Category: Coffee Shop

A random collection of discussions, that could be discussed in a coffee shop or over a cup of Keurig brew…

OMSCS – Day 1 of…

Posted on by tblubaugh

Day one is officially done, and the end is one day closer!

I guess I should probably start by saying, please don’t expect a daily update regarding my schooling. I will try to post more often but there is a lot more going on this time around than the first time.

Obviously, the first time around I was not married, there were no kids, there was no house to upkeep, etc. With all of those things added in this time, I think I understand why I am a bit scared/nervous about the whole situation.

No doubt the stakes are high but the reward will be great. High stakes, really? Yep, I need to pass each of my classes with a B or better just to remain in the program. One of my classes might be ten times easier (somewhat of an assumption since I am not even ankle deep yet) if I remembered some of those classes I had 11 years ago. Who knew that Assembly Language, Operating Systems, and Discrete Math would be truly applicable later! Lucky for me, I saved my books (spoiler alert, this might be a reoccurring theme in subsequent posts).

Overall, the key will be balancing job, school, family, and any other thing(s) that come my way.

Ready for Day two!

Late-Mid 2014 update.

Posted on by tblubaugh

My last post (First Post of 2014 (Goals)) was well over eight months ago.  I felt it was time to post an update so that we are all on the same page as to how my goals for this year have been.

So here they are (in Italics)

  1. Drastically cut back on social media. All things considered, I have cut back. I believe I will be cutting back even more.
  2. Investigate and sign up for higher education. Done. I am enrolled and registered for the Online Master’s of Science in Computer Science (OMSCS) at Georgia Tech (Go Jackets!) Much more to come on this in the future.
  3. Lose some weight.  Ha, this one has totally not happened.
  4. Read the Bible more faithfully. Mostly reading it daily, however I am falling into the classic “read it as a history” book. I am on track to finish the entire Bible by the end of the year, at which point I will start over but this time in timeline order.
  5. Witness to one person a month. Miserable fail. I probably have done this twice. This is not my strong point, I need to correct this.
  6. Spend more time with kids.  I have spent more time with the kiddos, however I probably could dedicate more time to them. With schooling, my availability is probably going to drop. In fact, I should probably end this post and spend some time with them right now!

Playoff Review

Posted on by tblubaugh

This post has been about three weeks in the making.  It kept getting put off due to my frustration over the outcomes of each week.  So I am going to try to encapsulate my thoughts on the whole thing with out getting to angry.  Good luck to myself!

Wildcard Round

  • Bengals vs Texans:  Well this one hurts the most.  I could easily dedicate an entire post to this one, and I might.  However I will just say it is nice that the Bengals defense showed up in Houston, not sure where the offense was.  Texans earned this one and honestly I am not mad at them (for this round).
  • Vikings vs Packers:  Packers quickly squashed the evil Purple.  However the Vikings didn’t exactly make it easy.  Not sure why the Pack let the Vikings roll them the previous week.  I assume to keep the Bears out of the playoffs (or the Cowboys).  Either way I approve
  • Colts vs Ravens:  Fail Andrew Luck.  This could have been the first last time (makes sense now) that Stabby could have been retired.  I didn’t watch this game, as I was still a bit bitter about the Bengals game.
  • Seahawks vs Redskins:  Terrible field conditions along with some terrible calls (which will be a reoccurring theme here).  I predict that Robert Griffin will have a career ending injury if he keeps playing the way he does, which is sad because I like him 100k times more than Cam Newton.  He just is not built like Cam.  I didn’t watch this one either and was pretty indifferent with the outcome

 

