Son of Theo

party of four experiment song

2010-12-31T19:03:00.004-07:00

ill put together a good video to go here sometime...meanwhile, here's the music. at least it was fun to make!

2010-12-31T11:24:00.003-07:00

Thought I'd share a song I recorded for Amber. It's nice. You might like it, too...

2009-08-29T17:52:00.001-06:00

Checked it out on www.snopes.com which said, "The item referenced is, indeed, taken from the text of an editorial (entitled, "American Capitalism Gone with a Whimper") by Stanislaw Mishin which was published by the Russian language Pravda news site on 27 April 2009". Check for yourself at http://www.snopes.com/politics/soapbox/pravda.asp .
The irony of this article appearing in the English edition of Pravda (Russian on-line newspaper) defies description. Why can a Russian newspaper print the following yet the American media can't/won't see it? American Capitalism Gone With A Whimper

It must be said, that like the breaking of a great dam, the American descent into Marxism is happening with breath taking speed, against the back drop of a passive, hapless sheeple, excuse me dear reader, I meant people. True, the situation has been well prepared on and off for the past century, especially the past twenty years. The initial testing grounds was conducted upon our Holy Russia and a bloody test it was. But we Russians would not just roll over and give up our freedoms and our souls, no matter how much money Wall Street poured into the fists of the Marxists. Those lessons were taken and used to properly prepare the American populace for the surrender of their freedoms and souls, to the whims of their elites and betters. First, the population was dumbed down through a politicized and substandard education system based on pop culture, rather then the classics. Americans know more about their favorite TV dramas than the drama in DC that directly affects their lives. They care more for their "right" to choke down a McDonalds burger or a Burger King burger than for their constitutional rights. Then they turn around and lecture us about our rights and about our "democracy". Pride blind the foolish. Then their faith in God was destroyed, until their churches, all tens of thousands of different "branches and denominations" were for the most part little more then Sunday circuses and their televangelists and top protestant mega preachers were more then happy to sell out their souls and flocks to be on the "winning" side of one pseudo Marxist politician or another. Their flocks may complain, but when explained that they would be on the "winning" side, their flocks were ever so quick to reject Christ in hopes for earthly power. Even our Holy Orthodox churches are scandalously liberalized in America . The final collapse has come with the election of Barack Obama. His speed in the past three months has been truly impressive. His spending and money printing has been a record setting, not just in America 's short history but in the world. If this keeps up for more then another year, and there is no sign that it will not, America at best will resemble the Weimar Republic and at worst Zimbabwe. These past two weeks have been the most breath taking of all. First came the announcement of a planned redesign of the American Byzantine tax system, by the very thieves who used it to bankroll their thefts, losses, and swindles of hundreds of billions of dollars. These make our Russian oligarchs look little more then ordinary street thugs, in comparison. Yes, the Americans have beat our own thieves in the shear volumes. Should we congratulate them? These men, of course, are not an elected panel but made up of appointees picked from the very financial oligarchs and their henchmen who are now gorging themselves on trillions of American dollars, in one bailout after another. They are also usurping the rights, duties, and powers of the American congress (parliament). Again, congress has put up little more than a whimper to their masters. Then came Barack Obama's command that GM's (General Motors) president step down from leadership of his company. That is correct, dear reader, in the land of "pure" free markets, the American president now has the power, the self-given power, to fire CEOs and we can assume other employees of private companies, at will. Come hither, go dither, the centurion commands his minions. So it should be no surprise, that the American president has followed this up with a "bold" move of declaring that he and another group of unelected, chosen stooges will now redesign the entire automotive industry and will even be the guarantee of automobile policies. I am sure that if given the chance, they would happily try and redesign it for the whole of the world, too. Prime Minister Putin, less then two months ago, warned Obama and UK 's Blair, not to follow the path to Marxism, it only leads to disaster. Apparently, even though we suffered 70 years of this Western sponsored horror show, we know nothing, as foolish, drunken Russians, so let our "wise" Anglo-Saxon fools find out the folly of their own pride. Again, the American public has taken this with barely a whimper...but a "free man" whimper. So, should it be any surprise to discover that the Democratically controlled Congress of America is working on passing a new regulation that would give the American Treasury department the power to set "fair" maximum salaries, evaluate performance, and control how private companies give out pay raises and bonuses? Senator Barney Frank, a social pervert basking in his homosexuality (of course, amongst the modern, enlightened American societal norm, as well as that of the general West, homosexuality is not only not a looked down upon life choice, but is often praised as a virtue) and his Marxist enlightenment, has led this effort. He stresses that this only affects companies that receive government monies, but it is retroactive and taken to a logical extreme, this would include any company or industry that has ever received a tax break or incentive. The Russian owners of American companies and industries should look thoughtfully at this and the option of closing their facilities down and fleeing the land of the Red as fast as possible. In other words, divest while there is still value left. The proud American will go down into his slavery without a fight, beating his chest, and proclaiming to the world, how free he really is. The world will only snicker. Stanislav Mishin 1999-2009.. PRAVDA.Ru. When reproducing our materials in whole or in part, hyperlink to PRAVDA.Ru should be made. The opinions and views of the authors do not always coincide with the point of view of PRAVDA.Ru's editors.

2009-04-16T22:44:00.002-06:00

Sorry, More Politics, I Can't Help It

2008-09-15T14:27:00.006-06:00

i don't know why the libs keep attacking this point. they're going to have to try something else cuz this one ain't gonna fly...

and the fun keeps comin'...

2008-09-08T18:05:00.005-06:00

`
a clear demonstration of the DEMOCRAT philosophy...

I love it when a point can be made so clearly without saying the obvious.

credit to family of 5 for finding this...

How can we leave those poor people on the escalator?

The government should do something!

NO?

Oh, so you don’t like women and minorities?

We need to set up a governmental agency to create a task force to stop this kind of tragedy.

The government should force all escalator manufacturers to have emergency backup escalators.

We can't afford it?

Duh, raise taxes...you can afford it...

`

sounds like fun

2008-07-29T19:38:00.022-06:00

my lovely bride did this.

i think this is a cool idea, so here's mine.

