Deck the House

Deck the House

Cool Christmas Card

Spare Time

Merry Day After Christmas

Another way to void your iPod warranty

You can't buy this but I did find a way to make it.......

Want to void the warranty on the iPod you got for Christmas

Amazon.com: Books: Hacking iPod and iTunes (ExtremeTech)
You could probably Google iPod Hacks and find a bunch of this info.

New Book

Next book
MCSE Windows XP Professional Exam Cram 2 (Exam Cram 70-270)
This should be an exciting one. I hope that it leads to "Happiness at Work" (see entry below).

The Art Of Happiness At Work

I just finished up "The Art Of Happiness At Work" by The Dalai Lama & Howard Cutler, M.D.

The first page opens with The Dalai Lama being asked "What do you do for a living?" "I do nothing." is his reply. Well if The Dalai Lama is co authoring a book about happiness at work and his claim is that he does nothing for a living he's going to find it a struggle to fill 200 pages on the subject.
Granted this book won't make the "Top 10 Business Books Of All Time" list, there were still a few points worth noting.
1/3 of American worker see financial rewards, rather than the nature of the work itself, as the most important aspect of their jobs. Not surprised by this, just look at Michael Vick's contract signing bonus. When was the last time you heard of a public school teacher receiving any kind of a substantial signing bonus. Are sports a reflection of today's society?????

The Buddhist psychology of having a sense of being grounded in reality. This is because of an intimate connection of how we see ourselves and how we relate to others and the world. Don't worry Mom I'm not converting to Buddhism. Makes sense, that whacked out co worker is probably just as whacked out at the office as they are at the grocery store, home, dentist office etc... etc....

If individuals are confident in recognizing their own positive inner qualities and their skills and knowledge,they don't need to rely so heavily on other praise to supply that feeling of accomplishment. Back to being grounded in reality?????????

The Buddhist concept of right livelyhood is that you strive to engage in an activity that has no potential for being harmful to others, either directly or indirectly. Again Mom don't fret. Sounds kind of like something I learned in Kindergarten, "The Golden Rule"

Christmas is finally here

Christmas arrived this morning at 8:15. I can not believe that my kids, my flesh, my blood can actually sleep till 8:15 on Christmas morning. When I was growing up it was not uncommon (it was more like every Christmas) for me to wake up at 5:00 on Christmas morning. I remember not being able to sleep Christmas Eve night.
We had a full day at my parents. I got a really neat gift from my parents. It was an afghan blanket that my Great Grandmother had made for me. My mom attached a picture of me as a baby laying on that same afghan.
I got some new cuff links, tie and shirt a nice new pen. My sister provided me with some stress relief for the office a 6" Everlast mini punching bag for the office. "H" gave me a set of "Magnetic Poetry" magnets for the office as well.

I got a "How to make ballon animals kit". Here is my first creation. Not bad now I have something to fall back on in case this whole technical gig doesn't work out.

We spent the afternoon eating and watching DVD's Doc Hollywood & Elf

"Goose" got a cordless phone and a chair for her room

Which "BOO Kitty" (the fat one) took over

"H" got a guitar and lessons.

I got an Orange County Chopper shirt

iPodder.org : For everyone that got an iPod for Christmas

iPodder.org :

Here is where to collect your PodCasts. Make sure to download the iPodder software (FREE).

Google Holiday Logos

Google Holiday Logos A collection of all the Google Holiday Logos

Caught Up On Reading

In the last few hours I have managed to get caught up on reading my RSS feeds. I am now under 50 unread posts. "H" is awake and downstairs and I have again lost control of the TV remote.

I went out looking for a new cell phone. I want the new Kyocera KOI. I went to Verizon my current cell provider. They want to charge me full retail on the phone. Hey Verizon I am an existing customer spending $160.00 a month with you, and you can't cut me a deal on a phone. With advertising and processing fees I think it costs more money for for you to get a new customer than to try to keep an existing one.
I guess I will have to keep this in mind when my Verizon contract is up.

Quiet Time Around the House

I enjoy the early mornings, the house is quiet and warm and I have control of the TV remote. We are running up to Clarksville for the day to celebrate Christmas with the family. This will be the first Christmas since I have been married that we will spend at my parents house.
I broke away from work early yesterday to finish shopping, it was the world of lost and clueless husbands out on the road. Us husbands just go store to store look pathetic and stare at the displays and have no idea what to buy.
I have once again pulled off my "I can guess what's my presents are" trick. So far I have correctly guessed a new dress shirt (the French Cuffs gave it away), First season of Seinfeld DVD (easy one to guess) and of course a staple of Christmas JELLY BELLY jelly beans, which is the greatest candy ever made. Every year I can guess what's wrapped and under the tree and every year I nail most of them correctly.

Wired News: How Much for the Clone?

Wired News: How Much for the Clone?
Great now I can have my cat cloned. What we need cloned is the number of cashiers at the grocery store, the number of teachers in our kids schools...................

Are You Going To Have A White Christmas?

Hello Kitty Christmas Tree?

USATODAY.com - Single-serving coffee can heats itself

USATODAY.com - Single-serving coffee can heats itself

Get your coffee fix when ever you need it.

TIME Magazine: People Who Mattered 2004

TIME Magazine: People Who Mattered 2004:

Time Magazine's list is in. Great pictures.

Over at Santa's Depot, you can buy a kit to make a nativity creche out of S'mores.

Get Yours Here

This is what I want for Christmas

Order one today Here

I made a gingerbread motherboard, Martha Stewart eat your heart out.

