HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Everyone be careful tonight and have fun watching the ball drop. I hope your 2008 is prosperous!

Creative Labs

I have always been impressed with Creative labs products. I have had a Creative Zen Vision M 30G player for a couple of years and have been very happy with it. I recently bought another Creative player. It is the new Zen 4G flash player. Very Nice! I am impressed with the design and the the interface. It is similar to the Vision M but the interface is a little different. It has an expandable SD card slot so as the capacity of SD cards expands so will the memory capacity of the player. If you need more memory you can invest in the 32G version. Still flash memory, I think it is the only flash player with that much memory. Hard to believe you can get that much in such a small package.

Comin Back From The Back

I am now recovering from the back surgery that I had last week. I think I am doing well. The surgeon described my condition as being worse than originally thought. The herniation in my disk was much larger than in the mri that I had six months ago. I was also told that there was some nerve attachment to a ligament that runs next to the nerve. That didn't sound good and made me happy that I made the decision to have it done. Now the hard part, doing nothing. I have to take it easy, and since I am feeling better each day it will be hard to remember that.

Just a thought

I was reading Peggy Noonan's article from her Opinion Journal article from 12/14/07. It got me thinking about something. With all of the effort being put into next years presidential election, I was trying to put things into perspective.

Let's say the next president is in office for one term. They will be in the position for 4 years. How much effort is put into getting elected for that 4 year term. Campaigning has been going on pretty hot and heavy since the middle of this year. So the new President will spend one and a half years for the 4 year term. Doesn't seem efficient does it?

On top of the amount of time spent, it gets worse if you think about what the time is being spent on. Right now each party is fighting against each other to agree on a candidate. Most of their time is spent tearing down the others. (One of which could be the Vice Presidential candidate) It is a shame that this time isn't spent solving the issues that they will only talk about for one and a half years.

What if we as a country were allowed to vote, midway through a Presidential term, on the issues that are most important to us. The candidates then would be given the challenge of producing a detailed plan as to how these issues would be resolved if they became president. These plans could then be reviewed, discussed, modified and published to the American people. We would then vote for the candidate that had the best solutions to the issues and that candidate would hit the ground running after being elected. This would require the candidates to actually spend that year and a half doing something constructive as opposed to destructive.

Just a thought.

Link to Peggy's article

Candidates?

This week I watched both the Democratic and Republican debates leading up to the Iowa Caucus. They weren't really debates. They were more like a boring one by one explanation of who knows what. They never really say anything pertinent to what is really needed. It's not tangible. It's always in words that don't relate to real people with real issues. They are so out of touch with the everyday American.

And where did they get the woman that asked the questions. What a yawner she was. To be honest I couldn't even watch all of the Democratic debate and took great joy in changing the channel right in the middle of one of Hillary's high pitched answers.

When will they realize that we are not all thinking right down the middle of the issues of the day. We are rel people with real opinions and we are not afraid to stand on one side or the other when debating things. They sure seem to be.

I'm frustrated with the whole thing and the fact that there is not a great choice for President. I feel like we will be trying to pick the best of the bunch. That doesn't feel good!

Snow!

Here in Ohio we are right in the middle of the storm draping the mid section of the country. We are supposed to get 8" of the white stuff. We are not in the worst part of it. Some others will get even more. It sure looks like Christmas time now. We are fortunate that we didn't get the ice that some other areas of the country got. They had a big mess with damage and also electrical outages. Not heat.....not good. It's pretty though and we should just sit back and enjoy it.

Bad Day

Today was a big struggle. The back surgery is on and so I am just waiting until then. The new medicine is giving me heartburn so now I am taking something for that too. Hopefully it will all be over soon.

Stir Crazy

Man I must really be bored. Laying here on my back I have resorted to watching old Laverne and Shirley episodes. Actually they are pretty entertaining. We got it from Netflix. There are six episodes ber disc so we will get our fill.

Back on my back

It happened again. My back went out. actually it's worse this time than the last. I have been laying on my back all week long. I had been doing so well. Walking really was helping. I had a few days where I was almost back to normal. Then I got busy with things and let myself slack off a little. I went for about a week and a half without walking at all and then wham! Now I don't know what to do. I wanted to give it a chance to straighten itself out but now it's been four days and no improvement. I called my surgeon and now I am seriously thinking about getting cut on. To be continued...........

