Save Your Books...

Google has been working on adding old books to its internet service by scanning them. Of course, since most books are old and falling apart they ahve to be scanned by hand, by volunteers generally. The result = bad scans, hands, fingers etc in the pages being displayed. Give them a break or do it yourself!

http://books.google.com

Urban Legends...

I was bored at lunch today and found this website. Some of the truths and myths in here are quite interesting.

http://www.snopes.com/

Beyond time and space...

Watching Band of Brothers again. I love history, especially WWII. Every time I watch this series I find something new, some new small detail. A lieutenant's fly button being a compass. So much thought into something so minor. For me it's not so much learning dates and names, but technology, ingenuity, reasons, actions, and emotions. WWII is really the first modern all out war with the mix of technology and documentation that lets us see first hand what really happens on the inside.

I don't revel in blood and guts, it is the sad part of war. Getting to taste just a bit of the emotion they must have felt, seeing the choices and determination. The feeling of resolve and purpose, unity and pride in their tasks. Even at the worst, being able to do what was needed though it cost them everything. Sacrifice. Wanting nothing for themselves except peace and quiet.

For me one of the most important things is understanding just how hard doing a job under the worst stress possible is, and how a lot of my own problems could not even compare to that. You begin to appreciate the things in life that really mean something to you and make you want to work to have them, though it may in the end be fruitless and cost you everything. Doing something difficult, even if it hurts you in ways, seems to be the standard price for trying to have something you believe in. Lately, I have found that to be very true.

You can learn a lot about things from exploring history. There is not much that is new to us as far as emotions go. If you can learn from the past, it might be able to show you something to help you in the future, if you let it. Even being able to examine your own mistakes. Finding ways to skip hardships and reach the joy in life is like playing chutes and ladders. As you travel the board you can find bits that help you climb up and skip lots of steps, but there are traps that will send you sliding right back down again.

What will you roll today? ...

Week of Birthdays...

This week has been too busy. Sort of like last weekend. My great grandma turned 94, my brother turned 25 and my son turned 4. Again, too much food. I am starting to get fat. Not really but I feel like it :) Isaac is good at playing baseball, but his rollerskating skills need a bit of work.

This next week is going to be painfully hot, the drives on the freeway at 5mph especially. I like snow better, at least half the people stay off the roads so I'm not stuck in traffic then.

I have been getting some very nice tips about how to manage my daughters hair, but I don't know if it will help me much :) I'm just not good with girly things. Somehow no matter what I do it ends up sticking out everywhere. Hopefully some special products will help ;) Going to get some for her and try that. Not exactly sure how to use many of them but I can probably struggle through it.

I still am worried her hair is going to turn strange colors or do something I cant fix :)

Vacuuming done! Go me. Very hot and tired now. Time for some good music and reading. And home made mac & cheese for dinner I think. Back to work for me...

Music for tonight: Evanescence - Fallen Album

What can be longer...

A week or a weekend? I would say both. It seems like it anyhow. Lots of birthday parties, Saturday, Sunday, and Monday. I am quite full after all the food. My cousin John graduated from high school Sunday, so we went and sat through that.

The Governor was the guest speaker as she was an alumni from Auburn High School as well. She insisted on shaking all the graduates hands right after they got their diploma. Can we say 1 vote.. 2 vote.. 3 vote.. 4! You could see her there counting them. Considering she won last time by less than 1.5 rows of the students there she needs all the help she can get. My son Isaac's birthday is on Friday so there is more to come. At least things should be quiet for a while after that.

I need a vacation. Just need to find someone to go with so it won't be boring :) No more massages either, I am done with those I guess. Going to see the lawyer tomorrow to start the settlement stuff. Will be glad to get it all behind me.

Mail me español will you...

Someone sent me an email to my gmail account in all spanish wanting me to give them a gmail account invitation. Yea right... me no habla no espanolie so you're outa luck.

I kinda miss playing frisbee on a day like this. Not raining, warm, bit cloudy though. The blackberries in the back yard seem to be growing nicely and starting to blossom. Should be able to get a few from over the fence once they are ripe.

Kinda bored today. Will be good to get out tonight and go to the EQC for dinner etc. Wish there were more places to go out to around here. Lots of hick bars and gangsta hangouts, pass. Need to move up north where there are some decent places. Plus it would be closer to work. Maybe I will browse some real estate sites or rentals or something today. Might try looking for a car too. If anyone has a 2005 or 2006 Mustang for sale cheap let me know :)

Music of the moment: ACDC - Back in Black album

Music is...

The pulse and beat
invisible vibrations
the sweet sound of
piano and guitar to
soothe & relax you

And I almost...

...went to the State Patrol Academy. Yes I admit it, I did go through all the recruiting courses while going to school for criminal justice. So I was on my work today driving along the freeway as usual. Upon driving through Kent I see this Stater out of his car, on the side of the road stopping cars by doing the "stop in the name of the law" pose, legs bowed out and kinda crouched down with his hand raised. Who is crazy enough to do that on the freeway?? Dude, you have a car with lights and sirens use your brain. Funny thing was he was getting cars pulled over 2 at a time that way... maybe it helps to be stupid?

