Under Construction

I'm trying to move my web hosting, and it's not going as quickly as i had hoped. It may take a couple of days (hopefully not that long), but I'm going to try to do it as fast as possible. Thanks for understanding.

ZenniOptical.com for Prescription Glasses

If you're looking for new prescription glasses, check out what may be called a Great Discovery: www.ZenniOptical.com and see what they have to offer. They have a large selection of frames and lenses, and their prices start at just $8. They sell only their own manufactured frames direct to the customer with no middlemen. Their prices may be just what you've been looking for.

SLU Billikens Set New D-I Record

I don't really take too big of an interest in the local college basketball scene here in St. Louis, but since I live here I heard about a new division one record that the Saint Louis University Billikens set this last Thursday night. They now have the new record for the fewest points scored in a game since the institution of the shot clock with a whopping 20 points.

The previous record was 21 points, and I must say that this is quite the accomplishment. The game was 25-7 at the half, and at one point the Billikens missed 23 straight shots. Seems like a pretty pathetic game to me which makes me glad I don't really care about Billiken basketball.

And this brings me to another point, what a Billiken even is. Wikipedia tells us that it was...

"a charm doll created by an American art teacher and illustrator, Ms. Florence Pretz of Kansas City, Missouri, who is said to have seen the mysterious figure in a dream."

Apparently it was quite the craze back in the early 1900s, but it's a pretty odd choice of mascot as far as I'm concerned.

Are Mormons Treated Unfairly...?

I was forwarded an interesting story earlier today that appeared in the Deseret Morning News. It discusses the issue of discrimination when it comes to Mormons. This has obviously become an issue because of presidential hopeful Mitt Romney.

Better Duck - If You're a Mormon

The article talks about how Mormons are apparently fair game when it comes to making "disparaging and often erroneous statements", when people wouldn't dare make similar remarks about other groups. The people who think nothing of making these comments about Mormons wouldn't dare think of expressing any bias towards women or towards the black community, or so the argument goes.

So take a look at this story and see what you think about it for yourself. What do you make of it? Is there any validity to what's being said? I tend to agree with a lot of what is said, but I don't think that Mormons are the only ones who are treated this way. That being said, is it really OK to discriminate based on anything?

Marine Travelift

For those of you that are boat enthusiasts, you know how difficult it can be to transport your boat. But to aid with this there are different types of marine hardware. They have boat hoists and transporters, and they even have used equipment for sale. So check them out for all of your boat handling equipment.

Guitar Hero III Progress

As I mentioned in a previous post, I've been playing Guitar Hero III for the Wii. I've been going through in the career mode on the expert difficulty level and have almost beat every single song. I finally beat Metallica's One, but I'm still having a little trouble with the Slayer song, Raining Blood. It really shouldn't be that difficult, but I have issues with the real fast part near the beginning. I'm sure in the next couple of days I will have beaten it though.

ShuttleLift Cranes

ShuttleLift wants to solve all of your lifting needs by providing lifting solutions. For some of your heaviest projects, they've got a mobile gantry crane to make it easy. They offer two different types if you just need the lifting power or you're after maximum versatility. They've also got a great warranty of 12 months or 2000 hours. So check them out for all of your lifting and material handling needs.

The King of Torts

Over the last couple of weeks, or months, I've been reading a book that I bought off the library at one of their book sales for a dollar. The King of Torts is written by John Grisham, and since I've read and liked a couple of his books, I figured I could give this one a shot. I hadn't heard of the book before, probably because it wasn't made into a movie, but still hoped that it would be worth the read.

I'm now about half way through the book, so don't worry, I won't spoil any sort of surprise ending for you. The main character in the book is a young lawyer who works in the public defender's office. He's given a murder case that seems pretty open and shut until he's approached by someone representing a drug company who knows they have a bad drug and want to settle quietly. The lawyer makes a lot of money off of this deal and is then made aware of another even more lucrative case. I'm not sure how this one turns out yet since I haven't gotten that far in the book.

It's been a pretty interesting read so far, but I don't read a lot at once usually. I am interested to see how the book turns out though. And for those of you not sure what a tort is, here is how the book defines it on the back cover:

A private or civil wrong or injury, including action for bad faith breach of contract, for which the court will provide a remedy in the form of an action for damages.

