Well, yesterday was Santana's big day. Yup, he went to the Vet. He came back a bit sore, and definitely groggy. We elected to have it done by laser, which has definitely helped the healing process. Using the laser should speed it up quite a bit.
Today, Santana is back to his usual self, even chasing the cat.
Thursday, June 30, 2005
Monday, June 27, 2005
And the winner is ...
Ronald Reagan
Yup, that's right. The American public voted, and beating Abraham Lincoln 24% to 23.5%, our 40th President was deemed the Greatest American. Is it too late for Montana to secede from the Union. Apparently, Lincoln's contribution of KEEPING THE COUNTRY TOGETHER in a very dark and time was not good enough. Oh, and freeing slaves, just not that important. Instead lets give the honor to an American that had very good speach writers, had Alzheimer's during his presidency, and increased the deficit by leaps and bounds.
Well today was a relaxing day around the house. We cleaned the carpet in the bedroom and office area. We took our unsold items from our yard sale to the thrift store. Watered the yard. Now we are watching the game. Twins are winning, but they are playing the Royals.
Read a caption on Slashdot that is scary. Although I don't know what is more scary, a zombie dog, or a zombie cat. Can you just imagine Santana (or Odie) as a zombie, not that scary. Now picture Wulfgar or Garfield* as a zombie. I shudder to think of the horror that would ensue from a zombie cat.
I will let you ponder the horrible possibilities.
*(If you can't tell, I've been reading Garfield recently. The comic strip the past few weeks, minus the "Jon trying to get a date" story line, has been quite accurate in describing the animal relationship in our household. Every time Garfield has a quip about Odie or food, I can just imagine Wulfgar uttering the same thing.)
Yup, that's right. The American public voted, and beating Abraham Lincoln 24% to 23.5%, our 40th President was deemed the Greatest American. Is it too late for Montana to secede from the Union. Apparently, Lincoln's contribution of KEEPING THE COUNTRY TOGETHER in a very dark and time was not good enough. Oh, and freeing slaves, just not that important. Instead lets give the honor to an American that had very good speach writers, had Alzheimer's during his presidency, and increased the deficit by leaps and bounds.
Well today was a relaxing day around the house. We cleaned the carpet in the bedroom and office area. We took our unsold items from our yard sale to the thrift store. Watered the yard. Now we are watching the game. Twins are winning, but they are playing the Royals.
Read a caption on Slashdot that is scary. Although I don't know what is more scary, a zombie dog, or a zombie cat. Can you just imagine Santana (or Odie) as a zombie, not that scary. Now picture Wulfgar or Garfield* as a zombie. I shudder to think of the horror that would ensue from a zombie cat.
I will let you ponder the horrible possibilities.
*(If you can't tell, I've been reading Garfield recently. The comic strip the past few weeks, minus the "Jon trying to get a date" story line, has been quite accurate in describing the animal relationship in our household. Every time Garfield has a quip about Odie or food, I can just imagine Wulfgar uttering the same thing.)
Wednesday, June 22, 2005
Smokin' Hot!
Woke up this morning (@7:30), it was already 76 degrees.
At 9 am, it was 80.
Jeremy (the morning weather guy), says that Billings will be 99.
Preparing for a very hot day.
At least the new air conditioning unit works well.
At 9 am, it was 80.
Jeremy (the morning weather guy), says that Billings will be 99.
Preparing for a very hot day.
At least the new air conditioning unit works well.
Tuesday, June 21, 2005
Blimey! It's Hot!
Well, I've returned and rested from my class and trip up north. Lots and lots of driving. But at least I have an interesting book tape, Angels and Demons by Dan Brown. So far, it is lots of fun. Not classical literature, but fun. Personally, I think that this book would make a better movie than The DaVinci Code, but what do I know.
Well, its damn hot here. Yesterday, it was easily 95 to 100 degrees in the sun. Today, it got quite hot, but a system moved through and cooled the temp off to about 85 degrees. Tomorrow they are predicting about 95 degrees. (Which I'm sure will be much hotter when in the direct sun, while working outside.) Thursday it is supposedto be in the high 80's or low 90's.
We debated all of 10 seconds, and got a small air conditioning unit for the bed room. After last night (and most of last August), the answer was easy. Last night, the dog was very uncomfortable, and so were we. The room temp was close to 90 degrees. With those kind of temperatures, the answer sure is simple.
It's supposed to cool off by Friday, which will be good for the Yard Sale. The wife is looking forward to it. I've never done one, so it will be interesting. Let's hope it doesn't rain. We're not looking to make a ton of money, we just want to get rid of all our extra junk.
