Friday, December 29, 2006

Celebrities Unite!

You know, there comes a point in every celebrity's life when they have to rise up and take a stand against all the injustice in the world. Their hearts are heavy with the suffering and oppression of people dying from disease, genocide and natural disasters. They must, in order to be dutiful and serviceable world citizens, put a face on these grievances and volunteer their notoriety and status to send a message of peace and well-being. Then I threw-up.

One of the many things I hate about celebrities is their attempt to add depth to their personas by adopting a cause. There is nothing lamer than seeing an entertainer, speak out against the war, or advocate for a particular disease or oppressed people. This all in an attempt to make us believe they care about something other than their shallow existence singing, dancing and acting like the trained monkey's they are.

As if they think I respect them so much; I'm willing to donate my time and money to a cause they endorse. I couldn't think of a more conceited, self-serving act to get them the publicity they need to advance their careers. If they truly cared about what's going on in the world, they wouldn't have gone into acting, but instead worked to better the world full time. Unfortunately for them, there's no money in volunteering . . . except when volunteering means you gain more fans to see your movies or buy your CDs.

Same goes for all politicians.


Wednesday, December 27, 2006

TheDailyDrawing.com

Every once in awhile I StumbleUpon an awesome website with a lot of great creative content. One of the more recent ones is The Daily Drawing (www.thedailydrawing.com) by J.W. Every day or so, he posts a time-lapsed video of him drawing, painting or otherwise creating unique pieces of art. His videos are very entertaining and you'll find yourself wasting large amounts of time watching every one of them. So, if you have nothing going on now, and you want to watch a master at his craft, drop by and watch a few. If you’re feeling generous, you could buy something for him off his Amazon.com Wish List.


Tuesday, December 26, 2006

Hello Down There

A great movie from the late 1960's, Hello Down There is a raucous comedy starring Tony Randall, Janet Leigh and featuring a young Richard Dreyfuss. Tony Randall plays the role of Fred Miller, an architect for an underwater development company; his wife Vivian (Janet Leigh) a novelist, and his two children, Lorrie and Tommy are band mates in a band called Harold and the Hang-ups led by Harold Webster (Richard Dreyfuss).

After a less than stellar visit with his boss to the underwater abode, Fred was ordered to tear the house down. Fighting to keep his dream alive, Fred convinced his boss to let him and his family live in the house for 30 days. What emerges is one of the best comedies of the '60s.

I saw it many years ago and it remained in my conscience in the years to follow as one of my favorite movies of the era. I looked for it on DVD but eventually gave up until my Mom found it on Amazon.com. She put it on her Christmas list. Even though I bought it for her, I did so selfishly because I wanted to see it again, on DVD, not the VHS tape was taped it on. If you ever get the chance to see the movie, do it because it's funny, has great music and watching Janet Leigh dance is one of the few joys in my life.


Monday, December 25, 2006

Merry Christmas!

The climax of the holiday season is upon us, from this point on it's all downhill as we begin to put the decorations away, pay those astronomical bills and head back to work. At least we get today, the one day we invested all that work and preparation to enjoy, Christmas day.

Now that the gift-wrap is littering the floor, and the boxes strewn about, we have numerous treasures to cherish for the rest of our attention span. Personally, I made out very well this Christmas day, enough to keep me busy for quite some time. I received gifts from family, friends as well as myself, thanks of course to my mom.

My mom and I have a tradition that started a couple of years ago. On the day after Thanksgiving, my mom will go out and get much of what is on my wish list because of the various deals and coupons that are synonymous with "Black Friday". From what she acquires during her excursions she decides what she wants to get me. Whatever gifts she didn't select, on Christmas day, she brings out and I can exchange and/or purchase them from her. Whatever I don't select she returns.

Below is a list of gifts I received that were on my list. The italicized were items I bought from my mom after all gifts were open.

Nintendo DS
Elite Beat Agents
Yoshi's Island DS

Xbox 360
F.E.A.R.: First Encounter Assault Recon
Lego Star Wars II: The Original Trilogy

Saint's Row
Splinter Cell: Double Agent
Viva Piñata

PlayStation 2
Bully

DVD
Alias - The Complete Fifth Season
The Amazing Race - The First Season
How I Met Your Mother - Season One
The Simpsons - The Complete Eighth Season

Books
Marlfox
The Legend of Luke
No Plot? No Problem!

