Greatest love story Never told

By me

Two years ago to the day, I got home from work at around 8:30 having just finished year end close. I honestly had no plans and I do not actually remember making any plans for the evening but the details are kind of sketchy.

The expanding past- As things get further and further

into the past they expand at an exponential

pace sometimes obscuring the truth.

Well Jen (this story ends well) had gone to the midnight run and pounded a few beers with her at the time best friend (i will call her Teresa). She may have called me to tell me she was coming over or maybe she didn't but I remember sitting on the sofa drinking a beer (it may have been a bad beer) and I get a call from Miss Jen that she was headed over to my house.

I forgot -What I neglected to remember is that this was not

entirely out of the blue as she had been

to the house a few weeks earlier as she made/bought

me dinner from Ernesto's after an ill fated 31 mile

run across wild trail.

Well a girl I was really hot for was coming over to the house in 45 minutes and I contemplated cleaning the entire house, or lighting candles or having another beer. I did one of these and long behold Jen shows up post run, post beer with the movie (I may screw this up) "Sleepless in Seattle. It was some Meg Ryan movie, and I know it wasn't you got mail.

You got female. It was somewhere around 1:30 in the morning

we sat down on the couch in my newly cleaned

house and watched that movie. I remember nothing about

the movie, but we smooched and kissed and

all that kind of stuff.

We got very little sleep that night.

The next day i was in a daze and

actually wrecked a baby stroller.

(This part of the tale is absolutely true).

We ended up dating, and getting married so today is not actually our anniversary. Its actually (TFDWST). I'll leave it at that. I love you my dear. Happy anniversary of sorts.

ode. for xmas tree

this
year's
Christmas
tree was bought
from a little vintage
shop up the road that
we carried by hand and paid
in cash and it lived and sparkled
with us for three weeks like part of
the family just shiny brilliantly, just like
any other blessed family member would for
only on this day
Christmas
2009 Happy
Holidays

Christmas Traditions

Start a Christmas tradition by adopting this elf from Santa's workshop who checks on your child's behavior and reports back to Santa every night, finding a new hiding place in the house every morning on his return. Fun for the whole family

But our family had traditions that where off the shelf.

1. Oh By Gosh By Golly

Like this crazy ass song. We all know it as Oh By Gosh By Golly. My uncle played it over and over again on his school record player. Washed down with a few high balls.

2.The Electric Knife

Then there is the time honoured tradition of the sporting event on the television. Grandmother Schofer always started the electric knife with a minute left in the game. So we never knew who won. I always love after dinner when some lady in a large fir coat from the neighborhood stopped by. They were such colorful characters.

3. The off the wall Gift.

MomMom was a classic for giving the unexpected. One year we got a big pot with an American flag, another year we all got a safe. I still have that safe. It keeps things safe. Same with the big pot and the flag. Not sure what that does.

4. Copes Corn

For generations, John Cope's Food Products has been producing dried sweet corn from varieties that are grown in the heart of the Pennsylvania Dutch Country. These naturally sweeter varieties are harvested in the early stages of maturity, processed, then air dried to remove the moisture, preserve the nutrients, and impart the golden color and toasted sweet corn flavor. I still have not figured this one out.

5. Crab, Shrimp and French fries -Not sure when this tradition started. Circa 1989 . But this one I love, Seafood for the holidays. Reminds me we have to order our crab today.

Unfateful Faith

Faith is an absolute weird thing, and I must stand back and reflect when people have this much faith in anything. I do not even have faith that our brand new washing machine will get the wash clean.

Have faith this link will work

Bartow, Florida (CNN) -- After more than three decades in prison, a Florida man was set free Thursday after a DNA test showed he did not kidnap and rape a 9-year-old boy in 1974.
"I'm not angry," James Bain, 54, told reporters after a brief hearing in Bartow, Florida.
Bain was 19 when he was convicted on charges of kidnapping, burglary and strong-arm rape. He received a life sentence. He's going home for the first time in 35 years.
"I got God in my head," said Bain, surrounded by supporters and wearing a T-shirt with "Not Guilty" across the front. "I knew one day he will reveal me."

