Crocs, alligators, frogs....the shoe.

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I have personally witnessed the popularity of a weird little shoe move too international size interest. I was working at the local pool store when we received our first shipment of the unusual shaped shoes. I can remember thinking I wonder how the public will take to these. The first example was from the other employees. Everybody hated these crazy clogs. I had come from a history of culinary arts and kitchen footwear so this was not unusual footwear for me. In fact I made the first purchase after we setup the racks in the store. They where very comfortable and most interesting was there lite weight. We had the shoes in our stores for about 2 years before the craze really happened. We sold out of the first cases of shoes over two years. Near the end we thought that this shoe idea was over and that we would end our stock. Then a huge demand for the shoes showed up all over town. People would call on the phone and enter the store just long enough to check colors and sizes. I started seeing them on the younger generation. Boat stores would stand by there great tac on a boat. Everyone was consumed about these shoes. Rumors mentioned there popularity had spread to the big city. People described the craze as a box of Skittles exploded on the streets of New York. I still wonder if anybody really likes the way they look or if it is just a perfect example of our minds being conjured into a fad. I'm on my second pair. The originals are still going, they've just been passed down. As far as the shoe company that started this wild ride. There going strong and still growing. International sales in 2006 have sky rocketed them even bigger. The model line has increased with many models of available styles. You can get Disney edition or even your favorite college team. They also have a huge sponsorship with the AVP Pro Beach Volleyball Tour. It was fun to watch a company with a good idea start from zero. They sold the first pairs they ever made at the Miami International Boat Show within the first few days. I bet they had no idea what was about to be instore for them. Congatulations.

Quick---->Work+No iPod= No Fun!

This is a quick post. Nobody reads my blog so it doesn't really matter. I have been without an iPod for approx. 7 days and it really isn't fun. I had become use to getting through my nights at work with the podcasts that I regularly listened too. Now at work the nights go by slow and I sort of feel alone. Its interesting how we become dependent on something so quickly. No worries though, my iPod will be here soon.

One other thing. Here is the official list of carrier preferences for shipping:

1. USPS Priority Mail AAA+++ Super fast and very dependable.
2. UPS Ground B++ Not fast but for ground shipping it works.
3. FedEx Home Delivery C- Slow. These people still ship with horse!

Enjoy!!

Certified junk. Thank you, come again.

After leaving Books a Million, I decided to wander into Big Lots for some super glue gel that I needed for some coral propagating I would be doing later. After making my way through the endless isles of junk, I realized how fooled as consumers we can be by the idea of big savings. I found super glue gel near the office supply isle. After checking out the specs on the package I noticed at the bottom the official Big Lots logo from the store. This obviously was a special made product just for Big Lots. After wandering through several others isles I noticed a high percentage of products in the store had the Big Lots logo place right on the front. I guess there is a similar trend happening at many of the dollar stores. At one time when you entered a store like this you where on an adventure to find that over looked super bargain hiding on the shelf everyone passed by. Yes, most of the time the items you sifted through where nothing more than junk they didn't sell at the big fancy stores. Now, the unfound deals aren't really there. The junk is readily available, but it is even worse than before. Because it's not left overs, it's produced on purpose junk! Anyways the fun began when I got too the check out line. One register open! So there was 6 people in line waiting, so they decided to open another register. This caused an absolute cluster, which resulted in me throwing the super glue on the register rack and exiting the building without purchase. People have no respect! Everyone is in such a hurry to get things done regardless of who or what is around them. I always hear the statement about "respect your elders". Let me tell you something, since living in Florida with the majority of "elders" I have learned a few things. Sure I have a good moral fiber that keeps me within the appropriate actions towards my elders, but outside of this I lose care for there respect. It seems many of them feel they have achieved the right to do whatever they want regardless of how they treat others around them. This is not right. Gone is the days of old when "elders" where respectful to the youth and where always caught doing something right and kind. Its a fast paced world out there, including our elders. They can be as aggressive and dangerous as the rest. I will add one foot note to this subject, a large portion of the "elders" in Florida are from New Jersey or New York. Do you think that has anything to do with it? Hmmmm

Sorry about the negative blog, but things needed to be said. Oh and check back about the mention above of "coral propagation".