OSU #1

Well, all the stars aligned and things worked out like they should. Ohio State is now #1 again and will be playing in the National Championship. I watched the Oklahoma vs Missouri and the Pitt vs West Virginia games and the outcome couldn't have been better for an OSU fan like me. We were hoping for one of the two games to go right and what do you know, both of them did. OSU vs LSU for it all. I can't wait to get my T-shirt.

GO BUCKS!

Watch Out This Weekend

Keep your eye on the Oklahoma vs. Missouri football game this weekend. it will decide weather or not the Bucks will be in the National Championship. Oklahoma has a chance to win. If so, we're in. West Virginia plays their last game this weekend too but it would be a shock if they would loose that game. Keep your fingers crossed!

Chips Must Fall In Place

Well, I broke down and got a new computer. I decided to go with the Intel chip. Of course the debate was between AMD and Intel. I tried to do my homework to decide which would be the best for me but most of the information I read was based on higher end chips. Ones I couldn't afford. i think I made a good choice and I am going with the thought that everything sold right now is better than what I had.

Bucks Win

Awesome, What a game. Big Ten champs and hello Rose Bowl. It;s not the National Championship but what the heck. Maybe it's even better than the National Championship. We get a parade before our game. It's such a shame that they lost to Illinois but it was still a great season. I hope that they don't loose their edge because of the time between now and the game. I doubt it though, Tressel will have them ready I'm sure.

It's hard to Stay #!

A disappointing game today. OSU gave it all they had but it wasn't enough today' Illinois came to take it away and they did. It sucks but that's the way it is at that level. Everyone is gunning for #1. Unfortunately a loss this late in the season will do you in. So much for the national championship. A win next week against Michigan however will still give them a trip to the Rose Bowl. Still a great season. Good luck next week. Go Bucks!

Bond Issue

We had a bond issue pass tonight for a new school. It was close and only passed by 47 votes. This is a good step in the right direction for our kids and communities future. This should have long term positive affects on the community.

Happy Halloween

Check out what you can do with a pumpkin carving kit that you can get for around 7 bucks. It didn't take that long and it was pretty fun. Try it next year.

The Pursuit of God

I started a new book called the Pursuit of God by A.W. Tozer. So far, very interesting. It makes you think. I will update more when I get into it further. It won't be long. It's a short book.

Finished

I have finished Flags Of Our Fathers. The thing that really sticks out as a common theme throughout the book is that the marines involved in the battle of Iwo Jima had a common view of their role there. Most people would agree that what they did was heroic. They on the other hand seem to believe that they were not heroes. They say they did what they had to do. They say the only thing that kept them moving forward was the presence of their buddies. They took care of each other. They had too.

Isn't common view of a hero someone who does the extraordinary in the face of certain disaster? Maybe not. Maybe a hero is an ordinary person who is not afraid to the ordinary things that have to be done. Maybe it is as simple as that. The boys on Iwo Jima didn't do what they did because they wanted to. They did it because they had too. They didn't back away from the thing they had to do. For this they are heroes. Thanks to all of them!

Flags Of Our Fathers

I am getting close to the end of this book and I have learned a lot about the realities of WWII.  Although my opinion hasn't changed, that war is sometimes necessary, I was impacted by the severity of it during WWII.  The boys that were involved particularly in the invasion of Iwo Jima were exposed to some of the most brutal combat ever known.  They were only boys.  Boys that became calloused men over the span of about a month.  The winning of this small island played a pivotal role in our ability to overtake Japan.  The mission, however, took it's toll in the form of American boys.  Boys that overcame their fears to protect the homeland.  There were a lot of heroes among them.

I'm Still Here

I have been really wanting to post a lot of stuff lately but have been so busy I can't get many free minutes to do it. I know it's all about priorities and unfortunately this has not been the highest one. I have however been reading quite a bit. That's probably what has been keeping me away. I will try to do better.

Flags Of Our Fathers

This is turning out to be a great book. Granted I am only a chapter in but so far the author brings to life al of the six marines that raised the Flag. You can understand their upbringing and the perspective that they may have had prior the war. He describes their home towns and families in great detail. You feel like your there. I will give more updates but so far it's great.

