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. 
<< 05/2006 < 04/2007 Calendar 06/2007 > 05/2008 >>Sign InView Other Logs
Sat 
05/05/2007 18:00:00
 jim  Oh, I added a mortgage calculator
To the calculator for the heck of it.
It only took about 10 minutes and its VERY handy!
Fri 
05/04/2007 17:38:20
 jim  VoTech,NV-Rainbow,Mustang
Thu 
05/03/2007 11:48:27
 jim  Hypothetical question to other Notaries
After talking to a lawyer (again, the same, kind of slow one) about Be Quick, and my charges, she said I could only charge $15 max for a notary. I should note, she kept calling the Nevada Revised Statutes, the Nevada State Statutes, which is odd too me. I've only seen it referred to as the Nevada Revised Statutes (NRS).
MY Hypothetical Question: I need a Living Will notarized at Desert Springs Hospital.

24/7 Notaries - (702) 215-1995 - NA

AAA Notary Service - (702) 655-2057
$30 during the day. $35 at night or on weekends.

AAA Affordable Mobile Notary - (702) 222-9928
$45 to $55 depending on location.

Achievable Dreams - (702) 592-5691
$25. Will pick up form for $10.
AM Mobile Notary - ( 702) 769-5716
A Mobile Notary - (702) 228-0018
$40 to come out + $15 for blank form.

Asap Courier and Delivery Services - (702) 315-0417 - NA
Bentley Mobile Notary - (702) 614-0528 - NA
Mail Zone - (702) 736-6822
$40 (includes 3 signatures).
Mobile Notary 2 U - 395-3296 - NA
NV Mobile Notary - (702) 439-1142
$10 + $5 + $2.50 per extra signature.

Sign Here Notary - (702) 677-9500
$50 to come out. She sounded very intelligent too.
I called her again. She was very willing to talk, but she's in the middle of a signing...whoops. I'll call her back at 2pm.

Jet Notary - (702) 641-4058
$35

Achievable Dreams - (702) 592-5691
$25. Will pick up form for $10.
AM Mobile Notary - ( 702) 769-5716
A Mobile Notary - (702) 228-0018
$40 to come out. $15 for fill in the blank form.

Asap Courier and Delivery Services - (702) 315-0417 - NA
Bentley Mobile Notary - (702) 614-0528 - NA
Mail Zone - (702) 736-6822
$25 to come out, and $15 for the signatures.
Mobile Notary 2 U - 395-3296 - NA
NV Mobile Notary - (702) 439-1142
$10 + $5 + $2.50 per extra signature.

Sign Here Notary - (702) 677-9500
$50 to come out. She sounded very intelligent too.
I called her again. She was very willing to talk, but she's in the middle of a signing...whoops. I'll call her back at 2pm.

Jet Notary - (702) 641-4058
$35

Thu 
05/03/2007 09:37:48
 jim  Imagine
Imagine - By John Lennon
Imagine there's no Heaven
It's easy if you try
No hell below us
Above us only sky
Imagine all the people
Living for today

Imagine there's no countries
It isn't hard to do
Nothing to kill or die for
And no religion too
Imagine all the people
Living life in peace

You may say that I'm a dreamer
But I'm not the only one
I hope someday you'll join us
And the world will be as one

Imagine no possessions
I wonder if you can
No need for greed or hunger
A brotherhood of man
Imagine all the people
Sharing all the world

You may say that I'm a dreamer
But I'm not the only one
I hope someday you'll join us
And the world will live as one 
 http://music.yahoo.com/ar-254694-videos--John-Lennon
Wed 
05/02/2007 19:46:46
 jim  At Seventeen
At Seventeen
I like this song. It sums up the fairness society shows for women who aren't rich or pretty.
At Seventeen - by Janus Ian
I learned the truth at seventeen, that love was meant for beauty queens.
In high school girls with clear skinned smiles, who married young and then retired.
The valentines I never knew, the Friday night charades of youth,
were spent on one more beautiful.  At seventeen I learned the truth.
And those of us with ravaged faces, lacking in the social graces,
desperately remained at home, inventing lovers on the phone.
Who called to say come dance with me, and murmured vague obscenities.
...It isn't all it seems, at seventeen.
A brown eyed girl in hand me downs, whose name I never could pronounce
Said, pity please, the ones who serve, we only get what we deserve.
And the rich relationed hometown queen, who married into what she needs,
A guarantee of company, and haven for the elderly.
Remember those who win the game, lose the love they sought to gain.
Indebentures of quality. And dubious integrity.
Their small town eyes will gape at you, in dull surprise when payment due.
...Exceeds accounts received. At seventeen.
To those of us who knew the pain, of valentines that never came
and those whose names were never called when choosing sides for basketball.

