Monday, November 17, 2008
New Camera
Why you ask? Because it can do things like this.
Yeah.... that is underwater filming with a digital camera... sweet.
Thursday, November 6, 2008
The Showdown
Going in I talked a lot of smack, saying I could score 8 of 10 on BB.... I failed. Miserably.
Kyre filmed it for us.
Here it is. (Scroll down)
Saturday, August 2, 2008
Back from Zion
Thank Erik for his great work, as all these are his, I will post more that I like later (when I can gather pics from Dan, Bonnie, Renae, Reggie, Tat, and Mom...)
In the video we are singing (duh) for the Clawson Family Talent Show... we just made up a song. Tat was the lyricist, she did a primo job. Pay attention to the line about our skin tones... It is OK to laugh a lot, Reggie said so.
We had a blast, I really like my family.
Friday, July 18, 2008
Weezer
This is the best work since Pinkerton, far surpassing Weezer (Green), Maladroit, and Make Believe. I highly recommend it, especially the tracks "The Greatest Man who Ever Lived" and "Dreamin'"
Also, I found out that Rock Band 2 is coming out in September. That will be really cool. Jethro Tull will be on there... beat that.
Saturday, July 12, 2008
It's been a while...
So cross lionfish off of the list for things I want. They are finicky eaters and hard to maintain with the other fish. Lesson learned.
Our anemone is doing well though, so that is a plus.
On the very brightside, in 5 weeks, I will be leaving Capital City Bank and venturing back to the "Ivory Tower" of academia. In the midst of those weeks, I have a 2-week vacation. One of those weeks will be spent in Utah at the Quadrennial Clawson Family Reunion. For those of you who know Blair and are immediately thinking, "that doesn't sound like fun" ... you are wrong. In fact, if you are going by your opinion on Blair, you may think the Clawsons are a lot like the Schrutes. This is not true, the Clawsons are actually a fun bunch to hang with. (sidebar: I love Blair, but come on, it is fun to pick on him)
Lastly, if you enjoy The Office (American Version)... check out the British (original) version. Brian "I hate UT-Austin" Barabash lent me the complete series... it is wonderful. The language is a little rougher, because that is how the Queen likes it, but if you can get past that, you won't want to miss the midget/dwarf argument.
Have a great July weekend.
Monday, June 23, 2008
Assistantship
After a few months of swinging and missing (à la the Florida State bats against Miami with runners-in-scoring-position), I was afforded an amazing opportunity by my program head, Dr. Joseph Beckham. He offered me a choice of two jobs that will pay me a small stipend as well as provide me with tuition grants for the coming school year. Both were far better than I deserve (in my mind) and one stood out greatly. So, I am taking the opportunity and running with it (à la Walter Dix and the Back-to-Back-to-Back National Champion Florida State Seminole Track and Field Team.)
For the next year I will be working with Florida State's President, Dr. T.K. Wetherell, developing courses in the Higher Education Department. This is new ground for both of us, so hopefully I won't mess it up too bad for him.
I am very grateful and humbled by this offer and look forward to getting back to school come August. This is a lesson to show that missing out on perceived opportunities is not always something bad, as I theoretically could have been offered other jobs in the past few months and missed on this extraordinary chance, but things have worked out in the absolute best way possible.
Sunday, June 15, 2008
Mufasa
So cross getting me a lionfish off of your list. Yesterday we decided to add to our aquarium family and purchased Mufasa, a red lionfish.
He is fitting in sorta well... meaning he is a solitary loner and is difficult to feed. Hopefully we can figure it out soon.
We also got an anemone and some Mexican snail things... they are cool too.
He looks like this, so the fact that he is hard to feed, highly poisonous, and doesn't socialize with the other fish is not a big deal at all:
In conclusion, there are 50 days shopping days left until my birthday. Remember that down.
Monday, June 9, 2008
Popcorn Popping Right Before my Eyes
Thursday, June 5, 2008
The Eternal Question of No Import
On the ability to control the weather, panelist Logan Anderson concluded, "Maybe I'm just not being very creative here, but I can't see that much use for this power aside from destruction and super cool electrity/fire/water shooting. Which is super awesome, but would eventually not be needed to be used that much. This power jumps up to #2 (almost #1) in my mind, mind you, if it includes the ability to summon Captain Planet." This panelist agrees, Captain Planet rocks.
