The Roost

Submitted for your approval....

2006-10-30T16:25:00.000-05:00

Christine and I went away this weekend to celebrate our third anniversary; 3 years already...holy shnikeys! My parents graciously offered to watch our son and two dogs, so were completely unburdened as we headed to Jim Thorpe, PA in the Pocono Mountains region.
We had a nice relaxing time, checking out various local attractions and points of interest. One of those is a tour of the old jail house in Jim Thorpe. If you've ever heard of the Molly Maguires, this jail was where 4 of them were executed on the gallows. The staff and many visitors (reportedly) have experienced many strange things, from apparitions to voices of people that aren't there; obviously, it's considered haunted. There's a handprint on the wall of the jail cell of one of the Molly MAguire men that he placed there before being hung for murder. He, and the others, had maintained their innocence until the end, and he placed his handprint on the wall with dirt from his cell floor. He claimed it would last beyond his death as proof of his innocence. The handprint has purportedly remained in place despite attempts to paint over it, re-plaster the wall, etc.
I'm an open-minded sort, and happen to believe there's a lot more to this world than we know or can ever know; Christine is actually spiritually sensitive, much like her mother and her mother's father (the one whom Sam gets his middle name from, in Scotland). She said she saw two of the four nooses on the gallows moving; also, while down in the dungeon, she sensed movement "behind" the closed door of one of the cells, as if someone had walked by and looked out the small window to see who was out there. She asked me to take a picture a moment or two later, and this is what I got:

I've cut out the portion of interest and magnified it for you to get a better look:

If you've ever heard of "spirit orbs," this is exactly what I seem to have gotten on our digital camera. Trust me that this is no dust mote or anything on the lens. Pictures from in front of other cells and other places don't have that in the picture. So, what do you think?

Not-so-Super Trooper

2006-10-07T08:08:00.000-04:00

Forgive me, but I'm not going to link to any online articles about this; I saw this story on the news last night. A NJ State Trooper ran a STOP sign, clearly marked and even "Advertised," and broadised a minivan occupied by a woman's teenaged (17 and 19) daughters. Both were pronounced dead at the scene; the trooper is currently on desk duty.

Unknowns (to the public, anyway):
- how fast the Trooper was driving
- whether or not the girls were wearing their saftey belts
- whether or not the Trooper was responding to a call

Knowns (as I see it, anyway):
- the Trooper is in the wrong
- unless there are extremely mitigating circumstances, the likes of which that are so mindboggingly unheard of as to make thinking of any cause for a headache, he needs to be fired as a police officer

Police officers, like many other people in uniform, have some of the hardest and oft-times, least thankful jobs/duties out there. Also, like others in these similar career fields, they are held to a higher standard, and rightfully so. You expect the people charged with keeping your neighborhood secure, your nation safe, your ticker ticking, etc. to have a higher standard to adhere to than Joe/Jane Citizen. For him to have ran that STOP sign is a greater failing than if you or I did it. You can't go around telling other people they need to obey the signs and be aware of them if you aren't doing it.

I can't even begin to imagine the pain their mother is going through, having lost both of her daughters, her only offspring, in the same day. Stories and incidents like this make me want to hug Sam close and never let go.

Father's Day

2006-06-19T00:31:00.000-04:00

As my wife and I prayed tonight, she made some comments regarding those who were separated from their fathers, in some cases permanently. It got me to thinking about several people I know whose fathers are no longer with them in body, though I'm sure they're there in spirit.
First is my wife; sadly, her father passed before I even had a chance to meet him. I've been assured by both Christine and Helen, my mother-in-law, that he and I would have gotten along famously. I feel some pain for her on Father's Day, as well as other holidays that are meant for family.
Next is Rob, whose blog "Laughing at the Pieces" is linked to over on the right. It's been several years (forgive me, Rob, for not knowing exactly how many) since his father passed. Pop Staeger was a really great guy; "salt of the earth" was created for folks just like him. Hell, he even came down to pick us up after a Penn and Teller show post-midnight in Philly. I'll let Rob tell that story, if he wants.
Pop Hoffman was the most recent to pass, and it reminds me I need to call Lizard and Mom Hoffman to see how they're doing. A few posts below this one was my tribute to him, so no need to really repeat it.
One uncle on my dad's side, Uncle Don, and two uncles on my mom's saide, uncles John and Bill, have all passed on. They are missed at family gatherings, and Uncle Bill will be particularly missed when my cousin Caryn gets married next month.
So, I guess the main thing I'm trying to get at is...never assume you'll always have your parents around. Don't wait til another day to sort things out, no matter how "right" you may be about a situation. To all of my family and friends whose father's are with them in spirit only, my heart goes out to you.

For the DnD fans

2006-05-15T07:19:00.000-04:00

If you've never played DnD, this web comic probably won't mean much to you. Heck, if you've never played 3E DnD, a lot of the references will probably escape you.

Without further ado, I present to you Goblins. This link will take you to the first comic so you can read it from the beginning.