Every Once In A While

You find a freebie CD in your rent a car
You get up graded to a suite
You get upgraded to first class
Your luggage is the first one on the conveyor belt
And Every Once In A While
You get a rocking hotel room

We stayed in Smithfield VA last night. Not a whole bunch of hotels in the area. We took a shot and made reservation at the Mansion On Main bed and breakfast. I'’ve never stayed at a B&B's while on the road. The main reason is that there aren’'t a whole bunch of frequent stay programs for B&B’s, and being on the road so much the one thing we live for is hotel points and frequent flyer miles. I would rather give you $100.00 than part with any of my membership points. The three of us had the whole house to ourselves.
This house was built in the late 1800’s. Magnificent gardens surround the home. Hardwood floors creak under each step you take. The staircase is at least six feet wide with 4” risers on each step. Our appointment was not until the afternoon, so we had a quick strategy meeting in the parlor. The inn keeper kept us fed with homemade fudge and butterscotch taffy. My bathroom was complete with a claw foot tub surrounded with a brass shower curtain rod. The sink has a hot faucet and a cold faucet; I have yet to figure out how to get warm water. My bed mattress was a good 3 feet off of the floor. I had a beautiful fireplace at the foot of my bed. I slept as if I was at home. I got out of bed around 7:00 to the fresh smells of ham cooking. Breakfast was served at 8:00. We feasted on red grapefruit, eggs & Smithfield ham. We drank fresh orange juice from dainty antique glasses. It was a great way to start the day.
We ate lunch both days at the Smithfield Inn. I had cream of peanut soup at each meal. This had to weigh in at 500 extra calories for each meal. We walked down main street in the evening and dropped into the Ben Franklin variety store. This store was a through back to the late 1960's complete with the fresh cashew tray next to the cash register. I imagine that the lady behind the register had been working there most of her life.
All in all it was one of the best business trips I've ever had.

A quick web cam shot from the airport

In case you have ever wondered what Concourse B at the Atlanta airport looks like here it is. Going to Norfolk VA for the night.

My Latest Idea!!!!!!

Ever since the news has been covering it and my post a few days ago, I have be bombarded with e-mails about laptops and infertility. I am not sure if people are concerned about my health or they are afraid that I will reproduce (again). Taking this information to heart I have designed the worlds first Infertility Shield. This very handy accessory is designed with the road warrior in mind. It keeps all of our essential items close at hand. Now when you see people board the airplane with a laptop, carry on and an Infertility Shield you can thank Frick's World

Christmas Has Come To Frick's World (early)

As you well know we have been having fridge problems the last few days. The repairman showed up this morning only to tell us that the compressor in our 2 year old fridge is dead. Thankfully the only piece in the fridge covered by the warranty is the compressor. Now for the un-thankful part, Mr. Repairman said that it will be sometime next week before he can get a new compressor. The wife is now losing her mind ( I can't blame her, she was doing such a good job at it that I did not feel the need to join in). We have already spent $60.00 on dry ice trying to save $40.00 worth of food. Before we could come up with a plan for our quickly warming food Mr. Repairman calls back to tell us that his dealership is not a certified service depot for our fridge's manufacture. He could still fix it but we would have to pay for it. Yeah Mr. Repairman let me think about this for a moment I could give you a big fat check for an item that is covered under warranty. Thanks but no thanks and by the way have a Merry Christmas. Oh course Mr. Repairman neglected to tell us that they were not authorized when he was here in October and had to charge us for the first repair.
The wife phones the manufacture and gets the number for a local authorized repair center. These guys are closed till Monday. At $20.00 a day for dry ice it was decided to cut our losses and purchase a second fridge for the garage. We have wanted a second fridge for a while I only wish that the decision to buy one did not have to be made in less than 3 minutes.
So Merry Christmas kids, your present is in the garage with a big red bow on it. Now you know why Christmas has come early to Frick's World

"H" Had A Birthday

"H" celebrated his birthday today. We took him and Mr. Mark out to Dave and Busters for a rousing afternoon of video games. "H" scored enough game tickets to buy a basketball. I tried to talk him into the talking TRUMP action figure (it's not a doll it's an action figure). The fact that Dave & Busters is an outlet for this toy is a sure sign that this is not the hot toy for Christmas this year. We then bounded over to McDonald's for a high calorie high fat dinner then back to Frick's World for chocolate football cake.

I dodged a bullet Holidays - Decking The Halls Can Be Dangerous

WSBTV.com - Holidays - Decking The Halls Can Be Dangerous

Saw this on the news this morning. I wonder if removing all of the Christmas decorations after the holidays is dangerous?

6 X 175 = 950

The Christmas tree has landed at Frick's World
950 lights and 18 years worth of ornaments. This is the best tree ever (we say that every year). The tree actually sat in the base straight on the first attempt. The tree/tree stand process usually results in me ending up with a headache.
We only had 3 bad strings of lights. What happens to the lights over a 12 month period while sitting in the basement that causes them to quit working is one of those great mysteries of life.
My general Christmas light theory is as follows: when Christmas is over throw all the lights out with the Fricking tree, then go to the local Walmart and buy new lights during the after Christmas sale for around $1.00 a box. Now every year you have new lights that are guaranteed to work.
Sitting here the aroma of pine is starting to fill the room, its starting to smell a lot like Christmas.
"H" has his first basketball game of the season in the morning followed by his birthday party which includes a trip to Dave & Busters. Sunday entails the relatives coming in for yet another birthday celebration. "H" is going to be so jacked up on sugar he won't know whether to scream or eat a banana.

My $13.00 Solution

XPCGEAR
I have a relatively new laptop and the other day I noticed that I was down 10 Gigs of free hard drive space. I started poking around and found that I had 10 Gig of MP3's and another few Gigs worth of digital photos and of at least 2 Gigs of PowerPoint files. Since my music & pictures are not technically "Work Related" I figured it was futile to asked them to buy me a new bigger hard drive. I was at a dealers the other day and their IT guy was loading up his iPod with a USB hard drive, he said he took one of his old printer hard drives bought an enclosure and BAM he had a 10 Gig USB place to store his tunes. The cobwebs in my brain started breaking loose and I thought I have an old laptop hard drive I might be onto something. Well I found an enclosure for $13.00 and have managed to free up a bunch of hard drive space. Not bad for $13.00 of course I have to forget the $1700.00 that was spent on the laptop from which the hard drive came from.

Its now the wife's turn to be sick. She is bundled up on the sofa under the fleece blanket sedated from the antibiotics the doctor prescribed.

