During the middle of season 3 of 24 I wondered to myself how many people have "died" on the show. This website does not quite answer my question but it is still cool.
Here is an interesting take on the season finale of Lost. The author also has some whacked out theories about the show. Warning: Do not read if you have not watched the season finale.
This summer I hope to catch up on the Lost Experience. I plan to start at this blog.
Finally, you have to give Bud Selig props for pushing MLB.tv, especially once this upgrade becomes public.
Tuesday, May 30, 2006
Friday, May 26, 2006
Open Invitation
To all family and friends,
As Christina's due date approaches (8 days and counting) I would like it to be known that there is always an open invitation to visit us in Sonora. We have plenty of room to house a fair number of guests. I know some family is already planning to be in Sonora when Christina delivers. Others plan on coming up after the birth. We are just glad to share this wonderful moment with all our family and friends.
If you do plan to visit us please just give us a call or email me. Thank you for keeping us in your prayers as we approach this life changing event.
As Christina's due date approaches (8 days and counting) I would like it to be known that there is always an open invitation to visit us in Sonora. We have plenty of room to house a fair number of guests. I know some family is already planning to be in Sonora when Christina delivers. Others plan on coming up after the birth. We are just glad to share this wonderful moment with all our family and friends.
If you do plan to visit us please just give us a call or email me. Thank you for keeping us in your prayers as we approach this life changing event.
Wednesday, May 24, 2006
Ask Jimmie
The following are questions (and my answers) I am asked every day by Joe Q. Public.
Q: What do you get when you combine two of your favorite things, baseball and sudoku?
A: Baseball sudoku, of course.
Q: Speaking of merging things, what do you get when you combine a loser with an Internet sensation?
A: The most annoying clip of all time.
Q: What do I do if I am jogging and need to know the time, distance, and pace of my run?
A: Buy the iPod compatible shoes from Nike.
Q: Where can I find a geometry related game?
A: Right here. I have reached level 5 before I ran out of time/patience.
Q: What is the MLB Heavyweight Champion and who holds the current title?
A: The MLB Heavyweight Champion was devised by Ken Arneson (see the toolbar on the right hand side) and is defined as if MLB champs were decided like boxing: beat the champ, your the champ. The current champ as of May 23 is the Los Angeles Dodgers.
Q: What is your favorite part of The Colbert Report?
A: The Dead to Me and On Notice lists. I also thoroughly enjoy Stephen's trek from his news desk to the interview desk.
And finally...
Q: What can I do if I am bored?
A: Use Snoop Dogg's Google and read this blog again.
Q: What do you get when you combine two of your favorite things, baseball and sudoku?
A: Baseball sudoku, of course.
Q: Speaking of merging things, what do you get when you combine a loser with an Internet sensation?
A: The most annoying clip of all time.
Q: What do I do if I am jogging and need to know the time, distance, and pace of my run?
A: Buy the iPod compatible shoes from Nike.
Q: Where can I find a geometry related game?
A: Right here. I have reached level 5 before I ran out of time/patience.
Q: What is the MLB Heavyweight Champion and who holds the current title?
A: The MLB Heavyweight Champion was devised by Ken Arneson (see the toolbar on the right hand side) and is defined as if MLB champs were decided like boxing: beat the champ, your the champ. The current champ as of May 23 is the Los Angeles Dodgers.
Q: What is your favorite part of The Colbert Report?
A: The Dead to Me and On Notice lists. I also thoroughly enjoy Stephen's trek from his news desk to the interview desk.
And finally...
Q: What can I do if I am bored?
A: Use Snoop Dogg's Google and read this blog again.
Monday, May 22, 2006
Saturday, May 20, 2006
Stay Classy, San Diego
I spent the last few days at a conference in San Diego. (If you want to know what the conference was about follow the link or ask me about it in person, trust me it isn't an interesting subject.) The conference was drab and boring. Unfortunately, so was the weather during the trip. The sun only came out a total of 10 minutes during our stay.
Before we left for the airport on Friday, we swung by the Cabrillo National Park. On a clear day the view is supposed to be spectacular. We could barely make out downtown across the bay. On a side note, I did learn that San Diego was not discovered by the Germans in 1904.
Before we left for the airport on Friday, we swung by the Cabrillo National Park. On a clear day the view is supposed to be spectacular. We could barely make out downtown across the bay. On a side note, I did learn that San Diego was not discovered by the Germans in 1904.
Thursday, May 11, 2006
I love this game?
