Tradition: the thief of rational thought and spirtuality...

   I would like to start out this post by saying that comments for discussion are welcome from now on, on any topic I post about, or any questions you may have. I would also like to apologize to Mr. Raty and ask for forgiveness, if you feel I deserve it, for being easily offended and incommunicado. From now on, if I don’t think that I can reasonably discuss something without being defensive or angry, I will say so, and bow out. I will do my best to provide accurate info in a timely manner, but I won’t always make it. Please be patient and communicative all of you, and give me a chance. Sorry for being a jerk, Ben. I crave forgiveness.

  

   In an e-mail discussion with a friend of mine, he said that his soon-to-be father-in-law is “steeped” in tradition. He observed that people have a hard time breaking away from tradition because it means that they have to blaze their own path, which is hard. He also lamented how much it costs to plan a “traditional” wedding.

   My opinion, reinforced more and more as I ‘talk’ (more like answer questions when asked and then watch as the asker goes ‘nuclear defensive’) to others about being vegan, is this: that tradition, doing that which has always been done, or that which has been done for so long that it no longer has a clear beginning, takes away the decision-making opportunity for most individuals. I should clarify: the opportunity isn’t taken away, but most people, depressingly, never think about “why” they are doing something. They never evaluate the habits that they indulge in.

   Now, obviously, there are some decisions or habits that should only be made once, and then re-evaluated only out of necessity. I quote D&C 68:25 “And again, inasmuch as parents have children in Zion, or in any of her stakes which are organized, that teach them not to understand the doctrine of repentance, faith in Christ the Son of the living God, and of baptism and the gift of the Holy Ghost by the laying on of the hands, when eight years old, the sin be upon the heads of the parents

  26 For this shall be a law unto the inhabitants of Zion, or in any of her stakes which are organized.

  27 And their children shall be baptized for the remission of their sins when eight years old, and receive the laying on of the hands.

  28 And they shall also teach their children to pray, and to walk uprightly before the Lord.

  29 And the inhabitants of Zion shall also observe the Sabbath day to keep it holy.

  30 And the inhabitants of Zion also shall remember their labors, inasmuch as they are appointed to labor, in all faithfulness; for the idler shall be had in remembrance before the Lord.”

   Obviously regular prayer, scripture study, Sabbath observance, service and the like should always be done, especially if we have a testimony of it. But I would assert that we should always be cognizant of “why” we do these things, to always have a remembrance as to what purpose these activities serve. We should decide, early on, that we will obey the Word of Wisdom in all of its respects (see my post from Monday 7Apr08), that we will obey the Law of Chastity in all respects, and that we will commit ourselves to the Gospel of Jesus Christ as it has been revealed in the latter days, and that we will teach our children these things, and do our best to see that they also live these principles as long as they are in our care. These sorts of things should be decided once, and then we move forward. There shouldn’t be any vacillation between whether we should do something right or not.

   Any of us who have served LDS missions realize the power of tradition in people’s lives. Religious tradition can be one of the most powerful forces on earth, promoting either righteous, valiant service in furthering God’s kingdom, or fostering the most stultifying ignorance imaginable. And unfortunately, this ignorance is not endemic to only those who are not members of the Church, but to those inside as well. I’m sure those of you who read this know of adults whose testimonies (if any) are borrowed from their parents or their forebears. They have no light of their own. These are the sorts of people who seem to be grateful to have ancestors who came across the plains as pioneers, or whose predecessors joined the Church while living in Europe in the 1850’s. They profess to be very blessed to be a member of the Church, but when asked to fulfill a calling, they decline. When asked to home teach, their dedication is minimal. When asked to volunteer for service, their hand never goes up. Tradition of Church membership has failed to help this person gain a burning, activating testimony. All they can do is mouth the words, but the feeling is absent. Their works don’t match with their protestations of faith.

  There are, of course, other traditions of equal or greater power outside of faith or religious promulgation. One in particular is food. I know, for myself, that I like to eat a lot of the things I ate while I was growing up. A favorite of mine is gorditas with limeade. Gorditas are flour tortillas, heated on a skillet, with refried beans, cheese, guacamole and BBQ sauce. Mmmmmm, yumminess! Before I was married, I had those almost every night for dinner. For a while I did without the guacamole, but I did the bean and cheese thing consistently. There were things that I wouldn’t eat, but they were few and far between. I didn’t like raw tomatoes, nor raw avocado. I am no stranger to the seduction of food, as is attested to by my previous record weight of 275 pounds. I was pretty much convinced that the only good food was the kind that I couldn’t fit into my mouth. No one said I was fat; in fact, when I told people how much I weighed, their response was a shocked “You don’t look that heavy!”

   There are good kinds of foods, and there are bad kinds. I don’t think that anyone will dispute that. If you feel like I am mistaken, let me know and I will be happy to discuss it, reasonably, with you. But, there are things to eat that are socially responsible and physically helpful/good, and things that are physically and environmentally destructive/bad. 85% of all grain grown in the US goes to feed livestock that is eventually killed so you can eat it. Furthermore, that grain is only partially digested and is dumped (intentional pun) out the back end of the cow. Livestock methane emissions are the 2^nd biggest contributor to global warming behind CO2 emissions from cars and factories. But, that cow poop has to be cleaned up somehow, so factory farms use ~10 million gallons of water per 10k head of cattle per day! PER DAY! And guess where that water goes? Nope, not to the treatment plant, but right in to whatever waterway is convenient, be it a creek, river, stream, whatever. In ~10 years the Ogalala aquifer will be dried up because of the use for the water to clean off cows every day. Range cattle are more destructive, but I will not comment on them right now.

   It is sufficient to say that clearing away the rain forest and turning verdant land in to desert only to satisfy a craving or a tradition is asinine or ignorantly destructive at best, morally reprehensible at worst, and an inefficient way to use our resources. Remember how 85% of US grain goes to livestock? How about using that grain to feed people instead of cows? Imagine how much space there is in the US, and how much of it is used to grow things. We could use all of that to feed ourselves instead of an ungulate horde. We’d save water, breathable air, and our ecosystems.

