Never Underestimate Radical Vision

I really love reading now. I don’t know when this changed but I really enjoy reading fiction. I would rather read then watch TV and often do. While Isaac is watching his cartoons and Jennifer is watching her reality (yeah right) shows, I am devouring the latest fiction (right now Star Wars but earlier this year it was Forgotten Realms). I started reading fiction last year when I had enough of reading technical books that were like 1000 pages long and provided me only about 100 pages worth of new, usable content. I was burned out and Revenge of the Sith was going to hit the big screen, so I picked up Cloak of Deception by James Lucendo and I was hooked. It was a great story and continued the Star Wars universe further than the movies that I loved as a child. I read like 25 novels last year most of them in the Star Wars universe.

I have been recently itching to write a novel of some sort and I guess I really enjoy reading to get good ideas and plot devices. I used to really be into art in high school and have lately wanted to revive a bit of that creative talent. I am not sure I will be any good but I want to try. When I have anything ready I will let you guys critique it. It may not be what you are all into but I would like another set of eyes.

Anyway, I have added a feature to the right of the blog posts that shows what I am currently reading and listening to with a little blurb below it. You can track my progress every time you come to the site. Right now I am back into the Star Wars universe after finishing six books in the Forgotten Realms universe. So far this year I have read 10 novels. I hope to finish the New Jedi Order this year, as well as, the Drizzt series of books in the Forgotten Realms.

So I encourage everyone to put down the remote and pick up a book. Jump into a new world and lose yourself. It is a great ride. Oh, you do have time to read, yes you do, just drop something that you don’t need to do.

later.

While reading through the posts as they scrolled across my aggregator this one (Are you a Java Ninja?) caught my sight. This looks like a really good way to take simple tests to how current you are with the latest Java technology. I beats paying all the bucks to get Sun certified, which I am not convinced is anything more than a money pit. I am not saying these test will help you get any jobs but they could be a fun way to test your current Java knowledge. As you take the test you even earn different colors of belts. I will keep you informed on my progress. Ok Andrew the contest is on.

So the great Sammy Sosa is probably going to retire. Because of pride, he turned down the only contract he had been offered. I would have loved to see what he could have done this year to see if he truly was finished. All over sports talk radio they are talking about how he was one of the greatest power hitters in the game, one of the most beloved players in the game and how amazing it is that he lost his talent so quickly. They go on and on about how good he was, that he is a first ballet Hall of Famer and then he just fell off the table. What I have failed to hear are any comments on the fact that it may, just may, have to do with the recent steroid testing.

I am a big Mark McGwire fan. He has been beaten to death for what he does not want to talk about. Did he use steroids, did he not? We don’t know but most people think that he did and now they say he shouldn’t be in the Hall of Fame. Where is all this out cry for Sammy? In my mind he is no better than McGwire. I believe he used the juice. As soon as baseball started testing Sammy’s talent fell apart. I remember watching a game where he grabbed a hold of a fastball and did his little skip as if he just crushed a home run only to watch it fall pitifully to the center fielder ten feet before the wall. Without the juice he wasn’t strong enough to punch it over the wall. I remember when Sammy wasn’t that great of a hitter and just like Rafael Palmerio all of a sudden he started to become a power threat. Coincidence? I think not. We all thought that this was just these great players finding their prime but at least in Rafael’s case it was proven to be the juice. I have seen McGwire get flamed, why hasn’t Sammy taken any flak?

Do these players deserve to be in the Hall of Fame? I think so. It wasn’t against the rules of baseball at the time so it wasn’t technically cheating. Was it cheating on a moral level? I say yes and they will have to live with their tarnished images for the rest of their lives. Can steroids increase your chance to make contact with a ball? I don’t think so but it sure can make the ball go farther when you do.

I don’t want Sammy not to make the Hall of Fame. I really don’t want him to take a beating the way McGwire did. I just want us not to pretend Sammy is any more innocent, because he is not.

Here is a great quote from the current book I am reading, Sojourn:

“Those who aspire to less accomplish less. There can be no doubt. It is better, I think, to grab at the stars than to sit flustered becuase you know you cannot reach them. At least he who reaches will get a good stretch, a good view, and perhaps even a low-hanging apple for his effort!”

