Back To The Real World

photo courtesy of David Kozlowski

Ryan and I took a mini-winter break to the flatlands of South Texas near Corpus Christi, and visited my family over the Martin Luther King holiday weekend.  It was a much needed break, and so well worth it.  We arrived at my Mom and Dad's around 4 in the afternoon on Saturday and stayed until Monday afternoon.  We didn't get home until 5:45 PM, yesterday.

On Saturday, my mother was making Tamales when we walked in.  For those who have made them before, you know it takes a long, long time to prepare and cook them.  She worked on these for two whole days, in between spending time with us children, and our niece.

After posting a picture on Facebook of my mom and a huge pile of tamales she had just finished cooking, everyone started commenting that they were coming over. So we did end up visiting with old friends and family from our younger years.  It was nice.

Other than the disappointing loss by the Texans on Sunday afternoon, everything else was great.  My sister dressed up our niece in a Texans Cheerleader outfit Ryan and I had bought her for the game, and she looked absolutely stunning. LOL.  She wore it for her uncles despite the backlash she would receive from her Dallas and Eagle fans.  My sister and brother-in-law Luther are Dallas Cowboys and Philadelphia Eagles fans respectfully.

We didn't get to see Luther until late Sunday, as he was deep sea fishing with his Dad.  They caught 70 lbs of fish!

On Monday (yesterday), Mom also made a huge breakfast for us. She made fresh homemade tortillas, refried beans, papas fritas (fried potatoes), bacon, sausage, and Eggs.  Luther, Vicky and Lily also came over to have breakfast with us before we left.  Overall we had a great time and appreciated all that my mom did for us.  I will definitely have to do something for her, or send her something for all the hard work she went through.  Regardless if she says it makes her happy doing it for her babies.

I'm glad to be back and will blog as time permits.  Unfortunately, I don't have any pre-scheduled blogs that will post automatically. So please stay tuned...

Peter aka Blade 7184

I Quote That - Live, Love, Listen, Speak

OMG Hilarious! - Two Dads

Are People Really This Stupid? Issue No. 18 - Divorce Your Spouse If They Get Alzheimer's

You think I'm kidding?  It's true!  Some wacko wrote a letter asking Pat Robertson for advice on his 700 Club show last year.  In the letter, a man said he was writing on behalf of a friend (don't we all), whose wife had Alzheimer's and no longer knows who he is.  So what does this God-fearing Christian man say?

"I know it sounds cruel, but if he's going to do something, he should divorce her and start all over again, but make sure she has custodial care and somebody looking after her."

Are you fucking serious? If there is one thing I learned from the Bible and my Christian upbringing was to love your spouse unconditionally. I know for a fact that if something happened to Ryan I would be there with him until the very end, or vice versa.  But here is a religious man who speaks to millions and millions of people around the world, who listen to his advice, and faithfully admire him.  How is this possible?  Are people really this stupid?

The Read Bookshelf

In the near future when Ryan and I buy our dream house, I would so love to do this if we had a library or something.  I love it.

The Groom and The Bieber Dance

The video below was sweet.  It's a choreographed dance performed by the groom, Brian and his minions, in front of his new wife, Emily.  

So congratulations Emily, you just married a man who secretly loves to sing and dance Justin Bieber songs with his friends. :-)

What Would A Child’s Drawing Look Like If It Were Painted Realistically?

Being that I love art, artists and anything visually aesthetic, I had to share the following images with you.  In response to the question above, illustrator Dave DeVries answers that simple question for you in his own words:

"It began at the Jersey Shore in 1998, where my niece Jessica often filled my sketchbook with doodles. While I stared at them, I wondered if color, texture and shading could be applied for a 3D effect. As a painter, I made cartoons look three dimensional every day for the likes of Marvel and DC comics, so why couldn’t I apply those same techniques to a kid’s drawing? That was it… no research, no years of toil, just the curiosity of seeing Jessica’s drawings come to life.” He describes the process as follows: “I project a child’s drawing with an opaque projector, faithfully tracing each line. Applying a combination of logic and instinct, I then paint the image as realistically as I can.” 

Here are a few images from his gallery.  Feel free to check out the rest here.

Disney Prince of the Week 001

Starting today, and every Friday thereafter, I'll be posting a Disney Prince of the Week.  Can you guess the movie and name of the character who played the Prince?

