicians. Scary thought.

What is in your clipboard?

Well, check this out. Every time you go to a website, they can pull out your clipboard information. Like credit info, numbers, aaccounts, personal information, etc... To see what you currently have in your clipboard, Your IP Address, your OS and browser, your network information, and other interesting stuff, send me an e-mail or IM and I will give you the links. Just think what you had in your clipboard the last time you visited a website?!? Be afraid, be very afraid.

Is your antivirus updated?

If your using Computer Associate's eTrust, McAfee's Antivirus, Norton Antivirus, or some other antivirus, your probably already screwed. The only antivirus which was patched and up to date within hours of the first reports of the latest virus was TrendMicro. So far today, I have had 8 people call me about their PC having problems. I have even changed my voicemail to state "if your having virus problems, contact your antivirus manufacturer", because I can't help everyone. One person called and told me they never did buy the antivirus I instructed them to get in March. I told them they had to fix it themselves. I can't and won't help anyone who won't listen after requesting assistance. Then expect me to bail them out. Mean?, probably. worth me spending 8 to 10 hours fixing their PC for free, NO. This just means I already wasted 6 hours of my time in March. If your pattern files are not up to date, please either update them or delete me from your address book because I would like to avoid this one. Questions about this one? Don't e-mail me, pick up the phone and give me a call. Good Luck.

Now tell me this video is not from the 70's

If you don't think this video is absolutely a picture of the 70s in Cincinnati, then you didn't grow up around near me. Don't worry, it is "G" rated so everyone can watch.

Finally, a singles site you can trust.

If you are looking for a spouse, this is the place to go! Click Here Here you can find people who are defiantly not out for just fooling around, they want a real relationship. Before any of you scoff at me for this, search the site. I bet you will be very surprised. You want a meaning less relationship, search the other sites like Match, Yahoo, Alt, or AmericanSingles, etc….. You want a genuine long term, meaningful, lifelong relationship, login here and see it yourself.

What did it mean anyway?

Well, "Klaatu Barada Nikto" was what stopped the huge robot from destroying the Earth. My thought at the moment was, "Eh' nevermind, go ahead". In other words, go ahead and destroy it. From the e-mails, no one got it. DOH

Want to know what your system looks like to the outside world?

If you want to see an absolutely safe (and free) readout of everything visible to the outside world, click here. If your concerned, freaked out, or panicking, you can either fix the problem or I can give you some good security advice. Just e-mail me. (Please remember when this scans your system, your firewall or zone alarm or black Ice or what ever you use might sound the alarm your being probed. Uh...that is what it is supposed to do silly.) I bet you will be very surprised (or even shocked) at what is available. These people are "very good" at what they do. Good Luck!

Well, the West Nile vaccine is not going to good

I read the report from the CDC about the new West Nile vaccine and it killed a large percentage. "While none of the 9 IM vaccine–inoculated birds died, 5 of 10 placebo-inoculated and 4 of 8 orally vaccinated birds died within 15 days after challenge." Read the whole story yourself. Just click the link above

test post

Another raccoon sleeping in the pickup,

I mistakenly left the back window open in the pickup again. Since the kids are vacationing, and Bree is gone, there is not much activity outside after dark. Therefore, when I went out to the truck on Saturday morning, there was a raccoon sleeping on the driver side floorboard. He (or at least I think it was a he) was fat and happy after eating a pack of French Fries, 2 packs of sunflower seeds and about 14 packets of ketchup. I am not sure if he was playing opossum (heh heh heh) or genuinely asleep after I opened the truck door and asked him to leave. But after shaking the truck and breaking out the garden hose. I imagine he realized I was going to give him a bath with the hose if he did not get out so he sauntered out and ambled away towards the garage. I am happy; he did not take a big raccoon poop in my truck.

OK, I don't get it. What's the difference?

