Tuesday, March 10, 2009
Thursday, February 26, 2009
Home Improvement
This week has been home improvement week for me. Sunday I spent all day working on my pond, installing lighting to surround that area, and put in a submersible green light to add a little ambiance. I also put our Lotus back in, which has been sitting in our garage in a plastic trash bag since it started getting cold in November. I'm really hoping that it blooms this year, we really didn't see anything out of it last year, which was disappointing for a $40 plant.
Last night I worked on our master bathroom. When we bought our house 2 years ago, the first thing we did was replace this god awful pink carpet that ran through the entire house, including the master bath. Our plan was to tile that bathroom at some point, so in the mean time, we cut an extra piece of the new carpet and put it in there. Two years later, we finally have the means to put the tile in. Thank you tax return! So I spent a couple of hours breaking apart a small area of old tile in front of the shower, and pulled the toilet. I love pulling toilets. The nasty old wax ring is my favorite part. There's always something that will go wrong when you start playing around with 20 year old plumbing, too. Of course the water line broke, so after the tile is finished, I get to shut off the water to the house, replace the water line, the wax ring, paint, and re-attach the toilet to the ground. I'd say that this will help our home value, but that's not looking real promising, no matter what we do to it.
Last night I worked on our master bathroom. When we bought our house 2 years ago, the first thing we did was replace this god awful pink carpet that ran through the entire house, including the master bath. Our plan was to tile that bathroom at some point, so in the mean time, we cut an extra piece of the new carpet and put it in there. Two years later, we finally have the means to put the tile in. Thank you tax return! So I spent a couple of hours breaking apart a small area of old tile in front of the shower, and pulled the toilet. I love pulling toilets. The nasty old wax ring is my favorite part. There's always something that will go wrong when you start playing around with 20 year old plumbing, too. Of course the water line broke, so after the tile is finished, I get to shut off the water to the house, replace the water line, the wax ring, paint, and re-attach the toilet to the ground. I'd say that this will help our home value, but that's not looking real promising, no matter what we do to it.
Once I died
I don't know why, but the last few days I have been thinking about writing this blog. I tell myself that it's not something that I need to write, but then I come right back to thinking about writing it again. Maybe something is supposed to come out of this, who knows, so here goes.
I died when I was 3. I had no memory of this happening for most of my life, at least no memories that I could explain, but then a few years ago my mother told me that it happened. My mother had left me with my aunt to watch while she was out running errands. Apparently, I was outside for a few minutes, just long enough to fall into the pool and drown. I don't know how long it was, I guess no one really does, but it couldn't have been more than just a few minutes. My aunt was visiting with a friend of hers inside the house, when they realize that I was out of their line of site. They came outside and saw me floating there face down in the pool, and I would imagine that they pulled me out as quickly as possible. I guess it was my lucky day, because the friend of my aunt's was a nurse and she was able to resuscitate me in time before there was any brain damage. (As far as I can tell, anyway.)
When I say that I had no memories of this event, I mean that I had none until I heard this story. Once I did, it was as if my imagination combined with potential memories, and it was as if I could see all of this happening to me. I can see the two ladies panicked, running outside, pulling me out of the water I can see this other woman resuscitating me, all from about 10 feet in the air, then nothing. It's as if the only memories I can recall from that day are during the time I had my face in the water. Who knows, it could be just my imagination.
So, for obvious reasons, all of this makes me think of spirituality. I've always thought that I had more unanswered questions than I've had answers in this department. Growing up in a Catholic household, going to catechism classes every week for 10 years, I always felt like everyone around me was so sure in their beliefs. Growing up, I often felt somewhat inadequate spiritually because I had so much doubt in what I was being taught to believe. Catholic school teachers don't like being questioned, and though I didn't have a nun to slap me with a ruler, Catholic guilt can be just as effective as a form of punishment.
When I left home for college I started an age of real spiritual exploration. I started dating girls that were of different religion; Jewish, Baptist, Mormon, Church of Christ, and others. I learned what I could about them, and I would attend services. One of the most bizarre experiences was being in a service for one protestant religion or another, and hearing them talking shit about the Catholics. I'm not just talking about hanging out after service and hearing people talking shit. I'm talking about a deacon or minister, on the pulpit, preaching to his congregation about how bad the Catholics were. So much for loving your brother.
