Oreoles

Tonight at dinner my wit lead me to asking my wife who she thinks is in the lead in the AL East. She said JRoll. So then I opted to give her choices. Yankees, Red Sox, Blue Jays, D. Rays, or Orioles. Ai chimed in that he likes the Orioles. Man was I proud. All these years as having the O's as my favorite team, and it had rubbed off on my 1st offspring. I haven't really even pushed them on him yet, I just let him watch and like what he wants. My wife and I looked at each other in amazement and then Ai continued on by saying, "yeah, I like their creamy middles. They are good cookies." Uh oh, someone tricked Daddy and was really talking about Oreos. Somehow, someway, he then said he also likes their (referring to the oreos) red socks. Hehe, interesting.

Hummingbirds

I stopped today with the boys to get some more mealworms for the bluebirds (sidenote: I am going to put them in the fridge this time so they go "dormant" rather than feed them them carrots). Yep, the 500 mealworms from batch #1 is already gone. While at the store, I brushed up on my hummingbird info. We plan to make our own solution this year. Basically here's what I found out and what you need to know about this process and the timing of things - in case you wanted to grab a feeder for yourself:

• mix 4 parts water with 1 part sugar and boil
• store this solution in the refridgerator
• on April 15 start putting the mixture in the hummingbird feeder
• if the temperature is ~ 70 degrees, replace the solution about once every 5 days
• if the temperature is ~ 90 or higher, replace the solution about once every other day

The hummingbirds are due back in the PA area on approximately April 26th.

Birds

This is the second of potentially many snapshots of my saved past writings. click the picture to see it larger.

Lucidness

I have books about lucid dreaming, which are easy reads that I can bring in for you if you like. They are roughly 70 pages in total. It is partially necessary to read up on this to teach your mind how to prepare for lucidity and to create the technique that suits you best. It teaches you how to think as you are going to sleep. It teaches you how to focus on the surroundings and the sounds you hear and ask yourself, or rather tell yourself, that these are real and I am not asleep yet. You just keep thinking, “Is that real? Am I asleep yet?” Then you get to the point where you are actually asking yourself that question as you fall asleep and then as you enter the actual dream state. At this time (with practice) you can realize that you are dreaming as you ask these questions and what you are seeing/thinking is not real etc. Once you realize this and get good at this technique, you can perform lucid dreams all the time.


It also teaches you to look for certain things - I forget what they are called right now, but let's call them hotspots. Like for me, if I dream about being back in my old neighborhood or even about Sam, I know it isn't real and thus I tell myself that I am in a dream.


The part I struggle with is when I realize I am in a dream and the dream has officially become “lucid”. I have to tell myself to remain calm and not to get too excited for this excitement wakes me right up and my lucidity only lasts as long as a few flying maneuvers (which is the first thing I do each time I lucid dream). Normally when I fly around a bit I tell myself to spin mid-flight, because I read once that spinning can cause a drastic background or other type of change in a dream while in the lucid state - this is when I normally wake up. Bummer.


There is also a technique where you put a dot on your hand for a few days/weeks in a row. You end up getting used to looking at the dot and each time you look you tell yourself that you are awake. Eventually you will look at your hand in your dream and likely see no dot, thus you can trigger your mind to realize you are asleep. See, it is all about training your brain. Some people are so good that they do it every night. That would be awesome. I have only done it approximately 35 times and to be honest don't think about it enough prior to bedtime or I end up falling asleep with the TV on or something so I am distracted mentally. I keep meaning to get this book off my book shelf and merely place it on my night stand so I see it just before heading to la-la land each night.


Lucidity is by far the most exhilarating event that I have experienced with the exception of the video of Aunt Janice not watching her large nephew on that amusement park ride.


P.S. You don't need to borrow the book now, I just taught you everything you need to know. That'll be $13 please.


P.P.S. I think everyone dreams but only a certain percentage of people can remember them, and only a certain percentage of those people can retain the dream in memory longer than the first few minutes after they have awaken. I used to have a journal of dreams. When I read old entries, I can picture the exact dream as if it was the night I originally dreamt it. They also recommend doing that (journal) to help you remember dreams and experience lucidity better.

what is wrong with me?