I do know of one thing that's not hot. That would be the MN Twins. The are definitely cold right now. Let's hope they start heating up.
For those of you interested in the Greatest American program, the top 5 canidates are:
Well, its damn hot here. Yesterday, it was easily 95 to 100 degrees in the sun. Today, it got quite hot, but a system moved through and cooled the temp off to about 85 degrees. Tomorrow they are predicting about 95 degrees. (Which I'm sure will be much hotter when in the direct sun, while working outside.) Thursday it is supposedto be in the high 80's or low 90's.
We debated all of 10 seconds, and got a small air conditioning unit for the bed room. After last night (and most of last August), the answer was easy. Last night, the dog was very uncomfortable, and so were we. The room temp was close to 90 degrees. With those kind of temperatures, the answer sure is simple.
It's supposed to cool off by Friday, which will be good for the Yard Sale. The wife is looking forward to it. I've never done one, so it will be interesting. Let's hope it doesn't rain. We're not looking to make a ton of money, we just want to get rid of all our extra junk.
I do know of one thing that's not hot. That would be the MN Twins. The are definitely cold right now. Let's hope they start heating up.
For those of you interested in the Greatest American program, the top 5 canidates are:
- Benjamin Franklin
- Martin Luthor King, Jr.
- Abraham Lincoln
- Ronald Reagan
- George Washington
Tuesday, June 14, 2005
A Numbers Game
Why I love baseball.
Well, its all about the numbers, more specifically the stats. Going over all the stats is ridiculusly fun. Presently, my favorite offensive stat is the OBP (On base percentage.) However, I've just discovered the OPS, which is the addition of the OBP and the Slugging %. On the pitching side, one word, SANTANA. He leads the majors in K's. Nobody is even close in the AL, and only Pedro Martinez (who played a bit of "A" ball in Great Falls), comes close. Santana leads Pedro by less than 10 K's.
Well, not much of a post today. Probably won't post until next week. I leave for a class in Havre tomorrow, and won't be back until Sunday. Have a good week everyone.
Well, its all about the numbers, more specifically the stats. Going over all the stats is ridiculusly fun. Presently, my favorite offensive stat is the OBP (On base percentage.) However, I've just discovered the OPS, which is the addition of the OBP and the Slugging %. On the pitching side, one word, SANTANA. He leads the majors in K's. Nobody is even close in the AL, and only Pedro Martinez (who played a bit of "A" ball in Great Falls), comes close. Santana leads Pedro by less than 10 K's.
Well, not much of a post today. Probably won't post until next week. I leave for a class in Havre tomorrow, and won't be back until Sunday. Have a good week everyone.
Monday, June 13, 2005
Just a day
Here's a run down of my day so far.
I have no Idea what I'm going to do tonight. Maybe relax and read.
Hope everyone had as interesting a day.
- Got up because of an annoying cat.
- Took dog outside. Then brought dog back in.
- Fed and watered dog.
- Showered as dog ate food.
- Got dressed.
- Took dog outside again. This time, business was done.
- Read paper and had some coffee.
- Got stuff together to go to Broadview.
- Loaded dog in car (with his stuff), and went to IGA to shop for Fenway food.
- Whoops, forgot baggies for Fenway Food, so went back home.
- Dog still in car, fun trip to the post office.
- Mailed something for Wulfgar's Stepmom, and picked up mail.
- Started drive toward Broadview.
- Car stalled on sharp turn on Laurel Airport Road. I freaked out, no steering.
- Got car started, and finished turn.
- Rest of Trip to Broadview is uneventful.
- Got to Broadview, and unloaded Dog and Fenway food.
- Dog pees a little in Mrs. Stiles room.
- Chop up Fenway food, and feed Fenway.
- Dog and I go outside to tennis courts to run around. I do more running than Dog.
- Dog wants to walk, so we walk down to football field and track.
- Mud everywhere. Dog's paws are red now due to clay. He sure does love romping in mud.
- Cleaned off my shoes and watered dog some more.
- Got dog in car, drove back to Laurel.
- No car problems on the way home.
- Arrived in Laurel.
- Unloaded mail, dog, and dog supplies.
- At lunch - Tuna, juice, and fruit chewies.
- Went outside to clean up doggie poop. Got 'em all I think.
- Mowed lawn.
- Put dog and cat outside. They got tangled many times.
- Finished mowing lawn.
- Put dog and cat inside.
