The Life and Times of Robert Blanchard

It starts in the toes, then i twinkle my nose, then i am enslaved by socialism -- fairy tale of barack

Wed, 25 Jun 2008 15:45:24 -1200

The question lives on: How much do young voters really know about Barack Obama?

Bill O'Reilly interviews a couple young law students from Yale and Drexel Universities.

Girl: All Americans deserve health care as their birth right. Obama's plan is to give people that. She also agrees that nice housing should be subsidized by the government under Obama. Those who have 'benefited' from American dream should be forced to share the dream with everyone else.

Boy: Economy is 'terrible' and people deserve better jobs, wages should be hiked, taxes increased for people who earn more than $250,000. Feels that income redistribution from high earners to everyone else.

O'Reilly annhilates these two in the video -- its actually quite funny how he leaves them practically speechless over their own ideals.

Take-away message: Obama's plans resemble those of socialism.

Barack and the american socialist movement

Wed, 25 Jun 2008 15:32:42 -1200

Barack Obama has got the plan. He lays out a few of his views in this 19 minute youtube video. Here's the summary:

Q1: Social Security
Point 1: Extend social security by raising taxes for people who earn more than $250,000 and redistribute it to the masses.
Point 2: Do not privatize social security, it must be maintained by big government.
Point 3: give people more jobs so they can save better.

Q2: Supreme Court (Rho vs. Wade)
Should be an issue. Give Guantanamo Bay prisoners day in court. wants rho vs. wade upheld.

Q3: Creating jobs in green sector, education, innovation, technology:
Doesn't like 'No Child Left Behind.' Feels standardized testing is not worth the time investment. change assessments in NCLB. Claims to want standardized testing at beginning or end of year, instead of middle of year. (how on earth is this going to change the time investment?)

invest in early childhood development. invest more money here. (He sees a 7-10 dollar return on each dollar invested, although he doens't credit his source on this)

recruit, retain, and train excellent teachers. Pay higher salaries - big government can afford to pay more. design new curriculum to tap into creativity. Liked that a Hispanic charter school in Colorado had decided on only learning only about African American history and culture. (like thats relevant in a multicultural society that we live in today). Claims that 100% are now graduating as opposed to 50% graduating the previous year. (even though they aren't graduating with any relevant knowledge)

Feels all deserve to go to college. Its unaffordable, so every student should be subsidized $4000. Applies to traditional and non-traditional students. Returning students deserve subsidies also.

And for a moment you can hardly breathe

Sun, 1 Jun 2008 13:35:22 -1200

I once heard that if you spend 3 hours per day, every day, for 1 year on any subject, that by the end of that year, you will technically be an expert on it. And if you think about it, its true. The great soccer players of the world all walk around with a football at their feet. they spend most of their waking moments thinking about how they can develop into a better player. They are slowly building up 15 minutes here, an hour there, a 4 hour practice, a 20 minute backyard scrimmage with friends. Every single bit of time continues to add up and at some point, they become the expert, able to do things that normal people cannot do. Nobody is perfect, we all know that, but the saying might should going something like, 'practice will make you a heck of a lot better than everyone else.'

For this reason, and others, i want to continue my learning and studies of foreign language. since i started off with spanish, i will continue that language for now. By the time i die, i would like to be fluent in 5 languages, able to travel to a vast majority of countries and get by with my working knowledge of language. I can only imagine at this point that those languages would end up being: English, spanish, portuguese, italian, and maybe german.

On another note, i have been working really long hours at work in attempt to prove that i am a worthy member of the team. i have been given some additional responsibilities, which i take as a compliment, and hope to continue my learning in different areas. On a slightly sadder note though, there is really nothing other than my fish that i have to go home to. I can take care of my fish in my off time, so thats not even really an issue. It basically boils down to the fact that i have nothing else better to do than to kick it during late hours at work.

