SKye's Blog

Efficiency upgrades, and saving money/ROI

2011-11-28T14:45:00.001-07:00

There are a number of things that I have done slowly over the past 5 years or so to lower my electric bill (presently, on average, my household 2k sq ft, main level and basement; uses between 24 and 25 kilowatt hours/day).First off, about 13 years ago, I slowly converted every light to CFL, but in the past 3 years, have been in the process of converting every light to LED, the LED light in my childrens' bedroom uses about 5 watts, the lights in my Frontroom use, in total, about 10-14 watts (and produce enough light that I don't feel that it is dim, I do have supplemental reading lights that use 2.5 watts that can be positioned optimally for reading, or other tasks where a larger amount of light is required). The majority of my lights are "cool", meaning run between 4200(pinkish) Kelvin and 6500(bluish) Kelvin (versus 2700[yellow]-4200[pink] that "normal incandescent and CFL run at) Color accuracy varies between lights (being anywhere from 80%-95% accurate), in the bathrooms I mix the 2700 (yellowish) and 5500 (white-blue) lights for better color accuracy.

Next, I was running a swamp cooler for years, because I was afraid that central air would be a huge cost increase. A swamp cooler cost me about $20/month to run in the summer, my central air costs around $30/month to run. My central air is an 18.5 SEER unit, and very efficient, my theory is, if the ROI is within the warranty period, then it makes sense to spend a little more money up front.Switching out CRT monitors and televisions with flat-screens, focusing on efficiency and ROI over minimal initial cost. Putting things on powerstrips, and turning off the powerstrips when not in use (cable box, VCR, etc, at one location in my home consuming 30 watts of power when NOT in use, 90 watts when in use), oh, so getting a "Kill-A-Watt" device that measures power consumption, that was useful.

Cleaning the coils on the refrigerator(s)/freezer(s).Insulating the attic (helps with Summer electricity bill, and winter natural gas bill; I also have a Tankless water heater [supposed to be 94% efficient, but now I end up using more hot water because it doesn't run out after 20 minutes so that is a wash], and a 96% Efficient furnace, which made a 15% decrease in our winter gas usage)And the big one (should be complete in the next 2-3 weeks): Getting Solar Panels (4.5 KWh system installed by Sun Solar). After 10 years (that is the ROI), they will be like they were free! (I had to apply for a rebate from Rocky Mountain Power, they have a limited number of KWh that they will rebate each year, so that is $4,500 of the cost, the Fed Gov't about $7,000 tax credit, and Utah State Tax credit is $2,000 [capped at $2k, or 25% of the cost, whatever is lesser). Total cost to me, around $8,000 (but I had to qualify for financing of $21,000, then I pay that back with the rebates and whatnot), with an $85/month power bill (so mathematically, the ROI is 7.84 to 8.88 years, but I won't generate 100% of my electrical needs, only between 85%-95%, and I don't know what my new bill will be, but I assume that adding another 15% will put me around 10 years).

Anyway, I hope that this is somewhat informative, if you have any questions, let me know, I'm sure that I will be tracking the efficiency of my solar panels for a year or so.

Happy 11/11/11

2011-11-11T11:11:00.001-07:00

It will be a once in a lifetime day today: 11/11/11 11:11:11.11

Seth's Blog: Not fade away

2011-09-13T12:26:00.000-06:00

Seth's Blog: Not fade away:

Most partnerships don't end up in court.

Most friendships don't end in a fight.

Most customers don't leave in a huff.

Instead, when one party feels underappreciated, or perhaps taken advantage of, she stops showing up as often. Stops investing. Begins to move on.

No, I'm not going to sue you. Yes, I'll probably put my best efforts somewhere else.

This happens a lot, there are friends that I will be friends with, forever (like my friends Mark, Scott, Ben, Kellie, Elizabeth, or Shad, there are plenty of others, I just picked the last five that I have interacted with); but sometimes other people that I am establishing a friendship with, just "fade away", Email interactions fade away to Facebook interactions, Facebook interactions become less and less, and they are relegated to being just another "friend" (I quote it, because I have a different definition of friend than a Facebook friend). What do you need to do to maintain your friendship with others? Phone calls? Emails? Facebook messages/IMs? or are you more of the type where you have to do something; Fishing, Camping, Going out to Dinner, Seeing a Movie, etc? For me, after establishing a friendship, the only thing that I need to do to keep that friendship alive is to just know that the other person exists (seeing posts on a blog/Facebook/Google+/Twitter), and I have the feeling that I will always be friends. What are your thoughts?

snopes.com: Scientists Cure Cancer, But No One Takes Notice

2011-05-27T00:08:00.000-06:00

snopes.com: Scientists Cure Cancer, But No One Takes Notice I've been Snoped! meaning I posted something that might not have been true; Meaning, I fell for the old "if you read it on the internet, it must be true (but forgot to check Snopes first)" bit. Well, we live and learn. Thanks @Mark and @Darcy for pointing out my naivety. I'm humble enough to admit when I'm wrong, and I also hate it when that happens, but I'm also one of the first to point out when other people are wrong, so it's only fair that I get called out once in a while too. Well, we live and learn, maybe one day Cancer REALLY will be cured...

Coolerado

2011-05-02T14:14:00.002-06:00

A lot of traffic comes to my site because I mention the pricing on a Coolerado cooler, I just wanted to mention that contacting Coolerado is easy, they can get you in touch with an installation contractor, and they can give you a bid. I would also like to add that were it not for being able to find an extremely energy efficient AC with a 10 yr full replacement warranty, I probably would have gone with a Coolerado myself, I love the company, I love the technology and concept, and most of all the energy efficiency. But the best place for accurate pricing is to just contact Coolerado and talk to a local rep for better pricing. Although, if you are just looking for a nice round number, just take about $5,000 and that may be low, but if it seems too high, then maybe a good 18.5 SEER AC will work for you (for about $5,000 installed), although the Coolerado will pay for itself in less time than an AC.

SKye's Yearly Christmas Rant

2010-11-30T00:46:00.000-07:00

My yearly Christmas rant... (AKA: "you're doing it wrong", RE: "Shut-up SKye, why do we have to hear this every year", AKA: "Don't judge me, Santa-Hater", AKA "Why am I reading this"?)

I'm doing it again this year: http://www.wikihow.com/Celebrate-a-Strictly-Religious-Christmas

A friend's post reminded me that my frustrations with the corruption of a wonderful holiday will never be resolved.

People have removed so much Christ out of Christmas it might as well be x-mas. Why do people put up trees? (there were no "Christmas trees" when Jesus was born), Why do people make a milk and cookie offering to a false God? (there's no such thing as 'you-know-who', but yet people still try to get their children to "BELIEVE" in him), why do we give presents to each other, when we should be following Christ's counsel about "When you have done it unto the least of these...", who are the least among us? How can we serve them (Feeding, clothing, visiting, healing); It is very frustrating to me that people (Whether on purpose, or on accident) remove Christ from the name AND meaning, of Christmas.

And (All that was just my opinion, now I'm soap-boxing): IF Jesus is not allowed in our schools (can't sing songs about Jesus, or angels, only songs about snowmen and Santa), Then why in the mother H do we allow Santa in our churches?? WHY?? I'm telling you people, take a good hard look at the Old Testament, and how the people couldn't give up their false idols/gods, is this what we are teaching our children? People are literally setting out an offering (of milk and cookies) for a false God!! It is shocking to me, but _I'm_ the one that's crazy (like Samuel the Lamanite, pointing at the "righteous" people telling them to repent, while they launch arrows at him). Let me get this right, the commandment CLEARLY states: "Thou shalt not bear false witness" and we are swearing to our children that a fat man riding a magic sleigh pulled by magic reindeer deliver to your greedy childrens' heart their every desire, and if they question it, or aren't good enough that they will instead get a lump of coal (rather than the torments that await those that displeasure the TRUE and living God)??

**But just so that no one feels bad or guilty. I don't think what YOU are doing is wrong for YOU, if you believe that it is right and/or okay, then that's none of my business.... I'm just saying that I can't believe that you do it, but that's just me. We don't all feel the same way about the same things, but please take into consideration what you do to celebrate the birth of your Savior Jesus Christ (assuming you are Christian). If you aren't a Christian, then continue your celebration in whatever Pagan way seems most fitting to you, but CHRISTmas, is still about Christ ;) --I have nothing against you, you just don't know any different; But do something nice for someone, someone in NEED, and you will feel better than anyone can even describe.

http://scriptures.lds.org/en/alma/9/16-17#16

Tooth Regeneration Gel Could Replace Painful Fillings : Discovery News

2010-10-29T14:29:00.000-06:00

Tooth Regeneration Gel Could Replace Painful Fillings : Discovery News Pretty cool technology, too bad it won't be available to the public for a few years...

Roadkil’s Unstoppable Copier – freeware recovers files from broken CD/DVDs �-�The Red Ferret Journal

2010-10-05T15:42:00.000-06:00

Roadkil’s Unstoppable Copier – freeware recovers files from broken CD/DVDs -The Red Ferret Journal

Not unstoppable because it breaks any encryption, that isn't what this tool is for, it allows you to recover data from damaged disks (like scratched, or even broken). Pretty cool if you have destructive children.

MonPwr - Caffinc

2010-10-04T22:30:00.000-06:00

MonPwr - Caffinc --A little utility to shut off your monitor power and not turn on until you click your mouse or press a key (ie wiggling the mouse doesn't wake the monitor).

--The hard drive on my computer completely fried a couple of days ago, which is typically not a problem for me, I back up every month, usually around the 1st thru the 5th or so... problem is... it's the first of the month, and my HD died, so I restore back to September 1st... I've lost stuff that I don't even know that I've lost, but one little tool I completely can't live without, but I couldn't remember what it was called, only that it would wake with a key press or mouse click, but finally after a few minutes in Google, I was able to find this utility again (and decided to blog it so I won't forget it for next time.

SO, as a reminder, BACK UP YOUR COMPUTER (and maybe back it up more than once a month --But one advantage, I lost my caching for my email over the last month--but didn't want to restore because I don't do file backup, I do a Hard Drive clone--that way when I restore, I have my OS back, etc --so now my email cache is no longer corrupt :) )

So, back up your computer!! DO IT... NOW!! (I use a Nero Back-it-up boot disk, and image the drive, you can use the Ultimate Boot CD and use another drive cloning utility, but whatever you do, do SOMETHING!)

Thanks :)

Gopan, a gadget that makes bread out of rice - TOKYOMANGO

2010-09-30T23:38:00.000-06:00

Gopan, a gadget that makes bread out of rice - TOKYOMANGO

Brazil (1985)

2010-08-16T21:59:00.000-06:00

Brazil (1985) --Again, I usually don't blog about movies (much), after a small hiatus from Hollywood, I have found Netflix, not because I enjoy getting discs in the mail, and sending them back, but because of their online streaming service (there were a few series that weren't on Hulu, so I was struggling with the thought of paying for some premium site, when Netflix made it's way enough into my consciousness to persuade me to join). Anyway, I'm back to watching 2-4 movies a week the "old-fashioned" way (nothing like the 18-20 movies a week with Hollywood), and in the few hours that I have remaining in the rest of my day I can sometimes watch some streaming media from Hulu and Netflix --I do like watching films at 1.5x-2.0x speed again!

Brazil is an amazing film, had I seen it in 1985, it might have been my favorite movie until Matrix came along. I'm going to borrow a quote from a user [ mariogreymist ] on IMDB: "Brazil is a very cerebral film, so if you are thinking, "What does cerebral mean?" you can probably skip it. Anyone who expects to have a story clearly spelled out for them, and done so in a concise manner with little background interference will hate Brazil. Brazil is a film for those who want texture, emotional involvement and some sort of deeper meaning. Brazil is my favorite movie, but it is clearly not for everyone!"

I give it 5 out of 5 stars!

How to Love Unconditionally - wikiHow

2010-06-19T14:20:00.000-06:00

How to Love Unconditionally - wikiHow A little article that is a good reminder/primer about how to love unconditionally.

ksl.com - West Valley City lights up completed 3500 South project

2010-06-15T19:03:00.000-06:00

ksl.com - West Valley City lights up completed 3500 South project

LED Lighting going mainstream. I hope that they get 20 years of lighting out of their LEDs, what I've found with the LEDs that I've purchased is that they seem to 'dim' over time, so that by 6 months to a year, they are only about half as bright as they were when they were new. But this was a cool event to see (I think I was the only citizen there at the ceremony, everyone else was a city employee or news affiliate).

Video Courtesy of KSL.com

YouTube - Viola Eunice Wilkes Hodges Stiles (Sneddon) 1921 ~ 2010

2010-06-15T09:37:00.000-06:00

YouTube - Viola Eunice Wilkes Hodges Stiles (Sneddon) 1921 ~ 2010: ""

A video tribute to my grandmother (The pictures are from my aunts and cousins, the music is because that's what Grandma wanted, and the video is from Picasa, what did I do? Just put it here for you to see.)

SMO Team Off Site June 8-9 2010

2010-06-11T16:13:00.000-06:00

Chilaxin in the mountains (the green bandanna is because we were on 5 different teams):

SMO Team Off Site June 8-9 2010

2010-06-11T16:12:00.000-06:00

our team's Rocket:

SMO Team Off Site June 8-9 2010

2010-06-11T16:10:00.000-06:00

Proof that I camp:

"Magic" Vanilla Ice Cream

2010-05-31T18:02:00.000-06:00

a while ago I posted Cooks Country's recipe for "Magic" Chocolate ice cream. --It's "Magic" because you don't need an ice cream maker, just a mixer and a freezer. Cooks Country came up with their "Magic" Vanilla ice cream recipe now (My wife Anniche has made over 30 flavors of ice cream now, and it's interesting because she has found a lot of the 'secrets' that Cooks Country has found. #1. there is something in Chocolate that is completely necessary for the ice cream to be smooth and creamy, we've used white chocolate for all our "berry" or "Fruit" flavors. #2. Don't overwhip the cream --or it will turn out tasting more like "butter" than ice cream. #3. Andes Mint is still my favorite flavor --I guess that one isn't a secret).

Here it is:

Magic Vanilla Ice cream:

--NOTE: Get the magazine to read all the GREAT experimenting that Cooks Country did to come up with the recipe, this is one of my favorite cooking magazines!!

1/2 cup sweetened condensed milk

1 ounce white chocolate (CC recommends Guittard Coc-O-Lait Chips, or Ghiradelli Classic White Chips, Anniche used Lindt White Chocolate in a bar from Walmart)

1 tablespoon vanilla extract

1 pinch of salt

1/4 cup sour cream

1-1/4 cups cold heavy cream

Microwave sweetened condensed milk and white chocolate in large bowl until chocolate melts, at about 30 second intervals stirring, etc.

Whip cream, on medium-high speed, for LESS THAN 2 minutes (Anniche usually whips it for about a minute, basically when it starts to thicken, similar to freshly mixed pudding, thin, but frothy.

Whisk (or just spoon-stir) 1/3rd of the whipped cream into the chocolate mixture, then fold remaining whipped cream until incorporated.

Freeze in an airtight container (we use washed out 3 pound Sour Cream containers) at least 6 hours (should keep for up to 2 weeks), you can cover with plastic wrap placed directly on the surface of the ice cream to keep it a little longer.

Enjoy!!

SodaStream - update

2010-05-30T18:33:00.000-06:00

SodaStream update:

I've finally used up my first full cylinder of Carbon Dioxide. I have made tons of liters of carbonated water, and it's been over 7 months, and I am very impressed. (my favorite recipe so far was taking a piece of crystallized ginger in the Vitamix with some water and sugar, then adding carbonated water to make homemade ginger ale--it was wonderful). I know it still seems like a gimmick, but this has been a great experience. I'm getting HALF the sugar on so many drinks now, because I'll mix them with carbonated water. Fruit juice, Kool-Aid, Home-made slurpees (a can of soda, ice, sugar, citric acid, and carbonated water--who knew the carbonation would make it taste so good--just like the "real thing"), and I've carbonated other things that I can't recall as well. Anyway, I don't get anything out of pushing SodaStream (unless you WANT me to refer you with your email address, and you can get a $10 discount, and I get $10 in "bonus points", but I'm not referring people to get something out of it, other than to get more people into finding a great way to make soda at home). So enjoy, or don't :) but I certainly have. I'm ordering two 110 liter carbonators to replace the 60 liter carbonator that is out I still have to use up another 60, maybe that will only take me 4 or 5 months, and then the new one may last 10 months... Anyway, I'll keep people informed (not that anyone cares, but me).

Scouting

2010-05-30T17:54:00.002-06:00

Some notes from a talk that I gave in Church today (I didn't include my knot tying, nor the information from the Boy Scout book) --and I only really had time to present a few of these quotes, but wanted to include them on my blog, because scouting is awesome!!

