From the Life of a Lucid Daydreamer

30mbps Cable Internet Install Today

2012-01-15T08:51:00.000-06:00

Charter is coming today to install my new internet connection. Been limping along with a Netwurx 1.5mbps and now getting a 30mbps! YAY! Also getting Charter phone.

Hung Out w/Jeff After Brewing

2012-01-01T02:00:00.000-06:00

Playing a card game called Golf.

Just got home from Jeff's. His brother Ed the Razorback is here visiting, so Jeff's whole family and some friends came to visit and play cards. It was a fun time!

This was after a fun day brewing up a Warhawk Wheat at Randy's in Whitewater.

Baked Chicken - Yum Yum

2011-12-22T00:49:00.001-06:00

Slept pretty good today. Not as restless as I did on Tuesday when I kept hearing machine alarms going off in my sleep. Barak must have been playing fireman at some point when he woke me up with a siren sound. It sounded like an alert a packer makes when starting up.

Beginning to understand why my Dad always said "born tired and never recovered". Lately I just can't seem to get enough sleep. I slept good today, but still feel tired. Maybe its stress?

On a positive note, Dani made some baked chicken tonight with peas and mashed potatoes. Really good!

The Ford Catches on Fire

2011-12-02T20:00:00.000-06:00

Today was quite a day. I went to Subaru City looking for a new car. I fell in love with this Impreza. But I told Jason, the sales rep, I had to think about it. After leaving, I called my credit union and it looks like I'll have to hold off getting a new car right now.

On my way home, I stopped at Kwik Trip to get gas. While I was filling up, I noticed that there was some steam or smoke coming from the passenger side rear tire. Investigation seemed to reveal some brake fluid leaking and evaporating on the cylinder. I checked the fluid levels and they seemed sufficient and I hoped to make it to Dousman Auto Repair driving slow. I was driving at 35 miles an hour with my hazard lights on. I almost hit Waterville when I noticed black smoke billowing off of that tired in my side mirror.

I got out to see the inside of the rim on fire. You'd think a volunteer firefighter would have an extinguisher in his car. NOPE!! So I grabbed a pair of my sweats from the back seat and tried swatting out the fire, but that didn't help. Took another look and they weren't my sweats at all, but my daughter's skirt. I guess it's short enough to start a fire, but not long enough to put one out! You also don't want to use windshield washer fluid on a fire. Oh boy, does that make it flare up! I ended up calling 911 and the Dousman Police and Fire showed up and put out the fire. Thanks guys!

I called AAA and Ben from LT's Western Towing came out and towed me to Dan's place. I fell asleep on the couch at the garage until Dani showed up with the truck to take me home. That was about 2pm. After Dani took me home, she ran to WalMart to get new tires on the Dodge. Since I had been driving the Ford primarily, we had been putting off getting new rubber for the truck. But we can't put it off any longer if I have to drive it to Milwaukee every night.

It was a pretty depressing day, I didn't get a new car, my current car caught on fire, I had to pay $550 for new tires on the truck, and I didn't get much sleep!

Exploding TARDIS

2011-11-11T14:04:00.001-06:00

My wife got me the mock Van Gogh "Exploding TARDIS" from the Doctor Who episode "Vincent and the Doctor". The poster was so awesome, I just had to get it framed.

I took it to Ben Franklin's in Oconomowoc who did an EXCELLENT job on it! It took about a month and cost me some money, but I think it was well worth it. Franklin's didn't open till 9am and I didn't want to go home and come back. So I browsed ACE Hardware and got a utility knife.

I got home, tore the wrapping off and got that bad boy hung in my office. I LOVE IT!

Thank you Dani for awesome poster!

A Manic Monday

2011-09-19T12:53:00.001-05:00

Got up this morning and finished an episode of the "Closer" I fell asleep watching last night. It was "The Butler Did It" from the first season.

I'm working second shift this week, so I won't be able to make it to the Science Lunch todays, fire drills tomorrow, or the Theocratic Ministry School on Thursday. Kind of bums me out, but I get to learn the filler on one of the can lines this week. It will be my first time on a can line and on a filler. Should be fun!

A New "My Fair Lady"

2011-02-13T07:02:00.003-06:00

I picked up "My Fair Lady" yesterday at WalMart for $10. I couldn't believe this one isn't already sitting next to "Guys and Dolls" on my DVD shelf! It's one of my favorite musicals, 2nd to Evita.

While I was watching, it occurred to me how cool it would be if they remade it. I'd have Gerard Butler play Professor Higgins, Lea Michele Sarfati as Eliza Doolittle, and Josh Groban as Freddy Eynsford-Hill. I haven't decided on the rest of the cast, I'd try to sneak in Sarah Brightman, and a couple of pop icons like Gwen and Fergie too. I'm totally jazzed about something I could never do! =(

Resources:

My Fair Lady
Pygmalion

Response to Eagle

2010-06-22T15:41:00.001-05:00

Went to Eagle today to provide communications for the Red Cross while they performed needs assessments on people affected by the tornado. I was there for about 3 hours and the assessment teams had not been dispatched yet, but only one team was going into the field. Since there were two of us mobile and I had worked 3rd shift, net control gave me permission to leave. More details can be found on my amateur radio blog.

We really need a traffic light!

2010-06-12T20:06:00.002-05:00

Worked last night on the B52 Bulk Depal, came home, got some fresh air, had a couple of beers, and watched traffic go by on HWY 18.

A Relaxing Day, Toppers Pizza, and Discovering Whitewater

2010-04-04T23:29:00.005-05:00

After a relaxing Sunday, Dani really had a hankering for a pizza at Gus'. We drove to Whitewater, only find almost everything closed. So we went to Toppers Pizza. Thanks for being open Toppers! It's been awhile since I've had your BBQ Chicken Pizza, which happens to be one of Dani's favorites! Kim had a grinder, Barak had a MYZA pepperoni, Dani had the BBQ Chicken, and I had the Meat Topper. An enjoyable meal!

After supper, we went searching for the Geocache #GC1DHXN. You can read more about that on my amateur radio and geocaching blog, KC9JBM.com

Karaoke at the Farmington Inn

2010-04-04T08:00:00.005-05:00

Got an email yesterday from Jefferson County Night Out about karaoke at the Farmington Inn. Kim and I decided to go and shine, or at the very least, reflectively glimmer.

Kim sang "All Around Me" and "I Kissed the Girl". I sang "Chantilly Lace" and White Lines". Together we sang "Hungry Like the Wolf".

Despite the cigarette smoke almost ruining the evening, it was a fun time. Anyone know of any smoke free karaoke venues?

