The Power of Groceries

It's My Party, and I'll Skip if I Want To

2010-09-21T17:41:00.020-05:00

I'm an Introvert. An off-the-charts, 100% every time I take the test, Introvert. Learning to honor that part of me, including taking care of it according to how it can best be served, has been an amazingly beneficial process for me.

By 'the test', I'm referring to the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI). The MBTI defines four groups of two traits, and by taking a yes/no questionnaire (free online version here), one can determine which of each trait is a more accurate description of their tendencies.

Extraversion (E) vs Introversion (I)
Sensing (S) vs Intuition (N)
Thinking (T) vs Feeling (F)
Judgment (J) vs Perception (P)

This results in a four-letter combination, or type, for a person. With 4 groups of 2, there are 16 possible combinations. See this website for listings and discussions of each.

Every time I've taken this test, I've ended up INTP - 'The Thinker' or my favorite: 'The Absent-Minded Professor'. I posted something a while back expressing frustration with the labeling. But over the years, I've come to value tools that allow me to look at myself honestly. And while I'm still testing at INTP, I am thankful that my T/F is now around 55%-60% T rather than the 100% it's been in the past.

Anywhatzit, this post is about the freedom I've found by honoring my Introvertedness. Being an Introvert is not the same as being shy, anti-social, lonely, or awkward. The most resonant concepts for me around the Introvert/Extrovert division is in where a person is recharged, and where a person is drained of their energy.

Extroverts feel recharged by spending time socially with others, while the Introvert feels drained of energy being with others. Give an introvert quiet time alone, to reflect and recharge, and they will be content, while an Extrovert will tend to grow increasingly uncomfortable and need to get out and do something.

Removing the judgments against myself that it was somehow 'not normal' to want to spend evenings alone, and was 'normal' to celebrate a particularly difficult week out on the town with friends.

I now cherish my 'Me' days on the calendar. They are sacred red-letter days for me, and when life restructures my time where I am unable to spend at least 1, usually 2 evenings a week on my own, with my chair and a book, I can now prepare myself for the increased irritability, frustration, and loss of focus that will come along with me to the next event. This awareness helps me temper myself, and give myself and others more slack and opens me to more forgiveness.

So if you have ever felt exhausted after a wonderful party, or petrified at having to entertain house guests, or embarrassed for spending a Friday night alone and totally enjoying it, you might lean toward the Introverted side of things.

Here's some articles which I find encouraging as an introvert:

Revenge of the Introvert - from Psychology Today
Being an Introvert in an Extroverted World
The Shy Connector - Slideshow about the Introvert
An Introvert Stands Up for the Right to Be Alone - article in the Washington Post

Today I don't have the negative opinions I used to of the 'label' of INTP. It is not some galactic curse, imprinted into my psyche, dooming me to live a life within someone else's set of rules. On the contrary, I see it as a tool which provides me with insight into my 'easy operating' areas and 'room for growth' or 'learning zone' areas.

It has been empowering and exciting to me to work on some of the more negative tendencies I read about 'The INTP', especially around the T/F split. Awareness seems to be the first step, and I'm definitely more aware of when I'm in a comfort zone, and when I'm being challenged to grow.

Thanks for your time, and feel free to share your own 'four letter words' in a comment.

Tim "tending towards change" James

UPDATE: For each of the 16 types, here are Personal Growth and Improvement Suggestions for that type. The suggestions for the INTP gave me a lot of insight.

Year of Tiger Begin!

2010-02-19T14:29:00.002-06:00

Is new year good, everybody! This is Tiger's year 2010.

I wish you greatest blessing and the Happy New Lunar Year!

Tim "A Dragon" James

Brother's Birthday Round Two

2009-12-21T08:13:00.000-06:00

A second brother had a birthday after I met xtranormal.com, so another movie was made.

Welcome to the talk show: 'Fascinating Members of the Neighborhood' where savvy personality Jack Awesome interviews fascinating people in the neighborhood. Featured in Tonight's Episode: Ninja #3.

I'm still finding my groove with this tool, and lots of Joy along the way, so it's all good.

Speaking of Groove, if you haven't checked out Grooveshark you need to. For reals. It's a great free streaming music website.

Happy Holidays everyone, go cultivate goodness,
Tim "Jolly Old Man" James

My New Super Favorite Toy

2009-11-20T09:57:00.007-06:00

Once my good buddy John sent me this link to a pretty funny video about these Hipsters discussing Cyclocross, I was hooked. Well, actually it was after I'd watched the video he sent me, and went to the website www.xtranormal.com and started working on my own movie that I was hooked.

My first video is: Super Saturday, dedicated to my 'little' brother.

I've got the strangest feeling this is just the beginning, so

Welcome!
...to the Revolution!

Tim "like wildfire" James

PS: When using the web versi0n in Firefox, I found that if my mouse pointer went outside of the Flash boundaries for the movie creation, it would reload and lose all unsaved data. This can be somewhat to primal-rage-inducingly frustrating. So I suggest moving your pointer carefully down to the bottom right, clicking "Take 5" to save your work, then come back in to edit it. Now you know.

King of the Wild Things!

2009-08-07T15:16:00.003-05:00

When I first heard there was going to be a live-action movie of Where the Wild Things Are, I was less than optimistic. I just knew the movie was going to destroy the exalted place in myself that is occupied by memories of 'reading' this book.

NOTE: 'reading' is in quotes because the book's only got about 9 sentences or something.

However, despite the brevity of the text, I would sit for hours studying the pictures and imagining worlds of unbounded wildness and fun, populated with monsters inspired by the amazing artwork in the book.

There was just no way a movie could capture that feeling.

Then, back in March, the first trailer surfaced.

On first watching, I was choked up and nearly teary-eyed. Wow. This might just work. But I wasn't letting my hopes get up too high because then the dashing against the rocks is always so painful.

Fast forward to August, and the next trailer appears:

This time, I crossed the line from nearly teary-eyed on over into smiling while weeping.

So now I'm letting those expectations soar. Even if the rocks do crush them someday, the time flying will have been worth it.

Tim "The King is dead, long live the King" James

Fun With Compound Words

2009-04-06T12:33:00.002-05:00

Nerban Legend: noun. An apocryphal story that spreads quickly and is popularly believed to be true including elements particularly tailored to appeal to those who are single-minded or overly accomplished in scientific, technical, or typically nonsocial pursuits ( i.e. Warhammer 40K, World of Warcraft, Comic Book Guy, etc.) who are felt to be socially inept.

Please Consider...

2008-11-20T12:01:00.030-06:00

I'm not sure when it started, but I've begun noticing it more and more lately. Popping up in emails from all over the place, a little bit of consciousness thrown in for good measure down at the bottom. Don't know if you've seen it or not, but it's something to the effect of the following:

Please consider your environmental responsibility before printing this email.

This was an eye-opener for me. I mean, I've been printing off every email I send or receive since 1994. So far the "Collected Works of Tim and People He May or May Not Actually Know" spans 367 volumes. And that's not even including the forwards! But this little signature line gem made me rethink my philosophy. I mean, I wasn't considering my environmental responsibility, now was I? I was just enjoying all the rights of being a part of the food chain's upper class. Little did I know I was actually destroying my home by printing so many emails! Egads, what to do?!

