It is that time of year where us workers can tell summer is in the air.
Most workers have to figure out what to do with their kids. Teacher
friends get time off. Memorial day brings in these liaise fair kinda
feelings. We all feel that we don't want to be working when we could be
playing. Even TV takes a break during the summer, yet we tread on. I've
looked back at my past and can say that 5 out of my 7 seven jobs started
in the summer months. I think that is also when recruiters get desperate
themselves and tend to give raises to candidates. I suppose all of these
factors go into the "summer vacation". A way to get a taste of summer
and still be a worker. I am currently planning on 2 vacations this
summer, one to see the new baby and another to Cozumel. They should be
fun. The Cozumel trip might get postponed though if my ears don't heal
from the barotraumas. I see the doc tomorrow about it. As a teenager I
remember going on summer vacation up to Hillville PA and Newport RI.
They were our yearly stop-offs. The key in a successful, cheap, summer
vacation is to not stay at a hotel but with friends and family. My
favorite vacation had to be guitar camp though. I went to Austin and
took blues lessons for a whole week. It was nothing but guitar. One year
I am going to Seattle to do the Jimi Hendrix guitar camp. I just need to
plan it. There was a funny moment on stage at the guitar camp. It was
the last day and the students were given a chance to play a song on
stage, so I pick my favorite - "Along the Watchtower." and proceed to
plug in to one of their amps. I then start playing and don't realize
that the amp is turned off. Someone then turns it on while I am playing.
Then when I put the guitar over my head the plug falls out. Let's just
say that wasn't one of my best performances. Later that night we all
went out to a blues bar and I got up and played it the right way. I had
the crowd jamming along. That time I wrapped the cable around my guitar
and kept it in place. Ah, summer.

Thought of the Day
"So, has the summer of George begun? Or are you still decomposing?"
"Decompressing."
- Jerry and George, in "The Summer of George"

// posted by Brian @ 5/31/2006 01:59:00 PM 0 Comments

And now for the weekend update. This weekend saw Holly goodness ;-) We
watched the Mavs game on Friday, went to Dave and Buster's for my
classes birthday parties on Saturday. On Sunday we did church/Sunday
school together and fed the homeless. On Sunday night I jammed with a
guy from our ministry and on Monday morning Holly finished a 20
kilometer race called Memorial Day 20k. I met her at the finish line at
9:22 in the morning. I couldn't believe she ran 20 kilometers. That's
12.2 miles to you and me. I topped off Monday by taking her to Bennigins
and we both got free brownie-bottom pie, cause my birthday is today and
her birthday is tomorrow. All in all it was a relaxing weekend. I think
I must've ate a lot though. I went to Snuffers today for my birthday
lunch(2nd best burgers in Dallas, 1st best cheese fries). Well it can't
be as bad as last years 30 life crisis when I went to McDonalds, got
fries, went to Sonic, got a double cheeseburger, went to Wendy's, got a
frosty and went to Pizza Hut and got a pepperoni personal pan. All for
one meal. It was so weird though, the chemical effect that happened in
my brain as a result of all of that. It was like a food high, I got
relaxed, lightheaded and energetic all at the same time. Last year on my
birthday I had that women call me from eharmony and tell me about her
boyfriend without ever having talked to her before. The best thing about
this year has to be Holly ;-) Anyways surprisingly my life was not over
when I turned 30. Who knew?

Thought of the Day
Steve Martin dressed as a cowboy trying to make balloon animals holds up
his concoction and says to the kids:
"Your lower intestine."
--Parenthood

