I’d make some New Year’s resolutions, but I tend to never actually accomplish them. So I’m going to jinx my goals by making them resolutions.

Hope you had a great holiday season! And welcome to 2009!

Posted by Saphrym

Ok. So I got tagged. And everyone who has ever kept up with me knows I don’t follow the rules of tags. But I will at least let you know I was tagged by Pushhyarag2000 over at Evolve.Ever. So now I’m supposed to tell you 6 random things about myself. Hmmm.

1. I have never seen the Godfather movies. There. I said it. My shame is out there for the world to see. I feel so violated.
2. I love coconut. Well, at least I love the kind that is shredded, has sugar added, and is coated in chocolate. It’s my favorite kind. Tends to grow on special bushes out here in Kentucky. I’ve planted many of them in my yard. I’d show you pictures, but you’d only think they were Photoshopped.¹
3. I just took a sip of Diet Dr. Pepper.²
4. I’m thinking about how the 4 is going to show up on the left of this particular line even though I actually placed <li> at the beginning. The beauty of HTML, right?³
5. I love white tigers.⁴ I think they look cool:⁵
   
6. 01001001 00100000 01110100 01101000 01101001 01101110 01101011 00100000 01100010 01101001 01101110 01100001 01110010 01111001 00100000 01101001 01110011 00100000 01100011 01101111 01101111 01101100 00101110⁶

So there you have it. 6 random things about me. And if you didn’t read the footnotes, you should. They were even more random, and that’s what this is all about, right? Oh, and if you have any random things to say about yourself, feel free to leave a comment including them, or even a link to a post on your blog that has 6 of them already.⁷

1. And they would be because there’s no such thing as a bush that grows chocolate covered coconut. Although it would be a wonderful experiment in cross breeding. Somebody needs to work on that now. [«]
2. Can you tell I’m reaching already? [«]
3. Ok. Now I’m not only reaching but being a geek at the same time. Sheesh. [«]
4. I could never own one. Imagine the feeding costs and the cost to get them declawed. Ouch. [«]
5. Although I don’t think Zebras are cool. Hmmm. [«]
6. See? I’m being geeky again. Try this site to decode that message: http://www.nickciske.com/tools/binary.php [«]
7. Or 7, or 8, or even 172. [«]

Posted by Saphrym

So, I just finished watching the third episode of Leverage. It’s a new TV show on TNT. I have to say it has steadily moved to the top of my favorite shows list. Every episode is self contained, unlike shows like Heroes, and it’s a smart show that has managed to evoke some emotions out of me. Of course, this frightens me because every time a smart show that evokes emotions out of me gets on TV it’s canceled within 5 episodes. So I’ll have to see if this one continues.

As for the show itself, Entertainment Weekly called it “…better than the last two Ocean’s movies.” I’d have to amend that and call it “The A-Team meets Ocean’s Eleven.” That’s exactly what it is. But better. It’s about a bunch of crooks who are headed by an ex-insurance investigator that do good things for people. It’s very reminiscent of Ocean’s Eleven in it’s cinematography and style. It’s also like the A-Team when it comes to a group of people doing good for others but not necessarily following the laws while doing so. You’d have to watch it to form your own opinion. It airs on TNT on Tuesdays at 10/9c. If you want to see the first two episodes, go here: http://www.tnt.tv/dramavision/?cid=44213.

Do yourself a favor and check it out. There’s a line in the second episode that really got me. After you watch it, let me know in comments which line you think it is.

Posted by Saphrym

3 Things I’m sorry for¹:

1. I’m sorry I haven’t been around much. And no, I’m not stuck in Fallout 3. On the contrary, I haven’t played it since the post I wrote about it. I’ve been busy with the new job, college, and multiple website and graphic clients I’ve been working with. I just haven’t had enough time to work on the blog. Hopefully that will change soon. And hopefully I’ll get more sleep too.²

2. It seems that when I updated a setting in one of my plugins, it decided to mass mail everyone who has commented on my site. I’m very sorry about that and have removed the offending plugin. For those of you with Word press, the plugin is called Comment Relish. If it’s going to spam people, I’m not going to use it³.

3. I’m also sorry about causing an end to a friendship a couple of years ago. I never meant to hurt anyone.

No, I’m not in a 12 step program or anything. But I needed to apologize to my readers and the third one was for me. I’ll be back tomorrow with more posts that might actually be of interest to you guys.⁴ I’ve collected a few pictures I want to share and I have some good news.

