Please try to ignore the shaky footage, I only uploaded this one because the audio was kind of funny. Erin is the last child on the right on the second riser. Her buddy Nora is standing right behind her. The kindergarden performed Away in a Manger, Rudolph, and a third song that I am unfamiliar with. Then, every remaining grade, 1-8, in turn, took to the risers to perform at least a couple of songs. Finally, the night ended with the 8th grade living nativity. I will post more pictures and video as I have time later this weekend.
Friday, December 10, 2010
Wednesday, November 24, 2010
Many Thanks
Working in retail, the weeks leading up to Thanksgiving can become pretty crazy and stressful as we prepare for that ultimate day of commerce, Black Friday. It becomes easy to go through the motions of day to day life with a set of blinders on and lose sight of those genuine things that are truly important. Now, on Thanksgiving Eve, with most of our preparations in the rear view mirror, I find I have a moment to sit, take a deep breath, and reflect on those things for which I am thankful in my life.
I am thankful to have been blessed with an amazing wife. Into our tenth year of marriage, Laureen is still my best friend, my true partner in life. She is the one I want to talk to at the beginning and the end of every day, she is the one I want to laugh with, the one I want to share my life with. "You'll always be my sweet addiction, in this life, my saving grace... girl you're all that really matters, you know it's true, ain't no me without you."
I am thankful for our wonderfull, thoughtful little girl. She brings more joy into our lives on a daily basis than I can successfully put into words. No matter how rough of a day I've suffered or how foul my mood, I can always count on Erin to make me smile. Guiding her through the stages of her development, watching and helping her mature fills me with such pride. I will always cherish the sweet, quiet little tender moments we've shared as she has grown.
I am thankful that Laureen and I have another child on the way. I cannot speak for Laureen, but I had about given up hope that we were ever going to have another child. I am so excited and cannot wait to be a Dad again. I am also very excited that Erin will be a big sister. She is going to be a great older sister.
I am thankful for the love and support of our families, from our Parents to our Siblings and their Spouses (and children), to our extended families (Grandmas, Aunt & Uncles, Cousins). It seems to me that we maybe don't tell you all often enough how much we appreciate you and love you. Thank you for always having been there for us.
I am thankful for our dear friends, some old, some new, some nearby, some far, far away, all of them beloved. So many shared experiences bind us and we always look forward to the next adventure.
I am thankful for the incredible fortune of having been born in the United States of America, the single greatest, most virtuous, most free nation this world has ever seen. Imagine having been born in a place like North Korea, Somalia, Sudan, Afghanistan, Cuba, Haiti, etc. Living under the iron fist of some petty megalomaniacal dictator or fascistic regime, sleeping at night in some mud hut or shanty house, fearing famine, cholera, malaria, or machete wielding death squads. Instead, we live in a place where we complain if the cable goes out for 45 minutes, the supermarket runs out of our favorite cereal, or the air conditioner breaks down. We are exceptionally fortunate and take so much of it for granted.
I am thankful to have a job that I enjoy with very good bosses and staff. I am thankful for those men and women in uniform in our armed forces protecting our freedom, and for those men and women in uniform back here at home protecting our streets, fighting fires, or stabilizing patients and transporting them to the hospital. I am thankful for my health and for the health of those I love. Finally, I am thankful that my NY Jets are 8-2 and likely looking at 9-2 after their game tomorrow night.
Happy & Safe Thanksgiving Everyone!!
I am thankful to have been blessed with an amazing wife. Into our tenth year of marriage, Laureen is still my best friend, my true partner in life. She is the one I want to talk to at the beginning and the end of every day, she is the one I want to laugh with, the one I want to share my life with. "You'll always be my sweet addiction, in this life, my saving grace... girl you're all that really matters, you know it's true, ain't no me without you."
I am thankful for our wonderfull, thoughtful little girl. She brings more joy into our lives on a daily basis than I can successfully put into words. No matter how rough of a day I've suffered or how foul my mood, I can always count on Erin to make me smile. Guiding her through the stages of her development, watching and helping her mature fills me with such pride. I will always cherish the sweet, quiet little tender moments we've shared as she has grown.
I am thankful that Laureen and I have another child on the way. I cannot speak for Laureen, but I had about given up hope that we were ever going to have another child. I am so excited and cannot wait to be a Dad again. I am also very excited that Erin will be a big sister. She is going to be a great older sister.
I am thankful for the love and support of our families, from our Parents to our Siblings and their Spouses (and children), to our extended families (Grandmas, Aunt & Uncles, Cousins). It seems to me that we maybe don't tell you all often enough how much we appreciate you and love you. Thank you for always having been there for us.
I am thankful for our dear friends, some old, some new, some nearby, some far, far away, all of them beloved. So many shared experiences bind us and we always look forward to the next adventure.
I am thankful for the incredible fortune of having been born in the United States of America, the single greatest, most virtuous, most free nation this world has ever seen. Imagine having been born in a place like North Korea, Somalia, Sudan, Afghanistan, Cuba, Haiti, etc. Living under the iron fist of some petty megalomaniacal dictator or fascistic regime, sleeping at night in some mud hut or shanty house, fearing famine, cholera, malaria, or machete wielding death squads. Instead, we live in a place where we complain if the cable goes out for 45 minutes, the supermarket runs out of our favorite cereal, or the air conditioner breaks down. We are exceptionally fortunate and take so much of it for granted.
I am thankful to have a job that I enjoy with very good bosses and staff. I am thankful for those men and women in uniform in our armed forces protecting our freedom, and for those men and women in uniform back here at home protecting our streets, fighting fires, or stabilizing patients and transporting them to the hospital. I am thankful for my health and for the health of those I love. Finally, I am thankful that my NY Jets are 8-2 and likely looking at 9-2 after their game tomorrow night.
Happy & Safe Thanksgiving Everyone!!
Tuesday, November 16, 2010
Bittersweet Milestones
Being a Dad is the by far the most gratifying and certainly the most significant thing I have done in my life. It has been such a daily pleasure guiding Erin through the challenges she faces as she grows and matures, from infant to toddler, toddler to adolescent. Each milestone she passes has filled me with pride and joy, but any parent can probably relate to the small element of melancholy that accompanies these same milestones. I am always delightfully excited to see her progress as she takes the next step in her development, but there always seems to be a small, gentle but inescapable sadness as well.
Last week, Erin crossed another one of these milestones. It caught Laureen and I totally by surprise. And here is how it happened:
At Trinity, all of the Kindergardners and First Graders get dropped off by their parents in the school's gymnasium at the start of the day. They line up and wait for their teachers to come down to the gym and lead them up the stairs to their classrooms. Generally speaking, the kindergarden children wait with their parents while the first graders say goodbye to their parents at the door and line up with their peers. For the first several months of the year, either Laureen or I accompanied Erin into the gym and stood next to her on line while we waited for her teacher to arrive. It was fun. It gave us an opportunity to get to know some of the other parents while at the same time allowing us to observe Erin as she interacted with the other children in her class. As soon as Erin's teacher came down the stairs, all of the Mom's and Dad's would say goodbye to their respective child and make their way out the door. Some of the kids (Erin included) would turn and wave as we departed. Some even blew their parents kisses. It was sweet. Our sweet little morning ritual.
That all changed one morning last week. Laureen was Erin into the gym, and as the reached the inner door (from the foyer/lobby area to the actual gym), Erin suddenly stopped short, nearly yanking Laur's arm out of her socket. Surprised, Laur turned to look at Erin, who then stated, "Mommy, you can stay here."
"Are you sure you don't need me wait with you until Nora gets here? (Nora is Erin's closest friend at Trinity... they went to pre-school and summer camp together)."
"No Mommy. You can stay here. I can walk in by myself." And that's what she did. She said goodbye to Mommy at the doorway and sprinted to her spot in line. When she turned to wave to Laureen, she was beaming... clearly so proud of herself for her solo entrance.
The next day was my turn to drop her off. Unbeknownst to Erin, Laureen had filled me in on her experience at the prior day's drop-off. On the ride over to the school, Erin saw fit to prepare me for the new drop-off procedures.
"Dadoo, today when we get to the school, you can just say goodbye to me at the door."
"What do you mean at the door? Are you planning to walk into the gym alone?"
"Dadoo, let me explain this to you. When we get to the school, you can walk with me to the door, but then, say goodbye without coming into the gym. I can walk in myself."
"Well, OK. But... are you sure you don't want me to come in with you and wait until your teacher comes downstairs."
"I'm sure, Dadoo. I want to walk in by myself."
Of course, when we arrived, I had to pretend that I had forgotten about our conversation in the car, and started to escort her into the gym. She literally jumped in front of me and held up both her hands like a miniature traffic cop, and said firmly "Stop right here, Dadoo. I'm going alone from here."
Smiling, I nodded and got down on one knee to give her a hug, which she returned. She gave me a big high five and ran to the line to join her peers (and their parents). At this point, one of the other Dads was walking in with his daughter, who is in Erin's class. He greeted me and asked why I was standing at the doorway.
"I've been informed I am not allowed to enter the gym at drop-off anymore."
"Oh my gosh, why is that," he asked a look of concern suddenly spread across his face. Suddenly realizing how my statement could be easily misinterpreted as the school banning me from drop-off, I quickly elaborated.
"By Erin. She told us that Laureen & I have to say goodbye to her at the door from now on."
Well, he found this to be hilariously funny. When he and his daughter joined Erin and the other parents with their children in the front of the gym, I could see him telling a story as he motioned my way and everyone had a chuckle. Even Erin's teacher got a kick out of it when she arrived to lead the kids upstairs and was filled in on what was going on. She laughed and waved to me, still watching through the window of the gym. She later joked with Laureen at pick-up about our Little Miss Independent.
And this brings me back to my point. Erin has now passed the milestone of entering school by herself. While it is exciting to see her develop that comfort level, that independence which allows her to do so, it is at the same time just a little sad, because it is one more sign in a steady progression of signs that our little girl is growing up. We couldn't be more proud!
Tuesday, October 26, 2010
Happy Anniversary Laur!!
After a prolonged hiatus from my writings, and on the eve of the ninth anniversary of my marriage to my best friend and true partner in everything, tonight felt like a good night to reflect on our relationship.
We met in college as little more than kids back in 1993. It definitely was not love at first sight. In fact, Laureen was shy and I was a brash, opinionated, judgemental imbecile, so we thought that Laur was a snob or worse, the B-word when our greetings went mostly unreturned. All except Mike "POPE" Anderson. He always insisted that Laur was an awesome girl that we just had to get to know. Give her a chance, he insisted (incidentally, the best advice I have ever taken in my life... thanks POPE, wherever you are these days). I'll never forget the night we were finally formally introduced. It was Homecoming of 1993, and being sans date for the dance, I had opted to skip it altogether for an all-night shift on our campus radio station (WNKR at the time... now WNSU). Laur had attended the dance with Brian Wachtler, a strange dude who was an aquaintance of mine. He brought her into the radio station following their return from the dance, when they stopped in Rosenthal for a midnight snack. She looked great and struck me with her smile and her gorgeous eyes that I had somehow never taken notice of before But alas, she was taken, or so I thought. After Laureen left the booth and headed into the cafeteria for some post-midnight grub, Brian requested that I play a song and dedicate it to her from him (I believe it was a Billy Joel song). I cued it up and got ready to play it, and Brian suddenly began to brag to me about how he had gotten to dance with some other girl at the dance, and how he had wanted to put his hands all over her, um, behind. He laughed and headed into the cafeteria after Laureen. Somewhat disgusted, I nonetheless played his requested dedication. Lucky for me, it didn't take Laureen long to figure out what a weirdo creep he was.
Over the next month or so, our paths began to cross more and more (we only had about 500 on-campus residents, so we saw an awful lot of each other). We played pool together on Halloween (in costume, no less). She began eating meals with my friends. We hung out together with Rusty listening to and discussing music. We became pretty good friends in a very short period of time. By Christmas, I was officially interested in dating her, but was too much of a weanie to ask her out. I did score some brownie points, however, when I called her over Christmas break (I believe the only college friend who did so). Then, after returning from Christmas break, after about a month of waffling, I finally did ask her out... and I got shot down. I was devastated and probably almost destroyed any future shot I had by acting like a dejected and rejected passive aggressive moron for several days. Once again, my friends came to my aid, saving me from myself. I have mostly Rob to thank for making me see that I was going to blow any chance I had of ever changing her mind if I didn't tone down the drama.