It was long ago and far away, the world was younger than today
And dreams were all they gave for free, to ugly duckling girls like me
We all play the game and when we dare, to cheat ourselves at solitaire
Inventing lovers on the phone, repenting other lives unknown
That call and say, come dance with me, and murmur vague obscenities
At ugly girls like me
At seventeen

Wed 
05/02/2007 18:20:55
 jim  Talked to a lawyer...wow
I wanted to find out where they get their notaries from?
So, I invented a good question..."Is my business legal?"
I know it is, but, I figured it would help break ground.
So I asked the lawyer: Is what I'm doing legal?
I own a corporation called Be Quick.
My corporation dispatches agents and handles credit card payments.
It has independant contractors that are notaries.
The question is, Nevada Revised Statutes say a notary can only charge $5 to do a notary, plus travel time.
I charge the maximum allowed by law, plus add service charge for processing through Be Quick.
She says: Well, I'd say not. You're corporation is a notary.
I said: No, my corporation dispatches notaries. It could just as easily dispatch plumbers or air conditioning repair men.
She said: Well, I'll check into it in 3 days.
She said: Is there any thing else I can help you with?
I said: Yes. I need to know how you handle your mobile notaries.
She said: For what?
I said: If someone is in the hospital, can't leave, and needs a document notarized, how do you handle it?
She said: What kind of document?
I said: I don't know. How about a will.
She said: Wills don't have to be notarized.
I said: Okay, then some document that does have to be notarized.
She said: Those would things like realestate documents, orders...things like that.
I said: Okay, then, a realestate document.
She said: They have to be notarized to go through the county recorder.
I said: Okay, how would you handle that?
She said: I don't do that.
I said: Well how do other lawyers do that?
She said: I don't know.
I said: Can you find out? Is there a lawyer there?
She said: I only work on the phone.
Wow.
Wed 
05/02/2007 17:18:35
 jim  Calling Be Quick...hmmm
Becky picked it up.
Becky-"Be Quick. How may I help you?".
Becky-"Hold on. I'll let you talk to Jim.".
Jim-"Be Quick Notary. Jim speaking. How may we help you today?".
voice-"Is this James?"
Jim-"Yes".
voice-"Then you already have.".
Jim-"Is this regarding Be Quick or my mortgage refinance.".
voice-"Both. I'm verifying employment."
Wow!!!
Wed 
05/02/2007 12:37:08
 jim  Three ways to be a Millionare
1) Manage, work hard, and save, save, save; and you might get lucky after a lifetime.
2) Borrow, and manage; and you might have a million dollars this year.
Me, I'd rather owe a million dollars than own a million dollars.
3) Have wealthy relatives. Be born rich.
If you have weathy relatives, it doesn't matter if you screw up.
The well will never run dry. Your spending will be controlled by their handouts.
If you have a million dollars, and you screw up
You risk money that took you forever to save (unless you got lucky somewhere).
If you lose it, you will probably commit suicide, in shame.
If you owe a million dollars, and you screw up
You don't risk any of your own money.
If you plan it right, you don't even risk a bad credit rating.
And if you funnel money off while you have it, you can run circles around hard working people saving $1,000 a year.
If you lose it, you'll walk away laughing, and you'll do it again.
We all should have learned a lesson from Enron, don't you think?
Of course, I'd hope noone would build their credit to borrow $1,000,000, just to go bankrupt.
I'd hope people would borrow $1,000,000 to create commerce.
The way I see it, the plantation owners and the slaves still exist.
The only difference now is that the slaves aren't centrally located on plantations, and they don't know that they are slaves.
Fear keeps modern slaves picking cotton, just like it did 200 years ago.
Instead of fearing being tarred and feathered, people today fear losing their car, house, and dignity (whatever thats worth).
The game is self perpetuating for the modern day plantation owners.
They offer credit to anyone. They buy and let others pay.
They've spread news about how to better your struggles when you can't pay your bills.
What they've done is, they've managed to keep people working. People must work.
People buy things they can't afford. It keeps them working.
It is a very good system.
People who don't work are shunned.
They are shown as the homeless, the impoverished. The welfare people.
I would think the majority of non-working US citizens are born rich.
Wed 
05/02/2007 11:51:06
 jim  Never pay off your house. Never sell either.

I've used a system for decades now. I thought I'd share it with anyone reading this blog.
I bought my 3rd house in 1985. I got it on a sealed bid. It was a Hud Repo.
The payments were $650 a month (which I couldn't afford).
So, I had to rent the house out. It rented for $850 a month.
The excess rent payed a third of my apartment payment.
And there goes the lesson I learned.
Since then, I've paid off 2 houses.
I bought another house in Summerlin, and the rent one of my houses made the Summerlin payment.
What I'm saying is, since property values are increasing, and since they are a leveraged investment,
it doesn't make sense to sell your home when you need cash.
Don't kill the Golden Goose. Refinance.
If you absolutely can't make ends meet, move out and RENT your old place.
If you pick your financing wisely you will almost certainly make a profit.
The American Way
Pick good financing
20 years ago, it was logical to pay off your mortgage balance. Mortgage rates were as high as 18%.
Your house would have to double in value every 4 years, just to break even on the payments.
Now, interest rates are right around 6%. You house only has to double in value every 12 years to break even.
In other words, if your house doubles in value in 12 years, you were out of pocket $0 on payments.
If you believe that inflation will continue (as I do, just by looking around me), then you will invest in more property,
and you will not pay it off.
All this means is, Borrow More! Buy More! Its the American Way.
Plantation owners didn't have to pick the cotton, simply because they owned. They let other people do it.
Homeowners don't have to pay their mortgage either, if they let a renters cover it.
So, if anyone is complaining about illegal aliens taking our jobs
Don't! Rent to them. They can't buy houses.

