There is so much wrong with this I don't know where to begin.

Oakland Pizza Shop Owner Fatally Shoots Alleged Robber

Posted April 21, 2007 at 3:00 p.m.

OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) - The owner of a popular pizza shop opened fire on three robbery suspects, killing one of them and apparently wounding his own son.

Catarino Piedra, 41, who owns Coliseum Pizza and Taqueria in East Oakland, won't be charged with a crime because prosecutors determined he was acting in self-defense, Alameda County Assistant District Tom Rogers said Friday.

Piedra said he feared for his life, and those of his wife and three children, when he began shooting at three men who tried to rob the store after 9:30 p.m. Thursday.

"I was scared," Piedra said. "I had to defend my family."

He told police he kept a gun under the counter because his delivery drivers were frequently robbed.

The shots killed Allen Joseph Hicks III, 22, an aspiring rap artist known as "Boonie." Hicks was armed with a pistol when he and two other men tried to rob the store, police said. This is so stereotypical, what was he trying to get some street cred????

Hicks was on probation for a marijuana conviction, and was facing battery charges when he died, police and court records show.

Police believe Piedra may also have accidentally shot his 17-year-old son, who was not seriously wounded. You are more likely to kill someone you know with a gun if you use it for self defense.

Oakland police said Piedra appeared justified, but cautioned citizens against arming themselves.

Friends left messages, balloons, candles and bottles of cognac at a makeshift memorial honoring Hicks on Friday.It is good to know that criminals are still loved...

(Copyright 2007 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)

Daughter of slain professor calls for tougher gun laws

The daughter of a Canadian professor who was killed in the Virginia Tech shootings says she is going push to change the state's gun laws. (click title to read).

good luck with that...but they will never change those laws, it is a lost cause.

Conservative Media blames victims in Virginia Tech Shooting

Only what passes for media in America would resort to blaming the victims of the Virginia Tech Shooting for freezing or not "rushing their attacker". My God, these people are crazy. They are blaming innocent dead people for not having enough exposure to violence and not knowing what to do.

You are on your way to class and all of a sudden people around you are falling like leaves and you are supposed to rush the guy and do what??? Some Chuck Norris move? May be we should start firing rounds off near our children to get them used to the sound of gunfire and violence at an early age. Maybe we should send our little kids to Iraq for grades 4 and 5. This story is sickening.

School should be a safe haven from a violent world.

click here to read.

Finally an alternative

As anyone that has been to Burgeo knows, high speed internet there costs over $30 a month and download speeds are often as slow 20 kbs with uploads about the same. This is awful. In my opinion, very basic high speed internet is at least 386 kbs but real high speed is at least 2000-12000 kbs see www.comcast.com or www.att.com

So according to this article http://www.thecharter.ca/index.cfm?iid=2459&sid=20766
a company called persona is finally installing fiber optic cable all along the south coast under water. This is great now maybe I will be able to video chat with my parents using skype and Burgeo will leap into the new millennium.

To check the speed of your connection try
www.internetfrog.com
www.speedtest.net

Winter in Burgeo, Newfoundland 2007

DSCF0342[2]
Originally uploaded by jstonernusa.

A while ago (1999) at a nursing job fair in St. John's, a recruiter for the Health Science Center told Marsha the best they could offer a new grad was the chance to live in Newfoundland (working casual or perdiem with no benefits).

Yeah... they might want to rethink that stance and sweeten the pot because I know from experience once you are spoiled with sunny weather all year long, scenes like this just make you shiver! Once a nurse is lost from NFLD to go to warmer pastures I would venture to say that not many of them return.

Cool Product!!!! (click to visit website)

What is Solio?

Solio™, the Universal "Hybrid" Charger is powerful enough to charge all of your handheld electronic products at home or on the move, anywhere under the sun.

Solio is a Hybrid because it can accept power from either the wall socket or Sun storing this energy within Solio's internal rechargeable battery. Solio then uses this energy to power your gadgets at the same rate as if they were plugged into the wall. Solio will also hold its charge for up to a year.

Solio limits your need to purchase and carry around multiple chargers for all of your gadgets and is your one stop charging solution for all of your products from cell phones and iPods, to digital cameras, game players, and GPS.

One hour of sun will give you enough juice to play your iPod™ for about an hour or provide up to 25 mins of additional talk time on most cell phones.

When fully charged Solio can store enough power to charge a typical cell phone or an iPod Nano at least two times. Have you plugged into the Sun lately?

