Quote From Carl Sagan's Book - The Demon-Haunted World

Humans may crave absolute certainty; they may aspire to it; they may pretend, as partisans of certain religions do, to have attained it. But the history of science-- by far the most successful claim to knowledge accessible to humans-- teaches that the most we can hope for is successive improvement in our understanding, learning from our mistakes, an asymptotic approach to the Universe, but with the proviso that absolute certainty will always elude us.

Sunday - Day for Relaxation

Today was a slow paced day. We had our usual "Big Breakfast" (made some country gravy to go with the eggs - tasted great) and read the paper together. We like to talk about articles we come across while reading various sections of the Sunday paper. Later in the evening we went for a short walk in the neighborhood. We saw our neighbors, Al and Sharon, while we were out, and we ended up visiting with them for over an hour. We had a lot of catching up to do. I still need to take a picture of their cat (Baby Face). Her picture will go on the "Dog Wall of Fame". The only cat to be so honored. Al says that I better hurry, because she's very old and may not be around much longer. I think I'll try to accomplish that task before I take my trip to Louisville. By adding Baby Face's picture I will have seven dog pictures on my wall - and one cat. I'm just about ready to start using a new section of the wall. I hope to hang between twenty and twenty five animal pictures (all 13 by 19's) before the project is complete.

Mickey Takes A Lickin, But Keeps On Tickin

No, this is not another Michael Vick story, about a dog fight. My friend Tim has a dog who goes by the name Mickey D, and he did take a lickin last week - from another dog named Chester. But it was a wet kind of "lickin" - not the fighting kind. Nevertheless, as you can see from the blog picture to the right and at the bottom of the page, Chester got him real good. Seems as though Chester salivates a lot when he licks, hence the wet fur on Mickey's face. Micky D handled it well though, as Chester was just showing folks how friendly Kentucky dogs can be, when they meet a guest visiting all the way from Florida.

Tahoe Picture

Before going into Harvey's at Lake Tahoe, I captured an interesting shot. I like the symmetry and the colors. The picture is at the bottom of the blog page. It was taken with my Sony T-100.

Thoughts on the Blues

I made an interesting discovery on You Tube this week. Rarely do I like one artist's interpretation of another artist composition, especially when it is a classic, and even more so if it is a blues song. That is almost always the case when a young artist tries to outdo a veteran performer. But when I listened to Keith Richards playing a Freddie King classic, Goin Down, I had to acknowledge just how skillful a musician Keith Richards really is. Keith, that "wild and crazy druggie kind of guy", has often lived in the shadow of Mick Jagger, but as most devotees of The Stones know, without Keith - there is no Stones. Of course the same can be said for Jagger, but the one major difference is that Richards is truly and amazing guitarist, as well as a better than adequate singer of the Blues. As you might have deciphered by now, I think Keith Richards version of Goin Down is superior to Freddie King's. That is really saying something, since King is a master in his own right, but it just goes to show how good Keith Richards really can be - as part, or apart, from the Stones. Richards can take a "standard" and make it even better - amazing.Take a listen to the two versions of the song on You Tube and let me know what you think.

Three Months of Exercising

It was three months ago today that I started using my new treadmill. It's been beneficial. My lab test numbers have improved considerably and as a result of the exercise plan, and a change in diet - I've lost fifteen pounds over the three month period. As for exercise goals, I just finished a four mile walk/jog and even though it takes a little over an hour for me to accomplish that distance, I managed to burn off 450 plus calories and 56 plus carbs. That works for me. So...tomorrow I start the second quarter, to reach my goal of one full year of exercising,

Need a Tire Gauge?

If you are anything like me, you've owned at least a few tire gauges over the years. I've lost count as to how many I've bought, just during the last several years. I like to keep our car's tires inflated to the correct pressure, but the problem with all of the gauges that I've owned in the past is that they are hard to use correctly. The gauges that I've purchased have been troublesome, mainly because they never attach to the valve stem well enough so as to not let some air out while you are checking the tire pressure. So, what would have been a perfectly good tire pressure before you checked, now becomes a low pressure reading, because the gauge released air from the tire. Now you have to re inflate the tire - and start all over again! Very frustrating!!!

However, there is a solution. My friend Tom Henry is actually the one who first came across this better mouse trap. He bought his tire gauge at Bookstone - but alas, they no longer carry them. Go figure!! But, after an Internet search, Tom found an identical gauge at a web site called- Get A Gauge. You can see by the picture at the bottom of the blog page that the one Tom purchased from Brookstone (left side of the picture) and the one I purchased from Get A Gauge are the same, except for the color on the face of the gauge. What makes them so special, you ask? The valve attached to the tire gauge fits tight around the tires' valve stem and therefore provides an accurate reading - without causing any air to leak out. That's the difference. It's a simple improvement, but it makes checking a car's tire pressure go much faster and you can accomplish the task without the frustration created by leaky valves. Get A Gauge sells their tire gauge for around twenty five dollars. If you are in the market for a new tire gauge, this one is worth checking out.

