The Life and Times of Jim
Hi, there. I'm Jim. Welcome to my phlog!
This site was written for Las Vegas, then LouisVille. Now, it seems to be about anywhere. In these phlogs, you'll see a lot of my personal notes and pictures. I like to post my observations here to remember life and celebrate it. I'm not religious. I don't pray for good fortune. I'm ecstatically grateful for the gift of life and I think our time should be remembered and not taken for granted. I'm not a writer. I think pictures tell stories so much better than words. I love just about everything in this life, and, I guess that would have to include you. So, if you've seen me, don't be surprised if your picture is in here somewhere. Of all the critters, people are absolutely the most interesting. 
<< 12/2005 < 11/2006 Calendar 01/2007 > 12/2007 >>Sign InView Other Logs
Sat 
12/16/2006 22:22:41
 jim  Joy,Amy,Robert,Jennifer,Dustin,Sonny were here
I loved your burgers and pies Becky.
Fri 
12/15/2006 22:22:52
 jim  Vegas,NV-ChucksAccident
Thu 
12/14/2006 11:50:04
 Jim  My Be Quick Yellow Book Ad

This is my yellow page ad, and it cost $200 a month (for three ads).
Advertising is expensive. It'll come out in The Yellow Book some time in April.
Hopefully, I won't have to take a job at Walmart before then...haha.
Http://www.lvdude.com/bequick is close to being finished.
It can take credit cards right now, but it needs at least 40 hours to be polished up.
Wed 
12/13/2006 08:51:42
 Jim  ...Bow Wow...
Dennifur and Just'in are always causing trouble...but they make me laugh a lot, so I love em a lot.
And, beats me if there's a special Christmas breakfast food.
I'd love to take Dustin and Jennifer jogging around the block, but there's a brown cloud of death out there. When I go out, my eyes water like crazy, and its not just me.
I told a headhunter to put me up for a job openning in Tampa.
I know nothing will happen though.
Fri 
12/15/2006 15:01:43
 Jim   (Reply)...RE:RE:RE:RE:Bow Wow...
I am pretty much turned off to those guys. I'm just being lazy.
BUT, if I got a decent job offer, I'd entertain it.

I just read an article about Googles AdWords. People are saying they're making over $8,000 a week using them. I wish I had a mentor in that area. Google's changed its ranking strategy again. SO,
I searched for LVDude. My site came out on top...but beneath it was some 23 y/o gay prostitute with a 9 inch pecker, and a 16 y/o on MySpace that has no class at all. YUCK!!!
I should have stuck with LVGuy. 
Wed 
12/13/2006 04:29:35
 Jim  .feeling superior enough act mediocre
As always, your writing is incredible!!! I love it!!!
I wish I knew you in real life...hahahahaha!
On a sad note, but then again, you probably never got to know him, your grandfather died in September (Grandpa Louis to you I guess). We popped on up to Erie, Pa for his funeral.
It was small, short, and his sister paid for it. Sonny and I were the only ones to speak for him.
288,000 people die in this world every day, and on September 4th, he was one of them.
Kind of sad isn't it, how the most exciting event in some people's lives is their death.
Tue 
12/12/2006 21:20:21
 Jim  Replaced the water heater.
We were picking up Dustin and Jennifer when Sonny called. He said the water heater had busted.
From report to finish, it took 2.5 hours!
I'd say thats pretty darned good.
That included shopping on the internet for price, picking one up at Lowes (it was on a shelf 12 foot high), uninstalling and installing the new gas heater. Not bad for a couple of KY boys.
Sat 
12/09/2006 23:11:46
 Jim  The Bible and the soul
"For what profit is it to a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul?" (Matthew 16:26)
To me, that sentence just doesn't make any sense. I was raised in a religious family, and the definition for the soul was something in you, the lives on after you die. If that were so, "loses his own soul" would be a silly thing to say, at best. It would infer that God will strike successful business people down, or something strange like that.
But that could not have been what the Bible said. That was what it was translated to say.
The word soul did not exist in Biblical times.
The word soul, originated in 970 AD from the word sawol, centuries after Mathew was written.
If the Bible's translation had said:
"For what profit is it to a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own life?"
like it should have, it would make sense, even to a small child.
The word "soul", in the sense we use it today, did not exist in Hebrew or Aramaic,
It existed in Greek. Ancient Greeks typically referred to the soul as psyche (as in modern English psychology). Aristotle's works in Latin translation, used the word anima (as in animated), which also means "breath". In the New Testament, the original Greek word used is "Psyche" which in Ancient and Modern Greek means soul.