As some may know, I have allowed myself to FINALLY listen to music from before I was born. Today I listened to Jethro Tull for the first time that I am aware of. They are coming to MusicFest this year by the way. Maybe I'll go. So here's how it went down: I pushed shuffle on my buddies iPod and the first song was Aqualung (out of 102 possible Tull songs) and apparently this one was really famous. I sat there and said, "wow, this is really good" not recognizing it at all. I listened for a few more minutes and they are now my favorite band. Seriously, life should be interesting going forward. I have so much to catch up on. I got really good at listening to music from "now" but now I have to back track to music from "then" and see what floats to the top. It's like I am listening to the music that influences the music that I already know. Fun. I'm taking recomendations....feel free to let me know of some good albums/groups. So far I have Tull and Zeppelin covered, and I listened to one Cream album the other day that I really liked. And probably the Beatles and some Floyd are covered, but more the famous stuff for the Beatles and odd stuff for Floyd (that's just how it worked out over time when someone said, "hey listen to this"). I'd be up for some "odd" Beatles if anyone knows of any....


What's next you may ask? Well, maybe I'll start watching movies that were out before 1970. We'll see about that. Take care now.

top ten things Randy Jackson says

Is he a robot? Randy Jackson is very annoying this year - maybe even more so than Paula. I challenge all readers to provide more "sayings" that Mr. Jackson says. Here they are:

1. "Okay, okay, listen dawg, it didn't work for me"
2. "Not very good dawg, not very good"
3. "A bit pitchy in spots" - that is the only vocal critique he knows
4. "pretty good overall, but watch the pitchy spots"
5. "good looking out"
6. "YEAH BRINGING IT TONIGHT!!"
7. "the competition IS ON dawg!!"
8. "110% yes!!"
9. "Not a big fan"
10. "THAT WAS HOT DAWG!!"

rather....

would you rather be able to:

A) pause time for 10 seconds or....

B) rewind time for 10 seconds?

Hard - Don Johnson's Comeback Tour

Hi there. FYI, I was trying to email a few people but due to technical difficulties I’ll blog it instead. I’d love to go on about my frustration with hotmail but I’ll refrain. Thanks for asking, but no I’m not ready for g-mail yet, but I sort of wonder if when I say that I sound like someone who still uses a dial-up modem??


1. Life is Funny?:
To me not much in life is funny. I guess I mean the stuff that is supposed to be funny isn’t so funny to me. Yeah, that's it. Overall I laugh a lot and I myself am totally hilarious, but everyone else thinks the stupidest stuff is LOL funny. Case in point that Heder/Ferrell skating movie or a fwd about why a dog is not like a cat. A) Does that mean that my sense of humor has become so refined that it takes this much (I am showing you with my hands) to make me laugh? So if you are a comedian and need someone to bounce material off of - I am your guy. Just bring your stuff over to my house: If I sit there and stare at you blankly you probably will be an instant hit with the general masses, if I laugh my arse off it is not good stand-up. B) Or does it mean that everyone else is right and stuff really IS hilarious and I am wrong? Small silly humors don’t hit my laugh nerve, or my funny-o-meter if you will. Lately when I get sent a non-humorous fwd I call it out as not funny. I guess the rest of the world just lies when they get a not funny email and reply to their buddy, “Good one, LOL!!” No one is stepping up and distinguishing between good and bad humor. I know laughter makes you younger and have good skin, but 98% of the forwards and clever web-sites I view just leave me feeling like I wasted 5 seconds of my life. Is it just me?


2. Trying too hard/Another’s mishap:
People are just trying too hard to be clever and I guess you could point that finger at me too. I mean there are funny things out there for sure, like Old Gregg, Unforgivable, and the Grape Lady, but in the end some of the funniest things are at another’s expense. Look at youtube and see what the highest ranked videos are, they are likely someone falling over or something, who doesn’t laugh when someone accidentally gets punched and falls over? Hahaha LOL. That is funny. But if you’ve seen one singing cat you’ve seen them all.