Zac Efron Can't Keep His Shirt On - Geez.

What was the best part of the movie, 17 Again?  And be honest, don't lie.  I know you remember... It was a about a guy whose life didn't quite turn out how he wanted it to and wishes he could go back to high school and change it. He wakes up one day and is seventeen again and gets the chance to rewrite his life.

 Yeah, this was the best part.

Building Implosions

On Monday I posted a couple videos of a building at my place of employment that was demolished with such precision that only a few fragments were sent flying and broke a couple of nearby windows.  All that remains is a pile of rubble in a small, confined place, and I mean literally just a few feet from the building I work at.  Here are couple images courtesy of Zachary Magnuson (a Facebook friend and fellow employee at MD Anderson Cancer Center), of the building's remains.

So......  since we are on the topic of implosions, I wanted to post the following video.  It is from the International Society of Explosive Engineers (ISEE) conference that was held in Las Vegas in January of 2003.  The video highlights the implosions from the previous year. Unfortunately, the ISEE eventually alienated the structural blasting component of the society, so these highlight videos were discontinued.  According to their YouTube description,  "Implosionworld's footage is now mostly seen on Discovery Channel and National Geographic documentaries, etc."

The difference between explosions and implosions is that one tends to go outward, and the latter inward.  And regardless of how fascinating these images are, the amount of technique and precision that goes into this job is extremely vital.  When engineers are hired to implode a structure, "the technique involves the firing of precisely placed demolition charges in specific timed intervals that use gravity to cause the center of the building to fall vertically while simultaneously pulling the sides inward, a process often erroneously described as an implosion." [source]

It's a pretty cool video, so check it out.  You'll see huge structures coming down, from bridges and sport stadiums to office buildings and Hotels.

Post Secret Fridays - Issue 090

PostSecret is an ongoing community art project where people mail in their secrets anonymously on one side of a homemade postcard.

 See More Secrets. Follow PostSecret on Twitter.

 Want to see older Post Secret Friday issues? Go here.

Read a special message from Frank Warren of PostSecret.com about him closing down the Post Secret App after the jump.

Movies to Watch - Chronicle

I'm always skeptical of watching movies like the Blair Witch Project and Paranormal Activity (both of which I haven't seen).  I ended up watching Cloverfield, and I wasn't too impressed.

But I have to say this might be a movie Ryan and I will have to watch.  At first when I started seeing the trailer to Chronicle, I was like uh, whatever, nothing's different.  But then you're like WTF, WTF, what's up with that?  Based on what I read on IMDB, "three high school friends gain superpowers after making an incredible discovery. Soon, though, they find their lives spinning out of control and their bond tested as they embrace their darker sides."

I surely hope I'm not disappointed when I see this movie.

Here's the trailer:

OMG Hilarious! - Quick With The Gun, Slow With The Mind

I'm Han Solo and Gandalf - Get Over It!

Based on the popular shirts, "I'M GAY. GET OVER IT!" come the celebrity "Get Over It" Tees! LMAO.

Must Watch: Why I Hate Religion, But Love Jesus

The following video was posted 2 days ago, and it will probably reach 3 million views by the end of the day.  It has been causing a firestorm among Republicans and the hardcore Christians, but ironically enough, most of them are siding with the words this young man, Jefferson Bethke has written.  People I thought would never condone this video are stating something positive about it.  Almost every status update on Facebook where I've seen this video posted have said, "Wow".

And "Wow" is right.  The poem Jeff recites in this video is meaningful and downright powerful.  He wrote a masterpiece of a Poem, and the commendation is well deserved.

When you can move people by simply writing and saying something as beautiful as this, you know you've done something right.

A poem I wrote to highlight the difference between Jesus and false religion. In the scriptures Jesus received the most opposition from the most religious people of his day. At it's core Jesus' gospel and the good news of the Cross is in pure opposition to self-righteousness/self-justification. Religion is man centered, Jesus is God-centered. This poem highlights my journey to discover this truth. Religion either ends in pride or despair. Pride because you make a list and can do it and act better than everyone, or despair because you can't do your own list of rules and feel "not good enough" for God. With Jesus though you have humble confident joy because He represents you, you don't represent yourself and His sacrifice is perfect putting us in perfect standing with God!

Lyrics after the jump...

