Moving

Part of my side business is building web pages for people. And lately I've been busy building blog pages for folks. I'm utilizing WordPress for these sites. [I'll sing the praises of WP later.]

In order to better support the software I'm using, I decided I should be writing my blog in WordPress. So..... drum roll please..... I'm moving this blog. Slowly, I will be migrating all the past entries to the new page as well.

You can now find my ramblings at mmmm.emidor.com. This will be my last post using the blogger site.

If you have my blog in any reader software, be sure to update the URL so you can continue reading my sporadic and inconsistent ramblings.

Thanks!

Presidential Election Surprise!

Graduation 2008

I remember with fondness the day Zach was born... the way his sister cuddled him as an infant... the intense feeling of pride and awe as this new little boy joined our family. I've had many memories since then of my baby boy growing into a young man. And today he took another memorable step. He graduated from the 8th grade.


And to add to that memory, Zach was honored with the Presidential Education Award for Outstanding Academic Excellence.


Way to go, Zach! Welcome to your High School years!

My Movies

I'm a big fan of movies. Flixter is one of the web sites I use to track the movies I've seen and the movies I want to see. Here is a listing of my movie compatibility with a number of my friends.

If you would like to compare your movie tastes with me, you can
take the quiz by clicking here.

800!

Today marked our 800th GeoCache find. We have been caching nearly every weekend with my cousin Sara. Today we went to Carlton, a small town just outside of Newberg, and then up into the Oregon coast range to the McMinnville watershed. This was a beautiful day.... temperatures nearing 70 degrees... beautiful vistas. And we found a couple of caches that we had been unable to locate previously. Here is the view from one of those caches.



On the north side of the mountains, we had to drive through a foot of snow in some places. A snowball fight just isn't the same when it is so warm!



Here we are at the top of the coast range. On a clear day you can see 9 mountain peaks. Today we only saw Mt. Hood as a hazy shadow.



I just love the places geocaching takes us. This waterfall was along side of one of the dirt roads we travelled.




Baker Creek runs out of the McMinnville watershed. Here is one of the scenic views we saw while seeking a cache.



What a fantastic adventure!

Zach at the Pentagames

I had the honor today of watching 9 students from Mountain View Middle School compete in the 25th annual Pentagames. Pentagames are sort of Math Olympics where students compete in a number of games that center around various math skills.


Zach was one of the competitors and did VERY well. I lost track of his winnings, but at the end of the day he had a half dozen or so ribbons pinned to his chest along with a couple of medals. Not only did he do well, but his 8th Grade team took best of the day for their division. And the school won for highest school score.

FaceBook Fun

Hi, my name is Dave and I'm a FaceBook addict.

Actualy, this social networking site has a lot of real fun ways to stay connected with friends and family that are scattered all around the world. One of the games on FB is called Friends For Sale. Using virtual dollars, you buy your friends which increases their value. Other friends are also trying to buy your friends, so you can see how the value circle can go.

I started this game after my daughter Kara was playing for awhile and her value had sky-rocketed. I made it my goal to raise enough funds through the Friends trade to buy my daughter. I made strategic alliances to help increase my funds, and finally at 6:30 AM on 6-Apr-08 I clicked the "Buy Kara for $117,241" button! Bet I won't keep her long as she is quite popular, but it is fun to have achieved my goal.

Customer Service at Chapters

One of my intents of maintaining this blog was to discuss business issues. I really am a fan of small business and love to read and learn about individuals who have the tenacity to start their own companies. I also enjoy hearing about good (and bad) business practices and their effect on customers, industries, and communities. So here is my first business blog entry.

A common theme that will run throughout this section is Customer Service. I am a huge believer in providing quality goods and services in a friendly and fair manner. I think that customer service is an art that many people take for granted, but only a few truly master. I try to reward positive service by telling not only the person who gave it to me, but also their supervisor or business owner (and now the blog world).