Provides emergency power for your mobile gadgets anywhere you go.

• Provides an emergency power source when away from power outlets
• Interchangeable power tips allow you to power multiple gadgets with a single charger ( tips for most products included in pack)
• Works with multiple gadgets, including mobile phones, Bluetooth® headsets, smartphones/PDAs, MP3 players, portable gaming devices, digital cameras, GPS and more
• Reusable - use it again and again
• Compact lightweight design - convenient for travel or emergency use

Missed an episode?

If you missed an episode of your favorite Fox tv show such as 24 you can go to http://www.myspace.com/fox

and watch it for free online compliments of FOX. You do need a decent internet connection though.

Nico on the loveseat.JPG

Nico on the loveseat.JPG
Originally uploaded by jstonernusa.

Check out the new photos I have on flickr. This is one pic from the latest set.

Boo got Shot

click here to go to site to listen to the mp3, this is very funny
http://web.mac.com/jamieandmarsha/iWeb/Site/Movies%26Music.html

or download it to your computer here

see "Boo Got Shot"

Real Estate course

Went to a Real Estate course today at De Anza College. It is simple and to the point no hype, no rich dad poor dad or Donald Trump, just candidness. Anyway I have a file on my website on the links page that can be downloaded of the info covered in the session.

Hummingbird babies

Hummingbird babies
Originally uploaded by jstonernusa.

Picture is blurry and not focused but I was tired, I just got off night shift. Anyway, there are two hummingbird babies in this nest built on top of our wind chimes.

Racism rears its ugly head once again in America

Xenophobia is a growing problem in the US. From Michael Richard's (aka Kramer) rant a few months ago to this guy (in the clip above) just recently...America has a problem. It goes both ways though, just watch the clip below from this guy Dr. Kamau Kambon who calls for the extermination of white people. How is this guy any different from David Duke. Is it okay to say these things if you are black? Of course not. I would venture to say humans love to find reasons to hate their neighbor. Take Rwanda for example (see Rwanda genocide). When the Dutch occupied it they designated (arbitrarily) people into two groups, Hutu and Tutsis. The Hutu were the "whiter" of the black people and the Tutsis were delegated to the role of servant class even though both groups were exactly the same physically and in all other aspects. This was an artificial division created by the Dutch which I take as proof that people will take even fabricated differences to use as an excuse to hate one another. It is a sad state of affairs.

Emily and jake April 2007

Emily and jake April 2007
Originally uploaded by jstonernusa.

Emily

Jake April 2007

Jake April 2007
Originally uploaded by jstonernusa.

Jake

Jake Birthday

Jake Birthday
Originally uploaded by jstonernusa.

Jake's birthday

Koit Tower San Francisco

DSCF2303.JPG
Originally uploaded by jstonernusa.

Like this pic. It looks so bleak. Surprisingly, it did not rain.

MMA

Where I do Krav Maga now offers a full program to prepare people "from scratch" for UFC, pride type mixed martial arts fighting. I am not doing that but it is cool none the less. http://academyselfdefense.com/mixed-martial-arts.html

Cool song by a group from Sweden, very 60's

Quote

It takes hundreds of nuts to hold a car together, but it takes only one of them to scatter it all over the highway.
- Evan Esar

April Fool's!!!!

I thought this latest innovation by google would be too disgusting to catch on. April Fool's!!!!

Google has lost its mind

Seriously, I thought this was joke. Log on to www.google.com and click on the TISP. Apparently google is offering free broadband internet service but there is a catch. You install the router into your toilet. I am serious. Google has worked with utility companies in the US and Canada and installed fiber optic cable at 1000s of access points in local sewer systems and since every home has a toilet it is one part genius and 2 parts insanity. You sign up for it, they send you a router and a long cable that is water proof. You flush the cable down the toilet and in an hour your connection is active and you are surfing the net at a download speed of 8mbs and for free. You can go even faster if you want to pay. This is so bizarre. Oh yeah and you can still use your toilet like you normally would. And you thought there was crap on the internet before??? Direct link to more info click here.


Google announces free in-home wireless broadband service

"Dark porcelain" project offers self-installed plumbing-based Internet access

MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif., April 1, 2007 - Google Inc. (NASDAQ: GOOG) today announced the launch of Google TiSP (BETA)™, a free in-home wireless broadband service that delivers online connectivity via users' plumbing systems. The Toilet Internet Service Provider (TiSP) project is a self-installed, ad-supported online service that will be offered entirely free to any consumer with a WiFi-capable PC and a toilet connected to a local municipal sewage system.

