I figured I’d give you all a quick update. Today (well, yesterday when this gets published), Nicole and I went out to Jenison to VI Pets to pick up stuff for my tank, a light, a plant, and some fish for it. They didn’t have anything in the way of lights that would do what I want. They did have a 3 LED light for it, but it wasn’t possible to change the bulbs in them without tearing it apart, which isn’t what I wanted. They also didn’t have any glofish that I wanted, just the same ol’ selection they had when I was there on Tuesday, a couple red and a yellow glofish. So off we went to VI Pets on Plainfield to see what they had. They had a much better selection in lights for my tank, I actually found one that was designed for my type of tank that sits on top of it. Now, since this is the first life in my tank, I figured I’d start small anyways, and not kill off $10 glofish to start with, you know – just in case. Right now I’ve got 2 glolite tetras and 4 ghost shrimp in it, as well as a wisteria plant that I picked up. So we’re on a good start to getting this tank going, but of course VI Pets didn’t have much of a selection of glofish either, just a few red and a yellow one. Here’s a picture of my fish:

And a picture of my plant and thermometer I got:

And a picture of my light I found:

And here’s how it looks right now:

Now all I have to do is find a blacklight bulb in a C7 size to make it work…so far it’s proving a bit harder than it seems, but hopefully I can find one and get this project done the way I want it

While we were out tonight, I decided I was going to look for some remote control outlets. You know, for those times when you have a hard to reach plug and want to easily turn it on/off? I found a 3-pack at Meijer tonight for only $25 so I picked it up (this is just one of the 3 outlets, one is being used for my rope light and one for my fish tank light):

So…I’ve definitely made some progress, but we’re not done yet!!

TTFN

-Michael

So…a fair bit to talk about this time, let’s see if I can get it all down without forgetting anything this time.

I’ll start with the “new pup?” Part first, for those who are curious, I won’t make you suffer through the rest of my ramblings just to get to it. So, you should all know about Sophie by now, our Mastiff/Husky mix. Well, Nicole was texted by Sophie’s old owner because she has Sohpie’s sister, Lola, and due to her job she has to move and can’t take Lola with her. She thought to text us since we do have Sophie and they are sisters. So, last night we went to go see Lola, she definitely has a resemblance to Sohpie, but she’s a bit taller and has more Husky in her, the hair color/type and her tail. She seems to have a bit more of the Husky temperment and energy too. We decided to bring her home and see if she would fit in, since there’s only so much you can do/tell in a 30 minute span at Lola’s house. She is used to a bigger yard and invisible fence, as well as being the only dog, but she seems to be getting along alright. We usually cage our animals at night just so we aren’t dealing with messes in the morning or constant moving. Well, Lola came with a cage, but we left it in the Escape last night when we came in as we don’t have a spot for it right now. So we put Patch and Romeo in his cage, and we put Sophie and Lola in Sophie’s cage. Patch and Romeo got along just fine, as always, but we had some issues with Lola. I think it was more nervous excitement more than anything, but Lola was growling/whining/barking and scratching at the cage, so I let her out, that is until she decided to start eating the cat’s food; she had about 15 minutes out of the cage after going outside, so I put her back in the cage after that, thinking that she’d calm down a bit, boy I was wrong. So, to remedy the situation, Sophie got to hang out outside the cage since she’s good at night, and Lola hung out in the cage alone. After a few squirts from the water bottle for barking and scratching, she settled down and we all finally slept. So far, it seems that she’s getting along well, her and Sophie play a LOT and seem to really enjoy each other, Romeo has been staying out of it mainly for now because of his leg, which I’ll get into later, and Patch is pissed off as I expected. We’ll see how Lola continues to adapt, she’s not quite as behaved as I’d like, but she’s also new to the house and a bit more energetic. As I told her owner, this isn’t for sure, if she’s not going to fit in well, she’ll have to find another home, but if she will, she can absolutely stay with us. So we’ll see how it goes.

And a few pictures of Lola!:

So, next since I’m thinking about it is Romeo’s leg. The little shit somehow broke his outside toe leg bone, right below his “knee” joint. Its a very small break and the ER vet doctor had to take about 20 xrays to find it. We got him casted up there, 2 Sundays ago and then took him to the vet on Friday, they said there was no reason for a cast so big, so they just wrapped it up with gauze and an ace bandage and sent him home. It was much smaller, but it turned out it wasn’t placed right because gis foot started swelling below it. So we had to go back to the vet office and he re-wrapped it with a bigger ace, and wrapped it around his paw this time because it had slid down last time. So far he’s doing good with it, walking on it and all, but if he twists it wrong or gets hit there he’s in a bit of pain, but it subsides quickly, so he’s got to be careful for a while yet while it heals.

Moving on again; Project alientank has commenced. For those who don’t know what that is, I’m putting a small 2.5 gallon fishtank on my desk between my monitors which I’m going to put glofish in with a blacklight so it looks neat. Hopefully finishing it up this weekend and can’t wait! Here’s a few pics of how it’s going now, all that’s missing are some plants in it, a light, and fish:

Here’s what it looked like before (a mess I know):

In other new, Nicole and I are looking at getting a mortgage so we can get into a house and out of this place. It’s a good starter place, but it’s falling apart, rent is going through the roof again, and it’s actually cheaper for a mortgage than the rent and bills we have to pay here, hopefully soon enough.

I was going to put more here, but I’ve decided for the time being I’ll keep that to myself for now, at least until I’m more sure of the situation.

TTFN

-Michael

I’ve been neglecting you…way too much. I’m sorry. Forgive me???? Please? Just one more time? I’ll try to be a better parent in the future, and I’ll start devoting a bit more time to you again. Yes?? YAY!!! I will make it up to you!!!

So here I sit in the doctor’s office waiting for mom. It took them over an hour to get her in, and it’s taking a lot longer than normal. IRRITATING! Ahh well, that gives me time to push my N900 a lot more than usual. So here goes, let’s see if I don’t miss anything.

Nokia finally updated firmware for the N900 to PR1.2 after a very long wait. I’m still up in the air if it was worth it or not. Two things I’ve absolutely noticed is that I’ve got a lot more space left on rootfs (about 32% instead of 9% that I had before), and that the whole os is much more responsive. I don’t have nearly the lag that I used to have, which is really nice, a major improvement seems to be with MicroB. I have noticed that the OSK is redesigned and doesn’t have all the keys with the D-Theme that I used, so I had to go back to the default theme. I do like the type to search in the app manager and the menu no longer having a “more” button. Other than that, I haven’t tried any other “new” features like skype video calling.

In other news, I’ve applied for a job with GRCS for a summer job moving computers, maybe turning into something more, that would be awesome. I’m also going to apply to @LiquidWeb in Lansing and see if that is an opportunity that would work. I’d love to work out there, it would be a great opportunity and I’m sure I could learn a lot from there and I’d be more than willing. I’ve been doing quite a bit of side-work with computers, and one of the jobs has the potential to turn into something more, and hopefully it does. This makes me sound like a workaholic, but I like to have a job I enjoy. I’m also working on getting my MFR (Medical First Responder) license, which would be awesome, always been something I’ve wanted to do.

Well, now it’s over 24 hours since I started this post and I haven’t written much….nothing really too exciting is happening. Though, yesterday Nicole’s car decided to fall apart, so we’re currently down to one vehicle while she finds something to replace her car. It looks as if the rear lower ball joint (if it can even be called that) blew apart so her rear passenger’s side tire didn’t sit right. With the other issues we’ve had with the car, it wasn’t worth fixing if we’d need to replace it by winter anyways. This wasn’t the optimal way I’d like to have replaced her car, but you gotta do what you gotta do I suppose. What she’s going to get is up in the air yet, but it looks like another car similar to what she had.

In other news, I got my Logitech G15 finally from Newegg, and so far I love it! The keys are nice and quiet, as well as feeling very solid and easy to use. The LCD screen is very useful, and as soon as I find some more applets, I’ll be sure to use them. I also have to allow unsigned drivers for 64bit Win7 yet so…some things don’t work yet. Its definitely something I’d recommend to anyone looking for a good, solid gaming keyboard.

Well, I think I’ll wrap this one up for now, I don’t think I missed much.

TTFN

-Michael

So, I’m working on updating the site a bit. Added some new features to the blog, and there will probably be more to come. I’ve redone the sidebar, though to most people it will look the same. Most of those changes were on the back-end with styles.

For those of you who don’t recognize the changes so far, I’ve added a latest tweet feed at the top, with code thanks to @Roamer145 and themed it to fit in with the current layout. I’ve also added a “Follow Me” button in the sidebar for twitter, as well as adding rewteet options to each blog post. So now, if you like my content (yeah right…anyone like my content?!?) you can follow me on twitter or share an article with twitter.

I’m still tinkering with the theme so there might be some oddities here and there. If they persist or something doesn’t look right, let me know and I’ll look into it. I’m also considering adding in a facebook connect module so that you can share stuff with facebook as well (even liking posts, thanks again to @Roamer145).

There’s all kinds of other things going on. I fixed my graphics lag on my computer finally. After a lot of headache of trying this, that, the other thing, changing these drivers, deleting these files, closing this application, changing these settings, etc…I had finally decided that i should just swap out my motherboard because the one I have has a few oddities with it, and it could have very well been the issue with my lag…so, I ordered a new AM3 motherboard with all kinds of goodies, enough to keep me upgrade-happy for a long time, and of course I got new DDR3-1600 RAM to go with it. Little did I know, it wasn’t going to be easy. I’ve had my current setup for just over a year, and this has been the same setup, except for the case. The CPU I have in it is an AMD Phenom II x4 920, which, somehow I’d forgotten this, is an AM2+ CPU. For those of you who don’t know, an AM3 CPU will work in an AM2+ and an AM3 board, but an AM2+ CPU will only work in an AM2+ board..Yeah, you see where this is going. I get the parts unboxed and go to put them in my computer, pull the processor out of the old motherboard and go to put it in this one, and I had a bent pin, unbent it, tried it again, rinse/repeat 3x. Then I tried it back in my old motherboard again, works like a dream. So yes, the new motherboard/RAM I got I cannot use with the current processor I have…So, after getting frustrated I go to put my old Motherboard back in and I see the PCI-Ex16 slot selector again. The motherboard I have has 2 PCI-Ex16 slots, and can run crossfire, but the board has a selector that runs them at either x16/x1 or x8/x8. I have the selector as x16/x1 as it should be, since I’m only running a single card setup…but I had the GPU in the x1 slot instead of the x16 slot. I swapped it into the correct slot when I put it back together, and wouldn’t you know it? All of my lag is gone now. So yes, this geek failed hard, and learned a lesson from it.

I do believe that’s all I’m going to post for now.

TTFN

-Michael

Following up from my post a long time ago about the Nokia N900 not supporting MMS natively here, this post is to elaborate on the state of affairs now.

frals from talk.maemo.org has written an application called fMMS. You can see the announce thread here. As of the time of this writing, it currently resides in extras-devel, but it is a very solid application and seems to work very well with minimal issues/configuration. Though, if you do need help, you can follow the help page here.

That’s all for now.

TTFN

-Michael

Jennifer Ryder Orcasitas April 7 at 10:46pm

you guys can be happy to know that you WERE successful in hurting Vanessa but thats all gone now… we know that he cut his hand with a saw and know that he will be ok. You can let your Mom know that what she is doing is very immature and wont break Vanessa, for whatever reason you guys like to hurt Vanessa so badly, I suggest you quit. Karma is a bitch. How would you feel if Nicole, the one you love, went to the hospital and you couldnt know why because her crazy family kept you from knowing. Really you boys need to grow some balls and realize what kind of hand your mother has on you. Its sad she wont let either of you become a man.

Michael Secord April 8 at 12:54am

Wow. What the FUCK did I do to ANY of you?? It’s real mature of you and Vanessa both to just assume everything is about/against either of you, or that someone is doing something that they aren’t. If you’d all get all of your facts straight before you start accusing people of things, and make sure you understood the full story, things would be very very different. I’m not going to go back and reference what I’m talking about, because god forbid anyone be wrong about anything, I know what the truth is, I’ve always been a neutral party in everything, and I’ve been there, and been through more shit with my family than either of you could ever even imagine.

Since you two seem to have it etched into your brains that this family, mom more specifically, is against you, I’m not going to try to convince you otherwise, but I will say this, if she was really against anyone, it would be much more blatant than, what you seem to think, this is. Mom is the FIRST one to say what’s on her mind, and instead of using a middleman to get her point across, she’ll say it to you face. You damn well know it Jenn, so quit acting like Vanessa’s fucking mediator. Maybe you two need to grow up as well, eh? I’m not going to get in the middle of this shit with you, Vanessa, Nathan, and mom. I’m not going to do it. If you aren’t grown-up enough to speak your mind, and then listen, I’m not going to humor your idiotic tendencies either.

Plain and simple, maybe you and Vanessa better get your stories straight. I didn’t do SHIT to either of you. Yet, I’m being punished, getting blocked on facebook, removed as a friend, completely ignored as if I don’t exist? What the fuck is up with that? How have I done ANYTHING to either of you? And this bullshit about stuff that’s been posted on facebook referring to Vanessa or you; if it was about either of you, I’d make that VERY fucking clear. I have more people in my life than my family and you two. Sorry to burst your bubble, but that’s just the raw truth. I’m not so interested in being the middle of all the drama that I have to make my life about just one or two people.

So, I don’t know WHERE you get the fucking idea that I have ANYTHING to do with this, but I’d really appreciate it if you’d get your shit straight. I’ve never done anything to anyone. I haven’t talked bad about either of you, I’ve not said shit to Nathan or Mom, or Vanessa or you for that matter, about ANY of this. Who gives you the fucking RIGHT to accuse me of this shit? AND WHERE THE FUCK DO YOU GET OFF BRINGING NICOLE INTO THIS?!?

I’m going to leave you with this. If you pull this shit again, accusing me of not being able to think for myself, of being in the middle of everyone else’s business, as it seems you HAVE to be, trying to pull me into the middle of something that I never have been, nor want ANY part of, and then bringing someone else who has even LESS to do with this than I do, shit will hit the fan. You’re being a real good role model for Vanessa, Jenn. I’ve always thought Nessa was a sweetheart, and I’ve never done anything wrong to her, much less you. So, if you have a problem with some part of my family, bring it the fuck up with them. If you don’t have the balls to say something to their face, maybe you shouldn’t be saying shit at all. So, I suggest you quit assuming shit, as all it’s doing is making you look like an even bigger ass. Remember Jenn, Karma is a bitch, and you slinging shit at innocent bystanders is only going to make it even worse for you.

Now, that you seem to only have the balls to say anything when Mom is unavoidably preoccupied, I bid you good night.

Jennifer Ryder Orcasitas April 8 at 5:00pm

Oh Micheal, you seem to think that you have it all on the straight and narrow. I wasnt trying to accuse you or your wife of anything and I have always liked you two, not that that matters. I have tried to get a hold of your mother and talk to her, but she (so maturely) hangs up on me. It really isnt my intention to try to bring you into this but I knew that you do care about Vanessa and you havent done anything to her and have been pretty mutual with things, as Vanessa has made pretty clear. I could have worded things differently and Im sorry for that but at the time I was very very upset, you are wrong when you say it has nothing to do with me, because when I have my 18 year cousin who I love over here crying and getting sick because she is terrified something bad happened to the person she loves it becomes my business. The only reason why I brought Nicole into this is to try and make you realize how she is feeling. Micheal you had to have known that Vanessa was a total mess last night and that your mother wouldnt give her any information, and I know that you dont want to get involved, but if any of you cared for her as much as you say you do, someone would have just let her know that he was ok, just to ease her heart. Including Nathan. I never said that I have been through more shit than you have with your family so I dont know where you get that from. I am sorry I said that you cant think for yourself, but I will not apologize for feeling bad for you and Nathan. I know that your mother loves you and I know that she has your guys’ best interest in mind, but she goes overboard. If you would open your eyes and look farther than the tip of your nose you would realize that almost everyone in your family says you hate drama, yet your mother is the definition of drama. She creates so much of her own its insane!! I love her and I always will, but she has changed. She may look at all these people around her and say we all have… but does that really make any sense… isnt it more believable that one person did the changing as oppose to a group of them? For your information, my story was straight and although I went about it wrong, and I have no problem saying so…. We know what happened and when Vanessa read your status on myspace, which you knew perfectly well she would read, the pain and fear on her face and in her eyes would have made Satan cry. So you can go right ahead and leave me with whatever words of wisdom of Karma that you think you may have…. I will leave you with this…… Micheal, I really am excited to see what kind of men you and Nathan become once you guys get off the tit of your mom and realize that you can have an amazing relationship with your her without her ridiculing every move you make, or trying to control every situation you guys are faced with. And you can say what you want, but the only people that dont see how much of a possessive hand she has on your ENTIRE family….. is you guys, just your family and the friends that are too scared to tell you the truth. I know she has good intentions with things… but she goes about the wrong way. And eventually you guys will see this. Misery loves company Micheal and that is what your Mother has become. MISERABLE!
As I said before, I am sorry if I made you feel attacked or blamed for anything. I made it pretty clear that that message was for your mom, and as far as saying it to her and not going through a middle man… I TRIED THAT, But as usual your oh so mature mom avoided it. So I went to her house, they never answered the door, I called her phone and Nathans phone, I texted, so there was valiant effort made on my part! One thing I can say for you, at least you didnt cowardly hide and not respond so thank you for that.
As far as making threats to me as far as shit will hit the fan… honey dont think for a minute that you scare me. I am waaayyy out of your league as far as that goes, and Im a way bigger bitch than you are an asshole :0) So I would just button it as far as that goes. Because chasing me around the trailer park with your big boy fire lights screaming Im gonna get you, really isnt intimidating to me. and that really is the only thing you can do to me. lol.

