Please come to www.JulioMedina.com and bookmark me there.
The first thing he asked me was, "So what are you looking for in the next man?"
1/21/08
1/15/08
I`m Baaaaaaaacccck
I will be online this weekend and update this blog etc...Thanks for all the letters and everything. I will get more detailed later I just wanted to let everyone know I am alive and well and ready to be back in the blog world
1/11/08
Some pictures!
Here are some pictures we got from Julio!
Julio had the chance to be with his family yesterday. Today, he gets to be free and off-base for several hours with his family. Tomorrow, he will be at the San Antonio Spurs game. His sister said they are making signs so they will get on TV.
As soon as we get a new address for him, we will post it. Thank you for praying for my friend.
-JC
1/2/08
Above is the first letter that I received from Julio address to "Blog." He wanted me to post it as a picture on here. We'll see how legible it is. I may have to translate it. Just so you know, since this letter was written, he has received more mail. He got two of my letters. Continue to pray for him. He is looking to be out by January 11th!
-JC
PS- If you click on the photo, it will enlarge.
12/21/07
UPDATED ADDRESS
Julio has only received one letter! That's bad! I have sent him two....I know Al and Cuppa have sent letters. He had given us a wrong letter in his address. Here is the new one.
AB Medina, Julio, C
331 TRS/FLT 107 Dorm A-1\
1320 TRUEMPER ST Unit 369555
Lackland AFB, TX 78236-5570
Please send him letters! He needs the support.
We believe that he passed the exam (inspection) that he was taking. That is a good thing. Anyway, keep him in your prayers this Christmas season. Only about another month, and he'll be done with basic!
-JC
12/12/07
UPDATE FROM JULIO!!
Julio got a chance to call his mother earlier this week. He wanted to let everyone know that he has an important evaluation scheduled for tomorrow, December 13th. He would like for everyone to pray for him. He will be graduating from basic anywhere between January 10 - 13. Your prayers are definitely wanted and needed.
The only other thing that he said was that he really wanted to get a lot of Christmas cards! My wife and I already sent one to him yesterday. That would be a great thing for everyone to do. Little things like that could be used to keep his spirits up.
Julio's address is in the post below. Please send cards, but most of all, please pray. Christmas away from friends and family will be difficult.
-JC
12/2/07
Julio's Address
We finally made contact with Julio. He asks that everyone write him. Make sure you send him stamps so he can write back. Any letters that I receive will be posted (with pictures) as soon as they are received. There are only two things that we can do for Julio while he is gone. One is to pray for him. Second is to write to him.
AB Medina, Julio, C
331 TRS/SLT 107 Dorm A-1
1320 TRUEMPER ST Unit 369555
Lackland AFB, TX 78236-5570
-JC
11/24/07
May I have your attention please....
Family,Friends,Readers and Random people that happen to run across this post,
I did not get to say bye to everybody and spend as much time as I would have like to with everyone and the last couple weeks went by so quick that I am still wondering where all the time went LOL! I just wanted to take this time and let you know that I will not have Internet for 8 weeks and no phone either. I will be having my address posted on my blog as soon as I can so keep checking back and write to me. I`ll admit I hate writing letters and I am sure you do too. Especially Bloggers. Who uses the regular mail anymore!?! But mail will be very encouraging so I am not asking for a life update (unless you want too) Even a postcard would be cool. I will be in basic for Christmas and New Years so....Merry Christmas and Happy New Year! I am excited for 2008. I look forward to hearing from all of you.
-Julio
P.S. If we are friends on myspace and facebook....Do not remove me from your 'top friends' just cause I can`t come on for 8 weeks!! LOL.
The transition from friend to family...
This was the best Birthday Card that I have ever received PERIOD. And it could not have come at a better time than my 25th Birthday and the next chapter of my life as I prepare for military life.
Beau Bloem, My Friend and My Brother. We met @ Registration line for College...Both had issues with our files and neither of us really wanted to be there. (LOL) Well, we became friends,Saw each other around and hung out a couple times here and there.I`ll cut some of the boring stuff out. I stayed in the area in Indiana one year and when the fall came back around, I knew I did not want to go back to college and I had talked to Beau, We were both going through some crazy times and got an apartment in Scary Hammond, IN. Hahaha...We would have never known that moving into that place would come as far as it has to this day. Beau being from PA and my Mom was living in Brewster, NY at the time so we lived like 3 hours from each other, We would take trips back to the east coast on weekends for no reason, Just cause we felt like it. We would leave Chicago on a Friday night and drive all night long get there and spend Saturday and part of Sunday and leave late on Sunday to be back in time for work on Monday. Sounds crazy huh? It is looking back it now that I am a little older but I would trade an of those trips for the world.
Beau was in the car accident with me when I got hit by a semi and broke my arm. He has been there through some of my worst times in life and he has been there through some of what I consider to be the highlights of my life. You know, when you live with somebody it would probably be easy to say you would fight and find things you disagree on and do things differently, I have never one time in 7 years fought with Beau, We became close enough to know where the limits were and how to give each other the space that we needed through stressful times or just life in general. Did we ever get on each others nerves? Yeah maybe at some point but never anything crazy or anything to really stand out. Put it this way...The relationship that I have with Beau Bloem is coveted by many. Understandable? Maybe a little but guess what?? You can`t replace something like that no matter how hard you try and me leaving is not the answer. ;)
I got really close with Beau over the years to where the friendship pretty much turned into a brotherhood really. I got to meet all of his family and got pretty close with all of them as well to where I will call and ask his dad for his opinion and advise and his mom is one of the sweetest most genuine women in the world and you can feel it in any conversation you have with her. As many know I even dated his little sister for a while. That alone is another testament to the strength of our relationship. But to give us both credit we really kept the 2 relationships separate so it was no big deal when things did`nt work out between us and not even awkwardness with the family. (W e are still friends.) Alot of people made several assumptions as to why I was going into the military etc..Beau knows me better than anyone and you know what I learned? Many people in this life can and will "Believe in you" and some may even make it a fact. But you know when you really know if someone Believes in you or not? When they accept you for who you really are and don`t care about anything else. Guess what people...We all have flaws and things that we should change about ourselves ( I believe that strongly that nobody knows us better than we know ourselves.) But rarely if ever do you find someone that you can really be yourself around and know that everything is ok. It`s really an Unconditional love for another. I know what it`s like to feel that way.
So Beau...My Friend and Brother, I wanted to take this chance to thank you for everything that you have done for me publicly and tell you that even though we may not be room mates anymore and for a while there will be no more being Crazy Kids breaking Stink Bombs in the back of a 7-11, Or crawling through the tall weeds and brush in Harrison Park ( hahaha (; ) , Making hanous shopping lists and getting pissed off when they get questioned (hahahaha Brian this one was for you,Squirms) or Talking crazy to the people @ the drive thru`s of fast food chains and all the hilarious things that we did, It means nothing for the things that we will carry in our hearts. With all the crazy things we went through it`s safe to say in some respects that we really did grow up together. I love you man...Keep strong.
-Julio
11/22/07
Thanks for the bad things.
I got this from my Friend Jen and I thought it was awesome. It really is easy to think of "good" things to be thankful for but how about all the hard stuff that you go through on an everyday basis living life? Looking back they make you who you are...
Be thankful that you don't already have everything you desire.
If you did, what would there be to look forward to?
Be thankful when you don't know something,
for it gives you the opportunity to learn.
Be thankful for the difficult times.
During those times you grow.
Be thankful for your limitations,
because they give you opportunities for improvement.
Be thankful for each new challenge,
because it will build your strength and character.
Be thankful for your mistakes. They will teach you valuable lessons.
Be thankful when you're tired and weary,
because it means you've made a difference.
It's easy to be thankful for the good things.
A life of rich fulfillment comes to those who
are also thankful for the setbacks.
Gratitude can turn a negative into a positive.
Find a way to be thankful for your troubles,
and they can become your blessings.
Happy Thanksgiving Everybody!
11/21/07
MOM
Thank You,MomI'm sitting here, I'm thinking back to a time when I was young,
My memory is clear as day, I'm listening to the dishes clink,
You were downstairs, you would sing songs of praise,
And all the times we laughed with you,
And all the times that you stayed true to us,
Now we say, I said, I thank you,
I'll always thank you, More than you could know,
Than I could ever show, And I love you, I'll always love you,There's nothing I won't do to say these words to you,That you're beautiful forever, you were my mom, you were my dad,The only thing I ever had was you, It's true,And even when the times got hard you were there,To let us know that we'd get through, you showed me how to be a man,You taught me how to understand the things people do,You showed me how to love my God, You taught me that not everyone knows the truth,And I thank you, I'll always thank you,More than you could know, Than I could ever show,And I love you, I'll always love you,There's nothing I won't do to say these words to you,That you will live forever, always.
This video was the best on I could find with the song. The lyrics are above the video.
My mom has been a source of strength, She has been the motivation to be who I am today. Everyone has times where they get discouraged and depressed, My mom has taught me some things that I practice on a daily level they are:
My memory is clear as day, I'm listening to the dishes clink,
You were downstairs, you would sing songs of praise,
And all the times we laughed with you,
And all the times that you stayed true to us,
Now we say, I said, I thank you,
I'll always thank you, More than you could know,
Than I could ever show, And I love you, I'll always love you,There's nothing I won't do to say these words to you,That you're beautiful forever, you were my mom, you were my dad,The only thing I ever had was you, It's true,And even when the times got hard you were there,To let us know that we'd get through, you showed me how to be a man,You taught me how to understand the things people do,You showed me how to love my God, You taught me that not everyone knows the truth,And I thank you, I'll always thank you,More than you could know, Than I could ever show,And I love you, I'll always love you,There's nothing I won't do to say these words to you,That you will live forever, always.
This video was the best on I could find with the song. The lyrics are above the video.
My mom has been a source of strength, She has been the motivation to be who I am today. Everyone has times where they get discouraged and depressed, My mom has taught me some things that I practice on a daily level they are:
1. Think before you speak.
2. Relax.
3. Everything is going to be ok.
4. Everything happens for a reason.
2. Relax.
3. Everything is going to be ok.
4. Everything happens for a reason.
Kanye West - Hey Mama
[Chorus]
(Hey Mama), I wanna scream so loud for you, cuz I’m so proud of you
Let me tell you what I’m about to do, (Hey Mama)
I know I act a fool but, I promise you I’m goin back to school
I appreciate what you allowed for me
I just want you to be proud of me (Hey Mama)
[Verse 1]
I wanna tell the whole world about a friend of mine
This little light of mine and I’m finna let it shine
I’m finna take yall back to them better times
I’m finna talk about my mama if yall don’t mind
I was three years old, when you and I moved to the Chi
Late December, harsh winter gave me a cold
You fixed me up something that was good for my soul
Famous homemade chicken soup, can I have another bowl?
You work late nights just to keep on the lights
Mommy got me training wheels so I could keep on my bike
And you would give anything in this world
Michael Jackson leather and a glove, but didn’t give me a curl
And you never put no man over me
And I love you for that mommy cant you see?
Seven years old, caught you with tears in your eyes
Cuz a nigga cheatin, telling you lies, then I started to cry
As we knelt on the kitchen floor
I said mommy Imma love you till you don’t hurt no more
And when I’m older, you aint gotta work no more
And Imma get you that mansion that we couldn’t afford
See you’re, unbreakable, unmistakable
Highly capable, lady that’s makin loot
A livin legend too, just look at what heaven do
Send us an angel, and I thank you (Hey Mama)
[Chorus]
[Verse 2]
Forrest Gump mama said, life is like a box of chocolates
My mama told me go to school, get your doctorate
Somethin to fall back on, you could profit with
But still supported me when I did the opposite
Now I feel like it’s things I gotta get
Things I gotta do, just to prove to you
You was getting through, can the choir please
Give me a verse of “You, Are So Beautiful To Me”
Can’t you see, you’re like a book of poetry
Maya Angelou, Nicky Giovanni, turn one page and there’s my mommy
Come on mommy just dance wit me, let the whole world see your dancing feet
Now when I say Hey, yall say Mama, now everybody answer me (Hey Mama)
[Chorus]
[Bridge]
I guess it also depends tho, if my ends low
Second they get up you gon get that Benzo
Tint the windows, ride around the city and let ya friends know (Hey Mama)
[Verse 3]
Tell your job you gotta fake em out
Since you brought me in this world, let me take you out
To a restaurant, upper echelon
Imma get you a jag, whatever else you want
Just tell me what kind of S-Type Donda West like?
Tell me the perfect color so I make it just right
It don’t gotta be Mother’s Day, or your birthday
For me to just call and say (Hey Mama)
(Hey Mama), I wanna scream so loud for you, cuz I’m so proud of you
Let me tell you what I’m about to do, (Hey Mama)
I know I act a fool but, I promise you I’m goin back to school
I appreciate what you allowed for me
I just want you to be proud of me (Hey Mama)
[Verse 1]
I wanna tell the whole world about a friend of mine
This little light of mine and I’m finna let it shine
I’m finna take yall back to them better times
I’m finna talk about my mama if yall don’t mind
I was three years old, when you and I moved to the Chi
Late December, harsh winter gave me a cold
You fixed me up something that was good for my soul
Famous homemade chicken soup, can I have another bowl?
You work late nights just to keep on the lights
Mommy got me training wheels so I could keep on my bike
And you would give anything in this world
Michael Jackson leather and a glove, but didn’t give me a curl
And you never put no man over me
And I love you for that mommy cant you see?
Seven years old, caught you with tears in your eyes
Cuz a nigga cheatin, telling you lies, then I started to cry
As we knelt on the kitchen floor
I said mommy Imma love you till you don’t hurt no more
And when I’m older, you aint gotta work no more
And Imma get you that mansion that we couldn’t afford
See you’re, unbreakable, unmistakable
Highly capable, lady that’s makin loot
A livin legend too, just look at what heaven do
Send us an angel, and I thank you (Hey Mama)
[Chorus]
[Verse 2]
Forrest Gump mama said, life is like a box of chocolates
My mama told me go to school, get your doctorate
Somethin to fall back on, you could profit with
But still supported me when I did the opposite
Now I feel like it’s things I gotta get
Things I gotta do, just to prove to you
You was getting through, can the choir please
Give me a verse of “You, Are So Beautiful To Me”
Can’t you see, you’re like a book of poetry
Maya Angelou, Nicky Giovanni, turn one page and there’s my mommy
Come on mommy just dance wit me, let the whole world see your dancing feet
Now when I say Hey, yall say Mama, now everybody answer me (Hey Mama)
[Chorus]
[Bridge]
I guess it also depends tho, if my ends low
Second they get up you gon get that Benzo
Tint the windows, ride around the city and let ya friends know (Hey Mama)
[Verse 3]
Tell your job you gotta fake em out
Since you brought me in this world, let me take you out
To a restaurant, upper echelon
Imma get you a jag, whatever else you want
Just tell me what kind of S-Type Donda West like?
Tell me the perfect color so I make it just right
It don’t gotta be Mother’s Day, or your birthday
For me to just call and say (Hey Mama)
Mom,
I want you to know that I love you more than life. I do not believe in having heroes but you are a hero. You have never let me down, You strenght has carried me through some of the toughest times. All the mistakes I have made and all my flaws have never made you stop believing in me. I am proud to say that over the years you were my Mom (sweet and loving) you did what you had to do and even at times you knew how to be rough on me like a Father but most of all now you are my friend. I only want to make you proud :) Thanks for everything but most importantly thank you for being you and never changing. You are my inspiration. Every Success is a tribute to you.
11/18/07
Friends,Fun and Future
From Left to right: Juan Carrillo,Michael Eck and Julio Medina.
This has been a very eventful summer. Meeting people is an everyday event or at least it can be if you make it. Meeting people and making friends are totally different though. (Do you agree?) This summer I made some new friends. You can see a few of them in the pictures included in this post.
Micheal Eck. A DJ (DJ AKA) and a promoter for Global Adrenaline came into Maxum one weekend ( I hung out there all the time and they make a killer steak wrap for lunch a dinner. If I had it my way I could one of those everyday! :)
Anyhow, I met mike there because he was going to DJ there on Wednesday nights for a little while and I would go and hang out and I also got to meet alot of his friends that he would bring along with him too. For instance all these pictures were taken by....
Jacob Clary who takes pictures for Mingle Now and many other places for different events. He is even listed on Model Mayhem if you ever need a photo shoot I am
sure he can probably take care of you for a really good price too.
I also Met Juan Carrillo a guy who`s passion is running. He is currently in training and has a goal to qualify for the next Olympics. This picture here was taken at a "School Teacher" event so we all dressed up as nerds....Hahahaha Just one of the many memorable times that I have gad this summer downtown Chicago.
oh god,oh god. 
Adrian Myers is a another person I met this summer and became friends with as well as had him help me get a good workout plan so that I can try out for special forces and actually have a shot (I`ll let you all know how it goes) Haha also because of Adrian I now call McDonalds McDoogals hahahaha. All these little bits of info are just things that I wanted to quickly mention But summer 2007 will probably go down as one of my lifes best.
So to everyone that I met and made friends with...Thank you. =)
Julio,Shawn,Brad and Larry- Enclave ThursdaysThis whole blog though is really dedicated to one Person though and that would be Micheal Eck, Thanks again for all the fun times and introducing me to your friends. I have said it before but I think you very well could be one of those most driven people I know. Keep it going it is motivating. The fun times of this summer are things that I will carry with me through the homesick times in military life or even while deployed. Good stuff,Good Stuff.
I did not make it to my own going away party due to a 102 fever and congestion that made me feel like my head was going to explode and losing my voice....But I will do it up big for when I come home. See you all soon...
I did not make it to my own going away party due to a 102 fever and congestion that made me feel like my head was going to explode and losing my voice....But I will do it up big for when I come home. See you all soon...
Kanye West
*This article was a copy and paste from yahoo.com - I am not the owner of this content and it is posted on my blog for education purposes and to express my own opinion on the article and content. Nov. 12-19: How The West Was Lost
Posted Thu. Nov 15, 6:45 PM ET by in That's Really Week
We here at That's Really Week usually keep on the lighter side of the news. But this week is heavy, man. There's no way we can crack any jokes about this week's top story. So we're not going to even try.
We're sure by now you've read the news that Kanye West's beloved mother--inspiration for his song "Hey Mama," author of Raising Kanye: Life Lessons From The Mother Of A Hip-Hop Star, and major influence on Kanye's music--passed away last Saturday. Until now, 2007 had been a year of amazing highs for Kanye (winning that 50 Cent sales war, releasing one of the most successful albums of the year, triumphing at the BET and Mobo Awards, upstaging almost everyone at the Concert For Diana, planning his wedding with fiance Alexis, etc.). But now the year is ending with the lowest of lows, as Kanye has lost one of his biggest supporters, Dr. Donda West.
What compounds this tragedy is how Donda passed away. The woman was only 58 years old, and she died before her time due to complications from cosmetic surgery. One look at any photo of the good Doctor shows she looked pretty damn great for 58 (and we're sure Kanye thought she was beautiful just the way she was), but even a wise professor like Donda was susceptible to societal pressure on women to stay 25 forever. And so she went under the knife for a breast reduction and tummy tuck, and sadly never recovered. Any woman of a certain age who's been seduced by promises of firmer flesh, as peddled by surgery shows like Extreme Makeover and The Swan (which conveniently condense the often harrowing post-op recovery period into about three minutes of airtime), should think long and hard about what happened to Donda before making their own appointment with Dr. 90210.
Speaking of surgery shows, the Discovery Health Network has announced that for the time being it will stop airing Plastic Surgery: Before & After, which was hosted for five years by Donda West's surgeon, Jan Adams. And speaking of good doctors...well, it's looking like Dr. Adams might not be one. All sorts of unflattering allegations have surfaced against him since Donda's death: That he agreed to perform Donda's operation even though at least one other surgeon had refused to do so because of her pre-existing condition. That malpractice lawsuits had been filed against him in the past. That he'd had two drunk driving arrests (see mugshot at right). That the state medical board had recommended his license be revoked. That his ex-wife once took out a restraining order against him. The list goes on and on and on--and it's not pretty.
In fact, only six days after Donda's death, a $30,000 warrant was issued for Dr. Adams's arrest, because he failed to appear at a hearing (for a case stemming from a malpractice lawsuit by a patient who claims he left a sponge inside her). However, eventually Adams did turn up (he said he was stuck in traffic). We're guessing Kanye will soon want his day in court with Dr. Adams, too--and we hope the doctor doesn't show up late for that case, because we know the famously hot-tempered Kanye wouldn't tolerate any tardiness.
The usually outspoken Kanye has actually laid very low this week. He understandably pulled out of his scheduled performance at this week's Victoria's Secret fashion show, and the only statement he's made regarding this tragedy is an obviously publicist-crafted press release asking that, in lieu of flowers, donations be made in his mama's name to the Kanye West Foundation/Loop Dreams Teacher Training Institute (kanyewestfoundation.org).
