Our family and the crazy year 2009

Part 2

Politically Correct Greeting

Best wishes for an environmentally conscious, socially responsible, low stress, non-addictive, gender neutral, winter solstice holiday, practiced within the most joyous traditions of the religious persuasion of your choice, but with respect for the religious persuasion of others who choose to practice their own religion as well as those who choose not to practice a religion at all;

Additionally,

a fiscally successful, personally fulfilling, and medically uncomplicated recognition of the generally accepted calendar year 2000, but not without due respect for the calendars of choice of other cultures whose contributions have helped make our society great, without regard to the race, creed, color, religious, or sexual preferences of the wishes.

(Disclaimer: This greeting is subject to clarification or withdrawal. It implies no promise by the wisher to actually implement any of the wishes for her/himself or others and no responsibility for any unintended emotional stress these greetings may bring to those not caught up in the holiday spirit.)

Play Games and GET PAID!!

Do you like to play those simple FLASH games that are all over the internet? Are you any good at any of them? I would like to invite you to a social network that is having a really fun contest from October 14 through November 13. It is a games contest and the prizes are cash. The games are exactly those easy FLASH games that you have seen a thousand times before, so this should be a walk in the park for you!

CLICK HERE TO SIGNUP NOW!!


The contest is simple. There is a category in the Echo Arcade called "October Contest". There are 50 games in this category that you can play. At the end of the contest we will award $50 to the high score winner of each game. Here is the great part... You can win up to 3 of the high scores, so there is the potential of winning $150 in just that. The other great part is that anybody you invite to this social network who wins one of the $50 prizes, you will also be rewarded with $30 for referring them to begin with. You see, Echoloops is the first incentivized social network and is going to change the way social networks behave in the future. This contest serves a couple purposes for us. One is that it has the potential to draw in thousands of people to play the games and compete in the contest for the prize money. Secondly, it also shows how incentivized social networks should work. There is change coming in the social network world and we have seen it coming with the changes that Facebook and other sites have been making to their user agreements and terms of service. Echoloops is a new social network that is continuing to evolve, but promises to be THE big thing in social networks in the coming months.

Game Contest:

· $50 for the person with high score on selected 50 games (maximum win of three times)

· $30 for the person who brought in the high score winner (no limit to how many you can win)

· $20 for the person who brought them in (no limit on how many you can win)

· $500 to the person with the most high scores at end of month

Echoloops Recruiting Contest:

· $100 for person who brings in the most people into Echoloops EACH WEEK!! (weeks go from Sunday through Saturday beginning on October 14, so that first week is the best chance to win for you! Get your invites ready!)

· $300 for person who brings in most people for the term of the contest

· $200 for the 2^nd place recruiter for the contest

· $100 for the 3^rd place recruiter of the contest

CLICK HERE TO SIGNUP NOW!!

Again, this is just a one month contest to play some games and get rewarded for it. I can also tell you that huge things are in the works for Echoloops. At the end of this contest you will see some major changes to the look and feel of Echoloops. The third reason for this contest is to have as many eyes on the site as possible when we implement some great things into the site that will cause you to think twice when you send an invite out for another social network. We want to give everybody a reason to make Echoloops their new home. You'll want to be involved in what we are going to be doing!

If you want to check out the site first and then signup, that is cool. Just remember to either come back to this email and click the link to signup so I can get my $30 when you win first place in a couple games, or use the invite code SE239745 when you click the SIGNUP button on www.Echoloops.com. This is actually a referral coming from my Dad's account since I actually work for the company that owns Echoloops. It actually isn't a problem for me to win prizes based on referrals or even by playing the games myself, but I thought it would be a nice surprise for my dad if he won some money after providing moral support as I've been working to get this company off the ground for the last few months. :) So play hard and get some scores posted!!

Full rules for the contest will be posted on Echoloops as well as http://blog.mondelis.com on October 14th, so keep an eye out for that.

Thanks for reading! I hope you enjoy the games and that you refer lots of people to the site!

To whom it may concern...

Hi,

First of all, you are fat. You are ugly. Your breath stinks. You are unpopular. Your car sucks. Your house sucks. Your life sucks.

You are not witty. You are not smart. You are ignorant. You are stupid. You don't speak any other language and you can't operate a computer. You will never make it in this world. You are unpopular. You will never amount to anything. You are nothing.

Your diet is poor. You have low self-esteem. You have cellulite. You have ugly toenails. You have blackheads. You have body hair where it just shouldn't be. Your eyeballs are not white enough. Your teeth are not white enough.