So, I’ll leave it at this. I’m not going to warranty a reply to try and sort out facts that are actually there. Jenn is still trying to pull me into the middle of something I have no business in, and I won’t have any part of it. Not to mention, the lack of grammar and spelling skills made this unbearably hard to read.

I figure, maybe a little public humiliation may lead to some actual thought before speech (Hey, I can dream, can’t I?)

TTFN

-Michael

So, I’ve got a savings and checking account with National City, and when I want to put money away, I just transfer it into my savings account. Makes perfect sense no? I thought so too, but I knew there was some type of limit on the transfers, so I figured I’d call up National City and figure it out….so here it is:

Federal Regulation D limits the Withdrawals (or transfer OUT) from the Savings account to another account to 6 not-in-person withdrawals per month. Now, while that’s an arbitrary number, I can understand a limit to make sure you don’t try to use your savings as a checking account. Though, the fee for going over this regulation? $15/each, but there’s a catch, that’s ONLY for the first month. If you go over again in a subsequent month, there will be a $1,000,000.00 hold put on your savings account until you go into a branch and talk with a branch manager and regulation officer.

NOTE TO SELF: It’s ALWAYS good to make sure you know the implications before doing something. It could save you a LOT of headache.

The things you learn these days.

TTFN

-Michael

Here’s a good article on why global warming is just a load of crap.  FINALLY, a good post about it!

MAN-MADE GLOBAL WARMING THEORY IN TATTERS: 100 REASONS WHY CLIMATE CHANGE IS NATURAL.

So, as you all probably know by now, I’ve been very impatiently awaiting the arrival of my Nokia N900 that I ordered from Newegg on 11/4/09.  Well, yesterday, Tuesday, December 9th at 1019 hours, it finally arrived!  Yes, that’s right, it finally got here.  So first, here are some pictures from the unboxing:

1) Here’s the Newegg box as it came:

2) Here’s the Nokia box from the inside!  YAY!

3) Here’s what was in the inside of the Nokia box:

4) And a close-up of the phone in the box:

5) And the accessories in the box under the phone:

6) Here’s everything that was in the box:

7) Here’s just the phone out of the box, on the desk after I’ve customized a bit:

Here’s a better shot of the phone on the desk (coincidentally in my lego dock I made):

‘

9) And one more pic of it in my dock:

There you have it, the full unboxing of my phone.  Nothing too interesting.  No video, all the unboxing videos would be the same, so if you want to see one, just search youtube.

First Impression:

This is much more than just a phone.  It really is an internet tablet/mobile computer with a phone put on top.  You can tell just by the way it all handles.  It runs it’s own flavor of Linux, Maemo, which is really nice.  To the normal user, you won’t notice the fact that it’s a linux OS.  The UI is very easy to adapt to, and everything is very easy on the eyes.  The screen is very crisp and clear, it’s nice and precise.  It’s not a strain to look at, and leaves the user with a good bit of control over it as well.  The phone has plenty of horsepower to run anything and everything.  I’ve not stressed it much yet, as I haven’t found a lot that I want to push on it, but every feature I’ve tried, Ovi Maps, the phone, Conversations, Browser, Camera, sharing, etc, has all been very well done.  I don’t have any complaint at all with it yet.

One thing that most people wouldn’t even really think of with their phones, unless they are a true geek, is the fact that this phone can multitask better than any other phone out there.  I can have a phone call going, Conversations text convo and IM convo, Facebook open in a browser, Email open with my gmail account, and switch between then flawlessly without issues.  Plenty of room, plenty of power, and well thought out is a good way to sum up the phone.  I can’t say much for battery life yet, but from what I can tell, I should be able to easily get a solid 12 hours out of this phone without issue.  I unplugged it this morning at 8AM and I’ve used it pretty solidly throughout the day and its still got a fair amount of battery left.

So far, this phone is amazing.  I’m very pleased.  Nokia seems to have put in a lot of effort into making this a very easy to use, yet very powerful device, and I believe they’ve completely succeeded without fail.  Now it’s still early in the life of the N900, and I would like to see MMS support, but from the reports I’ve read, this should be available soon.  Once that is available and a few of the minor bugs are worked out, this phone will be perfect.

Well, that’s my post for now.

TTFN

-Michael

A wise person wrote this today. It is very true, corruption from the top needs to be dealt with in a swift manner. Without any further adieu:

I really think it’s sad that most people in City Hall or Chamber of Commerce, or whoever you may be or where ever you may be from, don’t even live in our wonderful little town. I have a real problem with you being able to walk away if you so choose and never look back.

So many people in our quaint little town are so upset and disappointed with what is going on… We are hearing that their is going to be no Outhouse 500 – which people from all over the world attend, there is going to be no Car Show in 2010 – that was a great thing for Coopersville also. Our merchants are going out of business, our sidewalks cannot be repaired when they have 6″ or more of a drop in them to where some of our old and young alike can trip and fall. It’s more important to put in a new Boulivard you have no interest of maintaining, or a pocket park that won’t get taken care of. What about all the bushes behind our merchants that were ripped out so you didn’t have to pay to maintain them? What about the underground sprinkling that hasn’t seen daylight in so many years back there? Your cutting our city workers down a day?

I understand cut backs, but what about you? You keep making more money, getting in your cars and going home every night to what? Lowell? Comstock Park? East Grand Rapids? You don’t care about Coopersville any more than a paycheck.

How much money did you raise for this years Parade?? NO ONE but you will ever know, how’s your Christmas going to be this year? Pretty good I bet.
How can you sit on your high pedestal and lie to your residents, employees, whomever may be involved and turn and walk away? Your disease is turning contagious.

There are so many kind, caring, compassionate people of this town as you have seen just by the parade, but you don’t know who we really are. There are those that will shell out every little bit of money needed to keep our city events running, there are those that will give the shirt off their back to help their neighbor, there are those who will walk down our streets and pick up every bit of trash flying around to keep out town clean and attractive, their are the hard working farmers trying to stay afloat, there are the little guys who do what they can for anyone who needs it.

There is a phrase that says “actions speak louder than words” – yours are speaking LOUD with a big bang. You words are nothing more than lies. You walk past the average little person without even a glance. Why not just take Coopersville off the map. The way you are going we will soon be a “ghost town” anyway. No need to fight for this town, obviously as your on your way home at night it doesn’t concern you.

I think more people should speak their minds, and not just behind their cup of coffee at the local coffee shop that soon will no longer be. Maybe you should take a part in what Coopersville has to offer, maybe you should help find a way to keep our events going without such a struggle for everyone.
It’s sad what is happening here in our wonderful little town, and so many don’t even have a clue. Have a heart, make a new start, cutbacks are everywhere, maybe you should take one and keep things rolling for us. The residents who care about this town. The one’s who walk down the street for a 5 minute walk and come back 2 hours later because any and everyone had stop to talk to them. The one’s who have lived here their whole life in pride. The one’s who have moved here because the people are so wonderful, because they wanted to be a part of something really great.

We the people are speaking our mind on this “help yourself, share community info and ENJOY!”

We just want to continue to grow, be a great place, have people from all over the world want to come here and be a part of us, if only for a day a year….

So, if you’ve been paying attention, you’ll notice my issues with my last post about Newegg shipping the N900 and how we finally had an ETA of 12/7/09 for stock to get back in.  Well I got curious again today and decided to look.  Well, here’s what I found:

So I decided to give it a shot, since my Preorder was STILL On Hold, I’m not sure what to believe, so I went to Add To Cart and was prompted that the product I tried to add has insufficient stock.

Then I went back to the N900′s page and saw this:

Now it’s back-ordered again, with a different ETA of 12/9/09 now.  I don’t know what to say or do anymore, I can’t get a straight answer out of anyone for whatever reason, one person says one thing while another person says something completely different.  I can’t get a solid shipping date, or even an educated guess as to when I can expect this.  Here I was hoping to have it by Thanksgiving, while now it looks like I’ll be lucky to see it by Christmas.  Maybe I should just cancel it and wait?  It’s almost to that point now.  This is the most pathetic display of failure that I”ve seen EVER from Newegg.  I’ve always love them, and swear by them, and this is how I get treated? 

TTFN

-Michael

So today I went to check out Newegg’s Black Friday sales, nothing really of interest to me.  And I decided to take a gander at the N900′s page there to see if any news has changed since they removed the pre-order ability and set it back to the $649 price point.

This is what I found:

Yep, that’s right, now you can add it to the cart, and presumably have it shipped now.  Yet, my pre-order hasn’t begun to be processed?  There’s some major shenanigans going on, and this techie doesn’t like it one bit

TTFN

-Michael

**************EDIT*************

Wow…it gets better, look now:

****************EDIT***********************

Oh, it just gets better….

**************************************EDIT*************************************

And it gets better again!  Though this time an ETA is there! !!  12/7.  Maybe I’ll have mine on the 8th?!?!

So, I was getting a bit antsy about my N900 from Newegg, and since the order is under Nicole’s account I had her talk to them.  This is what we found out.

The original release date was 11/14/09 for the original shipment they received from Nokia, and since I wasn’t high enough in the queue to make that shipment, I got pushed back to the crowd for the 11/30/09 release date.  The rep couldn’t say how far back we are in the queue, or how many units they are getting in, so there’s no guarantee that I’ll even get my N900 with the next shipment next week.  I may have to wait ANOTHER 2 weeks (or longer) depending on how many units they get in and how far back I am in the queue.

So the wait for my N900 continues with no guaranteed answers in sight

TTFN

-Michael

This applies to all pets in general but is written about a dog.

How could you?
A man in Grand Rapids, Michigan incredibly took out a $7000 full page ad in the paper to present the following essay to the people of his community.

HOW COULD YOU? – By Jim Willis, 2001

When I was a puppy, I entertained you with my antics and made you laugh. You called me your child, and despite a number of chewed shoes and a couple of murdered throw pillows, I became your best friend. Whenever I was “bad,” you’d shake your finger at me and ask “How could you?” — but then you’d relent and roll me over for a belly rub.

My housebreaking took a little longer than expected, because you were terribly busy, but we worked on that together. I remember those nights of nuzzling you in bed and listening to your confidences and secret dreams, and I believed that life could not be any more perfect. We went for long walks and runs in the park, car rides, stops for ice cream (I only got the cone because “ice cream is bad for dogs” you said), and I took long naps in the sun waiting for you to come home at the end of the day.

Gradually, you began spending more time at work and on your career, and more time searching for a human mate. I waited for you patiently, comforted you through heartbreaks and disappointments, never chided you about bad decisions, and romped with glee at your homecomings, and when you fell in love. She, now your wife, is not a “dog person” – - still I welcomed her into our home, tried to show her affection, and obeyed her. I was happy because you were happy.

Then the human babies came along and I shared your excitement. I was fascinated by their pinkness, how they smelled, and I wanted to mother them, too. Only she and you worried that I might hurt them, and I spent most of my time banished to another room, or to a dog crate. Oh, how I wanted to love them, but I became a “prisoner of love.” As they began to grow, I became their friend. They clung to my fur and pulled themselves up on wobbly legs, poked fingers in my eyes, investigated my ears, and gave me kisses on my nose. I loved everything about them and their touch — because your touch was now so infrequent — and I would’ve defended them with my life if need be. I would sneak into their beds and listen to their worries and secret dreams, and together we waited for the sound of your car in the driveway.

There had been a time, when others asked you if you had a dog, that you produced a photo of me from your wallet and told them stories about me. These past few years, you just answered “yes” and changed the subject. I had gone from being “your dog” to “just a dog ,” and you resented every expenditure on my behalf.

Now, you have a new career opportunity in another city, and you and they will be moving to an apartment that does not allow pets. You’ve made the right decision for your “family,” but there was a time when I was your only family

I was excited about the car ride until we arrived at the animal shelter. It smelled of dogs and cats, of fear, of hopelessness. You filled out the paperwork and said “I know you will find a good home for her.” They shrugged and gave you a pained look. They understand the realities facing a middle-aged dog, even one with “papers.” You had to pry your son’s fingers loose from my collar as he screamed “No, Daddy! Please don’t let them take my dog!” And I worried for him, and what lessons you had just taught him about friendship and loyalty, about love and responsibility, and about respect for all life. You gave me a good-bye pat on the head, avoided my eyes, and politely refused to take my collar and leash with you. You had a deadline to meet and now I have one, too. After you left, the two nice ladies said you probably knew about your upcoming move months ago and made no attempt to find me another good home. They shook their heads and asked, “How could you?”

They are as attentive to us here in the shelter as their busy schedules allow. They feed us, of course, but I lost my appetite days ago. At first, whenever anyone passed my pen, I rushed to the front, hoping it was you that you had changed your mind — that this was all a bad dream… or I hoped it would at least be someone who cared, anyone who might save me.

When I realized I could not compete with the frolicking for attention of happy puppies, oblivious to their own fate, I retreated to a far corner and waited. I heard her footsteps as she came for me at the end of the day, and I padded along the aisle after her to a separate room. A blissfully quiet room. She placed me on the table and rubbed my ears, and told me not to worry. My heart pounded in anticipation of what was to come, but there was also a sense of relief. The prisoner of love had run out of days.
As is my nature, I was more concerned about her. The burden which she bears weighs heavily on her, and I know that, the same way I knew your every mood. She gently placed a tourniquet around my foreleg as a tear ran down her cheek. I licked her hand in the same way I used to comfort you so many years ago. She expertly slid the hypodermic needle into my vein. As I felt the sting and the cool liquid coursing through my body, I lay down sleepily, looked into her kind eyes and murmured, “How could you?”

Perhaps because she understood my dog speak, she said, “I’m so sorry.” She hugged me, and hurriedly explained it was her job to make sure I went to a better place, where I wouldn’t be ignored or abused or abandoned, or have to fend for myself — a place of love and light so very different from this earthly place. And with my last bit of energy, I tried to convey to her with a thump of my tail that my “How could you?” was not directed at her. It was directed at you, My Beloved Master, I was thinking of you. I will think of you and wait for you forever. May everyone in your life continue to show you so much loyalty.

A Note from the Author: If “How Could You?” brought tears to your eyes as you read it, as it did to mine as I wrote it, it is because it is the composite story of the millions of formerly “owned” pets who die each year in American & Canadian animal shelters. Please use this to help educate, on your websites, in newsletters, on animal shelter and vet office bulletin boards. Tell the public that the decision to add a pet to the family is an important one for life, that animals deserve our love and sensible care, that finding another appropriate home for your animal is your responsibility and any local humane society or animal welfare league can offer you good advice, and that all life is precious. Please do your part to stop the killing, and encourage all spay & neuter campaigns in order to prevent unwanted animals.
Please pass this on to everyone, not to hurt them or make them sad, but it could save maybe, even one, unwanted pet. Remember…They love UNCONDITIONALLY.

This will most likely be the new theme for the site.  There may be a few tweaks here and there, but for now, here we are.  Enjoy!

TTFN

-Michael

Just a quick update, I’m working on finding a new theme for the site, I figure it’s due time.  So please, check back and comment on the current theme, and let me know if you have any suggestions.  I haven’t quite settled on a new one yet, but I’m getting there.

TTFN

-Michael

YouTube – Are you a genius? – coin puzzle.

A really good puzzle for those of you out there

I heard information about the Nokia N900 not supporting MMS upon launch.  I was curious about it so I decided to email their support and ask.  I didn’t get the kind of response I was looking for, but here it is nonetheless (formatting edited for readability).

From: Me
Sent: 07/11/2009 09:52:00 PM
To: nokiausa.customercare@nokia.com
Subject: Phone Features
I’ve been looking at the highly anticipated Nokia N900 and came across a feature that is rumored to be missing and was hoping that you could clarify for me.
I read that the N900 will not support MMS at launch. Can you please clarify/confirm/elaborate??
Thanks!

And here is the reply I received from them:

Dear Mr Michael Secord,
Thank you for e-mailing the Nokia Care Contact Center. We are glad that you are interested with the Nokia N900 as your preferred device.
With regard to your inquiry about the MMS feature on the Nokia N900, we would like to inform you that the N900 do not have MMS feature, because it uses maemo platform, it has a different settings and it is more like an internet tablet.
If you have any additional questions, please do not hesitate to contact us again. To ensure proper handling of your case, kindly continue using the current subject line.
Thank you very much for your email. Have a great day!
Kind regards,
Kamille G.
E-mail Specialist
Nokia Inc.

So as you can see, it’s not really a good reply, but one in any case.  I’m going to keep pressing the issue and see if I can get better information.

