Bounty Hunters

Jaron's 3rd Birthday

August 8th was Jaron's birthday and he was soooo excited. When we asked him what kind of party he wanted he replied, "A Mario Party!" Being the good parents that we are (-: we created the mushroom kingdom for his birthday. I designed and had printed and die-cut a couple of 38" Mario and Luigi's from foam core. Jessica took care of the cupcakes by making them look like toadstools and a Mario face. Overall the party was great fun and we appreciate the family and friends that traveled to St. George to celebrate with us. Jaron LOVED all of the trucks, animals, puzzles and other toys that he got. Below are a few select photos from the Birthday Bash!

Idiocracy Part 1

I realize that growing up on a farm in a small town may have given me an advantage in the following story I'm about to share with you, but do people ever research any marketing claims? First of all, let me preface this by saying that whoever had the idea to market the "Pure Angus Beef" angle is brilliant. Now for my experience.

Matt and I decided we wanted to get some McDonalds in our bellies for lunch the other day. As we were pulling up I saw they had banners all over the restaurant advertising their new 1/3 lb Pure Angus Beef burgers. Now Matt already knows how I feel about the Angus Beef marketing that started a few years back. It's not that I dislike Angus beef (or any other beef for that matter). It's the fact that there is no fundamental difference between an all Angus beef patty from any other patty, yet the general public has been duped into thinking it is somehow superior in quality and flavor. I'm sure in a blind taste test they couldn't tell the difference, but dang if it doesn't sound a lot better!

I decided I was going to ask the clerk what the difference was between the Angus Beef and the beef they use in their other burgers. The answer I received was pretty funny and I had a hard time keeping a straight face. I can't remember what the clerks name was so we'll just call her Sally. This is how the conversation went:

Jake- "Hey, what is the difference between the Angus burgers and the other burgers?"
Sally- "Well, they are made from 100% pure Angus Beef."
Jake- "What are the other burgers made from then?"
Sally- "...Umm...quarter-pounder meat?"

There it is, All "Full of flavor" and stuff

I couldn't make this stuff up. Maybe it's always been this way, but society in general seems to be out of touch with reality much of the time. Are we really so susceptible to whatever the Television and Magazines tell us that we will believe it all? Will we continue to be the marionette puppets of effective advertising and viral marketing individuals? Are we truly headed for an idiocracy in a matter of a few generations. Probably not, but incidents like these keep me smiling. Einstein was quoted as saying (and I'm paraphrasing) that "even though we consider ourselves to be superior to primitive man in every way, there are some things we are not superior in. How many people have any knowledge about the nature and origin of the things they use everyday? Primitive man knew how to create a bow, how to hunt, how to make clothing, grow food and all of the basic items for survival."

Ramblings

I wanted to do a post thanking my loyal readership of one, my wife Jessica. If my posts do nothing more than amuse her everyonce in a while it is still worth my while to post. Besides, I really just do this for myself. I really don't care if people read or what they think about my opinions. After all, that is why I love this country. You ARE entitled to your own opinion and it's OK if you disagree.

Writing is more like therapy for me. Some people exercise. Some people eat. Some people are assigned to go to anger management classes. Writing serves as my stress valve as well as an avenue for free thought and recapitulation. I would go as far as to say that if I were a good enough writer I would like to do it for a living. Unfortunately, I'm nowhere good enough to write for a living. Schooling would help I suppose. Reading others works is beneficial too... but in the mean time it will just be a hobby and a pipe dream.

Any medium that serves as a conduit for creativity will always interest me. I loved Legos as a child - I love Illustrator and Photoshop as an adult. This is one of the least focused blog posts I've done in a while. I'm really getting excited to see my brother Shay again. He will be returning home from his mission in Iowa this July. That's all for now.

White Chocolate: Uncovering the Myths

I got into a little discussion the other day with my neighbors, the Burbidges, pertaining to whether or not White Chocolate is really a chocolate at all. Lyn contests it is not and I contested that it must be. After all, I saw it on the internet once so you KNOW it has to be true.

I know that most of you reading this entry have been dying to know. No fear, I'm on the task. I did my homework (I'm thorough like that) and this is what I came up with.