1. There may be others, but I’m too worn out to think of them right now. [«]
2. If I wasn’t male, I’d say I have symptoms of fibromyalgia right about now. [«]
3. I hate spam. So I’m very sorry about this one. I’ll do my best to make sure nothing like that happens again. [«]
4. Might is the operative word of course. [«]

Posted by Saphrym

Ok. The Splenda thing is cool. Johnson and Johnson may own like half the companies out there, and people may think they’re the “devil,” but you have to admit they have some pretty cool healthcare products. I mean Splenda is a dieters dream.¹ It gives you sweet stuff without calories and carbs. So it’s also great for diabetics. And now they have this flavored water stuff that comes in lemon and raspberry. Gotta love it.²

But then you have those other two. One is a quick shower and shave thing and the other is a stress reliever. They are both geared towards women. Why? What about us guys who want our own quick shower and shave. I’d love to be able to wash my hair, bathe my body, and shave my face using the same stuff from the same bottle. I think any guy would. But no. They have to market it to ladies. Well, I’m going to try it anyway. So nyah!

And that stress reliever. Sheesh. I work at a middle school. I could use a little stress relief myself. And no, I don’t mean the kids. The kids are awesome compared to other schools I have had the, um, pleasure to work in.

The same thing happens with some books. The Uglies series is a great young adult series with action and sci-fi. But it’s marketed to girls. I have no idea why. Boys would love it to. But since it’s called “Uglies,” and has a picture of a girl on the front, guys shy away from it.

Well, here is the feminine side of me saying just because you may be a guy doesn’t mean you have to stick to only guy stuff. We’re allowed our guilty pleasures just as much as women. And other than the xBoxes, PS3s, and Guitar Heroes of the world, I see nothing wrong with using some stress relief after a quick shave in the shower to make myself feel better.

So those environmental minded people over at J & J better watch out. I might start a trend and have guys buying products geared towards women more often. Then they’ll have to make even more of it, and maybe change some packaging.³

1. At least in my opinion. [«]
2. I’m a fan of raspberry. [«]
3. I know. I know. The trend will never happen. This is one of those times where I’m dreaming that I have much more influence than I ever could. [«]

Posted by Saphrym

This was a response of mine on a university forum. I thought I’d share:

It is impossible for any test to measure personality perfect. This is why there are general terms for people. The problem with people trying to figure out who they are on their own is some people don’t know where to start. Some people have no idea. And just the act of taking the personality tests can get a person thinking about how they feel and what they would do in certain circumstances. So, in that case, the test results are not the important part. And again, the act of reading the result and finding a little of yourself within it helps you think more and more about who you are. In no way should a personality test results be deemed perfect. It’s impossible ¹. But the act of taking it and reflecting on the results helps a person to become more aware of who they are.

Also, a personality test is sometimes false because we don’t answer truthfully or don’t realize some of the things we do. I used to use a program called Dr. Shrink with my friends. It was just a fun thing to do. It was very accurate in many cases though. But my rule was that at least 2 other people who knew you had to agree on the answers given. If nothing else, the results were more reflective of how other people see you, and that can be an enlightening journey all by itself.

Finally, I will end by saying that for a person to truly love another individual, they must love themselves first. Not in the egotistical way. Self-esteem is very important in my own opinion². But I agree that self understanding is even more so. Both lead to a fuller life.

I really do believe that personality tests can help someone to understand themselves better. But not necessarily the test itself. It’s the journey, not the destination.³

1. Almost as impossible as doing well in futures trading. [«]
2. The other person believed it to be dangerous to have esteem in oneself. [«]
3. Some philosopher said that, and I agree with it. [«]

Posted by Saphrym

This was just fun. My daughter came home and said that are certain days of the year, according to her science teacher, and egg can stand on it’s end on just a regular flat surface. Supposedly it was one of those days a couple of days ago. So I decided to try it. Lo and behold, that’s egg-xactly¹ what happened. The following picture is not trick photography. It also does not use any of the usual “tricks” to making an egg balance like this. It took me a few seconds to get it done as it was very picky about where it would balance, but then it just stood there. I couldn’t help but take a picture².