I then started reading what I could about "alternative" religions. I researched Wiccan and Liman witchcraft. I studied Alistair Crowley and I read up on the Kabbalah. I studied the Druids, astrology, the Greek and Romans Gods, and more recently, I've read up on Zachariah Sitchin and the ancient Sumerian texts. Running out of global religions to study, I learned also that there is a galactic, or universal outlook on spirituality, and that there are many people who claim to channel the spirits of our ancestors, or even alien beings from high above the earth who purport to be the very angels and prophets that are written about in so many of our Holy Books.
One of these channeled beings is Ra, that's right, the old Egyptian god, Ra. In his channelings, he speaks of the Law of One. A universal law that we are all one, that what I do to you, I do to myself, and that we are all connected on the quantum level. If you've heard of the book made movie, "The Secret" and the Law of Attraction, then you've heard of the Law of One. Most metaphysical theories now, much of what we are discovering about the nature of quantum physics, sound, and sacred geometry can find it's roots in the Law of One.
In everything I've learned, by keeping my soul and mind open to any possibility, I have learned that no matter what you believe, no matter what religion you subscribe to, if you tear away the dogma and the fear behind any belief system, there is one universal truth. Love one another. Jesus, Buda, Mohammed, a trinity of witches, or even space aliens, they all send the same message. Love one another. Be the example that I have set.
I believe now that I have a very good grasp of the true meaning of spirituality. It's tied into the reason that we are here, why we have chosen to take on this life in this body. It's all just One thing: To be given the opportunity to experience and deliver love. Just imagine the world we could be living in free of religious conflict, free from greed and the self serving results of fear. If this country is indeed on the brink of economic collapse, if the world is undergoing a change leading up to 2012, I hope that we can all put aside everything else, and just do one thing: love!
I died when I was 3. I had no memory of this happening for most of my life, at least no memories that I could explain, but then a few years ago my mother told me that it happened. My mother had left me with my aunt to watch while she was out running errands. Apparently, I was outside for a few minutes, just long enough to fall into the pool and drown. I don't know how long it was, I guess no one really does, but it couldn't have been more than just a few minutes. My aunt was visiting with a friend of hers inside the house, when they realize that I was out of their line of site. They came outside and saw me floating there face down in the pool, and I would imagine that they pulled me out as quickly as possible. I guess it was my lucky day, because the friend of my aunt's was a nurse and she was able to resuscitate me in time before there was any brain damage. (As far as I can tell, anyway.)
When I say that I had no memories of this event, I mean that I had none until I heard this story. Once I did, it was as if my imagination combined with potential memories, and it was as if I could see all of this happening to me. I can see the two ladies panicked, running outside, pulling me out of the water I can see this other woman resuscitating me, all from about 10 feet in the air, then nothing. It's as if the only memories I can recall from that day are during the time I had my face in the water. Who knows, it could be just my imagination.
So, for obvious reasons, all of this makes me think of spirituality. I've always thought that I had more unanswered questions than I've had answers in this department. Growing up in a Catholic household, going to catechism classes every week for 10 years, I always felt like everyone around me was so sure in their beliefs. Growing up, I often felt somewhat inadequate spiritually because I had so much doubt in what I was being taught to believe. Catholic school teachers don't like being questioned, and though I didn't have a nun to slap me with a ruler, Catholic guilt can be just as effective as a form of punishment.
When I left home for college I started an age of real spiritual exploration. I started dating girls that were of different religion; Jewish, Baptist, Mormon, Church of Christ, and others. I learned what I could about them, and I would attend services. One of the most bizarre experiences was being in a service for one protestant religion or another, and hearing them talking shit about the Catholics. I'm not just talking about hanging out after service and hearing people talking shit. I'm talking about a deacon or minister, on the pulpit, preaching to his congregation about how bad the Catholics were. So much for loving your brother.
I then started reading what I could about "alternative" religions. I researched Wiccan and Liman witchcraft. I studied Alistair Crowley and I read up on the Kabbalah. I studied the Druids, astrology, the Greek and Romans Gods, and more recently, I've read up on Zachariah Sitchin and the ancient Sumerian texts. Running out of global religions to study, I learned also that there is a galactic, or universal outlook on spirituality, and that there are many people who claim to channel the spirits of our ancestors, or even alien beings from high above the earth who purport to be the very angels and prophets that are written about in so many of our Holy Books.
One of these channeled beings is Ra, that's right, the old Egyptian god, Ra. In his channelings, he speaks of the Law of One. A universal law that we are all one, that what I do to you, I do to myself, and that we are all connected on the quantum level. If you've heard of the book made movie, "The Secret" and the Law of Attraction, then you've heard of the Law of One. Most metaphysical theories now, much of what we are discovering about the nature of quantum physics, sound, and sacred geometry can find it's roots in the Law of One.