Plato, drawing on the words of his teacher Socrates, considered the soul as the essence of a person. He considered this essence as an incorporeal, eternal occupant of our being, the determines how we behave. As bodies die the soul is continually reborn in subsequent bodies. The Platonic soul had three parts:
1. the logos (mind, nous, ego, or reason)
2. the thymos (emotion, superego, or spiritedness)
3. the pathos (appetitive, id, or carnal)

The logos was the charioteer, directing the horses balance of appetite and spirit. It allows for logic to prevail, and for the optimisation of balance.
The thymos comprises our emotional motive, that which drives us to acts of bravery and glory. If left unchecked, it leads to hubris -- the most fatal of all flaws in the Greek view.
The pathos equates to the appetite that drives humankind to seek out its basic bodily needs. When the passion controls us, it drives us to hedonism in all forms. In the Ancient Greek view, this is the basal and most feral state.
Sat 
12/09/2006 19:00:00
 Jim  Las Vegas Marathon - Starts Tommorrow
Blue Man Group will play live on the start line.  Blue Man Group will perform the Star Spangled Banner in the signature style that has brought them to international prominence against a spectacular display of pre-dawn fireworks.  Immediately after Las Vegas Mayor Oscar Goodman fires the starter pistol, Blue Man Group will entertain and energize with a special performance for the field of up to 20,000 runners, walkers and wheelchair athletes as they run the electrifying neon corridor of the world famous Las Vegas Strip.
The Las Vegas Marathon (a 26.2 mile race) will start at the Mandalay Bay at 6am. The Blue Man Group will kick it off playing the Star Spangled Banner.
Be there, or be square!!!
Sat 
12/09/2006 11:15:32
 Jim  WinterFest at the Events Plaza
December 9, 2006
5:00 pm - 9:00 pm
Location: Henderson Events Plaza
Address: 200 South Water Street
Phone: 702-267-2171
The City of Henderson proudly presents WinterFest, celebrating exciting traditions, both old and new.
Join us for the official tree lighting ceremony, ice skating and visits with Santa, entertainment and more.
EVENT SCHEDULE
Friday, December 8th
5 pm - 9 pm Ice Skating Rink (free), Concessions and Vendors
5:30 pm - 6:30 pm Thurman White Choir
6 pm - 6:30 pm Mayor and Santa arrive in horse drawn cart for tree lighting ceremony
6 pm - 9 pm Wagon Rides - Visits with Santa - Tree and Light Display viewing - Train Rides
6:30 pm - 7 pm CBC to hand out decorating contest awards
7:30 pm - 8:45 pm Ice Sculpture Demonstration
All activities end at 9 pm