So I did tone it down and I began to repair our relationship. In March, my sister Karen and her friend Jenny came to visit from New York. On the day of their departure to return home, Laureen came with us to the airport. This was pre-9/11 terrorist attacks, and we were allowed to accompany them right to their gate. After some emotional godbyes, and as their plane taxied away from the terminal, I was overcome with emotion and shed some tears, and Laureen was there to comfort me. The next day, I received a wonderful message via Rusty that Laur wanted to take me up on the date , if my offer still stood. It was March 25 of 1994, over 16 years ago.
We dated all through college. We took two classes together. We co-hosted a radio show (the "Until the Midnight Hour Show") for two years. There were Thanksgiving and Easter dinners we prepared in the dorm kitchen and served in the study lounge. There was Too Young to Die (I think Laur was the only girl to score a touchdown all season), $1 moives, 24 hour softball tournaments, lots of late-night walks, countless Tom Thumb runs, $4 pizzas, "Magic Fingers Nick", delicious baked goods care-packages from Laur's mom and candy care-packages from mine. There was a cast of characters too kooky to be real (but rest assured, they were 100% authentic). From "The Man in Black", to "Big Fat Stupid", "The Lawnmower Man", "Not Gay Demetrius", "Table-Butt", Zack "You're Legs Are So Warm" Rappaport, to Nick "No" Moore. We had a penchant for attracting some strange folks. Through it all, we quite literally grew up together (and I had a lot more growing up to accomplish than she did). We laughed a lot. There was a fair share of tears as well. I was often jealous and very short-tempered, and we argued a great deal over trivial things. We even broke up once (for about 15 minutes). But we reconciled and in the end we made it through. Through it all, our friendship and our relationship constantly matured and evolved.
Post-college, there was a period where we had to make a long-distance relationship work. There were tons of 2 hours phone calls semi-monthly visits to each others' homes. We watched our younger siblings mature from essentially children into adults, and then witnessed the same with much-younger cousins. In March of 2000, I proposed on Long Beach Island New Jersey, and Laureen said yes. It was the happiest day of my life. That is of course, until the day of our wedding, which instantly supplanted that day as the happiest day of my life. My face was already damp with tears by the time those double doors opened in the back of the church and from them emerged the most beautiful girl in the world. And then there was no holding them back. The floodgates opened and I was smiling and crying at the same time. I thank God every day for the great fortune in my life. I am married to my best friend, and with every year, every month, every day that goes by, we grow closer. And since our wedding day, I can honestly say that Laureen has provided me with several more days that instantly became the greatest day in my life. There was the day that she told me she was pregnant for the first time. There was the day that our wonderful daughter Erin Margaret was born. And then, there was the day when she told me she was pregnant for a second time.
Laureen- We've now known each other for 17 years. We've been together for over 16 years. We've been married for 9 years. We've been parents for about 5 1/2 years. We've endured several moves, job changes. There have been countless weddings and several funerals. You are the constant in my life. You truly are my best friend. I couldn't imagine life without you. As I tell you all the time... you are the engine that drives this family. You're my rudder in the stormy seas of our life, always bringing me back on course when the winds of stress, chaos and uncertainty have blown me off course. Through all these years, you still make me laugh harder than anyone I know. Your kindness and compassion still fill me with hope. I still marvel at your resolve. Your dedication to our daughter and to our family, your instincts as a Mom make me want to be a better Father and Husband. I still look forward to coming home from work, coming inside, and seeing that sparkle in your eyes. It may sound cliche, but I love you more with every day. Perhaps more importantly, I like and admire you more with every day as well. You never cease to amaze me. I am truly a lucky man to have you and I know it. Happy Anniversary Babe!! I love you with all my heart!!
We met in college as little more than kids back in 1993. It definitely was not love at first sight. In fact, Laureen was shy and I was a brash, opinionated, judgemental imbecile, so we thought that Laur was a snob or worse, the B-word when our greetings went mostly unreturned. All except Mike "POPE" Anderson. He always insisted that Laur was an awesome girl that we just had to get to know. Give her a chance, he insisted (incidentally, the best advice I have ever taken in my life... thanks POPE, wherever you are these days). I'll never forget the night we were finally formally introduced. It was Homecoming of 1993, and being sans date for the dance, I had opted to skip it altogether for an all-night shift on our campus radio station (WNKR at the time... now WNSU). Laur had attended the dance with Brian Wachtler, a strange dude who was an aquaintance of mine. He brought her into the radio station following their return from the dance, when they stopped in Rosenthal for a midnight snack. She looked great and struck me with her smile and her gorgeous eyes that I had somehow never taken notice of before But alas, she was taken, or so I thought. After Laureen left the booth and headed into the cafeteria for some post-midnight grub, Brian requested that I play a song and dedicate it to her from him (I believe it was a Billy Joel song). I cued it up and got ready to play it, and Brian suddenly began to brag to me about how he had gotten to dance with some other girl at the dance, and how he had wanted to put his hands all over her, um, behind. He laughed and headed into the cafeteria after Laureen. Somewhat disgusted, I nonetheless played his requested dedication. Lucky for me, it didn't take Laureen long to figure out what a weirdo creep he was.
Over the next month or so, our paths began to cross more and more (we only had about 500 on-campus residents, so we saw an awful lot of each other). We played pool together on Halloween (in costume, no less). She began eating meals with my friends. We hung out together with Rusty listening to and discussing music. We became pretty good friends in a very short period of time. By Christmas, I was officially interested in dating her, but was too much of a weanie to ask her out. I did score some brownie points, however, when I called her over Christmas break (I believe the only college friend who did so). Then, after returning from Christmas break, after about a month of waffling, I finally did ask her out... and I got shot down. I was devastated and probably almost destroyed any future shot I had by acting like a dejected and rejected passive aggressive moron for several days. Once again, my friends came to my aid, saving me from myself. I have mostly Rob to thank for making me see that I was going to blow any chance I had of ever changing her mind if I didn't tone down the drama.
So I did tone it down and I began to repair our relationship. In March, my sister Karen and her friend Jenny came to visit from New York. On the day of their departure to return home, Laureen came with us to the airport. This was pre-9/11 terrorist attacks, and we were allowed to accompany them right to their gate. After some emotional godbyes, and as their plane taxied away from the terminal, I was overcome with emotion and shed some tears, and Laureen was there to comfort me. The next day, I received a wonderful message via Rusty that Laur wanted to take me up on the date , if my offer still stood. It was March 25 of 1994, over 16 years ago.
We dated all through college. We took two classes together. We co-hosted a radio show (the "Until the Midnight Hour Show") for two years. There were Thanksgiving and Easter dinners we prepared in the dorm kitchen and served in the study lounge. There was Too Young to Die (I think Laur was the only girl to score a touchdown all season), $1 moives, 24 hour softball tournaments, lots of late-night walks, countless Tom Thumb runs, $4 pizzas, "Magic Fingers Nick", delicious baked goods care-packages from Laur's mom and candy care-packages from mine. There was a cast of characters too kooky to be real (but rest assured, they were 100% authentic). From "The Man in Black", to "Big Fat Stupid", "The Lawnmower Man", "Not Gay Demetrius", "Table-Butt", Zack "You're Legs Are So Warm" Rappaport, to Nick "No" Moore. We had a penchant for attracting some strange folks. Through it all, we quite literally grew up together (and I had a lot more growing up to accomplish than she did). We laughed a lot. There was a fair share of tears as well. I was often jealous and very short-tempered, and we argued a great deal over trivial things. We even broke up once (for about 15 minutes). But we reconciled and in the end we made it through. Through it all, our friendship and our relationship constantly matured and evolved.
Post-college, there was a period where we had to make a long-distance relationship work. There were tons of 2 hours phone calls semi-monthly visits to each others' homes. We watched our younger siblings mature from essentially children into adults, and then witnessed the same with much-younger cousins. In March of 2000, I proposed on Long Beach Island New Jersey, and Laureen said yes. It was the happiest day of my life. That is of course, until the day of our wedding, which instantly supplanted that day as the happiest day of my life. My face was already damp with tears by the time those double doors opened in the back of the church and from them emerged the most beautiful girl in the world. And then there was no holding them back. The floodgates opened and I was smiling and crying at the same time. I thank God every day for the great fortune in my life. I am married to my best friend, and with every year, every month, every day that goes by, we grow closer. And since our wedding day, I can honestly say that Laureen has provided me with several more days that instantly became the greatest day in my life. There was the day that she told me she was pregnant for the first time. There was the day that our wonderful daughter Erin Margaret was born. And then, there was the day when she told me she was pregnant for a second time.
Laureen- We've now known each other for 17 years. We've been together for over 16 years. We've been married for 9 years. We've been parents for about 5 1/2 years. We've endured several moves, job changes. There have been countless weddings and several funerals. You are the constant in my life. You truly are my best friend. I couldn't imagine life without you. As I tell you all the time... you are the engine that drives this family. You're my rudder in the stormy seas of our life, always bringing me back on course when the winds of stress, chaos and uncertainty have blown me off course. Through all these years, you still make me laugh harder than anyone I know. Your kindness and compassion still fill me with hope. I still marvel at your resolve. Your dedication to our daughter and to our family, your instincts as a Mom make me want to be a better Father and Husband. I still look forward to coming home from work, coming inside, and seeing that sparkle in your eyes. It may sound cliche, but I love you more with every day. Perhaps more importantly, I like and admire you more with every day as well. You never cease to amaze me. I am truly a lucky man to have you and I know it. Happy Anniversary Babe!! I love you with all my heart!!
Wednesday, September 8, 2010
A quick thought on Class
I just witnessed (via television) a hoity-toity stock broker assault a process server who was attempting to deliver court documents to him. For me, this serves as one more concrete example that there is no direct link between income and class. You can have enough money to literally burn it for warmth, and still be a crass, low-rent, dirtbag, lowlife. And on the flip side of that equation, you can have grown up in a shanty in the lowest income neighborhood in the USA, and be a model of decorum, elegance, and grace.
Tuesday, August 24, 2010
Happy Day
I've written on here before about the unmitigated joy that accompanies a Christening, and this Sunday was once again just such a joyous occasion. Grace Marline Donadeo, daughter of my sister Karen and her husband Mark, was Baptised in a beautiful little church in Lindenhurst, NY with a great party that followed in nearby Babylon. There was great food, dancing, fun, friends, and family. It was so much fun to watch Erin and Wyatt play together, and to envision a time in the not too distant future when Grace is right in the thick of it with the two of them. My favorite pictures from the day are these two; one of Grace and her brother Matthew, and one of Grace, Wyatt, and Erin together (along with my Mom). God Bless you Grace, and God Bless your Family!!
Sunday, August 15, 2010
Monday, August 9, 2010
Sunday, August 8, 2010
Latest Erinism - 8/8/2010 - SHUSH
Today Erin and Laur went to a party at the house of one of Erin's school friends while I was at work. In fact, I actually got home from work before they returned from the party. So when they did eventually arrive at home, I was relaxing and reading the newspaper. The first thing I noticed was that Ein's mood seemed a little unusual. She was a little somber and mopey. At first, I attributed it to her being tired from a busy day, but the more I attempted to speak to her, the more it seemed to me that she was a little sad, perhaps from leaving the party, perhaps from being faced with the realization that none of the children from the party will be in her school this year. Whatever the reason, she definitely seemed down.
By this time, Erin was sitting on the couch in the living room and had wrapped herself in NY Jets blanket that is always folded on the back of the couch. Laureen had gone downstairs to the basement to throw in a load of wash, and I went into the kitchen to get some water for myself and Erin. By the time I returned to the living room, Erin had turned on her Kids Bop CD, and was back on the couch wrapped in the Jets blanket. I came in the living room and kneeled next to her on the floor, so that we were eye to eye.
"Erin, is everything OK?" I asked her. She just stared at me blankly with those sad little eyes. Mildly discouraged but still determined, I tried again.
"Erin, are you feeling sad about something?" She met my question with that same expressionless, almost zombie-like gaze.
"Erin... you know you can tell me and Mommy anything, right? If you're feeling sad about something, or angry, or whatever... you can tell us what's on your mind. You know that, right? So, are you sad about something... maybe having to leave the party and your friends today?"
She gave me nothing in response... I might as well have been talking to myself. Shrugging my shoulders, I decided I'd give it one more try and then just let it be.
"Hey Erin..."
