The Halls

This weekend has been very busy, thus I have not accomplished much.
I have a large list of things I want to accomplish this summer, including several trips and projects.
Everything is put on hold right now though, as I'm trying to get a final project working for my class. Then I won't have to sweat that garbage for a few months.
After that, I have the following:
-put a shower door on the basement bathroom
-buy and install ammenities for the basement bathroom
-build another poker table
-build the kegerator monitoring system
-paint the suzuki
-get new tires for the van
-new roof for the house
-build a new mythbox
-new caulking in the kitchen
-new caulking in the main shower

I'm sure there's more, I will update as they come along. Like diagnosing the BMW, as in the middle of a ride today, the turn signals all suddenly stopped working. So I rode nothing but dirt roads back, so no one would see me.
So that's fun to figure out while I'm trying to do homework.

My friend from high school damon has moved back into town. He got a job at speedway motors, which is a very sucessful racing parts place here. So it's cool to have him around again. He's moving back from CA, and his 1100 sq ft house is currently on the market for $500k!!!
He's going to be able to buy 2-3 houses here for that!

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I cannot wait for this. I will actually buy this when it comes out.

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The whole Don Imus fiasco kindof irritates me. Political Correctness has officially gone too far.
I don't even like Don Imus, I just can't understand how a group of people who never would listen to him normally (like the women's basketball team in question) would even care what he says.

Woman's basketball team in question, Al Sharpton, and anyone who was on this bandwagon = woman sitting in the front row in this video.



Auggie Smith is a really funny guy would had an absolute brilliant bit on Bob & Tom this morning, and he wrote the following, which I think is spot on.

2007-04-23
15:55
Is it offensive?

A Supreme Court Justice once said “I can’t define pornography, but I know it when I see it, mostly because when I see it, I’m in a theater called the Pink Pussy and there is a man sitting next to me masturbating.” Okay, that settles that. So how do we define offensive speech in general? I’ll tell you how…by the media’s reaction.

Don Imus got in trouble for offending teenage girls, which is normally a pretty tough thing to accomplish. The rinosaurus-like thickness of adolescent girl’s skin, coupled with her keen sense of spotting sarcasm, usually makes her impervious to the razor- sharp barbs of a gifted satirist. Not this time, however. This time, the offender used the one silver-hollow--tip bullet that will pierce a woman’s Teflon shield: he made fun of her hair.

I imagine as the Rutgers’s girls basketball team gathered around the radio for their normal morning ritual of drinking flavored coffee, talking about their periods and of course, listening to the Don Imus show, they were horrified to hear the obviously premeditated attack on their hair care and sexual ethics, which must have been especially hurtful, coming from a man who is such an icon in the college-age black female community. We all know that Don Imus’s two years of hosting TRL were their highest rated ever. Proving once again, that young people always pay attention to old white men in cowboy hats.

I have to admit that at first, I did not realize that this remark was racist. Here’s how dumb I am…I thought nappy-headed meant you needed a hair cut, and ho meant that you were a prostitute. Lucky for me, there are a litany of group’s in America that have declared themselves moral watchdogs, and can tell us, when something is offensive. (PETA, The Anti-Defamation League, Al Sharpton, The Catholic Church, Barbara Streisand, The Organization Aainst Anti-Asian Depictions In The Media, Jesse Jackson, Dr. Laura, NOW, Dr. Phil, The 700 club, and The FCC) All very accurate moral compasses. Well I don’t have to tell you that when one or more of these ethical heavyweights tells me to be outraged, well then, hand me a sign and tell me what entrance to block, because if you don’t find nappy-headed ho to be racially insensitive, then you are obviously, a racist.

I know that there are Imus defenders that say “well why wasn’t Jesse Jackson fired when he said Hymietown.” Well that’s easy morons…he doesn’t have a job. He is far too busy deciding what the rest of us should think and feel, then to show up at an office everyday.

Speaking as someone who makes his living using words, it is very important to know which words are okay and which ones are not. I refer to it as “the do not call me that” list. Ann Coulter and Michael Richards got in trouble for using words that have been on that list for some time. Well we can all add Imus’s “nappy-headed hos”, George Allen’s “macaca”, and Joe Biden’s “clean” to that most sacred of scrolls. So, to my fellow comics, writers, talk-show hosts, DJ's and karaoke singers, when in doubt, just remember, “I can’t define offensive, but if anyone, anywhere finds what you say to be offensive, then it is.”

Glad we got all that cleared up.