President Gordon B. Hinckley, during the February 1985 Diamond Jubilee of Scouting in America, said:

“What a wonderful thing it is to plant in the heart of a boy the compelling axiom—‘Be prepared.’ Be prepared for what? For tieing knots, yes. Knot tieing is Tenderfoot duty, but it is important. In one sense this whole business of living and doing is one of tieing knots, the kind of knots that will hold and not give under stress and strain. We see all around us the evidence of failure, of knots that slipped when they should have held. They are evident in career failures, in business failures, in professional failures, in marriage failures. To be able to tie the right knot for the right reason, for the right occasion, and to have it hold against every stress is a part of the process of being prepared” (Boy Scouts Program, 10 Feb. 1985).

"[Scouting's] purpose is:

1-Character building—to help to fill the need for men of shining honor.

2-Citizenship training—to help young men to develop an uncompromising love for America and its great concepts and institutions; to develop a strong attitude and determination of self reliance.

3-Leadership development—to help to answer the great need of leaders of capacity with high ideals.

4-Physical fitness—to help to beat down the tendency, if there is one, of physical deterioration.

5-Spiritual growth—American foundations and spiritual perpetuation of America are assured with spiritually inclined citizenry" ("Scouting: A Great American Partnership," Improvement Era, Feb. 1964, 101).

President Gordon B. Hinckley

"I love the Scouting movement. The promise of the Scout Oath and the twelve points of the Scout Law point young men along the path of being prepared for the 21st century. They provide a solid and powerful magnetic force toward development of a well-rounded and noteworthy character that counts. This program builds boys, builds their futures, leads them on the right path so they can make something of their lives. Every man or woman who helps a boy along the road of life not only does a great thing for him but does a great thing for society as a whole. If every boy in America knew and observed the Scout Oath, we would do away with most of the jails and prisons in this country. If each of us would live up to those few words, 'On my honor, I will do my best,' whether it be in school, whether it be in our social life, whether it be in our business or professional life, if I will do my very best, success and happiness will be mine" (Boy Scout Jamboral, Fillmore, Utah, Sept. 27, 1996).

Thomas S. Monson, “‘Called to Serve’,” Ensign, Nov 1991, 46

Brethren, if ever there were a time when the principles of Scouting were vitally needed—that time is now. If ever there were a generation who would benefit by keeping physically strong, mentally awake, and morally straight—that generation is the present generation.

Ezra Taft Benson, “Scouting Builds Men,” New Era, Feb 1975, 14

As Latter-day Saints we have a priceless legacy—a legacy based on the solid truth that character is the one thing we develop in this world that we take with us into the next. This is a heritage that one cannot buy. It is a fountain of continuing strength for coping successfully with life’s problems.

You young men and women are our greatest assets.

...

One of the joys of working with boys is the fact that you do get your pay as you go along. You have an opportunity to observe the results of your leadership daily as you work with them through the years and watch them grow into stalwart manhood, accepting eagerly its challenges and responsibilities.

Such satisfaction cannot be purchased at any price; it must be earned through service and devotion. What a glorious thing it is to have even a small part in helping to build boys into men, real men. And that is the purpose of Scouting—to build men.

I would to God that every boy of Boy Scout age could have the benefits and the blessings of the great Boy Scout program. It is truly a noble program; it is a builder of character, not only in the boys, but also in the men who provide the leadership. And character, after all, is the priceless thing you build in this life and take with you into the next. I have often said that Scouting is essentially a spiritual program, a builder of men. It is established upon a deeply spiritual foundation.

In the first part of the Boy Scout Oath we declare, “On my honor, I will do my best to do my duty to God and my country and to obey the Scout Law.” Scouting emphasizes duty to God, reverence for sacred things, observance of the Sabbath, maintenance of the standards of the Church with which the boy is affiliated. As each boy repeats that pledge, usually at every Scout meeting or function, he says aloud in the presence of those whose friendship he values most highly, “On my honor, I will do my best to do my duty to God.” It cannot help but make a deep and lasting impression upon him. It becomes the foundation upon which a noble character is built. The oath also pledges duty to country, and that too is basically spiritual.

Scouting stresses service to others, and again this has a spiritual base. The Scout pledges to help other people at all times. Was it not the Master who said, “Whosoever will be chief among you; let him be your servant?” The slogan “Do a Good Turn Daily” has become emblazoned upon men’s lives far beyond its place of origin in the Boy Scout movement. Scouting also emphasizes duty to self. How charged with spiritual meaning are the words “to keep myself physically strong, mentally awake, and morally straight!”

There is a tendency to think of fitness solely in terms of the physical, in terms of bodily strength. But to be truly fit, truly equal to the demands of life, requires much more than bodily strength. It involves the mind and the training of the mind, the emotions and their use and control. Yes, and it involves the soul and the spiritual growth too. And that is why Scouting challenges our youth to be physically strong, mentally awake, and morally straight.

It seems to me that the most successful program of complete youth fitness ever known to man was described in 14 words. They are the words of the beloved disciple Luke in the New Testament. He uses just one sentence to cover a period of 18 years—the 18 years in which the Savior of the world, after returning to Nazareth from Jerusalem, prepared himself for his public life: “And Jesus increased in wisdom and stature and in favor with God and man.” There is the ideal of any program of youth fitness, to help our youth increase in wisdom and stature and in favor with God and man. It covers everything: physical fitness, mental fitness, social fitness, emotional fitness, spiritual fitness.

The Scout Law is fundamentally spiritual. The points of the law are expressions of virtues, of ideals; they are the basis of sound character. These virtues of trustworthiness, loyalty, bravery, helpfulness, kindness, obedience, cleanliness, reverence, and all the rest are what the past progress of the world is built upon.

...Bravery, trustworthiness, and faith will be needed in our time by those who will explore the space age. Scouting teaches these virtues. “A Scout is kind: A Scout is helpful.” Do we ourselves sometimes forget what these virtues have meant to all mankind?

...

We need to develop qualities of leadership. Young people need to learn the value of staying power—stick-to-itiveness. You need to learn devotion to duty—the devotion to duty that keeps a good doctor on the job right around the clock in an emergency—the devotion to duty that leads a scientist or a teacher to persevere in a low paying position in the public service because that is where his or her maximum contribution can be made.

You need to learn to be tolerant of people, but intolerant of untruth, of laziness, of immorality. There is a type of broadmindedness prevalent today that tolerates just about anything short of outright murder. It isn’t broadmindedness at all—it’s moral apathy, or maybe moral cowardice.

...Whether one studies the Scout Oath, the Scout Law, the Scout Motto, or the Scout Slogan, “Do a Good Turn Daily,” they all add up to our finest character-building program.

How fortunate are those who may participate in it and have their lives enriched thereby—boys and men alike. The boys and men with whom Scouting is concerned are made of eternal stuff; theirs is a divine destiny. Godlike men, men of character, men of truth, men of courage, men of goodwill—there, then, is our challenge.

Lord Baden-Powell wrote what he called his farewell message to Scouts of the world:

“Dear Scouts:

“If you have ever seen the play ‘Peter Pan,’ you will remember how the pirate chief was always making his dying speech because he was afraid that possibly when the time came for him to die he might not have time to get it off his chest. It is much the same with me, and so, although I am not at this moment dying, I shall be doing so one of these days and I want to send you a parting word of good-bye.

“Remember, it is the last you will ever hear from me, so think it over.

“I have had a most happy life and I want each one of you to have as happy a life, too.

“I believe that God put us in this jolly world to be happy and to enjoy life. Happiness doesn’t come from being rich, nor merely from being successful in your career, nor by self-indulgence. One step towards happiness is to make yourself healthy and strong while you are a boy, so that you can be useful and so can enjoy life when you are a man.

“Nature study will show you how full of beautiful and wonderful things God has made the world for you to enjoy. Be contented with what you have got and make the best of it. Look on the bright side of things instead of the gloomy one.

“But the real way to get happiness is by giving out happiness to other people. Try and leave this world a little better than you found it and when your turn comes to die, you can die happy in feeling that at any rate you have not wasted your time but have done your best. ‘Be prepared’ in this way to live happy and to die happy—stick to your Scout Promise always—even after you have ceased to be a boy—and God help you to do it. Your friend, Baden-Powell”

Vicki H. Budge, “Scouting, Family-Style,” Ensign, Sept. 1992, 60–61

Is your Cub or Boy Scout an enthusiastic go-getter? Or do you struggle with motivation—his as well as your own? [Here are]...eight ways to help keep Scouting exciting for you and your son.

1. Read the section on advancement from the Scout manual and talk about it with your son. Many different activities can fill merit badge requirements. Look through the possibilities for Scout achievements and help your son choose the ones that interest him. Then post lists of requirements around the house so that your family won’t overlook opportunities to help your Scout fulfill them.

2. Plan family activities around Scout requirements. Visits to museums, state capitols, dams, fish hatcheries, police and fire stations, parks, beaches, and many more places can help fulfill requirements. Family home evening activities can also double as Scout achievement activities. If your boy needs more hiking time, plan for the family to go on a hike for home evening. If he needs more outdoor cooking time, go to a park and barbecue some hamburgers. Look through his requirements for fun things that the family can do together.

Plan to fulfill some requirements during your family vacation. One family set a goal to help their son complete the bird study merit badge on their summer trip. Together they watched birds on the desert and in the mountains.

3. Involve relatives and family friends. If your son is going to spend time with grandparents, cousins, or family friends, look for an appropriate achievement he can work on while he’s there. Send a copy of the requirements with him...

4. Use the buddy system. Scout projects are more fun when two brothers or two friends work together. [Maybe] When [you are] going to work on Scouting requirements, [you can] say to [your] son, “Why don’t you call Donny and see if he wants to come over and work on the physical fitness [merit badge]?”—or whatever achievement [your son is working on]. He [will] scramble to make the call because the activity [will be more] fun [if he is doing it with his friend or friends].

...

5. Use Sundays and sick days to work together on written reports and to discuss Scout projects... it [also] helps to have a notebook or folder just for Scouting. That way, it’s easy for the boys to pull it out and work on achievements; and the written reports, clippings, maps, and other things they need to show merit badge counselors are all in the same place.

6. Work on at least two achievements at the same time—a fun one and a harder one. That way you can say, “Do this report and then we’ll go out and work on archery or look at the stars.”

7. Make a chart that shows your boy’s Scouting progress. Put his picture on it and post it where he can see it. The recognition and pride of accomplishment will mean everything to him. Take pictures of him in his uniform or with something related to a project he’s worked hard on.

8. Remember the old saying “Make hay while the sun shines.” Help your boy set goals and accomplish as much as possible while he is a young Scout. While he is excited, everything seems to be fun. But don’t become too pushy or start comparing your son or yourself to anyone else. Enjoy the values Scouting teaches and the closeness it can bring to your family.—Vicki H. Budge, Bend, Oregon

President Thomas S. Monson

"Youth need fewer critics and more models. One wise builder of faith counseled, 'It does not pay to scold. I believe you can get people to do anything, if you can get them to do it at all, by loving them into doing it.' . . .

"We are builders of boys and menders of men. In doing so, we remember that the greatest verb in the vocabulary is to love; the second is to help.

"It is the mission of the Boy Scouts of America to serve others by helping to instill values in young people and, in other ways, to prepare them to make ethical choices over their lifetime in achieving their full potential.

President Ezra Taft Benson, 13th President of the Church

"Give me a young man who has kept himself morally clean and has faithfully attended his Church meetings. Give me a young man who has magnified his priesthood and has earned the Duty to God Award and is an Eagle Scout. Give me a young man who is a seminary graduate and has a burning testimony of the Book of Mormon. Give me such a young man, and I will give you a young man who can perform miracles for the Lord in the mission field and throughout his life" (Ensign, May 1986, 44–45).

Elder F. Melvin Hammond, Former Young Men General President

"Scouting has been adopted as the activity arm of the Aaronic Priesthood in the United States of America. It is a marvelous program of adventure and learning. In Scouting boys learn outdoor skills, they acquire leadership abilities, they endure physical challenges, and they build within themselves strong and noble character traits. We want every young man from the age of eight, when he becomes a Cub Scout, to the age of sixteen to be enrolled in Scouting, and we encourage those boys sixteen through seventeen to be involved in Venturing. Their goal should be to earn the coveted Eagle Scout Award" (Area Auxiliary Training, Oct. 8, 2003).

"Every seminary and institute student should come to understand that doctrinal knowledge of the gospel, when accompanied by the Spirit of Truth and total commitment, will change their lives and prompt them to . . . complete their Duty to God and, where Scouting is available, achieve the top award. Too many teachers fail to see the link between these inspired programs and spiritual living" (CES Satellite Training Broadcast, Aug. 2003).

"The Scouting program of the Church with its wonderful activities has strengthened our young men. As they advance from a Tenderfoot Scout through the various ranks, until they achieve their Eagle Scout Award, they grow in stature and in spirit. Their bodies are developed physically. They learn outdoor skills that test their character and their intellect. Every boy, whether he enjoys athletics or literature, can find a welcome niche in Scouting.

"If someone questions the position of the Church in Scouting, I always remind them of these words, 'On my honor I will do my duty to God and my country. . . ." Once again duty becomes paramount. A commitment is made by each Scout; he has given his word of honor, that he will do all in his power to uphold Heavenly Father and keep His commandments. A love of country, with a desire to maintain freedom and liberty, is established in a boy's mind, and it never leaves him during the course of his life. I thank God for Scouting" ("Fulfilling Our Duty to God" [unpublished], Jan. 2002).

Elder Jack H. Goaslind, Former Young Men General President

"We encourage our leaders to put their energies into using Scouting to help accomplish the purposes of the Aaronic Priesthood, and in being positive in their support of all young men. The Scout Oath, Law, Motto, and Slogan complement the achievement of the Aaronic Priesthood purposes we feel are so important in the lives of the young men."

Elder Robert L. Backman, Former Young Men General President

"The bishop's most positive impact on youth comes in informal settings, activities, Scouting, service projects, athletics—real life settings where they get to know him as a man. . . .

". . . Scouting provides a tested, proven program for us to use in holding our young men close to the Church. It appeals to boys. Its trail to the Eagle rank helps a young man set worthwhile goals, then realize them. For some reason there is a direct correlation between young men who achieve the Eagle rank and those who serve missions. . . .

"Its camping, hiking, and high adventure provide marvelous opportunities for our young men to enjoy a man's experience with men, building wholesome relationships between youth and adult leaders, something that happens too seldom in our day. Becoming a man is more than chronological. It involves proving the young man's manhood, testing his mettle, challenging the world, demonstrating he can accomplish more than he thought he was capable of. That's what builds character and manliness" (Ensign, Nov. 1982, 39–40).

Elder Robert K. Dellenbach, Former Young Men General President

"In the Scout Oath, we pledge our 'Duty to God.' All Latter day Saint Scouters, whether young or old, have a duty and a responsibility to defend the principles of the gospel of Jesus Christ. In The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter day Saints, we are taught that our duty to God supersedes everything else. Through Scouting we learn to be honest, morally clean, trustworthy, and dependable. ... How grateful I am that this wonderful organization of Scouting has a strong commitment to the values and principles taught to us by the Savior, Jesus Christ.

"May we always be ready to do our duty to God and keep the commandments in our Scouting and in our everyday life. . . .

"One of the major reasons why the Church accepts the Scouting program as part of the activity program for the Aaronic Priesthood quorums is that it provides so many marvelous opportunities to learn and do things. The whole design of getting merit badges and your Eagle Award is to help you grow both in knowledge and in the proper character development" (National Jamboree, Fort A. P. Hill, Virginia, July 29, 2001).

Google Chrome Blog: Pedal to the Chrome metal: Our fastest beta to date for Windows, Mac and Linux

2010-05-04T22:30:00.000-06:00

Google Chrome Blog: Pedal to the Chrome metal: Our fastest beta to date for Windows, Mac and Linux

How fast is the new Chrome Beta? Try 2700 frames fast!! I just downloaded and installed, and I have to admit, it is intensely fast, pages load practically instantaneously, don't believe me? Try it for yourself.

GE Fast Forwards to Future of LED Lighting : LED Lighting : Lighting : Press Releases : GE Consumer & Industrial Press Room

2010-05-02T17:33:00.001-06:00

GE Fast Forwards to Future of LED Lighting : LED Lighting : Lighting : Press Releases : GE Consumer & Industrial Press Room: "The inventor of the first visible light-emitting diode makes history again this year as it begins to show customers a 40-watt replacement GE Energy Smart� LED bulb available later this year or early 2011. GE Lighting's new LED bulb is expected to consume just 9 watts, provide a 77 percent energy savings and produce nearly the same light output as a 40-watt incandescent bulb, while lasting more than 25 times as long."

Expected to consume just 9 watts—compared with 40-watt incandescent/halogen or 10-watt CFL, while delivering nearly the same light output;
Expected 25,000-hour rated life—will last 17 years (4 hours per day), which is 25 times longer than a general service 40-watt incandescent or halogen bulb and more than 3 times longer than a standard 8,000-hour rated life CFL;
LED technology delivers the instant full brightness of an incandescent or halogen bulb;
Durable solid-state design with no filament to break;
Contains no mercury and will be RoHS compliant; and
Feels cooler to the touch than CFLs and far cooler than incandescent bulbs.