Folding....its not just for dough and laundry anymore.

As many of you know I am into podcasting. One of my favorite shows is the Buzz Out Loud CNET podcast. I always run into some pretty interesting things on this show. So I will share with you one of the more interesting finds recently. Everybody has heard of the new Sony Playstation 3 (PS3). Well its a big fancy super fast gaming rig with loads of power. In fact it blows away your computer for any type of gaming. I am proud to say they have found something good to use all that power for, especially when your not using it. Many complicated calculations are needed for different types of research projects. Typically this type of computing power is made up of a bunch of computers working together like one. (hint hint hint) So if you have a PS3 and would like to help out the greater cause, you can! Its called folding. With a built in software tool in the PS3 you can leave the unit on when not playing you favorite game and it will fold its power together with other idle PS3 across the globe to compute problems. It is specifically being used for one such task right now. Most of what I have just mentioned came from the podcast as well as my own personal understanding of folding in the networking world. Here is a quote from the website.



"Our goal is to apply this new technology to push Folding@Home into a new level of capabilities, applying our simulations to further study of protein folding and related diseases, including Alzheimer’s Disease, Huntington's Disease, and certain forms of cancer. With these computational advances, coupled with new simulation methodologies to harness the new techniques, we will be able to address questions previously considered impossible to tackle computationally, and make even greater impacts on our knowledge of folding and folding related diseases."



You can visit this page at: http://folding.stanford.edu/FAQ-PS3.html



What a great way to make a difference.



I will leave you with one last picture. My two plants. I have them in my room next to my computer. I take care of them everyday! Enjoy!

Pictures...are they really worth a thousand words?

Here are pics of the tank!! The first pic is of the whole tank. (Its very difficult to get good pics of an aquarium.) I also include a pic with two of the gouramis. The large one with the better paint job is Dudley. The smaller one with fewer stripes is Minnie. You will also see a couple of pics up close of the two rocks that my tank has, a white one and a red one. They create nice caves for everybody to hide in. You will also see a picture of Waldo the shrimp on one of the leaves. His name is Waldo because, you guessed it Where's Waldo. He is very difficult to find sometimes. And last but not least, a blurry picture of the neon crew. They like to "cruise cooper" together. I don't think they're bullies though. Its pretty peaceful in there ecosystem. The only famous person not featured in the pics is my apple snail. His name is Dozer. ( Yes like Fraggle Rock!) He doesn't like the camera. Plus he is very busy. Well enjoy. OK well I seem to have trouble uploading the pictures. Too many maybe...so if this is in two parts thats why....gesshh

Aquariums.....yeah there pretty addicting.

As some of you may know I have reenlisted myself into the wild world of hobby aquariums. I remember having a 10gl tank in my room when I was quite young. It eventually turned into an opaque green box of water, I even think there was a hardy angel fish that survived all the new found fungus. Since then I have been the proud owner of a few tanks. I started with a 6gl eclipse which was setup in my venture to Charleston SC during culinary school with my sister Tracy. We had an unusually good spot for the tank in the apartment and enjoyed having the fish for company. But as usual I didn't embrace what the fish really brought and never was able to keep the tank at tip top shape. I moved around with that tank and eventually went for a new try while visiting with a stay at my parents house. I finally realized during the first 6 months of having the tank established that possibly the tank wasn't handling the load of fish that it really should be able too. So I moved to a larger tank. I have taken the plunge and have a 20gl Long with a Marineland Penguin 150 filter that is capable of filtering a lot of water. I have been up and running for a few months and I have loaded it up with fish. It looks great and I love having the fish to take care of. I will be posting some pictures of it soon. If you remember in my last blog I referred to meeting people at work with all types of interest. My boss and several other employees are big fish heads. The guy running the place has a 12gl nano reef tank in his office. So I have enjoyed talking with friends at work about the hobby. I have also decided that it is time for me to dive head first into the nano reef aquarium world. They have made many advances since the first days of saltwater aquariums. FYI: nano reefs are typically tanks from 2-24gl that contain mainly corals and other reef type inhabitants. I will keep you posted on this new venture. If you are interested in the hobby you should check out the many forums and websites available on the web. Liveaquaria.com is a great place to see all the different specimens you can order.

