My A/C is broke...

Help!!!

Tech Confessional 9

Here it is! A little longer then usual, but fun!

Feedback?

It's a MAC!

Custom configuration
2.16GHz Intel Core 2 Duo
2GB 667 DDR2 SDRAM - 2x1GB
160GB Serial ATA @ 5400 rpm
Superdrive 8x
iWork '08 Preinstalled
Final Cut Express

Ships by: Aug 27 - Aug 29
Delivers by: Aug 29 - Sep 5

That's right, I ordered a Mac! I'm heading BACK to the right side! Ha ha! I'm really looking forward to this. I have found that all I really use my laptop for is homework, e-mail, editing movies and internet. On deployment I'll use it for watching movies and such but other then that, nothing much else. Alex helped sell my wife on the Mac with iSight. We were thinking of purchasing another video camera so that I could make little videos, read a book, whatever, and send them home to my son so that he can here my voice and see my picture on the TV every once and a while. So why spend all that extra money on just a video camera when I already have the $$$ invested in the one that I'm going to leave at home for my Wife? Plus, when my lappie breaks (yes I said when) I'll be done. I was looking at a DV tape, but we don't have any DV tape devices at home. So I would have to put them on DVD thru my lappie. Can't really get any other quality cameras that are "cheap."

I said earlier that I was "heading back." I was brought up on the Mac since I was about six I think? My dad thought it would be an awesome birthday present to go buy a Mac Plus with 2MB of Ram and an external 40MB hard drive and an Apple Image Writer for my Mom while she was on deadline for the Opera Program. My mom is a Graphic Designer and until that day was still doing everything with a typewriter and layout boards. Well, for some reason, I picked it up really quick and my Mom would call me during School to help her with printing issues and such. A few years later, Dad upgraded her to a Mac IIci with a 20 inch screen and an Apple Laser Writer II NT so I got the Plus in my room. Followed by a 1200bps modem! Since then she's had a G3, G4, iMac Green, iMac Red, and now is on a G4 iBook I think. Dad has long since converted to the dark side after his G4 to Asus, then IBM's and now Linovo's. My parents owned a commercial printing company which they eventually sold and retired even though Mom still does a couple of things for her favorite charities. I ended up upgrading eventually to one of the first run iBook's. You remember the blue toiliet bowl cover? I still have it laying around somewhere!

When I moved in with John in Washington, he introduced me to Medal of Honor Allied Assault, Call of Duty, Call of Duty 2, Battle Field 1942, Wolfenstein Enemy Territory, Counter Strike and a couple of other first person shooter games. I had already been PC savy thanks to the help of Dad and was actually working as a PC repair tech for the Navy, so I decided to build my own computer just for gaming. Well, I just don't play that much anymore. Now, with the invention of Boot Camp I might decide to partition a small portion for a copy of Windows XP, or maybe even Vista just in case I decide to play some games on the ship. I'm not sure which!

Wow, that was a journey down Mac history! Does anyone remember playing Oregon Trail? Ha ha!

Work Woes

So, this picture is what I actually work on. It's not one of my "boats" but you get the idea. Most of you know (well Alex does since he's the only one other then Billy that reads this thing) that I'm deploying in November. It's going to be a six to nine months of floating around the Pacific Ocean and places I can't talk about just yet. I was chosen to go on this deployment because there was nobody left to make it. So with this being said, I had to be taken out of my detachment and put into another. Now here's were I get to toot my horn a little:

I'm the Sailor of the Year at my command. I'm the subject matter expert on about six million dollars (yes, $6,000,000) worth of gear for this detachment. Each craft costs $23 million so I've got a little chunk of the pie. I've deployed before so I volunteered to help assist with some administrative requirements for the deployment. So I go to meetings, arrange for computers, arrange for advancement exams and college courses. This in relation to my primary responsibilities are very minimal if you ask me. Anyway, I get those secondary duties (collateral's) squared away and try my hardest with my primary duties. I'm not exactly the best at it, but I try and I think I have more resources available to me to help.

With all this being said, I get yelled at by someone who didn't go to one of the meetings that wanted me to ill-advise my shipmates and make them sign up for something that certainly don't have to and if they do, they should wait for the brief that has been scheduled next month. What makes it even worse, I got my butt chewed out over an e-mail.

So with all these little things and being chewed out for them, it makes me wonder why I try to do my primary duties. If I can't get something little taken care of, how am I supposed to take care of these big ticket items? Why do I do what I do? Just takes all the motivation out of a person who was at one point the most highly motivated person in the command.

I'm praying guys...but I just don't know sometimes. Pray with me? Pray for my family? Finally, pray for the people I work for.

Radio Check

I just heard this on the radio and had to say something.

Person 1, "Person 2 this is Person 1."

Person 2, "Person 1 this is 2, roger?"

Person 1, "We are trying to conduct a radio check with you on this radio, so can you give us a radio check?"

Person 2, "Roger..."

DUH!!!

A night of worship!

