leadership interview

i was recently interviewed about my thoughts on leadership for a student's class project. here's what came from that discussion.

2nd day at the park

i went to the park of melbourne which is an indoor skatepark, built by team pain. high noon was the perfect time. i had the bowl all to my self. now at 32 years old, and on my second trip i started get a little feel for it again, while carving the bowl and pulling off some 50-50's. i may have to fit this into my routine.

reflections for christmas

with christmas coming so quickly this year, i have been reminded at a few different times to experience christmas this year. yet, as i say that tonya and i have only dinner together at home once since december 3rd. as i look at the calendar today, it will be that way until we return home after christmas, even on our anniversary. i truly value the time that she and i have together at home. i enjoy a quiet evening and as i look at my calendar, it has not been fair to her to have had some much happening during this season. i will need to make some changes next year.

often the celebration of the season is lost in the busyness of the season. i want to be able to just be at home for christmas and enjoy that time together. at the same time i have had some quiet reminders of what the holiday is about. giving because of what was given. it makes think of all the ways others have given to me throughout this past year. tonya gives to me in some great ways. she is patient with me. she adjusts for me. she takes care of things, so that i don't have to be concerned about it. she protects me and watches out for me. and she loves me in ways that make me feel great in all the little things she does.

she reminds me of what christmas is about. it's not about the busyness and going to all the parties. it's not about giving gifts because that person gave you a gift and you just have to reciprocate. it's giving freely because of the love you have for others. it's giving without expecting a return. it's giving of that surprise gift that was never expected. it's thinking of what makes others happy and spending time doing those things. it's giving not just of things but of yourself. it's giving because of what was given.

tekzilla daily talks of vista sp1

Merry Christmas

in the spirit of Christmas, this song and dance was made special for you.

why so serious?

the dark knight trailer is now available for viewing. it is also available to download in HD. looks great.

Cool Stuff: 30 Years of LucasFilm Christmas Cards

For the last 30 years, Lucasfilm has created special holiday Star Wars greeting cards for its employees and business partners. Check 'em out!

read more | digg story

many faces of the castle.

these were all taken on the eve of december 3rd, 2007.

illusion portrait made in halo 3

here's the link to the flickr page. this was made using the forge editor in halo 3. it took me quite a while to finally see it. there is a face in the pic. do you see it?

don't forget what the season is all about.

xbox 360 #4 & 5

as you may remember from my earlier posts that xbox #2 died back in february. well, to resolve that situation, i bought xbox #3 with the extended warranty plan at best buy. this would allow me to replace the xbox 360 on the same day that it breaks. notice i didn't say if it breaks. xbox #2 was sitting on a shelf in a closet still broken.

this summer microsoft, generously decided to extend their warranties on the hardware to two years. seemed reasonable and expected. with this news i called the service center and recieved a shipping box in the mail to have it repaired again. on the original machine that is the second repair. when i received it back, i was actually sent a new xbox completely. i discovered this by the manufacture date on the rear of the machine. we will call this one xbox #4.

now, yesterday, december 1st, 2007 xbox 360 #3 also died. this time, i took it back to best buy and it was replaced with no hassle, same day, for xbox #5.

i would definitely recommend buying the extended warranty on this product. it is highly likely that it will die at some point. the extended warrant cost $38 at best buy for two years and save you the convenience on sending it out to be sent back - about a 2 week process. eliminates the down time. to me, it was worth it.

here's what it looks like:

you can read about it through microsoft's support page. their support phone number is 1-800-4MY-XBOX.

so xbox #4 (the repair by microsoft) is now being used. how long will it last? no idea. however #5 is in waiting, sitting quietly in its box, prepared to fill in as soon as it is needed.

tin man trailer

good, bad? we'll see. looks like it could be a really good retelling of the original "wizard of oz."

now this is a speedbump

i believe that this is in german. i don't know what is being said, but the video is pretty funny.

your computer randomly plays "fur elise"

i can't believe this is real. but if your machine ever just randomly plays "fur elise" the truth of the matter is that your CPU fan has failed. you should get it serviced. here's the actual microsoft help and support page on the issue.

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Now playing: DL.TV - dl.tv 205 Nov 22, 2007: OBDII Scanner, Mass Effect and More!
via FoxyTunes

all of star wars in one pic

this is just awesome. now, if it would come as a poster i would have to buy it. for now, it will do as my desktop background.

5 Best Things to Say When Caught Sleeping at Your Desk:

submitted by Liz Kroll

5. "They told me at the Blood Bank this might happen."

4. "This is just a 15 minute power nap they raved about in the time management course you sent me to."

3. "Whew! Guess I left the top off the Whiteout. You probably got here just in time."

2. "Did you ever notice sound coming out of these keyboards when you put your ear down real close?" And the NUMBER ONE best thing to say if you get caught sleeping at your desk...

1. Raise your head slowly and say, "...in Jesus' name, Amen."

Harry Potter and The Deathly Hallows

i have now finished book 7 in the series. first let me say this is greatest set of books i have read. i haven't read many novels, but this was amazing! i began with the first book in june and finished the final chapter this week.

prior to beginning the i made a couple of predictions. 2 came out right and the one completely wrong. i did share these with others before i started reading the book.

SPOILER ALERT! as if you haven't read this book yet.

the first was that harry potter would have to sacrifice himself to die for others to live. TRUE. this was easy to guess. i had heard that j.k. rowling was religious and the themes in the book illustrated her beliefs. the only magic harry knew the voldemort didn't was love. the greatest love is this, that one would lay down his life for another. it had already happened with his mom and now it was his turn. while he was resurrected, he died to save others. his heart was full of sacrifice.

number 2. severus snape was good and killing dumbledore was a part of the plan. TRUE. i wasn't sure of the details, but i knew it had to be true. dumbledore trusted snape and we as the reader were supposed to, too, even if we didn't know what was happening. i just felt like there had to be a reason. he wouldn't just kill dumbledore. however, it is our nature to see the worst in things and not the good. a friend who was reading this at the same time, told me i was crazy for thinking this.

finally, number 3. dumbledore would come back to life. FALSE. i just knew he would return. he couldn't be gone that easily. now, at the end of the series his death didn't seem to abrupt. we did see him in the picture frame and harry talked with him while he was dead. but, dumbledore did not come back to life like i thought he might.

purple and brown

one of the simple pleasures of life. purple and brown.

fast food and nutrition

those are two thing we know don't go together. but how bad is it for you? the overwhelming truth is the more of what you don't want in your food than what you do want. but take a look through the charts and see just how bad it is for you. i guess we shouldn't be surprised.

Strike Chart

wondering how long your favorite show will remain on the air in the midst of the writer's guild strike. today, i came across the strike chart. the most interesting or depressing is that the office season will end with the next show aired. ouch! the chart gives you a list of sows that are on and how long you can expect to see new shows. it's easiest to say that within the next 2-3 weeks this season will end for all of your favorite shows.