well, today yields another chance to watch soccer, another chance to root for the national side, and yes, another chance to be disappointed. we'll see what happens.
9th min - olsen has a great cross into the box and klestjan misses the easy header. but, just before this, the u.s. had looked pretty good, a lot of movement just outside the box. could bode for a good start.
10th min - long ball sent into the box, sorta high, eddie johnson just can't get an outstretched boot on it.
29th min - had been somewhat uneventful and i dozed off. i awoke to hear gol and sadly it was a paraguayan celebrating. replays look like bad marking in the back. but, it also looks like keller should have made the stop.
32nd min - eddie johnson has a great run, low cross into the box, nice shot by bornstein and a fabulous save by the keeper.
40th min - clark gets his first goal for the u.s. (i think). good passing around the 18, hammered home by clark. i think the assist goes to twellman.
half time - 1 - 1. i was glad to see the u.s. not give up, but really work back from the small deficit. they came back, played good football, and their pressure resulted in a goal.
51st min - paraguay's keeper takes a goal kick and hurts himself.
55th min - again, paraguay has a guy wide open. keller cuts the angle to something difficult, but the paraguayan is still able to slot it in. 2-1. it also looked like keller was expecting his defender in the area to do something, anything, which didn't happen. i'm pissed.
72nd min - free kick to eddie johnson header, just doesn't get turned enough to get on goal. but good effort.
74th min - great run up the side by the guy subbed in for ben olson. chips it over the keeper, and just over the cross bar, too.
last ten minutes - good flurry of action from the u.s. several decent chances, including two really nice headers that the keeper managed to snare.
91st min - u.s. gives up free kick just outside the box. 5 man wall. back of the net. went right over the wall.
and it's over.
Monday, July 02, 2007
Sunday, July 01, 2007
july 5 art show
this guy has an art show this week @ tower mosaic. and, i lucked into hanging some pieces behind his work. so, if you're art hoping, please feel free to stop by. also showing are artists currently housed in fresno's juvenile hall.
thursday, july 5
1040 n fulton
fresno, ca
5-8 pm
thursday, july 5
1040 n fulton
fresno, ca
5-8 pm
getting my iphone
so, as i mentioned on friday, i was going to try and get an iphone. i went over to the nearest at&t store @ 5, knowing the doors would open @ 6. i figured that this store near me would be the least crowded, and was right. a few people behind me had been at other stores and said that there were many more people, even up to 100 @ the apple store. me, i showed up an hour before open, and was about 30th in line. my friend mark showed up at about 5:15 or 5:30 and was about 6 people behind me. i would guess that there were 45 people in our line by 6.
a few minutes before 6, one of the workers came out, and announced that they would be letting small groups in to help the process along. they let the first group in at 6, about fifteen people, and it seemed like it would fly right along. but, nope. i'm still not sure why it took this first group so long to get it done, especially since all the set up & activation would take place @ home via the internet. i finally was in the door @ 6:45. by 7, i had my 8gig iphone and was out the door. simple.
along with the unexplained wait of the early people going in the door, the biggest frustration that i had with the process was that no one had an accurate idea of how many phones there actually were. i haven't read much news lately, and none of what little news i have read has said how many phones were out there. so, we're in line just guessing if were getting a phone. i figured that since the at&t stores were letting you buy one, and the apple stores would let you buy two, that each location had to have at least fifty. that was just my guess, and so as the 30th person in line i felt alright. when i went inside and was being assisted, i even asked the lady working with me if she knew how many they had. she didn't know, and said that the people in the back would just hand out the particular model requested, and that they were just going to tell them when they were getting low on supply. it seems to me that i would have been a little more helpful if they had told people how many phones would be available so you know if you're wasting your time or not. but, even if they ran out of phones, i would have just placed an order, and been on the priority delivery list.
as i said, i had my phone by 7. i wasn't going to be able to set up my phone right away because i was going to the fuego game at 7:30. btw, the game was a huge disappointment. not only did we lose to the last place team on terrible goals (good job keep!) but this loss eliminated the team from playoff contention. awesome. after the game, we went out for a bit. so, i didn't start setting up my phone until like 1 in the morning. the set up process all went really smoothly. basically, the longest part of the process was just waiting as all the music was loaded onto the phone.
so, here it is, my iphone getting set up.
a few minutes before 6, one of the workers came out, and announced that they would be letting small groups in to help the process along. they let the first group in at 6, about fifteen people, and it seemed like it would fly right along. but, nope. i'm still not sure why it took this first group so long to get it done, especially since all the set up & activation would take place @ home via the internet. i finally was in the door @ 6:45. by 7, i had my 8gig iphone and was out the door. simple.
along with the unexplained wait of the early people going in the door, the biggest frustration that i had with the process was that no one had an accurate idea of how many phones there actually were. i haven't read much news lately, and none of what little news i have read has said how many phones were out there. so, we're in line just guessing if were getting a phone. i figured that since the at&t stores were letting you buy one, and the apple stores would let you buy two, that each location had to have at least fifty. that was just my guess, and so as the 30th person in line i felt alright. when i went inside and was being assisted, i even asked the lady working with me if she knew how many they had. she didn't know, and said that the people in the back would just hand out the particular model requested, and that they were just going to tell them when they were getting low on supply. it seems to me that i would have been a little more helpful if they had told people how many phones would be available so you know if you're wasting your time or not. but, even if they ran out of phones, i would have just placed an order, and been on the priority delivery list.
as i said, i had my phone by 7. i wasn't going to be able to set up my phone right away because i was going to the fuego game at 7:30. btw, the game was a huge disappointment. not only did we lose to the last place team on terrible goals (good job keep!) but this loss eliminated the team from playoff contention. awesome. after the game, we went out for a bit. so, i didn't start setting up my phone until like 1 in the morning. the set up process all went really smoothly. basically, the longest part of the process was just waiting as all the music was loaded onto the phone.
so, here it is, my iphone getting set up.
Friday, June 29, 2007
will i or won't i
get an iphone today? we'll see. in a convergence of good things (heather got a small pay increase, and it was recently our anniversary) the plan is to get one of these beautiful little gadgets. so, i've been anticipating the release as well as following the details. in talking to people @ at&t and reading what's available on the 'net, i think i've got a reasonable understanding of what to expect.
when i was at the store asking questions, the person helping me asked, "are you going to camp out?"
"uh, what?"
"camp out?"
"no."
as i watched the mid-day news, it made me reflect on the strangeness that our culture has for somethings, especially these over-hyped electronic devices. xbox 360, playstation 3, and now the iphone. the wii wasn't released with such fanfare, but you're hard pressed to find one in a store now.
so, my current plan is something like this: at&t stores will close @ 4:30 to prepare and re-open @ 6. i'm thinking i will go to the nearest one about 5. i will stand in line. if i don't get a phone, okay. my current one still works. i can place an order and wait. heck, i've known about the phone for quite some time and have waited this long. shoot, i may not even go until 6.
an interesting note, apple is giving away free ones to their full time u.s. employees, and to half-timers that have been with the company over a year. so, heather's brother and sister-in-law will be both getting 8gig versions. her sister-in-law got pretty lucky on this, because she just recently was hired by apple. and, if i understand correctly, she's actually working customer service in the iphone division.
in other news, i'm trying to get some free tickets to tonight's fuego game from my work. we'll see. i'd like to go, but hoping we can get in for free. also, really good hip hop artist and nice guy ibid will be performing tonight @ veni vidi vicci's after 9:30, so i may stop in there.
when i was at the store asking questions, the person helping me asked, "are you going to camp out?"
"uh, what?"
"camp out?"
"no."
as i watched the mid-day news, it made me reflect on the strangeness that our culture has for somethings, especially these over-hyped electronic devices. xbox 360, playstation 3, and now the iphone. the wii wasn't released with such fanfare, but you're hard pressed to find one in a store now.
so, my current plan is something like this: at&t stores will close @ 4:30 to prepare and re-open @ 6. i'm thinking i will go to the nearest one about 5. i will stand in line. if i don't get a phone, okay. my current one still works. i can place an order and wait. heck, i've known about the phone for quite some time and have waited this long. shoot, i may not even go until 6.
an interesting note, apple is giving away free ones to their full time u.s. employees, and to half-timers that have been with the company over a year. so, heather's brother and sister-in-law will be both getting 8gig versions. her sister-in-law got pretty lucky on this, because she just recently was hired by apple. and, if i understand correctly, she's actually working customer service in the iphone division.
in other news, i'm trying to get some free tickets to tonight's fuego game from my work. we'll see. i'd like to go, but hoping we can get in for free. also, really good hip hop artist and nice guy ibid will be performing tonight @ veni vidi vicci's after 9:30, so i may stop in there.
Thursday, June 28, 2007
u.s. vs argentina
so, we're 10 minutes in and i just realized that i wasn't blogging about this game. and in the 9th minute, eddie johnson got taken down in the box. he converted the penalty kick. we're exuberant.
11th minute, argentina has a free kick outside the box. the float it in, and apparently the u.s. decided they didn't want to mark anyone, as there are 4 argentinians coming straight at keller. keller stops heinze's initial touch but crespo puts it home. ugh. sheesh.
