So I picked up this little gem… what… Saturday afternoon on a random trip to Worst Buy to help my Dad pick up a Blu-ray player (finally!) for his man cave.

Story wise… pick one of 4 people.. Hunter (Sniper), Soldier (Yup), Siren (Fast Femme Fatal) and the Brick (as himself…).  I went with the Hunter (Mordecai) whose talent gives him a pet “bloodwing” which is like this weird… hybrid hawk/bat.  Tell the good ‘ol blood wing to go attack a baddie and sure enough… he helps you take’em out.

The game’s slogan : “87 Bazzilion guns!” is about right.  The game is like a first person shooter… meets RPG… meets Mad Max… Sci-Fi.  The games look and feel is what is so amazing.  You are always a sense of immersion in the game that I haven’t had since Fallout 3.

Anyways– You level up your character and customize him/her to your liking adding a whole slew of new abilities and features.

The game is great and definitely give it a spin if you have a 360/PS3 or PC (as it was just released today).  Great game with a lot of fun to be had.

Borderlands gets a ***** out of ******

-A

I know my wife is going to kill me… considering this is the second desktop in 2 years I’ve built… but I guess I’m just a nerd about technology sometimes.

Anyways, specs below:

Custom painted Cool Master 690 Case
BFG ES-800Watt Power Supply (Power for SLi or Cross-fire)
Gigabyte X58-UD4P Motherboard | @BIOS F7 (does SLi or Cross-fire)
Intel Core i7 920 @ 3.8GHz 1.36vCore | TRUE 120-Extreme CPU Cooler
Corsair Dominator 3×1GB 8-8-8-24 @ 1600MHz

eVGA GTX 285 @ Stock speeds, but room to overclock

Onboard 7.1 sound

Western Digital Black 640GB 7200.11 (9% slower than their Raptor drives, but still very fast) | Seagate 750GB 7200.10 Secondary hard drive.
Windows 7 RC1

Scythe 4 port fan controller kit controlling 4 of the 5 fans I have in the case.  White LED fan in the front of the case.  Side vents as well.

Not selling any keyboards or mice with this.  If you want the LCD I have, I can throw that in for additional $150.

Total asking price for this… $1,450 as I spent a lot of time and money on this rig. (Well over $2,000 grand total for everything)

I’m willing to talk about payments as well (meaning splitting up payments maximum of 3 chunks) if you’re interested in this but can’t drop all the money at once.

This desktop for the average joe should last them a solid 5-7 years with really the only things needing to be upgraded would be memory and video card.

Obviously the reason I’m selling this is to get ducks in a row for Lebanon and this is one item I can see go since the Hockett’s have 2 computers as it stands now.  Anyways, I’m going to put this up on Craigslist here in the next couple of weeks, but I figured I’d give first dibs to my friends/family.

Any questions about it, feel free to email me.

-A

Gotta wonder when a mice won’t scroll if it has lived past it’s point of usefulness.  One can’t help but wonder what a life this mouse has lived.  The germs it has taken, the scrolling through countless hours of web pages, the clicking as you wait to laugh at the next youtube video.

No– I can’t say I know it’s like to be that mouse… especially one tied to my tiny netbook that has just stopped working.  Maybe it’s a sign of things yet to come on a machine that is only a couple of months old.  Maybe it’s working but I just can’t figure out why it’s not working for me.

Anyways— enough babbling about mice.  How are you guys doing?  yes, the few people that visit the blog on a inconsistent basis because I blog inconsistently (which I am trying to fix and/or cure….).

In the past 12 hours… I’ve heard or read the following things:

Fox News is not a credible news outlet

Swine flu (or H1N1 for everyone else) vaccine is in short supply

The economy is rebouding

The Dow is up above 10,000 points, the worst is over

Apparently “Monster” drinks have 9 spoon fulls of sugar per can

and finally… Jon and Kate + 8 is about to be no more.

Are those things good news?  Are they bad?  Do they offer any sort of hope or redemption?

If you answered “yes” to any one of those, you represent (like me) the average joe.  Someone who wants to see the good in things (especially Jon and Kate + 8 ending…) but I have to wonder (Stevie Wonder even…) what else is there?

