Thoughts on San Francisco

I really hated reading about the disaster out in the San Francisco bay.  I hope people will pay attention and take the time to think about what we could do to help raise awareness on the environmental impact this will have on the San Francisco bay.  58,000 gallons of fuel is insane amount of fuel to be spilt into the ocean.  

This event should help us take a look at how human error has completely devistated our environment.  I think to myself sometimes if we could just slow down, listen, and concentrate we could avoid so many mistakes that we make each day.  As we have seen with this current oil spill, our human mistakes come at a very high price economically, financially, and emotionally.  So what is my point, take a lesson in Zen philosophy and take time out to enjoy the here and now.  Listen, pay attention, and support saving our environment.

 

Exposure

Recently my song "Peace" was featured on a podcast called Ikthuscast. I was so excited. Click here to listen.

Ace Mechanic (Not)

Beth called me earlier today complaining her car wasn't sounding right. In the past, those phone calls have led themselves to major car repair. I figured I would investigate the problem and hoped I would be able to fix the issue. From past experience with the same issue she was telling me about I figured the car needed spark plugs. So I went to the auto parts store and purchased the spark plugs. If you have ever changed a spark plug on a vehicle, you understand how fragile the spark plug wires can be when taking them off. So not even a few minutes into taking the wires off, I messed one of them up. I also had the added pressure of my wife standing over me watching my every move. It was as if she was my boss peering over my shoulder and watching every move I made.

I finally got each spark plug changed out then it was back to the auto parts store to get new wires. Between plugs and wires it was about a $50 total. When I got home I replaced the wires and now it was time to start the car. The car cranked and sounded pretty bad. At this point, much frustration had already set in. " What have I done?" I thought to myself. Beth was still standing there waiting patiently to see my results. I went back and checked to make sure the wires were tight. Everything was fine I thought so I went and cranked the car again. Nothing. The car wouldn't even turn over. I thought, "What the hell?" I gathered my tools, walk in the house and hung my head in defeat.

I reached out for help. I posted a question on a Mazda forum site and this morning had a visual diagram of the right firing pattern. I love the internet. So the big question is, "Can I fix it"? I honestly don't know the answer to the question yet. I somehow have managed to hurt my lower back while working on the car. I hope to share the results soon.

My thoughts on Network Journalism

The press(media) are a fine group(sarcasm) of people. They live their lives digging up emotional trash and most of the time it doesn't seem like journalism at all. Fox news for example has come under fire for being the "conservative" network. While historically CNN, CBS, and NBC have come under fire by conservatives of being to "liberal". I love watching the news. I want to be informed and I want to know what the weather will be like for the day. I find myself leaning more and more to the Internet for the daily and national news these days.  I would much rather read a news story on the Internet than have to sit and listen to the lousy reporters on TV. There are a few exceptions of good quality news anchors.  I honestly love to watch the local NBC station for my morning dose of news. The news anchors incorporate humor and a sense of being themselves while on the air.  Three of my most favorite local anchors are Rich Brenner, Neil Mcneill, and Sandra Hughs.  

My biggest complaint is with the national news.  In an effort to grow their hold in the market share of entertainment, real journalism is hard to come by.  I understand how important it is to get information while interviewing( I have to interview potential employees at work) asking the right questions is very important. On the flip side to that thought, asking the wrong questions can be almost intrusive.  One thing that burns me up the most about field reporters is when they ask someone who has just lost someone close to them, "So how do you feel right now". How the hell do you think they feel?!  Asking a question of that magnitude is going across the lines and more like a on air psychological exam rather than reporting the news.  I don't mean to sound hateful, but shouldn't we as the audience understand that if someone just lost their house to a fire or their son/daughter was killed in Iraq they need a little time to heal emotionally.  

We always don't get the real facts either.  In the case with Dan Rather reporting on President Bush's military experience, he made a false accusation and he lost his job.  Now if it had been against any other man other than the President of the United States, such a big production may not have been made about the story.  Now I have always liked Dan Rather, however the story on GW miltary record was not his best work( and please understand I am not a GW fan).  He came from a generation of broadcast journalist that now are slowly disappearing.  As a boy I grew up watching Dan, Walter, Peter, Tom, Andrea, Barbara, Bob, and so many other wonderful news anchors/news reporters.  Their generation made nightly news what it is today.  I hope that network news will really do a better job of reporting the facts, stop trying to use the shock value(like Fox News Network), and learn how to teach journalist to report the news in a way that doesn't show favoritism to one side or the other.  If they can't, their is a whole group of up and coming podcasters that could do the job for them. After all there are three sides to a story: the truth, the lies, and everything in between.