3. When is it okay to be odd?:
I need to know this answer. It’s like I have to tiptoe through life and feel out my present company to know which Q is allowed to be presented at that time. The Q that is himself and just says stuff because he feels like it, or the Q that has to “act” a certain way to fit in – or at least so that he doesn’t get scoff looks from people? Why can’t I just be myself all the time? Instead, I need to slowly start dropping my personal oddities/thoughts here and there to see if the reaction is okay and if yes then I know I can be myself. Well that sucks, I want to be me all the time.


4. Just be what society wants:
Maybe that is the answer and maybe this is what everyone else does? I can be myself when I am at home but in society I need to be normal. Is that what it has come too? It sounds funny me even saying this because we are in a time on Earth where all the crazies are allowed to wear their passion out loud to show who they are (crazy hairdos, thoughts, and outfits), showing the world how they really feel or how free they actually are. If this is the case, why do I feel the way I do?


To wrap this up - RAAAAAHHHH!!!! Haha. (insert scary dinosaur with long teeth, looking menacing)

Can we rekindle this conversation?

A) A friend of mine claims that saying "God Bless You" after a sneeze is a pagan ritual of some sort.


B) Don’t you think instead we should say, "May God Bless You" when we first see someone in the morning as more of a spraying of holy words uponst a person to protect them and make them mentally prepared as well as mentally well? And then when someone sneezes we say, "Good Morning" as in I hope you have a good rest of the morning now that you have just sneezed. Basically now that your sneeze is over I hope you - starting just now - have a good morning?


>>> Friend X >>>
I heard that saying God bless you was because your heart temporarily stops when you sneeze, and God will help it start back up when you're done sneezing. So when you see someone sneeze and immediately afterwards they are still alive, you just witnessed a miracle. Understand?


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bless_you


I liked this explanation the best:
"Your soul can be thrown from your body when you sneeze, and saying "bless you" prevents your soul from being stolen by Satan or some evil spirit. Thus, "bless you" or "God bless you" is used as a sort of shield against evil."


I had a thought (regard) the other night. Have you ever had deja vu? Well I had it twice last week alone. Deja vu is a concept that always blew my mind, honestly why do you think it happens? Did time fold over on itself and you're re-doing something you've already done and you're remembering the first time as you do it again?


>>> Me >>>
Or is it just a recurrence of a situation that is so similar to a previous situation that it's virtually identical? Yes, I believe it is this.


>>> Friend X >>>
Whatever it is, it only lasts for a few seconds and then the feeling is gone. Anyway, my thought/point is that I am going to start keeping a log of my deja vu experiences inclusive of the day, time and situation (action being performed and the whatever I was thinking about at the time). Then after about a year I will look at my data, graph it and look for patterns. My goal is to figure out an equation for calculating my next deja vu experience, and then you can come over and be there to videotape it when it happens and then we can put it on You Tube, titled "Guy having Deja Vu at XYZ o'clock, date". Get back to me ASAP on this.


>>> Me >>>
Even more powerful is the viewing of an oasis. Wow, that is crazy bro. Ya' ever see that bro?


>>> Friend X >>>
Yeah but what if it's this: when you die you immediately restart your life at the beginning in 1976, and each time you get to make new choices and lead your life into a different direction, but every once in a while you cross over times where you were doing/thinking the same exact thing at the same time in your previous life, causing a temporal rift in the universe that we know as deja vu? Q, this is the answer. Just say yes. In your reply to this, just put yes:


>>> Me >>>
Yes. Why didn’t you talk about the oasis phenomenon? Back to deja vu and your thoughts - seriously that's impossible. Haven't you ever seen Back to the Future? You can't mess with the items or events that occurred in the past or it will change everyone else's life, i.e. don't kiss your mom at the dance. But, I don't want to discredit your thoughts, because I think they are strangely brilliant although likely wrong. However it does give me some other thoughts about stuff like folding time. I just think deja vu is always very stupid for me - like I remember my wife saying something about the same thing in the same tone just a few days ago. It always happens only a few days apart. It isn't like I got deja vu from 19 years ago, just now. Are yours normally relatively close together? I think it probably has something to do with your mind playing tricks on you and likely the first event was close in similarity to the second and your brain, albeit simple, got totally confused.


