A Little Bit 'o Truth

Did Steve Jobs Create the iCloud to Eternally Hold His Consciousness?

2011-10-13T11:54:00.005-05:00

In Star Trek: The Next Generation's Schizoid Man, a brilliant researcher who is conscious of his impending death meets Data, sees the potential of his advanced neural net, and uploads his consciousness to the android.

The theme of eternal consciousness through a computer or artificial life form is not limited to Star Trek. The Dr. Who episode Silence in the Library is about a girl trapped in a computer; it is a simulation created by her family to store her consciousness alongside all information in the universe. Literature, music, and art are to be her companions.

Steve Jobs knew he was dying but did not seek appropriate treatment; he distrusted modern medicine. But he had a tremendous amount of trust in himself. He worked on revolutionary new technology towards the end of his life. Jobs was also very cognizant of his impending death:

Remembering that I'll be dead soon is the most important tool I've ever encountered to help me make the big choices in life. Because almost everything — all external expectations, all pride, all fear of embarrassment or failure - these things just fall away in the face of death, leaving only what is truly important.

What is more important to a man than his own essence? Very few things. Steve had ample time to create a system that would capture what was truly important to him.

Is Steve Jobs in the iCloud?

The storage technology does perhaps exist for such a system.

The ability to read and transfer the mind's information almost certainly does not. This obstacle would be enough to prevent even the most technologically genius billionaire from uploading themselves to an artificial device. Steve was not a doctor, an his statement regarding his pancreatic cancer, "I didn't even know what a pancreas was" reveals that he most certainly did not have the medical background to create a secret piece of technology. If he hired someone to attempt such a feat, the news would have almost certainly leaked out.

More difficult than that would be the provisions for processing power. The mind functions differently than traditional computers, with many more parallel operations. The mind isn't necessarily faster than a computer, but it has more hauling power, the way a dump truck would compared to a NASCAR vehicle. It is difficult to believe that anyone would have the control technology to parallel enough processors to simulate a full human mind, even if we did understand the mind enough to design such a system (which we do not).

Steve Jobs most certainly does not live in the iCloud, but it is a testament to his visionary genius that such a theory is even being circulated.

Addendum: Since this was originally published, some have begun to claim that Siri stands for "Steve is really inside."

My Most Wanted Itunes Feature

2011-10-12T10:10:00.003-05:00

I have a simply request for Apple: Let me choose where I save my iOS backups. Right now, they dump to the C partition by default, and there is no in program way to change that (you can set up what are essentially redirects, but that's no good, really).

What I really want is the ability to save my backups on an external or cloud drive - just like I can with my library.

Steve Jobs' Death

2011-10-05T22:04:00.000-05:00

"Remembering that you are going to die is the best way I know to avoid the trap of thinking you have something to lose." - Steve Jobs

It is incredibly humbling to consider that one of most successful and wealthy men in the world has died from one of the most common killers in existence: cancer. In my family, cancer has been a major killer. Thus, I look at Mr. Jobs' as a dark mirror into what could one day happened to me.

Most likely, I won't die a millionaire, my death will make national news, and I will not be considered a world changer.

This realization does not trouble me, because I know that I was created for purpose and I will always do my best to fulfill that purpose with the help of the Lord.

It is important to remember that even the wealthy suffer in death. Mr. Jobs' family will miss Mr. Jobs as much as the family of a poor Chinese labor would miss its patriarch. It is also important to remember that death has a great equalizer: judgment before the Almighty. I will be treated no differently before God that Mr. Jobs or you would be.

Mr. Jobs' spiritual quest has been well documented. Jobs pursued Buddhism and psychedelic hallucinations. It is possible that Jobs rejected Christianity by lumping it together with the religion of his biological father (Islam) as a "desert religion".

As Mr. Jobs family suffers, we can only pray that Mr. Jobs was found by grace some point before his death. Were this the case, he would have found true and eternal success. Success at the foot of the cross. Success over death!

RIM vs. Apple: RIM Wins in THIS Are

2011-07-28T10:28:00.002-05:00

I sell a product that is used primarily on cell phones, and making a demo video showing it being used is just logical. On RIM, there are tons of free apps that allow this to be done. On the iPhone, one must jailbreak the phone and then use a Cydia app.

I am somewhat surprised that Apple doesn't make this process easier.

Thank You, Dentist

2011-07-27T17:00:00.001-05:00

I went to visit my dentist today to have a tooth "filled".

However, this was in all actuality the trip to fill in a tooth chip that I got several years ago. The original filling fell off at some point in the last six months. However, when I got the dentist he informed me that filling the area would require him to take off more tooth than the feeling would protect! So, after conferring with him, I left.

Thank you Mr. Dentist.

Husbanding

2011-07-26T20:45:00.002-05:00

If I can end the day with my wife knowing that I love her, then despite what may have happened at work, or whatever other kinks may have happened in the day - that is a good day.

Things Are Settling Down Nicely

2011-07-24T22:11:00.002-05:00

Sarah and I had a laid back, fun weekend.

We had a blast listening to whatever we wanted on Spotify. The free version of Spotify meets our needs for now (and makes them money, apparently, via advertising). The library is truly impressive. The only music I couldn't find were obscure Vineyard Winds of Worship albums. But who knows - I may have simply been searching incorrectly. I was even able to find Christ for the Nations albums on Spotify. If I ever make more time to listen to music, or resume a heavier traveling schedule, I think that I will spend the money on Spotify for a premium account.

I tried out several contract apps. I can take customer order signatures directly on my iPad for contracts now. There is a cost to doing this that will limit how often I do so; the contract app wants to charge 1.99 per contract. That isn't a big cost, but if I was ever in a scenario in which timing did not matter, I would not use it. 1.99 per contract is significantly cheaper than overnighting a contract. The quality of the document will be much better than it would with a FAX. I personally hate faxing.

Saturday, I went to the Gunshow in Memphis at the agricenter. While walking in, I was treated to what was perhaps the best signage I have seen in my life. Let me qualify that. By best, I mean most amusing. I will let the sign speak for itself.

As you can see, it starts out with a gun and knife show and lightens up with Kids Town and a Foam Party before coming out strong with Amber's Fight for Life Wrestling Event (I hope the wrestling even raised a lot of money. I'm sure it did, the name is very attention getting).

In many areas of the country, having these events together would have made the news. I'm glad that in this respect Memphis is sane.

One of my friends ended up buying a nice Ruger Super Blackhawk. I've never shot one. One day I want a big bore single action hunting pistol, but I have no way to justify that now.

Church was nice on Sunday. Sarah played in a string quartet and the music was wonderful. The quartet had piano and organ accompaniment. It was very peaceful and soothing. The choir did an nice job as well.

After church, Sarah made a great chicken salad which we had on sandwiches.

We recently read through Hebrews, and are now going back through it with a commentary. We will use several commentaries as we approach the book. I've always been fascinated with Hebrews.

My Wishlist for IOS

2011-07-01T09:13:00.001-05:00

I am pretty excited for iOS 5. The state of the smartphone and tablet world in general pleases me and things will only get better. I have a wish list, and since I'm not a developer, I don't know which of my wishes I will get!

1. Ability to create new albums on each device. Even blackberries allow a person to create a new folder! iOS limits you to dumping each picture in the same folder. That stinks - let me organize them ON my device!

2. Profiles (for iPads). I'm not talking about two logins, but something more like driver memory as found in luxury cars. If a car with this feature has two drivers,each can program their seat preference. iPad profiles could include browser favorites, icon/folder locations, push/location preferences... And be synced with the cloud.

3. Better video. I have been on several networks (Sonic Wall and Watchfuard) that allow YouTube playback on PCs but struggle with iOS devices. The H.264 standard is great, and not an apple standard, but apple needs to push better adoption practices. Too many companies have issues with standard firewall settings, video, and iOS.

4. Buy Nuance. Seriously apple, buy Nuance. Reap the benefit of their voice technology. Beat Android on this key mobile interface issue.

5. Better calendar alert options. When I make a calendar appointment in Microsoft exchange and sync it to my iPhone, I have far more options regarding the alerts. I can specify that I receive notifications 1 min., 3 min., 17 min., 42 min., or 984 days prior to a calendar event occurring. But this level of flexibility is not available when I input calendar appointments directly into my iPhone. Instead, I have canned options that I can scroll through available to me. For some people, the ability to scroll through these options is amazing. For customers like me who heavily utilized their calendar, there should be the option to allow direct text and put in this field.

Ah, Huntsville

2011-05-15T23:42:00.003-05:00

Yesterday Sarah and I made a quick trip to Huntsville. Quick, as in we left church early and spent less than 4 hours in Huntsville before heading back around 5:55 PM, CST.

I'm glad we went. I think it made Sarah feel a lot better to get home one last time before the wedding, and we of course had a trunk full of items to bring back. The real reason this was good is that she knows we're close to her parents. A four hour jot over to her parents is nothing; a day trip is easily accomplished.

The dog even seemed to enjoy it. And he's crazy.

A Little Bit 'o Nostalgia - OR - A Saturday Afternoon Scanning Wedding Pictures

2011-05-14T15:48:00.003-05:00

I have a job, I guess. The women in my life have told me this. It is to scan all the pictures of my childhood, and of Sarah's childhood, and then to make some sort of fancy slide show.

Of course, I should know how to do this and do it without complaining, because I'm a man, and this isn't as important as everything else the women are taking care of. And in case you can't tell, I'm poking fun at everyone.

Going through these pictures is causing me to feel nostalgic. To be honest with you, I simply have not thought much about my childhood recently. I've been feeling a drive to go forward and conquer. Also, in many ways I didn't enjoy my childhood. I had good parents and all, and I can't really tell you why, other than I really disliked school and school makes up the bulk of a kid's life.

There are a lot of good times in these pictures though. Prom dates I thought I might be really interested in down the road. Cleaning guns. Fishing with Dad. Christmas with cousins. Pictures I could use to get relatives thrown in prison. All the good things of growing up. Looking at my pictures and looking at Sarah's, we could have been in the same regiment in Jr. Montana Freeman Militia School.

Mud Island

2011-04-30T23:13:00.001-05:00

Today we went to Mud Island to the Mississippi River walk. The river is in flood stage which made the presentation seem even more powerful.