Poisson Rouge – Games people play … when they can’t read�-�The Red Ferret Journal

2010-05-02T15:21:00.000-06:00

Poisson Rouge – Games people play … when they can’t read�-�The Red Ferret Journal

--Here: Poisson Rouge Hours of entertainment for the kids :)

401st post (who knew?) My Favorite Google Chrome Extensions

2010-05-02T11:55:00.006-06:00

[I can't believe I wasted post 400 on I-15, oh well]

So, I've been promising to post some of my favorite Chrome extensions.

#1. Hands down: Better Facebook Fixer (I'm posting links to SEARCH, because sometimes, something comes along that is better, for example, I WAS using just "Facebook Fixer", but because of searching for the plugin again [after an insane computer crash], I found BETTER Facebook Fixer) Better Facebook fixer does a couple of amazing things:

bigger profile pictures and photos (this is nice, because if you just hover over a picture, it shows it to you FULL SIZE in a light-box, you don't have to click a photo to view it BIGGER)
easier viewing of albums (this will LOAD ALL ALBUMS (on one page, no scrolling though pages and pages of albums) LOAD ALL PICTURES from an album on ONE page, and best of all, SHOW ALL PICTURES LARGE SIZE --I have to type in all caps, because BIGGER IS BETTER :) lol, you will be missing this plugin on any computer that doesn't have it installed.
links to download videos (never used it)
showing people's age and sign (didn't even realize this was there, but VERY COOL ;) )
Google calendar integration (don't use that feature, but neat!)
bookmarks (haven't used it)
keyboard shortcuts (didn't know it was there)
& more. (dare I say... NO ADS?)
Fully customizable! (yes it is)
--Did I mention that you should download this extension for Chrome TODAY, if you use Facebook, you WILL thank me for it ;) LOL

#2. (in no particular order): Explain and Send Screenshots. Well, that one is mostly self-explanatory.

#3. Blog This, by Google. The extension that got me back blogging again :)

#4. Autocomplete = On. Changes 'autocomplete=off' to 'autocomplete=on' in web pages, so your passwords will be remembered.

#5. Web Developer extensions. If I have to explain these extensions (I use 2 or 3 of them), then you don't need them (I'm not a web developer, but occasionally it is nice for reasons I cannot disclose) ;) LOL

#6. URL Shortener extensions. There are enough of these to be rather generic, I like the "goo.gl URL shortener" though, well, because it's cool looking LOL.

#7. Personalized Web. Another of the don't ask, don't tell extensions (inject custom HTML into webpages), with a custom ad-blocker, and other fun goodies (for web geeks).

#8. Autopagerize. Best way to read a blog EVER!! All you have to do is scroll it will auto-load the next page (works great with Google search results too!) No clicking Next, Next, Next, Next... etc.

#9. AdThwart. --Are you sensing a pattern? Someone here doesn't like advertisements. Now, I understand that ads are what make the net so free, but for me, it is just clutter, I will NEVER buy something I see in an ad (at least not by clicking the link), so the only people that make money are direct advertisers (people posting ads about their OWN products), because affiliate links will NEVER pay if they depend on me (I don't click ad links, period!).

#10. Image Preview. Image Preview opens links to image files (jpeg, png, gif, etc) and YouTube videos in a sleek lightbox rather than in a new tab or window. So it's easy to click a picture or video and not have to load a whole page to view it.

#11. RSS Subscription Extension (by Google). This extension auto-detects RSS feeds on the page you are reading and upon finding one will display an RSS icon in the Omnibox, allowing you to click on it to preview the feed content and subscribe. The extension comes with 4 feed readers predefined (Google Reader, iGoogle, Bloglines and My Yahoo) but also allows you to add any web-based feed reader of your choice to the list. Makes subscribing to my friends blogs as simple as clicking a button.

#12. Google Mail Checker. So you know, before you go. Or something cool like that (I get my Gmail through the Novell GroupWise email client, I can add as many other mailboxes (IMAP/POP3) as I like, and it will check them periodically for me, but sometimes it's nice to see the messages in my browser.

#13. Clickable Links. Hopefully self-explanatory :)

#14. Google Voice (by Google). Because I don't SMS on my phone, I SMS on Google Voice, it will alert me in my browser when someone texts (or leaves a voicemail), and lets me call numbers from my browser (Google Voice calls me, then connects me to the number I put in the dial-box).

#15. Bubble Translate. Most of you probably don't need this, but since my wife is Norwegian (and I don't speak the language), and I'm friends with most of her family/extended-family on Facebook, occasionally I like to know what they are writing without having to call my wife over to translate for me. Simply Highlight the text, and press the button, the translation pops up over the text in a nice bubble.

#16. IE Tab. Some pages don't run in Chrome (because stupid web-developers that rely on ActiveX, etc), and this also fixes one big flaw in Chrome (No Print-Preview). Press the IE Tab button and you can go to windows Update, or do a print preview (ie 7/8 have a great print preview that lets you adjust the scale--to save paper --that's the main reason why I use this extension)

#17. Flashblock. Allows ME to decide if I want some flash applet playing in my browser or not. (you can always allow Flash on certain pages by pressing CTL+SHIFT+F or something, so some sites get the A-OK, like Hulu).

#18. Notifer for Google Wave. For those that actually USE Google Wave, this handy little extension keeps you apprised of new feeds, etc.

#19. Google Translate. For those times that you need to translate and ENTIRE webpage, this extension will do it automatically.

#20. --What are YOUR favorite Google Chrome Extensions??

Q-and-A: Legitimate Work-at-Home Opportunities

2010-04-29T11:08:00.001-06:00

Q-and-A: Legitimate Work-at-Home Opportunities

I-15 CORE

2010-04-25T22:12:00.000-06:00

I-15 CORE "If we all just travel a little wiser, we'll all travel easier"

http://www.travelwise.utah.gov/

TravelWise strategies include:

Shift Travel Times: Shifting commute and delivery route times away from the peak traffic hours - particularly the afternoon peak between 4:00 and 6:00 p.m. - can significantly reduce travel times during construction.
Vanpool, carpool: Carpools and vanpools reduce transportation costs for employees and take cars of the road, improving everyone's commute. Learn more at UTArideshare.com.
Telecommute: Employees can avoid the traffic headache altogether by working from home one or more days per week. You can also hold teleconferences instead of driving to and from meetings.
Transit: Express buses and local bus routes are a good option for many Utah County commuters. Learn more at rideuta.com.
Active transportation: Take advantage of spring and summer weather and walk or bike to work.

Kohlberg's stages of moral development - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

2010-04-24T21:55:00.000-06:00

Kohlberg's stages of moral development - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia I don't blog as often as I used to because I switched to chrome. In IE, I had a button called "Blog This", and I used it quite often when I saw a page that I wanted to remember, and to tell all of you about. I need to blog about my FAVORITE CHROME EXTENSIONS, but that will have to be a later blog, in the meantime, lets just say, I FOUND BLOG THIS as an extension to Google Chrome, and now maybe you guys will see more from me on occasion. Be looking for my most used/favorite Chrome extensions post in the near future....

Oh, yeah, before I forget... I'm posting about Kolberg, because I learned about this in High School and it's taken me this long to finally (re)find this, I always want to talk about it with my Sunday School class... now I can :)

Vonage Update, Year 3+

2010-01-25T09:35:00.003-07:00

I've been on Vonage for well over 3 years now, I started their "Year Pay" 3 years ago, and my bill looked like this:

Total Amount $265.20 (for 11 months)
=$24.11/mo

the year before last year:
Total Amount $302.89
=$25.24/month (for 12 months)

Last year:
Total Amount: $301.09
=$25.09/month (for 12 months)

This year:
Total Amount: $326.64
=$27.22/month (for 12 months) (new taxes and stuff caused it to go up slightly)

I'm putting in yet another plug for Vonage, because $27.22 a month for the following features is absolutely magnificent! (YES, all this is included in the LOW price of $25.09 a month):

Call Forwarding, Call waiting[with ID], 3-way calling, call transfer
FREE Voicemail, and they will even EMAIL you the voicemail as a wav file!
Network Availability number--in case your internet goes down
Simulring (Ring up to 5 numbers simultaneously--when you call our housephone my cellphone, and my wife's cellphone ring at the same time, thus we can answer either the housephone OR our cellphone to talk to people who call--My computer 'rings' at the same time, but I'll get to that in the next bulletpoint)
NO LONGER SUPPORTED: VonageTalk (the FREE version), lets me MAKE AND TAKE calls on my computer using my speakers and mic. It also allows you to chat with your friends on AIM, MSN, Yahoo, and Google Talk.
FREE International calling to certain countries (WOW)
Call-ID block (to block your number from going out)
Last call return (*69)--for free, no paying whatever it is now that "regular" phone companies charge for the simple pleasure of finding out the number that last called you.
Do not disturb (I never use this, but I have a friend that SWEARS by it, it's the only way that he and his family can eat in peace sometimes)
Anonymous call blocking
Repeat dialing, --I hate getting a busy signal, this way Vonage keeps dialing the number for you (for up to 30 minutes), and rings when you and them are available
Vonage Access, thousands of "local" numbers across the world, where someone that wants to call you can call a local number, then put in your Vonage phone number, and it will ring you (basically, they can call you long-distance, for the price of a local call to them)
click to call, integrates with certain Microsoft programs to allow you to click a number and have it dial on your Vonage phone (it rings your phone, you pick up, it dials the other number)
V-ME webpage, you can give a URL to a friend where they can put in THEIR phone number, Vonage will call them, then call you and connect you together (It's like giving out your phone number, without having to give out your phone number, and Vonage will call you on the number of YOUR choice--ie, you can put in a cellphone, a work phone, your Vonage phone, your neighbor's phone ;) whatever!)
V-Fax, send faxes from your computer!
Disadvantages: You need an internet connection to use Vonage, but if you have an internet connection anyway, then you are halfway there!

Have I convinced you yet??! Join Vonage if you want to use me as a referral (2 months FREE for you and me), then you can enter in my number [just convert it to digits]: 8-oh-1-ate-eight-6 zero-7-O-niner [don't say you can't find my number if you ever wanted to call] ;)

--I'm not trying to talk anyone into signing up, I just wanted to say: I LOVE VONAGE! and whether you want to use me as a referral or not [the choice is up to you, maybe you have another friend on Vonage and want to use them--GREAT!] the fact is, YOU will LOVE Vonage too!

<--Sign up now and see what I'm talking about!

Tesla

2009-11-04T18:42:00.002-07:00

Today on the way home from a meeting in South Jordan, I saw a Tesla!!

I had to take a picture :) and I had to roll down my windows so I could hear it (Silent as an electric motor, with as much power as a Corvette

Acceleration	Base: 0 to 60 mph in 3.9 seconds Sport: 0 to 60 mph in 3.7 seconds
Top Speed	125 mph (electronically limited)
Range	244 miles

Make your own soda at home

2009-11-03T17:48:00.004-07:00

http://www.getsodastream.com/

I've been using the SodaStream now for a couple of weeks, and I've had a lot of fun, I can't speak about the cost yet, but the SodaStream website says that it costs about $0.20 USD for a liter of carbonated water (then you add flavoring), I won't buy the SodaStream flavorings because they are made with some bizarre artificial sweetener (but not Aspertame, they are very proud of that). I'd rather just use pure cane sugar, I honestly feel that it is healthier. Today I made a Key Lime syrup (1 key lime and a about 1/2 cup sugar per liter---I made syrup for 6 liters using 6 key limes and 3 cups sugar), I've use Norwegian "Saft" raspberry, was amazing (in England they call the concentrated drink syrups "Squash" --I guess to imply squashed fruit with sugar), I've made my own energy drink using one of those little bottles of "5-hour Energy" and some flavored syrup, I've made Italian sodas with carbonated water, syrup (Eggnog, Amaretto, Island Rum) and sometimes a little cream. I've carbonated Kool-Aid (Kool-Aid makes a pineapple-coconut-ish one that I added some cream to and it was VERY good) Watermelon-Kiwi, Raspberry, there are other flavors that I'm sure I will try as well. Anyway, if you want to try the SodaStream as well, you can for just $19.95, see the website: http://www.getsodastream.com/

the Forgotten

2009-10-22T23:22:00.001-06:00

"That's like a telephone repairman not carrying his echo sensitizer"

--Too bad Google is no help in locating one ;)

Try Novell Teaming

2009-10-12T09:21:00.003-06:00

Can't get an invite to Google Wave? [Me neither], but you can still enjoy an enterprise class collaboration package (you can even download a demo today). Try Novell Teaming, and you won't be dreaming about tomorrow, you'll have what you need right-now: http://www.novell.com/products/teaming/productinfo/ Want to see what it could look like once you have it installed, check out http://community.kablink.org check out the "Teaming Library" which has XML templates that you can import into Teaming, to help you get your process flows setup in Teaming quickly. Still not convinced? How about 20 FREE licenses? http://www.novell.com/products/teaming/starterpack.html or, you can keep waiting for your Google Wave invite, but I've been using Teaming today to track projects, team meetings, and store files. Today using Novell Teaming + Conferencing: I've been able to have real-time collaboration with other employees so we can finish our work quicker, which leaves me more time to get to those old emails that I've been putting off.

Zennioptical

2009-10-07T23:52:00.004-06:00

one of my friends and/or friends-friend posted this on Facebook, and I wanted to post it here as well. When I get my eyeglasses prescription updated I'm going to buy a pair (of prescription sunglasses, 80% yellow), and if I like them then I'll try to remember to repost. http://zennioptical.com/cart/cart.php Oh, did I mention their prices? Full Prescription EyeGlasses for as LITTLE as $8, with $5 shipping (USA)...

Anti-reflective coating: $5

Tinting: $5

1.57 Mid Index Single Vision , No Charge
Bi Focal (with a line) - (+$17.00)
Progressive(No-Line Multi-Focal) - (+$29.00)
Photochromic + Single Vision - (+$39.00)
Photochromic + Progressive (+$59.00)
1.61 High Index Single Vision (+$17.00)
1.67 High Index Single Vision (+$37.00)

(Certain strength prescriptions are $9 more)

If you check it out before I do, please leave a comment on your experience (I haven't heard anything bad, reviews on the internet have all been good).

Thanks!

--In response to the comment below:

Although I appreciate your suggestion, I just looked at that website, and to be honest, the selection, price, and colors for tint, are NO WHERE NEAR zennioptical.com Now, if you can find glasses for $5, with every color of tint, then you will have a website that MIGHT beat ZenniOptical. In all fairness, if you don't want BLUE or YELLOW tinted lenses, then MAYBE glassesshop compares equally, but it isn't BETTER. --I use 10% yellow tint for sitting in front of a computer, and 50% blue at night to help with insomnia. 1 pair of $8 glasses at Zenni WITH THE LENSES SHIPPED is $13, one pair of $8 glasses at the glassesshop shipped is $20.95.

Dent's Disease

2009-10-04T23:08:00.001-06:00

Just making a note for myself, I need to research this because all the males in my father's family have had kidney stones, and I think that I follow quite a few of these symptoms, but for now, I'm just posting to remind myself to check on this at a later date: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dent's_disease

Novell beats Google

2009-09-15T17:59:00.003-06:00

Novell beats Google in getting out its enterprise collaboration software. Google Wave still hasn't been released, but Novell Teaming and Conferencing, version 2.0, is already out. I've had a chance to test this software, and it really makes it feel like team-members from all over the world are working on the same project, Novell T&C includes different modules for different uses, there are files, blogs, guestbooks, discussions, polls, the list goes on. My favorite features are the audio conferencing features (I've only used conferencing a small bit, but it saves my department a lot of money, rather than using a pay-service like MCI or Verizon). I'm very impressed with the features, and I think you should check out the demo

http://www.novell.com/products/teaming/demo.html

Happy 9's

2009-09-09T09:09:00.000-06:00

Happy 09/09/09 09:09:09 :)

Cooks Country--"Magic Chocolate Ice Cream"

2009-07-09T18:02:00.001-06:00

This recipe in the June/July 2009 issue of Cooks Country is ABSOLUTELY AMAZING!!!

--Shameless plug--
First off, if you like cooking, and you LOVE food, Cooks Country is one of the greatest cooking magazines!
--END Shameless plug--

You will read so much more about this recipe if you get the magazine, but short and TRULY OH SO SWEET, here is the recipe:

(recipe calls for 1 teaspoon instant coffee or espresso powder, I like it a little different)
1 teaspoon ground SAIGON cinnamon (Saigon cinnamon is hotter than 'regular' cinnamon, it is similar to cinnamon bears or red hots, and is really good)
1 tablespoon hot water
4 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped fine
1/2 cup sweetened condensed milk
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 PINCH salt
1-1/4 cups cold heavy cream

Combine cinnamon and hot water in small bowl. Add chocolate, sweetened condensed milk, and microwave for about 1 minute, stirring every 10 second interval, until chocolate is melted. Stir in Vanilla and salt. Let cool... With electric mixer on medium, whip cream to soft peaks, about 2 minutes. Whisk one-third of whipped cream into chocolate mixture. Fold remaining whipped cream into chocolate mixture until incorporated. Freeze in airtight container until firm, at least 6 hours or up to 2 weeks.