   I’m all in favor of making people pay full price for their meat, since the meat industry is one of the most heavily subsidized industries around (The dairy industry is another one). If it weren’t subsidized to the extent that it is now, the price of meat would go up ~300%. Maybe more. In fact, the cost is incalculable, due to the fact that clean air, clean water and diverse ecosystems are beyond value.

   Would you rather have that burger you're salivating over, or have good air to breathe? If you think I’m hyperbolizing, here is a fact for you Skippy: the rain forest is being cleared away at the rate of ~1 acre every 4 seconds. That’s, quick math everyone!, 21600 acres every day (15 acres/minute*60 minutes/hour*24 hours/day). I don’t have any comparison as to how much land that is, but it’s more than we can afford to lose since that land holds trees that convert the CO2 we emit back to oxygen we need to breathe.

   This started out as a discussion about tradition. Another name for tradition is habit. There are good habits and bad habits. Be aware that what you do, or say, or are affects those around you, possibly in ways you cannot comprehend. Be responsible for the things you do and the choices you make. Don’t do things just because you’ve always done it that way, but realize “why” you do it. Realize the consequences of giving in to habits that are destructive and harmful both to yourself, and to those who you are in contact with. Choose responsibly, choose products that are environmentally friendly, and ask yourself : “What is the real cost of this thing I’m buying? What effect will I have around me if I buy it? Whose efforts am I supporting? Do they care about me, or are they out for themselves, regardless of the cost?”

  Break bad habits. Substitute good ones, even if they cost more monetarily. In the end, the $ cost is lots less than not being able to breathe without coughing, isn’t it?

I'm sure I'm going to Hell for laughing...

...at this. There seems to be a LOLCat translation of the Bible, which is cute, but I’m sure I condemned myself by laughing at it.

 

If you need to know where LOLCats come from, check this site out.

When are you meat-eaters going to realize... (green words are links)

...that animals are not resources!?!?!?!

Animals are animals. They have feelings, they hurt and feel pain, they react to stimuli. Since they are alive, they also have spirits. Do you think God like it when people/you kill His creatures indiscriminately? Or to sate your addictions? Would you like to be referred to as a resource? They are not to be exploited, used, or abused only to satisfy your addictions. Just because you are too weak-willed to admit that you don’t even want to try and quit, or that you should, for your own sake and the planet’s, doesn’t make further slaughter any more justified. If you give the weak-assed justification “Everything in moderation” excuse, well, that means some drug use is OK, isn’t it? How about I pick up a prostitute once a month? That’s fine, isn’t it? It’s only once a month... How about a bit of murder? Once a year all right?

If you LDS people have a problem with this, I refer you to the 89^th section of D&C. The only place that it says that it is OK is in verses 12 and 13, where it says they are to be used sparingly, ONLY IN TIMES OF WINTER, COLD OR FAMINE!!!!!!!!!!! Not whenever you feel like it, nor when it is convenient, but out of dire NECESSITY! If you are going to die, then it’s OK, but not at any other time! Priesthood commemoration steak fries? OUT! Bacon and pancakes with milk for breakfast for Father and Son’s outings? Nope! Fried chicken at Elder’s quorum activities? Unnecessary...

Go ahead and try to justify your position and say “But Jordan, it references in verse 15 section 49:18, which reads “And whoso forbiddeth to abstain from meats, that man should not eat the same, is not ordained of God;” Read this verse very carefully. Whoever tries to forbid me from abstaining from/not eating meat is not ordained of God. So, if you are going to tell me that I am wrong for not eating meat, I have a news flash for you: you’re the one who is wrong. My ward members who want to call Child Protective Services because I let my 13 year-old child choose not to eat meat (in other words, he chooses for HIMSELF!), you can shove off. You are the ones who are deluded.

Don’t tell me that eating meat in today’s world is ordained of God, especially here in the US. It isn’t. I’m pretty sure that Heavenly Father nor Jesus approve of factory farms (I haven’t read the whole article, I only provide the link to illustrate what a factory farm is. Don’t those breeding sows look comfortable?), nor of raping the earth or the water we drink in order to sustain them. There is NOTHING good that comes from eating meat or animal products of any kind. Those who claim otherwise are deluded and ignorant both of the extent to which meat/animal products contribute to diseases of every kind, and the extent to which the industies destroy everything associated with them. Those who claim so are either ignorant, at best of the devastation, or are being paid by the industries themselves, at worst.

In places like Argentina, where there are few vegan alternatives, you can still choose to eat vegetables. Here in the US, the only excuse someone has is that they are TOO DAMN/ F’ING LAZY AND/OR ADDICTED TO ANIMAL PRODUCTS THAT THEY CAN’T STOP. That’s it: you just choose not to. They aren’t necessary to us, they are a luxury item. There are better plant alternatives, but you are too lazy.

Don’t try and justify to me as to why you can’t stop contributing to wholesale desecration and slaughter of God’s precious creations. Cheese tastes too good to give up? Tough. Steaks are too good to pass up? Quit whining. Milk is better at giving calcium that vegetables? Get real, pull your head out, stop being a pawn of the milk industry and get educated on the realities of calcium. Animal protein is better for human consumption than plant protein? A question for you: Which is more complex and therefore harder to break down and digest, plant or animal protein? Remember that all protein has to be completely broken down and then reconstituted in order to be utilized by the body. I can’t use zebra protein if it is not broken down first. Neither can you. Which is easier to process?

Stop being a pawn, realize that you are addicted to animal products, and choose to not support the destruction of the earth. Methane emissions from factory farm animals is the 2^nd largest contributor to global warming. Where do you think all of the sewage from those farms go? That’s right, in to the water YOU DRINK! The rain forests are being cleared at a catastrophic rate in order to supply your meat addiction. Thanks a lot: In 20 years they will be gone and then we’ll all suffocate because you had to have a burger. You think I exaggerate? Hardly. I could reference painstaking studies that say that if we don’t stop de-forestation, we as a species will be doomed. Another question: how long has that flesh been dead that you are eating, whether avian, bovine or fish? MMMmmmm...rotting flesh. Delicious. And do you think that the USDA cares about protecting you? If you knew the truth, they are more concerned about keeping the businesses working, because the businesses then either kick-back to the USDA officials or they get other benefits, either monetary or otherwise. Also, the USDA has a dual mandate: protect consumers and protect the well-being of agriculture. Who do you think the USDA caters to more? Repeat after me, children...”CONFLICT OF INTEREST!” How much pus, growth hormone, antibiotics and morphine are in that glass of frosty cold milk that you just drank? Remember, factory farms are built for profit, not for taking good care of the cows, so a cow can be mistreated and still produce, even when it has been over-milked and its udders are sore and bleeding.

