General Archives
Oct
05
Wow, could you get more superficial?
A listing that showed up on Craig's list not too long ago:
What am I doing wrong?
Okay, I'm tired of beating around the bush. I'm a beautiful
(spectacularly beautiful) 25 year old girl. I'm articulate and classy.
I'm not from New York. I'm looking to get married to a guy who makes at
least half a million a year. I know how that sounds, but keep in mind
that a million a year is middle class in New York City, so I don't think
I'm overreaching at all.
Are there any guys who make 500K or more on this board? Any wives? Could
you send me some tips? I dated a business man who makes average around
200 - 250. But that's where I seem to hit a roadblock. 250,000 won't get
me to central park west. I know a woman in my yoga class who was married
to an investment banker and lives in Tribeca, and she's not as pretty as
I am, nor is she a great genius. So what is she doing right? How do I
get to her level?
Here are my questions specifically:
- Where do you single rich men hang out? Give me specifics- bars,
restaurants, gyms
- What are you looking for in a mate? Be honest guys, you won't hurt my
feelings
- Is there an age range I should be targeting (I'm 25)?
- Why are some of the women living lavish lifestyles on the upper east
side so plain? I've seen really 'plain jane' boring types who have
nothing to offer married to incredibly wealthy guys. I've seen drop dead
gorgeous girls in singles bars in the east village. What's the story
there?
- Jobs I should look out for? Everyone knows - lawyer, investment
banker, doctor. How much do those guys really make? And where do they
hang out? Where do the hedge fund guys hang out?
- How you decide marriage vs. just a girlfriend? I am looking for
MARRIAGE ONLY
Please hold your insults - I'm putting myself out there in an honest
way. Most beautiful women are superficial; at least I'm being up front
about it. I wouldn't be searching for these kind of guys if I wasn't
able to match them - in looks, culture, sophistication, and keeping a
nice home and hearth.
And the first response ...
Dear Pers-431649184:
I read your posting with great interest and have thought meaningfully
about your dilemma. I offer the following analysis of your predicament.
Firstly, I'm not wasting your time, I qualify as a guy who fits your
bill; that is I make more than $500K per year. That said here's how I
see it.
Your offer, from the prospective of a guy like me, is plain and simple a
cr@ppy business deal. Here's why. Cutting through all the B.S., what you
suggest is a simple trade: you bring your looks to the party and I bring
my money. Fine, simple. But here's the rub, your looks will fade and my
money will likely continue into perpetuity...in fact, it is very likely
that my income increases but it is an absolute certainty that you won't
be getting any more beautiful!
So, in economic terms you are a depreciating asset and I am an earning
asset. Not only are you a depreciating asset, your depreciation
accelerates! Let me explain, you're 25 now and will likely stay pretty
hot for the next 5 years, but less so each year. Then the fade begins in
earnest. By 35 stick a fork in you!
So in Wall Street terms, we would call you a trading position, not a buy
and hold...hence the rub...marriage. It doesn't make good business sense
to "buy you" (which is what you're asking) so I'd rather lease. In case
you think I'm being cruel, I would say the following. If my money were
to go away, so would you, so when your beauty fades I need an out. It's
as simple as that. So a deal that makes sense is dating, not marriage.
Separately, I was taught early in my career about efficient markets. So,
I wonder why a girl as "articulate, classy and spectacularly beautiful"
as you has been unable to find your sugar daddy. I find it hard to
believe that if you are as gorgeous as you say you are that the $500K
hasn't found you, if not only for a tryout.
By the way, you could always find a way to make your own money and then
we wouldn't need to have this difficult conversation.
With all that said, I must say you're going about it the right way.
Classic "pump and dump."
I hope this is helpful, and if you want to enter into some sort of
lease, let me know.
And the second response ...
Dear Pers-431649184:
Your also came across your posting with great interest. I am a 28 year old Wall Street trader who qualifies as an eligible suitor under your $500k/yr rule. In fact, I make over a million and can usher a woman into a comfortable, true middle class lifestyle (not like those 500k lower-middle class chumps who have to make do with the junior two-bedroom).
I am sympathetic to your goal in finding a rich man to marry. The milk needs to be sold by the expiration date. But since this is premium milk, why would you settle for less than premium prices? I would like to address some of the questions that were previously missed by the other gentleman and provide constructive advice on where to find your match.
I also do believe in the efficient market theory, and am surprised that $500k hasn't found you yet. There are plenty of rich lawyers, investment bankers and hedgies to go around in this city. What gives? I think the problem might be that you have not been sufficiently focused in your search efforts.
The culprit, I believe, may be that you are also looking for qualities aside from money - such as looks, personality, and a sense of humor. However, men who have those qualities learn at an early age that they do not need money to attract quality women. As the saying goes, if you can get the milk for free, why pay up for the cow?