holla cross from the land of the lost

Tue, 15 Apr 2008 13:34:00 -1200

Well, its about that time. It's time to get rid of the old. I will be deleting 'friends' from facebook that i never talk to. I guess that only makes sense though. I've had enough of this 'facebook' friend crap. Either you are my friend or you are not. Have i mentioned how much i hate Ygnition internet service? I mean its absolutely terrible. Even worse than Suddenlink (motto: Suddenly, disconnected). The problem is that, when i lived near Denver, i used Comcast and got used to perfection. Now that i have anything less i am disappointed. But the thing that disappoints me even more than being only slightly less than perfect, would be perfection -- Perfectly shitty that is. Ygnition is a complete waste of money, and [lucky?] for me, my apartment forces me to use a turd to connect to the internet. Ygnition network is part of TVMAX, and, the way i see it, its a complete waste of money. It disconnects all the time, doesn't like when i download things, etc. Its completely unreliable, and all the tech support does is blame it on my router. There is only one thing i have to say to them: BULLSHIT. I am calling your bluff, in fact, you can't bluff crap - because even if you tell me with a straight face, it still smells like crap.

I dream of the day when i can go back to using Comcast for internet and tv. Comcast has the best download speeds, and a good channel lineup. They also don't force you to sacrifice either your first born child or a lamb as a down payment. To put it into an analogy: Comcast is to the internet, as China is to pollution -- That is, they are far ahead of anyone else.

On another note, if i delete you as a friend and you still think you are my friend, then get off your ass and message me.

Birds pass by to tell me that I'm not alone.

Tue, 8 Apr 2008 14:35:59 -1200

Well, let me tell you about the last... oh lets call it 8 days. I randomly heard about a website that allows you to search through a vast array of internet sites that have been highly rated. It allows you to select topics you are interested in and then click the button to seek out a new site. Its called StumbleUpon. I highly recommend it if you are serious about wasting time. I have wasted no less than 2 hours every day since i added this plugin to my firefox browser.

I wanted to share some of the things i found cool. I don't know if you will like them or not, but they certainly convinced me to bookmark their site. The links are safe (when i posted them) but click at your own risk. Also, i won't post anything thats not suitable for work.

Read some free books online at: http://www.readprint.com/

An extensive set of tools and libraries for java programming at: http://jscience.org/

Having a hard time deciding why linux is better than windows, or perhaps you have just never taken the time to investigate it. Well keep the option alive, or at least expand your working knowledge database by reading up on linux at: http://www.whylinuxisbetter.net/

If you don't want to spend hundreds on MIcrosoft Office, i would recommend you use OpenOffice which is completely free of charge and provides the same tools. http://www.openoffice.org/product/

If you want to know what to do and not to do with babies, or perhaps you are just looking for a good laugh, i would recommend you check out http://www.c00lstuff.com/1133/Do_s_and_don_ts_with_babies/

To keep up with your math skills or study for exams or prepare a quick cheat sheet, your reference for all things math: http://www.equationsheet.com/

If you are a unix user but forget all the commands at your disposal, use a cheat sheet from: http://www.scottklarr.com/topic/115/linux-unix-cheat-sheets---the-ultimate-collection/

And last, but most importantly. Stop paying for expensive mainstream software when you can get almost the exact same software for free, developed as opensource! Check it out! There are the top 50 proprietary programs and their opensource alternatives at this site: http://whdb.com/2008/the-top-50-proprietary-programs-that-drive-you-crazy-and-their-open-source-alternatives/

Who is that girl i keep thinking about? I know, but you don't, and i can't tell you. Ahh unfortunately i have no idea about girls... they confuse the heck out of me. But still... it goes unsaid, but now said, that i cannot get her off my mind! On another note, a friend at work today was surprised to hear that i have never been to a strip club in my almost 23 years of existence. But as it was said, "great it is to dream the dream as you stand in youth by the starry stream, but an even greater thing is to fight life through and say at the end 'the dream is true.'"Rogue Wave - Eyes

Missed the last train home.
Birds pass by to tell me that I'm not alone.
Well I'm pushing myself to finish this part,
I can handle a lot,
But one thing I'm missing is in your eyes.
In your eyes (6)
Have you seen this film?
It reminds me of walking through the avenues.
Washing my hands of attachments yeah,
land on the ground,
one thing I'm missing, is in your eyes.
(Cause I find love),
In your eyes. (6)
(instrumental break)
In your eyes (9)

La la la la la

Fri, 21 Mar 2008 12:04:36 -1200

A professor stood before his philosophy class and had some items in Front of him. When the class began, wordlessly, He picked up a very large and empty mayonnaise jar And proceeded to fill it with golf balls.

