And...after surfing a little bit more on the site that I found the Douglas Adams Quotes, I found the main site to be very interesting indeed! I had no idea that this place even existed...I urge people to look around there and see some things that may disturb you, but will also make you think. And in my opinion, THINKING is the key factor here. Whether there is anything there that makes you change your mind about something or not, what is being said here is a thought-provoking message.
I will let you decide for yourselves...
Positive Atheism

Big Thought: A Theory By Steven Goldstein

Big Thought: A Theory By Steven Goldstein

God created the universe and the life within it for the sole purpose of having it work to find solutions to problems that God is unable to discover on his own.

Just as we say, "Two heads are better than one", so it is logical that billions and trillions and more minds in the universe have more of a chance to discover the answers or "ultimate truth", if you will, then does even God's mind, vast and all-knowing as it may seem to us to be.

Just as people on earth whom we consider to be the most intelligent will create and execute experiments in order to learn an answer or prove/disprove a theory, So has God created the universe and everything in it as exactly such an experiment. Think: "Big Thought" the super computer in Douglas Adam's "Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy" that was created to answer the Ultimate Question of Life the Universe and Everything.


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And, speaking of Douglas Adams...


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When will I learn?
I have to get my life a bit more organized, but I don't know how to start? Every time I see a mess that needs to be dealt with, and I try to do it, a DIFFERENT mess in a DIFFERENT room grabs my attention. Then, there are all the normal distractions that happen when I am at home...oh, hell. When will I learn?

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It's amazing what you find when you look. You don't have to be looking for anything in particular, just looking. I want you all to do yourselves a favor. Go here and read about this amazing girl, Alex. Don't skimp on your review. Soak it in. Take it home with you. As I have...

Go here and read this man's page. You can thank me later... http://www.wilwheaton.net./

I have found the most amazing site. It's a collection of love letters submitted anonymously by people all over the Web called The Love Letter Collection. I don't know what else to say but that you really owe it to yourself to read these letters. Trust me.
On another note, I want to point all of my loyal listeners to the Black Citadel which is owned by a very close personal friend of mine, The High Lord Mhoram. I guess if we bounce our blogs off of each other we can keep ourselves running around in circles long enough to entertain each other...Well. That was the thought anyway. Moo.

X2 Kicks some serious butt! I was very careful to avoid learning anything about the plot prior to seeing the movie so it was all pretty much unfolding as the storyteller...er, the director wanted it to for me. Well, I HAD been to the web site and looked at the production stills that were posted. And I knew that there was an attack on Xaviers school, but that was all I really knew and it didn't spoil anything for me. But the thing that got me was the fact that this movie, just as the first one did, ends with that feeling of another story that must be told. Just like the comics always leave you hanging til the next issue, only that is a month, and THIS is about 2 years to wait! GAH!! I hate it when they do that!! I know that the Matrix is gonna end that way too, but I ALSO know that the final film in that trilogy will be released within 6 months so we won't have to kill anyone while we are waiting!
There were some really cool previews last night too. I am now officially excited about seeing "The Hulk". The first few times I saw what Hulk looked like, I was thinking I wouldn't like him that much, but having seen more in the preview, I am SOLD!
Hmm...what other previews were there? Matrix, of course. And yes, that is on the top of my "must see" list too. Hmmm...Dumb and Dumberer is RIGHT OUT. I never saw the first one, and have no desire to see it. There is a new Harrison Ford film that looks like it could go either way...Another Action/Comedy with Harrison as a seasoned police detective being teamed up with a rookie or a wannabe or something contrived...I think it's Josh Harshnet. Well, that's really all I can remember about the preview. I think I'll catch it on DVD.

I don't know how to say this any other way so I will just come right out with it. I have downloaded music from John Denver...and I am LISTENING to it as I type this. And I LIKE it! Can you believe that? Well, truth to tell, it is not that I am ashamed of this. In fact, I also enjoy the musical stylings of Barry Manilow...I'll have to hit Kazaa for him too. (Hey, Mhoram, where is that Eight-Sider??)

Today was a rather interesting and busy day for me. I started it off doing cardio at the gym (spinning…my ass hurts!) and then met my friend for lunch. We used to do lunch together almost every week, but things were conspiring against that for about the past month. So today we got to sit outside in the gorgeous weather and catch up a little bit on things. After lunch I decided to continue my quest for a new computer desk for my bedroom. I actually had very little hope of finding a suitable desk as I had some pretty stringent requirements that I honestly thought I wouldn’t be able to meet and still stay in my acceptable price range. Imagine my surprise when I learned that Wal-Mart actually had 2 desks that fit the bill. I had looked at Wal-mart in the past, and I KNOW that this wasn’t there before. Must be fate, eh? So I decided to buy the desk that included a 3 shelf bookrack as part of the deal. There was only a $10. difference, so why not get the most bang for the buck.