- Brought fans in from under the house. (It's going to be in the 80's for the rest of the week.)
- Dog drank more water, went to sleep.
- Started recording my book tape, Angels and Demons by Dan Brown.
- Took another shower.
- Changed my clothes.
- Did the dishes.
- Cleaned the fans that I brought in. (Plugged them in too!)
- Finished recording the first third of the book tape.
- Printed out something for Wulfgar's Stepmom.
- Wrote this blog.
I have no Idea what I'm going to do tonight. Maybe relax and read.
Hope everyone had as interesting a day.
Saturday, June 11, 2005
Honestly, I didn't know ... Now, can I have more money?
I ran across this interesting and disturbing article on Slashdot.com the other day. The topic is quite disturbing, Ethical Lapses and Misconduct by scientists. The article, published by the Washington Post, runs down the most common lapses and some of the worst. The accompanying graph summarizes the categories of misconduct.
What I find interesting in the article, is how scientists rationalize their misconduct. Some state that science has become big business, others claim they need to "beef up their resume's" Regardless, this is disturbing.
What I view more disturbing is not the scientists actions, but the atmosphere in which science is performed. Yes, lately it appears to have become more business like, and less science like. Money for your next project can be dictated by how your last project went. And, with limited dollars out there, your previous projects better be darn good. (Hmm... lets just ignore these results, that way "insert drug company" will give us more money. We will report the correct results when the study is done. Honest!)
Another view of success in the science world is how many papers you publish. Some scientists have been known to take one project, break it up 2 or 3 times, for you guessed it, 2 or 3 papers. Oh, and if results need to be carried over, oh well, nobody reads all the different journals. Promotions can be based on how many times you publish. If you only did 10 projects, but managed 3 papers for each, thats 30 papers. Compare that to the honest scientist had 15 projects, but ethically published 1 paper per project. Just counting, it looks like the unethical guy gets the promotion. Poor honest schlub.
Another one that I find interesting is, "Circumventing minor rules protecting human subjects." Now, on the surface, that may seem outrageous. There need to be rules to protect people from us crazy scientists. However, there is a lot of red tape out there regarding human subjects. Most of it (the red tape), is there because a few scientists (presumably a number well under 20, but that's just a guess), in the last hundred years, have inappropiately put people in harms way, intentially. (Darn Milgram, ruining it for everyone.) As a result, other scientists, in order to preform their "safe" research, have had to break some rules. (I wonder how someone who wanted to repeat Milgram's experiment would approach the Internal Review Board. Just curious. For an explaination of his experiment, click here.)
Yes, some of the rules may be stupid, but when people start breaking the rules, the rules in general won't be respected. The, some stupid idiot scientist will break the rules and really hurt either some one or the field of study. Imagine, 10 years of research and money down the drain.
What I find interesting in the article, is how scientists rationalize their misconduct. Some state that science has become big business, others claim they need to "beef up their resume's" Regardless, this is disturbing.
What I view more disturbing is not the scientists actions, but the atmosphere in which science is performed. Yes, lately it appears to have become more business like, and less science like. Money for your next project can be dictated by how your last project went. And, with limited dollars out there, your previous projects better be darn good. (Hmm... lets just ignore these results, that way "insert drug company" will give us more money. We will report the correct results when the study is done. Honest!)
Another view of success in the science world is how many papers you publish. Some scientists have been known to take one project, break it up 2 or 3 times, for you guessed it, 2 or 3 papers. Oh, and if results need to be carried over, oh well, nobody reads all the different journals. Promotions can be based on how many times you publish. If you only did 10 projects, but managed 3 papers for each, thats 30 papers. Compare that to the honest scientist had 15 projects, but ethically published 1 paper per project. Just counting, it looks like the unethical guy gets the promotion. Poor honest schlub.
Another one that I find interesting is, "Circumventing minor rules protecting human subjects." Now, on the surface, that may seem outrageous. There need to be rules to protect people from us crazy scientists. However, there is a lot of red tape out there regarding human subjects. Most of it (the red tape), is there because a few scientists (presumably a number well under 20, but that's just a guess), in the last hundred years, have inappropiately put people in harms way, intentially. (Darn Milgram, ruining it for everyone.) As a result, other scientists, in order to preform their "safe" research, have had to break some rules. (I wonder how someone who wanted to repeat Milgram's experiment would approach the Internal Review Board. Just curious. For an explaination of his experiment, click here.)
Yes, some of the rules may be stupid, but when people start breaking the rules, the rules in general won't be respected. The, some stupid idiot scientist will break the rules and really hurt either some one or the field of study. Imagine, 10 years of research and money down the drain.
