Heston

Twitter

admin — Thu, 22 Jul 2010 00:24:06 +0000

Keep up to date with all things heston on Twitter

Thanksgiving 2009

admin — Thu, 26 Nov 2009 19:54:06 +0000

PRAYER
All things must change – yet
Our gratitude is constant.
Thank You, God. Thank You.

TOAST
All the blessings we enjoy are Divine deposits, committed to our trust on this condition: that they should be dispensed for the benefit of our neighbors. – John Calvin

WE SHARED THANKSGIVING DINNER WITH:
Alex Heston
Cecilia Heston
Mike Heston
Tom Heston
Mary Heston

… and our pets
Dozer Heston and Zilla Heston

Search and Rescue 12 Essentials

admin — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 22:05:03 +0000

clothing.shelter.5 large heavy duty garbage bags.sun protection.chapstick.mosquito repellant
map.compass.topographic.gps (store way-points ahead of time)
fire.waterproof.3 separate sources stored separately
food.water.way to make water.fruits containing water
communication.cell phone.paper and pencil.leave a message with family/friends about your travel plans.
knife.saw
light.flashlight.head lamp
whistle.mirror
rope.nylon cord.rescue gear
first aid kit.medications:personal, antihistamines
money.change.dollar

and #12 ?

a fit body and active brain. Think things through ahead of time and have a plan. Stay calm. Be in your best shape physically, mentally, and spiritually.

Thanksgiving 2008

admin — Sat, 29 Nov 2008 01:49:23 +0000

PRAYER
On this Thanksgiving
May we always remember
To love one another.

TOAST
By our words and our actions, we give Thanks the whole year through. – Traditional Irish Saying

WE SHARED THANKSGIVING DINNER WITH:
Alex Heston
Cecilia Heston
Mike Heston
Matt Heston
Mary Heston
Tom Heston
Adrea Pardoe
Dave Pardoe
Matt Pardoe
Ian Pardoe

and our pets
Dozer Heston and Steeler Pardoe

Resume Tips

admin — Fri, 03 Oct 2008 02:38:48 +0000

Be consistent with your formatting, style, and wording.
Be concise, since employers do not want to read a novel about you.
Clarity counts. Be sure your resume is readable and makes perfect sense, even at a glance.
Employers also need a complete resume, in order to appropriately evaluate you.
Ensure that you use plain formatting in your resume to accent and highlight important parts, but do not distract from the content.
Standard fonts should be used for the same reason. Stick with fonts such as Arial, Times New Roman
Use a minimum number of font sizes throughout your resume. Most sources suggest using no more than 2 or 3 different sizes of the same font.
No matter what font or sizes you pick, be sure nothing is too small or too large. The key in resumes is moderation, especially for formatting.
Unless you are in an artistic field, do not use pictures or clip-art on your resume. Once again, this is distracting.
To keep your resume from being monotonous, break up paragraphs with bullets. This also makes for quicker and easier reading.
Just be sure your bullets are plain. Do not use anything like Wing Dings. Also, limit yourself to one or two types of bullets throughout.
Do not fill every spot on your page with text. By using space effectively you can give your readers’ eye a break and draw attention to certain sections.
Whether you use hyphens or dashes, be sure to remain consistent. Do not use a hyphen to separate one date range, then shift to a dash for the next one.
Facilitate quick reading by aligning your dates and position titles in a column.
Find out if your industry has an expected length for resumes, and stick with it. For example, legal resumes are widely accepted to be only one page.
If your industry allows (or even encourages) more than one page resumes, be sure to use effective page headers for subsequent pages. Remind your reader who he is reading about, and also make sure pages 2+ do not get irretrievably separated from page 1.

Writing

Emphasize your strengths with powerful action words. Don’t be a writing wimp.
Make your words jump from the page with active voice. In other words, stray from words such as: is, was, am, do, did, etc
Tailor your resume to the specific employer to whom you are applying.
Likewise, tailor it to the position you seek.
As part of your tailoring process, find out the industry key words and use them in your text.
Be careful with abbreviations; in fact, you should not use them if at all possible.
It should go without saying that you use perfect grammar in your resume. For a little help on grammar, check out Strunk & White’s Elements of Style.
Aim your resume carefully by tailoring it to your employer.
Make your point even stronger by tailoring to the position for which you are applying.
Provide clear guidance for your reader with clear section headings.
When writing descriptions of jobs and activities, keep them short to minimize reading time.
Be consistent when typing out dates. For instance, always abbreviate in the same way or never abbreviate.
Use the proper names for all companies you have worked for, positions you have held, and schools you attended.

