scot's blog

Viva la libertad -- A Friend.

2009-03-11T10:09:00.001-06:00

Viva la libertad -- A Friend.

Heroes

2008-07-09T10:11:00.003-05:00

I'm a big fan of NBC's Heroes....so next week they start a new webisode.

Here's a preview:

Just in case....

2008-03-31T14:28:00.008-06:00

I thought I'd post this just in case you happen to wear glasses and find yourself stranded on a deserted island.

Battlefield: Heroes

2008-03-04T08:38:00.007-06:00

This game looks AWESOME!

(And it's FREE!)

Kubota Tractors

2008-02-15T16:44:00.000-06:00

Awhile back there were some tractors across the street from us. They were out there because there was a new fence going in next to the railroad tracks. For several days I drove past them and thought, 'How cool would it be to take some pictures of these things?'

Well, finally THAT day came....it had just rained and the clouds were still pretty "moody"....the family and I had just come home from lunch and I said to the wife...."I'm gonna go shoot those tractors."

To that Loo says, "Daddy, can I go out and take pictures of them, too?"

How can I resist that?

I grab my gear and she gets her Fisher Price Digital Camera, as we were ready to walk out the door, Loo saw me putting my ShootSac on and said, "Oh, Dad can I go and get my camera bag too?"

Again, I can't say no....she comes downstairs with this little pink bag that I think is actually for one of her baby dolls, but her camera fits PERFECTLY inside of it....that kid knows how to melt my heart!

Anyway....I start by asking her what we should take pictures of ("Where should we start?")....she said she didn't know. So I started with this shot.

This is what she shot.

It was so awesome to watch her little creative brain working and just snapping away. She would watch me take a picture of something and then she'd take a picture of it (in her own way, of course!).

We fed off of each other and had a lot of fun

She even inspired me!!

How cute is this little girl?!?!

I'll let the rest of these speak for themselves!

Another Loo inspired shot.

I think I may be using that shot as a texture overlay, as soon as Chip teaches me how!

Loo, I had such a great time with you! Thank you for wanting to come with me!

Movie Trailers Make Me Happy

2008-02-15T14:29:00.004-06:00

The trailer for Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull came out yesterday!

Looks like it's gonna be another Indy Classic!

And....Check out what I found on YouTube

Creative Stuff - Fort Bend County Fair

2008-02-04T11:10:00.000-06:00

If it wasn't already bad enough that I forgot to blog the fair until months after it happened....I TOTALLY forgot to post these images from the fair.

I'm just gonna let the images speak for themselves....

ROCK ON!

2008-01-14T12:58:00.000-06:00

Chip over at Studio 563 Houston has spent the last couple of weeks compiling a list of the studio's absolute favorite ring shots from some of the rockinest weddings of 2007, for your viewing (and voting) pleasure.

Craig, Chip, Lindsay, Michael and I have tried very hard to capture some rockin’ ring shots this year, but we want to know your favorite.

Click here to go to Chip's blog. There you will find a collection of fantastic ring shots and their corresponding wedding identifiers. Check 'em out at your leisure and pick your favorite, then leave a comment (on Chip's blog) to let him know which one rocks the most!

Vote early and vote often, as the couple corresponding to the image you choose will receive an 8×10 print of their ring shot to help commemorate their big day!

I have a couple of shots showcased over there, so go and vote for your favorite.

See Chip Shoot

2008-01-12T23:11:00.000-06:00

You'll remember from this post that Chip came over and took pictures of me while I hung up Christmas lights.

So when I downloaded all the pictures from the camera I discovered that when he wasn't shooting pictures of me....he was shooting pictures of HIMSELF.

And with that I present....

See Chip Shoot

See Chip Shoot

See Chip shoot more.

See Chip shoot....Chip.

See Chip....Oh my gosh dude....seriously!

Come on man....Look in the mirror once in awhile.

I am the walrus....Coo Coo Ka Choo

Thanks for the laugh, dude....albeit at your expense!

You know I love you man!

My New Favorite Commercial

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

This has got to be the funniest commercial of the year and the year has only just begun.

It's so great because it screams Mr. T....but then there's also that "nerd" aspect of computer games.

Enjoy!

Fort Bend County Fair - Family & Friends

2008-01-05T00:00:00.000-06:00

A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away....

We went to the Fort Bend County fair with our Studio 563 family.

Food, Drinks and plenty of fun was had by all.

The Blonde One and Loo are best friends and they had so much fun at the fair.

We started off walking through the Midway....Loo won a panda bear.

Goog had a pretty good time too!

WATCH OUT!! It's the Attack of the 50 Foot Toddler!

Next....it was time for the Dragon Roller Coaster!

Chip brought his camera too! (Check out his shots from the fair here)

Sisters love the Turtle Spin!

We stood in line a few minutes for the Merry-Go-Round....Once we got on we had to wait some more!

Once we got going....the smiles came out.

A little while later Craig stopped by the fair with his family....here he is with the Wee One.

Here's another shot of Chip before it got dark.

After dark, the Fun Slide was ROCKIN'

Over on the stage, the performers called a bunch of kids up on the stage to get dressed up and to sing some songs....of course Loo and the Blonde One had to perform!

We all had a great time.

Our Christmas Lights

2007-12-31T00:04:00.000-06:00

I originally wanted to take pictures of our Christmas lights and post them on my blog.

Well, things happen and I didn't get them posted as soon as I wanted to.

What made it worse was that a recent storm blew our lights down!

So last weekend Chip and his family came over to our place. The wives went our shopping and he and I played Xbox and played with our kids AND put the lights back up!

Here are some shots from the day that Chip took with my camera.

The wind got them all tangled up too!

Wendy, Don't Look at these!

OK, don't look at this one either!

YES! DONE!!

Johnny Appleseed Day

2007-12-30T17:31:00.000-06:00

September 26th was Johnny Appleseed Day at Loo's school.

