Rants and Raves of Roberts

All this spam in in my inbox is getting ridiculous!

2011-11-06T14:06:00.000-05:00

Mobile blogging

2011-09-09T17:51:00.001-04:00

Blogger now has an iOS app.

2011 - First post of the year

2011-01-01T12:35:00.000-05:00

Today is January 1, 2011 and what have I done today?

Not that much:

Made coffee
Ran the dishwasher
Put Grands cinnamon rolls in the oven
Drank 3 cups of coffee
Read the daily Bible reading via the church website.
Surfed the web

What else am I going to do today?

Do some spackling
Cut down some odd-shaped boxes for recycling
Work in the garage and basement

New Year's Resolutions

2010-12-31T21:46:00.000-05:00

With the coming of 2011 tomorrow, I have plans for what I will do in 2011:

Spend more time in God's Word
Read more
Walk on the treadmill
Do more home maintenance and other things around the house
Additional items that come up
Be more positive as it is all in God's control

I need to actually post stuff.

2010-12-29T13:11:00.000-05:00

My wife informed me yesterday that I have not posted anything to my blog since July 2009. I had basically almost given up on it as hardly anyone ever read it. However, I have decided that this blog is really for me and I can post whatever I choose. To that end, I plan on posting things of interest to me and if they do not interest others - well, I really don't care.

Cumberland Gap 2009

2009-07-09T17:42:00.001-04:00

We visited the Cumberland Gap National Park on July 8, 2009.
We saw a couple of deer
A Civil War cannon at what is left of Fort McCook
At the Pinnacle Overlook, we saw Fern Lake and a bird of prey below us

Field Day photo

2009-06-25T12:32:00.000-04:00

This is a photo of a classmate of dd on their Field Day. I took a bunch of shots; however, this one is my favorite. I love her expression.

Photo - Copyright 2009 Robert R. Seay

Fake photography licenses for when someone says “you can’t take pictures here”

2009-05-15T13:04:00.001-04:00

Fake photography licenses for when someone says “you can’t take pictures here”

Posted using ShareThis

CJD takes my cousin

2009-03-25T11:12:00.001-04:00

My cousin, Brad, died from CJD on March 18, 2009. This is an extremely rare degenerative neurological disease.

Godspeed Brad.

Links regarding this disease and my cousin.

Wikipedia article on CJD

CJD Foundation

National Institutes of Heatlh CJD fact sheet

Newspaper article on his death

TV station article on his death

Massanutten Resort

2009-03-19T11:26:00.000-04:00

We are on vacation in Massanutten. It is near Harrisonburg, Manassas, and James Madison's home, Montpelier.

http://www.massresort.com/

Dd has been enjoying the indoor waterpark.

The resort has the worst Wi-Fi that I have ever used-it is Wayport and very spasmodic and slow when one can connect at all. I hope they fix this.

Snow!

2009-02-02T11:57:00.001-05:00

There be snow here!

Yesterday we had temperatures around 60°F and now look at what we have here.

Anxiously awaiting dd’s arrival. Schools were closed all around the area and our carpooling friends are picking her up. Bless them!

PC Magazine – digital only – I am concerned

2009-02-02T08:13:00.001-05:00

Yesterday, I received my copy of PC Magazine in my mail, my e-mail as the tech magazine published their last print edition with the January 2009 edition. The magazine, once producing 22 issues a year had become a monthly prior to ending print distribution now exists only in digital form. There is nothing wrong with that – it particularly makes sense for a tech magazine to be digital with the fast changing pace of technology.

Why am I worried? The February 2009 issue had a total of three (yes, three) pages of advertising. Hopefully, future issues will contain more as such ads are vital to the survival of this tech veteran.

January 2009

2009-01-22T18:09:00.001-05:00

What are we doing this January?

The normal stuff, dd is doing well as school and playing Upward basketball at church. Dw is subbing some at dd’s school. I am working at the same place.

Barack Obama is now the president. It was an historic moment as just over 40 years ago did Dr. Martin Luther King utter the words “I have a dream.” I am reminded of the movie Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner (Spencer Tracy’s last movie) where Sidney Poitier’s character and the daughter of Tracy’s and Hepburn’s characters announce they are going to marry and that the daughter thinks that all of their children will grow up to be president and have colorful administrations.

The economy is, in a word, scary. Circuit City gone and with it 34,000 jobs. Goody’s Family Clothing and 9,800 jobs gone too. Cutbacks everywhere. Hope springs eternal – it will get better, it is just a matter of when.

Our visit to SeaWorld

2008-12-30T17:29:00.001-05:00

While on our trip to Orlando, I took dd to SeaWorld (Dw decided to forgo the excursion).

Happy Christmas!

2008-12-25T19:30:00.001-05:00

Yes, I said Happy Christmas. My dad was from England and that is what they say there rather than Merry Christmas. So Feliz Navidad and Joyeux Noell too for the rest of North America.

We are cleaning up dishes and doing laundry after a wonderful time with my side of the family. My in-laws came over yesterday. We are getting ready to leave for Florida tomorrow. We hope to visit some of the parks in Orlando like Sea World and Universal Studios. We shall see how the weather treats us in our endeavors.