Here is a picture of Sarah and her brother taken at the River Walk:

Today, I Was the Idiot in Church

2011-04-24T14:29:00.001-05:00

Every Sunday in church, someone's phone rings. Everyone looks offended, gives the half look of disapproval, and thinks "What an inconsiderate idiot!"

I was that guy today in church. Ironically my parents were visiting our church today. We met them before service and I tried to get my dad to allow me to put his phone in airplane mode. He Would not, but put his phone in vibrate mode.

I use my phone as my bible in church and also to take notes. As the pastor opened the 9:15 service, the 9:20 alarm I put on my phone for one day but meant to take off sounded. Because alarms bypass vibrate mode on iPhones.

Yeah, I was the idiot today. :/

I Am GLAD I Don't Have Comcast Phones!

2011-04-21T09:26:00.003-05:00

I use Comcast for my primary business internet connection. In addition to Comcast, I have an AT&T DSL backup connection. I run my phones on a PRI; the T1 for this is provided by AT&T. Of all my local services, telephone is the most critical (I of course host my web sites off site at a data center).

Comcast regularly calls my business trying to sell phone service. They have great rates on phone service, but they do not offer guaranteed up time according to the reps.

Memphis had a serious wind storm the evening of April 19, 2011 (Tuesday). You can see what it did in my area in one of my earlier posts.

I'm glad I don't use Comcast for phones because I would not have phones right now with Comcast. It's that simple! Several businesses in my building use Comcast's phone service, and they have effectively been out of business since yesterday morning. I pay more with my current method of phone service, but I am ALWAYS up. In the event of an outage, AT&T guarantees a work crew will start fixing my system within 4 hours.

That is NOT My Car... Thankfully.

2011-04-20T08:07:00.001-05:00

As I went to my vehicle today, I could not help but be glad that I has parked my car a few car lengths behind it's normal position. That was almost me! Yikes.

Upgrading to Watchguard 11.4

2011-04-08T12:51:00.002-05:00

I've been planning the upgrade of my XTM505 to Watchguard's 11.4 release for some time now. This version of came out in March and I have been waiting to see if any major issues were noted. It appears stable, so I'm making the upgrade.

This was my first Watchguard upgrade, and as such there were a few things I didn't understand.

My questions were:

What is the preferred order of upgrade?
How does the software get to the actual XTM 505?

The preferred order of upgrade is Watchguard System Manager (This will also upgrade the Server Center) on all systems running System Manager. Yes, The 11.4 System Manager can control your device while it is waiting for the upgrade and still running an earlier version (11.3 is the only version I can confirm 11.4 will run from personal experience).

The software "gets" to the XTM 505 by you downloading the update and "installing" it one the box running Server Center. You don't install to the Firebox, you install to Server Center, in other words. Then, you connect System Manager to the Server and schedule the upgrade. Pretty nice!

Sticking to My Guns

2011-04-08T08:19:00.001-05:00

I have had great luck with diet change in the last couple of years, but I've always gotten to a certain point and then started to fail. This is normally the holiday season (imagine that).

I made a grocery store trip last night and did some healthy cooking. Packed my bags for work... And then forgot them. Oh well... I won't just give up!

To home at noon go I!

I Still Can't Believe the UCONN / Butler Game

2011-04-06T15:57:00.000-05:00

I enjoy championship games, but I was very disappointed in the NCAAB Championship game. the 2011 Championship just didn't deliver.

I don't have much time (I'm on lunch) but the reason for the disappointment is that Butler just wasn't a well rounded team. They were fantastic on defense - majestic even. but they shot something line 18% from the field.

Any team that lopsided will fail eventually. I can't help but admire Butler, but what a low-scoring, disappointing game!

Personal Improvement

2011-04-06T05:54:00.001-05:00

I have been thinking about the subject of personal improvement lately. Like most other things that I spend a lot of time thinking about, this has been sparked by my upcoming marriage.

I believe that improvement requires an honest assessment of the current state of that which a person is attempting to improve. I suppose that technically one could improve something without understanding the degree of improvement that is taking place, but personally I don't feel that there is any point to improving something if a difference cannot be noted. Improvement requires a before and after comparison point to be fulfilling and worthwhile.

Benjamin Franklin wrote about several of the methods he used to improve himself in his autobiography. My favorite method was his systematic documentation of his flaws. He divided his life up in the 13 areas and would daily document his feelings in each area. One week he would focus on area A and document only his flaws in that area, the next week he would focus on area B – again only documenting his flaws in area B. He called this his path to virtue.

While Benjamin franklin and I would most likely disagree on the source of virtue, I appreciate his efforts to be virtuous, and feel that what he learned offers a lot of insight. Of particular interest to me is his admittance that after he documented his flaws he realized they were far greater in number then he had ever thought possible. Documenting his flaws allowed Franklin to successfully identify trouble areas, work to master them and, finally, to verify his mastery of them. Of course, as a Christian I don't believe that true defeat of vices is possible with out the regeneration of the Holy Spirit, but that is an issue for a separate post.

Enough about Franklin: what are my personal flaws? What areas do I, Matthew Nowlin, need to improve on?

I'll keep this to fairly nonpersonal issues – but know that more introspection is going on here then is readily obvious.

The first area that I feel I can improve on is my physical fitness. The serious and an ongoing battle for me and I'm going to attempt to use Franklin's method of daily journaling and analyzing to help me here. I am also going to rely on Sarah's help in this area. Honey, please hold me accountable!

The second area that I feel can be improved using the methods discussed here is overall discipline. I'm not a loose cannon or a rebel without a caused by any means, but I do not feel as disciplined as I would like to. I do immature things and I flat out do not like that.

A subset of discipline is mastering my time. I hope that in time I can develop a much greater discipline in this area and master my calendar. Like a child, I often have difficulty doing basic things like going to bed on time and waking up early in the morning. Sure, I get everything done that I need to, but those two basic daily tasks left unmastered have left me with a feeling of immaturity. I think that when Paul said " I beat my body and make it my slave" he probably did so with a sense of glee - if his body was indeed a slave to him, he had to feel incredibly empowered.

Lesson Learned: Be Quiet and Go Away (sometimes)

2011-04-04T05:16:00.007-05:00

Sarah and I had a great weekend in Chadron, NE. My former youth pastor and good friend is performing our wedding June 11, and we needed to spend some time counseling. Sarah and I both come from good backgrounds, but just like every other person in the world, we have preconceptions that can add baggage to a relationship. Our goal has been "To do things right" throughout the relationship, and the purpose of this was to be another stone laid in that relationship.

So we flew into Rapid City, SD and then drove down to Chadron, NE. By the way, if you need a car rental in Rapid City, SD, I recommend Dollar Rent-A-Car. They had a price that was about half of what the airport based rentals were charging because they didn't have to pay airport fees, and it only took us 7-10 minutes to get from the airport to the car rental place (yeah, I know, great job timing there Matt). I have family in the area in addition to the friends we visited, so I can say with some certainty that I will use them again.

We got in midday on Friday and received some counsel. Part of our homework for the evening was a test that involved us answering questions about ourselves in several areas related to marriage, and also answering how we felt our to-be would answer. Saturday was grading day for the questions, but I'll jump the gun and let on that having dated for four years, we were both accurate guessing what our to-be would answer.

Saturday, we hopped in the Subaru rental (which I loved, by the way) and went to Mount Rushmore. The goal was to have an enjoyable day and knock out the counseling we went to get. Doing the counseling in the car was a fantastic idea for me at least. The scenery offered me something different to look at constantly, and relaxed my mind. I felt much more "involved" with the conversation at the end of the day than I would have if we had simply stuck ourselves in an office and yelled "Go."

I learned a lot and was reminded of a lot in counseling, but had one truly epiphanic moment when we were talking about conflict resolution and handling emotions. To be honest, this wasn't even only about conflict between Sarah and I, but also helping the other person work through conflict with others.

Anytime Sarah has had any type of problem with me, another person, or a situation, I have tended to want to destroy/fix (same thing) that problem. Whether it meant sitting down right away and talking about it, making a run to Wal-Mart at 3:00 am, or having a come-to-Jesus talk, I have wanted to solve the problem now. That is a personality strength and weakness of mine.

Through this weekend, I came to an understanding that Sarah needs time to process things and that I am not abandoning her or shirking my duty if I simply leave her alone. This is perhaps obvious to many people, but to me it was a revelation of humongous importance.

Also, I haven't worked out since Thursday, so I'm going to hit it hard this afternoon.

The Memphis Storms of April 5, 2011

2011-04-04T04:29:00.000-05:00

Memphis had bad storms on Monday, April 5. While the storms weren't as bad as Hurrican Elvis, there were extensive power outages and a lot of property damage. We had to shut our business down due to an extended power outage. That speaks to me, since we have invested a lot in battery backup. :|

Our power was out until close to 10:00 PM.

On the home front, a car was destroyed near my home. A tree landed on it. I was interested in this since the tree hit a car parked where Sarah normally parks when she visits me.

Yikes!

Is Comcast Blocking SSH?

2011-03-31T13:32:00.004-05:00

There have been suspicions in the past that Comcast blocked SSH. This was supposedly selective, and geared towards blocking users "abusing" SSH for file sharing.

Well, I use SSH for work, to log into a linux box I host websites on, and I dont' share files doing this. Today, after a long successful history of use, I can't SSH into the box on my Comcast Business Class connection. Nothing on my network has changed, and I was able to connect a terminal as late as yesterday.

I can get a terminal through my AT&T Business Class DSL connection, my iPhone's 3g connection, and my Air Card's 3G connection. I rebooted my Comcast modem, and still no dice.

Is Comcast playing dirty poker and blocking SSH connections on Port 22?

It Is Indeed Happening

2011-03-31T06:39:00.006-05:00

That time seems to go by more quickly the older a person gets is no uncommon knowledge. Children, enamored with life, often live with an undirected joyful, aggressive enthusiasm that adults envy. Were children to have the knowledge and experience to match their enthusiasm, they would conquer the world in short order.

I find myself feeling like a child the closer I get to marrying Sarah. Our goal has always been to do things right, and I think that for the most part we have. We've had our share of arguments and emotional pain, but after four years of pursuing her I'm confident that we can work through anything with the Lord's help. Beyond ability, I'm confident that we will work through anything.

With this confidence, and with the expectations of marriage growing on me every day, I can freely say that I feel like a little kid in many ways.