Admit you have a problem, and that there is a better way to live. Just because something has always been one way doesn’t make it correct or right. What is wrong has always been wrong, regardless of the situational circumstances. Don’t be too lazy to change yourself. The whole point of the gospel is to better ourselves. Commit to yourself that you will do differently, stop contributing to animal cruelty and therefore be a more responsible person.

For myself, I want God to be pleased with me, as he says in verse 13 of section 89: “And it is pleasing unto me that they should not be used, only in times of winter, or of cold, or famine” Don’t you want him to be pleased with you?

Sick sucks!

I apologize if some of you have been trying to get a hold of me. Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday I was at home with a fever of ~102-103. That and a hacking cough that is still plaguing me, it was NO vacation.

            I think the 105 hours I worked in the last 2 weeks contributed to this, along with the average of 100 hours per 2 weeks, plus a lack of sleep, and a really fun vegan pizza party that Val and I went to on Saturday the 15^th. Lots of pizzas, and a whole TABLE full of vegan cupcakes, all of different varieties. I am ashamed to say that I lost count of how many cupcakes I had. I lost track after 12 or 13. We had lots of fun watching all of the Indiana Jones movies, and all for $20 for both of us. But...I paid for it all this week.

Sunday was the most miserable day at work I could remember. Even with the heat turned up to 75, a long-sleeved shirt, and my coat, it took me more than 45 minutes to warm up, only to lose all of that precious warmth when I had to go out into the warehouse. I almost fell over a few times...Yeah, good times.

Being sick with a fever makes it really hard to enjoy anything. I didn’t play any computer games because I would have had to expose my hands to the cold outside world. I did watch a few DVD’s, namely ‘The Goonies’ and appendix 5 for ‘Return of the King’. I ate some fruit, and drank lots of water. LOTS of water. Like 6 gallons worth.

The only possible upside to all this is that I dropped ~10 lbs. I’m now down to 220 lbs. I’m becoming quite slim. How nice...

And just as a test, if anyone can actually see this picture, would you please e-mail me and let me know?

Apparently, the war is over...

...the hi-def format war, that is.

Toshiba decided that they aren’t going to be doing HD-DVD any more, making Sony Blu-ray the de-facto hi-definition standard.

I guess this means that when I’m ready to go hi-def (not anytime soon), I’m going to need to re-buy the DVD’s I have now. I think we have ~70 movies. Oh well.

It’ll be cool to see Return of the King in HD.

Here is your First Presidency update for today...

Not much else for today, so I’ll go now.

Pres. Hinckley died this evening...

Here is the link to an article I was able to find: link

 

While I am sad, it certainly is reassuring to have a testimony that all of the keys and powers to make the Church work and function sit with the 12 and not with only one person.

 

Upon further reflection, that is the only sane, logical way to go, especially since this is God’s church. I mean, why put all of the keys in one person’s hands, except by necessity? Joseph Smith didn’t have a choice, since he was the first. But after that, obviously the Twelve are going to be the ones to make decisions, since you need to spread the keys/power around so that they can be utilized to make the work go forward. Also, accidents can happen to anyone, and since we have been told that the truth will not be taken away again, the keys have to reside with the Twelve. Since there is a very small chance of all 12 being taken at one time, someone would always be around to make sure the power/keys were not lost again. And even then, the keys also still reside with the quorums of the 70. So, they could always ordain another Apostle, give him the necessary authority, and then he could ordain other Apostles to repopulate the Quorum. And the work continues.

 

I feel kind of sorry for Sidney Rigdon when he tried to go it alone. He just didn’t have a chance. He didn’t realize that that isn’t God’s way. (Not that I claim to understand the mind of our Heavenly Father...)

Good day, fellowcitizens!

 

Your link for this post is right here.

 

The vegan in me yells “If you people would stop supporting the dairy and/or the meat industries, there would be enough water, and lots more arable land that could be used to grow these crops all over the world. Instead, the water is used and polluted by these machines of slaughter, and the land is used to grow food for the animals instead of the humans.

Brilliant!” Then, people wouldn’t be forced off of land because there would be a LOT MORE SPACE for everybody.

Posting at work has to be...

...the most unhelpful thing in the world.

 

I tried to post my Christmas pictures, but apparently my work computer won’t let the pictures through. So, still no pix.

 

I gave blood today, and it wasn’t bad at all. It hurt a little bit more than last time, but it wasn’t any worse than getting a shot. Someone I know gave blood and almost passed out from it; not because it hurt, but because her body doesn’t react well to being poked.

 

The cookies that I got afterwards were really good. MMMMMmmmmmm. Cookies.

The computer I want...

Motherboard-  Gigabyte GA-P35-DS3R

Processor- Intel Core2 Duo E6750, E6850 or QuadCore 6600

RAM – 2Gb DDR2-800 SDRAM

Video card – NVIDIA GeForce 8800 Ultra

Sound card – Creative X-fi XtremeGamer

Hard drives – WD (WesternDigital)  Raptor 1 x 150Gb and 2 x 500Gb WD5000AAKS

DVD drive – 2 x Pioneer DVR-212D

Case – Antec P182

Power Supply – Corsair HX520

Headphones –Sennheiser HMD280-Pro

Monitor: BenQ FP241W 24” LCD                 

WinXP Pro

 

All of this for less than $2k would be great.

Well friends and neighbors...

...I’m off all of next week, until the 31 of December.

Have a merry, safe and happy Christmas, all of you. I hope you have fun and get some of the things you want.

Hasta luego y feliz navidad.

Eggless nog

2 ½ Cups (C) soft tofu – usually 1 store bought vacuum-sealed container is enough

3 C Soy milk (add more or less to suit taste)

1 Tbsp Vanilla extract

¾ - 1 C sugar

2 Tbsp maple syrup

¼ tsp turmeric

¼ - ½ tsp nutmeg

½ tsp rum flavor (or real rum if you swing that way...)