In everything I've learned, by keeping my soul and mind open to any possibility, I have learned that no matter what you believe, no matter what religion you subscribe to, if you tear away the dogma and the fear behind any belief system, there is one universal truth. Love one another. Jesus, Buda, Mohammed, a trinity of witches, or even space aliens, they all send the same message. Love one another. Be the example that I have set.
I believe now that I have a very good grasp of the true meaning of spirituality. It's tied into the reason that we are here, why we have chosen to take on this life in this body. It's all just One thing: To be given the opportunity to experience and deliver love. Just imagine the world we could be living in free of religious conflict, free from greed and the self serving results of fear. If this country is indeed on the brink of economic collapse, if the world is undergoing a change leading up to 2012, I hope that we can all put aside everything else, and just do one thing: love!
Monday, February 23, 2009
Alex Jones is making me crazy.
Alex Jones is making me crazy. Why is it that every time I listen to his show or go onto his website, I'm punched in the face with commercials and banners for survival and apocalyptic riot gear. Talk about advertisers targeting their demographic. Did you know that there's such a thing as an Atmospheric Water Generator?
All of that aside, he makes a lot of really good points, but his presentation is so harsh that I think many people just shut out the message. People don't like to be yelled at, and the messenger doesn't always need a blow horn.
All of that aside, he makes a lot of really good points, but his presentation is so harsh that I think many people just shut out the message. People don't like to be yelled at, and the messenger doesn't always need a blow horn.
Tuesday, November 11, 2008
Life, it is a changing. . .
I'm in week six since starting at Sherlock's, and my life has completely changed. No longer am I fielding calls from angry, frustrated customers, half of which can't tell a power button from a hole in their head. Now, I am the day manager for one of the highest grossing pub/restaurants in the city.
My job is pretty cut and dry. I set up the show, I'm like the back stage crew. I enter all of the numbers, code invoices, choose trivia questions, and see who's winning the fantasy football league. I make sure that the ship is running well, and everything that needs to be, is in line. We open at 11am and start serving lunch, which is generally pretty slow. I walk around, greet people at their tables, and make sure the beer is nice and cold. The major difference is the customers. Instead of dealing with people who are already pissed off when they called me, I'm dealing with people who generally, are just looking for a good time, something good to eat and cold to drink.
Gone are the mundane hours of variances and two and a half hour long calls, logging every few words into the big database. Now, I have about five to ten different things to do on any given day, which are rarely the same on any two days, and one of my very best friends is also my boss. There are about five people that I met right off the bat right after moving back to Austin in 1999, Ron being one of them.
It was about nine weeks ago that my manager at Apple pulled me aside to let me know that my customer satisfaction scores had been slipping. He asked what else I would like to be doing within the company, so I told him, the same position I had been applying for the last 3 years, management. He asked me to give him another six months to try and work something out for me. The very next day, Ron called and asked me if I would like to be his new day manager. I interviewed with the outgoing general manager, with the area director, and finally the vice president of the company, and got the job.
On my last day at Apple, my manager made the comment that he had walked many people out of the building on their last day, most of them kicking and screaming. He had never walked anyone out with the huge shit eating grin that I had on my face. Never had he seen anyone so happy to be walked out of the building.
Anyway, in other news, due to the fact that I'm not staring at a computer screen for nine hours a day, my bulletin, blog and Youtube video sharing is WAY down, and will likely remain so. I have found that it's been a lot better for my mental health as well, to be relatively cut off from all of the conspiracy that's found here on the inter-tubes. I still get to browse the titles of many other videos that my friends here on Myspace and Youtube post, but I rarely watch more than one every few days. It's all begun to repeat itself anyway, it's like it's all on a loop, and every few months the same videos resurface as "breaking news" and "must see". I've seen them all, I've taken in as much as I can handle.
So, outside of work and personal computing, there is the rest of life. I went camping in Tanglewood again this last weekend with James, Katy, and the rest of the Tanglewood crew. Here were the entries for this year's pumpkin carving contest:
And the the winner, with bragging rights until next year: James!
The weekend before that I went fishing in Canyon lake with Rick and his Dad:
And the rest of the time, Rachel and I have been working on our new, and very first, vegetable garden. I've got pretty much everything you can imagine in there: tomatoes, greens, squash, broccoli, cabbage, onions, you name it.
