Family Variety -

My (myspace) blog

2008-03-10T21:23:00.002-06:00

Sorry we haven't kept up with our family blog :>(

I have made quite a few entries on my myspace blog.

www.myspace.com/dayonthebeach

Peace,
Amy

More perfect songs...

2007-03-09T10:30:00.000-06:00

1. The perfect "Did we really all enjoy dancing to this in the club" song: Los Del Rio --Macarena

2. The perfect "chill out" song: Otis Redding--Sittin' on the Dock of the Bay

3. The perfect "back when I thought Tom Cruise was cool" song: Righteous Brothers--You've lost that lovin' feeling

4. The perfect "go grab a guitar and some black leather" song: Joan jett and the Blackhearts--I Love Rock and Roll

Well, that's all I got.....

Perfect songs... or not

2007-03-04T14:21:00.000-06:00

Mary tagged us. I was actually still planning to follow-up/extend her weirdo meme (yeah, it was weeks ago, i've been busy), but since one weird thing about me is that i listen to music that drives 99%+ of the population up walls and out windows (and am actually relaxed by it), this will have to do. For your listening pleasure, song links lead to pages with the actual songs. The songs decrease in listenability as the the list descends. However, you've been spared the task of listening to the 20-minute epic greatest song ever, "Rise of the Irridescent Behemoth" by the Flying Luttenbachers. But you are now obligated to listen to 3. in it's entirety.

5. The perfect Express your (hopefully) righteous idignation against evil church people song. "Brood of Vipers" by Seventh Star

4. The perfect Zone out and feel enveloped and warm, yet strangely stimulated song. "Anoint 6" by Ocrilim, aka Mick Barr.

3. The perfect Go completely nutso while maintaining structure in a focused activity song. "The Elimination of Incompetence" by The Flying Luttenbachers

Amy, it's all you now.

Give me another shot of that!!

2007-02-27T13:22:00.000-06:00

I have not felt the best for the past 5 days now. (Yeah, what's even worse is the fact that due to not feeling well, I haven't been to the gym since last Thursday :>( Anyhoo, on Sunday, a friend of mine suggested that I try this over-the-counter stuff called EmergenC. It's kind of like Airbourne... I tried the Raspberry EmergenC. It definitely tastes better than Airbourne, but that is probably because it has more sugar. The main ingredient is 1,000 mg of Vitamin C. EmergenC claims to be an "energy booster" on the box. I think I am going to keep taking the stuff on a regular basis for awhile. I'll let you know later if I notice any changes.
But for today, I am feeling better. So, whether it was the EmergenC, or simply time.. I am on the road to recovery.

Could Landis be innocent?

2007-02-23T14:07:00.000-06:00

Here's the latest article.

Can people read other people?

2007-02-22T12:48:00.000-06:00

That is a question I ask myself frequently. I want to say, "Yes". Some people tend to be an open book, while others just confuse and bewilder me. Today, while at the gym, I was talking to a friend of mine, when someone I didn't know simply came up and started a conversation with me. Later, my friend commented how she thought that was odd. But, it really isn't odd for me. That happens to me all the time. I love to talk. Can other people who love to talk tell that I also love to talk? It is not uncommon for me to have a lengthy conversation with someone at the store that I have never met before. In fact, last year I bought something on eBay. I sent the lady an email letting her know that I had made the payment and thanked her (in advance) for the item. She sent a reply that went into detail about the plans she had for her day. (Now, that was a bit weird to me).
But back to the question..(Can people tell I love to talk) or, does my willingness to speak in response to their initial question simply encourage the conversation further? So in other words, they didn't know whether or not I would engage in a conversation, but they try it with many people? I don't know. Mark, what do you think?

Happy Chinese New Year!

2007-02-18T17:28:00.000-06:00

Happy Chinese New Year!! The Year of the Boar.

Take the Quiz..

the humidifier is not a pony!

2007-02-13T19:46:00.000-06:00

do i really need to say anymore than that? Haaaaaaaannaaahh!

How much do you know about Valentine's Day?

2007-02-11T17:25:00.000-06:00

Take the quiz and find out.

p.s I failed.