Wed 
05/02/2007 11:42:15
 jim  Life is full of coinkidinks
I ordered asthma medication on March 1st, through the internet.
There was some problems with the shipping, and it looked like I'd gotten burned on the deal.
Last night, I told Becky that today, I'd just run up to CVS, get a prescription and pay what would work out to be $200 for a bottle of combivent.
This morning, UPS knocked at the door. They had my 6 months worth of asthma meds.
What are the odds of that?
I think its a major coincidence that I was drawing the line today for biting the bullet on meds,
and they just show up after 70 days.
BTW - I got 4 bottles for $100, and it works wonderfully!!!
Tue 
05/01/2007 16:06:11
 jim  Vegas,NV-Mustang-Jim,Jen,Becky
Tue 
05/01/2007 15:38:38
 jim  BoulderDam,NV-Lake-Becky,Dustin
Tue 
05/01/2007 14:52:10
 jim  BoulderDam,NV-Jen,Becky,Dustin
Tue 
05/01/2007 13:36:55
 jim  Forms
Individual capacity:

State of Nevada
County of ______________
This instrument was acknowledged before me
on ______________________
by.............(name of person).......

(Notary stamp)
________________________
(Signature of notarial officer)

The following format and wording are sufficient for an acknowledgment containing a power of attorney:

State of Nevada
County of ___________
This instrument was acknowledged before me on .........(date)..............
by...............(name of person receiving power of attorney).............
as attorney in fact
for ...........(name of principal/person whose name is in the document).................

(Notary Stamp)
_________________________
(Signature of notarial officer)

The following format and wording are sufficient for an acknowledgment in a representative capacity:

State of Nevada
County of ___________
This instrument was acknowledged before me
on ..........(date).........
by ..........(name(s) of person(s))..........
as ..........(type of authority, e.g. president, trustee, etc.)..........
of ..........(name of party on behalf of whom instrument was executed)..........

(Notary stamp)
_______________________
(Signature of notarial officer)

Subscribing witness/Signature Witness:
If a document signer cannot personally appear before a notary, a subscribing witness may bring the document to the notary and swear or affirm that the signature is that of the document signer. The subscribing witness had to be present when the document was signed, and you are notarizing the subscribing witness' signature -- not the document signer's. This form of notarization can be used in those rare instances when the notary was not present at the time of signing. Only documents requiring an acknowledgment can be notarized through a subscribing witness. Any document requiring an oath or affirmation (like an affidavit) cannot be notarized in this manner.
To guard against fraud, you must personally know the subscribing witness.
You give the subscribing witness an oath in which he or she swears or affirms that the signature is that of the document signer's and then you complete a subscribing witness jurat.
The subscribing witness then signs the jurat in your presence.
The following format and wording are sufficient for a jurat of a subscribing witness:

State of Nevada
County of ___________
On..........(date),
..................(name of subscribing witness).........
personally appeared before me, whom I know to be the person who signed this jurat of a subscribing witness while under oath,
and swears that he or she was present and witnessed
.........(signer of the document)....... sign his or her name to the above document. ...................................... (Signature of subscribing witness)
Signed and sworn before me
on ......(date)....
by ............( name subscribing witness).......
(Notary Stamp)
_________________________
(Signature of notarial officer)

Certify copies:
As a notarial officer, you may photocopy a document if it is presented to you.
The following language is then attached or stamped, if you have such a stamp, to each copy.

State of Nevada
County of ___________
I certify that this is a true and correct copy of a document in the possession of .......(name of person)........................
Dated __________
(Notary Stamp)
_________________________
(Signature of notarial officer)

Tue 
05/01/2007 09:32:21
 jim  Microsoft Astoria, in so many words
On Monday at Mix '07, Microsoft revealed yet another piece of its puzzling cloud-programming puzzle: "Astoria."
Astoria is a set of patterns and infrastructure for Web data services, explained Pablo Castro, technical lead with Microsoft's database group.
Castro showed off Microsoft's Astoria work during his session on "Accessing Data Services in the Cloud"
on April 30 at the Las Vegas conference.
Astoria as one of a number Microsoft technologies that are designed to allow users to make their data
available over the Web via a REST interface and using open formats such as XML, JSON or RDF.
Astoria is built on top of Microsoft's ADO.Net Entity Framework.
Developer Division General Manager Scott Guthrie's "layperson's explanation" of the framework
(provided at my request):
The entity framework allows you to model data in a database.
The entity framework is designed to make it easier for developers to model, publish and program against
their data over the Web.
COMMENTS:
What the $^*%$%#?
Isn't EVERYTHING a set of patterns and infrastructure for something?
I still don't know what Astoria does different (besides creating new buzz words)

I guess what they are really saying is Astoria makes it easier for web programmers to access data
I think one of the most annoying things about working with computer techs these days is
they just don't know how to talk to people.
This is how I sum up the above article (in my mind)
1-First I boil down all of the synonyms
   ASP=The old BASIC language with commands for the internet
   ADO=The old BASIC language with commands for accessing data
   XML=The old FILE structure with a different way of storing its DATA.
   JSON=The old FILE structure with a different way of storing its DATA.
   RDF=The old FILE structure with a different way of storing its DATA.
   REST=Another way to let the old basic talk to microsofts new commands.
   Microsoft's ADO.Net Entity Framework=ADO=The old Basic language.
   The old BASIC language = a computer language.
2-I take out all of the ridiculous statements
   Accessing Data Services in the Cloud
3-I reread everything that was said and I sum it up.
   Microsoft introduces Astoria.
   Astoria gives Basic easier ways to access data on the web.
4-And I understand.