Does the other person involved, if your deja vu involves another person, ever have it too along with you? Mine never does. They just look at me like, "okay Q, whatever". Normally I yell it too, like this "WOW, DEJA VU - Did you feel that???” What boggles my mind is that we only tap like 30% of our brain's potential. I always wanted to find a way to think really hard and tap into mine more, and get to like 75%. That would mean at that point I could throw things across the room with my brain. I can't wait until I find that way to tap into my brain harder and better. When that happens I could be pouring coffee on your head from way over here, with my brain.


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deja_vu


>>> Friend X >>>
In my next life I will watch American Psycho in the theatre on opening night.


>>> Me >>>
Let's talk about exorcisms now. Earlier when I was reading your rant I thought how these were probably faked in the past and then I remembered about the Latin etc. that is spurted out and realized that the devil really does enter certain people through out time. What's up with that friend? Sometimes that scares the crap out of me, possessed people that is. Now they just throw them into a padded room and dose them up and never let anyone know what really goes on.


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Demonic_possession


>>> Friend X >>>
Agreed, exorcisms are crazy and blow my mind. If I were to have a top 10 list of things that are unexplainable and I want answers to asap, the list would include: nothing in space, where does the universe end and what is on the other side, deja vu, evil possessions, and fire (seriously, what the heck is it, it's not alive and doesn't have mass and isn't made of electricity like lightning, yet it grows and is always pissed and it's sole purpose is to consume and destroy. Is fire a demon?) I'd also like to know more about being inside the inside-out disco ball and what it would look like to shine a flashlight in.


Let me know what would be on your top ten list, I'll get started on my final draft.


>>> Me >>>
1. body overtake/possession
2. aliens (in general I need to know more about this)
3. government secrets etc.; things they hide (aliens, underground lairs, etc.) and certain truths versus what they tell the public
4. space: how far does it go? distance wise and what the heck is out there? is it evil?
5. spontaneous combustion - I know there are specials about this, but I sort of don't buy it. I need the truth
6. alien abduction
7. folding time
8. the afterlife
9. how twins think alike etc.
10. ghosts

Right At Your Door (B-):

Do I recommend this movie? Yes. Is this movie for the faint of heart? Well I suppose it can be, but not for someone who can't handle mass-chaos scenes (however there are only a few instances of mass-chaos in this movie). Basically this brings a "real first person" feel to something that probably could happen to all of us at one point in life, which is both scary and sad. I for one think we (at least my generation or the two generations below mine) will see the demise of Earth thanks to humans. Maybe not the whole Earth, but the human race will see it's demise thanks to humans. Somehow we will screw it up.


Over the past 100 years or so technology has advanced so fast (on a scale of 1 to fast - we are now above fast) that I hope we don't implode ourselves - but for some reason I believe it is bound to happen during our lifetime. Anyway, don't get depressed, these are just my pessimistic thoughts that I probably should have omitted from this rant - however when looking at a bell curve over time it is a possibility. That's all I am saying.


For some reason this Chris Gorak movie from 2006 was just released to DVD (I believe in January 2008 in the US). I guess it was a timing thing considering all of the trouble we've had since 9/11. Movies like this are touchy for sure. I guess now of all times makes the most sense since our terror level is currently low. So, as you can guess this is a movie about a dirty bizombing in Los Angeles (I have to say that so I don't get flagged, remove the "iz" to understand better). It then has a very M. Night Shalamalamadinger feel to it - basically filmed through the eyes of Rory Cochrane, aka Lucas from Empire Records. (Where has he been since 1995?) Mary McCormack is his wife. The plot for this movie gets an A+ however the story gets a bit long mid-movie, which is why I gave this an overall B- as a movie. The twist at the end definitely makes this movie worth watching.


Brad (Rory Cochrane) is an out of work rocker who helps his wife get ready for work and then just sits at home, but on this particular day L.A. is the spot of massive attacks (of which he can see from his window - the L.A. cityline). The rest of the movie is done very well in regards to how a person would react in this situation. He trys to go and get her until he hits a jam and the police won't let him get any farther, steals supplies from a store in which the owner/workers have fled, he runs into some of his neighbors and reacts in an interesting way (I don't want to give anything away), and he also decides that he has to give up on his hope for his wife's return and board himself inside his house.


