Random Stuff

Grand Theft Auto IV came out today. This is the end all be all to violence, crime, and sex in a video game. I’ve played earlier versions of it. And I liked it. And yes, I would let my youngest son play it. I also wouldn’t say no to my oldest son, even if he was under 18. I have also taken my kids to “R” rated movies. I have let them see movies on cable that had nudity in them.

I’m sure there are some parents out there who shudder at the thought. The first thing to do would be to conclude I must be an awful parent for exposing my kids to such thing. That my kids must be, or will be, violent boys. My response would be to get to know my kids and me before you make up your mind about that. But I doubt that will happen if you’ve already made up your mind.

The simple fact of the matter is that I trust my children’s judgement when it comes to telling the difference between what is real and what is not. As well as what is acceptable and what is not. I’ve taken the time to teach them that there are consequences for actions. To think before acting. While I do have some of the typical problems associated with raising kids,  I have on a regular basis been made proud by either choices or direct actions made by my kids.

It is easy to blame video games, television shows, the internet, movies, and even music for the way children behave and how they behave when they grow into adulthood. But the simple fact of the matter is that if your children are behaving badly because of any of those influences, then you are the one who are letting your children down.

Talk to your kids. Talk to them. Ask them what they think. Let them know what you think.  Give them the freedom to make choices. Praise them for good, punish them for bad. Be an example.
Step up and be a parent. Don’t let a video game fill in the holes for you.

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Originally uploaded by jesse_hires

I love fast cars. Sunday I spent the day out at Pacific Raceway enjoying all of the smoke, exhaust, and noise of cars having several hundred horsepower making their way down the track. I love it! I haven’t been to a track in close to 20 years. I think it was more fun this time than the last time I went.

Today…
Seattlest used one of my Snoqualmie Falls pictures in an article.
Total Performance Racing let me know they want to use my pictures of their 222mph truck on their website.

No money, just fun.
Just how I want it.

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Originally uploaded by jesse_hires

Why?
Because you stand out.
Because you are special.
Because you are different from all the rest.

Photograph Taken by Debbie at the Skagit Valley Tulip Festival. April 19, 2008

I just stumbled on an irritating feature of my camera. I spent today at Pacific Raceway watching drag races. Because I’ve had my camera set on “fine + raw + large” format, I actually ran out of room on my 4 gig flash card for it.

I spent time between races deleting unwanted pictures. (not hard to find when you’ve taken 800+ pictures, gotta love digital cameras). It’s not a big deal, but now that I am downloading the pictures to my computer, I found that rather than continuing on the order numbering, it went back and filled in the holes. So pictures 800 through 900 may have my 924th picture burried in there somewhere.

It’s not a horrible thing, but I’d like the numbers to continue on upward regardless of any holes in the numbering sequence.

I’d say it’s a pretty high compliment when someone you know marks one of your pictures on Flickr as a favorite without knowing it’s you.

I took some time last night and watched the Dalai Lama on TV last night. He was answering questions in front of an audience at the UW.

It was interesting. But nothing he said was new. I’ve heard pretty much everything he’s said before. I’ve read it in philosophy books, and heard it from discussions with other people about religion, peace (or war), or in some cases my own thoughts.

I’m not saying I am great, and I am also not trying to make light of the Dali Lama. Rather, everything he said was, I believe, absolutely correct. It was grounded in common sense, logic, and understanding human nature. I have a great deal of respect for him because of that.

I find it amazing that people ask questions and look at what His Holiness’ answer is like it is a revelation.  Perhaps I shouldn’t.  I know it is some people’s dream to meet a spiritual leader such as him, and that is the entire reason for asking a question in itself. But I would think that would only be self serving. Why not ask a question you really want to know the answer for, or a question that is truly causing conflict in you. Not ask a question you already know the answer and are just looking for validation, or worse, just having a chance to just ask any question.  Or maybe they really don’t know that if you thought about things for a minute.

I was asked by a coworker if I would like to meet him. I would. In a heartbeat. What would I ask him? “Would you be my friend?” Probably followed by asking for his email address so we could chat.

