Wasp Lady

I witnessed the oddest thing last Monday. After work I drove up to my parents to help them with some stuff around the house. I get there and my dad says he would like me to use the weed wacker and edge around his barn. No problem, I think. So I get the weed eater out of my car and hike back to the barn. As soon as I start dealing out death to the weeds, I am faced with my arch enemy. My nemesis! My kryptonite! The dreaded North American Wasp! These territorial, aggressive little critters seem to know how much I fear them. Dozens of them are pouring in and out of the door to the barn! Flying in two's and three's, it was like the freakin Death Star! Little tie-fighters cruising in and out of their base station. Well my mom comes out there to keep me company and feed and water her horse. She walks right through the "river" of airborne wasp! She sees my distress and says, "You want me to just close the door?". Sure!, I say. So she closes the door and that's when things got bad. It was then I realized just how many wasp were depending on that door being open to get into the "base station". Suddenly I'm surrounded by literally hundreds of wasp!! They're swarming the doorway looking for a way to get in. My heart pounded, I began sweating profusely and started backing far from the barn. I'd never seen so many wasp in one place! That's when my mom opens the door back up and says something TO THE WASP, I will never forget. She walks right through the airborne horde saying, "Its ok, come on in... come on in.. I know its your evening and your bedtime.. its ok.. its your schedule.. you just ignore him... " WHAT??!! They're wasp!! And they've somehow become her pets and she thinks she "understands" them. I think my next trip out there will be to close that barn door, get the animals out and use a pesticide bomb to kill everyone of those winged spawns of Satan! I shall have my vengeance... oh yes I shall.

Beckham, Blogging and Viva Las Vegas!

Ok, it's mid summer and Ive been one lazy blogger. I know, I said I'd get better. Well I didn't. Now that doesn't mean I'm done with my blog. Far from it! I just need to start remembering to blog about stuff that happens.

So the latest buzz in the soccer world is all about David Beckham coming to play in the MLS. He recently had to sit out of the game here in Dallas because of his ankle. This event truly exposed all the bandwagon fans. The game was a sell out event. But when it was announced he wouldn't be playing because of the injury, only about 75% turned up in the stands. Some fans were even holding up Anti-Beckham signs! Clearly these are people who have never played soccer, or sports for that matter. They have no clue of the pain that comes with playing at a high level while injured. They have no clue that playing on such an ankle injury will only make healing up slower and could possibly make the injury much worse! They'd rather see Becks limp around the Frisco field in pain, waving to the crowd than see him in full form in a month, scoring goals ith his well known free kicks. Well the only thing I can say is, "go home trendy north dallas wanna-be soccer fans. You aren't needed here. You don't even know what to cheer for." Ok, on with the show.

Soon I'll be on a plane headed back to the desert. Las Vegas Nevada! Im going there with a few guys for my friend Gregg's bachelor party. It really should be a fun time. I like to play a little blackjack, play the slot machines, catch a show and walk around the Vegas strip. Im only there or a couple days and that's really enough. But it will be a nice change of scenery. Im really looking forward to it, although I will miss Emily and Zita while im gone. I'll call home to check in. I wonder if a dog can and will talk on the phone?

Getting Back to Business

Since my knee injury scare around Christmas, I've been taking it easy and not playing much soccer. My "comeback" started 4 games ago. My first steps back onto the pitch were with my men's Tuesday night team. I knew I had to build some confidence back again in my knee and build my strength back in my lungs and legs. Being off from soccer for almost 4 months had turned me soft. I needed the time to heal up, but I could not keep in match condition.

I took the field that Tuesday night and played very cautious. Passed most the time, played more defense rather than striker. I don't think I even took one shot on goal. Which was fine with me. I just needed to get out there and see how things felt. And things were pretty good after that first game back. Very small amount of soreness the next morning. But I knew I was getting back from an injury. I was happy with my performance and to top it off, my team won that night.