New Editor

I am now using a new editor for my blog posts. It is called Windows Live Writer. It was a tip from Paul Thurott. I have just started using it but so far so good. It has a lot of features that will come in handy. It integrates with most of the major blog applications. Something that makes things nice is that it is an offline application so when you write a post you can keep it as a draft and publish it later. Try it out if you think you might like it.

Reading

I've been reading some good books. Two new ones that I added to my reading list are written by David DekKer. There were three that were part of a trilogy that he wrote. The story deals with moving somehow between two separate realities. One man is playing a role in the fate of mankind in both realities. One affecting the other. It was interesting and makes you think. I am now reading Flags Of Our Fathers. I have just gotten started but it seems to be very interesting. I would recommend all of them.

Back At It

It's back to the grindstone. Vacation is over and I went back to work today. One day of work and it seems that we were never gone. It is a funny thing how we wait all year for our vacations and then it's over before you know it. Just doesn't seem right. That's life! I guess it's the way it has to be. If we were off to often we would probably get lazy. Part of me always feels a little good to be back at work...........I can't believe I just said that. Sick isn't it.

Last Day

It was the last day of vacation, and it was a good one. The water was big. The only bad thing was that the water had moss in it again. It didn't affect me any because I just laid on the beach in my chair and watched the waves. I was reading a book and listening to Pete Fountain. (multi tasking) It is hard to believe that the vacation is over. We look forward to this for so long every year and then it's over in a flash. It will be back to the grind in no time. I guess that's life. It will be a long ride home. The part everyone hates. It will be good to be home sweet home. The animals are missing us I'm sure.

Vacation Update

The water has been good and bad. We have been battling the red moss stuff in the water. It has cleared up some from the first two days so things are better. The waves today were huge. You can barely stand up when one hits you. I stayed on the beach in a lawn chair because of my back. It was good. Hearing the waves and feeling the breeze made it nice. I listened to Kenny G and read a book. Pretty enjoyable. We are off to the Giggling Grouper tonight for dinner. I'll let you know how it was.

Vacation

We are on vacation! Another year at the beach. No hurricanes but it is hotter than can be imagined. The heat index is around 120 degrees. The humidity is extremely high. The middle of the day is almost unbearable. We have been going down to the beach in the morning and evening and trying to avoid it during the hottest part of the day. Our first two days featured red moss in the water so thick that no one would get in the water. It has since gone away and now the water is nice. The ocean actually feels cool unlike the pool. The pool water is not even refreshing. It is like a bath. The sights are as good as always. It is very beautiful on the beach. The sand is white like sugar and the water is emerald green and blue. This morning the water was like glass. I saw a few dolphins swim by. I have taken a number of pictures, one of which is with this post. Maybe it will cool down a bit before we leave for home.

Bridge Down

A terrible tragedy yesterday. The bridge that collapsed. It is a terrible thing. My heart goes out to the people and their families. I am afraid that they may find more casualties as the days go on. I am sure too that in the coming days that the finger pointing will begin. I heard a sound bite from the NTSB news conference today it it sounds like they will leave no stone unturned in an attempt to find the root cause. That however won't satisfy some. They will demand and accuse to the point of ridiculous. It is a tragic event but I am sure that if the right people would have known that something like this was about to happen, they would have done something about it.

I, on the other hand, mourn the lost ones and truly hope that the investigation that is done will result in information that will keep it from happening again.

Tragic Plane Crash

There was a tragic accident at the Dayton International Airport last Saturday. Dayton sponsors an air show every year. It is a world renowned show. Acts from all over show up in Dayton each year. This year the event was overshadowed by a tragic crash involving Jim Leroy, a very famous stunt pilot. After failing to complete a stunt being performed with his partner in another airplane, Jim hit the ground and died from his injuries. It is a tragic event and my prayers go out to him and his family. I believe that this is the first tragedy from a crash in the air shows' history. Hopefully it will be the last.

Change of tide

We finished the baseball season this weekend. It has been a long hard season. The kids were ready for it to be over I think. They get tired of always being at the ballpark. They spend most of the summer playing baseball. These last few games they didn't plat with a lot of heart. Soccer practices have started and things just start running together. Now that the season is over it is a great feeling knowing that there are other things that we will be able to do now. Like vacation!