// posted by Brian @ 5/30/2006 01:40:00 PM 1 Comments

As I am nearing my 31st birthday I can't but think about my worst birthday of them all, my 21st one. I was already home from college and got my first job working at a temp agency. I was told to go to work for Albert Moving and Storage as a moving man, getting paid something like $5.50 and hour. If you want to talk about hard jobs, try moving refrigerators and washers all day. We even boxed up peoples stuff. I had to take a class to be a certified mover as well. I don't like to talk about it because people invariably say - ah your certified, want to help me move? So every night I would call up the moving place and they would tell me what truck I had to take at 5:30 in the morning. Yup you heard right. On my birthday I was told to take a truck with a couple of guys and pack and move 3 different people in town. I thought, "great, this is going to take all day." I had my scheduled party for that night, I knew it was going to be hard. So my friends all gather at my house at 8pm. Then it turns 9pm, then it turns 10pm. Finally I think my mom calls the station and gives my boss a piece of her mind. It didn't matter. I got home at 1:30 in the morning, exhausted. Then I had to go back to work the next day at 5:30. I really started not liking that job. I was so thankful when a couple of weeks later I never got assigned to a truck for 3 days. Finally I called up and the temp agency said the job had just "ended". I was never fired, my jobs just "ended". My next job I did demolition at the local united supermarket. I tore down a wall with a sledge and a mini-jackhammer from 11pm at night to 7am in the morning. That job lasted a week and then it just "ended". I think they might've not liked my many water breaks or my excessive sweating. Then I got a job painting a steel factory office building on the outskirts of town. That was an interesting job. I was given a Mexican cohort who kept me entertained by singing Dolly Parton songs in his Mexican accent. However, he got let go first, cause the boss pointed at his painting of the locker rooms and was disappointed. So in the end it was just me painting. Somewhere under all of that paint lies the carcass of the largest spider in the world. I was up 30 feet in the air painting the ceiling and there in the corner lay a 3 foot long daddy long legs. I am serious, it was 3 times the size of my foot long paint roller. It's head was maybe half and inch long, but its legs spanned all 3 corners. I had to paint the corner and there was this enormous huge spider in my way. Thankfully my paint roller was on long stick. So I decided it was time to give the spider a good painting and quickly, I mean quickly, jabbed the spider with paint roller and then proceeded to drop the paint roller 30 feet to the ground. I then quickly, I mean quickly slid down the ladder in case the spider was still alive and was still up there. I think I ran away into the other room laughing hysterically. I finally got the nerve to go back into the room and discovered that the spider carcass was now on my paint roller with its legs sticking out of it. I didn't dare touch it, so I went back to the top of the ladder and proceeded to paint with the body still attached to the roller. I suppose it was fitting, being put back into its home in various pieces. That job somehow "ended" as well. Towards the end of the summer I got my favorite job, delivering pipes to construction sites. It was 80% driving. I wanted to stay on there but I messed up that one too. I accidentally backed up the truck onto an air conditioner box. The owner was like,"you might have just bought yourself a new air conditioner." Luckily when we opened the box it was ok. A couple of weeks later that job "ended" as well, luckily school was about to start anyways. Ah the good old days, wait, nope, I like these days much better.

Thought of the Day

"Well, birthdays are merely symbolic of how another year's gone by and how little we've grown. No matter how desperate we are that someday a better self will emerge, each flicker of the candles on the cake we know it's not to be. That for the rest of our sad, wretched, pathetic lives, this is who we are to the bitter end. Inevitably, irrevocably. Happy birthday? No such thing."
- Jerry, trying not to be funny, in "The Visa"

// posted by Brian @ 5/26/2006 10:49:00 AM 2 Comments

Wow, I keep on finding it harder and harder to write in this thing. It
is like I have meetings and design sessions all day long. Anyways, I am
busy as usual. My company is now a registered partner with Microsoft. I
am needing to go through a couple of certifications to be a certified
partner. I figure I need the benefits of being a Microsoft Partner to
get my site up and operational. More on that next week at my quarterly
board meeting. My birthday is coming up and I don't dread it as much as
I did my 30th one. That was traumatic. It is like I pigged out on my
30th birthday. Now that I have accepted my 20s as dead I look to the
future. It is weird though. Before I was worried about not being
knowledgeable about current pop culture, but now I just don't care. I
guess I could be called a fuddy duddy. Who thought of that term? Fuddy
Duddy? It means "one that is old-fashioned, unimaginative, or
conservative". My wheel of popcorn says different.