Secondly, you are fat. You should go on a diet. You should eat more hamburgers. Your tits are not big enough. Your tits are too small. Your tits aren't small enough or big enough. Your dick is too small. Your nose isn't right. Your arse is too big. You should make yourself sick. You should eat more hamburgers.

Your dress sense sucks. You have no style. You are one of the crowd. You are a follower. You are a freak. You don't fit in. You are a lah-hoo-ser. You have no charisma. You are not sexy enough. Your favorite band sucks. Your favorite brand sucks. Your clothes suck. Your shoes suck. You are retarded.

You don't have enough money. You should work harder. You don't have enough things. You are unhappy. You need more. You are unsatisfied. You are not moving forward. You are not keeping up the pace. You are lagging behind. You are one step behind the rest.

You are doing it all wrong. You need to change. You need to see that change is good. You need to follow us. You need to be individual. You need to fit in. You need to think outside the square. You need to stand out. You need to know the rules. You need to know the secrets. You should be yourself.

Thirdly, you are fat. Your legs wobble too much. Your teeth are crooked. Your face is wrong. You are not thin enough. You are too thin. You need to eat more hamburgers.

You are lactose intolerant. You are iron deficient. Your cholesterol is too high. Your calcium level is too low. Your blood pressure is too high. Your iron level is too low. You need to get liposuction. You need to lose weight. You are far too dependant on drugs. You need to buy more drugs.

You are bipolar. You have attention deficit hyperactive disorder. You have post-traumatic stress disorder. You suffer from depression. You are manic. You are not happy enough. You suffer from road rage. You suffer split-personality disorders. You suffer marriage problems. You are not right. You need to buy more drugs.

You should stop smoking. You should buy more cigarettes. You should stop smoking. You will get cancer. You will die anyway. You should have fun. You shouldn?t have fun. You should be fashionable. You should keep ahead. You are lagging behind. You should be individual. You shouldn?t care about what you do. You are free. You should go your own way. You should follow us.

You watch too much television. You need to stay tuned. You are fat because you watch too much television. You should watch more television. You should be individual. You are going to be a star one day. You are nothing. You should eat more hamburgers. You should drink more syrup. You are too fat.

You should not be who you are. You have to change.

My name is Marketing.

Now buy my freakin' product!

Send texts through email

Are you running out of texts, but really need to send one? Or maybe you want to send someone a novel of a text that wipes out all available messages they have for the month. Either way, here is how you send them from your email.

Verizon: 10digitphonenumber@vtext.com
AT&T: 10digitphonenumber@txt.att.net
Sprint: 10digitphonenumber@messaging.sprintpcs.com
T-Mobile: 10digitphonenumber@tmomail.net
Nextel: 10digitphonenumber@messaging.nextel.com
Cingular: 10digitphonenumber@cingularme.com
Virgin Mobile: 10digitphonenumber@vmobl.com
Alltel: 10digitphonenumber@message.alltel.com
CellularOne: 10digitphonenumber@mobile.celloneusa.com
Omnipoint: 10digitphonenumber@omnipointpcs.com
Qwest: 10digitphonenumber@qwestmp.com

Cash for Clunkers REAL reason for existance!

What is a tragedy?

I love this joke...

Barack Obama was visiting a primary school and he visited one of the classes. They were in the middle of a discussion related to words and their meanings.

The teacher asked the president if he would like to lead the discussion on the word 'tragedy.' So our illustrious president asked the class for an example of a 'tragedy..'

One little boy stood up and offered: 'If my best friend, who lives on a farm, is playing in the field and a tractor runs over him and kills him, that would be a tragedy.'

'No,' said Obama, 'that would be an accident.'

A little girl raised her hand: 'If a school bus carrying 50 children drove over a cliff, killing everyone inside, that would be a tragedy.'

'I'm afraid not,' explained Obama. 'That's what we would call great loss.'

The room went silent. No other children volunteered. Obama searched the room.. 'Isn't there someone here who can give me an example of a Tragedy?'

Finally at the back of the room, Little Johnny raised his hand.. In a quiet voice he said: 'If the plane carrying you and Mrs. Obama was struck by a 'friendly fire' missile and blown to smithereens that would be a Tragedy.'

'Fantastic!' exclaimed Obama. 'That's right. And can you tell me why that would be a tragedy?'

