Cloverfield

Well, my wife and I went to see Cloverfield tonight. I have to admit, I really do not know what to think about it. It was shot as a documentary, and at times the photography was nauseating. I think that we spent about the first 20 minutes or so feeling like we were on the tilt a whirl at the local state fair.

I guess this movie was one more reason to be thankful I have no desire to ever visit Manhattan. I mean seriously it is like every nasty monster that has ever been has attacked New York... well except for the Cockroach That Ate Cincinnati. I mean really... we had Godzilla,  King Kong, The Winged Serpent, The Stay Puft Marshmallow Man, and Hillary Clinton... I mean what else could go wrong for that poor city? Enter Cloverfield...

I never really got a look at the beast, but it seemed to be a cross between the alien in Alien, a T-rex from Jurassic Park and that damn thing that jumped out of the guys stomach at the end of Spaceballs. Compounding things is the fact that it drops babies off of itself (like gremlins, but not as cute) and when they bite you if you are not treated you end up blowing up. 

Anyway, it ravages the city and eats people. The military comes in and tries to stop it, but can't and the two main characters... zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz... oh sorry about that, I'm back. Where was I? Oh yeah... the two main characters declare their love for each other... Typical monster destroys city love story... Until the end... Conspiracy theorists will love this one...

Anyway... I am glad I went to see it... If nothing else it gave me an hour and a half of my wife that I would otherwise had to share with a computer... Probably would not see it again, but would not recommend not seeing it...

Prayers...

Pisio

P.S. I apologize to all monkfish or fans of monkfish who may have been offended by the comparison to Hillary Clinton... 

What a Mess

Okay, so aside from working with youth at my parish, I also work at the local university (where I also am a student). At the University I have two tasks. I teach introductory Astronomy Labs and, recently the Physics chair has asked me to get our 14 in and 16 in telescopes up and running again.

I am not too worried about the 14 in. It still works from the most part, and if all goes well it should be up and running for use in the labs by the end of month. The 16 in however, is a completely different beast. To the left is a picture of the telescope control computer.

I know that a lot of you are computer savvy, and some others of you might not be. In case you can not tell, that is a rodent nest in the computer housing. After three years of not being used for research or teaching, our clever rodent counterparts found a use for it. Needless to say it is a mess. The real concern is there are custom control boards from the telescope in the middle of that nest. I was able to pull them out, but some of the wiring on them was chewed down to the insulation and mouse pee and feces is crusted onto them. The rest of the rack electronics are not in much better shape. The good news was that the dome motors still worked, so all is not lost.

It was really funny. After fighting facilities to get me power in the dome from August until December, I get up there and find this mess. The first time I plugged it in (I was hoping for the best), I smelled something burning... now I know what that smell was. I have spent December and January cleaning up, and I am just now to the point where I can really start to clean the electronics (as an aside if anyone knows of a good electronics cleaning solvent I would love to know its name). It should take me most of February to really clean them, repair them, and hopefully get them working again.

If for some reason I can not get the cables repaired and the PCBs working again we will have to send them back to the vendor for refurbishment. The problem is the original vendor is expensive... well that is the understatement of the year. The best way to describe them is to say that imagine a price that you think is outrageous... now multiply that price by itself, and you have what we will be charged for a repair. That really sucks for a public institution with no funding. 

I guess there are always NSF grants if we really need them, but chances are we will be fine. This is the worst mess I have had to clean up in all of my professional career. Probably the biggest challenge as well. If I can meet it and beat it I my finally be able to prove to a group of people that I did not get here because of who my father was. Finally I may just be able to say to myself definitively that I am at this point in my career because of my skills and abilities... something I have always wondered in the back of my head.

Prayers,

Pisio

Life

Hello my dear readers. I am at a crossroads. I am 31 and have no idea what I want to do when I grow up. Well... I have some idea, but I am really not sure... I love astronomy and working with small telescopes, but I really do have fun, and a gift for working with teenagers in a faith based setting. I have the option of doing a Religious Studies program with a minor in Christian leadership or going on and completing my BS in Physics and potentially teaching High School Physics. Either one would be awesome...

I just can not decide. I am trying to slow myself down and listen to the voice inside me, but it is almost like He just wants me to choose. Do I serve Him in the parishes, or in the schools? I really can not decide. Isn't it nice to have those options though?

I really feel sorry for those people who have their lives planned out for them from day 1. They have to go to the right school, play the right sports, be involved in the right clubs, have the right friends, go the the right college... All for what? To live out someone else's dreams for them. I almost pity some of the kids that I am working with now. It is almost like they have their lives planned out for them by their parents. They have no options, no choice and told that the only way to get ahead is such and such. They have no dreams other than those their parents say they should have for themselves.

Isn't there something more to life though than living someone else's dreams? I am starting to discover that I have my own dreams again, and they might not have been what I thought they were... does that make any sense at all? Probably not...

