A friend posted about haveing a lot to say (on her blog) but not having the time to say it. That got me thinking about the concept of brevity. Here are a few related quotes.
Good things, when short, are twice as good. ~Baltasar Gracian, The Art of Worldly Wisdom
It is my ambition to say in ten sentences what other men say in whole books - what other men do not say in whole books. ~Friedrich Wilhelm Nietzsche, Twilight of the Idols
Therefore, since brevity is the soul of wit,
And tediousness the limbs and outward flourishes,
I will be brief.
~William Shakespeare, Hamlet
The most valuable of all talents is that of never using two words when one will do. ~Thomas Jefferson
My great-grandfather used to say to his wife, my great-grandmother, who in turn told her daughter, my grandmother, who repeated it to her daughter, my mother, who used to remind her daughter, my own sister, that to talk well and eloquently was a very great art, but that an equally great one was to know the right moment to stop. ~Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Wednesday, February 25, 2009
Friday, February 20, 2009
Friday Flashback
Yes boys and girls, we're setting the Wayback Machine for the 1980s and its a video (or more) each week here at Valtool's Box. Since Mark Lee, the awesome guitar dude in Third Day mentioned John Mellancamp/Cougar/Cougar-Mellancamp today, we'll go with the man from the heartland.
Thursday, February 19, 2009
The Ipod/mp3 Shuffle Meme
I was tagged by Frigga at http://www.anyapples.blogspot.com/ and here's the deal. Take your ipod or mp3 player. Set it on shuffle. Use the songs that randomly play as the answers to these questions. Here are the questions and my answers.
How would you describe yourself? Eyes on the Sky (Von Ra)
What do you like in a member of the opposite sex? Urban (Cirque du Soleil - La Nouba)
How do you feel today? Knowing Me, Knowing You (ABBA)
What is your life's purpose? Fad of the Land (Newsboys)
What's your motto? Father, Spirit, Jesus (Casting Crowns)
What do your friends think of you? Does Anybody Hear Her (Casting Crowns)
What do your parents think of you? In Me (Casting Crowns)
What do you think about very often? Between You and Me (DC Talk)
What is 2 + 2? He (Jars of Clay)
What do you think of your best friend? Cloud of Witnesses (Mark Schultz)
What is your life story? Running Just To Catch Myself (Mark Schultz)
What do you want to be when you grow up? No Signal (tobymac)
What do you think when you see the person you like? Lifesong (Casting Crowns)
What will you dance to at your wedding? Higher (Creed)
What will they play at your funeral? Loved You All Along (Von Ra)
What is your hobby/interest? Lord You Are (Mark Schultz)
What is your biggest fear? Rockstar (Third Day)
What is your biggest secret? Let My Words Be Few (Rebecca St. James)
What do you want right now? Scene Six : Home (Dream Theater - Scenes from a Memory)
What do you think of your friends? Jesus Is Just Alright (DC Talk)
What will you post this as? Im Not That Girl (Wicked Cast Recording)
What time is it? Ignition (tobymac)
Since I have no idea who if anyone reads my blog, I tag anyone who reads this blog to do this meme and then come back and let me know you did it!
How would you describe yourself? Eyes on the Sky (Von Ra)
What do you like in a member of the opposite sex? Urban (Cirque du Soleil - La Nouba)
How do you feel today? Knowing Me, Knowing You (ABBA)
What is your life's purpose? Fad of the Land (Newsboys)
What's your motto? Father, Spirit, Jesus (Casting Crowns)
What do your friends think of you? Does Anybody Hear Her (Casting Crowns)
What do your parents think of you? In Me (Casting Crowns)
What do you think about very often? Between You and Me (DC Talk)
What is 2 + 2? He (Jars of Clay)
What do you think of your best friend? Cloud of Witnesses (Mark Schultz)
What is your life story? Running Just To Catch Myself (Mark Schultz)
What do you want to be when you grow up? No Signal (tobymac)
What do you think when you see the person you like? Lifesong (Casting Crowns)
What will you dance to at your wedding? Higher (Creed)
What will they play at your funeral? Loved You All Along (Von Ra)
What is your hobby/interest? Lord You Are (Mark Schultz)
What is your biggest fear? Rockstar (Third Day)
What is your biggest secret? Let My Words Be Few (Rebecca St. James)
What do you want right now? Scene Six : Home (Dream Theater - Scenes from a Memory)
What do you think of your friends? Jesus Is Just Alright (DC Talk)
What will you post this as? Im Not That Girl (Wicked Cast Recording)
What time is it? Ignition (tobymac)
Since I have no idea who if anyone reads my blog, I tag anyone who reads this blog to do this meme and then come back and let me know you did it!