'Well,' says the Little Johnny, 'It has to be a tragedy, because it certainly wouldn't be a great loss....and it probably wouldn't be an accident either.'

Wanna see my office?

Ok, maybe a little political

ME = NOT POLITICAL

HOWEVER! I do agree with what this has to say. Again, I am not in to politics at all, but I love my country and my freedom and I really hate whiners. So if you disagree with this and feel the need to voice it, then let me give you a finger you can address your complaint to. This is how I feel and I'm entitled to it. The only difference is that I ride a motorcycle made in Japan because I'm not talented enough to keep a Harley running. Personally, if American companies would make better quality products then I wouldn't be buying Japanese motorcycles and cars. Anyway, hear what this guy has to say.




YES, I'M A BAD AMERICAN



I Am the Liberal-Progressives Worst Nightmare.

I am an American.


I am a Master Mason and believe in God.

I ride Harley Davidson Motorcycles and believe in American products.

I believe the money I make belongs to me and my family, not some Liberal governmental functionary be it Democratic or Republican!


I'm in touch with my feelings and I like it that way!

I think owning a gun doesn't make you a killer, it makes you a smart American.



I think being a minority does not make you noble or victimized,
and does not entitle you to anything. Get over it!



I believe that if you are selling me a Big Mac, do it in English.


I believe everyone has a right to pray to his or her God when and where they want to.


My heroes are John Wayne, Babe Ruth, Roy Rogers, and Willie G. Davidson that makes the Awesome Harley Davidson Motorcycles.

I don't hate the rich. I don't pity the poor.

I know wrestling is fake and I don't waste my time watching or arguing about it.

I've never owned a slave, or was a slave, I haven't burned any witches or been persecuted by the Turks and neither have you!

So, shut up already.


This is AMERICA ....We like it the way it is!

If you were born here and don't like it you are free to move to any Socialist country that will have you..

I want to know which church is it exactly where the Reverend Jesse Jackson preaches, where he gets his money, and why he is always part of the problem and not the solution.

Can I get an AMEN on that one?


I also think the cops have the right to pull you over if you're breaking the law, regardless of what color you are.

And, no, I don't mind having my face shown on my drivers license.

I think it's good.... And I'm proud that 'God' is written on my money.


I think if you are too stupid to know how a ballot works, I don't want you deciding who should be running the most powerful nation in the world for the next four years.

I dislike those people standing in the intersections trying to sell me stuff or trying to guilt me into making 'donations' to their cause.

Get a Job and do your part!


I believe that it doesn't take a village to raise a child, it takes two parents.

I believe 'illegal' is illegal no matter what the lawyers think.

I believe the American flag should be the only one allowed in AMERICA !

If this makes me a BAD American, then yes, I'm a BAD American.

If you are a BAD American too, please forward this to everyone you know.

We want our country back!


We NEED GOD BACK IN OUR COUNTRY!


WE LIVE IN THE LAND OF THE FREE, ONLY BECAUSE OF THE BRAVE!

Where is Anthony?

Want to know where I'm at? Fine then. ...you filthy stalker. Here I am right now as you read this.




GPS tracking powered by InstaMapper.com

How are your ears?

Here are my results from this test. I heard about these ring things that kids put on their phones and I didn't believe it. Then I started clicking buttons and I was surprised that anyone could hear below the one I could hear. There are some lower tones that I know my ears suck on, but I thought I was pretty good on the high ones. This thing has me pretty pegged though. Give it a shot.

You are a thirtysomething

You're a little frustrated that you can't hear all the tones that the young 'uns can but will be more than happy if it means you don't have to listen to their damn ringtones on the bus anymore. The highest pitched ultrasonic mosquito ringtone that I can hear is 14.9kHz

Find out which ultrasonic ringtones you can hear!

Canyon cruise...

I took a cruise up the canyon with my friend Eric today. That was an awesome ride!! We have been talking about doing something like this for years. In fact, we talked about it so long that we finally got our motorcycle endorsements back in 2006 and have been trying to find time in both our schedules ever since then to get on some bikes. Well, today was finally the day. Eric was able to rent an 883 Sportster and we got on the road. We had another guy who was going to come with us, but he had a family emergency, so he had to back out. Man, I tell ya... that was his loss today for sure! It was gorgeous!! The high in the valley was like 83, so up in the mountains it was nearly chilly! I'm glad I had my jacket on, that's for sure. Eric was just in a t-shirt and was fine, but I tend to be a little cold sensitive. The nice thing was that I was never once hot.