There is "real" white chocolate, which is sort-of real chocolate in that it comes from the same cacao beans as regular chocolate. It contains just the fat, the cocoa butter, which provides chocolate's unique mouth feel. There is no chocolate liquor, which ends up in the brown stuff we usually think of as chocolate. Most "white chocolate" has little or no real cocoa butter. It can contain any kind of fat. So can brown chocolate, but brown chocolate without cocoa butter can't be called "chocolate" in most of the world.

White Chocolate, the holy grail of unhealthy food... I salute you.

So there you have it folks. We were both right. For the record, I love white chocolate. White chocolate reeses are God's gift to the world. Dark chocolate can just go to H### for all I care. The single nastiest "treat" you can consume is a dark chocolate cherry cordial... oh snap I just threw up in my mouth a little!

Global Warming "The Fix Is In"

Well, It's about that time again. Time to throw some gasoline on this proverbial fire that is the debate of Global Warming. I know, I've written about this in the past, but I just can't get enough of the idiocy that seems to flow from the mouths of supporters of this politically driven agenda.

Allow me to paint a picture for you. It's an early Sunday evening and I'm enjoying a doomsday show on the Discovery channel. It's basically a top ten countdown of the greatest threats to humanity. The usual suspects are showing up so far - nuclear weapons, giant asteroids, major volcano eruptions, viruses and plagues- you get the picture. We get to the number one threat and I'm thinking, "they've covered all of the ones I could think of, including a few surprises (killer machines anyone?), the number one threat must be pretty menacing. And then it's the big reveal, or should I say this is when the politics and agenda pushing started. Number one is... you guessed it, Global Warming! Yeah that's exactly what I... wha... wait a minute, really? Global Warming? And was that just Al Gore I saw a quick snippet of? Yep, there he is in all his glory. The self-appointed czar of the Global Warming... wait... what? Oh, excuse me, I was just informed that Global Warming is no longer the buzz word for this supposed man-created phenomenon. It's now being referred to as simply "Climate Change." Yep, that's the best they could come up with. I better be politically correct here, I don't want "Big Sister" (Janet Napoletano) to read this blog and accuse me of being a quote "Right Wing Extremist" and "Posing a potentially serious threat to our nation." Nope, I won't do that because I'm a patriotic American that obeys the laws of my country, misappropriated as I believe some of them are.

So here is the host of this show interviewing Al Gore as if he is the one who has personally studied climate change and used his own conjecture and theories to prove it. I guess if you can't be a puppet in the White House why not be a puppet for huge multi-billion dollar organizations like Green Peace or GE or any of the other bureaucratic, pencil pushing entities that would have us living in little grass huts if they had their way. Yes, it's that same GE that owns NBC and who knows what other companies. Funny how they push their agenda to sell "Green" appliances and products through the NBC news propaganda and "Green Week" on all of their major TV shows. And people really think they care about the environment? They don't give a rats ass about it as long as it gets people to buy their ridiculously priced green products. I guess Discovery Channel is sipping... wait guzzling down the coolaid as well. Too bad. I would've hoped that scientific integrity (if there is such a thing) would have prevailed and they would have at least presented both sides of the equation so that people could decide for themselves.

I guess in the end the weapon that brings the most success is fear. Previous and current presidential administrations have used it to push their agenda. from Clinton to Bush to Obama. We've seen it used over and over again by our government anytime they want us to do something or react in a certain way. This goes way beyond Climate Change. People, please do not eat all of the bull$#!! you're being fed by those who do not have your best interest in mind. Let you're voice be heard or nothing will ever change. To quote someones famous words (or lyrics) "Those who don't stand for something will fall for anything."

This message is sponsored by no one and is soley aimed at those who may find the idea that finite man is bringing the earth to it's knees, and consequently our own knees in the process, by emiting carbon gases into the air to be a declaration of stupidity. Thank you, that is all.

The Summer of Blockbusters

Is it just me or does it seem like this coming summer's movies are going to blow last years crop out of the water (sans "The Dark Knight.") I mean, I'm having a geekgasm thinking of watching all of the movies that seem tailor made for me. Terminator Salvation, Transformers 2, X-Men Origins: Wolverine, Harry Potter, Prince of Persia, The Hobbit... the list could go on, but those are just a few off the top of my head. I need to start making some serious cash soon so I can go to the theater to see a few of them. I haven't been to the theater in what seems like forever. It's kinda tough to go when you have two young children and no money though! (-: Oh well, I guess if all else fails I can always wait a few months and Redbox it. Which by the way, bravo to the person that started Redbox. Brilliant, just brilliant.