An Afternoon at Darren's

2010-02-01T00:07:00.004-06:00

Dru, her brother Isaiah, and sister Demi were visiting Darren this weekend and Dru asked Kimah to stop over. So we met with Greg and Jordan at the park and ride and went to Darren's house for the afternoon. Dusty showed up and we all had Popeye's chicken. After the supper I got to try the Fat Tire and 1554 from New Belgium Brewing. Both beers were of very good quality.

4 Day Weekend

2009-12-01T17:51:00.003-06:00

I worked Thursday, Thanksgiving Day; cleaning the palletizers at Miller.

On Saturday we went to the park in Jefferson and enjoyed the warm weather. I rode my bike on the skate ramps, that was a lot of fun. Sorry, no pictures.

Most notably, I picked up some Honey Moon Summer Ale and I am hooked. Really good stuff!!! Read my review on my beer pages.

Flight for Life Open House

2009-09-19T18:55:00.001-05:00

We went to the Flight for Life Open House today. It was a touching presentation as we heard from those whose lives had been saved by Flight.

Wisconsin Farm Technology Days - 2009

2009-07-23T18:59:00.007-05:00

On Tuesday, Assistant Chief Richard Engelhart(pictured left) called me and asked if I would fill a slot vacated by Kurt Walther by providing fire service to the Wisconsin Farm Technology Days in Waterloo. Our dept was only needed on Thursday, and I really didn't know what to expect!

Now, I must say I'm really glad I went. I regret that I didn't get my family up here to see this. It was a lot of fun and educational too.

There was a lot of heavy farm machinery there performing demonstrations, and we were there in case one of these machines, or anything else, caused a fire. EMT's were also there from other departments to care for injuries. Fortunately for all that attended, there weren't any major accidents, at least not today!

Next year the event will be in Pierce County. I hope I can get the time and money to go again, this time with the Bear, he would love this!!

Transferred a Pale Ale and Brewed a Specialty Beer

2009-07-17T22:01:00.001-05:00

Worked today at the Fun Hunters Brewery where I transferred a Pale Ale from the fermentation tank to the serving tank. It's on tap and ready to drink!

I also brewed a specialty brew and visited with some great people. For more information visit The Thirsty Brewmaster.

Miller Brewery Tour

2009-06-12T20:08:00.005-05:00

We spent the day with my daughter Jordan, her fiancè Greg and his parents Greg and Agnes. After the brewery tour, we met up with is sister Lisa, her husband Archie, along with their kids, and ate lunch at the Timbers II in Waukesha.

20th Wedding Anniversary

2009-03-18T21:37:00.001-05:00

Dani and I celebrated our 20th wedding anniversary today. Went to Chile's where I had the 3rd best steak I've ever had.

Dodge Ram - New Rear Tires

2009-01-31T22:00:00.001-06:00

Well I knew I needed new tires. But now is the time to get them. When I drove to Johnson Creek yesterday for my Doctor's appointment the truck was all over the road. It felt like a tire was going to blow. That rear passenger side tire kept going low and I was concerned it was going to blow. So I guess I have to bite the bullet and buy new tires. I was hoping I wouldn't have to till I went back to work following my knee surgery. But I don't think that's an option now.

Dani and I ran to WalMart this morning and picked up a pair of Goodyear Tracker 2 (120P), Size: LT265/75R16

I was a sucker for the sales pitch and got the Road Hazard Replacement. $15 for both tires and now after reading about it on the WalMart website, I kind of regret the purchase. It says "Repairable punctures will be repaired at no charge and tire replacements will be pro-rated based on the percent of usable tread remaining and the current Wal-Mart price". Kind of vague in their favor. So I probably won't get any use out of that. Oh well, live and learn!

Doctor Who: Matt Smith is the 11th and Youngest

2009-01-05T12:14:00.000-06:00

Saturday was an exciting night for fans watching BBC1's documentary Doctor Who Confidential. Matt Smith was introduced in a grand unveiling as the 11th and youngest Doctor to play the role.

After much speculation that a major Hollywood player would step into the role, many hoping for the Underworld star Bill Nighy, some fans maybe disappointed with the youthful regeneration. Relatively unknown, Matt Smith has played two major roles - the literary adaptation The Ruby in the Smoke on BBC1 and Party Animals on BBC2. But David Tennant wasn't a big star either, prior to stepping into the TARDIS. It seems that big stars are reticent about joining the cast as the 900+ year old Time Lord, for fear of being locked in the role for many years, or worse yet, to become type cast.

But lets take a look at Matt. He has a youthful energy in his eyes, a love of life associated with the Doctor's outlook that quickly lends himself to the role. He has the hair for the role, that's for sure.

Smith is also personable and outgoing, which works well on screen as the extremely gregarious Doctor, and off screen when dealing with the media and a huge multinational fan base.

Smith says the next 6 months are a "time to build this Time
Lord…to learn the history of the show" and he spoke of "the sense of mischief" he got when he knew
he'd be the Doctor. His interpretation of the Doctor should be fresh and playful.

One thing is for sure, the adventures in time and space will continue!

Getting My Stitches Out

2008-12-26T17:28:00.004-06:00

I went to Dr. Zambrano's office in Johnson Creek today to get my stitches out.

I was concerned about the swelling around my knee. But he said everything looks fine.

I'm happy to report I lost 12lbs. That makes it a total of 20lbs I've lost so far.

After visiting the Doctor, Dani and I went to the Pine Cone, had breakfast, and went grocery shopping at the Super Center.

Level 57 and Level 58

2008-12-24T22:54:00.002-06:00

Hit levels 57 and 58 today. Discovered the Un'Goro crater, which was an interesting place.

Pale Ale - Brewmasters Log

2008-02-05T18:57:00.000-06:00

Brewed up a Pale Ale today. Got to the brewery and found that 2/3rds the of the water in the brew kettle had boiled away. So I had to refill the kettle and wait for the temp to rise. It only took about an hour, so it was all good! The transfer went well and the only problem occurred when I had to close the brewery door after emptying the grain. Mark took care of that by fixing the lock.

Knots and Ladders - Firefighter's Log

2008-01-14T23:22:00.000-06:00

Tonight's drills were on proper ladder techniques, knots, and safely mounting and dismounting the roof using ropes and harnesses.

Read my article "Chimney Fires, a Winter Nightmare" at MyFoxMilwaukee.com

Index of the Machinist

2008-01-02T22:32:00.000-06:00

Quite fortunate, I have acquired the "Index of the Machinist". A rare artifact, it's dropped by the Clockwork Comparator in the Shadow Toolroom of the Bessemer Steel Works. Originally part of the mill head of Whitney's Golden Mill, it inspires improved metrology, tooling offsets, and saves against crashes and mis-loads.