Monday, February 16, 2009
Flashback
Tonight Amy and I were watching a movie and I heard a song I recognized but could not remember the name or the artist. So I checked the credits and went to Youtube. This wouldn't qualify for my 80's blog, which I have not done anything with in over a month, so I am putting it here. From 1979, Blondie with "Dreaming."
Monday, February 09, 2009
Date Night
Last night Amy and I enjoyed are last major date night as childless parents. We attended the WinterJam concert as guests of Tour Pastor Tony Nolan who is also about to become the father of a Chinese princess. Here's a taste of what we enjoyed.... tobymac.
Sunday, February 08, 2009
Have you Ever Meme
Taken from Frigga at www.anyapples.blogspot.com
1. Have you ever been on TV?
Yes, barely. There was a news report from the tailgate at a Jimmy Buffett concert in orlando I went to back in the 90's. The stock footage they shot included me playing congas with our Parrothead club band in the parking lot.
2. Have you ever sung in public?
Yes, I've done karaoke on 3 occasions that I remember and I sang the lead in a church production of You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown back in '95.
3. Have you ever dyed your hair blond?
No, but I did get frosted highlights once, back around 2000. Was going for a Sugar Ray look.
4. Have you ever eaten frogs' legs?
No.
5. Have you ever received a present that you really hated?
Hate is a strong word. I've definitely received some I don't care about. I remember getting an Allman Brothers Band album when I was about 11 years old.
6. Have you ever walked into a lamp post?
No.
7. Have you ever fallen or stumbled in front of others?
Sure, but everyone does. No big deal unless you do something to make it memorable.
8. Have you ever done volunteer work?
Lots. With the Parrotheads of Central Florida we did river clean-ups and adopt a highway plus events for tornado victims in FL and the Make-a-Wish foundation and the AMerican Cancer Society Relay for life. Recently I have raised money for Relay or Life and the Juvenille Diabetes Walk for a Cure through my work, selling pictures I have taken and organizing charity poker tournaments. I have served at a soup kitchen and done construction at youth outreach camps in Tn. I have been a volunteer leader/counselor for Younglife and for my churches.
1. Have you ever been on TV?
Yes, barely. There was a news report from the tailgate at a Jimmy Buffett concert in orlando I went to back in the 90's. The stock footage they shot included me playing congas with our Parrothead club band in the parking lot.
2. Have you ever sung in public?
Yes, I've done karaoke on 3 occasions that I remember and I sang the lead in a church production of You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown back in '95.
3. Have you ever dyed your hair blond?
No, but I did get frosted highlights once, back around 2000. Was going for a Sugar Ray look.
4. Have you ever eaten frogs' legs?
No.
5. Have you ever received a present that you really hated?
Hate is a strong word. I've definitely received some I don't care about. I remember getting an Allman Brothers Band album when I was about 11 years old.
6. Have you ever walked into a lamp post?
No.
7. Have you ever fallen or stumbled in front of others?
Sure, but everyone does. No big deal unless you do something to make it memorable.
8. Have you ever done volunteer work?
Lots. With the Parrotheads of Central Florida we did river clean-ups and adopt a highway plus events for tornado victims in FL and the Make-a-Wish foundation and the AMerican Cancer Society Relay for life. Recently I have raised money for Relay or Life and the Juvenille Diabetes Walk for a Cure through my work, selling pictures I have taken and organizing charity poker tournaments. I have served at a soup kitchen and done construction at youth outreach camps in Tn. I have been a volunteer leader/counselor for Younglife and for my churches.
Thursday, February 05, 2009
99
This number 99 is the jersey of Wayne Gretsky. He is called "The Great One." Today is a 99 day.
Before work we had an appointment to meet our likely pediatrician. He is VERY positive about LynnMarie's current and future health.
