Today at home...

It was a good day today. The weather was very nice and i wished that i was out ridding. But, you know, house stuff has to be done. I went outside and i cut the grass and used the Weed Eater to trim the edges. I also put our fertilizer on the grass for the nest rain that we are supposed to get on Wednesday.

I am a nut when it comes to my yard. I love to have a green lawn and have it nicely trimmed. IT always makes the house look better when the yard is looking good. Our home Owner's Association are Nazis. We cannot have Crab Grass in our yard or we can get fined by them. Last summer they mailed out letters to everyone that had a problem with their lawn. We got a letter from them and i was PISSED!! IT was the hottest part of the summer and we were on water restrictions due to lack of rain. i have a sprinkler system, but it can only do so much.

Well, i reseeded and aerated during the fall and i have new grass that is coming up this spring. I hope that we get good rain this year and that i am able to put a sprinkler system in the back or a zone as they call it. We will see...

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GPS MAP on Google Earth Overlay

Well, here it is. my friend Jeff got me the GPS data for the last 2 trips that we have taken to Pocahontas State Park.




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Friday Bike Ride...

Well we went to Pocahontas Park today. The weather was very nice, about 70deg f with a little wind and some clouds. It was just a perfect day to ride. We went to the Blue trails and then Red. Once we were on the Red Trails, we went to the Double Red Diamonds!! That was the hardest trail that i have ever done. It is the hardest in the park for that matter!!

There would be rocks, trees, and stuff like that to go over. WE had some trails that went downhill and at the bottom would make a 90deg right turn in a bunch of trees and then straight back to the top with more obstacles and rock, roots and trees to go over. This weekend my friend Jeff is going to get the GPS data to me so I can overlay it on Google Earth. We did a total of 7.2 miles with 790 feet of Elevation Changes today. I am tired and my knees are very sore, but it was all worth it!!


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This week...

I am on my last day of shift rotation this week. I get 3 days off after today. We are supposed to go ridding tomorrow, weather permitting. It has been a blur here at work. So much goes on during the day it is incredible.

I wet to Chipotle to eat last night. I got my usual Barbacoa, rice, cheese, and sour cream. They ran out of the meat. The owner asked to me wait for about 5 minutes and she would give me extra. I did and in the end, she comped the whole meal!! I was really impressed!! That is the way to take care of customers!! I love their food as it is all natural, no steroids in the meat. Very Tasty!! If you have one near you go and try their food. You will not be disappointed!!

I just wanted to get out a quick post. everyone have a good day...

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This Blog...

For all who read this blog and for all who make comments on this blog know this. This is my BLOG and my personal thoughts. I know that some will not agree with them and that is your prerogative. IF you choose to attack about my comments, then do so via email. it is on the "badge" section on the left hand side of the blog.

The shooter was a "resident alien" Not a resident of america. He and his family do not have "citizen" status. They live here as guests so to speak and in my opinion, should not be allowed to purchase firearms.


Amendment II
A well regulated militia, being necessary to the security of a free state, the right of the people to keep and bear arms, shall not be infringed.

Where does it say "resident alien" bare arms?? The "people" to me, refers to legal citizens of the USA whether they be nautral ot immigrants.

In U.S. law, an alien is a person who is owing political allegiance to another country or government and not a native or naturalized citizen of the land where they are found.[1] Types of "alien" persons are:

An alien who is legally permitted to remain in a country (which is foreign to him/her) on specified terms may be called a "legal alien" of that country.

An alien who has temporary or permanent residence in a country (which is foreign to him/her) may be called a "resident alien" of that country.

A visitor with the legal right to visit a country (which is foreign to him/her) may be called a "nonresident alien" of that country.

The term illegal alien describes a foreign national who resides in another country unlawfully, either by entering that country at a place other than a designated port-of-entry or as result of the expiration of a non-immigrant visa. (See illegal immigration)

An enemy alien is an alien who is designated as an enemy.


I am entitled to my opinion because The Bill OF Rights grants me that privaldge.


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Welcome to Innsbrook After Hours 2007

It looks like another good season at Innsbrook After Hours. The 2007 season has some good acts comming and most tickets are very reasonable. We saw some good shows there last Spring and Summer.


Featured Upcoming Concerts
->
Wed May 2nd: "Weird Al" Yankovic
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Wed May 9th: The Derek Trucks and the Aquarium Rescue Unit
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Wed May 16th: Elliott Yamin
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Wed May 23rd: Dark Star Orchestra
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Wed May 30th: Huey Lewis and The News
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Wed June 6th: LIVE
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Wed June 13th: Gin Blossoms
->
Wed June 20th: Doobie Brothers and Little Feat


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Virginia Tech...

