Fauxzen.com » Life

Is peanut butter bad for dogs?

Shelby — Mon, 30 Jan 2012 17:23:08 +0000

I have had an ongoing debate about the fact that peanut butter is not bad for dogs. I swear over the course of my life I have been present on more than a handful of occasions on where dog owners(including my family) have given peanut butter to dogs. I have also scoured the web and from the various posts I have see there is no evidence that giving dogs peanut butter is in anyway bad. Just wanted to run a poll to see what others think of this, feel free to comment as well.
Update: I should note while I am wondering about dogs in general the other part of the question is does it make a difference if its a small breed puppy or a huge pit or something.
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Tool – Mandalay Bay

Shelby — Tue, 17 Jan 2012 17:57:49 +0000

Last month I found out that Tool was going to be playing a few shows across the US, one of them being here in Vegas. I made sure on that day at 10am when tickets went on sale that I was able to get some.

I was able to see Tool last year and wasn’t too overly impressed with that show, but I was blown away with this one. They stuck with a lot of their older stuff. While the seats were kind of nose bleed it was nice to be able to sit back with a drink in hand and watch the show.

I took a few videos and uploaded them to YouTube, while they are not the best it does give you a decent view of the crowd/stage show.

A little catchup and the start of 2012

Shelby — Mon, 02 Jan 2012 22:14:30 +0000

Thought I would try to put together a “year in review” type of post to start off 2012. I have slacked on posting updates about life, and technology mainly because of time dedicated to work, WordCamp Las Vegas, Christmas, and New Years. Now that the event is over, and the most recent holidays are done I hope to have a little more free time to not only work on some projects, but to also post more to the site.

Life – I have traveled a bunch over the last year, and attended quite a few concerts and festivals. Had some bad times but mostly good times it was a really exciting year that allowed me to experience a lot of new things. I hope this coming year and the years after hold just as much fun and excitement as 2011 did for me.

WordCamp Las Vegas – For never organizing a WordCamp before, I must say it went pretty well. I am not just speaking on my own here as a lot of attendees have stated that it went really well and they enjoyed it a lot. I was able to get a fantastic hotel deal from the Hard Rock Hotel here in Vegas, work out a great venue space with UNLV and then setup and after party at the Freakin Frog. It was actually a lot easier than I thought it was going to be once the ball got rolling. I am debating on doing a WordCamp for 2012, if I do it should be easier now that I already have 1 under my belt.

Christmas – Nothing much to report on this front. Seems as though I am getting to that age in life where Christmas is just yet another day on the calendar…. except I don’t have to work.

New Years – 2011 went by really quick, seemed like every day that I got up it was another month in. As much fun as I had over 2011 I sure hope 2012 lasts a bit longer and doesn’t fly by so quick.

Projects – Over the past year I have been working on various projects and have a few more that I want to add to my list this year… and well hopefully finish up the ones I already started.

Performance Server Setup - I have been playing around with NGINX, Varnish, APC, and Memcached for the past year. I cant even begin to count how many installs of each I have done and different server builds to make use of the technologies. Its been a really good learning experience and I hope to actually apply it to something soon.
LED Hula Hoops – About 6 months ago Kat and I started messing around with the idea of creating LED Hula Hoops. The idea kind of sparked in my mind after going to a music festival in Colorado where I started to notice people using these LED Hula Hoops. After speaking with Kat about it and doing some research I thought it was a task I could take on and make a few bucks doing so. I hope sometime this year to start mass producing them and selling them online.
Internal Network – Since I started working from home I started to look at my internal network that I have setup. I have been trying to consolidate my systems and build in redundancy along the way. I hope soon to have my dedicated server setup with RAID and everything on a gigabit network as well. On top of that over the years I have been getting more into gathering data such as hard drive temps, and my snakes aquarium temp and logging it to MySQL and graphing out the data. I hope to continue adding more data gathering to the mix, possibly with a Twine once released or another Arduino.

Well that concludes my first post of the new year, and as always I hope to start expanding on this site more and more with more consistent updates too.

Mini or not to Mini?

Shelby — Wed, 07 Dec 2011 17:18:32 +0000

I have been kicking around the idea of setting up a desktop again instead of using my laptop for sometime now. I have been looking at various options such as buying a Henge Dock, and wireless keyboard and then just hooking up the laptop to my 23in LCD. I am also trying to weigh in the fact that with a dedicated Mac Mini desktop I would be able to do away with my Linux file server and just run those hard drives via USB.
What do you think? Should I just get a Mini and be done with it or go with the docking route? Both have their pros and cons and I could use your help to decide.
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Leela, and early XMas gift for Kat

Shelby — Tue, 06 Dec 2011 22:10:57 +0000

So for XMas this year I ended up getting Kat a Mini Dachshund. I had planned on meeting up with the breeder to have a look at the puppies she had to see if this is what I was looking for. She had driven from Utah with the puppies and upon seeing them I was sold on the spot. I originally was going to try to get her a few days before XMas and giving her a bit early, but since I couldn’t resist I got it to her a bit earlier than planned. Kat was pretty much in shock when I came back home and placed a puppy on the couch next to her.
So far she’s pretty awesome, besides the whole house training and crying though the night hehe

2011 Christmas List

Shelby — Tue, 06 Dec 2011 19:57:41 +0000

I dont know why I call this a Christmas list, as it usually ends up just being an unfilled wish list. Anyways here is my list this year, someday it might get fully filled heh.