Thought of the Day
"I'll tell you what your problem is... You brought your queen out too
fast. What do you think, she's one of these feminists looking to get out
of the house? Nah, the queen is old-fashioned, likes to stay home, cook,
take care of her man, make sure he feels good."
- George, playing chess, in "The Engagement"

// posted by Brian @ 5/25/2006 02:18:00 PM 0 Comments

Today I have officially got back in the ole diet and exercise game, with
a planned stopping date of June 10th. That is basically 17 days of
dieting and exercising. I think I can do that. I like doing things by
dates, they are so much easier. January 1st is a good date to setup, for
instance I quit smoking Jan 1st 4 years ago. This time I am remembering
to have a start and stop date on my exercising, so I have a goal. The
goal is not in poundage or some other wild factor, but it is in making
the date, which I know I will achieve. In other news mom got me a cool
watch for my birthday. I still shudder to think I am going to be over
30. Give me a couple more years and I should be using a cane and wearing
a mumu. I am now one of the few who actually wear watches. Their days
are long gone, with cell phones telling us the time now. They are the
new "pocket watch", the timepiece of choice. This watch mom gave me is a
replica of the world's most expensive watch made in 1933. It has the
month and day hands on it. I guess back then that was the future of
watches. I remember when I was in third grade I had a huge radio watch
that could pick up 2 stations. It had headphones with it. I remember
listening to it in class and at recess. But like all watches, once the
battery died that was the end of that. I think I collected a bunch of
dead calculator watches as the years passed, but I still remember with
fondness my radio watch. I would dream of a TV watch back then. I guess
that dream has come true with my new cellphone. Gotta go, the news is
on. What am I? 30? Yup :-(

Thought of the Day
I'd rather be dating the blind. You know, you could let the house go.
You could let yourself go. A good looking blind woman doesn't even know
you're not good enough for her."
"I think she'd figure it out."
- George and Elaine, in "The Wink"

// posted by Brian @ 5/24/2006 03:11:00 PM 1 Comments

"How was your scuba trip Brian?", says Mr.T as he stares at me. "What?"
I say. "What?" "What?" and that is how it all ended. Friday I took a
trip to Athens Scuba Park. I knew I had a little cold, with my head all
clogged up, but I figured if I took some anti-histamine I would be clear
by morning. It took me 2 hours to drive to Athens, TX. Actually it
should have taken and hour and half but I was stuck behind a pair of
trucks driving 45 mph in a 60 mph speed limit on a two lane road. I
thought to myself, I wonder if this is how Texas Chainsaw Massacre
happened, two trucks run a guy off the road and have him for dinner. I
was in the backwoods of Texas, a place that is rarely known, a place
where old people come to die. Anyways, I get to the hotel, check in, and
proceed to go to bed at 12:30, early for me cause I had to get up at
7:30. I actually got a wakeup call, set the hotel clock radio, and set
my cell phone alarm. It worked! I woke up early, but I was feeling bad.
I knew that I am physically allergic to mornings, so it was kind of
expected. I actually get nauseated if I wake up before 8:00am. Freaky
isn't it? So I wait it out and take some more medicine. Then I get to
the park and join the bathroom folk for a while(don't you just love
hearing about this). So I go to the instructor, explain my stomach and
head situation and ask him if I can wait a couple of hours before I
start, as I felt the medicine would kick in. He then said, we can't wait
and gave me some Imodium. So I sit there for about 20 minutes and feel
well enough to go scuba diving. So there is little ole me(ha) wearing a
wetsuit and bcd and oxygen tank. When we start off we have to do
something called equalizing - which is when you pop your own ears so
that your decent doesn't hurt your ears. My problem was that I just
couldn't pop my ears cause my head was still stuffed up. So the rest of
the class was at the bottom waiting for me. They had an extra instructor
who stayed with me and showed me other ways to equalize, which worked,
but rather slowly. We then went down to a sunken bus and explored that
before we came up. I explored a couple of buses and a couple of
airplanes that weekend. It was pretty cool. On Sunday we had our final
dive. It was that dive where I actually followed the instructor inside a
bus and looked out the window at the other scuba divers. They also sunk
a toilet and he made a joke by sitting on it and pretending to read.
That was when I realized that part of being a scuba diver is antics. Ah,
the antics. When I came to the top on that last dive I had a little
blood on my nose. It wasn't really bleeding, but I wondered where the
blood came from. My hearing is at 50% and everything is muffled. I have
been taking cold medicine to combat it, even though my hearing is the
only symptom left. Today I found out what caused the bloody nose as I
went to doctor for a follow-up. He looked in my ears with his ear thingy
and said," that's bad." I apparently shouldn't have been scuba diving at
all. I now have blood inside both of my middle ears, some kind of
hematoma thing. I am an idiot. In the written class they said," if you
are sick you shouldn't scuba dive." Of course I should've listened, but
I figured the drugs would work. So the doc said the only thing they can
do is wait 3-6 weeks for it to heal. In the meantime I am stuck saying
"what?" My trip to Cozumel is July 15th. If it is not healed I will not
dive. I learned my lesson. But nevertheless I did get my license! At
what cost, at what cost. What?