"We've got that whole organizing-the-world's-information thing more or less under control," said Google Co-founder and President Larry Page, a longtime supporter of so-called "dark porcelain" research and development. "What's interesting, though, is how many different modalities there are for actually getting that information to you - not to mention from you."

For years, data carriers have confronted the "last hundred yards" problem for delivering data from local networks into individual homes. Now Google has successfully devised a "last hundred smelly yards" solution that takes advantage of preexisting plumbing and sewage systems and their related hydraulic data-transmission capabilities. "There's actually a thriving little underground community that's been studying this exact solution for a long time," says Page. "And today our Toilet ISP team is pleased to be leading the way through the sewers, up out of your toilet and - splat - right onto your PC."

Users who sign up online for the TiSP system will receive a full home self-installation kit, which includes a spindle of fiber-optic cable, a TiSP wireless router, installation CD and setup guide. Home installation is a simple matter of GFlushing™ the fiber-optic cable down to the nearest TiSP Access Node, then plugging the other end into the network port of your Google-provided TiSP wireless router. Within sixty minutes, the Access Node's crack team of Plumbing Hardware Dispatchers (PHDs) should have your internet connection up and running.

"I couldn't be more excited about, and am only slightly grossed out by, this remarkable new product," said Marissa Mayer, Google's Vice President of Search Products and User Experience. "I firmly believe TiSP will be a breakthrough product, particularly for those users who, like Larry himself, do much of their best thinking in the bathroom."

Interested consumers, contractually obligated partners and deeply skeptical and quietly competitive backbiters can learn more about TiSP at http://www.google.com/tisp/install.html.

About Google Inc.
Google's innovative search technologies connect millions of people around the world with information every day. Founded in 1998 by Stanford Ph.D. wannabes Larry Page and Sergey Brin, Google today is a top web property in all major global markets. Google's targeted advertising program provides businesses of all sizes with measurable results, while enhancing the overall web experience for users. Google is headquartered in Silicon Valley with offices throughout the Americas, Europe and Asia. For more information, visit www.google.com.

###

Media Contact:
Sunny Gettinger
Google Inc.
sunnyg@google.com
650-253-4713

Only in America

As a person with a science background, I can only shake my head at this latest attempt to re-write the facts so that it fits better into a narrow mind. Humans drinking from a stream while T-Rex roars in the distance, yeah right (they did not exist together). Next thing they will be saying they found Noah's ark and are going to do a special episode of Extreme make-over to make it into a cruise ship for the righteous. Welcome to a Christian Museum. They are popping up around the US and the school buses are streaming in with impressionable young minds cramming the seats.

http://www.alternet.org/rights/49811/

The kitchen is fixed!

Put all the cabinets back last night and the kitchen looks as good as new.

Termite update

So not sure if we will be able to get our place tented. There are a lot of interests at play here and unfortunately we are but one set of interests. We have a final vote coming up and if it falls through we will have to go it alone and spot treat our four spots with chemicals. Terminex charges $1000 for one spot and $600 for each one after that. Oh well we will just drive our termites over to our neighbors I guess, so be it.

Did You Know....?

Crazy when things are put into perspective like these. Technology is propelling forward at breakneck speeds.

PLANET EARTH Trailer

What Man does to the web of life he does to himself. This planet is amazing we need to stop treating it like something for us to use and discard. Catch the Plant Earth 11 part series on Discovery. Watch it is HD if you can.

Should I get a Dog or Have a Kid?

Beached

I have seen what a 600 and a 800 pound person looks like. Nursing will soon have a field called Bariatric Nursing. I need to be out of this career by then or I will have no back. When a 600 lb person shifts their weight as you move them, it could easily be game over for a nurse's back, and thus a nurse's career. It is crazy how in most of the world people are dying of starvation but in the US and Canada people are dying from excess. As the elderly life long smokers die off in the hospitals (and less people are smoking today than years ago) they will be replaced I think with a new generation of morbidly obese. We are just trading places.

Walmartization of mortgage industry

http://www.cbc.ca/news/background/personalfinance/mortgage-meltdown.html

This is good article on the walmartization of the US mortgage industry. I am glad I have a pretty much regular mortage not subprime. People are tricked into a house they cannot afford and then the rate shoots up after the teaser rate expires and you get to foreclose on what you cannot afford. Never underestimae how useful goverment regulation can be. Down here in the land of capitalism you quickly find out that no one is looking out for you.

