QuickRead

Call me what you want...

2009-07-29T16:55:00.000-07:00

You can call me whatever you want but I know what I believe.

I believe in legal gun rights.

I believe in your right to oppose that right.

I believe that the government should not be able to take away either of those rights.

I believe abortion is wrong and that life begins at conception.

I worship the God that I choose to, which just so happens to be the same God our founding fathers believed in, the same God who’s name is on our currency, and the same God that is referred to in little things like The Declaration of Independence, Gettysburg Address, The Pledge of Allegiance, and countless Presidential Inaugural addresses.

People who create roadside bombs disguised as teddy bears, fly planes into buildings, and kill innocent men women and children in order to get to “heaven” do not deserve the same rights or judicial process as someone who was caught cheating on taxes.

Water boarding is a viable, appropriate means of interrogating terrorists.

I believe the money that I make should be able to be used where I choose to use it, not where the government says it needs to be used.

Health insurance, education, and wealth are not rights, they are privileges.

I will openly state that our country has the most advanced military in the world and not care about “stepping on other nations toes”

I believe that it is not only ok, but our duty as the most powerful military in the world to invade countries bent on the destruction of the U.S. and disarm their nuclear weapons.

I believe that as Americans we are guaranteed Life, Liberty and the PURSUIT of Happiness…not the GUARANTEE of Happiness.

I have nothing close to an idea of what our soldiers go through every day, and unless you are in the Armed Forces or have someone close to you who is, you don’t either so stop pretending like you do.

I believe that God gave us dominion over the land and animals in it for our benefit.

I do not believe in open borders and allowing anyone to come into our country. And don’t use the “Land of Opportunities” argument on me either, that is reserved for legal Americans.

I believe that every person working in the U.S. is required to pay taxes.

The world is not heating up because of cows farting or cars being on the road. It is heating up because we are in the middle of two Ice Ages and the pattern of temperature fluctuations is, at best, unpredictable.

If you were born in America and don’t like the way we have done things for the past 230 years, stop complaining about how bad Bush screwed things up and move to Communist country and see how long you last…or you could just stay here for another 6 months and witness a Communist country in the comfort of your own home.

I believe the government should never be the majority owner in any business.

I believe businesses prosper and businesses fail, and that is called capitalism, not reason for a bailout.

I don’t care what people say, God was and is the reason we are a free nation.

If you can’t tell me where your candidate stands on the issues at hand, do me and America a favor and don’t vote.

I believe the word “Pro-choice” is a cop out in order to avoid calling abortion was it really is, murder. Why is it when a killer kills a woman carrying a child, he is charged with a double homicide yet when a woman opts to abort her child it is called “Choice”?

9/11 was not an inside job and to say that it was is a disgrace to our country and the people that died that day.

Villages do not raise children in America, parents do.

Instead of complaining about our troops and calling them killers and rapists, I am thankful for them sacrificing their lives for the freedom we all enjoy and choose to call them heroes.

I believe that God gave us dominion over the land and the animals in it so utilizing trees for lumber to build houses is not murder, it is common sense.

I am comfortable enough to admit that I couldn’t take a man’s life and that I would not survive a day on the battlefield, giving me my healthy respect for our troops.

I listen to Toby Keith, Rascal Flatts, and the Zach Brown Band.

I use the name of God proudly in the Pledge of Allegiance

I sing the National Anthem proudly at games and events.

I believe in keeping America what it is….America

If you want to call me an Insensitive Right Wing, Conservative, nutcase, go ahead.

I’ll continue to call myself an American.

Feel free to use this wherever you need to. Wake up America.

Signed,
David Gantt

Thank you

2009-07-11T16:40:00.000-07:00

Hey guys,

It's been awhile since I last posted because I'm still kind of in the process of unpacking and getting back into the swing of things. As most of you know I spent the first half of my summer in Australia playing basketball and touring a little bit. I wanted to take this opportunity to thank all of the people who helped me get there by donating. Your donations helped keep me fed, pay for gym fees, and do a little bit of sight seeing as well. If you haven't seen the pictures of the trip I made a photo stream on Flickr of the highlights of the trip that you can check out by clicking here. I also have full albums of a couple of my site-seeing days via Facebook that you can view by clicking here and here if you have time.

As far as basketball goes, I was the leading scorer on my team for the short time that I was there and was second leading scorer in the league at the time of my leaving. I averaged just over 19 points a game and had a really fun time playing out there. The style of play is very different to the style out here, but playing as much as I did was good for me and helped me learn more about the game.

If it weren't for my supporters I would not have been able to travel at all so I thank you again for caring enough about me and my interest in basketball to help me out. Please email me and let me know how you are all doing.

One last thing, I booked my trip through Phil Kennedy and he did an amazing job for me. He constantly kept me updated with times, itineraries, flight plans, and tour details and would always answer all of my emails quickly and professionally. Since it was my first trip abroad, I was a little nervous about a few things, but his patience in answering questions was greatly appreciated and I would strongly recommend him to anybody thinking about traveling to Australia or New Zealand. He's got a website and you can reach him by emailing him on the "Contact Us" page. Thanks again Phil!!!

Yoga

2009-06-18T15:21:00.000-07:00

I woke up at 6 AM this morning to go to a Yoga class with the Meehl family in Australia. We showed up late causing the entire class to watch us as we did the walk of shame to our mats and into the rest of the class. Guess who got to be up front by the teacher. My 2 friends in the class got to sit next to each other in the back while I was in front by 2 experienced students and the teacher.

