Top Ten Moments of my Life (so far)

in no particular order....

#10 Top Moments in my Life

May 17, 1967....“It was never easy for me. I was born a poor black child. I remember the days, sittin’ on the porch with my family, singin’ and dancin’ down in New Bern, North Carolina".

Well... maybe not... might have heard someone else say that a while back... but I guess that date is fairly important in my life. I was born while my father was stationed there in the Marines and off in Vietnam. I have no memory of it and have never been to Cherry Point AFB or Havelock County. My twin brother Jeremy was born 4 minutes before me.

So... It all doesnt come into play unless I am born... has to rank fairly high on the list, if not highest, dont you think?

Jessica plays the radio in the shower every morning, and this morning as I was struggling to get up, i heard these lyrics wafting out of the bath... and I have been singing them in my head all morning since then....

Remember when I was young and so were you
and time stood still and love was all we knew
You were the first, so was I
We made love and then you cried
Remember when

Remember when we vowed the vows
and walked the walk
Gave our hearts, made the start, it was hard
We lived and learned, life threw curves
There was joy, there was hurt
Remember when

Remember when old ones died and new were born
And life was changed, disassembled, rearranged
We came together, fell apart
And broke each other's hearts
Remember when

Remember when the sound of little feet
was the music
We danced to week to week
Brought back the love, we found trust
Vowed we'd never give it up
Remember when

Remember when thirty seemed so old
Now lookn' back it's just a steppin' stone
To where we are,
Where we've been
Said we'd do it all again

Remember when
Remember when we said when we turned gray
When the children grow up and move away
We won't be sad, we'll be glad
For all the life we've had
And we'll remember when
-Alan Jackson

I think the part that struck me was when he sang
"Remember when thirty seemed so old"

here's what i think... that so called woman who killed her two sons and then placed them in a car and rolled it into a lake/river should get the EXACT same treatment. She should be placed in that SAME car, be strapped in and have it rolled into that same EXACT place and die. plain and simple.... i dont care how difficult it was for her or how much her mother was on her case... no excuse for it. NONE.

And i have heard calls for the death penalty.

But....

Susan Smith did the same thing (basically) and she has spent her days in jail having sex with corrections officers, 3 meals a day, chillin' on my tax dollars and will be up for parole in about 10 years or so. I will be curious to see if this woman gets the same type of penaly as Susan Smith did... or if she receives a higher level of justice.

And... WE'RE OFF!!!!!

First day off school today... 3rd Grade!!!... man o man, is time flying by.... This Fall seems to be setting up rather nicely... the only downside so far is that we have had to NOT do dance/tap/gymnastics this year because schedule conflicts cant allow us to get to Clemson this year in the afternoons in time. But we hope to resume next year... but in the meanwhile, Soccer returns, and we will add private lessons for some sorta instruments for the kids... they say clarinet and saxophone... not so sure I want them to go that route but if thats what they want, then so be it.. they seem to be extremely fickle about it. i really think they have no clue.... I-Man starts the year off in some Gifted and Talented classes. We shall see if he likes them or wants to be back in the "normal" classes... Ryles starts the year off with a chip on her shoulder... they are NOT in the same class this year and I hope this allows I-Man some freedom to branch off in regards to making friends and not have the constant specter of Ryles interfering...

OK.. so i said before i had some sorta back issue... FINALLY seems to be just about over... now I can get about my normal daily life, i guess... at any rate, the CITY showed up this morning and went into the little pumphouse/well/den of horrosa thingy that resides at the side of our house and seemed to address what I had told them several times over the past month about our toilets/etc. not seeming to flush the way they had in the past. It seems they dont really like addressing this issue for some reason, but they have too cause .. well.. its THEIR device on our property. It is some sorta pump/sewage thingy that i assume pumps stuff UPHILL to the main line running under the street. And it seems like three houses are affected by it... All I know is that occasionally (especially after big rain events) an alarm will go off, and I have to call them. And they reluctantly show up and look all pissed off that they have to go down into this box in the ground on the side of our house... i didnt put it there. it was there when we got the house. Our house was built in the 60's ( in case you have never seen it) and there are several quirky things about it, this being one of them...

Is there ANYTHING worse than having some sorta back strain/pain/soreness/whatever? well... death ranks up there, but not sure if it is worse. I have had some sorta back issue for approaching a week now. Its finally getting better, but .... you cant walk, you cant sit, you cant lie down... nothing works to make you comfortable. And then you HAVE to go to work... i have barely touched my PC during this time... still working on my Top Ten....

for the guys who have been to a "gentlemens" establishment a time or two, THIS will REALLY make you laugh....

Top 10 project...

I am going to post this project which will consist of the top ten events in my lifetime (so far).. obviously, i could say that being born is the obvious number 1 as no other events are possoble, without it... so I will start there soon and that will be my number ten. After that, i will chronicle the next nine, IN NO PARTICULAR ORDER...

go figure

i used to NEVER watch anything Jonas Brothers... NEVER!!!!... but why am i suddenly watching it now... Inthralled, captivated.... as well as iCarly and Phineas and Ferb?

"Be who you are and say what you feel, because those who mind don't matter and those who matter don't mind." - Dr. Seuss

weird... over the weekend, i had talked to Wes about having weird dreams whenever you are not feeling well... last night, I wasnt feeling good. seemed to have a slight fever and went to bed early. proceeded to have dreams about having dreams when not feeling well...

Are "Daisy Duke" shorts coming back into style?.... saw a lot of those in Greenville on Main Street the other day... not sure I like that trend... honest.

weird... kinda... yesterday, I ran over to Clemson and helped a brother move their TV cabinet and bed stuff to their new apartment.. several current brothers eventually showed up and i left and on my way back home, i got to thinking about bandcamps, and anticipating meeting new people and renewing old friendships... I started thinkng about the important people in my life now and if I couold remember the EXACT moment I met them... and I am astonished to say that I can not remember exactly, except for my wife... weird. I spent a little time on the phone with Kristen, and she seemed to be able to recall stuff from when we met that I am totally blank on... weird...

Santa is spooling up his toymaker machine... I talked again with Santa and his lovely wife and it will once again be a low key, quality over quantity sorta holidays again... of course, as Santa's main agent, I floated the "what do you want Santa to bring you?" question out to the twins.... it now seems to have gotten a little more difficult.... their answer? "We can't tell you. If we tell you, Santa wont bring us anything!"... (crickets chirping)

Normalcy has returned, with typical T-showers almost everyday... creek has returned to flowing... spent all day yesterday at work smelling mosquito repellant... on me. really, really sucked... and started to get to my stomach as I rarely have that on me... Bristol has been retired to my mothers house in the country where he will soon be free to roam and run and frolic to his hearts content. I think this will ultimately be the best thing for him, and give my mother an alarm of sorts for her out in the middle of no where. Wont stop really, really bad guys but will be a deterrent to petty thieves, etc.

