Democracy...I wonder...

I notice that the U.S. is really pushing "Free and fair democratic elections" across the globe lately. They claim this is part of the war on terror, which I disagree with. Contrary to what the current administration thinks, many parts of the globe are not happy with the U.S. There are times when a democratic nation needs to trust it's leaders to make the best decision possible...even if it goes against the majority.

Can we honestly look back thirty years and say that it was okay to have laws on the books not allowing blacks to marry/date whites? At one time, the majority of the country (aka, politically active voters) thought this was a good thing.

Can we honestly look back 200 years ago and think, "hey...slavery was a-okay!" because the majority of folks saw it as okay (obviously, they didn't look at blacks as equals...or even people...back then. :( )

So I look at what's going on with civil rights/liberties and I wonder: at what point will this administration grow a backbone and stand up for what is right, even if it goes against what they've been brainwashed with in church.

Some simple test to try to categorize the complexity of our humanity

What Your Soul Really Looks Like

You are quite expressive and thoughtful. You see the world in a way that others are blind to. You are a very grounded, responsible, and realistic person. People may not want to hear the truth from you, but they're going to get it. You believe that people see you as larger than life and important. While this is true, they also think you're a bit full of yourself. Your near future is still unknown, and a little scary. You'll get through wild times - and you'll textually enjoy it. For you, falling in love is all about the adventure and uncertainty. You can only fall in love with someone who keeps you guessing.

Inside the Room of Your Soul

VigorJimLegend

VigorJimLegend
Originally uploaded by JimHinCO.

Just a little ride on Saturday. What an amazing part of Colorado. If you've never been to Indian Creek, I highly recommend it! Hiking, horseback riding, or mountain biking...the trails are shared by all three groups.

Apple vs. PC advertising...

...man, MAC makes a great commercial when advertising the most recent Apple computers. Out of the box, they are ready to go! With a PC, you've got hours of setting up and downloads to do. :)

Very clever! I don't think I'd ever get a MAC, I love too many PC programs, but I could see some of my *cough* less technical relatives *cough* get one.

Great commercial, Apple. :) It's not malicious, just truthfully delicious.

My letter was "M"

The evil Lisa gave me M! M of all letters! CRIMINY! ;)

1) Mom -- My mom is a riot. She's always been more of a friend than a motherly influence in my life. Maybe that's how moms are supposed to be?
2) Mother's day (I hope that's not cheating!) -- My mom and I shot BB guns and paint guns for fun...does it get any better?
3) Mondays -- I'm taking guitar lessons on Monday now...I love it...but it's weird having homework again. This is actually enjoyable homework, but it looms over my head all the same. Just another manic monday...ah...the 80's!
4) Moo Shu Pork -- Darn it...I don't eat as much Chinese food as I used to. :(
5) Mexico and Immigration -- I'm tired of hearing about it, tired of folks labeling them as criminals, proposing they are felons, etc etc etc. There's a funny Neal Diamond parody about it... "They're sneaking to America", found here: http://www.morningsidekick.com/visitors/visitors-mp3s/song-america.mp3 . Not a joking matter, but by now I need some relief.
6) Meditation -- I've done more meditation lately than I think I ever have. Not a spiritual type meditation, just some serious yet deep thought regarding a variety of subjects.
7) Melancholy -- I love that word...
8) Meniscus -- isn't that a plate in your knee? I think about how my knees don't hurt right now since we aren't in the middle of a volleyball league...I miss volleyball. Horse back riding actually does hurt my knees a bit, but nowhere near the level of volleyball.
9) Mathematics -- That was my major in college. I've seriously considered giving up my geek job for a less paying but very rewarding teaching job. :)
10) Muhahahahaha -- Sinister laughs are the best. I tend to do them from time to time...not always out loud, just as a, "wow, I manipulated that situation for folks to do exactly as I wanted...and it was for their benefit and reward, not mine!" I had a cousin who recently married...but he didn't invite an uncle and aunt and I inquired as to why. He apparently is holding a grudge that she doesn't know about. I explained that in our family, her ignorance isn't malicious, it just is...but he knowingly excluded her from a family event that's once (hopefully) in a lifetime. I explained that he is more than willing to keep the bridge burnt between their two families...but at what cost and energy? Wouldn't it be better to open the bridge and see if she's willing to come across? I do believe that personal fueds need to have a break when it comes to once in a lifetime experiences: marriage, child birth, graduation, etc.

Cognitive thought...

Does this ability still exist today? ;) The reporters on Fox News don't seem to think before speaking...it really amazes me. I listened to a couple of days of them giving their opinion on the wire-tapping that goes on from the NSA...none of them claimed it wasn't illegal, they simply justified the illegality of the activity.