I had heard rumors of how tough Yoga was but was unprepared for how much pain it put me through. My joints aren't the same as "normal people" joints so they don't bend the same way. Unfortunately, our teacher thought otherwise. taking a special interest in me and my friends, she forced my joints to bend and stretch in new and painful ways. She readjusted our "form" to be more Yog-ish which in turn caused more pain all the while telling us to "Relax...let the calming water rush over your problems...point the toe and exhale releasing all of the stress".

Trust me, releasing stress is a little harder when your pressure points are being pressed and you feel your bones slightly being crushed by a "refreshing stretch."

The lingo was hilarious, I literally couldn't control my laughter in there. When she told us to take a seat, she said "put your hand under your sitting bones". She told us to "Put our hands over our eyes, blink...blink...blink...and shake it out", and my favorite "push your sacrum to the ground," I still don't know what a sacrum is. Excuse me while I go look it up....

Ok basically its your tailbone.

Anyway, some people prefer to release stress this way. I however will continue to play basketball and video games in order to release stress. No more "Prayer Postion", or "sitting Dog" for me.

This is that cliché pose that you always see in movies.
Its called the cobra and I did it like 100 times.

P.S. all those rumors about farting in class are true. Beware of the "Rock the Baby" move.

Lakers 2009 World Champs

2009-06-14T22:48:00.000-07:00

Lakers won the NBA Finals today over the Orlando Magic 99 - 86. This gives the Lakers their 15th championship, Kobe and Fisher, their 4th, and Phil Jackson his 10th. A historical day in the NBA and in L.A.

Haters around the nation refused to admit that the Lakers were the dominant force in the league this year. Talk of LeBron being better than Kobe, Dwight being the most dominante center since Shaq, and Kobe being on the decline all circulated quickly and it soon became popular to hate the Lakers and unpopular to cheer for em.

However, when that final buzzer sounded all of the haters seemed to go quiet. Kobe proved to the world that he wasn't on the decline and that he was the best player in the league League MVP or not. Everyone talked of how LeBron was able to carry his team and how he is the king of the NBA. Well last time I checked, Bron Bron still hasn't won a ring.

People said it couldn't be done with out Shaq, people said Pau was too soft for Dwight, people said Kobe is too selfish, people said that the NBA was rigged. Well guess what, after all that talk Lakers still took center court at Amway Arena with the Finals trophy in hand. Pau proved that brute force isn't always the key, finesse around the basket is equally or more effective. Kobe proved he isn't selfish letting role players like L.O., Fish, and Ariza do their thing and contribute to this huge win. Even Shaq was rooting for Kobe via Twitter.

It's okay to be beat by the best in the world Dwight.

To all the true, dedicated L.A. fans out ther, way to stick by your team even when times got tough. Last year was the toughest year for any Laker fan losing to Boston and that crybaby Paul Pierce. Other than that there were some pretty dark times in Laker land in the past few years, but we're back on top now. Time to party in L.A. If you are going to the parade, be sure to email me pics. And hey, since just about everyone who is a dedicated Laker fan has been labled a bandwagon fan, I say, the more the merrier, there's plenty of room in L.A. for doubters, haters, and bandwagon fans. Live it up. Congrats LakeShow, way to prove the world wrong.

By the way, the Magic had a little phrase that they adopted during the playoffs, that said "Ignite the Blue and White". hahaha....not tonight. Dwight, looks like your gonna have to put that ring on Hold cuz tonight Orlando is covered in Purple and Gold. ©David Gantt

I'll leave ya with the famous words of my man Randy Newman....I love L.A.

Amazon vs. iTunes

2009-05-26T17:46:00.000-07:00

VS.

I'll admit it, I didn't want to buy music from anywhere but iTunes because of a few reasons. 1) I thought if I bought it from anywhere else, it wouldn't be compatible on my iPod or in iTunes. 2) I thought it would cost more. And 3) I'm a little bit of an Apple fanboy.

However, once iTunes introduced its tiered pricing, and all of the "popular songs" aka the only ones people want, were raised from $0.99 cents to $1.29, I decided to look around a little bit.

I was wary of Amazon because I thought they were like a poor man's eBay site for some reason. However, I was so very wrong. Every new song that I hear turns out to be $1.29 on iTunes, but only $0.99 cents on Amazon.com. Check out some of the hits right now...

Boom Boom Pow by Black Eyed Peas
iTunes - $1.29
Amazon - $0.99

Kiss A Girl by Keith Urban
iTunes - $1.29
Amazon - $0.99

New Divide by Linkin Park
iTunes - $1.29
Amazon - $0.99

This is not to say that Amazon out-does iTunes in every price, though it does on most. Most of the popular songs in the top ten can be found on Amazon for 30 cents less. That doesn't sound like much to me and you, but 30 cents here and there multiplied by millions of people gives Apple and the recording labels the power to continue to raise prices at their discretion.

As for the compatibility issue, Amazon links seamlessly with iTunes and any other media player you may have. I just download the single song I want from Amazon (after creating an account of course) save it to my desktop, then drag it in to iTunes on my Dock (on a Mac, dont really know the procedure on a PC) and it imports itself. Its that easy. If you have any questions on PC compatibility click here for Amazon's FAQ page.

Hope this opened your eyes a little bit to the other options of music available out there. Check out Amazon today!

G'day Mates

2009-05-12T19:29:00.000-07:00

Hey guys. Just landed in Brisbane at 5:10 am this morning (Wednesday in Australia). I made it and am staying at my friend and teammates house for the length of my trip.

The flight I took over was crazy. It was the biggest plane I had ever flown in before. And for the first time, I was able to sleep on a plane, apparently for like 8 hours too because it was a 14 hours flight and I only remember 5 hours or so of it.