Then the families of these climbing victims know their loved ones are in heaven. I can not even imagine what heaven looks like, but something tells me it is not full of white clouds and angels. And the faith they had on the weather and their fitness. That's faith of a different kind. Based on a little experience.

GOVERNMENT CAMP, Ore. -- The family members of the two climbers still mis

sing on Mt. Hood said they've come to terms with the reality that they won't see their loved ones alive again and they're at peace, knowing Katie Nolan and Anthony Vietti are in heaven now.

These stories compelling and disturbing as they are show people at peace based on something completely unknown to me but known to others. I tip my hat to them.

WTF

Just for the hell of it I am saving this as a place holder as I happen to like it.

Why would anybody cheat on their good looking wife with a horse.

It looks like we out sourced being stupid to Japan

My mother in law threatened to throw brussel sprouts at my wife.

My sister in law loudly proclaimed "I did not know you had a gay brother" to my step dad, who prefers to keep it low key.

My wife had a zit on her face and my grandmother asker her if It is that time of month.

Back to my mother in law she thinks she is in Denver. She is not.

Back to my mother in law she called her son a shit.

Back to me, I can not fing my cell phone, my car keys and theintake valve to our fuel tank.

The Suburbs Suck

Beaverton Stole Jesus Christ

BEAVERTON, Ore. -- Christmas hasn't arrived for the Eichnebergers until the family Nativity has gone up out front of their Beaverton home. Bonnie Eichenberger says it gives her "a warm feeling inside."
"The neighbors love it, too, and it just reminds us of what Christmas is all about," she added.
A Nativity scene depicts the biblical story of Jesus Christ's birth to the Virgin Mary, in a Bethlehem manger, along with witnesses to the miracle.
On Tuesday, someone stole Jesus.
Eichenberger said she was shocked to find her manger empty - and called to report someone had stolen Jesus Christ.
"I asked the police officer if he could put out an A-P-B for baby Jesus," chuckled Eichenberger, referring to a crisis-emergency response from police. “I knew it would be hard to find him but it just really upset me that somebody would do that."
Why would someone steal baby Jesus, Bonnie asked her husband Wednesday.
But thieves were not done. The Eichenbergers awoke Thursday to find their Nativity further desecrated.
"I went outside, and Joseph and Mary were gone, too!" Bonnie said.

A-P-B for baby Jesus (Anywhere Probably Beaverton)

Wash. student gets tongue stuck to flagpole

VANCOUVER, Wash. – It sounded like something out of the popular holiday movie, “A Christmas Story” but it was actually a real-life drama for a Vancouver boy whose tongue got stuck to a flagpole in below-freezing temperatures outside his school Wednesday morning

What the FU**.

West Linn librarian in trouble for using profanity in class

Some parents of West Linn middle school students are angry that their children were exposed to vulgar language by their teacher. They hoped to share their frustrations with the school board Monday night.
The parents complained that they were never asked or even told that their children’s librarian was going to write and use profanity as part of a lesson on controversial books.
However, when they heard what happened afterwards, from their 8th grade children, the parents said they were furious and in disbelief. They said the teacher exposed their kids to more than a dozen curse words.
“There was the “F-word” and another foul word written on the board. The teacher yelled them at the kids and then asked the kids to yell them back at him," said parent Elizabeth Thiede. She also explained that her child was upset by the display that was apparently carried out as part of a language arts unit at Athey Creek Middle School.

F**king Idiots

Teenage hunter shot by uncle
Victim wore camo, not orange, say authorities
By John Erickson
Monday, December 7, 2009
In what Yamhill County authorities are calling a tragic accident, a 15 year old hunter has been shot and killed by his uncle--who thought he was taking aim at an elk.
Matthew Gretzon of Salem was hunting with his father, his uncle Troy Gretzon of Grand Ronde, and Troy's 11-year old daughter Sunday morning when the uncle fired his rifle into heavy brush where an elk had been seen earlier, said Yamhill County Sheriff's Captain Ken Summers.

