Bonzai: Thoughts and Expressions

War on Crime

Public Enemies by Bryan Burrough is a book detailing the rise of some of America’s most popular criminals and the simultaneous creation of the F.B.I. Unlike most “true crime“ stories, this book reads more like a novel and is just as engaging. The book is set largely in the years 1933 & 1934 and delivers a very well researched and accurate depiction of what really happened based on police reports, photos, eye witness interviews, and federal reports. The author quickly points out when there is missing or inaccurate data and does a great job of separating what was reported as ‘fact’ and what has actually been proven to be ‘fact’.

Those individuals that this book focuses on include: Bonnie & Clyde, John Dillinger, Baby Face Nelson, Pretty Boy Floyd, Alvin Karpis & The Barker Family, J. Edgar Hoover and all of those supporting the true stories of these people during the time that defined the F.B.I. President Roosevelt had waged a “War on Crime” and it focused on these bank robbers and kidnappers of the day.

I loved this book! It had a good pace, full of interesting facts, and almost had you thinking that the outcome might actually change from what you know history to be because of the difference between what really happened and the blatant inaccuracy of the reporting of the time. It was quite an eye opener to realize how far law enforcement has come in the relatively short time since 1933-1934. If you are a “true crime” fan, or if you are interested in the gangster genre, you need to read this book. If you are just looking for a fascinating read, I can’t see how you can go wrong with this one.

Bonzai Book Score: 4.5 out of 5

posted by Bonzai @ 10:52 PM 1 comments

Making Money

We all knew that the U.S. Mint made money, but did you know they could turn a profit? I didn’t either. Apparently, they have a term for this process and it is called seignorage.

I’m reading an article about the next attempt at a dollar coin and I come across a word I’ve never seen before. It was a key point in the article because it turns out to be the reason that the U.S. Mint may be producing $1 coins again after monumental failures on their last two attempts. I’ll use the example of the 50 states quarters to illustrate the meaning of this word. You see, it costs the U.S. Mint less than 5 cents each to produce one of those state series quarters. When someone “buys” or receives a coin in change, and then removes it from circulation for collecting or any other reason, the government literally turns a profit from this phenomenon. The process is known as seignorage. The U.S. Treasury estimates that they have ‘earned’ about $5 billion in seignorage profits from the 50 states quarters minted thus far.

Those ever creative lawmakers on Capital Hill have decided to capitalize on the profitable success that the government has enjoyed with the state quarter series. Their next big idea comes in the form of H.R. 902, Presidential $1 Coin Act of 2005 where there will be a series of coins minted with the likeness of each of the former U.S. Presidents appearing on the front of the coin and an image of the Statue of Liberty on the back of the coin. There would also be a redesign of the penny to commemorate the bicentennial anniversary of the birth of Abraham Lincoln. The estimated seignorage profits of the $1 coin are estimated by the Congressional Budget Office to be approximately $280 Million over the 2006-2015 period.
-
How very interesting. I wonder what the limit of interest for would be coin collectors is? Will the Treasury continue on with the collectible currency trend? I guess we will find out in time.

posted by Bonzai @ 2:02 PM 0 comments

Poison Ivy & Jewelweed

I have nothing but praise for Burt’s Bees Poison Ivy Soap! I have a serious sensitivity to poison ivy and the like and have had numerous bouts with the stuff growing up. Of course, it didn’t help much that I hung out in a gravel pit and often spent time near the wooded trails & creek of a local park. Just the same, my only recourse seemed to be to go to the doctor and either receive an injection or a packet of steroid pills to dry up the rash. Not fun.

Now that I have a few more years under my belt, I have done some research in some old herbals and have investigated a plant commonly referred to as the “natural antidote to poison ivy”. The plant is known as “Jewelweed” and grows in similar proximities to that of poison ivy. Many herbalists believe that nature is always working to achieve balance, and these two plants provide such a balance. Whatever! Does it work?

posted by Bonzai @ 7:56 AM 0 comments

Moving up in Rank

We tested… and we passed! Duncan and I both advanced a notch in our Taekwondo this week after testing last weekend. Duncan has earned green stripes on his yellow belt and has achieved the level of 7th gup! This was supposed to be the weekend I caught up with him but he advanced as well. I guess I’m not working hard enough! I also tested and advanced to yellow belt, 8th gup. He tells me he wants me to catch up so I can be in his class with him, but I think he is enjoying this.

