Random Link . Are you a blogaholic?

She shares my life - the things I leave out for everyone to see and the things that hide in the shadows of my insecurity. In her eyes there are no limitations, no excuses, limitless boudaries - my salvation beckons in the blink of her eye. I am empowered by her love and spurred on by her ceaseless nurturing. "She makes me want to be a better man", and in these words I find my truth. My love, however imperfect, is hers, and through it all I will strive to fill her life with what she's given me and so much more.

The Chameleons UK. My friend James never ceases to amaze me. Out of the blue he blurts out that he has put together a "small" project. It turns out he is now adding promoter to his lists of talents and this is one of "his babies". I'll have to check with my schedule keeper but I'm sure Karen and I will be attending. I haven't seen James in over a year and it will be nice to have some drinks together and catch up. If you care to join us, here's the details.

Random Link . Trillian

I want my MTV. Remember when MTV was about videos? I remember when MTV debuted and we all gathered around the television to watch the launch of the moonman and the first videos being aired. Well, those days are over and now I'm stuck with stupid cartoons, shows about 20 somethings trying to get "real" and follow "the rules", and last but not least idiots being payed to be their secret heart's desire - JackAsses.

Where are the videos? Where are the vehicles that made MTV the success that it is today? I know that my questions fall on deaf ears, even worse people that don't understand why I can't get into a show about sorority life and all of its emotional ups and downs... In any case I have found something that might tide me over for now. If you're interested you can watch videos of your favorite artist here. I was surprised at the selection, trying to find videos of Rebecca Timmons and Scritti Politti is damn near impossible and yet they were there. I must say that Yahoo! has managed to gain a little credibility in my book.

ICBM - Do you? For those of you who missed the magnificent display of military prowess here's a chance to experience it in all of its splendor.

Appreciate . I must create

There is a special hell. And these guys are headed there on the express train. Do not pass go, do not collect $200.

Mirror, mirror on the wall. Who's the mac daddiest Shaolin of them all? In a world full of eye candy and Matrix-esque flamboyance I guess I should't be so surprised... Check this out and see what you think.

I got new sneakers. Funny how that takes me back down memory lane. I don't buy athletic shoes all that often, probably because my normal tastes run the other way - dress shoes and italian imports with the occasional Cole Hahn thrown in for good measure. In any case, when the ocassion does occur I'm always transported back to a time when the gleam from the white leather in the store window beckoned me in, all the while promising to help me run faster and jump higher. As I break my new Avias in, I swear I can almost feel the subtle changes in my speed and coordination...

The house that Bill built. Ever been curious how the other 1% of the population lives? Well, here's your chance to find out what Mr. Gates wakes up to when he's home. Someone pass the ibuprofen - I'm getting a headache...

Is that radiation in your pocket? Or are you just happy to see me? This article cracks me up. I guess I never thought about it but it makes sense. If you're worried about radiation to the head then you better worry about getting it in other places too. I guess if I can't have children I can always sue Nokia for my problems...

Everwood. I almost turned off the TV but for whatever reason I was intrigued by the concept and wound up falling in love with the premiere. This isn't my typical "genre" of show (you can ask around) but there must be something I can relate to. I think the critics are right on this one and I can't wait for the rest of the season. Tune in - you just might like it.

Benton Dunscombe. My memories of my old classmate were triggered by the words of Culture Club's song "Do you really want to hurt me". I tried to figure out why it happened now and not before but for the life of me I don't know.

