I'm on vacation!

Well, relatively speaking, I am not at work, so by default that means I am on "vacation" ha ha, vacation, that's funny, that word implies rest, peace and tranquility, well, I sort of remember what that used to be like, the year was 1995 and I had a peaceful day, well, back to reality, I am sitting at home, Anthony is trying to take over the laptop, he just tried to attack me with a pen, Martha yelled something but I can't really make it out, I have her tuned out with my Ipod. let's see, where was I...oh yeah, so I am on vacation.

On Thursday we came back from vacationing in Orlando. It was good, we went to Epcot, Magic Kingdom and Seaworld then we went to Kennedy Space Center in Cape Cannaveral, I must say the latter was my favorite, but I really like going to Orlando, there's something about those parks that make you feel like you are somewhere special. The NASA trip always makes me wish that I worked there. I bet those Engineers really like their job. Maybe someday...

Anyway, last night Anthony was a little sick, now, that's something, I don't have the stomach to see sick people, but when I see my own son not doing well, it feels like some hidden paternal instincts kick in. I wanted to do whatever it takes to make them feel better. Well, everybody understands that. So he had a little fever last night, but he's doing better now.

So that's my vacation so far. The beginning of next year is going to be a little busy. I start Graduate school in January, also, I am participating in FIRST, a high school robotic competition sponsored by Motorola, I am really excited about that, I really want to encourage local, American talent to get interested in Science, Engineering and Technology, we used to be the world's most technologically advanced country. Now days the majority of high school grads can't find Iraq on the map. I want to help change that.

Happy Thanksgiving

I'm spending Thanksgiving day at my parent's house. This should be interesting.
More later.

J.V.

Two lives blurred together by a photo

I feel for this guy, another casualty of PSDT. Read the full story here.

J.V.

November 10, 1775

Happy 232nd Birthday to the United States Marine Corps.

Semper Fidelis.

Kamran

My good friend Kamran gets a year older tomorrow. Happy birthday old man, I love you like a brother.

Miami

The weather is so nice down here, this is my favorite time of the year, it's nice and mild, today it was in the 60's... absolutely gorgeous.

Work

I wrote some code that turned evil and is making the Radio do bad things. I've been looking for the bug all this week, the only good thing I can say is that it's been a learning experience. Reality: it's work, but I still like my job. Very interesting work, good people to work with.

Family

I love those monkeys more than anything in this planet. They make me laugh everyday, but damn, they test my patience as well. Raising them is going to be a challenge, I already think I made a mistake somewhere, Anthony is so rough with other people, I don't know what to do. But I think it will turn out ok.

Book I'm reading

The Oral History of Buster Casey. I used to like Palahniuk, Fight Club and Invisible Monsters were good read, but his later stuff feels like more of the same, although the plots vary, the formula feels the same: confuse the hell out of people and at the end everything comes together to reveal some grotesque fact that supposedly shocks you or something. I'm bored.

What's on my head

Ever since I read the book The World is Flat, by Tom Friedman, I've been interested fascinated by India. I am setting out to learn more about this sub-continent.

Interesting Web Article

The web is full of good stuff (like this blog...ok, no more bad jokes) I found this article very interesting.
It's called "An Economist walks into a bar and solves the mysteries of dating". It talks about an experiment done at Columbia University about the statistics of attraction. Good read, it confirms and busts some stereotypes that come up when it comes to that.

Radiohead

OK Computer (1997)
The Tourist

It barks at no-one else but me like it's seen a ghost
I guess it seen the sparks, a flowing no one else would know
Hey man slow down, slow down, idiot slow down, slow down

Sometimes I get overcharged that's when you see sparks
You ask me where the hell I'm going at thousand feet per second?
Hey man, slow down, slow down, idiot slow down, slow down

Hey man, slow down, slow down, idiot slow down, slow down

I wish I could explain how much I can relate to this song. I can't.

Just a random thought, do not read too much into it.

My Day

Today Anthony almost choked to death on a Halloween candy, Martha was at the store, he just got the damn thing stuck in his throat, I don't know, I just froze up when I saw it, he stuck his hand in his mouth and cleared it up, made himself throw up, and I was just sitting in there shocked, I gave him a bath, afterwards, (he managed to get puke all over himself), so I washed him off and 10 minutes later it's as if nothing had happened. It's amazing, how often do we have a brush with death? or tragedy? It's crazy how fast life can change, right now I could be mourning my child instead of sitting here blogging. But thank goodness he's fine.