I have finally reached the Nano - Video dilemma. No not fish tanks! Ipod. I had started with an iPod Nano last year to see if I would enjoy using this little mp3 player. Well I have fully embraced the fun of having one and now need more room. My Nano holds 4gb of info right now, and I have over 10gb of stuff on my iTunes. As many might comment, no I don't need everything with me at the same time. The problem is that it is very difficult to pick what mood of music or other content you are into prior to being in that moment. So I would prefer to just carry everything with me. So my Nano is currently for sale on Ebay. I will be buying a used Video model with 30gb. Due to Ebay I will be making the move with very little money out of pocket. I love Ebay. Plus, I'm recycling! Oh and on one last note. I have decided that when I can order my new iPod Video, I will be going with a black model. I don't know why but I have decided I want to step away from the norm and go black.......black Apple. Hmm. I'll keep you up to date.

Thank you for reading and check back soon.

Back on the airwaves....and getting a degree in Nerd...

It has truly been too long since my last posting. I wish I could force myself to sit down each day and post at least a few notes on my blog. I'm sure this is the type of dedication we are all looking for, so I'm sure I'm preaching to the choir. This will be a fairly brief update but I will continue this throughout the week. It's always amazing the type of people and new experiences that you will run into at a new job. I am currently an employee of Always Fresh Bakery in Punta Gorda, Florida. What am I baking you might ask?? Well, this bakery is the sole baking facility for my area for Dunkin Donuts. WOW! Donuts! As glamorous as this might seem it comes with very little exposure to the human population. Located in what appears to be an abandoned road just up from my home, is the nerve center for a mass production of donuts. We bake all the varieties; filled, eclairs, powdered, old-fashioned, sprinkles, seasonals, chocolate, cake, cinnamon rolls, coffee rolls, jelly, creme, etc. I am in charge of the pre-frozen and bake department that includes bagels, muffins, croissants, and cookies. Yes, I am the muffin man. (This will save everybody from using there post to notify me of that.) The job happens to be perfect for what I am trying to do right now. I work from four to midnight, which leaves a lot of great time during the day for studying.

Studying? What am I studying.....no no no no ..not studying donuts. Actually I am on the road to a better life in computers. I finally gave up the fight and embraced what I enjoy so much. I am currently finishing my A+ certificate. This is the first of many more certs and tests you will be hearing about on this blog. So far so good though. My first part of exams has landed me a 795 score. (0-900 ; 650 is passing) http://www.comptia.org

I have many more things to talk about so please check back this week. I will be updating. Before I go though I will leave you with one thing. If you don't have an ipod then buy one. If you do have an ipod then get into podcasting. I discovered it a few weeks ago and I am truly hooked. You can find info about anything! I highly recommend the NPR series This American Life!! This is a stellar show. I happen to listen to the CNET Buzz Out Loud podcast which includes all kinds of techy updates for us nerdy variety. This is what I leave you. If you are true movie buff then you remember the Back to the Future series of movies featuring Michael J Fox and many others. Well on the movie where he returns to the future he is greeted by many new technologies found in 2015. McFly puts on some Nikes from the future in order to fit in with all the new styles. Wouldn't you like to have a pair of those Nikes?? Hmmm...wouldn't you? I would!! I want the Back to the Future Nikes!!! (for you noobies click on the funny colored link to the left of this parenthetical note, its the one that says "I want the Back to the Future Nikes!!!")

Until next time.....keep you cell phones away from the Bees!
Oh and if you have too, build your computer in a beaver!