But this simple tagline, with a nifty eco-friendly glyph added using the capital letter 'P' in the 'Webdings' font (see here for a nifty table and instructions on using some of the 'dings'... but don't count on Firefox to render them appropriately) got me thinking...

There's so much more people should be considering in this world. Just think of the difference we could make in the universe by just suggesting people consider this or that upon reading an email I either wrote or thought was worth forwarding to everyone who's name has ever been added to my Address Book! It's pure genius.

I submit the following as possible additional taglines we could add to our mails, and I just know the Utopia this planet is destined to become will be made manifest in that much less time once we all just pause every once in a while to consider.

Please consider providing a link to a good YouTube video, because reading emails tends to bore me.

Please consider that the Mercator Projection is practically unusable for latitudes higher than 70° north or south. Don't let Greenland fool you!

Please consider adding graphs and charts to increase the spiffiness factor in your emails.

Please consider your digital storage responsibility before saving this email.

Please consider your audio environmental responsibility before sharing all of your downloaded ringtones with the rest of the world.

Please consider your opinions rejected flatly, by default, across the board, unless stated otherwise.

Please consider your Karmic responsibility now that you've enjoyed a taste of my wisdom.

Please consider not focusing on things we could actually do to help the world, just don't print emails. You'll feel so much better simply for not doing anything!

Please consider how awesome it will be when we finally get hoverboards!

Please consider yourself warned.

Please consider natural beauty overrated and not good for the economy.

Please consider that the critical security update to Windows that just installed without your permission will corrupt all of your files and leave you vulnerable to identity theft, security breaches, loss of firstborn, and contraction of deadly diseases unless you restart your computer right this second.

Please consider awareness.

Please consider how unintelligent we look before sending another Arecibo Message.

Please consider letting a few things go, enjoying the moment, not having to be right, and opening yourself up to learning something new.

Feel free to add your own suggestions for further considerations we could share with our fellowmen through the etherwebs that have entertwined us all.

Tim "still considering" James

All I Really Need to Know I Learned From My Atari 2600

2008-11-12T19:26:00.020-06:00

1) You Are What You Eat: By continually eating Fast Food items (Cheeseburgers, Hot Dogs, Nachos, Soda Pop, etc.) while avoiding healthy foods such as Purple Eggplant, I might gain more points, but chances are I will be "Getting FATTER".

2) Sisyphus Has it Easy: When confronted with tasks that initially seem to be productive, such as driving a race car with no brakes around a track while picking up large "dots" in the road and trying to avoid head-on collisions with a computer-controlled vehicle driving the wrong way on the same road, remember that clearing all the dots will just create a new screen with more dots, there are only five sets of dots per turn, and after three crashes, all that happens is your score will flash. Then you can start over.

3) Winning Isn't Everything (or even possible): There are always more invaders from space that operate in synchronization to slowly invade the earth. While you're "Laser Cannon" is capable of destroying the invaders, there will always be more. More points can be scored by destroying the Command Alien Ship, but again, Infinite invaders + Finite Cannon Count = Impossible odds.

4) Candy Good, "The Man" Bad: When accidentally left behind on a strange, alien planet, fall down as many holes as possible, searching for items that can be used to build a communicator to "Phone Home" and call the mothership to the forest for an emergency evacuation. Accept Candy (Reeeeeeeessseesss Peeeeeeeessseeess) from kind strangers (like Eeeelllllleeeeeoooottt) but be sure to avoid all the government agents who just want to experiment on you and determine why extending your neck while at the bottom of a hole allows you to levitate your way out of the trap. They insist it's all for "National Security".

5) I'll Get By With A Little Help From My Friends: When searching for a Biblical Relic that has been lost for centuries and possesses extraordinary powers and is able to "level mountains" and "lay waste to entire regions." Oh, did we mention any army possessing it is invincible. Well, yeah, when doing that, be sure to progress back and forth through the ENTRANCE ROOM to the MARKETPLACE to the TEMPLE ENTRANCE to the SPIDER ROOM to the ROOM OF THE SHINING LIGHT to the TREASURE ROOM to the MESA FIELD to the MESA SIDE to the VALLEY OF POSION to the BLACK MARKET and back and forth as required until reaching the WELL OF THE SOULS and discovering the Ark. Both controllers, significant amounts of hints, endless patience, the ability to imagine pixelated attempts at graphics represent a MAGIC FLUTE and COINS and a GRENADE a KEY a WHIP a PARACHUTE a TIMEPIECE a REVOLVER with BULLETS an ANKH some CHAI an HOURGLASS (not to be confused with a TIMEPIECE) and even a SHOVEL, all that and no power outages will be required, but it is possible. Good Luck!

6) The Best Offense Is A Good Defense: If you ever notice that aliens from the planet of Krytol have begun an attack on the planet Zardon, remember that the Krytolians are warriors out to destroy and seize the planet of Zardon. Even though Zardon is the last of the peaceful planets, the Zardonians are skillful and hardworking people, and their cities are built-up and rich in resources. I mean, it is truly a planet void of crime and violence. Luckily, Zardon has built a powerful defense system. Several antiballistic missile bases have been established within the cities of Zardon. The Zardonians are ready for this attack, and are prepared to fight to save their cities.
If you then get appointed to be base commander, it is your responsibility to protect and defend six cities on the planet of Zardon. The Krytolians have begun firing interplanetary ballistic missiles. They are aiming at your cities and missile bases. Your only defense is to fire back with antiballistic missiles. But watch out, the Krytolians are sly, they also have cruise missiles. Cruise missiles look like satellites, but they are just as deadly as the interplanetary ballistic missiles.
You must then use your antiballistic missiles (ABMs) to stop the enemy before your happy and harmonious planet is destroyed.

7) Just Because You Can Talk the Talk Doesn't Mean You Know Anything About What's Actually Happening: You might realize that a YAR is a fly simulator under direct user control, an ENERGY MISSLE can be shot by a YAR and removes CELLS. You might even know that the QOTILE is a laser-base type object on the right side of the screen, behind the SHIELD. You can understand that the SHIELD is composed of CELLS, which are the elements making up the SHIELD. In addition, you can know that a DESTROYER MISSILE is put out by the QOTILE in order to destroy YARS. You can discover that the ZORLON CANNON is really a pulsing, scintillating fireball which appears on the left side of the screen and traverses the screen horizontally. You could even conceptualize that a SWIRL is a whirling pinwheel fired by the QOTILE to again destroy YARS. Even all of that plus the knowledge that the NEUTRAL ZONE is a colorful and glittering path down the center of the playfield that will protect a YAR from the DESTROYER MISSLE, but not a SWIRL, however the YAR cannot fire the ZORLON CANNON from there.

You can know all of that and still have no idea where you came from, what you're supposed to be doing, who sent you, who is the enemy, who is your friend, and why this game is so awesome anyway.

