Wednesday, June 17, 2009

My Montana Trip - 2 Weeks away!

 Update- to see the pictures from the trip, check out the followup post HERE.
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That is right folks, an honest-to-god vacation is now only 2 weeks away.

- Not just going back home to family in Minnesota, which I ALWAYS do [because I still love back home], but an actual different place, that I've never visited before. And yes, I am meeting some of my family there. My brother and his family, perhaps my sister will also make it, and some friends.

It will be in a town called Bozeman, where my brothers father-in-law has a summer Home/cabin/retreat. I look forward to peaceful, traffic-less silence...and tearing it up on some quads with my brother in the mud!
Lot's of worries come with vacations these days. For instance, (besides the long ride to get there with young kids) we still have not found a suitable vehicle for our growing family. My wife still totes the munchkins around in a ford focus.. yeaah. Not big enough. So we've been keeping our eye out on some decent Honda Odyssey's and Toyota Sienna's etc...but now my wife is having second thoughts about driving such 'unglamourous, frumpy rides' as she calls them. So we have expanded our search to he Pilot and any other decent SUV that has a third rear seat. We have literally a week to decide if we can buy one, or else we will be stuck wasting money on a rental...which could be used toward a down payment on one.
The other worry, is having some help in the baby-sitting department once we get there. My brother re-assured me that his parents-in-law would probably hang back a bit, and be ok with watching the kiddo's here and there....but I personally have a hard time worrying about that. After all, it's their vacation too... and i'm sure baby-sitting wasn't part of what they were looking forward too right? I just don't want to be stuck back at the cabin when everyone else is having fun, because either me or my wife would have to stay back... ugh...
But I am a worry wart sometimes, and i'm sure it will turn out just fine. I am really looking forward to it! How can you top 4th of July weekend in Montana!


Here's to Blue Sky, rugged mountains, clear water, peaceful silence....and COLD BEER.

Wednesday, June 10, 2009

'Star Trek' Rocks...no kidding!

I have to say that i was looking forward to this flick, as everyone I overheard talking about it was raving about how much they liked it. I finally got a break from mommy and daddy land and took my wife on a much needed date to the local theater. Since she actually wanted to see this as well [instead of T4, dangit].

We both had a great time, as there were many things about this movie to like. Not only were the special effects, space battles and ship consoles as good or better than 'Star Wars' caliber, but the talent that they found to represent the early characters of that infamous crew were very well chosen.

I found very little to nit-pic, and I assure you, that is a rare thing indeed for something I really want to like.

I was astonished at how well the actor that played a young 'Bones' -chief medical officer McCoy, nailed the old actors quirks, sayings and temperament... my wife and I laughed out loud, as we realized that Mr. Shaun of the Dead himself (Simon Peg), had hilariously been introduced to the crew as a young, eccentric 'Scotty'.

-Spock did a great job, Uhura,Chekov, Mr. Sulu all, I am pleased to say, were competent actors and really did a great job at their characterizations of the older cast.

The story was great, the pace was fast and action packed..and there were even some nice twists and 'gee, that was interesting' parts to keep any die-hard, and newcomer fans alike, pleased.

I won't give anything else away, go and see it asap!

Sunday, May 24, 2009

High Quality Vista Desktop Wallpapers -wow!

I have to put a link to this site because I can't believe some of these photo's. Which, of course, are set to be used for your desktop backgrounds.

Just keep going down the list of pages by link, to see them all. Tedious, but worth it to see them all!


Example A...
-see what i mean?

Friday, May 22, 2009

The Sims 3 - next PC blockbuster of 2009 is almost here!

The following is from the Sims site, and not my writing:
Sims3 Home page
That's right, see my counter at the bottom Rt of the page....June 2.....sooooo close!!
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The freedom of The Sims™ 3 will inspire you with endless creative possibilities and amuse you with unexpected moments of surprise and mischief!