The fridge is on the fritz again. It's only been 6 weeks since it was repaired. I have $20.00 worth of dry ice shoved in it, trying to save the food that's in it. The repairman will be here SOMETIME Saturday. Of course we have to be here for "The Call" when they give us that oh so valuable 2 hour window in which they will be here. When the wife called the repairman, they actually tried to talk her into calling someone else.

Laptops a new form of birth control?

Someone has put time & money into this research.

This round about birth control method may be the reason that our schools are issuing the students laptops.
Between my cell phone being suspect to brain tumors and now this bit of news I am going to start carrying a roll of quarters and an pad and paper.
I can see the male to female conversation transpiring in some smoke filled dimly lit bar "We don't need any protection, I use a laptop everyday".
How long before the first lawsuit shows up with this being the cause?????

Seinfeld: Dictionary

Seinfeld: Dictionary

For the fans of the now defunct Seinfeld show. Here is a dictionary for all of the phrases from the show "Not that there's anything wrong with it"

Dial Up Hell

I believe that I am become an internet snob. I am in a hotel where the WiFi is down so my only connection to the real world is through a 24k phone connection. It took 12 minutes to e-mail a 750k file.
A few quotes form the morning's paper vent section

The best thing about dating a homeless person is at the end of the date you can drop them off anywhere.

If they would make all airport screeners female I would fly more often.

The problem with the gene pool is that there is no lifeguard.

Nothing ruins good parenting like teenagers.

Enjoy reading this story about how the French train their bomb sniffing dogs. At least the French make good toast and fries.

Salvation Army Has Job Openings

I don't know if you have been following the ban of the Salvation Army bell ringers at certain stores around the country. Coupled with that is the fact that the Salvation Army is lacking volunteers that can be stationed at the store that still permit bell ringers. Books-A-Million is the first to receive an automated bell ringer. I wonder how long before someone steals one of these like they did with the Sponge Bob's that were high atop Burger King?

Better Living Through Chemistry

After being on antibiotics for only 2 days I am feeling much better. I even managed to walk 3 miles on the treadmill. Why can't we sell low level antibiotics over the counter?
We celebrated advent to night. "H" did the best he could reading from the King James version of the bible. The wife has the house just about decorated for Christmas. The arrival and installation of the Christmas tree will take place next week end. This is always a fun time as I manage to shove a 5" wide tree through a 3" wide door. Then the battle of getting the tree straight begins.
If your are using programs like SharpReader for reading RSS/Atom feeds, here is the link for Frick's World. I use SharpReader which is really easy to set up, you will need to load the .Net framework for SharpReader.
"H" had his first basketball practice yesterday. He has the same coach that he had 2 years ago. It looks like another great season is ahead.
"Goose" will be performing with the orchestra tomorrow night at the local high school. I think they are calling it a Winter Performance instead of using the word holiday or Christmas so as not to offend anyone.

Amazon.com : Best Books of 2004: Top 50 Editors' Picks

Amazon.com : Best Books of 2004: Top 50 Editors' Picks

How many have you read?

I just got a letter

I got a letter from Kyocera.
It seems that my Kyocera phone could have one of the counterfeit batteries in it. I checked the serial number and YES my batteries serial number is suspect. I guess I can be assured that my own company is not trying to off me.

This Just In

THIS IS CRAZY, YOU HAVE TO TRY THIS!

Alzheimer's Test-



Count the "F's" in the following text:







FINISHED FILES ARE THE RE-

SULT OF YEARS OF SCIENTIF-

IC STUDY COMBINED WITH THE

EXPERIENCE OF YEARS..(see below)









Managed it ?

Scroll down only after you have counted them, okay?

Do you think there are three?

How many ? 3?









Wrong, there are 6 !!--no joke.

Read it again.

The reasoning behind it is further down.



The brain cannot process "OF".

Incredible or what ? Go back and look again!!

Anyone who counts all 6 "F's" on the first go is a genius.

Three is normal, four is quite rare.

I was thinking

As I and an additional 1000 people were standing in the security line at the airport the other day Barefoot. I was thinking that the reason we have to remove our shoes is due to the shoe bomber that was apprehended, too bad it wasn't the bra bomber instead.

Virtual Bubblewrap - Pop Now! Pop bubble wrap online - since 1996

Virtual Bubblewrap - Pop Now! Pop bubble wrap online - since 1996
Hey Mom this ones for you. I remember how you used to ask us "NOT TO POP THE BUBBLE WRAP" when we were growing up. I guess this guys Mom said tha same thing. Scrool down the page and look for Pop Some Bubbles Now

2004 Weblog Awards

2004 Weblog Awards
No mention of Fricks World any where on this site.

Web Cam shot from the office. Note the shine on the forehead

MSN gets into Blogging

MSN Spaces has entered the blogging arena
I spent some time checking it out. All the blogs have the same look and feel. It looks like you have to use MSN's template, no chance to express yourself. Not that I am any kind of emerging web artist, but if you give me access to a template I will eventually figure out some way to make it my own. Besides I don't want to give up my URL and leave people wondering why Fricks World packed it in and moved.
I spent the day in Cleveland TN at McKee foods. McKee makes Little Debbie snacks. I have made 300 mile car trips on a steady diet of Swiss Rolls and Honey Buns. On the way out I stopped by the Little Debbie Thrift Store I loaded up on $20.00 worth of life sustaining snacks the register total $5.06.
I think my sinus nose thing is working its way back into my system. The wife made me a doctors appointment for Friday afternoon. Now I can hear the doctor tell me to loose some more weight. Hey Doc I know how I can lose 170 lbs real quick, I'll can get a new doctor.

We ate our way into and past Thanksgiving

Fricks World ate up a feast last week. I think I ate a vegtable of every color under the sun if you count candy corn as a vegtable. I did overdose on Christmas tunes during the 6 hour car ride each way, I need to buy a XM radio. We even participated in after Thanksgiving day shopping, but did not wake up at 5:00 AM, so I guess we are slouches.
I am in North Carolina for the night. The Hampton Inn is in the middle of renovating. All of the doors have masking tape on them with the room numbers written on them. I think that after dinner I am going to go to the third floor and peel off the tape and move it to a different door, then the drunks will be totally confused when they come back to the hotel later on.

