tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-51732646913129356042024-02-18T20:23:17.760-08:00James Over Thoughtbehind the blank staresJameshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10742424609213844731noreply@blogger.comBlogger28125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5173264691312935604.post-27583192655424875912011-11-22T15:59:00.000-08:002011-11-22T15:59:43.020-08:00How I look at the world<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://ffden-2.phys.uaf.edu/211_fall2004.web.dir/Jeff_Levison/freebody_diagram.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://ffden-2.phys.uaf.edu/211_fall2004.web.dir/Jeff_Levison/freebody_diagram.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Source: University of Alaska at Fairbanks physics dept.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>This diagram might look strange to you and then again it might not. This diagram represents a simple pictorial description of the forces acting on the rectangle. For example, we are looking at three forces acting on the rectangle. F1 is gravity pulling the block down. F2 is the normal force, and F3 is the friction from the surface or the "ramp."<br />
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F1 is pretty simple and most people can understand that gravity is pulling you down to the earth. F2, the normal force, is the force be applied to the rectangle by the ramp. The theory is that for every action there is an opposite and equal reaction. So fs you press down on a floor, then the floor is "pressing" back against you. Now this is a really simple explanation and not technical so don't try to over think it unless you are like me. F3 is the friction. Friction helps keep the rectangle from sliding down the ramp so is acting up the ramp. <br />
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This is how I see the world. When something is moving or remaining stationary, I am thinking about the forces acting on the object and imagining the arrows. When I see a tree blowing in the wind I am thinking about the tension in the limb, the wind moving the limbs, and the other various forces in motion. <br />
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This is how I look at the world, but not the only way. How do see the world at work?</div>Jameshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10742424609213844731noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5173264691312935604.post-7606559763465693542011-09-01T14:01:00.000-07:002011-09-01T14:01:14.314-07:00Iron Chef Material...Maybe Not<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.firehow.com/images/stories/users/400/grill%20mates%20montrealsteak%20seasoning.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://www.firehow.com/images/stories/users/400/grill%20mates%20montrealsteak%20seasoning.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Source: mccormick.com</td></tr>
</tbody></table><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Since I moved in with my wife I have had the opportunity to cook breakfast, lunch, and dinner. I didn’t cook much when I lived with my parents, but I have come to appreciate the finer art of cooking. I believe most of my cooking skill comes from watching Iron Chef. <o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Sometimes I cook from a box and other times I cook from family recipes, but sometimes I put things together from pure inspiration. There are times when inspiration produces wonderful results that tantalize the tongue, and then there are times when my concoctions require drowning in a condiment of your liking.<o:p></o:p></span></div><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">The other day I was looking for a way to make chicken differently and we were already hungry. I was looking through the refrigerator at sauces to baste with and found nothing appetizing. I began rummaging through the pantry for seasonings to add spice to my life when I <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>found some steak seasoning. I thought, “Steak seasoning tastes good…surely it would be too bad.” I was wrong…very wrong. The chicken was almost completely overwhelmed by the seasoning, and the miniscule amount of flavor emanating from the chicken did not agree with steak seasoning. I learned that sometimes salt and pepper are enough.<o:p></o:p></span></div><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Have you ever made something you thought would taste good and didn’t? <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div></div>Jameshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10742424609213844731noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5173264691312935604.post-76315411218590268322011-08-26T06:07:00.000-07:002011-08-26T06:07:27.448-07:00Math Jokes<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.jokesprank.com/gallery/data/media/4/best-knock-knock-joke-ever.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="175" src="http://www.jokesprank.com/gallery/data/media/4/best-knock-knock-joke-ever.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Source: JokesPrank.com</td></tr>
</tbody></table><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Me: “Knock Knock”<o:p></o:p></span> <span style="font-family: Calibri;">You: “Who’s There?”<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Me: Interrupting Cow<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">You: Interrupt...Me: MOOOOOO!<o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Everyone has their own unique sense of humor and recently I was reintroduced to a particularly painful (yet still amusing) brand of humor. Dry-Professor-Academic-jokes are a particularly niche group of jokes, but if you have never had a professor in a technical or theoretical academic field then you are missing out. <o:p></o:p></span></div><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">My first introduction into Dry-Professor-Academic-Jokes came my freshman year when I had a professor of mathematics make a joke about not limiting are fun. Now this might not seem like a joke/pun but at the time we were studying the mathematical properties of Limits. The pun fell on deaf ears for the most part, but I found the attempt at humor more amusing than the actual humor.<o:p></o:p></span></div><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Maybe even funnier than the pun or the attempt at making a joke was the professor’s reaction to his own pun. It is amazing to see a professor take delight in his own witticism when clearly it was a terrible pun. <o:p></o:p></span></div><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Now I am taking some accounting courses and the professors attempts to make jokes or puns has made me reminiscent of some old math videos…don’t worry these are supposed to be funny. I hope you Enjoy!</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://images.onset.freedom.com/wtvc/medium/l7q1xg-l7q1wddsc0246.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="299" src="http://images.onset.freedom.com/wtvc/medium/l7q1xg-l7q1wddsc0246.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Source: NewsChannel9.com</td></tr>
