BenSpark Family Adventures

Of course! Maybe we’ll stop blogging about it someday – but I wouldn’t count on it being anytime soon. The other day Drew posted about a special on SciFi about the movie. Well, I just found a link to the show and thought I’d share it. Click on “Resurrecting Firefly” to see the show. It’s got some great insight into the movie and Joss’ style. Watch it – fall in love – come see the Movie Tuesday night in Bellingham.

Photo-A-Day #175 09/30/05 The sky was beautiful this morning. However, rather than taking pictures I probably should have helped Allison take out the laundry. Otherwise Duncan and Oliver wouldn’t have been able to gang up on her and knock her cell phone into the abyss that is our front hall. Sunday is going to be fun moving everything in the front hall to find the battery pack of the cell phone, which discharged itself and is now in hiding somewhere under the piles of stuff out there.

Photo-A-Day #174 09/29/05 From the Reagan National Airport I could see the Washington Monument. And on takeoff I saw the pentagon, tried to get a picture of that but it came out terrible.

I can’t say enough good about Serenity. I, along with thousands of other browncoats (that would be independents who fought in the war on the losing side and, in this case, fans of the cancelled TV show Firefly), are going to see this movie repeatedly. I already saw the movie back in May at a sneak preview in Boston. And when I saw it then it was fantastic and it wasn’t even finished. I can’t stress enough that seeing this movie will be a great investment of your time and money.  This is how a movie should be, it should have action, suspense, humor and tragedy; you should feel for the characters and what is happening to them. This movie is about so much more than a movie, it is about the underdog, the little guy and his moment to shine in the face of adversity. See the movie tomorrow, and Saturday and Sunday. I’ll be seeing it on Tuesday because after the fans and everyone they have told have seen it we still need folks to keep seeing this movie and also Regal Cinema Club has free p...

Photo-A-Day #173 09/28/05 Strolling around Crystal City in Alexandria VA, This was in the window at Chipotle. I love Chipotle, it is a great restaurant. We ended up going for Thai food. Maybe it was the Long Island Ice Teas, but the food there was also very good.

I hate it. No wonder it takes so long to get something done politically around here, everyone is stuck in crazy traffic on poorly signed roads.

Photo-A-Day #172 09/27/05 I am in Alington, VA for a demonstration at a hospital in Southern Maryland and then another demo here in Arlington. I took a walk to get some lunch after I landed and they have these handy tunnels under the busy streets so you can get to the other side without playing chicken.

I’ve been seeing these commercials on tv and have checked out the web site. I agree that I should not be paying the same as a bad driver. I’d like to see bad drivers pay more, and get off the road. You know that my commute in the morning and afternoon is a long one and my opinion has been reshaped over the past 4 years of commuting. I’ve seen tons of bad drivers each and every day and it makes me mad that I pay the same amount as they do for car insurance. More than once I have driven to work and wished more than one driver into a cornfield. Hasn’t happened yet, but maybe someday. Check out the Fairness for Good Drivers website. You can send an e-mail to your representative through this site as well. Updated – 4:05pm – I sent in an e-mail to my state representative Elizabeth A. Poirier and already got an e-mail response.

You all know that I can’t wait to see the movie Serenity. Actually I already saw it in a rough cut, but never the less I can’t wait to see the theatrical debut of the film. Tonight on Sci Fi channel at 10:00 there is a behind the scenes special about the upcoming movie and you can catch up on episodes of Firefly. They have been playing episodes in order from 12:00 noon today till 10pm tonight. For more information go to. SCIFI.COM | Serenity

So I flew down to Washington Reagan airport today on U.S. Airways. Today U.S. Airways and America West merged, the airport (well just U.S. Airways) had a whole wedding theme going on to celebrate. There was cake, a punch fountain and decorations all over. I guess each U.S. Airways ticket counter or somesuch throughout the country had a contest today for the most spirit and their ticket area would get a makeover or something. Anyway I got on the plane and picked up the magazine in the seat pocket, I think U.S. Airways’ magazine is called Attache or something. There was an article about beards and I wanted to read that and as I was flipping through the magazine I came upon a series of articles about New Hampshire and how that was an up an coming place, specifically Manchester, New Hampshire, my home for about 8 years. So, I am reading about the mills and how they now have a number of high tech companies in them. I remember working back in the mills with a hi tech company, that was a fun ...

