Reverse Discrimination

So let me see if I understand this... It's discrimination if a Christian bakery refuses to work with a client who is gay, but it's -not- discrimination if a gay bakery refuses a Christian client? Blatant liberal hypocrisy... And persecution of Christians is apparently totally acceptable in 2015.

I can't wrap my head around the fact that I'm raising my daughter in a society where praying is banned in public schools but boys can use the girl's bathroom if they identify as a female. I don't know anymore.

Context: Colorado's Reverse Discrimination: Yes To Gay Marriage, No To Bible Verses

Ocean Beach Park

This past weekend me, my wife and some friends checked out Ocean Beach Park in Waterford, CT. It's a lovely spot to visit and we really enjoyed the boardwalk. Beautiful scenery from the beach as well!

Pirelli Building | West Haven, CT

My wife finally convinced me to join her at the IKEA store in New Haven, Connecticut. While I'll admit that some of the furniture there was fairly unique, I was more impressed with the design of this adjacent building.

Nautilus in the Fog

The USS Nautilus on display at the Submarine Force Library & Museum in Groton, CT.

Every day when I drive to work I get to glance over and see the USS Nautilus on display at the Submarine Force Library and Museum. Sometimes it's glistening in the beautiful sun, and late at night you can just barely see a shadow in the moonlight. This particular morning it happened to be surrounded by fog.

Leaving Google Drive for Microsoft OneDrive

I've been using Google Drive to backup my photos and videos for several years but today I've decided to make the switch to Microsoft OneDrive. The pricing is identical (100GB for $1.99), but what made me want to switch is OneDrive's online functionality. Offline, the two services operate the same - drop your files into a specific folder, and an app sync that to the cloud.

Over the years, I've had a strange relationship with Google's products. I adopted Google's Picasa Web Albums early on, and quickly upload thousands of photos into organized albums. When it was announced that Picasa Web Albums was dead and Google+ would take over, I merged years of photos over to that service. I liked the built in image enhancement and editing tools, the fact that I could easily tag people and people could comment easily. For redundancy, I also uploaded the raw / full size version of those photos on to my Google Drive as a raw backup. Then one day I saw that you could display Google Drive photos in your Google+ albums, which I experimented with - and it was pure chaos. I had duplicates of everything, some albums were shared, some were private. It was a nightmare. Now Google's announced that they have plans to yet again overhaul the Google+ photo experience.

Lately the progress on Google Drive's photo functionality has been slow. By organizing and viewing your photos directly on Google Drive's web interface, you're literally just viewing your files as you would on your desktop. With OneDrive it organizes your photos into a chronological stream and your photos are displayed in tiled mosaics. Microsoft has turned OneDrive into a hybrid file viewer / social photo gallery and it's what I've been hoping Google would do with Drive for years.

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I'd love to hear in the comments what your opinion is on the available cloud storage services and how their functionality compares to one another.

Bluff Point State Park

After six months of living apart, my wife recently joined me here in Connecticut and we've already begun checking out what the greater New London area has to offer. This past weekend we decided to check out Bluff Point State Park as it's one of the few public beaches that doesn't charge an obscene price to park (it's free!). What we discovered is that it's no ordinary beach where you park and you're on sand after walking a few meters. It's actually a hiking and jogging trail, and you have to walk about half a mile before you get to the actual beach area. We ended up walking the entire loop, which according to rough estimates is about 3.6 miles. I took some photos as it was a beautiful day, despite being somewhat cold out (~40 plus wind chill).   Overall, it's a very nice trail to run, walk, or bike on and the trail is mostly even (no major ruts). There were no extremely steep grades. If I had to guess I'd say the steepest grade was about 8 degrees. Here's some highlights:

Beach - Harkness Memorial State Park

#beach #nature #ocean #ct #Connecticut #statepark #harknessmemorial #goshenpoint #goshencove

A photo posted by Jordan (@whiskeycoffee_) on Apr 6, 2015 at 1:15pm PDT

The other day my wife and I went exploring at some various state parks here in the Groton area - we were at Harkness Memorial State Park when we stumbled upon this beautiful public beach. Finding these hidden gems is one of the best things you can do in your free / off time!

Axe's "White Label" line changes everything

Ahh, yes... Axe... The beloved body wash and body spray of middle schoolers across America... Well perhaps with the release of the "White Label" line, Axe may change their image and reputation altogether. In my last review, I referred to Axe's smell as "douchey" - and by that I mean extremely overpowering and obnoxious.