I volunteered to be Johnny Appleseed for the class. I dressed up in jeans and a western style shirt. We rolled up the pants and we cut up some old pajama's to make patches for my clothes. We couldn't find a pot that would fit my head (they were either too small or too big), so we found a colander that sort of fit....as long as I wore a ski cap on my head!!

I also emptied out my ShootSac (my camera bag) and put a ziplock bag with apple seeds in it....man if I was gonna be Johnny Appleseed, I was gonna BE Johnny Appleseed!!

We didn't tell Loo, so it was a complete surprise when the kids came into the classroom to find Johnny Appleseed there.

Loo didn't recognize me at first....who knew that a colander on your head would be a good disguise? (I'll tell you who....Clark Kent that's who!!) All the kids came in and were full of "OOO"s and "WOW"s.

A couple of kids had their doubts...."That's just someones Dad", I heard.

I was there to read a story and to answer questions from the kids and to help with the arts and crafts....I wish I would have known this ahead of time....I would have checked the CLIFFS NOTES!

All the kids sat down in front of me, so I could read the story of Johnny Appleseed. Once Loo sat down, I looked right in her eyes and whispered, "Hi Loo"....her eyes lit up and she turned around to one of her friends and whispered, "That's my Dad!" (Oh man....what a feeling that was....she was so proud of that guy with the colander on his head!)

Once I finish the story, it's time for the crafts....a few of the other kids mom's were there to help out with the projects (including the Wife). As I'm walking around from apple station to apple station, the kids are asking me questions....

Here are some of the best ones
(and my answers):

"What are all those patches for?"
(They're to cover the holes in my clothes.)

"What's that bag for?"
(It holds my apple seeds.)

"I know your real name, It's John Chapman."
(That's right, but I like Johnny Appleseed better, don't you?)

"Why do you have a pot on your head?"
(I put it on my head so I don't have to carry it in my hands.)

"How come your pot has all those holes in it?"
(It's old, I need a new pot, huh?)

"Are these real apple seeds?"
(Yes.)

"Are you really her dad?"
(I'm Johnny Appleseed.)

....and the best one saved for last....

"Our teacher told us you were dead"
(I took some medicine and I feel much better now.)

I had to think quick for that one.

Anyway....I had a really good time and I hope these pictures made you laugh.

WHAT IS IT? - Contest Results

2007-12-21T11:20:00.000-06:00

Thanks to everyone who entered in answers for the contest.

This was pretty fun, I'll have to do this more often!

So here's what you've all been waiting for....

That's right, rubber from a shoe.

Congratulations to Lynne B. who was the ONLY person to correctly identify it as a shoe. (Lynne email me your contact info, ok?)

Be sure to check out the comments from the last post to see everyone's answers.

CONTEST TIME!

2007-12-18T15:42:00.000-06:00

I'd like to thank all of you for your patience with my lack of blog posts....well at least most of you (Chip, I'm talking to you, here buddy!)

To show my appreciation, I've decided to run a little contest.

What's this?

Please post ONLY ONE ANSWER in the comments. Everyone who answers correctly will be put into a drawing for a $20 Starbucks card!!

I will reveal the answer and the winner on Friday.

(The only person who is ineligible for this contest is my mother, because she was there when I took this picture and I told her what I was going to be doing with it....sorry Mom)

Stay Tuned....

2007-12-14T14:48:00.001-06:00

I know I'm behind on blog posts....I apologize for that.

You can look forward to these posts:

1) Johnny Appleseed Day
2) Fort Bend County Fair
3) Neon Project
4) Insert a Random Post Here
5) 2007 Year in Review

Hopefully coming soon.

Thanksgiving

2007-11-23T22:25:00.001-06:00

This Thanksgiving, I have many things to be thankful for.

I am most thankful for my wife....I mean she did say, "yes" and that got the whole thing going. Not only is she my wife and best friend, but a terrific mother to our two beautiful daughters.

Of course I would have never even gotten to that point if it weren't for my parents. (Don't worry, I won't go into the birds and the bees part). My parents divorced very early on in my life....but that's ok, because it brings in the next two people that I'm thankful for.

My grandparents. I give most of the credit to them for molding me into the person that I am today. Thank you for that....plus now that I can share "the beautiful game" with my grandpa.

I am also thankful for family. My Aunt Flo and Uncle Mike have been such a great help to us here in Houston. They've really helped to make our transition here a smooth one.

And I can't forget friends. Especially our new friends from Studio 563. Craig, April, Chip & Jeanette. They are now a part of our family and I'm so proud and honored to be a part of the 563 family and also to call them friends.

Lastly I want to say thanks to my friend Kyle in NYC. Even though we're far away and "talk" via email....I value your friendship and I want to say thanks for keeping in touch.

I hope everyone has a good Thanksgiving.

Joke of the Day

2007-11-21T21:53:00.000-06:00

Sent from the blogberry

Joke of the Day, probably won't become an everyday thing....but I saw this on Comedy Central's mobile site and thought it was pretty funny....ENJOY!

If a man says something in the woods and no woman is around to hear it, is he still wrong?

Yaaaaawn

2007-11-07T13:29:00.000-06:00

Sent from the blogberry

No, I'm not bored, but ya know how yawning is contagious?

Well, have you ever noticed that using a BlackBerry is contagious too!??!

Whenever I get on the elevator and I happen to be emailing or checking my messages, someone else on the elevator has to bust out their BlackBerry and check their messages too.

I think it may be some kind of ego thing....as if to say, "I'm as cool as you are".

I'm not saying I've never done it, but I think, now that it's something I notice, I'm trying to avoid the "contagiousness" of being a BlackBerry show off.

(I think the same holds true for cell phones, when people are texting or just checking their phone in the elevator.)

Bee Movie

2007-10-26T14:22:00.000-05:00

Another movie trailer here....Gotta love the live action stuff in the beginning!

This one does looks pretty funny!

More SoCal Fire Stuff

2007-10-23T16:10:00.001-05:00

This image comes from NASA's web site....in it you can see that there are 14 fires burning in Southern California.