With all the hullabaloo about the Episcopal gay Bishop, what is the difference? What changed in the Episcopal church "that specific day"? If Episcopalians have a problem with this, what was done when the man was an Episcopal Priest? I don’t get it. If someone one has the definitive insight about this and why it is "now" a bad thing to be gay in the Episcopal Church, please explain it to me.

Thinking about satellite radio??

Well, what your going to get is the "Either / Or" situation. In other words, Either XM or Sirius. I have listened to both and I chose the XM over the Sirius without any questions. The sound quality of the XM was good. It is not digital CD or DVD quality, but it is good. I thought that the Sirius was rather...., less good, if that makes any sense. How did I choose? First, I researched what channels were available on both systems. Then, I listened to both in the Eastgate BestBuy before I made the decision. I want to make it clear that I am not the only one who has a clear choice. Watch the review from Patrick and Leo of The Screen Savers. Your going to need to get Quicktime6 if your going to watch it. If you have QuickTime and it does not work, click here and download it. Remember, you can take the free version without any feelings of guilt. In case your wondering, I bought the XM setup, and I absolutely love it. Matter of fact, when I drive Bree's van, I don't even turn on the radio since she does not have XM. That is how much I loathe broadcast radio now.

Schools and training so far,

Here is a partial listing of the Universities, school(s) and formal training I have completed. To fill in the accuracy, I will search through the certificates I have filed away and I will update this ASAP. University of Cincinnati: Core requirements, Southern Illinois University: Degree work in “Vocational Education and Curriculum Development”, (Dean’s list for grade point average) Florida Community College of Jacksonville: Sign Language for hearing people United States Navy: Total Quality Leadership (TQL) classes, 1994-1996. Total Quality Management (TQM) classes, 1994-1996. Navy Leadership Development Program (NLDP), 1995. Instructor / Trainer class (Training team), 1992. Quality Assurance Worker School, 1990 Maintenance and Material Management (3M) Managers school, 1989 Enlisted Surface Warefare Specialist, 1986 Navy Molder (Foundrymen) class "A" school 1984. Foundry Operation and Management. Highest score ever obtained at the school! Navy Courses completed that did not include certifications: Principles of Naval Engineering, Human Behavior, Educational Psychology, 4000 documented hours towards Navy Journeymen (Foundrymen) Lotus (Domino & Notes): Domino User Administration, Domino Server Administration Analytical Graphics: Satellite Toolkit (STK) Orbital Propagation, Satellite Access Calculation, Data Management, Scenario Development, Sensor Analysis Helicopter Flight Training - Northstar Helicopter (Blue Ash, OH) 12 hours - flight time Microsoft Training: Windows XP Professional, Windows 2000 Professional, Windows 2000 Server, Windows 2000 Advanced Server / Enterprise Server, Exchange 2000 Server, Exchange 5.5 Server, SQL 2000 Server, Visual Basic 6, Windows ME, Windows 98 (and SE), Windows 95, Windows (PocketPC, PocketPC2002), Material Handling Equipment Training School (Navy) OSHA Standard Operation and Maintenance training for: Forklift, (Internal Combustion and Electric), 5,000 Lbs., Forklift, (Internal Combustion), 20,000 Lbs., Pallet Jack (electric), 3,000 Lbs., Forklift, Narrow Isle, Reach /Standup (electric), 4000 Lbs. 20%

Did anyone go see Hannity today in Cincinnati?

If you did see him, please tell me if I missed anything good. I wanted to go but could not get a ticket. Thanks! 10%

The seven deadly sins of marketing

Well, I didn't make the site up, but it is rather interesting to go through. I imagine you could call this "The seven deadly sins of highly effective people" but that is just my opinion, I could be wrong. EyeScream

On days like this

With the kids gone, I start to miss them really bad. then it hits me how much I miss my Dad & Mom (who are in Florida with the kids right now).

Sorry, but I needed a laugh.

This is an an adult Cartoon. Please, No kids, people without a sense of humor, or anyone with a bug up their ass: Orgasms from around the world

Anyone want to play a game?