I went to work. It was pretty much dead. Photo was a wasteland, but we had some vendor deliveries and stock issues to address.
After work I went straight to the gym. I spent 35 minutes on the eliptical (down from my regular 55) and burned just over 400 calories. I then moved to a number of the weight machines, all the time listening to music on my mp3 player. I was particularly motivate and moved when I heard songs by Burlap to Cashmere, DC Talk and tobymac. The last thing I heard was tobymac singing "Whatever I gotta be, I be for you."
That lyric struck me in two ways, as I want that to be my motivation regarding my God and my family.
As for 99. Let me say aome more. This morning I took my oral meds and after the meeting with the doctor I had a chicken breakfast burrito from Chick-fil-a. At work I had some natural almonds through my shift and lunch was a baked chicken breast and some corn. I had taken no insulin since last night and when I got home I checked my blood sugar level to find it at a very awesome 99!
Wednesday, February 04, 2009
Tuesday, January 27, 2009
Ten on Tuesday #21
My 10 Favorite Articles of Clothing
1. Mike Schmidt 1980 throwback Phillies jersey.
2. Atlanta Thrashers Home Jersey.
3. UCF Polo - received this Christmas.
4. Hard Rock Cafe Denim Jacket (London) bought in 1994.
5. My "work" socks. I buy Starter brand black athletic socks, great comfort for being on your feet all day.
6. PokerStars polo shirt - it was free from the site.
7. UCF t-shirt that says "Mess with one Knight, mess with all 45,000."
8. Black denim shorts. They have finally worn out after 8 or more years.
9. WHTQ 96.5 FM baseball jersey from when I interned with the station back in '99-'00.
10. Autographed Debbie Gibson "Dare 2 Dream" t-shirt, only worn once, it's another 10+ year throwback.
Monday, January 26, 2009
Catching Up
I noticed today that I have barely done a thing here in the past month. I used to post about 25-35 times a month and so far I'm at 7 or 8 right now.
So what's up? Most of you know about our international adoption and it is coming VERY close to being complete. We started the journey about 27 months ago and suddenly (in the past 2 months) we have found ourselves about 7 weeks away from being in CHINA, bringing home an awesome baby girl. It's kind of like being 7 and a half months pregnant. Very soon, I am going to be a daddy.
Facebook is kicking in a bit. My 20th HS reunion is now just 6 months away. In addition to about 150 or so HS friends on Facebook, I have recently added 4 more family members and last night I started finding old Parrothead friends from Orlando, Dennis & Betsy, Lou & Pat, JT, T Scott, Laurie, & Doc. Some of them may be her ein Atlanta later this year for an Atlanta Parrothead club meeting.
If not for the Parrotheads and their concert for tornado relief back in '98, I would have never met Vaughn Rhea and his band and family. I know where he is, but have not been in touch with him since the band played at a Tower Records here in Atlanta to promote the release of the Soundtrack to the TV show Smallville back around '02 I think. He's a great guy and a great husband and dad to Jordan, Jacob, and Olivia.
So what's up? Most of you know about our international adoption and it is coming VERY close to being complete. We started the journey about 27 months ago and suddenly (in the past 2 months) we have found ourselves about 7 weeks away from being in CHINA, bringing home an awesome baby girl. It's kind of like being 7 and a half months pregnant. Very soon, I am going to be a daddy.
Facebook is kicking in a bit. My 20th HS reunion is now just 6 months away. In addition to about 150 or so HS friends on Facebook, I have recently added 4 more family members and last night I started finding old Parrothead friends from Orlando, Dennis & Betsy, Lou & Pat, JT, T Scott, Laurie, & Doc. Some of them may be her ein Atlanta later this year for an Atlanta Parrothead club meeting.
If not for the Parrotheads and their concert for tornado relief back in '98, I would have never met Vaughn Rhea and his band and family. I know where he is, but have not been in touch with him since the band played at a Tower Records here in Atlanta to promote the release of the Soundtrack to the TV show Smallville back around '02 I think. He's a great guy and a great husband and dad to Jordan, Jacob, and Olivia.