Unka Dug sent this over with some mention of Victoria's Secret and the early years.

If a black cats fur is bleached it turns RED

I have to be somewhat delicate in how I convey the following story, but being the sensitive guy that I am, I will give it a shot.
Earlier this evening at Frick's World one or some of the female member brought forth a jar of Sally Hansen's bleaching cream. The application of said cream went of without a hitch. Some how or some way some of the said cream ended up on "Boo" kitty. I do not know how "Boo" kitty came in contact with the above mentioned cream since was not partaking in said cream application. Mainly due to the fact that what little hair that I posses I do not want to bleach. Since "Boo" kitty did not immediately roll over and die we did not give it much thought. As bedtime neared all of the Frick's World animals assembled for the animal parade upstairs. At this time we noticed that "Boo" kitties fur had turned to a deep shade of red. Again being the sensitive pet owner that I am could not resist the uncontrollable urge to laugh harder than I had laughed in the last week.
Note to Ron Artest "Hey it looks like you will have time to rest and work on your rap album".

A Trip To The Store

"H" and I are back from "Skills assessment". As expected the organizing group of adults were turning this assessment into a train wreak. There is nothing better than watching a group of 40 year old ex-athletes try and climb to the top of the "I know more about youth sports than you ladder". Hey guys these are 4th graders, they can't remember to close the kitchen after they come in, how can they remember to shoot a free throw and not a lay up. The highlight was when one young "Shaq" told them he doesn't shoot free throws only 3 point jump shots, to which he followed through with nailing 3 in a row. I couldn't hit the backboard from 3 point range let alone nail one.
"H" and I decided to help out the wife by going to the grocery store. Generally in the past my experience with the grocery store consists of running in and getting some aspirin, cold medicine or milk. So in essence I only really know two parts of the store the milk section and the Pharmacy.
I had such items on my list as Fruit H2o. I couldn't find it, I couldn't even tell you if it was a fruit drink or water. I doesn't matter cause it wasn't in either isle.
Next was roasted garlic cream cheese, all I could find was strawberry, cheesecake, garden vegetable, pineapple & chives cream cheese. I grabbed the chive flavored figuring that chives grow in the ground and garlic grows in the ground, that should be close enough. Hey I don't eat the stuff anyway.
Third item was Lite Sour Cream (which I could not find) so I called the wife to tell her that they had Fat Free Sour Cream, guess what Fat Free & Lite are not the same. Man I learn something new every single day.
The last item I struggled with was KRAFT lite mayonnaise (note the key word here is KRAFT). They had KRAFT fat free mayonnaise, but since I had already learned that fat free & lite were not the same I kept looking. I found some Hellmans Lite mayonnaise, hey I'm in lets go.
I must have overlooked the key word of KRAFT because KRAFT is not the same as Hellmans.
I am in the habit of saying "I learn something new everyday" this held true for today thats for sure.

An Easy Weekend

It looks as if Frick's World may have a slow paced easy going weekend.
"H" is still recovering from the croup or RAD or what ever term the doctors are calling it this season and I think I have warded off a sinus infection using lots and lots of over the counter medication.
I have finally discovered what has plagued me for most of my life. NES Night Eating Syndrome. Every night for as long as I remember I sleep for an hour & then I wake up and get a snack. I feel complete now that I know its not my fault. I have a disorder a syndrome, I am unique just like everyone else.
The wife is out with a friend for breakfast and I'm doing a little bit of on-line Christmas shopping (time to spend all of those hotel points).
"H" has his skills assessment test for winter basketball. Skills assessment is when they gather all the coaches and kids in the gym, give them a basketball and have them dribble and shoot. Then the coaches draft their team. If you ask me its the politically correct way of saying, "If you suck, you are still going to get picked last for the team".
I bought a couple of suits last night, which had to be altered. Of course they always have to be altered. I seems anytime I buy a suit on sale the store gets their money back on what I have to spend on alterations. I did drop my jacket size from a 54 to a 46.
We did discover that "Cider" the wonder dog does have (1) trick. If you say "Pizza" Cider losses her ever loving mind and begins running around the house looking out each window and barking.
What I gather from this trick is that the family is ordering in pizza an awful lot while I'm out of town.
Next week should not be to bad either. We have regional meetings at the office (death by Powerpoint????) Monday & Tuesday and then I'm off the rest of the week. Taking a little road trip to KY.

Cool Site

Check out Typogenerator.
Type in words or a phrase and it autogenerates a picture. I don't know what the picture means or represents. I think it is explained on their web site, but who reads freaking web pages anyways. It is definitely cooler than anything I could create.

It Didn't Rain In Baltimore

I spent Monday & Tuesday in Baltimore & guess what no rain.
We at the Silver Springs Mining Company for dinner. I ate soured pot roast with dumplings it weighed in at 2000+ calories, but definitely worth the extra time on the treadmill.
We held a tech summit at the Harbor Court Hotel. Its one of those place where the doormen wear top hats and they have heaters installed over the entrance to the hotel to knock the chill off of you when you enter.
Stan White from the Baltimore Colts "MC'd" Stan White was the keynote speaker and he even heard from the teams general manager. I guess if I was a football nut I would have been hounding these cats for their autographs. All of the speakers were entertaining and informative.

Word Just In

The wife just informed me that the livingroom is not done. She says it is a work in progress....

Some Pictures I Found

Can you guess the year of this photo?
The 80's ahhhh the 80's
I was outfitted with the garb of the decade
My Members Only jacket with the sleeves pushed up.
The high top sneakers with my jeans stuffed into them
My mullet that included perming the back, then a rat tail for less than a week
Piercing my ear
Sleeveless shirts
"OP" brand pants and sun britches. That tied in the front and had a velcro fly
California Coolers
Journey, REO Speedwagon, Molly Hatchet
My first CD player
Fast Times At Ridgemont High, Stripes & Caddyshack
My sports coat with the purple T-Shirt (Thanks to Miami Vice)
Pucca bead necklace
Izod shirts with the collar flipped up
I did not have a Michael Jackson zippered jacket



A piece of pumpernickel in hand is worth two on the loaf.

