I went to Houston a week or so ago and stumbled across PH design shop while I was there. What a great little store! I just wrote them a glowing review on Yelp because I thought that some of the reviews were a bit off putting and didn’t reflect the marvelous selection of great designers they have. Here’s what I bought:

Anyone who’s ever met me knows how much I love a good letter set and this set my heart a flutter. (No pun intended). Five beautifully designed sets of paper and envelopes and a nifty little box to store them in by Grady McFerrin. (Top image by Ph Design Shop, bottom image by yours truly-forgive my atrocious photography skills!)

It took much self restraint not to buy absolutely everything by Linda & Harriett including their gorgeous 2010 calendar. (Beautiful colors. Simply stunning in person). I’m also the biggest sucker for thank you cards because they’re so “practical”. (Image by Ph Design Shop).

I’ve always loved Yee-Haw Industries, but I’ve never gotten a chance to see their stuff in person. This letterpress frame is just gorgeous (I think I may have blogged about it before?) and just had to come home with me.

I have a serious crush on Mr. Boddington’s Studio and on this visit I think I converted my sister to the cult. They’re another brand that I’ve been following for some time, but have never seen their work (or their occasion cards) in person.

Last but definitely not least, I found these lovely holiday cards by Parisian based artist Nathalie Lete produced by Paper Prince. They’re are another example of paper goods I love, but can’t find anywhere on the web. It’s also precisely why I come to small boutiques like Ph Design shop.

There was more (so much more!) that I wanted to buy and blog about, but somehow I managed to only come home with the above. Suffice it to say, if they were to open a branch in the SF bay area, I’d be a regular customer!

Well, yeah, its that kind of quirky museum you love — one topic, so you know the kind of history you’re going to get.

And this particular subtopic?  Just right square in the middle of the road — that is, up my alley!

QWERTY Exhibit at the Museum of Printing History, Houston

QWERTY: A Typewriter Retrospective

October 8, 2009– March 20, 2010 Typewriters inhabit a special place in the American psyche. No longer in widespread use, typewriters have been outsourced by the desktop computer, although they maintain a special air of nostalgia. Americans remember their junior high typing class, while many of today’s youngsters have never set eyes on such a machine. Tucked away in closets and in office corners, many typewriters are still occasionally put to good use. In addition to being beautiful specimens of design, who can forget the characteristic music of taps and bells created by a manual typewriter? From the collection of the Museum of Printing History.

More details on the Museum:

The Museum of Printing History
1324 W. Clay Street
Houston, Texas 77019
Hours:
10 a.m. – 5 p.m.
Tuesday – Saturday
713-522-4652
Free admission for self-guided tours

Phew! What a week!! I’m not sure if it serves as a sneak peek when it’s a week after the shoot, but fun to look at none-the-less. This is only the second senior portrait session I’ve had, but what fun it was! I hope for more sassy young ladies who get this chance to take photos “just for fun.” Nina- I hope you love them… more to come.

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So yes, I bit the “we’ll take on unnecessary risk to our vision in trade for long, thick, luscious eyelashes” bug.  What kind of beauty junkie would I be if vanity isn’t my top priority? Wait, don’t answer that. Let me clarify that I’m actually using Bimatoprost, one of Latisse’s generic. Bimatoprost is the actual ingredient in Latisse; it’s what makes your lashes grow long and thick. And if you look at both of their labels, it’s the same amount -  .03%.

Before we go into the review, I want to go into a brief class about the drug and why it’s labeled for different use. Bimatoprost is originally used for patients with Glaucoma, which according to Wikipedia is an eye disease or disorder that is defined as a characteristic optic neuropathy, or disease of the optic nerve, possibly, if untreated, leading to damage of the optic disc of the eye and resultant visual field loss due to lack of communication between the retina and the brain, which can lead to blindness. When glaucoma patients saw their lashes grow long as a side effect of the bimatoprost drops, the world of cosmetics and pharmaceutical companies saw dollar signs. Cha-ching. In the world of pharmacology and medicine, you’re not allowed to prescribe a drug if its not for its intended use.  One of the ways a drug gets introduced as a different/new treatment, it has to be FDA approved – and that takes a lot of money for clinical studies, research etc. So Allergan, the same pharmaceutical company that brought you Botox and Juviderm, capitalized it by putting out the money and making it an exclusive brand, Latisse.  So you’re paying the 1000% markup because of its brand. Why can’t we they sell it as a generic? Well, a drug has to be out for at least 5 years before the generic can be introduced into the market for the same treatment – don’t quote me on that though. But if you’re lucky enough, some doctors will prescribe Lumigan (the generic) for your eyelid hairs.