Tales From Advantage Island

I may not get all of the facts straight here as in times of crisis things are interpreted in different ways to different people and things are heard how you want to hear them.

Case in point (Snippets from a Conversation in the Emergency Room)

My Lovely Wife (talking to her semi lucid loopy Mother) -Mom you might go home someday in the near future.
Her Wise Ass Brother James - Mom do you understand what we are talking about here.
My Lovely Wife - Mom some things are going to have to change when you get home.
Marilyn (GG) - breathe gasp breathe gasp silence deep breath I know
My Wife like drinking and smoking
Maralyn (GG) - breathe gasp breathe gasp silence deep breath I know
My wife How does that make you feel?
Maralyn (GG) - PWERHORIFUL (It was unclear the answer)

James heard -Powerful
Jenna heard -Strong
Mark heard -Horrible.


To make a long story short my mother in law has been on her death bed for somewhere between the last 9 nine days or the last 3 and a half years how ever you want to define it.

Well to be more specific the last seven days have been without a moment of levity since she decided to call the paramedics and have an ambulance take her to the hospital. One would think three weeks of not holding anything down would be a hint, but who are we to judge until we have walked a mile in their colon.

I have not seen her for various reasons that are beyond the scope of this introspection. I am not going into the details of the 20 minutes before going into the hospital as they were very funny for our own reasons that are between myself my wife and her brother. We were tired and we were giddy.

So we get into the hospital and James and Jen ask me to wait in the waiting room just to get me clearance to the emergency room. (They warned me that their mother was not in a pretty state (IE New Hampshire)). I sat in the waiting room and read Yoga magazine. As I was viewing a photo of a delicate woman with a yoga mat in a hut in Liberia, James came out with a deer in the head lights look on his face. He looked at me with a WTF look and said his Mom looks better than she has looked in days.

I walked into the room and GG did in fact look much better than I expected and to top things off she was talking. Jenna asked where she was and who was in the room with her.

She said Mark and James and Jenna and curiously Phil. (None of us were able to actually see this Phil person, but we are fairly certain James later ran into him at Starbucks) Jenna asked her where she was right now.

She said she was on an island in Ireland called Advantage Island. Wondering how her mom would interpret the many tubes, machines, nurses that surrounded her, she asked - then who is Justin and why is he here with us? (Justin was the ICU nurse) Her mom replied - he is my therapist. Jenna asked her, "so you travel with your therapist?" Yes.

Jenna's mom despises therapists. We all looked at each other with a collective WTF.

She then said that she wanted a drink.
Jen asked her to repeat that.
She then said that she wanted to drink.

I interpreted that she wanted some wine and La Familla Bruner thought she wanted some water in her dry mouth. Happilly La Familla Bruner were used to this ritual.

Later that night James asked the Nurse on duty to confirm that she did not know where she was.

Nurse -Marilyn we have gone over this before, What has happened to you.
Marilyn (GG) -I had my tummy worked on.
Nurse -What hospital are you in.
Marilyn (GG) - St. Vincent
Nurse - Where is St Vincents
Marilyn (GG) - Beaverton

Apparently she was pulling our legs.
Or you have to know what questions to ask.
James as were walking out. (somewhat to himself) -Hell of a time to spin a tale.

19 things that I am thankful for

Health , Friends and Family are a given but a shout out non the less.

In the last year I married a wonderful woman, Max is blossoming with hiccups, Marina is at peace on a blessed path and Riley enlightens everything she touches.

