Let The Games Begin!

Today is the first day of Spring Training. I have been waiting for this day since October when my Los Angeles Angels lost to the stinky Boston Red Sox in the American League Championship. The Angels were the only team last year to win 100 games, but in the end, they paid the price of simple mistakes. But this year is the year the Angels will go all the way. 2009 is the year the Angels will win the World Series. They have great depth in their pitching staff, superb defense, and excellent offense. It doesn’t matter who they match up with this year. This year like last year they have what it takes, but this year they will show their  potential.

My Favorite Moments of The Oscars

For the first time ever, Kim and I decided that we would watch The Oscars. To our surprise it was kind of entertaining. It was able to hold my attention span for the first hour but I quickly found my self more interested in my Facebook and blog posts for this week. But here were the parts that I found to be the highlight of The Oscars.

First, Tina Fey and Steve Martin. These two comedians are hilarious. Imagine the two of them together. Unfortunately I was unable to find a clip that would do the moment justice. 

Second, Ben Stiller impersonating Joaquin Pheonix. I don’t know if you saw Joaquin on David Letterman a couple of weeks ago but Ben Stiller does Joaquin just as good or better than Joaquin does Joaquin.

Third, Hugh Jackman, Beyonce, and others from High School Musical and Mama Mia singing a montage of musicals.

Last but not least, Heath Ledger  winning the Oscar for being the supporting-actor in his role as the Joker in the Dark Knight. This moment brought tears to Kim and I’s eyes, and appeared to do the same to everyone else’s who was in attendance. Heath Ledger hands down deserved this award. Kim and I loved his movies and will miss him being in future films.

All in all The Oscars was kind of fun. Will we ever watch it again? Probably not, but maybe. What about you?

My Comparison of Twitter and Facebook

I recently have gotten myself a Twitter account. I didn’t really know what to expect at first until I started to play around more with it. I had only heard that it was the new thing to do. So I jumped on board.

My first impression of Twitter was that it was pretty lame. That it was just like Facebook because you update what you are doing just like you would on Facebook. To my surprise it isn’t like Facebook at all. I have found that Twitter and Facebook can be used for different purposes.

On Facebook you can inform friends about what you are doing, post pictures, join groups, write on your friend’s wall, and even send private messages. It’s great, but every now and then I get some one inviting me to be their friend on Facebook. I then realize this person is going to have access to my information and see pictures of my family, do I really want this person to know all this? The answer for me is, no. No I don’t want everyone I do business with to know everything about me. Don’t get me wrong Facebook can be a great tool for business, but with Facebook everything becomes more intimate. Twitter on the other hand, can be personal but not intimate at all. Twitter makes it easy to accept those people that you don’t want to accept on Facebook.

With Twitter, you can update your status as often as you please. If you update your status on Facebook and change it with in a certain time limit, that status will be erased and replaced with your new status. Twitter however, let’s you post your status as often as you want, whenever you want. Now I have never tried it but I have been told that you can text your status with your cell phone and Twitter will update your status for you. With Twitter you can reply back and comment on the people’s status that you are following. Because you don’t post photos and other things that can be very personal, Twitter is a great way for social networking. You can follow people and let people follow you with out ever having to post a picture of yourself. It is a great way to promote your blog, website, business, or even your own opinion. If you want to make Twitter more personal and intimate, that is up to you.

Summing it up, Facebook and Twitter are both great. For Business I think they are both necessary. For personal matters, Twitter can be but doesn’t need to be. I personally like to know that I can now separate my business life and personal life. If you haven’t checked out Twitter yet, I suggest in just taking a look at it and see for yourself if Twitter is for you.

Misunderstandings and Good Communication

Many people get frustrated, confused, upset and angry over misunderstandings. Misunderstandings can ruin friendships, families, and even businesses. The cause of misunderstandings is the lack of good communication. Notice I said good communication and not just communication.