Salt & Vinegar Chips - Questions From Neighbors

2007-12-02T07:23:00.000-06:00

Angelikfiona asks (See original document):

What is your favorite flavored potato chips? Do you like salt & vinegar?

You either hate them or you love them?? Me, I love them, they feel like acid in my mouth (because they pretty much are) do you like them? Why and how do you cope with the acidic taste? Do you like acid? If you dont like them, What kind do you like? hehe

My Answer:

I LOVE Salt & Vinegar chips! The acidity doesn't bother me at all! I especially like them the traditional way, just taking a bag of chips, sprinkling some vinegar in the bag, shaking it up, adding some salt, shaking it some more and then eating. That's good because you can mix the ingredients to taste, and each batch tastes slightly different from the last.

According to SaltandVinegarchips.com, if you are having problems with the acidity; when you are half done with the bag, put a boiled egg in the bag and shake it up with the salt and vinegar. The salt gives the egg the taste you usually associate with a boiled one, and the vinegar gives it a tang. The egg absorbs the remnants in the bottom of the bag, cutting down on waste, while making possible for you to finish that bag of chips. Which is nice, since the bottom part is usually the most acidic.

The Worsley School conducted an experiment using Pringles brand Salt & Vinegar chips, which makes an interesting read. I've provided a link below. They were surprised to find that, "The test subject was in fact unable to eat more than 50-60 salt & vinegar Pringles before complaining vehemently that his mouth was burning up. His mouth was in fact so sore that even after half an hour (still without water) he was unable (or unwilling) to consume a single additional chip."

I do love Salt & Vinegar chips. But they are not my favorites. My favorites are those Crunchers Jalapeno chips, or any regular chips sprinkled with habanero sauce.

Source(s):

Salt & Vinegar Chips

Worsley School Study on Salt & Vinegar Chips

Coefficient of Restitution - Questions from Neighbors

2007-12-01T19:01:00.000-06:00

Ashley asks (See original document):

Does this make sense?

In a, you can see that the ketchup in the bottle is a rest. When you turn the bottle upside down, thrust it at a high speed and quickly stop it, the ketchup flies to the bottom of the bottle. Since you’ve applied a force on the bottle and then stopped it, the force causes the ketchup to go down even after you’ve stopped the bottle because of its inertia of the initial force.

In b, you can see the ball is in motion. When the ball hits the wall, the unbalanced force, it will bounce off and continue in a different direction. Even if the ball wasn’t stopped by the wall, gravity and air resistance would have eventually stopped it.

My Answer:

Are you saying that the ketchup continues in the direction it was traveling, even after you stopped the bottle? If so, this is an example of F=MA, Mass times Acceleration equals force. Or an object in motion will stay in motion until another force acts upon it.

When the ketchup hits the end of the bottle, or the ball hits the wall, and returns. This return is called coefficient of restitution. The coefficient of restitution is the ratio of speeds of a falling object, from when it hits a given surface to when it leaves the surface, or the amount of return or bounciness. A superball may have a high coefficient of restitution, or return of about 90% of it's original starting point, ketchup may only have a < 2% return.

Source(s):

Wikipedia

The Physics Factbook

Extraterrestrial Life - Questions From Neighbors.

2007-12-01T10:28:00.000-06:00

Three Hearts asks (See originating document):

Do you believe that Extraterrestrials (aliens) exist? and if not .....Why?

And if there was undeniable proof, would that make the bible Irrelevant.

My friend told me that if aliens landed and made them self knowing to the public, that the World be in total chaos. Because Religious fanatics would be freaking out and could not handle it, because the bible teaches that humans are the only superior existing intelligent being in the universe.

Is this true?

My answer:

A very good question that is difficult to answer in the space provided here.

No, I do not believe that there are sentient extraterrestrials in the dimensions that make up our physical universe. There maybe other species of animals, but I don't believe there is anything out there that is self-aware, like we are.

From a biblical/religious standpoint, when Adam rebelled and rejected God's rulership as of no benefit to the physical creation, God could point to the existence of extraterrestrials as proof his rulership is beneficial! Since He didn't do that, it would appear that they do not exist, or they have also rejected His Universal Sovereignty. If they have rejected it, why did God choose to send his son here to pay the ransom for lost perfection? He could have sent him to another world? Yet the bible tells us that Jesus died for "our" sins, "once for all time", benefiting all of creation. There is no evidence from a religious view that there is extraterrestrial life.

From a scientific standpoint, I find it difficult to believe in the possible existence of extraterrestrials. If man has evolved, the obstacles that stand in the way of sentient life evolving from a single cell organism are so incredible, that even in an infinite universe, they are quite improbable. So, even though I have read Asimov's Extraterrestrial Civilizations, where he argues in favor of the evolutionary odds of multiple occurrences of sentient life, I remain incredulous.

If there were undeniable proof that extraterrestrials existed, this would not make the bible irrelevant. The bible deals largely with events that have occurred during detailing of Earth's final creative epoch. In Genesis it says "In the beginning God created heaven and earth", what happened during this time period, the bible does not say. It's obvious from the fossil record that there were other creative epochs involving other species, such as dinosaurs, but we don't know why God chose those time periods for extinction. But he did. Then Genesis goes into greater detail concerning the preparation of Earth for the creation of man. Many creationists assign a specific time period for this, but Genesis really doesn't say how long a day is during this time period. The use of the term day, could be a reference to a period of time, like one could say "in my Grandpa's day", the use of "day" could be a reference to a creative period of time or epoch, the duration of which we do not know.

Again, the bible is a book dealing with the restoration of God's Kingdom, and only gives us an outline of creation and not the details. It is not a scientific reference to give us all the answers. Even Ecclesiastes 3:11 says in this regard, "He has also set eternity in their hearts, yet so that man can't find out the work that God has done from the beginning even to the end." The beauty of life is learning new things. If God gave us all the answers, then life wouldn't hold much meaning. We do know that God has created other species, the bible does speak of Angels, which were created far beyond any frame of reference we have scripturally or scientifically (as Hawking says in his book "A Brief History of Time", any theory regarding the nature of things prior to the Big Bang would be meaningless, since all laws of physics would no longer apply, even time itself would have no meaning) and exist outside the dimensions of our physical universe. So in that sense, I believe there is extragalactic/extradimensional life.

In summation, I do not believe in extraterrestrial life in our dimension or universe. It would be exciting to find proof of extraterrestrial life, but doing so would not shake my faith in God or the bible, which does not deal with the creation of life elsewhere, either universally, or extradimensionally, but only gives an outline to point to the restoration of God's Kingdom. During that time we will be able to explore these questions more fully and endeavor to learn all the things that have transpired since the beginning of time.