Backyard habitat

Some pics of the backyard...Nico is not allowed out here as she eats the trees.

The pile of mud is our worm compost bin (normally covered).

Marsha is planting Irish Moss between the rocks.

The Hummingbird is just hanging out in its nest.

Get a Mac

For more on Macs and why I made the switch click here http://www.apple.com/getamac/

Get A Mac - Security

Get a Mac - Tech Support

Apple Mac vs. Microsoft Windows PC - Viruses

Interesting Story about BC and California

http://www.cbc.ca/world/story/2007/03/16/bc-california.html

Going back to AT&T

So after trialing Vonage and then Packet 8, I have decided to switch back to a regular phone service with AT&T. Voice over the internet is great, when it works. If your internet slows down then guess what your phone will be choppy. I think the technology is still not perfected for the internet infrastructure is still not where it needs to be.

Will have a new number on Monday with a 408 area code for San Jose/Santa Clara.

This is Why We're Angry Atheists: But we'll discuss, calmly.

If Christianity means you end up in a heaven with these backwards brainwashed people then I want no part of it.

Introducing...................the Apple iRack

Funny parody of Iraq using Apple Computers.

Rage Against The Machine - Guerilla Radio

Rage Against the Machine are getting back together and coming the the Bay area in August. I will be there!!!

Running the Sahara (NFLD connection)

You have probably heard of the Canadian guy, Ray Zahab (who finished first I might add), that ran the Saraha desert as part of the documentary being produced by Matt Damon. Here is a link to the official website. The doctor that was there the entire time with the runners was actually a guy I work with a lot and know pretty well from Stanford named Jeff Peterson (click the name and read the Bio). Anyway as it happens, Ray Zahab (the Canadian) is married to a woman from Newfoundland and Jeff became pretty good friends with both of them and now wants to visit Newfoundland in the summer. Jeff spent over 100 days in Africa with the runners. The last time I saw him was around Halloween when he had a wine party at his house. Pretty cool.
Also check out This story.

24: Jack Bauer - DAMN IT!

Funny Damn It!!!

Cook Islands Movie

We created this movie with our iMac. It runs 26 minutes and there are some pics after the credits roll so don't turn it off too soon.

My Kitchen!!!

So here is what our kitchen looks like now. We had to remove some cabinets so that the plumber can come back tomorrow and cut and even larger hole in the ceiling to fix a leaking pipe. What a pain in the ass!

New website I am playing with using Mac

Not sure if I will expand this page or not but I am trouble lately updating my google based website.

Click here to view .Mac website

some pics

click the link for some pics I took with my phone.

Short video of the back yard

Poor quality video I shot with my cell phone

Made the Switch to Apple Today

This is it, this is the entire computer (it does come with a keyboard and mouse and a small apple remote control). There is a camera and a microphone built right on the top of the the monitor and all the USB plug ins and what not are out of sight in the back. I love this computer. You don't even really need a anti virus program as hardly any viruses are written for MAC. Very Cool

Who Killed The Electric Car?

Who Killed the Electric Car?

We are addicted to oil but who keeps us that way... the car manufacturer's or the oil companies or both? This is 2007, we should be zipping around in electric hover crafts and wearing silver jumpsuits, not driving cars based on the same antiquated technology prevalent at the time when films were black and white and had no sound. Our cars technology in 2007 is embarrassing and pathetic. We have landed people on the moon and we still drive around in vehicles that have internal combustion engines.
These engines are why there is a war in Iraq, why the world's glaciers are melting and water levels are rising, yet we plug on with less insight than chicken little, at least he was aware that the sky is falling.

Genetic Engineering on Children has already begun

It has begun.

Crazy Mary - Pearl Jam live

Cool!

Effects of Drugs and Alcohol on Spider Webs

FUNNY FUNNY VIDEO

President Clinton responds to Ann Coulter

Ann Coulter is a nut job.

Rats Take Over KFC/Taco Bell

GROSS!!!

KRZR - disconnected thoughts

So I am just getting over the cold now.

Bought new cell phones last week and we love them, we got the Motokrzr from Motorola. It has a 2 mp digital camera built right in and it is super thin so it does not look like you have a brick in your pocket.

