WHO ARE YOU?!!?

I've got this neat little tool that tells me about all of my blog visitors. It tells me the IP address of your internet connection and the city (sometimes accurate) where you are. The only thing - it doesn't identify you!

I'm curious to see who the blurkers are, I've got two of you from Texas that I have NO clue who you are, and it's driving me nuts! So I'm asking everyone who frequents the crazy ramblings of my mind to leave a comment (For those who don't know, the comment link is below each blog post - if you're not reading the comments of the blogs you visit, you're missing out on what makes blogging so addictive). Drop my a comment and tell me who you are and what city you're from. I Would love to know the name behind the IP addresses.

It's a contagious post I guess

Okay, me too. Call me a copycat. Take my quiz. Have fun. Good luck. Blah-de-blah.

ooops... I clicked the wrong answer for question that asks about where I got married. The correct answer is C - a Tobacco store. We got married at the Chapel of Love in Hot Springs, which has been sold and converted into a tobacco store... I guess my marriage is up in smoke!

HEMI's back on patrol?

Melissa, the trip's and I were on our way to Little Rock for "Boo at the Zoo" yesterday when something caught my eye on I-530 between Pine Bluff and Little Rock. I thought to myself, "that's a white car driving really fast coming from the other way, but it's not shaped like a police car." But I couldn't have been more mistaken! What was driving south at a high rate of speed, obviously about to scare the heebie-jeebies out of some unsuspecting motorist who passively saw the make and model of the car thinking the same thing I thought was the newest weapon in the Arkansas State Police's fleet!

Here's the now identified - unidentified flying object (he was moving pretty quick):
The Arkansas State Police website has a news article about this new beast of a cruiser.

Almost makes me want to mash the gas pedal just so I can get a chance to ask:
"Officer, does that thing got a HEMI in it?"

finally!

Finally, Melissa has begun blogging! Check out her new blog, send your wives and concubines there and welcome her to the world of blogging!

Goose-Stepping North Koreans

Okay, am I the only one who is reminded of this clip of John Cleese on the Brit-Com "Fawlty Towers" everytime the news shows the North Korean army doing the "goose-step" march? For more about the goose-step and it's origin, see this article by Mark Scheffler at Slate.com

A new experience...

Sushi... most people who have never had it, or are stuck on a "meat and taters" diet all cringe at the sound of its name. I have to admit, until recently, the thought of venturing into even taking a bite was nowhere near appetizing to me. Yet after hearing people talk about how good it is, my curiosity has gotten the best of me. I mentioned this a few days ago to my good friend, Jim Whaley, who is completely into the sushi craze, and he said he'd let me know next time some came his way.

Well, my phone rang today about 3 minutes after clocking out for lunch. It was my good friend and local caffeine pusher, Jim Whaley informing that Angela Wegley had just arrived with some fresh sushi rolls, and there was enough extra for me to get my feet wet in this new experience. So, steered my car (still available - just FYI) towards Dad's Place.

I have to say, I didn't expect sushi to taste like it did. I truly expected it to taste like, well, seaweed and fish. It was nowhere near what I expected. It was actually really flavorful and I'm thinking "I can do sushi!" Second bite, with Jim and Angela closely watching (like a couple of drug dealers getting me stoned for the first time), I tried it with the wasabi. HOLY FREAKIN COW! (That's actually what I said, but it sounded more like "HOHWY FWEAGHEN HCOW." I've had hot stuff in my mouth before, but this was like none other. I don't remember feeling the heat on my tongue. It went straight to my sinuses. My next thought: "How deep into hell does one have to go to get this ingredient that makes your nose feel like it's turning inside out and slapping you in the face?" Then, just as the tears and snot were about to gush, and I'm thinking "how do I make it stop," the heat is gone. Next words out of my mouth: "Chad's gotta try this!"

Enter the youth pastor from my church, the Right Reverand Chad L Murphy. I immediately dialed my cell phone. Chad answers. "Chad, you've gotta come over to Dad's Place. I've got something here you have got to try!" He was there in 5 minutes. Watching this "beans, deer meat, and potatoes" youth pastor try sushi was funny enough. What was real funny was his polite restraint, knowing that the one who made the sushi rolls and wasabi was at the table with him. You could tell he really wasn't much of a fan. His only comment" "it has a 'clean' taste to it." Then comes the wasabi. The look on that guy's face was PRICELESS! Even funnier: he wouldn't just chew and swallow. He just slowly chewed, making each chew reveal more wasabi - it lasted forever for him!

So, what does Chad do? Let's just say we had a very unique pre-service youth stunt tonight involving two teenagers, two spoons and WASABI!

Thank you Jim Whaley and Angela Wegley for breaking me into the sushi experience today. I'll never be the same (allergies are gone at least!).

For Sale or Trade

After driving cars and minivans all my life, I believe it's time to boost my testostrone levels a little bit and buy a truck. In order to make this happen, I need to sell my car (or trade with someone who has what I'm looking for).

I have for sale a 2001 Buick Century. The car has a 3100 v-6 engnine, automatic transmission, power windows, power doorlocks, keyless entry, am/fm/cassette, and is clean inside and out. It has new tires all around (like 2 months old), and drives like a dream. It does have 141,000 miles on it, but they are mostly highway miles, and there are no known problems mechanically. I took it on a 800 mile trip a couple of weeks ago, and it did great - actually got 31 mpg! I don't have an actual picture. The only thing different from the car pictured is that it's gold in color. I'm asking $4,200 or would do a trade if the interested party has a truck I would like of equal value.