TTFN

-Michael

EDIT****UPDATED****

I emailed Nokia back as I wasn’t completely pleased with the original response I received:

Thanks for the information.
So the N900 will NOT have MMS support at launch. Are there any plans to
get MMS support in a future update? If so, is there any kind of timeline?
Thanks again,
-Michael Secord

And here is what I received in return:

Dear Mr. Michael Secord,
Thank you for your reply.
With regard to your inquiry about the MMS feature of the Nokia N900, we would like to inform you that since MMS is not yet being supported by the Nokia device you can check our website for future updates on this device. We highly appreciate your concern about the device and we will escalate your concern to the proper department for evaluation. Please keep posted to our website for the details and updates www.nokiausa.com.
I hope the information provided proves useful.
If you have any additional questions, please don’t hesitate to contact us again. To ensure proper handling of your case, kindly continue using the current subject line
Thank you very much for your email. Have a great day!
Kind regards,
Adrian B.
E-mail Specialist
Nokia Inc.
Check out all the phones and accessories you can purchase, direct from Nokia at NokiaUSA.com. If you have any questions, please call us at 1-866-596-6542 and we can help find the right product for you.

So, that’s where we stand now.  No support as of yet, and no confirmation of whether or not it will be introduced, though we can keep hoping that they add it

Since I pre-ordered the Nokia N900 from Newegg with FedEx Standard Overnight shipping, and was curious when I could expect to receive the phone.  I was especially curious since Nokia slated the US release date to be 11/14/09, which is a Saturday, and most shipping from Newegg never delivers on Saturdays.

So, I initiated a chat session with them, of which the transcript follows below:

System12:51:38 PM System says, Hello my name is Ethan. How may I help you today?
Customer12:51:53 PM Michael Secord says, Hello Ethan, I have what I hope is a simple question today
Agent12:52:13 PM Ethan says, Yes, please.
Customer12:52:25 PM Michael Secord says, I’m looking at purchasing the Nokia N900: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16875205178&Tpk=N900
Customer12:52:33 PM Michael Secord says, and I had a question about the release date and shipping.
Customer12:53:09 PM Michael Secord says, the Release Date is 11/14/09, which, incidentally, is a Saturday, so if I ordered FedEx Next day Shipping, would I get the phone the 14th? or would I wind up getting it the 16th/17th?
Customer12:53:36 PM Michael Secord says, Excuse me, FedEx Standard Overnight
Agent12:54:53 PM Ethan says, Unfortunately, we are only able to try our best to ship the item out on 11/14 or a little bit earlier if possible. Since we do not deliver orders on weekend, the item is not likely to arrive on 11/14.
Customer12:55:33 PM Michael Secord says, That’s what I was wondering, it’s a precarious situation being the release date is on a saturday, that’s why I wondered if getting overnight shipping through fedex if the item would ship on the 13th and be delivered on saturday?
Agent12:56:08 PM Ethan says, Newegg orders are delivered only during the business week, Monday through Friday.
Customer12:56:22 PM Michael Secord says, Ok
Customer12:56:29 PM Michael Secord says, so I would more than likely get it on monday the 16th?
Agent12:58:16 PM Ethan says, If we manage to ship the item out on 11/13 by any chance, the item will be delivered on 11/16; however, we are not able to guarantee the ship date. We can only say that we will try our best. We apologize.
Customer12:59:17 PM Michael Secord says, No need to apologize, Nokia seems to have picked an unfortunate release date for the phone. There’s nothing you guys can do about that. I just wanted to check and see if you had a better idea of the logistics with this release.
Agent12:59:56 PM Ethan says, Thank you for your understanding.
Agent1:00:01 PM Ethan says, Was I able to resolve your issue or answer all your questions today?
Customer1:00:29 PM Michael Secord says, Yes you were Ethan. Thank you very much for your help!
Agent1:00:38 PM Ethan says, Thank you for contacting Newegg. I hope you have an eggcellent day!

So, that’s what they said.  I might call them tomorrow to clarify a bit more, but it looks like as of now, I can expect my phone on Monday, November 16th, 2009.

TTFN

-Michael

Well, it’s certainly been a long time since I updated last update here, so here’s a long overdue post.  Hopefully I remember to get everything in here and without too many mistakes.

Well, it looks like my last real update was waaaay back on January 30th, I should have a lot to talk about then huh?  Well, grab that bag of popcorn and glass of water, and sit down, this will be a while.

Lets start with work.  Since my last update I’ve been moved from a full-time to a part-time employee at work.  It’s quite the frustrating story.  I was working part-time in Customer Service, and part-time in MIS working on our billing system.  I would work the first 4 hours of the day in MIS and then finish the day in Customer Service.  A few times I’d have to spend all day in MIS to make sure everything gets done.  Well, one day at work, the entire data center went dark, we had some plugs go out.  Tracy, Director of Customer Relations, wanted everyone to start calling customers from our old lists of circuits that went down, and tell them that we knew we had an issue and we were working on it, since the power was out our entire phone system was out as well.  I wouldn’t use my personal phone for work purposes, 1) I didn’t have any minutes left on my phone to waste on WORK related crap, it’s not my fault their fail-over didn’t work like it was supposed to, and 2) my battery was practically dead.  Things were ok after that for about a week, then I had to work in MIS to clean up from that mess and work on our big digital voice project out.  Well, after a couple week, Mike G., the CFO and my direct boss, asked me if Tracy had talked to me at all.  Apparently she had the guts to tell Mike that she didn’t want/need my help anymore, but she couldn’t even mention it to me.  So, after all that work, I was put back to part-time only working in MIS because Tracy presumably has a grudge against me and the fact that I wouldn’t use my personal phone for work purposes because their fail-over systems failed, to no fault of mine.  So things have been tight, but I’ve been surviving.  I don’t like being treated like a little pawn either.  I just can’t believe the audacity she had to not be able to tell me to my face that she doesn’t need me.  On the other hand, this Digital Voice project is being a pain.  I managed to get in over 112 hours the last two weeks of October.  It was painful, very painful, but the paycheck is a bit nice

Moving on…

Nicole and I are doing great!  In case you didn’t notice, we got engaged on March, 20th this year.  It was a bit of a cold proposal, but it was amazing.  It was at the top of 5-Mile hill in Grand Haven.  You can see some pictures after the fact here.  Things have been great, we’ve got just about everything already figured out for the wedding, and you can keep track of that here.  Nicole already has her dress, we’ve got the venue, the menu, wedding party, and I’m working on guys’ attire tomorrow with the groomsmen.  So things are going GREAT, I’m so excited.  Speaking of this all, we’ve only got five and a half months left until the wedding   It will make for an interesting week considering my birthday is the same week, just 3 days before the wedding.

Next!!

Nicole got a dog, Romeo, and then just a few months ago, she got me a dog too!!  Her name is Sophie and she’s a mastiff/husky mix.  She’s a sweet, beautiful dog, still quite a bit hyper, but very well mannered and lovable.  You can see pictures of Sophie here.  She’s definitely made things interesting around here, her and Romeo go at it all the time, but it’s quite funny to watch.  They are a good form of entertainment for us

And again!

Patch had a litter of kittens, it was her first, only 3 kittens, 1 was stillborn, and the other two were very sweet, but it wasn’t time for a family addition.  We found them a great home and they are doing great last we heard, they are getting along great with the kids and they love them to death.  That was an interesting experience, as Sophie and patch weren’t quite getting along yet, now they’ll play all day long if Romeo isn’t getting in on it.

Enough about animals…

Life has brought a few other things to the geek world as well   Yep, time for me to geek out for a while, you all know that I’m a geek, and sometimes it REALLY shows, you can just ask Nicole.  I got a new computer build done, Mom and Dad bought my old one from me so I upgraded, it was time anyways, I needed a bit more power.  Here you can see old pics of the setup and old specs of it as well, I’ll have to make a new dedicated update for that and other happenings that I’ll mention here.  This PC is really nice and powerful, runs all the games I want and more.  Speaking of games, the new Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 comes out next week, Tuesday to be exact.  Josh and I and maybe another friend of his are going to have our own “release party” Monday night and spend some time playing after we get our reserved copies.  This will be quite fun actually, the game is supposed to be unbelievable.  So this will be interesting.  I’m way looking forward to it, and honestly, I think Nicole is looking forward to some non-geek time with me not home again   On top of that awesome game coming out, the Nokia N900 phone is coming out on the 14th!  I’m so very excited, this phone is supposed to be the best phone ever basically.  I even have it pre-ordered from Newegg so I should have it either release date (11/14) or the following business day (11/16), so not too much longer on that   I really can’t wait, it’s going to be AMAZING!

Hmmm….

I think that just about covers everything.  Not a whole lot of elaboration on a lot of things yet, but I needed to update everyone.  I hope to update this MUCH more frequently than I have been.  I hope you enjoyed this bit of information!

TTFN

-Michael

All my hard work on making Songbird portable in the PortableApps.com Platform format has paid off!  Songbird is now OFFICIALLY PORTABLE!

So go visit, download, digg, and enjoy!

If any of you are like me, you like to game.  And being so, you probably like racing games, especially the Need For Speed series.  So I’m sure you all got excited for the newest release of Need For Speed…Undercover!  I know I was.  I happened to come across it at a local video store for PS2 and I HAD to have it for PC.  My fiancee got it for me as a gift and I was stoked.

However, all good things must come to an end right?  I install it and I couldn’t get it running, it kept crashing with a Windows Error window.  EA’s Support was of no help to me, it was only by happenstance I figured out what it was.  As I also play Grid, Dirt, and Test Drive Unlimited, I know that there are some really weird and stupid security modules out there.  With these other games, chances are you will NOT be able to run Process Explorer while trying to launch the game.  I like to leave this Task Manager replacement running to keep track of my system.  It just so happens that NFS:Undercover has the same issue.  I closed Process Explorer and Undercover started right up.  YAY!  Three days back and forth with support wasted, only for me to not need their help to begin with.  Ok, Fine.  Time to play!!!

Or is it?  It’s hard to play when you get a frame per second rate comparable to the turn signal on a vehicle…it’s just impossible to play the game, not too mention tedious and NOT fun.  Well, here are my specs, I never would’ve though to have an issue with this:

AMD Phenom II x4 920 @2.8GHz
4GB DDR2-1066 (PC2-8500)
Sapphire HD4870 – 1GB GDDR5
Raidmax 630W Modular PSU
2x ASUS Sata 22x DVD+/-RW
250GB WD SATA (Windows), 320GB WD SATA (Secondary/Apps), 1TB Samsung SATA (Backups)
2x 19″W ASUS LCD Monitors

But apparently I was wrong.  I Googled for an answer and nothing came up that I could use…the normal “update your drivers” bs…well it’s hard to update them when they are as up to date as can be.

So here I sit, I have NFS:Undercover that I want to play…and I can’t…so it sits, for almost 2 months before I get the itch to play again and decide that I need to figure SOMETHING out to play the game in a way I can actually play it.  So I looked and found something that might be useful.

There seem to be two possible fixes out there, assuming that your hardware is sufficient enough to run the game:

1. (This is the fix that worked for me).  After you launch the game, ALT+TAB out of it, and open up your Task manager, and set the affinity for nfs.exe to just use one CPU (core) instead of all of them.  For instance, I have 4 cores, so I unchecked CPU0, CPU1, and CPU2, while leaving CPU3 checked to do the work for me.
2. (I have NOT tested this).  This is out there on a few sites, while I haven’t tested it, and it seems to work for some people, it seems to apply more to people who have a cracked version of the game, or who are using a hacked version of the EXE that gets rid of the DRM crap that is loaded on the computer with NFS:Undercover.  What you need to do, is replace the paul.dll file that you have with one from a legit copy of the game.
3. (Here’s a bonus).  One more thing to check for, if you have some type of messaging program, or email program that has popups in the bottom right of your PC or something, turn it off, as it popping up will slow down the game while it opens and closes

I hoped this helps some more people get their game running so they can enjoy it like I am!

If this helped, please comment and/or digg it!

My story with ManobanWeb’s Hosting service

This is a lengthy story about my recent experience with ManobanWeb (http://manobanweb.com) (MBW). I believe everyone should read this as a warning about this company. Now I’m not saying that this is a bad company as they’ve been great up until now, but this is something I hope nobody ever goes through so I am going to document it here. Enjoy.

(This is going to be exactly as the ticket is with them, with the exception that I removed any personally identifying information, and anything that could be used harmfully, ie – the phishing scripts that I showed them. I’ll give a quick summary at the end).

Gizmokid2005.com (Me)
Tuesday, May 19, 2009 @ 9:56 EDT:
Guys, I need help, bad and fast.

I went to login to my FTP and cpanel today to upload some files, and couldn’t get in. My password had been reset to a random character password again….also, my last login was from 41.191.108.130, which is most certainly not my IP address, in fact it traces to Nigeria somewhere.

Can you help me figure out what happened? And if any files were changed before 5/19/2009 @ 1355 (9:55am EDT). I’m kinda worried this time…something happened and I’m not sure what.

Thanks guys.
==========

MBW – D.C.
Tuesday, May 19, 2009 @ 10:10 EDT:
Hello,

I will now look into this and block that IP range from our network.

Thank you for your patience.

Kind Regards,

D.C.
==========

Gizmokid2005.com
Tuesday, May 19, 2009 @ 10:13 EDT:
D.C.,

Thanks. There seems to be some router interface hosted at that IP and from what I can see on there, either they are some type of hosting company or have a major pipe to the internet for something…looks like 30M/s in bandwidth pretty consistently.

-Michael
==========

MBW – A.H.
Tuesday, May 19, 2009 @ 10:18 EDT:
Hi Michael,

I am currently in-touch with the African Network Information Center which is where the IP is being used. If I could ask you to please change all your passwords to avoid them getting into your account again.

Kind Regards,

A.H.
==========

Gizmokid2005.com
Tuesday, May 19, 2009 @ 10:23 EDT:
A.H.,

I will start right now. If I might add, there seems to be something…odd happening. I just looked in the recent visitors log and found this:

Host: <ip>
/irs.gov.coookies287484.html?743985=dummyvar
Http Code: 200 Date: May 19 10:11:16 Http Version: HTTP/1.1 Size in Bytes: 25039
Referer: -
Agent: Mozilla/4.0 (compatible; MSIE 6.0; Windows NT 5.1)

Host: <ip>
/irs.gov.coookies287484.html
Http Code: 200 Date: May 19 10:11:03 Http Version: HTTP/1.1 Size in Bytes: 25039
Referer: http://us.mc330.mail.yahoo.com/mc/welcome?.gx=1&.rand=4b319dba97bqe
Agent: Mozilla/4.0 (compatible; MSIE 6.0; Windows NT 5.1; SV1; .NET CLR 2.0.50727; .NET CLR 3.0.04506.30; .NET CLR 1.1.4322; .NET CLR 3.0.04506.648; .NET CLR 3.0.4506.2152; .NET CLR 3.5.30729)

/image/efile_size2.gif
Http Code: 404 Date: May 19 10:11:03 Http Version: HTTP/1.1 Size in Bytes: 16117
Referer: http://gizmokid2005.com/irs.gov.coookies287484.html
Agent: Mozilla/4.0 (compatible; MSIE 6.0; Windows NT 5.1; SV1; .NET CLR 2.0.50727; .NET CLR 3.0.04506.30; .NET CLR 1.1.4322; .NET CLR 3.0.04506.648; .NET CLR 3.0.4506.2152; .NET CLR 3.5.30729)

/image/electronic_irs_small_logo.gif
Http Code: 404 Date: May 19 10:11:03 Http Version: HTTP/1.1 Size in Bytes: 16117
Referer: http://gizmokid2005.com/irs.gov.coookies287484.html
Agent: Mozilla/4.0 (compatible; MSIE 6.0; Windows NT 5.1; SV1; .NET CLR 2.0.50727; .NET CLR 3.0.04506.30; .NET CLR 1.1.4322; .NET CLR 3.0.04506.648; .NET CLR 3.0.4506.2152; .NET CLR 3.5.30729)
==========

Gizmokid2005.com
Tuesday, May 19, 2009 @ 10:57 EDT:
It looks like it was about 3:20AM EDT that they were in my hosting. They uploaded two files (both to the public_html folder):
internalrev.php
irs.gov.coookies287484.html

Looks like they are trying to use my domain for phishing…
==========

Gizmokid2005.com
Tuesday, May 19, 2009 @ 10:59 EDT:
Here’s the good data you’d need from the php file, it’s a hacker file, just to get data about bank logins and whatnot, and here contains the email address and whatnot:

“————ALAFONSO-Hacker from DARK————–
<PHP REMOVED>

SEE the actual php file for more info. I’m going to move the files to the root of the account, out of the public_html folder so they can’t be used anymore.
==========

Gizmokid2005.com
Tuesday, May 19, 2009 @ 11:43 EDT:
Guys – I have uploaded the file back to my site, modified. Please leave this one on my site until we can figure out more. I have removed all of the code and script from the file.

Thanks!

*****[NOTE: I modified the html file with the following text:
I AM NOT THE ONE THIS ORIGINATED FROM!! I AM A VICTIM TOO!!
If you are here, I am TRULY very sorry for the email you were sent. This was blatant hacking of my site and files. If you have reached this page, I have stopped you from giving away your identity to a hacker. If it sounds too good to be true, it is. REMEMBER!! ALWAYS check the URL of your links!! You NEVER know what you are clicking on. If the IRS has money to give you, they will NOT email you to say you have money. EVER.
If you were unfortunate enough to have made it to this page BEFORE I got this page up, PLEASE contact ALL of your banking institutions, and credit bureaus and let them know that you gave away all of your information. It would also be wise to contact the FBI and let them know the same. I have already contacted the email provider of the address this info was sent to, as well as my hosting company to find the originating person.
I'm sorry to anyone who's clicked this, and if you've made it here, please forward the email you got with this link to your email provider as a phishing scam.
END NOTE]*****
==========

MBW – A.H.
Tuesday, May 19, 2009 @ 16:08 EDT:
Michael,

We are still looking into this and decding on what action to take.

