tinkering with the washer

I just got my new washer!

Before we go any further, I must point out that it’s been 14 years since my family last purchased a washer. Needless to say, washer technology has vastly improved since then (apparently you don’t even load the clothes from the top anymore). Since the sellers took their washer/dryer with them, I had to get another one if I ever wanted to do anything crazy like wash my clothes. The nice washer guy even came out to install it and explain the intricacies of laundry.

Ten minutes and a few whacks later and the washer was in place. Turns out it’s a completely different system and interface than the one I’m used to using. Apparently it offers much more advantages than simply getting your clothes clean, but I couldn’t recall what they were. Maybe it’s also a toaster. I don’t know. The washer guy didn’t either.

In any case he showed me how to use the washer. My old system was too complicated (he tells me). You had one knob to turn, and when you pull on it the washer goes. But the new and IMPROVED washer no longer features the one knob system. This comes with a much easier-to-use control panel, featuring more cranks and buttons than a 747.

If you want the wash cycle to go, you must first push the power button (which inexplicably is step 9), then set the cycle, temp, spin speed, soil level, and volume of sound the beeper makes, all IN THAT ORDER. Be careful. If you push the cycle setting twice it’ll power off the washer, which would hinder you from getting your clothes washed. If you push either the temp or spin button before the cycle setting your garage door opens.

Also be aware that you have only three minutes to whiz through the 15 settings and the multiple choice test at the end. After that the washer will shut off due to “inactivity”. Once you’ve set the wash, push the start/pause button. Be aware that pushing it more than once will mess with your TiVO. Now you can sit back and relax as your clothes go through the wash.

With me so far?

Good, because I haven’t gotten to the part about the new and improved dryer yet. Stay tuned.

camping out...

Ok...so apparently there's a new movie out called new moon. Let's just gloss over the obvious question of "why the heck is everyone so freakin obsessed with this movie?" and move straight onto the second question: "Why camp out for a movie?" This isn't a musical or a play where every performance has something different and the first showing will likely have all the leads and the actors will have brought their "A" game. It's a MOVIE. It stays the same. It's not like, if you don't watch it on the first day the actors will change and you'll find that next week the main role will be played by Ben Stein.

Don't give me the "it's for the theater experience" crap either. Really? You can have the same theater experience the next week when you aren't stuck in line with the 200 other crazies that HAVE to see the movie on the first day. Also, what if the movie's a disappointment? I can tell you most of the people who lined up for the new starwars movies probably wished they had saved their $10.95 for something marginally more useful, like a shamwow or something.

I really can't think of any good reason to go line up and pack yourselves into a full theater to watch a movie at midnight on the day that it opens. If any of you have a GOOD reason...please let me know.

farmer's market

There’s something about Wednesdays that just brightens my day. Maybe it’s the fact that it’s hump day (midpoint of the week), or perhaps it’s because it’s Alejandros day (Mexican place by work), but I’m almost willing to bet that it’s cuz of farmers market! There’s just something special about farmer’s market that will just make the day better. I like the fact that I can take a break from work, walk out of the lobby and into the mayhem that’s downtown Sac; however, the minute I jaywalk across 9th St (unless you’re a cop, in which case I’d saunter over to the crosswalk and wait my turn to walk, not run, in a leisurely pace across the street) I’ll have stepped into a whole different world. Between the fresh smell of flowers over by the Caesar Chavez statue and the overwhelming array of colors at the fruitstand by the fountain, the experience of the market hits all senses at the same time. There’s a sweet aroma of nectarines as you walk by the first stand, crowded by people picking out white and yellow nectarines, vying and tussling for the attention of the busy fruit peddler. As you keep walking you encounter the vegetables table, with an assortment of greens and reds, zucchinis and tomatoes. The entire time, the smell of kettle corn fills the air, but you can always buy a bag as you head out. It’s not all fruits and vegetables at the market, as the cheese, juice and nut guys all hawk their product to folks walking by the stands. By now my hands are full of bags of peaches, grapes and occasionally some bok choy, but I still swing by the nut guy to pick up some garlic almonds. As I head back across 9th St, I glance back at the world I’m leaving. There’s nothing like getting away from work for a good twenty minutes of locavorism and relaxation. In a week filled with spreadsheets and meetings, it’s definitely been a welcome break. Until next week, there will be other things to keep me entertained, but there’s nothing like the welcome break of a Wednesday farmers market.

stumbling blocks

here's something for ya'll to think about:

"The Day America Told the Truth" – "What are you willing to do for $10,000,000?"
25% - Abandon their entire family
25% - Abandon their church
23% - Become a prostitute for a week
16% - Give up US citizenship
10% - Withhold testimony and let a murderer go free
7% - Kill a stranger

Materialism is definitely a major stumbling block for Christians. Now…I’m not saying that it wasn’t a problem before, as Christ and the early Church dealt with such issues frequently, but that the magnitude of the problem is worsening, especially at a time and age where everything is instant and cable channels broadcast 24 hrs a day to feed the voyeuristic gluttony of a society hooked on bad soap operas and the home shopping network. Our society has come to a point where our successes aren’t measured by contributions to society or strong moral principles, but rather by low much money you have, how big a home you live in, how big your stock portfolio is, or how fancy a car you drive. Many people today (including Christians) measure themselves according to this standard.

I myself admit (shamefully) to sometimes measuring myself according to these standards, losing sight of what is really important. I think sometimes I allow certain things like gadgets, a good job, and other worldly measures of success to separate me from God. I’m not saying things like toys and job security are bad, but allowing these things to get in the way of my faith is obviously not healthy. I’ve vowed to not let material things get priority over God, but the temptations are still there. Every once in a while I find myself thinking that I need a better car, a faster computer, a nicer watch, or a cleaner place. These thoughts may be justified or reasonable, but when I ask God for it instead of praising him for the things he’s already given me, or when I forget to do devotions because I’ve been thinking about these things, they become a distraction from God.

I’ve noticed that many Christians are struggling with the same problems I am. We act nicely towards each other in church but subconsciously (and sometimes consciously) we compete with each other for the best house, or the best car, sometimes even the best answers during bible study. We let these material things dictate our social groups, sometimes judging others by how they measure up based on these trivialities. Sometimes we use these material things in order to make others feel inferior, rather than using such materials to build each other up in Christ.
My point for putting you guys through this horrendously long statement is so that we can all be more aware of this problem and perhaps if you’re dealing with this same issue, we can hopefully pray for each other and overcome this hurdle together.

Alright…now that you’ve heard my opinion, what do you think about the subject?

50 beans | weightless coffee?

Pretty cool video on how astronauts drink coffee in space:

relishing in pain

What the heck is wrong with people? Do you notice that sometimes people take pleasure in the misfortune of others? Are people hard-wired this way? Is it something that we're brought up with?

I know this sounds awfully cynical, but think about it. Remember when you were a kid, watching cartoons and all that stuff? Think back...Yogi Bear, Coyote and Roadrunner, Sylvester and Speedy Gonzales...the funniest moments where when Yogi failed to get a basket, or coyote blew himself up or fell off a cliff, or when Sylvester gets smoked trying to chase Speedy.

Even on TV these days, we see that the funniest plotlines are when the main character is failing miserably or about to fail. Take Frasier for example. In that show, for seven seasons Niles has been madly in love with Daphne, but has seen missed-opportunities and epic failures come in the way of asking her out. In Cheers, the recurring Bar Wars between Cheers and Gary's Old Towne Tavern has Cheers losing or screwing themselves up each time. Why is that?

Frustration is funnier than victory. It wouldn't be funny if Yogi got the basket right off the bat, or if Coyote and Sylvester ate their respective counterparts. The entertainment is built upon their knack for failure and ensuing frustration. Is that twisted that we find this funny? I supposed now that we've somewhat established that people are kinda screwed up, is it something we can change? I'm definitely not saying I have the solution, I'm just posing the question. Please let me know what you think.

youth group kid's question

So a few weeks ago I went on a camping trip with the youth group from church, and one of the kids asked the most random question: do you think we spend too much money funding NASA and wouldn't that money be put to better use elsewhere such as feeding people here in our country? I looked at Paul and Gideon, the two that were with me at the time and we had no clue where the question came from. I tried to explain why we fund NASA and why it's important to our national priorities, and ended up pontificating for a good 15 minutes on how research that doesn't produce fruit now may be incredibly important one day, and we shouldn't let funding decide which issues get the most attention. After that, she was more confused than when she asked the question, and I looked more confused than her. So that got me to thinking, is it really worth it? Of course it is; and after some research and number crunching I finally have the backup.