Hot & Cold

2007-10-22T12:43:00.000-05:00

photo by Dan Steinberg for AP

SoCal is pretty much on fire....I just got an email from my mom, saying that there's a fire in Irvine near a Toll Road that we used to drive on a lot and that fire jumped the freeway to the otherside.

There are huge winds there and although the Santa Ana winds do cause havoc every year with the fires, I don't think it's EVER been that bad.

I read somewhere that there are 15 fires burning in Southern California right now!!

Please pray for the firefighters and the people and structures that they are working to save.

In Houston weather news....a MEAN cold front moved in this morning. I read earlier today that just before 10 am at Hobby Airport (which is near our house) it was 82°....less than an hour later it was 61° and raining!!

photo by Johnny Hanson for the Houston Chronicle

Let's See That Arm

2007-10-18T09:48:00.001-05:00

To me....this is one of the funniest commercials out there right now!

Listen to Peyton

2007-10-18T09:44:00.000-05:00

Internet People

2007-10-16T13:56:00.000-05:00

I meant to post this a few weeks ago, when I first saw it (sorry).

If you've been on the net for a while or even if you're new to YouTube and other video sites, there's something for everyone in this video....

It's Awesome!

Enjoy!

What the....??

2007-10-16T09:18:00.000-05:00

After months of heat and humity....a cold front has rolled into Houston.

We had a BIG STORM last night and plenty of flood warnings in effect too....but this is the first time that I've gone outside in the morning to get into the car to go to work and thought...."Hey? It's cold."

Bam! Happy Birthday!

2007-10-15T11:07:00.000-05:00

It's Emeril's Birthday Today!

BAM!

High School Musical

2007-10-09T15:04:00.000-05:00

A couple of weeks ago, Loo and I went to go see High School Musical @ the Fort Bend Theatre.

The Fort Bend Theatre is this cool old building with a tiny little stage and MAYBE 10 rows of seats. I bought tickets online....got directions from the Fort Bend Theatre's very own website, but still GOT LOST!! But, don't worry, we still made it to the show in plenty of time.

If you don't know about High School Musical then with the help of Wikipedia, I'll tell you about it.

With a plot described as a modern retelling of Romeo & Juliet, High School Musical is a story of two high school juniors from rival cliques: Troy Bolton (played by Zac Efron), captain of the basketball team, and Gabriella Montez (played by Vanessa Hudgens), a shy transfer student who excels in math and science. Together, they try out for the lead parts in their high school musical, and as a result, divide the school. Despite other students' attempts to thwart their dreams, Troy and Gabriella resist peer pressure and rivalry, inspiring others along the way not to "stick with the status quo."

This was Disney Channel's most successful movie at its time with 7.7 million viewers in its premiere broadcast in the US.

Loo was too young to get in on the first High School Musical from Disney....she didn't even know about it until a few months ago.

The Disney Channel started re-running High School Musical a couple times a week to get everyone excited about High School Musical 2.

Loo and I saw the "Sing Along" ( or the karaoke) version of High School Musical....it was the first time I had actually seen it too. I'd heard plenty about it on the radio though. Bean from Kevin & Bean fame on KROQ talked about it all the time.

I'll HONESTLY say....I liked it. It was a pretty cool little musical....and hey, it's Disney, it can't be that bad, right?

Anyway....Loo was really looking forward to seeing High School Musical 2....and secretly, so was I!! (Shhhh, don't tell anyone!) We recorded it for her on the DVR and then we watched it the next day.

She actually likes the second one more than the first one!! (For the record, I can't pick a favorite) She now has a High School Musical t-shirt!

OK, OK....so I'm sure you're thinking...."Why is he posting this stuff??" I'll tell ya....I just wanted to give you a little back story, that's all.

The show at the Fort Bend Theatre was really pretty good....obviously they edited the script a little for the stage....but man, they did a really good job. There was one character who stole the show though....and he wasn't even in the original....they created a narrator type character, named Jack Scott. This kid would pop up on a make shift TV screen....he was reading the announcements for the school. It was a great way for them to cut some scenes out and move the story along.

Loo had a great time....at the end of the show, the cast invited all the kids up on stage to learn the dance moves from the last song....Loo got up there and was just in awe of everyone.

Even though Troy wasn't Zac Efron, it didn't matter to her....the story was still the same and that's all that mattered. She was up there singing and dancing with everyone. It was really cool of them to do that.

It was great daddy & me time for us both!

More Gum

2007-10-04T22:56:00.000-05:00

Can you tell that I like chewing gum??

Dang....How long is my hair in this picture?? It's been cut since then!

Baked! Cheetos

2007-10-04T22:02:00.000-05:00

I found these super freaking good Cheetos in the little convenience store downstairs in the building!

Who knew they made Baked! Cheetos??

I know I didn't.

All I can say is....
YUMMY!

I'm the Mom Song

2007-10-04T21:42:00.000-05:00

I first saw this video on Inside Edition....(I know, I know....I'm a night owl)

So it's making the rounds and is a HUGE youtube hit.

It's very funny too!

ENJOY!

Houston Dynamo v Real Salt Lake

2007-10-04T16:15:00.001-05:00

OK, so I'm a little behind on this blog post....almost a month late on this one.

My Uncle got us tickets to a Dynamo game and by us I mean, my uncle, my cousin and myself.

The game was great....lots of scoring....the Dynamo won 4-3

I didn't take my big camera for fear of being hassled at the gate, and I don't have a point and shoot camera. So prepare yourselves to be amazed by the horrible pictures that I took with my camera phone!! =)

TICKETS!! YEAH!

We had great seats!!

It was fan appreciation day, so we got all kinds of cool stuff....this T-shirt

These thunder clapper things....this kid in the picture was rubbing one on his sisters head, trying to create static so it would stick to his dad's back!! LOL

This is the first corner kick of the game....also the first DYNAMO GOAL!

I was being sneaky here....here's a shot of me & my uncle.

....and me and my cousin....WHAT? Where'd he go?? I think he knew I was taking the picture and he hid behind my GINORMOUS head!