Check out this site, and check out these sounds. My cousin Matt, who is a phenomenal drummer and artist is working on a new band called Bossburner. They have a great sound. You’ll have to check them out. Also check out Matt’s pictures on Buzznet. He’s got a fantastic eye and creative mind. Please give his band a listen. I think they will begin performing their 9 original songs in November.

Photo-A-Day #171 09/26/05 My Dad built this bench in the backyard today. He used cobblestones for the legs and a large stone for the seat. It is going to look really nice once we complete the landscaping.

Photo-A-Day #170 09/25/05 Buzznet is down right now so I’m posting here first. This is the margarita bucket. Very tasty, albeit my weekend nemesis. I had this bucket prepared and in the freezer for 8 hours, not one ice crystal. Then we drink half of it, leave it in the freezer over night and it freezes solid. So we leave it on the counter and finally it gets to the slushy consistency we know and love from a frozen margarita.

This weekend Allison and I did lots of shopping, some relaxation and spent some time with good friends. On Friday night we went to see Must Love Dogs at the Route One Cinema Pub. As always the food was good and we both enjoyed the movie very much. I am a sucker for any John Cusack movie and well, Diane Lane was reason enough to go in the first place. But it was Cusack’s neurotic rambling that made him a favorite of mine since Say Anything, Better Off Dead and One Crazy Summer. Cusack’s explanation of what he wants to do with his life at Diane Court’s house for the family dinner is priceless. And in Must Love Dogs he gives another stellar performance as the sensitive guy with a heart of gold. Good movie. Saturday Allison and I went to the Wrentham Outlets. We had breakfast at Cracker Barrel, where we picked up a game to add to out game night collection, (Spoons, good little card game). Then we headed up to the outlets, we were an hour early of the stores opening so we walked around a bi...

Photo-A-Day #169 09/24/05 The back yard is certainly shaping up. Dad put up the rest of the fence today so the puppies have more room to run around. He also started work on creating a bench in the backyard on the other side of the shed (not pictured) but he needs to get some new mortar to complete it. Should be looking really nice by the wedding.

So far the new TV season is shaping up to have some really good shows. Of course the old favorites are back and better than ever. Here’s a recap of what we’re watching at our house Monday night – King of Queens (CBS) – It is time to put an end to this show. Sorry but I can’t take the dumb, dumpy oblivious guy/hot wife thing anymore. For one thing Carrie isn’t that hot and she is really very unpleasant. Put this show to rest. How I Met Your Mother (CBS) – Alyson Hannigan and Neil Patrick Harris, how awesome is that. This show has some real potential and the voice over of Bob Saget is good too. I love the show and want more of it. Two and a Half Men (CBS) – I love it, don’t change a thing, the kid is going to be trouble this season, with the tween attitude. Charlie Sheen and Jon Cryer are magic together, fantastic chemistry. Out of Practice (CBS) – Take this off the air. CSI Miami (CBS) – Squinty eyed, soft talking Lt. Kane is still the man. I see the introduction of new characters and I...