God created us in his own image, yet we are a result of a broken trust… a broken relationship.  The more the bombs drop around us, the crazier it gets it seems and no one has stopped to ask…. “What the hell is going on?!?!?”

I was watching “I am Legend” this past weekend.  If you have the chance, read the short novella as it is 10x better than what was made into a movie.  Digressing a bit though… “Legend” deals with a real human facing desolation, isolation and being on the brink of a mental break down.  ‘Smiths’ character plays someone who tries to keep his cool… 3 years after a deadly plague has wiped out most of mankind.  Where am I going with this? —- I’m going to where the desolate and ravaged wander.  Where I’m getting this feeling that a lot of people are feeling this way.  Disconnected from a world that has passed them by or given up on them.  Either you’re with us… or you’re against us!! — is all we hear.  Where conversation is stifled and  joy is squashed.  Happiness isn’t a right… it’s a responsibility.

Maybe I’m off base… maybe I’m not one to question what people, cultures or governments are doing… but boy…. wouldn’t it be crazy is we remembered where we came from and sought to wrong the rights?  Love when bitterness kicks in… offer grace to those who just ran their car into yours…. keep your middle finger to yourself when someone cuts you off in traffic…

The reason I bring those up… is those are my struggles.  Those are my fights.  Those are the things I want to make an impact against.  Will I?  I know by myself— no way.  But by the grace that was given me…. I think I have pretty good odds.

-A

Yeah--- You ALL would love to do this sometimes... I know who you are....

Short blog – Today, social experiment.  Decided to drive the speed limit the entire way into work today.  Radical idea huh?  What’s amazing is my route takes me on various speed zones.  30 MPH up to 55 down to 25.  What did I experience?

Tell you what… I got the chance to be a spectator to something truly amazing.  Road Rage.  Road  rage in the sense that people out driving… either to work, drop the kids off, errands, whatever… THEY are more important than ME.  They let me know by not signaling, cutting me off, slamming on the brakes, honking and waving their *coughs* fingers at each other and other gestures I’m sure you know.  Various other “performance” cars of the Honda variety, Infiniti and BMW’s weaseled their way through traffic while giving them the distinct advantage of being AHEAD of everyone.

A couple of times, I literally laughed out loud to myself thinking: “Do I drive like this sometimes?” The answer was “Yes.”.

The total irony of this… is one of these “performance” based cars ended up in front of me off exit 58 off I-84 today after he came screaming down the I-5-405 interchanging.  Guess he wasn’t so fast after all huh?

So who knows… maybe you’ll do this tomorrow or later this week, but be aware of the people driving around you and how they’re driving.  Not only is it funny, but it’s a reminder to think about someone else before you.

-A

I wonder if we’re reaching a point in human civilization where being connected with either the latest social network, tweet or text message is be coming cliche… as cliche as Tom Cruise?  Possibly.

What’s interesting in the run up to us heading over the pond to the Middle East… I wonder what differences in culture, language and communication will change or how it will be enhanced?  As I’ve talked with people about Lebanon, this past summer made me realize just how connected they are becoming with their mobile devices (aka Cellphones) and mobile internet.  Text messaging is ramping up and everything in downtown Beirut screams “Westernized”.

So is it Blackberries, iPhones, Facebook or Twitter that we should be so consumed with being connected with?  At the end of the day, does electronic communication replace Alexander Bell’s phone call?  No.  Does an email replace a face to face conversation?  Hardly.  Does a blog deliver insight onto how a person thinks or feels about something?  Sure… but to a point.

Technology is an entry point of relationship…. but the minute we let it be the relationship, the more we miss out on.

-A

Yeah— so this image is what one might think of when you hear the two words “Jehovah’s Witness” and the material they give going door to door.

What’s funny— there is this gal who has been coming to my door maybe… for a year or more now… and she finally asked me to attend her church’s service.  I almost blurted out to her… “What took you so long to ask?”

This going hand in hand in how my life (along with Catherine’s) have been changing.  Talking about faith and doing it seem to be a struggle for a lot of the religions in the world today.