He amazes me at how fast he picks up forms! Today was his first class at the new rank and he learned the whole form in about 15 minutes! I attempted to learn a new form today as well, and I couldn’t begin to keep up after just a few minutes. I have no doubt that Duncan will hit black belt in the next year or two if he sticks with it. Congratulations to Duncan – keep up the pace, kid, I enjoy the challenge. :-)

posted by Bonzai @ 9:00 PM 0 comments

Accidental Criminals

Everyone has heard about how the RIAA (Recording Industry Association of America) has been suing their customers in droves in an attempt to discourage the downloading of music over the internet in various ways. They are having a field day suing everyone from 9 year old kids to 87 year old grand parents. Is it working? Not really, but that is a conversation for another post. The question I had recently explored was more on the order of: “What can I legally do with ‘my’ music?” Well, you might be surprised.

I found an interesting article on cnet that reviews this very topic. The first topic they covered was if you can personally back up your own music for your own use. The answer was a little surprising but it set the tone for the rest of the topics. Because of something called the Audio Home Recording Act of 1992, you are only allowed to back up your music to analog cassette tapes! That’s right, the use of computers and the process of “ripping” to an alternate format for portable devices (such as MP3), is technically illegal under the strictest interpretations of U.S. copyright law.

Reading further I discovered another interesting little twist. It would seem that under certain circumstances, you may be allowed to make a copy of some CDs for ‘personal use’. However, this copy must be made via the use of an “Audio Recording Device” and computers are not recognized as a device of this type. WTF?! It wasn’t that long ago that these laws were created and they are already so out of date that, if they were pursued with full intent, we wouldn’t have such devices as iPods or CD players that could read alternate file formats. By strict interpretation, these devices are technically in violation of certain laws.

Whew! Is anyone else surprised by this? No wonder the old fogies up on Capital Hill are confused and befuddled by this ‘new’ technology – they are still reading an outdated playbook! I find it amazing that the RIAA has managed to penetrate the legislature to the point that they are allowed to attempt such a stranglehold on intellectual data. Interesting in the extreme.

So what does all of this mean? Not so much really. Although the law is on the books, the money to uphold that law is not so plentiful that they can go out and police every CD purchased in the U.S. and beyond to be sure the user is not breaking copyright laws. That leaves the RIAA and its minions with the tactics they are currently using. The vast number of music consumers out there are in their teens and they are embracing the latest technologies far and ahead of any other group. The RIAA and others can either keep up, or fall out. The legislature is going to have a hard time keeping the pace with technology but if they want to try, it will be interesting to watch.

posted by Bonzai @ 9:03 AM 0 comments

What are you going to do about it?

[Begin Rant]

The Republicans claim they have the votes to end filibusters of judicial nominations. Interesting. I have been reading through some other blogs and have been watching the back-and-forth of the Republican and Democrat supporters on this issue. I’ll be up front and say that I lean to the conservative in matters of politics and often times side with the Republicans. This issue has me torn though.

I understand that Bush and the GOP are frustrated with the Democrats at not being able to get a vote on some of their nominations. I also understand that it hasn’t been until fairly recently that a filibuster has ever been used to the end of halting a nomination from coming to a vote. There were indeed some Clinton nominations that were blocked but not at the same level of influence as we are talking about here. My real fear in all of this is that, one way or another, the politicians on both sides of the aisle are tinkering with a system that has withstood the scrutiny of the world since its creation more than 200 years ago. Is this a good thing? I’m not so sure.

As I see it, this all boils down to self-preservation of the two largest political parties. In this case, the Democrats are doing whatever they can to hang on to whatever power they have left by refusing to allow a vote that would surely pass, as they see it, in the favor of the Republicans and the Republican agenda. And then there are the Republicans, doing what they can and flexing their muscle of current power in an effort to increase their ability to hold on to that power. What happened to the “good of the people” and “justice for all” and all of that good talk? I wonder if I am the only one feeling like a spectator at an arena instead of a citizen partially responsible for what is going on?

All in all, I blame the citizens of the United States for this. Yep, I know, you aren’t the ones in Washington doing the power grab. And for those that personally investigated the issues and voted by way of your conscience and intelligence, I exclude you from these statements. However, those that are able to vote and don’t, or follow the pack, or vote for a party because their family has always voted that way, or think that politics is some sort of game that requires “fans” on each side, you are the ones to blame.

Imagine what the political landscape might be like if the vast majority of people eligible to vote actually took their civic duty seriously, if they investigated the issues and voted consistently in every election. Recent changes such as term limits likely wouldn’t be necessary because everyone would be in tune to what is going on. If the elected official didn’t do his job, the people would know it and would throw the bum out! Imagine what kind of diversity would be installed if every legitimate voter was involved. Imagine what budgets would look like if everyone was able to scrutinize them and hold their elected officials responsible.

As it is, we as a country are becoming lazy. Regardless of political affiliation, people complain about everything and do little or nothing to effect change in the very things they complain about. I hear rumblings on both sides about another Civil War some day. Hah! The only way you would rally enough American people into a conflict of that magnitude would be if you took away their TV programming and forced their butts off the couch!