Taking a Page from Wes’ book and naming my posts for the days of the week. Don’t worry this will only happen once. So this morning after I go downstairs and put a load of laundry in the washer I am walking through my living room and turning on my computer when I hear my sister Tara shout up to me. “Did you put stickers on the trash bags?” (In our town you can put $1.75 stickers on your trash bags to the garbage men pick them up.) “Yeah” I respond kinda annoyed, “Of course I put stickers on the bags.” I always put stickers on the bags after I have sealed them up with electrical tape (much easier and dependable than twist ties) Then I put them on the curb on Thursday night. Well, the bags were still there on Friday morning after the garbage men took all the trash from the rest of the street.  However, there were no stickers on our bags. Someone removed our stickers (bag tags can also be substituted here) from our trash during the night. That is just annoying and sad. I swear I am beg...

Photo-A-Day #168 09/23/05 Bees. I actually have no problem with bees, never have. I like them. And they leave me alone. I understand that some people are allergic and could have very bad things happen to them, it is the no allergic folks who spaz out around bees that drive me nuts. Calm down and they won’t sense the spaz in you.

Photo-A-Day #167 09/22/05 Oliver likes to make you think that he is the cute and innocent one. He is most often the instigator of little brawls that the boys have. I caught him in the act of swatting Duncan.

Photo-A-Day #166 09/21/05 Saint Mary-Sacred Heart School is where I went to grade school. Allison and I went for a walk tonight, this is a nice new sign on the school.

I was at Target yesterday picking up a few things, Like a DVD cleaner, (Didn’t work the DVD burner still doesn’t work, evil machine) and some clearance Premium HP photo paper (suckers) and an ink cartridge for the photo printer (which should take the HP 58 ink cartridge but I digress, oh the one I bought when I bought the computer back in February fits my Dad’s printer, so free ink cartridge for him.) But what I saw while standing in line was a woman with two kids behind me actually follow through on a threat to leave the store. The woman’s screaming little girl would not behave so the woman took her pocketbook and her two kids and left the store. She left the entire cart with her purchases and left the store completely. I wanted to applaud.

Photo-A-Day #165 09/20/05 Guess what is in here. Can’t show you till November 12, 2005.

Free daily sudoku game, the home of sudoku on the Internet: “Sudoku puzzles (also spelt Sudoku) are 9×9 grids of numbers, subdivided into 3×3 blocks. When you begin a puzzle, some of the numbers are already filled in, and you have to fill in the blank squares using logic. You must fill the grid so that all the numbers 1-9 appear in each row, column and 3×3 box. However, no row, column or 3×3 box may have two of the same number. “ This game is wicked hard. And addictive. It is definitely harder than the set game. I found this by visiting Katie’s Page. Katie went to Saint A’s and is now in Law school in New York. Her blog is fairly new, she even mentions this blog in one of the posts but didn’t give a link to the site. For Shame.

Photo-A-Day #164 09/19/05 I collect wolf items, for a while I was getting wolf beer steins delivered to me each month. I displayed them everywhere at my apartment when I was a Residence Hall Director, now they adorn the tops of the shelves in the kitchen and on top of a bookshelf in the bedroom. I think I have enough wolf stuff. Someday when I get the basement I will eventually have there will be the guys room with my wolf steins and transformers.

It just crept up on me mateys. Today is my 4 year anniversary at work as well as International Talk Like a Pirate Day The guys who came up with the holiday have their own book now: Pirattitude!. Here is my yearly list of piratical links. Books: Treasure Island The Bounty: The True Story of the Mutiny on the Bounty Pirattitude A Pirate Looks at Fifty Movies: Pirates of the Caribbean – The Curse of the Black Pearl The Bounty Pirate Links: International Talk Like a Pirate Day Margaritaville Pirates Pirate Mod – Clothing

This weekend Allison and I have been very productive with regards to the wedding preparations. We’ve ordered the cake. Made another deposit to the Holiday Inn (big one too, ouch). We’ve taken care of some of the things on the registry. Allison is hard at work on her thank you notes from the shower. I’m working away at the computer trying to make our DVD-R/CD-R drive work correctly, it stopped working and made me incredibly annoyed. I borrowed Tara’s CD burner to get going on the wedding favors. My top secret project, is no ordinary CD so don’t even think you’ve guessed what it is. I completed the covers for the CD cases and stuffed the cover into each case. Then I completed an experiment that will work for the rest of the process once we get that one last piece of the puzzle. I will be so glad when this is complete. Today I did a few things that have been in the back of my mind to get done on the computer. Print some pictures, organize others and whatnot. I finally went through my ink ...

