10.14.2008
I'm back...
5.24.2008
Why Men Are Never Depressed
Phone conversations are over in 30 seconds flat. You know stuff about tanks. A five-day vacation requires only one suitcase. You can open all your own jars. You get extra credit for the slightest act of thoughtfulness. If someone forgets to invite you, he or she can still be your friend.
Your underwear is $8.95 for a three-pack. Three pairs of shoes are more than enough. You almost never have strap problems in public. You are unable to see wrinkles in your clothes. Everything on your face stays its original color. The same hairstyle lasts for years, maybe decades. You only have to shave your face and neck. You can play with toys all your life. One wallet and one pair of shoes -- one color for all seasons. You can wear shorts no matter how your legs look. You can 'do' your nails with a pocket knife. You have freedom of choice concerning growing a mustache.
You can do Christmas shopping for 25 relatives on December 24 in 25 minutes.
No wonder men are happier.
5.13.2008
MySpace
Computers
- Adobe Cold Fusion
- Adobe Photoshop
- Adobe Dreamweaver
- Microsoft VB.NET
- Microsoft SQL Server
- Mozilla Firefox
- Gmail
- uTorrent
- Winamp
- Kanye West
- Nelly
- Chris Brown
- Keith Urban
- George Strait
- Kenny Chesney
- Blue October
- Lenny Kravitz
- Hummer H2
- Lamborghini Countach
- Ferrari Testarossa
- '69 Camaro SS
- Harley Davidson Dyna Wide Glide
- Suzuki Hayabusa
- The Appeal - John Grisham
- The Measure of a Man: A Spiritual Autobiography - Sidney Poitier
- Here on Earth - Alice Hoffman
- Lessons in Becoming Myself - Ellen Burstyn
4.18.2008
Freedom
Freedom and Jeff
Freedom and I have been together 10 years this summer. She came in as a baby in 1998 with two broken wings. Her left wing doesn't open all the way even after surgery, it was broken in 4 places. She's my baby.
When Freedom came in she could not stand. Both wings were broken, her left wing in 4 places. She was emaciated and covered in lice. We made the decision to give her a chance at life, so I took her to the vet's office. From then on, I was always around her. We had her in a huge dog carrier with the top off, and it was loaded up with shredded newspaper for her to lay in. I used to sit and talk to her, urging her to live, to fight; and she would lay there looking at me with those big brown eyes. We also had to tube feed her for weeks.
This went on for 4-6 weeks, and by then she still couldn't stand. It got to the point where the decision was made to euthanize her if she couldn't stand in a week. You know you don't want to cross that line between torture and rehab, and it looked like death was winning. She was going to be put down that Friday, and I was supposed to come in on that Thursday afternoon. I didn't want to go to the center that Thursday, because I couldn't bear the thought of her being euthanized; but I went anyway, and when I walked in everyone was grinning from ear to ear. I went immediately back to her dowl cage; and there she was, standing on her own, a big beautiful eagle. She was ready to live. I was just about in tears by then.. That was a very good day.
We knew she could never fly, so the director asked me to glove train her. I got her used to the glove, and then to jesses, and we started doing education programs for schools in western Washington. We wound up in the newspapers, radio (believe it or not) and some TV. (Miracle Pets even did a show about us.)
In the spring of 2000, I was diagnosed with non-hodgkins lymphoma. I had stage 3, which is not good (one major organ plus everywhere), so I wound up doing 8 months of chemo. Lost the hair - the whole bit. I missed a lot of work. When I felt good enough, I would go to Sarvey and take Freedom out for walks. Freedom would also come to me in my dreams and help me fight the cancer. This happened time and time again.
Fast forward to November 2000, the day after Thanksgiving, I went in for my last checkup. I was told that if the cancer was not all gone after 8 rounds of chemo, then my last option was a stem cell transplant. Anyway, they did the tests; and I had to come back Monday for the results. I went in Monday, and I was told that all the cancer was gone. Yahoo!
So the first thing I did was get up to Sarvey and take the big girl out for a walk. It was misty and cold. I went to her flight and jessed her up, and we went out front to the top of the hill. I hadn't said a word to Freedom, but somehow she knew. She looked at me and wrapped both her wings around me to where I could feel them pressing in on my back (I was engulfed in eagle wings), and she touched my nose with her beak and stared into my eyes, and we just stood there like that for I don't know how long. That was a magic moment. We have been soul mates ever since she came in. This is a very special bird.
On a side note: I have had people who were sick come up to us when we are out, and Freedom has some kind of hold on them. I once had a guy who was terminal come up to us and I let him hold her. His knees just about buckled and he swore he could feel her power coarse through his body. I have so many stories like that.
I never forget the honor I have of being so close to such a magnificent spirit as Freedom's.
Hope you enjoy this.
