tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30347564819036253372024-03-20T04:42:43.841-05:00James' BlogJameshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14455170386529570069noreply@blogger.comBlogger39125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3034756481903625337.post-65261109830062345682014-12-09T16:56:00.000-06:002014-12-09T16:56:13.782-06:00Guide: How to use Buttkickers with a Bose Sound System<b>Bose Buttkicker writeup
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Background: I had a Bose Lifestyle 535 Series II Home Entertainment System that I wanted to add Buttkickers to for our home theater setup. I did some research online, but everyone pretty much said that my system was crap, and I should get something worth having, and that I would not be able to use Buttkickers with Bose, because of their inherent proprietary systems. <br />
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However, I spoke with an audio tech at the Guitammer Company (they are the creators of the Buttkicker), and he told me that if I could get myself a good HDMI audio extractor, that this would allow me to circumvent the problem... and that problem is that to run a Buttkicker, you need to get a way to pull the audio for the sub-woofer signal of your sound system. Bose uses their sub as the amp, which means there is no signal you can pull from, because all the speakers plug directly into the subwoofer. <br />
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Because of this issue, I had no way to send the audio signal to the Buttkicker. I did some research, and eventually stumbled upon the Panlong Premium HDMI to HDMI Audio Extractor (linked below). This allowed me to run my media PC to the audio extractor, via HDMI, and then from the audio extractor to my Bose sound system. By doing this, there is no audio or video degradation, and the sub signal is duplicated by the audio extractor and sent to the Buttkicker amplifier, and then on to the 4-way splitter, and then to the 4 Buttkickers. At this same time, the full signal is also sent to the Bose system, and then on to my TV. <br />
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Beyond that, the amp and Buttkickers are set up like any other system, so I have no need to write up a "how-to" on the rest of the setup. <br />
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The final product ended up being 2 13' sofas (one on a 14" riser behind the other one), with a Buttkicker on each end of the sofa. The Buttkicker power is now controlled independently by both the audio in the Media Center, and the Volume of the Buttkicker amp.
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<b>Items I used in my build</b>
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[1] <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00JZCLW6A/ref=od_aui_detailpages00?ie=UTF8&psc=1">Panlong Premium HDMI to HDMI Audio Extractor</a> - $50
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[1] <a href="http://www.amazon.com/ButtKicker-BK-LFEKit-Frequency-Amplifier-Theater/dp/B0006FK42S/ref=sr_1_2?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1418162839&sr=1-2&keywords=buttkicker+lfe">Buttkicker LFE Kit</a> - $600
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[1] <a href="http://www.amazon.com/ButtKicker-BK-QCP-Quick-Connect-Quick-Select-Package/dp/B0006FK432/ref=sr_1_6?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1418162881&sr=1-6&keywords=buttkicker+lfe">Buttkicker 4-way splitter</a> - $100<br />
[3] <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0007P98K6/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o09_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1">Additional LFE Buttkickers</a> - $600
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[5] <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00A4V24M2/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o05_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1">Packs of rubber isolators for sofa feet (for 2 13' sofas)</a> - $120
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<b>Total cost - $1,470</b>
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Guardians of the Galaxy sounds and feels amazing with this setup! It is not the best in the world, but it's better than anything else I've experienced.