What you need to look for is someone who is long money, and short the other aspects. They are not easy to spot, since you are biologically wired to overlook and ignore them. However, the next time that you are at a expensive black tie event, and you are introduced to the short, bald, overweight man who fidgets nervously whilst making conversation with you, pay special attention to him.
Here's an inspirational story for you. An acquaintance of mine who was also an classy and articulate woman as yourself was able to land that guy - who also happens to be one of the top ten guys at Google. This is the type of stuff that gold-digging moms read to their gold-digging daughters at bedtime. Perhaps you need to make a location change to Silicon Valley - miracles like these happen almost everyday in a land where you can randomly throw a rock and hit a rich nerd squarely in his Kim-jong Il glasses.
And as far as his deficiencies go, they turned out to be not so bad. With hundreds of millions in the bank, she's been able to clean him up and give him a little sophistication. Think of it as a fixer-upper project with a massive budget (and yourself as a visionary real estate developer!). Although, I must warn you, it is a fine line you are flirting with - you must not overdo it lest he begins to attract younger women who are hotter than yourself. The trick is, you need build him up enough to be presentable, while simultaneously manipulate him into believing you are the best that he will ever do! That and having kids will be your insurance against your depreciation (or as I prefer to use the term, milk going sour).
I wish the best of luck on your sales project. As for me, I am also available for a short-term lease. However, for marriage I wouldn't consider a woman unless she can bring beauty, brains and self-motivation to the table. I do not want to dilute my gene pool and end up raising a bunch of Paris Hiltons.
The funniest part about this post is her claim of, "I'm articulate and classy." Anyone who actually was classy would not be posting this message on Craig's list or anywhere else.
Mar
17
Chicago and St. Patty's Day
I've been visiting friends in Chicago for the last few days and have had many good times. I'll write about them more later but as St.Patrick's day is coming to a close I thought I would share some Irish toasts with you all. Here they are:
Saint Patrick was a gentleman,
Who through strategy and stealth,
Drove all the snakes from Ireland,
Here’s a toasting to his health.
But not too many toastings
Lest you lose yourself and then
Forget the good Saint Patrick
And see all those snakes again.
---
May the light always find you on a dreary day.
When you need to be home, may you find your way.
May you always have courage to take a chance
And never find frogs in your underpants.
---
Here's to lying, stealing, and cheating!
May you lie to save a friend;
May you steal the heart of the one you love;
and may you cheat death.
---
As you slide down the banister of life, may the splinters never point in the wrong direction.
---
Here's to the old lady up the hill.
If she won't drink it, I will!
---
Here's wishing you the top o' life without a single tumble.
Here's wishing you the smiles o' life and not a single grumble.
Here's wishing you the best o' life and not a claw about it.
Here's wishing you the joy in life and not a day without it.
---
May Christ and His Saints stand between you and harm.
Mary and her Son.
Patrick with his staff.
Martin with his mantle.
Brigid with her veil.
Michael with his shield.
And God over all with His strong right hand.
---
May the sun shine all day long,
Everything go right and nothing go wrong.
May those you love bring love back to you
And may all the wishes you wish come true!
---
Walls for the wind
And a roof for the rain,
And drinks beside the fire.
Laughter to cheer you
And those you love near you.
And all that your heart may desire.
Feb
01
Amusing Stories from 2006
A friend sent me these stories of the top idiots of 2006. They're pretty amusing so I thought I would share them all with you, enjoy!
Number One Idiot of 2006
I am a medical student currently doing a rotation in toxicology at the poison control center. Today, this woman called in very upset because she caught her little daughter eating ants. I quickly reassured her that the ants are not harmful and there would be no need to bring her daughter into the hospital. She calmed down and at the end of the conversation happened to mention that she gave her daughter some ant poison to eat in order to kill the ants. I told her that she better bring her daughter into the emergency room right away.
Number Two Idiot of 2006
Early this year, some Boeing employees on the airfield decided to steal a life raft from one of the 747s. They were successful in getting it out of the plane and home. Shortly after they took it for a float on the river, they noticed a Coast Guard helicopter coming towards them. It turned out that the chopper was homing in on the emergency locator beacon that activated when the raft was inflated. They are no longer employed at Boeing.
Number Three Idiot of 2006
A man, wanting to rob a downtown Bank of America, walked into the Branch and wrote "this iz a stikkup. Put all your muny in this bag." While standing in line, waiting to give his note to the teller, he began to worry that someone had seen him write the note and might call the police before he reached the teller's window. So he left the Bank of America and crossed the street to the Wells Fargo Bank.