I realize now to spice this movie up I could have used an Alvaro (Brad's neighbor's gardener) and Brad fist-off during this movie. That is just the action-guy inside of me speaking. There is much frustration between these two characters during the movie and a good yell-fest or fight could have made the middle of the movie more realistic and exciting.


After watching this movie I realized I don't have enough canned soup, jarred nuts, bottled water, plastic sheets, and duct tape. Oh, and a giant adult sized tricycle. I think everyone needs one of these to maneuver should we not have access to gasoline/cars.

The Ocean

Dudes, have you ever hear that song 'The Ocean' by Led Zeppelin? It is pretty groovy. Classic rock sounding for sure. I do actually recognize this one from the radio, however never really listened very hard to it.

Let me explain this seemingly stupid statement. About 10 months ago I asked my pal if he could burn me copies of some of the Zeppelin stuff, because I haven't really ever gotten into them, nor do I know what they sing when compared to the Doors, Beatles, etc. (they sort of all were in one big pot to me). Anyway as nice of a pal as he is, he bought me the entire box set from Zeppelin. So I added all 85 songs to my iPod and then occasionally on shuffle (iPod) I will get to hear on of their songs (amongst the other 6,300). Today I heard 'The Ocean'. Pretty good. You should check it out sometime.

being a Dad

More and more funny events keep happening as my Dad-time on Earth grows larger. Here are two recent instances:


My 4.5 year old was riding with me in the car on our way to soccer lessons on Saturday and asked me, "Daddy, why don't you have your straight signal on?" It took me a minute but after final absorption of his statement I realized he had a very good point. It's very astute of him to make that correlation actually. If we use signals to go left and right - why not for going straight? I then proceeded to tell him most drivers can't even find the left and right signals because they are lazy and stupid and don't care to let others know their intent while driving a large piece of potentially deadly sharp metal, thus creating 13% more accidents monthly...and by asking them to also put on a straight signal would be just asking too much.


Another event with the same child as noted above occurred on the way home from swimming lessons on Tuesday. He was watching the directional indicator (N, S, E, W and NW, NE etc.) on my car dash as we drove in different directions. It was stuck on W for a long time and he asked me, "Daddy, when is Y going to come?" Funny stuff. Large corporations should hire 4.5 year olds to solve internal problems.

- Do people behave like their true selves in dreams? -

Without having done any prior research on the topic, this thought came up today during a conversion with my pal about Hollywood deaths (don't ask how we jumped from one topic to the other). The thought revolved around the substance of a person's dream when compared to the person who is dreaming it. Basically does someone who takes no risks, has no impure thoughts, and is outright bland in brain thought end up having bland dreams about happy-go-lucky things like tulips, eating cereal, and filing documents at work? Or can/do they have demented dreams that make them feel as if they have sinned when they awake (for a lack of a better description)? And also for the opposite personality: does your typical horror/sci-fi movie watcher who isn't scared to think outside the box end up dreaming more crazy-styled dreams?


I am sure there has been research about topics similar to this...and I need to check into that, but it is a good question to me. Does your normal brain, your normal thoughts, and your normal actions end up directly influencing your daily dreams? Does the person you are when you are awake end up molding your dream state?


My dreams are crazy yet pretty true to what my brain thinks daily. However I don't really know any other way to think because I'm just me - in comparison I don't know what someone with other brain thoughts thinks or dreams either. I guess that is part of the question. I need to research the stats on this pronto. In my dreams I still have a healthy conscience. For example, I will never cheat on my wife in my dreams (stupid conscience won't even let me get away with one freebie while sleeping, haha). Also I won't do harmful things to someone in my dreams, unless they are a burglar - even so it is pretty harmless (and in slow motion). These I believe are an attribute to my normal awake brain functions and thoughts. Whereas overall I feel I am a kind person who means well. Then there is the zany side of my dreams, which I'd like to think everyone gets the luxury of experiencing. For example when I am flying around with Ving Rhames on a surf board in Hummelstown looking for the golden bird of supreme power. I also have many scary dreams which are probably directly linked to the horror movies I watch just prior to going to bed. With all of that said and to regroup to the main point - if I did nothing but focus on goodness and boringness my whole life - would I then dream that way?


Anyways, get back to me on this if you have an opinion or know more about this topic than I. I'll also have to do some research and get back to myself.