1. Patience
2. Music
3. Portland Timbers Games
4. Public Radio
5. Portland Pilots Woman's Soccer
6. My neighbors -We are blessed with great ones.
7. Our neighborhood - Hollywood district in Portland is fantastic.
8. Fences that most of the time keep bad beagles in the yard.
9. Morning Star Farm sausage patties
10. Autumn
11. The McKenzie River
12. The Wild Wood Trail
13. Learning with my Wife
14. My job is stable and somewhat fun.
15. Chutney
16. That grey blanket we got as a wedding present.
17. The fireplace.
18. Going for a walk with my wife.
19, The new tragically Hip cd.
20 . Spring Onions

Another Case if Ill Fated OutSourcing

Starry-eyed children writing letters to the jolly man at the North Pole this holiday season very likely won't get a response from Santa Claus or his helpers.
The U.S. Postal Service is dropping a popular national program begun in 1954 in the small Alaska town of North Pole, where volunteers open and respond to thousands of letters addressed to Santa each year. Replies come with North Pole postmarks.

Well it seems the Postal Service has decided to Out Source this still popular Service. For awhile they were going to go the traditional route and have this done in China or possibly India. Spokesperson Clave Cliffin, says of the move "we do not have the expertise or manpower to cross that religious divide. Christmas is all about religion and Christ and giving those to a non Christian country would be sack religious.(sic).

Well Cliffin expanded on this and has told our sources that they intend to hit the ball out of the park with their new out sourcing option So apparently Jesus him self along with some of his disciples will be filling the role this year. Bartholomew, the self centered wacko disciple has opted out as he will be at the his sister in laws house in Bethlehem Pennsylvania. Jesus seems quite pleased with his new found duties. He says he got some great paper and some great ideas for heart felt notes. "Jesus Christ how hard could it be" he added.

Oprah and Aristotle sitting in a tree

These lyrics to a song by Low
I'll stay out all night
Looking at the sky
I'll still have my sight
Yeah, I'll still have my eyes
And we will make love
We won't have to fight
We won't have to speak
And we won't have to lie
And I'll stop writing songs
Stop scratching out lines
I won't have to fake
And it won't have to rhyme
When I go deaf
When I go deaf
When I go deaf
When I go deaf (etc)


Now thats a unique way to avoid miscommunication.


This is what the fat Lady Sings

They (so called experts) sum up in three "acts" the breakdowns and breakups of most relationships since the beginning of time:
Act 1: You hurt me.
Act 2: Because you hurt me, I now hurt you.
Act 3: Because you hurt me, I now hurt you and so you hurt me again and so I hurt you -- and downward spiraling we shall go.

Aristotle says: "Anybody can become angry -- that is easy, but to be angry with the right person and to the right degree and at the right time and for the right purpose, and in the right way -- that is not within everybody's power and is not easy."

I am not a couples expert but this seems so on the button.

Gottman's 3 conflict strategies:
• Avoidance/stonewalling (the worst)
• Fighting (better than avoidance, but still not healthful or helpful)
• Validation (the winning method -- which means really trying to see things from the other person's point of view, and sharing all views with kindness, and the goal of finding a win-win compromise!)

So I think Aristotle had it partially right but something in my memory tells me that he lived in a different time at a slower pace with less technology and he may have been gay (like that matters but 2 people of the same sex seem to fight more fair) but he is a bit on to something.

But trying to see things from the other persons point of view is so darn essential and if you simply ask your self in the middle of that conflict “I wonder how that makes her feel” no matter if you are wrong or you are right you well along the road to “sane discourse”.

We all want to be right, but its okay to be wrong gracefully. Its an art form and work on perfecting it.

But what makes Aristotle so smart, or for that note, me so smart or my wife so smart. Well you appear smarter when acting out of kindness.

There is a lot of literature out there that we reward kids for too many things, ie participating. Those so Called Experts (TSCE) say we should be rewarding them for winning. Boy that kicks conventional wisdom right in the teeth and at times other places. As we age and mature it is not always about winning or being right.

And by all means listen. Perfect it. And listen to your self.

Listen and Silent have the same letters in them.

On a side note some times I perceive our therapist needs more help than we need help and Oprah and Aristotle would have had nice babies.