Anyways— long conversation short— I got a chance to talk to her about our new service @ Village this weekend.  Many of the topics she was bringing up (Yes— (to Catherine…) She brought up Daniel this morning….) were things that have been fresh in my mind for the past week or so.  Deja Vu? Or just perfect timing?

Maybe both or neither.

Either way— as people do go door to door talking about religion and as typically, we treat them as the same door to door Windows salesmen (I can’t stand them!!)— give them some time and talk about more than the books they’re holding, talk about what they believe, and what you believe.  Have a conversation with them.  I find as I do, the more I share, the more they listen and the more I listen the more open they are to dialogue between us.

That’s all.

-A

Yeah— so iDEAS.  Actually, backing up a bit….

Last Friday on September 4th, we we officially confirmed as new associates of iDEAS.  You might be wondering…. “Who is iDEAS?”  Well I’m glad you asked.  iDEAS is a non-profit agency that specifically focuses on sending Christian professionals out into the work field with the focus being on working directly with the people in the area.  The areas in which they focus on are the physical, intellectual, social and spiritual needs.

Let me take a second to relate why this is such a big with Catherine and I.  As some of you know (or if you don’t know…. welcome to the fold!) Catherine and I are going to be heading to Lebanon here in the next 12 months or so.  That said, we will be sent as representatives of iDEAS.  Why iDEAS stood out to us and why we think it so resonates with us is that it looks at the holistic picture a person.

Many people might think we’ve been slapped with the title of “missionary” now but I can tell you that is not the title best serving our roles.  Times in culture and times in the church are changing.  As the increase of “Non-religious affiliation” increases in the United States, where does that leave the church?  One could say it’s rediscovering itself again for the first time in a long time.  A renewal of faith, a renewal of community.  Instead of your faith or even your church being something on the weekend, it’s everyday… it’s holistic.  Not segmented or disjointed, but a complete part of who you are.

Catherine and I have been trying to live that way now for the past year and I must say, it is very challenging, difficult but so worth it.  So as we moved through that time, it became natural to look at an agency that reflected our same values.  iDEAS does; and quite honestly, as I type this sitting in the Denver airport, I know that this is what the rest of my life is going to be like… our lives really.  Throwing the pieces up in the air and knowing and praying that God’s plan for what comes down happens and that we’re in step with that.

Catherine’s passion has been wanting to work with children with special needs because of her younger brother Michael.  Michael is such a blessing to me and to the family because of who he is.  Turns out this last May, iDEAS had a job description (of which is still being added to because it is so specific to who Catherine is…. which… quite honestly is a God thing…) for a position in Beirut, working with special needs children.  Pretty amazing stuff.  Fast forward to our meeting with iDEAS this past week, and we have a more clear understanding that this is the route we are indeed going on and they 100% support us with it.

Myself— being the IT guy that I am—- I will be working along side of Catherine doing various computer projects at the community center as well as with other partners in the region.  When we were over in Lebanon this past summer, the need for skilled computer workers was so apparent, that if I were to stay in the middle east for the rest of my life, I would not run out of work to do.  Really, there is that much!!  So I get to use my passion to help teach people how to use computers as well as bolster computer infrastructures in businesses in Lebanon.

So what does that mean for everyone out there on the web reading this?  Well, it means that you can join us in being a partner both in spirit, prayer and financially as well.  We have a large amount of support to raise over the next 12 months and I’m sure we will be getting together with a large portion of everyone to tell you in person how exciting it is to see the next chapters of our lives coming into focus.

I hope everyone has a wonderful Labor Day and we look forward to catching up with everyone once we get home!

-A

Sure— might be the NBA slogan… but honestly, life, family and friends is where amazing truly happens.

I use that to describe my brother-in-law and of course all of my wonderful friends that we have.

Our Kitchen--- as we last remember it...

So here’s the picture that I choose to give you as an outline for what the kitchen used to look like.  Yeah, we used to have cabinets there, and quite frankly, I can’t jump enough for joy that they are in fact gone.

