...since I've browsed around here on Zaadz.  I'm not sure if that is a good sign or a bad sign...or any sign at all.  Sometimes I'm here because I'm down..other times I'm here because somebody responded to a post or sent me a friend invitation that got me started again.  Whatever the reason...I'm glad I'm back.

This really is a fun place to hang out.  And I feel I have a great deal more to offer the community that what I have so far.  I need to try and make it a goal to log in here once a week at the very least.

I love loving it here..and I love everybody I've met here.  You people rock!

Hmmm...this question has really made me reflect on my life quite a bit.  I use to consider myself an extremely nice, bend over backwards, kind of a person.  I would always look for little things that I could do for somebody that they weren't expecting me to do.  I can't think of anything like that from this week.  I mean, I helped out with things at work, things at home, but nothing that really jumps out as, out of my way, nice.  And that's a shame.  I'm going to have to work on that.

Ya know, this is a funny one...My favorite toy by far was my Spiderman action figure with retracable web.  To this day I remember when my sister broke it and I was devastated.  I say that it's funny because all of the Spider man toys being back in the stores due to the latest movie release. I wonder if I can get a new one?

Hmmm...wow, what a question...how do you guys think of these questions that hit me the way they do, when they do.  I'll go ahead and pick a number...29.  Anytime anyone asks me I tell them that I've been 29 for quite a while now...and I think it fits.  I feel very young at heart...and I take care of myself pretty darn well (off and on) so I think I could pass for a 29 year old.  Although the increasing number of grey hairs (thanks to my teen age girls) make that difficult.

5 Years from now I'll look back and be able to thank Zaadz, that it has helped me accomplish one major improvement in the world, and in my life...that I have been able to find the love in what doing...and not try so hard to find things I love to do...if that makes sense.

I hope to be spending more time taking pictures of people and spending more time with people...but that may not be what the spirtual/supernatural has in store for me...so what ever shall be, shall be...

Love you all!

Yea I feeling a little weird today...bare with me :)

Oh wow, now that question deserves some real thought.  I think I'd have to say that my greatest fear is something scary happening to one of my children.  My children mean the world to me and if anything would challenge my desire to live in and love this world, that would be it.  I have two teen age girls, and a 4 year old, crazy with energy, little boy.  I worry all the time about my girls getting into dangerous situations, or my little boy running out into a busy street...these are the things that keep me up at night sometimes.

Wow that was a little heavy tough huh? ...

What else can I say ...

I guess it's appropriate that this question was asked on tax day... I wonder how many people will answer IRS audit ... ;)

I hate to answer a question with more questions, but I'm afraid in this case I would have to know some things before giving an honest response.   But after posting my questions, I will give an opinion.

First of all, I'd need to know, exactly what form cloning would take in humans.  Obviously, until we've figured out how to speed up the aging process safely, the result of a human cloning experiment is going to be a bouncing new baby.  Babies are cool, I don't mind having more babies around.  And if the baby is healthy, that's great too.  I could imagine a situation where "cloning" could be used to aid parents who aren't currently able to concieve a child.  How would cloning be better or worse  that invitro fertilization?  Are there cases where the cells of a man or a woman could be used to produce a baby when they in fact don't have the ability to produce eggs and or sperm any longer?  If so, that sounds pretty cool too.  And of course in this case I would imagine the baby would be like any other baby, a combination of the parents genes.  All good things.

Are there also cases however where cloning could be used to create exact DNA copies of other people?  I can't quite put my finger on it yet, but this seems pretty creepy.  If a babies dies at child birth as the result of something other than a birth defect, could the parents opt for a xerox version?  Are we spirtually and/or emotional mature enough as a society to cope with the questions that would arise from doing that?  Would being a "clone" become the next great cause for prejudice in our society?

All in all, as I try to take a step back from the question and look at it's true nature, the thing I keep coming back to is "Why"?  Why do we need to do it, if there are good reasons, reasons that out-weigh the ethical questions, then lets see what makes sense. 

My gut feeling is that there's not much real call for it.  I have real problems with the number of babies we're killing right now and how hard it is for people to adopt.  I think we need to do a better job of putting these two groups of potential parents together.

... with nothing to really write about... but this huge "thorn in the side" like desire to write something.

I really do like the new "questions and reflections" peice of Zaadz.  I find that if I simply log in each day and instantly have something to write about.  I wonder if I can think of more questions like this to send to myself?  Of course I haven't gone through all of the past questions here...I'll have to do that.

Anyway, as I've said before, I'd really like to figure out a way to sustain my existence (and my families) here on earth through writing, etc... but so far haven't figured out a way to do that.

I'm going to have to put more time into thinking about that.  People say they like my honesty and my writing style (current article not included since I know it's pretty scatterbrained) so maybe I'd have half a chance...

We'll see.

I guess that would be yesterday.  Can't remember all that much about the arguement... Wife and I were probably disagreeing about... oh crap... I just realized I need to hit the transmit button on turbo tax...

Yikes...more on this later.

