Sculpture on the Malecon

Jen and I just returned from our vacation in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico. The boardwalk in PV is called the Malecon, and there are quite a few sculptures along it. This one, titled "In Search of Reason" shows two children on a ladder, with the mother calling out to them below. I liked it, but my picture doesn't do it justice. Click here to view most of the photos from our trip.

I work now for a very old and conservative company. It's kind of strange in that they have rules and regulations for everything. Dress codes are stringent and well-defined, as are the consequences if you break the dress code. I kind of like these clear rules and regs, but in one place I think they went a little too far:

You must not park your vehicle in a front-in manner; pulling through the parking spaces is not permitted.

The other day, my wife and I were going through the books on our daughter's bookshelf (in order to get rid of older ones or ones that she had outgrown.) We got to this one set which had a series of books, some about pets, and I started laughing uncontrollably when I noticed this one.

Five things I'd like to accomplish/do before I die:

1. Visit Rome. I think I've always considered Rome as the place I'd most like to visit. There's so much history there, plus it's quite romantic.
2. Learn to speak Italian. If I'm going to Rome, I'd like to be able to speak Italian.
3. Learn to sail/Get a sailboat. Ever since I sailed on a catamaran with friends, I've wanted a small sailboat. It doesn't have to be big, but large enough for two at least.
4. Learn to fly. Ohhhhhh yeah! Since I was a small boy this has been on my list.
5. Climb a rock. Technically, I've already done this in Pisgah National Forest... but it was just a 20 foot tall rock. I'd like to climb something larger.

I just loaded some photo albums to the web. View them here.

$521 billion deficit? Send Treasury Department employees door to door selling those $2 boxes of chocolate covered almonds. That will give us a surplus in no time!

I'm not sure I want a chip in my brain to allow me to control my computer with my thoughts, but it sure is cool when you think about it. Or maybe not... Oops, I just did a search for Hot Women in Bikinis... Oops, I just did a search for Pizza and Beer... Oops, just because a picture of a Donkey showed up doesn't mean I was thinking you are an ass...

What is this world coming to?

And that was how the dirty little secret of Wharram Percy was uncovered after centuries of rumor. Frederick Percy (cousin of the village's namesake) was known as "Mad Percy" because of his dalliances in the occult. He kept slaves and regularly experimented on them in various ways. Sometimes starving them to study the results, sometimes purposely exposing them to diseases, and regularly knocking them on the head in order to practice brain surgery. Soon after he exposed his slaves to the Black Death, Frederick met his end in a bar fight.

Today was historic, we are now in the "commercial space flight" era. I like how the guy made fun of NASA.

Also today, John Kerry spent time kissing babies and children...

It's amazing how one thing can jog your brain into association with another completely different thing. One look at this article: BBC NEWS | Science/Nature | Science cracks killer bug's code made my brain launch into remembering all of The Plague by Albert Camus.

One of the employees on my team is going home to Hyderabad, India for a month, and asked me if I would like anything from India. This took my by surprise, and the only thing I could think of was a tiny Ganesh statue. I knew from my college years and religion class that Ganesh was one of the major gods in the Hindu religion, although I couldn't remember for what. Anyway, it turns out that he's the lord of success and is worshipped as the god of education, knowledge, wisdom, and wealth.

After some research, it turns out that a statue of Ganesh is quite an appropriate gift from Hyderabad. Hyderabad seems to be a progressive city and is viewed as a center of education. My spur of the moment request seems to have been a good choice.

My wife was somewhat distraught to learn of my choice of gifts from India, however. At first she was concerned about my requesting a statue of a Hindu god. I explained to her that to me it wasn't a god, just a symbol of a culture, and since I wouldn't be praying to it or anything there shouldn't be anything to worry about. I likened it to an action figure, just a conversation piece. At least I hope so... the Christian God was pretty clear when He said "Thou shalt have no other gods before me"... I don't plan to put Ganesh before Him, I just view the trinket as a neat little piece of a culture on the other side of the world. (btw... now that I think of it, Hinduism isn't relegated to "the other side of the world", there's a growing community here in Jackson now as well as all over the world. Also, they don't think there are many gods, they think there are many facets of the same supreme being.)

It's been a while since I last posted. I've been a busy bee... I've gotten more responsibility at work, plus I've gotten more responsibility at home. Despite these changes, I plan to start blogging more again.

At work I have been working in a supervisory position until such time as they deem fit to either promote me for good or hire someone else. I think I'd like the position, but it has so many downsides that I'm not totally sure I really want it. I applied for it, and I'm doing it, but it won't kill me if they decide to keep me in my current position. I'm a techie, and as a supervisor I'd lose some of my mad skilz. ;-)

At home things have changed drastically. I got married. Again, upsides and downsides. But I think the upsides far outweigh the downsides in this case! I married a beautiful woman, and got a cute five-year old daughter as well. It's been an adjustment, but it's worth it.

Basic hits 40 - Computerworld The computer language that I first learned is now 40 years old. It's what got me interested in becoming a programmer.

No IT job, no spot at Home Depot So, so depressing. Makes me wonder if I should start saving every little penny I can.

This will really make you think. Your brain will go in circles for a bit trying to sort it out: a US Navy base, holding foreign prisoners, on foreign soil. Whose law applies? Should the US court system be able to hear complaints and act on them? The following statement is what got me:

..more than 600 men from 44 countries who have been held for more than two years at the Guantanamo camp, and about the underlying questions concerning presidential powers in wartime.

Wow... more than two years. To me, it's time for the government to shit or get off the pot.

I'm glad to see this. Finally, a black student-athlete saying that there is no reason to lower admission standards. I've heard of colleges lowering their standards, I've heard of the NAACP saying standardized tests are biased, and I've heard of players dumb as a rock... but finally there's a student-athlete speaking out, all because of a stupid statement by Hornung.

Yahoo! News - At Least 21 Killed in Uzbekistan Clashes I'm so glad I live in the US.

This is news? Oh come on... there isn't a large corporation in America that doesn't contribute thousands of dollars each year to both Republican and Democratic campaigns. This isn't anything new either.

Rhetoric from the left proclaims that the Bush administration is catering to private interests. The fact is, this is done by every politician and the spin-doctors should get over it. In my opinion, it's best to appoint industry insiders to government positions... government could benefit from the streamlined practices of private industry. Admittedly, this could lead to preference in government, but I think this would be small enough that the benefits outweigh the problems.