Tried out a new Sushi place across the street from us tonight called Hoshi, it was really good/authentic. The best thing is that we can walk to it!

Marsha's Birthday

Went to Menera Moroccan Restaurant in San Jose for Marsha's birthday. It was pretty cool, you sit on the floor and eat with your hands. For more pics click here.

What's new today???

Well my old phone number finally 'ported' over to my new phone company, Packet 8 (www.packet8.net) which is a Voip service (Voice over the internet protocol).

I cannot update my website right now as googlepages is acting wierd. I can only update my blog.

We went to OSH (Orchard Supply Hardware) last night and bought a apple tree and a plum tree to plant out back. We also bought some worms to start a compost bin.

Going for my annual physical tomorrow and getting the ole cholesterol checked. I think I am in better shape than last year though.

Anyway it is going to reach 20 degrees celsius here today so spring has started I guess.

List of Wolf Links

List of Wolf Links

Watched an awesome documentary last night titled "Living with Wolves" Watch it if you get a chance. Be sure to watch the video on the Discovery website when you click the link.

Comcast in NL???

So my internet was slow tonight and I called Comcast for customer service. The lady on the other end had a strange accent. I did not know where in America I had called but she did not sound American. Usually Comcast tech support is close by like in San Jose. This lady sounded strange but oddly familiar until finally I had to ask where she was located. My suspicions were correct, she was in Newfoundland and talking in the native tongue! Here I was a transplanted Newfoundlander living in Santa Clara, California calling my internet service provider, Comcast cable only to speak to a tech support person in St. John's, Newfoundland. Man globalization is funny.

Belkin Wifi phone

So I bought a wifi phone for use with my Skype service. This phone is pretty cool. The biggest drawback so far is that you cannot upload more ringtones, you cannot text message and sometimes when you call there is an echo. The calls are super clear however and loud. This makes a great travel companion as you do not need a computer only access to a wireless internet network. The phone signs you into skype and you can make your phone calls. $14.95/year to call Canada and the US unlimited is pretty good, even if there is a bit of an echo.

For more info click here

Wolf article in National Wildlife Federation magazine

To me wolves are the perfect animal...they are social animals, they mate for life, they are highly intelligent, and great hunters. Wolves actually will keep a herd of caribou strong by killing the old and the sick but they don't just eat deer. When Farley Mowat lived with wolves in Canada's arctic he was surprised to see that a huge portion of their diet consisted of lemmings or mice.

A wolf is natures template from which all of the genetically selected animals we know as Dogs descended from. A wolf is a dog in its purest form, with no man made selections for personality, cuteness, size, shape or whatever. It baffles me why so many people fear these animals. No doubt is has to do with theIR portrayal in movies, works of fiction and even Christianity (lambs represent innocence and wolves kill lambs so they must be bad or evil). Anyway, I am not a Christian so I find this view no more accurate that the story of little red riding hood.

Wolves need our protection. Please click here to read this great article.

Work Sucks

Busy again at work, no beds in the hospital, everybody bringing in their kids for the sniffles. I remember when I was kid, I did not go the the hospital for every little cold or flu, even if Ihad vomiting and diarrhea. Parents these days bring their kids to the ER for diaper rash. Some even call 911 to get a ride in!

Good News for Canada

I love LL Bean, it is an awesome store and now it may be easier for people in Canada to order from them in $CAD and items would ship from CANADA. Now if only Target would head north!

L.L. Bean looking to expand Canadian presence
Last Updated: Saturday, January 27, 2007 | 11:00 AM ET

L.L. Bean, the Maine-based retail catalogue giant, says it wants to significantly increase its presence in Canada.

The company said that could ultimately include building retail stores in Canada, as well as a Canadian website and Canadian catalogue.

Currently, the only way for Canadians to buy L.L. Bean's outdoor gear and clothing is to order it through the U.S.-based website or from the thick catalogues that flood into the country by the hundreds of thousands each year.

As a privately held family company, L.L. Bean does not release much financial information. But it said its interest in establishing a bigger Canadian footprint was sparked by a 30 per cent annual increase in its Canadian business in each of the past three years.

"We are … looking to boost our presence in Canada with an in-country catalog, website and ultimately a retail presence," said Zane Shatzer, who was recently named as L.L. Bean's general manager of international new market development.

Shatzer has led L.L. Bean's expansion in Japan, where the company now has 15 retail stores. It has 22 retail and factory-outlet stores in the U.S., and a huge flagship store in Freeport, Maine.