Meanwhile, Dr. Adams has issued the following statement: "I first want to express my deepest condolences to the West family at a very difficult time. Out of respect for the West family and in the absence of other verifiable information, any comment from me without first discussing that information with the family would be unprofessional."
Looks like this is going to be a much more serious feud than that whole Kanye-vs.-Fiddy media stunt.
We could write about other stuff this week...but frankly, poking fun of the latest Britney debacle, Boy George arrest, Wacko Jacko rumor, or band reunion in light of this tragedy seems in bad taste. Yes, believe it or not, even That's Really Week has a good/bad taste line (albeit a thin, fuzzy one) that we refuse to cross. So we'll sign off for now with a shout-out of sympathy to Kanye. Remember, Mr. West: That that don't kill you, can only make you stronger.
This was the best written article on the situation.I am a huge fan of Kanye West. He is know as an arrogant person but I have alot of respect for him and even if he is cocky I believe that many people can mistake self confidence for being cocky. (Maybe not so much with Kanye but on a personal level for me anyway,or so it seems.) Confidence is intimidating. another line from one his songs says. "We are all self conscience, I`m just the first to admit it. " Very true statement. Everybody has things about themselves that they are self conscience of. Good stuff....
This is a live version:
"Hey Mama" is an awesome tribute that he wrote to is mother who just past away. I liked the song so much that since it came out it has always been the ring tone on my cell every time my mom calls me.
This is the CD/Radio Version: ( My Favorite)
Lyrics:
[Chorus]
(Hey Mama), I wanna scream so loud for you, cuz I'm so proud of you
Let me tell you what I'm about to do, (Hey Mama)
I know I act a fool but, I promise you I'm goin back to school
I appreciate what you allowed for me
I just want you to be proud of me (Hey Mama)
[Verse 1]
I wanna tell the whole world about a friend of mine
This little light of mine and I'm finna let it shine
I'm finna take yall back to them better times
I'm finna talk about my mama if yall don't mind
I was three years old, when you and I moved to the Chi
Late December, harsh winter gave me a cold
You fixed me up something that was good for my soul
Famous homemade chicken soup, can I have another bowl?
You work late nights just to keep on the lights
Mommy got me training wheels so I could keep on my bike
And you would give anything in this world
Michael Jackson leather and a glove, but didn't give me a curl
And you never put no man over me
And I love you for that mommy cant you see?
Seven years old, caught you with tears in your eyes
Cuz a nigga cheatin, telling you lies, then I started to cry
As we knelt on the kitchen floor
I said mommy Imma love you till you don't hurt no more
And when I'm older, you aint gotta work no more
And Imma get you that mansion that we couldn't afford
See you're, unbreakable, unmistakable
Highly capable, lady that's makin loot
A livin legend too, just look at what heaven do
Send us an angel, and I thank you (Hey Mama)
[Chorus]
[Verse 2]
Forrest Gump mama said, life is like a box of chocolates
My mama told me go to school, get your doctorate
Somethin to fall back on, you could profit with
But still supported me when I did the opposite
Now I feel like it's things I gotta get
Things I gotta do, just to prove to you
You was getting through, can the choir please
Give me a verse of "You, Are So Beautiful To Me"
Can't you see, you're like a book of poetry
Maya Angelou, Nicky Giovanni, turn one page and there's my mommy
Come on mommy just dance wit me, let the whole world see your dancing feet
Now when I say Hey, yall say Mama, now everybody answer me (Hey Mama)
[Chorus]
[Bridge]
I guess it also depends tho, if my ends low
Second they get up you gon get that Benzo
Tint the windows, ride around the city and let ya friends know (Hey Mama)
[Verse 3]
Tell your job you gotta fake em out
Since you brought me in this world, let me take you out
To a restaurant, upper echelon
Imma get you a jag, whatever else you want
Just tell me what kind of S-Type Donda West like?
Tell me the perfect color so I make it just right
It don't gotta be Mother's Day, or your birthday
For me to just call and say (Hey Mama)
[Chorus (with variations)]
(Hey Mama), I wanna scream so loud for you, cuz I'm so proud of you
Let me tell you what I'm about to do, (Hey Mama)
I know I act a fool but, I promise you I'm goin back to school
I appreciate what you allowed for me
I just want you to be proud of me (Hey Mama)
[Verse 1]
I wanna tell the whole world about a friend of mine
This little light of mine and I'm finna let it shine
I'm finna take yall back to them better times
I'm finna talk about my mama if yall don't mind
I was three years old, when you and I moved to the Chi
Late December, harsh winter gave me a cold
You fixed me up something that was good for my soul
Famous homemade chicken soup, can I have another bowl?
You work late nights just to keep on the lights
Mommy got me training wheels so I could keep on my bike
And you would give anything in this world
Michael Jackson leather and a glove, but didn't give me a curl
And you never put no man over me
And I love you for that mommy cant you see?
Seven years old, caught you with tears in your eyes
Cuz a nigga cheatin, telling you lies, then I started to cry
As we knelt on the kitchen floor
I said mommy Imma love you till you don't hurt no more
And when I'm older, you aint gotta work no more
And Imma get you that mansion that we couldn't afford
See you're, unbreakable, unmistakable
Highly capable, lady that's makin loot
A livin legend too, just look at what heaven do
Send us an angel, and I thank you (Hey Mama)
[Chorus]
[Verse 2]
Forrest Gump mama said, life is like a box of chocolates
My mama told me go to school, get your doctorate
Somethin to fall back on, you could profit with
But still supported me when I did the opposite
Now I feel like it's things I gotta get
Things I gotta do, just to prove to you
You was getting through, can the choir please
Give me a verse of "You, Are So Beautiful To Me"
Can't you see, you're like a book of poetry
Maya Angelou, Nicky Giovanni, turn one page and there's my mommy
Come on mommy just dance wit me, let the whole world see your dancing feet
Now when I say Hey, yall say Mama, now everybody answer me (Hey Mama)
[Chorus]
[Bridge]
I guess it also depends tho, if my ends low
Second they get up you gon get that Benzo
Tint the windows, ride around the city and let ya friends know (Hey Mama)
[Verse 3]
Tell your job you gotta fake em out
Since you brought me in this world, let me take you out
To a restaurant, upper echelon
Imma get you a jag, whatever else you want
Just tell me what kind of S-Type Donda West like?
Tell me the perfect color so I make it just right
It don't gotta be Mother's Day, or your birthday
For me to just call and say (Hey Mama)
[Chorus (with variations)]
11/16/07
I lost my voice.....
Ok, If you know me I can tend to be a quiet person at times but for the most part I love to laugh talk and have fun unless I am in "Serious Mode" I have a pet peeve though...Hearing someone that has lost their voice try and talk just irks me. Well when its me that it happens to its even worse...I get cranky and I cant stand when people talk to me. I know I know...I am being honest though....Cause then I answer them and they say ...What? I could`nt hear you.....ahhhhhh LOL!! Just a little venting. How about this for a good laugh though
11/14/07
Hold On...
Suicide is real. It`s sad it`s not fair and even selfish but it still happens. The lyrics to this are not only applicable to people that are suicidal but to anyone that feel like giving up on anything in life. You can have anything you want in this life if you let nothing stop you. Hope is power. Positive energy can make you unstoppable. So whatever you are going through....Hold On.
If you don`t like the song watch the beginning and the Fast forward to 2:01 and watch from there...
Lyrics:
This world
This world is cold
But you don't
You don't have to go
You're feeling sad, you're feeling lonely, and no one seems to care
Your mother's gone and your father hits you
This pain you cannot bear
But we all bleed the same way as you do
And we all have the same things to go through
Hold on if you feel like letting go
Hold on it gets better than you know
Your days
You say they're way too long
And your nights
You can't sleep at all
Hold on
And you're not sure what you're waiting for, but you don't want to know more
And you're not sure what you're looking for, but you don't want to know more
But we all bleed the same way as you do
And we all have the same things to go through
Hold on if you feel like letting go
Hold on it gets better than you know
Don't stop looking, you're one step closer
Don't stop searching, it's not over
Hold on
What are you looking for?
What are you waiting for?
Do you know what you're doing to me?
Go ahead...What are you waiting for?
Hold on if you feel like letting go
Hold on it gets better than you know
Don't stop looking, you're one step closer
Don't stop searching, it's not over
Hold on if you feel like letting go
Hold on it gets better than you know
Hold on
The Acoustic Version ( I love anything Acoustic)
This world is cold
But you don't
You don't have to go
You're feeling sad, you're feeling lonely, and no one seems to care
Your mother's gone and your father hits you
This pain you cannot bear
But we all bleed the same way as you do
And we all have the same things to go through
Hold on if you feel like letting go
Hold on it gets better than you know
Your days
You say they're way too long
And your nights
You can't sleep at all
Hold on
And you're not sure what you're waiting for, but you don't want to know more
And you're not sure what you're looking for, but you don't want to know more
But we all bleed the same way as you do
And we all have the same things to go through
Hold on if you feel like letting go
Hold on it gets better than you know
Don't stop looking, you're one step closer
Don't stop searching, it's not over
Hold on
What are you looking for?
What are you waiting for?
Do you know what you're doing to me?
Go ahead...What are you waiting for?
Hold on if you feel like letting go
Hold on it gets better than you know
Don't stop looking, you're one step closer
Don't stop searching, it's not over
Hold on if you feel like letting go
Hold on it gets better than you know
Hold on
The Acoustic Version ( I love anything Acoustic)
I am Hispanic So this is ok....
HaHaHa....I had to post this after I read it because most of them really made me laugh. I am not a racist so just a disclaimer if you get offended. Get over it. I`m colorblind and I judge people by their actions not intentions or color of skin. Have a laugh. ( I know I did)
10 Truths Black and Hispanic people know but White people won't admit
1. Elvis is dead.
2. Jesus was not white.
3. Rap music is here to stay.
4. Kissing your pet is not cute or clean.
5. Skinny does not equal sexy.
6. Thomas Jefferson had black children.
7. A 5 year old is too big for a stroller.
8. N'SYNC will never hold a candle to the Jackson 5.
9. An occasional BUTT whooping helps a child stay in line.
10. Having your children curse you out in public is not normal.
10 Truths White and Black People know but
Hispanic people wont admit
1. Hickeys are not attractive.
2. Chicken is food not a pet or a roommate.
3. Jesus is not a name for your son.
4. Your country flag is not a car decoration.
5. Maria is a name but not for every daughter.
6. 10 people to a car is considered too many.
7. "Jump out and run" is not in any insurance policies.
8. Buttoning just the top button of your shirt is a bad fashion statement.
9. Mami & Papi can't possibly be the nickname of every person in your family.
10. Letting your children run wildly through the store is not normal.
10 Truths white and Hispanic people know but Black people wont admit
1. O.J. did it.
2. Tupac is dead.
3. Teeth shouldn't be decorated.
4. Weddings should start on time.
5. Your pastor doesn't know everything.
6. Jesse Jackson will never be President.
7. Red is not a Kool Aid flavor, its a color.
8. Church does not require expensive clothes.
9. Crown Royal bags are meant to be thrown away.
10. Your rims and sound system should not be worth more than your car.
Time
Time is counting down so much quicker that I feel like I have no time for anything even though I have had a month off to prepare! Crazy Huh? Time is never really on our side. Just a quick thought....
P.S. If I do not have your mailing address yet....I need because I will only be able to write for 8 weeks no other form of communication. - Email it - Julio.Medina@yahoo.com or ignyte00@yahoo.com - They both go to the same mailbox.
11/12/07
Finally Found The Love of a Lifetime......
New Yorkers rally to help online romeo
By Belinda GoldsmithFri Nov 9, 8:21 AM ET
A tale of online love inspired usually cynical New Yorkers this week to help a young man find the girl of his dreams after he spotted her on a crowded subway train.
For Web designer Patrick Moberg, 21, from Brooklyn, it was love at first sight when he locked eyes with a rosy-cheeked woman while riding in Manhattan on Sunday night. She was writing in her journal.
The train was so full that he lost her in the crowd when they both got off, so he set up a Web site dedicated to finding the mystery woman -- www.nygirlofmydreams.com.
He drew a picture of the girl, who was wearing blue shorts, blue tights, and a red flower in her hair, and posted his cell phone number, e-mail address and an appeal for help finding her.
It worked.
Within hours Moberg's inbox was overflowing with e-mails and his phone ringing non-stop. He told the New York Post that he even received e-mails offering him love. "Some people said I'm not the girl but you're so adorable, pick me instead."
Tuesday night a friend of the woman contacted him and sent him a picture so he could confirm her identity. "Found Her! Seriously!" a notice on his Web site said.
"We've been put in touch with one another and we'll see what happens."
The mysterious subway brunette was named Thursday as Camille Hayton, an intern at magazine BlackBook from Melbourne, Australia, who also lives in Brooklyn.
"This is crazy. I can't believe it's happening," Hayton, 22, told the New York Post.
But Moberg said he is now pulling the shutters on his love life, scribbling out the cell phone number on his Web site and leaving a message on his phone saying he will do no more interviews.
"In our best interest, there will be no more updates to this website," he wrote.
"Unlike all the romantic comedies and bad pop songs, you'll have to make up your own ending for this."
Some New Yorkers may already, wondering if Moberg had made it sound too easy to find a needle in a haystack in this city of eight million people.
Haha...I saw this last week and I saved it. I wanted to post it on my blog because i think the concept is awesome. Obviously he got lucky by finding her but then again if it`s meant to be it`s meant to be. What great lengths would you go through to able to find that ONE? I have done some pretty crazy stuff for ex- girlfriends. - They are EX-Girlfriends now though so maybe it was`nt too crazy LOL!!! I am actually very pleased to be single, With the new path I have chosen in the military it is not really possible to hold a relationship together (long distance does not work) so it works to my advantage in a way....
11/9/07
A Look Back So Far and A little bit ahead too...
2007
NOVEMBER
1. Whose house do you go to for Thanksgiving?
Mom`s Place :) Can`t wait....
2. What are you thankful for?
Life,Friends,Music and Fun
3. Do you love stuffing?
Yes, I am a fan...
DECEMBER
1. Do you celebrate Christmas?
Normally Yes, This year I will in Basic Training For the Air Force- Send me Christmas Cards and write to me people!!
2. Have you ever been kissed under the mistletoe?
I am not sure actually, I`ll say no since I can`t remember. ;)
3. Get anything special last year?
Everything I get is special, Last year I got a digital voice memo recorder that I carry with me everywhere....I can`t live without it now.
4. What do you want this year?
I am not able to get anything while I am at Basic, So I want alot of Christmas cards,letters,money and stamps.
5. Do you like cold weather?
Love seasons, Yeah winter is cool when there is snow....
JANUARY
1. Who kissed you on new years?
A random girl came out of no where....- Not impressed sorry lady lol
2. Did you have a new year's resolution this year?
I had 3 and I Accomplished one and the others didnt last long LOL ( Stats say the average resolution lasts 22 days)
3. Does it snow where you live?
It`s Chicago people....What do you think?
4. Do you like hot chocolate?
Yes with marshmallows....
FEBRUARY
1. Who was your Valentine?
Did`nt have one....I think it`s over-rated (not cause I didnt have one either) If you have a special girl in your life treat her right and everyday will be like valentines day.
2. When you were little did you buy Valentine's for the whole class?
Only my friends....and girls I did know...I brought some blank ones to class....ahahahaha
3. Do you care if the groundhog sees its shadow or not?
No, I love the movie thought.....
MARCH
1. Are you Irish?
My Name is Julio Medina LOL!
2. Do you like corned beef and cabbage?
Not at all....I think it smells like wet dog food.
3. What did you do for St. Patty's Day in 2007?
I can`t remember...Probably pretended I was Irish somewhere. hahaha
4. Are you happy when winter is pretty much over?
Yes usually by the time winter is over, I am ready to get spring underway....(Like i have a choice)
APRIL
1. Do you like the rain?
Warm summer rain is nice...
2. Did you play an April fool's joke on anyone this year?
Probably something really dumb lol.
3. Do you get tons of candy on Easter?
No, I do like Easter candy though....
4. Do you celebrate 4/20?
Say no to drugs kids....
5. Do you love the month of April?
It`s alright....
MAY
1. What is your favorite flower?
A girl gave me a rose once....Roses? lol
2. Finish the phrase "April showers...."
Bring May Flowers
4. Is May anything special to you?
Not that I can think of...Should it be?
JUNE
1. Did you do anything fun during this month?
Every Weekend in June I went Downtown. YEAH!!!
3. Have a favorite baseball team?
NY YANKS
JULY
1. What did you do on the 4th of July?
White Sox Game with Kevin and Roger...
2. Is this your favorite month?
It`s a fun summer month,No not fav. though.
3. Do you blast the A/C all day?
I love to be cold at night. Yes.
AUGUST
1. Did you do anything special for the end of the summer?
Probably lol.
2. What was your favorite summer memory of '07?
All My Summer Nights and Weekends. I have memories out of almost all of them and pictures lol.
3. Did you have a sunburn?
I am Spanish and European - I have a Natural Tan...But Yes My shoulder and back have been burned before....Oooooouuuuuccccchhh! Never in August though....This belongs in July lol.
4. Did you go to the pool a lot?
Not once! No time...
SEPTEMBER
1. Are you attending college/school?
Been There. No not currently.
2. Do you like fall better than summer?
My favorite time of year. Summer is a time to stay busy and have as much fun as possible, The fall is a good time to reflect on all of that :) I.M.H.O
OCTOBER
1. What was your last Halloween costume?
I ended up doing nothing for a costume...I know, I know...Boring. So what!?! I still had a blast.
2. What is your favorite candy?
Swedish Fish or Jelly Belly Beans
3. What is your favorite thing about this month?
Warm enough for shorts,Cold enough for a Hoodie :)
11/8/07
Say what you want.
I have a good thought for the day....How about you say what you say without apology? I believe in tact and I believe in decency but there are often times that I find a topic that I might want to 'blog' about or a thought about something that I want to rant or rave on but I shy away from it for really no good reason...So this is my thought for the day a standard to this blog, I say what I say because I can, I share what I want because I feel like it. My blog, My Domain,My Opinions...If you don't like it don't come back...The web has billions of other pages for you to waste your time on. I say what I say and express myself how I choose simply without apology, My posts may have mistakes,They may not make sense (to you) But again....It is without apology to anyone...So if I offend you with my interests....Just don`t come back. Or start your own blog about it ;) That's all folks.
;
I have climbed highest mountainI have run through the fields
Only to be with you
Only to be with you
I have run
I have crawled
I have scaled these city walls
These city walls
Only to be with you
But I still havent found what Im looking for
But I still havent found what Im looking for
11/5/07
Begining to say Goodbye....
My Blog will actually probably have a few posts with similar titles in the upcoming 3 weeks. As time fades and it gets closer to the day that I take off, I am not scared or regretful, Nervous, Nostalgic and Anxious are more the words that describe my emotions. This Saturday afternoon a bunch of friends and had a little going away party. (Thank you to everyone that came!) and Thank you Big Al for the effort,planning and everything that went into it. I had a blast and it was so good to see everybody. The picture above is a cake they had for me too,Awesome huh? Friends and relationships are something that are so easily taken advantage of sometimes without even realizing it, you just go about your daily life and everything and everyone that are just a part of the 'norm' kinda go unnoticed until something changes. I am really coming down to the wire now and the Goodbye times are starting to roll in. I am not get make this an emotional post...I just wanted to publicly thank Big AL and all my friends that came and everyone that was invited that could not make it. Happy Monday. ( I am going to play poker online now since I know I can win with the play money they give me) hahahahahaha ;)
11/4/07
Seinfeld Rips Larry King
Remember the Paris Hilton Letterman interview? That was funny...This is actually almost just as funny....LOL
11/2/07
Dream Big.
mI was talking about this song last night and I had not heard it in a while so I decided that I would post it on here....The lyrics can teach you something if you let them. I`ll post them under the video...Have a good weekend everybody!
When you cry be sure to dry your eyes,
cause better days are sure to come.
And when you smile be sure to smile wide,
and don't let them know that they have one.
And when you walk, walk with pride,
and don't show the hurt inside,
because the pain sill soon be gone.
Chorus:
And when you dream, dream big, as big as the ocean blue. Cause when you dream it might come true.
When you dream, dream big.
And when you laugh be sure to laugh out loud,
cause it will carry all your cares away.
And when you see, see the beauty
all around and in yourself, and it will help you feel okay.
And when you pray, pray for strength
to help to carry on when the troubles come your way.
Chorus
When you cry be sure to dry your eyes,
cause better days are sure to come.
And when you smile be sure to smile wide, and
don't let them know that they have one.