Thought of the Day
"Well, my swimming pool problems are solved. I just found myself miles
and miles of open lanes."
"What is that smell?"
"That's East River."
"You're swimming in the East River? The most heavily trafficked, overly
contaminated waterway on the eastern seaboard?"
"Technically, Norfolk has more gross tonnage."
"How could you swim in that water?"
"I saw a couple other guys out there."
"Swimming?"
"Well... floating. They weren't moving much, but they were out there."
- Kramer and Jerry, in "The Nap"

// posted by Brian @ 5/23/2006 01:48:00 PM 1 Comments

I would like to announce to the world that I have a new niece. My sister
gave birth this morning at around 9:15 to Allison Belle Burnet. She was
6 pounds 8 ounces and I don't know how many feet tall. I still say
newborns are looked at like fish. Greg just caught himself a 6 pound 8
ounce girl. He'll be hanging that one on the wall tonight. Apparently
she has a full head of hair and was really hungry when she came into the
world. The docs then moved Melinda into x-rays just to make sure they
didn't leave any instruments in her. I guess that is standard procedure
now, although I wonder what makes a doctor forget something like that. I
was telling mom that maybe the cause of all her ills is some forceps
stuck in her. I think the family is going to call the new baby Alli, or
Allibell. I think I will stick with Allison, it sounds like a famous
actress. In other news I did get my scuba license this weekend. I am now
a certified open water diver. If you ever need scuba diving done on some
remote island, I am your man. More about Brian's Diving Adventure
tomorrow...

Thought of the Day
"waaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!"

// posted by Brian @ 5/22/2006 01:24:00 PM 2 Comments

Just got back from Chinese food again. Some people invariably ask "what
do you like to eat that is Chinese?" The answer is easy, chicken.
Something I have noticed is that every culture on earth seems to eat
chicken, except for vegetarians. As a human that only likes meat, bread,
and cheese products I can tell you that chicken low mien is my Chinese
food of choice. We went to a Chinese food buffet and they practically
know my order there - chicken low mien, no vegetables. So low and behold
today at lunch at a new restaurant I discovered they had no noodle
products, it was all rice stuff. So I had the garlic chicken, no
veggies. It was edible. I used to have a problem with the MSGs in
Chinese food. The first time I had it I practically fell asleep at the
table. I was like ,"so sleepy,,,must sleep" and my head fell over on the
table. Then there is the lovely fortune cookie, which in 50% of cases is
no fortune at all. Sometimes it is," it is a nice day outside." Mine
today was "you will have fun socializing." and yesterday was "you are
next in line for a promotion." I should be, since I am the only
employee. Everyone always laughs at the saying you are supposed to put
at the end of it: "in bed", like "you will have fun socializing in bed."
I remember an episode of twilight zone where the guys fortune told him
not to cross the street and he was freaked out about it. I suppose they
give us the fortune cookie at the end of the meal cause if they gave it
at the beginning we might get," don't eat the chicken." as our fortune.
Then again it could be talking about the leftovers: "don't eat the
chicken, in bed."