Divisional Round

  • Ravens vs Broncos: This is where the real anger started.  Peyton had a great season and he went Jay Cutler on us.  Poor Peyton was tired and cold.  Taking a knee with less than a minute in the fourth quarter to send it to overtime?!  Blown defensive coverage that allowed the score to be tied.  Congrats Bronco’s you are back on my list of teams I want to always lose.  As a good friend would say… Expletive you John Elway!  Guess the Ravens got their revenge for that botched draft trade two years ago.
  • Packers vs 49ers:  Was pretty mad about the Ravens winning so I didn’t watch this.  But I think I can sum it up like this. The  Packers offense as a team vs the 49ers Offense, Defense, and special teams as a team.  The Pack’s defense should be a lot better than it is considering some of the players they have.  Very disappointed with the Pack, this could have been the first exit for Jim Harbaugh.
  • Seahawks vs Falcons:  I didn’t watch this but I will admit that I was happy with the outcome.  That is all I have to say
  • Texans vs Patriots:  This team came down to who did I think could beat Baltimore.  Part of me want the Texans to win, but it became pretty clear right away that it was going to be the Patriots.  I wish I could have seen the outcome the other way, perhaps it would have changed things.

 

Championship Round

  • 49ers vs Falcons:  So the Falcons dictated the first half and took the rest of the game off.  I knew once this game was over, I had to pull for the Patriots all the way.  (I’ll explain the 49er hate in abit).  I also knew know that it was pretty much fixed (which I could have brought up in the Broncos and Colts games against the Ravens) so that Stabby would make it to the Superbowl.  Getting ahead of myself here.
  • Ravens vs Patriots:  Found it funny that Pollard is a Patriot killer (Gronkowski, Brady, Welker, and now Ridley).  Once it became clear the the Ref’s were going to allow the Ravens to win and Bill was not going to pull his camera out, I stopped watching.  I really was hoping for a Patriot comeback to enjoy the looks of disappoint on the Ravens players, but I was deluding myself.

 

So now we have a Harbaugh Superbowl   Pretty sure that this was rigged from the get go, only to be amplified by Stabby’s aspirations to retire when at the end of the season or when the Ravens lose.  Lets go over the reasons I hate each team, the Pro’s and Con’s of each team winning.

49ers

  • Reasons for hate:  Well the two obvious reasons are Superbowl XVI and XXIII.  A friend of mine pointed out that me being upset about this was sorta like being upset at the British for the War of 1812.  I had a nice comeback for him, but when your team goes to the Superbowl twice and loses to the same team there is a bit of bitterness there.  Just ask the Buffalo Bills.  Then there is Jim Harbaugh and his days as a Raven.  Mr. I cannot keep my cool pat you on the back with an attitude.  I can only imagine the fits he will through when his other brother lays the smack down. (read on)
  • Pros:  None really.  Except to spite the Steelers fans who didn’t want the Patriots to win because Tom Brady would tie Terry Bradshaw.  This way the 49ers can tie the SixBurgh status.  Another pro would be that the Ravens lose.
  • Cons: Angry Harbaugh would get a Superbowl win.

 

Ravens

  • Reasons for hate:  Where to begin?  Probably by them being the illegitimate step child of Cleveland.  Stabby’s stupid dance and stat padding his way to the hall of fame.  Any given Raven fan who thinks that the NFL is out to get just them and just them. The fact that it seems to be a step to retirement for Bengal players (TJ Houshmandzadeh, Bobbie Williams, Willie Anderson, Shayne Graham, Jeff Blake, Kelly Washington, Deion Sanders (ok he was a Reds player, still counts) ).  Then there is Joe Flacco who cries like a girl when he is hit.  And then there is big brother John Harbaugh who agrees with the fans that the league is out to get just the Ravens, when the complete opposite seems to be true.  Cleveland hates Baltimore for obvious reasons, and the Bengals and Steelers do not respect the Ravens.
  • Pros: None.  Except to maybe see the look on Jim’s face when John lays the smack down and he is beat by the team he used to play for.  Another stretch would be the fact that the QB drafted right after Dalton would not have a ring, but honestly there are no positives here.
  • Cons: Everything.  A win would only embolden the Ravens and somehow make them feel like they are more legit, when they are not.

 

Regardless of the outcome, it will be Stabby’s last game which by its self is a positive.  It is possible that Ed Reed might retire as well if the Ravens win, but that is unconfirmed.

As I stated before I intend to boycott the Superbowl and watch the puppy bowl instead.  I said at the get go of the playoffs the worst possible combo would be a Harbaugh Superbowl and that is what we ended up with.