Hey folks, I just added a little flash box on my Zaadz profile that will display the things I'm twittering about.  If you haven't heard of twitter you have to check it out.  It's the bees knees.

You know, to be honest, I haven't been a big poetry reader.  I will admit that I once wrote a poem that really touched a friends heart, so I'd have to say that is my favorite poem.  The problem is, I have lost what I wrote in this case and can't recall much of it.

I know it started out with the addage that "Everything happens for a reason".  This was a phrase that had a special meaning to the two of us.  Good memories...

Answer: Convince the Zaadz Gods to build a job board!

Oh now this is a good topic.  In a way I am getting paid to do something I enjoy.  I get paid to play with computers.  The only problem is that the longer I'm in a position the more I'm either forced into management or start to get frustrated with the organization I'm working for and it's processes.  I don't think I was really cut out for the full time J.O.B (just over broke).  I want to definitely get more entreprenurial.

I also love taking pictures.  I've started taking more pictures recently and have branched out into taking pictures for small events and things.  Right now I'm simply doing it to build a portfolio, but someday I hope to get paid to do it.  If I could build a portfolio, reputation, and clientel list, say over the next 5-10 years, perhaps I'll be able to do it full time.

But there is also this other problem.  The older I get the more I seem to want to do something that has meaning.  Right now I work for a health insurance company.  Its a very large company and I beleive it's trying to make some game-changing strides in the industry, but the progress is very slow and hard to see.  It's also hard to know that what they're paying me to do is having impact.  I'd like to see some big changes in this industry, like most people would.

I posted something in one of the pods asking that Zaadz help bridge the gap for people like me who aren't quiet ready yet to branch off on their own.  I'd like to see a job board here for Zaadz friendly companies that need help.  I'd love to get paid to play with computers or take pictures for a company that is truly changing the world.

I was just reading a friends profile and her description of herself described me to a tee, or at least the way I'm feeling about myself today:

i have no idea… i am just myself. no more no less. not that that tells you much. i guess i am mildly ambitious and highly idealistic. i am too judgemental and too trusting. and though i am outspoken i am quite shy. all in all i am a walking contradiction, which can be more than a little frustrating- you just can’t win arguing with yourself.

Thought this was worth saving in case she changed it.       

Talk low, talk slow, and don't talk too much... Actually I think this is a quote from John Wayne...if memory serves me correctly, but it's something that a friend pointed out to me and something that I try to live by in my professional life. I am a very passionate person and when it comes to some subjects I can tend to get "diarrhea of the mouth" and seem like I like to hear myself talk. This is a quote I try to remember when I feel that urge coming on. Just like I tend to believe we are all (well most of us) guilty of thinking too much, I also believe that this behavior propagates into our speech and dealings with others.

Yea, so I decided today that my logo looked pretty bad. I played with a new logo generator and this is what I got, what do you think?

I've been trying hard not to think too hard about these questions and just kind of shoot from the hip.  This was another tuffy for me.  I have been known to have some self esteem issues.  But I would have to say that my "heart" is the thing that I love the most about myself.  You could say that I have a big heart.  You could also say that I have a soft heart.  I tend to care a great deal about what others are going through and I tend to care a little too much about what others think of me.  But it is what makes me...me.

Woo hoo!!! Ok first of all, that nutty butty bar that is in the cookie jar...yea I'm eating that. Next I'm going down to the motorcycle store on the corner, plunking down a couple thousand bucks I got from taking my 10% off the top of my efforts to rob from the rich to give to the poor and buying me a crotch rocket. Next I'm going on a cross country trip to California and just soaking in that joint for a few weeks. From there, after winning American Idol, and quite possibly adding a movie star to my new harem, I'm getting on a plane and taking a trip to Ireland, always wanted to see if my ancestors can really handle their whiskey as well as me... Oh wait... you said nothing to loose... not that I'm dying tomorrow... Sorry I read a little to much into that question :)

I saw my friend count go down by one.  This really has me bummed.  Did I do something wrong?  Something to offend someone?  Perhaps somebody simply removed their Zaadz account?  Either way it makes me sad.  Maybe it was because I sent my friends an invite to my pod?  I don't know.  I guess I never will :(

I have a hard time with the concept of any body or thing owing any other body or thing, anything.  I get that natural human instinct that tells me somebody owes me something, when I've done something, or lots of things for them, but I try hard to squelch it.  Perhaps it's my up-bringing, perhaps it's something super-natural telling me that It's not right, but that's how I feel.  I think it's our jobs to sacrifice for others.  Perhaps the earth, if you think of it as a living breathing thing is the ultimate embodiment of that sacrifice, and we should be thankful for it, and show our appreciation.  On the same hand, we should be willing to sacrifice ourselves for the betterment of those around us, including the earth.  However, neither of us should expect we're owed anything.

At least that's the way I'm feeling right now :)

Hey folks!  I don't know how many of you wonderful Zaadsters follow American Idol, but this year they're sponsoring a pretty huge charity project with procedes going to projects in Africa and several organizations in the US.  As of the last tally they've raised $30 million dollars.

I just gave $20... any body want to match me? 

http://www.americanidol.com/