Here is a map of our route: (click images for larger views)



We left my house at around 12:30 and headed straight for Snowbird. I'm not sure exactly where it is on the map, but I think it is on the same highway as Alta. Anyway, we went on an amazingly beautiful ride up the canyon to the resort and took a couple pictures.


It was an awesome day for a ride! There wasn't a cloud in the sky and there was just a light breeze in the mountains. It was amazing. I've never been up there before and I had no idea it was such a pretty ride. Coming back down the mountain was almost a sad thing.

We went from there and cut across to Immigration Canyon when we got back into the valley. I had never been up there before, so I wasn't sure what to expect. At first I was a little bummed because the scenery wasn't all that fantastic. It was ok, I guess, but after the ride up to Snowbird, I was sort of expecting more. We wove around for awhile and I kept waiting for the big wow in the view. Then we really started to weave. That was when I realized that this ride wasn't about the scenery. It was about the amazing twists and turns in the road!! Check out that map and look at the yellow route. That sucker kept twisting and looping and doubling back for miles and miles. It was amazing!! Coming back down was even more fun than going up. It was an amazing ride!!

All told, when I got the bike back into the garage at 5:00 on the dot I had put just over 130 miles on it. What a day!! It couldn't have happened at a better time, either. I've been really wound up from my new job and everything, so I needed a chance to relax and get some time on the road.

I don't know if I have posted it here before, but I wanted to do it now. This is a very poetic description of the reasons to have a motorcycle and to take it on trips like this. I didn't have anywhere to be or anywhere I wanted to go, but the ride was incredible!!

Why Ride
Season of the Bike
by Dave Karlotski

There is cold, and there is cold on a motorcycle. Cold on a motorcycle is like being beaten with cold hammers while being kicked with cold boots, a bone bruising cold. The wind's big hands squeeze the heat out of my body and whisk it away; caught in a cold October rain, the drops don't even feel like water. They feel like shards of bone fallen from the skies of Hell to pock my face. I expect to arrive with my cheeks and forehead streaked with blood, but that's just an illusion, just the misery of nerves not designed for highway speeds.

Despite this, it's hard to give up my motorcycle in the fall and I rush to get it on the road again in the spring; lapses of sanity like this are common among motorcyclists. When you let a motorcycle into your life you're changed forever. The letters "MC" are stamped on your driver's license right next to your sex and height as if "motorcycle" was just another of your physical characteristics, or maybe a mental condition.

But when warm weather finally does come around all those cold snaps and rainstorms are paid in full because a motorcycle summer is worth any price. A motorcycle is not just a two-wheeled car; the difference between driving a car and climbing onto a motorcycle is the difference between watching TV and actually living your life. We spend all our time sealed in boxes and cars are just the rolling boxes that shuffle us languidly from home-box to work-box to store-box and back, the whole time entombed in stale air, temperature regulated, sound insulated, and smelling of carpets.

On a motorcycle I know I'm alive. When I ride, even the familiar seems strange and glorious. The air has weight and substance as I push through it and its touch is as intimate as water to a swimmer. I feel the cool wells of air that pool under trees and the warm spokes of sunlight that fall through them. I can see everything in a sweeping 360 degrees, up, down and around, wider than PanaVision and higher than IMAX and unrestricted by ceiling or dashboard.

Sometimes I even hear music. It's like hearing phantom telephones in the shower or false doorbells when vacuuming; the pattern-loving brain, seeking signals in the noise, raises acoustic ghosts out of the wind's roar. But on a motorcycle I hear whole songs: rock 'n roll, dark orchestras, women's voices, all hidden in the air and released by speed.

At 30 miles an hour and up, smells become uncannily vivid. All the individual tree-smells and flower-smells and grass-smells flit by like chemical notes in a great plant symphony. Sometimes the smells evoke memories so strongly that it's as though the past hangs invisible in the air around me, wanting only the most casual of rumbling time machines to unlock it.

A ride on a summer afternoon can border on the rapturous. The sheer volume and variety of stimuli is like a bath for my nervous system, an electrical massage for my brain, a systems check for my soul.

It tears smiles out of me: a minute ago I was dour, depressed, apathetic, numb, but now, on two wheels, big, ragged, windy smiles flap against the side of my face, billowing out of me like air from a decompressing plane.

Transportation is only a secondary function. A motorcycle is a joy machine. It's a machine of wonders, a metal bird, a motorized prosthetic. It's light and dark and shiny and dirty and warm and cold lapping over each other; it's a conduit of grace, it's a catalyst for bonding the gritty and the holy.

