Friday, December 20, 2013

Evolving Christmas List

So my mom among others has been requesting a list of things that I'd like for Christmas. I am way behind in fulfilling this simple request because I really feel like I have (within reason) everything I want. I have a smart, funny, and beautiful wife. I have a wonderful dog, and two cats who use their litter-box. When it comes to my computers, honestly what I need most of all is restraint. I usually spend a bit much on them keeping them near the top of the line without going overboard (IMHO - YMMV).

Really the most useful thing people could give me for Christmas is clothes. I really dislike clothes shopping. I really don't have the skill of imagining what a piece of clothing will look like when I'm wearing it; let alone what it would look like in like an outfit. If I try to buy anything but jeans a t-shirts I almost always mess it up somehow. Good news is as construction electrician I tend to go through jeans and t-shirts at an alarming rate, so I need those too.

Pants size: Waist 36 - Length 30
Shirt size: Large
Hoodie size: Extra Large

Right now the clothes I most need are pants and long sleeve warm shirts. I really don't like anything fleece,or plaid. My favorite pants are the Flex Fire Hose from Duluth Trading Co.

If you do want to buy me some electronic stuff I do have a small list. These are fairly high dollar items; I'm not expecting to get these things as gifts. It's just sort of my current wish list of computer parts:

ASUS VG248QE Black 24" 144Hz 1ms (GTG) HDMI Widescreen LED Backlight LCD 3D Monitor
Thermaltake Toughpower XT TPX-1375M 1375W Power Supply
Western Digital RE4 WD2003FYYS 2TB 7200 RPM 64MB Cache SATA Hard Drive Bare
(I really can't have too many of those hard drives...)

When it comes to computer parts the list just gets more and more silly after that.... I really do need to get a couple of those monitors. I want to compete/play in a LAN event here in Portland in Febuary and I recently discovered that my monitor is both too slow and is actually wearing out. It's lost a tremendous amount of contrast over the years. Any web forms that have light grey lines in them are impossible for me to fill out because this monitor can't display them.

So to sum up! I don't need presents. I don't need presents. I don't need presents. If you want to get me something awesomely useful, buy me a pair of pants. Doesn't have to be expensive, check at the thrift store; for reals.

No matter what; please just know that I love you my wonderful family and friends! Happy holidays and merry christmas to you all!

Monday, December 16, 2013

A Happy Birthday

I had a very nice birthday party with a few friends yesterday. The homemade carrot cake was definitely the highlight of the party. I even won a game of Settlers of Catan later in the evening.



Wednesday, December 11, 2013

Unpackng, before.

Some of my relatives have been asking to see my new place, so I've decided to do a before and after.  Here is a panorama of the living room in which I've done very little unpacking.  I'll follow up with an after photo as soon as I have one. :-)

Thursday, December 05, 2013

The moving van is here!

As many of you dear readers may already know Gretchen and I are moving to the vicinity of Portland OR. We for the past three weeks have been working hard to secure new lodgings, pack, and move; but mostly to fix up all the little things on the house to help make it attractive to a buyer. It's been exhausting, and frankly the next three days might prove to be the hardest. The house is pretty much all fixed up, we are hoping to do a bit more painting, and now comes the heavy lifting (my favorite part). The rented moving van is in our diveway and all of our worldly possessions must go into it, or to the garbage dump!

I've already made one trip with Gretchens truck and a trailer; both full of many of our heaviest things. But there is still quite a bit left to go. Everything in the Garage, Shed, Kitchen, Living room, Store room, Under the stairs, Gretchen's Office, My computer room, and the master bedroom. Thursday and especially Friday are going to be days of intense packing.

Wish us luck!

Friday, November 15, 2013

Selling and Moving

Gretchen and I are working very hard to gussy up our home to help get it sold. Unfortunately the new kitchen countertops won't be installed untill December 2nd. So our new plan is to move about December 6th. I've got to go get back to it; got some doors to hang and a wall to build!

Wednesday, September 25, 2013

Tuesday, September 17, 2013

Missing the Mentkowski's

At first I didn't understand. I mean it was functional, thoughtful, and fun:  unwrapping a Bonne Bell Lip-Smacker from my Christmas stocking every year.  But I don't really use lip balm... 

I must have known, even then, somewhere in my subconscious what they really meant; or would mean to me.  I kept every one.

There is only one repeat, watermelon.  I miss you Sue & Tim.

Friday, September 06, 2013

One of these thing is not like the other.

OK, I've heard that people have strong opinions about this... Which one is 'correct' for you?  I like the right hand (front dispensing) one, but as long as it's not empty I'm a happy camper.  :-)

Tuesday, August 27, 2013

Wikipedia

Wikipedia seems to be asking for money again.  IMHO they are the single most powerful source of information equity in the world today. 

Consider how printed newspapers have died because of competition on the internet.  Consider how book sellers are dying because of book selling on the internet.  Even printed books are struggling; mostly (Again IMHO) because the publishing industry (Like the recording industry, and the movie industry.....) can't handle such a powerful shift of format and the resulting shift in supply vs demand....  

Anyway the point is, libraries can't grow if there are no books.  Soon libraries (The ones that aren't on line anyway) might stagnate and die.

Wikipedia, and places like the Kahn academy, will be the only public repositories of knowledge that the planet will have left.  Forget the 10,000 year clock...  Lets all donate enough money to Jimmy Wales so that he can build a facility to house Wikipedia for 10,000 years.  Or just give 3$ and feel good about keeping a good thing going.

I don't feel guilt when I see the Wikipedia banner asking for money; I get excited about being asked to help.   It's our information, it's our Wikipedia; and it could be REALLY important.

.....  so if Kahn academy (and others) are for education, Wikipedia for facts, and most of the rest of the internet is for fiction; where do we put history?