</tbody></table>My father has worked on Amnicola Highway for a long time and my mother used to work on the north side of the river flowing through Chattanooga. When I would ride with them in the morning to summer camps or my grandmothers we would pass the Tennessee American Water Company tanks on the river bank. (TAW is a local water company)<br />
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On one of the tanks (closest to the road) there is a plywood cut out of a worker sitting on the tank. The plywood worker is taking off his hard hat as if greeting everyone who passes by. The cut out has a name tag that reads, "Phillip D. Glass." As a child, I found the word play funny, and even today I always find time to glance up at Phillip when I drive by. The water tank has the message "Good Morning Chattanooga" written on the side.<br />
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As you can see in the picture above, Phillip is holding a local University football helmet in place of a hard hat in honor of this years impending football season. Phillip has also been know to sport a Santa hat during the Christmas season. I have also seen a cowboy hat as well, though I never knew the significance of it.<br />
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This morning my hat is off to Phillip D. Glass. I hope he will continue to be a longstanding Landmark in Chattanooga.Jameshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10742424609213844731noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5173264691312935604.post-85615324866461958472011-08-19T05:52:00.000-07:002011-08-19T05:52:49.200-07:00Judging Books by Their Covers<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">There is an old saying, "Don't judge a book by it's cover." Two Hundred years ago that actually meant something, but I would like to argue that doesn't matter anymore. <br />
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Before you start crying about prejudice and stereotyping let me clarify. I literally mean we should judge books by their covers. The saying is typically reserved as metaphor about not judging the value of something by its external appearance (which includes books), but books are marketed objects and I think we should judge them my their main form of marketing...the cover. Take a look at this book from before 1800 <br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiERuYhkbjYATwlbWnl3JLoli6dpTgACvUbCRffTBEwsjAo-enqOoWVNOOmbKC5v1GESmxehzULhUoROAPvlmDYb8a1WSrKa6QmjZeLcqDrgC7YtHmS7niyQt-NBNMI_y4xoJsQcHNQ2NTr/s1600/Old+Cover+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiERuYhkbjYATwlbWnl3JLoli6dpTgACvUbCRffTBEwsjAo-enqOoWVNOOmbKC5v1GESmxehzULhUoROAPvlmDYb8a1WSrKa6QmjZeLcqDrgC7YtHmS7niyQt-NBNMI_y4xoJsQcHNQ2NTr/s200/Old+Cover+2.jpg" width="143" /></a>.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">There is a title and some fancy scroll work, but not a lot do judge the internal value of the information. You might judge this book by its title but that isn't the cover and conventional wisdom doesn't seem to say how to judge a books cover. Look at this book cover from 1895.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWP3PA9XIETLAgYIhCT-XBhz18YY0_d7LeU7se9LYdEqo1QZzIuxV8XncVXtZYFaDvUebY-ByEArKfCsC3NgNSjj3hk_u26QdJrLduONLXHewuMHVJt6HSKhQqt7KuiKz0c-mx0CSUUyT0/s1600/1895+Cover.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWP3PA9XIETLAgYIhCT-XBhz18YY0_d7LeU7se9LYdEqo1QZzIuxV8XncVXtZYFaDvUebY-ByEArKfCsC3NgNSjj3hk_u26QdJrLduONLXHewuMHVJt6HSKhQqt7KuiKz0c-mx0CSUUyT0/s320/1895+Cover.jpg" width="223" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Now this cover hasn't changed much in 100 years but the decorative print is more flower-ey and less rigid. That seems like a step in the right direction, but still not a lot to judge a book by except the title or the contents. Lastly we have something much more modern.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.eatmedaily.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2009/06/julie-julia-book-covers-large.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="298" src="http://www.eatmedaily.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2009/06/julie-julia-book-covers-large.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Source: EatMeDaily.com</td></tr>
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">These covers including the title tells you a lot about the books. One lets you know the relative age and looks of the two female leads. One cover plays to the cooking aspect and the choice of playful decorative whisk with a mess evokes some feelings for most people. I think you would be right to judge this book by those covers. There are some genres of books that haven't yet utilized contemporary cover art...I am looking at you Sci-Fi and Fantasy novels. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Maybe I am wrong and we shouldn't be judging books by their covers, but I say publishers need to up the ante and give me some eye candy.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
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</div></div>Jameshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10742424609213844731noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5173264691312935604.post-80642909423495292812011-08-17T05:18:00.000-07:002011-08-17T05:18:17.222-07:00Don't Take My Facebook<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.gruntledemployees.com/photos/uncategorized/2007/09/10/depressed_worker.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="212" src="http://www.gruntledemployees.com/photos/uncategorized/2007/09/10/depressed_worker.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Source: GruntledEmployees.com</td></tr>
</tbody></table>I work in an office that requires everyone to have a computer. Most of my work in accounting (boils down to record keeping) is stored on a computer. Everyone also has access to the internet and you know what that means...Facebook. Since I have worked there, my employer has had a philosophy of trust and bottom line counts. If we are getting a job done in a satisfactory way, then any amount of time on Facebook probably wasn't hurting us or the company.<br />
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</div><div>Day 1: Then one day Facebook was gone. I am not going to lie, I noticed at 9:21AM. It was so traumatic that I remember the time I noticed the end of Facebook. I mentioned this to the person a share an office with and they were shocked beyond all belief. Throughout the rest of the day more and more people in passing asked if I could access Facebook. Several people made tours of the building talking about the outrageous actions of the company. It then came to our attention that the CEO hadn't known about disconnecting Facebook and "requested" that his access be restored. And so it was that the CEO, marketing, and presumably IT could still access Facebook ("for business purposes").<br />
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Day 2: The next day a single pioneer came around asking if we used Facebook for work. At the time I didn't have a legitimate reason for being on facebook, but my coworker did. As it turned out, there were three people who could find legitimate (if not very convincing) reasons for being on Facebook. Meanwhile, I am getting farther and farther behind in my Facebook games.<br />