Jawbone – I had a Fitbit which was awesome, But between washing it with the clothes and then it falling out of my pocket this seems much better.
Corsair Performance Pro Series CSSD-P256GBP-BK 2.5″ 256GB SATA III MLC Internal Solid State Drive (SSD) – Whew that was a mouthful. I have been wanting to make the switch to SSD on my laptop and this looks like a nice drive.
Threadless Shirts – I think this goes with out saying, they have some awesome shirts.
Socks – Its that one gift as a kid that I would have hated to get, but now I have reached that point in my life where I actually want them.
Levi 514 Slim Straight Jeans – Really all I have been wearing recently, could use a few more pairs.
Logitech Harmony One Remote – Thing looks sweet and would help do away with the 4 remotes I currently have on the coffee table.
Bath robe – Then I can truly not get dressed in the mornings.
Henge Docks for 13in MacBook Pro (Mid 2009-Current) and a Mini DisplayPort Extension – I have a nice 23in LCD monitor which is not being used, this would help me fill the gap of not having a desktop.
Apple Wireless Keyboard – Cant have a dock with out a keyboard
Mac Mini – I guess if I don’t get the dock I could always use a Mac Mini instead.
Nature Valley Sweet & Salty Nut Granola Bars, Peanut - I could eat about 5,000 of these and still want more.
Nest – What a cool way to set the temp in your place. And you can control it from your phone too.
Acqua Di Gio By Giorgio Armani – I am running pretty low on this, I need something to cover up my stench.

I think thats about it for this years ~~Christmas~~ wish list, though I will probably keep adding to it until Christmas.

Selling some stuff

Shelby — Tue, 15 Nov 2011 21:44:11 +0000

UPDATED 1/2/2012: This might be one of the most boring blog postings ever…. Since the apartment lease will be up soon I decided I need to sell some random things. Here is my Craigslist listing of items in case anyone in the surrounding Vegas areas would like to pick up the items. Also giving a shot at selling a site on eBay (this is a first time thing for me)

If you have any interest in these items leave a comment and we can work something out.

Puscifer Concert @ The Palms

Shelby — Tue, 15 Nov 2011 07:43:14 +0000

Kat and I got tickets for the Puscifer show in December. I am pretty excited as I ave seen Tool multiple times, and A Perfect Circle as well but never Puscifer yet.

https://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=206322669437317

SuperMex and a battleship challenge

Shelby — Mon, 07 Nov 2011 19:53:58 +0000

For a few years now I have been told about this mexican food place here in Vegas called SuperMex and how awesome it is. A friend of mine makes it a point to go here whenever in town, even the brief mention of this place on twitter and I get direct message death threats from him. I have had the chance to go here many times, but something or another always comes up and well I never make it…. That was until I came across a deal on Groupon for SuperMex. It was a great deal, $24 for around $50 worth of food so I grabbed it up in hopes it would actually get us into the place.

The other night Kat and I decided it was finally time for us to make the venture to SuperMex and see what all the talk was about. Our normal sit down mexican restaurant has always been Lindo Michoacan, which we hold in high regards. We chose to goto the SuperMex location right up the road from our apartment which makes you doubt the quality since it has a gaming bar attached to it, and its right next to a gas station/McDonalds. Upon entering there was a sign telling us to seat ourselves, we grabbed a booth and our waitress was on the ball with coming over and checking in on us. With the Groupon in hand the waitress explained what all was included starting with the tacos Tijuana appetizer, two item combo plates, flan, and their top shelf margaritas. For the appetizer we decided to get the chicken version and it was really good, I think this will be added to out “what to get” next time we are there list.

We have also been toying with creating a drinking Battleship type game, in order to properly brainstorm this we have been playing drinking battleship on the iPad … so far we have decided that we really need to figure out some rules, as drinking every time you miss is umm well not a logical thing to do lol. More on this later.