Well, all you have to do is click the link. Battleship (Gets a 4 out of 5) Putt-Putt Golf (Gets a 4 out of 5)

The "WB" network needs to be renamed the "PG" (or maybe even the "NC") channel

Uh, I don't think the kids are going to be watching "Smallville" on the WB anymore. I thought Smallville was pretty good. Sorta along the lines of "Lois and Clark" that shows on TBS. But after watching it a couple of times, I am not so sure. Here is a clip of a scene that is what I would have anyone consider before letting the little ones watch "Smallville". Superman is not for kids anymore. I am not sure how long the link will be good but it works today.

A (final) thought from 2002 on flying (Part 3 of 3)

Another (and final) standout was the 92-pound woman who "looked" for all the outward appearances like she was in her "mid" 20s. I do say that she looked good till I noticed the age in her hands. You can disguise the face pretty good and even take 10 to 15 years off your noticeable age, but the hands are a true way to tell if their playing you for a sucker. What confused the age of the person was more about the skin tight jeans (with the boyish waist), tight pullover shirt (that showed her midriff when she put the bags in the overhead compartment), the new amazingly white sneakers and the brand new laces. Not to mention the dangly gold jewelry and gold waist chain. This woman was one of those people who posed for "Fitness" or "Womans Health" magazine. Until I saw her hands, I genuinely thought she was 28. Once I spied those hands, it defiantly showed she was really 45. She had her hair down in a Farrah Fawcet mane till we started to board the plane. Then as she was walking by, the line stopped in front of me. I was in the back of the plane so I had to be in the last group to board. Well, she pulled her big fluffy mane back while standing there and put on one of those "scrunchie" things. Upon further examination, I saw the tiny little lines from a face lift. It was pretty good but since she had been in Florida, the scares did not tan like the rest of her face. Dead giveaway. Then once I saw the young man with here and put two and two together, I determined that the two men posing as sudo-bodyguards, were actually her husband and son. Not the boyfriend and older brother as I first thought. I was wondering what type of son would hover around their mother (he looked just like her) like a teenage boyfriend in hormonal imbalance? I saw the woman as someone who made it a point to have her husband (and son for that matter) worship her like a movie star or someone with a Madonna styled ego. What a freaky group.

WIENER DOG SUMMER NATIONALS @ River Downs

The races will be held Saturday, August 9, 2003 at River Downs Race Track following the live thoroughbred races. Races will begin at approximately 6:00pm with the championship race to take place around 7:00pm. Anyone want to go? I do. Lets go Racing!!!

A thought from 2002 on flying (Part 2)

The description: A woman, Midwestern, Caucasian, yuppie, tanned, with a voluptuous, but "Gold's Gym" tight body. The view: Standing over on the other side of the isle, there is a woman. She sports the casual shorts and golf shirt she apparently purchased at Sears or JCPennys. She has several toe rings on each toe (toes numbered 2, 3, & 4) of both feet, and the heavy and identical ankle bracelets, which have a large number of dangly brass beads or chain work. They jingle as she walks about on the unforgiving airport carpet if you can actually call it a carpet. If you can imagine the bracelets and anklets worn by Thai women in their heavy brass and gold accoutrements. That is what I am seeing here. First impressions: She automatically gives you the impression that she has a fairly detailed area of henna tattoos on her belly & around her navel,........... and after thinking about it for a moment, she probably has them across her lower back in a traditional Kama Sutra inspired pattern. The first thing I thought of is that she is a very self-confidant woman. This impression is not of someone who is a businessperson and is sure of their work ethics, but the type that does a very exotic dance for her husband in the nude. Even her body motions and movements highly suggest that she dances around the house naked with all her spangles and jewels shimmering for her to be noticed and worshiped by her suitor. Her "look": She has a short blonde quaff, (described as a French scissors cut I think) and several larger loop earrings in each ear. She has the outward appearance of modesty, but the attitude that she rules the home and all she comes in contact with (whether they like it or not) poke fun at her serious external appearance. Her (apparent) husband follows around like a well-trained dog with his constant attention to the kids and their belongings, where she sits back and assures discipline within the family pod. As we were boarding, she is the one who took charge and rustled her husband and two kids down the gateway like a pit bull. The Husband: You can also see that he was probably a very hansom young man. The thought that she must keep her husband rather a bit overweight as a control measure quickly comes to mind. You perceive that she can assure his complete attention will be directed at her, since no other high maintenance woman would want him anymore. She is extremely fit and trim and the kids look like they consume nothing but things that are good for them (and even the snacks she brought for the kids on the flight were what I would call expensive packaged items for the standard yuppie larva children they were). Where her husband appears to be constantly fed, as if he is being deliberately fattened up like a "Christmas goose". I watched them for about 20 minutes while they did the little rituals of the family. Man, What I would give to know what they were really like and not what they outwardly appear to be. What a strange combination is flying on this flight?!? 05%