Flitch Update

Just in case some of you don't make it over to the Flitch Creative Blog I thought I'd give a little update on one of the things we've been up to. I've got a longer post going up on Flitch's blog sometime this week but this should suffice for now.

We've been exploring different ways of advertising that would be cost effective and garner results for us. One thing we decided to do was sponsor the St. George Blitz semi-professional team. Big Matt decided he wanted to strap on the pads at least one more time so he went to tryouts and got put in as one of the starting O tackles. In the process we've become pretty good friends with the owners who are two brothers from Mesquite about our ages respectively. We've been able to secure a good bit of design work from them and some of their sponsors, including the media guide. We are excited to be a sponsor and the team is really looking great. I think they have a good shot at winning the league title this year. If any of you get a chance I recommend getting out to at least one home game. There will be a fun family atmosphere with things for the kids to do outside of just watching the football game. I've posted our ad that will be running in the media guide for the season.

GO BLITZ! GO FLITCH!

My nerd dreams

We all spend time inside our heads in (literally) "My Space." I imagine the inside of our heads being like a space that is furnished with anywhere from the romantic to the hectic to the nerdy and so on. If you ever wanted to get inside my head and take a peek I'll give you a hint at what you'd likely see. It would look like a combination between an Apple ipod commercial, Metroid videogame, and SportsCenter's studio. Everything would have a nice shine and would show off a slight reflection of your image. It would be very organized, feature an open design and little to no clutter. A sterile color scheme of greens, whites and charcoal colors to saturate your visual palette.

Now let you tell you my ultimate dream, and I must issue a cautionary nerd alert before I proceed. If you don't like sci-fi, videogames or cool gadgets and technology this may not be appropriate for you. Did I lose anyone? Good. Let's continue. Ever since I played my first videogame I've always had a dream of creating my own game world filled with characters and creatures from my imagination. Developing a high end AAA title these days rivals that of a blockbuster Hollywood production in cost and manpower making this dream a distant one. Enter Wiiware and the iphone.

These two mediums have brought development back to the garage. They offer the tools to create a game on a shoestring budget. Sure it may not have the epicness of a new Halo or Metroid game but it can still be a heck of a lot of fun. It's brought the industry back to full circle if you will. Enter Flitch Games (my own small development studio.) Big Matt and I will sometimes discuss simple game ideas that we could bring to life. My idea now is to design a game where the entire purpose is simply to blow things up. You want to see what 1000 lbs of dynomite will do to a fire engine? try it out. You want to drop napalm on a football stadium? Go for it. Don't worry no people or animals would be featured in the game. Just inanimate objects. I would want a dynamic physics engine that could process user generated content to give accurate and satisfying explosions. I would create a forum where you could upload your chaos and have others rate it or download it themselves, then modify and execute their own experiments. Simple in design and limitless in possibilities. Obviously there are other details to be ironed out and feature sets to add. But who doesn't like to blow stuff up? who hasn't wanted to shoot a propane tank with a rifle to see it shoot like a missile? OK maybe that's just me (-:

In other news, my son Jaron now can officially make it around the track in Mario Kart Wii all by himself. No help from me. He runs into walls and falls off edges, but eventually he completes the lap. His dad is so proud of him.

Things I enjoy - Monday edition

I know it sounds like I've been whining a lot in my last few posts but that isn't the case at all. I'd like to think of myself as something more like a watchdog (albeit a very small one) against anti-American semetism and policies. I'm very patriotic and like to be involved in my country. That being said, I want to mix it up a little today with something lighthearted and fun. The following are things (in no particular order) that I enjoy on any given Monday. I have much to be thankful for and it's time I let everyone know.

I enjoy my children's excitement when I walk through the door after work, their faces beaming and yelling daddy, daddy, daddy! Carmendee does this little dance where she flaps her arms rapidly and wiggles from side to side as she squeals with delight. Jaron yells at the top of his lungs, "Daddy is home!" and runs over to give me a big hug and kiss. If this sounds a little like Leave it to Beaver land, I promise you it's for real. I enjoy a warm embrace with my wife... then she usually asks me to pop her back, which I am happy to oblige with. I enjoy the excitement of my kids when I ask them if they want to go for a ride to the store with me. They love trips in the car, especially with dad AND mom. Jaron loves to push the cart and Carmendee is the perfect passenger while browsing up and down the isles of the grocery store. I think it's fun to watch them try to play Wii Fit as they bob back and forth trying to ski down the mountain or head some soccer balls.