The second test for my knee was the following Tuesday with my mens team again. This time I played with more confidence and played more aggressive. Still no goals this game, but I did get a few shots on goal which only by luck they did not go in for a score. I did discover though, my fakes, speed and first move on defenders was a step slower. I would perform a fake like I normally would and the defender would already be in the spot I was headed for to take away the ball. I could tell I wasn't quite ready to be a scorer again. Just a supporting roll. Which I was fine with that. My lungs felt stronger and my overall physical condition felt better. I knew my shot and moves would come back... in time. Although I played decent, we lost that one to a better team. But it was close.

It was time for a new and third test for comeback. My Friday night "A" division coed teams game. I played with more confidence and the knee felt the best yet to date. But I just couldn't find the back of the net. Lots of missed shots, I was always an inch or two off target. Frustrating! It didn't matter, we won BIG. I mean like 13-6. Which isn't abnormal for that team. We're very good. In the final 30 seconds of the match I did manage to put in a one-touch right foot shot from about 6 feet in front of the net, past a diving keeper. Nothing to celebrate over. I was just glad I didn't miss again. But, it was my first score since coming back. It was a start.

Tonights game was the fourth test so far. Men's league game against a Mexican team. I looked at their schedule and saw they had no wins yet this season. I don't put much into that. These teams usually play very well. They pass quickly and really work the ball around fast. They are also normally very aggressive on defense and can frustrate strikers by double and triple teaming players. From the start of the game though, I could tell we were the better team. We passed the ball very nicely, setting up combinations and many scoring chances. Finally one of our guys scored making it 1-0. They began attacking with more players now, desperate for a goal. Then, a few minutes later our same guys scores again! Two-zero! My knee so far was feeling great and I had created several scoring chance for my team and almost scored myself, once. The other team finally scored a goal making it 2-1 and they smelled a comeback. They were fired up and really attacking. I came onto the field and our midfielder played a high, long ball over my head to the end wall. I raced pass the defender and beat the on rushing goalie to it. I took a quick right footed shot from almost no angle and scored! It was a great feeling to score a meaningful goal, under pressure against a decent team. I was feeling fired up now and wanted to stay on the field a bit more. Five minutes later, I was glad I did. I had the ball at my feet with one defender in front of me. I did a quick left footed drag the ball inside and flick it to the outside and then a quick left foot low, hard shot and the ball beat the keeper on the near post for a very nice goal! This was a goal I'd be proud of even before my knee injury. I then subbed out and only got one more shift in before then end of the game. I took it easy and worked on some conditioning by running hard. We won the game 4-2 and I'm ready for Friday's coed game! I'm finally getting back to business!

Frontyard Sunset
Originally uploaded by Thorpeland.

More HDR Fun

I was out in the front yard watering a tree when I looked up the street into the setting sun. My first thought was, "grab the camera, this might look cool!" I was right. I think of it as another step in the HDR learning ladder. I have lots of ideas of things to try now. Stay tuned!

Playing With HDR Photography

There's a fairly new technique emerging in the world of digital photography. Its known as HDR Photography. This stands for High Dynamic Range. Put simply HDR photography is a method of taking a series of shots, each at a different aperture setting, covering a large range of lighting values. Then, using special HDR software to combine the 3 to 8 shots of the scene to create a single photo which would be impossible for a digital camera to take in a single snap. It leaves you with a picture with no under exposed areas, no over exposed areas... perfect sharpness and lighting balance and a color depth rivaling the best single-photo shot's made.

Now that I've basically explained what HDR is, I did a basic demonstration using a software package called Photomatix. This is software specially designed to create HDR photo's. What you will find on the link below is a series of photo's. The first six small ones are each shot taken at aperture settings starting at -2 all the way up to +2. This creates extreme shadows to extreme brights. Then the final (7th) large image is the final HDR product. You'll see there is perfect lighting balance through the entire photo. Not something I could have done even if I spent time setting up a single shot to be perfectly lighted. The final photo has the software's watermark on it because it's still in trial mode. I have not yet purchased it. But so far I'm very impressed!

The HDR Frog Project Photo's

Greatest. Game. Ever.

