This blog has moved to http://leounfinished.com

Mess Of Me [Switchfoot]

2009-09-21T15:21:00.001-05:00

I can't get enough of Switchfoot's new single...check it out

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y9lg7Utdnyk]

WHAT I HAVE LIVED FOR [Bertrand Russell]

2009-09-18T15:46:00.001-05:00

While reading about Bertrand Russell I read this self-assesment he wrote for his autobiography, it resonated so much with me that I truly hope I can say the same thing about myself when I reach old age:

Three passions, simple but overwhelmingly strong, have governed my life: the longing for love, the search for knowledge, and unbearable pity for the suffering of mankind. These passions, like great winds, have blown me hither and thither, in a wayward course, over a deep ocean of anguish, reaching to the very verge of despair.
I have sought love, first, because it brings ecstasy—ecstasy so great that I would often have sacrificed all the rest of life for a few hours of this joy. I have sought it, next, because it relieves loneliness—that terrible loneliness in which one shivering consciousness looks over the rim of the world into the cold unfathomable lifeless abyss. I have sought it, finally, because in the union of love I have seen, in a mystic miniature, the prefiguring vision of the heaven that saints and poets have imagined. This is what I sought, and though it might seem too good for human life, this is what—at last—I have found.
With equal passion I have sought knowledge. I have wished to understand the hearts of men. I have wished to know why the stars shine. And I have tried to apprehend the Pythagorean power by which number holds sway above the flux. A little of this, but not much, I have achieved.
Love and knowledge, so far as they were possible, led upward toward the heavens. But always pity brought me back to earth. Echoes of cries of pain reverberate in my heart. Children in famine, victims tortured by oppressors, helpless old people a hated burden to their sons, and the whole world of loneliness, poverty, and pain make a mockery of what human life should be. I long to alleviate the evil, but I cannot, and I too suffer.
This has been my life. I have found it worth living, and would gladly live it again if the chance were offered me.

What kind of self-assesment would you like to be able to write at then end of your days?

Oh Snap!

2009-09-08T11:57:00.001-05:00

This gave me a good chuckle today!

[Via: Passive Aggressive Notes]

Sunrise Thoughts

2009-09-02T07:41:00.001-05:00

I woke up this morning and these were the three first things than ran through my mind:

1. Is it me or for every quiz result I hide in Facebook ten more new ones show up?

2. I love coming home at the end of the day and hold my baby…to find out she has a poopy diaper :-|

3. What’s the point of ‘hiding’ people on Facebook if they still show up on the ‘Highlights’

Very sad when two out of your first three morning thoughts are about Facebook…and I don’t even like it.

The Bear On The Consumerist

2009-08-22T11:41:00.001-05:00

My bear picture is being featured on The Consumerist this week. I took this picture at The Lake Superior Zoo this past July (click picture to see original). Too bad I couldn’t get that close to the live bears without a thick glass in between :-)

I’m falling more in love with photography every time (can you tell by the previous posts on this blog?) if you are in the Twin Cities area and in need of some photography services let me know, I’m probably the cheapest photographer you can get.

To see some more of my pictures you can go here.

Thanks Consumerist for the love!

Good Photos Don’t Come Easy

2009-07-07T21:21:00.001-05:00

This past weekend we were able to escape to the awesome city of Duluth, MN and of course I was able to take some pictures. Now, most of the time I take some decent pictures and I feel pretty pleased with the results but sometimes there is that one picture that I just don’t know where it came from, is like BAM! a big slap on the face followed by a crotch kick, you get the point.

Honestly I think it’s all luck, like many awesome photos, it’s all about being in the right place at the right time and pressing that button on the right moment.

For a while I’ve been entertaining the idea of overexposed pictures, now, overexposure is not something you want in your pictures and to use it as a technique it’s a gamble, the picture will either turn out really good or just one big crap. By no means I think I’ve conquered the technique, I don’t think I’m able to pull it off at will but somehow the picture above turned out just the way I wanted with no intention whatsoever. A little tweak here and there…voila! my best picture ever.

I also been playing with bokeh and out-of-focus pictures. Again, I’m pretty pleased with the results but nothing like that overexposed picture…not yet. Check out my best pictures of the month so far in the album below or visit my flickr page

View Full Album

Slap Chop REMIX

2009-06-29T16:11:00.001-05:00

Best Infomercial ever

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UWRyj5cHIQA]

Happy Papi’s Day!

2009-06-21T13:36:00.001-05:00

The best father’s day I’ve EVER had…. :-)

Model Tries To Use Calculator Watch And Gets All Confused

2009-06-20T09:26:00.001-05:00

Yes, yes…that’s it…No, no, no…you are doing it wrong!

Why people who are in charge of the photoshoots do these things?

[Link]

The Right Me

2009-06-19T15:01:00.001-05:00

It doesn't really sit very well with me the whole idea of having "followers" in Twitter, it sounds cultish, it sounds egocentric, it sounds center-of-the-universe-ish, whatever...you get the point. But if you are going to follow me, make sure you follow the right me.

Today I realized a friend of mine was following someone with my name thinking it was me, it was funny. It made me think though...back in my country both my first name and last name are not very popular, I actually used to get teased a lot growing up in school. Once in the US and with the birth of Google, whose mission is to control the world, I soon realized how common my last name was and even realized there were one or two other dudes with the same first name and last name as me. That doesn't include the illegal immigrant who stole my ID but that's another post.

So, if you are into Twitter and are going to follow me I'm not the one who describes himself as: "Just a crazy boy who should've been born a vampire."

How To Make Perfect Coffee

2009-06-11T08:51:00.001-05:00

Hmm…I wonder what would happen if I opened the bag a different way…

First Time Parents

2009-06-10T10:51:00.001-05:00

The other day someone told us: “Do you think you have enough photos of Jannike? :-) Just like new parents... just remember you have to do the same for all the rest to”

Being parents for the first time is funny business. You do things you probably won’t do again with the next kid, and the more kids you have the less they get from you…so younger siblings are definitely not raised the same way as the firstborn. This has its advantages and disadvantages, how do I know that? I’ve experienced it myself and I’ve seen it in other families too. Of course, this is a generalization but it is pretty common.

I don’t know if I will have more kids or not, but if I do, I do know that future kids will not be raised the same way as our firstborn. You see, as first time parents we do so many things first time parents do, even though we try not to it is almost impossible not to. Tonight we are taking our 7 months old daughter to swimming lessons, yes I know…that’s a very first time parent thing to do. Can a 7 months old really learn how to swim? I don’t think so. However we want Jannike not to be afraid of the water when we go to the beaches in Venezuela, so this is more about exposure and less about hoping she’d learn how to swim. But again, I’m pretty sure we’ll do many more things like this…music, gymnastics, ballet, languages, art, singing, etc…

The Miracle of Parenthood Everyone Keeps Talking About [Stuff Christians Like]

2009-06-09T08:46:00.001-05:00

Once again Jon over at Stuff Christians Like brought the word and said it way better that I could ever had. This is a must read, not only this post in specific but his blog as a whole. Enjoy.

"...My guess is she thought having kids would make me more wise, more mature, more patient… more something. She had an expectation about what parenthood would change about life. A lot of Christians do too. And it’s not insignificant:

We think the birth of our children will reveal to us the very face of God.

While you might not use those exact words, at some point, someone in your Christian circle of friends has said one of the following things to you:

“I really didn’t know God until I had kids.”

