Merry Christmas

Have a great day and remember the reason for the season.

From my family to you and yours.

Merry Christmas!

Fred08

This is not an official campaign commercial.



But it probably should be!

Right Wing News is where it started.

Official Fred!

My kind of Dad

Son smokes pot, son loses Christmas present.

Bears vs Vikings on Monday Night Footbal

First: ESPN HD audio sucks. We're watching on ABC HD out of Chicago and it keeps dropping out. It's gotten better as the game has progressed but it's still on the bad side.

Second: These announcers are annoying. Could they have found three guys who disliked the Bears any more than these guys?

Third: The refs are terrible. The penalty right before the half for a hit out of bounds was yet another gift to the Vikings. Right after the review taking away the TD from Moose (who was nice enough to actually catch a ball that Orton threw to him)

Fourth: According to the Daily Herald Orton was supposed to have the full package. Way to many passes for 5 yards. C'mon - stretch the field!

Update #1: Whoever Jaws is - what an ass!

Update #2: C'mon Bears - tackle!

Update #3: The announcers really need to remove their lips from the Viking's rears. Could they just be a little impartial? And could the Bears stop the one yard passes to the wide receivers? Go down the field!

Update #4: Kyle - please settle down. That was an easy pass. Had McKie wide open.

Update #5: That was really bad Chicago. Allowing a cold QB to run the ball in like that.

Update #6: The refs blew the intentional grounding call. Orton's leg is being pulled as he strides into the throw and the pass goes short. Are they trying to make sure the Vikings win? It doesn't help that the Bear's D seems to be giving up.

Update #7: So close. A little more to the center of the field and it was a TD.

Citizen Soldier

This played before I Am Legend today. Great song.

Superchick

Every once in a while you hear a song where the lyric just sticks in your head. The first time I heard "Bowling Ball" by Superchick and the line:

you need that boy like a bowling ball dropped on your head which means not at all

I was hooked. As a father of a 16 year old girl I wanted her to understand that as well. So I bought Beauty from Pain and gave it a listen. Awesome. Gave it to Thing2 and it went right on her iPod. Great music for anyone but especially for girls. Lots of girl power in those words.

Last Sunday Superchick headlined at a concert in Naperville at the Harvest Bible Church. I got Gold Circle tickets for Thing2 and myself. The wife doesn't like Christian rock so it was just me and my girl.

Harvest is in a office park area in Naperville. The build seemed like a converted office building with the sanctuary in the basement. We got there ~90 minutes early as it was general admission and we wanted to get as close as possible.

First the bad: Edan Concerts in the promoter of Christian music in the area and the crowd control was terrible. The doors didn't open till 15 minutes before the show started and people were able to walk right up and get in front of people who had been there for an hour. Even with this mess we ended up in the second row.

Now the good:

Starlit Platoon led off. IMO this is a band with great potential. Tight music with excellent lyrics. Thing1 would like these guys.



Jimmy Needham was next. Just him and an acoustic guitar (and his wife for two songs) I was so impressed I bought the CD afterwards.



Next up was KJ52. Did I ever mention I really don't like rap. Or hip-hop. On the other hand they were kind of fun. Thing2 seemed to really like them. She got their autographs afterward.



And then there was Superchick. The only bad thing I can say about Superchick's performance is that it was too short. Other than that they were great!





And now for some live music. I apologize for the audio. It was my wife's point and shoot Canon and the mic on it is very sensitive.

Bowling Ball

Rockin around the Christmas Tree

It was great to see all the girls there singing every word right along with the band and bouncing to the music. Great music for kids. Girl power all the way. Just what a dad should want for his daughter.


Go see Superchick. Starlit Platoon and Jimmy Needham as well. And if hip-hop is your thing KJ52.

Daddy

A great Christmas gift

via Hot Air

Another reason to have Legos

Forbidden LEGO: Build the Models Your Parents Warned You Against!

Thing1 is home for Christmas break today and we have over 30,000 Lego pieces to work with. I can't wait for the book to show up!

Of course YouTube has examples:





My thanks to Chris on the KTOG list for the pointer.

Back to work so I can rest

Yeah - it's an old joke but this was a tiring weekend.