42nd minute, keller has just made back to back phenomenal saves. the first was on a long blast that he pushed up into the crossbar, giving up a corner. on that corner, crespo had a great flick header that keller was all over, although he did give up a rebound that was cleared out by a defender.
45th minute - big rip from a u.s. player, i think feilheber but not sure. but stopped somewhat easily by argentine kicker. as you can tell, there wasn't too much between the 11th and 42nd minute. we go to half 1-1.
53rd minute - u.s. freekick just outside the box...over the wall...and the goal.
58th minute - another u.s. freekick, this time from the side of the box...nothing much to speak of.
60th minute - messi sneaks through 3 defenders and has a really nice shot that goes into outside of the net.
63rd minute - crespo is wide freakin open for a pass from messi and he skids it into the back of the net. shoot.
75 minute - this is where i stopped watching the game. we had dinner plans, and it didn't look like the u.s. was planning on doing anything to equalize.
11th minute, argentina has a free kick outside the box. the float it in, and apparently the u.s. decided they didn't want to mark anyone, as there are 4 argentinians coming straight at keller. keller stops heinze's initial touch but crespo puts it home. ugh. sheesh.
42nd minute, keller has just made back to back phenomenal saves. the first was on a long blast that he pushed up into the crossbar, giving up a corner. on that corner, crespo had a great flick header that keller was all over, although he did give up a rebound that was cleared out by a defender.
45th minute - big rip from a u.s. player, i think feilheber but not sure. but stopped somewhat easily by argentine kicker. as you can tell, there wasn't too much between the 11th and 42nd minute. we go to half 1-1.
53rd minute - u.s. freekick just outside the box...over the wall...and the goal.
58th minute - another u.s. freekick, this time from the side of the box...nothing much to speak of.
60th minute - messi sneaks through 3 defenders and has a really nice shot that goes into outside of the net.
63rd minute - crespo is wide freakin open for a pass from messi and he skids it into the back of the net. shoot.
75 minute - this is where i stopped watching the game. we had dinner plans, and it didn't look like the u.s. was planning on doing anything to equalize.
music news
good news heather, the spice girls are reuniting and going on tour. no word if eddie murphy's alleged baby will be there (although i did just see something on e news that talked about mel b having a paternity test done and saying that it proved it was eddie's).
here's a cool story about trenchtown is opening up a museum of sorts in the government housing where bob marley lived. they've got his first guitar, his old vw beetle and other things. what was really cool is to read a bit of the history of the housing. small houses that share a communal yard to encourage interaction amongst neighbors. sort of reminds me of this.
here's a cool story about trenchtown is opening up a museum of sorts in the government housing where bob marley lived. they've got his first guitar, his old vw beetle and other things. what was really cool is to read a bit of the history of the housing. small houses that share a communal yard to encourage interaction amongst neighbors. sort of reminds me of this.
mexico vs brasil
so, the other night i actually caught a replay of mexico vs brasil from the '99 copa america. it was interesting to see the much of the same brasilian team, but oh so much younger. ronaldinho had a shaved head, but the same jacked up teeth. ronaldo was young and fit. it was also cool to see some of the mexican players that i remember, but had forgotten about. guys like luis hernandez and jorge campos. blanco was on the team then, and he still is now, although he's lost a step. still very good, but he's aged. brasil won that game 2-0, and it put them in the finals where they beat uruguay.
(the game i'm watching right now was actually played yesterday. but, i'm watching a replay of it, so who cares? but, as i was looking around stuff, i stumbled on the final results. so, at half time of this game i knew the final. but i'm still watching.)
early on (not sure minute) brasil scores, but it's called back on a terrible offsides call. replays show that brasil was clearly onside.
24th minute - nery castillo scores for mexico.
holy crap, i'm writing about the '99 game, looking up rosters, not really paying attention and all of a sudden...goooooooooooooooooooooooooollll! mexico 2-0. off a nice set piece ramon morales buries it in the back of the net in the 29th minute. sick bend from outside the box, over the wall. positively nasty stuff.
so, it's 2-0 mexico @ medio tiempo.
54th minute - nice shot from brasil, but also a nice save by the mexican keeper. this is the 2nd good shot of the half, although neither has found net.
55th minute, mexico almost finds net again. but, it was a great save on what turned out to be an offsides shot.
61st minute - brasil has an amazing chance in the run of play. great shot and an amazing save. ochoa is really showing some skills here. he's turned back several really good attempts, but this one was awesome.
74th minute - brasil cornerkick, perfect header down, foot save by mexican defender. wow.
92nd minute - mexico has wide open breakaway and misses badly. but, this turns out to be the final play of the game. mexico wins 2-0.
(the game i'm watching right now was actually played yesterday. but, i'm watching a replay of it, so who cares? but, as i was looking around stuff, i stumbled on the final results. so, at half time of this game i knew the final. but i'm still watching.)
early on (not sure minute) brasil scores, but it's called back on a terrible offsides call. replays show that brasil was clearly onside.
24th minute - nery castillo scores for mexico.
holy crap, i'm writing about the '99 game, looking up rosters, not really paying attention and all of a sudden...goooooooooooooooooooooooooollll! mexico 2-0. off a nice set piece ramon morales buries it in the back of the net in the 29th minute. sick bend from outside the box, over the wall. positively nasty stuff.
so, it's 2-0 mexico @ medio tiempo.
54th minute - nice shot from brasil, but also a nice save by the mexican keeper. this is the 2nd good shot of the half, although neither has found net.
55th minute, mexico almost finds net again. but, it was a great save on what turned out to be an offsides shot.
61st minute - brasil has an amazing chance in the run of play. great shot and an amazing save. ochoa is really showing some skills here. he's turned back several really good attempts, but this one was awesome.
74th minute - brasil cornerkick, perfect header down, foot save by mexican defender. wow.
92nd minute - mexico has wide open breakaway and misses badly. but, this turns out to be the final play of the game. mexico wins 2-0.
a good day for football
the copa america started earlier this week. i'm excited because:
a) the u.s. is playing, and has been playing very well as of late. it'll be good to see how we do outside of our region (gold cup champs!)
b) i have cable and a good work schedule.
so, we got cable last summer basically because i wanted to watch as much world cup as i could. we kept it because we liked it, and it wasn't too expensive. this has greatly enhanced the amount of soccer that i've been able to watch, from champions league, to the premiership, to mls, to our national side. i already loved the game, but being able to see so much has deepened my appreciation.
anyway, today's a good day to watch. mexico vs brasil just started. brasil was already denied a goal on a terrible offsides call. when it played live, i thought the call was fine, but on the replay, the brasilian was clearly onsides. oh well, i'm sure this won't be brasil's only chance.
parguay & colombia play @ 3:30 - not a match that i must see, but probably will just to see how other teams in the tourney are looking.
and then, at 5:30, the u.s. is playing argentina. this will be a straight into the frying pan situation for the u.s. as i mentioned earlier, we're looking good, but how good? and, will we capitalize on our chances? can't wait to see.
(this reminds me, i need to go to a game soon. we haven't been to a fuego game since they cut our friend nick. there's a game this friday evening, i think i might go. after i get my new phone, that is. ooooh, and fresno is playing bakos on saturday july 14 @ 7:30. maybe our bakos friends should come up for that.)
finally, real madrid fired their coach. wha? winning the spanish title for the first time in like 4 years wasn't good enough?
a) the u.s. is playing, and has been playing very well as of late. it'll be good to see how we do outside of our region (gold cup champs!)
b) i have cable and a good work schedule.
so, we got cable last summer basically because i wanted to watch as much world cup as i could. we kept it because we liked it, and it wasn't too expensive. this has greatly enhanced the amount of soccer that i've been able to watch, from champions league, to the premiership, to mls, to our national side. i already loved the game, but being able to see so much has deepened my appreciation.
anyway, today's a good day to watch. mexico vs brasil just started. brasil was already denied a goal on a terrible offsides call. when it played live, i thought the call was fine, but on the replay, the brasilian was clearly onsides. oh well, i'm sure this won't be brasil's only chance.
parguay & colombia play @ 3:30 - not a match that i must see, but probably will just to see how other teams in the tourney are looking.
and then, at 5:30, the u.s. is playing argentina. this will be a straight into the frying pan situation for the u.s. as i mentioned earlier, we're looking good, but how good? and, will we capitalize on our chances? can't wait to see.
(this reminds me, i need to go to a game soon. we haven't been to a fuego game since they cut our friend nick. there's a game this friday evening, i think i might go. after i get my new phone, that is. ooooh, and fresno is playing bakos on saturday july 14 @ 7:30. maybe our bakos friends should come up for that.)
finally, real madrid fired their coach. wha? winning the spanish title for the first time in like 4 years wasn't good enough?
Tuesday, June 26, 2007
what's in my fridge
saw this idea on another blog, so i thought i'd do it. am i starting one of these (the link to wiki meme isn't working right now), or am i just continuing one?
not the best photo, i must admit
Monday, June 25, 2007
r.i.p. chris benoit
so, most of you probably don't know this, but the wwe is running a storyline right now about vince mcmahon (owner, commissioner) is dead. i heard it somewhere in passing, and i saw a commercial today. i thought this was slightly offensive, but, hey, it's a soap opera for stupid guys. i don't watch wrestling, and i don't care at all about it, but sometimes it gets pushed into the forefront of culture and we have to examine or at least acknowledge it.
i really hope that they will end this charade now. it seems that one of the wrestlers, chris benoit, his wife and child were all found dead on monday. authorities think it was a murder-suicide.