After waiting a few minutes in line, he handed his note to the Wells Fargo teller. She read it and, surmising from his spelling errors that he wasn't the brightest light in the harbor, told him that she could not accept his stickup note because it was written on a Bank of America deposit slip and that he would either have to fill out a Wells Fargo deposit slip or go back to Bank of America. Looking somewhat defeated, the man said, "OK" and left. He was arrested a few minutes later, as he was waiting in line back at Bank of America.
Number Four Idiot of 2006
A motorist was unknowingly caught in an automated speed trap that measured his speed using radar and photographed his car. He later received in the mail a ticket for $40 and a photo of his car. Instead of payment, he sent the police department a photograph of $40. Several days later, he received a letter from the police that contained another picture, this time of handcuffs. He immediately mailed in his $40.
Number Five Idiot of 2006
A guy walked into a little corner store with a shotgun and demanded all of the cash from the cash drawer. After the cashier put the cash in a bag, the robber saw a bottle of Scotch that he wanted behind the counter on the shelf. He told the cashier to put it in the bag as well, but the cashier refused and said, "Because I don't believe you are over 21." The robber said he was, but the clerk still refused to give it to him because she didn't believe him. At this point, the robber took his driver's license out of his wallet and gave it to the clerk. The clerk looked it over and agreed that the man was in fact over 21 and she put the Scotch in the bag. The robber then ran from the store with his loot. The cashier promptly called the police and gave the name and address of the robber that he got off the license. They arrested t he robber two hours later.
Idiot Number Six of 2006
A pair of Michigan robbers entered a record shop nervously waving revolvers. The first one shouted, "Nobody move!" When his partner moved, the startled first bandit shot him.
Idiot Number Seven of 2006
Arkansas: Seems this guy wanted some beer pretty badly. He decided that he'd just throw a cinder block through a liquor store window, grab some booze, and run. So he lifted the cinder block and heaved it over his head at the window. The cinder block bounced back knocking him unconscious.
It seems the liquor store window was made of Plexi-Glass. The whole event was caught on videotape.
Jan
28
All about circuit breakers
Electricity is an amazing thing. I tend to take how incredible it is for granted. It makes our entire lifestyle possible. Without it we would still be stuck in the dark ages, literally :)
If you have been reading my blog lately you will know that I have been having some electrical problems with my house. I was nervous that it was going to cost a fortune to find and fix. I had visions of tearing all the wire out of my house and having to rewire the whole thing. Fortunately it did not turn out to be that.
It turns out that the problem was the circuit breaker that covers most of the house--a two pole 100amp circuit by Federal Pacific Electric (FPE). The breaker was loose and had burned the contacts such that a tight connection was not possible. It turns out that FPE went out of business a number of years ago because their circuit breakers do not reliably trip when they are supposed to. So this adds another item to the list of things one should check for when purchasing a home. If the home is older (1985 or older) then check if the circuit breakers on the house are by FPE. If they are then you should be aware that if any of them need to be changed then it will be expensive because only one company makes a circuit breaker in a similar shape. And you should also know that they probably are not going to provide much protection to the house. If you can get the owner to change them out with newer, more reliable circuit breakers that would be a very good thing!
Jan
25
The joys of being a home owner
I've owned my home for nearly 2 years now. It's been a fun experience to own but it's also been a lot more expensive than I imagined. It seems like there is always something going wrong. In November the thermostat on the stove went out, unfortunately the stove was so old they no longer made the replacement part. That was one brand new stove which also sparked a kitchen remodel. Then in December the pipes started backing up. Not to mention the disgusting nature of the backup it took two visits from a plumber (of whom are not cheap) to straighten out. Now it is January and the electric has decided to act up. Who knows how much an electrician is going to cost to straighten it all out.
They say when it rains, it pours. I definitely feel the truth of that statement right now. I'm not sure how homeownership is going to work out in the long run. I have to believe that in the long run it is the only thing that makes sense because landlords are in the business to make money and they have all the expenses a homeowner does. But, it sure does feel like it is costing me a fortune to own this place.
If nothing else it has been an educational experience. Before I bought my home I read that owners should plan on having about 1% of the total value of the home in annual maintenance costs. This number seemed high to me but so far has been fairly close to the true costs of ownership. To be on the safe side I would budget this amount for maintenance. If it turns out to be less then your happy. If it turns out you need that much then your happy you had planned for it!
Jan
13
Being a good leader
Relationships are a difficult thing to maintain; at least for me. I wish I could say that developing them and making them work came with ease for me; but, it doesn’t. I feel like they are something that I have to fight for. I wonder if everyone feels that way or if it’s just me.
One particularly difficult part for me is understanding how a position of authority works. It’s not something that I ever remember being taught. My personality is such that when I see something being done that I believe is wrong it is not difficult for me to speak up and say something. As I’ve learned the hard way too many times this can be a problem in relationships.
