Category Random Thoughts

Hate has no place in America

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It has been over a year since I last wrote on my blog due to many personal issues that I have had to deal with that has kept my mind elsewhere. I decided that now is the time to focus on something I enjoy, which is writing, and voicing my opinion on the things I love.

A couple of days back I was trying to decide if I should write about the state of the WWE, the brilliance of NJPW (New Japan Pro Wrestling), Star Wars comic books under the Marvel banner, or many other geek related things when yesterday happened.

Unless you have been living under a rock, or refuse to know what is happening around you, you are well aware of what happened this weekend in Charlottesville. Without going into great detail on what we should all know by now, there was a violent clash between white supremacists and anti-racist protestors. Many people were hurt, 3 lives were lost, and our country has been rattled to it’s core. I followed Friday night through Saturday closely and was sick to my stomach to see the hatred and symbols of evil and oppression that were being displayed by these supremacists. I found myself ashamed to be a white male.

This year has been difficult for me on many levels, but the one pain that I feel I share with the majority of Americans is our current political climate. I have spent most of my adult life not discussing politics outside of my family. They get the “pleasure” of hearing my rants while I try to spare others of differing opinions outside of my home such ramblings. With where we are now as a nation I have decided to discontinue that. When people would say something offensive to me or others I would try to ignore it and move on to another topic. No more. From this day forward I will call you out and back you down if you spew anything from your mouth that is misogynist, racist, homophobic, etc… I feel that in some way I am part of the problem as a white male when I do not chew someone out for speaking in an offensive manner. I am going to correct that problem immediately.

You DO NOT have the right to spew hatred and ignorance. I have the right to make you stop by whatever means necessary. The Nazi symbol in America is grotesque since we fought and defeated them in World War II. I have family who fought against the Nazis who I know would be disgusted to see such things if they were still alive.

This is not a good time to be an American, but it can be again if we fight against hatred and do not cower from it. I am not going to tell you to pray for things to get better since that has never worked. I am not going to tell you to call your political leaders because that rarely works. I am only going to tell you to fight for human decency. To fight against what we all know is wrong. And to bring kindness back to our country despite what our leaders may do or in some cases not say.

I have always made it my goal to not blog too much of my personal opinion in regards to things like politics, etc… but I felt in this case I had no choice.

I have studied Buddhism for around 7 years now and I do believe strongly that we must all learn to love and respect one another despite our differences, but if you are part of the alt-right, white supremacy groups, or anything that involves hatred towards people that are different from you…FUCK OFF.

Happy New Year!

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It has been a few months since my last post and I am looking forward to starting up again. I started a new job in October and the transition has taken my mind off of what’s important…blogging! 🙂

I used to do the resolution routine for the new year, but have decided to avoid that since life seems to constantly be in flux and there are some things you cannot control.

My goal is the same this year as it is every year…to be a better person and to do everything I can to better the lives of my family.

I am sure more challenges will come my way, but as long as I have the love of my family I will get through it a better and stronger person.

Here’s to a great life and a better world for all.

Back in the Saddle

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Using the title above now has me humming the classic tune from Aerosmith which is not a problem since they are one of my favorite bands.

I have not blogged for a while and I am making no excuses. Life kicks you in the head more often than not, but it is up to the individual to do something positive about it so I am getting back to blogging about the things I enjoy like professional wrestling, comic books, video games, etc… It may offer only a brief break from the stupidity of the world around me, but it is a break nonetheless that is much needed.

I am going to spend the weekend thinking of a new writing schedule, what topics I want to cover, etc… There will still be three blogs a week (2 from myself and 1 from my daughter), but I want to get on a semi-rigid schedule to keep my brain working and doing things I enjoy like writing and giving my opinion plus I work better with a structure/schedule.

I look forward to getting back on schedule and telling everyone about the things I love!

iPad Air 2

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Hot damn, hot diggity-damn I am on a roll! As you all know I had the pleasure of winning a Surface Pro 3 last month at my place of work and was quite excited and happy with the product (still am). This past Friday I had the pleasure of taking a 4 hour training class with Apple regarding their iPad line and selling techniques through my place of work, which is a re-seller of Apple products (primarily Macs and iPads). Much to my surprise the 9 of us that got the privilege of taking this training were given 64GB iPad Air 2’s. Hot damn, hot diggity-damn! Too say I was excited is an understatement.