Today is illegal immigration day on Fox News. The "invasion of criminals" apparently is a hotter topic than banning gay marriage (at least this hour). I'm always amazed how Fox News can use the most dramatic term possible to describe folks hopping the border in search of work. If someone is going 60 miles per hour in a 65 zone, isn't calling them a speeding maniac just a bit over dramatic? Can I honestly categorize them with the guy going 130 miles an hour down the highway?

Is Fox news taking lessons from Rush Limbaugh on over dramatizing these events? Are they a news station or entertainment station?

Wasn't the quote in Star Wars III, "Only the Sith deal in absolutes"? I've wondered about this statement a lot since seeing the parallels between Star Wars III and the current Bush (aka the Emperor who controls the Senate) Administration (aka the evil Empire).

Now...back to gay marriage. Mr. Bush claims that marriage is the foundation of society. How exactly is marriage the foundation of our society when divorce is so rampant? Does that mean we are only 50% of a society now since about 50% of marriages end in divorce? Note: that doesn't mean 50% of people get divorced; it means 50% of marriages end in divorce. If you need clarification on how to understand a statistic like the right-wing seems to, please feel free to ask.

One of the biggest complaints (they need to bitch about something), whines (jealousy?) and outrages (shocker...people enjoy sex!) of the radical right is that gays are so promiscuous...apparently, they even have sex on the first date! Note to radical right -- straight folks are having sex on the first date too! Perhaps the fear of the radical right is that they don't want to see the success stories of gays who stay together for years and years and years and years and years?

Doesn't marriage in a Christian ceremony declare to everyone that this is a committed couple? That those in attendance are to help, encourage, and edify that couple on their new path together? How exactly is this an abomination when the couple happens to be of the same sex? Is it not good that they remain committed, encouraged, and edified from friends and family? Isn't it good that the person they love the most now has a right to be in the hospital room with them or their family member if they are in the hospital?

It was just 32 years ago that the white majority in this country finally lost out on discriminating against blacks and whites from marrying each other (North Carolina). They used scripture to justify their hatred...just like now. This really only leaves a few options in my mind...they either aren't reading the same Bible I'm reading...or they are forgetting to use some cognitive thought on how to interpret what they are reading. Another option, the truly scary one, is this: If the Bible is true...and if the devil can really quote scripture and twist it, what if the radical right actually is heavily influenced by the devil? Has anyone ever been as hungry for a "sign" from God as the radical right that they misinterpret natural disasters as signs from God? Has any spokesman for the radical right been as obsessed with power as to pray from God to kill a world leader...or for the U.S. to assassinate him?

I'm seeing plenty of signs...but they don't look good for the radical right and for the "organized" church (in general). But then again, I'm capable of cognitive thought...

I'm a Lotus Elise!

You believe in maximum performance and minimum baggage. You like to travel light and fast, hit the corners hard, and dance like there's no tomorrow.

"Take the Which Sports Car Are You? quiz.

How are your New Years Resolutions going?

There were just a few things I really wanted to do this year. One was to take guitar lessons and start playing more regularly. I start lessons on Monday. :)

The other was to pick up French...but I haven't found any French speaking clubs, etc. I'll keep searching.

Finally, I wanted to spend more time in the yard...it's early yet...but I'm spending 30 minutes to an hour each day around the pond, etc. Fun stuff.

How are yours going?

8th grade math

You Passed 8th Grade Math

Congratulations, you got 9/10 correct!

Could You Pass 8th Grade Math?

I have no idea which one is wrong! I wonder if they have a problem in their code...once question is listed with "None of the above" as the second option...when there are two value below it. Weird.

"What if" versus "I believe"

I've read a few books or seen a few books lately that really got the cognitive juices going.

Did anyone read, The Intimate Life of Abraham Lincoln? I was simply blown away at even the idea of the late President Lincoln being gay, or bi for that matter. It is a really interesting read. There are lots of letters, etc. that back up some of the authors conclusions...but so many folks who read the book (even more that have never read it) simpy say, "I don't believe that!".

How can they deny the evidence...sure, ignore the conclusion...but to not acknowledge the evidence is really frightening. Isn't being open minded about gathering all the facts you can and then form your conclusion...leaving room that others may conclude things differently?

How about, The Jesus Papers? Some of the concepts are simply astounding. The history of how the Bible came into being, etc. really revealed some ignorance on my part. "I believe" tended to get trumped quite often with "the fact is this". I wouldn't say it shook my religious beliefs as much as it made me ponder many of the things that are quoted completely out of context.

