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Recycling desire

Once again, I'm off to prove that I can conquer academia as well as I've slayed my workplace. Well, not quite... I mean I'm not exactly blazing a trail to corporate or anything but I seem to thrive anywhere but school. So I'm hoping that my ever-improving business demeanor translates into a diligent student.

Although I want to improve some grades and stay in a medical model (nursing, therapy, etc.), my heart lies elsewhere. In some ways I feel that just being back in this environment will help me to rediscover my true passion.

Three inches of skin

Is it just me or is the entertainment industry leaving us oversexed as a result of censors dropping their guard in recent years? All this mainstream objectification—of both sexes—has made me more limp then Fred Durst’s Bizkit (30,000 in sales from his last album—not in a week… total!).

What happened to some PG foreplay followed by an ultra-enticing R-rated feast in my shows and ads? Instead, I’m being assaulted and ultimately desensitized by the onslaught of weak programming designed to make me covet instant gratification and overindulgence perhaps as a way of forgetting about… their weak programming? I have to lay some of the blame on reality TV that’s made uninteresting people seem worth watching—yet they’re not!

Contrary to our on-demand society, sex wasn’t meant to be available to anyone at any moment. As women have always stressed, it’s about the process--it’s always been about the pursuit and dance we call flirtation that puts us in position to consummate our attraction. How can you sell the product when the enticement leaves you with few questions about what lies ahead? It’s become too easy to get lost in our thoughts, indulging those until emoticons can’t look at us with a straight face.

Luckily, I have one image that clings to my mind despite the clutter of 21st century media. I will always look fondly upon the thought of some woman who were fond of exercise. A local jazzercise spot, in Santa Maria, CA—where I grew up, used to showcase several MILF’s in partial view of any man with a little interest (pathetic, I know) Granted, all you could make out was the bottom of their outfits and a little bit of skin…three inches of skin; enough to tease me and keep me longing for more.

Empty carbs for worthwhile garb

As usual, it's been far too long since I, or Scott, have written in this. Then again, my thoughts haven't exactly been spilling onto the pavement awaiting the feel of some lively prose. My mind has to be nurtured in order to relax it's gaze and develop my thoughts. I've never been good at marrying persistence and creativity so I'm not about to change.

Since my last entry, I've begun to see a therapist in the hopes of finding both professional and personal motivation. His insight has been nothing short of stellar, enabling me to recapture the gremlins that have deposed my will to write. Moreover, our sessions reaffirm my willingness to expose myself to strangers in lieu of introspection alone.

Loonnnnggggg layoff

Sorry, it's been far too long since my last post. Three months, or so, as I--and Scott--recall. ;-)
I'd like to say it's been due to a new job or perhaps a tropical disease but instead, I've fallen pray to laziness. But we won't get into that b/c I may not post again for another three months. Ah, the beauty of blogging.

In honor of Sixteen Candles...

The Song Quote of the Day...

if you were here
i could deceive you
and if you were here
you would believe
but would you suspect
my emotion wandering, yeah
do not want a part of this anymore
The rain water drips
through a crack in the ceiling
and i'll have to spend
my time on repair
But just like the rain
i'll be always falling, yeah
only to rise and fall again

From "If You Were Here"
by the Thompson Twins

Violating rule #223...

This is a funny story and just another example of what a thrill it is to watch me hit on the opposite sex. My old roomate, Big Fred, and I roll into one of our old haunts Billy's a couple of weeks ago. It's a little slow so we belly up to the bar to order a few drinks. So I start talking with the bartender and get her to make all of us a round of shots. So Fred and I keep drinking and chattin' with the bartender as the night goes on. Now I'm really starting to get a little likkered up because I'm seriously considering violating rule #223. That rule states: "Never hit on waitstaff at the bar." Not only does it never work but you can't go back to the bar for like 2 weeks. Doesn't matter though I'm getting fueled up with more shots and now Fred and his date are eggin' me on to go ask her out. Amazingly enough, I agree to do it. So I roll up to the bar and whip out my best line and she replies, "I'm married." Now since I'm a LOT fueled up I go into Sixteen Candles mode. You know the scene where Jake rolls up to Samantha's house to find her and Long Duck Dong answers the door and tells Jake that she is getting married. That is the conversation I have with the bartender. She says I'm married. My reply in Jake mode "MARRIED?????" Her reply, "married." My reply, "MARRIED?????" Her reply, "Married, Geesh!"

