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    Monday
    01Mar2010

    To the one I love, and anyone who shares the feeling.

    DateMonday, March 1, 2010 at 6:36AM

    3/1/10
    An open note of apology

        In the past several years I have developed several homepages, (online presence) blogs, posts of many types, pictorials, posted video about my life, self happenings, and so on. I belong to several social networks, many of which I rarely log onto with any frequency or at all.  I have dedicated pages to certain points in my life, career growth, work or business/services I may do. I have thanked many. And have many more to thank that I have never mentioned.

    A key component missing to all of these places in which I reside, is the one person whom has truly made it all possible and the one I failed overall to ever mention in any true light. At this time  I highly question my deserving such a wonderful human being and beautiful woman in my life.
     
    My wonderful wife Tamara.  Tami has arguably been the true force and presence of most anything I have done positive in my life for almost 19 years now. My consistency in my work tenure, my homebase, and improvements as a, person, and sometimes culinarian, is all attributed to her patience with me as well, love, and constant support of me regardless of how difficult I have been on occasions too numerous to list.
    She only wants for me to be happy and demonstrates this unconditionally daily.

    Tami, became a part of my life when I probably needed it most.  I was "life changing" at the time, and had no one to share it with or to grow or learn from. She too was going through her own changes and we met at a good time for one another.
    After a couple of pretty good years as a couple, Tami ended up making bigger life changes in uplifting her career and homebase, and moving out to the midwest with me after a short separation, which jump started my career, and ultimately garnered her a new one.
    This has been the trend of our relationship for most of my life with her.  I take, and she gives. And keeps on giving. While I'd like to think I have accomplished some good things for us, and I have maybe helped others, I have always done a poor job of recognizing the most important person next to me.  Tamara. I cannot put into words the pain and frustration I have caused her for numerous mistakes I have made, and I know most woman would never had put up with my selfish and oftentimes totally thoughtless behavior.

    While we were out in the midwest,  I'd like to believe that one thing I was able to do,  was to help get her out of the world of ridiculous, soulless, life crushing hours of work in hotels and foodservice by making such a dramatic change. I do however, ultimately know this was to be of her own making.
    She did all of the leg work, took massive paycuts and humbling in both her status and position to achieve something that provided her ultimately with a lifestyle that I believe she wants, and helped her too to grow personally, and get in touch with herself and God. I am forever humbled by what she has achieved, personally and professionally since.  She made this happen. I just happen to provide a catalyst that helped make it possible.  Tami, through the years has watched me struggle with my career and lack of all things family focused. My career and what happens to it has been all consuming along with other personal "isms"  that are shared only between only her and I.
    My time spent on the internet and with computers in general, developing an online presence is one that I have enjoyed a great deal, however has come with it's own set of problems. The time I spend doing it. It has really been a huge time waste. And if I could say to anyone out there, start putting a stopwatch on your internet computer time. A lot of your life is blowing away looking at an LCD monitor. 
    This open apology is mainly meant to be for my wife, as well is a dedication of sorts, but also to any of you whom read this and have believed in me ever.

    The impression I have been giving is a false one, in many ways. My web presence makes me appear to be completely self sustaining, and without anyone in my life at all. That is both dishonest, and generally misleading on many other levels. For this, I apologize. I have gotten caught up in the selfish nature that is and can be the life, and speed of the internet. And in the process never thought to ever mention the one whom has at the very least made it all possible for me.

    I love Tami completely for everything, Tami is, and is not.
    I am ever so fortunate to have her in my life, and with any luck at all and possibly help from the man upstairs, it will continue to my dying days.  I love you Tami, and always will.  I hope that someday you can find it in your heart to forgive me for being such a selfish Jerk for so long!  I also look at this note as a very small token of a fresh start to us and what will be a much more disciplined, managed, and reasonable amount of time spent with internet use, and the greatest focus on my study, and appreciation of you whom are my family, my love, my life.
    Tamara, I want so much to grow old with you, and only you.


                                                                                                                                                    Kevin

    AuthorCookenstein | CommentPost a Comment |
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    Tuesday
    09Feb2010

    The Blizzards continue

    DateTuesday, February 9, 2010 at 11:35AM

    I have gotten phone calls from the north cursing me because they feel we should not get all of this snow cause we don't know how to handle it. On some fronts I would agree. This has been more snow than in any year in memory. It started small back in early December with a 4-6 inch dusting, and on the 19th we had one that topped 24 inches.

    That one was by far more than I'd seen in as my many years living in Bowie. That would be 12+ years at this  point. Then January brought several inches more up until this past weekend on the 5th of February which brought more than 30 inches. And now today we are told that another foot or more is expected before the end of the day tomorrow. Digging out of this past weeks snow was the hardest. the snow was heavy, wet and generally icy in less than 24 hours. Thankfully I dug out my driveway the day the snow ended on the  6th.  Some of our neighbors however were not as lucky and needed extra help after a day most of the snow had turned to ise, with temps hovering right at 30 for the most part as well for the remainder of the week.

    The evenings are in the teens and 20's guaranteeing that this snow will be hanging around for weeks to come. So, I am bracing for another storm, and fingers crossed, we will still have power when it's all done. That was my last part of this comment. Many folks lost power this past week, and normally we are in that group. In fact it used to take a far cry less than this to blow out power in our neighborhood, sometimes for days. So, again a little thanks to BGnE for trimming trees this past year and fingers crossed that we get through this one, in hopes that it is the last big one of the year.

