This, That, and the Other Thing

Freedom - Part 3

2011-12-11T21:15:00.001-06:00

In the last post we discussed the first three baby steps. These are foundational in obtaining financial freedom. In this post we will cover baby steps 4 - 7. To review, the baby steps are listed below.

Baby Emergency Fund of $1,000
Debt Snowball
Fully Funded Emergency Fund (FFEF)
15% of gross income into retirement
Kid’s college
Pay off the House
Build Wealth

Picture this with me. You have spent the last 18-24 months (or longer) putting every single dollar you could scrounge towards debt, and saving for your FFEF. Since you’ve gotten to this point I have no doubt you were super intense. It’s as if you’ve been riding in a speeding car with the windows down. The road and trees flying by so fast you can’t make anything out. You’ve had one thing on your mind and that was to kick debt to the curb, and arrive with enough buffer money to last in the event of some unexpected situation. Congratulations. You’ve made it. Now it’s time to slow down a bit, and become a little more strategic with your money.

Can you see yourself reaching this point? I can. I know you can do it. I can testify it’s one of the most satisfying feelings you’ll ever experience. What’s next? Glad you asked. Let’s move on.

When you free up your income by paying off everything except the house, you have accomplished what many see as unattainable. You should now have what’s known as cash surplus. You’ll have money left over at the end of your month instead of the other way around. The TMMO (Total Money Makeover) suggests you now begin thinking of the future by adding 15% of your gross income towards retirement.

Baby Step 4 - Retirement

There are a few different types of retirement investments Dave suggests. Since the goal of this post is purely informational, and meant to explain what Dave teaches, I will not attempt to argue whether he is right or wrong. First, if your employer offers a matching 401(k) plan you should contribute up to the amount that is matched. If your company offers a 3% matching plan, then you should contribute 3% of your check. Free money is always a good thing.

The next recommended investment type is an IRA, or Individual Retirement Account. You have two types to choose from. There is the traditional IRA, and the Roth IRA. There is nearly a limitless supply of information on these types of retirement choices. I will not attempt to go over them here.

Since we’re in our thirties, my wife and I contribute to a Roth IRA, one for her and one for me. As of this writing we can contribute $5,000 each per year. Although we pay taxes on the money we put into a Roth IRA, we do not pay taxes on the amount that grows once it’s in the IRA Account. When it’s time to pull money from the Roth, we will not pay taxes on what is taken out. Dave suggests mutual funds inside your IRA that fall into four categories.

Growth (25%)
Growth & Income (25%)
Aggressive Growth (25%)
International (25%)

The risk level in funds runs from safe (growth) to risky (aggressive growth), and then takes advantage of an array of international companies. The funds should be at least 10 years old (or somewhere close to this), and should have a 10% return (or more) over that time. These funds exist, but you must look at the record over the LIFE of the fund not over the short term. Other things to consider would be if the fund is a no load, what the expense ratio is, and the turnover rate of the funds. Again, you’ll need to do your own research, and understand your investment choices. If you need help with this go to http://www.daveramsey.com and click on ELP (Endorsed Local Provider).

Baby Step 5 - Kid’s College

Step 5 is devoted to setting aside money for college. College is expensive, and getting more so every year. A 2008 study from the National Center for Education Statistics discovered that 50% of all college graduates have an average of $10,000 to pay back in loans. I’ve known people personally to have MUCH more than this. It’s important to our children’s financial freedom to make sure they do not start off life with debt. It’s not always completely avoidable, but it can be drastically reduced based on many factors, and good choices. I also hope to encourage my kids to work through school and help with the cost of their education.

Dave recommends using the Educational Savings Account (ESA) to build college savings. It works much like a Roth IRA in that you get to choose the funds, and the money is not taxed when it’s properly used. There is plenty of information on the Internet to help you understand the details of an ESA. Google is your friend.

Baby Step 6 - Pay off the House

Up to this point I can speak from experience. This step is still in the works for us, although we currently have a relatively low mortgage balance. Up until Baby Step 4 (Fully Funded Emergency Fund), you have a clear idea of exactly how to know when the step is complete. Save $1000. Pay off everything but the house. Save three to six months of expenses. Put 15% towards retirement. Then, in step 5, you aren’t given a percentage or an amount. You are simply told to ‘save for college’.

Exactly how you choose to implement the previous steps will help determine how much surplus you have to apply to Step 6, pay off the house. Dave suggests any money left over after steps 1-5 should go towards paying down the mortgage.

I’m going to chase a rabbit real quick. Come along with me. I’m the type of person who likes things to be as close to black and white as possible. Tell me what to do, and I’ll do it (within reason). Many people get confused after the FFEF is complete. At what point can we begin to save for vacation, new furniture, special dinners, new toys, etc? This is unofficially called baby step 3b. If you want to save up $2,000 to go on a vacation, the only thing you’ll need to make sure of is that you are completely done with baby step 3. I have stopped 4-6 in order to save for something on 3b (temporarily), and then rolled back into 4-6. I think this is okay, but you need to decide this for yourself. As long as you’re not adding debt back to your life, I feel like this approach is okay. You obviously don’t want to make a 6 month habit of it, but if you need a few pay periods, or a few months to hit a short term savings goal, then it should be fine to either cut back, or stop the other steps. Others may disagree, and this point isn’t really spelled out by Dave. Let’s exit the rabbit trail, shall we.

Baby Step 7 - Build Wealth

Once you’ve completed the monumental task of paying off your mortgage, then your income is truly freed to the point of building some serious wealth. Dave also recommends to give some of it away. Yes, you heard me. Give some of your surplus to a great cause. If you don’t focus on others, it’s possible that you’ll get constipated on your own possessions. Giving lifts your spirit in addition to helping someone else. I highly recommend it.

Conclusion

So, there you have it. This is the essence of The Total Money Makeover. Follow them and I promise you’ll have peace in your life. Spend a relatively short time eliminating debt from your life and you’ll never be sorry you did. As Dave often says, live like no one else so later you can live like no one else.

BlogPress

2011-05-04T16:12:00.001-05:00

Okay, so I just downloaded and installed Blogpress for iPhone/iPad. I want to see how useful it'll be. This is only a test.

This is how you put a picture in the post. That was really simple. Let's add another.

That's a lot of fun. Let's publish. I wonder how fast I'll be able to type on the iPad. Probably not very fast. Not as fast as I'd like.

Freedom - Part 2

2011-04-28T13:35:00.008-05:00

I enjoy a good brainstorming session. The process of writing out all kinds of wacky ideas that may or may not ever come to completion is liberating to me. There’s something about a hand full of markers and a dry erase board that gets my mind flowing with all kinds of potential. Maybe it’s the smell of the dry erase markers, but I digress.

However, there comes a time when you have to get your head out of the clouds (or that other place), and start pinning down exactly how to tackle a specific task, or complete a project. I’m pretty sure I suffer from a bit of ADD, or other type of newfangled focusing disorder. I find it difficult to get through some projects. After the honeymoon of brainstorming is over, you really have to decide what step comes next, and then get about the business of doing it. That’s what makes The Total Money Makeover (hereby referred to as TMMO) so appealing.

I mentioned in the first post of this series that I was attracted to the practical nature of the TMMO plan. Basically, it’s comprised of seven, easy to understand steps. Notice I said the steps were easy to understand, not easy to follow. Understanding is the knowledge of what to do, and following the steps is the behavior. 20% understanding, 80% behavior. The seven steps are as follows:

Baby Emergency Fund of $1,000
Debt Snowball
Fully Funded Emergency Fund (FFEF)
15% of gross income into retirement
Kid’s college
Pay off the House
Build Wealth

These steps are very practical, and easy to understand. I’ll lay out each of these steps beginning with the first three in this post, and move on to steps 4 through 7 in another post.

Before the Baby Steps

First and foremost, you have to change your view of debt. Debt is bad. Say that with me. Debt. Is. Bad. No, say it out loud. DEBT IS BAD! There you go. Once you’ve developed a hatred for debt, you must make a decision to never, ever, ever, go into debt again, for any reason. EVER. This step is crucial to the success of this plan. (Note: Mortgages are permitted under certain guidelines. More on that in a later post.)

Are you currently contributing to a retirement plan? 401(k)? IRA or Roth? If so, you’ll need to stop this before you begin. You read that correctly. Stop contributing to retirement while working the first three baby steps. You’ll get your chance to contribute to retirement beginning with step 4. Oh, you have a matching plan? Doesn’t matter. Stop it anyway. You need to get serious about using every single dollar you have towards digging out of this hole you’re in. Think about it. You’re going to be debt free in 18-24 months. In the grand scheme of things, that amount of time will not matter much. Trust me on this.

The Baby Emergency Fund of $1,000 - Why We Do This

Save $1,000 as fast as you can and put it in the bank. Don’t put it under your bed, or in your nightstand. Put it in the bank. This is for emergencies ONLY. This isn’t money for eating out, or other leisure activities. Emergencies. Got it? Here’s why. If you’ve ever been a home owner, you’ll appreciate, and understand the logic behind the baby emergency fund.

The hot water heater goes out.
A pipe under the kitchen sink bursts.
A window is broken.

These are only a few examples of the fun times had by home owners. Let’s move on to cars.

Transmission acts up
Flat Tire
Starter goes out
Water pump bites the dust

I could go on. The idea is this: if any one of these things were to happen, with $1,000 in the bank, you could pay for it without having to go further into debt. You’ve made a commitment to yourself (and your spouse if you have one) to NOT add to your existing debt. Baby step one is the net below the trapeze artist. It’s the fire extinguisher in the kitchen. It’s the safety harness around the high-rise window washer. It’s the....you get the point. It may take some folks a while to complete this step. For others, it’s already done. Once you complete your baby emergency fund, you’ll move onto the next step. Don’t skip this very important step in the plan.

The Debt Snowball - Overview

Most people spend the majority of their time right here. Having been through this step, I’ll have to say, it was the funnest, but also took the most discipline. Here’s how you get started.

Take out a pen and paper. List ALL of your consumer debt, including car loans, credit cards, student loans, and personal loans. If you owe money to someone or some business, list it. Don’t list your mortgage, rent, and or re-occurring monthly bills such as your electric bill, cell phone, gas bill, and the like.

This may go against what you’ve heard in the past, but I want you to list the debts smallest to largest. Put the debt with the smallest balance at the top. Write the next smallest debt under the smallest, and so on until you’re done. Total it up at the bottom, and make sure you’re sitting down. It may shock you.

What about interest rates? Ah, glad you asked. Does it make sense to pay off the higher interest rate cards first? Well, mathematically, it might. We’re not concerned with math right now. If we were concerned with math, logic, and what makes sense, we wouldn’t be in this mess in the first place, now would we?

You’ll be paying off debt smallest to largest regardless of interest rates. The plan is to be completely out of debt, except for your mortgage, in two years or less. That may seem like an eternity, but if you’re serious about this, you can make it happen. Over two years, interest rates will have very little impact on your overall plan. There are always exceptions, but don’t be quick to assume your case is one of them.

The Budget

I’ve had several people physically flinch at the sound of the this word: budget. Tension rises. Images of walls actually moving in from all four sides spring to the front on their mind. If you feel this way, hang with me through the next few paragraphs.

I prefer to be in control of my surroundings as much as possible, don’t you? Stephen Covey (7 Habits of Highly Effective People) writes about having a ‘circle of influence’ and ‘circle of concern’. There are lots of things going on around us, and we have varying degrees of potential impact upon them. Some things we may be concerned about, but have very little way of changing, such as nuclear war, or the national debt. These things fall in the circle of concern. However, which restaurant you eat at on Sunday afternoon, or where you choose to be employed is very much within your circle of influence. The more time we spend in our circle of influence, the more in control we’ll be, and the more we will impact the world around us for the better.

Deciding to do a budget is a proactive measure that will have a significant impact on your personal finances, and is well within your ‘circle of influence’. Someone once said budgeting is telling your money where to go (proactive) instead of wondering where it went (reactive). A budget puts you in charge of every dollar. If you (and your spouse) decide to spend $200 a month on clothes, and this works out with the rest of your plan, then by golly that’s what you can do, but not a cent over. The hard part about deciding on a budget is deciding on the budget. It’s a clean slate, basically. You pay for food, utilities, shelter, and transportation. Then you pay the cable bill, doctor bills, credit card bills. First you decide, and then you follow the plan, adjusting it as you go, ONLY when all effected parties agree. Go to daveramsey.com and click on budgeting under the Tools section for more detailed information.

Still not convinced? Do you like challenges? Prove me wrong. Spend three months seriously working a budget, and see if you don’t feel more in control. More clear headed. It won’t be easy, but I guarantee you’ll see positive results. Be patient. It’s not easy.

Fully Funded Emergency Fund

Baby step three is where you build your fully funded emergency fund. At one point in life I did not think it was necessary, or even possible to do this. How big does your FFEF need to be? A commonly accepted guideline is three to six months of household expenses. At this point in the game, the only debt you’ll have left is your mortgage. You’ve plowed through all consumer debt, personal loans, cars, and student loans. In addition to your mortgage, you would include groceries, utilities, insurance, child care and transportation costs. By this point in the program, you should have a very good idea what is required per month.

So, which is it? Do I save three months or six months worth of expenses? The answer is yes. You do what makes sense to you, and what you’re comfortable with. Remember to consider the many risks that exist, such as an impact to your income due to job loss or injury. You are more likely to be disabled before you’re 65 than you are to die. You must determine your risk tolerance level. How much you put in is totally up to you and your spouse. Women tend to prefer a heftier emergency fund that men, and that’s okay. Both sides have a vote.

Much like your baby emergency fund, the FFEF is for emergencies only! This is not savings towards a new car, xbox, hunting rifle, shoes, or anything else you might want. EMERGENCIES!!

This has been a very lengthy post. I hope you have actually made it his far. These steps are the foundation of the TMMO, and some of the most rewarding because it’s the early stages of your road to financial freedom, and excitement abounds. I hope you will begin to make these changes right away. Check back later for steps 4-7.

Freedom

2011-04-21T19:57:00.004-05:00

Take a trip with me back to the first quarter of 2008. We were in the middle of small home remodel, and Cary was due to give birth at the end of March with our second child. We financed the remodel as a second mortgage using the house as collateral. Payments wouldn’t be a problem based on our recent change from a one income to a two income household. In addition to the mortgage, we had two car notes, and a relatively small amount of credit card debt.

