Better Late Than Never

Well it's been quite awhile since I have posted to this blog. I know I know I have disappointed all 2 of my readers. My apologies. I guess I just haven't been in the mood. I have no excuses, other than being distracted by things like work, WoW, riding my motorcycle and other things I can say to try and make it better. Well hopefully I'm back. I make no promises, but hopefully there will be something interesting for all 2 of you to read coming up.

Happy Mother's Day - A Day Late

Yesterday like so many I paid a visit to my mom to wish her Happy Mother’s Day. Now I hadn’t seen in three months. I’m sure it is the same for many people of this world. I bet some didn’t even go visit they just made a phone call, or sent a card. There are even some that didn’t visit, didn’t call or even send a card. We forget sometimes in this busy world we live in what is truly important.

So yesterday I drove over to visit mom. It had been a long time since I had been there. It was February 20. That was the last time I was there. I pulled in and drove the windy roads and parked. Walked through the field and stopped. I looked down at her tombstone. I tried to remember her voice. Her words of encouragement while growing up. The long talks we would have on the phone as I was driving home from work. The advice she used to give me is definitely missed. She was the rock that held our family together. And her absence has left a hole in our family that cannot be healed.

For those of you who are too busy to go see your mom, stop and think for a moment what it would be like not to have her around. It’s a reality my family and I have to live with every single day. You won’t have a chance to go back and undo the mistakes. You will miss out on important time. I know Mother’s Day has come and gone. But that doesn’t mean you can’t pick up a phone, drive across town or even send a card. Something to let her know you are thinking about her. It’s the least you can do for the woman that gave you life and cared for you while growing up. You owe her that. And if you do, I guarantee you won’t regret the time you get with her.

Gaming Versus Television

I was sitting here today thinking about people who watch television versus people who play computer games. Now the general feeling in society these days is that people who play computer games are antisocial lazy people sitting in their mom's basement playing all the time instead of getting out and doing things in the world. But nothing is ever said about the television addicts. It's obvious to me that society thinks better of the t.v. addicts and less of the gamers. So let's have a look at each group and maybe we can see who really is lazy and antisocial.

T.V. Watchers



According to A.C. Nielson, the average American watches more than 4 hours of T.V. per day or 28 hours a week. Basically, they spend 2 months of a year watching television. Now I'm not T.V. watching expert, but during that time they aren't "being productive" unless you are including giving their couch a purpose for being in the house being productive. During this time they are sitting staring at a glowing screen not socializing with others. They are watching in some sort of trance a screen with beautiful colors on it. They aren't working on the house, cleaning up, playing with kids or dogs or even talking to whoever they live with. They are focused on that magical box. By the time this person is 65 they will have spent 9 years of their life watching the television. Talk about a time sink.

Computer Gamers



According to the Entertainment Software Association, the average American woman plays 7.4 hours a week and the average man plays 7.6 hours a week. These same people spend 23.4 hours per week on other activities such as exercising, volunteering, playing sports, etc. Of course these are averages and there are the extremes on both sides for computer gamers. Also, it seems to me that while these people game, many of them are interacting with others in the multiplayer games. So it would seem they are more social than their television counterparts. It also seems to me that computer gamers seem to do more than the average television fanatic. So which ones are lazy?

Maybe it's time for the some of the stereotypes of gamers to change. It seems to me that hiding in a basement applies more to the television fanatics than it does to the computer gamers. The ironic thing is it's the ones watching all the television that say these things about computer gamers. Of course it's much easier for them to say these things than it is for them to peel themselves off their couch that has molded with their bodies.

Sources
If you would like to read more about the statistics please visit The SourceBook for Teaching Science by clicking here or visit the ESA site by clicking here.

Funny Quotes

I was surfing the web this morning for a few minutes and I found this site. It's full of funny quotes and pictures. Check it out if you get a chance by clicking here.

Here are a few of my favorites:

Son, if you really want something in this life, you have to work for it. Now quiet! They're about to announce the lottery numbers. - Homer Simpson

You laugh because I'm different...........I laugh cause I just farted!

What are the three words guaranteed to humiliate men everywhere?'Hold my purse.'

Girls are like phones. We love to be held, talked too but if you press the wrong button you'll be disconnected!

What you call dog with no legs? Don't matter what you call him, he ain't gonna come.

Energizer Bunny arrested, charged with battery.

When you are courting a nice girl an hour seems like a second. When you sit on a red-hot cinder a second seems like an hour. That's relativity. - Albert Einstein

Everyone needs believe in something. I believe I'll have another beer.