I still think of myself as a motorcycle amateur, but by now I've had a handful of bikes over a half dozen years and slept under my share of bridges. I wouldn't trade one second of either the good times or the misery. Learning to ride was one of the best things I've done.

Cars lie to us and tell us we're safe, powerful, and in control. The air-conditioning fans murmur empty assurances and whisper, "Sleep, sleep." Motorcycles tell us a more useful truth: we are small and exposed, and probably moving too fast for our own good, but that's no reason not to enjoy every minute of the ride.

Wings in the finals!!!

I think I may be the first blog to announce that.  :)  GO WINGS!!!  They just took the Western Conference Championship against the Chicago Blackhawks 4 - 2 and now they head to the Stanley Cup Finals against the Pittsburg Penguins.  GO WINGS!!!

Why isn't Anthony on Facebook?

Why, you might ask?  View this video and let me ask you something... Why are YOU on it?  :)

 

New Ice Cream Flavor

In honor of the 44th President of the United States, Baskin-Robbins Ice Cream has introduced a new flavor; "Barocky Road".

Barocky Road is a blend of half-Vanilla and half-Chocolate, surrounded by Nuts and Flakes. The Vanilla portion of the mix is not openly advertised and usually denied as an ingredient.  In reality the Vanilla is despised, but they can do nothing about it.  The bottom line is that when you ask for Barocky Road...you have no way of knowing what you are really getting.

The Nuts and Flakes are very bitter and hard to swallow.  The cost is $100.00 per scoop.  When purchased it will be presented to you in a large and beautiful cone, but then the Ice Cream is taken away and given to the person in line behind you that already has three.  Thus, you are left with an empty wallet, no change, holding an empty cone with no Ice Cream.

You will then be asked if you want a second one to take advantage of the  "2 for the price of one" special.

Are you feeling stimulated yet?

Now why on earth would I not trust Disney?

Do you think Disney is an original company?  Yeah, maybe at one time, but watch this video and see how many times they rip THEMSELVES off.  Sheesh...  Whatever happened to just doing new stuff?

Two great website names for sale!

I'm working with a new company and we are trying to decide on a name for the business.  In process of doing this we came up with the name XplayNation.  It can also be spelled EXplayNATION.  I think it is a great name and I couldn't believe the .coms weren't taken!  Well, they are now.  ;)  I own them and if we don't use them as our company name, I'll be building a little site for them and putting them up on the auction block.  I think they are terrific name ideas for a gaming site or gamer's club.  Explaynation...  this is the last chance you have to ExPlayn yourself!  I think it is a great name.  I'm going to build the site and then put the names up for sale.  I might even design a couple logos to go along with the sale to sweeten the deal.  Because this is a domain name that could generate some pretty strong revenue if someone builds it right, I think the sites have some real value.  Not tens of thousands of dollars by any means, but I don't think $1500 for the both of them along with a logo is such a bad price.  We'll see what kind of offers I get for it.  I think I'll start by just putting it up for sale on EBAY and then go from there.  I'll actually be bummed out if we use it for a company name now...  

Got a new bike!

It is a 2006 Suzuki Boulevard M50.  I am glad it is the 800 because a 650 doesn't have quite enough oomph on the freeway and I wanted a little bit heavier bike to cruise with.  This will do fine.  :)  It has aftermarket Cobra pipes on it that sound amazing.  I'm really happy with it.

 

Kinda catchy....

She's actually from Moldova (used to be part of Romania). The Moldovans speak sort of medieval Romanian with some slavic accent and words. Maybe that is why you can't figure out what she's saying. The lyrics are ironical. She sings about Ghita, her probably "boyfriend" who is gone after food and he's not coming back and he seems to be some sort of trouble maker character anyways. However she still loves him and waits for him to come back and she's looking for him. That in a nutshell.


The coat is inside out,
There is no sun above
Nothing is going good
Since I think of Ghita.
But Ghita’s not in town
I asked why he’s not around
It seems to me he’s gone
He’s gone abroad

Hard, I think it’s very hard
Want, I don’t know what I want
I know that you like me too
Ghita, what is up with you?
Young, come on in or go
Young, tell me yes or no
Ghita,
please don´t anger me
Tell me how your life will be

Ghita,
Tonight I’m waiting at the wicket
Me at the station I bought a ticket
Come to,
But don’t come as you did before
As usually with empty hands…
Who else
Will wait and sing for you as I do
Entire evening just getting there
Ghita,
Show me a girl who’s found of you
That loves you more as much as I do…

Ghita,
te-astept diseara la portita
Langa portita de la scoala
Vino da numa nu vini cum vii tu
De obicei cu mana goala
Cine te mai asteapta ca si mine
O seara intreaga numai pe tine.
Ghita,
arata-mi tu o fata care
Sa te iubeasca asa de tare!