That game would be one known as Armed Assault. This first person shooter type game simulates being a soldier on a huge battlefield. You have the choice of many different types of aircraft and vehicles to explore and fight in. Half the fun of this game (sim) would be it's editor mode. This mode allows you to create any scenario you can imagine or come up with. I used the editor and some video capture software to create the video below. The game is already out in most of the world and is released in the U.S. on May 1st. Enjoy the sights and sounds of Armed Assault. A.K.A. - ArmA!

ArmA: Sounds of War

A Quick Update

Ok, im in one of those lazy stages with my website and blog. Not that there is nothing happening in my life. There is. Just taking the time to sit down and write about it is the tough part. A quick run down of events since like ....... oh December.
Late December, early January:
My dad went in for a check up and they found a number of clogged up arteries and some problems with his heart. So he had to have triple heart bi-pass surgery then a couple smaller ones in the weeks after. He's still recovering, but getting stronger each week and getting his weight back. So that's good. Today, March 17th, is his Birthday. The whopping 72! That sounds old even to me! haha But he's in good spirits and just trying to get better and back on his feet full time.

Earlier this month my friends Roger and his sister Melisa came back from their contracting job in Kabul Afganistan. It was great to see them and hear all their stories. They are doing technical work over there, putting their lives in the States on hold to travel abroad and makes some serious money. Of course there are risks. Melisa tells me the building she lives in does not have a bathroom in it. So if they leave it to go to the restroom at night, they are not allowed to carry a flashlight. It attracts the attention of snipers in the surrounding hills. Oh how nice. Emily and I met up with Roger, Melisa and the rest of their family and friends over in Plano for a nice dinner. It was good times and I look forward to seeing them again.

Looking forward, I'm pretty excited. Emily and I booked and bought our next vacation. In November we're headed off to Italy! We'll spend a week traveling Rome, Venice, Pompeii, and Florence before returning home. Should be an awesome time and I'll return with a ton of great pictures.

More news on the family front. My sister Macey and her boyfriend Steve are getting married this summer. I believe its in June. I suppose it's in my best interest to find out.. eh?

On the home front, spring is quickly approaching so I've been busy getting the lawn back in shape. Exciting yes, I know. lol But hey, I dont want to be the only person on my street with a crappy lawn. We've also planted a new tree. He's in the backyard and taking to his new home nicely. Emily has named him after some spice, which I can't remember at the moment. lol

In the Thorpe World of Tech, the latest craze is a game called Armed Assault. This game is flat out the coolest military simulation I've ever played. The games world is massive and the graphics are great. Its good fun. Also, I picked up one of those new'ish Logitech G15 keyboards. Mainly targeted at gamers, this keyboard has lit-up key's, programmable macro keys, a flip up LCD screen that provides information about the current game and your system and has media control buttons built onto the face. So far, I love it.

My main website, www.thorpeland.com was down for a while because my stupid registrar screwed up. It took me about 8 emails and 2 phone calls to straighten out. But I think everything is back on track. If you ever visit my main site and it does not come up, don't worry it still there, just down temporarily.

On the sports front, I've been having to take time off of playing soccer. Which is killing me! Back in December, I turned to chase a guy during a game and I felt a wierd "click" feeling in my right knee. I did't think anything of it and kept playing. I played several more games before one night it was really feeling sore and the next morning very stiff. I decided to see a specialist. They did some test's and the doc said I might have a partial tear to my ACL. Not good! So he wanted to get an MRI done to be sure. I got that done and the results came back negative, no damage to the ACL. So he said to just take time off from soccer and don't rush back too quickly. So that's what I'm doing. I've been out for almost 2 months now since the injury. Im hoping to get back to playing in about another 3 weeks. I don't want it to re injure

Recent Humor

Yesterday it snowed. When I saw it snowing, I sent a text message to my friend Craig. His reply, gave me a laugh for the day.

Me: Its snowing!!

Craig: Quick -- gravel angels!
Craig: The shards of glass and jagged chunks of gravel embedded
in my bloody skin cannot dampen the joy I receive from such simple
childhood pleasures. However, my "gravel angels" do more resemble "the
hideous aftermath of a man flailing chaotically in pain," and have
scared off several children.

