Throw Santa

Christmas is over so it's time to Throw Santa.

It's a tricky game so good luck. Here's my best score:

Whole Lotta Bumpin' Goin' On

Yup, that grade below got bumped to an A-!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! And to think that I was scared about passing :P Angel and I RULE!

1st official grade is in

The first of my two grades which will make my degree just a bit more official has been submitted to the college and the result is:

WEB PROG APPL VISL BASIC MIS -124 -02 B+

OH YEAH! I PASSED! ONE MORE CLASS TO STRESS OVER.

Graduation Day!

Yesterday was Graduation Day. I have completed my BS! I'm so glad to be done with school! Here's a couple pics of my cap that I wore. Congrats to all my classmates! Here are more pics on Flickr

James as a dad

I've been trying to imagine James as a dad. Since there is a high probability that he is getting a girl the following photo helps us picture what James will look like holding a daughter :)

It's a Busy Christmas

The two week rush before Christmas and I'm working to death. Mandatory 6 day work week at 10 hours minimum per day. Not looking forward to this.

Good Job Guys

Well, we presented our senior project today. LEOS List is working and I think our instructor was happy with it. Congratulations on a job well done guys:
Team: Dynamic Solutions
System: LEOS List, a networking tool for TAG-IT <~ if that link doesn't work, try this one~> TAG-IT LEOS List

Individual Deliverable 7

Self Evaluation

Countdown continued

14 more days until graduation. Suspenseful isn't it.

World's ugliest dog is dead

Whew, he was ugly. I don't even want to post a pic of him. Sam is dead, but I'm sure that some other rat looking, pimpled, hairless, toothless, odd colored dog is out there to take his place. Sam's fans wanted the him stuffed and put into the Smithsonian Museum, but instead he's been cremated and his remains are in a wooden box next to 5 of the owners other deceased dogs.

Interesting. Now lets all shed a tear for Sam.

El Primero Gifto Desiro

Yes, the following is an announcement about the #1 gift that I want this X-mas:
REBALLS
I just wanted to announce it because it's funny to say "I want Reballs!"
Anyways, I guess it isn't that funny then. Nevermind.

But here's what they are:
Reballs

Each one is a re-usable paintball. It's actually not a "paint"-ball, but a synthetic ball. I can use them to tune my guns in the garage without making a mess and wasting actual paintballs that are expensive.


p.s. Ru-balls are okay too, you can get them on ebay. NO T-balls, or V-balls though, they suck!

Xbox 360

Yup, the new Xbox came out last night at midnight. Too bad everyone is sold out. But it's okay you can get yours now off ebay for only $1,700!!!! After they retail for around $400 you can enjoy getting shafted with a $1,300 markup so that you can be the first kid on the block with one, right? Yeah RIGHT! Stupid spoiled people.

Check out this ebay auction for one.

What's on the menu for Thanksgiving dinner?

Your mail order feast of course!!!!! Order now while supplies last. Your order will be delivered to your front door in a nice package with dry ice to keep it from spoiling.

I wonder if I'll be delivering any of these this week. I also wonder what people do if the delivery gets lost or the shipper puts the wrong address on it. I guess they just head to Denny's!

Below you'll find a few options for your Thanksgiving dinner order:

Pfaelzer Brothers
Create Your Own Dinner (with turkey, for 6-8) $122.95
Crispy asparagus in phyllo appetizer, $34.95
800-621-0202 pfaelzerbrothers.com

Quality: Best Overall. Most flexible; large selection of sides and desserts. Turkey not too dry or salty.

Shipping Cost/Time: Overnight shipping was $44.90; order arrived on time.

Return Policy: Within 7 days; you pay shipping. Call quickly for problem resolution.

Phone/Web Experience: Helpful, straightforward. But rep for Pfaelzer (unit of Hickorty Farms) kept us on phone pushing "specials."

Comment: Just the turkey? $39.95 to $79.95

* * *

The HoneyBaked Ham Company
Tender and Moist Whole Turkey Feast, $64.95
Side-dish package, $27.95
Baked brie, $29.95
800-367-2426 honeybakedonline.com

Quality: Best Value. Great-tasting bird; stuffing not as exciting. Extra sides were similar to Pfaelzer's.

Shipping Cost/Time: $53.80 for overnight shipping; order arrived on time.

Return Policy: All products guaranteed.

Phone/Web Experience: Efficient; knowledgeable advice on storage.

Comment: Offerings vary by region.