My age...My Middle Name...

My favorite place to travel My Favorite Object...

Favorite Place to Vacation... Favorite Food Favorite AnimalFavorite Color... Town I Grew Up In... A previous Pet... Town I Live In Now... Past Love... Nickname of One of My Kids... Screen Name...Real Name... One Of My Bad Habits...

Grandmothers First Name...
1st Job...

What I Studied In College...

ouch

2008-07-07T22:13:00.012-06:00

~

A good friend sent this to me. It's exactly how I feel......
It's entitled,

THAT MOMENT JUST BEFORE THE PAIN BEGINS...

2.
3.
4.
5.

AND THE WORST OF ALL......

NUMBER 10......

10.

(For your convenience, I've included a link to facilitate you making a contribution to the McCain for President fund.)

https://www.johnmccain.com/Contribute/ContributeA.aspx

~

"...and a little child shall lead them."

2008-07-01T09:38:00.007-06:00

I miss this. I forget sometimes how much I miss this. There was a day when this happened a lot more.

Why are we so down on ourselves?
Why do we insist on glorifying the negative in this country?

I listen to this and I feel a flood of repressed pride...

...and then I get mad.

Let these elementary school kids remind you like they did me.

click on the following link:

http://www.greatdanepromilitary.com/Battle%20Hymn/index.htm

Now...go do something about it.

How Many Zeros In A Billion?

2008-06-30T11:16:00.009-06:00

~

FOR ALL THE LIBERAL BRAINIACS who think that Government's Job is to solve all of the problems for every person (especially special interest groups) at the expense of a sound fiscal policy...i think it's good to check our perspective occasionally.

How many zeros in a billion?

The next time you hear a politician use the word 'billion' in a casual manner, think about whether you want the 'politicians' spending YOUR tax money.

A billion is a difficult number to comprehend, but one advertising agency did a good job of putting that figure into some perspective in one of it's releases.

1. A billion seconds ago it was 1959.
2. A billion minutes ago Jesus was alive.
3. A billion hours ago our ancestors were living in the Stone Age.
4. A billion days ago no-one walked on the earth on two feet.

5. A billion dollars ago was only 8 hours and 20 minutes, at the rate our government is spending it.

While this thought is still fresh in our brain...

let's take a look at New Orleans ...

It's amazing what you can learn with some simple division.

Louisiana Senator, Mary Landrieu (D) is presently asking Congress for 250 BILLION DOLLARS to rebuild New Orleans. Interesting number...

what does it mean?

A. Well... if you are one of the 484,674 residents of New Orleans (every man, woman, and child) you each get $516,528.
B. Or... if you have one of the 188,251 homes in New Orleans , your home gets $1,329,787.
C. Or... if you are a family of four...your family gets $2,066,012.

HELLO!?!?!? Are all your calculators broken??
what's the big deal about a little more taxes here and there?

That's what they always say.

WAKE UP!!

More tax is equal to less freedom AND the government never spends it as well as you would.

Consider this:

Building Permit Tax
CDL License Tax
Cigarette Tax
Corporate Income Tax
Dog License Tax
Federal Income Tax (Fed) Federal Unemployment Tax (FUTA)
Fishing License Tax
Food License Tax
Fuel Permit Tax
Gasoline Tax
Hunting License Tax
Inheritance Tax
Inventory Tax
IRS Interest Charges (tax on top of tax)
IRS Penalties (tax on top of tax)
Liquor Tax
Luxury Tax
Marriage License Tax
Medicare Tax
Property Tax
Real Estate Tax
Service charge taxes
Social Security Tax
Road Usage Tax (Truckers)
Sales Taxes
Recreational Vehicle Tax
School Tax
State Income Tax
State Unemployment Tax (SUTA)
Telephone Federal Excise Tax
Telephone Federal Universal Service Fee Tax
Telephone Federal, State and Local Surcharge Tax
Telephone Minimum Usage Surcharge Tax
Telephone Recurring and Non-recurring Charges Tax
Telephone State and L ocal Tax
Telephone Usage Charge Tax
Utility Tax
Vehicle License Registration Tax
Vehicle Sales Tax
Watercraft Registration Tax
Well Permit Tax
Workers Compensation Tax

Not one of these taxes existed 100 years ago...

and our nation was the most prosperous in the world.
We had absolutely no national debt...
We had the largest middle class in the world...
and Mom stayed home to raise the kids.

What happened?

Can you spell socialism?

Can you spell fiduciary recklessness?
Can you spell self interest?

Can you spell humanism?

Can you spell liberalism?

Can you spell "politicians"?

yeah, me, too.....

I'm with Barak Obama! I WANT "CHANGE"

2008-06-27T09:28:00.012-06:00

_____________________________________________
_____________________________________________

A lot of labels are being thrown around these days. Anyone with an agenda starts, sooner or later, to assign labels to themselves or their opponents. Why? Because labels are powerful...and dangerous. Labels say a lot without having to say a lot. Saying that I am a conservative or a liberal are both correct, depending on how you define the label.

Right now, we are talking a lot about "CHANGE". But, change can be good or bad. Change to what? Change from what?

Everyone wants "CHANGE" from high gas prices and war. But Mr. Obama would have us believe that the only way to have that kind of "CHANGE" would be to switch from conservative to liberal.

Is that so bad? If that's what it takes to get lower gas prices and end the war, then I guess that's what I'll have to do, right?

Wrong. Labels are powerful and dangerous because they obfuscate all of the details.

Conservative=War
Liberal=No War
I'm for no war therefore I must be liberal.

Hitler used the same tactic.

Nazi=work and regained national pride

Good things, right? well, we all know there was a little more to that label and "CHANGE" was not such a good thing and, in the end, the Germans received neither a strong economy or national pride.

There was a day when I would have been proud to call myself liberal.

The founding fathers were liberals where the predominant political ideal was freedom and individuality but, I might add, within the constraints of a God centered moral philosophy. I adhere to that form of liberalism. It seems to me that the only thing that changed is the spiritual/moral foundation as the basis for demanding individual liberty.

