Twisted Sideways » Unreal

It’s Valentine’s Day – Ughhh

Rusty — Sat, 14 Feb 2009 15:15:59 +0000

Am I alone in my thinking about Valentine’s day? Am I the only one that can’t stand it? And I don’t think I am bitter because I am single this year. It’s just not my favorite “holiday” or what ever it is that you want to call it. Long lines and no open reservation spots, expensive and extremely marked up prices on flowers that are no where close to that price any other time of the year, the fact that you have to make reservations at resturants that NEVER take reservations any other time of year, those nasty heart shaped antiacids and all the other commerical crap that comes with it, just becomes to much for me.

Why do we have to take this one time, one day of the year to tell (or show) our significant other that we care? I don’t know… Am I alone in this?

KXAN – The Saga Continues

Rusty — Thu, 09 Oct 2008 18:25:30 +0000

Those of you in the Austin and surrounding areas have more than likely noticed that KXAN and the NBC affiliate are no longer on the air. Due to disputes between Time Warner Cable and LIN, the company that owns KXAN, Time Warner has pulled the station from their Austin market. Currently, if you are a Time Warner customer you have no access to shows like “The Office”, “ER” and “HEROES”, just to name a few.

Whether you agree with the negotiations on who is wrong or right in this situation, I don’t really care. What I care about is the fact that I pay Time Warner a lot of money for the services that I have with them and I want to get my money’s worth. I want the NBC station back on the air. If it’s KXAN, fine. I am even fine with a San Antonio or Waco station being broadcast on the air, just bring it back.

I know full well that Time Warner won’t be crediting my bill for services that are no longer being provided. Guess who is having to pay for this little dispute? Their customers.

Life Comes at You Fast

Rusty — Mon, 21 Jul 2008 15:00:39 +0000

Saturday night I was in a wreck. I didn’t see it coming. I had parked in the huge pakring lot under I-35 near 6th street to meet up with some friends that were leaving Austin for Grad school. After a fun dinner with friends I headed back to my truck to head home for the evening. Little did I know that a couple from Hoston was trying to squeeze their small Toyota into a the smaller part of the entryway that no car could have made it through. Because their car wasn’t moving and I thought they were aware they wouldn’t fit into entry way my truck was blocking, I decided to pull out of the parking lot into the south bound feeder road. Low and behold, they had pulled into the spot and another car had taken their position in the road and I nailed the car from the passenger side.

I saw the entire thing happen too! As my headlights lit both the driver and passenger up, I saw the glass from their window completely implode on the car. The driver of the other vehicle ended up being taken to Brackendridge hospital here in Austin and I walked away with very little damage on my truck and no injury to myself. It really made me take a step back from life for just a quick moment that night. My mind has been running since I hit her on Saturday.

It hasn’t been anything profound, but it has caused me to stop and just think about life, and what it is that I take for granted and value. I hope and pray that the driver of the other vehicle was more shaken up by the incident than actually hurt. (no blood or anything) – The passenger walked away with no injury either.

We’ve Landed on Mars

Rusty — Fri, 13 Jun 2008 15:00:26 +0000

If you haven’t read by now, the US has successfully landed on Mars. After a 10 month, 422 million mile journey to the red planted, the Mars Phoenix landed on the planet for a 90 day mission. NASA has stated that they are looking for signs of past, present or future ability for the planet to substain life. The Phoenix landed closer to the planets north pole, the Red Planet’s arctic plains, where winter is quickly approaching. The Phoenix relies on solar power in order to power up it’s camera, robotic arm and other instruments while on the planet.

When I was a kid I was always fascinated with the idea of space and what all is out there. The idea that there might be other galaxy’s just like ours with another “Earth” somewhere out there. Reading the stories and keeping up with the images coming in from the Phoenix is amazing to me. The fact that we can communicate with a device so far away blows me away. It’s hard to believe that NASA is able to retrieve images, control and communicate with an object 422 million miles away.

The Phoenix was originally scheduled to depart back in 2001 but was postponed due to a crash of the rover Polar back in 1999. Other explorations in 1997 and 2004 were successful and allowed NASA views of the terrain in order to better locate ice and water for this mission. In 2004, the rover Opportunity found evidence that a salty sea once lapped the shores of an area near Mars’ equator called Meridiani Planum. Astrobiologists generally agree that it’s best to look for life in wet places.

All this said, it still amazes me that we are not only able to reach planets millions of miles away, but we can communicate with these objects and explore for the future.

