I Voted

I voted today. I walked up there in the wonderful weather we had. There was no line to speak of.

But there were no stickers. My percent said they received no stickers.

It might seem silly but people were really bummed that they didn't get a sticker...

Technorati Tags: I Voted, I voted stickers

New Use for the Internet !

Hey! I just thought of a great new use for the Internet! We could use it to remind people about important things like voting!

See, isn't that great idea? (I'm glad I thought of it first)

Technorati Tags: vote, voting

Real Life Transformers

Wow, these are awesome costumes!

I found this link over at The FireWire.

Technorati Tags: costumes, Transformer Robots, Transformers

Bike Riding in the Winter

So it's nice and sunny today so I decided to go for a bike ride and go get lunch at Einstein Bagels. It's sunny but it's chilly so I bundled up; but the cold still made my eyes start to water a bit. I used to ride my bike in the winter when I was younger and I mean cold winter days with snow + ice. In particular I remember a few situations when I was riding in the winter:

Don't Vote!

Don't watch this video! Lots of stars in it (telling you what not to do).

I thought it was a fun video, but it gets a little long at the end. Watch at least the first 90 seconds and pass it on to a few (5) friends.

And don't forget to register! Depending on where you live you have to do it in the next few days...

I spotted this video over at Eclecticism + It's like I'm Magic and thought I'd pass it along...

Technorati Tags: 5 friends, five friends, voting

My Adjustable Rate Mortgage Adjusted

So it's that time for my five year ARM (Adjustable Rate Mortgage) to start adjusting. Was a little nervous because I didn't know how it would go. It could have go up 2% but it only jumped from 4.25% to 4.875% so I'm pretty happy about 5/8ths of a percent (it'll stay that rate for the next year). What I couldn't understand was why my payments dropped if the rates went up? Turns out they recalculated my mortgage based on what I currently owe and since I've been paying extra on my mortgage it went down; so even though my interest is going up $45-ish a month it actually dropped my monthly payment.

I've had a really great experience with my first mortgage. I set it up with a local company and it was immediately sold to HSBC (it was sold so fast; I signed Friday at 4 pm and Monday I got HSBC paperwork dated from Friday). I purchsed the five year ARM at 6.875 interest (I think I paid a small amount for points to drop it 3/8 of a percent) then a few years later I had them redo my interest rate to 5.25% with just a phone call (and a $750 processing fee on my MasterCard) and then I did it once more (5 years ago) to 4.25% for another $750 phone call. The phone call required no paperwork, just them checking my credit and my payment history. So I managed to stretch this 5 year ARM out to almost 9 years while dropping my interest rate in the mean time.

It's worked out quite well for me (other than the fact that housing values have dropped) especailly since I never thought I'd live here even 5 years :)

Technorati Tags: ARM, interest, mortgage, Adjustable Rate Mortgage,

International Driving Permit

I got my International Driving Permit today. It's a boring slightly-larger-than passport sized booklet. It's $15 at AAA (no membership required) bring 2 passport-type photos if you have them, they'll charge more if they need to take your photo. If you go in they make it up and you take it with you; you can mail in for it also (a list of the 180+ "participating" countries are on the application form). Make sure they check all your endorsements on the form before you leave; they forgot to check my motorcycle endorsement (I noticed before I left).

When you travel you still need to keep your driver's license with you. This is just an official document with your info copied to a specific page and then the key to that page is translated into 11 different languages so whomever pulls you over can figure it out.

Sorry, the photos are a little blurry, I took them with my webcam, but you should get the idea; besides they're official documents I shouldn't be posting hi-res copies, right?

Technorati Tags: driver's license, drivers license, driving, international driving, international driving permit, travel

How I'm doing on my 101 in 1001 list...

I'm about 17 days from needing to complete my 101 in 1001 list, I haven't been working on it much so it's time to revisit and cross a few things off. I've only completed 52 of my items. Looks like I'll complete about 6 more. As resolutions go I'm still above average as I'll have done more than 18 items a year :)

So I love my 101 list but some things just didn't get done. I thought I'd have done better. Things I could have done to ensure I accomplished more:

Yucky!

I hadn't been feeling great these past few days and yesterday it got a little worse, I did go in but since I'm worse today I'm thinking that wasn't the best idea. Actually the last seven days have been pretty busy, so not a shocker that it caught up with me. Today I went in for a long morning meeting that I needed/wanted to be there for, but then I headed home.

I stopped at Bangkok 96 in Dearborn for some great fried rice with chicken, peanuts, shrimp and more in it. It's delicious but a little spicier than I remembered. That might not have been the best idea...