Tim "GAME RESET" James

What I did on my Summer Vacation

2007-11-12T22:10:00.000-06:00

Simple list format today folks:

Flew in two (2) different planes for a single non-stop flight
Walked the earth
Slept in
Saw Bigfoot
Got a picture with George Bush Sr.
Caught a football with my hooves
Left luggage unattended
Carried at least three (3) universes (universi?) up a flight of stairs
Smuggled pirated goods across the border
Slept out
Spent a Saturday nearly 100% Shanty Style
Escaped unscathed from the radio black hole that is central America
Read a book, read a book, read a... hmmm... nevermind.
Found the true meaning of Christmas
Witnessed BC's swan's song for the ages
Stared at snow
Kissed a rainbow
Missed work
Hunted Moon Rocks
Ran with scissors
Scared off some neighborhood dogs
Laundry
Created RoboTim (Patent Pending)
9 naps in 7 days

Tim "out of office autoreply" James

Doin' the Bug-Dance

2007-06-14T17:41:00.000-05:00

Ever wanna catch yourself some lightning bugs? Or just wanna mess with the minds of a few cool little insects? Well now you can. Read on to find out more:
You can 'call' in male fireflies by pretending you are a female firefly and blinking a small bright light (like a little LED or a pen-light... not the big honkin' flashlight shown above) to attract the males.

The key is in the timing. After you see a firefly flash, wait two seconds and then flash your light, kinda close to the ground. This will make the firefly come towards your light. When it flashes again, count one-one-thousand two-one-thousand and 'blink' him again. The poor guy won't know what hit him when he finally comes to land on your bulb.

I know it's a little late in the season now, but just keep this in mind for the next time you are out with the fireflies. Don't knock it till you've tried it.

Tim "science: the right stuff" James

Oh Captain, My Captain

2007-03-07T17:46:00.000-06:00

Well, some things changed today: They killed off Captain America.

1941-2007. Not a bad run for a scrawny Steve Rogers who, after being injected with the 'Super-Soldier Serum' suddenly became the pinnacle of human potential. His first comic showed him decking Hitler on the cover (see left).

He was by far my favorite superhero with wings on his head. Well, actually he was one of my favorite superheros of any of them. Even though he didn't 'technically' have any super powers, I think living for 66 years at the peak of physical condition, getting trapped and frozen in the ocean after WWII, surviving in suspended animation until being revived decades later still feeling great what with his sweet-A shield and kung-fu grip constitutes something 'super' going on.

I never owned any of the Cap's comics, but I remember the show on TV. He had one heckuva cool motorcycle, and I've already mentioned the wings. Dunno why I liked him so much, to be honest, but I did.

This whole killing of the Captain thing reminds me of a Vonnegut quote:

This was the reason Americans shot each other so often: It was a convenient literary device for ending short stories and books.

I might add that it's also a convenient literary device for drumming up sales of a lagging product. Of course, in comics, you can never be sure anybody will stay dead (what major character has?), so I'm not sure how long it will take to bring him back (wanna start a pool?), but I guess their marketing ploy worked because this is now front page news and I'm paying more attention to Cap than I have in years.

Read more here. or here. or here.

Next thing you know Spider-Man will reveal to the world that he's really Peter Parker...

Tim "still in denial" James

The Indestructible Man

2007-02-27T18:14:00.000-06:00

I Just heard today about Rulon Gardner surviving another accident.

Who-lon?? Gard-what?? You may be saying.

You know, Rulon Gardner... your friendly neighborhood heavyweight champion of the world.

The one who impaled himself on an arrow in grade school.

The one who beat the Legendary Alexander Karelin in Sydney 2000.

The one who lost a toe due to frostbite after crashing his snowmobile in 2002.

The one who pretty much walked away from a motorcycle crash in 2004.

The one who gets a trophy:

I had the chance to meet this guy back in my days at Nebraska and I can honestly say he's a class act. I'm glad he's okay after all his mishaps, but I can hear Mark and Tolly razzing him but good for this latest in the string of improbable, larger-than-life experiences by the man, the myth, the legend: The Rulon.

Tim "amazed" James

MBTA + ATHF = LOL

2007-02-01T10:58:00.000-06:00

Checking the current Department of Homeland Security threat level reveals that we are (still) under significant risk of terrorist attacks, translating to an 'Elevated' or 'Yellow' threat level.

Checking This Site reveals that Aqua Teen Hunger Force somehow got the green light for a movie to be released later this year.

Checking eBay for listings of 'Mooninites' reveals a strange connection between the Mooninites, Boston, and January 31, 2007.

Checking this Wikipedia Entry reveals an ever-changing landscape of majority-rules input/opinions/links/background/etc. into what in the Sam Hill I'm getting at here.

Checking this Press Conference Video reveals that hairstyles of the '70s are important for some, while not so much so to others.

Checking the Cartoon Network Adult Swim website reveals lawyers are getting very excited about the goings-on.

What could be better than a nice little marketing scheme gone horribly awry? Perhaps a marketing scheme going so well that it exceeds everyone's dreams of what was possible. We'll soon find out if it really is easier to get forgiveness than permisson. Well, okay, "soon" maybe isn't the most appropriate word.

Tim "the moon rules" James

Take On the World!!

2007-01-25T17:11:00.000-06:00

Well, they've done it. Garmin is doing a Super Bowl commercial this year.

Starring Maposaurus (right) and Garmin Man, this is a sure-fire winner, folks, let me tell you what.

Godzilla versus Power Rangers accompanied by Heavy Metal. What could be better?

I'm reserving my harshest judgement for this thing till after it airs on the 4th, but I must admit to taking some pretty high readings on my lame-o-meter after first watching.

But the dang song is somewhat stuck in my head (along with the 'Funk Soul Brother' that is Fatboy Slim's latest hit... most lyrically complex song ever. That's true poetry, no?) so perhaps there is something to this approach that I just can't appreciate due to being too close to the action. (Not to mention overly judgemental).

So let me know what you think... is this a success or not? Make your predictions now, and we'll find out halfway through the second quarter of the Bears/Colts game.

Tim "new highway" James

Safe at Any Speed

2007-01-19T18:59:00.000-06:00

So I'm now on one week with a new roommate. It's going quite well, and it's kinda nice to have somebody besides my microwave to chat to of an evening. (As the canopener won't return my calls) . But the poor guy moved in during a freezing-rain storm. Not the best of weather conditions for that kinda thing. Anyway, where was I? Oh yeah, all over the map.

So rather than help the guy dig his car out of the ice-block that it turned into, I loaned him my ice-scraper. Later that night I asked him what he did with the thing once he was finished. "It's on the top of your car"

"Cool, thanks."

Next day, leaving from work for lunch I suddenly remember... Dang it!!! Now I've gotta go and find myself a new scraper, but before getting too choked up over my loss I decide to look on top of the car 'just in case'. Well, what do you know, there it was. Perched somewhat precariously, but looking no worse for the wear, right on top of the car.

I must be the world's lamest driver. Ever.

This week is also of note in that it marks The Scott Phillips foray into the blogosphere. Yay for new additions!! Looking good, Scott-Tissue. Yes, have some! Something to do with... Are you ready for some... Whatever, man, just don't call me about your stinkin' Six Sigma Database, got it!! But please don't stop leaving comments here once you become all famous and everything with what you're gonna do there. You know, remember us little people.

All for now,
Tim "peppercorn ranch" James

Hot Dang!

2007-01-12T17:52:00.000-06:00

Just read this little bit of news from our friends across the pond. Now that's something I can wrap my teeth around! Even if they don't know how to spell (see 'tumour' or 'chillies') I can overlook such things in order to hear that eating spicy food could potentially kill cancer. I was skeptical at first, but if Oprah's site even says it, it's gotta be true, no?