Photo-A-Day #163 09/18/05 Yesterday I bought Allison a webcam so that when I am on the road we can talk face to face as long as I have a high speed connection. This past trip we started up a conversation via msn messenger so we could play games together (tic-tac-toe and checkers.) I already had a web cam and had every intention of buying Allison one a while ago, guess I forgot each time I went into Comp USA. Well I got Allison a Logitech QuickCam Communicate STX and I have a Logitech QuickCam for Notebooks Pro. While testing them out together to make sure that everything works properly I came up with the idea for today’s photo. I set up my digital video camera on the mantel, set up both webcams and sat down and played around for a little while then watched the tape and chose a frame I liked.

Photo-A-Day #162 09/17/05 Oliver has just been so cute today. We’ve been working on the wedding all day too. Got the cake ordered, another deposit of money to the reception site, and the wedding favors. Spent a lot of time with the cats today. Got them a couple new toys, they are excited about them.

Photo-A-Day #161 09/16/05 Today’s photo is of the yellow man. He is not the original yellow man but is a yellow man nonetheless. And he is squishy.

are both rude and annoying this morning. I am at the Tallahassee airport (free wi-fi, cool I can vent for free.) this morning. I just came through security. When I say that this is a small airport I mean haircare and tire store municipal airport small (okay maybe not that small but it only has about 10 gates.) So I am in the security line and genius #1 is trying to stuff his bag into those grey boxes.  PEOPLE the grey boxes are for laptops, not your oversized bag that should have been checked in the first place. Then the genius #2 in front of me can’t get her stuff together in a timely manner so I politely wait for her to compose her pile of junk. As I am stepping up to the table to perform my ritual of efficiency and amazing security line skill and another woman cuts right in front of me. WHAT! Excuse me! Hell no you did not just cut me you snitty witch. We’re the only four people in line was there a need for you to get through security half a second faster? Honestly the first pla...

The technique of speed reading is exploding online. With the technology of Rapid Serial Visual Presentation (RSVP) you can speed read up to 700 words per minute and comprehend it all. With RSVP text is brought you your eyes unlike traditional reading where your eyes move towards the text. With practice RSVP may help you to read more quickly and with greater comprehension on your PC. The cool thing is that the words just keep coming at you and your mind can absorb them without running into two problems with regular reading which are regression and sub-vocalization. Sub-vocalization is the process of speaking each word inside your mind. The phonetics method of reading, the way we are taught in school, teaches you to pronounce each letter in a word to form a complete word. Regression is when the reader re-reads either consciously or sub-consciously. I read an article about RSVP in Mobile magazine. They have an RSVP simulator on their website. Check it out here. So I checked it out and fou...

Photo-A-Day #160 09/15/05 A flower from outside of the hotel. Not much else that I thought of to get pictures of today. But this was a very pretty flower.

The Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire Trailer is up. It looks awesome! Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire Trailer. Allison and I will have to see the movie upon our return from the honeymoon. The Movie comes out November 18th.

I’ve been reading a lot about bonefish recently. The Jimmy Buffett books, Where is Joe Merchant and A Salty Piece of Land both mention bonefish. And I was wondering what one was. Last night I ate at The Bonefish Grill and asked the waitress what one was, however she didn’t really know. So I turned to the internet and found the information. Bonefish are found primarily in the shallows of the Florida Keys. Makes sense as that is where a lot of the Buffett books take place. Well now I can put a picture of what a bonefish is in my head as I finish Where is Joe Merchant. The Bonefish Grill however was a fantastic place for dinner. I had swordfish topped with sauteed spinach, bacon, and a creamy gorgonzola sauce. Very tasty.

