I've got a golden twinkle in my eye

Here are more things I found and find worthy of sharing.

= 1 =
"By the end of today, what would you wish to happen?" Don't wait to get things done, start on them now and then keep at them- little by little.
http://geekswithblogs.net/dlussier/archive/2008/09/18/125280.aspx

= 2 =
The title "How to be outstanding" is a little misleading. It doesn't instruct, it reveals.
http://www.bspcn.com/2008/09/18/how-to-be-outstanding/

= 3 =
Astounding optical illusions
http://www.colourlovers.com/blog/2008/09/10/11-colorful-optical-illusions/

= 4 =
I love the rain.
http://www.smashingmagazine.com/2008/09/07/35-brilliant-examples-of-rain-photography/

= 5 =
Protesters complain too much
http://xkcd.com/470/

I've got a Golden Ticket

I read various blogs on a daily basis and I occasionally come across something that changes me, or at least means something to me. So I'm going to attempt to post (occasionally) a Best Of- list of things I find during my wanderings.

= 1 =
Here's a really long post about what Michael Lopp calls a "Trickle List". If you don't want to take the time to read it, I'll condense it for you.
Don't worry about creating To Do lists- they just make you feel guilty when you don't do something on the list. Instead, make a list of things you feel you should do- alot. The Trickle List is more like a recurring, daily task list. I've been thinking about doing something like this recently because I just need a small, daily reminder for some things.

= 2 =
I don't mean to rock anyone's world here, but I'm not exactly a sports fan. I don't DO outside- it would ruin my pasty complexion. But I can recognize an amazing baseball moment when I see one. A ball girl makes a truly amazing catch and then just tosses the ball to the nearest "real" team member. Heroes are not always the ones in the limelight.

= 3 =
Let's get organized!
Jott - Capture thoughts, create tasks and set reminders with a simple phone call. Basically, you call a number and then you dictate a message and it gets turned into an e-mail, a reminder, an appointment, a list, a blog post, whatever you set it up to be. And it's (mostly) free.
Remember the Milk - A great way to manage your tasks. It can talk to Google Calendar, e-mail, IM, Twitter, and lots of other inputs. Free, free, free.
Now Do This - Bar none, the simplest To Do list on the web. Again, free of charge.

= 4 =
Tomorrow (September 19) is International Talk Like a Pirate Day. Honestly, I think this one's a complete, utter, asinine, bona fide waste of time but it sure is getting popular.

Best comment award

Jared (my brother-in-law) leaves the most interesting, insightful, enjoyable, witty, and frequent comments.

Thanks, bro! You win a prize. A prize that um, hasn't yet... been... determined. Ahah! I just thought of something.

You may choose from the following:
1) A personalized masterpiece, made from any of the wood I have in my garage
2) Spanish or Computer (html, for example) lessons
3) A bottle of carrot juice (or your latest fad drink) delivered to your doorstep
4) Sunday dinner at your house (we cook), plus an afternoon with the Bailey zoo

Congratulations. And if you act now, you will receive (absolutely free) as much publicity as I can muster- a link.
Here's Jared's blog: http://lefthandedblues.blogspot.com/

Cheesy Tag

Beth tagged me a while ago and I am finally getting around to it, so here goes:

3 Joys:

1. Family- gatherings, babies, kids, wife, time, fun, food, all of it
   
2. The way I feel after serving someone or after a hard day's work
   
3. "A nice MLT, a mutton, lettuce and tomato sandwich, where the mutton is nice and lean and the tomato is ripe. They're so perky, I love that." In other words, movies.
   

3 Fears:

1. Unnatural death (burning, drowning, buried alive, that kind of MESSED UP STUFF)
   
2. Not being able to provide for my family
   
3. Rejection
   

3 Goals:

1. Pay as much tithing as possible (Neil Crews gave me that one)
   
2. Make something with my hands that I am proud of
   
3. Gather as many family members in the temple as possible
   

3 Obsessions/Collections:

1. Collections: Stamps (haven't look at them in years), Readers Digest Condensed Books
2. Languages. I would love to learn a dozen languages.
   
3. Hearing peoples' stories. Everyone has something to say- I like listening and learning.

3 Random Surprising Facts about Me:

1. I was an International Studies major before I switched to Computer Science and I went to Furman University on a music scholarship before that.
   
2. My first car was a BMW 320i. It was an import, so everything on the dash was in German.
   
3. I was in Boys Scouts for about 3 months, but I never even made it to Tenderfoot. I wish I had finished.
   

5 People that are Tagged:
It took forever for someone to tag me, so I tag anyone that WANTS to be tagged but never has been. Go for it!

Can't get enough!

I LOVE being itchy- especially when it's somewhere I can't reach. It reminds me of what life's all about!
My doctor is so concerned for my well-being that when I showed up for a physical and told him I loved having an itch I can't scratch, he hooked me up! He's the man.

So here's how it goes (guys only):

1. Take off your shirt (feel alive)
   
2. Reach for the nearest "dry razor"
3. Cut a nice, wide path right through that luxurious chest hair of yours
4. Attach leads to your chest (medical tape works as well)
   

That's it- you'll be scratching for days- maybe even weeks!

Explanation: I went for a physical and the doctor prescribed a Holter monitor for 24 hours to check my heart. Everything's normal, it's just part of his routine.



Yeah!

The REAL providers of our liberty

I meant to post this yesterday, but I didn't get around to it.

Thank you, veterans and active soldiers, for your service. I cannot express fully even the profoundness of the gratitude I feel for your sacrifice and the sacrifice of those who are no longer among us.

"It is the soldier, not the reporter, who has given us freedom of the press. It is the soldier, not the poet, who has given us freedom of speech. It is the soldier, not the campus organizer, who has given us the freedom to demonstrate. It is the soldier, not the lawyer, who has given us the right to a fair trial. It is the soldier, who salutes the flag, who serves under the flag, and whose coffin is draped by the flag, who allows the protester to burn the flag."

-- Father Dennis Edward O'Brien, USMC

Again- thank you.

Tree 2.0

I hold several titles- a few of them with a moderate amount of success, but Arborist is not one of those. I believe I killed the little tree I planted in our front yard a couple of months ago when I transplanted it.

So I made another trip to our friendly neighborhood forest "store" and picked another. This time, planting it was a family effort. My friend Frank even helped- well, "supervised"!


And here it is several hours after planting. I'm fairly hopeful about this one- I did a much better job preserving and transporting more of its root structure.


We relocated the "dead" one from the front yard to the back yard, where it can take its time to recover. I hope I didn't really kill it. We'll see what happens in the spring. I'll post pictures then if it recovers.
Seth is showing off his extreme helpfulness- carrying 3 trowels and the "dead" tree to the back yard.


All I carried was a shovel and two buckets and Supervisor Frank lugged a shovel. Once he got in the back yard, he found a strategic overlooking position (one of the lawn chairs) near the work site and watched the fun. That man is on a fast track to Middle Management!