Napa Trip for a Wedding

Shelby — Wed, 02 Nov 2011 18:22:20 +0000

Last weekend I went with Kat to her sisters wedding up in Napa, to be specific in Calistoga which is north a bit. This was my first time to wine country, and after being there it really makes me regret sleeping in the previous times I have had the chance to go. It is such a beautiful place, and we ended up going to two wineries, the first being the Frank Family, and Chateau Montelena which was a really cool experience. I wasn’t too impressed with Frank Family, only because the guy at the tasting was not very personal. Chateau Montelena was fun though, and Kat even got attacked my a swan that she was feeding. I am hoping that Kat and I get to make it back there sometime soon for another weekend.
The wedding itself was short and sweet, and took place at a winery which made for a really cool setting. After the wedding instead of going to some boring hall, or country club we actually are in a cave on site. I didn’t get too many pictures from within the cave, which now that I think of it I really should have. I uploaded to pictures to my Picasa account which is now linked to my site here. Click the read more to see all the pictures.

Kats sister wedding

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Novi woman is suing film distributor and theater for misleading trailer

Shelby — Tue, 11 Oct 2011 19:38:53 +0000

So I came across a news article of a woman in Novi, Michigan that is actually suing a film distributor and a movie theater over the movie Drive. She is claiming that the trailer she saw made it seem like it was along the lines of the Fast and Furious type movies, but to her surprise it was nothing like the Fast and Furious type movies. Really unreal that the lady is up in arms about this and wasting the courts time with such a petty thing. Full news video can be found here.

Avengers Trailer

Shelby — Tue, 11 Oct 2011 17:54:16 +0000

The trailer for the Avengers looks pretty awesome, better than I was expecting.
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nX72FLkZJU4]

Hard Rock Hotel + Ticket Stubs

Shelby — Fri, 07 Oct 2011 17:27:47 +0000

I just found out about this today, I am not sure if its a new thing or I have been living under a rock. The Hard Rock Hotel and Casino here in Vegas is offering the following deal if you show your ticket stub after any concert.

Casino Bars – 2-for-1 Drinks
Pink Taco - 2-for-1 Dos Equis, Tecate, Peligroso Blanco Shots (at the bar)
LTO – $3 Pizza and $2 Beer & Wine
Mr. Lucky’s - Free Bloody Mary or Milkshake with Purchase of Any Appetizer or Entree
35 Steaks + Martinis – Free Martini at the bar
Starbucks – 2-for-1 Drinks
Espumoso – Sandwich, Chips, or Potato Salad, Cookie, Soda or Beer $9
The Hard Rock Store – 25% Off Your Purchase (not valid on consignment merchandise)

Kind of cool that they are offering this, and good to know as the Hard Rock usually has some pretty decent shows coming through.

Cinnamon Chicken Recipe

Shelby — Sun, 18 Sep 2011 01:55:29 +0000

I was looking for a new chicken recipe to make since it seems that Kat and I always eat chicken prepped the same way. Sean got ahold of me out of the blue when he saw we were making dinner last week and sent me over the following recipe. We haven’t eaten it yet as its still in the oven, but the apartment smells amazing. I will post an update after we indulge.

This exceptionally easy chicken bakes to a golden-brown glaze – the meat oozing with surprising flavors from the marinade. It would be great with simple accompaniments like mashed potatoes or grilled corn on the cob sprinkled with cayenne and lime.

Serves 4
1 1/2 cup dry sherry
1/2 cup honey
1/4 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon coarse salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 (2 1/2- to 3-pound) frying chicken, rinsed, patted dry, and cut into 8 serving pieces
2 tablespoons vegetable oil

In a large bowl, mix the dry sherry, honey, lemon juice, garlic, cinnamon, salt, and pepper. Add the seasoned chicken and toss to evenly coat. Cover and marinate in the refrigerator at least 8 hours, or overnight.

Preheat the oven to 350 F.

Remove the chicken from the marinade, shaking off excess, and set aside on a plate. Pour the marinade into a small saucepan and bring to a boil. Boil until it is reduced to about 1 cup and beginning to thicken, 5 to 10 minutes. Set aside.

Heat the oil in an ovenproof skillet over medium-high heat. Sear the chicken until golden on both sides. Pour the reduced marinade over the chicken and place in the oven. Bake about 20 minutes, until cooked through. Serve.

I thought I would post the recipe for anyone who cares to try, no idea where he got it from.

UPDATE: While I understand this is Cinnamon Chicken … I would suggest not using as much as we found the cinnamon to be a little over powering. On a side note the chicken did turn out super moist using this method.

WordCamp Las Vegas

Shelby — Fri, 09 Sep 2011 17:34:41 +0000

Once again another post that should have been posted a while ago. I have taken over the responsibilities involved with organizing WordCamp Las Vegas 2011. This is the first time I have directly organized such an event, though the company I used to work for did help with the organization of the first WordCamp Los Angeles so I have some insight of how it should go. Not to mention I have the mentoring of John Hawkins who was the previous Vegas organizer so that should help a lot too.
I have made a pretty big dent in planning and what not. I have secured a date and venue, and have recently opened up the speaker application form so the ball is slowly rolling. I have enlisted the help of Sean Goodwin for some sticker/shirt/graphic design for the event as well.
I hope to put tickets for the event on sale this week, as well as start accepting sponsorship once that is all out there I think I can take a short breather for a bit which I am looking forward to.