There are always fanatics, religious or otherwise. They are currently "freaking out" about a variety of things that have very little to do with what the bible actually says. Men are always looking for any reasons to dominate one another and often use religious reasons to do so. They may indeed freak out, but not because the bible teaches anything about man being the only intelligent being in the universe, it does NOT! They would freak out as an opportunity to push their own hidden agenda and do it in God's name.

I encourage you to do my research in this regard, both scientifically and scripturally. It's always good to make your own informed decision.

Source(s):

New Jerusalem Bible

Extraterrestrial Civilizations by Isaac Asimov

A Brief History of Time by Stephen Hawking

Earn Money on My PC - Questions From Neighbors

2007-11-09T17:29:00.000-06:00

Eric asks (See original document):

What is a good way to make extra money on my pc as i am disabled?

My Answer:

There are companies that employ people to provide customer service from home. These are legitimate opportunities that allow you a flexible schedule and pays a decent wage. Click the links below for more information and maybe there is an opportunity for you!

Source(s):

Alpine Access

Willow CSN

Live OPS

VIPdesk

The Great Taste of the Midwest

2007-08-11T22:57:00.000-05:00

Brewer's Log

Today I took three of our beers to the Great Taste of the Midwest, the best brewer's festival in the mid-west. The Fun Hunters booth was a great success and a lot of the beer lovers complimented us on our Wheat beer and Oatmeal Stout. Next to us, the guys from the AEppelTreow Winery were serving up some tasty Cider, which reminded me of a drink I read about called a "Smoothie". A Smoothie is a mixture of Cider with a Stout beer. Since we brought our Oatmeal Stout with us, I was eager to try this mixture. It was surprisingly good and I encouraged a lot of the Stout drinkers who visited us to try it. I encourage you to try it, even if you don't like Stout beers, or Ciders!

Many thanks go out to Pike, Natalie, and Matt for helping me work the festival. A thank you also goes to Kurt and Charles and the guys from the AEppelTreow Winery for sharing so much of their great Cider with me and those that visited us for Oatmeal Stout!

A Late Start This Morning.

2007-06-06T10:49:00.001-05:00

Stayed up late last night to watch "Dear Frankie" which was a cute movie. I would have liked to see a better denouement, one that explains what happens to the brother. I watched the movie speeded up so I wouldn't be up to late, but I was still up long enough that I hit the snooze one too many times. I arrived at work on time, but found the log in software was down so I probably won't get paid for today. Dani, if you are reading this, I'm just kidding, I'll get get paid, at least for half a day!

I brought my Linux+ Guide to Linux Certification book to review during slow times and I have gotten to read it a little. My lower back is hurting and I don't know why, I didn't do anything strenuous yesterday, so I imagine Dani was kicking me while I slept **SMILE**.

Riding the Rails in a Motorcar

2007-06-03T22:08:00.000-05:00

We had a lot of fun riding the rails in one of the service vehicles used by the railroads. They were abandoned in favor of multipurpose trucks. Now they are still used by hobbyists. For more information about this hobby, check out railspeeders.com or narcoa.org.

A Bell for Number 26

2007-05-20T17:49:00.000-05:00

Today was my first day working as a volunteer at the East Troy Trolley Museum. I was put right to work installing a bell on Number 26. It was a great FUN!

You MUST Transfer!

2007-05-17T10:29:00.001-05:00

Awoke this morning 30 minutes before my alarm was set to go off. Besides my normally stiff neck and dull headache, I feel a lot better then I did yesterday.

Had time to eat some cereal for breakfast and run to the Lakeside BP for some coffee. I really love that Farmer Brothers' Rush coffee. It has more then the normal amount of caffeine that you would find in a cup of coffee, which really helps overcome that dull headache. A cup of Rush, two Excedrin , three ibruprofen, and I should be as "right as rain".

Logged into my work station this morning and handled three calls and then had to meet in the conference room to discuss changes in how we handle transfers that is also going to restrict our interaction and ability to present our services. It's times like this I really miss working for Gary at Sprint. Gary always gave us room and flexibility to do what it took to get our message out and rewarded us for aggressivenes.

I really would like to be doing something technical.

Twin City Lines 1583

2007-05-13T17:29:00.000-05:00

Dani, Barak, and I went to the East Troy Trolley Museum today and started a family membership. Now we can go and ride the Trains anytime we want to. I took this video while we rode one of the trolleys.

At the Brewers Game

2007-04-18T21:52:00.001-05:00

8th inning and the Brewers have scored two runs solidifying thier lead over the Pirates, 7 to 3.

Monday Morning Rush

2007-04-16T09:10:00.001-05:00

It's a decent start to the week!
I ran to the BP this morning,
where they have the best coffee in Palmyra. 
Now I'm sitting here at work enjoying a cup of Rush.
It's slow going now, but after this coffee,
things are sure to speed up!

My Whovian Scarf

2007-01-13T20:13:00.000-06:00

My cousin Nita made me this SUPER COOL scarf! It's from Dr Who, the Tom Baker years. I LOVE it! Thanks Nita!

My Whovian Scarf
Originally uploaded by roadsideray.

A Tribute to My Dad!

2007-01-04T21:44:00.000-06:00

It's been two days since he died and I feel the need to do something cathartic. So I've started working on a website dedicated to my Dad, Raymond J. Miller.

My Dad Died Today! =(

2007-01-02T20:35:00.000-06:00

I was at work today when Dani called about 2:30 to let me know that they were taking Dad off of life support and I better get up to the hospital. I left work early and drove to Waukesha. By the time I got there he had already died! Aaron and I went went downtown to the House of Guinness and had a few pints of Belhaven.

I feel horrible. I'm going to miss him so much!

Guitar Center

2006-12-30T20:02:00.000-06:00

My Dad is up in ICU at Waukesaha Memorial with stage 3 lung cancer and failed kidneys. It's a sad thing. I try to look at the bright side that we had him for an extra year after his 3 week coma last January and he came out of it.

We took a break from the visit to go eat at the Old Country Buffet. Then we went to Half Price Books and I picked up Dune - The Machine Crusade, Debt of Bones, and The Poems of John Keats. After that we stopped at the Guitar Center in the V. Richard Plaza and browsed around.

AS you can see, the kids had a great time banging on the drums. Hearing them bang away didn't help me convince my wife that we need a drum set.

Hehe!

I guess we'll live with the Bass and Guitar!