In 1776, change was good. But why was it good? Because the population had no freedom. And what kind of freedom was most important to them? The freedom to worship God according to the "dictates of their own conscience".

See the difference?

The catch words in that "CHANGE" paradigm are conscience, God, liberty, justice, morality.

In orther words "CHANGE" today is simply a dodge to hide the real social agenda behind it.

Therefore, it seems important to be real clear about definitions. I love the following definition of conservative from Glenn Beck. I join myself to his form of conservatism.

________________________________________________
________________________________________________

A conservative believes that our inalienable rights do not include housing, healthcare or Hummers.

A conservative believes that our inalienable rights DO include the pursuit of happiness. That means it is guaranteed to no one.

A conservative believes that those who pursue happiness and find it have a right to not be penalized for that success.

A conservative believes that there are no protections against the hardship and heartache of failure. We believe that the right to fail is just as important as the chance to succeed and that those who do fail learn essential lessons that will help them the next time around.

A conservative believes in personal responsibility and accepts the consequences for his or her words and actions.

A conservative believes that real compassion can't be found in any government program.

A conservative believes that each of us has a duty to take care of our neighbors. It was private individuals, companies and congregations that sent water, blankets and supplies to New Orleans far before the government ever set foot there.

A conservative believes that family is the cornerstone of our society and that people have a right to manage their family any way they see fit, so long as it's not criminal. We are far more attuned to our family's needs than some faceless, soulless government program.

A conservative believes that people have a right to worship the God of their understanding. We also believe that people do not have the right to jam their version of God (or no God) down anybody else's throat.

A conservative believes that people go to the movies to be entertained and to church to be preached to, not the other way around.

A conservative believes that debt creates unhealthy relationships. Everyone, from the government on down, should live within their means and strive for financial independence.

A conservative believes that a child's education is the responsibility of the parents, not the government.

A conservative believes that every human being has a right to life, from conception to death.

A conservative believes in the smallest government you can get without anarchy. We know our history: The larger a government gets, the harder it will fall.

Those are the things a conservative believes in, and they're the things that I believe in. Now, if only I could find a candidate to match.

_______________________________________________
_______________________________________________

I agree, Glenn.

If we could get the Republican party to "CHANGE" in this direction then I would be for "CHANGE".

2008-06-24T10:47:00.007-06:00

I am trying to come up with a list called "Tips for a better life". The following is an off the cuff start. I am asking for everyone's honest critique of the list. Please suggest changes or additions and be brutual, if necessary. I want the end product to be useful and as comprehensive as possible. At the end, I will share my final edit with everyone.

____________________________________________________________________

TIPS FOR A BETTER LIFE

Exercise 30 minutes a day, even if it's just a nice walk. And while you do, smile. Those two things together are the ultimate anti-depressant.

Pray. And when you do, make sure the "thank-you"s outnumber the "bless me"s.

When you wake up in the morning, complete the following statement: "My purpose is to __________ today".

Eat more foods that grow on plants than are made in plants. Drink more water to wash it down.

Serve in secret.

Try to make someone smile each day.

Don't waste your life energy on gossip, issues of the past, negative thoughts, or things you cannot control. Make peace with your past so it won't spoil your present.

Eat breakfast like a king, lunch like a prince and dinner like a college kid with a maxed out charge card.

Life isn't very fair, but it's still very good.

Life is too short to waste time hating anyone.

kiss more. whine less.

Don't take yourself so seriously. No one else does.

Don't feel the pressure to win every argument. Try to win, if you must, but don't let bad feelings creep in. Everyone is entitled to their point of view. You can agree to disagree.

Don't compare your life to others. You have no idea what their journey is all about.

You make your own happiness. Nobody has the power to make you unhappy.

Life's "disasters" are simply educational opportunities viewed from the wrong perspective.

Forgive everyone for everything.

Learn to feel comfortable in your own skin. Embrace your differences, learn from your mistakes, and smile alot.

GOD heals EVERYTHING, in HIS time.

However good or bad a situation is it will change. Embrace that fact and enjoy the ride as much as you can.

Your job won't take care of you when you are sick. Your friends and family will. Stay in touch.

Remember that you are too blessed to be stressed.

I'm probably missing you by now...

2008-06-17T05:35:00.000-06:00

Right now I'm in France. I did this post before I left and scheduled it to post while I'm gone.

I just want to say how much I love this woman.

I find her to be beautiful, kind, loyal, honest, funny, creative (what a decorator!), and spiritually in tune. She loves me and I love her.

She's asleep next to me right now and I just felt like writing that...

TAGGED...

2008-06-13T04:49:00.005-06:00

sorry, a little slow on the uptake, Dennis...here it is.

A. Attached or Single? Attached and loving it. Single is for the birds.

B. Best Friend? spouses shouldn't count on this one cuz duh...it's my wife. (even if wasn't true, who would put otherwise)

C. Cake or pie? pie. love fruit pies. with ice cream. and a slice of chocolate cake on top.

D. Day of choice? Friday. I anticipate my date with Sheila all week.

E. Essential item? my cell phone. in fact, i could have put that for answer B.

F. Favorite color? Deep dark Red.

G. Gummy bears or worms? i would rather get a root canal than touch either one. rubber and candy have nothing to do with each other.

H. Home town? Mesa, AZ.

I. Favorite indulgence? Mexican Food. The kind that squirts grease when the fork is applied. The kind that is only faintly acquinted with lettuce. The kind that flaunts its "transfattiness" (now outlawed in nyc)

J. January or July? July in Salt Lake City

K. Kids? 6. 5 girls, one boy. The boy and i play "dodge the hormone" for fun.

L. Life isn't complete without? see B and K (and E)...(and I)

M. Marriage date? April 23 I still get giddy thinking about it.

N. Number of brothers and sisters? 2 bros and 1 sis.

O. Oranges or Apples? Good Oranges.

P. Phobias? see G. I don't have many. There's a lot of things I don't think would be fun but I don't fear them.

Q. Quotes? In the Arena Quote by Teddy Roosevelt

It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs, who comes short again and again, because there is no effort without error and shortcoming; but who does actually strive to do the deeds; who knows great enthusiasms, the great devotions; who spends himself in a worthy cause; who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement, and who at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who neither know victory nor defeat.

