Scripting Class

This quarter is down to just two more weeks so I thought I'd show you what I've been doing in my web class. My first project was to build a bio page. A page that is simply about me. What we are doing is designing a page in photoshop so that it looks like a website and then making this page into a website using dreamweaver. This was my first design. Think website now. A home page website usually don't have a honking load of text. All you need is just something short, sweet and to the point. We put these on a projector and then we have to get in front of the class and talk about what we are doing and why. My next assignment was to redo my page to make it more about me.
It was thought of by one student to somehow show something about all the hobbies I listed. If you can't read the text on my bio page then it says: My hobbies include motocross, photography, videography and computers. So I changed one of my hobbies from computers to music and then made a collage picture of all of those so you could actually see my hobbies. The point here was bringing out my hands and fingers on all of these to show that they are responsible for my creativity.
After I made the collage picture I went to work on my new bio page and this is what I come up with. I decided to go with a whole new different look and got a much better response from my instructor and the students.

The rest is pretty much history. After the first page was completed our next assignment was to design the rest of the pages like you would see them if this was a website. The design below would be my gallery page.
My links page.
My search page.
and my contact page.

Call me crazy...

Ever wondered how long a bottle of shampoo last. Well it doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure out that the more hair you have the faster it goes right? Of course it does. For those of you that know me know that I have nothing but peach fuzz on my noggin. So a bottle of shampoo last a really long time. In fact, the shampoo I'm using now is the same one I've used for a few years now. I have to say though, I bought a huge bottle. Well, this may seem a little strange to you but I've been thinking about doing something like this for a while now.... just for kicks and giggles. I am going to get me a new bottle and document how long it really takes to go through a bottle of shampoo. Once I get my new bottle I'll post it here and then the countdown will be on. When it's all over with I'll tally up all the days from start to finish and post again. For those of you that really know me will know that I use to have really long hair... mullet style... bleach blonde. I found a prom picture not long ago so whenever I kickoff my shampoo crusade, I'll post a before and after picture for your kicks and giggles. . Call me crazy but I get to missing my bleach blonde long hair sometimes. Stay tuned for the kickoff date. I'll probably start in the next week or two.

Memorial Day Weekend

I am a little late posting this but once again... better late than never. Before I get started on this story I would like tip my hat and give a salute to all in the military. Whether you're still active or a retired veteran I want to say thank you so much for all that you do and for the price that our military continues to pay for our freedom. I was wanting to write a story about this but I read something that a good friend of mine wrote and thought...wow... this is perfect. So I asked him if I could post it here since it was such a good story. This was wrote by Clint Neeley who is serving duty over in Iraq.

Clint Neeley wrote:

Well, here I am laying here in my bed in Iraq! I would have never thought in a million years that I would be where I am today. This is probably one of the greatest experiences in my life....if not the greatest. For you that don't know what my job consist of I'll fill you in. I convoy out to Iraqi police stations with a Army military MP company. I train, mentor and advise Iraqi police officers. Most of the guys on my team are between the ages of 19-22 years old. These guys are basically my security team. They drive us out to the stations and provide security for us while we are there. That's there job. I'm sure that's not what they signed up for, but they do it anyways. I have much respect for these young kids. They are serving there country with pride. Do they complain...yes they do at times. You try leaving your family in the US for 15 months and only getting to see them for 18 days out of those 15 months, you would complain some too. Try living in the conditions some of them have to live in. Peeing in a tube that goes into the ground. Doing the #2 in a plastic bag and then someone burns it in a barrel every few days. Taking a bath with bottled water. Most of them have had friends that have been blown up by IED's "road side bombs". But they continue to do what they signed up to do....serve there country. This country of Iraq has improved by leaps and bounds compared to 5-6 years ago. And why, because of our men and women in uniform. Most of America just don't know how good they have it. And yes that includes most of you who are reading this bulletin. To be able to go to the local wal-mart and shop and not have to worry about a suicide vest bomber wanting to kill as many people as possible walking into the store. Being able to drive down the road and not have to be worried about a parked car being packed full of explosives blowing you up. But not all Iraqi people are bad people. Most of them would give you the shirt off there back. They are a very generous and very giving people. The Iraqi people are finally seeing that we are here to help them. If you were in the same position these Iraqi people are in, you would want the help also. I thank God that he has given me this opportunity. This experience has been life changing for me. I thank God for our men and women in uniform....past and present.


Thanks so much Clint. I think you said it all.

Clint also has a myspace page at www.myspace.com/hamletheat where you can check out some pictures of Iraq and his family back home.

Thanks again Clint for letting me post your story.

