First a friend of a friend is am pursuing a doctorate degree in Adult Education at the University of Georgia and needs professionals to answer a survey. Simple rules are, you have to wor for the man, but not be the man. It is about mentoring and promotions so lend Mr. Chase Westray some minutes of your day and instead of herding sheep online or whatever it is you do in farmville, answer this simple survey.

My research area of interest is mentoring. I am writing to request your voluntary participation in an online survey; the data obtained from this survey will be used to complete my dissertation research. The research will identify the role of Human Resource Development activities, like mentoring, in career development. This survey also requests basic demographic information such as age, gender, racial/ethnic group membership about you and your mentor. Please be assured that none of this information will be used to identify you as an individual; rather it will be used to group you with other participants like you, in order to understand unique group experiences. These data will be used to complete my dissertation research. Completing this survey should take no more than 10 minutes. You may skip any questions that you do not feel comfortable responding to.

https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/L5WFC7D

Next and just as important its about giving a little piece of yourself. About a month ago when I donated blood I also did the whole DNA swab thing and joined the National Marrow Registry. This week they sent me an e-mail letting me know that they are starting a campain including Mr Shazam. Watch the Video, put it on your Facebook and maybe even sign up. t does not hurt, and if you are a match hey don’t need to use the big needle…only some extreme cases, most of the time just blood works… so learn more, be informed and look and link the video.

Keyloggers are rampant and visiting an untrusted website can leave you with your information floatig in cyberspace for those that know how to use it. From someone simply reading your e-mail to your identity being stolen. Strong passwords are a must have and remembering the a necessary evil, but a current trend is making this quite annoying.

Before we go on, I beg you to back up your pictures and important infomation in a regular basis. You never know when you computer is going to kick the bucket and leave you without that song that took you days to download back in the napster days. CDs and DVDs are so cheap that laziness is the only thing stopping you from having backed up data. Ok, but enough of this tangent and back to passwords.

Recently I had my main computer malfunction. Thankfully almost everything was backed up prior to an external hard drive, and I was able to keep the computer on life support for long enough to get anything I needed prior to my last backup. One thing I did not back up was my password setting. As you know I love strong passwords, even before many applications started to grade your passwords I was alread using them. My web browser has been remembering those passwords for me and making very convenient for the every day use.

For work I have to remember about 10 passwords that I use in a daily basis. For personal stuff the number is around 25 for various destinations and e-mail addresses. I don’t believe in one password to rule them all, simply because one cracked then not only are people going to be able to read your e-mail, the will also leave your bank account with 20 bucks. So leavin the web browser behind meant that now I had to remember all of those passwords, which was not a big deal, but it did make me think, should I really let this new browser start remembering all my passwords? and further yet, should I trust that my phone will never be stolen and let it remember several passwords for me as well?

The middle of the road for at least the computer is to have a thumb drive with some password management software so you can have access to your passwords from every single computer you get to and you only have to remember one maser password at that point. Realistically though, I don’t even do that even know I have the knowlege and the thumb drives.

I think the best solution is to pick strong passwords that are easy to remember so when you have to either change computers or type that password somewhere public you can remember it and not have yourself locked out. I don’t think that passwords is one thing that you should rely solely on machines to keep fr you.

Bea had not posted in a while and when she did it seems the little web spiders wanted to crawl all over that site and woke up some kind of hidden robot… bots they tell me are causing the issue.

The back end database for wordpress does not like to get too many hits too quickly so when that happens there is an auto suspend on the account so that the whole web server does not go down. We have some new pluggins that should take care of that issue and I need to do some clean up on the old web server and get rid of some old blogs we don’t use. Maybe this is a sign that spring is coming!

If you have numerous hits on your site and you run wordpress, do yourself a favor and install the WP-Cache pluggin. It will save you some headache.

I am sicks of Windows. Especially now that I have been using Windows 7. I have found the new OS to be a lot more of the same, just with pretty graphics and less annoying messages than Vista but I am not really sold on the new software. I am sorry but I am not one of those “I’m a PC” commercials with the “pretty” egos that invented the new features seem to be.

