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Question: How many blog posts do you write per day on average?

My Answer: I missed my blog's anniversary on December 10. Woops! I have over 1300 entries. That works out to an average of about 3.5/day. Some days I had ten, other days I had one. Today and tomorrow I think I'll just have one.

You are encouraged to answer the Question of the Day for yourself in the comments or on your blog.

Two days before Christmas and most all of my holiday shopping is done. I completed my Secret Santa purchase today (not a secret anymore!) and dropped by work to say hi (and to pick up some fudge-like Bourbon Balls). I visited Electronics Boutique and grabbed a copy of RC Stunt Copter and the more-than-lame RC Helicopter.

José is coming over later, and I'm cleaning up a bit. The real cleaning will be done on Thursday, however - my parents arrive on Saturday for five days or so. Hopefully two of those days will be spent fishing.

I dropped by a local hobby shop - G & C Hobbies - and picked up some fuel. They seem to be awfully big into model kits (boats, cars, etc.) and not as big into helicopters. They had some planes on the walls and ceiling, and a dirt track outside. I'll talk with them soon and see if they have any recommendations.

Oh, and RC Stunt Copter? Tough! I can't imagine how the real thing is going to be. And there's not even really any wind in the game from what I can tell. At least in real life I'll have the actual advantage of 3D instead of simulated 3D-on-2D (my TV screen). Hrmph.

I have a very strong urge to pick up an R/C boat right now. Thank goodness G & C didn't have any decent looking ones.

Question: Has the meaning of Christmas been distorted?

My Answer: Yeah. Most Christians I know barely know why we celebrate Christmas. It's a commercial holiday, now. Religion? What's that got to do with it? 😛

You are encouraged to answer the Question of the Day for yourself in the comments or on your blog.

Not one to wait, I jumped in and ordered my Raptor 30 v2 today. Here's the damage:

Raptor 30 v2 (49 Ball Bearings) Kit
  w/ OS.32 SX-H Motor and Muffler       $399.99
ProPod Training Gear                      59.99
Sportsman Flight Set                     299.99
Crash Kit                                 59.99
Futaba 9C PCM Radio w/servos             519.99
Futaba 401 Gyro Kit  w/servo             189.99
KSG Balance Kit                           42.99
$80 Goodie Bag                             FREE
Shipping                                   FREE
-----------------------------------------------
Total (will arrive end of next week)   $1572.93

I've yet to pick up Morgan's Cool Power 15% Nitro fuel. I'll have to do that sometime soon. Maybe. First thing is first, though: gotta get my copy of Ray's Authoritative Helicopter Manual. Maybe I'll even find a club nearby.

Question: Have you ever owned a remote control toy/thing?

My Answer: I had a remote controlled car as a kid. It ran on a battery and was good for about 30 minutes of fun before it'd just dog out. It went straight, backwards, and it turned. And that was about it. Still, it was one of my favorite Christmas presents. I wonder if my parents know that…

You are encouraged to answer the Question of the Day for yourself in the comments or on your blog.

I've upgraded to MovableType 2.6.5. Where is the Pro version again? Did I miss that press release? Hellooooooooo? I guess a Christmas present it is not.

Question: On what day of the year do you typically complete your major Christmas shopping?

My Answer: By "major" I don't mean a stray card or stocking stuffer. I complete my Christmas shopping by December 10 every year. A late "Secret Santa" thing this year has me in a bind, but I'll come up with something.

You are encouraged to answer the Question of the Day for yourself in the comments or on your blog.

Question: How many DVDs do you own?

My Answer: I don't know, let's find out. Seems I have around 183 (+18 or so Bond flicks I've yet to add to the list).

You are encouraged to answer the Question of the Day for yourself in the comments or on your blog.

I'm looking for some information on remote control helicopters (specifically a military style one - sleek and fast and "tough" looking while still somewhat maneuverable). I want a good one (if I get one), but none of the hobby shops around my area seem to carry any in the store. As this would be my first RC adventure, I'd like see the equipment before I buy it, but I'd be satisfied by reading a bunch of reviews online.

Where should I shop? What sites are good for this sort of thing? Does anyone have any recommendations I may have missed?

P.S. Gas-powered, please. I don't think I want to bother with electric.

Question: Do you text message?

My Answer: Occasionally. I used to, when I was dating or friends with one person, send and receive about ten or twenty a day. Now I'm down to one or two a day. And, fwiw, I'd never send any of these text messages.

You are encouraged to answer the Question of the Day for yourself in the comments or on your blog.

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Nice tip from Mac OS X Hints. You can get their RSS feed here: http://www.macosxhints.com/backend/geeklog.rdf .

Question: If you could pick the top three people for the eighth season of Survivor (the All-Star edition), who would you choose?

My Answer: Jon let slip "maybe during All-Stars, my grandma will die" during the reunion show. Does that mean he's on the All-Star edition? I hope not yet I hope so as well. His voice, his antics - they annoyed the hell out of me. I hope not to see him because I don't want to listen to or see him, and I hope I do see him so that he can get his ass handed to him pretty hard.

My three choices: Richard Hatch has to be on there simply because he started it all. I'd really like to see Rupert on the show again. Finally, I'd like to see Rob again - the master planner that lost only because he lost the final challenge. Beyond that, hell, what about an "All-Playboy" edition? Any Survivor who posed in Playboy is eligible! 🙂

You are encouraged to answer the Question of the Day for yourself in the comments or on your blog.

PeTA is hosting a little video on the cruel sport of fishing. Their QuickTime link doesn't work, but you can view the source and grab the rtsp://….mov link.

The usual bad filmmaking typical of PeTA videos applies here. When talking about fish lying on the bottom after being released by an angler, they show pictures of eels and flounder - fish that live on the bottom. They talk with only one "expert" and only one "reformed" angler. The shots they show of anglers handling fish are of some of the most inept anglers I've seen, and certainly the exception instead of the rule.

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Question: Sex before marriage?

My Answer: You bet. I think the idea of being a virgin at your wedding had to do with the "quality" of the goods (including the dowry). Weddings used to be a business transaction. While I rank several things higher than the physical on the intimacy scale (psychological, emotional, spiritual, etc.), physical intimacy is important for a successful relationship. I fail to understand how two intelligent people who have genuine feelings for one another are somehow saying "fuck you" to their deity of choice by providing each other (and themselves) a little pleasure, accenting the connection between them, and dirtying up the sheets a bit. Oh, I can wait a long time before being physically intimate - as I said there are several kinds of intimate that rank higher - but "until the wedding night?" Too long.

You are encouraged to answer the Question of the Day for yourself in the comments or on your blog.

Today was supposed to be the day that three green Tarpon 120 owners got together to show the world how to fish from a kayak, but alas, Mother Nature was having none of that! The area we had arranged to fish (it's a secret!) was forecast to have 15-20 MPH winds and a 40% chance of rain.

So, to Crane Creek (map) I went on Dustin's suggestion. I launched from a wonderful grass/sand launch ramp (capable of handling around four simultaneous yak launches) into the intercoastal, paddled north and then west through a harbor, and then headed further west up Crane Creek.

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