Meeting a Living Legend

2006-05-12T17:26:00.000-04:00

First of all, my apologies for it being so long since my last post.
Secondly, to preface this post, I need to explain that I just ended my 4th week of attendance at the NCO Academy (NCOA). Basically, the NCOA is a 6-week long course that's designed to help Technical Sergeants (TSgt/E-6) learn how to become managers/supervisers, or perhaps improve on that. It's a required course for anyone aspiring to the rank of Master Sergeant (MSgt E-7). It's mostly classroom learning, but they do occasionally have guest speakers. Today, we had the best guest speaker so far. His name is Gail Halvorsen.
Retired Colonel Gail Halvorsen was one of many pilots that flew the cargo aircraft during the Berlin Airlift. That, in itself, is pretty cool, and worthy of mention. What really makes him stand out is that he came to be known as "The Candy Bomber," "Schokolade-fliegen," and "Uncle Wiggly Wings." For the full story, you can go here as a start; of course, Google will give you a lot more places to go. Essentially, it started with him meeting some children that were gathered along the fence outside of the Berlin Tempelhof airport. He told us that despite the difficult times they were having, not a single one of those approximately 30 children begged for any sort of handout. He had two sticks of gum in his pocket; he decided to pass them through the fence; the children split the gum up as best as they could, with some children only getting to smell the wrappers. Not a single fight broke out among them, he said.
He promised them he would drop some more candy near that spot, since it was along the final approach. The children asked how they would know which plane he was in. Col Halvorsen came up with an ingenious idea; he would wiggle the wings of his plane as he approached.
The story eventually got picked up by a newspaper in Berlin; on the front page was a picture of the aircraft Col Halvorsen had been flying; the tail number was readily visible, and legible. A General called the unit's commander, a Colonel, who called then-Lieutenant Halvorsen into his office, asking him if he knew what was going on. After explaining the situation, the Colonel didn't take any adverse action against Halvorsen.
He talked to us about the importance of integrity, and how it's the little decisions that can make such a big difference down the road. I really wish you could have been in the auditorium with us; he was truly a marvel to listen to.

Jeri and 7s

2005-12-22T04:00:00.000-05:00

Well, my good friend Jeri made a post based on something she had seen on another blog. In that post, she said she'd like to see my list, amongst others. So, I put what thought I could muster into it and this is what I came up with:

7 Things to Do Before I Die:
- take Sam (and any sibling(s)) to Europe
- live to see any grandchildren
- watch the first manned expedition to Mars set foor on the soil
- see political moderates become the majority again
- retire a second time (well, first time will be in about 2 to 3 years)
- get back to (and stay around) 250 pounds
- stay as young as I possibly can

7 Things I Cannot Do:
- see clearly without glasses
- stand closed mindedness
- ice skate
- play any physical sport well
- drink Corona or Guiness beers
- drive at or below the speed limit
- resist my wife's smile

7 things that attract me to people:
- sense of humor
- being genuine
- creativity
- giving spirit
- independence
- open-mindedness
- relaxed

7 Things I Would Never Say:
- "Jay Leno really cracks me up"
- "So, what did Paris Hilton think about this product?"
- "What our country really needs is more armchair quarterbacks and political extremism."
- "Ugh, the smell of popcorn makes me sick!"
- "Johnny Knoxville...what talent!"
- "The idea of two women getting naked and [CENSORED] just absolutely disgusts me."
- "Roleplaying games are the Devil!"

7 Books or Series I Love:
- Lord of the Rings trilogy (if you don't know who the author is by this time....)
- The Belgariad (series)
- Illegal Aliens by Phil Foglio (and can't remember the co-author)
- Requiem for the Devil by You-Know-Who
- Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy (series), as long as we can pretend "Mostly Harmless" never existed
- The Stand by Steven King
- Starship Troopers by Robert A. Heinlein

7 Movies I can watch over and over:
- The Fisher King
- The Shawshank Redemption
- The Fifth Element
- Lord of the Rings trilogy
- Last of the Mohicans
- The Man With One Red Shoe
- Sneakers

RIP "Pop" Hoffman

2005-10-31T17:36:00.000-05:00

I got word today about the passing of the father of a good friend from childhood. That circle of friends was truly special, as one set of parents was every child's parent. More to the good than the bad, though they wouldn't hesitate to correct your behavior on the spot if needed.
Jack "Pop" Hoffman, father of my friend Chris (aka "Lizard") was a great guy, full of life, spunk and enjoyed life to his last day. He was, among other things, a heckuva pinochle player, and truly a joy to be around. Lizard was the apple that didn't fall far from the tree, but that's not really a bad thing in this case. Pop Hoffman is one of those folks that the cliche' "salt of the earth" was coined for. He will be missed by his family and many friends, but that sadness will be tempered by the joy he brought to all of their lives.

P.S.: Pop, it's not nice to double deal in Heaven.

Praise be for the silly inspirations...

2005-10-21T01:20:00.000-04:00

...that bring us things like this.

Things you can relate to as a parent/child

2005-08-20T09:35:00.000-04:00

Over on the official forums for World of Warcraft, this thread was begun in an effort to try and get more folks out for a player versus player event on the particular server. You only really need to read down to the 5th post to get a decent giggle; if you read the rest of it, I think you may get a few more, but it depends on your understanding of certain verbage in use in the online gaming world.

With that being said, go here to check it out!

P.S.: For the record, I don't think she did anything bad.