Back again

Pardon the pun in the title of this post. I didn't even realize it until I typed it in. The steroid shots for my back didn't work. Now I am in a phase where I'm trying to do the mind over matter thing. I'm telling myself that it doesn't hurt. The incentive here is that since nothing else worked, this better, or I'm headed for surgery. I don't like the sound of that. The surgeon says that it's not that bad, but what else would a surgeon say? I will wait about 3-4 weeks and then make a decision. I'm getting sick of blogging about this but it is always on my mind.

Back Update

Well I have had two steroid injections in my back to try to get rid of the pain from herniated disc that I have. It has been somewhat encouraging. I think things feel a little better but it is really hard to tell. It changes from day to day and you never know what to expect. I have had some down time because of it and have had some additional time to read. My book list is updated with some new stuff I'm reading.

Have a great 4th

Tomorrow is the 4th of July already. I for one want to say thanks to the men and women who will spend this holiday away from home protecting us and our freedom. We too often take it for granted and forget that it came at a steep price. The people who fought for freedom in 1776 and every conflict since, are brave beyond words. Thanks to all of you and your families who sacrifice until it hurts.

Happy Fathers Day

Happy Father's Day to all of you deserving Father's. Spend time with your family, go golfing, fishing, canoing, biking, jogging, hiking, horseback riding, have a cook out, eat out, read all day, play laser tag, paint ball, roller blade, skateboard, play with the dog, kiss your kids, kiss your wife, wash your car, play on the computer, take a walk, take some pictures, just have fun!

Not much new

Well, the news is about the same thing. I am still working out the details with my back. i am starting to make appointments now with different surgeons. I want to get a couple of opinions about what is the best option. The way I see it you can't be too careful with a decision about back surgery. I have talked to other people that I trust about the names of the doctors I am calling and I have a pretty good feeling that they are the most prominent ones in the area. I picked up my MRI films so that I can take them with me when I see the doctors. All this talk of surgery is making my back feel better. Maybe it will fix itself. (wishful thinking)

MRI Results

Well, I got my MRI results. Not good! I have two bulging discs and one herniated disc. Next step is a consultation with the neurosurgeon. I have no idea what to expect. I hope I don't need surgery but I am a little pessimistic at the moment.

Bad Back

It isn't fun getting old. As soon as I turned 40 the wheels fell off. Now I am struggling with Sciatica. I have been the whole course doctor, meds, physical therapy, etc. etc. Now I am having an MRI. I hope the news isn't bad. We'll see.

Busy Summer

Well, I think the last post talked about how I would try to write more frequently. Nooooooot. It's baseball season and we are in the thick of things now. Games and practices all the time and tournaments right around the bend. Vacation seems a long way away. Maybe I will have more time to write. Maybe not.

Long time no write

It seems like my posts get further and further apart. Now I m busy with baseball, home projects, bad back and other summertime stuff. You know how it is. I keep wanting to have time to write but other things seem to jump higher on the priority list. Oh well, I'll keep trying.

Checking in

It's been a while since I've posted anything. I have been very busy and unable to get to it. I wish I could be better a posting everyday but you know how it is. I will try to do better.

Spring Ain't Commin

I just posted the new picture of the month. It's kind of late but I have an excuse. It hasn't felt much like spring around here this April. Today it was actually sleeting and raining and the wind makes it feel like December. I guess it will change soon enough. Enjoy the picture anyway.

DRM Free

Exciting news in the digital music world! EMI has decided to offer DRM free music on I-Tunes. This could be the start of something good for digital music lovers. Hopefully others will jump on the bandwagon. Maybe we will then be able to do what we want with the music we buy.

24 Season 5

Well, we're up to season five and it just keeps getting better. Jack never ceases to amaze. We can't wait to see what happens next. I have also started a new book that I have been looking forward to reading. Somebody's gotta say it by Neal Boortz. I have read about three chapters and it is pretty good. I think I will enjoy it.

Hoops

My pool bracket doesn't look to bad I guess. I thought though, that I would have all of my final four teams left. NC was leading by ten with about 6 minutes to go and ended up loosing in overtime. Now I only have three teams. I still have my championship team. Go Buckeyes. It should be interesting. They haven't been looking all that great but their last game was better. Maybe that is a show of what's to come.