OK... so... Its been a bit.. um.. well.. a notch toasty in these parts the last few days. Not sure what all the fuss has been about. Doesnt this happen every year? Now... If it continues for a couple of weeks or something, then I might have to come back here and complain... Especially since the creek has dropped down a couple of levels and is not flowing over the rocks anymore, but flowing kinda under them..... the problem for me isnt the heat (which i REALLY, REALLY, REALLY dont like) but its the lack of typical ThunderStorms that roll thru in the summer. Need those Thunder Bumbers to keep the water flowing and cool things down a notch or two...

Blowing leaves (again) today and i have noticed that there are far more spiders it seems in the back yard this year... also seems to be far less mosquitoes. Hmmmmmm....

I-Man has caught several little fishies using the fishtrap John gave him. Hasnt cooked any, but at least we know we can get some bait in a hurry if we need to...

knock on wood...

Braves get to the Dog Days of August (just about) with a weeks worth of games lead on the Phillies and Mets... virtually NO ONE thought they would be in this position... I am almost ready to change my outlook on this season... September 1st. If they are still within 3 or 4 games of first, I will fully risk a jinx and investigate playoff tickets.... fingers crossed... I was spoiled by the success of the Braves during the 90's and 2000's. I knew it would have to end but I thought I would be able to adjust once they fell back and rebuilt. Well... i missed automatic wins... THIS is more like it....

“We must always think about things, and we must think about things as they are, not as they are said to be.” -George Bernard Shaw

I certainly hope those who complain that I talk about Obama, etc. too much understand that this part of who/what my blog is about. MY OPINIONS and MY POINTS of VIEW will be posted here from time to time. I am not forcing anyone to read anything or think any certain way. Just offering information and stuff from my perspective and asking questions.

I will say again that I appreciate and want to hear all points of view, and spend a lot of time reading and watching and listening from all sides. That I express something that is conservative or "right wing" is, well, the way it is.

“If a man isn't willing to take some risk for his opinions, either his opinions are no good or he's no good” - Ezra Pound

I am what I am.

However, I am not a "right winger" nor a part of the religious right, or nor do I simply watch FOXNEWS all day. I probably listen and watch more NPR and MSNBC than most of you. I am "Conservative" more than I might be "Liberal". But if you care to take a closer listen to what I say and have said in the past , you would know that my positions are not taken lightly, nor without a LOT of thought.

"We should be eternally vigilant against attempts to check the expression of opinions that we loathe.” - Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr


This is an avenue for me to speak my opinion.

While it might not be totally about the same thing, I am reminded of a poem I read long ago... rather than reprint just the poem, I am going to steal the Wikipedia article so you have an explanation of it.... yeah... i know... Wikipedia.... but it is quick...

"First they came ..." is a famous statement attributed to Pastor Martin Niemöller (1892–1984) about the inactivity of German intellectuals following the Nazi rise to power and the purging of their chosen targets, group after group. The text expresses, in a condensed form, the understanding of history presented by Niemöller in a January 6, 1946 speech before representatives of the Confessing Church in Frankfurt.^[1]

"THEY CAME FIRST for the Communists,
and I didn't speak up because I wasn't a Communist.

THEN THEY CAME for the trade unionists,
and I didn't speak up because I wasn't a trade unionist.

THEN THEY CAME for the Jews,
and I didn't speak up because I wasn't a Jew.

THEN THEY CAME for me
and by that time no one was left to speak up."

I am dead set against free agency. It can ruin baseball
-George Steinbrenner

Wow....

I still cant figure out what the deal is here....

"You can't let praise or criticism get to you. It's a weakness to get caught up in either one."
- John Wooden

pondering....

Returning from "vacation" and getting back to work has given me pause for thought....

I place a lot of stock in my time that I visit with friends. No... it isnt ever going to be 4 hours talking about stuff at Huddle House anymore, or long bus rides to wherever talking about things that are SOOOOO important, or even sitting in a bar over a drink talking sports. I understand that. That just simply wont ever happen again, I guess.

But it is so great to be able to simply see and hear friends in "real time", even if it is for what usually turns out to be a 45 minute conversation once a year. At least it is to me.... I spend so much time immersed in a computer screen away from ANYONE I remotely even care to talk to. That is why I look so forward to a trip six months from now. It is also why I get extremely irate about petty arguments that take away or interfere with stuff I look forward to. We are not promised tomorrow. The next time the phone rings could be a call telling you that somebody important is GONE. I have answered the phone and had someone tell me that my Father had passed. I have answered the phone and had someone tell me my Grandmother (an extremely important person in my childhood) was GONE. I have had that call telling me a dear friend was gone. SO when I hear that family members are avoiding each other and not talking, it pisses me off. Because it is a waste of time, and sets everyone up for a bad experience. Karma is a bitch. And I dont like to mess with it.

Anyways, I guess maybe I should simply not waste mental energy thinking about getting family together at some point in time in the future. Maybe it is a flawed way of thinking. Certainly sometimes feels I am the only one taking this seriously.

also...

I forgot about this... after we returned from the ocean fishin gig, I took a shower and whenever I closed my eyes I could feel myself floating up and down and left and right... weird....

And... is it me or are the leaves falling earlier and earlier every year? Had to blow the back yard yesterday and the front is starting to get covered.... Not even August yet...

And how is it that the big Disney Channel Summer Blockbuster (Camp Rock 2) doesnt come out till September?

Trip O Rama

SO... I have often said that I have been blessed in my life... Great mother who is generous beyond all belief... Beautiful wife who who is a great friend and fabulous mother to my children... two bright, energetic and "what more can you ask for" kids who make everyday challenging, fun and rewarding, Family (jessica's parents in particular) who have been generous and supportive beyond the call of duty and friends who I would not trade for anything, who have stood the test of time. These many blessings and well paying jobs (as well as a car with the ability to go 12 hours on a single tank of gas) have allowed us to experience and travel and do things that I always count my blessings for... and this summer has been a continuation of these blessings. And we still have other friends (Lisa, TJ, Trace... Clemons... you're on notice...) to see before September. SO... that being said, we recount the latest trip and visits...