The Humor Test and me

2005-08-10T12:29:00.000-04:00

your humor style:
VULGAR | SPONTANEOUS | LIGHT

You like things silly, immediate, and, above all, outrageous. Ixne on the subtle word play, more testicles on fire, please. People like you are the most likely to RECEIVE internet forwards--and also the most likely to save them in a special folder entitled 'HOLY SHIT'.

Because it's so easily appreciated, and often wacky and physical, your sense of humor never ceases to amuse your friends. Most realize that there's a sly intelligence and a knowing wink to your tastes. Your sense of humor could be called 'anti-pretentious'--but paradoxically enough, that indicates you're smarter than most.

PEOPLE LIKE YOU: Johnny Knoxville - Jimmy Kimmel

My test tracked 3 variables How you compared to other people your age and gender:

You scored higher than 66% on dark

You scored higher than 83% on spontaneous

You scored higher than 50% on vulgar

My comment: Okay, I'm insulted that I would be considered anything like Johnny Knoxville or Jimmy Kimmel, though moreso by Johnny. I also do enjoy subtle wordplay, so this test isn't as smart as it thinks it is.

Take it here!

First portrait shoot

2005-08-05T08:18:00.000-04:00

We took Sam to Sears for his first professional photos. He really did quite well, although he did get a little crabby and fussy from time to time, but that's to be expected. The photographer, Amanda, did a really good job.

Kicking and grinning!

Contemplative

Gotta have my sports!

Things I miss from childhood

2005-07-29T10:05:00.000-04:00

"How can you have any pudding if you don't eat your meat!?"
-- Pink Floyd, The Wall

While I have no idea what the heck a "meme" is, I'll honor the tag put upon me by Jeri to follow in her footsteps (or vootshteps if you're in a Mel Brooks sort of mood.) I'm even keeping with the Pink Floyd quotes, though mine is not quite as deep or thought provoking as hers.

1) Having summers off; yes, having a paying job that lets me do pretty much what I want (within reason) is a good thing, but having two and a half months of being able to just goof off was pretty awesome. There were trips to Hershey Park, the Jersey shore, or up to visit my dad's freiends on their farm in lower central New York state.
2) Bike trips to everywhere; like Rob S., I remember fondly riding my bike to a lot of different places with friends. A bike was almost like a car (before we knew how much better in some aspects having a car was), and you didn't even have to pay for gas!
3) Sleepovers; not "slumber parties," because those were for girls! Going over to a friend's house, even if it was just two houses down was kinda cool.
4) Legos; hell, you had an excuse to play with them at that age, and you really had to be creative to make some of the stuff because these specialized sets were only just starting to emerge back then
5) Visiting with family, especially cousins; I now realize just how much I took that for granted, and how lucky we were to have parents that got along with their siblings and wanted us to have relationships with our extended family. On top of that, our extended family wasn't really more than an hour and a half to two hours away back then. One of the reasons Christine and I want to settle close to my parents and other family is so our son will have that same chance.

I think I'll tag Amy for this next!

Things to be thankful for

2005-07-29T09:55:00.000-04:00

I know I've been tagged by Jeri to follow the thread passed ot her by others, I wanted to say something else first. This sort of thing is usually reserved for Thanksgiving, but I wanted to say it now.
I am thankful that my dad wasn't one of the 4 Scoutmasters that died at the Jamboree this week. I'm sorry if that sounds selfish, but it's true. He and another former Assistant Scoutmaster of mine are down at Fort A.P. Hill this week, serving on staff for the trap skeet range. They were apparently about 1 mile from the accident. My heart does go out to the families that lost fathers and husbands that day, especially the boys who were there with their fathers.

The tooth, the whole tooth and nothing but the tooth...

2005-06-29T05:37:00.000-04:00

For three days, Sam and I had something in common; we both had baby teeth! Yep, he started cutting his lower front middle teeth this past Friday. Surprised the hell out of Christine and I.

I, on the other hand, had kept a baby tooth in my lower jaw until just recently. For whatever reason, I had never gotten a replacement adult tooth for it, so it just sat there, not being any trouble...until now. Due to it being "sunken" compared to the teeth on either side of it, it was a bear to clean properly, and it was starting to cause decay on those teeth. I opted to get it removed, and on Monday, out it came. The base dentist did an excellent job; it hurt a decent bit once the local wore off, but now it's little more than a dim ache.

The big news, though, is that Sam's teeth are starting to come in...welcome to Drool City!

One

2005-05-18T01:53:00.000-04:00

You've probably seen the ad on TV by now; the various famous folk asking you to lend your voice to the campaign to end poverty and AIDS. I signed up, hoping that this doesn't wind up becoming the equivalent of putting a ribbon-shaped magnet on the back of my car that says "I care!"

If you're interested, go here.

The Newsweek debacle

2005-05-18T01:46:00.000-04:00

I'm waiting for all of those that voiced their umbrage at the current administration's lying about WMDs to take umbrage over Newsweek printing a story that had no basis in fact.

Mo' pics of the bebe'

2005-05-17T02:09:00.000-04:00

Finally got some more off the camera.

Who remembers being this flexible?

Just after a bath.

Baby updates!

2005-05-13T03:57:00.000-04:00

Sorry these have taken so long, but I think those of you with children will understand; heck, most of you that read this that don't have children will still understand enough.