In addition, there were a couple of surprises, like money and wall clings from my grandparents, as well as a gift card from Clementine. I hope everyone who reads this had as fruitful Christmas as I, and if you missed getting me a gift this year, my birthday is just seven months away.


Saturday, December 23, 2006

Top 10: Holiday Hate List

I thought since the holidays are nearly over, I would create this Top 10 list of things I hate about the holidays.

10. Black Friday - The day after Thanksgiving is considered the biggest and busiest shopping day of the year. It is the one time of year where retailers start making a profit, or move from the red to the black; hence the term Black Friday. It's also the day where retailers battle each other to get customers in their store. To do that, they drop prices on the hottest gifts of the season. This creates such frenzy that people line up outside in rain, sleet or snow to get a hold of these "doorbusters". I love the price drops, but hate the mania, which is why it is number 10 on this list.

09. Crowded Stores - You can count on crowded stores during the holidays. It doesn't matter what time of day or night, the stores will always be crowded with people making their lists and checking it twice. It all makes me feel naughty and not very nice, which is why it's number nine on this list.

08. Commercialism - We live in a culture of commercialism especially during the holidays, but when companies release products specifically to cash in on the holiday hoopla, I have a problem. Every company does it and they practically need to, but it all leaves a bad taste in my mouth.

07. Credit Card Bills - After all the shopping is done and the euphoria of the holidays is over, the bill comes. It's usually the nastiest bill of the year and in the end you have nothing to show for all the money you spent. Naturally, you remember all the joy you brought to your friends and family, but it still sucks.

06. Finding Gifts for People - There is nothing worse than searching for that perfect gift for the difficult to shop for person. This is usually the person who refuses to make a list or gives you that lame, "surprise me" line. Ultimately, it doesn't matter what you surprise them with, they will return or exchange it for something they really want. If they only told you what that was in the first place, it would save everyone a lot of time and effort.

05. Traditions - Recreating the same old holiday year after year for the sake of tradition. When you hide behind tradition, new memories are never made and each year begins to run into the next with no distinction of events. The holiday can become monotonous and predictable. That is not to say that traditions aren't important, they are, but you shouldn't feel the need to recreate an event because you did it the year before.

04. Holiday TV Specials Starring Musicians - We expect holiday movies, holiday commercials and holiday specials, but when musicians have their own holiday specials things get dicey. We've seen Clay Aiken, Jessica Simpson and Nick Lachey and now we are subjected to Rod Stewart crooning old Christmas "favorites". A take on the musical variety show is a pathetic attempt to resurrect a long-gone career.

03. Santa Hats in Public - People who wear Santa hats in public really annoy me. I often wonder if they immediately put those lame hats on at the stroke of midnight on the day after Thanksgiving. They walk around feeling all festive and clever when in fact they're not. What annoys me more is when the entire family partakes in the tradition. Naturally this annoyance doesn't apply to my family, because nobody in my family annoys me.

02. Holiday Decorations in January - I hate almost nothing more than seeing holiday decorations in January. It's the start of the new year, a fresh start filled with new possibilities, yet I'm still constantly reminded about the year before. January first is the date in which all holiday decorations should be down both inside and out and Christmas music put away. This could be the fact that I've been living the "holiday dream" since late October, which brings me to number one.

01. Holiday Decorations before Thanksgiving - Retailers try to coax people into beginning their holiday shopping early by putting up their decorations in October, nearly two months before Christmas. This is disgusting and I hate it, because by the time Christmas rolls around, I'm already sick and tired of having the holiday shoved down my throat every time I step outside.

That's it. That is my Top 10 reasons why I hate the holidays. While there are only ten things on this list, I could think of more. I also could think of many more reasons why I love the holidays, but I'm a squeaky wheel and that's why I created this hate list.


Thursday, December 21, 2006

Highly Disappointing TV's

A few weeks ago, I was ready to buy an HDTV. Best Buy had great financing, no interest until 2010 and I got my Best Buy card credit limit increased for the occasion. Although I couldn't buy the TV I wanted (1080p) with the limit I received, I could get a very respectable HDTV (720p - 1080i) instead.

We walk into our local Best Buy and walk over to the HDTV’s. I looked around for awhile ready to make the leap and take home a 46+" slice of heaven. After seeing the displays, I felt under whelmed and disappointed. This was the supposed leap in picture? Were any of the TVs considered high-def? I wondered if Best Buy was displaying HD content, because everything I was looking at indicated quite the opposite.