My Mother was very generous to pay for the Twins and us to go on a cruise with her this past week... dropped the Guinea Pig off at Brandy's and realized I did NOT have the birth Certificates for the twins...OR... gulp... Jessica's Birth Certificate.... Backtrack an hour back to the house and another 30 minutes tearing up the garage and storage shed before we finally got all the proper documentation... Now running way later than anticipated, we managed to get to Aunt Ellen's and crash for the night before heading to Jacksonville early in the next morn... arrived around 11:30ish and slipped thru customs and onto the boat with relative ease.... the kids hit the pool and Jessica and I sat around the Adults Only Hottub, pictured to the right... notice all the adults there, including our twins. Interesting enough, there was an actual adults only section on the ship that I never got to go visit, although I could see it from a higher deck... That location was called Serentity... go figure....

After a day at sea, we did a stop over at an "Deserted Island" called Half Moon Cay and it was actually pretty slick. My mother had secured a Cabana which gave us cover/shade/housing and a place to put towels, drinks ( a fridge ), and cool off ( a misting fan) while the beach lay in front of us.. the view from out Cabana was SPECTACULAR (see left) and the water in the area of the world continues to amaze me with how clear it it.... Jessica and the twins went snorkeling, and the kids swam for like 5 hours straight.... once again, my mothers' thoughtfulness and generosity totally changed that experience, for the good....

The next day saw us do a stop at Nassau. Been there done that, but I did take Ryles over to Atlantis where we saw their Aquarium (illegally, I think). Earlier in the day, Grandma showed us this zoo which was DEFINITELY not like the zoos in the US... Animals just walking around in no cages that you would NEVER see normally. I saw lawsuits all over the place if this would have been at Riverbanks zoo, but here it was normal... and cool. Ryles also got a conch shell and collected more sand for Nanna to analyze from Atlantis. Ryles, Grandma and I returned to the ship via water ferry where we did have to be tortured by some Rastafarian wannabe shilling for money while showing us where the rich people lived.

The last day saw us do another full day at sea, which was kinda funny because the boat seemed to reach a point about 50 miles away and virtually stop in the middle of the ocean. The kids spent most of their days on the boat in Camp Carnival, where they made a bunch of friends with kids of their same age... they had all sorts of activites going on for them ALL day... a very interesting concept. It gives them something to do other than just swim and bump into each other all day in the pool or on the slides.


ITS SIGNING TIME FOR ALEX AND LEAH!!!!!

We then exited the boat the next day and meandered over to see John, Pam and Grace. I have previously mentioned John's generosity in taking me out on the ocean for some fishing. Pam was also generous in providing food and also to let us get some scans (done by John) in her pactice for free that showed us just how much damage our skin had from the sun. Very, very interesting indeed. We also got to visit with their daughter Grace and we all went to Wild Adventure, a Carowinds/Dorney Park type place.... rode some coasters and rides and did the water side of the park- THAT was interesting. I can see where that would be a day all by itself.... We then went back to Tallahassee where we chilled (kids hit the pool, of course), did a firebown and chilled out before heading back home....



So... 9 days in total it took. but...just two (2) TWO tanks of gas total.... and thanks to the generosity of Grandma, Aunt Ellen, John and Pam and the support indirectly and directly of a bunch of others, it was a GREAT time and experience for Ryles and I-Man. Like I said before... a couple of day visits are on the docket, as well as Cousin Madison's birthday, Carowinds with Grandma and church and school starts again... I hope that the future brings more blessings and experiences...

lets see where this goes...

The fact that an opinion has been widely held is no evidence whatever that it is not utterly absurd; indeed in view of the silliness of the majority of mankind, a widespread belief is more likely to be foolish than sensible.
-Bertrand Russell

Hit the ocean ...again...

Today, John was gracious to take me out on the ocean near his home and we went out a tad far to hook some fish. This was father out than I had ever been before on a small personal craft before and it was a blast. Outside of the obvious sea issues and the UP/DOWN/SIDEWAYS constantly, it was fun catching a couple of larger fish ( with Johns expertise ) and watched him catch a whole bunch o fish too........ a strange after effect was while taking a shower, i closed my eyes and i swear i could feel myself rocking like I was still out in the ocean.... I am always appreciative of the time John takes to take us out and show us a great time...

tomorrow will see us going to Wild Adventures in Valdosta... should be interesting as I have never been there. I believe it is like a Carowinds/Dorney Park type place with coasters, kids stuff and a water park. I think we are going to try to avoid the water park...(crossing fingers)

After returning back to John and Pams, we plan to chill out before finally heading back to home after a loooooooooonnnnnnnng road trip.... kinda weird as I woke up in the middle of the night last night, and I could NOT remember where I was for a few seconds... probably a hint that home and my own bed will be welcome....

Or perhaps....This?

This would be a something for the thermos with the previously mentioned ankle thingy?

Where was this 15 years ago?

This is SOOOOO something that might have been useful back in the day. This is better than the flask....

Coming off the cruiseboat, we will head to see John, Pam and Grace... we shall see if these pictures i constantly see on Facebook about are true or creative Photoshop apparitions...

Looking good so far

Braves reach the All Star Break looking good and set to contend in the second half. As I have said before, all I ask is that we have a chance in September and that the games mean something.... Think I am going to take I-Man to a game in August and maybe catch up with some friends in the ATL area while at it...

Looking around for potential Stocking stuffers.. came across this....

OK... So the trip to Jacksonville had a slight hiccup as we didnt have the twins birth certificates. Didnt have jessica's either. Had to go back home to locate those and after a little panic, found it. Then we headed to Columbia, which was about 117 degrees at 8:45pm... I swear. Honest. The Droid said everywhere else was 75 degrees, 85 degrees... etc. No wonder USC fans are always in a bad mood (besides losing alot - despite their baseball teams recent success)... this place would drive me batty. It is SO FRAKKIN HOT!!!!!

with all the hubbub from some calling for a boycott of BP, despite the boycott really hurting the local owner more than it hurts BP, I thought that this pic I saw online might be kinda interesting... found it online browsing a site about sports uniforms, of all things...

maybe my mind has changed

I have often said ( and fully intend to) that I will drive my current Jetta well past 300,000 miles and probably till it blows up. And current plans are for a BMW X5 as my current line of thinking, with another Jetta TDI close behind it in ranking.. but..this car to the right has me thinking I might get that if I can figure out how to make it make sense.... more on this vehicle here....

from facebook

i know some have already seen from facebook, but I have to post this again. I got it from Harwood the other day. This made the rounds for almost two straight days at work..... beware watching this as it does contain adult language....

follow up

Spent the evening of the Fourth at Harwoods', and we shot off a whole heap of fireworks. I think I have improved the quality of my fireworks presentation... Next year, i will be fully ready.

today, JULY 4th!!!... but yesterday????