Dd received several presents – 3 Wii games and 2 DS games along with a winter cape and and a cellphone/wallet combo amongst other things. Dw was pleased with her Jeremiah 29:11 gifts (her favorite Bible verse). From Dw, I received an electronics organizer, a monogrammed terry robe, a long-term charge electric screwdriver, and a travel coffee mug that you plug into the cigarette lighter/power port. I received other gifts too such as cash (always the right color and it always fits!), a Red Lobster gift card (my stomach just growled), etc.

Remember the reason for the season – the birth of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Read Luke 2 regarding His birth.

2008-11-23T15:40:00.000-05:00

Our vacation to Surfside Beach, SC

Entering into North Carolina

So that is where Batman lives

entering into South Carolina

The Blue Ocean in Clinton, SC I-26 Exit 52

I love their scallops, yum!

Sunset from a rest area

Gas @ $ 1.59! in Florence, SC

A big screen in our condo, way cool!

We ate lunch @ Bob Evans - Hwy 17 @ Dick Pond Road
One of our favorite places
This is one is @ the Coastal Grand Mall

Hi from B-A-M

Baptism night

2008-11-02T20:15:00.000-05:00

Dd and I were baptized tonight at the evening service and we officially joined our church.
Dw took photos. There was a football theme for the service (the pastor is wearing a Colts jersey and I am wearing a Titans one) because the guest speaker was Pastor David Rocker of the Gibraltar Christian Church of Fayetteville, GA. Rocker played in the NFL for the Los Angeles Rams and his speech informed us not to sit in the stands or on the sidelines but to "get in the game" akin to James 1:22 But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. NKJV

Photoshop class results

2008-10-10T11:48:00.001-04:00

Well I finished my Photoshop class last night (4 sessions total). We had to submit a personal photo/montage as well as a project from the instructor that consisted of taking 4 shots in bad shape of lions and cubs and putting them together on different layers and doing something creative with them.

Of the personal items, I came in 2nd place. Of the project submittals, I placed in the top 5. Yay me!

The personal submission was family related as it shows a Martin-Baker ejection seat, a Spitfire, the Avro Arrow (Canadian fighter project - only 5 prototypes were built), Mercury and Apollo spacecraft, and the F-15 Eagle. My stepfather worked on all of these projects. Dad liked the montage too.

Photoshop class

2008-09-08T19:01:00.001-04:00

I begin my Photoshop class next week at the local university. I want to learn how to restore old photographs and enhance my photos to make them "pop." I am particularly interested in HDR (high dynamic range).

2008-09-03T21:22:00.000-04:00

Dd on her scooter at a local park. I like the s-curve.

Zuma - amusement center - not Gwen Stefani's son

2008-08-23T18:14:00.000-04:00

Took Dd to Zuma today so she could some fun time. Zuma used to be, at least here, Celebration Station. She played some arcade games, rode some rides, and redeemed her arcade tickets for a prize. Dd had a good time and I got some decent shots of her.

Back from vacation

2008-08-02T21:51:00.000-04:00

We got back last weekend from a vacation in Colonial Williamsburg, VA. We also visited the Jamestown Settlement, and Yorktown (where Cornwallis surrendered to Washington). It was quite educational - but is was HOT. On the way, we stopped and saw James Monroe's house and had lunch at the Michie Tavern at Charlottesville. On the way back, we stopped and visited Monticello - impressive.

Free/Open Source Software

2008-07-15T22:12:00.000-04:00

Can good software also be free? Ubetcha. Some of my favorites are:

Mozilla Firefox - the most famous open source browser
Opera - a free, proprietary browser that is fast
Mozilla Thunderbird - e-mail app
Mozilla Sunbird - calendar app
OpenOffice - office suite
Songbird - music player/organization
VLC - video player
GIMP - photo manipulation
Inkscape - vector drawing app
Scribus - desktop publishing
Picasa - photo organization
Audacity - sound editor
FileZilla - FTP client
Pidgin - instant messaging app
PDF Creator - print from apps to a PDF
RSS Owl - RSS client

I'll have this updated with some comments later

Toby-The Furmudgeon

2008-07-05T10:02:00.000-04:00

Toby is our dog bear pig bull cat. He drools like a dog, sleeps like a bear, eats like a pig, smells flowers like Ferdinand, and is a cat. He likes to sleep with me, likes to have his head rubbed, and makes these crazy noises when he's is sleeping and something disturbs him. It's these noises that make us call him the Furmudgeon.

4th over

2008-07-04T23:15:00.000-04:00

Left the lake after having a good time with family members. Stopped to see family burial plot - took a few quick pix and then it started to rain. We came home and started to watch Independence Day. Dd informed us that she had seen it so we watched the First Daughter - a young Katie Holmes - still can't see why she married Tom Cruise.

Celebrating the Fourth

2008-07-04T11:17:00.000-04:00

We are going to my Aunt Pat's lake house to celebrate America's birthday along with my mother's birthday (yesterday). DW has made her banana pudding and spaghetti salad. Other family members will be there too with assorted dishes - yum. Dd is getting her hair washed in a moment and the screaming will commence when dw begins combing and drying her hair. Dw and I know it can drive one's patience but the good Lord doesn't give you more than you can handle.

Photographing Fireworks

2008-07-04T11:14:00.001-04:00

Last night our church held its Fourth celebration. I am a member of the photography team and had to take photos of visitors and, of course, the fireworks. I have never shot fireworks before. The camera was on the tripod with a shutter speed of 1/25 with manual focus set to infinity using a cable release. Well, the shots could have been better. More research will have to be done before I try that again.