I am going to be playing around with this a bit, like making it into mint ice cream (my favorite), maybe mixing in a little chocolate that melts at room temp (eg like magic shell or something). But anyway, this is the best ice cream ever!!!

Flavor updates.... Using the same basic recipe as above but replacing the Chocolate/Cinnamon with various things, Anniche has made the following flavors:

Chocolate

Strawberry (real strawberries)

Mint

Mint Chocolate (made with Andes mints, VERY GOOD!)

Raspberry Chocolate

Orange Chocolate

Cookies and Cream (I think that there is a Lindt chocolate bar called Cookies and cream, all she did was melt the bar and put it with the sweetened condensed milk, and put it in the whipped cream

White Chocolate

White Chocolate Mango

White Chocolate Strawberry

Reeses Peanut Butter Cup (that one was really actually good)

Toasted Coconut (I just toasted some coconut in the microwave, very carefully, and blended it in the Vitamix with coconut --don't try this with a regular blender, the Vitamix tuns the coconut into something very smooth)

Caramel (Dulce de Leches)

Chocolate Caramel

Google Voice

2009-07-05T21:05:00.002-06:00

I just recently started using https://www.google.com/voice/ it's pretty cool, it has a lot of the advantages of Vonage in the sense that they have a similar service to Vonages "Simulring", where I can add additional phone numbers, and when someone calls my "NEW" Google Voice number I can have it ring multiple phones. They have call screening, so they are asked to record their name first, and then when it contacts me it plays your name and asks me whether to accept or send to voicemail. They have free voicemail, free SMS, and... Get this... Free voicemail to TEXT CONVERSION!! (Most other carriers CHARGE for this service). Anyway, you have to beg for an account at present, but I LOVE their number picking interface, you can enter in numbers, or letters, I wanted to be 910-dskyeho... but I kinda wanted an 801 number so I found one that was one digit off of my HOME number--WAY COOL! Anyway, there is a lot more to experiment with this.. but so far I'm liking it. Google deserves my first-born ;) (I always say that I love Google so much that I'd give them my first born --I just love how they do business, they make the world a better place by giving away so much).

Anyway, sign up now, so that you can get accepted, and, if you don't have free long distance at home.. you do now.. via their web interface, you can call any number in the USA for free, Google calls you, then connects you to any number. And they have AMAZING international rates: http://www.google.com/support/voice/bin/answer.py?answer=141925 --wow.. I sound like I'm advertising... I'm really not, I'm just saying Google has done it again!! (you could be saving money if you are calling long distance in the US, or Internationally --I'm just trying to help you out :) )

The McAwesome

2009-07-03T00:40:00.002-06:00

A friend of mine, Dennis O. (who happens to work for McDonald's), created the most incredible sandwich, it is called the "McAwesome", and it is simply put a McChicken inside of a McDouble. I like to think of it as Bun, Burger, Bun, Chicken, Bun, Burger, Bun... But you can call it the McAwesome. For $2, it's BIGGER than a Big Mac, and I have to say I like it better.

here's some action shots:

Magic Chocolate Mug Cake (Microwave)

2009-06-05T17:26:00.000-06:00

Based off of:

http://www.recipezaar.com/Magic-Chocolate-Mug-Cake-Microwave-322553?scaleto=4

NOTE: I made this entirely different.... Did I mess it up on purpose...? No... But, did it turn out... YES (I think so!!)... So if you want the ORIGINAL recipe, go to recipezaar... but if you want to try it my way... (tastes more like chocolate spongecake) then try this:

Ingredients:
1/3 cup flour (original recipe calls for a cup of pretty much everything that I marked 1/3 cup for... I screwed up, I measured it for 12 TEAspoons instead of TABLEspoons... sue me, it came out incredible, that's why I'm sharing it!!)
1/3 cup sugar
8 tablespoons cocoa powder, any kind
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
4 eggs, beaten
1/3 cup milk
1/3 cup oil
8-12 drops vanilla (optional)

Directions:
1. In a small-medium bowl, mix the flour, sugar, cocoa, baking powder and salt.
2. Add egg and mix into dry mixture.
3. Add oil and milk and mix well.
4. Get FOUR tall, large mugs, and pour in this mixture equally between them, scraping out with a spatula.
5. Cook ONE-at-a-time, Place ONE mug in microwave on High for one-and-a-half minutes. This is cool, after about 30 seconds the 'cake' grows like those 4th of July black snakes and pretty much comes OUT of the mug--It grows like SIX times the amount you put in the cup! Then the remaining minute 'cooks' it.
6. (Original recipe is Best slightly undercooked, this one is sortof like cooking eggs in the micro --Enjoy!).

PS, KyeLee hated this (but then she poured milk over it too), Anniche, KyeAnne, and I, ALL LOVED IT (makes me wonder what the 'real' recipe tastes like, but I like this one, it's like chocolate spongecake --very good)

FTC Files Suit to Stop Illegal Robocalls Pushing Vehicle “Warranty” Extensions

2009-05-24T14:45:00.007-06:00

http://www.ftc.gov/opa/2009/05/robocalls.shtm It's ABOUT TIME!!! I don't know about you but I've recieved over 50 calls in the last 6 months from these people, I hope that the government can not only stop them but take away every asset that the company owns for engaging is such illegal (and annoying/misleading) practices. This company does the extended warranty, and the also annoying "this is the last chance for you to lower the interest rate on your credit card" calls. I asked these guys over a DOZEN times to remove my number from their list, which was either met with an immediate disconnect, or a "yes, we will remove your number, it takes a few weeks for our system to register the update, so if you continue to get calls, please press 2" --Yeah right, I press one everytime and try to keep the person on the phone as long as I can hoping that I can keep them occupied long enough that they can't call other people. They keep records of this though, because on one call the person said, "Is this Mr. Hodges", I replied affirmitively, and she then said, "when I finish talking are you just going to say that you are on the Do Not Call list?" I Laughed and said, "I most certainly AM", after which I was immediately disconnected. But, of course, still continued to get calls from the numbers that were "Spoofed" with the robot recordings. Hopefully NO MORE!! Thanks FTC!!

Get Elluminate vRoom

2009-05-20T08:42:00.000-06:00

Get Elluminate vRoom

Elluminate (The best web conferencing for the price--yes, even beats WebEx), is now offering a "Three for Free" Web conferencing solution. If you haven't used Elluminate you are missing out, this is the greatest web conferencing software EVER!! Plus, with the free version you get Voice over IP, Webcam, File transfer, Whiteboard, Screen share/Application share, and a whole lot more--Hey, you get that with the paid version too, but with the free version you can conference up to 3 people, with the paid version it is nearly unlimited. Ideas: Virtual Support room (help your mom with her computer from accross the world), share a webcam with your friend, talk to someone far away (over VoIP), share pictures (virtual slideshow/whiteboard)... The ideas are simply limited by your imagination. USE Elluminate for free (for up to 3 people):

24

2009-05-05T18:10:00.000-06:00

From Fox's 24:

international banking code is victor-six-bravo-one-bravo-one
v6b1b1
account number is 0599072477

After the funds have been transferred, I'll proceed

From Account (routing number)
365-26569902-002

To Account (routing number)
V6B1B1-059907247 [SHE TYPED THE ACCOUNT WRONG, didn't include the last 7!!]

Amount of transfer
$250,000,00 USD

Enter Authorization number XB12-FSD65432-09

Bones

2009-04-16T18:15:00.001-06:00

Special Agent Booth 22705 ... Who knew... :)

New Scripture For Our Day [sariahsays.blog-city.com]

2009-04-05T23:14:00.000-06:00

Sariah's notes from Conference. I always love her notes: New Scripture For Our Day [sariahsays.blog-city.com] Hope they will help you remember what you heard. In case you have time to watch the whole thing, you can go here: http://lds.org/move/index.html?type=conference04-2009&event=april179&lang=english# Great stuff, as always.

a new higher contrast layout

2009-04-02T12:46:00.001-06:00

By request [you know who you are ;) ] :) I have a new background, and have updated the color scheme for links. The SKye is a little brighter today :)

24. Why not use REAL GPS Coordinates???

2009-04-01T23:54:00.002-06:00

"the weapons are in a warehouse
on the northeast quadrant of the compound
32 degrees 44'23 N
117 degrees 10'42 W...
we'll be on 480 kilohertz"

I don't get it... The compound is supposed to be in Washington, but the GPS coordinates they give are in San Diego (Just north east of the airport). There's nothing there but highway (unless you are supposed to use the other GPS notation (not minutes seconds like Google Earth uses))... Okay so:

32.442300, -117.104200‎ is equal to: +32° 26' 32.28", -117° 6' 15.12" which would be a random place in Mexico... so I'm guessing it's +32° 44' 23.00", -117° 10' 42.00" So you can look on Google Map yourself... weird... I just don't get why they don't use something cool, like the Fox Studio, or something... oh well..

HP 8250

2009-03-30T09:15:00.001-06:00

HP 8250 This article tells why the HP series (that uses the HP02 Cartridges), are so awesome!

Sarah Conner

2009-03-29T23:01:00.000-06:00

Cameron:
33.42.31 north, the safe house coordinates [now if only we had a lattitude..]
it's in the desert, you like the desert
Sarah: things happen out there
Cameron: things happen here too

1123.6536.5321

2009-03-28T21:01:00.000-06:00

1123.6536.5321 Jump Coordinates ;)

oftwominds.com Readers Journal-Hanging On or How to get through a depression and enjoy life

2009-03-08T10:25:00.000-06:00

oftwominds.com Readers Journal-Hanging On or How to get through a depression and enjoy life

By June 1930, with the depression 8 months old, "[t]he panic had subsided and the wreckage had been cleared away. Most people could look about them and see just about where they stood." Though the spring had passed "[t]here was an air of puzzlement but the optimism was there, too" with many still expressing the belief that " 'prosperity is just around the corner.’ "

As the author explains (48-49) this idea: "would be repeated and repeated. When the fall had some and gone, people talked about the upturn that would come the next spring. The next spring people would say that the upturn would come in the summer, and so on. The thing is that people really believed this. They had a blind faith in it, and because they did, they set up a pattern of living called 'hanging on.’

VERY interesting reading... When will the upturn be? Are some of us just "hanging on". Think of this link as almost a "Survival Guide", let it enter your thoughts and your mind, and try to figure out how you and your family are going to make it through the long-haul... (makes you think twice about spending that tax return on a vacation, when in reality, you need to be buying some food so you'll have a year-supply)... Anyway, enjoy the paradidgm shift :)

10,000

2009-02-21T11:14:00.001-07:00

Hooray for Brenda, for being the 10,000th visitor!!! Your name will now forever be immortalized on my blog.

9973 and counting

2009-02-20T19:07:00.001-07:00

Only 27 visitors away from being 10,000 visitors to my blog. Thanks to all of you!!

Smile (Gailen ordered me to)

2009-02-20T19:04:00.002-07:00

A wise friend sent this to me and ordered me to watch it. So I will pass it along to you, and ORDER you to watch it also. I'll bet you'll smile!

Did you know?

2009-02-09T17:03:00.000-07:00

My mom made me post this:

Don't Buy Stuff You Can Not Afford [SNL]

2009-02-08T21:08:00.001-07:00

This was on Saturday Night Live the other day, and it is too funny to not post, even though it is probably everywhere by now.

Bake me a cake theory

2009-01-26T22:27:00.002-07:00

Random thoughts:

Maybe someone has already discussed this before or elsewhere, but I was sitting here pondering a request from a user and I go to thinking to myself. How come people can't just monitor the system? How come they want the system to monitor itself (which will inevitably fail) and then notify them (making them feel that they don't need to bother with the system at all until it notifies them...

Thus, the "Bake me a cake theory": It is this, once upon a time, we had fire, and then sometime later someone invented the stove, and someone invented a cake, and in order to cook that cake you had to have the stove a certain temperature: too hot and the outside would be black and the inside still uncooked, too cold and it would take forever to cook the cake, it wouldn't form a nice caramel crust, and it would be very dry. So someone decided, "Lets create a temperature thingy to tell us when the stove is at the right temperature" --and it was done. Next dilemma, how do I know when my cake is done, I cook it for 30 minutes at 350 degrees, but I don't want to be looking at my clock for 30 minutes counting down the seconds, "why doesn't someone make me a timer so that when 30 minutes is up it will ring, letting me know that my cake is done" --and it was done. "How about a timer, that once it goes off, maybe I'm in the bathroom and don't hear it, so make it continue to ring until I can go turn it off so my cake doesn't burn" (Because I'm too busy to watch the cake cook, I'm too busy to watch my clock to count the minutes, and I'm too busy to be bothered by my timer if I am doing other things) --and it was done. So, now, I can set my temperature, I can set my minutes, but yet, I still have to poke my cake with a toothpick to see if it is done. Why can't someone.... Wait. Why can't you just enjoy the process of cooking the cake, if you didn't want to cook it, then you should have just gone to the store to buy one instead of making people invent things to make your life easier because you're too busy to cook!!

How come I can't just say that to the users? Why don't you just monitor your system? How come we are all so busy now that we need all these tools to do everything for us. Reminds me of the movie WALL-E (from IMDB: "Obese and largely unable to move on their own, they are carted around the Axiom in hover chairs with video screens that allow them to communicate with one another and see a variety of advertisements for drinkable food products").

Not sure what this has to do with baking a cake, but when someone invents the oven that sticks the toothpick in and automatically takes my cake out of the oven.... wait, when someone invents the oven that preheats itself, that cracks the eggs, adds the water and oil, mixes the batter, pours it in the pan, that puts the pan in the oven, cooks it for the right amount of time, pokes it with the toothpick, takes it out of the oven, cools it just so, then cuts it up and shoves it in my mouth.... yes, when someone invents that, then we will finally have an oven worth talking about (but my mouth will be full of cake, so don't bother me)...

--Oh yeah, and stop bothering me with enhancements to the system so that it will do your job for you, If I could get it to be that good, I already would have done so, and you would be out of a job... Be grateful that you can put the toothpick in your cake and decide for yourself when it is done.

Thanks :)

Vonage Update, Year 2

2009-01-24T20:48:00.002-07:00

I've been on Vonage for well over 2 years now, I started their "Year Pay" 2 years ago, and my bill looked like this:

Total Amount $265.20 (for 11 months)
=$24.11/mo

last year:
Total Amount $302.89
=$25.24/month (for 12 months)

THIS YEAR:
Total Amount: $301.09
=$25.09/month (for 12 months)

So, my total actually DECREASED!!! I'm putting in another plug for Vonage, because $25.09 a month for the following features is absolutely magnificent! (YES, all this is included in the LOW price of $25.09 a month):

Call Forwarding, Call waiting[with ID], 3-way calling, call transfer
FREE Voicemail, and they will even EMAIL you the voicemail as a wav file!
Network Availability number--in case your internet goes down
Simulring (Ring up to 5 numbers simultaneously--when you call our housephone my cellphone, and my wife's cellphone ring at the same time, thus we can answer either the housephone OR our cellphone to talk to people who call--My computer 'rings' at the same time, but I'll get to that in the next bulletpoint)
NO LONGER SUPPORTED: VonageTalk (the FREE version), lets me MAKE AND TAKE calls on my computer using my speakers and mic. It also allows you to chat with your friends on AIM, MSN, Yahoo, and Google Talk.
FREE International calling to certain countries (WOW)
Call-ID block (to block your number from going out)
Last call return (*69)--for free, no paying whatever it is now that "regular" phone companies charge for the simple pleasure of finding out the number that last called you.
Do not disturb (I never use this, but I have a friend that SWEARS by it, it's the only way that he and his family can eat in peace sometimes)
Anonymous call blocking
Repeat dialing, --I hate getting a busy signal, this way Vonage keeps dialing the number for you (for up to 30 minutes), and rings when you and them are available
Vonage Access, thousands of "local" numbers across the world, where someone that wants to call you can call a local number, then put in your Vonage phone number, and it will ring you (basically, they can call you long-distance, for the price of a local call to them)
click to call, integrates with certain Microsoft programs to allow you to click a number and have it dial on your Vonage phone (it rings your phone, you pick up, it dials the other number)
V-ME webpage, you can give a URL to a friend where they can put in THEIR phone number, Vonage will call them, then call you and connect you together (It's like giving out your phone number, without having to give out your phone number, and Vonage will call you on the number of YOUR choice--ie, you can put in a cellphone, a work phone, your Vonage phone, your neighbor's phone ;) whatever!)
V-Fax, send faxes from your computer!
Disadvantages: You need an internet connection to use Vonage, but if you have an internet connection anyway, then you are halfway there!

How to Celebrate a Strictly Religious Christmas

2009-01-12T08:43:00.001-07:00

Here's a cool WikiHow. I've posted a link to it before, but now WikiHow lets you post entire articles to your blog, I might post a few more of my favorites.

How to Celebrate a Strictly Religious Christmas

from wikiHow - The How to Manual That You Can Edit

Tired of celebrating a consumer Christmas, and want to celebrate in a way that reflects your religious beliefs? Here's how to reform your Christmas ritual.