So if any of you know somone who would be interested, send them my way, or send me an email: tj.computergeek at gmail dot com (phonetically spelled to curb spamming).

Help me understand something...

UPDATE ON MY COMMUNITY CENTER RANT....
I have read some great comments since posting my thoughts on the community center. When I posted, I stated my opinions against the project - but I have the desire to understand why we would need a building that seems to me and many others like overkill at this time. A very good comment that helps to bring people like me on balance with this matter, thus helping to bring clarity is found on the Monticello Live page. Click here to go to Rick Hales' comment in support of the new community center. He helps people like me, who are not business people to understand how something like this may be a helpful thing. After reading his and other comments, I'm now leaning from "dead set against it for now" to more of a cautious opinion of the facility.

I'm not sure of any answers that would bring jobs to the city right away. Infrastructure that would support such incoming industry and jobs is definitely needed, and maybe a community center is part of that needed infrastructure. Sorry if, in my naivity I seemed to be rebuking "elders" in community leadership on things I'm not as well educated on. This subject is of such interest to so many in a community like Monticello - it's hard not to jump on a bandwagon of extreme doubt or just the opposite. It would be great to hear some ideas (I'm sure the MEDC would like to hear them as well) on what some of you reading this think would help bring in industry and much-needed jobs.

I do have an idea that I will forward to the MEDC on what could be a more economical means to providing a quality community center (unless it's already been ruled out). Grove, Oklahoma has converted their local old Wal-Mart building into a classy-looking (doesn't look like an old Wal-Mart) community center that serves the same purpose of the one that the MEDC is proposing. I don't see why it couldn't be done for half of what is being proposed.

So, I'm not all that negative. Maybe next big post, I'll post something where we'll all drink a Dad's Place drink and sing Kum-By-Yah together!

Original Post:
I was on the new MonticelloLive website today (by the way, go there, comment on something, and say I sent you so I can have a chance at winning a nice IPod). I ran into an article that got me going on one of my soapboxes again. So if you don't like soapboxers (if there's such a term to describe someone who frequently gets on a soapbox), just click on a link to the right. Go to Google and do an image search on a fluffy little kitten or something (just turn the family filter on before you do).

The town I live in, be it as wonderful of a town as it is, has a commission called the Monticello Economic Development Commission (MEDC). The concept of MEDC, as I understand it, is a commission that will provide an inviting atmosphere for new business and industry to make the town more competitive. It's a great idea having a commission that has the primary goal to help stir up the economy of the city. I have no problem with that. I do have a problem with the decisions being made by these otherwise incredible business people. The names of those who sit on the commission that I've heard have very successful businesses, and as far as I know they are sharp, forward thinking people. However, when they built the new Industrial Park and the MEDC Spec building (who knows what that's for?) on Hwy 35 East, then designated an area 3 or 4 miles WEST of town on 278; and when I read today about the proposal to build a $6 million, 3,000-seat community center - I'm saying, "For What?!!!"

Somebody needs to do some talking before I agree to shell out another penny of sales tax to pay for what seems to be bad planning. Not being a very long-term resident of Monticello, I still like to be involved and supportive of the various facets of what's going on here. Yet, when the MEDC proposes to build a facility for $6 million before presenting a real need for it, there's something wrong. It would be a nice place for concerts, conferences, and other big events, but will it really be worth having? Or, would funneling that $6 million into some marketing and real planning to make Monticello an inviting place for industry that will in turn bring in well-paying jobs (not these $7/hr jobs that seem to impoverish the town already) be the right thing to do? I made a point in my comment on the MonticelloLive story about this already. A 3,000-seat conference center is not going to draw any permanent growth. It may bring in visitors, but not industry, jobs, and residents.

I'm for a nice community center like the one they're proposing, but only when there will be enough people with jobs who can afford to support the use of it.

Being in church ministry (yeah, I have to bring that up again), I've seen churches that will have a 150-seat auditorium (albeit outdated), 100 attendees (and not showing a trend of growth), and can barely pay their poor pastor decide to build a brand new 500 seat auditorium (hypothetical numbers so nobody thinks I'm picking on their particular building projects, but you get the idea). For what?!! The one they have isn't even full! Yet, instead of directing the money to bring their pastor out of poverty, doing some real outreach to hurting people (what a concept!), or building on to accomodate things that are of greater immediate need, they build something new an pretty hoping it will draw people (usually more people from other churches) into their church.

New buildings, whether they be community centers or church buildings are nice. But please, commission directors, city council members, church boards, building committees - Think about the real needs of your community/organization first. Let's keep our priorities straight and get down to what is more important.

Now, I gotta run - I need to go shop for a bigger, faster super-gaming computer to surf the web and access my blog with!

One-way Political Correctness

I was getting ready to go to sleep last night, and I thought I'd take one more trip around the dial (you channel surfers know what I'm talking about). I stopped on CNN Headline News just in time to catch the Glenn Beck Show. Click here to go to CNN's site for a transcript of the beginning of last night's show. I can't do what he said justice by giving my take on his statements on what I call one-way political correctness - you'll have to read them for yourself.

I are smarter than I thought

Check it out... Mark W. has an IQ thing on his blog, so I clicked on it. I then took the test. Here's the result:

No wonder gas prices are so high!

Click here to see Glenn Beck's take on why gas is so stinking expensive.