“When I became a father, I finally understood how hard it was for God to send Christ to the cross.”..."

Read more: Asking our kids to be mini jesus [Stuff Christians Like]

The Mother Of Swing Sets [Timelapse Video]

2009-05-31T22:41:00.001-05:00

My wife bought a new swing set for daycare and this thing was just insane to put together. According to the instructions they said it would take 2 people 8 hours to put together...dang! That means it would have taken me like 2 weeks to do it by myself. So, she requested the help of some daycare parents and these guys in their awesomeness volunteered to put this together for their kids. On the other hand I always wanted to make a timelapse video, but never really had the opportunity or the time to do it, so this was a perfect chance. I personally think I could do a much better timelapse than this, but since this was my first time I just wanted to keep it simple and see how it worked. So you are watching over 6 hours of video compressed down to a little over 4 minutes. Ah!...Enjoy the music courtesy of http://freemusicarchive.org/

[vodpod id=ExternalVideo.831844&w=425&h=350&fv=]

more about "The Mother Of Swing Sets [Timelapse V...", posted with vodpod

Happy Memorial Day!

2009-05-25T10:22:00.001-05:00

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K-Uz-dPANDY&feature=player_embedded]

America: Love It Or Hate It

2009-05-20T20:26:00.001-05:00

Americans are always wondering why other countries hate them. After living here for so many years I’ve learned to see why other countries feel the way they do. However it is unfair to judge a whole country because of the bad example of a few or the stupidity of its government…but still…we should do a better job at NOT doing the things expressed in these lists.

Nice Summer Night For A Drug Deal

2009-05-20T20:06:00.001-05:00

30-something african-american bro’ driving a small black 99' saturn with a cocker spaniel riding on the back seat parks in front of my house. He is being followed by a +50 white guy with gray hair riding a bicycle holding in one hand a liquor bottle inside a brown paper bag. African-american bro' looks both ways and pops the trunk open and gets out of the car while the cocker spaniel stays inside watching the zone. The white guy gets really excited when he sees the bro' and a huge smiles appears in his face. African-american bro' looks at me through my window, I freeze. After looking both ways he reaches inside the trunk and produces a clear sandwich-size ziploc bag with what appears to be "herbs" in it. He looks at me again, I'm still frozen. He rolls the bag while looking both ways and hands it over to the +50 white guy, who still has a big smile across his face and hasn't realized I'm watching.

Thoughts start running through my head “what should I do?”, it’s like an bad car crash, it’s ugly but I can’t stop watching. “Will the police do something?” by the time I dial the number they will be gone. “Should I get up and get the car license?” Again, will the police do something?.

In the meantime, +50 white guy after quickly examining the contents of the bag, still smiling, hands the bro' a small roll of what appears to be cash. Turns his bike around and rides away into the sunset. African-american bro’ takes one last look at me and hops into his black saturn and drives away. All I can think is “I should definitely tweet this and blog about it!”

That's How The Fight Started - Round 7

2009-03-23T10:06:00.001-06:00

I took my wife to a restaurant. The waiter, for some reason, took my order first. 'I'll have the strip steak, medium rare, please.'

He said, 'Aren't you worried about the mad cow?'

'Nah, she can order for herself.' I replied.

And that's when the fight started...

Happy Easter

2008-08-14T07:28:00.001-05:00

John Smith was the only Protestant to move into a large Catholic neighborhood. On the first Friday of Lent, John was outside grilling a big juicy steak on his grill.

Meanwhile, all of his neighbors were eating cold tuna fish for supper. This went on each Friday of Lent. On the last Friday of Lent, the neighborhood men got together and decided that something had to be done about John. He was tempting them to eat meat each Friday of Lent, and they couldn't take it anymore.

They decided to try and convert John to Catholicism.

They went over and talked to him. John decided to join all of his neighbors and become a Catholic, which made them all very happy.They took him to church, and the priest sprinkled some water over him, and said, "You were born a Baptist, you were raised a Baptist, and now you are a Catholic."

The men were so relieved, now their biggest Lenten temptation was resolved.

The next year's Lenten season rolled around. The first Friday of Lent came, and, just at supper time, when the neighborhood was settling down to their cold tuna fish dinner, the smell of steak cooking on a grill came wafting into their homes. The neighborhood men could not believe their noses! WHAT WAS GOING ON?

They called each other up and decided to meet over in John's yard to see if he had forgotten it was the first Friday of Lent. The group arrived just in time to see John standing over his grill with a small pitcher of water. He was sprinkling some water over his steak on the grill, saying, "You were born a cow, you were raised a cow, and now you are a fish."

2008-07-13T16:01:00.001-05:00

Brain Development [My Theory About Job Dissatisfaction]

2008-07-11T11:14:00.001-05:00

Scientists say that the human brain is not fully developed until one reaches 21, and that's the reason why teenagers have poor judgment and make a lot of wrong decisions.

So, here is my question, how come we have to make one of the most important decisions of our life at age 17-18? I'm talking about college, career, profession... We just graduate from high school, we barely know how to take care of ourselves and boom, we have to decide what do with our life.

Could this be reason why most people are very unhappy with their jobs?

Richer Than You Think

2008-07-11T10:34:00.001-05:00

Money is quite a controversial thing. Some people have too much, others have too little. The ones that have a lot want more, the ones that have little want more. At the end we all think we don't have enough.

It is really easy to get lost in this culture of consumerism and materialism, without realizing how privileged we are and the moral obligation we have (whatever your beliefs are) of helping those less privileged without judging them, regardless of their circumstances.

Once I heard if you had another form of transportation other than walking, another set of clothes to wear other than what your are wearing right now and another choice of food to eat other than what you ate this morning then you were in the top 9% richest people in the world, I thought that was pretty shocking.

Do you want to find out how rich you are compared to the rest of the world? Then go to Global Rich List enter your annual salary and hold on to your chair. This website does a pretty good job putting it in perspective.

50 Things To Do After You Die [Post-Mortem Bucket List]

2008-07-10T13:05:00.001-05:00

We all have lists, especially the western culture, we love To-do lists. Everyone have their own bucket lists, things they think are a must-do before dying. I personally, don't have one, first because I'm not good with lists, second there would be too many things on that list that I wouldn't know where to start. I read this list (See below) on another blog and thought it was a very interesting idea. I didn't write the list below and I think there are some items that are very irrelevant, others don't translate very well and others I don't necessarily agree with, but it's pretty funny nonetheless.

I think the question of what is it going to be like after we die must bother everyone on this planet one way or another, if you think about it, we will spend way more time dead than alive. We get so focused about this short and temporary life that we give very little thought to life after death which is a more permanent and lasting condition. On the other I don't think we should put too much thought about life after death either, I think it was Socrates who said something like "When I'm around death is not and when death is around I'm not".

Whatever your religion, philosophy, belief or the lack of it, one thing is certain: We will all kick the bucket sooner or later. So, my question is: Do you have a Bucket List for after you die?

I Like the following quote from Socrates:

"To fear death, my friends, is only to think ourselves wise, without being wise: for it is to think that we know what we do not know. For anything that men can tell, death may be the greatest good that can happen to them: but they fear it as if they knew quite well that it was the greatest of evils. And what is this but that shameful ignorance of thinking that we know what we do not know?"

50 Things To Do After You Die

1. Question if there is life before death.

2. Prove the existence of god.

3. Scare at least one person at midnight, .

4. Stop believing in ghosts.

5. Depending on where you are at, go on a vacation to hell, otherwise (if you were a bad person), spend a few days of vacation in heaven.