"WWE extends its sincerest thoughts and prayers to the Benoit family's relatives and loved ones in this time of tragedy," the federation said in a statement on its Web site." they also canceled their monday night program, as well as showing a tribute to him.
i hope they go further than that. although, it must be noted that they had a wrestler, owen heart, die during a pay per view event and they continued on.
i really hope that they will end this charade now. it seems that one of the wrestlers, chris benoit, his wife and child were all found dead on monday. authorities think it was a murder-suicide.
"WWE extends its sincerest thoughts and prayers to the Benoit family's relatives and loved ones in this time of tragedy," the federation said in a statement on its Web site." they also canceled their monday night program, as well as showing a tribute to him.
i hope they go further than that. although, it must be noted that they had a wrestler, owen heart, die during a pay per view event and they continued on.
link to nada
i stumbled on this blog. it's terrible.
maybe if he ever remembered his password he would one day publish an actual post.
maybe if he ever remembered his password he would one day publish an actual post.
flights booked
so, today i tried making some airline reservations (vegas!). we have vouchers for some free flights. unfortunately, this means that i actually have to call the airline and deal with thir system rather than book online. i had found the flights online, so i knew what i wanted. i called the first time, and it goes somewhat smoothly. i'm not really fond of automatic phone systems, and i did have to do a few repeats. eventually, since i was using vouchers, it kicked us over to a nice gentleman whose accent seemed to tell me that he wasn't in my neighborhood. this was fine, most of these guys do a really good job, and have it worked out so the average english speaker can understand them. and, i didn't have any problems. well, that is, until they tried to tell me that i couldn't use my voucher for the return flight i wanted. so, i canceled, and went back to the internet.
after reviewing, i realized i was going to have to call in again, so i did. different guy, same situation. although, now i knew i didn't have as many options. it seemed to be going smoothly until the guy tried to tell me that i needed to stay over a sunday. at this point we had to disagree because my vouchers clearly state that i must only stay over a saturday. which i am. so, he worked hard to get it entered, and then i had to be placed on hold. but, when he came back, it was all worked out. tickets booked. of course, by the time that it was all said and done i was on the fone for about 40 minutes. and, most of that was either working with the automated system or on hold.
now, one thing i find stupid about this whole situation is that we still have to pay taxes on the flight. retarded. especially because the taxes for the two tickets comes to about 1/6 of what the cost would have been. now, that's not too bad, but the tickets were free right? shouldn't free include the whole price? i guess they're really mostly free tickets.
ah yeah, the other sucky thing is that we leave to come home @ 8 am. what a crappy time to fly out. our flight in is good, we arrive @ our destination @ 4 in the afternoon on thursday. but, having to depart sunday morning @ 8? that stinks. that means we need to be @ airport around 6. not exactly the way i want to end my weekend. oh well. at least we'll be home with plenty of recovery time on sunday before heading back into the work week.
UPDATE: so, despite making a booking, when i went to the airport (had to do before midnight tomorrow to turn in ticket voucher) i ended up standing around for 35 min. they pulled up the reservation but weren't able to redeem the coupons. the counter people were pretty useless. and, by this i mean that they couldn't figure out the issue, couldn't fix the problem, and eventually gave up and called their customer service. and, they had to wait for quite a while on the phone. eventually, the counter person and the person on the phone figured out that the person i booked with this morning gave me a flight that i wasn't eligible for (had a stop over). so, i had to cancel my flight. not good. this may mean we're driving. which i don't mind so much, but heather really doesn't like it. other options: come back monday. this most likely won't work because it would likely mean that i miss the first day of class for my next term. not really a good option. and, i'm not sure if we'd be able to extend our reservation. stupid plane company. so, we'll see where this goes.
after reviewing, i realized i was going to have to call in again, so i did. different guy, same situation. although, now i knew i didn't have as many options. it seemed to be going smoothly until the guy tried to tell me that i needed to stay over a sunday. at this point we had to disagree because my vouchers clearly state that i must only stay over a saturday. which i am. so, he worked hard to get it entered, and then i had to be placed on hold. but, when he came back, it was all worked out. tickets booked. of course, by the time that it was all said and done i was on the fone for about 40 minutes. and, most of that was either working with the automated system or on hold.
now, one thing i find stupid about this whole situation is that we still have to pay taxes on the flight. retarded. especially because the taxes for the two tickets comes to about 1/6 of what the cost would have been. now, that's not too bad, but the tickets were free right? shouldn't free include the whole price? i guess they're really mostly free tickets.
ah yeah, the other sucky thing is that we leave to come home @ 8 am. what a crappy time to fly out. our flight in is good, we arrive @ our destination @ 4 in the afternoon on thursday. but, having to depart sunday morning @ 8? that stinks. that means we need to be @ airport around 6. not exactly the way i want to end my weekend. oh well. at least we'll be home with plenty of recovery time on sunday before heading back into the work week.
UPDATE: so, despite making a booking, when i went to the airport (had to do before midnight tomorrow to turn in ticket voucher) i ended up standing around for 35 min. they pulled up the reservation but weren't able to redeem the coupons. the counter people were pretty useless. and, by this i mean that they couldn't figure out the issue, couldn't fix the problem, and eventually gave up and called their customer service. and, they had to wait for quite a while on the phone. eventually, the counter person and the person on the phone figured out that the person i booked with this morning gave me a flight that i wasn't eligible for (had a stop over). so, i had to cancel my flight. not good. this may mean we're driving. which i don't mind so much, but heather really doesn't like it. other options: come back monday. this most likely won't work because it would likely mean that i miss the first day of class for my next term. not really a good option. and, i'm not sure if we'd be able to extend our reservation. stupid plane company. so, we'll see where this goes.
Friday, June 22, 2007
does that make me crazy?
check out a remake of gnarls barkley's crazy. only, instead of cee-lo singing, it's got a theremin.
for more theremin, check out blake jones and the trike shop (although they're so much more than that).
oh yeah, i saw this first on laughing squid.
for more theremin, check out blake jones and the trike shop (although they're so much more than that).
oh yeah, i saw this first on laughing squid.
Thursday, June 21, 2007
YHWH
now, i'm not a huge u2 fan, but i saw this video and thought i'd post it here. and, they've still got their trademark sound.
illegal immigrants are ruining it all
holy crap this is funny video. and a bit troubling. but i laughed out loud when the guy gets nailed mid sentence by a fish.
aw, shucks
Mingle2 - Online Dating
apparently, i don't swear that much here, if at all. and, they only dinged me because i said crack.
Monday, June 18, 2007
bamboo bikes
want to read an amazing article? check this guy out who makes bikes out of bamboo. he also sells really high end bikes (he has a shop in santa cruz). he has a bit of a dream of how to equip the poor, especially women, with reliable transportation. it's not a reality yet, but it's in process.
monday monday
as some of you know, i'm on a semi-vacation right now. it's been pretty fun, and makes me wish i could do this a little more often. anyway, i ran some errands today, including giving blood and getting the car washed.
my blood pressure was 126/74, with a pulse of 64. i was pretty happy with that. it took me about 8 minutes to pump out my blood. at some points, i've had rather high blood pressure, and it runs in the family so i'm always a little bit concerned about it. of course, not really all that concerned that i make radical lifestyle changes to work on it, but still.
as usual, i'm sitting in my monday night class where i'm a t.a. this instructor actually intends to use us a little more than the previous ones, so that's cool. i won't just be sitting here. but right now i am.
the u.s. is playing canada in the gold cup semi's on thursday. if i read the schedule right, the game is @ 6. anyone interested in watching it with me in spanish?
also, the galaxy are signing players left and right. by the time beckham arrives (about a month - congrats on that spanish title becks), the galaxy will have a very interesting international roster. i wonder if i can sneak down to carson for a match?
got my contracts for next semester @ the university. two weekend courses and one 6 week course on tuesdays in sept. this will be good, although one of the weekend course screwed up an initial plan for a vegas trip. it just pushed it back a week now. i'm meeting up w/tim in vegas for his 30th b-day, and it looks like it'll be the 2nd weekend in sept, if you're interested in coming.
still have another week off before i start again @ the junior college. teaching english. and next week heather is off work. so, i'm really wanting to day trip during the week up to sf to go see picasso. damn, just checked the moma website. the picasso exhibit ended on may 28. damn. damn. we were in sf and we going there, i could literally see the museum and got lazy, decided i didn't feel like going then, and we walked back to the hotel. and now i missed it. well, maybe i'll go and see the matisse exhibit they have now. shoot.
enough for now.
my blood pressure was 126/74, with a pulse of 64. i was pretty happy with that. it took me about 8 minutes to pump out my blood. at some points, i've had rather high blood pressure, and it runs in the family so i'm always a little bit concerned about it. of course, not really all that concerned that i make radical lifestyle changes to work on it, but still.
as usual, i'm sitting in my monday night class where i'm a t.a. this instructor actually intends to use us a little more than the previous ones, so that's cool. i won't just be sitting here. but right now i am.
the u.s. is playing canada in the gold cup semi's on thursday. if i read the schedule right, the game is @ 6. anyone interested in watching it with me in spanish?