Saturday, December 9th
5 pm - 9 pm Ice Skating Rink, Visits with Santa, Wagon Rides, Tree and Light Display Viewing, Train Rides Concessions and Vendors
6:30 pm - 8 pm Ice Sculpting Demonstration
7 pm - 9 pm Entertainment
Fri 
12/08/2006 22:25:12
 Jim  Smoked some brisket. Ate at GMas.
My brisket and pork shoulder came out GREAT!
I showed Sonny how to make it. He said "wow, thats easy"... :^)
As usual, Gma's chicken fettucini was delicious.
I played with sending text messages from my web page to my cell phone (for notary stuff).
Two days ago, I installed the Internet Explorer 7.
Today, I installed Office Professional 2007 on the PC and my laptop.
They're both attractive. So far, except for some things being moved around, I haven't found many improvements.
Most of the improvements I've found were items begging to be fixed, like re-adding HTML email to Outlook.
Renee called Becky
She likes Washington state. Its cold here with little chunks of white everywhere from the snow.
I get chills when the phone rings on Christmas.
On a few occassions, its been terrible news (like Rob and Mom).
Thu 
12/07/2006 17:42:24
 Jim  I had to do it...I posted a comment in the RJ
Regarding Question 5, it reads:
54% of the voters approved Question 5.
991,054 voters are registered.
283,598 of them actually voted.
SO, when we're talking about the majority of voters that passed Question 5,
we're talking about 11,343 voters who tipped the scale.
I call that a very slim majority in a state that has 3 million people.
These stats came from http://sos.state.nv.us/nvelection/2006StateWideGeneral/VoterTurnout.htm
Everyone should vote. You can make a difference.
Thu 
12/07/2006 04:14:46
 Jim  The Odds of Life Happening
I know the following sounds crazy, but it makes sense if you think hard about it.
The odds of rolling a 7 with two dice are:
6 to 1. That is calculated by taking the total combinations of the dice (36) / the number of ways to make a 7 (6).
How fast this happens depends on how fast the dice are rolled.
The odds of life happening are:
The total combinations of elements in the universe / the total number of elements necessary to make life.
It took 2 billion years for this to happen on Earth
Check out Life on Earth for more information on how life came about on Earth.
The odds of your life happening are:
The Odds of You Happening = The Total Combinations of life / The Number of Ways to Make You.
It took 8 billion years for your combination to come up.
The odds are that'll you'll come back to life after you die 
simply because it has happened once in 8 billion years.
Since nature was created from scratch 8 billion years ago, the odds of our re-creation shouldn't take as long the next time around.
So there...I've said it. I know this all sounds profound, but numbers do not lie.
Math is truth. It is the language of nature.
If you can't figure things out for yourself, then you'll have to take what others say on faith.
And faith is a symptom of laziness.
Wed 
12/06/2006 19:49:13
 Jim  We took Jonathan and Renee to the airport
They kissed most of the way there and you could tell they are anxious to get away.
Its been a strange day, with the phone ringing off the hook.
I guess some people think Renee is really messing up.
I think she's twenty-one and she is happy. How could she be doing the wrong thing?
And who knows what the right thing is anyway.

I guess I'm a softy, but it always jerks a tear from my eye when I say goodbye.
We didn't see much of Renee since we've been back, but just knowing she's gone somehow seems sad.
And Robert will be leaving soon.
Guess thats just the way of Vegas
Tue 
12/05/2006 22:08:46
 Jim  We went to a Hookah bar tonight
The food was Jordan cuisine and it was Very Good!
We smoked a hookah bowl and chatted with the waitress for quite awhile.
She said the decision on whether they can exist as a business remains to be seen.
She also said they would most likely be given except status since they were licensed as a tobacco smoking club.
Who knows....
Sonny, Becky and I really enjoyed the atmosphere. It was really nice, the customers were very friendly and the prices were reasonable. My only complaint, the place was too small for the number of people there.
On another note, Jonathon and Renee are taking off tomorrow night
They're leaving for Everett Washington at 9pm.
I'm egging Renee to call Robert, just in case she doesn't see him again for another 10 years.
Is it me? I'd think that would be instinctive, to say good bye to your brother before moving out of state.
He's 5 miles away. hmmm.
I just called Robert and explained everything to him
He'll be by after work tonight.
Tue 
12/05/2006 16:32:12
 Jim  Renee/Jonathon will be staying over
Jonathon is staying at 138 Bonnie Ln, Las Vegas, NV 89110.
He says he has a plane ticket for 2 to go back to Washington, and they can take off at anytime. (hmmm).
Anyway, they want to stay here for two nights.
Mon 
12/04/2006 12:43:09
 Jim  Big business, small business, and logic
Friday, the indoor clean air act takes force in Nevada.
In my mind, the law was put to vote without any thought about its corrupt nature or its consequences.
If the law included casinos and strip clubs, I'd be fine with it, but it didn't.
The point is:
- No thought was given to the people who will be over the DUI limit, because the bar couldn't serve food.
- No thought was given to the enforcement of this law.
- No decisions were given to the small businesses that have to declare themselves as "Supper Clubs" to exist.
- It is blatently illogical
You can smoke in casinos and strip clubs, but not in bars. What's the difference?
Small bars aren't throwing big money at the politicians? They can't afford it?
Any law that favors big business, and bullies small businesses into extinction should be, in itself, illegal.
However, the Nevada Supreme Court doesn't care about that.
It is a stupid law, that bullys over 50% of local bar patrons.
It also puts 8 hookah bars out of business who have business licenses here in Clark County.
My real fear is:
With a stroke of a pen, my business could be destroyed.

