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Another Course Down, Time here almost up
Finished another Master's class. I'm moving out of my apartment soon. Heading to the West coast for training, then East coast for vacation, and then a long time away from home. Gotta see and do all sorts of things before i go. Not a very well written post, i know, but it's just a quick check in.
What I've been watching
Most of you know i don't have cable. Main reason being i hate paying so much and getting mostly reruns, infomercials, commercials, and channels i'll never watch. Did you know there is a channel that only does animal auctions? Anyway, I do try to keep up with tv and watch on my own time. The local TV here is horrible, they often trump NBC Thursdays with local high school sports. So, how do i watch tv? Well I subscribe to Hulu, Amazon Prime, and Netflix. Beyond that I buy shows on iTunes and Amazon. Does it cost too much? Not really, for about 30 dollars a month, i get to watch all the same shows most people do. Right now i can't watch Dexter, Spartacus, or anything super protected. But I do get to catch several shows each week, here is what i'm watching:
The Office, The Daily Show, The Colbert Report, The Walking Dead, Gold Rush, Archer, Community, Lat night with Jimmy Fallon, 30 Rock, Tosh.0, South Park, a bunch of classics like Pretender, LOST, BSG, Earl, and a lot of British shows i might not have seen before.
That's a lot of TV so i don't get to watch all i want. It works out well.
Anyway, if you have a show you think i'd like, let me know. I'm heading to a place where internet isn't so prevalent, so i'm buying lots of TV series and books.
Between work, school, working out, other things like medical issues, and the need to get sleep once in a while, i tend to miss some of the big shows people love. Example: Patton Oswalt seems to love Downton Abbey, i'd love to see an episode.
The Office, The Daily Show, The Colbert Report, The Walking Dead, Gold Rush, Archer, Community, Lat night with Jimmy Fallon, 30 Rock, Tosh.0, South Park, a bunch of classics like Pretender, LOST, BSG, Earl, and a lot of British shows i might not have seen before.
That's a lot of TV so i don't get to watch all i want. It works out well.
Anyway, if you have a show you think i'd like, let me know. I'm heading to a place where internet isn't so prevalent, so i'm buying lots of TV series and books.
Between work, school, working out, other things like medical issues, and the need to get sleep once in a while, i tend to miss some of the big shows people love. Example: Patton Oswalt seems to love Downton Abbey, i'd love to see an episode.
Moving soon
So stand by for a couple of posts highlighting the things i'd like to sell. In the meantime here's the share of the Green Bay Packers I now own!
So there you have it.
Anyway I'm looking to sell my Apartment aimed Roland Drum Kit, My leather couch, my Microsuede Futon, My old 19" TV, a few bookshelves, lots of clothes, books, and magazines. If you live near Minot, ND and need something for your place, leave a comment of what it is and i'll get back to you. Thanks!
So there you have it.
Anyway I'm looking to sell my Apartment aimed Roland Drum Kit, My leather couch, my Microsuede Futon, My old 19" TV, a few bookshelves, lots of clothes, books, and magazines. If you live near Minot, ND and need something for your place, leave a comment of what it is and i'll get back to you. Thanks!
The NFL and Socialism Factories
I have a vested interest now in the NFL, just became part owner of the Green Bay Packers based off of their shareholder sale. It's not like a normal share where i would expect a return of profit, just keeping the rich tradition of the Green Bay Packers being a community owned organization alive. The shareholder sale lasts until Feb 29th, so if you want in on the 4th sale of shares from the organization, you have until then to donate the 275 dollars.