How Far Does Self-Defense Go?

2008-07-09T19:08:00.001-05:00

Listen to this 911 call. It is a very interesting case where the man on the phone shot two other men who were breaking into his neighbor's house. Yes, his neighbor's house. He claimed self-defense, What do you think? Should they guy go to jail or he did the right thing?

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_7jqLie6-Y0&e]

To find out what happened and my opinion check out Nils' Blog

Church Bulletin Bloopers

2008-07-09T09:14:00.001-05:00

-- The Associate Minister unveiled the church's new tithing campaign slogan last Sunday: "I Upped My Pledge - Up Yours.

-- "Our next song is "Angels We Have Heard Get High.

-- "Don't let worry kill you, let the church help.

-- For those of you who have children and don't know it, we have a nursery downstairs.

-- This being Easter Sunday, we will ask Mrs. Lewis to come forward and lay an egg on the altar.

NEW BLOG - NEW ADDRESS: LEOUNFINISHED.COM

2008-04-01T10:08:00.004-06:00

THIS BLOG WAS ORIGINALLY CREATED WITH A DIFFERENT PURPOSE THAT IS NO MORE. THEREFORE IT MADE SENSE TO CREATE A NEW BLOG THAT WAS FIT FOR THE CONTENT BEING POSTED IN HERE.

PLEASE VISIT THE NEW BLOG AT LEOUNFINISHED.COM

SO LONG AND THANKS FOR ALL THE POSTS!

Monday, Monday...

2008-03-31T10:00:00.000-06:00

There is no doubt in my mind that Monday Blues is fact. There is something about having only two days off during the weekend that makes everyone hate Monday, the worst day of the week. Having only two days off is more like an insult. Is like when the company buys lunch so you get to work some more while you eat.
Usually Saturday is the catch-up day, is when do you everything you didn't get to do during the week that just went by, then Sunday is spent mostly getting ready for the week that is about to begin. So there is really no rest or "day off" and that's why we all hate Mondays.
My solution? very simple, lets make it required we have three days off instead of two and that will take of the problem, why? Because by the time you are on your third day off you will be bored so much that will be eager to go back to work, believe me, it works. Aren't we already making more money than everyone else in the world? Why not take an extra day off? Boy, that will definitely make America even lazier.

Then we will all have Tuesday Blues

Creepy Real-Looking Homer Simpson

2008-03-21T15:20:00.003-06:00

Nice Photoshop job...I have to say though it looks really creepy, I don't know why.

Via Pixeloo

As Clear As That...

2008-03-14T11:01:00.002-06:00

Via Flickr

Zubaz Are Back...And I Thought I Dressed Horribly

2008-02-28T12:28:00.007-06:00

Retro-fashion is a very interesting social phenomenon, from time to time someone (whom I would like to meet) decides it will be cool to dress as horribly as we did 20 years ago to the date and then starts a trend that makes everyone else (us normal people) squirm with horror. I must confess I kinda' liked the fashion trend from the '70s but the '80s and '90s are like the dark ages of fashion. Boy, those neon colors and perms and don't get me started on spandex...what were we thinking?

But wait, it's not over yet, bad fashion is back and is here to stay!

Just when we thought it was over it gets worse. Zubaz are re-launching their infamously ugly pants back into the market, do they honestly think their pants are cool? or is this a desperate attempt to be part of the "Retro-fashion" movement? (and make some dollars of course). Either way I can't comprehend why would someone even consider spend $30 on a pair of bright-colored-zebra-patterned pants? Why?

I've heard people comment that they are really comfortable, but is that an excuse to make them so ugly? I guess it will be alright unless someone decides to unleash the fanny pack. That's another post in itself.

I wonder what are our kids going to think of the way we dressed back in 2008

So Long And Thanks For All The Donuts

2008-02-26T20:35:00.004-06:00

I'm sorry to inform all Kripsy Kreme lovers that the chain has closed its last store in MN. According to the news yesterday Krispy Kreme served its last donut and closed its doors in the state...the closest one? Clive, Iowa...just a little over 200 miles away.

Stay Tuned

2008-02-26T11:57:00.001-06:00

Big news coming soon.

Men Are Like Waffles, Women Are Like Spaghetti

2008-02-19T18:09:00.001-06:00

I've heard this many times before but never heard anyone doing it like a comedy act. Pretty Good.

Valentine's Day?....please...

2008-02-15T11:47:00.001-06:00

National Pancake Day = Free Pancakes

2008-02-12T11:55:00.000-06:00

Today only (Feb. 12th 2008) IHOP is serving free pancakes in celebration of national pancake da......wait.....there is actually a national pancake day!??.....what are you supposed to do on national pancake day?

Anderson Cooper vs. Jorge Ramos

2008-01-23T11:00:00.000-06:00

This is for all the Latinos out there who watch CNN and Univision: Is it me or there is striking resemblance between Anderson Cooper from CNN and Jorge Ramos from Univision?...hmm...Is it also a coincidence they are both news anchors for major news channels?...sure...I'm telling you it's a conspiracy.

Vacation?

2008-01-14T11:55:00.000-06:00

Vacation?, Yea Right!

Blogging From The Homeland

2007-12-29T11:11:00.000-06:00

We are in Venezuela for the next two weeks. Our blogging might be less than what already is but I'll try to keep you all posted on our adventures south of the border.

Love The City, Hate The City

2007-12-17T16:34:00.000-06:00

We love living in the city, we love the city life...that is of course until those-that-we-dont-speak-of come in the middle of the night and smash our car window or slash our tires like it happened a few months ago...what are we supposed? We called the police and I guess we made the joke of the day because they didn't even bother to come to our house. $200 later I'm so upset I can't even contain myself, it's not about the window or the money but how stupid you gotta be to just go and smash someone else's window or slash their tires, so ignorant. I pity the fool.

Company Holiday Party

2007-12-14T17:13:00.000-06:00

Today is my work's Company Holiday Party (CHP). The ultimate social event for people lovers and those who love to hang out with a thousand other people they don't know. Not my favorite kind of event. Let's face it, CHPs can be really awkward sometimes; Some people shouldn't be there, others do things they shouldn't, while there are others you don't even know why they are even there. It's even more interesting when you work for a large corporation and that's all I'm going to say about that.
MentalFloss had two really great posts today about the subject, one is about incentives at work and another one about corporate holiday parties, I must confess I've been laughing the whole day reading the comments, that's why I wanted to share them with you for your own entertainment.
So as I take off to the CHP tonight I guess I can feel better that there are others that are really having a much worse time at their CHP. Enjoy.

You Better Watch Out...

2007-12-11T07:24:00.001-06:00

Google is coming to town!

The Twin Cities were added to GoogleMaps Street View. This means you can navigate through the streets of the TCs using Google Maps' feature Street View. Basically you move the little yellow man where you want to go and it will show you a 360 degrees view of that street, and of course, you can navigate through like if you were driving in it.

Yes, I already checked out my address...I'm 99% positive it is the first thing everyone does and I'm pretty sure it is the first thing you are going to do too.

Next I will check my work, school, church, friends' houses, etc... Like if I've never been to those places before... :-

Shooting at YWAM in Colorado

2007-12-09T10:11:00.001-06:00

Please pray for all of those affected by this tragedy. We have friends in that base and as many of you know we are part of YWAM as well.