(the last part translated from google)
Ghita, I expect tonight to port
The docks at school
Vino da vini not only how you live
Usually with empty hands
Who do you expect me
A whole evening just for you.
Ghita,
show me a girl who's found of you
That loves you more as much as I do...

Ever heard of skimming?

There is a new way to rip people off out there that isn't new at all. I've been telling people for years about the scam of putting up a fake ATM where people put their card in and punch in their PIN, but just get an error screen. The machine just records your card info and PIN in the computer and the fraudster picks it up later. Well, there is another type of credit card fraud that happens even more regularly because it is so much easier to commit. I give you Credit Card Skimming.

Basically a device is placed on an ATM that records your card information at the same time the ATM records it. There is also a small camera placed nearby that records you typing in your PIN. This information is then coded onto fake cards and your accounts are cleaned out. Pretty scary, huh? The scariest thing is that anybody can buy what they need to pull this scam off. It isn't like the technology to read and write on magnetic strips is controlled or something. How do you think membership cards with magnetic stripes are coded? This stuff is available to anyone with a couple hundred bucks and a desire to rip you off. I'm just putting it out there so you are aware and check out the ATMs you use before you use them. Personally I don't use ATMs partially for this very reason. In fact, if I can demagnetize my credit cards so they don't work on those at all, then I do it. I've got a 16 lb speaker magnet that works great for stuff like that.

'Knowing' Review...

Ok, I don't get to get out much to watch movies. If I get to see one or two a year then that is a pretty darn good year. So this year we went out to see Knowing because Jennifer and I are Nicolas Cage fans. Not huge fans or anything, but he has done thing we have liked in the past. He has also done stuff that I really hated in the past, so this was kind of his last change for me. If this movie sucked then I wasn't ever going to put any stock in a movie just because it has him in it. That includes any National Treasure sequels that are still in the pipeline.

If you liked Final Destination, then Knowing is your kind of flick. ...at least, it is your kind of flick till the very end. Think about the latest Indiana Jones movie and how the ending turned out for you there. That is kind of along the same lines with this movie. It was going fine until right at the very end. Like in the last 20 minutes or so. I guess if I really think long and hard about it then I can force myself to make some sense out of it, but I go to movies to be entertained and not to have thoughts provoked. There were just some things that didn't make sense.

Spoiler Alert! I'm going to talk specifics now, so if you haven't seen it yet and you plan to, move on. Considering the movie is probably out on DVD and has been shown on network television by the time anyone reads this, I doubt you are really in any danger.

Here are my problems... Near the end the boy starts making a list of numbers. Why is that? If the world is fixing to end, then what else is there really to predict? What were the numbers for and what was the purpose?

Next problem: Why did the aliens wait till the very last second before taking the chosen ones away? Why not just take them 50 years ago? What was the purpose of warning us if we weren't going to find out till the last week anyway? Just take the chosen and leave. Duh!

And the next problem: What was the point of even putting life on this planet if the aliens knew that it would be destroyed by a massive solar flare anyway? Seems like kind of a poor choice when you think about it.

There are a lot of things that clash with the concept of this movie. Why isn't there a cult of people who believe we were placed here by aliens? There are all these scriptures that claim a divine purpose and past of creation, but where is the truth about being planted here by an alien race? That doesn't make sense to me. Surely the new Adam and Eve of each world would have told their children about where they came from. It doesn't make sense that the religions we have today would have sprouted out of being planted by aliens.

So those are the real quandaries I have. If they would have created an alternate preset where cults did exist that claimed some of the things that happened in the end, then maybe the ending wouldn't have come out of left field so much. Instead you are left in the theater scratching your head over why this sudden change of pace. It is like an M. Night Shyamalan movie without the M. Night Shyamalan. Very odd...

