Random Ravings

Another Wednesday

2007-06-07T07:06:00.001-06:00

due to Internet access errors, this is being posted on Thursday

As Wednesday draws to an end, my mind drifts and wanders:

Over Memorial Day weekend, we went to test drive a Mazda3

- The salesman was nice, he let us drive both the i and the s models
- He also was not pushy at all
- I left, satisfied with the experience, and likely to purchase my next car from him
- The car itself, handled very well and has enough acceleration to keep me content
- Between the i and the s models, I didn't notice a great difference, I'd like the s, but I could live with the i
- When the time comes for me to get rid of my car, this is the likely route

I wanted a truck

- Problems with truck
- - New truck is expensive (Not a big deal, I wanted a used one anyways)
  - Gas mileage (Gas is expensive, so driving truck becomes expensive)
  - Mainly the damn gas thing
  - I can't afford $80 a week in gas
- Truck would have been fun though

Need a house

- Need a house so I can get my dog
- I like dogs
- Could almost afford a house, IF damn interest weren't so high
- - Interest is high because I'm stupid with money
  - Stupid banks, making millions off of my mistakes
  - Why can't I ever profit from my mistakes?

Ramen Noodle

2007-06-05T09:52:00.001-06:00

I just had a bowl of Ramen Noodles for breakfast.

Beef flavor.

Of course, I didn't eat until around 9:45... so it very well could have been a brunch.

What can we do to make Ramen Noodle more exciting? I eat it often, and its getting boring.

Chop up some meat and put it in there

Slice up some celery and or potatoes

Garlic, garlic, garlic!

Add some chili powder to the mix

Drain it and eat it like spaghetti

Sugar instead of the spice packet

Stick some sparklers in it and watch it shine

On the Right

2007-06-03T20:42:00.000-06:00

http://www.photoblog.com/user/calton/
Please feel free to check out my Photoblog.
Comments are welcome.

Here's the deal

2007-06-03T20:11:00.000-06:00

I am going to have a separate blog for my photos. I'll keep the madness confined to this blog. I'll provide the link to the new blog shortly.

Lets try it again...

2007-06-01T13:58:00.001-06:00

So, its been a while huh... I've decided to give this blogging thing another chance. I now need to find a direction, or a goal. What do I want to accomplish with my blogging? I have no idea. It amuses me to put some of my thoughts into writing. But is my own personal amusement enough to keep on blogging? Possibly. So as for a course of action, I have several possibilities:

Continue my "random raving" that make no sense whatsoever

Write about something constructive

- Possibly post a picture, and ask for commentary on it

A mixture of both options 1 and 2

I think I'll go with option 3, a little ranting, and a little constructive work. We'll have to see how it goes.

So, I'll look for a picture to post tonight, but until then, beware the Ninjas.

This is a test, this is only a test...

2007-06-01T12:11:00.001-06:00

This is a test of the emergency blogcast system. I repeat, this is only a test. If this were an actaual emergency, poo would be falling from the sky, panic and chaos would rule, eyeballs would explode out of spite.

But, like I said, this is only a test.

Oh yeah, I'm really just testing this software "Zoundry".

Idiot Patrol

2007-02-07T14:24:00.000-06:00

In the military, we send the new recruits on special missions. We send them to Supply for a Bravo Alpha 1100 November (BA1100N aka balloon). Admin will try and get you to find and fill out the I.D. 10T form (ID10T aka idiot). Since I worked in the Armory, there weren't many cool games like that we could play. We were just merciless when it came time to clean and check in weapons. So, when some poor new guy would wander up to our gate, asking for an ID10T, we would give him a chance. Spell it out, we'd say. Most got it. Those who never did, earned the right to fill out said imaginary form. Idiots. Thats what I'm talking about friends. The world is full of them. I'm one. You may be one. Who knows. I've spent most of today dealing with one over the phone. Dealing with extreme idiots can cause a range of emotions, ranging from mild irritation, to a blind rage. Today's idiot has me somewhere just below rage. It doesn't help that I've had to deal with the idiot earlier this week. If you were to go with the theory that everyone has a finite amount of patience, then I believe that I am about out. Woe to the next idiot that crosses my path. I may end up making the poor bastard eat that ID 10T form.