What I wonder is if this isn't just the 'normal' action of capsaicin... isn't the death of cells what one feels after ingesting a nice, plump, spicy as all-get-out habanero pepper? Is it any surprise that cancer has difficulty standing up to such an onslaught? I also wonder about their 'no side effects' take on enjoying the spice... but I won't go into that.

Now I'm even more thankful for all those dares I took, all those bottles of hot sauce I've drank, all those peppers I've eaten, all those lasagnas I've made, and all those spices I've imbibed over the years. Well, perhaps 'thankful' isn't the right word. Perhaps I'm thinking more along the lines of "Ha! See! I wasn't stupid after all!"

Tim "Jamacia Me Crazy" James

We All Fall Down

2007-01-04T18:26:00.002-06:00

I just gotta wonder what went down last Thursday at Kennesaw State University (Check out the video if you've got the time).

I don't know if I buy that official story about 'adhesive failure' or 'water damage', but whatever happened, there was a sudden disturbance in the irony-sphere to be sure. (The poor University doesn't even have a good picture of the completed statue to show for it.)

I'll have to brush-up on my gremlin-speak, head myself out to Georgia, quiz the locals, and get back to y'all with the news.

Tim "fed after midnight" James

Old Man Tim(e)

2006-12-28T20:58:00.000-06:00

It started simply enough... an attempt to cop-out of actually doing a blog entry, but instead do a sort of "Year in Review" type thing where I just reminisce about this past year to which we will soon bid farewell.

Trouble is, I can't seem to remember much from this year, but here's my list of stuff worth noting in 2006 that I came up with in like 20 minutes or so:

Pearl Jam releases self-titled album (love it or hate it, I took my pick)
Turning 30 didn't end the universe as we know it (or did it?)
'Stranger Than Fiction' made me smile even more than 'Little Miss Sunshine' did
John and Kim got all hitched-up (Yay for pinecones... but what about #2?)
Against all odds, I somehow managed to upgrade my car situation (rethinking #2)
Say hello to our little friends: Eva, Lily & Noah
(Where's the link, Grossardts?)
Okie State beats Nebraska... at football, and wins a bowl game (seriously... #2??)
Barrett, Crippin, Heather, Jerry, Kim, Lucas & Amber, and Spring show me the ways of the blogosphere
I laughed myself silly watching the end of the Bears vs. Cardinals Monday Night Football game
You actually read this (Lame-O-Meter Threat Level: Orange)

Feel free to add your own tidbits of trivia, experiences of exhilaration, moments of memorabilia, stories of success, details of despair, remarks to remember, or appalling abuses of alliteration from 2006.

See ya next year,

Tim "Donkey Kong Jr." James

A Cup of Good Cheer

2006-12-19T18:47:00.000-06:00

'Twas the week before Christmas and time for a blog,
But I'd thought of nothing, my mind was a fog.

I am looking forward to Christmas vacation,
as home with the family is my destination.

But before I can get there there's things left to do
like rearrange woodblocks and play my kazoo.

The house is all piled up with laundry and bills;
coupon upon coupon promising great deals.

So much going on, what with shopping and work
and trying to drive without being a jerk.

Not the best 'something' in which to create,
so I opted instead to procrastinate.

But time has a way of still marching along
despite my best efforts to shorten its song.

So here I sit now just a few days away
from the time of the year that we give things away.

But 'The Perfect Gift' is oft hard to find
Is it more 'in the Spirit' to be just and kind?

"The thought is what counts!" that's my Christmas cry,
the problem is most times it just doesn't fly.

There's friends to remember and strangers in need.
To fill all the stockings: well... daunting indeed.

"Peace on Earth" to happen, must begin somewhere.
Could it be just as simple as showing you care?

Here I am now rambling on in this post
and still haven't said what I wanted to most.

Try to think back to a friend or a toy
or a part of your life that has given you Joy.

Pause for a moment, and stop to consider
how big of a treasure it is to remember.

These times that we're given; hold onto them tight
for someday they'll help in the darkness of night.

We're all on this journey, single threads in a rope,
specs of dust all, but yet able to hope.

So share when you're able, and ask when in need.
For nothing unites like a heartfelt good deed.

And while in the 'real world' of daily routine,
you're filling your place in a greater machine.

By touching one life, when given a chance,
you're playing your part in this life's grand dance.

All is not perfect, I'm first to admit,
But you make a difference with each little bit.

Now down off my soapbox I'll take a quick step
I guess this no longer inside could be kept.

With these few typed words, I've now met my goal
Of making an entry not leaving a hole.

This one last warning the author admits:
I don't do a good job of giving out gifts.

So if I get you nothing, don't take it as bad.
It's just that I'm lazy and not that I'm mad.

Tim "person of the year" James

Having Solved All Other Problems...

2006-12-13T12:00:00.000-06:00

I was wanting to rant about Dr. James Dobson's take on the new movie 'Happy Feet' that I overheard on the radio (around 17:40 - 21:00 in the broadcast) this week over lunch (I tuned in with the express intent of getting frustrated... mission accomplished)

Apparently the fact that a little penguin is an outcast and different than the other penguins, doesn't fit in, and tells his dad he needs to be accepted for who he is means that 'Happy Feet' is promoting the 'homosexual agenda'... thus obviously bringing on the age of the Apocalypse. 'Happy Feet' for crying out loud. And then, the Focus on the Family movie review is for the most part positive:

"Gratifyingly... the film doesn't appear to boast any banner other than, 'Friendship and love can overcome any difference.'"

But I won't rant about that, ranting is no good for the soul. Chicken soup, however...

Tim "I don't understand this world in which I live" James

Thank you very much

2006-12-07T07:56:00.000-06:00

Wow. This is an interesting take on The King to say the least.

One has to wonder about an Elvis impersonation act that is performed in Welsh, by a bald dude, doesn't use Elvis songs, and involves a gold coffin.

Kinda reminds me of Bubba Ho-tep, that cinematic piece of gold where:

"Elvis and JFK, both alive and in nursing homes, fight for the souls of their fellow residents as they battle an ancient Egyptian Mummy"

That and the to-be-released next July Reese's peanut butter cup with banana creme in the middle in honor of The King.

"It brings The King's favorite taste of peanut butter and banana to life, and it's a fantastic way to bring two American icons together."

Or the 'jailhouse Elvises' who helped Davenport, Iowa dig out of the big snow last week.

I don't make this stuff up... at least I don't think I do.

Tim "won't share his Elvis drawing" James

Coolest Sculptures Ever

2006-12-05T12:38:00.000-06:00

I wish I'd thought of this first.

Tim "hey, at least it's an entry" James

The Giving of Thanks

2006-11-21T12:22:00.000-06:00

It's that time of year again, when the family starts trying to get together more often, the leaves all fall down, the food seems to come in larger and more frequent quantities, those people in New York are putting the finishing touches on their floats, the winter coats come out of storage, the college football bowl schedule begins to take shape, the Christmas lights go up (unless you never took them down), the Great Pumpkin has come and gone, the "Good morning window-frost" routine is begun again, Retail Stores are aglow with Christmas Spirit, and we here in North America have given it a name: Thanksgiving.So give a little thanks this season. Or better yet, a lot of thanks. Even better, do it the whole year round. Stop all the madness and running about and take time to reflect on the high points you've encountered on this a here Journey we call Life.