I have owned an iPad 2 for the past few years and it was truly a great tablet, but as most technology is wont to do over time, it has slowed down tremendously. It had got to the point where I mostly used it to read magazines and comic books, which it worked fine for except the slow download time, but stopped using it for much more. The iPad Air was a welcome gift and allows me to retire my first iPad and in just a few days has dramatically increased my use of an iPad.

The first thing most people notice when they see any Apple product is the aesthetic. The iPad Air is a great looking tablet. It is much thinner and lighter than the older versions and the space grey backing is sharp. The screen itself (2048-by-1536-pixel resolution at 264 ppi) is sharp and appealing. Everything simply looks better on the iPad Air.

The A8X chip makes the machine work much quicker than previous models and the download times are significantly reduced.

Games, productivity apps, etc… all seem to look and work better on this version of the iPad.

I am only a few days in to ownership of this awesome tablet and so far I am very impressed and strongly suggest getting one if you are currently looking for the latest and greatest tablet on the market.

Surface Pro 3 Updated Review

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Just a quick update on my feelings towards the Surface Pro 3 (original review can be found here https://thegeekregistry.com/2015/06/15/surface-pro-3/).

In have had this device for over a month and it is still amazing. The one thing I originally had issues with is the battery life which at first did not seem to live up to Microsoft’s claim (9 hours of web browsing). Light use with just basic web browsing and e-mail checking seems to corroborate a 9 hour battery life, but anything else you do on the Surface will drain that bad boy quickly. I just try to remember to bring my power cord when I take it with me out of the house and it is a small inconvenience for a great device.

I was very fortunate to get one for free since this particular model goes for quite a bit of money and would have been out of my price range. If you have the funds though to buy a high end tablet that works like a high end PC then you need to get this device.

Games work perfectly, productivity programs work great, and I use it just like I would a PC.

I am still very grateful for this awesome prize and strongly recommend getting one for yourself.

A Hodge Podge

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Over the next couple of months my blogging will be a bit different than normal with a lot more random thoughts, comic book discussions, etc…

I still need to re-watch Wrestlemania 30 and give my new review on that plus this years amazing 31st edition, but lately my mind has been everywhere at once and I have had more to say than normal.

I still prefer to focus on reviews and the giving of my “humble’ opinion on various things with a strong desire to never get too political with topics, but we do seem to be in a period of monumental change in our society and it is hard to keep quiet.

I will never force my opinion down anyone’s throats and I will always respect other’s opinions, but sometimes the right thing must be said even if some people may be slightly offended.

I am still going for an overall fun, light read, but occasionally I just have to get something off my chest 🙂

Here’s to a lot of fun blogging and occasionally some respectful discourse!

Murder She Wrote

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I pride myself on being a peculiar fellow with some strange, eclectic tastes. I love the WWE, Phoenix Suns, Indianapolis Colts, comic books, Legos, etc… I can now add to that list Murder She Wrote.

Starring Angela Lansbury it lasted 12 seasons ending in 1995. I remember my Mother watching the show when it aired and I never paid much attention. Now with it streaming on Netflix it has become one of my all time favorite shows. I am a huge Star Trek fan, loving every iteration of it (with Enterprise getting a mild ‘like’) and MSW is right up there. The show is actually quite complex with the various twists and turns during each episode with the climax finally revealing the usually out-of-left-field murderer.

Angela Lansbury is simply awesome. She is an absolute legend and a delight to watch on this show. I am on season 5 with ‘only’ 7 more to go and I don’t want it to end.  My family and I watch on average 4-5 episodes a night and all three of us love the show.

Simply put, if you have a Netflix subscription you must give this show a shot. Yes, it may seem like an odd choice for a middle aged man who listens to Rob Zombie and plays Mortal Kombat to love Angela Lansbury and Murder She Wrote, but I do and I am not ashamed to admit it.

Common Sense

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My goal with this blog from day one has been to steer clear of political/sensitive issues. I look at this blog as a way for me to share my life experiences, promote the heck out of professional wrestling, give my teenage daughter a venue to share her opinions and improve her writing skills, and various benign reasons. It has been getting more and more difficult for me to keep silent with all of the goings on in this crazy world we live in, both positive and negative. So, without being too obvious I am just going to generalize how I feel about where we are headed as a society.

Just a little background on me first…I am neither liberal nor conservative, just a guy with opinions.

My opinion on everything that has been going on recently can be summed up in one simple phrase, common sense. What is wonderful about being a human being is that we are able to live our lives in any way we choose as long as we do not hurt ourselves or others. Having differing opinions is a good thing since life would be mundane if we all agreed on everything.