What every man wants for V-Day

2007-02-08T18:14:00.000-06:00

You may have heard about Project Grizzly, a bear enthusiast's project (and subsequent film) to construct a suit that could withstand grizzly attacks for close-range interaction with the amazing animals. Well, Troy Hurtubise took his bear suit and made it into a full body armor suit capable of withstanding light explosives, elephant guns, and point-blank shotgun blasts. The specs are amazing and I can't even begin to start describing them so you'll just have to see for yourself. Oh, and they could be produced en masse for about 2 grand each.
Check out the Engadget article and links.

Well, Troy has spent his life savings on developing this revolutionary suit and no one will buy it. Say what now? Uhhh... don't we have people in Iraq... you know... worried about getting shot? Troy's about to go bankrupt and lose everything, but the good news is that this bad boy is now up on eBay. If you buy it you not only get the suit, but also the rights to manufacture it. So check it out and tell people. Ebay link below.
http://cgi.ebay.ca/The-Trojan-full-body-armor-designed-by-Troy-Hurtubise_W0QQitemZ190079888295QQihZ009QQcategoryZ25552QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

Nurse sells baby?

2007-02-08T12:45:00.000-06:00

Wonder how often this has actually happened and no one was caught?

Baby sold at hospital

Terrible!

Green, er, red tea

2007-02-01T20:24:00.000-06:00

This stuff is awesome. Green tea and pomegranate rules. They're my new peanut butter and chocolate. I always try to like green tea for health(y) reasons, and i drink it from time to time (we have the whole Tazo line of teas free at work, decent perk) but i just haven't really been able to get into it. Well, no longer. This is the best green tea i've ever had and maybe, possibly the best tea overall. (Disclaimer: i like tea and drink it frequently, but am not any kind of tea snob or connoisseur.) Such a small pack, so much pomegranate flavor and double the anti-oxidant punch. Amazing. Thanks to Jessica Rose for looking out for a co-worker and giving me a free sample. I'd give her a hat tip, but don't think she has anything online, so here's a link to her husband, Lawrence producer Ed Rose's site.

All good things must come to an end...

2007-02-01T12:37:00.000-06:00

With Lean Cuisine, that is.. I have been trying different flavors of the Lean Cuisine frozen meals. My favorite is the Ginger Garlic Stir Fry Chicken. However, today's Lean Cuisine lunch was much different.
I really didn't even buy it for me in the first place. Mark likes salmon, it's Salmon with Basil, so I thought he might like it. But it has sit in the freezer for about 2 weeks now, and I was out of all of my meals...so, I thought I'd give it a try.
WRONG IDEA!! That was the most disgusting frozen meal I have had in a long time!! I even tried to douse it with garlic powder and then I even spread salsa on it at the end. But I finally decided that I wasn't going to waste my calories on something that I didn't like, so...Mark, it's in the fridge waiting for you when you get home. hehehe:>) garlic powder, salsa, and all!

I've got... uh... personality?

2007-01-31T22:15:00.000-06:00

Should be sleeping, but reading RSS feeds and following interesting stuff (from emergentvillage.com to ecclesialdreamer.com to...) eventually led me to a wide array of personality tests.
http://similarminds.com/personality_tests.html
i took the short Jung test, cuz i really do need to get to bed.
http://similarminds.com/jung.html

Extroverted (E) 54.29% Introverted (I) 45.71%
Intuitive (N) 60.53% Sensing (S) 39.47%
Thinking (T) 63.16% Feeling (F) 36.84%
Perceiving (P) 54.05% Judging (J) 45.95%

Your type is: ENTP

ENTP - "Inventor". Enthusiastic interest in everything and always sensitive to possibilities. Non-conformist and innovative. 3.2% of the total population.

Hmmm... interesting. I always have a hard time answering those types of questions, normally i'm thinking, "Well, that depends on the situation..."
Anyway, sweet dreams.

Let there be energy-saving fluorescent light...

