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Random tidbits about me: I'm a Pisces
I don't hold any belief in the Zodiac stuff
But I do love water: swimming, scuba diving, hot tubs
Actually, I like most things outdoors
I often forget to change the air filters on my HVAC monthly
People often tell me they like my eyes, but I think it's a plot
I am continually amazed by how many people I barely know remark about my posts
I love the Internet
Rich Lassiter's Web Surfin' Blog
Blogging, Facebook, Twitter 2:26:00 AM
Wednesday, June 10, 2009
Wow...really? October was the last time I updated this blog? That's a long time. My computer life has changed dramatically over the last two years...I got married, and that takes away a lot of time I used to have alone at the computer when I was single. I also got a blackberry, and I spend more time reading/deleting emails on there than sitting down at the computer. Also, facebook took off, and it seems to be a much better network of sharing photos and information with people than the 'old' method of blogging. OLD...jeez...how old is this method? I think I bought the domain around 10 years ago. My how my life has changed during that time! And how the internet and its usage has changed. I'm finally excited about getting an iPod. I have had many mp3 players, but I have never owned an iPod. Currently, I use Slacker on my Blackberry for music...it's great. I have an Eminem channel for working out, a Widespread channel for snowboarding, and a U2 channel I play at work. It's free, it hardly drains the battery, and I get new music every time I sync to the internet! But, I digress. Back to getting an iPod. Overall, I'm happy with my Blackberry except for one thing: The coverage blows at my house. Seeing as I hardly can use the phone where I spent the bulk of my time, it does seem a bit of a problem. So, Apple's introduced their newest phone, the iPhone 3GS, which I plan on buying ASAP. Apparently, AT&T has coverage issues around the nation, but it works decent at my house (I tested a friend's). I was just holding out for the next gen phone. I'll pay the early term fee from Verizon. I'm pretty stoked about having that new phone, and my first iPod. :)
I think that I can use some twitter applications for the iPhone to update FB, twitter and this all at the same time. Maybe I'll get around to overhauling this website. Yeah, right. I'll add that to my list of things to do, right behind edit pics from China and cleaning up the office and converting all my DVD movies to the backup server.
Star Wars Lights Up the Pumpkin Patch 2:19:00 AM
Sunday, October 26, 2008
Sweet Star Wars pumpkin carving article @ Wired.com
Stuff White People Like 6:12:00 PM
Saturday, October 25, 2008
I'm not afraid to say it, "I'm white, and I like Ultimate Frisbee."
Apparently there was a jab about Paris Hilton by McCain the other week. Apparently Paris posted a video at Funny or Die in response. I'm impressed she was able to articulate so well! Also at Funny or Die you can find this nice little ditty about Sarah Palin.
GoodGuide | Home 12:28:00 AM
Friday, September 12, 2008
GoodGuide Looks like a cool new website to help you choose which products are safe and green. I haven't spent much time at it yet, but check it out. Let me know what you think.
Which brings me to my next point. My wife and I have had a few discussions about who to elect and why. She's decidedly pro-Obama, and I have been thus far undecided. I took a little quiz at GlassBooth.Org to help me figure out which is the candidate that best represents my opinions. The reason I can't decide is they're all pretty close! Based on my input, I agree with Obama on 68%, McCain on 61%, and Nader on 59% ! No wonder I'm indifferent! there's hardly a difference on the issues I care about. This is fortunate for me, because I think our country can't go substantially wrong no matter which of these two is elected. That being said, vice presidents may change my opinion. Check out GlassBooth.Org or Project Vote Smart to help make educated decisions on the upcoming elections.