I normally try to stay away from current topics like this, but this hits very close to home as it is. We in America have been too lax in our immigration policy for too many years!! Bush says that he is trying to protect America by fighting a way on foreign lands all the while leaving our borders, Canada and Mexico, OPEN to both of those countries. WE do not know who or what is crossing these borders.

We need to close the border for good and then deport all foreign nationals that are in here without passports. The ones that have the proper papers will have to be subjected to a RIGOROUS background check. They need to be sent home and then they will have to reapply for a new visa status. Any mark on their records and they would not be admitted to the USA. I am all for people wanting to better themselves and come here legally. All of the crossing the borders illegally has GOT TO STOP!! All foreign persons that live here shall go through the proper channels to stay here and if they get in trouble, DEPORT THEIR ASSES!! 1 STRIKE AND OUR ARE OUT!! NO EXCEPTIONS!! NO IMMUNITY!!

Sure, this might piss off a few countries for a while, but we get no such treatment like we give people here and look what has happened. A Korean National on a Student Visa has killed 32 people for WHAT?? To prove a point that he was pissed at a teacher or a girlfriend?? What a WASTE OF LIFE! This would have never happened if more stringent immigration policies were in place! Their needs to be beater back ground checks on people coming into our country, much like other countries do to us.

What the most sick part of this whole situation is that the killer is applauded in other countries for killing Americans. Other places do not value life as we do. I am beginning to wonder how much value we place on it with the body count adding up in the War??


MSN.com =
Thirty-three people were confirmed dead after the bloodbath Monday, including the gunman, whom police identified as Cho Seung-Hui (pronounced Choh Suhng-whee), of Centreville, Va., a senior in the English Department. Cho was a resident alien who immigrated to the United States from South Korea in 1992.

This just PISSES me OFF to no END!! WHAT A TOTALLY WASTE OF LIFE!

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Step 3, Its is a very hard one: My story Part 3

Part 3…

So where was I? I had to believe in a power that was bigger than my self. Ok, I decided to believe that God was my power and that he could help me and heal me. It took faith. That was the hard part because that lead to Step 3 – Made a decision to turn our will and out lives over to the care God as WE understood him. This also took a leap of faith. I mean, we had to believe that someone, not us, could help us and then we had to turn our Will over to him. That would mean that we were not in control anymore. That was very scary!! Much of the addicted person’s attitude stems from FEAR!

This sounded like what we should have been doing all of our lives. But it was the other way around. I did not do what God wanted; I did what I wanted to do. I was afraid to succeed in life and I was content with where I was at. Like my old Sponsor says, It is a “Self Will Run Riot” I did what I wanted to do with no regard to who I hurt in the process and to how many times I did it to them. SO in order to be able to do this, I had to shut the little voice down inside of me and try to pray and listen to what someone else, God, wanted me to do. This was and is still very hard to do.

So a prayer would be like if it is Your will, let it be done, not what I want but what you want for me because everything I wanted got me to rehab and miserable. I was trying to control everything around me and I could not control anything. I was totally powerless and no matter how hard I tried to be in control, I was not. So I had to let someone else be in control. But Free Will is a Bitch and I can and do take back control of my life. It is a constant struggle with this step. I want things my way NOW! Most addicts are very self centered individuals and want instant gratification, drugs do that…

I had to remember that I was going to try a different way and let someone else take care of me. The faith thing comes in here. I have to believe that God had a plane for me and that things will unfold as they should. That whenever I take control back, that plane gets messed up.

This step is very hard to put down on paper. It is a very faith based step and it is not a hard fact concept, it is very ethereal. Because you have to believe in a higher power and also that he/she/it is concerned for your well being. I said He/She/It because remember, the “Higher Power” aspect is as you understand, not what I think it should be. This is a key aspect to this whole “recovery” program. If you can’t say God, it can be tree, doorknob, floor mat, ANTYHING, as long as you believe.

SO I guess that in this portion of the program, God was taking care of me at LAHA. By 2.5 weeks, my cravings were gone, I guess because I had a grain of faith and I wanted to get my life better. I saw some pitiful sights that and also some true miracles being preformed. We learned that every day was a miracle because we were not dead or in jail and that we were or at least had the opportunity to “recover” At LAHA, you could feel the energy, and it is a very spiritual place. There was lots of healing that occurred. There were lots of other places that I could have gone; I am eternally grateful that was able to go there and to get my life in order. I would have been dead or in jail at the rate I was going…

This always reminds me of a poem by Max Ehrmann titled “Desiderata”
Here it is:

Desiderata

Go placidly amid the noise and haste,

and remember what peace there may be in silence.