A nap will really be nice but unfortunately, I had a lot of fun stuff I wanted to do tonight after work :(

I recovered my photos !!!

I thought I lost my photos from Chicago the other day but I purchased the $20 software CardRaider from ecamm and now it's all better. I download the program, it scanned my files and I think it recovered them all (movies and photos). I'll try and post some tonight post some tomorrow (I forgot I've meeting Mom for dinner).

There are a lot of software programs but most are a lot more expensive. Thanks for the recommendation Dave!!

Technorati Tags: Aiptek, backup, Card Raider, CardRaider, Chicago, DaveCago, photos, ecamm

I lost most of my Chicago photos :(

I've got a very strict process I follow when copying photos from a camera:

On the train.

So the guy at the Amtrak station always makes me feel funny when I stop to pick up my tickets the night before (I've already pre-paid them) like I should wait until the next day. But I always feel like I'll fell rushed in the morning when I do it. And today I did feel rushed and there wasn't even a line. I'll just be getting my tickets in advance next time, it's just not something I need to have to be concerned about (I'd rather get 5 minutes extra sleep).

They train isn't too full and I got a seat with power! So that means my laptop is powered and I'm all set for the ride (I can charge my phone as I tether it too).

There are two little girls and a baby in front of me, so I've been pretty entertained by them. Although the older ones are already half-asleep

The poor woman behind me wants to go to Hammond (Indiana) but I guess this one doesn't stop there, the next one does so she's trying to figure out what to do. I always thought these three trains did the same route all three trips. Now that I've checked out the Wolverine Wikipedia entry it still seems like it stops there.

Unfortunately, my return train is already sold out, so that's gonna be packed. Well, if the last thing I do is roller blade, maybe no one will want to sit next to me :)

Later: This train is starting to fill up.

Technorati Tags: Chicago, sold out, train

I slept over 11 hours...

It might have been longer (an hour or more), I just know it wasn't any shorter than that. While I really needed the sleep. It's really cut into my to do list for the day.

And once again I lost the lottery and while it was only a meager $45 million, it certainly would have helped with some of those to do list items...

Technorati Tags: todo, sleep, to do

Tiger Stadium (part 2)

I had posted that comment on Tiger Stadium last night from my mobile right after seeing the building. They had guards posted, Im assuming this is so that people didn't come by and pick up souvenirs. Seems kind of funny they need to dispose of the building, they'll pay for disposal but people would probably take a chunk of it away for free.

I do understand there would be insurance issues but it just seems like they could make it an money-making adventure. You'd have to purchase a $25 commemorative hardhat (shaped like a Tiger's baseball cap) and it's $50 a pound of whatever you carry out. The building would be gone in days. They could have even stated it before there was rubble (or even keep you at the other end of the lot).

Photo courtesy of Wikipedia.

Later: Someone at lunch just mentioned that they stopped demolition, which explains why the above photo doesn't look much different than it did last night.

Technorati Tags: Detroit, Detroit History, Detroit Tigers, Tiger Stadium

Best fix for my Convertible Rear Windshield

So last summer my Sebring convertible roof was peeling from my rear window. I didn't want to replace the roof (the most common suggestion) so I glued it with some Permatex Black Super Weatherstrip Adhesive for a mere $5. I can't believe how well this held up throughout the winder and this summer. It doesn't appear to be peeling at all, I thought I might have to re-glue it a few times a year but it's holding up great.

I know this is kind of a boring entry but I'm amazed every time I notice how well this has held up...

Technorati Tags: convertible, Permatex, rear windshield, Sebring convertible, Weatherstrip Adhesive

Hit by lightning!

Okay, so this woman got hit by lightening while taking video of the storm.
Read he caption (and watch the original) at direct link.

Technorati Tags: hit by lightning, lightening, lightning, struck by lightnigh.

It's Friday!!

It's the weekend! I have nowhere that I have to be and I'm pretty excited about that. Happy hour today, a movie some time and who knows what else but I definitely plan to sleep in for a few days in a row. I think it's raining tomorrow, so I'll try to get some stuff done around the house. My Mom got her new bike yesterday (we went shopping a few weeks ago) so maybe I'll visit her and we'll go for a ride Sunday.

That's it! I'm just happy the the next two days don't fall on a Sunday, Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday or Friday...!

Technorati Tags: bicycle, relax, weekend

Whoever said technology would simplify my life?

I use tech to complicate my life and make it better. Not simpler. I've never felt that it simplifies my life. Tech gives me information, organizes me and entertains me.

If I used just a few tech tools, it could simplify my life. An answering machine simplified it. And a fax machine. But those are very 1/2 duplex technologies, more like Web -3.0

Other basic tools like a calendar and address book help to organize my life, and make it so I don't need to remember things which makes my life a little easier.