Continue reading "Being a good leader" »
Jan
09
Selling out
I guess some would call it selling out; giving into to the "man." In case you haven't noticed I have signed up for google adsense and placed three ads on the each of the pages in the site, one at the top, one on the side and one on the bottom. I don't think they are too intrusive and I am intrigued by the revenue earning potential.
My primary focus for this website is not to turn a profit but to have an avenue to publish my thoughts and maybe someone will find them useful. However, I don't see any harm in making a few dollars along the way. If it turns out to be a disaster, no big deal, I can take the ads off anytime I want. On the other hand if it turns out to provide some slightly useful information to users by showing them alternative content they may be interested in and can generate a few extra dollars a month then I think that's awesome.
I'd love to hear anyone's thoughts on the subject--positive or negative.
Jan
08
Heart still beating and a new look
Yes, I am still alive. It's been a long 2 months since my last post. I have finally decided to devote some time to this site so I can post some videos I really like but also so I can put up some tutorials I've been planning to write.
Be looking for the changes, and oh yeah, how do you like the new look? I was sick of the old one, so we usher in the new year with a new look.
Nov
03
Yes, I know it's been a while
Yeah, I know it's been forever since I last posted, i just haven't had much motivation till recently to post anything. I will soon ... real soon, I promise.
Jul
17
A poem from about 5 years ago...
I am in Australia until the 10th of August, thus the lack of posts; but I was reading through my journal tonight and I found this poem I wrote a number of years ago. I thought that you all might appreciate it.
When I was young,
I was searching for someting.
Someting I did not know, I could not find.
I was looking in people,
I was looking in things.
But, I could not find.
I was searching for the Sun
in the darkest place I could find.
But then you came
and you rescued me.
You cast the Son into the darkness
so that I could see.
Jun
23
hmm, a wife sounds nice
I'm not married nor am I dating someone; but boy, having a wife sure sounds great. As I get older it's scaring me more and more and that I might end up alone and when I look around there doesn't seem to be anyone that really catches my attention in that department. My faith is so little, so often. I wish I could just trust that I will be happy with whatever God has in store for me. I always have been in the past but yet my self exulting nature seems to think it knows best. If only I could cast it out for good instead taking on a spirit of complete trust in the Lord, that would be nice.
As I think about the reasons I'd like a wife most of it seems pretty selfish. I want a wife so I'm not alone and lonely, so that I can have a family, so that I have a companion, and the list goes on and on. I wish that my heart was better and that my desire was for a wife so WE could bless one another. I believe I really want that but sadly the I dominates the WE in my mind. If I am to be married I wonder what my wife to be is thinking and feeling right now. If I think about her in those terms it is much easier for me to not be so selfish.
Jun
09
Motorola PEBL Take 2
So I have had my PEBL for a couple of days now and I'm pretty happy with it thus far. The battery life seems pretty good (at least so far it beats my old phone which I pretty much had to charge everyday). Right now I'm going on day 3 without charging it and moderate talk time.
The speaker is still a bit soft for me but it gets much better if you just know how to position it over your ear correctly, if you get it just right it's plenty loud but if you get it off just the slightest bit the volume dramatically drops. It's kind of interesting actually, they must be doing some sophisticated directional sound to save power or something, or maybe I'm just losing it ;)
Reception and voice quality seem pretty good and there's some neat software you can buy from motorola to sync it with your computer and load on custom ringtones (you just plug in a USB cable to where you charge the camera) which is a really neat extra feature. It sucks that motorola just doesn't provide this software for free but oh well. The user interface on the phone could use some work, you can customize it but there really is no excuse for a sloppy user interface; especially in a phone where they seem to have paid a lot of attention to detail.
So all in all I am pretty happy with my new phone. Hopefully it will last me 4 or 5 years like my other one :)
Jun
02
Critics, blehg
It behooves every man to remember that the work of the critic is of altogether secondary importance, and that, in the end, progress is accomplished by the man who does things. - Theodore Roosevelt
We as a country would do well to remember this. It's easy to play the role of the critic and place ourselves in a place of superiority to those who are actually doing something. I am not saying that we should completely abandon the review of our work but we should be careful that we do not become professional critics. A man who's primary role in life is to review another man's deeds does not accomplish much and the world he leaves is little worse for his departure. But when a man who attempts great things departs this world, society has lost much. He is the one we should admire and strive to be like.
