Traveling Thoughts

It’s interesting to see who comes to your website and where they come from when viewing Google Analytics.  Until tonight, I had no clue how to see exactly what page of a site a viewer was coming from.  I found out that in Analytics by clicking on Marketing Optimization -> Marketing Campain Results -> Referral Conversion, you can click on the general site url and it will expand to show you exactly what page from that site a visitor came from.  Pretty cool if you ask me, but even more cool is me finding out that I had a hit come from Time.com

Time.com as in Time Magazine Time.com.  That’s severely cool.  So, how did it happen?  Well, it begins with a post that I made about tickets to the PBR World Finals In Las Vegas a few days ago.  And then, Time.com uses Sphere.com, which uses an advanced search algorithm helps you discover high-quality, relevant, and timely blog posts and makes it possible for publishers to integrate contextually relevant blog posts alongside their articles (taken right from sphere.com’s about page).  So, I ended up in Related Items on an article that had been written in September about bull riding on Time.com.  You can check it out here.  That link takes you to the third page of the article, because that’s the relevant page.  If you scroll down and click on related items, I appear there at the top of the list under related blog links.

This is what it looks like incase you don’t want to go see for yourself:

When I started playing The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess I was confused because the game opened with two guys sitting on the shore talking, one of them was Link and the other guy was like ‘would you go to Hyrule for me, I was supposed to take something important there, but I think you’re better fitted for the job, blah blah blah…oh, you’ve never been there before have you?’

What??? Link’s been to Hyrule plenty of times, only in like every game from the beginning.  I quickly got over this fact though because I didn’t have the brain space to expend on it, I had to conserve it for the puzzles and quests within the game.

As time progressed, I got turned into a wolf, which was odd.  But then after some more, very long time, I was turned back into human form and had on Link’s normal outfit (you know, the green one).  And there’s this light spirit talking to me about how I’m wearing the outfit of an ancient great hero.  Ok, no wonder I’d never been to Hyrule, this is a different generation of Link.

I was still confused though because I when I got to Hyrule, I met the Twilight Princess, which turns out to be Zelda, and nothing was said about her being ancient…

Two days ago while at Best Buy I saw a players guide for The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess, it was a hard back book and had gold edged pages.  I had to have it.  The price on the back of the book was $30, I got it for $16.  I was excited. Yesterday, I decided that I had to have the game, my delimma being that I didn’t have a Wii and I had sold my GameCube about 2 years ago because it was distracting me from my studies.

After some calling around, I found a black gamecube, had to be black because that’s the color of my tv and it had to match.  When I asked about the game, they said that they only had it for people who had reserved it.  I was like ‘oh :(’ but then, I was like ‘wait, I did reserve it, 2 years ago.’  They looked me up and lo and behold, I was in the system.  I went down to GameStop, picked up my GameCube and my game and went home to play it.  I was so excited.  Unfortunately, I had forgotten to get a memory card so I couldn’t save my game, so after some play time, I had to go out and get one.

And now, the moment we’ve been waiting for, my thoughts on the game (thus far, I’ve not gotten too far into it)

As we well know from the moment the first video’s of the game were released, this Zelda is unlike anything we’ve ever played.  Link is more grown up and mature, the entire game is in fact.  It’s completely awesome.  The puzzles that I’ve encountered so far match my expectations where puzzles are concerned.  I spent quite some time trying to knock a monkey off a rock pillar by throwing a rock at him.  The rock always landed in the water and the monkey remained unscathed.  But after a while I just sent a hawk after him.  I also had to send a hawk to knock down a beehive.  I tried to knock it down myself but the bees came after me, they chased me across town stinging and poking me.  I got as far into the game as being turned into wolf and having a little unidentifiable thing ride me (I think it was previously a monkey).

The game play is great, the graphics are great, it’s really just a great game, I’m loving it. 

For sometime now, I’ve wanted to ride a bull, in fact, it’s on my list of things to do before I die. In fact, I’ve got a buddy from work that’s going to let me go sit on her male cow, but she said he’s gentle and probably can’t be classified as a bull, so look forward to those picture. But being that no one will let me get near a real bull (other than the off chance that I land on the white one at the dropzone), I get to live vicariously through the men that do get to ride the bulls. In April, I’ll be going to see the PBR Ty Murray Inventational right here in Albuquerque, but really, I’d like to go to the Finals.