Moved Furniture Around

2006-12-25T22:52:00.000-06:00

Today was pretty productive, we moved furniture around to consolidate the DVDs onto one wall. The moving stuff around went off without a hitch, then I decided it was time for a beer. I was opening my New Glarus I.P.A when the top of the bottle broke off with the cap and I cut my finger. There was a big flap of skin and Dani insisted I needed to go for stitches. But I don't feel like going to the hospital, so we bandaged it up tight and I'll see how it looks tomorrow.

A Drive

2006-12-24T16:18:00.000-06:00

Kimah and I took a drive today.

Finally a Shave

2006-12-23T21:26:00.000-06:00

After a week off from Standard Process, I figure it's time for me to shave!

China Buffet

2006-12-10T22:44:00.000-06:00

My Mom gathered us all together to have have lunch at the China Buffet in Fort Atkinson. She invited my cousin Barbara, who I haven't seen in years. She brought her significant other Ralph.

Magic at the Citgo

2006-11-26T23:01:00.000-06:00

We gathered at the Citgo to play some Magic the Gathering on Saturday and Sunday. The Citgo is a great place to play, there is coffee, soda, chips, and a restaurant.

I've played online numerous times, but this was my first time playing in person. Good time. So much fun in fact, I ran to Hobby Town and picked up a Dark Steel theme deck and a couple of booster packs.

Guitar Hero II Competition

2006-11-12T17:44:00.000-06:00

Jordan and Kimah competed in Guitar Hero II Competion today at WalMart in Whitewater, WI.

Get Your Own! | View Slideshow

Jordan failed to place. Kimah took 3rd place.

See host show on Picassa.

Here is a video of their second performance:

A Wheat Beer, Scott Deegan, Guitar Hero, and Anchorman.

2006-11-11T22:23:00.000-06:00

I brewed up a Wheat Beer at Randy's today. My friend Scott stopped by and hung out while I finished up, then we headed to my house, played Guitar Hero, and watch Anchorman.

Jeff and I Visit the Brewery

2006-11-05T19:51:00.000-06:00

November 5th, this is the day that Doc Brown slipped and hit his head on the porclain and envisioned the flux capacitor. So Jeff came over today to watch Back to the Future. Before we started the movie tho, we had to run to Randy's and pick up some beer.

While there I showed Jeff the brewery!

Milwaukee Astronomical Society 2006 Picnic

2006-07-29T22:45:00.000-05:00

Dani was sick today, so she stayed home and Barak wanted to stay with her. Jordan, Kimah, Jordan, and I met with Jeff, Tristan, and Caleb at the picnic for a good time. Above are the pictures from the event.

If you are unable to see the slideshow, click here for the Photobucket version.

In Which Dani and I go to a Baseball Game

2006-07-27T00:49:00.000-05:00

Get Your Own! | View Slideshow

Dani and I went to see the Brewers play the Pittsburgh Pirates today. We started the day by having Nachos Deluxe and Stuffed Mushrooms at the Waterstreet Brewery in Delafield. Then we we went to the Brewer game. The highlight of which was the race between the sausages. Dani was so impressed with it that she got a stuffed replica of the winner, The Italian Sausage. The Brewers lost with a score of 8 to 4.

Then we went to the Science and Surplus store, Lost Worlds of Wonder, and Krispy Kreme for some donuts. On our way home we stopped at the WalMart Super Center for some groceries.

The Adventures of Brisco County Jr

2006-07-18T22:17:00.000-05:00

Today is the day I have been waiting for, almost as eagerly as I awaited July 4th and the release of the 2005 season of Dr. Who. Today was the release of The Adventures of Briscoe County Jr. It has been 13 year since it originally aired with no home versions available. So today was a good day. So I packed up Kimah and her friend Cassie, Jordan and Bear stayed home; and we ran to Best Buy to pick up Briscoe. After Best Buy, we stopped at Hobby Town and Jesse talked me into buying Rocketmen. It's a pretty cool game where you can build space ships. I got two rockets.

Building Jeff's Computer

2006-06-24T20:15:00.000-05:00

After Dee Dee and Aaron's graduation party, we went over to Jeff's house to help him build his computer.

A Thunderstorm

2006-05-30T19:30:00.000-05:00

We had another thunderstorm tonight. I stood under the canopy at the Citgo until I caught this lightning strike on video.

SEVERE WEATHER STATEMENT

2006-05-24T21:47:00.000-05:00

NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MILWAUKEE/SULLIVAN WI

647 PM CDT WED MAY 24 2006

WIC027-055-250045-
/O.CON.KMKX.SV.W.0038.000000T0000Z-
060525T0045Z/
DODGE WI-JEFFERSON WI-
647 PM CDT WED MAY 24 2006
Image courtesy of Channel 3 Madison

...A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 745 PM CDT
FOR JEFFERSON AND DODGE COUNTIES...
 
        
AT 647 PM CDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR CONTINUED TO
INDICATE A LINE OF SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS CAPABLE OF PRODUCING DIME
SIZE HAIL...AND DESTRUCTIVE WINDS TO 70 MPH.  THESE STORMS WERE
LOCATED ALONG A LINE EXTENDING FROM 13 MILES EAST OF PORTAGE TO SUN
PRAIRIE TO OREGON...MOVING EAST AT 40 MPH.
 
        
SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS WILL BE NEAR...
DANVILLE AND WATERLOO BY 700 PM CDT
FOX LAKE...ASTICO AND SOUTH BEAVER DAM BY 705 PM CDT
LEIPSIG...HUBBLETON...BUSSEYVILLE AND REESEVILLE BY 710 PM CDT
RICHWOOD BY 715 PM CDT
 
        
A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 1000 PM CDT
WEDNESDAY EVENING FOR SOUTHEASTERN WISCONSIN.

LAT...LON 4361 8840 4313 8858 4286 8860 4287 8900
4362 8900

$$

KAPELA

Dispatch to all Emergency Fire/EMS, from Jefferson County. (6:38pm)

Update to all Fire/EMS (7:57pm)

Update to all Fire/EMS (8:11pm)

Wisconsin Microbrewers Beer Festival - Chilton

2006-05-21T08:31:00.000-05:00

Today was the annual Brewer's Festival in Chilton. It was fun day with sad overtones. Earlier in the week Bob Rowland, the brewmaster from Rowlands Brew Pub and manager of this festival, died of a heart attack. To honor him, t-shirts honoring Bob were given to all vendors.

I rode up with Mark, one of the other guys that works at the Fun Hunters Brewery.

At 1:00 PM the Festival got started and the Jerry Schneider Band from Chilton was getting set up in the same building we were in.