Sam turns 8 weeks old today (Friday); man, where has the time gone? I foresee me saying that many more times in the future as other milestones are reached and then passed. He's doing well, especially now that we've decided to switch to feeding him formula. We had hoped to feed him breastmilk, but unfortunately, Christine's body hasn't quite cooperated; that started a vicious cycle, because she would get stressed she couldn't produce enough via pumping, which would, in turn, reduce the amount she produced. We were winding up feeding him half the time with formula and the other half with breastmilk, and it was blocking him (internally) something fierce. For those of you that might not suspect this: a constipated baby is nowhere close to being happy.

My regular viewers should have gotten a birth announcement, but I'll include that picture again, as well as a link to a couple others.

Sam snoozing

Still snoozing

And another one

2005-04-25T07:18:00.000-04:00

I was cleaning up my e-mail inbox when I came across the previous link and this one in an e-mail. If you have fond memories of the Slinky toy that you'd rather not have tainted, by all means, don't click on the link. If you'd like a good chuckle, do click on the link.

Not safe for work (depending on where you work, I suppose), nor for viewing by minors. Make sure you watch it all the way through for the bloopers at the end.

The video

Funny link

2005-04-25T07:13:00.000-04:00

Been busy taking care of Sam, as well as visiting with the folks. With that, I have a warning:

The cats' revolutioin advertisement you've seen on TV isn't just some cutesy commercial. It's a message hidden in plain sight that the time is now. If you think I'm joking, just take a look at
this video.

Yep, another entry about gaming

2005-04-02T21:24:00.000-05:00

Yes, it's another online game; no, it isn't a fantasy/sci-fi setting. This is actually a Massively Multiplayer Online Tactics Game (MMOTG) that attempts to re-create small scale battles between WW2 era ships.

It's currently free, so you may want to check it out, especially if you've ever been a fan of Harpoon(TM) or other wargames that dealt with naval units. Be forearned, it is a decent sized download; if you're on dial-up, you're probably best not trying to download it...but your mileage may vary.

Navy Field

If you see "blueravyn" on there, gimme a holler. :)

The Journey Begun 9 months ago...

2005-03-20T02:39:00.000-05:00

...is done; well, this part of it, anyway. Friday at 6:09 p.m., my wife gave birth to our son...and now I can begin to understand why it is people become parents.

This is definitely something I can agree with my brother on - there aren't any words truly worthy of the feeling.

My wife and I have been blessed with a healthy boy - at 8 pounds, 7 ounces and just shy of 21 inches in length, I think "healthy" is close to an understatement.

We've had his name picked out for several months already, though we didn't know until he came out whether we were going to have a daughter or son. Truthfully, we would have been happy with either one. I'm not ashamed to admit that there is some happiness that there's now a male to pass on the family name; granted, our family isn't any sort of major dynasty nor is there a weighty legacy to pass on, as most would think of it.

His name is Samuel Alexander. Samuel is for my paternal grandfather; I'd like to think that wherever he is he knows about this. Alexander is for my wife's maternal grandfather; he is still alive and kicking in his native Scotland. Interestingly enough, his birthday was Thursday; I think it would have been neat if he and my son had wound up sharing birthdays.

"My son"...man, that has the wierd feeling that saying "my wife" used to have not long after getting married.

Here is where you can see some pictures of him.

Poor Freddy must be spinning in his grave

2005-03-05T06:32:00.000-05:00

Freddy Mercury, that is. I don't know if you've ever heard of the "cult phenomenon" that is Zero Wing. If you have no idea what it is, this flash animation won't mean as much to you.

If you are familiar with it, well, see for yourself.

Zero Wing Rhapsody

Further proof that Society is going to Hell

2005-02-26T03:26:00.000-05:00

Forgive me, but I need to rant.

The wife and I went out to dinner tonight, as is our usual Friday night routine. We opted to go to O'Charlies (my choice, unfortunately, as you'll soon see); if you're not familiar with O'Charlies, they're sorta similar to Applebees, but not exactly.
We get seated in a section where there's a large group of folks eating together, including a dew children in the 7 to 10 age bracket. All but one of these children were sitting down at the table; the one was running around in the walkway making a minor nuisance of himself. He was getting in the servers' way, came close to hitting the head of a toddler in a high chair with the balloon, and making a minor racket. His mother told him to sit down, which he complied with...for about 3 minutes or so. Soon he was back up and doing the same thing as before. As I was there to enjoy the meal with my wife, I decided to go speak with the mother.
I approached the table and leaned in a bit from the side. In a neutral tone, I said, "Ma'am, your child is running back and forth with a balloon in his hand and creating a disturbance. Could you have him sit down?" (I may have said, "please," which is my habit, but I can't say for certain.) I didn't use any foul language, nor did I use any sort of tone that one would (normally) take offense to.
She simply nodded and called her son over and he remained seated for the rest of their meal. I figured that was the end of it. Wrong.
As they were getting up, the mother comes over and basically comes over and tells me off, saying I had "invaded her personal space," and that "this is a family resturant, so maybe [we] should find someplace else to eat," then muttered something else and flung the word "bullshit" in amongst them. I'm a big boy and have used much worse words in my lifetime. I'm generally not offended by them. When I've been civil and diplomatic, however, for you to fling them at me is a no-no.
I got up and approached her, attempting to explain to her exactly how far in the wrong she was. She wasn't hearing it. Not only that, two of the men at the table stood up, one even threatened to kick the crap out of me if I didn't walk away.
Excuse me? You're going to threaten me with physical violence because I asked your friend to do her fucking job as a PARENT!? People like that sicken me! Yet they'e the ones most likely to whine and complain that "people don't ever do anything to stop people from doing bad stuff."