I would run up our credit card paying hospital bills, and an occasional indulgent purchase here and there, but wasn’t serious about paying it off in any particular time frame. We never used the credit card for daily expenses such as groceries or gas. Overall, it wasn’t a ton of money, but added up it came to around $32,000, minus the first and second mortgage. Wait, that is a lot of money when you say it out loud. THIRTY-TWO THOUSAND DOLLARS. But wait, a lot of that is car debt. We’ll always have a car payment, so that doesn’t really count, right? Uh, yeah, you owe it, and believe it or not, having a car payment is a choice.

We were never late on payments, and had “extra” money each month to spend on what we wanted. We regularly contributed money to our 401(k)’s, and even had a few thousand dollars in savings. We are also tithers, so 10% faithfully went to the church. Our financial situation, in comparison to others, wasn’t bad at all. We were pretty much normal, if not a bit above average.

Then, [cue dramatic music -- dum, dum, dummmmm] I ran across this guy by the name of Dave Ramsey. I didn’t actually run into Dave Ramsey, but I did find his book somewhere, probably in that dreaded store that starts with a dubya.

I quickly consumed the book, and began to realize this was the first piece of financial material that gave practical, step-by-step advice on how to handle money. I’m a slow study, so I need some hand-holding. I’m also a very detailed person, so I was pleasantly surprised to find “The Total Money Makeover” breaks down this giant elephant into small manageable, bite-sized, pieces. That’s how you eat an elephant, you know. One bite at a time.

We were doing many of the things Dave suggests, but not with focused intensity. We were tackling to many things at once. We would pay off a credit card, while contributing to retirement, while making car payments, while cash-flowing certain things, while putting debt back on the credit cards, while talking about the need for a college fund for the kids. You get the picture. We never felt like we were making any progress because we had not positioned the magnifying glass in the right spot. I loved burning leaves as a kid with a magnifying glass. This program is much like that. You have to be ‘gazelle intense’, and focus everything you have on one thing at a time until you get out of debt. Then, you can slow down and do other things. But, if you’re in paying-off-debt mode, don’t even think about anything else. More on that later.

Having the experience of being on both sides of this equation, I can tell you it was worth every sacrifice to get to where we are today. The biggest wealth building tool we have is our income. If our income is being taken up by car payments, a house we can’t afford, or the latest tech gadget (hey, I’m a tech junkie), then we will never build wealth, or have financial freedom.

Let me warn you. This program is not easy. This is not a get-rich-quick scheme. This program is built on basic, common sense principles. Dave says personal finance is 20% knowledge, and 80% behavior, and I can attest to that. If you’ve ever tried to change your behavior, you know how hard this will be. You will be required to change. Depending on your situation, it may take years to complete, but don’t get discouraged right away. You can do it. I believe in you. The average person/couple who decides once and for all to get out of debt spends 18 months paying off everything but the house. That’s the average. For some it will be more. For others, it will be less. But, it works, and it’s worth it.

In my next post in this series I’ll explain the basics of The Total Money Makeover, and the challenges we had with each step.

A Long Overdue Reunion

2009-09-06T19:47:00.001-05:00

Two young men joined the Navy in 1969 with hopes of seeing the world and getting out of their respective little towns. Richard Evans of Norphlet met Glen Allen aboard the USS Coral Sea (CVA-43) while both of them were on air conditioning detail. The two men quickly became close friends through various activities on and off ship. Together they graduated from pollywogs to shellbacks when they “crossed the line” and sailed across the equator en-route to Australia. The bonds forged on the Gulf of Tonkin and throughout the South China Sea would prove to last a very long time.

Both Richard and Glen were discharged from the Navy in the early 1970s and returned to civilian life. As many friends do, they continued to write one another and occasionally talk on the phone, but eventually the more than 2,300 miles of geographical separation ended their close friendship.

Richard went on to marry Terri Beaty in April of 1975. The young couple soon had a son of their own to add to their family of four. Terri had two sons from a previous marriage, James and Chad. Richard, remembering his great friend Glen Allen, decided to give his first biological son his best friend's name, Chance Glen Evans.

With the Internet boom in the late 1990s, the world seemingly shrank. Story after story aired on popular television programs of long lost family members and friends finding one another by using this new wonderful technology.

In 2002, Glen decided to post his contact information to the Korean War Project website in hopes that some day his old friend would find it. After posting, he waited eagerly to see if by some chance the Internet would prove to be useful in locating his buddy. Days, weeks, months, and then years passed. Nothing. There's one thing about the Internet. It has patience and hope when we lose ours.

For Richard, the Internet was a great tool for reading about things that were special to him, his time in the Navy. It allowed him to take many trips down memory lane. Reminiscing about old times, Richard wondered what happened to Glen. He wondered if Glen had thought about him over the years. In 2006, Richard happened upon the Korean War Project website, and upon something surprising. He discovered a post nearly fours years old from his close friend from the Navy. A youthful excitement rushed over Richard as he quickly jotted down Glen’s phone number and address.

Over the next several days, Richard called the number listed, but never got an answer. Not knowing if he was even calling the right number, he began looking for other people in the vicinity with the last name of Allen. He called half a dozen Allens but landed no solid leads. A little discouraged, he left a message on someone's answering machine, and went about his daily activities.

In a far corner of the country, another story was playing out. Richard's message was left with a close friend of Glen's sister, who passed the word on to Glen. When Glen received the unexpected news that his buddy was trying to contact him, he was overwhelmed with enthusiasm.

In the Fall of 2006, Glen made contact with Richard. It was the first time the two had spoken in many years! Persistence, patience, and modern technology had paid off. For the next two years, they would spend hours on the phone catching up and e-mailing pictures of their families back and forth.

In July of 2008, they decided it was time to make plans for a face-to-face reunion. The meeting was set for Colorado Springs, Colorado, and would take place in July of 2009. As part of a long-haul motorcycle ride, Glen would travel from Washington, and Richard and Terri from Arkansas. The distance is roughly halfway.
On July 29, 2009, Richard Evans and Glen Allen met for the first time in almost 40 years on the streets of Colorado Springs. It was an emotion-packed moment that brought tears of joy to all who witnessed it, even to the two former Navy men. They spent the next few days catching up on old times, looking at pictures, and getting to know each other again. Richard and Glen continue to e-mail, text message, and talk on the phone regularly. They have vowed to stay in touch, and are already looking forward to visiting one another again soon.

What's Been Going On?

2009-05-04T16:18:00.001-05:00

I've finally sold the Element, and have two different vehicles in its place. I picked up two ponies; one old one, and, well, two old ones, actually. The first pony is a 1991 Mustang GT. I had a 1993 GT in the late 90's that I absolutely loved. I parted ways with her in 2000, and have never really been the same since. A part of me has been missing, so I had to fill the void.

1993 Mustang GT

1991 Mustang GT

The second pony, and love at first site, is a 1977 Ford Bronco. My introduction to the Ford Bronco (I) was through a good friend who restores them. We spoke a few times in the past about me getting one, but never really sealed the deal until recently. I absolutely LOVE this piece of equipment. I don't really know why, but I do. Maybe it's the nostalgia. Maybe it's the rugged engineering. Whatever it is....I like it.

1977 Ford Bronco

Like any other project, it's a work in progress. This beauty is a daily driver though. It drives very well for a vehicle of this age. It's equipped with all the niceties you can get on a 32 year old automobile; power steering, power brakes, and an automatic transmission being pushed by a 302 V8 engine. Recent upgrades before I got it were freshly covered seats, new exhaust, front to back, new tires, paint, and some engine work.

Since I've had it, it's had stock painted bumpers installed, a James Duff hitch, painted dash, new marker & tail lenses, and a few other things. Future upgrades/updates will include a new headliner, dynamat, wheels, chrome bumpers, and an assortment of other chrome trimmings. Last but not least, it'll have a vintage air AC unit installed so I can continue to drive it in the summer. This thing generates some serious heat!

My Mustang will be driven less than the Bronco in order to keep the mileage down. Did I mention the 1991 Mustang has 37,000 original miles? I would like to keep that as low as possible for a while to come. We'll see, though. Anyway, that's what's been occupying most of my time lately, along with family stuff (Cary rolling her eyes at this point). I have an ongoing flickr set if you're interested in following along with the progress of the Bronco.

FOR SALE - 2006 Honda Element

2009-03-10T22:36:00.001-05:00

FOR SALE - 2006 Honda Element
!!SOLD!!

I spent quite a while making the decision to purchase this vehicle during 2005 and 2006, and have not regretted it one bit. I've driven it since November 2006, and it has been a pleasure. The versatility of the Element is one of it's strong points. I've picked up materials from Home Depot for weekend projects, grocery shopped, and taken trips as far as Birmingham AL. Regardless of the task, the Element has foot the bill perfectly. With gas mileage at 24mpg in town, and 28-29mpg on the highway the Element is easy on the pocket book at the pump.

I've met many people in the near 3 years of owning this vehicle who have never actually seen one up close. Almost every person walks away from it with a different perspective. At first, they may have been a little critical, but with a closer look, they can see the head and leg room in both the front and rear, feel the comfort of the bucket seats, and envision the usefulness of the roomy inside for whatever they may require. I'm 6' tall, and when sitting in the back seat, I can not touch the back of the front seats, and have several inches above my head. The amount of room in an Element is very near an allusion. So, if you're in the market for a really clean used vehicle that holds its value with the best of them, and you're a little skeptical, give me a call and come see it in person. I think you'll be surprised at what you find. Or, if you're already sold on the idea of owning an Element, shoot me an e-mail or drop me a line and we'll talk.

Out of 319 reviews on KBB, average drivers just like me have given the Honda Element 4.7 out of 5 stars! That is impressive! So, why would I part ways with something I just spent two paragraphs praising? Well, I've been bitten by the bug. THAT is a whole different blog post!

Details Below:

31500 Miles
SUPER CLEAN
1 Owner
Non-Smoker
Honda Ruggedized Floor Mats
CD Player / XM Receiver / AUX input / Premium Sound with sub
Keyless Entry
Cold A/C
Power Windows, Mirrors, Locks
Tinted Glass
Automatic Trans
Cruise
Tilt
4 wheel anti-lock disc brakes

...and more...

Lots of Pictures can be found here .

NADA Retail is $16,950

ASking $15,499 OBO

Call 870.310.6682 if you are interested

Year End Musings

2009-01-25T17:06:00.001-06:00

There is something that happens in the brain at the end of a year. Thoughts of endings and beginnings seem to creep in, and we become more introspective.

"What exactly have I been doing the past twelve months?"
"Have I done anything that really matters?"
"Have I made a difference in someone else's life?"
"Did I improve in areas of my life where improvement was needed?"

Many, many questions have filled my mind the last few weeks just like this. I'm normally pretty good about evaluating what it is I'm doing, and setting and meeting goals, but lately, I'm not sure my focus has been on what's really important.

I've come to the conclusion, that just like a tire that gets out of balance, my life has been a little out of balance lately. When a tire isn't properly balanced, it causes the whole vehicle to shake, and become unpleasant to drive. I think life is very much the same.

As a Christ follower (pardon me for a moment if you're not, while I explain a few things) I believe my wants and desires should fall at least second to Christ, but probably further down the line. I've heard people say many times to put Christ in the center of your life, and everything else will fall into place. Well, what does that mean? What does it look like to 'put Christ first'? I'm not totally sure I know how to answer that question yet, but I'll see what I can do.

When your car tire is out of balance, a mechanic will put weights on the rim of the tire to balance everything out. Fortunately for us, there is a machine that tells them exactly where the weights go. For life, it's a little more complicated, at least in my experience. If you or someone you know has this all figured out, shoot me an e-mail. Anyway, I know for sure that for the Christian, Christ has to be first in order to have proper balance.

The ultimate handbook for the Christian is the bible, so I must go there for the answer. Jesus said in John 14:15, "If you love Me, keep my commandments." Well that's pretty broad. In order to do this, we must know what His commandments are. To know the commandments, we must read the handbook.

I'm one of those people that often gets caught up in the details, and sometimes I forget to look to the horizon, at the end goal. This causes me to over complicate things. I'm trying to take a more simplistic view of my daily living this year. I believe there are three things that will help us know how to keep Christ at the center of our lives. If we do these three things, then, as we are going, Christ will reveal more of what He wants us to do.

Number one, I think we should spend some amount of time each day reading the bible. It's a huge book, but just pick somewhere and begin reading. The first four books of the New Testament are a good start, but don't deprive yourself of the great stories of the Old Testament. Stay in the Word. This is very important, and we have to take it on faith that it's helping us regardless of how we feel about it. It's not a matter of legalism, or losing our salvation if we don't read the word, but eventually our Spirit will shrivel to nothing if we don't feed it with the Word. Just do it.

Second, we should spend time praying. There are lots of books on the topic of prayer, but at it's heart, prayer is us talking to God, and us allowing God to talk back (through His Word, circumstances, the Holy Spirit, others). It may seem strange, but it's another one of those faith things.

Lastly, I really believe we should spend time trying to help others. God's word says we are to love Him with all our heart, and love others as ourselves. Jesus said caring for others, and loving others was the second greatest commandment beside loving God. It's something that is very important to Him, so it has to be important to us.

This year I'm going to try to focus on these three things in my daily living; loving God, praying, and caring for others. I feel like it's a worthy goal, but will be challenging. I'm human just like everyone else, and would prefer to do things my way. Trouble is, I've tried it that way, and it didn't pan out well. God's way is always better. Here's to 2009.

NOTE: This post is almost 1 month late. Duh!

Possibilities

2009-01-24T08:33:00.000-06:00

For Sale - Aluminum Ramp

2009-01-18T14:23:00.001-06:00

FOR SALE - Aluminum Ramp - $75 OBO
SOLD

I'm sort of on a roll with spring cleaning around the house, even though it's not quite spring yet. The latest item up for sale is this virtually indestructible folding aluminum ramp. My intent when buying this was to load my four wheeler in my truck (when I had one) or on my trailer when I wanted to go tromping through the woods, or whatever. The reality is, I haven't used this ramp but a few times, and I no longer have a truck, so......it has to go.

The ramp is 72" x 40", and has a 1000lb load capacity. The four wheeler isn't included. If you're in the market for something like this, give me a shout. chance.evans [at] gmail dot com.

At DDC Waiting

2009-01-16T09:42:00.001-06:00

Tanner has a bunch of micro machine type cars and air planes. He is flying them all over the room, and putting them in various spots.

There are little tiny planes sitting everywhere waiting for the doctor.