He then asked the students if the jar was full.

They agreed that it was.

The professor then picked up a box of pebbles and poured them into the Jar. He shook the jar lightly. The pebbles rolled into the open Areas between the golf balls.

He then asked the students again if the jar was full..

They agreed it was.

The professor next picked up a box of sand and poured it into the jar. Of course, the sand filled up everything else. He asked once more if the jar was full. The students responded with an unanimous "yes."

The professor then produced two cups of coffee

From under the table And poured the entire contents

Into the jar, effectively filling the empty space between the sand. The students laughed.

"Now," said the professor, as the laughter subsided,

"I want you to recognize that this jar represents your life. The golf balls are the important things - God, family, children, health, Friends, and Favorite passions -- things that if everything else was Lost and only they remained, your life would still be full.

The pebbles are the other things that matter like your job, house, and Car.

The sand is everything else --the small stuff.

"If you put the sand into the jar first," he continued,

"there is no room for the pebbles or the golf balls.

The same goes for life.

If you spend all your time and energy on the small stuff,

You will never have room for the things that are

Important to you.

So...

Pay attention to the things that are critical to your happiness. Play With your children. Take time to get medical checkups. Take your partner out to dinner. Play another 18.

There will always be time to clean the house and fix the disposal.

"Take care of the golf balls first --the things that really matter. Set your priorities. The rest is just sand."

One of the students raised her hand and inquired

What the coffee represented.

The professor smiled. "I'm glad you asked".

It just goes to show you that no matter how full your life may seem, there's always room for a couple of cups of coffee with a friend."

Song lyrics | New Soul lyrics

Another hoax to convince the hopeless that they have a chance

Tue, 18 Mar 2008 17:27:57 -1200

Read my commentary at the bottom half of page; Original article on facebook is as posted:
This was sent by a retired Coca Cola executive. It came from one of his
engineer buddies who retired from Halliburton. If you are tired of the
gas prices going up AND they will continue to rise this summer, take time
to
read this please.

Phillip Hollsworth offered this good idea. This makes MUCH MORE SENSE
than
the "don't buy gas on a certain day" campaign that was going around
last
April or May! It's worth your consideration. Join the resistance!!!!

I hear we are going to hit close to $ 4.00 a gallon by next summer and
it
might go higher!! Want gasoline prices to come down?

We need to take some intelligent, united action. The oil companies just
laughed at that because they knew we wouldn't continue to "hurt"
ourselves
by refusing to buy gas.

It was more of an inconvenience to us than it was a problem for them.
BUT, whoever thought of this idea, has come up with a plan that can
really
work. Please read on and join with us!

By now you're probably thinking gasoline priced at about $2.00 is super
cheap. Me too! It is currently $3.05 for regular unleaded in my town.

Now that the oil companies and the OPEC nations have conditioned us to
think
that the cost of a gallon of gas is CHEAP at $1.50 - $1.75, we need to
take
aggressive action to teach them that BUYERS control the
marketplace..not
sellers.

With the price of gasoline going up more each day, we consumers need to
take
action.

The only way we are going to see the price of gas come down is if we
hit
someone in the pocketbook by not purchasing their gas! And, we can do
that
WITHOUT hurting ourselves.

How? Since we all rely on our cars, we can't just stop buying gas.

But we CAN have an impact on gas prices if we all act together to force
a
price war.

Here's the idea:
For the rest of this year, DON'T purchase ANY gasoline
from the two biggest companies (which now are one), EXXON and MOBIL.

Try to buy from like Kangaroo, BP, Phillip's 66, or Q-Gas.

If they are not selling any gas, they will be inclined to reduce their
prices. If they reduce their prices, the other companies will have to
follow
suit.

But to have an impact, we need to reach literally millions of Exxon and
Mobil gas buyers. It's really simple to do! Now, don't wimp out on me
at
this point...keep reading and I'll explain how simple it is to reach
millions of people!!