* * *

Gourmet Station
Four Course Thanksgiving Dinner for Two, $89.99
888-944-9794 gourmetstation.com

Quality: The idea -- upscale frozen meal -- is better than the execution. Commercial taste.

Shipping Cost/Time: Overnight shipping for two sets of two dinners was $59.98; order arrived on time.

Return Policy: Will refund money if you're "not satisfied," says company.

Phone/Web Experience: We placed our order online, but rep was courteous enough to call us and go over details.

Comment: Extra touches: ground coffee and a printed Thanksgiving prayer.

* * *

Harry and David
Cajun-style Boneless Stuffed Turkey, $99.95
Rogue Valley Oregonzola, $34.95;
Pepper and Onion Relish, $19.95;
Louisiana Yams, $24.95;
Apple-Cranberry Pie, $29.95
877-322-1200 harryanddavid.com

Quality: All items top-of-the-line, though prestuffed turkey was messy. But a la carte approach made it tough to cover bases.

Shipping Cost/Time: 106.75 for delivery of items on separate days. All arrived on appointed days, except yams, which couldn't be guaranteed.

Return Policy: Willl "make it right" if customer is not satisfied.

Phone/Web Experience: Online ordering was hassle-free. We did call to try and rush the yams (not possible).

Comment: New this year: Chardonnay smoked turkey ($69.95).

* * *

Stock Yards
Applewood Smoked Whole Turkey (10-12 lbs.), $49.95;
Scallop-Lobster Bisque, $29.95; Roasted Redskin Wedges, $9.95;
Green Beans, $9.95; Roasted Sweet Corn and Peppers, $9.95;
Cheesecake, $32.95
877-785-9273 stockyards.com

Quality: Some items won praise, especially the side dishes and behemoth cheesecake. But some testers said the bisque was too fishy, the turkey too salty.

Shipping Cost/Time: $44.90 for overnight delivery; our order arrived a day later than we expected. (Company says we might have misunderstood the rep.)

Return Policy: Company "guarantees ... the highest quality" or it will "promptly issue a credit or replacement."

Phone/Web Experience: Ordering took forever, though the rep did have a sense of humor.

Comment: Stock Yards (best known for its beef) also has a more traditional turkey breast version ($52.95).

Individual Deliverable 6

Henry Ford

Rain Dance

Well, I did the rain dance. Now I wait......

Life is interesting

This is just a stupid post because I have nothing interesting to post. So I just thought I'd make a quick reflection on life. Here it is: Life throws curveballs and it drives me nuts!

I make this statement in the face of a hopeful comfortable future that disappeared. Now I feel as though I'm a bullet in the shotgun of college and I'm about to be blown out into the real world without being able to see out the end of the barrel because I'm wrapped in this cocoon of a shotgun casing. I know I will look back at this one day and laugh, but right now it just isn't funny.

AAAAAAND there's my depressing post for the year. I really am a happy person and I'm truly excited to be in the position that I'm in. (now am I sounding bi-polar?)

GRADUATION COUNTDOWN: T-MINUS ONE MONTH

Turbo Tap!

WOW this is amazing. Turbo Tap is a tap that "pours" beer in under 2 seconds without major foaming problems. What a great invention! Check out the videos.
It looks like it's just an extended pour spout that forces the beer evenly into the bottom of the glass instead of allowing the beer to pour to the bottom and foam.

Do Not Press

Howling Halloween?

How about that, a Halloween trick or treat adventure for your dog. Santana Row in San Jose hosted this event where dogs were dressed up and taken trick or treating to all the non-food selling shops in Santana Row (my sister's tea house excluded because they sell food). Here are a few pics:
View the rest of the dogs here ~> Howling Halloween

Just Dogs

Just a pic of our two puppies:

Individual Deliverable 5

Bill Gates

baby activity

I think that this is what the baby is doing inside Regina's belly:NOW THAT'S A POWERSHIFT!!! No granny shifting here!
Looks like it's a four speed. :)

Dog fun

Cleo decided to sneak off with a sour cream bucket. It was hilarious watching her try to get it through the doggy door. She thoroughly enjoyed it once she got it outside.Here are a couple pics of Minnie (Cleo's daughter) chasing and catching a frisbee at my parents house. She's pretty good!

Growing baby

Wow, look at that kid grow.

Happy Halloween I suppose

Halloween is just as washed up and "pagan" as all the other holidays. Not sure what we're celebrating, but have a happy and safe one anyway.

A penny for your thoughts: A penny still worth picking up?