A computer once beat me at chess, but it was no match for me at kick boxing.

Guys: No Shirt, No Service - Gals: No Shirt, No Charge

If love is blind, why is lingerie so popular?

"Duct tape is like the force. It has a light side, a dark side, and it holds the world together."

After twelve years of therapy my psychiatrist said something that brought tears to my eyes. He said, "No hablo ingles."

"One of the great things about books is sometimes there are some fantastic pictures." -George W. Bush

Is it good if a vacuum really sucks?

Sexy Unix Commands: date; unzip; touch; strip; finger; mount; gasp; yes; uptime;

Shopping Trip

Well today I plan on heading to one of my favorite stores. Where you ask? Well where would any guy be in heaven outside of a strip club or an all you can eat buffet? Best Buy of course. Yes one of the many gadget junky heavens. Many many many many many square feet of electronic cocaine. Hey every guy knows what I'm talking about. We love gadgets and tools and movies etc. etc. I'm not sure why. Maybe its the blinking lights.

The reason I'm going there? My wireless router is starting to go bad. So naturally it's time for a new one. Now when you go to Best Buy you can't JUST look at what you are going for. You have to make the rounds through the televisions, software, stereos, computers and DVD sections as well. So who knows what I will end up with today. Methinks my wallet is worried.

My First Ride

Well yesterday I finally had the time to take my new ride out for a spin around the neighborhood to get used to it. The first thing I noticed about it was the size difference from those little bikes we rode. I guess I bought big. Of course there is a difference though. My bike is over 1000cc's larger than the bikes in the class. The weight took a few minutes to get used to as well.

So I fired it up. The sound of the engine was like music to my ears. While the bike warmed up I took a minute to get adjusted to the feel of the bike. After a few minutes I disengaged the choke, through it into first gear and used the clutch to get a feel for it until the end of my driveway. Then I took off. Faster than I expected. This bike has a lot of power. I adjusted my throttle and settled into the seat. Time to ride the neighborhood to get a good feel of my bike.

I started out slow. No faster than second gear. Stearing around curves, taking left and right turns, just going around and around the blocks. After a couple of times around I started getting more comfortable. So I sped up just a little and shifted into third gear. I was taking the curves and turns faster now. Not fast but normal road speed. I expanded my route to cover more of the area of my neighborhood. I even managed to deal with cars pulling out of driveways, driving on the road with me and 4 way stops with ease. I was feeling good. I was finally riding like I always wanted.

Then it happened. Well a few things happened. Nothing major and I didn't fall or anything like that but normal things that happen while driving. A squirrel ran out in my path and I had to dodge him. Then a few minutes later I caught the attention of a dog that thought it would be fun to chase me. Boy I'm glad they covered this one in the class. I varied my speed like I was taught and made the dog miss me. And then the biggest one happened...a car decided it would be a good idea to drive on MY side of the road. That one was enough to startle me and really get the blood pumping. We came close to hitting but I swerved and missed them. It's amazing to me how little people pay attention on the roads. At that point over an hour had passed and I was a little shaken so I drove the bike home for a rest.

All in all a fun first ride. No I didn't do anything crazy or complicated. It was just your basic normal driving. But that's what I need. Lots of practice. I am actually glad I had those three incidents while I was on the road because they taught me to always stay alert when riding a motorcycle. It also made me know the training I had the week before worked. It stuck in my brain even after a week had passed. If you are rider, always be prepared for what could happen, then relax and enjoy your ride. But be prepared. The roads are full of people in cages asleep at the wheel.

Two Wheel Terrors

Well that's what I liked to call my class of 20. All of us were there for one thing, to learn how to ride a motorcycle. The class was made up of people from all walks of life. There were police detectives, computer geeks, truckers, retirees, and soccer moms just to name a few. Some had riding experience, others didn't. Some already bought a bike (myself included) and others were there just to learn. It was definitely an eclectic bunch.

The class started last Friday night and the instructors began by having us mingle for a few minutes to meet each other and then we introduced each other to the class. Overall a nice way to loosen things up a bit. Then began a 3 hour long video talking about the motorcycle and motorcycle safety. They took short breaks in between to talk about each part. Basically saying the same things twice. Boring! But informative. We finished the night by stepping outside and going over one of the instructors bikes followed by a rules briefing for the next day when they actually put us on bikes. Probably the best part of the night.