That was as far as I got with my question, because Erin suddenly sat forward so that we were much closer together, and she put her finger to her lips in the universal symbol for be quiet. This was accompanied by a loud and protracted SHUSHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
"Dadoo! Can't you see, I'm TRYING to hear my SONGS!!"
And there she was. The Erin that I know and love. I guess she was feeling like herself after all.
By this time, Erin was sitting on the couch in the living room and had wrapped herself in NY Jets blanket that is always folded on the back of the couch. Laureen had gone downstairs to the basement to throw in a load of wash, and I went into the kitchen to get some water for myself and Erin. By the time I returned to the living room, Erin had turned on her Kids Bop CD, and was back on the couch wrapped in the Jets blanket. I came in the living room and kneeled next to her on the floor, so that we were eye to eye.
"Erin, is everything OK?" I asked her. She just stared at me blankly with those sad little eyes. Mildly discouraged but still determined, I tried again.
"Erin, are you feeling sad about something?" She met my question with that same expressionless, almost zombie-like gaze.
"Erin... you know you can tell me and Mommy anything, right? If you're feeling sad about something, or angry, or whatever... you can tell us what's on your mind. You know that, right? So, are you sad about something... maybe having to leave the party and your friends today?"
She gave me nothing in response... I might as well have been talking to myself. Shrugging my shoulders, I decided I'd give it one more try and then just let it be.
"Hey Erin..."
That was as far as I got with my question, because Erin suddenly sat forward so that we were much closer together, and she put her finger to her lips in the universal symbol for be quiet. This was accompanied by a loud and protracted SHUSHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
"Dadoo! Can't you see, I'm TRYING to hear my SONGS!!"
And there she was. The Erin that I know and love. I guess she was feeling like herself after all.
Tuesday, August 3, 2010
John McCain - Typical Weasel (oops... I mean politician)
Boy was I ever wrong about this guy. Do I still think he would have been a better choice than Barack Obama for president? Undoubtedly. But I was actually fooled into believing that he was a man of principle and a leader. What's worse, the evidence was always there but I simply turned a blind eye to it. Furthermore, it would seem that there is a certain amount of irony in the fact that what caused this epiphany for me is Senator McCain dramatically changing his position on immigration to be more in line with my way of thinking... in other words, he flip-flopped to agree with me and it still disgusts me because I believe it is a desperate, cynical ploy to save himself in his primary election. Pathetic. And politicians wonder why they work in America's least respected profession?
I'm tired of career politicians and their double-speak. There are so few leaders left in government... only politicians. Most of these folks have got their eyes on the next election day the minute the current election ends. What a far cry from George Washington, who nobly turned down a lifetime presidency. These modern politicians would rashly cling to their jobs at the cost of their dignity, their respect, their very souls. They disgust me. This is what makes Governor Chris Christie so attractive here in NJ. You may not like or agree with everything (or even anything) that he says or stands for, but at least he doesn't mince words and he refrains from rhetorical political games, hedging his bets for future elections. He seems to say what he means mean what he says. I loved when he said in a press conference, "I came here to govern, not to worry about re-election. I came to do what people sent me here to do." AMEN. At least he is worthy of respect, again, whether you agree with him or not.
McCain is the opposite. He is a politician through and through. I just want to take Senator McCain by his lapels, indisputable war-hero that he is, and shake him while shouting, "Stand for something!" And again, I agree with his new position. At issue is not his newfound backbone with regard to immigration, it is his utter lack of integrity in the face of a primary election loss. Does anyone really believe that if and when he wins the primary, he will maintain his current position? Of course not... he'll "tack to the center" (translation- return to his real beliefs) for the general election. What a disapointment.
I'm tired of career politicians and their double-speak. There are so few leaders left in government... only politicians. Most of these folks have got their eyes on the next election day the minute the current election ends. What a far cry from George Washington, who nobly turned down a lifetime presidency. These modern politicians would rashly cling to their jobs at the cost of their dignity, their respect, their very souls. They disgust me. This is what makes Governor Chris Christie so attractive here in NJ. You may not like or agree with everything (or even anything) that he says or stands for, but at least he doesn't mince words and he refrains from rhetorical political games, hedging his bets for future elections. He seems to say what he means mean what he says. I loved when he said in a press conference, "I came here to govern, not to worry about re-election. I came to do what people sent me here to do." AMEN. At least he is worthy of respect, again, whether you agree with him or not.
McCain is the opposite. He is a politician through and through. I just want to take Senator McCain by his lapels, indisputable war-hero that he is, and shake him while shouting, "Stand for something!" And again, I agree with his new position. At issue is not his newfound backbone with regard to immigration, it is his utter lack of integrity in the face of a primary election loss. Does anyone really believe that if and when he wins the primary, he will maintain his current position? Of course not... he'll "tack to the center" (translation- return to his real beliefs) for the general election. What a disapointment.
Tuesday, July 27, 2010
Monday, July 5, 2010
Seriously?!?!
Yesterday was July 4th. I had to work most of the day, but I got home around 5:45 PM. Laur and Erin were at Laur's parents' house, and Brian was on his way out to a BBQ, so I had the house to myself for a little while. I fired up the grill and made myself a couple of chicken burgers with Sweet Baby Ray's sweet & spicy BBQ sauce, and settled into the couch in the 75 degree living room (which incidentally felt meat locker cold, considering the temp's outside were approaching triple digits). It being Independence Day, I figured I should be able to easily find something patriotic on the boob tube, but after several minutes of fruitless channel surfing, I gave up and settled on Star Wars (now know as Episode IV, A New Hope).
Shortly thereafter, Laur and Erin arrived at home. Erin was somewhat hyper, having spent the day with Mommy & Aunt Keara splashing around in the kiddie pool, and eagerly anticipating the East Hanover fireworks which are clearly visible from our front steps. She was in Super Silly Erin mode, running around like a maniac (inside the house) & talking in all sorts of weird voices. She was also trying to deliberately gross me out by licking her hand and trying to touch me with the slobbery hand and shouting "smell my breath" while blowing in my face. Erin was being a little annoying, but I attributed this to her level of excitement at the impending fireworks show, and thus cut her some slack. That's when she decided to push the envelope.
As I sat reading the newspaper, Erin climbed onto the couch, stood facing me with her toes touching my leg, and fell backwards, keeping her body rigid as a board as she fell. She landed with a ploof sound on the couch and burst into hysterical laughter.
"Erin. Don't do that again. You could get hurt," I told her as I looked at her. She pouted for a second and I went back to reading my newspaper. Then, before I could even react, she was standing next to me and falling backwards again.
-PLOOF-
More hysterical laughter.
"What did I just tell you?! Don't do that again! You're going to get hurt! Do you understand?!"
Another pout, followed by a very unhappily whispered, almost hissed, "Yes."
Once again, back to reading my paper. I'm now reading the same paragraph for the third time. Then, to my surprise, Erin is standing next to me and falling backwards again. And in a flash, she hits the couch cushion like before, except this time she lands a little awkwardly, hitting a throw pillow and a couple of sections of the newspaper that were sitting on the couch cushion. This, coupled with her momentum, carried her right off the couch and squarely onto the hardwood floor... head first.
The thud was at once heart-stopping and nauseating... I was off the couch in a flash, but not before she could begin sobbing and crying uncontrollably. Laur, who had been in another room, was in the living room so fast that I swore she had been beamed there from the Enterprise. I told her that Erin had hit her head, and she sprung into action, heading to the kitchen and returning with an icy can of seltzer water and a towel to apply to the side of Erin's head. Erin already had a bump developing just above her right ear, where her head had hit the ground. She was still sobbing, As Laur and I comforted her and examined her head, we began asking her questions and giving her a gentle lecture about why it is so important to listen to Mommy and Dadoo when they tell her things. Right smack in the middle of my wonderful "listen to your parents" speech, Erin said something that caught us both so off-guard that we couldn't help but laugh. It went something like this:
"...and that's why it is so important that you listen to Mommy or me when we tell you to do something..."
"Dwy stulgit twatch thufwurx?" Bear in mind that Erin was still crying uncontrollably at this point. I looked up at Laur, and she returned my puzzled expression.
"What was that, Sweetie?" Laur asked Erin.
Erin sighed a big sigh and asked, "Do (sniff) I (gasp) still (big swallow) get to (sniff sniff) watch (gasp sniff) the fireworks?"
This was too much for Laur or myself... we had no recourse but to laugh. Here Erin has a knot on the side of her head the size of a golf ball, and her only concern is whether or not she is going to miss the fireworks!
The epilogue to this story is that Erin did indeed get to see the fireworks, and we even got her laughing... Laur by asking Erin to identify how many fingers she was holding up, and me by having her stuffed fish Gus put on a little show. Oh, and we did call the doctor, who reassured us that she was probably fine and told us what signs to watch for to rule out something serious like a concussion or fractured skull. Erin and I watched a good bit of Alvin & the Chimunks The Squeakquel, and we all had some laughs talking about Erin's little accident later on in the night. Needless to say, I think she learned her lesson, and as usual, she learned it the hard way.
Shortly thereafter, Laur and Erin arrived at home. Erin was somewhat hyper, having spent the day with Mommy & Aunt Keara splashing around in the kiddie pool, and eagerly anticipating the East Hanover fireworks which are clearly visible from our front steps. She was in Super Silly Erin mode, running around like a maniac (inside the house) & talking in all sorts of weird voices. She was also trying to deliberately gross me out by licking her hand and trying to touch me with the slobbery hand and shouting "smell my breath" while blowing in my face. Erin was being a little annoying, but I attributed this to her level of excitement at the impending fireworks show, and thus cut her some slack. That's when she decided to push the envelope.
As I sat reading the newspaper, Erin climbed onto the couch, stood facing me with her toes touching my leg, and fell backwards, keeping her body rigid as a board as she fell. She landed with a ploof sound on the couch and burst into hysterical laughter.
"Erin. Don't do that again. You could get hurt," I told her as I looked at her. She pouted for a second and I went back to reading my newspaper. Then, before I could even react, she was standing next to me and falling backwards again.
-PLOOF-
More hysterical laughter.
"What did I just tell you?! Don't do that again! You're going to get hurt! Do you understand?!"
Another pout, followed by a very unhappily whispered, almost hissed, "Yes."
Once again, back to reading my paper. I'm now reading the same paragraph for the third time. Then, to my surprise, Erin is standing next to me and falling backwards again. And in a flash, she hits the couch cushion like before, except this time she lands a little awkwardly, hitting a throw pillow and a couple of sections of the newspaper that were sitting on the couch cushion. This, coupled with her momentum, carried her right off the couch and squarely onto the hardwood floor... head first.
The thud was at once heart-stopping and nauseating... I was off the couch in a flash, but not before she could begin sobbing and crying uncontrollably. Laur, who had been in another room, was in the living room so fast that I swore she had been beamed there from the Enterprise. I told her that Erin had hit her head, and she sprung into action, heading to the kitchen and returning with an icy can of seltzer water and a towel to apply to the side of Erin's head. Erin already had a bump developing just above her right ear, where her head had hit the ground. She was still sobbing, As Laur and I comforted her and examined her head, we began asking her questions and giving her a gentle lecture about why it is so important to listen to Mommy and Dadoo when they tell her things. Right smack in the middle of my wonderful "listen to your parents" speech, Erin said something that caught us both so off-guard that we couldn't help but laugh. It went something like this:
"...and that's why it is so important that you listen to Mommy or me when we tell you to do something..."
"Dwy stulgit twatch thufwurx?" Bear in mind that Erin was still crying uncontrollably at this point. I looked up at Laur, and she returned my puzzled expression.
"What was that, Sweetie?" Laur asked Erin.
Erin sighed a big sigh and asked, "Do (sniff) I (gasp) still (big swallow) get to (sniff sniff) watch (gasp sniff) the fireworks?"
This was too much for Laur or myself... we had no recourse but to laugh. Here Erin has a knot on the side of her head the size of a golf ball, and her only concern is whether or not she is going to miss the fireworks!
The epilogue to this story is that Erin did indeed get to see the fireworks, and we even got her laughing... Laur by asking Erin to identify how many fingers she was holding up, and me by having her stuffed fish Gus put on a little show. Oh, and we did call the doctor, who reassured us that she was probably fine and told us what signs to watch for to rule out something serious like a concussion or fractured skull. Erin and I watched a good bit of Alvin & the Chimunks The Squeakquel, and we all had some laughs talking about Erin's little accident later on in the night. Needless to say, I think she learned her lesson, and as usual, she learned it the hard way.