So,

I got home after driving 200 miles today and wanted to take a nap before I went over to Worship Practice at Alex's house. My wife succored me into going to the pool with the neighbors. So I went, on one condition! We get to go to practice, together! It worked especially since I wasn't going to be there on Sunday. I have to work, yeah! :-( I think she was bored till Jen got home with the kids then she was sitting with Miles and having a good conversation with the 4 and half year old. Stephanie is such an awesome mother!

Anyway, I was sitting there and I thought maybe it would be cool to get the camera out. So I went and rumaged thru Alex's truck and got one and started taping practice. The funny thing was that Alex was doing all the funny cool stuff when I wasn't recording. Go figure. I did however catch some really good video of everyone and seeing how even though it's practice you can get caught up in the song and worship God. Even if Alex was flat, Chris loose his part, or Rich goofing around on the drums. There was a moment when Alex's daughter, Macy came up to him and was looking up at him while he was singing. It was especially powerful for me because it was a song about looking up to God and all of his glory. I think it was the Matt Redman song, I could be wrong.

One thing about me, I always forget the name of songs and who sings them. It takes me a few months to figure it out! It also takes me forever to remember the words and the part that goes with it. I can usually get one or the other and if I'm singing with someone else, I'll nail it; however, it takes me months to get a solo down. I'm still trying to figure out why Alex wants me to sing! Well, maybe I'll give it a shot. Stephanie may not come because she's heard me sing in the car and in the shower! :-)

Anyway, I'm going to go to bed "early" and try to get to work early tomorrow. I've been goofing off way to much this week and need to catch up!

What to blog about?

You know, I have the urge to blog about something...but I don't know what! Any ideas?

I guess one really cool thing to check out is Karls Rant over at betterthanblank! It was a totally awesome e-mail!

Check it out. You might want to read it in parts! LOL

Scuttlebutt Video: 32nd America's Cup

I was looking for photo's for the previous blog and came upon this site. There are a couple of awesome video's here for you sailboat racing fanatics!

Name Change??

So,

I'm thinking about changing my domain name because I just don't think it flows. Yes, I r twidget. Yes, I do love to sail sailboats. Yes I do "sail" (more like steam) in the Navy. Finally, yes, .blogspot.com is going to have to stay since I don't have my own server. I could, but I don't have a static IP and don't feel like paying for one. On top of that, I'd probably have to learn HTML again and have the time to design, and tweak things.

You may notice I use the screen name J29teamtahoe a lot. The story behind that is when I was a kid (not too long ago) my dad bought a sailboat named Team Tahoe. Team T was a well known boat on Lake Tahoe thanks to it's previous owner, Jimmy Gregory. She was fast, sleek, a winner, and a J! J/Boats designed by Rod Johnstone, are one of the hottest designs on the sailboat racing and racer/cruiser market. Team T was a J29 Masthead Outboard rig. Our results weren't as good as Jimmy's but we made a run at it for a few years. Team T was the first sailboat that I skippered for a race (NOOD regatta or JFest I think). I was so scared! San Francisco City Front right in front of St. Francis Yacht Club and Golden Gate Yacht Club just east of the Golden Gate is no punk! Sure I sailed our Catalina (Sails Call) several times at Lake Tahoe when we were just cruising, but this area in San Francisco Bay is way/totally/drastically/crucially different. Dad couldn't make it and we had to represent our class since a lot of other people bailed. Richard Leavey, another J29 owner was on board, but a "Stout" had to skipper. It wasn't till I joined the Navy that Dad sold the boat and became a stink potter. He had no crew so I don't blame him. I do miss those days though and have been known as j29teamtahoe ever since.

So...for those of you who know me, and for those of you who just met me, send me some ideas! I just don't think Sailingtwidget makes sense or fits that well.

Tech Confessional #8

Let me know what you guys think!

Anyone?

So, if anyone wants to purchase a Allen and Heath GL4 40 channel 10 Aux board with two RPS10 power supplies, meter bar, and road/travel case, please let me know!


Just for clarification, the pictured equipment above is a link from E-Bay. I think our equipment is a little nicer. I just dumped all the pictures that I took before we put it away and don't feel like pulling it out again. Ha ha!

Too Cute

I just had to post this!

Tech Confessional #7

Let me know what you think!

Tech Confessional #6 Take Two

So,

For some reason, I can't open this file on my computer. I probably could on my tower because it has the software for my Video Camera who records mpeg4. The catch is, I need to clean that thing up and because I simply just can't edit video on it with out crashing it. So the lappie will edit, if it can open the file.

So I tried to do it Los style while I drove home from the gym. Unfortulantly, this looks like absolute crap. So don't watch it! LOL Hey, at least I put one up. I'll use my video camera next time.

Tech Confessional Delay

Alright guys, sorry for the delay in the tech confessional. Stephanie's best friend, Michelle and her boys, Caleb and Seth, are visiting and I've been kinda busy. PLUS...Stephanie had a 102 degree temperature on Sunday, so I had to leave before the first service.

All accounts have been said that it went okay. Jon has been fantabulus in taking initiative. It is nice to have fresh blood on the team that is motivated!

So I promise I'll throw a generic Tech Confessional up here before next Sunday!