R. Reasons to smile? see B. I also smile when I hear perfectly sung harmony with overtones. There's something spiritual about it.

S. Season of choice? Cumin. (i know, just trying to be funny)

T. Tag 3 people: President Bush, Dalai Lama, Fred Flintstone. (come on, you know you'd like to hear their answers)

U. Unknown fact about me? I have a toe nail that i ripped off playing basketball that will not grow normally anymore.

V. Vegetable? Tomatoes. I'm with Granma on this one.

W. Worst habit? Tunnel Vision. I can only do one thing at a time.

X. Xray or Ultrasound? XRAYS are cool.

Y. Your favorite food? see I.

Z. Zodiac sign? Pisces

Wasn't that fun?

More Clarity On My Perspective...

2008-06-04T11:24:00.014-06:00

Julie brings up a good point that needs to be discussed. She said...
_________________________________________________________________

"Still, I cannot deny what I know from the scriptures:

Mosiah 4-For behold, are we not all beggars?

Imparting of my substance does actually encourage growth, 'being the hand that does receive.'"

_________________________________________________________________

I believe that wholeheartedly but you have to explore the width and breadth of that concept.

Consider the following...

“Perhaps thou shalt say: The man has brought upon himself his misery; therefore I will stay my hand, and will not give unto him of my food, nor impart unto him of my substance that he may not suffer, for his punishments are just—
“But I say unto you, O man, whosoever doeth this the same hath great cause to repent; …
“For behold, are we not all beggars? Do we not all depend upon the same Being, even God, for all the substance which we have, for both food and raiment, and for gold, and for silver, and for all the riches which we have of every kind?” (Mosiah 4:16–19.)

i've thought about these issues a lot. I think the issue revolves around JUDGING.
________________________________________________________________

“Judge not, that ye be not judged” (3 Ne. 14:1; Matt. 7:1)

_________________________________________________________________

This is the classic scripture used to get good people to go along with just about anything. Typically, people know, intuitively, that it's not right to do anything anyone wants you to do or support simply based on the argument "who are you to judge me?". Or, in the case of handing out money to people on the street, "who are you to judge whether i deserve your charity or not?"

Forinstance, I am not in support of legalizing Gay Marriage. Typically, the argument to that is "Who are you to judge them?" (i can expound more on that subject, if anyone cares)

Pretty powerful argument against a Christian unless you examine the issue of judging a little more closely.

Let me refer you to a really excellent talk about judging. This should become mandatory reading for conservative christians trying to make a difference.

________________________________________________________________

"Judge Not and Judging"
~Dallin Oaks

________________________________________________________________

The fact is this. Life requires us to make judgments all of the time. As far as charitable giving goes, no one has unlimited resources so you will have to judge and prioritize and make decisions about where you can best help.

________________________________________________________________

When I was in the military I made $900/month. I lived near San Francisco and we made it up there a couple times just for fun. In San Fran, you will get hit up for money every 5 feet in some places. On my pay, at that time, if I had given money to each one, I would have been on the street myself. Would that have been the right thing to do? The answer is obvious but if you expand that concept to much broader issues, the question is still valid.

____________________________________________________________________

I think it is our duty to make approriate judgments, guided by the Spirit, with no guile or malice or politcal agenda. And then we need to ACT on the judgments we have made. It is appropriate for a Christian to do so.

In fact, I think God expects it...

______________________________________________________________________

Another Video to reiterate the obvious

2008-06-04T06:20:00.003-06:00

Economic Principles are not up for debate. You can't give away health care and keep the health care at the same quality. Eventually the resources will be consumed and something has to give. Liberals try to make conservatives feel bad about admitting the obvious. Economic Principles are irrefutable.

In this world, bad things happen and they happen to everyone eventually. The government is not an endless resource. Turning our problems over to the government does not simply make the problem go away.

If it's free, you will want more. If it's free, you will stand in line to get it. If it's free, you will run out of it. If there's no profit incentive, people won't make it better and people won't make more of it.

You can't change these facts so you HAVE TO DEAL WITH IT RATIONALLY, Or, in other words, you have to be a conservative.

Come on people, get a clue...

Starving in America?

2008-06-03T16:14:00.002-06:00

consider the following report. What are your opinions about this?

Human nature is what it is. We must understand that and deal with it lovingly, appropriately and firmly.

pay special attention to the former vagrant/alcoholic who started a homeless shelter based on work. Handouts of any kind hurt the human spirit and discourage growth. Another irrefutable truth...

2008-06-02T14:06:00.018-06:00

A good friend of mine sent this to me. It’s amazing how much effort I’ve put into explaining my political philosophy over the years to no avail.

Today, my friend summed it up in a short email… aren't kids great?

A CHILDS POLITICAL EDUCATION

I remember the time that Catherine - one of my daughter Shannon’s friends when she was little, told me that she wanted to be President one day.

Both of her parents are liberal democrats and were standing there with us - and I asked Catherine -

"If you were President what would be the first thing you would do?"

Catherine replied - "I would give houses to all the homeless people."

"Wow - what a worthy goal you have there Catherine." I told her, "You don't have to wait to until your President to do that, you can come over to my house and clean up the entire dog poop in the back yard and I will pay you $5 dollars. Then we can go over to the grocery store where the homeless guy hangs out, and you can give him the $5 dollars to use for a new house."

Catherine (who was about 4) thought that over for a second, while her mom looked at me seething, and Catherine replied,

"Why doesn't the homeless guy come over and clean up the dog poop and you can pay him the $5 dollars."

Welcome to the Republican Party, Catherine.

(Although the Republicans, lately, are dissapointingly weak on these principles, they seem to be our only choice. Can't whine about it, we the people should try to make our voices heard and strengthen the party. )

My question is, why is it so obvious to a 4 year old and not to half of America?

There must be consequences for actions and responsibility for the result.

There must be work and reward.

There must be a sense of responsibility for the greater good.