Friday nightwas the wife's company Christmas holiday party so we got home sometime Saturday morning. Up early to go Christmas shopping for my gift (CZ75C!!!) Saturday night was the Elgin Symphony Orchestra performance at the Sears Centre. Thing2 was singing as part of the ensemble choir. Not so late but still up past my bedtime. Last night Thing2 and I were at a SuperChic(K) concert in Naperville. Home by 10:00pm but - man I'm tired today.

Christmas Spirit

A woman goes to the post office to buy stamps for her Christmas cards.
She says to the clerk, "May I have 50 Christmas stamps, please?"
Knowing many people are still buying $.02 stamps to catch up to the recent postage increase the clerk says, "What denomination?"
The woman says, "God help us. Has it come to this? Give me 6 Catholic, 12 Presbyterian, 10 Lutheran and 22 Baptists."

All I want for Christmas is

I have a Ruger SR9 or a Taurus PT1911 on my Christmas list but this is what I really want. I wonder what the wife will think? It's just a little more than a year of Thing1's tuition...

GI Jill

What does the following have in common?

Miss America 2008 contestant
Combat Medic
Summa Cum Laude graduate
Registered Nurse
Marathoner
Utah National Guard member

It's a simple answer. They can all be used to describe the same person. Jill Stevens, aka Miss Utah, aka Sgt. Jill Stevens. More at the North Shore Journal.

via Blackfive

TwinkeClaus

The fall project of one of my co-workers

twinkleclaus.com

A Hillary Fan

Update - included the link
From Polipundit

A grade school teacher in upstate New York asked her class how many of them are ‘Hillary fans’.

Not really knowing what a Hillary fan is, but wanting to be liked by the teacher, all the kids raised their hands except one boy.

The teacher asked Johnny why he has decided to be different. Johnny says, “I’m not a Hillary fan.”

The teacher says, “Why aren’t you a Hillary fan?”

Johnny says, “I’m a George Bush fan.”

The teacher asks why he’s a George Bush fan.

The boy says, “Well, my mom’s a George Bush fan and my dad’s a George Bush fan, so I’m a George Bush fan!”

The teacher asks, “If your mom was a moron and your dad was an idiot, what would that make you?”

So Johnny replies, “That would make me a Hillary fan.”

Confidence Inspiring

Not!

Went online to order some tickets for a local performance of the Nutcracker. Instead I get:

Exception Occured. System.Data.SqlClient.SqlException: The log file for database 'unity' is full. Back up the transaction log for the database to free up some log space.

Nice error handling.

Giving Thanks

It's something that everyone tends to do at this time of the year. For one day a year Americans pause to give thanks for all that we are blessed with. And we are a blessed people.

But giving thanks is something that I believe we should do every day. Think about it - if you're anything like me you probably have a long list of things to be thankful for. Looking out my office door to the dining room I see my wonderful kids, my wife and my crazy dog. For all the health issues that our family faces I am thankful that we are alive and kicking. I have faith that all that we face will work out in the end.

I'm thankful for my job. It's not perfect but it fits my life right now. I'm thankful for my family and friends. I'm thankful for a country that is blessed with people who only want to make it a better place to live. I'm thankful for the men and women who willfully go in harms way to make the world a better place.

Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

P.S. - If you're looking for a easy way to say thanks to the men and women of the Armed Forces Xerox is sponsoring the Lets Say Thanks program. Please take a minute out of your life and spread the love.

Teenager Daughter Owner's Manual

(making the rounds at work)

Teenager Daughter Owner's Manual

Instructions for all those with teenage daughters or daughters who think they are teenagers or who will eventually be teenagers.

Congratulations! You are now the proud new owner of a teenaged daughter. Please read this manual carefully, as it describes the maintenance of your new daughter, and answers important questions about your warranty (which does NOT include the right to return the product to the factory for a full refund).

IF YOU FEEL YOU HAVE RECEIVED YOUR TEENAGER IN ERROR:

To determine whether you were supposed to receive a teenaged girl, please examine your new daughter carefully.

Does she:

1. look very similar to your original daughter, only with more makeup and less clothing?
   
2. refuse to acknowledge your existence on the planet Earth(except when requesting money)?
   