Communication can be defined as an exchange of information. You can still communicate while keeping your thoughts to yourself and holding back information. A good amount of problems can still occur with this kind of communication. That’s why you need good, high-quality, first-class communication to avoid problems, downfalls and heartbreak. Good communication includes the telling of all thoughts, being upfront and not holding anything back.

Good communication is one of the many keys to success. It doesn’t matter what you would like to be successful in, you will need to use good communication. For some it may be easier, for others it may be difficult. Difficult or not, success is worth it. 

Imagine This: Doggy Kisses

Imagine you, your significant other, and your dog are all on the couch. You lean in and pull your significant other closer to you for some snuggle action. Your significant other turns his/her head at you and gives you “the look.” Before you know it you are both leaning in and kissing each other. Right when you think this moment couldn’t get any better a third party arrives.

Your dog is now kissing your face and your significant others face with his long wet tongue…   

Venus, Earth, Mars

The other day as I was sitting through a very boring astronomy lecture, an interesting question was asked. This question caused me to stop and reflect. As I look back I am so glad that I knew the answer to this person’s question.

My professor was explaining the percentage of Co2 (carbon dioxide) that is on Venus, Earth, and Mars. He drew a chart kind of like the one below to help us understand better.

Planet                                                 Co2

Venus                                                96%

Earth                                                0.03%

Mars                                                96%

Immediately after this information was drawn for us to see, a student sitting behind me raised her hand and asked, “Is it just coincidence that we happen to live on earth rather than on some other planet? What made us so special?”

I don’t remember how my professor answered because at that point I was already lost in my train of thoughts. To me the answer to her question was obvious. But in all this I couldn’t help but be grateful for my knowledge of God and his eternal plan. We all are blessed to be living during a special time in history. God seems to be forgotten, accused, and sometimes taken for granted. I think if we were to take more time to appreciate where we live, (in this beautiful world) we will remember God more often. We will realize that it is no coincidence that we are where we are and that we really are special. 

Balance in the Media

You want to know one of the problems with mainstream media? Brace yourself cause here it comes. They use a thing called balance. Balance is where the reporter or journalist will take an issue and give you a balanced amount of good and bad information, even though there is clearly more weighing to one side than the other. Summing it up, they take the issue and make it equal by balancing it out. There is only one problem with being balanced. You don’t leave the viewer with the correct amount of information to create his or her own opinion or stand on the issue.

Hub Brown of the Bleier Center for Television and Popular Culture at Syracuse University reminds us that, “The truth itself doesn’t respect point of view. The truth is never balanced…”

Hub, I couldn’t have said it better myself. Is it too much to ask that we receive the truth? 

Imagine This: “I’m Just Waiting in Line!”

You’re sitting in a classroom. Class just got out. The next class starts to enter and fill the seats around you. You are still in your seat trying to get your things together with your back towards the door. All of a sudden you hear someone in a loud sarcastic tone from somewhere behind you blurt out, “I’m just waiting in line!” A moment passes, you are almost ready to leave, and you then realize everyone is now chuckling and staring at you. You turn around you and there is someone standing hovering right behind you. When you make eye contact he says, “Don’t worry bro, just go ahead and take your time.”

How do you respond to this? This person just humiliated you. What would you do? 

First Post Jitters

For the last month or so I have wanted to create this blog. Yesterday as I sat down to write my first post I got first post jitters. I second guessed my reasoning for creating this blog. I no longer knew what to write. That night I talked to my wife Kim and in our conversation she reminded me of a quote she had found a few days earlier.

“The supreme object of life is to live. Few people live. It is true life only to realize one’s own perfection, to make one’s every dream a reality.” -Oscar Wilde

Few people really do live. For last month I have wanted this blog. I want a place to voice my opinion about political and moral issues. I want to be able to express what I think is interesting with who ever wants to read it. It might sound silly, but I have dreamed of having this blog. Today make it a reality. I want to live!