Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerry
More exciting than it should be, really.
13 years ago
Saturday, December 27, 2008
Viva Las Vegas
Monday, December 22, 2008
Is Rusty Still in the Navy?
Yes, its Christmas Vacation time. And not just the movie, although I still haven't watched that this season... But also for me! I head out bright and early tomorrow morning and fly to Kansas City where some friends will be picking me up and whisking me away, eventually back to Omaha. I'm rather excited to be back and see some friends. I've been down here for a week shy of 9 months now and have only been back to Omaha twice, and neither time really got to spend any time with people. I'll get some good quality time with my friends and family, including the traditional Christmas at Grandma's where we will more than likely eat dinner in the cold, dark basement, and open gifts, followed by the annual decorating of the Christmas Jeff.
Then Friday afternoon, I fly out to Las Vegas to help watch my niece and nephew. I'll have a Vegas New Year, before flying back to Tulsa on January 4th. Yep. Really looking forward to the next 2 weeks!
I'll try to do some mobile blogging while I'm gone, and who knows, maybe even another Vidcast?
i love you,
dw
Thursday, December 18, 2008
Top 10 Things I've Learned in Oklahoma
I arrived in Tulsa on April 29th, 2008 which means at the end of the month, I'll have been here for 9 months. With this celebration, I present to you:
The Top 10 Thing I've Learned While Living in Oklahoma
10. How to throw change left-handed. Turnpikes! I remember pulling up to it the first time and awkwardly throwing my change in the catch like Scotty Smalls on his first attempt to throw a baseball and wondering how the person in front of me did it so effortlessly. It's second nature now and I can, like a true Tulsan, do it on the fly.
9. "Boomer Sooner":
8. There are 2 kinds of Oklahoman accents on women. One annoys the crap out of you, the other is kinda hot. Oh, and no guy sounds intelligent with an Oklahoma accent.
7. No one in Tulsa is from Tulsa. I kid you not, I've met 2... two people in 9 months originally from this town.
6. I'm organized. Who knew?
5. 50 degrees and sunny is cold and it "could snow any minute" as one fine upstanding gent put it. And yes, he said it with an Oklahoman accent
4. Never throw away a contact. In this business, its all about who you know
3. Working at Quick Trip is a completely respectable job. People in Iowa drop out of school and end up working for a gas station. In Tulsa, its considered a career. And a good one at that.
2. Turn signals aren't important, you must either go 20 above or 20 below the speed limit, a yellow light means speed up, and a red light means you only have 5 more seconds to get through the intersection unless its a turning lane, in which case you have 10.
1. No one is a good driver {see above} including Cops. If you turn on your signal and slow down you'd better turn or (nearly) get rear ended. And for the trouble he'll pull you over for an "unsafe lane-change". "But officer, I didn't change lanes" will not get you out of a ticket. "I'm sorry officer, I'm from Iowa. See-my license and tags clearly show that"; will, in fact, get you off with only a warning.
The Top 10 Thing I've Learned While Living in Oklahoma
10. How to throw change left-handed. Turnpikes! I remember pulling up to it the first time and awkwardly throwing my change in the catch like Scotty Smalls on his first attempt to throw a baseball and wondering how the person in front of me did it so effortlessly. It's second nature now and I can, like a true Tulsan, do it on the fly.
9. "Boomer Sooner":
- Boomer Sooner, Boomer Sooner,
- Boomer Sooner, Boomer Sooner,
- Boomer Sooner, Boomer Sooner,
- Boomer Sooner, O-K-U!
- Oklahoma, Oklahoma,
- Oklahoma, Oklahoma,
- Oklahoma, Oklahoma,
- Oklahoma, O-K-U!
- I'm a Sooner born
- And a Sooner bred,
- And when I die
- I'll be Sooner dead.
- Rah, Oklahoma! Rah, Oklahoma!
- Rah, Oklahoma! O-K-U!
8. There are 2 kinds of Oklahoman accents on women. One annoys the crap out of you, the other is kinda hot. Oh, and no guy sounds intelligent with an Oklahoma accent.
7. No one in Tulsa is from Tulsa. I kid you not, I've met 2... two people in 9 months originally from this town.
6. I'm organized. Who knew?
5. 50 degrees and sunny is cold and it "could snow any minute" as one fine upstanding gent put it. And yes, he said it with an Oklahoman accent
4. Never throw away a contact. In this business, its all about who you know
3. Working at Quick Trip is a completely respectable job. People in Iowa drop out of school and end up working for a gas station. In Tulsa, its considered a career. And a good one at that.
2. Turn signals aren't important, you must either go 20 above or 20 below the speed limit, a yellow light means speed up, and a red light means you only have 5 more seconds to get through the intersection unless its a turning lane, in which case you have 10.
1. No one is a good driver {see above} including Cops. If you turn on your signal and slow down you'd better turn or (nearly) get rear ended. And for the trouble he'll pull you over for an "unsafe lane-change". "But officer, I didn't change lanes" will not get you out of a ticket. "I'm sorry officer, I'm from Iowa. See-my license and tags clearly show that"; will, in fact, get you off with only a warning.
Tuesday, December 16, 2008
The Other Side of the Radio
So far my resolution to blog more isn't going stupendous. I'm working on it.
I was thinking about my blog name today and the meaning behind it. Originally when I decided on it, it was because I would share with you all what happens on the "other" side of the radio. While I do try to do this from time to time, its more about random thoughts, websites I come across, TV shows, and other things that happen when I'm not working (and admittedly, sometimes when I am!). Maybe I should have chosen "The Other Side of the Morning Commute" as my title.
But today I wanted to share with you "the other side of the radio." I stole the title from a song by Christian artist, Chris Rice. I vaguely remember the song from my years interning at KGBI over 5 years ago, but ask me to repeat a line from the song without looking, and all I could come up with is "Here I am on the other side of the radio." I read the lyrics and they do a pretty good job of portraying why I do what I do, just substitute singing for speaking.
Music is one of the most effective means of reaching people. I sat at a concert the other night and all I could think about was how many people this guy must be reaching (that and the ridiculous dancer in the white pants who seemed to serve no purpose to the music). It wasn't just a good Christian concert, it was a good concert period. My friends, both Christian and non-Christian would have enjoyed it and walked away thinking it was one of the greatest concerts they've been to. You have no idea the kind of impact relevant Christians can make on the rest of the world. I know for a fact that many of them don't feel you can have fun and be a Christian. I grew up surrounded by fun-loving Christians and I forget, not everyone has a children's pastor who's podium spews fire. (Not for visual effects mind you, but for convenience!)
We're changing somebody's world from the other side of the radio. Oh, and it makes my day to see the smile on their face, and in some small way I remember my place.
That's a line from one of the verses to the song and time and time again, I've seen this. I'm blessed to be working for a station that believes in what they are doing. Not only do I hear it from the listeners, but I am constantly hearing from my "contemporaries" of how lucky I am to be where I'm at. Success is a reflection of leadership, and this is a station that is owned by a man who's grandchildren run the halls and who (before direct deposit) insisted on personally handing out each pay check. His son manages the station but also teaches a Sunday school class. The Program Director is greeted by nearly every artist and label representative with a warm hug. He's a man whose advice was almost immediately sought after when a musician lost his little girl. These are the things I've noticed in the 9 months I've been here.
