Ronalfy.com

Feliz Navidad

Feliz Navidad a todos y Feliz Año Nuevo.

Merry Christmas to all of you readers out there, and have a Happy New Year as well.

Personal Goals for 2008

My friend Vivien has once again inspired me, so I am going to list several personal goals I’d like to accomplish next year. Perhaps not all of the goals can be accomplished, but I’m sure willing to take a stab at it.

Intermediate Fluency in Spanish

I’ve been studying Spanish off and on for a year now. I got really serious about it back in July and have made great strides. I hope by this time next year I will have a very good grasp on the Spanish language.

Visit Mexico

I’d like to visit Mexico once this year and put my Spanish into action.

Pay Down 1/3 of my Student Loans

I’d like to pay a third of my student loans off in my quest to become debt free.

See More of Family

This year was a big year of firsts for me. I visited my dad in Austin out of the blue in June, and then visited some extended family for the first time in Thanksgiving. I’d like to see more of my family, learn more of my roots, and continue the Huereca heritage.

Quit Smoking for Good

I’ve struggled this past year with quitting smoking, and I’ve been somewhat successful with only a few relapses for a week or more. I’d like to declare 2008 a smoke-free year for me.

Grow More Christ-Like

I’ve struggled in this area, especially after my separation and divorce from my wife. Sometimes I wake up and think, “Why bother?” I want to get out of this rut and continue my journey to becoming more Christ-like and just being downright happy to be alive.

Conclusion

Thank you for reading my goals, and thank you Vivien for posting yours. I’ll post my blogging goals in a separate post soon.

The Dollar and the Iraq War

Reader Amy Quinn over at CurrencyTrading.net brought an article to my attention that suggested twenty ways the war in Iraq has affected the U.S. dollar either positively or negatively.

One point that I want to bring up here is the potential for countries and organizations to switch to the euro. The article mentions that Syria started using the euro in 2006 to avoid funds being frozen in the U.S. Other countries could follow suit, and the result would be an even weaker dollar.

And if you think gasoline prices are bad now, just wait until OPEC decides to use the euro instead of the dollar. This move will further weaken the dollar.

For even more points, please check out the article, which I think provides an objective view on how the war in Iraq (and GWOT) are affecting the dollar.

Am I Weird For Not Spending Christmas With Family?

Unless you count my cat, I’m spending Christmas by myself in Huntsville this year. It was my choice. I decided I’d rather spend the New Year with my family instead, especially when I looked at the calendar and my limited vacation time.

When I told a lady at my small group that I was spending Christmas “alone”, she asked, “Are you going to be okay?” I responded, “It’s not others who make my Christmas. I make my Christmas.”

Last Christmas was rather rough, I have to admit. I did spend it with family, but I was still separated (from my now ex-wife) and was less sure about a lot of things. This Christmas I am confident and optimistic.

So am I weird for not spending Christmas with family? A benefit of visiting family after Christmas is to buy presents after Christmas and profit off the secular commercialization of Christmas (ironic, no?). After all, Christmas isn’t about presents. And it isn’t really about family. It’s about whatever you make of it, whether it be religious, secular, or otherwise.

I’m going to enjoy myself this Christmas. Just you wait and see.

An Officer Gunned Down in Huntsville

In the scary news department, I learned that this weekend a Huntsville Police Department Officer had been killed from being shot in the face. Officer William Eric Freeman was shot Friday night (December 14). Officer Freeman died the next day.

53-year-old Kenneth Shipp is the suspect and has been charged with capital murder.

What’s scary about this whole thing is there was a shooting incident several months back that involved Shipp and his son. The apartment wasn’t too far away from mine and the police locked down the whole area.

And today I learned that Kenneth Shipp worked in the same building as me (although I do not know him at all).

The tragic thing is that Officer Freeman left behind a wife and five kids with Christmas less than two weeks away. Collections for the family are being taken up, but I can’t imagine the amount of heartache and grief surrounding the Freeman family right now.

My sincere respect and gratitude goes out to Officer Freeman, his widow, his children, and his family.

Let’s Just Say I’m Glad I’m Not in Kansas Anymore

The entire three weeks I was in Kansas/Missouri, the temperature was about 20 degrees Fahrenheit the whole time. I’m glad I’m back in a place where I don’t have to wear four layers just to keep warm.

And since I have users here who use the metric system, this is for you:

My Personal Values and Mission Statement

I had the privilege of taking a leadership class that asked me to list out what values were important to me. I thought I’d share some of the things I wrote down and finish off with my personal mission statement. This post will give you a unique insight into how I think.

What is important to me?

Loyalty and objectivity are very important to me. Loyalty increases the longevity of a relationship, and objectivity allows one to make decisions based on facts rather than politics and emotion.

What do I value?

I value loyalty, honesty, open mindedness, self-discipline, creativity, innovation, and the willingness to continue learning.

Creative/Innovative: Being creative/innovative is thinking outside the box on a lot of issues. It’s challenging authority and figuring out why things are done a certain way. It’s being pro-active about fixing problems and finding solutions.

Intelligence: Intelligence is willing to learn and continue learning new things each and every day. It’s not afraid to ask questions and figure out the “in the mud” details.

Loyalty: Loyalty is staying on the ship no matter how violent the storm. When one is loyal, the person never leaves and never questions the integrity of his higher up.

Open Minded/Independent: Being open minded/independent is important in order to be objective to be a better decision maker. It’s realizing why one is making decisions and being able to see a broader picture.

Self Disciplined: Being self-disciplined is running in the 100-degree heat when nobody else is out there with you. It’s quitting the filthy habit that consumes you. It’s getting up for work when there is noone to hold you accountable. It’s being true to the God you will never see in this lifetime.

Self Aware: Being able to analyze one’s decisions and beliefs. It’s knowing why you made the decision and why you believe what you believe.

What are my personal goals?

Pay off my student loans, become fluent in Spanish, become a voice in online publishing, and start an online business.

What are my strengths and talents?

I’m very technical. I do a lot of programming on the side. I have an eye for color and love doing graphic design jobs. I am a proficient web programmer and writer for multiple blogs. I can speak well, and can usually communicate my thoughts and concerns. I’m opinionated and do not let politics/emotion get in my way of making a decision.

At the end of my life, what do I want my legacy to be?

I want to be known as a good Christian man who helped out his community. One of the reasons I’m learning Spanish is to continue my Hispanic heritage and help those who do not speak English. I’d like to be known as a writer, and someone who loves and would die for his country.

My personal mission statement

I am a man focused on my faith, my family, my country, and my Hispanic heritage. Along with continuing my Hispanic heritage, I strive to excel technically and academically.

WWI Museum in Kansas City, Missouri

Today I had the privilege of visiting the World War I Museum in Kansas City, Missouri. It was a very enlightening experience and I thought I would share a few photos. I’ll be in the area for another week and I hope to see more of this wonderful and intriguing city.

This photo was taken from on top of the Memorial Tower. I wasn’t up there long. It was a nice 28 degrees with the wind blowing in at about 30 MPH. It was cooooooold! In the background is downtown Kansas City.

One of the neat exhibits was the one describing how America got into the war. There was a video that described the brutal conditions and the catastrophic civilian deaths that resulted from the first World War.

This glass bridge marked the entrance into one of the areas of the museum. Each of the 9,000 flowers (poppies) below symbolizes 1,000 combatant deaths.

And thank you for looking at my photos. Please visit the official museum site for more information.

Unfortunately a new section (added just a year ago) isn’t yet reflected prominently on the website. However, you can check out a photo slide show of the newer section that I found somewhat buried. I also have more photos at my Flickr account.