I had one Christian tell me, long, long ago, that she didn't believe in "thermal dynamics" simply because she refused to believe that God would create anything she didn't understand. She was obviously very young in her faith and knowledge of both the Bible and the world. There are hundreds of millions of things that we'll never be able to grasp. The fact that she is still on spiritual milk, rather than meat, wasn't a surprise to me. :)

Conspiracy Theory...

Perhaps the world is really more complex than I realized. Perhaps, the higher up government officials, and those even higher than that, are secretly plotting, strategizing, and thinking about both short-term and long-term effects of things.

Have you ever wondered why so many sitcoms, dramas, etc. have three or more kids per family...even though the national average is still two? Why don't 50% of married folks on these shows get a divorce...it's 50% nationally (actually a bit higher now)? What about those with ashma? Arthritis? Even diabetes? Where are all of those folks? What about overweight folks...or those that struggle with staying in shape by keeping a strict diet and going to the gym or running?

I know these aren't appealing concepts...that sexuality sells...as does one big happy family. But at what point does our entertainment and fantasies affect our realities?

Is there some conspiracy to have more kids than just two? If so...why? Is our economy and growth that closely linked to having more kids than fewer kids?

Have you ever wondered what would happen if folks realized that cell phones really are a nicety...not anything more? For the majority of us, an internet connection isn't needed either...we could live without it. A new car or car with less than 100K miles...not really a necessity at all. The lesser quality of American cars kind of reenforces these ideas...those cars rarely last like a Japanese or European car. Why? Why do American car companies want us to either a) buy a new car every 50K miles...or b) put tons of maintenance costs into our American cars? It just seems weird to me. Don't 3-year leases imply that most folks really shouldn't own a car more than 3 years before changing them out? Don't 1 year warranties imply that the product probably won't really last reliably more than a year? Even cell phone contracts being one year, sometimes two years implies that we should get a new plan and new phone at the end of that time...but do we really need one?

What if America realized it didn't need to consume as much as it did? It would be a global impact. Everything from food, to clothes, to cars, to cell phones...why do we have this desire to consume (shop, eat, have the "newest", keep up with the "Jones", etc)? And how much of that is fed to us rather than it being selfgenerated?

Just random thoughts on a Monday morning.

Vacation!

I'm off to the warmth of the Carribean for 8 days! WOOT! We'll be on Princess Cruise Lines.

I was reviewing the itinerary and notices the temps in March are 68-86...wow! That's warm!

Ends justify the means...even if the ends are yet determined

Politically, I'm very perplexed at GWB and Antonio Gonzales' attitude about wire tapping americans...regardless of whom they call. The fact that they are only wire tapping cell phones (so they claim) is red flag number one. The fact that they have 72 hours to file the paperwork, but claim it's just too hard (wtf?!) is red flag number two. But to throw a thwarted 2002 attack on L.A. into the fray...when the intel for it was NOT established through wire taps, in fact the arrests weren't even made by U.S. intelligence is red flag number three.

Sorry, Mr. President...I can't buy that you are protecting me by stealing my rights.

Cell phone...

I haven't had a cell phone for about 15-18 months now and I really don't miss it. However, for some reason, being a tech-geek, folks feel it's my obligation to have a cell phone. Not just an every day cell phone either, but a state-of-the-art, download-to-your-life, how-did-I-ever-live-without-this type of cell phone. Hey folks...those phones cost a ton of money ($199 and up WITH a 2 year contract @ $45/mo = $1279.00 total over 2 years...ouch). If you want to download ringtones, etc., it's 10cent per KB...I've no idea how much each ringtone would cost. And let's admit it, they don't sound near as groovey coming through a 5mm speaker like the commercial shows.

Do I really have to buy a cell phone? Seriously, I don't miss it. I enjoy my time driving and listening to NPR or a CD (not to mention I'm not as distracted). Am I allowed to gag on the garbage that keeps getting fed to me in needing a cell phone?

"On the edge" feeling

Have you ever felt like you are just hanging on by a thread...like you could go either way, either good or bad, in certain factors in life?

