Links-R-Us, Vol. 8

Wow…  It’s been a while since I last posted something – too long for my comfort.

When I started blogging, I had two main goals I wanted to accomplish: blog often and blog something that would be interesting for the reader.   Call it my “all-you-can-eat” buffet of thoughts – lots of good food that you return for often…  Unfortunately the quantity hasn’t quite worked out as well as I had hoped, but with any luck the quality of the content has been satisfying for those who have chosen to partake…  I thank you for listening to me rant, but that’s not what I’m writing about today.  Today is once again Link-Friday!

Today I am starting with a couple of similar links.  The first is the movie trailer for part one of The Hobbit.  The movie isn’t scheduled to come out until a year from now, but the first trailer is up and it looks good!  The second link is the announcement of Lego: Lord of the Rings for game systems.  I have four children waiting with baited breath for that puppy to show up.  Unfortunately, it isn’t scheduled to come out until July 2012.  Enjoy:

Links-R-Us, Vol. 7

Once again Link-Friday is upon us.  It seems like it’s been only a couple of days since the last time that I was blogging a Link-Friday post…  Oh, wait, it was.  Well…  On that note…  Here we go!

Our first link is a video link revisiting something that occurred nearly four decades ago – the D. B. Cooper case.  For those who were too young to be born when this occurred, let me just say that D. B. Cooper hijacked an airplane and demanded $200,000 in ransom money.  He then parachuted out of the plane as it flew him to a new destination.  It’s the only unsolved hijacking case in the United States.  New evidence surfaced a few years ago and this link talks about the potential closing of the case:

Links-R-Us, Vol. 6

Welcome to Link Friday.  Oh, wait…  It’s Tuesday.  Ok, ok…  So I’m trying to compensate for not blogging for over a week and missing my target date for another Link Friday.  You’d think with last Friday being the sixth weekly installment of Link Friday I would have hit the deadline.  I wish I had…  I had planned to…  But, as seems to be the case as of late, life interrupted my blogging hobby.  Who knew?!  So, without digging myself any deeper into this pit of explanation, here’s Link Friday plus four days…

My first link this week is a rather fun one – and it’s also our video link of the week.  This link is to a smartphone and robot that are capable of solving a Rubik’s cube faster than the world champion.  If you want to watch more, after the video is finished there are other, larger cubes that this robot can solve too.  I really never knew that my smartphone had this much potential:

Rantings of a Child

Every now and then things happen in our lives that remind us of what is important; be it an expressed thought of love, a beautiful sunset or a random act of kindness.  Most times we dismiss these little blessings as just coincidence and of no particular significance -- and we would be wrong.

Links-R-Us, Vol. 5

Once again Link Friday is upon us.  I must apologize for the lateness of this post (it is Saturday after all).  Instead of writing last night I spent the evening with my parents celebrating their 53^rd wedding anniversary (way to go, Mom & Dad!).  Hopefully that’s a good enough of an excuse that you’ll forgive my tardiness this time.  Now, on to the links!

Our first link is in commemoration of the annual “Black Friday” circus.  I found this article on the Toronto Suns’ website detailing this year’s carnage at Black Friday events.  I think that the best thing I took from this was that Black Friday was used by retailers to denote when their stores went from being in the red to black (financially).  Good luck with that…

My Thankfuls

I think one of the biggest pitfalls that we each can experience is ingratitude for all the good that we experience in life.  The best example that I could use to demonstrate what I’m talking about recently happened with my wife while we were having date-night at a restaurant.  I had opened the door for her (and she said thank you) and was about to follow her in when I noticed that there was another woman a few steps behind me.  The door had already started to close so I reopened it and waited for the other woman to enter.  The woman looked at me as if saying, “You’d better hold that door for me,” and never once said, “Thank you,” for the kind act.  Ingratitude.  With that being said, and with Thanksgiving already upon us, I thought I would take the time to write a little bit about the people in my life that I am most thankful for.

When Life Pounces

Sometimes life seems to get rather complicated.  Orison Swett Marden said, “Obstacles are like wild animals.  They are cowards but they will bluff you if they can.  If they see you are afraid of them… they are liable to spring upon you; but if you look them squarely in the eye, they will slink out of sight.”  I try to look all my challenges “squarely in the eye,” but on occasion there is nothing that you can do to stop the monster from pouncing.