Kiss of the Week - Issue No. 008

Over the last several weeks I have been posting my original posts and slowly introducing this series to my current BLADE 7184 readers.  So without further ado, here's the seventh issue, originally posted on August 11, 2007...

Dubai in 1990 - Dubai in 2003

Pretty darn amazing what you can create with a little bit of dessert and a whole lotta Oil.

What a Hot F**king Mess: HIV Positive Man Purposely Infects 3,000 Men and Women

I'm sorry, but I couldn't just title this "What a Hot Mess".  This kind of thing just irks the hell out of me.  Why would someone do such a horrible and inhumane kind of thing to another human being?  I can't fathom ever finding out that I slept with someone who was dishonest with me, much less have unprotected sex with them.

David Dean Smith casually walked into a Michigan police station 3 weeks ago, and admitted sleeping with 3,000 men and women over several years.  He doesn't remember when he was diagnosed with the disease, but that he says, he "intentionally attempted to spread the disease to kill people."

So far only two people have come forward, and one of them went so far as to say that she immediately knew it was Smith who infected her.  After speaking with MSNBC, she called him a "sociopath" and a "predator".  

What else would you call him? He's a fucking monster!

He's Hot, He's Asian, He's Harry Shum Jr. - Part пять

How did I miss Harry's birthday?  This just can't be!!!  My favorite Glee star celebrated his 29 birthday last April with this huge iPhone cake and huge muscles.  Harry turns 30 this year, and he still looks as gorgeous as ever!

Documentaries To Watch: Dreams of a Life

Imagine yourself wrapping Christmas presents as you sit on your couch watching your favorite show.  Now imagine having stayed there for 3 years and no one ever stopping by to see if you were alive or okay?  This actually happened to Joyce Carol Vincent in 2003.

A film which was released at the BFI London Film Festival last month chronicles the life and mysterious death of Joyce Vincent, a beautiful singer who was found slumped on her sofa with Christmas presents she had been wrapping, all around her.

What's mysterious and strange about the whole scenario, is that she wasn't found until 3 years after her death.  How someone never managed to get a hold of her, look for her, or realize she wasn't around is beyond me.  This is a woman, who in her short life met Nelson Mandela, Ben E. King, Gil Scott-Heron, and Betty Wright; and had also been to dinner with Stevie Wonder. [source] That is insane!  I, for one, want to see this film. Watch the trailer, and tell me what you think of this bizarre story.

OMG Hilarious! - 9 Months

Wonder Woman & Madonna

All you gay boys are gonna love this, because what gay boy in America doesn't love Wonder Woman?  But imagine a video of Madonna and Wonder Woman together.  What more can you ask for in the repetitious twirling and spinning of our most favorite hero.

An Open Letter To The People Who Hate Obama More Than They Love America

If this letter doesn't change you, or move you, I don't know what else will.  On my knees and crossing my heart to the God who brought me into this world, this letter is the damn-awful truth!   If you're a Republican this is directed at you,  If you hate Obama, this is meant to describe you, and if you're considering to vote for any of the presidential candidates currently running, let this open letter help change your mind.

Written by the Ministry of Truth, this was published on the Daily KOS, and I absolutely had to share it with the rest of of the world.  I'm so tired of people who wear the cross and promote their hatred beyond belief.  I highly condone this letter, as it is straightforward, honest and true.  If it sounds like we're mad, we have every right to be.  But do we hate you?  No, we are just embarrassed by you!

An open letter to the people who hate Obama more than they love America

    I meet you all the time. You hate Obama. You hate gay people. You hate black people, immigrants, Muslims, labor unions, women who want the right to make choices concerning their bodies, you hate em all. You hate being called racist. You hate being called a bigot. Maybe if you talked about creating jobs more than you talk about why you hate gay people we wouldn't call you bigots. Maybe if you talked about black people without automatically assuming they are on food stamps while demanding their birth certificates we wouldn't call you racist. You hate socialism and social justice. You hate regulations and taxes and spending and the Government. You hate.

     You like war. You like torture. You like Jesus. I don't know how in the hell any of that is compatible, but no one ever accused you haters of being over-committed to ideological consistency. You like people who look like you or at least hate most of the things that you hate. You hate everything else.

Now, I know you profess to love our country and the founding fathers (unless you are reminded that they believed in the separation of church and state), but I need to remind you that America is NOT what Fox News says it is. America is a melting pot, it always has been. We are a multi-cultural amalgamation of all kinds of people, and yet you still demonize everyone who is not a rich, white, heterosexual christian male or his submissive and obedient wife.