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Comments, questions, and feedback are welcome. I will adjust the guide as mistakes are found.<br />
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Thanks for reading.<br />
Jameshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14455170386529570069noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3034756481903625337.post-62327945001004938532011-01-12T07:31:00.001-06:002011-01-12T07:31:57.434-06:00Why doesn't McDonald's sell hotdogs?<p class="formspringmeAnswer">Because McDonald's only sells healthy foods, like french fries and chocolate shakes.</p><p class="formspringmeFooter"> <a href="http://formspring.me/JDRansom?utm_medium=social&utm_source=blogger&utm_campaign=shareanswer">Ask me anything</a></p>Jameshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14455170386529570069noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3034756481903625337.post-23353460894390647742010-12-31T12:32:00.001-06:002010-12-31T12:46:15.018-06:00New Favorite SongI found a new favorite song called "Shoot Out the Lights" (by Ron Pope) while listening to Pandora today and I was like, "THIS SONG IS AWESOME!" So I looked it up on YouTube, so I could listen to it again. Then silly me went to post a YouTube response to the video of it about how much I liked the song... so I clicked to post and noticed that the last guy who posted said he also heard it on Pandora and liked it instantly... then I looked to see who posted the previous post. It was me... 2 months ago.Jameshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14455170386529570069noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3034756481903625337.post-37749775067187775652010-12-03T14:26:00.000-06:002010-12-03T14:31:59.250-06:00Flying out of LA<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='400' height='326' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dwM_f5n_tYILkIaLql34v2K57hcnnIAlWc2w0Df4Up5ETDswvJEBvMuqC8JguZYKGfoUkPKcKD9YTiVSKhB0A' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe>Jameshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14455170386529570069noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3034756481903625337.post-8385213038087428782010-12-03T13:44:00.000-06:002010-12-03T13:52:58.223-06:00LAX ready to get to KC!<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='400' height='326' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dzwYPVS3WMozY2cydc93QZ3o8qWUuH_9QAltvo6JrqokD3-ZBoCRHmHQsXyzCO4TfgdeGXNPFw-5738DCuF3g' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe>Jameshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14455170386529570069noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3034756481903625337.post-60919251780878066202010-11-29T08:45:00.001-06:002010-11-29T09:04:21.860-06:00CA blog post catch up<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='400' height='326' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dz3TIpPrep64d_SB7xDVo-DBvz4NOfvgkZwnPN4Oge2Q0ZkeHdR61MmqkbPMs7hpZfQQtYcKuZ2GU7-8Wc8Uw' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe>This is Joseph's girlfriend, Diana. She is really great. We had fun on Friday hanging out with them. This video is the only shot I got of her, unfortunately. I think that Sam got several, so I'll try to get one off of her nice camera later and post it. <p>We already made some nice memories with Diana. For example, we went out to eat breakfast with Sam, Joseph, Diana, and myself. I was driving the rental car. I pulled into the parking lot, and discovered that valet parking was required for this restaurant. I was thrown off by this so much that when we pulled up to the line of 5 other cars that were waiting to be parked, I somehow got out of the car while it was still in Drive! Diana was still sitting in the back seat, and she was like, "Ummm... the car is moving!!!" I quickly jumped back in and threw it into park before it could collide with the car sitting in front of it. We all had a good laugh about it later, once we could all breathe right again.Jameshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14455170386529570069noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3034756481903625337.post-4650139410395747822010-11-25T14:27:00.001-06:002010-11-25T14:27:41.055-06:00Sariah Playing in the floor at Grandma's house:<p class="mobile-photo"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixqDMJF8YaoPMMAd9IpSGLnWa8AzIw0eZCNr_S4qG8lJOdGbVFqeplr8NrwzcIm6AXSkg17iK8USMV_tVfUVOlF3rt-On9bTJeevMHx2JoOlkSiFVPcX_ofFuWkAvtLkTrs-oWmuzi1Ut9/s1600/photo-761056.JPG"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixqDMJF8YaoPMMAd9IpSGLnWa8AzIw0eZCNr_S4qG8lJOdGbVFqeplr8NrwzcIm6AXSkg17iK8USMV_tVfUVOlF3rt-On9bTJeevMHx2JoOlkSiFVPcX_ofFuWkAvtLkTrs-oWmuzi1Ut9/s320/photo-761056.