So should the anti-filibuster vote be any surprise to anyone? Not really. The only thing that would surprise me at the moment would be if every registered voter out there actually got involved and voided the need for such a move. Hold them accountable in Washington. Do your part in caring for the country that has given so much to its people and the rest of the world. Stop complaining and start doing something about it. It’s our country, why should we give it over so easily to the politicians? There was once a time we fought to create this country – are we willing to fight to keep it? Time will tell.

[Rant concluded]

posted by Bonzai @ 9:00 AM 0 comments

"E" is for Entrepreneur

E Myth Mastery by Michael L. Gerber was my first foray into what some refer to as the “Cult of Michael Gerber”. This is actually a follow-up book to the original titled E Myth Revisited and was basically a sort of “brush up” to that original title. I probably should have listened to these books in order but this was the one that was available at the time and I just grabbed it.

Mr. Gerber forced me to take a look at business in a new way, and in that regard, I say that this is an excellent book. It doesn’t just rehash the old “try hard & stay focused” thoughts about running a business but rather it focuses on what Michael views as the three primary roles of those involved in a business: Entrepreneur, Manager, and Technician. Without going into too much detail here, he describes how most small business owners get caught up in the role of “technician” or “manager” and as such, never allow the business to mature to a point in which the owner has the ability to work ON his business as opposed to working IN the business in the role of "entrepreneur".

Although there was a fair amount of ‘story telling’ in this book, the key concepts seem golden to me and immediately struck a chord. I will definitely be getting the predecessor to this book and will be studying it thoroughly. In the mean time, I would say that this book is definitely worth your time if you are involved in or are thinking about running a small business.

Bonzai Book Score: 4 out of 5

posted by Bonzai @ 8:13 AM 0 comments

Hustle to See This One!

What would you get if you were to make a “Bruce Lee meets the Matrix” comedy featuring several ‘super’ characters from Chinese fables? Probably something like Kung Fu Hustle! I just saw this movie and I was cracking up. If you know a little bit about Stephen Chow, you will really appreciate all of the little goodies and zingers that he slipped into this movie. If not, I can pretty much promise you that you have seen nothing like this before.

The movie is set primarily in a slum known as Pig Sty Alley where several very colorful Kung Fu masters are living quietly amongst the others in the ally. The landlord is a very overbearing woman that you just can’t help but enjoying when she is on the screen. Ultimately there is a confrontation between the poor people of the alley and a ruthless organized crime gang know simply as the Axe Gang.

If you are looking for a serious story set in realism, this one isn’t for you. But if you want to have an unexpectedly good time watching another of Stephen Chow’s visions come to life in a movie that some how pays tribute to the Kung Fu film genre while at the same time making fun of it, go see this movie!

Bonzai Movie Score: 7.5 out of 10

posted by Bonzai @ 3:19 PM 0 comments

Looking for a Nanny?

Nannies, Inc. is officially on the web and ready to serve. You can find them at:

posted by Bonzai @ 3:10 PM 0 comments

Ohhhh, Nora!

Every once in a while I hit a book that I'm in the perfect mood for. I just listened to Honeymoon by James Patterson and it was great! It's a fast paced murder and suspense story that keeps you in the story to the point that you lose track of time. I listened to the unabridged audio book version, which was interesting because it had dual narrators - a female for the roles of women and a male for the roles of men. They both did a great job and made the story that much more interesting to follow.

This book had a little bit of everything: murder, mystery, deceit, betrayal, sex, violence, comic relief, and a couple of good twists. If you like the murder/mystery genre or a good suspense book, do yourself a favor and pick this one up!

Bonzai Book Score: 4 out of 5

posted by Bonzai @ 1:30 PM 0 comments

Fun in the News

Those of you who know me personally know that I have certain views of the world. My opinions are usually available only to those that ask to have them, but this forum is a little different in that respect. It’s my forum, so I have to assume that those reading these thoughts and expressions are actually interested in them at some level. Anyway, I was reading through some of my favorite news sources this morning and had a good chuckle on several items and thought I would share a couple of them here.

The first one was a “reality check” for the tree huggers. I found it less entertaining than I did interesting, but enjoyed it just the same. The rather “Liberal” Stewart Brand writing for Technology Review has been reviewing positions he has taken a stand on for the last 10 years or more. As he digs into the reality of what the world is and begins to abandon the idea of Utopia, he is changing his tune in several areas, specifically in these four areas: Population Growth, Urbanization, Genetically Engineered Organisms, and Nuclear Power. It’s a rather lengthy article but it is fun to watch ‘ole Stewart try to put a “new” slant on something that has been preached by the masses for as long as he has been fighting it. It’s an interesting read regardless of which side of the aisle you declare yourself on.

