renaissanceman

how much longer???

2006-12-06T20:27:00.000-08:00

Wow it is Christmas time again, I love it! When I was a kid it seemed like Christmas only came around about ever 2 or 3 years. Now it is every 4 months it seems.

So here I am shopping an doing my honey do's and such. Is it just me or does it seem that the receipts we get now have gone from being just long enough to show the items you buy to being long enough to show all the items in the store! I mean come on, I went to Best Buy bought a CD and a DVD paid with my trusty debit card, and i get a receipt that is 14" long! I'm not kidding you, it was crazy, so I have to fold this thing up like a little kid in 2nd grade putting his note from the teacher in his pocket. Stuff it into my wallet to record later.

Why are these things so dang long! 12" 14" 18" GRRRRRR

A denomination with a hop err hope?

2006-12-02T12:23:00.000-08:00

Growing up in Oklahoma you are surrounded by the evangelical. I did not start attending a church until 6th grade when my mother decided we were going to become religious. There is a difference in being religious and being of faith but I'll leave that to those that delve into those issues better than I. Since that time I've learned what it is to follow God, not that I do it perfectly mind you.

Like many growing up in a Southern Baptist church you were taught that the 11th commandment was "though shall not not drink". It hasn't been until the past 5 years of my life that I've even ventured into this dark realm of the world. I've since discovered a taste for import brews. I have maybe one a week, and go many weeks with out any. In the back of my mind I've often felt a sense of guilt as I'm "sinning" as if anything else I do in my life isn't a sin. Just living you sin, but this is a taboo to those who curse what I do.

The following article was in the Oklahoma Gazette, I am encouraged by those in this article. Not because it makes Charlie feel it is ok to pour a lager, but because there are those in our leadership that see the topic for what it is, that of teaching restraint, and personal limits or abstinence. I'll let the article tell the story please read it here: Here.

I look forward to any comments.

A tradition of the season

2006-11-29T10:14:00.000-08:00

Have you ever had an event that triggered a season for you? I have one, and if you have lived in the Oklahoma City area for any length of time I’m sure you will smile when you hear the B.C. Clark Christmas Jingle. Every year it has signaled the coming of the Christmas season for me as well as many I know. B.C. Clark, is a local jeweler, I’ve not ever been to the store, and my wife WILL confirm that much to her dismay, but I may just surprise her one day you never know.

Seems every year we hear the Christmas music earlier and earlier. I don’t know if that is the case or if I’m just getting older and notice things more. I like my seasons in the month they occur; yes I know that is weird. But I don’t want Halloween in September, for me that just make it more apparent that summer is almost over. This year my office co-worker started piping in the Christmas music about the second week of November. We have a good work relationship with one another so I can rib her pretty good at times, as well as take some good ribbing. I went nuts, “you can’t just skip Thanksgiving, by playing Christmas music before Thanksgiving is over!” of course I’m a scrooge they think. Really I’m not, I just like to enjoy each one, and then you get the new holiday. If we are working on Valentines now what will we do then?? Of course I know my wife wants me to be working Valentines now. This brings me back to my comment about the B.C. Clark Christmas Jingle, for me this is now Christmas time. I heard it the first time Monday morning after Thanksgiving. It was great; it brings back all those childhood memories of lying on the floor looking through the JC Penny catalogue or the Sears Christmas catalogue. I don’t know why we got those or how, I need to see if they still make them. My kids need to have that experience of just spending what seemed like hours drooling at things you may or may not get.

So here it is on a very cold Oklahoma day, the news channels are forecasting the first winter weather of the season, and I can hear my co-workers radio playing Sleigh Ride, and I don’t mind know because B.C. Clark has said “Yes, Oklahoma it is Christmas indeed!”

A few thoughts from the first of the month...

2006-11-26T07:56:00.000-08:00

I think it was said well by former President Clinton when he was asked if the nation gave a mandate to the politicians by defeating many of the returning or new running Republicans...To paraphrase "no I don't think it was a mandate at all, I think we were given a chance"

I've not always admired President Clinton, but I do think he is a smart man. I think he is right. Americans as a whole are sick of politics. Yet we feed on it in some way or form. I for one am sick of republicans that don't stand for what we should, conservative values, fiscal responsibility, less government etc. There are many Dems that believe the same, but have long been towing the party lines of more government, more spending less responsibility. So in a sense I think he was right the Dems have been given a chance and I hope that they do right. I hope this nation of ours gets it's head on about what is going on. Quit whining about the now, use our powers to help people of the world, help our selves even.

Why do we see so much in the news about Tom Cruise and the like but very little about what is going on in Rwanda? I hope to be able to put more thoughts on Darfur in the future. My mind is racing these days, maybe I can let words catch my thoughts.

I'm back...

2006-09-10T21:56:00.000-07:00

It has been a while since I last blogged in case you can't tell. I will be updating more often. Life is still the same for me only better every day.

I feel better about America today....

2004-11-03T21:33:00.000-08:00

Wow it is over, i'm soo glad. I'm sick of the scum ads on all sides. I felt I would be sick if John Kerry won. No not because i'm a reg. Republican but because I have conservative values. I'd actually vote for a good Dem if one would run. Z.Miller comes to mind as well as Joe Lieberman to name a few. I found it interesting to see how many counties across the USA voted for Pres. Bush. I think my faith in the American people has been restored some. It has been my opinion that what happened yesterday was a moral decision. It seems that the Democratic party has dangerously aligned it's self with the idiology of liberalism. In it's basic form Liberalism is fine, I think we all have liberal leanings on some subjects. But when you go over the edge, then it is dangerous. So I feel Americans voted conservative this year as opposed for liberal. This makes me feel good indeed. Even though i'm a devout neo-conservative I do hope that the Dem party can find a new platform besides socialist liberal leanings.

