Sunday, June 8, 2008

Octicsplanet.com


While I was on the web, I ran across an awesome site. Opticsplanet is a great sights for all sorts of summer gear for everyone. They have a huge selection of riflescopes, binoculars, spotting scopes, night vision, telescopes, rangefinders, laser sights, flashlights, tripods, radar guns, digital camera binoculars and much more! They also carry the industry’s best brands such as: Leupold, Nikon, EOTech, Burris, Bushnell, Celestron, Tasco, ATN, Bolle, Serengeti and Pelican. They also have a ton of tactical gear of all types and awesome Night Vision Scopes. The site carries so many products that everyone can find something that will spark their interests or help with their hobbies. The site also boasts a 'best price guarantee.' Moreover, what I find impressive, is that they offer free shipping on orders over $29.95! I recommend surfing their site and making a fun purchase to kick off the summer!

Thursday, May 29, 2008

Mountain Biking

Today, a buddy called me up out of the blue asking if I had ever been mountain biking before. Of course I had! So he came over and we loaded up our bikes pronto. We buzzed down to the trails which are a convenient five miles away. There are a series of 10 different trails with even more possible combinations of various trails. So we set out and had a time of it. It has been awhile since I had been on a bike but, wow, did it wake up some old muscles. I think in the morning my legs and mainly glutes will be aching. Hopefully I'll make it out to the trails more and more often, it was great exercise and such a rush.

Tuesday, May 27, 2008

LA Police Gear

For anyone who absolutely loves police gear or has fond memories of being a kid playing cop, LA Police Gear is a great site. The company is actually based out of Los Angeles. They bolster fast shipping, low prices, and great service. I was delighted to find out that many sales are made to cops, but they also sell to the general public, like me! The selection of Surefire Flashlights is outstanding, their tactical holster are great, and there are always clearances. This post was sponsored by LA Police Gear!

Saturday, May 17, 2008

AP Tests: DONE!

This was my last week for these gruling tests. This year, I have completed a total of 6 AP tests which took me two weeks and loads of energy. Last year, I completed 3 of them. If I did well on this year's test, I will have racked up a pile of credits for college. I took a look at UW-Madison's offerings and realized that I could start college as a sophomore. This would be a huge money saver! The testing experience was great, a few hours for each test and snacks. I strongly recommend looking into these test from the College Board to help you on an educational adventure. Now I can relax and gear up for summer.

Wednesday, May 14, 2008

PayPerPost

A buddy of mine recently showed me the best spot for any blogger to get hooked up with advertising needs. The site is PayPerPost. It offers opportunities for all types of people because they will cater to your interest areas and allow blogs to be written about the topics of choice. The blog your using needs to be active for several weeks and blogs need to be made regularly. This is what took me time to meet the qualifications because I am fairly busy. This blog and PayPerPost simply gives me a little time to relax and relieve some stress. The site is extremely easy to use and provides simply steps to make your blog PayPerPost-ready! The best part about it, is the amount of advertisements needed to be blogged about which translates into pure profit and fun for me and you. Already I have received tips from my friend and some other bloggers. The most interesting aspect to the site is the vast amount of ads and due to the large content what one can learn from looking at all the desired advertising. Its a great way to have some fun and make some change while doing something that is already easy and fun. Check out their website and see what you can make happen, it was sure easy for me! This was created through a blog network.

Monday, May 12, 2008

The Mango Tree: Jack Johnson

If indeed you enjoyed Jack's studio album recordings, this remixed album will shed some creative light on the rest of Jack Johnson's talents. This album was released earlier this year and features his popular songs recorded with other talented artists including G. Love, Donavon Frankenreiter, and Will.I.am. Here is the line up: (My favorite is Going Gone or Free)

01 - IBD Medley
02 - Rodeo Clowns (with G. Love)
03 - Breakdown
04 - Home
05 - I Shall Be Released
06 - Badfish-Boss DJ
07 - Moonshine
08 - Rainbow (with G. Love)
09 - Let It Be Sung (with Matt Costa & Zach Gill)
10 - Gone Going (with Will.I.Am)
11 - Imagine
12 - Free (with Donavon Frankenreiter)
13 - Give It To You (with G. Love)
14 - The Cove
15 - Country Road (with Paula Fuga)
16 - Better Together (Hawaiian Version)
17 - Girl I Wanna Lay You Down (with ALO)
18 - Orange Whip Groove
19 - Holes To Heaven (Acoustic)
20 - A Brokedown Melody
21 - The Horizon Has Been Defeated (Acoustic)
22 - Crying Shame (Culver City Dub Remix)
23 - Pirate Looks At 40
24 - Butter Nut (with The Sprout House Band)
25 - Constellations (with Kaukahi)

Jack Johnson

With the release of his new album: Sleeping Through The Static, Jack Johnson is going on an epic tour this summer. He will be in southeastern Wisconsin on June 21 at Alpine Valley. I would highly recommend for everyone to at least pick up a copy of his album and further their musical embellishment by attending a concert in their area. The focal point of this tour is the 'green' concept. He has in corperated it using the "All At Once" Community. Check out his website to gather more information about this fun and ecologically friendly take on music and life. Enjoy!