Friday afternoon, Nanna and Papa came into town. We spent time the day before at River Falls in Greenville, the hit Wild Wings for dinner... Yesterday, we went to Clemson and went on a picnic. We then contacted Uncle Wes and Aunt Ashley and found out that they were actuall about 200 yards away from us across the cove. Got on the pontoon and went cruising around lake Hartwell for a bit and the kids went swimming. We then went back home and grilled out steaks, corn, potatoes with everyone before they all headed back home.... it was, for me, great to see everyone. As I have mentioned before, days off, vacation time and spending time with friends and family are things I look forward to all the time. And with my vacation time somewhat precious and limited, I place a lot of stock into that time. And spend a lot of mental energy into thinking ahead and planning and setting aside time. That is why it annoys me when that time gets complicated by petty bickering and simple lack of communication. I feel we only have so much time here. It is a extreme waste of time for subterfuge and a simple lack of communication and avoidance of issues to make EVERYTHING so complicated. And I fear the future we see us simply choosing to take ourselves out of the equation. I simply dont want to be bothered when people could simply talk to each other. At the end of the day, family will be what is there for you.

I forgot to follow up on Browns job in NYC... he is doing great. And the store that he works for is obviously doing well... I tried to barter a 2000 dollar set of coasters down to 5 dollars but it didnt seem to work.... left is a sign that was prominently displayed in the store....

Don't cry because it's over. Smile because it happened. --Dr. Seuss

well last week was eventful... full of travel and seeing old friends... first stop was in Raleigh to see the Wyatts... we had an opportunity to sit around and eat wings and sip Canadian Mist while the kids ran around and had fun... Raleigh is a long way and traffic sux there... just sayin. But I do think time between visits was waaaay too long. But their relative proximity to Florence will make it easier in the future to plan something out. perhaps a day trip into town and a trip to the museum in town or some other sites. Got a chance to see Josh's EV car... needs a little work still but looks close to being a reality, it seems... Josh also (with Alicia's help) gathered up a lot of photo albums and photos from the FRAT from WAYYYYY back and gave to me to give to the Historian. A lot of pix of the colony members and pix of the Alpha thru Delta classes...

Then it was off to New Jersey, traveling up 95 around Washington, thru traffic, under Baltimore Harbor, thru traffic, around Philly, thru traffic and across to Jersey to Kristen... thru traffic. Hung out and ate Chinese and then woke up the next day and traveled into NYC... thru... NO traffic for the most part. Into Manhatten, across Chinatown, across the bridge into Brooklyn where we met up with Aunt Pam and Uncle Erik and then headed onto the subway to go into NYC to go to the Museum of Natural History. We ate a dog from the street vendors and then spent around 4 hours roaming around inside. I was impressed that the kids could have stayed even longer and had a LOT of fun.... we then went across Central Park to FAO Swartz and I-Man got him a cool SPACE PATROL lego set while Ryles made herself a bracelet... then back on the subway where we then went to Browns work place which seems to be flourishing.... we then went and grabbed some dinner at a cool joint in Brooklyn, then hit up Brooklyns Best Ice cream and spent some time under the Brooklyn Bridge at a park there enjoying the great view and the nice cool temps... then back to Jersey...






The next day saw us with the Redmonds hitting Dorney Park, a Carowinds type place (coincidentally owned by the same company) with some mean coasters that i managed to avoid riding. There were a couple of other ones that I-Man rode and several kiddie rides I enjoyed immensely. Temperatures were great and we managed to spend almost seven hours there deftly navigating all the fun with the occasional expected melt downs... Red Robin for dinner and a incredibly cool candy store treat from the Redmonds for dessert ended the day. I was kinda amused and sad to have to leave. As always time is way to short on these visits and seeing how much I-Man enjoyed playing with Kristen's son was cool...the twins got along great with all the kids. Kinda strange thinking about how we never could have imagined this 15/19 years ago....

The next day saw the loooong trip back, hitting Cracker Barrel at the exact same place and exact same parking spot as the year before... back home to reality, back at work and already mentally planning... for next year.

Fathers Day!!!

Jessica and the twins treated me to cube steak and eggs, bacon, hash browns, gravy, orange slices, biscuits and Arizona Ice Tea. And a couple of homemade cards that they obviously took a lot of time to make. Much appreciated!!!

here we go again

a couple years ago Brandy sent me a link about companies/web sites/brands that were going to be folding, etc. I remember reading it with skepticism but that article proved to be eerily true... well, here is another article that i am wondering if it will prove to be true. If so.. wow....

on deck

Looking forward to seeing... Josh, Kristen and Brown this week... should be fun...

Slumber party

last night the Harwoods daughter spent the night at our house and in typical fashion, none of the kids wanted to go to bed. Finally the girls went to sleep and I went upstairs around midnight and found I-Man still awake... his comment..."I feel like such an adult now"

It is not so much our friends' help that helps us, as the confidence of their help. ~Epicurus

Had a great visit from Brandy and AJ this time last week and got to visit with their newest addition to their family. They seem to be adjusting well to a considerable change between having one child to having two. While I never have known what it was like to have one kid, it always felt from afar that the task was far easier than having two at one time. Of course, that does make sense... i suppose.

Then yesterday, we went over to see The Harwoods and the twins hit the pool with their kids. I am amused at just how much I-Man and Ryles never seem to tire of swimming, either in a pool or down at the lake in Camden, or at the ocean...at any rate they spent about three hours in the pool then played inside for another 4 or so, taking in some pizza along the way, as well as creating all sorts of Play-do thingys...

I was fortunate to be allowed to use Harwoods' lift to replace my skid pad/belly pan on my Jetta. I had been driving for 3 months without protection for my oil pan, which sits extremely low to the ground on the TDI and is exceptionally vulnerable to rocks, etc and therefore, catastrophic engine failure if oil starts dropping out while traveling down the highway... i am always grateful that using his lift has probably saved me hundreds, if not now thousands of dollars in cost to dealership or mechanics.

It is interesting to see the budding friendship between Ryles and Harwoods daughter. I think this will be a long term thing ( one would hope ) that will be cool to look back at in 10 years...

"Dude, We're Gettin' the Band Back Together!"

Perhaps one of my mostest fave episode EVER on Disney Channel...i ended up watching this instead of the second half of the USA/SLOVENKA(whatever) match.... why do I like this episode so much... because there is a understated core them of the fact that MUSIC brought the band together initially and MUSIC was the tie that binds them together after many years away from each other....

so... i get up on my first day off to go downstairs and watch USA in the World Cup. Of course, the kids are watching a Power Rangers DVD they have only seen.. what.... 400 times? So rather than force the issue, i trudge back upstairs to watch it in my bedroom... good thing i moved my old 37incher upstairs.