The first reason I'll say that I feel like a little kid is due to the sense of timing that I have. The days seem to be going by me slowly!!! This isn't a complaint, because slowness of time allows the mind to solidly articulate thoughts and accurately analyze what is happening. Right now though, when my first desire is to marry my bride, slow passage of time seems more difficult to bear than it actually is.

I listened to a John Piper sermon on marriage last night. In it, he states that God had Adam name all the animals before he made him a helper Genesis 2.

¹⁸Then the LORD God said, "It is not good that the man should be alone;^(R) I will make him a helper fit for^[e] him." ¹⁹^(S) Now out of the ground the LORD God had formed^[f] every beast of the field and every bird of the heavens and^(T) brought them to the man to see what he would call them. And whatever the man called every living creature, that was its name. ²⁰The man gave names to all livestock and to the birds of the heavens and to every beast of the field. But for Adam^[g] there was not found a helper fit for him. ²¹So the LORD God caused a^(U) deep sleep to fall upon the man, and while he slept took one of his ribs and closed up its place with flesh. ²²And the rib that the LORD God had taken from the man he made^[h] into a woman and brought her to the man.

Piper notes that God observed man's loneliness in prior to creating a helper for him (verse 18 was the notation of loneliness, 21 and 22 were of the sleep and God BRINGING the Bride to Adam). Sadly, until I listened to Piper's sermon I did not understand that God paraded the animals in front of Adam and had Adam name them in the middle of this story. Was it to show Adam that there was no helper for him without another created in the image of God? I believe it was. Adam's loneliness must have been compounded as he looked over all of creation's animal life and realized that he was completely unique.

The passage of time was required for Adam to see his need for a bride - because the passage of time is required for the order of God's plan to come to fruition. It would be wonderful if I could pass the time over the next few months learning those things that I need to learn to have a successful marriage: to serve my bride, please the Lord, and be a good example to others.

The second reason that I feel like a child is my sense of expectation. This is a new adventure. Though I've heard "the big kids" speaking about marriage all my life, the only thing I'm confident of is that I can't fully know what to expect. I will be challenged as a man. My bride will be challenged as a woman.

The third reason I feel like a child is due to my fear of sacrifice. Marriages that take place with a Christian understanding begin at an altar. On an altar, blood is spilled. From the temple sacrifices to the altar represented by Golgotha, altars have brought new life from pain.

No one will die due to my marriage. No animals will be killed to incur a blessing. We both live under the new covenant of Christ's sacrifice.

And yet Ephesians 5:25 says I am to follow the example of Christ. I must give myself up for a bride. There is strong potential that sacrifice and pain will be involved in that. Lord, help me to take that seriously.

I often think that the reason we have so few men willing to make sacrifices for their marriages is that we have so few good examples in our society of this happening. We require good examples, which is why our civilizations have been built around sacred texts (with the best civilizations being built around The Bible), why fables and legends are taught to children, and why we prize the examples of heroes.

Currently, there are many bad examples of marriage. By talking about these in an "objective" manner, we make them seem acceptable to children. Just because something is normal does not mean it is acceptable.

It is with this challenge that I must enter marriage: The challenge to be Christlike to my bride. I fear I am woefully inadequate to meet this challenge. It might just be time for a personal revival.

So, I am fearful, expecting, and have a bad sense of timing. God help me!

"I Cannot Learn Under These Conditions!"

2011-03-30T21:23:00.000-05:00

There is a nice couple who lives below me. Until tonight, I've only met the husband. As I was coming back from work, he caught me and informed me that the noise from my apartment was getting out of control. Since my neighbor's wife is in school, it is important to him that she have a quiet environment to study in.

I live in a world of headsets, and the loudest things I do are run the dishwasher, run the washing machine, and misstep when I get out of bed.

That fact doesn't solve the problem that my neighbors have though, which is that they think I'm being loud. In the spirit of dealing with that, I gave them my phone number and told them to text me when they were hearing loud noises. I tried to be sincere, but like I said, I'm pretty quiet about my place.

I want to be a good neighbor, so I certainly hope they'll contact me if they perceive loudness.

Keepass for iOS 4

2011-03-29T10:46:00.002-05:00

I've used Keepass on my desktop for a long time. As I travel, I have been hoping to find a version of it to use with my iPhone. As of yet, I have not. If anyone knows of a good keepass app, please let me know.

Adwords After The Gym

2011-03-28T15:01:00.002-05:00

I've started a routine of hitting the gym around 1:00 and then resuming my work on Adwords campaigns. No one will convince me that the half hour to hour the workout takes doesn't double the remaining 3 hours of my day into six hours worth of work.

Today was pleasant, because my fiance joined me at the gym (she has spring break off). It was truly joyous to work out with her.

The No Name Pastor

2011-03-28T06:54:00.000-05:00

Out of respect for the Pastor this article is about, I won't mention a name. This isn't being written in an angry or vengeful spirit, but rather as a reminder to myself to not be arrogant and unteachable.

I was watching television late last night, and a well respected Christian Pastor came on the television. This is a man that I have always respected and thought well of.

The show was done in an interview format, and the leader went into attack mode when asked about his thoughts on Charismatics. He stated that all the church's problems in America today stem from the Charismatic movement, because it allowed bad theology to go mainstream. He then stated that if God still moved today in the same way he did in the early Church, that God would only move through people with sound theology. The tone of the conversation lead me to believe that those people would be, of course, folks like him. Really, Pastor?

The issue here isn't one of Cessationism vs. Continuationism. That argument is largely dead (much to the chagrin of the Pastor I'm referring to). The issue here is one of spiritual pride. This Pastor honestly doesn't see how his words parallel the words of the Pharisees of Christ's day! By making a claim that God would only move through people with good theology he is essentially saying that God would only move in a way that he understands and approves of, and that unclean spiritual lepers are unusable.

As I watched this man speak, I thought of the wonderful books of his that I've read, the lives this man's ministry has impacted, and the great works he has done for the Kingdom of God. I then realized that were the Kingdom about man, it would be a kingdom made in vain.

Lord, we each have flaws and in each of us their is a vanity and an arrogance. Help us!

A Little Fiber In the Morning Helps

2011-03-24T07:34:00.000-05:00

About a year ago, I googled something along the lines of "Does Fiber Help you feel fuller?" I've found that when I eat fiber in the morning with my breakfast, I seem to stay much fuller for the rest of the day.

I know, I know - "Duh. Everyone knows that." Many people know it, but it impacted me enough that I felt it was worth repeating.

In my research, I found that besides giving one a feeling of satiation and helping to digest food properly that dietary fiber also helps your body release nutrients more evenly from the digestive system, keeping you more even keeled throughout the morning.

When You Leave, I Miss You

2011-03-24T07:05:00.002-05:00

Sarah is in Nashville for the next two days. I can't remember exactly when she moved to Memphis so I won't lie and throw a date out, but it's been over six months. We've been engaged since late December, and have enjoyed seeing each other nearly every day. She often travels past my apartment on the way too and from her various appointment and she teaches private lessons at a school near my office.

A two day interruption is thus a major change to the status quot, and I find myself already missing her.

I woke up very early this morning. 5:30 AM early. Sarah had planned to wake up at 4:00 AM and I was surprised she hadn't called me like she normally does. A frustrated nervousness immediately crept into me, and I couldn't help but worry that she had forgotten to plug her phone in and hadn't been woken up due to a dead battery.

So, I called her, and her phone went straight to voicemail! Ruh-roh. Several phone calls yielded the same result. At that point, it became clear to me that I had a duty as a man to drive to her apartment and wake her up. I grabbed the dog, ran to my car, and drove to her apartment. No car. She called me back as I was leaving her apartment complex, informed me that she had gotten my voice mail, and was driving through an area with bad cell coverage.

She then told me that she turned her phone off because she knew that in areas with bad coverage cell batteries were drained more quickly (due to them trying to find a cell tower). It then hit me: She listens to what I say! I told her that a few years ago and she remembered! And that feels really good. So thank you, sweetheart, for making my morning.

My Thoughts and Prayers Are With Japan

2011-03-16T06:40:00.002-05:00

The devastating situation in Japan has been weighing on my heart since I received news of the earthquake and Tsunami. I did relief work in St. Bernard Parish (New Oreleans) after Katrina, and could not fathom the scale of the damage before I arrived in the area. My mind's eye imagines that Japan makes the Katrina Aftermath look like a walk in the park.

There are several troubling things about the global response to the crisis in Japan (and I won't address them all). The most troubling thing to me is the fact that a relatively minor incident with a nuclear power plant is receiving most of the attention. I said relatively minor on purpose. My reasoning is simple? There is a confirmed death toll of around 3500 from the earthquake and subsequent Tsunami that will easily top 10,000 and billions (if not hundreds of billions - or trillions) of dollars in property damage from the same event.

And, as of yet, there has been one confirmed death from the nuclear power plant incident in Fukushima - from the explosion, not radiation.

The truth of the matter is that we don't need to be focusing on the nuclear situation in the country. Instead, we need to be focused on supporting established relief organizations do what they exist for: help these people. Japan doesn't need an influx of people, they need an influx of relief supplies. I recommend giving through Convoy of Hope which is one of the most cost efficient charities in the world.

Rather than focus on fears of a nuclear disaster that is being overhyped, let's focus on helping Japan rebuild.

My Calendar Doesn't Say When Spring Is... But I Know It's Close!

2011-03-04T06:17:00.001-06:00

I was surprised yesterday afternoon when I looked at my calendar to see when spring started this year. No mention of it - though St. Patrick's Day made the cut.

Looking on Wikipedia yielded no easy results either. I found out that the answer to the question "When does spring start in 2011" is March 20.

Where has the year gone? Having officially never had a sense of time or date until recently, I've not been one to ask that question until now. The year is going very quickly! So quickly, in fact, that I'll have to leave this blog as it is, lame, and get read to head to the office.

How To Buy A Used Car the Right Way

2011-01-24T17:47:00.001-06:00

Background: Why You Should Be Wary Buying Used Cars Without 3rd Party Inspection

"Certified Pre-Owned Cars." Carmax and other non-brand dealers along with every brand in existence make big bucks on used, "Certified" used cars. Unlike new cars, they actually make money on used cars by offering low buying points and selling high. There is nothing wrong with this, but it definitely doesn't represent the best way to buy.