Links-R-Us, Vol. 4

It is once again link Friday. I’m sort of embarrassed that once again Friday is upon me and I haven’t written anything since last week. But please rest assured that I am writing more than just links.  And when all is ready those posts will be available for all to read.  So, without further ado, here we go!

Links-R-Us, Vol. 3

Once again link Friday is upon us.  This is no ordinary link Friday, though.

Firstly, today is Veterans Day.  I just want to thank all the Veterans that are out there for their service to each one of us and to our country.  Your sacrifices are truly appreciated and I will forever be in you and your family’s debt.  Thank you!

And secondly, this is the one, the only, 11-11-11 link Friday.  What’s in a number you might ask?  I don’t know.  What I do know is that I’m old enough that I will never ever see an 11-11-11 date again in my lifetime.  So, on that note, cheers!

Standing on a Wall

Veterans Day always stirs certain emotions in me.  Many years ago I almost served in the Air Force – almost is the key word.  Somehow we became a “kinder and gentler” nation and my dreams of being a pilot disappeared with the reduction of our military force.  (Ironically, Iraq invaded Kuwait within six months of the reduction…).  I still turn my eyes skyward every time I hear jet-noise from a military jet.  But, this isn’t about me.

Near Death Experience

Sorry for the major delay in posting.  Things have been complex at our home this week (I’ll explain a lot of it in later blog posts…).  Thanks for understanding.

You know, sometimes things happen that just make you go, “Well, duh!!!”  Let’s take a look at last Saturday.

For the last two weeks, our house has been in a constant state of upheaval.  We have been re-arranging our children’s bedrooms which have created quite a few unique situations.

Links-R-Us, Vol. 2

Welcome to Link Friday.  With that being said, here goes!

Our fist link is one that is sort of a blast from the past.  Both my Father and I used to work for the Federal Government at one point – he as a civil servant in an office, myself as a supply clerk for a government contractor.  It’s an interesting read, but it definitely not humorous.  It’s sad, really, the disparity between the pay of the civil servant, contractor employee and the contractor.

Happy Halloween!

Today is Halloween.  It really didn’t feel like Halloween.  At least, not at work today…

Unlike years past, this year my employer sent out an email about a week before Halloween.  In this email we were quoted the work dress and grooming policy and basically told that if our costumes violated the policy we would run the risk of disciplinary action up to and including termination.  So, today, instead of seeing the usual 60 or so employees dressed up for Halloween I have only seen two (I’m told there’s a third, but I never saw him).

Links-R-Us, Vol. 1

Well, it’s Friday morning.  I wish today actually felt like a Friday.  Instead, I feel like I’m just a hollow shell.  Haven’t you ever felt that way?  Everything should be awesome, but it’s not?  You must live with what is, but you can’t fix it and things will never be the same…  That’s my Friday this week.

But enough of that…

Seeing how this is my first of many posts with links that sparked my interest, how about I explain my thought process to you just this once?  Over the past couple of days I have been copying down links that have really peaked my interest.  Along with the links, I’m gonna write a small little blurb that hopefully explains “why” I was interested in the link.  With that said, here goes…

Welcome to Wednesday

“If you really want to be depressed, weigh yourself in grams.” – Jason Love

What a difference a couple of hours make...  For the last 15 hours I have been really frustrated and annoyed at myself.  You see, I made the mistake of actually getting on a scale for the first time in over a month.  And, wouldn’t you know, I was up almost 15 pounds from a month ago.  Talk about sad.  For the last year it seems like I have been rehashing the SAME 30 pounds.  Sometimes up, sometimes down…  Well… I seem to have done in one month what I normally accomplish over a five month trend.  Thus, I am annoyed.

Why Phred?

That’s an excellent question!

When I was 13, my family drove to southern California in our motorhome to pick up my older brother from his proselyting mission for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.  While we were traveling home we got to hear all about the adventures that he and his mission companions had while serving in the California Ventura mission.  There was one story that stood out to this young and impressionable teenager.