Here are two bonus thoughts to think about along these lines...if any of the above holds true in any sense, what's the deal with people who can't dream or rather can't remember their dreams? And, how does lucid dreaming effect the above discussions and also potentially your normal awake life? That's another blog topic altogether.

skinny latte

no I am not having skinny latte's these days - thanks for asking. However, every time I am in line the person in front of me always orders like they are a coffee ordering expert, "I'll have a grande skinny latte hold the cream with two lumps and a twist of thai and cinnamon, half stirred and slightly frozen". Then I get up there and say "regular coffee middle size please". When I order the people behind the counter have like 2-3 questions for me because I guess I don't order specific enough. I am going to work to try to get the lingo down pat in February so by March I am good to go with ordering. Now that I have my new trendy Versace glasses this isn't a "want to eventually do", this is a "requirement for all who wear trendy glasses". I also find it funny that people refer to their drink as "skinny" in relation to their body which they are hoping for when they drink the lower fat version of the drink. I suppose I'll start ordering an "extra fat latte, tall, extra sugar, hold the lowfat".

Today's movie review

I would like to start blogging my review of movies that I see - old or new/good or bad. I'll try not to put in any spoilers during the review. Also keep in mind these are my views and in no way are my affiliations with ROGUE pictures going to influence how I review and rate movies.


As some may know I have a recent fix (well, obsession is more like it) with movies. I have created an ongoing list of how they rank per my brain absorption. This list is coupled with a sister-list of movies focusing on recommended movies never seen. By keeping both lists alive and growing I won't lose track of the ultimate goal of seeing every movie ever created - not including movies done in black and white. So I begin....


Juno:


My wife and I saw Juno a few weekends ago and loved it. Truthfully, it made me feel as if I forgot who I used to be. Not in a bad way at all, because obvious changes in my life have occurred and I needed to react and adapt to the current situations at hand. However we both looked at each other once we were in the parking lot and said that we miss being hippy-like. The movie portrayed a comfy feeling, reminding us of what it meant to walk out of the house without matching clothes or to proudly wear your heart on your sleeve. To let people know how odd you are and to emphasize how others make you feel. And lastly to be zany. Yes, zany. I don't want to sound too sappy because I have a lot of friends with dark/cynical sides that might be reading this - but this is the truth. I miss this about me. Thanks to Juno I am working to bring it back. I haven't lost it all together and I surely haven't stopped being unique/odd - however I have ceased to be this way in most forums of life. I have adopted the "corporate" look and kept up with most of the corporate work habits and interactions, staying on the curb instead of off the curb. Only a few at my current job know the real me. I suppose that is a good tactic though at work, so let's focus on home life. My neighbors probably think I am more off my rocker than the rest of the Dad's in the neighborhood - but why not let out my real self at all times? Why should only Jana and my close friends experience this? [As a side project I am starting to let my neighbor Jason see me for who I am and was. We'll see how that goes.]


Last night on American Idol the last guy to get a ticket to the big show was just being himself, no "I want to be on TV" act and showing no cares. And as much as I don't like to admit this out loud, Simon is often right-on with his personality observations (although often he judges prior to giving someone a chance). Regardless, it was nice. You go last-guy-on-American-Idol-last-night-to-get-a-golden-ticket. You go. That is just another example of how this movie made me feel. [It is also nice to see someone in Hollywood appreciate uniqueness]


I am way off track. The movie also had a soundtrack that involved the Moldy Peaches primarily. This wasn't the Moldy Peaches that I know and love, but still the same sound and feel that the hardcore Peaches has brought (where they swear and talk about porno). That, coupled with the feel I got was enough in itself to make me like this movie. But add in the tremendous acting by Ellen Page, Michael Cera (who might be one of the greatest new actors out there), and J.K. Simmons and you have a great flick. Bateman and Garner played the roles they were supposed to play, Bateman was okay and could have been better and Garner was annoying but that was expected per her script. Also, why did Rainn Wilson agree to play Clerk #1 in this movie? Odd.


As I always say, if a movie can make me feel a certain way, it is well respected by this guy. Thus, this movie is #31 on my list of all time favorites, just below Last of the Mohicans and just above High Tension.