As you may have read in an earlier post, I’m not pleased by the artificially inflated prices at the pumps these days. Apparently I am not alone. This article in FlashNews.com speaks of a gentleman in Lake Orion, MI that has put some old moonshining techniques into play to fight gas prices. He has begun selling stills that separate ethanol from just about any sugary vegetable, such as corn or apples, after a period of fermentation. He claims that mixed with the proper amount of gasoline, you can lower your automobile fuel bill to $1.40 per gallon. You have to love the creativity and drive of people. One way or another, legal or otherwise, people will get what they want – in this case, affordable fuel. I haven’t done the math, but assuming this guy's numbers are correct, I can already imagine an underground network of people that are creating and consuming “illegal” fuel. Why would the government care? They can’t collect taxes on fuel if it is sold outside of their controlled environment. I wonder if the gentleman in this article will wind up spawning the next Al Capone? Time will tell.

posted by Bonzai @ 8:28 AM 2 comments

She Seduced a Monk?!

My latest audio book was another selection from Sue Monk Kidd called The Mermaid Chair. After finishing another book of hers titled The Secret Life of Bees, I was expecting another very good story. Although the Mermaid Chair was an interesting story, I don’t think it was quite as engaging as the Bees.

The story is about a woman in her 40s who seems to be having trouble staying happy in a marriage that she feels has gone stale. She goes to visit her mother and her mother’s friends on the coast of South Carolina where she grew up, next to a monastery. It is during this trip that she finds out the truth about many things, including the true story of how her father died, how she really feels about her marriage, and what it is like to bed a monk. Yes. A monk. This is definitely another “chick” book and I think I’ll take a break from the Kidd books.

I did enjoy this book to a certain degree but I just had to shake my head a couple of times and consider how absolutely absurd some of the situations were. I could see the “tugging of the heart-strings” and just rolled my eyes. Ladies, I’m sure you’ll like this. Most of the guys will probably want to try something else – except maybe Kazi… I understand he has found some new programming options on Lifetime that he finds enjoyable. ;-)

Bonzai Book Score: 2.5 out of 5

posted by Bonzai @ 8:21 PM 0 comments

Fun with Duncan

My 5-year old son, Duncan, amazes me sometimes. I received Halo 2 for the X-Box as a birthday present a couple of months ago and managed to get most of the way through the game. Duncan really enjoys what he calls ‘bad guy games’ and was immediately drawn to Halo. He was having a hard time with the full size controller that comes with the console so we went out and got him this smaller unit that fits more easily in his hands. That was the last time I was able to beat him in the game.

I went upstairs and watched him play for a few minutes this weekend without him being aware of my presence. He has beaten the game at all difficulties now and has all of the maps memorized. He was just effortlessly breezing through the screens and noticed I was watching him. He invited me to play and I picked up a controller. Oops. I have now been officially dethroned as the video game king of the household as I was thoroughly beaten and humbled by a 5-year old – and he was chattering and laughing the whole way through. He earned the title, fair and square. What can I say?

We went out for a bite to eat and stopped by the pet store on the way back home. Duncan really enjoys critters as long as they are behind glass or in a cage. After checking out the homeless cats, frogs, fish and birds, we were walking by the hamsters & guinea pigs and he wanted to take a peak. Up until this point, he was simply mildly amused and interested in these captive critters and then he spotted the gerbils. They’re cute and quick and about as curious as he is. When Duncan put is face close to the glass, they scattered – apparently panic stricken at the site of his face invading their space. Duncan started laughing so hard I thought he was going to stop breathing! The little critters quickly poked their faces out again and Duncan startled them again, roaring with laughter and drawing a small crowd of children. After 3 or 4 minutes of terrorizing these poor rodents, we made good our escape and was far enough away to avoid the lecture of the employees to the other kids that were still doing their best to give the poor animals a heart attack. Duncan continued laughing and smiling all the way back to the car.

His mother thinks he is too young for a slingshot, but I think he would have fun with it. I think she is from the "You'll shoot your eye out!" school of thought but I think he has a better head on his shoulders than that. Besides, it's not a Red Rider BB gun, it's a slingshot - how bad could it really be? They have these cheap plastic marbles that can be used for ammo. They easily tag targets and are a little easier on the windows. Perhaps his dad can get one and let him borrow it from time to time. Hehee. Anyway, he loves animals so I doubt he would be shooting the dog or birds or anything. We'll see. :-)

posted by Bonzai @ 8:37 AM 2 comments

A Taste of Afghan Culture

I recently finished a rather interesting audio book called The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini. It is essentially the story of two boys growing up in Afghanistan from around the mid 1960s. One of the boys is the son of a wealthy merchant while the other is a servant’s son working in the same house, providing an interesting contrast as they explore and discover their country and customs. The story is told in the first person narrative of the wealthy son.