Free Drugs

Rusty — Tue, 27 May 2008 20:58:48 +0000

This was taken from Foxnews.com today! Crazy!

An unsuspecting passenger who flew through Tokyo’s Narita airport left with $10,000 worth of free marijuana thanks to a forgetful customs officer and a sniffer dog with an unreliable nose.

The officer stuffed five ounces of the drug into the side pocket of a randomly selected black suitcase coming off an overseas flight into Narita yesterday so that the dog could get some practice at detecting drugs.

“The dog couldn’t find it and the officer also forgot which bag he put it in,” a customs office spokeswoman said. “If by some chance passengers find it in their suitcase, we’re asking them to return it.”

The spokeswoman quoted the unnamed 38-year-old officer as saying: “I knew that using passengers’ bags is prohibited, but I did it because I wanted to improve the sniffer dog’s ability.”

He was reprimanded by the head of customs at Narita, Manpei Tanaka, who said: “This case was extremely regrettable. I would like to deeply apologize.”

The marijuana, which has a street value of $9,680, was in a metal box wrapped with newspapers. Japan strictly prohibits both hard and soft drugs, with people imprisoned for possession of even small amounts of marijuana.

Mental Breakdown?

Rusty — Wed, 09 Aug 2006 23:05:00 +0000

Is it possible to have a mental breakdown at my age? I often wonder what it might be like to just go insane. I think work has been the most insane that I have ever experienced this past month or so. I love my job, but I have to admit, the thought has crossed my mind to leave. And even viciously during the middle of this Capitol Campaign that we are about to start to build new buildings.

I need a vacation. One that I am hoping to take here VERY VERY soon.

NASA Pushes Forward

Rusty — Mon, 03 Jul 2006 21:52:00 +0000

So I have been following all of the hype on the news the past few days about all the issues that NASA has been having with the upcoming launch. It’s already been rescheduled two times due to weather and recently they found gaps in the foam that prevent the fuel lines for freezing. And even though they have discovered these gaps, NASA reports that they are still going forward with the launch.

I’m no engineer, but these were some of the same issues they had when the last space shuttle exploded. It amazes me that NASA is willing to take this risk just to get supplies and another astronaut to the space station.

That said, it astounds me at what we, as humans, are capable of. This picture of the shuttle on it’s moving platform is huge. The people in the bottom right of the photograph put this picture into perspective. God is amazing to say the least. To allow us to create, to dream, to use our gifts to explore our amazing galaxy, floors me. Granted, I feel pretty stupid for the most part when I try and compare myself to the people at NASA (it is by no means a regular comparison) but I do. However, to think that God would allows us the ability to construct the means to reach far planets and moons and send people to them leaves me awe. He is amazing.

It’s funny to think about how my world recently has allowed me to stay focused on Him. Writing on this blog has allowed me to think more about Him and what He has gifted people with. What He has allowed me to be apart of and what He has blessed me with. It’s funny to think that almost a week ago, I wouldn’t have even a second thought to what NASA is doing nor what splendor He has created beyond what I can see here on earth!

Exxon Mobil Posts Highest US Corporate Profit Ever at $9.9B

Rusty — Fri, 28 Oct 2005 04:12:00 +0000

Exxon Mobil Corp. (XOM) on Thursday posted a quarterly profit of $9.9 billion, its biggest ever and one of the largest in U.S. corporate history, as it raked in a bonanza from soaring oil and gas prices.

Record profits for Big Oil at a time when consumers are paying sky-high prices for gasoline have brought calls for a windfall profits tax or other penalties on oil companies. Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist on Tuesday called for hearings with oil companies on high energy costs.

The companies have been enjoying an unusually rosy environment for months. In the third quarter, oil prices and refining margins rose sharply after Hurricanes Katrina and Rita ripped through the Gulf of Mexico, disrupting energy operations in the region.

Um… are you kidding me? As if this isn’t a bur in the side of almost every American. Well at least those that aren’t getting the paycheck from these records profits. This article blows my mind (found on the Fox News website today 10/27/05)

I am at such a loss of words right now that I don’t really have much to say to this other than… are you kidding me?

Why Do They Do It?

Rusty — Sat, 01 Oct 2005 03:03:00 +0000

It’s a wonder that kids these days find that they get their asses kicked at school more than we would care to admit. Back in the day, when I worked as a substitute teacher for the Austin Independent school, I would see kids like the one in the video link below and wonder just how they made it though middle school and high school in one piece.

Aicha Video