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Socialism Factories
Rick Santorum appeals to those who believe success (not necessarily financial) can be found in not attending higher level education. He also believes that higher level education is far more likely to produce socialists. I believe it increases options and opportunities in an increasingly globalized economy where you are competing against far more people for the same jobs. I also believe in choices and keeping opportunities available for those willing to work hard who just don't currently have the resources to attend college. If an increase in Social Responsibility with increased financial success makes me a socialist, then I guess you can label me that. I agree blue collar jobs are necessary, I also believe that there are far more people competing for far fewer jobs in that realm as time goes on. I know that jobs requiring increased training and education are going unfilled due to lack of qualified personnel. So it only seems natural to me that we'd like to increase the number of qualified individuals to fill those slots. Even if it is through highly specified community college degrees. It's not looking down on those without degrees, it's looking out for them. If a plant closes down, if a career field is wiped out by a technological breakthrough, if a company moves overseas because people there do the same job for a tenth of what a person here does it for, there needs to be a backup plan. And if you hate social welfare programs that act as a safety net, then i do not see how you can be against being preemptive about that situation by increasing opportunities to succeed.
Followup: How either Santorum has his numbers wrong, or is being intentionally misleading
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Socialism Factories
Rick Santorum appeals to those who believe success (not necessarily financial) can be found in not attending higher level education. He also believes that higher level education is far more likely to produce socialists. I believe it increases options and opportunities in an increasingly globalized economy where you are competing against far more people for the same jobs. I also believe in choices and keeping opportunities available for those willing to work hard who just don't currently have the resources to attend college. If an increase in Social Responsibility with increased financial success makes me a socialist, then I guess you can label me that. I agree blue collar jobs are necessary, I also believe that there are far more people competing for far fewer jobs in that realm as time goes on. I know that jobs requiring increased training and education are going unfilled due to lack of qualified personnel. So it only seems natural to me that we'd like to increase the number of qualified individuals to fill those slots. Even if it is through highly specified community college degrees. It's not looking down on those without degrees, it's looking out for them. If a plant closes down, if a career field is wiped out by a technological breakthrough, if a company moves overseas because people there do the same job for a tenth of what a person here does it for, there needs to be a backup plan. And if you hate social welfare programs that act as a safety net, then i do not see how you can be against being preemptive about that situation by increasing opportunities to succeed.
Followup: How either Santorum has his numbers wrong, or is being intentionally misleading
who doesn't love a good conspiracy theory
So the question will be "who fired on us first?" was it the Iranians, was it the Israelis, or was it ourselves (it's happened before). Just kidding, it won't matter who did it, just that it did.
Iran deploys naval vessels into Mediterranean
The simplest explanation is usually the correct one though. The US doesn't care for war, Israel would rather not have to resort to it, and Iran.... well I don't think anyone truly knows what their goal is.
I am hoping for peace. Best case scenario I could see is that we find a less harmful form of nuclear technology (research being done on other nuclear fuels such as Thorium), and we give the Iranians that technology. They would get the energy they claim they want, it wouldn't be overtly harmful, and it would be a great way to see the new technology in play. Everybody wins and no one dies. Wouldn't that be a good compromise?
/end rant
Iran deploys naval vessels into Mediterranean
The simplest explanation is usually the correct one though. The US doesn't care for war, Israel would rather not have to resort to it, and Iran.... well I don't think anyone truly knows what their goal is.
I am hoping for peace. Best case scenario I could see is that we find a less harmful form of nuclear technology (research being done on other nuclear fuels such as Thorium), and we give the Iranians that technology. They would get the energy they claim they want, it wouldn't be overtly harmful, and it would be a great way to see the new technology in play. Everybody wins and no one dies. Wouldn't that be a good compromise?
/end rant
I made a shirt
on Facebook. I call it Fries N' Frosty, you know you do it too when you are at Wendy's. So help me out by voting for it at facebook, and if you want to create your own, do it! they limit the graphics, colors, and text you can use.
My Wendy's T Shirt Design! Please Vote for it!
here's the link.
My Wendy's T Shirt Design! Please Vote for it!
here's the link.
House and Camaro
If i had 300 thousand dollars i'd buy a house and Chevrolet Camaro. I'd keep my new car, but i'd also have a car that makes me happy every time i get to drive it.
So plan A. figure out how to get a down payment on a house.
Plan B. be so good at plan A, that i have enough discretionary income to afford a new car. (Imperial Blue 2LT Camaro, silver interior)
I really need a vacation, but it seems every time i do, it costs about 1000 dollars to just leave this place with no destination. Then it costs about 1000 dollars for a week of hotels. Then if i want to eat and do stuff wherever it is i am it costs 1000.
