Thursday, January 29, 2009

25 Things About Me (You Probably Didn't Care to Know) hahaha

25 Things

Not tagging anyone - if you haven't already done this meme, that is your choice.


1) I debated not doing this, as I don't get very personal with many people, much less dozens of people on Facebook. But so many others did their own, so I said "What the hell..."

2) I have no middle name. My two brothers don't either.

3) I was born with a condition called Arthrogryposis Multiplex Congenita and spent the first two years of my life in a hip/leg cast. Surgery at about age 2 corrected as much as they could at the time and then I learned to walk.

4)By the time I hit my 30s, my hips and a knee were really deteriorated. Over five years, I have had one knee and both hips replaced. The knee was BY FAR the worst to recover from.

5) I fear I will have more issues related to all of this down the road.

6) Regardless of all this, or maybe in spite of it, I love taking walks.

7) Even with all the hospital stays and such, I still HATE needles.

8) 1995 was an amazing year of change for me. I started the year off getting engaged and by the end of December I had moved (4 times - really!), transferred to a full-time position in a new store, was married, had an 11-year-old stepson and a newborn daughter.

9) 1998/1999 was the toughest year of my life. If you have ever dealt with an inconsolable, colicky newborn, you may understand.

10) I have been an atheist all my life, but didn't realize my belief (or lack thereof) had a "name" until I was in high school.

11) I don't believe in an afterlife, either, or in reincarnation. But I do believe the energy inside us, our "electricity", isn't destroyed any more than our bodies are after death. Whereas our physical bodies slowly revert back to other matter over time, I think this energy inside us is released as well, back into the world. Not into any specific form, just out there, part of everything once more.

12) One of my grandmothers was in a nursing home at the end of her life and was quite depressed. I visited, but not often. Sometime after she died, I found a card she had sent me and reread it. I only then "got it" that she was very lonely and looking for company, and will always regret that the 16/17-year-old me wasn't able to "get it" when she was still alive.

13) My other grandmother taught me and my brother plastic canvas (sort of like an easier needlepoint craft) and I still do it to this day.

14) I wear glasses, without them I think I am bordering on legally blind.

15) I love horror movies and stories. Love being scared.

16) I have written two novel-length stories.

17) I am continually amazed at how lucky I was to have met my wife. It was a fluke of timing that we met and there were leaps on both our parts to be together. But it was the best thing that ever happened to me. She is a beautiful person, inside and out.

18) I am also very lucky to have become stepfather to one of the greatest people I know. He is a great man with a love of life and big heart and I am beyond proud to be able to call him my son.

19) I am constantly amazed by how much faster time goes as I get older. My kids are growing up so quickly. Too quickly. But it is thrilling to watch them become themselves.

20) I really like coffee. And I know I am addicted to it, but I am okay with that.

21) I have been running a small, daily trivia game since 2000. Sort of a hobby, but I have met some really great people through the game.

22) My favorite TV show of all time is "Friday the 13th: The Series". It may not have the best effects and acting and all that, but I still love it.

23) I don't believe being family gives someone the right to treat you worse than they would a stranger.

24) I have a hard time with "forgive and forget". I have a hard time forgetting and that, as much as I would like to change it, gets in the way of truly forgiving.

25) I haven't read as much classical literature as I want, and I am going to change that. I already have a copy of "Great Expectations" waiting for me. Can't wait!

Tuesday, January 27, 2009

Grab a coffee, here's more links to browse...

Some sites I have come across over the past month:

First off, you can get Wireless Amber Alerts on your cell phone. A good idea, you never know when you could be a big help to someone!

I Met a Friendly Atheist, a poem. Thanks to Hemant Mehta.

Also thanks to Hemant, The Instruction Manual for Life.

Want to see a cereal box from your childhood? Check out the Cereal Box Archive.

20 Worst Food in America. eep!

But Malt-O-Meal Blueberry Muffin Tops Cereal looks really good!

PhotoFunia - cool effects you can use on your photos. Fun stuff!

Got a ditty stuck in your noggin? Search for any song you want to hear right now.

Big Diamond 2. VERY addictive game. I actually finished it, but it wasn't easy.

Another fun game, ef is more calming, but also addictive. How far can you evolve?

Nova Chain makes you use your noodle to get through each level.

Ice Breaker. Fun game, you have to figure out how to free the Vikings from the blocks of ice and get them back to their boat.

Hardboiled... 45 mini games of increasing difficulty. I gave up after awhile!

Interesting Pile has a list of more games to play!

Online coloring pages for kids. Or adults. Just saying.

Make your own online comic strip.

Find out when your favorite sports team is playing and set up alerts to remind you.

Lastly, some Monkeys Talk About Religion. There is a short ad before the monkeys start.

Friday, January 23, 2009

My Bloody Valentine 3D

I saw "My Bloody Valentine 3D" tonight and I liked it. It is definitely a movie for horror fans, however, and I say this because of some kills which even made me wince. Now, this is okay because I like a movie that can surprise and scare me. But for non-horror or gore fans, it may be too much. I know my Mrs. spent A LOT of time hiding behind her coat!

The story is okay, nothing major. Basically, they follow the same plot as the original 1981 film. But the movie does have shocks and scares and it genuinely is there to give you what you paid for - a good old hour-and-a-half of R-rated horror goodness. And that is what I want when I see a film, to have a good time. Every movie does NOT have to try and be the next Oscar-worthy blockbuster. The people who made this movie get that, I think, and give the fans what they want. Oh, and there is a nude scene, as well. Or rather, an extended nude scene, as it goes on for quite a few minutes. Definitey embraced their R-rating, they did.

I also have to comment on the "Real D" 3D technology used in the film. It is incredible! This is the first flick I have seen this way, and I really enjoyed it. Everything seemed so life-like. The glasses appear to be clear lenses, not the old "blue and red" 3D specs. I hope more movies take advantage of this technology.

All in all, a good horror movie for horror movie fans. Recommended for those that like them!

Tuesday, January 20, 2009

Thank you, President Obama

There isn't much I can say about our new President that hasn't been said elsewhere, and better, but I wanted to give a big 'THANK YOU!' to him for three words he included in his speech today: "and non-believers"

In the great speech he gave, which was moving, realistic and hopeful, he included those words in this sentence:

“For we know that our patchwork heritage is a strength, not a weakness. We are a nation of Christians and Muslims, Jews and Hindus — and non-believers.”

Wow. That is just so great, to not just feel lumped in some umbrella term, but to be specifically mentioned. Quite a day for everyone in this country, indeed.

To read a more eloquent blog on this same topic, go to the Friendly Atheist.