When I got home I decided to assemble it right away…no point in procrastinating! (That, buy the way was sarcasm of the highest order!)
Well, I forgot that I had an appointment to have the exterminator come by and spray the house and yard. So that cut into the assembly time…as well as allowing him to confirm that I had a bee problem (again…happened about 2 years ago, which is when I found this guy in the first place.) So, he sprayed the house and yard and said he would try to return tonight to do the bees. (that has to be done after sunset to ensure that the entire hive is back home. No point only getting SOME of the little critters!)

Well, when all was done with the desk assembly, it was about 4 ½ hours later! After 9PM! And I STILL had to do grocery shopping because I was basically out of food at this point!

Ah, well. There is more to the story of my day, but my fingers are cramping from all this typing!

I tried to post something the other day...but then something happened, and I didn't post because of it. So I am trying this again today. Not that what I am gonna say is going to be worth reading as such...but it will keep my fingers active as I type it out. There. I did it. Now what?

which art movement are you?

this quiz was made by Caitlin

"Baroque Art emerged in Europe around 1600 as an reaction against the intricate and formulaic Mannerist style which dominated the Late Renaissance." (artcyclopedia.com.) Baroque Art is fairly realistic but is often willing to smudge the realism in favor of theatricality and the emotional pull that is its trademark. You're most likely a creative, talented emotional person who likes attention. Although it could all just be a show.
Famous Baroquers (there are lots): Rembrandt, Rubens, Caravaggio, and You.

Thanks goes out to Jennifer at Nonsense-Verse my lateset inspiration to continue blogging. Maybe, someday, I'll be as good at this as she is!

My thoughts and condolences are with the friends and families of the crew of the Space Shuttle Columbia who were lost this morning.
And also they are with everyone at NASA who are dealing with the sudden tragedy that struck out of the blue, stealing friends family members from them as well.
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I wish that I had words that we eloquent and fitting enough to capture my feelings about this tragedy. I recall where I was on that day in 1986 when the Challenger was lost during take off. I remember where I was on 9/11/01 when I learned of the WTC. I will add today to my list of days remembered for tragedy. If only I was able to remember with as much clarity the days of joy and happiness. I do remember the day I first met the girl who would steal my heart. I remember the first time we kissed about 4 years later, and I remember the day she told me she Loved me. I need to remember these things and hold them closer to my heart then the tragedies I endure. That is the secret to survival. And to whoever reads this I say to you: Keep heart. There are great things in this world.


If you don't believe me...take a look in the Mirror.
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16:36
Shortly after I posted my own thoughts I received this from a close friend. His are words of eloquence that I want to preserve and so I post them here now.
Thank you Mike.

--Another Moment of Hell--

We have lost another crew of heroes today.
We have watched another smoky flower bloom, leaving behind a trail of pollen that will engender questioning and lies, that will bring fear, sadness, distrust, and horror.
How many of you already feel betrayal, by God or by fellow man? Or just by fickle fate that whimsically reminds us of our fragility? The things that insulate us from the source of our fire sometimes break us, burn us with that fire to leave nothing but streaks of ash and bits of broken shell.

But out of that fire, from that broken shell, always another phoenix must arise. Never can we let ourselves be frightened from our path, washed from it by tears of grief or heat of anger--To be kept by accident from filling the empty void with our dreams and our lives.

It is a tragedy of proportions, not an epidemic of disasters. Because there are so few flights and machines do we take such sad note. Yet, if we compare to the number of cars or even planes, it is not such a great amount of destruction and loss of these things.

But it is a great amount of destruction of our hopes, and loss of our dreams. But because there are so few flights, machines, people to do this daring thing--of exiting the air and diving again back into it's fire--it is a tragedy, of human proportions.

--Michael Elliott
(a.k.a. Amberwolf)

This is dedicated to those who died for Columbia's phoenix, this first day of the second month of the third year of our new millenium:
-Shuttle commander Rick D. Husband
-Pilot William C. McCool
-Payload Commander Michael P. Anderson
-Mission Specialist David M. Brown
-Mission Specialist Kalpana Chawla
-Mission Specialist Laurel Clark
-Israel's first astronaut, Ilan Ramon

I know...I know...too much time has passed between entries to make this a really great Blog...but I never promised that the postings would be very frequent. Good thing too, huh?
Normally I would maintain the thought that it's not a big deal. I have no illusions that anyone other then myself has ever read these postings. But just today I encountered a blog that made me realize that there IS a possibility that someone MIGHT read this and have thoughts/comments about what has been said here. I have to give you the address to it so you can check it out yourself! It's called Nonsense Verse.
The author impressed me so much that I sent her an email to tell her "thank you". I know that doesn't seem to be a big deal, but for me it is. Just the fact that I sent her an email that is irretrievable means that I have taken a step that could change my life! Think I am reading a bit too much into a random email sent to a person that I don't know? Well, I do too. But that still doesn't change my opinion that it could happen! So...I'll tell you what. If I get a response that is worth repeating, I will let you know about it!