I am more Ubuntu which is my favorite Linux distro and one that I want to play with some more. I want to store all of my MP3 and video on a machine that I can easily remote desktop to, and once in a while maybe play some music out of it to some outside speakers on the deck looking at the river. So I think Ubuntu will do just that and tons more. So in the near future I will spending some quality time with my old computer and taking it apart and building it as a little Ubuntu machine. Not a dual boot mind you, but an actual official Ubuntu machine at home serving us for storage.

I also have not decided completely if I will do a complete salvage or start with all new components. The video card and power supply are only about a year old and could be reused. I am leaning towards a solid state drive and use it as an additional gaming machine in the future. For now I will enjoy the laptop and rest knowing that I was able to get all the data I needed our of phoenix in time. I guess this is as good as time as any to remind everyone to back up your files, specially documents and pictures. Burn them to a CD or DVD. Five bucks will save you a lot of regret later on!

Orcinus orca is a marine mammal from the dolphin family; I am no expert but thankfully my wife is. I wanted to be an expert growing up, since Marine Biologist was what I wrote on all of those “what do you want to be when you grow up,” right next to veterinarian. But that did not happen and I chose to go the computer geek route. So in language that is at my level of understanding, an Orca is a huge animal that somehow got the reputation killer… even a movie made about it which I saw as a kid. It probably somewhat steered me away from a life near the sea altogether.

When Steve Irwin died getting to close to marine life, I wanted to also rant about it… but I thought better of it back then and left it at one line. Today I cannot let it go any longer, especially after a report this morning informed me that previous situations in the park had lead to warn the people that run the place that the attack to a human was only a matter of time.

People love their pets a little too much at times. I am one of those people. I have become attached to the cats that share a household with me quite a bit, and when they do go it’s going to hurt like hell. They are domesticated animals, and to me that means that they won’t eat me unless I die first and they simply have no food. I do have to be dead though, and they have to be starving; however it is very unlikely they will take my life. I like being around those animals.

Then there is the second tier of animals that I see people keeping, but start questioning their sanity. That is animals that can actually kill you or your loved ones. They will be all the animals that to me are not domesticated, like things with fangs and venom and primates. Yeap, primates too, they get violent and can kill you but especially your kids.

Then we cross the “have your head examined” line. The people that actually seek these animals in the wild to swim with sharks. I somewhat understand the adrenaline junkie mentality because I would not mind running with the bulls some day… even though I don’t think I can outrun a calf. If I was to get trampled or someone gets chomped on by a shark, they totally deserve it… that is natural selection working its magic.

I am not a fan of zoos or aquariums because wild animals should not be kept in captivity, in my opinion. I have gone to them and I will accompany people to them, but I feel sad when I see amazing animals for humans to just gawk at. Now, if it is for conservation purposes that is another story. Humans should not be around predators, period; especially in captivity. I might be way wrong but I cannot believe a wild animal is happy to be in a cage. Yeah, those pretty “habitats” are just for your pleasure that most of them don’t enjoy past visiting hours. Even trained people get hurt by them all the time, and I think they are insane for loving animals that much that they want to be that close every single day.

Like Steve Irwin I think Dawn Brancheau died doing what she loved, but her employer should have discontinued the proximity between humans and the whales after they were warned of the danger. Seaworld, and even her family and friends during the funeral, wanted the show to go on. I am not as extreme as PETA, but I do agree with the flipper trainer on wanting to conserve marine mammals. It will never make sense to me that people have to be that close to animals that can kill you.

I wanted to watch the game with my wife who wanted Canada to win, of course, but I wanted the U.S.A. to go all the way. I think the match was played a little more aggressively by the American team, and Canada played a superb defense. It ended in overtime after Parisi scored a last minute goal that made a whole country wonder if they had just seen the gold escape them.

In very Hollywood fashion Crosby came back to be the hero for the nation by scoring in during sudden death leaving the Americans with silver, which is no small accomplishment.

I am happy for Canada. Crosby and company got it done! Congratulations!

Before I start talking about money I want to say that I am extremely happy with my current position even though it is not anywhere near the highest that I have been paid. Finding a job where you are doing something you enjoy doing will make your day feel better. Do not buy into the idea that you are not supposed to like your job, the moment you do that, you are compromising your well being and that of the people around you. Does everyone love their job? probably not, but you at least have to like some aspect of what you do because you will end up doing that for a huge percentage of your life. Always keep that in mind.