I'm proud to be where I'm at and thankful for the opportunities I've been given. The Bible tells us to "Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation". I believe music can reach people nothing else can reach. Not Billy Graham or Joel Osteen, TBN, or "testamints". Music is my world. The Bible says we are the light of the world and we are to let it shine before men that they would praise God. Ghandi basically said the same thing when he said "Be the change you want to see in the world." We, as Christians need to present ourselves in such a way that people look at us and hear us and say to themselves, "I want that." Ghandi, by the way, also said "I like your Christ, I do not like your Christians. Your Christians are so unlike your Christ."
Of course I love having that "all access pass" at concerts, and I love talking to artists where my content is not "what inspired you to write this song", but "how's your family". And I'll never forget the first time someone said "Oh my gosh, you're David Wage!" But, with God's help, I'll also never forget why I do what I do.
I was thinking about my blog name today and the meaning behind it. Originally when I decided on it, it was because I would share with you all what happens on the "other" side of the radio. While I do try to do this from time to time, its more about random thoughts, websites I come across, TV shows, and other things that happen when I'm not working (and admittedly, sometimes when I am!). Maybe I should have chosen "The Other Side of the Morning Commute" as my title.
But today I wanted to share with you "the other side of the radio." I stole the title from a song by Christian artist, Chris Rice. I vaguely remember the song from my years interning at KGBI over 5 years ago, but ask me to repeat a line from the song without looking, and all I could come up with is "Here I am on the other side of the radio." I read the lyrics and they do a pretty good job of portraying why I do what I do, just substitute singing for speaking.
Music is one of the most effective means of reaching people. I sat at a concert the other night and all I could think about was how many people this guy must be reaching (that and the ridiculous dancer in the white pants who seemed to serve no purpose to the music). It wasn't just a good Christian concert, it was a good concert period. My friends, both Christian and non-Christian would have enjoyed it and walked away thinking it was one of the greatest concerts they've been to. You have no idea the kind of impact relevant Christians can make on the rest of the world. I know for a fact that many of them don't feel you can have fun and be a Christian. I grew up surrounded by fun-loving Christians and I forget, not everyone has a children's pastor who's podium spews fire. (Not for visual effects mind you, but for convenience!)
We're changing somebody's world from the other side of the radio. Oh, and it makes my day to see the smile on their face, and in some small way I remember my place.
That's a line from one of the verses to the song and time and time again, I've seen this. I'm blessed to be working for a station that believes in what they are doing. Not only do I hear it from the listeners, but I am constantly hearing from my "contemporaries" of how lucky I am to be where I'm at. Success is a reflection of leadership, and this is a station that is owned by a man who's grandchildren run the halls and who (before direct deposit) insisted on personally handing out each pay check. His son manages the station but also teaches a Sunday school class. The Program Director is greeted by nearly every artist and label representative with a warm hug. He's a man whose advice was almost immediately sought after when a musician lost his little girl. These are the things I've noticed in the 9 months I've been here.
I'm proud to be where I'm at and thankful for the opportunities I've been given. The Bible tells us to "Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation". I believe music can reach people nothing else can reach. Not Billy Graham or Joel Osteen, TBN, or "testamints". Music is my world. The Bible says we are the light of the world and we are to let it shine before men that they would praise God. Ghandi basically said the same thing when he said "Be the change you want to see in the world." We, as Christians need to present ourselves in such a way that people look at us and hear us and say to themselves, "I want that." Ghandi, by the way, also said "I like your Christ, I do not like your Christians. Your Christians are so unlike your Christ."
Of course I love having that "all access pass" at concerts, and I love talking to artists where my content is not "what inspired you to write this song", but "how's your family". And I'll never forget the first time someone said "Oh my gosh, you're David Wage!" But, with God's help, I'll also never forget why I do what I do.
Wednesday, December 10, 2008
Promised Thanksgiving update
Ok, in my last post I said I'd send out another "recap" blog over Thanksgiving and obviously, that didn't happen, so here it is... better late than never.
I'll try to summarize best I can, but I've been keeping myself pretty busy with lots of concerts, live remotes, and a few little projects soon to come at KXOJ.
Back in October, mom and my aunt Rhonda came down for a concert with Michael W. Smith and Steven Curtis Chapman. I'm sure there was another reason they came down, but free tickets didn't hurt. My boss is very close with Steven and Michael, so I really felt like I had the pleasure of meeting a different side of them than most. With Bob there and being backstage, it seemed they both had their "fan guard" down.
From my end, the concert was a big success as well. It was our first experience with the new Spirit Bank Event Center but it was a great one. Especially for me. The deal with them is they take care of most of the finer details as part of the rental price. Those finer details are normally my responsibility so my job was limited to finding merch volunteers. Their merch manager was great working with and I even got to show off a little for him. In talking, he expressed gratitude for finding all the volunteers and said that was not the case for the next night and he was getting a bit worried. Knowing the next night's show was Omaha, I gave him a hand and jumped on my phone. Before long I had 5 volunteers lined up for him. Again, he was thankful.
On to November, and two more concerts! The first, was Creation Festival Tour with Kutless, Thousand Foot Krutch, Pillar plus half a dozen or so more. We also chose to have our "Bible Across America" stop on this day. Zondervan Publishing contacted us a couple months ago and presented this idea to us about a handwritten bible they were putting together. They went from city to city having people come out and sign their very own scripture in the Bible. We got a HUGE response that day with I believe just shy of 600 people over a 6 hour period. This was their largest 6 hr stop and I believe we could have added 100 or so more had they had an additional podium (by the end, the wait was nearly 2 hours in line so many people left). We were also able to get many of the bands to sign, and they were quite excited about it as well.
The concert went well with over 2000 seats sold, which we were pleased with. Tulsa has become very concert saturated and ticket sales overall are way down. Many concerts are being cancelled and if not, the numbers are very low and promoters are losing big. I didn't actually stay for the show because by that point I had been there for 10 hours, but i heard it was awesome.
Mom and dad came down a few days after that for Thanksgiving. Mom made her annual huge Thanksgiving feast which I couldn't eat! I had been going through some back pain that day and by dinner time it was so bad that I had almost no appetite. Plenty of leftovers though! Had a great time with mom and dad that week and we did our annual trip over to the Rhema lights. For my readers who aren't from Tulsa, and aren't familiar, Rhema is a bible college down here that is right across the street. Every Thanksgiving, they begin their annual display which this year includes nearly 2 million lights all over their campus park! Its truly a site. This year, they included a LED display set to music.
Mom and pop left Sunday afternoon, and that night we already had another concert. Casting Crowns was joined by Natalie Grant, Avalon, Michael English, and more for the Christmas Celebration Spectacular or something like that. Before hand, Natalie Grant joined by about 90 listeners went down to John3:16 Mission to do some caroling. Even though it was a little chillly, we had a blast and collected a lot of warm items! You may remember John3:16 Mission from a previous blog.
