C.Whyte

…but taste amazing.

I’m not going to lie, every time I go to Costco, I always end up leaving with a box of chicken pot pies.  I’ve always known they were pretty unhealthy, but how bad can they be, right? Terrible.

Let’s put it this way, one pie has 35g of fat and 14g of saturated fat…. yeah, that’s right 14!!!!!   Pretty sure they are about 700 calories too (forgot to check and I’m not all about to go digging through the trash to find out).

This got me interested… what was it about the pie that’s so bad?  I mean, they are full of veggies and chicken and other items that are good by themselves.  Well,  I did a little research and here’s why:

- The veggies (carrots, peas, etc) are not fresh, but canned, which on their own are not healthy for you.

- The crust is probably the worst for you because of the processed flour and carbohydrates.

- The “moisture” aka the gravy = generally not good for you.

- The sodium content.  These things are jammed pack full of salt.

With all those combined, it really equals some terrible eating, but the taste is amazing!  Next time someone tells you that chicken pot pies are healthy for you, you will know better and be able to sound smart… then give the pot pie for me to eat.

OK… so all day today was spent brewing up the latest from Attack Squadron 195 (a 90 Shilling Scottish Ale) and the whole thing was recorded on my new “Flip” camcorder!  Here’s the problem:  I’m new to the video editing game and am not sure what program I should use to blend all the videos together :0

Ultimately I would like to be able to edit about 10 separate clips together (along with a few select still shots) and have a monster soundtrack going on in the background.
The only video editing software I’ve ever used is “Windows Movie Maker”, which did it’s part in the past, but I’m really looking for something to take the video editing to the next level.  The more advanced/complicated/frustrating the better, so really give me some epic ideas.

For now, I think I’m going to throw it all together on Window’s default editor and see how it turns out, but I’m not thrilled about it.  Let’s hear some suggestions.

It’s been a while (work started up again and it’s been pretty busy for sure!), but I’m ready to start writing again.  What’s on my mind tonight? Wordpress plugins.

For anyone who’s ever used Wordpress (and I bet it’s the majority of bloggers out there), there is literally a plugin for everything.  Even simple things that you aren’t difficult to do, there’s just always an easier way to do it.  For example, tonight I was going to (finally) add the Google Analytics pixel to my wordpress blog and instead of just cutting/pasting in the header or footer, I looked for a plugin to make it easier… and found one!

The best part about these plugins is the ease of use and thoroughness the developers put into them.  Instead of just a plugin that allows the pixel to be placed, it places the pixel and lays out all the stats in a (if you can believe it) EASIER way than Google itself.  Honestly, the people who make wordpress plugins (or at least the ones I’ve used) are incredible.  It’s really revolutionizing the blog game and making it so that anyone can have an epic blogging experience without having to spend hours coding left and right.

Here it is:  The ultimate breakdown of my new year’s resolution for 2010 (the mother of all years!!!).

I’ve spent the last 4 days or so devising a master list of the ultimate new year’s resolutions that I’m really going to try to make happen this year.  After going through them all (and yeah, it’s a lot), I have decided that 2010 is going to be “The Year of the C.Whyte”.

I’ll get in to more detail about all of the individual items on my 2010 list (possibly a new blog post about each one?), but for now I’m going to print out the summary for all eyes to see.   I usually don’t, but in this case I am going to have to censor some of the items on the list as they are a tad private and are more of “internal goals” more than “go to the gym more” type resolutions.  Never fear though, there are some juicy ones in here for everyone to get their gossip on with :0

Without further ado, I present to you (no rhyme intended) my master list of New Year’s Resolutions for 2010.  Fair warning, the list is LOOOONG and almost turns into a “Bucket List” at some points.  Trust me, it’s all for this year.  Remember, it’s the year of the CW!

2010

1. **PRIVATE**
2. Volunteer
3. Get a new car
4. Make $200,000
5. Finish developing CouponPhonics
6. Read music Fluently
7. Learn 3 New Instruments
8. Update CruzDate and Send Newsletters
9. Go out shooting (Photography) at least once every 2 weeks
10. Update DoWorkPhotography to modern online photo store
11. Grow 1/2 an inch to be 6′1″
12. Gain 11lbs of muscle to be 180lbs
13. Start Video Blogging
14. Make an impact at work / be more vocal
15. Grow at least 3 Mustaches and 1 beard
16. Make 4 new brews
17. Get a girlfriend
18. Increase my online advertising ventures
19. Get a raise
20. Learn to cook
21. Start a Tool Collection
22. Help someone who has broken down on the road
23. Buy a Mac
24. Get a tattoo
25. Get a pet
26. Learn about motors/engines
27. Take a Yoga class
28. Play a coed sport
29. Read 15 books
30. Help someone in need
31. Keep in touch with friends
32. Meet at least 25 new people
33. Donate to a good cause
34. Be less jealous of others
35. Continue current work out regiment
36. Build something (carpentry)
37. Design more shirts / produce them
38. Continue to learn French
39. Visit a foreign country
40. **Private**

So there you have it!  My list of the 40 things I want to accomplish this year.  Some seem to be harder than others and it seems like a lot, but there are a couple wicked easy ones on there that I can fly through.  The first and last one are denoted as “Private” because only I know what they are and how to achieve them (I don’t need all 3 of my readers to know EVERYTHING about me).