 

In blender blend tofu, 1C milk, syrup, sugar, spices and vanilla and rum flavors until smooth. Pour in to pitcher and add the rest of the soy milk. Stir well, chill, and serve. MMMMMM! The yumminess!

Don’t be a sad vegan warrior during the holidays!

By the way...

...doesn’t the name ‘Occupational Homicide’ sound like a great name for a rock band?

Well, I think it does.

Driving pet peeves...

Here is the link for today. I have to agree with some of these, as I even see them now in greatly reduced traffic at 4PM. I think the ones I dislike the most are either the people who don’t use their blinkers (and almost get rear-ended), or the ones who camp out in the left lane while sightseeing at 20 under the limit.

2 Posts in 1!!!!

2 things tonight:

 

            First, I just found out that Eastgate Drug will be closing its doors on Saturday, 1 Dec 07. Here is the link for the Channel 8 story. So, for Ben and I, and Lyman Holyoak and any others who may have been employed by Doug, this is the closing of a chapter in our lives. I remember working for Doug while he was still in the old building, and also helping move all of his stuff out of there in to where they are/were now.

I wonder what Doug is saying right now...

 

            Second, a website that I frequent has a Star Trek questions thread going on. As I have admitted in the past, I am a Trek geek, but not a Trekkie. If you call me a Trekkie, I’m liable to come after you with a power-sander and a bottle of lemon juice. But even I was amazed at the amount of info I have stashed away in my noggin when I was able to answer some of the questions in this thread. Here is the link for it. Read it and see how well you fare.

 

I’m beginning to think that I ought to get Deep Space 9 on DVD before I get a new computer. That would be sweet!

Well, no pictures, unless I can figure out how to make the picture send in the email, and not as an attachment.

Hey, my e-mail test worked.

 

Now I just have to figure out how to go back and edit. I probably can’t, not without being at home. That kinda sucks, but at least I can post.

 

Now for a picture test:

This is an e-mail test...

 

ADDICTION IS NOT A DISEASE, YOU MOUTH-BREATHING, SLACK-JAWED IMBECILES!!!!!!11111

 

Addiction comes about because people make consistently poor choices. I know, because I have an addiction of my own. Don’t remove the responsibility from them just because you want to sell your heroin-addiction withdrawal reducer drug.

 

I don’t have a problem with people seeking help for their addictions in whatever way they see fit, but don’t take away their ability to choose by calling it a disease.

Back online...

...at least temporarily, here from home.

I'm working nights now, probably permanently, and the work computer decided to block Blogger. So, if I post, I'm gonna have to do it from home, or e-mail the post to myself here on Blogger.

I'll figure something out...

Bye!!!!

Another one...

HAPPY BIRTHDAY dearest sister of mine!

She's .... 24 I think.

Happy Birthday, Lemur!

Just another sign that civilization as we know it is doomed...

...I peeked in to the break room and "Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader?" was on. A ~23 year old woman was asked "How many consonants are in the word vowel?" Her reponse was that the word is spelled "voul", so there are 2. Some of the 5th graders gave her a look like she was out of her mind. The little girl she had helping her got the correct answer, which is 3, and the young woman got nothing except the opportunity to look foolish in front of prime-time America.

If I had an emoticon of a smiley-face shaking his head, I'd put it here. -> <-

The irony of this post would be if I had mispelled something and I didn't catch it.

"Our deepest fear...

...is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented and fabulous? Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small doesn't serve the world. There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won't feel insecure around you. We are born to manifest the glory of God that is within us. It's not just in some of us; it's in everyone. And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others."

Nelson Mandela 1994

This quote gives me chilly-bumps.

This is awesome...

...a shirt that shows the strength of the Wi-Fi signal where ever you are.

For those of you that aren't as tech literate as others, Wi-Fi is another name for wireless internet, usually over a large area (cities and such.)

I'm not geek enough to get one, but it made me laugh.

It's Sunday...

...and it's been too short of a weekend. However, it was interesting.

It started raining Friday night, and by Saturday morning it had turned to snow. It didn't stick, but it was the first snowfall of this season.

We also went to a wedding reception at Wheeler Farm in Murray. But while we were there we met a whole FLOCK OF GEESE AND DUCKS. Like 200 of them. The geese were honking, the ducks quacking, all milling around our feet, waiting for the bread that we didn't have, but they were sure we did. The funniest thing is that it started with 3 ducks and a goose, and the goose must have said something; because then a line of 150+ ducks and geese come waddling our direction, making quite a bit of noise. They were so close we could have touched them. When we went to go in to the receptuion, all of them, all 150+ FREAKIN' GEESE AND DUCKS, turned to follow us as we went away. The geese were honking merrily, and the ducks waddling along, waiting for their bread.

Unfortunately we didn't have the camera. But we plan to go back and get a picture of us in the flock.

Here's how it looks now...

Here are the 2 IBM 2210's. We got rid of the Xerox, got rid of the cubicle wall around the UPS there in the top middle of the picture, and moved the other 2210 away frm the far wall. Now there's lots of room over there.

Here is the data storage unit on top of the 2 servers for Streamserve. That storage thing weighs about 45 pounds, and the servers weigh about 60 pounds apiece and are about 3.5 feet long.

Oh, and do you notice that empty space next to them? Yeah, that's ALL CLEANED OUT NOW! ALL 50 square feet of it!

Well, we're officially on our own...

Everyone who was part of our automated output (Streamserve) development team is now gone, never to return to SLC. They are scheduled to go to Seattle next, then Denver, and then I think they're gonna split up and do more DC's simultaneously.

However, before they left I was able to get pictures, all of which are ( L > R ):


First, the actual code writers for the Stream server: Tien Tien Lai, Phi Nguyen and Sundeep Reddy. The 2nd day they were here, they set up camp in Mark's office (at Mark's insistence). Poor Tien Tien (Tin Tin) was always cold, no matter where she was. She had some pretty funky dress shoes. She's all of 4 foot nuthin'. Phi was the only one with an Asian accent, and he used to work for Earth shoes (a pair of which I have on right now). He's a really nice guy. Sundeep was also super nice. He lived in Boston up until last year when he transferred to Atlanta. He was kind of their supervisor, but worked just as hard as the other 2. The 3 of them wrote the program for Streamserve.