The rumors abound
That there is this picture around

Of someone who was at the time only two
With pumpernickel stuck to her face, like little pieces if brown glue

This pictures existence has been denied
Everyone thought I had lied

During the search time was spent
But alas it was found while cleaning out the basement

The Living Rooms Done

We are done with the living room? I think, I'm not sure, I don't know....
It's supposed to be a library, I think because it has books and a globe.
If you ever paint a ceiling wear goggles for your eyes. The wife and I looked as though we had spotted yellow fever when we were done.
I would have gotten a closer picture but I am not allowed to put footprints in the carpet.
I am hoping the floor trusses will hold the piano and I don't wake up to find the piano in the basement. While we were searching for items to stock the bookcase shelves with I came across some priceless pictures that will be posted later today.

Another New Template

I've spent the last hour working with a new template. I'm not sure if I'm going to use it or not.

Whats On My MP3 Player

Warrant - Cherry Pie.mp3
Damn Yankees - Can You Take Me Higher.mp3
Foo Fighters - My Hero.mp3
Live - Heaven.mp3
Montgomery Gentry - Thats Allright.mp3
Van Halen - Right Now.mp3
Goo Goo Dolls - Big Machine.mp3
Skid Row - I Remember You.mp3
Poison - Something To Belive In.mp3
Winger - Headed For A Heartache.mp3
Warrant - Heaven .mp3
Kix - Don't Close You Eyes.mp3
Firehouse - When I Look Into Your Eyes.mp3
Night Ranger - Goodbye.mp3
Billy Idol - Eyes Without A Face.mp3
Blues Travler - The Mountain Wins Again.mp3
Bon Jovi - Its My Life.mp3
Buddah Bar - Smell Of Paradise.mp3
Buddah Bar - Sujiam.mp3
Buddha Bar II - Hotel Costes.mp3
Budha Bar - II - The String Thing.mp3
Bush - Machinehead.mp3
Chris Issac - Baby Did A Bad Thing.mp3
Chris Issac - Wicked Game.mp3
Chris Whitley - Dirt Floor.mp3
Christopher Cross - Sailing.mp3
Cold Play - Parachutes.mp3
Cold Play - We Never Change.mp3
Coldplay - A Rush Of Blood To The Head.mp3
Coldplay - A Rush Of Blood To The Head - B-Sides - 01 - One .mp3
Coldplay - Clocks.mp3
Coldplay - Daylight.mp3
Coldplay - Shiver.mp3
Coldplay - Trouble.mp3
Coldplay - Yellow.mp3
Dave Matthews Crash.mp3
Dave Matthews.mp3
Dear Matthew.mp3
DFuse - Bodyshock.mp3
Enya - (Enigma) Sadness Part 1.mp3
Enya - Adiemus.mp3
Enya - Celtic Rain.mp3
Enya - Deep Forest - Sweet Lullaby.mp3
Enya - Evening Falls.mp3
Enya - Ever After.mp3
Enya - Only Time.mp3
Enya - Pure Moods - Sail Away.mp3
Enya - Relaxation.mp3
Enya - Sail Away.mp3
Enya - The Council of Elrond.mp3
Enya - The Longships.mp3
Enya - The Prelude .mp3
Enya - Waterfall (piano)2.mp3
Enya - Wild Child.mp3
Enya - X-Files Theme.mp3
Flirting Shadows.mp3
Ghostland - Calming The Sea.mp3
Ghostland Sinead O'Connor - Guide Me God.mp3
Goo Goo Dolls - Here Is Gone - .mp3
Goo Goo Dolls - Iris (Acoustic).mp3
Goo Goo Dolls - It's Over.mp3
Goo Goo Dolls --- Tucked Away.mp3
Goo Goo Dolls - What A Scene.mp3
Gotan project - Indian Gipsy.mp3
John Tesh Bastile Day (Reprise).mp3
John Tesh Bastile Day.mp3
John Tesh Destination Paris.mp3
John Tesh Eletrik Thom..mp3
John Tesh Garden City.mp3
John Tesh Shock.mp3
John Tesh The Black Hole.mp3
John Tesh Waltz For Julie.mp3
John Tesh You Break It.mp3
Kid Fears.mp3
Last Of The Mohicans.mp3
Mandalay - Beautiful.mp3
Mandalay - Deep Love.mp3
Nirvana Lounge.mp3
Peter Gabriel Games Without Frontiers.mp3
Peter Gabriel Your Eyes.mp3
Police Don't Stand So Close 86.mp3
Police Message In A Bottle.mp3
Police Wrapped Around Your Finger.mp3
Pure Moods - Sounds of Nature - Ocean Surf.mp3
Pure Moods Enya - Return To Innocence - Enigma.mp3
Pure moods Gregorian Chants.mp3
Pure Moods II - Cusco - Montezuma.mp3
Pure Moods III - Kitaro - Theme From Silk Road.mp3
Pure Moods III - Mono - Life In Mono1.mp3
Rascal Flatts These Days.mp3
Steve Earle - Copperhead Road.mp3
Tim Mcgraw - Angel boy.mp3
Toby Keith - How Do You Like Me Now.mp3
Toby Keith - I Wanna Talk About Me.mp3
Toby Keith - Who's Your Daddy.mp3
Vertical Horizon - Everything You Want.mp3
Vertical Horizon - You're A God.mp3
ZZ_1.mp3
ZZ_10.mp3
ZZ_2.mp3
ZZ_3.mp3
ZZ_4.mp3
ZZ_5.mp3
ZZ_6.mp3
ZZ_7.mp3
ZZ_8.mp3
ZZ_9.mp3
Ozzy Osbourne - Crazy Train.mp3
Bob Segar 16 Track 16.mp3
Bob Segar Against The Wind.mp3
Bob Segar Betty Lou.mp3
Bob Segar Feel Like A Number.mp3
Bob Segar Fire Lake.mp3
Bob Segar Hollywood Nights.mp3
Bob Segar Main Street.mp3
Bob Segar My Life Without You.mp3
Bob Segar Night Moves.mp3
Bob Segar Nine Tonight.mp3
Bob Segar Old Time Rock & Roll.mp3
Bob Segar Rock & Roll never Forgets.mp3
Bob Segar Strut.mp3
Bob Segar The Fire Down Below.mp3
Bob Segar We've Got Tonight.mp3
Bob Segar You Will Accompany Me.mp3
Police Can't Stand Losing You.mp3
Police DoDoDoDo.mp3
Police Don't Stand So Close.mp3
Police Every Breathe You Take.mp3
Police Every Little Thing She Does.mp3
Police Invisible Sun.mp3
Police King Of Pain.mp3
Police Message In A Bottle.mp3
Police Roxanne.mp3
Police Spirits In THe Material World.mp3
Police Walking On The Moon.mp3