Thought of the Day
"Newman, you wouldn't eat broccoli if it was deep-fried in chocolate
sauce."
- Jerry, in "The Chicken Roaster"

// posted by Brian @ 5/19/2006 01:08:00 PM 0 Comments

Hmm, let's see I have been real busy. My company made it's first big
purchase of a really good domain that is memorable. I will tell everyone
when it get's closer, maybe at my next board meeting, which should be
coming up. The site templates look good so far and I have lots of ideas.
This weekend I will be scuba diving all weekend. On Sunday they will
give us all "diplomas" for finishing the final lake dive. I think my
band has gotten much better over the months and will soon be ready for
our show. Work is doing well, with calls of "guru", "smarty" and
"superman" coming out. I remember hearing when I was a kid how I wasn't
trying and how since I failed tieing shoes in kindergarten I was the
"problem child". I suppose comparitive to a validictorian I was. I think
we were all predestined in our family to do what we are currently doing.
I have crayon pictures that I drew at age 6 that says "when I grow up I
want to be a computer scientist" and there is me in a little labcoat
next to a big box that I guess was a computer. There are pictures of my
sister who, at age 2, was giving CPR to her dolls. I'm sure they thanked
her for it. That is why if I ever have kids I will nurture whatever they
show interest in. Anyway and now for something funny: "Sign in a pet
shop window: "Free legless parakeet. No perches necessary."

Thought of the Day
FATHER: Listen, lad. I built this kingdom up from nothing. When I
started here, all there was was swamp. Other kings said I was daft to
build a castle on a swamp, but I built it all the same, just to show
'em. It sank into the swamp. So, I built a second one. That sank into
the swamp. So I built a third one. That burned down, fell over, then
sank into the swamp. But the fourth one... stayed up! And that's what
you're gonna get, lad: the strongest castle in these islands.
Monty Pyhton and the Holy Grail

// posted by Brian @ 5/18/2006 10:47:00 AM 0 Comments

I have been so busy my head is spinning. Gninnips si deah ym ysub os
neeb evah I.

// posted by Brian @ 5/16/2006 03:28:00 PM 0 Comments

Just got back from the "Sports Clips". They are IMO the best haircut
place to go. Not because of their haircuts but all of their other stuff.
I usually get the VIP package which includes a massaging hair washing, a
hot towel and facial massage and at the end you sit in the chair and
they have this big massager thing that goes on your back. It is
definitely worth the $20. Now I used to go and get $100 haircuts at Toni
and Guy in the mall. They would make me look like a rock'n roll star
before a show, like adding blond highlights and the like. But they
didn't do massages which is why sports clips is the place to be. Plus
you watch ESPN while you are getting your haircut. Today they had the
guys who try and break cement bricks with their arms. One guy broke 15
bricks in half. I think I will try that. It looked like fun. First I
have to learn karate and the like. I did go to a karate lesson about 6
years ago. I learned that even though it looks cool you really are
ordered around a lot. I never liked that so my foray into martial arts
lasted one day. I did take self-defense in college for a PE credit. I
learned many things of which I have totally forgotten. Wait, I remember
how to fall correctly by tucking my head into my chest and rolling. I
knew college was good for something.

Thought of the Day
"Many Christmases ago, I went to buy a doll for my son. I reached for
the last one they had, but so did another man. As I rained blows upon
him, I realized there had to be another way."
"What happened to the doll?"
"It was destroyed. But out of that a new holiday was born... A Festivus
for the rest of us!"
- Frank Costanza and Kramer, in "The Strike"

// posted by Brian @ 5/12/2006 02:43:00 PM 0 Comments

I don't have much to say today. I am busy. I suppose I shouldn't even
write this. Hmm sometimes I think my brain is turned off. Actually I
think it is a sleep thing, I have been getting to bed past 2am now. It
is like right at midnight when I want to go to bed I get a second wind
and get into whatever I am doing, like watching tivo'd shows or surfing.
Then I look at the clock and am like man 2:15 gotta go to bed. I usually
fall asleep about 2:45. I know that is real bad because I can't even
wake up till 9:00. I totally sleep through 2 prerecorded phone calls and
a clock radio cd that is skipping. I don't get to work until 10, when I
really should be getting there at 9:30. I am lucky no one says anything,
reality is that they cannot legally require me to follow their employee
rules or the irs would deem me an employee and not a separate business.
I think I have some kind of sleep displacement disorder or something.
Sounds kind of cool. I remember hearing that if you shine a bright light
on the back of your knees you can reset your clock. Sounds like a plan,
if anyone needs me I'll be out back putting a light bulb on my knees.