Lake Tahoe Pictures Posted to Webshots

The pictures from our recent trip to Lake Tahoe are posted at the following URL:

http://travel.webshots.com/album/560004786PMNTNv?vhost=travel

You can view the pictures as a slide show, by clicking on the "slide show" function which is located at the top right hand corner of the Webshots page.

Embassy Suites Pictures

I took lots of pictures while visiting Lake Tahoe. The Embassy Suites Hotel is very photographic. I've posted some pictures of the Embassy at the bottom of the blog page.

Back From Lake Tahoe

We had a good time at Lake Tahoe. The lodging (Embassy Suites) was restful and they served a nice breakfast (omelets - my favorite). We saw a Magic Show at the Horizon. Although I'm not usually big on seeing magicians, this show was very entertaining. I have no clue as to how they do the illusions, but it is fun to watch. There was some audience participation, with the younger kids often volunteering to participate. Everyone had a good time and I gained a greater appreciation for how magicians do their "magic".

I took lots of pictures and videos with my new camera. I was pleased with the results. I've posted a couple of my shots to the right of the blog page. There are also some larger pictures at the bottom of the page.

Heading to Tahoe

Turning in a little early. We are leaving for Lake Tahoe tomorrow. I plan to take some shots with the Sony T-100 digital camera, while we are in Tahoe. I'll update when we return.

Update from Tom

Tom and Wendy continue to travel in and around Chengdu. Their latest trip took them to Emei Mountain - about a two hour bus ride from their five star hotel. Tom said the hotel, and the area around the hotel, was quite beautiful. However, the weather on the way to the summit of Emei Mountain was very different - wet, colder and somewhat cloudy. As you can see from the pictures posted to the right of the blog page, China has some fascinating tourist attractions.

Magic Show at Lake Tahoe

It's been awhile since I've seen a magic show. The one playing at the Horizon in Lake Tahoe is suppose to be exceptional. The reviews have been favorable and the critics are praising the magicians as being some of the best in recent memory. So, we are looking forward to our trip to Tahoe. We plan to have a nice prime rib dinner prior to the show and afterwards we may try our hand at a little gaming. It will be good to get away. I'm taking the new camera, so I hope to get some interesting pictures while we are there.

Sunday "Big" Breakfast

Every Sunday Nancy and I prepare our "Big" breakfast. On Sundays, we throw the diet stuff out the window - and go for "real" food. Together we fix a delicious breakfast consisting of real eggs, real butter, real bacon, etc. You get the picture. Recently we've added pancakes to the menu - why not?

I have no idea how many calories are in this breakfast - nor do I care. I've yet to remember a Sunday where there was even one crumb left. We like our "Big" breakfast. Pictures are posted to the right and at the bottom of the blog page. Is it Sunday yet?

To see a very short video clip of the "Big" Breakfast, go to the PhotoBucket link below:

http://s178.photobucket.com/albums/w275/jimdaviselkgrove/?action=view&current=131783c2.flv

Casino Royale

Tom left his copy of Casino Royale with me, before he left for China. I just got around to watching it tonight. The new Bond, Daniel Craig, did a good job as 007. Casino Royale, for the most part, follows the formula used to make an exciting Bond movie. It had the fast cars, scenic locations, numerous fights with the bad guys and several plot twists that you would expect when watching a Bond movie. It didn't have quite as many gadgets as in previous movies and Bond actually fell for the girl this time. That's somewhat of a change. Overall though - I give it a thumbs up!

Steven Covey Interview with Glen Beck

It's been some time since I've seen any telecast involving Steven Covey. I attended a lot of Covey workshops when I worked for SCOE. It was interesting to see him, with one his sons, and to hear his responses to Beck's questions about the 7 Habits. Covey does have a religious side - he is a Mormon - and for some that seems to negate the value of his writings on the 7 Habits. I don't tend to look at it that way. I feel you can eclectically pick and choose from the principles, without having to buy in to the whole scene - if you decide that it's not for you. Personally, I place a lot of value on Covey's work and particularly his views on parenting. As an educator, the lack of quality parenting was always an issue when it came to trying to help young people become lifelong learners. Covey's approach, using a family mission statement to try and improve communications within the family, makes a lot of sense.

I thought Beck did a fairly good job of interacting with Covey and his son, but I had hoped that the questioning would be more in depth. Beck, on occasion, can cut away the fluff when interviewing, but this interview lacked some of the more probing type questions that I think would have been interesting to pursue. Maybe next time, Glen?