Thursday is almost Friday...

A nice quiet morning so far. Having some cinnamon oatmeal to warm up. Its still pretty cold in here today.

Birthday party with some friends at the Emerald Queen Casino planned for Saturday. Should be fun and a good way to lose some money. At least the food is decent there, even if it's a bit expensive.

Going to see a lawyer on Wednesday to get insurance and settlement stuff figured out. He wants me to stop getting massages etc and to see his doctor for an eval. My shoulder still hurts. Seems like one muscle running all down my shoulder and into my neck is permanently cramped and like a cord. At least most everything else has settled down.

Need to go car shopping. I still want a 2005-06 Ford Mustang. I love that car. I can't decide what color though. I should probably look for something more fuel efficient, but I can't see myself sitting in a shoebox or tin can. What can I say I am a picky shopper. If I am going to buy something big I want the best. I dont even like buying generic groceries.

Music this morning: A bit of Frank Sinatra, Nat King Cole, and Jimmy Durante

Mundane Ramblings...

For the second time in a week, I woke up to find my alarm clock blinking 12:00. I don't know what's up. Last time I didn't wake up will around 8am, fortunately today my internal clock worked better and I only woke up 15 minutes later than normal. My schedule is going to go crazy if I keep the 8:15, 4:30, 5:45 routine going.

I love how work seems to just drop on your desk all at once. Got to take lunch an hour later than normal due to so many people calling me all at once. I think my outlook must have an auto-email feature that gets sent out every day that says "Hey! Call me at lunch time!" It would be fine if it were someone fun to talk to :)

Bah! I'm silly. I was looking at all these hit counter/statistic sites this morning that I would be able to put on my blog. (I am curious to see just how many people read these). I totally forgot about using Google Analytics. I have 3 accounts for it *bonks self*

Guess I will leave you alone and go do that. I WILL know whose eyes are watching me muahaha...

Books, Insurance, and Gas...

Interesting title eh? It's really not as interesting as it sounds. I have been reading a lot lately. TV and computers have been pretty uninteresting and I have found that a good book, well maybe not so good, has been where I have spent a lot of my free time lately.

Insurance... I hate insurance companies. Not only do I have to pay them, but they ignore me and don't do what they are supposed to be doing. Going to talk to a lawyer and let him deal with them, I just don't have the time during the day. One or two kots left to get out of my shoulders and that will be done. Then to get truck fixed and the settlement. Will be nice to have it all done and not have to waste all my free time with it.

Gas... WOOHOO I bought gas for under $3.00.... it was $2.995 after saving 6c at Safeway. I will be happy when I see it under $2.00. Yea, never to be happy again, I know. The gas cartels are all rolling in the dough and won't give it up. Would you? Funny thing tho, you see a lot of companies that do that kind of price gouging at least put on a public face and support some charity, schools, 3rd world countries, medical research... but you never ever see any gas company (especially middle eastern) do that. Except maybe BP (european) and its effort to make new energies like solar and wind, but that is fairly minimal.

Dreams...

Darkness came upon the winds, covering and surrounding everything. I don't see anyone else around, nothing, it's all deserted. Being alone doesn't scare me, the darkness does. It is turning everything into a ghost town. I feel like I am being trapped and hunted by the darkness. Spider webs start shooting at me, but I just knock them aside. Going into an old wooden building to escape the dark only leads me into a trap. The floor falls out from under me and with the splintering boards I tumble down an old shaft, one used for mining or maybe another, very different, sinister reason.

Landing roughly there is nothing but black, then a faint red glow from walls. Runes or glyphs, strange disturbing pictures lead down the tunnel, it is the only way I can go, like it or not. On it goes, with noises growing louder. Scuttling, something nasty, but I don't have anything I can defend myself with. The tunnel starts branching, becoming a maze. I can feel evil things hiding in the darkness. The red glowing symbols show on each wall. Once again spider webs seem to be thrown at me trying to catch me. This is where the darkness is coming from. Then it covers my face. The darkness surrounds everything I know. I am trapped for all time. Put in a box, a coffin. I can reach up, tear the webs away from my face but the darkness has me. I try to get out, clawing at the polished nightstone walls, dark as death. There is a red glow shining and building into the strange symbols. I keep clawing trying to get out....

Waking up I find myself in the dark, a strange faint orangy light coming through the window at 430am. I still have the feeling of being hunted, or watched... but it slowly fades. Not going back to sleep today.

Yesterday...

Played Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion for a while. Finished the Amulet of Kings Quest and was named Champion of the Dragon Order. Everyone loves me, except the monsters that are left. The cut scene was interesting at the end, and now all the oblivion gates are gone. I guess all that is left now is to figure out how to get the dragon armor that is owed me and finish all the other quests...