Firewire

I am attempting to get into video editing. We had a nice camcorder previously and that was the capture device I was using. To transfer those video clips onto the computer, however, I needed a DV/firewire cable. I was able to pick one up at Best Buy. Interestingly enough, I have not been able to get the computer to recognize the camcorder though... I am in the process of updating my motherboard drivers in hopes that this will cure the firewire recognition problem with my computer. I hope to have this fixed before too much of summer has passed!

Sunday, May 4, 2008

U218

I've had this DVD/CD combo for awhile now but today I popped it in because I heard Sweetest Thing on the radio. This compilation really is the best of U2 and features a generous helping of new and old music videos. After watching half of the DVD I realized I was astounded by Bono and the band's amazing talent. In addition, the band does some truly remarkable charity events. To check out some of their stuff as well as this compilation, look at their website: U2.

AP Tests

At the high school level, some schools offer the chance for students to take Advanced Placement tests (AP). These are college level classes that meet the College Board's curriculum requirements. They are rigorous but allow students to gain college credit if they do well on a cumulative test at the end of the year (These are scheduled for the next few weeks). Some high schools also weight these classes on a 5.0 scale. The cost of these tests is very small, under $100, and if you score well, the benefit is a few credits towards higher education which saves you a few hundred dollars! Just thought I'd get the word out because I'll be taking six of these tests within the next two weeks and could possibly go into school with sophomore standing, saving me thousands! This is the official website for more information: About the AP Program.

Friday, May 2, 2008

Turmoil!

Since I got back from my little vacation, I haven't had much time for anything. I am preparing for six finals which I started today. Taking time off set me back in all of my classes but I'm making it through all the make up work. I've learned the true meaning of time management. Unfortunately, I haven't been able to get out onto the lake in a while... This coming week might provide a few days for me to catch an early morning session. Yet, currently, I'm feeling the heat of the end of the year and look forward to putting some of these classes behind me and setting a sunny summer before me.

Thursday, May 1, 2008

DECA ICDC

So for the last week, I was in Atlanta, GA for a student-business conference (DECA). I competed in Business Law and Ethics with a partner from my local chapter. We took a long written exam and then did a case study sort of role play. It was a ton of fun! Moreover, we got to see the Georgia Aquarium and the World of Coke! Both were very interesting an exciting, I would visit each again. The food was great and the city was quite nice, it always had something for us to do. I enjoyed this mini-Spring Break and now must finish the rest of the school year. It was an outstanding experience and I would encourage anyone to join in your school and learn something about the business world and yourself.

Monday, April 21, 2008

The Lake

Alas, I did not wake up early this morning! This evening, however, I went out on the lake for a few solid hours. Two of my buddies wakeskated and had a blast. Then I jumped in and had a try at the new Connelly F1. First observation... the water was freezing but we had all made a pact not to wear wet suits: interesting idea. After I got up on the water, however, the ski was outstanding. It kept me on edge like nobody's business. The thrill of shooting across the water on this ski was irrefutable and I'll be out again soon! Here's a quick visual...

Sunday, April 20, 2008

Connelly F1 (2005)

As the lakes here in Wisconsin have begun to open up, I am getting ready for some great times on the waters. In preparation, last week I purchased a Connelly F1 slalom ski. It did not have any bindings with it, drilled for Fogman bindings. Thus, I threw an old KD Vise on it and purchased an H.O. Animal. The colors don't match up really nice, but I hope that it will feel great on the water. Last week a buddy and I got up at 5 to hit the glassy lake on my older ski (KD CR7) and we're hoping to do it again tomorrow. Tomorrow morning will be a great start to the week and hopefully a great skiing season. Tomorrow will be the transition test from an old ski to a sleek new set up on my Connelly F1!

Tuesday, April 15, 2008

Review: Sennheiser CX300-S

So I received these ear buds today and had to listen to them. I've spent about 3 hours with them in, they are extremely comfortable. I have mainly listened to soft rock and some main-stream music but they sound outstanding, the bass is full and having them in the canals cancels out most ambient sound. The only draw-back is the cord is a touch too short and it did not come with an adapter to convert from 1/8" to 1/4". On the other hand, the left bud goes directly in while the right bud has a longer cord to wrap around your neck and keep wires at a minimum. Bottom-line: great for listening to an MP3 player or the like because the sound quality is great and lets you focus on music, not on your neighbors yammer. Good price to, wow!