Wii Told You Not To

2009-01-14T21:09:00.001-06:00

I'm am SOOO hoping this never happens at my house.

For Sale - RCA Home Theater Receiver

2009-01-03T11:47:00.001-06:00

FOR SALE - RCA Home Theater Receiver
Model: RT2770

SOLD

I was cleaning house today and stumbled upon this. It's amazing what's just laying around. I decided to go ahead and let go of it, since it wasn't getting much use. I've had this for about a year, and decided to discontinue its use due to the lack of an HDMI port. If you don't know what an HDMI port is, it's very likely that you don't need one, so this may be the perfect receiver, a.k.a. surround sound system, for you. If you already have a DVD player in your home theater rack, then this unit may fit you quite well since it doesn't have a built in DVD player....no need to have more than one. In closing, this unit is great for small living rooms (15 X 15) or a bedroom. The sound volume is a little weak, so for large rooms, I would get something else.

On to the list of features:

5.1 Surround Sound
Coaxial & Optical Digital Audio Inputs
Composite inputs for your VCR, DVD, TV, etc, etc
Play MP3 files by plugging in a USB drive into the available USB port on the front panel
There are several surround sound presets
FM Tuner
Read a CNET user review here.

Price - $65.00 OBO

Video On Demand

2008-12-30T19:57:00.002-06:00

I've been considering lately the possibility of ditching my satellite TV in favor on VOD, or video on demand. I'm not sure what the SAF, a.k.a. spousal approval factor, will be, but I suspect it'll be low. We'll see.

There are many ways for us to enjoy entertainment these days; cable and satellite TV, DVD subscription services, YouTube, Hulu, Network websites, and the list goes on. I don't know about you, but in my world, consuming entertainment in the form of TV and movies sometimes has to come in 15 minute spurts. With a child under the age of one, and a very hyperactive soon-to-be eight year old, interruptions are simply a way of life. If we want to enjoy time in front of the tube, it has to be late at night, early in the morning, or when the little ones are out of the house. Couple this with the fact that our favorite shows are pinned down to a specific day and time, and the chance of actually watching something regularly is nill. Enter the concept of VOD. I've only owned a DVR for a little over a year. I've mentioned this many times to others, but if the satellite service I pay for didn't have DVR capabilities, I'd cancel it by the end of the day. DVR provides set-it-and-forget-it recording capabilities. Dish's version, at least what I have, works really well. The rub is, it's another monthly charge to the tune of $50-$100; paying for satellite service. I absolutely hate monthly subscription charges. I may go a few days without watching TV at all. Why should I have to pay for it? Anyway..... I feel like we are all caught in one of those in-between times when one day we'll look back, and think, "remember when we had to ...... to watch TV...." Things are changing. The way content is delivered is changing. Just look at the digital music sales and what is going on in that market. Its seems like every day someone else is coming out with video streaming capabilities and companies are partnering to offer such services.

I like where things are going in terms of the flexibility of entertainment consumption, but it does have its downside. If one is going to stream content from a service such as Netflix, they'll require a broadband connection. Many places in America still can't get broadband. Satellite cable doesn't count as broadband, in my book, because of the download cap imposed. With a satellite Internet connection through Hughes, you get, at most, 425MB of downloaded material per 24 hour period, then you are put on their FAP list, drastically dropping your speeds to near dial up speeds. Try watching streaming content over that! I should know, I've had satellite Internet for several years now. But, I see a bad moon rising over my good friends at HughesNet, because a new sheriff is soon to be in town, and he's offering 3Mbps DSL, but I digress.

Continuing our discussion of the down side to video on demand, most of the content is delivered directly to your computer. That are ways of getting content from the Internet directly to your TV, but many people have no clue how to do this. It hasn't become mainstream yet. The video in the link is a little out-dated, but it will give you an idea of how 'confused' the market is about this right now. It will certainly make some people trash the whole idea of digital media, and stick with what they have.

I'm really considering looking at the Apple TV with the Boxee add-on. I'm fairly pleased with iTunes, unlike many others, but I find it works well for my needs. The downside to the Apple TV are many, but with the Boxee hack, it opens up a whole new world of possibilities.

I've also considered buying a Windows Media Center PC, and use it as a dedicated appliance in my entertainment center inventory. This would give me direct access to all Internet based content via a browser; in native format. I just don't know if this is the best idea either.

Who knows where this road will lead, but I know I want to jump on the train at some point....

Merry Christmas

2008-12-26T12:51:00.001-06:00

Naughty II
Originally uploaded by Candy Man

Merry Christmas to All!

Where I May Be Headed

2008-12-23T19:46:00.002-06:00

If I don't get it together, I may be headed back here.....

Jammin' to the Brass Tacks

2008-12-20T21:23:00.000-06:00

Brass Tacks at the Corner Cafe.

Freakishly Warm Today

2008-12-20T15:48:00.001-06:00

For Sale - Ashley Sofa Table

2008-12-17T17:04:00.001-06:00

Ashley Sofa Table - $85 OBO

SOLD

During these hard economic times it makes sense to shed the extra stuff you have laying around that you don't use anymore. "But I don't have a lot of money," you say. Well, that's okay, because everything is on sale!

Here we have an Ashely Sofa Table with slate squares and a sturdy metal frame. Perfect for a living room or deck/patio area. We no longer need this table in our living room due to a growing baby/toddler who will soon have enough stuff to slam his head on....as soon as he's walking, that is.

This table was purchased from a local Ivan Smith Furniture store, and retails for about $160. We are asking $85 or will take the best offer made.

Goodbye HughesNet - So Long FOREVER

2008-12-17T12:44:00.001-06:00

It's been a very long, bumpy, relationship since early 00's. It may have been as far back as 1999, but, at this point, it doesn't really matter. What matters, is that it's time to move on. In the beginning, it was a combination of feelings, really. The speed increase over dial up was minimal due to the latency issues which are inherent with satellite Internet.

Then, as the relationship went on, the speed was increased slightly for web browsing, and music downloads, but the latency continued to be a problem, which limited the ability to run any type of VPN software, a.k.a., working from home.

To make matters worse, in January of 2007, I began to notice speed degradation from the hours of 4PM to around midnight, which, by the way, is the time I normally downloaded updates to my podcasts, as well as evening web browsing. This degradation was to the point of dial up speeds. At a whopping $70/mo, that is simply criminal!

Technical support was normally very little help, and it was all I could do to understand them in the first place. It's not their fault we don't speak the same language, but Hughes should have done a better job in their off shore selection of technical assistance. The explanation I was given for the 'slow down' in service during peak hours was that my area of the market was over saturated with customers. NOT MY PROBLEM!! FIX IT, ALREADY!

The single largest issue with satellite Internet from HughesNet (or any other) is the download cap, which, for me, was around 400MB in a 24hr period. Translation - you can barely update iTunes (~80MB), and get a firmware upgrade for you iPod Touch (245MB) in a 24hr period without being put on their FAP (Fair Access Policy) list, which, again, drops your bandwidth down to dial up speeds for an entire 24hr period!! Criminal, I tell ya!

Entertainment options are drastically changing from physical based media (DVD's, CD's, etc) to digital, on demand, downloading/streaming from the Internet (Netflix, Hulu, CBS, NBC, YouTube, Joost, on-and-on). None of these options are remotely possible with Satellite Internet.

So, you see, the split up between me and HughesNet is long overdue. I have waited, dare I say, longed for this day to arrive. Until very recently, I had no other options. That is, until AT&T made DSL available in my area! I now have DSL for high speed, and I know it's not the fastest technology around, but if you've been dealing with Satellite Internet for as long as I have, you would be very thankful. Now, I know what you might be thinking, but I'm not naive enough to think AT&T will be a perfect partner. I know she has her issues, but for now, I'm going to give it a go!

Goodbye HughesNet - So Long - Hasta La Vista - See Ya, and wouldn't wanna be ya!!

Weather

2008-12-14T17:03:00.001-06:00

Amazing what a few days difference will make in the weather around here.

AT&T Maintenance

2008-12-10T22:03:00.001-06:00

I have been trying for three days to order DSL via AT&T's website. This is what I keep getting! Thanks, AT&T.

Weather for El Dorado Today

2008-12-10T07:20:00.001-06:00

Plyometrics

2008-12-09T06:53:00.000-06:00

Here is my "Plyo" face from this morning's workout. Phew!!

Getting Things Done On The Go

2008-12-05T15:48:00.001-06:00

It seems I've been on a productivity kick lately. What better way to 'sharpen the saw' than by writing and posting about it. I guess if no one else reads the posts, at least I'll get the benefit of refreshing myself, and taking a good look at my own productivity tools.

I'm at the point where I just 'do' certain things without thinking about them, and it doesn't occur to me what all I do until I read, or hear, or see someone else not doing anything when information comes their way. I don't want to sound self righteous, because I was in that camp not long ago.

I would politely nod as someone asked me to remind them of something, or if I was assigned a task.

"Hey, can you have a look at the such-and-such the next time you're in my area? We've been having problems with it," someone would ask.

"Sure, I'll take a look," I'd say.

Lip service never gave way to actually doing anything with that information that would remind me to take action at a later time. So, the next time I was in that area or saw so-and-so, I would think, ah, I need to take a look at such-and-such. So, my brain would use the sight of the person or area as the trigger, and then run and pull the information related to the task. This is horribly inefficient, and results in everything quickly becoming an emergency. This is what a lot of us have come to call "fighting fires". It's true that it's impossible to eliminate all "fires", but I submit that many of them can be avoided by properly collecting, and processing information, as well as using the little word "NO".

This brings me to the topic of this post; getting things done while on the go. On the go could be defined as being anywhere, really. Depending on what type of work you do, you may be on the go 90% of the day. You may be on the go only 10%. Either way, you must collect and process the information that comes your way. This is the ticket to reducing the "fires" spoken of above.

There is No Silver Bullet

Let me be clear that the tool used to collect and process the information is not as important as taking the action to actually collect and process the information. Some use pencil and paper, and some use electronic devices. It doesn't matter which, as long as you can collect and process as quickly and easily as needed in order for you to continue the practice. If the tools are a pain in the neck to use, you won't use them. I've spent a lot of time swinging from one extreme to the other between electronic and paper based systems. You can also fall in the trap of focusing on which system to use completely missing the point, and never get anything accomplished. Avoid this at all costs. You're better off winging it through life!

Now that I've driven this point into the ground in an attempt to avoid putting a wedge between the paper-based camp and the all-electronic based camp, let's move on, shall we.

Collecting Information

In my younger years I collected baseball cards. I had thousands, I guess. I would spend hours going through them, checking prices, putting them in order, etc. It was a lot of fun because it was something I wanted to do.

Whether we want to or not, every single day, we all have the opportunity to collect information. The practice of collecting information involves recording next actions, storing reference material, or jotting down new projects that need to be added to your lists for later review. Collecting is the act of stuffing things into your many 'buckets' that you will, at some point, need to sift through.

Types of information we collect throughout the day may include time specific information, action oriented information (something that physically needs to be done), or information we'd like to have around at some point in the future, or reference material.

Let's say I'm at home with the wife on Tuesday evening, and as we casually discuss our day, she says,

"Hey, don't forget your niece's birthday party this Saturday."

"Saturday, huh? What time Saturday," I ask?

"It's at 2PM," She replies.

This exchange would be an example of collecting time specific information. There is a specific event that will occur at a specific time. For time specific information, I use my calendar, duh! The event goes on my calendar at 2PM Saturday, and I immediately forget about the birthday party, because I no longer need to think about it. Let's continue the example.

"Would you mind stopping by the bakery tomorrow and put in an order for the cake," the wife asks?

Sighing heavily, "I guess, what time does it need to be done?"

"It doesn't matter," she replies, "...just sometime tomorrow before they close."

Ah, now here is an example of a day specific task. This too will hit the calendar, but it will not have a time attached to it. It will simply be placed on the calendar for Wednesday (Remember, we're having this conversation on Tuesday). So, when I glance at my Calendar on Wednesday, I'll see it there and know it has to be done sometime before the end of the day, or before they close up shop. I get to choose what time, as long as doing it doesn't conflict with anything time-specific already on the calendar.

"One more thing," she says. "You may want to consider picking up Toy A, B, C, D, & E. These are the things she said she wants for her birthday."

"Alrighty then," I reply.

Can you guess where this goes? This would be what's called reference material. It's just information that will need to be retrieved at some point later, like, when I'm at a store where Toys A-E can be found. In this example, I would need to act fairly quickly on this, so I may also add something to the calendar to remind me to go to the store and get the toy.

The Tools Used

You can probably guess that I use an electronic based system for collecting information. In the examples above, I would add the birthday party on my Blackberry calendar for 2PM on Saturday, poke a reminder on Wednesday for turning in the cake order, and create a new notepad document for 'birthday ideas' with my niece's name in it somewhere [so I can search the device for her name at the appropriate time]. Even though it took a while to read this example, the actual time spent entering this information [into the Blackberry] is probably less than a minute.

To give a little more information into my system, I have my Blackberry Curve syncing OTA (Over the Air) with Google Calendar, and Google Contacts, all free software, and no need to sync with a computer. So, when I'm at my computer, I can easily see what's on my calendar, and therefore, what I need to take action on at any given time. So, if I'm at or around my computer, I could just as easily type the information directly into the calendar from my computer. Google does not currently offer synchronization for notes, but that isn't a huge deal for me. I use Evernote for most of my reference material.

Again, the tools used aren't as important as the discipline of actually doing something to manage the information flying at you at any time. You may prefer paper and pen. That's cool. I used a Franklin Covey Planner for a little over a year. I loved it, and defended it heavily. Looking back, it was a great experience, and acted, for me, as a stepping stone for moving on to something I consider a better system. Everyone's situation is a little different. Mine will not work for everyone, and neither will yours. This is truly one topic where many are right.

Wrap Up

You may have already read about how I manage my projects and various other lists, so I won't go into that here. My goal here is to inspire you to consider developing the habit of getting things done on the go. This involves a heightened awareness of the type of information you're taking in. We should ask ourselves; does this information require me to do something? If so, when and where? Are other people involved? Will I need this information in the future, for any reason? What is the impact of ignoring this information altogether (which is not a bad idea sometimes). So, I challenge you to spend some time thinking about these things. Don't spend to much time thinking about them, though, or you won't get anything that's already on your lists done!