Content

Include a phone number that has a professional voice mail greeting.
Likewise, ensure that your email address is professional (not cooldude@server.com) and that your signature (if any) is professional.
Type your name on your resume like you want it to appear professionally. If you do not want your middle name used, leave it off or just include your initial.
Do not include references on your resume, but offer them during your application process or interview.
List any languages that you speak, even if they do not directly pertain to the job description.
If you have special skills (such as computer or technical abilities), include them if applicable to the position or company.
Include any major publications you have authored, such as a magazine or journal article.
Many career counselors debate whether or not to include an objectives section. Find out the standard in your industry, and follow it.
Include old jobs on your resume (even if not directly applicable to the position), but feel free to shorten their descriptions.
List all education you have had, and explain how it will help you in the target position.
Activities listed on your resume should reflect positive job qualities in some way. If they don’t, cut them.
Leave no time gaps, since this will make employers wonder what you did during that time.
Tell the truth! Check out the top resume lies, and don’t do it.

Revising

Spell check to catch any glaring errors.
Proofread your resume several times, during several different sittings, on several different days.
Get feedback on grammar and content from a friend, family member, or colleague.
Closely tied to feedback, you should find an editor that will work with you during the writing and revising process. You need a sounding board for wording and another pair of eyes for proofreading.

Presentation

Print your resume on professional resume paper. You can find this at your local office store. Unless you are in an art field, stick to white, off-white, or ivory. Go for paper around 24 lb in weight.
Be sure your printer will produce a quality printout. If your printer is not up to speed, use a friend’s or go to a local print shop.
When you buy your paper, don’t forget matching envelopes. You will need to mail some resumes and cover letters, so you want everything to coordinate.
If you are submitting documents electronically, send them as PDF files.

Final Thoughts

Keep your resume updated, so you can send it out at a moment’s notice. Also, by updating it every 6 months or so, you will not forget important accomplishments that should be added.

Creative Commons Attribution: writing tips

Charlton Heston March on Washington 1963

admin — Sun, 28 Sep 2008 00:25:34 +0000

Test of clinical significance

admin — Mon, 05 May 2008 02:03:07 +0000

Here is a mathematical formula that acts as a test of clinical significance. This formula helps clinicians determine the clinical value of a research study. When does a patient’s test more likely than not indicate they fall in the normal population? When does he test more likely than not indicate they fall in the abnormal population?

The mean value for the normal population = Xn

The standard deviation for Xn = SDn

The mean value for the abnormal (sick) population = Xa

The standard deviation for Xa = SDa

STEP 1. Calculate the threshold Z value:

Z = (Xa – Xn) / (SDa + SDn)

STEP 2. Calculate the threshold value:

Threshold = Xa – (Z * SDa)

When Xa > Xb, when the patient’s test value is greater than the threshold value, then it is more likely than not that they fall in the abnormal population. When the patient’s test value is less than the threshold value, then it is more likely than not that they fall in the normal population.

Crossing the Lines

admin — Sun, 03 Feb 2008 22:40:15 +0000

I’m crossing over the lines
that lead on to you,
ever along my way.

And it is you that draws me
the lines I move.
Going along, being sure the way
will lead us on down the road that together we know.
One step further, one time again and when
we see together forever it sends
us further along the way.

So I cross the lines
that lead on to you
over to you.

And I cross the lines
that lead on to you
over to you.

So now today we find
that its time again
to go over the path anew.
And it’s you that draws me in as I move
goin’ along, makin’ sure the way.
The love we hold on together, forever it sends us
One step onward, feel the truth that goes
Straight from my heart right to you and then
we go further along the way.

So I cross the lines
that lead on to you
over to you.

And I cross the lines
that lead on to you
over to you.

Over and over and
on and on
over to you.

It goes
over and over and
on and on
over and over and
on and on it goes
over and over and
on and on it goes
over and over
and on and on.

- Tom Heston

Heston Family 1997

admin — Wed, 23 Jan 2008 02:23:58 +0000

Lake Washington and the Olympic Mountains are in the background.

Thanksgiving 2007

admin — Fri, 23 Nov 2007 01:44:55 +0000

PRAYER
On this Thanksgiving
Let us remember to give
from our heart and soul.

TOAST
If the only prayer you said in your whole life was thank you, that would be enough. – Meister Eckhart

WE SHARED THANKSGIVING DINNER WITH:
Alex Heston
Cecilia Heston
Mike Heston
Matt Heston
Mary Heston
Tom Heston

and our pets
Dozer and Lightning