I challenge you...

2005-02-11T04:10:00.000-05:00

...to put in writing on this screen what you think the current administration should do regarding North Korea. Don't wait til a decision has been made and then whine, gripe and moan, just like every other Monday morning quarterback. Put your neck out and make a decision on how we, the USA, should deal with North Korea and its nukes.

Size Matters Not

2005-02-05T05:13:00.000-05:00

No, you pervs, I don't mean in that way! A co-worker provided me with a link to a site he thought I'd appreciate; later that night at home, I went to see what it was.

It is the saga of Ninjai , a little boy wandering the world battling demons. The creators have done a fantastic job with the story (so far) and the animation. Some of it is gory, in a Kill Bill way, but it fits in the scenes.

"I see," said the blind man....

2005-01-17T16:48:00.000-05:00

I was in the men's restroom at a local eatery and noticed it had one of those Koala Kare baby changing stations. I find I'm noticing things like this more often now that I'm an expectant father. On the part that folds down, there is some Braille lettering; I presume it's instructions for how to lower that portion, etc. This got me to wondering - how, exactly, does a blind or vision-impaired parent know when their infant's tush is clean? I put this question to my wife, who opined that perhaps they could tell by smell. Well, obviously once the major mess is gone, the smell would be reduced...but would they know that the baby's tush is as clean as it needs to be?

The Moron of the Week award goes to...

2005-01-15T21:29:00.000-05:00

The guy driving his car with a "Buckle Up Florida" license plate on the front of his car, a "Buckle Up Florida" decal on his rear window and...you guessed it...neither he nor his wife were wearing their seat belts.

Soooo, I'm back

2005-01-15T21:16:00.000-05:00

Went away with the wife to visit my folks and some friends back in PA. I have had to re-evaluate my position on Florida having significantly ruder, dumber drivers than PA. Granted, I still think there are more down here, but there are plenty back home in PA.

Maybe they're Florida transplants, or something.

Anywho, we did some of the touristy stuff, since my better half isn't from the Philly area and hasn't ever seen "Ther Cradle of Liberty." We went to see the Liberty Bell (now in a different building than when I went to see it way back when I was in school), the first Congressional building (yes, kids, the capital of the U.S. used to be in Philly) and the Federal Reserve of Philadelphia. The Federal Reserve was kinda neat, with some interesting tidbits to keep you amused. Did you know they shred approximately $6 billion annually in unservicable currency? That's about $100 million per day.

We also got to go see the Titanic exhibit at the Franklin Institute; it had some of the artifacts recovered, as well as a lot of the story of the people. You were given a boarding pass with the name and basic facts and background of one of the passengers. I was a retired Army Colonel, travelling in first class, who was originally from Dundee, Scotland! (For those of you not in the know, my wife's family is from Scotland, and her maternal grandfather lives in Dundee.) At the end of the exhibit was a list of those who had survived and those that had perished, broken down by class. I hadn't survived, but the 3rd class traveller my wife held the boarding pass for had survived.

We also got to go down to the Mummer's Parade on New Year's Day; it has been many years since I've been able to go, and it was the first time for my wife. We had unusually warm weather (62 degrees Fahrenheit) for the day, and thoroughly enjoyed it, though we were only able to stay for a couple hours. In addition to the two of us, my father, brother, sister-in-law, niece and my brother's mother-in-law went; we all had a good time.

Music and Lights

2004-12-23T14:34:00.000-05:00

Author's note: I wrote this last year as a contribution to a devotional book my church was making. I sent it to some of you that read this blog, so it will be familiar to you. Its intent is to share with you a part of myself and not to be preachy.

Happy Holidays to all of you and yours

Music and lights…music and lights are part of my Christmas memories. Mostly the music, though; the music of the season has always resonated within me. I cherish the Christmas hymns learned when I was younger, and have come to appreciate them even more as I’ve grown older.
Interestingly enough, my wife and I share the same favorite Christmas song- “The Little Drummer Boy”. I am at a loss to explain why, exactly, this song stirs my feelings so much. The fact is, this song, like no other of the season, fills me with quiet hope and joy. Maybe it’s because it lets me view God and Jesus with the same sense of wonderment as the little drummer boy, himself. He didn’t have anything to give but his music, and he gave that willingly and without hesitation.
The solemn strains of “Silent Night, Holy Night” always evoke a sense of reverence and awe in me. The composer can only have been divinely inspired when he wrote this piece, and it shines through in much the same way as the star did that first Christmas night so long ago. Its beauty shines through, no matter what language it is sung in, as I found out to my delight one Christmas Eve in Bavaria, Germany.
“We Three Kings” will always hold a special place in my heart. While still a teenager, I was part of the youth choir back home in Pennsylvania. One year, our choir director decided she was going to have the three strongest male voices, myself and 2 Johns (though one went by Jack) sing this song. The first verse was sung in unison, and then each of us sang solo on the other three verses. I felt as if I was one of the Kings, transported back to that trek across the desert towards the distant city of Bethlehem.
Music and lights combine magnificently in what I consider to be my favorite service of the year- a Christmas Eve candlelight service. Something about a sanctuary alight with those warm, flickering flames that makes me feel safe and at home. Though I’ve seen the service done differently in various places, they all share one thing in common. All of them end with the song “Silent Night, Holy Night”, and with the only light being that of the candles that each person holds. I don’t know of anyone that isn’t moved when they see someone else’s eyes reflecting the flames, reflecting their own inner light and the light to be passed on to the world.
May this help rekindle your light and warm you as you take it out into the world.