The Band in the Arena building is jamming German tunes and a great deal of polka dancing is going on. In the beginning of this video, if you look close, you can see a little boy sitting down. Believe it or not, he is an accordian player.

Lunch

Briess Malt bought all the vendors lunch. So I had a very tasty steak sandwich and a Rowland Cream Soda.

Gilling Out (Start your diet tomorrow)

After my tasty lunch, I walked by the grills where the smoke smelled wonderful. The crew was working all out providing food for everyone at ... all » the festival and one guy was trying to convince me to have another steak sandwich.

Copperbox

In the building adjacent to ours, Copperbox was playing. The rest is just another crowd walk thru.

Toward the end of the festival, Chris became convinced that he had to go and get more people to come back and finish off the last of our beer. Here he goes off and brings back a couple.

Fire Truck Puzzle

2006-05-19T20:16:00.000-05:00

Grandma got Barak a big puzzle. He couldn't wait to open it up and get it put together. Here he is puting in the final piece and then you can see him posing next to his first puzzle. Congratulations Barak, and THANKS Grandma.

The Monthly Meeting of the Astronomical Society

2006-05-19T11:24:00.000-05:00

Tonight was the last monthly meeting of the Milwaukee Astronomical Society until September.

The meeting was a pretty good one. Gerry Somolyk, gave a Powerpoint presentation on his trip to Turkey, which took place on Wednesday, March 29th 2006, to see a total eclipse of the Sun that was visible from within a narrow corridor that traverses half the Earth. The path of the Moon's umbral shadow began in Brazil and extended acrossed the Atlantic, northern Africa, and central Asia where it ended at sunset in western Mongolia. A partial eclipse was seen within the much broader path of the Moon's penumbral shadow, which included the northern two thirds of Africa, Europe, and central Asia. For more information about this event, click here.

Image courtesy of NASA

Here is video I took of the Society grounds prior to new member orientation:

During the meeting of the board, between and 7:30 pm and 8:00 pm, there is an opportunity for new members to learn basics of astronomy as taught by a senior member of the club. Since I have joined the club, Bob Manske has handled the orientation. New members usually meet in the Z Dome for these sessions. The Z Dome is the largest of the domes on the Society grounds.

Here are a couple of videos of the inside of the dome, one before the orientation started, and one just as it's about to end.

Inside the Z Dome - Part I

Inside the Z Dome - Part II

After the meeting, Jordan ran to Burger King to get something quick to eat, but were disappointed to find it closed. So we had to settle for Taco Bell. We came back to do some star gazing.

We got to see Jupiter and Saturn, which thrilled Jordan, Tristan and Caleb.

I also spent some time in the building below the Z Dome using the CCD. Neil was at the helm and he found globular clusters M3 and M5 along with the Black Eye Constellation.

Messier 3 is one of the most outstanding globular clusters, containing an estimated half million stars. It is famous for the large number of variable stars discovered in it.

M5 is one of the larger globular clusters known spanning 165 light years.

M64 is famous for its conspicuous dark structure which is a prominent dust feature obscuring the stars behind, thus it's most commonly referred to as the Black Eyed Constellation.

With that, we headed to Jeff's house.

Mexican Skillet at Mary's Cafe

2006-05-15T09:23:00.000-05:00

After work this morning, I stopped at Mary's Cafe for breakfast. I ordered the Mexican Skillet and was very dissapointed. The menu said it would be made with taco flavored meat, but I didn't taste any taco flavoring! It was far from any hint of Mexican flavor, and it was excessively greasy. When I told the waitress I was unhappy with the order and why, she didn't seem to care. I'm not sure I'll go back.

The skillets at the Cafe on the Park in Lake Mills are so much better. I also recall that Mexican breakfast I had a D.B. Puffins in Jefferson with my brother, it was vastly superior to my experience at Mary's.

Old World Wisconsin

2006-05-08T17:43:00.000-05:00

We took Donna to see Old World Wisconsin in Eagle. We got kind of a late start, but still had an enjoyable couple of hours. Here are some pics and videos of our experiences.

My favorite part of the Old World tour is the Blacksmith. I split the Blacksmith portion into 3 different videos.

Part I

Part II

Part III

In this next video, we are sitting outside the farm with the black kitchen. The kitchen has this very large chimney where meat can be hung for smoking. Barak discussed this room a bit as Kimah walks in the garden and Jordan sits on the porch.

Dee Dee, Logan, and Mom

2006-04-18T13:37:00.000-05:00

My sister and my Mom were here when I woke up. Unfortunately I couldn't stay and visit since I had to work at 3:00 PM at Sprint. Logan was particularly heart warming, when he saw me he immediately held out his arms for me to pick him up! VERY CUTE!! Mom is looking good, lost 125lbs.

Back at Waterstreet!

2006-04-14T17:00:00.000-05:00

Here we about to enjoy a tasty meal. We got our tax return. So we decided to go shopping. After a tasty meal at Waterstreet, we went to Best Buy were Kimah got a pink Game Boy Advance and Dani priced dryers. Then we went to Target were I got a Risk and Monopoly in a cool box that sits on a book shelf. Then we went to WalMart where I got a Game Boy DS and Tiger Woods PGA Tour Golf.

Wise Saying

2006-04-12T13:36:00.000-05:00

Nothing is at last sacred but the integrity of your own mind.

My Fortune, By Wongs Wok.

2006-04-03T13:43:00.000-05:00

You see everything that happens in terms of it's larger meaning.

We Go for Breakfast.

2006-04-02T13:02:00.000-05:00

Barak Rides His New Bike.

2006-03-30T17:37:00.000-06:00

We decided to get Barak that bike he liked so much at WalMart. It was hard to pass up since it was marked at half off the original price of $80.

A New Bike

2006-03-30T15:33:00.000-06:00

Barak checks out a new bike at the WalMart Super Center in Mukwonago.

Snow

2006-03-24T08:01:00.000-06:00

Lots of snow fell over night. This is on HWY S between State HWY's 59 and 67 just outside of Eagle.

A Chiropractor Visit, FINALLY!

2006-03-22T14:30:00.000-06:00

After 4 years of not having insurance that covers chiropractic, I was able to visit one. I chose Dr. Leanna, whose office is two blocks from my house. He is pretty good and I feel like a new man.

Cassie and Chicken Little

2006-03-21T13:12:00.000-06:00

Dani's co-worker Missy needed someone to watch her daughter today, so Kimah had a playmate. We took Cassie and Kimah to Wal-Mart this morning to get Chicken Little which was just released. At the Super Center in Mukwonago, we picked up some groceries, Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome, and Twilight Zone - The Complete Series.