And so the day finally came. Saturday - the day we all got to climb onto our first hogs and finally learn how to ride them. Ok so they weren't really hogs, not even pot bellied pigs but they were two wheels with a motor and that was more than most of us had ever ridden. Basically the bikes were leftover trash that had been donated by bike shops or people. They had small 250cc engines and weighed about the same. They began the morning by having us go over each part of the bike to learn what everything did. Kind of a repeat of the end of Friday night only this time we were doing it on our bikes. Then began the real fun. We pushed the bikes into position for the first exercise. For the first exercise we were to use the clutch with the bike in first gear to pull the bike ahead and "power walk" the bike as they called it to the other side of the course. Then we were to turn around and do it again. Now this was my first time balance something on two wheels in years. So at first it was a little awkward. But as the saying goes, it's like a riding a bike. Only this time almost literally. Pretty soon we were all up and riding in a straight line down and back, down and back. Now they started getting fancier, each exercise adding a turn here, a curve there or maybe a swerve around some cones. Shift to second, then to third, now downshift to make a sharp turn. I remember the first turn I took, I wasn't prepared for what it would take to turn the heavier motorcycle so I went way wide. But each time around I got better and better until I was hitting it each time and having a blast doing it. Finally the last exercise for the day, quick breaking. Basically, speed up then stop the bike as fast as you can without locking the breaks. All the while gearing down and putting the correct foot down first.

Now it was lunch time and our time was finished on the course. It was back to the classroom. Boring! But needed. After a few more hours of the same stuff as Friday night we took our tests. Now I aced the test. Perfect score. Of course a blind monkey could have gotten a perfect score on this test. After the test they sent us home, tired and sore to get ready for another day on the course on Sunday, and a drivers test.

We started Sunday with the one thing I had heard about the classes that made me nervous. The figure 8. Not just any figure 8. It was in a tight box about as big as 2 parking spaces next to each other. Not a way for me to start my day. We must have run through that exercise 10 times and I never once could stay in the box or not put my foot down. Very discouraging. But things got better after that. We switched to doing sharp curves and swerves which was a lot of fun. After awhile they sent us through a practice round for our test. And what is the first part of the test...the figure 8. Oh know! So I tried again. And again. No success. All the other parts of the test I had mastered but not this one.

Then it happened. They stopped all of us. It was time for the driver test. But I still hadn't mastered the figure 8. And that is the FIRST part. I took a deep breath and relaxed. Just do the best you can I told myself. Finally it was my turn. I shifted into first gear, let the cluth out, gave it a little gas and off I went into what has become my least favorite number. To my surprise, I did it! Well mostly. On the second turn I went just a little wide but no big deal that only cost me a point. The tough part was done. Next was the swerve and then the quick stop. I passed through them perfectly. And last but not least, a steep curve. I breezed through all the other tests without a problem. Relieved I parked my bike and headed in for our short graduation.

Now I can be licensed to ride. Overall, the class was a great experience and I'm glad I took the time to actually take it. I can't imagine ever riding a motorcycle without taking the class. I'm not sure why people would want to. I know I have learned several valuable lessons that could perhaps save my life on the road. If any of you are thinking about taking the class, stop thinking about it. Just do it. It's worth the money you spend to do it and it will teach you valuable lessons for riding on the road. Everyone in my class enjoyed the experience and all plan on riding more. Some are even more enthusiastic about it than they were before. So ride on Two Wheel Terrors. Ride hard or stay home.

What's to Come

Yes I know I haven't mentioned anything about the motorcycle class. The truth is after the weekend I was too tired to even really feel like writing about it and the week has been a busy one. So, expect to see a post about the class and a post about riding my new bike around. Also, because of things that happened at work I want to talk about stupid people. So over the next few days you will be seeing a couple of new posts concerning these subjects.

Shootings at Va Tech - Why?

I was sitting here reading the latest news on the shooting at Virginia Tech. All I could think about is why. Why would someone do this. What could possibly be going through this kids mind that would lead him to this point and what was going though his head while he was doing it. The anger he must have felt for basically the whole world is staggering. The hatred he must have felt to start the shootings in one place and then return to a totally different building to keep going with it hours later is tough for me to comprehend. One asks the the questions, what could have possibly happened to him to turn him this way?

Now I'm a big believer in personal responsibility. He knew what he was doing was wrong and if he had been caught he should have paid the price for his actions. Ultimately he paid the price with his life. He took the easy way out if you ask me. But nevertheless something had to have turned this kid against humanity. But what? What is so horrible it would cause that much hate for total strangers and give you a total disregard for human life? I don't know about you, but we have all had people do some bad things to us, but no matter what I have never thought this would be the answer.