As far as possible without surrenderbe on good terms with all persons.

Speak your truth quietly and clearly;

and listen to others,even the dull and the ignorant;

they too have their story.

Avoid loud and aggressive persons,

they are vexations to the spirit.

If you compare yourself with others,

you may become vain and bitter;

for always there will be greater and lesser persons than yourself.

Enjoy your achievements as well as your plans.
Keep interested in your own career,

however humble;

it is a real possession in the changing fortunes of time.

Exercise caution in your business affairs;

for the world is full of trickery.

But let this not blind you to what virtue there is;

many persons strive for high ideals;

and everywhere life is full of heroism.

Be yourself.

Especially, do not feign affection.

Neither be cynical about love;

for in the face of all aridity and disenchantmentit is as perennial as the grass.

Take kindly the counsel of the years,

gracefully surrendering the things of youth.

Nurture strength of spirit to shield you in sudden misfortune.

But do not distress yourself with dark imaginings.

Many fears are born of fatigue and loneliness.Beyond a wholesome discipline,be gentle with yourself.

You are a child of the universe,

no less than the trees and the stars;

you have a right to be here.

And whether or not it is clear to you,

no doubt the universe is unfolding as it should.

Therefore be at peace with God,

whatever you conceive Him to be,

and whatever your labors and aspirations,

in the noisy confusion of life keep peace with your soul.
With all its sham, drudgery, and broken dreams,it is still a beautiful world.

Be cheerful.

Strive to be happy.

This poem is a good set of principals to live by, very spiritual based as well. When you let some one else take control, wonderful things start to occur. You will and have started the process to “recover” But there are many other steps that need to happen and even if you “recover” they should be practiced in you life. I am sorry that I can’t put down more thoughts on this, but we will go to Step 4 – Made a Searching and Fearless Moral Inventory of Ourselves. This one is a doosey!!! Very hard and very emotional, you get to the core of your bull that you have carried and spewed for all those years. You will have to look at yourself and be very critical and analyze your very core. It sounds daunting and it was and is… SO more on this at another time.

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The Death of Windows XP :-(

Well, we all knew that this was going to happen. Microsoft announced that as of January 31, 2008 No more copies of Windows Xp Pro or Home edition will be sold in any store.

According to an article that I read:

"Microsoft has confirmed that from 31 January 2008 large PC makers, such as Dell, HP and Toshiba, will no longer be able to buy licenses for the software so they can install it on new machines.

However, a poll released in early April suggests that Vista has yet to win over significant numbers of potential customers. The study of 2,223 web-using Americans found that although 87% had heard of the operating system only 12% of those who knew of it were planning to install it.

Microsoft is keen for consumers to start using Vista While the survey did find that some people waited for Vista before buying a PC, 60% said its appearance had no effect on their spending plans. It also found that 79% of those questioned were using Windows XP on their home PC."

According the article, Microsoft will support XP for several years longer. This comes as no surprise to me. Microsoft is trying to force the consumer and Industry to migrate to the new Vista Operating system. The main problem is that many will not want to have to upgrade their hardware to meet Vista’s minimum requirements that are much higher that those of Xp’s.


To compare the system requirements:

XP Professional:
PC with 300 megahertz or higher processor clock speed recommended; 233 MHz minimum required (single or dual processor system);* Intel Pentium/Celeron family, or AMD K6/Athlon/Duron family, or compatible processor recommended
128 megabytes (MB) of RAM or higher recommended (64 MB minimum supported; may limit performance and some features)
1.5 gigabytes (GB) of available hard disk space*
Super VGA (800 x 600) or higher-resolution video adapter and monitor
CD-ROM or DVD drive
Keyboard and Microsoft Mouse or compatible pointing device




Vista Requirements:
Home Premium / Business / Ultimate
1 GHz 32-bit (x86) or 64-bit (x64) processor
1 GB of system memory
40 GB hard drive with at least 15 GB of available space
Support for DirectX 9 graphics with:
WDDM Driver
128 MB of graphics memory (minimum)
Pixel Shader 2.0 in hardware
32 bits per pixel
DVD-ROM drive
Audio Output
Internet access (fees may apply)
Additional Requirements
Actual requirements and product functionality may vary based on your system configuration. Windows Vista Upgrade Advisor can help you determine which features and edition of Windows Vista will run on your computer.
While all editions of Windows Vista can support multiple core CPUs, only Windows Vista Business, Ultimate, and Enterprise can support dual processors.
Home Premium / Ultimate
TV tuner card required for TV functionality (compatible remote control optional).
Home Premium / Business / Ultimate
Windows Tablet and Touch Technology requires a Tablet PC or a touch screen.
Ultimate
Windows BitLocker Drive Encryption requires a USB Flash Drive and a system with a TPM 1.2 chip.

