Misguided Ranting & Raving

I'm Back Bitches!!

2011-06-15T20:17:00.000-07:00

Thanks to Mr. Worth chastising me, among others, for not using the blog, I have returned!

Its Like Pullin Teeth

2009-03-07T22:45:00.000-08:00

2009-02-12T22:12:00.000-08:00

Rockin Out!

2009-01-04T12:25:00.001-08:00

Playin Rock Band and Drinking way too much on my birthday in Joshua Tree with my main man, Jeremy B. Had a great time, but I had too much fun beating Jeremy and Todd with drum sticks.

Jill's Aunt Jan

2009-01-04T12:19:00.000-08:00

We visited with Jill's Aunt Jan and family in Buena Park, CA on the 28th. We really enjoyed the time visiting with them.

Christmas at Disneyland

2009-01-04T12:12:00.000-08:00

So Jill's Dad gave us tickets to Disneyland for Christmas. We went on the 29th with Jill's younger sister Krystle. We had fun, but let me tell you, by the end of the 12 hour stretch, my whole body hurt. My feet felt like they were on fire, and my back felt like someone beat me with a bat. I think it will be quite a while before we go back, it was just too crowded and we waited an hour or more for some of the rides. Best rides: Space Mountain, California Scream, Tower of Terror!

The River

2009-01-04T11:06:00.001-08:00

Our stay at Jeff & Debbie's Trailer in McIntyre Park on the Colorado River in Blythe, CA.

Sims Road

2009-01-04T10:21:00.001-08:00

We saw Sims Road, Peyton Drive, & Jill's Market.

Christmas with the Kids

2009-01-04T10:16:00.001-08:00

Santa Claus Came to Town

2009-01-04T09:51:00.000-08:00

Our visit from the Big Guy in Redding! Peyton just couldn't believe she was meeting the real Santa! Oh and yes my Dogs have Special Powers!

Volcano?

2009-01-04T09:21:00.001-08:00

These are from our trip home from Redding. These are Mt. Shasta and a mysterious mountain next to I-5.

Sound Familiar?

2008-10-14T19:01:00.000-07:00

All I can say is that John Stewart is AWESOME!

Election Advice

2008-10-14T18:24:00.001-07:00

See more Hayden Panettiere videos at Funny or Die

So I tried not to spread my opinion of who everyone should vote for, but I do like me some Hero's Claire, and she is spot on with her endorsement.

1...2...3..Fight!

2008-10-12T15:06:00.000-07:00

Through the Rabbit Hole

2008-10-12T12:23:00.000-07:00

Through The Rabbit Hole

Duke and Dexter have a new favorite thing to do. Run like mad under the bushes in the side yard.

Sunday Morning Play Time

2008-10-12T12:01:00.001-07:00

The boys causin mischief at 6 am on Sunday Morning!

This Is WAR!

2008-10-12T11:58:00.000-07:00

1st Trip to the Vet

2008-10-12T11:43:00.000-07:00

Duke and Dexter got their 2nd set of boosters at Pet Smart yesterday. They did really well and they loved checking out all the other dogs walking around the store.

Having their 1st cup of Joe

2008-10-12T11:36:00.001-07:00

Duke & Dexter took their first walk down to Starbucks today. We literally can't go anywhere without like cars stopping and people coming over to pet the little buggers!

Puppies on the river

2008-09-28T20:27:00.000-07:00

So we took Duke and Dexter on their first boat ride on the Columbia today. They loved playin on the beach and weren't afraid of the water at all. They had fun.

Duke & Dexter

2008-09-27T22:20:00.000-07:00

Welcome the newest members of the Sims Family. Duke and Dexter. They are 6 week old purebred yellow Labrador puppies. We found them online last night and drove up to Chehalis, WA to get them today. We had intended to only get 1 but just couldn't resist.

So Much To Say...

2008-08-30T22:12:00.000-07:00

So much to talk about, went to Staind show, got a promotion, and other stuff, but not time to talk about it. Soon.

New Tattoos

2008-08-19T12:01:00.001-07:00

So over the last couple weeks I got my 2nd and 3rd tattoos. The first two didn't hurt at all, but let me tell you the one on the back of my calf sucked! Anyway I am very happy with all of them. Got all 3 done by Ross Carlson at Black Hole Body Piercing and Tattoo in Beaverton. Jill also got 1 from Mannee Woodside at the other shop in Portland that looks great as well. I would definately recommend these guys.

Damn Impressive!

2008-07-27T21:03:00.000-07:00

Mother, Mother!

2008-07-21T16:42:00.000-07:00

So my parents took us out on their boat on the Columbia River last week. Had a really good time, and didn't get my ass kicked as hard on the water this time. The boat is a lot of fun, and fast, Arnie and I had it up to about 53 miles per hour, which on water feels like 100 mph. We got boarded by the coast guard, but all was good.

On the Boat

2008-07-18T22:25:00.000-07:00

The Police Baby!

2008-07-14T09:11:00.001-07:00

So Thursday was a fantastic Foo Fighters show and Friday was the Police. What a great show! They played all the hits and sounded amazing. We had lawn seats which was actually really nice. The prices they charge for everything at the Clark County Ampitheater are ridiculous. $9 for a beer, $8 for a small thing of nachos, and the most ridiculous of all was the water. A cup of tap water for $4, seriously not even bottled. But it was a lot of fun, I drank to much. I think I was fine just drinking beer it wasn't until the tailgate and the guys next to us giving me tequilla.

What a weekend!

2008-07-12T08:28:00.000-07:00

Rob his roomate Matt and I went to the Foos on Thurs night. One of the absolute best shows I have ever been to. The Foo Fighters played for and astounding 2 hours and 40 minutes! It was incredible. And Dave Grohl was very interactive with the crowd, it was a lot of fun. Around mid show a stage lowered from the ceiling near the far end of the crowd right in front of us where they played like 5 songs from it was awesome. The sucky seats weren't sucky anymore.

Out on the Boat

2008-07-01T17:27:00.000-07:00

Our boat ride on the Columbia on June 29th, 2008. Sunburns Suck!

My New Tonneau Cover

2008-06-20T07:49:00.000-07:00

So I got a cover for my truck bed Wednesday. It is a Leer 800. It's nice, with keyless entry and automatic light. It will also improve gas mileage, cost me over $100 to fill up the other day, Ouch!