Now that the economy is turning around and more doors are going to start opening it is the time to be very careful about taking a job. As tempting as it is for someone that has been out of a job for a while to take the first thing that comes along (well and some people don’t have the luxury to say no) if you are in any position to keep looking and say no do so.

It is very hard to climb back out of a low salary. Every company you interview with will ask and check your salary history and make a decision about your pay based on that number. No matter how much you explain that you are worth a lot more, the reality of the situation is that you are probably worth more to the new company you are going to, but not significantly more.

While there are always exceptions when you are taking on more responsibility and such, in the end the company will try to get you as cheap as they can. At least in my experience you can get back up quickly if the company will give you a salary bump after a trial period, but always make sure you get anything like that in writing. And not just electronically, have it be part of your offer letter.

Never be afraid to ask during the interview about the companies compensation policy. Make sure you understand if the offer includes benefits on the final amount, and calculate what your actual take home will be. Some companies figure your benefits into the offer… and at the same time some benefit packages can be worth about 10K. Do they give cost of living adjustments every year? or are raises far and few between. This information is crucial to your negotiation period. Also be very aware of how they measure performance. Many companies do not have clear guidelines and your reviews, which most pay increases are based on, end up being very subjective and sometimes even unattainable. I still chuckle at the company that measured my personal appearance when I hardly ever saw any clients. Thankfully I love wearing a suit and tie and got an easy top mark on that one.

The first step in the negotiation is knowing how much you are worth. Research the title that you are shooting for and look for salaries around the area. If the company is offering you significantly less than what you are worth, pass on the offer. You are entitled to counter offer just like when you are buying a house. Once you figure out what you are worth strive for it. Climbing out of a low salary can take a long time.

It’s funny that now the people that read my blog now includes my family. Even funnier is that most of them don’t even read it but get the information second hand and a little “edited” for shock value.

Por mucho tiempo en este blog no ha habido drama. Me he regado en muchos temas, pero nunca he atacado a alguien personalmente. Lo siguiente de pronto es sorpresa para algunos, pero lo que yo tengo que decir, se lo digo a la persona de frente, o directamente por un e-mail. En serio, pregúntele a cualquiera que ha leído uno de mis mensajes y le dirán que yo digo exactamente lo que pienso.

I have had a very drama free blog for quite a while. I have ranted here, but have never personally attacked anyone. This next one is going to be a shocker for some people; what I really think of people or want to say to them, I say it to their face, or in a very direct e-mail. Trust me, the people that have read some of my e-mails can attest that I say everything I am thinking about.

Lo que escribí el Viernes, que supuestamente fue algo que puse para que la gente se riera, causó bastante drama y fue el tema del Sábado por la tarde. La mayor parte de lo que pasó me hace reír, pero también salieron muchas cosas no fueron para reírse. Algunas personas terminaron con sus sentimientos heridos; al mismo tiempo dijeron cosas que no son verdad y que también hirieron. Así quiera ponerme a discutir los detalles que me parecen bastante cómicos, no quiero seguir más con este tema. Mucha gente toma las cosas que leen en la Internet en serio y no se dan cuenta de que lo que yo escribo muchas veces es para hacer reír… por eso esta en la categoría de “Chistes”. Tampoco se dan cuenta que este es MI BLOG y que yo aquí escribo lo que “se me da la gana.”

So my little Friday post, that was supposed to make people laugh caused unreal amount of drama, and became a source of discussion when my family got together Saturday. Most of it is funny to me, but there are certain things that are actually not funny. Some people’s feelings got hurt, and in turn they said some thing that were pretty inaccurate and hurtful as well. As much as I want to share the things I found hilarious I will put this issue to rest by just not bringing it up beyond this point and not recounting what anyone else said. Some people are just too serious and don’t get that I write things to amuse and that is why they are under the “funny” category. Some people also don’t get that this is MY BLOG and in my best interpretation of John Malcovich in Rounders, I can say “whatever the fack I want.”

Yo tengo cuidado con lo que digo acerca de mi trabajo, porque si no cómo me sigo engordando. Pero estoy escribiendo esto en Español y en Inglés para que no quede ninguna duda de lo que dije, o quise decir.