The other day I sat down at the light rail station and there was a penny next to my foot. I think it was the first time in my life that I didn't pick up a penny. Then today at In N Out Burger I passed by 2 pennies. Usually I take the time to pick them up, put them in my pocket, and throw them into a penny jar at home. While sitting at the light rail station staring at that first penny I mentioned (a little buzzed on vodka), I realized that I'm not sure the penny is worth picking up anymore. I'd have to pick up over 100 to buy a burger that wouldn't even fill me up. I wonder if the penny will ever become unnecessary and the gov't will stop making it. It'll turn into being a "Nostalgia Item."
If you see a penny, do you pick it up? Think about it, is it worth it anymore?

More of nothing :(

Exactly.....'tis the time of the year that I do nothing but school and work. At least I can look forward to stuff in the future such as getting out of school and starting the next stage in my life, snow, having a real job and making enough money to work on my cars, a son, new adventures, AND JUST BEING OUT OF SCHOOL!!!! A month and a half left until graduation (pending successful completion of MIS 124). Pray she curves that first test :)

Whew, what a week!

I worked 10 hours on Monday, 10 on Tuesday, 6 on Wednesday then went to school until 8 pm, 11 hours on Thursday, and finally I get to relax this morning and make myself some waffles and eggs. Then I work 6 hours tonight and 9 tomorrow.....Can't wait 'till next weeks paycheck! Next week is going to be the same. Time to save up money for the baby.

Golf fun

I got to play a bit of golf this week (two courses). I discovered that my $10 bargain jewel golf course is NOT a fall golf course. Everything died over the summer and the fairways and greens are absolute junk! But for $10 I still can't complain. I'll just wait until some rain falls and it gets green again in the Spring. The second course was Bing Maloney. Very beautiful! Worth the money. I got a birdie!
Enjoying a beer on the 10th:

Jerod putting:
Jerod and my tee shots!!!!!!!!!!!! LOOK AT THOSE DIVOTS!

Individual Deliverable 4

Leadership is sometimes just a term used to describe a person’s status or rank. Other times it is used to describe a person’s character. When these two things come together in an individual’s life, they tend to make a great impact on the world around them. In this essay I am going to look at Martin Luther King as a leader. I am going to use five major points that have been taken from Kouzes and Posner.....Essay on Martin Luther King using Kouses and Posner

Visited the family

Went to Salinas and enjoyed some time with the family. Salinas is still cold and windy. My dad lowered his truck and my bro got his '62 Nova back from the guys in L.A.Total Cost Involved Front clip, Independent Rear Suspension from Heidts, and Intro wheels. Now to the body shop!

Blog layout change

It seems to be the trend currently. So I am being a good sheep and following the flock. Hope you all like the new layout. Blogger.com is coming out with more and more layouts so it's difficult to choose, and I'm bored with that green layout. Anyways, check out the video below of my son in his moms belly. I think he's playing soccer with her bladder.

Ultrasound video

Here is a short video of the ultrasound. It is about 2.5 MB so high speed connection is suggested.
VIDEO

It's a boy!!!

We did the ultrasound today and the doctor was able to determine the sex of the baby: And it's a boy! Below are the scanned images of the ultrasound. This is kinda like one of those fuzzy pictures that you stare at and blur your eyes. Then after staring long enough the image pops out at you. Just kidding, but not really! The first 2 are the face and the second 2 are profiles where you can see the baby's legs and ribs. I have vids too. I'll have to sort them out and post them later.This is me enjoying a celebratory cigar courtesy of Grandpa Brizzi.

Unethical paintball....

Well, maybe not unethical, but definitely lacking paintball etiquette. When there is only one player left on one team and several on the other team it is a very kind gesture to run up to the single players bunker and tell him/her to surrender instead of shooting them. The lone player has the choice to surrender or to shoot the person who is being kind. In my opinion it is against paintball etiquette to shoot the person who is trying to be nice. The person is saving you the pain of getting shot from a close distance and from the possibility of being shot by multiple opponents at the same time. The following picture is of a person who was trying to be kind to someone who is lacking paintball etiquette. The yellow spray is from the paintball exploding on the guys arm.I played paintball on Sunday and it was great, as usual. The only thing that sucked was that I could only play until noon, then I had to go to a group meeting at school :(

A little somfin' for Dustin

About a month ago San Francisco officials chose not to hold a "winter sporting event" on the "slopes" of the S.F. city streets. Well, even though it didn't happen a month ago, they said it would happen! And it did! Here is a link to the article about the ski and snowboard jumping event that took place today: Article
And here is a link to the pictures: Pics
Funny to note that everyone is wearing short sleeve shirts and shorts :0

Bob Loblaw

Haha, say that name fast: Bob Loblaw. funny!