Same kid from above....banging on his sister's head with the thunder stick thing, while the Dynamo girls perform during half time.

After their performance....the Dynamo girls (unexpectedly) tossed some shirts into the crowd....

This one bounced off some guys head 2 rows in front of us and landed next to me!

FINAL SCORE

Uncle....I know I thanked you then, but thanks again for getting tickets....anytime you want to go again....COUNT ME IN!!! I had a great time and I hope that you did too!!

Press PLAY....Randomly

2007-09-27T17:07:00.001-05:00

I have 1390 songs on my iPod....it's almost 6 gigs of music....if I let it run continuously it wouldn't stop playing music for over 4 days!!!

I spent 3 years of my 20's working for Sam Goody, remember Sam Goody? There aren't very many locations left on the West Coast, let alone in Texas. Anyway, while working there I was exposed to a lot of different types of music, including music that I didn't particularly care for. I can't tell you how many times I listened to Garth Brooks' Ropin' the Wind....that album drove me crazy!! But ya know what?? He was HOT at the time and we had to play music to bring people into the store.

Another thing that broadened my musical scope was living in Singapore....there are musicians that are soooo BIG and popular ALL OVER THE WORLD....except here in the states....for whatever reason they just don't catch on here (or they don't get radio air play here).

In my collection now I have: Jazz, Hip Hop, Alternative, Top 40, Kid's Stuff, Country, Swing, Classical, Rock and I'm sure there are other types.

I thought I put the iPod on SHUFFLE SONGS and am going to list the first 10 songs that it plays.

So without further ado....here they are:

(01) DAUGHTERS / John Mayer

(02) MISERY BUSINESS / Paramore

(03) GOOD AS GONE / Little Big Town

(04) LITTLE BY LITTLE / Oasis

(05) FEED THE BIRDS / Mary Poppins Soundtrack

(06) NOTHING (HEADCLEANR ROCK MIX) / Depeche Mode

(07) AXIS BOLD AS LOVE / Jimi Hendrix

(08) RADIO / Robbie Williams

(09) NAIVE / The Kooks

(10) KILLING ME SOFTLY / The Fugees

Trust me, these are the first 10 that came up....I do have some embarrassing songs on there, they just didn't come up....THIS TIME!

I'm thinking about making this a regular thing on the blog, what do you think?

In the meantime....it's your turn!! (No iPod needed)

If you have a digital music collection, go ahead and select RANDOM/SHUFFLE and list the first 10 that show up for you!! Leave your first 10 in the comments!

Resident Evil: Extinction

2007-09-23T13:43:00.000-05:00

I've never seen any of the Resident Evil movies, nor have I played any of the video games. But in honor of it being the #1 movie last weekend....

34%

Coffee Drinker?

2007-09-22T17:05:00.000-05:00

I told you that I'd probably be putting a few more of these up on the blog....but this time it's the wife's turn!

She loves coffee....I do not.

the Wife is 60% Addicted to Coffee

How addicted to coffee are you?

Meet Invest 93

2007-09-20T11:28:00.001-05:00

It seems like I've put more posts up here about storms than anything else, especially lately....but I guess when you move from Sunny SoCal to (what seems like the rain capitol of Texas) Houston.

So the newest storm that we are "tracking" has been named Invest 93....since it's just a storm and not a Tropical Depression or a Tropical Storm, nor a Hurricane.

It seems like the computer models are predicting that it'll move towards Louisiana or Alabama....only one model has it entering Texas. Even if it does enter Texas it'll move pretty far north of Houston.

Currently the storm is still raining on Florida, but once it hits the Gulf of Mexico, all bets are off.

All of the weather people here in town are waiting for this storm to hit the Gulf, so they can see what it's gonna do....until then all the local news folks are gonna continue to try and freak out viewers, with STORM WATCH!

If this does become a Tropical Depression or a Tropical Storm, or a Hurricane....it already has a name....JERRY!

José Out

2007-09-20T11:00:00.000-05:00

Chelsea and José Mourinho have parted ways....

I'm curious....who's going to do the talking and complaining in the Premiership now?

Watch the Bat

2007-09-20T10:11:00.000-05:00

I'm not the biggest baseball fan, but in case you missed this....check this out.

Thoughts??

2007-09-19T16:01:00.000-05:00

Fashion designer Marc Ecko wants you to vote on the fate of Barry Bonds record breaking 756 home run ball....

....for the record, I voted to send it to the Hall of Fame, without the branding.

Addicted to Blogging

2007-09-06T10:46:00.000-05:00

I found out about this quiz on another photographers blog....70% isn't THAT addicted, right?

The mingle2 site has a bunch of other quizzes on it too, so I may be posting some more results soon!

70%

Mingle² - Dating Site

Twins AGAIN

2007-09-06T09:33:00.000-05:00

If you've followed my blog for awhile you may remember this post. Where a colleague at work and I wore the same shirt to work on the same day.

Well....I've been avoiding this particular shirt for awhile, and decided I give it another shot and wore it yesterday....just so happens Tolu wore his shirt too!!

My boss actually mentioned to me...."Hey, I think Tolu is wearing that shirt too!" and then she started laughing!!

I think it's time for Tolu and I to come up with some kind of "Man Pact"....he is only allowed to wear his shirt on Mondays Wednesdays and Fridays and I can only wear it on Tuesdays and Thursdays.

Maybe that'll work!

First Day of School

2007-08-27T22:17:00.000-05:00

How do I explain this....(If you're a parent of a child who's already been through kindergarten, then you'd probably understand)....the week before Loo's first day of school we started thinking about how we've gotta pop the protective bubble (figuratively) that we've had her in for 5½ years. She's had 2 years of preschool and been in Sunday school for the longest time, so the seperation thing is just fine....she's totally ok with it.

It's just a new phase in OUR lives as parents....now we've got to make sure that we break the habits of OTHER kids, that she picks up in school....we've got to do the same job to keep her on the straight and narrow....it's just a new phase for us, that's what I keep telling myself.