And when you laugh be sure to laugh out loud,
it will carry all your cares away.
And when you see, see the beauty all
around and in yourself, and it will help you feel okay.
And when you pray, pray for strength to
help to carry on when the troubles come your way.
cause better days are sure to come.
And when you smile be sure to smile wide,
and don't let them know that they have one.
And when you walk, walk with pride,
and don't show the hurt inside,
because the pain sill soon be gone.
Chorus:
And when you dream, dream big, as big as the ocean blue. Cause when you dream it might come true.
When you dream, dream big.
And when you laugh be sure to laugh out loud,
cause it will carry all your cares away.
And when you see, see the beauty
all around and in yourself, and it will help you feel okay.
And when you pray, pray for strength
to help to carry on when the troubles come your way.
Chorus
When you cry be sure to dry your eyes,
cause better days are sure to come.
And when you smile be sure to smile wide, and
don't let them know that they have one.
And when you laugh be sure to laugh out loud,
it will carry all your cares away.
And when you see, see the beauty all
around and in yourself, and it will help you feel okay.
And when you pray, pray for strength to
help to carry on when the troubles come your way.
More Atenttion than he Deserves....
BARRY BONDS
This guy gets way to much press! All he does is want attention and so you know what I am going to give him some on my blog. I do not think that it is a threat to anyone in The MLB league or baseball fan for him to threaten that he will not be a part of The hall of fame induction....He DOES NOT DESERVE IT. I hope he does not go it will just show people what kind of team player he really was. Just one more time to spit in your fan bases face. Way to go Barry. Old and Tainted....You are going out it style. I give credit to his 756 record breaker because that is an accomplishment..Steroids or not....But his attitude discredits any accomplishment. Bring on your comments :) (Positive or Negative) LOL
NEW YORK (AP) -- Barry Bonds would boycott Cooperstown if the Hall of Fame displays his record-breaking home run ball with an asterisk.
That includes skipping his potential induction ceremony.
"I won't go. I won't be part of it," Bonds said in an interview with MSNBC that aired Thursday night. "You can call me, but I won't be there."
The ball Bonds hit for home run No. 756 this season will be branded with an asterisk and sent to the Hall. Fashion designer Marc Ecko bought the ball in an online auction and set up a Web site for fans to vote on its fate. In late September, he announced fans voted to send the ball to Cooperstown with an asterisk.
Of course, the asterisk suggests Bonds' record is tainted by alleged steroid use. The slugger has denied knowingly using performance-enhancing drugs. Fans brought signs with asterisks to ballparks this season as he neared Hank Aaron's career home run mark.
Bonds has called Ecko "an idiot."
"I don't think you can put an asterisk in the game of baseball, and I don't think that the Hall of Fame can accept an asterisk," Bonds said. "You cannot give people the freedom, the right to alter history. You can't do it. There's no such thing as an asterisk in baseball."
Hall of Fame vice president Jeff Idelson declined to comment Thursday night.
Hall president Dale Petroskey has said accepting the ball doesn't mean the museum endorses the viewpoint that Bonds used illegal substances. He said the museum would be "delighted" to have the ball.
"It's a historic piece of baseball history," Petroskey said in September.
So, if the Hall goes through with the asterisk display?
"I will never be in the Hall of Fame. Never," Bonds said. "Barry Bonds will not be there.
"That's my emotions now. That's how I feel now. When I decide to retire five years from now, we'll see where they are at that moment," he added. "We'll see where they are at that time, and maybe I'll reconsider. But it's their position and where their position will be will be the determination of what my decision will be at that time."
Giants general manager Brian Sabean reiterated Thursday that the team won't bring back Bonds next season. The seven-time NL MVP, who has spent 15 of his 22 major league seasons in San Francisco, was asked whether he will retire as a Giant.
"Yeah, it's my house. No matter what that's my house, no one's going to take that away, no one ever," Bonds answered. "No one's going to take the love of that city of me away, ever."
Bonds, who has 762 homers, broke Aaron's record with a shot into the right-center seats off Washington Nationals pitcher Mike Bacsik at San Francisco on Aug. 7.
Matt Murphy, a 21-year-old student and construction supervisor from New York, emerged from a scuffle holding the ball. He said he decided to sell it because he couldn't afford to pay the taxes required to keep it.
Bonds told MSNBC he hoped to reach 764 homers because he was born in July 1964. He said he's been working out and still is considering whether to play next season.
"I may hit two home runs so I can go home. I just think that I have a lot of game left. I think that I can help a team with a championship," Bonds said. "I'm a hell of a part-time player, too."
Bonds said he won't talk to George Mitchell's staff looking into steroids use in baseball while he is under investigation in the BALCO case. A grand jury has been investigating whether Bonds committed perjury when he testified he never knowingly took performance-enhancing drugs.
"I know it ends in January, so a couple more months. But I haven't been keeping up with it. Not at all," Bonds said. "I have nothing to hide. I have said that before and I will say it now and I will look you in the face. I have nothing to hide, nothing. So look all you want to."
Come to my 999th Birthday Bash.
He looks strange but he is obviously very smart, If he is right... Please consider this an invitation to my 999th Birthday bash where we will "Party like it`s 1999!" - All over again LOL. ;) HGH anyone? Barry Bonds might have been on to something. (That was for you Danny C. - It`s probably the only positive thing I will ever say about him too! haha - this is no about him though) =)
The Invincible Man
Aubrey de Grey, 44 Going on 1,000, Wants Out of Old Age
By Joel Garreau
Washington Post Staff Writer
Wednesday, October 31, 2007; C01
Aubrey de Grey may be wrong but, evidence suggests, he's not nuts. This is a no small assertion. De Grey argues that some people alive today will live in a robust and youthful fashion for 1,000 years.
In 2005, an authoritative publication offered $20,000 to any molecular biologist who could demonstrate that de Grey's plan for treating aging as a disease -- and curing it -- was "so wrong that it was unworthy of learned debate."
Now mere mortals -- who may wish to be significantly less mortal -- can judge whether de Grey's proposals are "science or fantasy," as the magazine put it. De Grey's much-awaited "Ending Aging: The Rejuvenation Breakthroughs That Could Reverse Human Aging in Our Lifetime" has just been published.
The judges were formidable for that MIT Technology Review challenge prize. They included Rodney Brooks, then director of MIT's Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory; Nathan Myhrvold, former chief technology officer of Microsoft; and J. Craig Venter, who shares credit for first sequencing the human genome.
In the end, they decided no scientist had succeeded in blowing de Grey out of the water. "At issue is the conflict between the scientific process and the ambiguous status of ideas that have not yet been subjected to that process," Myhrvold wrote for the judges.
Well yes, that. Plus the question that has tantalized humans forever. What if the only certainty is taxes?
* * *
Dodging death has long been a dream.
Our earliest recorded legend is that of Gilgamesh, who finds and loses the secret of immortality.
The Greek goddess Eos prevails on Zeus to allow her human lover Tithonus to live eternally, forgetting, unfortunately, to ask that he also not become aged and frail. He winds up such a dried husk she turns him into a grasshopper.
In "It Ain't Necessarily So," Ira Gershwin writes:
Methus'lah lived nine hundred years
Methus'lah lived nine hundred years
But who calls dat livin' when no gal'll give in
To no man what's nine hundred years.
Aubrey David Nicholas Jasper de Grey, 44, recently of Britain's Cambridge University, advocates not myth but "strategies for engineering negligible senescence," or SENS. It means curing aging.
With adequate funding, de Grey thinks scientists may, within a decade, triple the remaining life span of late-middle-age mice. The day this announcement is made, he believes, the news will hit people like a brick as they realize that their cells could be next. He speculates people will start abandoning risky jobs, such as being police officers, or soldiers.
De Grey's looks are almost as striking as his ambitions.
His slightly graying chestnut hair is swept back into a ponytail. His russet beard falls to his belly. His mustache -- as long as a hand -- would have been the envy of Salvador Dali. When he talks about people soon putting a higher premium on health than wealth, he twirls the ends of his mustache back behind his ears, murmuring, "So many women, so much time."
A little over six feet tall and lean -- he weighs 147 pounds, the same as in his teenage years -- de Grey shows up in a denim work shirt open to the sternum, ripped jeans and scuffed sneakers, looking for all the world like a denizen of Silicon Valley.
Not far from the mark. De Grey's original academic field is computer science and artificial intelligence. He has become the darling of some Silicon Valley entrepreneurs who think changing the world is all in a day's work. Peter Thiel, the co-founder and former CEO of PayPal -- who sold it in 2002 for $1.5 billion, pocketing $55 million himself -- has dropped $3.5 million on de Grey's Methuselah Foundation.
"I thought he had this rare combination -- a serious thinker who had enough courage to break with the crowd," Thiel says. "A lot of people who are not conventional are not serious. But the real breakthroughs in science are made by serious thinkers who are willing to work on research areas that people think are too controversial or too implausible."
At midday in George Washington University's Kogan Plaza off H Street NW, you are surrounded by firm, young flesh. Muscular young men saunter by in sandals, T-shirts and cargo shorts. Young blond women sport clingy, sleeveless tops, oversize sunglasses and the astounding array of subtle variations available in flip-flops and painted toenails.
Is this the future? you ask de Grey.
"Yes, it is precisely the future," he says. "Except without people who look as old as you and me."
"Of course the world will be completely different in all manner of ways," de Grey says of the next few decades. His speech is thick, fast and mellifluous, with a quality British accent.
"If we want to hit the high points, number one is, there will not be any frail elderly people. Which means we won't be spending all this unbelievable amount of money keeping all those frail elderly people alive for like one extra year the way we do at the moment. That money will be available to spend on important things like, well, obviously, providing the health care to keep us that way, but that won't be anything like so expensive. Secondly, just doing the things we can't afford now, giving people proper education and not just when they're kids, but also proper adult education and retraining and so on.
"Another thing that's going to have to change completely is retirement. For the moment, when you retire, you retire forever. We're sorry for old people because they're going downhill. There will be no real moral or sociological requirement to do that. Sure, there is going to be a need for Social Security as a safety net just as there is now. But retirement will be a periodic thing. You'll be a journalist for 40 years or whatever and then you'll be sick of it and you'll retire on your savings or on a state pension, depending on what the system is. So after 20 years, golf will have lost its novelty value, and you'll want to do something else with your life. You'll get more retraining and education, and go and be a rock star for 40 years, and then retire again and so on."
The mind reels. Will we want to be married to the same person for a thousand years? Will we need religion anymore? Will the planet fill to overflowing?
But first -- why are these questions coming up now? And why are we listening to answers from Aubrey de Grey?
Appalled at the CarnageDe Grey became the archenemy of aging in two steps.
"The first stage happened when I was probably 8 or 9 years old. My mother wanted me to practice the piano, and I would resist it.
"She'd already somehow brought me up to be very analytical and introspective. So I realized it was very straightforward. The best possible outcome of my putting in this enormous time at the piano is that I would become a good pianist. That wasn't good enough. I would make a minimal difference in the world, because there were plenty of other very good pianists already. Well, that won't do. What I actually wanted to do with my life is make a difference to the world. That led me into science very quickly."
In his teens he heard the siren song of the the first British microcomputers, the Sinclairs and Acorns, and never looked back. Computer science filled his undergraduate years at Cambridge and became the field in which he spent more than a decade.
The second stage started when he was 26. De Grey fell in love with and married a geneticist, Adelaide Carpenter, who is 19 years his senior.
He learned a lot of biology over the dinner table, he says, and gradually became driven by the notion that "aging is responsible for two-thirds of all death -- now that means worldwide 100,000 people every single day -- and in the industrialized world, it is something like 90 percent."
The further he got into Carpenter's world and that of her senior colleagues, the more incensed he became that biologists and gerontologists just accept this carnage.
"I was appalled. Utterly appalled. I began to realize the profound difference of motivation and mind-set between scientists on the one hand and technologists and engineers on the other hand."
In his world of information technology, the norm is making the world new. Try something and if it doesn't work, try something else. Science doesn't pave the way for engineering, it's the other way around. Intel figures out a way to make wires only a few molecules thick. Why the circuits function is at best of passing interest -- as long as they do. Science can take years if not decades to catch up with an adequate explanation of the device's quantum mechanics. It is the final triumph of Edison over Einstein.
The idea of bringing pragmatism to biology made de Grey think "I might be able to make a contribution. I became very aware by this time that biology was critically short of synthesizers -- people who brought ideas together from disparate fields who came up with new ideas for experimentalists to do." So he got his PhD in biology from Cambridge and started scattering ideas like viruses.
Aging consists of seven critical kinds of damage, according to de Grey. For example, unwholesome goo accumulates in our cells. Our bodies have not evolved means quickly to clean up "intracellular aggregates such as lipofuscin." However, outside our bodies, microorganisms have eagerly and rapidly evolved to turn this toxic waste into compost. (De Grey made this connection because he knew two things: Lipofuscin is fluorescent and graveyards don't glow in the dark.)
By taking soil samples from an ancient mass grave, de Grey's colleagues in short order found the bacteria that digest lipofuscin as easily as enzymes in our stomachs digest a steak. The trick now is getting those lipofuscin-digesting enzymes into our bodies. That has not yet been done. But, de Grey says, comparable fundamental biotechnology is already in clinical use fighting diseases such as Tay-Sachs. So he sees it as merely an engineering problem.
Examples like this make up the 262 pages at the center of "Ending Aging."
"It's a repair and maintenance approach to extending the functional life span of a human body," de Grey says. "It's just like maintaining the functional life span of a classic car, or a house. We know -- because people do it -- that there is no limit to how long you can do that. Once you have a sufficiently comprehensive panel of interventions to get rid of damage and maintain these things, then, they can last indefinitely. The only reason we don't see that in the human body now is that the panel of interventions we have available to us today is not sufficiently comprehensive."
By 2005, his ideas had attracted enough attention as to no longer be merely controversial. De Grey was being pilloried as a full-blown heretic.
"The idea that a research programme organized around the SENS agenda will not only retard ageing, but also reverse it -- creating young people from old ones and do so within our lifetime, is so far from plausible that it commands no respect at all within the informed scientific community," wrote 28 biogerontologists in the journal of the European Molecular Biology Organization. Their recommendation: more of the patient, basic scientific research that is their stock in trade.
"Each idea that we decide to pursue will cost years of work and a great deal of money, so we spend a lot of time -- at meetings, seminars and in the library -- trying to search for and weigh alternatives, and looking for loopholes in our chain of arguments before they are pointed out to us either by peer reviewers or experimental results.
"Presented by an articulate, witty and colourful proponent, a flashy research agenda might catch the eye of a journalist or meeting organizer who is hunting for attention, publicity and an audience; however, the SENS agenda is easily recognized as a pretence by those with scientific experience.
"Why not simply debate with de Grey and let the most convincing arguments win? It is . . . our opinion that pretending that such a collection of ill-founded speculations is a useful topic for debate, let alone a serious guide to research planning, does more harm than good both for science and for society."
The resulting uproar was followed by the put-up-or-shut-up smack-down in MIT Technology Review. The upshot was intriguing.
"In our judgment none of the 'refutations' succeeded," Myhrvold, one of the judges, writes in an e-mail.
"It was a bit ironic because they were mostly the work of established scientists in mainstream gerontology who sought to brand de Grey as 'unscientific' -- yet the supposed refutations were themselves quite unscientific.
"The 'refutations' were either ad hominem attacks on de Grey, or arguments that his ideas would never work (which might be right, but that is what experiments are for), or arguments that portions of de Grey's work rested on other people's ideas. None of these refute the possibility that he is at least partially correct.
"This is not to say that the MIT group endorsed de Grey," Myhrvold emphasizes, "or thinks he has proven his case. He hasn't, but admits that upfront. All of science rests on ideas that were either unproven hypotheses or crazy speculations at one point. . . . The sad reality is that most crazy speculations fail. . . . We do not know today how to be forever young for 1,000 years, and I am deeply skeptical that we will figure it out in time for me!"
No Point in Being MiserableOff the J Street food court at GWU, there is a cafe so metabolically correct that it features not only a vegan service bar, but, separately, a vegetarian service bar, which is not to be confused with the salad bar.
Seems like a good place for lunch with a man intent on immortality.
Not so much.
"I'm getting damn thirsty," de Grey announces.
What appeals to him is the Froggy Bottom Pub on Pennsylvania Avenue. "I like good beer, but I'm not really a snob about beer. I'm perfectly happy to drink Sam Adams, if that's what they have."
Aubrey de Grey is not interested in spending his next centuries miserable. He cheerfully chows down on french fries, heavily crusted deep-fried chicken and two dark beers.
So beyond the question of whether immortality is feasible, is it a good idea? For every Woody Allen who says, "I don't want to achieve immortality through my work; I want to achieve it through not dying," isn't there a Ralph Waldo Emerson who asks, "What would be the use of immortality to a person who cannot use well a half an hour?"
Why is it, when you bring up the idea of living forever -- even if robust and healthy, not drooling on your shoes -- some people just recoil viscerally?
"It's probably the majority that recoils viscerally," de Grey says. "It's what I call the pro-aging trance.
"Since the beginning of civilization, we have been aware that aging is ghastly and that aging is utterly inevitable. . . . So we have two choices. Either we spend our lives being preoccupied by this ghastly future or we find some way to get on with our miserably short lives and make the best of it.
"If we do that second thing, which is obviously the right thing to do, then it doesn't matter how irrational that rationalization might be. . . . It could be, well, we're all going to go to heaven. Or it could be, we're going to have overpopulation. Or it could be, it will be boring. Or, dictators will live forever.
"It doesn't matter what the answers are. It's so important for them to maintain their belief that aging is actually not such a bad thing, that they completely suspend any normal rational sense of proportion."
But if people don't die, won't we indeed fill the planet shoulder to shoulder?
"The birthrate is going to have to go down by an order of magnitude," de Grey acknowledges. "But even if that is going to be a severe problem, the question is not, do problems exist? The question is, are they serious enough to outweigh the benefits of saving 100,000 lives a day? That's the fundamental question. If you haven't got an argument that says that it's that serious that we shouldn't save 30 [bleeping] World Trade Centers every [bleeping] day, don't waste my time. It's a sense of proportion thing."
So de Grey soldiers on, not that it is anywhere written that anything he advocates will work. His approach, however, does have echoes in history.
On Oct. 9, 1903, the New York Times wrote:
"The flying machine which will really fly might be evolved by the combined and continuous efforts of mathematicians and mechanicians in from one million to ten million years."
On the same day, on Kill Devil Hill, N.C., in his diary, a bicycle mechanic named Orville Wright wrote:
"We unpacked rest of goods for new machine."
11/1/07
Where does it all go?
Since 9/11, the TSA has collected tons of items at airport security checkpoints. What happens to all that stuff? Here's how to buy TSA contraband.
Since 9/11, the Transportation Security Administration has collected tons of items at security checkpoints; in 2006 alone, screeners took in more than 13 million items. What happens to all that stuff? The TSA turns it over to state surplus property agencies, which tend to sell it online or at retail stores. (Sometimes the contraband is sold in bulk.)
The agencies say they'll reunite you with your prized pocketknife, if they can locate it. But they would much prefer that travelers figure out the rules and abide by them. "Our goal is for passengers not to bring this stuff on anymore, so we won't have to deal with it," says Steve Ekin, Georgia's surplus property division director. Here's where to look, and what you might find.
Alabama
Airports: 14 in Florida and Alabama, including Miami, Orlando, Huntsville, and Birmingham
Where to buy: eBay (seller ID: alstatesurplus)
Typical deal: Golf driver $100
Craziest items? "There are always lots of plastic fake swords that people buy at Walt Disney World, so there are probably lots of mad kids."
Info: adeca.state.al.us/surplus%20property
Georgia
Airports: Atlanta, Savannah/Hilton Head
Where to buy: Stores in Tucker (Atlanta Surplus Center,
Typical deal: Hammers $3, cordless drills $10
Craziest items? "We get flatware and kitchen knives stolen from restaurants, and we've received a bowling pin, a chain saw, and a few circular saws."
Info: surplusproperty.doas.georgia.gov
Illinois
Airports: Chicago O'Hare, Chicago Midway, and occasionally four more in Illinois and Michigan
Where to buy: Auctions held at ibid.illinois.gov
Typical deal: 25 pounds of Swiss Army knives for $250
Craziest items? "On occasion, we'll see big bowie knives and ninja swords. And nunchucks--a lot of those come through."
Kentucky
Airports: Eight in various states, including Orlando and Miami (Alabama shares the loot), and Louisville
Where to buy: eBay (seller ID: kysurplus)
Typical deal: 50 Swiss Army knives for $250
Craziest items? "We've collected about 500 mini Louisville Slugger bats bought at the Louisville Slugger Museum."
