End of an era

Well, this is it.  You know how they say that when one door closes, another one opens?  That's what I'm hoping will happen now.

I am closing down Brainiacs Lounge at the end of the month.

Brainiacs Lounge has been my baby since 2005, and I tried to nurture to something that would be able to help many small and startup businesses become successful, and allow business owners to focus on where their strengths lie.  I wanted this to be a national phenomenon, with name recognition, and great success.

(I didn't want me to be famous, but I wanted the business to be famous)

But as of 3/31/2014, Brainiacs Lounge will be no more.

We made some bad decisions during the course of its life, and those decisions have come back to haunt us.  We recognize our mistakes, and in order to not have any legal wranglings or possible takeovers in the future, we feel that this will be the best way to keep things simple and safe.

Brainiacs Lounge will come back, but under a new name.  Our services and position will be the same, and the energy we have will be there, but it will be called something different.

Expect us to return within the next six months, smarter, better, and more ready to help small and startup businesses succeed!

Slight provocation = Major frustration!

Just to let you know, I'm really frustrated right now.

Since I haven't posted anything new for several months, you probably don't know anything about what has happened in my life (unless you're a pretty proficient stalker, or a good friend).  Well, let me tell you:

After getting laid off fired from my last job, I decided to restart my consulting business, Brainiacs Lounge.  Yeah, I know it's a super-awesome name, and I get comments on it all the time.  It's a great conversation starter.

Anyway, I restarted Brainiacs Lounge, but with a completely new twist: it's no longer a consulting company, but rather a business assistance company.  It used to be a basic consulting firm which would go to a company and tell them how to be more efficient in their operations and marketing and what they need to do.

It was very difficult to find consistent work, and the work received was very short-lived and very rarely would you get repeat business.

Like a jilted ex-girlfriend

Okay.  So I'm still not over it.

I was laid off, I mean, fired, from my programming job a little over a week ago.  It's been bothering me ever since last Wednesday, when I went in to get my last check.  So, here's the story:

Two weeks prior to my being let go fired, I was informed by my superior that I would be let go at the end of two weeks (the pay period) due to budget cuts.  His wording was that I was being let go because of budget cuts.  There were no other reasons as to why I was being let go.  There was nothing about me being fired or anything of the sort.  Nothing.

I was only to assume that I was being "let go" (supervisor's words,  not mine) because of budget cuts.  Let me remind you that I was told this would occur in two weeks.

A New Job

Although it was official two weeks ago, I am now comfortable in telling others: I have a job.

It's a great job where I get to do computer programming.  If you've read this blog for a while, you may wonder why I'm going into programming when my interest lies in starting businesses.

It is true that I enjoy starting businesses, but right now I need to take some time from that and renew my savings.  Starting businesses takes a lot of money, and in order for me to feel comfortable in starting more, I need some sort of a financial buffer zone.

As for programming, I have always had an interest in programming, but because my father does programming, I never wanted to go into it.  I felt pressured to do programming and didn't want it to appear that I went into it because he pushed me into it.  I wanted to feel that I chose that route of my own free will.

Although I still feel like he pushed me into it, I decided that because I really enjoyed it, I'll set my feelings aside and do it.  I need to get over my rebellious nature (better late than never, right?).

Anyway, the company is a great place to work.  I am grateful and happy that I now get to work on things which I find worthwhile and meaningful.

Just trust me...

Trust is the most important thing to me.  If I cannot trust someone, that pretty much means that you will only get enough real information out of me to keep things moving on.  I will not tell you anything really important about me or what I do.

I'm sure that's very similar to most people; when their trust is broken by someone, they don't divulge much information to them.

Why I'm writing about this today is because someone very important to me, E, is not someone I can really trust.  She wants me to tell her everything and trust her completely, but I can't because she hasn't shown me that she deserves to be completely trusted.

Ya, that's really tough, and if she reads this post, she'll probably be devastated and really hurt.  But I need to get this out - it's been really bothering me for a long time.

First thing first: I trust her.  I trust her with many things - actually, with more things than I trust anyone else.  I can honestly say that she is the person who I trust the most on Earth.

So, if I trust her that much, why can't I trust her completely?

She has some bad habits which make it so I don't feel comfortable enough trusting her with everything about me.  For instance, when she gets really angry or depressed, she brings up many past issues and problems which I used to have and uses those as ammunition to support her argument or anger (they usually have nothing to do with whatever is bothering her, but since they bothered her in the past, they are somehow relevant).

It makes me really angry that I have to relive past mistakes over and over again just because E continually dredges those issues up.  Isn't living through them once enough?  Apparently not, because I have to relive them again whenever she is angry or depressed.  Even when I state that those things have already been resolved, she keeps on with them.

How can I completely trust someone who will not let resolved issues in the past stay in the past?  Why should I trust someone who will not allow time to move on?

I am a very forgiving person (to a fault).  Sometimes I wonder if I have the mentality of an abused spouse, who always forgives the abuser, thinking that they will change and become the person I think they are.  But, even after she brings up the supposedly-resolved past, I forgive her.  Of course it takes some time, but I still forgive her.