Dog messages

Individual Deliverable 3: So Much More To Say.....

Yeah, I wanted to add a lot more to this but the limit was 500 words (no more than that) and I'm at 499.

Three Most Influential People in History

It is very difficult to choose who the three most influential people in history are. There have been so many people through history who have had substantial impact on our world today. There have also been a lot of people whose names are well known but haven’t really affected us today. Many movie stars are famous for entertainment, but haven’t actually done anything to change our world. When I think of a person who has had a great impact on society I often think of people who created lots of controversy during their lives. Some have even done things that we would consider to be evil. However, the three which I have chosen are credited with doing positive things during their lives, and these positive things have carried on into modern times and still affect us today. The three individuals that I have chosen are Jesus Christ, Henry Ford, and Bill Gates.

I choose Jesus Christ first because I believe that he is the most influential individual that has ever walked this planet. He has influenced humans to the core of our being. He didn’t just bring entertainment, or some great invention to help society; he brought a deep spiritual understanding about God to our world. Jesus is said to have lived a perfect life, or a life without sin. He was crucified on a cross at the age of 33. For Christians, his death marked the redemption of sins for all who believe that he is the son of God. His life is known, whether accepted or not, in the entire world. I’m sure that there are remote places that haven’t heard of him, but his name is recognized more than any name in the history of the world. His life is still intensely studied by scholars, shared by many, and argued about by others.

The next most influential person that I choose is Henry Ford. Credited with the invention of mass producing the automobile, Mr. Ford revolutionized the world as we know it today by providing us with simple, affordable transportation. By bringing the automobile to the mass consumer, he created a world that could spread out more and become more independent. He didn’t necessarily have some philosophy that changed people’s hearts like Jesus. Instead he had an idea, or invention, that changed the world.

The last individual that I have chosen is Bill Gates. He was a difficult choice for me because he isn’t the sole inventor of a graphical user interface for computers. Some of the credit must go to others in the industry such as Xerox, Steve Jobs, and others, but Gates was the one who had the passion to push the idea forward quickly. By getting this interface to the market he was able to make computing simple and understandable for the average user. Computers are the future and the easier they are to use, the more people can use them and the further we will progress.

CNN: America's most dangerous jobs

Here is a list of the 10 most dangerous jobs in the U.S. I'm glad to see that law enforcement wasn't on there, but sad to see that airplane pilot was :( What is up with refuse and recyclable material collectors (garbage men?) being on there? How is that dangerous? weird

Rank	Occupation	Death rate/100,000	Total deaths
1	Logging workers	92.4	85
2	Aircraft pilots	92.4	109
3	Fishers and fishing workers	86.4	38
4	Structural iron and steel workers	47.0	31
5	Refuse and recyclable material collectors	43.2	35
6	Farmers and ranchers	37.5	307
7	Roofers	34.9	94
8	Electrical power line installers/repairers	30.0	36
9	Driver/sales workers and truck drivers	27.6	905
10	Taxi drivers and chauffeurs	24.2	67

Shotgun Shooting Exhibition

Check out Patrick Flanigan's amazing shotgun skills in this video ~> Shotgun Skills!

Cool/Weird

if you stare at the cross in the center...eventually it will seem as if all of the violet dots have dissappeared and that there is a green dot moving around on a white backround...however, the violet dots really never dissappear and the green dot is actually violet

Car Clones?

Kinda. Many of us have noticed that some cars just look a little too much like each other. Some of us know that those cars sometimes actually share the same platform, drivetrain, and other stuff but just have different bodies. The worst thing about this is the price differences between these mostly identical cars when all that changes is the name. Well, here is a small list of some of the vehicles on the road that share platforms. A couple of them are obvious, but a few of them I was kinda shocked about:

Clones
(mechanically and otherwise identical except for minor trim/price differences)

• Chevy Traliblazer -- Isuzu Ascender
• Chevy Silverado 1500 -- GMC Sierra1500
• Chevy Colorado -- GMC Canyon
• Ford Explorer -- Mercury Mountainer
• Ford Escape -- Mercury Mariner -- Mazda Tribute
• Ford Crown Victoria -- Mercury Marquis
• Pontiac Vibe -- Toyota Matrix
• Chevy Venture - Pontiac Montana
• Infiniti Q56 -- Nissan Pathfinder Armada

Kissing cousins
(common platforms; different exteriors -- may share engines, etc.)