Not Half Slow or Half Full or Half Fast

My oh my there are a lot of bad news out there. I just learned a very dear friend has been diagnosed with a grim out look for what is left of her life. It is times like this I wish life was
a bit more fair and I had a little more faith.

Last weeks headlines were of shootings in Fort Dix. Yesterday a gunman in Tualatin and
today a family in Bethany is erased from what can be a lovely planet.
One of the kids at my son's school came home from out door school to learn that his mother and sister had been shot. Holy shit, talking about real life knocking you silly and numb.
I have my own personal belief about guns and personally abhor guns but I do not believe guns are the core of the problem.

We as a society in the United States have very little compassion for those in need, for
those with a lack of hope.

For now I am just going to list a few great things in life.

1. The love of friends and family. It might be a cliche of sorts, but its a shame if it is. The simpleness of friends and family should be cherished, nurtured and not taken for granted. Take a few minutes to just reflect back on that. Its beautiful simple thing.

2. Movement - A body in motion is a mind in motion, use them both as they are at your core.

3. Music - If if sounds good it is good. If it moves you get moving.

4. Listen -it has the same letters as silence.

5. Change - 2 months ago the trees were green, the days hot and sunny and tomatoes were hanging on to the last rays of summer. Today we had thunder and lightning and the sky was brilliant hue of angry purple. Both beautiful in its own regard. Each day is unique and beautiful if you let it be.

My friend has a few precious weeks to live and as far as I know I have many many two weeks to live. I am grateful for that.

Just listen

Sometimes Music Hits The Ear Just Right

Fall is a time I generally trend toward classical music. I have no idea why and in general I really do not care all that much. I still remember the first time I heard Edward Elgar's music I was sitting at my desk working a dull cost accountant job for Godiva Chocolatier. It was early fall and was the same time period ironically I was also introduced to the Tragically Hip, The Cowboy Junkies and 10000 Maniacs. It was a time when my musical curiosity was exploding but I kept taking sojourns into classical music. To be honest, I may have initially listened to it because I could listen to it at my desk and not offend too many people. Ironically I remember a few years later an obnoxious co worker being offended by Mozart's variation on a theme. Accountants are not all that cultured.

Anyway back to Elgar.

Completed in 1919, the Cello Concerto was Edward Elgar's last major work for orchestra, and his most confessional. In spite of fleeting moments of idyllic release, it's dominated by disillusionment, by a sense of suffering that at times cries out against life, yet more often speaks in quiet anguish. Elgar had been ill, and he was deeply depressed by the Great War's destruction of the world he had known. All of this he poured into a concerto for the cello — not such an unlikely instrument, considering its rich-toned yet brooding personality and its searing, dark timbre.

As Peter Shickley often suggests, if it sounds good, It is good. In this case Elgar's piece always means autumn to me. Its a simple expression of the human soul and for me coming to terms with the darkness and rich beauty that comes with autumn. It also hints at hope as I envision a simple yellow leave fall to the ground only to fertilize the ground for next spring. Give it a listen here if so compelled. It sounds good Mr. Schickley.

Texting From a Unicycle - A Dangerous Novel

---Note this is Purely Fiction as Part of National Book Writing Month--

There is no such thing as a perfect fall day, but if there was today was one of them. The winds were whipping like crazy and the sky was clearer than I can remember. But to be quite honest I am not the the best at remembering things. My forte is actually forgetting things.

How in the world did I get into this business. I used to have this great corporate job with a drawer full of paper clips and assorted colored sticky notes. A pay check came every other week. It just showed up in the bank. And now for a living I have short circuited that loop. I now rob banks for a living.

And in today's newspaper the local paper has front page head lines of a serial bank robber on the loose. Damn not great timing.