2007-01-31T16:36:00.000-06:00

About 4 weeks ago, Mark finally convinced me that it was a good idea to spend a few extra dollars on light bulbs that would a)last alot longer and b)use less energy. So, I put my "thriftiness" to the side in order to save energy. (yeah, they cost quite a bit more than regular light bulbs)
So today, I found this article interesting. Hmmm.... could a person really potentially be fined for possession of a lightbulb?

Corporate confession

2007-01-30T21:36:00.000-06:00

Well, it's happened. My supervisory position has resulted in the acquisition of a Blackberry 8700c. Confession time... i like it. This post would be longer, but it's time to check email on the Crackberry.

A real life Jonah...well, kind of...

2007-01-23T16:27:00.000-06:00

What a lucky man!!

Diver escapes being 'eaten' by shark

Eating Bacteria??

2007-01-23T07:15:00.000-06:00

Well, I waited awhile on this post. I am almost to the "2 week" mark, so here's what I think.

Dannon Activia is an interesting concept. Activia has added a live "friendly" bacteria to their yogurt which is supposed to help you digest your food better. It seems to be working for me. (I have also changed my diet...hmmm...maybe I should have tried this seperately) Well anyways, it tastes good, but has quite a bit of sugar. I have one for breakfast everyday.

Well, have a great day. I broke off one of the crowns on my teeth on Sunday, so (boo hoo), I am going to the dentist today.

The Baptists are killing me.

2007-01-22T22:40:00.000-06:00

Ok, it's really going too far now. I understand the whole women in ministry debate and, to be honest, am not outspoken on my official position, though i do have one. That is not the subject of this post. This (HT:Scot McKnight on Jesuscreed.org- note the three separate links) is the subject of the post. In short, seminary professor, who was trained and granted a degree by Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, has been fired from the same institution... for being a woman... as if they didn't notice when they schooled and subsequently hired her. At the VERY LEAST they should pay her salary for the rest of her life. Disgraceful.

Freeride Bike and Skate

2007-01-20T21:40:00.000-06:00

the local Warrensburg bike/skate shop rules. check out their new home page- they must be hard up for photos. actually, that's a pretty good one, not cuz i'm in it, but because Eric Lauer took it. nice effects. it's almost blurry enough that you can't tell how my grimace looks like i'm constipated. www.freeridebikeandskate.com

Organic, yeah, sprouted, yeah.

2007-01-19T19:32:00.000-06:00

So this is turning into a health(ish) food blog which is kinda cool. Found an interesting company recently - Food for Life. They specialize in organic, "sprouted" grains, which is just what it sounds like. They actually sprout the grain just a bit which supposedly releases all these extra nutrients. They have products based on Bible verses, too, which obviously rocks. The Ezekiel 4:9 ("Take also unto thee Wheat, and Barley, and beans, and lentils, and millet, and Spelt, and put them in one vessel, and make bread of it...") line of cereals (there are breads, too) taste kind of like Grape Nuts, but a little better- the Cinnamon Raisin version does anyway. No sugar, pretty impressive.

Roasted some Guatemala Quiche from La Perla Estate this afternoon. Not a bad first cup (directly after roasting), but roasted a bit uneven and the taste is all over the place in a not-so-complementary way. I'll have to wait and let it sit for awhile before making an official judgment. Pretty positive the Fair Trade Organic Guatemalan from the Roasterie will still be number 1 for Guats in my book.
http://www.theroasterie.com/shopping/detail.asp?DOM=1&productID=631
also available roasted, of course.

Smucker's Natural Peanut Butter with Honey

2007-01-18T10:49:00.000-06:00

I was a bit concerned once I got home and realized the top of the jar was nothing but oil. So much that they have actually printed on the jar lid that "Oil Speraration is natural...Just Stir and Enjoy" So 5 minutes later, (yeah, the stirring part was a little difficult) I tasted the stuff. Much to my surprise, it was good. Ingredients: Peanuts, honey, sugar, salt (Sugars: 4g) I'm sure that helps the flavor:>) Between the Blueberry spread and peanut butter, who needs to put butter on bread?

Another night of hopefuls!!

2007-01-17T14:34:00.000-06:00

Yes, tonight is the second night of American Idol tryouts. I enjoyed many laughs last night, but I think my favorite was the guy at the end who said, "Taylor Hicks, I'm your long lost brother and we gots ta meet! Yeah!" It was great!