There are three distinct memories I have of Benton. The memories span almost six years of my academic history at Orangewood Academy and were it not for the unconscious trigger, they would have remained buried away in the dark corners of my mind. Here they are in chronological order:

Fifth grade, Miss Thompson's class - This was now my third year at OA and my outlook on school was quite dismal. My fall off of the social ladder was in high gear by fifth grade. While other classmates could afford designer Vans shoes in custom colors I was having to make due with knock-offs and hand-me-downs. I was two years into the "Dumbo" name calling period of my life and to make matters worse I was overweight... Sometimes I wonder how I survived. In any case we were in class in the middle of "bible" class. Oh yeah, I forgot to mention, OA was a "private christian school". Back to our story. I was drawing something at the back of my class and not paying attention. We were discussing some bible story and its meaning. The question posed to us by Miss Thompson was "Do you know of anyone else who reminds you of Jesus?" Well, I'm pretty sure that she was referring to other characters in whatever story we were discussing. For whatever reason Mr. Dunscombe thought we were talking about real life. He raised his hand and when he was chosen to answer he calmly said "Jeff". I remember feeling a lot of things... Guilt, because at that very moment I was hoping that someday Joe Medina (my Dumbo tormentor) would get hit by a car. Stunned, because this answer was so out of left field I immediately felt that Benton was being insincere and this was the start of some other form of torture. Finally, I felt speechless because if this was in any way true I didn't even know how to answer. Miss Thompson woke me up out of my trance and told me to say "thank you". Sheepishly I said "thank you" and tried to divert attention away from myself by getting back to my drawing. I think at this moment Benton felt a little embarassed too for not getting the question. Now I know that the answer was a comment on my naivete and being sheltered but it was somewhat flattering. Kind of like a small justification for being different, never getting the off-color jokes and being the resident doormat for everyone.

Ninth grade - This was the year I discovered K-ROQ. It was also the year that I began to fall in love with what would be later referred to as the "british invasion". While everyone went the way of glam rock and hard core metal I was enjoying groups like Duran Duran and the Eurythmics. In any case, my favorite group of the time was Culture Club. Despite the beating they took in the media and the heat they took from the church when it came to George's androgyny, I was hooked. Somehow this little tidbit became part of the public domain and of course I was teased for my choice in such "masculine music". At the height of the whole thing Benton managed to capture everything in a single nickname. Sometime in the midle of my Freshman year in High School I became "Boy Jeff". The name took and I still have it printed on that year's yearbook.

Tenth grade - I don't remember much of the details of this memory but it had something to do with some kind of "talent show" we had. During practice some of our pranksters managed to get back stage. Benton somehow got himself behind the curtain with a big hat and some dreads. A minute later we were all exposed to the best rendition of "I'll tumble for you" we'd ever seen. I still laugh when I think about even now.

I've never told anyone these stories and I don't know why I'm doing it now. Its just a feeling that I got, triggered by a distant memory and I'm following my instinct to write it down...

Later on I heard that Benton had been killed in a questionable part of Santa Ana. There were the usual rumors and some of them were littered with details of a drug deal gone wrong. Today it doesn't seem so important. I didn't go to the funeral because it felt wrong going after being away from that circle of friends for so long but I visited the grave by myself later on. I'm not sure what happened to Benton after I left OA but it seemed like such a waste. I choose to remember the Benton I had known; Intelligent, funny, insightful and full of laughter. In some ways maybe this is a belayed "thank you" for a small gift he gave me all those years ago. Things happen and maybe we can't help the way they turn out. Sometimes is just that simple...

Wherever you may be old friend, I owe you one.

The important things. After spending the weekend enjoying the company of our friends and relatives Karen and I can't help but be thankful for the people in our lives. This has always been something that I've wanted, but I've never been good at cultivating relationships. For that, I will be eternally grateful for Karen's gift of making it happen in our lives.

We spent time with my cousins (all three made appearances), their family and their friends. My cousin Mark and his wife Wendy have just purchased a new home and this is the first time we've been able to see it since it was finished. It is a gorgeous home and we're very happy for them. Seeing the house made me realize that this is the home that the kids will grow up in and the home they will bring their kids to. The only thing I could really complain about is the distance between us. I just wish we lived closer to each other.

My other cousin had returned from the middle east. He was stationed in Oman but had traveled extensively in the area for the last six months. We were all leary about him leaving, especially with all the unrest in the area. We're happy to have him home.