The Devil's Advocate

2007-12-09T09:22:00.000-06:00

One thing I've learned about myself lately is that I like to play the Devil's Advocate, at first I didn't like it but I think it is necessary sometimes.
Last night at church Pastor Rob was talking about the nativity scene, how Joseph who wasn't Jesus biological father took Mary to Bethlehem and took care of her and Jesus was born. So I started thinking, the bible says the Messiah (Jesus) was to be from the line of David, Joseph was from the line of David, so, if Joseph is not considered to be Jesus' father, because Mary was virgin and it was all by the Holy Spirit and Mary was not from the line of David, how come Jesus is considered to be from the line of David?...hmmm...
I'm pretty sure if I do my homework and do a little research I can find the answer myself, but, I thought it was an interesting question.
In case you are wondering, no, I'm not about to start a new cult.
I guess this one will go on the list of "Questions to God for when I get to heaven" which includes "God can you show me a new color different to all the known ones?" and "Do Aliens really exists?"

Gatorade Inventor Dies

2007-11-28T11:38:00.000-06:00

The inventor of world-famous sport drink Gatorade died at 80. He died of kidney failure....hmm...interesting, I wonder if he drank a lot of Gatorade.

Link

Tuesday

2007-11-27T07:53:00.001-06:00

Today is Tuesday and I spoke on the phone with an employee whose name was Tuesday, yes, her name was really Tuesday; I looked up her employee profile and there it was: Tuesday.

For such a name like that I can only hope she was born on a Tuesday and that it was a beautiful Tuesday, otherwise, why would someone name their kid Tuesday or Monday, Friday...

I like unique names and I can even like odd names...but Tuesday? Give me a break.

Parents get over your selfishness and be smart when naming your kids, they are the ones who will be putting up with it not you.

Happy Thanksgiving

2007-11-22T08:03:00.000-06:00

My Ubuntu Experience

2007-11-20T10:58:00.000-06:00

I've been using Ubuntu for a couple of weeks now and I must say I'm very pleased with it. I will think it twice before going back to Windows. However, Ubuntu is not perfect yet but they are working hard on it and there is already a new released scheduled for April '08 (I got the latest version that was just released a couple of months ago).

So, what things do I like about it? My internet connection got really fast, no kidding. Before it wouldn't go past 100-150 kbps, now it rarely goes below 1000kbps... Another perk: No more system maintenance, Ubuntu does it all by itself... The systems is really stable and plus other good stuff like the system boots up really fast.

Things I'm not quite happy about: Mouse cursor! I usually like my mouse very fast, Ubuntu's cursor is quite slow even after setting it up really fast.... Programs, programs, programs: There are many more options available for Windows than Linux, which makes sense sinces Windows is still the most popular. I really hope to see this improved.

One thing I'm not quite decided whether I like it or not is the way programs are installed. It's not hard it's just very different and I don't have a grip on it yet. I'm talking about the terminal screen and BASH Commands. I'm undecided because it involves knowing what commands to type and when to type them on the other hand the system does it all...so, there it is, that how my experience with Ubuntu is going so far.

Are You Chuck Approved?

2007-11-20T07:26:00.001-06:00

If I could vote in the "US and A" Mike will definitely get mine. I don't know if he is being serious or just kidding but this ad is awesome. I wonder if he realized that he probably won't win so he might as well have fun.

Chuck Facts - www.chucknorrisfacts.com

[Thanks Paul]

Go Vikings!

2007-11-19T07:44:00.000-06:00

Yesterday I was able to go to a Vikings game for my first time ever. It was awesome. Even better because the Vikings won. I was able to enjoy the game even though I don't know all the rules and my good friend Scott was always ready to explain whenever I didn't understand what happened. Good stuff.

Beyond - Monterrey, MX

2007-11-09T17:22:00.000-06:00

Last night at Beyond we pushed a little bit the upcoming missions trip to Monterrey, MX by showing a short video put together with last year's trip pictures, after the service we had an information meeting for those interested in going. I was really impressed when we had over 20 people show up, many of them showing real interest in the trip...it was awesome.
The trip is still four months away and I'm already excited for it, can't wait. Stay tuned for more.

Ubuntu...yay, Windows...booo

2007-11-09T07:33:00.000-06:00

For quite some time I've been courting the OpenSoftware idea, I just didn't know where to start or how to go about it. I'm definitely not a big fan of Windows or Microsoft, I think somewhere along the line they just got too greedy and evil plus Windows is not even that great.

For the last couple of years I've been hearing a lot of buzz about Ubuntu, a free, open software, Linux based operative system. So, I went ahead and downloaded the installation cd.

I burnt the image cd, popped it on the cd rom and restarted my computer. I've learned there are many different ways to go about it. I can install it right away but that will get rid of windows (not that I care) if I don't have a disk partition, I could also do a disk partition and have both installed and boot whichever I want but it's kind of a hassle. I can also run it from the cd (LiveCD) and use it as normal just to test it out without installing it and when I'm done I just need to restart my computer and get the cd out. So that's what I did, what can I say? Ubuntu ROCKS!

I must confess I haven't used Windows Vista enough to give an honest opinion about it but I haven't heard/read anything good about it either. To the point that Microsoft tried to stop supporting Windows XP and they couldn't because Vista wasn't really that good. Or the fact that when buying a Dell you can choose which operating system to have installed on your computer: XP or Vista (Ubuntu it's also an option).

Basically pretty much any major application available for Windows is also available for Linux (Ubuntu) and just like OS X (At least what I've heard) Ubuntu is faster, lighter, safer, virus-free, spyware-free, crash-free, freeze-free, and it makes better use of computer resources, the best part: It's FREE!

So my question is: How come most of the world is still using Windows?

Cool Fact: Did you know that 389 (77.8%) of the world's Top 500 Supercomputers run on Linux?

"I Can See Clearly now..."

2007-11-08T07:34:00.000-06:00

For the last two years we have been paying a monthly premium for Eye Care Insurance, Carolyn wear glasses, so when I saw we had Eye Care insurance at work I thought this was a great option; pay the insurance and everything is covered when we need new glasses.
Last night we went to get our eyes checked. Everything went as expected, my eyes are good and my wife needs new glasses. She picked her glasses and sunglasses, placed the order...cha ching... +$500 [WHAT?] and this is after insurance?!
So, I was sitting there at the doctor's office with my pupils dilated looking around thinking how shiny everything was and wondering how this came to happen. At the same time flashbacks from The Fight Club or any other "rebels-against-the-system" movie start going through my head while I keep looking around in amazement how the Christmas decorations at Target look shinier than usual, oh, did I mention all this was at Target? Yes, Target, the same with the red bulls eye and the "expect more pay less" slogan.
Last time we had to get glasses we didn't have eye care insurance, went to a different place and we only had to pay like $100 total, so how come this time with insurance we have to pay more than $500 for the same stuff? Go figure.
Needless to say, we will return Target's $500 glasses and go to this other place and pay without insurance way less than with insurance. When it comes to the eye care insurance plan, I'm kicking that rip-off bye-bye...
Where is Michael Moore when you need him? (ooh...I bet I touched a few sore spots with that one)

Bad Day at the office!

2007-11-07T13:27:00.001-06:00

I thank God for self-control

Think Deep...

2007-11-02T08:56:00.000-06:00

What does this picture make you think of?...Think Deep

Top Gear - Bugatti Veyron vs Eurofighter

2007-10-30T15:28:00.001-06:00

OK, this one is for the guys and it's just a.m.a.z.i.n.g

Must Stay Awake...