    Even though the worst weeks of the year for snow are the ones we are in right now through the 1st or 2nd week of March. Average snowfalls for us have been around 12-18 inches annually. We pummelled that number December 19th, 2009.    

    AuthorCookenstein | CommentPost a Comment |
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    Monday
    01Feb2010

    The Ipad to come

    DateMonday, February 1, 2010 at 3:15PM

    Anyone who knows me, knows, I am a gadget freak. Add to that an Apple fan boy since 2005. I am objective though, and know that not all Apple makes is gold.  With that, I watched the Ipad unveiling last week and Steve Job's speech and how he demo'ed it sitting in an easy chair.

    In the past several years, software delivery more and more is comng via the internet. The days of the DVD/CD system of installing anything is both longwinded and ripe with issues, and configuration problems. Ushering in the App store was the Iphone/Ipod, and in seeing how many other companies are quickly jumping on this bandwagon, it would apear like the days of big box, software on disks is nearing it's end.  Now, and app, is a simple click and load process often times, taking no more than 25 seconds and a dollar or two, or free from your wallet. How simple can it get?? That's the point!!

    Software installation has historically been a somewhat cumbersome and oftentimes angst ridden process which can leave a users system, pc, Mac, or even mobile phone, totally hosed. Apps and stores designed to circumvent this process are coming along fast and quite successfully, and the upfront cost looks cheap, when you think of an app at a $1.00 being cheap right?  The average Ipod touch, or Iphone user though, downloads several dozen apps a year at an average spending more than $60, and that number is nothing to sneeze at when you consider how young this medium is.

    The Ipad is about to turn this number on it's head, and I believe by the end of 2012, we will see no more software via disk, and most everything will be widget driven.  Simple is what makes the Ipda so awesome!! The naysayers that complain of all that it is missing, totally miss the point.  Doing it all is what hampers so many pc's today. And even Macs to a degree. (See I'm fair!!) The Ipad will certainly do more in future iterations, but like the Ipod and Iphone before it, you start small, "STABLE", and then grow it bit by bit. 

    This way of computing will finally make the average computer users life become much more simple, and straight to the point damn easier. Learning how to use a PC or Mac for the first time can be daunting, especially for Seniors.

    But learning how to use and Ipod touch is simple and straight forward, very little curve, and bonus!! Apple already has 70million+ Ipod touch, and Iphone users out there trained. Are we all walking blindly into the the bright beam of light?? I am.

    AuthorCookenstein | CommentPost a Comment |
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    Tuesday
    19Jan2010

    Customers, Business and Competition

    DateTuesday, January 19, 2010 at 9:05PM

    They say competition is a good thing. It breeds growth, expands the ways companies grow, and at the end of the day the customer benefits right ?  I'm not so sure. in an effort to combat Verizon, At&t recently cut it's prices this past Monday.  On the front it would appear to be a good thing for At&t's customers, of which I am one of.

    I say it's Horse *&^%$!  these businesses are driven for one thing only, Growth, and Greed. Charge the customer as much as you possibly can legally get away with, and in the case of this business, charge them when they leave you too!!! What other business do you know of where they get away with this? the phone companies have been raking custoomers over the coals for years, and I am glad to see more competition getting in. I think Google entering the market the way they did with the Nexus one is a welcome change and is making the phone companies stand up and take notice.  We are starting to have fair choice again.  While there is a way to go here, it is at least a start.  In the meantime, we are still paying unheard of sums of money simply for the privelege of having a phone (NOT USAGE MIND YOU!! THE PRIVELEGE!!) Oh sure the phone companies subsisize the cost of these phones, and in thet 2 years they lock you in, pay for that phone a half a dozen times or more over.

    Google, charges what it can bear for the Nexus one. The phone companies charge as much as humanly possible for all their phones, crap or not. What ever happened to earning long term customer loyalty?? This is why people switched so frequently and still do. Even if they have to pay those penalties which I simply call "THEFT" to do so. Why?? Because the businesses have absolutely zero loyalty to you and I.

     

    the shareholders are all that matters here. More proofits every year, there is never enough, and the bar is always higher and for more. This is american capitalism at it's finest. Greed. Short term, take as much money as you can from everyone now, cause they will leave you tomorrow. that's the business model short n sweet. What a great country we live in huh? Is anyone surprised at the Bernie Madoffs of this country? Not I.

     

     

    AuthorCookenstein | CommentPost a Comment |
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    Wednesday
    13Jan2010

    My travels and taking time

    DateWednesday, January 13, 2010 at 10:11PM

    Time to smell the roses. A comment that has been used so many times, and yet I never really gave it much thought. This past year I logged well over 40 thousand road miles. While this does not even come close to the airline travel I was logging in past years, it certainly is as much time spent.

    In these drives I get alot of audiobook reading in, as well as podcasts. mainly technology based. I am learning all the time. Currently I am reading/listening to "Super Freakonomics"  a book I had downloaded from Audible.com I am a gold member with them and it has been a lifesaver. I find I consume more books now than at any time in my life thanks to this excellent service.  I do more frequently take time to stop and take picture now. I was recently in Halifax VA. I was actually off the beaten path back to a work location and got a neat picture that seemed to take me back to my childhood for a moment.

     

    It was next to some railroad tracks and it was just an image that for a moment reminded me of Appalachia VA when I was a little kid. The building just looked like something out of the very early 1900's, and the area surrounding it did too. I'm seeing alot of this these days and frankly I like it. I just need to take more time to capture it, and think about it.  We all have very little time on this place. And much of what I do involves driving and downtime. I am making much better use of that time these days.

    AuthorCookenstein | Comment2 Comments |
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