Finally, we got to spend some time with my cousin Trish. Even though we don't see her as much I enjoy the fact that we can pick up where we left off and it never feels like time has passed in between our visits.

There was food, drink, kids and friends. It was a very pleasant way to spend a Saturday night.

Last but not least - Our friend Kristal had a birthday yesterday and we got to share it with her and her husband Dan. Its hard to imagine that we've only known each other for a short time and even harder to believe that our relationship started with a mutual interest in our pugs. They're a great couple and good friends. Karen and I hope that this year is filled with great things for them. As we both look forward to starting families as couples I couldn't think of nicer people to share the experience with.

Final Notes - Watched "the fight"; mad props go to Oscar for proving that he still has the skills. We finally got around to registering some sites for Dan; you can look forward to dikcabeza and DanandKristal. Merit increases were handed out last Friday so I'm the new owner of an extra 3% (I won't look at a gift horse in the mouth) and we finally got around to thinking about how we want our wedding album to look. The only thing we need to do now is write up some Thank yous... Sssh, don't tell anyone.

The little Ninja is the bomb! Check it.

A 15 minute break. You still have those right? I know we're not as serious about them now as we were when we worked fast food in high school, but come on... All work and no play - right? Here's something to motivate your inner child and strike a blow at the establishment. Remember, 15 minutes only please...

Appreciate . So Fake

Appreciate . L'Oreille

Sleeping with the enemy. I never realized that Jobs was this shrewd. In either case I must commend him for "thinking differently".

Random Link . Replacements

In rememberance. We will never forget the events of 9/11 but I hope it spurs us on to greater things as individuals, as americans and as human beings. Change starts with each one of us - this is best way we can keep the legacy of those lost alive. My prayers go out to all who were affected directly or indirectly by the tradgedy, may you find the comfort you deserve...

A pleasant surprise. I've always been fascinated by how hard women are on themselves when it comes to their body image. We all seem to know the same statistics and facts and yet it doesn't seem to quell the fears that women have about their weight or their body componentry. The most interesting thing of all is that the women who have the advantage of fashion assistants, make-up artists and the like, never come forward to reiterate that what we see in the media is just an illusion.

And so one woman steps forward and for this I commend her. Jamie Lee Curtis has willingly come forward to share a personal part of her life illustrated in pictures and much to credit she becomes a beautiful woman on a totally different level. If you'd like to feel better about your body read the article and check out the pictures. Cheers Jamie!

The good, the bad and the ugly...
· The Good - All I can say is "ha ha". Principles aside, this story is too funny.
· The Bad - This story illustrates the reasons for secure data.
· The Ugly - Greece goes off the deep end - can they really do this?

Jaguar comes home. A short thirty minutes and and a CD change later I was running OS X 10.2. Has it improved you ask? Well, in a nutshell, yes. The UI has been improved and the new features are well executed. The best part of the whole process though is that finally, in the history of computing you now have an OS that takes advantage of an acelerated graphics card. My interface hauls ass now and somehow my $300 investment in my Radeon card seems somewhat justified - Kudos Apple!

Outwit · Outplay · Outlast. And this is how I spent a part of my holiday weekend. I volunteered to chaperone my nephew's "Survivor Birthday Party". All the festivities of the day culminated in a backyard sleep over with the newly formed Flogar Tribe. I had fun, the kids had fun and I was magically transported to that distant time in my past when camping was fun and staying up all night seemed magical. Here's a picture of my small band of survivors:



For more pictures of the party click here.

Chasing the grail. Another attempt to relive its former glory. Once, my favorite browser, now the bastard child of a once forgotten frontier. Netscape 7 lies in the shadows waiting for unsuspecting victims.

A rude awakening. There's nothing like getting shaken out bed (literally) by something unexpected. Come to find out that my bizarre experience was shared by most of my surrounding area. Funny how I didn't think about earthquakes last night when I woke up. In any case, for those you who are curious here she is.