The disappointment was hard to handle, this was not what I wanted and not what I expected. I was told in the many articles I read about the subject that what was displayed were not real world examples. Supposedly what I was seeing was better than what I was to expect at home, because they configure their settings to be brighter and bolder than normal. If what I was seeing was disappointing, then when I got home, I would be downright depressed.

Needless to say, I left without an HDTV. I decided that I would do more research on the subject and learn everything there is to know before I set out to buy one. I'm the type of person that wants to buy higher-end in the attempt to avoid spending more money in the end replacing with cheaper models. So, I'll wait a couple of more months and see the prices drop and then make another attempt.


Wednesday, December 20, 2006

Bathroom Blues

Every morning I go to work and the first thing I do is clean the restrooms. It isn't a glamorous job, but it is one I enjoy. It's not that I enjoy cleaning the restrooms, it's more that I enjoy spending uninterrupted time at work first thing in the morning, acclimating myself to the environment. It's a time that no one comes to me asking questions or talking to me because I'm scraping dried poop of the restroom walls and no one wants to get close.

So I spend that time, thinking about the day and wiping down the seat and rim of toilets, making sure to wipe up every last drop of urine. Sounds gross? It is, but I'm used to it. Nevertheless, let me take this opportunity to tell you that the women's restroom is about ten times worse than the men’s. I often wonder how a woman can get fecal matter on the underside of the seat. It could be the result of explosive diarrhea, in which it comes out at such force that it splashes up, coating the entire bowl and seat. It must be one of those marvels of nature.

All of that is a wonder to behold and not nearly as annoying as how men just can't seem to flush the urinal. The handle is right there, waiting . . . nay, wanting to be pulled. I'm sure that it has nothing to do with germs, because after doing their business, some tend not to wash their hands. I know this because I don’t fill the soap container nearly as much as I fill the women’s container.

All can be forgiven however, because women do something men don't. When it is that time of the month, they have feminine hygiene products I must contend with daily. For all those women out there who are unaware, there is a proper way to dispose of these pads and corks. First, grab some bathroom tissue; next wrap used F.H.P. in bathroom tissue, then place it inside the sanitary bag located in the little trash can in the stall. It certainly isn't difficult, and it makes for a much easier restroom cleaning experience.

Everyday I'm amazed at what I come across. On more than one occasion, I have stood back and wondered how someone could physically accomplish that days biohazard. The experience has toughened me up considerably and I can now almost handle anything.


Tuesday, December 19, 2006

Shut Your Pie Hole

Yesterday I went to lunch with my Grandmother while my Grandfather was out with my cousin, Samantha. We went to Newport Bay, a restaurant that specializes in fish dishes but has other things on the menu, thankfully. I got something without fish, a turkey, bacon and avocado sandwich and a cup of clam chowder while my Grandmother ordered the fish tacos. While I'm morally against fish tacos, because they go against nature, I allowed her to order them and I even took a bite of one.

We talked about everything except politics, I firmly believe it was a first for her and I really enjoyed our conversation. I wish more of our conversations had nothing to do politics. We finished lunch and she suggested that we get dessert. Sure, I'm up for anything at this point, even though I was feeling a little full from lunch and my meager breakfast a few hours earlier.

I get the waitress to bring us a dessert menu and we each order the Mud pie. I never eat at Newport Bay, in fact this was probably the first time in more than a decade that I even set foot in one, so I didn't know what to expect going in. We order the $4.50 dessert and I fully expect them to bring out this little piece of Mud pie, because history has shown that by paying more for something, you tend to get less than you should. On the flip side, when you pay less for something, you tend to get more than you should. In this instance, the pie was enormous! I got about halfway through it and I couldn't eat any more. I had to sit back and practically loosen my pants.

After a few minutes of talking, I realized I was still shoveling the pie into my mouth. I wasn't even hungry, I was getting sicker with every bite and I could tell my Grandmother was feeling the same way. We both began laughing hysterically over the situation until finally we both put our forks down. I was able to finish mine, but she left a bite or two.

I was sick through dinner where I ate about one and a half pancakes (Mom felt like pancakes). I didn't eat until about 10:30 the next morning when I had a peanut butter sandwich. I skipped lunch and now I am sitting here at 6:30 with nothing but a yesterday's meal and a peanut butter sandwich in me. Needless to say, that was one big lunch.