The End

2007-02-06T08:29:00.000-06:00

Its been a while. Its been a LONG while. Its been a while since I posted. Its been an even longer time since I posted anything worth reading (if ever). Reasons?
I usually post while I'm at work. Its been busy here the last week or so. Other reasons? I don't have anything relative or insightful to say. Not that I've been stopped by that before. Last reason. Does anyone (Other than my wife and two select others) actually read this? I have no deep loyalty or devotion to blogging. It is not my "Life". The Internet is a cold and bitter apocolyptic wasteland. It is foolish for me to think that any of the millions of people, drifting out in a sea of 1's and 0's give a damn about what I think. So, logically, I should stop this blog. Restrict my rants to my drive to and from work. So will I quit?

Nah. To hell with that. No way.
I'll keep rambling on and on about stupid things that no one cares about. Not because anyone is listening, but because I like to ramble. I enjoy stupid topics and conepts that most people don't understand or care about. The fact that no one (except that special few) is reading this means that I can be more outrageous. And if by some freak accident, some stranger drops in and reads what I wrote and is shocked or offended... Who cares!! I don't This isn't for them. Its for me. I don't have a message, I don't have a point and I don't give a damn.
So, the end?? NO WAY
To be continued...
You bet your sweet ass.

HTML is simple?

2007-01-30T08:06:00.001-06:00

I have to tell you about the stupid moment I had yesterday.
I was working on my "personal" website, its a very simple, basic html page (someday I'll learn that css stuff). I essentially have all my data in a table with 3 comlumns, News, Projects, and links to photo galleries. I didn't like the way the column widths were acting. Since my html is rusty, I went and looked up the code, (). I place the code as I desire it, but to no effect. I try 5 different times, and begin to bet a little irritated. Why the hell won't this work??? I check all my other tags, to make sure that I'm not missing anything. Now, this is simple html, how can I be having this many problems? I start to look and see if I can find some alternatives. There are a couple. They don't work either. I'm thinking to myself, I must have the table from hell! I assume there must be dark forces at work here. Well the dark forces happen to be in my head. Dumb dumb here, had two copies of the file on my pc. I was working on the one on my desktop, while previewing the one I had in a temp file.
Once I had the "Duh" moment, everything worked as I planned: http://xfirephotography.com/alton/

Rubber bands it is

2007-01-29T16:07:00.000-06:00

I have survived another weekend. I have decided that I really need a job where I can work 4, 10 hour days, and have a 3 day weekend. I wouldn't like to do it the way my wife does, working Monday, Tuesday, off on Wednesday, then back to work for Thursday and Friday. I need a nice 3 day weekend. That way, I still get everything done that I would on a normal weekend, but then I have a day to actually relax. I am actually more tired today than I was on Friday. Plans for this week, so far:
1) Finish portfolio and send to be printed
2) Taco Night (Friday)
3) Superbowl party (Sunday)
Sounds reasonable. I think I can actually accomplish these things. More interesting things to come, tomorrow...

They may finally be doing something right

2007-01-24T10:13:00.000-06:00

I enjoy reading. I have two "series" of books that I enjoy the most. These "series" contain books that I can read over and over again. The first "series" is Dragonlance. I can and will devote an entire session to Dragonlance. But Dragonlance is not the topic of today. Today's topic is the other series of books. The author of this series is George R. R. Martin. Don't ask me why he has two R's in the middle of his name. Its none of my business. The series is A Song of Ice and Fire. The series is as follows:
1) A Game of Thrones
2) A Clash of Kings
3) A Storm of Swords
4) A Feast for Crows
5) A Dance With Dragons (in progress)
6) The Winds of Winter (in progress)
7) A Dream of Spring (in progress)
The books are set in the fantasy realm of Westeros, a world similar to Tolkien's Middle Earth. A big difference between the two though, is that in Westeros, there is no clear cut line between good and evil. The series shows mankind as it is: flawed. If there are questions about the series, ask, because the point here is not to give you a summary, but to make an announcement. A Song of Ice and Fire will be coming to HBO! The news was released on Jan 18, 2007. My brother (who is as hooked on the series as I am) alerted me to the event. The current word is that HBO will do each book in the series as a complete season. I may have to wait a year to actually see this, but I'm sure it will be worth it.
Now, hopefully this doesn't go the way of Firefly, which may be another day's rant.