Next, we have John Trippe. He was/is more or less the one overseeing this project for the company. He's a really nice guy with a real Southern-drawl, who doesn't like his picture to be taken, but who relented after I asked him 'please'.

Then there is Mike Governale and Dave Hutchins. We didn't see them much, but I think they were in charge of user names and login ID's.

Finally, there is Trevor McLinn and Tom Rials. I don't know where Trevor is from, but he was the youngest one here from the company. I think he works for John Trippe. Tom was from Mobile, Alabama, and every time he talked it was evident where he was from. He was the implementation person for the company on this project. He used to work the computer room in Birmingham, AL a while ago.

I'm gonna miss all of these people. They have become part of the team, and they're going to other places.

On a final note, I think Mark will be glad to have his office back.

Happy Birthday to Ben...

...I hope he's having fun at BYU.

Today is also my supervisor Mark's birthday.

I also went to the driving range with Val, her sister and my father-in-law to hit golf balls.

The only thing I will say is that I do not have any innate/latent talents at golf. It will be an acquired skill if I ever choose to follow it.

Wouldn't this be great to have?

A copy of the Magna Carta from the year 1297.

That was 710 years ago!

How much has changed since that time, when democracy was not nearly as prevalent as it is now. Granted, it's not global, but it has spread much further than it was at that time.

Just a thought, but was the Roman Empire also a democracy? How about the Greeks?

Wow, that was a long time ago.

My, how times change...

This is a 1 gigabyte hard-drive from 20 years ago. That is also a 1GB flash card being held at the right of the picture.

Makes me wonder where we'll be in another 20 years.

Here is the link.

Some things make me shake my head...

Here is the link with the photo.

A random quote this morning...

...that I thought of on the way to work this morning.

" 'nother glorious day in the Corp. Day in the marine corp is like a day on the farm: every meal is a banquet, every paycheck a fortune, every formation a parade! I love the Corp!"

Taken from the movie Aliens. I couldn't find a script that had that qoute on IMSDB.com .

That movie still rocks...

I'm split on this one...

A coach sends a 10-year old boy home in his underwear...

Obviously, if this did happen, the coach is an insecure retard for humiliating this child in front of others.

But what about the kid? Couldn't he have said "No, I'm not going to do that. I'll leave, and I understand you don't want me on the team, but I'm not gonna take my clothes off..." Now, he probably wouldn't have said it exactly that way, but I was taught that you don't take off your clothes except in certain situations, none of which involve more than 1 other person at a time, and that person I am married to.

I think the parent needs to have a talk with the child and reinforce that no one has the power to make him do this, under any circumstance.

And the coach, if he's guilty, should be humiliated just as bad as the child was.

A couple of good qoutes for your Monday...

...from the Wikipedia article on Mahatma Gahndi.


"An eye for an eye makes the whole world blind."

"There are many causes that I am prepared to die for but no causes that I am prepared to kill for."

I like the 'eye for an eye' one a lot. Retribution is ultimately futile, isn't it?

My self-declaration...

I am a successful person, regardless if someone else says I am or not, if they say I am timid, or scared of others, or whatever. I will become successful in order to help others better themselves, and to show everyone else that I can do what I say I can do. I choose to be successful and wealthy every day.

I will not be part of the 50% of people who get life-changing information and do nothing to change their situation. I will change my situation so that I can become financially independent in 5 years or less.

If someone I love or respect tells me that I shouldn't do what it is that I want to do, I will tell them that I respect their opinion, but that I am going to do what I feel/know is best for me.

My future is mine, and doesn't belong to anyone else. I will make the decisions for myself that I know are best for me.

Heavenly Father wants me to become financially secure so that I can serve Him and others, and help others to better their lives. I can't serve as effectively if I am stuck at a job for 8 hours a day.

Well, I'm out...

...for the rest of the week. I'll be back Tuesday.

Have a fun weekend and a great Labor Day!

Be safe.

A hole in space...

...or just a lot of nothing. At least that's what the scientists say. 5 to 10 billion light-years away, and a lot of emptiness inside that area.

It immediately reminded me of this Star Trek: Voyager episode where thay pass through just about the same thing.

And yes, I am a Star Trek geek.

The only thing I can think of...

...when I read this article, which talks about how fast dinosaurs were, is that scene in Jurassic Park where the T-rex is chasing the Jeep with Muldoon, Sattler and Ian Malcolm, with the 'Objects in mirror are closer than they appear' image.

"Must go faster..."

What I don't understand about this article is...

...why is anyone surprised that people are defaulting on loans now, when they couldn't afford the mortgage in the first place?

I blame the lenders, who didn't even see if a person had the capability to repay their loan before giving them the money. I also blame the people getting the loans in order to buy houses that they can't afford. I don't know what people think, that they can get large amounts of money to buy a ginormous estate, and then they aren't responsible to pay it back? Or did they over-estimate their earnings? Or did they over-estimate the appreciation of their "asset".

I put "asset", because a house is not an asset, because it earns you nothing. It may appreciate in value, and you may sell it for more than you bought it. But you still have to live somewhere, and the market is also appreciating along with your "asset". However, your house/mortgage is an asset to the institution that lent you the money to buy the house, since you pay it back along with interest.

I think almost all people try to buy things they can't afford, because they don't have the patience to buy a true asset that will make them be able to afford the things they want. They want it RIGHT NOW NOW NOW!!!!!!11111

Well, I'm not surprised by the market conditions. I feel sorry for those people who are gonna be foreclosed against, but that is the consequence of their actions.

I think everyone needs a real financial education, and don't just rely on someone who doesn't have your best interests at heart. Take responsibility for yourself...because no one else is gonna do it.

By the way, Val and I are gonna become educated in these things very soon. I challenge you to do the same.

Artificial life...

...made in a lab, and NOT by artificial insemination.

Scientists are trying to create a single cell by artificial means, starting with the cell membrane.