So far this month has been pretty calm less a lot of remotes. Its Wednesday and i still have 2 more this week, then a concert Saturday night. This concert will be a blast though. TobyMac, Relient K, Family Force 5... I'm excited!
Just 13 days and I fly back to Omaha to see lots of family and friends for Christmas! Then on the 26th, I fly out to Vegas to help my sister and brother-in-law with the kids while they are working. I'll be out there through January 4th, and fly back to Tulsa. I'll do a mega picture post when I return!
I'll try to summarize best I can, but I've been keeping myself pretty busy with lots of concerts, live remotes, and a few little projects soon to come at KXOJ.
Back in October, mom and my aunt Rhonda came down for a concert with Michael W. Smith and Steven Curtis Chapman. I'm sure there was another reason they came down, but free tickets didn't hurt. My boss is very close with Steven and Michael, so I really felt like I had the pleasure of meeting a different side of them than most. With Bob there and being backstage, it seemed they both had their "fan guard" down.From my end, the concert was a big success as well. It was our first experience with the new Spirit Bank Event Center but it was a great one. Especially for me. The deal with them is they take care of most of the finer details as part of the rental price. Those finer details are normally my responsibility so my job was limited to finding merch volunteers. Their merch manager was great working with and I even got to show off a little for him. In talking, he expressed gratitude for finding all the volunteers and said that was not the case for the next night and he was getting a bit worried. Knowing the next night's show was Omaha, I gave him a hand and jumped on my phone. Before long I had 5 volunteers lined up for him. Again, he was thankful.
On to November, and two more concerts! The first, was Creation Festival Tour with Kutless, Thousand Foot Krutch, Pillar plus half a dozen or so more. We also chose to have our "Bible Across America" stop on this day. Zondervan Publishing contacted us a couple months ago and presented this idea to us about a handwritten bible they were putting together. They went from city to city having people come out and sign their very own scripture in the Bible. We got a HUGE response that day with I believe just shy of 600 people over a 6 hour period. This was their largest 6 hr stop and I believe we could have added 100 or so more had they had an additional podium (by the end, the wait was nearly 2 hours in line so many people left). We were also able to get many of the bands to sign, and they were quite excited about it as well.
The concert went well with over 2000 seats sold, which we were pleased with. Tulsa has become very concert saturated and ticket sales overall are way down. Many concerts are being cancelled and if not, the numbers are very low and promoters are losing big. I didn't actually stay for the show because by that point I had been there for 10 hours, but i heard it was awesome.
Mom and dad came down a few days after that for Thanksgiving. Mom made her annual huge Thanksgiving feast which I couldn't eat! I had been going through some back pain that day and by dinner time it was so bad that I had almost no appetite. Plenty of leftovers though! Had a great time with mom and dad that week and we did our annual trip over to the Rhema lights. For my readers who aren't from Tulsa, and aren't familiar, Rhema is a bible college down here that is right across the street. Every Thanksgiving, they begin their annual display which this year includes nearly 2 million lights all over their campus park! Its truly a site. This year, they included a LED display set to music.Mom and pop left Sunday afternoon, and that night we already had another concert. Casting Crowns was joined by Natalie Grant, Avalon, Michael English, and more for the Christmas Celebration Spectacular or something like that. Before hand, Natalie Grant joined by about 90 listeners went down to John3:16 Mission to do some caroling. Even though it was a little chillly, we had a blast and collected a lot of warm items! You may remember John3:16 Mission from a previous blog.
So far this month has been pretty calm less a lot of remotes. Its Wednesday and i still have 2 more this week, then a concert Saturday night. This concert will be a blast though. TobyMac, Relient K, Family Force 5... I'm excited!
Just 13 days and I fly back to Omaha to see lots of family and friends for Christmas! Then on the 26th, I fly out to Vegas to help my sister and brother-in-law with the kids while they are working. I'll be out there through January 4th, and fly back to Tulsa. I'll do a mega picture post when I return!
Wednesday, November 26, 2008
Giving Thanks
Wow, has it really been so long since my last blog? My apologies. I've actually had a lot going on, but haven't felt the need to blog about it. I'll try to get in a "recap" blog tomorrow while I'm waiting for mom's delicious Thanksgiving meal to be prepared, but in light of the holidays, there's one particular opportunity I've been blessed to be a part of that I wanted to share with you all in light of the season.
I have a couple stories to share with you to lighten your heart for the holidays.
First off comes from my three year old niece. My sister, Stephanie, was watching the news back in Omaha and saw a story of a family who lost all their stuff in a house fire a month or two ago. Forgive me for not knowing all the whole story, but although thankfully no one died in this fire, the details were enough to bring tears to my sister's eyes. My niece came into the room moments later to find her mother obviously distraught and asked what was wrong. Stephanie told her this family's house caught on fire and now the kids didn't have any toys to play with. Annabelle immediately jumped up and exclaimed "We could give them some of our toys!" and ran over to the toy chest and began pulling things to share. Despite the fact that she pulled only her younger brother's toys aside to giveaway, her heart was still genuine and she continued to ask mommy about it for several days.
The second story is one of my own experience and comes in two parts. There is a local homeless shelter that our radio station supports called John3:16 Mission. We do several things with them throughout the year, but especially around this time of year we make a hard push for donations. The mission supplies a Thanksgiving meal to over 20,000 individuals between a Thanksgiving Banquet at the mission and baskets that are delivered to needy families. A couple weeks ago we were out on remote at a grocery store collecting canned goods and a little boy came up to me and handed me a sac full of cans and gave me a big hug to thank me. I'll admit it was a little awkward, but afterwards, I thought there must have been a good reason this boy was so thankful we were helping the needy. We saw so much generous giving that day including one individual who drove by and saw what we were doing, and went inside specifically to get cans for us. What he came out with was a shopping cart literally filled to the brim with cans of fruits and vegetables. It was great!
The second part of this story happened last week. One of our sales managers let me know that every year, the staff travels down to the mission to serve a meal and tour the facility. The schedule said we would serve the food, and then get a chance to eat before we toured the facility. I have to admit, I was a little nervous to actually eat food that was served at a shelter. It was anything but unnerving! BBQ pork, vegetables, potatoes, salad... a great spread. Probably better than any lunch I'd prepare for myself! These people eat great and its because of people like that generous individual who donated a shopping cart of food! The people we served were so happy to have us there too. It was a gratefulness that reminded me of the people of New Orleans on my visits shortly after the hurricane: even though we weren't necessarily down there to fix their home, our willingness to come down and help others truely touched them. And likewise, these people knew we did nothing to provide the food they were eating. They'd get a hearty meal with or without us there, but our presence just let them know someone out there cared.
My final story is one I actually stumbled upon immediately after starting to write this blog. My friend Anna (you can find her in my blog roll) had a very encouraging experience as well. Rather than retell it, I'll just direct you to her story. Its an awesome one!
http://adetrich.wordpress.com/2008/11/24/i-forgot-to-get-him-a-fork/
So this Thanksgiving, as you gorge yourself in mom's home cooking, eating enough to slip into a tryptophan-enduced coma, give thanks. Not only for the food and lifestyle God has blessed you with, but also for those who have a heart to bless others.
Matthew 25:35 "For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in."