Unfortunately, by the time I start to feel comfortable with starting to trust her more, she goes and gets angry and depressed.  Then, we're back to square one again.

And the worst part is that she gets angry with me because I don't trust her completely.  This seems to be the main reason behind her anger.  Doesn't she see that her anger and the fact that she continually dredges up the past is the reason why I don't trust her more than I already do?

Sometimes I wish I could tell her that, but then she would get mad at me for insinuating that she's doing something wrong, which is impossible, because she believes that she's never wrong (that's another post entirely).

These are my thoughts this morning.


* The name E is just a representation of a real person, with real feelings

I had a dream

I had a dream last night.  It was a continuation of a series of dreams I had years ago.

The dreams I had before were like a reality show, where I was living in a house with other people, and we were learning martial arts (I'm not sure what kind it was).  In the end, I won the prize, and along the way I made friend with most of the competitors.

It was a very pleasant set of dreams.  They were fun.

Last night's dream was one where I was at the same house, but I was not part of the reality show this time.  It was as if it was the first episode, where all of the contestants were entering the house and I was there.  Many of the individuals there were the same ones from the last set of dreams, and as they saw me (or I saw them), we would start talking.

My review of The Life of Julia

I don't know how many of you have heard about President Obama's new slideshow on his website, but I saw it yesterday, and I was pretty astonished at it.  Not only was it well made, but it was really distressing.

It is a slideshow about Julia's life.  Not really her entire life, but some of the milestones in her life where President Obama's policies have made an impact in her life.  It then goes on and says how Mitt Romney would make her life worse if he becomes president.

Anyway, I will go through each slide, writing what each is, and discuss my thoughts on each:

Venting Session

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Hosting, anyone?

Avenue Host Coupon

So, now that I'm into programming, I have been looking into hosting sites.  I found one that looks pretty promising, Avenue Host.  It's got pretty good prices, like the basic ones which go for $2.99.  That's a pretty good price for me (cheaper than I can get most anywhere else).

If you're looking for something like this, check them out as well.  And if you click through any of these Avenue Host Coupon, Avenue Host Promo Code, or Avenue Host Coupon Code links, you'll get something special as well!  At least that's what I was told.

By the way, I am doing this because I will get paid a whopping $2 to put this on my blog.  I know that I'm selling my soul pretty cheaply nowadays, but that's what you get when there's a recession.  Not even whoring yourself out pays the bills :(

Some thoughts while sitting in McDonald's

Right now, I am sitting in a McDonald's PlayPlace with my kids.  Okay, that makes it sound like we all are sitting.  Nothing could be further than the truth!  My kids are playing to their hearts' content, and I am sitting here, with my laptop on my lap, typing out this post.

Kinda boring, wound't you think?  Actually, it's not boring at all.  It's helping me stay awake.

Doesn't that make you feel good?  I have just relegated you to the boring pile.  But don't feel ashamed; you haven't done anything to interest me (okay, there has only been one person who has commented on my blog, and his post has peaked my interest).

So, back to McDonald's.  I get to sit here, watching my kids have fun, while thinking about a variety of things.  So, this post will be about my thoughts while sitting.  This may not be the most exciting post to read, but right now, I really don't care (probably because I'm seriously tired, and I'm only writing this to keep me awake).

Just a Little Respect

I remember a time when we children were instructed to respect others.  As a matter of fact, I remember being in High School and being instructed to respect others.  The unofficial motto going around the school was "Give respect, Get respect."

I guess my question this time is, "Why don't older adults give respect to the younger generation?"

First and foremost, I know that this is a blanket statement.  Not everyone from the older generation forgoes giving respect to their younger counterparts, but from what I have seen, it is very commonplace.

Secondly, I have been raised to give respect to my elders, so I do that.  I always try to respect those who are from the older generations, and listen to their advice, because there are nuggets of wisdom in what they say.

The problem is that they refuse to give respect to those who are younger than them.

How the days fly by

At the beginning of the year I told myself that I would blog daily.

I'm sure that anyone who casually reads this blog would have figured out by now that I have not been very good at accomplishing that goal.  I could give a variety of reasons behind my slacking off, such as that I'm a full-time student, taking difficult classes which take many hours daily to finish homework, that I have five children and a wife who monopolize any free time I may have, that I am studiously working on being a top-notch programmer, so any free time I may wrestle from any other obligations is used in that purpose, or that my family and I have been sick off and on, so I get to take care of loads of people.  I also have many other justifications, but I'll just leave those out there for now.

Anyway, when I made that goal, I never realized just how much time it would take to blog daily.

2nd Annual Speech Contest

Salt Lake Community College is having their 2nd Annual Speech Contest.  I entered last year through a public speaking class I was taking, but I didn't get out of the first round.  I realized that my speech was not top-quality material, but I was passionate about it.

At least I had the opportunity to share my opinion with others - although they most likely forgot about it 5 minutes later.

Anyway, I was thinking about entering again this year.  I don't know what I should speak about, though.  From what I heard about the finalists last year, they were very articulate, entertaining, and had lots of visual effects.  Most of them had PowerPoint presentations with lots of colors.  My professor indicated that we shouldn't have many visual effects, because they take away from what the true focus of the presentation should be - the speaker.

