This Has To Be a Joke.

Amish Online Dating

Seriously?

My name is Andrew, and I am a drug addict.

toothpastefordinner.com

Etiquette 2.0

It's communications ala Mad Libs...

The Bureau of Communication

An Interesting Observation

toothpastefordinner.com

Luis Santiago Davalos: A History

Here's the character sketch I wrote for my role, Luis Davalos. I made a whole bunch of stuff up, but that's what I do.

Luis Santiago Davalos

Luis Santiago Davalos began his life as the illegitimate son of an American merchant and a Mexican barmaid.  He spent the majority of his youth in San Lucar with his mother, but ran away from home at the age of 16 to seek his fortune.  For the next four years, he worked with various smuggling gangs who specialized in transporting illegal goods across the Rio Grande and into Texas.  Luis’s experience in the smuggling business made him into a ruthless man, feared and respected by his colleagues.  He had a particular talent for knife-throwing and became very well-known for his ability to kill quickly and silently.  

Because of a series of mysterious deaths within the leadership of the smuggling ring, Davalos rose to a position of leadership.  By the age of 22, Davalos found himself in control of the most powerful gang in the border country along the Rio Grande.  He used this to his advantage, gaining vast profits from the gang’s lucrative smuggling operations.  As the sale of alcohol became more and more restricted in Texas, Davalos’s services as a smuggler came into great demand, and he was soon in control of a considerable fortune.  

Two years later, however, Davalos’s operation was broken up by the Texas Rangers.  Although many of his men were captured and hanged, Davalos himself escaped unharmed, along with twenty-six of his most loyal soldiers.  After many years of absence, the newly dethroned smuggler king returned to his hometown of San Lucar and began to set up a new base of operations.  His wealth made him one of the richest men in the area, and his influence in the town began to spread.  At the age of 25, Davalos was one of the most powerful men in San Lucar, second only to one General Romero Esteban, a man of equally shady repute.  Together, they were known as the “kings of San Lucar.”  Very little was beyond Luis’s reach.  He could have men killed at a moment’s notice with absolutely no fear of repercussions.  He kept Ed Lovett, the talented American lawyer in his employ, the man who would go on to get Davalos acquitted of murder five times.  Davalos respected Lovett’s skill as a lawyer, but regarded him as a fool outside the courtroom, useless for anything except legal counsel.  Davalos was well-loved by the people of the town, who viewed him as a native son, returned home to bring prosperity to his brethren.  Davalos used an alias, the Kinkajou, and became a Robin Hood-like figure, a hero to the people of the Mexican border country.  Soon after his return to San Lucar, he married Sofia Isabel Espinoza, the daughter of the mayor of San Lucar.  He became very protective of his wife, and was more than willing to kill any man who dared to look at her in the wrong way.  

Davalos soon formed a healthy working relationship with Romero Esteban and the two became business partners.  Their comparable resources and similar goals enabled them to work together, although covertly, on various jobs, ranging from gun smuggling and robbery to escort work.  Davalos’s operation as the Kinkajou allowed both of them to maintain their anonymity and kept both of them safe from the law, and the general’s wealth and his influence within the local governments opened doors that would have otherwise been closed to Davalos.  This partnership would prove to be quite valuable to both parties.  Davalos continued to operate in San Lucar for seven years, until he was 32, when Esteban requested his assistance with a bank heist across the Texas border.  This heist and the subsequent intervention of the Texas Rangers would prove to be the downfall of the two kings of San Lucar.  

An example of colour correction

Since this seems to be a topic of interest, I thought I'd post an example of some colour correction that I was working with earlier. I am by no means proficient at this, seeing as photo correction is almost an art form all by itself, but I was able to drastically improve one of my pictures in a few minutes. Here's the original photograph:


And here's the image post-adjustment:


The colours are a whole lot better in the second image, and it's closer to the tones that you'd actually see in real life. Since cameras can't always get colours 100% correctly, colour adjustment is one way to make your images look a lot better. Hopefully, I'll get better at this, I'm sure I could've done a much better job.