I am perplexed when people get outraged by the way others live their lives. Common sense dictates that what someone else does in their personal lives usually will not affect me. As long as you are a good, decent person whatever lifestyle you live is your business and does not negatively impact me. I get beyond frustrated when someone gets angry about what other people do in their private lives. Common sense would tell these people to get over themselves, but they rarely do. I have family members and friends who I strongly disagree with on certain topics, but I do not think any less of them and they do not think less of me.  We are all allowed to have our opinions and share them, but we should never tell someone else their feelings are wrong, unless it is something harmful to them or others.

Also, why is it considered oppressing someone when they come out publicly with an opinion and I come out in opposition to it? I cannot stand it when people get up in arms when you disagree with someone else and act like you are trying to oppress them in some way and not allow them to share their feelings. Isn’t the whole point of freedom of speech the fact that if you come out and say one thing that I have the right to give a dissenting opinion? I am baffled when people act like I am taking away a person’s right to free speech when I disagree with that person. That is what free speech is. I am not telling the person to shut up, I am just giving my opinion on the matter.

Plain and simple, common sense is one of the most important skills we must all learn. With it, I think the world would be a much better place and our stress levels would decrease dramatically.

Remember, we are all equal, we all have the right to free speech, we should feel comfortable sharing our opinion, and we all need to get over ourselves just a little bit.

I have now stepped off of my soapbox. Carry on…

Happy Monday!

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Just a quick blog post today.

Spent a great Father’s Day weekend with friends and family in Flagstaff.

We hiked down Walnut Canyon on Saturday, which is a beautiful area, and spent the rest of the day shopping/eating in Historic Downtown Flagstaff on Route 66 which was a blast.

We drove back in to town yesterday and have already planned our next trip to Flagstaff. I cannot recommend the area enough. It has a small town atmosphere and lots of great hiking options, outside of the norm shopping experiences, great eateries, and the temperature is a good 20 degrees cooler than the metro Phoenix area.

Definitely an area I will visit much more frequently in the future.

Have a great Monday!

Surface Pro 3

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Talk about pure luck…a couple of weeks back I won a contest at work and received a 128GB Microsoft Surface Pro 3. I entered the contest a few months ago and completely forget I entered and was surprised to find out I was one of 3 winners. I am a tech geek and was absolutely thrilled to win one, since I was interested in getting it once funds allowed it.

I am going to give my initial impressions of it and nothing too heavily technical since you can easily find specs online. I just want to give an idea of how I feel about the device.

I will start out with the two negatives:

1) An external keyboard must be bought separately at a little over $100. Microsoft touts how the Surface will replace your traditional laptop. Not if you have to pay extra for a traditional keyboard. Mind you, the keyboard is nice and my wife surprised me with one last week, but if I had shelled out the money for the Surface then paying for a keyboard would have been much more frustrating. The keyboard must come with the Surface for it to truly replace a laptop.

2) Battery life is a little frustrating. I am hoping it is just the standard issue where it needs to be drained and recharged a few times to hold the charge better, but Microsoft states you will get around 9 hours of battery life with standard web surfing. I tried that test and within two hours of light usage the Surface lost half of its charge. We shall see if that changes in a few weeks and I will update this post if it does.

Now for the good and there is a lot of good:

1) It is fast. One thing I have always found annoying is boot up time. The Surface has almost no boot up time. I turn it completely off when I am done using it for the day and the next morning I turn it on and it is ready to go almost immediately.

2) Size and appearance is perfect. The Surface is not too big to carry around and not too small either. The screen is high resolution so everything looks great in HD. The separately bought keyboard works and looks great. The included stylus is the best yet since it truly feels like using a pen on the screen. It truly is a high end device in the way it works and the way it looks.

3) The system itself works extremely well. I have not been a big fan of Windows 8 since in my opinion it works awkwardly on laptops and even laptops with touchscreens. Clearly Windows 8 was meant for the Surface. It looks sharp and works smoothly. I have several PC games loaded already and they all play very well (one thing, they are older games so I am not sure how current high resolution games fair). I have a subscription to Microsoft O365 and it installed quickly and works perfectly.

Overall, I absolutely love my Surface. It works great, looks great, and replaces my laptop. If you want one device instead of carrying a laptop and a tablet or picking one over the other, you should purchase the Surface. Mind you, this is coming from a big Apple fan since I own a Mac, iPad, and an iPhone who always touts the superiority of Apple to PC, but with the Surface, the PC world is finally evolving and proving that the PC is not dead, just changing.