I have two paths ahead of me now. One that I thought I have wanted, and one that has always nagged at me... either one would make me happy, but I can not just think about me right now. I have a son and a wife to think about as well. Could someone with a degree in Religious Studies and Christian Leadership support his family? Probably... it would not be a glamorous life, but we would get by.

I don't know... it is a tough call. It just seems though that Youth Ministry is in my blood now. It is kind of like the ocean. Once it is in your blood you just can not shake it... Telescopes and astronomy will always be a neat hobby, but I am pretty sure I do not want to go back to making a living where my job is dependent on government contracts. The nice thing about working with teenagers is that as long as people keep having babies, I will never have to worry about funding for my projects. Granted, I may have to raise all the funding for my projects, but at least I have that control...

It is going to be an interesting couple of months... for those of you who are believers, prayers would be appreciated.

God Bless!

Prayers,

Pisio

Headache

I hate headaches, I am sure that most of you do as well. I get nasty ones that border on migraines, and I think sometimes even qualify. I have one now, so if this is even more roundabout than usual, just bear with me. 

Today was just one of those days I would really like to forget, for the most part. It started at 7:30 am. I woke up feeling like I had gone through an entire bottle of Bacardi 151 the night before. Needless to say, that made sitting in Chemistry for an hour and 15 minutes a marvelous experience. Dr. Anderson is a great professor, but when you have a freight train running through your brain lectures about Reaction Mechanisms just go on and on and... wait... I think I still hear an echo in my brain.

Did I mention I have a headache?

Once Chemistry was over I began walking to go see an old friend of mine. Once I got to his office I realized that he had told me he would not be in today because he was at a conference. I also forgot that it was the day my son was supposed to have his 15 month check up. Good thing that my wife remembered. Today, a storm front moved through, and as the barometric dropped more and more, that damn freight train just sped up.

Did I mention I have a headache?

I then drove to work. The temperature and pressure continued to drop, and the freight train kept speeding up. On the way to work I had to stop off and pick up some engravings we had done for memorial plaques for my father. I had to pull out a whole $12 for the things. Adding $5+$5+$1+$1 is quite a challenge when you have a freight train going full force in your head.

Did I mention that I have a headache?

At work I could get nothing done. I think that all in all I managed to respond to a single e-mail. I did however successfully watch the deer on the Church grounds munch on the grass before it started to snow. Oh yeah, I got my printer cartridge changed and cleaned my desk a little. It looked like a freight train had driven over it, much like one is doing to my brain right now.

Did I mention I have a headache...

I came home from work, and watched TV. That was stupid... I should have gone to sleep... much like I will do now...

Good night freight train... CHOOO CHOOO!!!

Prayers, 

Pisio

Astronomy

Tonight was my second class meeting with my Tuesday night Introduction to Astronomy Lab Section, and it was a riot. I love astronomy... my dad before he died passed that love onto me. I love watching people's reactions the first time they see Saturn or the moon through a telescope. Tonight was little different though. 

One of the students in the other section taught by the other instructor was extremely excited about the things she was seeing. We got to talking as we generally do with the students that are interested and it turns out she worked at the KECK observatory in Hawaii. While I had never made it to that observatory in the 10 or so years I worked in the Astronomy Community in Hawaii, we did know a few of the same people. 

This whole experience got me to thinking about how small the world really is. She went to school with one of my co-workers brothers. One of my best friends from the national guard was her co-worker at the KECK. Weird how those things just seem to happen. It was a fun observational period. I love Astronomy. Once you begin to realize how large the universe is, the more amazed you are by the little things... almost like there are no coincidences.

Prayers,

Pisio

If I were President III

Taxes... as certain as death. It disgusts me how much the rich pay to the government. The top 5% of wage earners pay something like 55% of the taxes. The lowest 50% of wage earners pay less (much less from what I understand) than 10% of the taxes. Seems to me that the rich actually need tax breaks and those like me could stand to be taxed a little more. That would sure as hell guarantee that I work harder to get out my tax bracket. As it stands, I love getting everything I pay back from the government. 

So, here is my solution to taxes... tax the poor and give them an incentive to get out of the lowest paying tax bracket (see President II if you want to know how I feel about welfare). Just kidding...

Actually, I really think that the government needs to get all its income from a national sales tax. If I were president I would work to eliminate both state and federal income taxes and institute a nation wide federal sales tax. I really feel like the current system of taxation is more stealing than anything else. They take anywhere from 15 - 30% or more off the top of anything that I make. Now what exactly entitles the government to that much of my money? I guess that they have to pay for votes some how. 

Don't get me wrong, the government has to have money to operate, but does it need 1/3 or more of my income off the top to operate? One would argue that if they were efficient and let private organizations take care of social needs, they could do their job with a lot less. Furthermore, what entitles Bill Clinton to his salary as president for the rest of his life? Hell of a pension and social security plan our "public servants" have, especially when you consider that when most of they serve go to collect social security it will be bankrupt. The one thing they never disagree on or delay is their annual pay raise each year. 

I love rants.