This coming year (2007) the finals are in Las Vegas, which isn’t really too far from NM. I mean, it’s a little bit of a drive. A day maybe, maybe a little bit more, but I tell you what, to get to go to Vegas and see the World Finals, that would be something else. I’ve already started looking into PBR Finals Tickets and ideally, I’d like to be in VIP seating but that’s probably near impossible for me to get to, so the next best is in the 105-108 or 118-121 range of the Mandalay Bay Events Center. Those tickets carry a heafty price with them, but oooohhhheeee, to be close to the action, you can just feel the adrenaline. I seriously would pay almost $400 to sit in what I think is prime seating to see the best bull riders up close and almost personal.

To see the dirt flinging, the riders clinching their teeth, hanging on with all they’ve got trying to get to the 8 second mark. And it’s not just about making it for 8 seconds, it’s also about the toughness of the bull, how much they twist and turn when they’re hippin’ and hoppin’ (it’s more like broncin’ and broncin’, but you get the point). I get tingly just thinking about it. Think of the adrenaline rush those boys get while out there on their bull. Think of the adrenaline rush they get when they find out what bull they’re riding.

I’m being completely serious when I say that if anyone wants to chip in for me to go see the finals in some exceptionally great seats, I’ll gladly accept. I’d put it on my amazon list, but amazon just doesn’t offer tickets to great events quite yet.

For Christmas, I got a Happy Feet penguin, Mumble to be exact.  Mom made him at Build-A-Bear Workshop. 

Penguins are undoubtably my favorite bird which is cool and he’s all soft.  She asked me if I had seen the movie and I said no.  Being such, I had to go see the movie Happy Feet.  I needed some background on Mumble (besides the fact that he had been made especially for me at the mall).

Happy feet is a very cute movie that shows us that differences need to be embraced instead of shunned.  At least, that’s what it says to the adults in the theatre, that and it speaks of eco-politics and how we’re all inter-related, animals and humans and for one to survive we all have to think of each other.  It might also remind those who saw ‘March of the Penguins’ of the same thing except in a more child-like version, ‘March of the Penguins’ meets the 70’s perhaps?

All that aside, Happy Feet is a generally good movie, the music is good, the story speaks a lot, even to the kids (who should be nice to those unlike them because they may learn something cool from them).  It’s an epic adventure of saving the world and one’s self through self-discovery.  It’s a humorous, action packed, thrilling adventure, even a somewhat romantic film.  There’s times when we’re oooohing, times when we’re on the edge of our seats, and times where it feels like we might have just had a heart attack.

The only bad part I think was at the end, where after a long trek to follow a fishing boat, Mumble gets put in a zoo.  It’s quite sad from this point on till the last few moments of the movie and can on some levels overshadow the better parts of the movie, not to mention that it will leave some kids somewhat confused as the point of what’s going on flys over their little heads.

My favorite part was probably the penguins with the Killer Whales.  They had treked so far, and Lovelace was seriously on the edge of death with the soda pop ring things around his neck, when it looks like they’re going to die while the killer whales are doing this beautiful (almost dance like) thing and throwing Mumble and Lovelace back and forth.  It was cool, of all the enemies that Mumble encounters (penguin eating bird, seal, whale) it was the best.  And they were the only one that didn’t talk, those whales were.

I give it a 3 out of 5 stars just because of the dark undertones given in the second half of the movie.  It’s not great, but it’s not bad, it’s middle of the road.  It drives me nuts how screen writers will use children’s films to deliver their messages…

A while back I posted about RockStartUp and there quest to make anyone interested aware of what it takes to start a web 2.0 company through their very own reality show.

Episode 3 shows us the stress that weighs on a company as they move from one building to another. We get to see the building before it’s done and what it looks like after it’s done. Just like one of the guys, I can’t believe they paid for that floor. The colors they painted the walls are extremely vibrant, I for one don’t think that I could chill in Ted’s lime green office.