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5543586706611868290" /></a></p>Jameshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14455170386529570069noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3034756481903625337.post-24301037231652410792010-11-25T14:24:00.000-06:002010-11-25T14:27:54.754-06:00All clean and playing on the floor:<p class="mobile-photo"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2z-rainpwqksVy1z1M8l0aX-K2Hr1wH7BuJ7J8HfSeXVDm5DTryt0L5qnbZLapIG4-iXH_c1vNJemSEvLk6eFdiAdjpGqtK5nNc15VRPJxkFOIxUQAJvnO6Dc0on_5bPAIL_usf-Igo5g/s1600/photo-774761.JPG"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2z-rainpwqksVy1z1M8l0aX-K2Hr1wH7BuJ7J8HfSeXVDm5DTryt0L5qnbZLapIG4-iXH_c1vNJemSEvLk6eFdiAdjpGqtK5nNc15VRPJxkFOIxUQAJvnO6Dc0on_5bPAIL_usf-Igo5g/s320/photo-774761.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5543586767048533778" /></a></p>Jameshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14455170386529570069noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3034756481903625337.post-54154503030602121082010-11-25T14:23:00.000-06:002010-11-25T14:24:09.132-06:00Safe? Probably not<p class="mobile-photo"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgu9-R-yc3KM5itqrTAPX3ZvGX3Oy3bcapiRVqmfjK_DaZVzI0LUTm0XWzkm6FQcJIN3wy_6sbj5wwMpQerCY_5L_rs-Lw22jbplyDd4W-soTFPryShFhE-FYCPo5PMbSr3-qhqf0e-rNsG/s1600/photo-749134.JPG"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgu9-R-yc3KM5itqrTAPX3ZvGX3Oy3bcapiRVqmfjK_DaZVzI0LUTm0XWzkm6FQcJIN3wy_6sbj5wwMpQerCY_5L_rs-Lw22jbplyDd4W-soTFPryShFhE-FYCPo5PMbSr3-qhqf0e-rNsG/s320/photo-749134.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5543585799561226850" /></a></p>Bathtime at Grandma's house:Jameshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14455170386529570069noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3034756481903625337.post-23161286546614018172010-11-25T14:20:00.000-06:002010-11-25T14:21:33.702-06:00Video<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='400' height='326' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dyRXyIvENZzYZHn_gwJj8If_DUd_iRQ-3-3hxE26VfLhvL4gfuPsJJ_GZRb3D57Qaxz07Ue19fuKOCWp6hZuA' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe>Jameshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14455170386529570069noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3034756481903625337.post-68279621411599602352010-11-25T14:12:00.002-06:002010-11-25T14:19:14.724-06:00California Trip Blog Post #05: Day 311/25/10:<br /><br />Grandma, cousin Tami, and aunt Carin were up early today to start prep for Thanksgiving dinner. We're going to have quite a feast! Here is a video of them making stuffing: I'm having trouble getting the video to upload. <br /><br />The video was taken at the end of a fun cooking session where Grandma was instructing Tami to just put in a few shakes of this and a pinch of that. Then Carin would say, "No, we need to measure it!" and look over at me like "These people are nuts! You can't cook by just throwing spices into a bowl!" Then Tami would be like "I don't know what to do here... I'm just trying to get it made!"<br /><br />I was spending a lot of time laughing, but as soon as I thought to pull out my phone to take a video, everything was calmed down. This should be a great meal!Jameshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14455170386529570069noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3034756481903625337.post-18275479324786438962010-11-25T12:49:00.001-06:002010-11-25T12:49:41.415-06:00California Trip Blog Post #04: Day 2<div></div><div><div style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.296875); -webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(175, 192, 227, 0.230469); -webkit-composition-frame-color: rgba(77, 128, 180, 0.230469); font-size: medium; ">It's <a href="x-apple-data-detectors://0" x-apple-data-detectors="true">9pm</a> on my 2nd night here, and I'm already in bed and blogging. We're all still tired from traveling. We didn't do much today, mostly just hung out and talked to my awesome Grandma Ransom ("Big G" as I call her. Though she's actually quite tiny, and weighs maybe 45lbs. She's called Big G because she's got about 400 grand kids. :)). Anyway, nothing else much to say about today, except that we ate a cool mac & cheese casserole that Big G made, and it was really great. We also went grocery shopping, and walked around grandma's yard to see what had changed since last time we were here 2 years ago. It's so beautiful in this area of California! Grandma has orange trees, apple trees, lemon trees, and all kinds of other fruit trees and plants growing on her land here. It's fun to just walk around to see what all she has going on. </div><div style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.296875); -webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(175, 192, 227, 0.230469); -webkit-composition-frame-color: rgba(77, 128, 180, 0.230469); font-size: medium; "><br></div><div style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.296875); -webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(175, 192, 227, 0.230469); -webkit-composition-frame-color: rgba(77, 128, 180, 0.230469); font-size: medium; ">Tomorrow Joseph comes in around <a href="x-apple-data-detectors://1" x-apple-data-detectors="true">4:30pm</a>, and my parents get here not long after that (5ish). Should be a great time eating and catching up with everybody!