Entry for Monday 3/21/05

For what its worth, you've got to love the suspense that comes with the NCAA men's tournament. I mean, even the NFL is a bit more predictable with games. I think that one of the great things about a sport are the fact that you can't predict an outcome (In most cases). I haven't watched a single regular season NCAA basketball game this year, yet I can still find it fun to turn on the tv at any time during the tournament and watch. What is also good, is that you can tune into the 2nd half of a game and still get in a good hour of basketball.

I realized that I was definitely a geek when I found myself actually reading sections of a reference book on Structured Query Language this weekend. Oh well.

I'm finding that when your own child is sick, its not as gross as it would be if it were someone else. My daughter can spit up on me, blow her nose on my shirt, or do whatever and it doesn't bother me. It just seems different when its your baby. Note that I mean "MY" baby. I would be totally grossed out if another baby did that to me. Okay, I'm weird.

Nevermind, I'm off the fence.

I wrote my last entry on the eve of doing the necessary research on the benefits of buying an Imac Mini. After reading several very informative articles, I've been convinced that this sort of investment would serve no good purpose. Being a long-dedicated PC user, I think that it would be too much of a hassle to add a new platform. Particuarly when you consider the up-front costs of using a Mac. And while there are certainly benefits to computing in a Mac world. None of them are great enough to cause me to buy a new computer that would give me essentially the same use that I get now out of my PC. So, if Apple wants my business, they are going to have to try harder.

Sick and on the Apple Fence.

I just got over probably one of the worst sicknesses that I can remember. Let's just say that it was a 24-hour stomach bug that rendered me utterly useless for an entire day. Just making it to the bathroom was an adventure I had to mentally and physically plan for.

Okay, Okay, I'm starting to get curious. You see, there may be an opportunity coming up where I might have the option of spending some money. Thanks to my friends, curiosity in the Mac Computer world is starting to take hold. I'd be the first to admit that I'm not an excited follower of Apple, nor do I know or even care much about IPods or Steve Jobs, etc. I'm just curious. I'd only be interested in laying down a little cash for an IMac Mini if anything. Just to test it out. The real question is whether or not it would be a worthy investment. Perhaps fear of liking it more than the PC might drive me away from my current comfort in the PC platform? Also the reality that Mac ownership might prove to be a more expensive long-term investment? Whatever the case, the answer will be decided by an approaching financial opportunity.

Notes for Monday

Have you ever come into a Monday feeling really revitalized by your weekend, and then when somebody asks you waht you did this past weekend, you find that you haven't the faintest clue? That happened to me today. I remember that I enjoyed my weekend, but I faintly remember the details. Weird. I must be getting old or something.

I'm finding that I have a weird sense of happiness if I get to dress the baby. I don't know why. I never volunteer really. I don't find it easy to dress babies. They wiggle and squirm too much, and sometimes they just scream in your face the whole time. But for some reason if I get to dress Audrey, and somebody comments on how cute her outfit is, it really makes me proud. Go figure.

Our new pastor is really cool. In fact, I'm finding that our church is really cool. I would have to say that a month ago, I wasn't really excited about being a member of Wheatland. But I guess the more involved I get with it, the better it makes me feel. I always have felt that the more involved you are in something, the more you can feel like you are a part of it. I would 100 percent agree with that notion and church, aside from the theological and practical benefits.

The Futile Path to Destruction

This article makes me laugh. Its so obvious that AOL is doomed. Let's examine, in my opinion, why AOL is on its way out:

First, AOL came about at the dawn of the internet browsing age, when connecting to the internet and using E-mail was a chore so large, nobody would dare try anything else. Now we have people checking E-mail on their watches, and surfing the web on their mobile phones. If they can do that without much help, then I'm afraid that most people have no real need for internet access and E-mail assistance from AOL

Second, notice that I said, "most people". There still are a chunk of people out there who know nothing about the internet and E-mail. I call them Senior Citizens. Half of them don't want anything to do with a computer, the other half will only use AOL because its easy, and they like everything done for them without hassle. Well, we all know that old people will eventually die. When they do, I'm pretty sure that most of AOL's market will die with them.

Lastly, we have the nontechnical fan base. These are your average "I don't know or care how it works" computer users. These kinds of people will probably always be around, but as our generations learn at a quicker pace, the number of these types of users will steadily decline. Let's face it, even most computer experts agree that their teenage son knows more about computers than they do these days. Once those Generations grow up and start taking over, AOL will be doomed.

Why do I not like AOL? Mainly because their business strategy to charge extremely high prices for slower-than-my-grandma dial-up service is absurd. Also the fact that their software is designed to infiltrate your computer and never leave again, and their subscription cancellation staff does nothing more than harass you when you try to cancel. Add to that the fact that their dumbed-down approach to the internet is keeping millions in the dark about how to easily connect to the internet on their own, and I think I've made my point. AOL STINKS!!!

Quality Time

This past weekend I got the opportunity to spend some quality time with some good friends of mine. I realize that as time goes by, good friendships are the ones that stay strong through the test of time. The visit was great, and I look forward to future opportunities to meet up again. I know that this sounds discreet but it is for reasons. Anyways, just wanted to "hollah back to my peeps" for the fun weekend.

In other news, Meg finished up her part-time job for Hope International. She's a full-time mommy once again. I'm pretty glad about this. Part of the reason we moved up here was so that we could invest the time into our new family. I also like the knowledge that our baby girl gets to grow up learning how to be a great woman from Meg's example.

Lastly, Meg and I sat down the other day and planned out the calendar for the coming year. Its exciting to see that we'll be visiting more of my family this year than in prior years. I look forward watching Audrey get to know them. I only hope we can manage to afford the trips. We average about 100 dollars spent each time we go up, and that assumes spending just 25 after two fill-ups and toll fares. Yikes!