It’s been almost a week now. I have had time to calm down, contemplate, and put some coherent thoughts together. All five senses were thrown out of whack. For a week and half the world had turned upside down. Every basketball fan knows what I am talking about, the Phoenix-LA first round playoff series.
***
It was the end of the regular season and Kobe had done the unthinkable, threw up Jordan like stats, led his make-shift team to the playoffs, and even had a nice winning streak to end the season. I was still skeptical. Yes, the Lakers had just spanked the Suns in their last meeting of the regular season, but Steve Nash sat out the game. I could not get over the fact the Lakers had yet to beat the Suns when Steve Nash was in the lineup.
Game 1 started much like everyone expected, the Lakers not being able to keep up with the runnin’ and gunnin’ Suns. But still something was different about LA, they were playing like a team. It wasn’t all about Kobe. They continued to pound the ball inside and took advantage of the weak front line of the Suns. By the fourth quarter the Lakers had fought their way back into the game, but a couple of no-calls later (which of course went the Suns way) and Phoenix had squeaked by for a 1-0 lead.
The next two games the Lakers stuck to their game plan of making Kobe a play-maker, not a scorer, and using the big men to take the 2-1 lead. Did Phil Jackson know Phoenix had a weak link all season but refused to exploit it during the regular season in case they met in the playoffs?
Game 4 was a classic. Laker fans knew after Game 4 who the real MVP was, as evident to Nash’s two critical turnovers and Kobe’s two heroic shots. The series was all but over. If Chick was still announcing he would have put the series in the fridge, the lights were out, the eggs were cooling, the butter was getting hard, and the Jell-O was jiggling. The Suns had just suffered a Level 2 Stomach Punch game.
I underestimated one thing though: Steve Nash’s ability to pick himself up and move on. For the next three games he kept plugging away, running the pick and roll perfectly. He was the difference maker. True, other players like Barbosa, Diaw, and Tim Thomas stepped up, but Steve Nash stayed true to himself.
In the end the better team won. Sadly every Laker fan knew it.
***
I guess the best way to describe the Suns would be to compare them to my Uncle Larry. Like my uncle, the Suns have a fun attitude that surrounds them. Like my uncle, their unselfishness is contagious and great to watch. Like my uncle, the Suns can make you smile even if you have told yourself to play it tough. My uncle has also been known to have a short fuse. To no one’s surprise my uncle has thrown a cell phone across the room, you can see where it is easy to replace my uncle with Raja Bell and the cell phone with Kobe.
***
Did I just compare the Suns to my uncle? Maybe I haven’t recovered from the Lakers collapse after all.
***
It was the end of the regular season and Kobe had done the unthinkable, threw up Jordan like stats, led his make-shift team to the playoffs, and even had a nice winning streak to end the season. I was still skeptical. Yes, the Lakers had just spanked the Suns in their last meeting of the regular season, but Steve Nash sat out the game. I could not get over the fact the Lakers had yet to beat the Suns when Steve Nash was in the lineup.
Game 1 started much like everyone expected, the Lakers not being able to keep up with the runnin’ and gunnin’ Suns. But still something was different about LA, they were playing like a team. It wasn’t all about Kobe. They continued to pound the ball inside and took advantage of the weak front line of the Suns. By the fourth quarter the Lakers had fought their way back into the game, but a couple of no-calls later (which of course went the Suns way) and Phoenix had squeaked by for a 1-0 lead.
The next two games the Lakers stuck to their game plan of making Kobe a play-maker, not a scorer, and using the big men to take the 2-1 lead. Did Phil Jackson know Phoenix had a weak link all season but refused to exploit it during the regular season in case they met in the playoffs?
Game 4 was a classic. Laker fans knew after Game 4 who the real MVP was, as evident to Nash’s two critical turnovers and Kobe’s two heroic shots. The series was all but over. If Chick was still announcing he would have put the series in the fridge, the lights were out, the eggs were cooling, the butter was getting hard, and the Jell-O was jiggling. The Suns had just suffered a Level 2 Stomach Punch game.
I underestimated one thing though: Steve Nash’s ability to pick himself up and move on. For the next three games he kept plugging away, running the pick and roll perfectly. He was the difference maker. True, other players like Barbosa, Diaw, and Tim Thomas stepped up, but Steve Nash stayed true to himself.
In the end the better team won. Sadly every Laker fan knew it.
***
I guess the best way to describe the Suns would be to compare them to my Uncle Larry. Like my uncle, the Suns have a fun attitude that surrounds them. Like my uncle, their unselfishness is contagious and great to watch. Like my uncle, the Suns can make you smile even if you have told yourself to play it tough. My uncle has also been known to have a short fuse. To no one’s surprise my uncle has thrown a cell phone across the room, you can see where it is easy to replace my uncle with Raja Bell and the cell phone with Kobe.