Thought of the Day
"Has anyone ever told you you look exactly like Al Pacino? You know,
Scent Of A Woman? Hoo-wah! Hoo-wah!"
"Very good. Very good."
"Well, I ..."
"You know something?"
"Hmmm?"
"No soup for you!"
"What?"
"Come back one year. Next!"
- Elaine and the Soup Nazi, in "The Soup Nazi"

// posted by Brian @ 5/11/2006 02:31:00 PM 0 Comments

Went to a Frisco Roughriders baseball game last night. We lost, but
rallied at the end and almost won. The Roughriders are our local minor
league team. I am not really a fan of baseball, but our church group was
going so I figured it could be fun. Baseball is a little better in
person than it is on TV. A guy sitting near me caught our only home run.
I looked up and saw the ball heading in my general direction and
wondered if it was going to hit me. My problem with baseball stems from
childhood. I would play catch with the other kids but never could figure
out how it works. Even though I am left-handed I do everything with my
right hand in baseball. For instance if I was to catch a baseball I
would do it with my right hand. Then I would have to take the glove off
and throw with my right hand. I'll have to ask my neurologist chief
resident sister how the brain works like that. I heard that there is a
"normal" left-handedness where you always favor your left hand and
another kind that has to do with brain damage or something, and another
kind that has to do with brain damage or something. I think really I am
left fingered and right handed. Like my fingers that control the pencil
are nimble on the left hand and my general hand movements are right
handed. Then again since I play left-handed guitar my finger-tips on my
right hand are way more nimble. Ok, I am right-handed, left-fingered and
right finger tipped. Someone invariably says," why don't you try writing
with your right hand." Then I try it and it looks like chicken
scratches, even though so does my regular writing. So sometimes I say I
am ambidextrous, but I guess that is not true since I think you have use
both hands equally. The good news is that in 42 years grade-school kids
will forego learning to right and be given a keyboard in kindergarten.
Then we'll all be even handed.

Thought of the Day
"Would you prefer it if she had no hands at all?"
"Would she have hooks?"
"Do hooks make it more attractive, Jerry?"
"Kinda cool looking."
- Elaine and Jerry, in "The Bizarro Jerry"

// posted by Brian @ 5/10/2006 01:13:00 PM 1 Comments

Now I like Louisiana just like the next guy, but have you seen the
Louisiana quarter? It a picture of the US with half of it covered with
Louisiana al la "Louisiana Purchase". It is like they are like, look at
us, we should be half the United States. Maybe the Alaska quarter should
show its current size next to the lower 48 - it is half the United
States. Or how about Texas show that it expands up past Oklahoma. Ah the
battle of the states. It reminds me of the old high school rivalries. I
remember at Rider High School we were rivals with old high and there
were some hijinks afoot. I think we stole their mascot one time, or
maybe that was the Brady Bunch. It was kind of weird in junior high,
cause once you went on to high school, your feared enemies, like from
barfwise junior high, became your friends. Now the Kentucky quarter,
that is rather interesting. I am surprised there was no outcry about it.
It is of a plantation with a horse in front of it. Either that or it is
a mental institution, but it sure likes like a plantation, not that
there is anything wrong with that. Um, yup something is wrong with that.
But the coolest thing on the quarter has to be the slogan "e pluribus
unam". It means "out of many, one". It is cool cause it is like in Star
Trek 3 where Spock says "It is logical. The needs of the many outweigh
the needs of the few, or the one." It is cool cause it is paradoxical in
a weird way. If the needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few and
"out of many, one" then the needs of the many outweigh the needs of the
many or the needs of the one outweigh the needs of the one. If you got
that one I'll buy you a coke.