There must be adherence to a moral code beyond our own gratification.

In order to achieve freedom, security, happiness, and prosperity.

Running a country by simply giving in to the desires of every politically motivated group, whether it is in the countries best interest or not, is lunacy.

I am a conservative.

I try to be kind, compassionate, charitable and understanding but I realize that sometimes you have to say no, not out of greed or self interest but in the BEST Interest of all. Governments have to be particularly careful.

If you are of a like mind, take a stand. Voice your opinion. TRY to fight the onslaught of immorality and degradation. Having the right to cast away honorable, decent behavior doesn't mean it's right to cast away honorable, decent behavior (and you can quote me on that).

These words ain't easy, but they are right.

Parable of the Bran Muffins

2008-05-28T10:34:00.011-06:00

I have lived this parable.

I am living this parable.

Perhaps a new perspective is in order...

An 85 year old couple had been married for sixty years. Though they were far from rich, they managed to get by because they watched their pennies. Though not young, they were both in very good health, largely due to the wife's insistence on healthy foods and exercise for the last decade.
Then, when they both had died..
They reached the pearly gates, and St. Peter escorted them inside. He took them to a beautiful mansion, furnished in gold and fine silks, with a fully stocked kitchen and a waterfall in the master bath. A maid could be seen hanging their favorite clothes in the closet.
They gasped in astonishment when he said, 'Welcome to Heaven. This will be your home now.'
The old man asked Peter how much all this was going to cost. 'Why, nothing,' St Peter replied, 'remember, this is your reward in Heaven' The old man looked out the window, and right there he saw a championship golf course, finer and more beautiful than any ever built on Earth.'What are the greens fees?' grumbled the old man. 'This is heaven,' St. Peter replied. 'You can play for free, every day.'

Next they went to the clubhouse and saw the lavish buffet lunch, with every imaginable cuisine laid out before them, from seafood to steaks to exotic deserts, free flowing beverages.
'Don't even ask,' said St Peter to the man.
'This is Heaven, it is all free for you to enjoy.' The old man looked a round and glanced nervously at his wife. 'Well, where are the low fat and low cholesterol foods, and the decaffeinated tea?,' he asked. 'That's the best part,' St. Peter replied. 'You can eat and drink as much as you like of whatever you like, and you will never get fat or sick. This is Heaven!'
The old man pushed, 'No gym to work out at?' 'Not unless you want to,' was the answer. 'No testing my sugar or blood pressure or...' 'Never again. All you do here is enjoy yourself.'

The old man glared at his wife and said,
'You and your bran muffins...
We could have been here ten years ago..!'

Chocolate Cake anyone?

Cool pic

2008-05-14T22:34:00.003-06:00

you know, i thought this was a cool pic. draw your own conclusion from it. it made me think of sheila for some reason....

EARTHQUAKE!

2008-04-29T23:02:00.013-06:00

While at Monterey at the Defense Language Institute, we had an interesting occurance. I was sitting in my family room watching t.v. after work. i then thought that a military tank was coming down the road. i soon found that is was much worse. Before long, I was grabbing pictures coming off the wall and yelling for my family. The following is my edited version of the Wickepedia story on the earthquake. i thought it was interesting. All i know is i spent hours in lines trying to get supplies for my family. i even fought a guy for diapers for amber.

The Quake of '89 or the World Series Quake, was a major earthquake that struck the San Francisco Bay Area of California on October 17, 1989 at 5:04 p.m. The earthquake caused major damage as far away as the Marina District in San Francisco, 95 km (60 miles) away from the epicenter. It caused severe damage throughout the San Francisco Bay Area, most notably in San Francisco and Oakland, but also in many other communities throughout the region, including Alameda, San Mateo, Santa Clara, San Benito County, Santa Cruz, and Monterey Counties. Major property damage that occurred in the areas more distant from the epicenter resulted from liquefaction of soil used to fill waterfront properties. Other effects included sand volcanoes, landslides, and ground ruptures.

Caused by a slip along the San Andreas Fault, the earthquake lasted approximately 15 seconds and measured 6.9 on the moment magnitude scale. The quake killed 67 people throughout northern California, injured 3,757 people and left more than 12,000 people homeless. This was the first major earthquake in America to be broadcast on live television.

Much of the damage and most of the fatalities occurred in the San Francisco/Oakland area.

67 deaths were directly caused by the earthquake, but six further deaths were ruled to be caused indirectly. In addition, there were 3,757 injuries as a result of the earthquake. The highest concentration of fatalities, 42 occurred in the collapse of the Cypress Street Viaduct on the Nimitz Freeway, where a double-decker portion of the freeway collapsed, crushing the cars on the lower deck.

One 50-foot (15 m) section of the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge also collapsed, causing two cars to fall to the deck below, leading to the single fatality on the bridge. When the earthquake hit, the 1989 World Series baseball championship was just starting and many people had left work early or were staying late to participate in after-work group viewings and parties.

18,306 homes and 2,575 businesses were damaged. In the area close to the epicentre, 40 buildings collapsed in Santa Cruz (killing at least six people). Given the distance between the quake's epicenter and the Bay Area, geologists were surprised at the severity of the resulting damage.

The quake caused an estimated $6 billion in property damage, becoming the most expensive natural disaster in U.S. history at the time. It was the largest earthquake to occur on the San Andreas Fault since the great 1906 San Francisco earthquake. Private donations poured in to aid relief efforts and on October 26, President George H.W. Bush signed a $3.45 billion earthquake relief package for California.

Car crushed by the third floor of a collapsed apartment building. In San Francisco's Marina District, several apartment buildings and other multi-story homes were damaged heavily. Because the land the Marina neighborhood sat on was filled land, the earthquake's shockwaves rippled the ground with more severity. The mixture of sand, dirt, rubble, and other materials used to make up the artificial ground contained a high percentage of groundwater which resulted earthquake liquefaction. Multi-story buildings shook violently and many that had inadequately reinforced garages on the first floor experienced their heavy upper stories falling onto that floor. In some instances, only the top floor was left intact, having spilled into the road, crushing parked cars, trees, and light poles.