Two Different Ideas

Conservative

resistant to change
opposed to liberal reforms
cautious: avoiding excess; "a conservative estimate"
button-down: unimaginatively conventional; "a colorful character in the buttoned-down, dull-grey world of business"- Newsweek
a person who has conservative ideas or opinions
bourgeois: conforming to the standards and conventions of the middle class; "a bourgeois mentality"

sourcewordnet.princeton.edu/perl/webwn


Liberal

broad: showing or characterized by broad-mindedness; "a broad political stance"; "generous and broad sympathies"; "a liberal newspaper"; "tolerant ...
having political or social views favoring reform and progress
tolerant of change; not bound by authoritarianism, orthodoxy, or tradition
a person who favors a political philosophy of progress and reform and the protection of civil liberties
big: given or giving freely; "was a big tipper"; "the bounteous goodness of God"; "bountiful compliments"; "a freehanded host"; "a handsome allowance"; "Saturday's child is loving and giving"; "a liberal backer of the arts"; "a munificent gift"; "her fond and openhanded grandfather"
a person who favors an economic theory of laissez-faire and self-regulating markets
free: not literal; "a loose interpretation of what she had been told"; "a free translation of the poem"

sourcewordnet.princeton.edu/perl/webwn

I am a person who enjoys information. Being informed helps us to make better decisions about everything we do. The definitions I found on conservative and liberal may or may not be correct by Oxford Dictionary standards, but I hope you get the idea. For to long we have walked around thinking conservative works for me and liberal works for you. Each idea holds components we should look at and incorporate into our lives. Each idea has its extremist and each has its downfall. With political elections for our nation's Presidency a year away we should all be doing our homework. Change is inevitable. How will we make change occur? Most of us hope in our minds that voting for the right person to take the Oval Office is one way to contribute to change. Be outspoken on subjects you hold in high regard and not wavering on your beliefs. Decide for yourself what is the right side to be on. And never let anyone else make the decisions for you.

Today is Special

In a drought stricken county the site of rain is almost impossible to conceive. I honestly do not remember the last rainfall we had but this is absolutely breathe taking. I shot some video with my Isight of the event. The audio cuts out a little here and there but you get the point. I do apologize about looking so rough I had just finished doing my chores for the day and hadn't had time to make myself look presentable.

Happy Birthday Son

A Quiet Night

While you were gone I maintained all the things I normally do
I even made it a point to take extra special care of those little things you hold dear
While you were gone there were times I felt lonely
There were actually times I enjoyed a little peace and quiet
Knowing that you'll be home soon is something to look forward to
Hopefully at some point you missed me too.

Routine

Each day is such an adventure in the life of Thad. One day I could be working in the yard, the next working on a website. Then some days later I could be working my full time job then helping out around the house. Maintaining a routine is important to me. Sometimes routine needs to be broken. I really struggle with non routine days. I have a need to always be doing some to raise money for the family or helping a family member with something. Some people would just call this everyday life.

Do you ever have days when you wish you were an inventor, engineer, or innovative thinker? If you said no I would say you are lying. I sometimes wish I had the ability to move mountains with my brain waves. Dude, you have to admit that would be sweet. Anyway, a break from the routine is important. Things sometimes go wrong. We have to accept change in our everyday life. So what are you going to do today for change? I haven't exactly figured it out yet. I still have a few day light hours to go.

Just Thought You Should Know

Amendment I

Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the government for a redress of grievances.

Recent Article

Just moments ago I read an interesting article on Starbucks. The article was published by Food Inc. and appeared on MSN's home page. I found the article amusing. Actually, after working for Starbucks for three years I found the article a little misleading.

Starbucks serves customers of all age. Our customer base consist of children, teenagers, young adults and so on. We offer a wide range of products for all ages. When it comes to children, we don't say "Hey kid get over here and drink this Frappuccino." We offer milk, hot chocolate, and apple juice for children that come in an 8-oz. cup. Usually, a parent is to blame for the poor decision made to purchase a caffeinated beverage vs. a non caffeinated beverage for their child in our store. Barista's (a term used to describe people in the coffee business) understand what products have caffeine and which product have no caffeine. We also have available nutritional facts about the drinks and pastries we carry. We always offer alternatives for those watching calories, have milk allergies, and who cannot consume caffeinated drinks for medical reasons. Go to any retailer that carries similar products as Starbucks and tell me is there any difference?

Clearly, parents are responsible for making sure their child make a healthy choice. Starbucks constantly reviews their products and how the products affect the market they are sold in. Simply put, if you want to make sure your child is eating healthy and drinking beverages that are healthy then teach them at home. Because if you are not teaching your teaching your children healthy habits at home, then shut up.