But as soon as I boarded the plane I noticed a few things that were going to make me stick out like a sore thumb over here. For one, language. I have heard more new words today than I have all month in the U.S., or "the States" as they call it out here. I'm going to try to give you guys new words every week or so. This weeks words of the week are:

Maccas (pronounced Mackas) = McDonalds
Rubbish bin = Trashcan
Milo = Nesquik
Basketball Ring = Basketball Rim
No worries = They use this as often as we use "You're Welcome"
At the moment = They use this in place of "Right now"

When we were landing, they had us fill out a health declaration form that made you list symptoms you were having. This included stuffy nose, sore throat, fever, etc. Then the fine print said "It is an offense to fill this out incorrectly". So since my throat started hurting mid flight and I didn't want to start an international incident I thought...I might as well let em know...

Bad idea, they put me in Quarantine with a swine flu mask.

The other thing that is still really weird to me is the way they drive out here. They have the steering wheel on the right side of the car so everytime my friend turns, he turns the opposite direction we would in America consequently making me nervous thinking he is going the wrong direction. It's gonna take some getting use to.

Thirdly, the fast food out here is waaaaay different. We stopped at McDonalds for breakfast and they had like 4 combos to choose from where as back in the U.S. I think they have something like 11 or 12. Plus the cheese they use out here is different. It would be heresy to use American Cheese in Australia so instead they use "Old English" or something like that. Very distinct taste. Also McDonalds and Subway are the only American fast food places I've seen out here so far. Crossin my fingers for a Miguels or Del Taco.

Finally the time difference is nuts! For all of you in "the States", take the time it is right now and subtract 7 hours from it. Now its that time....tomorrow for me. For example if you were reading this at 7 P.M. U.S. time on Thursday, subtract 7 hours, which makes it 12 P.M and then add a day....making it Friday at 12 P.M.

Anyways, that's a little update on whats going on so far. I'll keep you up to date when new stuff happens, but thanks again for all of your help and support in getting me here! Check my Twitter and Facebook for more updates that I may miss in these blog posts.

Cheers!

Help David Get to Australia

2009-04-23T14:17:00.001-07:00

Hey everybody, I'm going to Australia for part of the summer this year in order to play basketball and hopefully tour a little bit while I'm over there. If you would like to help me out by donating please just click the "Chipin" button above and you will be guided through how to do so via PayPal. If you don't want to do that, cash or check is perfect too! My goal is to get about $1500 to help in travel expenses and food. So like I said any donation big or small is most welcome! Thanks for helping out. Stay tuned for more updates and follow me on Twitter @davidgantt for more immediate updates if you like. Thanks again!

Miss California

2009-04-20T15:34:00.000-07:00

I don't know if any of you saw what happened with Miss California, but she lost in the Miss USA pageant and some are attributing that loss to her answer about gay marriage. The events transpired as follows.

Openly gay blogger Perez Hilton asked Miss California "Vermont recently became the 4th state to legalize same sex marriage. Do you think every state should follow suit? Why or why not?"

Her response? "In my country, in my family, I think that I believe a marriage should be between a man and a woman. No offense to anyone out there, but that’s how I was raised."

The audience proceeded to boo her.

After the winner was announced Perez Hilton posted this video on his blog. I haven't seen the video in it's entirety, so I am not sure what language is in it. So it's probably not a good idea to watch this at work.

Classy huh?

How could her response have triggered this? Her answer was true, and not condemning in any way possible. Now she is being criticized for her stance? What is this crap? I for one am sick of people being so sensitive as to take any stance against homosexuality as a personal attack on them.

I am so happy she said what she did and she should not be ashamed about it at all. As insignificant as a Miss USA pageant is in the grand scheme of things, I'm glad there are some girls in those pageants that actually think for themselves.

Top Ten

2009-04-19T17:24:00.000-07:00

My sister tagged me in her blog to do one of these. These are the top ten things that I like that start with the letter "H". They are in no particular order. I don't have any other friends who blog so I can't tag anyone else. So this is for the 2 or 3 of you who read my blog. Enjoy.

1. Hulu

2. Hiphopopotamus vs Rhymenosaurus

3. HDTV

4. Halo

5. Home

6. Huntington Beach

7. Hayden Panettiere...and Heroes

8. History

9. Huckabee

10. Homemade Brownies

The Red Envelope Project

2009-03-31T12:00:00.000-07:00

My friend got me interested in an idea that's apparently been circulating for quite awhile now. It is called "The Red Envelope Project" and basically it is a campaign against abortion. The idea is to go buy a red envelope, or make your own, and send it to President Obama. On the front, you just have the White House's address:

President Barack Obama
The White House
1600 Pennsylvania Ave. N.W.
Washington , D.C. 20500

and on the back of the envelope you write:

This envelope represents one child who died in abortion. It is empty because that life was unable to offer anything to the world. Responsibility begins with conception.

I think this is a pretty cool idea, so if you want to, just follow the instructions here, and be sure to check out the official website, and their Facebook page.

Loud 'n Clear

2009-03-31T10:21:00.000-07:00

When watching The Price is Right I saw this commercial for a revolutionary product called the "Loud 'n Clear" Enjoy.

Let's take a look at the highlights shall we?

Highlights:

12 seconds: Now you can have something as discrete as a hearing aid, blown up to be the size of an ugly Bluetooth device. Perfect.

37 seconds: Not only will this help your hearing in a setting like church, but it will also turn you into a grade-A creep. Now you can listen to those neighbors that you always suspected were doing a little too well considering this economy.

48 seconds: Does that kid's voice sound like Elmo to anyone else? It's like the producer of the commercial couldn't find a kid so they got some intern to do the best impersonation of a kid that he could.

