BJ Not BK

Tera is the old big which is now the new big which replaces the new, old small, nano or something like that.

Remember when your buddy purchased a new computer with 16k of memory and an 8mb hard drive and you said..."Dude, you will never need that much memory or that much hard drive space!"

Well, with the onslaught of broadband and video, photos, and MP3s the Terabyte will become more and more apart of the daily lexicon.

Think of a terabyte like this:  1 Terabyte is equivalent to :

1,537,752 books
127,455 MP3's of "Free Bird"  (these statistics are taken from Wired Magazine 15.03)

I know what you are saying...."Dude, I will never ever need that much space!"

Of course you won't, that is until you purchase that 87 mega pixel camera.  Two pictures of the grandkids and bam you are there.

I believe this is one of the natural laws that states "as the world grows smaller your hard drive becomes bigger."  I think Newton said that?  Let me access my Library of Congress on my computer and verify that for you.

In case you missed it, and you probably did, a great warrior was murdered last week.  Usually  a crime so vicious, so brutal would make major news across the country but not this one.  Where were the pro-life crowds?  Where were the anti-death penalty groups?  Where was the Senate during the crisis?  Most importantly where where the men with the kahunas to stand up to such injustice? 

Last week, without much National fanfare, more sublet than a Janet Reno raid on Elian, the University of Illinois pulled the plug on it's 81-year-old American Indian mascot, Chief Illiniwekone.

Reports show that the 81 year old Chief was in no pain, had full control of his faculties, and still led an active life.  Yet proponents against the Chief stated that his quality of life had diminished, that he was a long forgotten relic, and that he had become a caricature of the once proud, fierce, warrior tribe which he represented.  So at the hands of the NCAA and in conjunction with the University they pulled the plug in Terry Schiavo fashion snuffing out the life and marring the legacy of the once renown mascot.  This incident only highlights the importance of living wills for all mascots across all divisions of collegiate sports.

Rest in peace dear Chief as you enter the happy hunting grounds.

Much apologies to all faithful bjnotbk readers out there for the lack of recent posts.  I could shower you with excuses of illness, work, and family but you are way too smart for that so I will dispense with the excuses and just say this....I plan on being back on track next week.

I may be back sooner but next week looks like the time and the place.

bjnotbk

Do you like my body?

Enough already with the Anna Nicole Smith train wreck.  Put her in the ground already and please take James Brown as well.  I feel good!

Global warming

Ego and the complete denial of God is at the heart of the global warming discussion.  Do we really think we have the power to destroy the Earth?  Have we lost sight that God is and always has been in complete control?  Does anyone have any carbon credits they care to trade me?  I lost my at playpoker.net.

Decision 2008

It is too early for me to announce my 2008 run for the oval office.  Look for more to come later in the year.

22253674 x 24

That's the number of people who have died in the first 4 episodes (4 hours of the day) of 24/season one.  I am extremely late to the game as I had not previously seen any episode.  One of my buddies let me borrow his DVD set and I am working my way through as I run on the treadmill.  The acting is great, the script is great, the suspense is killing me.  Nothing is ever resolved, there are no answers...kind of like the first 100 hours of the Democrats in power?  I am totally hooked.

    

I work for a large corporation and there are two ways we do things around the office:

1. The usual way. This is how we work when we are not under the scrutinous eye of the corporate office. This is our day to day existence, messy cubicles, piles of papers strewn about, boxes piled up, business casual attire, and every bathroom in complete chaos.

2. The corporate way. This happens about once a year when word comes down from on high that our office will have a visit from corporate office. Usually this kick starts a chain reaction of events including: hysteria, heavy sweating and breathing on the part of management. A massive "team building" cleanup day. Suits and ties for all employees.

When corporate comes to town it is usually no fun. However, this weekend I found myself on the other end of the corporate stick. Every Saturday M, L, and I go to lunch together at our favorite coffee shop. This weekend this chain of stores opened a new location very close to our house so we decided to check it out.

When we got there a line of employees stood at the door greeting us with smiles, thank yous, and welcomes! There was even a lady in front of us dropping rose petals for us to walk on. Three managers introduced themselves and notified us that Sunday was to be the official grand opening and that today, Saturday, was a trial run for the entire crew. We were handed $30.00 in play money to purchase whatever we wanted!

As we walked up to the counter we were continually bombarded with a slew of hellos, welcomes, how are yous, and ear to ear smiles. Normally I complain at the lack of eye contact and customer service at places like these but the amount of attention we were getting was almost borderline creepy when all of a sudden it hit me......the Corporate office was also in town evaluating the store!

The atmosphere immediately felt different, the air smelled a little sweeter, and I swear if I had went to the bathroom the toilet paper would have been a little softer. We dined like royalty knowing that anything we asked for that day would be granted. A host of employees surrounded us like a protective bubble as we made our way to our table,

"Can I get you anything sir?"
"Would you like a refill sir?"
"Shine your shoes sir?"
"Let me get your chair for you sir."

As we finished our meal I lingered long over my double chocolate-chocolate chip cookie suddenly saddened by the realization that soon the corporate office would leave and soon, very soon the staff would revert back to the usual way of doing business. I wonder if I could get a travel schedule of the corporate office?

This Sunday I woke up not feeling well at all.  As the day progressed thing only got worse.  I think I am on the mend now but am still going to the doctor today.

Hope to be back soon.

I am a book lover through and through.  As a college student I used my English degree to buy me the time to read as many of the classics as I could.  I know, I know....yawn.  There are few people left who read and even fewer people left who read the classics or have read them. 

It is so frustrating to read an incredible book and to not be able to share it with anyone!

Here are a few of my all time favorites.  I would be interested in knowing how many of them you have read.