You hate liberals, moderates, hell, anyone who disagrees with Conservative dogma as espoused by Fox News and Rush Limbaugh. You hate em.

Well, here are the facts, Jack. If you hate the Government then you are unqualified to manage it. If you hate gay people more than you love America than you should take your own advice and get the hell out. There are several countries that are openly hostile to gay people, but they are full of brown people and you don't like them much either from what I understand. It looks like you are screwed, but that's not what I am here to tell you.

Continue reading after the jump . . .

A Real Page Turner

Wow, this is a real page turner.  No, really it is.  Courtesy of Have You Seen This, Joseph Herscher is about to have his morning coffee and get updated on the daily paper. He doesn’t read the paper like you or I, instead, he has an elaborate Rube Goldberg set up turn the page for him.

For those who have no idea what a Rube Goldberg is, it is a machine or contraption that is put together in a complex fashion, and usually causes a chain reaction of events that continue until it reaches it's final destination, thereby completing a task.  In this particular case, the turning of a page from a newspaper Joseph is reading.  

Check it out, it's quite impressive.

For more on Rube Goldbergs and where it originated, click here.

What a Hot Mess: Deep Fried Octodog

OMG, what a hot mess!  I wouldn't touch this concoction with a ten foot pole!  Better yet, I wouldn't eat it if you gave me a million dollars.  Don't even ask me what ingredients are in it, because I don't know, nor do I want to.

Well.... maybe for a million.

Poster of the Week - Issue No. 41 - Special Issue - Congratulations

Continuing in no particular order, I bring you this week's poster, "Congratulations".

I Quote That - I Think You're Just Homophobic

Politics 101: Primary Elections Explained

For those who have no idea how Primary Elections work, I introduce you to CGPGrey.  Once again he educates us through video, and informs of the confusion between Primaries and Caucuses.  And how the nomination of a President comes to be.

So without further ado, the man who brought us Coffee: The Greatest Addiction Ever, Daylight Saving Time, Pennies Should Be Abolished, and "2012 & The End of The World" comes the second educational video of the year, "Primary Elections Explained."

Things That Make You Go Hmmm... The Fox

The male fox mates for life. If the female dies, he will remain single for the rest of his life. However, if the male dies, the female will find another mate

Foxes are family-oriented critters, often forming lifetime attachments when it comes time to raise young ones. During the rest of the year, however, the male (dog) fox and the female (vixen) live separately, mostly at the insistence of the highly territorial female. When Autumn rolls around and the vixen starts feeling amorous, she lets the male know by her scent marking, which changes to advertise her feelings on the matter. At this point the male will reappear and court the female, and will hang around through the Winter until the kids (kits) are born and the vixen can hunt for herself again. He will hang around into the early Spring to make sure they are well provided for, then take off for a Summer of fun and frolic. [source]

OMG Hilarious! - Plowed From Behind

Must Watch: President Obama Singing "Born This Way" by Lady Gaga

What better way is there to start a Wednesday morning than to hear President Barack Obama sing Lady Gaga's "Born This Way"? 

When I saw this video on my Facebook news feed this morning, I about died laughing.  It was funny, but pure genius. Thanks for sharing Josh Helman.

The Last Hug

Quoted - Justin Bieber on Striving To Be The Best

“I’m not going to try to conform to what people want me to be or go out there and start partying, have people see me with alcohol. I want to do it at my own pace. I don’t want to start singing about things like sex, drugs and swearing. I’m into love, and maybe I’ll get more into making love when I’m older. But I want to be someone who is respected by everybody. … I want to be successful and be great at what I do. But eventually, I want to become the best at what I do. I want to be better than anybody who’s ever done it. And in order to do that, I need to strive to be the best, be good to people and treat people with respect, and work as hard as I can. Because for me, I work so hard and this consumes my life – it’s not worth it if I’m not the best.” 

   –  Justin Bieber from the spring issue of V Magazine‘s The Music Issue.

What If RuPaul Moderated A Republican Debate?

Omg, this is hilarious, but what if RuPaul were to moderate a Republican debate?  

There is one thing I do know, they would definitely be up shit creek without a paddle.

Oh thank you Buzzfeed, you didn't fuck it up!