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.