I censor myself about my job, because let’s face it, I need to keep myself WoW Chubby. So I am going to write in both Spanisn and English to clarify what I did say and did not say.

Yo nunca dije que mi familia era un montón de sapos. Lo que dije fue que había de pronto un par y expliqué el término.

I did not call my family a bunch of snitches. I said a couple of people had snitched and explained the term.

Yo AMO a mi familia, pero ODIO el chisme y el drama.

I LOVE my family, but gossip and drama, I HATE.

La idea de las empanadas para mi cumpleaños fue a último momento porque YO NO QUERIA FIESTA. Solamente queríamos ver el Superbowl juntos, y mi mujer, mi hermana y mi mamá querían hacerme algo especial. YO NISIQUIERA PEDI EMPANADAS; lo único que me hicieron especial a mí fue principio de zanahoria que casi nadie comió, pero a mi me encanta. NO FUE FIESTA, NO TRATAMOS DE DEJAR A NADIE POR FUERA.

The whole empanadas for my birthday thing was a last minute thing because I DID NOT WANT A PARTY. We just wanted to enjoy the Superbowl together, and my wife, my sister and my mom wanted to make a special meal for me. I DID NOT EVEN ASK FOR EMPANADAS; the only special thing that was made for me was a carrot stew that nobody else really cared for, but I love. THERE WAS NO PARTY, WE DID NOT TRY TO LEAVE ANYONE OUT.

Gracias por leer mi blog, pero si quiere compartirlo con alguien que no entienda Inglés o los chistes, solamente dígame que no tengo ningún problema en traducir gratis lo que yo digo para que no haya malentendidos.

Thanks for reading my blog. If you want to share it with someone that does not understand Spanish or my humor, just tell me, I have no problem translating my posts for free so there are no misunderstandings.

* In Colombia, not sure if other Spanish speaking countries, a snitch is called a “sapo” = Frog because they are said to have a long tongue.

I love my family, but we have LOTS of it. I think at last count (we recently had an addition to the family.) we are happily sitting at over 30. Empanadas are delicious but take forever to make… there is a long preparation process before they are even deep fried. So my poor Mom who was already having shoulder pain (which I did not know about), my sister and Bea worked all afternoon just to feed our immediate family… still a sizable 10 people party. You figure 4 empanadas per still 40 freaking empanadas.

My Mom is the ultimate people-pleaser and she loves to keep the family in peace. I beg to differ, lol and rock the boat once in a while… at times even becoming the black sheep for periods of time. She wanted to keep the whole thing quiet because we, all 30some of us, celebrate ever birthday together. Even though I have not been in Chicago for our my birthday in quite some time. We were not trying to alienate anyone or cause drama… but we got caught, thanks to facebook. So when one of my aunts called my Mom to inquire about the festivities, my Mom tried to dance around the issue to simply be called out thanks to… A FACEBOOK STATUS PAGE! LOL

I watch it now, and hold back my sexual innuendos on facebook too… because you never know who is reading and might not be accustomed to our college level language back and forth banter. Heck if anyone heard Travis and I going back and forth they would think he is the biggest twink in world, and I his daddy bear.

So… be careful about “friending” not just your boss, but always keep in mind that Mom might also get to read your facebook.

I don’t like winter period, and driving in the winter even less. I did not really think much of the weather when planning the trip, which was half planned ahead, half last minute. When I looked at the forecast it did not seem all that bad.

Driving down was wonderful. There was snow on either side of the road on 80, but nothing actually on the road. The traffic was moderate to non existent. We made it down there on a solid 8 hours since we did only quick gas up and no sit down food. The weather was chilly when we arrived, but nothing that I had not experienced previously in Chicago. Come to think of it, in the 3 years I lived in KC I hardly ever saw that much snow actually on the ground or even felt that cold. It was actually colder than it was in Chicago.

Saturday was mild and the sun seemed to make cameos through the day. Colder than I expected but overall not too horrible. Then Sunday came along.

We had a couple of social appointments to attend and one was brunch. OMG was it cold just walking from the parking lot to the restaurant. The wind was blowing and just seemed angry and wanting to make my ears fall off. It had not seemed that bad when we got into the car in the hotel which was 5 minutes away. After a great time we headed back to the car and wanted to stop at the hotel to chill before we went to the next social call.