also, the galaxy are signing players left and right. by the time beckham arrives (about a month - congrats on that spanish title becks), the galaxy will have a very interesting international roster. i wonder if i can sneak down to carson for a match?
got my contracts for next semester @ the university. two weekend courses and one 6 week course on tuesdays in sept. this will be good, although one of the weekend course screwed up an initial plan for a vegas trip. it just pushed it back a week now. i'm meeting up w/tim in vegas for his 30th b-day, and it looks like it'll be the 2nd weekend in sept, if you're interested in coming.
still have another week off before i start again @ the junior college. teaching english. and next week heather is off work. so, i'm really wanting to day trip during the week up to sf to go see picasso. damn, just checked the moma website. the picasso exhibit ended on may 28. damn. damn. we were in sf and we going there, i could literally see the museum and got lazy, decided i didn't feel like going then, and we walked back to the hotel. and now i missed it. well, maybe i'll go and see the matisse exhibit they have now. shoot.
enough for now.
art update
here are two photos of the big piece i'm currently working on. you know, the one i asked for input on. i've got 4 other pieces that i'm doing right now, too, but those i've got pretty clear insight where they're going. not that i'm asking really for more input, just thought i'd throw up an update.
with flash
without flash
the true colors are somewhere in between.
and, just so you know, the set of circles (top right) will be covered under paint. they're intended to give a little bit of texture to the painting. if you look closely, you'll see 2 other sets of circles (each have 7 circles).
i really must say, these photos don't do justice @ all to the colors. really, here they look pretty choppy and bad, but it's actually coming along quite nicely.
with flash
without flash
the true colors are somewhere in between.
and, just so you know, the set of circles (top right) will be covered under paint. they're intended to give a little bit of texture to the painting. if you look closely, you'll see 2 other sets of circles (each have 7 circles).
i really must say, these photos don't do justice @ all to the colors. really, here they look pretty choppy and bad, but it's actually coming along quite nicely.
Friday, June 15, 2007
edward stewart
so, i was googling myself today, and here's what i found out about me:
not only did i go to nebraska and captained their football team, but now i've got a lucrative career as a public speaker. i did play two years in the nfl, for the rams no less! (note to self, find this jersey.)
when i'm not a public speaker, i play pinochle, read and do kareoke.
i've also got a gig as art professor at illnois state university.
i wrote a book. not sure if this is the same time as when i was public speaking.
and finally this. i really enjoy the third one down.
not only did i go to nebraska and captained their football team, but now i've got a lucrative career as a public speaker. i did play two years in the nfl, for the rams no less! (note to self, find this jersey.)
when i'm not a public speaker, i play pinochle, read and do kareoke.
i've also got a gig as art professor at illnois state university.
i wrote a book. not sure if this is the same time as when i was public speaking.
and finally this. i really enjoy the third one down.
Wednesday, June 13, 2007
danielson + sufjan
Danielson: A Family Movie
(Or, Make a Joyful Noise HERE)
A Documentary about heeding your Vision.
creativity vs. accessibility
christian faith vs. popular culture
family vs. individuality
Join us as all these questions and more are NOT answered.
A documentary that explores these issues in this ongoing conversation.
Starring:
Danielson Famile & Sufjan Stevens
Where: Tower Mosaic Church, 1040 N. Fulton Fresno, CA 93728
When: June 17, 2007, Doors open @ 6:00 PM, Starts @ 6:15 PM
Tuesday, June 12, 2007
edumakayshun
so, this week i'm a substitute in the student center @ the jc i work @. the student center is a place that's sorta computer lab/math& english help. it's pretty cool that they have this, as i think it really offers help for student success.
anyway, i'm working in there this week. yesterday, i was reviewing the roster for one of my classes. on the roster i saw the name of a student i had previously had in a class. this student was on academic probation, and needed to pass my general ed class to stay in school. this student came nowhere close to passing. the student failed to even turn in most assignments, missed a quiz, and scored poorly on the tests. so, the student should've been terminated from school. yet, there the student still is. (as an aside, the roster changed and i won't have that student next time, but the student is in another instructor's class.) today, i saw another student, that in my opinion, has no business being there any more. i've had this student in 2 classes, both of which the student failed. and, in both classes the student was caught plagiarizing. according to school policy, one incident results in disciplinary action (it goes on your record) and a second incident is supposed to result in termination. furthermore, this student was also on probation and needed to pass to stay in school. didn't pass. caught plagiarizing twice. wha?
i'm all for giving people chances to improve and redeem themselves. but, in the academic institution we need to also maintain a high level of academic integrity. there are certain things that must not be tolerated (like plagiarism). as an instructor, how can i feel that the school is going to do anything when i report future violations? why should i even bother enforcing the policies other than my own desire to teach and try and maintain a fair environment for all? well, fair to the extent that a student caught plagiarizing is probably going to fail my class and you might pass, but outside of that...
yet, so many smaller institutions are caught in a trap of having to fight for dollars. you can't afford to throw out students left and right. you sometimes lower your admission standards. you aggressively market your "product," that is, your school and hope that you can grow and build but how far do you compromise what might have gotten you started in the first place?
i don't have answers to these questions. mainly because i don't think that there are simple solutions most of the time. well, except for on the plagiarism deal. you've got a rule. follow it. no student's tuition is worth compromising the educational environment.
anyway, i'm working in there this week. yesterday, i was reviewing the roster for one of my classes. on the roster i saw the name of a student i had previously had in a class. this student was on academic probation, and needed to pass my general ed class to stay in school. this student came nowhere close to passing. the student failed to even turn in most assignments, missed a quiz, and scored poorly on the tests. so, the student should've been terminated from school. yet, there the student still is. (as an aside, the roster changed and i won't have that student next time, but the student is in another instructor's class.) today, i saw another student, that in my opinion, has no business being there any more. i've had this student in 2 classes, both of which the student failed. and, in both classes the student was caught plagiarizing. according to school policy, one incident results in disciplinary action (it goes on your record) and a second incident is supposed to result in termination. furthermore, this student was also on probation and needed to pass to stay in school. didn't pass. caught plagiarizing twice. wha?
i'm all for giving people chances to improve and redeem themselves. but, in the academic institution we need to also maintain a high level of academic integrity. there are certain things that must not be tolerated (like plagiarism). as an instructor, how can i feel that the school is going to do anything when i report future violations? why should i even bother enforcing the policies other than my own desire to teach and try and maintain a fair environment for all? well, fair to the extent that a student caught plagiarizing is probably going to fail my class and you might pass, but outside of that...
yet, so many smaller institutions are caught in a trap of having to fight for dollars. you can't afford to throw out students left and right. you sometimes lower your admission standards. you aggressively market your "product," that is, your school and hope that you can grow and build but how far do you compromise what might have gotten you started in the first place?
i don't have answers to these questions. mainly because i don't think that there are simple solutions most of the time. well, except for on the plagiarism deal. you've got a rule. follow it. no student's tuition is worth compromising the educational environment.
Monday, June 11, 2007
"When you watch everyone, you watch no one."
the title of this post comes from a pretty good article, written by one of the contributors to boing boing. the article is relatively brief, and is worth your time to read.
i'm not really all that worried about being "spied" upon by the government when i'm in public. i figure, "i'm in plain view. if i'm not doing anything wrong i don't need to worry." but, i also know that the more that the government is watching, the more likelihood that they are also collecting info. and for what purpose? this isn't meant to be some sort of conspiracy theory rant, but more a call to sanity. cameras don't deter crime. they only record it and you have a hope that maybe you'll catch someone. but unless it's some extremely gory crime that makes the news, the police aren't, how shall i say, quick enough to catch the person that is on tape.
"Crazy, desperate, violent people don't make rational calculus in regards to their lives. Anyone who becomes a junkie, crack dealer, or cellphone-stealing stickup artist is obviously bad at making life decisions. They're not deterred by surveillance."
it seems that the only thing that the cameras do spread is fear.
i'm not really all that worried about being "spied" upon by the government when i'm in public. i figure, "i'm in plain view. if i'm not doing anything wrong i don't need to worry." but, i also know that the more that the government is watching, the more likelihood that they are also collecting info. and for what purpose? this isn't meant to be some sort of conspiracy theory rant, but more a call to sanity. cameras don't deter crime. they only record it and you have a hope that maybe you'll catch someone. but unless it's some extremely gory crime that makes the news, the police aren't, how shall i say, quick enough to catch the person that is on tape.
"Crazy, desperate, violent people don't make rational calculus in regards to their lives. Anyone who becomes a junkie, crack dealer, or cellphone-stealing stickup artist is obviously bad at making life decisions. They're not deterred by surveillance."
it seems that the only thing that the cameras do spread is fear.
Sunday, June 10, 2007
dang
on saturday (yesterday) i heard an ad on the radio for a morrissey show in bakersfield. i was pretty interested, especially since we've got friends there. but, i didn't exactly hear when the show was. but, i figured i would look online when i got a chance and probably buy tickets. it was moz' last cali show of this current tour.
sadly, the show tonight. it started @ 8. i didn't look for the info until 10. dang. although, really, even if i'd seen it earlier in the day i wouldn't have been able to change plans and go.
Saturday, June 09, 2007
tastes may vary
adam's got a lot of tackiness going on outside his door. but, he lives in a gated community so it's not being thrust upon most of the world. now, here's a site that shows off some gawd awful mailboxes.