At the intersection of San Francisco's Beach and Divisadero Streets, there was a major structure fire, due to a gas main rupture. Bystanders were selected by the fire department to help run fire hoses from a distance because the nearby hydrant system failed. Water from the bay was shot at the burning buildings by fireboats similar to those used to put out fires caused by the 1906 earthquake. In collapsed buildings that did not catch fire, rescue teams searched the fallen buildings thoroughly, pulling out various survivors from underneath splintered wood and other debris. Most of the apartment structures that collapsed were corner units, with garage doors lined up on the exposed corners. Not originally part of the buildings, the garage doors that were installed quite some time after the buildings' initial construction weakened the first-story walls, causing the stiff, wood-frame buildings to buckle, crack, and crash into the streets. There were about five deaths that occurred from Marina District apartment fires and collapses. One family lost their baby boy who was trapped underneath their collapsed apartment.

Santa Cruz's historic Pacific Garden Mall suffered severe damage in the quake. Deaths in downtown Santa Cruz occurred when brick storefronts and sidewalls in the historic downtown (what was then called the Pacific Garden Mall) tumbled down on people exiting the buildings. There was significant structural damage to beachfront villas of Capitola Village, when the fireplaces and end-walls of a landmark row-style hotel collapsed onto the sidewalks. The quake claimed a number of lives in Watsonville. Many older wooden structures were knocked off of their foundations and collapsed. Many residents were displaced from their homes. The earthquake also destroyed several buildings in the Old Town district of Salinas. In Monterey, windows were shattered in many homes and businesses and several historical structures were damaged.

In Santa Cruz, the Pacific Garden Mall was irreparably damaged, with falling debris killing three people. When the earthquake struck, the brick facades of the historic buildings poured into the streets, while buildings self-destructed by slamming against one another in reaction to the lengthy temblor. During the first several days, the power was out and some areas had no water. The historic streets all over coastal Santa Cruz county were filled with debris, rescue workers, and concerned evacuees. Modern downtown Santa Cruz was effectively rebuilt from scratch, much as San Francisco was rebuilt after the 1906 earthquake.

The San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge suffered relatively minor damage, as a 50-foot (15 meter) section of the upper deck on the eastern side crashed onto the deck below. The quake caused the Oakland side of the bridge to shift 18 centimeters (7 inches) to the east, and caused the bolts of one section to shear off, sending the small part of the roadbed crashing down like a trapdoor. When that part of the bridge collapsed, a few upper deck motorists drove into the hole but landed safely on the lower deck. Traffic on both decks came to a halt, blocked by the section of roadbed. Police began unsnarling the traffic jam, telling drivers to turn their cars around and drive back the way they had come. Eastbound drivers stuck on the lower deck between the collapse and Yerba Buena Island were routed up to the upper deck and westward back to San Francisco. A miscommunication made by police at Yerba Buena Island directed some of the drivers in the wrong direction; they were directed to the upper deck driving east toward the collapse site. One of the drivers didn't see the gap in time; the car plunged over the ledge and smashed onto the collapsed roadbed. The driver died and the passenger was seriously injured. On November 18, the collapsed section was removed and replaced, and the bridge was re-opened.

The worst disaster of the earthquake was the collapse of the Cypress Viaduct in West Oakland. 40 people died and many more were injured. Built in the late 1950s, the Cypress Viaduct (a small stretch of the I-880 Nimitz Freeway) was a double-decker freeway system that was relatively innovative when it was first constructed. Because little attention had been paid to strengthening it in case of a major earthquake, the freeway was changed very little from when it was built. Like the Marina District, the land the Cypress Viaduct was built on was simply filled marshland. When the earthquake hit, the shaking was amplified in those areas, causing more damage than would have normally occurred if the land were bedrock.

With the combination of outdated earthquake standards and unstable ground, the freeway buckled and twisted to its limits before the support columns failed and sent the upper deck crashing to the lower deck. In an instant, over forty people were crushed in their cars. Cars on the upper deck were tossed around violently, some of them flipped sideways and some of them dangling at the edge of the highway. Appearing as though a "bomb had been exploded on the structure," the gigantic freeway was in ruins, with chunks of concrete in the streets below, steel rebar twisting out, and thick smoke coming out from in between the pancaked roadbeds. Nearby residents and factory workers came to the rescue, climbing onto the wreckage and pulling trapped people out of their mangled cars from under a four-foot gap in some sections. Employees from Pacific Pipe (a now-shuttered factory adjoining the freeway) drove heavy lift equipment to the scene and started using it to raise sections of fallen freeway enough to allow further rescue. Hard-hatted factory workers continued their volunteer operation without stopping night and day until October 21, 1989 when they were forced to halt as President George H. W. Bush and Governor George Deukmejian viewed the damage.

before and after

2008-04-18T11:21:00.004-06:00

here it is. i feel lots better. hope i can keep it off.

stats:

lost 30lbs

lost about 4% body fat

lost 2 inches in my waist

now i'm upping the calorie intake and the work out schedule for maintenance.

wish me luck on keeping it off!

more fat pix

2008-04-17T19:45:00.004-06:00

sheila has taken delight in finding before pictures of me. unbeknownst to me, there are lots of them.

so, what the hay...here's a good one. love the chin and the food in my hand. i guess now that i've dropped from 295 to 263 i can take the abuse (plus, i love sheila lots and she's been very supportive).

FAT GUY

2008-04-15T10:42:00.013-06:00

This is me in high school. Keep that in mind.

As many of you know, i am doing a very rigorous diet. In fact, Sheila and I are doing it together. I started first and Sheila followed later. I have to say that i didn't think i was getting that fat. i knew i was slowly gaining weight, especially over the last couple years, but i was shocked when i was sent my picture with Mr. Mitt Romney! Mind you, this is an especially bad picture of me but it was fatso enough to motivate me to find a diet solution. So I did.

Here's the Romney pic. The BEFORE, if you will. The AFTER on the next post...

I think he probably wanted to write "Best wishes you fat tub of lard, Mitt Romney".

This is another fatty picture I noticed awhile back (the Mitt picture is the worst).