The wind was still angry, and it seemed to be snowing but it was spotty. Almost like blowing snow and not just falling snow. I am used to not expecting snow to fall when the temperature seems that cold, but it must have been only the wind making it feel way bellow what the thermostat said. I did not think twice about taking the highway to make the trip seem a minute or so shorter. The road did not seem all that bad and the traffic was flowing. That is until we went under a bridge.

I thank God that I did not lose control of the car but it was almost like everything hit all at once. Icy conditions and snow, tiny powdery snow made it almost impossible to see the cars ahead. I eased up from the accelerator and tested to see if I had gained traction again by lightly tapping the break. I slowed down and started to plan my exit from the highway. I had the option of taking an interchange or continuing ahead to the next exit. (I35 going north from 119 right before 435) I decided to take the interchange and exit on at the first chance. The first thing I noticed is that most people did not seem to be adjusting to the conditions and I still had people passing me. All of a sudden a car loses control about 3 cars in front of us. I was not going too fast, but when I tested the breaks I actually said SH!T, I don’t think I am going to be able to stop.

I started to plan for escape routes and even considered the ditch as an option. Thankfully the flow of traffic continued and the car that lost control simply did a full spin out and ended on the side of the road facing the wrong way. The exit ahead could not come fast enough and we made it safely to the hotel without even having to witness any accidents. I turned on the news and sure enough, car pileups had occurred during those minutes that the conditions were just not safe. At dinner we had the official count from our TV station buddy who actually had to go in to post all the official news. 100 cars involved in 3 pile ups.

I started to dread the trip back up to Chicago, but I figured the roads would be ok by the following day.

For the most part they were, but there had over 30 cars on the side of the road from the day before. I make that assumption because they had all been adorned with reflective tape, possibly by the police. Five of them did not have the shiny side up and were completely upside down. A couple were just on their side, and some stretches of highway had 5 or 6 cars one after another. A high percentage, I would say over half were pick up trucks and SUVs.

I am not sure about those drivers that ended up in the ditch, but while making a 8 hour trip into 10 hours to err on the side of safety I had several trucks and SUV pass me at speed well over the speed limit. I always wonder if people are really that dense to not understand that 4WD might help you have traction to take off like a bat out of hell, but it will do nothing when you hit ice and try to make the vehicle stop.

What makes someone possess good moral character, which is what most people think of when using the word, they possess a series of traits that are displayed in the way they interact with others. As I have grown up, I have experienced plenty of situations where people don’t have good moral values and are constantly blaming others or their environment for their current situation. Those are the people that I think have no character, or rather good character.

I have studied anger quite a bit. When I was younger I used to let anger get to me quite often, but I learned that it is part of who I am and that I can control it. I have continue to read on the subject and have found some very simple information that has helped me understand the big picture.

In many situations anger comes directly from not feeling in control of a situation. Jealousy, for example, is a huge catalyst for anger. Going to a private Catholic school in Colombia taught me, at a very early age, that I couldn’t have everything other people did, and it didn’t make me less of a person. I saw how hard my father worked to provide me with opportunities and a good education, so having the latest pair of Rebook eventually did not matter all that much. I am glad I burned that phase early in life because it seems that jealousy is one of the things that seems to frustrate people the most.

Some people are even as delusional as to think that controlling other people is a good idea. Sure, some people have the skill to manipulate others for a period of time, but eventually that person being controlled will wake up or just simply not want to play the game anymore. Then the frustration starts brewing anger and “lack of character” shows up. I see it way too often. People think that if they do X, another person will reciprocate with Y. Sometimes even in situations when the expectation of Y has not been communicated. In reality, we don’t know; that is why expectations are probably one of the factors that, when removed, can help people control anger. If you don’t expect things, then you won’t miss them when they don’t happen.

My “character” is still a work in progress. I still let things get to me that should not, but I have honestly begun to really take situations that frustrate me a day at a time. Recent months have been difficult in this department because of several situations that I have absolutely no control of. People that I care deeply about battling Cancer, other chronic illness, loss of a job are all things that feel like kicks in the gut. Understanding that some things I really can’t control I have to leave up to faith is a huge lesson to learn, and one that I am still learning.