I guess when it comes to taxes we have to ask ourselves what the function of government is. Is their job to regulate everything from public defense of the nation to how much water goes down my toilet after I leave a deposit? My answer would be no. The government is there it ensure public order, provide for the common defense of the nation, provide a common currency and possibly to regulate trade within the country and with other countries. Anything much above that and they are stepping on toes that do not need to be stepped on. Our taxes should only cover their basic operating needs with the largest portion of those funds going to those who defend our country (go figure I'm a veteran right). 

Why is it that I, a resident of Colorado, have to pay for $500 million worth of public works earmarks (thanks Billary) for a state I never intend or desire to visit? Why should you have to pay for a war you don't support if you don't want to? That is why I would propose a national sales tax. I would limit this tax to non-food items. Utilities would also be off limits to taxation. Those are items that every citizen would get tax free. Any clothes, electronics, vehicles, entertainment items (including dining out) that are not needed to provide for the basic needs of your family would be taxed. You know then that if you buy anything other than needs a portion of your money would go to a program or war that you did not support. As in all business, let your patrons speak with their money.

Other than the federal sales tax there would be no hidden taxes, fees or charges that would go to the government. Simple in theory right?

Okay, so we have tackled immigration, welfare reform and now taxes... What next my dear readers? I will let you suggest the next if I were president thread. Until I get one, I will move on to more interesting things...

Prayers,

Pisio.

P.S. check out my friend "Mr. Nerd's" blog. If I ever decide I want to blog for bucks I will start with some of his suggestions.

If I were President II

So yesterday I fixed the immigration problem... today, I will fix welfare. My personal problem with welfare as it currently exists is the no one has any incentive to get off it. It actually creates a class of people who have no reason to ever progress beyond collecting a monthly check from the government. The sole reason that this class exists is to create a base of voters for people who believe they are too stupid or lazy to ever get off the system. Just promise them you will do more for them, never intending to follow through, and you ensure a constant base. Put the blame for their condition on the evil rich, and you get even more of their votes. It is an endless cycle... nothing but victims (as an aside, liberalism at its core needs victims to survive... truly empower the victims to get ahead and you lose your power). 

Here is how you get around that cycle... Make the check time based. From the date that you apply and are granted unemployment benefits, you have six months or a year to find another source of income. At that time, your needs are reassessed. If your current employment does not cover what your family needs to survive at a reasonable level, your income is then supplemented, and you are given another three years of supplemental income until you are able to find income that allows for you to take care of your family. 

If you have not found another source of income in that initial time period, and you can prove you have been looking, your check is continued for another six months. After the end of this period your benefits end. If you have not made sufficient effort to find a source, or sources of income to meet your families needs, your check ceases until you can prove you have made reasonable effort to find income and are referred to the local non-profit and church organizations that are available to you. Your situation is reassessed on a monthly basis. Once a source of income is found you will receive supplemental income again until you can find steady income to meet your family's needs. 

If for some reason you need to receive disability pay, you may draw from your social security benefits with no penalty as well as any other retirement plan you have (again with no penalty), until which time those funds run dry, or you are able to work again (guess which one will probably occur first in most cases). If it is found that you have a reasonable claim, your income would be supplemented on a monthly basis. As soon as you are able to work and regain your income your benefits cease. 

Obviously this system would have to have stipulations with each case being taken on a case by case basis. This would allow for the extenuating circumstances that will inevitable arrive, but hopefully take care of some of the abuses that currently occur. I mean seriously, if you could receive a check from the government each month, knowing that the check will always be there, what incentive do you have to work. If you know that eventually the check will stop, you have much more incentive than you do if you know it is just a gravy train.

Perhaps welfare reform is not this simple, and granted I know nothing of the current system. I refuse to go anywhere near it and will not allow myself to get any government hand out. I would rather work from 9 -5 at McDonalds, 6 - 2 at Taco Bell, and then go deliver papers than take other people's hard earned money. They earned their keep, and in my book they deserve to keep it. I  do not resent raising other people's children, ensuring their education (or lack there of) and paying for their steak while my family works hard paycheck to paycheck, eats hot dogs and bologna and will probably have to attend a federally subsidized indoctrination machine (public education), but I do resent the politicians who use my hard earned money to support people who do not contribute to society (granted there are those who shit has just happened to, and genuinely need government aide).

I just do not see how people in this country can ever go on government assistance. You may not get a great paying job, or a glamorous job, but you can put a food in your children's mouth. What better example could you as a parent set than to work hard and get ahead. Maybe you will inspire someone (possibly even your own child... AAAH) to work harder and get ahead in life. Isn't that why people risk their lives to get here in the first place... the opportunity that this country provides is amazing. Yet there are those led to believe that they are entitled to a government check every month. The people who promise the checks and get them to the mailboxes have created, in a sense, a new form of slavery. Not one where you are whipped and beaten if misbehave, but they have created a dependency on the state... isn't that an aim of socialism? Isn't socialism a system that fails every time it is tried unless it is not fully implemented?

So... today we solved welfare... tomorrow, maybe we will discuss taxes...

Prayers...

Pisio