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Days 3-5: The petition for re-activiating Facebook was being formulated and I was discovering more and more I had a legitimate reason for having access to Facebook. My Job is extremely boring. So much so, I often find myself getting sleepy from the lack of mental stimulation. Then i realized that I only needed half of my computer monitor to do my job (collections). I soon began using the second half of my screen to be on Facebook. This increased my collections potential because I wanted to be on Facebook and I had to be calling people to be on Facebook. I played games that had minimal attention requirements. I spied on people (don't judge because you do it too). However, now I dread making calls because there isn't anything to fill the void left by my job.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div>Day 6: The petition was made to the president that only people using Facebook for work should have access. There was a meeting, and I must stress they had to have a closed door meeting to discuss this. The verdict was simply, "No one outside of Marketing shall access the Facebook."<br />
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It has only been nine days since the ban on facebook, but I feel like day 100 in the Facebook hostage Crisis. Say what you will, but I have felt more depressed and restless since the ban. Maybe I will join Google+ or <a href="http://twitter.com/?q=over_thought#!/Over_Thought">Twitter</a>.</div></div>Jameshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10742424609213844731noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5173264691312935604.post-81518764764080809172011-08-15T05:33:00.000-07:002011-08-15T05:33:00.752-07:00Is Anyone Listening<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><img height="369" id="il_fi" src="http://myportfolio.usc.edu/creech/Homeless%20Cell%20Phone.png" style="padding-bottom: 8px; padding-right: 8px; padding-top: 8px;" width="400" /><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">I am overly cynical about certain subjects. One such subject is homelessness. I understand God has called me to love my neighbors and help those in need alongside sharing the gospel, but sometimes I can’t help but think some homeless people don’t need my help.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I have been introduced lately to some wonderful programs helping out homeless families. I have even been disillusioned to some preconceived notions. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Sometimes those notions rear up and bite me on the brain.<o:p></o:p></span></div><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">For instance, when I see a homeless person with certain objects my immediate reaction is, “They don’t need my help since they have a _____.” This is terrible. They may need my help desperately and I am judging them for carrying some stupid little item. One particular item is a cell phone and/or Bluetooth headset. <o:p></o:p></span></div><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">When I see Joe Homeless walking down the street in last-year’s rags talking to someone on their Cell or Bluetooth it sets off my homeless-people-are-homeless-because-they-want-to-be alarm. Homeless people talking on cell phones also ignites my curiosity. I cannot help but wonder who is this mysterious person could be. Is it an uncaring friend? Do they know they are speaking to a homeless person? Is it a debt Collector? Which participant in this conversation made the call?<o:p></o:p></span></div><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">At this point, I start concocting scenarios in which Joe Homeless has friends and a support system that he either spurns or does not need because his rags used to be an Armani suit he bought from pandering. Normally by the time, I get to this stage in my thought train I have driven past or left the vicinity of Joe Homeless so I start over-thinking some other random, meaningless topic.<o:p></o:p></span></div><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Life Lesson: Don’t be a jerk and judge a book by its cover.<o:p></o:p></span></div></div>Jameshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10742424609213844731noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5173264691312935604.post-45749759784737183392011-08-12T06:48:00.000-07:002011-08-12T06:48:24.311-07:00Should I feel Bad?<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEia8PSJaGPfRAvwFxV2Ck_jTmIXGwAPqb3_qIXtCnnE8LdNGO5whICPwLNIZuZoABzufo5kO5shgUNDgP3OSXtleO5-srurttqEgb-0T6rOnLU7VKk_qbzlen2l9NCWkEPJh88_UdAGcFlg/s1600/Shopping+Cart+Diaries+Pic.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEia8PSJaGPfRAvwFxV2Ck_jTmIXGwAPqb3_qIXtCnnE8LdNGO5whICPwLNIZuZoABzufo5kO5shgUNDgP3OSXtleO5-srurttqEgb-0T6rOnLU7VKk_qbzlen2l9NCWkEPJh88_UdAGcFlg/s1600/Shopping+Cart+Diaries+Pic.jpg" /></a></div><br />
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The other day I saw what appeared to be a homeless man leaving the parking lot of the local grocery store. He caught my attention because he was pushing an empty shopping cart away from the store. At first I thought, "that man is stealing a shopping cart." Now this begs the question, should I feel bad that my first thought was his thieving and not his personal circumstances? Those shopping carts are around $150. While that isn't an exorbitant amount of money for this particular grocer, it is still wrong to steal right? I fought back the urge to roll my window down and chastise him for stealing, but that made me think.<br />
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Am I guilty of stealing a shopping cart since I saw such a seemingly innocuous act and failed to act upon it. At that point I know the grocery store's managers could have done nothing other than call the cops. Surely it isn't worth the police's time to take down a cart theft report. In hind sight I suppose the grocer could have at least known about the incident and called to order a replacement cart. <br />
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I regaled a friend of mine with this tale and they thought he might have just borrowed the shopping cart to transfer his belongings. This really got me thinking. Surely that would be a lot of walking. In my scenario the homeless man is borrowing the cart and thus would have to return it to the grocery store. What if he was moving his belongings to a further away location? Where did he leave his belongings in the first place to make the journey to find a cart? Why if there was a safe place to leave his belongings does he need to leave?<br />
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At this point I concocted the crazy map in my mind.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhU7MRmF1XV5K1iBRGSPEOhjKm4ZrUnLYS34wMt9jg5w2BuUVy61G3vjcOxtCmvHMMEl-j6JRkTtJwQJVTldlq5FFvWnDCu8adJkCf2v0-9tU33zJfsNXcbrAjBjDgWW8EXZq7AKWhfAuHd/s1600/Homeless+Map.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhU7MRmF1XV5K1iBRGSPEOhjKm4ZrUnLYS34wMt9jg5w2BuUVy61G3vjcOxtCmvHMMEl-j6JRkTtJwQJVTldlq5FFvWnDCu8adJkCf2v0-9tU33zJfsNXcbrAjBjDgWW8EXZq7AKWhfAuHd/s640/Homeless+Map.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br />