Another HDR image...

Here's a picture that I took while in Fredericksburg last night...

And this is the original image, without the HDR technique...

I've also been trying out colour correction on the pictures I've been taking. It really makes a difference... Of course, it takes practice to make the photos look completely natural, but I'm working on it.

"...and then I remembered that I'm a genius."

A YouTube comment, left on a video about Father's Day, written on Father's Day: 

"Lol nice, But fathers day insant until September :s"

WHAAAAA?

"I turn my camera on..."

I have discovered yet another sort of digital medium for me to delve into, and that is High Dynamic Range(HDR) photography. HDR is a technique which uses multiple images, all taken with different exposure levels. These images are then combined into a single image. The resulting photo has a higher level of detail, a greater variety of light, and it closer to what the human eye can perceive. It's really quite fascinating. At any rate, I've been experimenting with this technique. Our camera is by no means professional quality, it's just a simple Sony point and shoot model, but I've been able to get some pretty good results.

Here's one of the more interesting ones. It's just a view down my street...


I like the effect that you can get with the HDR, I was able to achieve a surreal, almost painting-like quality with this photo. Of course, HDR can also produce very detailed, natural looking images as well. It's really good for landscapes and wide panoramic shots. I plan to continue messing around with this, so I should have some more shots to post later on.

"Some kind of employment..."

Well, good news. I have at last procured a job. It took me long enough. I'll be doing more or less the same sort of work I was before, bussing, running and the like. I might also get the chance to do some hosting as well, so that might be cool. The work atmosphere seems relatively laid-back and relaxed, so hopefully it won't be overly stressful. Also, the manager I spoke with seems willing to work with my schedule for the show, so that's a plus, too. I'm scheduled to go in for orientation next Wednesday, so I'll probably have more information then. I've got to get certified by the Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission, but that shouldn't be too much trouble, since I can get it done online. More details as things develop. I'm just glad to be employed again...

I give up.

Well, this is the end, folks. Hillary Clinton is out, Barack is in. I've already presented my views on Obama, so if you'd like to revisit that, see this post. I'm not terribly optimistic about the political future of America. I'd like to say that I could just shut my eyes for the next 4 years, but that's really not going to happen. So, I give up, I really don't have much more to say about that situation. Although, I'm certain I'll go back in my word here in a few months when the campaign starts to heat back up.

On a side note, I absolutely despise modernity and all of the worthless ideologies that have crept into our thinking because of it. Most of the time, we don't even realise exactly how much post-modernism has changed the world, our society and the way we think. 

I think it's safe to say that I am becoming an amateur videographer. My camcorder and my MacBook make me a travelling movie studio. I really enjoy taking footage, editing it and producing a final product, it's really fun. I imagine this will become an even bigger hobby as I get better at it. Fun, eh?

Right to Life, Right to Multiply...

I found this article via my BBC world news RSS feed. It's absolutely atrocious. Here's the article. Basically, the Chinese government has carried out sterilisation operations on their citizens as a part of their one child per family policy. I don't know how mandatory these procedures were, but they are obviously sanctioned and executed by the government. Now, since so many of these families who fell victim to this earthquake have lost their only child(approx. 7,000 children were killed), the government is going to graciously send medical teams to reverse the sterilisation so that these families can replace their lost child. 

Here's an excerpt from the article:

"Zhang Shikun, director of the science and technology bureau of the National Population and Family Planning Commission, said: 'The team, comprised of experts on child-bearing, will conduct surgery in the quake-hit areas to provide technological support for those wanting to give birth to another [child].'"

Technological support? Is that what they're calling this? This is human life that you're playing with, not some piece of machinery. 

God has decided to build his church upon the continent of Asia, where there is a great concentration of pain and oppression. The gospel is growing exponentially in Asia, despite the animosity of communist governments. Praise God that Christ is flourishing in that part of the world. 