Thursday, January 22, 2009
When Love Takes You In
I know you’ve heard the stories
But they all sound too good to be true
You’ve heard about a place called home
But there doesn’t seem to be one for you
So one more night you cry yourself to sleep
And drift off to a distant dream
Where love takes you in and everything changes
A miracle starts with the beat of a heart
When love takes you home and says you belong here
The loneliness ends and a new life begins
When love takes you in
And somewhere while you’re sleeping
Someone else is dreaming too
Counting down the days until
They hold you close and say I love you
And like the rain that falls into the sea
In a moment what has been is lost in what will be
When love takes you in everything changes
A miracle starts with the beat of a heart
And this love will never let you go
There is nothing that could ever
cause this love to lose its hold
When love takes you in everything changes
A miracle starts with the beat of a heart
When love takes you home and says you belong here
The loneliness ends and a new life begins
When love takes you in it takes you in for good
When love takes you in
But they all sound too good to be true
You’ve heard about a place called home
But there doesn’t seem to be one for you
So one more night you cry yourself to sleep
And drift off to a distant dream
Where love takes you in and everything changes
A miracle starts with the beat of a heart
When love takes you home and says you belong here
The loneliness ends and a new life begins
When love takes you in
And somewhere while you’re sleeping
Someone else is dreaming too
Counting down the days until
They hold you close and say I love you
And like the rain that falls into the sea
In a moment what has been is lost in what will be
When love takes you in everything changes
A miracle starts with the beat of a heart
And this love will never let you go
There is nothing that could ever
cause this love to lose its hold
When love takes you in everything changes
A miracle starts with the beat of a heart
When love takes you home and says you belong here
The loneliness ends and a new life begins
When love takes you in it takes you in for good
When love takes you in
Tuesday, January 20, 2009
Ten on Tuesday #20
Ten Favorite Sports Moments
1. 1980 - The Phillies beat the Royals to win the World Series. Tug McGraw says "You gotta believe!"
2. 2008 - The Phillies beat the Rays to win the World Series after a two-day delay to finish game 4.
3. Tiger Woods wins anything.
4. Georgia Tech owns Georgia in the 3rd quarter and breaks a way-to-long losing streak by defeating the dogs between the hedges, 2008.
5. I attend my first professional hockey game and see the Atlanta Thrashers beat the New Jersey Devils in December 2006.
6. Cal Ripkin, Jr. breaks the Iron-man record by playing in 2131 consecutive scheduled games, beating Lou Gehrig's record of 2130. The game was stopped when it became official and Ripkin was recognized before play resumed. I cried.
7. UCF enters the Conference USA in 2005 and hosts the innaugural Championship game and plays in the school's first ever bowl game.
8. At age 40, Randy Johnson pitches a perfect game against the Atlanta Braves. 2004.
9. Clint Bowyer finishes the 2005 Daytona 500 UPSIDE DOWN AND ON FIRE!
10. George Steinbrenner fires Joe Torre, who is then hired by the LA Dodgers who leads them to the NL Championship series in the same year that the Yankees don't even make the playoffs, 2008.
Tuesday, January 13, 2009
The Not So Magic Kingdom
I was previewing any news and special info for our visit to the Magic Kingdom at Walt Disney World on Thursday and I found the following scheduled closings...
* Mickey's PhilharMagic : Closed for Refurbishment [January 18, 2009 to January 31, 2009]
* Splash Mountain®: Closed for Refurbishment [January 13, 2009 to January 18, 2009]
* The Hall Of Presidents: Closed for Refurbishment [January 13, 2009 to January 31, 2009]
The Mickey thing I have never heard of, but it closes after we will have been there.
Splash Mountain is fun, but I don't like getting wet while clothed and it will be cool weather on Thursday.
Hall of Presidents is closing 7 days before until 11 days after the inauguration.
* Mickey's PhilharMagic : Closed for Refurbishment [January 18, 2009 to January 31, 2009]
* Splash Mountain®: Closed for Refurbishment [January 13, 2009 to January 18, 2009]
* The Hall Of Presidents: Closed for Refurbishment [January 13, 2009 to January 31, 2009]
The Mickey thing I have never heard of, but it closes after we will have been there.
Splash Mountain is fun, but I don't like getting wet while clothed and it will be cool weather on Thursday.
Hall of Presidents is closing 7 days before until 11 days after the inauguration.
Monday, January 12, 2009
Jack is Back!
Horay for the American TV audience! Tonight was the return of 24 and the return of Jack Bauer, the man who got blackjack with only one card!