I'm watching the news as I type. A story just ran that if you plan to move to Canada now that Pres. Bush has won then expect a month min. wait. As you will have to go through the same process as anyone else.

It is good to be an American.....

Did anyone notice what happend this week?

2004-10-07T19:00:00.000-07:00

Wow what a time of the year, football, schools, fall festivals, politics/elections, debates etc...man it is a busy time. I have been keeping up with the X-prize race, no this isn't an extreme sports even on ESPN. It is the race for space, but wait we did that already right? Well not in the private enterprise we havn't. There is a 10million dollar prize for the first private group to go to space, it is modeled after the 1927 prize for the first person to fly from NewYork to Paris. Anyone know the name Lindburgh? After he flew to Paris it ussured in a new type of travel for the private individual. It is hoped that this too will invite a new mode of travel SPACE! Man I'm pumped, i'd love to go to space. I may not ever get to but it is very possible that may children could or their children could.

Well this whole even took place this past weekend in Mojave, Ca. Legend Burt Rutan has took the lead on this project with funding from Paul Allen of Microsoft fame. I've followed Burt for many years, my first memory of him was when he made his non stop flight around the world in Voyager, what a pioneer. Long story short the team made two successful flights, with the final one done this past Monday October 4th, 2004. You may have missed it, with all the debates and "other news", it didn't get much play time. Such a great event was pretty much ran over by other news items. So sad...

For it..? Against it ? now it was a protest??

2004-09-29T14:19:00.000-07:00

Today John Kerry said in an interview that his vote against the 87 billion was as a protest. He was protesting the fact that the "rich" in America do not pay enough taxes, and his thought was that the war was being funded by the poor and middle class. So lets think, first he was for it, before he was against it or is it the other way around? Now it was a protest. I'm all for ones freedom of speech, in fact one of my favorite patriot lines is "I may not agree with what you say, but will fight to my death for your right to say it.." that may not be an exact quote but close. I feel that way, but his "protest" pretty much says this to me...His vote as a protest was to keep the needed funding (which is: equiptment, training, supplies, vests etc etc etc...anything required to carry on a successful war) out of the hands of those who need them. Wow, can you imagine what that says to those who have loved ones fighting for our Country right now? I can just hear it...sorry mame...I couldn't vote for your son to have the equiptment he needs because I don't think the rich are taxed enough, in other words it is ok for your son to die as long as the rich are paying for it??? Gee my hand is spinning...is it November yet?

The Forgotten

2004-09-26T14:54:00.000-07:00

This past weekend I was able to go see "The Forgotten". I love going to a movie not knowing a thing about what the plot or anything is. It was a 90min roller coaster as I was constantly trying to figure things out. I enjoyed it, even though the "critics" gave it a 1.5 star. I felt it was worth the 7.00. Anyone else see it?

Assult Weapons ban...

2004-09-23T21:37:00.000-07:00

I'm so sick of hearing how the drop on this ban will put more firepower on the streets...it is making me nuts. Just tonight I hear Jessie Jackson err xcuse me the Rev. Jesse Jackson (anyone know where his church is and how does he get his money?) saying on the radio that George Bush is taking guns off the streets of Iraq and putting them in the hands of criminals in the US. That is almost as good as when they accused Ronald Reagan of selling crack and spreading AIDS back in the 80's! Here is what gets me, before then ban you could STILL buy an AK-47 guess what you can buy one still after the ban SO WHAT! but this is the battle cry of the far left, no i'm not saying Dem's but the far left. Ohh also you can now buy "high capacity" magazines for your gun, shhhh don't tell anyone but you could buy them during the ban too. Just couldn't make any new designs and sell them, if you had an existing product that was pre ban then you could still sell it. But you see that doesn't make for good news headlines does it? I feel sorry for those that get their news from the 2.8 sec sound bites on the National Media (more on that later too). I think tomorrow I'll go down to the gun shop and see how many guys are buying AK's and such, maybe I will see a drug dealer there, i'm sure they are just lining up to buy all new guns and fill out those Federal papers.

Why Renaissanceman

2004-09-23T21:26:00.000-07:00

Yes, I know it is two words but this is the internet you don't have to be correct on the way you spell things...k?? :)

Seems I have this diesese of knowing just enough about everything to make it seem well to others at least that I know a little about everything, when at times I actually feel I know very little. I have this thing about wanting to do or try everything that goes through my mind (with in reason and the law of course). I've began to think of my self as 34 with a fake ID, ever see the movie BIG? I feel that way some days, kid in an adult body. If I see or hear something interesting I have to read about it, before the i-net i'd go buy a book, read a magazine or find a group that knew something about what I was interested in. Ok so what interests me, I love to dabble in RC toys, yes I said toys; there is that BIG ref again. I enjoy my wife and kids more than anything else. For the past 4 years i've become interested in British sports cars, mainly MG's and Austin Healey's thanks CD! When I was in HS I wanted a Fiat really bad, my dad would never let me get one...."those are hard to keep running" he would say. So far I've had 4 in the past four years, and one of them even ran. More on that another day.

Ok...i'm rambling..well see this friend of ours said "you are such a Renaissance man" well not real sure what that was I had to go home and look it up. After readig several definitions I didn't think that was me...but over time I have come to the realization it is prob. right. So ever since then that name has stuck, that is why this is "renaissanceman"

I'm a blogger! wooohooo

2004-09-23T21:09:00.000-07:00

Well i've not been one to jump on the band wagon, I figure who wants to read what I have to say, maybe i'm more concerned that I'll see what I think in type...make sense? Let's see where this goes.....