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I imagined this guy moving his belongings from a bridge and wondered which path would he take to get to the new place. Would he take the most direct path through people's yards? Would He travel along the main highway or take some less traveled back roads for as long as possible? Then he would have to bring the cart all the way back to the grocery store. <br />
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Why is Joe Homeless moving? Does he know something about the end times that I don't? These thoughts kept spiraling in my head until I just decided he stole it. <br />
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Hopefully this doesn't make me a bad person, but that guy stole something and shame on him.</div>Jameshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10742424609213844731noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5173264691312935604.post-44382954083829664912010-10-05T10:40:00.000-07:002010-10-05T10:40:13.859-07:00Blogging Tips I Should Follow part DeuxThe other day I was reading this awesome <a href="http://hyperboleandahalf.blogspot.com/">blog</a> that I should have found eons ago. I suggest you go and read it. <br />
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Now to the topic at hand. A day farther ago then "the other day" I mentioned above I read a blog about tips for starting a blog. Technically I have already started a blog, but seeing that no one reads it I thought, "there might be some good tips in there." One of the bloggers said that the trick to starting a blog is don't start one. There were multiple bloggers collaborating on this effort and only one blogger gave the advice to not blog, but I think they were right. (Is that easy to follow?) I have found that it is not easy to blog about interesting things in my life because: "A" nothing interesting happens to me, or "B" I don't recognize those interesting things in the moment. I am inclined to believe both of those options. Okay, it's probably the mysterious third option "C" in which I am to lazy to sit down and write when I could just as easily nap. So this is why nothing has been posted in over a month. To fair it felt like just a few days to me.<br />
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Quick disclaimer: The blog isn't there anymore so maybe I shouldn't take their advice.Jameshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10742424609213844731noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5173264691312935604.post-71382102985418756962010-09-01T13:19:00.000-07:002010-09-01T13:19:56.311-07:00Beer CommercialsI think most people have heard one of the Budweiser Real Men of Genius ads that involve two guys quasi-singing a salute to "geniuses." Once such genius would be the guy who invented a cooler with wheels. Another genius is the Tee-shirt launcher inventor. They are generally funny and I suggest you go listen to <a href="http://www.soundboard.com/sb/real_men.aspx">them</a>. Fair warning the content of those are meant to be ironic or sarcastic. Also I suggest the Silent Killer Gas Passer.<br />
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Miller Lite has recently released a series of ads that aren't nearly as good but still they are catchy. My favorite is <a href="http://millerlite.com/commercials.html">Love vs Like</a>. Warning that link takes you right to the Miller Lite website. <br />
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I am not suggesting you should or shouldn't drink beer. I think these companies have made good decisions when hiring and ad agency.Jameshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10742424609213844731noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5173264691312935604.post-69134898612575133762010-08-31T06:24:00.000-07:002010-08-31T07:00:58.422-07:00Blogging Tips I Should FollowLast night I was eating dinner with my wife and we were talking about her work. She mentioned something and it got me thinking about what a great blog entry that would make. Sadly I can't remember what my great idea was to save my life. Literally, if some one put a gun to my head they would have to shoot me because I can't figure out what I thought of in that moment. So my blogging tip for the day: Write down any good ideas you have for a blog entry. Of course at the time I didn't have a pen or paper so I am not sure how I would written it down. Of course while writing the previous sentence I realized I have a notepad feature on my phone so I really have no excuse. Does anyone have any tips for creating an awesome blog?Jameshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10742424609213844731noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5173264691312935604.post-39189116223745809982010-08-29T16:55:00.000-07:002010-08-31T07:00:58.425-07:00Myspace...To whom I bid farewellI just cancelled my account with Myspace. I can't say that I am sad to see it go, mostly because I haven't seen it in over a year. Thanks for all the good times...you know all those men and women emailing me to look at their other profiles on websites that didn't have nudity restrictions. Yeah I miss that...not. Facebook is getting there though so I am looking for the next big social networking site. I am thinking www.callyourfriendsandmeetthemforsocialouttings.com should be good enough.Jameshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10742424609213844731noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5173264691312935604.post-67653391602224922822010-08-29T16:54:00.000-07:002010-08-31T07:00:58.427-07:00Myspace Blog 2<div style="BORDER-BOTTOM: medium none; TEXT-ALIGN: left; BORDER-LEFT: medium none; BACKGROUND-COLOR: transparent; COLOR: #000000; OVERFLOW: hidden; BORDER-TOP: medium none; BORDER-RIGHT: medium none; TEXT-DECORATION: none"><p>7-18-08 posting from Myspace</p><p></p><p>This is just a random blog about my thoughts.</p><br /><p>I listen to the radio almost all day long while I am at work. Lately there is a radio commercial that has been cracking me up every time I hear it. I understand that probably no one else will find this funny. The sonic commercials are becoming well known for their two guys or guy and girl in a car routine discussing the newest product. The radio commercials introduce an extra character. This extra character advertises specifically to the couple in the car, either two guys or guy/girl. In all the radio commercials the special advertising character is always a stereotypical something. </p><br /><p>Now that you have been set up, in the latest sonic radio AD the guy/girl combo are enjoying the new sausage biscuit dippers, when a stereotypical TV salesperson starts in with "hello folks, this is Jeff Frank Steve Stuart here to tell you about the amazing new Sonic Sausage Biscuit Dippers." The guy in the commercial says something like, "oh Sonic must have hired a stereotypical TV salesperson," when the girl interjects, "hush I trying to hear what Jeff Frank Steve Stuart has to say." This is the funniest part. First, that the stereotypical TV salesperson has only first names for all FOUR parts of his name, and secondly the female character is mesmerized by the salesperson and has instantaneously remembered the four first nondescript names named salesman. This is hilarious to me. </p><br /><p>The next commercial that