My Thursday

I spent the last few days in Baltimore and Washington DC (once again it rained while I was in Baltimore). I arrived at Dulles around 5:00 PM for my 8:00 PM flight home, only to find that there had been a security breech (no one knew what had been breeched, only that something had been breeched) and that everyone that had cleared security and was in the concourses had to evacuate and go through security again. Well the Dulles security line is always long and winds through the terminal but generally you can get through in under an hour. Well, now the terminal is packed with twice as many people as normal. Somehow this large group of people managed to actually form two log “U” shaped lines. No one was moving because the security stations were still closed, but it was two well formed lines. This we will call “Phase 1”.




It’s now 6:00 PM and we have not moved at all, not even the distance of one floor tile. Someone from TSA comes out and either mumbles or quietly says something. I don’t know because I’ve been standing still so long that the lack of blood moving through my body has caused my extremities to shut down and the shut down started with my ears. Whatever the TSA person said caused the two nicely formed lines to suddenly enter “Phase 2”. “Phase 2” lasted about 2 minutes because we now had intermingling of the two lines and believe me after an hour I was not about to give my spot up to anyone. TSA showed back up and managed to unmingled our intermingling lines. About this time we look out the window of the terminal and see two things happening, first there are local news vans with cameras starting to show up. This must means that we are going to be stuck here for a while. Second we see just a sea of airborne airplane lights up in the sky. Since no planes are leaving that means no planes can land.




Somewhere around 7:45 they announce that the security screeners are opening up. This is what I am going to call “Phase 3”. At some point during TSA’s disaster training/ evacuation training/ mob control training they left out the part that says “Hey when you have a line that makes a 180 degree turn, put one of the fabric fences between the two lines of people”. They have those retractable fences all over the airport, if anyone had any sense or foresight they would have done that because at 7:46 PM we entered what I like to call “Phase 3”. It was like a European sporting event the line collapsed onto itself. People that were walking north just turned around and started walking south. It was a mob scene. I heard cussing in 6 different languages. People were using their roll aboard luggage like the cattle guard on the front of the train. You don’t ever want to hear my rant about roll aboard luggage.




I finally get to my gate around 8:15 PM for my 8:00 PM flight. That’s OK because there was no one to board the planes because we were all stuck in the terminal. Anyways my 8:00 PM flight had been moved to 8:25 then 8:40 then 9:10 then 9:30 and finally 10:00. I got into my bed at 1:01 AM. I could not even sleep in because of an 8:20 AM dermatologist appointment this morning.

How Long before We See these At The $1.00 Store

I saw a commercial for these on the TV. Now heres a product we all can use. This looks like a condom for a 5 year old. All we need now is peoples walking the street digging around in their mouth with these little green things on their finger. I imagine oral-b will look to unload these at the your local Dollar Tree by Christmas.

Fall Is In The Air

The sounds and smells ran rampant through out the neighborhood this weekend. We spent most of the weekend burning all of the limbs and twigs that we gathered during the year (The Smells) and blowing the leaves and pine needles ( The Sounds Of Leaf Blowers).
This is the best time of year in Georgia, its not too cold to be outside and not so hot that you sweat while working in the yard. The wife has brought out the sweaters and overalls. The animals are starting to migrate onto the bed at night for warmth. The mornings are cool enough to make you want to stay in bed. The CVS drugstore down the street already has Christmas wreaths outside the store.
We signed "H" up for winter basketball. I put down on the registration sheet that he was 5' 4", so maybe he will get drafted in the first round.
I flew into Memphis last Thursday. Its FedEx's main location. The Memphis airport has a sign that says they move packages everyday than any other airport in the world. That may be true, but when it comes to luggage they are not the quickest.

Do you know the difference between a rental car and a Jeep?
There are some places that you can't take a Jeep.

Goose is becoming a turtle?

I had to stay home this morning so that I would be available during that 2 hour window when the appliance repairman could come and fix the dryer.
Goose had to be at school by 7:30 for a peer counselor meeting. Since it had been a few months since I had transported Goose to school I felt it would be safe for me to return. Anyway we load up in the car and off we go. Goose jumps out of the car and asks me to toss her, the bookbag. I think she laughed when she said toss. I reach back to grasp, lift and toss said bookbag. It was so heavy it almost pulled me out of the drivers seat. This thing felt as if it was loaded with cement. All this time I thought Goose was walking around hunched over from teenage depression, when its only the heavy bookbag. If Goose has osteoporosis in later life the school district will be on the receiving end of a law suit.
I was there for the 2 hour repair window and all of the major Fricksworld appliances are functioning. The new 30 day total for Fricksworld repairs are as follows

Refridgirator Starter Relay Switch $180.00
Hot Water & Main PRV & Parts & Labor $350.00
Dryer Thermostat $114.00
30 Day Total $644.00

I can hardly wait for the holidays

Ask David Hasselhoff

Ask David Hasselhoff

We now have answers to all the tough questions........

Get Your Vote On!!!!!!