Posted by Aaron at 9:33 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Siskel and Ebert. Good friends, co-workers, on a generally non-provoking show.
How little we knew.

Posted by Aaron at 12:20 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Yeah, the site's been done a few days. It took a couple days for me to notice, and then another day to fix it all. I got rid of the current firewall altogether.
I'm now going with a solution I know works, and I can control.
But my wireless AP still torques me off, I think I'm going to need a new one...

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Last nite I went to a friend's monthly poker game, and kicked some serious butt. I was quite pleased with myself. I have been running dead even for almost 3 weeks, which beats losing, but at the same time can be a little frustrating.
So I was driving home, thinking about how to write up this nice little episode. It occurred to me that although I have a capacity to gripe (probably more than I should), life is pretty good.
I went so far as to think that if I wasn't living this life, I would be jealous of my life.

Think about it. I have a hot, nearly perfect wife (who made me a really cool black bean sidedish last nite), who is constantly coveted by others. I know this, I have even been asked about it, and how I deal with "having a good looking wife". (I have seriously been asked that, which begs all kinds of questions about the guy who asked, but another time.)
The kids are all healthy, and generally well behaved. At least they're not getting into serious trouble.

I have a job that pays enough to afford me a pretty decent lifestyle. We have a fairly large house, I can afford to go on vacations, I can play poker, and we all generally do whatever activities we want (within reason).

I'll brag a little here, but my parents let me do nearly every sport that caught my fancy. I've been exposed to so many things, and been lucky enough to be above average in many of them. I'm an above average player in judo, racquetball, volleyball, wrestling, swimming, diving, gymnastics, poker (a bit of a stretch, but it's on espn), pool, soccer, bicycling, moutain biking, and maybe even tennis.

I'd also like to think I'm above average in intelligence. At least that's what all the standardized tests have always said.
I have an engineering degree, am close to getting a masters in in electrical engineering, that's gotta say something. I have learned many things on my own, just because I was interested, and it seemed to me that not many others will willing, like linux administration, website development and management , small engine repair, and motorcycle repair. Clearly these are things that interest me, but I would rather do it myself than pay someone to do something I felt like I could do just as easily.

I've had a pretty sweet, gifted life in general, especially when viewed at a high level.

---

I've had about the worst thing in the world happen to me too, and frankly would be willing to live in a trailer, eating ramon noodles 3 squares a day if I could have my son back and living as well as the other kids are now.
It all kind of balances out in my mind.

Then last week I got some more news that makes me think it just tipped a little more to the crap side.
My dad have been diagnosed with colon cancer.
He had surgery last Thursday to remove the section of colon that was cancerous (no colostomy though, thank god), and to have a 'look around' to see what the extent of the cancer was.
You see, this was his first ever colonoscopy. You know, the thing you're supposed to have ever year after 50. He's 60. So now, with genetic predisposition, I might as well go in tomorrow.

Thankfully, the surgery Thursday went very well, which I have a little apprehension about. There was not cancer all throughout his body, visibly, it was confined to the colon.
But the biopsy have shown that it has spread into the bloodstream, and he will certainly need chemo. This is not an attractive activity for anyone, even less so when you're 60.
This is literally the only time I've ever known my dad to have to go to the hospital for anything. I've been in for two surgeries since having kids. He's just never seriously sick.

So I'm a little uptight right now. I still have a sense of humor, and am not a walking ball of depression, but things could be better.
Karma's a bitch. The second you start thinking how good things are going, wham.

I've never known my dad to give up though, so at this point, I am optimistic that he will get through the chemo, and be none the worse for wear.

Posted by Aaron at 12:45 PM | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBacks (0)

All the mac commercials are pretty funny. Even though I hate macs, i enjoy the constant rips on the PC, and microsoft in general.
What could be better? Someone making parody commercials, that actually reflect reality. Such as these.

Posted by Aaron at 4:08 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

I suppose with the literal onslaught of reality shows, and the nearly immeasurable number of people I know, it was inevitable that I would know someone in a reality tv show.
That day has finally come.

So I watched the first episode, saw Doug a few times, and thought to myself, "Hey, I know that guy!" like an idiot. But then it occurred to me, there was almost zero coverage of Doug's team in the first episode. No 'reality tv show twist' as promised, no nothing. There was plenty of retard reality show interviewing and gay backgrounds intended to jerk tears, but that was pretty stupid.
So it ends, and I'm ready to send Doug a nastygram about how his team placed 3rd in the initial rankings but then ended up with almost zero coverage, when I realized the show was 22 minutes long! No wait, my recording of the show is 22 minutes long, and it's an hour long show.
Great, someone killed the recording in the middle.
Love that.