The wife has spent nearly EVERY minute of Loo's life with her over the past 5½ years....and now we've gotta send her off to school....I can see how home schooling is so popular, but that's really not for us. We'll leave it to the professionals!

Loo's been pretty pumped about the first day of school. Her school is about 2 miles from our house. If we go ANYWHERE we have to pass by it, so of course we made comments about the school also during the summer.

I asked her last night if it was ok if I jumped on her bed to wake her up (just like in Finding Nemo)....she just laughed at me while I actually jumped up on her bed and jumped a couple of times saying "First day of School, First day of School!"

We parked the van across street from the school and the 4 of us walked to school.

It seemed like any other day to her....she's gonna be fine....we KNOW it....but maybe we're just not ready for the first day of school.

How do you go from this....

....to this....in just 5 years!

Time goes by waaaay to fast.

Nothing But Trailers

2007-08-21T21:11:00.001-05:00

I watched "Nothing But Trailers" last night on HDNet....this show is so awesome....and ya know what?

It's NOTHING BUT TRAILERS!! How great is that??

Check out what's coming to theatre's near you....

Be Kind, Rewind

Horton Hears a Who!

Cashback

BeoWulf

Microsoft Surface Parody

2007-08-20T11:36:00.000-05:00

I told you about Microsoft's Surface in this post.

Check out this parody....It's really funny.

Dean Update

2007-08-20T11:18:00.000-05:00

Hurricane Dean should completely miss Texas....which is good news for us, but man....after tracking this storm, I don't wish this on anyone. Our thoughts are with those affected by Dean.

Here's the latest tracking images.

This is the path of Dean as well as the storms reach and strength.

These are the computer models....one of which has Dean completely crossing Mexico and possibly moving over to Cabo San Lucas....Also some of the models show Dean moving Northward towards Arizona and New Mexico.

Finally the current satellite image.

Change is Good

2007-08-18T03:28:00.000-05:00

UPDATE: StormWatch

2007-08-16T11:37:00.000-05:00

OK....so here's an update.

It's so dark outside that the street lights are on! It's 11:30am!

Erin has been downgraded to a Tropical Depression. Check out this satellite image....everything OK....just A LOT of rain.

Then there's Dean....getting stronger, still on target to hit Texas, but may only be a Category 1 hurricane (or less) by that time. Here's some images of Dean.

Tracking a Storm or Two

2007-08-15T10:39:00.000-05:00

STORM WATCH....

These words have a little bit of a different meaning here in Houston.

"We" the collective here in Houston (or maybe just the wife and I) have been following 2 storms....Erin and Dean. I heard people at work actually talking about these two storms....It's crazy!

In Southern California....STORM WATCH was kinda funny....all the news channels would send a couple of reporters (sometimes a few) out into the field to report on the rain....it would sound something like this:

Anchor: "Tell us what it's like out there, Ann"

Reporter: "Well, Paul it's sprinkling here in Pasadena. People have their umbrellas out and let me tell you it's a little wet out here!"

Anchor: "Let's check in with Phil, Phil?"

Reporter: "I'm here in Orange County, there's no rain yet, but the clouds sure are dark. Back to you Paul."

That's the extent of STORM WATCH in SoCal....it's TRUE, ask anyone you know who lives in SoCal.

Here in Houston....this Hurricane Season has been pretty mild, until now.

Here's 3 satellite shots of Tropical Storm Erin....who's spinning around in the Gulf right now. We're expected to get LOTS of rain and thunderstorms late tonight, lasting through Sunday.

Then....there's our DISTANT Tropical Storm Dean....this storm formed off the coast of Africa late last week. As you can see below, it's on course to hit Jamaica by Monday....and is only getting stronger.

We are getting ready to experience Hurricane season for the first time....we've got plenty of water at the house etc. So we're prepared for the worst....but most reports seem to think that there won't be any type of evacuation.

It's Cold in Here

2007-08-14T14:39:00.001-05:00

from the blogberry

According to weather.com, it's 100° outside, but it "feels like"....105°.

Here in Houston, we're on our second straight day of heat advisories....a construction worker actually died yesterday, due to the heat.

I braved the heat and went outside this afternoon because my hands were so cold, that it hurt to type!!

I needed to defrost.

The heat feels nice....honestly doesn't "feel like" 105° at all....shoot, it didn't even feel like 100°.

Don't get me wrong, it's hot....just to me, it doesn't feel 100° hot.

AFLAC Commercial

2007-07-23T10:02:00.000-05:00

This commercial is so great....I love how Aflac switched it up with this one.

The Simpsons

2007-07-14T14:47:00.000-05:00

The Simpsons Movie is released on July 27th.

On the movie's website you can create yourself as a Simpsons character!!

Check this out!

There's me, the Wife, Loo & Goog!

Microsoft Surface

2007-07-14T11:19:00.000-05:00

If you think the iPhone is cool....check out Microsoft Surface!

There's also a good little review from Popular Mechanics website:

Little Inventor

2007-07-11T07:11:00.000-05:00

Tonight we were sitting at the table eating dinner....

Loo says, "Wouldn't it be great if we could invent something that you could just put on the table and then you could just spin it around to reach all the stuff on the table?"

My daughter just invented the Lazy Susan!

How awesome is that??

Things You See on the Street

2007-07-06T17:04:00.001-05:00

from the blogberry

I just walked past a woman who was smoking a cigarette in one hand and in the other hand she had an open can of Slimfast.

Maybe it's just me, but it just seemed odd!

Soooo....Tell Me Whatcha Want....

2007-07-05T15:54:00.000-05:00

Whatcha Really REALLY Want?

Reunion Tour!!

YES....The Spice Girls are getting back together for a reunion tour.

Become an M&M

2007-07-05T12:29:00.000-05:00

Me as an M&M....
You can create your M&M likeness here.

It's Raining....

2007-07-02T09:56:00.000-05:00

It's Pouring!

By Special Request

2007-06-29T16:01:00.000-05:00

Let's start the weekend off the right way....the RICK ASTLEY way!

TURN IT UP!!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!