(and yes, you giggling children, i said mailboxes.)
(and yes, you giggling children, i said mailboxes.)
Thursday, June 07, 2007
oscar pistorius
just watched an interesting piece on espn's outside the lines about oscar pistorius. don't konw who he is? not surprising. not only is he a track athlete, he's one without legs. he's gaining a lot of attention because he is taking the paraolympic world by storm. super dooper fast. world record fast for para-athletes. but, he's also getting attention because he's putting up times that are comparable to "able bodied" athletes. which has people wondering if the prosthetics are aiding him.
the iaaf will vote in july whether or not to allow athletes compete with such prosthetics alongside non-prosthetic wearing athletes. the issue, again, is whether or not there is any advantage, something that can be proved or disproved through biomechanical studies.
i've seen a US para-athlete compete alongside other athletes @ a track meet. if i remember correctly, he only had one prosthesis. but he ran well and i think he long jumped, too. but, he wasn't in the fastest heats. it's my feeling that there isn't a benefit, and if there were people would expose it quickly and make a big stink about those using it (like steriods). i'm not saying that people wouldn't knowingly use an unfair advantage because it repeatedly has been shown to happen. but i don't think these are aids. studies should prove this.
two side notes:
he lives in pretoria. so does my brother, sister & their lil ones. so, they should make it a small goal to see this guy run.
they've only caught 66 (68?) athletes using steriods during the olympics
the iaaf will vote in july whether or not to allow athletes compete with such prosthetics alongside non-prosthetic wearing athletes. the issue, again, is whether or not there is any advantage, something that can be proved or disproved through biomechanical studies.
i've seen a US para-athlete compete alongside other athletes @ a track meet. if i remember correctly, he only had one prosthesis. but he ran well and i think he long jumped, too. but, he wasn't in the fastest heats. it's my feeling that there isn't a benefit, and if there were people would expose it quickly and make a big stink about those using it (like steriods). i'm not saying that people wouldn't knowingly use an unfair advantage because it repeatedly has been shown to happen. but i don't think these are aids. studies should prove this.
two side notes:
he lives in pretoria. so does my brother, sister & their lil ones. so, they should make it a small goal to see this guy run.
they've only caught 66 (68?) athletes using steriods during the olympics
Mr. Lee
"I'm in yer fridge photo'in yer cheez"
I found this wonderful little site (via boing boing). these crazy germans have put a camera on their cat's collar and it randomly takes snap shots of what the cat is doing. they've got the cat's journeys posted with captions. cool stuff. a lot of beautiful pictures.
oohs and aahs
i'm giddy with anticipation of my show tonight. i even slept in late this morning so i'm super rested. ball of energy tonight.
that's all for now.
that's all for now.
Monday, June 04, 2007
"we grew up"
and by that you mean sold out. well, maybe that's a bit harsh. but, i do find it a bit hypocritical for those that embraced homelessness, drug use, and "freedom" decades ago to now be calling for harsher crackdown on loitering and homelessness in their neighborhood.
now, i don't think that just because you live in a neighborhood you have to put up with grime and crime, endless panhandling and such. but, i'm sure if you heard your dad making this quote, Arthur Evans, you would have called him a fascist or something to that effect. "I used to be a hippie. I wore beads and grew my hair long," he said. "But my generation had something these kids do not: a standard of civilized behavior."
so, when you wore beads, grew your hair long, tuned in, turned on and dropped out, you were civilized about your squatting and drug use? well, good for you. i highly doubt this was actually the case. but, in the case that you always paid rent in haight ashbury during the late 60's, and didn't do anything illegal (like smoke weed) then know that you may have been the only one.
reminds me of another story about the generation gap. always good to see the youth being embraced with open arms.
now, i don't think that just because you live in a neighborhood you have to put up with grime and crime, endless panhandling and such. but, i'm sure if you heard your dad making this quote, Arthur Evans, you would have called him a fascist or something to that effect. "I used to be a hippie. I wore beads and grew my hair long," he said. "But my generation had something these kids do not: a standard of civilized behavior."
so, when you wore beads, grew your hair long, tuned in, turned on and dropped out, you were civilized about your squatting and drug use? well, good for you. i highly doubt this was actually the case. but, in the case that you always paid rent in haight ashbury during the late 60's, and didn't do anything illegal (like smoke weed) then know that you may have been the only one.
reminds me of another story about the generation gap. always good to see the youth being embraced with open arms.
Sunday, June 03, 2007
super dooper surprise art show
so, it seems that i'm having an art show this week. ah, the benefits of being affiliated with a gallery. so, if you're in fresno on thursday, stop by 1040 n. fulton and see my art. one new piece, and a whole lot of other stuff. i've got 5 other paintings in the hopper, but none will probably be ready. maybe one. who knows. anyway, come by. we'll chat. and maybe someone will buy something.
mac vs pc
i'm currently watching an interview w/steve jobs & bill gates. pretty interesting and amazing stuff, to see these two guy sitting together on a stage being interviewed and just talking pretty openly about their situations, market, etc. be warned, it's a long interview, 7 different segments, each about 10-15 minutes long. but, worth the watch if you're into that sort of nerdiness.
Friday, June 01, 2007
give me your input
here it is w/flash
w/o flash
close up (sort of) of the cat detail. it's not finished yet.
so, what do you think? what could bring it along? be as specific as you can, so i get what you're saying. should i put a body on the cat?
just so you know, i've been thinking about putting 3 sets of circles on their, each w/7 circles, as well as giving it a polyurethane finish.
w/o flash
close up (sort of) of the cat detail. it's not finished yet.
so, what do you think? what could bring it along? be as specific as you can, so i get what you're saying. should i put a body on the cat?
just so you know, i've been thinking about putting 3 sets of circles on their, each w/7 circles, as well as giving it a polyurethane finish.
england snatches draw from the jaws of victory
so, i watched the game today, on tape as i mentioned earlier. england vs brazil. overall, it wasn't a bad match. bit of back and forth action, some exciting moments, some bland. beckham played well, but i don't think he should be knighted.
owens, despite his insisting that he would, failed to score. although, he did have a nice header off of beck's foot. (these vids are rather low tech)
england got on the board later off of another beckham freekick. former england captain to current one (john terry).
but, alas, england let brazil hang around. and, just into stoppage time they equalized.
in other soccer news, the scotish side i follow beat the u.s. side i follow.
owens, despite his insisting that he would, failed to score. although, he did have a nice header off of beck's foot. (these vids are rather low tech)
england got on the board later off of another beckham freekick. former england captain to current one (john terry).
but, alas, england let brazil hang around. and, just into stoppage time they equalized.
in other soccer news, the scotish side i follow beat the u.s. side i follow.
some friday random goodness
so, i wanted to post about a couple of things that aren't really all that important.
first, i'm listening to the radio (jim rome - the jungle) and i hear this commercial. no, it's not the one advertising my time share. it's one of these onstar ads. now, you may not know this, but now the offer a turn by turn direction service so you don't need a gps or whatever. anyway, the commercial that i just heard annoys me. and it annoys me every time i hear it. essentially, this guy calls in and asks for directions to some place. as they start to give him directions, he interrupts to tell the operator that he actually knows the directions, he just wanted to use the service. the operator is like, "i know, it's great. call us any time. we're idiots here with nothing to do." well, i may have added that last line. but, really, if you're that operator, wouldn't you be thinking, "hey guy, we're not your monkeys, just sitting around waiting for you to boss us around. we could be unlocking doors, or calling emergency services for people who have crashed into a ditch." really, this is the real phone call that they picked to advertise their service? some guy bothering your operator with an unnecessary call. sign me up, i've got plenty o' free time to annoy people. would i get labeled and then have a boy that called wolf situation?
second, england is playing brazil today. or, as they have it on the spanish channel i'll be watching, inglaterra vs brasil. alas, i'll be watching via tape delay, as i have something to do from about 12-2 when the game is on. but i'll catch my tape after that. michael owen insists that he'll score today. we'll see. we will see. i'm also interested to see how beckham plays. he set up a really nice goal for real madrid the other day.
finally, i saw this cat sleeping in our gutter this morning.
wha? he's not sleeping? anyone know who you call to get that taken care of? city? spca?
first, i'm listening to the radio (jim rome - the jungle) and i hear this commercial. no, it's not the one advertising my time share. it's one of these onstar ads. now, you may not know this, but now the offer a turn by turn direction service so you don't need a gps or whatever. anyway, the commercial that i just heard annoys me. and it annoys me every time i hear it. essentially, this guy calls in and asks for directions to some place. as they start to give him directions, he interrupts to tell the operator that he actually knows the directions, he just wanted to use the service. the operator is like, "i know, it's great. call us any time. we're idiots here with nothing to do." well, i may have added that last line. but, really, if you're that operator, wouldn't you be thinking, "hey guy, we're not your monkeys, just sitting around waiting for you to boss us around. we could be unlocking doors, or calling emergency services for people who have crashed into a ditch." really, this is the real phone call that they picked to advertise their service? some guy bothering your operator with an unnecessary call. sign me up, i've got plenty o' free time to annoy people. would i get labeled and then have a boy that called wolf situation?
second, england is playing brazil today. or, as they have it on the spanish channel i'll be watching, inglaterra vs brasil. alas, i'll be watching via tape delay, as i have something to do from about 12-2 when the game is on. but i'll catch my tape after that. michael owen insists that he'll score today. we'll see. we will see. i'm also interested to see how beckham plays. he set up a really nice goal for real madrid the other day.
finally, i saw this cat sleeping in our gutter this morning.
wha? he's not sleeping? anyone know who you call to get that taken care of? city? spca?