One place I consistently receive good customer service is at Chapters in Newberg. I go to this bookstore / coffee shop twice a week to meet with friends and family. On Thursdays, the barista is Kat. The other day she had a sample of my favorite drink ready for me when I walked in the door. They were trying out a new blend of Chai Tea and she wanted my opinion. Before I could finish the small tasting, she had my drink ready for me. I hadn’t ordered it, but she knows my regular cup of choice and had it prepared. With all the people that come in to the store each morning, I’m impressed that she knows me, my drink preferences, and my routine well enough to have my Chai ready for me when I walk in. This has become consistent behavior. This is above and beyond the call of duty. This goes beyond a pleasant demeanor. This is true customer service.

Thanks, Kat!

American Idol - Season 7 Picks

I am a fan of American Idol. I think the show represents a great mini-lesson in how the popular music system works. Jen and I faithfully TiVo every show and haven’t missed an episode in four or five seasons.

This year has been touted as the “best ever talent” and while I will agree that there are some amazing singers, I’ve been hard-pressed to find “my” singer. Last year I picked Melinda Doolittle in the early stages (she made it to #3). In season five I chose Taylor Hicks when I saw his audition tape (and he won the whole shebang). But I haven’t been able to latch on to one performer as “the one” … until last night.

Last night was the second week in a row that the contestants sang songs from the Beatles. And while the second show in the top-12 portion of the competition was filled with lackluster performances, I was able to finally flesh out my favorite competitors.

Guys – David Cook. This guy is consistent, rocks hard, has fun performing, and seems to have healthy attitude about the hype surrounding this show. I like him to win it all as the truly most talented competitor, except the teen vote will probably push through David Archuleta.

Gals – Carly Smithson. This tattooed, Irish lass can really sing. She is consistent in her performances and really knows how to choose a great song. This girl has great talent and she’ll go far in this competition. I think Carly has the best chance as a "rocker" to make the final cut because she has the softer pop side as well.

Honorable Mention
Amanda Overmyer: I love this rocker chick. She is the total package of looks, attitude, talent and presentation. Unfortunately I don’t think she’s consistent enough to make the final cut

Brooke White: While I’m not a huge fan of her style or the songs she sings, I like her attitude and song choices. Plus she is always on the mark. Now if she would just quit talking so much.

So there you have it. My picks for Season 7 of American Idol.

You Look Marvelous

Back in the 1980s, Fernando Lamas (aka Billy Crystal) used the catch phrase “You look maahhvelous.” It was a great Saturday Night Live sketch. Today, I realize that I am still trying to make myself look marvelous. Back in October I wrote about my attempts to make myself look good.

Why is it that I still want to keep up appearances? What is so inherently ingrained in my psyche that I want people to like me and don’t want to show my flaws? Why can’t I accept the fact that there will be people who still accept me, despite my inadequacies?

I struggle with lots of things. I’ve typed the list here and reedited it and ultimately deleted it because… I fear showing people what I’m ashamed of in my life. The shortcomings, the addictions, the flaws… some are major, some are minor; some I’m working on, some I try to ignore myself.

Ultimately, I am scared of what people will think of me. I’m worried about disappointing my family and friends. I’m apprehensive that people won’t like me if I’m really vulnerable.

So, I continue to put fresh paint on the broken down parts of my life hoping that they continue to look good. And I think I’m doing a pretty good job at looking marvelous.

The Forecast Looks GREAT!

My son Zach is a fairly normal teenage boy. He is full of energy, loves video games, has a passion for Bionicles, and has a very vivid imagination which he acts out from time to time… OK lots of the time. I will admit that he sometimes gets on my nerves with his boundless energy.

But tonight I was honored to see a different side of my son. We spent a couple of hours at the High School for Forecasting Night, gathering information about his upcoming Freshman year in school. I was impressed by his thoughtfulness in picking classes, his care in choosing electives, and his reasoning behind the school he should choose (Newberg High School is divided into five small schools).

Sometimes I’m so close to the daily routines of Zach’s life that I miss the young man behind the long hair and creative imagination. I’m very proud of the man Zach is becoming. And I’m excited to see how the careful choices he made tonight will effect him in the years to come.