When this book was recommended to me, I was hesitant. It has been out for a while and I hadn’t heard much about it. With all of the negativism in the news regarding the middle-east, I really didn’t feel like listening to more anti-American drivel , especially 11 CDs worth. I was relieved and pleasantly surprised at how engaging the story really was, and it offered a fascinating look at both the changes in Afghanistan in the last 40 years as well as a fresh perspective on America from an Afghan immigrant’s point of view.

There were times during the book that I felt like skipping forward, times when I had the feeling the author was just reminiscing about memories of the “old country”. As the book progressed and the true nature of the story unfolded, I was glad that I had listened to the entire story. It was very impressive to see how the author wove in elements from the beginning of the story all the way through to the very end, including those “reflection” pieces I just mentioned. By the end of the book all the loose ends were tied up and there were even some subtle plot lines exposed that I hadn’t even known were there until the final chapters. When the last track finally played, I had to remind myself that this was a work of fiction, not a biographical representation of the author’s life. It was very convincing.

I would recommend this book to those with an open mind about other cultures, and to those that would like more of a pure, insider’s peek at what the real Afghanistan was like before the Taliban occupation of the key cities in that country. Whether you read it or listen to it, you will most likely find it interesting and thought provoking.

Bonzai Book Score: 3.5 out of 5

posted by Bonzai @ 9:31 PM 0 comments

Castles and Scotch Whiskey

It’s raining again today. The warm air that is here now is being pushed out by cooler air that will be arriving this evening, dropping us down to the low 60s tomorrow for high temps. I’m fine with that. Unlike most people, including my wife, I think I would do just fine in a rainy overcast environment like Seattle or Scotland. Ah, Scotland…

Although I don’t have much in the way of a Scottish bloodline, I have this weird pull on my soul that seems to be pointing me toward Scotland. There is something about that rugged country and its ancient traditions that just has me wanting to learn more about that country all the time. There is something about “old stuff” that has always fascinated me but Scotland seems to be a “proud European underdog with an attitude” and for some reason I find that interesting.

When my wife and I finally get over there for a visit, there are several sites I want to see. Among them are some castles – how cool would it be to own a castle?! Then, there is the Whiskey Trail, which is essentially several distilleries of some of the worlds finest spirits. Of course, there are the heather fields that bloom in the spring – rolling hills of sprawling pink, purple and white flowers that sway and blow with the wind. We have considered staying in the many “Bed & Breakfast” establishments all through Scotland so as to get a glimpse of the people as they live today, sandwiched between ancient history and the high tech world of the internet and beyond. There is so much more to do, I only hope I have enough time to do it.

One thing that I’m not really interested in all that much is golf. Everyone I know that has made it over there has made a big deal about the supposed birthplace of golf. Hm. I guess it’s just me, but the courses I have seen over there don’t look like a bunch of fun to me, not to mention that the people I have spoken to always tell stories about how windy and rainy it is to play there, and how the courses are nothing like they are here in the states. Whatever. I like to go out on the course with a few beers and a lot of balls (some how this is a complementary combination) and just have fun. I don’t take it too seriously and I don’t find it interesting enough to invest part of my life into perfecting my swing. I think I’ll skip playing golf, but might snap a few pics if I happen by some Scottish golfers.

I think I’ll get back to work and day dream about Scotland a little bit. If I think of anything interesting to blog about, I’ll sign on again later.

posted by Bonzai @ 2:20 PM 2 comments

Alternative Fuel

Whoa!! I just went to the gas station. Arggg…. $2.27 per gallon. I think I’ll start walking. The meter hit $35 and that was enough. I didn’t even fill up the tank on my little S-10. Nuts, I tell you. I immediately thought of an alternate fuel solution that I have been keeping my eye on…

http://www.unitednuclear.com/h2.htm

This is a cool setup. They have figured out how to safely store and use hydrogen as an alternate fuel by utilizing a chemical called hydride. There are many cool aspects of this system and I encourage you to check out the details at the link above. They currently have a completed system for the Chevy Corvette and are working on a system for the Mitsubishi Endeavor. The part about this that I like the most is that it is a dual fuel system, meaning it can run on gasoline or hydrogen. The second best part about this is that there is a rig in development that will allow the owner of the vehicle to produce his own hydrogen fuel at his own home, greatly reducing the dependency of a third party fuel supplier. I can hardly wait. One estimate on a site that reviewed this was that a vehicle could get 1500 miles to the fill up on this system. I don’t know about you folks but that is akin to filling up once every 6-8 weeks for me. That, I can deal with.