 

 

Kansas City Trip Plan

Posted on by tblubaugh

Last week and the week prior I posted the following;

 

Now in the interest of saving money and limiting time (for vacation and child care) we are contemplating a trip to KC.  Here would be the the plan (similar to the other pages)

  1. Leave Home around 8 AM.  Take kids to babysitter (if not done already).
  2. Arrive in KC area around Noon-ish (we might take an alternative route)
  3. Have lunch at Gates, Waffle House, Steak and Shake, or Five Guys.
  4. Check into hotel
  5. Swim
  6. Have supper delivered in pizza form, or go out to Fiorella’s Jack Stack, Five Guys, Gates, or Waffle House
  7. Sleep with a midnight snack at Waffle House (maybe this is when we visit)
  8. Eat breakfast at hotel or Waffle House
  9. ????
  10. Get lunch to go and drive back

 

Pros

  • No planning ahead is really needed
  • With the saved money we could ultimately rent a convertible or borrow one from a very generous friend (I don’t want to look like a certain kind of jerk bag so even though someone has a cool looking convertible, I am not going there.)
  • Waffle House
  • Waffle House (yea its that good!)
  • No vacation time would be needed!

 

Cons

  • Basically boring, we have been there before (but then again we are boring people)

 

Sounds like a plan Stan!

Roe Vs Wade

Posted on by tblubaugh

It has been 40 years since the United States Supreme Court (SCOTUS) made it legal to obtain an abortion, which for the rest of this obviously slanted post we will call baby murder.  Because that is what it is, murder.

I am not sure where I will go with this, and I am sure I will echo somethings that have been already said, but lets start from the beginning shall we?

So back in 1969 Jane Roe (real name Norma McCorvey) was pregnant, unemployed and living in Texas which did allowed murder in the case of rape or incest.  After her friends advised her to say she was raped, it did not work because there was no police report.   Roe then sought an “illegal” baby murder, which failed because the police apparently shut it down.  She then went to the legal system (in which time she gave birth).  Her lawyers managed to take it all the way to the SCOTUS which ruled in favor of Roe, and just like that murdering babies became legal.  Oddly enough the SCOTUS did not make it legal to  murder adults.

Nowadays Jane Roe is a converted Catholic (or depending on the source a Born Again Believer), who completely regrets the entire thing and has now dedicated a great deal of her time to fight against the murder of innocent children.

Now you know my take on the background (if you want it to be more objective go look it up on your own time) of Roe vs. Wade, where are we now?

Well depending on the source upwards of 30-50 million baby murders have occurred and we have the President of the United State praising the Roe Vs Wade decision and then ad’s like this *(watch it).

We had a word for this in World War II when 8 million plus Jews were killed by the Nazis.  Holocaust.  I think the word might fit here too.

(Pause to calm down)….

…

So what do we do about it?  We pray for one.  We pray that people will wake up to the lies that have been spread that life does not begin at conception.

Life does begin at conception, because God said so.

As thou knowest not what is the way of the spirit, nor how the bones do grow in the womb of her that is with child: even so thou knowest not the works of God who maketh all

Ecclesiastes 11:5

For more on this go here (http://www.freechristianteaching.org/modules/smartsection/item.php?itemid=113#axzz2IkyrGwo9)

(Pause to calm down)….

 

….

 

Let’s tackle the arguments for baby murder.

  • Its a woman’s right to choose.  Sure it is, as much as it is any given human’s being to choice to murder anyone in cold blood.  That is your right to choose.  The difference is one has consequences (murder), and the other is praised by idiots (baby murder).
  • In some environments it would be hard for bring another kid into the picture.  Oh notice now we call it what it is?  Apparently no one has heard of adoption.  Sadly adoption takes to long and is cluttered with red tape, if anything we should make it easy to adopt.
  • Its not a baby, its a blob of cells, or a result of pregnancy   The most pathetic logic I have ever heard.  Playing word games and discounting what something in nature really is, is hiding from the truth.  Playing word games to make something that they know what it is sound less offensive.
  • If we get rid of safe legal baby murders, then there will be people with coat hangers performing back alley baby murders.  Whats the difference?  I think someone who is going to murder their own baby deserves what they get.