Would you like to be Violet Beauregarde?

2007-01-17T14:29:00.000-06:00

You know, the little girl that swells up into a blueberry in Charlie and the Chocolate Factory? Well, if you like blueberries, I have got the stuff for you. St. Dalfour's Wild Blueberry fruit spread. Blueberries, concentrated grape juice, fruit pectin. Oh, and it goes really good on fresh homeade bread.

Another cookie recommendation

2007-01-16T11:03:00.000-06:00

Well, I haven't tried the Classic Cremes, but the Chocolate Chunks are pretty good. This cookie is a crispier cookie than the TLC Kashi cookies, but the taste is still good. There are 20 cookies in a box and a serving size is 2 cookies, (but there are still 130 calories in a serving). They have other products besides cookies, but I haven't tried any of them yet.

The following is quoted from the back of the box...."It was 1960, in Pasadena, Californiz when we decided the best way to move forward was to go back. Back to simplicity. Back to goodness. Back to what was real. Back to honest ingredients, unadulterated tastes, intriguing textures. Foods created for those who believe over-processing does not mark progress and artificial flavors and preservatives rob from true taste. If this describes you, you'll understand why we think it's so important to go back. Back to nature. Back to pure taste."

Well, I don't know if that totally describes me yet, (sure do love those Duncan Hines and Oreos), but I'm working on it. Oh, here is the link.

American Idol Premieres Tonight!!!

2007-01-16T08:09:00.000-06:00

O.K. Mark... don't get too excited! (Oh, and don't even try the, "I think I'm gonna have to work late" scheme) You know you like it!

Anyways..tonight is the night for the auditions. I love to see just how off the wall some people will go for a shot to be on tv. (come on now, you get the fact that some of these people's acts are simply an attempt to get on the "bad auditions" show).

Oh, and I am also looking forward to new episodes of Lost and Heroes.

Water Intoxication?

2007-01-15T12:03:00.000-06:00

I had always heard you could die from drinking too much water. (Yeah, it even used to be one of my excuses for not drinking too much water...."You know, I don't want it to kill me!! hehe)

But on Friday, a mother of 3 attempting to win a new video game system for her children, proved that this can happen ... for real!

Pretty scary stuff!!

The Tiger and the Mouse

2007-01-14T10:44:00.000-06:00

Here is a story written by our 8 year old. Enjoy!!

One day there was a tiger and a mouse. They lived in the Foxie Forest. The tiger was a fast runner. He had sharp teeth. He was suspicious. He was the worst tiger on the universe.

The problem was the tiger didn't like the mouse. The tiger didn't like anyone especially the mouse. The mouse didn't like the tiger. Plus when they boxed the tiger always won though.

He had traps. One of them was a leaf trap. The mouse would walk on it and fall but apparently he walked right across it. He said "Wwwwhhhhh-aaaatttt!"

The tiger fell asleep. The mouse came and bit his tail. The tiger woke up and said "Oooooowwwwww!" The mouse did it. I'm gonna beat him over to his house and defeat him.

It's my supper time said the tiger. I'll get the mouse. He found the mouse and chased him.

The mouse made a trap of mud. The tiger did the splits in the mud. The mouse said, "Are you o.k.?" The tiger said, "Yes" They became friends. They shook hands. The played games and had banana fights.

THE END

i'm jumping rope, look at my butt

2007-01-13T22:14:00.000-06:00

...wait, that should've been the title for the last post. Amy, what were you thinking?

Anyway, i'm posting something because i've been at work for over 34 hours and will be here for another 10 or 12 at least. I just want to feel like work is not happening, so this will probably not go anywhere and will probably ramble on about work and miss the point anyway.