Steps

Consider not putting up a Christmas tree. The origins of the modern-day Christmas tree derive from pagan rituals occurring during the winter months. Cross-polination of beliefs has led to the celebration of Christmas including traditionally pagan concepts.
Keep your decorations centered around the birth of Christ. Avoid things such as candy canes, reindeer, Santa Claus, and similar items. Keep your household decorations more "spiritual" and relevant to the holiday. Good ideas include a nativity scene, depiction of angels, and stars.
In order to instill good values of gift-giving and sharing, only buy a gift for Christ. This is figurative: Instead of purchasing gifts for family and friends, consider spending the money on gifts or donations to charitable organizations for those less fortunate. Many families also choose to donate their time, as well as money, by volunteering in soup kitchens and homeless shelters.
Keep your entertainment relevant to the origins of the holiday. Avoid music and television programs that center on the more commercialized aspects of Christmas (again, such as reindeer, Santa Claus, and so on). Unfortunately, this may prove more and more difficult as time passes. Consider purchasing your own music and movies for your personal collection.
Inform your family and friends early on in the year that you plan on changing your Christmas celebrations. Let them know what and why you have chosen to change your pattern.

Tips

If you plan on changing your celebrations dramatically, consider making the changes in steps with each year. One year, pass on putting up a tree. Another year, donate a portion of your gifts to charity.
Figure out ways to keep Christmas special and fun for your family. Plan low- or no-cost activities and outings. Think of meaningful, personal gifts you could give them without spending any money, such as "coupon books" redeemable for favors or fun activities, or a letter listing the good things that person did this year and how special they are to you.
Instead of saying "Sorry everyone, we're using our Christmas money for gifts to charity," consider having each family member purchase one or more gifts that they think a less fortunate person would enjoy. Donate those gifts to organizations such as "Toys for Tots," or the Salvation Army. Your family will make a more intimate connection with the items donated and the goodwill of giving.
Santa, as he is perceived today, has little to do with the classical meaning of Christmas. If you have not introduced the concept of Santa to your children, you may way to consider not including it at all. Unfortunately, this can prove difficult in environments such as public schools and organizations that may encourage the use of the image of Santa Claus.

Warnings

Some people may not agree with your beliefs, but you can choose how to celebrate the holidays.
If you have celebrated a more conventional Christmas in the past, with presents and Santa and all the rest, the switch to a strictly religious Christmas could be very upsetting to your family, especially if you have young children.
Be respectful of other people's traditions. People have their own way of celebrating Christmas, and many people do not celebrate Christmas at all. As much as you want to celebrate Christmas in your way, they want to celebrate it in theirs. Be understanding and respectful of how others celebrate, and enjoy that you can celebrate the way that you wish.
Do not be angry or hurt if your child's school "teaches" them about convential Christmas. Treat it as a learning experience for your child. They can learn about all sorts of things without having to apply it. Teach them how to respond when teachers or other students ask questions or criticize them.

Related wikiHows

Article provided by wikiHow, a wiki how-to manual. Please edit this article and find author credits at the original wikiHow article on How to Celebrate a Strictly Religious Christmas. All content on wikiHow can be shared under a Creative Commons license.

Merry Christmas

2008-12-24T22:02:00.000-07:00

May this season be whatever you wish it to be.
For you, your friends, and your family.
Best wishes to you,
for now, and the whole year through.
May my hopes for you, be what you want them to be,
Merry Christmas to you, from the Hodges Family.

and Best Wishes for the New year too,
KyeAnne(3), KyeLin(7 mo), KyeLee(6), Anniche, and SKye

Dell Remote Access

2008-12-05T13:31:00.000-07:00

Dell Remote Access This looks interesting. I've used software similar to this before, (I can't remember now what it was called), I might have to get this a try, the free features seem to be all that I would need to access a work computer's files from home (and even monitor the attached webcam). --Thanks Dell!

[Big Bang Theory, Season 2, Episode 8]

2008-11-29T17:40:00.004-07:00

LOL, so if you haven't watched Big Bang (especially if you are a geek or nerd, but even the 'regular' people will enjoy it), anyway, if you haven't watched it, then you are missing out on such things as "Rock-Paper-Scissors-Lizard-Spock":

I suggest Rock-Paper-Scissors-Lizard-Spock
It's very simple...
Scissors cuts Paper. Paper covers Rock.
Rock crushes Lizard. Lizard poisons Spock.
Spock smashes Scissors. Scissors decapitates Lizard.
Lizard eats Paper. Paper disproves Spock.
Spock vaporizes Rock.
And as it always has, rock crushes scissors.

And in case that didn't do it for you, here's a diagram:

Intelligent Mail® Barcode

2008-11-10T17:06:00.000-07:00

Intelligent Mail® Barcode

The new USPS barcodes that I've been seeing on envelopes intrigued me, this site tells you all the information that you ever wanted to know :)

My Calling(s)

2008-11-03T09:06:00.002-07:00

I was called to be the 2nd councilor in the Young Men's Presidency and Scoutmaster on Sunday (well last Sunday, but sustained yesterday). SO, this will be interesting/fun/challenging/new.... Oh, and I don't like to camp, so it will also be like me having to be like the Hobbit, having to leave the shire and get out into the wide world for adventure or whatever.... Yeah, I'm just trying to make me feel better. It will be good though.

A talk I gave in Church

2008-11-03T08:51:00.003-07:00

So, yes, over 90% of this is 'borrowed' but I'm new to this whole speaking business, this was the talk I gave the 26th of October.

(introduction)
Hello Brothers and Sisters, a few months ago my daughter came up to bear her testimony with the help of her friend, she looked out at all of you, stood there for a few seconds, then turned around, walked back down the isle and back to her seat, and I asked her, KyeLee why didn't you bear your testimony, and she said, “there's TOO many people, and I got SCARED!”, well brothers and sisters, the only thing keeping me from turning around and walking down that isle and back to my seat is that I'm too scared to even move :) So I hope you'll bear with me, and that your prayers will be with me, that I will have the strength, and the spirit, to touch your hearts and minds today, so that you can be strengthened and uplifted, and in turn be able to strengthen and uplift others.

(my 'return')
My wife explained a little bit about our family, and I want to share a little bit more about myself. I have not been able to share in the full blessings that the gospel has to offer for about 12 years. As some of you may already know I am now back and able to participate in all the activities that make the gospel so wonderful, and I'm not just talking about helping people move :) . Some of the things that I won't be taking for granted include things like, taking the sacrament, or attending the temple, or being able to bless and heal my wife and children. I am very grateful to the Lord that he inspired some of you to befriend me and to lovingly help me back into the gospel. There are too many names to name, but know that each of you has, in some way or another, helped me to be where I am today, and I am indebted to you, and to this ward for seeing the worth of a soul. How great shall be our joy in the kingdom of our Father.

(the 'call')
I was called to talk to you today about callings, specifically in Magnifying your callings, but I wanted to talk first about callings in general, because you can't magnify a calling that you don't have. I have reviewed a number of talks and stories on callings, and I hope to do my best today to condense and paraphrase as much as I can, otherwise I just would have put in a video of the 2002 October General conference where Elder Henry B. Eyring gave an amazing talk on “Rise[ing] to your call”.

(you ASKED, didn't Call)
On several occasions Elder Boyd K Packer has described an experience he had during a leadership training meeting in which a bishop indicated he couldn't get anyone to server as the ward Primary president. The frustrated bishop said he had talked to nine different sisters in the ward, and not one of them had agreed to accept the call. Elder Packer told the bishop he knew why none of the sisters had agreed to serve: “You ASKED them--You didn't CALL them” [1]
In the secular world there are no direct parallels to the issuing of a calling. One who holds priesthood keys does not ask, assign, or recruit people to serve. He Calls them, and the calling comes from the Lord. [1]

(not where, but How, Bishop)
Our willingness to serve in our callings, whatever they may be, is a reflection of our dedication to the Lord. As President J. Reuben Clark Jr. taught: “In the service of the Lord, it is not where you serve but how. In The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, one takes the place to which one is duly called, which place one neither seeks nor declines. [1]
I know this to be true, because the Bishop is my neighbor, and when he was called to be bishop it certainly was NOT any position that he was seeking. I do know, that The Lord called him to be our Bishop.

(called in the same manner as Jesus called)
Jesus sought and called the men who would be His Twelve Apostles. Those who serve in the Lord's Church are called following this same pattern. [1]

(called of God)
For those of you with callings, you have been called of God. The Lord knows you. He knows whom He would have serve in every position in His Church. He chose you. He has prepared a way so that He could issue your call. He restored the keys of the priesthood to Joseph Smith. Those keys have been passed down in an unbroken line to President [Monson]. Through those keys, other priesthood servants were given keys to preside in stakes and wards, in districts and branches. It was through those keys that the Lord called you. Those keys confer a right to revelation. And revelation comes in answer to prayer. The person who was inspired to recommend you for your calling didn’t do it because they liked you or because they needed someone to do a particular task. They prayed and felt an answer that you were the one to be called. [2]

The person who called you did not issue the call simply because he learned by interviewing you that you were worthy and willing to serve. He prayed to know the Lord’s will for you. It was prayer and revelation to those authorized of the Lord which brought you here. Your call is an example of a source of power unique to the Lord’s Church. Men and women are called of God by prophecy and by the laying on of hands by those God has authorized. [2]

You are called to represent the Savior. Your voice to testify becomes the same as His voice, your hands to lift the same as His hands. His work is to bless His Father’s spirit children with the opportunity to choose eternal life. So, your calling is to bless lives. That will be true even in the most ordinary tasks you are assigned and in moments when you might be doing something not apparently connected to your call. Just the way you smile or the way you offer to help someone can build their faith. And should you forget who you are, just the way you speak and the way you behave can destroy faith. [2]

Your call has eternal consequences for others and for you. In the world to come, thousands may call your name blessed, even more than the people you serve here. They will be the ancestors and the descendants of those who chose eternal life because of something you said or did, or even what you were. If someone rejects the Savior’s invitation because you did not do all you could have done, their sorrow will be yours. You see, there are no small callings to represent the Lord. Your call carries grave responsibility. But you need not fear, because with your call come great promises. [2]

One of those promises is ... that the Lord will guide you by revelation just as He called you. You must ask in faith for revelation to know what you are to do. With your call comes the promise that answers will come. But that guidance will come only when the Lord is sure you will obey. To know His will you must be committed to do it. The words “Thy will be done,” written in the heart, are the window to revelation. [2]

The answer comes by the Holy Spirit. You will need that guidance often. To have the Holy Ghost as your companion you must be worthy, cleansed by the Atonement of Jesus Christ. So, your obedience to the commandments, your desire to do His will, and your asking in faith will determine how clearly the Master can guide you by answers to your prayers. [2]

Often the answers will come as you study the scriptures. They contain accounts of what the Lord did in His mortal ministry and the guidance He has given His servants. They have doctrine in them which will apply in every time and every situation. Pondering the scriptures will lead you to ask the right questions in prayer. And just as surely as the heavens were opened to Joseph Smith after he pondered the scriptures in faith, God will answer your prayers and He will lead you by the hand. [2]

(Magnifying Your Calling)
One of the most important references in the Book of Mormon to magnifying callings comes from the prophet Jacob, who wrote, “We did magnify our office unto the Lord” (Jacob 1:19). Doctrine and Covenants section 84, which contains the oath and covenant of the priesthood, states that those who magnify their calling will be “sanctified by the Spirit” (v. 33). [1]

Many of us have struggled to understand what it means to magnify our callings. President Thomas S. Monson, said:

“What does it mean to magnify a calling? It means to build it up in dignity and importance, to make it honorable and commendable in the eyes of all men, to enlarge and strengthen it to let the light of heaven shine through it to the view of other men. And how does one magnify a calling? Simply by performing the service that pertains to it.”3 [1]

(you will be tried)
Just as God called you and will guide you, He will magnify you. You will need that magnification. Your calling will surely bring opposition. You are in the Master’s service. You are His representative. Eternal lives depend on you. He faced opposition, and He said that facing opposition would be the lot of those He called. The forces arrayed against you will try not only to frustrate your work but to bring you down. The Apostle Paul described it this way: “For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world.” 1 [2]

(you will be tested)
There will be times when you will feel overwhelmed. One of the ways you will be attacked is with the feeling that you are inadequate. Well, you are inadequate to answer a call to represent God with only your own powers. But you have access to more than your natural capacities, and you do not work alone. [2]

(you will be magnified)
The Lord will magnify what you say and what you do in the eyes of the people you serve. He will send the Holy Ghost to manifest to them that what you spoke was true. What you say and do will carry hope and give direction to people far beyond your natural abilities and your own understanding. That miracle has been a mark of the Lord’s Church in every dispensation. It is so much a part of your call that you may begin to take it for granted. [2]

There is yet another way the Lord will magnify you in your call to His service. You will feel at some time, perhaps at many times, that you cannot do all you feel you must. The heavy weight of your responsibilities will seem too great. You will worry that you can’t spend more time with your family. You will wonder how you can find the time and the energy to meet your responsibilities beyond your family and your calling. You may feel discouragement and even guilt after you have done all you could to meet all your obligations. Let me tell you what Elder Eyring said of meeting obligations, He said this: [2]

If I only think of my own performance, my sadness deepens. But when I remember that the Lord promised that His power would go with me, I begin to look for evidence of what He has done in the lives of the people I am to serve. I pray to see with spiritual eyes the effects of His power. [2]

You can have the utmost assurance that your power will be multiplied many times by the Lord. All He asks is that you give your best effort and your whole heart. Do it cheerfully and with the prayer of faith. The Father and His Beloved Son will send the Holy Ghost as your companion to guide you. Your efforts will be magnified in the lives of the people you serve. And when you look back on what may now seem trying times of service and sacrifice, the sacrifice will have become a blessing, and you will know that you have seen the arm of God lifting those you served for Him, and lifting you. [2]

Magnifying your calling can seem like an overwhelming task, often times our energies are spread so thin among so many different things, that we feel like we are drowning in our callings, and the thought of expending more effort than what we feel that we can give makes us wonder if we shouldn't just march right into the Bishop's office and ask to be released, there are people who can help us.

In the 2005 December issue of the Ensign the following question was asked: “How can we magnify our callings while at the same time following the counsel of Church leaders to reduce and simplify the work?”

Meaghan James, replied:
When some people hear the phrase “magnify your calling,” they often feel they need to devote more time, make more handouts, or do something extra that would take more energy or add to their stress. This is a misconception! When you put a magnifying glass over an object, you are able to see it more clearly. Perhaps we could all simplify our lives by looking at our callings through a spiritual lens. Are we focusing on the essential things the Lord would have us do, or are we distracted from the essentials by adding unnecessary work that takes us away from our families or causes us undue stress? There must be a balance in all things. If we pray to know how the Lord would have us magnify our callings, He will help us do so.

Ross and Janene Baadsgaard, said:
The Church exists to support and help individuals and families, not the other way around. Here are some helpful questions to ask when trying to magnify one’s calling but simplify the work:
• Am I overscheduling individuals or families in my ward? Can we coordinate so that most meetings and activities are held one night a week?
• Does a particular meeting or activity encourage members to live the gospel, receive saving ordinances, and prepare for exaltation?
• Are we focusing more on the people than on the program?
• Have I asked the individuals and families I serve or direct what kind of activities would best serve their needs, or am I promoting my own needs and pursuing my own personal agenda?
• Do I count the success of the meeting or activity by how many people attended or, rather, by the effect it had on those who did attend?
• Does a particular meeting or activity interfere with the family dinner hour?

D. Gordon Wilson responded with the following two ideas to keep in mind while serving in the Church:
ONE. Magnify your calling, not your “busyness.” Callings can keep us busy 24 hours a day, seven days a week. But most of us have other priorities as well. So, as guided by the Spirit, do what’s most important. Be careful not to confuse “busyness” with progress. Remember the honeybee and the mosquito: both are very busy, but the bee is revered while the mosquito is swatted.
TWO. Counsel with your spouse. Your spouse is your partner and can be a great source of help in simplifying your schedule as you set your priorities.

Dorothy Moore, commented that:
In trying to “reduce and simplify,” we might ask ourselves questions such as these: Do all cookies have to be homemade? Do we really need cookies? Could a handwritten note have more meaning than an expensive gift? Could a few telephone calls or an e-mail message take the place of a meeting? Will the handout we are making go into the wastebasket, or will it be kept and treasured? Can we save time by accomplishing two tasks during one trip?

And Elder Richard G. Scott [3]:
counseled us with the following words of caution:
“... as you plan your activities. Make sure that the essential needs are met, but do not go overboard in creating so many good things to do that the essential ones are not accomplished. … Remember, don’t magnify the work to be done—simplify it.”