L.L. Bean is also looking to expand its retail presence in Latin America and beyond Japan. Company CEO Chris McCormick said "it makes sense" to think about diversifying into other markets. "Of particular interest are international locations with a strong outdoor orientation," he said.

In Canada, L.L. Bean would face a lot of competition in the bricks-and-mortar "outdoor" retail market. Rivals would include Vancouver-based Mountain Equipment Co-op — which has 11 retail stores in Canada and a catalogue business — as well as Canadian Tire-owned Mark's Work Wearhouse, which sells casual and outdoor apparel at its 300 stores across Canada.

Roots, Eddie Bauer and Bass Pro Shops all have stores in Canada that cater, at least in part, to the typical L.L. Bean customer.

Tactical Knife Training

Went to a knife defense seminar at Krav Maga today. We used shock knives to stimulate getting cut for more realism it was awesome. Click here to view a video on shock knives.

So we switched to green power

100% of the energy coming into our house comes from renewable power sources (97.5% from wind and 2.5% from solar). Here is a certificate that puts the impact of this into perspective.

My orange belt.

This is what I nearly killed myself for for 5 hours. The funny writing is Hebrew. I have already started working on the Green Belt material.

Dispute flares up again over Quebec-Labrador border

Above is how the Quebec government sees Labrador (no one else shares this view but them and no treaties support this)

This is how Labrador is seen by the rest of the world and this is supported by documents.

A decades-old border dispute involving Quebec and Labrador has resurfaced, this time over the management of wildlife. Click here to read more....

Why do we put up with Quebec's BS. They refuse to recognize anything, Quebecers can't even enter into most contests open to residents of Canada and the US because they are so fussy no company would ever want to open up that can of worms. How many offers have to be "void in Quebec" simply because no one wants to deal with them and their weird rules. Now they are arbitrarily redrawing the Labrador border to suit their needs. I say bring Quebec in line or cut them off from the social programs they enjoy courtesy of Canada's tax dollars. What they are really after anyway is Labradors resources...duh!

Put my money where my mouth is

So here is what I have done to decrease the carbon footprint I leave on this Earth.

1. I replaced every bulb possible (some light fixtures I have cannot take these type of bulbs) in my house with compact fluorescent light bulbs.
2. I signed up for Santa Clara Green Power which means I get charged a small amount more for my power but the money goes to supporting 100% renewable energy which projects like these.
3. I recycle everything I can.
4. The next car I get will be a hybrid.

An Inconvenient Truth

YOU HAVE TO SEE THIS MOVIE. IN OUR LIFETIMES, OUR ABILITY TO LIVE WILL BE PROFOUNDLY CHANGED...DO NOTHING AND YOU WILL SEE FOR YOURSELF BUT BY THEN IT WILL BE TOO LATE...THE CLOCK IS TICKING.............

Tragically Hip Coming to town.

March 26, 2007
San Francisco, Ca
The Fillmore

Age : All Ages
Tickets : $25.00
Tickets Onsale : January 21st @ 10:00am (pac)

Tickets are available for purchase at all Ticketmaster outlets including Wherehouse Music, Ritmo Latino, select FYE stores, select Save Mart locations and Tix Bay Area in Union Square.

Call (408) 998-TIXS,(415) 421-TIXS, (510) 625-TIXS, (925) 685-TIXS, (707) 528-TIXS, (916) 649-TIXS or (559) 485-TIXS to charge by phone.

Tickets may be purchased on-line at www.www.livenation.com.

Tickets available for all Fillmore and Warfield shows are available for purchase at The Fillmore Box Office with no service charge Sundays between 10 A.M. and 4 P.M.

Burgeo Old Days Photo Slide Show

Another video posted to You Tube by Crystal Pink

Burgeo

Video put together by Crystal Pink on You Tube

Cold

So it is -7 C wind chill or 20 F this morning at 3:36 am. Starting to feel like Canada here. I came here to get away from the cold! 2 More nights and I am off again for two days.!

Tired

First night back to work after 6 days off, I am tired. It is cold here today, -1 c windchill. It will get below freezing tonight! You don't think of freezing when you think of California but hey it is a big state. It is warm in San Diego and LA but up here winter is like an extended autumn in Canada.

