Movies you should have seen growing up

This one is for all my MK (Missionary Kids) or TCK (Third Culture Kids) friends.  My personal choice of pre-1999 movies that you should have seen between birth and the 5th grade.  It was paintful to cut it down to a manageable numbered by favorite list, but I did so and am content with the outcome (I think).

*Note:  While some movies I would still deem enjoayble today, many of these I would only deem so becuase of the mere euphoria of living out my childhood again through a movie.  Thus said, keep them in context.

the NON animated/cartoon/claymation/puppet list:

1. The Princess Bride
2. The Goonies
3. Jurrasic Park
4. The Never Ending Story
5. Hook
6. Free Willy
7. Gremlins
8. Jumanji
9. Home Alone
10. Back to the Future
11. Ghost Busters
12. Homeward bound
13.Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles
14. 3 Ninjas

Honorable Mention:  Karate Kid (even though I wasn’t the biggest fan growing up, I still think it is a must see).

the Animated/cartoon/claymation/puppet list:

1.All Dogs Go to Heaven
2. Robin hood
3.The Fox and the Hound
4. The Brave Little Toaster
5. The Jungle Book
6. The Lion King
7. Alice in Wonderland
8. Rescuers Down Under
9. The Aristocats
10. Aladdin
11. Beauty and the Beast
12. The Dark Crystal

Honorable Mention:  Pete’s Dragon (becuase only the Dragon was animated)

PC Vs. Mac, common mistakes

*Disclaimer:  This post will not be a bash of the Mac, nor will it attest to the superiority of the PC or Mac, but will simply debunk some of the common reasoning used for switching to Mac.*

The day Ryan Harrison bought a Mac was the  inaugural to my defense of the PC.  Throughout the  years now I have attested to the greatness of the PC and debunked the common mistakes people make in their defenses for a Mac.  It’s not that I don’t like the Apple products  (I own an iPhone) but my love for PC leads me to the defense.

Problem 1:   Users tend to compare their brand new $2000 Macbook pro to Mommy and Daddy’s $400 6  year old Compaq.  Give me $2000 to buy a brand new PC, which will fetch better hardware as it’s just a fact that Mac Apples hardware is expensive, and see how your Mac compares.

Problem 2:  Users problems are usually not with PC’s, but with Windows Operating Systems.  Just because you have a Macintosh does not you mean you have to run OSX and just because you have a PC means you have to run Windows.  Remember, Ubuntu runs on both and Dell even offers Ubuntu or Windows.

Problem 3:  By convincing people to buy Mac’s by boasting about no viruses, users come that much closer to having them. The thing about Mac’s is that it is just not worth it to write a virus for something that owns less than 10% of the market share.  Keep getting people to buy Mac’s and that will change.  Oh, and Linux Ubuntu is actually a more secure operating system.

Problem 4:  Users tend to trumpet that Mac’s don’t have any problems.  They do, just different problems and then rather telling you what the problem is the Mac tells you to shut up and not worry about it because it’s too complicated for you to understand, then just crashes or reboots without a blue screen.  *Okay, so I understand that this is pushing the line of Mac bashing, but I think it is necessary to make the point.*

Problem 5:  Well, I don’t really have a problem 5, I just wanted to point out that it actually is really easy to avoid PC problems and you don’t have to be a tech to do so.  Update your antivirus, let the automatic updates run, avoid sketchy websites, don’t kick your computer, don’t spend $250 on a PC and expect gold, don’t install awesome-cool-wow-toolbar.exe.  Those kind of things.

Thanks for listening.

-Jeremy-

Jeremy, a History Vol.2: Ttthhhh!

To continue  the saga of my life (in no particular order) and to show all big brothers everywhere how to make siblings laugh until they cry, I have decided to tell another story of my sister doing so.

Now, for this one to make sense I need you to do two things, and yes, do them:

1.  Place your hands on your cheeks and squeeze them forward so that you look really chubby and then smile.  This was common hilarity amongst the Hodges siblings when they were young and was often done to other people and accompanied by words like “momma says chubby can’t smile, can you smile?” which of course makes the other person smile while chubby faced and causes laughter.

2. Stick your tongue out between your teeth while not touching your upper lip and blow out air.  This is much like an over-emphasized th sound in the word “this.”