Thursday, May 31, 2007
apple o' my eye
ah, thursday. i bought one of these today.
i had a wireless router before, but it screwed up @ some point. and, the conversations i had with a very nice lady @ some outsourced location helped but couldn't fix the problem. so, i figured i would go w/the matching apple one. so i can now walk wirelessly around the apartment connected to the internet.
also did a little memory upgrade. did a partial one when i bought my lapper, but finished the job today.
still not sure about getting one of these yet:
i had a wireless router before, but it screwed up @ some point. and, the conversations i had with a very nice lady @ some outsourced location helped but couldn't fix the problem. so, i figured i would go w/the matching apple one. so i can now walk wirelessly around the apartment connected to the internet.
also did a little memory upgrade. did a partial one when i bought my lapper, but finished the job today.
still not sure about getting one of these yet:
Tuesday, May 29, 2007
to all you construction heads out there
would you rather have a heavy duty jigsaw or a heavy duty reciprocating saw? both are dewalt.
Monday, May 28, 2007
memorial day haikus
day trip to berkeley
round trip to shop and hang out
good traffic both ways
slip on adidas
super long chinos bought too
but no matching hat
had breakfast for lunch
strange lady flashed her boob
our homeless just yell
day to remember
cost of life paid by many
we're just consumers
round trip to shop and hang out
good traffic both ways
slip on adidas
super long chinos bought too
but no matching hat
had breakfast for lunch
strange lady flashed her boob
our homeless just yell
day to remember
cost of life paid by many
we're just consumers
Saturday, May 26, 2007
booyah!
we finished well.
our girls all scored in the shot put, which makes up for their disappointing showing in the discus. they finished 1st, 2nd, and 8th. really good. really good. so, based on the showing of our throw girls, and one triple jumper, our female team finished in a tie for 4th place. i'm pretty sure this is our best showing ever.
the final results for the top ten schools
our girls all scored in the shot put, which makes up for their disappointing showing in the discus. they finished 1st, 2nd, and 8th. really good. really good. so, based on the showing of our throw girls, and one triple jumper, our female team finished in a tie for 4th place. i'm pretty sure this is our best showing ever.
the final results for the top ten schools
NAIA Outdoor Track & Field Championships - 5/24/2007 to 5/26/2007
Results at www.cfpitiming.com
Fresno Pacific University @ Fresno, CA
Team Rankings - Through Event 48
Female Team Scores
Place School Points
1 Azusa Pacific University (Ca) APU 45
2 Cedarville University (Oh) CEDU 23
3 Point Loma Nazarene University PLNU 22
4 Goshen College (In) GOSH 20
4 Fresno Pacific University (Ca) FPU 20
4 Wayland Baptist Univ. (Tx) WBU 20
7 Doane College (Ne) DOAN 19
7 Concordia University (Or) CON 19
9 Aquinas College (Mi) AQU 18
10 Hastings College (Ne) HAST 17
Thursday, May 24, 2007
track meet stuff
naia track and field day 1
our girls delivered. 1st and 4th in the hammer. very good showing. so, after one event, fpu women leading the nation. some other interesting stuff happened. a plane circled during the opening ceremonies, pulling a huge banner welcoming everyone to cockerham field. ummm, guerrilla alumni anyone?
our girls delivered. 1st and 4th in the hammer. very good showing. so, after one event, fpu women leading the nation. some other interesting stuff happened. a plane circled during the opening ceremonies, pulling a huge banner welcoming everyone to cockerham field. ummm, guerrilla alumni anyone?
Wednesday, May 23, 2007
check me out
newsworthy. that's me. i've got the video on vhs. maybe they'll post in on their website too
Saturday, May 19, 2007
make a left at albuquerque
so, it's been about a year. a year since what you say? well, since i graduated from seminary. i went to seminary to really figure out what i wanted to do next in life. i also needed space to really weigh options while i furthered my education.
so, did i figure out what i want to do? sure. am i convinced that this is what i'll be doing for any substantial point in my life? not at all.
now, i don't feel like i'm on a road to nowhere. i've definitely got irons in the fire (speaking of irons, today is a golf tourney i usually play in. but not this year. it's been so long since i've had the clubs out. dang. need to at least get to a driving range or something. back to the story.) see, i'm teaching this weekend. which is a great thing. in fact, it's what i really want to do, teach @ the university level. throw in working with track athletes and it's pretty much where i hoped to be.
i guess i get the point where i feel like i'm spinning my wheels is that both of those previous two things are very part time. then, you mix in another part time teaching job. so, i'm busy doing things, as illustrated by recent posts. but it doesn't feel like i'm moving towards a goal. i don't have graduation or adulthood to look forward to, although i'm not sure i've ever really reached that latter one.
when i look @ it, i think i am moving forward. i have my foot in the door like i hoped, and am still hoping it leads to further opportunities to teach, and work. but, the whole part time nature still leaves you up in the air, thinking, "i hope i'm working next term." there are no guarantees, and looking @ my next term @ the j.c. level, no classes. that's only five weeks off, and i know that i will be subbing a 40 hour week in there, so it's really only four weeks of potentially not working. but, i won't know for another month or three if i've got any classes @ the university.
then, mix in working with a church. now, i'm not in any sort of vocational position or opportunity right now. but, i have had a chance recently to speak more, be more involved in the things we're doing right now, to give some more leadership. and you, it feels good. it feels right at points. but it's not anywhere close to a job, and i'm pretty sure that it shouldn't be.
i don't know where i'm going with all this. i know that it's saturday morning @ 7:45 a.m., and i've got to finish getting ready for my class today. 8:30 start. looks like we'll do a working lunch, and stuff never quite goes as long as it should, so i hope to be done by 4 at the latest (if not maybe 3:30!). this class is interesting for many reasons, and one is that i'm team teaching it with the dean of my department. no pressure like working with the guy that controls your job.
anyhow, thanks for letting me throw this all out there. wait a minute, why am i thanking you? this is my blog. shoot, you should thank me for giving you all insight into what i'm thinking.
wink wink
so, did i figure out what i want to do? sure. am i convinced that this is what i'll be doing for any substantial point in my life? not at all.
now, i don't feel like i'm on a road to nowhere. i've definitely got irons in the fire (speaking of irons, today is a golf tourney i usually play in. but not this year. it's been so long since i've had the clubs out. dang. need to at least get to a driving range or something. back to the story.) see, i'm teaching this weekend. which is a great thing. in fact, it's what i really want to do, teach @ the university level. throw in working with track athletes and it's pretty much where i hoped to be.
i guess i get the point where i feel like i'm spinning my wheels is that both of those previous two things are very part time. then, you mix in another part time teaching job. so, i'm busy doing things, as illustrated by recent posts. but it doesn't feel like i'm moving towards a goal. i don't have graduation or adulthood to look forward to, although i'm not sure i've ever really reached that latter one.
when i look @ it, i think i am moving forward. i have my foot in the door like i hoped, and am still hoping it leads to further opportunities to teach, and work. but, the whole part time nature still leaves you up in the air, thinking, "i hope i'm working next term." there are no guarantees, and looking @ my next term @ the j.c. level, no classes. that's only five weeks off, and i know that i will be subbing a 40 hour week in there, so it's really only four weeks of potentially not working. but, i won't know for another month or three if i've got any classes @ the university.
then, mix in working with a church. now, i'm not in any sort of vocational position or opportunity right now. but, i have had a chance recently to speak more, be more involved in the things we're doing right now, to give some more leadership. and you, it feels good. it feels right at points. but it's not anywhere close to a job, and i'm pretty sure that it shouldn't be.
i don't know where i'm going with all this. i know that it's saturday morning @ 7:45 a.m., and i've got to finish getting ready for my class today. 8:30 start. looks like we'll do a working lunch, and stuff never quite goes as long as it should, so i hope to be done by 4 at the latest (if not maybe 3:30!). this class is interesting for many reasons, and one is that i'm team teaching it with the dean of my department. no pressure like working with the guy that controls your job.
anyhow, thanks for letting me throw this all out there. wait a minute, why am i thanking you? this is my blog. shoot, you should thank me for giving you all insight into what i'm thinking.
wink wink
Friday, May 18, 2007
so, if i don't pick up the phone
it's getting hectic. well, as least for a few days.
today and tomorrow i'm teaching a weekend class.
next week is the final week of the term for my j.c. class - this means a paper, a final, and a bunch of scrambling by students.
next week is also the naia national championships for track. so, we're going to have our hands full as we finish prepping for the event. i'm in charge of weights & measures again, so i'll be spending almost all of wednesday through saturday over at the track.
but, when the week is all done, it's a whole lot of free time on my hands. i don't have another weekend class until mid-june. i'm not teaching @ the j.c. for the next 5 weeks, although i'll be doing some sub duties. and, track will be done for the year.
today and tomorrow i'm teaching a weekend class.
next week is the final week of the term for my j.c. class - this means a paper, a final, and a bunch of scrambling by students.
next week is also the naia national championships for track. so, we're going to have our hands full as we finish prepping for the event. i'm in charge of weights & measures again, so i'll be spending almost all of wednesday through saturday over at the track.
but, when the week is all done, it's a whole lot of free time on my hands. i don't have another weekend class until mid-june. i'm not teaching @ the j.c. for the next 5 weeks, although i'll be doing some sub duties. and, track will be done for the year.