Correction

2008-06-04T21:21:00.000-07:00

Well Nathan has pointed out that I had made an error in my analysis of my goatee. In fact he is correct and a much bigger nerd than I. It is the rebel alliance logo from star wars.

Bird of Prey

2008-06-04T14:02:00.000-07:00

So I am driving to the doctor today and I happen to look in the mirror and notice how my goatee looks like a Star Trek icon. I have a Klingon Bird of Prey on my chin, wow, I don't know what is worse the fact that I have it or the fact that I noticed the resemblance.

Then vs. Now

2008-05-28T18:16:00.000-07:00

Someone suggested I put these together so I did.
This is from Summer of 1995.
This is Summer 2007
These are December '07

Can you tell which photos alcohol played a major role in?

Complications

2008-05-28T17:12:00.000-07:00

Ok so yesterday I went back to the doctor for my post-op appointment. I am still in a ton of pain, still not able to sleep, still getting blood in my nose and mouth, and still unable to breath!!! She said that the surgery went very well but that it was by far the worst surgery of the 3 she did that day. She said she could not believe who full of polyps my sinuses were not to mention the tremendous inflammation in there. And that this was all normal considering the condition of my sinuses and the depth of the surgery.
At this visit she put a small tube in my nose and up into my sinuses to suck out the packing and the scabs, gunk, etc. Let me tell you that was not fun. I can close my eyes now and still feel it. It literally felt like she was sucking my brains out through my nose. And of course it hurt, and I bled more, so that is always fun. She is fully confident that when all is healed, I will be infinitely better, but it is going to take time due to how bad I was. She has taken me off work for yet another week, I was supposed to be released to go back on the 2nd, and now am off til the 9th. This is good, because I still feel like crap. And my nose still hurts like hell. She has now put me on stronger pain killers (percocet instead of vicoden) that will hopefully help me if nothing more than to sleep.
It was the first time I got out of the house since my surgery, and it was tough because I am constantly having to spit or blow out bloody mucus. Not to mention how much it hurts to do so or even touch anywhere near my nose. And the drugs make me all wonky so I can't drive myself. Even my upper teeth are still soar. I asked about my smell coming back and the doctor said that it would be the very last thing to return possibly 2-3 months, but she was very confident that it would.
Jill has been off work for the last week taking care of my sorry butt, but will have to go back tomorrow, so that sucks! She really has been a life saver, taking care of me, cooking for me, driving for me, etc. Hopefully this will all pass very soon. And I can go back to an even better than before status.

Weezer!

2008-05-24T09:46:00.001-07:00

They are back and as good as ever!

Surgery sucks!

2008-05-23T10:23:00.000-07:00

There are some before and after pictures if you click on the photo. CAUTION IF YOU HAVE A PROBLEM WITH BLOOD DO NOT CLICK THE PICTURE.

So I had my surgery yesterday at around 3pm. Woke up at about 6pm and felt like holy hell. They tell me that the surgery went well, but that doesn't make me feel any better in the meantime. I am pretty drugged up at the moment on vicodin and will be for the next week. The best part is the constant drainage of blood into my mouth and nose. Let me tell you filling up cups with blood is not my idea of a good time. And because of the pain and blood I can't really sleep. I am kind of in between most of the time having to spit every few minutes so as not to choke. Nice huh? Anyway every you don't realize how connected you mouth nose and ears are. My ears hurt, my throat hurts, and my nose feels like I got hit with a baseball bat not to mention my sinus and even my temples hurt.

SURGERY!!!

2008-05-21T10:49:00.000-07:00

So as you probably already know, my nose sucks! For as long as I can remember I haven't been able to breathe right. And I always believed and was told by Astoria doctors, that was my first mistake, that it was due to my allergies. I even saw a ear nose throat specialist in Astoria a couple of years ago, and he told me nothing was wrong other than my cartilage looked a little thick, believing this was my second mistake. Well over the last few years it has gotten worse, to the point where now I have completely lost my sense of smell. I get several sinus infections a year, and I am constantly congested, I don't sleep well, etc. So I decided to see a specialist, and after a CAT scan it turns out I have a deviated septum along with bad polups built up in my sinuses.

"A deviated septum is an abnormal condition in which the top of the cartilaginous ridge leans to the left or the right, causing obstruction of the affected nasal passage. The condition can result in poor drainage of the sinuses. Patients can also complain of difficulty breathing easily, or of sleeping disorders such as snoring or sleep apnea."

"A polyp is an abnormal growth of tissue (tumor) projecting from a mucous membrane"

I have tried everything to avoid surgery, but nothing has worked and now it is time to go under the knife. So tomorrow I go in for surgery at St. Vincents. I am a little nervous because I have heard some horror stories about sinus surgery. Basically they are have to break it to fix it, then scrape all the polyps out of the inside of the sinus cavities. Just getting hit in the nose hurts like hell, but at this point it really can't get any worse. I can't wait to be able to breathe again let alone smell and taste my food! The up side I guess is time off from work, I go back June 2nd. Anyway wish me luck.

My Tattoo

2008-05-18T20:15:00.001-07:00

I finally did it, after wanting to get one for like 15 years, I finally went through with it. It is of course Nine Inch Nails, a logo I had on a T-shirt from a tour during the early 90's. Love it, it turned out great.

Puscifer

2008-04-19T10:56:00.000-07:00

Holy Crap... A New NIN Album

2008-03-03T07:44:00.000-08:00

Ok so this morning I was stunned to discover that Trent Reznor, who is now record company free, realeased a huge 36 track instrumental album called "Ghost I-IV". You can download the whole thing DRM free at 320 kbps quality for $5! You can also get it in several other formats including a 2 cd set or a collectors edition vinyl set, all of which include the downloadable version as well. It is pretty good from what I have heard.

Pumpkins Still Rock!

2008-03-01T19:37:00.000-08:00

I have to say I am still very much impressed with the music the Smashing Pumpkins are putting out this time around. It really is some of their best work to date. If you haven't already, you really should get the latest album, "Zeitgeist" it really is worth it.
The Smashing Pumpkins - Superchrist

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Who knew Bob Saget was funny?

2008-02-24T20:31:00.001-08:00

The Kids

2008-02-17T19:56:00.001-08:00

The Kids
Originally uploaded by bigdsims

It's Official!

2008-02-02T20:22:00.000-08:00

Well, we finally tied the knot this week. We couldn't have asked for a more perfect wedding. I think we make a pretty good little family. South Lake Tahoe was great, cold, but a lot of fun. The ceremony was beautiful, and they video taped it so they could price gouge us into buying the DVD, but it was definitely worth it. It seems like the last year has gone by so fast, but it was just the beginning.

My Drunk Ass Boys!

2007-12-29T12:01:00.000-08:00

Gettin Wrecked!

2007-12-29T11:56:00.000-08:00

Christmas 2007

2007-12-25T20:42:00.001-08:00

Our New Baby

2007-12-12T22:56:00.000-08:00

Vizio VM60P - 60" Plasma HDTV
Thank the state for Kicker Checks. Thanks to the State of Oregon taking too much money from me last year and now refunding it, yet making me pay taxes on it next year, (explain that one to me) We have a new baby in the house. She is quite a big girl at 60 inches! I think she makes her older yet slightly smaller 50 inch brother downstairs jealous with her bronze bezel(to me it looks more silver than bronze). He has the nicer xbox 360 though, which has that nice hdmi port that the one upstairs does not. Anyway, I think she will make a nice addition to the family, especially when the guys all come up after Christmas. Call me crazy, but I bought it out of necesity, I couldn't see text since I use the computer as my TV in the bedroom. Now I can!

Get Ready to Poop Your Pants!

2007-12-10T07:19:00.000-08:00

Definitely the most visually impressive show I have ever seen. The lighting effects were absolutely amazing. Rob of course won free tickets to the right of the stage and took his roommate Matt. Corey and I bought tickets, that were actually really good seats, as well. They played for 2 hours, and played a great set. On the down side, I would have liked to hear "Sober" and "Prison Sex" which they did not play. The security was absolutely nuts. I have never seen such intense security, they were taking cameras left and right, so I am surprised some video made it out. But all in all a great show.

"Hello, drunk bastards of Portland!"

PUSCIFER!!!

2007-11-08T22:14:00.000-08:00

Puscifer - Queen B from the new album "V" Is For Vagina

Victoria BC Trip

2007-10-28T18:03:00.000-07:00

Our trip to Victoria BC, and Shelton WA this last weekend. Had a great time. Went to an underwater sea aquarium, a wax museum, and got to see my cousin Logan get his buck 2 days before deer season ended. Peyton had a blast. She so enjoyed seeing Grandpa Sims, she leaned over to me on his couch and said, "Daddy, I like grandpa now!" And the highlight for her was definitely seeing my cousin Trinity who is a year and half older than she. They kept Grandma busy all night playing Barbies and Bank.

To see more pictures, click on the photo above.

Hello Mrs. Sims

2007-10-24T17:33:00.000-07:00

Well,
I am engaged to the love of my life...Jill and I will be getting married on January 31st, which will be 1 year that we will have been together. It is hard to believe it has already been a year. Especially since so much has happened during the last 10 months. I can truly say that it has been the happiest 10 months of my life, and I only see it continuing. Since it is not the first time down the alter for either of us, we are not having a big old shindig. Instead we have decided to have a small ceremony in Lake Tahoe, with just family and close friends.

I know that many will say it is too soon since our divorces, or that we haven't been together long enough to get married. But I can tell you that I have never been more sure of anything in my life. When I look at Jill, I just know that she is the one I am supposed to be with for the rest of my life. I never would have believed that the way I feel about her was even possible. What we have is like what you see in the movies, and I always believed that it wasn't reality to be so in love with someone. But I could not have been more wrong! Jill really does complete me, and I can't believe I just said that as corny and as Hollywood as it sounds, but its true! She really does make me a better person, and I can not imagine life without her. And I want the whole world to know just how important she is to me.

Portal Baby!

2007-10-22T13:54:00.000-07:00

This is one heck of a deal 5 games for the price of 1. Portal was a lot of fun, but remember: "the cake is a lie". I am playing Half-Life 2 currently. Never got thru it on xbox 1.

MASTER CHIEF TOMORROW!!!

2007-09-24T21:58:00.000-07:00

Oh you know what time it is!

Fourth Generation Xbox 360!

2007-09-22T18:46:00.000-07:00

This is now the 4th Xbox 360 I have owned. This time I got the nice version, the other three have been core units. And I just can't be out done by my little brother! The first 2 of my 360's crapped out and were sent back to Microsoft. Now my current one, did the same. But with Halo 3 coming next week, I decided it was time to upgrade, especially since it will be 3 weeks until it is back. While my Core unit is being repaired I will be enjoying Halo 3 goodness on this Halo 3 edition 360. Oh how I love the bronze. I haven't decided what I will do with the old one when it gets back, but I will probably sell it. Todd think's we should put it in his room, but that sounds like he would have to do something big for me! So we shall see.

It's my fault!

2007-09-20T19:00:00.000-07:00

Well, I have been wanting to get a tattoo for quite some time, but was unable to find the right Nine Inch Nails logo (you knew that's what I'd get). Then it hit me, I wanted the logo from a shirt I got at a show in Tacoma in 1995. It was a gargoyle and a chaos symbol. Trouble was I lost the shirt over the years, and could not find the image anywhere on the net. Until a couple days ago. I emailed THENINHOTLINE’S LEVIATHANT and it just so happened he got 1 off ebay a while back and scanned it for me. Now the guys over at FACTION (an online NIN clothing shop) heard about it, and have made a shirt with it again. Check it out and buy one, cause they rule!

Trent Says, "Stealing Music is Good!"

2007-09-16T19:04:00.000-07:00

All I can say, is he is totally right, and I agree completely.

Mazatlan

2007-08-28T19:40:00.000-07:00

Celebrate!

2007-08-16T20:09:00.001-07:00

Celebrating Kaylie's 21st birthday a tad early last weekend at the house in Lake Oswego. We all had an incredibly fun time. Much of Jill's family (Brother Brent and his girlfriend Jennifer, her oldest son Andy, and her Mom Sherry and Step Dad Jim) came up for the weekend from California as did her best friend Debbie (love her!). Had a lot of fun and went through a keg of Widmer and a ton of food.

The Beast!

2007-07-23T15:44:00.000-07:00

Not really news, but I finally got a new truck. I love it. I got a very good deal with the lowest interest rate avail because I apparrently am an11 on a scale of 1-10 for my credit score. They gave me a really great trade in on my Ranger, I looked it up on kellybluebook.com and it was right where it should have been. And they gave me a couple of rebates, so I have a very manageable monthly payment. I got a Ford F-150 Crew Cab Lariat Edition 4x4. It is the Lariat edition which is the top end version of the F-150 series. It is pretty much loaded with leather, chrome everything, moon roof, in dash 6 disc cd and mp3 stereo (sub woofer under the back seats is nice too!), and has power everything. The inside is sweet with a 3 tone dash, silver, mahogany, and tan leather. It has lots of room for passengers, which is a huge improvement over the Ranger. Its got a 5.4 Liter Triton V-8 so it definitely has the power, but on the downside guzzles the gas! It drives smooth as hell, especially compared to my old truck. And most of all I think it looks damn nice!

I've been wanting/needing a new vehicle 4 a while, for several reasons, and wanted to stick with a truck so that in the event that I need to haul something, I won't have to borrow one.

1. 4 Wheel drive. Considering the fact that I live in Portland now, and Peyton is on the coast, I am going to need to have a 4x4 to deal with highway 26 in the winter.

2. More than 2 seats The Ranger's little sideways fold up back seats were great and all, but if I had Peyton and her car seat in the truck, everyone else was out of luck.

3. Size. Let me tell you, size does matter! If I get in a wreck, this truck will fare much better than Tinkerbell (this is what my friend Steve called my Ranger).

4. Safety, and this was the biggest reason. 2 weeks ago, my Meat Manager's 11 year old son was killed in a head on car crash on Highway 26 past Sandy. He was sitting in the front seat of the vehicle, wearing a seat belt, and had an air bag, but it wasn't enough to save his life. If something happened to Peyton, I don't think I would be able to go on, and with the old truck she was in the front seat no matter what. With the full size truck she can finally be in the back seat where I feel much better about her safety.

5. Because I wanted it! I have had the ranger for 5 years now, and it never really felt like me. I am a pretty big sized guy, and it just felt cramped. That is definitely not the case anymore, where I have to use the running boards to get in and out of the F-150.

It is Official

2007-05-02T07:51:00.000-07:00

Well, as of yesterday, I am transferring to a new store. I asked to be moved in order to get myself promoted, and to be closer to Jill in Lake Oswego. The commuting which is what I have been doing for the last couple months is terrible, especially with the current cost of gas. Anyway I start at my new store, which is in the St. Johns area, about a block from the bridge, on Sunday the 13th. The store is the exact same size and footprint as the store in Astoria but I think it is about a year newer. My last day in Astoria will be Thursday May 10th. I have an apartment that I am sharing with someone, at the edge of Portland near the Bridgeport mall. I am very excited and nervous at the same time, it is a big change, but it feels like a much needed one. My plan is to get myself promoted and hopefully have my own store before the end of the year. Now if I could just get rid of my apartment in Astoria, I'd be set!

So Much, So little time

2007-05-02T07:49:00.000-07:00

Well Colin is right the world is ending. Why else would I have forotten to post about the new NIN album? It is amazing and here is a clip with Trent talking about it.

The New Someone

2007-03-25T09:46:00.000-07:00

1st Video from new album

2007-03-08T01:52:00.000-08:00

Here s Survivalism from the upcoming Nine Inch Nails album Year Zero. It was found on several USB drives after a concert in Europe.

Good News For JB

2007-01-23T11:50:00.000-08:00

Rage Against The Machine are going to reunite for a concert in April. It's a one time thing though. But with Cornell restarting his solo career, you never know.

THE BIG 30!

2007-01-19T20:56:00.000-08:00

Well, another one bites the dust...Happy B-Day Jerky! Trust me I feel your pain, just drink til you black out, always works for me!

From Old to New

2007-01-11T23:03:00.000-08:00

Well it was time to upgrade. I have had my computer for over 3 years and things just weren't moving like they should, even after numerous reformats, so I took the plunge and decided to build a new one.

Old System:
Processor: 2Ghz AMD Athlon 64 3200
Operating System: Win XP Pro
Memory: 1 GB RAM
Video Card: ATI Radeon 9800 Pro
Sound Card: Turtle Beach Santa Cruz 5.1
Hard Drives: 5 totaling 1090 GB
Monitor: 19 inch LCD 4:3 aspect ratio
Optical Drive: 1 DVD Rom & 1 16x DVD+-R/RW/R DL writer
Case: Antec Grey aluminum Midsize Tower
External Bays: 4 5.25"/2 3.5"
Internal Bays: 4 3.5"
Power supply: Antec 430watt
Fans: Seven (1-3" internal and 1-3" external power supply fans, 2-3" external front, 1-3" external side, & 2-3" external rear fans)

New System:
Processor: 1.86 Ghz Intel Core 2 Duo 6300
Operating System: Win XP Pro Media Center edition
Memory: 2 GB RAM
Video Card: Nvidia Geforce 7600 LE & Conexant Falcon Video Capture Card w/remote
Sound Card: Realtek High Definition 7.1 on board audio
Hard Drives: 5 totaling 1290 GB
Monitor: 22 inch LCD 16:9 aspect ratio
Optical Drive: 1 DVD Rom & 1 Litescribe (makes a label on top) 18x DVD+-R/RW/R DL writer
Case: Antec silver composite Midsize Tower
External Bays: 4 5.25"/1 3.5"
Internal Bays: 6 3.5"
Power supply: Antec 500 watt
Fans: Five (1-3" internal and 1-3" temp sensing external power supply fans, 1-3" external front, 1-5" rear external, & 1-5" external top fan)

The new case is beautiful, it is a silvery color, that kind of changes colors slightly at different angles. The case is lighter than the old one but about the same size, This one has a spoiler on top that covers the very quiet top case fan which compared to the old computer that sounded like a jet taking off, is extremely quite, almost shockingly quiet. I also can't believe how much cooler it is even with fewer fans and twice the processor, no more heating the office with it. I put XP Media Center on it, which is pretty neat with the remote. It is very similar to what Colin had with his old gateway, only I can also run it wirelessly through my xbox 360 to my TV and do pretty much anything (surf, stream dvds on my pc hard drive or any other video files, pictures, music etc) or I can watch it on the monitor as well as watch TV through the capture card on the PC. The monitor is freakin huge, wide screen which is infinitely better than the regular 4:3. I upgraded my keyboard to a wireless which is nice and kept the wireless logitech mouse I already had. I brought over all but one of the 5 HDDs but added a new 320gb to replace a 120gb.

I am thinking about going raid 0 with the hard drives, but don't know enough about it so I will have to read up first. The dvd burner makes labels on the discs which is kind of cool. And so far the system is much faster to process stuff, especially in photoshop and other intensive programs. I was reading you can over clock the Core 2 Duo that I have to the same speed as the top end processor at 3.0 Ghz for about $700 cheaper and it is still pretty stable so I will probably be doing that. All in all I am pretty pleased, and it was pretty reasonable, $1400 not counting the 4 hard drives and the mouse I already had.

I set up Rachelle with my old pc to replace the old 1Ghz Pentium III Dell that I have had for like 8 or nine years which I then set up for Peyton. Peyton absolutely loves having her own "puter" that she uses to play her Barbie and her pet shop game, as well as surf her sites (Noggin, Playhouse Disney, & Nick Jr.) And now she doesn't have to compete for time on Rachelle's computer. She is getting scary good with it. Doesn't need our help really much at all anymore. The way she is going she will be building me my next computer!

SNOW!!! Lots of SNOW!!!

2007-01-11T22:25:00.000-08:00

Good God, we got snow at the beach. In 30 years I don't ever remember there being this much snow in Seaside. I woke up this morning to about 6-8 inches!!! I was in shock. It was pretty fun, though. I was supposed to be at work at 7AM, but my truck is not 4-wheel drive, and I don't have snow tires. So I went in late and Rachelle and I took Peyton in the yard to play with the neighbor kids, since school was cancelled. Driving to work was a little scary, people drive like idiots! You would think with all the snow and ice on the highway people would drive reasonably and cautiously. Nope jackasses trying to pass, peeling out, fish tailing, etc. Astoria didn't get near as much 1-3 inches tops, which is strange. Most of it melted by this afternoon, although i still had about 4 inches in the bed of my truck that came with me to work and was still there when I got home. At about 4pm it was 32 degrees in Astoria, so all that melted snow was turning to ice. Again, a little scary driving home, especially across the Young's Bay Bridge. Damn was it slick. I don't think we will get more snow tonight, but then again, I never thought we would get it last night either.

Birthday Girl

2007-01-02T00:07:00.001-08:00

Tea Party
Originally uploaded by bigdsims.

Yep, she's 4 now! I hear it's all down hill from there.

The Storm

2007-01-01T21:55:00.000-08:00

Damn, weather can suck! You know I have lived on the Oregon coast nearly all my life, and have seen many storms come and go. But I have never seen one take down as many trees as this one did. Even today nearly 3 weeks later, the sides of the road on both Highway 30 and Highway 26 are littered with literally hundreds if not thousands of downed trees. For a most of the day on Friday, we were an island. All highways to the coast (26, 30, 202, 101) were closed due to fallen trees.

We lost power at my house about 2pm on Thursday the 14th while Peyton and I were playing Xbox. It came and went for about an hour, then Poof, it was gone. No biggy, we have lost power before, so we played with those "manual toys" for a few hours till nap time. She woke up from her nap at 5pm and by this time I had to break out the flashlights and candles, of which most of the candles were small and the flashlight batteries were dead. Rachelle had power at her office, because Jim recently installed a natural gas generator, so we went there for dinner because they had a kitchen we could use. Went to bed that night thinking the power would be back sometime during the night. I was wrong!

It was not until Sunday evening that we finally got power back and by this time most of the rest of the county had already gotten it back a day or two sooner. Let me tell you, that an extended power outage with no heat: gas heat but furnace still needs power, no hot water: gas water heater worked but septic didn't so couldn't use that or the toilet, and no lights: other than candles, with a three year old sucks! We ended up losing all the food in the fridge and freezer, Rachelle had just bought like $150 worth of food the day before. It got damn cold too, we have a gas fireplace, but it has no fan, and only heats like 5 feet in front of it, so it didn't do much good. By Sunday we had had enough and Rachelle's parents power came on Saturday night, so we packed up and went over to their house Sunday morning.

I have to say I didn't realize how power dependent I really am. I have no hobbies that don't require power, video games, computer, music, movies, all useless. I need a new hobby. I guess the bright side is that my power was only out for 3-4 days, some people I work with just got it back around Christmas. And my roof didn't blow off during the 106 mph gusts that were recorded on here.

Rachelle's B-Day

2007-01-01T21:38:00.000-08:00

Well she did it. She turned 30 on the 9th, exactly three weeks before me! So we went out and got trashed at the Portway Tavern in Astoria. It was a lot of fun, we stayed the night at the Cannery Pier Hotel, which was a great room, but very, very expensive. I haven't had a hang over in a very long, time so I guess I was due, but man I forgot how much they suck!

So much to post.

2006-12-31T22:23:00.000-08:00

I have so much to post about lately, but have had no desire, lazy I guess.

Hell Yeah!

2006-12-14T01:02:00.000-08:00

Posted on [12_13_2006] by trentreznor

"Is it possible I am actually finished writing and recording a new nine inch nails record? Apparently so. We begin mixing in January!

Juggling fifteen all-new tracks around. Testing sequences. No leftovers from "with teeth". Highly conceptual. Quite noisy. Fucking cool."

Oh Dear God!!! Quite noisy, me likes the sound of that!

Is it moving?

2006-12-07T21:28:00.000-08:00

No but your eyes are...

Cold Day at the Beach

2006-12-01T20:58:00.000-08:00

Peyton at the Prom Hosted on Zooomr

$100 Xbox 360!!!

2006-11-16T09:14:00.000-08:00

Core 360 for $100 on Turkey Day through Amazon.
Now you have no reason not to buy one. Even if you have to buy a hard drive and wireless controller deals don't get any better. They will only have 1000 to sell at 11AM Thanksgiving Day. I might buy a second one just because.

Gears of War

2006-11-14T10:17:00.000-08:00

God damn this game is good! From start to finish this game is absolutely amazing. From the graphics to the gameplay, truly great. I am still playing through the single player campaign, but am looking forward to playing online soon. I can say that there has never been a cooler weapon than the chainsaw, and it just never gets old cutting someone in two even after the 20th time. And did I mention how damn good it looks sawin' thru someone in HD!!!

$100 of a 360

2006-11-14T10:07:00.000-08:00

Nathan and Rob this is for you.
after rebate that is $199 for a core and 299 for the premium version.
Get one now! You have until December 3rd.

Deftones!

2006-11-09T00:15:00.000-08:00

So Rob and I went to the Deftones show last weekend at the Roseland Theater in Portland. Fantastic show! He once again won free tickets, this time to a sold out show. I don't know if it was because it was a smaller venue, or what, but it was probably the loudest show I've ever been to. For the first time ever at a concert I actually thought to myself, "I wish I had ear plugs!" I think I did real damage, but hey, it was worth it. The opening band was pretty good too. Deadsy had so much bass and it was so loud that you could feel every single beat in your chest, like getting chest compressions every second for 30 minutes straight! Rob and I even got free beer, when the waitress forgot to make us pay!

Ms. Dewey....

2006-10-23T16:45:00.000-07:00

This is a new search site test project apparently by Microsoft, that uses their new Live Search technology. She is much better looking than Ask Jeeves, and more entertaining than Yahoo and Google. But she can get very annoying if you don't feed her with attention. She has a ton of different reactions to the questions you type. My favorites are "George Bush", and "u r hot", classic!
Some other ones to try:
There is no spoon
does size matter
Oh dear oh dear, an hour of insults, but it's true, I'm a sad lonely man.
Are you a Microsoft employee?
Where can I get a date?
Team Fortress 2
spam
What is your favorite Xbox game?
Where can I get tested for STDs?
How do I tell my mother she's a grandmother?
Are you gaining weight?
Where do republicans come from?
Where do babies come from?
Halo
Nintendo Wii
PlayStation
Who is Nine Inch Nails?
virus
homer simpson
ipod
google
Bill Clinton
cell phones
Blogger (they give you the addy for Spaces (MS version of Blogger)
http://www.msdewey.com/

Hot Fuss!

2006-10-17T16:01:00.001-07:00

I never understood how Fuzz is a slang term for police, but I do like the sound of Hot Fuzz! This should be damn good, if it is anything like Shaun of the Dead. I love that damn movie.

The Fifth Freedom

2006-10-03T21:57:00.000-07:00

How many bunnies have to die, before... Oh Splinter Cell, who knew killing innocent bunnies was so much fun? This is a cool viral site for the upcoming Splinter Cell game, not bad.

NIN HD!!!

2006-09-26T21:48:00.000-07:00

Wait for it.... Oh yeah, Halo 22 is nearly here. It will be just like what Rob, Corey, and I saw, only with better seats! Seriously though,it should be damn good, this years tour was by far the most impressive tour yet.

Madden Curse? Nonsense, Right?

2006-09-26T21:17:00.000-07:00

Well it looks like it happened again this season. The Madden Football Posterboy Shaun Alexander, last years NFL MVP, is out for at least a few weeks, possibly longer with a broken bone in his foot. I'm not a superstitous man, but if my multi-million dollar paycheck depended on me playing football, and 5 out of the last 6 years the cover boys have been injured or had horrible seasons, I think I might think twice. EA Sports must pay some serious cash!

2007 - Shaun Alexander: Broken bone in his foot, out at least 3 weeks.

2006 - Donovan McNabb: After week 9, Mcnabb suffered a hernia and was lost for the season. Mcnabb threw for more interceptions and his yards per attempt and completion percentage were down from 2004. The Eagles finished 6-10, in last place, and missed the playoffs for the first time since 1999.

2005 - Ray Lewis: Lewis for the most part avoided the curse. His numbers were slightly down from the year before, but he missed one game. He did not record an interception in 2004, the first time in his career.

2004 - Michael Vick: Vick missed the first 11 games with a broken leg. Vick's QB rating, comp pct, and yards per attempt were all down from 2002.

2003 - Marshall Faulk: Despite playing the same amount of games, Faulk rushed for 430 less yards and had 4 less TDs compared to 2001. Faulk's worst season since 1996. Rams scored only 16 more points then their 1996 team, one of their worst years ever.

2002 - Daunte Culpepper: Culpepper missed 4 games with injury, threw for 1300 less yards and 19 less TD's then in 2000. Minnesota's worst record since 1984.

2001 - Eddie George: George's curse came in 2001 where he failed to break 1000 yards and Tennessee missed the playoffs going 7-9.

Prior to 2001, John Madden Football did not have NFL players on its cover. It just had a picture of John Madden himself.

Fun with Photoshop!

2006-09-26T20:48:00.001-07:00

lookingglasswatercolor
Originally uploaded by bigdsims.

I really haven't played with Adobe Photoshop in years. Here are a couple photos I doctored with a watercolor look.

The Jetty

2006-09-25T22:14:00.000-07:00

For some reason, today I decided to drive down to Fort Stevens State Park, and take some pictures out at the Columbia River Jetty. It's probably because every time I drop Peyton off at her daycare in Hammond, I see one semi-truck after another pulling flat beds with giant boulders to repair the South Jetty. It is a massive project. I according to the the plaque at the site, the mouth of the columbia exports more grain than any other river in the world with the exception of the Mississippi River. It said that two thirds of the giant rock wall is actually under water, and that it is about 65 feet high from the ocean floor to the top of the wall.

I also decided to check out some other areas of the beach while I as there and take some scenery shots.

This is Gonna Kick All Sorts of Ass!

2006-09-20T20:38:00.000-07:00

This comes from the man who brought us Sin City, Frank Miller, brings to life another graphic novel. "300" is all about bad ass Spartans. This is the first trailer I've seen, and it looks damn promising. The official site is just a production blog, hopefully they will put more up. Oh and that song during the last half of the trailer is NIN's "Just Like You Imagined", I knew there was a reason I liked it so much.

...update...
Warner Brothers has had it removed from ifilms, google video, youtube, etc. Here is a link to a quicktime version that is still up. I would have embedded it but google doesn.t allow java which is needed for quicktime.

Closer to Spock

2006-09-14T20:24:00.000-07:00

All I can say is, "Awesome!" I'm pretty sure I will never look at Leonard Nemoy the same.

High School Talent

2006-09-13T11:20:00.000-07:00

Damn these kids are talented! If everyone played violin like that, it would be a much cooler instrument.

Is Something Wrong with the System?

2006-09-05T17:55:00.000-07:00

This is the mayor of Astoria, Oregon and my home town, Willis Van Dusen. He has been in office for 16 years and is seeking a 5th term in November. I have known the family my whole life, and grew up with his nephew, Trent, as my best friend.
Monday he was arrested after he collided his Harley Davidson into the side of a truck and was charged with DUII (Driving Under the Influence of Intoxicants). It is not a good political move to get a DUII when you're in office, but for some reason, Van Dusen seems to buck the trend. This is his 3rd, yes that's right, third DUII arrest since 1989, all while he was in office. Yet the voting citizens of Astoria keep voting him back into office regardless of the example he is setting as a citizen, president of a major local business (Pepsi Distributor), and a parent.
Van Dusen is a nice guy, but you know what, he needs help. I work in Astoria, but do not live there so I will not be able to cast my vote, but I think the only way he will get help is for him to be voted out of office. Maybe then he might realize how much damage he has done, and seek help for his alcoholism.
There is nothing wrong with having a drink, or many drinks, as long as you do it safely. Getting behind the wheel of a car when you have been drinking is ludicrous and irresponsible. My aunt was killed at the age of 19 by a drunk driver. One of my friends and coworkers was sentenced to 5 years in prison for killing a girl while driving drunk. I also had a former boss who had a problem with alcohol and was charged with DUII, and is no longer with Safeway for that reason. Fortunately for Van Dusen, no one has been hurt, when he chose to drive under the influence. When does it become necessary for the public to take action, or for that matter Pepsi Inc. for his indescretions? No one is perfect, myself included, and maybe I would or wouldn't feel different if it was his first arrest. But we have to ask ourselves when is enough, enough?

G'Day Mate, Rest In Peace

2006-09-04T20:44:00.000-07:00

Well it was bound to happen. But still very sad that it did. Steve Irwin the Crocodile Hunter killed by a Sting Ray while filming a documentary called "Ocean's Deadliest".

"He came up on top of the stingray and the stingray's barb went up and into his chest and put a hole in his heart," John Stainton, Irwin's longtime director and producer, told reporters in Australia.

Through the heart...Oh Crikey!

Pumpkins Return?

2006-09-03T23:30:00.001-07:00

"The Smashing Pumpkins are currently in the recording studio with legendary producer Roy Thomas Baker (Queen, The Cars, The Darkness), at work on their first new album since 1999."

Interesting. Just happened to see this on billycorgan.com I would definately like to see that.

9 Years and Counting

2006-08-29T10:22:00.000-07:00

It is hard to believe that Rachelle and I have been married for now over 9 years. We had our anniversary on the 16th and went and took a weekend away, which was nice. We ate at a restaurant called The Chart House in Portland. Amazing view from the restaurant, great food, so-so waitress. No big tip for her! We stayed at the Hilton in downtown, very nice, but smaller than I had imagined. We even did some shopping on Saturday.

Beta Blogger

2006-08-23T21:56:00.000-07:00

I just started using the new beta version of Blogger. It has some features I really like, and some not so much. I am also playing around with the layout and format. I think I like the minimalistic look at the moment.

What's New?

2006-08-13T20:22:00.000-07:00

Well, what have I been up to you ask? Quite a lot!

My aunt Sylvia, my uncle Gary, and my cousins Nicole, Logan, and Trinity, came down and stayed at Fort Steven the last week of July, so we went and visited them at the campground. I must say the campground has changed a lot since the last time I was there several years ago. Fort Stevens is having a record year for attendance, apparently they start booking spots for the following year each October, and this year they are completely sold out. Strange there would be that many people wanting to come to the coast. We made balloon animals, actually it was more like balloon shapes, and went to dinner. Had a great visit.

We bought Peyton her first bike. Got her a little 12 inch bike, "Little Dreamer" is pink of course, with tassels and training wheels. She also has the pink barbie helmet, knee and elbow pads with matching wristband that she picked out. Gotta say much harder to teach a child how to ride a bike than I thought it would be. I remembered that I have no patience. She can't seem to not try to pedal the opposite direction, which on kids' bikes is the breaks. Bad Daddy!

We bought a new piece of furniture. I have had my plasma TV for almost a year and had yet to decide what to do with it, mount it or buy an entertainment center. So for the last year it has sat on a black TV stand that Rachelle hated. I wanted to mount it on the wall, but decided with the amount of wires I would need to put into the wall it would just be too difficult. We looked for a long time for a piece to put under it, but couldn't find anything that we both liked. Rachelle found a piece that she really liked at an antique store, but I wasn't about to put my $2500 TV on a flimsy old looking table, and wanted something that could house the DVD player, xbox, satellite box, and Xboxes. But we finally found something that looked nice and was very functional, and matches very well with our cabinets. The down side is that now we need new end tables.

We took my Father in laws new Chevy Tahoe to Portland to get the TV stand. Let me tell you, I would be just fine driving one all the time. I wouldn't even mind paying the gas, nice, very nice. He put in the integrated iPod system and I of course had to try it out with my iPod for the trip. It was a damn nice setup, even has the buttons on the steering wheel that control the stereo and iPod. Well you can bet I had to have one. And now I do. I was gonna buy an adapter for my crappy stock stereo, but it was too old, and the adapter was gonna cost nearly as much as a brand new fully integrated stereo. So I went to the local stereo guy and he found the one I wanted, the Alpine CDA-9857, which had the integrated iPod system. So I went online and found it for like $150 less including shipping, than Sound Waves and bought it on eBay. I had a buddy put it in for me and now I am totally content.

My 4th generation iPod died, just slightly after having it a year, just happened to be past the warranty expiration as well. I was going to get it fixed but apple wanted $200 just to look at it, so I said screw that. I bought a new 60GB black 5th Gen video iPod. It has a lot of new features that the old one didn't that I like, color screen, videos, pictures, etc. The ability to put videos on it especially has turned out to be great for trips. I found a program to put convert DVD movies so that they can be put on the iPod. Peyton loves watching movies on it so, we bring a pair of head phones and I have like 12 Disney movies loaded on it and she's good for a long road trip. The only thing I don't like about it is the fact that Apple did away with firewire connection (only usb 2.0 now) and it never seems to turn off when it is supposed to.

We broke down and finally bought a new digital camera. Rachelle has been wanting one for a long time so that she can take nice pictures for her scrap-booking hobby, but the one she wanted was not very cheap. But what do you know, Costco carries them now and they are like $200 less than anyone online. It is a Canon EOS Digital Rebel XT, it's an 8 megapixel digital SLR camera, and it is great because any standard camera lens will work with it. It really does take great shots. We love it, though it won't exactly fit in my pocket.

Mom and Arnie came down for a visit. We had a nice time just hanging out and Peyton had a blast with Grandma Brenda. We spent the day together and went out to Dooger's in Seaside for dinner, which was very good.

Peyton and I went to visit my Grandma and Grandpa Webb, and their two new yellow lab puppies. Peyton just absolutely loves my Grandpa! My grandma is still going though Chemotherapy, she is a ton better than the last time I saw her and kept pointing out how she had more hair now than both me and my grandpa. It was super nice seeing them and I know Peyton sure liked seeing her great-grandparents.

Weekend before last Rachelle, Peyton, and I went to the Clatsop County Fair. Peyton got to see all the animals, including a bunch of 7 day old baby pigs. She also got to go on her very first amusement park ride, the ferris wheel. Now I have to tell you I love going on rides, and always have. But for some reason ever since I was a kid the damn ferris wheel scares the crap out of me. But we braved it together and had a lot of fun. Rachelle and I went back that evening and attended the Livestock auction with my boss and some friends from work. We bought 2 sheep, Safeway buys an animal each year, with our allotted funds. We went out for dinner and drinks afterwards and had a great time. I had a few too many, and let me tell you staying out till 1 in the morning when you gotta work at 7 sucks! I think I am getting too old for that.

I watched a couple of great movies over the last few weeks. V for Vendetta was fantastic. From start to finish, that movie was action packed. I really like the whole idea behind it. Just watched Inside Man with Clive Owen, Denzel Washington, and Jody Foster. That's right Colin, I said Jody Foster! She looks pretty damn good in too, even if she plays for the other team. Clive is the shit in this movie! I really enjoyed the flick. I know Nathan you think my taste in movies sucks, even moreso than Colin's, but it was good. Watch it.

I just beat Condemend: Criminal Origins, and it was by far the scariest damn video game I have ever played. Ther e is nothing more scary than drugged out transiants and manaquins. You are an FBI profiler, chasing down a serial killer who is murdering serial killers, all while the Feds hunt you down for the murders. Damn it's twisted good! Fantastic ending too, actually there were two endings depending on the choice you make at the end. "Do I kill the homicidal serial killer or do I let him live?" Tough choice I know. If you have a 360 go get it now! Though you may want to leave the light on while you play. Also just bought Dead Rising, and it is definately worth the $60. I have never had so much fun killing stuff in any game, and doing it with the most random objects you could ever imagine. I think the rototiller is my favorite, zombie parts everywhere. This Game ROCKS! I absolutely love this game, the mall is amazing, and the photography twist is pretty cool. Who would have ever thought of taking pictures of zombie cleavage? That's original.

Rachelle made a pink tutu for Peyton last week, and it is huge. Peyton wears it constantly. Something about being a princess really appeals to her. She runs around the house with her crown, fake earrings and necklace, and her big pink tutu, all day long.

Nathan came down for a short visit. It was soo good to see my boy Nathan and his family. I miss that mutha! Peyton showed them how quiet she can be, not really so quiet! Nathan talked me out of my original modded xbox, like he really needed another one. I think I had like 80 games on the hard drive. He owes me big...real big! Seeing Nathan makes me realize how much I miss my boys; Dan, Colin, Jeremy Nathan. We need to get together as a group when Jeremy gets back to the states. Nathan and I both think we may not see big Dan again, that would really suck. Seriously!

After the visit with Nathan, Lauren, and Nadia, we took Peyton to the Astoria Regatta Parade. Peyton had a good time, but the parade was way too long, over an hour and a half, and there were way too many freaking advertisements, not enough floats. I mean come on, do I really want to see a Big River Excavation dump truck in the parade. No, not really. Peyton made a haul on candy, and she liked seeing my tax dollars hard at work in the form of a coast guard helicopter making several low passes of the crowd. I think each time they fly it costs several thousand dollars. Saving lives, I tell you. I did get to see the Budweiser clydesdales, they have the best bud commercial, but they sure weren't throwing out free beer, damnit!

After the Parade we went to my Brother Brian's son Alex's birthday. He turned 10 on the 10th. Drank some beers, just a few too many, had some mixed drinks, should have stuck to the beer, and had B-B-Q. Everyone kept commenting on how much we looked alike that day, I don't see it. It's still weird to think I had probably met him in the past and never picked up on it. I messed up my shoulder throwing Peyton around, it still hurts today. Peyton really likes their little dog Diva, its a Chiwawa of course, and very spoiled. We had a great time, as always

So there you have it, we're all caught up. Don't you feel better now, I know I do.

Is Anyone Gonna Buy One?

2006-08-13T19:48:00.000-07:00

I was starting to wonder if anyone I know will buy a PS3 when it launches in November. I know I won't, I have always been a Xbox Fanboy, and well $600 is just too damn much. I will however probably buy the Wii. I was reading how an Official Playstation Magazine editor won't even be buying one. That's bad news for Sony!

PS3 or Wii?

2006-08-12T08:51:00.000-07:00

The choice appears simple. This is a apple style commercial for the upcoming Nintendo Wii. You decide.

So Many Weapons, So Little Time!

2006-07-31T21:46:00.000-07:00

Dead Rising looks soo damn good! Nothing is better than killing zombies, wouldn't you agree? I was watching a developer interview on G4 the other day and the showed how anything you can find in the mall can be used as a weapon, including other zombies. Now that sounds fun! If this game absolutely blows, I am gonna be pissed.

Trent with Flock of Seagulls Hair

2006-07-31T10:51:00.000-07:00

This is a clip of an interview with Trent Reznor and his former band "Exotic Birds". Damn that was a cool look!

Wish I Had a Car Bed

2006-07-31T10:21:00.000-07:00

I know the movie got horrible review, but I though it was pretty damn funny. It has all the normal Adam Sandler cast minus Adam. Definately worth a rent.Click the picture to watch the trailer at the bottom of the page, hilarious.