(The Lord Will Make It Possible)
In summary, here are several important principles relative to callings in the Church:
FIRST. Those with the authority to issue callings need to prayerfully seek the inspiration of the Lord. When an inspired decision is made, the call needs to be extended properly in a dignified and reverent manner, with all involved realizing that the call comes from the Lord.
SECOND. We serve willingly. We do not volunteer. We are called.
THIRD. When we have been called to a position, we need to humbly remember that the calling is not ours and that we will be released someday by the same authority by which we were called.
FOURTH. When the release comes, we need to be accepting, gracious, and grateful for having been given the opportunity to serve. We need to trust that just as we are called by inspiration, we are released by that same inspiration. We need to be supportive of the one who is called to take our place.
FIFTH. Callings and releases don’t always come to us when we would prefer. We need to trust in the Lord’s timetable.
SIXTH. When a husband or wife is called to a demanding position, it may be best for him or her and the rest of the family if the other is released from a heavy assignment.
SEVENTH. We need to trust in the Lord in responding to the call(see Proverbs 3:5–6)
EIGTH. The Lord will magnify our efforts as we do our best and seek His assistance.
NINTH. Great promises and blessings will come with our callings.

Gordon B. Hinckley stated: “Whenever you are called upon to serve may I urge you to respond, and as you do so your faith will strengthen and increase. … If you accept every opportunity, if you accept every calling, the Lord will make it possible for you to perform it. The Church will not ask you to do anything which you cannot do with the help of the Lord. God bless you to do everything that you are called upon to do.”5 [1]
How blessed we are to be able to help the Lord build up the kingdom as we serve in our callings. [1]

And finally, a scripture from Matthew, Chapter 4, verse 41:
And whosoever shall compel thee to go a mile, go with him twain.

In the name of our Saviour, Jesus Christ, amen.

[1] 2006 August Ensign, Elder William R. Walker
[2] 2002 November Ensign, Elder Henry B. Eyring
[3] “The Doctrinal Foundation of the Auxiliaries,” Ensign, Aug. 2005, 67.

ProBiora3™

2008-10-27T21:05:00.000-06:00

ProBiora3™

Oragenics is almost there! Preventing cavities by actually solving the problem of tooth decay AT THE SOURCE! Those of you who have been following along, know that this has been a long time in coming, and it's not here yet, BUT it is really close!!

Introducing ProBiora3™

"ProBiora3™ is a patented, complete oral-care probiotic ingredient. The ProBiora3 represents a novel approach to utilizing probiotics for oral care. Our blend includes three bacteria that are natural residents in healthy mouths.ProBiora3 is a 100% natural ingredient that helps to re-establish a healthy balance of oral micro flora and provides the additional benefits of whiter teeth, fresher breath and healthier teeth and gums. Although probiotics have been used for decades in gut-health applications, the ProBiora3 ingredient represents a novel approach for achieving and maintaining complete oral health. Certain common problems of the human oral cavity - dental caries, periodontal or gum disease and bad breath - are known to result from an imbalance of the normal populations of certain bacteria. A small number of the more than 500 microbial species that inhabit the oral cavity can cause a negative shift from oral health when they are able to achieve sufficiently large numbers in localized areas of the teeth or gums. In contrast, it is known that a small number of bacterial species can help maintain a micro flora population balanced in favor of healthy gums and teeth. These beneficial strains are included in ProBiora3: Streptococcus oralis, Streptococcus uberis and Streptococcus rattus."

Klein 4

2008-10-24T15:19:00.000-06:00

What's a Friday without a little Math Humor? Huh?

YouTube - Finite Simple Group (of Order Two)

9 Things You Should Do Instead of Buying Stocks

2008-10-24T15:09:00.000-06:00

9 Things You Should Do Instead of Buying Stocks (Read the article), but summarized, here are Scott Adams (Creator of Dilbert) generic investment advice (which he first published several years ago):

Make a will.

Pay off your credit cards.

Get term life insurance if you have a family to support.

Fund your 401(k) to the maximum.

Fund your IRA to the maximum.

Buy a house if you want to live in a house and can afford it.

Put six months' worth of expenses in a money market account.

Take whatever money is left over and invest 70% in a stock index fund and 30% in a bond fund through any discount broker, and never touch it until retirement.

If any of this confuses you, or if you have something special going on (retirement, college planning, tax issues), hire a fee-based financial planner.

:: RocketDivision :: CD/DVD/Blu-Ray/HD-DVD recording and mastering. CD/DVD compilations

2008-10-20T22:48:00.000-06:00

:: RocketDivision :: CD/DVD/Blu-Ray/HD-DVD recording and mastering. CD/DVD compilations--FOR FREE!!

StarBurn (100% based on StarBurn SDK) is a powerful tool for grabbing, burning and mastering CD, DVD, Blu-Ray and HD-DVD media. StarBurn supports all types of optical storage media (including CD-R/RW, DVD-R/RW, DVD+R/RW, BD-R/RE, HD-DVD-R/RW and DVD-RAM) as well as a wide variety of burning hardware.

With StarBurn you can perform grabbing, copying and burning operations as well as advanced DVD authoring and mastering. These advanced features enable you to create DVD-Video content from custom video files, or compilations from other DVDs. Additionally with the DVD Splitting Wizard you can split DVD-Video discs into smaller parts and burn them to DVD writable discs or share them with the StarPort DVD-ROM emulator and watch DVD video directly on your PC. This enables you to create copies of 8.5 GB dual layer DVDs with just a few mouse clicks.

KeePass Password Safe

2008-10-20T22:45:00.000-06:00

KeePass Password Safe

What is KeePass?
Today you need to remember many passwords. You need a password for the Windows network logon, your e-mail account, your homepage's FTP password, online passwords (like website member account), etc. etc. etc. The list is endless. Also, you should use different passwords for each account. Because if you use only one password everywhere and someone gets this password you have a problem... A serious problem. The thief would have access to your e-mail account, homepage, etc. Unimaginable.

KeePass is a free open source password manager, which helps you to manage your passwords in a secure way. You can put all your passwords in one database, which is locked with one master key or a key file. So you only have to remember one single master password or select the key file to unlock the whole database. The databases are encrypted using the best and most secure encryption algorithms currently known (AES and Twofish).

Tech Tips for the Basic Computer User - Pogue’s Posts - Technology - New York Times Blog

2008-10-20T10:45:00.000-06:00

Tech Tips for the Basic Computer User - Pogue’s Posts - Technology - New York Times Blog

Chili cook-off

2008-10-13T16:30:00.005-06:00

Okay, so now I'm just plain bragging (sorry). Every year for the past 8, or 9, or so many, years, my church has had a "Chili cook-off", and every year I try to add something unique. For the first 2-3 years it was the HOTTEST chili (which was actually REALLY REALLY hot--and those of you who know me know that I can handle the heat (as long as it tastes good), and this was SO good, Hot, Sweet, a little tang, perfect!).. Anyway, then I went for the Vegan-side (no animals were harmed in the making of my chili), for about 5 years, and then this year I was just going for a good overall-best-type chili, and amazingly, mine took first place. Which was weird, because it was one of the most simple chilis I've ever made:

18 bean mix (water)

a corned beef (yeah, I know, who knows where this stuff comes from, I was reading about boston baked beans, and was inspired, but didn't have any meat other than a corned beef--and surprise, surprise, it was AWESOME!!)

molasses

a little sugar and vinegar

Mesquite smoke flavor

salt

chili powder, cayenne

some diced tomatoes

and a whole lot of time (about 17 hours--who knows why I started it at around 1AM, I sure don't, but the cook-off was at 6PM, so there you have it).

anyway it was surprisingly good, and the corned beef didn't add a 'strange' flavor, it just enhanced whatever the flavor was that I was going for. I told everyone it was shredded beef (okay, I didn't say shredded corned beef, but they can read my blog if they care that much), because I didn't want to reveal the 'secret', but now I just realize that it doesn't matter that much, it's just too good not to share, and I'm not revealing all the 'secret' details, just the ingredients, so have fun! :)

Today

2008-09-28T17:19:00.001-06:00

I got a recommend.

I also got a quote from a friend;
"Though no one can go back and make a new start, anyone can start today and make a brand new end" --Carl Bard

"The Fall"

2008-09-22T22:18:00.002-06:00

So, basically, I've seen about 100 movies since I last blogged about a "must see" movie ("Partition"). And it's time to blog again, I'm not sure what it is about certain movies, probably everyone has their own taste, but this movie: "The Fall" is one of those for me. This one rates at a 4.7 stars for me (a movie has to be pretty dang perfect to get 5 stars), but this is definitely my personal favorite over the last two years (yes, Matrix, the original, still holds my number one 5.0 spot, all movies I compare against that). Anyway, this movie is rated 'R' because there are images of a few swords going through people, but this one is one that I would let my children see (does that make me a bad parent?)--I watched Rambo when I was about 8 years old (I was 7, 8, or 9, one of those, but the movie came out in '82--wow, I managed to never get a Rambo knife and shred anyone that crossed my path)... but I digress... This movie is very touching, but the cinematography of movies is still something that just amazes me every time I see a movie that makes my visual senses just get overloaded, and make my brain go: "WOW". This is one of those for me. So, rent it or buy it, you really can't go wrong, "The Fall", it is a very powerful movie.

1094, 2-year mark coming up

2008-09-16T17:46:00.001-06:00

a link to a Guide to Watching Your Favorite Shows (Legally)

2008-09-12T08:23:00.003-06:00

http://gizmodo.com/5046345/a-complete-guide-to-watching-your-favorite-shows-legally-without-paying-a-dime

So the article above/below, by Mark Wilson on Gizmodo, pretty much summarizes my feelings about the network sites and so forth. I go to Hulu for NBC and Fox Programs, I go to CBS.com and ABC.com for their shows too. And those are all the 'legal' sites to watch TV episodes online. Now, after you've read the article, and have checked out the legal sites, and you still can't find episodes of your favorite TV program (Like Stargate Atlantis), then the best website for that is http://surfthechannel.com/ which has most episodes of most shows (that sounds redundant, but you get the idea). They also have movies (which is a medium that definitely crosses the "is this legal: NO" line, but they have them, NOT on http://surfthechannel.com/ but they pull up the foreign sites that house the data on their servers far outside the reach of the US Government. I don't condone watching illegal content. But I know that when people like something enough (for example, Alex really likes "Battlestar Galactica", the new series) then they go out an buy the seasons on DVD, but if you don't have a television, or if the producers haven't made a DVD of the seasons, then surfthechannel.net is the second best alternative (to watching it on live TV). But if you don't have a TV that you watch anymore, then here are the best alternatives:

http://gizmodo.com/5046345/a-complete-guide-to-watching-your-favorite-shows-legally-without-paying-a-dime

Privnote - send notes that will self-destruct after being read

2008-09-02T22:45:00.000-06:00

Privnote - send notes that will self-destruct after being read My friend Max (which BTW Max, I used your pie crust recipe to make pie crust for Quiche, very good --the crust, not the quiche) showed me this site to send self destructing notes. Pretty cool. (Max knows all about the fun/cool sites, but he never blogs them, he just drops a nugget here and a nugget there, I still can't get into Twittering yet though)

Love and Marriage

2008-09-02T09:04:00.003-06:00

Some Love and Marriage quotes that (wait, maybe they don't want to be called out on my blog, anyway,) "Someone" put together:

What a happy and holy fashion it is that those who love one another should rest on the same pillow. ~Nathaniel Hawthorne

Strike an average between what a woman thinks of her husband a month before she marries him and what she thinks of him a year afterward, and you will have the truth about him. ~H.L. Mencken, A Book of Burlesques, 1916

The bonds of matrimony are like any other bonds - they mature slowly. ~Peter De Vries

I love being married. It's so great to find that one special person you want to annoy for the rest of your life. ~Rita Rudner

Marriage, n. A community consisting of a master, a mistress, and two slaves, making in all two. ~Ambrose Bierce, The Devil's Dictionary, 1911

Marriage is an alliance entered into by a man who can't sleep with the window shut, and a woman who can't sleep with the window open. ~George Bernard Shaw

Newlyweds become oldyweds, and oldyweds are the reasons that families work. ~Author Unknown

Chains do not hold a marriage together. It is threads, hundreds of tiny threads which sew people together through the years. ~Simone Signoret

Success in marriage does not come merely through finding the right mate, but through being the right mate. ~Barnett R. Brickner

A long marriage is two people trying to dance a duet and two solos at the same time. ~Anne Taylor Fleming

Never get married in the morning, because you never know who you'll meet that night. ~Paul Hornung

More marriages might survive if the partners realized that sometimes the better comes after the worse. ~Doug Larson

Divorce: The past tense of marriage. ~Author Unknown

One advantage of marriage is that, when you fall out of love with him or he falls out of love with you, it keeps you together until you fall in again. ~Judith Viorst

Sometimes I wonder if men and women really suit each other. Perhaps they should live next door and just visit now and then. ~Katherine Hepburn

A successful marriage requires falling in love many times, always with the same person. ~Mignon McLaughlin, The Second Neurotic's Notebook, 1966

In every marriage more than a week old, there are grounds for divorce. The trick is to find, and continue to find, grounds for marriage. ~Robert Anderson, Solitaire & Double Solitaire

There is no such cozy combination as man and wife. ~Menander

It destroys one's nerves to be amiable every day to the same human being. ~Benjamin Disraeli

The sum which two married people owe to one another defies calculation. It is an infinite debt, which can only be discharged through eternity. ~Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

Never go to bed mad. Stay up and fight. ~Phyllis Diller, Phyllis Diller's Housekeeping Hints, 1966

In the opinion of the world, marriage ends all, as it does in a comedy. The truth is precisely the opposite: it begins all. ~Anne Sophie Swetchine

In a time when nothing is more certain than change, the commitment of two people to one another has become difficult and rare. Yet, by its scarcity, the beauty and value of this exchange have only been enhanced. ~Robert Sexton

An object in possession seldom retains the same charm that it had in pursuit. ~Pliny the Younger, Letters

If you made a list of the reasons why any couple got married, and another list of the reasons for their divorce, you'd have a hell of a lot of overlapping. ~Mignon McLaughlin, The Neurotic's Notebook, 1960

A man marries to have a home, but also because he doesn't want to be bothered with sex and all that sort of thing. ~W. Somerset Maugham

If two stand shoulder to shoulder against the gods,
Happy together, the gods themselves are helpless
Against them while they stand so.
~Maxwell Anderson

After the chills and fever of love, how nice is the 98.6º of marriage! ~Mignon McLaughlin, The Neurotic's Notebook, 1960

There is no substitute for the comfort supplied by the utterly taken-for granted relationship. ~Iris Murdoch

English Law prohibits a man from marrying his mother-in-law. This is our idea of useless legislation. ~Author Unknown

A wedding anniversary is the celebration of love, trust, partnership, tolerance and tenacity. The order varies for any given year. ~Paul Sweeney

Matrimony is a process by which a grocer acquired an account the florist had. ~Francis Rodman

Marriage is a book of which the first chapter is written in poetry and the remaining chapters in prose. ~Beverley Nichols

Valentine's Day is when a lot of married men are reminded what a poor shot Cupid really is. ~Author Unknown

Love is a flower which turns into fruit at marriage. ~Finnish Proverb

A dress that zips up the back will bring a husband and wife together. ~James H. Boren

All marriages are happy. It's the living together afterward that causes all the trouble. ~Raymond Hull

One of the good things that come of a true marriage is, that there is one face on which changes come without your seeing them; or rather there is one face which you can still see the same, through all the shadows which years have gathered upon it. ~George MacDonald

As to marriage or celibacy, let a man take which course he will, he will be sure to repent. ~Socrates

Love seems the swiftest but it is the slowest of all growths. No man or woman really knows what perfect love is until they have been married a quarter of a century. ~Mark Twain

Never feel remorse for what you have thought about your wife; she has thought much worse things about you. ~Jean Rostand, Le Mariage, 1927

Any intelligent woman who reads the marriage contract, and then goes into it, deserves all the consequences. ~Isadora Duncan

When two people are under the influence of the most violent, most insane, most delusive, and most transient of passions, they are required to swear that they will remain in that excited, abnormal, and exhausting condition continuously until death do them part. ~G.B. Shaw, Getting Married, 1908

A first-rate marriage is like a first-rate hotel: expensive, but worth it. ~Mignon McLaughlin, The Second Neurotic's Notebook, 1966

Our wedding was many years ago. The celebration continues to this day. ~Gene Perret

Here's to matrimony, the high sea for which no compass has yet been invented! ~Heinrich Heine

The reason for much matrimony is patrimony. ~Ogden Nash

I figure that the degree of difficulty in combining two lives ranks somewhere between rerouting a hurricane and finding a parking place in downtown Manhattan. ~Claire Cloninger, "When the Glass Slipper Doesn't Fit and the Silver Spoon is in Someone Else's Mouth"

A man's wife has more power over him than the state has. ~Ralph Waldo Emerson, Journals

Marriage: that I call the will of two to create the one who is more than those who created it. ~Friedrich Nietzsche

Three rings of marriage are the engagement ring, the wedding ring, and the suffering. ~Author Unknown

Though marriage makes man and wife one flesh, it leaves 'em still two fools. ~William Congreve

Marriage ceremony: an incredible metaphysical sham of watching God and the law being dragged into the affairs of your family. ~O.C. Ogilvie

A man in love is incomplete until he has married. Then he's finished. ~Zsa Zsa Gabor

One should never know too precisely whom one has married. ~Friedrich Nietzsche

Bigamy is having one husband or wife too many. Monogamy is the same. ~Oscar Wilde