We will keep you updated.

Kind Regards,

A.H.
==========

Gizmokid2005.com
Tuesday, May 19, 2009 @ 16:10 EDT:
A.H.,

Thanks for the help! Just let me know what you guys figure out. I’d love to help shut down the person that did this.

-Michael
==========

Gizmokid2005.com
Thursday, May 21, 2009 @ 10:54 EDT:
Any updates?
==========

MBW – A.H.
Thursday, May 21, 2009 @ 12:29 EDT:
Michael,

I am still awaing a reply from the IP provider who the hacker used. I am doubtful that we will catch him as most hackers will mask their IP’s.
We have set-up a new firewall on the server which went online earlier today, which should help keep some of them from hacking into accounts.

Kind Regards,

A.H.
==========

Gizmokid2005.com
Saturday, May 23, 2009 @ 14:10 EDT:
I’m changing my password again…I have a new different login IP: 203.206.67.79
Everything is in the folder “paypal.co.uk.login”
This is REALLY getting ridiculous…password changes in progress again.
==========

Gizmokid2005.com
Saturday, May 23, 2009 @ 14:18 EDT:
It looks like in the process of moving the files out of the public_html folder, they were blown away by my FTP client, or they were deleted on your end at the same time.
==========

Gizmokid2005.com
Saturday, May 23, 2009 @ 14:20 EDT:
And I refreshed, and there is ANOTHER login from a different IP: 97.91.188.232. My ISP is also charter which is where this is from, but this is NOT my IP, in fact it’s not even in the right state.
==========

Gizmokid2005.com
Saturday, May 23, 2009 @ 14:31 EDT:
OK…NOW I’m pissed.

I just reset my password for cpanel and my subsequently my FTP to a 31 character password….I can login to my FTP with the first 8 characters only. WHY?

*****[NOTE: Yeah....I was getting a bit frustrated here, but do you blame me? END NOTE]*****
==========

MBW – A.H.
Saturday, May 23, 2009 @ 16:42 EDT:
Dear Michael,

If you check the forum you will see we are in the middle of securing another server which will be made public within the next 48 hours. This server has been completly locked down and we have set up a number of checks to run daily. If you would like I can ask one of the techs currently working on the new node to transfer your account within the next two hours.

Kind Regards,

A.H.
==========

MBW – J.A.
Saturday, May 23, 2009 @ 18:25 EDT:
Hi,

I have been checking node2 and have noticed some issues that need fixing. I have now started moving 50% off accounts on node2 over to our newer node.
This is will stop the High CPU usage and should help relieve your account problems. As the list is rather large and most accounts are 2 – 3 GB it will take some time.

I will update this ticket as soon as your account has been transfered.

– New Nameservers –
NS3.MANOBANWEB.COM
NS4.MANOBANWEB.COM

Login details can be reset on request. Once your account has been transfered you can access it by going the the following IP: <IP removed>

Kind Regards,

J.A.
==========

MBW – J.A.
Saturday, May 23, 2009 @ 20:03 EDT:
Hi,

Your account has been copied to the new node. It should be safe to change your nameserver details now.

Kind Regards,

J.A.
==========

Gizmokid2005.com
Saturday, May 23, 2009 @ 20:37 EDT:
A.H. & J.A.,

Thanks for the help. Sorry about the remark, I was just getting frustrated by this. Its just a bit irritating to deal with issues like that, especially when it blacklists my site on places such as http://mywot.com.

I want to thank all of you for being so transparent on the issue and not just covering it up with generic BS like a lot of places would.

I’m going to have to change my A records for my website now too aren’t I, considering the IP changed? Do you have this rsynced also, or are any changes that were made on the old server after the move not transferring over?

Thanks,

Michael
==========

MBW – A.H.
Sunday, May 24, 2009 @ 05:46 EDT:
Michael,

Most DNS settings and account settings are carried over. I’ll have Jake take a look as soon as he comes in.

Kind Regards,

A.H.
==========

MBW – J.A.
Sunday, May 24, 2009 @ 08:28 EDT:
Hi,

All details in the DNS zones are updated on our server. I have noticed some rather odd entries that I am requesting permission to delete.

paypal
paypal.co.uk.login
www.paypal.co.uk.login

Kind Regards,

J.A.
==========

Gizmokid2005.com
Sunday, May 24, 2009 @ 13:03 EDT:
PLEASE delete that record. I didn’t check to make sure they didn’t add any DNS. that’s from the latest phishing scam that was added.

As my DNS isn’t hosted with you, I have to repoint my A records to the new IP for node1 correct?
==========

MBW – J.A.
Sunday, May 24, 2009 @ 13:11 EDT:
Hi,

I have now removed the records.Yes you will have to change the A records to the new IP which is: <IP Removed>

Kind Regards,

J.A.
==========

Gizmokid2005.com
Sunday, May 24, 2009 @ 13:18 EDT:
Thanks Jake!

Are the files rsynced from the old server (ahoban) to the new one (node1) or are any changes made to the old server that I”m currently on going to be lost on the new one? (I don’t think there are many except for maybe in the /public_html/files/portableapps/ folder).

Thanks,

Michael
*****[NOTE: At this point I'd assumed that my issues were fixed and I was set going forward...boy was I in for a surprise. END NOTE]*****
==========

MBW – J.A.
Sunday, May 24, 2009 @ 13:28 EDT:
Hi,

The files were transfered last night which was just before I updated the ticket. any files uploaded after that time may be lost.

I have recently been in your account under the IP <IP Removed>, I have cleared all visable illegal files including a number of paypal sites and also a few email scripts that are not allowed on the server. The Email scripts were a form clearly used for sending spam.

Kind Regards,

J.A.
==========

Gizmokid2005.com
Sunday, May 24, 2009 @ 14:02 EDT:
J.A.,

Thanks. I’m not worried about anything else then. I kept looking for files that may have been not allowed, but the only folder I saw yesterday was the paypal folder and it disappeared when I was trying to move it out of the public domain for you guys. Thanks for the help Jake.

What did you guys ever come up with about the 8 character limit on the FTP password?
==========

MBW – J.A.
Sunday, May 24, 2009 @ 14:17 EDT:
Hi,

Michael I will look into this issue over the coming days for you.

Kind Regards,

J.A.
==========

Gizmokid2005.com
Monday, May 25, 2009 @ 16:48 EDT:
First off, I don’t know what you guys did with the rest of this ticket….second, it’s happened AGAIN! This time they didn’t log into my cpanel though…here’s the link:

<ACTUAL URL REMOVED>

The FTP password issue needs to be solved. ASAP. If it’s not being FTP’d onto my server, then it’s something within your security…..This has to stop. I’m on the new “more secure” server and this is the THIRD phishing attempt from my site in the last week…

This needs to stop. You guys have to figure out what is going on and stop it.

/public_html/images/on is the folder these files are in…THEY HAVE BEEN THERE SINCE 5/18/09….which means they weren’t taken off when the account was cleaned up before by Jake either.

Guys, PLEASE FIX THIS!!

*****[NOTE: At this point, they had deleted over half my ticked from 5/21 - 5/25 in the server move they did...but I requested it back later, you'll see the entry in the ticket and pasted back in chronological order here. END NOTE]*****
==========

Gizmokid2005.com
Monday, May 25, 2009 @ 17:41 EDT:
I just moved the files from the /public_html/images/on folder to the root in “on”
==========

Gizmokid2005.com
Monday, May 25, 2009 @ 18:20 EDT:
GUYS…SERIOUSLY?? I got an email from you as follows:

——– Original Message ——–
Subject: [Ticket ID: 559192] “spoofed” PayPal.com pages
From: ManobanWeb | Internet Services Abuse
To: Michael
Date: 5/24/2009 8:44 AM
> Michael,
>
> I have just recieved this Email from our service provider. I have removed the folder in question, however if this issue comes up again I’m afraid we will have to suspend the account until we can investigate the issue further.
>
>
> <——————–>
>
> We have just learned that your service is being used to display false, or “spoofed,” PayPal.com pages, in an apparent effort to steal personal and financial information from consumers, and defraud PayPal users. Specifically, it appears that a Solar VPS user is sending unsolicited messages which misrepresent the sender as PayPal, and making false statements that encourage the recipient to go to a page hosted by you at
>
><IP REMOVED> – <URL REMOVED>
>
> <DOMAIN REMOVED>
>
> asking to enter personal and account information. The purloined information is then sent to an email account and, based on our investigation of similar schemes, used to steal accounts and commit other fraudulent acts including international credit card and wire fraud.
>
> This matter is urgent – we believe that consumers have been falsely directed to this page and may be fooled into divulging personal information to a criminal, if the page is not immediately disabled. We ask that you immediately disable the site at <URL REMOVED>, as well as any associated email addresses, so that this fraudulent scheme can be stopped. We further request that you provide us with all contact information that you have for this user so that we may provide this information to the proper law enforcement authorities.
>
> While we believe that the above information gives your company more than a sufficient basis for disabling the page immediately, out of caution we note that your user’s unauthorized reproduction of PayPal’s trademark and copyrighted materials violates federal law, and places an independent legal obligation on your company to remove the offending page(s) immediately upon receiving notice from PayPal, the owner of the copyrighted materials. Accordingly, the information below serves as PayPal’s notice of infringement pursuant to the Digital Millennium Copyright Act, 17 U.S.C. Section 512
> (c)(3)(A):
>
> I, the undersigned, CERTIFY UNDER PENALTY OF PERJURY that I am the agent authorized to act on behalf of the owner of certain intellectual property rights, said owner being named PayPal, Inc. I have a good faith belief that the website located at URL <URL REMOVED> has its copyright in each page of its website and associated source code. Please act expeditiously to remove or disable access to the material or items claimed to be infringing.
>
> We sincerely appreciate your immediate attention to this important matter. We would also appreciate if you would take steps to confirm the accuracy of any contact information that your user may have provided to you in establishing the account. Should you have any accurate information that could assist PayPal and law enforcement in tracking this individual, we would greatly appreciate your assistance, as we know that you do not condone the use of your services for such criminal purposes.
>
> Finally, please be advised that we have referred this issue to the Federal Bureau of Investigation for their investigation. The F.B.I. has requested that we convey to you in this message their request that you preserve for 90 days all records relating to this web site, including all associated accounts, computer logs, files, IP addresses, telephone numbers, subscriber and user records, communications, and all programs and files on storage media in regard to all Internet connection information, pursuant to 18 U.S.C. section 2703(f). While we do not act as an agent of the FBI in conveying this request, we do intend to fully cooperate with their investigation, and encourage you to do so as well.
>
> eBay Inc.
> Audit and Investigations
> securityalerts@ebay.com
—————————————————————————

HOW can you have this much disconnect in your systems? THIS ticket should’ve flagged anything like this that came into to you. If this affect gizmokid2005.com and betatalk2.org is on the same hosting account, it should be common sense that this could be affected too….come on guys!

*****[NOTE: Yeah, I was mad again...this is the SAME crap that's happening with my main domain, just on one of my add-on domains I was hosting for a friend...END NOTE]*****
==========

MBW – D.C.
Monday, May 25, 2009 @ 18:39 EDT:
Micheal,

It is in our policy that we forward and investigate any abuse email we receive, so this staff member has taken the correct steps.

We are aware of the current situation so i will remove the abuse flag from your account.

Kind Regards,

D.C.
==========

Gizmokid2005.com
Monday, May 25, 2009 @ 19:00 EDT:
Thanks Dan. What happened to the rest of this ticket?
==========

MBW – A.H.
Monday, May 25, 2009 @ 19:02 EDT:
Michael,

In regards to the files in which you found. I know J.A. did a general check and removed most visable content. We have never seen them hide their files in the images folder before so I’m guessing thats why it was missed.
We have configured this node for secure usage, changing SSH ports, new firewalls etc…

Can you please just confirm the last date you believe files were uploaded on, so I can check the logs and compare them to the old server?

I have also checked 2 of my personal accounts with passwords longer than 8 letters and it will not let me in without the full thing.
I will open a ticket with Cpanel first thing in the morning, it’s 24:00 now and I was in the middle of sleeping before Dan called.

Kind Regards,

A.H.
==========

Gizmokid2005.com
Monday, May 25, 2009 @ 19:10 EDT:
A.H.,

The majority of the files that I had moved were uploaded on the 18th, there were a few more that I’d noticed today that were uploaded sometime yesterday or early today.

Sorry to have you awoken, but this is getting really excessive now. Please let me know as soon as you have more info about the FTP passwords too. At this point, that looks to be the weak point, as there wasn’t a new login from cPanel.

-Michael
==========

MBW – D.C.
Tuesday, May 26, 2009 @ 09:06 EDT:
Hello,

I’m afraid this matter is now out of our hands. The FBI have requested your details and they will now begin investigating this matter.

We have been asked to suspend your account for the time being.

Thank you for your co-operation throughout this matter.

We wish you every success with the FBI investigation.

Kind Regards,

D.C.
==========

Gizmokid2005.com
Tuesday, May 26, 2009 @ 09:10 EDT:
This is COMPLETELY unacceptable. I need a call from one of you ASAP. YOU should be the ones to help with the investigation, ESPECIALLY since this did NOT originate from me. You are passing this off, and have been as if it’s a non-critical issue…Your own technicians BLATANTLY said there were security issues with your servers…so somehow it’s MY fault?? This is NOT acceptable in ANY way.
==========

MBW – A.H.
Tuesday, May 26, 2009 @ 09:22 EDT:
Michael,

Our new server which you have been moved to has been hardened to industry standards and has enterprise class firewalls installed. SSH access is locked to ManobanWeb IP’s only. I understand where you are in this situation, however as stated in our TOS. This was requested and we must comply with these orders.

Responsibility for Content:
You, as ManobanWeb’s customer, are solely responsible for the content stored on and served by your ManobanWeb account.

Regards,
A.H.
==========

Gizmokid2005.com
Tuesday, May 26, 2009 @ 09:23 EDT:
But how am I responsible for a BLATANT security failure on your end?
==========

Gizmokid2005.com
Tuesday, May 26, 2009 @ 09:24 EDT:
Not too mention that over half this ticket was /conveniently/ deleted….
==========

MBW – A.H.
Tuesday, May 26, 2009 @ 09:55 EDT:
Michael,

We we’re in the process of moving our website when that ticket was submitted. Hence why some parts may have been lost. All are however in our email logs for our records.

We have done our best to try resolve this issue without taking action against your account, however at this time we can not afford to have abuse emails coming in every other day from both banks and also our provider.

On another note: we are only having this problem with your account, so it’s the security of your account which has been compromised, nothing to do with our server. I have also checked the logs and matched an IP upto your IP address.

Kind Regards,

A.H.
==========

Gizmokid2005.com
Tuesday, May 26, 2009 @ 09:59 EDT:
I am hereby requesting a copy of this ENTIRE ticket for my records also.

I told you what the issue was, and you failed to resolve it. The eight character FTP password is where the security failure was for sure in the last issue. You probably matched an IP to my address, I MOVED those files OUT of the public eyes AND uploaded COMPLETELY unrelated files in the meantime…

Please fulfill my request for the full copy of this ticket asap.

-Michael
==========

MBW – A.H.
Tuesday, May 26, 2009 @ 10:31 EDT:
Michael,

The thing we don’t understand is how it’s only your FTP account that has been affected with this 8 letter password problem…

< Ticket 449209 SNIPPED – You see it all chronologically above>
==========

Gizmokid2005.com
Tuesday, May 26, 2009 @ 10:37 EDT:
A.H.,

Thanks for the ticket. I don’t either…but that’s where the weak point is now…as the last login has been from my IP.

-Michael
==========

Gizmokid2005.com
Tuesday, May 26, 2009 @ 13:44 EDT:
Is there any reason why my traffic is now blocked?

*****[NOTE: This entry and the last one were updated via email...I can no longer access their site or any sites that are hosted on the same server, I just get a timeout. END NOTE]*****
==========

Gizmokid2005.com
Tuesday, May 26, 2009 @ 16:26 EDT:
Hello?
==========

MBW – A.H.
Tuesday, May 26, 2009 @ 18:43 EDT:
Michael,

I’m afraid I don’t quite understand what you mean.

Regards.
A.H.
==========

Gizmokid2005.com
Tuesday, May 26, 2009 @ 16:26 EDT:
I don’t know how else to explain
it….Anytime I try to go to your site, or any of people I know hosted
on your server, the connection times out.