All the occupants at Frick's World that were of legal voting age partook today in one of the things that makes America what it is Great & Free.
Did you vote out of fear or hope?
Did you make your own voting decisions, do your own research or just listen to the TV and radio ads and take it from there?
Did you even vote?

One of the issues was the amendment for "Gay Marriages" while this not something that I struggle with or think about on a day to day basis, there are some amendments that I would like to see added as they would impact my daily life greatly.
1) If you receive a drivers license you must know the proper way to handle a 4 way stop sign.
b) You must understand that the left lane is not the slow lane
c) You must know how to manually stop your turn signal after you have completed you turn.
d) You are not allowed to install an after market "Whale Tail"
2) If you work at a fast food restaurant you must be able to say "Thank You" after the transaction
b) If you work the drive through you must put napkins & straws in the bag
c) If I order no mayonnaise that means no mayonnaise.
3) If your business uses an automated phone system you must be able to bail out and actually talk to an operator.
4) You must cut your yard at least once a month.
5) If you are staying in the hotel room next to me you must know how to close the door quietly at 2:00 am in the morning.
6) If you are flying on a plane and are seated in row 23 you cannot place you carry on in the overhead space above row 12.
It is possible that I am becoming jaded as I get older, I just don't know.

Halloween Inventory

"H" is sitting down making little piles with all of his candy. He claims he knows how many pieces are in each pile in case either myself of "The Wife" try to sample any for safety reasons.
I spent the last hour and a half walking the neighborhood with "H" & 3 of his friends. During this time I made several observations:

These 4 kids sauntered slowly up each driveway and then slowly sauntered down the driveway to the next house.
When I was a kid Halloween was similar to a timed Olympic event. We ran from house to house, we knew we had a limited amount of time and the goal was to get as much candy during this limited time.

Houses should not give out animal crackers, potato chips or pretzels. Halloween is about sugar, artificial coloring & flavors. No healthy stuff or stuff that you would pack for your kids school lunch.

If you are trick or treating with a girl, and you kiss that girl, you are too old to trick or treat. Go home. Yes, I saw this happen tonight.

Parents do not follow your kids house to house in your car. Get out see what your neighborhood looks and smells like. When I was a kid (I'm starting to sound like my Dad now) my parents took an hour and a half once a year to go trick or treating with us.

Have your kids make their own costume, don't buy one at the party store. Wearing your basketball uniform is not a costume. "H" wore his soccer uniform not his basketball uniform in case you were wondering.

I need to get off the soapbox and go check to make sure "H"'s candy is safe....

Goose Is A Blogger As Well

Gooses's class had to write a persuasive essay for an assignment.
The teacher created a blog for the students to post them on. I must say that she is much smarter than I was at 14. I would have been a better student if we had an automatic spell check back in the 8th. grade, not the manual version called a dictionary.
Read it here.......................
Goose was also inducted into the Junior Beta club last week. Her community project will be either volunteering at the animal shelter or a retirement home.

Already Upgraded The MP3 Player

I have traded in my RCA MP3 player for an ILO that comes with 256 Megs of storage plus my 64 Meg SD card. I've got a 120 of the all times greatest songs ever stored with room for another 30 or 40. Plus the head phones are a heck of a lot more comfortable.

120 psi

Frick's World had another expensive week. As you recall the pressure relief valve on the hot water heater had been leaking & I had rigged up a MacGyver style water removal system that consisted of a garden hose, funnel, duct tape & wire. Well the plumber was impressed with my system but he was there to fix the issue not admire my handy work. The short version is that we have 140 psi water pressure coming in from the street the main PRV was only stepping the water down to 120 psi. Apparently household fixtures are designed for 80 psi. This explains why every time the kids take a shower they are pressed up against the wall from the water pressure. This 120 psi was hammering the hot water heater and caused the prv to fail. All this being said I was not that concerned because I bought American Home Shield to cover expenses like this. Well 120 psi in the house is not with in code and American Home Shield only covers items that are within code. To make matters even more depressing to bring our plumbing up to county code we have to install a back flow water tank.
So far this month the household maintenance tab is:
Refridgirator Starter Relay Switch $180.00
Hot Water & Main PRV & Parts & Labor $350.00
October Total $530.00

Brookwood Broncos

"H"'s fall basketball team came in second place in the fall tournament. They won their semi-final game last night by 1 point. The team they faced in the finals was the only team that they lost to all year. Their team came together for this game and played tight defense they only lost by 4 points. It is amazing to see some of the skills that 10 years already have. "H" is planning to play winter basketball.

Livestrong and Live with a thicker wallet?

Check out this e-bay link.....

There seems to be a secondary market for these yellow bracelets.
Is this a good thing or a bad thing?
Is it right or wrong?
If the original $1.00 from the bracelet went to cancer research is that all the money that should go to cancer research or should people donate from the re-sale of these.
Just a few questions that some people need to ask themselves.......

This Just In Blackberry Etiquette

Fast Company has put together some guideline for our Blackberry users:

It has come to management's attention that wireless email devices have begun to hinder employees' interpersonal communication skills. In light of that, the following guidelines update Chapter 3 on email.

Conditions of Use: It is generally acceptable for supervisors to send wireless emails while meeting with underlings -- but not vice versa. Employees may not email at any engagement where the CEO is speaking; during off-site "trust exercises" that require colleagues to catch each other; and at "nonconfrontational" meetings with clients.

Mealtimes: During meals with colleagues, the use of wireless email devices is encouraged in the awkward lull between ordering and receiving food, and while awaiting the check. Employees generally should not, however, attempt to eat and email simultaneously.

Notification: In an effort to prevent workplace violence, the Company asks employees to silence devices at all times in the office.

Ergonomics: Many employees have taken to emailing, hunched over, with both hands, device nestled between the legs. The legal department has determined that this activity, though not technically harassment, could embarrass fellow employees. Hence, the Company now requires devices to be used above the waist or on the knee. Three or more "zone" violations may result in harsh disciplinary action.

Addiction: Though wireless communication is not technically classified as an addiction, the Company has started a support group for employees who derive pleasure from being tethered to their email at all times.