Ok, onto the review. I’m about 5 weeks into using bimatoprost, and I can probably tell a very slight difference in length and volume. Let me start by telling you the kind of brush I used to lengthen the use of bottle. It’s an eyeliner brush I got over the counter – I forgot where.  But if you’re familiar with MAC, it’s the #209 brush.

Using this brush allowed me to apply several layers right into my lash line, top and bottom, as well as, extending my eyebrows from ONE drop.  This is how I did it, let me repeat it, this is how I did it. I’m not a medical expertise, please follow directions as labeled.

Brush I used to apply the solution

One drop into the cap.

Dip bush into solution

Apply solution into clean lashline

Apply into bottom lash line

Apply to eyebrows

These pictures are from WEEK 1.

Week 1

Week 5

These are from WEEK 5. I realized their not from the same angles. Future posts will be closer.

5 Weeks, no curl no mascara

Week 5 no curl, no mascara

Week 5 with curl

Week 5 with curl

Week 5 with curl

Week 5 with mascara

Week 5 with mascara

Week 5 with mascara

Left - no mascara, Right - with mascara

Future updates will be more comprehensive, yeah, these are a lot of separate pictures.

In conclusion, I really like it. Out of all the side effects, I only had slight irritation/redness my first 2 weeks.  Some don’t see results until 8 weeks, and I saw some by week 5. I’ll definitely keep this topic updated until the end of 4 months.

It was a conversation about Hurricane Ike over lunch at Farrago’s that got my mind spinning on this whole X Marks the Spot series of posts. By the late summer of 2008, Houston had seen its fair share of tragedy and heartbreak over the first 10 years of the 21st Century. And on September 11, 2008, instead of the annual stop to mourn the victims of the World Trade Center tragedy, Houston’s attention was once again turned towards the Gulf of Mexico to a big fella named Ike.
Since Hurricane Alicia in 1983, Houston had been due for a direct strike for over 10 years. Every year, a sense of weariness set in because we knew, eventually, one of those storms was going to find its way up the Houston Ship Channel. And boy, we sure dodged some bullets over the years; Katrina and Rita being the two ugly sisters we were silently thankful when they turned away.

So let’s talk about Ike. Here are some facts (c/o Wikipedia):

• Ike was the largest hurricane ever observed in the Atlantic basin.
• Ike was the third most destructive hurricane to make landfall in the U.S.
• While only a Category 2 storm, Ike made landfall with a Category 5 storm surge.

I spent the night alone when Ike hit. Part of that was my silly attempt to protect my home. My roommate was out of town when the storm hit, and I just didn’t want the house left empty for the storm. I’ll tell you this, I’ll NEVER do that again. To sit through a hurricane is a scary, anxiety-ridden experience. I’m not ashamed to say my head was a little bent afterward. And, here’s the thing, I had it relatively easy compared to most of Houston. I had my power back , miraculously, within 48 hours. Some Houstonians did not get their power back for over a month. A lot of people blamed the above-ground power lines. I’ll tell you that is a bunch of bunk. My parents were without power for two weeks. They live in Sugar Land, where the power lines are all buried.
I would like to spend the rest of this post discussing the power outage. It was in this power outage, that we saw the greatest parts of Houston after the storm. Neighbors banded together, helping out where they could. Albeit dangerous, extension cords crisscrossed the streets as those with power shared with those who didn’t. Impromptu block parties were happening across the city. In my neighborhood, we held nightly diversions in the homes with power to give those without a chance to remember was real A/C felt like. And it could have been much worse if not for a well timed cool front blew through the day after Ike hit. I shudder to think what this city would have been like if we had to suffer through the typical September heat.

I remarked to someone after Ike, in the conversation that spurred this series of posts, that a lot of people simply forgot why they didn’t like Houston anymore. As usual, the country outside Houston did not notice the aftermath of Hurricane Ike, nor did they give it much thought. After Allison and Katrina and, frankly, we weren’t surprised. But we didn’t waste time feeling sorry for ourselves, we simply moved on.