has been on my mind is a commercial issued by the Catholic Coalition of Bishops or something like that. The commercial emphasizes marriage and what it takes to make it last. The commercial begins with "What have you done for your marriage today?" It is followed by real testimonies of individuals and what they do for their spouse. They range from took the kids out so the wife could have a day to herself to "wow, I have no idea what I've done for my marriage." Because it is supposedly real audio from street interviews I am constantly amazed by the tone the voice carries. The ones that haven't done anything for their marriage often sound like they just realized how stupid they've been for not doing anything. On the other side, those that have done something for their spouse always sound hopeful for years to come or confident in their marriage. </p><br /><p>When I am listening to this commercial, I always am reminded that something like 50% of first marriages end in divorce and 60% of second marriages for one spouse end in divorce, and still again 77% of third marriages end in divorce. With these statistics, I wonder how many of those people on the commercial will be divorced. However, while I am not doctrinally aligned with the Catholics I am glad that there are large campaigns fighting against divorce, by emphasizing that marriages take work and intentional acts of love to make them work.<br /></p><br /></div>Jameshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10742424609213844731noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5173264691312935604.post-12129824867085419112010-08-29T16:51:00.000-07:002010-08-31T07:00:58.431-07:00Myspace Blog Entries... From the past.<div style="BORDER-BOTTOM: medium none; TEXT-ALIGN: left; BORDER-LEFT: medium none; BACKGROUND-COLOR: transparent; COLOR: #000000; OVERFLOW: hidden; BORDER-TOP: medium none; BORDER-RIGHT: medium none; TEXT-DECORATION: none"><p style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class="MsoNormal">7-21-08 Posting from Myspace</p><p style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class="MsoNormal"> </p><p style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class="MsoNormal">So, earlier I posted a blog about two commercials, and this blog will continue my commentary on commercials.</p><p style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class="MsoNormal"> </p><p style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class="MsoNormal">There is a new radio commercial by FORD. The commercial starts out in this booming voice that declares, "BE AMERICAN!!! BUY AMERICAN!!!" I am completely offended by this statement. Maybe I am just over reacting and maybe this means I am not American, but I don't like the Ford Company calling me un-American because I choose to drive a Toyota. Now, I must clarify that I drive a Pontiac which is an "American Made" car. I previously owned a PT Cruiser and a Ford Taurus. Chrysler was an American company that sold to a German Company that has relinquished the majority share of ownership to a private American Company. So, I drive American made cars but the part of this that really bothers me is FORD IS TELLING ME I AM UNAMERICAN FOR NOT BUYING FORD, GM, etc.</p><p style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class="MsoNormal"><?XML:NAMESPACE PREFIX = O /><o:p> </O:P></p><p style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class="MsoNormal">Get this. On July 01, 2008 Cars.com released an index of the top ten cars that are made with American made products, products bought in America, manufactured in America, sales, etc. Ford only has two cars on the Top Ten List of cars that are "American made." Now, I will be fair and say the Ford F-150 is the number one American made car, but it still is not completely composed of American made parts. The F-150 is only 80% American made products. </p><p style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </O:P></p><p style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class="MsoNormal">I guess what I am saying is, can Ford really claim that it is un-American to buy a Toyota Tundra that is 75% American made content when many of the Fords out there have less than 75% American products.<br /></p></div>Jameshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10742424609213844731noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5173264691312935604.post-34057264560797901312010-08-27T12:31:00.000-07:002010-08-31T07:00:58.433-07:00Insert Title Here!I was reading some blogs today (video game blogs) and they all had something in common, titles. Take a second for that to sink in. Okay I realize all blog posts have a title, but these titles were witty, eye catching, and relevant to the blog. This is something I wish I could do. I went scavaging through the multiple (sighs) posts I have made and feel as though the titles leave something to be desired. Maybe I am self-deprecating and they are awesome; regardless, I have been inspired to be a better titler...namer...bestower of blog titles...maybe I should work on my vocab first.Jameshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10742424609213844731noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5173264691312935604.post-72262909566297912962010-08-26T05:40:00.000-07:002010-08-31T07:00:58.436-07:00Radio Ads<p style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Georgia;">So I listen to secular radio (gasp), and my favorite station is 96.5 The Mountain, </span><?xml:namespace prefix = st1 ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags" /><st1:city><st1:place><span style="font-family:Georgia;">Chattanooga</span></st1:place></st1:city><span style="font-family:Georgia;">'s No. 1 Hit Music Station. Besides playing </span><st1:city><st1:place><span style="font-family:Georgia;">Chattanooga</span></st1:place></st1:city><span style="font-family:Georgia;">'s hit music they also play...wait for it...advertisements. I don't think it's a surprise to anyone who knows me, but I love commercials. I think they are a great look into our culture, but sometimes they are so absurd it is funny. Netflix's has recently (>1yr) released a series of commercials that spoof game shows. It is a question and answer style show where they ask absurd questions and receive absurd answers. All this lead up to the final question that reveals you can stream netflix to your Wii. Some are funny and some are just absurd.</span></p><p style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Georgia;"></span></p><span style="font-family:Georgia;"><?xml:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" /><o:p><p style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Times New Roman;">Q. If a tree is cut down in <st1:place>Brooklyn</st1:place>,...<br />And before he finishes, the guy answers....<br />A. A sprout pops up in <st1:state><st1:place>New Jersey</st1:place></st1:state>?<br /><br />Q: A dog goes ahead in time and bites his tail. When does he feel it?<br />A: Yesterday.<br /><br />Q. If Jack and Jill went up the hill, then where is Fred?<br />A. Milwaukee?<br /><br />Q:If a triangle is happy and a square is sad, what is a rectangle?<br />A: Diassapointed.<br /><br />Q: What is the inverse of January 12?<br />A: September 22nd <st1:time hour="21" minute="0">9pm</st1:time> eastern!