Not sure if it was some sorta virus or what yesterday but I feel much better today. Except that I now notice virtually every joint in my body creaks and pops when I wake up and get out of bed...

Kinda weird... last night i felt really strange, all achy and ever so slight chills... but what was strange was how i couldnt really sleep well... almost didnt go to work but wanted to keep my sick days in the pocket.... and I am now starting to feel a little better...

interesting....

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/06/17/fashion/17BFF.html?src=twt&twt=nytimes

USA ties England.. kinda appropriate considering the symbiotic nature of the relationship between the two countries... I will take it and hope the USA doesn't pull a USC (or worse, Clemson) and lose to the two lesser teams in the group in matches they are favored to win. And I hope the English goalie doesnt end up like the Columbian goalie from 1994.

Did You Know?...

The USA team jersey is made from recycled plastic bottles with each individual jersey having the equivalent of 8 bottles... that on the back at the jersey neck is a small graphic that says simply USA... that inside the back at the neck is a coiled rattlesnake graphic... that underneath the USA soccer Federation crest, on the inside OVER THE HEART is another coiled rattlesnake embroidered... with the letters DTOM, which stands for DON'T TREAD ON ME

"Η καμήλα δεν βλέπει την καμπούρα της"

• "The camel does not see her own hump."
• We readily see other people's faults but fail to see our own.

Non se collen as troitas coas pernas enxoitas. (No trouts are caught with dry legs)

WORLD CUP!!!

watching the World Cup match between South Africa and Mexico right now.... Mexico comes out in all black with their green accents. Unusual to see them in that color. So used to seeing Mexico in some form of Green with their usual Aztec/Mayan accents.... Interesting... might have to get me some of those vuvuzelas...... it always amazes me how the ENTIRE WORLD watches these matches, yet hardly anyone in the US even know this huge event is going on.... right now, the entire countries of Mexico and South Africa are at a stand still, glued to the TV. Tomorrow, US will play England... a match full of historical and symbolic importance... and most of the US wont even know it is happening. I lay some fault with ESPN and the entire US press. Bet you that if the Yankees and Red Sox were playing, we would be inundated with the same old stories and hype over and over for the 75th time since April.

But I bet you this... at 2:00 tomorrow afternoon, ALL of England will be watching....

but I also ponder how i see things... The guys playing for Mexico look...Mexican. The guys playing for South Africa dont look South African to me... by that i mean that for so long I associated South Africa with White(caucasians, whatever) people, with the Black people being oppressed into poverty/slavery/whatever. Perceptions... obviously things are changing for the better in South Africa, slowly but surely. But I almost expect to see the South Africa team as all white blond guys with crew cuts dressed in all black with swastikas on their arms. Yeah, i know... getting time periods/locations/stereotypes all mixed up, but.. well.. it is MY blog, isnt it?

today is the last day o school for the kids. Looking back, i try to remember what that was like for me. And I can barely remember... kinda scary. I can remember that it was always kinda sad as it always seemed like August was SO FAR AWAY. And that I didnt hear from or see any of my friends for the entire summer. Now... I think of how August seems like tomorrow for me. Plans for June and July are set and I am thinking of the August timeline and how I might be able to fit a Darlington truck race into family stuff. I can realistically think of what is planned for every weekend thru July. Kinda weird getting ready for school again, already. What book bags will they have? Will they go LLBEAN again or something totally different? in a related note, I-Man made Tiger Strip Brownies for his class today. And he left me a note telling me not to touch his brownies last night... kinda funny.

"The camel does not see her own hump."

We went to the Twins award ceremony today at school... I-Man and Ryles both got awards for Perfect Attendance for the year, as well as ALL A's for the entire year. Then we got to talk to I-Man's Gifted and Talented teacher for next year... as well as confirmed that they will be split up into separate classes next year... so all in all a good year academically. Lets hit the 3rd grade full speed in two months...

slowly...but.. surely?

slowly, as sure as the sun will probably rise tomorrow....

random stuff

Santa told me that I-Man can expect this in his stockings come December...

the Braves get to June in first place... Do I dare start to believe? I am afraid to say much as to not jinx them...

Happy Memorial Day!!! hope everyone enjoys their hotdogs and hamburgers and takes the time to take a moment to reflect on why we get to do those things... people who died far away from home and friends, many times in ghastly situations, protecting our freedoms and serving our country. If you dont take a moment to reflect on this, you are disrespecting their efforts, and dishonoring their legacy. I am going to take a moment at 3pm for a couple seconds of silence and reflection. I dont get to enjoy all of THIS without their sacrifices....

oh... another question... Does this Administration EVER take responsibility for anything that might even be the slightest bit bad? Is it ALWAYS Bush's fault? or do we constantly have to hear Obama or Gibbs or whatever lackey he hides behind say "This notion that... (fill in the blank with ANYTHING THEY DONT WANT TO ASSUME RESPONSIBILITY FOR) ...is simply not true!"

kinda funny.. always starts with "This Notion..."

ha... go figure...

He Was Supposed to be Competent

I am not totally understanding this Silly Bands this the youngsterz are all into... when you watch them barter and negotiate with each other though, it is highly fascinating as they speak to each other in whispered, hushed tones.... "i have a Phoenix.. i will trade that for your tie dye Monkey"

just watched the last episode of Law and Order.. kinda interesting that the longest running show ever went out with absolutely NO fanfare while a show like LOST, that will be forgotten by next week, got all this hullabaloo. Guarantee you that 10 years from now you will still be watching Law and Order in reruns while 24 and Lost will be Trivial Pursuit answers.... Interesting.

Shaving the beard today....

Its kinda interesting. I talked to Kim McDade (Miller) about it last weekend and she agreed with me that it really isnt the Reunion itself we are opposed to, its the bunches of people we have no desire to see again. There is a Highschool Reunion happening this upcoming weekend. I have no desire to go except to see my old friend Beth Riddle. While there may be a couple of others there I would be pleased to see McGee, Jobert, Kennedy, Putnam are not expected to be there... so... therefore...I dont think I am going to go. I am kinda sad as I know the time and effort the organizers have put into doing that type of event and the enormous amount of mental energy they have exerted. And I feel I am dissing them and their efforts... I always feel the same way about Alumni Band and stuff... several people I would love to see... a whole lot more I just have no desire to see again... I know I come off sounding arrogant...