Speaking of Anthony, he is growing up, he lives up to the "Terrible Twos" stereotype, but he cracks me up so much, with every new thing he says or does, he makes me laugh.
I need to be more strict with him, so far Martha is the authoritarian, but I'm noticing that he thinks he can get away with murder when he is around me, and that can't fly.

So that's my day, I went to work early, wrote some code, went to lunch with friends from work, then I worked some more, I get home to a nice dinner and then my son almost chokes to death, you know, just the usual. Oh, we watched a movie afterwards,
let me tell you what happened, we were watching Reign over me with Adam Sandler, it was kind of a strange movie, it was weird to see Adam Sandler playing a serious role, anyway, In the move Sandler has post-traumatic syndrome, I could not help myself, I started to think about the guys I went to Iraq with, how the war affected each and every one of us in some little way, some more than others, the whole thing makes me sad, so many of us come back all fucked up from that shit. How many of our guys are going to need help the rest of their lives? How many lives will never be the same? And for what? Damn, I wish this war would stop soon. Oh, so what happened you ask?
I was crying during the movie, yep, crying, now, I am not the crying type ok? But I could not help it! I kept telling Martha that no, I was not crying, but it must have been me releasing all the stress, it was that kind of day.

Ok, I think I am going to bed now, thanks for stopping by, be good to each other.

J.V.

Kamran has a new blog.

And it's pretty good, I might add.

Congrats to Froyd

Froyd just published a book. The movie will come next, and the fame and glory.

Since the last time I wrote a post:

I had my 10 year high school reunion
I celebrated 10 years since my Marine Corps Boot Camp Graduation
I went on vacation to Costa Rica

...and much more, I missed out on a lot of opportunities to share with the blogsphere many interesting thoughts. I can say that I've been busy, but, I've always been busy, in fact, I was busier when I was going to school full time, but I still managed to post in this blog, so what happened?

Well, the first thing was that I got discouraged, I felt as if I had nothing interesting to write, so I stopped writing. Also, I started to write some stories for a book, but I decided I did not want to write about Iraq anymore, I wish I could erase it from my memory sometimes, not because I think it was so bad, it's just that I don't want to bring up the subject, I can't help it in this blog, but in real life, I feel uncomfortable with it.

Speaking of other things, I downloaded the latest Radiohead album "In Rainbows" it's freaking awesome.

Can't believe that the Red Sox did it again.

I've been playing Brain Age 2 in my Nintendo DS, it's really hard, much harder than the first one. Two thumbs up.

Library cards: use 'em. I've decided not to buy books, unless I absolutely can not wait. i.e. Froyd's new book.

Books of note:

The Reluctant Fundamentalist

Great Read, I could not put this book down, I read the first three pages by chance at the public library (I was looking for something else) and I could not put it down, four hours later I was in my bed reading the last page, and thinking about Pakistan. The next day I went back to the library and checked out Moth Smoke, another great book by the same author.

That's all I have for now, I love you all. Be good to each other.

J.V.

Just finished watching the movieCrank I want those 87 minutes of my life back. What a disappointment, generally I like Jason Staham's movies.

Oh well, back to my Saturday afternoon.

Anthony is going to wake up from his nap soon, so long....


J.V.

Wow

Being a parent is hard, I don't know how Martha does it.

I really appreciate your hard work.

-J.V.

Hairy news

I've decided that I am not going to get another haircut until the we the people of the United States of America decide to stop killing people in Iraq. I want us to stop this un-winnable war.

-J.V.

Question of the Day

Froyd wants to know

If you shoot a mime, should you use a silencer?

Thanks Froyd, that made my day.....

Graduate School

Today I got an email from the University of Florida, I just got admitted to the College of Electrical and Computer Engineering. Go Gators!

I'm really happy right now.

You see, seven years ago, I applied to UF for my bachelors degree and was denied. Getting in for Grad school makes me feel better. I know, it's a silly thing, but I celebrated today with a steak dinner and a couple of tall beers.

So, life is good. That's all for now.

What I've been reading these days

The weekend is finally here, and with it comes all the chores my wife has saved up for me, but, my mother in law came to the rescue and took Monkey with her, so now it's me and the girls, and of course, Mo the cat. Martha is hosting a "Candle Party" (shiver) today and I have about half a day of total freedom...wooo hooo!!

So, I am going to finish that book about the History of Ft. Lauderdale, a quick paperback that has it's own history...(pun intended). You see, my old man used to work for the the Historical Society of Ft. Lauderdale, and I got this book at one of their events at the old downtown next to Riverside FLL. So I got a signed copy, I bought it for the old pictures, not the articles, back in the day this place was nothing but a swamp. Now the only wildlife you will see in here will be lawyers, strippers and crazy college students. Anyway, it turns out that the history of FLL is actually kind of interesting.