2007-06-24T13:27:00.001-05:00

Sent from the blogberry

Happy birthday to me
Happy birthday to me
Happy biiiiiirthday toooo meeeee
Happy birthday to me!

Vending Machines are Evil

2007-06-20T18:03:00.000-05:00

Vending machines are evil....all they do is stare at you....tempting you with the goodies inside them.

I guess they wouldn't be as tempting if the goodies inside weren't so dang GOOD!

This is what I bought today....

YUMMY!!

This vending machine uses a vacuum to carefully suck the ice cream up and then drops it, like 2½ feet!!

Don't worry, it was just fine....no actually it was DELICIOUS!

AGAIN???

2007-06-18T13:04:00.001-05:00

This time it was a different co-worker and a different shirt!!

I wasn't able to get a picture with him....we were both too busy, but here's the shirt in question:

I think I may need a new wardrobe now!

Lost in the Tunnels

2007-06-15T15:00:00.000-05:00

Downtown Houston has a series of tunnels that connect people from one building to the next....there's places to eat and shop all along the way....so it's great. Especially during the rainy season or when it's just plain HOT outside.

This is something that was also common place in Singapore, where it's also humid and has a rainy season.

Let me tell you when the tunnels are not FUN. It's when you're new to the downtown area and new to this tunnel system....and you go to find "the mall" and end up about 5 blocks East of it!!

I was waaaay off course. I took a wrong turn somewhere and then the new challenge became....just getting back to my building!!

It was raining too, so I couldn't just go above ground to get my bearings!

Fun! Fun! FUN!

My Birthday's Coming Up!

2007-06-14T12:30:00.001-05:00

Mom, if you're reading this....here's something that would be cool for my Birthday!
(but honestly just having you come to town, is pretty dang cool in itself!!)

GUITAR HERO II (for my Xbox 360)

There's one version of the game that actually comes with 2 guitars so Loo and I can play together.

....you can order that by clicking here.

Stop! Hammer Time!

2007-06-12T16:14:00.000-05:00

This is currently my favorite commercial!

Freakin' HILARIOUS!!

Mojitos Anyone?

2007-06-12T15:45:00.000-05:00

If you dig Mojitos like I dig Mojitos, than you've got to try this new gum from Orbit.

It's called Mint Mojito....and it's GOOD!! Right when you put a stick in your mouth, it tastes like a mojito....then it'll slowly change to a mint flavored gum with a slight hint of lime....I could chew it all day.

The box you see above is now empty....

Twins??

2007-06-08T15:45:00.000-05:00

I get to work this morning and Tolu one of our System Engineers is wearing the same shirt as I am!!

I was cracking up....I mean how funny is this??

Tolu....thanks for being a good sport and letting me take a picture of us!! YOU ROCK!

Take a quick second to answer the poll below.

Test Blog....

2007-05-30T23:34:00.001-05:00

from the blogberry....

It's been a long time since I did a mobile blog....

Now that I have a new Blackberry 8800....I hope that will change.

Pictures of me and my new toy coming soon!!

China Bear

2007-05-29T22:36:00.000-05:00

We tried it....We liked it!

This buffet is along a "restaurant row" next to the 59 freeway in Stafford....really good chinese food and a good price too!!

Dynamo Truck

2007-05-28T12:57:00.000-05:00

The Houston Dynamo are our MLS team....this truck was parked near City Hall.

Since I'm a big soccer fan....I just thought it was cool.

Self Portraits

2007-05-26T23:27:00.001-05:00

As a kid, I used to always take self portraits....(I still do)....there wasn't a roll of film that would have at least one self portrait of me.

Loo has picked up on this trait....On our DRIVE we took some self portraits.

Here's one of me an Loo....taken with my camera phone.

Here she is taking her own picture

Then she took one of me!

She's doing it up [b]ecker style

Houston Traffic

2007-05-24T09:44:00.002-05:00

My Aunt asked me the other day how I was dealing with the traffic....?

Traffic? What traffic?? If this is traffic, I'm in heaven!!

This "traffic", is nothing like OC traffic, and not even close to LA traffic!!

The DRIVE!

2007-05-24T09:43:00.000-05:00

1533 miles....It took us 3 days....With stops in Tucson, Arizona & Fort Stockton, Texas.

Here's some of what we saw....

Really cool rock formations along the freeway.

Breakfast @ Denny's

Both of our cars were packed and then we were also towing this little spaceship!!

Here's the "House of Butter"....not really....I just call it that.

Sun Visor essentials....the badge is fake! (A gift from a friend)

FINALLY....we cross into Texas!!

Here's my beautiful bride enjoying some coffee in Fort Stockton.

Who knew that Lee Tevino had his own Drive? (Really....who knew??)

My racing partner....I couldn't have done it without you sweetie!!

Leaving Latham

2007-05-24T09:33:00.000-05:00

My last day at work was a Friday and I was able to bring Loo to work with me....she brought her digital camera with her so we could document my last day!

Here's some of what we saw through her eyes!

OK....OK, I took some pictures with her camera too!

After lunch we went outside to shoot some bubbles with her new Bubble Gun!

I love the 70's film look that this camera produces with pictures taken outside!

Here's someone that I consider a good friend....Miss Wendy!

This is Pilar....she was my last student at Latham....sniff, sniff....I think I need a tissue.

Then there's Miss Yvonne....I worked with her before at a different law firm....
it was like having an instant friend at a new job! She's the best!

Finally here's me and the guys!

Loo stood on my desk to get this shot (....don't worry, MOM....she was safe!)

Department Goodbye Lunch

2007-05-24T09:30:00.000-05:00

Before I left the OC, the guys in my department at work took me out to lunch.

Here's my boss, Rah....dare I say the Best Boss in the World?? (probably shouldn't....HAHA)

Then there's Kirk....TiP Stud!

Here's Andy....Network Admin Extraordinaire

Last but not least me and Kyle....the BEST Trainer I know!

Thanks for lunch and the great memories guys!

"Papa"razzi

2007-05-09T17:33:00.000-05:00

Sometimes....Daddy can be THAT BAD!