Telekinesis has been commented on by panelist Lance Anderson thusly, "Any simple scratching of the backside would be easily relieved through the power of your mind. I think that the real reason that Yoda was so feeble and short and everything was because he was too busy lifting X-Wings out of the Dagobah swamp with his telekinesis/force powers, and not pumping some iron with those green wrinkly arms."
Thursday, May 29, 2008
Quick Update on the Life and Times....
Jen is still working at the Tallahassee Neurological Clinic, where life isn't so bad. It isn't where she wants to end up, but, for now while we are childless and I am still studying, it pays the bills.
I am still employed by Capital City Bank, until August 15th when I will make a mad dash for the door and never turn back... except when I have to come and handle personal banking business I guess... CCB has been really good to me in a lot of ways while I've been an undergraduate, but it is time to move on and focus on a career, not just a job.
Yoshi is fully recovered (as far as we know) and is still on his Vitamin K treatment to boost his clotting factors. He has been sorta aggressive towards other dogs since the fiasco, we need to call the vets in Gainesville to see if this is normal. Either way, he will probably be going to obedience school for a quick minute just to get some refreshers (he is great at home, not great other places.)
In August I will be starting a Master's Program in Higher Education at Florida State. I am very excited to get back into school and hopefully I'll never leave again (though once I finish the degree I hope they will pay me to administrate something in some capacity.) I am currently applying for assistantships... so pray for me, because I do not want to be in debt. My end goal is to work in some administrative capacity in the Athletic Department (preferably in Academic Support, but I wouldn't turn my nose up at anything they offer me post-graduation.)
Just so you know, it is 67 days until my birthday. I want a lionfish, an iPod, and a digital camera. Pass it on.
Friday, May 16, 2008
Doppelgänger
Thursday, May 15, 2008
My tax dollars pay this guy?
Monday, May 12, 2008
Geriatric Appreciation
Last night (Mother's Day) I enjoyed a chat with my Grandma Ada and as always, picked up some fun tidbits. In describing Yoshi's appearance to her, I figured I would compare him to something she knew, coyotes. Living on or near a farm in Texas or Kansas for her entire life, she certainly knows about coyotes. So, after coyotes came up in conversation, she dropped this interesting tidbit....
The high-chair and rocking horse that were originally purchased for my Aunt Kay over 60 years ago, which have been used by each subsequent child, grandchild (yours truly included), and great-grandchild, were bought using coyote bounties. Apparently Grandpa John collected bounty on coyotes (@ $2 a pop) to earn additional fundage back in the day. He (presumably) shot them, then cut off their ears and tails to take to the county offices for credit, where they would give him money for helping control the "pest" population.
Amazing. While 2 of my grandparents have passed away, the remaining 2 have vast databases of great stories that I really need to hear while they can still tell them. You don't hear great stories about coyote bounties every day. So the lesson is, enjoy your grandparents while you can!
Hopefully I'll have great stories for my grandchildren, but almost certainly they will not be impressed that I bought their high-chair with my debit card... sad.
Wednesday, April 23, 2008
Potpourri
Sunday, April 20, 2008
Rodenticide is NOT for dogs.
On Monday when I got home from work, I discovered our dog Yoshi was bleeding from his wang. I'm no veterinarian, but I know that isn't normal. I rushed him up the street to our Vet's office (conveniently located about 2/10 of a mile away) and they immediately had him come back into the exam room. X-rays were taken and Dr. Hale (Vet) concluded it was most likely an infection, as no stones were found in the X-rays and Yoshi at 2 yrs. old isn't a likely cancer candidate. We were sent home with an antibiotic and some pain meds for our pup. We were nervous, because Yoshi was still dripping blood and was growing increasingly depressed. He wouldn't eat or drink, and had great difficulty sleeping because of the pain he was in.