I plan on going to the beach tomorrow, and I am a taking a library copy of James Joyce's A Portrait of The Artist as a Young Man, it's one of those book the keeps on getting mentioned in other people's top list. The article in wikipedia said it was among the most important works in the English language, I read the first forty pages and so far the fireworks have not gone off. But, I'm going to give it another chance tomorrow.

I the technical land I have Scott Meyer's Effective C++ and I'm reading an online book called "The Engineer's Guide to Digital Signal Processing" I never took DSP in school and now I am dealing with it all the time at work, there's one issue we are seeing that requires some DSP knowledge to solve, I am trying to fix the issue on my own, realistically speaking, I could have just thrown my hand up and said that I am not a DSP Engineer, but, I think it's a very interesting area of study, so I plan on brushing up and maybe take a few courses on it. And as for the little problem I'll let you know if we fixed the issue. There are a lot of things on the web that cover this topic extensively.

Since we are on the subject of the web, I found a funny website, funnyordie.com it has bunch of funny stuff...for when there's absolutely nothing better to do, or when you are waiting for your code to compile at work...actually I take that back, some of these videos are definitely NSFW.

So, that's all folks. Until the next one. Be good to each other.

-JV

So Long, Yummy Brain Gravy

The Gravy is dead, long live the Gravy!

Old Fort Lauderdale

It's funny how some things never change.



The following excerpt is from "Fort Lauderdale The Venice of America" it was written by an Army officer visiting Ft. Lauderdale in 1821:

Florida is certainly the poorest country that ever two people quarreled for. The climate is in the first place objectionable; for even in winter, while persons further north were freezing, we were melting with heat. In the next place, the larger portion of Florida is a poor sandy country in the north, in the southern portions nearly all wet prairies and swamp; healthy in winter but sickly in summer; and in the south even the Indians said they could not live a month without suffering, and in the summer not at all. It is in fact a most hideous region to live in; a perfect place for Indians, alligators, serpents, frogs, and every other kind of loathsome reptile....

Two things come to mind right away, first, thank god for AC. When I was in the National Guard and had to be out all day in the summer, it was torture at it's purest form, I can relate to the Army pioneer. But...did he just imply that Indians are reptiles?

I'm Back!

I love this commercial, I can't wait either:

Random Musings

Hello Blogger world. I have a lot to say, and like always, I feel pressed for time.

Venezuela is out of the Copa America

The dream is over, Venezuela lost yesterday against Uruguay in the Copa America Quarter Finals. The game was tied 1-1 in the 2nd half of the game, then, Uruguay steam-rolled three goals to kill the venezuelan hopes of going to the semi-finals. Thanks a lot Uruguay, I hope Brasil has mercy on your poor souls.

Martha and I went to Orlando the other day

For her birthday we went to Orlando, we visited Sea World, had a fancy dinner, and then we went to Animal Kingdom to check out the new ride they got out there, Mt. Everest. It was good times. We have this thing in Florida, if you don't visit one of the Theme Parks at least once every three years, your Florida residence gets revoked, we were just following the law.

Father's day gifts

Thanks babe and thank you Caro (my crazy younger sister) for giving me what I want the most: books!

Dreaming in Code

This book was featured in one of the blogs I read, and it got a ok review, I wanted to read about software projects since this is sort of what I do for a living.

It was an interesting read, it was a story about a team of gifted programmers set on a mission to create a new product that would "change the world" in it's journey, they encountered many obstacles. I have only been a software developer for a measly six months, and I can relate. It is laced with the history of computing and software engineering, which makes it a must read for young computer professionals who are just getting started in this business. It was a good read. Here's the book website.

god is not GREAT

This blasphemous, hell-guaranteeing book I read thanks to my sister. I've already read "The God delusion", "The End of Faith", "Letter to Christian Nation" and now the only one I am missing is "Breaking the Spell".

I recommend reading this book if you are an skeptical person. If you are the religious type, you are going to hate this book. Christopher Hitchens is known to piss off a lot of people.

If you are the type of person who wonders about what the truth is, then I recommend you do your own soul-search, like I did. I truly believe that everyone has the right to think on their own. I hate it when others tell me how to think so I am not going to do the same to others.

However, if you ever wonder how I lost my faith, I recommend reading these web pages,
Ebon Musings and Control-Z.
Nietzsche said that "if you wish to strive for peace of soul and pleasure, then believe; if you wish to be a devotee of truth, then inquire."