We're a pretty rag-tag looking bunch in this photo

Mondays are also a great night for my favorite TV shows. After putting the kids to sleep we can enjoy some time together watching 24 or our perennial favorite, Chuck. I enjoy lying in bed with my wife relaxing and reflecting over the days events. After the kids have long been asleep we will sneak into their bedrooms just to gaze upon them one last time before we also call it a night. Carmendee is always laying on top of all of the blankets seemingly to make it impossible to tuck her in and Jaron has his entourage of stuffed animals all cuddled around his pillow.

As you can see it doesn't take a lot for me to be happy. If I can see my wife and kids happy and healthy and spend time with them that is really all I need. Simple delights. So no matter how messed up this world becomes I know my home can be a santuary from it all.

I'll end with this picture. This is a project Jaron did over at his daycare with Sheryl. They painted a rock and added hair and a face. When we asked him what it was he said it's name was Bridget! I have no idea where he'd ever heard of that name before. Needless to say, we thought it was pretty funny. What an imagination that kid.

Obama, the giver of good gifts?

Wow, I almost forgot my username and password it's been so long. I may have to shake off some of the literary dust that may have accumulated during my hiatus. I was threatened to be taken off of some peoples blog lists if I didn't start blogging again (looking at you Lyn)... so I better get my butt in gear and do what comes natural to me -- that is rant.

I've gone on a tirade on Obama before but this latest blunder (which is probably a favorable word considering the deed) has got me hot again. Sure he's done some really stupid things in what seems like the longest 8 weeks or so in U.S. history but this one is downright offensive. On behalf of all of the Brits out there who may stumble upon this post, I offer my sincere apologies for our arrogant president. Below is an excerpt taken from Glenn Beck about the incident. You may want to read it so you can understand my indignation. If you already know the story you can skip below to my comments.

--But then he also gave a gift. He gave a gift of a bunch of videos. Well, okay. That's usually not what the president gives. Usually it is a gift to the head of state of something of significance, something of real importance, something that signifies how deep our friendship goes and also says something about our country and our resources and, you know, our heritage. To me it's appropriate that Barack Obama, when he looks to what could be a statement gift that I can give the leader of our greatest ally, what is something that says everything you need to know about America, he goes and gets a bunch of DVDs from movies that we've made. I mean, it's -- and he didn't even get the movies that they can watch over in England. It's not the same technology. So all of the movies that Gordon Brown was given as a gift from our president he can't even watch. And what did we receive as a gift? Barack Obama was given a pen made from the wood of the HMS Resolute. The Resolute was one of their big warships and it went -- these two ships went up and they were going up into I think it was the Arctic Circle, I'm not sure. They went up to the Arctic Circle. The Resolute gets stuck in the ice. So does the other one, but the Resolute never gets out, and the captain of the Resolute says, "Get out of the ship, get onto the other one; we're going home." When he gets home, he's court-martialed because he's left the HMS Resolute, a perfectly good ship, and he abandoned. And so he is court-martialed for it. Well, eventually the ice breaks and America goes up and we pull that thing out of the ice and we sail it over to England and we return her in, like, 1850 something or other as a gift. Well, the Resolute is in service for England and, you know, it signifies our gift to England and we say, please forgive us for everything that we've gone through in the past 50, 75 years. We are brothers. The Resolute is a big deal. So when the Resolute is decommissioned, Queen Elizabeth decides, I'm going to take the wood and I'm going to make two desks. I'm going to make one for me and one for the president. This is as significant as France giving us the Statue of Liberty. So she takes this and she makes it into two desks. It's the desk that -- remember little JFK, Jr., he opens up the trap door and he looks, you know, through it? That's the USS Resolute desk. There's only two of them: One with the queen, one with us. FDR put that door there. This is such a historic desk. He put that door there so it would hide his wheelchair so nobody could see his wheelchair. The door is the only place where the seal has the eagle looking down at the arrows instead of the olive branches, okay?
So what does Gordon Brown do? He comes to meet with the president and he gives him a set of pens made from the wood of the USS Resolute to match the desk that should be in a museum. He gives him a matching set of pens. Barack Obama hands him a basket -- I'm not kidding you, hands him a basket of DVDs that he can't play. Mrs. Brown has children's clothing from, like, the best designer in England, you know, all fit the kids. Michelle Obama goes downstairs, grabs a couple of boxes of Marine One helicopter models and gives them to Mrs. Brown: "Here, this is for you." As bad as this is -- because what this shows is either the disdain of the Obamas for England, and I don't know which one's worse, the disdain of England from the Obamas, and you should see -- Michelle Obama, what she has written about England, you know, they were just, they were the linchpin of the slave trade. She has real disdain for them, at least she did when she wrote her term paper. It may be just that, that she hates white England. I'm not sure. But let's give her the benefit of the doubt and let's say they don't hate England. It shows the arrogance. We have people in the State Department, this is all they do is come up with gifts. The arrogance of this administration. They are obviously not listening to the State Department on something this important as a gift. And the worst part of it is the bust of Winston Churchill, there are two of these. England's working in twos: The HMS Resolute desk and the bust of Winston Churchill. This is the most famous bust of Winston Churchill. England gave this bust to the president for the White House right after 9/11 as a sign of standing together: We will stand together united as one. They gave us this historic bust of Churchill. It has been sitting in the oval office since 9/11. Barack Obama says we're going to box this back up and you guys can take it home with you. Gordon Brown says, "No, no, no. Mr. President, that was a gift from the people of Englan d after 9/11. If you want to keep that in one of your museums, you may keep it in one of your museums but please, no, no, that was a gift. That wasn't to borrow. We didn't just lend that out to you. That's a gift from us." He said, "No, that's okay. We don't want it." And he's sending the bust of Winston Churchill back to England. The people of England are going crazy and they're going crazy because our press hasn't even reported on this. What is this guy doing? --