Despite the challenges of the power outage, the city stood up, brushed the debri off its shoulders and got back to work. And that’s pretty much how Houston handles adversity. Ike just showed a bunch of people how  much they could believe in that resiliency.

A retrospective of Patterson’s work will be held fr0m November 6, 2010 through January 30, 2001 at the Contemporary Arts Museum in Houston, TX.  The exhibition seeks to establish Patterson as an integral player in contemporary American art. Click here  for further information.

Do you know what it feels like to miss YOUR team play?  If you wake up every morning thinking, breathing & living sports then you know how important every game is. Pre-season, post season, and of course “the season” – you’re proud to rock your team’s colors all year round.  Here in the U.S. our coldest season is our biggest season, sports season that is. There are so many sports to watch and so many teams to follow so we’ve compiled a little guide to some of the places that can help you with your sports obsession.  From the mystical hops used to create some of the beers to the always friendly bartenders, these sports bars are here to service your every need when it comes to watching your favorite team pulverize the competition.  Munch on a few wings, tune into the huge TVs, sip one of the hundreds of beers on tap, or take a stab at the darts, pool tables, & arcade machines and you might realize you’ve just found the place where everyone knows your name…

So check out our list of Playoff-worthy bars… (in honor of the Heat, the Celtics, the Rangers, the Devils, the good guys, the bad guys… and in general, the sports guys…)

NYC

• Bar41
• Pour House NYC

San-Fran

• Abbey Tavern
• Mucky Duck Pub

LA

• Big Wang’s Wings
• Capitol City Sports Bar & Lounge

Philadelphia

• Cavanaugh’s Sports Bar
• CJ & Eck’s

Houston

• Coaches Sports Bar & Grill
• Nick’s Place

Nashville

• Closing Bell
• Spanky’s Sports Bar

Miami

• Automatic Slims
• Tom’s NFL

Chicago

• ESPN Zone
• Mother Hubbard’s Chicago

Detroit

• Hockey Town Cafe
• Nemo’s

St. Louis

• Buffalo Wild Wings
• Lester’s Restaurant

By Mark Zhurbin

To successfully flirt online you need to be a sort of online playboy because it is a virtual world where you can neither use body language nor be physical in any other way. Nevertheless the connoisseurs of the love game do it on the Web as confidently as they do it in the real world.

Actually the art of flirting requires confidence everywhere the Internet not being excluded either. Because the same flesh and blood individuals with the same passion populate and drive the online world as well. Just remember not to be pushy, nor be so timid to earn the scorn of that sexy woman whom you are pursuing on the Web with such fervour. So how do you achieve the delicate balance between being pushy and timid by the online dating site girls? Here is how.            

Be playful and have as much fun as you can have while flirting. This is not a serious business for which you are here. With a light heart, approach your woman and be entertaining instead of making your intentions too obvious. Crack an intelligent joke or two to make her see that you appreciate her as a human being and not just a lay for a night. Get to know her intimately by sending her simple messages from time to time but do not show too much of curiosity.

If you want to be a flirt who is in high demand, try to instill optimism and the feel good vibe in your every move and you will soon see yourself being hotly pursued by highly desirable girls. This is no wonder because girls have always been known to fall in love head over heels with self-assured, sanguine men.                 

Be a good reader and listener while she e-mails or chats with you and you will come to know a lot about her. Since knowing is everything, it empowers you to understand beyond what is written or spoken and also to read the white space between the lines. Pay her a compliment or two whenever there is such an opportunity but take care that it sounds not like an outright flattery. Above all be sincere to her because nothing opens the door better than honesty and simplicity. 

Finally please remember to avoid going too fast or using sexual overtones that could shut you out for ever with just a click of the mouse.  Please Visit PureAdultDating

I’ve yet to meet a guy that didn’t need help learning how to attract and maintain a perfect 10 woman. However, I’ve met several guys especially in Houston that believe they are doing just fine.  Hmmmm.  That’s funny.  I understand though.  Guys have a level of dominance they have to maintain and someone offering advice infers they aren’t good enough and need help.  Every guy I’ve talked to throughout the years has said that they don’t need help.  Until they see results they won’t accept help.  So what better way than an anonymous blog to offer guidance?