Thought of the Day
Security Guard: Make it quick, Admiral. They're moving him to the
Federation funny farm.
Kirk: Yes, poor friend. I hear he's fruity as a nutcake.
Star Trek 3

// posted by Brian @ 5/09/2006 01:12:00 PM 0 Comments

And now for the scuba report. I would say weekend report, but that is
all I did - scuba. It was really fun. On Friday we just had class and
had 4 pop quizzes. I got 90's and 100's on them. Woot. It kinda felt
like defensive driving. I know I have taken that many times. Basically
you site there, watch videos, and take a quiz. The quizzes they kind of
tell you the answers beforehand. I got the idea that the book stuff
wasn't as important as knowing what to do in the water. It was
interesting to learn what happens in the water as far as pressure and I
finally understood how metal ocean liners don't sink. Then on Saturday
we had class at first and then went to our first pool dive. One of my
classmates freaked out and she couldn't handle taking her mask off
underwater. It kind of gave us all jitters. But the thing that made it
easy was at the beginning we had to snorkel the length of the pool 12
times. Breathing through a snorkel is tough cause you have to pull air
in instead of having it pushed. So when we put our scuba regulators in
our mouths breathing became rather easy. It is sweet to be able to stay
and the bottom of a pool and not have to come up for air. We practiced
things like removing your regulator underwater and getting with your
"buddy" and taking their air. It kinda reminded me of getting a pilot's
license how they make you practice for disasters that don't normally
happen. On Sunday it was better, we got to play around a little bit and
we took the final exam. I got a 76. That was pretty good for only
reading the summary sections of the book. Someone told me there was a
video. I should've got that. Then in the pool we practiced running out
of air and towing a tired diver. It was easy. I had fun. In two weeks I
will be going to a scuba park, that should be cool. They have sunk cars
and airplanes and boats in this park and we get to explore there. Then
after that weekend I will be an official certified diver. I suppose that
means I need to go one more trips to the ocean. I'm not disappointed at
all. The hardest thing about this whole experience is not the water, or
the books, but getting up early enough to be at the scuba park by 8:30.
I wonder how I am going to pull that off...

Thought of the Day
Claude: There's a guy down the beach that runs people out to the island.

Allen: What's the name?
Claude: The guy, or the island?
Allen: I'll find him.
Splash

// posted by Brian @ 5/08/2006 12:31:00 PM 0 Comments

Well, I am in "studying for scuba diving" mode. It should be fun. I
remember growing up my sister would love to swim on top of the water and
I always liked to make it from one end of the pool to the other end
under the water. I especially liked going to the bottom of the deep end.
I can see this being right up my alley. The only difficult thing would
be breathing out of my mouth the whole time. I don't want to be anxious
or anything that would probably cause a panic attack or something, which
would not be good. We shall see. I have been reading this book they gave
me and learning. In other news I am moving forward with my company, I am
getting the development done right now. Actually I am having someone
else do it, cause I really don't have the time. In other news, my
new/old/new band is having it's first show on Saturday June 10th in Deep
Ellum. So to top it off I will be practicing with the band a lot between
now and then. Can you tell I am busy? I often wonder how it is all going
to happen, but I am not that worried. I enjoy doing everything I am busy
with so it is good. Guys night is still tonight, time to recouperate.

Thought of the Day
"Well, my swimming pool problems are solved. I just found myself miles
and miles of open lanes."
"What is that smell?"
"That's East River."
"You're swimming in the East River? The most heavily trafficked, overly
contaminated waterway on the eastern seaboard?"
"Technically, Norfolk has more gross tonnage."
"How could you swim in that water?"
"I saw a couple other guys out there."
"Swimming?"
"Well... floating. They weren't moving much, but they were out there."
- Kramer and Jerry, in "The Nap"