So if the book sounds interesting to you, maybe you ought to give it a shot. It's not really that long of a book so it should take you too long to get through it.

Find Great Vacation Rentals

With as much as you probably work, you probably think quite a bit about taking a vacation. And WeNeedaVacation.com wants to help you find a great place to go and a place to stay while you are there. Maybe you're looking for Panama City vacation rentals and want to see what's available out there. They have also added a new video feature so you can view videos of many of the properties that are listed on the site. This way you'll be able to see more of what you'll get if you decide on a specific property. So take a look at their site to see where your next vacation will take you.

I Got a Nintendo Wii for Christmas

For Christmas this year my parents got us a Nintendo Wii. It's been a while since I've had a video game system, but the Wii system is definitely intriguing and has been a lot of fun. I was pretty surprised that my parents would get us a Wii, but I sure am glad that they did.

We also got a bunch of accessories to go with it. We got an extra Wii remote controller and another Wii Nunchuk Controller. They have been great for the boxing game which I'm not a huge fan of, but it definitely wears me out after a while.

We also got a couple of games to go along with Wii Sports. I was really excited about Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock Bundle because I had played it before on other systems. I have also now been able to beat the Metallica song One on expert. We also got another game called Rayman Raving Rabbids which is pretty weird but also fun. It's a lot of mini-games but you do get to shoot rabbits with plungers.

Improve Your Golf Game with NetHandicap

For those of you who are avid golfers, I'm sure you're always looking for the next greatest thing to help you improve your game. Well now there is some golf handicap software that you can use to track and manage your handicap in your golf game. You can join their community and participate in tournaments and events. Aside from just the handicap calculation you can get great golf tips and a whole lot more. They can also provide you with a USGA golf handicap index if you are not a member of a club. So if you're looking for a way to improve your game, you'll want to check them out and see what all they have to offer.

Not a Fan of Chris Daughtry

I was driving home today, from the grocery store I believe, and a song from Daughtry came on the radio and it reminded me of how sick I am of his songs and how I've been meaning to write a post about it. And I guess now is as good a time as any other.

Pretty much all of his songs are formulaic and the lyrics are often just awful. All you have to do is look to the opening line of his song "Over You" to find:

Now that it's all said and done, I can't believe you are the one, to build me up and tear me down, like an old abandoned house.

It's just an awful simile and I can't take the rest of the song seriously. Aside from this, most of his other stuff is now way overplayed, especially the one song they used during American Idol last year. I really wish he would just go home like he says in the song. It'd be much better for all of us.

I should also mention that Chris Daughtry has revealed/admitted that he is balding and shaved his head completely in order to keep a pleasing appearance. So he is a proud member of the male-pattern baldness cover-up club.

Christian Faith Financial

If you're looking for payday loans but don't know where to start, check out Christian Faith Financial. They're a matching service that will match your application with a lender able to lend to you. So if you need a little cash to hold you over until the next payday for bills and things, check and see how they can help.

This is a sponsored post.

National Treasure Again

Over the Christmas break I saw the new National Treasure movie with my family. It was an entertaining movie and pretty well done, but I don't think it's as good as the first. It was pretty formulaic and not as intriguing as the first one was. The acting was pretty good though and I'd say that the movie is worth seeing. So if you're looking to kill a couple of hours you could do worse.

Texas Injury Law Firm

This is a sponsored post.

Accidents come in many forms and they're never a pleasant experience. Unknown to me there are surprisingly a lot of trucking accidents that occur. And if you're looking for an Austin Texas Trucking Accident Lawyer, you can find one at the law firm of O'Hanlon, McCollum & Demerath. Naturally every case is different, but they want to talk to you if you've been involved in an accident involving a semi. These types of accidents are different from ordinary traffic accidents as you're dealing with larger blind spots, wider turns, longer stopping distances and different sizes and shapes of cargo. Visit their website to learn more.

Unexpected Travels

We had quite the ordeal getting home from our travels to Colorado and Utah this holiday season. It involved a highway closure and a hard gym floor. You'll be able to read more about the extended trip home over at my other blog tomorrow. Other than that, the trip was pretty good. It was nice to see family and spend time away from work. I'll have more coming soon, buy stay tuned for more of The Milk Crate here in 2008.