 

Well I am done now.  I think it is pretty clear I am pretty flustered about this and very much pro-life.  I was just so disgusted at watching Obama praise the murder of 40 million Americans that I had to take my frustrations out on the keyboard.

Colorado Trip Plan

Posted on by tblubaugh

Earlier this week I posted some preliminary plans for a trip to Chicago and Seattle.  As a third option, I have developed one for a Colorado trip.  So here we go!

Since I will have three lists in this post, I will use as WordPress calls them ordered and unordered list.  Which is to say numbered and bulleted lists.  Got it?

  1. We would leave for Osceola in the evening so we could catch the Westbound California Zephyr
  2. Ride to Granby in coach class and arrive 10:30ish MT.
  3. Get our car.
  4. Get lunch
  5. Take in the sights and check in to our lodge
  6. Following day rent a canoe and take to the Colorado river (in its infancy), Grand Lake, and Lake Granby.
  7. Next day drive the Trail Ridge Road (new and old)
  8. Leave Granby and head overnight back to Iowa
  9. Arrive around 8AM and drive home

 

Pros

  • Somewhat cheaper than the Seattle trip
  • Scenic
  • An overnight experience on Amtrak

 

Cons

  • Might take more time
  • A bit more expensive than Chicago
  • Time commitment

 

Really up in the air on this one, but could be cool.

 

Chicago Trip Plan

Posted on by tblubaugh

So yesterday we posted the Seattle Trip Plan, based off of an earlier post in which I was talking about our tenth year anniversary and where we should go.  As stated before, we have really narrowed it down to two options.  Here is the second  (the first was yesterday.  Since I will have three lists in this post, I will use as WordPress calls them ordered and unordered list.  Which is to say numbered and bulleted lists.  Got it?

  1. We would leave for Osceola pretty early so we could catch the Eastbound California Zephyr
  2. Ride to Chicago in coach class and arrive at Union station at 2:30PM ish.
  3. Walk to Willis (sears) Tower and visit the sky deck.
  4. Continue to walk to Jackson street Red line station
  5. Take Red line north to Addison
  6. Walk and check into Bed and Breakfast, get dinner.
  7. Next day take Red line south back into the city.  Walk and see the main sights
  8. Return in mid afternoon, enter Wrigley field to watch Cubs game (not a baseball or Cubs fan, but its flippin’ Wrigley Field!)
  9. Return to Bed and Breakfast for second night stay.
  10. Following day, take Red line back to Jackson station.  Walk back to Union Station to catch the Westbound California Zephyr back to Osceola (coach class) overnight
  11. Arrive in Osceola around 7AM and drive home.

 

Pros

  • A lot cheaper than the Seattle trip
  • Outside of us being in O’Hare it would be new
  • Less time commitment
  • Crosses off a bucket list item for me (visit Wrigley Field)
  • Gives me an idea of what to expect if I go to see the Bengals this year

 

Cons

  • A lot of stuff to do but not much time to do it in.
  • Lots of walking (could and should be a pro)
  • Would pack very light, so not much room for error

 

Here the pros outweigh the cons but as I said yesterday the Seattle Trip is still an option!

 

Seattle Trip Plan

Posted on by tblubaugh

So earlier I was talking about our tenth year anniversary and where we should go.  We have really narrowed it down to two options.  Here is the first  (the second will come tomorrow).  Since I will have three lists in this post, I will use as WordPress calls them ordered and unordered list.  Which is to say numbered and bulleted lists.  Got it?