The last three used cars I or family members have bought have needed, respectively, $3000.00, $2700, and $900 worth of work after certification by a major branded entity. Today, my Fiance had a dealership walk away from a deal after we had it independently inspected. The certified technicians at a local dealership had missed a vehicle that needed a transmission flush (it was 30,000 miles past due by their maintenance schedule. The dealership inspecting it had handled all of this cars servicing in the past), all new pads and rotors (front and back), new lower ball joints, and the alignment that would need to be done after the ball joints were replaced.

Our mechanic could do this work for just shy of $1,000, but the local dealership could not. They tried to get my Fiance to pay for the work their "certified" mechanics had missed. Sadly, this doesn't take gall - it is standard industry practice. They then came back offering her discounts - $300, leaving her $700 to pay. Then $500, leaving her $500 to pay. Now, they're acting like she is not being fair, so she walked away from the deal.

What to Do

Whenever you buy a used car, demand that you be allowed to have the mechanic of your choice inspect the vehicle. Then, take it to the most reputable and thorough mechanic that you can find. Most shops will have a "courtesy" checklist. They like these because it is one of the ways they generate business; have them use it as the basis for their inspection, and ask them to also use their experience and intuition to go beyond these parameters.

IMPORTANT: Always have a compression check done on the engine. This will normally cost you more than the rest of the inspection combined, but it is well worth it. I recently had a friend who got a vehicle inspected prior to purchase. The spark plugs (which must be removed to do a compression check) were stuck! The mechanic stopped, the vehicle was returned to the dealer, and they attempted to remove the plug. The bulb ended up falling into the engine, and the head had to be removed. This would have been a $600-$900 spark plug change! He ended up buying the vehicle without eating that cost.

Don't "Play Games"

I've never purchased a used vehicle without it needing some work. It has to be done, and the only question is who will pay for it. The dealer wants to make the sale and he wants you to eat the cost of the work. Here are some common methods they have of doing that:

Guilt. "We can't do that work for what your mechanic can. We'll lose money." Surprisingly, this works on many people!
Dismissal. The dealership will try to tell you that your mechanic is being too picky, and that the parts in question actually don't need to be replaced. Don't buy it.
Negotiating. The dealership will offer to cover the labor if you buy the parts, or vice versa. Failing this, the dealership will offer to discount the car. They get away with this because many people don't know how to do basic addition and subtraction. If they discount a car needing $1000 in repairs $500, you're still out of pocket $500. Additionally, you'll be out of pocket for any issues that might arise in the repair pocket.

Be courteous, but make it clear that for you to buy the vehicle, the repairs have to be made. If the dealership will not do it, walk away.

Closing the Deal.

After the dealership fixes the vehicle, have it inspected again. "That's insulting!" Yes, it is. However, it is not as insulting as being told work was done and then finding out it was in fact not done, and that you've been played for a fool.

My dad bought my sister a 1996 Toyota Camry from one of the largest Toyota Dealerships in Memphis. On inspection, it was obvious that the vehicle needed all new struts. Four struts. The dealership agreed to replace the struts, put the car in the shop, and then told my dad they had made the repairs. He surprised them by getting the vehicle inspected again. The two front struts had been replaced. The rear struts had been painted. My dad could have easily sued that dealership for fraud. He didn't. Instead, he had them make the repairs and reimburse him for the 2nd and 3rd inspection charges.

It is sad that there are some real scam artists out there. I sell used engines, and encounter these types of things in my competition all the time. Though there are bad apples in the industry, realize that there are excellent companies in existence who will take care of their customers. Find these companies and patronize them!

Final Thoughts

Let me close by saying that buying from a dealership isn't in actuality the best way to go. You're paying for a nice building, some Starbucks coffee, and a sales and support staff. Oh, and a car. What you really WANT is a good car.

Shop privately using craigslist.org, cars.com, and your local newspaper. Then have the vehicle inspected. Have the owner fix what needs fixing, and then buy the car! The seller will get a higher selling price on a private sale, and you'll get a lower buying price on a private sale. This is a "win-win" situation.

Please feel free to distribute this to friends. I only ask that you cite me, Matthew Nowlin, as the author.

New Year's Resolutions: Nope! Yes to Steady Improvements on the Year

2011-01-09T10:07:00.004-06:00

I no longer make New Year's Resolutions. Several years ago, I noticed that virtually no one keeps them. Sure, there are exceptions to this, but using something as arbitrary as the calendar reset to motivate me in keeping new goals doesn't well up any deep motivation in me. When New Years hits, if I'm not already motivated to do something, I understand and don't make a blind, wild promise that I will do it.

What I do use New Years for is an evaluation of my already existing goals. No, I don't believe this is an issue of semantics. I see refocusing on an existing goal as clearly different than shifting my entire mental posture to focus on a new goal.

Here is a brief summary of my refocus areas. This includes what I've already done with them as well as what I hope to do with them in the future. I've selected three areas of focus. By their vary nature, some of these will call on elements of my life that are necessary, but not topically related.

My first area of refocus is relationships.

The most important thing that I will do this year is get married. This will create the greatest relationship a man can have with another human.

On December 24, 2010, the love of my life agreed to marry me. Her love, her demeanor, and everything about her have served to encourage me and to make me a better man. We will unite our lives on June 11, 2011. This year must solidly cement our marriage, and I must conduct myself in a manner once married that increases my fiance's confidence in me and deepens our love. The fulcrum of our marriage must be our Christian faith and our relationship with the Lord.

In the interim between now and our wedding, I will continue my support of Sarah and try to make it more consistent. I will also try to make myself more available to her.

I also have relationships that I want to develop more with several family members and friends. My goal is to minister to them, and not to be a taker. I don't think that I'm a taker, but I want be conscious to give more than I receive.

Sarah and I have been attending First Evangelical Church of Memphis since August of 2010; I want to continue fostering relationships there.

My second area of refocus is my health.

2010 was a great year for me in this area. I lost 65 lbs (at one point I thought I had lost 70, but I gained 5 back during the holidays) and kicked my cholesterol in the butt. I did this by changing my diet and exercising. Towards the end of the year, my workouts faded. Work was very demanding, and while there was no way I could have worked out at the same pace from mid November through mid December, I did not pick up the torch where I left it. I will refocus on running and will resume light weight lifting with high reps.

I will also refocus on cooking properly. I will incorporate a greater variety of vegetables into my low carb diet and make certain that I properly regulate my carbohydrate and sugar intake.

If I am to continue to make strides in this area, discipline and planning must continue their ascension to a place of prominence. I will use the power of Microsoft Exchange to sync my Outlook and iPhone. I will continue to avoid overcommitment, and I will make sure that what I do commit to is done with great planning and care - excellence in execution is my goal this year. I will discipline myself in both waking up and sleeping as well. I'm considering several business ventures this year; all of the above will apply to these as well.

Discipline and planning are key to reducing stress, which in turn is key to good health. All of these areas tie in, even though they might appear to be unrelated.

The last area of refocus is personal finances. I've grown tremendously in my application of basic principles of conservative finances in the last four years. Note the part about application; my parents raised me right, but in my youth I lived foolishly (I left home the day of Graduation from high school and went on one big spree of fail for years!). This next year, I will continue foundation building. For me, so much of my time has been spent gutting the old foundation, which was built for a type of financial lifestyle that I now thoroughly reject! I'm fortunate that Sarah thinks the way that I do. We both want nothing more than to be good stewards of the money that we're blessed to earn and to enjoy financial security.

An Easy Fix For the iPhone OS 4.2 Update Problem - Music Not Showing on iPod

2010-11-28T22:12:00.001-06:00

I was an early adopter on IOS 4.2. The day it came out, I clicked "Check for update" in iTunes on the iPhone pane every five minutes.

After quickly snagging it, I quickly realized that it had caused a problem: When I opened the iPhone app, my music didn't show up! I was worried it had been deleted, but in fact it had not. I knew this because when I went to settings, general, and finally about, I showed 3302 songs.

Apple recommends a complete restore, but the problem with this is that it acquires you to go back and replace it a lot of settings on the phone.

A Simple Solution to the Problem
What I did to solve my problem as simply to go into my iTunes library and drag another song to my iPhone. This fixed the issue with little hassle and little time investment.

It's so simple that I'm surprised Apple doesn't recommend doing this first. If you try the solution, please let me know either way whether it works!

Review: Great Night at the Venetian Watching Blue Man Group in Las Vegas

2010-11-10T00:02:00.005-06:00

A friend of mine snagged some fantastic tickets to watch Blue Man Group tonight in Las Vegas. These tickets were given to us by the folks putting on Pubcon, specifically Brett Tabke.

The Blue Man Group is by no means a new phenomenon; the original group formed in New York City in 1987. My girlfriend is quite familiar with the group through friends who have seen the group even though she has never seen them herself. To me, the group was new. I enjoyed them tremendously.

I don't live in Las Vegas, and this is the first time that I have ever been to the city. It is nice to know that there is good clean entertainment available in what is known as Sin City. This might be the best show in Las Vegas if you're looking to go to something that you know is "safe", fun, and thought-provoking.

The show is safe very little of it is spoken. There is no crude language and there are no sexual overtones. If you are an intuitive type of person you will be thrilled with the subtlety of communication. The humor ranges from extremely simple to more elaborate but there are no dirty jokes.

The show is fun because all the abstract elements that pulls on. It has the weirdness of blue humanoid creatures who are not quite human but have the sense of wonder that every human values at some level. The show is fun because of the audience involvement. I myself had a camera stuck in my mouth and zoomed down my throat. I brought it on myself when I returned the gaze of one of the blue men as they were running a camera through the front row. A sweet lady was picked out of the audience is taken up on stage to "dine" with the Blue Man Group, and another man was abducted out of the audience and put in a jumpsuit. Over the next few minutes, he was slathered in blue (is closer safe because of the jumpsuit) and launched into a canvas where he became an abstract artist.

The show is thought-provoking because of the nuance that it plays on as well as the outright parodies it does of modern rock 'n roll, advertising, and a few select romantic time. I will send more in this area because I might ruin the show for you.

I definitely enjoyed my night and left entertained. If you have a chance to see The Blue Man Group in Las Vegas or anywhere else, I highly recommend you do so.

Many thanks to the folks at Pubcon for a great night of entertainment.