</div><br><img src="cid:BB107C81-318D-49F1-BA3B-17740C365543" id="BB107C81-318D-49F1-BA3B-17740C365543" width="300" height="225"></div><div><br>This pic is me and Sam. Only she didn't know I was taking it. Was kind of fun to sneak a shot in!</div><div><br></div><div><br>Sent from my iPhone<div><br></div></div>Jameshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14455170386529570069noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3034756481903625337.post-34357745233194311912010-11-25T12:44:00.000-06:002010-11-25T12:45:07.970-06:00California Trip Blog Post #03: Landed<div></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.296875); -webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(175, 192, 227, 0.230469); -webkit-composition-frame-color: rgba(77, 128, 180, 0.230469); "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.292969); -webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(175, 192, 227, 0.230469); -webkit-composition-frame-color: rgba(77, 128, 180, 0.230469); font-size: medium; ">It's</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.292969); -webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(175, 192, 227, 0.230469); -webkit-composition-frame-color: rgba(77, 128, 180, 0.230469); font-size: medium; "> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.292969); -webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(175, 192, 227, 0.230469); -webkit-composition-frame-color: rgba(77, 128, 180, 0.230469); font-size: medium; "><a href="x-apple-data-detectors://0" x-apple-data-detectors="true">ten o'clock</a></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.292969); -webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(175, 192, 227, 0.230469); -webkit-composition-frame-color: rgba(77, 128, 180, 0.230469); font-size: medium; "> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.292969); -webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(175, 192, 227, 0.230469); -webkit-composition-frame-color: rgba(77, 128, 180, 0.230469); font-size: medium; ">on my 1st night here. I flew in and met Sam and the kids at the luggage recovery place. We drove around L.A. for a bit looking for a place to get a bite to eat. Panera Bread sounded great, and we were headed to one, but then Sariah kept yelling from the back seat that she HAD to have French fries. The little stinker. In order to placate her, we found a Burger King and ate there. Traffic was it's usual horrendous self for L.A., leaving me in a suicidal state by the time we'd gone 11 miles (which took an hour to do). Once we got off of 405 and onto 101, it was pretty smooth sailing. Though it started to rain, and everyone was still driving like a maniac, except they'd all slam on their brakes any time there was even the slightest curve in the interstate. Lame. </span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.292969); -webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(175, 192, 227, 0.230469); -webkit-composition-frame-color: rgba(77, 128, 180, 0.230469); font-size: medium;"><br></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.292969); -webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(175, 192, 227, 0.230469); -webkit-composition-frame-color: rgba(77, 128, 180, 0.230469); font-size: medium;">This pic is Sariah being shy at dinner and showing off her BK toy:</span></div><div><br><img src="cid:7D05D3F1-91A1-4224-9AC2-83B3F89666A3" id="7D05D3F1-91A1-4224-9AC2-83B3F89666A3" width="300" height="225"></div><div><br><br>Sent from my iPhone<div><br></div></div>Jameshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14455170386529570069noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3034756481903625337.post-44625568657884146812010-11-25T12:40:00.001-06:002010-11-25T12:40:12.397-06:00California Trip Blog Post #02: Flight 2<p class="mobile-photo"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRvjPtm7r38kEdASoiXgiv4MkE7jtf5TX6EaKGtjcazaz9fA_WhggiOISmHDh4d31NTHEhW1h1nH1ioA0bPnUEAy9IZdnAlpSeH76pdnxDXYiBujGmNIAyXGUqeQC3UBEL_5v1XIIK13ij/s1600/photo-712398.JPG"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRvjPtm7r38kEdASoiXgiv4MkE7jtf5TX6EaKGtjcazaz9fA_WhggiOISmHDh4d31NTHEhW1h1nH1ioA0bPnUEAy9IZdnAlpSeH76pdnxDXYiBujGmNIAyXGUqeQC3UBEL_5v1XIIK13ij/s320/photo-712398.