Here is a repost of something I read on Huffington Post by Joseph Palermo (wait, someone once accused me of only watching FoxNews....) and I found it kinda telling of where the "left" is heading/thinking.. especially when you get to the last paragraph...

And Carter Thought He Faced National Malaise

The spectacle of British Petroleum literally killing off the Gulf of Mexico before our eyes while the Obama Administration apparently believes that BP is honorable enough to be trusted to dutifully clean it up is depressing beyond belief. Hearing Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal complain about the lagging federal response after he built his political career trashing the federal government is just too pathetic and stupid to even bother to ridicule.

Despite the seriousness of our current economic and ecological crises, the views of people like Rand Paul and Rush Limbaugh still dominate the discourse. Their ideas frame the debate about current events and political issues, and set up narratives that are impervious to logical argument or even common sense. They idealize Capitalism with the same level of ideological rigidity and devotion as the Khmer Rouge idealized Maoism. Fuse their extremist laissez-faire ideology with a retrograde and downright mean version of right-wing Christianity, and what you get is a toxic stew of superstition and disastrous real-world public policy prescriptions. Like the Texas State Board of Education purging textbooks for children of any ideological impurities, we're surrounded (it seems) with stupid people screaming loudly for stupid policies that are designed in one way or another to produce a generation of stupid people.

What is one to make of Rand Paul saying that President Obama's mild criticisms of BP are "un-American?" Or Limbaugh's claim that the oil catastrophe in the Gulf of Mexico is the Sierra Club's fault? A "family values" Christian conservative congressman films an "abstinence only" video with his married mistress; an anti-gay co-founder of the Family Research Council orders a young male prostitute with the click of a mouse. "The best lack all conviction, while the worst are full of passionate intensity."

"Libertarians" should at least be for relaxed drug laws, checks on the government's "anti-terrorism" powers, and in favor of a woman's right to choose. But we don't even get this. Instead, we get runaway corporate power and a government that is weak where it should be strong (regulating corporations) and strong where it should be weak (crimping civil liberties).

The United States seems to have already begun its own "lost decade." But unlike Japan, the U.S. is expending its precious resources on fighting two debilitating wars and maintaining a declining empire. If we're lucky we will be "lost" only for a decade.

In California, the "moderate" Republican governor just proposed eliminating the entire welfare program, which is a move that no politician from either party would attempt except during an extreme economic and fiscal crisis. It's the "shock doctrine" on steroids here in Sacramento.

The country is still reeling from what the Wall Street banks put it through and now a criminally reckless oil company creates a major ecological disaster that will take decades to clean up -- if it ever can be cleaned up. Trust me: In the end, BP is not going to pay for the costs of this spill.

When President Jimmy Carter's approval rating plummeted he decided to speak to the nation in a primetime television address where he attempted to explain the economic insecurity that was increasingly gripping American society. "It is a crisis of confidence," he said. "It is a crisis that strikes at the very heart and soul and spirit of our national will. We can see this crisis in the growing doubt about the meaning of our own lives and in the loss of a unity of purpose for our nation." The press dubbed it Carter's "malaise" speech (though he never used the word), and it was an unmitigated political disaster. In 1976, Carter, the nuclear engineer and Georgia peanut farmer, had come to Washington as a fresh face promising to lead the country out of the depressing era of Vietnam and Watergate. Three years later, he had become heavily identified with a dreary status quo that nobody seemed to like, least of all Carter himself.

By 2012, President Obama could very well find himself in Carter's predicament. A nation traumatized by this kind of prolonged and serious economic uncertainty, along with a political class incapable of doing much about it, has already spawned a wave of irrational politics. A new generation of politicians could emerge who compound the crisis by pushing a new set of misguided public policies such as destroying Social Security, which, like eliminating welfare, has been a dream of some ideologues for decades.

“It is hard to fail, but it is worse never to have tried to succeed.” -Theodore Roosevelt

On the road again...

Jessica, the twins and I all went to Charlotte on Saturday and we took the time to meet up with Kim and visit with her for the day. I also stepped out and went to the All Star Race on Saturday night meeting up with Uncle Wes and Papa at the track. They had different seats and I attempted to go join them but I would have had to go entirely out of the track to get to them, so I passed on it.... anyways, it was good to sit and have a leisurely conversation and catch up with Kim and her goings on. I am also happy to see that she is doing well (not that I wouldnt expect that anyway) and we are already making plans to make her come to town this Fall....

Musings

So..we all are proud of our children. It is interesting to see the pictures on facebook and posts on blogs of friends children and the obvious pride every has. Its good stuff. Ryles was supposed to test for the Gifted and Talented Program at her schoool and when she did test, she was not selected. Its all good anyway as she continues to excel in school and maybe she will be reconsidered for next time. However, we had no idea I-Man would be tested. they never mentioned to us he would be. And I was pleasantly surprised to get a letter telling me that I-Man has been accepted into the Gifted and Talented program for next year. My only concern is that Ryles may be a little bummed out if/when she figures out her brother made it and she didnt. I do think the fact that they are going to be separated anyway next year will soften that blow.... we shall see how I-Man does in all this...

I continue to drag a bit. I think lack of sleep is starting to catch up with me. If I dare lay down in the morning after I take the kids to school, I find it almost impossible to wakeup until I absolutely have to go to work. I never have had this issue before...

And this Obama administration continues to be totally opposite of all the promises and rhetoric he spewed and pulled over people eyes during his election... so much for "transparency", right?

so... another one down....

so yesterday was another birthday down.... grateful for the gift from Jessica and the kids, as well as the gift from Aunt Ellen.

And Law and Order is set to end. I think its time... and it will obviously go on in syndication for many years to come... sorta like a contemporary M.A.S.H.

back to the birthday... a couple of people asked me if I feel old. dont feel old, but I often ponder things now. More than I used to....

Florence, Darlington, Camden, Sumter and Mothers Day

Went to Darlington to the races on Friday night and Saturday night and a longtime friend went along with me, Lynn. It was good to be able to spend time and talk and catchup and not have to be back to our families in an hour... way too often now it seems my time with my closest friends seems to involve months of planning and minutes of actual face to face time., which is a source frustration. But it is also a reality of time, family and distance. The races were cool and my guy did well and continues to lead in points and prettiest car opinion.