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Reality of Mountain Biking

I road my first real mountain bike trail this week and I wrecked. The accident happened it a matter of split seconds. I was riding the Owl's Roost trail in Greensboro last week when the wreck occured. I went out biking with my friend Gerald, his 2 sons, and my nephew John. I was traveling down the trail and came to a big drop off in the trail. Gerald son was behind me on the trail and was following a little to close to me. As I started down the slope I hit the brakes and Bam!!...I suddenly found myself heading toward the ground. Gerald's son was to close as we went down the slope and he didn't realize I was slowing down. So when I braked he ran right into me. I received a few scratches and bruises, but got right up and kept on riding. In all, it was a great day of riding. I can't wait to go out again soon. Hopefully next time I'll stay on my bike 100% of the time.

Oh Look at the Pretty Red Ant

Yesterday I was enjoying spending time with my family at a birthday party. Christian, Luke( my nephew), and I were outside when a beautiful ant came walking across the drive way. Amazed, I decided to get a closer look at this ant.

I guess in the wild beauty can be deceiving, Bravely, I picked up the ant. It decided to crawl up my arm and sting me in the back of the neck. Ouch, now that wasn't very nice of that female Red Velvet Ant. After coming home and doing my research it turns out that it really isn't an ant at all. It is more like a wasp. It also bears the nickname "cow killer" because of its powerful sting. I'll tell you that thing was no joke. It felt like someone hit me in the back of the neck with a baseball bat. Man, what was I thinking. Next time, I'll leave stuff I don't know about alone.

Hot

In my younger years I would stay outside and play in the extreme heat all day long. In my older years I have fallen in love with the air conditioner and find little reason to venture out into the heat. The extreme heat has halted mowing grass in the mid-afternoons. I have to add ice to the dog's bowl or it reaches an almost semi-boiled temparature. Chrisitan stays inside. Beth definitely doesn't go outside. These are the dog days of summer. I need some ice cream.

Greenway

Today I took my first bike ride on the Greenway Trail. I started at the Piedmont Enviormental Center and road close to 2 miles just before reaching Gibson Park. I probably only road about 4 miles, but it felt like 20. I am doing my best to get myself into shape before October. Tomorrow I am going to ride with some friends in the Greensboro area. Now, it is time for rest. Peace.

Video Blog With Me and my Son

"Its Like Riding a Bicycle"

Okay, let face it. I am not Lance Armstrong. I have never claimed to be a superstar cyclist who survived several types of cancer to win the Tour de France. I am 30 something, work all the time, and severely out of shape. Not to mention I haven't ridin a bike in 13 years or more. Whom ever came up with the phrase "Its Like Riding a Bicycle" probably didn't realize that bicycles today are a hell of a lot different now than they were when the phrase was made up.

Gone are the days of a simple cruiser or banana seat with the chopper handles. Most of the cruiser bikes now have gears. Mountain bikes have shocks, disc or hydraulic brakes, rear suspension, 24-27 speeds, and numerous other things. Road bikes have so many advances its hard to even know were to start. Bicycles like so many other industries and realing digging into science and technology today.

What is my point? I don't really have one. I did get out and ride my new GT Avalanche 2.0 this evening. It is a sweet ride. I love it. I have to build my endurance up. I have to be able to ride 50 miles at one time. "Why?," you ask.

In early October I will be taking a bike ride across North Carolina(mountains to sea). This an amazing opportunity to see North Carolina in a different way. It will be difficult, sometimes unbearable, painful, and joyous. So I have a lot to do in a few months.
The most important thing is how ride a bicycle again.

Just Keep Playing

When you can't find time to practice your musical insturment you can easily slide into a musical slump. Take this advice from someone who really knows. Take the time to dedicate at least 30 minutes out of your day to practice something. Practice your favorite song, look up some tab and learn a new song, or even try to write a new song. Keep playing. Be a legend in your own mind and someone else's.

Resources for Beginner Guitarist

If you are looking for a couple of guitar resources to aid you with playing then I have a few helpful suggestions. There are many free online resources to help you in your journey.
Here are a few to get your started.

Guitar Player Magazine
www.freeguitarvideos.com
Guitar Noise

I will post more in the future.

Jive Part II( A Conversation with Beth)

Bed told me dis mo'nin' she wuz 'haided t'rap t'a teacha' dis mo'nin' about placin' Christian in ha' class room de next farm year. Ah be baaad... We already gots' spoke t'de principal about placin' Christian into some class room dat would fit his needs. ah' guess ah' made ha' mad when ah' jimmey'd my moud and gave ha' my unbiased point uh view. She looked at me and said, Who side you is on? ah' said..., actually ah' fo'gots whut ah' said. What ah' should gots' said wuz Baby ah' am always on yo' side. What it is, Mama! So'ry baby. Slap mah fro!