Me: Riiiiiight

WOW

Yeah I know. Not a single post since November 14th of 2006. Sorry about that peeps. Its been a combination of being very busy and a little lazy. I have a TON to write about. I just need to put it all into order in my head so i can write about it and catch everyone up. I just dont know where to start. Stay tuned.....

Can't Really Play? Edit!

Via: VideoSift
This guy is just genius. He cannot play either instrument, yet uses some brilliant editing to make music. I can only imagine the hours in the editing room this took! Enjoy! I did.

Playing Through the Pain

 
In late August I began to feel like I had bruised my right heel. I was playing soccer 4 to 5 times a week and I had bruised a heel before. But after a month of still having a sharp pain in my heel I thought I should investigate it more. When I got out of bed in the morning, it was very painful to walk on it. Playing soccer was also very painful until the foot muscules got warmed up. Turns out, through overuse I guess, I have developed plantar fasciitis in that foot. Basically its where the muscle linking the heel to the ball of the foot, begins to actually tear away a little from the bone. Ouch, yes. Ive learned how to tape my foot up so it provides support for it while I play soccer. And it allows me to run without being in total pain. The only real cure for it is taking it easy on the foot and time. Ive been doing both. I cut back on the amount of soccer per week and when I do play im sure to tape it up best I can. It seems to be getting better and less painful with each passing week. Thank goodness! 

Party Time!

October 28th Emily and I hosted our first Halloween Costume Party. It was a big hit with lots of people turning up! We had food, music and decorations and everything went smoothly. Thanks to everyone who came out! Im already looking forward to next years party.

To see more pictures from the event, check out www.thorpeland.com/hp2006

Something New

 
I was "working the phones" today at work and by the time lunch rolled around, I needed to get out of the building. My first craving was for sushi, but after consulting with good buddy Craigadiah, he suggested a new place to try called Thai Ocha. Needless to say, it was Thai food. Ive never really had Thai food now that I think about it. Plenty of chinese food buffet's but not Thai. So, being the versatile, up for something new kinda guy I am... that's where we were headed. We walk in and are seated by the hostesss and I begin scanning the menu. Ok, none of this made any sense. So I ask Craig for a recommendation for this round-eye's first time at a Thai restaraunt. He suggests the Pad-Thai. So that's what I order, but with chicken. He orders the same with Tofu. (Blah!) First we each recieved an egg roll, pictured above. It was your run of the mill egg role, but still good. Our food comes a short time later and I dig in. I'll have to admit, I have a new favorite dish. It was really good! So we're done and the bill comes. He and I each put our credit cards on the tray and our Thai waitress takes them away. She comes back a few moments later and holds out my card pointing to my picture on the card and asks in her broken English "is this you?". I was a little puzzled and said, "um.. well ... yes." Then she says Ok, and hurries off. I turned to Craig and said, "I wonder if we all look the same to her?" lol I found her question so humorous because Craig has blondish hair and light complextion and I have black hair and are a bit more tan. There's no way she could have confused us! Anyhow, we pay and leave and now I have a new lunch spot to choose from in the future. Good stuff! 

Twenty-Two Pounds, One and a Half Inches

That's what I have lost since this past May. The next question I usually get asked is, "how did you do it?". Atkins? Nope. Miami Beach Diet? Negative! Another fad, fly by night diet scam? Nope. The day I stepped on the scale and I saw 190 pounds, I about flipped. Id never weighed that much in my life. I knew I had to make changes. But a diet? Diets don't work. You change your eating or whatever, lose the weight... then gain it back after you stop dieting. So I decided I needed changes, but not a diet.
So, I made the changes. But I didn't go on a diet, I simply changed the way I ate, just a little. I looked at what was causing me to gain this recent weight. It was clear. While at work, I would snack on whatever was in front of me. Candy, chips... and an occational soft drink filled the gaps between breakfast and dinner. So despite playing soccer 3 and 4 times a week, I was eating back the calories 3 fold during my workday. So first step, cut out un-healthy snacking and eliminate the soda pop drinks. I replaced the candy and chips with a mid-morning yogurt fruit dink and dried apple slices and replaced the soda drinks with bottled water.