Sunday, June 20, 2010
Father's Day
Throughout my life, you have always exhibited that doing the right thing is important, not because it is convenient, comfortable, or easy, but because it is right. You have lived your life in an honorable and honest fashion, and I have so much respect for you because of it. As you were to me, you are a great example to my daughter.
When I think of all the long work hours, the extra days, the overtime shifts you put in throughout the years in a mostly thankless job, I am very appreciative & grateful... grateful for the sacrifices you made to provide for us. Thank you.
As a father myself now, I look to your example for inspiration and guidance.
Through the years, you've held so many titles beyond Dad or Daddy. You've been a teacher, comedian, warden, auto mechanic, spider- wrangler, emergency medic, and probably more often than you would like, drywall repair man.
It is a special time in the parent/child relationship when you become friends. You did things right when I was growing up. You were my Father when I needed a Father more than a friend. I am sure that there were times that this was not easy. You could have avoided many fights and conflicts by simply being my "friend" and conceding, but instead you performed your duty as a Father and stuck to your guns. I am a better man because of it today. You are my father, you are my friend. I am proud to call you both.
Thank you for Everything, Dad. Happy Father's Day! I love you.
Sunday, June 13, 2010
Random Thoughts and Innane Questions
Bill Maher has been so bitter, smug, and just plain unfunny for so long now, I am left wondering if he ever really was funny to begin with. Maybe I just dreamed laughing at his original "Politically Incorrect" show.
What is wrong with so many of the drivers on the road today? One quick example...If someone is waiting to turn from a side street into my lane, and there is not another car behind me visible all the way to the horizon, then why does this imbecile insist on waiting until the last possible second and pull out directly in front of me? Furthermore, why does he or she then proceed to take several thousand feet to get the vehicle up to the speed limit, requiring me to slow down to a crawl and putt putt along behind them? Finally, why can't I have a rocket launcher on my car for just such an instance?
Can Pixar make a bad movie? All existing evidence points to NO.
What is wrong with so many of the drivers on the road today? One quick example...If someone is waiting to turn from a side street into my lane, and there is not another car behind me visible all the way to the horizon, then why does this imbecile insist on waiting until the last possible second and pull out directly in front of me? Furthermore, why does he or she then proceed to take several thousand feet to get the vehicle up to the speed limit, requiring me to slow down to a crawl and putt putt along behind them? Finally, why can't I have a rocket launcher on my car for just such an instance?
Can Pixar make a bad movie? All existing evidence points to NO.
The Jets need to take care of Revis, Harris, and Mangold, and they need to do so soon.
What is the difference between a ground squirrel and a chipmunk (besides the fact that Chipmunks wear sweaters and sing Christmas songs about hula hoops)? For that matter, is there really any difference between a woodchuck & a gopher?
The Expendables has got to have the greatest "guy movie" cast ever assembled... "Sly" Stallone, Bruce Willis, Ah-nuld Schwarzenegger, Jason Statham, Jet Li, "Stone Cold" Steve Austin, Dolph Lundgren, Mickey Rourke, Randy Couture, Terry Crews, Eric Roberts, Dave Zayas... I have no idea what it's about, and frankly, I don't care! I'll be seeing this one in the theater for sure.
I've never been a militant anti-smoker, but it really peeves me when you smokers out there in the world (you know who you are) throw your butts out the window of your car, or on the ground while you're walking, or pretty much anytime you don't simply dispose of them properly. Hey, we all have some kind of bad habit & many of us suffer some kind of vice. Mine happens to be junk food. And hey, if you want to inhale toxic smoke into your lungs by choice and pollute your body, that is your decision. But you don't see me throwing candy wrappers and fast food bags out the window of my car as I drive along, and I would never throw an empty potato chip bag on the ground prior to entering your home or business. Litter is litter my friends. I guess what I am saying is put your cigarettes out in an ashtray and keep your disgusting habit to yourself.
Is it just because Dave Grohl played drums in Nirvanna that the Foo Fighters don't ever seem to get their due respect? Because for my money, the Foo Fighters are at least ten thousand times the band that Nirvana ever was.
When did long distance races (marathons, half-marathons, triatholons) become so chic? It seems like everybody is running (or cycling, or swimming) these races lately... so should my excuse for not competing be that I am hopelessly out of style or grossly out of shape?
I am definitely not anti-hunting, but I have to say that I don't really see the "sport" in hiding camouflaged in a tree or in some blind for hours at a time while you wait for scent and sound lures to bring your prey to you. It seems to me that if your primary interest in hunting is the "sport" of it, then wouldn't you want to be down on the ground, tracking and stalking your prey... maybe this means you would be less likely to come home with a kill, but it seems like it would be more in the spirit of the whole idea of hunting.
For that matter, I grew up with the understanding that a sport was something that required some degree of physical exertion. If you agree, then doesn't this fact disqualify car racing from being defined as a sport? I'm not saying that it does not require skill, simply that is stretching things to call it a sport. To me, it's like calling chess or poker a sport. These things are games, but not sports. Semantics maybe, I know, but it seems pretty straightforward to me.
Well, that's it for now...
Monday, May 31, 2010
A Memorial Day Prayer
Dear Heavenly Father,
As we remember those who have made the ultimate sacrifice for our freedom, we think of how they have followed in the footsteps of your son, our Savior, Jesus Christ. Please hold our service men and women in your strong arms. Cover them with your sheltering grace and presence as they stand in the gap for our protection.
We also remember the families of our troops, and ask for your unique blessings to fill their homes and your peace, provision and strength to fill their lives.
May the members of our armed forces be filled with courage to face each day and may they trust in the Lord's mighty power to accomplish each task. Let our military brothers and sisters feel our love and support.
In the name of Jesus. Amen.
-Taken from the website About.com, by Mary Fairchild
As we remember those who have made the ultimate sacrifice for our freedom, we think of how they have followed in the footsteps of your son, our Savior, Jesus Christ. Please hold our service men and women in your strong arms. Cover them with your sheltering grace and presence as they stand in the gap for our protection.
We also remember the families of our troops, and ask for your unique blessings to fill their homes and your peace, provision and strength to fill their lives.
May the members of our armed forces be filled with courage to face each day and may they trust in the Lord's mighty power to accomplish each task. Let our military brothers and sisters feel our love and support.
In the name of Jesus. Amen.
-Taken from the website About.com, by Mary Fairchild
Sunday, May 23, 2010
Celebration
I'm a sucker for a celebration. Who isn't, really? It's always great to get together with the people we care about, and the people who care about the people we care about, and raise our glasses in the name of some happy event or another, be it a wedding, or a birthday, a housewarming, or a welcome home. But in the world of joyous occassions and their accompanying festivities, for my money, there is nothing that compares to a Baptism.
Today was just such an occassion, with Laur, Erin, and I bearing witness to the baptism of our dear friends' little boy, Freddy. The actual Christening was performed beautifully by the Deacon of their church in Randolph, NJ. The most important message we took away with us was essentially this; we would never wait to begin providing our children with those vitamins and nutrients they need to stimulate their physical growth & development, so why would we starve our children of that which they require to stimulate their spiritual development?
After leaving the church, we all returned to Freddy's parents' new house for a celebration. And what a celebration! Baptisms are such a cause for unadulterated, communal joy, and today was no exception. There's something about the innocence of a baptismal celebration, the innocence of this new life... it fills me with hope, peace, and a sense of renewal.
Today was just such an occassion, with Laur, Erin, and I bearing witness to the baptism of our dear friends' little boy, Freddy. The actual Christening was performed beautifully by the Deacon of their church in Randolph, NJ. The most important message we took away with us was essentially this; we would never wait to begin providing our children with those vitamins and nutrients they need to stimulate their physical growth & development, so why would we starve our children of that which they require to stimulate their spiritual development?
After leaving the church, we all returned to Freddy's parents' new house for a celebration. And what a celebration! Baptisms are such a cause for unadulterated, communal joy, and today was no exception. There's something about the innocence of a baptismal celebration, the innocence of this new life... it fills me with hope, peace, and a sense of renewal.
Tuesday, May 11, 2010
Ammendment 1A- Psycho Ladies and Their Lowlife Sons Shall Be Permitted to Park Where They Please
This is a true story. A friend of mine owns a business in a nearby town. His business has a fairly good-sized parking lot, with more spaces than are really necessary to service his customers on all but the busiest days. His business is also surrounded by apartment buildings, most of which have woefully inadequate parking facilities for their residents. So my friend graciously agreed to allow the residents of these apartments to utilize his parking lot during his non-business hours, on the condition that they move their vehicles while his business is open, or in the event of an impending snowstorm (to make way for the plows). Of course, as so often happens when one tries to be nice, the beneficiaries of this kindenss have begun to abuse their parking lot privilege, essentially taking advantage of my friend. Some cars go days (or even weeks) without moving from their spot. This has proven to be quite irksome to my friend.
Recently, as my friend was leaving his business, a pair of young men (he described them as being in their early twenties), came roaring into the lot in a musclecar with little regard for the pedestrians or other vehicles in the lot. They raced into a space on the far side of the lot from the entrance, and one of them jumped out of the car to run into one of the nearby apartment buildings. My friend, somewhat disgusted by the way they entered the lot, and annoyed that they went across into the apartments rather than entering his business, confronted the young man who had stayed with the car. The young man (hereafter referred to as Punk #1)immediately took a defiant, condescending tone, and they began to argue. At this point, the other young man (let's call him Punk #2) returns to the car and enthusiastically joins the altercation. My friend states that if this is how they are going to drive through his lot, and if they have no respect for the rules about not being in the lot while the business is open, then he will have their car towed. At this point, the two punks advance on my friend, and Punk #2 actually starts gesturing wildly and agressively. He tells my friend that he's going to punch him in the face and smash his car's windshield. My friend was only spared from physical violence by two of his employees rushing to his aid. The two punks returned to their car and peeled out of the parking lot. My friend contemplated calling the police, but had to get his wife to a physical therapy appointment, and figured that any police complaint he made was going to take time, so he decided to forego the police report.
Several hours later, Punk#1 returned to my friends place of business and actually came inside to apologize. Clearly, either his conscience got the better of him, or it dawned on him that he had jeopardized his free parking situation, and he wanted to make amends. Either way, he attempted to show some contrition. Figuring the matter was settled, my friend accepted the apology, and they parted amicably. However, several more hours passed, and in walks Punk #1's mom. And she was angry. She was out for blood. Apparently, she had heard the story about her angelic son and his saintly friend being oppressed by my devilishly evil friend, and felt it was her duty to come slay the dragon that threatened her brood. She was furious that this man, my friend, would have the nerve to tell her son where and when he could park. Never mind that it is by no means a public lot... that it is in fact on private property. Besides, she knew my friend's real motivation in hassling her son. You see, she figured out that my friend is a foaming-at-the-mouth racist. Or so she said. And she told him that she had every plan to sue him for everything he has. She told him that he will be hearing from her attorney (I can't wait to hear that story).
My question is, where does this bitch come off (a word I don't use lightly)? Where does her deranged sense of entitlement come from? Where do people like her get this idea that they have some kind of right to ANYTHING that does not belong to them? Parking in my friend's lot was a privilege, lady. A privilege that your punk son abused by not observing the no parking during business hours rule and by driving recklessly through the lot. You & your son & your son's scumbag punk friend have no more RIGHT to park in that lot than I have to take your car out for a spin without permission or to reach into your purse and help myself to a $20 bill or whatever drugs you keep stashed in there. Whatever happened to earning what you have, not taking from anyone else, and respecting each other's belongings and for that matter, simply respecting each other? I think that my friends experience really illustrates the fact that when people begin to expect to be given things without earning them (material items, special priveleges, services, a parking space in a private lot, etc), they lose any appreciation for those very things they have been given. They begin to feel entitled to them. But I'm sorry lady, I've read the Bill of Rights. There is nothing in there that guarantees your son permission to park in my friend's business lot. Get a clue. Get a life.