<br /><br />Q. If pie is in the sky, where's cake?<br />A. A distant meadow<br /><br />Q. If a rhombus has four sides, what is the inverse of blue?<br />A. Purple<br /><br />Q. Three guys walk into a bar. Who has the monkey?<br />A. Guy number 3!<br /><br />Q. If an apple a day keeps the doctor away, what does a pear do?<br />A. Prevents hard feelings.<br /><br />Q. What is the square root of <st1:city><st1:place>Orange</st1:place></st1:city>?<br />A. Uhhh...Turquoise?<br /><br />And now for the bonus round.<br />Q. If Mary had 10 sheep.... what did Jimmy have?<br />A. A silly salamander.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p><abbr title="2009-04-16 17:35:46 +0000">Salamander...wipes tears away...</abbr></o:p></span></p>Jameshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10742424609213844731noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5173264691312935604.post-36212930979104011542009-06-19T10:04:00.000-07:002010-08-31T07:00:58.438-07:00Warning about Darkside.So, I mentioned on facebook that the previous blog would be coming and it has taken some time to edit and make sure the content reflected accurately my thoughts and feelings. Now I use the term "edit" loosely because I am sure there are typos and grammatical errors running rampant through the post but whatever. I caution that the previous post, or the one right below this one, is very sensitive and personal in nature. It is quite long for a blog too.Jameshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10742424609213844731noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5173264691312935604.post-90199486983208297382009-06-09T14:13:00.000-07:002010-08-31T07:00:58.440-07:00Darkside...not the same place the Lunatacs of Thundercats lived.<p style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class="MsoNormal"><span >So, this has been weighing heavily on my heart and on my mind the last few weeks. I have decided to spill the beans so to speak. I have asked several people close to me over the last few weeks whether they thought I was an emotional person and the overwhelming majority answered “no.” This might come as no surprise because most guys in this culture are macho and showing emotion is a girly weak thing to do. I don’t think emotion is girly or even weak, yet I hide my emotions because I care too much what other people think about me and I want to fit in. So the big news is I am big sack of emotions. You might be thinking, “Okay so he has emotions big freakin’ deal.” Normally I would say duh, of course I have emotions, I am a human. But earlier in my life (High and Middle school), I would have fits of depression that I would keep to myself. “Hold on, a preteen/teenage boy got depressed…no way,” you might be thinking while rolling your eyes in a very vaudevillian way, but in my depressed moods I would often think of suicide. </span></p><br /><p style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class="MsoNormal"><?xml:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" /><o:p><span ></span></o:p></p><br /><p style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class="MsoNormal"><span >My depression would often stem from a sense of low self esteem. I think most people who know me would say that self esteem isn’t something I lack, but under all my swagger, confidence, and arrogance (sometimes) I am really scared and putting on a show. I pretty much felt that anything I do was inadequate and completely common place. There are three ways to know who you are as a person. What you believe you are, what you say you are, and what you do. These don’t have to agree either. The last way is the only true way to know who a person is including yourself. When reflecting on yourself though, your actions can always be dismissed through excuses if you don’t like whom you are. I want to be an unselfish, loving person who is slow to anger, but the truth is that then and now I am selfish and quick to anger. My actions in my mind prove this, yet I say the opposite to others. I used to hate myself for knowing this and would become angrier with myself. I felt that I was a disappointment to others and wanted to rid them of that disappointment. I think we have all come to the conclusion that I never made a successful attempt to kill myself and luckily I never attempted at all. The only reason that kept me from taking action was a belief in God. </span></p><br /><p style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class="MsoNormal"><o:p><span ></span></o:p></p><br /><p style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class="MsoNormal"><span >Before I truly knew Christ and about his life, I knew about God and believed in His existence, and that taking my own life would be a very erroneous thing to do because it would violate God's commandments. So here I was trapped, I felt by the one belief I could live up too. I hurt from depression. I can’t speak for others, but they say depression hurts and it is true. I felt trapped in that pain and it made me angry. So now I am angry for being trapped in addition to being angry at myself for having these feelings. It was a very vicious cycle for me and I would hurt myself in non lethal ways. I won’t go into details because they aren’t needed, but the physical pain would make the emotional pain less and that was important. Then one morning I would wake up and not feel this for a week or two, then for several days I would feel this pain all over again. I am lucky that it wasn’t prolonged periods of depression and maybe I was just another melodramatic teenager, but the feelings, pain, and memories are very real. I say this because objectively my life is really good. </span></p><br /><p style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class="MsoNormal"><o:p><span ></span></o:p></p><br /><p style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class="MsoNormal"><span >To further explain my moods, I would be dissatisfied with my life because my actions hurt and disappointed others. This would disappoint me and make me angry with myself. As a teenager I wasn’t the best at controlling my passions with reason, so even though I knew better and wanted better, passion would overrule sense and I would say mean, hurtful things and act selfishly because it brought immediate pleasure. So I was angry and hurt for being a disappointment. I hated feeling angry and would get angrier for feeling that way, but in feeling angry and worthless (for disappointing people) I would come to the conclusion I deserved the emotional pain. I wasn’t worthy of feeling good. My anger wasn't always layered on top of my depression. Anger was usually the last stage of my depressed states, but for a small time they would overlap. The depression felt heavy and constricting. Every part of my body felt heavy and much like a stress ball like it was being pressed towards the center from all directions. To describe it sounds silly, but it felt like my personal existance had been compressed into a lump in my diaphram while my limbs were hollow and lifeless belonging to some one else. Yet my anger is completely different. My anger feels like a swelling. My body seems to swell and all I can see is destruction and annoyance. By destruction, I could only see how I wanted to hurt and display my dominance over what angered me and everything else became an annoyance. Fortunately I wouldn't destroy everything in my way, but sadly because I would waste that destruction on something other then my source of anger. More often then not until I would kneel in the floor angry, depressed, crying, and slamming my fists into the floor. That is where physical pain comes in.