And be thankful you're not Clyde '05. The best laid plans...

Tim "fan of tryptophan" James

Calling Tech Support

2006-11-16T17:09:00.000-06:00

So everyone at the company gets an email today from the IT department concerning 'missing' items in Outlook's 'Deleted Items' folder. The reason these items went 'missing' is that something runs regularly on the server to remove old items from the 'Deleted Items' folder.

Apparently this has caused some people concern.

Enough concern that we ALL got an email about it. Company-wide emergency style.

I'm sorry, what was the issue again? I DELETED an email, and now it's gone!!?! How can this be!??! Will the madness never end!!?!

A line from the email:

"IT recommends that e-mail users do not store messages in their Deleted Items folder"

Wow. Sheer brilliance, I say.

Tim "where'd I put that SPAM again?" James

When in Barbados...

2006-11-08T18:36:00.000-06:00

So let me get this straight... I'm walking along in the evening, enjoying the night air and the beautiful scenery on my perfect vacation when I begin to notice that perhaps there's something a little bit off about the sound the 'gravel' makes as I walk. Further investigation reveals: Giant African Snails. Wow. Who knew?

Sure glad I'm not vacationing in the Caribbean right now.

Well, actually, on second thought, I think I could maybe handle the giant, ravenous, fast-multiplying, African land snails given a few weeks to get used to it.

Perhaps three would do.

Yeah, three would do nicely.

Oh, and here's another article I thought was interesting, but didn't know how to berate properly.

Tim "buy one get one" James

Best Plans Ever

2006-10-25T12:30:00.000-05:00

Sometimes you've gotta wonder what people are thinking. Okay, most times you've gotta wonder what people are thinking because you probably can't read minds (but if you can, I feel your pain), and most people don't just spend their days blurting out a constant stream of play-by-play on what's going on in their noggins... well, most people who don't have blogs I guess. That said, you've really gotta wonder what the following folks were thinking.

First up: Mr. "I know the perfect solution for not catching my plane". Wow. What a brilliant scheme! What could possibly go wrong with that idea? I dunno what they teach at 'college' in Florida, but it doesn't appear Avoiding Momentary Gross Lapses in Judgement 101 is on the required list. Come to think of it, I don't know of any schools that even offer, much less require, that particular course. Hmmm... perhaps we could add Applied Common Sense 211 and Principles of Sanity 305 and have ourselves a little honorary degree program going on.

Next we have the "Missed that little detail" group of geniuses here. Too bad they couldn't get away with those heating pipes, that would have been quite the little score, let me tell you what.

And then, today's "Robbers mistake empty bag for cash" story brought to you by Stockholm. Any article that uses the word 'comeuppance' is gonna sway me in the elections of coolness that are due to start anytime now (and I'm sure I'll be asked to vote). I also gotta hand it to any pair of robbers that make their getaway on a moped. That's some uber-coolness there.

To close out the round, we'll finish with a little bit of "Why I decided to start a blog" fodder. Take that, Google News! If transcripts were just made available for the 'breaking news' stories that air constantly and the celebrity interviews that go along with them. Nothing but Primo Grade-A news articles would be searchable then, and Google News would finally become relevant for our time, dontcha think?

Tim "5-gallon bucket" James

Carve Up a Winner

2006-10-11T18:02:00.000-05:00

With these step-by-step instructions, I'm sure to win the pumpkin carving contest this year!!

"Scroll down and learn how to create your very own."

Sounds like a good plan. I'll take you up on this challenge, I've got my pumpkin and I'm ready to go. Bring it on!

"Picking out the right pumpkin is very important."

Ahh. I see. With instructions like these, I'm sure to succeed!! Hopefully the one I got is "right".

"After a few hundred mess ups you will begin to know just exactly..."

Uhm... hold on just a second, let me get this straight... A few hundred mess-ups to BEGIN to know?!!?! Dang, yo. Hmmm... Where am I gonna find 100+ "right" pumpkins? That's gonna take a little time, methinks.

"Hard to explain but the pictures may explain."

Uhm... no. It's not working. Perhaps some video would help me out here. That or a little bit of sculpting ability. After my hundred and eleventeenth failure, I'm sure not getting too worried about the 45° X-Acto teeth.

"Hope you enjoyed our tutorial."

If by 'enjoyed' you mean 'found interesting, promising, and delightfully simple, yet ultimately unrepeatable' then yes, yes I did.

Oh well, maybe it just wasn't meant to be. There's always next year...

Tim "sticking to Paint" James

Feast Yourself to a Free Ride

2006-09-27T12:40:00.000-05:00

Now Six Flags is feeling the wrath of all that is PETA. Check out the story for yourselves, then decide... "Would I be up to the task for four "Fast-Lane" passes? " Perhaps, but perhaps not. It depends on a lot of factors:

How hungry I was that day
How busy the park was
How big and squishy the bug was
The precise definition of 'eating'
If a 'reversal of fortune' is allowed
The phase of the moon.

I believe both sides make valid arguments for why or why not this is an issue, but I just wonder... Aren't there bigger fish to fry?

Tim "Hissing" James

The Pleasure of Babelfish

2006-09-20T17:48:00.000-05:00

I where you visited the web site of my blog am excited so very!

That reading this page is that kind of reputation of the thing which chooses the fact that it comes to me!

I you or only all absolute existence desire well for your family!

When the left, he who to that is shown in the T-shirt finishes the fact that you obtain excessively soon to the shark, the happy surfer and the very fearful shark perhaps very it is not happy, become aware!

Today has done the fact that it is the day when your life is splendid!

Tim "it is lost with translation" James

Automated Teller Magic

2006-09-15T18:29:00.000-05:00

Some people get all the luck. This never happens at my ATM. What a sweet deal. One times the effort, four times the payoff. I'd be interested in what the conversation went like when this was reported.

PATRON: "Uhm... yeah, I just wanted to let you know your ATM just gave me four times the money I asked for."

EMPLOYEE: "Oh really? Hmmm... Thanks, we'll look into it."

PATRON: "Don't I get some sort of reward or something?"

EMPLOYEE: "Sounds like you already did. Come to think of it, why aren't you over there getting more 'reward' right now? As a matter of fact, why not just go deposit that extra money, come back here, withdraw a little bit more cash, deposit the extra money, deposit a little more cash... wash, rinse, and repeat. Then see how long this goose keeps laying golden eggs."

PATRON: "Oh, hadn't thought of that. Wouldn't that be like stealing?"

EMPLOYEE: "Let's see... you ask for $20 and get $80. $20 of which are taken out of your account, $60 of which are available without charge for you to deposit. You then ask for those $60 and get $240. All of which are free. Sounds like a buy 1 get 3 deal to me. It might be 'like' stealing, but it's not. It's compound interest baby."

PATRON: "Oh, hadn't thought of that."

EMPLOYEE: "Well, thanks for letting me, I mean us know. Like I said before, we'll look into it."

Tim "slow news week" James

It's Corntastic!

2006-09-06T12:16:00.000-05:00

It's always good to see a community united in a common purpose, banding together to celebrate a shared experience, friends and family joining to commemorate a momentous occasion. It's even better when that banding together is for a town's 150th anniversary, and people actually care. It's best of all when said celebration involves a 16-acre corn maze.