I have always been interested in genealogy. My active participation in research ebbs and flows based on my time and the tools I have around me. But I've discovered a cool new tool that is causing a resurgence in my ancestral investigation.

I've discovered Geni.com. This great web page is similar to social networking sites like Facebook or MySpace. I can invite my family members who can join and add the information they have on their family members.

On the first day, I personally added 100 names. In just 10 days, there are now more than 530 people listed in my tree, most of them added by other family members. How cool is that!

Spanish Love Song

Maybe it is due to the distance between my wife and I right now (she's visiting family in North Carolina.) Or maybe it is because I keep trying to get my daughter to showcase her language skills. Whatever reason, I had to share this video!

Tag: Books

I've received my first meme tag, a kind of viral "who are you" process by which you self-reveal information to the blogosphere. This one comes from Mike Comfort.

Here are the rules:
1. Pick up the nearest book of 123 pages or more. No cheating!
2. Find page 123
3. Find the first 5 sentences
4. Post the next 3 sentences
5. Tag 5 people

Those who know me well know that I don't read a ton. But the book closest to where I sit is "The Billboard Guide to Contemporary Christian Music."

"Changing labels again, this time to Diadem, (Kim) Boyce released As I Am in 1997. This Adult Contemporary-slanted offering featured such key songs as the title track and "Amazing Love for Me," a duet about parenthood and sacrifice sung with her husband, musician Gary Koreiba. In recent years, Boyce has been active as a speaker at Christian inspirational conferences and other events."



I tag:
1. Josh
2. Jen
3. Janelle
4. Rich
5. Matt

A First

My previous blog entry dealt with taking HS students to the coast where they will be helping direct a Jr. High retreat. One of those going, was my daughter Kara. Then about 5 hours later, Zach left to be an attendee of the same camp. I believe this marks the first weekend that both kids are gone on the same weekend and the parents are left kidless. Yikes... they're growing up!!!

Great Minds

Today I drove the planning committee for Jr. High Jamboree to Twin Rocks (our church camp on the Oregon Coast). This group of eight High School students help to plan and organize a weekend getaway for junior high students from our church denomination. I really enjoyed being a “fly on the wall” as these bright students chatted about school politics, social issues, musical preferences, relationships, and more. I found this group to be articulate, thoughtful, and energetic.

We often hear the negative things about today’s youth, with all the problems of drugs, violence, and ambivalence to the real problems of the world. But I found great comfort in knowing that these young people were already becoming movers and shakers in our community and our world. I was honored to be in the company of these great minds as they openly discussed their involvement in the world around them. I am glad that I am a part of their community.

Oops, Thet cAint bee Wright

I recently saw a widget on Mike Comfort's blog that supposedly rates your blog for readability. When I ran it on my page, I was shocked. I'm not sure I agree with the results, but here you go:

Inheritance

A recent visit to my doctor revealed that I am mostly healthy. I was not surprised by the findings; relieved that I didn’t have diabetes. I do need to take off a few pounds and lower my blood pressure and cholesterol.

My research revealed that cholesterol is affected by diet, exercise, and genetics. While I can do something about the first two, the latter is part of who I am thanks to being my parents’ kid.

I’ve been thinking a lot lately about the traits and characteristics that are inherited. What parts of me are thanks to my parents, grandparents, and other ancestors? What am I passing on to my children?

I wonder if being a child of the King causes some “genetic” traits to be revealed in me as well. Sure I have responsibilities in staying spiritually healthy. But are there parts of my being that are a direct result of being God’s kid?

I sure hope so!

Finally, error messages I understand.

We are all plagued by those pesky computer errors that pop up at the most inopportune time. Well, I've recently discovered some computer errors that were new to me. Don't you wish they were all written like this?

I've posted more of these at my website.

Kewl Links

My friend Sherri often lists some of the cool web links she has found. So, I'm going to follow suite with my offerings:

• Caloriesindrinks.com with my new attempt at watching my caloric and cholestorlic (?) intake, this site proved interesting.