Here is the traceroute:

C:>tracert www.manobanweb.com

Tracing route to manobanweb.com [67.222.18.130]
over a maximum of 30 hops:

1 1 ms 1 ms 1 ms DD-WRT [192.168.10.1]
2 8 ms 26 ms 5 ms 10.180.64.1
3 7 ms 6 ms 6 ms swc04aldlmi-gbe-2-1.aldl.mi.charter.com
[96.34.3
6.12]
4 6 ms 6 ms 6 ms
crr01aldlmi-tge-0-1-0-6.aldl.mi.charter.com [96.
34.32.13]
5 10 ms 10 ms 16 ms
edr01aldlmi-tge-0-0-1-0.aldl.mi.charter.com [96.
34.32.29]
6 13 ms 14 ms 13 ms 64.127.129.9
7 66 ms 65 ms 68 ms sjc-ten6-3-chi-ten3-1.wvfiber.net
[64.127.129.62
]
8 86 ms 77 ms 78 ms la-ten3-1-sjc-ten6-4.wvfiber.net
[66.186.192.57]

9 78 ms 76 ms 78 ms net2ez.any2ix.crgwest.com
[206.223.143.38]
10 86 ms 76 ms 76 ms 64.93.64.145
11 77 ms 76 ms 76 ms cr01-1-1.lax6.net2ez.com [64.93.64.30]
12 78 ms 76 ms 78 ms la-gw.privatesystems.net [72.172.66.10]
13 77 ms 87 ms 77 ms vz34-la.privatesystems.net
[67.222.15.134]
14 * * * Request timed out.
15 * * * Request timed out.
16 * * * Request timed out.
17 * * * Request timed out.

And here’s a trace from a place that can access your site:

Tracing route to manobanweb.com [67.222.18.130]…

hop
rtt
rtt
rtt

ip address
fully qualified domain name

1
1
3
4

70.84.211.97
61.d3.5446.static.theplanet.com

2
0
0
0

70.87.254.1
po101.dsr01.dllstx5.theplanet.com

3
0
0
0

70.85.127.105
po51.dsr01.dllstx3.theplanet.com

4
0
0
0

70.87.253.13
et5-1.ibr04.dllstx3.theplanet.com

5
1
0
0

63.218.23.25
ge5-3.br02.dal01.pccwbtn.net

6
35
35
35

63.218.73.50
avanz.ge5-7.br01.lax05.pccwbtn.net

7
33
33
33

64.93.64.65
br01-1-2.lax4.net2ez.com

8
36
37
36

64.93.64.30
cr01-1-1.lax6.net2ez.com

9
37
36
36

72.172.66.10
la-gw.privatesystems.net

10
36
36
36

67.222.15.134
vz34-la.privatesystems.net

11
36
36
36

67.222.18.130
host.manobanweb.com

You tell me whats going on, because from what I can see, it looks like
something on your end is blocking my IP. I can access your site fine
from other internet connections.

-Michael
==========

MBW – A.H.
Wednesday, May 27, 2009 @ 03:14 EDT:
Michael,

Our servers are loaded in our standard config and your IP address has not been blocked.
==========

Gizmokid2005.com
Wednesday, May 27, 2009 @ 09:14 EDT:
I don’t know what to say…maybe it was done without your knowledge.

But my traceroute dies at host.manobanweb.com, that’s where I start to time out. This is something on your network that is preventing a connection to your servers…

I don’t know what other proof you want that it’s on your network, but my traceroute blatantly shows it dies on your network.

-Michael
=============================

And there you have it, that’s the ticket as it stands so far.

Since I have written this, MBW has managed to get my access to their network back up and running so I can access everything again. They have also unblocked my account and have unsuspended it. I have heard nothing from the FBI nor any other agency. I am currently still diligently looking for a new host.

Quick Summary:

Last week on Tuesday, May 19, 2009 I tried to upload files to my website via FTP for a project I was working on, and couldn’t log in. I kept getting a password error. I logged into my account at MBW and noticed that my password had been reset to my cPanel hosting manager which in turn manages my FTP password. After I reset my password I was able to login to my FTP, but I noticed that there were some new files in my hosting. Seeing this I logged into my cPanel hosting manager and noticed that the last login was NOT from my IP address, and infact came from an IP address in Nigeria. I IMMEDIATELY reported this incident to MBW in ticket #449209. I told MBW where the files where, actually gave them the content of the files in the ticket so that they had the information, I also moved the files so that they could not longer be accessed via the web. MBW said that they installed a new firewall, and contacted the African Network Information Center regarding this incident. I thought all was fine until a few days later.

On Friday, May 22, 2009 I noticed that there was ANOTHER issue at hand. I logged into my cPanel and noticed the last login was NOT my IP again. I immediately contacted MBW and they said that they are looking into it again. They also said that they are setting up a more secure server and moving my account to it. I had removed the files that I found uploaded again, also letting MBW know what they were and where, AGAIN. They transferred my server over later that day, and said they removed some more files they had found that I missed as well as some DNS entries. At this point I changed my password from an 11 alphanumeric character password to a 31 alphanumeric password to ensure that it wasn’t compromised. I did notice that my FTP login only required EIGHT of the 31 characters to login. Just the first eight would allow a login, and anything after that would not matter in the slightest. I let them know that and they seemed to have ignore it. Except for the FTP password issue, I figured at this point they found the issue, and took care of it. Fast forward to Monday, May 25, 2009. I log into my cPanel and I don’t see anything out of the ordinary but I checked my “Recent Visitors” stats again and noticed that there was something new on my site. My account’s FTP access was accessed/hacked and more files were uploaded. I noticed in the same directory those files were in there were files added previously on the 19th that nobody had noticed. I move ALL of those files out of the public access area again and let MBW know what was going on. I also reiterated the fact that my FTP was able to login with only the first eight characters of my password and they said that was not normal and they were going to open up a ticket with cPanel to have that looked into. That was the evening of Monday, May 25th. Today, May 26, I received a notification from them that my hosting was suspended and they weren’t going to do anything else because the FBI requested my details regarding this incident.

I didn’t write this, I just found it, and found it VERY appropriate and so true.  Enjoy!

1. They will always smell good even if its just shampoo
2. The way their heads always find the right spot on our shoulder
3. How cute they look when they sleep
4. The ease in which they fit into our arms
5. The way they kiss you and all of a sudden everything is right in the world
6. How cute they are when they eat
7. The way they take hours to get dressed but in the end makes it all worth while
8. Because they are always warm even when its minus 30 out side
9. The way they look good no matter what they wear
10. The way they fish for compliments even though you both know that you think she’s the most beautiful thing on this earth
11. How cute they are when they argue
12. The way her hand always finds yours
13. The way they smile
14. The way you feel when you see their name on the call ID after you just had a big fight
15. The way she says “lets not fight anymore” even though you know that an hour later you will be arguing about something
16. The way they kiss when you do something nice for them
17. The way they kiss you when you say “I love you’
18. Actually … just the way they kiss you…
19. The way they fall into your arms when they cry
20. Then the way they apologize for crying over something that silly
21. The way they hit you and expect it to hurt
22. Then the way they apologize when it does hurt . (even though we don’t admit it)!
23. The way they say “I miss you”
24. The way you miss them
25. The way their tears make you want to change the world so that it doesn’t hurt her anymore…..

Yet regardless if you love them, hate them, wish they would die or know that you would die without them … it matters not. Because once in your life, whatever they were to the world they become everything to you. When you look them in the eyes, traveling to the depths of their souls and you say a million things without trace of a sound, you know that your own life is inevitably consumed within the rhythmic beatings of her very heart. We love them for a million reasons, No paper would do it justice. It is a thing not of the mind but of the heart.

PERFECT parody of Abbott and Costello!

YouTube – Apple or Microsoft.

Specs:

AMD Phenom II x4 920 @2.8GHz

4GB DDR2-1066 (PC2-8500)

Sapphire HD4870 – 1GB GDDR5

Raidmax 630W Modular PSU

2x ASUS Sata 22x DVD+/-RW

250GB WD SATA (Windows), 320GB WD SATA (Secondary/Apps), 1TB Samsung SATA (Backups)

2x 19″W ASUS LCD Monitors

The Most EPIC Drive-thru video I’ve EVER seen!

YouTube – Fast Food Folk Song at the Taco Bell Drive-Thru.

YouTube – HOME BUILT TANK DESTROYS TOWN The Rooster.

So, I’ve been meaning to write this update for about 3.5 weeks now…and I figure its about time that I do that…where to start..there is so much to update about…

Lets start first off with the whole trailer thing.  I did finally manage to get a trailer.  I hadn’t talked about this one at all in any of my previous blogs.  I had come across this one as it was on my way home through the park.  It was originally listed on sale for $4500, so I didn’t even think to look twice at it.  Now it was listed for quite a while and it didn’t look like a half bad place, but i didn’t know much about it or the guy that owned it.  Well, after a while I noticed that it had gone from being listed at $4500, to Make Offer.  So that piqued my interest very quick.  I looked at the place and it was trashed…I mean, livable trashed, but this guy lived here…alone, as a bachelor, for more than 10 years…there was ONE path from one end of the trailer to another…and it was CLUTTERED, DIRTY, SMELLY, DUSTY, and just yuck.  So yeah, I bet you can imagine just a little bit what it was like.  The guy told me that he was going to just turn the title in to the park at the end of the month if he doesn’t have it sold by then.  So I figured, to help him out, I’d offer him $200 and he could also get his security deposit back from the park, so he’d at least have $500 leaving the park instead of losing his security deposit and not getting anything from selling this place.  Well, he decided that wasn’t good enough and wanted at least $500 for it.  He was going to turn it in to the park anyways at the end of the month, so I basically told him to shove it and I’d wait.  So he moved out, and at the beginning of the next month I got in and started cleaning…and OMG…I didn’t know someone could live like he did…it was dirty and nasty and just ewww.  I was pretty much in awe at how he was living in this place.  I did manage to get moved in at the beginning of August.  It was really cool because I didn’t have to start paying rent until September because the title couldn’t be put in my name as the park was still waiting for the lost title to come back from SOS.  Another funny thing about that, I wound up not having to pay my gas bill until after October, because apparently, even though I setup an account and a start service with the gas company, because the previous owner never stopped the gas service in his name he was responsible for the bill and they were going to hold him accountable.  So that was a plus.  All in all, I like this place.  There hasn’t been much to complain about this place.  I needed a new faucet in the kitchen, and I need to replace the floor in the hallway.  There are a few small things I’d like to do, but not much.  I had to buy medicine cabinets and a fridge.  I’d like to get new toilets and faucets in the bathrooms and tub.  But other than that, things are well.  Its nice to have something that I can call my own and nobody else can tell me what I can or can’t do with it.  The only issue i’ve had, was I had to replace the burner and gas valve in my furnace because the gas valve had died and I couldn’t get a replacement because the furnace is so old.  It was only by luck I found another furnace that had the exact same burner that I needed and would fit my furnace.  Only $50 too

So, I moved out on my own into my own place   I’ve also made a few other changes.

I picked up a second job.  So now on top of working at Iserv, I also work for Coopersville Emergency Services.  So, what I do is basically I do traffic control, canteen service for fires, and storm watch.  All in all it’s fun.  Haven’t had too many fires to attend to, it hasn’t been bad.  I do enjoy doing it, plus I get paid for it too.  I wasn’t expecting that, but it’s nice. 

Mikelann and I aren’t together anymore.  She wasn’t happy here, she missed home too much, and I wasn’t going to make her stay out here just for me, its not the right reason to do it.  So her and I broke it off and she moved back home.  Best for all, and I’ve got not hard feelings, no regrets either.  Live and learn.  Everything happens for a reason.

More exciting news!!!

Nicole and I started dating.  1/1/09   This woman, is amazing.  She really, honestly, truly is.  She makes me the happiest I’ve ever been.  I’ve never felt this way about anyone before.  Ever.  It’s just completely amazing.  Everything with her is just so right, so perfect.  Even the mundane tasks of everyday life are fun to do, cleaning, shopping, etc.  I’m so in love with her, it’s unbelievable.  I mean, even love seems to disgrace what her and I share.  I truly honestly see her as the woman I marry.  I’m pretty fairly sure that I’m going to marry her.  We haven’t even been dating for a month yet, but we’ve known each other for more than 3 years, and we were BEST friends before we even thought about this…I mean, she’s been moved in 2 weeks already.  Life is amazing.  I’m sooo happy with her, it’s so hard to describe.  It’s just. PERFECT.  That’s the best I can describe her and I.

I think that’s going to be it for the update for now.  TTFN

’til next time

~Michael

Are you aware that Jeff Foxworthy is now picking on Michigan?
Read on. (pretty funny and accurate!!)

• If you consider it a sport to gather your food by drilling through 18 inches of ice and sitting there all day hoping that the food will swim by, you might live in Michigan.
• If you’re proud that your region makes the national news 96 nights each year because Pellston is the coldest spot in the nation, you might live in Michigan
• If your local Dairy Queen is closed from November through March, you might live in Michigan.
• If you instinctively walk like a penguin for five months out of the year, you might live in Michigan.
• If someone in a store offers you assistance, and they don’t work there, you might live in Michigan.
• If your dad’s suntan stops at a line curving around the middle of his forehead, you might live in Michigan.
• If you have worn shorts and a coat at the same time, you might live in Michigan
• If your town has an equal number of bars and churches, you might live in Michigan.
• If you have had a lengthy telephone conversation with someone who dialed a wrong number, you might live in Michigan.

Part 2 – You know you’re a true MICHIGANIAN/ MICHIGANDER when:

1. ‘Vacation’ means going up north on I-75.

2. You measure distance in hours.

3. You know several people who have hit a deer more than once.

4. You often switch from ‘heat’ to ‘A/C’ in the same day.

5. You can drive 65 mph through 2 feet of snow during a raging blizzard,
without flinching.

6. You see people wearing camouflage at social events (including weddings).

7. You install security lights on your house and garage and leave both
unlocked.

8. You carry jumper cables in your car and your girlfriend knows how to use
them.

9. You design your kid’s Halloween costume to fit over a snowsuit.

10. Driving is better in the winter because the potholes are filled with snow.

11.. You know all 4 seasons: almost winter, winter, still winter and road
construction.

12. You can identify a southern or eastern accent.

13. Your idea of creative landscaping is a statue of a deer next to your blue
spruce.

14. You were unaware that there is a legal drinking age.

15. Down South to you means Ohio.

16. A brat is something you eat.

17. Your neighbor throws a party to celebrate his new pole barn.

18. You go out to fish fry every Friday.

19. Your 4th of July picnic was moved indoors due to frost.

20. You have more miles on your snow blower than your car.

21. You find 0 degrees ‘a little chilly.’

22. You drink pop and bake with soda.

23.. Your doctor tells you to drink Vernors and you know it’s not medicine.

24. You can actually drink Vernors without coughing.

25. You know what a Yooper is.

26. You think owning a Honda is Un-American.

27. You know that UP is a place, not a direction.

28. You know it’s possible to live in a thumb.

29. You understand that when visiting Detroit , the best thing to wear is a Kevlar vest.

30. You actually understand these jokes, and you forward them to all your Michigan friends!

I wish everyone a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!!  Stay Safe out there!!

HAPPY HOLIDAYS!!!

Parrot Dances to “Another One Bites the Dust” | faltu.tv

This bird does amazing!!!

Super Obama World Game.

I came across this game today. Actually pretty well done! Enjoy!

Look at what happens when you try to copy 8GB between drives in NT4, when it doesn’t want to cooperate:

Michael is the kind of guy you love to hate. He is always in a good mood and always has something positive to say.

When someone would ask him how he was doing, would reply, “If I were any better, I would be twins!”

He was a natural motivator.

If an employee was having a bad day, Michael was there telling the employee how to look on the positive side of the situation.

Seeing this style really made me curious, so one day I went up to Michael and asked him, “I don’t get it! You can’t be a positive person all of the time. How do you do it?”

Michael replied, “Each morning I wake up and say to myself, you have two choices today.

You can choose to be in a good mood or .. you can choose to be in a bad mood. I choose to be in a good mood.

Each time something bad happens, I can choose to be a victim or…I can choose to learn from it. I choose to learn from it.

Every time someone comes to me complaining, I can choose to accept their complaining or… I can point out the positive side of life, choose the positive side of life.

“Yeah, right, it’s not that easy,” I protested. “Yes, it is,” Michael said. “Life is all about choices. When you cut away all the junk, every situation is a choice.

You choose how you react to situations. You choose how people affect your mood. You choose to be in a good mood or bad mood.

The bottom line: It’s your choice how you live your life.”

I reflected on what Michael said. Soon thereafter, I left the Tower Industry to start my own business. We lost touch, but I often thought about him when I made a choice about life instead of reacting to it.

Several years later, I heard that Michael was involved in a serious accident, falling some 60 feet from a communications tower.

After 18 hours of surgery and weeks of! intensive care, Michael was released from the hospital with rods placed in his back.

I saw Michael about six months after the accident. When I asked him how he was, he replied. “If I were any better, I’d be twins. Wanna see my scars?”

I declined to see his wounds, but I did ask him what had gone through his mind as the accident took place.

“The first thing that went through my mind was the well-being of my soon to be born daughter,” Michael replied. “Then, as I lay on the ground, I remembered that I had two choices: I could choose to live or… I could choose to die. I chose to live.”

“Weren’t you scared? Did you lose consciousness?” I asked.

Michael continued, “…the paramedics were great. They kept telling me I was going to be fine. But when they wheeled me into the ER and I saw the expressions on the faces of the doctors and nurses, I got really scared. In their eyes, I read “he’s a dead man. I knew I needed to take action.”

“What did you do?” I asked.

“Well, there was a big burly nurse shouting questions at me,” said Michael. “She asked if I was allergic to anything.

“Yes, I replied.” The doctors and nurses stopped working as they waited for my reply. I took a deep breath and yelled, “Gravity.”

Over their laughter, I told them, “I am choosing to live. Operate on me as if I am alive, not dead.”