Spouse: someone who'll stand by you through all the trouble you wouldn't have had if you'd stayed single. ~Author Unknown

Marriage means commitment. Of course, so does insanity. ~Author Unknown

Like good wine, marriage gets better with age - once you learn to keep a cork in it. ~Gene Perret

Marriage is a great institution, but I'm not ready for an institution. ~Mae West

My wife says I never listen to her. At least I think that's what she said. ~Author Unknown

I never knew what real happiness was until I got married. And by then it was too late. ~Max Kauffman

Don't smother each other. No one can grow in shade. ~Leo Buscaglia

Don't marry the person you think you can live with; marry only the individual you think you can't live without. ~James C. Dobson

I have great hopes that we shall love each other all our lives as much as if we had never married at all. ~Lord Byron

The chief reason why marriage is rarely a success is that it is contracted while the partners are insane. ~Joseph Collins

We have the greatest pre-nuptial agreement in the world. It's called love. ~Gene Perret

It takes a loose rein to keep a marriage tight. ~John Stevenson

Mistress: something between a mister and a mattress. ~Author Unknown

Mother-in-law: a woman who destroys her son-in-law's peace of mind by giving him a piece of hers. ~Author Unknown

Bachelor: the only man who has never told his wife a lie. ~Author Unknown

Wedding rings: the world's smallest handcuffs. ~Author Unknown

How can a woman be expected to be happy with a man who insists on treating her as if she were a perfectly normal human being. ~Oscar Wilde

Many a man in love with a dimple makes the mistake of marrying the whole girl. ~Stephen Leacock, Literary Lapses, 1910

The most dangerous food is wedding cake. ~American Proverb

Strange to say what delight we married people have to see these poor fools decoyed into our condition. ~Samuel Pepys

Home cooking: where many a man thinks his wife is. ~Author Unknown

Love: A temporary insanity curable by marriage. ~Ambrose Bierce, The Devil's Dictionary

Marriage is not a word - it is a sentence. ~Author Unknown

Our marriage has always been a 50-50 proposition - with the possible exception of closet space. ~Gene Perret

There is so little difference between husbands you might as well keep the first. ~Adela Rogers St. Johns

When a man steals your wife, there is no better revenge than to let him keep her. ~Sacha Guitry, Elles et toi, 1948

It isn't tying himself to one woman that a man dreads when he thinks of marrying; it's separating himself from all the others. ~Helen Rowland, Violets and Vinegar

Once a woman has forgiven her man, she must not reheat his sins for breakfast. ~Marlene Dietrich

Only choose in marriage a man whom you would choose as a friend if he were a woman. ~Joseph Joubert

Never strike your wife - even with a flower. ~Hindu Proverb

The difficulty with marriage is that we fall in love with a personality, but must live with a character. ~Peter Devries

The big difference between sex for money and sex for free is that sex for money usually costs a lot less. ~Brendan Behan

So heavy is the chain of wedlock that it needs two to carry it, and sometimes three. ~Alexandre Dumas, fils

Marriage is three parts love and seven parts forgiveness of sins. ~Langdon Mitchell

Bride, n. A woman with a fine prospect behind her. ~Ambrose Bierce, The Devil's Dictionary, 1911

If your husband and a lawyer were drowning and you had to choose, would you go to lunch or to a movie? ~Author Unknown

What counts in making a happy marriage is not so much how compatible you are, but how you deal with incompatibility. ~George Levinger

Love-matches are made by people who are content, for a month of honey, to condemn themselves to a life of vinegar. ~Countess of Blessington

Almost no one is foolish enough to imagine that he automatically deserves great success in any field of activity; yet almost everyone believes that he automatically deserves success in marriage. ~Sydney J. Harris

That quiet mutual gaze of a trusting husband and wife is like the first moment of rest or refuge from a great weariness or a great danger. ~George Eliot

The husband who doesn't tell his wife everything probably reasons that what she doesn't know won't hurt him. ~Leo J. Burke

You can never be happily married to another until you get a divorce from yourself. Successful marriage demands a certain death to self. ~Jerry McCant

Married life teaches one invaluable lesson: to think of things far enough ahead not to say them. ~Jefferson Machamer

It's easy to understand love at first sight, but how do we explain love after two people have been looking at each other for years? ~Author Unknown

The majority of husbands remind me of an orangutan trying to play the violin. ~Honore de Balzac, The Physiology of Marriage

Never marry for money. Ye'll borrow it cheaper. ~Scottish Proverb

Do you know what it means to come home at night to a woman who'll give you a little love, a little affection, a little tenderness? It means you're in the wrong house, that's what it means. ~Henny Youngman

The problem with marriage is that it ends every night after making love, and it must be rebuilt every morning before breakfast. ~Gabriel García Márquez

She cried, and the judge wiped her tears with my checkbook. ~Tommy Manville

By all means marry; if you get a good wife, you'll be happy; if you get a bad one, you'll become a philosopher. ~Socrates

A happy marriage is the union of two good forgivers. ~Ruth Bell Graham

Pity all newlyweds. She cooks something nice for him, and he brings her flowers, and they kiss and think: How easy marriage is. ~Mignon McLaughlin, The Neurotic's Notebook, 1960

One man's folly is another man's wife. ~Helen Rowland

Women hope men will change after marriage but they don't; men hope women won't change but they do. ~Bettina Arndt, Private Lives, 1986

Marriage halves our griefs, doubles our joys, and quadruples our expenses. ~English Proverb

Wedlock is the deep, deep peace of the double bed after the hurly-burly of the chaise lounge. ~Mrs Patrick Campbell

Before marriage, a girl has to make love to a man to hold him. After marriage, she has to hold him to make love to him. ~Marilyn Monroe

A perfect marriage is one in which "I'm sorry" is said just often enough. ~Mignon McLaughlin, The Neurotic's Notebook, 1960

Marriage must constantly fight against a monster which devours everything: routine. ~Honore de Balzac

Bachelors know more about women than married men; if they didn't they'd be married too. ~H.L. Mencken

In marriage there are no manners to keep up, and beneath the wildest accusations no real criticism. Each is familiar with that ancient child in the other who may erupt again.... We are not ridiculous to ourselves. We are ageless. That is the luxury of the wedding ring. ~Enid Bagnold, Autobiography, 1969

Many marriages are simply working partnerships between businessmen and housekeepers. ~Mignon McLaughlin, The Neurotic's Notebook, 1960

The highest happiness on earth is marriage. ~William Lyon Phelps

A fellow ought to save a few of the long evenings he spends with his girl till after they're married. ~Kin Hubbard

Two mothers-in-law. ~Lord John Russell, on being asked what he would consider a proper punishment for bigamy

Though women are angels, yet wedlock's the devil. ~Byron, Hours of Idleness

A psychiatrist asks a lot of expensive questions your wife asks for nothing. ~Joey Adams

A question asked in a Surrey school exam went: "Why do cocks crow early every morning?" A twelve-year-old replied: "My dad says they have to make the most of it while the hens are asleep." ~Quoted in the Peterborough Daily Telegraph, 1983

A man may be a fool and not know it, but not if he is married. ~H.L. Mencken

Marriage is a meal where the soup is better than the dessert. ~Austin O'Malley

One shouldn't be too inquisitive in life
Either about God's secrets or one's wife.
~Geoffrey Chaucer, The Canterbury Tales

Most wives think of their husbands as bumbling braggarts with whom they happen to be in love. ~Jackie Gleason

For two people in a marriage to live together day after day is unquestionably the one miracle the Vatican has overlooked. ~Bill Cosby, Love and Marriage

I have learned that only two things are necessary to keep one's wife happy. First, let her think she's having her own way. And second, let her have it. ~Lyndon B. Johnson

Marriage is a ghastly public confession of a strictly private intention. ~Ian Hay

Some marriages break up, and some do not, and in our world you can usually explain the former better than the latter. ~Mignon McLaughlin, The Second Neurotic's Notebook, 1966

My mother said it was simple to keep a man, you must be a maid in the living room, a cook in the kitchen and a whore in the bedroom. I said I'd hire the other two and take care of the bedroom bit. ~Jerry Hall

The marriage state, with or without the affection suitable to it, is the completest image of Heaven and Hell we are capable of receiving in this life. ~Richard Steele, The Spectator

Adultery is the application of democracy to love. ~Henry Louis Mencken, "Sententiae," A Book of Burlesques, 1920

A happy marriage is a long conversation which always seems too short. ~Andre Maurois

Marriage: A legal or religious ceremony by which two persons of the opposite sex solemnly agree to harass and spy on each other for ninety-nine years, or until death do them join. ~Elbert Hubbard

In the early years, you fight because you don't understand each other. In the later years, you fight because you do. ~Joan Didion

Marriage isn't all that it's cracked up to be. Let me tell you, honestly. Marriage is probably the chief cause of divorce. ~Larry Gelbart, M*A*S*H, "Bulletin Board," original airdate 14 January 1975, spoken by the character Frank Burns

When a girl marries she exchanges the attentions of many men for the inattention of one. ~Helen Rowland

In the long run wives are to be paid in a peculiar coin - consideration for their feelings. As it usually turns out this is an enormous, unthinkable inflation few men will remit, or if they will, only with a sense of being overcharged. ~Elizabeth Hardwick, Seduction and Betrayal, 1974

Before marriage, a man declares that he would lay down his life to serve you; after marriage, he won't even lay down his newspaper to talk to you. ~Helen Rowland

Being divorced is like being hit by a Mack truck. If you live through it, you start looking very carefully to the right and to the left. ~Jean Kerr, Mary, Mary, 1960

Marriage changes passion - suddenly you're in bed with a relative. ~Author Unknown

It is not marriage that fails; it is people that fail. All that marriage does is to show people up. ~Harry Emerson Fosdick

A wedding is just like a funeral except that you get to smell your own flowers. ~Grace Hansen

The view that a peptic ulcer may be the hole in a man's stomach through which he crawls to escape from his wife has fairly wide acceptance. ~John Allan Dalrymple Anderson

Marriage is a feast where the grace is sometimes better than the dinner. ~Charles Caleb Colton

I've been married to one Marxist and one Fascist, and neither one would take the garbage out. ~Lee Grant

Often the difference between a successful marriage and a mediocre one consists of leaving about three or four things a day unsaid. ~Harlan Miller

The man who never in his life
Has washed the dishes with his wife
Or polished up the silver plate -
He still is largely celibate.
~Christopher Morley, Washing the Dishes

A love that lasts for twenty years may be better than love, but it isn't love. ~Mignon McLaughlin, The Second Neurotic's Notebook, 1966

God created sex. Priests created marriage. ~Voltaire

To avoid mistakes and regrets, always consult your wife before engaging in a flirtation. ~E.W. Howe

The secret of a happy marriage remains a secret. ~Henny Youngman

Marriage is a mistake every man should make. ~George Jessel

I guess walking slow getting married is because it gives you time to maybe change your mind. ~Virginia Cary Hudson, O Ye Jigs & Juleps, 1962 (Thanks, Charlene)

A husband is what is left of the lover after the nerve has been extracted. ~Helen Rowland

My husband and I divorced over religious differences. He thought he was God, and I didn't. ~Author Unknown

Marriage is the alliance of two people, one of whom never remembers birthdays and the other never forgets them. ~Ogden Nash

Husbands are like fires. They go out when unattended. ~Zsa Zsa Gabor

The concern that some women show at the absence of their husbands, does not arise from their not seeing them and being with them, but from their apprehension that their husbands are enjoying pleasures in which they do not participate, and which, from their being at a distance, they have not the power of interrupting. ~Michel de Montaigne

But married once, a man is stak'd or pown'd, and cannot graze beyond his own hedge. ~Philip Massinger, Fatal Dowry, 1632

Marriage is the only war in which you sleep with the enemy. ~François, Duc de La Rochefoucauld

Why do married men gain weight while bachelors don't? Bachelors go to the refrigerator, see nothing they want, then go to bed. Married guys go to the bed, see nothing they want, then go to the refrigerator. ~Author Unknown

I never married because there was no need. I have three pets at home which answer the same purpose as a husband. I have a dog which growls every morning, a parrot which swears all afternoon, and a cat that comes home late at night. ~Marie Corelli

Women seem to be all right on bargains till it comes to picking out a husband. ~Kin Hubbard

After a few years of marriage, a man can look right at a woman without seeing her - and a woman can see right through a man without looking at him. ~Helen Rowland

A man without a wife is like a vase without flowers. ~African Proverb

Everyday Hero

2008-08-28T09:19:00.003-06:00

This video is pretty amazing, the concept of the Hero workshop is really exceptional to me, to think of training your own child to be a hero... It's quite a thought.

Click Here-> Watch Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog <-Click Here

2008-08-23T00:34:00.004-06:00

Do you trust me? Really? Because if you do, then I have something that I want you to see, it is Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog, it is something that you watch, and I would dare say that you will be entertained, and if you are as entertained as I was, you will wonder who produced this, when it was on TV, why you missed it, and how the heck it came into existence in a world filled with corporate greedery (sorry, I know that's not a word, but I had to use it because this show made me feel that it was okay, well not the show, but reading the "plan" on the official website: http://www.drhorrible.com made me use that word). Anyway, I'm losing you here, stay with me! Back to the trust thing, don't trust me, I'll trust that YOU will like what you see, and it will intrigue you, and it will prove my point that TRUE artists will make their work available for FREE, and if you REALLY like it.... You'll buy the DVD. 'nuff said.

Watch Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog in HD on Hulu --and please, by all means, share with your friends, download it from iTunes or buy the DVD if you want to send a little cash to the writers, producers, actors, crew, etc. Or, enjoy the freedom of free performance art.

Drumroll please, the results are in

2008-08-22T08:40:00.002-06:00

So it's been approximately 1 month since our new high efficiency (18.5 SEER) Central Air was installed, (it was put into operation at 12 noon, July 23rd, 2008) I'm still sold on the 10 year warranty, and lifetime warranty on the compressor (with a lift and replace if the compressor goes out--meaning you get a whole new exterior unit). Anyway, the results are in, Last month the average cost, per day, for our house, for electricity was $2.21/day, this month the average cost, per day, for our house, for electricity is $3.31/day, or an increase of $1.10 per day, which isn't too bad for being in the most complete comfort I've ever been in. Now, I've never entirely cared about my comfort, because being somewhat of a hobby environmentalist (meaning I just don't have the money to go completely green--but I can do it as a hobby), I've always been content enough with the swamp cooler, but our new baby KyeLin just wasn't happy at night, when she was trying to sleep, and it was 80 degrees in the house (I heard somewhere that to prevent SIDS your baby should sleep at 65-68 degrees--that's pretty cold, in my opinion, but I'm not a doctor, so whatever). Anyway, KyeLin was extremely fussy every night, but after the central air was put into operation, she has been extremely pleasant, I'm not sure that I can 100% attribute it to the AC, but the two seemed to coorelate together on the exact same day (every night she was fussy, we had swamp cooling... Every night since AC she has been extremely content, draw your own conclusion. Anyway, back to the price of Tea in China, wait, I mean Electricity. So even though the power company puts the estimate of cost per day, AFTER they add their taxex and so forth, according to MY calculations, it is actual cost $1.24 per day to run the AC, last billing was for 32 days, $39.64 was actual billing difference ($39.68 is calculated difference, 32 times $1.24), Oh, oh, oh... And one thing I just found out!! Who knew (I didn't, but probably many of you did, I knew about the "Blocks" of electricy on the bill for summer, but I didn't know that it went something like this: for the first 400 KWH you use, the price is: $0.0753890, which calculates to $30.16, then for the next 600 KWH (I never knew it capped at 600, because the most we had ever used up to this point was at about 300 KWH on the 2nd block), anyway, the 2nd block of 600 KWH is charged at $0.0855620 which calculates to $51.34 (or a $6.17 premium over the first block), now, here's where it gets fun! Because I never knew that there was a THIRD block of electricity once you went over the 1,000 KWH in a billing cycle, but there IS, and it's $0.1007790 per KWH, and we had 100 KWH in this bill at that price, which is: 10.08 which is a $2.54 premium over the first block price. Who knows what price it is or how many KWH it is until you pay the next block of electricity, but I'm going to find out if they still have the deal where they will come install a temporary power shutoff device on your AC and give you some sort of monthly credit (I read about it 2 years ago or so, but didn't pay much attention, thinking that I'd NEVER have AC--Because the swamp was so inexpensive!) LOL.... Anyway, from the efficiency perspective, I'm just going to come out and say it, $1.24/day is VERY little to pay for the comfort that our Amana 2-stage, 3 ton, 18.5 SEER AC provices us. If you live in Salt Lake, and you are considering AC, let me recommend (sorry, shameless plug here), Tropical Heating and Cooling 566-2888 if you talk to Danna (rhymes with Hanna), she will make sure that you get the most efficient AC that you are looking for (she did all the research on the 23 SEER AC to see if they could get it, how much it would cost, what sort of equipment I'd have to pair it with, and presented me the options). Tropical was a GREAT company to work with, their installers were very professional, and since I'm the curious sort, they even spent extra time showing me the components of the AC, how they operate, and things to watch out for, so that I make sure that I perform the maintenance required to keep the equipment in top operating efficiency, and what problems to look out for to give them a call if anything needs to be fixed. I'm sure that there are a lot of companies that are great to work with, but Tropical went above and beyond the call of duty (co-incidently, I've gone through Tropical for my Heater which is a 95.5% efficient model, and they researched that to find me nearly THE MOST efficient model on the market, and I subcontracted through them the installation of my whole house Natural Gas Electricity Generator--which I have been EXTREMELY pleased with, the power was out July 28th for 2 hours and 24 minutes, and the whole time I was happily working along on my computer without any loss of internet, telephone, computer, or television for the kids---will it ever pay for itself, probably not, but is it worth having when the power goes out ABSOLUTELY!!)