And Counting

2007-01-23T14:23:00.000-06:00

So, its been a while since I've ranted. I've been really busy. There is a big project I'm working on at work (go figure) and it is eating up my brain power. At least its a "semi-fun" project. We're putting together a music video for the upcoming leadership meeting. Joy and fun. Well, lets look at the goals for the week:
Tonight I should edit the pictures for my portfolio. I can do this while that American Idol show is on. Thats all I really care about getting done. I guess I should do some laundry and the dishes REALLY need to be done. Sounds like something else I can do while Idol is on. And onword we go with Life, in all it's excitement. Friday is Taco Night. I'm thinking 3 pork tacos and a beer this time, instead of a margarita.
Sometimes when I reflect back on all the beer I drink I feel ashamed. Then I look into the glass and think about the workers in the brewery and all of their hopes and dreams. If I didn't drink this beer, they might be out of work and their dreams would be shattered. Then I say to myself, "It is better that I drink this beer and let their dreams come true than be selfish and worry about my liver."
Jack Handy

Taco Night

2007-01-19T16:50:00.000-06:00

Here we are, Taco Night. We actually made it.
I started today early, coming into work at 6:30, and I'm ending it late. Its almost 5 and here I sit, alone in my office, with nothing but the hum of the computers to keep me company. I'm working on a video project for the Big Shots in the company, and I need a "preview" for my boss by tonight. All I can say is at least I get overtime. So, I sit while my video renders.
"No soldier can fight unless he is properly fed on beef and beer."
-John Churchill, First Duke of Marlborough

Short but to the point

2007-01-18T11:48:00.000-06:00

Tomorrow is Friday.
Finally.
So far, this week seems to be the longest week that I have had so far this year. Its not been a particularly bad week. It has just been dragging on and on. But, today is almost halfway over, and tomorrow is Friday. Tomorrow for dinner, we will be going to El Maguey. I will have 3 pork tacos and possibly a margarita. When I go to El Maguey, I always get 3 pork tacos. I have tried other things. Many other things. But my favorite at El Maguey is 3 pork tacos. Simple and easy.
Busy day here at work, so I have to get back to it.

Luck

2007-01-16T10:36:00.000-06:00

A couple of weeks ago, a friend of mine was
given a very unique opportunity. She belongs
to the Missouri National Guard and her unit is
getting deployed to Iraq. Since her unit has
been activated for a majority of the year
providing security at the airport, she was
given the choice of whether she wanted to
deploy or not. Now, anyone that knows me,
would know that I wouldn't have thought twice
about that decision. I was activated and sent
to Iraq with only 2 weeks left on an Active
Reserve contract. If someone had given me
a choice on whether or not I wanted to go, I
would have imediatly said "Hell no, thanks for
asking." Well, I guess my friend is a better
American than I am. She actually had to take
time and think about what her answer would
be. She ended up calling me, to get my
opinion, since she knew that I had been to
Iraq. Well, after hearing her situation, I told
her that I thought she should not go. After
bluntly stating my opinion, I had to try and find
out why she was even considdering the
option of going to Iraq, and convince her that
I was right. Here's how that went.
I asked why she thought she should go.
Her main reason ended up to be guilt. She
thought that mabye if she went, some guy
with a wife and kids wouldn't have to go.
Well, we all know this is BS. Uncle Sam,
being the cruel, sadistic, being that he is, will
send the poor guy with the wife and kids
anyways.
Was that all? Yeah, the seemed to be the
only real reason she thought she should go.
Guilt.
Well, I can downplay and ignore guilt. Just
ask my wife. We moved on the the reasons
she should stay. That we got narrowed down
to two fairly good ones.
1) She has her own business as a fitness
instructor. It has been going for a year, and is
doing quite well. If she were to be deployed
to Iraq for a year and a half, it would destroy
her business.
2) Do you believe in the "cause" that we are
there for? Luckily for me and my arguement,
she didn't. If she had believed in the "cause"
then I don't think that I could have convinced
her to stay.
Well, my friend made a wise decision. She
will not be making the journey to that hellish
desert. Unfortunatly, there are thousands of
others who will not be so lucky. I think whats
going on over there is futile. We can't fight an
enemy that won't fight us. They attack with
IED's and suicide bombers. How do you find
the enemy when the local population won't
help? Bottom line, I think the war is BS. I do
support the men and women of our Nation's
Armed Services, they just do what they're
told. Thats enough of this. Ranting makes me
hungry.
There is no instance of a nation
benefitting from prolonged warfare.
Sun Tzu

My New Car

2007-01-15T19:50:00.000-06:00

This is the car that I want. If I can't have a truck, I want this car. This is the Ford Interceptor. There is only one problem. This car does not yet exist. This is one of the three concept cars unveiled by Ford for 2007. I don't know what it takes for a concept car to become a real person car, but I want it to happen for this one. Here is the info:

With the introduction of the Ford Interceptor 2007, good news comes early as America's favorite muscle car debuts as a grown-up four-door sedan. The Ford Interceptor concept – based on a stretched Mustang platform – comes equipped with a manual six-speed gearbox mated to a Ford Racing 5.0-liter V-8 Cammer engine that delivers 400 horsepower and runs on E-85 ethanol.