Are you curious to see what I’m talking about, check it out here in Episode 3 of RockStartUp.

If you feel that you’re missing vital details, you can go to RockStartUp and see the previous episodes as well as interviews with the employees.

This post sponsered by RockStartUp

I don’t go to church often and in the past 5 years or so that’s the way that it’s been.  But I’ve always gone back to my home church for Christmas Eve service.  But this year there is no Christmas Eve service.  There’s either Christmas Eve eve service or christmas eve day service, but not christmas eve night service.

I got wind that it’s because the pastor can’t preach for 7 services in a day.  Ok, not a problem, go ahead and be the only christian church that isn’t having christmas eve service on christmas eve, you’ll seriously be like the only one in the entire world…because christmas is a big deal among all of the christians and there for christmas eve service is very important.  it’s almost sacreligious to not have a christmas eve service.

Never mind that we people who tithe, pay to have three preaching pastors on the staff…the main pastor doesn’t have to preach on christmas eve, I don’t think that any of us would complain about it, but we will have something to say about there not being any christmas eve service…there’s actually more than three pastors that can preach, i can think of one other that has preached before, i’m not sure he has a pastor title, but he was going to school and interning at our church…why with that information, are we not having a christmas eve service?

I was wondering, and now I’m not.  PayPerPost has a blog, and on that blog is a post about Anna-Marie and her triumph in the quest for a digital camera.  I must say that the road that her application took her on was very inventive and creative.  You can check it out here on her site where she asked HP for a Camera of her own, she even said please.  The competition is stiff, but I’ve got a thing or two up my sleeve.  My story is a masterpiece: A Blogger’s Quest For A Digital Camera. 

I went and saw this movie yesterday and I must say that it was completely amazing.  Definately one I’ll be owning when it makes it to DVD.

Can you imagine playing fetch with a T-Rex, giving fire to the cavemen, running from Attilla the Hun.  Seriously, what can be more cool than playing with history?

I think it would be great to be working at a museum that came to life at night.  Don’t get me wrong here, I’d likely get very scared at some of the situations that I’d be caught in, but it would be seriously cool.  Luckily we have film makers who can afford to let their imaginations run wild.

I begin my quest for a digital camera while surfing for opportunities at the local bloggers guild. It is here that a poster reads, “Wanted. Blogger. No Experience necessary. Write us a tale, the crazier the better. Reward of HP Digital Photography Gear to the successful applicant.” There’s actually to be 5 successful applicants and the battle began immediately.

I had to fight other vicious bloggers who were quick with their mouse just to get my hands on an application before the real journey could begin; I didn’t want to be left standing on the sidelines. The applications had a different route for each of us to take. The route we took was the route our imaginations wove (hence why each was different).

As I take the application I’m immediately and magically ported to a cave in a rocky outcropping. As I peer outside I see that I’m stuck in the cave until the blizzard passes. “Phew” I sigh. “I was lucky I landed in a cave and not outside.” I’m talking to no one, but in the event anyone’s around I’m talking to anyone who will listen. A few hours pass and the blizzard subsides. I poke me head out of the cave and look up to the sky and am immediately covered in an avalanche of words. I quickly back into the cave. I shake my head to clear it and wait for the rumbling to stop and then I start digging through the words. I take the ones that I think will weave creativity and soon enough my head pops up out of the snow. I finish digging myself out, stand on the rock that was previously the cave I was in. I look around to make sure it’s safe and decide that I can now continue on my quest.

I climb up the mountain and as I gain altitude I can see a road etched out of the icy snow banks. Soon enough the snow is completely gone and the icy road has become a road that winds through a very beautiful forest with trees so high you can’t see the sky. After some time wandering aimlessly through the woods I get stuck in a web of confusion. Everything has gone hazy and I don’t know which way I’m going. The ideas get stuck and won’t come to me. As I’m struggling to find something that will help me on my quest a spider comes out of no where.