When I was shopping for deodorant the other day I saw this new deodorant from Axe and was intrigued. I almost didn't pick it up, as I saw the brand name and dismissed it right away, but there was something about the new design I couldn't ignore. I was pleasantly surprised when I took a sniff of the "Forest" scent as I picked up gentle mixture of pine tree and lavender. Most angsty teenagers will probably turn their nose away to that description, but the mixture of lavender and pine is a very gentlemanly smell that only a man could appreciate.

The deodorant goes on smoothly and doesn't clump up, and so far it does not seem to irritate my skin at all. And as I said before, the scent is very mild and is barely noticeable after a few hours. Hats off to Axe for this one.

USS California comes home from deployment

Today I had the honor of seeing the USS California come in to port from their six month deployment. Seeing a submarine coming down the Thames River is just not something you see every day (well, unless you live in the Groton area, I guess) and it was definitely a surreal experience.

I was very proud to be there alongside the families of the sailors and welcome them back on to solid ground. =)

Naval Funeral Flag Presentation Ceremony

Being part of the funeral detail was a huge honor for me. I attended two different funerals and helped fold and inspect the flag and then present it to the widow(s). It was a very humbling and surreal experience for me to present a flag to the widow of a fallen United States sailor. Hopefully I will be able to do more of these in the future!

If anyone is curious, this is what the flag presentation ceremony looks like:

Oreo Truffles

Making Oreo Truffles with the Mrs before I head back to school tomorrow. Here are my wife's secrets to making perfect Oreo truffles

Ingredients

1 Package Oreos (brand name)

1 Brick Philadelphia Cream Cheese (brand name ONLY)

1 Bag (11.5oz) Hershey's Milk Chocolate Chips

1 Tsp Cooking Oil

Directions, Part I

Blend Oreos and cream cheese until completely black

Ball up into teaspoon size balls

Stick a toothpick in to each ball

Directions, Part II

Place in freezer until frozen all the way through (~30 minutes)

Melt Hershey's chocolate in a bowl

Add a little oil

Roll the truffle in the melted chocolate, using the toothpick as a handle

Placed the truffle on wax paper

Place in freezer for approximately 5 minutes

Remove truffles from freezer and remove toothpick

Use additional melted chocolate to cover the hole where the tooth pick was

Place back in freezer until chocolate hardens

Enjoy!

A Sailor's Christmas

For most of my life, the Christmas season has been about exchanging gifts (and family, too!).  My perspective on Christmas shifted radically after the birth of my daughter, though, as I cared less about receiving gifts and just having a day off from work and being with my family.

Now as I celebrate this Christmas as a sailor in the US Navy, my perspective has been shifted even more radically. I was truly blessed to have this leave time where I could come home and be with all of my family. I know that this is a rare exception as I just graduated boot camp. This time next year I'll most likely be out to the fleet (depending on the length of my A school) and I'll inevitably be out on a deployment.

Whoever thought simply being home for the holidays would be considered a luxury?

Sandia Man Cave

This past Saturday my wife and my in laws decided to take a short trek up to the Sandia Man Cave. It's quite a coincidence as I recently asked my friends for some free or inexpensive things to do in the Albuquerque area and my good friend recommended I check out the Sandia Man Cave.

Inside the cave, looking out

I should warn those looking to make the trip that the caves are off NM-165 which is not a paved road. It's a dirt road which is pretty smooth in most areas, but there are some definite areas where I had to slow down to a crawl. We were driving my Ford Five Hundred and I didn't want to bottom out. So, heed with caution if you're in a low car or it's been raining.

Some websites say it's a .47 mile hike but it felt a little longer than a half mile. It's a gentle climb up to the cave and will give you some breath taking views of the surrounding area.

One thing my dear friend failed to mention is that upon arrival to the cave, you must go up a spiral staircase that actually hangs out over the ledge. There is nothing underneath you as you climb up the stairs except air. That being said, the staircase felt very sturdy and I just didn't look down as I went up the stairs.

Hopefully you enjoy my photos I snapped during my hike and if you're in the area, it's worth checking out. You will give some incredible vistas of the Sandia Mountains and Las Huertas Canyon. You can view more photo hosted on my other blog at Wordpress.com!

Views: Sandia Man Cave by Jordan Meeter

7 days to boot camp

7 days until I ship out to Navy RTC in Great Lakes, IL. The reality is definitely starting to sink in. This morning I could feel some emotions welling up and my throat started to tighten up. This coming week I'm definitely going to be spending as much quality time with my wife and my daughter as possible!

Pueblo Home - Coronado Historic Site

This is a reconstruction of a traditional pueblo style home. This is part of an exhibit at the Coronado Historic Site in Bernalillo, NM.

You can see more photos of the Kuaua Ruins in my photo album on Google+, or view this photo full size on Flickr.