No More Credit Card Offers! 11:29:00 AM
Sunday, August 17, 2008
Wanna stop getting all those 'pre-approved' offers for your mortgage and new credit cards? It'll take you about 30 seconds to fill out the form on this website that will keep you off the list for 5 years. If you want to be permanently removed, you have to print off and mail in a form. OptOutPrescreen.com
Obamanomics Is a Recipe for Recession - WSJ.com 12:05:00 PM
Sunday, August 03, 2008
Yikes! This proposed tax rate increase is enough to make you not want to work in this country! Maybe if Obama is elected, there will be enough disincentive to work here that my sister will get her wish, and I'll move to Australia. By increasing the high tax bracket to 40%, and raising the Social Security dropoff, we could pay as much as 62.8% in taxes! In other words, keeping only 37 cents for every dollar I earn! Obamanomics Is a Recipe for Recession - WSJ.com
I'm proud of my sister 11:20:00 AM
Wednesday, July 30, 2008
My sister is participating in something called the '40 Hour Famine' again this year. It's a fund and awareness-raising event in Australia. This is the third year she's done it, but I think the first year I've been able to donate (because it's set up for Australians, the website isn't really made for US folks). This year, she provided me more specific instructions, well in advance. At any rate, Child Labor is the theme for this year. You can learn about it at the link below. If you feel so inclined to donate in her name, she's doing it through her church. You'll probably need her 'book number: 28194515-4' and also her address: 330 New Street, Brighton, Victoria 3186.
My sister and I used to love this cartoon growing up. I have to imagine that I've seen all the Merry Melodies. Do they still play these anymore? Classic Cartoons. So much better than the Pokemon sort of stuff of today.
My new wheels 5:22:00 AM
Sunday, July 27, 2008
So, this is my first attempt at mobile blogging. It's also the first picture of the car. I need to take another one with the top off, but it's already rained and I need to wash it!
Yeah...this didn't exactly work like it was supposed to. I'm manually pasting in the photo. Hopefully I can get the mobile blogger to work right, and more easily update this site!
Test 4:10:00 AM
Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerry
BBC NEWS 4:05:00 AM
Saturday, July 26, 2008
So, I think the BBC has more unbiased news on the goings on in our country than any other news source. I wonder if British ppl think that CNN has unbiased news of the UK? While you're pondering that, try and learn which presidential hopeful seems the least dishonest. BBC NEWS | US candidates practise their U-turns
JibJab does it again 11:15:00 PM
Thursday, July 24, 2008
Many of you will remember this political cartoon from the Bush v Kerry contest in 2004. Well, the guys at JibJab have done it again, and created a new parody for the 2008 election. It's really quite clever, you can find it here: JibJab - Time for Some Campaignin'. While still on the happy side of life, I finally bought a new car. Yesterday, I picked up a brand new 335i convertible! I'm really stoked. I test drove a handful of sports convertibles, but this seemed to have the best of all worlds. I'm gonna keep the jeep, but turn the BMW into my everyday driver. I've had my Wrangler for 12 yrs, so I can't really part with it. My plan is to take the doors and top off and keep it for drives. However, with the bimmer's 300HP/300 foot-lbs of torque, it's SO much fun, the Jeep has some real competition.
Southwest Road Trip 11:53:00 AM
Friday, July 18, 2008
Carrie and I decided to drive my jeep up to Colorado Springs for the wedding of one of her cousins. I wound up with a few days off, and we wanted to go camping. So, we packed up the jeep with camping gear, wedding attire, and the puppy (about 10 mos old now), and headed off. It didn't turn out exactly as planned. My jeep had been slow to start for a while. I actually don't remember when it started up quickly, but it seems to have been getting longer. It was taking up to 7 secs or so to start after I turned the ignition. On Friday night (in Colorado Springs), it took about 12 seconds, the longest it's ever taken, and I got worried and was talking with Carrie's family about this in Colorado Springs. A lot of them are mechanically inclined (her dad was an mechanic in the Air Force and her uncle apparently does his own car work, etc). We had a discussion about whether the problem was fuel or fire. Seems the fire was OK b/c it ran fine, the plugs were brand new, and the problem was only with starting. Eventually we settled on a fuel problem, and they thought the fuel pump might be going bad. Well, having sustained a roadside fuel pump failure before, they got me worried