Thursday, April 10, 2008

Piano Tabs

Recently I have had an interest in resuming my piano playing. I stopped playing about four years ago, but now with Something Corporate, Jack's Mannequin, and Straylight Run, I have a burning desire to learn again in (foolish) hopes of mimicking some of their exquisite styles and rifts. I found a small keyboard at a friend's house and borrowed it. To find some tabs, I spent some time searching, although I did not want to pay for sheet music. I found a site, MyFriendAdam, which has tabs of these bands that are rough estimates which will suffice for getting me back into the rhythm. This site is, of course, made to showcase Andrew McMahon's piano genius! Check it out if your at all interest in playing piano or listen to some of Jack's Mannequin's songs. Cheers!

Sennheiser CX300-S Earbuds

After doing a hefty amount of research on the topic of in-canal headphones, I have landed on the Sennheiser CX300-S model. I purchased them off of Amazon. com (Cost: $50) and will recieve them within the week. These headphones will replace the white Apple ones which, although a status-symbol, have very poor sound quality. These Sennheisers are form fitting to your ear canal, and thus, block out ambient noises. They are also extremely light and since they are bass-driven, they deliver crystal clear sound across genres. I am looking forward to personally evaluating these headphones when they get here. I'll be in for a day of music to my ears... literally(I hope).

Wednesday, April 9, 2008

Imogen Heap


Our vocal jazz group recently did an a'capella cover of Imogen Heap's solo hit, Hide and Seek. Her whole album is all of her work performed singularly and then mixed or overlaid. It is truly impressive. I first heard her voice, unknowing, in the movie Garden State. She was on the soundtrack for Let Go by Frou Frou. Their album, Details, showcases this free-flowing and gentle style of music. Check out her new album: Speak For Yourself!

Tuesday, April 8, 2008

NCAA Championship

I'm wasn't a fan of either team... but I thought, based on previous tournament play, that Memphis was going to walk all over Kansas. I was wrong. If Memphis would have been able to nail some more free throws it would have been just peachy. Their style, however, never caused their free throw shooting to be under pressure as it was on Monday night. The 3-point shot before the buzzer was outstanding and made the game what it was, but I was simply shocked at Kansas' performance. Roy Williams on the sidelines made it that much more special, ironic. Bottom line, I now owe a buddy some pizza cause Memphis didn't trounce Kansas... but I'll be having some too so this is a win-win.

Sunday, April 6, 2008

Landscaping

For the past few days I have been landscaping at a friend's house because he rushed off to college and his parents still need an able body. In addition, I've been spending some time over there, kind of becoming a 'temporary' son until he gets back. Right now the soil is very moist from all of the rains, thus, I have been digging trenches around all of the drip rings of their trees and some ditches around flower beds. Furthermore, all of the foliage has been dead-headed and looks wonderful, ready to spring up with new flowers! Although I am still in jeans, the warm weather is very enjoyable and working outside is a true blessing. I hope that the weather continues and I am able to stay outside doing some moderate work and getting some fresh air!

Tuesday, April 1, 2008

21: The Movie (Trailer)

Here is the trailer of 21 if you're thinking about going out and seeing it but need some convincing. It will be a sure hit with anyone who likes suspense. It features Kevin Spacey and Kate Bosworth as they form a team of 6 MIT students who use statistic and card counting to make money in Las Vegas. Hope you go to see it and enjoy it!

21 & Counting Cards

This weekend I saw the movie 21 in theaters. It was outstanding! The cinematography was amazing and the story line kept my attention throughout the entire movie, a real intelligent movie with some spice. After telling a few friends about it, I learned that it is based off of a book Bringing Down The House, so I looked into this. Much to my surprise, there is a History Channel exclusive documentary on the MIT Blackjack team. A friend showed it to me at his house, and the whole concept astounded me. These people made about $1 Million per year (but divided it between themselves). But let me conclude my amazement with this fact: although they made tons of money using wit and craft, one of the players sold his software company for $310 Million. Conclusion, counting cards and this high-roller lifestyle is interesting, but actually having intelligence and using it is

Wednesday, March 26, 2008

Getting Back Into The Flow

I haven't been on here much lately but my life has been pretty hectic. Since December I've finished the semester, ended the swimming season, and began track. All is going well here. The snow is finally beginning to melt but the weather is still rotten. I hope that the lake will open soon so I can start to ski again. In fact, today I took the boat into the Marina to have it summerized. I hope they can have it back to me before the lake is totally free of ice. That would be amazing. I'm going to have to work around track to get out on the water, but I think I can make some sacrifices on both ends. Hopefully... hopefully...