It's been pretty fulfilling, and extremely relaxing. We're even starting from seedlings and transplanting into the main garden box. The only real problem has been these little guys:
I've built one screened box to keep them out, but it's taking longer that I expected to build these things, so every afternoon when I get home, I curse them and get back to work. They even crawl under the one I have to get at the roots.
My job is pretty cut and dry. I set up the show, I'm like the back stage crew. I enter all of the numbers, code invoices, choose trivia questions, and see who's winning the fantasy football league. I make sure that the ship is running well, and everything that needs to be, is in line. We open at 11am and start serving lunch, which is generally pretty slow. I walk around, greet people at their tables, and make sure the beer is nice and cold. The major difference is the customers. Instead of dealing with people who are already pissed off when they called me, I'm dealing with people who generally, are just looking for a good time, something good to eat and cold to drink.
Gone are the mundane hours of variances and two and a half hour long calls, logging every few words into the big database. Now, I have about five to ten different things to do on any given day, which are rarely the same on any two days, and one of my very best friends is also my boss. There are about five people that I met right off the bat right after moving back to Austin in 1999, Ron being one of them.
It was about nine weeks ago that my manager at Apple pulled me aside to let me know that my customer satisfaction scores had been slipping. He asked what else I would like to be doing within the company, so I told him, the same position I had been applying for the last 3 years, management. He asked me to give him another six months to try and work something out for me. The very next day, Ron called and asked me if I would like to be his new day manager. I interviewed with the outgoing general manager, with the area director, and finally the vice president of the company, and got the job.
On my last day at Apple, my manager made the comment that he had walked many people out of the building on their last day, most of them kicking and screaming. He had never walked anyone out with the huge shit eating grin that I had on my face. Never had he seen anyone so happy to be walked out of the building.
Anyway, in other news, due to the fact that I'm not staring at a computer screen for nine hours a day, my bulletin, blog and Youtube video sharing is WAY down, and will likely remain so. I have found that it's been a lot better for my mental health as well, to be relatively cut off from all of the conspiracy that's found here on the inter-tubes. I still get to browse the titles of many other videos that my friends here on Myspace and Youtube post, but I rarely watch more than one every few days. It's all begun to repeat itself anyway, it's like it's all on a loop, and every few months the same videos resurface as "breaking news" and "must see". I've seen them all, I've taken in as much as I can handle.
So, outside of work and personal computing, there is the rest of life. I went camping in Tanglewood again this last weekend with James, Katy, and the rest of the Tanglewood crew. Here were the entries for this year's pumpkin carving contest:
And the the winner, with bragging rights until next year: James!
The weekend before that I went fishing in Canyon lake with Rick and his Dad:
And the rest of the time, Rachel and I have been working on our new, and very first, vegetable garden. I've got pretty much everything you can imagine in there: tomatoes, greens, squash, broccoli, cabbage, onions, you name it.
It's been pretty fulfilling, and extremely relaxing. We're even starting from seedlings and transplanting into the main garden box. The only real problem has been these little guys:
I've built one screened box to keep them out, but it's taking longer that I expected to build these things, so every afternoon when I get home, I curse them and get back to work. They even crawl under the one I have to get at the roots.
Saturday, July 26, 2008
Jambalaya Recipee
I make my Jambalaya partly on the stove, then finish it in the oven. Since I'm using Chicken and Shrimp I want my stock to have those flavors, real simple. I heat up the right amount of Chicken Stock and add some raw Shrimp shells to it and simmer for about 15-20 minutes! It gives it a quick little infusion. I do the same thing when making a Cassoulet, except with Lamb bones, if I'm using Lamb. The Jambalaya Recipe:
New Orleans Cuisine Recipe - Shrimp and Chicken Jambalaya
Seasoning Mix (1/4 tsp Cayenne, 3/4 tsp White Pepper, 1 tsp Kosher Salt, 1/4 tsp Thyme, 1/2 tsp Rubbed Sage, 1/4 tsp Dried Basil, 1/2 tsp Black Pepper)
1 Tbsp Unsalted Butter
1/2 Cup Diced Andouille
1/2 Cup Diced Onion
1/2 Cup Diced Bell Pepper
1/2 Cup Diced Celery
1/2 Cup Diced Fresh Tomatoes
1/2 Cup Tomato Sauce
3/4 Cup Enriched Long Grain Rice
1 1/4 Cup Chicken Stock with a Shrimp shell infusion (see above)
1 Tbsp Homemade Worcestershire Sauce
2 Tbsp Minced Fresh Garlic
1/2 Cup Diced Chicken (Cooked or raw)
1 1/2 Cup Medium Shrimp (I use Louisiana)
1 Tbsp Finely Chopped Italian Parsley
3 Tbsp Finely Sliced Green Onions
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
Mix together the Holy Trinity (Onion, Celery, Bell Pepper).
