Mesmerized

We are Home, and its Faster

We are home from Italy! It was very cool. We crammed a lot of sights in, but it was still a good vacation. Pics are coming, but I have to convert from RAW to jpg, and then upload it all. This will take a while. Once the first city, Rome, is done, I will get it up first.

Secondly, the saga of the growing cat continues. We weighed Mason when we got home. He gained almost a pound while we were gone! He is now 11.4 lbs, and still crazy!

Lastly, the faster part. I got a letter in the mail today from our cable/internet provider, Insight, telling us this. Unreal! Who else in the US is at 10Megs? I bet a few big cities are there, but Insight is mostly a rural provider for southern Indiana. I am impressed, thanks Insight!

Kitties

Mason is officially 10.2 pounds. If we leave the cat food out, he claws at it because he is always hungry! He is even eating bugs because he is so hungry! Here is a nice pic of the cats.

Finally back

It has been a busy couple of weeks, but I am alive. The manufacturing plant I work in is going through upgrade projects right now. My project took me 9 days or so WORKING 14 hour days, but it is done. And, just as things were supposed to slow back down, I dislocated my finger playing soccer two nights ago, so playing volleyball is out now (my favorite sport). So, now I won't have much going on at all.

Man, typing with 1 hand is terrible!

The first Pacers pre-season game is tonight. We will see how it goes. This whole story with Jack and Tinsley is still strange to me; I don't know how to take it yet. These are the two guys I thought the Pacers should have got rid of (knowing that no one really wants them though). I have hope for the new guys, though.

I have created blog alerts. Even though I am pretty sure no one else out there wants to be alerted when I write something, let me know if you do.

Mason is growing like a weed! He is up to 9.6 pounds, and still skinny! (He is tall and long). I snapped this last night.

Another Reason to Love Sears

Those of you that know me, know that I love Sears. Not only the store, but the brands. Here is yet another great reason to love Sears.

http://www3.sears.com/

This is their online parts store. You type in ANY Sears brand model number, and you get a diagram and parts list. I have used it twice this week for my mower and my drill; both of which I abuse and after this much time, you expect to have a replace a few parts here and there. Its MUCH cheaper than buying a new tool of another brand because you can't buy replacement parts.

I also used it for our dishwasher. Last year it started leaking, so I pulled up the parts diagram from the Sears parts store, and was able to use it as a guide when I tore it apart to replace the seal that was bad (which of course I was able to order as well).

Lastly, my grandpa gave me his old angle grinder because the motor went out. Now, they don't make them this big anymore, but even though it was old, I decided to check the Sears part store. Sure enough, they still have parts for it!

Just something to think about when you buy new tools and household items.

Last Weekend and Your Life Expectancy

Last weekend we went caming with some of my friends from college. I thought it was a lot of fun. I learned a new game, played some washers, canoed for a few hours, did some hiking, its was relaxing. The river was alittle low, so canoeing took a little more effort than normal, but oh well. The weather was nice, food was good, good times. My wife doesn't really like camping too much, but she played some games and hopefully wasn't too bored.

So I am stealing this idea, but its still cool. This site, Livingto100.com, calculates how old you should live to be. I should live to be 88 years old. Leave me a reply with your life expectancy.

Falling Away

I have been looking forward to this CD for a few weeks now. I thought the radio single "Invincible" sounded different. Lead singer Tony Byroads left the band to be with his family. It is obvious where the creative talent and sound came from here. This new CD isn't bad, but they should have changed their name from Crossfade, this is a much different sound. I am let down.

A Great One is Gone

Maynard Ferguson, one of the greatest trumpet players ever, has died.

http://powerlineblog.com/archives/015107.php

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zdQtlsog2PM

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kDhh_j_9aSE

Thanks for the info, Chip.

The latest video

Playtime

They are having fun!

Ya Baby

DPS-10, its hot, and finally in my living room.

A Little Music, Please

First, Red

Red is a relatively new band to me and to the major record business. A couple months ago I was searching the internet for some Christian rock bands, and came across Red. There were at the top of multiple charts, and their CD wasn't even out yet. I listened to a couple tracks, and wow. Their new CD, End of Silence, is fantastic. The vocals are strong, the melodies enthrolling, and the lyrics are inspiring. I like the fact that their lyrics can be interpreted about real life situations (which they are, read their bio), and about a relationship with God. If you like rock, you will like this CD, give it a listen, and tell me what you think.