If these guys have any enemies, it will probably be one of the following three: Big Oil, Big Auto, Big Brother (government). Big oil is obvious; they stand to lose billions if people stopped buying gas. Big Auto may also have issues with this as the cars burn cleaner and will last years longer, also costing them millions. Finally, there is Big Brother, you know, those suits in Washington who claim to be looking out for the little guy while at the same time are picking their pockets. With two giant lobbyists coming at them, they may well be bought off “for our own good” – not to mention the loss of tax revenue they currently collect from us at the pump. We’ll see how this plays out but I can tell you that I am more than ready for this type of fuel system and will be first in line when it hits the market for general use.

Estimates of $5 per gallon for gasoline? Enough! Bring on the H2 !!!

posted by Bonzai @ 4:00 PM 2 comments

Nannies, Inc.

posted by Bonzai @ 11:07 AM 2 comments

Somewhere Near Lizard Lick

I’m sitting here in Wendell today, a little hick corner of North Carolina with the nearest towns being that of Lizard Lick and Zebulon. No kidding, check a map. There is a little Ford store here that we manage and it has a couple of PCs down. No problem. So I head on out from Cary and enjoy the sunshine as I drive out into the country, the whole time thinking about how I’m going to design my new company.

What is my new company? No clue yet, but I’m really not happy working for someone else. I have always enjoyed the concept of providing a product and living on the profits of the sale of said product. Sounds easy enough… but I’m not that naïve. Often times when I enter an establishment I find myself considering what it would be like to live the lifestyle of a storeowner, merchant, restaurant owner, or some other business owner. There is something empowering about success based on your level of service or quality of product. It seems like the proper way to measure what your worth really is, and it gives you the ultimate control in affecting your own future. You gotta love capitalism.

Too bad I couldn’t figure out a way to capture and sell this pollen every year! There are tons of pine trees in this area and they give off a heavy sprinkling of yellow pollen every year around April. You have to see this stuff to believe it. It can coat anything and turn it a powdery yellow. When it rains, there are little yellow rivulets that run along the gutters and through the streets. I don’t have allergies so I’m not affected by it that way but I can tell you that the stuff gets in your eyes and just makes them feel very dry and sticky. If you have contacts, look out! Some people just have to disregard their lenses until the season ends, which is usually just a few weeks.

Time to go kick this PC’s butt and get on out of here. It’s not playing nice so I’m going to re-image the hard disk drive and call it done. More later.

posted by Bonzai @ 2:19 PM 0 comments

Invited to Test

I went into class early tonight so I could focus on stretching my sore leg. My leg must not have hindered my performance in class too much because Master Chang presented me with my final stripe and invited me to test for my yellow belt (8th gup). Woohoo! Promotion is always feels good.

posted by Bonzai @ 8:14 PM 0 comments

Beautiful Spring Day

It was another great weather day here today with a cloudless sky and a high in the upper 70s, tempered with a light breeze. I was fortunate enough to get out and enjoy some of it at lunch time. There is a Nature Preserve about 10 minutes from where I work in Cary called Hemlock Bluffs. They have a nice set of easy trails that wind in and through a hardwood forest. On a day like today, it was pretty nice to get away from technology a little bit and enjoy a nature break.

On the way back, I stopped in to talk to Dave at the audio book store that I frequent. I picked up a couple of books and chatted with him about mead and other things. He’s an interesting guy. He doesn’t wear a watch and isn’t bothered by little things like schedules. His store opens at “about” 9:00am and closes “around” 7 or 8. He definitely has his opinions of the world and seems to enjoy capitalism and all of its perks. Recently I brought him in some wine to sample and asked only that he give me an honest evaluation from his own point of view (he’s not a connoisseur). This was what prompted the discussion on time. He had apparently planned some large meal that was meant to accentuate the wine so he could fully enjoy it. His great plans were squashed and the meal was scrapped and he ultimately didn’t even open the wine. This seemed so complicated to me. I said “Dude, just drink the wine. You won’t even notice the food if the wine is any good.” He looked at me, almost shocked, as if I had just spoken blasphemy. On any other day, I would consider myself a hyper planner. It’s fun to meet people more afflicted than me.