Am I too paranoid because I envision, based on this qoute at the end of the article; "Bedau said there are legitimate worries about creating life that could "run amok," but there are ways of addressing it, and it will be a very long time before that is a problem.
"When these things are created, they're going to be so weak, it'll be a huge achievement if you can keep them alive for an hour in the lab," he said. "But them getting out and taking over, never in our imagination could this happen."

Am I paranoid to think that this is the typical start to a lot of sci-fi novels where life is created, then gets away from the scientists?

Ah, I love the Internet, because it gives me things like this...

I know it's small, but you can see an enlarged version here (I think so, but the work PC won't let me go to it. Stupid Websense.)

Happy 25th birthday...

...to the CD.

Yes, today the CD is 25 years old.

I was only 4 years old when it started. I remember listening to 'Dark Side of the Moon' and Beethoven's 5'th Symphony on LP records, but I also remember buying my first CD player, and even my first CD set ( Pink Floyd's Delicate Sound of Thunder concerts, which I still have).

I wonder what the next big format will be after the CD dies out, and the the mp3.

Also, Joel's birthday is on Sunday. I think he's 22, so drop him a line and wish him a happy birthday.

Have a great weekend!

Your weekly update...

An interesting weekend. Val and I went and saw Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix on Friday. It was an OK movie. Nothing spectacular.

Saturday we went to a concert at Temple Square in the Tabernacle, but we arrived late and only caught Beethoven's 5th. Kind of sad, but it was still awesome to be able to watch the orchestra play one of my favorite selections of music. We also found out that Pres. Faust had died the day before, and that's why the flags at Temple Square were at half-staff.

Yesterday we went to a 24 stake YSA(Young single adult) fireside, even though we aren't 'S', because the speakers were Linda and Richard Eyre. Val was very excited. It was a great thing to be at.

Wokin' on a Saturday...

I'm here at work doing the weekly restart of the computers/AS400.

I don't have much to say, except that Val and I are going to a baptism and then a funeral today. I'm not too excited about the funeral part, but that is part of life, isn't it?

Oh well. Have a great weekend!

Life...or death?

Your link for the day, that hits a little too close to home.

The link is from CNN, and it links to an article about where the line is when it no longer seems feasible to keep a terminally sick person alive.

The 'too close part' is this: my brother-in-law's (Adam) wife's (LauraLee) mother was in a car accident on Friday , 27 July 07, at 2600 South and Highway 89 in Woods Cross. The power was out, and someone ran the 4-way stop. She was Life-flighted to the U (University of Utah), where her family was told that she was brain-dead.

Now, I don't know what her exact condition right now is, but I wouldn't want to be left 'alive' if I knew I would never regain any semblance of my normal life. Nor would I want to be strung along while my family waited for a miracle to return me to normal (or, for me, what passes as normal).

To quote the article "Recent research into the brain seems to be making it more difficult to say when a terminal patient is actually dead. It turns out that patients considered brain-dead may have a minimal consciousness left and therefore still be technically alive.

"The research seems to suggest that it's very difficult to distinguish the minimally conscious from the permanently unconscious," said Georgetown bioethics professor Robert Veatch."

Where does life end and death begin? Who is ultimately responsible for making the life-altering decisions for me when I can't make them?

If anything, this week has made me realize the importance of having a living will made up, as we never know when we're gonna kick the bucket.

"I wanna go home..." "Shut up, you little weasel!"...

OK...

Your link for the day.

For those of you who haven't read the 7th Harry Potter book yet, but are going to: don't click the link as it contains spoilers.. For those of you who don't care, click away!

The link is a short article about what happens after the end of Book 7. Right on.

Monday...

I picked up the last Harry Potter book on Saturday, started it on Sunday morning, and I'm about 80% done. I think I'll finish it tonight.

I'm not gonna post spoilers, nor does this link have any. I will say that I like this book A LOT!!!!!1111 It's very exciting. I've even felt chilly-bumps when I've read it.

Ahhh, Friday...

...this thread got me thinking: Would I pay $100 million for a real lightsaber?

I know my brother-in-law Craig would, and I'd hope everyone would get in cortosis-weave bunkers when he does. But me, I don't know. It sure would be cool, even if I couldn't block bullets or anything.

I suppose, ultimately, it would be pretty useless. Cool, but not useful.

Have a fun weekend. Val and I are gonna play racquetball tonight. Whoo hoo!

And, Happy Birthday to my sweet mother-in-law today.

Bye!

PS Oh, and if you've been living under a rock and haven't heard, the last Harry Potter book comes out tomorrow. Go out and support a great author, if you want.

Update #2 - a cool qoute I heard this week that I like: Honesty is the highest form of love.

Indeed it is.

So.....tired.....

...that I'm gonna wimmp out on this post, and post a few ninja pictures.

Bye!

A few changes for your visual input...

Well, a couple of changes here today.

I added a counter at the bottom of the blog to keep track of how many hits this little blog gets.

I renamed the blog into something a bit more .... interesting. Have I metioned just how much I like tofu? No? Well, tomato basil baked tofu and/or savory baked tofu are SO EXCELLENT with noodles and tomato sauce. The savory tofu has the same consistency as chicken, so it goes great with pasta, or on top of rice with soy cheese, sweet-n-sour sauce and lettuce. MMMMMMmmm. Yummy.

Mom and dad's anniversary is today. They have been married 30 years I think. Dad's birthday is tomorrow. Rock on!

I think they both have completed their move to WA, even if they haven't started/finished unpacking yet.

Sorry for being silent last week. I took Thursday and Friday off last week, along with the free day on the 4th. 5-day weekends for the win!

By the way, the 4th was lots of fun. Went and played volleyball in 100+ degree heat, sweated a lot, swam for 2 hours, stuffed myself silly, and went and watched fireworks at Lagoon. And I did all of this in the knowledge that I didn't need to be back to work until today.

Evil? Absolutely Fun? Definitely.

The best part is that I didn't even get sunburned. SPF 30+ FtW!(for the win)

Ah, inventory...

It's almost done. I've been here since 6 this morning, and I'll prolly be here til 4 or 5.

Easy money, as they say.

Have a great weekend!

A little too close...

