The Ramblings of Ken

Looking through my server logs today, I found out that someone hit my site from Google by doing a search for "ken chessy country music." Wow, what do you know? My site comes up as third on the list! That's very strange, I thought. Why in the world would my site come up as a result from those words? Well, the name Ken is obviously in this site. I also recently posted about how country music was starting to grow on me. However, I didn't know where "chessy" was coming from. Obviously this person was looking for Kenny Chesney, but didn't know how to spell his name.

As I continued to look, I found it! I misspelled "cheesy." I was talking about the movie Armageddon as being cheesy, but I spelled it chessy.

Isn't it funny how weird things happen in this world?

I just ran on to this video today while surfing the web at work. I can't believe I've never seen this before! It came out at a Microsoft conference last September. Bill Gates helps Napoleon Dynamite save his uncle's company in this 5 minute spoof. Watch it, it cracks me up!



(Video stolen from ifilm.com)

The next LAN party has been scheduled. If you like playing computer games against people and you like hearing them scream with horror when you are tearing them apart, then this party is for you!

We have tentatively scheduled Friday, May 5th, at 7:00 pm. If this isn't going to work for you or you have comments or suggestions, you know what to do...

On Slashdot today there is an article about World of Warcraft and the trouble that its users are having on the servers. Blizzard has been having a lot of issues with server maintenance and network availability.

I've always had my concerns with the fact that you buy a game for $40 or more and then to continue playing it you have to pay a monthly 15 dollar fee. This just does not seem right to me. They should at least give you a single player mode so that when you can't afford to keep paying the monthly fee, you don't have to just sit your game on the shelf.

Well, now comes my question to the WoW people out there... With the network troubles and the monthly 15 dollar fee is it still worth it to keep paying so that you can keep playing?

(As usual, the image was stolen... this time from blizzard.com)

There is a lot in the news lately about Iran building up a nuclear arsenal. Do you guys think that we should move in and take them out before they take us out? Is this just a big hype in the media and Iran isn't really a threat?

I think that it might be better if we just forced democracy on everyone and forced our culture on the world... just kidding. I really don't know what we are doing in Iraq and what should be done about Iran.

I found a hilarious video about bombing Iran while I was surfing the net. This was the whole point to this post anyway. :)

We had a thread about movies that generated quite a bit of discussion. Let's see how a thread about music goes...

I love music! I listen to all kinds of music all the time! Music is a big part of my life. For the past few days I have been working on aquiring the Billboard Top 100 Hits for every year that I can. I have all of the 90s hits now. It's great stuff! It's the music I heard all through middle school and high school! So that's the kind of stuff I've been listening to lately.

Right now I have a few favorite bands/singers. I'll see if I can compile a list for you...

- The All-American Rejects
- Theory of a Deadman
- Jimmy Eat World
- Hoobastank
- Daniel Powter
- Dashboard Confessional
- Fall Out Boy
- Good Charlotte

This is the stuff I listened to all the time in high school...

- Savage Garden
- Hootie and the Blowfish
- Chumbawamba
- Chicago
- Boyz II Men
- Hanson :)
- Air Supply
- 98 Degrees
- Backstreet Boys
- A ton of other crap that I just can't remember right now

What bands/singers do you guys all like? Maybe this thread can become a good flame war too :P (Especially when I list crap like Hanson)

Guys, I'm in trouble. For almost my entire life I have had one sworn enemy. That enemy was country music. I am finding myself liking it more and more! As a little kid I was fairly isolated from it, as my family didn't listen to it much. However, my parents loved Sawyer Brown. That was as "country" as we got. I loved some of their songs as a little boy, but I never thought that they were country. I guess they aren't really. Anyway, I got a couple of their albums and I have been listening to them. I like them.

There is more to this, though. A couple of months ago, my brother and his wife were listening to Keith Urban's "Making Memories Of Us." I really liked what I was hearing. I went to find the song and when I found out that it was country I freaked out! It looks like a lot of country is basically merging with the pop/contemporary world.

Now, after getting the latest Chicago album "XXX" I found out that it was produced together with the lead singer from Rascal Flatts. Rascal Flatts even sings together with Chicago in my favorite song from the album "Love Will Come Back." Does this mean that I like country now?

I am "previewing" (aka pirating albums off of the internet) a lot of country music now and I am finding out that I actually kind of like it. Is this the demise of Ken as we know him?

(Sorry, I still don't like the Dixie Chicks, but maybe I will after "previewing" some of their stuff again :P)

here.

I've added a new photo gallery for your viewing pleasure! I'll be adding new photos as I feel like it. Keep checking and you might find some treasures! You can get to it by clicking the link "My Photo Gallery" on the right, or by clicking here.

Okay, guys, it's time that we all get together and decide what the best movies are. Let me list mine and then you can all list yours...

- The Transporter 1 & 2
- Bourne Identity & Bourne Supremacy
- Star Wars Triology
- Armaggedon (What can I say, it's chessy, but I like it)
- The Singles Ward (the only Mormon produced film that I like)

That's all for now, I'll post more as I think of them. What do you guys like?

If any of you out there that read my page are still using Internet Explorer, please stop! It sucks! Just to prove to you how much it sucks, look at my page in Firefox and then look at it in Internet Explorer. Look how much it messes up the page! On the right, for some reason, it even merges the "Ken's Cam" and the "Server stats" blocks into one. Look at how the pictures in some of my entries seem to go out of the entry borders. Internet Explorer is messed up and does not follow any standards. Use Firefox!

(I posted this because I see that I'm still getting hits from Internet Explorer! Stop it!)