NO MORE PICTURES, DADDY!!

My Little Model

2007-05-09T17:24:00.000-05:00

Sometimes....she just wants to color!

Birthdays!

2007-05-09T17:13:00.000-05:00

Before we left Orange County, we had a birthday party for the girls.

Thanks to family and friends who came to see us....and wish our girls a HAPPY BIRTHDAY!

Here's a couple shots from the day.

"Loo" got a Fisher Price Digital Camera.

I think she likes it....what do you think?

Her sister had some fun opening presents too....

"Goog" opens up some presents

Trust me....she LOVES this nightgown!!

"No, Daddy, I did not have any cupcake."

Houston

2007-05-09T16:40:00.000-05:00

Only some of you know that we're now living in Houston. We've been here for about a month.

Over the next few blog posts, I'll be posting about our journey....about living in Texas....leaving California, a great job and family and friends....and of course about our new life in Houston.

Children Are Miracles

2007-02-28T18:05:00.000-06:00

I don't normally post things about my personal life (that may be changing soon), but I can't help but share this with the few of you who actually read this blog.

My daughters and I go to story time at our local bookstore, every week....without fail....we're "regulars." They sing songs and read stories, it's about ½ an hour to 40 minutes at night.

Sometimes there's a theme (colors or characters, such as Clifford the Big Red Dog) and other times a guest reader.

Recently we had 2 guest readers. Both of these guest readers were kids, but they were mentally disabled. The boy who read for us was about 13 or 14 and he did a great job. Next, was a girl who was 10 or so, had her Mom sit with her and she also did a great job.

After they read, we sang some songs, read a couple more books and then we were finished....as I was getting up from sitting on the floor, my oldest daughter came up to me and asked me, "Daddy, can I go and tell that girl that she did a good job reading?"

"Sure!" I said.

As she started over to the girl, who was with her parents and some others surrounding her, my daughter said out loud that she did a good job reading.

My daughter came back over to me a little frustrated, saying "I don't think she heard me."

I told her that it was OK, and asked if she was ready to move on with our evening....but this was something that was important to her. She looked at me and said, "No, Daddy, I want to tell her."

So, I said, "OK, sweetie, go ahead"

I watched her the whole way....her little body standing there amongst these tall adults, all to get the attention of one girl, who she was proud of (and wanted to let her know.)

"Excuse me," she said....all of the attention was now fully on her...."You did a really good job reading." She received a thank you and then she turned around and ran back to me.

I was so proud of her. I didn't want to make a big deal out of it, but I wished that the other girls parents knew it was her idea and not mine.

Are moments like this needed to validate parenting? I don't know about that, but when things like this happen, you can't help but feel good about your children and who you hope they become.

That's What I Was Thinking

2007-02-17T01:43:00.000-06:00

Jack in the Box has some of the funniest commercials out there!

I LOVE U

2007-02-14T14:10:00.000-06:00

Happy Valentine's Day Sweetie!

Chasing Cars by Snow Patrol

We'll do it all
Everything
On our own

We don't need
Anything
Or anyone

If I lay here
If I just lay here
Would you lie with me and just forget the world?

I don't quite know
How to say
How I feel

Those three words
Are said too much
They're not enough

If I lay here
If I just lay here
Would you lie with me and just forget the world?

Forget what we're told
Before we get too old
Show me a garden that's bursting into life

Let's waste time
Chasing cars
Around our heads

I need your grace
To remind me
To find my own

If I lay here
If I just lay here
Would you lie with me and just forget the world?

Forget what we're told
Before we get too old
Show me a garden that's bursting into life

All that I am
All that I ever was
Is here in your perfect eyes, they're all I can see

I don't know where
Confused about how as well
Just know that these things will never change for us at all

If I lay here
If I just lay here
Would you lie with me and just forget the world?

Super Bowl - the Commercials

2007-02-11T14:14:00.000-06:00

WARNING!
This is going to be a BIG POST

So it's been a week since the SuperBowl.

Here's my TOP 10 for the Super Bowl Commecials....

Let's start off with some Honorable Mentions

Honorable Mention #1 - GM - Robot Bad Dream

HM #2 - Foot Locker - Autograph

HM #3 - Budweiser Select - Jay Z vs Don Shula

OK....so here's my TOP 10

#10 - Budweiser - Spot Wink
I really thought this one was cute....but that's about it. The part that won me over and moved it from Honorable Mention to #10 was the very end of the commercial with the dog and the parade princess.

#9 - Chevy - HHR Car Wash
"Tell me when it's over!"

#8 - Doritos - Live the Flavor
I like this one, I really do...it's funny....but I saw the commercial BEFORE the Super Bowl, so that ruined it for me.

#7 - Bud Light - Rock/Paper/Scissors
Nothing like a classic game to settle a grievance.

#6 - Sprint - Connectile Dysfunction
FREAKING HILARIOUS....If they would have added a disclaimer about the side effects, this would have easily been top 3 for me!!

#5 - Bud Light - Class Mencia
"Bood Light"

#4 - Budweiser - King Crab
Just plain funny

#3 - Doritos - Check Out Girl
I liked this one, EXCEPT for the final remark....I could have done without the "Clean up on Register 6" - YUCK!

#2 - Nationwide - Rollin' VIP
You've seen it here on my blog before....I loved watching on the big screen on Sunday! (What??)

#1 - Bud Light - Auctioneer
How awesome would that be??? Even as a joke, that would be funny!

All in all, I thought it was a pretty weak year for Super Bowl ads....I think there was a total of 51. I hate when they show movie trailers for commercials during the Super Bowl too....even if it was a new movie, like with that Wild Hogs movie. If you're gonna show a movie trailer, ESPECIALLY for a movie that has already been running ads, like with Hannibal Rising and Meet the Robinsons....give me something new, something I haven't seen yet! Come on guys!

Also, as much as I hated Career Builders monkey ads from last years Super Bowl, I hate their commercials this year just as much! They weren't even funny to me.

