I Got Tagged

Have you ever got one of those email forwards that asks you to answer a bunch of questions and then forward it onto all of your friends who then send it back to you and a bunch of their friends. I'm not sure of the point other than to get an email.

Well the trend has hit the blogosphere. My friend Matt blog tagged me last week and I'm just getting around to doing it. I'm not one that would normally do this but my wife really wants to me to tag her (love you sweetie).

But the questions in Matt's tag were lame so I'm breaking the tag rules and answering questions that I would actually like to know the answer to. Some of them I stole from Ross's tag. Sorry Matt, it isn't that you aren't cool, or that Ross is cooler than you, though I think Ross is cool. You are cool, just keep telling yourself "I'm cool."

I'm then allowing the option for my taggees to answer my questions or to create new ones they find more interesting. See, isn't this just a better game!

1. If you could change one thing about a major event in your life what would it be?
This one was easy for me (but I made up the question). The funny thing is that it happened on a day that was perfect. Can a day be perfect and want something different? The major life event was the day Chrystal and I got married. It was awesome. The one thing I'd change was paying for a wedding planner. Here's why...

There were lots of little things that we didn't think about, but also one big thing. Right as the wedding started my dad asked me if I was going to walk my mom down the isle. I looked at him clueless and said with a shrug, "I guess not?" It hadn't even crossed my mind, which makes me feel like a bad son but we were so engrossed in trying to figure everything out. It is something I wished I could have done. Sorry Mom. But she never once has made me feel bad about it even though I know it was something she really wanted.

2. What are five things you would do if you were a billionaire? (I stole this one)
1. Pay off all my debt and the debt of friends and family.
2. Buy a bunch of property in Santa Barbara and offer my family and closest friends free homes so we could live near each other in my favorite place in the world.
3. Pay Josh Gustafson to figure out how to invest some portion so we could live very comfortably but not outrageously. I'm not going to lie and say we'd live meagerly, because we would travel often and we'd fly first class.
4. Give a huge chunk of change to Westmont College but specifically allocate a portion to buy the freakin' coolest athletic facility you had ever seen and name the track and field stadium after coach Russell Smelley. Smelley Track & Field, can you dig it!
5. Establish a foundation to figure out all the places the money needs to go and hire a staff to help manage it.

3. What are your three worst habits?
1. Not listening. Lord forgive me but I talk too much, day dream too often, and listen too little. Ask my wife.
2. Pointlessly surfing the Internet and too often entering "Kevin Sturm" in Google or Technorati just so I can see if someone loves me enough to put my name in a blog.
3. Quietly judging someone based on how they talk, how they dress, or what they do. If anyone knew how often I did it no one would be my friend.

4. What are the three things you have to have within reach at all time (think bedside, car, etc.)?
1. My iPhone. This could mean I need to add another worst habit. I freak out if I don't know where my phone is, and having an iPhone only made it worse.
2. A book. This is not saying I read all the time. I just always want a book near for when the urge arises. On the night stand, in my laptop bag, near the man throne.
3. I don't really have a third. How about Love?

5. If you could have any job what would it be and why?
Professional athlete. I'm open to almost any sport. Though not gymnastics, or curling, or billiards, or boxing...you get the point.

There is a sixth question. What five people do you want to tag.
Chrystal (My Love) - Will do it because she is waiting for me to tag her.
David Jay - Eventually will get around to it if he reads this and lots of girls will find it cute.
Tessa McCook - Stay tuned it will be funny.
Gabriel Ryan - Have no idea if he'll do it.
Tim Halberg - Maybe will do it.

I'm Gonna Be Rich

I received an email today that is going to change my life. There is this guy in Iraq that works as a translator for the US military. He and a few soldiers found this trunk with $20 million US dollars! His share is $5 million and he wants me to help him invest it in the US stock market and I get to keep a portion of the profits! I mean, even if I only get 1% that is $50,000 per year! If you don't believe me, here is the email he sent.

Oh...it reads a bit odd because the email was in French and I had to translate it on Babel Fish. Leave a comment if you want me to email Issam Majeed and ask if you can be involved, too! I'll keep you apprised of how it goes down.

Good evening, Jai have your contact and would please share an important business trcs with vous.Si that does not interest you, want mexcuser for the disturbance much. I am Mr Issam Majeed, I work in Iraq with the American Soldiers as translator. Jai of the evidence for you to show it aprcs.Dans one of the our military operations in Iraq, we discovered a strong trunk in a large house dun great man daffaire Iraqi in the town of TIKRIT. This strong trunk contains a great sum dargent, of the American dollars, it be-R-statement USS 20 Million. We immediately kept this strong trunk in a place made safe with three other American soldiers. After long deliberations between us to know if we must give these funds to the American authorities in load of place or not, we decided all to share these funds between us. For the division, each one of us received the sum of USS5 Million For my part R causes problcmes of safety in Iraq, jai decided marranger with the agents of safety measures deprived in Iraq to transfer my share from these funds out of lIraq, precisely R London. Jai put the funds in a parcel as being family affairs and I lay coded what wants to say to quaucune anybody does not know that this parcel contains largent me except. What I tell you is the truth and if we treat together in this business, you will see it. I you contact thus to see whether you can maider has récupcre the parcel R London and to transfer it in your country or I would like to invest these funds in profitable fields. I would give you also a few percentages of these funds to have to accept maider, the percentage we will discuss it when I receive your answer. The Iraqi insurrectionists are against me what makes quils seek me to kill me because I make translations with the American soldiers. I do not leave nimporte how without the American Soldiers to avoid the worst. I nutilise not of telephones nor do not receive calls here. Jutilise only lInternet and walkie-talkies to communicate with soldiers with whom I work. If this transaction is well concluded, I want to resign of this works because to live here in too risky Iraq cest. I thank you and jattendrais your answer. Please, if you agreed to help, I want that you me via this address e-mail (issam.majeed1@yahoo.com Mr Issam Majeed.

Original email in French

New k.sturm blog

I got tired of a blog that looked like 90% of blogs in the blogosphere, so I thought it was time to waste time and customize this one. After spending days figuring out html for hospitality technology made simple customizing this layout only took me one evening. Let me know what you think!

Is There a Past Tense of Except?

I was reading my friend Tim's blog (he's an awesome photographer in Santa Barbara) and found this picture. He took it while in a WalMart in Torrence, CA. Seriously, how does this happen?

Useless Knowledge #1 (one of my favorites)

*I changed this post to Useless Knowledge #1, as it's not really random but more useless.*

Quote: "If my aunt were configured differently she'd be my uncle."

Opportunity for use: Generally in response to a comment like, "If it worked that way it would be better." Works better if the person making the comment doesn't understand what they are talking about, or they are making an excuse for doing it wrong the first time. Highly applicable to the technology sector.

Meaning: If I made it to do something other than it was designed to do, it would be different than what I designed.

I was in a management meeting when this was used by our somewhat new CEO in response to someone telling him that if we setup a new system "this way" it would be better. I still think it's one of the best responses to "if this than better" comments.