Catherine and I moved into our house in Cedar Hills in September of 2005.  It was an awesome experience because it was in the neighborhood that I grew up in as a kid.  I love the area because of how close we are to Hwy 26— Hwy 217 and close to a slew of things to do in Beaverton or Hillsboro.  Then there is the kitchen.  We have had a “V for Vendetta” against that damn kitchen for 4+ years now.  The story behind the remodel is one that I can’t help but share with everyone.

Some of you know that we’re in the process of getting ready to move to Lebanon here in the next couple of years…. with that… comes prepping the house for sale.  Having been laid off from my job back in November of which the company I won’t name…. we’re a little low of money.  Enter a season of change and a overwhelming desire to help us… Paul enters the scene.

So I get this call… no joke, about 6:32pm on the night before we fly over to Beirut…. It’s Paul.  So Paul says…. “Ummm yeah… so… I’m doing your kitchen….”  Me: “Huh?” Paul: “Yeah– don’t worry about it okay?”  Me: “…”

Seriously— what do say to that?  How do you take that in the night before you leave the country for a couple of weeks?

Our Hero and fearless project leader.

So fast forward now almost 6 weeks and we are at the cusp of getting a brand new kitchen.  I am literally in awe on the under taking.  Paul and our community group literally threw down the task by blood, sweat and… tears of joy?  Honestly, these are the stories that need to be told… of people being a blessing to others… it’s what life is supposed to be about.  Friendships have been formed that are beyond life long… beyond just the mundane, beyond ordinary.

What’s even more crazy is that once the kitchen is done— our good friends Ben and Amber are going to be moving in with us for a couple of months to ditch some debt and get a fresh start.

People ask us… “You guys crazy?” and our response is… “Debt sucks… so anything we can do to help those who have it.. we’ll do it.”  In this day and age… it might not be the norm… but being weird is actually kinda cool.

So what happens with the Hockett’s from here?  Well with the kitchen almost done…. pictures of course will ensue…. but I’d like to invite people over to experience the kitchen themselves.  Kitchen remodels are a funny thing…. I watch HGTV and sure you can spend $20k-$100k on a kitchen, but there is something that always seems to be missing from those kitchens;  Love.

Strange to say, but it’s what makes the kitchen feel like just another extension of how we can help or bless other people.

I love that we are running up to the edge and continuing to look over the life’s challenges and taking the jump.  I also love that blogging allows me (and us) to keep in touch with everyone.

So look for more on the kitchen… and more later.

-A

So— I know there’s some of you that read (or may not read) the blog and I need to get in the habit of updating things better. Well, you’re in luck. I’m going to be making a habit of posting 3 times a week now; Monday-Wednesday and Friday will be a “Week in Review” of which is a throw back to my HS days. Interesting tidbits around the web that you might have missed.

I will actually enjoy getting to write more which I just haven’t had time but I’m going to make time. First update on Wednesday will be the kitchen project that everyone wants to know about.

More later.
-A

What might be the last line in the sand when it comes to us giving over our rights and freedoms to the United States government— The people have spoken.  The media doesn’t get it…. CNN somehow is constantly reporting that ‘We the people’ are somehow misinformed about all of the bills or policies which are being talked about on Capitol Hill.  Is that really what the conversation is about?  Is it that we somehow are too stupid to understand that the people put in place by us, are somehow going to shove socialized health care or if you prefer the word “Health Care Reform” to us without any sort of fight?

I have family in the health industry and private insurance.  What I see unfolding is the single most direct attack at crushing the private health insurance industry.  I read the other day that 85% of people like the health care they have.  85% of Americans… that’s pretty amazing.  So why the push for reform in the “form” of a government option?

Just doesn’t make sense.  With all the town halls— with young and old… people care about this country and the anger towards these so called “representatives” is because their track record over the past 9 months has been— spend money, ask questions later.  That idea is no getting rejected and we’re seeing Americans stand on that line in the sand.

Here’s my challenge to myself and to others… read what’s in these bills.  I’ve started looking at some of them and my head is spinning.  However, with reading what’s in them, we figure out what it is that may be coming to a doctors office near you.

I love my Doctor, I love my health care I’ve got right now and what we need is some leverage on getting those costs down, not adding another option.  Should be interesting to see what happens.

-A