3rd quarter of school

Do you realize that my 3rd quarter in school is almost over. Man this quarter has gone super fast. It seems like I just started about a month ago. Get this, after this quarter is over I will have a month off from school. This quarter has been much better for me than my 2nd. Instead of taking 3 classes a week I am taking 2 so that alone is weight off my shoulders and to go along with that, my classes seem to be more like studio work instead of having to go out and film. Not to mention what that would do to my wallet since gas prices are though the roof. However, I am really excited to be in school learning something I have a passion for and I hope the near future will give way to everything I hope to excel in.

Don't open that email

How many times have we heard..."If you get an email and you don't know who its from, it's best not to open". You never know if there is a virus attached to that email so why take the chance. We've also even heard about all the different kinds of scam and how people try to get you to give them important information whether by phone or an email scam.

For the last two or three months I have been getting emails from all kinds of weird names. Once I got home from work today and checked my email, I noticed this in my inbox. The name was... mohammedduko3... and in the subject box was... CONTACT HIM NOW.
Take a look at that stupid name. I rest my case.

It always makes me wonder how in the world they get your email address. I wish I was a genius with computers so I could trace where these emails originate from and find out who was behind all of this. Ever since I was a kid, I've been fascinated with detective work and other kinds of investigations.
I'm gonna run off on a little tangent here but first let me ask you a question. I think we all desire to have some type of special power deep down inside of us and if you could have just one... what would it be? I would love to get some feed back on this. If you leave a comment here or even email me about it, I'll even post it here.

If I could have any special power I wanted... I would love to be able to turn myself invisible when I wanted but most of all... I would love to be able to go back in time and try to solve crime mysteries and see the truth of what really happens so I could bring justice to the people that are involved and hope to the people that suffer. There are so many unsolved mysteries in this world from missing children to who killed who that you would never get caught up. I will never forget a few years ago going into Walmart and seeing hundreds of pictures on the wall of missing people. Somewhere out there is an answer... it's just a matter of finding it.

Now what would your special power be if you could have one?

Mothers day

This year for Mothers day, Shelly and I made a trip to Lilesville to spend the day with mom and her crazy dogs and then from there we went down to my brothers house for a Mothers day lunch. It's always good to get back to Lilesville every now and then. As always I like to get several pictures of the crazy but lazy dogs that live ever so great in there tin roof double wide.

After dad healed from his first heart attack he was still adamant about working outside... and since he couldn't do anything physically, he took up wood cutting. Next thing you know... that rascal had a couple of band saws and a couple of sanders. For several years this is what mom and dad would do. Dad would cut out and sand the wood and then mom would paint it. I don't know who originally started it but after awhile there were several families doing this. I can remember seeing tables full of this stuff.

Over the past few weeks I've been having all kinds of dreams. Ever since I was a kid I remember having dreams but this dream is one I would like to share. I've always thought to myself that dreams were like a movie playing in the theater and I'm the only one watching. I use to remember all my dreams really well but these days I seem to forget them before the day gets started. This one however was worthy of my pen and paper before I done anything else.

In this dream... I was at the house here in Lilesville and I seen dad outside cutting some wood. I remember seeing my motocross bike parked under the building behind the house and how it was slightly in dads way. After noticing that I went over and pulled my bike out of his way so he could have more room to finish the wood he was cutting. From that moment on, I remember in my dream... watching him cut that wood like he had done it all his life. Glasses on the edge of his nose while he looks at his work and saw dust all over his hands. I remember all the features about dad were the same as when he was alive. His hair was still comed back and looked like mom had just finished coloring his hair. In this dream... I remember him looking at his finished work and it looked like the back of an expensive wooden dinner chair.

After that everything just faded out and I awoke shortly after. You know, even though this was only a dream, it was so close to his personality. Dad was a genius at everything he done. Especially at being a parent to me. Happy Mothers Day mom. I'd like to dedicate these stories to you. Thanks for being who you are and I love you.

Brian

Pics from Moms house

When I bought BJ the Boston Terrier for mom, he was a sweet loving dog. Now that he has grown up with Rambo the Jack Russel, he has become wild and crazy just like Rambo.
I dunno what has happened to this dog... he use to be so ragged, bouncing all over the place, now all he wants is a belly rub.

This is what they do all day long. One minute they love each other... next minute they're growling at each other.
Ever heard the phrase... I heard it through the grapevine. Let me say that these grapevines here hold the key to all kinds of gossip. About 3 years ago, I trimmed all around this grapevine because of vines everywhere. When grapes ripen on this vine, they come out full throttle. I have seen many people leave with 5 gallon buckets almost full and that still didn't make a dent. Anybody from my family will tell you that we spent many evenings picking grapes from this vine.

Mom always gets compliments on this big explosion of flowers. There were countless flowers just waiting to bloom.