  1. We would leave for Minneapolis sometime in the afternoon.  Have supper with my cousin  or a gaming/work friend.
  2. At about 9:30 PM we would make our way to the Midway Amtrak station between St. Paul and Minneapolis to catch the 11:15 Empire Builder west.
  3. Spend the next 37 hours on the train as we go to Seattle in  Roomette.
  4. Arrive in Seattle, get a car, get lunch visit the Seattle sights.
  5. Check into hotel, grab dinner
  6. Full day in the area, drive to Astoria, Oregon and back via Aberdeen.
  7. Partial day in Seattle, check out return car and hop on Pacific Coast liner to Portland, Oregon.
  8. From Portland a short layover then back on the Empire Builder to Minneapolis.  It’s about $100 cheaper to do this versus leave from Seattle.
  9. Spend the next 37 hours on the train as we return to Minneapolis.
  10. Arrive in Minneapolis at 7AMish, drive back home.

 

Not bad really, here are the pro’s and cons

Pros

  • A nice long break with scenic sights
  • Go someplace both of us have never been before
  • Gives us a taste of Montana (might want to go there exclusively someday)

 

Cons

  • Expensive, the train trip alone would be $1700ish
  • Someone will probably sleep a lot and miss many sights.
  • Outside of sight seeing not much else to do since we are not big fishers, hikers, or shoppers
  • The time needed for kid care.

 

While the cons outweigh the pros, we are still keeping this as an option.  Tune in tomorrow for option 2!

 

 

Predictions for 2013

Posted on by tblubaugh

Here is something new.  I think I am going to layout a bunch of random predictions for 2013 that I think will happen.  No I am not a card reader, psychic, or whatever.  I am not limiting my predictions to any one category, except for fun.  Since that is what it is supposed to be.

  1. (Cheat) Denver Bronco’s win over the Seahawks in the Super Bowl
  2. Geno Smith will go to the second round before being drafted
  3. The Bengals will win the AFC North
  4. The Colts will win the AFC South
  5. The Chiefs will win the AFC West
  6. The Patriots will win the AFC East
  7. The Falcons will win the NFC South
  8. The Redskins will win the NFC East
  9. The Seahawks will win the NFC West
  10. The Packers will win the NFC North
  11. I will have to buy another car this year
  12. I will have to buy another phone this year
  13. Hilary Clinton will announce her aspirations for president (might be in 2014)
  14. Floods in Iowa
  15. Iowa will not get a Waffle House, but it might be announced we will get one.
  16. Windows 8 will continue to tank.
  17. Facebook will have a security problem/leak
  18. Taxes will rise
  19. I will get a Kuerig for work
  20. Obama will take fifteen vacations
  21. Boone will get a Theisen’s
  22. Gas will hit $4.60 /gal in Iowa

 

That’s enough for now.  I hope some of these and some of these don’t come true.

 

2013, year of the ?

Posted on by tblubaugh

As we start 2013 there are a lot of question marks in our household.  They are not bad necessarily  more or like where do we go from here.  For instance; after our downstairs bathroom is done, what project do we take on next?  The upstairs bathroom? The rest of the basement? The kitchen?

Probably the biggest question mark of all is what should Tress and I do for our ten year anniversary.  It is hard to believe that it will be ten years come June, but looking back it has also been ten years since we both finished college.  Yikes.  Anyway to answer the question at hand, we have kinda discussed it and we are both at a loss as we both have places we want to go but there are pros/cons for each.  Example, I would like to drive the Pacific coast line for the scenery.  The major con to that would be Tress has a tendency to sleep on car rides, basically negating the entire trip.

At any rate we have a lot of items to find answers too, but luckily we have some of the most important answers already!  Such as, where we will spend eternity.

One thing Tress and I are going to try to do is what we did when we were first married up until I took a night job.  Read the Bible together before we fall asleep.  We have gotten away from this and I kind of miss it.  I don’t want to point fingers, but both of us struggle to find time to read God’s word.  I have cheated and used my phone and let it read a chapter or a passage at a time while I have driven but I feel that quite a bit gets lost in the translation.

A final thing that I am going to try to do, is build a public task list of things I need to accomplish this year.  Some of them are silly small things, others major changes but I think I will have a better shot of accomplishing them if I make them public.

One of those, to write more on my site 🙂  Made a post today (1/1/2013) lets see how long that keeps on going.  I know I have a few thoughts on football so there should be a post tomorrow regarding that.