50 seconds: "Even the quiet subtle sounds of nature are now loud and clear." Isn't the whole point of nature to be calming and quiet? I don't see the value of making sparrows sound like falcons hunting for prey. I could see this being useful later on however. (1:05)

58 seconds: "Ever wonder what people are saying when you can't hear them? With Loud 'n Clear you can discretely listen in." Well so much for privacy. Apparently this thing turns you into a freakin human satellite. By the way, what kind of guy stands at a party alone, with his Bluetooth on none the less. He doesn't even have a drink, look at his hands. This guy is just asking for attention, there is nothing discrete about what he's doing. Then he nods his head like "Yeaaaaaa they think I'm cute". Good thing the girls aren't smart enough to realize he's nodding his head to what they're saying. You'd think he's creepy side glance would have given it away.

1:05: If this device really allows you to hear wildlife before they hear you, shouldn't the military require every soldier to have two of these things?

That's it folks. If you want to literally hear like a fox, invest in one of these things. Shoot the commercial I saw offered 2 for the price of one so you have both ears bumped up to super human capabilities. Sounds like a deal for 14.99 no?

Video of the Day

2009-03-29T13:36:00.000-07:00

I don't know what it is about this trailer that makes me laugh every time. Crank 2. Enjoy

Highlights:

13 seconds: Chev Chellios? I feel like they could have come up with a more B.A. name than that.

33 seconds: Random iPhone plug. Nothing screams cool now-a-days like a shameless product plug.

54 seconds - 1:01: Great line. "Just juice me" This is where I start cracking up every time and I can't figure out why. Maybe it's because he hooks jumper cables up to his nipples and holds another one to his tongue. Just look at his face. Priceless.

1:16: Asian women using high powered weaponry while wearing bikinis. hahaha

1:34-1:40: "Find someone to rub against" This is the exact moment when writers ran out of ideas on how to get Chev recharged. Classy none the less. They felt like they needed to add a comedic aspect to this already ridiculous movie so they get Chev to hump a grandma. Nice.

1:51-1:56: Cue random shots from the movie in no coherent sequence. Chev with a tazer doing a Matrix move, A dude with a whip, a shot of pink booty shorts all to the tune of Linkin Park's Give it Up.

2:08: After a shot of a girl giving a lap dance (because some producer somewhere said "Put that in the trailer, we'll secure the high school crowd with that") we get the creepiest part of the entire trailer. A Chinese dude going "La la la la la" with his tongue. What could that possibly have anything to do with this movie?

2:18: Again with the Asian chicks?

I don't know about you but this is one movie I say I am not going to see because it looks so ridiculous, but I'll probably end up seeing it just for laughs. Ahhhhh Hollywood.

Free Stuff

2009-03-23T15:06:00.000-07:00

So some random lady started following me on Twitter and on her profile she had no other information than a website. I clicked on the website to see if it had any personal information so I could find out who she was. I was sent to a site that offered me a free Macbook and all I had to do was fill in my zip code.

I don't know about you but these sites crack me up. First of all they look like a 2nd grader could have put them together. Go ahead take a look. (I promise it's safe to look at, just don't click on anything or fill in any forms. I won't be held responsible if you do haha).

Some of the highlights of this site...

First of all I love how many "legit" satisfied people have posted on the site...Oh. Only 3? Hey that's believable enough right? The best part about these though is not that the names are so unique and believable, it is the comments that these REAL people made. For example.

John here is obviously a real dude because real people make punctuation Mistakes, and use words over and over and over and over and over again because they are so excited. Also the use of exclamation marks does nothing but help this guys credibility! There's no way this could be made up. Let me try.

Phillip Houser

"I am so happy that I followed the directions on the website and the steps after I clicked the Big Red Button. I didn't think it was true because I have always been told not to do this. But one day I thought 'Screw it!' and now after 3 to 5 more days I will be getting a Free Laptop with no Strings attached! Thanks for being so rad Freestuffwithnostringsattached.com!"

Woah, did I just come up with something that sounded believable in less that 20 seconds? Well there's two more witnesses right? There's now way all 3 could be fake. Let us see.

Amanda, you had me convinced as soon as you mentioned a big retail chain that I can relate with. Those Best Buy employees are thieves! Also pointing out that the economy has hurt you too doesn't hurt. Nothing is better than getting a $1200 laptop for free when the economy is as bad as it is. How can this company do this you might ask? Well the proof is right there on the site.

Notice there is no advertising on her site...at all. BUT she can assure you that this will not last long, so you better hurry! Let's see if I can write something similar...

HOW CAN WE DO THIS?!

We can do this because we have been approached by advertisers that will not bother you in any way. They pay for the laptops that you get for FREE! All we need is for you to enter your zip code, Nothing else! (until the next page where we ask for your email, address, 10 referrals, your Social Security number, and to subscribe to 3 of 10 magazines that are either outdated or no one has ever heard of.) Then within 9-10 business days, you will receive a coupon with instructions to go to a website where you will enter just a few more details (just for security purposes) and then your Macbook Air will be on its way! It's that easy. Trust me it works!

2 in a row?! Either I'm on a roll or something's fishy here. Alright let's take a look at the last satisfied customer.

Again with the recognizable company names? Come on guys this is getting redundant. It seems like all these people "can't believe it" or are "completely amazed". At least come up with different verbs and adjectives. Mad Libs wasn't THAT hard. At least she saves herself by saying that she researched it...probably on Google none the less. But the crown jewel of Heather's post was her shameless plug to pop culture. The infamous "lol". Yes, since she said that widely used word in her testimonial, some poor sap somewhere just gave this lady his zip code to only be bombarded with years of endless junk mail.

Follow me on Twitter @davidgantt and let me know in an @ reply or a comment on here if you have ever come across a poorly put together Free Stuff website.