I have a couple stories to share with you to lighten your heart for the holidays.
First off comes from my three year old niece. My sister, Stephanie, was watching the news back in Omaha and saw a story of a family who lost all their stuff in a house fire a month or two ago. Forgive me for not knowing all the whole story, but although thankfully no one died in this fire, the details were enough to bring tears to my sister's eyes. My niece came into the room moments later to find her mother obviously distraught and asked what was wrong. Stephanie told her this family's house caught on fire and now the kids didn't have any toys to play with. Annabelle immediately jumped up and exclaimed "We could give them some of our toys!" and ran over to the toy chest and began pulling things to share. Despite the fact that she pulled only her younger brother's toys aside to giveaway, her heart was still genuine and she continued to ask mommy about it for several days.
The second story is one of my own experience and comes in two parts. There is a local homeless shelter that our radio station supports called John3:16 Mission. We do several things with them throughout the year, but especially around this time of year we make a hard push for donations. The mission supplies a Thanksgiving meal to over 20,000 individuals between a Thanksgiving Banquet at the mission and baskets that are delivered to needy families. A couple weeks ago we were out on remote at a grocery store collecting canned goods and a little boy came up to me and handed me a sac full of cans and gave me a big hug to thank me. I'll admit it was a little awkward, but afterwards, I thought there must have been a good reason this boy was so thankful we were helping the needy. We saw so much generous giving that day including one individual who drove by and saw what we were doing, and went inside specifically to get cans for us. What he came out with was a shopping cart literally filled to the brim with cans of fruits and vegetables. It was great!
The second part of this story happened last week. One of our sales managers let me know that every year, the staff travels down to the mission to serve a meal and tour the facility. The schedule said we would serve the food, and then get a chance to eat before we toured the facility. I have to admit, I was a little nervous to actually eat food that was served at a shelter. It was anything but unnerving! BBQ pork, vegetables, potatoes, salad... a great spread. Probably better than any lunch I'd prepare for myself! These people eat great and its because of people like that generous individual who donated a shopping cart of food! The people we served were so happy to have us there too. It was a gratefulness that reminded me of the people of New Orleans on my visits shortly after the hurricane: even though we weren't necessarily down there to fix their home, our willingness to come down and help others truely touched them. And likewise, these people knew we did nothing to provide the food they were eating. They'd get a hearty meal with or without us there, but our presence just let them know someone out there cared.My final story is one I actually stumbled upon immediately after starting to write this blog. My friend Anna (you can find her in my blog roll) had a very encouraging experience as well. Rather than retell it, I'll just direct you to her story. Its an awesome one!
http://adetrich.wordpress.com/2008/11/24/i-forgot-to-get-him-a-fork/
So this Thanksgiving, as you gorge yourself in mom's home cooking, eating enough to slip into a tryptophan-enduced coma, give thanks. Not only for the food and lifestyle God has blessed you with, but also for those who have a heart to bless others.
Matthew 25:35 "For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in."
Monday, November 3, 2008
The Miracles of Science
Did anyone catch 60 Minutes last night? I saw what was, perhaps, one of the most amazing things I've ever seen. One of the segments was about the advances being made in measuring the neuron path of movement-thoughts. To way over-simplify it; your brain sends electrical impulses throughout your body to create movement. You see a pen in front of you, you think about picking it up, your brain sends those thoughts to the muscles in your arm and you pick up the pen, all of which, of course, happens in a split second. People who lose limbs often talk about "phantom limbs" which is your brain not recognizing there is no limb. Your brain isn't damaged when you lose an arm, so the impulses are still there. Science has already known which area of the brain motor skills are found, so all we had to do was determine which neurons caused which movements, and we can begin to use the brain to recreate those movements. They have developed something called brain-computer interface, or BCI which does just this. Its still in early stages of testing, but basically, they can hook a computer up to your brain and your brain can control a mouse. This of course gives you control of a computer, which with you can control nearly everything from the lights in a room, to the TV, and even wheel chairs! Imagine the possibilities!
They've also extended this research into bionics. They took a monkey and determined which neurons were firing at the precise time of individual movements. They then developed a robot arm that could duplicate these movements and interfaced it to the monkeys brain. They restrained the arms of the monkey and with a little training, taught him to use the robotic arm to get the food they placed in front of him. I'm sure with a few more years of technology and development, we will begin to see bionics used in day to day life.
They are already working on a way to reverse the signal. This means, not only will we be able to use our brain to operate a prosthetic limb, but we will also be able to use that limb to send signals to our brain, such as temperature and pressure. Its truly amazing!
Here's some videos!
They've also extended this research into bionics. They took a monkey and determined which neurons were firing at the precise time of individual movements. They then developed a robot arm that could duplicate these movements and interfaced it to the monkeys brain. They restrained the arms of the monkey and with a little training, taught him to use the robotic arm to get the food they placed in front of him. I'm sure with a few more years of technology and development, we will begin to see bionics used in day to day life.
They are already working on a way to reverse the signal. This means, not only will we be able to use our brain to operate a prosthetic limb, but we will also be able to use that limb to send signals to our brain, such as temperature and pressure. Its truly amazing!
Here's some videos!
Wednesday, October 29, 2008
Happy Haloweeeeeeen!
Its that time of year. Where its ok for little kids to take candy for strangers, young women can dress slutty without actually being slutty (or so they think), and I come up with a genius Halloween costume. Who could forget the Bob Ross costume a few years back that won me $1000 at a local radio station's Halloween bash. Or last year's Dancing silhouette from the iPod commercials-man (I still think it was a great costume, despite no one knowing who I was). Well, this year once again, I've thought up a brilliant Halloween costume... Sadly, I have to work that evening and have no where to wear it to. So perhaps next year I will be able to unleash it.Here's a couple videos to help you this Halloween.
Or perhaps you're looking for a costume that's a bit "crazier"
Friday, October 24, 2008
Sketchy Auto Dealers
Can I start by saying I love local commercials for small auto-dealers? I just think they're hilarious. But here's what I don't understand. Why is it that you usually feel just the opposite of what the name tries to make you feel. "Reliable Auto Dealers"? Probably really unreliable. "Honest Joe's Cars". He's definitely going to screw you. "Budget Auto", budget=cheap.
Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerry
Monday, October 20, 2008
Let's Get Political
I had someone ask me if I'd be comfortable voting for a black President, and my thought was, "What difference does it make?" I mean, really? Are we still so stuck in the past that color still needs to be addressed? To answer your question, yes, I would be perfectly comfortable voting for a black President. Just not this one. Do I think he has the terrorist ties some people would lead you to believe he has? No. Do I think this nation will be taken over by "the infidels" if Obama takes the Presidency? Nope. Do I think this nation will see a recovery of the economy and the "change" he has promised? Well, maybe not the exact change he has promised, but yes, I think we will see improvements. I'm putting my vote in McCain because, first off, I morally believe in his platform, and secondly, if we have another terrorist attack, I truly believe he would be the right man to carry us through it. In case you aren't aware, we live in a democracy with a system of checks and balances. The President is just one of many many people who put taxes, bills, laws, and amendments into place. And every decision the president makes has been scrutinized by a whole mess of assistants, political analyists, and advisers. Not to mention any law he signs off on has already been passed by the (Democratically controlled) Congress. This is why I'm registered Independent. The only time our President makes "executive decisions" with the least amount of influence from the legislatures, cabinet members, and advisors is when we are in a state of emergency (such as a terrorist attack). I am not the biggest fan of Bush, however I will continue to respect him as our President. And say what you will about him, but he's carried us through one of the most trying times we've ever been faced with, and I am thankful he was in place when that happened. He's a President who has seen some of both the highest and lowest approval ratings in his time in office. Would I like to see this war end? Of course. Nobody likes war. But its not just one man keeping them there, so I have to believe with our system, that there is more to it than that. I absolutely do not think our troops will immediately be pulled if Obama takes office. We will not suddenly be in an economic boom, and we will not suddenly be loved by the rest of the world (nor will this happen with McCain by the way). Ok, so I ran off on a tangent. I had a point in posting this.
When Obama first started campaigning I got a chance to see him in Des Moines, and I gotta admit, he's a smooth talker, and I liked him. I continued to support him for a while, but even at the beginning, I feared one thing. He was going to get voted in to office because he's black, not because he's the right man for the job. I don't think he'll do a horrible job in office, and I believe that if he's elected, we'll still continue to be a political giant. So, it won't be the end of the world if he gets elected like some would have you to believe. We as Americans put our vote on the candidate who we relate to most. If we are doing our job as citizens, we're going to study up on platforms and relate to the candidate who best represents our line of thinking, our morals, and would vote on things the same way we would. But here's the unfortunate scenario; most Americans don't hold up their responsibilities, and their vote becomes based on other things: Which candidate is a war hero, which candidate is a Catholic, Methodist, or Evangelical (and lets not forget Muslim). Which candidate has kids, how did they grow up, and this year, race and gender; and a lot of other things that, although they have helped to shape their character over the years, really don't matter when it comes down to it. I'm pro-life and we've had a President who is strongly pro-life for the past 8 years. Has it mattered? No. And why? Because we live in a democracy where the opinions of one man don't matter. And thank God for that!
So once again, after a tangent, my point is this; examine your candidates. Find out why you are voting for them. If someone asks you why you're voting for a particular candidate and you can't have an honest answer for them, either do some reading by November 4th or don't vote. Don't ever expect to hear me say this again, but Howard Stern pretty much summed it up.
When Obama first started campaigning I got a chance to see him in Des Moines, and I gotta admit, he's a smooth talker, and I liked him. I continued to support him for a while, but even at the beginning, I feared one thing. He was going to get voted in to office because he's black, not because he's the right man for the job. I don't think he'll do a horrible job in office, and I believe that if he's elected, we'll still continue to be a political giant. So, it won't be the end of the world if he gets elected like some would have you to believe. We as Americans put our vote on the candidate who we relate to most. If we are doing our job as citizens, we're going to study up on platforms and relate to the candidate who best represents our line of thinking, our morals, and would vote on things the same way we would. But here's the unfortunate scenario; most Americans don't hold up their responsibilities, and their vote becomes based on other things: Which candidate is a war hero, which candidate is a Catholic, Methodist, or Evangelical (and lets not forget Muslim). Which candidate has kids, how did they grow up, and this year, race and gender; and a lot of other things that, although they have helped to shape their character over the years, really don't matter when it comes down to it. I'm pro-life and we've had a President who is strongly pro-life for the past 8 years. Has it mattered? No. And why? Because we live in a democracy where the opinions of one man don't matter. And thank God for that!
So once again, after a tangent, my point is this; examine your candidates. Find out why you are voting for them. If someone asks you why you're voting for a particular candidate and you can't have an honest answer for them, either do some reading by November 4th or don't vote. Don't ever expect to hear me say this again, but Howard Stern pretty much summed it up.
Sunday, October 19, 2008
Delicious Dish with David Wage
Two blogs in one day!? Well, I made a delicious meal tonight and I just wanted to share. I'm not really sure what i'll call it... I just took some things I had lying around the kitchen and threw them in a skillet :-)
Ok, to start you'll need to make some pico. There are several ways you can make this (or if you're lazy just buy it); this is the famous Manderloo recipe.
12-15 roma tomatoes cut into 1/4-1/2 inch cubes
1 red onion – finely diced
I bunch cilantro - chopped
1-2 jalepenos (seeded and finely diced)
1 lime – squeezed over it all
1/2-1 tsp salt (to taste)
Mix it all up and let sit in a sealed bowl in the fridge for at least an hour before serving.
This makes the delicious pico salsa you'll use later. It also goes great with chips!
I'm going to throw in a quick apology because unlike Mandy, I don't really deal with exact measurements when I make up meals. So bear with me and use your best judgement. Feel free to e-mail with questions but my advice is just experiment. It worked out ok for me!
Minus the pico, which, by the way the recipe says an hour but i'll tell you its much better if you out it in a covered dish and refrigerate for a day, the chicken should only take about 10 minutes to fix. So its quick and easy.
Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerry
An unsuccessful day of cleaning
Well, it doesn't happen often but I was struck with a cleaning mood yesterday. I woke up and was going to go to the sports bar that my Husker Club meets at to see the ISU game but somehow I knew it wouldn't be much of a game. Plus I knew these "spirits of cleaning" don't come around often so I stayed home.
So first I swiffered the kitchen floor and did some dusting in the living room and my room. I threw some laundry in and used some of kristen's new fabric softener she was bragging about. She bought a 3 gallon jug for like $6. I then put together a new vaccuum we bought and did some vaccuuming. When I was nearly complete I heard a snap and noticed the vaccuum no longer sucked as well. Sure enough I turn it over and the belt for the rotating floor brush broke. On our brand new $300 vaccuum. I mean $40. Can you believe it?
So I take a break and lay on the couch until my laundry finishes. Despite the little snag with the vaccuum, I'd felt accomplished. I laid there and reveled in how good the house smelled. So fresh, so clean, so... Something doesn't seem right. I go to change out my laundry and I see 3 gallons of fabric softener all over the floor in front of our washing machine. The bottle was on top of the washer and during the spin cycle, it shook right off. So once again I found myself swiffering the kitchen floor.
It was just not my day...
Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerry
Tuesday, October 14, 2008
NBA action. Go Thunder!
Maybe my newer friends wouldn't be much to attest to this, but anyone who has known me since at least high school knows I'm not the biggest of basketball fans. In fact, the only time I can ever remember getting excited for basketball was when Creighton University made the March Madness Tournament, but as soon as their glory faded, so did my interest.Last night I went to an NBA exhibition game between the new Oklahoma City NBA franchise, the OKC Thunder, as they took on the Houston Rockets with star, Yao Ming. I gotta say, I really enjoyed myself. The radio station I work for also has a sports station in their media group and we carry the exclusive broadcast rights for Tulsa for Thunder Basketball. What does this mean? Well to most people it means, if you want to listen to the Thunder games on the radio in Tulsa, you have to tune it to 97.1FM. To me, this means amazing seats! I got two tickets for a private suite where our seats were leather and the waitress took our orders. I could live like that.