The common misconception is that we spend a lot of money on NASA. True, the budget for NASA is $16.143 Billion (as of 2007); however please take that into perspective. The national budget that year was $2.784 trillion, which means NASA funding accounted for 0.58% of the national budget. Wow that's a whopper. We spend $1.581 trillion on social services in 2007 (the budgets for the Department of Health and Human Services, Housing and Urban Development, Veterans Affairs, Social Security, Agriculture, and Labor). For every $1 we spend on NASA, we spend $98 on social services. If we cut social programs by 1% we could double the budget for NASA. Of course, the amount we spend on social services is really even more than the $1.581 trillion since that's only FEDERAL spending. If we were to add together the state and local governments' spending on social services, we could very nearly double that amount. Now I think it's fair to assume that state and local gov'ts aren't spending money on space exploration right?

Many people, including the youth group kid, believe that we should solve our problems here on earth before we try to conquer space. The reality of it is, even if we increased social services budget by 1% (the reality is, it could very well be less than the 1% when state and local govt spending is taken into account), do you really think that 1% will make a difference? Honestly, it's a drop in a bucket.

When we look at the benefits of space exploration, keep in mind the intangibles, the things that we gain that cannot be quantified. Space travel is inspirational, not only for children, but for adults as well. There is currently various forms of research done aboard the International Space Station as well as on all Shuttle missions. We haven't fully grasped the benefits of what space research has garnered, but that doesn't mean we should give it up. And at $17 billion a year, or 0.58% of the Federal budget, that's a steal.

the guy on the other team's sidelines

Today, a stalwart of the Democratic Party, Ted Kennedy, passed away. As a Republican, I've noticed quite a few of my colleagues and friends make certain comments, not all of which are flattering toward his passing. I would like to point out that regardless of political affiliation, please remember that this man did serve his country for almost half a century, through the civil rights movement, the cold war, as well as various other major events that helped shape the country today. We can remember and honor a man for his service without necessarily having to subscribe to his politics.

j d booty

Today, in a move that pulled the spotlight from Michael Vick and placed it squarely upon himself, Brett Farve signed with the Vikings. Sudden every sports blog and beat writer is frantically typing up op-ed pieces and status reports. The one thing i'm noticing is...what about John David Booty? When Farve signed, Booty became the 4th string quarterback on a team with (realistically) room for only 3 qb's. To make matters worse for Booty, Farve jacked his number. Booty, who has been #4 since he's been with the Vikings, didn't really even have a say in the matter. Wouldn't that suck to show up to to practice one day only to find out your number has been taken...oh and you might get dropped now too. Probably not the best day that guy's had...

ipods, cellphones, and social disconnect...

I must say...when I first saw this, I wasn't sure what to make of it. Apparently the person who is wearing this laptop privacy sweater sees the need for privacy while working on her laptop in a public space. The creator of this sweater actually knitted this as a fun commentary on how attached we are to our technology.

Our dependence on our technology seems increasingly evident. We often times view technology as a way to bring people closer together. We've all heard the term global village, in reference to the fact that with the technology and communication advances we have these days, people can communicate as easily through phone, email, skype, twitter, etc as they can in person. The problem is, as we rely on these technological advances, it seems as though we're removing ourselves from the actual day-to-day human interactions necessary for social development and retreat to a world of virtual interactions.

I notice, everytime I'm on a bus, or waiting in line at the DMV, that people have their ipods on and are in their own little worlds. A few years ago, when I was a freshman and ipods weren't as popular (I know...i'm old), people spoke to each other on the bus. Random strangers sitting across from each other would randomly stike up conversations about the weather, that book that they're reading, or some other small talk to while away the time. These days people are in the same situations, on the bus or waiting in line, yet those white earbuds function as a social do not disturb sign. It seems like the human interactions we're used to on a daily basis have diminished in the last few years as we rely more heavily on our tech to get us by our day.

We seemingly retreat into our own little world as we use our ipod/cellphone/laptop. Sometimes this manifests itself into something more concrete, and even potentially dangerous. A study by the Transportation Institute at Virginia Tech released last month concluded that texting while driving increases your risk of an accident by 2,300%. In otherwords, you're 23 times as likely to get into an accident while texting, which is one of the primary reasons 14 states (including CA) have passed driving and texting bans. Texting creates a very real distraction that puts you, as MSNBC calls it, the moron setting. Texting is causing an increasing number of people to hurt themselves by walking into or tripping over obstacles. A few weeks ago, 15-year-old Alexa Longueira fell into an open manhole while texting and walking down the street in Staten Island.

The more we focus on being connected through technology, the more distant we get from people. Instead of calling or emailing someone, try meeting with them in person. The next time you're on the bus, instead of plugging in your headphones or going on the phone, try stiking up a conversation with someone. You never know where that may lead.

from where i sit: views on everything and nothing

A study recently release show that on average, 1,200 laptops are lost each week at LAX. These can range from being stolen, to left at the terminal, but the majority of laptops are lost at security checkpoints, where people remove the laptops out of their bags and apparently forget to put them back. I guess my question is, wouldn't you realize that your laptop bag is surprisingly lighter now that there's no PC in there?


I still remember my first cellphone, an Ericsson flip phone I got when I started high school. as I recall, that was about the time when all my friends started getting cellphones too, as kids needed to call their folks after clubs, sports practices, etc were over. A survey of kids in the UK show that roughly half of all kids between ages 5 and 9 now have mobile phones. I can understand giving your kid a phone when they reach high school, but half of all 5-9 yr. olds? Most 5 yr. olds I know can't even spell cellphone, let alone know how to use one. It seems like childhood experiences are increasingly punctuated by technology these days.


European discount airline Ryanair is in talks with Boeing to install standing room spots on their fleet of airplanes in order to pack more people onto their flights. These "seats" will be similar to barstools with seatbelts. At some point you gotta wonder if they're not just better off stacking people tight enough so that there wouldn't even be a need for seatbelts. I guess in that situation people can also double as shock absorbers.


Russian football fans who are travelling to Wales next month for the World Cup qualifier have been urged to drink Welsh whisky to ward off H1N1, says the head of the country's supporter association (VOB). I wasn't aware that whisky could prevent this disease. Perhaps for Russians whisky is their Robitussin.

random pictures of the week...

Every once in a while I'll come across a few pictures that will either make me smile, laugh, or think. I'd like to share a couple with you:

Apparently these are selling on stores across the internet...i'm thinking of getting one for my cubicle.

Someone decided to float a hot-air balloon like the one in the movie Up. That's pretty cool...

The Vice Premier of China, Wang Qishan, getting some pointers from Obama...

gop

I find it interesting that Republicans on the Senate Judiciary Committee that have been trying to slow down Sotomayor's confirmation have been repeatedly referred to as racist and sexist. They've been labeled as such because of their hold on the nomination. We should all keep in mind that with a Democratic White House and a Legislature of the same party, a confirmation is almost a sure thing. It's still important to thoroughly investigate someone who will be handed a lifetime appointment to the highest court in the land.

Keep in mind i'm not opposed to liberal minded justices; however, long gone are the days where the anchor of the conservative side of the court argues with the strong liberal base. Often the best dissents arise from such occasions, written 20 years before their time, only to be uncovered years later, with brilliant arguments that may recently have emerged into relevance.

These days when judicial nominations have become a political tug-o-war, we're stuck with the moderates; unimaginative and cautious. Even so, we still need to thoroughly analyze their positions, especially when they could be camped out in that seat for 40 or more years.

As for those who may villify the Republicans holding up the confirmation, please keep in mind that it was a Republican president who nominated Sotomayor to the US District Court, starting her off on her judicial career.

selling out

So it appears that even in today's economic climate, companies still have money to blow on corporate sponsorships. Lance Armstrong just announced that he's starting a team sponsored primarily by Radio Shack, and I have no issues with that kind of sponsorship. I dislike, but can even tolerate corporate naming rights for ballparks and sports teams. It's annoying enough that the Astros are playing at Minute Maid Park in Houston or the Mets at Citibank Field (probably now funded by taxpayer dollars), but they're private, for-profit teams selling their rights to make some money. I think we have to draw the line there. I just heard that the New York MTA has just sold the naming rights to a subway stop. The iconic stop at Atlantic Avenue, Pacific Street and Flatbush Avenue in Downtown Brooklyn will now have Barclays in it's name. The pricetag: $4 million. If public entities are now selling naming rights, I can only shudder at what may come next. Now this may be an over-reaction, but I think the day may be coming when we have to report to jury duty at the Tostitos County Courthouse and pay or respects at Harrah's Arlington National Cemetery. Trust me...that day is coming.

The start of a journey to nowhere in particular...

Ok...not really sure why I started a blog but here goes...I guess i'm gonna use this to just rant about random crap that I think about throughout the day. I guess eventually this blog will have a purpose or a target audience or whatever...but i'm not holding out much hope. In anycase, we're gonna see if I have better luck updating this thing than my now defunct xanga. Alright that's pretty much it for the first post. See? Shouldn't have gotten your hopes up huh?