</span></p><p style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class="MsoNormal"><span ></span></p><p style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class="MsoNormal"><span ></span></p><p style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class="MsoNormal"><span >When you are hurting yourself whether it is cutting, self strangulation, etc., the pain stops the emotional constricting and swelling. I would instantly bring me back to my self. The sensation of feeling emotionally normal and the residual tingling as adrenaline rushes through your viens is completely intoxicating. The emotional pain was gone and what does physical pain have on emotional. The pain isn't pleasurable like physical love, but something still euphoric. The closet I have come to that feeling unintentionally was before and after I passed out from giving blood. The drop in blood pressure makes reality hard to grasp and understand and when your reality is pain who would hang onto that?</span></p><p style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class="MsoNormal"><span ></span></p><p style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class="MsoNormal"><span >It all seems so stupid in retrospect now that I am in a better place. Now when I feel depressed it is never for more than an hour or so, but it is usually about the same content. Still seems stupid in retrospect. </span></p>Jameshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10742424609213844731noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5173264691312935604.post-89742388203971077312009-05-29T13:39:00.000-07:002010-08-31T07:00:58.444-07:00Home Sweet Home...at closing!<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOtn_bxJs_Lp4mVI_FthjILSkcpnn4_XT5GSi5lyemzVPPnECDFeyQ7JW8_9sWjm5s_ZliKJnGN6pY0C9Z9zIGl9hUMyfwbKT6fhK0xxeSzQKaP3G5-ExUl5XZSMygS0BMYvzgrp4-g5s/s1600-h/1128081_0552500.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5341348707600194642" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 200px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 150px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOtn_bxJs_Lp4mVI_FthjILSkcpnn4_XT5GSi5lyemzVPPnECDFeyQ7JW8_9sWjm5s_ZliKJnGN6pY0C9Z9zIGl9hUMyfwbKT6fhK0xxeSzQKaP3G5-ExUl5XZSMygS0BMYvzgrp4-g5s/s200/1128081_0552500.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><div>Most people might know by word of mouth that my wife and I are in the process of purchasing a home. The home is seen here to the right. It is in Ooltewah, TN, and is zoned for great schools (not that we have children(or thinking about having children)). I will post a link to the listing and if you click on the picture in the listing page you will be able to view more photos. <a href="http://mymls.org/ChattanoogaReports/ListitLib/show_report.aspx?ID=8148701181" footer="'52495655&maillog_id=">Here</a> is the link to the official listing. We did not pay the listing price so don't worry about whether or not you should know how much we spent on the house because you don't...unless we told you in real life. If you have any questions leave a comment here or on <a href="http://www.facebook.com/home.php#/profile.php?id=56708100&ref=profile">Facebook</a></div>Jameshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10742424609213844731noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5173264691312935604.post-83828595175338298462009-05-26T13:50:00.000-07:002010-08-31T07:00:58.446-07:00Updated Car WoesEarlier today I received a call from the Mechanic working on my car about the problem. Now I am drastically lacking in car knowledge, but the mechanic assured me that the ignition module was broken and that after taxes it was be about $275 to fix. I had placed my car in the shop thinking it was going to be $500 so I was excited that it wasn't going to take a long time.<br /><br />An hour later the mechanic called back and told me they were wrong about the module. They thankfully didn't do any repairs to my car before the discovered the real problem. About a year ago my car wouldn't start because the sensor that reads the computer chip in the key went on the fritz and they had to reset the sensor. This time the sensor broke and my car needs a new sensor a new key (microchip more than an actual key). The repair bill went from $275 (original quote) to $550. My car will be fixed soon, however, I will be out $550. The money isn't the problem, but what I could have done with that money that upsets me. I could have gotten a second computer to play WoW on so that my wife and I could play at the same time.<br /><br />O-well, Peace out!Jameshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10742424609213844731noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5173264691312935604.post-66795230109854518362009-05-24T13:10:00.000-07:002010-08-31T07:00:58.449-07:00Car Woes!<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBqWPxJ-tJzYl90tgdBAohCYY5_B6Bli7tIRk8lJpSLX7Piqp5eozFej2tg4p4laOQB4MBdq0iYDj6SqlpPn0ybFw4j3F9Dw5fgqgjdOY67-nqX3R6rXNkLGTf-fNdoDiIi8r2uVIPVg8/s1600-h/53218040_pr.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 133px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBqWPxJ-tJzYl90tgdBAohCYY5_B6Bli7tIRk8lJpSLX7Piqp5eozFej2tg4p4laOQB4MBdq0iYDj6SqlpPn0ybFw4j3F9Dw5fgqgjdOY67-nqX3R6rXNkLGTf-fNdoDiIi8r2uVIPVg8/s200/53218040_pr.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5339485984700643106" border="0" /></a><br />So I have a 2003 Pontiac Grand Am. The picture displays a black car but mine is a steel gray. Today I drove my wife to church (she teaches the first Sunday School Hour), and then went home to play WoW until it was time for me to go to church. When I went to leave from home the second time to go to church BAM... my car won't start. This is frustrating because I don't want to pay the car repair bill, but the battery is good, the oil is full, and the tank if full. I have no car now and I will have to drive my wife's girly car around if I need to go some where. We can probably afford the car bill after we find out what is wrong with it, but still all that money wasted.Jameshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10742424609213844731noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5173264691312935604.post-16781231029061336232009-05-21T06:34:00.000-07:002010-08-31T07:00:58.451-07:00Teaching Interview<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_FxzCLTmwxqJHEQEW_2DDs2LC8JtVYjQ5Co1aWnJ5TIXv8z208hVAPhVUMFGJroM6nnGJxUZI7KNT9xGn6PYaxBKX0NY7uJQNijAY7823Jhz1RyuALzSr-JZfonKV9XrUnPlornCUIvs/s1600-h/CSAS.bmp"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5338270983405038482" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 200px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 150px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_FxzCLTmwxqJHEQEW_2DDs2LC8JtVYjQ5Co1aWnJ5TIXv8z208hVAPhVUMFGJroM6nnGJxUZI7KNT9xGn6PYaxBKX0NY7uJQNijAY7823Jhz1RyuALzSr-JZfonKV9XrUnPlornCUIvs/s200/CSAS.bmp" border="0" /></a><br /><div></div>So, I think everyone that reads this blog knows about my future aspirations, but in case you don't know I will elaborate (I never mind talking about myself). I have a degree in Mathematics and I am currently going to Grad school for a Masters in Secondary Mathematics Education. I began the process of looking for a teaching position in my hometown, and the first school to call me in for an interview was some what of a dream school. They believe in a liberal arts education and it was a calculus position. I believe in a liberal arts education and the school has a <a href="http://www.paideia.org/content.php/system/index.htm">Paideia</a> philosophy. That in a nut shell is Didactic teaching, Intellectual Coaching, and Socratic Seminars.