Entries from September 2006 ↓

So, a few years ago, I became ordained in the Universal Life Church in order to perform a wedding for some good friends of mine. Turns out that it never happened, but my ordination is still in effect. A few weeks ago, some friends of mine approached me to officiate their wedding, and I replied with a hearty yes.

I ended up writing out a script for the wedding, but didn’t use it. Since I took the time to write it though, I figured why not share it with the world, right? It’s non-denominational (non religious in fact), so if you want to use it, feel free. Here you go:

Welcome everyone. (Groom) and (Bride) would like thank you for being with them on this special day.

Who gives this woman to be married to this man?

(Groom) and (Bride), I will ask each of you if you have come here freely and without reservation to give yourselves to each other in marriage.

(Bride), have you come here freely and without reservation to be joined with (Groom) in marriage?

(Groom), have you come here freely and without reservation to be joined with (Bride) in marriage?

It is appropriate that you, (Groom) and (Bride)’s family and friends, are also here to participate in this wedding. The ideals, the understanding, and the mutual respect, which these two bring to their marriage have roots in the love, friendship, and guidance, with which you have provided them.

When (Groom) and (Bride) left Florida and came to California, they opened a new page in life. They found a place in which they felt comfortable, and a place that encouraged them to grow together. While they both come from distinctly different backgrounds, they both love, respect, and appreciate each others differences, and use them as a way to become closer and love each other more. The world could certainly learn a lesson from these two.

Now they are taking the next exciting step in growing closer together than ever before.

John Lennon once said, “We’ve got this gift of love, but love is like a precious plant. You can’t just accept it and leave it in the cupboard or just think it’s going to get on by itself. You’ve got to keep watering it. You’ve got to really look after it and nurture it.”

To me, Lennon’s quote wonderfully describes the secret to a successful and loving marriage. Both the husband and wife need to look after and nurture the marriage as if it were indeed a precious plant. There are no vacations from marriage, and it won’t just survive on its own, but when both husband and wife treasure it and nurture it, it quickly becomes the most beautiful thing in the world.

(Groom) and (Bride) have chosen to write their own vows, which I will ask them to share with each other now. Please join hands.

(Vows)

Do you (Groom), take (Bride) to be your lawfully wedded wife, and do you promise to love her; to comfort her; honor and keep her in sickness and in health; and, forsaking all others, as long as you both shall live?

Do you (Bride), take (Groom) to be your lawfully wedded husband, and do you promise to love him; to comfort him; honor and keep him in sickness and in health; and, forsaking all others, as long as you both shall live?

Traditionally, the marking of the passage to the status of husband and wife is marked by the exchange of rings. May these rings which you give and receive this day be a symbol of true faith in each other, and always remind each of you of the love you share on this day.

(Groom), repeat after me while placing the ring on (Bride)’s hand. I give you this ring to wear as a symbol of our love for each other.

(Bride), repeat after me while placing the ring on (Groom)’s hand. I give you this ring to wear as a symbol of our love for each other.

By the Power vested in me by the state of (State), I now pronounce you husband and wife. It is with great pleasure that I introduce to you (Groom) and (Bride) Jimas.

Major thumbs up to PayPerPost.com from me for creating the Consumer Generated Advertising Revoluton! You guys rule!!

This weekend looks like it will be pretty exciting indeed. Not only am I going to have some free time to tackle some more Halloween projects, but I am also going to officiate a wedding for a friend of mine.

With…GASP…two weeks until out Friday the 13th party, I really need to get it in gear! I have a facade to build, the rest of the coffin prop to build and program, the mirror prop to finish and re-program, not to mention figuring out how to decorate the back yard and the inside of the house. Wow…lots to do. I think I’ll take Monday off and make a long weekend of it. I’ve been working hard, and deserve a break.

Cool, it’s decided then. Monday is Halloween Day 2006! Rock and roll, this will be fun. Now I’m going to have a great Friday looking forward to my well deserved three day weekend. I should have plenty of pics and vids on Monday or Tuesday if all goes well…

When money gets involved, frequently any semblance of ethical behavior goes out the window in favor of making a quick buck. Here in the States, we have seen this many times especially in the past few years. Enron, Worldcom, and a slew of other corporate fraud cases (not to mention the pre-9/11 corporate “put” options on airlines and insurance companies) have come into the public spotlight. Money corrupts, and corporate entities get corrupted.

Co-Operative Insurance has put together an official Ethical Insurance Policy for their company. It states that their company will manage their investments with the ethical values of the customer in mind, whether it be human rights, animal welfare, the environment, or any other ethical concern. Although this may decrease their potential investment vehicles, I applaud them for breaking through and having the guts to do something different in today’s world of corporate greed.