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5543559010888329618" /></a></p>Well I got off of that flight just in time to run to my next flight and be the last passenger on the plane! Yup, it was only a 1/2 hour layover, and the first flight arrived late. Man was that a close one! <p>I ended up sitting between a bald guy who slept the whole time, and a dude watching an Adam Sandler movie on his laptop. Long flight. I also got pretty sick during the landing. <p>Luckily I had a really good new audio book on my iPhone, and was able to listen to that for much of the flight.Jameshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14455170386529570069noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3034756481903625337.post-60331310902925463882010-11-25T12:27:00.001-06:002010-11-25T12:27:34.301-06:00California Trip Blog Post #01: Flight 1<p class="mobile-photo"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCSqlqXT4GeMt-PlcvRi3sfadUCGnBnnqXJVPPpBt4cXvVELXtOXwyBMo2rVNCXuZSE8feNj4YPF7qOW0JXMDA2_g50s_Ffy3z1kh0Cmmt8VyANtEDJrszRszN7F5yzgkJ-11AfgOGl1Me/s1600/photo-754302.JPG"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCSqlqXT4GeMt-PlcvRi3sfadUCGnBnnqXJVPPpBt4cXvVELXtOXwyBMo2rVNCXuZSE8feNj4YPF7qOW0JXMDA2_g50s_Ffy3z1kh0Cmmt8VyANtEDJrszRszN7F5yzgkJ-11AfgOGl1Me/s320/photo-754302.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5543555753542515938" /></a></p>11/23/10:<p>Today I fly to California to meet the family. I have a layover in Denver, then fly on to L.A. I had my buddy Rob pick me up at the house, then we headed out for lunch at our favorite Chinese restaurant. I was just finishing eating, then planning to head straight for the airport, when Sam started texting me with last minute requests for things to bring from home! No, I wasn't planning to go back, but apparently she'd told Sariah I'd bring her favorite bear with me, then never asked me to bring it. :) <p>It turned out I didn't end up having to go back, but it added some stress to my trip thinking that Sariah might be at the end expecting me to be holding her bear in my hands for her. <p>...<p>I'm on the plane now, waiting to head to Denver. The captain has been standing up front playing the harmonica over the speakers for us. He's very good! I'm sitting in the back between a couple of people (yes, I'm in the middle... That always seems to happen to me. No window, and no isle). <p>The flight attendant is smoking a cigarette while giving the safety spiel. That's a first! Now she's going into coughing fits, still giving the safety speech. I'm laughing hysterically, while the girl next to me (named Donna) looks on in horror. I wish I'd gotten the whole thing on video! Man was it good Pre-flight entertainment!<p>I ended up spending most of the flight chatting about random things with Donna, then showing off pictures of our families that we had on our phones. That was also a lot of fun. Traveling makes me remember that there are a lot of very interesting people in this world. It saddens me that there just isn't enough time to meet them all, let alone have a decent conversation with all of them! It's also kind of nice talking to someone that you know you're never going to see again. Some people, no doubt, think it a waste of time to do so. I feel otherwise. <p>Here's me and donna, just hangin' out.Jameshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14455170386529570069noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3034756481903625337.post-83836301295159571472010-11-03T08:07:00.001-05:002010-11-03T08:07:40.670-05:00Why is Diet Mountain Dew the cure for anything that ails you?<p class="formspringmeAnswer">Because Rob thinks it's the best thing on Earth. :) It might cure things that ail you, but someday I really do think they're going to find out that soft drinks cause cancer.</p><p class="formspringmeFooter"> <a href="http://formspring.me/JDRansom?utm_medium=social&utm_source=blogger&utm_campaign=shareanswer">Ask me anything</a></p>Jameshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14455170386529570069noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3034756481903625337.post-58715895708152730442010-10-25T12:02:00.001-05:002010-10-25T12:02:20.319-05:00Do you realize that you've created a monster by turning my James on to BB? :)<p class="formspringmeAnswer">If by monster you mean "warewolf" ...then yes.