I recently purchased a couple of albums “Testify” by P.O.D. and “Eager Seas” by Watashi Wa. I give you a couple of thoughts on each and encourage you to give each a spin in iTunes.

“Testify” by P.O.D. – this is a good album. Fans of P.O.D. will not be disappointed. It has all the basic elements of a P.O.D. album with a little old-school thrown in for good measure. They seem to add more sprinkles of rap and reggae on this album. You have a little old-school rapcore P.O.D. mixed with the P.O.D. of the “Satellite” album. While this is no major musical jump for the band, like “Satellite”, it is a great album for fans of good, hard rock. I think Sonny’s vocals are really interesting in this mix. I would love for them to make another breakthrough as they did with “Satellite”, which may not be possible as it is one of those rare albums I would mark as perfect, but this album will be spinning in the car and on the iPod for days to come.

“Eager Seas” by Watashi Wa – this is a darn smoking album. The more I listen to it, the more I fall in love with it. The sound is just a great mix of brit-pop, alt tock and dream pop rolled up in a scrumptious little morsel to fully enjoy. The vocals on this album are just beautiful. You move from songs that have a brit-pop, Coldplayish feel to straight up alt rock goodness to some Blues Brother’s meets Starflyer 59 (then throw in a little Keane). This is the type of album I am just into in my advancing youth I will have to dig into the lyrics more to see if there is any more substance to the music but on just the musical front I can listen to this album over and over. I would say that so far I am into it as much as The Killer’s “Hot Fuss”, although they sound nothing a like. Give it a spin on the iTunes Music Store and let me know what you think. Don’t expect Radiohead type forward-thinking, challenging music; expect simple song construction executed to perfection.

That’s it for now….peace!

This is the national release month for Vault (Coca-cola’s re-release of a Surge-like soda). Go out and grab a bottle and enjoy! For those in Joplin, Vault will not be released till the end of Feb. If you try a bottle let me know what you think. It will be good for staying up on those late nights.

Learn about Vault at http://www.drinkvault.com

Learn about Surge at http://www.savesurge.org

Hugh is just a funny, funny man. Check out other drawings at http://www.gapingvoid.com.

I saw this survey on my cousin’s blog and found it a great read. I always like to find out more about a person. So now you get to find out more about me (not that you care). Although this might give you a chance to see what in the world makes me tick and what I am all about.

Body

• What is your name?: Travis Chase
• Are you named after anyone?: Well my middle name is a family name but I don’t care for it
• What’s your scree name?: supercodepoet
• Would you name a child of yours after you?: no, I prefer the name we picked
• If you were born a member of the opposite sex what would your name be?: probably Karisa or Lesley
• If you could switch names with a friend who would it be?: Ryan, only if we could also switch bank accounts
• Are there any mispronunciations/typos that ppl do w/ your name constantly?: nope, it is pretty standard
• Would you drop your last name if you became famous?: never, it is part of my identity and that is what would have made me famous

Basics

• Your gender: Male
• Straight/Gay/Bi: Straight, baby – me likes the ladies!
• Single: Nope, been married for 8 years this May.
• If not, do you want to be?: only when we fight
• Birthdate: 4/10/77
• Your age: 28
• Age you act: 12
• Age you wish you were: I like were I am at
• Your height: 6′4″
• Eye color: Blue
• Happy with it?: Never had a complaint
• Hair color: In summer, dirty blond – In winter, brown (although I am losing most of it)
• Happy with it?: If it would stay, sure
• Lefty/righty/ambidextrous: Bats right, throws right
• Your living arrangement: Own a house in a Carl Junction suburb, Briarbrook
• Your family: My immediate family would be my wife Jennifer, my son Isaac and the unknown Chase currently cultivated in Jennifer’s womb. I have a brother Trevor and a sister Lesley who were born to parent Terry and Jan (although I was the only planned child – go me)
• Have any pets?: Had a dog andthe little fir ball from helldecided to scratch a hole in my wall so he went to live with the other animals at the Joplin Humane Society
• Whats your job?: Software Architect/Developer/Project Manager
• Piercings?: nope
• Tattoos?: nope
• Obsessions?: computers, reading books, podcasts, Fireflyand coffee
• Addictions?: I am a soda pop aholic and darn proud of it. Long live Surge! Bring on Vault!
• Do you speak another language?: does pig latin count?
• Have a favorite quote?: I have way to many to count. I am a movie quote buff and have many in my tool belt. Here is a recent one that I just love, “So this is how liberty dies – with thunderous applause”
• Do you have a webpage?: This blog <selfish-plug> http://www.supercodepoet.com </selfish-plug>