One possible action small bar patrons could take this Friday
- Go from one bar to another.
- In each bar, light a cigarette.
- When the bartender informs you its against the law, tell him to call the police (311).
- Move on to the next bar.
The facts are:
- Most smokers will never get cancer from smoking.
  The estimates run from 1% to 12% depending on who is giving the estimate. Look it up.
  My grandfather died at 93. My dad died at 83.
  I should mention that most smokers will almost surely develop emphysema.
  Smoking is very bad for your health.

In Nevada, there are enough stupid laws on the books.
- One of them is, if you want to get a business licenses as a limo service,
   you have to get approved by other limo businesses.
Mon 
12/04/2006 05:05:22
 Jim  Holiday hookers and ballers.
I guess everything has its place.
Last night, Renee was telling Becky how they decorated their Christmas tree.
She said that she put the hooks in the Christmas balls, while Jonathon hung them.
Becky said, "Renee, you were the hooker?". I laughed and said "and Jonathon was the baller".
Becky blurts these things out all day. You can see why I love her so much.
Thanks for the suggestion about the tenants junk.
I'd bet Big Brothers, Salvation Army, Goodwill, or any of those places would love to clean out that garage.
Sat 
12/02/2006 22:23:09
 Jim  Are you a picky eater?
 
I am Superman at the Las Vegas buffets.
I tend to eat just about anything in mass quantities.
I'm often heard saying "gimme whatever that is" when ordering at restaurants.
I eat foods that dogs spit out. I'd eat fried shoelaces.
So I often wonder about those people who don't eat certain foods because:
- they've never tried it before, its too green, too loud, or its too yucky,, or its touching the mash potatoes on their plate.
These are the people who only eat green M&Ms, or pick the beans out of their chili and pile them up on the side.
These people must be insane?
I've read that picky eating is a symptom of OCD (Obsessive Compulsive Disorder).
On the other hand, eating fried shoelaces would undeniably be schizophrenic.
Thu 
11/30/2006 09:02:54
 Jim  Its another strange year for the weather
- 3 months ago you could fry an egg on the side walk.
- 1 month ago, our honeysuckles started to bloom
- Today, the temperature will be 28 to 47 degrees.
The temperatures have dropped 80 degrees in 3 months.
Sun 
11/26/2006 21:46:58
 Jim  Suspense is killing me!
I really don't know what to expect this next week.
The tenants haven't even tried to move out. They haven't called.
The gardener (Rich) thinks they are tweakers.
It seems suspicious to me.
I have two images in my mind:
- Us with the constable, knocking on the door and nobody answers.
  I drill and replace the door locks.
  The constable leaves. 
  Later the tenants come back and break in.
- Us with the constable, the tenants answer, they exit the building
  I change the locks. 
  The constable leaves and the tenants don't. 
  Later, they break in.
No matter what happens tommorrow, its going to be very ugly.
I'd bet we'll be involving the police.
Thu 
11/23/2006 12:01:00
 Jim  Thanksgiving Holiday
We ate a wonderful dinner at GMa's.
Paul, Renee, Jonathon, Dustin, Jennifer, Becky and I were there.
Sonny make it, due to the bird being done at 2pm.
Becky's back hurt really bad, so we had to leave early too.
Mon 
11/20/2006 22:41:17
 Jim  Smoked a Turkey.
My recipe:
- brining the turkey for 3 days
- cook the bird in the oven at 350 for 4 hours or until the thingy pops out.
- Put soaked hickory chips in the smokers pan. Fill water pan with water.
- Smoke the turkey for an hour.
- EAT the turkey! haha
Becky sprung her back muscles while in the shower.
She is in a lot of pain.
I looked it up, and most lower back injuries are from torn or pulled muscles.
Inactivity will cause that.