On the surface I am sure everyone would agree with this but it's easy to not know what category we truly belong too. Step back and ask yourself how much time do I spend complaining/reviewing things and how much time do I spend actually acomplishing something that is worth while? I think many of us will find that we are all to often complainers and not nearly the doers we would like to be. We are a society constantly in search of the "best" and when we cannot obtain it we settle for finding the flaws in others efforts. Many times the best does not truly exist; and it is often the case that simply making a decision will go a long way. The quest for perfection is a lesson in insanity, the only place we will find it is in God. In our day to day endevours it is certain that imperfection will surround us. Therefore we should determine ourselves to be doers and not the idle complainers of which we have far too many already.
Jun
02
Site down ...
In case you were wondering the site has been down for the last couple of days because the DNS entries for digitalredemption.net got deleted :(
Oh well, it's up for now.
May
23
Ryanhood
Saw Ryanhood over the weekend with some friends. They were opening for Matt Kearny. It was an awesome concert. I highly recommend that you check them out: http://www.ryanhoodmusic.com/
May
11
Call centers
I've been waiting for a rather important package over the last couple of days. It was supposed to be delivered today by BAX Global (i'd never heard of them either). Anyway I went online to check the status of the package and the site said it was in Toledo, OH. That concerned me because the package was guaranteed to be delivered today by 3:00pm. So I called up their help line and the guy answers: "LHM Mort... uh, BAX Global, how can I help you?" Obviously BAX contracts a call center which handles support calls for several companies, I've just never had somebody mistakingly answer with the wrong company name. Pretty humorous really, fortunately the package was delivered on time and safely :)
May
09
Strike 1, 2, 3 your out!
We've been working for the past several weeks to evaluate some high performance NAS boxes. They look really cool but I have yet to get my hands on one. The company we are purchasing them from said, oh it'll be there on Monday. Unfortunately it wasn't properly tested in time to get here on Monday, so it was supposed to arrive on Tuesday, sadly there was a miscommunication with the shipping department and it did not get shipped in time. End result--it won't be here till Wednesday (tomorrow, hopefully). The reason I find this blog worthy though is the manner in which they dealt with these failures. I've work with several companies who simply don't take responsibility for their mistakes, no apologies, no attempts to correct the situation. I can't stand working with those companies. But this particular company suprised me, they took responsibility, apologized and it appears they are making a sincere effort to fix their initial mistakes. Now that is the kind of company I want to do business with.
For the most part my worst business dealings usually come from dealing with HP (Hewlett Packard) so to all the HP's of the world, take note:
1) Take responsibility for your mistakes and apologize. Everyone realizes no one is perfect, a little humility can go a long way.
2) When you screw up correct the sitaution. Even if it means a short term loss for the company. In the long run a strong customer relationship will probably prove more valuable.
3) And finally, don't make promises you cannot keep, be honest with your customers and they will be more willing to come to you for future requests.
Just my simple two cents of how one should conduct business, these are fairly simple and intuitive things that any first grader should be able to tell you but, astonishingly you'd be surprised how many people do not conduct business in this manner.
May
06
The Future of America
Bill Gross, bond investor extraordinaire from Pimco Funds, recently equated General Motors to a canary in a coal mine. He believes that the troubles GM is currently facing will be the troubles America will see down the road. You can read his complete argument on the pimco website (pimco.com). I think that this is a very interesting; but very scary piece. America has been the dominant economic power for as long as I have lived and it is scary to think what we might become because we have altogether become greedy, lazy, and selfish. We are the richest people in the world, and yet we currently have a negative savings rate, investment in long term research is on the decline, and our education system is struggling to inspire kids in math and science.
I do not wish to be yet another prophet of doom, we seem to have enough of those already. But the challenges that face us in the years to come are not simple problems and I am very interested in whether we will rise to the challenge and show the world what we are really made of.
May
03
Posts
I noticed that all my recent posts have expired from the front page, so I thought it would be prudent to add one. I'll write something interestesting ... or at least more interesting shortly!
Apr
24
Travel and random thoughts
It was kind of cool the other day at church, our pastor--Chris, asked us why we were there. As I thought about the question and what my answer was I realized I was there because it was my joy. I love going to church on Sundays and when I miss it my week is usually pretty lousy because I miss the fellowship with my brothers and sisters at church; I miss learning about God with them; I miss worshiping with them. It's amazing how God transforms our hearts.
On a slightly different note, I'll be in San Diego tomorrow, hopefully seeing cool things.
Apr
18
Blegh ... parking tickets
The other day I mistakingly parked in the wrong spot at work. I didn't realize that our office building did this but they gave me a warning saying that my car had been permanently recorded as having one violation against it and if it happened again the car might be towed. It was a mistake, I know I was in the wrong; but I feel like they knew I worked at Rincon, why couldn't they have just called me and asked me to move my car? I would have happily done it.
Frustration ...
Apr
17
When posting comments ...
Howdy yall (sound like a good southerner don't I?), I really like it when you post comments ... but, if you could include a name in the comment so I know who posted, that would be really great too!