I think this little snapping dragon is a little confused!! Looks like it should be growing from the vase... all joking aside this snapping dragon is growing all on it's on. Weird huh!

More pics from Lilesville

I remember going to eat here right after working my 3rd shift job. The year was 1994 and I was fresh out of high school. Me and some of the guys I worked with would go in and order cheeseburgers while everybody else was eating grits and eggs. I even knew the folks that owned the place. The Lilesville Cafe served breakfast and lunch only. I have been in this place many times and the food was always good.For many years Lilesville was nothing more than sand and gravel mines. Almost every corner has this blue colored water that springs up once the draglines reach a certain depth. There is no telling when these places were mined. Way before I was born... and that was 1975.

Anybody who was anybody in Lilesville probably has a ton of memories here. This is the old Buddy Goodwin store. You don't find many stores like this one anymore. I remember dad and I would stop in after a day of hunting to grab a coke and crackers. No hidden cameras, no power ball, no monster energy drinks... none of that. The one thing they did have though were two pool tables and a jukebox in the back. If there are anymore places like this around they are few a far between.
This little hut is where I got my hair cut or trimed would be a better word. It looks as if someone is restoring this little building. The lady's name that owned the place was Pearl... same as dads. I will never forget dad walking in with me and hearing the two of them say.. Hey Pearl... Hey Pearl... then a smile from ear to ear would shine on dads face. Dad was a charm around all the ladies...

In the back ground ( which you can't see) is an old house that was used for a haunted house during Halloween.
When I was in junior high school, I remember the bus stopping here to pick up a guy that my cousin Sean and I called buck tooth Kevin. Yeah I know... we would be shot these days.... he knew we were only picking and we knew when to stop. He was quite a bit bigger then we were but his teeth were kinda messed up in front. It's kinda hard to think that people lived here by the way it looks now.
You know...I have always wanted to go inside these buildings. I can remember wondering as a kid just what in the heck was in there.

Happy Birthday to my Shelly-button

First and foremost... Happy birthday to my wonder wife which was Tuesday May 13th. For this time around I done things a little different. For a present I ordered a book with some of my pictures I've taken over the past 18 months and for another surprise I bought five cards that I thought were appropriate and simply put them in her path. I put one in her make up box, one under her clothes she laid out for work and one in the steering wheel of her truck. I gave another card with the book and then for the last card I put on the bed pillow so she would see it when she goes to bed. I wanted to make sure she was surprised when she got up in the morning all the way to bedtime. I have learned that you don't have to buy something big and grand, but the little things with thought and effort is what will go the distance every time.

Better late than never

If there is one thing I've learned about writing, it's that your always writing about something that's already happened. It makes a lot of sense too. However, there are times when I write about things that have not happened and that's when my imagination has to kick in but for the most part, writers tend to write about events that have already taken place. For me, I have my hand in so many candy jars, I can't seem to get one thing finished before I start on something else. I have stories archived in my notebook that I have been meaning to post for a while now but haven't got around to doing it. When I worked at Vulcan I drove an off-road haul truck and my job was just driving... all day long. While I was waiting to get loaded or waiting dump or any other type of waiting, I would pull out my notebook and write away. It was great for passing by the time since I was there sun-up to sun-down. Once I got home I could follow what I wrote in my notebook and quickly make any necessary changes. Nowadays I seem to go straight to the computer when I want to write. The one problem this leads to is spending hours sitting here trying to figure out how to word everything. I don't want to get into using words where you have to keep a dictionary close by but I don't want it to sound stupid either. Whatever it is I write about, it needs to make sense. I am finding myself going back and reading over stories I've already wrote and finding typos and even sentences that really don't make sense. To be honest, half of the time, I really don't know the proper grammar to use for most of the stories I write. I just write... that's it. I've said this several times before and I'll say it again... To me it's all about capturing the moment and tapping into your emotions. If I can make you laugh, smile, inspired or even shed a tear, then I feel like my writing has been successful. So with that being said, if you find a typo or something doesn't make perfect sense, just do me favor and try to look over it until I get it corrected. If I would've known that I would take up writing later on in life I would've paid a lot more attention while I was in high school.

Mr. Obsevation

When I was out to Walmart the other day getting my woman a hand full of cards (and I do mean a hand full), I noticed something. Also, When I was at Wendy's getting me a chicken sandwich before heading off to school, I made another observation. So now lets turn this around and see how many of you do the same thing.

When you enter the card section of Walmart or wherever you buy your cards, you see one you like and you grab it and give it your reading of approval. As you read through the entire card you find that this card is not what your looking for. Now, as you return the card to it's rightful place, you no longer can find the slot that it was in. It just vanished into thin air didn't it. Come on now, you know you are guilty. I know I am. I hardly ever find the right place when I get a card out to read. Ok then, maybe you can find the right place but I bet before you find it you and that card are swarming around trying to find the right slot like a bumble bee trying to land on a flower.

