Our new pool

My wife and I were recently surprised by our brand new pool. I think if we had been given just a little more notice however we might moved some our things before they decided to fill it with water. It was amazing how quickly it was put in. One day its a basement and the next viola, pool. I suppose this is my way of saying our basement was flooded. I blame myself really for believing it wouldn't happen. We had just returned home Friday night from a movie with friends when noticed a peculiar smell. It was my wife that discovered the source of the smell and the beginning of what turned out to be a very long weekend. Apparently I have magical powers. After accessing the damage I dredged through the water over the sump pit to inspect what should have been a running sump pump. After removing the cover I reached down and touched the sump pump with my finger. Just like magic the pump instantly sprang to life as though nothing had ever been wrong. Apparently I have the ability to bring plumbing equipment to life. As the pump reluctantly began performing the duties it had so long overlooked we began take a better assessment of the situation and work out a plan to begin clean up. Let me start by saying we had a LOT of stuff in our basement. Some of it ours, some of it others had asked us to store for them. 1600 sq ft, almost completely framed, and filled with everything from tools and computer equipment to heirlooms and paperwork. The power strips and UPS were underwater but luckily the GFI outlets tripped. I was relieved at least a server that a friend had recently brought over was up high enough not be affected. However my own server and computers were now practicing the backstroke. I have to say we took it well. Neither of us got very upset in the traditional sense. I think that we both saw the situation for what it was and we knew that the only thing to do now was focus on the task of cleaning up. We went out that night and bought some box fans and later the next day I rented some high power fans from an equipment rental place near by. Even with the fans running around the clock the basement is still wet. I realized a few things as we have been cleaning and moving things this weekend. 1. We have entirely too much stuff. 2. Cardboard is the devil. 3. I keep the most inane and ridiculous things. The weekend has been long and in honesty not very restful. Life seems to be a series of unfortunate events lately but I am determined not to let it break my spirit. Work is in a state of flux right now that makes me somewhat nervous as well. Occasionally I feel the beginning of anxiety about everything in general but I have been good about keeping these feelings at bay. Despite all that's happening around me its hard to be down. We have a trip to France coming up soon and we are planning on trying to have a baby soon. For some reason these things seem to make all the negatives seem less important. I suppose I am just preoccupied with things that matter more to me than the here and now.

The hits just keep on coming...

I have observed that events of similar a similar type appear to happen in groups. Whether it is the mindset triggered by the initial event that brings about subsequent events is a matter open for debate. In short, life kicks you when you are down. It's nothing to cry or be sad about instead it is a merely a fact to be accepted. Life has been hectic lately as I had mentioned in an early post. Arguably the best times to post seem to those in which we have the least amount of time to do so. My wife and I joined our friends to watch the new Wolverine movie this weekend. Overall the movie was enjoyable but it felt as though it were missing "something" to really push it over the top. I had to laugh to myself at the theater. Somehow I managed to pick a seat behind a very tall woman who's stature was only surpassed by that of her hair. If anything excited happened in the center of the screen I dare say I may have missed it. I wasn't upset as much as I was amused. I observed my surrounding and took note that for the most part every single row in front of us was occupied by children with a sprinkling of short to average height parents. It was only about the middle of the movie when I had a disturbing revelation. There are many times that my mind will notice something and yet somehow not make me instantly aware. It is only later when the event is brought to my attention that I realize I have really been aware of it for quite sometime. In this particular case it was coughing. It sounds trivial I know but this was no ordinary coughing. In spurts fits of coughing would begin with a one or two movie patrons and then spread rapidly until it seemed to reach a crescendo and then cease all together. It was one of these coughing fits that caught my attention and subsequently opened my eyes to the realization of how long it had been going on. I had to chuckle once more as my mind wandered to the topic of Swine Flu. Don't think me the paranoid type for I am not. In all honestly I don't keep up with the news that often and the fact that I am even aware of the Swine Flu at all is in large part due to my wife's efforts ensure at least up to date on current events. I found myself thinking back to several Zombie and Sci Fi movies. Outbreaks and infections, avoiding public places and large groups of people. The most common infection points tend to be airports, churches, and movies and here I sat.