Apr
17
Saying goodbye
As if a million songs haven't already been written about the subject I feel the need to lament it once more, saying good bye is not the easiest thing in the world. A very dear friend of mine has accepted an offer to study law at the University of Chicago, which is great, I am sure that he will be blessed while he is there. And even though I haven't seen him a great deal since he got married, there is still this empty sadness that I feel now that I know I can't just call him to hang out with me. I'm very much looking forward to the day when goodbyes are no more.
It's amazing how much closer technology has brought us, but it could still do better. I am still very intrigued by the possibility of different transportation technologies making distance a thing of the past. How cool would it be if you could live in North Carolina, but work in L.A.?
Apr
04
Thoughts on being a good facilitator
We've all been there, the meeting has been dragging on for hours and it seems like we are talking about nothing important. Here's some simple things that I think can improve the efficiancy of meetings:
- Make sure the group stays roughly onschedule and does not go down rabbit trails. This can be one of the most frusturating things and at the end of the day little that needs to get done gets accomplished.
- Don't let people interrupt one another. Interuption is one sure way to get under my skin. I hate it when people don't let another person finish their point before they pipe in, it's not conducive to solving problems.
- Try to get relevant questions answered while punting others that might lead to unnecessary time spent, suggest that these questions get handled offline.
- For each point on the schedule make sure there is at least one action point, or some sort of closure.
Just some thoughts ...
Mar
31
Yes, I know that I haven't posted much recently
I haven't been very motivated to post content here lately. Some of it has been distraction with other things but I don't think that it's really fair to say that I've been to busy, well, because I haven't. Things have been going fairly well for me though. I've been working a fair bit on my red letters project (www.red-letters.org) and that's coming along nicely. It's no where near where I would like it to be but it's a good start. It's been fun to start the project and I've also used it as an opportunity to try out a python web framework Django. I really like Django, it's extremely nice to work with and definately has a future in my opinion.
To completely change topics: one thing that's been bothering me lately is girls. I feel like I'm getting older and it's starting to scare me that I will be alone for most of my life. I don't want to minimize the relationships I have today but no of them can turn into marriage (the number one problem being most of them are guys) and that scares me. I think this was all triggered by a girl I kind of liked, but never seriously pursued recently got a boyfriend. If any believers out there are reading this please pray for me!
Finally, one last thought for the day. I've been thinking a bit about uncomfortability in close relationships. No matter how close you are to someone there is always some subject that is uncomfortable. When I come across these uncomfortabilities with my close friends I tend to want to draw them out into the open and over come them. I've been wondering if this is a good thing. In some regards uncomfortableness can be a good early warning system to prevent sin, but in others can also prevent people from grow closer. Just something I've been thinking about. No concrete answers yet but maybe I'll write something up on it later.
Mar
07
Virtual Bank
I just signed up for a new online savings account with Virtual Bank which offers a 4.60% APY which is pretty amazing. They also have this program setup where if you get referred by an existing customer then you get 20 dollars and the referrer get's 20 dollars. So if anyone wants a referral drop me a line at: jeremy_fergason@yahoo.com
Mar
05
Server crashes
It's been an interesting weekend... not quite as relaxing as I might have hoped. Unfortunately my upline network provider was experiancing multiple problems over the last week and they did not deal with them very gracefully. I've pretty much had it with them and am about ready to change hosts. I'm seriously considering a company C I Host. I don't know a whole lot about them but everything I've seen thus far looks promising. Hopefully I'll be a little better about posting more frequently here.
Mar
01
Rain, CMS, and life
So I know that I have been somewhat negligent in posting lately and I wish that I could say, "well you know how it is, I've just been so darned busy." Alas, I can't claim that excuse, I just haven't had all that much interesting to say lately and I've been rather absorbed in websudoku.com, a really cool site that let's you play millions of sudoku puzzles :)
Things have been fairly quiet around here. I've been working hard and enjoying the weather. It's been lovely lately and we even got a little bit of rain today. I've put some effort into getting red-letters.org going but nothing ready for public viewing quite yet. I've also gotten a few custom applicatoins written for my high-resolution wall of monitors which is pretty cool.
In an entirely different note a customer of mine has been looking into getting a CMS system up and running, so I setup several demo's for them. It seems like CMS is way too complicated for what most users want to do with it. Isn't there anything simple out there like Contribute?