Monday, December 18, 2006

Pitch Riddick

Among other things yesterday I bought from Best Buy, Riddick Trilogy. The two disc set has The Chronicles of Riddick: Pitch Black, The Chronicles of Riddick: Dark Fury and The Chronicles of Riddick; all in one neat little package. I should preface this post by saying I am not a fan of Vin Diesel. I hate how he has this badass, action hero persona where he is a man of few words but a lot of force.

All that brings me to Pitch Black, a movie I rented a few years ago and hated. My impression of it now is the same as it was back then, it's nothing more than a glorified made for TV movie. The action is uninspired, the acting is ridiculous and over-the-top, the story was non-existent and the twists were predictable. One might wonder why I would even pick up this set if I hated the movie so much. That would be for Chronicles of Riddick.

Before I would be able to watch Chronicles of Riddick, I would have to sit through a 35-minute animated disaster called Dark Fury. Dark Fury is meant to bridge the story from Pitch Black to Chronicles of Riddick. It features the voice work of original cast members from Pitch Black and tied the stories nicely together, too bad it's practically unwatchable. The production feels rushed, the animation is choppy, and the voice work is terrible. I got the impression the actors didn't want to do this but with the impending release of Chronicles of Riddick, they knew they had to do something to explain what happened immediately following Pitch Black.

After sitting through two terrible movies, it was time to begin watching Chronicles of Riddick. When I first saw the previews, I wondering what Universal was thinking making Riddick a franchise character after such an abominable first movie. The previews looked impressive in scale, but I didn't understand how they were going to tie in the world of Pitch Black with what I was seeing on screen. Although I don't think they did a very good job of tying the two worlds together, Chronicles of Riddick was a much better movie.

Even though Vin Diesel brought back his robotic acting routine and Rhiana Griffith did not reprise her role as Jack, the movie actually had a story and the characters were interesting. I wished I had seen this movie before seeing the others because I might have walked away with a better impression of the franchise. Regardless, Chronicles of Riddick may not be on of my favorite movies, nor would I consider it a great movie, but it certainly has redeemed itself as an interesting sci-fi franchise.


Sunday, December 17, 2006

Summon Mary

Yesterday when my cousins were here, summoning Bloody Mary came up because of the power outage. Both were interested in how to successfully summon Bloody Mary and I showed Samantha my detailed instructions on how to do it. Unfortunately, I was unable to show Charlie because I didn't have power at the time. So I thought I would revisit, for their sake and yours, how to successfully summon Bloody Mary.

The legend has gone through so many incarnations; no one really knows exactly how the legend began, although Queen Mary I of England’s executions of nearly 300 Protestants gave her the moniker “Bloody Mary”. Conversely, the most popular legend has a woman named Mary Worth killing her five children. Mary Worth is the true Bloody Mary and so the following ritual was developed with this legend in mind. I must warn you, by performing the following ritual, you absolutely take your life and sanity in your hands.

NOT FOLLOWING THESE INSTRUCTIONS EXACTLY WILL RESULT IN DEATH!!
What happens when you summon Bloody Mary? A violent and gruesome death for those who don’t correctly summon her. The ritual begins at midnight, on any of the cross-quarter days. Midnight or solar midnight is the axis that links our world to the otherworld; it’s key that you set up before midnight. Here is the most important part of the ritual, if you don’t, Bloody Mary will not appear. You must wet the bathroom mirror with water! Water acts as a conduit to the dead. Next, light five candles and place them evenly spaced from one end of the mirror to the other. This binds Bloody Mary to the mirror as each candle represents one of her murdered children’s spirits. Do not attempt this without the five candles; it is the power of the five spirits that binds Bloody Mary to the mirror. Without the five candles, Bloody Mary will cross over and kill the summoner. The closer to the mirror you place the candles, the closer she will appear to you, as she must stand behind the reflection of the candles. You must then chant “Bloody Mary” five times, once for each of her dead children, at which point she will appear.


Power Play

Last night I was sitting at my computer writing yet another thrilling blog post when all of a sudden the house goes dark. We had lost power. We rarely, if ever lose power because we are on the same power line as a shopping center across the highway. I expected the power to come back on within a few minutes, but since this treacherous wind storm knocked out power to tens of thousands of people, my expectations grew grim.