So i have to figure out how to take a vacation without leaving. That's 3k straight away for a down payment.
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External Factor 1: I have no idea where i'm going to be living in a year. Until i do, i can't find a house with a reasonable price. I'm 100% certain that my mortgage will be less than my current rent (1200 dollars a month for a 2br with underground parking, no utilities, no water, no smoking, evacuation points in the bedrooms)
External Factor 2: houses cost a lot of money... stop it. Do you know how to buy a foreclosed house? teach me oh wise people... I would love a 200k house for 100k. Or like the ads seem to indicate a 200k house for 10k.
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How i'm gonna do it:
1. Pay off student loans Next Month WOOOOOOOOOO
2. Pay off credit cards March WOOOOOOO
3. Pay off more of my new car loan this year.
4. work on the rest.
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I heard a story recently about people who tried to get 1 million dollars in a month, i wonder how it's feasible in 5 years...
The math says 200k a year of unspent income, no interest. 548 dollars a day.
how does a person do that?
oh well i'm done rambling, just wanted to say that my 5 year plan is a house and a summer car. I'd say wife and kids, but at this point i'm pretty aware that no women out there are attracted to me. After the 300th woman over the last 8 years or so says no to a date, you kinda give up and go on a bachelor spending spree.
So plan A. figure out how to get a down payment on a house.
Plan B. be so good at plan A, that i have enough discretionary income to afford a new car. (Imperial Blue 2LT Camaro, silver interior)
I really need a vacation, but it seems every time i do, it costs about 1000 dollars to just leave this place with no destination. Then it costs about 1000 dollars for a week of hotels. Then if i want to eat and do stuff wherever it is i am it costs 1000.
So i have to figure out how to take a vacation without leaving. That's 3k straight away for a down payment.
-------------------------
External Factor 1: I have no idea where i'm going to be living in a year. Until i do, i can't find a house with a reasonable price. I'm 100% certain that my mortgage will be less than my current rent (1200 dollars a month for a 2br with underground parking, no utilities, no water, no smoking, evacuation points in the bedrooms)
External Factor 2: houses cost a lot of money... stop it. Do you know how to buy a foreclosed house? teach me oh wise people... I would love a 200k house for 100k. Or like the ads seem to indicate a 200k house for 10k.
---------------------------
How i'm gonna do it:
1. Pay off student loans Next Month WOOOOOOOOOO
2. Pay off credit cards March WOOOOOOO
3. Pay off more of my new car loan this year.
4. work on the rest.
-----------------------------
I heard a story recently about people who tried to get 1 million dollars in a month, i wonder how it's feasible in 5 years...
The math says 200k a year of unspent income, no interest. 548 dollars a day.
how does a person do that?
oh well i'm done rambling, just wanted to say that my 5 year plan is a house and a summer car. I'd say wife and kids, but at this point i'm pretty aware that no women out there are attracted to me. After the 300th woman over the last 8 years or so says no to a date, you kinda give up and go on a bachelor spending spree.
Fitness Trackers!
Alright folks i need a bit of help. You see, today Nike unveiled a very sexy device called the Nike+ Fuelband. I'm pretty sure it tracks everything you could ever think of. A math oriented athlete's best friend. Pre-orders sold out within about an hour, and i missed my chance because i was at work showcasing my job to a Senator. Story for another time. We know the Fuelband hits the market starting 22 Feb. My question to you is fairly obvious:
How does it compare to using a fitbit?
Price
Right off the bat a Fitbit (at least the plum colored one) is retailing at 99 dollars for the newest model including free shipping. The Nike+ Fuelband is going for 150 dollars.
