Been a while

Haven't posted anything here in a while, but was reminded today that there is a link from my twitter page to this blog and it might be worthwhile to put something here. So here I am. Not much happening right now, just working, thinking about the future and what I want to do. I have started playing around with making video games in my spare time, just learning the basics rite now, but if I come up with anything cool maybe Ill find a way to put it on here.

Ben Stein's thoughts

The following was written by Ben Stein and recited by him on CBS Sunday Morning Commentary. I agree with a lot of what he says here, not because I necessarily endorse any particular religious view, nor do I think he is endorsing one, but because with the casting aside of religion and parenting responsibility that has taken place in our society people really do need to take a hard look at themselves before pointing a finger. If you take no responsibility what right have you to expect it of anyone or anything else?

"My confession:

I am a Jew, and every single one of my ancestors was Jewish. And it does not bother me even a little bit when people call those beautiful lit up, bejeweled trees, Christmas trees. I don't feel threatened. I don't feel discriminated against. That's what they are, Christmas trees.

It doesn't bother me a bit when people say, 'Merry Christmas' to me. I don't think they are slighting me or getting ready to put me in a ghetto. In fact, I kind of like it. It shows that we are all brothers and sisters celebrating this happy time of year. It doesn't bother me at all that there is a manger scene on display at a key intersection near my beach house in Malibu . If people want a creche, it's just as fine with me as is the Menorah a few hundred yards away.

I don't like getting pushed around for being a Jew, and I don't think Christians like getting pushed around for being Christians. I think people who believe in God are sick and tired of getting pushed around, period. I have no idea where the concept came from, that America is an explicitly atheist country. I can't find it in the Constitution and I don't like it being shoved down my throat.

Or maybe I can put it another way: where did the idea come from that we should worship celebrities and we aren't allowed to worship God as we understand Him? I guess that's a sign that I'm getting old, too. But there are a lot of us who are wondering where these celebrities came from and where the America we knew went to.

In light of the many jokes we send to one another for a laugh, this is a little different: This is not intended to be a joke; it's not funny, it's intended to get you thinking.

Billy Graham's daughter was interviewed on the Early Show and Jane Clayson asked her 'How could God let something like this happen?' (regarding Hurricane Katrina)... Anne Graham gave an extremely profound and insightful response. She said, 'I believe God is deeply saddened by this, just as we are, but for years we've been telling God to get out of our schools, to get out of our government and to get out of our lives. And being the gentleman He is, I believe He has calmly backed out. How can we expect God to give us His blessing and His protection if we demand He leave us alone?'

In light of recent events... terrorists attack, school shootings, etc. I think it started when Madeleine Murray O'Hare (she was murdered, her body found a few years ago) complained she didn't want prayer in our schools, and we said OK. Then someone said you better not read the Bible in school. The Bible says thou shalt not kill; thou shalt not steal, and love your neighbor as yourself. And we said OK.

Then Dr. Benjamin Spock said we shouldn't spank our children when they misbehave, because their little personalities would be warped and we might damage their self-esteem (Dr. Spock's son committed suicide).. We said an expert should know what he's talking about. And we said okay.

Now we're asking ourselves why our children have no conscience, why they don't know right from wrong, and why it doesn't bother them to kill strangers, their classmates, and themselves..

Probably, if we think about it long and hard enough, we can figure it out. I think it has a great deal to do with 'WE REAP WHAT WE SOW.'

Funny how simple it is for people to trash God and then wonder why the world's going to hell. Funny how we believe what the newspapers say, but question what the Bible says. Funny how you can send 'jokes' through e-mail and they spread like wildfire, but when you start sending messages regarding the Lord, people think twice about sharing. Funny how lewd, crude, vulgar and obscene articles pass freely through cyberspace, but public discussion of God is suppressed in the school and workplace.

Are you laughing yet?

Funny how when you forward this message, you will not send it to many on your address list because you're not sure what they believe, or what they will think of you for sending it.

Funny how we can be more worried about what other people think of us than what God thinks of us.

Pass it on if you think it has merit.

If not, then just discard it... no one will know you did. But, if you discard this thought process, don't sit back and complain about what bad shape the world is in.

My Best Regards, Honestly and respectfully,

Ben Stein"

Blah

I feel very blah, I don't know why. I think I'm just kind of done...