I got up from my computer and opened the linen closet to feel my way to some flash lights and then made my way to the family room where my mom was getting the oil lamp lit. We had just returned home from Popeye's Chicken & Biscuits with dinner for us, my Aunt Sandy and Cousin Charlie who haven't had power since last Thursday. They were looking forward to not having eat by candlelight.

They arrive and we immediately begin ribbing them about bringing their power misfortune to our neighborhood. We all call the power company to report the problem and hope the power comes back on soon. I really wanted it to come on before SNL because Justin Timberlake was hosting and I remember him being very funny on his last appearance.

After dinner my aunt went to pick up my Cousin Samantha from a church party while Charlie, my mom and I talked in the dark. We received some phone calls from my grandparents and I tried calling Cold Stone in hopes of acquiring some dry ice for our fridge and freezer. My Aunt arrived and they immediately packed up and left.

My mom and I sat at the table, candles burning wondering what to do. It was too dark to read, too dark to play a board game, we ended up parting ways and went to bed. I received a couple of calls from Charlie, one telling me they had finally gotten power and another informing me of why we lost power. I played Contact on the DS for a couple of minutes before closing it and going to sleep at around 10:45pm.

Well, to make a long story short; the cause of the power outage was due to a massive explosion at a substation that knocked out power to nearly 50,000 people. I woke up at 2:40am and saw my my alarm clock flashing 3:32. If I had been awake, I would have caught Saturday Night Live. Blast it all!


Friday, December 15, 2006

Pardon Our Dust

I found this failed Gap commercial by Spike Jonze on Google Video. It obviously wasn't ever used, but if you have ever worked in clothing retail, this kind of behavior by customers is nothing new to you. You can be so fed up with it that you just want to join in on the mayhem.

I love how the video starts small with just a pile of shirts falling to the floor and starts snowballing out of control. There were more than one occasions where the Old Navy I work looked comparable to the video's final result. The difference is that it isn't as funny at the end of the day as it is at the end of the video.

I'm not exactly sure what the "new" Gap is all about. I haven't heard anything through corporate although if you walk into an Old Navy you might notice the stores tone is different, a re-branding if you will. It could be that Gap is going through a similar conversion, but what their intended market will be is still a mystery. I mean, they pretty much have the soccer mom market sewn up. Or it could simply mean that this one particular store is getting remodeled. Whatever the case may be, the commercial is awesome.


Thursday, December 14, 2006

Storm Watch!

There is a big storm raging across Oregon and I had to walk both to and from work in it. My day started at 6:30am this morning when I set off to work in a downpour. During the 25-minute walk, I got wetter and wetter and even wetter still, until all the clothes exposed to the rain changed to a much darker and heavier version of their former selves.

I get inside the store and hang up the sweatshirt I was wearing in hopes that it would dry within the next 9 hours of my day. Every couple of hours during my breaks, I would check to see how dry it was only to find it still very wet and very heavy. I was beginning to get concerned when I got back from my last break to still find it cold and wet. I didn't want to walk home in the rain with my sweatshirt still wet.

By the time I was set to leave, my sweatshirt was damp, but dry enough to be relatively comfortable to wear. I put on my sweatshirt and head outside to brave the elements once again. While it was only sprinkling, the wind was in full force and tossing me around like a hooker who disobeyed her pimp. While waiting for a light to change, I stood and leaned back; the wind was able to support me with ease. During a long stretch of road, the wind was so strong it was difficult to walk against the wind without it pushing you back at every step. I'm certain that if I tried to jump forward, I would fly away.

All the while, I was staring up at trees waiting to dodge them if they suddenly fell. I conjured the ability to foresee disaster as Alex Browning did in Final Destination, playing every conceivable angle in my head with every gust of wind. If a branch was to fall, what were my options? Thankfully, I was able to get home in one piece and alive, but the danger was far from over. Trees could still fall and crash through roofs as we see nightly on the news. If I post tomorrow, you'll know that I made it through the night. Hope to see you then.


Wednesday, December 13, 2006

Me vs. NetSol

Learning valuable lessons really suck sometimes. Last evening I received an e-mail from Network Solutions stating that I would not receive a refund, as I was told, for the $12 Web Forwarding service I blogged about on Sunday. Since I had to get up very early today, I didn't want to get into all the major specifics, so I sent them a quick reply asking for my money because their provided service shutdown all my websites.