2007-10-30T11:08:00.000-06:00

I get so sleepy after lunch...it is unreal, I can barely keep my eyes open. Coffee does not help at all.

Ctrl+Alt+Del

2007-10-26T07:54:00.000-05:00

I work in IT Support, yes, I have endless stories about user "naivete"

A very common one is the Ctrl-Alt-Del...I wouldn't even know where to start, so I'm just going to share a couple of true stories...

1. Don't admit that you know how to do something when you don't:

Me: Do you know how to do CAD? (Ctrl+Alt+Del)
User: Yes
Me: Go ahead and do it
User: Do what?
Me: CAD
User: How do you do that?

2. User just received a new monitor because the current monitor is too dark. User called us to install new monitor:
Me: Let's go ahead and do CAD
User: Where? On the new monitor or the old monitor?

What else can I say?

I like Flickr, but sometimes....

2007-10-24T12:37:00.001-05:00

P1030653
Originally uploaded by campero.

I like Flickr, it is a pretty cool service, unlimited storage and affordable even if you pay for it, although the free account they give you has some pretty nasty limitations. My pro account just expired this weekend and seems like I'm going to be forced to shell those $25/yr if I want to see all my pictures (with the free account you can only see your most recent 200 pictures...arghh).
On the other hand, it seems like they are against embedding slideshows in a website. With Picasa I just click a button and it will embed a slideshow or give me the code to embed the slideshow in this blog or website, not the same with Flickr, nada.
With Flickr you can only blog one picture at a time, however, there are several websites out there where you can enter the URL for your photo set and it will generate a code for you to copy and paste into your website/blog and "voila" you have a slideshow from Flickr.
This seems to work for everyone except for me. I have an idea that it might have something to do with the fact that I used to use Yahoo Photos and then my pictures were moved to Flickr.
I like Picasa a lot better but it has limited storage which grows very slow and the paid option doesn't compare to the paid option from Flickr.
So, here I am trying to figure out which site to use once and for all, not an easy choice if you cherish your pictures and want to have them online and don't like to pay a yearly fee and both sites has pros and cons :-

When is the World Wide Web going to evolve and truly become free for all? Probably never...
So, if you click the link below you can access the pictures I was talking about on my previous post. As I was only able to post one, I chose one of my favorite one from that set, by the way, if you are not a pro photographer and don't know how to use your digital camera very well (like me) you will find it hard to take pictures like these under the same circumstances.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/campero/sets/72157602561000654/

Volume Skateboard Comp - Rochester, MN

2007-10-24T11:15:00.000-05:00

Thanks to my friend Scott Shull and Volume I was able to be part of a skateboard competition they sponsored in Rochester, MN. It was really cool to see the kids perform their tricks and make the effort to win the comp.
I also tried to be a photographer and with my not-so-pro digital camera was able to get some cool pictures. I'm trying to embed the slideshow to this post but in case it doesn't work here the Link

Undecided? Talk to Chuck

2007-10-22T11:53:00.000-05:00

Chuck Norris picks his prez candidate (via CNN)

Are You Kidding Me?

2007-10-17T12:06:00.001-05:00

Someone Doesn't Want You To Eat Your Veggies...

2007-10-04T08:13:00.000-05:00

Recently posted onto all the microwave ovens at work...hmm...seems like someone doesn't like broccoli...lol

Up North

2007-10-03T11:44:00.000-05:00

Our weekend up north was awesome, fun and re-energizing, we really enjoyed and it was a lot of fun. The highlight of the trip was the bed and breakfast we stayed on, it is called Mountain Meadows and I can't explain how great it was to stay there.

Mountain Meadows is a cabin in a 60 acres property in the middle of the wilderness in South Gillies. Its owner, Margaret Walsh, it's an awesome christian lady who has lived all of her life in the wilderness. Sometimes you just wonder how she manages to do it all, she is amazing and with cool stories to tell; I would definitely recommend this place anytime.

While in Canada we also went to some other attractions nearby and we visited Thunder Bay, if we would have known better we would have stayed the whole time at the b+b, nothing really interesting in Thunder Bay nor the attractions around.

Margaret has a wild black bear that comes every night for her to feed him/her. She's also visited by a moose, timber wolves, deers, etc... We'll definitely go back if we have the chance to go up north again.

We also had the chance to spend sometime in Gooseberry Falls, Duluth and Grand Marais; awesome places to visit and hang out, of course, the drive along Lake Superior is just a treat in the fall season.

ROAD TRIP - Destination: Thunder Bay, Canada (Eh?)

2007-09-25T08:02:00.000-05:00

We are going to Thunder Bay, Canada for the weekend. We are taking the scenic route (61) along Lake Superior, fall colors should be awesome. I'm really looking forward for the Lutsen Alpine Slide, I've done it before and it is way better that what it looks in the video, you actually get to go faster, I guess it's not an easy thing to do while taping it. Any ideas what to do on the other side of the border??

Christian vs. Christ Follower (Pc vs. Mac Style)

2007-09-18T21:41:00.000-05:00

In case you haven't check GodTube out let me tell you that you can find some pretty good stuff in there, there is also plenty of tacky and cheesy stuff, of course.
One of the coolest videos I've seen so far have to be the series of videos of Christian vs. Christ Follower which are made in the same style of the very popular Pc vs. Mac commercials.
I have embedded one of the videos here for your entertainment...to see the other videos just follow the links below.
Kudos to Community Christian Church in IL whom are the makers of these videos, very clever idea I must say.

Video #2

Video #3

Video #4

Golf: A New Discovery

2007-09-17T10:55:00.001-05:00

Yesterday my good friend Scott took me to hit golf balls for my first time ever; I have to say I got a whole new appreciation for the game. If you don't know how to hit a golf ball, let me tell you, it is harder than what it looks like and if you know how to hit a golf ball it is not easy to put the ball where you want. I was able to hit a few balls, but I still have no control over my swing at all, I think they were all lucky swings. It was really fun and now I feel challenged to learn how to play, Carolyn wasn't that happy, she thinks I'm hooked now.

The lesson I learned yesterday is that the hardest you swing doesn't necessarily make the ball go farther, it's all about the swing!...and a few other things of course.

After hitting golf balls we went back to his house and finished watching the FedEx Golf Cup, it is just nuts how those guys play.

Too bad I went for the first time at the end of the season.

Changes

2007-09-06T07:34:00.001-05:00

Lot of changes happening lately, everywhere.

School started, I like the classes that I'm taking this term although math is already killing me. I definitely need help.

Season change, for Minnesota the summer is pretty much considered over, now we go through the fall and then into the long months of winter. Fall is definitely the best season, the temperature is nice and the colors are awesome.

New iPod introduced yesterday, if you haven't heard about it yet, Mr. Jobs introduced the new iPods yesterday. The new sensation? iPod touch, which is an iPhone without the phone. They all definitely look really good, I admire Apple's designs in their products, however I don't admire their prices and how they rip everybody off. Just a little more than two months ago the iPhone was released and yesterday they announced a price slash for the iPhone: $200 less! I always laugh at those who feel the desperately need to buy electronics as soon as they are released without thinking that they are just going to get cheaper as time passes by.

Once thing that hasn't changed is the loosing streak I had in softball this year. I played the whole summer with the church team and I think we only won one of many games. I then joined the team at work to play on the fall league and pretty much the same thing happened, we have lost every single game. Hmm...is God trying to teach me something here?