Tuesday, June 07, 2005
More Books and Movies
We must learn to avoid "Borders". Bought another book to read, hopefully by the end of the summer. I purchased Sir Apropos of Nothing, Book 3: Tong Lashing. I have already read Sir Apropos of Nothing, and Sir Apropos of Nothing: The Woad to Wuin. Both previous books have been very funny. Lots of Satire and Word Play/Puns.
On the movie front, we watched "Sideways" last night, and "Electra" this afternoon. Both were fun movies. "Sideways" was interesting, although I really liked the parts of the movie that dealt with the different properties and types of wine. The "Lowell" character really got on me. "Electra" was really fun, not as good as Daredevil. I really must watch the Director's Cut of Daredevil. I hear it is much better than the theatrical version.
Book to Movies:
As per Wulfgar's Stepmom suggestion, here are some ideas for books to be made into movies.
(Remember, I'm a sci-fi/fantasy/science buff.)
That's it for now. Oh, go and vote for the Greatest American. Make a difference and vote!
On the movie front, we watched "Sideways" last night, and "Electra" this afternoon. Both were fun movies. "Sideways" was interesting, although I really liked the parts of the movie that dealt with the different properties and types of wine. The "Lowell" character really got on me. "Electra" was really fun, not as good as Daredevil. I really must watch the Director's Cut of Daredevil. I hear it is much better than the theatrical version.
Book to Movies:
As per Wulfgar's Stepmom suggestion, here are some ideas for books to be made into movies.
(Remember, I'm a sci-fi/fantasy/science buff.)
- Ender's Game/Ender's Shadow by Orson Scott Card - So, I know this is already being made. Wolfgang Peterson is set to direct, and the writer's of X-men 2 are also attached to the project.
- Speaker for the Dead by Orson Scott Card - The sequal to Ender's Game. My personal favorite of the series.
- Any Discworld book by Terry Pratchett - Really funny books with lots of action and humor. I personally like the books that are about the Night Watch. I mean, a 6 foot 6 inch dwarf in love with a female werewolf. Also when you throw in that the watch's affirmitive action program that includes, dwarves, trolls (Lance-Constible Detritus, DON'T SALUTE), zombies, gargoyles, Nobby Nobbs (certified by the Patrician that he really is a human), Igors, and any other supernatural critter (except Vampires, Captain Vimes doesn't like vampires), the fun will ensue. As you can see, I really like these books.
- Books in the Song of Ice and Fire Series by George R.R. Martin. About a week ago, GRRM announced that the eagerly (for 5 friggin' years) awaited (5 years!) A Feast for Crows was done (To be released on November 8th). These books are huge and complicated, filled with political, family, and supernatural intrigue. The first book in the series is practically as long as the entire Lord of the Rings. With 7 to 8 books planned in the series, I doubt any studio would make 24 movies. Thus I propose to make this a Showtime or HBO series (that way they won't have to cut out the blood, cursing, or other adult material.) 1 book equals one season.
- Any of R.A. Salvatore's books about Drizzt, the Dark Elf. Lot's of action and magic, etc. What makes it more interesting is that Drizzt is the only good dark elf ever. So, when people see him, they want to kill him. Also, these books have thieving halflings (where did they get that idea, Mr. Tolkien), dwarves, and a certain barbarian named Wulfgar.
That's it for now. Oh, go and vote for the Greatest American. Make a difference and vote!
Monday, June 06, 2005
Greatest American
Last night, on the Discovery Channel, they had a program that overviewed the 100 greatest Americans. Before I discuss who was on the list, everyone go to www.aol.com/greatestamerican and vote. The general public will vote for the greatest American out of the top 25. Next Sunday, June 12, they will reveal the publics' results. Then, the public will vote on the top 5. The process continues until the public has picked the Greatest American.
That said, Americans are stupid. On the list are Bret Favre, Rush Limbaugh, Michael Moore, Martha Stewart, Madonna, Michael Jackson, Tom Cruise, Tom Hanks, Mel Gibson, Dr. Phil McGraw, and Clint Eastwood. Come On People!!!! The general public only gets to vote on the top 25. Of the top 25, most belong on the list, however a few don't. Does Lance Armstrong deserve to be one of the top 25 Americans of all time? How about Oprah Winfrey?
On a separate note, I finished cleaning my classroom/lab today. Boy, Fenway's cage sure looks much better when clean. With that being done, I'll only have to go to school 1 day a week to make sure Fenway has food for the week. Yippee summer actually has started now.