PORTLAND, Ore. -- The FBI calls him the Fantasia Bandit for allegedly robbing the Fantasy Adult store on W. Broadway twice. But on Tuesday the armed robber was fingered for the fourth Hollywood-area bank heist in three weeks, according to FBI spokesperson Beth Anne Steele.
The MBank branch at 3636 NE Broadway was hit just before 2 p.m. “No sooner did I get back from lunch I noticed there were quite a few police cars canvassing the area,” said Bryan Andersen who works across the street at Mackin’s Auto Body.

Not a great day to be a bank robber. It looks like I am going to have to take the day off. Well not take the day off, but rather think about making an honest living or at least a living that won't have me ending up in jail. But I love the thrill of it. What fun was it stealing paper clips and note books from my more conventional job.

But it was a steady income. And being a border line substance abuser and non successful gambling addict I need this second job. But for today I just stroll down 29Th avenue admiring the remaining golden maple leaves that dot the Northwest skies. It's an ever changing sky and today the sky in in its brilliant black and purple hint at chaos.

When did we as a society get obsessed or taught to be obsessed with things such as erectile dysfunction and pissing too many times in a day. Its nice that spam marketers have as a target market a certain part of my body.

I remembered I had three beers in the frig, a half pound of ham and 4 bags of those Tostitos which I have nothing to scoop up. The little bills I had I have paid in cash but things were running rather thin. My head pounded from the soberness of it all. The bright after noon sun made my eyes heart and my mouth was dry.

The idea of robbing banks was glamorous to him, but looking at his hierarchy of needs it was food on the table and a few bottles of beer in the refrigirator that where the utmost concern to him. A cozy dark bar sat on the south east corner of the intersection where he now stood.

For a second he pondereed, walking into the pool hall. The pool hall and the seemingly happy people milling about brought a quiet comfort to him; he hated to admit it but at his core he was quite lonely. He also remembered that he had little money on him and this constant reminder hung over him like the constant threat of rain in the Pacific NorthWest.

The laundramat on the opposite corner was almost as inviting with its constant humming and warmth eminating from the dryers.

Sprinting Toward DunceHood (STD's)

Sprinting Toward Dunce Hood

If I ever have to talk to Sprint Customer Service again in my life please put me out of my misery. I happen to be the worst phone person on the planet , (actually probably many planets)
and Sprint happens to have the worst customer Service that I have ever experienced.


So i cancelled their piece of crap phones basically because of their inane customer service.
So I am here with a phone bill with a phone number that has not been used in 2 years.

One would think that is a slam dunk as I try to cancel an account.

But of course I did what any sensible person would do, I destroyed all the pins to an account that I do not have.


And of course for all 7 people I had to talk to I needed the stupid god damn pin.
It used to be in my wallet on a blue piece of paper but it is not anymore.


I talked to Lesley and she was lost and she transferred me to some lady who would only give me her employee number.

Then Sandra wanted my pin and eventually Nicky got into my account just asking for the account number. She said she reversed what was left of the bill and promptly transferred me to

Otis F***en Thorpe Employee Number WQ895955 an Account Manager in Account Services.

I asked Nicki if the big O (Otis) needed my PIN and Nicki assured me she did not.

Me - Hi Otis I would like to cancel my account.

The Big O- May I have your PIN please.?

(Calculation on Probability on Arnie's words being random.)
So
Back 'o the envelope calculation: assuming every gubernatorial communication had seven lines, separated into a group of 4 and 3, the probability that it would spell the phrase shown is 5.519648 x 10^-12. Very Large
Since most communications are not in this format, this is probably an over estimate. In short, it is not a chance event.




So my response to Sprint

F irst your service is bad
U nless you hate
C ustomers
K nowing that

Y our phones suck
O ut loud and your company is
U seless.

A Love Letter to my Appliances

To the Dearly Departed

Oh washing machine you old leaky bastard. We are breaking up with you.

You are no longer the pristine clean machine I once knew.

You are now a dirty old man that soils the sheets.

But we had good years together through thick and thin.

You cleaned our running shoes and

sparkling white linens.

You were always faithful and a little bit gay.

But we are moving on.