Upcoming Post

2008-12-04T14:36:00.001-06:00

I feel like I need a little filler on the blog, here. I really wish I had more time to spend writing stuff. Anyway, I have a post coming up explaining the way I GTD on the go using mobile tools, etc. It's almost done, but still needs to be reviewed a bit. By the way, I sold the iPod Touch today. It's a bitter sweet day, but I'm loving the 2nd Gen 32GB. Now I need to buy more music to fill it with.

Ipod Touch 32GB

2008-11-27T10:08:00.001-06:00

Ipod Touch 32GB
Originally uploaded by Candy Man

I took a short video comparing the size of the iPod Touch 16GB (1st Gen) and the 32GB (2nd Gen).

Searching to Get Things Done

2008-11-25T17:02:00.001-06:00

Desktop Search

I recently posted about how I use Evernote to get things done as it relates to project, and next action lists. It's rare that you rely on any one application or method to get things done. I've found that I require a small arsenal of weapons in order to properly attack all that comes my way in an efficient and productive manner.

This is where proper behavior, and a little program called Copernic Desktop Search comes into play. Sometimes I wake up in the morning running a little late. I race from the bed, to the shower, to the closet, and to the dresser in search of the proper attire for the day. Inevitably, as I open a drawer and reach for socks, none can be found where they're supposed to be! Off to the laundry room I stomp. I fling open the dryer door, and swim, hunt, and scour through the contents until finally, 10 minutes later, I find a match. It wasn't that I didn't have socks, it was that I couldn't quickly find them when I needed them most.

Being the super smart reader you are, I'm sure you've connected the dots and realized my point behind desktop search. Having information in a huge dryer full of other information is handy if you have time to search through it all. What if you could find what you're looking for in record time by searching for keywords?! Yeah, just like Google! That'd be great, huh?!

For me, Copernic Desktop Search fills this need perfectly. I've used other desktop search tools like Google's Desktop Search, and I've always leaned right back on Copernic. Copernic indexes your files like Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook mail, videos, pictures, music, etc, and gives you instant access to them from a clean interface. Because Copernic indexes your stuff while you're away from your computer, the results are nearly instant. It gives you the ability to preview most file types right inside the program.

I'm not necessarily trying to pimp Copernic as much as I'm trying to express how much I rely on search functionality in my everyday quest to get things done. As I mentioned in my post about how I track my projects and next actions, I put relevant information inside my project tracking sheet, which may only be a few keywords that will aid in digging out more detailed information as I need it.

For example, I may add a note like this to my project sheet:

11/21/2008 3:45 PM
E-Maied so-and-so today about when they plan to move project "A" along. I haven't heard anything in a while.

Since I'm using a desktop search tool that properly indexes my e-mail, there's no need to put the text of the e-mail I sent to so-and-so in the project tracking sheet. I simply need to put in the sheet that I e-mailed them. If I need to pull up the e-mail, this is where desktop search comes into play. I note the date from the project tracking sheet, and do a search for so-and-so's name in my search program, and boom, there's the e-mail I sent, and any other relevant information pertaining to this person. (Note: Xobni for Outlook does this really well). I could dig the information out using my e-mail client, but not nearly as fast. Remember, Copernic is indexed, so the mail comes up instantly. From within Copernic, I can preview the e-mail, reply to it, or forward it, without ever going into Outlook. I may also want to do a quick search for supporting documentation related to Project "A" that I know I've stored on my hard drive. By clicking the proper tab in Copernic, I can find that quickly too.

File & E-Mail Folder Structures

Along with desktop search, I also store my files in a very simple directory structure. Inside of My Documents, I have a folder named "Work Docs". Inside that folder I have folders for each type of file I have saved. I have a "Word" folder, an "Excel" folder, a "PDF" folder; you get the idea. I save all files by file type in each of the their respective folders. Because I use the desktop search program, It doesn't really matter where I store the file, but I like to have the flexibility of navigating the directory structure and finding it myself.

I change the folder view to the details view. Then, I sort the files by date modified, where it shows the newest files at the top. Many times, the file I'm looking for is right on the top.

Very similarly, in Outlook, when I want to save an e-mail, which these days is just about every one, I simply process the information I need from the e-mail, and then move it to a Reference folder I have set up. Every e-mail I plan to save goes into the exact same folder; Reference. I couldn't care less if they're all in one folder, since my brain will recall the key words related to the topic I'm searching for, and Copernic will do the work of pulling up the exact information I need, when I need it, based on those key words. Simple.

Closing Thoughts

I've been using this method for a few years now, and thankfully, it's worked out pretty well. There are always exceptions to the rules, so your mileage may vary. The goal is to have the information you're looking for in front of you, and be able get to it very quickly. You also don't want to have to spend a lot of time thinking about how and where to store your reference material. For me, it all has to be very easy or I'll fall off the band wagon.

16GB iPod Touch (1nd Gen)

2008-11-24T21:24:00.001-06:00

For Sale - SOLD

iPod Touch 16GB (1st Generation)

$175

Includes:

Apple iPod Touch 16GB Portable Media Player (1st Gen)
Original Packaging
Best Buy purchase receipt
Charge/Sync Cable
BestSkinsEver (protective skin)
Plastic Shell Style Case
2.2 Firmware (November 2008)
UPDATE: Car Charger (1G charger won't work with 2nd Gen Touch)

I have come to rely on this device almost as much as my cell phone. It goes everywhere with me. The Apple App Store has so many applications to choose from, it's hard to decide what to get. It's difficult to pin down the primary function of this device since it does so much. I guess, at the heart, this is a portable media player, but with it, you can also browse the web, check your mail, check the weather, check your stocks, organize your day, set up reminders on a calendar, use it as an alarm clock, post to FaceBook, watch movies, calculate the tip amount while eating at a restaurant, read the bible, play a near endless supply of games, and the list goes on. And, sure, you can listen to music and podcasts.

So, why am I getting rid of all this goodness? Since I am usually on the bleeding edge of electronics, I have decided to purchase the 2nd Generation iPod Touch, and will no longer be needing this one. So, I'm letting this one go at a great price. Please contact me at chance.evans [at] gmail dot com if you are interested.

Read CNET's review of the iPod Touch 1st Gen here.

Evernote and GTD

2008-11-19T16:06:00.001-06:00

First off I want to say that I've been a GTDer for about three years. I've used paper based GTD, electronic based GTD, and a combination of the two. Personally, I've found a combination of the two works best. The beauty of the GTD methodology is that it can be customized for most everyone. Some parts of GTD I don't use at all, but I believe all 'parts' of GTD could be applicable given the right situation.

At it's core, GTD suggests using a series of lists called Next Actions, Someday/Maybe, and Projects. These lists contain your projects, or any desired outcome requiring more than one action step, next actions related to your projects, and desired outcomes you might want to bring about at some undetermined point in the future. Collecting information and putting them on the proper list is crucial to the success of GTD. Assuming you already know a little about GTD, I'm going to attempt to share how I currently manage my lists. If you need a GTD primer, Blackbelt Productivity has one here that is really good.

Evernote

From the title you may have figured out that the software I'll be focusing on in this post is Evernote. Evernote is a product that simulates a continuous feed of paper, much like a notebook. What makes Evernote GTD friendly is the ability to 'tag' documents within your tape, which gives you the ability, in my implementation, to see only one particular context at a time. Therefore, it's easy to set up a GTD structure with projects, next actions, and reference material; moving current projects to a completed status, and out of your view, simply by changing the tags around. We'll dig a little deeper into this later.

Evernote and the Information Collection Phase

While all five stages of mastering work flow mentioned in GTD are important, I'm going to talk about the first two phases; collecting and processing. Collecting information seems like an easy thing to do. Think of all the ways we collect information; e-mail inboxes, the tops of our desks at work, pants and shirt pockets, you get the idea.

With Evernote, you have the ability to create separate 'sheets of paper' for each desired outcome, or action step up to an infinite amount. There are a few ways to get the information into Evernote. One is via e-mail. If I want to create the project, "Replace tires on the car", I can simply create a new e-mail from my mail program, enter in my super-secret address to my Evernote account, and hit the send button. Evernote processes the e-mail adding the subject as the title the of the new note, and the body as the body of the newly create note.

Evernote has a desktop application, which I prefer to use, a web based version, which is very fast, (Note: ~~Not compatible with Internet Explorer~~ Compatible with IE7 and above - Thanks for the correction, Evernote Team.) and a mobile web version for viewing on a mobile phone browser. If you're an iPhone users, there is a native application available for free via the App Store. There's no shortage of ways to enter in new content into EN.

Once the note is in Evernote, you are free to begin tagging the entry. Personally, I have created tags that match my GTD contexts; @Calls, @OfficeMobile, @Errands, Projects-Work, Projects-Home, and so on. I have also created what Evernote calls a saved search. This is basically a saved, personalized query of your bucket of notes, usually based on tags, or at least that's the way I have implemented it.

One example of my saved searches is for open projects I have going on at work. I want to see a list of current, and open projects that I have going on right now related to work. I do not want to see my home projects. So, I created a query that looks like this:

tag:projects-work -tag:"completed items" -tag:"someday/maybe"

If you read this query out, it would say, "Show me notes tagged with "Projects-Work", but not tagged with "Completed Items", or "Someday/Maybe". This way I won't see any project in this view that is already completed (tagged with "Complete Items", or has been moved to the Someday/Maybe list (tagged with "Someday/Maybe". I've created each saved search similarly to this one for each of my tags; Projects-Home, @Errands, etc.

GTD philosophy says that a project is any desired outcome requiring more than one step. So, what I've chosen to do is keep the project objective, and the action steps required to get to the desired outcome all within the same note. To continue with our example mentioned above, "Replace Tires on the Car", I would do this:

Open Evernote and create a new note with the title "Replace Tires on the Car"
Just below the title of the project I would press ALT + SHIFT + D to date/time stamp the project.
I would then bold the project title, and change the text to the color RED (I do this so if I choose to print my list of projects, they have a nice easily viewable title at the top of the page)
At the top of the note, I would write out my desired outcome, which in this case would be very simple; at the end of this project, I would like to have a reliable set of tires that have a 50K mile rating or above.
I would use the Evernote ALT + SHIFT + D shortcut at the top of the document which places the date and time stamp inside the note. This helps me keep track of when I add updates to the document. I may also choose to do a brain dump of possible next actions, but not necessarily organize them in any way.
I would then tag the document "Projects-Home", and maybe "@Calls", because my next physical action could be to call the local tire shop and begin asking questions about tires. The next physical action could also very well be "@Errands" indicating I should drop by the shop on my lunch hour or after work to place my eyes on a new set of tires, and talk directly with a service representative. The next physical action is entirely up to you, and dependent on the project at hand. The cool thing about Evernote, is that you don't have to decide one or the other right away. By having it tagged with both @Errands and @Calls, I can easily see the next action when I look at these contexts individually via my saved search list. Depending on which context I'm in at the present time, I may or may not choose to 'do' the action.

My project is now created, and I have it tagged properly. Once the Projects-Home tag is added, it is never taken off for the entire life of the note. As I take action on the project, I use the ALT + SHIFT + D shortcut key to properly stamp it with the date and time, and then make a note of what action I took. I also take this time to update the project with the next physical action, and change the context accordingly if needed.

Below is an example of a task I have in Evernote right now. It's tagged "Projects-Home" and "@Errands" because I now have to take the handle back to Home Depot for a refund, as noted at the bottom of the example. The system is not very sophisticated at all. It's simply a top-down record of the status of the project; each physical action taken, along with an occasional bit of reference material for the project sprinkled in.

Fix handles on Tanner's Dresser

7/22/2008 4:53 PM

I tightened everything up that I could. I'm missing two handles, and a few screws. I need to take one of the handles to Home Depot and see if I can find replacement screws for them. Then, I need to locate some handles that will match.

7/23/2008 2:45 PM

One of the handles is in my bag. The next time I'm in town I need to stop by Home Depot and see if I can find a match, and also I need to see if I can find matching screws.

7/29/2008 4:21 PM

Today I picked up one handle to be sure it's going to work (it was $6!!). I also picked up some screws that will hopefully work. I now need to test the screws and see if the new handle fits.

7/30/2008 5:00 PM

The new handle is to small!! I will need to return it.

Once this project is done to my satisfaction I will remove all tags except for the "Projects-Home" tag, and add the "Completed Items" tag. Based on my saved searches, this project will not show up in my active projects view because I have filtered out all notes tagged with "Completed Items". If I want to view complete items, I would use a manual search from Evernote's search bar, or click on the "Completed Items" tag in the Tags area of the left pain.

Closing Thoughts

This post has taken me quite a while to complete. I've had a lot of things going on since I first began writing it, but have felt compelled to complete it. It's in no way an exhaustive list of Evernote's functionality. It's just the way I use it. I didn't mention that you can attach photos, PDF's and audio files into Evernote. I also didn't mention you can search inside of attached pictures, PDF's, and hand written notes (if you have a Tablet PC, or if you've scanned hand written notes). I didn't mention that your EN database is synchronized to the cloud so you can view it from anywhere you have an Internet connection, and run the desktop client from multiple computers, ie, work and home. Oh, and didn't mention that you can easily take screen shots of your desktop environment and paste it into EN. I'm sure there are things I'm forgetting! Evernote is a powerful, yet simple tool for doing many things, and it's FREE!

I've been using it longer than any other solution for tracking my projects, lists, next actions, and all things GTD. For me, Evernote and GTD, really do help me get things done.

Normal

2008-11-18T21:35:00.001-06:00

For the past three months, I did pretty much the same thing day in, and day out. I was doing an exercise routine called P90X. By the way, it was the best workout I've done since I began working out regularly in 2003. Anyway, it's amazing how comfortable we can get with routine. For about a month and a half I was loving it. It was very difficult at first, but then began to be 'normal'. About three weeks from the end, I started to get a little tired of it all. I was very glad when the three months ended. I wasn't only glad because I had worked my tail off for three solid months, six days a week, but I was also glad because of some personal things going on too. The wife had a planned surgery, and I was going to have to watch after her for a few days afterwards, not to mention my seven month old.

I've spent the last four or five days in a totally different routine. I've not exercised in over a week, for which I'm feeling really bad about, and I haven't been back to work in about six days. It doesn't take very much time to long for the routine you had so recently come to grow tired of! I'm so ready to get back to what I had come to accept as normal. I'm having a hard time distinguishing day from night. I want to stay up late, and sleep even later! I guess what I'm trying to say is, I should have been a little more thankful for 'normal'. Abnormal times come along, and they're fun for a while, but like a cruddy vacation that finally comes to an end, I'm glad abnormal eventually returns to the mundane, unexciting, 'normal'.