The Story:

-Jeremy and Jill are talking late one night.

-Jill randomly squeeze Jeremy’s cheecks together to achieve the “chubby face.”

-Jeremy sticks his tongue out:  “Tttttthhhhhhh!!!!!”

-Jill laughs until the cries.

The End.

Stop paying for virus protection.

Antivirus software can sometimes cost up to $100 dollars a year.  Add on top of that the $200-$300 you can spend on having your PC examined by guys like the Geek Squad if something goes awry and you can be paying a hefty price.  I am here to tell you to stop spending that money, keep it in your pocket, and read this post!

Step 1, check your anti-virus software:  One common problem I see with anti-virus software is people having either trial software or software that has run its yearly course and is waiting for you to pay more money.  If th is happends, then you have software that may tell you about viruses but do nothing about it.  Make sure this is not the case.

Step 2, get rid of the old and download a free antivirus:  Over a year ago I would have suggested AVG Free edition, but not anymore.  About that time I started testing out a new freebie, A-vira and have found it to be faster, more efficient, and take less system resources.  It even was recently named top anti-virus freeware by MaximumPC as long as you don’t mind the single pop-up on updates.  Download it HERE: A-vira Free Anti-virus.

Step 3, keep your software up to date:  When your anti-virus tells you it has updates, it’s a good thing!  they are pro-actively putting out these updates to take care of the most recent threats that have appeared.  Take the few minutes to let it update.  A-vira updates fairly quickly and allows you to keep using the computer while you do so.

Step 4, just be smart:  If you gotta surf the web, then surf the web.  Just be careful when you come across sketchy sites, and try to only download anything or execute any programs from sites that are trusted. 

 

To keep it simple, that is about it.   Since this really doesn’t cover spyware or adware, keep checking back for when I cover those bases.

Jeremy, a History Vol.1: Chairy Hest

Last post I decided to write a series concerning different experiences related to the “cultural context” I have found myself in amongst friends in Louisville.  In keeping with the idea of writing to a reoccurring theme I have decided to add life stories to the repertoire.  Whether comical or sorrowful, exciting or mundane, you the reader may now enter into the past of what is my life.

I love my sister dearly.  Many people over the years have either not understood or very much appreciated the fact that even though Jill and I are merely a year and five days apart, we are best of friends and can count on one hand the number of times we have been upset with each other.  Much joy in my college years came from countless late nights simply chatting with her.  This was usually her talking more than I… but I believe she had more interesting things to say, I liked to listen (when I was not too tired), and she liked to share.  P.S. She just got married less than 3 weeks ago!

Now on to the story:  One of the highlights of my week, which never failed, was at one point or another I would make a comment/face/expression that would send my sister into fits of laughing until she cried.  On one such occasion, before she was dating Canaan, I decided to mess with her a bit and write him a message from her Orkut account.  Below is what followed yet I don’t remember it word for word, so for the sake of the story I will write it so:

Jeremy typing to Canaan from Jill’s account:  “Oh Canaan I love you, blah blah blah insert mushy comments here,”  and “Oh Canaan, I just have to tell you though that I have to shave my hairy chest!”

Jill:  “Don’t write that!  I don’t have a CHAIRY HEST!”

Jeremy laughs hysterically.

Jill blinks in confusion.

Jeremy laughs at her confusion.

Jill:  “what!?!”

Jeremy finally catches his breath and explains to his sister what she just said.

Jill proceeds to laugh until she cries and thus make the highlight of Jeremy’s week.

The End.

I love you Sista!

Cultural Context: Fixed Gear Cycling, A First Impression

       Throughout my life, travel and residency has given great opportuninty for exposure to different  geographical locations, people groups, languages, religions, and ideologies.  Whether going from Prattville to Birmingham AL, or Tokyo Japan to Amman Jordan, a culture can be defined with myriads of sub-cultures that are near similar or completely opposite to the  next country, ethinicity, city, neighborhood,  shanty one story house down the street, or group of old men who meet in Panera Bread every morning for breakfast bagels at 9:00 A.M.  Louisville is no different and everyday I enjoy the specific cultural distinctions of the people I have come to love here.  Whether it be coffee connosuering, local restraunts, obsession with mexican fast food, or fixed gear riding this new string of posts I have dubbed “cultural contect” will be a means for me to write about the new things I have experienced in the spcific culture I have entered into.