I hope you've enjoyed my rambling, if you can't tell I still don't really have anything to say, I just felt like I need to post :)
Feb
22
What I wanna be when I grow up
Grad school has been on my mind a lot lately. Problem is I don't know what I want to be when I grow up, and yet I think I'm too old to use that excuse any more! The Lord has blessed me tremendously right now. He has given me good friends, a nice home, and a good job that I enjoy. But I don't know where I want to be 5 years from now. There are guys in my life that I believe are Godly men and I think I would make sacrifices to be near them because I think God would bless that; but I don't really know what God has in store. I'm interested in so many things. I think it would be cool to get a degree in Physics, Quantum Chemistry, Microbiology, or even Law. How sweet would it be to be a Judge? The one thing I'm sure of is that I don't want to go to the University of Arizona for my graduate work. But then again I don't want to leave Tucson right now. I'm not sure if I am resisting the Spirit in this by clinging too strongly to his blessing or just recognizing how great his blessing truly is. The proposition of moving out of state, which I would have to do to go to any of the schools that interest me, is really scary.
I know that God is good and He will reveal His plans at the right times; but I want to diligently seek them too.
Feb
21
The War in Iraq
During lunch today a friend of mine mentioned that he doesn't understand young conservatives. I asked him to explain his position and basically it sounded like it was that the current "conservative" government is obviously and totally corrupt and incompetent. I challenged that position and he cited the Iraqi war as an example of the incompetence of the current administration, claiming that they went into the war guns ablazing without any kind of plan. I believe that Bush did have a plan going into the war and, futhermore, I believe that it was a reasonable plan. I'm not trying to justify Bushes plan here but simply show that he had a plan and it was not an illogical plan. Here's the response that I gave my friend:
Bush did have a plan in the Iraqi invasion. A summary can be found in a speach of his from 2005 at whitehouse.gov:
http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2004/05/20040524-10.html
Prior to the war the justification was (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iraq_War):
- The Hussein regime was in violation of United Nations demands for weapons inspections. The reason was however obviated by the Bush administration itself, who set a deadline while inspectors were active in Iraq.
- Hussein's regime produced and possessed stockpiles of weapons of mass destruction and posed a threat to the U.S.
- Iraqi government had failed to comply with 19 UN resolutions requiring a full accounting of its weapons of mass destruction and full cooperation with UN inspections.
- That the Hussein regime had ties to al Qaeda and other terrorist organizations that posed a threat to international safety; and,
- Promoting democratic self-government in the nearly-entirely autocratic Arab Middle East.
Many people in recent years have taken issue with these rational; however, at the time nearly
everyone was in agreement that Iraq was a threat to US security (See:
http://www.cnn.com/ALLPOLITICS/1998/02/17/transcripts/clinton.iraq/). In my mind, these rational layout the foundation for the plan which is that Saddam's regime is a threat to US security and the American people. His regime was not complying with UN resolutions and Iraq could be a beacon for democracy in the middle east. If the objective was to:
- Remove the threat posed by Iraq
- Establish a Democracy in Iraq that will serve as an example to the Middle East. This objective hinges on the belief that democratic states will ultimately be superior to other forms of government and will best serve the interests of the Iraqi people and the US.
Thus the plan was basically to remove Saddam Hussein from power and establish a democratic state in Iraq. Wether you agree with this strategy or not I believe it still constitutes a rational strategy and is a reasonable plan.
I really enjoy debating these topics. People are not perfect and the problems we are facing today are difficult problems, they need as many words and as much debate as we can afford them. When we challenge one anothers ideas we sharpen ourselves and hopefully give ourselves the opportunity to come to the right conclussions.
Feb
20
Cell phones at the gas pump
Over the weekend I was gassing up my car on the way to Globe and while I was gassing up another person at the gas station become extremely irate over over someone using a cell phone within 25 feet of the pump. To begin with I think this is absolutely ridiculous, anyone with half a brain should be able to figure out that a cell phone in all probability is NOT going to cause an explosion or fire. But if the intuitive isn't enough there has never been a recorded case of a cell phone causing an explosion or fire and to top that off MythBusters did an experiment trying to make gas explode with a cell phone ... as hard as they tried they were unsuccessful. All that to say this guy was an idiot. So to all those out there who get upset over someone using a cell phone while gassing up their car, get over it--it's not a big deal and nothing's going to happen!
Feb
05
Host change pretty much complete
Everything should be pretty much back to normal here. I think I've got all the links that needed to be changed and the templates installed.
Feb
05
Webhost recently changed
Previously I was hosting this site on my own webserver... recently I signed up for an account with Westhost to use as a backup server for some of my clients with Corwynn. I needed to transfer a domain for the new account and I chose to put my personal site on it. I've gotten all my old entries and comments moved over but I still need to install my custom templates and such. Stuff should be back to normal shortly.
Feb
03
USPS, We care ... yeah right!