Features
Nike+ Fuelband boasts connectivity to every device you use daily, the phone, the ipod, your computer. You set a goal and using its accelerometer and i'm sure other patented technologies, it gives you credits "fuel" towards your goal. You can drum, or do jumping jacks, or walk, climb stairs, and i'm hoping it tracks skydives too. There isn't much other info out there about it, obviously not out in public yet, but i'd love to get my hands on one and see how it shapes the way i workout. Nike+ is a tool i use to track running, but i don't track all my movements all day, and i get no credit for stopping, knocking out 50 pushups, 50 flutterkicks, 50 jumping jacks, and 50 situps before hitting another mile pretty hard.
Fitbit is another product i'd like to get, and up until last night when i heard Nike was announcing something that could augment Nike+ i was all set to buy a Fitbit. Here's what their latest model offers. It looks like a pedometer and an accelerometer had a baby, clips to your belt easily and tracks your basic movements throughout the day. They sell little leashes for them so i imagine they fall off and get lost easily, at that price i would be unhappy. But what you can do with the info from the device seems to be a big selling point. Log activity, food intake, see your goals, and a few other online features help you turn your numbers into something visual and real as opposed to just saying "i had a good workout today". Even the best athletes keep good logs of what they do, makes sense that the statistically motivated/ competitive among us should do the same. One other key feature in the latest model is the sleep tracker. I'd be curious to see how well that info works. I use a similar app on the ipod that slowly wakes me when i'm at the lightest stage of sleep (it's called sleep cycle, and you'll love it). The part i'm not liking about this product is how aimed it is at those people "too busy to workout". It seems directed at those for whom walking will be an upgrade in their workout regime. The ads suggest the demographic might be a busy 30 something soccer mom, but i do have friends around my age using the product for now. Will they switch to the fuelband to track more than just steps? we'll see, but i'd like to hear more stories about fitbit to see how it has helped you achieve whatever fitness goals you have.
Wearability
Nike+ Fuelband is a conservative little wristband, something you can show off if you'd like, but looks no different than a livestrong style watch. Plus it has a usb port built in to charge. Has bluetooth to sync if you want to that way, and works rather seamlessly with the ipod/iphone app.
Fitbit is a better designed pedometer that clips to your waist. it comes in two colors, for some reason plum (looks pink to me) is 10 dollars cheaper than their baby blue color. it has a charging station that also senses your device and automatically uploads your info when you are near it. that's pretty cool.
if i had either i'm pretty sure i'd show it off, i mean half the fun is sharing your successes and failures with these devices. I know that some of my most angry workouts are when i run 5 miles and the nike+ app decides it didn't want to record any of that, and so i miss my goal for the week. I know i did the workout and i feel great, but there is not statistical evidence to back that up.
Anyway, another question i'd like to ask is: what's the recharge time and how long does a charge last for either device?
If you the casual internet person can help me decide which device to go with i'd be very appreciative. If you have stories or more info on these products, say you were sent an advanced copy of the fuelband, tell me what makes it so great! If it doesn't do what it says, tell me that too.
Here are the websites for you to enjoy, if you have a 3rd product (like Switch 2 Health... my s2h watch hasn't properly counted my workouts in about 4 months, hence the need to switch)
http://www.nike.com/fuelband
http://www.fitbit.com
http://www.s2h.com
alright, it's late, i'm tired, and you've all been helpful.
-Jeff
How does it compare to using a fitbit?
Price
Right off the bat a Fitbit (at least the plum colored one) is retailing at 99 dollars for the newest model including free shipping. The Nike+ Fuelband is going for 150 dollars.
Features
Nike+ Fuelband boasts connectivity to every device you use daily, the phone, the ipod, your computer. You set a goal and using its accelerometer and i'm sure other patented technologies, it gives you credits "fuel" towards your goal. You can drum, or do jumping jacks, or walk, climb stairs, and i'm hoping it tracks skydives too. There isn't much other info out there about it, obviously not out in public yet, but i'd love to get my hands on one and see how it shapes the way i workout. Nike+ is a tool i use to track running, but i don't track all my movements all day, and i get no credit for stopping, knocking out 50 pushups, 50 flutterkicks, 50 jumping jacks, and 50 situps before hitting another mile pretty hard.