Much of what unsimplifies life are the more interactive technologies, the ones that require a response, especially the ones that require a response quickly. E-mail is my biggest interactive technology, I've tried so many of the others and while I enjoy them they just take up so much time... Twitter, IM, and other chat-type services. I really like Seesmic, but it's hard to get a feel for what's going on with just a glance, you've got to watch the video's to see what they're about; there just isn't enough of a description to know what the conversation is about (or what it's become after multiple responses).

And then there are all the interactive ones that you're just exploring, there is so much out there and it's so time consuming it's un-simplifying my life in that it's taking away time from the rest of it.

With it I can do more than without it. Do I need to be doing more? Probably not, but some of what I'm able to explore and experience makes it worth it to me.

Technorati Tags: organize, simplify my life, Technology

This Weekend...

So I've got a few things I'd like to do this weekend:

TequilaCon 2008

I really hope I can make it to TequilaCon 2009....

I'm sad I couldn't go (again).

While I'm just home relaxing this weekend, last week was cRaZy, next week will be semi-crazy and I just went on vacation and I go again in June.

'TQ08 Schwag' uploaded by Blogography

Technorati Tags: Philly, Philadelphia, TequilaCon, TequilaCon 2008, TequilaCon2008

I'm SO happy it's the weekend!

I think this is my first Seesmic embed, so if it doesn't work for you (or even if it does) leave me a comment. If the embed doesn't work properly, try the direct link.

It's kinda boring just looking at my head, I'll have to work on visuals or scenery.

If you try the direct link you can see what the 10 video replies are (I haven't even seen them all yet); they're blog style start and the bottom and work your way up. You used to have to log in to see these and now it doesn't look like you have too...

Technorati Tags: economic stimulus, Seesmc, weekend

88888

It's the little things like this that brighten my day :)

That and the fact it's still running

'88888' uploaded by garylapointe

Technorati Tags: 88888, mileage, odometer

Photo Times

So when you take digital pictures, it records the date and the time with the picture. I'm a little slightly obsessive compulsive about the settings on the date and time and when my two cameras are both set for different time zones and neither of those are the correct time zone it tends to annoy me.

So from now on I'm keeping my camera's set to GMT (Greenwich Mean Time) so it'll always be consistent. If you don't know, this is the time zone where the clocks are set at "0", for example when you set you clocks to EST (Eastern Standard) it sometimes says "-5" hours, that's 5 hours off from GMT. I'm not sure how this will work for me in the long run but for now it seems like it will be consistent for me.

The biggest problem I see for now it is that other devices like my camera phone will till record in the current time zone. But since its a phone, the time on that should always be correct, unless of course I'm traveling in a country where I don't have reception and the clock would be wrong...

Technorati Tags: digital photograhy, GMT, photo, photos, Time zone

Working from home

I could work from home all the time, except for when broken stuff needs repair. We've got construction at work (and it's a skeleton holiday staff) so there are carpeting (glue) and painting (paint) so many of us are working from home.

I could really handle this all the time. But I think I'd need something to track what I'm doing so at the end of the week I know if I'm working too much or not enough (I think it'd be the former). Obviously meeting rooms would need to be setup for video conferencing and a day a two a week would definitely be on site.

Pros (for my imaginary job):

Being Nice

So my philosophy in life is pretty much just to "be nice".

Maybe 'karma' and 'what comes around, goes around' and 'do unto others as you want to them to do unto you' want you to do the same thing ("be nice") but they try to make you fear what might happen if you don't. Really, they're just slightly nicer versions of 'an eye for an eye' (the way most people interpret it).

Douglas Adams pointed this out in in the beginning of two of his books,
"nearly two thousand years after one man had been nailed to a tree
for saying how great it would be to be nice to people for a change"

I'm not pushing religion or any deep philosophies. I'm not even trying to figure out why we decorate and eat hard boiled chicken embryos or chocolate shaped in their image. I'm just trying to get people to think about being a little nicer, if for no reason other than they can.

A character of Neil Gaiman (another British author) one said something like 'It's not any harder to be nice than it is to be mean and it's not nearly as fun.'

Technorati Tags: be nice, Douglas Adams, Neil Gaiman

Spring Forward

As usual, it's that time of year when someone else thinks it's better to (de)regulate my internal clock. It's funny all the news stories this year that are commenting on the health issues, sleepy drivers and how much energy this is really wasting energy.

For those of you in other places in the world that don't know what I'm talking about, it's Daylight Savings Time (DST).

At least all my electronics seemed to adapt properly...

Technorati Tags: Daylight Savings, DST

Still on the mend...

Haven't blogged much, since not much has been happening around here. I've been sick for the last two weeks (missed a week of work) with bronchitis with a nasty couch and even nastier congestion. I feel like I've been eating lots, but I'm down about 15 pounds from where I'm usually at.

Life's pretty good otherwise, Work hasn't been too cRaZy so I've not fallen too far behind. And I've got my next Costa Rica trip to look forward too next month.

With the snow today it seems like an extra beautifully sunny day and that always has magical healing properties...

Technorati Tags: bronchitis, congestion, cough, sick, snow

The snow is beautiful here...

I'm home sick today, but the view is just gorgeous! And it's still coming down...

I've been lousy since last Tuesday and I've been home yesterday and today. Yesterday and Sunday were the worst, I'm way congested in my lungs which cuts into my sleep time, drugs help when I'm sick but sleep and Creamy Tomato Soup help the most. The doctor thinks it's something viral but still kept me on the anti-biotics she game me last week..

I wish health was more of a science (I'm serious) and we knew more about it. Like, if I had stayed home on Friday (when the cough had started getting really bad) would I have gotten better over the weekend? Or would that have been minor on my road to recovery? Or did I need to get worse to get better?

Back to the snow: It's really thick on trees and bushes and railings. It's times like this the I wish I lived with a view and I could sit by the fireplace and watch the snow fall over the landscape (and not have the "Palace Liquor & Deli" be my landscape).

Technorati Tags: landscape, sick, snow, snowfall

Random Stuff...

The Magic of The Internet

The Internet is truly magical:

My Remote Start Was Broken

My remote start has been broken on my car for ages (12-18 months) I finally went in today to get it replaced at Circuit City, it was going to be close to $300. They just called me and they were able to fix it!!! I'm pretty sure that there is no charge for that, so I just saved a few hundred dollars! I have no idea why I procrastinated this long, I could have had it working for ages now...

I have to say it's really nice to have the remote start in the winter, but it's just as nice in the summer to have it start cooling the car (especially when I'm wearing a tie or a suit). Mine didn't really have much of a range but it was enough to start it from inside at work and that's when it's outside the longest so that's when I need it the most.

Let's hope it really works as well as the guy said, he said to give them about a 1/2 hour to put it back together (I'm at the Border's across the street) so I'll find out soon.

Later: It works great!!! They didn't charge me anything! It was a fused fuse in a spot that wasn't user-replacable...

Technorati Tags: auto, remote start

Vegetable Orchestra

This is so cool! An orchestra composed of fresh vegetables for instruments!! They show the shopping, the making and the playing...

I found this over at Mrs. Who's blog.

Technorati Tags: instruments, musical instruments, Vegetable, Vegetable, Vegetable Orchestra, VegetableOrchestra.org

Lazy Day

What a great (non-productive) day! I computed, watched TV, did a little web maintenance, computed some more and got nothing practical done. Haven't had a day like this (that I wasn't sick) in a long time. I'm still in my sweats too.

I also got to relax and drink Coca-Cola from a glass bottle^*, that's such a treat! I got a case of it for Christmas.

Back to the regular work week this week, the number of people in the district where I work will jump from about 20 to about 4,000, so it'll get significantly busier...

It'll probably be a long while before I get another day like this.

^* For those of you reading from other parts of the world, glass bottles for soda pop are pretty rare in the United States.

Technorati Tags: Coca-Cola, Coke, Glass Bottle

When Geek is the New Chic!

There's hope for me yet!!!!

Tango magazine on-line has a fun article on why dating nerdy guys is actually a good thing....

Two of the points made me laugh since they apply to me:

Gloom & Doom

It's such an extra blah/yucky day outside. It looks more like the end of the world instead of the end of the year.

Technorati Tags:

Stupid Rain!

The stupid rain washed away all my Christmassy snow :(

I found my ring!!!

I found it! The ring I got in Costa Rica was buried in my luggage! I was showing Mark the cool features of my new security backpack and out it popped.

It wasn't even anything very fancy, it was just one that I liked. I picked it up at a store in Jaco called Guajira, the word Guajira means a few different things so I'm not sure what the name means, they're right on the main strip so you can't really miss it.

As I said before, it was the only souvenir that I had picked up (besides my peanuts) so I was extra disappointed that it hadn't even make it home. So I've been wearing that this weekend so I'm a happy camper :)

Technorati Tags: found things, jewelry, Restaurant Tabacon, ring

Snow!!!!

I forgot to mention that it was snowing a little on the way home from the airport. It's nice and white out there today!!