3. Sleep in a burrow of dirty laundry?
   

If any of these are true, you have received the correct item.

BREAK-IN PERIOD

When you first receive your teenaged daughter, you will initially experience a high level of discomfort. Gradually, this discomfort will subside, and you will merely feel traumatized. This is the "Break-In Period," during which you are becoming accustomed to certain behaviors that will cause you concern, anxiety, and stress.
Once you have adapted to these behaviors, your teenager will start acting even worse.

ACTIVATION

To activate your teenaged daughter, simply place her in the vicinity of a telephone or Instant Messenger. No further programming is required.

SHUTDOWN

Several hours after activation, you may desire to shut down your teenaged daughter. There is no way to do this.

CLEANING YOUR TEENAGED DAUGHTER

Having a teenaged daughter means learning the difference between the words "clean" and "neat." Teenaged daughters are very clean, because they take frequent showers that last more than an hour. They will scrub themselves with expensive, fragrant soaps which you must purchase for them because like I'm sure I'm going to use like the same kind of soap my mom and dad use. When they have completely drained the hot-water tank, they will step out and wrap themselves in every towel in the bathroom, which they will subsequently strew throughout the house. If you ask them to pick up the towels, you are confusing "clean" with "neat." Teenagers are very busy and do not have time to be neat. They expect others to pick up after them. These others are called "parents."

FEEDING YOUR TEENAGED DAUGHTER

Your teenaged daughter requires regular meals, which must be purchased for her at restaurants because she detests everything you eat because it is like so disgusting.

She does not want you to accompany her to these restaurants, because some people might see you and, "like I'm sure I want my friends to see me eating dinner with my parents". Either order take-out food or just give her the money, preferably both. If you order pizza, never answer the doorbell because the delivery boy might see you and, "ohmigod he is so hot!" Yes, your daughter's idea of an attractive man is the pizza boy.

CLOTHING YOUR TEENAGED DAUGHTER

Retailers make millions of dollars a year selling stylish and frankly sensible clothing which will look adorable on your daughter. If you enjoy shopping, you will love the vast selections which are available to you. Unfortunately, your teenaged daughter wants to dress like a lap dancer. You may be able to coerce her into putting on a cute outfit before leaving the house, but by the time she walks in the schoolhouse door, she will be wearing something entirely different.

OTHER MAINTENANCE

Teenaged daughters require one of two levels of maintenance:

"High," and "Ultra High".

Your daughter is "Ultra High." This means that whatever you do won't be enough and whatever you try won't work.

WARRANTY

This product is not without defect because she has your genes, for heaven's sake. If you think this is not fair, talk to your parents, who think it is hilarious. Your teenaged daughter will remain a teenager for as long as it takes for her to become a woman, which in her opinion has already happened and as far as you are concerned never really will. If you are dissatisfied with your teenaged daughter, well, what did you expect? In any event, your warranty does not give you your little girl back under any circumstances, except that deep down she's actually still there--you just have to look for her.

Chuck

I'm really enjoying Chuck on Monday nights. The stories, while unbelievable, are fun and Adam Baldwin is just great. Tonight was one of those perfect exchanges between Chuck and John Casey (Baldwin) when Chuck was interrupted while brushing his teeth.

Chuck Bartowski - Is there nothing sacred to you?

John Casey - Just the right to keep and bear arms.

Delivered in the classic Adam Baldwin deadpan way.

Christmas Cards

When filling yours out please consider adding a couple of more:

A Recovering Sailor or Marine
National Naval Medical Center
Marine Corps Liaison Center
8901 Rockville Pike
Bethesda, MD 20889-560T

or

A Recovering American Soldier
c/o Walter Reed Army Medical Center
6900 Georgia Avenue NW
Washington, DC 20307-5001

The word via Blackfive is that there is a need of Christmas cheer at both hospitals.

National Ammo Day

Yea - another reason to buy ammo. Please do your part and support National Ammo Day.

Now where does the Exchange server plug in?

Saving the world with AOL

24: The Unaired 1994 Pilot
Jack Bauer saves the world with AOL 3.0.



From collegehumor.com

Smile

What Is A Veteran?