I am not overly retrospective today funny enough. It might be the cold I am getting over, too much work to do or just being ready for the weekend.

I do have still hair on my head. I thought I would be bald by now because one of my great uncles that I seem to share a lot of genes with was bold by this time. Thinning hair, but still got it up there. Actually that same uncle is the one that made me start thinking of changing my relationship with food since he did pass away younger than he should have.

I’m much wiser than when I started my 20s and in a lot of ways a totally different person, but the more I think about it, the more I am coming back to some of those same ideas I had when I was young. I guess everything is a cycle of change when it comes to your personality, passions and likes. Being away from Chicago for over six years makes things feel familiar and yet evolved in some senses. Leaving was one of the best things I did for becoming a true adult, coming back is probably going to complete that chapter in more ways than anything else.

The 30s have never scared me… actually I don’t think any age really scares me. I know how inevitable getting old is and I embrace the fact that I will eventually get into the XO territory and hopefully not be as cranky as Meesha really is. It has been a great trip until know and I look forward to at least doubling my current age and hopefully tripling it if possible… who knows maybe aliens will get here and I’ll get to multiply it by 4.

I got some awesome surprise calls today that truly made my day! I did not expect them at all

I thank you for all the good wishes, all the phone calls and overall your relationships. I think that is what makes my life so awesome, that I have so many amazing people around me. You make me very glad to be me! so thank you!

We were at a family function and both of them were jonesing for the season finale of season 4 of Dexter like I do for video game time. So we figured, lets give it a try and started watching it on netflix. I don’t want to spoil much for those that have not discovered this gem, but I had the ice truck killer pegged since the first time he came on screen. The show has everything from dark humor to suspense. Weird thing is that there are tons of blood and guts but Bea seems to only be faced by the flossing during the opening credit. Come to think of it, the opening credits disturb me as well… maybe it is my dislike of big chunks of ham.

Now we have finished up to season 3 either digitally or through rental and season 4 does not come out on DVD until AUGUST!!!! NOOO!!!

I cannot wait to continue watching this show. Its fun to want the “bad” guy to win at every turn. Funny thing is that the show is pretty popular all over the world, but they don’t get it through a paid channel but rather free channels. I watched an interview with the main actor and it was interesting to hear the different reactions from different parts of the world. How in America we are satisfied with the killer getting rid of murderers, but in Europe they are still bothered by the fact that he is a killer.

Moral dilemmas aside, the show is great entertainment and it explores human emotion from a new perspective. I am really not sure how accurate the portrayal of a serial killer can really be since I doubt any of them really lets anyone “in” but it is still interesting to see someone with no conscience. Everyone at one point or another has watched or even enjoyed a good Vampire fiction and in reality they are simply murderers, but when you put a very human face in a monster that has a different kind of make up it makes you wander. Serial killers have made me curious but never fascinated me, there was always something disgusting about them; however the character of Dexter is likable, even endearing.

Now we have to wait to continue the saga, and for the first time since we moved I am considering getting cable again just to watch this show. Yea it is that good.

I am paranoid about a lot of things, but it has been something that I tried to work on. I sadly have seem to turn it off at all the wrong times… so instead of turning it off I am now trying to use it to my advantage. So far it has been working pretty good.

The whole paradox gets even a little more convoluted when I go ahead and tell you that I am also a very willing to hand out trust. Yeap, even as paranoid as I can be, I am also very willing to make new friends and meet new people. The thing is that in doing so I let them into my world a little too much.

Since the snipe is a totally made up creature, well partly and for entertainment purposes, lets give it some qualities. A snipe is a person you meet that has a lot of good qualities, or at least want to portray them that way but they are only there as hooks. In relationships we all want positive reinforcement in some level, and some are very willing to give that out but not because they feel it but because they know that is the social norm.

We have been watching Dexter lately, and it is an amazing show that entertains but also shines a light at human behavior. When a serial killer looks at life and human interaction from the outside of the emotional realm, it shines a very scary light into why we do the things we do. In a very similar fashion, Meesha not too long ago observed something similar about smiles.