Now it is possible for all those visiting Nebraska to simply enter the state, see nothing but corn, and leave. Oh wait, that was already the case, wasn't it?

Good Luck Columbus, and Happy Birthday while I'm at it.

Tim "lost in a sea of mediocrity" James

The iBomb

2006-08-30T12:19:00.000-05:00

Wow. Or more appropriately... WoW. This poor guy had quite a trip to meet up with some online gaming buddies. So did his iPod. I don't really have much to add to the story except to say that 'Tim' in the above-referenced article does not apply to me.

At least that's what I'm telling people.

Tim "iBored" James

Public Service Announcement #118

2006-08-29T12:05:00.000-05:00

When geocaching in Monroe, OH, ensure the following:

It is not dark out
You are not 'suspicious looking'
Any witnesses understand what you are doing
You are not expecting real treasure

Tim "covered with duct tape" James

Attention Academy:

2006-08-28T11:46:00.000-05:00

There is no need to release or view any movies for the remainder of this year. The best movie, by far, of this or any year has already been released and thus the rest of the season will be moot.

Beerfest is here. While some may think titles such as "Snakes on a Plane" or "Zoom" would offer better fare than Beerfest, they are wrong.

This movie has originality, innovation, and ground-breaking cinematic flair oozing out of all its pores. I don't want to give too much away, but there's a group of underdogs who have to try to overcome seemingly insurmountable odds to achieve victory and reclaim their honor.

With a premise like this and the cast to back it up. This one's definitely a hit. If you can think of a better film, let me know and I'll point out how wrong you are.

Tim "this is my sarcastic font" James

Poor Pluto

2006-08-25T12:01:00.000-05:00

1930-2006

Well, it's official. We went and lost ourselves a planet yesterday. I guess now we lose our Nine Pizza-Pies and My Very Educated Mother Just Served Us Noodles or something like that. But Pluto isn't so much gone, I guess, as redefined. Now it's a "dwarf planet". All because it plays well with others and "has not cleared the neighbourhood around its orbit."

So this poor little planet, who nobody even noticed for most of it's life, got named after the god of death, was finally getting spacecraft sent it's way, getting to hang out with the big guys, and generally doing a fine job of minding it's own business now is kicked out of the planet club. Sheesh, give the kid a break.

What does that even mean "has not cleared the neighbourhood"? Is that like a citation or something? What did it do? Leave a couple of cars up on blocks in the front yard? Walk by some trash in the gutter without cleaning it up? Allow kids to walk on its lawn? Run over Mr. McFeely during one of his Speedy Delivery runs? Wait, no... I think NOT running over Mr. McFeely might contribute to this particular offense.

I guess I'm just glad I'm not a teacher or a textbook or a really cool painted ceiling that now has to change and learn to incorporate "dwarf planet friendly" nomenclature such as Ceres and 2003 UB313 into its lexicon.

Tim "Small Solar-System Body" James

You Can't Win Them All

2006-08-24T12:04:00.000-05:00

But these guys can't seem to even win once. I got a little confused about the exact route they took, but things appeared to go a little south to me. Talk about walking the road to nowhere. Or digging the ditch to it. I don't really understand how this plan could have possibly gone wrong, it had all the makings of pure brilliance... but I guess some things just weren't meant to be.

Tim "gotta get me a shoehorn" James

Bring It On

2006-08-23T12:19:00.000-05:00

Sometime today, the clock in my office is going to line up with the clock in the drawing. That will be a good time. A good time indeed. At least I hope so. I mean, I don't really know what the day is going to bring, or the evening for that matter, I just know it'll bring something, so I'll try to be ready. Perhaps it will be something memorable, perhaps not. But I'll do what I can to make each moment a "good time" and enjoy what I've got here in front of me.

Whatever life may bring, man, whatever life may bring.

Tim "not attending a hoe-down... to my knowledge" James

If You Believe...

2006-08-22T12:15:00.000-05:00

It appears NASA has been unable to find the original tapes of the moon landing. Hmmm... interesting. They've been looking for over a year and "haven't been able to locate" them. Hmmm... very interesting. Apparently, over 700 boxes of archival footage from the Apollo missions are missing. Hmmm... very interesting indeed.

There are some who claim this to be a continued cover-up by The Powers That Be to prevent the public from knowing the truth about the supposed Apollo Moon Landings. And then there are some who disagree. They can't both be right, can they?

Take a look at the picture of the lunar lander (Courtesy NASA). That thing looks like it could handle a moon-landing about as well as the Lemon Peeler could make a safe trek through the Shawnee Mission Park mountain-bike trails. So what is the real story here?

Well, it's rather complicated to go into in a blog entry, as the limitations of the written word are such that communicating the full intricacies and ramifications becomes difficult if not impossible. But I can touch on the basic main point: Both sides are right! The melding of the two camps involves time-travel, the early Mayan civilization, an Atari 2600, the fifth dimension, Masonic rituals, the year 2012, Alien Intelligence, sweet pickle relish, Baba O'Riley, a Rubik's cube, three left-hand ski gloves, a loaf of bread, a container of milk, and a stick of butter.

It explains everything, though... and I mean 'everything'.

Tim "Dude, where's my moon tapes?" James

Dinosaurs-R-Us

2006-08-21T12:23:00.000-05:00

This is a case of a "draw-first, write later" blog. I don't have any idea what to write, but I wanted to draw a dinosaur, so there you have it. That's the picutre. Now to come up with a caption and a story to go with it. Or not. I could just leave the picture and write nothing in the text worth reading and hope it goes over well.

Yeah, that's what I'll do. Not much to report on anyway. Except for my enjoyment of the musical presentation of the book of Tobit, my flight to Columbia, MO where the sinus cavity behind my eye felt like it was going to explode, and my good friend Scott getting ordained as a Minister of Word and Sacrement. It was all good (no exploding sinus cavities), so hopefully you'll enjoy the dinosaur. I don't have a name for the guy yet, so let me know what it should be.

Tim "perhaps Frederick?" James

Fun with

2006-08-18T12:02:00.000-05:00


 _____         _              _
|_   _|__   __| | __ _ _   _.//___
  | |/ _ \ / _` |/ _` | | | |\/ __|
  | | (_) | (_| | (_| | |_| | \__ 
  |_|\___/ \__,_|\__,_|\__, | |___/
                       |___/  
           _                   
 ___ _ __ | |_ _ __ _   _   _ ___
/ _ \ '_ \| __| '__| | | | | / __|
| __/ | | | |_| |  | |_| | | \__ 
 ___|_| |_|\__|_|   \__, | |_|___/
                    |___/                                 
 _        _    __  __ _____ _ 
|#|      /#\  |##\/##|#####|#|
|#|     /#_#\ |#|##|#|###| |#|
|#|___ /#####\|#|  |#|#|___|#|
|#####/#/   \#\#|  |#|#####(#)
                   
 _____                  _                
|_   _}_ _ __  "\0/" _ | |__ _ _ __  ___ ___
  | | | | '  \   |  | || / _` | '  \/ -_|_-<
  |_| |_|_|_|_| / \  \__/\__,_|_|_|_\___/__/

Low Headroom

2006-08-17T12:44:00.000-05:00

Got a link to this "I didn't think there would be a problem, officer" story the other day and just had to share it with y'all. It's even been 'verified' by Snopes.com.