***
Did I just compare the Suns to my uncle? Maybe I haven’t recovered from the Lakers collapse after all.
Monday, May 08, 2006
Is there a doctor in the house?
On Friday night my dad received his doctorate in Theology. We are very proud of his accomplishment and all the hard work that went into this feat.
Monday, May 01, 2006
Nursery Time
With only five weeks to go, I figured it was time to start the nursery. James, my artistic brother-in-law, came to Sonora to help us with a mural. Christina finally decided that she wanted the theme of the nursery to be the same as a baby book she received at a shower. (It turns out to be Carter's John Lennon collection. A sample can be found here.)
Don't be fooled by this picture. I am only coloring between the lines. James did most of the work. I think the last time I painted was in grade school and that was using my fingers.
Here is the finished project along with the crib and changing table. A big shout out goes to Cousin Laurie and Scott Nave for graciously giving us their baby furniture.
This is a shot of the door and shelves. The dresser was originally mine 25 years ago. Below is a close up shot of the light fixture and mural by James.
Don't be fooled by this picture. I am only coloring between the lines. James did most of the work. I think the last time I painted was in grade school and that was using my fingers.
Here is the finished project along with the crib and changing table. A big shout out goes to Cousin Laurie and Scott Nave for graciously giving us their baby furniture.
This is a shot of the door and shelves. The dresser was originally mine 25 years ago. Below is a close up shot of the light fixture and mural by James.
Sunday, April 30, 2006
With only five weeks to go, I figured it was time to start the nursery. James, my artistic brother-in-law, came to Sonora to help us with a murel. Christina finally decided that she wanted the theme of the nursery to be the same as a baby book she recieved at a shower. (It turns out to be Carter's John Lennon collection. A sample can be found here.)
Saturday, April 15, 2006
Old School
Here are my top three Internet videos relating to the original Nintendo in ascending order:
3.) A live version of Mike Tyson Punch-Out!
2.) The 10th inning of Game 6 of the 1986 World Series played on RBI Baseball
1.) Someone beating Super Mario 3 in 11 minutes
3.) A live version of Mike Tyson Punch-Out!
2.) The 10th inning of Game 6 of the 1986 World Series played on RBI Baseball
1.) Someone beating Super Mario 3 in 11 minutes
Friday, April 14, 2006
Gen Net
Techonology is wonderful. Being a part of the first generation to grow up with the Internet means I have the world at my fingertips. Google, Amazon, IMDb, Retrosheet, Wikipedia, I can find any inforamtion I desire on any subject in just a few mouse clicks. It's an On Demand society.
Generation Net (my own definition of anyone born after 1980) can watch any television show they desire at any time thanks to TiVo. With cell phones we can be in contast contact. Blogs, such as this one, allows us to self publish our opinions. iTunes gives us any song for $.99. Stupid yet entertaining videos can be watched at YouTube. The list goes on and on.
Take away our technology and we feel naked. Spend a few days away from a computer and it is as if life is passing us by at 100 miles an hour. Frustration sets in if we can't use our cell phones because of a dead zone. What do you mean I have to use cash and not swipe my debit/credit card?
A downside to living in a foothill community is that often technology is slow to arrive. If visiting Sonora, don't even think about using a cell unless you have Cingular. Believe it or not only half of the county has access to DSL.
I live within the city limits of the county seat and I was offered high speed internet just this week! Being forced to use dial up led to many upset sessions of web surfing over the past two years. I could not browse certain websites at home because my connection would time out before the site would load.
As technology becomes more intregrated with our lives we become more demanding. Sometimes I wonder if I could ever live 200, 300, 400 years in the past. But then my phone will beep with an incoming text message and I will quickly move on to my next technological dependent task.
Generation Net (my own definition of anyone born after 1980) can watch any television show they desire at any time thanks to TiVo. With cell phones we can be in contast contact. Blogs, such as this one, allows us to self publish our opinions. iTunes gives us any song for $.99. Stupid yet entertaining videos can be watched at YouTube. The list goes on and on.
Take away our technology and we feel naked. Spend a few days away from a computer and it is as if life is passing us by at 100 miles an hour. Frustration sets in if we can't use our cell phones because of a dead zone. What do you mean I have to use cash and not swipe my debit/credit card?
A downside to living in a foothill community is that often technology is slow to arrive. If visiting Sonora, don't even think about using a cell unless you have Cingular. Believe it or not only half of the county has access to DSL.