Wednesday, June 18, 2008
So, last week was a good one. I was picked by my manager at Apple to go to San Francisco for the World Wide Developers Conference to represent the iPhone Beta support team. Unless you’ve been living in a cave or just don’t care about such things, Steve Jobs announced last Monday that we will be releasing a new iPhone, the iPhone 3G, which is faster over cellular networks has yadda, more yadda, and better yadda yadda.
Anyway, I spent my time at the conference, then had plenty of extra time to spend with Camille, Jon, and Alycee. We had dinner almost every night, Jon cooked some homemade ravioli and halibut one night which was delicious!
We spent a few hours hiking in the mountains one day, and an afternoon at the beach another. While we were at the beach, a seal waddled right up to where we were!
Overall, the trip was great, and I really needed a trip out of town since Dad died. It’s really strange what’s been happening to me lately. Everyone knows that I’ve always been into UFO’s and aliens and things like that, especially in the last few years. What has happened though, is that my research into the topic has lead me to modern day theoretical speakers like Michael Tsarion, David Wilcock, and Davis Icke. Many of the ideas and theories that they talk about are far beyond modern day Christian beliefs, but like all religions mirror each other, so do these modern prophets. I have delved deep into these theories, and have found myself more awake, more alive, and more knowledgeable than ever before in my life. Meditation and love have helped me to deal with the repercussions of my father’s death in a way that I never could have been prepared for.
Dad taught me to meditate for the first time when I was just a young boy, no more than 10 or so, and I remember thinking that my Dad was like Yoda, and I was Luke, learning the ways of the force. I meditated only a handful of time since then, but started learning more about different meditation techniques, Chakras, and psi powers about 2 months before he was killed. I started to realize the powers of thought, learned “The Secret”, and the nature of matter as energy. Then suddenly, Dad was killed, and I knew what had happened before my mother even told me that it had. Of all the souls I have ever come across in my life, Dad had the strongest, and I have no doubt that he lives on and continues to teach me even now. I haven’t seen his ghost, but I have felt his influence.
Anyway, I spent my time at the conference, then had plenty of extra time to spend with Camille, Jon, and Alycee. We had dinner almost every night, Jon cooked some homemade ravioli and halibut one night which was delicious!
We spent a few hours hiking in the mountains one day, and an afternoon at the beach another. While we were at the beach, a seal waddled right up to where we were!
Overall, the trip was great, and I really needed a trip out of town since Dad died. It’s really strange what’s been happening to me lately. Everyone knows that I’ve always been into UFO’s and aliens and things like that, especially in the last few years. What has happened though, is that my research into the topic has lead me to modern day theoretical speakers like Michael Tsarion, David Wilcock, and Davis Icke. Many of the ideas and theories that they talk about are far beyond modern day Christian beliefs, but like all religions mirror each other, so do these modern prophets. I have delved deep into these theories, and have found myself more awake, more alive, and more knowledgeable than ever before in my life. Meditation and love have helped me to deal with the repercussions of my father’s death in a way that I never could have been prepared for.
Dad taught me to meditate for the first time when I was just a young boy, no more than 10 or so, and I remember thinking that my Dad was like Yoda, and I was Luke, learning the ways of the force. I meditated only a handful of time since then, but started learning more about different meditation techniques, Chakras, and psi powers about 2 months before he was killed. I started to realize the powers of thought, learned “The Secret”, and the nature of matter as energy. Then suddenly, Dad was killed, and I knew what had happened before my mother even told me that it had. Of all the souls I have ever come across in my life, Dad had the strongest, and I have no doubt that he lives on and continues to teach me even now. I haven’t seen his ghost, but I have felt his influence.
I definitely feel wiser today than I ever have, but at the same time, recognize that I know nothing. I feel connected to the energy of the universe, to life, in a way that I never have before, and words like Lightworker, and Starseed invoke strong feelings in my core. While in some respects I feel withdrawn, and now separated from the rest of the world, I now feel more than ever that it will soon be my responsibility to lead people into a better way of living. In that, I feel connected in a totally different way to many people I’ve never even met. I have spoken of great changes to come in the past, and now is the time. The next month will reveal a great many things to you, so keep your hearts and minds open to the miracles that will be in front of you.
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