The hardest one for me is going to be #17.  Last year was probably one of the worst years for me in that regard, so I’m going to be working overtime to hopefully meet someone.  If you know anyone, holla!

I’ll be updating this post with Strike Throughs of everything that I accomplish (along with the date or time frame that they were done in).  I will also be blogging about most of these goals on a somewhat individual basis, so you can see in further detail how things are going and what’s not getting accomplished.

I think it’s a pretty strong list, and it’s a pretty bold statement for me to throw it all out there to do in a year, but I think I’m ready for it.  Bring it on 2010!

PS, these were written in no particular order.  Also, comment your favorite one.  Maybe it will get me working on it faster!

As you may have already noticed, I am not the biggest fan of the blockbuster thriller “Avatar” in 3D.  I got dizy watching it from the worst seats in the house and thought the story was just “OK”.

The one thing I just can’t get over is how everyone is so obsessed with the film and MUST have seen something different from what I saw… that’s where the IMAX comes in.  Yes, I saw it in 3D, but it wasn’t IMAX 3D… maybe that’s the difference? Probably not, but I’m going to go see it in IMAX 3d tomorrow (at 1pm of all times) and will be able to confirm whether or not the movie is good.  So far it’s off to a bad start, but I’ve got a feeling the IMAX version might pick it up a few notches.

Thoughts?

I don’t know how I’ve missed it for so long, but there’s a show out there called “Teen Mom” (obviously on MTV) that portrays the life of a teenage mother who’s just trying to get by.  I’ve seen about 3 episodes so far and as it stands, the teen moms are 0 for 3 on being happy and 1 for 3 on the “family” staying together.  Kind of depressing statistics, but it’s crazy that it’s on TV for everyone to see.

The main question I have is: do these people get paid for these shows???

I don’t think they do! So why in the world would you want your broken life broadcast to millions of people across the world (or at least the nation… I guess!).  But back to the question: WHY!?!

At least on Maury they get paid… that’s all I’m saying.

I just bought a ticket to see Avatar in 3D and I’m pretty excited about it, so I decided to write a blog post.  I’ve heard a lot of good things about this film including the (rare) comment from my dad: “It’s the best movie ever.”  Whoa.

Hearing a comment like that, along with knowing that I’ve got to wear sweet 3D glasses makes me pretty excited to see it.  I hear the story is a little weak and pretty basic (for almost anyone to follow along with), but it’s the animation and graphics that really set it to another level.  For those of you who know me, I’m all about things that look good, so I fell this will be right up my alley!

I am however worried that I have “over-hyped” the film and will go into it with anxious expectations… resulting in a “meh” feeling once it’s through.  Hopefully that will not be the case, but we will see. 

Rest assured, there will be a follow up post “post” viewing of the film to critique this post as well as give an overall review of how the film went.  I found out a few days back that it cost something rediculous around $300 million to make, and with over $200 million already grossed in the first couple weeks, I’m pretty sure they are going to blow that figure out of the water.

More to come post viewing!

First of all, I have to give props out to Ryan for finding this and posting it… well done.  Here’s my version of it:

We all know the Japanese are crazy and have some of the greatest products / reality TV shows on the market (case and point:  MXC), but until now, I had no idea the extent of their amazingness.

I present to you now, the Japanese “snuggie”:

To read the full version of this, check out NextRound.net as they broke the story first (and full credit should go to them).

The best part of the poster above is that they claim it is good “for bear attacks” because you can “Jump out of the way”.  Marketing at its finest!

One thing is for sure… I want one wicked bad.

I was thinking about what to write about tonight and really struggling to come up with something good.  While watching TV I happened to see a commercial for a “Go Bible” and then it clicked… I’ve got to write about this.

Go Bible

The Go Bible is a portable MP3 player that has 70 hours worth of the Bible on it.  You guessed it, the whole thing.  I have to ask myself: “Who in the world would buy something like this???”  Aside from the uber religious, I can’t imagine someone wanting this, or even using it for their own personal gain.  I have nothing against religion, but it may come to no surprise that I’m not very religious at all.  I think people take religion way too far and this is a prime example of it.  Now if you are in a tough position and don’t have a bible with you to consult, you can just throw in your earphones and listen to some old guy read it to you.

I’m not big on “bashing products” but come on… are you kidding me?  Sorry Go Bible, but you kind of asked for this.

Oh yeah, and it costs $100 FYI.  Great stocking stuffer!!

I’ve been somewhat of a fan of the band My Children My Bride for a few years now and it’s all really been due to one guy:  Brian Hood on the drums.

As for the band, he doesn’t actually play for them anymore, but that doesn’t mean that he’s not completely ridiculous.  He’s basically perfected the heel/toe technique for some seriously steady double bass hits and does everything so effortlessly.

As for Brian, I read somewhere that he’s started his own recording studio in Alabama (hometown I think) and still occasionally plays with MCMB (I doubt that though).

Check him out in this video below playing drums to “Faithless”:

Brian Hood Shredding Hardcore

Pretty out of control if you ask me!  The best part is how he just gets up after it’s done like it’s no big deal.  If I was ripping that tune, I’d be soaked in sweat and swearing at how many times I messed up.

What do you guys think?  Nuts right?