I live within the city limits of the county seat and I was offered high speed internet just this week! Being forced to use dial up led to many upset sessions of web surfing over the past two years. I could not browse certain websites at home because my connection would time out before the site would load.
As technology becomes more intregrated with our lives we become more demanding. Sometimes I wonder if I could ever live 200, 300, 400 years in the past. But then my phone will beep with an incoming text message and I will quickly move on to my next technological dependent task.
Monday, April 10, 2006
Brain Boosters
I recently read in Time magazine that it is very important to take time out of your work day to re-energize the brain. It was recommended to do quick games that stimulate the brain, making you more "refreshed" when you return to the task at hand. SuDoku is my mid-day brain activity of choice.
If SuDoku is to much for you, then consider this game another type of brain booster. The goal is to avoid touching the red square to the black border and the moving blue blocks. My best time was 25.576 seconds. Go ahead and give it a try and post your best times in the comments.
If SuDoku is to much for you, then consider this game another type of brain booster. The goal is to avoid touching the red square to the black border and the moving blue blocks. My best time was 25.576 seconds. Go ahead and give it a try and post your best times in the comments.
Tuesday, April 04, 2006
Had a Bad Day Again
April 3, 2006 will go down in my books as a Bad Day. I awoke with a sore throat, a prelude to an eventual cold coming my way. Though I had all the energy drained from my body I still ventured to work. By lunch time I had enough and went home sick for the day.
At home I laid on the couch watching the Dodgers give up four runs in the first inning of the season. They would then fall behind the Braves 8-1 before teasing me with a comeback and eventually losing 11-10. (The remodeling of Dodger Stadium looks great. Frank McCourt may have the front office and team in disarray but by golly the fans can now enjoy new seats!)
When Christina got home from work she reminded me that it was our fist night of lamaze class. My plan was to watch the beginning of the UCLA-Florida game, TiVo the rest of it, and use the VCR (yeah, how old school is that?!) to tape Prison Break. Of course, the TiVo begins to act up and I am forced to decide what I should record on the VCR.
I rolled the dice and taped the basketball game, hoping that the tape would last through the end of the game and I would not find out who won, which would discourage me from watching the tape.
Lamaze class consisted of a room full of pregnant ladies complaining about their problems (as if sore backs, constipation, and trouble sleeping were any worse then the day I was having), an instructor that repeated everything I learned in my 9th grade science class, and an hour of learning to inhale through the nose and exhale through the mouth. (The one highlight of the class was the two kids who were in high school that came with her mom. At one point the instructor said, "Now you on the birth team were there during conception and it will be good for you to be there during birth." The mom immediately spoke up and joked that she wasn't there during conception because it was on a camping trip that she didn't go on. The whole time the boyfriend looked as if he was going to kill someone because his girlfriend's mother knew all the details of when she got knocked up. Priceless.)
Two hours later we returned home and I immediately checked to see if the VCR was still recording. I saw that the tape was already done so I quickly turned on the TV and it was the middle of One Shining Moment. Another quick decision had to be made: do I turn off One Shining Moment and risk missing the best part of the tournament or do I watch it and find out who won the game before I can watch the tape? Before a decision could be made I saw the highlight of Adam Morrison crying so I had to finish watching it. As the song was playing with the highlights of the championship game I told Christina that UCLA had lost and sure enough 15 seconds later there was the highlight of the Gators celebrating.
I flipped the channel over to ESPNews in hopes of seeing the highlights and/or final score. ESPNews was airing the press conference of Ben Howland, who then mentioned he told his team right before the game that John Wooden had been hospitalized. A not so perfect ending to my not so perfect day.
To recap my day: woke up sick, Dodgers lost, TiVo having technical difficulties, missed the National Championship, missed episode of Prison Break, missed most of One Shining Moment, UCLA lost, Wooden in hospital. On the bright side, there have been worse days.
At home I laid on the couch watching the Dodgers give up four runs in the first inning of the season. They would then fall behind the Braves 8-1 before teasing me with a comeback and eventually losing 11-10. (The remodeling of Dodger Stadium looks great. Frank McCourt may have the front office and team in disarray but by golly the fans can now enjoy new seats!)
When Christina got home from work she reminded me that it was our fist night of lamaze class. My plan was to watch the beginning of the UCLA-Florida game, TiVo the rest of it, and use the VCR (yeah, how old school is that?!) to tape Prison Break. Of course, the TiVo begins to act up and I am forced to decide what I should record on the VCR.
