So, about 10:45 PM I decide to mosey on to bed. I get a drink from the kitchen sink and hear water underneath. I look and sure enough, one of the pipes has separated and filled up a junk box. I pull everything out, head out to the garage and locate EXACTLY the part I need. I pull the pipes apart, put in the new piece and test it out. No drips. I clean up, put away and head to bed about 11:45 PM. One hour, problem solved and $80 saved from calling in a pro. Hoowah!
16 Things About Me
- I used to be Mormon now I’m an atheist.
- I love being a father. I wanted to be a dad since I was a teen.
- I clean the house by instinct. I just start grabbing stuff and putting it away…but I can stop anytime.
- I really enjoy challenges. If it comes easy, it was likely not worth it.
- I can fix almost anything around the house. I grew up with the philosophy of fix it till it completely falls apart, then scavenge those parts for other things.
- I have many hobbies, but am trying to reduce them. Currently, I’m focused on leather and wood.
- I am an avid reader, but it has to be science fiction, fantasy or learning a new skill.
- I love Star Trek. I can almost repeat all TNG episodes by heart.
- I’m totally into my wife…see #4 above.
- I love technology. I like picking up new programs and hardware and seeing how I can use it to further my entertainment.
- I love discussing philosophical issues, I just don’t know many people who also like to.
- I like to workout. I like the pain, the sweat and the ache after.
- I like comic books and the movies based on them. I was a Joker and Wolverine fan before it became popular.
- I think the federal government is too big. What the hell does DC know about what we need in DFW?
- I like being an accountant. I enjoy numbers, analysis, research, etc. I just hate data entry. đ
- I want only the best for my little girls. I want them to be strong, independent and I want them to dote on me always.
Why I disagree with Prop. 8 – Monday, November 10, 2008
I think prop. 8 was a huge mistake. This country was based on the principle that all [people] are created equal. As a law abiding citizen, I should be allowed to be treated equally under the law regardless of my religious beliefs (or lack there of), skin tone, or who I want as spouse. Marriage is a social contract between consenting adults, and as such should be left as a right of every free citizen.
What I find most ironic about the passage of prop. 8 is that is was due in large part because of he African Americanâs and Church of Jesus Christ of Later-day Saints. These two groups more than many others have suffered persecution by being labeled âthe otherâ and not being allowed the same basic rights we all deserve. If you change prop. 8 to exclude any religious or ethnic group, the whole thing never would have made it to the ballot. And yet, two people who want to make commitment to one another are cast aside since they do not conform to some religious standard. Specifically, the LdS church already has a separate marriage different than the rest of the world. By their doctrine, all other marriages are less than the LdS marriage since they end at death anyway. A marriage by any non-Mormon, in a civil marriage, is a secular ceremony that unites people only on this earth. Should a âtime and all eternityâ marriage be outlawed since it conflicts with the US majorities view of what constitutes a marriage?
What about the procreation of the species? There is no question evolution would not work if only partners of the same sex cam together. However, less than 1% of any population is actually found to be homosexual. It is also not confined to homo-sapiens. Other groups have small populations of same sex coupling. As humans, we can have children out of wedlock, yet no one would ever conceive of banning a personâs right to procreate outside the bounds of marriage. Many hetero couples get together and never have children by choice. Should they have their rights revoked since they do not share in some religious prerogative? Certainly not. Human procreation will never be affected by allowed homosexual couples to marry.
What about the children? Wonât someone please think about the children? In order to have a better society, people need to grow up in a loving environment. Even if they donât, most people make it into society ok despite how they grew up. It is also true that a child needs positive role models from both sexes to understand how they interact and their roles in society. So, should we outlaw single parenthood? If a mother or father is trying to raise a child on their own, they are not living up to some preconceived notion of how things âought to beâ. In the situations, children find role models in their other family members, neighborhoods, churches, civic organizations, etc. What about all those kids in foster care because there hetero sexual parents did not want them? There are so many waiting for a loving home and now, at least in one state (Arkansas) single parents are not allowed to adopt. So, the kids are left to an abusive system that causes more harm than good instead of getting them to a loving family, whether single or a gay couple. Those left to the foster system will become âscrewed upâ.
If homosexual couples are allowed to marry, it will justify homosexual relations as an alternative lifestyle. The funny thing, it already is. People already live their lives together in same sex relationships; they just do so without the same rights as hetero couples. There is simply no proof that a child raised by a same sex couple will choose to be in a same sex relationship at a higher rate than those raised by heteros. The simple fact is we are attracted to whom we are attracted to. We have as much choice with whom we fall in love with or find attractive as we do our hair color. You can force a change, but your roots will eventually show through.
