« July 2003 | Main | September 2003 »
I just noticed this site at http://www.costofwar.com/ that keeps a running counter of what we've spend on the war with Iraq. It also lets you see what might have been done with those dollars. I believe it was a mistake to invade, but at this point the damage is done and we have to clean up the mess we made of that country, so this counter is a long way from stopping. FYI that's about $3300 for every person that lives in Iraq.
Hey guys (and girls) me and some friends and family have this fantasy football thing that we like to do, but we are having some trouble filling up the league this year. Possibly because NFL.com started charging for the service. More likely everyone is intimidated by my mad fantasy football skillz. There is always the battle for second place guys :) Seriously, if your are interested in joining our league, signup here http://basicmeeting.0.football.nfl.com/splash/football/nfl/single/basic/101762. The password is welcome1. It's only $14.95 and we'll be having our automated draft on September 3rd.
If you've never played before, they have a tour and an explanation of how things work at the NFL.com fantasy football home page. It's really very straight forward and you don't even need to know very much about football at all (it can help though). My wife's even thinking about playing this year!
If you have any questions, just holler.
I'm finally getting around to canceling my Earthlink/Mindspring account this morning so caseyf@mindspring.com will no longer work. It a shame that they have such such unreliable service.... then again DSL is way cool. If you need to know my new address just email me :P
Note: Actually the account won't close til the end of the billing cycle on September 7th.
Updates have been a little few and far between here at pr3d4t0r.com lately, and I apologize. Ever since we got our "Evil Blue Computer", I've done little more than run home every night and play with it. And most of the playing has been in the form of video games.
One game, Neverwinter Nights, I played for a while and enjoy quite a bit... but then I bought Battlefield 1942. This game is a blast especially online with lots of other guys (and girls I suppose). It's the only game I've played online besides Diablo 2 and the first FPS I've played online unless the Unreal Tournament matches we used to have here at work during break count. BF1942 is so much more enjoyable than UT though. Maybe because of the myriad different ways that you can play the game, with each strategy just as valid as the next. I personally tend to play as a medic and slink around and and try and approach bases and enemy units from unexpected angles. Possibly because I'm not too good of a shot just yet and I tend to need to be able to heal myself after most encounters.
Anyway, if you are a Battlefield 1942 player, let me hear from you. Meet me online. I tend to hang out on the SquadGames.com server usally after 10CDT. Only 12 more hours and I can resume my climb up the rankings at bfstats.com!
Note: My Battlefield 1942 name is, of course, pr3d4t0r. See you on the battlefield.
Sadly, I wasn't able to attend the first flash mob. I had a birthday party to attend. But it went well from what I understand it went real well. Here's a recap from Blake over at the nashvilleflashmobproject Yahoo! group.
I'd say we had around 40 people. I had 17 show up at my location, and nashvilleflashmobboss had 15 show up at his...there were a few people that brought along extras after picking up the instructions, and I called a few more people and gave them instructions by phone. Heck...it was probably over 40.
The whole thing was louder than I thought (and that's a good thing)...especially during the count-down and ensuing celebration. I guess it's just so quiet in there normally being the type of mall it is. We definitely threw people for a loop.
For those that didn't make it, sorry you couldn't be there. Essentially it involved standing around this big clock in Green Hills Mall and everyone looking at there watches and chanting "tick tock...tick tock." We then counted down to 2:00 and celebrated like it was New Years. lol
A couple weeks back, my cousin Pauline Ackley (2nd cousin once removed for those keeping score at home) sent me a picture with the following note attached:
I've written to you before on how nice your web site is and that I also have been doing the family history since 1992. I have acquired some pictures of the Flesers and don't know who they are. One in particular is an 8x10 picture of a saw mill. I was told it was Adam Jr.'s sawmill. I did recognize my grandfather, Phillip Frank Fleser. he was the fifth person from the left and my dad, Wallace and his brother Ernest, who were about 3 and 4 years old, were sitting on a log. Who the other people are I don't know. Also there is a woman in the picture holding a baby. Do you happen to have a picture that sounds like that? Did Adam Jr. own or run a sawmill?
So, does anyone have any clues about this photo? Click on the picture to see a larger image. Any help would be appreciated.
I went to the Titans game on Saturday night (I'm so happy that football season is starting again) and they paid tribute to the first Tennessee soldier to die in the Iraq conflict. Marine Cpl. Patrick Nixon who died in March. His parents and I assume siblings were introduced on the 50 yard line and greeted with a standing ovation which was well deserved. Whether or not you agree with the war, this young man gave his life serving his nation and he and his family deserve our gratitude and respect... Still this was a 21 year old boy and his momma was standing down there and I saw her lower her head... I know she was grateful for our applause, but she was still grieving from the loss of her son. She'll never see him marry, never know the grandchildren that he might have had, never know what the rest of his life held for him.
It's an easy thing to distance yourself from the realities of war and say we should invade here or send peacekeepers there. But the reality is that these are our the children of our friends and neighbors being put in harms way. Real people just like me and you are giving their lives there. I'm not saying to go protest or enlist, but sometimes it seems that people don't truly consider the true sacrifices necessary to fight and win a war. For one family in Tennessee, they understand, and will live with what this war has taken away from them every day for the rest of their lives.
There are a few new pictures in the gallery this morning. Including some of the new computer with the evil blue glow. Yep, my journey towards the dark side is complete. Of course I'm typing this out on my PowerBook, so I haven't gone completely loco. What do you all think? Cool looking, eh?
Yesterday I read an email from my friend Mark about the "Star Wars Kid" and was suitably amused enough to forward it to a few more friends. I also held a little screening of the original clip as well as the two remixes just before lunch time yesterday and we all had a good laugh. If you don't know what I'm talking about, go to the following: http://www.btinternet.com/~moondoggy/star_wars_kid.html
If you know the story, you know that the young man in the video has been a wee bit distraught over his Darth Maul imitations appearing worldwide across the internet. He is actually trying to sue the people responsible for making the video public!
Well, I don't know about suing, but I believe (and so do about 45,000 other people so far) that George Lucas should give the "Star Wars Kid" a little cameo or something in the next Star Wars movie. If you think so too, head on over to PetitionOnline and at your name to the list. You'll find it here: http://www.petitiononline.com/Ghyslain/petition.html