Jeff
4.17.2008
It's Time To Live
While growing up my family & I lived in Provo, Utah and on the weekends we got to go to Sundance Ski Lodge for snow ski lessons. The ride to and from learning to snow ski normally included seeing many mule deer so when I ran across Dale's Page after posting the Tacoma Bridge pics - it just made sense for all this knowledge to be in one central location. LOL
Tacoma Narrows Bridge Lightening
Photographer Reed Skyllingstad, who snapped this photo, writes:
"This photo was taken at 10:47 pm off of my deck. The thunder cracked about 5 seconds after the lightning was seen. Taken near Tacoma Narrows at Salmon Beach. This is the first ever picture of lightning hitting the new Tacoma Narrows Bridge (no damage was done). There was absolutely no editing done to this photo."
Date Picture Taken: Sep 3, 2007, 10:47:55 PM
Artist's Comments: Sep 3, 2007, 10:37:54 PM Two strikes with in 30 seconds of each other. No, editing
4.10.2008
Premonition
- Premonition [ Description | Trailer on IMDB ] *****
- I Am Legend [ Description | Trailer on IMDB ] *****
- Atonement [ Description | Trailer on IMDB ] ****
- Jumper [ Description | Trailer on IMDB ] ****
3.17.2008
Lifehacker.com
Lifehacker.com - tips and downloads for getting things done
I don't even remember how I originally found the site at this point because I've spent so much time reading through various topics from How to make Coca-Cola at home to Wire Your Living Room Over Wi-Fi with a Bridge
3.07.2008
Dear Dogs and Cats
Dear Dogs and Cats:
The dishes with the paw prints are yours and contain your food. The other dishes are mine and contain my food. Please note, placing a paw print in the middle of my plate and food does not stake a claim for it becoming your food and dish, nor do I find that aesthetically pleasing in the slightest.
The stairway was not designed by NASCAR and is not a racetrack. Beating me to the bottom is not the object. Tripping me doesn't help because I fall faster than you can run.
I cannot buy anything bigger than a king sized bed. I am very sorry about this. Do not think I will continue sleeping on the couch to ensure your comfort. Dogs and cats can actually curl up in a ball when they sleep.
It is not necessary to sleep perpendicular to each other stretched out to the fullest extent possible. I also know that sticking tails straight out and having tongues hanging out the other end to maximize space is nothing but sarcasm.
For the last time, there is no secret exit from the bathroom. If by some miracle I beat you there and manage to get the door shut, it is not necessary to claw, whine, meow, try to turn the knob or get your paw under the edge and try to pull the door open. I must exit through the same door I entered.
Also, I have been using the bathroom for years--canine or feline attendance is not required.
The proper order is kiss me, then go smell the other dog or cat's butt.
I cannot stress this enough!
To pacify you, my dear pets, I have posted the following message on our front door:
To All Non-Pet Owners Who Visit & Like to Complain About My Pets:
1. They live here. You don't.
2. If you don't want their hair on your clothes, stay off the furniture. That's why they call it "fur"niture.
3 . I like my pets a lot better than I like most people.
4. To you, they are an animal. To me, he/she is an adopted son/daughter who is short, hairy, walks on all fours and doesn't speak clearly.
Remember: Dogs and cats are better than kids because they:
1. Eat less
2. Don't ask for money all the time
3. Are easier to train
4. Normally come when called
5. Never ask to drive the car
6. Don't hang out with drug-using friends
7. Don't smoke or drink
8. Don't have to buy the latest fashions
9. Don't want to wear your clothes
10. Don't need a gazillion dollars for college, and..
11. If they get pregnant, you can sell their children
2.22.2008
Flickr Photos
R.I.P. Black 'Hoe
I'm a little late on posting most everything here the past few months but it's not because my life has been uneventful by any means. About two weeks before Christmas Jeff & the kids were side-swiped in my Tahoe by a newer model Mustang. Thankfully everyone survived the accident but my Tahoe & the Mustang were both totaled so here's some pics...
2.13.2008
Tornadoes
It's been a couple weeks since I've posted & it's still cold as hell (27 degrees as I post) so I thought the world would like to know what I've been up to. Absolutely nothing! It's too damn cold to go outside & do much of anything except get in the truck to make our weekly trip to Wal-Mart or something like that. LOL That's my exciting life these days up here in North Arkansas.
Last week the biggest excitement around was some tornadoes that pretty much demolished a small town 20 or 30 minutes from here (Highland, AR). Here's a picture of one of them - I think I heard it was about 2/3 mile wide...
About the only other exciting news I have to share right now is that I've just finished my financial aid application so that I can get my ass back to school. The school I'm planning to attend is University of Arkansas in Batesville - it's about 10-15 minutes from here & it's been a few years since I've taken any classes so I'm excited.
That's about it for now but maybe if the ground thaws soon I'll post more often!!!
1.27.2008
The Short Bus
You may be wondering what the #$%% the title of the post is about? It's the title of a book by Jonathan Mooney & he describes himself as - author, public speaker, different. To give you an idea of what the book is about, here's an excerpt taken from the homepage of his web site:
A young man once labeled “severely learning disabled” journeys across America to find others who have used humor, imagination, and resiliency to create satisfying lives beyond “normal.”