Fitbit is another product i'd like to get, and up until last night when i heard Nike was announcing something that could augment Nike+ i was all set to buy a Fitbit. Here's what their latest model offers. It looks like a pedometer and an accelerometer had a baby, clips to your belt easily and tracks your basic movements throughout the day. They sell little leashes for them so i imagine they fall off and get lost easily, at that price i would be unhappy. But what you can do with the info from the device seems to be a big selling point. Log activity, food intake, see your goals, and a few other online features help you turn your numbers into something visual and real as opposed to just saying "i had a good workout today". Even the best athletes keep good logs of what they do, makes sense that the statistically motivated/ competitive among us should do the same. One other key feature in the latest model is the sleep tracker. I'd be curious to see how well that info works. I use a similar app on the ipod that slowly wakes me when i'm at the lightest stage of sleep (it's called sleep cycle, and you'll love it). The part i'm not liking about this product is how aimed it is at those people "too busy to workout". It seems directed at those for whom walking will be an upgrade in their workout regime. The ads suggest the demographic might be a busy 30 something soccer mom, but i do have friends around my age using the product for now. Will they switch to the fuelband to track more than just steps? we'll see, but i'd like to hear more stories about fitbit to see how it has helped you achieve whatever fitness goals you have.
Wearability
Nike+ Fuelband is a conservative little wristband, something you can show off if you'd like, but looks no different than a livestrong style watch. Plus it has a usb port built in to charge. Has bluetooth to sync if you want to that way, and works rather seamlessly with the ipod/iphone app.
Fitbit is a better designed pedometer that clips to your waist. it comes in two colors, for some reason plum (looks pink to me) is 10 dollars cheaper than their baby blue color. it has a charging station that also senses your device and automatically uploads your info when you are near it. that's pretty cool.
if i had either i'm pretty sure i'd show it off, i mean half the fun is sharing your successes and failures with these devices. I know that some of my most angry workouts are when i run 5 miles and the nike+ app decides it didn't want to record any of that, and so i miss my goal for the week. I know i did the workout and i feel great, but there is not statistical evidence to back that up.
Anyway, another question i'd like to ask is: what's the recharge time and how long does a charge last for either device?
If you the casual internet person can help me decide which device to go with i'd be very appreciative. If you have stories or more info on these products, say you were sent an advanced copy of the fuelband, tell me what makes it so great! If it doesn't do what it says, tell me that too.
Here are the websites for you to enjoy, if you have a 3rd product (like Switch 2 Health... my s2h watch hasn't properly counted my workouts in about 4 months, hence the need to switch)
http://www.nike.com/fuelband
http://www.fitbit.com
http://www.s2h.com
alright, it's late, i'm tired, and you've all been helpful.
-Jeff
It's 1 30 AM
and i got back from work at Midnight. 70 hours of work between last sunday and this sunday, and i'm tired.
so before i head to bed i just wanted to say it seems kinda dumb how often i like the girls i can't have.
logic 1: i like what i know i can't have
logic 2: the kind of things i like other people like
logic 3: it truly is the case that i don't know what i like until it is too late.
what am i missing here people?
Here's the movie i watched yesterday night:
so before i head to bed i just wanted to say it seems kinda dumb how often i like the girls i can't have.
logic 1: i like what i know i can't have
logic 2: the kind of things i like other people like
logic 3: it truly is the case that i don't know what i like until it is too late.
what am i missing here people?
Here's the movie i watched yesterday night:
I did it
Despite the odds and time being stacked against me, i did the two hypothetical taskers mentioned before plus the third one they added once i got there. All bologna and could have waited until the work week though. Also instructed the 4 hour sim on top of that. Watched the last two minutes of the SF game, watch a few minutes of the Broncos loss, and got home past midnight from work.
Now to undo all the uggy feeling from what was a rather painful for no reason sort of day i am going to listen to the following clip from DCI championship's 2011. The Troopers infinity chord:
Now to undo all the uggy feeling from what was a rather painful for no reason sort of day i am going to listen to the following clip from DCI championship's 2011. The Troopers infinity chord:
