Computer Dependent

I would hate to think that this could ever happen to my computer. I treat my computer well, I run the proper maintenance programs, I even dust it periodically. Still, I found myself about ready to throw my computer out the window last week when the operating system became "compromised". I don't know exactly how such things happen, but it happened.

So, there I sat staring at my computer, wondering what to do, knowing full well that my usual "computer repair person" is gone for the summer. There is little more frustrating than staring at a computer with really no idea of what to do to fix it.

This brings to mind the idea of how dependent I've become on computers. I realized over this last week how much of my time is spent on a computer. I realize how often I turn to my computer to get information (I'll just google it) or turn to my computer for communication (yes, email is my communication medium) or turn for entertainment (hours of fun with EA Sports NHL).

The good thing in all of this is that the weather has been decent the last week so I've been able to get outside and get a good bike ride in on many days. Of course that comes with its own computer. I recently stopped by the bike shop to pick-up a "cyclocomputer" in order to better know how far I'm traveling and at what pace. Computers are all around us.

Think about an average day, computers are in everything. We drive cars that are operated by computers. We listen to radios that are nothing more than super-computers tuned to a specific use. We operate our microwave oven (ours has certain settings that you push one button and the microwave has a sensor in it that does the rest). We have remote controls for everything (we just bought a fan that has a remote control for it).

Yes, computers are all around us. It is fortunate that computers don't break-down more than they do. I remember back to Y2K and all of the hype around that, I keep thinking about what really would have happened had all of our computers come to a screeching halt, I'm pretty sure the world would have stopped! Ah well.

Google Thyself

So it would seem that one of the greatest pieces of advice being shelled out to applicants of various types (job, internship, scholarship, university, etc) is to "google thyself". It seems that this is something that many admissions staff are doing as well as potential employers. Interesting stuff.

Have you ever googled yourself? I have. I probably google myself about once every 6 months, maybe a bit more often, just to see what the world is learning about me. I admit, one of the reasons that I have used a "pen name" for my blog is to make it a greater challenge for people who google me by my real name to find my writings. Not that I am in any way ashamed of what I write, I just figure it's best to leave a little bit of separation there.

In my most recent effort to google myself, I decided I should not only look into my real name, but also my pen-name. I was pleased to find that when I enter my pen-name RevDrum, I am in the top 8 items that are listed (and I haven't even by trying to maximize my Google exposure). Interestingly Google enquires whether I intended to type "rev drum" which with a space brings up a whole different list of items that are completely unrelated to me. I wish Google offered the option to say "nope, I know what I'm typing" but they don't, so life goes on without a sarcastic response to the computer.

I have to admit I was a little disappointed when I googled my real name (left out of this article for reasons mentioned above) that I didn't find "me" until 3 or 4 pages into the listings. Most of the listings are from quotes I have left somewhere on the Internet, in some cases quotes that I left years ago. I'm also listed on a few alumni lists in various places. Nothing really of substance, but then in Google's defense, I haven't really been doing anything of substance lately. I googled a few friends just to see what presence they have on the web. In some cases I found nothing and in other cases I discovered that my friends (or their children) are more famous than I thought!

I guess when it comes right down to it, I'm o.k. with my fairly anonymous existence in the world. Those that need to find me no where I am, those that want to find me usually can, and those that I am trying to avoid have hopefully been lost along the trail. When I do apply for jobs again, there's nothing tainting anyone's view of who I am or what I am about, that's good. I am sure that I will continue to google myself and others in the future, if nothing else so that the word google can remain a verb in the English language.

Is it the destination or the Journey?

I have to admit that as I watched the Anaheim Ducks win the Stanley Cup last night I realized that they were the better team. Having watched the last few games of the Semi-Finals and the last two games of the Stanley Cup Finals, they just seemed better prepared and stronger. So I (reluctantly) tip my hat to the Ducks. I would have liked to see the Senators win, but alas it is best that the better team win, after all that is the point of such a championship battle.

As I pondered this Stanley Cup experience I got to thinking about the accomplishments that we attain in life, for example my recent vacation, and began to wonder if the goal is to be able to say "I've done it" or is the goal to love the journey along the way?

I think about my having traveled to a lot of different places and yes, it is fun to tell people some of the places I've been. But my purpose in travel has never been so that I can come home and add to my list, the purpose has been to experience those places.

I think this is the problem that we face when we are too busy trying to keep up with the Joneses. Too often we want more things, nicer things, newer things simply so that when we add up the score we can add our tally marks and end up with the biggest total in the end.

Well, this is exactly what Jesus was teaching against in his ministry. In Matthew 19:16-26, Jesus is approached by a rich young man and is questioned about what it takes to have eternal life. Most of us get caught in Jesus' instruction to sell everything and in the young man's grieved response. But I think the real key is at the tail end of verse 21 when Jesus says, "then come, follow me." For Jesus it seems to be about the journey. Finding the key to eternal life is not in obeying the commandments, it's not even in selling everything we own, it is in the journey that we are on when Jesus is leading.

I think for the Anaheim Ducks there is certainly joy in saying they are Stanley Cup Champions, but there is a greater joy in the journey that it took to get to that moment. The hours of practice, the bonding with teammates, learning from losses, experiencing wins.

Where are you in your journey? Are you busy looking for the next pinnacle to add to the list or are you enjoying where you are at along the way?

Vacation Photos...

note: you can click on the images for bigger photos I admit it. I am still stuck in the "good ol' days" when it comes to taking pictures. 10 years ago when I was about to embark on a journey to Australia, I received a nice 35mm SLR camera for Christmas. It was a great gift and at the time the idea of digital photography was still on the horizon and the thought was, there is no way digital will replace film. Well, at the time the idea of a 1GB processor was also an absurd thought.

Well, I've continued to use my old standby 35mm SLR to take numerous photos. I even spent a chunk of money (enough to have bought a decent pocket digital) to get it repaired a year ago. Yes, I like my camera, its features, and like my blanket from my youth, I don't want to part with it just yet. In a recent trip I discovered some of the downsides to the 35mm SLR, the above photo is evidence to one of those downsides. That's a photo of Lake Ellery in Yosemite National Park, a photo I took in August of 2006 and just got developed now because I didn't finish the roll of film until my recent vacation.

What follow are photos from a recent trip to San Simeon, Monterey, and San Jose (all in California). I sort of jumped into the digital age and when I had my film developed I opted for the "digital photo CD" in addition to my prints. It's nice to have the digital option, but most of the photos weren't really worth it. A lot of the photos would have met the delete button on a digital camera for various reasons ... but here are some favorites ...

Above is Big Sur, California. I'm still a little unsure on exactly what the boundaries of Big Sur are. In different books I looked it the boundary ranged from a small town midway between Monterey and San Simeon to a general description of the area that is covered in that whole stretch. Either way, this gives you an idea of what the terrain is like, this photo was taken from a roadside stop on the very twisty, turny, Highway 1. Great fun for views, not so much fun when you're the driver (especially at night).

This next photo reveals one of my favorite "games" to play with a camera. Taking photos near still water and trying to capture the reflection to the point that you can't figure out which way is up or down unless you stare for quite a while at the photo. This happens to be a photo from the Hearst Castle in San Simeon of the Indoor Pool.

Of course there's a downside to this method of photography as well. Sometimes even I can't tell which way is supposed to be up and the place I took my film to have it developed didn't help much. When I opened the photo CD all of the images were turned upside down! The CD was supposed to have "photo editing software" with it, but the software they provided didn't allow me to save the photos after I modified them (I'm not sure what the software was good for) so I ended up downloading an Adobe Photo product and was able to at least turn the images the right direction before saving them. It shouldn't be this difficult!

On the day we visited Hearst Castle, it was a little foggy (a lot like the seminary campus most days) so we didn't get to see some of the amazing views, but we did get some interesting views like this one of the Hearst Tennis Court. Sometimes what you think is a bad thing (fog) turns out to be a good thing ...

As we drove back toward home, we spent a bit of time in the Monterey area and ventured on to what is called the 17-mile drive. You pay $9 to drive around a prestigious neighborhood and you get to look at Pebble Beach Golf Course (more on that in a minute). There are some nice views, like this one of the famous "Lone Cypress". This is the tree that became the corporate symbol for Pebble Beach.
And what would a visit to this area be without a chance to look out onto the 18th green. The club house itself is fairly un-exciting, just a block building (oh, sure they had a jazz combo playing in the lounge, but that's nothing to blog about) but the view is certainly amazing. What amazed me even more was the level of play of this group of guys on the course. Pebble Beach is a public course so anyone is welcome to play. The even had open tee times, so I considered it. That is, until I discovered the price tag of $475 a round! At that price, you would think you would be a pretty good player to be willing to shell out the money, not so.

This group of guys were probably among the biggest hacks I've seen on any course. Dirt flying every which way (and I didn't see them replace their divots) and the ball only seemed to travel short distances, but I guess they can say they played Pebble Beach!

The next day we ventured up through San Jose and stopped at the Winchester Mansion. If you are ever in San Jose, you have to make time to visit this place, it's a trip. The photo below is one that my dad took (mine is still on a roll of film that will probably be developed some time in 2008), it looks like a fairly normal house from the front, but there are about 165 rooms, with all kinds of odd things going on in them.

As the story goes, Sarah Winchester (who married into the Winchester Rifle family) built this house and continued construction on it for 35+ years to ward off the evil spirits of the people killed with Winchester rifles. There is a stairs that goes directly into the ceiling, doors that lead to nowhere, windows in the floor, and the list goes on. Talk about your eccentric people!

How to waste time on a Monday

So, if you're looking to waste some time on Monday (or any day for that matter) here are a few links that can help you out ...

You Belong in San Francisco

You crave an eclectic, urban environment. You're half California, half NYC. You're open minded, tolerant, and secretly think you're the best. People may dismiss you as a hippie, but you're also progressive, interesting, and rich!

Where Does Your Inner Californian Belong?

You Are 72% A Child of the 80s

Not only did you experience the 80s... you are practically an expert. You should be totally stoked!

Are You a Child of an 80s?

Your Travel Personality Is: The Adventurer

For you, travel is how you learn about the world. And you like to learn the stuff that's not in guidebooks. You truly have wanderlust. When you're not traveling, you're dreaming about where you'll go next. And your travels are truly legendary - they leave you with stories you'll be telling for the rest of your life!

What's Your Travel Personality?

Star Wars Horoscope for Sagittarius

You are superbly wise and have been known to spread your wisdom widely. You are impatient and pushy when people take your teachings too lightly. And your philosophical side always peeks through. Star wars character you are most like: Yoda

What Is Your Star Wars Horoscope?

You Will Be a Cool Parent

You seem to naturally know a lot about parenting, and you know what kids need. You can tell when it's time to let kids off the hook, and when it's time to lay down the law. While your parenting is modern and hip, it's not over the top. You know that there's nothing cool about a parent who acts like a teenager... or a drill sergeant!

Would You Be a Cool Parent?

Your Learning Style: Unconventional and Insightful

You are very intuitive and ingenious. You're attracted to any field of study that lets you break the rules. You Should Study: Art Art history Architecture Comparative religions Eastern religion Education Music Philosophy

What Should You Study?

Weird Al Shares Your Taste in Music

See his whole playlist here (iTunes required)

Which Musician (or Group) Shares Your Taste in Music?

Beer and Baseball ... summer must be near

I found myself looking for sports on television today. I thought the Stanley Cup Finals would be on, but alas, they are taking an extra day off, probably to assure a game to be played on a Saturday for higher television watching, I dunno. So, as I flipped through the channels I came across a college game with the University of Minnesota Golden Gophers. I felt a bit nostalgic for Minnesota and decided to leave the game on as I cleaned the house.

It seemed that I should have a beer in hand as I watched, something about beer and baseball that seem to go hand in hand. Maybe again its a nostalgia thing, not that I ever really spent a lot of time drinking beer when I watched baseball, but it seems to be the image that gets planted in my head.

I always wanted to be the guy flying through the air like the picture to the left. No, I never did get to make a catch like that and be the hero of a big game, but the dream still lives. Maybe if I ever find a softball team desperate enough for my lack of skill, I will once again have the chance to dive after a baseball (and hopefully not injure myself in the process).

I guess part of the problem with being the guy who dives after a ball like this is that you can't really do that with a beer in your hand (not without losing the beer anyway).

On the other hand, I feel like I have had the sensation that this player is experiencing. There's nothing quite like connecting with the sweet-spot of a ball and giving it a ride. I remember in 6th grade my team one first place in the league tournament due in part to me hitting a triple to win the game leading into the playoffs. No, I'm not exagerating, but likely no one else remembers the feeling of hitting that shoulder-high fastball down the left field line. Oh, well. I remember it and that's all that matters.

Then there was the time in college that I took Softball as a phy ed class. What a laugh, a class where you play softball for an hour and then at the end of the semester you take a "test" on the rules of the game. Yep, a good feeling when I stood in to the box and connected with that pitch. I really could feel that it was a home run when I hit it, there was simply something about the connection ... I watched the ball fly over the fence ... then I had to go get it!

O.K. So there's some connection that exists between baseball (softball) and beer. But I have to be honest, I've not seen too many people drinking good beer while playing softball. It usually ends up being one of the domestic-massed-produced-brews that ends up in the can held by ball players. Maybe it's partly because ball players choose cans over bottles and most good beers just don't come in cans.

Take for example my current favorite brew, the New Belgium Brewery 1554. It does not come in cans. I can't even find it in a 12-pack. It comes 6 bottles at a time and is worth the effort that it takes to carry more than one 6-pack into the house.

Another favorite brew is celebrating a birthday this year (well, I guess they celebrate a birthday every year, but this one is a bit more milestonish). Leinenkugel's Brewerey in Chippewa Falls, Wisconsin. I'm a bit bummed out that I won't be able to make the big celebration of the 140 years of brewing ... a big fun party with free brats! Yes, I miss the midwestern joy of grilling brats all summer and enjoying them with a good brew. There's something special about that experience, yes I can do the same here in California, but the good Johnsonville brats aren't available here (care package, please?)

O.K. speaking of summer traditions, baseball and beer. I've got one name that sums it all up, Harry Caray! He's been gone from this world a few years now, but he's not forgotten. As I was thinking about this wonderful match of beer and baseball, I recall many summer days of the Cubs on WGN and Harry Caray calling the games. There was something absolutely magic about the way he called a game. Maybe it was simply the fact that Harry cheered for the Cubs, Maybe it was the fact that he didn't take himself too seriously. I dunno, but I really enjoyed those games (much like I really enjoyed Minnesota Twins games with Herb Carneal who passed away this Spring)

Rumor has it that Harry enjoyed his share of brews. I guess that shouldn't come as a surprise when he did an ad for Budweiser, if you ever saw this ad, you'll never forget it. I just wish I could find a full version of the commercial somewhere.

And who could ever forget Harry singing Take Me Out to the Ballgame at any Cubs home game. I remember going to Wrigley field back before the lights, seeing a Cubs game in the sunlight and being sure that I was in my seat during the Seventh Inning Stretch so that I could witness Harry's singing live, nope it wasn't great singing, but it was fun and that's what mattered.

That's what summer is really about, having fun. Enjoying the sun, and making memories!