It all started with a conference call including mucho directors and a VP. There's a major project this weekend and the weather was suggested as a threat. "We don't want our people to have to drive in that stuff." Hey, that was awful nice. "Well, it is a 24x7 operation, couldn't the key people just arrive and stay at the NOC before the weather starts?" Unfortunately, it was a point that couldn't be argued and so i offered before i got ordered. So yesterday (Friday) I came it at noon (note: after doing some work from home in the morning) and have been here since. To be fair, they offered to get me a room at the Holtze a few blocks away, but i didn't wanna have to deal with checking in and out and possibly logging in from the hotel since i'm on call anyway. It's not the first time i've slept at work and i'm actually kind of used to it and feel more comfortable at work than at a hotel i've only frequented once (unless you count the multiple times i've piggybacked on traveling co-workers for the free food and drinks from 5-6 in the lobby.)

So we finished the project at 8. But Amy had called around 6:30 to say that our internet was down (most of the Warrensburg area for Charter, at least) and guess who is still on call. No way to log in from home without internet. Oh well, i'm tired and don't feel like driving home in the dark on the ice anyway. And these systems need a babysitter for the first 12 hours or so anyway. So in an hour and a half it will be 3 days at work (Friday, Saturday, Sunday) but i'm determined to get out of here before noon tomorrow so i don't hit 48 hours.

At least they found those two boys and i'm eating a Chipotle...

2007-01-11T13:19:00.000-06:00

I invite you to take the National Body Challenge with me. Ssshhh...(they are even giving away money to some lucky winner for simply logging your weight/workout info)

It IS a Tasty Little Cookie!!!

2007-01-10T13:26:00.000-06:00

Well, here is my recommendation for today. It is Kashi's TLC (Tasty Little Cookies)...All Natural..No Hydrogenated Oils, Zero Grams Trans Fat. -take note that I did say Trans Fat.

I also found these at Wal-Mart. I think they were $2.50 a box, but there are only 8 cookies in the box. :>( However, with the calories per cookie at 130 and Total Fat at 5g, it is probably best that there are only 8 cookies in a box. And it is a GOOD SIZED cookie. (oh, and did I mention 0mg cholesterol)

I went to the Community Center for day 2 of my workout program. I think I am going to be able to feed Hannah and Nathan (the chitlens) at the Senior Center after I work out. (even more of an incentive to go workout...knowing that I will not have to cook lunch seperate for them.)

I have a full night tonight. Kids Choir Starts.

more pics... i LOVE it

2007-01-09T12:02:00.000-06:00

HT:Engadget www.engadget.com
"You had me at scrolling."
uh, yeah, and it's a phone, too, did i mention that? Just go to Engadget and read the post- i'll not nab any more of their pics. This is just beyond my wildest dreams for what Apple would offer up today. i am in technogadget heaven. thinking about pawning much stuff. must... exercise... self... controllll.. i'm thinking the only thing that may stop me is if they're not available today. Please, please don't let them be available today!!! I'm a Cingular customer already! How can i deny myself!!! temptation... too... great... aaaaaa... noooooo

Apple iPhone!!!!

2007-01-09T11:55:00.000-06:00

Here it is, amazing!!! Did i say debt reduction mindset in my last post??? Who was i kidding!?!?!?!

Health food junkie...Me???

2007-01-09T11:27:00.000-06:00

Well, I'm gonna give it my best shot. They had a health screening at our Community Center last weekend and I found out my cholesterol is a bit high, (and maybe a few other things:>) So, I took a trip to Wal-Mart on Sunday and scanned every aisle for "better" food for my body. I have until April 14th to increase my scores in a number of different areas, one being a 1/2 mile walk, so I have also started visiting the Community Center, (got my new Fitness Pass card today). Here are a few items that I highly recommend. Ragu Organic Spaghetti Sauce and Mrs. Mays All-Naturals
I have learned that just because something is "organic" or "natural", does not mean that it is low in calories or fat. (a little of the Mrs. Mays nuts have to go a long way for me) The organic sauce tastes great and at $1.98 a jar, well within the budget. I don't remember how much the nuts were, I will post that later. The ingredients of the Almond Crunch is almonds, rice malt, evaporated cane juice, and sea salt. And they are AWESOME!! Check back often, as I will be posting more cool finds.
Well, it's time for laundry. (doesn't that burn calories too??)

a fool and his graphics card...