</p><p class="formspringmeFooter"> <a href="http://formspring.me/JDRansom?utm_medium=social&utm_source=blogger&utm_campaign=shareanswer">Ask me anything</a></p>Jameshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14455170386529570069noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3034756481903625337.post-19806624238920403862010-10-25T08:28:00.001-05:002010-10-25T08:28:13.220-05:00formspring.meAsk me anything <a href="http://formspring.me/JDRansom" target="_blank">http://formspring.me/JDRansom</a>Jameshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14455170386529570069noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3034756481903625337.post-75883269251876806462010-10-14T10:24:00.000-05:002010-10-14T10:25:17.136-05:00October update from James' worldTo add to Sam's update, Sariah is now being potty trained. Lots of fun there. Yesterday I was laying on the couch, and Sam was like, "So... Sariah peed today." I was like, "That's great!" But then Sam said, "Wait, hear me out... I left her on her kid potty that she is training on, while she watched Dora on TV."<br /><br />Me: "Ok..."<br />Sam: "And I went upstairs for like 2 minutes and then she yelled up, "Mommy, I went potty!" And then I came down and she'd peed on the pillow on the couch." <br />Me: "What pillow?!"<br />Sam: "The one you're laying on... but I wiped it off!"<br />Me: "Gaah!"<br /><br />(artistic license used in spots, but that's about how it went)<br /><br />Sariah can be a terror sometimes. She can't seem to control he excitement when we're going to go over to one of her friend's houses, and she can't control her sadness when it's nap time... or when she woke up too early from a nap (she can be a terror... crying randomly at anything... and requesting stuff that is out of our power to give her... like a real horse, and then freaking out when we can't deliver). I'd like to blame it on hormones... but she's only 2.<br /><br />Both kids seem to play well with each other at this point... though Ben thinks that the way you say hi to someone is to attack them and bite them. Best case scenario is that you get covered in drool, but no teeth marks are left on the skin. Then he just sits there and smiles up at you... with 6 sharp teeth.<br /><br />Last night I took the kids for a jog around 8pm... why so late, you ask? Because I'd offered that we go out walking at around 6:30pm, and Sariah didn't want to go... but then when it was bedtime, she soddenly HAD to go out for a walk! Anyway, they were in the jogging stroller covered in a blanket (it was 52 degrees out), and I was in shorts and a t-shirt running them around the neighborhood in spurts as fast as I could run (that's how I do it. I'm sure Sam runs them at a nice even pace for miles, while I tend to just run as fast as I can go until I can't run anymore, and then I walk to catch my breath... while Sariah yells, "Go fast again daddy!" Rinse and repeat). <br /><br />Anyway, we were out on this "jog" and these neighbors of ours have a big blow up horse that has a grim reaper riding on top that makes scary noises... it's all Sariah could talk about for the rest of the night. "I don't like the big horse Daddy... it's scary!" So cute... but we didn't go by that house again.<br /><br />Some friends of ours took their small children (one is just older than Sariah, and one is between her and Ben's age) to a Halloween store, and I guess the dad saw this display and pushed the button, and this life sized fake baby pops out (covered in blood) and eats this human hand with the sound of screams coming from speakers. This freaked their older kid out pretty bad (he's 3) and for the next several days he kept talking about the "bad baby" that was really dirty and needed to be cleaned up. <br /><br />I guess a blow up grim reaper on a horse isn't so bad compared to that.Jameshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14455170386529570069noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3034756481903625337.post-15460878016350862572010-10-04T08:33:00.001-05:002010-10-04T08:34:22.498-05:00Sariah said...Sariah was watching Word World. I wanted her to know what she was watching, since she seemed to like it and was laughing and smiling at the show a lot. So I said to her: "I like world world!". She looked at me and smiled and said, "I like mustard!"Jameshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14455170386529570069noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3034756481903625337.post-27257679058091816052010-02-10T20:34:00.002-06:002010-02-10T20:37:40.366-06:00Snowboarding tripI leave for Colorado tomorrow. Yay for snowboarding!Jameshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14455170386529570069noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3034756481903625337.post-73509667053245665922009-10-06T07:00:00.000-05:002009-10-06T12:34:56.749-05:00Bike TrekSo... the trip was sort of a failure. We started out with 5 guys when we originally planned it. Then one guy broke his hand, and