Wednesday, May 16, 2007
do you know where that cookie's been?
this is a really cool psa. well done, catchy, drives home a good point. and it's more than just one to grow on. it reminds me of of an old urban legend about going to a sex ed talk.
what smells?
so, i know everyone likes to feel so fresh and so clean (clean). i wouldn't suggest using lysol however. but, at one point, they did.
scary. don't try that at home. but hey, do what you want to do.
btw, the last two episodes of the office have been very good. super funny. don't miss the season finale this week.
scary. don't try that at home. but hey, do what you want to do.
btw, the last two episodes of the office have been very good. super funny. don't miss the season finale this week.
Tuesday, May 15, 2007
when the pimp's in the crib
i don't care if you've ever seen this before. click on the link and enjoy. let it load.
btw, blogger's advanced a little. now i can change fonts. ooh. and some other stuff, too, i'm sure.
btw, blogger's advanced a little. now i can change fonts. ooh. and some other stuff, too, i'm sure.
Sunday, May 13, 2007
what a weekend
so, as i mentioned the other day, we were going to a wedding up in san francisco. it was for heather's cousin. those of you who know heather's family, they accept people in close, and so heather's cousin is loosely her cousin. she's the daughter of heather's aunt's previous husband. but, we'd hung out with her when we were in college. really nice girl, from norway. so, we thought that the wedding was mainly for family, friends, etc here. well, they had only had a civil ceremony in norway, and this wedding was for all the family and friends. we knew it was at a norwegian church, but we never figured that it would be in norwegian. the whole ceremony. a few english stuff, but the priest was norwegian (been stateside for 3 years) and the whole deal went down in norwegian. which was cool.
here's heather outside the church
the view from the church
the trinity. i always love taking photos of art in churches.
so, like i was saying earlier, it was a norwegian ceremony. the couple came down the aisle together, and then sat in chairs facing the priest, just like the rest of us. they were at the front, but this was an interesting little touch.
two more pics of the scenery. you can see how close alcatraz was.
the reception was here. it was a really nice place, right on the edge of golden gate park, near haight ashbury.
in their tradition, they stand on a chair and kiss when you click on the glasses.
we got one of the new dollar coins. i don't really care about dollar coins, and generally don't use them. i thought these were pretty cool because the writing (e pluribis unim, etc) are all on the edge of the coin.
we had breakfast with some of the family the next morning. her's heather & her cousin.
we skipped out on going to the moma. got lazy. but, we still headed to the zoo. on the way, we came across beautiful scenery. and, we stumbled upon something i'd seen on california's gold. "that's amazing!"
this was an old water park/public baths/water park dealy. it's no longer there, but you can wander around the where they used to be. frankly, i can't imagine going here and getting in the water because it was freakin cold and windy.
so, we were walking around the ruins, and were on what used to be a wall of sorts. there was a little drop off on both sides (a few feet). fall either way and you're getting wet. anyhow, i was walking in front, and heather was 3-5' behind me. now, the deal we were walking on was about 2' wide. as i walked along, i came to a square hole, about 1.5'x1.5'. I stepped over it, and continued on. i was stepping up onto a higher level when i heard something behind me.
and heather had fallen into this whole. now, she'll admit that she's sorta clumsy, and balance and athleticism haven't been strengths of her life. she just didn't see this whole in the thing we were walking on, and fell right in. and sat there for a bit. i quickly asked if she was alright, and kept asking to make sure. unlike some of you, i didn't just laugh at her (you know who you are, laughing when i fell down some stairs. okay, it was just two stairs and i didn't care.)
she's got a bit of a scrape on her leg. and some bruises. but, she was pretty much alright. and, a few other people also asked if she was alright.
then it was off to the zoo where we met eleanore.
i thought this was a cool shot where you could see some of the zoo set up, as well as the ocean in the background. beautiful day to be wandering around.
as we watched the penguins get fed (no, those aren't happy feet. they are penguins) i saw this fashion statement. this girl had on a short denim skirt, a pullover fleece, flip flops and knit leg warmer/sock things. wha?
heather got cuddly with a big cat & kitten.
we saw a grizzly. i'm shooting this from over a fence, as the grizzly exhibit isn't open yet. but i also got video of the bears playing with each other, chasing about. i also have a video where heather tries to catch a peacock.
so, if you molest a tarantula, it will inflict a painful something. not quite sure what painful thing it will do, as that part of the sentence was left out. but, i understand. i might also do something painful if molested.
ah, meerkats (not timon). i've got video of them play fighting.
after the zoo, we dropped eleanor (does your name have an "e" @ the end?) across from her apartment. we took the detour due to the melted bay bridge, but since i was driving i couldn't see the damage. adam tells me you can if you look quickly. and aren't driving. we then made good time back to fresno, and i met up with nick & adam and played some wii. i'm sure he'll post funny video of that at some point.
here's heather outside the church
the view from the church
the trinity. i always love taking photos of art in churches.
so, like i was saying earlier, it was a norwegian ceremony. the couple came down the aisle together, and then sat in chairs facing the priest, just like the rest of us. they were at the front, but this was an interesting little touch.
two more pics of the scenery. you can see how close alcatraz was.
the reception was here. it was a really nice place, right on the edge of golden gate park, near haight ashbury.
in their tradition, they stand on a chair and kiss when you click on the glasses.
we got one of the new dollar coins. i don't really care about dollar coins, and generally don't use them. i thought these were pretty cool because the writing (e pluribis unim, etc) are all on the edge of the coin.
we had breakfast with some of the family the next morning. her's heather & her cousin.
we skipped out on going to the moma. got lazy. but, we still headed to the zoo. on the way, we came across beautiful scenery. and, we stumbled upon something i'd seen on california's gold. "that's amazing!"
this was an old water park/public baths/water park dealy. it's no longer there, but you can wander around the where they used to be. frankly, i can't imagine going here and getting in the water because it was freakin cold and windy.
so, we were walking around the ruins, and were on what used to be a wall of sorts. there was a little drop off on both sides (a few feet). fall either way and you're getting wet. anyhow, i was walking in front, and heather was 3-5' behind me. now, the deal we were walking on was about 2' wide. as i walked along, i came to a square hole, about 1.5'x1.5'. I stepped over it, and continued on. i was stepping up onto a higher level when i heard something behind me.
and heather had fallen into this whole. now, she'll admit that she's sorta clumsy, and balance and athleticism haven't been strengths of her life. she just didn't see this whole in the thing we were walking on, and fell right in. and sat there for a bit. i quickly asked if she was alright, and kept asking to make sure. unlike some of you, i didn't just laugh at her (you know who you are, laughing when i fell down some stairs. okay, it was just two stairs and i didn't care.)
she's got a bit of a scrape on her leg. and some bruises. but, she was pretty much alright. and, a few other people also asked if she was alright.
then it was off to the zoo where we met eleanore.
i thought this was a cool shot where you could see some of the zoo set up, as well as the ocean in the background. beautiful day to be wandering around.
as we watched the penguins get fed (no, those aren't happy feet. they are penguins) i saw this fashion statement. this girl had on a short denim skirt, a pullover fleece, flip flops and knit leg warmer/sock things. wha?
heather got cuddly with a big cat & kitten.
we saw a grizzly. i'm shooting this from over a fence, as the grizzly exhibit isn't open yet. but i also got video of the bears playing with each other, chasing about. i also have a video where heather tries to catch a peacock.
so, if you molest a tarantula, it will inflict a painful something. not quite sure what painful thing it will do, as that part of the sentence was left out. but, i understand. i might also do something painful if molested.
ah, meerkats (not timon). i've got video of them play fighting.
after the zoo, we dropped eleanor (does your name have an "e" @ the end?) across from her apartment. we took the detour due to the melted bay bridge, but since i was driving i couldn't see the damage. adam tells me you can if you look quickly. and aren't driving. we then made good time back to fresno, and i met up with nick & adam and played some wii. i'm sure he'll post funny video of that at some point.
Thursday, May 10, 2007
taking a stand for the little guy?
wow. i just read an amazing article about a businessman putting himself out of business to make a point. he didn't like the business practice of the multinational corp he worked for, and so he did something about it.
although this seem like a stupid idea, it's the sort of thing you can do when you've already made it.
"I'm going out with a bang,'' says Oyster.
although this seem like a stupid idea, it's the sort of thing you can do when you've already made it.