Info: finance.ky.gov/internal/surplus
Oregon
Airports: Portland and Eugene
Where to buy: eBay (seller ID: oregontrail2000)
Typical deal: 10 Leatherman multitools for $75
Craziest items? "Golf clubs and machetes."
Info: oregonsurplus.com
Pennsylvania
Airports: 13 from various states, including New York JFK, Newark, Philadelphia, and Cleveland
Where to buy: eBay (seller ID: pastatesurplus)
Typical deal: Deer-hunting kit (gut-slitting knife, multitool, pocketknife, large safety pins, rope, flashlight) for $50
Craziest items? "We've received hundreds of pairs of fuzzy handcuffs and other ... paraphernalia--I wanted to create funny Valentine's Day kits, but folks here thought taxpayers wouldn't like it."
Info: dgs.state.pa.us/surp_prop
Texas
Airports: Seven across the state, including Dallas/Fort Worth and Austin
Where to buy: Austin Storefront in Austin,
Typical deal: Scissors and corkscrews 25¢, knives 50¢, multitools $2.50
Craziest items? "Brass knuckles, crutches, and piñata sticks. And we once got a cane with a knife inside it."
Info: tfc.state.tx.us/communities/supportserv/prog/statesurplus
Washington State
Airports: Seattle-Tacoma, Spokane, and Tri-Cities
Where to buy: Auburn Retail Store in Auburn,
Typical deal: Corkscrews for 25¢
Craziest items? "Lots of ulus--round Eskimo chopping blades. Also, a Sit'n Putt. It's a short-handled putter designed to be used while you're on the potty."
Info: ga.wa.gov/surplus
Http://www.juliomedina.com
10/31/07
27 days...
I found this on Youtube. It is all USAF pictures to a great pump up mix of patriotic songs...Things like this make me proud already of the decision I have made.
Http://www.juliomedina.com
First Dates....
Some of these are really dumb and some of these are really funny. After reading through them I had to share...Any embarrassing first date stories?
Frights and Delights: First-Date Stories From Our Readers By Yahoo! readers Updated: Oct 31, 2007
She wrote in her profile that she was the Marilyn Monroe type -- that in itself should have been a dead giveaway! When we finally met at a local restaurant, she told me how she felt she was a reincarnation of Marilyn, how she possessed ESP and was clairvoyant and knew from the first read of my profile that we were destined for one another. She said she knew that I was going to ask her out, even though she suggested the meeting, and we were going to live happily ever after. In fact, she never let me get a word in edgewise because she already knew all of the answers to the questions she was posing and answered them for me! Well, it goes to show you, "don't judge a book by its cover!" (I am talking about her profile pictures.) She was beautiful. However, as far as the ESP thing goes, I wonder if she knew I was never going to call her back! -- John
Our first date was just walking around downtown Seattle. We went shopping, just talking and talking. He said, before you go I want to show you something. He then proceeded to blindfold me and took me for a drive. It sounds scary, but it wasn't. We parked and me (still blindfolded) giggling like a little girl got out of the car and he led me down what felt like a grassy hill. Once we reached the bottom he took off the blindfold and there were dozens of bunnies all around us! We are talking cute, cuddly little rabbits. This place is just outside of Woodland Park Zoo. It was amazing. As he stood there in his biker leather jacket looking tough reaching out to pet a bunny, I could tell right then he was the man of my dreams. -- Shayla
The guy made 8 p.m. reservations on a Friday evening at Moonshadows in Malibu. He came to pick me up at 8:45. He apologized for being late. He said he was nervous and drove around the block a gazillion times. His peace offering for being late -- flowers. Since we were running really late, he zoomed onto the freeway, cutting everyone off, going about 120. We get to the restaurant (in one piece, thank God!). It's now 10 past 9. Tons of people with reservations were waiting to be seated, however, we were seated promptly at the best table in the house. "Wow," I said. That was quite impressive. We had a great meal, conversation was so-so. We finished the dinner, then we ordered dessert. On my first bite of the creme brulee, he suddenly dropped down to the floor. I thought that maybe he had dropped his napkin. Then he stayed there... and got on one knee! He proposed to me and I looked at him with complete and utter shock! Then he took it upon himself to announce to the whole room that I said yes, even though I was left totally speechless! Everyone started clapping and wishing us congratulations. It was all so surreal. During our grand, celebrated exit at this fine dining establishment (people still congratulating us BTW), I asked him what in the world all that was about. He said that in order to keep the reservations, he had to tell the host he was going to ask for my hand in marriage and tonight was the night. He gets an A for effort and creativity...but boy, did I turn as red as a plum! -- Beautifulsoul
We decided to meet for dinner and a movie. He was there before me and I had told him that I was starving and couldn't wait to get something to eat. He told me that he wasn't that hungry and just wanted to go to the movie (strike one). So, I told him that I'd just get something there to eat and I told him which movie I wanted to see. He agreed and ran to the passenger side of my car telling me that he's "never been in a sports car before" (strike two). Halfway to the movies, he told me that he didn't want to see the same movie as I did, he wanted to go to "the dollar show" to see something that I did not want to see. OK, now I'm stuck with him. (Stopped counting the strikes). So, we go into the theater... I bought myself my dollar ticket, a small popcorn and a small soda. When we got into the movie, he started to reach over and help himself to my popcorn and my soda! I couldn't do it anymore, I finally cracked and told him all the stuff he did wrong and I told him to leave his grubby little hands off my stuff and that I was going home, and I left him there. He actually had the nerve to ask my friend to tell me that he wanted to go on a second date with me! -- Rita
Our first date was his sister's idea. She had suggested to him that he take me to a local amusement park. I loved the idea when he asked me and was really looking forward to it. But I was really nervous about being on rides. I hadn't been to an amusement park or on rides since I was a kid. When we got there we totally let our inner child out and had a blast. Then he suggested we go on one of the rides. I was petrified! I leaned into him in our little car and hung onto his arm. I thought, "I don't care if he thinks I'm forward, I'm holding on!" That broke the ice and it was immediately comfortable and like we'd known each other longer. We've been together for 2 years and 8 months. -- Anne
After communicating for a month, we decided to meet in person. His profile implied he was a 40-year-old man; football build and tall. When I saw him, he was 65 and grey haired.
The first thing he asked me was, "So what are you looking for in the next man?" My first date with a man my mother "thought" she'd picked out for me was just ordinary, a movie and popcorn. But when we got back to my house, he put his hands around my waist and told me he'd like to put me in a croaker sack and take me home and put me on his TV set. I was only 17, but that incensed me. I angrily told my mama about it and she laughed so hard she got the hiccups. "I knew he was the man for you," she said. He must have been. We've been married 45 years now. -- Janet
I had talked to this guy a few times, and then we made plans to meet for lunch one day. Over the course of our phone calls, I had disclosed that I love big trucks, 4 x 4, double cabs, off road package...the more the better. This man had asked me why I loved them so much and I told him that I think they're sexy and I think it's sexy to be a tiny woman and to drive a big truck and he thought that was great. We met for lunch, hit it off really good and he told me that he was "pleasantly surprised" at how much he enjoyed lunch. He asked if I was busy for the rest of the day, and I wasn't. He asked if I would like to go to some dealerships and look at "big trucks." I would have never thought I could have so much fun truck shopping. We had such a good time that we then both went home and changed and went out for dinner and a movie later together. -- Sharon
I went on a date with a co-worker I'd known for a while. When we sat down at our table, I tried to discreetly spit my gum into my napkin. I missed, and it landed in my lap. Sigh. Later on, he reached his hand across the table (I thought he was going to caress my cheek) and pulled a piece of lettuce out of my hair. Believe it or not, we had more dates. -- Joanne
Back in my 20s I responded to a personals ad in the paper and met this gal at a bar. She loved to drink and so did the six friends she brought with her. She then told me about a car accident she was in and wanted me to feel a soft part in her skull. Boy, did I ever want to run for the hills. After awhile it was pretty clear that this was going nowhere fast and I excused myself and left. I walked down the street and decided to go hear some music. While in line I met another gal and we decided to go for a walk. We walked for hours all over Boston talking and then just said goodnight. A nice end to an odd evening. -- Paul
Walking on Panama City Beach after having fun at the amusement park, it started to rain. We spotted a little bridge over the beach and we get under it. Well, bet you can guess what happened after that. Eight months later, we were married. That was 32 years ago. -- Don
I love finding out about a person by taking them to my favorite toy store. So I met up for coffee with nice woman I had been talking to online for a while, and after a few cups I asked her if she wanted to go for a walk. She said yes, so we began to walk past all the shops. When we came to the toy shop, I asked if she wanted to go in and we did. We began to look around at all the cool little items when she noticed a toy she had when she was younger. Seeing that toy, she began to tell me all kinds of stories of when she was a kid, and I showed her a bunch that I have had and told a few myself. It was fun going back in time and I got to see the kid in her. -- Michael
When we met, she kept saying over and over how she only went out with men who treated her to dinner on the first date, even though we had agreed just to meet for drinks for just one hour. After one round of drinks and one hour, I had seen and heard enough and told her I wanted to leave. She said fine, but before I could total up and leave, she grabbed the bartender and ordered two more drinks for herself -- on my credit card, of course. The bartender looked at me as if to say, "What do you want me to do?" I told him just to put them on my tab and I left. - Steven
I had been speaking to a certain man for quite awhile. He knew what nearby town I enjoyed, what type of food I liked, and what my profession was. He asked me out to dinner at an exclusive restaurant that was my favorite one in this particular town. We were having a great time, finished the meal, then he proceeded to say to me, "By the way, I didn't tell you this before, but I hate (name of town), hate (type of food I liked) and hate (my profession)." Usually I am nice to people, but I looked at him and said, "This date is over, take me home." He seemed confused and asked what was wrong. At least I got a good meal out of the evening. I didn't talk the whole way home. I was thinking that he said those things because he wanted this date to end. Well, of all things he called me the next day to ask me out again. Of course, that never happened. -- Gail
He invited me to a softball tournament that he was playing in. I sat in the crowd with his entire family. They were so nice and treated me as if they had known me for years. In between games, he and I were sitting next to each other in lawn chairs, and I had that feeling that I was being stared at. I turned to look and there he was, staring at me. He asked if he could have a kiss, and I just smiled at him. He leaned in a little and whispered, "Meet me halfway." Now, we are proud parents of two beautiful children and are coming up on our sixth wedding anniversary. And, in everything we do -- parenting, scheduling, budgeting, chores and errands (and kissing too) -- we still meet each other halfway. --
Kelli
Http://www.juliomedina.com
The McRib is Back.
It`s baaaaaack. I am not a fan of McDonald`s crap in the first place but there are a few things there that are simply tasty. For Instance the McRib sandwich, I think that the way they market this tasty little treat is such a genius way of marketing. They only have it at certain times of the year so that when it is there it causes tons of excitement....Like me for instance blogging about it - LOL But think about the excitment that comes around when they bring monopoly back. Everyone is guilty of getting excited as they get that wet on the outside soft drink and see those 2 green stickers just waiting to be peeled off for the chance at ONE MILLLLLLION DOLLARS!! and if you failed to win there you still ave 2 more chances if you got a salty box of fries.... hahaha
Other than the taste though there is absolutely nothing good about the sandwich itself -
McRib Nutritional Info:
490 calories, 220 calories from fat, 25 g fat, 8 g saturated fat, 75 mg cholesterol, 1040 mg sodium, 44 g carbohydrates, 2 g fiber, 24 g protein, 11 g sugars.
If that does not scare you away...http://www.foodfacts.info/mcrib/- That will. The pictures of the sandwich "deconstructed" are enough to make you want to vomit.
I still don`t car I think it`s a great sandwich. The only thing that is better than the mcRib is a sandwich with the same type structure from a little hole in the wall bbq place called Hog Wild. I think it`s in Midlothian, IL so if you are ever around there go get it. And their Oven Browns are to die for.
P.S. I generally would choose Burger King over McDonald's. - Just Preference. (They are both terrible) - McDonald's takes the market though by having 24 hours places for all those late nights of fun. ;) - Good ole Mcdoogals.
Http://www.juliomedina.com
10/30/07
Back off!
This is a great article on 'personal' space. EVERYONE has been guilty or been the victim of invading another persons personal space while talking to them or greeting them. I can think of a handful of people that do it all the time lol. It is a little bit of a pet peeve. I am aware of it so I am very careful myself but still I am sure that I have done it. The article below provides tips on how to minimize it. The worst is when someone gets in your face when they start a conversation with you and their breath smells like they just got done eating a crap sandwich. LOL
www.JulioMedina.com
(RealSimple.com) -- Here are some of the most effective ways to deal with people who are too close for (your) comfort.
The invasion: An acquaintance greets you with an unwelcome bear hug or a slobbery kiss.
The defense: Head off advances with your body language. "You should put out your hand long before the person gets to you, so he knows you prefer to only shake hands," says Hector Garcia, a bodyguard with Valle Security International.
Or take a cue from the way people deal with uncomfortable closeness on subways and buses, says Robert Sommer, professor emeritus of psychology at the University of California at Davis and the author of "Personal Space." They treat other passengers like trees. "Go rigid, avoid eye contact, look away, and act busy," he says.
If it's too late to stop an affection attack, use humor to make your feelings known. "Draw back in mock horror and say, 'You know, I've given up kissing temporarily, at least until after I've had my flu shot,'" says Letitia Baldrige, author of "New Manners for New Times." "You are obviously joking, but he'll get the message."
Most important, express yourself early on, advises Ceri Marsh, coauthor of "The Fabulous Girl's Guide to Grace Under Pressure: Extreme Etiquette for the Stickiest, Trickiest, Most Outrageous Situations of Your Life."
"It's tough to break habits that have already been established," says Marsh. "Once you've agreed, even tacitly, to the kiss-kiss hello, it's very tricky to move to the handshake."
Her suggestion: "Try standing slightly farther away from this person when you greet him next," and angle your body so you're not meeting him head-on.
The invasion: An office mate is constantly in your cubicle, reading over your shoulder or picking up papers from your desk.
The defense: You're there to work; that's the only excuse you need. And while offices aren't exactly homes, they should be treated with the same kind of respect, says Lois Frankel, an executive coach and the author of "Nice Girls Don't Get the Corner Office."
"You wouldn't think of going into someone's home uninvited, picking up their mail, and reading it," says Frankel. "And the same courtesy should be extended in the workplace."
She suggests posting a lighthearted sign to indicate when people are welcome to come in or to designate desk items as off-limits.
"Something to the effect of 'Unless you plan on cleaning this desk, don't pick anything up!'" says Frankel. "If the culprits still don't get it, try saying, 'Can I help you?' or 'Those papers are private.'"
Of course, in a cubicle, you're a sitting duck. Sommer suggests personalizing your work area, whether it's with a few family photographs or a distinctive plant. Establishing it as your private space can subtly reinforce boundaries and help fend off overfriendly office mates.
The invasion: You catch a dinner guest poking through your bedroom or perusing your medicine cabinet.
The defense: Even the nosiest person will be embarrassed to be caught in the act, says etiquette writer Ceri Marsh. You can let the person save face by saying, "I'm sorry. You must need something. Can I help you?"
Then the guest has an easy out -- he can respond that he was looking for an aspirin or some other common item. As he or she follows you to find the item, you might gently close the door behind you.
The invasion: A neighbor regularly shows up on your doorstep for coffee, unannounced.
The defense: Play it straight. "Say, 'I'm sorry -- this isn't a good time, but thanks for thinking of me,' without inviting the neighbor into the house," says Jane Adams, Ph.D., a psychologist and the author of "Boundary Issues."
You could also plainly admit that you prefer scheduled coffee dates to impromptu visits.
If you work from home, you have a built-in excuse for turning away any company: "Listen, Mary, I have this deadline, and I have to work on it. Maybe we can get together later next week."
Your neighbor doesn't need to know what is occupying your time (if you're simply relaxing on the couch, then so be it). She only needs to know that you are not available.
The invasion: The cleaner, the dog walker, or the sitter moves things around in areas of the house he or she has no business being in.
The defense: "Absolutely address the situation," says Debra Johnson, the training manager for Merry Maids, a national home-cleaning service. After all, you're paying for the job, and communication is the key to getting what you want.
Guy Maddalone, the CEO and founder of GTM Household Employment Experts and the author of "How to Hire and Retain Your Household Help," says, "Whether it's a nanny, a dog walker, or a house cleaner, that person wants to be successful in their role, so you need to explain the policies in the beginning to set them up for success."
Schedule an orientation meeting with the employee at the start and explain your rules, including the places and things that are off-limits. You might even take this a step further by creating your own employee handbook. That way, you'll both have a clear, tangible reference to consult in the future.
The invasion: Your spouse regularly opens the bathroom door and saunters in when you're going about your business.
The defense: "Simply close the door with a 'Let's maintain the mystery, shall we, darling?'" says Marsh. Indeed, whether you are showering, are in mud-pack mode, or just want a few minutes to yourself, shutting the door will make a clear statement and may mean you don't even have to say anything, agrees Peter Post, author of "Essential Manners for Couples."
But what if it's a girlfriend who enjoys spending quality time in the bathroom, chatting between stalls or tagging along with you on trips to a teensy ladies' room? You risk bruising her feelings if you flat-out ignore her. So if you must say something, again, try a joke.
Molly Erdman, a comedian with the Second City troupe, in Chicago, suggests "I require full concentration for the task at hand." Your friend will recognize that sometimes two is a crowd.
The invasion: Your spouse and kids leave their things (toys! socks!) in your spaces.
The defense: Think of the old dorm-room dirty-dishes trick: Plonking the offending plates on your roommate's bed prompted a quick change in those housework-avoiding habits.
The same technique can be used at home today -- setting the sweat sock you found in your lingerie drawer back on top of your husband's dresser, or removing your children's colony of Incredibles figures from under your desk and resettling it elsewhere.
The key, says Robert Sommer, professor emeritus of psychology at the University of California at Davis, is to make it obvious that you have deliberately moved the items from a place where they didn't belong and weren't welcome.
Prevent recurring clutter creep by making a clear and specific place for everything -- a bowl for house keys, a separate bureau for your husband, a toy chest for the children -- and label these areas if necessary, suggests Barry Izsak, the president of the National Association of Professional Organizers.
Ultimately, though, says Erdman, it's best to maintain some perspective. "While I don't prefer that my husband keep his socks in my drawer," she says, "I can calmly put them back where they belong knowing it would be much worse if he stashed them in the silverware drawer."
The invasion: A dinner companion casually eats from your plate uninvited.
The defense: Head her off at the pass. Before you dig in, "an elegant approach is to place a small sample of your dish on your bread plate and pass it to your dinner companion," says Markus Draxler, the maître d'hôtel at the acclaimed French restaurant Daniel, in New York City. He also suggests asking your waiter to have a portion split for you in the kitchen before the meal is served.
If the portions are small, however, or you don't feel like sharing even one bite, a comment like "I'm so starved -- I can't wait to eat every single thing on my plate!" can discourage a scavenger from focusing her crosshairs on your pork tenderloin.
And when the waiter takes your dessert order and asks how many forks you'd like, saying "One, please" will give your dining companions the signal to keep their tines in their own tiramisus.</p>
The invasion: You are on a group vacation but crave some alone time.
The defense: Whether you're traveling with friends or in a tour group, sometimes you need a vacation from your traveling companions.
"I've had this happen on numerous occasions and find that it's best to be honest," says Stacy Small, a Florida-based luxury-travel consultant and the president of Elite Travel by Stacy. Prearrange a few activities just for you, like a spa treatment or a golf lesson, and simply explain to the others that you set up some appointments ahead of time.
Or, suggests Erdman, pick an activity obscure enough to turn off the rest of the group ("Hey, I'm going to the sawdust museum tomorrow! Who's with me?") and then savor your freedom once the group has set off in search of more traditional sights.
Another strategy is to be the earliest riser and get a start on the day before your friends are even out of bed.
Or, says Kim Izzo, coauthor of "The Fabulous Girl's Guide to Grace Under Pressure," let the group members make their plans for the day, then politely bow out before they depart with "I'm going to hang alone by the pool today." "Your friends may be glad you've introduced the concept of spending some alone time and take advantage of it themselves," Izzo says.
The invasion: A perfect stranger pats your pregnant belly in public.
The defense: "Some expectant moms don't mind the touching -- and, in fact, some enjoy it," says Heidi Murkoff, author of "What to Expect When You're Expecting."
"But if it does rub you the wrong way, there's no reason why you shouldn't speak up. A playful 'No touching, please -- the baby's sleeping!' can discourage those uninvited advances. Or make your statement without saying a word: Cross your arms protectively over your belly, or even try rubbing the person right back. Patting someone's potbelly might make him think twice before reaching for yours again."