After the first week I already noticed the weight dropping. I lost 2 or 3 pounds in the first week. I knew my plan was working. I picked up my soccer playing to 4 days a week when possible. I also switched from eating cereal for breakfast to drinking a chocolate Slimfast or eating a bowl of cottage cheese and fruit. For lunch I stuck with eating a Lean Cuisine meal. Then for dinner I ate normally, having whatever Emily had cooked or whatever we wanted to do. The only rule was I now had water to dink thru-out the day or when we went out to eat and while sitting around the house. This was all paying off and quicker than I expected. Soon I noticed the notch on my belt that I had always used, and was getting a little snug, was no longer fitting good. So I started using the next smaller hole in my belt! Which is over an inch smaller on my waist!

This weight loss has continued through the summer and into the fall. Now, here we are in October and im down to 168 pounds, down from 190. Weekly I get people at work that had not seen me in a few weeks ask if Ive lost weight. In soccer, Im quicker, faster and scoring more goals. Something that had dropped off a bit as my weight had climbed. And as icing on the cake, I actually have ab muscles i can see again! Ha! Now that I know the key to getting to the weight I want to be at, I can't ever see myself being overweight (in my personal opinion) again.

Heart Attack Victory

Well my Bears go to 6-0 this week after squeezing out a 24-23 victory on the road against the Cardinals. This game truly showed how amazing this Bears team is. With the offense playing the worst game of their careers, the defense and special teams scores 21 points to get the win. But let's just hope this doesn't happen again to them this season.

The Odd Victory

My men's team won a tough game tonight, but in a way I'd never had happen before. One minute left and the game was tied 5-5 after they had just scored. We're pushing to win the game. One of our guys goes for the ball against one of the other teams players near the wall and they collide. The other teams guy bounces off our guy and falls, hitting his head on the wall on the way down. He tries to get up, but staggers back down to his knees. He had cut the back of his head and was begining to bleed pretty good. Our guy who collided with him quickly signals for the ref to stop the game and get help for the guy. The other teams bench went bezerk! They demanded our guy get thrown out with a red card. So they all storm onto the field in protest. This was their mistake. The ref suddenly blows the whistle and says "Thats it, game over!!" And he gave us the win! Ha! That was definatly a first. Oh well, we'll take it I guess.

Opening Win

My Friday Coed soccer team opened the season with an 11-3 win tonight. I got a goal and our girls scored practically at will. Really makes it easy to get the win cause they score so frequently. Im finally getting over a series of injuries that have stricken me this season. So far these past couple seasons I have had pulled left groin, deep bruised right quad muscle, strained left foot and bruised right heel. As Ive healed up, ive been more effective on the field. Which is something ive been missing. So, the season has started and we're out to defend our 3rd league title and hopefully win another!

Bear Down, Chicago Bears!!

I know, this is turning into a Chicago Bears blog. But I can't help it, my Bears are now 5-0 and looking by far to be the best team in the NFL! The last few seasons they had a great defense. But now, they have the defense and one of the best offenses in the league. They aren't just beating teams, they're killing them! It's too soon to start singing the Super Bowl Shuffle, but one can't help but think this could be the year they head back to the big game. All of my Anti-Bear friends have suddenly become silent. They have absolutely NOTHING negative to say about my Bears. So, Dallas Cowgirl fans, just thank your lucky Texas stars you don't have to play the Bears this season. Your season is already going downhill on it's own without a pounding dished out by Chicago. hehe

Four And Oh?!

My Chicago Bears continue to roll. Destroying last years Super Bowl runner-up's, the Seattle Seahawks 37-6!! If anyone doubted what the Bears are capable of, see the highlights above to be quickly corrected. Chicago now has offensive power to compliment their brick wall like defense. If this keeps up, the Super Bowl wont be an unrealistic thought! :)

Taking One For the Team

My good buddy Trent recently volunteered to be tasered. Im so glad he passed the video on to me. Enjoy this... shocking video. LOL