Deep Thoughts About Life and You in it

• Do you live in the moment?: well since humanity hasn’t figured out how to live in the future or the past I guess you have to by default
• Do you consider yourself tolerant of others?: unless they are stupid, sure
• Do you have any secrets?: a lot of secrets, don’t you wish you knew them
• Do you hate yourself?: nope
• Do you like your handwriting?: it is pretty good for a male. I love my Dad’s handwriting
• Do you have any bad habits?: is over-eating bad habit?
• What is the compliment you get from most people?: laughter
• If a movie was made about your life, what would it be called?: finding peace as a fat man in a skinny man’s world
• What’s your biggest fear?: watching my child die before me
• Do you ever pretend to be someone else just to look cool?: if acting out a movie scene counts, then sure, otherwise I just have to be me
• Are you a loner?: no, but I am who I am with no apologies
• What is your ..1 priority in life?: to please my Creator, yet I am not very good at it
• If you were another person, would you be friends with you?: probably not, I can be really annoying
• Are you a daredevil?: no, I fear punishment
• Is there anything you fear or hate about yourself?: I tend to hate my laziness but then again I am too lazy to change it, such a vicious circle
• Are you passive or aggressive?: pretty aggressive/passionate about things I am interested in otherwise the laziness factor kicks in
• Do you have a journal?: that kinda is the purpose of a blog
• What is your greatest strength and weakness?: My greatest strength would two fold: I don’t really get stressed and I love myself. My greatest weakness would be the aforementioned laziness
• If you could change one thing about yourself, what would it be?: Being lazy
• Do you think you are emotionally strong?: yep
• Is there anything you regret doing/not doing in life?: I regret not playing sports in high school
• Do you think life has been good so far?: I have been blessed beyond what I deserve
• What is the most important lesson you’ve learned from life?: People are different and I am a judge of no man
• What do you like the most about your body?: I like my height
• And least?: I can’t grow a beard no matter how hard I try, that pretty much ticks me off
• Do you think you are good looking?: not really
• Are you confident?:very, most people would classify me as over-confident. I just think it is because I am ok with me and most people are not ok with themselves and perceive me as arrogant
• What is the fictional character you are most like?: Drizzt Do’Urden – The constant struggle with your heritage vs. what you could become and being ok with the now
• Are you perceived wrongly?: I think so. I think most people take me way too seriously

Do You…

• Smoke?:only the occasional cigar
• Do drugs?: if you mean addictive substances, then sure, me loves me coffee
• Read the newspaper?: no I hate the media
• Pray?: not as much as I should even though I believe it can change the world (such a hypocrite)
• Go to church?: it is like my second home
• Talk to strangers who IM you?: no
• Sleep with stuffed animals?: no
• Take walks in the rain?: no, hate the way the rain feels on my bald head
• Talk to people even though you hate them?: only by force of law
• Drive?: all the time – I tend to have a touch of road rage
• Like to drive fast?: Not really, but I like to get to were I am going within the speed limits not slower