Absolutely classic. On a plus note I did get an astounding ovation of clapping as I returned to the table. The moral of this post? Don't violate rule 223. Never ever violate rule 223.

Whew...

Well what was supposed to be a friendly little visit to Albuquerque for a couple of weeks has turned into a month long stay. In that time I've been to a bachelor's party, a rehearsal dinner, and a wedding. All of them were a HELL of a lot of fun. Obviously, what happens at the bachelor's party stays at the party so no comments on it. The wedding in particular was awesome, since I got to see a lot of old friends. It was great to see Bonner and finally meet his brother Mark (oh what a great slow dancer he was :D). Jeff and Joy made a rare visit outside of Tucson and it was great to see them. Also got to see ALLLLLLL, in uniform even (that is still a scary thought). Always good to see J.E.D. Later that night, The 20 bucks I paid to Jimmy to run across America's Parkway (outside of the Marriott) in the buff was well worth every penny. Ended staying up until 8am the next morning watching movies with Chet on his BAD ASS 61 inch HDTV. I have got to get me one of those.

Along the way I've gotten a few freelancing gigs, so the trip in more than one way has paid for itself. I've also gotten in touch with a bunch of old law school friends and catching up has been a real treat. Not real sure what the next month has in store. Possibly back to Dallas or possibly helping my sister and cousin move to Seattle. That should be interesting considering how loopy I get when it is cloudly for more than 3 days in a row. I know, I know it is sunny there a lot. I'll believe it when I see it.

Lots of pictures from Albuquerque and I'll hopefully be able to post this next week when I get my hands on broadband. Well gotta get ready for happy hour and poker night.

Update from the ...

HOME, errr temporary, office in Albuquerque. Wild new year so far, but having fun. In Albuquerque for various reasons, but most importantly the bachelor party and wedding of my friend Holt. The bachelor festivities are tomorrow night and the wedding is the first weekend in February. I'm looking forward to both since I get to hang out with some of my good college friends. My best friend Jeff and his wife Joy are coming in for the wedding. It will be good to get the posse out once again.

When I move to something faster than dialup I'll post some more.

Last Song Quote of the Year

New Resolution by Azure Ray

NEW RESOLUTION

follow blind
heavy eyes hold position
you were right on time
it was a lucky prediction
move on move on
it's like the clock is pacing
the break of dawn and our hearts are racing
move on move on
no there's nothing changing
don't undermine
my new resolution
just to find
a different light a new direction
move on move on
now the records skipping
i won't forget i won't forget the way you said
move on move on
there's no point in waiting

Happy New Year!!!

Or soon to be new year!!!
Sorry for the lack of posting in December. This past December was a wild month for a lot of reasons I'll explore later. Suffice it to say, I'm looking forward to 2005.

Should have more time in the next couple of weeks while I'm in Albuquerque.

More soon.

Won't see this again for about 3 more years.  

A real rarity in Big D.  

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas... 

Clouds in Albuquerque 

From the lobby looking straight up at the Guggenheim. NYC.  

Lobby of the Guggenheim in NYC.  

Microsoft started a new blogging service..

and Jeremy over at Ensight.org has a very NICE how to video. If you have ever thought about starting a blog, I recommend you check out the video. Jeremy does a great job of taking you through the process from start to finish. Just from watching the video there are many things to like about this product. It looks to be very simple and there isn't any HTML coding which can stop a lot of users in their tracks. One thing I didn't really like is the obnoxious URL. I mean you guys are freakin' Microsoft and the best you can come up with is: "spaces.msn.com/members/user". Too bad they didn't come up with something shorter. Oh well those will be really fun to remember.

Nonetheless, check out the video and great job Jeremy!

Kind of like...

Milton Waddams in Office Space, I really like a certain office tool. Milton loved his red Swingline stapler and I love tracking packages. Whenever my family or I order a package, they will give me the tracking number so that I can entertain myself for hours. Christmas, being the time of purchasing many gifts, is the best time of the year for tracking packages. Right now, I'm tracking no less than 5 packages on various carriers. I'm tracking my new scanner via Fed Ex, black printer ink via USPS and a hard drive for my sister.