What Is A Veteran

Some veterans bear visible signs of their service: a missing limb, a jagged scar, a certain look in the eye.

Others may carry the evidence inside them: a pin holding a bone together, a piece of shrapnel in the leg - or perhaps another sort of inner steel: the soul's ally forged in the refinery of adversity.

Except in parades, however, the men and women who have kept America safe wear no badge or emblem.

You can't tell a vet just by looking. What is a vet?

He is the cop on the beat who spent six months in Saudi Arabia sweating two gallons a day making sure the armored personnel carriers didn't run out of fuel.

He is the bar room loudmouth, dumber than five wooden planks, whose overgrown frat boy behavior is outweighed a hundred times in the cosmic scales by four hours of exquisite bravery near the 38th parallel.

She - or he - is the nurse who fought against futility and went to sleep sobbing every night for two solid years in Da Nang.

He is the POW who went away one person and came back another - or didn't come back AT ALL.

He is the Quantico drill instructor who has never seen combat - but has saved countless lives by turning slouchy, no-account rednecks and gang members into Marines, and teaching them to watch each other's backs.

He is the parade - riding Legionnaire who pins on his ribbons and medals with a prosthetic hand.

He is the career quartermaster who watches the ribbons and medals pass him by.

He is the three anonymous heroes in The Tomb Of The Unknowns, whose presence at the Arlington National Cemetery must forever preserve the memory of all the anonymous heroes whose valor dies unrecognized with them on the battlefield or in the ocean's sunless deep.

He is the old guy bagging groceries at the supermarket - palsied now and aggravating slow - who helped liberate a Nazi death camp and who wishes all day long that his wife were still alive to hold him when the nightmares come.

He is an ordinary and yet an extraordinary human being - a person who offered some of his life's most vital years in the service of his country, and who sacrificed his ambitions so others would not have to sacrifice theirs.

He is a soldier, and a savior, and a sword against the darkness, and he is nothing more than the finest, greatest testimony on behalf of the finest, the greatest nation ever known.

So remember, each time you see someone who has served our country, just lean over and say, "Thank You". That's all most people need, and in most cases it will mean more than any medals they could have been awarded or were awarded. Two little words that mean a lot, "THANK YOU."

author- Father Denis Edward O'Brien USMC

Chase Daniels Live

Chase Daniels? Just who is he? To the thousands of people at Chicagoland Speedway back in July that were there for the Montgomery Gentry show on pole day they were the opening band who's lead singer didn't bother to give out the band's web site so any potential fans could find out where they were playing. The wife and some of the other MG fans that were there in July went back and forth after the show trying to remember the name of the opening band. After they figured it out and found the bands website we (well not so much me) made plans to go see him. And thats what we did last night.

We went to the Last Shot Bar and Grill in South Elgin, Illinois. Not to far from home so we went a little early to get a decent seat as the person on the phone said it was a small place.

Walking into a small bar when you're not a 'local' is a strange experience. Everyone looked at us as we walked in. The wife poked me and told me to go first. Cold beer solves everything :-) The barmaid told us where the band would set up so we kept moving seats as people left to get well positioned for the show.

After a while some guys showed up and started setting up. I asked one if he was with the band and it turned out to be Chase Daniels himself. He talked with us for quite a while. We got to meet his wife, other band members and the site webmaster. The wife told him about seeing him in July and he shared the story of the band coming out at Joliet and being shocked at the size of the crowd. Anyways he was a real nice guy as was everyone else we met. Well except the woman next to me decided that her rear end was supposed to be in my lap much of the evening...

Once the show started it was pretty enjoyable. A mix of covers and original songs. Some of the audio may be a little distorted as I was ~3 feet from one of the speakers.












And just because the drummer is a fan of #24 don't hold it against the band. #20 is our guy and we still enjoyed the show. In fact the wife has made plans to go see them again next year.



We left at the end of the second set. We were up way past our bedtime... Chase and his wife thanked us personally for coming. Real nice people. One of the guitarists and the webmaster did the same.

If Chase Daniels and Western Star are ever in your neck of the woods give them a listen.