enough to take it in for service on Saturday (day of the wedding). At the recommendation of a family friend, I took it to Firestone, who diagnosed a dying fuel pump, and put in a new one to the tune of $460. (It was only $300 including towing last time my fuel pump was dead in Tiger, GA? Maybe that time only the fuel pump and not the whole 'assembly' was changed.) Anyways, I was ready to pay that since I wanted the peace of mind of not getting stuck in the middle of the Rockies or some other far-from-civilization place. So, after the family picnic on Sunday, I started up the jeep and it took 12 seconds again! I was unsettled that they hadn't fixed the problem, so I took it back and also Carrie's uncle decided to do a little research. Internet searching revealed the fuel pressure regulator to be the problem all along, and not a fuel pump issue. SO, they had to replace the pressure regulator, but none were available in Colorado Springs, so we had to wait until one could come from Denver the next morning. It took until the next afternoon, so instead of leaving Colorado Springs on Sunday at 1pm, as planned, we left on Monday at 5pm. I drove about 120 miles from the Firestone, and stopped to fill up gas in a very small town called Fort Garland, CO. I reset my odometer when I filled up. I got 3.8 mi from the gas station and lost power. I spent the next hour or two talking to her uncle and the mechanic @ Firestone, who is apparently a friend of the family, and tried various things, but eventually we determined the fuel pump was bad. The same brand new fuel pump that was put in 2 previously. So, I experienced precisely what I had delayed a day, and paid $460 to avoid. (Firestone put in the fuel pressure regulator for free since they misdiagnosed the problem initially). However, instead of being able to stay with her family, we had to get towed, and buy a hotel room (we were going to camp that night). We were towed to a town called Alamosa, CO, about 14,000 ppl according to the sheriff we spoke with, a little after 11pm Monday night. There was a Jeep Dealership there, and the next morning they said the fuel pump was broken and looked like it had been installed incorrectly/in a hurry. Again, we had to wait for a part from Denver, so we had to spend ANOTHER night waiting for a part, and another $500. SO, instead of leaving on Sunday, as initially planned, we left on Wednesday, about noon. The bright side is we had the dog with us, so weren't paying more for boarding fees, but it did cost more to board us, since we had to rent a room instead of a campsite. We finally got to camp on Wed night, we went to Canyon de Chelly in NW AZ. It's pronounced Canyon de Shay, and is in the Navajo Nation. We finally drove back home Thursday afternoon. Surprisingly, after the new spark plugs, pump, and pressure regulator, the last two fill-ups have netted me 23.5 mpg instead of the 19-20 I was getting beforehand. I called Firestone to complain, and they said I would see a refund on my credit card. Since they fixed something that worked, well, really they broke something that worked, and cost me three days and a good bit of my vacation, I expect to see that, and I don't expect they'll see me again.
Commentary: How to fix our broken immigration system - CNN.com 12:45:00 AM
Tuesday, June 24, 2008
Commentary: How to fix our broken immigration system - CNN.com This fellow has some great ideas. Meanwhile, at Casa de Lassiter, I just changed the spark plugs in my 97 Jeep Wrangler (TJ) for the first time. It's got 130,000 mi on it, almost every mile driven by me. I'm sure they've been changed before, but I had never done it personally before. I was hoping it would help with slow starting, but there wasn't a dramatic improvement. Carrie's just arrived in Atlanta. She drove across country with her cousin, Karen, and Karen's Chihuahua Jax. I stayed home to work and take care of our dog.
I'm baaaaaack! 12:59:00 AM
Monday, June 02, 2008
Yikes! It's been months since I posted. I've been busy. I got married! I'm gonna start posting again, though, I promise! I'll start with this interesting bit of logic on global warming at YouTube . Also, you can see a little bit about my wedding at the website my wife made: CarrieandRich.WeddingWindow.com
We're working on a more polished wedding presentation. Hopefully I'll get that together soon. So far, married life is great!
Star Wars-Obsessed Rocket Geeks Build and Launch an X-Wing Fighter 1:42:00 PM
Monday, December 10, 2007
Star Wars-Obsessed Rocket Geeks Build and Launch an X-Wing Fighter Are you kidding me!? how funny is this? I love the part in the video where someone says off camera, 'this could be a YouTube video.' After you watch it, there's a link to another shorter video from a different angle that has a better shot.