Testing testing...anyone there? No? Good! Then I can finally run around the house NAKED!! Woo Hoo!!

The COOLEST search engine on the PLANET! I know this because they said it is. They wouldn't LIE about something like that...would they??
Google

It has been quite a long time since I have been here. The truth is...and this is no surprise to me, nor should it be to anyone that knows me very well (there aren't TOO many people in THAT catagory...) I FORGOT that this site was even here! I remember having a conversation with a friend recently where the term "Blog" was mentioned, and my friend asked what it ment. Of course I answered that, and in the back of my mind I KNEW that I even HAD a Blog of my own...but I couldn't remember any of the details on it. I couldn't remember the name of the site that hosts it, and I certainly couldn't recall the URL! If it weren't for the fact that I copied myself on the email I sent to my friends about that interesting question that I asked last time I was here...I would have had a hell of a hard time finding this place again!
You may be asking yourself why I didn't bookmark the site. Well. I did. But at some point the IT department swapped my machine at work, and all of my old "favorites" went with the old machine. Pretty silly, eh? Well, now I have this site as one of the links off of one of my many other Home Pages that I have. The one from iGlide.net. I think I will also add it to the "My MSN" page from my Hotmail account as well, just to be safe. BRB. <...Time Passes...>
OK. That is done. I feel better now. Maybe having that link there will actually prompt me to come back here more often! Maybe not...

I have had a few great responses to my Question that I posted on Aug 24th. Some of you people are pretty deep thinkers! (Judy...) But I would like more. So, here's the deal. Send me mail at: wilgar@cox.net and I will take some of the best responses and post them here...yeah. As if anyone is going to READ this thing!
If you have a different "spin" or your own question to pose, send that to me as well! (Does it seem too obvious that I don't get a lot of mail (Spam not included...)
OK...That's all for now! I may be back later today though...

Question: What is the more effective incentive in shaping a young boys life? Being shown a Negative result or a Positive result?

Example I: An "Old Man" who is bitter, and beaten down by life sees a young boy who is happy and full of energy. The boy is whistling to himself, and is not shy about doing so in the presence of the Old Man. Looking down at the boy, he cracks a small smile as he remembers his youth and says, "Don't ever lose your youthful attitude or you will become a bitter old man like me!" The little boy recoils away from the old man in revulsion.
Example II: The same boy, still whistling out loud is spotted by another man who is the same age as the first one, but is healthy and successful in his life. This other man sees the boy and whistles along with the child! Looking down at the boy he says, "Don't ever lose your youthful attitude and you will become a successful man like me!" The little boy starts whistling again, and is again joined in by the older man.

So, back to the question. Is the revulsion at seeing the bitter old man more or less powerful to the boy then the positive experience of whistling with the successful man? Which will be more of a guiding life experience for the child to look back on? Will he say to himself: I DON'T want to be like the bitter old man, so I will always keep my youthful attitude!" Or, does he say to himself: "I want to be JUST like the successful man when I am old, so I will always keep my youthful attitude!"

I am writing this in a frenzied spurt of activity. Mainly just to see the words on the screen. This new toy will eventually lose it's intense interest to me I am sure. But not yet. I think it will take a negative experience with it to cool me off of it at this point. Like...continually not being able to log on from home!

About my style: I seem to trend towards liking the fast little notes that can be dashed off quickly before the thought fades. That is what I do best. There are a lot of ideas that run through my mind as to what would be a good thing to write, but quite frankly I have never been able to stay motivated for long enough to accomplish even scratching them down on paper. However, typing it as I think it makes it that much more rewarding!

I hope to write something that makes more sense real soon now...

It was weird...I tried to access my Web Log last night from home and was told that I didn't have the correct password. But today, using the SAME password, it works from my machine at work again. I am not sure what is the cause of this, but it it continues to be an issue, this will be a very short relationship that I have with blogger.com...

Ever since I first heard about web logs, I have thought that it was something that I would really like to do. I went searching the Web for info, but as so often happens there was so MUCH information, and not all of was relevant to what I wanted to know that I wasn't able to take action. I was stymied, not for lack but for excess information!
So it is rather strange that, months after I had forgotten that I was interested in Blogs, I would happen across a hyperlink reference to blogger.com whilst engaged in a totally different web surf. I was looking at a sight that gives definitions to technical buzzwords
Lo and behold, it led me here. I looked over the information that was abundant, yet not overwhelming and read the Service Agreement (yes...I really DID read it!). Then, as if you couldn't tell, I signed up.
There are a number of times in my life that I tried to keep a diary or log (is there a difference between the two?) but was never able to follow up with any consistency. It is my HOPE that this electronic format will actually enable me to keep some semblance of regularity. Bah! Who am I kidding!!??