Recently, as my friend was leaving his business, a pair of young men (he described them as being in their early twenties), came roaring into the lot in a musclecar with little regard for the pedestrians or other vehicles in the lot. They raced into a space on the far side of the lot from the entrance, and one of them jumped out of the car to run into one of the nearby apartment buildings. My friend, somewhat disgusted by the way they entered the lot, and annoyed that they went across into the apartments rather than entering his business, confronted the young man who had stayed with the car. The young man (hereafter referred to as Punk #1)immediately took a defiant, condescending tone, and they began to argue. At this point, the other young man (let's call him Punk #2) returns to the car and enthusiastically joins the altercation. My friend states that if this is how they are going to drive through his lot, and if they have no respect for the rules about not being in the lot while the business is open, then he will have their car towed. At this point, the two punks advance on my friend, and Punk #2 actually starts gesturing wildly and agressively. He tells my friend that he's going to punch him in the face and smash his car's windshield. My friend was only spared from physical violence by two of his employees rushing to his aid. The two punks returned to their car and peeled out of the parking lot. My friend contemplated calling the police, but had to get his wife to a physical therapy appointment, and figured that any police complaint he made was going to take time, so he decided to forego the police report.
Several hours later, Punk#1 returned to my friends place of business and actually came inside to apologize. Clearly, either his conscience got the better of him, or it dawned on him that he had jeopardized his free parking situation, and he wanted to make amends. Either way, he attempted to show some contrition. Figuring the matter was settled, my friend accepted the apology, and they parted amicably. However, several more hours passed, and in walks Punk #1's mom. And she was angry. She was out for blood. Apparently, she had heard the story about her angelic son and his saintly friend being oppressed by my devilishly evil friend, and felt it was her duty to come slay the dragon that threatened her brood. She was furious that this man, my friend, would have the nerve to tell her son where and when he could park. Never mind that it is by no means a public lot... that it is in fact on private property. Besides, she knew my friend's real motivation in hassling her son. You see, she figured out that my friend is a foaming-at-the-mouth racist. Or so she said. And she told him that she had every plan to sue him for everything he has. She told him that he will be hearing from her attorney (I can't wait to hear that story).
My question is, where does this bitch come off (a word I don't use lightly)? Where does her deranged sense of entitlement come from? Where do people like her get this idea that they have some kind of right to ANYTHING that does not belong to them? Parking in my friend's lot was a privilege, lady. A privilege that your punk son abused by not observing the no parking during business hours rule and by driving recklessly through the lot. You & your son & your son's scumbag punk friend have no more RIGHT to park in that lot than I have to take your car out for a spin without permission or to reach into your purse and help myself to a $20 bill or whatever drugs you keep stashed in there. Whatever happened to earning what you have, not taking from anyone else, and respecting each other's belongings and for that matter, simply respecting each other? I think that my friends experience really illustrates the fact that when people begin to expect to be given things without earning them (material items, special priveleges, services, a parking space in a private lot, etc), they lose any appreciation for those very things they have been given. They begin to feel entitled to them. But I'm sorry lady, I've read the Bill of Rights. There is nothing in there that guarantees your son permission to park in my friend's business lot. Get a clue. Get a life.
Sunday, May 9, 2010
Great Movies
Didn't feel like writing anything heavy this evening. In fact, thought it might be fun to share a list of my favorite films, in rough chronological order. See how many you agree with.
And of course, there are going to be movies I left off the list. Let me know of any glaring omissions.
King Kong (1933)
Disney's Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937)
The Wizard of Oz (1939)
Cassablanca (1942)
Shadow of a Doubt (1943)
The Thing (1951)
High Noon (1952)
Godzilla (1954)
Them! (1954)
Rear Window (1954)
12 Angry Men (1957)
Rio Bravo (1959)
The Alamo (1960)
Psycho (1960)
To Kill a Mockingbird (1962)
The Longest Day (1962)
The Birds (1963)
The Great Escape (1963)
Goldfinger (1964)
El Dorado (1966)
You Only Live Twice (1967)
The Dirty Dozen (1967)
Bullitt (1968)
Kelly's Heros (1970)
Dirty Harry (1971)
The Poseidon Adventure (1972)
Disney's Robin Hood (1973)
Death Wish (1974)
Blazing Saddles (1974)
Jaws (1975)
Logan's Run (1976)
Rocky (1976)
Star Wars (1977)
Grease (1978)
Superman (1978)
Halloween (1978)
Rocky II (1979)
Alien (1979)
The Muppet Movie (1979)
Mad Max (1979)
Airplane (1980)
The Empire Strikes Back (1980)
Superman II (1980)
The Howling (1981)
For Your Eyes Only (1981)
Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981)
Conan the Barbarian (1982)
Return of the Jedi (1983)
A Christmas Story (1983)
Vacation (1983)
Ghostbusters (1984)
Terminator (1984)
Nightmare on Elm Street (1984)
Witness (1985)
Rocky IV (1985)
Back To the Future (1985)
Delta Force (1986)
The Mosquito Coast (1986)
Iron Eagle (1986)
Aliens (1986)
The Naked Gun: From the Files of the Police Squad (1988)
Do the Right Thing (1989)
Major League (1989)
Christmas Vacation (1989)
Glory (1989)
The Abyss (1989)
Disney's Beauty and the Beast (1991)
Terminator 2: Judgement Day (1991)
The Silence of the Lambs (1991)
Unforgiven (1992)
Juice (1992)
Tombstone (1993)
In the Line of Fire (1993)
Jurassic Park (1993)
The Shawshank Redemption (1994)
Tommy Boy (1995)
Clockers (1995)
Get On the Bus (1996)
Air Force One (1997)
Titanic (1997)
The Postman (1997)
There's Something About Mary (1998)
Remember the Titans (2000)
Gladiator (2000)
The Patriot (2000)
Snatch (2000)
Training Day (2001)
Moulin Rouge (2001)
Black Hawk Down (2001)
Lord of the Rings: Fellowship of the Ring (2001)
The Transporter (2002)
We Were Soldiers (2002)
Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers (2002)
Open Range (2003)
Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (2003)
13 Going On 30 (2004)
Miracle (2004)
Casino Royale (2006)
The Pursuit of Happyness (2006)
Supreman Returns (2006)
The Departed (2006)
The Dark Knight (2008)
Iron Man (2008)
Gran Torino (2008)
Up (2009)
And of course, there are going to be movies I left off the list. Let me know of any glaring omissions.
King Kong (1933)
Disney's Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937)
The Wizard of Oz (1939)
Cassablanca (1942)
Shadow of a Doubt (1943)
The Thing (1951)
High Noon (1952)
Godzilla (1954)
Them! (1954)
Rear Window (1954)
12 Angry Men (1957)
Rio Bravo (1959)
The Alamo (1960)
Psycho (1960)
To Kill a Mockingbird (1962)
The Longest Day (1962)
The Birds (1963)
The Great Escape (1963)
Goldfinger (1964)
El Dorado (1966)
You Only Live Twice (1967)
The Dirty Dozen (1967)
Bullitt (1968)
Kelly's Heros (1970)
Dirty Harry (1971)
The Poseidon Adventure (1972)
Disney's Robin Hood (1973)
Death Wish (1974)
Blazing Saddles (1974)
Jaws (1975)
Logan's Run (1976)
Rocky (1976)
Star Wars (1977)
Grease (1978)
Superman (1978)
Halloween (1978)
Rocky II (1979)
Alien (1979)
The Muppet Movie (1979)
Mad Max (1979)
Airplane (1980)
The Empire Strikes Back (1980)
Superman II (1980)
The Howling (1981)
For Your Eyes Only (1981)
Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981)
Conan the Barbarian (1982)
Return of the Jedi (1983)
A Christmas Story (1983)
Vacation (1983)
Ghostbusters (1984)
Terminator (1984)
Nightmare on Elm Street (1984)
Witness (1985)
Rocky IV (1985)
Back To the Future (1985)
Delta Force (1986)
The Mosquito Coast (1986)
Iron Eagle (1986)
Aliens (1986)
The Naked Gun: From the Files of the Police Squad (1988)
Do the Right Thing (1989)
Major League (1989)
Christmas Vacation (1989)
Glory (1989)
The Abyss (1989)
Disney's Beauty and the Beast (1991)
Terminator 2: Judgement Day (1991)
The Silence of the Lambs (1991)
Unforgiven (1992)
Juice (1992)
Tombstone (1993)
In the Line of Fire (1993)
Jurassic Park (1993)
The Shawshank Redemption (1994)
Tommy Boy (1995)
Clockers (1995)
Get On the Bus (1996)
Air Force One (1997)
Titanic (1997)
The Postman (1997)
There's Something About Mary (1998)
Remember the Titans (2000)
Gladiator (2000)
The Patriot (2000)
Snatch (2000)
Training Day (2001)
Moulin Rouge (2001)
Black Hawk Down (2001)
Lord of the Rings: Fellowship of the Ring (2001)
The Transporter (2002)
We Were Soldiers (2002)
Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers (2002)
Open Range (2003)
Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (2003)
13 Going On 30 (2004)
Miracle (2004)
Casino Royale (2006)
The Pursuit of Happyness (2006)
Supreman Returns (2006)
The Departed (2006)
The Dark Knight (2008)
Iron Man (2008)
Gran Torino (2008)
Up (2009)
Tuesday, May 4, 2010
Mother's Day
Mom, you have always been there.
There from the beginning with unconditional love.
You have nurtured me, always caring.
You have worried (and very likely still worry) about me.
You have taught me, you have guided me.
There has been a fair amount of scolding, most of it deserved.
Over the years, Your role has changed... evolved even... as I grew and matured, my relationship with you has done so as well. From caregiver, to disciplinarian, to teacher, to spiritual guide, to, eventually, Dear Friend.
I can confidently say that I would not be who I am today without your example, your influence, your love.
I know that I could not be the parent that I am to my little girl without the strong foundation laid down by you and the example you set to which I aspire.
Words alone cannot express to you the deep feelings of love, respect, & gratitude that I feel towards you.
Thank you for all you have ever done for me. Know that I appreciate it all.
Happy Mother's Day, Mom. I love you.
Thursday, April 29, 2010
New Erinisms- April 29, 2010
Today was my day off, and for a change, it was positively beautiful outside (it often pours rain on my days off... I'm sure it is merely coincidental, but it is so common that I think sailors & fishermen have taken to staying in port when they know I will be home from work). As Laureen was working one of her half days, we devoted much of the day to working in the yard. Even after Laur left for work, Erin and I continued out in the yard until about 3 PM, at which time we came in to the house so she could wash her hands and have a snack. As she went into the bathroom to wash up, I did the same at the kitchen sink, and then I prepared a cup of chocolate milk for her. Then I took down one of her plates from the cabinet and placed a Vanilla Oreo Cakester on it (if you haven't yet had the pleasure of sampling a Cakester, simply picture an Oreo cookie, but replace the cookie part of the equation with cake). I carried Erin's snack and chocolate milk into the living room and left them for her on her little dining table, and I tuned the television into Nick Jr. for her (I believe Miss Spider was on, but I don't remember for sure). Erin came chugging into the room and flopped down into her chair.
"I hope you like your chocolate milk, Erin... I made it extra chocolatey," I said to her as she picked up her Cakester and held it under her nose, sniffing it deeply.
"OOOOOOOOOHHHH!!!" Erin's one word reply.
With that, I left the room. I returned to the kitchen, and began leafing through a couple of cookbooks, thinking about meals for the next several days. Erin promptly devoured her Cakester and made short work of her chocolate milk. Then she came charging back into the kitchen and began poking me with her finger. Looking down at her, I asked,
"Can I help you?"
"Dadoo, I'm still really hungry."
"OK. Well, there's still another Cakester in the pack. Would you like that?"
"Hmmmmmm... No thanks, Dadoo. But are there any more of the chocolate ones?"
"No, Erin."
"Well, what happened to them?"
"There all gone."
"Somebody ate THEM ALL?!?!?" Erin's voice is beginning to rise at this point.
"Yes Erin. There's only 10 in a box. They don't last that long."
"WHO?!?! WHO ATE THEM ALL?!?!"
"I don't know, Erin. We all ate them. I don't know who had the last one."
"IT WAS YOU, WASN'T IT, DADOO!?!? YOU ATE THE LAST ONE!" You should have heard the hysterical, accusatory tone in her voice. The worst part was that I really did not eat the last one. But this is what my four year old thinks of me. In her mind, I'm the one who finishes off the last of the dessert. And once again, like a dope, I find myself defending myself to my child.
"No, I didn't eat the last one."
"THEN WHO?!?!"
"I don't know! You, or Mommy, or Uncle Brian. I have no idea!"
"Dadoo... Mommy didn't eat the last one. It... was... you."
"Go watch your show!"
"I hope you like your chocolate milk, Erin... I made it extra chocolatey," I said to her as she picked up her Cakester and held it under her nose, sniffing it deeply.