As you can see, it takes much more of a base computer to run the Vista package as compared to the XP Pro computer.



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Very busy day...

It has been another very busy day in the Fab. I hope to be able to post soem times this weekend about Step 3 in my 12-Step series that i am doing. I have had a good 2 days off, but that all ended today at work. All i can say is that it is very crazy here. This is the first time today that i have been able to relax, other than lunch.

Well, i gotta go for now.

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Type-O-Negative in Concert!!!!

My brother and I are going to see Type-O in CONCERT!!!

The Venu is Sonar, 7:00pm

407 E. Saratoga Street

Baltimore 21202

United States

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DC and Music...

I will have some new pics to post tomorrow our DC trip tomorrow. I will post all the pics on my FlikR page as well.

I am going to do a series on Hooverphonic and their music this week.

Our website is still down at the moment. i have ran into a problem with the hosting company and their customer service line is never answered! So i do not know if i will have the site up any time soon.

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Our Cat...Sugar Ghost

Here is pic of our cat. She has been with us since we lived in Colorado. She is de-clawed and safe for home use!!! She would try to sneak out and sit in the snow in Colorado and Massachusetts... Very strange and i bath her about every month. She does not seem to mind. She has a big attitude for a little house cat!!

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Days?...

WE are going to DC tomorrow to go and tour The White House and then The Capital. IT should be a very good tour for us to see. The weather is very nice today. I hate to be in the Fab today. I stepped outside and was like WOW, it felt very good. It is amazing how nice it is after we had snow on Saturday morning. It has been a very busy morning here at work…

Last night my right knee was hurting very bad. I hurt it about 20 years ago in a snow skiing accident I had in Winter Park Colorado. I tore my knee up, but I never had it fixed. So from time to time it acts up and hurts me. It started hurting when I got home from work and got worse thru the evening. Around 10pm, I have to put a rap on it and I slept with it on all night. It is a little tinder today. I only got about 4 hours of sleep due to this and the change over to days. It sucks. I am tired today.


DAYS ARE CRAZY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

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Day Shift...

I am back on day shift. I am not really happy about, but there is nothing that i can do about it at the moment. Perhaps that will change in the future. Also, our website is down at the moment. I am having to deal with getting it xfered to another hosting service and it is a pain in the but to get it done. I hope to have it back up and running by the weekend...

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Type-O-Negative – Dead Again: Another Look at the Album.

1. Dead Again

2. Tripping A Blind Man

3. The Profits Of Doom

4. September Sun

5. Halloween in Heaven

6. These Three Things

7. She Burned Me Down

8. Some Stupid Tomorrow

9. An Ode To Locksmiths

10. Hail And Farewell To Britain

• Peter Steele – Lead vocals, bass guitar, guitar, and keyboards
  
• Josh Silver – Keyboards, synth, effects, programming, backing vocals
  
• Kenny Hickey – Lead & rhythm guitars, backing vocals
  
• Johnny Kelly – Drums, percussion, backing vocals
  

Upon listening to the album for a while now, I have to say that the best tracks are not the one that is going to be a single. Where as it is good, clocking in at 10:47, it is in my opinion, not the highlight. The 2 tracks that strike me as the top tracks are September Sun (9:47) and Halloween in Heaven (4:50). The production on this album is very clean and crisp as always with plenty of Steel's 4 string bass and Silvers keys. Strangely, the drums are not very heavy. Their off beat splash cymbal that is ever so present in almost all of the last 2 albums is very thin and wispy. The drums are crisp, clean and very crisp as well as being very thin, almost to the point of understated compared to the other albums "rock drums". The most comparable album to this style is October Rust in production. October Rust is comparable by me to Pink Floyd – The Dark Side of The Moon; The pinnacle of production that a band could do.