...this happened about half a mile from work, at the Arby's I used to go to lunch at. It's on Redwood and 17th South. Apparently they tire-spiked Redwood to get him, after he killed a police officer at the U, car-jacked someone's Ford, then ran amok on I-15 and -215 at high speed.

Here is another link/photo of this...person. He's freaky lookin'.

All of this makes me want to conceal/carry more and more. That, and it makes me wonder about the state/efficacy of the justice department and its enforcement.

I also wonder why people who do this think they can get away from the law. Sure, you can get a fast car, but you can't outrun radio, can you?

Ben can appreciate this quote "It's not his fault that he can behave/society's made him go astray/perhaps if we're nice he'll go away."

Father's Day pictures...

Here's me with my most excellent tie that Val got me for Dia de padres. It goes great with my suit, don't you think?

By the way, it's hard to keep your eyes open in direct sunlight...

Post #2

Ahhhh, game playing fathers. Excellent.

I plan on having 2 or 3 old computers LANed for my kids and Val, so we can all play together. What fun it would be to play MechWarrior 3 or 4 together, or maybe Birth of the Federation. Right on!

I disagree...

I'm all for game guides. I have no problem buying them, looking at them, reading up on the game I'm gonna play. It is frustrating to play a game and not be able to find the things you need in-game. Game guides obviate that frustration.

It's not cheating, it's aiding me to keep my blood-pressure down. And that helps everyone. Besides, no one likes to lose.

Now, Valerie doesn't agree with this view, and that's OK. She'll play until she's about to give up before she'll go to a guide. Again, that's OK.

Here is the link to the comic.

Ahhh, deoxyribonucleic acid, how important you are...

...and how complex you are.

DNA is more complex than people thought, and the so called 'junk DNA' is not junk after all.

Makes me wonder what else there is in the world that we think we understand, but don't really. I think it's everything. Also makes me wonder how people can deny the existence of God, and think that all life is an astronomically huge (statistically speaking) coincidence.

(/soapbox)

I was cruisin' teh intarwebs this morning...

...and I came upon this.

It's a map comparing states' GDP's to other countries in the world.

It looks like UT has the same GDP (gross domestic product) as the country of Peru.
Michigan = Argentina , AZ= Thailand , ID=Ukraine , CA = France(wow!)

I think there are some people who have more time on their hands than they know what to do with. I suppose I'm one of them since I found it(but someone had a link on Ars that I followed).

Wow, that was quick...

...Mom and dad sold the IF house in 3 FRICKIN' DAYS!

3!

They put it up Thursday 7 June, had an offer of $2k more than they were asking on Friday, and they signed off yesterday.

Amazing...

Back to days...

...and boy is my schedule whacked. I couldn't get to sleep until ~12 last night, and woke up @ ~6. It's been a bit of a long day.

I have nothing to say today, yet, but if something comes up, I'll let you know.

I'm not gonna get on my soapbox...

...all I am gonna say is that this is a very sad situation, and it involves everybody.

I think the link speaks for itself.

I'm workin' nights this week, so I'm gonna go.

Have fun!

P.S. An interesting weekend. Val decided she wanted to go up into the foothills close to the house, in preparation to taking her Cub Scouts sometime in the near future. I should have worn pants, but nothing found me appetizing, fortunately. We only went ~ 2 miles, and the trail is ~6. Just a bit long. She wants to do the whole thing some morning soon. I don't think I really want to, but I'll prolly go so that she doesn't go alone.

Here's the first one...

...all put together. It's about 6.5 feet long, and weighs about 1000+ lbs. It's expensive, too. At least $40 or $50, as Tim said yesterday. He's the one w/ the mustache in the top picture. Rob is the other guy. He (Rob) is the one who came by first yesterday and started putting things together. In person they look lots less dorky than they look in this picture. In fact, they're lots of fun to be around.

This printer seems pretty cool. It'll staple things by itself, and can hold a WHOLE FREAKIN' BUTTLOAD of paper. Those 3 drawers on the right will hold at least a case of paper, and the others can hold a lot also.

I know, I know...Geeky fun. Oh well.

One of the new printers came in yesterday...

...and here is the stack. The 'automated-output' printer is on the right, and the stack of associated hardware on the left is taller than John is. And this is just one printer of possibly 3.

I'm not sure how we're gonna fit 1 or 2 more in here. I thought we had a lot of room, but the boxes take up a ton of room. We can handle 1 more, but 2 is ...'iffy'.

Maybe, when the others come in, we'll have to unpack them outside, and then wheel them in to place.

They take up a lot of room, but it sorta feels like Christmas. We both want to get in to stuff and put it together. But, like good boys, we'll wait for the IBM guy to come in and do it.

A slow week...

...which is why I haven't posted anything.

But here is your Friday post...

Played racquetball last night, and didn't do too bad. Here are the scores: 11-15, 15-5, 3-15, 2-2.
I won 1 out of 3 games, which is better than last time. The last game we were running out of time, and that was the score we were at when we finished.

All things considered, I don't feel too sore from last night, but I REALLY should get back in to the exercising thing. It's hard to start again...

Have a great Memorial Day!

Well, it's Friday...

...and I'm in to work for ~1.5 hours, to help Mark through the busiest part of the day. I think I'll leave around 1 or 1.15.

Soryy for not posting this week. Either there hasn't been anything worth it to post, or I've been so busy putting out figurative AS400 fires to even try to post. It seems to have stabilized now, and hopefully this coming Sunday is better than the last one.

Have a great weekend...

I just found the coolest site!

Funny, non-offensive (to me), and marginally helpful.

I love it!

I am so tired right now...

I worked for Taunya last night so she could have a scheduled day off for Mother's Day. The only problem with that is that when I got in to work, all of the AS400 order drivers were gone. This meant that we couldn't print any orders, call for invoices, run returns, etc. Everything was stopped. Apparently, some 'l-user' (say it together) tried to run a reorganization of our files, and didn't keep track of it. It never finished, and nothing ever came back up.I tried to get things going by starting things manually, but that didn't work. I called the help desk, and they tried to help, but things didn't start working until 9 or 10 P.M., after we restarted the sytem for the 2nd day in a row.

That's 6 FREAKIN' HOURS! Of hardly anything happening!

Long story short:I got home at 2.15 this morning, and I'm back at work today.