I feel like this right now for financial. I'm fairly debt-free except my house of course. My only monthly bills are car insurance. Quarterly, I have the waste disposal service ($70) and World of Warcraft ($45) and yearly I have my car registration ($150ish). I should be hording cash into my saving account...but other expenses keep rising up to cover my extra cash flow. :) Food is a big one...isn't it nice to experiment with different foods, wines, have a dinner party, etc. without worrying about money? I'm also looking at getting a new car soon...my car is nearly 7 years old with 144,000 miles. But my goal is to get $10,000 saved up before buying my next car. :)

Hobbies are another thing I feel on edge about. I still love volleyball...but my shoulder is aching at night, my knees hurt going up and down the stairs, and even my back gets sore from playing. Perhaps it's time to give that up? Skiing is still amazingly fun, but it's expensive (see above paragraph), uses up my entire weekend, and is quite dangerous...at least the way I ski. :) I also want to play more guitar...but that would require me getting another guitar as I don't have an accoustic guitar...I do have a classical and 2 electric guitars. But there is a gorgeous guitar down at the store that is AMAZING!...but out of my self-imposed budget. :(

Maybe it's just an early case of cabin fever...I can't buy plants on the way home and work in the yard like I do in the spring and summer! If so, it sure did hit me early this year!

Wine Tasting Results - January

Whites:
1) Chateau St. Jean, Viognier, 2002 -- $14 (great with fruit!)
2) 7 Heavenly Chards, Chardonay, 2003 -- 16 (fruit and cheese)
3) Fetzer, Gewurztraminer, 2004 -- $15 (great with sharp cheddar!)

Reds:
4) Ecco Demani, Chianti, 2003 -- $11 (meat dish, lasagna, heavy meal, etc.)
5) Vivac Winer, Refosco, 2004 -- $15 (very dry oak/nut flavor -- New Mexico wine!)
6) Hartfort, Pinot Noir (Sonoma Coast), 2001 -- $15 (yummy)

Dessert Wine:
7) Chocolate Cherry Velvet (Honey/Cherry wine) -- $20 (incredible!)
The Mountain Meadery
3701 G Rd.
Palisade, CO 81526

Play21

My new play list I ventured out a bit...many of the song I'd heard one time and purchased them from iTunes. Other oldies came to me from friends...I had to go out and buy Concrete Blonde's Recollection CD!

01 Blue Orchid - The White Stripes
02 Portions for Foxes - Rilo Kiley
03 Yoshimi Battles The Pink Robots Pt. 1 - The Flaming Lips
04 The Skin Of My Yellow Country Teeth - Clap Your Hands Say Yeah
05 Free Until They Cut Me Down - Iron & Wine
06 Mexican Moon - Concrete Blonde
07 The Town That You Live In - Sherwood
08 Violet - The Birthday Massacre
09 Home (Album Version) - Michael Bublé
10 Empathy - Crosstide
11 In This Moment's Time - The Coral Sea
12 Release the Squid (Box 6) - The Deathray Davies
13 Joey - Concrete Blonde
14 Shadows of Ourselves - Thievery Corporation
15 You're Beautiful - James Blunt

Music: Clap your hands say yeah

Oh my...what a different sounding band. I totally dig them. "The Skin Of My Yellow Country Teeth" is so radically happy that it's hard not to dance to it. I want to get a webcam and lipsync/do silly things while that song plays just to see if it'll go around the internet!

(on a slightly related note) Thanks to my friend, Brad, I have discovered http://www.pandora.com. It lets you create channels and recommends/fills in other songs for ones you may want to order. Great stuff. Best of all, it's still free.

My Elf Name

Your Elf Name Is...

Trixie Mc Flurry

What's Your Elf Name?

Music: Iron & Wine

So I recently purchased the soundtrack to "Garden State" which featured some incredible music. It's mostly soft, very folk, but just amazing. Coincidently, I saw the movie, "In Good Company" with Dennis Quaid, Scarlet Johannsen, and Topher Grace. Excellent movie...great to watch on a snowy day, or as a date film, or as a nice "pick me up" film. Great underlying themes, etc...actually kind of surprising that it's so darn good.

A commonality between the Garden State soundtrack and In Good Company soundtrack is an artist named Sam Beam, from his group called Iron & Wine. Very soft, folk-like, but amazingly deep and thoughtful.

One theme of one of his songs, "Such Great Heights", is how everything looks perfect from so far away. Isn't this true? Ever seen a low quality picture, thumbnail size, that was just amazing...but when you blew it up to become your desktop wallpaper, it was full of imperfections? How about other folks lives? From a distance, they seem so perfect and complete. But upon closer inspection, they contain blemishes, stains, and scars you'd never have guessed from glancing.

Sometimes we are lucky...our closest friends, family, and significant others want that closer look. They want to see both the valleys and the hills of our life. It is there that they'll see the refreshing springs, the snow covered peaks that glisten, and the fields grass that sway in the storm.

Be prepared to catch your breath when taking that closer look. The beauty of great detail is often overwhelming at first.