Finally Moved in

So we are finally moved in to our own place here in Santa Clara. It is awesome to finally not being paying rent to someone. I will have some pics posted in the future as the place get more organized. We have been to Ikea a bunch of times already and will probably hit Crate and Barrel tomorrow. Marsha installed a cat door in the door leading to the garage tonight so we finally don't have to smell like we own a cat, as his litter is nice and poked away out there. Nico likes it here but she already has nail mark on the hardwood on the stairs we now we have to get mats for the stairs from skymall, better than having to replace the hardwood later on. The heating system is weird here being from Canada. There is no furnace or radiators or ducts so no dust blowing around. Instead there is a network of PVC pipes buried in the floor and link up to the hot water tank. You turn up the heat and the floors get warm (radiant heat). It is supposed to be more efficient that traditional methods. Anyway pics to follow.

Thanksgiving Trip

Went to Maryland on Thanks giving with our friend Kate. To see Pics of our trip click these
links.



Maryland Thanksgiving
Maryland Shooting Guns
New York Trip

I got it!!!

Got the e-mail today and I passed my orange belt test so I am so happy because I did not want to go through that again anytime soon. I am still too sore to walk (and my back is sore).

Orange Belt Test Krav Maga

Will I took my orange belt test today in Krav Maga and now I am officially dead. It started at 1pm and we were not finished until 6:30PM (it was only supposed to go until 5pm but these things are notorious for ending late).
We began by jogging to Safeway about 2 miles (3.2 km) return trip and then began a sequence of drills that were designed to exhaust us and they did. After about an hour we were broken up into those testing for yellow belt and green and those testing for orange. We then had a 2 hr 30 seminar that covered all of the orange belt material. Also, we could not half ass it during the seminar or we would have been denied the opportunity to test at all so it was 100% all day.
After the seminar we had about a 4 minute break and went directly to the testing phase and covered everything that we had just gone over. At so many times I felt like quitting. Like everyone we all had periods of dizziness and nausea and mouths as dry as sand. Sips of water when we could get them (and these were few and far between) were like heaven. The good news is that I survived the ordeal but the bad news is that I may not have even passed and may not know for a couple of days. Whatever the case I am glad I made it though because I know I had nothing left to give at the end of the day.

Glad we just bought a townhouse in Santa Clara!!!!

(11-09) 11:14 PST -- The San Francisco 49ers will abandon their namesake city and look to build a stadium in Santa Clara, after concluding that their plan to build a stadium and retail-housing complex at Candlestick Point will not work. click here for more

Mind of Mencia

Drive by shooting school...whether its East Palo Alto or East LA these lessons ring true in any hood.

Moving to Santa Clara

So we are closing at the end of the month on the townhouse in Santa Clara. To find out a little more about Santa Clara click here.

Carlos Mencia as Sean Paul

Funny Carlos Mencia

The Who were awesome!!!

The Who concert was one of the best ones I have been too and I have been to a lot of concerts from U2 to Pearl Jam to Green Day to Bob Dylan. 'Baba O'Riley' and 'Won't get fooled again' were exactly as I imagined it as a kid listening to Who's Next on my dinky little CD player. They played a lot of songs from their new album as well. It was awesome to hear 'pinball wizard' and have the visual of Pete Townshend doing the windmill.

Dove

http://www.campaignforrealbeauty.com/

This commercial by Dove illustrates the fact that the billboards we see are a fantasy...a lie, not even the models look like this really. This is must view for all young girls self conscious about themselves.

The Who - Who Are You

Going to see The Who tonight (11/08/06) at the HP Pavillion in San Jose with Marsha. Should be awesome!!!!

Newfoundland Tourism Video 3

Newfoundland Tourism Video 2

Nicely done video celebrating Newfoundland

Krav Maga

Cool Demonstration of Krav Maga I found on YouTube.

Buying a House

So it is up to us to sign the counter offer on the Townhouse that made an offer on today. So tomorrow morning we are going to see the realtor and finalize the deal!!!

Taking the Plunge

Made an offer on a property today in Santa Clara. Hopefully it gets accepted.

Nissan X-Trail - Bonavista

Funny Commercial.

Buying a Townhouse!

It looks like we may be buying a townhouse in Santa Clara, CA if all goes well. It all started when we took a course at De Anza College a couple of Saturday's ago titled "Buying your first home in the silicon valley market". It just so happens that the instructor is also a realtor and the other instructor a loan (mortgage) broker. We ended up meeting with Gene, the Realtor and he showed us an amazing townhouse. We looked at a few others in person and many online but the very first one we saw blew the others away. Today we took it a step further and went to see the loan broker Sam and it looks like we will be able to get the funding we need. I don't want to put up any pictures of the place in case the deal falls through and since we have not even made an offer yet. Will keep you posted.