I am sending this note to 400+ people. If each of us send it to at least ten more (400 x 10 = 4,000) ... and those 4,000 send it to at least ten more
(4,000 x
10 = 40,000)...and so on, by the time the message reaches the sixth
group of
people, we will have reached over FOUR MILLION consumers.
If those four million get excited and pass this on to ten friends
each,
then 40 million people will have been contacted!

If it goes one level further, you guessed it..... FOUR HUNDRED MILLION
PEOPLE!!!

Again, all you have to do is send this to 10 people. That's all!

If you don't understand how we can reach 400 million and all you have
to do
is send this to 10 people....

How long would all that take? If each of us sends this e-mail out to
ten
more people within one day of receipt, all 400 MILLION people could
conceivably be contacted within the next 8 days!!!

I'll bet you didn't think you and I had that much potential, did you!
Acting together we can make a difference.

If this makes sense to you, please pass this message on. I suggest that
we
not buy from EXXON/MOBIL UNTIL THEY LOWER THEIR PRICES TO THE $2.00
RANGE
AND KEEP THEM DOWN. THIS CAN REALLY WORK.

Keep it going

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Now Lets talk about this:

First of all, the executive of coca cola didn't come up with this idea. it was probably another 12th grader in high school that just finished their macro and micro economics courses and believes they can actually make a difference.

Sad to say, they could not be more wrong. Although the idea works in a true by definition economic oligarchy, in shear numbers and plausible effects, this idea has, as some might refer to it, 'a snowballs chance in hell' of succeeding.

To correct the moron that wrote this, Exxon and Mobile merged on November 30, 1999, so obviously this plan is already outdated. Although in parts of the country, you may see Exxon or Mobile gas stations, it is all franchised by the same company, 'Exxon-Mobil.' Second of all, according to the DOE, gas prices in 1999 for premium grade gas were no more than $1.50, but more specifically, on November 29, 1999, gas prices for premium were $1.445 per gallon.

The next fatal flaw in the plan comes in the numbers. Although i am not going to work the math to verify that the originator of the plan calculated it correctly, i will work on the assumption that it is correct, even though it is truly not. The proof lies in the fact that, if the originator contacts 400 friends, who all contact a number of friends, how many friends will be mutual friends that get contacted by at least 2 people. In fact, i would venture so far as to say, of the initial 400 invitees, at least 8 of the 10 people that they send invites to will have received at least 2 invites already. Plus, the other working assumption in the originators plan is that all people who receive invitations will accept and forward; realistically, probably less than half will even care enough to read the article.

So the originator claims that 40 million people can be contacted about this, however, Tech Crunch claims that in the top 31 countries, there are only 42,966,780 members total. In the United States specifically, that number is a dwindled 18 million. So since we are only trying to affect US gas prices, allow me to pose a question: How exactly can we reach 40 million users who want to make a difference, when there are only 18 million total from the USA? The originator then claims that even 400 million people can be contacted about this!!! How is this going to work when the last census rates the USA population somewhere close to a TOTAL of 300 million. That includes babies, children, young adults, adults, middle aged, old aged, and dying citizens. A significant number of these people don't even drive! Now riddle me this: how are you going to stop ExxonMobil, the 14th largest oil and gas company IN THE WORLD, and THE LARGEST oil and gas company in the United States from turning a profit, when only a minority of people who just so happened to see this article on facebook are even willing to omit buying gas from a certain brand like ExxonMobil?

Solution: BIG OIL CAN'T BE STOPPED. You may think you can make a difference, but like hippies who think their peace rallies matter, you have been lead astray; come to terms with reality now and save yourself the embarrassment of having to explain to your kids in 15 years why you thought you knew all the answers but really knew nothing. You will accomplish nothing by withholding from buying gas from a particular company. In fact, would you have even bought from that company had you not decided to omit them?