We also had the opportunity to go to Shaw AirForce base and see a Airshow that featured the Army Black Knights and the Thunderbirds, as well as a bunch of other planes and military jets, etc. The kids seemed to like it a lot and it was cool hanging with Uncle Wes, Aunt Ashley and their cousin. It was actually cool to see all the planes on the ground too, and be able to sit inside them and talk to the pilots who fly them . They also did a great job of having a whole bunch of activities for the kids that would keep them occupied during the occasional downtime. I-Man has now gone from wanting to play professional soccer to wanting to be an Air Force pilot. Perhaps a more realistic goal, I must admit but not one that will get me a cushy retirement. But oh well, back to reality, I guess... huh?

The twins and Jessica also went to the lake in Camden with Nanna, Papa and Aunt Ellen and went out on the jetskis and Pontoon on Saturday. They also had a chance to go swimming although I am not sure how much they enjoyed the cold water

Mothers Day yesterday was a low key affair at the Airshow and back at Nanna and Papa's for dinner. I missed getting to see my Mother but plan on visiting with her (along with the twins) next weekend at some point

oh, and I though one fun thing was the "Old - School -Barnstorming -Lady on top of plane" daredevil thingy at the airshow... see pic to the right...

I think I am going to take Law and Order, SVU off my watch list... it seems kinda contrived with the addition of Sharon Stone as an ADA. The original Law and Order is still going strong and I am liking Criminal Intent with Goldblum as a wannabe Goren/D'Onofrio.

One more day at work before getting ready to head to Darlington for the races Friday and Saturday.

But... I thought we all were Democrats....

I was told by a guy on Facebook that I have an issue of self-hatred cause I am "conservative" and dont stand in line and support Obama in everything he does... I wonder if this same guy thinks all these people have the same issue???? Click here...

Overtime... Brakes... and whatever..

So I-Man's tam had its tournament on Saturday. They went in as the top seed having only lost once all season. They played a team they had crushed during the season and had three defensive lapses cause them to have to survive a 3-3 tie after regulation, then two overtime periods. After that they went to the dreaded penalty kicks where after falling behind initally, it was I-Man shooting last who made the last penalty kick to send it to the sudden death round of penalty kicks. Here, the quality depth of this team came thru as I-Man's team actually had bench players who could play and a stellar goalie and prevalied in extra penalty kicks 2-0 to get the team to the Championship game where they prevailed over another team they had crushed 3-2 after falling behind 0-2 early in the second half. Shrewd adjustments by the coach to position I-Man in a certain place on corner kicks proved to be the difference as the lapse of the previous game did not occur. It was a great season and year and I think I-Man is already looking forward to the move up to U10 and that challenge...

Mucho thanks to Harwood for allowing me to use his lift to change my front brake pads on the Jetta. They lasted 200,000 miles and were pretty much all gone. I just need to remember that brakes = C clamp from now on... I certainly do appreciate Harwood taking time to open up his garage and put up with me for what ended up being a three hour issue once I figured out I couldn't reset the brake piston by simply pushing it in by hand...

Today, I had to give in and turn on the AC unit in the house and close the windows. Ryles could not sleep last night in her room with the humidity and 75 degree temps. sigh... so much for the low power bills...

I am now wondering if I will get a chance to go fishing for shark again this summer since this oil spill thingy has bubbled up...

Recitals down...

This past weekend saw the Twins Dance and Tap recitals happen... along with a long Dress rehearsal that is about as organized total confusion can ever be. But somehow, it all comes off nicely and I guess it is kinda like how band stuff must look to normal people at times... I always like sitting at the Recital and watching all the groups. 99.999999999 percent of these kids will never dance professionally but I always remember and can appreciate what they are trying to do...the time and energy put into weeks and months of practice for what... 5 minutes in front of a few family and friends and interested onloookers. But I think of the journey these kids and and young adults are making, and the memories and friendships they are forming. Five minutes IS worth it.

and the music. I love how music always takes my mind somewhere else. To places elsewhere and to people far away and times in the past. I always sit in these Recitals and ponder where would I be without music. And I KNOW i wouldnt be in a better place.... I hope that my kids will continue to have a place in their lives for the ARTS, because I think unless they are destined to be able to throw lefthanded a baseball at 95 miles per hour or something else like that, they will get a lot out of the ARTS, whatever direction they go into...

adjustin'

I am still trying to adjust to my work schedule. The long weekends are awesome but the late nights are starting to wear on me as I cant get to sleep till around 2am. I then get up at 6:40ish to deal with the twins and getting them off to school. After dropping them off at school, i usually dont get a chance to go back to sleep but... if I do, i will lie there and cannot wake myself up until noon. This is virtually unheard for me as I have never had this type of issue in the past. I can only guess that lack of sleep has crept in....

Now THIS is more like it...

SO... I-Man kept asking me to go next door and ask the neighbors if he could cut their grass.. since they stole our hand mower the other week in the middle of the night and cut part of their yard, them mysteriously put the mower back, I am not inclined to help them out in the least... but ... anyways... I digress... I said no and he proceeds to tell me he was going to do it for them for 5 dollars. I'm like "dude.. I will gladly give you 5 dollars if you cut the yard... So i gladly watched him tool back and forth for 20 minutes while I sat on our front step, sipped a diet coke and pondered a page turned and perhaps milestone reached... of course, later Ryles learns that I-Man is getting a huge 5 spot and she is asking me what she can do... I mention cleaning her room, and i get silence and a very blank stare....

Quality Time...

I think that it is great that I-Man and Ryles get a chance to spend time with Nanna, Papa and Grandma. Especially cause they have a different perspective than me and Jessica at times, but we can trust that they still have a positive affect on the kids. The twins got to spend time yesterday with Grandma. Always good...

And down the stretch we go...

Ok... so I learned that the Twins have Report cards... then they have progress reports during each Reporting period. I was beginning to wonder about the seemingly endless cards the kids were getting. Ok... Got it. So I am now on the same page in regards to the kids academics... Thru 3 Quarters, Ryles had 2 B's during the Second Quarter and All A's during 1st and 3rd. I-Man checks in at.... drum roll... ALL A's thru the first 3 Quarters. Which amuses me because Ryles is supposedly the better student. And perfect attendence all year for both of them. I Know its only second grade, but it seems to be going far better than what some people tried to predict back 12 years ago.... And suddenly, after hearing an exhibition of instruments, Ryles is talking about taking lessons on Oboe while I-Man is talking Tuba. Yeah... I keep hearing that I shouldn't be dictating what they play, but they really are picking these own their own, I think...

Today see's us doing a family gathering on Jessica's side of the family, then a visit with Grandma while I go attend a Frat Gathering....