Frustrating Day with Networking

2010-11-05T16:46:00.002-05:00

Today I spent a long time struggling with what turned out to be very basic networking issue. I'm trying to move from Window's built-in VPN software to the mobile VPN software that watch guard puts out which in turn works with my XTM 505 Firebox. I'm still trying to make that move because I had to spend most of the day correcting issues with my air card which I will need next week as I travel.

For whatever reason, my laptop decided all of a sudden that it did not want to recognize the USB connector lightning AT&T provided me or the Dell wireless 5530 air card (C6807R). I tried several options to fix this issue all of which proved to be superfluous. My normal fix, simply uninstalling and reinstalling the device drivers, did not work.

What ended up working was going into the Device Manager -> Modems -> Right Click -> Properties -> Advanced Tab -> Advanced Port Settings and then looking at the very bottom of the window by the COM port number drop-down. I simply selected a different port dollars order using hit okay and like magic everything was fixed.

FYI I am using Windows 7 Professional 64-bit.

Is Your Blue Tooth too Quiet? Mine Isn't!

2010-08-25T14:14:00.003-05:00

I've been an avid user of bluetooths (and yes, that is the correct plural for bluetooth) for a number of years. The convenience in answering speed and the safety afforded in a number of scenarios make using a bluetooth logical.

However, many of the standard earpieces left bluetooth devices too quiet - I simply could not get them loud enough. Many standard earpieces were also uncomfortable for me. I ordered an Avery Sound custom earpiece for my bluetooth and it has been a lifesaver. It is comfortable, and increases the perceived volume of my calls.

The volume is so much greater that I had a problem - it was too loud! I easily remedied this by ripping some cotton from a cotton ball, and stuffing it in the earpiece.

Will My Dell 5530 Wireless Card withT-Mobile

2010-08-25T14:08:00.004-05:00

I purchased a 5530 Wireless card for use in my Dell Precision M4400, hoping that it would work with T-Mobile. It does - great news, which I wanted to share, since I couldn't find any resources with this information available.

BCM 50 Date and Time

2010-08-20T08:12:00.003-05:00

For the past few years, my BCM50 has required a constant reset of the time. It would always slowly lag behind my network, which is constantly checking with time servers to make sure it is sending the right time out.

I thought I was properly pinging NTP with the BCM50, and was frustrated. However, it was not - but I've fixed it.

What I did was simple:
In element manager under the configuration Tab, I went to System-Date and Time.

The first thing I needed to change ws the Date and Time Source. I had been using "Trunk." The confusing thing was that even when set to "trunk" you are allowed to configure an NTP server address. Even though you are allowed to set these options, it does not appear to use them unless you select "NTP" as the Date and Time Source.

So, select that first. Then, make sure you have pool.ntp.org as the server, tell it to synch however often you desire, and you should be set.

Great Article on Guns by... A Hippie

2010-07-05T01:52:00.001-05:00

I don't like hippies, but this one wrote a good article. And it's on the Dailykos... a stupid hippy liberal website that I resent.

http://www.dailykos.com/storyonly/2010/7/4/881431/-Why-liberals-should-love-the-Second-Amendment

Coming off a Great Week

2010-06-27T01:18:00.002-05:00

I'm coming off a great week of vacation in Maui County, HI. That's the Island of Maui, as well as a few smaller islands.

My cousins David and Catherine invited me to stay with them here on the Island, and I'm very thankful to them for doing so. This has been one of the most relaxing weeks I've had in a long time. I would consider them "expert" travelers. Since they had been here for quite some time prior to my arrival, I got to go to the "good spots" that they had already checked out.

My flight starts boarding in about 40 minutes, and I'm hoping to catch some serious Z's on the way home to avoid being worn out at work on Monday due to the time change. East to west travel is always easy, but I've heard West to East is difficult. Whenever I've traveled to Europe, I've always fallen prey to this.

Tomorrow I also get to see Sarah, the love of my life. I cannot tell you how long I've waited for the day that I get to see her without knowing it is only for a few days. My heart is very glad right now. And despite this being what I am the happiest about, I won't say any more. ;)

Great Travel Packing Guide

2010-06-18T18:30:00.001-05:00

I'm not very good at packing, but I found a great travel guide today while searching for help packing for my vacation next week: travel smith packing list.

When Bad Gets Worse

2010-04-14T13:15:00.002-05:00

I've had a very, very rough week. Last Wednesday, I was in a wreck in which my vehicle was totaled, and it really changed the tone of my weekend, which in turn changed to tone of this week.

Today, while sitting in a conference, I noticed that my plugged in Dell M4400 is simply not charging. It says "plugged in, not charging." It will run on A/C power without draining the battery, but it won't charge. Long story to short, Dell is going to send a tech with parts to my hotel after hours to fix it.

I'm impressed.

Finding 64 Bit Drivers for Printers (Windows 7 64 Bit)

2010-03-11T14:38:00.003-06:00

I recently got a new computer with Windows 7 64 Bit. I use a dell 3115CN and was having problems finding 64 bit drivers from the Dell website. There are no printer drivers on the Dell website, and the available printer driver failed miserably.

I found an thread on a forum that walked me through my 3115CN Driver Problem to a solution, which is actually quite easy: instead of trying a network install, try a local install. Click on the above link for a solution; I hope this helps someone.

I Don't Like Beer - Just Beer Commercials

2010-01-05T11:39:00.002-06:00

Wow. This commercial is hilarious. I study advertising because of my business (I sell various auto parts) and one of the things I always have to watch is how targeted my advertising is. The beauty of things is that I can be very, very targeted in my ads. You're looking for what I have? Search for it, and you'll find it.

Companies like Budweiser don't have that luxury. They have to make commercials to create demand. Let's face it, if you're honest beer tastes horrible (just like all alcohol) and you don't need it. Thus, people like me who will never drink beer get hilarious ads to giggle at.

And this one is a giggler.

Maybe, Just Maybe, I've Found a Church

2010-01-03T16:24:00.002-06:00

When I moved to Memphis, I didn't look for a permanent church home since I didn't think I would be here long term. I've visited a lot of churches (probably over 70 since I've been here), and had one that I spent more than my fair share at, but it just didn't feel like home at any of them. Ironically, there was one that I thought about trying at first that I didn't because a girl I knew from Minnesota moved down here and went there. Silly, huh?

Well, Sarah and I tried it out today, and we're going to attend again this evening. I'm thinking of making it my church home - it is First Assembly of God of Memphis. At least I think that's what they call themselves!

Anyways, here's hoping I can get plugged in.

I'm Thankful to be So Busy

2009-12-15T13:19:00.002-06:00

I'm the busiest I've ever been in my life, and I both love and hate it.

There are a few reasons that I love being busy:

A strong sense of gratitude. I'm thankful for a fantastic girlfriend, agood job, a strong company, the best family relations I've enjoyed in years, and my latest venture, RadiatorsGalore.com.
A realization that there are a lot of people in this country who would love to have a job to be busy at. We're at close to 20% unemployment now if you look at reality and not fudged numbers from the government.
Anticipation for the future. When we stay keep our noses clean, stay busy, and work both smartly and diligently, good things normally come. There are exceptions to this, but they prove the rule.

Now, the other side. Reasons I hate being busy:

I'm not good at it! You're looking at a person always trying to improve their level of organization because they feel like they're in over their head.
Being busy can consume you and cause you to take family off the priority list.
I enjoy peace. The older I get, the more I like simplicity and peace. Perhaps I should pray for my business to be peaceful?

The Holidays are almost upon us and I hope that you and yours stay safe.

Happy Thanksgiving. Here are some pre trip maintenance tips.

2009-11-25T08:20:00.001-06:00

Happy Thanksgiving. Here are some pre trip maintenance tips.

Posted using ShareThis

Wondering About the Future

2009-10-24T22:05:00.003-05:00

I've been thinking about the future a lot. Our engine sales business is doing well. I've started another company selling radiators. It's sold a few, but it really isn't ready to go at it full hog. I'm excited for the possibilities offered by this radiator company... but I'm also very nervous. It's very easy to think that something will work. Logically if you put work into something, research the market, and hit it hard, the venture should be fine. At the point the planning takes over and you lose control the hard part is upon you.

Pray for me, my friends. I'm a bit nervous.

The Happenings as of Late

2009-09-27T17:18:00.003-05:00

I promised I would blog more, and I'm trying to live up to that. Blogging is enjoyable, but alas, time is scarce. Here is a summary of what has been going on lately.

First, the new online business seems to be coming along well. Basic product listing is probably at about 50-60%, though it is difficult to say exactly where we stand since my supplier hasn't told me how many SKU's they have. This week, I hope to finish integrating the payment methods into the site. Then, hopefully, folks will start buying.

Jack Bauer seems to be doing much better. For those who don't know, he ran away while we were at my cousin's house, and was loose for four days. This was very scary for Sarah and I. He was finally caught in a live trap baited with Turkey meat. Poor guy stank, had all kinds of thorns digging into him, and was hungry as all getup. Of course, the truth of the matter is that he brought that on himself by running out from under the fence... but that's beside the point. We were glad to have him back.

My gout has been acting up a lot lately. I get it in my ankle, and it makes it impossible to walk. I've had two days in the last week where I couldn't really move. If you read this, please pray that my gout would be brought under control (and that I would be healed of it). This Wednesday I have an appointment with my doctor to discuss what the medicine I've been taking has and hasn't been addressing. Most likely, they will just move me up to a heavier dosage.

This past week, I switched from Comcast to AT&T Uverse. This seems to be working out well - more channels, better internet, and free phone at a lower permanent cost.

That's all for today. Thanks for reading. :)

Sorry I haven't Updated Much Lately!

2009-09-13T16:54:00.002-05:00

Hello.
I'm sorry that I haven't updated much lately. I've been busy growing a business, growing a relationship with the woman I believe to be the love of my life, and getting my life in order.

The ironic thing about not having time to blog is that I spend at least ten hours a day on the internet. However, I normally am working on web development for my businesses. It doesn't leave a lot of time for personal stuff other than the occasional Facebook.

That said, I'm going to try to update this a little more. I can't be too specific about many things since my competition will be interested to know what I'm doing (I monitor them, so of course they monitor me).

My Dog Died February 27

2009-03-30T21:39:00.002-05:00

My dog died February 27. I'm writing about this here because all my writings about him disappeared recently when the internet forum I made them on crashed.