Super Bowl Sunday - the FOOD

2007-02-06T16:12:00.000-06:00

This past Sunday I made a dish for a Super Bowl Party that I saw on Emeril Live....

It was "Brown Sugar-Crusted Baked Bologna"....here's a picture from Emeril's website:

The recipe is pretty simple.....you can find it here. We couldn't afford to get a 6½ pound chunk of bologna, so we bought a 3 pound one instead....who knew that bologna was that expensive!! Not me, that's for sure....$4.99 a pound!

We cooked it for about 3 - 3½ hours.

Here's a picture of the one that I made

BAM!

Not bad huh??

Honestly....it's really good too! A little white bread and some mustard!

Magic is Cool!!

2007-02-05T18:34:00.000-06:00

It's only February....

2007-02-05T17:33:00.000-06:00

The groundhog said that spring would come early, but since February 2nd, the temperatures have been 70+ here in Southern California!!

Check out the 10-day forecast (from weather.com)

Kevin Federline - Nationwide Commercial

2007-02-02T17:25:00.000-06:00

As much as I've ragged on him in this blog....(maybe one or two posts)....I've got to toast that guy for doing this commercial!

Scary Mary

2007-02-02T17:03:00.000-06:00

Another YouTube gem!

Groundhog Day

2007-02-02T10:57:00.000-06:00

Whooo hoooo!

Spring comes early this year!!

Thanks Phil....It was getting cold!

New Phone & Bluetooth Headset

2007-02-01T11:59:00.000-06:00

I upgraded my phone a couple weeks back....I got a Motorola L6 for free from Cingular.

The phone has bluetooth so I got a bluetooth headset on eBay for $25. (It retails for $80)

The Biggest Sports Story of 2007

2007-01-12T00:04:00.000-06:00

Da Da Daa.... Da Da Daa!
Who's voice leads off SportsCenter tonight?

Beckham's moving to Hollywood!

Will he choose #7 or #23? I think he'll go back to #7. We're sure to find out on Friday when he's officially announced by the Galaxy.

I'm still not 100% sure I like this move for Beckham, but he's determined to make it work and try to make soccer popular in this country. I think the biggest hurdle will be getting the media to cover the sport more. MLS barely gets any press nationally and hopefully with Beckham here in SoCal and he starts producing the free kick goals and the long ball passes that we all know he can, then MLS can get some buzz and ride the wave that is David Beckham.

Most Americans know who he is....which is a good thing for MLS....I don't think he's washed up....not even close. I think he had a very good World Cup until he got hurt....his free kick skills are UNMATCHED!! Corner kick skills are great and the ability to be a leader....well....I personally thought he was good captain for England.

I wish him the best of luck and I (personally) would love to have a press pass for his first match at the Home Depot Center.

And don't forget that he brings Posh and the kids with him too!!
In other MLS news....FC Dallas are in talks with Edgar Davids. Davids is a tough player and has a "bulldog" mentality....if soccer had "enforcer players" like hockey does he would be it.
He's also one of my favorite players and I wish he would have done better at Tottenham.

Silent Star Wars

2007-01-04T12:59:00.000-06:00

Found this on YouTube....pretty funny stuff!

This is the Season

2007-01-02T18:10:00.000-06:00

Do You Know....

2006-12-15T18:47:00.000-06:00

What's on the radio?

Right now? Anywhere in the US?

Check this web site out....

YES NATION

Crosswalks

2006-12-15T15:22:00.000-06:00

Sent from the blogberry

I'm standing here next to a twenty-something, who (NO LIE) has hit the crosswalk button 20 times....IN A ROW!!

Once the light changed I thanked her for making the light change.

(Not really but I wanted to say it)

Champions League Draw

2006-12-15T12:21:00.000-06:00

The champions from the last two years will meet in the final 16 of the Champions League.

Liverpool drew Barcelona in the draw....Liverpool won the title two years ago and Barca won last year. The first of the two home and away matches will be at the Nou Camp in Barcelona. Should be a great match.

Here are the other matches from the draw:

FC Porto

Chelsea

Celtic

AC Milan

PSV Eindhoven

Arsenal

Lille

Manchester United

AS Roma

Lyon

Barcelona

Liverpool

Real Madrid

Bayern Munich

Inter Milan

Valencia

The first legs will be staged on Feb. 20-21 next year with the return legs on March 6-7. The final is in Athens in May.

Addictive Game

2006-12-14T13:09:00.000-06:00

Remember that Snake game that was on your Nokia phone?

This one is just as cool and just as addicting!

Coffee and Coins Don't Mix

2006-11-07T18:09:00.000-06:00

The wife and I went out to visit my grandparents last weekend. When we go to my grandparents we always take the toll roads. We stuck a $20 into the toll machine and we got dollar coins back.....no worries there, it's still money, right??

On the way home, the kids were asleep in the back of the car and we decided to stop off at Starbucks to get drinks.

I give her about 10 of our $1 coins and off she went into Starbucks. I stayed in the car with the kids.

When she came out, she had the funniest story.....the girl behind the counter looked at coins and then turned to another barista and said...."We take these, right?"

REALLY?? Is that even a valid question? It's U.S. tender....why wouldn't they take it?

Has our society become so dependant on plastic??

The Number 23

2006-11-06T19:46:00.000-06:00

The Number 23 is Jim Carrey's new movie....based on this trailer, you can count me in!!

This movie looks really good!!!

All American Rejects

2006-11-05T17:54:00.000-06:00

I really like the All American Rejects....and this video, for "Move Along" is AWESOME!

McDonald's Video Game

2006-11-01T17:13:00.000-06:00

A few months ago, I came across this video game. If you like the Sims or other "Sim" type games, you'll get a kick outta this one.

The game itself has you running the McDonald's Corporation. From harvesting soy fields and raising and slaughtering cattle to managing a restaurant. Then to the corporate headquarters....and you have to do all four at the same time!!

It's an addicting game, to say the least. My best score is January 2015.

Fun stuff though!

Check it out!

You can downlaod it here.