This is great for many reasons...

So I figured I would start out the week on a better note than last (the credit post).  This video is great for several reasons

1.  Its funny

2.  It depicts some positive aspects of joining the military

3.  It shows our troops having fun and making the best of a situation that isn't

4.  Love the credits

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=haHXgFU7qNI&feature=player_embedded

Kudos to you guys for keeping it as light as you can while in the trenches.  Thank you for defending our country and thank you for the great video!



-J

Sorry folks...

So its been a pretty hectic week so I am sorry I haven't posted anything mind blowing in the past few days.  Come to think of it, I don't know that I have ever posted anything mind blowing.  I will try to get on a routine of shock and awe!!!  Until then, have a nice day everyone and keep checking back.

The things they don't tell you (or at least me)...

Ok, so maybe this is old news to a lot of you, but I just learned something today.  I am sure you have all seen those free credit report commercials on t.v.  In fact, its hard to miss all the advertising for credit reporting.  Of course, when you go to get your free credit report, you find that it is not actually free.  I decided to seek out a credit report that is actually free and I was pretty surprised at how simple it actually was.  First of all, there is only one credit report agency authorized by the U.S. government.  If you go to the Federal Trade Commission website:  http://www.ftc.gov/freereports  you will find that they indicate only http://www.annualcreditreport.com is the the one entity that is authorized to give you an annual report.  One thing that is not given is your actual credit score (apparently, the fact that they summarize it using some algorithm costs you money).  However, this report is incredibly useful.  It gives you a history of all of your past credit, any disputes, balances, addresses, etc.  As a student, this information is of great value because it shows all of your student loans as well.  Although I am sure they would have no trouble finding you, student loans are often sold from one bank to another, making it difficult to track who you may owe money.  This gives you a nice report of all of it.  Anyway, perhaps this is old hat to most of you, but if not, I hope you find it useful.  Oh and I almost forgot, the one catch is that you can only do this once a year, after that I believe there is a fee.  Happy Monday!

-J

A bit of this and a bit of that...

I have had a bit on my mind lately.  Lots of things have changed over the last year, some good, some bad.  However, some things have stayed the same.  One thing that has held over the years is that I have amazing friends and an amazing family.  I know that I have been pretty bad about saying and showing it at times (probably most of the time), but believe me I appreciate everything each and every one of you has done for me over the years and I will do my best to repay you in any way I can.  You all rock and I love you for shaping me into who I am today.  Thanks for everything you do!!!

-J

So its Friday...

Alas Friday is upon us and the work week is done.  The weather here has been fantastic!  The Cubs suck still and the Bears traded all their first round picks away (again).  Basically, I got nothing right now, but I should later today.  Hope all is well with everyone.

Really People?

Recently, this appeared on Facebook.  This is the kind of stuff that really makes me sick.  Before you read it, please understand that this has nothing to do with my political affiliation, like or dislike of anyone listed in this posting.  The point is that under no circumstances is this kind of posting acceptable.  Think about what you are saying before you post things people.

"DEAR LORD, THIS YEAR YOU TOOK MY FAVORITE ACTOR, PATRICK SWAYZIE. YOU TOOK MY FAVORITE ACTRESS, FARAH FAWCETT. YOU TOOK MY FAVORITE SINGER, MICHAEL JACKSON. I JUST WANTED TO LET YOU KNOW, MY FAVORITE PRESIDENT IS BARACK OBAMA. AMEN."

These are the kinds of things that really make me question the progression of human society.  Please think about what you are posting before you put it out there.

For those of you into high performance automotive modification

A good friend of mine has his new business up and running.  He taught me a great deal of what I know and I owe my love of cars to him.  He is truly a savant when it comes to anything automotive.  The coolest part is that he deals with cutting edge automotive technology.  Kudos to you Randy.  Check it out.

http://www.YatesEFI.com

The world of some...

So I guess to kick things off, I will post a link to a PBS Frontline Documentary about one of the things I am passionate about.  I have actually met a few of the folks in this film and most of their stories are incredibly fascinating.  I encourage you to take a look and formulate your opinions.  Enjoy!

http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/asylums/

Welcome to my world...

Alright, so I have never done a blog before and figured I would see what all the hype is about. Only recently have I become interested in writing, sharing my opinions and asking the opinions of others so I figured this might be the best way to experiment. For those of you that already know me, thanks for stopping by and sorry they didn't have a refreshment option or I would have had wine and cheese. For those of you that don't know me, welcome and thank you for stopping by as well. Where to begin...well, first off, I am a perpetual student, have a passion for too many things to list and wish they offered an advanced degree in Jack of all trades. They don't though so I am doing the best with the hand I was dealt (which by the way is pretty decent, I really can't complain). I will leave it at that for now and look forward to sharing some of me with all of you and hopefully some of you with me. Happy Thursday!!!

-J