What really gets me is these people get paid highly for talking crap, inventing new words, and embelleshing old stuff.
I don't care how you slice and dice it.
Computers still do three things and its simple:
-Find out what you want
-Get data if necessary
-Show the result.
When I dropped out of the mainstream of computer technologies I realized a few things
Computer languages were popping up everywhere.
New words were being invented.
If a new version of something was created, developers gave it a new name instead of a new version number.
Now we have a million new words, most of which have died (like the old versions numbers did).
Now, instead of having BASIC 2007x, we have ASP, ASP.NET, VB, VBScript and a slew of other names.
The addins in the old days, (like XML,SQL,ADO) we'd just call libraries. To upgrade, you changed 1 line of code.
Its become more complicated, not because it is more complicated, but because developers got confused.
It all should have gotten simpler.
When Windows 3.0 came out, it was truly different.
When Windows 95 came out, it acted  like an improved Windows 3.0 with items moved around or renamed.
When Windows 98 came out, it acteded like Windows 95 with things moved around.
The same holds true for 98SE, NT, Windows 2000, Millenium, XP, Longhorn and Vista.
They're all just different just improved versions of Windows, aren't they? Why don't the names reflect that?
The names should reflect the product's origin. At least say Windows Vista.
When Basic came out in the 60's it was incredibly easy to learn
It stayed that way for 2 decades.
Then Microsoft came up with Visual Basic and you had to rewrite everything.
Then it came up with VB 3.0 and you had to rewrite everything.
Then it came up with VB 4.0 and you had to rewrite everything.
Then it came up with ASP and you had to rewrite everything.
Then it came up with ASP.NET and you had to rewrite everything.
For 20 years, you didn't have to rewrite anything.
COBOL is/was the same way.
You didn't have to rewrite anything.
It was sweet.
Mon 
04/30/2007 22:36:56
 jim  Yellowbook.com is late
They seem to have a lot of problems.
In light of that, I signed up for:
- Msn.Com Yellow Page Listings (superpages.com)
- Yahoo Yellow Page Listings
Hopefully, we'll get a few hits a month from those sites.
Mon 
04/30/2007 09:44:31
 jim  Things I may never know
Does nature have any rules that are absolute?
Birth
Was I really nothing before I was born?
I know life comes from life. I know my components existed on the planet before I was assembled.
The odds of me being alive are highly improbable, yet, here I am.
If life on this planet was started by a god, then what started his life?
Time
Will time travel ever be possible?
Would you actually have to reverse the actions of everything in the entire universe to travel back into time.
From our current perspective in life, the past had to happen exactly the way it did. There is nothing random about it.
Did we ever actually have any choices?
Can we prove the future exists?
Is time being replayed right now? How would we know?
Are we stuck with all that we have done?
A million years from now, what will become of the 30 trillion life forms that make up my body?
Consciousness
Do rocks have consciousness? Does the universe? Does a self replicating molecule? Do we?
What is the purpose of life and why is it so persistant?
Exactly, why are people better than any other life form on this planet? I hope its not because we can kill everything else.
Humanity
We've only been here a short time. The hard part of creating our species has been accomplished by nature.
Will our species become extinct to another species?
Will mankind destroy itself?
Will mankind every conquer the effects of aging?
Will mankind ever increase its lifespan to a million years?
Will it be possible someday to transfer the information in our brains?
Sun 
04/29/2007 09:05:59
 jim  The land near Sunrise Mountain
A trash dump that turned into an environmental nightmare in 1998 is finally headed for closure after eight years of impasses. But closure might come with an increase in local garbage bills to fund the final $20 million of cleanup work.
Once a settlement is reached and the site is finally covered with two feet of earth and rocks, the county intends to end its lease of the land from the Bureau of Land Management and acquire the property.
The wash empties into Lake Mead, the valley's primary drinking water supply. Authorities feared that toxic compounds and metals buried in the dump might escape into groundwater layers and eventually Lake Mead. Months before the flood, in April 1998, nearby residents complained about the rotten-egg smell of hydrogen sulfide gas emanating from the dump in concentrations hundreds of times higher than are considered safe. During a visit to the site that month, Sen. Harry Reid, D-Nev., said he had "never smelled a toilet this bad."
Sat 
04/28/2007 13:23:34
 jim  Our house depreciated 3.8% last year
The house appraised at $250,000 instead of $270,000.
Last year, it appraised at $260,000, so it depreciated $10,000 (4%) in one year.
Personally, I think a house should cost no more than 4 times a persons annual income.
The results are good though.
We will get some cash out.
The housepayment will drop $150 a month.
The mortgage will be payed out of our rental income instead of my savings.
Its all well and good.
Fri 
04/27/2007 04:52:29
 jim  Back from Disneyland. We had a great time!
The trip up was a breeze. I followed Paul all the way.
We both got their in just under 4 hours on 3/4's of a tank.
My scheme to get annual tickets didn't work, but it cost nothing to try.
We got two, two-day passes for the same price at the gate.
The Will Call booth gave me a rough time about my Nevada Drivers License.
I couldn't believe the agent was talking Disney techno talk to me.
She said I'd have to bring my apartment's lease agreement with me, because anyone could print business cards.
She said the 'Bank' might approve it if I talked to the manager, but I'd have to buy tickets to take to the Bank.
However, if someone was with us that had California ID, they could've have bought our 2 annual passes for us.
Its was all pretty strange. The logic seemed flawed in all directions.