Back to Blogger

2008-11-16T11:57:00.002-06:00

I'm not really sure how much updating I'm actually going to do on this site, but I wanted to check and see if anything had changed since last using it.

I decided to drop personal web hosting (thisthatother.net) and come back to blogger. I simply do not have the time to blog if it's going to be difficult. I also want to save the cash that I was dumping into domain registration, and hosting fees.

I've since started using Twitter, and FaceBook, which I can update via my mobile phone. I could also set up mobile blog posting with Blogger (I think), or at least it could be done back when I was using it (way before Google took over). I'm sure it can still be done.

Feel free to check back from time to time. Who knows, I may start posting regularly again.

This site is no longer updated - Please visit new site

2006-04-04T11:04:00.002-05:00

If you've happened upon this site, you might want to check out my new site at: http://ThisThatOther.Net/Blog This site will no longer be updated. UPDATE: 11/16/2008 - The site is now being updated once again. I got tired of trying to keep up with hosting my own site, and paying for hosting/domain registration fees, etc. I'm taking the cheap way out!

Fighting Spyware at the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation

2005-11-18T14:44:00.000-06:00

Matthew Prentice knew spyware was a growing problem for the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation. Complaints of sluggish or crashing machines were becoming commonplace throughout the organization"s Bethesda, Md., headquarters and 80 field offices throughout the United States. But until he installed an antispyware appliance on the network, he had no idea what he was up against. "The first day we put the Barracuda [Networks] box on the wire, we saw 10,000 spyware hits go through...
Spyware howto

Family Update - November 2005

2005-11-05T19:58:00.000-06:00

Well, it's been a while since I wrote anything about my family. I'll take a few minutes and update you. I've been back in town since early Tuesday morning. I spent the rest of the week making up for the time I spent traveling, and in class the previous weekends. I'll go back to work this coming Monday. I've been away from work since October 21st. As a side note, I just found out from a cousin that someone in my family is on the academic advisory board for SANS. SANS is the security training institution I attended last week in L.A. It turns out that my cousin Terri Coleson's husband, Jay Coleson, is tightly knitted in with SANS. I found this article on the SANS website. In this article, he wrote about maintaining documentation for SOX compliance. Pretty cool stuff! As Terri wrote in an e-mail, Jay finally has someone else in the family to talk about this 'stuff' with. I've got a lot to learn about IT Security, so it won't be hard to go over my head pretty quick. In other family news, Cary ended her first semester [a while back] of the COTA program with A's and B's. She was really excited and didn't think she could pull it off. She and her classmates are under constant pressure. She's got a few out-of-town seminars coming up in a few weeks. At least once a week, and many times more than once a week we have one or two classmates spending the night helping each other out. It's pretty tough on 'family time'; we don't have any!! Cary's Maw is getting worse by the day. She has hung on a lot longer than anyone expected. Please keep her in your prayers. Also, as if the budget wasn't having a hard enough time, our heating / AC unit went out. We had problems with the heater last year, but was able to fix the problems with an inexpensive part. This year, the part that failed went above $300. We decided it was time to put in a new unit, so I called up a repair man and had him install a new 4 ton Rheem. Once the unit was installed, the weather went back into the 80's. Go figure! Tanner is doing well in school. No major catastrophes as of late. Next year, he'll start kindergarten at Norphlet Elementary. Look out Norphlet school system!! Tanner has a little furry play friend now. We kept a puppy from CC's last litter. Tanner and Gizmo have fun playing in the yard. I posted a picture of Gizmo on flickr. He's a cute little thing. That about wraps it up for this issue of the family update. If I left anything out, shame on me. I've gotta go put the curtain climber to bed. Until next time...

Uncle Phil - Grand Prize Winner!!!

2005-11-04T11:34:00.000-06:00

You may remember this post a while back when Uncle Phil had his birthday party. Today, Uncle Phil had another kind of party. At 10:00 AM he was presented his grand prize winnings of over $100,000.00! Several months ago, his construction company visited a construction expo in Las Vegas. He filled out a card at one of the booths, and entered his name to win. I'm sure he visited several booths and did the same thing, never expecting to actually win. He called me a couple of weeks ago and said, "You're not going to believe what happened to me today." He was right. He said he got a call from someone claiming that he won a brand new Ford F550 pickup truck, and a trailer full of other things. He said he almost hung up on the guy! After the initial shock, he finally realized that he actually did win! He was presented with his winnings at Smackover Motors. Family and friends gathered around to take a look at all the stuff. He was also interviewed on the radio (KZHE 100.5). Ole Uncle Phil is now a small town celebrity. Good for you, Uncle Phil!! PS - I'll post all the pictures on Flickr, but it may take a while due to my slow Internet connection.

Free Online Calendar - Planzo

2005-10-29T22:55:00.000-05:00

I ran across Planzo on another blog. For those of you who may be looking for a way to share personal events with family and friends via an online calendar, Planzo may be for you. Use common sense when posting to the calendar since the whole world can read it! Planzo also lets you create simple ToDo lists, and a few other things. I'll let you read the features list. Click here to link to Planzo.

SANS 2005 - Almost Over

2005-10-29T20:25:00.000-05:00

I have a perfectly good excuse for not blogging regularly. I'M TIRED AND HAVEN'T HAD TIME. This is by far one of the most intense experiences I've been through. Tomorrow (Sunday) is the last day. It will be filled with mostly lab work. This is where the class breaks up into small groups of 4 or 5 and actually builds an ISMS (Information Security Management System). We should be out of class by 2:30 or 3:00PM. I hope to be able to spend some time walking the streets downtown and taking pictures. I literally, only today, took a fresh breath of air. I ate at a Chinese restaurant that had a balcony. I stepped onto the balcony and it led to a larger outdoor eating area. The sun hit my skin for the first time in five days. It's 7PM now. I have one more 1 hour class to attend, and my day will finally end. I look forward to heading home on Monday. I miss everyone back home a lot. Till then...see ya.

SANS - Day 2

2005-10-26T22:34:00.000-05:00

This is a really fast paced environment. I'm learning quite a bit, but it's going to take a lot of review. I'm learning all about the ISO 27001 standard. It's titled, "Information Security Management - Specification With Guidance for Use". Basically, it's a security framework for a business. If you implement the standard in your organization, you can apply for certification. Why certify? A company that is ISO 27001 certified tells its customers, shareholders, or stakeholders that the organization is dedicated to information security management. It's a continuous improvement standard based on Plan, Do, Check, Act. It's a major company commitment that must have buy in at the top level of management. I believe my organization has this commitment, so this is good news for me. I'll have my plate full for quite some time. It will take me at least six months to begin to gain a good understanding of the standard, and begin implementing in my organization. We will focus on the obvious things first, and move more granular as time goes on. I have four more days to go. I'll fly back to LA (Lower Arkansas) from LA (Los Angeles) on Monday, October 31st. I miss my family already!!

Day One - Notes from Class - UPDATED

2005-10-24T22:30:00.000-05:00

Day one of the SANS Conference went well. Fundamentals of Information Security Policy is the title of the class I took today. It is a one day class only. The following is mostly for my benefit. It will give me something to look back on, plus it reinforces what I've learned. If you're not interested in technical security policies, you may want to stop reading now. Here are some of the take away points:

Policy Establishes the Bounds for Behavior
Policy Empowers Users to do the Right Thing
The key to a good policy is specifics, not in the sense of how to do things step-by-step - That is the responsibility of procedures. But, the policy has to be clear enough so that you can create the procedures to support it.
Each policy should be evaluated using the following criteria on a scale of 1-10

Is it clear?
Is it concise?
S.M.A.R.T.

Is it Specific?
Is it Measurable?
Is is Achievable?
Is it Reasonable?
Is it Time Based?

5 W's

Who
What
When
Where
How

Audit the policy regularly to find out if it is being followed. If it's S.M.A.R.T., you'll know if it's being followed.
When an incident occurs that brings harm to CIAA (Confidentiality, Integrity, Availability, Authenticity), you may consider creating a policy to mitigate the risk.
A successful security policy is only effective if upper management has buy-in.
Security Policy shouldn't be created 'flat'. Certain groups will be treated differently; that's just the way it is.
The first header in a policy should always be the purpose. What does this policy accomplish? Other headers are:

Related documents or references
Cancellation or expiration
Background (historical info related to the subject)
Scope - Who or what group does the policy apply?
Responsibility
Action - What actions are required, when, and who should take action

Policies address the who, what, and why
Procedures address the how, where, and when
Policies themselves will need to be reviewed, updated, and trashed on a regular basis (at least annually, and every time you know something changes.)
I need to construct a mission statement for the Security division

I'm sure there' s more, but I'm tired and don't feel like writing anymore. :>) I'm going to hit the sack pretty soon. My body is still not use to the time change. Hope all is well with you. Until tomorrow.... PS - I understand Tom Cruise is in the hotel shooting Mission Impossible 3. Maybe I'll get see him or some other famous movie star. (Not that I really care).

Getting Comfortable in L.A.

2005-10-23T21:55:00.000-05:00

The Westin Bonaventure is much nicer than the Days Inn, as you would expect. Click here for an arial shot. I'm in the building that looks like 5 spheres connected together. Basically, it's a hotel sitting on top of a mall. The SANS conference will be held inside the hotel, so I don't have any reason to leave. I probably won't unless a group of classmates decide to go out. I still don't know if I'll go. Anyway, my body is trying to get use to the time change. Right now, my body thinks it's 10PM, but the local time is 8PM. I'll probably be up EARLY in the morning, because I'm about to drop. I took a few pictures, but nothing major so far. I'll post what I can as the week goes on. For now, I'm outta here.

LA and Westin Bound

2005-10-23T16:56:00.000-05:00

LAX wasn't so bad. From the terminal to baggage claim was about a 5 minute walk. The driver of the Shuttle was gacious enough to let me ride in the front. God is so good to provide good people in my path.

It's mostly cloudy and drizzling here. So much for the sunny southern Cal image. The shuttle ride will be about an hour, I think.

I can sure tell I'm not in Kansas anymore. These people need to slow down! There are some strange critters out here, I've see already and we haven't gotten away from the airport.

I'll snap some shots once I get to the hotel and post 'em on flickr.

--Posted with my Treo 650

Delayed Flight

2005-10-23T12:49:00.000-05:00

Hey Tanner. Here is a picture from the plane. It's still on the ground at the moment. We are about 45 minute late taking off. A sensor had to be replaced before take off.

I gotta go, they are closing the door. See ya later.

--Posted with my Treo 650

Hotel from He**

2005-10-23T08:26:00.000-05:00

Excuse me while I journal a thought:

Note to self: Never stay in the Days Inn across from the Little Rock airport. As a matter of fact, just stay clear of all Days Inn hotels. In case you forget why, just remember the thermostat knob was broken off the heater/AC unit. When you called the front desk, the man said, "The maintenance man is gone for the day. Maybe I can find you a wrench. Let me finish checking someone in and I'll call you back." The call never came. Fortunately, the room temp was perfect through the night. (Isn't God good!)

They secretly disguised a large sheet of 4 grit sandpaper as a towel. To remind you of this, look at the scars on your back and butt.

Other misc items to remember: They didn't have Internet access. There were no napkins at breakfast. You had to carry your 800lb luggage bag up a flight of stairs b/c there were no elevators. No coffee maker. No iron. The bed sloped downward from foot to head. The pillows were flat. Didn't provide shampoo or conditioner.

Okay, that's enough...

Just to show I can be fair...here are a few positives.

The cost was $55/night. It was really close to the air port AND the Waffle House. No one got shot (that I know of). They had both hot and cold water...and an ice machine. The TV worked great. The door locked. Breakfast was free. I didn't run out of gas. The wake up call woke me up (I had my Treo set just in case). The toilet flushed.

Whew...I feel better already!! The power of positive thinking is, well, powerful!!

--Posted with my Treo 650

Getting Everything Ready

2005-10-22T14:29:00.000-05:00

I have a few minutes to blog. I'm sitting at Walgreens having a prescription filled. They had to transfer it from Wal-Mart, where I plan to never have my prescriptions filled again.

Anyway, I'm trying to get my ducks in a row for my trip to L.A. That's not Lower Arkansas, for those of you wondering. Los Angeles is where the 2005 Sans conference is being held. I'll be gone from Sunday until Monday, October 31st.

It's hard to get 10 days worth of clothes in one suitcase. I'm staying in Little Rock tonight so I don't have to drive two hours in the morning. I've been running around today buying extra clothes and various other items.

It's 2:30 now. I'll try to leave before 5PM so I don't have to drive the whole way in the dark. Check back for trivial, unimportant, unexciting updates during my trip.

--Posted with my Treo 650

Smackover Wins!!

2005-10-21T21:44:00.000-05:00

It was a really exciting game. Junction jus couldn't get a break. I thought they were going to the first part of the 2nd half, but a few more turnovers gave Smackover the advantage.

The Final Score - 41 to 21

--Posted with my Treo 650

Smackover vs Junction City

2005-10-21T19:41:00.000-05:00

I don't even like football, and I think this game is exciting. Two undefeated teams going head to head. Smackover, the underdog if there was one, was 14 ahead with 3 left in the first quarter.

More to come!!

I Demand You Make Me A Sandwich

2005-10-20T08:57:00.000-05:00

I don't have time to comment on this, but I thought it would provide you a good laugh. I got this from the local police log from the news paper. The nerve of some people!

Chad McPherson and Kari Benson, both of 108 S. Roselawn, told police Sunday that a man burst inside their residence, sat on the couch and demanded that someone make him a sandwich. Benson said they told the man to leave and he began to "tussle" with them as she and McPherson, along with two other people at the residence, tried to shove him out the door. Benson said the suspect shoved her, causing her to fall against the screen door. Police noted a large welt on Benson’s left knee. McPherson said he threw the man from the porch, and the man grabbed a flower pot and broke it in the street. He said the man then picked up a broken piece of the flower pot and threatened to cut him with it before running inside a building across the street. Police spoke with a man inside the building, and the man was detained and released after two witnesses said he was not the person who entered the 108 S. Roselawn residence. Police were able to obtain possible suspect information.