I receive an e-mail this afternoon instructing me to call them. I didn't feel like dealing with it, but I felt I had the moxie to take care of it. I call and I get a fella named Frank who, after looking at my file apologetically tells me that I will not be able to receive a refund as it supposedly states in their Terms of Service. Whatever! Who reads the Terms of Service anyway, right?

I asked to speak with a supervisor and he said, "If I knew it would make a difference you would be on with him right now. He would tell you the same thing but be more blunt." He follows it with, "That's how Network Solutions does it." WHAT!?! I thought it was a great quote that made me laugh inside, but I was supposed to be a disgruntled customer so I didn't give any indication of my delight.

After ten minutes, I hung up the phone with Network Solutions without my refund. Frank the consummate salesman that he is, made me think about switching my web hosting over to Network Solutions. While I would receive 2GB more disk space, there are currently more benefits with Yahoo!.

So, let me leave you with this valuable lesson. When you purchase services over the Internet, be aware that you may not receive a refund regardless if you use them or not.


Tuesday, December 12, 2006

The Moody Blues

This week is one that people may want to leave me alone. I thought it was going to be a terrible day, and to some extent, it certainly wasn't the best day I could have had. I woke up with a foul mood and carried it to work. I was tired and sluggish and just didn't want to deal with people's petty problems. One could argue that my mood automatically dictated the kind of day I was going to have. However, the main reason was the thought of having to work with one supervisor who shall remain nameless for everyone's sake. I convinced myself that if he tried to give me any feedback, I was going home.

To my delight, he pretty much stayed away from me. It could have something to do with the conversation we had in the office where I gave him some feedback. It was probably the third or fourth time I gave him this same feedback, so my tone was on the frustrated side. It's one of those aggravating relationships where he gets along with me, but I don't get along with him. It isn't that I don't like him, more that he tries so hard that it becomes annoying. Oh well, I just hope that he and all annoying people stay away from me this week, because if today was any indication then the remaining days should be an absolute treat.


Monday, December 11, 2006

Christmas Lights Spectacular

Ahh, I'm sure everyone in the world has seen this by now, whether on YouTube (www.youtube.com) or in a beer commercial, but since it is the holidays I thought it would be a prime opportunity to remind everyone of the brilliance of this spectacle. It should be noted that synching Christmas lights to music is nothing new, but it took one visionary, Carson Williams of Mason, Ohio to make it a phenomenon in 2005.

The song is Wizards in Winter by Trans-Siberian Orchestra and to synchronize the music he used products from Light-O-Rama (www.lightorama.com). It is rumored that it took him two months and nearly $10,000 to accomplish this. Which just goes to show that for a few thousand dollars and a couple of months, you to could be the belle on your block.

Since this video was posted on the Internet, everyone wants to get in on the action. So all over YouTube there are other Christmas light displays, which look to be valiant efforts, but fall short of the charm that Carson Williams display had. Even Carson Williams himself tried to recreate the magic on a wire frame of his house in a park the city let him use. However, without the house, the display looks vacant and falls short from it's overall brilliance. This is of no surprise; so rarely does a sequel live up to the original.


Sunday, December 10, 2006

Tyler & James Win!!

The Amazing Race is my favorite reality show of all time. The frantic pace and drama keeps me on the edge of my seat, or quite literally climbing the walls. At the start of the season I'm pretty calm, however as the season progresses I become more and more invested in the teams. This season was no different.

From the beginning, I rooted for the modeling recovering drug addicts, Tyler and James and the beauty queens Dustin and Kandice. From the start, I wanted to see one of these two teams win. Throughout the season, other teams began to become favorites like Erwin and Godwin for letting David and Mary win the Fast Forward. Even though they were nice, they as well as David and Mary refused on more than one occasion to race.

Then there were the teams that I didn't care for, like the über-gay Tom and Terry. The both got on my nerves, although when Tom jumped into the water and pulled their sampan to the junk, he single handedly redeemed the team, even though they were eliminated that same episode.

Finally, there are the teams that I hated but loved to watch like Rob and Kimberly. They had the most car trouble and all out bickering that there were moments when I didn't think they were going to make it to the end. Even with all their car trouble, they somehow slid into the final three.

Even though the final three didn't include Dustin and Kandice, there was at least one team I could root for. To my utter delight, the models crossed the finish line first. Then hearing Rob and Kimberly curse "the boys" as they ran to the finish line was the cherry on the sundae.