2007-01-08T19:32:00.000-06:00

so i finally got around to buying a slot cooler to make up for the non-spinning fan on my graphics card. why do they put bearings in a non-replaceable fan that die long before the card should? in the process of installing the slot cooler i dropped the card. now, maybe it had been broken some time in the months it sat out while i was pricing and waiting for the opportune moment to buy a slot cooler (or for chaintech to respond to my email requesting details on how to order replacement parts), but either way, it's broken now. i have a +$100 piece o junk. to be fair, it's a chaintech, so i didn't count on it lasting too long anyway. but my outlook of "i get a newer, faster graphics card when this one dies" has been replaced by a debt reduction mindset. so now i have a sweet 256MB graphics card that would work perfectly fine for the applications i use (even games with my slow reaction times) but it doesn't work. ugh. i see a long future of onboard graphics processing (that has a tendency to crash my PC, especially when using video). but i have a really cool slot cooler with a blue LED. maybe Amy will post a pic. i don't feel like breaking the digital camera tonite.

Coffee Roasting

2007-01-04T08:23:00.000-06:00

Well, I wanted to be the first one to post today, so in despiration for a topic...I am using one I have already blogged about. Sorry.
Mark and I got a coffee roaster for Christmas. It has been alot of fun roasting our own beans. It has also been fun showing people what a green coffee bean looks like.
We have also found some websites,(Sweet Maria's) & (The Roasterie) that sell really good beans, (they also have good tips on roasting). Well, on with my day.

Is this even possible??

2007-01-03T21:59:00.000-06:00

*
*
*
*
Toyota developing car that..

"Abnormal Steering"??...half the people driving during rush hour traffic would be detected...which would cause the vehicle to "shut down"...which would cause...well...MAJOR PROBLEMS!!!

Hmmm...

Mail and Revolt

2007-01-03T20:37:00.000-06:00

well, it appears the ol mail system is flowing again. all of our pre-Christmas shipments finally arrived today- Zach's Heelys, the last shipment i may ever receive from a book club ever again if Amy has any say, and some CDs (The Flying Luttenbachers and Weasel Walter Quartet) and 10" vinyl (Walter/Barr/Hillmer) from Weasel Walter himself.

I'm most excited about the quartet cd (partially because both record players are collecting dust on top of the basement fridge so i know i won't be listening to the vinyl anytime soon) because of the sample from Weasel's myspace page (see "revolt") and the following quote from the back of the cd:

"it is not enough to simply make "improvised music" - improvisation itself is only a means to an end. it is only powerful when strong ideas and concepts are behind it."

listening to: track 2 "revolt and revolt again" of the Weasel Walter Quartet's Revolt Music for the first time

You know what I'm optimistic about??

2007-01-02T11:40:00.000-06:00

I am optimistic that after almost 2 weeks of waiting and about a million, "Are they here yet?" Zach's Christmas present will finally arrive. Yeah, I know, we should have ordered them sooner, but... come on people... are you having them delivered by horse and buggy? And what are "they", you ask? Well, you'll have to wait for the answer to that one.

Cause for optimism... ?

2007-01-02T07:52:00.000-06:00

edge.org has posted it's yearly world question to the ranks of intelligentsia that make up its membership. This year, "What are you optimistic about?" I haven't read any of the answers, but let me be pessimistic and guess that more than one answer will be about the looming (or present) defeat of intelligent design.

ht: slashdot.org

listening to: Orthrelm 2 (II?) CDR and Heather Kirk-Davidoff sermons from Emergent podcast

New Year , New Blog Part 2

2007-01-01T18:15:00.001-06:00

Yes, Mark and I will be attempting this blog thing........together. (I know he secretly really likes my myspace and looks forward to some of my creativity oozing out onto him :)

So, here's to us.

new year, new blog

2007-01-01T17:04:00.000-06:00

decided to start a blog w/ my wife, Amy. it'll be fun to work together on this. and it'll ~~keep her from posting so much on myspace~~ give us both a standard blog interface to use. hopefully it will prove interesting to others as you will never know what to expect from us. since a blog is conversational (or not ht:TechCrunch) i like the idea of a husband and wife blog, tho i'm sure we're not the first. prepare yourself for random meanderings and arbitrary assaults... in the key of love, of course!