<br /><br />Now, I believe in all those teaching styles, but intellectual coaching can take a variety of forms, and unfortunately the administrative staff was looking for a teaching style (Project-Based Learning) that I am not fond of. I am not sure I know anyone that enjoys doing projects or really learns something from doing projects. Right now in the education world, project-based learning and other more non-traditional methods of teaching are wanted; however, I am not some one who is big on non-traditional methods. I am very big on the idea of Socratic seminars, and discussion based learning. Now these discussion-based learning methods are typically considered Didactic because they are Teacher led, but I am not opposed to letting students lead discussions and take the class in an academic path they choose.<br /><br />After all that, it might be obvious that I did not get the job. As far as teaching jobs go it would have been considered cushy and it was some where I wanted to teach, but they wanted a teacher I am not going to be, so I think that in the end it was for the best. I hope the school does well and that the students' benefit from their new teacher, because ultimately it is about student's.Jameshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10742424609213844731noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5173264691312935604.post-78414406372430725652009-05-18T18:22:00.000-07:002010-08-31T07:00:58.460-07:00West Virginia<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkT3YzrDhB1I-_rlHxHcu94BwzppOHGAzoBGb7SqBSj8aY6KMqvgq_hbIRd47PDdPGohfvcQ0KNb69Pr5SkZKIEAAJCfTJLfhiOdCNTBje8UaT0F7rgy25rQBJnpwO8X_jR0seeWXoZec/s1600-h/WV.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5337485848505518098" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkT3YzrDhB1I-_rlHxHcu94BwzppOHGAzoBGb7SqBSj8aY6KMqvgq_hbIRd47PDdPGohfvcQ0KNb69Pr5SkZKIEAAJCfTJLfhiOdCNTBje8UaT0F7rgy25rQBJnpwO8X_jR0seeWXoZec/s320/WV.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><div>This past weekend my wife and I went up to West Virginia to visit her and my new extended family. We left on a Friday and made a normally 7 hour trip in 6.25 hours. The trip itself lasted longer because we stopped to shop, but the actually driving went really quickly. However, on the way back, it took 8.5 hours because we ran into a road block that sent us on a two hour detour that put us on the interstate 7 miles farther down the road.</div><br /><div></div><br /><div>The trip over all was fun. I was able to get some reading done and we visited with a turkish exchange student. The sadest part of the whole trip was that I didn't get to play rook with some crazy rules. Normally all the guys, cause women can't play rook (West Virginia saying not mine), get together and play rook for hours in the evenings, but because this was not around holidays everyone had to work and couldn't stay up late. </div><br /><div></div><br /><div>The greatest thing, and maybe this is silly to enjoy, is that they always have fresh brewed sweet tea in the house when I come up. On my first trip, they(WV family in law) made tons of food (homemade Thanksgiving Dinners) and lots of sweet tea. I made true comments about how good certain side items where and how I loved to drink sweet tea. Now when ever I come up, they always have fresh brewed sweet tea (something they don't normally have) and creamed corn. I had never had homemade cream corn and since then every time I go up they feel the need to make a batch. It is good so I am not complaining but I think it is funny. I appreciate the hospitality and can't wait until Thanksgiving (although I won't be able to play WoW).</div>Jameshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10742424609213844731noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5173264691312935604.post-38617386400268249192009-05-16T11:29:00.000-07:002010-08-31T07:00:58.463-07:00Books! and Addictions<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiusbsYjHXdSw6aa9B218TtFruZaUH3dmuBObt1qJnAug5TQLisuyAa1CRu7Bmt9f5aaoLBKQc86zmf1PquG9VJo2bUbqiBZ9eMVSUwa1aob7tja2xzURd55tJd6yzzYbGhc6jSaP1UNf4/s1600-h/twilight_book_cover.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5337486457641603794" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 134px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 200px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiusbsYjHXdSw6aa9B218TtFruZaUH3dmuBObt1qJnAug5TQLisuyAa1CRu7Bmt9f5aaoLBKQc86zmf1PquG9VJo2bUbqiBZ9eMVSUwa1aob7tja2xzURd55tJd6yzzYbGhc6jSaP1UNf4/s200/twilight_book_cover.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><div>So, I think we have established by now that I am a geeky, nerdy dork. I play WoW and I love to read science fiction/fantasy novels. More fantasy than science fiction, but I won't turn my nose up at anything. The thing about fantasy and science fiction books are that they more aften then not come in a series. My favorite two being Robert Jordan's <em>The Wheel of Time</em> series and Terry Goodkind's <em>The Sword of Truth</em> series. I have read and enjoyed the Harry Potter series and recently I got started on the Twilight series.<br /><br />Before I continue, I have this really addictive personality when it comes to books (and other things). I will read a book like five or six times if I really enjoy it, and not in like several years but all with in several weeks of each other. For instance, with the series' mentioned above (excluding Twilight) everytime a new book would be released I would reread the entire series before I read the book. So there are 11 books currently in the <em>Wheel of Time</em> series meaning I have read the first book 11 times or more. With Twilight I have finished my third time through the series today, just three weeks after picking it up for the first time. I read it twice through before my wife read it once through. Now I don't do that for every series I read (<em>Lord of the Rings</em>), but I do with most series.<br /><br />As of right now, no one reads this blog, but in the happenstance that some one reads this blog, What are your favorite books, and what are your addictions?</div>Jameshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10742424609213844731noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5173264691312935604.post-90194882795968516502009-05-15T08:33:00.000-07:002010-08-31T07:00:58.466-07:00Jork and Linabelle are in Kentucky listening to breaking dawn. :)Jameshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10742424609213844731noreply@blogger.com0