The Interceptor concept's 5.0-liter V-8 Cammer engine is an upgraded variant of the 4.6-liter engine under the hood of the current production Mustang GT. The Cammer modular engine has powered Ford Racing's FR500C racecar to the top of the Grand Am Cup's GS class, achieving 5 victories on its way to the Drivers, Manufacturers and Team Championships in its first season of competition.

Above info from:

http://www.fordvehicles.com/autoshow/interceptorconcept/
So, I really want this car to become a reality. So do a lot of other people. The question is, will Ford provide us with what we want the most. Ford has disappointed us in the past. They discontinued the Thunderbird, and then, when they brought it back, it was a fancy car that only the rich and powerful could afford. The Contour kinda sucked. I really don't like the Focus. Its the way the exterior looks that I don't like. My brother has one and the interior is nice and it rides ok, but i just don't like the way the car looks. I like the F150, but I still say the 98-02 models look better than the current body style. I'd still drive one if I got a chance though.
Ford looks like it might be getting better though. The new Mustang is sweet. The Fusion is a step in the right direction as well. Well, I will just have to wait and see how Ford plays this one. Not that it matters anyways, I won't be in the market for a car for another 2-5 years.
Ok, thats enough for this evening.
It is only one who is thoroughly acquainted with the evils of war that can thoroughly understand the profitable way of carrying it on.
-Sun Tzu, the Art of War

The Day After Sunday

2007-01-15T11:17:00.000-06:00

So, I get to work today, and guess what? There is now power. Unfortunatly, they don't let us leave. So we sat around for about 40 minutes, then finally it came back on. We also wasted another hour and a half running checkdisk on all of our computers. Its now 9:45, and I really have no desire to start working. Not that I had a strong desire to work in the first place, but I was ready when I got here. I actually woke up early today, just in case I had to scrape a sheet of ice off of the cars. I didn't. I'm not overly disappointed though. Tomorrow, I'll be on the road all day. I leave at 5AM to head down to Springfield, MO. Then from there we head down to Fayetteville, AR. I've never been to Arkansas before. I'm not overly excited.
The weekend was good. Saturday we went to a friend's for dinner and games. We invoked the wrath of the Almighty during a round of "Imaginiff" and then I emphasized the fact that I can'd draw in a rousing game of Pictionary. Good times. Good times. Sunday, I did very little. I did some laundry, played Final Fantasy X, and watched TV. I didn't bother changing out of my PJ's all day. That was nice.
My wife has now joined the crusade of bloggers. If you take a look on the left side of the page, you'll see the link. Did you figure it out? I'm so proud of you. I'm supposed to leave a comment, but haven't gotten to yet. I'll have to watch what I say, sarcasm doesn't seem to translate well into the typed word.
What goals do I have for this week?
1) Stay awake while I drive all over the place tomorrow
2) Finish the laundry
3) Put together my portfolio (photography)
4) Finish working on the website
I think that is more than enough to keep me occupied for the next five days. Ok, time to seriously get to

Gaming

2007-01-12T11:22:00.001-06:00

I'm a gamer at heart. But not it the current sense of the word. I am not the "Joystick Jocky" or the "Keyboard Commando" that dominates todays game market. I do own a PS2 and an Xbox. I also have 2 computers. I do have the potential to be one of today's "modern gamers". One problem is time. I don't have the time to devote 10 hours a week to a game. I'm lucky if I can play for 2-3 hours. Another problem is finding a game I actually want to play. I am quite choosey when it comes to the games I play. I can't play first person shooters (I get motion sickness or some other BS from them). As far as MMORPGS, most require a monthly fee to play. I can understand that it takes money for server upkeep, and hosting (I do have some computer knowledge). I feel that if you are going to charge a monthly fee for your game, don't charge me for the game. Or if you charge for the game, don't charge a monthly fee. Guild Wars does not have a monthly fee. I know severaly people that play it and they all love it. It is the one MMORPG that I actually own. It just comes back to the time problem. I don't have the time to devote to the game. At least with Guild Wars, I don't feel guilty about not playing, since I'm not paying for it each month. It is rare for me to find a game I can really get in to. Here's the list of video games I enjoyed:
-The Black Cauldron
-The Bard's Tale II
-Diablo
-Diablo II
-Dungeon Siege
-Neverwinter Nights
-Fable
This is a very short list when you think of how many thousands of games are out there. I'm sure there are a few more that I would enjoy. But I eliminate the FP shooters, and sports games. The Sims, kinda boring. I mainly like the RPG's.
I'm trying to play Final Fantasy X right now. It seems more like I'm in a movie than a game where I get to make actual choices. I have yet to find a game that meets my expectations or gives me what I actually want.
Here's what I would like to see:
-I would like a MMORPG set in the Dragonlance world, post War of the Lance.
-Complete interaction with the world around me (if I want to chop down a tree and burn it, I should be able to. If there is a cliff, let me jump off it. I want to be able to pick a rock off the ground and use it to smash an NPC in the head if I don't like what they told me.)
-I want more control. Of any and everything.
-I'd like to take over and GM for a while (like you could with Neverwinter Nights)
-Little to no monthly fee (I'm not sure what the average fee is for an online game, but look at this: Game is released for $50. 100 people buy it to play and will play for a year. You give them the first month free. So they will need to pay for 11 months of service. Lets charge $5 a month. I feel this is reasonable. So at the start, you've got $5000. Add the service and you get $10500 a year. Now imagine if the game was really good. If you had 500 customers, you could get $52000 the first year. And thats just for "Server upkeep and hosting".)