Changes are good, they make things different...(wow, what a thought)

Church Bulletin Bloopers

2007-08-30T08:22:00.000-05:00

Once again the Church Bulletin Bloopers are back...These are awesome:

- Ushers will eat latecomers.
- She sang "I Will Not Pass This Way Again," giving much pleasure to the congregation.
- Sermon this morning: Jesus Walks on the Water. Sermon tonight: Searching for Jesus.
- The patient is having trouble sleeping and requests tapes of Pastor Jack's sermons.
- Smile at someone who is hard to love. Say "hell " to someone who doesn't care much about you.

- A letter to the men’s fellowship reads: "All members are requested to bring their wives and one other covered dish to the annual banquet."

To see previous Church Bulletin Bloopers click Here

Valor (Courage)

2007-08-28T19:29:00.000-05:00

The car you see in the picture (click picture for better detail) is a Geo Metro, a subcompact car very very tiny. The car shown is pretty much beat up all around, the car is literally falling apart, you can notice how the trunk is kept together with bungee cords. I see this car almost every day in my daily commute and it always makes chuckle because of its license plate. The Spanish word "Valor" can be translated into English as Value or Courage. I personally believe they mean it to be Courage, why would you pay $5o for a personalized license and put Value on it?
So Courage the courageous car always makes me laugh because there is this tiny Geo Metro falling apart with a license plate that says Courage (or Value), it's funny. Either the owner (we assume is Mexican) has a great sense of humor or a lot of Courage. Or maybe the car is of a lot of Value for him.
By the way, avoid at all cost to take a picture while driving a manual shift car on the highway during rush hour, it is absolutely insane. I always get upset at people who drive and speak on their cellphones, I can't imagine all the things that were said to me while taking a picture of Courage.

Rodrigo Y Gabriela Rocks

2007-08-26T01:40:00.000-05:00

The other day I was watching MTV at a friend's house (we don't have cable at home) and I noticed every commercial was preceded by a short clip of a couple playing amazing classic guitar. That couple was Rodrigo Y Gabriela. To my surprise I just found out they are Mexicans and their style is very unique, it sounds like rock but on classic guitars and with a touch of flamenco. It's kind of a weird sound but it is really good. So if you enjoy classic guitar you will definitely like Rodrigo Y Gabriela.

For more videos go to their website Here

Safety Tips for the Post-Nuclear Existence

2007-08-15T09:34:00.000-05:00

In case you didn't know ;-)

----------------------------------------
Safety Tips for the Post-Nuclear Existence
1. Never use an elevator in a building that has been hit by a nuclear
bomb; use the stairs.
2. When you're flying through the air, remember to roll when you hit
the ground.
3. If you're on fire, avoid gasoline and other flammable materials.
4. Don't attempt communication with dead people; it will only lead to
psychological problems.
5. Food will be scarce; you will have to scavenge. Learn to recognize
foods that will be available after the bomb: mashed potatoes,
shredded wheat, tossed salad, ground beef, etc.
6. Put your hand over your mouth when you sneeze; internal organs will
be scarce in the post-nuclear age.
7. Try to be neat; fall only in designated piles.
8. Drive carefully in "Heavy Fallout" areas; people could be
staggering illegally.
9. Nutritionally, hundred dollar bills are equal to ones, but more
sanitary due to limited circulation.
10. Accumulate mannequins now; spare parts will be in short supply on
D-Day.

Small Coffee Pot

2007-08-14T05:59:00.000-05:00

I remember the good ol' days of peer pressure at school, I'm pretty sure most of us did stupid things trying to be in the "In" crowd. Although this time is not really the same it kinda' reminds me of those days of peer pressure.

The other day when we had people over, after enjoying some delicious lamb chops I asked our guests if they would like to enjoy some fresh brewed Venezuelan coffee, obviously the answer was yes. Turns out we have a small four cups coffee maker, which I thought would take two pots to satisfy everyone's caffeine needs, eleven people...errr...WRONG. Now, this is a good time for a little cultural comparison; if we would have been all Venezuelans two four cups pots would have been enough...yeeah...not the same here. I was barely able to pour coffee for two when my little pot ran out. So, needless to say I had to make like five pots before it was enough for everyone, me and my little coffee pot were the joke of the day.

You might be wondering why we do we have a four cups coffee maker, well, we really don't need a bigger one because we don't drink coffee at home and we barely have people over, so the expense is not really justified (call me "el cheap-o"), we even have a espresso machine we got for our wedding and we have only used it twice.

Skip to the next day, I don't know if it was coincidence or what, while reading through my reader's feeds I get a deal thanks to Spoofee: ten cups Cuisinart coffee maker for $10 after $10 rebate; well, in less than what you can say "1-2-3 Karate Kid" I bought a new coffee pot...I mean, a deal like that justifies any expense!

So everyone is welcome to come to our house and have some nice Venezuelan coffee. Maybe next time I will use both coffee makers and the espresso machine at the same time...call it my own little coffee shop.

Speed Racer: The Movie

2007-08-10T13:30:00.000-05:00

Speed Racer is definitely my favorite cartoon hero ever, although it is a cartoon from the 60's, I think it's one of those that will never go away. I pretty much grew up watching it every afternoon as he would race through the hardest circuits against the most evil racers. The Mach5 is a car like no other, with all the special functions on the steering wheel that car can take you anywhere. My favorite buttons are A, C and G which sends the bird robot, man that bird comes in handy sometimes...(sigh) good memories. So, I just found out that Speed Racer: The Movie is on the making (YES!) and it is being directed by the Wachowski brothers, you might remember the Wachowskis from The Matrix and V for Vendetta, so that's just a big sign that the movie it's going to be just great and full of amazing special effects... The movie is set to be released on May 9th, 2008. I can't wait!

Speed Racer: The Movie - Official Website

YouTube? No, GodTube!

2007-08-09T14:33:00.000-05:00

GodTube is a very good alternative for Internet video addicts whom are worried about the not so clean videos you can stumble upon on sites like YouTube or Google Video or else. Yep, you can find funny stuff, a lot of religious content, of course, and it wouldn't be complete if we didn't have some people preaching really weird things. It's a pretty cool initiative, hopefully it will become pretty popular.

Facebook Song

2007-08-08T14:43:00.001-05:00

Barry Bonds' Homerun No.756

2007-08-08T12:01:00.000-05:00

So Barry Bonds broke the Homerun record last night...(yay)...yep, it is an awesome thing to accomplish but it is really not that great when there is a believable chance that there was some cheating involved. So, my question is: should we still celebrate those whose integrity is in doubt? Those that might have cheated to get to the top?

How about if we make the use of steroids legal in sports and let all athletes perform awesome and amazingly.
I guess we will never know what really heppened, since there is a chance that he might not even go to trial. I don't know what to think anymore.

Facebook vs. MySpace

2007-08-08T08:20:00.001-05:00

I'm not a very big fan of Social Networking sites but unfortunately is the "In" thing these days, you are out of the loop if you are not present in MySpace or Facebook. I have to admit though, it is cool to look people up and connect with old friends. We have a MySpace account and it is there collecting dust, I didn't even like MySpace it felt so clumsy and cluttered and crowded. Banners everywhere, spammers, inappropiate pictures, you name it. Then came Facebook, same thing with different name and looks, so everyone moved to Facebook. So we opened a Facebook account now, yea it looks nicer, cleaner and seems to be more useful, but I still don't buy the whole idea of social networking sites, I mean what's the point? maybe I'm getting old...
So since Facebook is the coolest thing these days what a better way to celebrate than to post a cool video song.