Thursday, October 9, 2008
Yes Man
I just saw a commercial for Yes Man starring Jim Carrey. I don't know a whole lot about it but basically he's a man who is always telling people no and goes through some therapy/hypnosis to where he now can only say yes. Its hard for him at first but eventually changes his life and makes him a better man.
It sounds an awful lot like this other movie I saw. Its called Liar, Liar and it stars Jim Carrey. Basically he is a man who is always lying and goes through hypnosis to where he now can only tell the truth. Its hard for him at first but eventually changes his life and makes him a better man.
I didn't like Liar, Liar so I don't think I will see Liar, Liar 2.
Thursday, October 2, 2008
I smell rill niice
I forgot how much I like getting compliments. When I worked at the hotel and was wearing suits and cologne more often, I used to always get the comment "you smell really good". I would get the comment from random people; cashier at the check out line at the grocery store, random hotel guests, even people walking next to me on the street or mall. And those who actually knew me; co-workers/friends, would actually lean in and smell me. They always ask what I'm wearing and I usually respond that its this custom stuff I buy on the internet. Not so much to show off and be flashy but to joke at the irony of their expectations.
Usually I give out my stamp of approval to restaurants or movies... things of entertainment value, but I'm going to change it up a little and give the $7.00 bottle of Really Ripped Abs: Bod Body Spray from Target the David Wage Stamp of Approval for brightening my day. 
I was at the sundries shop at work and the nice black lady at the cashier said. "Mmmmm, honey, you smell goood." in the least creepiest way. The tone in her voice told me it wasn't flirting. It was a fact :)
I'm heading up to the City of the Sioux this weekend for another wedding. I won't do any travel blogging, but I'll be sure to update you when I get back.
Usually I give out my stamp of approval to restaurants or movies... things of entertainment value, but I'm going to change it up a little and give the $7.00 bottle of Really Ripped Abs: Bod Body Spray from Target the David Wage Stamp of Approval for brightening my day. 
I was at the sundries shop at work and the nice black lady at the cashier said. "Mmmmm, honey, you smell goood." in the least creepiest way. The tone in her voice told me it wasn't flirting. It was a fact :)I'm heading up to the City of the Sioux this weekend for another wedding. I won't do any travel blogging, but I'll be sure to update you when I get back.
Wednesday, October 1, 2008
Green Country is turning into Red, Orange, and Yellow Country
Man I love fall!
Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerry
Tuesday, September 30, 2008
How the Raccoon Got His Mask pt 2
No, its not a sequel to the first story I wrote in first grade, its more of a follow-up. I went out with a school teacher last night and she teaches a creative writing class, so I shared with her my amazing piece of creative writing. I thought about it a little more today and thought it actually would make a pretty darn good children's book. So that's what I'm doing. I'm writing a children's book about Ronnie, the Raccoon who lost his mask.
I've got two directions I could go and I want your advice. One is the original; a raccoon who didn't have a mask/lost it and sets out to find it. It would have no value other than entertainment. The other would be more educational; a raccoon who was born without a mask and is scared of going to school because he's different (in this version he may possibly meet up with a tortoise without a shell who teaches him its ok to be different).
I've got two directions I could go and I want your advice. One is the original; a raccoon who didn't have a mask/lost it and sets out to find it. It would have no value other than entertainment. The other would be more educational; a raccoon who was born without a mask and is scared of going to school because he's different (in this version he may possibly meet up with a tortoise without a shell who teaches him its ok to be different).
Monday, September 29, 2008
What really grinds my gears
I'm generally a pretty calm person and don't get upset over much. People ask what my pet peeves are and they are generally pretty minor and even the things that do get on my nerves don't really leave me that upset. But every year, I'm reminded what gets me upset like nothing else... the commercialization of Christmas!
I've got a wedding this weekend for a friend from college, so I'll be making the journey back to Sioux City this weekend and staying in a hotel. I just called the hotel to confirm my reservations and she precedes to put me on hold. Here it is, September 29th... yes SEPTEMBER!!!... and I hear "just hear those sleigh bells jingling, ring-ting tingling too..."!
Don't get me wrong, I love love LOVE the holiday season, including the music, but I hate how it starts earlier and earlier every year. My opinion is that its not to put people in the spirit of Christmas, but to put people in the spirit of buying. I could go on a million tangents with this including my hatred of our desensitization and concern for being P.C. that "Christmas" has become offensive. In fact, once its actually Christmas season, I'll post a transcript of someone else's tangent because they said it much better than I could. I think it was Andy Rooney or maybe Ben Stein.
Anyways, thanks for letting me vent. Merry Christmas.
I've got a wedding this weekend for a friend from college, so I'll be making the journey back to Sioux City this weekend and staying in a hotel. I just called the hotel to confirm my reservations and she precedes to put me on hold. Here it is, September 29th... yes SEPTEMBER!!!... and I hear "just hear those sleigh bells jingling, ring-ting tingling too..."!
Don't get me wrong, I love love LOVE the holiday season, including the music, but I hate how it starts earlier and earlier every year. My opinion is that its not to put people in the spirit of Christmas, but to put people in the spirit of buying. I could go on a million tangents with this including my hatred of our desensitization and concern for being P.C. that "Christmas" has become offensive. In fact, once its actually Christmas season, I'll post a transcript of someone else's tangent because they said it much better than I could. I think it was Andy Rooney or maybe Ben Stein.
Anyways, thanks for letting me vent. Merry Christmas.
Thursday, September 25, 2008
Jon Foreman - Switchfootless
So when I was home my buddy Nicholas Petersen, who is a great musician I know and always has great musical recommendations, was raving about Jon Foreman's new solo album. I recognized the name but it took a bit to get over my pride of "I should know this" to ask who it was. Well, he's the lead singer for Switchfoot and back in the day, before all you mainstream folks heard of Switchfoot, he was putting out great music with deep, meaningful lyrics. Being in radio I understand songs have to be "radio-friendly" with a catchy hook or simple melody and it seems Switchfoot has been able to keep in the limelight, but they have definitely left us to wonder, does Jon Foreman still have those meaningful lyrics in him?
About a year ago Jon Foreman began a series of four releases titled Fall, Winter, Spring, and Summer. In it, he showcases he still has that deep musical talent that made him famous. Its nothing like any of his Switchfoot stuff and would probably best be compared to Sufjan Stevens or Bright Eyes (circa Four Winds or I'm Wide Awake It's Morning.
Fall - This was his first release and it starts off with the song "The Cure for Pain", perhaps the most recognized of his solo releases. The song is about his struggles with being a part of the band and the reflection on the passing of time. The album rounds out with 5 equally as melancholly tracks that make you just want to lie back and enjoy. This blog has taken me 30 minutes so far because I keep finding myself pausing to just listen. Its the kind of music you just can't help trying to sing along to, even if you don't know the lyrics.