I begin to shake “whaaaaaaattt dooooo yooooouuu waaaaant wiiiiith meeeee?” The spider stares, comes closer and begins to clip the lines that I got caught in. “You will travel far to get what you’re looking for, in the end, you’re looking for an Ogre named Ted. Your destiny is held by his decision. Whether you’re successful or not fully depends on him. Your journey won’t be done tonight because you don’t know when or where you’ll meet him, you can only speculate.” With that I’m cut free and the haze begins to clear and everything in my head begins flowing as it should. I’ve overcome another small obstacle and feel as though I’m closer to the end, despite what the spider told me. I forge ahead and am soon coming down the other side of the mountain.

I get as far down the mountain as I can before there’s no other way than a quick drop and a sudden stop. Not wanting to go down a completely vertical cliff, I walk on the edge for a while. Eventually, I stumble (quite literally stumble) across an opening that heads down into the mountain. Unfortunately for me it’s dark and short. I’m forced to my knees to crawl along. The ground is slimy, it’s quite disgusting. I crawl along for sometime. After a while it starts to get warm. After some more time, I’m able to stand up and walk. The tunnel goes from dark to bright, very bright and hot. When I get to where I can see what’s causing the brightness, I’m staring at a pit of lava. There’s an opening across the pit that seems to go to the outside (at least, as far as I can see). Unfortunately for me the ledge doesn’t go around the pit. It goes in either direction about half way around. There is however a rock floating across the pit. I jump on to it and just as soon as my foot hits the stone a huge flaming fire breathing creature pops his head out of the lava pit. I’ve got nothing to battle him with except the icicles hanging off of me from when I was on the mountain, and they’re not all that big anymore. I rip off the icicles from my elbows, aim at his eyes and throw them. As soon as they get near his eyes they melt but it was enough to extinguish the flame of his eyes. He can’t see me and now he’s wondering around aimlessly, howling, rubbing the pits where his eyes were, trying to reignite them. The stone moves slowly across the pit, not nearly fast enough, moment after moment I have to watch for the ledge of the other side as it gets closer while avoiding the swinging arms of the creature. Finally I get close enough to the ledge that I jump for it. Just as I do the creature grabs at the spot where a moment before I was standing. I almost lost my chance to see the ogre. There’s a sign just outside the cave and if I squint at it I can see that it reads “Ogre this way” and there’s an arrow that points the direction. I run as fast as I can for the outside. When I get outside I sit on a rock and rest a moment.

I fear what’s going to happen next, first an avalanche, then a giant spider, a fiery creature, what can I possibly come up against next? I look in the direction of the sign and notice that I have to cross a bridge before entering the mound in which I’m assuming The Ogre lives.. Immediately my thoughts turn to a troll. Everyone knows that trolls live under bridges. I’ve got no choice but to move forward, I can’t go back to whence I came from because I don’t have magic to get me back to the guild. I’ve got no choice but to go find Ted the Ogre. My trek across the bridge was uneventful thankfully. On the other side is a mound with a stone structure in front of it and in front of that is an Ogre, Ted the Ogre. “That’s got to be his place, a mound, ogres live in mounds, and it’s near the mountain with the lava, they like heat. It’s got to be Ted’s home and that must be Ted standing in front of it.”

I cautiously approach Ted, not knowing how he’s going to react to a mere human showing up on his territory. I hear the thundering of his voice “What fair maiden has stumbled upon my home?” I approach the Ogre. “It’s me Ted, Blogger Court. I’m here on the quest for a digital camera, I was told that my fate resides in your opinion.” He takes me into his home. Sits me on the table and asks to hear my story…

After I tell him all about my journey to come see him, he asks me “And why, Blogger Court, do you want a new HP camera and printer?”

Well Ted, it’s simple. I’d like to be able photograph my journey’s without having to worry about if I can or can’t take the family digital camera while I’m out on my adventures. Currently I have to war with the King and Queen to see who get’s the camera while they’re out riding the countryside. I’d like to be able to leave the house with my own camera and use it in whatever manner I please.

Check back soon to see the fate of Blogger Court and whether or not Ogre Ted decapitates and eats her or gives her the digital camera and sends her back to the guild.

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Read the final chapter in Blogger Court’s Quest for a Digital Camera: Blogger Court’s Fate Is Held By Ogre Ted’s Decision
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This story is brought to you by HP.