That said, Americans are stupid. On the list are Bret Favre, Rush Limbaugh, Michael Moore, Martha Stewart, Madonna, Michael Jackson, Tom Cruise, Tom Hanks, Mel Gibson, Dr. Phil McGraw, and Clint Eastwood. Come On People!!!! The general public only gets to vote on the top 25. Of the top 25, most belong on the list, however a few don't. Does Lance Armstrong deserve to be one of the top 25 Americans of all time? How about Oprah Winfrey?
- Overall on the list there were 4 Bushes, 2 Clintons, 3 Kennedy's (4 if you count that Arnold married Maria.)
- There was one (ONLY ONE) author on the entire list (it was Mark Twain.) No artists beyond actors, and most of the actors are present day ones.
- No philosophers, and only 7 scientists/inventors.
- They did put a few influential political figures (Washington, Jefferson, Franklin, Lincoln, all three Roosevelts - Teddy, FDR, and Elenor sp?).
- There weren't any composers, and a few directors (Speilberg and Lucas), but where was Orson Wells?
- They did have many athletes, but really Tiger Woods? Yes, Jesse Owens was on the list, but not Jackie Robinson.
On a separate note, I finished cleaning my classroom/lab today. Boy, Fenway's cage sure looks much better when clean. With that being done, I'll only have to go to school 1 day a week to make sure Fenway has food for the week. Yippee summer actually has started now.
Sunday, June 05, 2005
East vs. West
So, there has been an ongoing debate in the Gazette. The debate centers around where should the division for Eastern and Western Montana be. Most people seem to have one of two ideas:
1) The Continental Divide (approximately) should separate the two sides of the state
2) Eastern Montana starts somewhere between Miles City and Glasgow
Personally, I think there should be 4 divisions: Western Montana, North-Central Montana, South-Central Montana, and Eastern Montana.
What do you think?
1) The Continental Divide (approximately) should separate the two sides of the state
2) Eastern Montana starts somewhere between Miles City and Glasgow
Personally, I think there should be 4 divisions: Western Montana, North-Central Montana, South-Central Montana, and Eastern Montana.
What do you think?
Small Market vs. Big Market
I know it's been a while since my last post. I have been trying to catch up on my rest, taking care of the lawn, playing with the puppy, and just relaxing with the wife.
Today has been pretty mellow. Trying to water the lawn and the lawn is winning. (Rather, the sprinklers have decided they are not going win.) Played a bit of Civ. And ...
We watched the Twins beat up the Yankees today. We should have won yesterday. Of course, I say this after a few blunders and an extra-innings loss. I'm very impressed overall with the Twins. Two of our best hitters are out with injuries. Our everyday 2b, who is a defensive and offensive catalyst, is out on the DL. With those three out, call-ups had to be used. Also, we played the Yankees with our 3, 4, and 5 pitchers. Also, Torii Hunter got hit once in the game yesterday and hit today. Lew Ford got hit today. Jacque Jones got hit by a pitch on Friday. Despite all that, we beat the Yankees 2 out of 3 games. Look what 200 million dollars buys you, swept by the Royals (worst team in baseball), and losing 2 out 3 to the small market Twins.
Tomorrow, I believe I'll be in Broadview with the dog and wife. They are going to play on the football field, I'm going to clean Fenway's cage. After the cage is done, all I have to do is throw out some garbage and then I'll be done.
Today has been pretty mellow. Trying to water the lawn and the lawn is winning. (Rather, the sprinklers have decided they are not going win.) Played a bit of Civ. And ...
We watched the Twins beat up the Yankees today. We should have won yesterday. Of course, I say this after a few blunders and an extra-innings loss. I'm very impressed overall with the Twins. Two of our best hitters are out with injuries. Our everyday 2b, who is a defensive and offensive catalyst, is out on the DL. With those three out, call-ups had to be used. Also, we played the Yankees with our 3, 4, and 5 pitchers. Also, Torii Hunter got hit once in the game yesterday and hit today. Lew Ford got hit today. Jacque Jones got hit by a pitch on Friday. Despite all that, we beat the Yankees 2 out of 3 games. Look what 200 million dollars buys you, swept by the Royals (worst team in baseball), and losing 2 out 3 to the small market Twins.
Tomorrow, I believe I'll be in Broadview with the dog and wife. They are going to play on the football field, I'm going to clean Fenway's cage. After the cage is done, all I have to do is throw out some garbage and then I'll be done.
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