By the next morning, we expected the bleeding to subside, yet it was still steady. Jen stayed home from work and took him back to the Vet. Once there, blood-work was done and his red-blood cell count and platelet count were low, and the Vet was worried. By 3 o'clock, Yoshi was not improving, instead he was rapidly getting worse. His blood wasn't clotting and he continued to lose it. I was summoned from work with instructions that we had to get Yoshi to the Veterinary Hospital in Gainesville ASAP. When I arrived around 4:15, Yoshi was immediately loaded into the backseat, with several blankets and hot water bottles to keep his temperature up (his feet were quite cold... which was quite unnerving). Our makeshift doggy-ambulance hit I-10 around 4:40 and we reached Gainesville around 6:20. The drive down was very scary, and I feared we would lose him along the way. One saving grace was Jen's constant work of rubbing him to promote warmth and talking to him to keep him awake and alert. His breathing was shallow and blood-pressure very low when we arrived.
Again, he was rushed back to the exam room and work was immediately begun to keep our little boy alive. After deciding (which in and of itself was difficult for financial reasons) to go ahead with all the necessary tests/treatments to make Yoshi as good as new. Looking back, it was almost silly that we worried about the finances, because in our minds, money can be replaced and Yoshi can't be.
We went about finding a place to lay our heads in Gainesville, and Jason D. Wiggins was gracious enough to donate a one-night hotel stay he had won in a raffle to us. So we went to the hotel, laid down, and worried.
Overnight, Yoshi received a blood transfusion and and plasma booster. In the morning he wasn't much better, but we learned the results of his blood-work from the previous night. He arrived with a red-blood cell count of 11, under 10 is supposed to be fatal and 40-45 is normal for dogs. So we arrived just in time. In the morning it had already doubled to 22, but his clotting factor (platelets) were still precariously low. The Vet on call that night seemed confident that rodenticide (rat poison) was the culprit. The results in the morning were consistent with that diagnosis. Rat poison causes animals clotting to go haywire, eventually killing them.
Yoshi probably consumed it at my parent's house, or at Grandpa's, a week before this all started (it takes one or two weeks to manifest itself). We don't blame them or anything, but we are pretty sure it was at one of those two places.
Throughout the day Wednesday we sat and waited around Gainesville to hear more about our pup. Around 1 o'clock we got to see him for the first time, he was droopy and kinda sedated, but we walked him around a bit outside. To kill time and take our minds off of the events at hand, we went and saw a movie (by the way, Leatherheads isn't that good).
That afternoon Dr. Spect (Gainesville Vet, great guy) informed us Yoshi would have to stay another day for observation and he assured us everything was progressing normally. So we came home because we both had to work Thursday.
After work Thursday, we headed down to Gainesville again to pick up our healthy (-ier) little Shiba Inu. We arrived, the bill was less than we thought, and our dog got a free haircut! (Not really a free haircut, he just had a shaved belly and abdomen because they did an ultrasound on him). His platelet count had tripled in 24 hours and his red-blood cell count was recovering. He should be back to completely normal levels within 2 weeks. He needs Vitamin K every day for 6-8 weeks to keep fighting the anti-coagulants in his system and due to severe trauma to his bladder (3 cathederizations, internal bleeding, and possible clotting) he will continue to leak pee-pee for a week or so (we hope it's only a week). He is pretty much his normal self, his appetite is back and he is generally playful again. He is pretty sensitive about other dogs messing with him, so the Dog Park will have to be put on hold for another week or so.
All in all, it had ended happily... but I never want to go through this again.
Friday, April 18, 2008
Crazy Cup Stacking!!!
I seriously used to do this for an hour every day when I worked at Hawks Rise Elementary. My best time was 9.7 seconds, but most of the time I was around 11 or 12 seconds.
This kid recently set the world record at 6.21 seconds for the full "cycle". (I couldn't find the video anywhere online, but I did see it on PTI)
The "cycle" includes 3 individual stacking formations, a 3-6-3, a 6-6, and a 10 to finish.