Co-Operative Bank has also set out an Ethical Banking Policy that emcompasses their heritage and their customer’s concerns to build a policy that is moral and admirable. They have also put into place an implementation plan with compliancce systems that are built into their everyday banking procedures.

I think it is huge that a bank is willing to come out and create a policy like this that will not necessarily make their business easier, but will turn their bank into an example for other corporations to follow.

Last night I attended a marketing focus group in LA. It was pretty interesting, but kind of odd too. But I came out with a $100 American Express Gift Check, so that’s cool. Even though I’m not sure exactly what one does with an AmEx Gift Check…but I’ll figure it out.

Without betraying any secrets (not that I was exposed to any), basically they showed us a video of some images with a narration behind it, and then asked us for our impressions of it. Apparently the video was for a company, and rather than selling a product, they were trying to sell an idea. It was sort of like a video that they would show to employees to boost morale and drive home the company’s mission statement I suppose.

It seemed like the idea that this company was pushing would be pretty effective as an internal marketing idea, but I can’t say that the employees would each take the same idea from the presentation. It was pretty interesting though, and was a good experience. Plus it feels good to have made an extra $100 yesterday…I can’t complain about that!

Are you stressed out? Are you overdue for some good relaxation? I just came across the Best Self Help Book about relaxation, meditation, and stress relief called called Simone and Elvis. Check it out.

Today and tomorrow, I am attending CALWAC 2, a conference about web accessibility. I have so far attended two classes, one on the basics of web accessibility, and one about CSS. Both were awesome, and I’m really looking forward to the follow-up classes tomorrow. I’ll share more information when I have the time.

Although I have to run, I wanted to share a quick tip that I got from both classes today that can benefit everyone who has a blog or website. It just so happens that by making your site Section 508 compliant, you automatically optimize your site for some of the most important deaf and blind users on the Internet…search engines.

Think about it…Google is both deaf and blind. Google has no idea what your image is unless you use the right “alt” tag. Also, by making your site compliant, you make the text in your site that much easier for Google to catalog and organize your content. This is good for everyone.

Anyway, I’ll be back with more tips soon. I thought that all of you would appreciate that little tidbit though. I know it’s going to help me plenty.

Yesterday I mentioned that I am in love with the satellite navigation system in my MINI Cooper, and about my love for the technology in general. If you are interested in more information about either built-in car systems or handheld GPS systems, there is a ton of information on the Internet about both. A favorite sat nav and gps forum of mine is satnavbanter.co.uk, a global forum group based in the UK. It’s full of knowledgable folks who will help you out with any questions you may have about your satnav system or potential satnav system.

Last year, Symantec predicted that with the increasing popularity of Macintosh computers and the introduction of the Intel based Mac that spyware and malware would become as much of an issue for Mac users as it is for Windows users. This week, they quietly retracted that statement.

Now I’m no “fanboi,” but I do have an affinity for Apple. Mac OS X is a beautiful operating system, is easy to use, is stable, and lets me do what I need to do without fighting the OS every step of the way. Besides that, it REQUIRES an administrator password in order to install any software at all, which makes it inherently impermeable to Internet-based spyware.

I am not saying that we as Mac users should be complacent, but I am saying that if big companies (arguably the best recognized company in consumer-level security) are going to spout bullshit about Mac OS X, maybe they should familiarize themselves with the inner workings of it first instewad of just theorizing based upon their experiences with Windows.

If you’re interested in reading the article, it can be found here:

http://www.zdnet.com.au/blogs/securifythis/soa/Symantec_s_OS_X_spyware_prediction_in_flames/0,139033343,339271367,00.htm

William Shatner has a new DVD Club for you underground sci-fi fans out there. The cool part is that you can join for free, check out that month’s DVD, and if you like it pay only $49.95 for fifteen additional movies. It really sounds like they have some pretty cool titles available.

One of the coolest sounding movies I came across was one called “Virus.” Apparently it’s a sci-fi film from the 80’s, and was the most expensive Japanese productions of the early 80’s. It’s pretty much a viral epidemic movie mixed with a pending nuclear disaster. It sounds from the description like it might almost get into some zombie type ideas too, which is one of my favorite horror themes. Sounds like a winner to me.

I love horror, thrillers, and sci-fi, and who better to being you a great selection of underground sci-fi than Mr. Shatner himself? This sounds to me like a pretty cool opportunity to get your hands on some great movies for a really low price.