DMB Central Park DVD

I spent the last few hours flying out to Dallas. Watched most of DMB's Central Park DVD as I munched on a $4.00 bag of crackers. Well Frick's World is on the mend, we got the fridge repaired. It was not the compressor (which is under warranty) it was the switching module, the $180.00 switching module. The repairman said that in the last year his fridge, washer & water heater have all crapped out. I'm thinking to myself how good of a repairman can this guy really be.
"H" is playing in the basketball tournament. They won yesterday so they play on the semi-finals next Friday night. "H" had a couple of solid assists and even took in a bloody lip as he went for the ball. No blood no glory...............
I finally bought an MP3 player (Thanks for the birthday money Aunt Jo). Its nice small and included an armband for when I'm running. I also found a nice piece of software for converting files to MP3's. It even lets you set the bit rate for reduced file size and hey its free.

New Stuff

Check out the Google Desktop. This lets you search text, IM, Web History & Outlook folders on your local drive. It does take a while to index the content, but is really handy.

For all of you number crunching/watching nerds check out Worldometer.

The New Frick's World Fridge

As we near the end of the week the madness continues. The 2 year old "Fridge" has taken a nose dive. Right now we are living out of a cooler. The repairman will call in the morning with the dreaded 2 hour window in which he will be here. If we are not here for the repairman the next available appointment in next Wednesday. So right no it appears that the appliances is winning out over Frick's World.

Here's a couple of jokes that I can tell the repair man, maybe he will laugh and go easy on the bill

Why are married women heavier than single women?

Single women come home, see what's in the fridge and go to bed. Married women come home, see what's in bed and go to the fridge.

Why did the child fall off the bicycle?
Because someone threw a fridge at him.

You might be a redneck if you have to go outside to get something from your fridge!

Why Marketing Rules!!!!

Did the "Kerry Edward" campaign stumble on the magic bullet? Are these being given away to all of the Senior Florida voters? "Remember to take your pills and to vote for Kerry". Some one in the marketing department deserves a corner office for this one.

Have you seen the "Bride of Wildenstein". This women has spent a million or so on plastic surgery and her husband still left her.

In Memory Of......

Huntfish sent me this one & it was one that I had not seen yet.

Have you ever noticed that when ever you remove all the decorations from the "Christmas Boxes" that there is always one remaining piece of plastic holly or poinsettia leaves left in the bottom of the box. I repacked 6 "Christmas Boxes" yesterday and every single one of them had a piece of plastic foliage left in the bottom. How come?????

I'm not saying that I was decorating for Christmas already, but the wife is already listening to her Christmas CD's. Its going to be a long holiday season.

Why Can't I See The Sun

Want to know why. Well I'm glad you asked. I can't see the sun because there are wet clothes drying outside the window, hanging from the arbor, hanging from anything more that 4 feet off of the ground. Well to get to this point in the story lets go back to Friday.
Friday afternoon I get an e-mail from the Fraud Department of our MasterCard. The wife calls them only to find out that some company that we have never heard of is hitting our account for $5.00, $ 9.00, $7.00 consistently. Well since we only buy big ticket items these charges are not from us. To stop this madness we have to close this account and open a new account with MasterCard. Unfortunately they told us that any outstanding balances will carry to the new account. I thought that I was on my way to beating the system.
Friday night after I get home I go down into the basement (The Men's Den) and I notice that some of the cardboard boxes are collapsing. I figure that this was a result of the flood from the hurricane rain (Hurricane Rain sounds like a song). So Saturday morning we decide to tidy up the basement. We start removing the crushed boxes and we notice water standing on the floor. Guess where it was coming from, the water heater is leaking from the pressure relief valve. No big deal I decide to replace it, well I can't because who ever plumbed the house has soldered the outflow pipe to the valve and then run the pipe up into the rafters and out the side of the house. The drain is 5' above the water tank. With gravity being as such I have no idea how the water is going to flow "UP" 5' all I know is that it is dripping onto my basement floor. No big deal 10' of garden hose, a funnel, and some duct tape (Man I love Duct Tape) and I was able to drain the water out through the dehumidifier drain (With all the hose it looks like I'm making Moonshine). Now its time to go though these boxes of water damaged goods, "H" is wanting to keep toys (junk) that has been stored away for the last 2 years. If I can keep this I will play with it everyday, I promise. It is amazing how mush stuff you can accumulate over 18 years. Some of this crap we have moved into 4 different living dwellings, bit you never know when we will need this crap.
Its now Sunday and the wife is doing laundry and she hollers that the dryer is not drying. I go upstairs (out of the Men's Den) and do the normal troubleshooting, Is it plugged in? Is it turned on? Is the vent clogged? Well the answer to these questions lead me no closer to getting the dryer to dry. Well what I know about dryers will fit into a thimble and have room left over for all of China. I have watched enough HGTV to know what to do next I remove the back of the dryer and lo and behold there are wires hanging loose in the back of the dryer. Turns out that the Thermostat has become brittle after 14 years of use and cracked at the connector. This is the same connector that the hanging wires should fit snuggly into. So that my friends is why I can not see the sun.

HOV2 HOV3??????

I flew out of Washington Dulles last night. For the most part there is one main road into the airport "66". At 4:00 PM this becomes HOV2 (meaning 2 people must be in the car). I am racing down "66" at 3:45 towards the airport looking around for a homeless person to pick up in case I'm still on "66" at 4:01 and would then be in violation of the HOV 2 rule. There are even HOV 3 roads in Virginia as well. At this rate there will be a HOV 1 for cars with only person in them. Traffic & HOV is such a big part of life in Virginia that it even has its own website.

Oh and by the way there are no gas stations on "66" to refill your rental cars gas tank.... Don't ask me how I know this.

Ray Is On The Way

I just saw the previews for this. Jamie Fox has the looks of Ray and movements to match. The movie comes out on October 29, 2004.

Try This

While sitting in a chair take your right foot and begin moving it in a clock-wise direction. Once you have this going take your right hand and in the air with your finger trace the number "Six" your foot will change direction everytime