I rolled the dice and taped the basketball game, hoping that the tape would last through the end of the game and I would not find out who won, which would discourage me from watching the tape.
Lamaze class consisted of a room full of pregnant ladies complaining about their problems (as if sore backs, constipation, and trouble sleeping were any worse then the day I was having), an instructor that repeated everything I learned in my 9th grade science class, and an hour of learning to inhale through the nose and exhale through the mouth. (The one highlight of the class was the two kids who were in high school that came with her mom. At one point the instructor said, "Now you on the birth team were there during conception and it will be good for you to be there during birth." The mom immediately spoke up and joked that she wasn't there during conception because it was on a camping trip that she didn't go on. The whole time the boyfriend looked as if he was going to kill someone because his girlfriend's mother knew all the details of when she got knocked up. Priceless.)
Two hours later we returned home and I immediately checked to see if the VCR was still recording. I saw that the tape was already done so I quickly turned on the TV and it was the middle of One Shining Moment. Another quick decision had to be made: do I turn off One Shining Moment and risk missing the best part of the tournament or do I watch it and find out who won the game before I can watch the tape? Before a decision could be made I saw the highlight of Adam Morrison crying so I had to finish watching it. As the song was playing with the highlights of the championship game I told Christina that UCLA had lost and sure enough 15 seconds later there was the highlight of the Gators celebrating.
I flipped the channel over to ESPNews in hopes of seeing the highlights and/or final score. ESPNews was airing the press conference of Ben Howland, who then mentioned he told his team right before the game that John Wooden had been hospitalized. A not so perfect ending to my not so perfect day.
To recap my day: woke up sick, Dodgers lost, TiVo having technical difficulties, missed the National Championship, missed episode of Prison Break, missed most of One Shining Moment, UCLA lost, Wooden in hospital. On the bright side, there have been worse days.
Thursday, March 30, 2006
Lack of Blogging
The past week I have been slacking on the posts but I have reasons, even if they are lame. The first reason is because I spent the weekend in Shafter visiting family. The occasion that brought us to Shafter was my Aunt Lynn's 50th birthday party. (For those of you who don't know my aunt she can best be summed up in four words: Oklahoma, NASCAR, beef jerky.) All of my mom's siblings were there, including my Uncle Joe, Aunt Felicia, and cousin Robert. Everyone was excited because it was our first time to see Robert.
The party was on Saturday but Friday my mom and grandma threw a baby shower for Christina and Aunt Felicia. We came away with a car full of stuff (literally) and are very thankful to everyone who gave us presents. I used the baby shower as an excuse to hang out with John and watch basketball. Dana was also supposed to be there but he got "sick". I just think he wanted to stay home so that he could continue his redneck science project.
One of the great things about my family is that everyone knows how to cook and there is always plenty of food. Whether it is my mom's tacos, Aunt Lynn's fried fish, Aunt Susan's Rice Crispy chicken, or my grandma's biscuit and gravy our family is always full.
The second reason I have been behind on my blogging is because we have started the first season of 24. This is a show that I wanted to start watching at the beginning of the series but for some reason I did not catch the first few episodes and have been hesitant to jump into the middle of it. But now we are 18 hours in and are hooked.
I hope to not have such sporadic posts in the near future. So stay tuned.
The party was on Saturday but Friday my mom and grandma threw a baby shower for Christina and Aunt Felicia. We came away with a car full of stuff (literally) and are very thankful to everyone who gave us presents. I used the baby shower as an excuse to hang out with John and watch basketball. Dana was also supposed to be there but he got "sick". I just think he wanted to stay home so that he could continue his redneck science project.
One of the great things about my family is that everyone knows how to cook and there is always plenty of food. Whether it is my mom's tacos, Aunt Lynn's fried fish, Aunt Susan's Rice Crispy chicken, or my grandma's biscuit and gravy our family is always full.
The second reason I have been behind on my blogging is because we have started the first season of 24. This is a show that I wanted to start watching at the beginning of the series but for some reason I did not catch the first few episodes and have been hesitant to jump into the middle of it. But now we are 18 hours in and are hooked.
I hope to not have such sporadic posts in the near future. So stay tuned.
One Shining Moment
If the title of this post gives you chills then follow this link to a story about the composer of the famous tournament highlight song.
Update: I first saw this hilarious ad while watching the tournament and am sad to see that it will no longer be airing. One random side note to the Amish Drag Race ad is that Kip directed it.
Update: I first saw this hilarious ad while watching the tournament and am sad to see that it will no longer be airing. One random side note to the Amish Drag Race ad is that Kip directed it.
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