A thought from 2002 on flying (Part 1)

My thoughs before takeoff: I wanted to tell you about my last flight. As I am staring across the boarding area before boarding the plane, It was amazing to see the women who was dressed to kill with her 4 (and 5) inch stiletto heals, leather pants, and tight silk or chamois shirt. It was very confusing to see, considering even her hair was the Perfect Cosmopolitan style and the makeup only a movie star could get. (Bridget and I know a Chiropractor who has this type of look. She pops my back into place once every 6 months. This is not a bad thing, everyone has to have his or her own priorities) What is all the commotion?: The most interesting part about this woman was her composure while obtaining her seat from the gate counter. the more interesting part was her look mild panic and mannerisms which burst with true fear once on the plane. While in line and waiting for the Airline rep to fix what ever mundane problem was with her ticket, she was cool, large, and incharge. The "I am beautiful and I will get what I want because of it", attitude was a little much. If you consider the man who was helping her. He was more concerned with the 400 pound man behind her (with the really sweat stained jacket) than he was concerned with her. But from the commotion that ensued, I imagine she received all the perks she so despiratly wanted (and in her mind, deserved). While boarding: while making my way back to the "normal people" section of the plane, I walked by her "first class” seat. I instantly saw her for what she was. You could see the suave sophistication disappear and see the fear that developed in her stare while looking at every passenger that came aboard. It was like she was some self proclaimed personality analyst who was attempting to determine if the 90 year old man with the walker was a terrorist preparing to take over the aircraft. This proved to me that people like that are not worth getting near. They attract trouble like flies on dog poop. Remember, in 2002, people were still terrified of flying. 05%

Feeding the animals

I had the elders over tonight for dinner. They were fairly ravinous. We had hotdogs from the grill and cole slaw from Krogers. 05%

the meadow and the pipe from hell

I dug out the pipe that (used to) carry the water away from the lower meadow. It is clogged. Nice this is a wet season, it is easier to find the clog since there is a boatload of water waiting to get out. I have to go get a 20' piece of PVC to jam up the end of the drain to unclog it. Yes, this is the smart way. Otherwise I have to dig out about 10' of pipe and trace the clog. 20%

I was wondering, what is it that makes a movie a "Favorite"?