another guy bruised his ribs (during a practice run on the Katy Trail the week before the ride), and so we were 3 when leaving KC, heading for Clinton. Then on the way there one of the guys (Kevin) got sick, and though he tried to do the ride, he was puking every 4 or 5 miles the first day. We still made it (35 miles - from Clinton, MO to Sedalia, MO) to the hotel, half of the time we were riding in the dark, with 1 light between the 3 of us, attached to Richard’s helmet. <br /><br />It was kind of crazy, because we got off the trail at 9pm, and rode along the side of a 4 lane highway in the dark for a few miles to where our hotel waited... right at the beginning I went off a curb and my bike rack broke from the weight of my bags. So I was riding in a dangerous 1-handed fashion (left hand was holding the bad up off my back wheel), and I quickly lost the guys in front of me. I had to stop to try to fix the setup, meanwhile losing sight of both Kevin and Richard. Then I was biking for a long time, because I didn't know where the motel was, and finally I got to a gas station, and past that there were no more business buildings... just houses. So I stopped and called Richard (who apparently had been trying to call me), and he told me I had passed them. <br /><br />So I had to go back about 1/2 mile to the hotel where they were at... in the dark. Not fun. The funny thing was that Kevin was trying to wave me down when I rode past the hotel (Richard was checking us in), but Kevin was 15 feet from the road and puking his guts out, so he couldn't wave me down. So I didn't even hear or see him in the dark. Anyway, he was very pale and ill by that point, and ended up calling for a ride home. <br /><br />Then we were 2.<br /><br />Richard is a pretty hardcore guy, and that night we decided to shorten the trip from the originally planned 4 days, to just 2. So we had to cover a lot more ground, at a much higher speed. We started out the next morning doing pretty well, but I started having some knee pain at around mile 20, that continued to get worse with each passing mile. My right knee hurt each time I pedaled the bike. I ended up having to do a few miles with basically 1 leg... which didn't make my left knee feel much better than the hurt one. <br /><br />Richard knew I was hurting, and suggested that maybe we call it in. I finally broke and said, "Alright, I'll have Sam come get me in Boonville (a little outside of Columbia)." Richard was thinking of continuing on, but his wife didn't want him riding alone for 100+ miles, so he and I stopped for lunch and then he let Sam and me drive him home, and then we went home. <br /><br />Total distance covered on the trail: 72 miles (approx)<br />Distance off trail: 8 miles (approx)<br />Total distance: 80 miles. <br /><br />Not bad for a couple of days, but not the planned event. I think I might have been ok, if we'd done the original slower paced 4 day ride. But the way it went, I just hadn't trained for that well enough. I plan to do a lot more riding, coming up in the next several months, and then we're going to try again in the spring.<br /><br />That is, if I don't break a leg when skiing in Colorado in Feb.Jameshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14455170386529570069noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3034756481903625337.post-53600268965793885912009-09-25T13:58:00.003-05:002009-09-25T14:05:51.179-05:00Leaving for Katy Trail 225 mile bike trekSo I leave in 1 hour for the Katy Trail in Clinton. We'll be riding 225 miles on our bikes from Clinton, out past St. Louis to St. Charles. Then we'll be taking a train back to KC on Tuesday next week. The trek will be a ton of fun, as I'm going with 2 friends from work. What will not be so fun is being away from Sam and Sariah. Sam just came by my work to get my car (it's got the bike rack) and then she'll be picking me up at the train station with it. <br /><br />Anyway, Sariah was with Sam, and she is just so sad to leave and not get to bring me with her. Normally it would be ok, but it's Friday and I'm not going to see her until Tuesday. She'll probably grow a 1/2" by then! She was crying and reaching out for me with both hands when I walked back into work to finish my final hour before leaving for the ride. *sniff*<br /><br />I'll try to post some fun pics of the trek, so stay tuned!Jameshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14455170386529570069noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3034756481903625337.post-22284889719691998292009-09-25T13:25:00.000-05:002009-09-25T13:26:03.321-05:00Test blogTesting that I can blog from my iPhone. I will be blogging from my <br>bike trek this weekend!