And Mr Refrigerator

You have become a frigid bastard and

you are now icy down below.

The best you do now is hold up magnets

that hold up pictures of pleasant days

gone by.

When you were young you were a shiny

bastion of hope holding micro brews and

pickles a plenty.

Good bye frigid bastard.

And Garbage Disposal

You capricious wanker. You sit silent. idle

not churning anything. The switch on the

wall just sits there all broken waiting to

be fixed.

Electricity my old friend.

I have come to talk to you again.

and the F***en Toilet

I have always hated you

every single one of you.

Spilling water, making gurgling noise

and notflushing when

flushing is what you do.

Screw you toilet.

You will not be missed.

Saving Ryan's Privates

News Release from Washington County Sheriff's Department:
Saving Private Ryan
On Saturday, October 18, 2009, at 10:54 p.m., Washington County Sheriff's Deputies arrested 26-year-old Billy Gean Ryan for multiple crimes stemming from two attempted car jackings and several burglaries. The 911 calls started at 7:49 p.m. when a woman called from her cell phone to report that a man tried to take her car. She reported that as he told her to get out of the car, he reached into his shirt like he had a gun. The woman rolled up the window and drove away from the suspect. Deputies arrived and set up a perimeter while a K9 unit searched for the suspect.
---The woman did not realize guns can shoot out windows and of course Loser Boy tried to fire that thing inside his shirt…
At 8:06 p.m. a resident in the 700 block of SW Blackcourt Place, called 911 and reported that a man had just entered their house and threatened to shoot them if they didn't give him their car keys. The caller said the man, later identified as 26-year-old Billy Gean Ryan, had come into their house while smoking a cigarette and asked about the car in the driveway. He then threatened to shoot them while reaching toward his armpit as if he had a gun. The resident told the Mr. Ryan to leave and he did.
--And he did that, he just left still smoking a cigarette.
Just after Mr. Ryan left the house, he threatened to shoot another man on the street. Mr. Ryan told the man he would shoot him if he did not give Mr. Ryan his car keys. The man refused and Mr. Ryan walked down the street.
--Persistence persistence persistence with no plan in mind
At 8:10 p.m. another 911 call was placed reporting that Mr. Ryan had entered an apartment at 674 SW 201st Avenue. The man in the apartment reported that Mr. Ryan came in and told him that he was being chased. Mr. Ryan offered the man $5,000 for his car. The man refused and told Mr. Ryan to leave which he did.
---where he got the money is beyond me and it must have been a hell of a car.
At 8:17 p.m. a man walked out of his house located in the 800 bock of SW 198th Avenue. He saw Mr. Ryan standing next to his car holding a Gatorade and a cell phone. The man saw that his car door was open and he realized that Mr. Ryan had taken the Gatorade and cell phone out of his car. The man asked Mr. Ryan what he was doing. Ryan asked the man if he had "seen the man the police were looking for?" Ryan then gave him the cell phone, took a drink of the Gatorade, and took off running.
--I can see how he needed the Gatorade and wow he took up running.
At 9:11 p.m. a woman called 911 from the 19000 block of SW Ashcroft Lane and reported that she found Mr. Ryan in her car parked in her garage. She said he told her he had fallen asleep in the car. The woman went into the house and locked the door. Mr. Ryan opened the garage door and left the residence.
Persistence persistence persistence with no exit strategy in mind
Numerous deputies were combing the neighborhood for Mr. Ryan. Just after the information was broadcast from the previous 911 call, a deputy spotted Mr. Ryan in the area of SW 198th Avenue and SW Brookfield Street. Mr. Ryan ran from the deputy but was quickly apprehended after a brief foot chase.
After Mr. Ryan was positively identified by several victims, he was arrested on the following charges.
· Robbery II (four counts)
. Dumb fu*kery
· Menacing (four counts)
· Burglary I (two counts)
· Unauthorized Entry to a Motor Vehicle (two counts)
· Criminal Trespass I
Mr. Ryan is being held in the Washington County on a $250,000 bail. If you have any information about this series of crimes please call the Washington County Sheriff's Office at 503-846-2700.