So here we are with a president who has lived a life of priviledge at others expense for his entire existance. He's a marxist socialist who would like nothing more than to have more control and power than any president in U.S. history. Frankly the guy scares me. There is nothing to suggest that he won't try to deliver on every single one of his socialist programs and we will all pay for in the years to come. Sorry, back to the point. Why would the world have wanted Obama as president for us? They all showed overwhelming support for him during the election. I bet they are feeling just as miffed as all those who voted for him on election day, especially now the people of Great Britain. Let the Obama anthem sooth your weary soul. Hope and Change, Hope and Change people!

Proposition 8

You can't ignore it. It's all over the news and in many of our back yards. The Gay rights rallies have turned malignant and the "true colors" are coming out. I have quite a few problems with how gays are handling the democratic process that our country was founded on.

1. Their argument that they don't have as many rights as straight couples is absolutely false. They have all of the rights bestowed upon straight couples since the advent of civil unions. They want to argue over the word marriage which for many of us is a sacred institution between a man and a woman. They've come up with all kinds of words for their lifestyle, why not just come up with a word to replace marriage for them? The fact that they can't call it marriage is NOT unconstitutional and in no way violates any of their rights.

2. Obviously the people of California and elsewhere for that matter don't want to change the definition of marriage. It's been voted down on more than one occasion. That leads me to my next complaint. Why do 4 Supreme Court Judges have the right to overturn the votes of millions of votes by good Americans? Seems like the people have spoken... again and again. What more is there to settle?

3. If we don't support the Gay position why are we seen as bigots and haters? Would that then conversely make them bigots and haters for not supporting our views? By their logic that would seem to be the case. We don't want to have their agenda imposed on us and our children. Can they respect that? Where is their tolerance? If they want love and peace so bad why do they deface public property and yell obscenities at passers-by? Since when does the average American have to accept something that goes against their personal moral code and ethics?

Let me be very clear. There are those on both sides that are very hateful and spiteful. That needs to stop. That being said, when the democratic process fails to bring about the desired results we shouldn't begin to spread hate and anger over it. Our country was built on a solid foundation laid before us by our forefathers. One that allows the voice of the people to be heard, not for the Judicial system to allow persons to sit upon their thrones and act as Gods. It is clear to me that the voice of the people has indeed been heard and I'm proud of the fact that people will still stand up for their values in a day when it is rapidly becoming unpopular. Stay the course and let not your hearts be troubled. Proper judgment will be meted out in due time.