Long weekend

It has been a long weekend that just never seemed to end. It started on Friday and ended yesterday for me. Normally we associate weekends as an interlude to the fast pace and obligations of the week. Last weekend was a little different. Friday in particular seemed to be the roughest day. I had some job changes earlier in the day and then I left to help setup for a wedding for two of my very good friends. I was and am honored to have been a part of their ceremony. This would be the second wedding I have been to, the first being my own. It seemed like a lot more work this time around, but I was very happy to help. Half way through the afternoon my wife got a call that a member of her family passed away unexpectedly but we put that out of mind until after the wedding. I also chose not to tell her about the changes in my job until later. It wasn't that I wanted to hide anything as much as I knew she was under a lot of stress with preparing for the wedding. As much as I knew sharing my feelings on the matter would make me feel better I also knew it would be selfish. Later on Friday night after everything had been setup we got ready to leave around 11:30pm. While loading a few things into my car I noticed something all over the windshield, eggs! Someone had egged my car, and from the looks of it, recently. Honestly though I considered this more an annoyance than anything. Kids are kids and a little water, soap, and elbow grease and all could be restored. What I wasn't prepared for was the damage to my wife's car. The car is relatively new and she really likes it. As such she was very upset when she discovered someone had shot her windshield with what appeared to be a pellet and cracked it. There is mischief and then there is destruction. I knew from the moment I saw the damage I was looking at $200 - $250 in repairs. Our deductible is too high to make it worth turning in so that means money comes right out of our pocket. The act had to be random as we are unknown to anyone in that area. Our vehicles were parked with everyone else's in the school parking lot next the church. Although I was angry I tried not to let it consume me. The act had been committed and could not be undone. No amount of angst on my part would change the things that had to happen next. The only thing I could control was my attitude about the situation, and I decided to push forward. I tried not to get too upset partially because I knew Randi would feed off of it as well. With everything that was going on I knew that the best thing for her was keep moving forward and let the momentum of the occasion blur out the problems of the moment. By Monday I was exhausted and we had a funeral to attend. We arrived early and returned home sometime after 9:00pm. It seems my favorite show House, had been canceled for that night but I made the best of it and caught up on another show The Fringe. Almost everyday this week and next weekend are already booked except for Tuesday which I am sure will be filled with various tasks that seem to overwhelming to account for right now.

Movie Reviews

It's been a while yet again since I have blogged. Life has been hectic lately but I have managed to catch a few movies. Yes Man I had heard mixed reviews about this movie, and to be honest my first inclination was to assume that it would be very close to one of Jim Carey's previous movies Liar Liar. I am glad I gave the movie a chance because as it turned out I was wrong. It turned out to be very entertaining overall with some nuggets of wisdom I could relate to through certain aspects of my own life. Marley & Me This was a decent movie for its genre. It's hard for me to give an impartial opinion as I have never really been fond of movies that are centered around "tugging your heartstrings". If you have a couple of hours to kill at the end of which you think you will feel like shedding a few heartfelt tears then this is the movie for you. The plot line did keep my attention but I think it was more in the anticipation that something larger would eventually happen. It didn't. In some ways I felt more like a casual observer over the course of a normal families life. The Day the Earth Stood Still The movie was not as fantastic as it probably could have been but overall it was pretty good. I have often heard people joke that Keanu Reeves is not that good of an actor. The jibes however always seem centered around a lack of "range" as far as characters. I believe however the roles he has chose to play have been done fairly well. The character roles he has accepted in the past do not lend themselves to an abundance of emotion. I attribute his ability to project a cold facade as a trademark of sorts. His role as outsider in this movie fit him well. I was disappointed in the ending as everything seemed to just end on a rather abrupt note. Role Models I figured the movie would be mildly funny and entertaining and I was not disappointed. In fact the movie exceeded my expectations in that it was less of an attempt at a "knee slapper" and more good comedy based around a pretty solid underlying story.