I am grateful to live in a free country that protects the rights of individuals regardless of their religion, color or nationality. I am thankful to have a loving father than made sure his sons understood life is short and this is all you get, so make the best of it and help others do the same. Finally, I am grateful to be in a congregation of people where differences are celebrated and welcomes people no matter who they are or what their particular path through this life is. I know there are surely homosexuals among them, but I could not tell you who they are, only that they are part of my extend human family.
Industrial Decalogue
- You cannot bring about prosperity by discouraging thrift.
- You cannot strengthen the weak by weakening the strong.
- You cannot help little men by tearing down big men.
- You cannot lift the wage earner by pulling down the wage payer.
- You cannot help the poor by destroying the rich.
- You cannot establish sound security on borrowed money.
- You cannot further the brotherhood of man by inciting class hatred.
- You cannot keep out of trouble by spending more than you earn.
- You cannot build character and courage by destroying men’s initiative and independence.
- You cannot help men permanently by doing for them what they can and should do for themselves.
Rev. William John Henry Boetcker 1916
Couple of great quotes.
“Suburbia is where the developer bulldozes out the trees, then names the streets after them.” ~ Bill Vaughan
Age is opportunity no less
Than youth itself, though in another dress,
And as the evening twilight fades away
The sky is filled with stars, invisible by day.
Henry Wadsworth Longfellow (1807 – 1882)
John Adams / letter to Thomas Jefferson
“Hope springs eternal. Eight millions of Jews hope for a Messiah more powerful and glorious than Moses, David, or Solomon; who is to make them as powerful as he pleases. Some hundreds of millions of Mussulmans expect another prophet more powerful than Mahomet, who is to spread Islamism over the whole earth. Hundreds of millions of Christians expect and hope for a millennium in which Jesus is to reign for a thousand years over the whole world before it is burnt up. The Hindoos expect another and final incarnation of Vishnu, who is to do great and wonderful things, I know not what. You and I hope for splendid improvements in human society, and vast amelioration in the condition of mankind. Our faith may be supposed by more rational arguments than any of the former.”
John Adams / letter to Thomas Jefferson
September 24, 1821
Facebook back off
I’m pulling my Facebook account *way* back. I have already pulled off most of the pictures, backed off lots of “friends” and pages I had “liked”. Now I’m pulling off my “notes” and posting them to my blog. So expect a few pieces with comments if they had some.
Unprotect MS Word Document
I received a word document I needed for a project I was doing, but it was protected. I was connecting it to a spreadsheet to merge in some data so I would not have to time it in twice. The protection had to go, but the sender either did not have the password, or did not want to give it out. I did a quick search and found this nice instructable:
I went through the steps an with the hour, I had the sheet all unsecured and fixed for my use. However today, or more precisely on my drive in, I started thinking there was probably an easier way using OpenOffice. Sure enough. I opened the doc with OpenOffice, save back as MSWord format and it gives you a nice little check box.
This was much easier, though it did not make me feel like quite the hacker the other method did.
37
So this past Saturday saw the passing of another year. I am much closer to 40 now. I had a great weekend planned with my wife and I spending the time together downtown in a hotel. Unfortunately, fate had other ideas. A good friend of hers had gotten sick and needed some help so my DW took two of the kiddos and headed out to help. She is very caring and loving to her friends, so this was really no surprise. I kept our oldest and we had daddy-daughter time. She was smitten with the room and downtown, though for the most part we hung out in the room. I had to endure a LOT of Spongebob Squarepants and some character called “Fred” which was just a hyper, annoying teen throwing fits. I’m sure every generation says it, but what the hell are kids watching? We don’t have cable, so we are pretty sheltered from this stuff. I remember having great cartoons to watch when I was younger.
All-in-all, I had a great time. I made sure the house was straight when everyone got back and prepared a dinner of vegetables since everyone had been eating really heavy over the week end. Here’s to another year and hoping it just gets better.
Bike Trek
This morning, I did it. I rode to work on my bicycle. The total distance was a mere 13.2 miles traveled in 1 hour 15 min for an avg. 10.56 mph. Had that been all nice even road so sidewalk, the trip would have been pretty easy. There were a lot of spots where the side walk abruptly ended or was in really bad shape. Thankfully, the Gitchee Gumee is a hybrid, so taking in off rad for a little bit was no trouble. When I got here, I was pretty sweaty, but thanks to a tip from my cuz, I had some baby wipes on hand for a quick towel bath.
Note to self, your work keys are on that ring with your car keys. You need to bring it even if you are not driving.
Here is the route taken:
Update: I made the trip back home, so tat is a total of 26.5 miles on the bike today. I know it sounds cliche’, but the ride home was much harder. I was tired from this morning then the whole way back felt like it was up hill with the wind and sun in my face and there were a LOT more cars on the road. I actually had to get off and walk the bike up a couple of hills and stop twice to catch my breath. It was tough, but so worth it.