The other day I recieved the first issue of a magazine I got for christmas in the mail. Funny thing about it was that it was really thin, too thin--it was just the cover. The cover came in a plastic bag from USPS saying that they apologized for the damaged mail and that they cared. Now I'm thinking to my self that a magazine cover isn't very useful and if they really cared the could have at least provided a phone number that I could call. I probably would have just let it drop at this point but I was somewhat annoyed with their statement "We care" when it samed rather obvious that they could really care less. So I went online and found a phone number from the USPS website, after a myriad of confusing options I finally got a person on the line that said they couldn't help me and I would have to call my local post office between 8am and 5pm. OK, so I called my local post office today and a woman answered (I think her name was Cindy), she wasn't very friendly and basically said that I should have the magazine send me another copy. Now I'm thinking to myself well why should the magazine have to pay for it.. USPS damaged it, it's their responsibility. And gee that's a really sweet deal, USPS damages something, it gets sent twice as a result and they get paid twice. Now I'm really annoyed and ask to speak to her supervisor. Her response? "I am a supervisor." After about 5 minutes of trying to get her to tell me who her boss is so I can talk with him, she tells me that his name is Lee and he's not there.
USPS does not care and it's really annoying. I wish I was somebody more important so I could make something happen here... oh well.
Jan
17
Entrepreneurialism
I think I have an entrepreneurial spirit. Ever since I was a young boy I've always had some sort of business/money making scheme that I was working on. I think my first endeavour was selling polished stones that I'd made in my rock tumbler, we made like $30 or so. When I was in college I started the most successful venture I've ever done, Corwynn Technology. I still do things with it on the side but it takes second place to my full time job. Anyway, to cut to the point I was talking with my roommate Byron the other night about the latest idea that we want to pursue. It's not all that unique and in all honesty probably won't make us rich. But what was kind of cool about the conversation was that I think we both realized that success was not defined by the end result but by the experiance getting there. Sure it would be really awesome if this thing turned out to be wildly successful and made us both rich, but if it doesn't, there are still many valuable things that we get from the experiance.
Jan
16
Back to work
Well I am finally back in the office. I've got a hundred things to do that piled up while I was gone but it's nice to back and actually doing something. I don't know how retired people do it, I don't think that I could retire anytime soon. I would end up just watching TV 24x7 and bored out of my mind. I'm going to definately need one of those active communities when I retire to keep me busy :)
Jan
15
Lazy bumery
It has been nearly 5 days that I have been a lazy bum, using the excuse of recovering from having my wisdom teeth removed won't work much longer. I don't think I could do this on an indefinite basis, I am already starting to go a little crazy and am anxious to get back to work on monday. Fortunately, God blessed me and things seems to have gone fairly normally with my teeth. They came out with out a hitch and while I have experienced some pain it hasn't been anything too major. Over the last 4 days I've developed an appreciation for percoset (sp?), a close relationship with my couch, seriously we've bonded, and spent many hours working on my next bid to take over the world. Ok not really on the last one but I have spent a fair big of time programming which is pathetic because that's what I do at work all day long too.
Next week should be a fairly interesting week as most of the team will be gone and I'll spend half of it in San Diego at a Visualization conference. I'll be sure to post anything interesting here.
To everyone who called or left me a note while I was out: thanks, it was really encouraging.
Jan
11
Wisdom teeth and burns
It's been a while since I last posted here; I've been busy relaxing over the holidays. Things are getting back to normal now so I thought it was about time to post an update.
For the most part life is good. I had an excellent Christmas and New Year. And at my year end review it seems that they still think I am doing a good job and like me ... which is always a good thing. I had some really great talks with my mom over the break which I really enjoyed. Charles and I finished season 4 of 24 in one week and it was amazing--best season yet.
In other news, I got my wisdom teeth out today. It went very smoothly for the most part. They gave me the anthistetic and nothing seemed to happen at first and then the next thing I new I was kind of groggy and realized there were people around me. At first I thought they hadn't started the operation yet, but they had already finished! Fortunately it went off without a hitch and so far today I haven't been in that much pain ... my mouth hurts a bit but not that badly. In the bone-head move for the day though I was making some Ramen noodles for dinner (can only eat soft foods for the moment) and because I was stubbron wanted to do it myself. Well long story short I accidently grabbed the pan on the side and burnt myself, I'm going to chalk it up to being out of it because of the drugs but now my finger hurts more than my mouth does ... doh!
Well that's all for now I also want to get a post out about a cool JList hack I came up with over the break.
Dec
07
I'm dreaming of a white christmas ...
Yes, I know it has been awhile since my last post. With the onset of the holidays it has been very busy. I just got back from a quick trip to DC where we gave a quick seminar on some of the technology that we are using which was very successful. I didn't sleep very well while I was there though so I am very happy to be back.
Among other things that have been going on I have been racing to complete a rather troublesome