For a subtler tactic, psychologist Jane Adams, Ph.D., suggests, "just move away from the person, or take their hand and gently deposit it somewhere else." That should make it clear that your stomach, however tempting it may be to touch, is not up for grabs.
The invasion: The cruise-ship couple you just met wants to hang out from breakfast buffet until bedtime.
The defense: There are two ways to rid yourself of human barnacles.
Option A -- the polite ditch. "One approach would be to tell the couple, 'We devote so much time at home to our friends and family, so one of the things we love most about a cruise is that it gives us the chance to get away from everyone and spend some quiet time alone, just the two of us,'" says Michael Thomas, the director of entertainment and programs for Celebrity Cruises.
Option B? Hide! "Book yourselves a romantic dinner for two at the intimate, reservations-only restaurant that most ships have," suggests Heidi Sarna, a coauthor of "Cruise Vacations for Dummies."
Better still, she says, "order room service and hunker down on your cabin balcony, the most private of spaces on a cruise ship."
10/29/07
What your candy says...
Washingtonpost.com
What's Your Halloween Candy Personality?
BY JOE HEIM | OCTOBER 28, 2007
Halloween
looms and with it the annual candy-buying frenzy. While dieters stock
up on candy they don't like so they won't be tempted by leftovers, the
rest of us buy the stuff we do like and hope that only one or two of
those pesky little costumed punks comes a-knocking. (And even then, we
smack their grabby hands if they dig too deep: "Hey, pal, you're only 5
years old. One Butterfinger for you!")
If you haven't bought
your supply yet, the chart below might help you decide what kind of
candy to pass out. We not only provide the history and calorie count
for 10 brands, we also asked an expert to tell us what the candy you
give out says about you. Steve Almond, the author of "Candyfreak: A
Journey Through the Chocolate Underbelly of America" (Harvest, 2005),
e-mailed us his analysis of the personality types who might offer these
tasty sweets to trick-or-treaters.
"There's something incredibly
liberating about a holiday that encourages children to take candy from
strangers," Almond writes of Halloween in his book. Indeed. For some
reason, Almond asked that we make clear that he is a "professional
candyfreak, not a therapist." Well, that's good enough for us. (View the Latest Poll Results)
NOTE:
This is an unscientific survey of washingtonpost.com readers.; PHOTOS:
Julia Ewan - The Washington Post; WEB EDITOR: Amanda McGrath -
washingtonpost.com
HTC Touch from Sprint.
I am a phone freak. I have had sprint now for 6 years with the same number too. I am attached to my number. I will keep it for life. I have always been a flip phone fan..I like the size and the ability to keep it in my pocket at all times but with the demands of life it is actually almost necessary that I get a Smartphone/PDA as I need to have access to my email at all times. I have some applications on my phone now that I can access it but its hard to read and not the same as being pushed to the phone.(Blackberry style)
This is the phone I want it is being released to sprint on the PCS side on November 4Th:
I actually prefer text over talk now. It is much more simple to use and easier to get right to the point with what you have to say so in my opinion it increases your personal productivity by saving you time and eliminating useless conversation.(in most cases)
I also just got my Military discount activated with sprint and they really do take care of people in the service, I get 25% off my total bill monthly which is awesome. I usually average about 800 minutes talk time a month and anywhere between 2000-2500 text messages a month. Sprint has the best data packages with broadband like speed right to your phone. I do not use the TV and Movie Features. I do not even watch TV on a big screen why would I want to squint to watch TV on my mobile? So what service do you have? Are you happy with it? Do you text message? Why don`t you switch to the only digital network built from the ground up? It`s the clear alternative to cellular...Ok, I am out of advertisement slogans LOL
10/26/07
Summer of 2007
Summer is over and we are well into Fall 007, This Mix is something that I heard this summer ONE time (My friend Michael had it on a CD) and it stuck with me, I have been trying to find it for months and I just did. This just made my day so I wanted to post it. It may not be your style....You have to hear it all the way to appreciate it though (especially the 90210 part hahaha)
10/25/07
Medina 2012
Josh Cox`s Blog got me laughing so hard that I wanted to post my own. If you saw his you got the laugh already yourself. I see some resemblance myself even though I don't like it LOL. Check it out... Separated at Birth
Then Check out the 2 Youtube Video`s. #1 is a the history of the Parody that was written about Obama and the second one is the actual song. ( I like Rush. )
and
By the way If you are wondering who I am voting for:
Prank Calls
All the way up through college we used to pull some pretty crazy phone pranks.We never had stuff like this though, if we did I would have never stopped LOL. I ran across this on accident and I was so intrigued by the concept I figured I would share it with the rest of the pranksters out there :)
10/22/07
VaJoe.com
I was just interviewed by VAJoe.com and they have added my blog to their website...Check it out.
VaJoe.com- JulioMedina.Com Blog interview
I need some ideas....
I need some good ideas.I am going to a few different Halloween parties and I still have no clue what to do for a costume.Give some of your thoughts....
10/19/07
A Hero Lives On...
I saw this on Yahoo News and I took the time to read it. -Very Interesting Story...I did not know that guys were doing this before they went off to war...I did not know it was even a possibility. I am not sure how I feel about it really, I think it`s a great story in this case and I think it is awesome that someone who gave his life for our freedoms has a son that is living on in his name...In his case the military makes it possible to take care of your spouse if you are married monetarily even after you have died. You can set it up to where you spouse will receive a portion of your benefits for the rest of her life...So this family will not struggle financially if the mom is good with her money...For the boy though...He is going to grow up without a Father in His life....NOT GOOD! She has no intention of looking for someone else in her life and that`s fine and even totally understandable...BUT! The memory of this Boys father is not enough to make a man out him...He can make it and I hope he does...Maybe even pursue a career in the military like his father. That would be a great end of story. What do you think about it?
Two years after US soldier's death, widow has his son
by Virginie Montet and Stephane Delfour-Given
Fri Oct 19, 2:40 AM ET
Fifteen-month-old Benton is the spitting image of his father, a US soldier who died in Iraq two years before his son was born.
"He looks so much like his father, it's kind of scary," his mother Kathleen Smith told AFP, as she talked about her unusual decision to have her soldier-husband's baby posthumously, using semen frozen before he was deployed.
"Benton is the child Brian and I could have had. I have part of what Brian and I could have had -- part of my dream was possible even after he died," Smith, 42, said.
"My husband and I had talked about the probability of needing to do in vitro fertilization because I already had a fertility issue. That's why he went to a sperm bank before he went to Iraq," she said.
Smith is not the only US soldier to have semen frozen and held at a sperm bank before deployment to Iraq or Afghanistan.
Many have done so not because they fear they will be killed but because of the risk they would be injured or exposed to chemicals during deployment which could affect their fertility.
"There was a slight increase in military storage in 2003," said Tanya Peebles, spokeswoman for Cryobank, one of the biggest sperm banks in California.
Storage of sperm usually costs 365 dollars a year.
But Cryobank ran a special offer that year, with "semen collection and storage services at a substantially reduced cost, with the first year storage provided free of charge" to military personnel who were about to be deployed to Iraq.
The aim of the promotional offer was "to help ensure the future of their families," according to the advertisement.
However, the widows of soldiers who choose to make the same decision as Kathleen Smith can be counted on the fingers of one hand, the US department of Veterans' Affairs said.
Spokesman Jim Benson said the department knew of only four such cases.
A medical professor at the Uniformed Services University of Health Sciences in Washington, who asked not to be named, agreed women who seek to have their late husband's baby are a rarity, and expressed doubt as to whether it was a good idea.
"It's very uncommon. And I don't think it's a good thing, or that it will become more common," he said.
"The problem is regret -- regret is high for those women," he said. "What happens when she meets someone else?"
"The other question is ethical: the guy hadn't planned to die so he didn't say you could use his sperm," the doctor said.
Smith has no regrets, and Benton has also managed to bring round his grandparents, who were initially against their slain son's widow having his baby after his death.
"His mom was against it. But she's wonderful now. She loves her little boy, her grandson," said Smith.
"Brian and I never discussed whether I would have a child if he died," she added.
"When he died, I was 40 and it's not like I had time to look for another person to be with and to have a child. If I was 10 years younger, it would have been a different situation."
She looks on her son as a blessing and "something good that came out of the war," which she stopped supporting when her husband was killed.
"My opinion about this war has changed, with regard to Brian's death," Smith said. "In the beginning, I was supportive of the war, but at this point I want our guys home."
10/18/07
Mobile 10 Commandments.
Ha Ha! I saw this and wanted to post it right away. You might have seen it already but we are all guilty at some point of breaking one of these rules. I am attached to my cellphone like it`s a magnet.- I have not had my phone since Sunday and I feel helpless. LOL It goes to show how dependant we become on technology in our society.
Let me share a HUGE mobile pet peeve...I CAN NOT stand when someone leaves their bluetooth earpiece in at all times like its some sort of fashion accessory. In my opinion if you are that important you would have someone taking your calls for you so relax and put that thing away LOL! Do you have any pet peeves about cellphones? What "rule" are you guilty of breaking?1. Thou shalt not subject defenseless others to cell phone conversations. When people cannot escape the banality of your conversation, such as on the bus, in a cab, on a grounded airplane, or at the dinner table, you should spare them. People around you should have the option of not listening. If they don't, you shouldn't be babbling.
2. Thou shalt not set thy ringer to play La Cucaracha every time thy phone rings. Or Beethoven's Fifth, or the Bee Gees, or any other annoying melody. Is it not enough that phones go off every other second? Now we have to listen to synthesized nonsense?
3. Thou shalt turn thy cell phone off during public performances. I'm not even sure this one needs to be said, but given the repeated violations of this heretofore unwritten law, I felt compelled to include it.
4. Thou shalt not wear more than two wireless devices on thy belt. This hasn't become a big problem yet. But with plenty of techno-jockeys sporting pagers and phones, Batman-esque utility belts are sure to follow. Let's nip this one in the bud. -(Ha Ha or the buy that clips it to his belt and walks like his hip popped out!)
5. Thou shalt not dial while driving. In all seriousness, this madness has to stop. There are enough people in the world who have problems mastering vehicles and phones individually. Put them together and we have a serious health hazard on our hands. (I am guilty of bumping into the car in front of me while being in a heated text convo. LOL)
6. Thou shalt not wear thy earpiece when thou art not on thy phone. This is not unlike being on the phone and carrying on another conversation with someone who is physically in your presence. No one knows if you are here or there. Very disturbing.
7. Thou shalt not speak louder on thy cell phone than thou would on any other phone. These things have incredibly sensitive microphones, and it's gotten to the point where I can tell if someone is calling me from a cell because of the way they are talking, not how it sounds. If your signal cuts out, speaking louder won't help, unless the person is actually within earshot.(Ha ha ha there is always that one guy that is screaming like it`s a megaphone and not a cellphone.)
8. Thou shalt not grow too attached to thy cell phone. For obvious reasons, a dependency on constant communication is not healthy. At work, go nuts. At home, give it a rest.
9. Thou shalt not attempt to impress with thy cell phone. Not only is using a cell phone no longer impressive in any way (unless it's one of those really cool new phones with the space age design), when it is used for that reason, said user can be immediately identified as a neophyte and a poseur.
10. Thou shalt not slam thy cell phone down on a restaurant table just in case it rings. This is not the Old West, and you are not a gunslinger sitting down to a game of poker in the saloon. Could you please be a little less conspicuous? If it rings, you'll hear it just as well if it's in your coat pocket or clipped on your belt.
10/17/07
I am Pro Life
This Video is graphic so just know that before you press play.(If you press play)
It`s sad but it`s real. It is part of a Presidential Campaign( Mitt Romney ) for Pro Life.
This was not posted to endorse Mitt Romney. I posted it for awareness and because I am Pro Life.
The Song is Called: Happy Birthday by - Flipsyde ft. Tatu (I`ll put the lyrics under the video)
Happy Birthday...so make a wish
Verse 1:
Please accept my apologies, wonder what would have been
Would you've been a little angel or an angel of sin?
Tom-boy running around, hanging with all the guys.
Or a little tough boy with beautiful brown eyes?
I payed for the murder before they determined the sex
Choosing our life over your life meant your death
And you never got'a chance to even open your eyes
Sometimes I wonder as a fetus if you faught for your life?
Would you have been a little genius in love with math?
Would you have played in your school clothes and made me mad?
Would you have been a little rapper like your papa da Piper?
Would you have made me quit smokin' by finding one of my lighters?
I wonder about your skintone and shape of your nose?
And the way you would have laughed and talked fast or slow?
Think about it every year, so I picked up a pen
Happy birthday, love you whoever you woulda been
Happy birthday...
Chorus:
what I thought was a dream (make a wish)
Was as real as it seemed (happy birthday)
What I thought was a dream (make a wish)
Was as real as it seemed
I made a mistake!
Verse 2:
I've got a millon excuses to why you died
Bet the people got their own reasons for homicide
Who's to say it woulda worked, and who's to say it wouldn't have?
I was young and strugglin' but old enough to be your dad
The fear of being my father has never disappeared
Pondering frequently while I'm sippin' on my beer
My vision of a family was artificial and fake
So when it came time to create I made a mistake
Now you've got a little brother maybe he's really you?
Maybe you really forgave us knowin' we was confused?
Maybe everytime that he smiles it's you proudly knowin' that your father's doin' the right thing now?
I never tell a woman what to do with her body
But if she don't love children then we can't party
Think about it every year, so I picked up a pen
Happy birthday, love you whoever you woulda been
Happy birthday...
Chorus:
What I thought was a dream (make a wish)
Was as real as it seemed (happy birthday)
What I thought was a dream (yeah, make a wish)
Was as real as it seemed
I made a mistake!
And from the heavens to the womb to the heavens again
From the endin' to the endin', never got to begin
Maybe one day we could meet face to face?
In a place without time and space
Happy birthday...
From the heavens to the womb to the heavens again
From the endin' to the endin', never got to begin
Maybe one day we could meet face to face?
In a place without time and space
Happy birthday...
Chorus:
What I thought was a dream (make a wish)
Was as real as it seemed (happy birthday)
What I thought was a dream (make a wish)
Was as real as it seemed
I made a mistake...!
Verse 1:
Please accept my apologies, wonder what would have been
Would you've been a little angel or an angel of sin?
Tom-boy running around, hanging with all the guys.
Or a little tough boy with beautiful brown eyes?
I payed for the murder before they determined the sex
Choosing our life over your life meant your death
And you never got'a chance to even open your eyes
Sometimes I wonder as a fetus if you faught for your life?
Would you have been a little genius in love with math?
Would you have played in your school clothes and made me mad?
Would you have been a little rapper like your papa da Piper?
Would you have made me quit smokin' by finding one of my lighters?
I wonder about your skintone and shape of your nose?
And the way you would have laughed and talked fast or slow?
Think about it every year, so I picked up a pen
Happy birthday, love you whoever you woulda been
Happy birthday...
Chorus:
what I thought was a dream (make a wish)
Was as real as it seemed (happy birthday)
What I thought was a dream (make a wish)
Was as real as it seemed
I made a mistake!
Verse 2:
I've got a millon excuses to why you died
Bet the people got their own reasons for homicide
Who's to say it woulda worked, and who's to say it wouldn't have?
I was young and strugglin' but old enough to be your dad
The fear of being my father has never disappeared
Pondering frequently while I'm sippin' on my beer
My vision of a family was artificial and fake
So when it came time to create I made a mistake
Now you've got a little brother maybe he's really you?
Maybe you really forgave us knowin' we was confused?
Maybe everytime that he smiles it's you proudly knowin' that your father's doin' the right thing now?
I never tell a woman what to do with her body
But if she don't love children then we can't party
Think about it every year, so I picked up a pen
Happy birthday, love you whoever you woulda been
Happy birthday...
Chorus:
What I thought was a dream (make a wish)
Was as real as it seemed (happy birthday)
What I thought was a dream (yeah, make a wish)
Was as real as it seemed
I made a mistake!
And from the heavens to the womb to the heavens again
From the endin' to the endin', never got to begin
Maybe one day we could meet face to face?
In a place without time and space
Happy birthday...
From the heavens to the womb to the heavens again
From the endin' to the endin', never got to begin
Maybe one day we could meet face to face?
In a place without time and space
Happy birthday...
Chorus:
What I thought was a dream (make a wish)
Was as real as it seemed (happy birthday)
What I thought was a dream (make a wish)
Was as real as it seemed
I made a mistake...!
10/16/07
Super Bowl Sunday - The making of the IFL
I think this is totally ridiculous. It`s The NFL not the IFL keep in the USA! Superbowl Sunday is something that unites our nation on a cold Sunday for a few hours to watch a game and cheer for your favorite team and even more than that...The team represents a State in the US. I realize that most everybody will watch the super bowl on TV so it does not really seem like a big deal where it`s held but...I just don't agree. Let the other countries watch on TV or have them fly in and buy tickets. - This whole thing comes down to money, Then you wonder why the players and Franchises are so corrupt. If they MUST play a few games outside the states then by all means lets share our passion for the sport with other countries...But for the Best Game of year I say keep it home. Just a quick rant...
SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. (AP) -- A future Super Bowl champion may someday be crowned overseas in a game witnessed predominantly by a foreign audience, NFL commissioner Roger Goodell said.
"There's a great deal of interest in holding a Super Bowl in London," Goodell told reporters Monday. "So we'll be looking at that." The commissioner said London's new Wembley Stadium would make a great candidate for pro football's biggest matchup, given the enthusiasm overseas for the game.
The NFL has been expanding its overseas presence for years by televising games around the world. It's held preseason games in numerous countries in Europe, Asia, Mexico and Canada, and in 2005, the Arizona Cardinals and San Francisco 49ers played the first regular-season match outside the United States.
The game at Azteca Stadium in Mexico City drew the league's largest crowd to date, 103,467.
On Oct. 28, Wembley will host the first regular-season NFL game outside North America. It took just 90 minutes to sell the first 40,000 tickets for the game between the Miami Dolphins and New York Giants. Goodell said event organizers have sold 95,000 tickets in all.
Goodell spoke about the possibility of a British Super Bowl after a luncheon Monday in Scottsdale sponsored by the host committee for the 2008 Super Bowl in Arizona.
www.juliomedina.com
10/14/07
Time and Life
Just a quick thought I had today....
The world moves so quickly. Time is on our side for certain things but looking back sometimes it just seems to fade away so quickly. Have you ever thought that maybe because we rush and run and hustle to keep up with the everyday pace of living that in turn it slows down other life events or the correct way to the path we are headed down? Just a thought that I wanted to type it...Maybe it makes sense to you maybe it does`nt.
* Disclaimer: This is my blog. You don`t have to understand and you don't have to like it. If you don't I totally understand. Just hit the alt and f4 key. www.juliomedina.com
10/12/07
Chuck Norris Facts
LOL I have had a some really good laughs looking up some of these crazy Chuck Norris Facts. Have you heard any really good ones? Share it....
- Chuck Norris does not sleep. He waits.
- Chuck Norris counted to infinity—twice.
- The chief export of Chuck Norris is Pain.
- Chuck Norris doesn’t read books. He stares them down until he gets the information he wants.
- When the Boogeyman goes to sleep every night, he checks his closet for Chuck Norris.
- Chuck Norris can lead a horse to water AND make it drink.
- When Chuck Norris does a push up, he isn’t lifting himself up, he’s pushing the Earth down.
- Chuck Norris can slam a revolving door.
- Chuck Norris is his own line at the DMV.
- When Chuck Norris does division, there are no remainders.
- Chuck Norris can blow bubbles with beef jerky.
- Chuck Norris can get Blackjack with just one card.
- Chuck Norris puts the laughter in manslaughter.
- Chuck Norris makes onions cry!
www.juliomedina.com
----------------
Now playing: Madina Lake - Here I Stand
via FoxyTunes
10/11/07
JulioMedina.Com
www.juliomedina.com has been taken for years by a Spanish actor named Julio Medina. I was always mad every time I went to check it out. LOL Well I decided to check again and it was an expired domain!!So I went Godaddy.com (I prefer them for domain and hosting services) and I registered it right away. I did not get any hosting for it yet. I am actually not going to be doing anything with it till I am out of Basic Training but I am so happy that I got it that I needed to post this and throw in a little ad for Godaddy.com too ;) I`ll let you know when it`s up and going
10/8/07
I need your opinion.
Are you on myspace? Even if you are not I need you to do me a HUGE favor. Google 'Myspace Comments' and look at a few different websites and then come back here and give me the link to the ones you visited and why you liked it. By like it I do not mean any of the content I just mean the basic layout of the page. It wont take you that long...And this is important to me. I will explain why another time. I just need the Name of the site and why you liked the layout. Thanks...
10/5/07
Heartbreak Kid-
LOL!! I think I might go check this out this weekend. Watch for the dinner roll. LOL!!
10/4/07
Energy Drinks...Or so they say...