Krav Maga

Krav Maga: "contact combat") is a self-defense and military hand to hand combat system developed in Israel. It came to prominence following its adoption by various Israeli Security Forces and is now used by military and law enforcement personnel, as well as civilians, around the world. The version of Krav Maga taught in civilian martial arts classes is more often a simplified version that emphasizes personal self-defense, and is likely to exclude the killing techniques taught to the military, or the holds and come-alongs taught to police forces; there are legal proscriptions in some countries which govern and constrain the teaching of hazardous or life-threatening techniques to civilians.

click here for more

I am attempting to take my orange belt on November 18th, it is 5 hours long approximately with the first 4 hours simply to exhaust you and the last hour or so for testing. I must be crazy!!!!

I am also picking up escrima now as well which takes a lot of concentration and hand eye coordination.

Eskrima or Escrima refers to a class of Filipino Martial Arts that emphasize stick and sword fighting. Other terms which have entered into common usage include Kali and Arnis de Mano (harness of the hand); occasionally the abbreviation FMA (Filipino Martial Arts) is used. Eskrima and Arnis are among the many names primarily used in the Philippines today to refer to these arts. The name Kali, although primarily used in the United States and Europe, is seldom used in the Philippines and in most cases is an unknown word. But due to the popularity of the term outside of the Philippines and the influence of foreign practitioners, the term Kali is increasingly being recognized and accepted in the Philippines. Kalis, as used in the Philippines, refers to a sword. It is commonly mistaken as synonymous to or a derivative form of kali (note: postfixing of "s" is not used in Filipino languages or dialects to indicate plurality). However, for all intents and purposes, Eskrima, Arnis, Arnis de Mano, Kali and FMA all refer to the same family of Filipino weapons-based martial arts.

Went to a wedding

Went to a wedding in Dublin (not Ireland, but CA) on Saturday here are some pics. Marsha's friend from work, Lisa got married to Ryan.

more pics here

Anderson resevoir

Went to Anderson Reservoir last week. It is just south of San Jose in Morgan Hill. Pretty big lake I did not know even existed. You can have your dog there with you, you can fish and boat and there is a fast moving stream nearby for your dog to swim in. Click here for more pics.

CDT

Finished CDT today, very painful course. To find out more about it click here

Camping for my Birthday

So we decided to get out of the city and go camping for my 30th birthday. As usual Marsha did all the research and I said 'yes' and we ended up going to 127 miles east to Pinecrest, CA to camp on the lake (Pinecrest Lake). It was a nice park in the Stanislaus National Forest not too far from Yosemite National Park. There were about 200 campsites and a lake stocked with 3500 rainbow and brown trout every year (but we did not manage to catch one). Anyway it was great, I turned 30 in a tent listening to neighbor's pet hawk sqawk (who takes a pet hawk camping anyway???). Before coming home today we also checked out Beardsly Resevoir which is a much bigger lake, less people, very quiet but not services and it is 10 miles just to get up to the main road to the lake and another 10- 15 to any services. For more pics of our trip CLICK HERE

What's Up

Going camping tomorrow at Beardsly Resevoir (at least trying to as it may be full- only 26 campsites). If not there then somewhere in the Lake Tahoe area.

Bought tickets to go see The Who today as well! That should be a good show and it is in San Jose so it is close.

Nico Swimming at Niles Park in Fremont Aug 2006

Fremont (Niles Community Park)

Canada Day Picnic

So I am going to the annual Canada Day picnic today in Woodside, CA. I have been wanting to go to this for 3 years now and this year I was able to get the day off. Also Canada Day, falls on a Saturday this year so it actually is Canada Day on the day of the picnic. Usually, these guys have it on the Saturday closest to the day as it is not a holiday here, obviously.

BFD

Went to BFD yesterday. It was a cool show. It started at noon but we did not make it there until 5pm. It was over at midnight. The strokes were the best part of the show as well as Franz Ferdinand. AFI was the headliner, they are okay but the lead singer screams too damn much or maybe I am getting too old. Echo and the Bunnyman sucked. I am not even sure why they were there. They were apparently pissed that they got moved down from second last to play to second to play on the main stage.