Heresy of a different sort

2004-12-22T22:27:00.000-05:00

I fully expect to get raked over the coals for this, but I have finally (yes, finally) seen Reservoir Dogs, and I have to say it didn't live up to its hype.

There are brilliant moments in it, but as much as many of my friends and acquaintances have raved about it, I'll admit to being underwhelmed. This is odd, since normally my film tastes aren't all that different than those of my close circle of friends.

I think the breakfast scene is classic, and the torture scene with Mr. Blonde is also nicely crafted. I even understand and appreciate the way the story is told and in the order it's told. At the end of it all, though, I was still left just a shade warmer than ambivalent.

Now, after giving Reservoir Dogs a lukewarm review, this next review will probably make you cuss my name even more: I just watched the movie King Arthur (the one released this year starring Clive Owen as Arthur and Keira Knightley as Guinevere). I liked this movie a goodly bit. Yes, the "heroes" were easy to like and the "bad guys" were easy to dislike. I thought it was an interesting take on the Arthurian legend(s), instead of being just another retread of the standard Camelot fable.

One MMORPG to bring them all...

2004-12-17T06:50:00.000-05:00

Okay, I apologize for the cheesy take-off from Tolkien's masterpiece. It is somewhat appropriate, though, considering my impressions of the new Blizzard MMORPG, "World of Warcraft." I'll admit, I was a bit hesitant when I heard they were thinking about doing an MMORPG based on the Warcraft world. Blizzard is a fine software company; they are, after all, the ones that produced Diablo, Diablo 2 and its expansion, as well as the Warcraft and Starcraft RTS games. It wasn't the quality I was really concerned about; after some consideration, I figured if anyone could pull off an appealing MMORPG with depth and relative ease of play, it would be them.

A little background for a moment. I am not the person that jumps from game to game as new MMORPGs come out. After starting with EQ back in January of '01, I have tried out exactly 1 other before WoW, which was Anarchy Online.

So, what does this mean for EQ and me? The decision is far from final, but if my experience continues to be as positive as it has been so far, there's a very good chance when my subscription for EQ comes due in March '05, I will opt to not renew for the first time in 4 years.

EQ has had a really good run. They've tried to keep the game current. They haven't, in my opinion, done enough to really fix what is broken in the game. That's a laundry list I won't even go into in this post. I played it for as long as I have for a few reasons; 1) it's been the best available until recently, 2) I had friends fron outside of EQ that played, so it made it more fun.

Most of the friends that were playing when I started no longer do...in fact, none of the original group still plays. A couple good friends do still play, but I rarely bump into them in EQ due to time zone and schedule differences.

I will also salute EQ for being the springboard and ground-breaker for this game genre. I know some would argue that Ultima Online (UO) was, but I disagree - again, that's for a different post. Blizzard has obviously done their homework on MMORPGs and found out what the player base does and doesn't want. They've made a game that truly appeals to both the hardcore powergamers and those that prefer a more relaxed, casual style of play.

It is with a certain degree of melancholy that I contemplate ending the EQ chapter of my gaming experience; I have enjoyed most of the trials and tribulations I've gone through to accomplish the things I have in-game. No, I don't plan on selling my account with its characters, though I could probablty get a decent bit of cash for it. I'd just hate to think of someone else running around with my character's name and face.

So, anywho, the bottom line is...change is in the wind for me, I feel, as far as MMORPGs go.

Now this is cool!

2004-12-05T06:21:00.000-05:00

EDIT: Site is down or changed; it was a picture that you could continuously "zoom" down into.

The kilt picture

2004-12-05T03:48:00.000-05:00

As promised, I'm putting up a picture of me in my kilt.

Pic is here!

EDIT: the picture somewhow pushed all of my links down to the bottom of the page, so I'm just linking it instead.

Turning a bit gloomy

2004-11-30T05:43:00.000-05:00

The subject matter, not so much the weather. I've been mulling posting this for a few weeks now, pondering if I dare broach such a depressing subject.

Basically, since about June of this year, I've had thoughts concerning my mortality and the afterlife creeping throughout my conscious mind a lot more frequently. There was a weekend where I came close to letting it overwhelm me...not to the point of doing anything rash, but feeling utterly helpless. I am extremely thankful my wife was there, and still is here, to help me through times like that.

It's not easy to put into words how I have been feeling and exactly what I've been thinking, but I'm going to give it a shot. I think and wonder about which of us, between my wife and I, will pass away first, and how that will impact the other. I ponder the existence of an afterlife, and the not knowing absolutely scares me. My faith tells me to trust in God and His plan for us; I have been trying to lean more on Him, but there are times it's difficult. I envy those whose faith is nigh unshakeable at times, and those whose ties/link to the spiritual side of our existence is stronger than mine. For as long as I can remember, I have always felt sure that there was/is a higher power and an afterlife. Only recently has my faith been shaken, and I'm not sure what the root of it is. My mother-in-law, a great lady whom I love dearly, listened to me as I tried to explain what I was going through. She said to me that God was testing me. I am trying to open myself up to Him more and trust in Him, but it isn't easy for me.