1. Sorry. Couldn’t help myself. [«]
2. May not be as pretty as Wilmington NC real estate, but it still looks cool. [«]

Posted by Saphrym

I don’t know about you guys, but this particular movement impressed me. Not just because of the thankfulness to the soldiers, but also because this movement could be used for any profession that works for the community. I loved the video. But of course you have no idea what I’m talking about¹, so feel free to go there now and then come back:

The Gratitude Campaign

These people protect our futures.² But there are also professions³ that work for our communities and could use the thanks, as they create our futures. So remember to give thanks to these people.

1. Unless you’ve been there. [«]
2. Not to be confused with the futures broker in Florida. [«]
3. Teacher. Hint hint. [«]

Posted by Saphrym

This is in response to a question by DrBurst on the Ask Saph blog post.

I’m in my last year of high school. How do I interact with my parents so they don’t worry about me?

Wow. Great question. This is the kind of stuff I really want to answer. Now, in my answer, I’m going to assume the following:

• Your parents are kind and loving parents.
• Your parents are open minded about any news you may give them.

There are some parents that can be highly scolding or even abusive¹ if they are given what they consider to be bad news. This advice does not count for those types of parents. If you have those types of parents, you really should speak with your counselor at school.

Now, to keep the type of parents I mention above from worrying about you, you need to be open and honest with your communication. Worry stems from the unknown. However, if the important details of your school life² are known to your parents, they are less likely to worry about you. Of course, I’m also assuming that you haven’t done anything illegal or dangerous to yourself or others. If you have, your problems go beyond the scope of what I can answer here, and again you should talk to your counselor and/or your parents about it to try and find help.

I’m a parent. I ask my daughter about her school day every day. I involve myself in the parent/teacher conferences and learn everything I can about how her educational and social life. She may be only 8 right now, but she keeps me up to date. So I have no reason to worry about her at all. And I don’t worry about her. I know she will choose the right path as she goes. But I’ll be here for when she makes mistakes or needs help. And I believe most parents are like that. They want to know about their children. And knowledge alleviates fears and worries.

So the short answer is talk to them. Let them know how things are going. Don’t hold back anything. If you’re having problems, ask them to support you as you look to find answers to those problems. Parents tend to try and solve their kid’s problems for them, but that’s not the best practice. Everyone learns from mistakes. Let them give you their ear and you’ll give them respect and confidence in you.

I hope that answers your question. Feel free to provide more information or ask more about this topic in the comments.

(The lawyers say I must: All advice given is for entertainment purposes only. I am not a licensed therapist. But I’ll give you the best advice I can possibly give or point you in the right direction for it.)

1. Like launching into tirades that break the tv furniture [«]
2. including the details that you may normally have a hard time discussing with your parents [«]

Posted by Saphrym

(WARNING: The following will be boring intellectual speak. So feel free to skip to the end of the italics portion.)

What is debate?

In a true debate, definitions of the terms involved must be accepted and consistently used throughout the debate. For instance, if you’re debating about technology as a communication tool, then definitions for “technology”, “communication”, and “tool”¹ must be agreed upon by all parties or else they will be debating about different things.

I’m sorry. I know. I got a little technical there. It happens sometimes. But I wanted to stress the importance that definitions must be settled upon for debate. I get tired of seeing people in different forum communities trying to say they are “debating” topics² when all they are doing is calling each other “sissies” and talking about their moms. It gets rather ridiculous. A true debate does not require name calling to be “won.” Actually, in a true debate, there is no name calling. Go figure.

A true debate is a learning experience. Why? Because both sides have to learn something about the other side in order to have a successful debate.

Let’s try an experiment:

I’m going to provide you with a debate topic. I want you to think about that topic and choose a side that fits you the best. Then I want you to argue for the other side of the argument in the comments.

Here’s the topic:

Resolved: Shopping on the Internet is actually safer than shopping at a brick and mortar store.

So, now you must pick the affirmative or the negative of that statement. Do you agree with it or disagree with it? If you agree, I want you to argue as if you disagree. If you disagree, I want you to argue as if you agree.³

When you’re done commenting on this topic, feel free to try the same experiment over in my Thinker forum. I’ve already started another debate there. Feel free to start your own also.

1. He said “tool!” [«]
2. Such as the best place for tacos, games, foreclosure help, or 10 penny nails. [«]
3. Hope I haven’t confused you. [«]

Posted by Saphrym