Brains

It's been a while since I last blogged. It seems this morning my mind is consumed with an idea that it simply does not wish to relinquish. I thought perhaps blogging about the subject would give it sufficient outlet and allow me to resume my "regularly scheduled program". I would like to submit a simplified explanation / definition for the brain. Among its possible other functions the brain is an input processor. We have identified five distinct inputs used in processing: touch, taste, smell, sight, and sound. I find it interesting that the brain itself has no known means of obtaining inputs, instead relying on inputs from separate sources such as the eyes and ears etc. Suppose for the moment it were possible for your brain to continue to live once removed from the body. Your brain is now disconnected from all input. I would submit that input processing is not the brains ONLY function so thought continues. The line between conscious and unconscious thought would of course blur without any stimuli or observation on which to mark the change. Thought would continue much as it does now drawing from the memories of experiences. Consider now the same experiment done at the moment or just before birth. Now what does the brain think about having no experience to draw from and no inputs. At that moment what is the brain? Can it, will it, create without a basis for extrapolation? To suggest not is to suggest that we truly are nothing more than the sum of our experiences. I have often wondered, do those people who were born unable to see or hear truly comprehend those inputs? When a blind man dreams do those dreams take shape or are merely thoughts with attached sounds and smells. Do the deaf laugh in their dreams, do they understand sound? If so is that understanding a learned interpretation based on knowledge acquired about sound? If you cannot perceive a thing does it exist for you? Animals can hear different frequencies than humans because the methods in which they are able to receive and send that data to the brain has evolved differently. Many animals see the world differently, some without certain colors and others through hundreds of tiny eyes all sending an input of some type at once. I am unsure whether I would suggest that the entire solution is simply contained in the receiver. For example were it possible to connect a canine's auditory systems to a human brain does not infer that the person would then be able to process the input received. Consider for a moment our eyes. Some people our born unable to see certain colors. Imagine for the moment someone who was born eyes ever so slightly different so as to allow them to see something we can not, or perhaps see something we see differently. We could be surrounded with countless realities, dimensions, even "beings" that we simply lack the ability to perceive. It is conversely and equally true that all these "realities" are a single reality and the only infinite involved is the variations of our perceptions. The saying: "I think therefor I am" defines thought as self or existence. I believe it should be extended to following: "I think therefor I am, I perceive therefor are you.

Cats

For my wife's birthday I decided to take her to see Cats at Beef and Boards (just as a note their website needs serious help). I am usually unsure of myself when it comes to planning things but enlisting the opinions of others has gotten me into some trouble in the past, so I decided that this idea would be "all me". I reserved us a table for 8 right next to the stage, even though it was only two of us it was the best seat in the house. I thought about inviting different friends to go along but I wasn't sure who want to go and who wouldn't. In the end we ended up inviting her sister to join us as well. The food was ... well lets just say we didn't go for the food. We had been there once before so we knew what to expect. I figured that my wife would really enjoy the musical and I assumed that I would have a fine time as well. I was caught off guard however by just much I liked the show. Just before the show they announced several birthdays of which my wife was one. Although she was somewhat embarrassed she was duly vindicated when at the start of the performance just as I was about to take a drink the spotlight pans to me and I'm surrounded by Cats asking questions. I was speechless but completely amused and entertained. The show is very high energy and my heart goes out to the performers. There is very little if any pause between scenes. The performers worked hard to keep labored breathing from the physical activity from affecting their singing. Initially I had a little bit of a hard time getting past the outfits. Not the fact that they were dressed as cats but more that the outfits were a skin type spandex material that left nothing to the imagination. I had also never realized the sexual overtones of the performance. I do not believe it was anything "over the top" or unsuitable for minors. I think that I would like to see more plays and musicals this year.

Jeff Dunham

Last Thursday my best friend invited my wife and I to go with him and his wife to see Jeff Dunham at Conseco Fieldhouse. The show was part of his Spark of Insanity Tour. He's been doing this tour for a while now. I had seen it on DVD some time ago so while I was looking forward to it I thought I was pretty prepared for what I would see. I was wrong! Guitar guy has an entire act before Jeff comes on stage. He's very entertaining and talented on the guitar. Until this show I didn't even know that he spoke much less did stand up. I was really impressed by the whole experience. If you've seen the show on TV it is still VERY worth seeing it live. Peanut was a little more hyper than usual and Akmed was funny as always. I was however unprepared for how big of a hit Bubba J was. I was never that fond of the act myself. Something about the character I just don't relate to or seems overplayed like some remnant of the "you might be a redneck if" era of comedy. For whatever the reason Indiana loves him, although in retrospect I suppose the affinity shouldn't surprise me. Even Jeff thought that it was a little creepy as the entire audience chanted aloud each punchline. All in all a VERY good time and a welcome break from our normal weekend routine.