to be yourself is all that you can do

Tue, 18 Mar 2008 15:42:43 -1200

50 questions to pass the time

1. Are you wearing a hat?
Nope

2. Bottled water: yes or no?
yes i like bottled water

3. Are you happy right now?
yes

4. What kind of laptop do you have?
dell

5. Do you prefer writing in pen or pencil?
pen

6. Who was the last text message in your phone from?
amanda

7. What�s your favorite season?
spring i think

8. Does your best friend have a boyfriend or girlfriend?
yes

9. Do you like them?
she seems like a nice girl

10. Favorite radio station?
104.1 KRBE

11. Type your name into Google. What�s the first link that pops up?
my website, imagine that ;)

12. What�s your favorite song at the moment?
audioslave - to be yourself

13. Coke or Pepsi?
coca cola classic all day long

14. Favorite subject in school?
i dunno, i enjoyed most of it

15. Last concert?
Everclear i think

16. Next concert?
Probably none for a while

17. Last magazine you bought?
a mens fitness or something when i was traveling

18. Last book you read?
Stephen Colbert - I am America and so can you!

19. Do you prefer cats or dogs?
Dogs

20. Is there someone you want to punch right now?
nah

21. Favorite sports team?
Texans maybe?

22. Person you most want to visit?
i dunno

23. Are you a MySpace addict?
Yea

24. When do you shower?
morning

25. What�s your dream job?
i have no idea, but i know what my dream retirement job is :)

26. What kind of car do you drive?
MB C230 Sport

27. What word in the dictionary best describes you?
amative

28. What�s your blog address?
http://www.roberthblanchard.com

29. Worst TV show at the moment?
i dunno

30. Are you a better talker or better listener?
Listener

31. Do you care about who wins the election?
ugh politics.

32. Who was the most popular kid in your 7th grade class?
i can name off about 3 people, but i wont, cause i have no desire to know them.

33. Are you afraid of ghosts?
probably

34. Is there something lacking in your life right now?
Yes

35. What do you miss most about childhood?
my puppy

36. How many times did it take you to pass your drivers test?
i passed it on the first try

37. How many kids do you want?
not sure at this point, but none for a while at least

38. Are you a good liar?
i dunno, i try not to lie

39. Can you cook?
yes

40. Are you a cheapskate?
yes

41. What would you do with a million dollars?
i would buy a 46 inch samsung hd tv, a playstation 3, a 2009 MB CLS 63 AMG, a house inside the loop, pay off my loans, and save the rest in a High yield money market account.

42. Have you been to Disney World?
No

43. How much time do you spend online a week?
most of it

44. Last time you went bowling?
a few days ago

45. Hot or cold weather?
Hot

46. How many pairs of shoes do you have?
maybe 5 including dress shoes

47. Are you a shop-a-holic?
Not really, I go to the mall a lot but I don't actually buy anything most of the time

48. Where were you yesterday morning at 10:30?
cleaning my apartment

49. Are you afraid of the dentist?
No

50. Were you bored or entertained by this survey?
blah

People try to put us down (Talkin' 'bout my generation)

Tue, 4 Mar 2008 14:46:19 -1300

Part 1: The Birth of You

Were you a planned baby?: yes
Were you the first?: yes
Who was present at your birth?: how the heck should i know?
What is your birthdate?

Part 2: The Family

Are you parents married or divorced? married
An only child?: No
If you have siblings are you oldest, middle, or youngest?: oldest
What are your sibling's names?: Tom
Which parent do you get along with best?: both
Do you have step parents?: no

Part 3: The Friends

Do you have more than one best friend? yes
What do you like to do when you are together? i enjoy everything if i am with the right people
Do you share the same interests?: some
Which friend can you tell anything to?: Zack

Part 4: Your Personality

How high/low is your self esteem? medium
Do you get depressed about things easily? no, depression takes a lot, but i get upset and sad at things pretty easily
Are you an extrovert (outgoing) or an introvert (reserved)?: introverted
Are you happy?: i wish
Do you live life to the fullest?: no, and one day i will die thinking about how i should have never wasted days like today, and yesterday

Part 5: Appearance

Are you comfortable with the way you look? all in all, yes
Describe your hair? blondish brown, and short
How do you dress? professionally

Part 6: The Past

Were you a strange child?: probably, definitely quiet
What did you used to love that you no longer do? saturday morning cartoons
Do you have the same friends?: not at all
Was there anything in your past that was traumatizing? yes

Part 7: The Future

Are you scared of growing old?: yes, i am scared to death of death
Do you want to get married?: yes