IDentity Festival

Shelby — Thu, 08 Sep 2011 16:40:04 +0000

I really need to get on top of posting things right after they happen, else it just seems like old news. Anyways on

labor day Kat and I ended up going to the IDentity Festival over at Mandalay Bay, it was a really good time. We ended up seeing some really good artists though the evening. We cut out early from the festival and made it over to the House of Blues to check out the Disco Biscuits which Kat is a big fan of, was weird they split up the venue like that but in the end it worked out. All in all it was a great time and I look forward to another festival since we always have a blast tooling around at them.

NYC and Hurricanes

Shelby — Tue, 30 Aug 2011 16:40:29 +0000

I just got back from my trip to New York, it was supposed to be a Thursday to Sunday type of trip…. it got pushed to Monday though due to Hurricane Irene which was moving up the coast. Due to this my flight and trip were changed a bit. While it wasn’t a total loss it still screwed things up including changing my flight a day later than it should have been. It sucked that the city was about 98% shutdown so it left little to do bedsides sit in my hotel room and drink away the storm outside my window that was starting to take place. With the lack of “real” destruction that Irene caused I think the city of New York will be somewhat happy that it has earned them a visitor again so that I can redo it. It was really awesome to finally meet the guy in charge, coworker and business partner. It’s really strange to work with people and yet never have met them in person, so it was cool to do so finally.
Over all it was a pretty rad trip hurricane aside, but after about 5 days of of living in a hotel I am happy to be heading back on a flight that actually wasn’t delayed nearly as bad as I thought I was going to be. I am looking forward to the next time I get to hit up NYC, and hopefully Kat will be able to go next time as well. The next time should allow for some exciting photos to be taken rather than the ones I came back with.

The all knowing Fry…

Shelby — Mon, 15 Aug 2011 03:20:34 +0000

Pretty much how I feel when I see the kids doing whatever the hell they are doing near the pool, and in the court yard at the apartment complex.

New Fridge, and site upgrades take 978….

Shelby — Fri, 12 Aug 2011 01:15:20 +0000

Over the course of the week Kat and I have noticed that the fridge in our apartment was starting to get warmer and warmer while the freezer was starting to become more arctic. I noticed a ton of ice buildup in the freezer and scraped a ton of it out but it didn’t seem to help that much. Then last night the fridge seemed to be approaching room temp so I quickly got out a cooler, added some ice and relocated all of the perishables.
This morning when I got up I immediately called the maintenance men and they came right over and installed a new fridge. Totally was not expecting them to do that as the complex seems to have gotten a little crappy over the last 9 months. But either way we have a new fridge and its working great, I think it might even be a little bigger inside too which is a plus.

Now on to the site, I am back in my ways of meddling with the setup, theme, plugins etc. I am hoping that I will be able to streamline the site a bit further and plan to implement CDN via Amazon S3 again as well. As you may have noticed the biggest changes are the theme, and the comments are now routed through Disqus. I have heard a lot of mixed reviews about 3rd party commenting including the usage of Disqus. I am still willing to give it a try as it allows people to login and post via Twitter, Facebook, Google, and Yahoo so hopefully that will drive up the comments a bit more when people don’t have to sit down and create an account to post a reply.

August is here, and I will be older…

Shelby — Wed, 03 Aug 2011 04:36:41 +0000

The summer has gone by really damn fast, I honestly haven’t the slightest where June and July went. Now its August, and my birthday is less than a week away, and wow am I feeling old. Reaching thirty wasn’t all that bad but knowing that thirty-one is less than a week away has really got me feeling like I should start to look into buying an amigo or a nice walker.
Besides my birthday this coming weekend, the rest of the month is pretty packed as well. ~~Kat and I are going to the Outside Lands Music Festival in San Francisco the following weekend.~~ Timing kind of sucks as WordCamp San Francisco is the same weekend. The company I work for is sponsoring it and I got a pass for it, but I highly doubt I will be able to attend with the music festival and all. Speaking of WordCamp, I took on the responsibility of organizing WordCamp Las Vegas in place of John as he currently doesn’t have the free time to take this on…. though little does he know I am going to make him do all the work ;)
Lastly towards the end of the month I am going out to NYC for the weekend to meet up with the owner and one of the other guys that lives out there. Will be pretty interesting as I have never been to NYC and well after talking only on the phone and via Skype it will be neat to finally meet them face to face. I really want Kat to come with me on this trip, but I dont think she’s going to make it. I might just have to knock her out and stuff her in my suitcase so she will have no choice on going or not.