UPDATE: Earlier I had the video embedded but for some reason is now gone. Here is the link for the video.

Zeitgeist

2007-08-07T08:11:00.000-05:00

Zeitgeist is a two hours video documentary that is creating quite a buzz in the Internet, so last night I sat and watched the whole thing so I could be informed whenever the bubble bursts and everyone starts talking about it.

This video is like a combination of The Da Vinci Code and Fahrenheit/911 spiced up with conspiracy theories. The documentary is divided in three parts, each part deals with a different subject and although they don't explicitly connect them all it is pretty obvious that's what they are trying to tell you.

Part 1 consists of "revealing the truth" about Jesus and Christianity, they basically say it's all a myth based on pagan cults and astrology, needless to say I was pretty uncomfortable about it because more than proving anything is mostly opinions and even insulting, it didn't make me question my faith but it actually helps me reflects of what I believe and why.

Part 2 moves onto the political scene and most of it is explaining the facts why they believe 9/11 was all staged. I have to admit they make some pretty good points, however, whether it is true or not many people died in that tragic day: fathers, mothers, sisters, brothers, spouses, so I think we need to be respectful to those directly affected by it.

In Part 3 they talk about how the whole economic system is geared to be controlled by a few powerful people whose only aim is to eventually rule the whole world. They also talk about War and how it is used as a tool of economical manipulation and so forth.

I'm pretty bothered by the fact that the movie has no credits, no body claims responsibility for it which I think it is cowardly, I mean, if you know you are right and you know what you're talking about put your name on it.

Another thing I want to say is that it is very bias and subjective and obviously made by someone in the extreme left and involved with the Gnostics. I noticed that in the same style of Michael Moore they take a little bit of truth and stretch it and twist it to be able to make their point.

I don't recommend or condone this movie or the views expressed on it and I definitely don't recommend it to anyone who is easily offended with strong political or religious views. However if you make the choice to watch it, be warned that it has strong language at times and some graphic footage.

Also remember that there are two subjects you never talk about with family: Politics and Religion, so forget about talking about his movie with family.

2007-08-06T09:49:00.001-05:00

Our weekend was packed, we had so much going on; here are the highs and the lows. On Saturday I had a softball tournament, our last event for the church team, unfortunately I had a Charlie Brown moment, my worst nightmare came true. It's the bottom of the last inning, we are behind for one run, we have men in first and second, two outs and it is my turn on the plate. I'm not the best player but I know I can hit that ball, I just haven't figured it out how to hit whenever I want. I get ready, pitcher gets ready. First pitch, ball. Second pitch, strike. Third pitch, it looks good so I swing at it, foul ball behind me, the catcher gets ready to catch it and he gets the ball. Arghhh!. It is the worst feeling to be that last out for such a close game. Needless to say I spent the rest of the day beating myself up because of it. Sunday we had 18 people come to our house for an evening BBQ, we had delicious lamb chops and an awesome time to talk and hang out. It was a very good time we got to spend together. Nothing better than food and friends. On top of all that I've "battling" a cold since Friday. I feel much better today but last night I was so hyped after the BBQ that not even Tylenol Night could put me to sleep. So today is one of those day where I need to find ways to stay awake through my shift. Good luck with that.

P.S.: The car abandoned across from our house was also towed last night, yay!

The Darwinian vs. God Contest

2007-08-03T13:37:00.000-05:00

It has been a while since I last posted a religious joke...so I thought this one is one of those that is funny but at the same time makes you think...

The Darwinian vs. God Contest

One day a group of Darwinian scientists got together and decided that man had come a long way and no longer needed God. So they picked one Darwinian to go and tell Him that they were done with Him.The Darwinian walked up to God and said, "God, we've decided that we no longer need you. We're to the point that we can clone people and do many miraculous things, so why don't you just go on and get lost."God listened very patiently and kindly to the man. After the Darwinian was done talking, God said, "Very well, how about this? Let's say we have a man-making contest." To which the Darwinian happily agreed.God added, "Now, we're going to do this just like I did back in the old days with Adam."The Darwinian said, "Sure, no problem," and bent down and grabbed himself a handful of dirt.God looked at him and said, "No, no, no. You go get your own dirt!"

New Look

2007-08-02T21:52:00.000-05:00

Well I found this template and I really like the final product. The blog looks simple and cool. I gotta say though the original template was way different than what you are looking at, so I had to put my little knowledge of HTML to work and got it to look the way I wanted it. The polls are still not working though and I also have to restore the other widgets I had. I hope they fix the polls soon, I really like them even though I don't get many votes, I think they are cool though. Well hopefully I will keep this template for quite a while, it is not easy to find cool, free and unique templates for Blogger. Again if you know of any cool websites please let me know.

Another cool thing about this template is that it manages to keep the Blogger navigation bar hidden, cool.

Messing Around

2007-08-02T09:16:00.000-05:00

I'm ready for a new template for our blog, I'm looking for something cool, modern, unique, simple. However, it seems like I picked a bad time to do this, I'm getting all kinds of errors and bad messages from Blogger whenever I try to install a new template, even the in-house templates. By now I pretty much lost all my widgets, I guess I'll have to do 'em all over again. If you know of any cool websites with templates for Blogger please leave a comment. In the meantime let's see what happens...

ATM In Churches

2007-08-01T16:50:00.000-05:00

It is not easy to be a church outside of the ordinary. Whenever churches try to do something different seems like everyone has something to say about it. We humans by nature oppose to change, to new things but it seems like that feeling it's even stronger when it comes to churches. It has always been that way and I guess it will always be that way. Sometimes I even need to remind myself to be open minded and filter it through the bible whatever differences I don't agree with.

The newest paradigm we are facing touches on a very sensitive subject: Money. We all get uncomfortable when the M word is mentioned at church, I still don't know why. These days it is very unusual to carry cash or do any cash transaction. I would say 90% of our monetary transactions are done in some kind of digital/electronic form. This is where the subject of this post comes in, I heard before about churches with ATMs or Credit Card Readers machines where you are able to tithe with your plastic but it wasn't until now that I was able to confirm it.

The Pastor at Stevens Creek Church decided to go for it and founded a...how do you call it? Church ATM Service Company? Basically his company provides ATM machines for churches where you can give your tithes or else and of course he provides this service to the same church where he pastors. That move awarded him an interview with CNN and I agree, it doesn't look good that the pastor of the church also owns the ATM services for his and other churches, but that's not the point, the point is that it is something new and different and seems like some people are having a hard time adjusting. I think CNN wasn't very bias as I thought they would be, however they did a lousy job quoting scripture, that verse in Matthew they quoted was so out of context. Anyways, I still don't get used to the idea of walking into a church and seeing an ATM machine in the lobby, I definitely like how our church does it. I don't know, what do you think? is it tacky? or cool?. I'm still divided about it. I don't think it's a matter of right or wrong, I just think it looks kind of tacky...I don't know...maybe we should have the ones where you pay with your fingerprints :-)

To watch the interview you can click Here

I Called The Cops

2007-08-01T16:10:00.000-05:00

I did it. Yesterday I called the police station and reported that this car has been sitting across from our house for over a week after being pulled over. They sent an officer to make some marks on the tires to monitor the car and make sure it doesn't move (pretty smart). They said after a few days (?) they will tow the car away if they see it hasn't been moved. I'm still "weirded-out" about it, no body gets a flat tire and abandons the car just like that, unless you have so much money and that's just one of the so many cars you have. That's why I think there is something wrong about the whole picture.