<p>Sent from my iPhoneJameshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14455170386529570069noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3034756481903625337.post-63451418179938131452009-06-29T18:32:00.000-05:002009-06-29T15:38:46.648-05:00Corporate Challenge<p>I was up until 1:30am last Friday night going to See Transformers 2. A pretty crappy movie, imho. I was disappointed in the plot, the directing, and the confusion that ensued. In parts it was kind of like the people who made it were saying to themselves, “Ok, let’s have them do this.” And they didn’t stop to think how it would look to the audience, and that we would go, “That is the stupidest thing I’ve ever heard of.”</p><p><a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_7Hvkid9ESJg/SkkmRH_DDWI/AAAAAAAAAcQ/hn4U27wQKKg/s1600-h/Transformers-transformers-627087_1600_1200%5B3%5D.jpg"><img title="Transformers-transformers-627087_1600_1200" style="BORDER-RIGHT: 0px; BORDER-TOP: 0px; DISPLAY: inline; BORDER-LEFT: 0px; BORDER-BOTTOM: 0px" height="295" alt="Transformers-transformers-627087_1600_1200" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_7Hvkid9ESJg/SkkmRdk1fsI/AAAAAAAAAcU/EwusDVCo8gs/Transformers-transformers-627087_1600_1200_thumb%5B1%5D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="388" border="0" /></a> </p><p>However, the action and special effects were out of this world! I wish we could have followed what was going on a little better. The first movie was definitely better. </p><p>Ok, back on topic: I had to get up Saturday morning at 5am to go to the final Corporate Challenge event. I slept in until 5:50, so my morning was pretty rushed! We met down at Longview Lake for the event at 7:30. We were the first pull to take place in our division, so we had to dig holes in the sand to put our feet in. </p><p>Here is us digging:</p><p><a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_7Hvkid9ESJg/Skkkvxuz-MI/AAAAAAAAAbw/SJuPW8QA6nk/s1600-h/Digging%5B5%5D.jpg"><img title="Digging" style="BORDER-RIGHT: 0px; BORDER-TOP: 0px; DISPLAY: inline; BORDER-LEFT: 0px; BORDER-BOTTOM: 0px" height="303" alt="Digging" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_7Hvkid9ESJg/SkkkwOEx5TI/AAAAAAAAAb0/8IKLhtJaaxs/Digging_thumb%5B3%5D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="393" border="0" /></a> </p><p>We dug in and pulled for all we were worth, and won the first tug! Then we won our 2nd pull 20 minutes later. Then we kept on winning until we were in the final round! (and the team we were pulling against had lost 1 round already against another team). </p><p><a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_7Hvkid9ESJg/SkkkwkIkDaI/AAAAAAAAAb4/ko8zeBipTn0/s1600-h/Before%20event%20-%20Corporate%20Challenge%5B5%5D.jpg"><img title="Before event - Corporate Challenge" style="BORDER-RIGHT: 0px; BORDER-TOP: 0px; DISPLAY: inline; BORDER-LEFT: 0px; BORDER-BOTTOM: 0px" height="302" alt="Before event - Corporate Challenge" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_7Hvkid9ESJg/SkkkwxtMElI/AAAAAAAAAb8/RwOm65wMpP8/Before%20event%20-%20Corporate%20Challenge_thumb%5B3%5D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="393" border="0" /></a> </p><p>We were still undefeated. We pulled for all we were worth, but we thought that we were winning when the timer was running out, and when it ended it turned out that the other team had more of the flag than we did. During that round, I was pulling for all I was worth, but my grip was shot and the rope kept slipping through my gloved fingers. </p><p>But that was our first loss, so we got another shot. So we took a small break and then went at it again. This time we were ready! We pulled hard at the start, and then set in and held on for the duration of the time left on the clock. The other team kept trying to pull it from our grip but they couldn’t do it and we won the GOLD!<br /><br />Yay for BATS and the Underdogs!!!</p><p><a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_7Hvkid9ESJg/SkkkxC4RGWI/AAAAAAAAAcA/1hN9Ltk4TOY/s1600-h/Underdogs%20Go%20For%20Gold%5B5%5D.jpg"><img title="Underdogs Go For Gold" style="BORDER-RIGHT: 0px; BORDER-TOP: 0px; DISPLAY: inline; BORDER-LEFT: 0px; BORDER-BOTTOM: 0px" height="305" alt="Underdogs Go For Gold" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_7Hvkid9ESJg/SkkkxSKz9hI/AAAAAAAAAcE/iqYDdhUzLZo/Underdogs%20Go%20For%20Gold_thumb%5B3%5D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="396" border="0" /></a> </p><p>We finished 9th in our division (out of 27 teams).</p><p>Today is Monday, and I still have injuries from this event. Mostly in my legs. My left calf is still locked up, and it’s very painful to climb stairs… or walk… or jump even.</p><p>But the glory is worth it. </p>Jameshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14455170386529570069noreply@blogger.com2