Anyone ever had Pirates of the Caribbean fruit snacks? They are made by Kellogg's and you can find them at Walmart, and at other stores, I'm sure. I love them! You should all try them! I've liked other fruit snacks before, but never LOVED them. These are definitely lovable fruit snacks. I'm posting this because I bought four boxes of them for my mom, about two months ago. Now she bought a whole bunch and gave a box to me! How nice of her!




(Image stolen from http://www.deadmentellnotales.com)

Does anyone remember a TV series called "Sports Night" that ran on ABC from 1998 - 2000? I can't remember seeing it. However, a good friend introduced me to it. She let me borrow the entire series on DVD and I have been watching it for the past three days. I really like it a lot! You guys should watch it!

Go here to see what in the world I'm talking about. :)

(Image stolen from imdb.com)

I'm a goof. I suppose that it is stuff like this that I get myself into, though, when I should be doing homework but I choose not to. Here is a video I made just to see what I could do with this camera. The song is "Love Will Come Back" by Chicago. It is almost becoming my motto for right now... :P



Disclaimer: This song is copyrighted by its respective holder. You have no authorization to download and distribute this video in any way, shape, or form.

I love Sour Brite Crawlers! I just bought four bags of them tonight. Walmart sells them for 86 cents a bag. I can't get enough of them! My teeth are going to rot, but that's okay, because Sour Brite Crawlers are just too good! Does anyone else out there like them?

The webcam is back to stay! I bought a new webcam of my own that works with 64-bit Windows. I'll leave it up, unless I need to take it down because I'm naked in front of the computer or something... :P

This is just a snapshot from the camera, you can see live video on the right hand side underneath the links.

I just found out today as I was walking through Walmart that Chicago released a new album! I was just browsing through the popular music and I saw that Chicago was in the new releases section! This is exciting! I love Chicago!

From Chicago's web site:

[blockquote]Long awaited, CHICAGO XXX, introduces 13 new songs from one of America's greatest bands.[/blockquote]

13 all new songs from a band that hasn't released all new material in over a decade? Awesome!!! (I'm listening now as we speak)

I've posted about this song before, but I have to throw these lyrics in... maybe I'll even post an attempt at me singing this song later and you can all be Simon Cowell! :P

Theory of a Deadman - Since You've Been Gone:

[blockquote]It seems that nothing ever goes my way
Since you broke my heart when you left that day
There's nowhere to go so just stay with me
Cuz since you've been gone, I've been beggin' you please

To tell me you're not alright
And you needed to come home
(Since you've been gone)
To tell me you're not okay
And you needed me all along
Since you've been gone
I need to hear from you
Since you've been gone

It seems that every time you swear to God that you're leaving
I'm down on my knees beggin' you to stay
There's nowhere to go so just stay with me
Cuz since you've been gone, I've been beggin' you please

To tell me you're not alright
And you needed to come home
(Since you've been gone)
To tell me you're not okay
And you needed me all along
Since you've been gone

Please don't leave me here alone
Just stay awhile
Make me smile
Please don't leave me here alone
Just stay awhile
And, baby, smile

Since you've been gone
I need to hear from you
Since you've been gone
I need to hear you say

Tell me you're not alright
And you needed to come home
(Since you've been gone)
Tell me you're not okay
And you needed me all along
Since you've been gone
I need to hear you say
Since you've been gone
Don't tell me
Don't tell me
I need to hear you say[/blockquote]

What in the crud is going on down at BYU? I just heard today the a BYUSA coordinator got fired for voicing his opinion about the BYU administration. What in the world is that??? Since when can a private university go against the laws of our country and prohibit free speech?

Todd J. Hendricks, the BYUSA coordinator, was fired after writing the following letter that was published in BYU's newspaper "The Daily Universe."

[blockquote]BYUSA's special interests

As a coordinator with student leadership and adviser with BYUSA, I share my concerns about the BYUSA student body elections and the recent disqualification of candidates. Each year, a full-time employee takes a turn rewriting election regulations, then appoints a student to chair the elections committee that will ensure candidates' compliance.

Conflict of interest and anonymity can hamper the committee. The committee comprises 10 students who are anonymous to the student body but, through associations in BYUSA, generally have strong ties to one or more of the candidates or to a full-time employee. The committee meets every evening prior to and during elections to discuss reports of "infractions" - complaints filed by candidates against one another, often anonymously, in hopes of securing penalties for the opposing team.

It is a system that rewards collusion and exaggeration. In addressing alleged infractions, the committee's anonymous identities and confidential proceedings sometimes cloud judgment. Special interest, rather than actual student votes, may thus determine the BYUSA presidency.

It is important to scrutinize candidates during election week, but it is also important to scrutinize the methodologies of the election's sponsors. I encourage the campus community to work with next year's BYUSA president and Student Advisory Council to establish clear election criteria and procedures. The elections committee must be housed outside BYUSA so the election outcome will not be decided by student leadership, full-time staff and volunteers with special interests. Proceedings of the committee must be fully transparent and, with few exceptions, disclosed to the press. Decision makers must be held accountable before the student body, whose election this is.

Todd J. Hendricks

Coordinator, BYU Student Leadership[/blockquote]

Can anyone fill in the blanks for me? What was in that letter that merited an employee's termination? I think BYU has a problem.

This is as much of a shock to me as it is to all of you... I still can't believe that it happened so fast! I'm engaged! This time it is for real. I was engaged once before and it didn't work out. She is the love of my life... wow, we only met a month ago. We are getting married on July 7th. Everyone that reads this page is invited to come to the wedding, which will be held in the Logan temple. Formal invitations will be sent, don't worry.