Robert and Joy came over.
I drove Robert's Ford Focus to pick up a video. His car drives like a Porsche!!!
It has 6 forward gears, shifts like a dream, but has continuous power through the 1,000-6,000 RPM range.
The speedometer may say 160mph, which I think it could do, however most tires are only rated for 120mph.
It handles OK. The suspension could be a little tighter.
I would recommend a Ford Focus to anyone.
Becky started crying really bad when she got up to use the bathroom.
I felt so bad so bad for her. I had to help her walk.
Robert suggested she needed to go to the hospital.
Seriously though, what are they going to do?
I went through 6 years of therapy with my ex wifes problems and it was a waste of time, and thousands of dollars.
The doctors and hospitals take a lot while giving very little. Insurance proceeds, not the customer, is their master.
I talked a lawyer not long ago about health care assistance.
She said, a person is better off going to California if they have low assets.
Nevada no longer gives Medicare assistance to women unless they have a child anymore.
She said I can get group coverage with the corporation if there are only two employees.
Insurance companies have to comply, however, that will be a couple of months down the road.
Mon 
11/20/2006 12:31:08
 Jim  YellowBook.Com Ad
After talking to Teresa Zeigler from Yellow Book (702) 406-8170.
We will now get a white backed Yellow Page ad for $200 a month.
The book comes out in April, so we got in just about the right time.
A business has to advertise!
Our ads will be under the headings for Notaries, Loans, and Real Estate.
Plus, we'll show online in 6 weeks.
Ya know, I had to notice from the other ads in Yellow Book
- There was an ad for a notary that was listed as Notario Publico, which is EXTREMELY ILLEGAL.
To people, from spanish speaking countries, that is the title of a lawyer.
It is specifically listed in the Nevada Revised Statutes as being a no no.
- Also, in the listings, an ad mentioned wills. Normally a will is notarized by the lawyer that drafts it.
While this is not illegal, it is probably unethical.
Sun 
11/19/2006 21:42:00
 Jim  The Gettysburg Address
November 19, 1863 (143 years ago today)
Four score and seven years ago our fathers brought forth on this continent, a new nation,
conceived in Liberty, and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal.

Now we are engaged in a great civil war, testing whether that nation,
or any nation so conceived and so dedicated, can long endure.
We are met on a great battle-field of that war. We have come to dedicate a portion of that field, as a final resting place for those who here gave their lives that that nation might live. It is altogether fitting and proper that we should do this.

But, in a larger sense, we can not dedicate -- we can not consecrate -- we can not hallow -- this ground.
The brave men, living and dead, who struggled here, have consecrated it, far above our poor power to add or detract.
The world will little note, nor long remember what we say here, but it can never forget what they did here.
It is for us the living, rather, to be dedicated here to the unfinished work which they who fought here have thus far so nobly advanced.
It is rather for us to be here dedicated to the great task remaining before us...
that from these honored dead we take increased devotion to that cause for which they gave the last full measure of devotion;
that we here highly resolve that these dead shall not have died in vain; that this nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom ;
and that government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth.
Sat 
11/18/2006 22:46:01
 Jim  Dustin, Jennifer, Robert, Joy, Amy were here

We hung out, watched X-Men 3, and went to the Chocolate Gardens.

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