The Downsides of Bottled Water and Energy Drinks
Information by Simeon Margolis, M.D., Ph.D.
"In an earlier entry, I railed against the bogus health benefits of bottled waters such as Aquafina®, a Pepsi product that TV advertisements are now admitting is simply tap water that has been "filtered, filtered, and filtered" again, to remove the (harmless) impurities present in much cheaper tap water.Next to appear on the supermarket shelves were additional unneeded bottled waters fortified with unneeded herbs and vitamins. In addition, the non-degradable plastic bottles containing these unneeded products add to the litter on streets and the problems associated with waste disposal.
The wisdom of using bottled waters may be questionable, but at least they don't pose the possible health risks of so-called "energy drinks." You've surely heard about these malevolent products, but probably haven't given them much thought.
"Energy drinks" were popularized in the U.S. with the 1997 introduction of Red Bull®, a carbonated beverage from Austria that contains 80 mg of caffeine in every bottle—about the same amount as is found in a cup of coffee. For comparison, classic Coca Cola® contains 23 mg caffeine and Mountain Dew® contains 37 mg caffeine.
Additional ingredients in Red Bull include two caloric sweeteners (glucose and sucrose), three non-caloric sweeteners, some B vitamins, and the same amount of the amino acid taurine as is found in a glass of red wine.
Other brands of "energy drinks" may contain twice as much or more caffeine as Red Bull, plus other questionable ingredients such as guarana — a South American caffeine-containing herb. (In 2005, the sales of "energy drinks" amounted to an estimated $3.5 billion.)
The calories in these drinks do provide some energy, but mostly their content of caffeine and taurine "soup up" one's feelings of alertness and may produce troublesome side effects such as anxiety, irritability, heart palpitations, difficulty sleeping, and indigestion.
These manifestations are more likely to occur with "energy drinks" than with coffee, which is usually drunk more slowly than the cooled "energy drinks." "Energy drinks" can also lead to dehydration because caffeine stimulates urination and thus increases water loss.
Yet another downside to "energy drinks": Because of their high caffeine content, they are frequently used by young people during nightlong parties as a mixer for vodka drinks.
And, quite predictably, many brewing companies have taken notice of this trend and are now selling "energy drinks" already laced with alcohol - carbonated malt beverages (beers) containing somewhat more alcohol than average beers, along with the caffeine, taurine, and other constituents of the non-alcoholic "energy drinks." The Marin Institute, self-described as a watchdog group for the alcohol industry, claims that 20 brands of alcoholic "energy drinks" have been marketed in the last 10 years.
Attorneys general from 28 states and the District of Columbia have issued harsh criticism of beverage companies that sell alcoholic "energy drinks." They ask that federal officials investigate the ingredients in these products because of their alcohol content and because of the advertising accompanying them, which targets underage customers with misleading claims of benefits, such as increases in energy and stamina.
One take-home message here is the need for greater awareness on the part of parents, teenagers, and young adults about the possible negative health effects of these popular beverages. "
This is why If I do have energy drinks I drink the Sugar Free. My favorite is Sugar Free Red Bull. I do not drink them all the time though...maybe once a month. People are crazy to think that a can of sugar water with a label of herbal supplements that are not even regulated by the FDA is going to give them some boost of energy and make up for not properly taking care of their bodies. It`s like going to McDonald's and getting a Powerade with your Big Mac meal...Are you dehydrated from the curling motion of that burger to your mouth? LOL That is a subject on its own...Have you ever looked at the 'Nutritional Value' on anything that you can get from the golden arches? Check this out..McDonald`s Nutritional Info
If you drink energy drinks...What is your Favorite?
10/3/07
Letterman and Paris...
I am not a big Hollywood/Stars Follower...But I saw this and it made me laugh and so I thought I would post it! LOL...
10/2/07
What have you learned?
I've learned that no matter what happens, or how bad it seem today, life does go on, and it will be better tomorrow.
I've learned that you can tell a lot about a person by the way he/she handles these three things: a rainy day, lost luggage, and tangled Christmas tree lights.
I've learned that regardless of your relationship with your parents, you'll miss them when they're gone from your life.
I've learned that making a "living" is not the same thing as making a "life."
I've learned that life sometimes gives you a second chance.
I've learned that you shouldn't go through life with a catcher's mitt on both hands; you need to be able to throw something back.
I've learned that whenever I decide something with an open heart, I usually make the right decision
I've learned that even when I have pains, I don't have to be one.
I've learned that every day you should reach out and touch someone. People love a warm hug, or just a friendly pat on the back.
I've learned that I still have a lot to learn.
I've learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel."
-Maya Algoquin
The one I put in bold are my favorites...I saw this and It went into my quotes file so I figured I would post it too...What is something that you have learned up to this point in your life?
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Now playing: swirl 360 - Okay
via FoxyTunes
10/1/07
My Monday Motivation....
This was my reminder today when life gives you a good swift kick to pick yourself and "Stand Tall" Cause it`s (life) going on no matter what...
Standing on top of the edge it feels like it's going down
Everything stays in my mind feeling in a daze on the ground
Feels like it's gonna give life's to hard to live anymore
I think I've had enough things too tough
I'm out the door
All in all it's just another day now
You're falling down
What you gonna do
Standing on top of the world tonight
No ones looking back at you
Stand tall
It's going on
It's going on
It's gonna be just fine
You're holding on
Holding on today
Things don't stop and the others announced they're moving on
Salt & tears in the minds in the mouths of a bad decision
Too late for another mistake it's bringing me down
With all your faults it isn't your fault
What's going on
All in all it's just another day now
You're falling down
What you gonna do
Standing on top of the world tonight
No ones looking back at you
Stand tall
It's going on
It's going on
It's gonna be just fine
You're holding on
Holding on today
So you lost yourself
So you lost your way
Found life through someone else
But you threw it all away
All in all it's just another day now
You're falling down
What you gonna do
Standing on top of the world tonight
No ones looking back at you
Stand tall
It's going on
It's going on
It's gonna be just fine
You're holding on
Holding on today
Times rolling on
Rolling on today
It's going on
Going on today
'Vote for Pedro' No...Not me anyway.
Mistake costs dishwasher $59,000
- Story Highlights
- Guatemala native Pedro Zapeta a dishwasher in the U.S. for 11 years
- The illegal immigrant tried to bring $59,000 in savings back to Guatemala
- U.S. customs seized cash when Zapeta failed to fill out form declaring money
- Zapeta, who tried to get the money back for two years, now faces deportation
From John Zarrella and Patrick Oppmann
CNN
CNN
MIAMI, Florida (CNN) -- For 11 years, Pedro Zapeta, an illegal immigrant from Guatemala, lived his version of the American dream in Stuart, Florida: washing dishes and living frugally to bring money back to his home country.
Two years ago, Zapeta was ready to return to Guatemala, so he carried a duffel bag filled with $59,000 -- all the cash he had scrimped and saved over the years -- to the Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport.
But when Zapeta tried to go through airport security, an officer spotted the money in the bag and called U.S. customs officials.
"They asked me how much money I had," Zapeta recalled, speaking to CNN in Spanish.
He told the customs officials $59,000. At that point, U.S. customs seized his money, setting off a two-year struggle for Zapeta to get it back. 
Zapeta describes how he lost his money »
Zapeta, who speaks no English, said he didn't know he was running afoul of U.S. law by failing to declare he was carrying more than $10,000 with him. Anyone entering or leaving the country with more than $10,000 has to fill out a one-page form declaring the money to U.S. customs.
Officials initially accused Zapeta of being a courier for the drug trade, but they dropped the allegation once he produced pay stubs from restaurants where he had worked. Zapeta earned $5.50 an hour at most of the places where he washed dishes. When he learned to do more, he got a 25-cent raise.
After customs officials seized the money, they turned Zapeta over to the Immigration and Naturalization Service. The INS released him but began deportation proceedings. For two years, Zapeta has had two attorneys working pro bono: one on his immigration case, the other trying to get his money back.
"They are treating me like a criminal when all I am is a working man," he said.
Zapeta's story became public last year on CNN and in The Palm Beach Post newspaper, prompting well-wishers to give him nearly $10,000 -- money that now sits in a trust.
Robert Gershman,one of Zapeta's attorneys, said federal prosecutors later offered his client a deal: He could take $10,000 of the original cash seized, plus $9,000 in donations as long as he didn't talk publicly and left the country immediately.
Zapeta said, "No." He wanted all his money. He'd earned it, he said.
Now, according to Gershman, the Internal Revenue Service wants access to the donated cash to cover taxes on the donations and on the money Zapeta made as a dishwasher. Zapeta admits he never paid taxes.
CNN contacted the U.S. Attorneys office in Miami, U.S. Customs and the IRS about Zapeta's case. They all declined to comment.
Marisol Zequeira, an immigration lawyer, said illegal immigrants such as Zapeta have few options when dealing with the U.S. government.
"When you are poor, uneducated and illegal, your avenues are cut," he said.
On Wednesday, Zapeta went to immigration court and got more bad news. The judge gave the dishwasher until the end of January to leave the country on his own. He's unlikely to see a penny of his money.
"I am desperate," Zapeta said. "I no longer feel good about this country."
Zapeta said his goal in coming to the United States was to make enough money to buy land in his mountain village and build a home for his mother and sisters. He sent no money back to Guatemala over the years, he said, and planned to bring it all home at once.
At Wednesday's hearing, Zapeta was given official status in the United States -- voluntary departure -- and a signed order from a judge. For the first time, he can work legally in the U.S.
By the end of January, Zapeta may be able to earn enough money to pay for a one-way ticket home so the U.S. government, which seized his $59,000, doesn't have to do so.
I mean come on! #1 He knew he was illegal already why in the world would you then attempt to board a commercial airline with 59,000 in Cash!? No matter who you are whether you are supposed to claim it or not is going to be questioned with that amount of cash on hand. It`s post 9/11 and Security measures have been brought to new lengths and he tried to pull a pretty lame stunt IMHO.
Hard worker? No doubt! Did he earn the 59,000? With every dirty dish and spoon he washed! Does he deserve to get it back? NO! IMHO if he was to get it back I believe that we can make a positive example out of 'Pedro' and What we should do is...If his money means that much to him he should then follow the proper procedures for the immigration process into America and all the Lawyer Fees and Other associated fees to coming over here should be deducted from his 59,000 and then the remainder can be given back to him if he chooses to send it back to his family then so be it. Being from a Hispanic and European background I feel like I am even more at liberty to be Harsh on 'Pedro the Dishwasher' We have a Great Country which I (even as a minority) am going to have an opportunity to serve. I am all for immigrants....Not illegal ones though...ESPECIALLY the ones who come here for the free ride and bank all that money away just to go live like kings when they go back, Why? Because we have people struggling here in our own country, I just don`t believe it to be fair in the least bit. I really think that a good example can be made of this guy and they can do it a positive way too....What do you think?
9/29/07
A personal wake up call...
These are from my accident in 03. I am not sure if I had them on an old post but I like to keep them in front of me to keep me humble.
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9/28/07
It`s a good day to do absolulty NOTHING!
I am a subscriber to www.fineliving.com `s Newsletter and this month was about enjoying the fall etc...While I was reading I came across this article and list so I thought I would pass it along and find out what your best way to do"nothing" is. It does not have to come from the list below but if it does that`s fine too..So tell me...
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9/26/07
Sporting Goods Store....
Hey Go check out BK Sporting Goods for all your Sporting Good Needs....It`s my buddy`s store they have good prices and everything you could imagine. He can probably find things and special order them if you don't see them in his store too....If your not gonna buy anything at least go check it it out.
*Attention* Don`t say you did`nt get the memo!
If you already signed up for the game which I saw like 5 people did...All you do is click the "rankings" tabs to see how you are doing against everyone else. Go ahead and start investing with whatever you want. You have 100,000 dollar to do whatever you want with... Feel free to come on here and post some stuff or any questions...This is new to me too so if you figure something out...share it. But start investing.
Side Note : You get paid interest on your money that have not used too!
If you want to join please refer to the post below or go to my labels and click investing.
9/25/07
Born to Die...
I found this post yesterday on the Wall Street Journal and I was very inspired by it so I decided why not blog it so I can look back in a couple weeks,months or years and get that same inspiration again...Why? Because stories like this need to be heard and read over and over. Watch the video after reading the actual story and it will sum it all up.
Story Courtesy of: http://online.wsj.com/public/article_print/SB119024238402033039.html
A Beloved Professor Delivers
The Lecture of a Lifetime
September 20, 2007
Randy Pausch, a Carnegie Mellon University computer-science professor, was about to give a lecture Tuesday afternoon, but before he said a word, he received a standing ovation from 400 students and colleagues.
He motioned to them to sit down. "Make me earn it," he said.
What wisdom would we impart to the world if we knew it was our last chance? For Carnegie Mellon professor Randy Pausch, the question isn't rhetorical -- he's dying of cancer. Jeff Zaslow narrates a video on Prof. Pausch's final lecture.
They had come to see him give what was billed as his "last lecture." This is a common title for talks on college campuses today. Schools such as Stanford and the University of Alabama have mounted "Last Lecture Series," in which top professors are asked to think deeply about what matters to them and to give hypothetical final talks. For the audience, the question to be mulled is this: What wisdom would we impart to the world if we knew it was our last chance?
It can be an intriguing hour, watching healthy professors consider their demise and ruminate over subjects dear to them. At the University of Northern Iowa, instructor Penny O'Connor recently titled her lecture "Get Over Yourself." At Cornell, Ellis Hanson, who teaches a course titled "Desire," spoke about sex and technology.
At Carnegie Mellon, however, Dr. Pausch's speech was more than just an academic exercise. The 46-year-old father of three has pancreatic cancer and expects to live for just a few months. His lecture, using images on a giant screen, turned out to be a rollicking and riveting journey through the lessons of his life.
He began by showing his CT scans, revealing 10 tumors on his liver. But after that, he talked about living. If anyone expected him to be morose, he said, "I'm sorry to disappoint you." He then dropped to the floor and did one-handed pushups.
Randy Pausch and his three children, ages 5, 2 and 1.
Clicking through photos of himself as a boy, he talked about his childhood dreams: to win giant stuffed animals at carnivals, to walk in zero gravity, to design Disney rides, to write a World Book entry. By adulthood, he had achieved each goal. As proof, he had students carry out all the huge stuffed animals he'd won in his life, which he gave to audience members. After all, he doesn't need them anymore.
He paid tribute to his techie background. "I've experienced a deathbed conversion," he said, smiling. "I just bought a Macintosh." Flashing his rejection letters on the screen, he talked about setbacks in his career, repeating: "Brick walls are there for a reason. They let us prove how badly we want things." He encouraged us to be patient with others. "Wait long enough, and people will surprise and impress you." After showing photos of his childhood bedroom, decorated with mathematical notations he'd drawn on the walls, he said: "If your kids want to paint their bedrooms, as a favor to me, let 'em do it."
While displaying photos of his bosses and students over the years, he said that helping others fulfill their dreams is even more fun than achieving your own. He talked of requiring his students to create videogames without sex and violence. "You'd be surprised how many 19-year-old boys run out of ideas when you take those possibilities away," he said, but they all rose to the challenge.
He also saluted his parents, who let him make his childhood bedroom his domain, even if his wall etchings hurt the home's resale value. He knew his mom was proud of him when he got his Ph.D, he said, despite how she'd introduce him: "This is my son. He's a doctor, but not the kind who helps people."
He then spoke about his legacy. Considered one of the nation's foremost teachers of videogame and virtual-reality technology, he helped develop "Alice," a Carnegie Mellon software project that allows people to easily create 3-D animations. It had one million downloads in the past year, and usage is expected to soar.
"Like Moses, I get to see the Promised Land, but I don't get to step foot in it," Dr. Pausch said. "That's OK. I will live on in Alice."
Plus, watch Dr. Pausch's full lecture3 at Carnegie Mellon's Web site.Many people have given last speeches without realizing it. The day before he was killed, Martin Luther King Jr. spoke prophetically: "Like anybody, I would like to live a long life. Longevity has its place." He talked of how he had seen the Promised Land, even though "I may not get there with you."
Dr. Pausch's lecture, in the same way, became a call to his colleagues and students to go on without him and do great things. But he was also addressing those closer to his heart.
Near the end of his talk, he had a cake brought out for his wife, whose birthday was the day before. As she cried and they embraced on stage, the audience sang "Happy Birthday," many wiping away their own tears.
Dr. Pausch's speech was taped so his children, ages 5, 2 and 1, can watch it when they're older. His last words in his last lecture were simple: "This was for my kids." Then those of us in the audience rose for one last standing ovation.
My Question to you reader....What would you have to say for yourself? What advise can you give someone if you found out that you were dying of an incurable disease?Can you leave here with something we can learn from? Sounds cliche and maybe even "morbid" but it really is a great thought and something that should motivate you to think about how you go about your daily life. I am reminded of a quote I read once. "To the world you might just be one person but to one person, You might just be the world."
9/24/07
Grilled Cheese - A Simple Classic
I just got in from a 10.5 mile bike ride around the forest preserves in Willowbrook, IL and I decided that later this week I will have a cheat day from my new hardcore diet/training till I leave for basic and I am going to 'cook' for myself...Grilled cheese can definitely be a bachelors snack..It`s easy to make and great tasting. I am such a big fan I decided to blog it lol ;)10 Tips For the Greatest Grilled Cheese
It's the childhood favorite you never outgrow, the most comforting comfort food of all time -- the grilled cheese sandwich. American, cheddar, gouda ... whatever your pleasure, follow these ten tips from Laura Werlin, author of Great Grilled Cheese, and have yourself a slice of melted cheese heaven.
1. Good to grate
Don't slice your cheese when you can grate it (the bigger the grater, the better). This ensures evenly melted, gooey cheese in every bite.
Don't slice your cheese when you can grate it (the bigger the grater, the better). This ensures evenly melted, gooey cheese in every bite.
2. Get cheesy
Don't be shy -- plan on about two ounces of cheese per sandwich. Use your palm to press the grated cheese onto the bread so it doesn't fall out.
Don't be shy -- plan on about two ounces of cheese per sandwich. Use your palm to press the grated cheese onto the bread so it doesn't fall out.
3. Embrace the ooze
Don't fret if the cheese oozes out of the sandwich. The toasty bits at the bottom of the pan are the best part!
Bread
Don't fret if the cheese oozes out of the sandwich. The toasty bits at the bottom of the pan are the best part!
Bread
4. No need to Wonder
Don't just assume that white is the only way. If you love focaccia or whole-wheat, go for it.
Don't just assume that white is the only way. If you love focaccia or whole-wheat, go for it.
5. Size does matter
Don't slice your bread more than 1/4" thick or it'll overwhelm the cheese.
Don't slice your bread more than 1/4" thick or it'll overwhelm the cheese.
6. Smush your bread
Flatten sandwiches with a spatula or a heavy pan to ensure oozing cheese and crisp rather than doughy bread.
Butter
Flatten sandwiches with a spatula or a heavy pan to ensure oozing cheese and crisp rather than doughy bread.
Butter
7. Butter le pain, not le pan
Spread room-temperature butter on the bread (on the side you're grilling, not the inside of the sandwich) before you grill. That way, you'll get evenly buttered, evenly browned bread with a little crunch.
Spread room-temperature butter on the bread (on the side you're grilling, not the inside of the sandwich) before you grill. That way, you'll get evenly buttered, evenly browned bread with a little crunch.
8. Salted butter is best
Just trust me.
Cooking
Just trust me.
Cooking
9. Stick with nonstick
Although a cast-iron skillet is the traditional fave, a nonstick skillet is your best bet for easy flipping and no sticking.
Although a cast-iron skillet is the traditional fave, a nonstick skillet is your best bet for easy flipping and no sticking.
10. Put a lid on it
Cover the skillet while cooking the first side of the sandwich for maximum cheese melting.
And now for the ultimate grilled cheese recipe, from Laura Werlin's Great Grilled Cheese:
Cover the skillet while cooking the first side of the sandwich for maximum cheese melting.
And now for the ultimate grilled cheese recipe, from Laura Werlin's Great Grilled Cheese:
The Best Grilled Cheese
- 8 slices sourdough bread (1/4 inch thick)
- 2 tablespoons butter, at room temperature
- 6 ounces best-quality cheddar cheese (orange or white), coarsely grated
- To assemble: Butter one side of each slice of bread. Place 4 slices on your work surface, buttered side down. Distribute the cheese evenly over the 4 slices. Place the remaining 4 bread slices on top, buttered side up.
- Stovetop method: Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat for 2 minutes. Put the sandwiches in the skillet (in batches if necessary), cover, and cook for 2 minutes, or until the undersides are golden brown and the cheese has begun to melt. Uncover, and turn the sandwiches with a spatula, pressing firmly to flatten them slightly. Cook for 1 minute, or until the undersides are golden brown. Turn the sandwiches again, press with the spatula, and cook for 30 seconds, or until the cheese has melted completely. Serve immediately.