• Inca Cola! Many of us Peruvian missionary kids love this stuff. Now you can buy it here in the U.S.



• Oregon Media Insiders an interesting way to stay up on the news of the inner workings of Oregon's media outlets.

iJunk

Matt Butcher has helped me with my ChristianMusicArchive.com web site. This Christmas he had a very clever blog which, with his permission, I am reposting here.

As the holiday catalogs really start to stack up, I'm noticing a trend: iPod accouterments of all ilk grace the pages and websites of every retailer. And many of these are bordering on the ridiculous: A wall-mounted shower stall dock for your pod. A fake 3-foot juke box facade for you pod. And perhaps my favorite thus far, a desk lamp with an iPod dock (what it does, I don't know. Maybe the lights blink to the music.). I call this stuff iJunk.

So this got me thinking. Where in my life am I missing the capability to tote and play my entire music library? What moments of silence can be eradicated? I've come up with a top ten list. If you've got better ideas, send them my way.

1. StoveCast: An oven/stove appliance with an iPod doc that plays your tunes while cooking your food. Bonus feature: Music styles are matched to the ethnicity of the food being prepared.

2. DozeDock (aka PillowPod): A pillow with an iPod dock built in. It plays while you sleep -- perfect for subliminally absorbing information. Test tomorrow? Don't study. Just plug in your pod and hit the hay.

3. RockAroundTheMop: Household chores can really be a drag, but next time you get the urge to take a turn around the floor with your favorite mop, don't forget to plug in your iPod. With your favorite tunes at your fingertips, you can rock, rock, rock around the mop all night.

4. iSpresso: Get over the morning grog with a Latte and some tunes. It includes the wake-up cycle: (a) Play Bach's Wachet Auf ("Sleepers Awake"), (b) grind coffee, (c) play "Friday, I'm in Love" by the Cure, (d) make espresso, (e) play "Frothy the Snowman", (f) Steam milk and serve, (g) play "Flight of the Bumblebee" to get you pumped for the morning rush.

5. FirePod: There's nothing worse than having to put out a fire while not listening to music -- except maybe having a big red fire extinguisher that sits in your house with no other purpose other than putting out a fire if you should ever have one. Enter the FirePod: Make your fire extinguisher work for you. It plays tunes when you're not putting out fires. Heck, it even plays tunes when you are putting out fires.

6. MowDock: Jam while you mow the lawn. Along with a special vibration absorbing cradle, the MowDock includes automatic volume adjustment to really crank up the volume when the mower's on. WARNING: Frequent use of this device may cause hearing loss.

7. iAnswer: The answering machine was passé, almost eradicated by voicemail. But no more! Turn your iPod into an answering machine. Then, you can interleave those annoying messages with your favorite tunes. Listening to messages used to be a drag. Make it fun with iAnswer.

8. FlushDock (Several other possible names had to be removed here -- this is a family website): The average American spends over 40 hours a year using the toilet. (I'm at 72, and it is still November.) Do you really want to spend those 40 hours in silence? That's why there's FlushDoc. Just plug your iPod into the toilet and listen while you're on the go.

9. iSwear: Do you have a mouth like Chef Gordon Ramsey? Is that untamed tongue of yours getting you into trouble? If so, you need the iSwear iPod attachment. iSwear monitors your language, and when it detects certain speech patterns, it uses noise cancellation technology to censor your speech while simultaneously playing a socially appropriate alternative. Replace the F-bomb with "Golly." Downgrade excrement language. And with the auto-learning feature, iSwear can adapt to keep you out of trouble. Includes certificate for downloading audio files of "Golly," "Gosh," "[bleep]", "Darn it all to heck", "Goodness Me," and over 25 other socially appropriate alternative phraseologies.

10. SonicTooth: Medical research indicates that the average person spends far too little time brushing his or her teeth. Are we surprised? No! Precious listening possibilities are wasted while we brush those pearly whites. With the SonicTooth iPod dock, you can rock out while you knock out bad breath, gingivitis, and plaque. American Dental Association approval pending.