Pastor of Muppets

I've got another post topic, but I didn't really feel like going back and putting it into the other post, so this'll be a quick one.

I was listening to the radio the other night, when "Master of Puppets" by Metallica came on. If you know anything about my taste in music, metal is not on good terms with me and I usually despise it in all its forms. But I was struck by the fact that this particular song is actually an effective portrait of what sin does to a person. Now, I do not think that this interpretation was intended by the members of Metallica, but I gained a new appreciation of this song after viewing it in that light. It's a good reminder of what I've been saved from, regardless of the intentions of the song's authors.

"End of passion play, crumbling away,
I'm your source of self-destruction.
Veins that pump with fear, sucking darkest clear,
Leading on your death's construction.

Taste me, you will see,
More is all you need.
You're dedicated to
How I'm killing you.

Come crawling faster,
Obey your master.
Your life burns faster,
Obey your master,
Master.

Master of puppets, I'm pulling your strings.
Twisting your mind and smashing your dreams.
Blinded by me, you can't see a thing.
Just call my name, 'cause I'll hear you scream,
Master, master.
Just call my name, 'cause I'll hear you scream,
Master, master.

Needlework the way, never you betray,
Life of death becoming clearer.
Pain monopoly, ritual misery,
Chop your breakfast on a mirror.

Taste me you will see,
More is all you need.
You're dedicated to
How I'm killing you.

Come crawling faster,
Obey your master.
Your life burns faster,
Obey your master,
Master.

Master of puppets, I'm pulling your strings.
Twisting your mind and smashing your dreams.
Blinded by me, you can't see a thing.
Just call my name, 'cause I'll hear you scream,
Master, master.
Just call my name, 'cause I'll hear you scream,
Master, master.

Master, master,
Where's the dreams that I've been after?
Master, master,
You promised only lies.
Laughter, laughter,
All I hear and see is laughter.
Laughter, laughter,
Laughing at my cries.
Fix me.

Hell is worth all that, natural habitat,
Just a rhyme without a reason.
Never-ending maze, drift on numbered days,
Now your life is out of season.

I will occupy,
I will help you die,
I will run through you,
Now I rule you, too.


Come crawling faster,
Obey your master.
Your life burns faster,
Obey your master.
Master.

Master of puppets, I'm pulling your strings.
Twisting your mind and smashing your dreams.
Blinded by me, you can't see a thing.
Just call my name, 'cause I'll hear you scream,
Master, master.
Just call my name, 'cause I'll hear you scream,
Master, master."

"We don't got the news..."

It occurred to me just now that I don't pay enough attention to the news. Being the quasi-intelligent, contemplative man that I am, I should probably be more informed about the world at large. The selection of new downloads on the Apple website does not really count as news, I've found.

I found something that could come in handy. After reading Cassidy's article in "This Week" at church, I decided it might be useful to have a copy of the Book of Common Prayer. So, I went and I found a PDF version of the 1662 edition of the BCP. To a history buff such as myself, this was a pretty cool find. It can be found here, simply click on the picture to the right to download. The psalms are divided up quite nicely into morning and evening prayer, so perhaps this will serve as a vehicle for a more prayerful existence. Everyone could stand to pray more, right?

I've resolved to start using my Moleskine again. It fell into deep disuse when my schedule all but disappeared after the first semester of the school year. But now with rehearsals and such for the musical, it may become necessary to impose order once again. Besides, if/when I start working(the future of Andrew as a working man is still very much in doubt, much to my chagrin), I'll need to coordinate shifts and such, so it will perhaps become more useful. Not to mention next semester. I am sure I'll be kept busy at university, a concept which makes me tired at the mere thought. 

My YouTube video on English Accents keeps getting more and more views. It was at 443 last time I checked. That's the most views I've ever gotten on anything, so that's cool, I guess. According to YouTube demographics, the viewership of that video is 68% female. It's gotta be the hat.