Michael lived, thanks to the skill of his doctors, but also because of his amazing attitude. I learned from him that every day we have the choice to live fully.

Attitude, after all, is everything.

“Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.” After all today is the tomorrow you worried about yesterday.

Enjoy each day, each breath and mostly—each and every friend

-Author Unknown

A nice comprehensive list of slogans for condom use.

ALWAYS PRACTICE SAFE SEX!!

CondomSlogans – Condom Slogans.

This is an awesome insight into how Dogs and cats came about! (and I’m not religious)

Biblical Origins of Dogs and Cats.

A good play on the Evolution of Dance video that is circling the interweb. A must watch!

Evolution of Wedding Dance | My Thoughts, Ideas, and Ramblings

AN AMAZING video of 10,000 dominos falling per second. Unbelievable!

YouTube – 10000 Dominos a second.

This is an awesome ran about Pachelbel. It’ll give it a new meaning.

YouTube – Pachelbel Rant.

Here is an amazing video of Build Me Up, Buttercup from a youtube member, and upcoming artist. I think you’ll enjoy this.

YouTube – Build Me Up, Buttercup on ukulele.

I realize there has been a very large lack of activity on my blog. I am going to try and curb this inactivity going forward by posting up random links, videos, images, etc that I may come across in my travels. YAY for WP having nice features to post on the fly.

So, if you see random stuff popping up, yes, it’s me, and it’s probably funny, or at least worthwhile to look at.

-Michael

PS – I’ll EVENTUALLY get around to updating on things on the home front…someday.

(NOTE: I did NOT write this. I found it, and I find it very appropriate.)

This is a tribute to the nice guys. The nice guys that finish last, that never become more than friends, that endure hours of whining and bitching about what assholes guys are, while disproving the very point. This is dedicated to those guys who always provide a shoulder to lean on but restrain themselves to tentative hugs, those guys who hold open doors and give reassuring pats on the back and sit patiently outside the changing room at department stores. This is in honor of the guys that obligingly reiterate how cute/beautiful/smart/funny/sexy their female friends are at the appropriate moment, because they know most girls need that litany of support. This is in honor of the guys with open minds, with laid-back attitudes, with honest concern. This is in honor of the guys who respect a girl

Offy: the case says mobo size can fit is 10×12.5 my mobo is 12 x 8 will that work?
Offy: or can I not flip my mobo around
Michael: offy…think about that
Michael: seriously
Michael: please
Offy: but idk if I can flip the mobo around becasue of the ports or whatever
Michael: just think about it offy
Offy: also it would of been easy for you to say yes or no instead of those 3 lines of stuff
Offy: 4 lines
Michael: the ports on the mobo have to go out the back, as well as the Expansion slots needing to be lined up with the case….
Offy: so I can’t
Offy: fuck building computers, so much shit to check for like size and ddr2 ddr3 and stuff like that RAWR

<skatoni> will some one please help
<`NeXiGeN`> what’s yer problem ?
<skatoni> there is a guy hacking into my computer
<`NeXiGeN`> unplug yer modem
<skatoni> how?
<`NeXiGeN`> see all those wires behind your computer box ?
<`NeXiGeN`> ripem all out
*** skatoni has quit IRC (Read error to skatoni[ppp012.rosenet.net]:
Connection reset by peer)

docsigma2000: jesus christ man
docsigma2000: my son is sooooooo dead
c8info: Why?
docsigma2000: hes been looking at internet web sites in fucking EUROPE
docsigma2000: HE IS SURFING LONG DISTANCE
docsigma2000: our fucking phone bill is gonna be nuts
c8info: Ooh, this is bad. Surfing long distance adds an extra $69.99 to your bill per hour.
docsigma2000: …!!!!!! FUCK FUCK FUCK
docsigma2000: is there some plan we can sign up for???
docsigma2000: cuz theres some cool stuff in europe, but i dun wanna pauy that much
c8info: Sorry, no. There is no plan. you’ll have to live with it.
docsigma2000: o well, i ccan live without europe intenet sites.
docsigma2000: but till i figure out how to block it hes sooooo dead
c8info: By the way, I’m from Europe, your chatting long distance.
** docsigma2000 has quit (Connection reset by peer)

* Feren considers quitting his job and starting a small ISP in the yukon by strapping wireless access points to grizzly bears.
<JenWolf> That seems only slightly less dangerous than you current job.
<Feren> I suppose.
* JenWolf can imagine the help desk calls you’d get. “Help, my access point ate my little brother.”

<Eticam> I was in biology class once, and the teacher said there was sugar in sperm
<Eticam> And a girl asked why doesn’t it taste sweet then
<Eticam> When she realised what she said her face became red like a spanked monkey ass
<Eticam> Then the teacher said, because you taste sweetness with the front of your tongue, not the part of your tongue back in your throat
<Eticam> The girl started crying and left class ^^

Offy: and i get 0 ping
Michael: of course you do
Michael: it’s on the local pc
Offy: its on my pc
Michael: I know that
Michael: that’s what I JUST said
Offy: you said local pc, local can be any computer in my network
Michael: NO
Michael: that would be a NETWORK pc

Offy: it is kinda like is for horses but she added more to it
Michael: hey is for horses, grass is cheaper, and your shit is free
Offy: ok…
Offy: well you can sell shit on ebay
Offy: so it will not be free
Michael: notice I said YOUR
Offy: wow
Offy: how do you know that it is free?
Offy: you stalker
Michael: lol
Michael: because I’m smart
Offy: and i am dumb?
Offy: don’t answer that

Offy: are servers just like computers?
Michael: ….
Offy: they look like them, they have all the same parts, what is diffrent
Michael:
Michael: lol
Offy: i don’t get it
Michael: lol
Offy: 1 little question. Do servers hook up to a monitor or do you control it from a diffrent computer?
Michael:
Michael: you can do that with any PC
Offy: so a server is a pc?
Michael: yes…for lack of better wording…
Offy: so you can build a server? from new egg?
Michael:
Michael: yes

So. It’s been…how long? Oh yeah…over a month now. Yeah, definitely time to update. But…what is new? That is the real question. Wow…Over a month…yeah, time for an update.

So…what is new you ask? Not a whole lot.

School is done for the summer. I’m SO glad. It’s almost done for good, another year or so. As soon as it’s done I’m going to be SO happy!!!

Work is going ok still….kinda sucks, but what can you do? I did get a VM yesterday from some company in Holland about another job. So I am going to call him today after work and see what he has to say. New job???? I guess we’ll see.

I got more parts for my RC truck. It’s almost back in tip top shape. Just have a few more minor things to get for it and it’ll be awesome again Just need a wheelie bar, and a muffler and I should be golden again. I can’t wait!

Well, the trailer that we were supposed to get in the park, the idiot burned down, so that idea went out the door. There was another trailer that was supposed to go up, but that fell through too. So, now, there is a trailer that I’m looking at that last I knew they were asking $1200 for…so we’ll see about that.

Well, since it took me a full day to update….and I’m in a grumpy mood, that’s all for now. TTFN

’til next time

Michael

Yeah, it has been a REALLY long time. I know. Sue me.

I’ve been really busy and just haven’t had time to do an update, so here it is, it may get long. You were warned.

Work hasn’t been too bad, things are really busy now with all the changes everyone wants done, and of course, they want them done yesterday…So I’ve been busy with all kinds of request to change this and that, and modify this other thing, while creating this thing too….yeah, it’s been quite a hoot.

School, wow. School has been very packed. A LOT to do, and I mean a LOT. My seminar class is keeping me nice and busy…stupid class. It needs to be done though, and I”m working my hardest on getting it there. The class itself isn’t hard, it’s just a lot of work. Practice sets, current events, homework, tests, etc etc. It’s keeping me VERY VERY busy. I can’t wait until I’m out for the summer, but unfortunately that’s not until June 6th. Still a month away…..wow…only a month…wow….Better start working on the projects.

Things have been good at home. I got my truck tuned in and it’s a BLAST!! I will get some more videos up soon. I have a few little tweaks that I want to do, but I love it so far. It’s just too bad I don’t have a whole lot of time to run it. That kinda makes me sad. Summer is almost here though and it will get lots of time in this summer

Prom was last weekend. I had a blast and I know Mikelann did too. It was definitely worth it. Here are the pictures that I have so far. She looked amazing, and my tux went perfect with her dress. Enjoy the pictures, I know I enjoyed the night so

Well, really, I don’t think there is much else to say. I can’t wait until the weather gets into a nice pattern and sticks, it’s hard to spend time outside when it’s crappy. *sigh* oh well. That’s going to be it for now.

TTFN

’til next time

Michael

Wow. It has been a VERY long time since I updated. I actually have to go back to my last post to see what I last updated about. Ahhh…got it. Time to update.

Well, I managed to get my video compressed so you can watch it here. It’s really nice quality still and it’s cool I did manage to break my truck…twice. The first time I broke it, I broke the front axle in half:

I managed to get a part and get it fixed. Only $20 part and took me about 15 minutes to fix. I almost have it all tuned too. When I went to start it after I fixed it, I broke the pull starter….so I have an electric start on order and it should be here hopefully either tomorrow or Friday. I probably won’t be able to use it until next week at the earliest anyways, but it’ll be nice to get it all set this week. As soon as I get it tuned and get some more good videos I’ll put them up.

School starts on Monday. I have to go get all my books tomorrow, hopefully all my financial aid and stuff is all setup so I can actually get all my $530 worth of books. I’m not really looking forward to classes, but I need to take them, stupid Gen. Eds…

Work is going alright. Jad’s last day is tomorrow and then it’s all me over there…quite looking forward to it, but I’m excited too.

Didn’t get to go to Mikelann’s for Easter, stayed home with family. It wasnt bad, but I miss her a lot. Can’t wait for Friday when I get to see her

But really, I think that’s all for now.

TTFN

’til next time

Michael

Yes, I know it’s been waay too long since I updated last. I’ve been REALLY busy with finals and whatnot. I am finally starting to slow down a bit. Finals week was last week and I managed to get through them all.

One of my grades has been posted so far. My Visual Basic class, and it was an A of course All of our grades have to be posted by tomorrow so I’ll know the grades in my two accounting classes then. Honestly, if I get out of it with at least a B in each I’ll be happy. My books for next quarter though…$530….ARGH! School is so frickin’ expensive.

You all know that I was put back to customer service part-time. Well, I was approached by Mike (CFO) about a job again on Wednesday. Jad, my old boss, is leaving. He is going to another company and his position needs to be replaced. He runs infranet and our data warehouse. Well, I don’t know Infranet like he does, but I do know about the Data Warehouse and I can do a good portion of what Jad does on a daily basis. So I am going to be working over there again during the week.

I will be moved back to full-time, and I get a raise for doing the stuff that I do in MIS. I’ll be working there from 8-12 Monday through Friday and then from 12 – 5 (or 3 if I have school) I’ll be working over in customer service. That’s cool and all, but I also, have to work a full day on the first and last day of every month for billing. Yes…even on weekends. My job isn’t bad, but I think it’s time that I start looking for a new one. Now, the stuff that I can’t do with infranet and everything we will be contracting out to an old employee, Suraj.

Now, I’m all cool with getting a raise and vacation time and whatnot, but I’m NOT so cool with working weekends…I even had to work THIS WEEKEND. I had to come in for a meeting from 8:30-2:30…that irritated me, the only good thing is that I got a free lunch out of it…I took tomorrow off for a reason….I didn’t want to work this weekend…*sigh* oh well. Life goes on.

I got a new R/C truck Friday! It’s fun. I’m still trying to compress it right, but if you have DivX then you can watch it here.

Well, I think that’s it for now. TTFN

’til next time

Michael

Yes, I know it’s been a while, please forgive me

I am updating now, but what about I’m not quite sure.

I did get my tax returns back finally!! YAY for that! I have a fair bit left yet, and I’m going to put a chunk into my savings and I might be going to get a nice Nitro RC again The one I have is a great beginner one, but the parts are too flimsy so I keep breaking them, and it’s a pain to have to wait for the mail to get new ones to replace it with. I’ve got a couple of different models that I’m looking at and I’m going to take a look at some this Thursday after work. It will be cool to get one again, not too mention spring break is coming up so I can have more time to mess around with it

School is WAY overloading right now. Of course it is, it’s the end of the quarter….I have 3 projects to do, plus tests, and homework so it’s been stressful, but I should make it through without any issues, I always do. Plus I’m really confident in my grades this quarter in all my classes so I should be able to pull something out of my hat

Work, is going well. I still don’t like getting up early, but what can you do?

Mikelann and I are doing great like always, it’s nice to spend time together, just the time apart sucks. But it’s ok, its good for the communication and the relationship.

Anywho, I think thats it for now. We are supposed to get some more snow and dropping temps today which will make for a wonderful drive. TTFN

’til next time

Michael

Michael Secord is me….obviously.

Him

12:46pm Feb 26th

Abortion is a direct statement to how our society and country view life. That just because it was born from an unfortunent circumstance means we can just slaughter it. And I do mean slaughter it. I have wanted to be a father my entire life and I take serious offence to the idea that people agree to killing children just because they dont want it or didnt intend on having it. Im not pushing out the idea of adoption, thats a perfectly fine answer to the rape case. AND it doesnt involve murder. Thats the part people try to run away from. Roe vs. Wade came at a time when we didnt know how developed a fetus or embryo is at certain stages. We knew some things but not nearly as much as now. We can even take 4-D photos at any stage and get a perfect picture of the child. I dare say most abortions occur after the embryo period, meaning after 8 weeks. And like my note said, the child gets a heartbeat at 5 weeks. How is that not murder? People look at it from the wrong angle. So a child is born because of rape- they have the chance of being put into an adoption home. People in africa are born into poverty and starvation every day and no one would agree to killing them. Now did you actually read my note or just notice it was on abortion and decided to chime in. Because the facts in there are disgusting.

Michael Secord

1:18pm Feb 26th

I read your note Ryan, which is why i was worded the way I was. I do agree that adoption is a perfectly acceptable alternative. I would very much prefer adoption over something such as abortion. But there are always the cases of “what if?” that the general rules never have nor never will cover.

In the case of rape I don’t see how it can be justified to more/less punish the woman for such a heinous crime against her. She did not choose to have that happen to her, and then telling her that she HAS to carry out the pregnancy is more disgusting than the abortion itself. I do believe though, that the abortion can be taken care of before there is any trace of a heartbeat.

And as ugly as this next comment will sound, it fits the definition perfectly. An unborn fetus (up to roughly 21 weeks) is still considered, in all sense of the definition, a parasite. The fetus cannot live without a host (granted, in some cases it is possible with heavy medical involvement, it can) therefore, not making it murder. I am not saying that someone who endures severe brain trauma or some other medical issue that leaves them in the same type of state is the same thing. That is an entirely different issue in itself.

But in all honesty, I go back to what I said before. Everybody has their own opinions. I believe it is a woman’s choice, irregardless of what anyone else thinks. Look at other animals. PLENTY of species have to fight for their lives from the time they are laid until they are adults. There are plenty of species that even eat their young. In what way makes us, as human beings, superior to such things?

Him

1:32pm Feb 26th

As far as animals go, were superior because we can question our existence, to say the least. We make a vast majority of moral decisions. The closest thing to morals that animals deal with is caring for their young, which is in most cases instinctive. Ask any mother. Guys do have a say, on a case to case basis. The choices we make affect everyone around us. If this woman is raped and gets aborted- thats tons of money, extreme psychological damage to the woman (which is rarely discussed if ever) and a life lost. What if she has a boyfriend. That could be his money too, he has to help her through the emotional trauma, and what if he wants to have the kid and raise it to be one more good person in the world, as oppose to the scum who helped create the child. He doesnt have a say? Or a husband, or even a father. The physical pain a woman goes through for an abortion is very severe, just like child birth.

Abortion can be taken care of before the heartbeak…….most women dont even know they are pregnant until the 6-8 week.

Do you believe in a soul? Something that isnt physical but defines who we are as people and our standard to which we live our lives? When does a human get a soul? When it can breathe? think? talk? birth? Christ gives an answer, but im operating undet the notion that everyone assumes the bible is crap. So in that case, who’s to say when we have a soul? Isn’t that what defines us as humans AND distict from the animals. What if we get a soul at the moment of conception……wouldnt it be murder then? and since we dont know when the soul occurs- arent we better safe than sorry, in the topic of murder.

Let me ask you something, do you believe in absolute? That there is anything that is an absolute 100% no chance of wrong truth? Or is everything just relative whatever do what you want think what you want everyone is right, for themselves?

Michael Secord

2:43pm Feb 26th

That’s the thing though, we are not superior. You can’t say that for sure. You can’t prove that animals are any less sophisticated than we, as humans are.

I do believe in a soul, but that is an immeasurable “property” so one can not be 100% sure whether or not they actually exist, and if so, when/how they are created and when/how they are destroyed.

I do NOT believe in absolute. There is NOTHING in this world that is absolute, everything is relative. The earth, moon, sun, the solar system, universe, you, and I. We are all relative. How do we know that we are the only “supreme beings” in the entire Universe, if such said thing actually exists?

Therein lies the problem with the human race and life as we know it. There is no such thing as absolute, and there is no way that one can be sure of anything. Science MAY prove things, at bare minimum it provides theories that you can use to attempt to determine certain things, or you can believe in faith, the bible, whatever religion it is that you believe.