"I'm going out with a bang,'' says Oyster.
plans
so, this weekend we're hoping to do some cool stuff. first, we're going to a wedding in sf. heather's cousin from norway is getting married. well, she already got married over there, but is having a ceremony for family, friends, whoever out here. so, we're doing that on friday.
then, we're staying the night at this hotel. got a good deal through hotwire.com, think it's rated like 4.5 stars out of 5. when we head up that ways we like to stay @ hotels like that. maybe it makes up for all the places we've stayed in vegas.
on saturday, it looks like we'll try and get up sorta early (well, for a saturday) and hit up the sf zoo. we really dig going to zoos, and sf zoo is actually one of our favs.
after the zoo, i think we'll try and hit the moma. they have a picasso show going (one of my favs), and i always love the chance to hit up museums in big cities. fresno actually gets pretty cool art shows sometimes, but usually not quite like sf.
then, we'll head back to fresno. i imagine we'll be home around 8:30 or 9, and we'll be ready to hang out with you all.
then, we're staying the night at this hotel. got a good deal through hotwire.com, think it's rated like 4.5 stars out of 5. when we head up that ways we like to stay @ hotels like that. maybe it makes up for all the places we've stayed in vegas.
on saturday, it looks like we'll try and get up sorta early (well, for a saturday) and hit up the sf zoo. we really dig going to zoos, and sf zoo is actually one of our favs.
after the zoo, i think we'll try and hit the moma. they have a picasso show going (one of my favs), and i always love the chance to hit up museums in big cities. fresno actually gets pretty cool art shows sometimes, but usually not quite like sf.
then, we'll head back to fresno. i imagine we'll be home around 8:30 or 9, and we'll be ready to hang out with you all.
Wednesday, May 09, 2007
peta @ fig garden
just thought i'd put up one of pictures i took today from peta's "protest." it didn't seem like too much of a protest, and they weren't really focused on anything, or any store in particular. just holding some signs. i also thought it was a bit disengenuous that the protester only wearing skin really was also wearing undergarments. hey, if you want to be all bad and bold, go for it. but don't talk all big and not deliver. or something like that.
(or, maybe this is a shameless ploy for more blog hits by putting out terms like nude girl. maybe if it was evangeline lily, kandice, jay z's sister, candice and dustin, muffin top pants, or other terms that people have got to my blog by in the past. sorry, unlike eleanor i've never gotten a search for a self-fellating fetus*.)
*disclaimer: eleanor sometimes uses "colorful" language. in fact, that post i linked to might offend you if you. or it might not. especially if you searched for that.
video video
so, i saw an interesting story on fresno famous. there was going to be a peta protest over @ fig garden village today. they offered $5 to the first person to upload some photos to their flicker group. i thought, "i'm not doing anything @ this second, why not cruise over there and shoot a few pics?" so i hopped on the bike and did. on the way home, i thought i'd catch some video of me driving my vegas, and so i did that too. it's not the greatest, but it's interesting. there's a few seconds where i reach over with my left hand and grab the camera so it's steady.
Tuesday, May 08, 2007
nuts for oil!
just read the most amazing story about an alternative fuel: coconuts! papua new guinea has long suffered the tremendous cost of importing oil based fuels, and has developed a viable solution.
it's all about the oil. pretty much, this seems like a different biodiesel. but it seems like we can grow a tree, and then take the coconut and make fuel. that sounds tremendously safer, cheaper & and more eco friendly than drilling wells, and so on.
it's all about the oil. pretty much, this seems like a different biodiesel. but it seems like we can grow a tree, and then take the coconut and make fuel. that sounds tremendously safer, cheaper & and more eco friendly than drilling wells, and so on.
Monday, May 07, 2007
fun times
doing my monday night t.a. gig right now. the first hour of class, the teleconference stuff wasn't working. pretty much the only reason they have ta's @ the different centers is in the event that there is a problem such as this. the thing is, no one is really trained on how to trouble shoot the system. so, we kept trying to call the other classrooms to no avail. then, we gave up for like a half hour (after a half hour of trying). on a whim, we called again, and it worked. smooth.
so, i'm also grading papers during this time (for a completely unrelated deal). there should have been 26 papers submitted. 15 actually turned in. 5 of which contain elements of plagiarism. good times. i'm not sure if people don't know how to write papers or what. well, i do know that most understand how to write and could at least attempt to give credit. heck, at least improperly give credit. but, there is so much cut & paste going on. heck, i even found someone using a pdf file that i could find on the 'net.
for all writers out there: if you can find your info with a google search, so can i. really, that's all i do. google sentences. and when it pops up, and you haven't quoted or cited it, you're in trouble.
so, i'm also grading papers during this time (for a completely unrelated deal). there should have been 26 papers submitted. 15 actually turned in. 5 of which contain elements of plagiarism. good times. i'm not sure if people don't know how to write papers or what. well, i do know that most understand how to write and could at least attempt to give credit. heck, at least improperly give credit. but, there is so much cut & paste going on. heck, i even found someone using a pdf file that i could find on the 'net.
for all writers out there: if you can find your info with a google search, so can i. really, that's all i do. google sentences. and when it pops up, and you haven't quoted or cited it, you're in trouble.
Sunday, May 06, 2007
amazing race all stars finale
so, tonight was the finale of the amazing race all stars. mike joined heather and i in watching it. let's refresh our memories of
who we picked
mike picked rob & amber, and candice & dustin
heather picked charla & mirna, and oswaldo and danny
i picked eric & danielle, and candice & dustin
the final three: charla & mirna, candice & dustin, eric & danielle, so we all had a chance to win. and i had two of the final three right, much better than the previous season.
(spoiler for you t-vo people)
and the winner is
eric & danielle. the funny thing is, i don't remember picking them, so i'm glad that i blogged about it. candice & danielle came in 2nd, charla & mirna (the team i despise) finished third.
booyakasha respect.
who we picked
mike picked rob & amber, and candice & dustin
heather picked charla & mirna, and oswaldo and danny
i picked eric & danielle, and candice & dustin
the final three: charla & mirna, candice & dustin, eric & danielle, so we all had a chance to win. and i had two of the final three right, much better than the previous season.
(spoiler for you t-vo people)
and the winner is
eric & danielle. the funny thing is, i don't remember picking them, so i'm glad that i blogged about it. candice & danielle came in 2nd, charla & mirna (the team i despise) finished third.
booyakasha respect.
Saturday, May 05, 2007
a post for lefty (and all you other comic book heads too)
hey, so while i watched spider man an idea popped in my head. but, i forgot it. now, i'm watching the batman and it came to mind again.
who pays for all the damage done by these superhero fights? have they covered that in any comics, even if briefly?
who pays for all the damage done by these superhero fights? have they covered that in any comics, even if briefly?
Thursday, May 03, 2007
601 = drunk hoff, spidey sense
for my 601st post, a little interesting story about david hasselhoff. it seems that he has a bit of a drinking problem. and, he's attempting to shut it down. there's a video out there of him drunk, that he made. i guess it's working, because he says he's "back on his game."
i haven't found the video yet online, but it's all over the celebrity news shows.
in other news, i will be going to see spider man 3 at the recockulously early time of 3:15 a.m. i'm not really sure why, as i didn't even see the second one yet. but, for some reason, it sounded like something fun to do. maybe because of the black suit storyline.
i haven't found the video yet online, but it's all over the celebrity news shows.
in other news, i will be going to see spider man 3 at the recockulously early time of 3:15 a.m. i'm not really sure why, as i didn't even see the second one yet. but, for some reason, it sounded like something fun to do. maybe because of the black suit storyline.
safer roads ahead
generally i don't revel in someone else's potential downfall, but this would be very good.
Wednesday, May 02, 2007
boo hoo man u
so, i was greatly disappointed today in manchester united. it's not that i'm a big fan of theirs, it just that i despise italian teams. so, when milan crushed them 3-0, i was upset. although, i must admit that the first two goals were amazing shots. so, kudos to liverpool and ac milan for making it to the champions league final.
Tuesday, May 01, 2007
triumph rocket 3
the la times has a spiffy review of the new triumph motorcycle. and holy crap, i thought my vegas' 1634 cc was a big beast of an engine. this thing has 2294 cc engine. yow! watch the video, too. it's actually a better review than the article, in my opinion. i'd be curious to actually see the bike in person, get an idea about size. the reviewer, a lady, seems very small in comparison to the bike. i mean, i think this bike is probably a big ol' beast (bigger engine & weight that my vegas) but how much bigger?
bush vetoes spending bill as promised
president defies will of people. that is, if you believe that we are a representative democracy, and that the last election voiced the will of the people on key issues that are country is facing, like, say...the war.
and let us never forget that victory was declared years ago by this same president. now, president says that we will be defeatists, that we will let the terrorists win if we set a time table for withdrawal. so, we're defeatists if we withdraw troops from an area where war is over? oh, does that mean the war never was over? or are we saying that the "sectarian violence" is civil war now?
btw, as much as i have been wholeheartedly against this war, i also don't agree with the proposed timetable. not that i'm against timetables, but i don't see how this particular one actually accomplishes any sort of stability in the area. i also disagree with a president that says he will veto and bill that has a timetable.
and let us never forget that victory was declared years ago by this same president. now, president says that we will be defeatists, that we will let the terrorists win if we set a time table for withdrawal. so, we're defeatists if we withdraw troops from an area where war is over? oh, does that mean the war never was over? or are we saying that the "sectarian violence" is civil war now?
btw, as much as i have been wholeheartedly against this war, i also don't agree with the proposed timetable. not that i'm against timetables, but i don't see how this particular one actually accomplishes any sort of stability in the area. i also disagree with a president that says he will veto and bill that has a timetable.
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