Let me say that in light of the death of my cousin's grandparents, I've felt very foolish for the "grieving" I've gone through, and still go through, for Midnight. Yet I cannot deny my pain. He was killed suddenly in front of me - six feet in front of me - by a speeder as I ran over him. He was 18 months old. When my gf broke up with me, she gave him to me to care for. I consider him to be instrumental in us getting back together, as updating her on him was the only real reason I had to keep in contact with her. I feel... indebted to that dog for the relationship I enjoy.

Looking back, I also see that I treated Midnight like a son. I took him everywhere. He loved to ride with me in the car. I would carry him into grocery stores with me, take him running in the park, "take him to grandma's..." I dunno. I was even looking for ear protectors for him so that I could take him shooting with me on my farm. I never found any, so that wasn't going to happen. :)

Sarah and I have gotten another dog. He can never replace Midnight, but I'm glad to have him with me. We got a rescue dog, who we named Jack Bauer. Midnight was a rescue dog too. The difference between Midnight and Jack Bauer is one of timing. Midnight was rescued as a puppy. He came to live with Sarah at 5 months of age. Jack Bauer is two, and was kept in a cage for all of his life. He's scared of me still, even after eight days of being around me. When I take him outside - whether to the dog park or to my parents back yard or to a field by the apartments, he stands and shivers - being in the open is terrifying to him. At home, he often hides behind books in the bottom of my nightstand. We'll love him, but he might never be able to be affectionate or receive affection from us the way Midnight did. But we'll love him all the same.

I guess we're dog people.

Working Out Hardcore Again

2009-01-25T20:16:00.002-06:00

I lost 50 pounds the last four months of 2008. That was great! I slept better, felt better, and performed better in just about every way possible. Then, Christmas came, and I copped out - everyone cheats foodwise around the holidays, right? Well, the last week I've been hitting it hard again at the gym running. At home and at work, I stop and pop out push ups as often as I can. Hold me accountable!

I Love Working Out in the Morning

2008-10-21T08:14:00.001-05:00

I got up at 4:30 a.m. and went to the gym. I seriously overloaded on lower body lifts - squats, leg press machine (did 90lbs more than previous best), etc. When I felt like I was going to fall down, I got on the elliptical and did cardio for 20 minutes.

I feel great now. The phrase "make this your best day possible"comes to my mind now. This is the kind of start to my day I want every day. Screw working out at night.
1. When I plan to workout at night, it just doesn't get done sometimes. Things come up. I'm in school. I work full time. I have a household to maintain. When I do it first thing, I control it. Something would literally have to come up overnight to make it not happen.
2. I feel better when I workout in the morning. I just do! More energy, better focus.
3. I have a sense of accomplishment to start the day.

Oh, for those keeping track, I was 312 on July 28, 2008. I now weigh 273. That's 39lbs gone. 33 more to go before I do a reevaluation.

No "Extra Stuff"

2008-10-14T15:22:00.001-05:00

The doctors say no extra stuff... we're back to just the thyroid tests. Praise God!

?

"Their God is Their Stomach"

2008-10-13T12:09:00.001-05:00

Phillipians 3.19 - "Their destiny is destruction, their god is their stomach"...

That's out of context, but that phrase stuck out at me like a fly on a projector.

The Election

2008-10-11T09:44:00.001-05:00

I'm completely disgusted with the election. How did we get two democrats running against each other?

Doctor is not being encouraging

2008-10-09T11:51:00.000-05:00

Yeah... the doctor is not being encouraging right now with what he's saying. I have to wait for the test results. There is a strong chance there is more going on than just a thyroid.

Apparently, my thyroid is being bad. Please pray for me!

2008-10-02T13:56:00.000-05:00

I had some blood work done around September 15. Today, I received a phone call from the doctor. They want to do more blood work because my thyroid function is abnormal, especially compared to past tests they've done. It was a brief conversation that I had to end early. As such, I'm not sure if my function is low, or high.

I'll keep this updated. Please keep me in your prayers!
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Bike is FINALLY In!

2008-09-27T18:30:00.000-05:00

I picked up my bike today at Peddler Bike Shop. I hope to start commuting to work Monday morning! I'm gonna take it out tonight and go for a test run to work Sunday.
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Really nice ear piece

2008-09-24T18:01:00.000-05:00

I picked up a really nice custom molded ear piece from averysound.com. They are great to work with. My blue tooth (I use an original Jawbone) is easy for me to hear now, and it doesn't fall out of my ear now! Can't beat that with a ten foot pole. I've attached some pictures just in case you're not quite cleat about what an ear piece is.
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A Funny Gun Video

2008-09-23T16:31:00.001-05:00

Bike Comes in on Tuesday & Why Cool Downs Are Important

2008-09-21T12:59:00.003-05:00

The bike that I ordered last Monday should be in and ready for me to pick up Tuesday... so eight days from ordering it. I'm not sure what to think about that, since I can have a used engine from New York to CA in about 3-4 days. I'm not complaining though. I'm really excited to get this bicycle. My fitness plan is really going well and this will only enhance things. As I get more fit, and as I keep on my plan, not only is my body feeling better but my mind feels much sharper. I no longer enjoy overeating either - it leaves me feeling bloated and regretful.

The dog and I went jogging today around noon. Again, we did 1.5 miles plus a cool off. I just want to take a minute to let you know why cool downs are important in fitness. Until recently I never understood this, so I didn't cool down after runs. Here it is in a nutshell: If you aren't in great shape and you don't cool down, your body will pool blood in your extremities. The last time I tried to get in shape, I didn't cool down and when I would do strenuous things, I would think, "Man, my ankles are swelling! It must be because I'm fat." Well, there might be some truth to that, but this time around as I am really keeping an eye on things and cooling down, I'm hardly getting any swelling. It's great. :)

I hope to hit the gym later today after I've had a chance to recover. In the mean time I'm going to head to the office and work on getting everything reinstalled on my computer.

I hope you have a great day. Again, if you have anything you'd like another believer to pray with you about, please just leave a comment and I will pray for you!

Appreciation

2008-09-18T13:38:00.000-05:00

My dad has a saying that is good, as far as sayings go: "the greatest sin in the world today is ingratitude." I think that this is very true, if you define greatest as existing in the greatest quantity. We're all ungrateful to a certain extent. The great tragedy of this ungratefulness is that it rarely just festers without harm, but instead germinates in our spirits and causes us to expend a lot of energy. You know what I'm talking about - pouting, whining, complaining, and sulking all take a lot of effort!

The Psalms give us some great examples of how to deal with these situations: bring the goodness of God into the mix. Some folks take this to mean we should deny our reality if we're having problems. They say to speak things that aren't as though they are. When I read Psalms though, I see acknowledgment of the situation, a cry to God, and a resignation to providence.
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The Ebb and Flow

2008-09-18T08:22:00.001-05:00

If you're like me with regards to time management, you have enough time to do everything you need to do. What you're (really we're) bad at is spreading things out so that we can work at a leisurely pace. I stayed up last night working on some writing projects I should have started on Saturday and finished Sunday, but I let frivolous things pull my attention away.

Another example is my morning schedule. I wish that I could get to the gym every morning, but I find myself going only at night. The reason, in all honesty, is that I allow my desire for sleep to overcome my desire to get up early and go to the gym.

If I'm to get where I want to be... Time discipline is required. .
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The Truth About Sarah Palin

2008-09-17T11:23:00.001-05:00

This made me laugh!

Interesting Take on Abortion

2008-09-17T09:57:00.001-05:00

This is nothing new, but it's well phrased. It was posted on a bulletin board I frequent. Here is a link to the original post.

It's so funny to hear people all up in arms about the "constant fight to chip away at the right to abortion."

The reactions are the exact same ones you read about from the 19th century: "They are constantly chipping away at the right to own slaves."

The same old argument, but with the actors reversed: "You can't let them be considered people the same as us! That completely takes away our right to do with and to them what we want!"

Perhaps it helps those who uphold the right to abortion to better understand why getting rid of slavery was so hard and took so long: A lot of people, defending their "rights" (= self-interest), were making the same kinds of arguments you are, and invoking the same financial, personal and philosophical reasons.

And perhaps it helps those who oppose abortion, also, to understand that a long fight to see people's rights recognized is still worth it. It was a couple of centuries from the time some progressives actually said that those of African descent were as much human beings as those of European descent, until that was widely recognized, with all its legal implications, in Western cultures. The generation that started it never saw the end of it. In fact, in some ways, the battle still isn't over. But the tide is clearly in favor of recognizing the rights of all human beings, regardless of their color, sex, or ethnic origin. The fight was worth it, no matter how long it took.

The next step, for that humanity to be recognized regardless of age, is not won. But it is worth it.

I will say it very openly: Yes, I want to see Roe v. Wade overturned. From a legal point of view, it was very bad law. From an ethical point of view, it was very bad policy. From a philosophical point of view, it was very bad reasoning. It should be overturned.

Dare I say it? I think I will:

I have a dream. A dream that one day, even the very youngest human beings, even those still in need of the protection of their mother's womb, will be seen as precious lives, lives to be cared for, not dumped in the trash because they are in someone's way. The battle may take centuries, just as the battle to recognize humanity regardless of skin color has, but it is still a wonderful dream.

The irony is that many of those who will carry on that fight are in their mothers' wombs right now. It's no wonder that, one day, they will fight for the rights of others in their mothers' wombs to get a chance to live their lives.

The every greater irony is that many of those who will continue the fight to protect abortion are also in their mothers' wombs right now. And those of us fighting against abortion are fighting for their right to life, too.

How many of those who, given the chance, would have taken part in the battle on both sides won't get that chance, because someone will decide that they didn't have the right to live? And our law protected that "right" to deprive someone else of the right to live, just because they were in the way...

(Let the insults and negreps from those who want to show their moral high-ground in the debate begin!)

Youtube Music

2008-09-16T16:24:00.001-05:00

My dad has recently discovered that you can listen to music on youtube. The funny thing about this is that he thinks no one else in the world knows, and he tells EVERYONE.

Too bad he didn't know how to use computers back in the Napster days!
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Good Health is a Good Thing

2008-09-16T10:39:00.002-05:00

Yesterday was a great day. I got a great report from my doctor about the impact of my lifestyle change on my body. My blood pressure is no longer high (it wasn't high for long to begin with, I just... let myself go), it's perfect. I'm losing weight, and even he said "Man, you're changing shape!"