I totally forgot that Jeanine Garafalo was to be on this season. She has lost weight but she still annoys me to Hell and back. I have a hard time separating her politics from her art. From what we saw in the first two hours tonight, I fully expect she'll be the one to blow things for Jack by worrying about loved ones and leaking to the world what is going on behind closed doors at the FBI.
Aside from that, I like the idea of having Jack face a former friend as a new nemesis. I liked the pick-up on the assassin's shoes outside the Columbia building, and the female FBI agent he is paired with is hot, nice freckles!
American Idol starts this week. We are watching the Biggest Loser, and we are already behind almost 3 hours from last week needing to watch DVR'd ER, Grey's, and Private Practice.
I totally forgot that Jeanine Garafalo was to be on this season. She has lost weight but she still annoys me to Hell and back. I have a hard time separating her politics from her art. From what we saw in the first two hours tonight, I fully expect she'll be the one to blow things for Jack by worrying about loved ones and leaking to the world what is going on behind closed doors at the FBI.
Aside from that, I like the idea of having Jack face a former friend as a new nemesis. I liked the pick-up on the assassin's shoes outside the Columbia building, and the female FBI agent he is paired with is hot, nice freckles!
American Idol starts this week. We are watching the Biggest Loser, and we are already behind almost 3 hours from last week needing to watch DVR'd ER, Grey's, and Private Practice.
Monday, January 05, 2009
Orlando Skyline c. 1999
The skyline has changed a great deal in the past 10 years. This shot was taken from aboard the Blockbuster Video blimp!
Saturday, January 03, 2009
LynnMarie in Video
We received a tip from someone who had recently been to the Henan Province and we found this video on YouTube. This is my daughter!
Wednesday, December 31, 2008
Wordless Wednesday - Flashback
I started shooting pictures with an SLR about 10 years ago, and this was one of my first that I also developed and printed myself at a dark room at UCF.
Saturday, December 27, 2008
The Bro Code
One of the gifts I received for Christmas was a book from my brother Peter. This book is titled, The Bro Code as "authored" by Barney Stinson and Matt Kuhn. Barney Stinson is a fictional character on the CBS sitcom How I Met Your Mother played by Neil Patrick Harris. Barney is the ultimate guy's guy and lady's man. It's funny how well he plays the character considering the actor is openly gay.
According to the Bro Code...
If a bro gets a dog, it must be at least as tall as his knee when full-grown.
When wearing a cap, the Bro may position the brim at 12 o'clock or 6 o'clock, anything inbetween is reserved for rappers and the handicapped.
A Bro must always post bail for another Bro unless it's out of state or like, crazy expensive. (crazy expensive equals # of years you have known Bro time $100)
A Bro shall stop everything he's doing and watch Die Hard if it is on TV. The same goes for the Shawshank Redemption, Top Gun, The Big Lebowski, the first half of Full Metal Jacket, and porn.
If a Bro forgets a guy's name he may call him "brah," "dude," or "man," but never "Bro."
A Bro shall drop whatever he's doing and rush to help another Bro dump a chick.
Bros before Hos.
If two bros decide to catch a movie together, they shall not attend one starting later than 4:40pm.
If a Bro should pick up a guitar at a party and start playing, another Bro shall point out that he is a tool.
According to the Bro Code...
If a bro gets a dog, it must be at least as tall as his knee when full-grown.
When wearing a cap, the Bro may position the brim at 12 o'clock or 6 o'clock, anything inbetween is reserved for rappers and the handicapped.
A Bro must always post bail for another Bro unless it's out of state or like, crazy expensive. (crazy expensive equals # of years you have known Bro time $100)
A Bro shall stop everything he's doing and watch Die Hard if it is on TV. The same goes for the Shawshank Redemption, Top Gun, The Big Lebowski, the first half of Full Metal Jacket, and porn.
If a Bro forgets a guy's name he may call him "brah," "dude," or "man," but never "Bro."
A Bro shall drop whatever he's doing and rush to help another Bro dump a chick.
Bros before Hos.
If two bros decide to catch a movie together, they shall not attend one starting later than 4:40pm.
If a Bro should pick up a guitar at a party and start playing, another Bro shall point out that he is a tool.
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