I think that right now, one of the best movies I have seen to date is "In Harm's Way". It stars John Wayne, Patricia Neal, Burgess Meredith, & so on & so forth. There is a certain feel to the movie that really tries to make you understand where the characters point of view (POV) is. The scenario: The Second World War is in full swing now and people have come made it their purpose in life to "play their part" or "do their duty for the country". In the movie there are several subplots, but the two I focus on are the two different characters in the Torrie family. The Father and the Son, which are both Naval Officers at this point in the picture. The older man played by John Wayne, is the Captain of a ship that plays his part in the way we all hope ship Captains are, fair to his men, doing 110% of the "Above and beyond" theory. He always puts his command (ship and men) in front of everything else. The younger of the two is an Ensign, green to the ways of the world and still driven by personal issues. Things like hormones and money are the main forces, which drive his life. The Contrast: There is a point in the movie where both Torrie's come to pickup their dates at the same residence. The pair living in the small apartment is an older Lieutenant played by Patricia Neal. She is a woman who is wise to the world and it's ups and downs. The woman, who was divorced due to a cheating husband, originally grew up on military bases as an Army brat. She sees things as they were, from a "life is not necessarily a wonderful thing" point of view. This has hardened her to the more flowery means of normal existence and placed her into a more humble view, where "the best things in life are free" if you can see them. The point is driven home numerous times when interaction between her and other characters are basic, blunt, rather cold, and to the point. The second is a much younger woman nurse. She is about 21 or so (I can't remember if they say it exactly but you get the jest of the situation). She grew up in a well-isolated place, the real quiet world of Vermont. The picture doesn't come out and say the word "naive", but should have somewhere used the actual description since I truly feel it would have fit in numerous places where you can't tell if she is being gullible or playing hard to get. (But that is just my opinion) Her interaction with others in the film could be characterized as free, fun loving, open, and what I term as ambiguous. The differences don't really hit home till the director started switching scenes back and forth more quickly and the contrasts became quite clear. Let me contrast of the younger of the two men (Ensign Torrie) against (Captain Rockwell "Rock" Torrie played by John Wayne) The young couple: We start with Ensign Torrie and the young nurse. He is the impetuous, flagrant money tosser who is trying to compensate for his lack of life experience with an overabundance of glitzy and overindulgence. He is trying wow the young woman nurse into his arms (or bed as you know later on. Well you can put 2 and 2 together). Everything points to his inexperience with life in general. He does not yet know what things are truly important to people in their lives. In the scene where the two of them are eating a private dinner together, the lighting for their meal was tall candles, soft lighting, and light jazz. Candles like they used were very expensive and an affectation for ambiance in that time (as told by the director). The dinner was "served" by the house servant who wore the typical white shirt, white jacket and black tie. The fact of opening a bottle of wine was the older couple, (John Wayne & Patricia Neal) are "old salts". Both are older, more seasoned and capable of "bottom line emotions". You have to remember that these characters are literally looking towards the idea of "Live today for tomorrow we shall die". They're cemented in the fact that if you take the long way, you might miss the present by planning the future or life truly is short and you have to put silly affectations in the trash and live while you can. I can't decide which is a better description but there you go. The simple act of cooking for someone, or good one-on-one conversation about what has been a changing factor in their lives are the real things that make the times and memories that are meaningful. I.E., The table light for their dinner, a small stubby dime store candle that was stuck in the middle of a cut out tin can. The area lighting was a bare light bulb, posing as a porch door light. The two made an entire evening out of making their own dinner. Instead of a horde or servants to make and serve their dinner, they made the whole thing themselves. The preparation was considered an entertainment to them. At one point She hands the Captain a tin can of vegetables to open and he opens it with his pocketknife. Even the simple knife was a shining example of American ingenuity and resourcefulness. He made the point of showing her the fact that it not only had two blades (a straight blade and a "skinning blade") but it also contained a can opener, screwdriver and a punch. You get the impression that to him, it was a work of art "and" a piece that could revolutionize the world, as we know it. These were people who are used to "making do with what they have" and "making the most of what was around". Did you get it?: If you watch the movie, the parts where the two separate pairs catch you off guard (if your not looking for a subplot). If you have time, do see it. I can't really say much more than what I have. The situation crosses into "how do you view life" and "what makes you happy"? Is it the flamboyant luxuries that make people happy, the simple things in life like sunrises and sunsets, or is it somewhere in-between where you find happiness in your life? My view: The things that work for me? Things like watching a fire in the fireplace with Bree or an evening listening to some classical music with the kids, lying on the living room floor, everyone’s head on the same big fluffy pillow (with one of those big crisp white pillow cases fresh from the dryer).