The special effects were terrific though. If you ever wonder what it would be like to be at ground zero of a plane crash and what that would sound like, then now you'll have an idea. If you ever wondered what it would be like if a subway car jumped the track at full speed in New York City, then now you'll have an idea. It is a fairly intense movie that only got a PG-13 rating because I don't recall any swearing or sex. If it would have had so much as a 'damn' in there, then I'm sure they would have given it an R. It is very intense and I don't know that 13 year olds are prepared to see people running out of a crashed plane on fire.

That's another thing... When he was pulling people out of the plane and the rescue workers arrived on the scene, they just sort of pushed him out of the way. Why wouldn't they have thought he was one of the survivors? After an event like that I think you would have instantly forgotten anybody who had been in your field of vision a moment before. I don't recall him actually speaking to any of the rescue workers before the plane crashed, so why didn't they assume he was one of the victims? They may have seen him out of his truck, but there is no way they would have been that clear headed to recognize him from a distance. That was a flaw.

So between that, the numbers the boy had to write, and the whole alien theme... I don't know if I liked this movie or not. It seems like it should have been a really cool flick, but somehow I can't see myself telling that to others. You'll just have to go watch it and see for yourself. Jennifer said it sucked, but that is only because she doesn't like those kinds of movies. For the type of movie it was supposed to be, I'd say it was pretty good. The only thing I would have changed would be the aliens, but then it would have really sucked. It would have been a movie about some predictions that were decoded and unable to be stopped. In the end the planet was destroyed and everybody died, so you would have been left asking yourself what the point was. Personally, I like movies where everybody dies and there is no hero, but I'm sick that way. The way they got around this for this flick was to have the aliens save the 'chosen ones' and start over. They could have just as easily been members of that cult I said should have been established, so maybe there will be an alternate ending release on DVD or something.

So there you have it. The first movie I have ever in my life tried to review. Call it what you want. Nobody asked you to read my blog anyway. ;)

Great little drawing site...

I can just see way too many uses for this. Too bad not everybody has a TabletPC like me. :) Drawing online is so much easier when I can just put my pen to the screen and draw. You should all get one.

To me on this special day

Funny Happy Birthday Song

I thought it was funny anyway. Annoying? Yeah, maybe a little, but isn't that the point of this fine day?

I tell ya, what an April first. I woke up to like five inches of snow and am now ending the day without a spec of white to be seen. This state SUCKS!! Or have I mentioned that? I thought I might have, but let me reiterate... I really hate this stupid climate! Give me nice normal NO SNOW IN SPRING any day of the week. I'm not saying that I'd take 120 degree summers just to get out of winter, but it feels like I've been cold for six months and I just want to get warm again. I'm tired of winter...

Where in the world is Anthony?

Right now I'm sitting in sunny Mesa, Arizona. Last week I was holding my head in my hands wondering where I was going to find another job and today I'm in meetings with executives and multi-millionaires talking about my plans for the customer service call center that I'll be managing. :)

It is funny how things work sometimes... I don't want to say that you are blessed for breaking the rules or that the "plan" that God has for us involves carefully placed mistakes or anything, the fact remains that we would all still be waiting to be born if Eve hadn't eaten the forbidden fruit. So I can't help but think that some of our mistakes are just destined to happen for a better purpose. At the time the mistake happens it is very difficult to see the forest through the trees, but when you are able to look back on it with different eyes, it is amazing how blessed you can feel after something terrible like losing your job in this economy can make you feel. I really hope the next lesson that I'm meant to learn doesn't involve going to jail or something after what a roller coaster this has been. I tell ya... March has been one of the hardest months of my entire life. And that is even considering that not all that much has really hit the fan. It has just been big stuff that hit and that always makes a big difference.

Still... I'm glad that I have the support that I have. I know none of the people who support me ever read this blog, but thank you to them anyway. I can't afford to go much crazier than I already am, so the words of comfort have helped. Its nice to know that while you can feel so alone in one respect, you can still feel like you are surrounded in another. Such a strange month and yet I know it is one that I'll never ever forget. After all, those who don't learn from history are doomed to repeat it. I for one don't ever want to repeat the last 30 days. No siree bob.

I'm such a proud father...

Check out my boy and his awesome putting skills.



Is that skill or what?! I'm so proud... I can't wait till this spring when I can start getting him some golf lessons. He has a real knack for it. You should see some of the drives he has hit in the back yard. I'll never find some of those balls he has hit.

Amazingly fun game!