Happy Veterans Day

Too many it's just another day. Another day to shop. Another day to advertise. To me it's a day to remember the sacrifice that a few have made for the sake of many. It's a day to remember my granddads, my dad, my brothers Rich and Bob, and my sister Cheryl. For serving in time of war and in time of peace. For taking time away from family and friends to serve their country. I stand in awe of you and your fellow veterans.


I'm incredibly happy to say that Google decided to (finally) create a special logo for Veterans day.

See anything wrong?

We got our new refrigerator delivered today and magnet wars started soon after. A interesting grouping was noticed. Some may find it amusing.

No Better Friend, No Worse Enemy

Happy Birthday to the United States Marine Corp!

Sadly - Google choose not to create a special logo for today. I wonder if they will do anything for Veterans Day.

Chris Muir rocks!

I've said it before but Day By Day is one of the best cartoons out there. Today's strip is perfect.

Thanks and Praise

Thanks and Praise: I photographed men and women, both Christians and Muslims, placing a cross atop the St. John’s Church in Baghdad. They had taken the cross from storage and a man washed it before carrying it up to the dome.

More about this event from the incredible Michael Yon.

May all God's people say Amen!

Congratulations Patti!

Microsoft and USO Announce Microsoft Above and Beyond Award Winners.

One of them should be familiar...

Effort Award: Patti Patton-Bader, Pasadena, Calif. Soon after Patton-Bader began sending care packages to her son in Iraq, she started a group of volunteers to “adopt” soldiers. Since then, the group’s 100,000 members have sent tens of thousands of care packages and hundreds of thousands of letters to make sure no soldier is forgotten while serving. Its motto: “May no soldier go unloved.”

The group she founded? Soldiers Angels.

Don't forget - there is still time to get involved in the the annual fund raising drive for Project Valour-IT.

Happy Birthday to you!

Thing1. He's 22 today!

It seems like yesterday that we were sitting on the couch watching the Super Bowl bound Bears.

One more week

to donate to Project Valour-IT during the Veterans Day challenge. (Team Marines please) Don't wait till the last minute.

For a little extra incentive go check out Badger6's blog.

Math 1950-2006

From my sister-in-law (a teacher with over 30 years of experience...)

Last week I purchased a burger at Burger King for $1.58. The counter girl took my $2 and I was digging fo r my change when I pulled 8 cents from my pocket and gave it to her. She stood there, holding the nickel and 3 pennies, while looking at the screen on her register. I sensed her discomfort and tried to tell her to just give me two quarters, but she hailed the manager for help. While he tried to explain the transaction to her, she stood there and cried.

Why do I tell you this?

Because of the evolution in teaching math since the 1950s:

1. Teaching Math In 1950

   A logger sells a truckload of lumber for $100. His cost of production is 4/5 of the price. What is his profit?
   

2. Teaching Math In 1960

   A logger sells a truckload of lumber for $100. His cost of production is 4/5 of the price, or $80. What is his profit?



3. Teaching Math In 1970

   A logger sells a truckload of lumber for $100. His cost of production is $80. Did he make a profit?



4. Teaching Math In 1980

   A logger sells a truckload of lumber for $100. His cost of production is $80 and his profit is $20. Your assignment: Underline the number 20.



5. Teaching Math In 1990

   A logger cuts down a beautiful forest because he is selfish and inconsiderate and cares nothing for the habitat of animals or the preservation of our woodlands. He does this so he can make a profit of$20. What do you think of this way of making a living? Topic for class participation after answering the question: How did the birds and squirrels feel as the logger cut down their homes? (There are no wrong answers )



6. Teaching Math In 2006

   Un hachero vende una carretada de madera por $100. El costo de la producciones es $80. Cuanto dinero ha hecho?

Real American Heroes

Not GI Joe but Sergeant Josh Morley, Specialist Tracy Willis, Specialist Chris Corriveau, and Specialist Eric Moser. Their story is one you won't read about in your local paper but deserves a few minutes of your time.

Jeff Emanuel has their story at The American Spectator

After reading consider a donation to Project Valour-IT

The day the routers died

Geek humor at it's best

Project Valour-IT 2007

I had been wondering when this was going to start as Veterans Day was fast approaching. A visit to Blackfive confirmed it was time.