My Monty Python impression

I was down talking to the guys rebuilding the creek yesterday. I stepped down off the dozer track, stepped on a precariously slippery rock and proceeded to fall down into the creek. Not that I was embarrassed, but I did plop face down into about 18 inches of very muddy water. The bad part was, my hand (The part that is near the wrist and sits down on a table when you write) smacked down on a rock and now it hurts pretty good. It is not broken, but it is painful. "Say no more, say no more...DOH!

the "NEW" advertising campaign for the Mormons

Come worship with us, Were not gay!

The CDC and West Nile

Here are the link to the CDC's Home page and the page on the West Nile Virus. Even though they are way too "nice" or "Touchie-Feelie in their approach, the info is good anyway. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Division of Vector-Borne Infectious Diseases - West Nile Virus

Mosquito Pools Test Postive for West Nile

"Well CRAP!" or "Just when you thought it was safe to mow the yard......." From: WKRC, Channel 12 - LAST UPDATE: 8/4/2003 6:41:32 PM Mosquito pools off Kellogg Avenue in Anderson Township have tested positive for the virus. Earlier this summer a dead Blue Jay found at Salem and Four Mile Roads also tested positive for West Nile. Health Department officials said they've contacted community leaders in Anderson Township and are taking several steps to remove the risk to humans. It Figures. (Incidently, the people on the newscast, specifically said "Kellogg and Eight Mile Road" last night with a map)

Commercial Drivers License (CDL) Class B

I picked up a temp license for a CDL today. I was told that this will help me in possibily getting a job with Hamilton County. They will do the training if I get the written test completed. Plus, they want it on my resume when I hand it in tomorrow. 0%

The Buddhist Temple and the fax machine?

I just spoke to Hemaratne (HB) and now I know what the Monks said on my voicemail. Apparently they purchased a new fax machine and can't get it to work correctly. I will go over and fix it tomorrow. I am supposed to meet Myles for lunch at noon so I will get there after that. Should take about 15 minutes to fix. 0%

Fast and Testimony day.

We attended Sacrament and it was not because we had to be out and about for the open house. It was "Fast and Testimony day". That always makes for a different mood afterwards.

Open house was a bust

I received a voicemail from Mr. Ackermann. Apparently no one showed up for the open house Sunday. I guess that is to be expected. It was a rather hot and complacent kinda day. Sunny and cloudy, with a cool breeze. Lounging weather.

Another time to mow.

I just quickly mowed half the yard (in 90 minutes). It is easy when your doing about 35 down the straight areas like the lower meadow. The wet parts are still difficult to get through. The rain the last two days are making it difficult. That, and I miss Bree and the kids. :)

Now that is a great "one-liner"!

I know this is a story, but I liked it anyway. At a cocktail reception, my friend found himself in a small group that included an admiral from each of the two navies. The French admiral started complaining that whereas Europeans learned many languages, Americans only learned English. He then asked, "Why is it that we have to speak English in these conferences rather than you have to speak French?" Without even hesitating, the American admiral replied, "Maybe it is because we arranged it so that you did not have to learn to speak German." The group became silent.

The rain keeps coming.

At this rate, I will not be able to mow until it is waist deep again. This sucks. An hour job turns into a 6 hour job because of moisture. Crap. 20%

Nothing much happened this day in history

So, in keeping with the idea, I didn't do much more than laundry and dishes. I also did some job searching but nothing local was found. I have to go back to H&R Block on Tuesday with more paperwork. I am glad that this is almost over. I hate paying to get my taxes done. This is why I also would go for a flat-tax or something that would be more equal. Everyone pays the same percentage. No exclusions, exceptions, (or rebates). 20%

What am I doing?

Everyone stop asking me what I have scheduled and look at my calendar. It's in the left frame, (Look on the left side of the page silly) and it says "My Calendar". Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!!! 10%