I think I'm gonna go to sleep at 8.30 or 9 tonight.

*feh*

It's a good day so far...

I was driving in to work this morning: all the windows and sunroof open, GnR rockin', sun out, nice temperature. I just thought of how nice it was to be alive at that moment; my wife loves me, I'm gettin' in shape, I have fun things to do, I work at a job that I don't hate/despise/loathe, etc.

It was just nice.

Now, as I'm sure you'll all want to know, I lost all 3 of my racquetball games last night. But, it wasn't heinous: 16-14, 15-9, 15-11. Not too bad for someone who hadn't played for 6 or 7 years.

Then I went and pitched for our ward softball team....I'm not a very good pitcher, but after 5 innings I was figuring it out. We won 12-9, despite my best efforts in the last inning to walk just about everyone on the other team. I'll do better next week. It was still fun.

And yes, I'm sore, but it's a good sore.

P.S. SafetyPoints are things that my work does for us being safe. Every month, depending on if we take CPR refresher courses, fire safety, emergency response training, forklift safety, etc. we get more safety points. I take forklift training and basically stay out of the way. For this I get ~15 points a month. I'm useless in any sort of medical emergency. If a person sliced off their finger, I'd prolly freak out also. Fires- no freak out, but blood and such- FREAK OUT!!!!111 I remember one time when we had a merit-badge Pow Wow in IF, and we were doing 'Emergency Preparedness', and we went into the bathroom. Dad was laying there on the floor with fake burns on him, and fake blood. I remember having that sinking tummy feeling as I got anxious. I remember that feeling so well that I know I couldn't do first-aid on anyone who was in bad shape. I'd panic and prolly mess them up more.

...so, the SafetyPoints are redeemable for lots of cool things. We needed a digital camera, so that's what I got.

Yet another reason to take care of yourself...

...so that you don't need to take OxyContin and get addicted to it.

Purdue Pharmaceuticals just settled for a WHOLE BUTTLOAD OF $$$$$$$$ because they said, 4 years ago, that Oxycontin was less addictive and dangerous that oxycodone, which is highly addictive.

The only problem is that Oxycontin IS oxycodone, so it isn't very safe at all.

Way to increase the profits, people.

I bet the stockholders were happy.

Thursday...

This is my daytime co-worker John.
And this is me, with 'The Fauver Files' in the background.


I'm gonna play racquetball this afternoon. Hopefully I don't suck too much, since I haven't played for at least 6 years. Maybe more. Then, when that is done I'm gonna play ward softball. Then I need to make heart-cards for Dia de madres so I can mail them out tonight.

I'm gonna be sore tomorrow.

By the way, the camera I got is a Canon PowerShot A550, with a 7.1 Megapixel resolution. And best of all, it was free! Yay for SafetyPoints!

7.1 Megapixel goodness, finally!

There is the server rack, the AS400, the 2 printers we moved today, and the gaping hole they left on the floor. Look at all of that SPACE!

My desk at work with Blogger on my flat-screen, my blue cup of water and the picture of my hot Goo.

This is the computer room, looking through the door that we usually go in and out of. The door off to the right goes in to the warehouse. There is my green chair along the back wall, in the center.

And there is my supervisor Mark taking invoices off of the printer. The space behind him was cleared out today. There used to be 2 printers there, but the 3 of us(me, him and John) moved them out to make room for better, newer printers. Those will be coming in a month. Also, those are the work tables where we do just about everything, and the extreme fire hazard of about 100 boxes of paper stashed along the far wall.

Methane power...

...and NOT in the form of bean-powered farts!

...a methane rocket. I hope this becomes feasible. That would be pretty sweet.

What a weekend...

Val and I went to IF over the weekend, but had to come back as I had to teach a lesson on Sunday. We went up there with the express purpose of helping out with the back yard: transplanting flowers, trees, etc. and putting sod down. Unfortunately, it decided to snow Saturday A.M. , so we didn't work in the yard. Instead we moved things from downstairs into a storage shed. Some of those things sure were heavy.

Let's see...I got a new pair of shoes Thursday P.M. They're Earth shoes, and they're quite comfortable, at least as far as new shoes go. I used my baby-sitting money to pay for them.

On our way to IF we stopped in Layton, for a 10 minute trip into DI. We found a book that Val wanted, and I found ' Star Wars:Attack of the Clones'. Now I have all 3 books.

While in IF we found a couple of games that Val wanted: Legend of Zelda-4 Swords, and the MegaMan anniversary collection, both for the 'Cube. I also found a strategy guide for JetForce Gemini, which is an N64 game from about 10 years ago. I was surprised to find it for only $6.50. I also picked up Star Trek 3:The Search for Spock 2 disc set for $10. The best scene in there is when they take the Enterprise...

Yes, I am still a Trek geek. I like the music in that part. A lot.

Ummm. I can't really think of anything else that happened this weekend.

I need a real weekend again, soon. I have to work next Sunday, so the weekend will be short.

More thoughts...

Rain is good. Shoes are good. Exercise is good. But exercising in the rain with shoes that have holes in them isn't so good. So, we didn't go out this morning. We'll go out this afternoon.

I saw the cutest thing this morning on the way to work. I passed a car that had those kid sun-shades on the rear passenger windows, and they had elephants on them, each one holding on to the others' tails. No eyes or anything on them, but so cute.

Sleeping is good, and eventually your body will tell you that it needs to sleep, whether you want it to or not. You can't stop it.

Ummmmm. That's all for now...

A few realizations...

First, I'm frustrated that when I need to get new scriptures, I'll only be able to get them in either real leather or bonded leather.

Grrrr. >:(

Second, I like exercising in the morning, especially when I push myself and sweat, because I feel good for the rest of the morning.

Third, I like being able to get into the pool after I exercise. Mmmmmmm. It feels so good. By the way, the pool is at 88 degrees now, so I don't freeze in the morning.

Fourth, I'm gonna need to start getting up at ~5 A.M. so that I can get all the stuff done that I want to in the morning. Things like exercising, hopping in to the pool, showering, playing games, eating breakfast and getting all of my stuff ready for work...

*whew*

That's a lot of stuff to do, now that I think about it...

Have a great day...