Today was an amazing day. I’m too tired right now to go into too many details, but I’ll give a few now before I hit the sack.

We took Debbie’s Jeep for some light offroading today up at Rieter pit. Top down, it was  a bit chilly this morning, but  things warmed up quite a bit. By around Lunch time we were several hundred feet in elevation driving through about a foot of snow spinning tires and throwing mud all the way up to some of the most spectacular scenery this area has to offer.

Back down, then to the house, then out to Lake union into Ivars for dinner (not the fast food, but the restaurant on the north end). From there we headed out to Alki and watched the sun go down amidst the hundred of cars and motorcycles out cruising around.  Around Alki point and back home again.

We have a few pictures from the mountains, but to be frank, I’m just too tired to upload them right now. Maybe tomorrow.

I’ve been using Flickr more and more. I was reluctant at first to use it because I could just as easily write my own web page to host my own pictures. But as I began to take more photos, it became cumbersome and the utility of Flickr became apparent. It wasn’t until I reach my limit as a free user that I decided to pony up for a pro account. I think this was the first service on the internet that I actually paid for. I’ve come to a point where I really rely on it.

I’ve mentioned before my opinion on Microsoft buying Yahoo. Regardless of my opinion on why or why not that deal should happen, I worry about what will become of Flickr. I like it just the way it is. It is exceptionally clean, easy to use, reliable, and powerful. A rare combination.

Knowing what I do about Microsoft from working there for ten years, is that if they do wind up owning it, they will not be able to leave it alone. I can imagine it being clumped into the mess that is MS-Live. Worse yet, I could imagine it requiring MS-Silverlight (MS answer to flash) making it incompatible with any operating system other than Windows.

Both of these would be a tragedy to a wonderful service.

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Originally uploaded by jesse_hires

One more for today. These little guys were under the trees in the previous post. It may not look like it, but there was no processing on this picture. They really were that purple and that brilliant!

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Originally uploaded by jesse_hires

I saw this on the way home from work today. That’s a single cherry tree almost wrapping completely around the fir tree. As I was taking pictures, I heard a “Thankyou!” from the building to the left.

It turns it was the owner of the building. Her and her husband had built the condo and had planted both of these trees 23 years ago. She this was the most beautiful it had ever looked. In my 10 years of driving this way, I can say I’ve never seen it like this.

Click on the picture for a few more taken of the same trees.

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Originally uploaded by jesse_hires

This is a photo I took last summer. Can you tell that warmer days are on my mind?

There is something sobering about reading this living will document I have sitting here in front of me. The questions are simple, but the answers are not. In addition to talking to my family, I think I may need to consult a medical professional as well. I want to know exactly what I am answering yes and no to before doing so.

I do think about my death from time to time, but it is in terms of how it will affect those closest to me. So as such I owe it to them to talk about this.

Snoqualmie Falls 3
Originally uploaded by jesse_hires

Moving water pictures have always fascinated me. I finally took some time this morning while everyone was still asleep to head out to Snoqualmie Falls. This is one of about 50 that I took while trying out different settings on my camera.

It’s wonderful to have a tripod, a camera with a lot of control, and a remote.

I’ll have to head back there when the water is really flowing. During flood season, the entire wall you see in the picture is covered with waterfall.

Not enough coffee? Not enough sleep? Not sure what it is, but I woke up this morning in a somewhat bad mood, and the way the rest of my morning has been going, my mood is not improving.

The default Wordpress template is beginning to get old. Although it is a brilliant design by any standard, I am finding that I am getting more and more limited. Mostly because lately I’ve been posting pictures as well as writing. I need to get one that is a little more suited to this.

I’m open to suggestions if you’ve seen a decent template out there.

Hail in my hand, originally uploaded by jesse_hires.

The hailstorm we had the other day was quite spectacular, as well as very wet. I’ve never seen a hail storm last for 30 minutes. No damage (at least to any of my stuff) but it was coming down hard enough I thought I might need to pull off the road.

This is a test post from , a fancy photo sharing thing.

Having fun and playing around with settings on my camera.

Enjoy