Photo-A-Day #159 09/14/05 There are tons of these little lizards around the patio at the Residence Inn here in Tallahassee, FL. They are very hard to get close to and these guys are super fast. They made me jump because I wasn’t expecting to see 15 little lizards tearing across the walkway as I walked up to the door to the hotel. Cute little buggers though.

The radio station in Fort Wayne was sponsoring the Fawn Lebowitz Memorial Golf Tournament to honor Fort Wayne’s most famous dead fictional character. Beth e-mailed me with the correct answer as to who Fawn was. She was an unfortunate woman who died in a tragic kiln explosion. JR sums it up better than I do. “The only Fawn Lebowitz I remember is from Animal House at Dickinson College for Girls. She died in a Kiln Explosion. Otter uses this information to acquire dates for he and his fraternity brothers. Which leads to my favorite quote while the group is listening to Otis and his band.””You gentlemen mind if we dance with yo dates?” Yep that Fawn Lebowitz. So this morning I got up at 4:00am in Fort Wayne, made my way to the airport. The roads around Fort Wayne are a tragic mess. I decided not to use my directions which had turn right onto unnamed road more than once. I looked at the map and figured it was a couple of turns, well it was I just didn’t count on how many turns it was. I got...

Photo-A-Day #158 09/13/05 This is the menu from the Cork and Cleaver. Pretty interesting menu. The restaurant was also a very interesting place. They had caviar at the salad bar as well as jelly belly jelly beans.

I just finished There’s a Porcupine in My Outhouse by Michael Tougias. It was a very good read. Quick and easy and entertaining. So I finished the book and read the last page listing all of his other books. Here is what the last page says. “Tougias give narrative slide presentations for each of his books, including There’s a Porcupine in My Outhouse. If you or your local library are interested in his slide presentations or would like a brochure of his books, please write to him at P.O. Box 72, Norfolk, Massachusetts 02056” Norfolk, the guy live about 25 miles from me, I thought, (Then I read further, he actually lives in Franklin, MA, but it is still very close to me.) Then I read more, he has articles published in the Sun Chronicle, our local newspaper. Now I feel I must write to him and find out when he is doing a slide presentation next. Hopefully it is at a library near me. It makes me a little sad however that my Great-Uncle Richard had this book and it was signed by Michael Tougi...

Photo-A-Day #157 09/12/05 I picked up these mini cans of soda at Target in Fort Wayne along with the Reeses Peanut Butter Cookies. The cookies were really good, I’m cooling off the soda now. They should be tasty. Got a dial up connection here, not feeling real inspired. But I really liked how this can looked, that’s why I bought it.

Flew from Providence to Fort Wayne today. Stopped briefly in Cincinnati. Flew on Delta this trip. Haven’t flew on this airline for 3 years. I think I took one flight on Delta back in 2001 or 2002. I am about 200 miles away from having 4 tickets on Delta however. That is because I found a great deal through goldpoints.com (The point program through Radisson hotels as well as T.G.I. Friday’s. In 2001 I bought $100.00 worth of magazines and that translated into over 40,000 airline miles. It was a pretty sweet deal. I’ll probably use these tickets when we next head to Disney. Speaking of Airline miles, the honeymoon has now been completely paid for. The total cost out of pocket to us ended up being less than 1/3 of the total price. When I made the final payment I was able to use the miles I had acquired during the time between the last payment made, that translated into 32,000 miles. I was glad to part with them and put some ease on our wallet. Can’t wait for Aruba! Actually I have to say ...

Photo-A-Day #156 09/11/05 Allison had her bridal shower yesterday. I came home to see the font hall filled with her gifts. Thank you everyone! We have such nice and generous friends and family. Thank you!