Time to give.

Project Valour-IT is simply a way for the average American to give something back to the brave men and women who, while in service of our great country, have lost the ability to communicate. Valour-IT provides voice driven laptops and software to those in need to help them stay in contact with their loved ones. As a geek I think this is a awesome idea and one worth funding. It is run by Soldiers Angels and, as before, the fund raising is a competition between the services. This year my money to the Team USMC in memory of my dad.

Dad, My headlights don't work

That was Thing1 a week ago when he called home one night. He had gone out to his car to go somewhere and he had no headlights. Parking lights were ok, DRLs worked, and so did the high beams. But the regular lights did not. He replaced the bulbs and checked the fuses - nothing. Since he was coming home in a week I just told him not to drive at night and I'd take a look at it when he was home.

I did some research on his car and found that this is a common problem on late 90's GM J body cars. At least there was some hope of a simple solution :-). The solution was either the headlight switch, a bulb socket, or a wiring fix.

So yesterday I started poking at the car. A check of voltage at the sockets show 12.8 volts with the lights on. That seemed ok so I ruled out the switch. No obvious scorching on the bulb sockets or adjacent wiring. Ok - its probably on of the junctions that are ~1 foot from the battery. So I grab the DVM and check continuity between the positive and negative leads of the regular beams. Positive was 0 ohms. Negative was 1.3 Meg ohms. Thats bad. Thats wiring.

So I started to unwrap the harness going across the front. Got the the junction area and no problems with the negative wire. In fact there was no junction for it. Hmmm. Then I looked closely at the negative wire from the drivers side. It headed in the harness over to the passenger side rather than back to the firewall socket. So I unwrapped the passenger side of the harness a bit and counted wires. Compared to the drivers side there was 1 less. And it was the color of the negative wire. There was another junction somewhere. So I unwrapped the center of the harness. In the middle of the car, right by the hood latch, there was another splice. This was for the negative lead for the low beam lights. And it was corroded. By the time I got it unwrapped it fell apart.



In a effort to clean things up I unwrapped the whole harness and cut back the corroded wire about 6 inches on each end. A little bit of spare wire, solder, and heat shrink tubing and the lights were on. Took some electrical tape and re-wrapped the harness. 4.5 hours after I started it was done. Just in time for cake! Smiles all around.

Free Tacos!

For those interested in Baseball in general and the World Series in particular (not me since the Cubs chose to, once again, choke):

Free taco at participating Taco Bells on October 30th. See the MLB site for details.

Of course - maybe Taco Bell and MLB are really celebrating my birthday...

Christmas comes early. Well earlier

I love Christmas. Not only do we celebrate the birth of Jesus but people in general seem to be a bit more alive. The spirit of giving comes out as well. What drives me crazy is the push for Christmas decorations. They are already in some stores. Before Halloween.

Instapundit linked to a James Lileks post and one comment cracked me up:

Well, we spend $5 billion on Halloween and put the decorations out about a month beforehand. Sooooo, since we spend $460 billion on Christmas, let's see...that means the decorations for this Christmas should be set out in mid-1999. Or maybe this is just the rolling out for 2016.

Jack's back. Tony too!

Can't wait!

Advice from a Penguin

Taken at Brookfield Zoo. Perfect for Thing1.

And he's back

Day by Day

Keep the Muir family in your prayers

Day by Day is one of my favorite daily reads. Chris Muir is an awesome talent. When I took a look at his site today I saw this:



So - if you believe in the power of prayer keep the Muir family in your prayers.

This is sad

The brilliant minds that created the Cox and Forkum editorial cartoons are calling it quits.



The story is here.

If everything were sold like iPods

We would be shopping like this

Windows Server 2008 RC0 is fubar?

In a post on the Microsoft Technet blogs a German employee of Microsoft titles his post:

Windows Server 2008 RC0 ist verfügbar!

According to a online dictionary verfügbar means available.

However when I glanced at the title in my RSS reader I saw (incorrectly)

Windows Server 2008 RC0 is very fubar!

That would have been unusual considering the source...

