Saturday, December 6, 2008

Yawn...

Long day at work yesterday (and a hectic one) and I have another long one today. Lucky for me I'm off tomorrow. It's been very cold here; frigid in fact. It got down to 11 last night. This morning I found a card Sam had propped up on a window pane which had frozen to the glass last night. It's still there because I haven't chipped the ice from around it. Our house stays warm though, only the windows themselves are cold. I think tomorrow I am going to see about putting some plastic over the windows for some insulation.

On another note, I received my $20 wireless card from Edimax. This thing works flawlessly with Vista. It has an external antenna (one on a wire that you can place away from the computer case for better signal), and the software they bundle with it is simple yet extremely effective. As soon as it was installed I could view all the wireless networks in my area, see a % signal strength, whether it was 802.11B, G, or N, and type of encryption. It even picked up my router which I had set to not broadcast the SSID. It found it...it just didn't have a name. And unlike other wireless networks I've used, the encryption with this new router and card work great together. I had no problem setting up a secured wireless network, and my transfer speeds are great. Did I mention I'm getting 100% signal from the router? Excellent router, excellent card.

Thursday, December 4, 2008

Lengthy Update

Wow, December snuck up on me quickly. I'm ready for 2009; I'm always ready to see what a new year has to offer. As for Christmas this year, Sarah and I have decided to take a different approach. Meaning as we don't really have money for gifts, we are going to get more in to the Christmas spirit by baking cookies, making good food, decorating, and just having a good time. We have decided that when we get the money we are going to buy ourselves something nice that we both want. Sam is going to have plenty of gifts though; we are making sure he will have an awesome Christmas.

The weather's cold here in Ohio. Not too cold, but it has been snowing occasionally. Sarah and I have been watching movies lately to pass the time (myself more than her actually), so here's my take on a few of the more recent ones we've seen:
Twilight - Sarah had read the book, so she was excited to see this movie. I thought it looked good because it was about vampires. It was good, and I loved the twist that the author (Stephanie Meyer) put on the legend of vampires and werewolves. I can't wait for the next one to come out. I might note it was good, but not good enough to make me want to read all the books (I'd never finish them anyway).

Hellboy 2 - I watched this one last night. I thought it was just as good as the first one. All the Hellboy humor with some great creatures and special fx. This is a fun one.

10,000 BC - Not bad. I really appreciated how Ancient Egypt was placed so far back in time instead of around 3,000 BC where all the historians place it. Nobody knows when the pyramids were built for sure. I think it was one of those movies that everybody will see, but nobody will really talk about it.

The Polar Express - I know, this one isn't new, but I enjoyed it. It's a great Christmas story, and I think everyone should see it before Christmas this year.
Seeing as how I'm watching all these movies lately I'm tempted to sign up for Netflix again; however, I hesitate because I don't want another monthly bill. Besides, I've been watching a lot of videos online for free. I wonder if there's a way I can wirelessly transmit what's being displayed on my computer to my TV in the living room? I'll have to look into that.

Sam is learning to walk a bit. He still can't stand up on his own yet, and he is learning quickly. He is remembering things better and he understands some of what I say when I talk to him (i.e."Sit down in that bathtub!"). He doesn't eat baby food any longer, and he is drinking plenty of water finally. He does have a slight cold at the moment, but is doing fine. I can't wait for him to start talking and walking! I know, I hear I'm in for trouble, but overall it will be exciting.

Saturday, August 30, 2008

What did I see?

Location: Northwest Ohio

Sam woke up around 5:30 this morning. After I got him up, I went outside to let the dog out before I fed him breakfast. It was still dark, and I happened to look up at the sky after I put him in his pen. I saw a bright white light moving west-to-east. The light was much brighter than any beacon light on an airplane or helicopter. This was really bright, as bright Venus or the Northern Star in the night sky if not brighter.

I thought it may be a low-flying aircraft and that was why the light was so bright, but the air was silent, and after observing for a few more seconds I realized this object was very high up; 30,000 feet or more. There was no sound emitted from it that I could hear, and it was traveling very high in the sky. With the light as large as it was, and being so high up, this object had to be pretty large.

It was also traveling very fast; much faster than a commercial jet travels when observed flying at cruising altitude, and military fighter jets don't have lights as bright or as large as this object was. I am estimating it was going faster than Mach 1. My attention never wavered from how bright the light was. I was trying to see if it had any shape to it, and there was none that I could tell.

This object did not look like a meteor or satellite. There was no trail behind it, and though it moved fast, it was not moving fast enough to be considered a meteor entering the atmosphere. It was not the International Space Station (ISS); according to www.heavens-above.com the ISS was situated directly over New Zealand this morning. It was not the NASA Orbiter, as there is no shuttle currently in orbit, and the next launch is not scheduled until October 8, 2008.

I can't explain this object. I am not labeling it as anything in particular. I believe it could have been an alien spacecraft or a secret military craft.