Conservative Futurist: July 2006

Sunday, July 30, 2006

Darth Vader Unplugged

I laughed so hard at this I thought I was going to pass out. It has a few bad words, so be careful.

Friday, July 28, 2006

Since I have a new BlackBerry and tend to carry my personal cellphone around with me less often, I don't have a camera by which to capture fine moments during the day as I experience them. Otherwise, I would have taken a picture of myself laying by the pool, soaking up the sun while everyone one else in the city worked.

Sometimes, working for a non-profit has its rewards. Every-other Friday off during the summer is one of them!

But now that the clouds are out, I have continued my obsession behind the computer. No, not that. I just bought a new mp3 player, the Creative Zen Vision: M (long name, I know). But man, this thing is AWESOME. My obsession has been getting all of my mp3's and CD's onto this thing using Microsoft's new Windows Media Player 11, which is the first product by MS that is better than Apple (in this case, their iTunes software).

My problem is that my Zen is only 30gb. So, I have been trying to catalogue my songs for the first time so that I can fit what I want on the device. Up until this purchase, my close to 10,000 songs have been residing in individual folders I created within Windows. Unfortunately, most music players won't recognize Windows file structures and more importantly, filenames, which means I have to update almost all of my songs individually to ensure they're catagorized correctly. UGH. Oh yeah, did I mention that I was a total nerd?

My poor wife has been neglected for 3 days while I've been agonizing over this effort. Lucky for her, I'm almost done. Grrr, baby. :)

Wednesday, July 26, 2006

What if it All Ended Today?

I had some fun with FrontPage last night. Check out my WORST FEAR.

I had a great time scaring my friends with that link. I embedded the link to my page within a link for the real Drudge Report, and sent it in an email with the heading: NO WAY!

In response, I received a lot of choice words from freaked out friends. I'm so mean. :)

Tuesday, July 25, 2006

Where Would You Live?

My wife recently sent an email to our family listserve asking this question. Where would I want to live, given the choice of anywhere on the planet? Even though it's a bit sappy, I'm going to post my answer below. Maybe it will give some of you insight into who I am!

Such a deep question!

I have had the fortune of living in many places during my life (East Coast, West Coast, Mid-West, Europe) and I can honestly say that each area has something I couldn't live without.

The west coast has the best weather, hands down. Where else can someone ski in the morning, and relax on the seashore in the afternoon? 75 degrees on Christmas Day, and 75 degrees on the 4th of July give the southwest a special place in my heart. However, the beaches, sun and friendly population of the entire coastline make the west one of my favorite places.

The east coast has all of the action one could hope for. With huge mega-cities and a beautiful, historical landscape, one can be kept busy for years just learning about what each area has to offer. While the people can be a bit harsh, the center of activity, political, economic and social - particularly here in Washington, DC - make this one of my favorite places.

The mid-west, with it's welcoming neighborhoods and down to earth lifestyle makes for a good place to raise a family. Chicago in particular is a big city with a small-town appeal. The people from the Midwest are the most loyal of friends. Even though the winters are terrible and the summers are harsh, the mid-west is one of my favorite places because of the good food, good living and good distance to the other places I love.

Europe, with its rich history, sleepy villages and breathtaking landscapes will make anyone want to stay. The people vary in personality along with the borders and scenery. Most of the continent looks as it did 200 years ago, while the urban centers are the lifeblood of a vibrant and rich culture. You can visit one city in Europe and get a taste of many other cities on the globe. The complexity of its cities and populations make Europe one of my favorite places.

Deserving special mention is Utah. While I only spent a minimal amount of time living in the state (St. George), I came to appreciate the spirit that dwells there. And for a rebellious teen like me, that was a much needed commodity with which I could immerse myself. It's no accident that such a wonderful spirit dwells in such a geographically beautiful place. The mountains, deserts and lakes give Utah enough diversity to make it one of my favorite places and will continue to make it a draw throughout my life.

But do I have an all-time favorite place? Somewhere to which I would retire with my family and disappear from the daily grind? No. Why? Because for any place I could live, I would be leaving something else behind. No one place has it all. So, forgive me as I wax corny for a moment and say that my very favorite place is wherever my wife & best friend is. She has a way of making anyplace I go seem like it is the best place on earth. Silly sounding? I know. True? Absolutely.

Monday, July 24, 2006

Visit the Internet of 1996!

Here are a few classic webpages from 1996 so you can all see how far we've really come. Very entertaining!

To enter the time machine, click HERE.

Here's a few examples:

Best Buy

Lego

Saturday, July 22, 2006

Luray Caverns, VA

We went to Luray Caverns today, 90 minutes outside of DC and the 4th largest underground caverns in the world. VERY cool stuff, literally (it was a constant 54 degrees down there). I felt like Indiana Jones, but probably looked more like Urkle as I took pictures with my cellphone (our digital camera is being repaired). Enjoy the pictures!

This was "Dream Lake." It looks like an open cavern, except that the bottom of the picture is actually water making a perfect mirror of the ceiling above. This was my favorite part of the MILE and a HALF walking tour!

You can see the tiny people winding their way through the caves. It should give you an idea of the massive scale of things below the Earth. We were 160 feet underground at this point.

Here is my wife peeking her way through one of the little doorways and keyholes that were everywhere!

Tuesday, July 11, 2006

Even Doctors Get Sick

Yeah, so I've been waiting to see this dermatologist since April. And, before you ask, no I do not have skin cancer, psoriasis or anything else. I just want to get a little mole removed. No big deal. So anyway, as I was saying, I have been waiting for months to see this guy. However, the day before my appointment arrives, the office calls to cancel on me. So far, it's happened twice. But today, I finally manage to walk 8 blocks in 91 degree weather with a matching percentage in humidity to my appointment - on time. Man was it nasty outside.

Well, I get into the office, fill out all the necessary paperwork and wait about 2 minutes before this red-faced guy wearing a white doctor's labcoat runs through the waiting room, throws open the main door, and runs outside into the hallway where he proceeds to retch violently.

At this point, the staff begins to go crazy. Then I hear someone day, "Are you alright Dr. X?" Great, I think to myself. This is MY doctor.

Then poor Dr. X yells, "Ugh... buuurp... cancel all of my appointments. I'm going to the emergency room!! Blegghhhhh!"

I casually walk to the counter and ask, "So, when should I come back?" The receptionist looks at me like I was walking on someone's grave, and then says: "Uh, you know... um... Dr. X is not usually like this." Yeah, no crap. "I'm not sure when you should come back."

I say, "Aren't there any other doctors that work here that I can see? I've been trying to get in since April."

Again, the bewildered look.

"Sir, you can call tomorrow if--" She is cut off by another receptionist who offers me to another doctor tomorrow. Normally, I would have said forget it, I'll go somewhere else. But I want to see how this drama ends, so it looks like I'll trudge back over there to see if my original doctor is dead or in a coma.

"He's not normally like this." LOL.