So where am I going with all this? Did you know that you can track packages by using Google? Just take the tracking number and put it into Google, hit return and voila. Google will come up with a link so that you can see where your package is. Very cool!!! For someone who loves to track packages, Google can't be more helpful. It works for sure with UPS, Federal Express, and the U.S. Postal Service.

ENJOY!!!

Song Quote of the Morning

Deep in the bosom of the gentle night
Is when I search for the light
Pick up my pen and start to write
I struggle, fight dark forces
In the clear moon light
Without fear... insomnia
I can't get no sleep

I used to worry, thought I was goin' mad in a hurry
Gettin' stress, makin' excess mess in darkness
No electricity, something's all over me, greasy
Insomnia please release me and let me dream of
Makin' mad love to my girl on the heath
Tearin' off tights with my teeth
But there's no release, no peace
I toss and turn without cease
Like a curse, open my eyes and rise like yeast
At least a couple of weeks
Since I last slept, kept takin' sleepers
But now I keep myself pepped
Deeper still, that night I write by candle light
I find insight, fundamental movement, uh
So when it's black this insomniac take an original tack
Keep the beast in my nature under ceaseless attack
I gets no sleep
I can't get no sleep

I can't get no sleep
I can't get no sleep
I need to sleep, I can't get no sleep
I need to sleep, I can't get no sleep

"Insomnia" by Faithless

A Cadillac Escalade Golf Cart...

Yes you read that right. Apparently there is a market for golf carts based on their much larger counterpart. Go check it out here.

via the new blog Luxist.

The Best of 2004

through LISTS... TONS OF LISTS...

Every year Rex at fimoculous.com compiles the "Best of" lists.

This list will be huge by the end of the year, so check it out now and watch it grow.

His list will be updated here.

A cool travel link...

The Cloud Travel Blog has this post which lists a lot of cool links if you are traveling abroad. Heck, even if you're dreaming of traveling abroad the links are still cool.

Check it out here.

Tip o' the hat to Ernie the Attorney.

If you want to know about a country check out the CIA Factbook.

Packers still in first and other football news...

The Packers won another game last and are still first in the NFC North. Again, the offense was great. Najeh Davenport filled in admirably for Ahman Green and the running game will be simply insane with his return. Brett Favre was vintage Favre playing in his 200th straight regular season game, increasing his record to 37-1 when game time temperature is less than 35, and broke Dan Marino's record of at least 20 touchdowns in 11 consecutive seasons. Unfortunately, the defense couldn't stop the Rams offense which amassed over 400 yards in offense. Though they did have a few turnovers I'm still not inspired by their pass defense. This week's game at Philly is going to be ugly for us Packers fans.

On a side note, NMSU recently fired Tony Samuel after an 8 season run. Add in today's firing of Tyrone Willingham of Notre Dame and that leaves the NCAA division I with TWO African-American head coaches. That is simply amazing and not in a good way. It is deplorable that there are only 2 African American coaches coaching division I football. Just for reference division I is made up of all the big schools like Notre Dame, USC, etc. and has more than 150 schools involved. TWO out of that many positions? School presidents it's time to step up to the plate.

Back to Tony Samuel who I think did a good job as head coach. In 1996 he brought the first winning season in 35 years to NMSU and attendance had increased dramatically. Unfortunately, all this wasn't enough to save his job. NMSU moves into the WAC next year and hopefully NMSU will make a run for a really good coach. Will NMSU ever be a powerhouse? Probably not but, I hope that NMSU will again step up to the plate and take the lead in hiring a minority coach.

Song Quote of the Day!!!

Boxing shadows in my sleep
It's the company I keep
The perfect exercise
As I grow older

I can't believe what God has done
He took the heat out of the sun
And now it seems the world
Is growing colder

Between the pleasure and the pain
Wishing your life away
No more sinister than sane
Briefing your life away
Between the flicker and the flame
No one can explain
Baby blue is born again

From "Baby Blue" by Emiliana Torrini

The only beer in our list from a truly national brand. The Sam Adams winter lager has been hit and miss in the last 3 or 4 years. This year I like it quite a bit. It has a nice head, good aroma, and a great deep amber color. This is heavier than the Abita but lighter than the others. The flavors aren't as nuanced as the Abita though they are more nuanced. This is a holiday beer that doesn't use a lot of spices. At least not that I can detect. No aftertaste on this beer. Overall, the flavor is pleasant with flavorful hops. If the price stays around 5.50/six pack or so this is a keeper.  