Good sports commentators are not the ones that perfectly describe how a pass spirals through the air or announce GOOOAAAAAAAAAL! the ones that we like to listen to are the ones that are able to predict the adjustment a team is going to make to win the game, or the one that can predict a play before it happens. They are good at their job because the became experts at recognizing patterns related to specific situations. One of the main reasons I love the book Blink.

It is easy to recognize a bad influence in your life after they have made a mess out of it. The trick is to recognize those snipes before they are even inside the door. I don’t have the key to that just yet, but I am getting better at honing my spidey senses. Take a moment and reflect on what snipes you have around!

Before the interview started, Maria had asked me to tell her a little more about myself… since we communicated via gmail and google docks she actually knows me as John instead of Logtar.

Hi John,

1. What would you want the world to know about you? About your blog?

This is an interesting question because I believe that the more you talk about yourself, the more you are actually concealing. About myself I would say that I value family and friends above money and career. About my blog that it is a place for me to express myself, an outlet for my humor, thoughts and rants; however, reading it does not mean you truly get to know me. To get to know me requires actual conversation in my opinion.

2. I really love that you have a section on your blog that talks about your family. Why did you feel the need to do that?

I value family greatly, and I tend to consider my close friends part of what I call my family. I think it is important for people that read me to understand that about me so when reading what I read they have that perspective.

3. What is it like to be married to a fellow, notorious blogger?

Exciting. Even though my wife had been in hiatus for a couple of years only posting sparringly, she has recently started to blog again. My wife and I met through our blogs, and back when I first met her she was someone I admired for her writing and intelligence. Now that we are married I have learned much more about her and admire her for so many other things, but it was good to get to know her through her blog and as a blogger first.

4. I was checking out your Top 100 Must See Films – I agree with many of your picks. What would you say are some of the WORST films you’ve seen?

Oh… so many to list I could probably list 100 again. Recently I have seen a lot of good movies, the biggest let down in recent memory was Spiderman 3. We put made it an event and even had people watching the previous 2 right before going into the theater, then we go and we get a very poorly executed movie. I have seen it again since and have been less critical, but that was still a disappointment. Just last month, 2012 was a movie that could have been awesome but I just could not get into it.

5. Describe the best day of your life, to date.

The best day of my life so far was the day that I met my wife. It was nice to see that the connection we had built online over the years translated so well to real life. The chemistry we had right away still feels the same today and every time I see her I smile.

6. If you could wake up tomorrow and have the perfect life, what would that look like?

Warm, maybe because it is winter right now but I keep on imaging a very open house, waking up to coffee and fresh bread. Walking into a big kitchen with rustic tile work and very earthy colors on the walls. Then a very spacious home office with several computers to work on cool projects during the day. Then lunch outside in a patio surrounded by lots of tropical plants. Afternoon finishing up work, then maybe a movie or a good TV show. Dinner at a good restaurant, then maybe a little dancing. Then stay up late into the night playing video games.

7. I just wrote a post where I list some of my pet peeves. What would you say are some of your ultimate pet peeves?

Well, I have a post saved for some time that is going to list all of them, but I will put some of them here since you asked!

People that think they can read minds. No you have NO idea what I think or how I arrive to that conclusion… ask, talk, converse… find out never assume.
People that expect you to be able to read minds. Again, the art has not been perfected (unless big brother got it working.)
Hurried Drivers. Chicago is full of them, and they seriously will race from light to light.
Small talkers. Small talk is a waste of time, if you don’t care to have an actual conversation don’t say anything at all.
iRude people. If you are in a social situation, put the darn toy away and interact! (This might include me when I get an android, and of course I won’t annoy myself)

8. I read that you and your wife enjoy trying new restaurants. If you could only one food for the rest of your life, what would that be?

One type of food, Asian… one dish, Bandeja Paisa.

9. How do you see your blog changing/growing in the future?

Not sure yet. I think it will change quite a bit once we are more settled in Chicago, or if we do end up having a kid this year. I do want to do more reviews and maybe even another podcast soon. I don’t know if I want to grow it as much as keep the good readers. What I would like to grow is the interaction. I get a lot of comments via e-mail instead of posted here in the comments section. I think conversations amongst my readers are the best content that the site has.

So there you have it, I hope that you guys enjoy the interview as much as I did!