Let’s go back a step.  What’s a perfect ten? They are rare so don’t worry about the five women you talked to at the bar last night. Chances are, if they were talking to you, they weren’t a perfect 10. A perfect ten is beautiful to watch. She carries herself with true confidence, she isn’t afraid of speaking to other women, other women are in fact extra snippy around her because she threatens their chances for success. Don’t get mad ladies, this stuff is instinctual for you. You are the way you are. And usually, you’re all the same. Where was I? So, she’ll dominate the room with elegance, sophistication, humility and confidence. A real woman.

So I’m back to Why Hitch? Well, I’ve always been fascinated with relationships and dating. Maybe because I was never unsuccessful. I just was always able to attract women. Combine whatever that is with the self awareness I pride myself on reflecting over and I guess you get someone that can explain how things happen so that everyone understands. I’ve lived everywhere in the U.S. and learned a lot about dating and relationships during that time. In fact, I was even a dating coach when I lived in D.C. last year. And that’s why they call me Hitch. When I moved back to Houston, my friends started calling me Hitch.

So this is my first of many blogs about why guys in Houston are in desperate need of some professional expertise when it comes to dating and relationships. And don’t get me started on the women here in Houston. They aren’t exactly holding up their end. If the women here would just act the way they’re supposed to they might get a decent guy. Guys in Houston are the worst I’ve seen in I can’t say how many states.

Relax though, there’s hope yet. It’s time to turn Houston in to a luscious field of sexiness. Guys can change. YES THEY CAN! I’ve seen them do it and watched them transform from geek to sheik. And I’m talking GEEK! So, if you’re a guy that already dresses nicely and looks somewhat presentable but doesn’t get the HOW TO ATTRACT WOMEN part, you’re going to be fine.

Ladies, if you complain about your guy to all of your girlfriends just remember, that guy was YOUR pick. So instead of whining about the guy, you should start telling your friends how big of loser YOU are. He’s a reflection of YOU. Stop being an idiot.

I guess I’m meaner to women because they need to be spoken to with some truth occasionally. They are constantly around non-10s that compiment and give no opinion to make them feel challenged. Thus, they stop developing. And women are way smarter than guys. They are way more complex and can handle the criticism better than guys.

Here’s the task for the ladies. I want to hear what kind of dates you’ve been on lately and don’t skip the details. Where you met, how you were asked out, and everything in betwee.

Guys, I want to hear what dates you’ve been on and how they unfolded. What one thing did you want to have happen that didn’t and why? That’s usually all I need to figure out what you’re talking about.

Thanks
HitcHouston

Edificios cubiertos por neblina...

Unos días fuera de casa visitando: buenos amigos, buenas tiendas de vino y restaurantes con una oferta interesante, en ese orden. Houston es una ciudad mediana que cuenta con mucha de la infraestructura de otras ciudadades de su tamaño. Después de recibir una calurosa bienvenida, nos dirigimos del aeropuerto rumbo a Woodlands, una ciudad satélite a 40 minutos de Houston. Lugar de residencia de mis cuates. Debido a que ya conocen mi afición, pasamos de camino a conocer 13 celsius ubicado en el centro, en el número 3000 de Caroline. Para nuestra mala fortuna estaba cerrado, asomándome por el ventanal, se veían mesas, una barra y varias botellas dispuestas detrás de ésta. Un bar de vinos, un bistro… no lo sé, pero tenía buena pinta.
Caminamos más que los infortunados mojados que cruzan la frontera, pero todo ésto en las múltiples vías subterráneas en el mismísimo centro de Houston. Ya que no soy afecto a la comida en el avión, si se le puede llamar comida, lo único que ha cambiado es que ahora la cobran y en billete verde. Así que lo primero que le hice saber a mis queridos amigos; es que tenía que comer algo, porque mi cuerpo bajaba peligrosamente sus niveles de azúcar. Una baguette de jamón y queso con sus “chips” y una Coca Cola añada 2009, fue suficiente para saciar mi apetito por unas horas.