"OOOOOOOOOHHHH!!!" Erin's one word reply.
With that, I left the room. I returned to the kitchen, and began leafing through a couple of cookbooks, thinking about meals for the next several days. Erin promptly devoured her Cakester and made short work of her chocolate milk. Then she came charging back into the kitchen and began poking me with her finger. Looking down at her, I asked,
"Can I help you?"
"Dadoo, I'm still really hungry."
"OK. Well, there's still another Cakester in the pack. Would you like that?"
"Hmmmmmm... No thanks, Dadoo. But are there any more of the chocolate ones?"
"No, Erin."
"Well, what happened to them?"
"There all gone."
"Somebody ate THEM ALL?!?!?" Erin's voice is beginning to rise at this point.
"Yes Erin. There's only 10 in a box. They don't last that long."
"WHO?!?! WHO ATE THEM ALL?!?!"
"I don't know, Erin. We all ate them. I don't know who had the last one."
"IT WAS YOU, WASN'T IT, DADOO!?!? YOU ATE THE LAST ONE!" You should have heard the hysterical, accusatory tone in her voice. The worst part was that I really did not eat the last one. But this is what my four year old thinks of me. In her mind, I'm the one who finishes off the last of the dessert. And once again, like a dope, I find myself defending myself to my child.
"No, I didn't eat the last one."
"THEN WHO?!?!"
"I don't know! You, or Mommy, or Uncle Brian. I have no idea!"
"Dadoo... Mommy didn't eat the last one. It... was... you."
"Go watch your show!"
***************************
A few weeks ago, Erin came to Laur and I in our bedroom, and out of the blue stated,
"Dadoo?"
"Yes Erin?"
"When I get married and have my wedding, I don't want there to be any kissing."
"Ummm... OK.... Erin, I don't think we're going to have to worry about that for some time, OK?"
A Long Layoff
Well, it seems I've been neglecting my blog. Over a month has passed since my last posting... disgraceful! That is why I am taking this moment to pound out this quick note, firmly recommitting myself to a minimum of one posting a week. So much has happened in the past month, so much new fodder for my little rants and textual temper tantrums, and so many new Erinisms to share with the world. I guess I better get started...
Thursday, March 25, 2010
A good day
Today was a good day. First, Laureen, Erin, and I decided to tackle a project we've been talking about for weeks. We decided to build Erin a stage for puppet shows. As a hardware man, I am embarassed to admit that I am not much of a carpenter, but Laureen and I sat down with some paper to draw up a plan nonetheless. I had a rough vision in my head, so I quickly sketched out my ideas, and Laur and I discussed what would work and what would not. We took some measurements, did some math, retrieved the necessary tools, and gathered up some scrap lumber. Then, Laureen and I set about cutting the necessary lengths of wood (after receiving some basic instruction and donning a pair of safety glasses, Laur made most of the cuts with the circular saw). Every time Laur fired up the saws motor, Erin would run away with her hands over her ears... but as soon as the saw shut down, she was back, hovering over us, observing in her supervisory role. Once all the boards were cut, we began assembling them, using some pretty serious decking nails (3" galvanized twist decking nails). I chose nails over screws because they gave Erin an opportunity to get involved in the assembly. We each took turns driving the nails while the other two held the boards steady. Erin did really well considering she had to stand or kneel on a chair to get high enough, and it took her two hands to swing the one pound hammer we were using. She never once missed the head of the nail (thankfully, considering I was usually the one steadying it with my fingers). She did get a little frustrated as her arms grew weary, but we managed to ease her stress by adding a second hammer to the mix. We alternated swings (Erin would hit the nail, and then either Laur or I would) so that she could give her little arms a rest in between each blow. We nearly finished our project today, and I will definitely have some photos to share as soon as it is complete. It was really fun to work together as a family, and to see how proud Erin was of her involvement in the project. And of course, she cannot wait to put on her first puppet show at McDermottpiece Theater.
After we decided to take a break from our construction project, Laur and I thought it would be fun to finally take Erin on her first official bike ride on a street. She has been pestering us (especially Laureen) about this for quite some time. When we told her that she was finally going to ride on a street, her eyes lit up and she beamed a huge smile. Of course, she surprised us both when she decided her first street bicycle ride on the street was going to, in fact, be made on a tricycle. We tried to convinve her to take her bike, but her mind was made up, and there was no dissuading her. She was adamant that she can ride her tricycle much faster than her bicycle. Of course, she looked a little silly on the trike, as her knees nearly hit the handlebars on each rotation of the pedals, but it was a good first step. She was right about one thing... she really can fly on that tricycle. As we walked down one of the local, quiet side streets, Erin began saying "I want to go down a hill." We pointed to the gentle slope in the street that was just ahead of us, and I said, "Here comes a hill now, Erin." To this, she replied, "No Dadoo, I want to go down a real hill. A big, BIG hill." I said, "Well Erin, to go down a big hill, you usually have to go UP a big hill first. This will be a good starter hill for you." At this, Erin let out a little, exasperated sigh, and then turned on the afterburners, pumping her little legs like mad and pulling away from us. We had to pick up our pace to prevent her from getting too far ahead. Our little drama queen kept us laughing on the trip back to the house, though, by stopping several times and panting like a little, overworked puppy because she was SO tired. All in all, it was a very good day.
After we decided to take a break from our construction project, Laur and I thought it would be fun to finally take Erin on her first official bike ride on a street. She has been pestering us (especially Laureen) about this for quite some time. When we told her that she was finally going to ride on a street, her eyes lit up and she beamed a huge smile. Of course, she surprised us both when she decided her first street bicycle ride on the street was going to, in fact, be made on a tricycle. We tried to convinve her to take her bike, but her mind was made up, and there was no dissuading her. She was adamant that she can ride her tricycle much faster than her bicycle. Of course, she looked a little silly on the trike, as her knees nearly hit the handlebars on each rotation of the pedals, but it was a good first step. She was right about one thing... she really can fly on that tricycle. As we walked down one of the local, quiet side streets, Erin began saying "I want to go down a hill." We pointed to the gentle slope in the street that was just ahead of us, and I said, "Here comes a hill now, Erin." To this, she replied, "No Dadoo, I want to go down a real hill. A big, BIG hill." I said, "Well Erin, to go down a big hill, you usually have to go UP a big hill first. This will be a good starter hill for you." At this, Erin let out a little, exasperated sigh, and then turned on the afterburners, pumping her little legs like mad and pulling away from us. We had to pick up our pace to prevent her from getting too far ahead. Our little drama queen kept us laughing on the trip back to the house, though, by stopping several times and panting like a little, overworked puppy because she was SO tired. All in all, it was a very good day.
Wednesday, March 24, 2010
OUTRAGE
I am in a funk. I'm angry. Seething, really. And I can't shake the feeling. The arrogance and utter disregard for the will of the people displayed by our President and Congress in forcing the so-called "Health Care Bill" down our throats is infuriating. EVERY Congressman who voted yes on this monstrosity needs to be targeted and voted out of office, replaced with men and women who will honor their oath to uphold the Constitution, at all times... not just when politics dictate they do so. This is about more than the complete transformation of our medical care system in the United States. This is about freedom. More specifically, this is about the death of a large chunk of our freedom. It cannot stand. We need to stay angry about this. Do not forgive and forget. I know it can be exhausting to stay angry. Election day is still a long way off. So let the anger simmer on a back burner until then, but come election day, show no mercy at the polls. Vote them out. Some are gutless weasels, some are naive idealists, some are clueless sycophants, some are rigid idealogues... but they all need to go. What motivated their yes vote matters not. All that matters is they betrayed us all by casting that vote. Do not forget. Do not let it go. Stay angry. Hold them to account. Vote them out.
Monday, March 15, 2010
Saturday, February 27, 2010
Been thinking about taxation and freedom (surprise, surprise). Let's start with taxes... I think that Federal Income Tax Witholding is the reason that so many of us walk around with our heads in the sand about taxation. Because we never see that withheld money, we don't think of it as ours, and we go about our merry lives oblivious to the fact that the Federal Government is freely spending and in many cases squandering our hard earned dollars. Then, after holding our money for a year, we're delighted when we receive a small pittance back from the government in the form of a refund. But we've just provided the government an interest-free loan. If we had to cut a monthly, quarterly, semi-annual, or annual check to the Feds to cover our taxes, I suspect we'd be a lot more mindful of how confiscatory taxes have become (at least for those of us who actually pay our taxes), and we'd be a lot more concerned about government programs wasting our dollars.
Another thing about taxes. Today on the radio, I heard an advertisement for a tax preparer rattling off a list of possible exemptions . He must have mentioned 25 different things that can be claimed on your tax filing to lower your bill, and stated that there were so many more possibilites that you need to have a professional prepare your taxes to maximize your exemptions and thus maximize your refund. I see this as a major problem with our tax code. I've written before about what a joke our tax code is (over 1000 pages long). No governing legislation should require thousands of pages to detail its regulations. If our tax code were a simple flat tax, then we could do away with all of the exemptions, period. In other words, lower the tax rates across the board but broaden the tax base so EVERYBODY pays. We keep hearing from Congress and our President how our health care system is broken, and that is how they justify trying to ramrod their atrocious pseudo-socialist health care bill down our throats. However, I would argue that the tax system is far more defective than the health care system, and requires much more immediate attention. It needs immediate reform. The higher the tax burden, the less incentive there is to spend money, generate wealth, grow the economy, create more jobs.
This takes me to freedom. For I see the issues of taxation and freedom as intrinsically linked. Put straightforwardly, taxes increase for the purpose of growing government, or perhaps, because of the growth of government. As government grows, it inevitably thrusts its tentacles into more and more aspects of our day to day lives. Ever increasing taxes are but a symptom of the real problem, that of an increasingly intrusive government (true at all levels, but especially at the federal level), and the resulting loss of liberty. And yet, we either ignore, or worse yet, readily embrace these restrictions and regulations.
I have shared this quote before by Founding Father James Madison (the father of our Constitution... the foundation for our entire way of life), probably on more than one occassion, but it has such relevance to modern life in America that I feel the need to keep driving it home. Madison said,"Since the general civilization of mankind, I believe there are
more instances of the abridgement of freedoms of the people by gradual and silent encroachment of those in power than by violent and sudden
usurpations."In other words, throughout history, it is far more common for people to have their freedom stolen in little, almost imperceptible increments than it is for freedoms to
be wrested away in a single, fell swoop. And this is precisely what I fear is happening here, in America, today. We are too preoccupied with nonsense such as who got voted off of American Idol, or what the numbers on Lost mean... don't get wrong... there is nothing wrong with enjoying a little mindless entertainment. But we have a responsibility. We have a responsibility to ourselves, to our children, to our nation, to each other. A responsibility that should not be taken lightly. A responsibility to become engaged in and educated about the actions of our government. We were gifted the single greatest nation the world has ever known. We need to respect, appreciate, even revere that gift. Because we are more than a nation. So much more. America is, and always has been, an ideal... a shining beacon of freedom and hope to which the world can aspire. We should embrace that fact. For all of our faults (and they are undeniable), throughout the history of mankind, there has never been another America. At the root of this greatness is our freedom. Our respect of the individual. Our respect of property rights. Our core belief that the government derives its power from the governed, and not from some divine right. To paraphrase President Ronald Reagan, we are a nation with a government, not a government with a nation. It is time we start electing people to office who understand and respect that ideal.
Tuesday, February 23, 2010
Relay Season is Almost Upon Us
With it sleeting outside all day long today, and another snow storm on its way for Thursday, it seems a little hard to accept that Relay For Life is coming up on me fast. But the event is now only slightly more than three months away, and there is still so much left to accomplish. I suppose that as a Co-Chairperson of the fundraiser this year, I am feeling a little extra pressure, but only because I want it to be a huge success. We have a pretty high standard to live up to... last year alone we had over 100 teams, over 1000 participants, 1000 Luminarias sold, over $225,000 raised... those are some impressive numbers. It's a lot to live up to.