Him

2:47pm Feb 26th

“There is NOTHING in this world that is absolute”

isnt that an absolute in itself? It is. If there is no absolute…that in itself is an absolute. Which proves that there are absolutes.

Michael Secord

2:54pm Feb 26th

Even that isn’t an absolute. Absolute is in itself a paradox.

Him

3:02pm Feb 26th

So first ther is no absolute and now its just a paradow we cant understand? To say there is no absolute is an absolute. Which means absolutes exist. Whether you choose to believe it or not.

how about morals. Is there a defining moral. Is there anything in this world that is just plain wrong or anything that is totally right?

Michael Secord

3:57pm Feb 26th

If you really want to break it down, everything is a paradox based on the fact that life itself is a paradox, which in turn is based on the fact that absolutes are a paradox.

For the sake of life, we have to ASSUME that there are some absolutes, but in all reality there aren’t.

Morals can be defined, but only on an individual basis. Some people can share the same morals, but that doesn’t make one persons morals any more right or wrong than someone else’s morals.

Him

4:07pm Feb 26th

How about in Papau New Guinea, in the tribes. When a woman gives birth the child comes out and no one touches it. The tribe looks it over thoroughly. If there are any signs of something different about the baby or if it even stares for too long they throw it outside for the ants to devour. You can’t say that thats wrong? Getting past any vague liberalism or self proclaimed agenda……you dont feel that thats wrong? and that that should never ever ever happen under any circumstances no matter what? And intelligence of modern science is not issue here. In Iran it is legal and socially acceptable for a man to beat his wife whenever he chooses. That can be allowed because of a “different culture” or a “different mindset”?

Paradox is a word made up to explain something that higher intelligent people can’t explain. Because we don’t have all the answers but think we do, if our human brains can’t wrap around something that makes it a paradox? I know lots of people that can explain the mysteries of life. I feel confident in many of the “fuzzy” areas myself. Is it because you choose to not accept certain truths that makes life a paradox?

Isn’t inertia an absolute?

What about the law of cause and effect. A very basic scientific principle. Can you come up with a single thing that happens that doesn’t require a “cause” to happen.

Michael Secord

4:28pm Feb 26th

I never said that’s right. But just because someone has a different cultural and religious background doesn’t make it wrong. What is perceived as wrong in one culture doesn’t mean it’s wrong in another. I don’t care WHO believes WHAT. It’s talk like this that has caused such distress in the human race. The “civilized” people seem to think that if it doesn’t conform to their “standards” that it isn’t right.

If you want to go along the lines of this, do you believe that it’s right that the government can take someone’s life for killing someone? An eye for an eye, per se?

If paradox is made up, then definitively explain those items are are so listed as “paradoxes”. But saying that paradoxes are made up, how much else do you ASSUME is true is not actually made up. For instance, cause and effect. There is no guarantee that for one action there is an effect for it. There is also the anomaly and coincidence. Those can/do easily play into the equation, but because they can’t be scientifically proven, they are discarded as fact, hence why they have cause/effect.

How do you know inertia is an absolute? If you want to argue inertia, just throw a case out there. Take the plane on a conveyor belt issue.

Him

5:08pm Feb 26th

So you this the tribes in Papau New Guinea should be allowed to do that to new borns freely because thats their culture and their ideas?

I truly have a hard time believing that if you and your woman took a trip to the middle east (not likely, but possible), and some guy decided she was showing too much skin because she wasnt fully covered in their garb, and they stone her to death (which DOES happen), you would just say well its their culture. who am i to judge?

I do believe that a properly appointed group of authority should be allowed to put a criminal to death, based on that criminal taking another human beings life. But careful with that eye for an eye thing. It is only meant for the case of a murder, not to kill. To kill someone is like in war or defense. Murder is an unjustified killing.

Im not sure if I know what you mean by the items that are so listed as paradoxes.

I base truth on Gods word (bible) first and scientific FACT second. Fact, not theory. Obviously the bible doesn’t talk about gravity, other than to say God created the heavens and the earth and everything in between. But that doesn’t make it not true. Bible is meant to give us fact to prepare us for living a Godly life. It’s not a text book. Science can prove over and over and over that gravity exists.

And i suppose I know what you mean when you say there is no “garuntee” for cause and effect. But there is no garuntee that the wind exists, other than it happens. It affects us. But then again, maybe there is a garuntee in the fact that no matter what- if you kick a ball in an open room it will go in the direction you kicked it. The garuntee is that it always happens no matter what since the beginning of time and theres no reason to foresee it not happening. I’ll take that.

Beyond that, the whole can/do anomaly equation talk i just didnt really understand.

Michael Secord

6:55pm Feb 26th

Honestly….Yes. Would you find it very appropriate/right if someone came into your life and told you that your culture is screwed up, and not right and force you to change? I highly doubt it. That’s why the world is so diverse, it has to be. You can’t make everyone happy/kosher with a single, or at least very limited, set of beliefs.

This is exactly what I”m talking about. You can’t force your beliefs on another culture. This just goes to prove it.

It’s a technicality….

There are all kinds of things that are referred to as a paradox….just Google it and I’m sure you’ll find some.

Herein lies another issue. Your truth is based on the bible, but not all truths are. Some are based purely on scientific fact, while other are based purely on other religions/religious works, etc.

There may be the guarantee for that, but like we agreed, there really isn’t any guarantee for anything. You can count on it happening, but only by trial and error, there really wouldn’t be any “for sure” reason for it happening if you base purely on cause and effect. Though, we can be “sure” that you can always count on it happening using both scientific and mathematical methods, equations, and theories.

Him

9:03pm Feb 26th

I truly don’t believe that, that you would just sit back and watch your loved ones (girlfriend, wife, child, mother, father, etc.) be murdered just because that society said so. I very much challenge you to say to your significant other that despite your professed affection for her, you would sit back while she was murdered in the name of your greater love of making everyone happy and not disturbing other cultures. If you would be too hesitant or afraid to tell her…..then how much do you actually believe that? But should you truly mean that then my heart goes out to you for whatever you have had to endure to see so little in human life.

There has to be an absolute because it is truly and fully insane to accept an answer that someone would just allow a loved one to be slaughtered just to respect someone elses belief. If God is our absolute truth then that does solve this “paradox” of life. Within the bible there are zero contradictions. I can’t think of anything man has created that isnt able to be contradicted within itself.

Its not a matter of forcing “your” beliefs on others, its a matter of holding people up to the one standard. Even beyond God and all that I think its fair to say that all human life is precious and everyone should hold it in high regard and choose to take it with great haste. Would you be so willing to give your own life up in that previous scenario in order to preserve anothers culture? While attending bible school I am convicted of my own beliefs from what this society has taught me every single day. And I welcome it and do my best to conform to it because I know I can rely on it. It has no contradictions within itself. To say you would sit back and allow people to be killed to preserve another culture goes against law itself, which is a contradiction. If you were to join a gang, their culture says you cant join unless you prove yourself by killing someone. People do it every day. Should we respect that? Thats not in a foreign land, thats right here in the USA? But doesnt our culture also say that murder is a crime? Some states say that if there is a crime being committed that you can stop its your civil duty to help. Thats a law in places. How can you hold that up with your theory? And its not another paradox because there is an answer. The answer is that you dont cater to other cultures. You cater to truth.

“but like we agreed, there really isn’t any guarantee for anything”

never in my life have I or will I agree to that. There is a garuntee in everything God says, however I do try to avoid using truths relating to the bible since thats not something you set your standards on. But even on a plain secular level……letting an Iranian stone your loved one to death and not trying to stop it at all because you dont want to offend their culture is sick. And I challenge you to find a few others who go inline with that idea. No word play either, that exact scenario

Michael Secord

10:39pm Feb 26th

I never said that I would sit back and watch that happen. You are right, I couldn’t sit back and watch it.

I won’t ever allow that to happen. IF (and that’s a big if) I was going to a country that had such a culture, I would be sure to read up and study the norms of the society so as to avoid a situation like that. I could not and will not let something like that happen to my girlfriend (any friend/family member for that matter).

I will concur here. There is an absolute, but that’s only an absolute of an opinion/personal fact, not an absolute of a large widespread issue as we started this discussion with. Once you leave the comfort zone of personal opinions/preferences, absolutes are more/less non-existent as I said earlier.

It is a matter of forcing one’s beliefs on one another:

“Even beyond God and all that I think its fair to say that all human life is precious and everyone should hold it in high regard and choose to take it with great haste.”

That is YOUR opinion. That doesn’t mean it’s fact nor does it mean that it applies to all people.

I never said that I would sit back and allow people to be killed. I am saying I would leave it be. It is their culture/religion to preserve, not mine to destroy. That goes back to what I said before, you wouldn’t want someone to force their religion/culture on you, so why try to do it to someone else?

A gang is VERY much different than a religion/culture in the context that I am referring to. A gang is no more than a small band of people whom believe that they are superior/greater/more privileged than “normal” people. I agree that we all have a civil duty, but then again, you have to realize, that’s in our widely practiced/marginally accepted culture. On what the USA was founded on, those morals/beliefs, are what the laws were based on and how they are determined. You can’t cater to anything….we don’t really know what the truth is. You say you don’t want to bring the bible into it, but I can only assume that’s what you are doing here by saying you are catering to the truth, you are catering to what is in the bible. But that’s an entirely different discussion.

That is your personal preference. You choose to believe what you read in the bible, whereas not everyone does. And again, I never said that I would allow the stoning of a loved one. There would be more to a trip to such a cultured country than just up and going. If that was the culture there, there would be a HIGH probability that i would not go. And even if I do, I would be versed enough in their culture to not allow it to happen.

Him

11:15pm Feb 26th

I said:

“I truly have a hard time believing that if you and your woman took a trip to the middle east (not likely, but possible), and some guy decided she was showing too much skin because she wasnt fully covered in their garb, and they stone her to death (which DOES happen), you would just say well its their culture. who am i to judge?”

To which you replied:

“Honestly….Yes. Would you find it very appropriate/right if someone came into your life and told you that your culture is screwed up, and not right and force you to change? I highly doubt it. That’s why the world is so diverse, it has to be. You can’t make everyone happy/kosher with a single, or at least very limited, set of beliefs.”

Those are my words and your words. No dancing around it. Plain as day. I say you would just respect their culture, meaning allow it to happen, and you agree. Those are the words I want you to be confident enough in to show your loved ones. Those ones right up there. To say that we need to obligate ourself to everyones seperate ways of life is to allow them to take advantage of us. What if my culture said I shouldnt respect others culture (like how many islamic fundamentalists say all christians should be killed). Should we respect that culture? Or how about nazi germany? ITs their way of thinking and their opinion that the jews are inferior and should be terminated.

Tell me right now flat out……..should we ever in any way respect the personal preferenes or ideas or opinions or lifestyle of the Nazi party? Would it have been right for us to allow them to do their own thing and kill all those jews? Give me the straight answer…..yes or no?

Michael Secord

11:27pm Feb 26th

Your words:

“So you this the tribes in Papau New Guinea should be allowed to do that to new borns freely because thats their culture and their ideas?

I truly have a hard time believing that if you and your woman took a trip to the middle east (not likely, but possible), and some guy decided she was showing too much skin because she wasnt fully covered in their garb, and they stone her to death (which DOES happen), you would just say well its their culture. who am i to judge?”

My answer:

“Honestly….Yes. Would you find it very appropriate/right if someone came into your life and told you that your culture is screwed up, and not right and force you to change? I highly doubt it. That’s why the world is so diverse, it has to be. You can’t make everyone happy/kosher with a single, or at least very limited, set of beliefs.”

I only didn’t put in a < br> as the next paragraph that you had went along with the first. I was not agreeing in any way to allowing the abuse of a loved one due to ones belief.

No, I never said we should oblige every culture/religion out there, but we do have to respect them. You can’t force everyone to follow your beliefs, just as well as you can’t have someone else’s beliefs forced upon you.

You CAN separate yourself from that. You do NOT HAVE to subject yourself to someone else’s beliefs/religion/culture. That’s the beauty of the world today.

Here is where I digress to my VERY original point that sparked this entire conversation:

“IMHO – Both sides should just agree to disagree. If you don’t agree with the choice that someone makes, don’t worry about it. Unless it directly affects you, then don’t worry about intruding into other people’s lives. Nobody is perfect, and not one person has the right nor the power to judge someone else.”

And since when did the Nazi party become an actual religion/culture? It was neither. It was the wild opinion/belief of one man who was in a position of power to instill fear into his “people” and force the following of his “ways”. That also is it’s own separate debate.

Him

Today at 12:22am

The Nazi party went beyond culture and became law. It was its own governmental system. That’s why it was called the Nazi “party”. Like the republican party or the democrat party. Governemt is basically an official culture. Peoples beliefs unified and made into a set of standards. Kind of like how the pilgrims came here with certain BELIEFS of what freedom should be and then made it into law, and the basis for our entire government. So if you feel we should respect others cultures the certainly we should respect others governments. The nazi party, in its day, was most of Germany. Seen how big germany is? It was its own culture, its own way of thinking, that existed separate to opposing cultures, like Christianity or Judaism, or tribal cultures. So now that we have established that the nazi’s were their own culture, or society, and actually going beyond that into their own government- should we respect them and their ideas or should we not tolerate the nazi way?

Michael Secord

Today at 9:23am

That’s my point. The Nazi “party” wasn’t a religion or culture, and was forced upon people. But just because it’s law, doesn’t make it right. Which is what I’m trying to get across.

What one particular religion/culture believes shouldn’t be imposed upon all of the people who may or may not share the same beliefs.

Nazi’s have their own “culture” but they aren’t forcing it upon you. You don’t live there and aren’t being forced to live by those beliefs. You can choose to not live there, therefore not having to share those beliefs.

Every different culture deserves it’s own respect. There are many other cultures out there that are just as “bad” or worse than the Nazis. You will never be able to stop those types of cultures. You don’t have to tolerate them, but you don’t have to deal with them either.

It’s not fair to the individual person if you try to impose your beliefs on them. It wouldn’t be fair for me to have the power to tell you that from now on you can’t ever believe in God or read the bible, just as it wouldn’t be fair for someone else to have the power to force people to share the same beliefs as them.

Him

Today at 9:57am

ok, so you agree the nazi party was a culture. and thats what we are talking about. Cultures and respecting them. The nazi party DID force their beliefs on people. What do you think the entire world war 2 was about? They had every intention of spreading their “ideas” and culture to the entire world, but thankfully, the United States culture of “we shouldnt kill jews” disrespected the culture of the nazi’s and got rid of them. My point being that we cant always just let people believe whatever. And with that established……now whose to say which ones are allowed to remain and whichs ones should people interject in? In my opinion that completely destroys your theory that we have to just play nice to other cultures. Yes respect people, but that doesnt make them correct or allowed to do whatever. This worlds ugliness comes from some of the disgraceful things people allow in their cultures. and if Gods purpose was allowed to be the one and only truth, there would be no more ugliness. Man kind will never get it right, we have no hope. People think we are headed towards some kind of Eutopia of tolerance and respect- its just people cowering in fear of standing up for whats right. Its a liberal mindset that says everyone can be right in their own way when thats completely contradictory. What if I feel its ok to go to your house and shoot you, or better yet, go into a mall and kill 10 people. I feel that its right, whose to say im wrong? Thats why we cant just allow people to believe everyone is right for whatever they think, life is not relative and there is an underlining truth. Without that we are free to do whatever we want and rationalize it.

Michael Secord

Today at 11:18am

No, I don’t agree that the Nazi party was a culture. It was the crazed beliefs of one person who had enough power to make it law. Granted, there are people who followed the same beliefs, but there were obviously people who didn’t like them and were thereby forced to follow them.

What you mentioned about WWII is the same concept as what I”m trying to get across. You can NOT force your ideas on everyone. It doesn’t work that way. Ever. Period.

If you feel it’s ok, that doesn’t make it right. But what religion/culture is that? That is just the belief/opinion of one person.

Him

Today at 11:41am

And the Islamic fundamentalists belief/opinion is that killing me in the name of their god will earn them eternity in heaven. Thats the belief/opinion of thousands of people. Are they right? In any way? Is there a single word in that that is ok? Should I respect their wishes to kill all Christians?

And as far as my nazi analogy, if you look up the definition of “culture” and “nazi” at dictionary.com it will completely destroy your entire first paragraph. Not only were they a culture they took over other cultures. I realize forcing beliefs on others is wrong, my point is that you are coming from the idea that there is no absolute right or wrong in this world. Personally, I say that no matter what- killing all jews because they are jews is ABSOLUTE wrong. I say killing all christians because your “god” says to is ABSOLUTE wrong.

there are so many things in this world that people try to make wishy washy because they want to avoid the truth. Not the truth thats trying to over power you now, a truth that existed before any of us (human) were even here.