Follow up on Copyright Follies...

Timera raised a few questions which I think will add to the understand of this whole RIAA vs. downloaders mess. Her first question is, "Why was the RIAA not very concerned about piracy when we didn't have computers?" Well actually the RIAA has been notorious for trying to impede every technology that has been created for recording music. It was with much fighting and debating that Congress passed the Home Audio Recording Act which allowed in statutory form the right to record music off the radio and for personal use. Note that it didn't allow for dubbing audio cassettes that would forgo original purchase.

It also instituted a royalty scheme into blank media and products. So the stand alone CD-R that you might have, a small portion of the price is paid in royalties. Also, the media such as blank tapes and so-called music CD-R's (not the ones that work in computers) have a small part of the price set aside for royalties. Another thing that you have to remember is that whenever a song is played on the radio a royalty fee is again paid (here though there is a blanket license scheme.) So that is the small trade-off that the RIAA has accepted. It will allow recording of music off the radio as long as royalties are paid and the radio stations don't announce when the music will be played(this is why you always here in the next 30 minutes we have Korn, Neil Diamond, etc.)

The thing about digital music that scares the RIAA so much is that they are PERFECT copies of the original. They didn't much care about cassette recording because the sound quality noticeably degrades with each subsequent dub. This is definitely not the case with digital audio. On a side note the RIAA pretty much destroyed the early digital market by making sure that the Digital Compact Cassette and the Minidisc never become dominate music playback devices. The same is also true for DVD-Audio and Super Audio CD (for surround playback of music) which the RIAA has pushed for major DRM capabilities in the disc.

Quick note on flea markets which are notorious hotbeds for physical music piracy. The RIAA does enforce copyrights in those venues and goes for the operator of the flea market as well as the vendor.

Second question was "Why the difference between the store-bought CD and the CD I download legally online?" This is a part where I may not have been very clear. With music purchased at a store, that music is covered by copyright regulations and thus you have all the statutory fair use abilities. With music purchased online you are subject to the license agreement. It has been ruled that in most cases, the license agreement trumps copyright regulations. So Itunes and their ilk can decide what you do with the music that you buy online. When you use Itunes you are subject to their license agreement which says you can burn a song to cd 7 times. After that the program won't let you burn any more copies. Thus the joys of license agreements and DRM.

Hopefully that clears some things up.

Here's a Holiday Beer I Would LOVE to try..

go here just for the beer label.

via the Trademark Blog.

With production of only around 300 cases, looks like I'm going to be out of luck unless I can get to Bethelem, PA. Oh well plenty of others to try. Stay tuned.

Last of catching up; FCC, CIA, etc..

The FCC is at it again. If you care about free speech and what you can watch/listen to then go check out this article at Buzzmachine. My take? This isn't that suprising. The FCC has been itching to get in on this for a while now and will be stretching their authority broadly if they are allowed to do it. Further take from Fred Wilson (A VC) here.

The CIA is also at it. I will have to brush up on what the CIA is allowed to do domestically, but I'm pretty sure they can't use their resources to spy domestically. Now this may have changed with the Patriot Act, so I'm not absolutely positive. I'll have to research this at some point.

Finally, a nice article on how to research all the information that the government has.

Catching up: Computers and Internet...

On the computer software front comes these two nice FREE programs. First, is a program called Eraser that truly erases data from your computer. For those of you that don't know when you delete a file in Windows it doesn't truly delete it. It merely puts in the recycle bin so you can restore if need be. Now when you empty the recycle bin the file isn't deleted then either. Windows merely "flags" the hard drive as an area that can have data written on it. So if you have sensitive data on your hard drive and you just deleted it, chances are that it can be recovered pretty easily. So when you want to really delete a file try this little program called Eraser. I've been using it the past week so far and it works very quickly which is a definite plus. Tip o' the hat to I/P Updates.

Another little program for those of you, including me, that can't come up with new passwords all the time. This little program will generate passwords for you. Tip o' the hat to Researchbuzz.

Finally, from the people over at Google is the ability to make a wish list in Froogle. Check it out here.From the Google Blog.