This is me singing at the Sandy Amphitheater with Billy Dean, Thurl Bailey and the boys. Next to Billy Dean, I must have looked like a fat Goliath. Notice the under chin fat growth.

Here's Billy.

I don't think he has a weight problem...

The problem is...tall guys can hide their fat for a long time. So I snuck up on 300lbs without too much pain. Now it must change (did you hear the resolve in my voice?). After pix to follow...

the above picture

2008-04-15T10:26:00.002-06:00

by the way, i was asked about the pic on the header of my blog. that is me at 120 feet of sea water swimming into a big torpedo hole in the belly of a big japanese freighter in Truk lagoon in Micronesia. I know it looks like just a natural rock formation but it's steel and sea growth!

keep this in mind this week

2008-04-14T07:40:00.006-06:00

one of my favorite pix

2008-04-14T00:09:00.002-06:00

i love this picture. i give credit to Shauna for digging it up. there's a lot of personality stuffed into that shot!

tagged...

2008-04-13T23:05:00.003-06:00

o.k. i'll do the tag. this is about the 3rd time i've been asked on this one so what they hay...

1. i didn't tell my college basketball coach that i was going on a mission for my church until i was on the training table getting my ankle tape removed immediately AFTER the game where we took 2nd at the NJCAA tournament. He was not pleased. i did that because i wanted to play and i didn't think he would play me if he knew i was going on a mission. but, duh, why else would i be playing junior college ball? i was just a freshman.

2. When i was in the air force, i scored the highest in my class in Russian pre test. i didn't want to go to the places where that language would take me so, when i was getting my uniforms tailored, i snuck over to the pretty young girl in the assignments dept. and talked her into changing my assignment to the only german slot available. there were lots of russian slots.

3. while on the subject of the air force, i had to pull strings to get in. the height limit in the AF is 6'8". so, because they had to get a step ladder to measure me, i would slouch and actually spread my legs apart about 2 feet. it wasn't until half way through basic that the drill sargeant screamed at me..."Heap, you SOB, you're 6'10". I just smiled and saluted.

4. Also, i went AWOL (absent with out leave) once near the end of basic training. I snuck out during the base field day to meet my wife at a hotel (ahem) near the base. We had just won the tug-o-war (i was the anchor of course) and people were feeling good and celebrating...i disappeared.

5. I had a top secret security clearance in the Air Force. The FBI talked to all kinds of family and friends and did this massive background check before i could get it.

6. I am named Ted because my Dad, Theo, was always called Ted when he was young and he liked the name.

7. My grandpa was a prospector and spoke several different native indian dialects.

There you go. More where that came from...

BODY SCAN

2008-03-03T11:08:00.004-07:00

Last week I got a body scan. As one gets older, one starts worrying about these things. Plus, I thought it was interesting so I did it.

It was a reasonably painless experience. It didn't require fasting and the scan process was really quite short. It only took 15 minutes or so.

Then, a fellow shows you everything on his computer screen and analyzes the data with you. So, we looked in every nook and cranny from the tip of my skull to the middle of my thigh. Glands, bones, lungs, blood vessels, heart, etc. in full color. I thought it was pretty cool. Especially when he said i was squeeky clean and looked quite healthy for my age. He didn't seem to notice the quite obvious fat layer surrounding every body shot. Not too much, though. I actually thought it would be more!

It really does give you peace of mind. More than I thought.

Tagged?

2008-03-02T23:12:00.008-07:00

sadie has "TAGGED" me? apparently i am to write 10 little known things about me. o.k. i'll give it a shot. does anyone care? and what kinds of things do people want to know? i expect people to help me out here and tell me what kinds of things people want to know. here's my first stab and i'll add to it if i get any good suggestions...

1. everyone knows i was a basketball player but most people don't know i like volleyball and ping pong better. i played on a winning air force volleyball team when we were stationed in San Angelo Texas. i also think i'm a pretty good ping pong player. play me at your own risk...

2. i have staples in my foot from a screwed up surgery. yep, 2 big metal staples hold my big toe and 2nd supporting bones together. the bones never knit after surgery!

3. my favorite cereal is frosted flakes with cut strawberries.

4. i've been to Seoul Korea and had a Geisha Girl feed me Kim Chee. (nothing else, just fed me the Kim Chee).

5. Got lost in Mexico City once while walking around on foot. Took me over four hours to find my hotel again. Thought i was going to get mugged.

6. I won an award for Tuba playing in elementary school.

7. i've had 4 spinal taps.

8. i've eaten dog meat.

9. i've gained 40 lbs. since high school.

10. i like Letterman a lot more than Leno but i like that Ferguson guy from Scotland the most.

There ya go. plenty more where that came from...

Politically Freaked OUt

2008-02-19T15:35:00.007-07:00

as many of you know, I did a lot of campaigning for Mitt Romney. In a previous post I told about my trip to Boston to do a 2 day fundraiser. Why? Cuz I love this country and Mitt's the first candidate in a long time that is moral, conservative, experienced, and economically brilliant. A candidate that i can be proud of cuz i want so deperately to be proud of my country.

I saw the following on an email. I feel the same. And i quote...

Chelsea Clinton recently discussed current events with a U.S. soldier. She asked if, as an American fighting man, anything scared him. He told her there were only three things he feared:

1) Osama

2) Obama AND

3) Yo Mama

i think that says it all...

love my wife

2008-02-14T14:52:00.005-07:00

i'm not a good blogger. i could be but i just can't make myself sit down and do it. it's a motivation problem.

Today, though, i have motivation. i've got to say that i love the chick to whom i'm married.

I've already started giving her all the reasons why today and will continue to do so. But, for public consumption, just know i love her and all the little valentines we brought into this world.

Singin'

2008-01-28T22:55:00.000-07:00

as many of you know, i like to sing with some friends in a quartet.

although, we don't do much barbershop singin'.

we try to branch out a bit. care to hear our newest creation? hold on to yer hats...it's a bit out there.

like some of the great men of history, i snore

2008-01-18T02:57:00.000-07:00

Often, I am reminded that I am clearly the son of theo.

In my book, that's a very good thing. He's a lovely guy. Smart, a real achiever, honest as the day is long and not too bad looking for an old guy. But tonight, my genetic connection rings loud and clear in the form of a low, rhythmic rumble.

I am at least 9 inches taller than my dad which is a pretty significant genetic difference. So, why are he and I perfect genetic clones in the snoring department? That would have been another great place to split off the family tree. But no, when I lay on my back just right, I can break glass.

A lot of guys seem to have this problem.

I remember a campout a couple of years ago. During the night, I dreamt that I was walking through the woods and some guy fired up the chainsaw and completely ruined my serenity. I got mad at him but he wouldn't shut it off. This went on for some time untill i faded out of sleep and into reality. Wow. I wanted to shoot myself by the end of the night. I was sleeping next to a good friend of mine who makes my snoring seem like a flute solo. (Yes, Randy, I'm talking about you. Get some help.)

Once I went to the sleep center at the hospital. They tested me all night and said I wake up something like 80 times an hour. I don't remember waking up 80 times an hour. Doesn't waking up mean you are conscious?

Anyway, I asked what we can do about this problem and was surprised to find that, in this day and age, with all of the amazing advances in medicine and technology, their solution was to fit me with a Darth Vader mask that I must sleep in for the rest of my life.

uh, no. How about you just prescribe some morphine for my wife and we'll both be happy.

I'm curious, how do you ladies out there cope with your guy? Sheila's great about it but it can't be the most fun thing she has to deal with.

2008-01-13T21:09:00.000-07:00

i'm baaaaack?

2008-01-13T20:47:00.000-07:00

I wish I was here. I was a missionary here. Temp between 70-90 all year. Nice people. Yeah, I wish I was here.

Truk Lagoon Dive Trip

2007-08-02T04:55:00.000-06:00

yep, i went all the way to Micronesia to go scuba diving and it was pretty cool. Truk lagoon (sometimes called Chuuk) was the location of a major battle of WWII in the pacific. 3 of us made the rather long trip to the other side of the world to experience a bit of World History first hand.

It was February 1944, when the US decided on a little payback for Pearl Harbor. Many called Truk the Japanese Pearl Harbor.

It was the home base for the Imperial Japanese Navy's combined fleet. The attack was called "Operation Hailstone" and it pretty much devastated the Japanese.

Although a couple of their "Super Battleships" left Truk the day prior. Vice Admiral Marc A. Mitscher's Task Force 58 had five fleet carriers (Enterprise, Yorktown, Essex, Intrepid, and Bunker Hill) and four light carriers (Belleau Wood, Cabot, Monterey, and Cowpens), embarking more than 500 planes. Supporting the carriers was a large fleet of seven battleships, and numerous cruisers, destroyers, submarines, and other support ships.

The U.S. attack involved a combination of airstrikes, surface ship actions, and submarine attacks over two days and appeared to take the Japanese completely by surprise. In total the attack sank three Japanese light cruisers (Agano, Katori, and Naka), six destroyers (Oite, Fumizuki, Maikaze, Hagio, Isogu, and Tachikaze), three other smaller warships, and 32 merchant ships. Some of the ships were destroyed in the anchorage and some in the area surrounding Truk lagoon. Many of the merchant ships were loaded with reinforcements and supplies for Japanese garrisons in the central Pacific area. Very few of the troops aboard the sunken ships survived and little of their cargos were recovered...

So, we climbed aboard a dive boat and spent the week looking at the sunken remains of the Japanese Navy. A truly amazing experience. Most of the dives were quite deep. Our deepest dive was 188 feet to the San Francisco Maru where we saw a battle tank on the deck, a cargo hold full of land mines, various ordinance, and all kinds of paraphenalia from the crew.

There were a lot of Saki bottles everywhere. Apparently, the Japanese sailors liked to drink.

Our first dive was to penetrate a ship at 120' through a torpedo hole and then make our way through the engine room. Coming around one of the corners, i came face to face with a skull that was wedged between two beams.

Apparently, that sailor had a bad day.

Here I'm checking out the cockpit of a Japanese Zero.

All in all, i had a good trip. Between my trip to the Ukraine and this trip, i've gotten a pretty good first hand feeling for WWII.

While swimming through the interior of one of the sunken ships, i came upon a bathroom with a small sink, mirror, and toilet. My main thought was that these were just average guys who were swept up in the massive current of world events. Maybe that will serve to broaden my mind to todays realities and the costs of war.

This is a beached whale that we tried desperately to rescue. My humanitarian work is never done...

Time to get rolling...

2007-07-31T18:32:00.000-06:00

i like to travel. but, i'm not a "sit on the beach and read a novel" type guy. so, what did i do this year? Read on...

December 2006-January 2007
I did an amazing trip with 2 of my kids. We went to the Ukraine to distribute pajamas to orphanages in various cities. I hooked up with the Blueberry Childrens Foundation to help with arrangements in conjunction with some of the missionaries in country.

We had a wonderful experience. It wasn’t all easy but it was all good. We went to 9 or 10 orphanages or half way houses in 4 different cities across the Ukraine. It was all very well received and a bit heartbreaking to see some of the conditions. We gave away over 3000 pairs of pajamas! At least we know that over 3000 kids will sleep a bit warmer in the frigid cold of the Ukraine.

My son, TJ, also did his Eagle Scout project there. He got all of the kids in our neighborhood here to knit a whole bunch of warm hats and he distributed them. It was kind of cute to see all those 12 or 13 year old boys knitting. They loved it, though. The hats you see in the pictures are his.

i've found that performing service for others makes me happy. seems like an easy concept so...why do i neglect to do it more often?

These kids were great...nothing like playing basketball in a sweaty old gym while wearing long johns...whew!

There are over 100,000 orphaned or abandoned children in Ukraine. Alcohol is the largest contributor to the problem.

I also picked up the eastern bloc perspective on WWII. Very interesting. Very sad. Read this link for more info...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eastern_Front_%28World_War_II%29#Operation_Barbarossa:_Summer_1941

It was a good trip. i hope we did as much for them as they did for us...