I remember

I remember getting up that morning and heading off to work. Three people from my group were at a conference so I had to run some meetings. I was sitting in my office creating some slides when one of the other people on the floor said that he had heard on the drive in that a plane had hit one of the World Trade Center towers.

I remember looking for a live video feed to see what what going on in NYC.

I remember seeing the second tower hit.

I remember calling my wife to tell her to turn on the TV to see whats going on.

I remember seeing people jump...

I remember seeing fire fighters head into the towers

I remember seeing the aftermath of the attack on the Pentagon

I remember seeing the towers fall

I remember crying

I remember seeing the crash site of United 93

I remember Kathy Bantis

I remember getting home and hugging my kids and my wife

I remember September 11th, 2001

I will not forget

I will not submit

Iraq in stereo

Chris Muir (the one who posted here?) shows why the milbloggers are so important.

Peder Eide - Live

For those who have never seen Peder you are missing something special. Peder refers to his worship events as worship on Mountain Dew and I have to agree. Thing2 and I went to see him last night at Prince of Peace Lutheran Church and it was awesome!

This is Peder:



He's a independent Christian artist from Minnesota who spends his time leading worship at churches and at teen gatherings all over the mid-west. This was the fifth or sixth time I've seen him perform and the first where it was really worship rather than a concert. He rocks, he rolls, lifts you up, gets you to look inside, and helps you remember that there is someone waiting for you - if you'll just look. For those you have never seen Peder - take a look.

All I Needed To Know



As Is. Listen closely to the words.



Some older songs



Rise. One of my favorite songs.

Great idea for a PPV Super Bowl half time show

Featuring Michael Vick and Happy the Wonder Dog

---

from my sister Maggie (and no doubt her Doberwoman Mitzi)

Sweet. That's Danger Close

JD Johannes has a little something from the 2007 edition of Outside the Wire.

I have the 2005 edition of OtW. Worth watching (and buying as it supports JD in Iraq). With people like JD, Michael Yon, Michael J. Totten, and Bill Roggio over in Iraq as well as other places where the MSM fears to tread one has to wonder who to trust for the real story about whats going on in Iraq.

The MSM and their stringers or the guys who are there embedded with America's best?

Line of the day

From PoliPundit;

I own more guns than I need, but not as many as I want.

Thats me!

We're number 1

U.S. Most Heavily Armed Country

Back to School

Today was the day we took Thing1 back to his college to start his senior year - unlike freshman year. No tears, no hysterics, nothing. Just another day. After we had gotten home and fed Buffy we couldn't find her anywhere. I decided to check Thing1's room.

And there she was:



I guess she misses her boy...

Raindrops keep falling on my head

We've been getting a lot of rain. Somewhere between 10 and 15 inches this month where normal is somewhere around 6 or 7. Most of it comes in one hour deluges. Today we got two of these deluges. The first one included some nasty straight line winds and numerous funnel clouds a couple of counties away. And damage...

This is part of my next door neighbors tree



And one in the parkway. It used to be as tall as the one next to it



There was a bit of flooding in the streets



Some people don't know to slow down



The backyard took a hit as well



The second wasn't as bad. Lots of rain but no damage.

It did kinda flood the intersection. Again.

Once the neighbors started clearing the drains the water went away quickly.







After the water receded it was easy to see how far away from the street it had gotten. The debris line is about 10 feet from the curb.

It had to happen sooner or later

I spent my first night in the hospital as a patient. To the best of my knowledge I had not been there since I was born almost 46 years ago. I got to spend two nights in the local hospital getting all kinds of tests (and no diagnosis...). On the plus side I did get to eat filet mignon for dinner one night and lobster tail the next :-)

Details soon

Great UI but does it work with gloves?

The Apple iPhone

GOP fundraiser to feature machine gun shoot

This is a great idea. I wish the Illinois GOP had the stones to do something like this.

Via Instapundit

Crowd(er) Surfing

This goes along with the picture I have

More from Ignite Chicago

Some stills to go along with the videos from Ignite Chicago. Ignite is a Christian music festival held at Alexian Field in Schaumburg, Illinois. Thing2 and I went and spent the day (a beautiful day) listening to great music and talking to people.

TruEmotion - Cute girls with nice voices. Great for the young teens.