Thoughts

I am reading a book right now that is a detailed history of the United States. Something that became apparent to me is the fact that war is unpopular with the majority of people no matter the circumstances surrounding it. Washington during the Revolutionary War and Lincoln during the Civil War were faced with the same type of criticism and second guessing that President Bush faces now. It seems that there are scarce few that have the wear withal to make the hard decision to go to war and even fewer that can endure until the end of one. I think in most people human nature doesn't give them the attention span or patience to stick with tough positions for long. Eventually they wear down and give in to the things that were once thought to be noble causes. Memories are short and cause one to loose site of the bigger goal. Unless involved in the day to day of the situation, attentions turn back to the more mundane things. The nuts and bolts of life. Soon confusion sets in and we can't remember why we are even involved. We begin to think that it has just gone on too long. It's not interesting any more. This could go on forever. What's the point.

Thank goodness there have been leaders in our history who don't possess this handicap. Ones who push on toward the goal never loosing sight of the objective. They know deep inside them that the cause is noble and necessary if freedom is to continue. If Washington would have given up when things were tough we may be under the rule of a King. If Lincoln would have listened to some in his day, slavery may still be a way of life. The effects of current events may only become clear years or decades after they occur. This means that there is no way to know where are headed but we can learn lessons form history. It seems that we have good proof that fighting for a noble cause leads to good things for those fighting on the right side of the cause.

24 More

We started season three of 24 and it just keeps getting better. We are hooked on it now and can't seem to quit watching. Always something new and unexpected. It keeps you on the edge of your seat and always guessing. Jack can do it all.

Weather Again?

I caught wind of a weather alert saying that there is a winter snow storm advisory for us again over the weekend. What is up with that. The groundhog didn't see his shadow so what is going on? I am so ready for spring and we can't get rid of the snow. Again ....blogging about the weather. How boring!

24

Not a lot to write about today! The highlight will be watching the final disk of the first season of 24. This is the first time I have watched it. It is awesome. The guy that came up with this is good!

Dumped on!

It's good to be back! I haven't posted anything in a while. Here in Ohio most of the free time lately seems to be spent shoveling snow. We had a big storm last week when we got 12-15" of snow. Combined with the ice and wind it was pretty miserable. There is light at the end of the tunnel though because by the end of the week it will be in the 50's. It's about time. We will melt a lot of snow and hopefully get no more!

Super, Super Bowl

Well it's in the can. The super bowl is over now but I thought it was a good one. Two class acts with the Colts and the Bears. In adverse conditions the two teams looked good and made it an exciting game. There were two very impressive coaches trying there hardest but still remaining good friends in the end. I thought the halftime show was also very good. The performance was true to the old Prince that I knew and enjoyed back in the 80's. I thought the whole thing was very good and restored my confidence in professional sports. After getting completely turned off by the NBA, this was a breath of fresh air. Congrats to the Colts.

Go Bengals!

At the movies

I saw Night at the Museum yesterday and it was pretty good. It is about a guy who gets a new job as the nightwatchman at the museum of natural history. He is not told that every night everything in the museum comes to life. Ben Stiller is the night watchman so you can imagine the kind of humor it is. It is very funny and has a good ending. The other good thing is that you can take the whole family.

Vista

"an extensive mental view"
That is Websters definition of Vista. Will that really be what Vista gives us. I guess there are as many opinions on this as there are people who care about it. I have read mixed reviews and have decided that it has some good features that are improved over XP but it comes at a cost both for the software itself and also what it demands of the hardware running it. It looks pretty but only if you have the computer to handle it. I know I will be in the market for a new computer sometime this year and I am still undecided whether I will stay with Microsoft or if I will consider a Mac. I am not planning on being one of the Guinea pigs on this one and truthfully I'm glad!

State Of The Union

I watched the President's state of the union speech the other night. I am even more perplexed than normal with what I watched and heard. It is so aggravating to see the partisan attitudes of the members of congress. I am convinced more than ever that they don't truly represent the average American. The tendency to be at extremes of ideologies must be inherent in someone that pursues political offices. It must be their nature. As for the rest of us, it's really not. We are in the center somewhere stuck between extremes. Our legislators don't seem to have any ability to resolve issues. If our entire society possessed the same inability we would most likely be in a civil war. I have lost confidence that our representatives have our best interest in mind. They are driven by something other than what is best for the country. This is a feeling that I didn't used to have and it doesn't feel good. I pray that things can change. Just don't know if they will.