Dead again is a good album and worthy of purchasing if you are a Type-O fan. Halloween In Heaven is a rocking track where the guitars have a strong attack with a punk influence over 130BPM. This production is more fitted to some of the earlier works, but the addition of a female vocal byTara VanFlower of Lycia adds some interesting twists to the song. Her soulful style is a stark contrast to Steel's powerful vocal style. This song gives details an afterlife in which many late Rock and Roll musicians, such as John Bonham and Bon Scott, play music in Heaven. Here are the lyrics:

The dead they got that morbid beat It goes deo deo

They dance upon decaying feet

With their black toes oh no

Heaven Limbo and Hell Purgatory oh well oh well



Halloween in Heaven It's Christmas in Hell

Halloween in Heaven Oh well oh well



The devil stole a Yule tree Decorated with souls

Jesus trick or treating As Him below

Heaven Limbo and Hell Purgatory oh well oh well



Halloween in Heaven It's Christmas in Hell

Halloween in Heaven Oh well oh well



Bonham on drums Entwistle on bass As guest morticians

Bon Scott on vox Rhoads just for kicks

On guitar Hendrix Lennon sits in

With his friend George But where is Morrison?



Of course I cried When I heard they'd died

And took a part of me Same time gave

From beyond the grave Became what was to be



Elvis ain't dead So he isn't here Party never ends

Demon roadies angel groupies Suicide losers

If only I'd known how cool death is

I'd have killed myself sooner



Of harps and choirs Pumpkin pine pyres

Flames of red and green Orange and black

Years to take me back Christmas or Halloween



Halloween in Heaven It's Christmas in Hell

Halloween in Heaven Oh well oh well

Many of the themes of this album deal with Christianity, Steel is said to have found his Christian Faith in recent interviews. September Sun's intro reminds me of G&R November Rain! The piano is the same chord progression as that song. During the song, if you listen closely, you can hear near the end, Hitler speaking. It seems that he is talking about a lost love in his past. IT has the big gothic intermissions like many of their other songs. They have a good album and these tracks could be good radio tracks if edited properly. Here are the lyrics:

September sun blowing golden hair Now keep in mind son

She was never there October's rust

Bisecting black storm clouds

Only the deaf Hear my silent shouts



Yet in the dark Still he screams your name

Nights living death With witch rhymes insane

Ten years amassed Para toda mi Vida?

Lost man in time Was his name Peter?



September sun rotted Flatbush porch

I would have run then Had I known the cost

Autumnal rays turned your eyes to stone

Did it give you pleasure To steal my soul



Leave her alone Me? – I know why

This was all written and edited using MS Word 2007 to publish this post.

Happy Easter Sunday. Christ Has Risen!!

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Snow in April?? Really??

It snowed last night here. The weather man got it correct for a change at http://www.nbc12.com/. That is our local station. The forested a 60% chance and it was correct!! I woke up around 3am and i saw snow flakes. I got up around 6.30am and there was snow all over the ground here. I have some pics of the weather event...

It is all melted this evening. It kind of reminded us of the snows we would get in Colorado. They would come during the night and be gone before early afternoon.

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Pocahontas State Park

We went on a big ride today at Pocahontas State Park!! We ended up riding 8.2 miles with about 820feet of elevation changes also. We rode the Red and Blue trails which had lots of trees to go over and also a Half-Pipe to ride in and out of like at Powhite Park. They were great trails to go on and i hope tomorrow to have the GPS data to place over a Google Earth pic of the trip.

Here is a link to a TOPO map of Pocahontas State Park.

Here is a link to other Moutain Biking Trails in Central Virginia.

Here is a link to the TOPO map of Powhite Park.

The trails are not so steep as to where they tire you out after the first run. There are some long open runs where you can get up some speed and also go down hill. Over all, i have a very good ride today and the weather was not bad at all!!

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Google...The Empire Invades.

We all know that Google is like The Empire in Star Wars. Well, here are the Top 11 Google products that we will never see. I found this on www.BBspot.com. It is a funny site that makes fun of most Tech things. Google even ownes this blog site! What is next? TV??


Google Products We'll Never See

11. Google Hitman Assistant - Find, schedule, and collect on all your assassinations with this suite of products.

10. Googlearchy - Tired of democracy? Install the government that everyone loves without annoying pop-up ads.

9. Google Smite - An extension of Google Earth uses laser beams attached to the satellites to exact revenge or just have some fun for paid subscribers.

8. Google Carnage - Use real-time satellite images to zoom in an see car, train, or plane crashes and other disasters.

7. Google Ogle - The hottest unsecured webcams on the Internet.

6. Googlebator - Used with Google Ogle it's our first attempt at hardware.

5. Google Alibi - Paid service that will provide you with a credible account for your whereabouts.

4. Google Telegraph - Dash-Dot, Dash-Dash-Dash, Dash

3. Google Gaggle - The only search engine for geese.

2. Google Invading Force - Some pesky third world country got you down? Send in the troops with Google's new troop management tool.

1. Gogoel - Search, for dyslexics.


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