Another spiral of thought I have to avoid is pondering the nature of the afterlife. If it does exist, as I believe, what is it like? As a Christian, I am taught that Heaven is a place of light and love, where pain and suffering no longer exist. As silly as it may sound, I find myself wondering what it is I'll be doing there, should I be admitted. My goodness, I'm worried about being bored in the atferlife! Since we are to dwell there for an eternity, well, I guess it's safe to say I'm worried about what it's going to be like.

The crux of it is, this is a topic that everyone has to confront and deal with in their own manner. Death is something we can't avoid...not unless someone's keeping a very good secret. As much as immortality might seem like a grand thing, I think for anyone with even a touch of feeling and social nature, being immortal would eventually be painful and lonely.

I apologize if this spiritual purging, for lack of a better phrase, brings you down or dampens your mood. It's often been said that writing something down can help you deal with certain feelings, and I admit to an odd feeling of "lightness" as I type the closing words for this post.

A final thought and observation to close this post out. I am currently reading the third book by R. A. Salvatore in the Hunter's Blades trilogy. In it, through the diary entries of Drizzt Do'Urden, I have found a philosophy and outlook that has helped me some, when I can remain focused on it. To paraphrase: don't let the future bind you, and cherish the moments of the present.

Stay tuned and we'll return to the regularly scheduled rant soon.

On to something EQ-related

2004-11-23T03:13:00.000-05:00

I am happy to announce I was accepted into the Twilight Avengers guild on Prexus. Most of you are probably going to say, "Well, what, exactly, does that mean?" I'm glad you asked.

There are player created organizations in EverQuest (aka EQ or EverCrack), an MMORPG. If you don't know what an MMORPG is, go to Google and look it up. All of these guilds vary in application/membership requirements, reputation and capabilities of its members. TA is one of the better renowned and capable guilds on the Prexus server. While not the easiest guild to join, they are a lot easier than some of the more elitist/snobby ones to exist. So, I am just happy that they thought me worthy of being an Avenger, and I will be doing my best to not prove them wrong.

It's beginning to look a lot like...

2004-11-23T03:11:00.000-05:00

...Christmas...already! I saw two houses on my drive home tonight that have their Christmas lights and other decorations up. Can we please let Thanksgiving go by before putting the Christmas stuff up? Sheesh!

Links are up!

2004-11-19T05:46:00.000-05:00

With a little bit of cheating*, I now have links up on the right, while keeping the overall template look that I like.

* = I loaded another template that had links, copied the formatting and re-selected the template I originally had. I then pasted the formatting into the editing area, and voila'! Yes, this means I have basically no clue about HTML or web page design.

Separation of Church and State

2004-11-17T22:10:00.000-05:00

As in...what-the-f*ck ever happened to it?

I'm not going entirely off of fact here, moreso impressions.

The Religious Right gets in a huff if the Government tries to get prayer removed from schools, right? Yet they want the Government to make gay marriage illegal, abortions illegal and essentially want pretty much all legislation based on conservative Christian beliefs.

In case you can't tell, this concept absolutely appalls me. I am a Christian, but also an American. I feel that there should be separation of Church and State. The laws shouldn't be based on what one religion's belief system is. Laws against killing are there due to the belief held by the majority of society that it's wrong to deny someone else their right to live. Laws allowing the death penalty are there because the majority of people in that state, as represented by the legislators, believe that if you choose to deny someone their right to live, then you forfeit your own right to the same.

I wish I could find my button I got many years ago:

The Moral Majority is neither

The kilt's here!!!

2004-11-13T19:13:00.000-05:00

Finally arrived today; I had ordered it while on a trip to Scotland with my wife. It "only" took about 2 and a half months to make and ship it. Scary thing is: the shipping cost less than the VAT (Value Added Tax) would have.

Total cost: $545.67

That's for a 9-yard kilt of medium weight tartan. Hey, I figured if I was gonna do it, might as well do it right.

Common Courtesy, Part 2 aka Grow the F*ck Up, already

2004-11-11T03:23:00.000-05:00

So, I'm in Subway sandwich shop last night. (I am clarifying the sandwich shop, just in case anyone thinks there might be an actual subway rail system in Panama City, Florida.) There are two people working behind the counter during dinner time - I'm not a food service manager, but this strikes me as poor management of personnel. The younger of the two women behind the counter announces to those assembled that whoever's car is parked right at the curb is at risk for a ticket. A woman, obviously the owner of the car, speaks up and says that there are people in the car, so it's not like the car is parked there. I'm no cop, so I don't know if that would really make a difference, but that's for another discussion. The employee responds that it is a Fire Lane, and that the ticket would be $175, so it doesn't matter if people are in the car or not.

Now, at that point, any mature, decent person would thank the employee. Not Today's Winner - oh, no!

The owner of the vehicle responds that her husband is a fire chief and that he's not likely to get a ticket.

I opt to throw my 2 cents in at this point.