Welcome to the "Nanny State"

I better blog right now while this is fresh on my mind and in my heart. To say I am disappointed at the citizens of the United States of America would be an understatement. Obama is our new president elect and there's nothing more I can do about it. Democrats rule the Senate and the House as well. The last time this happened briefly was during the first couple of years of Clinton and that didn't work out so well. Remember his health plan?

I'm trying my best to keep focused on something particular. I guess what disappoints me most about our nations choice is that apparently rhetoric and flowery speech are the order of the day. That questionable character and policies take a backseat to oratorial eloquence. I was always under the impression that my America consisted of more conservatives than liberals and I think this is still true. I believe Obama (with the help of the liberal elite media) was able to sway voters and put them in under an almost hypnotic spell– a hollow promise of "Change." We'll get change alright, but it's not going to be change in the right direction. Get ready for second rate health care and socialist redistributist economic policies that will run small to average sized businesses into the ground. I'll give his campaign managers credit, it was almost flawlessly run, much more so than the McCain campaign which seemed to lack real focus.

I can't get rid of the pit in my stomach that has been induced by the outcome of this race. For my sake and for the sake of my country I sure hope I am wrong about Obama. I hope he is able to make a hard decision for once. It will be easy for him to just go along with his party in passing legislation. I see nothing in his track record or his policies that would reassure me I'm wrong, but all the same I hope I am.

In the end I guess all any of us can do now is continue to live our lives the way we always have and pray that basic freedoms like speech, press and the right to bear arms still exist in their current form 4 long years from now. Pray that God will not smite this country for instituting same-sex marriage and legalized abortions without consequence. No great power has ever been defeated from without, but from within. This is still a great country and I will do anything I can to keep it so. Afterall it is still "We the People."

I'm going to JAIL!

Help bail me out! I will be participating in MDA's lockup on October 29th. Please paste the following link into your browser window and help me raise money for the Muscular Dystrophy Association. Together we can make a difference. Thanks!

https://www.joinmda.org/2008stgeorge/jake

Minersville Adventures

A couple of weekends ago we went up to Minersville to visit family. As usual we had a great time talking and watching the kids play. Put simply Jaron LOVES Minersville! Sometimes he begs us to go so he can "ride horses" or "rope cows". Seriously I don't know where he gets it!

Needless to say, he has to go to the farm at least once each time we go up. The kids also attended the Punkin Days festival on Saturday. They all had a fun time running around with the cousins. I captured some great photos. Here are a few of my favorites:

Are we supposed to eat these round orange things?

At what point does it stop being fun and become work?

At this point he couldn't be happier...

...except maybe right here!

Oh, I almost forgot one thing. We had a heck of a time getting to Minersville. Carmendee threw up in her carseat so we had to pull over and clean her up and then we smashed into what I believe was some sort of hawk (I'll let you judge from the picture).

Stupid bird, almost cracked my windshield! Pulling it off of my windshield wiper was gross enough to get Jessica to run away gagging!

I'm glad that my kids have a place to go where they can run around free and enjoy the small town atmosphere. There really isn't anything else like it. Thanks Mom and Dad and also my brothers and sisters-in-law for providing us with a place to stay and a good time to be had by all.

The Smells of Homesickness

I had an interesting experience riding my motorcycle to work this morning. It was a crisp, cool, overcast morning. As I cruised down the road, the sweet smells of the damp hay fields filled my nostrils. Smells of morning dew and diesel exhaust from a nearby construction site adding to the blend. The thought of early summer mornings on the farm sprung into my head and for a moment I felt a little homesick for it all.

Few things smell better than a fresh hay cube!

I'm sure it seems funny to my family that I would have these thoughts. After all, as far as they are concerned I'm a converted city boy. Truth be told however, I'm probably not as sold on city living as they may suspect. Sure I like the convenience of it, but I still have solid roots in Minersville; that part will never change. Besides, a part of my heart will always be wherever my family is. That's just how it works.

Proud to be from Minersville

And so for a moment I was pleased to take a stroll down memory lane and remember just how good it felt to be a hardworking farm boy with little care of traffic and billboards.