People often ask me to explain Relay For Life to them. You see, the name of the event, while very meaningful, throws many people. Taken literally, it sounds like some kind of race. This fills a lot of people with trepidation, understandably so. Personally, I struggle to run a couple of miles these days, so the prospect of running an all-night relay race would be sufficient to keep me away. Fortunately, there is no running or racing involved in Relay For Life. The name refers to teams of people endeavoring to keep at least one member of the team walking the track at all of hours of the night. Relaying, so to speak. Nightfall represents a Cancer Survivor's diagnosis... the very moment they become a Cancer Survivor. The dark of night represents cancer, and the laps around the track are the Survivor's battle against the disease. We do not rest, keeping someone on the track all night because Cancer does not sleep. We Relay until dawn, which I'm sure you can guess represents triumph... represents remission. But nothing I can say will ever do justice to witnessing the event with your own eyes. Come check it out one time, even if for only a few hours... I guarantee you'll be back for more.
I'll never forget the first time I saw the Luminaria Ceremony, how it moved me to tears with it's solemn, respectful, silent, dignity. One thousand lights in the dark. Just paper bags, sand, and candles, and yet so much more than that. For each bag is a tribute to someone bravely fighting Cancer or someone sadly lost to Cancer... every bag a name. It's spiritual... almost holy, for lack of a better word. Come see it. You will be moved, of this I am sure.
I've been asked why I became so involved, in essence, "Why do I Relay?" Several years back I wrote the following, which has been slightly revised over the years, but more or less sums it all up:
I Relay so that my daughter Erin Margaret, and children everywhere just like her, might be able to grow up in a world where fear of cancer is a thing of the past. It can be done...think about it.... within the past 200 years, diseases and afflictions like malaria, polio, & smallpox ravaged our population...now they are virtually eradicated.
I Relay to Celebrate the strength, courage, and perseverence of Survivors like my Grandma, Grace Goetz, & my Mother-In-Law, Nancy McGlynn, as well as many other friends and relatives who have fought or are fighting the good fight, and all other Survivors like them. Their strength fills me with pride and hope. I want them to know that they are supported, and are always in my thoughts and prayers.
I Relay to Remember those friends and family who were taken by Cancer, too soon in every case, special people every single one. People like Earl Haffey, who was diagnosed and lost his fight in the space of 4 months. He was a dear friend. I Relay for Earl, and all of our friends and family like him.
I Relay to Fight Back against this disease that infects too many good people, and cuts too many lives short. As Margaret Mead once said, "Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world; indeed, it's the only thing that ever has."
Please join my team and Relay with me, or make a donation to my team. You are helping deliver the hope that future generations will not have to endure cancer threatening the lives of their friends and family. Like me, you have the power to fight back against a disease that affects millions.
People often ask me to explain Relay For Life to them. You see, the name of the event, while very meaningful, throws many people. Taken literally, it sounds like some kind of race. This fills a lot of people with trepidation, understandably so. Personally, I struggle to run a couple of miles these days, so the prospect of running an all-night relay race would be sufficient to keep me away. Fortunately, there is no running or racing involved in Relay For Life. The name refers to teams of people endeavoring to keep at least one member of the team walking the track at all of hours of the night. Relaying, so to speak. Nightfall represents a Cancer Survivor's diagnosis... the very moment they become a Cancer Survivor. The dark of night represents cancer, and the laps around the track are the Survivor's battle against the disease. We do not rest, keeping someone on the track all night because Cancer does not sleep. We Relay until dawn, which I'm sure you can guess represents triumph... represents remission. But nothing I can say will ever do justice to witnessing the event with your own eyes. Come check it out one time, even if for only a few hours... I guarantee you'll be back for more.
I'll never forget the first time I saw the Luminaria Ceremony, how it moved me to tears with it's solemn, respectful, silent, dignity. One thousand lights in the dark. Just paper bags, sand, and candles, and yet so much more than that. For each bag is a tribute to someone bravely fighting Cancer or someone sadly lost to Cancer... every bag a name. It's spiritual... almost holy, for lack of a better word. Come see it. You will be moved, of this I am sure.
I've been asked why I became so involved, in essence, "Why do I Relay?" Several years back I wrote the following, which has been slightly revised over the years, but more or less sums it all up:
I Relay so that my daughter Erin Margaret, and children everywhere just like her, might be able to grow up in a world where fear of cancer is a thing of the past. It can be done...think about it.... within the past 200 years, diseases and afflictions like malaria, polio, & smallpox ravaged our population...now they are virtually eradicated.
I Relay to Celebrate the strength, courage, and perseverence of Survivors like my Grandma, Grace Goetz, & my Mother-In-Law, Nancy McGlynn, as well as many other friends and relatives who have fought or are fighting the good fight, and all other Survivors like them. Their strength fills me with pride and hope. I want them to know that they are supported, and are always in my thoughts and prayers.
I Relay to Remember those friends and family who were taken by Cancer, too soon in every case, special people every single one. People like Earl Haffey, who was diagnosed and lost his fight in the space of 4 months. He was a dear friend. I Relay for Earl, and all of our friends and family like him.
I Relay to Fight Back against this disease that infects too many good people, and cuts too many lives short. As Margaret Mead once said, "Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world; indeed, it's the only thing that ever has."
Please join my team and Relay with me, or make a donation to my team. You are helping deliver the hope that future generations will not have to endure cancer threatening the lives of their friends and family. Like me, you have the power to fight back against a disease that affects millions.
Thursday, February 18, 2010
Two New Masochistic Erinisms
As we were headed to Long Island last week for Karen's baby shower, Erin was acting very silly in the car. We played bizarre games of her creation (I think she made the rules up as she went along), including one where she would say someone's name, and we needed to tell her if they were near or far...
Anyway, as we were leaving the Parkway, Erin said in a sort of whisper-shout, "If this takes much longer, I'm going to punch myself in the face."
Slightly disturbed, I looked at Laureen to see if she had heard. Judging by the horrified look on her face, she had indeed heard Erin. Having stopped at a red light (or maybe a stop sign, I don't remember which), we both turned to look at Erin, hoping to gain some perspective on her statement. Sitting there in her booster seat, our little girl met our concerned looks with a gigantic Cheshire Cat grin, and then mimed the act of, you guessed it, punching herself in the face.
Concerned Dadoo-mode took over, and I immediately launched into a lecture about how hurting yourself is never a solution to anything and you need to respect yourself and your body and blah, blah, blah, blah, blah... zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz... sorry. I nearly put myself to sleep with my own lecture. Halfway through my dissertation, I heard giggling coming from both my side and behind me. I shot an annoyed glance at Laur, who barely held in her laughing and said under her breath, "She's kidding. She's messing with you." At this point, I looked in the rearview mirror to see Erin looking back, grinning ear to ear. As I began to shake my head, she pantomimed the punch again and cracked up in hysterics. She really was messing with me!!
The second Erinism occurred as we were driving to church on Ash Wednesday.
"Are we there yet?"
"Pretty soon Erin," I replied.
"Good, because if it takes too long, I'm gonna fall into a pool of acid and break into a million pieces," this was delivered with such a deadpan seriousness (picture the "Daddy's gonna kill Ralphie" line from Christmas Story, but with Erin's voice delivering the acid line) that it once again brought looks of disbelief from Laur and me. At this point, Erin started to crack up into hysterical laughter again, and Laur and I broke out in a sort of nervous laughter. Looks like we're going to have to keep a closer eye on the things that may be influencing our little girl.
Friday, February 12, 2010
This Just In- Government is Waste
Our 2010 projected Federal Budget Deficit is well over one trillion dollars. For some perspective, one trillion looks like this:
1,000,000,000,000
Or put another way, it is one thousand billion. That's right. That's:
1,000 x 1,000,000,000
And this is just the Federal Deficit. Things get even more frightening when you bring it down to the state level, where there is a projected 2010 shortfall totalling $350 billion.
So, if we are in the hole for more than one thousand billion dollars for this year alone on the federal level, and more than 350 billion among the states, how is it that we can still be throwing money overboard in foreign aid, or at all kinds of silly little non-essential pork-barrel projects, like creating National Parks in US territories, or a museum curating neon in the state of Nevada.
WE CAN"T PAY FOR ANY OF IT. At least, that is, without borrowing obscene amounts of money from places like China and Japan, or printing new dollars by the metric ton. Something has got to give. SOMETHING HAS GOT TO GIVE! The time has come for the weanies in Washington or in the statehouses to put Country first, make some tough decisions, and GUT their respective budgets. And spare me any Keynesian garbage about how we can spend ourselves out of this crisis by accruing more debt. You cannot buy your way out of $35,000 in credit card debt by obtaining another card, taking out a loan to buy a new car, and lending money to all of your friends.
President Obama promised change, and boy, has he ever delivered! Now, it is the incumbents in DC and all throughout the states who are going to experience change on a grand scale come November. And you can see them, like spooked deer, snifing the political winds and dashing for safety, bailing out of their respective elections before they even have to go before the angry electorate. Folks like Chris Dodd, Evan Bayh, and now, possibly even Harry Reid. Good riddance, one and all. But it is not enough to vote these jokers out... we have to replace them with LEADERS... people who understand and believe in the US Constitution... Men and Women who will put this country back on track...
When I think of America, I don't think of a place that needs to be "remade". In fact, until this Administration began trying to jam their dogmatic progressive socialist worldview down the throats of each and every one of us, I never felt the need to "change" America in any profound way. But now I recognize that America is in need of "change"... a change of leadership. A change of leadership on a nationwide basis, at evert level, across party lines. The time has come to take back our nation.
1,000,000,000,000
Or put another way, it is one thousand billion. That's right. That's:
1,000 x 1,000,000,000
And this is just the Federal Deficit. Things get even more frightening when you bring it down to the state level, where there is a projected 2010 shortfall totalling $350 billion.
So, if we are in the hole for more than one thousand billion dollars for this year alone on the federal level, and more than 350 billion among the states, how is it that we can still be throwing money overboard in foreign aid, or at all kinds of silly little non-essential pork-barrel projects, like creating National Parks in US territories, or a museum curating neon in the state of Nevada.
WE CAN"T PAY FOR ANY OF IT. At least, that is, without borrowing obscene amounts of money from places like China and Japan, or printing new dollars by the metric ton. Something has got to give. SOMETHING HAS GOT TO GIVE! The time has come for the weanies in Washington or in the statehouses to put Country first, make some tough decisions, and GUT their respective budgets. And spare me any Keynesian garbage about how we can spend ourselves out of this crisis by accruing more debt. You cannot buy your way out of $35,000 in credit card debt by obtaining another card, taking out a loan to buy a new car, and lending money to all of your friends.
President Obama promised change, and boy, has he ever delivered! Now, it is the incumbents in DC and all throughout the states who are going to experience change on a grand scale come November. And you can see them, like spooked deer, snifing the political winds and dashing for safety, bailing out of their respective elections before they even have to go before the angry electorate. Folks like Chris Dodd, Evan Bayh, and now, possibly even Harry Reid. Good riddance, one and all. But it is not enough to vote these jokers out... we have to replace them with LEADERS... people who understand and believe in the US Constitution... Men and Women who will put this country back on track...
When I think of America, I don't think of a place that needs to be "remade". In fact, until this Administration began trying to jam their dogmatic progressive socialist worldview down the throats of each and every one of us, I never felt the need to "change" America in any profound way. But now I recognize that America is in need of "change"... a change of leadership. A change of leadership on a nationwide basis, at evert level, across party lines. The time has come to take back our nation.
Thursday, February 4, 2010
The FIrst Erinism of February 2010
Last night, Erin came into the living room to say goodnight to me before going to bed. I was watching American Idol on Fox at the time, and it had just gone to commercial break when Erin walked into the room. As she crossed the room, an advertisement for the new Wolfman movie came on the screen. Not sure how she would react to something this dark and potentially scary so close to lights-out in her bedroom, I quickly changed the channel.
"HEY!! DADOO, I WAS WATCHING THAT!! WHY'D YOU CHANGE THE CHANNEL?!?!?"
Not wanting to tell her that the commercial might have frightened her, I thought it better to simply brush off her question. I replied, "Not sure. Just looking for something better to watch, I guess. Besides, you know I don't like to watch commercials." I figured that this explanation would be sufficient to satisfy her question without hurting her pride.
But Erin, after thinking about my response for a few seconds, got closer to me and craned her neck up so that we were eye to eye. And that's when she said, "Dadoo, did you change the channel because you were AFRAID of that commercial?"
Here I am trying to protect my Daughter from this "scary" commercial, and she thinks that I changed the channel because I was afraid.
"HEY!! DADOO, I WAS WATCHING THAT!! WHY'D YOU CHANGE THE CHANNEL?!?!?"