Tracks:
1. The Cure for Pain
2. Southbound Train
3. Lord, Save Me From Myself
4. Equally Skilled
5. The Moon is a Magnet
6. My Love Goes Free
Winter - I find this album is a stretch for Jon musically. Not in a bad way like a girl in club says "They tell me I look like Jessica Alba" and you think "That's a stretch". I mean he stretches beyond what he's used to. The third track, "Somebody's Baby", seems normal enough but in the lyrics you find the telling of God's love for even the lowliest of people you pass on the streets. Its about a homeless girl with a drug problem who is found dead and has to be identified by dental records. It tells us "the birth and the death were both over with no one to grieve" but the chorus sings out "She's somebody's baby, still". White as Snow is a cry out to God for forgiveness. Jon once said "For us, these songs are for everyone... ...Music has always opened my mind and that's what we want." in response to calling him a Christian artist. So although his faith is strong, you don't always see it in his music. I'm not one that thinks every song a Christian artist puts out needs to be a proclamation of faith, but its refreshing to see they don't shy away from it. The song has a very Oriental feel to it along with the final track, "In Love".
Tracks:
1. Learning How to Die
2. Behind Your Eyes
3. Somebody's Baby
4. White As Snow
5. I Am Still Running
6. In Love
Spring - As you might expect, this album is more upbeat than the previous two albums with themes revolving around life and rebirthing. It aptly starts with the song "March" that had me thinking Belle and Sebastian right away and goes on to feature other tracks speaking of love and hope like "Love isn't Made" which he is joined in vocals by his wife, Emily, along with Chirstian artist Sarah Masen, who is his sister-in-law. The track "Your Love is Strong" ends with a great rendition of the Lord's Prayer. Fall and Spring are my two favorite seasons. Fall and Spring are also my two favorite EPs.
Tracks:
1. March (A Prelude to Spring)
2. Love Isn't Made
3. In My Arms
4. Baptize My Mind
5. Your Love Is Strong
6. Revenge
Summer - Like Spring, this album keeps the songs a little more upbeat and a stays away from the somberness of Fall and Winter. The second track, "Resurrect Me" is almost a completely different feel than any of the other songs on any of the EPs with upbeat drum beats, electric guitars, and a fuller vocal sound. This is also the most reverant EP with tracks that make no doubt where Foreman's faith lies. "House of God, Forever" is basically a reprisal of the 23rd Psalm and the last track "Again" tells of God remaining as true today as he did yesterday and asks us to turn our hearts to Him.
Tracks:
1. A Mirror is Harder to Hold
2. Resurrect Me
3. Deep in Your Eyes (There is a River)
4. Instead of a Show
5. House of God, Forever
6. Again
I'd definitely recommend downloading these 4 EPs (legally!) and have given all 4 the "David Wage Stamp of Approval"! If you're short on the cash, and just want to get the "best of" these CDs, Limbs and Branches is expected to release October 28th and will consist of a selection of fan-picked songs from the EPs, along with two new tracks. I took a look at the track listing and it pretty much catches all the best songs. But they're all great!
Tracks:
1. Your Love is Strong (Spring)
2. Behind Your Eyes (Winter)
3. The Cure for Pain (Fall)
4. Resurrect Me (Summer)
5. Southbound Train (Fall)
6. Broken From the Start (new song)
7. The House of God, Forever (Summer)
8. Instead of a Show (Summer)
9. A Mirror is Harder to Hold (Summer)
10. In My Arms (Spring)
11. Learning How to Die (Winter)
12. Over the River (new song)
About a year ago Jon Foreman began a series of four releases titled Fall, Winter, Spring, and Summer. In it, he showcases he still has that deep musical talent that made him famous. Its nothing like any of his Switchfoot stuff and would probably best be compared to Sufjan Stevens or Bright Eyes (circa Four Winds or I'm Wide Awake It's Morning.
Fall - This was his first release and it starts off with the song "The Cure for Pain", perhaps the most recognized of his solo releases. The song is about his struggles with being a part of the band and the reflection on the passing of time. The album rounds out with 5 equally as melancholly tracks that make you just want to lie back and enjoy. This blog has taken me 30 minutes so far because I keep finding myself pausing to just listen. Its the kind of music you just can't help trying to sing along to, even if you don't know the lyrics.Tracks:
1. The Cure for Pain
2. Southbound Train
3. Lord, Save Me From Myself
4. Equally Skilled
5. The Moon is a Magnet
6. My Love Goes Free
Winter - I find this album is a stretch for Jon musically. Not in a bad way like a girl in club says "They tell me I look like Jessica Alba" and you think "That's a stretch". I mean he stretches beyond what he's used to. The third track, "Somebody's Baby", seems normal enough but in the lyrics you find the telling of God's love for even the lowliest of people you pass on the streets. Its about a homeless girl with a drug problem who is found dead and has to be identified by dental records. It tells us "the birth and the death were both over with no one to grieve" but the chorus sings out "She's somebody's baby, still". White as Snow is a cry out to God for forgiveness. Jon once said "For us, these songs are for everyone... ...Music has always opened my mind and that's what we want." in response to calling him a Christian artist. So although his faith is strong, you don't always see it in his music. I'm not one that thinks every song a Christian artist puts out needs to be a proclamation of faith, but its refreshing to see they don't shy away from it. The song has a very Oriental feel to it along with the final track, "In Love".Tracks:
1. Learning How to Die
2. Behind Your Eyes
3. Somebody's Baby
4. White As Snow
5. I Am Still Running
6. In Love
Spring - As you might expect, this album is more upbeat than the previous two albums with themes revolving around life and rebirthing. It aptly starts with the song "March" that had me thinking Belle and Sebastian right away and goes on to feature other tracks speaking of love and hope like "Love isn't Made" which he is joined in vocals by his wife, Emily, along with Chirstian artist Sarah Masen, who is his sister-in-law. The track "Your Love is Strong" ends with a great rendition of the Lord's Prayer. Fall and Spring are my two favorite seasons. Fall and Spring are also my two favorite EPs.Tracks:
1. March (A Prelude to Spring)
2. Love Isn't Made
3. In My Arms
4. Baptize My Mind
5. Your Love Is Strong
6. Revenge
Summer - Like Spring, this album keeps the songs a little more upbeat and a stays away from the somberness of Fall and Winter. The second track, "Resurrect Me" is almost a completely different feel than any of the other songs on any of the EPs with upbeat drum beats, electric guitars, and a fuller vocal sound. This is also the most reverant EP with tracks that make no doubt where Foreman's faith lies. "House of God, Forever" is basically a reprisal of the 23rd Psalm and the last track "Again" tells of God remaining as true today as he did yesterday and asks us to turn our hearts to Him.Tracks:
1. A Mirror is Harder to Hold
2. Resurrect Me
3. Deep in Your Eyes (There is a River)
4. Instead of a Show
5. House of God, Forever
6. Again
I'd definitely recommend downloading these 4 EPs (legally!) and have given all 4 the "David Wage Stamp of Approval"! If you're short on the cash, and just want to get the "best of" these CDs, Limbs and Branches is expected to release October 28th and will consist of a selection of fan-picked songs from the EPs, along with two new tracks. I took a look at the track listing and it pretty much catches all the best songs. But they're all great!