Thankfully I won't have to wait long for the next season to begin. The Amazing Race 11 will be an all-star season. Some of the most cometitive teams from previous seasons will battle it out the top honor of winning The Amazing Race.


Popeye's Chicken & Rapists

This evening my Mom and I went to Popeye's Chicken & Biscuits, which just opened in our area, to pick up dinner following our visit to Best Buy. We ordered and stood to the side staring at the menu when my Mom started adding menu items up in her head. She discovered that it would be cheaper to purchase separately what we purchased as a meal.

We ordered the 8-piece mixed chicken meal, which includes one large side and four biscuits for $16.49. Looking at the cost of everything separately:

$9.99 - 8-piece mixed chicken
$3.69 - large side
$2.36 - four biscuits @ $0.59 each

The total when buying everything separately comes to $16.04. That's a $0.45 difference! So far, Popeye's Chicken & Biscuits raped us of $0.90. Call the local news and your congressman to inform them of Popeye's egregious behavior.


Me vs. NetSol & Yahoo!

Some things are best left alone as I discovered the hard way today and it all stems from the switch to Blog*Spot. Let me give you a little history on the subject. I purchased my domain name, justjason.com, from Network Solutions (www.netsol.com) then the Small Business web-hosting package from Yahoo! (www.yahoo.com). Yahoo! completely tied justjason.com to the web-hosting package, as they naturally should. This is where Blogger (www.blogger.com) would be publishing my blog.

Fast-forward to present day where you find me wanting to convert my blog to Blog*Spot. Blog*Spot is the service that Blogger uses to host peoples blogs for free. I mentioned some of the reasons in a previous post entitled Welcome . . . again. Now all I needed to do was point justjason.com to my Blog*Spot address and everything would be fine.

I visit Network Solution's website and purchase a service that will forward justjason.com to my Blog*Spot address. The service costs $12 a year and I currently use the service for my three other URLs which all point to files hosted on Yahoo!. I'm very hesitant because DNS (domain name server) settings need to be changed in order for the forwarding to work, and anytime setting changes need to take place it all becomes very complicated very fast.

Against my better judgment, I purchase the service and point justjason.com to my Blog*Spot address. A few hours later I check my website and everything that could have gone wrong did. Not only did my website not come up, but none of my websites did and none of my Mom's websites did. All the connections that connected my domain and my web host were broken, completely interrupting service.

So why did everything go down if the only change was to justjason.com? As I mentioned earlier, Yahoo tied justjason.com to my web-hosting package. This means that all graphics and html pages hosted by Yahoo! had the justjason.com domain attached. Since Network Solutions changed the DNS settings for justjason.com it was no longer pointing to any of my files on Yahoo, therefore nothing was being displayed.

I manually change the DNS settings on Network Solutions back to Yahoo!, but then decide to call Yahoo! and have them reset the DNS settings as well. I call Network Solutions and cancel the web forwarding service. I hope that sometime within the next three days everything will be back to normal.


Monk in B&W?

I just saw a promo for Monk on the USA Network asking if Monk is more "Monkish" in color or in black and white. The December 22 episode will first run in black and white and then immediately run in color. After viewing each episode, you're supposed to vote on which version you liked best.

I don't understand why they are doing this, but after visiting the Monk website I noticed their phobia for the day is Chromophobia, the fear of colors. I'm curious as to whether this has any relevance to the upcoming episode. Regardless, I think this is a ridiculous promotion, but it's something a network whose tag line is, "Characters Welcome" would do.


Saturday, December 9, 2006

Welcome . . . again.

Welcome to the newer Just Jason, a blog devoted to everything about my life. It looks almost identical to my previous blog, as it was meant to, except this time I'm having Blogger host all the posts. I decided to finally go this route so I can take advantage of some of their new features, like Labels.

Labels are exactly like categories and in order for me to easily use categories; I needed to make this dramatic change. What kept me from making this change sooner was the confining HTML editor. I didn't understand how I could edit the HTML to incorporate my design. As you can see, I've done a pretty good job. However, there are a couple of nagging things that aren't worth worrying about.

This is the first of my blogs to make the switch, but I am working on transferring all my blogs over. But, there are some downsides to this; I lose all my previous posts. This isn't as bad as it sounds; I have them all backed up but you won't be able to access them anymore. I was thinking about starting this blog over anyway, to begin fresh and not weighted down with history.

That's the story so far. I hope you stick with me as I attempt to breathe new life into this old blog.