Exercise Update

Today marks the start of my twelfth week - of using the treadmill. I'm still doing the five day a week schedule. I've increase my exercise time to sixty five minutes a session. Sixty minutes is aerobic level conditioning and the other five minutes involves the warm up and cool down phase. I've managed to lose about fourteen pounds since I started. Part of that can be attributed to the exercising and the other factor is lowering how many calories that I now consume each day. I plan on sticking to the program, if I can maintain the mindset that I need to do it. It does take some discipline to stay with the weekly routine. So... if all goes well, I should make it through the twelfth week. More updates will be forthcoming.

Indoor Shots From Sony T-100

I started checking out my new camera today. The postings to the right are of indoor pictures that were taken at the full 8 mg setting and later re sized for the blog site. I'll be posting more pictures when I get a chance to do some outdoor shots. The video footage that I've taken looks good. I'll post a clip using Photo Bucket - as soon as I find something of interest.

New Camera

I'll soon be shooting some photos and videos with a new camera that I just purchased. I think this one will serve a need that I've been trying to fill. I wanted a compact digital camera that had and eight mega pixel rating, while also providing decent videos. Basically, I wanted a pocket camera with specs that are more common to much larger digital cameras. The other feature that mattered to be was the ability to use the zoom lens while shooting video (with a minimum of 5x). Lastly, I wanted to be able to record to a flash media device and not be arbitrarily limited to the amount of time that I can capture video for each clip (this is of course dependent on the size of the flash card). I'll eventually be doing video in high definition, but currently I could find only one AVCHD camera that saves footage to an SD card (Panasonic). I'm going to wait until after my visit to the 2008 CES to see what will be coming out next year. At this time, editing is still a problem for HD footage (not much good software just yet) and you need a very powerful Vista computer to get the job done. The files can be huge.

So... my choice for now is the Sony DSC T-100. I'll be testing it when we go to Lake Tahoe next week Hopefully, it will get the job done for prints that are as large as 13 by 19. That's asking a lot, but we'll see. I still have my Nikon for 13 by 19's and it does an excellent job, but it is much larger. This should be a fun venture and I'll be posting some pics and videos before too long. If you are interested in a review of the Sony DSC T-100, check out the below web site:

http://reviews.cnet.com/digital-cameras/sony-cyber-shot-dsc/4505-6501_7-32329621.html?tag=prod.txt.1

Tom and Wendy are still doing frequent excursions away from the city of Chengdu. The latest pictures that Tom has shared with me are of sites from their visit to the ancient city of Huanglongxi. China has a wonderful tradition of preserving the past, while also moving the country forward as a significant power in the world marketplace. Somehow the people are able to meld the old and the new so the population identifies with it's beginnings and with the foundation for it's culture, while also evolving and modernizing the society so that it does not become stagnant. Unlike America, their history goes back thousands of years. You can see this in the pictures that Tom has been taking during his visit. Huanglongxi is a good example.

The operative word for the area where I worked for thirty years is "diversity". The south area of Sacramento, and particularly the Florin area, is a very diverse and multicultural community. That was appealing to me, as a educator, and I met many wonderful people during my tenure as an ROP teacher. As I was looking through some photos that I had saved from various work related events - i.e. students at their job sites, vocational fairs, field trips, etc. - I came across one that I snapped right after I pulled in to the Montgomery Ward store on Florin Road. It's a Pinto and a Roller - coexisting in the same parking lot - and parked bumper to bumper. Like I said... lots of diversity in the south area of town. The picture is posted to the right of the page and at the bottom of the blog.

Big Lots has some unique products for sale. We've found items at the Elk Grove store that we couldn't find elsewhere - at least not in the local area. Big Lots usually has very steep discounts, but don't expect to see the same item replenished after it's been sold. There are a few staples that Big Lots carries, but many of the products are clearance items that may not be offered after they run the stock. That's what makes for an interesting shopping experience at Big Lots.

I have been looking to fill a space in the Master Bedroom and I wanted a piece of furniture that could be used for storage. It seems that there is never enough space for storage (or maybe I just need to clear out some more junk?). I decided to buy a chest with particular dimensions, to fit into a rather small space. I found the chest I needed - you can see a picture to the right of the blog and also at the bottom of the blog page - at Big Lots. The chest has a unique look and it was reasonably priced. The other stores in the area did not have a similar product. As mentioned, it's always fun to check for new products at Big Lots. It's even better that you don't have to spend a lot of money when making your purchase.

