Time for a Change

For that one reader I have, I've decided to change up the look of my blog, so if you read this in a feeder, take a minute to visit the blog site itself.  It's been several months since I've touched this personal blog, but it's only because I've got nothing to blog about that anyone would really care to read.  I have, however, enjoyed starting up another blog that is more "business related" (BladesMadeSimple.com).  It's been fun writing that blog because it's about a topic I'm sincerely interested in and I've gotten over 5,000 page views since I started it in October on Wordpress.com (http://kevinbladeguy.wordpress.com/). 

My time has also been devoted to Twitter (www.twitter.com/houstonsproblem).  It amazes me how watching people's comments can be so transfixing.  If I only had a way of watching Twitter feeds on my 52" HDTV.  Maybe that's coming...

San Francisco 2009

Beth and I got to spend 5 days in San Francisco. We absolutely love the city because of the vast variety of things to do. Although the city is only 7 miles by 7 miles, there is SO much to do. When we came two years ago, we did the tourist things like ride a cable car, visit Alcatraz and visit Fisherman's Wharf, but we still barely scratched the surface.

Cupcakes!

One of the highlights of the trip was finding a store, called Kara's Cupcakes that sells only cupcakes! Beth absolutely loves cupcakes, so we had to check it out. It was like walking into a donut shop - there were so many varieties to choose from. We ponied up $9.75 to try the Vanilla Chocolate, Banana and Lemony Lemon. While they were cute and packaged in a pretty little pink box, they were just "ok" - a little plain, not worth the $3.25 ea. Beth's cupcakes are MUCH better, so perhaps one day we'll open up our own cupcake shop.

The Pacific Ocean
Last time we came, Beth journeyed over to the north side of San Fran to view the Pacific Ocean, so this time, I wanted to go. We hopped on the #38 bus and rode up to Ocean Beach and arrived at the biggest, cleanest beach I've ever seen. However, it was 5:30 p.m. and it was San Francisco, and it was COLD. I figure it was about 58 degrees, and Beth and I were wearing shorts. We couldn't complain, because it was the Pacific Ocean. Since we live on the east side of the continent, getting to see these waters are a rare treat. A little secret though - it looks the same as the Atlantic. Once we finished freezing our ass off, we determined hike up to the top of the cliff, where the park was. We had already walked about 3 miles this day, so the site of a straight up hike didn't sit well, but we did it - and it was well worth it. From the top of the cliff, there was an awesome site. I definitely recommend this to anyone visiting.

Homeless

Throughout our trip in San Francisco, we ran into many people who were homeless. I know that every city has some homeless people, but San Francisco seems to have quite an abundant number. Seeing these individuals truely make me appreciate the things I have in life. I may complain about my job, but at least I have one. I may complain about my income, but at least I can eat, and have shelter over my head. I may complain about my children and bicker with my wife, but at least I have a family to live and love. I really am blessed.

On every trip that Beth and I go to, we always buy snacks and drinks. This trip was no different. I was also in San Francisco for a conference, so I managed to collect a large number of t-shirts. We also also connected a nice supply of shampoos, mouthwash and toothpaste from the Hilton we stayed at, so at the end of our stay, we decided to collect all of the snacks we didn't eat, the toiletries we didn't need and shirts we wouldn't wear, and we put them in a bag to be given to a couple of homeless men. I know that these items were not going to change their lives, but my hope was that it would give them hope. I'm not blogging this for any praise or recognition, but in the hopes that others will consider doing the same thing the next time they visit a city. The little things can make a difference.

My business conference will be back in San Francisco in 2010. Will Beth and I attend - who knows? But if we do, I'm sure we will find more things to do.

Blood Donation Time

Time to update. Sorry to my two followers for the nearly 30 day lapse.

Today I gave blood to the American Red Cross. This is something I've doing since college between 5 - 6 times a year. I think it is an easy way for me to do something for someone else. I am very fortunate in that I have really good blood. I'm A+, so it's not a rare type or anything, but it only takes me about 5 minutes once they start to donate my pint. I've lost track of the number of times I've donated, but I think I'm up to about 8.5 gallons. Keep in mind that the average person has 10 pints of blood in their body, so doing the math - I've given enough blood to fill up over 6 people!

I understand that some people, like my Beth, can't give due to medical reasons while other people don't give because they are afraid of needles, especially in the arm. I don't mind that - what REALLY makes me cringe is the finger stick. They can stick me in the arm all they want, but that 1/2 second poke of the razor sharp edge pin just to get a drop of blood almost makes me want to cry. Okay, not really, but it hurts. In fact, it usually gets the band-aid treatment for a couple of days, meanwhile the hole in my arm gets nothing.

The best part of donating, other than helping save lives, is having to sit and eat a snack afterward. My favorite snack of all is the Nutter Butter cookie. In fact, I'd donate once a week if I was able to, just to get the yummy peanut butter sandwich (and to save more lives, of course.) I also tend to take a few extra cookies with me so I can munch for the rest of the day. Yeah, I know, that's probably not right seeing how the American Red Cross is a non-profit organization and all, but hey - I just gave a 10th of my blood supply.

On a final note, the American Red Cross has a new program through their NASCAR® Racing team where you can create teams and earn points toward prizes as your team gives blood (or attempts to give.) If you are interesting in joining Team "Houstons Problem", then head over to Red Cross Racing and join my team. My team code is: EM985HO

New Video - Michael Jackson's Hair On Fire During Pepsi Commercial

Wow.

Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy

Ghostbusters 3 Coming Soon?

There's been a lot of talk lately about the planned Ghostbusters 3, as the original movie celebrates its 25th Anniversary and having been twenty years since the last installment. It makes sense to me as the new Ghostbusters PS3 game has just come out. I came across an interview that confirms the 3rd sequel is on its way.

ComingSoon.net interviewed Harold Ramis, who says that he has written a script and is "Everyone says they'll do it", however no one has signed any contracts and no dates are set. Ramis also says in the interview that there will be a younger cast donning the backpacks and outfits with the original cast acting more as mentors to them.

To read the entire article, go to ComingSoon.net.

Mickey's Cover-Up: 1 Dead in Monorail Crash

The operator of a monorail at Walt Disney World died Sunday morning when two monorails crashed. According to the Reedy Creek Fire Department, the accident happened about 2 a.m. at the ticket and transportation. Read more at

http://www.wesh.com/news/19955188/detail.html

One would think this type of news would hit National News, but it hasn't. Either they are too pre-occupied with the Michael Jackson story or there's a cover-up. Disney has lots of money and this is their peak season. Makes you wonder...

Fish With Human Teeth

Check this out - a fish with human teeth.

http://newglobalwarmingeffects.com/2009/07/03/fish-with-human-teeth/

Actually, it's been around for a while. It's a Pacu. Pacu fish are cousins to the piranha and known as "frugivores." They have human-like teeth that can crack nuts and fruits.

http://channel.nationalgeographic.com/series/hooked/4255/Videos/06848_00?

Crazy isn't it?