Jamis Sputnik

       Near 3 weeks ago Michael Butterworth, Kenny Smith and I visited The Bike Courier, an awesome local bike shop on Frankfort Avenue.  After much parousing I took a few out for a ride, all of which were single gears on a free wheel.  Excitement abounding due to these rides, I dared ask if I may ride my frist fixie ever (while I do have friends with fixies I could have tried beforehand, my short stature on their tall bikes would have been much akin to me running around in my Dads shoes when I was 9).  Back to the story: now enter the Jamis Sputnik (pictured above), a single gear road bike with a flippable back wheel to switch between free wheel and fixed gear riding.  I loved it the moment I sat on it and still love it now even when riding in the wet, cold, and grimy. 

       After a few days riding the free wheel to feel out the bike, I decided to flip the wheel and so far: no accidents; re-emphasization on my currenty physical condition; slightly saddle sore from incorrect riding which I have now fixed; and only one incident I call “the pogo trick” where I reach up my leg to fix my pant, some how end up standing, and whilst I flail around trying to put my right foot back on the pedal my left pedal pushes me up, down, up, down, up, down for about three turns of the gear.  I sure did look cool for the oncoming cars with that trick.

       Now you may ask:  “Why a road bike?”  Some reasons:

1.  I need to excercise and biking seemed to and has proven itself a fun way to do so.

2.  Most anything I need to be at is in reasonable biking distance.

3. Save money on gas and keep miles off the car.

4. Hobby.

       “Why a fixed gear bike?”

1. It helps me regulate my speed to avoid getting overly tired from pedaling, coasting, pedaling, costing, pedaling and makes the rides longer and more enjoyable.

2. To try something new.

3. To be a part of a community where I can meet new people with similar tastes in biking.

4. Chicks dig the fixies (although this really isn’t one of the reasons, maybe, it is a common tought amongst males).

5. Numerous of the people I know ride them and have convinced me that it could quite possbily be the most enjoyable form of urban cycling.

       “Isn’t it dangerous to ride fixed gear?”

       While I will admit that I have seen some gruesome pictures of wrecks and fingers needing to be sewn back on, I really don’t feel all that unsafe.  But rather than comment further on this and make this lengthy post go on any longer, I am going to plug Michael Butterworth’s Blog where he has covered some typical questions against fixed gear riding, aforementioned question included.

Hello blog world… again.

So I am once again attempting not to fail at blogging which I think many of you may be able to attest to.  I sometimes wonder why I still try, coming up with many reasons though none of them stand out.  It may be to share knowledge,  hone my writing skills, be part of an online community, or simply because I want to.  Whatever the reasons, here I am.

In order to make this work,  I’ve taken the time to reason out why I believe blogging has failed in the past for me.   I will briefly list some that topped the list, and attempt to avoid these this time around:

1.  Needing something highly profound, witty, or informative to write about.

- In the past I often felt that if what I intended to blog that day did not fit the aforementioned list, then it was not blog worthy.  This often lead to sparse posts.

2. Making the writing process too complicated.

- When writing a post it seemed necessary to word things in such as way as to be intriguing and profound to anyone who may read it.  This often led to posts that reflected on a semi-fictitious blogger version of myself, rather than myself.

3. Writing about what I think people want to read, rather than what I know.

-I still believe my writing should be relevant, applicable, or informative to the culture and my reading audience, but problems occur when taken too far.  This often led to hours spent researching something I knew basic knowledge about simply for a post and still with an uninformed opinion.

4. Relying too much on feed-back to fuel my posts.

- While comments are always welcome and long discussions are a delight, that is not always the case with my posts.  This often led to posting dry spells in between posting spells of over saturation.

5.  Feeling I needed to fill a status quo, despite reason number 4.

- Even though comments and discussions were sparse, I still felt I had to fill a “X posts a week” deadline.  No more.

Now that I have a somewhat vague idea of what to avoid in blogging, I now can post on in confidence.  Will there be posts every week?  Will these posts be profound?  Helpful?  Interesting?  Mind blowing? Maybe.   I have some ideas and while I determine my reasons for blogging, I am perfectly content with simply just doing that.  Blogging.