Polar F6 - My Initial Thoughts

2005-10-19T20:21:00.000-05:00

Should I get a Heart Rate Monitor? I'm always looking at ways to improve my workout experience. Most recently I researched HRM's (Heart Rate Monitor's). A HRM is a device, in it's simplest form, that provides constant monitoring of your heart rate. Why would you need something like this? A HRM is not necessary for exercising, but it gives you a clear picture of what you are doing at any moment during your workout. Training Zones To better understand why you might want a HRM, you need to understand training zones. There are three basic training zones. Training zones correspond to the number of BPM (Beats Per Minute) at which your heart is working. Each zone provides a different benefit. Before you can calculate your training zones, you must determine your maximum heart rate, or the maximum number of times your heart can beat in a minute. A widely accepted method of doing this is to subtract your age from 220. For example, I am 29 years old. To calculate my max heart rate, I would take 220 - 29 = 191. My maximum heart rate is 191BPM. Training zones are based on a percentage of your maximum heart rate. See the chart below for more information: From Polar's Website 60-70% - Lose Weight or Recover 70-80% - Improve Aerobic Fitness 80+ % - Increase Athletic Performance Depending on your specific goals, you will want to raise your heart rate to the appropriate level. In my case, if I want to lose weight or recover from a strenuous weight training exercise, I would want to exercise in the 60% to 70% range. I would take 191 (my MAX HR), and multiple it by 60% to get the lower end of my training zone. In this case, 191 X .6 = 114BMP. Calculating the upper end would be 191 X .7 = 133BPM. With this information I would know that I need to work to keep my heart rate between 114BPM and 133BPM for 30 minutes to 1 hour. The length of time will depend heavily on your current level of fitness. If you're over 35 or have general health issues, I suggest you consult your doctor before beginning any exercise program. POLAR F6 - Basic Features The Polar F6 watch is designed with general fitness and weight management in mind. The features I looked for were specific. I wanted my average HR, and the number of calories burned during my workout sessions. I also wanted the watch to alert me when I moved in and out of my target zones. A unique feature Polar offers is the OwnZone. The watch guides you through a 5 minute warm up and calculates your training zones for you based on your current mental and physical condition. These are not the only features of the watch. A full list of features can be found here. The Transmitter You may be wondering how the watch knows your heart rate. Polar provides a comfortable, easy to wear chest strap that transmits your heart rate to the wrist watch unit. I was really concerned about having to wear a chest strap. Comfort was my main concern. I was pleasantly surprised with how well it fits. The transmitter is made of soft plastic, that attaches to an elastic band. It crosses right through your diaphram area. The transmitter is also 'coded' so that it doesn't interfere with other watches. I was also happy to find out that the transmitter works with my local gym's equipment. When I wear the transmitter on the treadmill, it shows my heart rate on the treadmill display! SonicLink Polar provides a small software package that gives you the ability to transmit watch data to a personal web portal on Polar's site. Each time you exercise, the watch records your heart rate and stores the information. It stores your maximum and average heart rates during the session. It also stores the amount of time in each of your zones; light, moderate, and hard. Finally, it stores the number of calories burned. This information can be transferred to your personal web portal where you can track your progress. The watch generates tones which sound much like a fax modem. You use the microphone on your computer to 'listen' to the tones. The software does the rest. It's very simple and works quite well. Conclusion If you are serious about fitness or want to add another dimension to your routine, I would highly recommend getting a HRM. The watch retails for $109.00, but you can find it cheaper. I purchased mine through eBay and paid $91.06 shipped. It's been worth the investment. Your health is very important, and the HRM provides motivation to work harder, and the right amount of historical data to show how far you've come.

Need a Hymnal?

2005-10-16T18:22:00.000-05:00

Tanner thought Cary needed a few extra hymnals during the service tonight. They both got to laughing (you know how hard it is to stop laughing in church, especially when the preacher is praying). Thankfully no one sits in front of or behind us at night. We pretty much need the whole left side of the church to have enough room for Tanner.

--Posted with my Treo 650

Cary's Maw

2005-10-15T22:53:00.000-05:00

Maw
Originally uploaded by Candy Man.

This is a picture of Cary's Maw. I've posted a few times about her being sick. She is still very sick, and isn't expected to be here much longer. Cary and I appreciate your prayers on her behalf.

She is a precious woman; one of the true old-school people. She's been in this world almost one century. That's a long time!

New Blog Feature in Picasa

2005-10-15T12:23:00.000-05:00

Picasa, freely available from Google, now gives us the ability to post our Picasa organized photos directly to Blogger from within the Picasa interface. I highly recommend you download a copy of Picasa. Picasa is a picture management program. The best part is it's FREE! It does a wonderful job of arranging those once-in-a-lifetime shots. Just plug your digital camera or SD card reader into your computer, and Picasa automatically scans it, and asks if you want to copy your pictures to your computer. You can add tags to them, arrange them in folders, make editing changes, make a gift CD, backup your pictures, and much more. It's so easy, I've gotten my wife to use it, and she hates computers. Download your copy right now by clicking here.

Elizabethtown - My Review

2005-10-15T09:45:00.000-05:00

Last night Cary and I were given the uncommon privilege of spending more than three minutes alone. So, we chose to spend time, well, alone in a room full of other people at the movie theater. After watching the previews for what was showing, we decided on Elizabethtown. At first it appeared to be your typical run-of-the-mill chick-flick. Unlike my typical counterparts, I don't mind an occasional love story. I don't get caught up in trying to figure out if a movie was good or great or crappy. I usually watch it, and either like it or not. Elizabethtown is about a guy from Oregon (or is it California) who enjoys wild success as a shoe designer at the expense of spending time with his family, specifically his father. By a design flaw, or whatever your mind can come up with, his success is cut short, and costs the company $972 million dollars (easily rounded to $1 Billion dollars) along with his job. While he contemplates suicide, he gets the news from his sister that their father died from a heart attack while visiting family in Elizabethtown Kentucky, somewhere near Louisville. To fulfill his father's wishes he travels to Elizabethtown to gather his father's remains where he is met by aunts, uncles, cousins, and family friends who think he's the biggest success his family has ever seen. Little do they know, in a few days a news story would hit totally destroying his name. I'm not sure they would care one way or the other. Anyway, his mother wants him cremated, while the Kentucky family will have no part of it. They want him buried and in a specific plot in the cemetery where his family had own the plot for one hundred years (or something like that). Backing up a bit, on the red-eye flight to Kentucky, Drew meets Claire, a little-bit-strange flight attendant that simply won't shut up. Totally repulsed by her at first, he attempts to shew her away, but she simply won't stop talking to him. His goal is to get to Kentucky, get his father's remains, come back home, and kill himself. Before exiting the plane, Claire gives Drew a hand drawn map which directs him to Elizabethtown. Once Drew finally gets to his hotel, he realizes Claire left her number on the map. He calls her and they talk all night, thus setting the stage for the love story to follow. To sum it up, because I'm tired of typing, and find the more I think about the movie, the less I like it, Drew spent the movie coming to terms with his father's death, spreading his ashes across the country because of a road trip Claire planned for him, and finally getting the girl in the end (how original). In closing, it wasn't one of the greatest films I've seen. It dragged on and on and the love story wasn't even that great! I would not recommend seeing this film at the movies. Save your money and wait until it comes out on video. Then, get it only if you've seen everything else. The best part of this movie was the preview. You can watch it here, and save two hours.

Scala 500 - Not a Dry Clean Only Headset

2005-10-14T09:59:00.000-05:00

For those techie people who may happen upon my site or crawl it using Technorati or the like, I'm posting a follow up message to the Scala 500 Bluetooth headset I use with my Treo 650. The original post from when I bought it is found here. Additionally, a few initial comments I wrote right after getting the unit can be found here. So why after having the unit five months would I bother writing a follow up? Well, I probably wouldn't have if it hadn't been for something that happened yesterday. I always carry the headset with me to work, and everywhere else for that matter. Well, yesterday I left it at home by accident. Fortunately, I didn't have a lot of calls to make and didn't get many incoming calls either. Late in the evening my wife called from the laundry room, "Have you missed something today?" "What are you talking about? I don't remember missing anything...what's happened," I replied? I knew something was up because of the way she was acting. "It's not my fault. Don't blame it on me. I try my best to clean out your pants pockets before washing clothes," She blurted back. "Oh no! You gotta be kidding me. What got washed? Was it my headset," I said, anxiously making my way across the kitchen to the laundry room where I see my wife holding the Scala 500 in her hands? She had just removed it from a pair of black dress pants which had been sitting in the washing machine since early morning. "I can't believe this! I'll be buying another one tonight! I can't do with out this headset. The phone is worthless without it!," I shouted. Having more faith that me, she said, "Does it still work?" "What do you think," I sharply replied? "Just try it and see. What have you got to lose," she said? With my head held low, and little expectation I found the charger and plugged it in. To my amazement, the red 'charging' indicator light came on. I was able to power the unit on after plugging it in. I thought to myself, 'It'll never actually pair up with my Treo and work.' Further amazement struck when I was actually able to make a call using my freshly washed, Surf smelling Scala Bluetooth headset. I fully charged it, and have used it a few times this morning already. It seems to be unscathed! Way to go Scala! If you're in the market for a BT headset that works, go for the Scala, although I wouldn't recommend washing it! I'll try to keep my eyes on this jewel from now on.

Free E-Mail Account - 1000GB!!

2005-10-12T19:00:00.000-05:00

I recently found a website through reading a BLOG; 30gigs.com. It's a web based mail client that gives users 30GB of free space. Right now they are in a Beta mode, and are giving accounts by invitation only. I searched the web trying to find an invitation, but was unsuccessful. In my searching, I found yet another web based mail provider called MailNation. Their site can be found here. MailNation, for free, offers 1000GB. That's not a typo. They give you One Thousand Gigabytes for FREE!! I signed up for an account to give it a shot. The interface is not nearly as good as GMail, but for free, the space is worth getting an account. You can use MailNation to check other POP & IMAP accounts. The interface looks sorta like MS Outlook Express. For Free, you really can't beat it!

Sellin' Pumpkins

2005-10-12T10:58:00.000-05:00

Billy and I are on the corner of Northwest Avenue and 8th Street, across from Andy's, selling pumpkins for Habitat for Humanity. A volunteer opportunity came open through Teris, so we decided to help out.

Being the community centered company they are, Teris had no problem with letting us off work for a few hours. We'll be here from 10AM to 2:30PM...so if you're in town, come by and see us.

--Posted with my Treo 650

To Long on the Road

2005-10-11T19:04:00.000-05:00

I met this little guy outside Wal-Mart. He didn't have much to say, so I left him alone. I've always heard the Harley life was tough.

--Posted with my Treo 650

Pictures of Grandma

2005-10-11T13:20:00.000-05:00

For family members that may be interested in seeing pictures of Grandma (Margie), you can see them by clicking here. From now on, I'll post new pictures of her in this 'set' of pictures.

Back Home

2005-10-09T21:04:00.000-05:00

We had a good trip home from Dallas. Tanner watched DVD movies most of the trip. I drove from Nevada to Texarkana; dad drove the rest of the way. We got home around 3PM. Cary and Dad couldn't resist getting right into a game of horse shoes shortly after arriving. We hung out in the yard for a while. Tanner played Gizmo (a.k.a., the puppy we are keeping). Tanner wants to pick the dog up and carry him everywhere, but it appears the dog will hold his own for the most part. Tomorrow is back to the grind. I've got two weeks until I go out of town. Hopefully I can be productive at work, and home before leaving. I have some things I'd like to get done. Cary went to see Maw today. Maw is not doing well. She is not able to get out of the bed on her own. She is getting really bad. Please think of Cary as much as you can. She is having a really hard time with this. I hope you all have a great week. I'll post more later.

Happy 80th Birthday

2005-10-08T14:25:00.000-05:00

October 13th is my grandma's 80th birthday. We are in Lewisville Texas visiting her at the Aspen Assisted Living Center. She is in the later stages of Alzheimer's disease. Although she's not the person I once knew, she is very much alive. She keeps the workers at the center running.

She loves to eat chocolate cake which is what she had today. Dianne asked me to snap a quick photo while she put the cake in front of grandma, and before she stuck her hand in it. She was a little to fast! Before Dianne could pull the cake back, grandma had her hands knuckle deep in it.

All the residents and guests gathered around the table for cake and ice cream.

--Posted with my Treo 650

Trip to Dallas

2005-10-07T09:36:00.000-05:00

Me, mom, dad, and Tanner are headed to Texas to visit my grandma. It should be fun if I can keep from going crazy with Tanner. Cary is staying behind to study. Hopefully she'll get a lot done.

-- Posted with my Treo 650

Family Updates - September 29, 2005

2005-09-29T19:59:00.000-05:00

I suppose it's time for a family update. The last one was on the 14th, so it's been a few weeks. Here goes: Cary is still struggling in school. She has a study-buddy spend the night a few times a week, mostly because many people in the program live several miles away from El Dorado. Maw is progressively getting worse by the day. Cary is visiting her almost every day. Tanner is doing much better in school. Cary and I had a parent-teacher conference with his teacher a few days ago. He got a real good report. He is progressing and learning very well. The teacher is very good with him, and tries to use him as her 'little helper'. From the blog, you can see my trip to Chicago was pretty eventful. It was fun and informative. I posted a summary on my Security blog here if you care to read it. My next trip comes at the end of next month. October 23th through 31st, I'll be in Los Angeles, California for a 7 day SANS training course. Details on the course are here. I know, it's boring stuff. Anyway, other than that, things are going well. In a few weeks (October 8th), me, mom, and dad will be going to Dallas to visit my grandma, aunt, and uncle (and anyone else we happen to see while there). I gotta run. Hope things are going well with you all. Until next time....

FREE PUPPIES!!

2005-09-24T19:22:00.000-05:00

These pups need a good home. We have 2 males and 3 females. They are ~1 month old at the time of this writing (9/24). If you, or someone you know would like to have one, drop me an e-mail here.

Seeing the Effects of Rita

2005-09-24T09:50:00.000-05:00

From the second floor of the local health club, the effects of Rita are evident. The flag is blowing in a different direction almost every second. I can see ripples in the top of the blue awning as the winds pass by.

I'll be heading to the house in a few minutes, hopefully before things get worse.

--Posted with my Treo 650

Bette Midler - Just Another Celebrity Bush Basher

2005-09-21T14:26:00.000-05:00

Our entertainers sure do pick the wrong times to say things. At the Big Apple to the Big Easy benefit concert at Madison Square Gardens on September 20th, Bette Midler had this to say:

This is terrible. We are surrounded by disaster: war, Katrina... Fox News. I got a letter from the Republican Party thanking me for supporting Bush Administration policies and I sent it back saying "Go f*** yourselves!" But you know, I would never pick on George Bush personally. He's a big fan of mine... came to a concert in the 70's. A coke dealer of his got him tickets...