Got a chance to eat lunch with a old friend from High School yesterday. It was great to touch base and see just how far we have both come... growing up in the country and now having two blessed families with promising futures. (knock on wood). He is now a managing partner at a law firm in town and we are both a far cry from riding around in that old yellow Pinto station wagon that vibrated like hell if you went over 50 miles per hour. Or me in my Chevy Nova with the iffy steering. He was my closest friend during my high school years and while we did go our separate ways, I think we will be seeing more of each other and our respective families here in the future. He said he found me doing a search on the Internet for a case... I forgot to followup on exactly what from this blog popped up that made him find me. I will have to know that. We both have separately pondered if the blessings we have in being able to provide for our children what we didnt have growing up is actually totally good or not... (what a sentence)

Weird, and sad...

I remember back to an email a friend sent me a while back talking about how many stores and shops were going to be closing in the future. This was like two, maybe three, years ago. I remember reading that and thinking NO WAY some of these places would be closing stores or going under altogether. But today, as I drove thru town and then went into the Mall for a little while, I was stuck by how many closed stores I saw. Eddie Bauer is no longer there. The Sprint hutch? Gone.... several stores boarded up on Main Street. Is this the economic prosperity Obama said would return if we hurried up and just went along with what he said?

at any rate, i think back to that email often... and think.. "Wow.. she was dead on...."

Stax Omega Time Machine

going to lunch today with a friend from WAYYYYY back @ Laurens District 55 High School... Looking for a yellow Pinto Station Wagon.... and wonderin if he can solve the mystery of the missing Julie Putnam

week - end - o - rama

so... Went to Heritage park yesterday with Brandy and her daughter, then over to their house for dogs and burgers. I had been to that park before but only once for a winter carnival type thingy and didnt realize just how many thingys for kids were available, as well as ball fields. We have a pretty robust recreation center here in town but except for the amount of ball fields and soccer fields, it was pretty impressive. And the train, while mini Disney like, was pretty fun too...

today was a pretty slow day but we did manage to get that big rock that was blocking part of the creek broken up and now the creek is flowing again correctly. of course, in that process, i ended up falling into the creek and had my Droid in my pocket. But i got up quickly enough that my phone did not even get remotely wet... so problem avoided. We then went and did some soccer skills drills with I-Man and Rylee on the soccer fields and then hit yet ANOTHER playground afterward. Returned to home and the twins hit the creek out back again for some sliderama fun... For those of you who dont know the layout of our home, we have a major creek running thru our backyard that at times actually draws groups of kids to the elevated part where they like to slide down to a pool of sorts that exists. I am not too fond of the skater boy types who like to show up but I have resisted putting up a No Trespassing sign and sitting up in our bedroom and picking off the Goth kids who loiter around ( or at least used too...) with my BB gun... they havent been back for a while. But I anticipate once school lets out, they will return...

Interesting commercial

I think the new Nike commercial with Tiger Woods (and his Dad's voice) is pretty effective if you simply stop and THINK about it... a lot of different levels of conversation there... i guess the only thing that is kinda weird is that his father was actually talking about his wife/tigers mother originally....

weddings are grown folk business....

Its been a long time coming but I promised I would post something about the wedding I took pictures at the other week in Michigan.... It was a long haul to get there ( is that a song?) and it was weird to see that much snow on the ground in Ohio, then see none in Michigan. Ann Arbor is a legit college town... i was amused at seeing actual fraternity/sorority houses and I felt like I was in some sorta movie when we tooled thru campus. We got to see the Big House, albeit with a lot of construction around it. And my Droid and Google Maps got a workout thru out the entire trip. I Think that what I took from the trip were some internal musings that I have been thinking about since that trip.

First, the Officiant asked me during the wedding rehearsal where my kids were and I told him "Weddings are grown folk business..." meaning that I have always felt that weddings are a intimately adult sorta thing. I have no problems with children being at or in weddings. And certainly they can add a certain flair and change of pace to the ceremony and proceedings. But I think that the symbolism and thoughts that go on, especially during the ceremony are of an adult nature, and I always am taken aback by the emotions that are present, both apparent and covert. The joining of two families and the myriad of subtext that goes with that are always interesting. Then you have the feelings of the parents... especially with a Father and his Daughter, juxtaposed with a Mother and her Son.

Next you have the friends and I have always enjoyed seeing the happiness that the Wedding day always brings to them. I saw happiness again with this wedding and it is a good thing. And I felt privileged to get to be a part of this particular wedding because the event was a more private, small affair. They pretty much paid/organized/put on the wedding themselves and decided to move the date forward by several months from the original date due to sickness in the family and a desire to make sure close family would be able to take part. It reminded me in many ways of my own wedding in seeing them dealing with preparations (cake/reception/rehearsal site/etc.) as well as taking time for family and friends and I hope that they got a chance to truly enjoy the experience, because the amount of mental energy dedicated versus the actual time of the event is way out of whack.

As I have mentioned before (and most people reading this know all too well), I am not a very open person and not particularly easy to get to know. I dont open up to people until they have jumped thru a myriad of hoops, tests, Huddle House conversations, Amphitheater talks, Botanical Garden walks and bus ride interrogations. And I tend to be fiercely loyal to a select group of people and I am confident those people know who they are. But I am also starting to ponder my mortality (and role in all of this)thinking that maybe I should be a little more... "friendly" to the general public and my friends in general. It is just very difficult to change something that was ingrained in me so long ago by my Grandmother to always remain under control and view the big picture. But as I gave a hug to my friends and said goodbye to them after their wedding, it felt a little better to give them a hug, and it seems to feel more "natural" as I go along... I know this is a strange concept to a lot if not all of you, but it never has been that I dont love you, its just that instead of jumping up and down in celebration during that long touchdown run, I was taught to look for the flag on the play and it all being called back.

Anyway, I digress... it seems I have been rambling about 3 or 4 different things at the same time...

I learned a lot about photography during this trip and I hope that at least some of the photos came out ok. I did flub a few but I find that the more I take, the more comfortable i become. Snapping in RAW was a revelation and it forced me out of auto settings on the camera and made me think even more about lighting and etc. And I learned a couple of lessons the hard way. But looking back at my work, I think some of it was decent. I hope they are able to grab some usable prints out of it too...

what the hey?

talking about time flying... it is stunning to see my son get a pair of used inline skates from the Jockey Lot and be tooling around on them like an expert in less than 24 hours... and to think i remember when he couldnt even walk... i have a little wariness because he has always seemed to be drawn to that entire skateboard scene...(kinda like the thoughts crossing my mind when i hear Ryles upstairs beating on her electric drum set... shudder)... i am hoping to not see him go that route... but... anyways, he is tooling around EVERYWHERE skating around. A couple of initial falls but... off he goes...