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Ever notice how I never comment on american idol? I've literally never seen the show. I've watched a total of 1 minute of it, via the previews when I'm watching some other show.
I cannot explain how uninteresting this show is to me. I don't understand how this show continues to keep the interest of the public. Have any of the 'winners' of this show, in fact gone on to be 'idols'?
It seems like some of the also rans become the most famous after the show, and even they are just sort of mentioned, not the star.
The whole show is just so dull. The exact opposite of the amazing race, a constant rush of unpredictability.

Posted by Aaron at 10:54 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

haven't been updating for a while, as I've been too busy.
I'm planning trips, ordering tons of crap online, fighting crimes of bad management at work, trying to figure out where all my money is going, doing my taxes, organizing events in the near future and in the summer, and I still can't figure out how to balance my family budget.

I just got my LLC taxes in the mail today, then had to rush back home for soccer practice.
My dad is having some pretty major surgery thursday, so I'm something of a stress ball right now.
I'm planning our spring vegas trip, a trip to fort collins, and a trip to my parents, at least.
I just recently watched house of 100 corpses, this is much worse than I expected, and did not expect much.
AVOID!
I also saw flushed away, which is fair.

I need to get one last large project done for class, and then that is all for class. Nothing but thesis after that. I hope...

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I'm currently watching the transporter 2, which is not a particularly great movie. It stars Jason Statham, who I like quite a bit, but mostly because of Snatch, and Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels.
This movie is a bit of the Schwarzenegger type, where Statham is unkillable, and otherwise infallible. So quite a bit over the top, but I can still enjoy it.
But it makes me think of snatch, which the more I think about it, they more I think it's in my top 5 list of best movies of all time.
What's the rest of the list?
Here's the list as I imagine it right now, but I reserve the right to change it in the future.
1) Pulp Fiction - set a standard of it's time that has yet to be duplicated in originality or quality since.
2) The Usual Suspects - great story, great twists all throughout
3) The Holy Grail - The yardstick by which all other comedies are measured.
4) Seven - the ultimate in suspense, best ending ever
5) Clerks - Funniest movie I've ever seen. I still laugh when I watch it.
6) Memento - an old story, but told so uniquely told it was perfect
7) American beauty - i can barely remember the details of this movie. But I remember being very moved, and thinking how much I liked it immediately after watching it.
8) The sixth sense - you can't beat the original story, and the twist at the end.
9) Snatch - great story, great twists
10) stargate - very original story, good effects, good acting

Posted by Aaron at 1:42 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

A woman decides to have a facelift for her 50th birthday. She spend
$15,000 and feels pretty good about the results. On her way home, she
stops at a newsstand to buy a newspaper. Before leaving, she says to the
clerk, "I hope you don't mind my asking, but how old do you think I am?"

"About 32," is the reply.

"Nope! I'm exactly 50," the woman says happily.

A little while later she goes into McDonald's and asks the counter girl
the very same question.

The girl replies, "I'd guess about 29."

The woman replies with a big smile, "Nope, I'm 50."

Now she's feeling really good about herself. She stops in a drug store
on her way down the street. She goes up to the counter to get some mints
and asks the clerk this burning question.

The clerk responds, "Oh, I'd say 30."

Again she proudly responds, "I'm 50, but thank you!"

While waiting for the bus to go home, she asks an old man waiting next
to her the same question.

He replies, "Lady, I'm 78 and my eyesight is going. Although, when I was
young, there was a sure-fire way to tell how old a woman was. It sounds
very forward, but it requires you to let me put my hands under your bra.
Then, and only then can I tell you EXACTLY how old you are."

They wait in silence on the empty street until her curiosity gets the
best of her. She finally blurts out, "What the hell, go ahead."

He slips both of his hands under her blouse and begins to feel around
very slowly and carefully. He bounces and weighs each breast and he
gently pinches each nipple. He pushes her breasts together and rubs them
against each other.

After a couple of minutes of this, she says, "Okay, okay...How old am
I?"

He completes one last squeeze of her breasts, removes his hands, and
says, "Madam, you are 50."

Stunned and amazed, the woman says, "That was incredible, how could you
tell?"

The old man says, "Promise you won't get mad?"

"I promise I won't." she says.