Note to self: Permits appear to be required for a reason... perhaps they aren't so bad after all.

Tim "Mr. Intertia" James

Somewhere Over the What the?!?

2006-08-16T12:10:00.000-05:00

I'm not entirely sure, but I think this might have something to do with why Kansas gets a bad rep.

Tim "now blogging about it" James

Computerized Canvas

2006-08-15T12:05:00.000-05:00

If you haven't read The Credit Card Prank (Parts I and II even), you should. It's pretty worth reading if you ask me... which you didn't, but I don't care as I'm in charge of this site so I can write what I want. You, of course, have the same freedoms, just add comments. There, now that that's settled, let's get on with the entry proper.

If you hadn't noticed, I find Microsoft Paint to be wicked awesome. I don't know why I get such a thrill using it, but I do. Maybe it's the simplicity and innocence of the thing: If your drawing of a cute bunny rabbit ends up looking like something Jackson Pollock could have signed, you can always say "Hey, I was using Microsoft Paint, give me a break." It's kinda like a get out of jail free card or something. Of course, my "cute little bunny rabbit" turned out looking just plain creepy, and is nowhere near a Pollock work of art, so I don't know if playing the Paint card is gonna help me.

If only you could upload pictures here too... we could compare rabbits.

Tim "purveyor of pulp" James

Welcome #6417329

2006-08-14T12:03:00.000-05:00

There's been another addition to the world's population. This time courtesy of my friends Kevin and Melissa. ???? ????? Brewer was born at 6:something-something in the AM on Sunday, August 13, 2006. Last I knew, there wasn't an official name for the little girl yet, but I'm sure something is in the works.

Stay tuned for more details on this breaking news story. And enjoy your Monday, or whatever day it is when you read this, if you read this. But I guess you did since you are reading this, huh? If I tell you not to read the rest, will you still read it? Yep, you did. CHEATER!!

UPDATE: The baby's name is Lily Mae. The whole fam is home and doing well. Pictures are here. Thanks for asking.

Take off, eh.
Tim "???" James

The Labelmaker

2006-08-11T12:25:00.000-05:00

Way back in the day, in an 'Interpersonal Communications' course, I was introduced to the "Meyers-Briggs Temperament Indicator" which claimed to be able to classify everyone's personality on the basis of four categories having one of two values. Resulting in a mere 16 possible bins for all of us to be thrown into.

So they had us take this test, and then we found out what we 'were'. Or at least what the test claimed we were. You are either Introverted or Extroverted, Intuitive or Sensing, Thinking or Feeling, and Judging or Perceiving. I got pretty fascinated about this whole process, wondering what the merit was behind all of this, and how the whole 'nature vs. nurture' part of the debate fit in, and not liking the idea of there only being 16 different types of people in the world, but I did agree with most of what they said I 'was' (INTP), so it intrigued me.

I eventually bought the book (Please Understand Me II) and even made myself a little program that let me take the test automagically without having to write anything down. If you don't know your bin, and want to take an online version of the test (not the one I made), try this one here. Then let us know what you 'are'.

All this to say why do we have to label everything and try to find an explanation or a tidy little container to put everyone in? Or do we? If we do, is it a bad thing? I don't know, but I find myself doing it all the time...

"What kind of work do you do?"

"Where do you live?"

"Are you taking any prescription medication?"

I guess I try to construct a box for everything and everyone, since without it I'm just too uncomfortable with all the mystery or uncertainness, or lack of control or whatever it is that motivates me to explore and find out that the box no longer fits, so I can then create a new one, which will then be found wanting...

And so on.

Tim "choose your own adventure" James

Up, Up, and Away

2006-08-10T12:17:00.000-05:00

Super Grover is one of my heroes. As a kid I had a stuffed Super Grover that I was extremely fond of. Even when it was all ratty and broken-down due to years of (over)-use. I mean, who can't love a superhero who can fly (but has trouble with landings), has to ask people not to step on his cape, wears a nice shiny helmet, doesn't disguise his identity, and learns something about life and/or himself nearly every time he interacts with somebody.

Shine on, you crazy Super Grover, Shine on.

Tim "brought to you by the letter G" James

Funderwear

2006-08-09T09:49:00.000-05:00

As today is National Underwear Day, we should celebrate by wearing underwear... I guess. I'm not really sure why we need a National Underwear Day, or how 'National' it even is yet as they're signing petitions or whatever, but it is blogworthy and got me thinking about what I wear under there today so I guess it served it's purpose. I'm not yet ready for doing the tour de KC in just my skivvies to conduct the underwear surveys, but KC isn't yet ready for me either, so it kinda works out.

Tim "no dress code at work, but I think this would be pushing it a little too far" James

Cellular Schmellular

2006-08-08T12:02:00.000-05:00

I don't know why I have such a hard time with it, but it seems I just can't embrace the whole cellular phone revolution. Of course, the revolution is long over, but for some reason I can't get over the fact that the Empire has ended. I at least own a cellular phone now, but I hardly ever use it, and don't give the number out to people, so why do I even have the thing? "Emergency use" I guess, but I'm so illiterate with mine (just look at my feeble attempt to draw it) I probably wouldn't be able to pull that off either. Not to mention I can't even abbreviate 'cellular' properly...

But for all you wireless phone subscribers with worries about the telemarketers thing, don't be... it isn't happening yet according to Snopes.com. Until that day, I'll just keep my 'real' phone as I need those telemarketing calls, survey calls, political messages, and charitable donation calls to give me someone to talk to.

Whoever inventetd that No Call List thing probably had more friends than me, cuz I love a good chat with a complete stranger using a script about the merits of purchasing more items or services I do not need and could never use.

Love it like how I love getting gasoline poured in my ears.

Tim "land line ho!" James

Bartender...

2006-08-07T12:03:00.000-05:00

I need a refill. As you can see, I've run out of M. My can is quite a bit on the empty side of things this fine, rainy day. So I'll just ramble about nothing for a while here, which is the whole point of a blog anyway.

Lately I've been sleeping better, but remembering my dreams more. This seems weird as I recall being told that remembering your dreams was only supposed to happen if you woke up at the 'wrong' part of your sleep cycle (Plus, the dreams themselves haven't exactly been 'normal'). I tried to find a link to an article about that, but didn't look very hard, due to the low M levels today. All I found were links to strange dream-interpretation sites that I didn't want to read or share with the rest of you. Google "remembering dreams" and "quality of sleep" to see for yourself.

Speaking of celebrations, My friends Ted and Hannah just had their first child last week. Noah David Mabie was born on August 1 @ 3:28 in the PM. Welcome to the world, Noah. He's a cute little guy, and they're home and happy now, though they might be remembering more of their dreams in the coming weeks and months.

Tim "hour hand" James

The Space Between

2006-08-05T09:28:00.000-05:00

Listen to the Dogbert, boys and girls, for the moral of today's lesson: Perhaps a better title for this post would be something along the lines of "Nothing New Under the Sun" as I plan on blatantly plagiarising as much material as possible in an attempt to make a point that I'm not even sure exists.