Video of the Day

2009-03-23T11:00:00.000-07:00

Dad of the year award goes to this guy. Not only does he multi-task by vacuuming his floor while rocking his child to sleep, he no less does it to the lullaby of the Star Wars theme. Kudos. In case you don't wanna watch the dude setting everything up and want to skip right to the action, skip ahead to 45 seconds.

Kiwi!

2009-03-14T22:37:00.000-07:00

As stupid as this sounds, this video made me really think and admire this dude.

That kiwi bird spent his entire life nailing trees up onto a clif so he could jump off and at least feel like he was flying. He jumped to his death. Its cool how the small things in life make you think the most sometimes.

After beign away from the blogging world for so long, I kinda wanted to come back but thought that my posts were too long to manage for me and my 1 reader. So I've decided to make my posts either really short, or just video clips/pics/or articles I've found. Nothing to serious. By the way...check out Rainn Wilson's (Dwight from the Office) new site. Soulpancake It's all about life's questions and I kinda want to model my blog after something like this. After all some of the videos he's got up on here are the type of thing I want to be editing and making.

Thoughtful Monday

2009-02-23T22:05:00.000-08:00

Thoughts for you to think upon

I have been thinking about stuff lately and thought I would share some of the thoughts with you. In the famous words of Ron Burgundy… “I wanna say something. I'm gonna put it out there; if you like it, you can take it, if you don't, send it right back.”

- I really respect someone if they are truly passionate about something that they do. Teachers for example. I am horrible at art and I don’t really like doing it, but I respect my Professor because he is cares so much about what he does that it makes me want to at least try on the projects.

- I don’t consider myself cool, in the social sense of the word, meaning I don’t really see myself as trendy, cool, or fashionable. Except for the brief 2 year experience where I thought I was the coolest thing on my High School campus. I don’t really care what other people think about what I wear, how I act, or who I hang out with. Why should anyone care? Maybe that is what makes me cool in the Dave sense of the word.

- Ironman would rock any other superhero, hands down. This one is not up for discussion unless we talk face to face.

- People who treat other people badly are really people who love to hear themselves talk and have the attention on them, so when they treat others like crap they are only doing it because they have nothing to say and are trying to get the awkwardness off of them and onto another person.

- Why does everyone go to college and all of the sudden become “enlightened”. In other words become a Liberal. I think there are a lot of Conservatives or Moderate Conservatives out there that are just too afraid to stand up for what they believe in because Liberals make every debate into an argument and try to push Christian ideals out of their reasoning. Like it or not guys, our country was founded on Christian beliefs as well as morals. Do not be afraid of what you believe in.

- “At the core of every cynic is a romantic who has been hurt one time or another.” Thanks Lisa Simmons.

- I am really glad that God blessed me with a group of friends this year.

- I have not read a required textbook since 11th grade.

- I believe in laughing a lot. I laugh at just about everything and I firmly believe in the statement that “If you can’t laugh at yourself, what can you laugh at?” If people make fun of you, beat them to the punch, make fun of yourself first so they have no ammo, then they look stupid. Try it.

- I have a hard time trusting people who talk about other people behind their back. Like I said before, if they talk about others behind their back, they probably talk about you too. When I say I’ll keep a secret, I keep it. Unless you killed someone, then I have to tell someone so don’t tell me if you murdered someone cuz I’ll sing like a songbird.

- I’m happy with my body and will never change it to fit in.

- Judging people for what they do is not a Christian attitude, and I cannot stand when people judge me and other people for how they dress, act, talk, etc. I’m not saying I don’t judge from time to time because I do occasionally, but I do not treat people differently because of it. I just cannot stand people treating others differently based on the things they do in their spare time, who they hang out with, or what church they do or don’t go to. That’s their business and no one else’s. Why not try relating to that person…you’ll get a lot further if you do.

- One final thought…If you insist on sharing your opinion with everyone…first think about if they really care or want to hear it in the first place. I have had countless opinions shoved down my throat and I’m getting sick of hearing why I am wrong and why they are right. What would happen if everyone just didn’t share their opinion for a day.

Bucket List

2009-02-18T21:17:00.001-08:00

I made a bucket list a while ago and since then I have crossed a few things off. So here it is

Things I want to do before I die:

Visit Europe -

Solve a Rubick's Cube - Accomplished

Create a Board Game - (Semi-accomplished)

Fly in Zero Gravity -

Visit every state in the U.S. -

Start an awkward conversation with a stranger - Accomplished

Write an entire paper in Wingdings and turn it in - Accomplished (October 28, 2008)

Have a White Christmas -

Cut an avocado perfectly down the center - Accomplished (February 3, 2008)

Push all the buttons on an elevator w/ people inside - Accomplished

Conquer my fear of heights by skydiving-

Play "Clocks" and "1000 Miles" on the piano -

Sneak into a Sam's Club without a card - Accomplished

Be able to say "Back in my day" -

Raise a family -

Meet a professional athlete 1 on 1 -

Score a hole in one in Mini golf or a Turkey in Bowling -

Be in a movie -

Sit on a porch at sunset -

Go to the top of a Skyscraper - Accomplished. (Sears Tower)

Go on a Safari -

Any other ideas?

Socialism Saturday

2009-02-07T09:36:00.001-08:00

With President Obama already 2 weeks into office, I thought his "change" that he promised would already be in effect. I guess in a way it is since Capitalism has started its fall. Here are just a few things that Obama has done so far to limit the freedoms of Americans, strengthen the power of the government, and piss me off.