"I was behind you in line at McDonald's."

Posted by Aaron at 4:53 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

William Safire's Rules for Writers:
Remember to never split an infinitive.
The passive voice should never be used.
Do not put statements in the negative form.
Verbs have to agree with their subjects.
Proofread carefully to see if you words out.
If you reread your work, you can find on rereading a great deal of repetition can be avoided by rereading and editing.
A writer must not shift your point of view.
And don't start a sentence with a conjunction. (Remember, too, a preposition is a terrible word to end a sentence with.)
Don't overuse exclamation marks!!
Place pronouns as close as possible, especially in long sentences, as of 10 or more words, to their antecedents.
Writing carefully, dangling participles must be avoided.
If any word is improper at the end of a sentence, a linking verb is.
Take the bull by the hand and avoid mixing metaphors.
Avoid trendy locutions that sound flaky.
Everyone should be careful to use a singular pronoun with singular nouns in their writing.
Always pick on the correct idiom.
The adverb always follows the verb.
Last but not least, avoid cliches like the plague; seek viable alternatives.

Posted by Aaron at 5:13 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

This is pretty funny.


My immediate comment:
He looks awfully lady-like in that bikini. He must be 'tucking'.

---

Another random picture I found that I don't have any background story at all on, but I still laugh every time I see it.

Posted by Aaron at 4:57 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

The latest local story is of a 17 year old kid who last week drove at out of control speeds in residential streets, ultimately losing control of the car, in which he had 3 passengers. Two 15 year old girls, and another 16 year old boy.
He of course, wrecked into a tree, and one of the 15 year old girls died.
Of course the driver lived.
The driver is the lowest form of life, he'd already been arrested twice before for various forms of reckless driving, yet he somehow still had a license?

So, to top it off, he was let out on bail, and they even said "he's going to drive again"
Sure enough, he was arrested yesterday again, driving.
He should not have been allowed out on bail. He's friggin killer, for God's sake.
But the question that I cannot answer is, who keeps giving him cars?
The guy is clearly the worst driver on record, and he gets out of jail, and then has another car immediately? Where'd he get that?

Posted by Aaron at 12:03 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Have you ever been to a crawfish boil?
I have only once, and it was at a restaurant. Seeing this picture no makes me want to do one myself. I'm nostalgic for the lobster boil we had several years ago, and this looks like a good time.

Posted by Aaron at 3:45 PM | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBacks (0)

Ok, I'm a child of 80's. Generally speaking, trailers are the best part of movies, that's the idea, right?
It's supposed to make you want to see the movie.
Well, a good trailer, and a heaping helping of nostalgia, and you've won me over.

It's official, I cannot wait for this movie to come out.

Posted by Aaron at 1:28 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

I heard about this on the news on the way to work today.
How funny is this?

I'm still laughing.

Posted by Aaron at 10:52 AM | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBacks (0)

Had a pretty good weekend.

Friday I concentrated on trying to get the taxes done. I think I have them finished, but I also tried to do our LLC's taxes, so that could prove to be disastrous. I'm still considering filing for an extension, and having a professional at least look them over, if not just do it all over.

Saturday I cleaned the garage, moving all the winter stuff like snowblowers and tractors back into the shed, and put the 2nd motorcycle back in the garage. The guy I gave the parts to paint last may still doesn't have them painted. I'm going to have to go back and get them and paint them myself. It won't be as pretty, but at least I'll be able to ride the thing. It's been sitting for almost a year now!

Saturday afternoon, the girls had a soccer game, first one of the year. They managed to lose because they need much more practice. Hopefully by the end of the season, we'll have them in better shape.


Saturday nite, we played some cards, and I literally played for 3 hours without winning a single pot. Good times. So I was a solid $100 down before winning a pot. But I managed to ultimately come back to get to even, so I won't complain.

Sunday was typical. Church, then not much. Ann kicked butt cleaning up our storage area in the basement. It's been an out of control disaster for several years now.

So begins another week. I spent much of the weekend working on the servers at home. The worthless wireless router I've been using keeps locking up, then it freezes all internet access to/from my house, killing the website, and generally annoying everyone.
So I'm working on pulling it out of the loop altogether.
This means making the webserver a firewall and do many more things. It's perfectly capable of this, I just need to learn how to set it all up again.
I know you don't care about this, but it means that while I get it all configured, the site will go in and out. But when it's finished, all should be much more reliable.
I know you can't wait.

Posted by Aaron at 9:47 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)