A 'textbook-style' definition of negative space lives on your friend and mine here, but I prefer examples (but I have to admit their swan pic is pretty decent).

I think my favorite use of negative space (besides the works of M. C. Escher who has now appeared twice on these pages) is in the logo for the NCAA Big Ten conference. For those who aren't aware, the Big Ten Conference has eleven teams. And that's just what the logo says. Cool, huh?

While we're at it, let's just go ahead and throw in a work accenting negative space by the main man M.C.E. This is his woodcut (another woodcut, dang!) Sky and Water I. This man had a brilliant mind for seeing the patterns and intricacies of things that I can barely comprehend.

Speaking of barely comprehending anything, let's throw in a life application via song lyrics section, okay?

The first song that came to mind was the DMB song mentioned in the title. My most favoritest lines in this song are as follows:

The space between
what's wrong and right
is where you'll find me hiding, waiting for you.
The space between
your heart and mine
is the space we'll fill with time

Then you've got the classic power-ballad from Rush called "Free Will" with the 'more true and complicated than it sounds on first listen' line:

If you choose not to decide, you still have made a choice.

Our next exhibit is brought to you by those good folks at Corporate Logo Design Incorporated, or wherever it is that the Fed Ex logo was made. That's got a bit of a coolness factor going on with the negative space thing too, dontcha think?

Your homework: Think about the negative space this week. The things we don't do, or don't say, or don't think about, or don't pay attention to have just as much impact, and sometimes more, as the things we do. Once again I must use outside material to make a point. Attributed to St. Francis of Assisi:
Preach the Gospel always, and if necessary, use words.

And finally, a 'first appearance on the web Microsoft Paint original' work by Tim "came to snuff the rooster" James

Yes Virginia, there is a better Gyro

2006-08-04T17:46:00.000-05:00

There's a term my old college roommate and I had for a certain quality a restaurant either possessed or it did not: "Normitude".

Norm was (and still is to my knowledge) the owner/operator of the M&N San d wich Shop in Lincoln, NE. Stepping into Norm's store was like stepping into what would happen if a Blues Bar, a Chicago eatery and the Cornhusker football team mated and produced an offspring that served delicious food made to order.

Things might have been a little off-kilter and awkward during your first visit to Norm's place, but you soon warmed up to the shop (if you knew what was good for ya) and eventually realized that in addition to the peppers and pastrami, the secret ingredient was love. Norm loves serving a good meal.

You don't see "Normitude" just anywhere and you might miss it if you aren't looking in the right places. Well, I've missed the M&N Sandwich shop since moving away from Lincoln, but I've found a new place that's way up high on the scale of Zero to Norm. It's called the Pita Deli & Market, but we call it The Pita Place.

It's just a little place between a dry-cleaners and a Weight Watchers, but the "Normitude" is sky-high. David, the owner/operator, takes the time to make each meal, discuss the latest news, tell how his family is doing, ask about your day, and get you exactly what you came in there for... a great meal. I don't even have to order any more unless I want to change things up a little bit. As soon as I walk in he knows he'll most likely be making a "Pepper Jack, spicy".

So if you're ever in the neighborhood (151st and Mur-Len) and in the mood for a good meal (complete with Fashion TV), stop on in and tell 'em Tim sent ya. And while you're at it, let me know of some more places with serious "Normitude".

Tim "medium rare" James

Going Postal

2006-08-04T11:58:00.000-05:00

My sister tipped me off yesterday to this amazing tidbit of knowledge, and I just had to share it with the rest of you. Now available at your local Post Office : DC Comics in their own sheet of 20 stamps.

Don't know what the significance of this is, except that I'll have to take me a trip to my Post Office soon before they sell out!

Tim "out of touch" James

Wiki-Click It

2006-08-03T11:49:00.000-05:00

Wikipedia is amazing. If you haven't used it, you should check it out. It's kinda like Google on Crack. All these people are adding stuff about stuff all the time. It's a living encyclopedia with no real accountability except that of your peers. Or, well, at least your contemporaries. Maybe they are somebody's peers too, but I don't really know.

Which brings me to my next point. Who takes the time to create these articles, and why is there so much information about comic book characters? Now don't get me wrong, I'm not complaining in the least, quite the opposite actually. I'm a big comic book fan myself and it just so happens that my friend John and I have 'invented' a game where you take a topic, Wikipedia it, and see how many clicks it takes to get to a comic book character. We think there's like 6 degrees of separation or something. Here's some of our results so far. Feel free to add to the list as you see fit.

From - - - - - - - ->To - - - - - Clicks
-----------------------------------------
St. George's Cross- >Union Jack - - 3
Sun - - - - - - - - >Superman - - - 2
Tootsie Roll Pop - ->Batman - - - - 2
Appletiser - - - - ->Loki - - - - - 3
Cholesterol - - - - >Poison Ivy - - 4
Cholesterol - - - - >Batman - - - - 4
James - - - - - - - >Wolverine - - -1
Garmin G1000 - - - ->Spider-Man - - 5
Circle of Fifths - ->Fantastic Four 2
America - - - - - - >Judge Dredd - -2
John - - - - - - - ->Union Jack - - 5
Vic Rattlehead - - ->Green Lantern -4

Or you can just roll your eyes, sigh, say something like "my, my, my" and wonder what other nerdy 'games' I try to play.

Tim "spaghetti sandwich" James

Relativity

2006-08-02T08:26:00.000-05:00

This is one of my favorite M. C. Escher works. (M.C. Escher's "Relativity" (c) 2006 The M.C. Escher Company BV - the Netherlands. All rights reserved. Used by permission. www.mcescher.com)

Even more impressive to me than the beauty and genius expressed in the finished work is that it was a woodcut. A woodcut for crying out loud! He didn't just draw this thing, he carved it, removing every bit of white that you see (unless it is printed on black paper with white ink, but I don't think that's the case).

Then you've got the whole "deeper meaning" part of the work, where you wonder if 'up' is the same 'up' for everyone... likewise with the 'down' and 'side to side'. I'm not saying I'm solving any of life's mysteries by looking at this print, just that it makes me think and I like stuff that does that.

Tim "irregular division of a plane" James

The Lemon Peeler

2006-08-01T15:17:00.000-05:00

Here's that bike I was telling everyone about...

Well, this isn't actually the bike it's just a picture of it. And it's actually not even a picture of the bike but rather just a picture of an old ad for the bike.

This thing is seriously pimped-out: It's got full suspension, hand-brakes (with a drum brake on the front wheel), 20-inch racing slick rear wheel, 16-inch front wheel, 5 speed stik shift, and a coolness factor that's just through the roof. This thing is one sweet ride, let me tell you what. However, it's not too practical for a daily commute as it weighs about 40 pounds if not more.

$86.95... and that's 1968 dollars.

Tim "contrary to popular belief" James

The great pretender

2006-08-01T12:23:00.000-05:00

Hello World.

There, I did it. The first step in any programming class... creating the 'Hello World' display. Hopefully it worked. Well, duh... I guess it did since you are reading this, huh?

I don't know why I started this thing, there are a few goals I have in mind, but most of them involve eating something for lunch today and not crashing into anything during the drive home.

Speaking of lunch, it's time to go.

Speaking of Phoenix, it's dang hot outside.

Tim "rising from the ashes" James