Celebrating Our 17th Wedding Annivesary

2006-03-18T19:03:00.000-06:00

Dani makes herself comfortable at our table in the Watersstreet Brewery. We ordered prime rib.

Logan wants his Mom

2006-03-17T12:06:00.000-06:00

Dee Dee ran to get a sandwich and some chicken, leaving me with the Wolverine. I had to work hard to keep his mind off the absence of his mother.

Introducing: Logan

2006-03-17T11:05:00.000-06:00

Here's me with my nephew Logan.

60 mph

2006-03-06T09:17:00.000-06:00

Headed to work.

Snow

2006-03-06T07:51:00.000-06:00

Yesterday brought a lot of snow. Here is a picture just outside my front door.

Not Long Now.

2006-03-05T15:28:00.000-06:00

Only two hours to go.

Headache

2006-03-05T13:31:00.000-06:00

I got a headache BIG TIME! Dani says it's because I'm laying off the coffee.

2006-03-05T13:03:00.000-06:00

Working at Sprint today. Sundays are always a drag. Jake at Villa Pizza says this is his last day. Moving to San Antonio.

My First Picture With My i870

2006-03-05T09:43:00.000-06:00

Dani took a moment to pose for me as I tried out the camera on my new phone.

My New Phone

2006-03-03T09:42:00.000-06:00

I just got the Motorola i870.

Activated Jordan's i870 and Dani's i850

2005-12-29T11:20:00.000-06:00

Jordan's i870 arrived yesterday and was assigned a phone number today. I called in to have her put on the rural and fleet ID that Dani and I have.

Shortly there after, Dani's new phone, the i850 showed up and I had that activated on her number. I showed them how to use them and went to work. Worked from 1pm to 9pm. Fairly good night, 2 activations, but I feel the likelihood of return on these units is high. Customer had to many questions and wanted to many service guarantees. Came back from work, Dani was bringing in the laundry about 10pm. The tanker committee was meeting at the Fire Dept, so I went over there to see what they decided. Looks like we are going to get an Elite Power tanker. This will be a GREAT improvement over the old tanker we have been using.

Sorry, Got Busy, No Entry

2005-12-28T10:01:00.001-06:00

Well, I've been slacking on my journal. I have been working full time at Standard Process, and part time at Sprint. My mom has been in the hospital with heart problems and she currently has an infection at the site where she had an IV. It doesn't look like she will be out of the hospital any time soon. Jeff is back playing EQ, which is cool. So I created a new character on his server named Putty. I like the new feature that that link refers to, it's a new service offered by Sony to display your characters online without having to update your character manually. Works sweet, I wish City of Heroes would do this too.

2005-12-14T08:19:00.000-06:00

Just got home from work.It was a pretty routine night, ran the Alfa Laval and the Vincent most of the night. Gus a co-worker was pretty grumpy, and when I asked him about it, he told me to leave him alone. Came out of work to find my car buried under 4 inches of snow. Apparently the Weather Service has issued the following warning:

"A WINTERY WEDNESDAY FOR SOUTHERN WISCONSIN....PERIODS OF SNOW ARE EXPECTED THROUGH THE DAY ACROSS SOUTH CENTRALAND SOUTHEAST WISCONSIN. SNOW ACCUMULATIONS OF 3 TO 4 INCHES ARELIKELY TODAY...WITH AN ADDITIONAL INCH OR TWO LIKELY THIS EVENING.A SNOW ADVISORY REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 9 PM THIS EVENING FOR THEENTIRE AREA. CITIES INCLUDED IN THE ADVISORY ARE MILWAUKEE...MADISON... SHEBOYGAN...JANESVILLE...KENOSHA AND THE WISCONSINDELLS.A DEEPENING LOW PRESSURE SYSTEM WILL SETTLE INTO MINNESOTA TODAY.SEVERAL VIGOROUS UPPER LEVEL DISTURBANCES ROTATING AROUND THISLOW PRESSURE SYSTEM WILL BE RESPONSIBLE FOR THE RETURN OF WINTERYWEATHER.THE SNOW IS EXPECTED TO BE WET AND HEAVY...THEREFORE DESPITEBLUSTERY SOUTHEAST WINDS...WIDESPREAD BLOWING AND DRIFTING IS NOTEXPECTED TO BE A SIGNIFICANT PROBLEM.BE PREPARED FOR HAZARDOUS TRAVEL CONDITIONS THROUGHOUT THEDAY...ESPECIALLY ON UNTREATED ROADWAYS. SLOW DOWN...AND REMEMBERYOUR SAFE WINTER DRIVING SKILLS. DO NOT OVEREXERT YOURSELF WHILESHOVELING THE HEAVY WET SNOW"

We were planning to go see King Kong today, but I'm not sure we will be able to go now.

Busy Day

2005-12-07T01:33:00.000-06:00

Had a pretty busy Tuesday. In linux class we had a test on chapter 14 and then we went thru chapter 15 pretty thoroughly. Lecture lasted the whole morning and we didn't get a chance to do any lab work.

Got home at about 1:00PM and slept till 6:00PM, got up and went down to the Fire Dept to get my flu shot and recertify on CPR.

Went and visited with Dani at the Citgo and then went home and laid down again from 10:00PM to 10:30 and went to work at Standard Process.

The Big Shopping Day and Aggravated Mall Management.

2005-11-26T00:02:00.000-06:00

I knew the mall had extended hours today, but I thought the mall opened at 9am. So I thought I had plenty of time and showed up a half hour past my start time to find that the mall opened at 7am. Charleston decorated the kiosk in Christmas fashion (YECH). The game plan for the day - work outside the kiosk, greeting customers and drumming up sales. So Charleston stood at one end of the kiosk with a couple of camera phones greeting people and showing them the LG 225 and the Samsung 940 and I loaded some MP3s on the i870 and stood at the other end showing off it's capabilities. This was really fun, especially when that silly assistant mall manager Laurie showed up and told Charleston and I that we couldn't be outside our kiosk. We told her that our lease goes 4 feet around out kiosk and we would continue to work where we are. Shortly afterwards, she sent a security guard to tell me to get back into our kiosk. I told him to "forget about it" and he left. Laurie came back and had a lengthy conversation with Charleston which resulted in giving her Gary's phone number. Not much happened after that. I saw Donna W, one of the EMTs from the Palmyra Fire Dept. She purchased a headset.

Body in Question

2005-11-22T22:46:00.000-06:00

Went back to Barnes and Noble and picked up that book "Body in Question".

Forensics, Indiana Jones, Superman, a Village Board Meeting and Stealth

2005-11-21T23:33:00.000-06:00

I went to Barne's and Noble and found this cool book, Body in Question. It's a book on forensics. I walked around with it, and then put it back when I left, but now after I think about it, I may go back and buy it.