It's the time of year to plan for some future travel dates. One is coming up in a couple of weeks. Nancy and I decided to visit Lake Tahoe during the month of July. We haven't been to Tahoe for quite a while, so we thought we'd do a midweek stay at the Embassy Suites. We may take in a magic show during our stay and eat at one of the nicer restaurants.

I'll be going back to Louisville in August. It's been three years since my last visit - looking forward to seeing my Louisville friends. As usual, I'll be attending the State Fair.

I've already made my travel arrangements for CES in January. It's best to start your bookings early for CES - hotels and events fill up fast. Mr. Beales has indicated that he will be going, but I don't know about the other guys. Paul Carter will need approval from his principal and Tom Henry may skip CES this year. I'm thinking of seeing a "Cirque" show again. Probably the one at the MGM Grand. It's called "Ka" - if I remember correctly.

Dinner at Fin's

Tonight we had a good fish dinner at Fin's. Halibut is one of our favorites and this meal didn't disappoint. Afterwards, we ventured over to Tom Henry's house and started up his Honda Civic. Cool car, especially with the navigation. He's going to be gone for a few more weeks, so I told him that I would start his car a couple of time before he returns.

After leaving Tom's we went to Costco and bought a few things. Also, I wanted to get some more information on the Bay Bridge FastTrak system. FastTrak is a method for pre-paying tolls so you don't have to stop at the toll booth. Instead. you place an electronic device in your car and it deducts the appropriate toll amount as you zip through. Great idea - and to make it even easier, Costco sells the electronic cards.

Our last stop was at the WalMart Super Center. As of yet, we don't have a Super Center in Elk Grove. However, one is planned for next year. Groceries at WalMart are definitely cheaper. We stocked up on several items that we use regularly.

Dinner at Mi Mi's

We got a late start on dinner tonight. A couple of places where we usually go were already closed - because of the fourth. However, good old Mi Mi's was open. We usually eat a breakfast meal at Mi Mi's, not dinner, but they do have a nice turkey meal with all the trimmings, so that is what we had. Not too many patrons were eating at the time we were there. I guess that most people were getting ready for the Elk Grove fireworks display.

I did see any interesting collection of wine bottles while at Mi Mi's. I used my cellphone camera to capture the picture to the right - a wine bottle in the shape of a trumpet. Most interesting!

Cattleman's Pictures

I've posted a couple of more pictures from Nancy's birthday celebration at Cattleman's. Baby Brandon, the guy who stole the show at the birthday bash, is seen being held by Aunt Gloria. Gloria really enjoyed being around the baby and she held Brandon in her arms several times during the course of our meal. He is quite the charmer.

Birthday Celebration at Cattleman's

We had a good time celebrating Nancy's birthday at the Cattleman's restaurant in Dixon. The food and service was very good. As usual, Baby Brandon was the star of the show as everyone who meets him is so surprised at just how outgoing and poised he is - for being only four month's old, he is already quite a character.

There were nine people in attendance. We choose a restaurant in Dixon so that the drive for Kelly's family wouldn't be too long. They had to come up from the Fairfield area. It seemed to work well and the drive is actually only about forty five minutes for us to come from Elk Grove. We brought my friend, Dave Beales, and Nancy's sister, Gloria.

I've posted a couple of pictures to the right of the blog page.

More News From Chengdu, China

Tom and Wendy are enjoying their day trips. Tom writes that he and Wendy are taking bus rides to somewhat remote areas - away from the city of Chengdu. The picture to the right shows them at the entrance to the mountain that they climbed - along with hundreds of other people. The Chinese don't shy away from exercise, as people of all ages were making this climb, even some elderly folks. According to Tom, as best he could determine, he was the only American doing the mountain climb - that's got to be an interesting experience.

Food wise, Wendy and Tom are eating not only at Chinese restaurants, but at a couple of American ones as well. Grandma's Kitchen fixes a real American breakfast - with bacon, ham, sausage and eggs. It's a small world after all! Hope to get more updates from Tom, as his trip progresses.

My Father's Restaurant

While sorting through old photos I came across a picture of my Dad's restaurant (the Imperial Coffee Shop). The photo dates back to 1959. I was glad I found the picture, because I actually have very few pictures of the restaurant that I literally grew up in. I had a bi-polar childhood upbringing, so to speak. The Westend neighborhood near Shawnee Park, and the downtown restaurant located at seventh and Jefferson, across the street from the Police Headquarters, were two very different areas of town.

My cousin (Jerry), who was almost like a brother to me, and my mother, my aunt and my uncle are also in the picture. There were things I liked and disliked about the restaurant. However, one of the advantages to this dual lifestyle was the great food, and the fact that I could eat pretty much anything I wanted - including lots of ice cream and candy. Not too bad a deal! The picture can be viewed at the bottom of the blog page.