The Californian Adventure.
I was surprised about the park. I thought it was supposed to have an adult theme to it.
From the start, Paul and I split off from the group.
It had one decent rollar coaster (it had a really nice launch technique).
We actually got Jennifer to ride a tiny roller coaster with us.
Jennifer didn't know it, but through out the two day trip, it had the roughest roller coaster ride.
The day passed, and we wrode everything we wanted to ride.
The most interesting looking of all the rides was the Haunted Hotel.
It turned out to be a glorified elevator.
The best ride of all was the Omnimax like motion simulator. It lifts you up and you feel like your flying of the ocean and through the mountains. It even through in 2 smells.
I held up alright for only having 2 hours sleep the night before.
We stayed the night with Paul, GMa, Jennifer and Dustin at a Sheraton.
I think Paul paid $190 for the room, but I couldn't chip in. I budgeted a one day trip at $200, 2 days at $400.
They offered to share their beds with us, but, I slept on the floor anyway. It just felt more natural to me.
Actually, I didn't care where I slept. My feet felt like BRICKS.
Becky and I got an extra blanket and slept together for awhile, but I couldn't stay asleep.
I got up at 2am, went outside and enjoyed California's night air, then watched "Independance Day".
When I got back at 4am, Becky was sleeping with GMa, Paul looked content in his bed, and I passed on the floor
I could barely walk. Sleep was nice.
We spent Thursday at Disneyland.
We started to spend the day together as a group, but Jennifer started crying in deathly fear about riding Space Mountain.
I just wanted to have fun, and didn't want to have to deal with those irrational fears, after all 8 year old kids were riding the ride. So, Paul and I took off. We wrode most of the major attractions in 3 hours.
Paul and I wrode Space Mountain, Big Thunder, The Matterhorn, Mr Toads Wild Adventure, Pirates of the Carribbean, and The Haunted Mansion.
Becky, GMa and the kids road watched Innovations, road Mr Toad and Snowwhite Adventures.
We connected later, and wrode Pirates of the Carribean and Haunted Mansion again.
Almost all of us rode Star Tours, Indiana Jones, Honey I Shrunk the Kids, Jungle Cruise.
Dustin, Paul and I capped off the day by riding Space Mountain one last time.
Splash Mountain was closed, and I never noticed Buzz Lightyears Astro Blasters.
All-in-all, we pretty much experienced the best rides that Disney had to offer.
Driving home was breeze.
Except for the usual freeway delays, we drove 80mph most the way, stopping only at Cajun Pass to let the top down.
The trip takes less than four hours, one way.
Cutting through California's freeway traffic is a breeze in a convertable...
Hehehe...I only got flipped off once after squeezing in between a tailgater and the car in front of him.
What can I say, I put on my blinker, looked directly at him, and still, he wouldn't give me enough room to change lanes safely. I guess some people enjoy at risking other people's life.
To sum it all up - We all had a great time.
The whole trip cost me around $400. It probably cost Paul around $900.
The driving up and back was great.  
I'd say cramming that much into 2 days was making us cranky. I know I was starting to feel edgy.
When we got home at 10:30pm, my blistered feet were swollen, and my head felt like I'd had a bottle of Jack Daniels.
I'll take a couple of days to recover.
But the pleasure far exceeded the pain.
I'd do again in a heart-beat!
Fri 
04/27/2007 12:36:07
 jim   (Reply)..Back from Disneyland.
We drove the 97 Mustang Convertible. It was very FUNctional! It got 25mpg, was very maneuverable and I trust it now at high speeds. Driving it was like being in a star attraction at Disneyland.
Its turning out to be a great little car, even if it is, haha, 'A Ford'.
The kids seemed to love it.
Dustin rode several of the rides with me and Paul. Jennifer preffered riding between me and Becky.
btw-I know thats bad English to say 'me and someone', but, if everyone says it, who am I to be proper.
Everytime a ride would drop 5 feet, Jennifer would pull me close and shake.
I thought that was cuter than a Blue Ribbon Pig at the Livingston County Fair.
There was a lot of hugs and hand holdings throughout the whole event.
When you come in October, we'd like to bump heads with you in Los Angeles.
I think that would be the greatest of hooters.
Why October?
Wed 
04/25/2007 14:37:01
 jim  LA,CA-CaliforniaAdventure-Jim
Tue 
04/24/2007 21:43:01
 jim  Terrible Herbst has the BEST FOOD
We ate at the Bougainvillea Restaurant and it, TRULY, has the best steaks in Las Vegas.
What a deal too!
Sonny had a a 16 ounce T-Bone steak for $9.99.
I had a 12 ounce New York Steak for $12.99
Becky had a 12 ounce Prime Rib for $12.99.
Each dinner came with
- fresh steamed vegetables...they were great!
- Baked potato or mashed pototoes....they were....well...you know, potatoes.
- And the steaks and prime rib were perfectly cooked...exactly the way we asked.
Mine New York steak was medium rare.
It had charred lines on the outside, and was tender in the middle.
And people...it actually smelled like a steak.
Sonny's TBone was well done, and they burned it.
Thats exactly what he wanted.
Becky's prime rib was well done.
That always goes against my better judgement, but it came out really good.
The au jus was unique.
Terrible Herbst also has their own brand of steak sauce.
Its mainly ketchup, worcestorshire sauce and cayenne pepper.
It is spicy hot.
I've lived in Las Vegas now for 32 years.
They used to have $1 steaks everywhere here.
They tasted wonderful and were usually every bit as good as a charcoal grilled steak.
Somehow over the years, steaks got more expensive, and they lost their aroma.
Something else I've noticed: Clam steamers are hard to find anymore.
I used to order them a lot. I'd even find them on menus at local bars.
They were a specialty at the Port Tack, Starboard Tack, and Clamdigger restaurants.
Now they are hard to find anywhere, even in California and Florida.
I miss clams! I love clams!
WHAT'S HAPPENING TO OUR CLAMS!!!
Bring back the clams
bwahahaha