On the Road - Jack Kerouac
David Coperfield - Dickens
Crime and Punishment - Doestoevsky
The Illiad and The Odyssey - Homer
For Whom the Bell Tolls - Hemingway
John Adams - McCullough
The Great Gatsby - F. Scott Fitzgerald
Mere Christianity - C.S. Lewis
How Should We Then Live - Francis Schaeffer....that name has a nice ring to it don't you think?
The Fountainhead - Ayn Rand
The Tropic of Cancer - Henry Miller
The Portrati of Dorian Gray and the Importance of Being Ernest - Oscar Wilde

I could go on and on but many of you are probably already bored to tears.

Just for the record I am not the father of Anna Nicole's baby girl.  I think I am one of 4 guys left on the planet who has not claimed the child to be his.

Are you or aren't you a bumper sticker type of person? Simple question right? Wrong. It is possible for one to like, even admire bumper stickers from afar, or should I say from a car, yet not have any bumper stickers on their car.

The bumper sticker crowd is a fascinating subculture divided into many camps. You have the religious and the anti-religious sects. You have the political sub-sect that is either hardcore conservative or hardcore liberal. Then you have those who feel that it is necessary to make others laugh with their car art.

What gets me is the lack of time and effort put into the placing of the bumper sticker. Example: This morning on my way to work I was stuck behind a mini-van. On the back was a bumper sticker that proclaimed to the world that their child was an honor student. I am ok with that but what really got me was that this thing was on crooked and in a really weird place? I guess junior didn't get his brains from the driver of the van?

I also laugh at those who have multiple stickers with conflicting messages. Outside a bank I once saw a car that had the following two stickers:

1. Support Random Acts of Kindness
2. Pro-abortion

Ok, now I am all for random acts of kindness, but how in the world did this go hand in hand with killing babies? Think people think.

I suppose that most bumper sticker purchases are impulse buys.

Here are some of my all time favorites:

Keep honking I'm reloading
Earth First! We can strip mine the other planets later
Ted Kennedy has killed more people with his car than I have with my gun

Which side of the camp do you fall into?

For over 10 years the pundits have whispered about the fabled "Peyton Curse."  Peyton never won against Florida, never won the SEC, never won a National Title, never came in first at pinewood derby, never beat the Patriots, and on and on and on.

Now with the Lombardi trophy in hand and a Superbowl MVP to his credit what is left for Peyton to tackle?

Well I say the curse is still in effect.  Think about it.  Peyton has never done a commercial for Victoria's Secrect, never an add for Sears, never even pitched a pharmaceutical give me a break.

Once Petyon can bring it with a Dial shower commercial or a Jiffy Lube spot then the curse will be lifted and then a true champion will emerge.

ESPN has a great page highlighting all the rings of past Superbowls complete with annecdotes of each ring.

Check out the link here (Link) and click on CROWN JEWELS

For the first time in a long time I am actually looking forward to the Superbowl. As a UT Alum I have always rooted for Peyton. He, M, and I all went to school at the same time and he was nothing but a class act on and off the field as far as I know.

For years I have had to listen to Joe rant on and on about the "Peyton curse." He never beat Florida, he never won the SEC, he never won the championship, he never won the Heisman, he never could beat the Patriots, and on and on and on. After some time I began to believe it myself.

Now, we find ourselves on the eve of Superbowl Sunday. Peyton beat the Pats and has one team and four quarters standing between him and victory. I can't help but to pull for Peyton not only for his ability on the field but for the way he conducts himself as a player and a man......the players in the NBA could take some notes right here.

However, I am also struggling as I can't help but to love the Bears as well. Chicago is a great town, Lovie is a class act, and this team has done everything necessary to be in this game.

Will the Peyton curse prevail? Will the Colts win or will the Bears bring back the Superbowl shuffle?

I don't know and don't dare guess. My gut tells me this one will be close and this one will be good.

Another week in the can and what do I have to show for it? Well, quite a bit you might say.

1. M and I found out on Tuesday that we will be having a boy! Both mom and baby are healthy. Praise Him!

2. Today I am writing from wintry Nashville, close to 2 inches of snow fell last night. I came down late yesterday to visit with a customer. We had a great time touring one of our facilities in the Nashville area followed up by an awesome dinner at Ruth's Chris steakhouse. Unfortunately I did not see Sean Hannity...bummer!

3. Work is going well, slow, but well. The new year always begins with strategy meetings, account reviews, customer re-assignments, training, etc.

4. I made my January resolution of running 60 miles for the month so I don't have to carry Joe on my back around his mom's house...whew! Joe has been relentless in his training for the biggest loser contest at work so I had some extra motivation.

5. What is my next goal you ask? 70 plus miles for February and a 10k race.

Have a wonderful weekend!

What makes you tick? What drives you? What gets you up in the morning or evening? Do you have goals, plans, dreams? Or are you just going through the motions waiting for the next big thing to come along, the next adventure to begin. Maybe you are praying that something good will happen. Maybe you are bored by life?

For some it is the simple things in life, a summer evening, a front porch, a tall, ice-cold glass of lemonade, and a 5lb block of cheese.

For others it is family, friends and the hours in between gatherings are just filler, time killers until the next meeting.

For others it is not as simple as it involves multiple dairy products.

What makes me tick? That is a great question. Sometimes I ask myself the same question. Sometimes I feel like I am on a train going 100 miles an hour, barely able to take it all in, just along for the ride. Other times I have clear direction, distinct goals, a plan of attack. I have to stop from time to time to check my priorities. What am I about? What am I focusing on? Are these things really what matter?

My wife and daughter make my days. To see them in the early evenings, to hear their laughter, to catch their smiles is better than any block of cheese. These are a few of my favorite things.