Da Bears are Frustrating

Anyone that knows me is well aware that I am a dyed in the wool hardcore Chicago Bears fan. It's been a pretty rough two decades since 1985 aside from the super bowl appearance of two years ago. This year after an impressive and unexpected victory over the Indianapolis Colts my hopes were soaring. The defense looked like vintage Bears D and they had a running game again! Orton didn't make mistakes and everything seemed to be chipper. That is until they take consecutive 2 score leads into the 4th quarter and blow it 2 games in a row! Are you flippin' kidding me!? Don't turn the ball over and you win! The formula was pretty simple really. I'm feeling pretty crushed right now. They can still make a run at the playoffs, I mean with any luck and a few different plays and they're 3-0 right now.

Instead I'm left with a sour taste in my mouth as I witness this great start to the season go up in smoke because of dumb mistakes, (I'm looking at you Olsen and Tillman). But at least Carmendee looks cute in Jaron's old bears shoes.

This was during the Bears vs. Colts game. Need to bring back the lucky booties!

Mission Almost Complete

Hello everyone. You'll notice there are some changes to my blog. I'm not done yet but this is a good start I think. It's a little more personal. I wanted it to reflect who I really am. I'll have a more interesting blog post coming but for now let me know what you think of the new look! – OUT

Profile update coming soon

I've decided it's time to update my profile. I've got a new look going on these days and it just isn't nice to be misleading by displaying an old image of how I looked over a year ago and not how I look now. Also, I'll try and think of something witty to say for it. My wits have nearly abandoned me as of late as my work load has escalated (great thing by the way).

I just want to comment briefly about my family. My kids really seem to be growing like weeds. Jaron is speaking better and better each day. I can actually make out what he's saying most of the time now! I can even carry on a conversation sometimes when I can get his attention for longer than a nanosecond. Carmendee has yet to stride out in what I would call a legitimate crawl but that doesn't mean she can't get around. It's kind of hard to explain, but she goes from one side of the room to the other in a matter of minutes. I'm sure it will be soon. I'm just glad that my kids are happy to see me when I get home.

Jess will likely be going back to work soon. I didn't want for this to happen but I guess sometimes you've got to do what you've got to do. Hopefully this will be a very temporary thing. I've got some exciting business propositions starting to take form that will take very good care of my family. All things in good time I suppose. I feel at peace about my decisions career-wise so I'm sure things will continue to get better. Flitch has done about as well as I could have expected up to this point and we've got some great things going on internally.

I had to give mention to one of the best movies to come out in years

Hope you enjoyed this little update. Oh, and I went to see "The Dark Knight" the other day – best movie of the year hands down. Probably of the last few years even. It's in theaters for a little longer and I would suggest you go see it as soon as possible. Movies like this don't come along very often. Don't miss it when you had the chance. – OUT

A Sigh of Relief

For those of you who may not have received an email from Flitch Creative telling you that our new website has officially launched, allow me to tell you now. I realize that there are bugs and things but it still feels nice to have it up and running. We will be making tweaks in the meantime. It took a little longer to finish because frankly I would rather work on our customers jobs than our own in house projects. Several late night returns to the office later and it's now launched! Go to www.flitchcreative.com to check it out. Be sure to give us your feedback. We always appreciate that.

On an unrelated note, the slow migration of my muscles to my midriff in the form of flab has finally motivated me to do something about it. I've had a Bowflex for around 2 years now and have used it about 1 month of that time. Pretty pathetic I know. I also have Wii Fit which believe it or not can really help you tone up. I've neglected my body for some 5 years now and it's time to try and undo some of nature's handiwork. It starts tonight. I'm going to be honest, I'm not particularly excited to do work on the bowflex. After all it IS still work. I'll have to change my entire daily routine in order to not slip up. I'm not willing to give up tasty food and snacks so I will have to go the exercise route.

On second thought I could have a great set of moobs

Jessica was diligent in getting back to her healthy weight after having two kids in less than two years so she is my inspiration. I have no such excuse. In a few months I'll try to remember to post before and after pictures. I'll make sure and have slumping posture, nasty teeth, and a grumpy disposition for my before shot. For the after shot I plan on great posture, a months worth of Crest white strips, and a big cheesy grin. Maybe I'll be featured in a BowFlex commercial! Enough talking, now it's time to DO WORK! Later.