// posted by Brian @ 5/04/2006 02:01:00 PM 0 Comments

Hmm, what to talk about today. Currently I am completely out of
mainstream. It has been a while. I suppose since I skip past all
commercials I don't know what is cool anymore. And since I listen to
classic rock and Christian music I have no idea what is popular
nowadays. Who is this Usher guy? Who is Kayne West dude? Isn't he mayor
of New Orleans? Is the word "bling" still in style? I saw a kid in
Schlotskys wearing a "Vote for Pedro" t-shirt. Is Napoleon Dynamite
still the big thing? I went to our new Wal-Mart over the weekend and
noticed the Star Wars section is diminished. What is the cool toy now?
The new Wal-Mart made the national news. It is so big you can't even see
the far walls. The aisles are huge and they have "organic" products. I
don't get why organic is good. It is weird, like now we pay more money
for food that was made the same way for hundreds of years. I don't like
the word organic anyways. It is too much like organ. I don't want to eat
foods made of organs, unless of course it is cow organs.

Thought of the Day
If you live to be one hundred, you've got it made. Very few people die
past that age.
- George Burns

// posted by Brian @ 5/03/2006 01:11:00 PM 1 Comments

Well, I did it. I don't believe it myself and no one else does, but I
did it. I was able to recode 60 c++ files that manipulates 3000 fields
in just 2 days. I converted them all to C#. I probably touched on 10,000
lines of code. On Monday my eyes started bugging out and I felt for sure
that I would dream in code, as I have done in the past. The conversion
was actually easier than expected. Anyway, I have proved myself here so
I don't have to worry. In other news, I am actually going to do it. I am
going to take that commuting website idea and make it a reality. As I
shared the vision with others it just started growing, my business plan
is taking shape. I am getting a friend to help code the site and am
going to use Motivium.com to launch it. I would never have thought that
the word Motivium could be used for commuting website, but it makes
sense. I figure I will be able to launch in 2 to 3 months. However, I
will have to invest in this idea, invest in advertising and invest in
the time to do it. I am looking at energy and technology grants and
going to the SBA as well as meet with my accountant and lawyer. I feel
compelled to do this. Being a capitalist is just something in my nature.
I suppose that is how I got to where I am today, by capitalizing on my
strengths and ideas. It is all fun for me. Anyway, I am also learning
scuba diving this week. That is fun too. Life is good.

Thought of the Day
"Hi. Jerry, can I borrow your car?"
"For what?"
"I have to haul some dirty garbage to the dump."
"Dirt? That's alright, because there's nothing wrong with dirt."
"Well, actually it's pretty grimy."
"Grime, grease, filth, funk, ooze. Whatever it is, you take that stuff
and put it right on my leather upholstery."
"Well, I don't know who you are, but thanks for the car."
- Elaine and Jerry, in "The Pothole"

// posted by Brian @ 5/02/2006 02:25:00 PM 1 Comments

Happy May Day everyone. I say that knowing that not many people
celebrate May Day. Matter of fact I only celebrated May Day once in my
life. For a kid it was like a mini-Halloween. It was way back when I was
5, living in Lincoln, Nebraska. We got these plastic yellow May Day cups
and went around to all of the houses and rang their doorbells and said
"Happy May Day!" and they would put candy in our cup. Anyway I wonder
what May Day really is. Last I heard it was some kind of festival about
summer starting. And now for the weekend update. I went with Holly on
Friday and saw "RV" that movie with Robin Williams who takes his family
in an RV. It was very reminiscent of National Lampoons Vacation, except
it was more family oriented. It was pretty funny. Saturday morning I
went to a scuba place and signed up for training. 3 weeks from now I
will be a certified scuba diver. We are planning to go to Cozumel in
July. That should be fun, swimming with sharks ;-) Then on Saturday
afternoon, we went to a party in Sherman(an hour away) and hung out with
my Sunday School. Sunday I did the usual and worked only a little on my
project. Now I sit and am coding all day. I think I can make it. We
shall see.

Thought of the Day
"You're going underwater?"
"Yes. Generally that's where scuba diving is done."
"What do you have to go underwater for? What's down there that's so
special?"
"What's so special up here?"
- Helen and Jerry, in "The Pen"

// posted by Brian @ 5/01/2006 01:43:00 PM 1 Comments