Next observation, while I was playing JAWS with my #8 combo at Wendy's, I stopped to get me some napkins before I sat down... as we all do. Then as I was sitting there I thought, why in the dadgum world would I get a hand full of napkins and only use about 3 or 4 of them. Ok you know you are guilty of this. We always get a hand full of napkins and wind up using the same napkin a few times before we get a new one. Now don't sit there and tell me that you just take the extra napkins and put them in your vehicle. Maybe once in a blue moon you'll think to do that but the majority of the time we just throw them away.

Gas

I just have one thing to say. Is it just me or does it make you sick to your stomach when you have to fill your vehicle up with gas these days. This is absolutely ridiculous. What are we going to do about it though. We need gas to get back and fourth to work but all the going out to eat and riding around is what will have to slow down and of course any other type of unnecessary traveling. It's depressing if you ask me. Think about it. I'm sure we all have things we love to do that requires driving somewhere. With gas prices through the roof we are having to limit everything... unless you are in the category of people that we call "making the big bucks" or you simple have no concept of money. If you really think about it...gas prices affect almost everything. Just take a look at your next grocery bill. It's really is a shame that our country is in the shape that it's in. If I was going to make any predictions of where our country is headed, I would say that everything is headed corporate. What I'm talking about is the small mom and pop type businesses are gonna be forced to shut down or sell out because they can't compete with the big corporate operations. I've already seen this happen. Even the company my wife works for has been bought out by a much larger operation. I think we will start seeing more of this as time goes on. Places like Walmart, Lowe's etc. will probably survive but you never can tell. We may even see a time where there is only one place to buy clothes, one place to buy hardware, one place for this and one place for that. If we are not careful, this country could turn into chaos.

Well, I said there was only one thing I wanted to say but I tend to get a little carried away when I think about things like this. I don't claim to be Nostradamus next of kin and I really hope I'm completely wrong about all of this. Who knows, only time will give the answers to my predictions or concerns... however you want to look at.

Hooty #2 and friends

Looks like it's lunch time!

Is this guy posing or what!
"Hey look at that bald guy down there pointing something at us"!!!

Ok, I promise I am done with the owl pictures but when we seen hooty #2 come flying in to say hello I thought I'd have to get a shot of this. Shell-bell and I sat outside and watched these goofy owls for several minutes. I don't know if these guys are seeing each other or hunting together or what but I do know this... we shouldn't have any problems with whatever they are hunting because they have our house covered. This shot was taken right outside our front door.

BBunn and the earth

As I awoke from a wonderful night of sleep this morning(Saturday), thoughts of "should I go riding today or should I just stay home"... cluttered my mind. You may already know that motocross is a passion of mine but in the last year or two I have stumbled upon many other hobbies that have developed into a passion. I began to think to myself that this will be my last chance for a while to go riding so if I am gonna ride... then today is the best day. So I loaded up and took off to my favorite track. The weather was nice and most of my riding friends were there too. Every time I take a long break from riding, I am always thinking to myself... just to try and have some fun and don't be so competitive. Motocross is a very physically demanding sport. Most people think all you have to do is twist the throttle and go but it is way more than a twist of the throttle. That's only a part of it. Since I'm in no shape to be cutting hard laps, all I try to do is just do a little riding for fun. My day went as planned except for the last moto of the day. My ribs must be making fun of the ground as it is flying by because every time I crash... my ribs are the ones that take the beating. I didn't get the drive I needed going off a jump and landed a little short. Fortunately, the jumps are perfectly safe for landing short but unfortunately, my front end was pointed down a little too much and when I landed, it just got out of control and bamm... I hit the ground. It knocked me a little koo koo and knocked the breath out of me at the same time. Do I like to crash? Heck no... but those are the risk you take if you want to ride motocross... the highs you get are hard to compare. There are risk in everything you do in life. If you slipped and fell and broke your foot on the way to church, would you quit going to church? It's the same with motocross. I hear it all the time. Don't you think it's about time to put that bike away? I have had some of the best times of my life riding motocross with my friends and I wouldn't change it for nothing. I am so thankful to have a wife that understands what my passions are and in the past when I had my accidents, Shelly was there to help and she has never complained about what I enjoy doing. In fact, she is the one on the sidelines cheering me on. As for this time around I am extremely thankful that it wasn't worse than what it could've been. I am not going to the ER this time... I am just gonna ride it out. I don't know if I have bruised or cracked ribs but it's one or the other. I know what those pains feel like all to well.