1075

2008-08-20T08:10:00.001-06:00

Why I didn't make the Olympics

2008-08-14T08:12:00.002-06:00

My sister sent me a video about "Why I didn't make the Olympics", a lot of these clips I've seen before, but the video is still extremely funny! Feel free to share with others as to why YOU didn't make the Olympics either.

Coolerado Cool School

2008-07-17T17:31:00.000-06:00

Coolerado Cool School So, the Coolerado is estimated to be a 40 SEER Cooling device [66 SEER if you opt for the ultra-efficient motor that uses 1/5th the amount of electricty of a "standard" AC 1250 watt electricity usage for "normal" fan, 750 watt MAX on the high efficiency fan], potential yearly savings over a traditional AC COULD be as much as $600-$1000 per year (but being as my new AC will only cost, APPROXIMATELY $243/year to run, then that is the best savings I could hope for, the "Standard" R600 [ie NOT w/high-efficiency motor] Coolerado, PLUS installation is about $2,000 more than what I am paying for my AC, so for me it would take a MINIMUM of 8 years 3 months to recover the additional costs (that 8 years assumes that I use my AC once a year for 10 minutes, per YEAR), So, for once, I couldn't get the "MOST EFFICIENT" of something. Speaking of which, my new AC will be paired with one of the most efficient Gas Furnaces in production today, the Amana 95 IIQ, which is 95.5% efficient [95.5 AFUE], the most efficient is 96.6% efficient. Am I bragging? Well I hope I'm not, but I'm trying to be an example, I'm hoping that more and more people will focus on efficiency/energy usage, and try to cut back a little, or find the products that are more efficient because the savings in energy are going to pay off, in the long run, 10 years from now I will have saved $2,970 over an 8 SEER AC, if the 8 SEER costs $2,000 less, then I've saved $970 over 10 years, it may not seem like that is worth it, but that is the equivalent of 12,125 Killawatts of electricity, (which I know means nothing to most of you), I use on average anywhere from 19-24 KWh per day, so that is 505 days worth of electricy. Meaning, in 10 years, I'm saving enough money to buy electricity to power FIVE-HUNDRED HOMES for a day! (or 1 home for 505 days :P ) Enough of my energy efficiency ranting for today. Be good to yourself, be good to your environment ;)

Science is awesome!

2008-07-11T13:41:00.004-06:00

I know, sometimes I just post videos, but they are just too cool, so I have to share.

MUTO a wall-painted animation by BLU on Vimeo

2008-07-03T20:04:00.000-06:00

MUTO a wall-painted animation by BLU on Vimeo

MUTO a wall-painted animation by BLU from blu on Vimeo.

AA Battery Test - - PopPhotoJune 2008

2008-06-26T12:31:00.000-06:00

AA Battery Test - - PopPhotoJune 2008 Are the more expensive batteries, really the cheapest? (fine, they are; but now you can see independant proof).

4 girls

2008-06-25T11:29:00.002-06:00

At Amy's request ["You should post a similar picture of her sisters so that we can see the similarities"], here are the 3 girls (and a picture of the 4 girls together):

(link to the pictures: http://picasaweb.google.com/dskye.hodges/4Girls for a better side-by-side comparison)

"Partition"

2008-06-23T21:42:00.003-06:00

I'm not one to really act like a movie critic or anything, but after watching about 1,000 movies over the past year-and-a-half or so (no exaggeration, the other week the clerk looked at the computer and remarked that I was 30 away from 1,000 since joining Hollywood MVP), anyway, after seeing about 1,000 movies, I feel I can speak a little bit about a great movie I just saw: "Partition"

(click the link to see who's in it, and what it is about). Anyway, there are some people that don't like the movie, and a lot that do. But I can say it is certainly one of the more moving and well shot movies I've seen in quite a while. I really enjoyed it, and yes, I am slightly biased (it does have Kristin Kreuk), but nonetheless I thought it was a great movie. If I see anymore that move me enough to post about, I might actually post about them too (most movies are "shallow" entertainment, and I like to be entertained, but I wouldn't necessarily recommend them to a friend, this is a movie worth a recommendation) let's call this four-and-a-half stars (not 5, because judging against the best movie ever [no hints as to what I consider that to be], this one rates 4.5)

KinderJoy from Sascha in Germany

2008-06-20T13:05:00.001-06:00

Thanks Sascha!

Click here for the photos:

Kinder-Joy

The Treo 755p

2008-06-17T09:24:00.002-06:00

So, I've had a Treo for almost 3.5 years now, my first was the Treo 650, I got that on my Birthday (Feb 9th) 2005, it was a great little phone, and wonderful Palm. I "upgraded" to the Treo 755p almost a year ago (July 04th, to be exact), and switched providers from Cingular/AT&T/New AT&T/whatever their name is, to Sprint, because of 2 things, #1, Sprint has the EDGE network (downloads are about 3 times faster on Sprint), and #2 because Sprint's UNLIMITED DATA plan is about $15 (All the others are around $40, or at least they were in July of 2007). I realize that for some people, the BIG news right now is the $199 8-gig, 3G Apple iPhone (or $299 for the 16-gig), with a $30 dataplan.... But, the only thing I like about the iPhone is the Palm Emulator software (Thus I could run all my existing Palm apps on an iPhone), other than that, it's no big news to me.

So, I just finished writing a review about the Palm Treo 755p, and thought, I might as well post it to my blog as well...

This phone is simply the best. I use it to sync my corporate email, contacts, calendar, and tasks. It syncs every 5 minutes, and I ALWAYS have enough batterylife to get through the day. It's a LiOn battery which has no memory effect, thus I plug it in every night, and have seen no degradation in performance over the last year (in theory it should cycle 300-500 times: http://www.batteryuniversity.com/parttwo-34.htm) I've been a Palm fan since Palm II and sometimes I wish for the graffiti back, but I've downloaded a program called Graffiti Anywhere, and that helps for those times I'd rather write than type. The greatest thing about Palms, is the amount of FREE software available: http://freewarepalm.com/ as an example I could never get this much software for a Blackberry, or even an iPhone, without being nickeled and dimed for every little app (maybe the iPhone will get more free software over the next 5 years). Sprints data network is SOLID, I can easily DL 1 meg of data in UNDER a minute. I have an external Bluetooth GPS device that works great with Telenav--I bought a 3-5 year subscription via Telenav which makes it about $5/month instead of $10 thru Sprint. Although, hopefully Google Maps will work with a GPS on Palm sometime in the future. There are a lot of things that probably could be quicker, but when you think of everything this phone can do, waiting 1 or 2 seconds isn't a big deal, my first cellphone would pick up, hang up, and dial, that's it, no calendar, no calculator, nothing. I used to carry around 3 devices, a typical geek, but with the invention of the Treo, I have consolidated, it is a computer, internet browser, day planner, telephone, alpha-numeric pager, 2-way communicator (pinger.com), and many more things (a newspaper, a flashlight, an MP3 player, a TV, a video player, a camera/camcorder, a scratchpaper/notepad, a book/ebook reader, language translator/dictionary, "gameboy"/entertainer, graphing calculator, scientific calculator, mortgage calculator, navigator, memo recorder, password keeper, and assistant). I'm not sure I would want to live without my Palm Treo; I could, but it would be like losing my sight, or my hearing, the world just wouldn't be as easy to get around in.

If you are a Blackberry person, or an iPhone person, then go ahead and be one, the Palm Treo probably isn't for you, in fact you might even like the WinCE version better, but if you really want to get to the guts of life, and enjoy every flower (ie free application written for Palm devices), then the Treo is, Simply The Best.

"SKye-esque Prose"

2008-06-09T23:11:00.002-06:00

So, apparently I have a very distinctive writing style (or so I was informed during a presentation the other day) (wait, is it the parentheses that give me away??), anyway, there was a "Mystery Spotlight" (and 30 people being spotlighted), and somehow this little paragraph gave me away:

Interest or hobby that others don't know about you:

I took 1st place in an archery tournament statewide in my division (I don't do archery anymore, but that's the only hobby/interest that people MIGHT not know)

to which my boss responded, "That seems like quite the SKye-esque prose to me", I asked my boss, Kenny, later, "I didn't know that I had such a distinctive writing style", he responded that indeed, my writing style is VERY distinctive and unique (is that a good thing, or a bad thing, and why am I writing in parenthetical thought again, hey, what can I say... I guess it's just my style) :)

So for fun I have included the Interest or hobbies of OTHER people in the mystery spotlights for comparative purposes (Please note, these are NOT my hobbies or interests, but simply "stuff" to compare my writing style to):

[Michael] sculpture (Goal to Make Halloween Masks)
[Doug] playing the guitar
[Kim] I collect arrowheads
[Alex] I love looking at the stars
[Cinda] The only real magazine that I subscribe to is "Popular Science"
[David] Chippendale dancer [He later told us he was just making this up-LOL]
[Ashley] Fishing
[Christian] I am a Games Workshop collector and big fan of:
Space Hulk, won the Origins Award for Best Fantasy or Science Fiction Board game of 1989. Its first expansion, Deathwing, won Best Fantasy or Science Fiction Board game of 1990.
*Space Hulk is an out of print board game by Games Workshop. The game was set in their Warhammer 40,000 universe and draws a certain degree of inspiration from the Alien movies.
[Robert] Photography
[Linus] Tennis, Soccer, and Baseball.
[Stephanie] Celebrity Photography (live Concerts, Portaits, etc.)
[Brian] Arrowhead hunting
[Carla] I love to Sew and Bake goodies
[David] I like to pretend I have hobbies I like
[Max] -Country singer
-Crochet
-Hair cutting
[Angi] Sailing
[Scott C] Golf team in school
[Brenda] I love to read recipe books but never bake or cook anything out of them. I love broadway musicals.
[Charles]I like to cook large breakfasts. The largest one that I've cooked was at my college apartment. It included eggs, hashbrowns, pancakes, waffles, link sausage, bacon, polish sausage, OJ, milk, and toast. Enough food for about 20 people.
[Travis] -karaoke
-Volleyball
[Scott I]I like wood carving and gardening
[Kenny] Carpentry
-Build Cabinets
-Furniture
[Edith] Skiing
[Mark]-Love Music
-Love Classic Films and just Older Movies
-Love to cook and eat food
-Favorite Hobby: New baby, and my Wife
[Carrie] I LOVE Dance-Dance Revolution for the WII.
[Ralph] [pictures of: mowing, hiking, running, guitar, and wrestling cows]
[Sean] Creating CGI/Digital Art

Hmm... I guess my writing style does stand out, to some extent. Thanks everyone for listening to my babbling :)

23 SEER Air Conditioners by Westinghouse Heating and Cooling.

2008-06-09T23:06:00.000-06:00

23 SEER Air Conditioners by Westinghouse Heating and Cooling. My "Dream" AC. I can't find a dealer in SLC that sells/installs them (yet?).. One day maybe... This page has a breakdown on costs for various "SEER" ACs (based upon 36,000 BTU unit 1500 cooling load hours and 0.08/kwh:
8 SEER : $540 annual
10 SEER: $432 annual
13 SEER: $332 annual
16 SEER: $270 annual
20 SEER: $216 annual
23 SEER: $188 annual
--ie $352/year savings (over 10 years, that's $3,520 savings, but not just good for the pocketbook, but for the environment as well!)

WoW sidescrolling game?!

2008-06-02T22:38:00.001-06:00

World of Warcraft-Sidescroll game If you have time to kill (I sure don't), then this is a silly little funny (sick? but still humorous?) little flash game that takes at least an hour or so to really enjoy, so... enjoy!

favorite quote

2008-06-02T19:10:00.002-06:00

I was searching for my favorite quote on the web and I only found it on two websites, so to add one more site to the Google search, here it is:

Julius Caesar's First Law of Aerodynamics of Hurled Objects:
Sic pilum iactum est. (Literal translation: That's the way the spear is thrown. Free translation: How come I always get the shaft?)

What's in a name?

2008-06-02T12:36:00.004-06:00

A few people have asked or remarked about the girl's names, and I've told the story enough times, sometimes the short version, sometimes the long, but I thought I'd post it down so if anyone cared to get the long version (then I can just tell people the short version and point them to my blog).

Anyway, the inspiration for the names in general comes from a Japanese influence (not in terms of having the names sound Japanese, or even that the sounds are Japanese, but in terms of having "Kana" or "Kanji", which my [bad?] definition is a symbol that represents something or someone, which can be combined to create an idea/word/thought/being/etc.) I like how, for example, my friend Hiromi, her name is made up of 2 kanji, "Hiro" meaning "big, large" and "Mi" meaning "beauty", although in Japanese, there over 50 ways of writing the name 'Hiromi' (all with very subtle different meanings), anyway, I liked that, so when we named our first daughter: KyeLee Ann it was made up of different parts (it would be like 3 Kanas Kye and Lee and Ann)...

All the girls names are derivatives of family names, the girls are:

KyeLee Ann
KyeAnne NataLee
KyeLin ChristiAnne

The "Kye" is from SKye (sometimes I think of my name as S'Kye, because it's fun to think of that way-LOL)
the Ann and Anne comes from my wife: Anniche, and her mom Ann (I added the 'e' on KyeAnne and ChristiAnne because it looks better, but no significance)
The "Lee" comes from my family, specifically my great-grandpa Lee, and others in the family like my great-aunt LyndaLee
"NataLee" is after my wife's sister Anette Natalie (and the Lee again)
the "Lin" is after other people in my family, my step-mother Linda, my great-aunt again Lynda.
"ChristiAnne" the Anne as mentioned earlier, and my wife's maiden name is Christiansen.

So basically all the children are named after people in their family (immediate family like my wife and me, my wife's maiden family-name, and extended family names like grandmothers, great grandparents, an aunt, and a great-aunt)

and the names are made up of the basic parts like this:
Kye
Lee
Ann or Anne
Nata
Lin
Christi

I think that that is the longest long version that anyone cares to read, hope you enjoyed it.

Welcome KyeLin ChristiAnne to the world

2008-05-27T08:06:00.004-06:00

Current mood: productive

Pictures are here:

http://picasaweb.google.com/dskye.hodges/KyeLinChristiAnne

KyeLin ChristiAnne, born Tuesday May 27th at 8:06 (despite the rumors of 8:05), she weighed 7 lbs 14 oz (3,582 gr), and was 19.5 inches long (49.5 cm). Anniche had minor complications with the c-section (lost more blood than normal, no transfusion was necessary), and baby and momma are doing GREAT today.

KyeLee and KyeAnne are very happy about their new sister KyeLin

Thanks everyone for your love and support (Especially my Momma, and my sister Brenda for watching the girls) --thanks so much!

Again and Again: The OS X desktop as music video - Boing Boing Gadgets

2008-05-20T15:08:00.001-06:00

Again and Again: The OS X desktop as music video - Boing Boing Gadgets

wow.. [I still don't like Macs, but this is a cool video, and the song is really enchanting/haunting and slightly OCD]

OH, and to be fair to WinXP users (yes, like me), here's the XP version, it's ALMOST as good as the Mac version, only because the XP version is MORE realistic!!!

YouTube - Authors@Google: Michael Pollan

2008-05-15T16:36:00.001-06:00

This is a great video about food (like what kind of foods to eat), I thought of all of you (and your quest about eating "healthy" (or healthier)), this guy [Michael Pollan] has a lot of great things to say, and if nothing else, it makes you think a little bit.

One of his statements was about CSAs, I had never heard of this, but you can find a list of them in Utah at:

http://www.localharvest.org/search-csa.jsp?scale=&lat=&lon=&x=&y=&ty=6&zip=&st=47&but.x=27&but.y=11 (or you can go to localharvest.org and put in your zip to show you closer ones)

Anyway, hopefully you have the time to see the video, it is very enlightening (in a good way).

---Do I follow this guy's advice? No; HOWEVER, I do take a little more consideration every day and do to some extent TRY to eat better foods. Maybe you will too? Nonetheless, I LOVE how Michael debunks a lot of the "Food Myths" (like eat no fat, or eat no carbs, or eat no sugars, or eat no proteins, etc)

EERE Consumer's Guide: Your Home

2008-05-08T09:04:00.000-06:00

EERE Consumer's Guide: Your Home
A guide to energy efficiency in your home (a non-biased GOVERNMENT website, explaining some of the options and alternatives to making your home more energy efficient)