Taekwondo will be interesting tonight. I didn’t stretch out enough yesterday and now have a slightly pulled muscle in my leg. The minor hike at lunch today was a challenge so I can just imagine what 20 or 30 roundhouse kicks is going to be like. I’ll give it my all though, like I always do, and I’ll probably limp into the house when I get home. Perhaps I’ll take some of my own advice and self medicate with a little wine tonight. Cheers!

posted by Bonzai @ 3:55 PM 0 comments

Combat Ready!

posted by Bonzai @ 7:47 PM 1 comments

Pondering Self Employment

The weather today is beautiful. I went out and took the dog for a walk and then just sort of soaked up the sunshine today. There isn’t a cloud in the sky and the temps are in the mid 70’s. I picked a good comp day for once – it’s usually rainy, or there is something pressing that needs attention. Today is just a nice relaxing ice tea sipping prop up your feet and take a nap on the deck kind of day.

As per usual, my mind is going a million miles a minute though (I really need to figure out how to quiet my thoughts without the use of chemicals). I’m thinking I really need to be self-employed, to be my own boss, and that I probably am not going to be happy until I actually do just that. In assessing my current job, it’s probably "ok" because it’s relatively secure and I have certain freedoms. On the downside is the management and the pay. When you compare the whole package, it’s just “ok”. I just have to wonder if I could do better on my own, which has gotten me reflecting on other things that I have done on my own.

For the most part, I get some idea in my head and then study it enough to learn how to accomplish it as a goal. I have done this for many items in many areas, but I have never done it where it really counts – to be self supportive and not have to live on someone else’s determination of my monetary reimbursement value. I have been very successful in achieving individual goals, but I don’t know that I have really attempted to tackle something as on-going as my own company or corporation. I’m sure it is a matter of breaking it down into manageable issues and then attacking them as needed, but to do so in an environment where the variables keep changing and the stakes are considerably higher is something that I haven’t really seriously contemplated before.

I’m driven to consider this for so many reasons. One is that a good friend of mine has recently gone through many life changing events that have been anchored by a paycheck coming from his place of employment. Suddenly that place of employment has put him on notice that he will be “downsized” within the next several weeks, putting him in a state of mild panic as he searches for a new job to support his life and family. Putting myself in his place, I’m disappointed to realize that I would really be no different in that I too require the incoming sustenance of a paycheck in order to sustain my own lifestyle and family activities. Not unusual by any stretch, just annoying to consider that the power to maintain the current status quo is not even mine to control.

Another thing that drives me to ponder this topic is that of so many immigrants that come to the US without so much as a pot to piss in and, wind up building a business, and remaining in control of their own monetary futures. It isn’t an education that makes a difference because many of them don’t have a formal education past what is comparable to the 5th grade here in the states. They seem to chase a clear vision of what they want and are driven to achieve it. I have to wonder if as many Americans that move to other countries have the same drive to succeed as these immigrants do?

There are many other motivating items to think about other than these two examples but the point is clear: I’m feeling the need to run my own successful business to support my family and the lifestyle we desire. There have been other instances in the past when I have had my own business but the focus this time is different. Before, it was almost like a novelty that I had my own thing going on. A couple of them produced meager profits but nothing that would sustain me. I feel differently now and I don’t know how to explain it or why the change has come about, but it’s in my head now and doesn’t seem to want to leave.

What’s next? I don’t know. I’ll see where this lovely afternoon takes me.

posted by Bonzai @ 1:32 PM 0 comments

Thumbs-Up for Sin City

Sin City is definitely true to its name and I was pleasantly surprised to see how true it held to the original comic books – which I happen to own, or rather, Duncan now owns (cha-ching!). Just like the original books, the scenes are largely black & white and have the feature of well placed color that really draws focus exactly where it does the story the most good. One comparison I heard made to how Sin City was shot was to that of Raging Bull. In my opinion: not even close! The use of color in key areas adds such intensity that an already violent scene has the tendency to just erupt off the screen.

I won’t put any spoilers in here but I will say that this film portrays an aggressive gritty set of stories that are simply enhanced with the use of nudity and violence to the point where your attention is captured and held throughout the scene. Although Bruce Willis and Jessica Alba seem to be getting top billing for this movie, my personal favorite character was Marv played by Mickey Rourke, who is this sort of an unstoppable juggernaut that you half sort of start liking – even though he doesn’t have too many redeeming qualities. Good guy? I wouldn’t insult Marv that way, but he was my favorite due to his somehow believable attitude in a totally impossible character. (This will make sense once you have seen the movie.)

Bottom line: If you like new methods of telling old stories, and can get past your issues of sex, violence and vice, then you will probably find yourself enjoying this picture. If not, go see something else.

Bonzai Movie Score: 8 out of 10

posted by Bonzai @ 3:40 PM 1 comments

New Camera Update

Well, it has been about two weeks or so and I've made some progress on my quest to purchase a new camera (check the previous post entitled "An Honor and a Challenge from March 18th, 2005 for details). The challenge I had made to myself was to pay for this thing completely outside of my current streams of income. So far to date, I have managed to save $460 with the potential of another $70 coming in next week for a total of $530. Woohoo!! I'm almost half way to the goal.