I have read the stories trying their best to paint the picture of a disturbed individual. And disturbed he was there is no question about that. Anyone that could do what he did is beyond a shadow of a doubt crazy in my opinion. But what got him to that point? Was he just evil as some would say? I know some who say evil is merely a point a view and opinion based on society. It's not a black and white, cut and dry type of thing. Of course others believe it is black and white, cut and dry and plain as the nose on our faces. What do I think? I don't know. But it is something to think about.

One thing is for sure, this guy created a lot of pain and suffering for a lot of people. The whole country grieves for the families of the students and teachers at Virginia Tech. The horror that those families are dealing with right now is unimaginable. To take a human lives the way he did is in my mind evil. How could it not be? But we all must ask ourselves, why did this happen?

Well I Did It!

I told all of you I was going looking for a motorcycle yesterday. Well I did more than look. I BOUGHT. I know I know I am moving a little faster than I was planning on doing, but when I looked at the bike it called to me. When I sat on it everything just felt right. All the planets aligned and I could swear a light came down from the sky and beamed right onto me and the bike. I heard singing too. But enough about me hearing voices, the bike. As you can see in the pictures it's blue. It is a 2006 Honda Shadow. It has 0 miles on it. I bought all the gear for it I could too. I walked out of there with a leather jacket, gloves, bike cover, glasses and a helmet. I also have added a windshield and saddlebags to it as well.

Now I went in looking at the Kawasaki's but to make a long story short the deal was better and I ended up liking the look of the Honda better. So a win win. They are installing the saddlebags and the windshield this week and plan on delivering the bike to me on Friday. Finally I'm looking forward to each day of the work week this week because on the fifth day I get my new ride. When it arrives I will upload more pics of it for everyone to take a look. For now, you can see the pics that I took of it at the dealership by clicking on the picture of the bike or by clicking here.

Motorcycle Madness

For about 10 years now I have had this urge in my gut to ride a motorcycle. The feeling of the open road, the wind in your face, the pavement moving by quickly right underneath your feet are feelings that I have had for quite a long time. I think everyone that has a desire to ride has felt this at some point. Many never fulfill this urge for many reasons. Some it is time or money. Others it is pressure from friends or family not wanting their loved one to do it because of the dangers. For me, all of these were a factor as to why I haven’t ridden yet. But no more.

Next weekend, I will be taking the official riding course certified by the government to learn to ride a motorcycle. Tomorrow, I begin the process of shopping for a bike. I have thrown aside the pressure from family and have saved my money so now I can take that step that I have wanted to take for a long time now. I am filled with feelings of excitement and anticipation for what I am about to do. I don’t fully know what to expect but I am so ready I am about to burst.

Motorcycles are stuck on my brain right now. I have looked at them online every day for weeks now. Heck I have even dreamed about owning one. They say once you get the bug you have to at least give it a try to get it out of your system. Well that is what I am going to do. Check back here often as I will describe the experience here as it happens.

Dream

This is something I wrote quite awhile back. Thought it would be fun to post. Enjoy

Dream
I see a vision of what we were
A wish of timeless limitless love undiscouraged
By distance and reality of our cold worlds
Our bonds and chains of life have been broken
Our paths set free with a gaze into each other’s eyes
I hope for the vision that I see

I hear the words that are spoken
A melody so sweet and soothing
It tames the nerves of even the most restless of hearts
With a rhythm so moving
It stirs the passions and desires deep within us
I wish for the words that were spoken

I dream the dream of you
A dream that’s broken by the rise of the sun
And the bat of a waking eye
Water runs down my face leaving behind
The hopes of what could have and should have been
I long for the dream of you again

I Want To Be a Weatherman

Why do I want this you ask? Well it is the only job I can think of that you can be wrong 99 percent of the time and still keep your job. Imagine an air traffic controller being wrong that much of the time. Hell, even in my line of work if I was wrong that much of the time I wouldn’t have my job for long. It has to be nice to look at a computer and then just guess what the weather is going to be like. Who cares if you are right or wrong at least you took a stab at it.

While I’m on this subject let’s talk about a couple of things they say. Partly cloudy and mostly sunny. Okay am I the only one here who doesn’t see much of a difference in these two “terms” used by so many? Do these terms merely mark the difference between the pessimistic and the optimistic weatherman? What do they really mean anyway. Exactly how many clouds have to be in the sky for it to be partly cloudy or partly sunny or mostly cloudy or mostly sunny. I mean really when you come down to it these terms make little sense they just sound good. While I’m on this subject think about this…sometimes you will hear them say mostly sunny skies with a *insert percentage here* chance of showers. Now I don’t know about the rest of you but if it’s raining it’s rare that it’s sunny.