Last night after work, I went to a bike shop and ordered a bike (link to what I got). It should be here this weekend. I'm not sure how good at biking I'll be endurance wise, but I plan to start biking to work twice a week (Mondays and Fridays). This should burn about 450 calories one way, and save me about $40 a week in gas money. If I get to the point where I'm "speedy" then I'll add Wednesdays. I've looked into taking classes on Saturdays next semester instead of at night. If I did that, I could bike to work EVERY day. That would be REALLY great all the way around. My hope is that this will be a practical way to lose more weight, increase my "wind," and save some money on gasoline. Also, I am running a little bit, but my puppy really, really likes to run. Hopefully this will help me to exercise him.

Small Groups

2008-09-14T12:57:00.000-05:00

In about an hour, I start my first small group at The Life Church. I'm kind of excited for it. I know I'll be in Memphis for at least two more years, so this is part of my acceptance of that fact. Going beyond that, its part of my effort to really connect. I'm not working 80 hours a week, but I don't have much free time either working full time and going to school part time, either. Anyways, I'm excited to connect.
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Cleaning sponges

2008-09-13T18:28:00.000-05:00

I hate that I have to throw away sponges simply because they get dirty. I tried putting one into the dishwasher tonight, and it seemed to remove the smell. Is this safe germ wise?
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A really big spider can ruin a walk

2008-09-12T22:49:00.001-05:00

Midnight and I love to walk. We have a route by my apartment that is almost exactly 1.5 miles. Many times small spiders put webs up across the sidewalks. So at night I take my flashlight with me to help spot their webs. Attached to this post is a picture of a web I'm ad I didn't run into. It was at least 4 feet in diameter and had the largest, hairiest, nastiest looking spider in it that I've ever seen. I'm not sure if it wa4 poisonous, bit I'm glad that I didn't just rely on my eyes natural ability to capture light and instead used the flashlight to pierce the darkness.

Now if this were a children"s video, Steve Green would pop out right now and staryt sining a song to the effect of "your word is a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path." We're all adults and know that though, right? That said, I can't help but wonder why I and so many other Christians only pull out our lights when we slam into an obstacle so large we can't just fumble over it. We'll come to the good Lord when we need a financial miacle, but we've not allowed his word to illuminate the day to day steps we have taken in our personal finances.

"Free me oh God!" we cry, even though the debt we're in is called that which makes us a slave in scripture.

Other examples could be child rearing, how we treat those around us, etc.

So... Yeah. Just start reading and APPLYING the Word of God folks. Please?
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New Scale

2008-09-12T21:48:00.001-05:00

I got a new scale today. Among several things it does is measure your body fat percent. The goal is that as I lose weight, the body fat percentage will drop. I'll let you know in the future how it works out.
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Thought for the Day

2008-09-12T15:14:00.001-05:00

I have a few great suppliers I work with in New England... But the majority of folks I talk to there are rude, abrubt, and just flat out unpleasant to speak to.

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Keep Houston in Your Prayers

2008-09-12T12:00:00.001-05:00

Houston is not seeing the evacuation numbers that it should be seeing. I have a friend who has three relatives in low lying areas who live in trailers who haven't left. Its a very sad thing. Already, waves of 20' are being reported. We might see loss of life... Which is sad. We need to pray for the safety of our people in Houston.

We also need to pray for the oil refineries there. Whether we see displacement of workers or damage to the facilities, prices in the middle of the country WILL go up... This will hurt us all econically.
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The Goings on and Some Prayer Requests

2008-09-12T09:00:00.000-05:00

I have a lot going on in my life right now, as do most people. If anyone has needs or issues, I would be happy to pray for you if you'll just make a blog comment and mention what you need prayer for.

Here is where I'm at:
1. I'm changing some of my non-core theology. This basically revolves around the concept of Baptism on the Holy Spirit and the concept of "initial physical evidence." This is very difficult, as it means I cannot pastor in the AG and will have to go independent.

2. I'm in school and working full time. No biggey. A lot of people make that choice, right? Well, while I'm getting better at time management, I'm not the best at it yet. So, please keep me in your prayers!

3. I'm on a strenuous physical fitness program. I've lost 31 lbs so far and feel great. I just need to keep it up. The next six months will change my physical health for the rest of my life and dictate my energy levels, ability to focus, and how well I do nearly every task I'm presented with.

4. I'm working on becoming a reserve law enforcement officer with either a suburb in the area or the county. Memphis is the most violent city in the country, according to the FBI, and helping change that just seems like the duty of all who are able.
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Oil

2008-09-11T23:24:00.001-05:00

Oil will probably fall below $100 on September 12 unless the markets do something crazy. Let us hope that America gets back cheap fuel but that we also have the foresite to develop better ways to supply electricity to power stationary objects attached to out power grid. We are the Saudi Arabia of coal, with enough to supply us for perhaps 500 years. We should be pursuing the production of clean coal plants and the completion of Yucca Mountain so we have a place to store spent nuclear waste and can tus expand our nuclear program. Finally, let us pursue multiple new ways to power vehicles, including an already existing technology with an existing distribution network: natural gas. We are, again, a world leader in reserves.

Let us be thankful for and utilize cheap oil... But let's not rest on our laurels.
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Hebrews

2008-09-11T17:12:00.001-05:00

I've been doing a Bible study of Hebrews this fall as part of my daily reading and deeper study. Hebrews is in my opinion the most difficult book to study in the New Testament, with the exception of Revelations, but the depth of theology in it is so incredibly deep. I'm probably only 1/9 worked through the commentaries I'm using to study this and don't feel remotely qualified to offer anything of substantive length yet, but if my readers would be interested I would love to share any nuggets of truth or gems of novelty I stumble across. Just let me know.

And no, I won't post who I think wrote Hebrews. I will only say that due to the heavy use of maritime metaphors and a Vocabulary very different from Paul's writings, I don't think Paul is our author.
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My election thoughts

2008-09-11T15:08:00.000-05:00

They can be summed up quickly:
1. Oil dropped below. $100 * barrel in some markets today. Bad for the dems.
2. The Obamessiah only got a 4 point bump after his convention. McCain got 11 point. Bad for the dems.
3. Palin is as good a speaker as Obama and doesn't require a teleprompter. Bad for the Dems.
4. The Obamessiah is not holding up well under scrutiny. For example, his political career was launched in the living room of an admitted domestic terrorist (Ayers - Bombed the Pentagon). There really isn't much one can do to counter that.
5. Palin vs. Obama will ignite evangelicals on the abortion issue. Obama is a babykiller, and there is no way around it.
6. McCain is beating Obama on specifics and clarity of planning. A good example of this is policy on NUCLEAR POWER. McCain has specific financial outlays and scheduling... Obama has nothing but vagueness, save on paying for it. His plan to pay for it is, of course, to raise taxes.

That's a start. I would love to support a third party candidate (or Palin), but with Barack being the most liberal threat this country has faced in an election (well, since the communists were a legitimate threat during the depression), I don't think it would be responsible.
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Mobile Blog

2008-09-11T14:52:00.000-05:00

This is a test of a mobile blog. If it works, I'll start blogging more again.
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2008-09-11T13:35:00.001-05:00

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Fully Understanding The Good Things We Have in Christ

2008-08-04T09:38:00.003-05:00

Philemon 1:6 I pray that you may be active in sharing your faith, so that you will have a full understanding of every good thing we have in Christ.

This verse is very self-explanatory. I'm not going to add much, except to ask you to meditate on it. I feel incredibly challenged to increase my activity sharing my faith right now, and I hope you'll join me in doing so.

Los Angeles

2008-06-19T09:36:00.002-05:00

I'm sitting in a conference Room at the Los Angeles Airport Sheridan Hotel right now at a Microsoft Ad Center conference. Currently, it is 37 minutes overdue to start. I'm not pleased with that at all. I flew in from Memphis for this conference, and if I had known it was going to start late, I would have slept longer!

Yikes! Obama Says Something I Agree With!

2008-06-15T21:16:00.002-05:00

CHICAGO, Illinois (AP) -- Barack Obama celebrated Father's Day by calling on black fathers, who he said are "missing from too many lives and too many homes," to become active in raising their children.

Black fathers are "missing from too many lives and too many homes," Barack Obama said Sunday.

"They have abandoned their responsibilities, acting like boys instead of men. And the foundations of our families are weaker because of it," the Democratic presidential candidate said Sunday at a largely black church in his hometown.

The full article can be found at CNN (link)

So, what's a Republican to do? McCain divorced his wife because she became disfigured during his POW torture internment in Vietnam before marrying a bombshell blonde. Obama is... speaking the truth about a family issue.

So, we have a socialist who would destroy America's economy and military saying good things on family values, and a Republican with no family values who would is a closet socialist who would do nothing about illegal immigration.

I think I'm voting third party.

Cleaning like a.. cleaning fiend

2008-06-15T21:04:00.003-05:00

When I was young, I hated cleaning. My mom was like the cleaning Nazi, and while I know now that it was great, when I was young I always felt like our home was so clean that it was almost sterile. It was so clean that you felt like you couldn't do anything in it, because then you would have to do the work to get it that clean again.

Perhaps because of that, perhaps because of laziness, or a little bit of both, when I got out of high school and moved on, I almost basked in messiness. Silly, yeah. It's what happened though.

That's why since I've had this new apartment, I've been surprised at how clean I've kept it. I clean at least every other night, vacuum often and tidy up daily. I'm finding that I enjoy the clean feeling and a tidy atmosphere.

I'm having a few difficulties though.

The first difficulty is that I'm a pack-rat. I like to hold on to everything, largely because I hate the idea of wanting or needing something and not having it because I tossed it. For example, I have a book of all the A/G Churches, and of all the A/G Pastor's addresses I picked up a few sumers ago when I was interning. I'm not licensed, so I don't get a copy of it or have access to the web records available to A/G pastors, but so many of my friends are pastors that I want it, in case I never need to contact someone. It's from 2005 though, so it's losing accuracy (average youth pastor stay at a church is just over a year, senior pastors are 3 years). I probably should toss them. I think I will.