The goal of the benefit was to raise money for people who have lost everything. It's a time for the country to join forces, work together, and help each other out. Instead, Mrs. Midler clouds the air with her derogatory left-wing political views. Everyone has a right to their opinion, but they shouldn't have a right to openly and publicly bad mouth the President and his Administration in the way she did. She basically attacked his character and showed no respect for the position of President. You can show respect for a position and still dislike the person in the position. All this, not to mention, the fact that children were no doubt within earshot of televisions as she ranted and raved with her diarrhea of the mouth. Would it have been to much to ask of her to refrain for a short time and focus on the issue at hand? I guess not. Sadly, many of the elite society of well paid (overpaid ?) movie stars and sports players carry the same opinions and openess. I think they abuse their positions and authority and take advantage of the many opportunities to spread hate and discontent among our, otherwise, wonderful nation.

Rita Is On Her Way

2005-09-21T12:30:00.000-05:00

First, I want to say the picture on the right is from this flickr account. I thought the picture was great and hope the owner doesn't mind me linking to it. If you click on the picture it will take you to the original location. The people of the Gulf are preparing, once again, for a natural disaster. This time, Rita as she's known, is expected to slam the Texas coast somewhere between Galveston and Corpus Christi. Rita is presently a category 4 storm with winds at 140 mph, and could easily become a Category 5. Right now evacuations in Galveston are voluntary, but Fox News reports mandatory evacuations will be issued at 6PM Central time. Storm surges are expected to reach 20 feet. Many of the people from the Katrina hurricane are occupying shelters in the same places Rita evacuees will need to stay. This is truly a sad situation. The character of America will show through and I believe, for the most part, people will provide resources where needed. Of course there will be a dark side to this, just like with Katrina. Be aware of online fraud. Be sure you know where your donations are going if you choose to give online.

No Place Like Home

2005-09-21T08:22:00.000-05:00

After many hours of 'trying' to get home, we finally made it. Once we landed in Monroe, several hours late (around 10:15PM), we had a 1.25 hour drive back to my house. Billy had another hour drive to his house after dropping me off. Since we had not eaten for quite a while, we grabbed something in Monroe before heading home. I got to bed ~2AM. I'm am very glad to be home; however. I didn't get to see Cary or Tanner when I got home b/c, of course, they were in the bed. Anyway, I have some catching up to do on work related stuff (expense report, cleaning out inbox, etc). See ya.

Only In The South - Pants Up or Butt Out!

2005-09-20T20:56:00.000-05:00

I'm not sure if this should be considered an 'Only In The South' shot. Since I don't live in the north, it's safe to say, for me, it's a southern only shot. Either way it goes, I thought it was funny. It's one of those things we all want to say, but are too scared say it. (Well, at least some of us)

The picture was taken at the Citgo station near the air port in Monroe, La.

--Posted with my Treo 650

The Good Plane

2005-09-20T20:44:00.000-05:00

This is the 'good plane'. The one in the back is the one we exited. They are moving our luggage to the new air craft, refueling, and then we'll board AGAIN.

Northwest is not pushing high numbers on my scoreboard!!

--Posted with my Treo 650 from Memphis, TN

Wonderful World of Traveling

2005-09-20T20:30:00.000-05:00

I have a new respect for those that have occupations that require constant traveling.

From Memphis, our flight was 20 minutes late boarding. We boarded, taxied out a little ways, turned back around, and exited the plane.

I'm not sure what went wrong, but I think we are changing planes...hopefully to one that is more safe.

--Posted with my Treo 650

Headed Southbound

2005-09-20T16:21:00.000-05:00

This is what we road in from the hotel to the CDW facility. There were several people that had flight issues and missed the tour on Monday.

They set up a second tour and transported us in a Limo. From their we were taken to the airport. The CDW facility was impressive.

Our flight out of Chicago is at 4:50. We have a connecting flight in Memphis which leaves at 7:25. We arrive at our final destination at 8:35PM in Monroe La.

--Posted with my Treo 650

Air Plane for Tanner

2005-09-19T20:57:00.000-05:00

Tanner,

This is not the plane I road on, but it's one like it. I hope you like the picture. Be sweet for mama and the rest of the girls at the house (Cary's study buddies). I'll see you late tomorrow night. I love you.

--Posted with my Treo 650

Finally Here

2005-09-19T17:55:00.000-05:00

We are on the hotel shuttle bus headed to our hotel. I'll post more when I can type. I'm getting everything in before we start moving again (can do this while moving)....

--Posted with my Treo 650

2nd Time is a Charm

2005-09-19T10:36:00.000-05:00

It appears we're going to make the second attempt to get to Chicago. The next flight is at 11:37. Our luggage is checked and we're waiting at the gate. We'll have a just over an hour in Memphis before our final leg to the Windy city. We're set to arrive at 4PM, just in time for the cocktail party.

I'm glad I don't have to travel much. This would definitely get old after a while. Until next time...

--Posted with my Treo 650

Close only counts in horseshoes and hand grenades

2005-09-19T06:40:00.000-05:00

The first leg of this trip was lopped off by a two minute error. Billy and I were two minutes late checking our bags!

The sign you see in the picture is not a lie!! We are rescheduling for an 11:30 flight. That will put us in Chicago around 4PM.

I've traveled through Monroe before, but it was before 9/11. I would have never thought we hadn't given enough time. I suppose everyone does it at least once. More to come later.

--Posted by my Treo 650

Tiramisu - Yum!

2005-09-18T19:35:00.000-05:00

This post is for Cary. I'm in Monroe, La tonight staying in a hotel. Tomorrow morning, a coworker and I fly to Chicago for a Security conference.

Cary likes, no, loves Olive Garden. Since she can't be here personally, I thought a picture would be the next best thing. I love you sweety!

--Posted with my Trizzle 650

Finally Some Rain

2005-09-15T17:52:00.000-05:00

What is that wet stuff on my windshield and all over the road? Is it....could it be......by George, I think it might just be.....rain.

I remember once upon a time seeing rain, but it's been so long I've forgotten what it looks like!

You had to be quick today to notice it, but it did rain a few drops before the sun poked it's head through the clouds to dry up the evidence. We'll be left only with the memories and even higher humidity. I hope the dry spell ends soon.

--Posted with my Treo 650

Krusell Horizontic Plus

2005-09-15T10:20:00.000-05:00

I read a review of the Krusell Horizontic Plus Treo 6xx case over at Treocentral. The orginal article can be found here. I was particularly interested in the design of this case so I desided to blog it in case I want to purchase one in the future. Thanks for letting me ramble this morning!

Alltel to Offer Treo 650

2005-09-15T06:29:00.000-05:00

I got word recently that Alltel will offer the Treo 650 and Audiovox 6700 November 1st. I hope they stick to the original date of 11/1. I use Sprint but the phone doesn't work in my house. Alltel phones have been known to work in my house.

--Posted with my Treo 650

Family Updates - September 14, 2005

2005-09-14T18:58:00.000-05:00

I've been writing a lot of nerdie stuff lately. I thought it was time to update you on a few things going on in the family. They are listed below in no certain order:

Cary is very stressed right now. Classwork is piling up by the day. The course seems to get more difficult as time passes. She is doing really well on her tests, though. On top of the stresses of schoolwork, her grandmother (affectionately known as Maw) is very sick and not expected to live for more than a few weeks to a month. She is 96 (or 97) and is ready for her promotion. (Promotion = leaving this life of sorrow and pain to be joined with her Lord where He is the light of the city and there is no more night!!) This is very rough on Cary and she could use all the prayers she can get.
I will be taking a trip to Chicago next week. I'll leave Sunday evening to spend the night in Monroe, La and fly out Monday morning around 6AM. Me and a coworker will attend a Security seminar that was bought and paid for by CDW, one of our vendors. We will return Tuesday evening, late. Things are going well with my new position. We are currently evaluating a software package to centrally manage patch deployment and spyware detection and remediation. I don't have an implementation date set as of yet.
Tanner is all better from his sickness (except he is crazy in the head). He's finishing up the round of antibiotics he was given and is doing better with his diet and BM's. He's doing fairly well in school. I talked with his teacher the other day and she said he's doing better everyday. She said she uses him as her helper and that makes things easier. He's very smart and gets bored easily if he's not kept busy.
In general, things are going pretty well. Dad and I are fishing regularly, but not catching fish very regularly. We're hoping that will change once the weather cools off. Church is going good. We meet regularly in regards to our building program. It's challenging when all the members are bi-vocational and can't dedicate significant time to something this large. The Lord will get us there when the time is right. AWANA just started up, but Tanner, for some reason, doesn't want to go. I wish he would change his mind! Mom is doing good too. She isn't hurting all the time, that I know of. Her hands hurt her on occasion but not as bad as it has in the past. Her birthday was yesterday (9/13)

That's about it for now. I hope things are going well with you all. I'll do my best to post family related updates at least once per week. Any more than that and it's the same old junk!

"Getting Things Done" - Time and Task Management

2005-09-13T19:32:00.000-05:00

You may remember this pos t where I talked about my struggles with time and task management. I was surfing one evening and ran across "Getting Things Done" by David Allen. I thought for sure I had heard about every book and website on the subject, but I was wrong. Let me tell you a few things about GTD. To summarize GTD, I'll quote something from the website. GTD includes:

Capturing anything and everything that has your attention
Defining actionable things discretely into outcomes and concrete next steps
Organizing reminders and information in the most streamlined way, in appropriate categories, based on how and when you need to access them
Keeping current and "on your game" with appropriately frequent reviews of the six horizons of your commitments (purpose, vision, goals, areas of focus, projects, and actions)

You are free to use any system, paper or electronic based, you wish. Success is not in the tool itself; it's in the method used. GTD is a common sense approach to systematically handling all the commitments made to others and yourself. How do you feel when you let someone down? Like a failure, of course. Have you considered making a commitment to yourself and not keeping it is just as damaging to your emotional state as failing to keep a commitment to another person? Think about that for minute. The bedrock of the GTD system is the "Next Action" concept. I have a very difficult time wrapping my brain around large projects (project = any desired result requiring more than one physical action step to be considered complete). I get overwhelmed by them and usually don't do them at all, or procrastinate to the point where things become urgent and important. GTD helps me break down projects into "Next Action" steps that are smaller and easier for my mind to comprehend. For example, 'buy birthday gift for Cary' is a project because it requires more than one physical action to complete. Here are a few single, physical action steps I can think of:

Draft ideas for what to buy her
Froogle (Google Shopping) for the best price
Drive to the store and purchase the item / Purchase item from website
Wrap the gift
Purchase Card

You get the idea. Notice that the first word of the action step is a verb. It's something that can be done physically (yes, froogling is a physical act). The first action step required of this project would be to 'draft ideas [yes, on paper] of birthday gifts for Cary'. Done. If I do this, I'll be one step closer to a finished project. This is a simple example. Many of these steps could be done without specifically thinking about them, but they do have to be done. My task list consists ONLY of actionable items that will move my projects forward. Another extremely important part of GTD is the weekly review process. This is the time spent each week (more or less as needed) to make sure tasks are marked 'complete' and new 'next actions' are put on your list. You will learn more about this after you purchase the book ;>). Below are a few things I particularly like about the GTD system assuming it's maintained correctly:

At any given time I can know for sure what the next action item is for all open projects.
I use a PDA to capture "next actions" while on-the-go. Anytime something pops in my head, project or action item, it goes in the PDA. The PDA sync's with Outlook when I get back to my computer.
GTD isn't pie-in-the-sky thinking; it's where the rubber meets the road
There are tons of resources available to help with GTD.

43 Folders - Getting Started with, "Getting Things Done"
43 Folders - Building a Smarter To-Do List, Part 1 & 2
David's Blog
GTD Wannabe
Working Smart (CEO of Thomas Nelson Publishers)

This post barely scratches the surface of the GTD system. If you are wanting for a great book on life-management, I strongly suggest you pick up a copy of, "Getting Things Done." With 4.5/5.0 stars out of 159 reviews on Amazon, the system has been time tested to work. Your 'next action' is to purchase the book, and start getting things done.

WOW! 13GB for the Treo 650

2005-09-13T08:19:00.000-05:00

Original Article: Is 13GB of Storage for my Treo enough? This is one of those posts that only a select few will be impressed with or even slightly care about. It's a techie thing. I found today on Treonauts website an article where someone had accumulated 13GB worth of SD cards for their Treo 650.

It might be a little bit shocking to think that the combined nine cards weigh a mere 19gm/0.67oz but actually cost nearly as much (roughly $1,300) as my laptop (my accountant will not be impressed).

The article also has really good information about up-and-coming developments in flash memory and what we can expect. Basically, we can expect more memory in everything!

"It Doesn't Effect Me and It Doesn't Effect My Family," Some Say.

2005-09-09T19:30:00.000-05:00

In the news this week, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger promised to veto a bill to legalize same-sex marriage in the sate of California. As would be expected, he 'drew heated criticism from gay rights supporters and cheers from conservative groups'. In my surfing last night I was somehow drawn to a blog where comments were made about this issue. They were mostly left wing, but some folks seem to ride the fence, so to speak. I don't usually discuss controversial issues on my blog; however, I feel compelled to mention something in regards to this issue. The specific view some hold is that, "What effect will gay marriage have on me and my family? None!" Some feel that same-sex marriage will have absolutely no affect, whatsoever, on them personally or their family. I'll first try to explain why I think some have this view. As a society, Americans are spoiled. I speak to myself as well as most others. We want what we want and we want it right now. We are accustomed to getting things 'our way, right away'. I believe this mentality breeds a certain level of shortsightedness. As the definition implies, we have a 'lack of prudence and care for the management of [our] resources.' In this case, it would be the family unit. Allow me to elaborate. A fifty eight year old man visits his doctor. The doctor checks his blood pressure and bloodwork. He finds the man to have high blood pressure, high cholesterol, among other things. The man is a smoker, occasionally drinks, and never exercises. As a result of his neglecting to live a healthy lifestyle, the doctor suggests the man will suffer consequences. The man enjoyed the previous years eating what he wanted, smoking two packs of cigarettes a day and lounging around on most days. He never once thought it would cause him a bit of trouble. Sure, people told him he should stop those things and develop a healthy lifestyle, but he never made it a priority. So, the choices he made in the past affected him greatly in the future. What about his children and wife? His family and friends are effected because he will not live as long as he would have if he had taken care of himself. The family unit is no different. I suggest that redefining marriage to be anything other than between a man and a woman would be an utter disaster to our society. The simple anatomical make-up of a humans suggests anything different is absurd. Redefining marriage is as unreasonable as asking a bobcat to raise a turtle or using a microwave to make ice. Doing these things would be to go directly against the design.