Why can’t they just admit that they really don’t know what is going to happen they just think it will be this way or that way. Why confuse us with terms that only sound good but have no real meaning. I guess they do this because it sounds good on T.V. The next time a user comes up to me and asks why their computer broke I think I will just say there is a 20 percent chance of hardware failure, 40 percent chance of user error but don’t worry your monitor glow is mostly sunny. I want to be a weatherman. Until next time…

Happy Easter!

I just wanted to wish everyone a Happy Easter! May your egg hunts, chocolate bunnies and easter baskets full of candy be happy, fun and tastey today.

Oh and if you go to church today, I hope the service doesn't last too long. And remember, no more white shoes now. It is white shoes you can't wear after Easter right?

Equal Rights

Here is the first post of some of my old stuff. Hope you enjoy.

Well today begins the first of a few politic blogs I will do periodically over the next few weeks. This is not a political only blog so I don't want to make these too terribly regular but I feel I must talk about some of these issues on occasion. I was going to begin these with gun control issues but a friend of mine and I were debating another issue so now I want to voice my opinion here. The subject I am talking about has been all over the news recently but I don't think the right things are being said. This issue of course is "gay marriage."

Should gay marriage be against federal law? Should it be left up to the states? Should it be legal in all states? Those are a few of the questions that have been brought up. I will admit my beliefs tend to go straight down the middle on a lot of issues with me leaning left on some and then right on others. My initial thoughts on this was it should be against the law. It is immoral and should be against the law. Then I thought about that for a minute. I thought to myself who am I to say that? What right do I have to say that two people don't love each other and want to be with each other forever just because they are the same sex.

The answer is I don't have that right. I cannot limit someone else's rights just because I don't agree with it. Do I think it is morally wrong according to the Bible and many other religious groups? Yes. Do I have any desire to be a part of their world? No. Do I judge a person based on that decision? No. If we truly live in a "free" country with "freedom of expression" then why can't these people express their "feelings" in this way. They should be able to assuming we truly believe in this country that "all men are created equal."

It boggles my mind all the people that want to scream freedom of this and freedom of that but must think that it only applies to their situation. Let me tell you something, gays and lesbians have the same rights as you do you ultra right wing Bible toting Pharisee. Just because you think it's wrong doesn't give you any right to tell them they can't do it. What if everyone told you they think your narrow minded belief system was wrong and it should be illegal? You would scream freedom of this and freedom of that. Well let me tell you something the same is true here. You need to lift the veil over your eyes and see what's going on.

If this country is truly going to be a free country EVERYONE needs to be equal. Whites, blacks, hispanics, gays, lesbians and whatever other kind of group you can come up. That means the same rights for ALL people. Not just people that pass your litmus test. It doesn't mean you can't be against it. It doesn't mean you have to support it. You don't have to. Ultimately it truly doesn't have anything to do with you whatsoever.

Who cares if they get married? Why does it matter to those of you who are against it. It's not like they are going make you marry them for goodness sake. And if they do ask you say no. Those of you against gay marriage are pretty good at saying that to everyone you don't agree with anyway.

Just my two cents. Until next time...

A Plan...

Well I thought I would give everyone an update on a few things that you will be seeing on this site over the next few weeks.

First, I plan on completely shutting down my old blog that I'm sure so many people visited. But before I do, I am going to move some of my favorite postings from that site over here so I have them and everyone can read them again or for the first time if you are new. So if you think you have read them before somewhere else you just might have. But trust me, they are my writings.

Second, I am looking at taking on some politics and religion. Mainly because I like the heated controversy of it all. And I am about to start learning how to ride a motorcycle so I thought it would be fun to document my learning experiences and my experiences purchasing a new bike.

So now you have an idea about what is to come. I hope you guys come back and enjoy the read.

Welcome!

Hello everyone. I have run blogs in the past but got out of the habit of it. But today I decided I would get back into the swing of things and start myself a fresh new blog for everyone to enjoy. A couple things you can expect from my blogging... It will be about anything and everything that my mind might come up with so expect to see just about anything from reviews to rants here. I am NOT politically correct so don't expect me to be. I enjoy sarcasm so be prepared for it and leave comments that are I will love them! That's about it for the first post. I hope you enjoy what you read here and drop me a line if you do or if you don't. If you don't, chances are I won't care but I will love the entertainment.