Not wanting to tell her that the commercial might have frightened her, I thought it better to simply brush off her question. I replied, "Not sure. Just looking for something better to watch, I guess. Besides, you know I don't like to watch commercials." I figured that this explanation would be sufficient to satisfy her question without hurting her pride.
But Erin, after thinking about my response for a few seconds, got closer to me and craned her neck up so that we were eye to eye. And that's when she said, "Dadoo, did you change the channel because you were AFRAID of that commercial?"
Here I am trying to protect my Daughter from this "scary" commercial, and she thinks that I changed the channel because I was afraid.
Sunday, January 24, 2010
This Week's Erinisim
Prior to going into work today, I had a moment to talk to Erin, who had only been up for about 10 minutes.
"OK Erin. I have to head in to work... but I'll be home early today. Do you remember why I am coming home early today?"
"Ummm, no Dadoo."
"Here's a hint. I'm coming home to watch something with you and Mommy."
"Oh yeah. The Jets."
"That's right. Who's gonna win the game today?"
"Ummm, the Jets?"
"That's right! Are you excited?"
"Nope."
"Nope!?!?! But this is a big game. You know what happens if the Jets win today, don't you"
This is when Erin let out her usual disgusted and impatient sigh. The she replied in a disinterested monotone.
"They get to go to the Super Bowl."
"Hey! That's right! How'd you know that? Did you talk about it in school."
In that same monotone, "No Dadoo."
"Well, did Mommy talk to you about it?"
"No"
"OK... how about when you were at Grandma's and Grandpa's after school?"
Sigh... "No Dadoo."
"Well, then how'd you know about the Super Bowl?"
"UMM... DUH Dadoo... LONG GRAM and LONG GRAMP."
"OK Erin. I have to head in to work... but I'll be home early today. Do you remember why I am coming home early today?"
"Ummm, no Dadoo."
"Here's a hint. I'm coming home to watch something with you and Mommy."
"Oh yeah. The Jets."
"That's right. Who's gonna win the game today?"
"Ummm, the Jets?"
"That's right! Are you excited?"
"Nope."
"Nope!?!?! But this is a big game. You know what happens if the Jets win today, don't you"
This is when Erin let out her usual disgusted and impatient sigh. The she replied in a disinterested monotone.
"They get to go to the Super Bowl."
"Hey! That's right! How'd you know that? Did you talk about it in school."
In that same monotone, "No Dadoo."
"Well, did Mommy talk to you about it?"
"No"
"OK... how about when you were at Grandma's and Grandpa's after school?"
Sigh... "No Dadoo."
"Well, then how'd you know about the Super Bowl?"
"UMM... DUH Dadoo... LONG GRAM and LONG GRAMP."
Thank You Rex
The New York Jets lost the AFC Championship game today, 30-17, to Peyton Manning and the Indianapolis Colts. I should be morose. In the past, you would have found me sitting alone in a dark, silent room for several hours, fighting back the encroaching despair threatening to overwhelm me. If you are a fan of Gang Green, than you know exactly what I am talking about. We Jets fans have had so many of those moments, not all of them losses, but all of them cringe-inducing. In fact, if you are a fan, than you can recite the moments with me. Here's a primer for those of you not cursed to follow the "other" pro football team from New York:
The Brett Favre Experiment/Eric Mangini Season Ending Meltdown
The Chad Pennington/Jay Fiedler Injury Game
The Doug Brien Missed Field Goals Against Pittsburgh
The Bellichick Resignation
The Vinny Testaverde Ruptured Achilles
The Leon Johnson Interception
The Dan Marino Fake Spike
The Blair Thomas Draft
The Gastineau Roughing-the-Passer Penalty
The Kenny O'Brien/Dan Marino Draft
The Mud Bowl & AJ Duhe
And these are just from memory, in my life as a Jets fans. Older, longer-suffering fans can probably rattle off a much longer list of heart-wrenching disappointments and embarassments. So, as you can see, misery comes easy to we masochistic Jets fans, and you would think that after today's game, misery is the place where I would currently be dwelling. But here's the weird thing. I'm not.
Sure I'm sad my boys didn't win the game. I would have loved to see Darelle Revis defiantly knock down a final, desperate pass attempt from Peyton to Reggie Wayne as time ran out, preserving a Jets' victory. It would have been great to see Rex get that Gatorade shower that has become a sports cliche over the past 20 years or so. And I would love to be playing for revenge against the Saints in the Super Bowl in a few weeks. But, unlike past seasons of Jets football ending prematurely with unfulfilled promise, this year served more as a notice of good things to come. It was sort of Green & White coming-out party. An announcement to the league at large to watch out for Woody Johnson's Jets.
That is why I want to thank Coach Rex Ryan. I, and every die-hard Jets fan out there in Jets Land, owes a debt of gratitude to this boisterous, cocky, straightforward man for a critical change in the Jets culture. He turned "Play like a Jet" into a badge of honor, instead of the epithet it has traditionally represented. He plainly and confidently stated before the team had even been through training camp that these new Jets, his Jets, were going to lead the NFL in defense and rushing, and then went out and proved it. He also stated that his team would be meeting with President Obama as champions before his term was up. After watching the Jets playoff run this season, I believe him.
So fellow Jets fans, paraphrasing President Bill Clinton, I feel your pain. But put away the razor blades... shut off the car running in the closed garage... know that there is no need for despair. These are the New York Jets, but certainly not the Same Ol' Jets. We have dynamic youth, a dominant defense and running game, the greatest corner in the game, a superstar QB in the making, and a passionate, inspirational coach (who, by the way, happens to be pretty damn good
with X's and O's to boot). This year, we saw a glimpse into the future for the Jets, and believe me, the future is bright.
The Brett Favre Experiment/Eric Mangini Season Ending Meltdown
The Chad Pennington/Jay Fiedler Injury Game
The Doug Brien Missed Field Goals Against Pittsburgh
The Bellichick Resignation
The Vinny Testaverde Ruptured Achilles
The Leon Johnson Interception
The Dan Marino Fake Spike
The Blair Thomas Draft
The Gastineau Roughing-the-Passer Penalty
The Kenny O'Brien/Dan Marino Draft
The Mud Bowl & AJ Duhe
And these are just from memory, in my life as a Jets fans. Older, longer-suffering fans can probably rattle off a much longer list of heart-wrenching disappointments and embarassments. So, as you can see, misery comes easy to we masochistic Jets fans, and you would think that after today's game, misery is the place where I would currently be dwelling. But here's the weird thing. I'm not.
Sure I'm sad my boys didn't win the game. I would have loved to see Darelle Revis defiantly knock down a final, desperate pass attempt from Peyton to Reggie Wayne as time ran out, preserving a Jets' victory. It would have been great to see Rex get that Gatorade shower that has become a sports cliche over the past 20 years or so. And I would love to be playing for revenge against the Saints in the Super Bowl in a few weeks. But, unlike past seasons of Jets football ending prematurely with unfulfilled promise, this year served more as a notice of good things to come. It was sort of Green & White coming-out party. An announcement to the league at large to watch out for Woody Johnson's Jets.
That is why I want to thank Coach Rex Ryan. I, and every die-hard Jets fan out there in Jets Land, owes a debt of gratitude to this boisterous, cocky, straightforward man for a critical change in the Jets culture. He turned "Play like a Jet" into a badge of honor, instead of the epithet it has traditionally represented. He plainly and confidently stated before the team had even been through training camp that these new Jets, his Jets, were going to lead the NFL in defense and rushing, and then went out and proved it. He also stated that his team would be meeting with President Obama as champions before his term was up. After watching the Jets playoff run this season, I believe him.
So fellow Jets fans, paraphrasing President Bill Clinton, I feel your pain. But put away the razor blades... shut off the car running in the closed garage... know that there is no need for despair. These are the New York Jets, but certainly not the Same Ol' Jets. We have dynamic youth, a dominant defense and running game, the greatest corner in the game, a superstar QB in the making, and a passionate, inspirational coach (who, by the way, happens to be pretty damn good
with X's and O's to boot). This year, we saw a glimpse into the future for the Jets, and believe me, the future is bright.
Wednesday, January 6, 2010
The First Erinism of the New Year
I was lying on my bed last night reading a book, when Erin entered the room and climbed up onto the bed beside me. Glancing over at her, I greeted her with a, "Hey."
"Hi," she replied. And nothing else. She just sat there, looking at me.
"What are you up to?"
"Nothing, Dadoo." And right back to staring at me. I stared back for a minute or so, and when it was clear that she had nothing more to say, I shrugged my shoulders and went back to reading my book. Just as I began to get re-absorbed in the text, I felt her suddenly climb onto my back, at which point she stood up and began to grind her heels into my flesh.
"Ow... Ow... OWW!!!!!!" I exclaimed. "Erin, that hurts! What are you doing?"
Her response, in a robotic monotone, "I - AM - NOT - ER - IN."
"Well, whoever you are, stop it! That hurts."
This caused the thing on my back that was not Erin to fall to its knees next to me.
"YOU - HAVE - TO - ASK - ME - MY - NAME."
"OK, what is your name?"
"I - AM - NOT - ER - IN."
Yes... we established that. What is your name?"
"I - AM - ER - POOP."
"Erpoop?!?!"
"THAT - IS - MY - NAME."
"Well, Erpoop, what happened to my sweet little girl Erin?"
"I - ATE - HER."
"You ATE her?!?!"
"YES."
"Well, that's not good. I'm gonna miss her, and her Mommy's going to be very upset. You shouldn't have eaten her... that's not a very nice thing to do."
"IT'S - OK - DADOO. SHE - IS - JUST - ON - VAY - CAY - TION. SHE'LL - BE - BACK - SOON."
"Vacation? You ate my little girl so she could go on vacation?"
"YES - DADOO."
"Well, where did she go?"
"FLORIDA. SHE - IS - IN - FLORIDA."
"I see. Did she go to Disney World?"
"NO - DADOO. I - SAID - SHE - WENT - TO - FLORIDA. DISNEY - WORLD - IS - IN - NEW - YORK. I - THOUGHT - YOU - KNEW - THAT."
"Well, Erpoop, I hope she gets back soon, or Mommy and I will really miss her, and we'll be pretty mad at you for eating her."
Erin began to giggle.
"Dadoo, it's me!! I tricked you!! There's no Erpoop!! I'm not really in Florida!! I was just pretending!!"
"Boy, what a relief! I'm so happy you're home"
"Hi," she replied. And nothing else. She just sat there, looking at me.
"What are you up to?"
"Nothing, Dadoo." And right back to staring at me. I stared back for a minute or so, and when it was clear that she had nothing more to say, I shrugged my shoulders and went back to reading my book. Just as I began to get re-absorbed in the text, I felt her suddenly climb onto my back, at which point she stood up and began to grind her heels into my flesh.
"Ow... Ow... OWW!!!!!!" I exclaimed. "Erin, that hurts! What are you doing?"
Her response, in a robotic monotone, "I - AM - NOT - ER - IN."
"Well, whoever you are, stop it! That hurts."
This caused the thing on my back that was not Erin to fall to its knees next to me.
"YOU - HAVE - TO - ASK - ME - MY - NAME."
"OK, what is your name?"
"I - AM - NOT - ER - IN."
Yes... we established that. What is your name?"
"I - AM - ER - POOP."
"Erpoop?!?!"
"THAT - IS - MY - NAME."
"Well, Erpoop, what happened to my sweet little girl Erin?"
"I - ATE - HER."
"You ATE her?!?!"
"YES."
"Well, that's not good. I'm gonna miss her, and her Mommy's going to be very upset. You shouldn't have eaten her... that's not a very nice thing to do."
"IT'S - OK - DADOO. SHE - IS - JUST - ON - VAY - CAY - TION. SHE'LL - BE - BACK - SOON."
"Vacation? You ate my little girl so she could go on vacation?"
"YES - DADOO."
"Well, where did she go?"
"FLORIDA. SHE - IS - IN - FLORIDA."
"I see. Did she go to Disney World?"
"NO - DADOO. I - SAID - SHE - WENT - TO - FLORIDA. DISNEY - WORLD - IS - IN - NEW - YORK. I - THOUGHT - YOU - KNEW - THAT."
"Well, Erpoop, I hope she gets back soon, or Mommy and I will really miss her, and we'll be pretty mad at you for eating her."
Erin began to giggle.
"Dadoo, it's me!! I tricked you!! There's no Erpoop!! I'm not really in Florida!! I was just pretending!!"
"Boy, what a relief! I'm so happy you're home"
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