• Mercedes-Benz E-Class -- Chrysler 300
• Chrysler Crossfire -- Mercedes SLK
• BMW 3-Series -- BMW X3
• Cadillac XLR -- Chevy Corvette
• Jaguar X-Type -- Ford Contour
• Lexus RX330 -- ToyotaHighlander
• Audi A4 -- Volkswagen Passat
• Pontiac Montana -- Pontiac Aztek
• Ford 500 -- Volvo S80
• VW Phaeton - Audi A8

Quarters

Quarters is a classic drinking game that involves bouncing quarters into shot glasses (or other glasses). Well the following video is a guy that I would NEVER challenge to a game of Quarters. VIDEO

Even if it took 100 tries for him to get some of these, they are unbelievable!

boring dayz

Well, school has started and the excitement of summer is over. Very sad to see the hot days and light until 9pm going away. Fall is in the air as my neighbor's tree is already dumping leaves on my lawn. Time to look forward to the snow starting to fall.

Bio

an assignment for one of my classes is to post a short bio and pic. Here it is:

I grew up most of my years in Salinas, CA. I graduated from North Salinas High School in 1996 and went on to attend San Jose Christian College for 2 years. After those two years the cost of school was too high so I moved to Sacramento, CA to try and make enough money to go back to school. Instead I ended up getting married and putting off school for a year. After my short break from school, I began attending California State University Sacramento in 2000. I have been going to CSUS for 6 years. In 2003 I changed my major from Computer Science to MIS because I was unable to pass Calculus II and Physics. I have been very happy with my choice because MIS gives me opportunity to socialize more rather than sit with my nose at a computer screen and write code. I plan to graduate in the fall of 2005. I currently work for FedEx Express as a courier and I plan to apply to their Information Systems department in Memphis, TN when I graduate.

Exploring Flickr

There are a lot of great pictures in Flickr. If time permits it should be explored. There are pics of everything: cars, hurricane katrina, boats, cats, dogs, puppies, kittens, burning man, costume parties, and of course AIRBORNE CATS. You have to check that last one out.

So long Old and Busted, Welcome the New Hotness

The new camera has arrived, and it rocks.
Old and Busted:

New Hotness:
I'm gonna miss it. I've had it for more than 4 years, thousands of pictures, and dozens of car shows. Heck, besides my Nova and Regina, I think it's the longest relationship I've ever had. ;)
R.I.P.....uh, um I never named it. Oh well, later camera.

Blog Spam

that's right, we don't just get it in our e-mail or text messaged to our phones, we get it in the comments on our blogs too. I usually delete them quickly, but the deleting is getting annoying so now when anyone makes a comment they have to do a word verification thing. It's just a box with a squiggly word in it and you have to type what the word is before you can post a comment. No big deal. The cool thing is that it stops automated spam programs from posting useless comments on my blog.

Canon Loyalty Program

Canon Rocks! I've got a PowerShot S110 Digital Elph (digital camera). It is having issues with the gears in the zoom lens. I think they are broken or have sand in them. I took it to a camera repair shop and they quoted me $150 for a new lens setup. Regina bought the camera for me in 2001 so it's a little old! Not really worth repairing. Anyways, she contacted Canon to see if they'd repair it. They said that for $175 ($15 more than repairing my old one) we could do their exchange program and get an upgrade to an S410!!!! We were like, OKAY! We are okay with paying half price for one. Now I'm just waiting for it to get here. Should only take 2 days, we get to keep all of the accessories we currently have on our camera, and they send the new one to us before we send the old one in. I'm very excited.

Hi everyone: From Google Earth

Hi James:
Hi Sheri:
Hi Jon, Shane, Alex, and Amy:
Hi Mom and Dad:
Hi Brizzis:
Hi Ethan:
Hi Oakleafs:

Marks Pool Party

Here are pics from Marks pool party. ~> PARTY

Individual Deliverable 1

Functional Resume

do homework or don't, do homework, or don't, do ho........

mework or don't, do homework or don't, do homerek or dnot, od mrehork or nodt, do mr horwk or don't, od wrekhome ro todn, whatever....... I hate school. Stuff due at midnight tomorrow. Verdict: Put it off until later.

More Hot August Nights

I put up another 128 pictures from Hot August Nights on Flickr.com. Check them out ~> HAN