Don't ask me why, but this game is so much fun for me. Basically you just set the crop cirles as far apart from each other that you can while giving yourself room to line the path with tanks, flame throwers, Jeeps, and land mines. Then when the aliens leave the ship and trek through your maze of death, they are all destroyed before they reach the barn. I've been playing this for about an hour now and I'm on wave 35. Every tenth wave you get a large ship with a centipede thing under it, so be ready for that. Have fun!!

http://www.java-gaming.com/game/3283/Crop_Circles/

Very interesting video...

Ever wonder how the current credit problem works? This is awsome and explains it perfectly!




The Crisis of Credit Visualized from Jonathan Jarvis on Vimeo.

Time to rant again...

Ok, this is only a rant right now because I've been forced to listen to people talking the last few days at work and I'm about to go nuts. I've got to vent or I'm going to explode!!!

There is no X in ‘especially’!!! It isn’t pronounced ‘expecially’ or anything close to that. It’s a freakin’ S you morons!! NO X IN SIGHT!!

Here’s another one. There is no T in the word ‘across’! It isn’t ‘acrossted’ or ‘acrosst’ you idiots!! And yes, I can call you idiots because that is what you are if you are going to add ridiculous letters like that into words. I know we love to recycle here in the good ole US of A, but this is taking things to extremes. You can’t just steal letters from other words and throw them in somewhere else.

I suppose that extra T that people put in the word ‘across’ must come from the missing T that everybody seems to remove from the word ‘mountain’ around here. I can’t even spell how it is pronounced. Just take the T out and try to say the word. Mounin. Something like that. And I suppose the X in ‘expecially’ could be stolen from ‘except’ when people just pronounce it ‘essept’. Still, that is no excuse to slaughter the English language! Recycling is great, but let’s keep it to plastics and glass and leave words out of it, m’kay? Whew. I feel better.

I crashed and all I got was an upgrade...

I'm baaaaaack! I know, I know... You thought that my month and a half vacation from blogging signaled the end of Anthony's ravings. NOT SO!! I've got more to rave about than ever!! I'm going to start with US Airways.

On January 15, 2009 there was a US Airways flight that left New York on its way to North Carolina. Flight 1549 flew right into a gaggle of geese a couple minutes after takeoff and was forced to ditch in the Hudson River. Yaaay! Not one fatality! That is great considering the airline industry recently made it through their second year without a domestic commercial airline fatality for the first time in history! What a way to start out 2009 though, eh?

The crew has been showered with praise for how they handled the event. Everyone from the pilot to the flight attendants have been put on pedastels as the best of the best having acted appropriately on all of their training in the situation. The passegers were even praised for their level headed thinking and quick action. All in all it looked like a huge lovefest for the passengers and the crew. That is, until recently...

A letter was sent to the 150 passengers of flight 1549. Here is that letter:

January 21, 2009

I hope that this letter finds you at home and taking some time to rest and recover from the events of last Thursday.

On behalf of the 34,000 employees at US Airways, I want to acknowledge your courage, the professionalism of our crew, and the outstanding rescue efforts of all of the various organizations and agencies that came together last week to assist with Flight 1549.

We would very much like to see you on a future US Airways flight soon. To that end, we are extending Chairman's Preferred status, our most coveted frequent flier level, to you through March 2010.

I know our Customer Care Team has been providing support and also communicating next steps as we work to recover and potentially return any items from the flight. In the meantime, please let us know if you have additional needs.

Again, we are grateful the events surrounding Flight 1549 ended as they did, and we will continue to applaud our crew and the actions of the first responders for many years to come.

We look forward to serving you again soon.

Sincerely,

Doug Parker
Chairman and CEO, US Airways

Hmmmmm.... That seems more like a slap in the face. You survived a plane crash, so we decided to offer you something that you might perceive to have some intrinsic value, but is actually worthless to us so you won't sue us. What a crock... US Airways may have a talented flight crew on some of their planes, but obviously the integrity of the airline is seriously lacking.

Many of the passengers have already received money for their lost baggage and other claims, and are still able to file for more losses in the future. Accepting the money for their damages doesn't waive their right to sue the airline, so after this letter I'm sure there are going to be some cases filed. Unfortunately the drama wasn't nearly severe enough for anybody to sell the movie rights to it, but I'm sure a couple books will come out of this at least. The lawsuits are what I'm really interested in.

This was a sorry sorry move for US Airways if you ask me. The crew deserve praise for sure and the passengers deserve even more praise. You can't offer them some stupid temporary honor for what they just endured. Give me a break. The NY Post wrote up a great story on this that I would recommend reading. Click Here for the article. I'll keep an eye on any developments and rant about them later.