If man can ignore/take away/decide there is no God of the bible then you know who becomes God……….us. You want to believe that everyone creates their own “right and wrong” because it feels good and if there was an absolute right and an absolute wrong then your thoughts dont line up and you would have to conform to them. I say “you” loosely meaning all of mankind. People like general authority because it keeps others off their backs. We like cops because they stop killers and murderers. But once we are all alone, no police officer can tell us what to do. And more importantly can’t judge us based on our hearts. We hate the idea of someone that can convict us of our thoughts as well as our actions because that means there no place to hide from our true evil. There is an absolute in this world but no one sees it because no one wants to. You want to know why you dont believe in the God of the bible…….it’s because you dont see Him and cant prove Him. Its because you dont really want Him. You dont want there to be a being that knows your true heart and can judge you on all that. But that doesnt mean He’s not there, it just means you dont want to see Him. And unless you honestly and humbly attempt to see Him then you never will. Thats the real truth and thats life. So I have a difficult time listening to others views on truth and reality because they havent seen it. You dont get someones opinion of a movie that they have only read reviews about and havent actually seen. This is of course the part where you say “thats your belief” and you say that because you arent actually listening to what I said above. The God of the bible is real and actively seek you…..Michael Secord. He loves you more than any parent or girlfriend or best friend ever could. And He is going to spend your entire 70, 80, 90 years on earth trying to tell you and show you. But you are never going to see it because your back is turned. So i challenge you- before you decide “what life is” and what “truth” is……look at it from every angle. You dont solve a math question by only looking at one number. Face God honestly and humbly and He WILL show himself to you. Or just say no thats your belief and not mine and miss out. If everything is relative and everyone has their own personal right, then in my “opinion” and millions others- those who dont accpt Christ will spend eternity in hell. Isn;t that atleast worth checking into? I mean if im wrong we all get buring in the ground and i’ve just spent a life trying to be a nice guy, who cares. But if im right…….you have to look your creator in the eye and say you were told about Him and chose to ignore. and spend eternity in suffering. To me, that warrants a lil looking into. Honest and humble searching. However I think this debate is done. I’ve worked my way through everything and meanings of words and phrases just keep changing. So I leave you with my words above and honestly hope and pray you decide to “respect my opinion” and actively seek yours, mine, and our God

Michael Secord

Today at 1:14pm

Yes, everybody deserves respect regardless of their cultural/religious background, whether or not you agree with it. As for the Nazi, that was not a culture as I said before, it was the crazed idea of one person who made it law. There isn’t any escaping law except for moving and war. And Nazi-ism was taken care of with WW2.

I’m glad we’ve come to a front. That’s all I had stated originally. I respect your position, as I hope you respect mine and others that don’t agree.

There are two sides to every issue, this one being a very passionate issue for many people.

——————————————————————————————————————–

That’s it. Feel free to comment all you want. I will post up an actual blog when I get some more time. Enjoy. TTFN

’til next time

Michael

YES! It’s Friday again! It’s about time! This has definitely been a long week. We got a bit of snow like we were supposed to. It was fun, but turned the roads REALLY nasty. They didn’t close school either, and they really should have. The roads were HORRIBLE. I was the designated car-pool driver Tuesday night. It was fun though.

So, I started back in customer service on Monday. Things have gone well so far. It’s kinda nice to be back, not too mention it’s been slow. All in all it’s been a decent week. Having Wednesday off was nice too, though I’d rather have had Friday off.

Nothing else is really new. I’m going to Mikelann’s after work tonight and bringing her back home with me. We are going to the outhouse races tomorrow morning and then probably heading back to her house tomorrow afternoon. I’ll stay there Saturday night and come home Sunday night. It should be fun. The weather is supposed to be decent too.

I think that will be all for now. TTFN

’til next time

Michael

*sigh* The long weekend is over. I hope everybody enjoyed their Valentine’s Day and got their sweetie something special! I know I sure enjoyed mine!

I got out of work on time on Thursday and it was a very uneventful drive out to St. Johns. Took me a little longer to get there, though, because the traffic light for the highway wasn’t working right. I did get through though, just had to wait for a while.

Mikelann did surprise me though when I got there. Of course I surprised her too. I got her 2 dozen roses and a necklace. She loved them both, definitely surprised her. Forgive the picture, it’s a crappy one taken with my cell phone. I’ll see if I can get a better picture of it sometime. It’s a REALLY nice necklace though.

Of course, I did give her the roses right after I got there, but I made her wait for the rest of her gift. She surprised me by making dinner. It was really good and I enjoyed it. We had a great dinner. She then gave me the rest of my gift. She got me a promise ring. Its a really nice ring, I don’t have a picture of my actual ring, but it’s this one, just with it’s own engraving. She got it engraved with “Eternally yours M&M” (she couldn’t get what she originally wanted in there because it’s too long.

Its a really nice ring and I like it a lot!

Overall, Valentine’s day was GREAT! I had a great time and I know she did too. I spent most of Friday alone, albeit sleeping, while she was at school, but I did spoil her and took her to school and picked her up. That night Nikki, Rick (Nikki’s BF), her and I went on a double-date. We went to Pinball Pete’s (an arcade) and then went out to eat. We were going to go to Outback, but they had a 45-60 minute wait and we weren’t going to wait that long, on top of that Rick had to be back to work at 9:30. So we went to Red Robins which was actually pretty good too. It was a fun time, a good way to get out and enjoy a Friday night.

Saturday and Sunday we didn’t do much. We both worked on homework and I helped her with her Math. I got all but one or two of my Accounting problems done, which I’m proud of considering I had 2 whole chapters to do. Other than that, we just basically hung out and didn’t do anything. Which was fine with both of us, we wanted to have some time to just chill.

We are supposed to get between 4 and 9 inches of snow tonight, so I’m looking forward to that. I think other than that, that’s it for now. TTFN

’til next time

Michael

Happy Valentine’s Day everyone!!! I hope you all enjoy it!

I am going out to Mikelann’s today after work and staying until Sunday night, I get to give her the amazing gifts that I got her. I think she’s going to like them a lot. She says that she has an amazing gift for me too, so I’m excited to see what it is. I’m taking tomorrow off of work so today is technically my Friday!!

That’s about all the good news….

I took my truck in to get the front-end aligned and to have my exhaust checked out. Something I thought would’ve costed about $70 at most turned into WAY more than that. They couldn’t align my truck because I had bad ball joints. So I had to pay $530 including parts to replace the bad ones (and I only had to have them provide ONE lower ball-joint because I had the other 2). So now, I’m broke. It was $582 to fix everything, and even with the money that I had saved up ($410) I’m still broke after fixing it. Not too mention I didn’t fix my exhaust either. They just tightened everything up and told me it would be $425 to fix everything from the Catalytic converter back. Since they tightened everything it doesn’t rattle anymore (which is what my problem was anyways). So now I’m broke, but my tax return should be coming back here soon so I will have money again, not too mention tomorrow is payday!

We are supposed to get a lot of snow starting Saturday night and going through Monday or Tuesday, and I’m looking forward to that! YAY for snow!

Well, I am going to get going for now. TTFN

’til next time

Michael

Yes. I know it’s only Tuesday, but it’s been a bad week since last Monday. Even with all the snow and whatnot, it still sucks. I’m just really down/frustrated/not happy. I’m sick of work and school. I’m sick of having to work around schedules to make things work, I’m sick of other people being lazy and stupid. It’s all just a pain.

We got a LOT of snow this weekend. They actually shut down the highway on Sunday because of the weather and an accident. We are also getting a lot of snow tonight. We weren’t supposed to get any tonight, we were originally going to get 2-5″ last night, but nothing came. Instead we are supposed to get 2-4″ tonight. And it looks like we may hit that real quick. The roads are crap, there is a lot of snow on them already, on top of the ice that’s still there from the weekend…But, oh well, I like driving in it.

Work is…just yeah. I’m kinda glad that I’m going back to Customer Service. I won’t have to deal with so much office “drama” over there. I know what I’m doing, I know how to do it, and I have a little more freedom with what I do. I love my job now, but the drama, is just ridiculous. There was a meeting yesterday about what’s going on. Supposedly the CEO just said that we are only stopping acquisitions and we aren’t selling. I still don’t believe it. Too many things are changing for the opposite direction of what they say we are going to be doing. We are supposedly going to focus on our customer base we have now, yet we increase our fees, get rid of our customer communications’ staff…riiight, that’s trying to keep customers right? Anyways, I’ll just stop there.

School, just *sigh*. I’m getting so burned out with this quarter already. I’m not really sure why, I like the classes that I have, I just can’t stand it right now. We finally finished with Quickbooks in my Computerized Accounting class and are now working on Peachtree. I’d be working on that right now, but I left that book at home and instead brought my Quickbooks…Plus I drove tonight and carpooled so I can’t just leave either. It’s going to be a LONG night…

I got my wheel hub replaced on my truck Saturday. That went really well, a lot easier than I thought it would. I got it all replaced, and didn’t break anything. Well I didn’t think so. Until I got out of the garage and onto the road. My 4wd wouldn’t engage….so I had to drive home, on the ice, in 2wd. That sucked. But I made it, safely, and all in one piece. I decided to take a look Sunday in the garage since mom was working. I pulled the passenger side hub off to look at it, since that was the side that I replaced the wheel hub on, and it looked fine. So I messed around with it until I got it locked in, then I put it back in and tried the 4wd again. It STILL didn’t engage. When I was messing around, I heard a little clicking in the driver’s side. So I went back in the garage and took that side off, and messed around with it, got it locked in, and then put it back on. Well, I can pull it off without unlocking all the tabs so I think that is part of my problem. But I got it all back together and tried my 4wd and it all works now, so I think my hubs are shot. So I am going to look into getting some new ones and installing them, but for now I have 4wd again

Well, I think that’s it for now….TTFN

’til next time

Michael

Yup. The storm came and went. It wasn’t as bad as they said it would be, but we did get quite a bit. There were businesses closing early yesterday, which almost NEVER EVER happens. I think EVERY church was closed last night. You know what’s funny, it was over 850 churches too. School FINALLY decided that they wanted to close too…at 2:45pm…They could’ve said something earlier, but it’s alright with me.

I went and had some fun in the snow last night. For pictures, go to the pictures page and the Truck subpage. You’ll see them there.

Now that makes it two weeks in a row that we’ve missed the same class and our teacher decided he was going to make up for it:

In almost 10 years of teaching, I’ve never seen evening classes cancelled 2 sessions in a row. Amazing… Well, we have some catching up to do now. I am planning a 4-hour make-up class on Saturday, February 16th, time yet to be confirmed (probably 9am – 1pm). It will be a required class where I will be required to take attendance. I apologize if this date doesn’t work for you, but I also have limited times I can be available. Feb. 13th we will be covering Chapters 3 and 4 with minimal lab time. Feb. 16th we will be covering Chapter 5 with lab time. The assignment due dates will reflect the schedule change.

Yup. You read that right, he is having a required class on a Saturday morning. One that I’ll be out of town. I give him kudos for trying to make up the time, but he could’ve chose a better time to do it. I’m not going to be able to go, and even if I did, I wouldn’t get anything out of the class. I have turned all of my projects one week early so far, except for next weeks because I didn’t know it was even posted. So I’ll get working on that and the test tonight and this weekend and have it all done. The test is due by 10PM Sunday and the homework is due at 9:40pm next Wednesday.

That leads me to my next point. This weekend is going to suck. I have to replace my wheel hub, which should be here tomorrow. Josh is going to help me with it, hopefully in the garage which will be cool. That will save me some money on taking it in. But I’m not going out to see Mikelann this weekend and that kinda saddens me. It’ll be alright though, because I’m going out there on Valentine’s Day!! Anywho, on top of that, I have to do my project for my VB class as well as my test. Then I have to do my exam for my computerized accounting class as well as the homework for my Managerial Accounting class. I think I have 2 chapters I need to do, so I’ll be busy with that. This weekend is just going to not be fun.

Well, I think that’s going to be it for now. TTFN

’til next time

Michael

So, we have a storm rolling in tonight. We have a Winter Storm Warning from 10PM tonight through 7PM tomorrow. Depending on who you ask, we are supposed to get between 6 and 20″ of snow. WZZM is saying that we should see 12-16″ by tomorrow afternoon and another 4-8″ tomorrow evening for a total of 10-20″ of snow. That’s all fine and dandy, but where are we going to put it all!? Honestly, I don’t care. I love the snow and I love driving in it so it’s all well.

So. I went to replace all the brakes on my truck last night. I got rotors, drums, shoes and spring kits. I got home and went to change everything last night. Well, the rotors went off without a hitch, really easy to get on and off and they are all done. I went to do the drums and took the old off and compared it to the new…and lo and behold they gave me the WRONG ones…I need 10″ brakes and they gave me stuff for the 9″ brakes. So now I have to go back to the store to return all that crap and get the 10″ brakes. Once I get all that I’ll finish replacing everything.

I drove to work today like normal, but when I went to get off the highway today, I hit my brakes and my truck’s ABS kicked in and acted like I was on a solid sheet of ice. I thought, eh, maybe I am, but then it did the same thing at the next 2 stoplights and the last 2 intersections before work. Then I figured something was up…Turns out the ABS sensor in my Front Right wheel hub is shot. Of course, the whole hub is shot, which is why one is on it’s way here so I can replace it. I had to unplug the sensor that I would be able to stop. Thats ok with me because the ABS makes it so much harder to stop in the winter. I should have the part either late this week or early next week. If I get it yet this week, I’ll go over to a friend’s house and we’ll replace it, if not, it will have to wait until I can get out there next.

I got my bluetooth headset too. It irritates me. It has almost NO noise cancellation so ALL the background noise is picked up. So I have to return it and get a new one so that people can actually hear me. So I’m going to be doing research on that again. Also, I decided that it’s time to retire my flash drives. This flash drive is starting to flake on me just as bad as the last one did. I think it’s because I do so much with it all the time. So I ordered a WD Passport 160GB ext. HDD so that I have something more reliable. This drive only needs one USB port too, so it is basically a perfect replacement for the drive I have now. That will be here tomorrow and I will get it setup and see how well it works.

Well, I realize that this post is getting lengthy so I’ll stop here. TTFN

’til next time

Michael

So I got a response from the job that I applied for. She chose to hire another applicant for the job. In all honesty, I’m alright with that. The job seemed cool, but the environment didn’t really seem to be something that I would’ve been interested in, on top of the hours that she was talking, though there would’ve been a lot of flexibility in the job.

Really though, I’m alright and I’m not upset in the least. I’ll just keep looking and go from there. It could be worse, I could be going directly to the unemployment line instead of having something to fall back on. Things will go well so I’m not worried.

I did get an extra influx of cash though So now I can fix up some of the things I wanted with my truck. The wheel hub and locking ring were ordered today so as soon as those come in I’ll go and get it replaced. Then I want to get the exhaust fixed which shouldn’t be too expensive.

I also got a bluetooth headset coming this week as well as my microSD card…Finally. That should’ve been here on Friday, but for the first time, FedEx failed me. According to tracking it didn’t get into Michigan until 8AM Saturday morning and it was to be delivered by 4:30pm Friday.

Oh well. I think that’s all for now. TTFN

’til next time

Michael

Just a slight update on things.

I’ve been keeping an eye on jobs and applying at things that look like they would be good for me and even remotely in my field of study. I did get a reply from one job. It’s from a company in Grand Haven that is looking for an “Assistant to Owner”. I have an interview to attend Friday at 1pm with the owner. So we will see how that goes. I don’t see how/why it would go bad at all, but wish me luck!

Along those lines, I guess the announcement of what exactly is going on at work is supposed to happen on Friday. So we will know the future of the company/the truth of what exactly is going on. I’m not sure what to expect but I’m prepared for anything.

I’m sure we all enjoyed today. With the rain that we got last night on top of the extreme temperature drop and then the 6″ of snow that we got made for extremely unsafe roads. I had been listening to the radio all morning, I woke up at 5:30 to help mom. Between Coopersville and Alpine there were already over 30 slide-offs and even more between Alpine and the airport. Not too mention that under all the snow was a sheet of ice. I opted to stay home from work, as did my boss, and quite a few other people. Just about every school in the area closed except for Calvin College. Even Baker closed day classes until 1pm then at 1:30pm they decided to close evening classes too. So I got a full day off of work and school which was really nice! I haven’t had a day in the middle of the week like that in a LONG time!!!

I did go and play in the snow just a little bit. I pulled a car out of a snow drift this morning which was fairly easy, I was surprised with the amount of ice that there was on the road. After that I decided to drive up to the school and play around. Here are two pictures of that adventure:

I don’t think those pictures are too bad considering that they were taken with my cell phone (BTW – I had to size them down to fit even remotely well in here. They are actually 1280×1024.)

Speaking on that. All of our new phones came yesterday. I got my new Samsung A737, Mikelann got a Blue V3 RAZR, and Nathan got a Nokia 6085. All three are activated and are really cool. My phone is a slide phone and it’s a really awesome phone, I mean, just look at the pictures!!! On top of that it is a music player too! The RAZR is really nice, I got it charged and setup for Mikelann. I’ll be bringing it out to her this weekend. Nathan got his phone setup too and he seems to like it.

Well, I think that’s about all thats new for now. I will be sure to update when I have something to update about.

Everyone take care and stay safe, especially on the roads! TTFN

’til next time

-Michael

Who’da thunk that I’d be updating again already?! Not me!! Too bad it’s because of bad news.

My boss and the CFO (his boss) were having a meeting today after lunch. After a while they called in me into the CFO’s office. The board of directors decided that they want to cut out all of our acquisitions, which in turn means, my job is getting cut along with about 4 or 5 other people.

So…Yeah…I’m losing my job. They did offer to take me back to customer service…but only part-time, no PTO/Benefits, but Jad was able to keep it so I didn’t get a pay cut….

So yeah…anybody know of somewhere that’s hiring?

TTFN

’til next time

-Michael