Vicky Beeching - An import from England. I predict a big future for this girl.



John Reuben - To be honest I'm not a hip-hop fan but the words are worth listening to.



Seventh Day Slumber - New to me but a pretty good band. The last song of their set was really a testimony about the power of God. Incredible.



Me and Thing2 during a break in the show



Tree 63 - Another import. This time from South Africa. Great worship band.



And several thousand of my closest friends. Taken from the first base line up by concession stands





Barlow Girl - One of my favorite bands. We have seen them lead worship at Willow Creek (awesome) but in concert they are incredible.

Alyssa



Lauren



Becca



Rebecca St. James - To be honest I wasn't expecting much. I like listening to her but I didn't think the performance would be much to watch. I was wrong. Great performance.



David Crowder Band - I didn't realize how many of his songs I knew and loved. Next time he comes through town I think I'll take Thing2 and see the show. Wow!

Here's David Crowd(er) surfing



And performing



Finally - Casting Crowns. Great performance. Awesome way to end the night.



What a great day! If you're into Christian music this is a festival for you. I hope it becomes an annual event.

Ignite Chicago

July 21st, 2007 at Alexian Field in Schaumburg, Illinois. Thing2 and I were there. Here are a few videos that I took.

Barlow Girl - My Gods Enough



Barlow Girl - Million Voices



Barlow Girl - Average Girl



Barlow Girl - Let Go



Casting Crowns - Glory



Casting Crowns - Lifesong



David Crowder - A Joyful Noise



David Crowder - Forever



David Crowder - Here Is Our King



David Crowder - Undignified



John Rueben - Trying Too Hard



Rebecca St James - Alive



Seventh Day Slumber



Tree 63 - King



More later.

Now this is a gun

All Of The Above!

German’s survival is a story of numbers:

Burned over 97 percent of his body.

Nearly 17 months in the hospital.

More than 40 surgeries, and counting.

Practically everyone who has met the Marine describes him with one word: Miracle.

Sitting in the therapy gym, sucking on a “fentanyl pop” — a plastic stick tipped with a morphine-like painkiller — he pulls a T-shirt of his own design from his gym bag.

On the front, it says: “Got 3 percent chance of surviving; What ya gonna do?” The back lists four options: “a. Fight Through. b. Stay Strong. c. Overcome Because I Am A Warrior. d. All Of The Above!” The last one is circled.

Read the rest

Day at the Races - Part 2

As I said before - Thing1 and I were there for racing. And looking at race cars. Thing1 found a truck he'd like to drive home.



Whereas my chosen form of transportation was just a bit faster.



After wandering the booths for a while and checking in with the wife and her sister who had staked our front row for the Montgomery Gentry show we went in to watch practice and the time trials. We are Tony Stewart fans so I did my best to get a picture of him flying by at 180+. Took ~15 trys to get a full frame picture.



After the time trials there was a USAC midget race scheduled. According to the track announcer the MG concert was to start after the race was over so Thing1 and I settled in to watch the race. About 10 laps in my phone rang. It was the wife trying (talking on a cell phone while cars fly by at 175 is difficult...) to tell me that the opening band was done and that I should get down there. Thing1 stayed to watch the race while I shoved my way up to the front where they were.

Time to step back a few hours: the wife and her sister met a couple of guys from Iowa named Randy and Travis that were there to watch the races. Neither had seen MG before so they asked my wife how they could sit that close as they wanted to go inside. Well my wife simply said "It'll cost you". One of them reached for their wallet and said how much? My wife just smiled and said "Beverages. Beer or water every hour or so" And so the wife and her sister drank for free all day. Randy/Travis brought them beer every hour and they joined us up front with their friend Doug. Nice group of guys. I hope our paths cross again some day.

And then it was time for show. I'm am not a huge fan of country music but the boys put on a pretty good show.








This is Eddie Montgomery with a flag my wife gave him. She was hoping to get it back but it didn't happen.





I stopped taking pictures around the time of the encore. People were pushing their way up so the guys formed a wall around the women to keep the crowd back. It was pretty wild there for a while. I was sure that a big fight was about to break out as some people would not take no for an answer.

In the end we survived. A fun but very tiring day.