- Sandwich maker method: Preheat the sandwich maker. Follow directions for sandwich assembly, and cook according to the manufacturer's instructions.
Gas grill method: Brush the grill rack with oil and preheat the grill to medium-high. Follow directions for sandwich assembly. Put the sandwiches on the grill and follow directions for the stovetop method. - Makes 4 sandwiches.
If you are really good at making grilled cheese Virgin Mary might appear. ;)
Now the real important information....
All in all its not great...But it`s not that BAD either...I think I might add some tomato soup to go along with it! Happy Monday Everyone...And join my stock game on the post below. :)
Now the real important information....
| Nutrition Facts | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Amount Per 1 sandwich | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Calories 291.51 Calories from Fat 143.43 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| *Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet. Your daily values may be higher or lower depending on your calorie needs. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
All in all its not great...But it`s not that BAD either...I think I might add some tomato soup to go along with it! Happy Monday Everyone...And join my stock game on the post below. :)
9/21/07
The Wall Street in us all.
Have you ever wanted to be a day trader on wall street? I have! Have you ever just wanted to research a company and get in during their IPO (Initial Public Offering) and invest a good chunk of money and watch that company take off into a multi million dollar corp like Google is today? I have!
I found this website http://www.investopedia.com/ and they have a Stock Simulator game where they give you a set amount of play money and you can invest it any way you want to in REAL TIME.
I did not have an extra 100,000 laying around and that is what they start you off with so I decided to give it a shot. I`ll get my feet wet and then maybe throw some real money in the mix. Here is the cool part. I was able to start a public game where anyone can sign up and join me. So how about it? Are you up for the 6 figure challenge? If so join my game and lets see what we can do here. Do not be scared if you don`t know much about trading you can learn as you go it`s only play money and also sign up for their newsletter and investment word of the day...It`s really easy and it can really teach you a few things about the market and investing.
To join the game or read more about it click here : Julio`s 6 figure challenge - Join Now!
I found this website http://www.investopedia.com/ and they have a Stock Simulator game where they give you a set amount of play money and you can invest it any way you want to in REAL TIME.
I did not have an extra 100,000 laying around and that is what they start you off with so I decided to give it a shot. I`ll get my feet wet and then maybe throw some real money in the mix. Here is the cool part. I was able to start a public game where anyone can sign up and join me. So how about it? Are you up for the 6 figure challenge? If so join my game and lets see what we can do here. Do not be scared if you don`t know much about trading you can learn as you go it`s only play money and also sign up for their newsletter and investment word of the day...It`s really easy and it can really teach you a few things about the market and investing.
To join the game or read more about it click here : Julio`s 6 figure challenge - Join Now!
Now, After you join post a comment so I know when everyone has joined that wants to play and we can get it started...i left it as an open enrollment so people can join in at anytime but the more people that start at the same time the better for competitions sake but either way its a good learning tool. Have fun and good luck peeps....
My User Name in the Game is : Medina82
A Seven Year Career....
Disclaimer/ Warning: If you have never worked for Trugeen you might find this boring. I was trying not to drop names but if I did not put your name in here don`t be sensitive and offended you know I love you and you know who you are.
I realize that this video is on Al and Bryan`s Blog and most of you have already seen it...But it means something to me so just deal with it! LOL
I realize that this video is on Al and Bryan`s Blog and most of you have already seen it...But it means something to me so just deal with it! LOL
Crestwood Sellathon 2007 - Watch more free videos
This was the last week of my 7 year Career with Trugreen Chemlawn. I do not even know where to begin. I have been in Sales/Marketing for Seven years now. I have enjoyed every minute of it too, That is not to say there were so rough times and days that I did not want to go to work(You get that in any job after a while.) Seriously though...I never thought I would be at Trugreen for so long...I have met some of the coolest people and made life long friends from the workplace. I got referred to this job from a college friend (Danny Caro) and he just wanted referral bonus..(Danny, I can remember you telling me on the way to work you have to make it a few more weeks) LOL! I was hired under Sam Perez as the Marketing Manager and made good friends with him...In fact as most of you know we were roommates in Cali, Even though we have lost contact I still consider Sam a friend of mine and I would still help him out in a jam.
Allyn Hane, I owe you man...I moved back from California to Chicago with just enough gas money to get me here and you hired back at Crestwood and got me back on my feet. That was probably ONE of the roughest times in my life on my own.( The whole getting pulled over in Nebraska thing happened during that time too. (I`ll leave that for a future blog if you don`t already know the story ha ha.) Anyhow there were tons of times where I made mistakes and did stupid stuff but you always helped me out and showed me the right way without belittling me or making me feel like an idiot. (Thanks!) And not to mention You know your stuff when it comes to marketing and you had no problem sharing it. I actually even got to experience the managing side of things under your leadership too. (It was fun and a great learning curve) But I was more than happy just coming back to Crestwood as a sales rep. I could go on forever but I will stop with a simple Thanks for everything! You were the best boss and a life long friend.
Bryan, You are Al`s right hand man and you have that place in order. I remember talking to Al once before I left for Hickory Hills and he said the one piece of advise I will give you is" Do things before you are asked when you see they need to be done" Best advise ever and I have seen you follow it to the T. Also I would like to take this time to thank you publicly for being my friend even after I screwed you over and cancelled on you last minute when I was supposed to be in your wedding. (I won`t make a dramatic story on here, that is between us lol) I just wanted to publicly say sorry and what better way than world wide? LOL. Not only sorry to you Sorry to Dee too because it was her special day too...I am still honored that I was asked to be in your wedding even though I was not there. You are someone that I respect you have alot going for you know and so much to be proud of...Gabe has a great Dad and a good solid future ahead of him because of you. And Congrats on the new house too! Now get that Google adsense going! :)
Chad Vis, Carlos Rivera (even though the red sox suck and you win in darts all the time haha) Tom Lemmen (And your the best SS teacher too!) Dave Stanfield,Mike Ciucci, Mike Pocza, Pat Sommerville, Diane Walsh (even when I tried to slime a BD through here and there and you said NO!) I hate to start name dropping cause I know I am not mentioning everyone but you get my point...Thanks everyone for a fun time and a great place to work. I read a cool quote. Confucius said, "Find a job you enjoy, and you'll never work a day in your life." I'm not sure if that's entirely accurate - even dream jobs can be hard work, but, it does make life much easier.
Obviously you all know my reason for leaving is because 65days from now I will be in Basic Training for the USAF. Talk about a career change huh? For those of you that do not know my new job in the Air Force will be 'Security Forces' It is basically Military Police (MP) but it`s the Air Force Division of that job. Wikipedia.com (For all you Wikipedia fans out there, Big Al) Gives this description of my job:
Air Force Security Forces (AFSC Enlisted: 3P0X1, Officer: 31PX) (formerly named Air Police, then Security Police and colloquially called the "skycops" by USAF personnel), are the military police of the United States Air Force. Airmen in this field go through about 13 weeks of training, soon to be 18 weeks starting October 1, 2007 at Lackland Air Force Base with the 343rd Training Squadron, also known as the Security Forces Academy.
Duties
Air Force Security Forces members provide resource protection for vital national security assets, including fighter jets, bombers, nuclear bombs and nuclear missiles. Their main function is protection for all Air Force personnel, property, and operations. They are the defacto ground troops for the USAF along the lines of the RAF Regiment or the German Air Force Objektschutzbataillon. They are trained in ground combat skills, including land navigation, crew served weapons systems, claymore mines, fragmentation hand grenade use, "LAW" rocket (light anti-tank weapon) deployment, hand and arm signals, squad movements, and many other "Infantry" skills. Security Forces also provide the law enforcement function on all Air Force bases to include response to emergencies, response to building alarms, traffic direction, traffic regulations enforcement, initial investigations, and crime scene securing for major crimes. Many of these functions are being contracted out to private security agencies for entry control to installations, and Department of Defense police officers for law enforcement services. Security Forces personal have also been deploying to augment Air Force Vehicle Operators (AFSC 2T1X1) in providing convoy security and line haul support directly to U.S. Army units within Iraq. Security Forces have been deploying to agment the US Army in Detainee Operations such as at Camp Bucca. Members of the Air Force Security Forces can be seen on an Air Force base wearing their dark blue berets. The Security Forces field is one of only five Air Force jobs that receive a beret upon graduation of technical school.
Air Force Security Forces members provide resource protection for vital national security assets, including fighter jets, bombers, nuclear bombs and nuclear missiles. Their main function is protection for all Air Force personnel, property, and operations. They are the defacto ground troops for the USAF along the lines of the RAF Regiment or the German Air Force Objektschutzbataillon. They are trained in ground combat skills, including land navigation, crew served weapons systems, claymore mines, fragmentation hand grenade use, "LAW" rocket (light anti-tank weapon) deployment, hand and arm signals, squad movements, and many other "Infantry" skills. Security Forces also provide the law enforcement function on all Air Force bases to include response to emergencies, response to building alarms, traffic direction, traffic regulations enforcement, initial investigations, and crime scene securing for major crimes. Many of these functions are being contracted out to private security agencies for entry control to installations, and Department of Defense police officers for law enforcement services. Security Forces personal have also been deploying to augment Air Force Vehicle Operators (AFSC 2T1X1) in providing convoy security and line haul support directly to U.S. Army units within Iraq. Security Forces have been deploying to agment the US Army in Detainee Operations such as at Camp Bucca. Members of the Air Force Security Forces can be seen on an Air Force base wearing their dark blue berets. The Security Forces field is one of only five Air Force jobs that receive a beret upon graduation of technical school.
Advancement and specialties
Members in this career field can later move on to other specialties like the Phoenix Raven program, consisting of airmen who secure air strips in dangerous or combat zones that do not already have adequate security. Security Forces also deploy Close Precision Engagement (CPE) teams, also known as counter-snipers, who go through an extensive Close Precision Engagement Course (CPEC) by U.S. Army training personnel at Camp Robinson. Security Forces members may also go through technical schools to help them as their careers develop. Some of these schools consist of, but are not limited to: S.W.A.T./Emergency Services Team (E.S.T.), Security Forces Dispatch Communications, Tactical Automated Sensor Systems Operator (TASS), Combat Arms Training and Maintenance (CATM), or Military Working Dog Handler (MWD).
TASS Operators consist of mostly Airman of a lower rank who complete a course on operation and maintenance of thermal imagers, sensors, and their components. Operators set up and provide surveillance to built-up installations as well as mobile base camps. Operators use microwave, thermal, seismic, and 'trip-wire' sensors. Operators can also use a variety of camera systems such as CCTV systems, or the high tech military version, called the Wide-Area Infrared Surveillance Thermal Imager - or WISTI. WISTI's can detect enemy movement by tracking body heat, or other heat resonances; or can be automatically routed to another sensor that goes off, in which the WISTI will automatically focus in and track the programmed sensor.
Air Force Specialty Code 3P0X1B (CATM) are personnel who train base personnel in the use of small arms weaponry, oversee and maintain and repair all small arms in the Air Force inventory. A second career direction Security Forces have the option of is in the Military Working Dog (MWD) program. Military Working Dog teams deploy explosive detection and narcotics detection dogs throughout the base. Most Dog Handlers perform law enforcement duties at their duty station, and have opportunities to deploy, go Temporary Duty (TDY) for various reasons, including protection of the President of the United States.
Also, a number of Security Forces are accepted into other training programs like the Army's Air Assault School, Airborne jump school (there are at least two Security Forces Squadron on jump status, the 786 SFS, members of the 786 SFS took part in the combat jump into norther Iraq in March 2003, and the 820 SFG), and the pre-Ranger and Ranger School training. Security Forces members can also go through advanced training in investigations or advanced driving school training by the Air Force Office of Special Investigations (AFOSI).Security Forces maintains a qualification with the M-4 Rifle and M-9 pistol at the least. Different weapons skills can be obtained, such as the M-203 Grenade Launcher, the M-249 automatic rifle, the M-60/M-240B machine gun, the M-2 50 caliber machine gun, and the MK-19 grenade launcher.
Many bases have an Emergency Services Team (EST), which is closely modeled after civilian police department SWAT teams, Nuclear bases have a Tactical Response Force, which takes the place of the EST, and has a broader mission in support of nuclear weapons. Some EST members undergo vigorous SWAT tactics training (Special Reaction Team Course, Phase 1 and 2) at the Advanced Law Enforcement Training Division (ALETD) located at Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri. ALETD is run by the U.S. Army and provides the majority of specialty training for U.S. Army and Marine Corp Military Policemen as well as Air Force Security Forces and some civilian police departments.
If you are still with me in this long blog....Thanks for reading and if I worked with you...Thanks for the opportunity! I am honored to close this chapter in my life and move on to something for the good of the country and our everyday freedom! To the rest of you...Keep changing the world...One Lawn at a time! Hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahah!!! LOL! Or one Cancel or CI at a time at least LOL! Good Luck to you all...
9/19/07
Roid Rage or Just not knowing how to treat fans?
Bonds: Man who bought record-breaking home run ball is an 'idiot'
September 19, 2007
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) -- Barry Bonds said the man who bought his 756th home run ball and announced plans to let the public decide its fate is an "idiot."
Fashion designer Marc Ecko had the winning bid Saturday in the online auction for the ball that Bonds hit last month to break Hank Aaron's record of 755 home runs. The final selling price was $752,467, well above most predictions.
Ecko, 35, has set up a Web site that lets visitors vote on three options for the ball: give it to the National Baseball Hall of Fame, brand it with an asterisk before sending it to Cooperstown or blast it into space on a rocket ship.
The asterisk would suggest that Bonds' record is tainted by alleged steroid use. The Giants slugger has denied knowingly using performance-enhancing drugs.
"All of those options don't weigh anything," Bonds told the San Francisco Chronicle on Tuesday night in Phoenix. "In baseball, that number (756) stands."
Bonds said Ecko could have found a better way to spend three-quarters of a million dollars.
"He's stupid. He's an idiot," Bonds said. "He spent $750,000 on the ball and that's what he's doing with it? What he's doing is stupid."
Ecko did not directly respond to Bonds' comments Wednesday, but said in a statement he would make Bonds a custom T-shirt that says, "Marc Ecko paid $752,467 for my ball, and all I got was this 'stupid' T-shirt."'
Ecko plans to announce what he will do with No. 756 after voting ends Sept. 25.
Ben Padnos, the California entrepreneur who submitted the $186,750 winning bid on Bonds' record-tying 755th home run ball, said Tuesday he also plans to have the public vote on what to do with it.
Wow! I can`t say that I am shocked with the Behavior of Barry Bonds, I have another Blog about other people in Sports lately as well. I will say this IMHO I would never pay $752,467 for a baseball...I do not care how big of a fan I am or how much money I have. But lets just say I do have an extra $752,467 laying around in my safe. I would not in a million years waste it on a baseball hit by a disgrace to the MLB. It`s a tainted baseball that belongs to a tainted record. Blah Blah to your "Talent" Mr. 756. Alex Rodriguez is going to pass you up and more than likely at a younger age too. But OK lets put the steroid use behind us and move on. How about showing your fan base some RESPECT. How in the world do you have the audacity to come out and make a public statement that the fan that bought that ball is an "idiot"? The only thing that Makes Marc Ecko (A True Success in his own industry) is the fact that he wasted his time being the fan of an Arrogant, Cheating, Manipulative, Over Paid Baseball Player with the voice a Pubescent teenage boy! Just Listen Here.....
If I were Marc Ecko after hearing that statement from Barry Bonds I would exploit Mr. Bonds worse than MTV exploited Brittney Spears last week at the VMA`s. How? I would probably take the ball and send it to Micheal Vick to use as a chew toy for one of his pitbulls that are in training and then have OJ Simpson go steal it back for me when Vick`s Dog Loses the fight! LOL!! On a serious note I just think that it is a shame to hear the statement made....I really do Hope Marc Ecko makes a line of clothing dedicated to exposing Bonds as a cheater and Steroid Abuser. I am not an Ecko fan but I sure would buy a T-Shirt that's for sure. What he does with it is his business....Oh and to add fuel to the fire on Bonds...If you have ever played any MLB video games you will notice that Barry Bonds is never in the games....He will not endorse them because he does not want people to use his name or be able to "play" as him. Well to be honest with you...I do not play video games that often anyway but I would not want to be him anyway. e does not belong in MLB 2k games He belongs in A WWF game with all the other HGH addicts. Enough said! What are your opinions?
Daddy`s Got A New Pair Of Shoes...
I just won this pair of New Authentic Robert Wayne shoes off eBay they are normally between $100.00 and $175.00 and I got them for $56.47 Tell me what you think about them. I am into the pointy square toe right now...These are obviously not "Dress" shoes but I will wear them with a Nice pair of Low Rise Boot Cut Jeans and a T-shirt and Blazer. So what do you think? Be honest I am not easily offended so don`t be shy...
"The Galloon" Challange!
Water: How much should you drink every day?
Info Provided by: MayoClinic.com
How much water should you drink each day? — a simple question with no easy answers. Studies have produced varying recommendations over the years, but in truth, your water needs depend on many factors, including your health, how active you are and where you live.
Though no single formula fits everyone, knowing more about your body's need for fluids will help you estimate how much water to drink each day.
Health benefits of water
Water is your body's principal chemical component, comprising, on average, 60 percent of your weight. Every system in your body depends on water. For example, water flushes toxins out of vital organs, carries nutrients to your cells and provides a moist environment for ear, nose and throat tissues.
Lack of water can lead to dehydration, a condition that occurs when you don't have enough water in your body to carry out normal functions.
Nearly all of the major systems in your body depend on water.
How much water do you need?
Every day you lose water through your breath, perspiration, urine and bowel movements. For your body to function properly, you must replenish its water supply by consuming beverages and foods that contain water.
A couple of approaches attempt to approximate water needs for the average, healthy adult living in a temperate climate.
- Replacement approach. The average urine output for adults is 1.5 liters a day. You lose close to an additional liter of water a day through breathing, sweating and bowel movements. Food usually accounts for 20 percent of your total fluid intake, so if you consume 2 liters of water or other beverages a day (a little more than 8 cups) along with your normal diet, you will typically replace the lost fluids.
- Dietary recommendations. The Institute of Medicine advises that men consume roughly 3.0 liters (about 13 cups) of total beverages a day and women consume 2.2 liters (about 9 cups) of total beverages a day.
Even apart from the above approaches, it is generally the case that if you drink enough fluid so that you rarely feel thirsty and produce between one and two liters of colorless or slightly yellow urine a day, your fluid intake is probably adequate.
Factors that influence water needs
You may need to modify your total fluid intake depending on how active you are, the climate you live in, your health status, and if you're pregnant or breast-feeding.
Exercise. The more you exercise, the more fluid you'll need to keep your body hydrated. An extra 1 or 2 cups of water should suffice for short bouts of exercise, but intense exercise lasting more than an hour (for example, running a marathon) requires additional fluid. How much additional fluid is needed depends on how much you sweat during the exercise, but 13 to26 ounces (or about 2 to 3 cups) an hour will generally be adequate, unless the weather is exceptionally warm.
During long bouts of intense exercise, it's best to use a sports drink that contains sodium, as this will help replace sodium lost in sweat and reduce the chances of developing hyponatremia, which can be life-threatening. Fluid also should be replaced after exercise. Drinking 16 ounces of fluid per pound of body weight lost during exercise is recommended.
- Environment. Hot or humid weather can make you sweat and requires additional intake of fluid. Heated indoor air also can cause your skin to lose moisture during wintertime. Further, altitudes greater than 2,500 meters (8,200 feet) may trigger increased urination and more rapid breathing, which use up more of your fluid reserves.
- Illnesses or health conditions. Signs of illnesses, such as fever, vomiting and diarrhea, cause your body to lose additional fluids. In these cases you should drink more water and may even need oral rehydration solutions, such as Gatorade, Powerade or Ceralyte. Certain conditions, including bladder infections or urinary tract stones, also require increased water intake. On the other hand, certain conditions such as heart failure and some types of kidney, liver and adrenal diseases may impair excretion of water and even require that you limit your fluid intake.
- Pregnancy or breast-feeding. Women who are expecting or breast-feeding need additional fluids to stay hydrated. Large amounts of fluid are lost especially when nursing. The Institute of Medicine recommends that pregnant women drink 2.4 liters (about 10 cups) of fluids daily and women who breast-feed consume 3.0 liters (about 12.5 cups) of fluids a day.
Beyond the tap: Other sources of water
Although it's a great idea to keep water within reach at all times, you don't need to rely only on what you drink to satisfy your fluid needs. What you eat also provides a significant portion of your fluid needs. On average, food provides about 20 percent of total water intake, while the Remaining 80 percent comes from water and beverages of all kinds.