Oh No

1955 - A scheduled dance to be headlined by Fats Domino was canceled by police in Bridgeport, Connecticut because "rock and roll dances might be featured."

Still Soaking It All In

Beth and I are continuing to enjoy our new residence. The mornings are so quiet I have to get up and walk around the house to make some noise. We are cozy. We still have a lot of unpacking to do, but who is in a rush? Not me. My little guy is a having some difficulties at school. He has been distracted by the happenings around him in his class room. He has a system that his former resource teacher and Beth came up with to code his behavior. The system works like a stop light with the addition of a orange color. Green is good, yellow is his first warning, orange means he is not listening, and red is the final straw. With this system we have been able to monitor his behavior on a day to day basis. Lately, he has been on red at least 3 times a week. We are racking our brains on what to do.

With the spring approaching the fever for warm weather has bitten me in the butt. This time of the year I more or less talk about all the outdoor activities I would love to do. I am going camping in April and it looks like Christian and I may get to go on a father/son trip at the end of April. I like to go fishing in the spring. I don't get to go out on the boat as much with my father-in-law as would like too, so I mostly fish off the bank at Oak Hollow. Honestly, since I have fished there I have caught only tiny little fish off the bank. Anyway, that is all from The World According to Thad.

Taking it all In

After being in the same house for over 8 years, I finally realized that a change has done me good.
When I wake up in the morning I feel like rolling right out of bed and finding some task that needs to be taken care of. The old house goes up for auction on the 14th. It was listed in the paper yesterday. I finally have gotten over all the shock of getting the foreclosure papers before the landlord did. Of course, he already knew what was going long before the physical papers were served. The old East Dayton house is a long gone memory of the past. Each day when I walk into the living room I soak up the sunshine as it shines through the window. Our house (Beth, Christian, and myself) is a great place.

Update

I spoke to my father the other day. We had a heart to heart. He finally fest up to having extreme financial difficulty. Even after our conversation, the only thing I am led to believe is he used the money I sent him for rent to pay other bills. It really doesn't make sense to me to stop paying your mortgage to pay credit card bills. The hardest thing I have ever told him was I wasn't going to send him rent if he was going to spend on something else. His response to me was, "well you can just get out then." Hello Pop, we already have established that idea. Besides I have already done my legal homework and know that he cannot with an eviction notice tell me to leave. So sorry man, I am staying as long as the law will allow.

I did as a good deed send him information via email on how to save himself from foreclosure. Thank God for Google and its powerful search engines that can find information. I love the information super highway.

We are still looking for houses. We are not desperate. We are trying to stay focused. We have already started collecting boxes and disguising alternative plans if worst comes to worst. I am trying to find a near by storage unit to put items in so we can keep the ball rolling. Please keep us in your praya's. Beth you rock. I just wanted to tell you that.

John Lennon and Working out

One thing that has been on my mind lately is fitness. I can't help but to look at myself and think I need to tone up a bit. I use to be really fit. I played soccer all the time. That was about 13 or more years ago. With my exercise consisting of the one arm beer curl, or the one finger push up on the TV remote, I figured lets get busy. So this morning I actually got on the internet to aid my new passion to get fit. I found a couple of helpful resources. One I found was on doing an ab workout. People think I am so skinny, but they haven't seen the flab around my ab area. So I did this ab workout and was like, "that didn't hurt". Holy crap, now my abs are burning. So rock on ab workouts, more to come.

I bought my first ever John Lennon cd last week. It is an album put out by Starbucks called Remember. It is part of their Opus Collection spotlighting major contributors to modern music. Beth thinks I am crazy because I really don't care for John Lennon. I honestly never cared for his attitude toward Christians and his view of being larger than Jesus Christ. As I listened to the cd over and over again at work the music really started to grow on me. Now, I don't think I am going to run out and buy a bunch of Beatles or other John Lennon cds. So don't ask me if I like the Beatles or John Lennon, because I will probably give you a distorted answer.

2 0 0 7

This is a brand new look for 2007. Hello everyone. This is so exciting. Every time I change my template I get excited. I know what you are thinking, this guy is so boring. I just wanted to say I love the new Blogger. I have been waiting for them to get through the beta testing and it is now easier than ever to make a cool layout.

I guess you have noticed a lot of RSS tags on the right of my page. That is because I want everyone to listen and subscribe to the Local. Especially all my peep's. So do not delay and subscribe already.

It is easier now than it has ever been for musicians to bypass the big record companies and get their music heard on the internet. It has opened so many doors for myself and others, I often wonder how we did without the internet for so many years. I l0ve technology. Anyhow, a belated Happy New Year to all of you. Peace