By the way the officer that came didn't show up in a new charger, I wish!...they look so intimidating now with those new cars.

Free Parking?

2007-07-28T15:41:00.000-05:00

Remember the post earlier this week about that lady that got pulled over in front of our house because of the flat tire? So because the cops wouldn't let her go with a flat tire they parked the car across the street from our house and gave her a ride...well to this day the car is still parked across the street from us!!...hmm...it is getting suspicious now. I think the car is stolen but don't they run the plates on the computer when they pull you over? I mean how do you just abandon a car like that unless there is something else going on?

So, the question is: Should I call the police or just ignore it?

Bottled Water = Tap Water

2007-07-27T10:23:00.001-05:00

What do you know...Aquafina is just regular tap water in a plastic bottle, talk about making easy money. Maybe those mountains on the label should be replaced by a tap.

Read the whole article Here

Ouch!

2007-07-27T09:55:00.000-05:00

I don't know if this picture is real or not but if it's not....ouch!

Brian Welch's (ex Korn) Testimony

2007-07-26T10:57:00.000-05:00

I think is really cool when famous people recognize God in their lives, watch...

Thanks to Kuya Kevins's Blog

Let's Go To GAP

2007-07-24T10:07:00.000-05:00

Hmm...interesting...

The "Sick Room" Rocks!

2007-07-23T12:02:00.000-05:00

So I found the best way to stay awake when you are tired after an eventful night like last night (See previous post).

At work each floor has a little room called the "Sick Room", it's basically a small cozy room with a recliner chair where you can go and rest for a while hoping to get better. I don't know if being tired qualifies as being sick but I asked for key anyways and took a nice 25 minutes nap. Now I'm back in the game and boy did it make a difference. I know I rested because when my alarm went off it felt like 2 minutes went by instead of 25. Whoever had the idea of the "Sick Room" deserves a prize.

To Serve And Protect

2007-07-23T03:45:00.000-05:00

It's 3:45 in the morning, we had a long day on Sunday (See previous post) and it took me longer than usual to fall asleep. All the sudden I hear a noise, very unique noise, it sounds like a horse riding in our street (all I can think of is that the mounted patrol is in my street, remember I'm not fully awake) I have to wake up in an hour fifteen minutes so I ignore the sound trying not to wake up. The noise fades away and then comes back and stops right in front of our house and I hear loud voices (We love to sleep with the windows open during the summer, fresh air is nice) "Great the mounted patrol decides to stop a pedestrian right in front of our house". I open my eyes a little bit and I see police lights reflected on our walls "wow, I didn't know the horses had those lights too..."
Then I realize what's going, the person being pulled over has a flat tire, "good" I think "there is not much to argue, they'll leave the car and give her a ride". Well, no exactly, for the next 20 mins I hear more about this woman's life than what I needed to know. The cop kept questioning her about things irrelevant to the flat tire. By now I'm fully awake, "couldn't this happen on a Saturday or Sunday? why Monday?"
Well now that I'm awake I got my camera and took a couple of pictures, hoping for something exciting to happen and become famous because of my amateur video footage. No such luck, I get back to bed and lucky me I fall asleep on the average time (7 mins) just to wake up to the alarm clock in 50 mins.
Now I'm at work trying to figure out a way not to fall asleep. Coffee doesn't do anything for me, I usually drink a cup of coffee after lunch everyday and I still feel sleepy. Energy drinks, no way, I've only had energy drinks three times in my life and every time I had acid reflux, so, no thanks. I have some Vojo energy mints in my desk, is supposed to give you a kick along with a nice breath, well the mint breath is true...I'm still waiting for the energy kick though.
On the positive side is good to know that the police is still doing its job at three in the morning. I always pictured them sleeping parked in front of a convenience store with a donut in one hand. This is the first time it happens and hopefully the last, at least for a long time...Thanks SPPD!

Stihl Timbersports Championships

2007-07-22T23:12:00.000-05:00

Sunday we spent the whole day at Lumberjack Days in Stillwater, MN
More than Lumberjack Days we went for the Stihl Timbersports Championship, what can I say, it was awesome. I have to say that the pictures doesn't make justice to the action though, these guys are amazing! They are "wicked fast" and "precisely tuned chopping machines". Enjoy the pictures. The event is going to be on ESPN2 on December 9th at 11:30...sweet I'm going to be on ESPN!!

Created with Paul's flickrSLiDR.

FlightView Live

2007-07-20T12:45:00.000-05:00

My Cousin is on her way from Venezuela to stay with us for a few months. While we wait for her arrival it was so cool to stumble upon the FlightView website. When you go to FlightView you enter the airline and the flight number and they will show you the flight live in real time. I think it's pretty cool to have the little window open to keep an eye on where is that flight at. That way you'll know for sure is that flight is delayed or not.
Click on the picture to see details.

Amazing Choreography Advertisement

2007-07-20T10:53:00.001-05:00

Out Of Words Again

2007-07-20T05:49:00.000-05:00

Hmm....What do you say to this?

Ads In The Wrong Place

2007-07-19T11:56:00.001-05:00

I don't know what to say....I guess a picture is worth a thousand words.....

Meraki: Easy & Affordable Wireless Network

2007-07-16T07:24:00.000-05:00

Everyday I'm amazed how technology evolves, I think that's why I'm so attracted to it, it's exciting to see what the next thing is going to be. Things that used to be expensive and reserved for specifically skilled individuals are now leveled to anyone's skills level.

I've been inactively doing some research for a wireless network solution for a non-profit and I couldn't find a better solution than Meraki. Basically with Meraki you only need to have a high-speed Internet connection. Then, depending on how big is the area you want to cover, you just need to buy a bunch of their inexpensive routers a.k.a meraki mini, and that's pretty much it, you can have your own wireless network in no time. Need to expand the signal? No problem. Just buy as many minis as you need and plug them in and they configure themselves.

It almost sounds to good to be true but seems like they have many success stories not only in the States but around the world. I think I'll definitely try Meraki whenever I get the chance.

Hot Websites

2007-07-13T11:38:00.000-05:00

These are a few of the hottest websites on the world wide web these days...

Radio: http://last.fm/

Free Music: http://lala.com/

Flights: http://yapta.com/

Digital Camera Photography: http://photonhead.com/

How To: http://expertvillage.com/

The eBay of Loans, very interesting: http://prosper.com/

Back Up Your Computer Online: http://mozy.com/

SMS Reminders: http://ohdontforget.com/

Don't have Microsoft Office? No Problem: http://zoho.com/

Don't have Microsoft Office? No Problem: http://thinkfree.com/

Don't have Microsoft Office? No Problem: http://ajax13.com/

Of course, there are many more...I just wanted to share a few.

NEW: Polls.

2007-07-11T21:48:00.000-05:00

They released a new feature for blogger. Now you can post a poll for your readers to vote...I think is a neat feature, it will be interesting to find cool ways to use it. Go ahead and vote on my very first poll: "Life is..."

Carolyn Simpson

2007-07-09T16:28:00.000-05:00

Ok, ok...I wouldn't have done it unless the people asked for it, so here it is...I give you: Carolyn Simpson! (fanfare)...hmm, kinda' looks like Flander's wife...