For example, many fruits and vegetables — such as watermelon and cucumbers — are nearly 100 percent water by weight. Beverages such as milk and juice are also comprised mostly of water. Even beer, wine and caffeinated beverages such as coffee, tea or soda can contribute, but these should not be a major portion of your daily total fluid intake. Water is one of your best bets because it's calorie-free, inexpensive and readily available.
Dehydration and complications
Failing to take in more water than your body uses can lead to dehydration. Even mild dehydration — as little as a 1 percent to 2 percent loss of your body weight — can sap your energy and make you tired. Common causes of dehydration include strenuous activity, excessive sweating, vomiting and diarrhea.
Signs and symptoms of dehydration include:
- Mild to excessive thirst
- Fatigue
- Headache
- Dry mouth
- Little or no urination
- Muscle weakness
- Dizziness
- Lightheadedness
Mild dehydration rarely results in complications — as long as the fluid is replaced quickly — but more-severe cases can be life-threatening, especially in the very young and the elderly. In extreme situations, fluids or electrolytes may need to be delivered intravenously.
Staying safely hydrated
It's generally not a good idea to use thirst alone as a guide for when to drink. By the time one becomes thirsty, it is possible to already be slightly dehydrated. Further, be aware that as you get older your body is less able to sense dehydration and send your brain signals of thirst. Excessive thirst and increased urination can be signs of a more serious medical condition. Talk to your doctor if you experience either.
To ward off dehydration and make sure your body has the fluids it needs, make water your beverage of choice. Nearly every healthy adult can consider the following:
- Drink a glass of water with each meal and between each meal.
- Hydrate before, during and after exercise.
- Substitute sparkling water for alcoholic drinks at social gatherings.
If you drink water from a bottle, thoroughly clean or replace the bottle often. Refill only bottles that are designed for reuse.
Though uncommon, it is possible to drink too much water. When your kidneys are unable to excrete the excess water, the electrolyte (mineral) content of the blood is diluted, resulting in a condition called hyponatremia (low sodium levels in the blood). Endurance athletes — such as marathon runners — who drink large amounts of water are at higher risk of hyponatremia. In general, though, drinking too much water is rare in healthy adults who consume an average American diet.
For the past 2 years now I have been drinking a gallon of water a day, I normally stop somewhere like a Walgreens or any place where I can get a gallon jug without having to wait in lines at a grocery store. Anyhow, I completely finish the gallon about 4 days a week and the other days there is a cup or two left but not that much...I have to say I can totally notice the difference in my energy levels and even my health. Also something that they did not really mention above is that water naturally cuts and defines your body where you are most tone and Cold water actually burns fat as the body process it. ( I do not like to drink it cold from the jug because its just way to much water) I had a Contest with Mike Ciucci (Josh were you there for that contest?)once to see who could finish a gallon first...I won by a sip (LOL!) and I will tell you that was the worst contest ever...Did you know that if you drink that much water fast it will throw your equilibrium off and it`s actually like being drunk. I actually drank the gallon in just under 2 hours...Needless to say I will never do that again. But I am curious...How much water do you drink? I challenge you to try the gallon! (Or for those of you that know me...I call it "The Galloon")
Never Let Go!
A Little Morning Inspiration...
Never Let Go
Can you lay your life down, so a stranger can live?
Can you take what you need, but take less than you give?
Could you close every day, without the glory and fame?
Could you hold your head high, when no one knows your name?
That's how legends are made, at least that's what they say.
We say goodbye, but never let go.
We live, we die, cause you can't save every soul.
Gotta take every chance to, show that you're the kinda man who;
Will never look back, never look down,
and never let go.
Can you lose everything, you ever had planned?
Can you sit down again, and play another hand?
Could you risk everything, for the chance of being alone?
Under pressure find the grace, or would you come undone?
That's how legends are made, at least that's what they say?
We say goodbye, but never let go.
We live, we die, cause you can't save every soul.
Gotta take every chance to, show that you're the kinda man who;
Will never look back, never look down,
and never let go.
Never let go, Never let go, Never let go
Gotta take every chance to, show that you're the kinda man who;
Will never look back, never look down,
and never let go.
We say goodbye, but never let go.
We live, we die, 'but you can't save every soul.
Gotta take every chance to, show that you're the kinda man who;
Will never look back, never look down,
and never let go.
Will never look back, never look down,
and never let go.
Never let go, Never let go, Never let go
----------------
Now playing: Bryan Adams - Never let go
via FoxyTunes
Can you lay your life down, so a stranger can live?
Can you take what you need, but take less than you give?
Could you close every day, without the glory and fame?
Could you hold your head high, when no one knows your name?
That's how legends are made, at least that's what they say.
We say goodbye, but never let go.
We live, we die, cause you can't save every soul.
Gotta take every chance to, show that you're the kinda man who;
Will never look back, never look down,
and never let go.
Can you lose everything, you ever had planned?
Can you sit down again, and play another hand?
Could you risk everything, for the chance of being alone?
Under pressure find the grace, or would you come undone?
That's how legends are made, at least that's what they say?
We say goodbye, but never let go.
We live, we die, cause you can't save every soul.
Gotta take every chance to, show that you're the kinda man who;
Will never look back, never look down,
and never let go.
Never let go, Never let go, Never let go
Gotta take every chance to, show that you're the kinda man who;
Will never look back, never look down,
and never let go.
We say goodbye, but never let go.
We live, we die, 'but you can't save every soul.
Gotta take every chance to, show that you're the kinda man who;
Will never look back, never look down,
and never let go.
Will never look back, never look down,
and never let go.
Never let go, Never let go, Never let go
----------------
Now playing: Bryan Adams - Never let go
via FoxyTunes
9/17/07
Trippy Trends- What a 'Croc'
I Like trends, I believe that being a good dresser is important. Appearance in this day and age is sadly to say Almost everything. In a way it is understandable and in a way it is simply wrong because you can`t judge a book by its cover nor should you Jude a person solely on their appearance. (That is a completely different subject that can be blogged,maybe at a later time.) I got home last night and I always go to Yahoo and Check out the main Headlines and this one caught my eye...It happened to be on "Crocs"
Watch the Video to this article here:
http://cosmos.bcst.yahoo.com/ver/242/popup/index.php?cl=4131361
My question is...What do you expect wearing plastic shoes with holes in them just to look "cool" or because the Jones`s kids have them? Its like running on a treadmill at full speed with flip-flops on. It`s not gonna happen. Now granted if you watched the video I feel bad for the kid who got his toe hurt but Come on Mom and Dad....LOL! Why put your kid in danger over an ugly pair of shoes just so he 'fits in' I enjoy reading up on Fashion and following the trends - I subscribe to GQ.Men or Boys DO NOT belong in a pair of crocs. I am all about the taking care of yourself, grooming properly and being fashionable to a certain extent.There is a line and that crosses it (LOL!) Although I can remember so pretty embarrassing stuff that my mom put me through when she used to dress me can you? Go ahead and confess...We all want to know!
In college there was always guys that would try to get away with wearing a suit and white socks.....Ha Ha!
Can you think of a trend that you followed that did`nt last very long or an embarrassing moment that you can think of when your mom dressed you for school?
Got Crocs? Be careful on the escalator
By SARAH KARUSH, Associated Press WriterMon Sep 17, 7:47 PM ET
At rail stations and shopping malls around the world, reports are popping up of people, particularly young children, getting their toes caught in escalators. The one common theme seems to be the clunky soft-soled clogs known by the name of the most popular brand, Crocs.
One of the nation's largest subway systems — the Washington Metro — has even posted ads warning riders about wearing such shoes on its moving stairways. The ads feature a photo of a crocodile, though they don't mention Crocs by name.
Four-year-old Rory McDermott got a Croc-clad foot caught in an escalator last month at a mall in northern Virginia. His mother managed to yank him free, but the nail on his big toe was almost completely ripped off, causing heavy bleeding.
At first, Rory's mother had no idea what caused the boy's foot to get caught. It was only later, when someone at the hospital remarked on Rory's shoes, that she began to suspect the Crocs and did an Internet search.
"I came home and typed in 'Croc' and 'escalator,' and all these stories came up," said Jodi McDermott, of Vienna, Va. "If I had known, those would never have been worn."
According to reports appearing across the United States and as far away as Singapore and Japan, entrapments occur because of two of the biggest selling points of shoes like Crocs: their flexibility and grip. Some report the shoes get caught in the "teeth" at the bottom or top of the escalator, or in the crack between the steps and the side of the escalator.
The reports of serious injuries have all involved young children. Crocs are commonly worn by children as young as 2. The company introduced shoes in its smallest size, 4/5, this past spring.
Niwot, Colo.-based Crocs Inc. said it does not keep records of the reasons for customer-service calls. But the company said it is aware of "very few" problems relating to accidents involving the shoes, which are made of a soft, synthetic resin.
"Thankfully, escalator accidents like the one in Virginia are rare," the company said in a statement.
In Japan, the government warned consumers last week that it has received 39 reports of sandals — mostly Crocs or similar products — getting stuck in escalators from late August through early September. Most of the reports appear to have involved small children, some as young as two years old.
Kazuo Motoya of Japan's National Institute of Technology and Evaluation said children may have more escalator accidents in part because they "bounce around when they stand on escalators, instead of watching where they place their feet."
In Singapore, a 2-year-old girl wearing rubber clogs — it's unclear what brand — had her big toe completely ripped off in an escalator accident last year, according to local media reports.
And at the Atlanta airport, a 3-year-old boy wearing Crocs suffered a deep gash across the top of his toes in June. That was one of seven shoe entrapments at the airport since May 1, and all but two of them involved Crocs, said Roy Springer, operations manager for the company that runs the airport terminal.
One U.S. retailer that caters to children, Mattel subsidiary American Girl, has posted signs in three locations directing customers wearing Crocs or flip-flop sandals to use elevators instead of escalators.
During the past two years, so-called "shoe entrapments" in the Washington subway have gone from being relatively rare to happening four or five times a week in the summer, though none has caused serious injuries, said Dave Lacosse, who oversees the subway's 588 escalators, the most of any U.S. transit system.
The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission said escalator accidents caused more than 10,000 injuries last year, but the agency has few records of specific shoe problems. Only two shoe entrapments have been reported by consumers since the beginning of 2006. One reported in May involved "rubber footwear."
Agency spokesman Ed Kang urged people who have had problems to report them on the commission's Web site.
Crocs officials said they were working with the Elevator Escalator Safety Foundation on public education initiatives. But the group's executive director, Barbara Allen, said that's not true.
Allen said a Crocs official called her in September 2006 about possible cooperation, even suggesting the company might put a tag in its shoes with the foundation's Web address. But since that first contact, Crocs has not called, and nobody from the company will return Allen's calls, she said.
Washington Metro's Lacosse and other escalator experts say the best way to prevent shoe entrapments is to face the direction the stairs are moving, keep feet away from the sides and step over the teeth at the end.
Lacosse, of the Washington subway system, said he is personally skittish of Crocs and other soft-soled shoes.
"Would I wear them? No," he said. "And I tell my children not to wear them either."
___
Associated Press Writer Carl Freire in Tokyo contributed to this report.
___
On the Net:
Crocs Inc.: http://www.crocs.com/
Elevator Escalator Safety Foundation: http://www.eesf.org/
Consumer Product Safety Commission: http://www.cpsc.gov/
What is your Money Wasting Vice??
These are among the Top 10 Things that people waste their money on based on a day-to-day basis. The 1st one is a no brainer for all you Starbucks fans....I myself am not a coffee fan at all. In fact the thought of it grosses me out. Please Refer to the post below this about pickles to see how I feel about coffee! (Ha ha Just Kidding!)
1. Coffee
2. Cigarettes
3. Alcohol
4. Bottled water
5. Manicures
6. Car washes
7. Weekday lunches out
8. Vending machines snacks
9. Interest charges on credit cards
10. Unused memberships
These are statistics provided by Bankrate. com
1. Coffee -- According to the National Coffee Association, the average price for brewed coffee is $1.38. There are roughly 260 weekdays per year, so buying one coffee every weekday morning costs almost $360 per year.
2. Cigarettes -- The Campaign for Tobacco Free Kids reports that the average price for a pack of cigarettes in the United States is $4.54. Pack-a-day smokers fork out $1,660 a year. Weekend smoker? Buying a pack once a week adds up, too: $236.
3. Alcohol -- Drink prices vary based on the location. But assuming an average of $5 per beer including tip, buying two beers per day adds up to $3,650 per year. Figure twice that for two mixed drinks a day at the local bar. That's not chump change.
4. Bottled water from convenience stores -- A 20-ounce bottle of Aquafina bottled water costs about $1. One bottle of water per day costs $365 per year. It costs the environment plenty, too.
5. Manicures -- The Day Spa Magazine Price Survey of 2004 found that the average cost of a manicure is $20.53. A weekly manicure sets you back about $1,068 per year.
6. Car washes -- The average cost for a basic auto detailing package is $58, according to Costhelper.com. The tab for getting your car detailed every two months: $348 per year.
7. Weekday lunches out -- $9 will generally cover a decent lunch most work days. If you buy rather than pack a lunch five days a week for one year, you shell out about $2,350 a year.
8. Vending machines snacks -- The average vending machine snack costs $1. Buy a pack of cookies every afternoon at work and pay $260 per year.
9. Interest charges on credit card bills -- According to a survey released at the end of May 2007, the median amount of credit card debt carried by Americans is $6,600. Rate tables on Bankrate.com indicate that fixed interest rates on a standard card average 13.44 percent. Making the minimum payment each month, it will take 250 months (almost 21 years) to pay off the debt and cost $4,868 in interest. Ouch!
10. Unused memberships -- Costhelper.com reports that the monthly service fee at gyms averages between $35 and $40. At $40 per month, an unused gym membership runs $480 per year.
These are the top 10...But I am curious to find out what your vice is? Are you among the top 10? If you are the above can be a wake up call on how much money you could save...
My Weakness is the Bottled water... If you know me you already know this but..Really people nothing beats a good pH balanced and mineral enhanced bottle of water...My favorite water is actually an import from Norway: Check it out @ http://www.finewaters.com/Bottled_Water/Norway/Voss.asp
I order it by the case now so it is alot cheaper...But I confess I have paid over 7.50 a bottle. Desperate times called for desperate measures at LaGuardia Airport though....I challenge you to buy a bottle...You will never want regular water again. (This is coming from a guy that drinks 1 gallon of water a day...) Just look at the bottle:
OK,OK enough...So what`s your vice?
9/16/07
This is why I do not watch TV.
LOL! This is why I do not watch that much TV. LOL! I Love how they continue to taunt her with the pickles....Then even try to send her to a pickle farm!!
9/15/07
What does your Blog Mean to you?!?
Please vote on the pole that I posted on the right hand side of my blog....
I had a discussion with some people as to what a blog is...
I think that it can be used for many things but what it comes down to is a Diary or a Journal (For those of you that think the word diary is gay) Because no matter what you blog about it come down to one thing....Your thoughts and opinion on whatever your topic is....Vote and Comment.
P.S. PLEASE SIGN MY GUEST BOOK IF YOU HAVE NOT DONE SO ALREADY!!!!!!!!
9/14/07
I just registered my phone to be able to blog from my mobile. What a great concept. I can now post from anywhere and even send pictures.
<JCM>
9/12/07
9/11/07
Si vis pacem, para bellum.
The title if this blog means: If you want peace prepare for war.
In Memory of September,11th 2001.
God Bless America
9/3/07
Happy Labor Day
God Bless America!
The History of Labor Day
Labor Day: How it Came About; What it Means
"Labor Day differs in every essential way from the other holidays of the year in any country," said Samuel Gompers, founder and longtime president of the American Federation of Labor. "All other holidays are in a more or less degree connected with conflicts and battles of man's prowess over man, of strife and discord for greed and power, of glories achieved by one nation over another. Labor Day...is devoted to no man, living or dead, to no sect, race, or nation."
Labor Day, the first Monday in September, is a creation of the labor movement and is dedicated to the social and economic achievements of American workers. It constitutes a yearly national tribute to the contributions workers have made to the strength, prosperity, and well-being of our country.
Founder of Labor Day
More than 100 years after the first Labor Day observance, there is still some doubt as to who first proposed the holiday for workers.
Some records show that Peter J. McGuire, general secretary of the Brotherhood of Carpenters and Joiners and a cofounder of the American Federation of Labor, was first in suggesting a day to honor those "who from rude nature have delved and carved all the grandeur we behold."
But Peter McGuire's place in Labor Day history has not gone unchallenged. Many believe that Matthew Maguire, a machinist, not Peter McGuire, founded the holiday. Recent research seems to support the contention that Matthew Maguire, later the secretary of Local 344 of the International Association of Machinists in Paterson, N.J., proposed the holiday in 1882 while serving as secretary of the Central Labor Union in New York. What is clear is that the Central Labor Union adopted a Labor Day proposal and appointed a committee to plan a demonstration and picnic.
The First Labor Day
The first Labor Day holiday was celebrated on Tuesday, September 5, 1882, in New York City, in accordance with the plans of the Central Labor Union. The Central Labor Union held its second Labor Day holiday just a year later, on September 5, 1883.
In 1884 the first Monday in September was selected as the holiday, as originally proposed, and the Central Labor Union urged similar organizations in other cities to follow the example of New York and celebrate a "workingmen's holiday" on that date. The idea spread with the growth of labor organizations, and in 1885 Labor Day was celebrated in many industrial centers of the country.
Labor Day Legislation
Through the years the nation gave increasing emphasis to Labor Day. The first governmental recognition came through municipal ordinances passed during 1885 and 1886. From them developed the movement to secure state legislation. The first state bill was introduced into the New York legislature, but the first to become law was passed by Oregon on February 21, 1887. During the year four more states — Colorado, Massachusetts, New Jersey, and New York — created the Labor Day holiday by legislative enactment. By the end of the decade Connecticut, Nebraska, and Pennsylvania had followed suit. By 1894, 23 other states had adopted the holiday in honor of workers, and on June 28 of that year, Congress passed an act making the first Monday in September of each year a legal holiday in the District of Columbia and the territories.
A Nationwide Holiday
The form that the observance and celebration of Labor Day should take were outlined in the first proposal of the holiday — a street parade to exhibit to the public "the strength and esprit de corps of the trade and labor organizations" of the community, followed by a festival for the recreation and amusement of the workers and their families. This became the pattern for the celebrations of Labor Day. Speeches by prominent men and women were introduced later, as more emphasis was placed upon the economic and civic significance of the holiday. Still later, by a resolution of the American Federation of Labor convention of 1909, the Sunday preceding Labor Day was adopted as Labor Sunday and dedicated to the spiritual and educational aspects of the labor movement.
The character of the Labor Day celebration has undergone a change in recent years, especially in large industrial centers where mass displays and huge parades have proved a problem. This change, however, is more a shift in emphasis and medium of expression. Labor Day addresses by leading union officials, industrialists, educators, clerics and government officials are given wide coverage in newspapers, radio, and television.
The vital force of labor added materially to the highest standard of living and the greatest production the world has ever known and has brought us closer to the realization of our traditional ideals of economic and political democracy. It is appropriate, therefore, that the nation pay tribute on Labor Day to the creator of so much of the nation's strength, freedom, and leadership — the American worker.
8/25/07
Personality Breakdown....
| Advanced Global Personality Test Results
|
personality tests by similarminds.com
"Stability results were high which suggests you are very relaxed, calm, secure, and optimistic..
Orderliness results were high which suggests you are overly organized, reliable, neat, and hard working at the expense too often of flexibility, efficiency, spontaneity, and fun.
Extraversion results were very low which suggests you are extremely reclusive, quiet, unassertive, and secretive.
trait snapshot:
secretive, organized, clean, rarely worries, solitary, high self control, dislikes large parties, prefers organized to unpredictable, prudent, observer, tough, self reliant, very good at saving money, introverted, perfectionist, mind over heart, not controlling of others, hard working, confident, resolute, solitary, does not make friends easily, finisher, does not like to stand out, very practical, intellectual, unsympathetic at times, honest, respects authority, follows the rules, cautious
What superhero are you?
Your results:
You are Superman
| You are mild-mannered, good, strong and you love to help others.  |
Click here to take the Superhero Personality Test
8/24/07
A quick rant and rave.
I enjoy steak and shake. I like their food. It`s good classic American food. I have been there now dozens of times. My one complaint is that I have not ever been there one time where I got good service. The servers are always young kids (maybe high school) and they Just do not pay attention. I still find myself going back all the time because of the food. I am a huge fan of their Grilled Chick Salad w/ Fat Free Italian Dressing. But I would love that place even more and it could possibly become a favorite if I could just be served properly. If you know me then you know I am not that picky, I really like to leave good tips and I still do despite the service but....Come
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