Tue 
04/24/2007 15:43:30
 jim  Scarey Stories from HELL

Maybe we saw The Andromeda Strain a few too many times in our formative years, but we can't help shivering when we hear about microbiologists reanimating long-dormant lethal viruses.
And those biologists working to make human limbs grow back: Haven't we seen that film? Don't the guys in lab coats all die in the first reel? They may sound cinematic, but the incredible research projects on the following pages are not imaginary. They're real, funded ventures by respected scientists. They have perfectly rational goals. They also happen to creep us out. Continue reading below for six of the scariest ideas in science.
Check out Popular Science
Tue 
04/24/2007 10:40:18
 jim  TuleSprings,NV-Becky,Jen
Tue 
04/24/2007 01:00:00
 jim  ..Disneyland
So true. Californians are magicians.
Nevadan's owe so much too our California friends for buying desert land.
They've turned this rock and sand into GOLD.
Even Arnold Swartzenhagger has a house down the road!
BTW - I mentioned that I had signed up to be a loan officer with some company and that turned out to be just another MLM hustle. He said it sounded like I was talking about World Loan Corporation.
He said they were sued out of existance, lol.
What was really very nice about these loan people is...
They said they needed mobile notaries badly!!!
He said they could never find a mobile notary after 6pm. They can't notarize their own documents.
I told him, hey, I can be anywhere in 20 minutes.
Just calls us (I gave him 10 of our business cards). I told him after this week, we'd be ready for anything.
Tue 
04/24/2007 15:34:44
 jim   (Reply)Disneyland
We're taking off tommorrow. Gotta get up early in the morning.
I feel weird, making us CA residents to get 50% off an annual pass.
But then again, it cost the same as two tickets...bwahahahahahaha!!!
I am SO BBBBBAAAAAaaaaaaaddddddd...
Tue 
04/24/2007 15:46:07
 jim   (Reply)...RE:Disneyland
We're new residents of:
City Place Apts, 801 E Walnut St, #201, Pasedena, CA 91101  for a $1,455 (1 bedroom apartment) hahahaha.
Life was so much cheaper in Vegas...hahaha.
Anyway, Disney said all I needed to do was show the credit card I used to purchase the tickets with, show my online ticket voucher with barcode and some sort of picture ID.
We did something like this in Orlando for the Universal Studio 3 month pass.
When we got those passes, we didn't have Florida ID. All I had was a sweet, sweet story to tell...
But if it doesn't work, I'll cancel the transaction and just get two tickets.
If it does work, I'm in for 2 (1 year passes) to Disneyland and California Adventure...
Mon 
04/23/2007 21:46:25
 jim  I love you too sugar booger!
I Love you too Becky Babe
I think we'll have fun tommorrow at Tule Springs
Disneyland should be a blast too, Wednesday.



I love Las Vegas Realestate!!!!
Don't you?


Mon 
04/23/2007 17:45:38
 jim  Vegas,NV-Gabriel-Rainbow
Mon 
04/23/2007 17:45:38
 jim   (Reply)Vegas,NV-Gabriel-Rainbow
Mon 
04/23/2007 10:32:11
 jim  Oak Hill Mortgage Loan
Donny
Cell : 702-743-4258
Monday at 10am, will meet Jake or Zack.
Will verify on Saturday.
Says $902. $40,000 cash out. Balance will be $236,000 (80%)
Sounds good to me!
Mon 
04/23/2007 10:03:50
 jim  Zap2It.com seems to be the TV Guide leader
Zap2it - Seems to be where most TV Guide providers get there information from.
Zap2it.com TV news, ratings and guide to television shows
Zap2it.com TV listings for broadcast, cable and satellite television

Mon 
04/23/2007 03:53:52
 jim  Vegas,NV-Gma-Drama
Sat 
04/21/2007 15:20:48
 jim  SunsetPark,NV-Becky,Dustin,Jennifer
Fri 
04/20/2007 11:56:24
 jim  Freezing cold outside. Is 60, feels 30

