Archives for March 2006

Suzi Meehle tagged me with this email, so I thought I'd share it here:I'm not really tagging all y'all, just sharing…Four jobs you have had in your life:1. Busboy at Mr. C's2. Deli-man at Bruno's Grocery Store3. Salesman at Castner Knots4. Software Developer at Nichols Research CorpFour Movies you would watch over and over (in no particular order):1. The Sixth Sense2. The Christmas Story3. Raising Arizona4. Animal HouseFour Places you have lived:1. Auburn, WA2. Barnegat, NJ3. Huntsville, AL4. Hermitage, TNFour TV shows you love to watch:1. My Name is Earl2. Most Extreme Challenge (on Spike … [Read more...]

It funny how, at one time, I loved both the Star Wars movies and the Star Trek TV shows. But my how times have changed.I officially hate all three "young Anakin" Star Wars movies which has in turn caused by opinion to go down on Star Wars overall. (As an aside, Natalie Portman is on my hottie list. So I'd watch the movies again just to see her. BUT I still don't like 'em.) I still love Episode IV - the original Star Wars movie. And I also like "The Empire Strikes Back" quite a lot. Even "Return of the Jedi" is pretty good, if you remove the Ewoks and bar-b-que them on a spit over open … [Read more...]

Well, I'm back at Microsoft again. I come to the Microsoft campus two to four times every year it seems. And this year will be no different. In fact, I already know that I'll be back here in November later this year.The Microsoft campus is both impressive and, at the same time, unassuming. On the one hand, the buildings are very pretty. They don't build their buildings any taller than the treeline. So most buildings are no more than 4 floors high. An interesting cultural thing that dictates a lot about how they construct their campus of buildings is that every employee gets a real office - no … [Read more...]

I got this idea from my buddy, Steve. You can read his blog by clicking on the link for "Jethro's Journal of Madness". Steve has been one of my bestest friends since way back in the 5th grade at Weatherly Elementary School. Somehow, he managed to like be despite the fact that I was a jerk. Thanks Steve!Ok - so I took the test and here are the results for me. This sounds about right to me. Your Linguistic Profile:55% General American English35% Dixie5% Midwestern5% Yankee0% Upper MidwesternWhat Kind of American English Do You Speak?Why don't you give it a try and see how you come … [Read more...]

I love open air markets. I love open air markets in Europe most of all. I've decided that I'm going to go to more of them. In fact, I'm going to go to the biggest and most bustling open air markets in every Euro city I visit. One thing that you notice in European open air markets is that the vendors take placement and color very seriously. The market booths are really much prettier than what you'd find at the Farmer's Market back in the States.I was fortunate enough to spend some time in the St Joseph Mercad in Barcelona - and it's just way too much fun. The little girls had put in an order … [Read more...]

It's been a long time since I've done a Remembrance Monday. So it's time to do another one.I'm on another fricken business trip, this time to Seattle, for meetings with the big-M. (Big-M is a euphemism for the world's largest software company, headquartered in the Pacific Northwest.) Now don't get me wrong, I like the Big-M and like trips up here. But I'm just worn out from too much travel. On top of the fatigue and travel, I'm suffering from a nasty case of poison ivy. Oh joy!So anyway, I'd like to talk about a few things I'm thankful for today.1. I'm thankful for an incredible King Salmon … [Read more...]

I had a chance to help my friends from my church at Grace United Methodist with their new and improved physical therapy clinic. The picture at left is of Sharon Lyttle (of the Lyttle Fox's Clinic) and Tim Cochran, another friend from church who was also helping that day.I don't have a picture of Niki Fox, the other partner in the clinic. Niki was there in the morning and had to leave just as I was arriving. But it was good to see her and to let her know that we were thinking about her.A pretty large number of people came by that weekend to help Niki and Sharon get set up in their new space. … [Read more...]

As the father of three daughters, I constantly worry about the threat posed by other human "predators". The statistics aren't good. Something like 20-25% of women in the USA will be sexually assaulted in their lifetime. That number terrifies me because, if true, it virtually assures that one of my girls will come under assault at some point.So this website is just amazing. Enter your address, city, state and zip code and a map will appear that will show you if & where there are registered sex offenders living near you. There is a color-coded legend that shows you what type of offender they … [Read more...]