This activity is becoming very popular in elementary schools all 'round the country, promoting hand-eye coordination and dexterity. Honestly, I love cup stacking (I know, I'm weird) but the kids of this generation don't need more hand-eye coordination and dexterity (our old excuse about how video games were good for you)... they really just need to run and learn how to enjoy actual exercise.
Thursday, April 10, 2008
Lish told me to...
At the point, John Stockton
"There absolutely, positively, will never be another John Stockton - ever." - Karl Malone
On the wing, Tayshaun Prince
Not for use by children 3 and under, for they could poke their eye out with his pointy knees, elbows, and more elbows. At first glance, you might think the poor man needs a cheeseburger... however, he is one of the hardest working young players in the NBA today. He is an absolute lockdown defender on the ball, capable of guarding any position 2-4 (1 or 5 in a pinch) and is a great help defender off-the-ball. He is so good, he can even embarass other players on my team (evidenced by his unreal block of Reggie Miller in the 2004 Playoffs). As Lish pointed out, he doesn't need the ball in his hands to succeed, and already plays on the most selfless team in the Association, so transitioning to a team where the other players need more touches than he does wouldn't hurt his ego one bit.
Awards and Recognitions: NBA All-Defensive Second Team twice.
Power Forward, Dirk Nowitzki
Dirk, the reigning league MVP, has been by far the most successful European player in NBA history. After trail-blazers such as Drazen Petrovic and the aforementioned Rik Smits, Nowitzki arrived in the wave of European players that has produced great players such as Peja Stojakovic and Hedo Turkoglu. Nowitzki, in a scant 9 seasons, has already become the Dallas Mavericks all-time leading scorer. His defense leaves something to be desired, but he has shown steady improvement throughout his career. In addition to all that, I think Dirk is the one player who would improve the pick-and-roll that Stockton and Malone perfected in Utah. Dirk (arguably) has a better jumper than Karl and is just as adept at driving to the basket. Dirk also offers longer range than nearly all power forwards in league history, leaving his center room to operate without fears of a double-team.
Awards and Recognition: NBA MVP - 2007, All-NBA First Team thrice, All-NBA Second Team twice, All-NBA Third Team twice. NBA 3-Point Shootout Champion - 2006.
Holding down the post, (H)Akeem Olajuwon
"You don't solve Hakeem" - David Robinson
"He's got about 5 moves, then 4 countermoves. That gives him about 20 moves." - Shaquille O'Neal
The Dream, an athletic big man from Nigeria was the first player to capture the MVP, the Defensive Player of the Year, and the Finals MVP all in the same season ('93-'94). He led those '93-'94 Rockets, as well as the following year's squad, to Back-to-Back NBA Championships, giving my team the champion's mentality that it needs. Of course, Michael Jordan playing baseball didn't hurt those Rockets teams... but that is a story for another day. His defense in the middle allows for a weaker defensive player at the 4 (Nowitzki) and his athleticism doesn't slow down a team, as many centers do. He is also one of only 4 (and the most recent) players to ever record a quadruple-double.
Awards and Recognitions: NBA MVP - 1994. Finals MVP twice. Defensive Player of the Year twice. All-NBA First Team 6 times, All-NBA Second Team thrice, All-NBA Third Team thrice. All-NBA Defensive Team 5 times. 12-Time NBA All-Star. Olympic Gold Medalist 1996.
Coming off the Bench, Dennis Rodman
Thought of as a key contributor to 5 NBA Championship teams, Dennis Rodman spent about half of his career coming off the bench, so I figure that qualifies him for being a "6th" man.
A hard-worker, tenacious defender, and instinctive rebounder who never quite lost his love for the short-shorts (so he and Stockton would get along just fine), Rodman is the perfect addition to any team, coming off the bench to add energy and can substitute for either forward position or at center. He is not a selfish player and rarely takes offensive initiative, unless it comes from a rebound putback. When he does shoot, it's high%, Rodman posted a career FG% of .521.
Awards and Recognitions: All-NBA Third Team, twice. NBA All-Star, twice. NBA Defensive Player of the Year, twice. All-NBA Defensive Team, 8 Times. Led League in Rebounds 7 Times.