Después de llegar, desempacar, saludar a sus hijos, y recibir un tour por los arbolados alrededores, tuvieron la brillante idea de invitarme en la noche a Crush, un wine bar muy concurrido por la zona, se trata de un lugar de ambiente relajado, una cómoda barra y una terraza donde los edificios circundantes me hacen sentir bebiendo en la zona de Santa Fe en la Ciudad de México. Gente comedida dispuesta a resolver cualquier duda, su selección de vinos no es para hechar tiros, pero se pueden pedir vinos de corte moderno a un precio razonable. Cinco personas: la pareja de mis amigos junto con la hermana de mi amiga, su esposo y un servidor. Empezamos en la barra con un Dr. Loosen 2008, si bien se trata de un vinito chaptalizado, en ese momento pasó muy bien. Punto Final 06, al cambiarnos a una mesa pedimos este malbec; con fruta roja y tostados de buena nariz, pero sin personalidad, en boca se muestra corto. Monte Otón un garnacha ligero y con muchos lácteos. Como suele suceder el tiempo pasó volando y tuvimos que ahuecar, no sin antes tomar algunas fotos.

¡Benditas calorías!

Al otro día fuimos a Perry´s Steak House & Grille es un lugar para quienes la carne es su alimento primordial, caso de su servidor, aunque yo diría que hay muy pocas cosas comestibles que me desagraden. A media luz, con una colección de reconocimientos elegantemente enmarcados; “Wine Spectator Award of Excellence” del 2003 al 2009, todos en fila… Quienes leen este blog saben lo poco que me importan estos “awards”, sobre todo después del escándalo de Milán. El caso es que estaban allí colgaditos. En cuanto a vinos una buena cantidad de super tintos californianos. Pero mi elección fue un australiano; Yangarra 2006, una combinación de grenache, shiraz y mourvedre. Amplio, tostadito, frutal, de tanino presente, sin ir más lejos.
La carne es excelsa; suave, concentrada, marmoleada, con la cantidad justa de grasa, estos famosos steaks dry age, o carnes añejadas, son francamente deliciosos. Fueron dos buenas elecciones para salir de casa, esta última me ha parecido un lugar excelente para satisfacer los instintos animales de comer, o mejor dicho devorar carne, carne de primera calidad. Y debo decir que la entrada de hongos capeados y no sé que otra cosita, estuvieron deliciosos.
He dividido esta entrega en dos partes, la segunda se refiere también al hedonismo puro, pero de manera doméstica, o sea en casa, en casa de mis queridos anfitriones, una carne asada y buenos descorches.

Every Heisman contender has a Heisman moment – that game where, when it’s over, you say to yourself “wow, he really deserves the Heisman trophy.” After watching Colt McCoy rip Texas A&M to shreds tonight, I sort of had that feeling. Sort of.

After all, it’s easy to make a case for McCoy. He is 12-0, and likely headed for the national championship. He now has 27 touchdown passes and nine interceptions to go along with nearly 3,500 yards. However, the nine interceptions is more than he had in 13 games last season. And in order to match his touchdown and yardage total from a year ago, he needs seven TD passes and about 400 yards in the next two games. Even if he does that, he will have needed 14 games to do what he did in 13 in 2008. To go along with those monster 2008 numbers, he had 591 rushing yards. This year he has just 368, and only because he rushed for 175 tonight. He also has nine fewer rushing touchdowns.

Here’s the question: should we compare a Heisman candidate’s numbers to those of a season ago? My answer is no. But the voters will. And McCoy’s superior 2008 season wasn’t good enough to win the Heisman. Why should this year be different?

So what about Mark Ingram? The Alabama sophomore is 11-0, likely 12-0 after the Iron Bowl, and is averaging 6.8 yards per carry and 127 yards per game. He seems to be getting most of the talk right now, but why? Is it because the Tide are #2 in the nation? Because he plays for a school with a rich tradition? Because he was on the cover of Sports Illustrated?  He only has 12 touchdowns.  We might as well throw UTEP’s Donald Buckrem in the mix as well.  He has more yards, yards per game and touchdowns than Ingram.  And he certainly doesn’t have the offensive line Ingram has.

So do you give it to Ingram, with worse numbers than a handful of running backs from non-BCS schools, because those running backs don’t have to run against SEC opponents?