"Ma'am, " I begin, "the lady was just trying to be helpful and informative. There's no reason to cop an attitude."

"I don't recall asking for your opinion."

One...two..three..fo - fukkit.

"Doesn't matter if you asked for it or not, you're getting it. There's no reason to be acting like a (...ten), well, I won't say it, but you know what I mean." (I was in uniform, no sense giving a bad image to the USAF.)

"I'd advise you not to say it."

(Did she just give me that opening...hell, yes, she did.)

"I don't recall asking for your advice, either."

Blink and pause on her part.

"Sucks when you get it back, doesn't it?"

She left in silence, the only exception being a muttered threat to contact the base about me. I offered to give her my supervisor's name and number, but she didn't seem interested.

Funny thing is, noone else said anything negative about my response or reaction to the situation. Maybe there is hope for the general populace, after all.

Literate illiterates - or stupid redundancies

2004-11-11T03:20:00.000-05:00

People use them every day, and probably don't even stop to think about it. They're the acronyms, followed by the word represented by the last letter of the acronym. Examples:

1) ATM Machine

2) PIN Number

The newest one I heard today:

3) GPS System

*shakes head*

R.I.P. "Common" courtesy and sense

2004-11-07T07:02:00.000-05:00

As I waited in line to purchase tickets at a local movie theater, the wife and I once again opined on the idiocy of some people. As the line at the box office lengthened, did the people joining on at the end bend the line around to stay on the sidewalk? Hell, no, that would make too much sense! They'd rather extend themselves out into the path of parking lot traffic. Heck, maybe it'll help get some of the detritus out of the gene pool filter.

After purchasing tickets, we go inside; the wife goes on to secure us seats while I opt to wait in line for popcorn and a soda. Yes, popcorn, one of my weaknesses...got to have it when watching a movie. So, all four serving stations are up and running, yet each seems to be in competition with the other as to who can move the slowest. A couple things I acknowledge:

1) Serving people all day long isn't a great way to spend the day
2) There's always a portion of the story that I am not aware of that is impacting their attitude and mood
3) If you're going to take a customer service type job, you have to do your damndest to not let #s 1 and 2 affect the quality of your service. If you don't like the job, feel free to resign/terminate your emplyment with the company!

Earlier in the day, we were in what I have come to call the "bug zapper," - Wal Mart. I'm walking down an aisle, very purposefully, but not even close to a jog, let alone a run. As I'm going through an "intersection," the woman that had been slowly pushing her cart along the right side of the aisle without notice or looking over her shoulder, cuts in towards the left. At the same moment, another woman that was walking along the aisle perpindicular to the one the other lady and I are in, begins to enter the intersection, whilst looking behind and to her left. Had I been following suit with the two ladies by not paying attention and maintaining basic situational awareness, then all three of us would have whacked right into the other. Helllooooooo!?!?

No, "culture" isn't what you find in a 2-month old yogurt container

2004-11-05T08:16:00.000-05:00

Of course, you probably couldn't convince the folks in this area of that. The closest place to see a concert is about 2 and a half hours to the West in Pensacola. They have two small theaters here that do give some folks a chance to pursue their theatrical bent...but nothing for Off-Broadway productions.

The only place that had ever really focused on showcasing local talent has been forced to cut back its hours due to overall poor patron support.

These are the people that would gladly support the banning of "The Last Temptation of Christ" from the theater, but have a cow when a local theater opts to not procure a copy of "Fahrenheit 9/11."

Rather than empl0y a DJ for a local morning show on a rock station, they'd rather pipe in other morning shows, like "The Bob and Tom Show." Nothing against Bob and Tom, whom I do find humorous, but that kinda shafts other DJs.

I'm to the point where I don't mind shelling out the initial set-up cost and monthly fee for XM satellite radio. There's a great variety, and damn few commercials.

So, I was ranting about the culture down here, or lack thereof, right?

The Powers That Be have decided that they feel the public really wants a veritable wall of concrete between them and the ocean. That has to be the case, or else they wouldn't be granting construction permits to all of these condo developers and builders. These geniuses are tearing down local entertainment establishments for room to build...you guessed it...more condos! So, smart guys, once you have your condos built and people staying in them, what, pray tell, do you expect them to do down here!? The amusement park will be gone, the go kart tracks will be gone, the meat market over-hyped dance club (La Vela) will be gone...there won't be anything left to do but go to the beach and get skin cancer!

Buncha rocket scientists, I tell ya.

Opening post

2004-11-05T07:50:00.000-05:00

Well, what the hell...a lot of other people are doing it, so why not join in? This way, I have a place to rant and blow off steam or otherwise state things As I See Them.

For the opening act, I'm gonna start with a subject "near and dear" to my heart: Florida drivers. Two words...they suck ass. Okay, that was three words, so sue me.

Examples of why I loathe the drivers here in the Florida panhandle:

1) They're in such a hurry that they will pull out in front of you, often running a stop sign to do so...they then proceed to drag ass 10 miles below the posted speed limit.

2) They'll do the speed limit (or lower), but no sooner will you move to pass them than they speed up. Another popular move is to let you pass, then tailgate you.

3) They'll play "match the speed of the car in the other lane and block traffic," a favorite game of a lot of them.

I just don't get them...must be a cultural difference, or something.