Next, I just wanted to mention a couple other songs. The song This Life by Sevendust is really cool. He is writing about his soon to be born child. I won't put the lyrics here, but go check it out.

Lastly, I also like the band Cold. Their latest CD, A Different Kind of Pain, is really good. As I have been reading lyrics to songs more lately, this song was very interesting. I read the lyrics today to the song When Angels Fly Away, and was surprised. It made me think about all the families affected by the war, and I pray that they know that some people understand and appreciate all they are doing.

I'll make a soldier's decsion to fly away
load my gun, paint my face, call me misery
i can see the sky light up and the ground explode
got my sights locked in, i can see you breathe
there i watched you fall and somebody scream
it's the saddest thing when angels fly away

i can't be home tonight
i'll make it back it's alright
no one could ever love me
half as good as you

got a badge for my scars just the other day
wore it proud for the sake of my sanity
i could see the flames burn bright from the winding road
like a haunting page from our history
watched a young girl cry and a mother scream
it's the saddest thing when angels fly away

i can't be home tonight
i'll make it back it's alright
no one could ever love me
half as good as you (half as good as you)
you can't be strong tonight
love makes you sad it's alright
no one could ever worry
half as good as you (half as good as you)

half as good as you

i can't be home tonight
i'll make it back it's alright
no one one could ever love me
half as good as you
you can't be strong tonight
love makes you sad it's alright
no one could ever worry
half as good as you...
(from www.songmeanings.net)

High Seas!

This year we decided to do funny faces :)

Its Been Awhile, Here is a Few Things

So we just got back from vacation. It was a good time, but too quick. Kacey's family goes to Ocean City, NJ every summer. Lots of junk food and playing games while staying at the Forum Motor Inn. I only took a couple pics, nothing too exciting there.

The Pacers are hard at work. I am mostly anxious right now to see what Larry and Donnie do regarding our perimeter shooting. Everyone knows its a problem right now, and Donnie acknowledged it in an interview.

Alan and Ericka had their baby!! We went to see the baby before they headed home, and before we left for vacation. Courtney is a little cutie! Alan put some pictures up that they took during the first few days. Congrats to the happy parents!!

It has been a busy summer. Its not over yet.

Recommendations...

Does anyone out there have any recommendations for an online investment site?

Also, destinations in Italy and Austria? We are still hoping to go this year.

Kitty Showdown 2006

What a competition! But luckily for the owners, the war never broke out. Here are some shots from the action...

A Quick Video

Yesterday was his trip to the vet. He appears to be very healthy! (and big pawed)

Welcome Mason!

Meow meow!



He seems to be a pretty good kitty!

World Cup Hopes Over

Well, I got home from work today and was fortunate enough to not hear the scores all day. The first half was alittle exciting, but all in all, the US just didn't have it in them this year.

My brother, in the events of getting married last weekend, received an email regarding a job he applied for at Lilly. So while he is on his honeymoon this week, he was asked to interview! Its good news. The job is a Fixed Duration Employee job. I don't know much about it, but it atleast gets him some experience at Lilly. His job will only be 12-15 fixed months, then he has to find another job. The hope would be that there might be something at Lilly after its done, but who knows. We will see how the interview goes.

An Exciting Weekend

This weekend, my younger brother Adam was married to Amanda Love (now Amanda Phillips)! It was a great weekend. I was the best man and I was honored to stand next to my brother on this memorable day. I wasn't nervous for my speech as I have done this a few times, but I couldn't really read my notes (oops). Since I hadn't looked over the notes much, I struggled to read. Oh well, the cake was good. Oh yeah, and they are extremely happy!

Luckily, there was a TV in the basement of the church, so we were able to make an antenna out of a piece of wire and catch some of the World Cup! Way to go US. This Thursday might have to be a long lunch off site :) It should be a good game versus Ghana, who looked great against Italy.

Take care everyone.

The Weekend

This weekend we went camping at Turkey Run State Park for my brother Adam's bachelor party. It was a great weekend! The weather was awesome, hiking was good, people were cool. We played washers, cornhole, frisbie, basketball, and took a canoe trip. The river was nice, but unfortunately my cousin Jacob lost his wedding ring while we were tipping each other's canoes over (he didn't notice until we got back to camp).