Here’s another running back you may not know about – Toby Gerhart.  He plays for Stanford.  Stanford is in the Pac 10, and believe it or not, it’s the best conference in the country.  Don’t believe me?  Read this.

Gerhart plays for a school who’s playing nine teams from the best conference in football, plus bowl eligible Notre Dame.  All in all, Stanford has a schedule ranking (13)  that’s 28 places higher than Alabama (41) and 43 places higher than Texas (56).  Gerhart has rushed for 1,531 yards, second only to Buckrem, and has 23 rushing touchdowns, second to no one.  But his team is 7-4.  So I ask, should we give the Heisman to a guy with better numbers but a worse record?  Tim Tebow won the award the year he went 9-4, but finished third the year he won a national championship at 13-1.

It’s taken me a while to get to this option, but I now present you with the only one that makes sense: Case Keenum.  Say what you want about his strength of schedule or the Houston play calling.  I’m about to shut you up.

Keenum is 9-2, and almost surely to be 11-2 following a Conference USA championship in a few weeks.  He is more than 1,000 yards ahead of the next highest passer in the country.  That’s unreal.  Forget the schedule.  He’s a machine.  1,000 yards?  Are you kidding?  He doesn’t have a Jordan Shipley on his team.  There’s no Mark Ingram or Toby Gerhart to balance the offense.  This is a one man show.  Defenses know exactly what’s coming and still can’t stop it.  That’s impressive.  His 36 touchdowns leads the nation going away.  He’s the only player in the country throwing for more than 400 yards per game.  And for those of you saying that his pass attempts are inflated, try wrapping this number around your head: six interceptions.  Six.  in 553 pass attempts.  McCoy has three more in 161 fewer attempts.  And McCoy has a line that doesn’t let anyone touch him.

Keenum, unlike McCoy, will best his 2008 numbers, blow away all 2009 QBs in every statistical category, and, sadly, probably won’t even be invited to New York.  But he should be.  And he should win it.  This is a very interesting race, and the other contenders have too many question marks surrounding their legitimacy.  For once, give it to the little guy, on the little team.

My Heisman ballot:

1)  Case Keenum
2)  Colt McCoy
3)  Toby Gerhart

感恩施加摩尼佛从兜率天曾降世为我们说正法。 感恩药师玻璃光如来的十二大愿。感恩我住在夏威夷，美国最有佛教的州。感恩我住在瓦胡岛，夏威夷群岛之最有佛教宗派的岛。感恩我住瓦胡岛北海岸，该岛之最美丽的地区。感恩我所有参加的佛教宗派，尤其是佛光山中心、唐人街的观音庙、还有（日本）哈雷一瓦净土宗传道部。

NAMO BHAGAVATE BHAISAJAYA-GURU-VAIDURYA-PRABHA-RAJAYA
TATHAGATAYA
Xing Ping

The first thing we did upon our late-night arrival into Houston was go to the Houston Food Bank the very next morning.

Not as a way of assuaging any impending guilt we knew we were sure to have after digging gluttonously into Texan food in subsequent days. We wanted to get a true sense of what your options were food-wise if you were homeless and couldn’t financially support yourself.

And of course, give our time.

Donning hairnets, we spent the morning slicing up taco pies, mixing frozen vegetables, building meal trays, and filling up weekly meal boxes with juices, bread, milk, snacks, and the meal trays. By noon, we’d made close to 1,000 meals in just three hours.

In the time it takes to catch up on your favorite TV shows.

This year, Passports with Purpose plans on building a school in Cambodia and there are so many ways you can help.

This year’s fundraiser (based on raffle ticket sales) will benefit the American Assistance for Cambodia (AAfC), and this time around, I will be participating under the Matador Network umbrella.

Will be writing more about PwP next week, but in the meantime, here’s a brief unedited clip from the Food Bank. As you celebrate Thanksgiving today, remember to be grateful for even the littlest of things.

God bless.

This post is in progess at present; so if your city is not listed yet with video and you want to help comment below and provide the links please!

Special thanks to all who have helped so far and to all who made these rallies such a success.  Please keep educating friends and neighbors and sharing our message with facts and figures and a lot of love!

Houston, Texas

November 22, 2009

Paula Stang at the Houston End The Fed Rally gives a brief but poignant history of the federal reserve system.  She is doing her thesis on topic and I am sure she will educate many in the process!