FOXNews.com - Business - DOE Sees High Winter Fuel Costs

2005-09-08T14:58:00.000-05:00

Original Article: FOXNews.com - Business - DOE Sees High Winter Fuel Costs

"The Energy Information Administration (search) said on Wednesday Americans who warm their homes with natural gas could see their fuel costs jump by as much as 71 percent this winter in some parts of the country. Residential heating bills for heating oil will increase by 31 percent, and electricity users will see their costs rise by 17 percent, the Energy Department's analytical arm said in its latest monthly energy forecast."

This is not good news at all. Just when you start to get ahead, BAM!!, higher natural gas and electric costs hit you. At the current cost of natural gas, I can't really imagine it getting higher. I pay $120/mo during the winter to heat a 1700sq.ft. house and I'm on levelized billing! Do the math; I could pay as much as $205/mo to stay warm. That's over $1K in a year. That doesn't even include the 17 percent increase in electric. I'm going to purchase a couple of electric blankets, some ski masks, and gloves and keep my thermostat around 55 degrees! This is ridiculous.

Strobe Light in the Van

2005-09-07T20:50:00.000-05:00

For weeks now I've been fighting with the strobe-flashing interior light on my 1994 Ford Aerostar minivan. The interior light and 'door ajar' light flashed off and on while driving down the road. It got worse, of course, when I hit bumps. Strangely, it was even worse when taking left hand turns or going around left hand curves. I don't write this because lots of people will be interested in the little tid-bit problems I face day to day. I write this because some poor soul in the world besides me is having the same problem. If I can help in any way to rid someone else from a small annoyance like this, that would be great. I traced the problem to the latch on the back door. The switch that controls the light [when the door is opened and closed] is actually in the door latch. This is a poor design in my opinion, but that's beside the point. We [my dad and I] used electrical tape and wrapped it around the latch post (see picture). The latch post was moving around inside the door latch causing the light to come on. On some interval I'll have to apply more tape, I'm sure. NOTE: For those who don't know about blog searching, you can go to Technorati.com and enter search strings just like Google. The difference is Technorati searches popular blog services. I've actually found things on blogs that I didn't find in other places. This is what makes blogging so useful. Real people providing real solutions to real problems; that's what it's all about!

FOXNews.com - U.S. & World - Talabani: Saddam Confessed to Executions

2005-09-06T18:29:00.000-05:00

Original Article:FOXNews.com - U.S. & World - Talabani: Saddam Confessed to Executions

"President Jalal Talabani (search) told Iraqi television that he had been informed by an investigating judge that 'he was able to extract confessions from Saddam's mouth' about crimes 'such as executions' which the ousted leader had personally ordered."

Maybe the next confession will be what he did with the weapons of mass destruction!

Thomas Nelson Gives Bibles To Hurricane Katrina Victims

2005-09-05T21:22:00.000-05:00

Original Article: Thomas Nelson Gives Bibles To Hurricane Katrina Victims The CEO of Thomas Nelson has a blog and he announced Thomas Nelson will be giving 100,000 bibles to the Katrina victims. They are also have a $50K matching contribution program for Thomas Nelson employees. It appears some people don't think giving bibles to those who have lost everything is a good idea, as you may read in the original article. I MUST comment on this. I don't pretend to know what it's like to stare death in the face or know the clothes on my back are the only thing I have left in the world. I do know that I've faced times much less tragic in my life, and as a result felt utterly helpless. I've been in situations where I felt uncertain, alone, and out of control. Being that I've not experienced anything as awful as the victims of hurricane Katrina and STILL felt the need to seek help from something greater than myself is the exact reason the victims of hurricane Katrina need spiritual assistance; bibles. It's amazing that people will attack the efforts of others. It's not like Thomas Nelson ISN'T giving money too. They're also raising $100K in monetary relief efforts. When you loose it all, sometimes the only place to look is up. Ask someone whose been there.

How Yahoo Funds Spyware

2005-09-05T21:02:00.000-05:00

Original Article:How Yahoo Funds Spyware

"...serious concerns arise where Yahoo syndicates advertisers' ads to be shown by advertising software installed on users' PCs -- software typically known as spyware or adware. In my testing, Yahoo's funding of spyware is widespread and prevalent -- an important source of revenue for many spyware programs installed on millions of users' PCs. Were it not for Yahoo's funding of these programs, the programs would be far less profitable -- and there would be fewer such programs trying to sneak onto users' PCs."

Ben Edelman is a Ph.D. cadidate at the Department of Economics at Harvard University and a student at the Harvard Law School. From his bio, "Ben's current research agenda includes analyzing methods and effects of spyware, with a focus on installation methods and revenue sources. In the course of this work, Ben has documented advertisers supporting spyware, as well as affiliate commission fraud yielding ill-gotten revenues."

I find his research interesting especially because he writes how it effects business. This article in particular supports my feeling that Yahoo is not the best choice for an online search engine. Even though he writes about Google's involvement in distributing and funding spyware, Google is [by far] still the best choice. At this point, the lesser of two evils is all we have.

Night and Day

2005-09-05T14:03:00.000-05:00

It's amazing how fast he bounces back. Last night I thought he was near death. Today, Tanner is totally back to normal.

He's been playing like nothing has happened. I know he's pretty much back to his usual self b/c he's already getting in trouble. :-)

--Posted with my Treo 650

Back to the ER

2005-09-04T22:09:00.000-05:00

19:30 We are back at the ER. Tanner's fever hit 104.8, and at the advice of the doctor we are back at the ER. Dr. Watson will meet us here soon. Dr. Anaya is on call this weekend so hopefully we'll see him too.

This is getting scary.

19:50 Still waiting...

20:20 We've been put in an ER room. They need to take blood and get a stomach x-ray. Not sure if we'll be here overnight or not. Tanner is exhausted and probably a little dehydrated. He's scared to death of every person that comes near him. Dad's nerves are beginning to fray.

If this doesn't get better soon, I'm going to ask for a referral to Children's in Little Rock.

The nurse that came to take blood was obviously not comfortable taking blood from a child. She visibly flenched when she entered the room!! Doesn't give you a warm fuzzy feeling, let me tell ya.

20:50 Okay, there is at least one other personable nurse at MCSA. Nurse Candy (i know, that sounds really bad) was great with Tanner. She talked to him through the 2nd IV he's gotten in three days. Part of the reason he was good was probably b/c nurse Candy is pretty cute!

Anyway, we are waiting on the results of the blood work and chest x-ray. Dr. Watson will review the results and either let us go or make us stay. The nurse is bringing Tanner some fruit juice and Cary a pillow.

He has 102.6 fever right now.

21:40 Dr. Watson just gave us a report. His blood work came back fine. The chest x-ray shows that he's full of crap!! His large and small intestines are FULL!!

His white blood cell count isn't up while he has fever; this means he has a viral infection. (not sure if I got the white blood cell part right, but he's sure it is viral). He said to alternate motrin and tylenol every four hours for the fever. The antibiotics we got yesterday will clear up the virus.

The good news is that we won't have to stay overnight. I feel better about this trip now. He showed us the x-ray, and it is clear he is backed up. I always new he was full of it, but I didn't know it was going to land him in the hospital.

He has a follow up appointment on Tuesday. If his bowel issues don't straighten up, he's going to put him on a 'gut buster' routine to clean him out. Dr. Watson said he's seen this in his own 3yr old.

I'm out for now.

--Posted with my Treo 650

Daily Notes on How Tanner is Doing

2005-09-04T15:45:00.000-05:00

Last night Tanner was up until midnight. It wasn't a bad thing though. He spent this time playing and having fun. After the several hour nap he had after arriving home from the hospital, he had some energy to burn. He was back to his old self again. This morning he woke up in a good mood. About 9:30 or 10:00, however; he again began complaining about his stomach hurting behind his belly button. Since that time he's ran fever as high as 103.6 at 13:53. We gave him Tylenol for fever at this time. Since then, his fever has dropped and he's up playing, but a very slowly. We are still unsure why he has fever unless it's an ear or throat infection of some kind. The stomach pain really has us confused since he's had 3 BM's since yesterday. He'll have his second round of antibiotics this afternoon. Maybe it will kick in and he'll start getting better. I'll post more later.

To Close to Finished Not to Call Finished

2005-09-03T20:09:00.000-05:00

This has been several weeks in the making. This post was the beginning discussion about the bar. We are excited to present the the finished product. The only thing left to do is add the door handles. We have to buy door handles to match the other cabinets. Keith is going to finish up after the holiday. The most important thing is that the foreman has approved the project. Cary is totally excited about it. She's planning on filling those cabinets will all kinds of stuff. Thanks: I want to thank Uncle Phil for hooking me up with Keith and helping in various tasks related to this project Thanks to Keith for doing a great job even though he already has a full time job. Lori for the good advice (We got the boat. Now we have to work on the computer!) Cary for her patience

Just Plain Worn Out

2005-09-03T19:49:00.000-05:00

We've been home since around 3:30PM or so. After getting everything from the car to the house, we all hit the sack. Remember, just before arriving at the hospital, I had packed another overnight bag. We all thought we were staying another night at MCSA. I'm glad that changed! Several folks have called the house and some have left messages. Thanks for the calls, but we're just to tired to talk. For those who attend MABC, we will not be there tomorrow. We're going to take the day to rest. Cary and Tanner are just waking up. Tanner just walked into the living room and said, "Hey daddy. I love you." Aaawww. He don't do that very often, for anyone. I feel special. Anyway, I'll resume normal posts from this point out. I wanted to document this event for myself and for others who may have been interested. This is what BLOGs do best! Take care, and we love ya'll. CGE

Change of Plans, Going Home

2005-09-03T13:47:00.000-05:00

One doctor says stay. Another doctor says go. Dr. Anaya, I suppose, told Dr. Watson it was okay to go home.

Tanner is still running fever. He's getting a Rx for his ear infection, I guess. To be honest, I'm a little confused why four doctors haven't been able to pinpoint the problem. My frustration is hightened by lack of sleep and uncertainty.

The positive side is we are getting to go home where everyone can feel more comfortable. We will continue to monitor his temp until it's gone. After the holiday, we'll connect back up with Dr. Watson and find out the results of the throat culture. A culture takes 72hrs to come back.

Thanks again for all the prayers, calls, and emails. I'm thankful it wasn't appendicitis or something worse.

--Posted with my Treo 650

Another Overnight Stay

2005-09-03T10:51:00.000-05:00

10:36 - Dr. Watson just came by. He said the urine exam was fine. He feels like either his ear or throat is causing the fever.

I suppose the other factor is a good ole case of constipation. He just had a bowel movement, so his belly should feel better.

He's still running a low grade fever. Dr. Watson said he can't be released if he's had a fever within the last 24hrs. He's going to be put on an oral antibiotic instead of the IV.

We'll be here another night, and hopefully leave tomorrow.

--Posted with my Treo 650

Finally a Smile

2005-09-03T09:09:00.000-05:00

I managed to coax Tanner into smiling for a quick snapshot. He is feeling pretty good this morning. We haven't heard from Dr. Anaya today. I feel like we will be outta here soon. They've eliminated most everything. Maybe the throat culture will shed some light on the situation.

While we wait, we're going to watch Lady and the Tramp (the second showing). More to come in a bit.

-- Posted with my Treo 650

Chest x-ray, throat culture, and a stool softener

2005-09-02T21:13:00.000-05:00

20:40 - I just got back to the hospital. I went home to get our overnight stuff. While I was gone, this is what happened:

* The greatest neonatal / pediatrition doctor in the south, Dr. Carlos Anaya, came by to visit and inspect Tanner.

* Tanner had his chest x-ray. Dr. Anaya didn't see anything abnormal.

* He said Tanner's left ear had some fluid on it. It is in worse shape than the right.

* His throat is swollen. They are doing a throat culture. No ETA on this.

* He noticed the stool in the picture so he ordered him a laxative to help him go to the bathroom.

* He's still running a low grade fever.

This is all the information I have right now. Lori, mom, and Susie left a while ago. It's just me, Cary, and Tanner. We are watching TV getting ready for what may be a long night ahead.

BTW - Thanks Philip and shelly for coming by the hospital. It meant a lot to us.

Thanks again to others who have called or emailed. It's good to know people care.

--Posted with my Treo 650

Thanks for the Prayers

2005-09-02T16:37:00.000-05:00

16:26 - We've had a several people email or call and ask about Tanner. We really appreciate this.

Dr. Watson finally came by and gave us his version of the CT Scan and blood work. He said all looks well. The blood work doesn't show any infection. Another doctor is also coming by to give another look at him.

He's ordered a urine examination and a chest x-ray. We will be here overnight for observation. The x-ray will be either latter today or tomorrow morning.

He said it's possible it could be some form of viral infection. It could also be pneumonia. Tanner is starting to act a little fussy. We think he's starting to feel bad. He also appears to be getting fever again. The nurse is on her way in to take his temp.

--Posted with my Treo 650

Not Appendicitis

2005-09-02T14:32:00.000-05:00

14:30 - At least one doctor says Tanner doesn't have appendicitis. This comes as a result of the CT Scan reading. We are now waiting on his regular doctor to give us permission to go home or stay. The only other thing we have to get results for is the bloodwork.

Tanner seems to be doing fine. He doesn't appear to be in pain, but something is still not quite right. Hopefully Dr. Watson will have news for us.

--Posted with my Treo 650

Off to the CT Machine

2005-09-02T13:52:00.000-05:00

13:35 - We're off to the CT Room. He drank almost all of 'the drink'. They said he drank plenty, though.

I don't know how long it'll be before the picture will be read and reported on. I wasn't allowed in the CT room; only one parent, so Cary stayed with him. When I left the room, he appeared to be relatively calm. I stood outside the door, but couldn't hear anything.

13:50 - He came out of the CT room bearing gifts; the gifts he got for being so good! They said he did wonderful. We're headed back to the room now. He'll be able to eat solid food and drink his ICEE.

--Posted with my Treo 650