Would or Have You Ever

• Liked your voice?: when I am singing on pitch
• Hurt yourself?: only playing hockey
• Been out of the country?: yes on my honeymoon
• Eaten something that made other people sick?: peas and corn mix drowned in bbq sauce
• Been in love?: you better believe it
• Done drugs?: illegal, no
• Gone skinny dipping?: yes, but I won’t tell you when
• Had a medical emergency?: yeah but I turned out not to be serious (guess I need to diet)
• Had surgery?: no
• Ran away from home?: no – I had great parents
• Played strip poker?: no – I would like to try strip Texas Hold’em
• Gotten beaten up?: no – I am a pretty big guy and most people don’t try anything
• Beaten someone up?: been in only one fight and I won
• Been picked on?: being fat it comes with the territory
• Been on stage?: yeah, just recently, was really nervous
• Slept outdoors?: I love to go camping so you better believe it
• Thought about suicide?: nope, I love me
• Pulled an all nighter?: nope, Never needed to study.I have a good memory for that sort of thing
• If yes, what is your record?:
• Gone one day without food?: no – that might just kill me
• Talked on the phone all night?: no – I hate talking on the phone, I love to talk in person
• Slept together with the opposite sex w/o actually having sex?: yes
• Slept all day?: no
• Killed someone?:no – just in my mind, road rage ya know
• Made out with a stranger?: no
• Had sex with a stranger?: no
• Thought you’re going crazy?: you mean I’m not
• Kissed the same sex?: only my father and my son.
• Done anything sexual with the same sex?: No way! As I have said before, me loves the ladies (everything about them)!
• Been betrayed?: yeah – have had a hard time still forgiving those people
• Had a dream that came true?: everyday of my life – God blesses
• Broken the law?: only some minor ones
• Met a famous person?: once I met “Green Bar” Bill
• Have you ever killed an animal by accident?: yeah – with a car
• On purpose?: no
• Told a secret you swore you wouldn’t tell?: now if I told you that would anyone tell me any more secrets?
• Stolen anything?: time
• Been on radio/tv?: once in a commercial when I was young
• Been in a mosh-pit?: oh yeah! Don’t forget stage diving! I loved The Wherehouse!
• Had a nervous breakdown?: no
• Bungee jumped?: no – pretty much terrified of heights
• Had a dream that kept coming back?: yep and one day I will beable to fly

Beliefs

• Believe in life on other planets?: no
• Miracles?: they happen everyday, the trick is can you spot them
• Astrology?: no
• Magic?:only in the Forgotten Realms
• God?: absolutely
• Satan?: absolutely
• Santa?: nope
• Ghosts?: nope
• Luck?: if I had any
• Love at first sight?: yes – it worked for me
• Yin and yang (that good cant exist w/o bad)?: I guess we will find out in Revelations
• Witches?: no
• Easter bunny?: bunny no, Easter yes
• Believe its possible to remain faithful forever?: yes and what lesson it has been to me to watch
• Believe theres a pot of gold at the end of a rainbow?: no gold but I believe there is a promise
• Do you wish on stars?: no

Deep Theological Questions

• Do you believe in the traditional view of Heaven and Hell?: depends on your definition of traditional but I believe in Heaven and Hell
• Do you think God has a gender?: no
• Do you believe in organized religion?:I believe in a personal relationship that enables you to serve in an organized manner
• Where do you think we go when we die?: To be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord

Friends

• Do you have any gay/lesbian friends?: no, but I worry about a few
• Who is your best friend?: have too many to name – I really am blessed with many who I could call a best friend
• Who’s the one person that knows most about you?:I don’t think any one of my friends totally understands me as a whole but the closet would be Jennifer, Ryan, Jake and David. Those people have been my friends the longest.
• What’s the best advice that anyone has ever given to you?: don’ take any one man’ s theology as your own, go look it up and develop it yourself
• Your favourite inside joke?: right now it would have to be Beeker
• Thing you’re picked on most about?: my weight
• Who’s your longest known friend?: my brother, Trevor. Other than family a tie between Ryan, David and Jake
• Newest?: Jay Hendren
• Shyest?: Chris Dunaway
• Funniest?: Kent McConnell, Adam Taylor, Guy Wilkins,Bill Strossand Nathan Ketchum
• Sweetest?: my wife – no one is sweeter than she
• Closest?: my wife
• Weirdest?: David Gandy, yet we are a lot alike so that makes me weird – or maybe Ed Emanuel
• Smartest?: Ryan Pierce, David Gandy and my uncle Curtis
• Ditziest?: my sister
• Last person you talked to online?: Adam
• Who do you talk to most online?: I really don’t talk online
• Who are you on the phone with most?: David
• Who do you trust most?: Any of my friends I would trust with my life
• Who listens to your problems?: Man, I think most of them have at one point or another. Like I said I have great friends. I am talking true, honest-to-God genuine friends. I am unworthy of being blessed so well
• Who do you fight most with?: my wife – when I was younger, Ryan
• Who’s the nicest?: Jason Lundien – hands down. He is the nicest, most caring man I have ever met. There is nothing he would not do for me and I would do the same for him.
• Who’s the most outgoing?: Jake “The Snake” Pollard
• Who’s the best singer?: Jake “The Snake” Pollard
• Who’s on your crap-list?: only a few people and none that I would call friend
• Have you ever thought of having sex with a friend?: sure, my wife and let me tell you, it is good
• Who’s your second family?: my in-laws
• Do you always feel understood?: hardly ever
• Who’s the loudest friend?: By far, David Gandy
• Do you trust others easily?: when I get to know them
• Who’s house were you last at?: Jay Hendren’s
• Name one person who’s arms you feel safe in?: my wife
• Do your friends know you?: each of them knows a piece of me. The only person on this planet that really knows me is me. I keep some things just for me.
• Friend that lives farthest away?: Ryan or David – not sure which one has the most miles

Love and All That

• Do you consider love a mistake?: no, love the very center of our being
• What do you find romantic?: compromise
• Turn-on?: seductive eyes
• Turn-off?: nagging and a total inability toadmit you are wrong when logic dictates otherwise, also, too much emotionalism
• First kiss?: was great for me
• If someoneyou had no interest in had interest in datingyou how wouldyou feel?: I would feel honored
• Do you prefer knowing someone before dating them or going out?: yeah, it helps
• Haveyou ever wished it was more socially acceptablefor a girlto ask a guy out?: sure
• Have you ever been romantically attracted to someone physically unattractive?: not quite sure that is possible. If you are romantically attracted then the physical nature becomes irrelevant
• Do you think the opposite sex finds you good looking?: no
• What is best about the opposite sex?: just about everything. I love the… {this is were the post gets censored} I will say the Bible does talk about letting your wife’s breasts satisfy you forever, man I love the Bible
• What is the worst thing about the opposite sex?: the lack of logic and too much emotion
• What’s the last present someone gave you?: a child
• Are you in love?: yes and growing in it every year
• Do you consider your significant other hot?: ooooohhhh yeah. Have you seen her? She has the best {again censored}

Who Was the Last Person…

• That haunted you?: nobody
• You wanted to kill?: not even going there
• That you laughed at?: Kent
• That laughed at you?: Ed
• That turned you on?: Jennifer
• You went shopping with?: Jennifer
• That broke your heart?: Jennifer
• To disappoint you?: Isaac
• To ask you out?: Jennifer
• To make you cry?: Isaac
• To brighten up your day?: Isaac – I love my son
• That you thought about?: Jennifer and Isaac – I love my family
• You saw a movie with?: Isaac
• You talked to on the phone?: Jennifer
• You talked to through IM/ICQ?: Adam – long ago
• You saw?: Chris
• You lost?: Jerry Smith

Right This Moment…

• Are you going out?: we might take a field trip to Best Buy for lunch
• Will it be with your significant other?: nope
• Or some random person?: nope
• What are you wearing right now?: standard business attire, slacks and polo
• Body part you’re touching right now?: not into that, ask Kent
• What are you worried about right now?: if there will be a second Firefly move
• What book are you reading?: Sojourn by R.A. Salvatore
• What’s on your mouse pad?: don’t need one – love the optical mouse
• Use 5 words to describe how you’re feeling?: content, peaceful, blessed, tired, happy
• Are you bored?: not really
• Are you tired?: yeah, I need to exercise more
• Are you talking to anyone online?: no
• Are you talking to anyone on the phone?: no
• Are you lonely or content at the moment?: content
• Are you listening to music?: listening to Off the Hook podcast

Well there is a snapshot of me. What do you think? Now it is your turn!