The second difficulty is buying what I need. I'm not the most organized, list oriented person, so I find myself making a lot of trips to do something that should and could have been done in one trip. Whether it's grocery shopping, mailing, or picking up household items like paper towels, I make too many trips.

The last difficulty I'm facing is I'm in love, and I'm far, far away from the woman I'm in love with. I want to be married to her and sharing this apartment with her, but it's not time yet.

Boom Goes the Engine

2008-06-09T15:29:00.002-05:00

4 weeks ago. 9:00 a.m.. My potential future father-in-law checks the oil future brother-in-law's Grand Marquis and finds it is 4 quarts low.

Fast forward to Sunday, June 8.
My girlfriend and I are in a caravan of a Honda CR-V and a Grand Marquis. She is driving her brother's Grand Marquis back from his wedding. He has been in New Hampshire for a day. Under the hood of his car, a worn valve train is chattering up and down in a furious harmony of timed chaos. Suddenly, a spring on one of cylinder 3's valves pops. While the vehicle is still drivable, the engine is instantly destroyed - it is only a matter of time until the engine locks up.

And this is what I'm dealing with today in Memphis, TN.

My Mattress Will Soon Be Here

2008-06-04T20:00:00.002-05:00

I'd like some of ya'll's opinion: Was I dumb to order a queen size mattress, anticipating marrying in the next two years? Whether I was dumb, or not, it will be here next Tuesday!

Busier Than a Hen Picking Up Corn with a broken beak

2008-06-04T10:03:00.003-05:00

Sorry, the title is the best I could come up with. I don't take much time when I write a blog - just fire out what's on my mind and publish it without any revision.

I'm working on launching the third incarnation of my company's website. We're using a "zipped" design written in php that will allow us to change everything site wide by editing 3 files - the only thing unique to each page will be its content, headers, and meta tag. Transferring over everything is taking a long time, but I think it will be worth it long term as part of our broad SEO strategy.

I'm enjoying the apartment. It's cheap to cool it, and I sleep better when it's cold. Thus, I'm sleeping better and am more alert during the day.

Sarah is at her parents right now. She fixed their lawnmower by replacing the belts on it and is now mowing her parent's yard. She's great. You might think I'm dumb, but one of the things I look forward to one day with her is working on our yard. It may be a while before we have a yard though. I mean, we're not married, she has to finish grad school, I have to finish school, I'm getting more tied to Memphis than I thought...

Such is life.

My advice for the day - five people to cultivate good relationships with

2008-06-03T06:22:00.000-05:00

This is completely unspiritual, btw. Well, 80%.

You need to be tight with your pastor, lawyer, doctor, mechanic, and gunsmith.

That's it. Have a nice day.

"Moving Is Hard Work" - Captain Obvious

2008-06-01T22:00:00.003-05:00

Before I go any farther, let me please ask that no one leaves comments about my title using phrases like, "Thank you, Captain Obvious." Obviously, most people know moving is hard work. I spent the entire weekend moving, and was blessed that Mom and Dad helped me all day Saturday. I rented an F-150 from U-Haul, and made about 4 trips to and from my previous residence. It wasn't that difficult, save moving my solid walnut dresser. That thing is heavy! It's beautiful though, and a family heirloom (it was saved from my Grandfather's furniture store after a fire wiped out the business in the late 40's).

My cable and internet are set up. I told Memphis Light, Gas, and Water to start billing me on Friday for utilities via a web form, and even gave them two week's notice. I've received no indication that they've done that yet, and they are impossible to reach through their "customer support line."

I have to make a trip to Minneapolis to get some stuff out of storage. I still plan on coming back, people, but I have a lot of furniture in a room that I need here, and I don't want to pay for storage any more!

Moving This Weekend

2008-05-29T13:13:00.002-05:00

I'm moving this weekend into a new apartment. 1 large bedroom, 1 small one which I will use as an office, dining room, and living room. Kitchen is nice, bathroom is nice. I will slowly furnish it. Anyone know a source for a nice couch at a reasonable price? Preferably brown leather?

Also, this made me giggle.

BMC50 Bcm_m50r1 Line Monitor

2008-04-28T16:05:00.003-05:00

This is just a throwout in case anyone has the same problem with their Nortel BCM50 that I just had. My line monitor went out. That's not good for me, as my business is rolling out an additional national advertising campaign - I have to be able to see how many lines are in use. Our line monitor had worked initially, but then Wham, out of nowhere, it died.

A discussion at a nortel forum, BCM Line Monitor - Lines Don't Appear in Monitor, helped. Hope this helps you!

All I had to do was adjust the gateway my nortel device was using to match the gateway everything else was using. It was so simple, I could have punched myself!

The Tip That Was More Than The Meal!

2008-04-27T11:11:00.004-05:00

My father and I ate Friday evening at a restaurant in Midtown (The "trendy" area of Memphis). I had Maine lobster, and my father had a chicken dish. The food was excellent, though the portions were small.

What I did not like was looking at my credit card statement today and seeing that they charged me a $73.00 tip on a $56.00 meal.

What gives? I called the place. They're closed today, but if I don't hear anything back Monday, credit card company here I come!

The strange thing about this is that I had another processing error on Thursday, when I sent my gf flowers - the floral company that I always use charged my bank card [i]twice[/i].

The question thus is: Am I right in my assumption that I haven't been getting charged more than I've owed in years previous? I always try to keep my financial records in good order, but now I'm paranoid that I've been missing small things.

Balderdash!

P.S. - I'm back.

Midnight the II

2008-03-03T20:44:00.002-06:00

Sarah got a poodle a few weeks ago. I've had the fun (seriously) job of babysitting him a lot this past weekend. Here is a picture of him:

Wow. A Blonde Quote.

2008-02-13T12:06:00.001-06:00

This speaks for itself.

On my third trip to the doctor this year

2008-02-12T11:23:00.000-06:00

He finally stopped acting like my condition is nothing, gave me a chest xray and announced "Bronchitis."

Wow. Why was a chest xray necessary for that? Finally I'm getting a medicine that will work on this.

Great Weekend of Deer Hunting

2008-01-14T06:30:00.000-06:00

Finally broke away to go down to the farm this past weekend. Went out two mornings and two evenings. We really have an overpopulation problem, and some biologists from Mississippi State have told folks they wish they could go no limit hunting for a few years. In fact, we have greater than 45 deer per square mile, which is the most they release stats for. On our 500 acre farm, we estimate greater than 50 deer.

Anyways, I got my first deer walking. I was downwind headed north on a logging road. We have a spring and I think the deer were headed to that to drink - though it was a weird time to do so. It was 11 a.m. Saw a herd of 3 milling in the woods. Dropped to one knee. One popped its head out. It looked good size, so I waited for a better shot (I was at least 100 yards away). It stuck it's neck out, and that was all I needed. My unmodified 1896 Swedish Mauser fired 6.5x55mm round and got it right in the neck. Clean kill. It was nice because it was right on the road and we just brought the truck right to it.

That night I saw several and might have been able to take a nice buck, but I didn't want to shoot into brush - I like clean kills. Same thing next morning, 2x - they were bounding into roads as I explored the farm.

Finally, I decided to sit by our pond. We have a high, wooded bank (which is new to me, growing up it was cleared... also the drought has seen the pond drop about half it's size) that I sat on. It gave me good coverage of about 80% of the shoreline with good kill zones all the way around due to the pond shrinkage. I sat for four hours, then at about 4:50, a buck bounded out of the woods and kept going into the woods. He turned around like he was scouting to see if it was safe to drink. I pegged him. He never felt a thing - the shot broke his neck. Two football fields away, open sights.

So between me, my cousin, and our friends, we took six deer off the farm this year.

9 shy of what we want off there each year for the next few years to reduce population to healthy levels.

I just loved it though. Walking in the woods is the kind of thing that just brings a feeling of extreme relaxation. Also, walking the land my grandfather and father worked was surreal. Getting to know it was just amazing. I've decided to really work to make the land an even better hunting site, to research and plant food types conducive to a variety of game, and to enjoy enjoy enjoy it.

Also, you might find this video of a Buck attacking a hunter interesting: Click here for video.

If you have any recipes for deer meat - stews, jerky, etc - please reply with them!

Initial Deployment... Looks(ed) OK

2008-01-05T16:23:00.000-06:00

I just got done deploying a new server at the office. It meets the requirements of everything I felt we needed - very redundant.

The only problem is, it appears our RAID card is defective. Gotta get a new one overnighted in. :(

New Years Was Great

2008-01-02T12:00:00.000-06:00

I got to spend New Years day with Sarah's family, arriving late the 31st. I met her younger brother for the first time. He's a nice guy. I like her Dad, but he's still sizing me up I think. Her mother made as-always-wonderful meals for us. Sarah and I shopped that afternoon, relaxed, and simply enjoyed time together.

A Day of Silence

2007-12-29T03:06:00.000-06:00

I got sick while spending Christmas in Minnesota. It was a buggersome sickness, the details of which I won't delve into. Today though, upon waking up, I realized that I could not speak! That's right - the voice was gone. For the first time in my life (I believe) I went a day without speaking. I did all my talking through my computer, utilizing LH Michael's voice in Microsoft Word.

I got mixed responses: My mother thought it was annoying, my girlfriend thought it mildly amusing and... well, I didn't try it on anyone else. Interestingly enough, the computer was clear enough for her to understand through my cell phone.

Also, I got several thank you notes done. Well, more than several. Half done!

Intense Loneliness

2007-12-15T22:18:00.000-06:00

I've made some difficult decisions recently that I think are what God willed me to do. With that said, for some reason life is very difficult for me right now. Though our business is growing, though I'm near family, though finances are good... everything is good, and yet on top of this mountain, igh above the valley and even looking down on the clouds there is a bittersweet smell that I cannot stomach. It is driving me from the mountain, though I'm not sure what it is or where it comes from.

It started last night as I watched I Am Legend when Robert Neville could do nothing to help humanity. Yes, that made me sad. He labored for years and then at his crowning moment, he died. He wasn't able to enjoy the fruit of his years of labor. Then, as I watched The Notebook, the feeling returned, as two lovers who worked hard on their family and enjoyed each other for years are unable to enjoy the twilight of life together.

Perhaps I need to be more heavenly focused - the things of this earth just don't seem worth laboring for sometimes, and other times it seems the more we care, the more we are hurt.

Or, maybe I just didn't have any coffee today.