Published on
May 31, 2004 in
Uncategorized.
Tags: holidays.
In Flanders fields the poppies blow
Between the crosses, row on row
That mark our place; and in the sky
The larks, still bravely singing, fly
Scarce heard amid the guns below.
We are the Dead. Short days ago
We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,
Loved and were loved, and now we lie
In Flanders fields.
Take up our quarrel with the foe:
To you from failing hands we throw
The torch; be yours to hold it high.
If ye break faith with us who die
We shall not sleep, though poppies grow
In Flanders fields.
Published on
May 25, 2004 in
Uncategorized.
Tags: nature.
They’re EVERYWHERE! I’ve never seen so many nasty, red-eyed bugs in my life. I remember the annual cicada-fest every year when I lived in Florida, but man, that was nothing compared to the once-every-17-years variety. Their favorite hobby is to fly around and attach themselves to your clothes as you walk by them, which causes the all too familiar “there’s a bug on me” spastic fit that we all know and love.
And the noise they make! It’s like some sort of sci-fi death ray sound. Now that I think about, it’s alot like the transporter sound from the original Star Trek show. Just turn on Sci-Fi channel when it’s on, and when Kirk, Spock, McCoy, and the red-shirted-soon-to-be-dead guy transport to the planet below, imagine that sound times 1000, and you’ll know how it sounds in our neighborhood every day.
Published on
May 19, 2004 in
Uncategorized.
Tags: weekend.
So last weekend we went to Kings Dominion – my first time there in several years. There were alot of new rides since my last visit, and many shady characters threatened to derail our fun time, but overall, we had a very enjoyable experience.
Here are the rides that were “new” to me (all of which were my favorites).
Volcano
This was our first ride of the day, and now one of my favorite roller coasters. Not much else to say about it. Just ride it and enjoy.
Drop Zone
This ride looks very intimidating; it’s the tallest thing in the park. Just looking at it drop down repeatedly as you wait in line makes you think twice about what you’re about to do. Once you’re strapped in, it seems to keep rising until you think you’re on the way to the moon. Finally, it stops, and after a few seconds of holding your breath, you fall. Yes, the pucker factor is high on this one.
Hypersonic XLC
This is the ride that terrified Monica. Just ask her how she was feeling right before “launch”. Yes, this ride “launches” you at a high rate of speed until you’re perpindicular with the ground on your way up and back down towards the earth. I recommend riding this at night, as seeing nothing but a field of stars as you ascend the 90 degree incline is amazing.
Xtreme Sky Flyer
Monica had to talk me into this one. This ride says it combines the feelings of bungee-jumping with skydiving. You step into a harness, get strapped to a cable, get hoisted up way higher than any human should be, and then free-fall into a pendulum-like swinging motion over the people below. I was really nervous about this one, and I’ve never been more scared as when we were dangling 150 feet above the ground waiting to cheat death, but I have to say I really enjoyed it. Now Monica is trying to talk me into doing that bungee-jumping.
Published on
May 14, 2004 in
Uncategorized.
Tags: technology.
It seems I’ve been having some back luck with our PCs as of late. I was getting an event id 51 on one of them and it was insufferably slow to do anything on it. The error was appearing in the system log file every three or so seconds so the PC was spending all of it’s time telling me something was wrong. Even trying to get to see the system log file was an exercise in futility; there’s nothing like an error occuring and the system that tells you about the error makes it virtually impossible for you to see what it’s telling you. Thank you, Microsoft. :angry:
I was finally able to figure out that the problem was the hard drive failing (or about to do so), but luckily I have a couple of others lying around from other PC experiments. I had to install XP again, and I’m in the process of copying all of my multimedia back over (thus the reason for brimon radio not functioning currently), but everything will soon be back to normal.
Published on
May 12, 2004 in
Uncategorized.
Tags: world events.
Many newspapers reported on the “worldwide revulsion” that occurred after the plethora of photos surfaced documenting the abuse of Iraqi prisoners. What those soldiers did was wrong, and they should be punished appropriately, but let us understand that no one was killed (I know there have been reports of it, but no proof has surfaced), and we swiftly condemned those involved and have moved quickly to assure that these kinds of things won’t occur again. It is war after all, and we must take drastic measures at times to assure the safety of our troops, but that does not excuse some of the terrible things that happened.
Now, there is a video of an American being decapitated, and we have yet another reminder of why our soldiers are in Iraq and Afghanistan. Where is the “worldwide revulsion” that should have resulted from this despicable act? Where is the media frenzy that should have exploded after this tragedy?
They are still licking their chops trying to blame the current administration for the Iraqi prisoner abuse.
Make no mistake – the men that committed this horrific murder would love to take that same knife to the throat of every American, even the bleeding hearts who most sympathize with their “cause”. I admit, I have so far refused to watch the video because I’m afraid of what I’ll see, but maybe everyone should watch it to yet again remind us of what we’re up against. The media will gladly parade photos and videos galore to remind everyone how “evil” our soldiers are, but how long will they focus on the people who cut off heads of Americans and the subsequent celebrations of people dancing in the streets in ghoulish delight while praising their god?
This storm has been gathering for a long time. I pray that we have the fortitude to outlast these harvesters of death, or we shall reap the consequences.
Published on
May 9, 2004 in
Uncategorized.
Tags: holidays.
Just wanted to say Happy Mother’s Day to the bestest moms out there today, Jeanette and Julia. You both have looked out for us countless times through the years, and words can’t express how grateful we are to have mothers such as you. We love you both very much.
Happy Mother’s Day, Moms!
Published on
May 3, 2004 in
Uncategorized.
Tags: weekend.
This past weekend, a monumental moment occurred in Monica’s life.
She played putt-putt golf for the very first time.
I can hear the collective “Whaaaa?” as you read this. Yes, it is possible for someone to get past the age of ten and not have played putt-putt golf. How does this happen? How can someone’s childhood be devoid of the joy of hitting a nicked-up golf ball through windmills, around alligators, and other seemingly insurmountable, wacky obstacles?
You got me.
I won’t divulge her score here, but it actually wasn’t that bad despite the rain that tried to dampen our golfing spirits. I actually played one of the best games of my life, not that I keep track of all my putt-putt outings. 
