Sunday, April 27, 2008

Oops

So I finally got hold of my MRI for my doctor's appointment coming soon. Not being able to help myself, I started pouring over my pictures. After some educated guesswork, I found it...or at least what was not there:



That said, the internet is an amazing thing. In trying to understand what I was looking at, it took me less than 5 minutes to find what I was looking for and know what it basically looked like. What a day we live in.

Tuesday, April 22, 2008

How to keep your Marraige (or not)

I saw this blog post about an MSNBC article that claims that you must resort to childish and nasty actions to make sure your husband helps out around the house(the article claims this...the blog post is good to go). I dunno about you, but using child-like actions seems like a recipe for a horrid relationship to me. Between Sarah and I, we have jobs we enjoy/dislike, and pretty much divvy them up accordingly. I hate folding laundry, but will keep up with the machine. I actually enjoy vacuuming and can organize the paperwork/finances. She's awesome at keeping the bathroom clean. I see it as part of my job as a husband to help out around the house. We both work, so we can both lend a hand. She doesn't have to guilt trip me, or withhold "nooky" as the article suggests. I'd like to think of it as acting like an adult...or being considerate. Acting childish and immature is...well...childish. I'm just glad I don't pay much attention to some of these "help" columnists anymore.

Tuesday, April 15, 2008

Too aggressive...

I've blogged about this stuff before, but another school has banned tag from the playground.

This time there's some wisdom:
Other parents said that slips and falls are part of growing up and that restricting games is not the right solution.

Chris Delta, a Kent Gardens mother, said she knows "life's not going to breeze" for her children. She wants them to learn how to cope with difficulty.


My father has often said, "School teaches you that the world is like Barney. When you enter the real world, you then discover it's more like Jurassic Park." Restricting kids at times when they're going to learn life's lessons seems rather counter-productive. I learned that there are idiots out there in middle school...a somewhat controlled environment. I was able to cope and adapt. It would have been a rude shock to wander into the real world when you're now responsible for your life only to discover all the idiots. Let kids grow and learn at school...before they get totally exposed to the reality of life where the dinosaurs don't hug; they bite.

Off Grid

I saw this article on another blog dealing with windmill technology and how it's becoming cheaper. I very much disagree with the author here:

Ecological concerns, more than cost savings may drive many new residential turbine installations. “People want to reduce their carbon footprints,” Mr. Tonko said. “They’re concerned about climate change and they want to reduce our reliance of foreign sources of fuels.”

Mr. Schwartz, the editor, said that even with the economic benefits, it can take 20 years to pay back the installation cost.

“This isn’t about people putting turbines in to lower their electric bills as much as it is about people voting with their dollars to help the environment in some small way,” he said.


For myself, I'm very interested in going "off grid" or selling power back to the power company. It has nothing to do with being "green." It has far more to do with my independence. The libertarian leanings in me derive much from the idea of being self-sufficient. That whole "rugged individualist" thing drives a lot for me.

Back to the subject. I like the idea of using solar panels and windmills to pump my home full of electricity and provide a source of extra income. Would I do it right away? Probably not. Like all technology, I'll be waiting for it to come down in price.

Monday, April 14, 2008

AAVs are fun



We're finally starting to approach the end of training. Our current focus is on amphibious ops, so it's been fun playing with Amphibious Assault Vehicles. Soon, we'll be heading to Norfolk to tour some ships and take some classes to complete the package. It should be a lot of fun and highly educational. Every military ship I've ever been on to this point has been decommissioned for years. It'll be good to see an operational one.

Saturday, April 05, 2008

Senioritous Redux

You know that last report you had to write before you graduated high school/college? Well, I'm doing the equivalent for TBS, and it's killing me. I can't concentrate on my order like I want to because I just keep thinking about everything I'd rather be doing.