The rest of the day at work was pretty uneventful, as life at Brookfield Square will be. On my way out, I stopped at Game Stop and saw they had the Indiana Jones trilogy for only $39.99, so I snagged it along with Superman II. The first Superman is good, but I really liked the second one with General Zod, Nod, and Ursa. Lets see if I like it years later.

When I got home, Dani and the kids hadn't gotten back from my Mom's yet. So I ran over to Video Pix and rented Stealth. On my way home from the video store I saw Chief Rutkowski on his way to a village board meeting. I didn't think we had one tonight, after having a special one on Wednesday. The only really interesting thing discussed at the meeting was the additional antenna that Verizon Wireless is proposing to put on the water tower. I asked for clarification about the nature of revenue from the Verizon proposal, and President Johnson says that all revenue generated from the project has to go to the water dept. After the meeting I mentioned to him that they should have also negotiated free phone service for DPW, Police, and the Fire Dept. I also mentioned the possibility of having a company like Verizon sponsor a tanker for the Fire Dept.

Went home and watched Stealth, talked to Donna for awhile in Yahoo! Messenger and then had to do my homework for class.

Physical for Material Handler Position - Standard Process

2005-11-18T10:27:00.000-06:00

Just got home from my pre-employment physical for Standard Process. This is the second time I have seen Dr. Martin, the first time I saw him was when I had my physical for use of SCBA on the Fire Dept. He approved me for work pending the results of the drug test. So I look forward to starting my career at Standard.

Sprint Vendor Rally

2005-11-17T09:20:00.000-06:00

Before class today, I went to a Sprint Vendor Rally at the Country Springs Hotel. It was pretty entertaining, Samsung was there and I got to see their answer to the Motorola Razr. I played around with it a bit, and I think it's better the Razr, which I have never really been a fan of. Also there was Palm, Boost Mobile, TeleNav, Motorola, and Comet Tracker.

After visiting all the vendors, there was a drawing and I won the UTStarcom CDM 105 pictured right. It's a decent phone, but I will probably sell it so I can purchase an i850

I was going to skip out of the Rally early, so I could make it to class by 8:30, but wanted to stay and see if I won anything. As it was, I was only an hour late for class, so it wasn't to bad.

Dad Called

2005-11-16T10:52:00.000-06:00

I was really happy to get a call from my Dad today. He sounded like his ole self! When I picked up he said "Is that you?" playfully like he always does. I never thought I would be so happy to hear him overuse a joke!! He says he's feeling a lot better and hopes to be out of the hospital by the weekend. I'll stop by to visit him tomorrow after class.

I Got the Job

2005-11-16T10:24:00.000-06:00

Jenny called me to let me know that I got the job at Standard Process. I have to stop by today or tomorrow to pick up forms for a physical on Friday. I look forward to working there, everyone I know that works there likes it. They have a GREAT benefit package.

Live Fire Training at WCTC

2005-11-14T23:38:00.000-06:00

We didn't have our normal training last Thursday because of a special training we were having tonight at WCTC. We took advantage of the their burn building to have live fire training.
It rained the entire time we were there, but we were still able to complete 5 evolutions.
WCTC's compressor was down, so we had to take Dousman, who was nice enough to let us use their system to refill all of our bottles.
Now that I am home, I am VERY sore. I'm going to be hurting tomorrow!

Interview - Standard Process

2005-11-10T14:10:00.000-06:00

Just got back from my interview with Jenny Nelson for the 3rd shift Material Handler position over at Standard Process. SP is only 1 mile from my house, so if I get the job, I'll be able to ride my bike to work and save a ton of money. Currently I am driving about 30 miles one way, wasting about an hour and a half of my day driving. Plus SP has some great benefits, health insurance and a gym open to employees 24 hours a day.

I feel the interview went well and I got a tour of the plant. I really hope I get this position.

Dad's in the Hospital

2005-10-18T23:08:00.000-05:00

On my way to Linux class. I got a call from Dad's friend Donna. She says that he became very ill while visiting and she had to take him to Waukesha Memorial She says it doesn't look good, he is in ICU. This solves my mother's concern over not seeing or hearing from my Dad for a couple of days. So I call Dani and my mother to let them know.

Mom's taking Aaron to class and he is adamant about going to complete our final exam. So I decide to go as well. I had to much trouble focusing on my test and Todd let me go advising me that I can make up the test later.

In the hospital, Dad doesn't look good at all. He is unconscious, on a respirator, and every other machine imaginable. He is in total system shut down and the Doctors only give him a 20% chance of surviving.

My Highest Yahtzee Score EVER!

2005-10-10T17:31:00.000-05:00

This is the highest I have ever scored playing Yahzee! I had 4 Yahtzees totaling 608.
The above untouched picture was the score as it appeared on my Yahtzee handheld pictured below.

My Firefighter I Certificate

2004-09-24T21:55:00.000-05:00

Here I am as Chief Rutkowski give me my Firefigher I certificate.

Introducing, The Newest Probationary Member

2004-02-10T12:35:00.000-06:00

I just got off of the phone with Pat Kelly from the Palmyra Fire Dept GREAT NEWS!! I have been accepted as a probationary member! I have to show up Thursday to get my gear! WOO HOO!!

Jeff and Dee Dee Chojnacki and Jeff and Tristan Grode

2004-02-07T20:30:00.000-06:00

Well, today was a fun day! My sister Dee Dee came over with her husband Jeff, and Jeff Grode came over with his son Tristan. I showed Jeff C how to play Everquest, we had Broasted Chicken from Jim and Judy's, and all of use watched BBC's "The Young Ones".

How I Became Roadside Ray!

2004-02-06T17:56:00.000-06:00

A while back we had a push to offer Roadside Assistance. I made quite and effort and earned myself the nick Roadside Ray! Offering Roadside Assistance earned me over 30,000 Dynamic Reward points which can be used to purchase items. I have been putting off making my purchase because I really wanted to get a second Playstation2, which costs 52,000 points. Earlier this week, I decided to do some shopping! I made my order and it arrived today! I am so happy to have this bad boy:

Heavy-Duty 1/4" (6mm) 7.2V Cordless Two-Position Screwdriver Kit - DW920K-2

Interview for Palmyra Volunteer Fire Dept

2004-01-19T21:09:00.000-06:00

I had an interview to join the Palmyra Fire Dept tonight! The interview was done by the current Chief Officers, Kevin Williams, Don Rutkowski, Pat Kelly, and Larry Houk. I really hope I get a accepted! Hopefully there will be more positive news to follow!