Photo-A-Day #155 09/10/05 Today Dad and I went kayaking with my Uncle Wayne. We went out of the Pocasset River around Toby’s Island and across to the Mashnee Island Beach Club for lunch. It was nice to pull up with our kayaks and head up to the outdoor porch and have some fantastic food by the ocean. Then we headed back over to the Car and came home and spent a couple of hours on the beach. It was a very productive day for relaxing.

It is Erik’s birthday today. Erik is my brother-in-law. This is a picture from Tara and Erik’s wedding back on October 4, 2003.

Photo-A-Day #154 09/09/05 Tomorrow is Allison’s shower, (she knows so I’m not spilling the beans here) and her Maid of Honor Elise drove up from PA with a mystery guest, Allison’s friend Emily. Emily and Elise just arrived and I already had the camera out. So they are photo-a-day for today. Don’t the ladies look good for spending 8 hours straight driving?

I read in Mobile Computing about a Brady Bunch Themed Kung Fu game. The game allows you to fight brady against brady. Guess building a house of cards wasn’t enough action, disputes are now being settled kung fu style. This game is coming soon for your mobile phone.

In California there are some modifications being made to mufflers so that they whistle and the sound can be heard for up to a mile. But as Bubb Rubb and Lil Sis say, “dats just fo- dec-o-ration”. Now I’ve never heard of a decoration that you cannot see but can only hear. But that is just me. Also keep you eyes open for the car tearing off through a stop sign and almost causing an accident on camera. Makes you scratch your head and say, Woo Woo! Check out this latest craze and the whacked out folks who explain why “s’all good.”

I got this e-mail the other day from The Kieran Ridge Band. Not sure if we will be able to make the show but if you are in the area, go and check this band out. If you haven’t heard of them before you soon will. They are going to be big. The Kieran Ridge Band is also on Myspace. Check them out at http://www.myspace.com/thekieranridgeband. Heck I’m on Myspace as well. Check me out at http://www.myspace.com/benspark. Allison is also on Myspace and she is much more active on it than I am. Check her out by going to my myspace and then clicking on friends. Anyway back to the reason for this post. The Kieran Ridge Band is having a CD release party I encourage you to go, or if you can’t go, order one of the CD’s from the band’s website. Our new CD “Nothing Left To Lose” is ready. On Saturday, September 17th The Kieran Ridge Band will be having our CD release party at Great Scott in Allston. This is by far the most important show we’ve played so far and we’d like to invite all of you to join u...

See the banner at the top of the page. That will be up till the webcomic telethon is over. Blank Label Comics is hosting a webcomic telethon to aid victims of Hurricane Katrina. It will be held the week of Sept. 12 at www.webcomictelethon.com. Actual dates are to be announced later. As you probably know I really like web comics (See the Webtainment dropdown menu on the right) and am looking forward to what the participants are going to do for the telethon. Not sure why it is called a telethon because most donations will probably go through paypal or something like that. Oh well it is a good thing that the artists are doing. So check it out and help them raise some money for Hurricane Katrina Relief. If you like what they are doing and want to support the red cross at www.redcross.org directly go ahead and do that.

Photo-A-Day #153 09/08/05 This is the task ahead of me this evening. Clean out the bookcase in the living room. Time to get those VHS and DVD’s organized and attack the cat sized hairballs that must be lurking in that corner.

Photo-A-Day #152 09/07/05 “Its yum yum fun and it's cool and clean and its name is the Snoopy snow cone machine. You drop an ice cube in and get a snow cone out yum yum fun is what it's all about.” Do you remember having one of these. I didn’t have one but a friend of mine did back when we were kids. Allison bought this one for me as a housewarming gift when I moved into the apartment. It now is a decoration in the kitchen.

Photo-A-Day #151 09/06/05 My sister Tara found the pig and the cow at a yard sale. My Dad raised a pig and some cows when he was a kid. These are a surprise for when my parents came back from their vacation.