Catching up: HDTV and High Def DVD's

I really, really want to buy a HDTV but have held off because I don't really have the money to afford a good one yet. Many of my friends know that I love to keep current on home entertainment including home theaters. One of the most frequent questions I get is what is the difference between 720p and 1080i. The answer from Home Theater Blog is here. My personal fav for the money are the Toshiba HDTV CRT models (you have a tv that is few years old? That is a CRT TV). If I had a lot of money, I like the looks of Digital Light Processing (DLP) TV's. If I had to hang it on the wall I would go with a front projection TV on a screen.

On another high definition front is the ongoing debate on what will replace the regular ol' DVD. What, replace DVD's you are asking yourself? Yep, hope you didn't buy a whole lot of DVD's in the last 5 years or so. You see regular ol' DVD's only have a resolution of 480p which is known as Enhanced Definition TV. In other words with a progressive scan DVD player and a EDTV you can watch DVD's at their theoretical optimum. Now with the advent of HDTV, regular ol' 480p doesn't look so good. So electronic companies and our good ol' friends, the content providers, decided something more was needed. A couple of issues had to be overcome in order to put High Def material on a 5-inch disc. Basically, you needed a new laser and medium that could transfer lots of data quickly. Since you can only compress this information so much you needed a disc that has lots and lots of room on it. So instead of settling on one format, the electronic companies decided to create two competing, non-compatible formats a la Beta and VHS, and DVD-Audio and SACD. Did I mention you will have to get a new DVD player too? Sorry to be the bearer of bad news.

So now these two competing formats are trying to be the best at producing their product but still aligning themselves with movie providers to have content. If you have followed, the DVD-Audio - SACD (super audio CD)debate you will find that there are irregular releases of material, music that doesn't sound like it came from the same band, and the need to buy a player that can play all formats. As long as everyone is happy I guess. So go over to Engadget for a little taste of who is aligning with whom. Happy movie watching!!!

Getting back on the horse...

After a lovely Thanksgiving, some much needed sun, and a large amount of fine scotch being imbibed it's time to get back to some blogging. Today is going to be a large mish-mash of posts catching up from the weekend(and before)including some posts on software, privacy, and a follow-up to my copyright series. In the next couple of weeks, I will have some more Holiday beer taste testing, some new pictures (as soon the scanner/early Christmas gift arrives) from my past trips to NYC, Colorado and Utah, song and movie quotes of the day, and some discussion on the Wright Amendment. A little further out I will be blogging about my job search. That should interesting... So thanks for reading and let's giddy up!!!!!

To Teef

(to steal a page from a certain other publisher on this blog)

Seems like yesterday we used to rock the show
I laced the track, you locked the flow
So far from hangin' on the block for dough
Notorius (Teef) they got to know that
Life ain't always what it seem to be
Words can't express what you mean to me!
Even though you're gone we still a team
Thru your family I'll fulfill your dreams
In the future can't wait to see if you'll
Open up the gates for meReminisce sometime
the night they took my friend
Try to black it out, but it plays again
When it's real feelings hard to conceal
Can't imagine all the pain I feel
Give anything to hear half your breath
I know you still livin' your life after death.

Puff Daddy - I'll be Missing You

for Teef... still thinkin' about cha...Happy Turkey Day! ;)

Thanksgiving, Turkey and Scotch..

As far as I am concerned that is the recipe for a great Thanksgiving. Since we weren't entertaining the usual crowd, things were very casual at the Hilty househould. Dinner turned out awesome. Unfortunately, we miss the crowd because there is something about cooking for other people. It isn't proving that you can cook, it's the feeling of family. Since we didn't have a crowd this year, I got to have an awesome conversation about family history with my dad. Amazing what your family has done sometimes, without the recognition. As I grow older, I'm amazed how this stories become that much more intersting. It's nights like these that I really enjoy the conversations. Well that's all I have, the scotch is kicking in. So Happy Thanksgiving!!!!

Target : Wake Up Call

First, of all Happy Thanksgiving!!!!

Second of all, check out the link below.

Target : Wake Up Call

I like shopping as much as the next guy but a wake up call so I can be at Target at 6am? I don't freakin' think so. I don't want to be anywhere at 6am much less with other shoppers at Target. Oh my head...