Snow........ Really!

We did actually get some significant snow in Ohio. It is abnormal that we would go this late into the winter season without a significant snow. I'm not complaining either. I am already looking forward to spring.

I spent my Sunday morning before church shoveling the snow out of the driveway. Great fun! I guess I can handle it once in a while. I need the exercise anyway. Maybe we will get through the winter with only a few of these storms. We are in much better shape than a lot of areas around the US.

Man, I need to get some better topics to blog about! Gotta go.

Turning Cold Everywhere

Well, we have finally gotten what we deserve. Snow has arrived. Not much of it but enough to make it actually look like winter. We are not the only ones either. It is cold everywhere. It was freezing in Phoenix and in the 30's in Florida. California will most definitely have damage to the citrus crops due to freezing. (It must be global warming.....) I emailed a cousin in Arizona, rubbing it in that the temperature there was the same as ours in Ohio. I'm sure he is thrilled. He recently made a comment that he missed us but couldn't come to visit because he couldn't stand the cold in Ohio. I guess I get the last laugh on that one.

Maybe the cold won't last long.
(79 degrees and sunny in Key West)

Rain!

Rain, rain, rain. That's the word of the day in Ohio. It was a rainy weekend. Flooding rains have made a mess. We are still in better shape than a lot of people to the West of us. There were some bad ice storms that made it terrible for thousands. Ice was the biggest problem causing hundreds of thousands to be without power. There were also a number of auto related deaths associated with the bad road conditions. It is still supposed to snow a little here after the temperature drops through the day today, but all and all it appears we missed the worst of it.

Singing Night!

I have to sing tonight at the American Legion. I have started a new approach to getting ready for a show. Don't practice. I am kinda kidding but it's not far from the truth. I have been busy with things and I didn't spend hardly any practice time this week. I don't worry so much about my voice as I do remembering the words to all of the songs. If I can get through the first few songs I will be OK. After that people aren't paying much attention anyway. I am still having fun with it but i don't practice with the same vigor that I used to. Like I always say -if it gets a little dicey- just mum along. See ya!

Busy

I am very busy today so not much time to write. I did however want to keep in the habit of posting often so I thought I would check in. Just a note on some podcasts that I have been listening to today. The CES trade show is going on this week and so there is a lot of talk on the CNET podcasts about new things being introduced this year. The Iphone is a big one and it also seems that TV anywhere will something to watch (sling box, etc.) Cool stuff. The only thing bad is that if you want use this stuff now you end up spending to much and also first generation stuff is sometimes disappointing. Well gotta get back to work.

Humbling Experience

Well, last night was a very humbling experience for Buckeye fans. High hopes were doused during the unimaginable blowout that occurred in the BCS game. Florida relentlessly embarrassed the undefeated Buckeyes. No one predicted it and no one saw it coming. It happened though and we are left with a bad taste in our mouth. But in keeping things in perspective it was still a great season for the Buckeyes. Undefeated on the season and winning the Big Ten is no small feat. The commentators are saying that the Buckeyes are now faced with rebuilding. In my opinion it won't be difficult for Ohio State to come back from this. There are no shortage of top players that would love to come to Ohio State and play football. I'm sure that Tressel will be back with a vengeance next year and be in contention as always.

Still feels a little bad right now though!

Are you ready for some football?

Only one more day till the big game. Everyone in these parts are excited! Ohio State vs Florida. The party plans are underway and I'm sure there will be some people unable to make it to work on Tuesday. Everyone hopes to see a good game but I'm not sure my nerves could take a real close one. A blow out in the first quarter wouldn't be fun either. Oh well it will be what it will be.Party at 6:00, pre-game at 7:00 and game around 8:30. Don't forget your buckeye necklace!

GO BUCKS!

Back to the grind

Back at work now. Seems like the holidays went very fast. I am kind of glad to be back in the swing of things. It seems like after a while life would be boring if you didn't keep busy with the things that we consider to be mundane. Keeping busy keeps us alive. We just need to make sure that we are busy with the right things in our lives. That makes it worth while. Gotta go!