Part 8: The Outdoors

Do you prefer indoors or outdoors?: out
Favorite Season: spring
Do you like walking in the rain? yes, if i have on the proper attire

Part 9: Food

Are you a vegetarian? no i am not psychotic
What is your favorite food?: fried rice is up there
What food makes you want to gag? i dunno, anything that tastes bad
What is your favorite dessert? cheesecake, pecan pie,
What is your favorite restaurant?: Applebees is always fun, but there are many others i also enjoy
Are you a fussy eater? sometimes

Part 10: Experiences

What was one of your greatest experiences? living in colorado
What was one of the worst? the piles and piles of rejection i faced at a young age
Have you ever done drugs? no, but i have recurring dreams about smoking a cigarette
Ever thought you were going to die? no, but there have been times where my heart skipped a few beats

i grabbed a pen and an old napkin and i wrote down....

Tue, 4 Mar 2008 14:25:01 -1300

1. Have you ever called a person useless?
yes, but probably not to their face

2. What object in your room is really important to you?
my bible

3. Are you good at hiding your feelings?
no, i am pretty emotional

4. Do you smile a lot?
sometimes

5. Would you kiss an ugly person for $10,000?
only if it was cash on the spot

6. Where were you today?
work

7. What kind of sense of humor do you have?
a nerdy sense of humor

8. Do you usually tell people when they hurt your feelings?
no. it should be pretty obvious though.

9. Do your initials spell out a word?
Nope

10. When is the last time you talked to an ex?
i have no idea

11. How often do you give high fives?
very rarely

12. If you had to delete one person off your top friends list, who would it be?
Tommy Lee

13. Your recent ex is on the side of the road, on fire. What do you do?
i peg her in the back with a water bottle as i drive by, and use the excuse, "well she was jogging, and she looked thirsty, so i threw my water bottle to her"

14. If you find out your bestfriend was pregnant how would you react?
surprised

15. Is your shirt new?
no, i got this Owen jersey a while back

16. Where is the last place you went out to eat?
Smoothie Island

17. Have you bought any clothing items in the past week?
Nope

18. Do you live near your ex?
not even close

19. If you could have anything right now, what would it be?
a good well report saying we hit 50 feet of 30% porosity pay

20. Has your house ever been TPd?
Nope

21. Did you sing in the shower today?
no, i stood there lifeless

22. Who was the last person you went shopping with?
not sure, maybe my mom

23. Where is the last place you went shopping?
Jos. A Bank

24. Do you have the same name as one of your relatives?
yes

25. What kind of car does your sibling drive?
Nissan Pathfinder

26. What kind of car do you drive?
MB C230

27. Do you know your fathers birthday?
basically

29. How old will you be in 8 months?
23

30. Do you prefer a call or a text?
Doesn't matter, I rather enjoy both, but text is nice during work

31. Do you smoke weed?
Nope, never have and never will

32. Have you ever been on television?
yes

33. Are you happy right now?
yesterday i was happy; today i am not so happy

34. Do your parents drink coffee every morning?
My dad does

35. Have you ever donated blood?
no.

36. One song that's meaningful to you?
Dreaming With a Broken Heart - by John Mayer

37. Do you think you could commit a crime and get away with it?
probably, but i wouldnt

38. Are you wearing any jewelry?
yes, my order of the engineer ring, and an Acts of Kindness bracelet

39. Do you prefer an ocean or a pool?
ocean, but i like to swim laps in a pool

40. Do you wish someone was with you right now?
Very much, i wonder who that could be

41. Is there currently a movie showing that you want to see?
probably, but i dont go to the theatres often; i dont like going alone

42. What are you doing for your next birthday?
probably sitting at home drinking

43. Do you like your high school?
i had fun there

44. Does a kiss make you feel better?
the obvious answer is yes

45. What is or was your favorite subject in school?
i loved my aquatic science class, and wanted to be a marine biologist

46. What's your favorite kind of cereal?
honey nut cheerios

47. Is there someone you know you should hate, but you can't?
no

48. Out of your cousins, which one do you talk to the most?
i dont talk to any of them really

49. Who in your family do you look like the most besides your parents?
possibly my uncle