OKC, Oklahoma

November 22, 2009

RJ Harris at the OKC End the Fed Rally takes a look at the creation of the federal reserve system and the proper Constitutional restraints  – no massive federal bureaucracy ever intended!

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Nathan Dahm at the OKC End the Fed Rally

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Ryan Underwood at the OKC End the Fed Rally

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Porter Davis at the OKC End the Fed Rally (part 1 of 2)

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Tulsa – Sign Wave (photos soon)

A mortgage is a wise investment. The real estate and mortgage industry is booming and most financial gurus tell us to go to some type of mortgage investments. Trillions of dollars invested in mortgages for residential properties and commercial mortgage markets, various types of insurance and pension funds. Individuals participating in such transactions on mortgage funds through the purchase of mortgage-backed securities or mortgageObligations. Since mortgages are carefully drawn the necessary credit and collateral, they extremely safe investments.

Houston mortgage professional associations are composed of loan origination companies, servicing companies and affiliated industry service providers. The association is an advocate for the interests of the lending value of the industry through the work of the officers and directors, its committee system, its partnership with the TexasMortgage Bankers Association and direct involvement in the local community lending. Through the collective voice of the HMBA club is dedicated to improving business operating conditions, the profitability of the industry and the participation in solving industry-wide problems.

These banks are dedicated to maintaining a high membership in the perpetuation of the highest standards of professional services diligently and promotes healthy and ethical business practices. Furthermoreeffectively represent the interests of the Houston real estate finance industry, the political local, regional and national issues. Inform members about changes in laws and pending legislation, which are the mortgage business. They constantly develop and promote education within the local mortgage industry, and a membership that creates an environment for efficient and profitable real estate.

Let me first start out by saying I was on Nationwide Radio in Kingston, Jamaica promoting an expo. I am the Event Officer for the expo. I didn’t want to appear on the programme but I eventually did. People who listened to the broadcast expressed that they were impressed and liked the delivery.

I have a personal issue that I will be working on. My demeanour does not speak of my potential and abilities. I hope I am expressing myself well. Most people who know me do not really KNOW ME. I appear to be reserved, laid back, unenergetic and conservative. Although that may be true, I have the ability to turn on the energy when needed. Some folks today call it an alter ego. I may be reserved but when the opportunity presents itself I turn into a total different person full of energy and life. It causes people who will offer opportunities to hold back because they don’t know what I am truly capable of.

I am a talented young man who is really underutilised in my job. So today, when I turned on the alter ego (no name for that person yet) my boss was really overwhelmed and seemed particularly impressed with my delivery. I want to get to the place where I turn it on all the time. I just hope I won’t turn people off.
You can’t have your cake and eat it, I guess.

Dancing with the Stars

Last night I watched the finale of the Dancing with the Stars. It was an entertainment night, filled with excitement and of course the revelation of the winner of the season. It was a surprise to see Donny Osmond win over Mya. I really think with all my heart that Mya would have taken the trophy home. I wanted to see her win. Her dance routine not ignoring her partner were always excellent and it reflects the perfect scores she received in the season.

However, the point must be noted that the core target audience may just have voted more for the winner. Clearly, if the winner was decided on the fact of delivery over the season then Mya would have won. Some people would argue that Kelly should have won based on the fact that she was the most improved. The fact is voting process was used and sometimes it isn’t fair.

My Favourite MYA

So of course, with Donny winning someone else would have taken the night. Whitney Houston was simply fantastic. I will only say this – her addictions may have affected her voice but she certainly can still deliver a great performance. Her songs on the night, I am still on cloud nine over it. Sorry! The videos are posted below for your viewing. The last song on the first video is one of my favourites from Houston so you could imagine my excitement and jumping in the house when she started to sing it. I have also posted a video of the song “I wana dance with somebody” from Whitney Houston back in the days. I have posted it because this is the real performance of the song. Enjoy.