Tracks:1. Your Love is Strong (Spring)
2. Behind Your Eyes (Winter)
3. The Cure for Pain (Fall)
4. Resurrect Me (Summer)
5. Southbound Train (Fall)
6. Broken From the Start (new song)
7. The House of God, Forever (Summer)
8. Instead of a Show (Summer)
9. A Mirror is Harder to Hold (Summer)
10. In My Arms (Spring)
11. Learning How to Die (Winter)
12. Over the River (new song)
Tuesday, September 23, 2008
ChaCha
I don't know if you've heard of this service or not, but its the latest and is becoming the biggest mobile search engine out there.If you've ever got a question that you need the answer to, you send a text message to ChaCha (242242) and ask whatever you need to know. On the other end of that text is a human being who will answer your question, so even if you ask a subjective question, like "Where can I find the best Mexican food in Tulsa, OK?" you can still get an answer back usually within 5-10 minutes that would say "Try Abuelo's Mexican Food Embassy at 10909 E 71st St. There phonenumber is (918) 307-1373. Adios!"
I heard about this service through a friend of mine and the first opportunity I had to use it was last night. Me and some guys were sitting around talking about cars while eating grilled meat and lighting things on fire... you know, usual guy stuff... and for some reason, the question of what tiny car was used on Family Matters came up. We wondered what it was so I sent the text "What type of car did Steve Urkel drive on the show "Family Matters". About 7 minutes later I recieved, "It is said that the lovely "clown car" that Steve Urkel drove was a BMW Isetta."
Monday, September 22, 2008
Omaha wrap-up!
I'm exhausted today, but I had a great time back in Omaha. Sorry I won't end up having another vid-cast out of this. I really had planned on it but honestly just did something very uncharacteristic of me and took it easy this weekend. Lots of pictures at the bottom!
I got in Thursday night and instead of going out with the several people I had talked over plans with I just went to a small coffee shop by myself and watched a friend of mine perform. It worked out perfectly that he went on later because of a delayed flight and I walked in the door for the last song of the guy right before Nicholas. I sipped my delicious free coffee and enjoyed it.
The next day I was able to meet up with an old friend from high school. I basically keep in touch with 2 people from my class regularly. Stephen (Beav) and his wife. We had delicious Alvarado's burritos (one of the three Omaha restaurants I had planned on hitting up while I was there) and just chatted. It was also my high school's homecoming, and although I could care less about whats going on with my high school, my sister was bringing out her three kids to the parade and I also wanted to be sure to see my grandma so it was a great opportunity. So I went to the football game, and after Stephanie took Avery and Jackson home but left Annabelle with me and mom to take to the game.
Saturday I went back in to Omaha and took some pictures around town. I've always wanted to photograph the downtown area but have never really taken the time. I still could have used more time, but I got a few of the iconic markers for downtown Omaha (photos all below). I had to rush through at the end because of the wedding. I quickly got ready, picked up my date and then her dog got out! We had to chase her all over the neighborhood. Thankfully I had planned on getting to the wedding plenty early so that I could get the camera set up (I videoed the wedding) so we were only late to when we said we'd be there, not to the actual wedding.
It was one of the best weddings I had been to in a while. I have to honestly say I wasn't paying much attention to the actual content of the ceremony because I was concentrating on filming, but I assume it was nice, and the reception was great. There were a couple slide shows, including one that the photographer had quickly put together of the wedding photos in between the ceremony and that lag time before the wedding party showed up. There was also a "friends and family" slideshow that I was awesome enough to make with Andy and my CWS picture with "the Captain". Oh, and also there was a picture of a random friend we haven't talked to in nearly a year. The funny thing was, he was the only one in the picture. And maybe 3 people at the whole wedding even knew who he was. Randomness. We finished the night out back at the hotel hanging out and singing karaoke. Andy and I broke out our rendition of Tag Team's Whoomp There It Is. Just call us DC-the Brain Supreme and the Man, Steve Rollin. And perhaps the highlight of my night was the fact that not only did I beat Janel in darts (a rarity) but I beat her 2 games in a row! And that was after not playing darts in 3 months! I'm sorry, what was the question... Why am I so awesome?
Sunday was just a church/hang out with the family kind of day. I didn't end up leaving town until 5:30 which meant I got home around 12:30, and after only getting about 4 hours of sleep the night before, it made for quite the long day!
Here's all the pictures from the weekend! (click to enlarge; roll over for description)
I got in Thursday night and instead of going out with the several people I had talked over plans with I just went to a small coffee shop by myself and watched a friend of mine perform. It worked out perfectly that he went on later because of a delayed flight and I walked in the door for the last song of the guy right before Nicholas. I sipped my delicious free coffee and enjoyed it.
The next day I was able to meet up with an old friend from high school. I basically keep in touch with 2 people from my class regularly. Stephen (Beav) and his wife. We had delicious Alvarado's burritos (one of the three Omaha restaurants I had planned on hitting up while I was there) and just chatted. It was also my high school's homecoming, and although I could care less about whats going on with my high school, my sister was bringing out her three kids to the parade and I also wanted to be sure to see my grandma so it was a great opportunity. So I went to the football game, and after Stephanie took Avery and Jackson home but left Annabelle with me and mom to take to the game.
Saturday I went back in to Omaha and took some pictures around town. I've always wanted to photograph the downtown area but have never really taken the time. I still could have used more time, but I got a few of the iconic markers for downtown Omaha (photos all below). I had to rush through at the end because of the wedding. I quickly got ready, picked up my date and then her dog got out! We had to chase her all over the neighborhood. Thankfully I had planned on getting to the wedding plenty early so that I could get the camera set up (I videoed the wedding) so we were only late to when we said we'd be there, not to the actual wedding.
It was one of the best weddings I had been to in a while. I have to honestly say I wasn't paying much attention to the actual content of the ceremony because I was concentrating on filming, but I assume it was nice, and the reception was great. There were a couple slide shows, including one that the photographer had quickly put together of the wedding photos in between the ceremony and that lag time before the wedding party showed up. There was also a "friends and family" slideshow that I was awesome enough to make with Andy and my CWS picture with "the Captain". Oh, and also there was a picture of a random friend we haven't talked to in nearly a year. The funny thing was, he was the only one in the picture. And maybe 3 people at the whole wedding even knew who he was. Randomness. We finished the night out back at the hotel hanging out and singing karaoke. Andy and I broke out our rendition of Tag Team's Whoomp There It Is. Just call us DC-the Brain Supreme and the Man, Steve Rollin. And perhaps the highlight of my night was the fact that not only did I beat Janel in darts (a rarity) but I beat her 2 games in a row! And that was after not playing darts in 3 months! I'm sorry, what was the question... Why am I so awesome?
Sunday was just a church/hang out with the family kind of day. I didn't end up leaving town until 5:30 which meant I got home around 12:30, and after only getting about 4 hours of sleep the night before, it made for quite the long day!
Here's all the pictures from the weekend! (click to enlarge; roll over for description)
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About Me
- DavidWage
- I grew up in the country with my nearest neighbor being almost a mile away. I was also the youngest in the family and the only boy. Growing up, I didn't have a lot of "playmates" so I found ways of entertaining myself. I could go outside on a nice fall Saturday (or frigid Iowa winter) and not come in until dark. My childhood is what cultivated my active imagination, or "specialness" as my mom always called it.