This year though, I think I will include some visual effects to enhance my speech.  Now comes the hard part: choosing the topic on which to speak.  I will need to find out what topics are allowed to be spoken about before making a list of potential topics.  I think that would be the most efficient use of my time for it.

Anyway, if you have any suggestions for the topic, let me know.  I am willing to accept any and all suggestions. I really am.  I have given speeches about all sorts of topics, including the art of picking your nose.  No matter what you suggest, I will give it some serious thought.

Post them below in the comments section, and I'll give my thoughts about them as well.

True Science = True Religion

Yesterday, I was looking over a hymn for my church which is called, Oh Say What is Truth?  The lyrics are posted below:

Oh say, what is truth? 'Tis the fairest gem
That the riches of worlds can produce,
And priceless the value of truth will be when
The proud monarch's costliest diadem
Is counted but dross and refuse. 

Yes, say, what is truth? 'Tis the brightest prize
To which mortals or Gods can aspire;
Go search in the depths where it glittering lies
Or ascend in pursuit to the loftiest skies.
'Tis an aim for the noblest desire. 

It is now ready

I spent this past week working solely on the Rock Paper Scissors Lizard Spock game.  To the detriment of my family, friends, and even schoolwork, I was finally able to finish the website.

Now, I have two different versions of the game on the same website!  The first one is the basic game.  No frills or excitement (well, it is fun, but not really exciting), but just the basic, old Rock Paper Scissors Lizard Spock game.

The second version is what I'm really excited about.  It's one where the players can win an iPad 3.  Seriously.  I will go and buy you an iPad 3 if you win.

Now, there are two different ways to win the game.  The easiest way is to win 3 times in a row.  Although that sounds a lot easier than it is (you have a 1 in 200 chance of winning each time), it can be done, because there has to be a way to win.  Anyway, that's the easiest way to win.

The other way to win is more like winning the Publisher's Clearing House sweepstakes.  You get an entry submitted each time you win, and at some time when there are enough entries, we will randomly choose a winner from the entries submitted.  That winner will get an iPad 3.

So, either way, you can win an iPad 3.

What I've also done is not limited it to those in the United States of America.  It's available to anyone who wants to play.  I don't really care where you are located at, as long as you wish to play.

So, go ahead and go to the website.  You'll find that it's pretty fun, and you may get lucky and win an iPad 3.

Click here to play.

I Finally Did It!

I haven't been able to work on the Rock Paper Scissors Lizard Spock much since December, but yesterday I was able to put in a few hours, and I got it to finally work on one page instead of on many!

To non-geeks, that probably sounds pretty stupid, but to geeks (especially those who program), it's still pretty stupid.  Anyway, I finally got it to run on one page.  There are plenty of glitches, but since it works, it works.

Anyway, I just wanted to post that, and get input on the site from you.  So, go to http://rpsls.site88.net/ and give me input!

Reality Show follow up application

I was contacted by a reality show executive about possibly being on their show.  In addition to talking with them and making a video (that should be up soonish), they want me to fill out this questionnaire: It is a generic form, but it is still a beast.

So, I have copied it and am posting it below for you to enjoy (I am not putting in my answers, because I don't want you to know THAT much about me yet):

We Love to Hate Others Who Don't Love "Our Candidate"

I read an article this morning which focused on some demonstrators shouting at a Rick Santorum speech.  It was outside, and apparently a nice day, but after watching it, I was very unhappy with the Rick Santorum supporters.

I can understand that supporters would not want protesters yelling things about your candidate which you thought were wrong, and not wanting their "polluted and crack-headed ideas" to cause others to question the candidate.  I really can.  However, what gets me riled up is that those supporters were holding signs inches from some of the protesters' faces and yelling in their faces.  That, to me, shows an utter lack of respect for others and their ideas.

Looking for a Difference, eh?

The prevailing talk on most of the news channels (television, radio, print media, and almost everywhere you look online) is politics.  It's everywhere!  And the big news is the Mitt Romney/Rick Santorum squabble over Michigan.

Gratefully, that primary is done, and with that, so should be the Republican nomination race.  Honestly, the only contender that Mitt Romney faces is Rick Santorum, but since he hasn't fared very well lately, I doubt that he will be able to pull off any sort of upset.

Anyway,  I'm getting off track here.  I need to put myself back on track.

What I really wanted to talk about today was the problems with is the complaints against Mitt Romney.

Driving in a New Direction

Lately, it appears that I am disregarding this blog.  That's hardly the case.  I am not disregarding this blog, but rather, I'm just not finishing any of the posts I start.  Usually the reasons behind it come from either homework or kids, but I should just go back and finish the posts.

Anyway, I digress.

So, I have started doing something that I have wanted to do for years.  Decades, actually.  I think I have wanted to do this ever since high school.  What is it?  Be on a reality show.

That's right.  I have wanted to be on a reality show ever since I was in high school.  It's probably because those who are shown on there seem to be stupid individuals who cannot do most things right, and I think I can do things better than them.  I guess that would be considered narcissism.