Well, I don't see any of that happening soon.

But, to visit the point I originally wanted to make, I am a gamer at heart. After reading the above statements, you may call me a lier. I am NOT a video gamer though. My real gaming experience hearkens back to the days of Pen and Paper RPG's. Gaming face to face, as opposed to monitor to monitor. Gaming that is completely open ended. In my day, I played DND, Star Wars, Mechwarrior, Rifts, and many others. I also liked the tabletop wargaming such as Warhammer and Necromunda. Call me a geek, dork, whatever, I don't give a shit. Why is Video Gaming cool, and Pen and Paper not? If I tell someone that I play DND, they look at me like I have a third nipple growing out of my head. If I told them that I play Halo, then I'd be the coolest thing next to cheese in a can.
My plea to gamers out there: "Look at your roots."
Check out the old games, and the old Gamers.

For Seriously

2007-01-12T09:08:00.000-06:00

Ah, at last Friday has come. This is the day we have been waiting for since Sunday night. I'm glad that I finally have a "9 to 5" (7:30 - 4:30 technically) job. All of my previous jobs had been "odd hour" jobs. In the past I have worked as a Lifeguard (in numerous places), merchandising at Best Buy, sales associate at Sears Hardware, and worked in a call center. While working those jobs, I really never had a real weekend. It was rare that I actually got two days off in a row. Now, with a regular job, I know that I will have Saturday and Sunday off. Very nice.
To continue my VS theme from yesterday, here is one more:

Star Wars VS Star Trek-
No contest here, Star Wars is all about military power. Star Trek likes to explore. The Enterprise vs an Emperial Star Destroyer, thats a joke. Don't get me wrong, I like Picard and Kirk, but they just don't have the Force.
Winner=Star Wars

Coming Soon:
80's Cartoons VS Today's Cartoons

I realize that most people blog about current events or other "meaningful" things. Well current events piss me off. I don't want to think about 20k+ more Marines and Soldiers (and Navy and Air Force too) getting sent over to Iraq. I've been there. It sucks. There has been fighting over there for hundreds of years. Why the hell do we think we can go over there and resolve it in a matter of 2-5 years? Its NOT going to happen. Ok, thats it for now.

Today's blog is sponsored by "Free Work Coffee," it not the best coffee in the world, but its free and I can drink it all day. Other sponsors include the letter "Q" and the number "32".

Raft VS Canoe

2007-01-11T15:38:00.001-06:00

My first "Official" blog. What topic to choose. There are so many available. I am the type to rant on the strangest of things. I can also jump from topic to topic without warning. Readers beware. As you all know, summer is on its way. One of my favorite summer activities is the...
You guessed it, the Float Trip.
I have a debate every year with my friends; do we float in rafts, or canoes?
If you know me, then you know that I prefer the raft. I have had my share of fun in a canoe, don't get me wrong, but I have found the raft to be far superior. Let’s compare:
Canoe

Lightweight

Easy to maneuver

Easy to flip

Maximum capacity of 3 people

Raft

Soft and cushy (Great for napping on the side)

Nearly impossible to flip

Glides silently through the river

Holds up to 8 people, plus coolers!

The raft is the obvious choice for the Float Tripper that favors heavy socialization and a nice relaxing trip down the river. If you're in a hurry, take a canoe, otherwise, enjoy life, that's what brought you out in the first place.
Tonight the planning will begin for my 2007 Float Trip. Let the games begin.