I just dont know

I don't know what to say... feeling very un-motivated at the moment. Been writing a lot for work I guess and this has left me brain dead... I will say this, I want to be a philosopher. Not like a philosopher in the form of a teacher or scholastic but in the form of someone who gets to sit and think, ponder the important stuff and then have people actually care about what I come up with. Anyone can sit and think really, its more the caring that is important. In that I do not come from a family of extreme wealth (aka I am going to have to have a job) I can not just sit around and think and have no one care about it, I would starve. I could try to live off my girlfriend but she has said in no uncertain terms that that simply will not fly. So now the question becomes how to get a world full of people who's mushy heads are filled with inane crap to fill those potato piles they call brains with MY inane crap? So far no answer to this question, perhaps this should be what I ponder. However this really seems to cheapen the whole basis of sitting and thinking... so on second that I shall not try to answer that question. Maybe it is one of those things that you can't find until you stop looking for it, or maybe you just have to be a shallow greedy fucko and not care about principles and just chase the dollar, who knows.

Name Change

Been a while sense my last post, I blame my limited contact with the outside world, I just don't get as steamed up as I did when I had to encounter other people all the time. This post is really only to announce a name change.

Hence forth Glossophilia Wines will be Type Set Wines. This change comes after concerns were raised and discussed between the founders and potential investors about the unwieldiness of the word Glossophilia. Speaking of unwieldy worlds unwieldy takes the cake... jeez!

Verizon store

What I learned at the Verizon store... they don't really know anything. I talked to two different reps who looked at my phone, one told me it wasn't working because their was a lot of dust under the keyboard and screen screwing up the connection, the other said it was because of water damage without even looking at anything but the battery and inside of the batter holding area. They both looked for a replacement phone for me, then figured out after finding one that I don't qualify for a replacement because I don't have insurance so I could either pay $54 to get a replacement or use an upgrade on the account and get the same phone but new for $20. They also don't know anything about phones, I asked him if the Storm was a better phone then the pearl and he said yes. Then I asked why and he struggled to produce a reason so I asked if it had better connectivity or something to which he said no and stumbled over his own words for a minute trying to tell me why I should get the storm, which was $200 instead of the $20 pearl. He also then recommended the $99 curve over the pearl and when asked why simply said because it was bigger and better but could do all the same things. So really its just bigger then the pearl, which I don't like, so I got another pearl. In an effort to take better care of this one I got a hard case for it and ordered some plastic skins that should help keep dust and moisture out of the phone. Long story short, people working at Verizon are more or less worthless in terms of the information they can provide you with.

GaryVee's Good people day!

If you don't know who GaryVee is I will start out with a brief explanation... he is a good person. He has a great energy and excitement about everything he does, he also hosts wine library TV, but that is not as important rite now. Most importantly he decided that too many people focus on the wrong things in this world and that we should take a day to focus on all the great people in this world, and that day is today. For this he gets a big shout out as a GOOD PERSON! Now down to business...

First good people I want to recognize is my high school friends I still see, it takes a lot of effort to stick together through college and its great to have you all around still, you help take me back to simpler times and ground me with who I am. Also you have all been so supportive of me as I try to start this winery, thank you for that, its nice to hear someone tell me I can do it every once in a while.

Secondly I want to recognize Joshua Baer as a good person. He has been open and giving of his time with me despite the fact that he has precious little time to give. He is the founder of OtherInBox and a super busy guy but responded to me on Facebook and has been helpful in trying to get my winery off the ground. People that are willing to share their time, knowledge, and experience with someone they just met are great in my book! THANK YOU!

Third, my parents. They are letting me stay at their house rent free and feed me while I look for jobs and start my business, they work really hard to provide for the family and while we have our disagreements I know they always just want what is best for me.

Fourth, my girlfriend. She is working really hard rite now at Law School, for which I really respect her and is doing a great job. She always gos out of her way to take care of everyone else and never demands anything in return, even when she has nothing to give she still tries. She is 110% available to her friends and family, sometimes to her own detriment.

Finally I want to thank the following wineries/wine makers for responding to my E-mails and giving me valuable advice and direction. Gus Janeway, Cameron Hughes, and others who have helped me along the way. So many people today are closed off and unwilling to share their experiences and knowledge with outsiders, thank you all for being open with me, its been a big help and evolving and changing my thinking about my business, please continue to share your knowledge with people who make the effort to reach out.

There are other people I am sure, I really think we need to tip our hats to the people who give what they can to people they owe nothing to, wether its through charities or just by being open to some kid looking for advice, thank you all, whoever and wherever you are!
-Barret