That's all I am going to say about that.

An Unexpected gift

Last week we got a package from our good friend from Oregon Nicole, among the many things was a book called Road from Ar Ramadi, by Camilo Mejia.

Reading this book meant something to me. Sgt Mejia was a Squad Leader in my Battalion, I did not know him personally, although I believe we met and spoke in passing while being out there, I think I vaguely remember a conversation we had about Costa Rica, since that's where my wife is from.

Mejia's account of his experiences is very honest. I respect that. I also have a lot of respect for his Moral Courage, I honestly think he had no idea what he was getting into when he decided to become a deserter. I agree with many things that were said in this book, in particular about the mistreatment of Iraqi people. When I was there I never felt good about the way we were dealing with the locals, I rationalized it by figuring that in a combat zone the first casualty is innocence. We could not treat everyone nice. We just could not do that. It still hurts, I think of the people that died in our hands that would still be alive today. I remember many of the firefights he describes. He also has a few "facts" wrong. For instance, in page 37 he wrongly states that his outfit (Charlie Co) was the only one in our Battalion that flew into Iraq (as opposed to driving), when in fact Bravo Company was right behind them, ( I was in Bravo)

I, like him, changed my mind about the war, but I do not condone what he did, he left his men, he deserted, I am not saying he's wrong in doing what he thought was the right thing to do, I just would have acted differently. The other thing about his book, he comes across as a little whiny. I think he's a bit hollow. However, I respect him as a person for doing what he thought was honorable.

For me it is really difficult to discern what is right and what is wrong when it comes to this. I think that wars should be avoided, in the other hand, service men are expected to act a certain way. I don't know, I am still confused. I can't say I am ashamed of our service, but I wish we would get out of this war that's not helping out anybody...I could go on this subject for a while, but let me end with me saying that this book is important in putting a new point of view out there.

Even when I disagree with Mejia's conduct, I think there is an important message there, and his book should be read.

Farewell

This is it for now, I am not shutting down this blog people, but I don't know when the next installment will be, it could be tomorrow, or next months. Until then blogger world. Stay Tuned.

Be Good to each other.

J.V.

Go Venezuela!

Venezuela's soccer team has won it's first game in the Copa America in 40 years!

Venezuela 2 Peru 0.

yeah!

The more I want to blog, the less time I have to do it

Blogging is for the truly dedicated people, or maybe for those that have a little too much time in their hands. I am neither of them.
With the kids, the job, and other things, I barely have time to read my favorite blogs, (see my list of links) but I'll take 10 minutes to fill you in the latest.

I had an awesome time in Phily, I came back to a job that's mounting up the pressure to perform, and a family with a toddler, a new baby and a sleep-deprived wife. Add a crazy set of parents and in-laws and you get the picture.

Then there are the things I love to do but don't have time for, like baseball games, going to the beach, and good books.

The only problem is that I am trying to be a writer. I have two stories that are a work in progress, and I have an idea for a third one. If I can just get them finished I would be very happy, I don't care about getting them published, I already have a job, but I need to write, I need to get all this stuff off my chest.

Sometimes I feel like studying engineering was a way to chicken out, I should have been an English Lit or Philosophy Major, but, looking back, I thought Engineering would be a tough challenge, and I needed to prove that I could do it. (not unlike going to the marines when i was 18)

But, in my heart, I'd love to read, write and breathe philosophy. I just love it. I would love to express my ideas about this crazy world we live in. But hell, I am too busy living life to write about it!

Speaking of Philosophy and Engineering, I have found a blog that I think it's along those lines, It's called Algo Blog. I don't know the guy who writes it, but I bet we have a lot in common, the only difference is many years of experience, education and income, but that's it.

My job keeps me very busy, last week I found out that I don't know C++. Funny, if you would've asked me before that I would have told you different. I got good grades in all my computer science courses, I paid attention, but, you don't know crap until you are there trying to make something work. I am trying to do that but I am not doing a good job, the problem is, we are working with deadlines, we have a lot of work, but not a lot of people or a lot of time, they expect me to figure things out as fast as possible with the minimum amount of help. Either one would be fine, but the combination is hard. As a result I've concluded I have to hit the books again, but, I also have to study for the GRE, I have to take that sucker before the fall. I am applying for UF and Georgia Tech, If I don't get accepted, then it's either Miami, FIU or FAU. I loved FAU but I don't want to go there for my Masters.

Ok, so I am rambling, that means it's time to go, going to play Rise of Nations with Martha.