Second Chances

Does anyone else have someone from their past that they feel like they could have been a better friend to?  Monday I saw someone here at my office that I have known since 6th grade.  He was with a big group that was going through orientation so I didn't approach him and I don't think he saw me.  I figured I would see him around and catch him at a better time but I haven't seen him since.  We were pretty good friends in 6th grade and that carried over some into Jr. High but started to taper off and I barely even saw him in High School.  Later on he had some trouble with the law.  His mother started going to my Church and I think she really wanted me to pick up my friendship with him again... but it never happened. 

The last time I saw him before Monday was probably at least 5 years ago when he attended that same church for a few months.

I have been looking for him for the last 3 days with no luck, but just a few minutes ago I walked past the empty training room and noticed that the computers had paper name placards on them.  I found the one with his name and left him a short message to call my phone number, not telling him who it was though.

He is one of the people in my life that I always regretted I wasn't more intentional with.  I can't name any one specific incident where I was a jerk to him or anything, just an overall negligence.

Perhaps this week I have a second chance.

Samuels Super Smile

Its all about the mustache...

This is the true reason for growing my beard!

I had fun with this at work today. I like how it makes me look continually mad. I am actually smiling in this picture.
RELEVANT Gentleman's Society


Bonus video of Jacob on his bike!

Bonus video of Ethan on his trike.

Irony... perhaps?

Here in my department at work we just lost one of our 3 phone support guys and another one has been sick all week.  This means that me and the other graphics guy have been having to help cover the phones (sounds worse than it is). 

I just took a call from a nice Indian gentleman...

Guess what Jacob learned today?!!

see more here >>

Flying X-Wing Style!

Man, would I love to be there when they launch this thing... not too close of course.

Rocket-Powered 21-Foot-Long X-Wing Model Actually Flies

Andy Woerner and his crazy rocketeer friends have built a 21-foot long X-Wing model that can actually fly. Yes, this is a real X-Wing powered by four solid-fuel rocket engines complete with radio-controlled moving wings. It blasts off in California next week...

Redefining the music industry!

...and it is about time. Record labels have proven to be the bane of the music industry for years and now we are at a point where we can cut out the middle man. Thank you Radiohead for taking this first step!

How Radiohead killed the record labels

"The announcement in the early hours of this morning of the imminent arrival of In Rainbows, the seventh Radiohead album, is hugely exciting for the band's millions of fans. In Rainbows, boxed set Potentially though it's even bigger news for the music industry. Released in ten days time, the album is available as a digital download for whatever price you want to pay. Radiohead may have done irreparable damage to the industry's traditional business model."

I can see a future where the major record labels are either dead or are vastly smaller than they are now. With computer technology for recording and the internet for distribution and marketing there is no longer a need for these juggernauts that cater to the lowest common denominator, stifle music, inhibit creativity, and rip-off artists! The RIAA has made their bed by alienating their clients with scare tactics and now it is time to see them reap the benefits of their unholy army of lawyers.*

(*if none of this makes any sense it is because I am highly medicated)

A little less wise...

I had all 4 of my wisdom teeth removed this morning (Friday). I have been putting it off for a good ten years now and I was a little nervous going into it. I would have to say it has been worse than I imagined it would be. The first 4 hours afterword were extremely painful and miserable. The first Percocet didn't do any good, finally I took a second one about 2 hours later and it helped. The worst part now is that I can't read without getting nauseous! Even now I am looking off to the side as I type this to avoid looking at the screen as much as possible. So I am extremely bored. Also I have been having problems getting them to stop bleeding. Right now I am sitting here with a tea bag crammed into the back of my mouth because the acid in it is supposed to help stop the bleeding. Well that is all I can handle for now or I am going to go puke.

*

Baseball Barry Bonds hit for home run No. 756 to be branded with an asterisk - MLB - Yahoo! Sports

"The ball Barry Bonds hit for his record-breaking 756th home run will be branded with an asterisk and sent to the Baseball Hall of Fame, its owner said Wednesday."

I love it! An asterisk, it's brilliant! I love the sign that I saw in the stands at one point that said "Babe did it on beer and braughts!". That pretty much says it all.

Avast ye mateys! Today be Talk Like a Pirate Day!

Arghhh, it's Talk Like a Pirate Day - Telegraph

Hit the rum, shout "shiver me timbers" or "avast, ya scurvy varmints" and integrate the following words into your lexicon: Matey, booty, Arghhh, buried treasure, plank, scoundrel, plunder etc.

If ye be havin' trouble this may be o' help: http://www.syddware.com/cgi-bin/pirate.pl

The Biggest Loser - Season Preview

Jez is going to be on TV tonight! Don't miss it. 7:00 Central time 2 hour special.

Here is a note about the above clip from Karen on Aug. 2nd:

He is SO embarrassed! The one time he cried was when they told him he did not make it on the show after he thought he had - and he really had (it was part of the story line). But that is what they showed on the teaser clips. Needless to say he did not have a very good day yesterday after he saw it. That's Hollywood. They use you how they want to. Never the less he is about 100 pounds down so I think that is worth a little public humiliation. As Pastor Kent used to say "You can't humiliate a humble guy". Stay tuned to see the manly man emerge

Jatropha: From Weed to Biofuel

Since I have several readers who know considerably more on this subject than I do, I would be interested in what you have to say about this. It seems like about every month or so we read about some new possible energy source. This one sounded unique and promising being a fast growing weed that is a natural pesticide in itself and drought resistant. We hopefully wouldn't see the problems that we do now with rising corn and other grain prices.

Mali’s Farmers Discover a Weed’s Potential Power - New York Times

...a plant called jatropha is being hailed by scientists and policy makers as a potentially ideal source of biofuel, a plant that can grow in marginal soil or beside food crops, that does not require a lot of fertilizer and yields many times as much biofuel per acre planted as corn and many other potential biofuels.

jatropha can grow on virtually barren land with relatively little rainfall, so it can be planted in places where food does not grow well. It can also be planted beside other crops farmers grow here

Manhattan MAdGwICk

Georgia Grace

"Mountain" Climbing

The "Tubes"

more...

Jenny talks about our trip some in her latest post.

U2 News

Rolling Stone : U2’s Next Album Is “Making Itself,” Says Daniel Lanois

In June, Rock Daily reported that acclaimed artists/producers Brian Eno and Daniel Lanois were starting work with U2 on the band’s next album, the follow-up to 2004’s How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb. Here’s a status report, straight from Lanois, who has produced a handful of albums for the band, including 1984’s The Unforgettable Fire, 1987’s The Joshua Tree and 1991’s Achtung, Baby...

I am just excited to hear that they are working on the new album!!!!!!!!!!!!