For those interested in the particulars of my future new camera, I found a nice site that compares some particulars between the Canon EOS 350D and the Nikon D70. There are some nice photos of the cameras side by side and a great list of head-to-head features. I had considered the D70 at one time but decided I liked the Canon better. You can decide which one you prefer for yourself.

I'm sure there will be more to post on this topic later!

posted by Bonzai @ 2:54 PM 2 comments

Big Gaudy Cars

Remember when I said it looked like it could rain any minute? It did. I got caught in the rain near the new BMW showroom that is currently under construction so I ducked inside. I wandered into the back to chat with the techs and saw them prepping a couple cars for the new showroom, but not BMWs – one was a new Rolls-Royce Phantom and the other was a Bentley. Ok. I work around the fancy shmancy import cars all the time but not quite on this level. Curiosity won over and I went over to take a closer look.

First impressions of the Rolls: big and ugly. It has a large squared-off front end, which I later learned houses a very powerful engine. The price tag comes in around the $350k mark which seems way too crazy to me, but as far as a status symbol goes, I guess nothing beats a Rolls.

The Bentley on the other hand struck me as more elegant. It was much more comfortable to sit in and seemed geared more to the driver than the rear seat passengers. The burl wood interior was beautiful and the gadgetry was terrific. I can see me driving a Bentley. Yeah, right.

The competition for these two cars can be found at another of our campuses in Cary. The Maybach is the flagship luxury car of the Mercedes-Benz group and this thing is pretty wild too. There are full recliner seats in the back and it can be fitted with just about any gizmo you can think of. There is a private studio in which you build the virtual model of the car on a 50” plasma display before the order is placed and you are given a framed photo of your masterpiece to tide you over while it is being hand crafted in Germany. Depending on the options, the Maybach will set you back between $350k to $450k. Pocket change.

The Rolls-Royce and the Maybach have an estimated sales rate of approximately 1 vehicle per quarter. The Bentleys are a little bit higher. The Mercedes dealership that my company manages has outdone this estimate by a factor 2+ and it appears that the BMW dealership will also out pace their estimates as well as they have multiple pre-paid orders that will deliver as soon as the dealership opens.

The economy can’t be too bad in the US if there is still a solid market for this type of luxury item. You might think that the market would quiet down a little after the launch of a new dealership but the reality is that the market has actually grown in the last 2.5 years. Amazing. I need to learn how to tap this money tree. In the mean time, I’ll be driving my little Chevy S-10 pickup home tonight, and probably won’t give it a second thought.

posted by Bonzai @ 4:37 PM 0 comments

Sort of Slow Today

It’s been pretty slow today. I have had a few minor calls – printer down, keyboard went bad, can’t logon, etc. – but nothing really notable thus far. I’m sitting here in my Raleigh office staring out of the 2nd floor window which overlooks one of the car dealerships managed by the company I work for. It’s cloudy and dark and sort of looks like the rain could fall at any minute. Blah.

So I’m surfing. I’m checking out all of the fun April Fool’s day stuff like Google Gulp and what have you. I’m also cruising the movie listings trying to plan my weekend. I haven’t been to a theatre since I, Robot last August. This is going to be a 3 day weekend for me because I earned a comp day by staying up half the night running data updates on our server from home. Soo…. I’m thinking, perhaps, a comic book movie set: Constantine and Sin City. I’ll let y’all know my perspective on them should I actually make it to the theatre.

I’m going for a walk. More later.

posted by Bonzai @ 2:06 PM 0 comments

Perfect with a Glass of Mead

Another audio book finished with a mostly favorable review. It was called The Secret Life of Bees by Sue Monk Kidd. First off, this was recommended to me from the guy at the audio book store, who has given me mostly good advice as I look for different books that reflect my mood at any given time. Usually he gives me the rundown of the book first but this time all he told me was that it was “a good book”. Ok. I’ll give it a shot.

As I’m going through the first several chapters, I’m thinking to myself that this would make the perfect chick flick and that my wife should be spending her time with this book rather than me. However, this very “adult” storyline is told from a young girl’s perspective and I must admit that I found it interesting to be contemplating certain situations from an adolescent viewpoint, especially that of a young female. So I continued, hoping to gain insight on the female enigma.

I don’t want to give away too much of the storyline because the book was basically written on a subtle plot line. However, I will say that I enjoyed the book and found myself viewing complicated situations in a different, dare I say simpler, way. If you have some time and want a good story about the life of a troubled teen girl, give this a try. As a bonus, you will likely learn more than you thought there was to know about bees too.

Bonzai Book Score: 3.5 out of 5

posted by Bonzai @ 9:03 AM 1 comments