Vegas weather is SO FLAKEY!
One day its hot, the next day its not.
Of all my odd observations, how people respond to the weather ranks on top.
When I cruise the Strip, I see people walking around in ski jackets, right next to people wearing tank tops.
  We'll be riding around in the Mustang with the top down, Becky will have the heat turned on, Jennifer and I will be marrily riding along, and Dustin will be in the back looking like he's in Greenland. 
I have been a Polar Bear Club wannabe forever.
That is to say, I've skinny dipped in a non heated pool on a cold Kentucky winter's night. What a blast!
But I'd like to think I'm normal in a few ways.
My question is...is 75 degrees HOT, or is it COLD?
Thu 
04/19/2007 23:36:23
 jim  I found Jack, (one of my old friends) too.
We first met in Kentucky.
HE WAS BORN IN KENTUCKY TOO!!!
But I have no idea who this other guy is.
Tue 
04/17/2007 18:40:16
 jim  More One Liners
If Daddy dies, we'll be in Heaven.
I'll take Police Brutality for $20 million Alex.
Brides thoughts at a wedding: Aisle, Alter, Hymm.
Law of Thermodynamics:  Everything gets worse under pressure
Congressmen should have a two term limit: 1 in office, 1 in jail.
Statistical fact : Half of all marriages end in divorce. The other half end in death.
Physics: Stress = unit of force per unit area. People: Stress = To force of physics on people.
Mob Restaurant Menu Item : Blackened Bluefish, well battered
Tue 
04/17/2007 11:55:44
 jim  BoulderCity-Carnival,Dustin-FreezingToDeath
Mon 
04/16/2007 04:52:51
 jim  My Observations
Fear is based on pessimism.
Our consciousness begins and ends with life.
Everything has a cycle.
Nothing is ever wasted.
Nothing ever happens exactly the same way twice.
There can only be one outcome for the past.
There is only one future, and it is set. We just don't know what it will be yet.
Everything has a purpose. Everything is important.
Once an event happens, it has served its purpose. Once our life ends, we have served our purpose.
While it may be possible to be reborn, it is highly unlikely.
The present is when everything changes from a perfect chaos into a perfect order.
Time, space, matter and energy are boundless. They can only be measured relatively.
Light traveling toward light must be going twice the speed of light.
Inertia is the glue that holds everything together.
Friction is the force required for one mass to displace another.
Friction is the result of coherency.
A butterfly's wings has never caused a hurricane in Florida. That is insane.
Nothing ever happens in reverse.
Any new action depends on everything in the past happening exactly as it did.
Time travel only exists in fiction.
Math, if played with long enough, can be made to explain even the most ridiculous concept.
Math is set of rules for calculations done on paper.
The first thought of the universe had to be "I am". Even god had to be shocked.
The first thought for any normal person had to be "I am". The last thought should be "I am not".
Sun 
04/15/2007 01:25:29
 jim  300 was a pretty decent movie
Nah, we didn't spend the usual $40 we'd spend in a walk-in theatre.
We spent $12 at the Vegas 5 drive-ins.
Gosh I'm cheap! But with that admission, you can watch any 2 movies!!!
Of course, you're not supposed to hop movies, but they'll tell you right up front, that's what most of the cheap people do.
The music comes in through your car's FM stereo, so you can blast it if you want.
And here's a kicker, we brought our own Starbucks Coffee.
I suppose we could have brought our own whiskey, gotten all slap silly drunk and stayed all night if we wanted.
Now do that at a walkin movie. I dare ya.
It was great! I just love the drive-ins.
We got cozy in the back seat of the Mustang
- we had the convertable top down
- we were all laid back
- our feet were kicked up.
- and we were snuggling like young lovers.
Try any of that in a walkin movie.
We didn't do hickeys like in the old days. At our age they take a year to heal!
The refreshments at the snack bar were reasonable too .
$7 bought 2 Nathan hot dawg lookin things and one huge 20 gallon coke.
And the best part of it all...
You can record it all on your camcorder,
Sell the recording and maybe pay for your kid's college tuition.
Just kidding...hahahaha!
Fri 
04/13/2007 19:11:01
 jim  Vegas,NV-JennifersBDay,Gma
Fri 
04/13/2007 17:40:44
 jim  We are learning each time we go out.
This was our second Notary and once again, the right wording wasn't on the document(s).
So, after clumsily sifting through mounds and mounds of internet garbage about the proper way of notarizing,
I realized that most notaries don't have a clue as to what they are doing.
They're just running the bases.
If they can't right it down, then they probably don't understand it.
So we should do great.
I read a lot about loose certificates.
Nowhere on the internet is there an example of one.
You can buy them from NNA, but why, if you could just print them up.
I also read about certificate stamps.
Nowhere on the internet can you buy one. I had to get some made up.
This is a very gray (or grey) business we're stumbled into.
Its hard to find good documentation on anything.
They say you shouldn't have to read a document.
It shouldn't have any blanks.
It should have the correct notarization verbage. If it doesn't state it, ask the customer...but how many people do we know that knows the meaning of the words like:
JURAT, or ACKNOWLEGEMENT, or that some ACKNOWLEGEMENTs need JURATS...lol.
Fri 
04/13/2007 11:22:41
 jim  Did our first actual notary
We started at 10:00 am and got home at 11:45am.
We made $60. Not bad!
It was a blast. The gate security at Georgia Pacific knew we were coming and let us right through.
PLUS: Best Rate Lending called for an $80 notary on Monday.