Economic Recovery Plan:
Obama 's economic stimulus plan was intended to jumpstart the economy but Republicans refused to sign it because it involves things like:

• $150 million for Smithsonian museum facilities. (We obviously need that)
• $25 million for tribal alcohol and substance abuse reduction.
• $650 million for the digital television converter box coupon program. (No one cares anymore)
• $100 million for reducing the hazard of lead-based paint. (Really?)
and last but not least, my favorite
• $110 million to the Farm Service Agency to upgrade computer systems.
http://www.rightpundits.com/?p=2813

Why can't the American people decide where our money goes and where it doesn't. Sure taxes are still a part of America, but one of the best things about being free in America is the fact that we can choose to do what we like with our money. Now Obama wants to sign legislation that forces taxpayers to give their money to things like Smithsonian museums. That's not democracy, that's just stupid.

Check out this video. It's short and it shows how bad Obama looks for proposing such a bill.

Obama's Upstanding Administration:

Timothy Geithner was Obama's pick to be in charge of the economic team in the White House and just recently announced that he had evaded taxes to the tune of $34,000 Obama Bucks. Great choice for someone handeling American money.

"Nancy Killefer was heading to a sub-cabinet job supervising government finances" had the same problem. Again, great choice and great examples for America.

And finally, the homie, Tom Daschle who is described as a "close Obama ally" was nominated to be in charge of the lowly job of Security of Health and Human Services.

Obama apologized for the decision and said it would never happen again. That's twice in this article Obama has apologized. Like the video above said, that sounds a lot different than the man who said that it was time for change. Is this the change he was talking about? Trying to employ 3 criminals in the White House? He set these obstacles for himself, it's about time he proved he can handle them.

and Finally,

Obama and Music:

Obama is now filling "the senior ranks of the U.S. Department of Justice with the copyright industry's favorite lawyers" which could possibly mean that anyone who has every illegally downloaded a song from the internet could be prosecuted. These lawyers have done it before and with a team like they have now, nothing could stop them from prosecuting every Limewire-er, BitTorrent-er, or Kazaa-er. Obama is slowly taking control of the Justice Department and further imposing his will and power on people whether they like it or not.

Pic/Video/Article of the Day 2/7/2009

2009-02-06T22:32:00.000-08:00

Happy Friday people. I know we all needed a break from this week.

Look out for my Socialism Saturday Post tomorrow.

Pic of the Day:

No matter how many times I look at this photo it creeps me out every time. I don't know how they did this, but props to whoever did. You gave me the chills.

Video of the Day:

Couldn't really find a video of the day, probably because I didn't look too hard as I was really tired, however I did find some kittens riding a Roomba. Enjoy.

Article of the Day:

Gmail now has multiple panes in the inbox window to help you sort your messages. Nice!

Pic/Video/Article of the Day 2/5/2009

2009-02-05T18:27:00.000-08:00

Pic of the Day:

What is it about super star athletes and getting into trouble? For those of you who can't tell, or didn't know, that's Phelpsy up there smokin a bong.

Video of the Day:

What...The...Crap.

Highlights of the Video:

19 seconds: What on earth is the reason for that hand? That thing whips up so fast it would probably scare the little kid who is too busy clapping his hands to worry about anything else.

30 seconds: Motorized toilet paper dispenser...great idea in theory, actually, no it isn't. If I were on that thing an just pooed I would want to wipe right away, not wait for some obnoxious song to end to have the TP rudely jammed in my face. Imagine trying to fiddle with that dispenser if you were in a rush. If you ask me this whole thing is too "Jack-in-the-Box"ish for me.

P.S. Where is this guy testing this thing, a public bathroom? Just imagine seeing a guy carrying a camera and one of those things into a public bathroom.

Article of the Day:

Read it Here. Just the name of this company gives me the creeps.

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Pic/Video/Article of the Day 2/4/2009

2009-02-04T15:31:00.000-08:00

Instead of doing a link dump each day, I've decided to search the internetz for the best and funniest pictures, videos and articles for that day. So here we go.

Pic of the Day:

The suspect is described as middle aged, long hair, and
wearing a brown shirt. Also he is a cartoon.

This is a wanted poster in Japan. They didn't have the resources or the time apparently to do an artists rendering of the suspect. For those you you who don't know, the picture used in the wanted poster is of a Nintendo Mii, an avatar used on the Wii. Pretty darn resourceful. Score one for the big N.

Video of the Day:
Courtesy of www.lisamarcia.com

This poor kid just had an experience with the dentist he will never forget.

Highlights:

23 seconds: He nods his head as if he knows whats going on, only to realize that he has two fingers...scratch that 4!

50 seconds: You start to feel bad for the kid when he says he cant see anything, but the dad reassures him...yes you can...I know better than you.

57 seconds: He is suddenly overcome with Hulk rage and then just as quick as he rose to rage...he collapses

1:38: One of the best lines. Straight out of a movie.

By the way who is this guy taping the whole thing. He is just egging this poor kid on. "You have four eyes"
"Yeah" This kid is obviously hallucinating and his dad is making a killing on YouTube because of him. Well done dad.

Article of the Day:

Google Latitude. Read for yourself.

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Tax Return I.O.U.'s

2009-02-03T10:03:00.000-08:00

I got my first W2 form in the mail yesterday and found out that I have an I.O.U. from the state, which means that they don't have enough money to pay me back the money that I earned. I understand we are in a budget crisis in California as well as in America, but how long until the Government can't pay us half of our returns, and then 75% of our returns. My I.O.U. only ended up being like $13.08 which isn't something to complain about, but imagine the people who got I.O.U.'s for hundreds of dollars. Right now, every dollar counts and it sucks that our Government has done such a poor job of handling money that we as taxpayers get double screwed, paying taxes, and then not getting our full returns when we need/expect them.

To better explain why California is in so much debt take a look at this article. California is filled with super liberals and hippie nutcases that continue to slow the process of what the state is trying to do by bringing animal rights, environmental friendliness, and love for all, politics into the picture. Keep in mind, people, these are the people that elected Barack.

"I think we are deeply hurting in America. I think we are deeply craving answers"
Yea. Where the frick is my tax return?

Highlights of the video:
40 seconds in. Look at the comfort their giving eachother.

51 seconds in. She is actually talking TO the trees.

1:21 This is where the best quote of the entire video comes in "Bring me to this rock, that has the most incredible life. That makes me feel alive."

1:40 The Grand Finale.

Though this group is from North Carolina, they have groups all around the nation including California. They call themselves, North Coast Earth First! I didn't mean for this to be a rant against tree-huggers, but these are the people that are delaying construction of schools, dams, courthouses, and prisons in order to protect a small population of birch trees from being murdered. This doesn't sound like much, but this delay that they orchestrate turns into delays for funding from the state which then leads the money to be put on hold therefore causing the debt that has cost me and everyone in California our tax returns.

So hippes, go wail about your trees somewhere where people actually care about that stuff like Canada or Maine. I'll gladly take my $13.08 if it means squashing a few bugs and leaves to do so.

The Most Entertaining People at Walmart

2009-01-31T18:05:00.000-08:00

I don't go to Walmart often, but when I do I always experience something out of the ordinary. Walmart seems to attract the oddest types of people who are both annoying and fun to watch depending on if they run over your toes with their carts or not. So here we go...

The Super Model:

We all know this person, they are the ones who insist on dressing up in the most revealing dress possible because they're going obviously going to one of the most prestigious shopping centers in the world!

"Honey, put on your good dress, we're goin to Walmart!"

The thing that makes me laugh at these people is not the fact that they wear the dress to Walmart....well yeah it kinda is. Seriously, who are you trying to impress by wearing a low cut dress in the Kapri-Sun isle? No one goes to Walmart to pick up girls and if they do they probably still live with their parents and sell crap like this on Craigslist. I think what makes me laugh more than the women who wear these dresses are the guys that walk right next to them with a smug look on their face as if to say "You wish buddy" when in reality, all they're portraying is how much of a tool they are for forcing they're wife/girlfriend to dress like that in public. Not to mention the fact that they're forcing their, already self concious 9 year old, to shop for underwear with his mom dressed like a hooker.

Where Can they be Found:
Since they usually travel in packs, they can be found almost anywhere in the store, but they are most commonly found in areas usually occupied by guys in the age range of 16-30....The game section. Also they can be sited meandering back and forth in the front of the store for hours on end with nothing but a Cosmo magazine in their cart. They do this because this is obviously where the most foot traffic is. Well played ladies. Well played.

Walmart: Always Low-Cut Dresses. Always

The Scooter:

Now I'm not making fun of these people because they have to ride a scooter, because thats just messed up. Rather, I am merely observing the fact that they see these scooters as thrones of Power. And in a way...they are.

"Hasta La Vista...Baby Wipes"

Seriously though, Dont mess with these things. They're worse than the Spikes of Death I mentioned yesterday because these things actually are motorized. They have the ability to NOT STOP if they run over something...or someone. That little basket in the front is too small to actually fit anything useful in, so they use it as a battering ram to move things out of the way. These things range anywhere from displays to small children. They just don't care, so if you want to keep your kneecaps may I suggest you combat those Movers of Malice with one of these. It may not fully stop the Scooter from its Pain Parade, but it will at least slow its advance to allow you to get out alive.

Where Can they be Found:
Ususally on isles where numerous sale items are. Employees have also found them lingering on isles that are juuuuuuust big enough to accommodate 2 carts. The Scooters tend to wait for isles to be full before they impose their will on the unsuspecting bargain hunters.

"Scooters! Roll Out"

The Guide Dog Trainer:

I know guide dogs need to be trained in public, but it seems like everytime I go to Walmart, I see at least one being mobbed by kids and adults alike. People love dogs. They can't get enough of them. So when they see one in a place you would not expect, its like icing on the cake! Everyone freaks out when they see a dog somewhere a dog does not usually reside.

"Look at that dog, he's doing human things.
For shame! Can I pet him?!"

I actually feel bad for the owner/trainer because they have to train these dogs to be around people, all the while being constantly surrounded by kids with sticky, greasy fingers poking them in the eyes and pulling their tails and ears...the dogs, not the trainers.

The trainers themselves have to get sick of this constant attention, yet whenever I see this dynamic duo, the smile real big like they're showing off the fact that they are allowed to have a dog in the store and you can't.

The sad part, that dog looks cooler than
anyone else, even with that ridiculous hat.

Where Can they be Found:
The whole dog food isle route seemed too easy so I'm just gonna avoid that one altogether. Instead, I have spotted the duo in the glasses store. Get it? Seeing eye dog? Glasses?

So if you find any of these people in your next Walmart trip or find any new ideas as you people watch, email, Twitter, or comment and let me know.

Link Dump

2009-01-31T13:48:00.000-08:00

Through out each day, I look at tons and tons of articles on various websites. At the end of each day, I am going to compile a list of the best, the worst, and the weirdest links of the day. So first set up...Enjoy.

Finally a Dark Knight Game!

Another Weird Google Maps Photo

High Voltage Pet Brush?!

The Future for Books

The Smartest Guy in the Military

iPhone + Flash Finally!!!

4 Most Annoying Ways People Park Their Cars

2009-01-30T11:20:00.000-08:00

Ever since I started attending APU I have noticed that some people just do not know how to park their cars. Maybe I'm giving these people too much credit and they just don't care what others think about how they park. So here is a rundown of the 4 Most Annoying Ways People Park Their Cars.

The Doubler:

What They Probably Look Like:

"I'm gonna kill somebody if I don't find 2 spaces right next to eachother!"

Why They're Annoying:

This person seems to always be in a rush to get somewhere so they decide that it isn't worth the time to slowly park in between the convenient spray painted lines. The worst offenders are the little cars that have no business taking up 1 spot let alone 2. Mercedes, Lexus, and Prius owners seem to also enjoy pissing people off in this unique fashion.

What Everyone is Thinking:
"I should park as close as I can to them to show them what it feels like."

Why No one Ever Follows Through:
No one wants to get their car keyed. Simple as that. I have thought numerous times of parking super close to people just to make them even more frustrated than they probably were when they got the spot to begin with. Hmmm. Double frustrated person with a mini sized car, probably better insurance than you, parked less than 2 inches from you isn't starting to sound so good after all. Being keyed sucks but imagine if this person was just pissed off at the world for some reason. You're minding your own business inside Wal-Mart while a little tornado of anger and fiber glass is wrecking havoc on your car in the parking lot. Stay away people.

The Perfectionist:

What They Probably Look Like:

"I'll make you feel so bad about yourself"

Why They're Annoying:
Ever seen a spot so good it can't be true. You know those spots that are like 20 feet from the entrance, covered by a tree, well lit, No "No parking signs" around. They practically have their own red carpet leading right up entrance. These spots are so hard to pass up that Perfectionists will do everything in their power to get that spot. That includes getting as close as humanly possible to cars around them in order to take advantage of such an opportunity.

It takes these guys 1 to 2 shots to back into the spot since they're probably driving one of the coolest, hippest, and trendiest cars in Japan. They might even have one of those sensors in the back of their car that lets them know when they're getting close to hitting something.

Beep...Beep..Beep.BeepBeepBeepBeeeeeeeeep "You think I'm too close?"

What Everyone is Thinking:
"Well shoot I have to get out of here, if I bump their car who cares. It was their fault in the first place.

Why No One Ever Follows Through:
Because there is always someone watching. At least that's what you think. Shoot, it could even be the owner watching you seeing if you make a mistake. So even though you are super frustrated an in a rush, you take your time so no one sees you hot a car an leave...this time.

The Buffer Zone Nazi:

What They Probably Look Like:

"Did you see how close he got to my Corolla?!
he was at was at least 7 feet from it!"

Why They're Annoying:

How many times have you tried to parallel park into a spot only to realize that the spot is only big enough to fit a bike and a half in it? Thanks to Cautious Curtis, there is only enough room for the coolest, hippest, and trendiest car in Japan, a bike, or maybe a child or two. They never move up to allow more space for cars behind them because they fear that everyone is going to scratch, ding, or devour their cars in utter disregard.

"I'm coming to eat your girly Corolla! Nom Nom Nom"

What Everyone is Thinking:
"Come on!!!! Are you serious?! You can barely fit two children in that spot!"

Why No One Ever Follows Through:

There's nothing to follow through on. All you can do is complain to your friends and write about it on a blog.

The Mountain Biker:
What They Probably Look Like:

Why They're Annoying:
These are the people who insist on biking everywhere but still find reasons to keep a car around. The problem does not come with the car itself, but the accessories that are on the car. Specifically these little beauties.

Not only do these things take up more space than needed, but they turn into spikes of death when you try to walk past them. Seriously, don't mess with these things. They will lay you out if you under estimate them for one minute. You almost have to sneak past them and do an Entrapment style ballet to avoid not ripping your shirt.

"Aghhhhhh! I ripped my last Famous Stars and Straps shirt on that car's spikes of death"

What Everyone is Thinking:
"I'm gonna rip that crap right off their car"

Why No One Ever Follows Through:

Because this guy is so cool

“If there was a god, I’d still have both nuts.”
-Actual quote from Lance Armstrong

Oh. Wow. Guess he's not THAAAT cool.

Guantanamo Bay being closed down

2009-01-29T18:05:00.000-08:00

So President Obama has signed legislation that will close the most secure military detention facility that we have...Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. He vowed he would do this when running for office, and now, a little over a week into his term he has come through with his promise. He says, "without exception or equivocation that the United States will not torture,”.

I have a couple problems with this. First of all the detainee's at Gitmo are terrorists, terrorist backers, or knowingly supporting terrorism. These are the guys that are funding the terrorists that blew up planes in America on 9/11, these are the guys that preform suicides by blowing themselves up near hospitals, churches and schools, these are the guys that have threatened our security as Americans. So do I think that it is o.k. to interrogate these people for information? Yeah. Do I think that it is o.k. to use "potentially harmful" ways to get them to talk? Yes...I do. Bonus fact, waterboarding, which is probably practiced in Gitmo is defined as "torture". However this technique never puts the person in any physical danger, it merely makes the prisoner feel like they are drowning so that they will give up information faster. I see this as perfectly reasonable considering the lengths these people have gone to harm Americans and the American way of life.

The issue of torture has nothing to do with the closing of Guantanamo Bay however. It would not bother me one way or another if a law was passed that brought the officers to justice who wrongfully tortured prisoners. But to full-on close the prison is a huge mistake. Nowhere to hold the prisoners, and then to bring the existing prisoners to America toput them on tril is just insane!

Our military has this prison set up in Cuba for a reason. Why should they be brought to American soil and be given "fair" and "innocent until proven guilty" trial in OUR nation? Isn't that right made specifically for AMERICANS? No where in the Constitution does it say anything about bringing terrorists to America to put them on a fair trial...or I guess now it does.

What do you think?

Hello Everyone

2009-01-29T16:25:00.000-08:00

So I've decided to start my own blog as it seems more and more people are jumpin on the bandwagon. Basically this blog is going to be updates on events in the world, politics, technology (including Apple and Microsoft), and things that are happening in my life as well. Hope you all enjoy and be sure to check out my featured Bloggers and my Twitter page. Thanks!