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Job Duties:

Ensuring Daily Operational Needs are Met

• Develop, maintain, publish, and enforce corporate information security standards and guidelines encompassing data and intellectual property security.
• Proactively protect the integrity, confidentiality, and availability of information in the custody of, or processed by, the company, providing reports to superiors regarding the effectiveness of network and data security and making recommendations for the adoption of new procedures and technologies as required.
• Ensure the company’s ability to maintain IT business continuity by ensuring an up to date, workable, appropriate and practical disaster recovery plan.
• Ensure systems are developed and maintained within an enterprise security environment.
• Evaluate and remediate areas of risk with the IT organization by working closely with business leaders and Internal Audit and Controls Department.
• Execute internal control procedures and exercise initiative to identify and explain variances and unusual items.

 Planning

• Evaluate, plan, and execute software implementation effectively to meet standards for IT security requirements.  Work with application and project teams to assure all Disaster Recovery, security, and compliance issues are integrated into new applications or updates to existing applications to effectively protect the company.
• Design, review, and recommend for approval policies, processes, and procedures to improve operation’s efficiency and safeguard corporate assets.
• Stay abreast of the Company’s business to proactively identify potential accounting, reporting, and systems needs.

 Communication

• Oversee and interact with both external and internal auditors related to financial results, flux analysis, and trend analysis.
• Participate in management meetings regarding day-to-day operations and long term strategy of the department.
• Manage relationships with external vendors and security experts.
• Partner with key stakeholders in Legal, Finance, IT, and others to ensure effective communication and coordination across the enterprise. 
• Provide, through effective leadership, timely and accurate reporting services to senior management.
• Monitor compliance against all policies and appropriately drive remediation activities for non-compliance.

 Cost Management

• Drive improvement in existing processes.  Partner with other process participants to explore improvements and to implement project plans that will deliver best in class workflow and controls.

 Business Controls and Policies

• Comply with all corporate policies and procedures.
• Maintain a “center of excellence” for compliance activities around IT, or identify specific experts within the company as reference points for compliance.
• Manages and coordinates compliance for required audits by helping to identify issues, anticipate and solve problems, and provide customer service to internal and external customers based on ability to prioritize and initiate solutions.

 Management of Team

• Develop successor to the position.
• Manage all staff reporting to the position so as to effectively recruit, train, evaluate, motivate, delegate, and monitor their activities.
• Promote independent thinking and sound judgment.
• Perform all activities in a safe manner and ensure the safe work practices of those supervised.

Position Knowledge, Skills, and Requirements:

Education

• Bachelor’s Degree in Computer Science or a related field or the equivalent education and/or experience
• Highly desirable to hold one or more of the following certifications:
  • Certified Information Systems Auditor (CISA)
  • Certified Information Systems Security Professional (CISSP)
  • Certified Information Systems Manager (CISM)
  • SANS-GIAC certifications
  • System Security Certified Practitioner (SSCP)
  • Certified Protection Professional (CPP)
  • Certified Network Security Professional (CNSP)

 Experience 

• Ten (10) years of relevant and progressive IT experience
• Four (4) years of security/infrastructure protection and information security audit experience
• Three (3) years performing in a leadership role

 Other (Highly Desirable)

• Solid multi-platform knowledge.  Experience in Windows, Linux, and IP intranet and internet security environments including firewalls, intrusion detection, incident response, policy writing, vulnerability testing, operating system hardening, regulatory compliance and data classification.
• Experience with identity management solutions. 
• Experience architecting and implementing security solutions, policies, and technologies relating to transactional web sites is a plus.
• Solid knowledge of Sarbanes Oxley compliance, HIPAA, Payment Card Industry (PCI), corporate security and network policies and procedures, and experience in a compliance management leadership role.
• Working knowledge of ISO 17799/27002 Security Standards and SAS 70 auditing techniques.
• Experience linking legal and regulatory statutes with corporate policies.
• Negotiation skill necessary to successfully resolve differences while maintaining positive working relationships.
• Strong sense of importance of maintaining and demonstrating confidentiality with extremely sensitive situations and information.
• Excellent written and verbal skills ability to express complex technical concepts effectively, both verbally and in writing.
• Create an atmosphere where employees succeed and contribute to a high performance team.
• Capable of managing the current business needs while planning and forecasting for future needs.
• Exceptional organizational skills as well as detail and results-oriented while remaining cognizant of the overall goals and vision.
• Strong multi-tasking skills necessary to prioritize and achieve results in a fast paced, dynamic environment.

Contact me if you are interested. Questions can be posed as a comment below or directly to me.