What's odd about that is another agent at Best Rate was going to call me on Monday for a refinance.
We were in the spaghetti bowl when he called, and I thought it was for the refinance...oops.
I could hardly hear because of all the road noise and told "Brian" I would call him back in 20 minutes.
I did, but by then, he'd already found someone else...
: (
Its all well and good though.
I've noticed that its probably going to be pretty common for documents not to have the notary certificate wording on them.
I'm going to order stamps from Office Max with Copy Certificate, Jurat and Acknowledment wording.
Plus, for the heck of it, I should bang out a document, take it to Post Office Express, and see how they handle documents without the notarial certificate.
Wed 
04/11/2007 13:02:46
 jim  ...car:I like Honda Accords
There, that should be better!
Nice Car Mikey.
Wed 
04/11/2007 13:02:46
 jim   (Reply).car:I like Honda Accords
They're nice, reliable vehicles.
I just bought a new gas cap for the Ford Mustang.
Turns out the owner of the Brakes Plus place was right, a bad gas cap can cause emissions systems failure (or more importantly, the check engine light to come on).
Gas caps these days aren't just caps.
They have a check valve in them, allowing air to come into the tank, but not leave it (unless its over a certain pressure).
It figures doesn't. These days, even gas caps are complex....
hahahha.
Wed 
04/11/2007 13:01:51
 jim  .On the picture of the hand, where’s the ....
Yea.
<======= They should look something like this.
Wed 
04/11/2007 10:24:16
 jim  Take a Brake Break - from Brakes Plus
$760 for all four brakes. That sounds terrible to me, but they sounded so bad.
The rotors looked terrible.
I told them Mr Brake replaced the front brakes 2 years ago, and they have a lifetime warrentee on them.
But I also told them, Mr Brake should probably be called Mr Break.
They said they'd toss in the front rotors. Which would have been $220 more.
Sonny's footing the bill, which is darned decent of him.
I'm going to spring for a new stereo in that truck.
The last one got stolen 2 weeks ago.
Wed 
04/11/2007 06:19:53
 jim  My sister is saving me.
She's trying to save me from Hell.
While her actions are noble, they aren't realistic.
Thats because I don't believe in Hell.
She repulsed me from any of the monotheistic beliefs (either of the Abrahamic, Jewish, Christian, or Islamic persuasions) with her evangelistic proselytisms, forty years ago.
She believes she's a devout Christian. She will do what ever her pastor tells her to do.
I owe a lot to my sister.
She inspired me to read the Bible at a very young age, just to verify half the things she dribbled out.
I doubt she really, really, read any of it. She just quoted it, out of text too, which is pretty meaningless.
Personally, and this is just my beliefs,
I think the notion of Hell should be sold with children's books, right next to the stories of Santa and the Easter Bunny.
I'd hope most people on this planet don't believe there's a red devil, with bull horns, cloven hoofs, and a pointy tail. That's just disfunctional. Nothing with hoofs has hands. LOL. 
And whats with the pitch fork? Did  he work on a farm? LOL.
Is that the best tool he could find to pitch bad people into hell with? LOL.
I would have used a hay bailer, but they weren't invented yet.
The devil looks like a character in a poorly written DC comic book and his concept just doesn't make any sense.
If this creature were born on a farm, it would be veal cutlets the next day.
The whole concept is just plain ol' dumb!
And I am sorry fo the adult who says these things to other adults, with either love or hate in their eyes.
They are the ones who are lost.
If you want to find god, just look in the mirror.
Figure out exactly what it is you see.
Maybe you'll see that we are devices, built from smaller devices, built from even smaller devices.
The more you learn, the more you'll realize that you don't know much at all, and that you can't quote god.
You are one of god's best works of art, not the other way around.
I would hope that someday, all religions could rejoice in their simularities and not their differences
If one religion has 8 gods, and another has 1 god, and yet another has a messenger, a god and a spirit,
they should all rejoice in that, because they all believe in a high power of some kind.
Mon 
04/09/2007 19:36:05
 jim  I am really grateful for this wonderful life.
I didn't earn this life, but still, I am here and I really do appreciate it.
It doesn't matter to me if I there is an afterlife or not.
If there is an afterlife, I'll know it the second after I die.
If there isn't an afterlife, then I'll go back to in the oblivion I came from.
 I just want to say, thanks, to what ever gave this life to me.
I know I'm not smart enough to know God. I know no man is, though many say they do.
Ever day, when I learn, I discover all the things I don't know.
Every breath I take, is a debt I owe to the creator.
I'm no more important than a bird, dog, insect, plant or rock.
Everything is important. Everything leaves a trace.
But like I said, I didn't earn this life, and I would be ungrateful to expect more than I've already had.
I won't pray for anyone either. I will help them, and when I need help, I don't want prayer, I want help.
And if I hurt someone, I won't ask god for forgiveness. I will ask them, and I will try to repair the damage.
I won't ask Jesus to save me, and I won't ask any God to save me.
I'm grateful, not greedy.
I don't want a gold castle in the sky, or pastures of green when I die.
I don't care what anyone says about the after life.
If they go on belief without evidence, they deserve to be called sheep.

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