Photo-A-Day is spreading, I’ve picked up a few more subscribers and am very happy about it. This month has already started to have some exciting and diverse images. Getting down to the Cape has helped me with the subject matter immensely. If you would like to add Photo-A-Day to your website please use the highlight routine on the right to copy the code you will need to add Photo-A-Day to your site.

On Wednesday my Grandpa turns 79 and then on Saturday my Grandma turns 79. Mom, Dad, Allison and I went over and visited them. We brought over lobster and tuna fish sandwiches and a nice chocolate cake. Grandma and Grandpa have a birthday celebration planned at the local Indian Casinos. Good Luck and Happy Birthday!

Photo-A-Day #150 09/05/05 Had some lobster for lunch today. We celebrated my Grandparent’s 79th birthdays. We’ve got grandma’s on the 7th and grandpa’s on the 10th. Mom and Dad and Allison and I went over for lunch and had lobster and a birthday cake.

Photo-A-Day #149 09/04/05 This is a view down the beach from where we usually sit each day at the Cape. The stuff in the foreground is a private beach, there is this doctor from California that owns the house that would be off to the left. He loses it every time someone walks along that beach, he never uses it himself but is always up for a tangle with anyone who crosses his fence.

Yesterday Allison and I got a few things accomplished. We did some shopping at the Christmas Tree Shop for the wedding. We also got in some very important beach time and reading done. I have one more story to read from Tales from Margaritaville. It is a good book and that is where the character of Tully Mars came from. That initial short story is the best one out of the whole book. Tully Mars is the main character of A Salty Piece of Land. I started reading Tales from Margaritaville back about a year of so ago when I was still working with a hospital in Baltimore. I remember reading the story of Tully Mars as the Southwest cattle car was taking off from Providence and touching down at BWI (my second least favorite airport, Logan you know you hold the honor of being my most despised airport ever. Good for you!) I’ll finish Tales from Margaritaville today and start Where is Joe Merchant? A Novel Tale, also by Jimmy Buffett. Anyway while we were improving our tans we got a call from Neil,...

Photo-A-Day #148 09/03/05 Beautiful sunset off of Bassett’s Island on the Cape. A view from Neil’s boat. Allison and I went with Neil and Andrea on their boat for an evening sail. We started at 3:30 and returned to the dock at 12:30am. We had a great time.

Photo-A-Day #147 09/02/05 I’m not a fan of baskets, we have them everywhere, however this one I like. It is metal and has a really nice scene. Tonight Allison and I are down the Cape with my mom. We had some Paul’s pizza and some Papa Gino’s pizza (don’t ask!).

Yesterday I sat and watched the news for hours on end, stunned at what I was seeing. I felt numb after watching all the reports as if all the tears in the world were not enough. People dying in the streets of our own country because of dehydration and starvation. And what is worse there are the opportunistic scumbags around looting for gain, looting alcohol, and weapons. Looting for survival and food I can understand. But the reports of such degeneration into unbridled lawlessness is heart breaking. With gangs out looting for weapons and then shooting at relief workers, or raping and killing people, it is just sick. Why would someone go and risk their lives to help when that is happening. But people do and there are people who genuinely need help who have nothing not even hope. I saw reports about rescue workers volunteering with the Red Cross and being trained up here to go down there. I pray for their safety. I saw a report about some kids in Walpole who have raised $1,000.00 so far ...

Photo-A-Day #146 09/01/05 Looks like we’ve got a little project to work on this evening. All the pieces of the wedding invitation have been printed and now we need to put them together and mail them out. Hopefully we can see them sent by the end of next week.

I finished book three of the Incarnations of Immortality series (With a Tangled Skein) today on my flight from Chicago to Boston. I still find that On a Pale Horse is my favorite of the series but I liked how puzzles and riddles played a large role in this series. Very interesting. Some very nice twists. I am looking forward to the next book in the series Wielding a Red Sword. So I have three out of the seven complete and the series really ties together very well.