Day Trip Pt 1: Gilman Tunnels, Jemez Springs

Earlier in May my mother came to visit us here in New Mexico for the first time. We wanted to pack in as much fun and adventure as we could on a limited budget so we made good use of New Mexico's natural beauties.

We managed to make an entire day trip out of visiting the greater Jemez Springs area. The drive from the Rio Rancho area to Jemez Springs can be mundane in a few spots, but once you get close to Jemez, you enter the Santa Fe National Forest and the surroundings become saturated with beauty. As you travel through this area you can't help but feel as though you're on the set of a classic American western movie. It doesn't get any more authentic than this. Also, as you're driving through the Jemez Pueblo you can get a small glimpse into the Native American lifestyle which is interesting to see.

While in Jemez Springs we stopped by the Jemez Historic Monument which only takes about 30 - 45 minutes to walk through. I can't say there is anything too highly entertaining about this monument but it is always interesting to see historic ruins. For more information on the monument check out this website which gives a detailed history.

The last stop on this day trip was to Gilman Tunnels which were worth the drive just by themselves. While you're driving to the tunnels, which were blasted in the 1920s, you get a great view of the Jemez Mountains which you can see in my photos below. Once you actually reach the tunnels, you'll get a incredible view of the Guadelupe River which may induce vertigo if you're not comfortable with heights (the road is narrow and in some areas is a sheer drop off). You can learn more about the Gilman Tunnels here.

The following day brought us to Petroglyphs National Monument - or, specifically the inactive volcanoes that are responsible for the lava rock found in the surrounding areas. This portion will be coming up in part two of this post, so stay tuned!

Corrections is a thankless job

I was a corrections officer for almost two years and was never thanked for what I did. After enlisting in the Navy, several people have already thanked me for my service even though I haven't even left for boot camp yet. I wish COs would get the same recognition and respect that military members receive.

By the way - I'm not saying we as corrections officers *need* to be thanked or recognized for what we do... But it would be nice once in a while.

I'm not impressed by Ello or their "manifesto"

Today I've been seeing the term 'Ello' all over my Facebook feed, and I just discovered it's a new social network being touted as the "Anti-Facebook."

On their website, they list a manifesto (ooooooohhhh!) and declare their service "Simple, beautiful & ad-free." However, in 2010 MetaFilter user blue_beetle made a comment that would be literally be circulated around the Internet millions of times: "if you're not paying for something, you're not the customer; you're the product being sold." Think about it - how can a service as Tumblr or now Ello be completely no-cost and ad-free? Surprise! They sell your information to advertisers.

As for Ello, I don't think I'll be quick to register an account. It seems like a counter culture social network trying too hard to be about.me or Tumblr - and what's with that hideous courier font? I'll pass.

These companies trying to reinvent the social network wheel are failing to realize one massive aspect of Facebook: Everyone and their mother are on Facebook. My 65 year old mother is active on Facebook and even uploads photos with witty comments from her iPhone. We have almost a decade of memories, photos, and stories on Facebook. Why would I throw all that a way for a new service which none of my family is using or will ever use?

Panoramio Will Be Replaced By Google Maps Views

After starting several discussions in various Google Groups and pestering the devs on Twitter and Google+ (sorry guys!), I've finally gotten some clarification on what will be happening to Panoramio. Last week Google announced that they would be expanding the Maps Views service to include geotagged photos. This immediately made me wonder what would happen to Panoramio, a photo sharing and geotagging service acquired by Google in 2007.

Product manager Evan Rapoport recently posted in the Panoramio support forum, saying this:

Over the past year, we've developed a similar community in Views, which lets you publish geo-relevant content (photo spheres and traditional photography) on Google Maps. In the future, we plan to migrate Panoramio into Views, creating one destination where you can publish and peruse imagery from around the globe. Before migrating any imagery, we'll make sure that Views reaches a level of feature maturity that supports the needs of the community.

So, we will have to wait and see how this one plays out. I predict Google will continue to bolster Google Maps Views and will isolate Panoramio as a standalone service that may or may not die out some day.

Panoramio vs Google Maps Views

I just tried to start a discussion on the Google Maps Views community page:

So now that Google Maps / Views is displaying your public geotagged photos, it begs the question - what purpose does +Panoramio serve? Both services include your photos in Google Maps so what happens if you upload the same photo on Panoramio and Google Maps? Which photo does Google show?

AAHHH these are the questions that infuriate me. Why does Google have to have so many duplicate and/or overlapping services?

Note: I've tried posting this same question in many different arenas and have gotten no help whatsoever. Here are the links to those threads:

Panoramio Support Forum
Google Maps Support Forums
Google Maps Views Community
Google+ Support Community

I've even tweeted some of the developers behind Panoramio and Google Maps and have not gotten a reply from any of them.