Create over a million unique Sims and control their lives. Customize everything from their appearances, to their personalities and even the home of their dreams. Then, send your Sims out to explore new locations around town and to meet other Sims in the neighborhood. The Sims 3 includes exclusive extra game content and robust online features, available only after you register online with an authentic copy of the game. Download a complete second town filled with intriguing Sims and secrets to discover. Get $10 Worth of SimPoints to customize your game with additional in-game items from The Sims 3 Store. Choose from hundreds of game items to enrich your Sims lives.
Pre-Order Now!
The Sims 3
The Sims 3 Collector's Edition
Pre-Order

Expand your game with exclusive content & share creations with other players at TheSims3.com!
• At launch on June 2, register your official The Sims 3 game to get an exclusive second town. • Receive $10 in FREE SimPoints to shop for exclusive in-game items from The Sims 3 Store. • Create and Share Sims, houses, movies and more on The Sims 3 player exchange. Learn more...

Control your Sims’ Destinies!
• Face short- and long-term challenges and reap the rewards. • Your Sims can pursue random opportunities to get fast cash, get ahead, get even, and more. • Choose whether or not to fulfill your Sims’ destinies by making their wishes come true. Will your Sims be thieves, rock stars, world leaders? You decide! Learn more...


Customize Everything!
• Design and build your dream house and decorate it to fit your Sims’ personalities. • Customize all your Sims’ possessions from clothing to furnishings or even their car. Learn more...

Explore New Locations!
• Explore the ever-changing neighborhood—and take your Sims to meet friends in the park, go on a date at the bistro, visit neighbors’ homes, converse with less-than-savory characters in the graveyard, and more! Who knows what might happen? • Admire the natural beauty of the beach, the mountains, and more. Learn more...

Create any Sim you can imagine and give them unique personalities!
Create millions of different personalities with traits such as evil, artistic, kleptomaniac, clumsy, insane, romantic, and more. • Influence the behaviors of your Sims with the traits you’ve chosen. Will you create a neurotic romantic with a heart of gold, or a geeky super-genius with an evil streak? • Create any Sim with easy-to-use design tools that allow for unlimited customization of facial features, hair color, eye color, and more. • Fine-tune your Sims’ body shape from thin to curvy to muscular.
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I know my wife can't wait, but it looks pretty neat I have to admit!

Thursday, May 14, 2009

Military Training for Crash Recovery - Arizona Style

Davis-Monthan AFB, just outside of Tucson, AZ:
[Location: Lovingly known as the 'Bone-Yard' by the old-timers]

So I haven't written in a while, been silly with busyness. I am on a short little military TDY to the Arizona desert to practice what we call Crash Recovery, learning the various methods and exercises to be able to lift anything from a small fighter, to a Boeing 707. And we did by-god, with 100 degrees and coolers of ice water. Being stationed in Portland Oregon, which is currently in torrential downpour mode, I may as well have landed on planet Mars. It is hot, and yes, it is a dry hot. But the sun is like a heat lamp that is pointing at your head three feet away.
There are plenty of little varmints out here to be aware of as well, we were briefed. From Tarantulas that can [supposedly] jump up to 5 feet, but are relatively harmless (suuurrree), to black widow spiders and killer bee's. The worst, and probably most lethal, are the Diamondback Rattlesnakes that cruise about, depending on the time of day. Mostly they stay away, but are known to hide in the shady areas in the morning, therefore, we are highly advised to kick, rattle, and make as much as a ruckus as possible with anything lying on the ground, in the dead airplanes etc.
An instructor told us once he peaked inside the main landing gear, under the forward doors, and was met face to face...6 inches..with a Bull Snake, hanging down from above in the shade. Luckily, this type of snake is calmer and didn't strike him in the face, he slowly backed away to safety, as his adrenaline shot through the roof. (As yours and mine would as well!) whew!

Speaking of airplanes, there are ACRES of them out here. I can say this, because it is declassified, and any quick search on google earth will show you exactly what I mean. From giant cargo C-5 Galaxy's, to the tiny shells of cobra helicopters, if you can think of it, they got it, and tons more you never even remembered existing. I will try to get some pics up here when I get back to Oregon, in a couple days.

Just wanted to write a note. And oh yeah, when you are in the desert for 9 hours, and put sunscreen all over your arms and neck, don't then roll your T-shirt sleeves up to attempt getting rid of that farmers tan you've been sporting for years....nope...you have to remember to apply lotion to that area too....yeah... Looking in the mirror, I look like I'm wearing cherry colored shoulder pads... like some kinda roman legionary or something....quite......rediculous.

My wife would be proud.