18 things to teach your sons about women

We hope to rid the male sex of all the things that make us rant by raising boys with balanced male and female perspectives. Here are the 19 things we'll teach them.

1. Pick your battles. (Argue what you know not what you do not know..The Toilet Seat is not a battle)

2. Walk on the outside (closer to the street) of your female companion. (Or she will push you into traffic if you do not follow number 1.)
3. Saying "You're being crazy" is never an appropriate response, unless you want her to go postal on you. The Frisky: How to keep the crazy at bay ("Is it me who is crazy" is also not appropriate)
4. Cooking, cleaning, and taking care of kids are things men can actually do as well as women. (Do not let them know that or you will be doing it)
5. Keep backup supplies of quality chocolate in the house for her to raid. (That includes beer)
Don't Miss
The Frisky: 5 things I'd do differently in single life
The Frisky: What future father will teach his son about women
The Frisky: 5 things I'd do differently if I re-lived my single life
6. Buying tampons and other feminine products shouldn't embarrass you --everyone knows they're not for you. (Actually relish these moments because she is crazy at this point)
7. Women like compliments and gifts. The Frisky: Is chivalry sexist? You are really good with a crockpot is not really either.
8. Earning less than her shouldn't be emasculating. The Frisky: Why marrying for money isn't a totally bad idea
9. Be on time, even if she usually isn't. (And if she is always on time she may not be a girl -check first)
10. Don't be a pouty puppy when shopping with her. (Actually pouty is never good. By all means if you can just avoid shopping altogther. In other words stick with what you know.)
11. Find out what her favorite flower is. The Frisky: 5 easy chivalrous moves to get the girl
12. If you like her, then don't buy her shoes; it's bad luck. (Actually, snow shoes will do the trick)
13. Smiling and nodding aren't the same as listening. (My son was doing this as I read this list to him)
14. It's OK to cry in front of her, but keep the blubbering to a minimum. (Actually never use the word blubber in her company)
15. Personality goes a long way. (And lack of the ability to laugh ones self is deal killer)
16. At some point she'll be more important than your mother. (And guess what you are grounded)
17. You will never completely understand women. (Son master calculus or compete in the tour d.France. Its easier)
18. Oh yeah, and no woman will ever be good enough for my baby

19. Understand this now. Just put the toilet seat down or somebody is going to drown.

Train Freaking Wrecks

Microsoft erases black man from web photo. Clever, lazy trainwreck at Microsoft.
The original photo featured three business people – one white, one black and one Asian – smiling as they attended a meeting. It was published on Microsoft's main US site, to advertise the company's business productivity software.
But in the version doctored to appeal to Polish customers the black man's face was replaced with that of a white man – although the original model's hand remained clearly visible.

-------------------------------
You know you are a train wreck when you miss a day of work and end up in jail. Dont Click Here

A company named Biel the "most dangerous celebrity in cyberspace." One in five Internet searches for terms related to "Jessica Biel" leads to a Web page, photo, video or piece of spam that contains a cyber-security threat, the report said.
Those who follow her are a trainwreck.

George Bush sings REM's Its the end of the World as We Know and I feel Fine. Speaking of TrainWrecks

Lucy Goes Drinking

Update -September 15 2009. So we are all running out the door this morning and apparently Max missed something on the way out. That is shutting the door. That's not going to end well.

Details Shmetails. So the phone rings as I get to work and Lucy is on the loose and of course it is Jenna's first day of teaching.

20 minutes later the phone rings again. Lucy has been found. She is at LaurleWood Brew Pub. Apparently some lady is walking here home

Moon and Sixpence

So a dog walks into a bar and the bar tender says “Why the long tail?”

Yes while I was out riding bikes yesterday Lucy the Beagle apparently decided to take her self out for a walk.
The Vet called (their phone number is on her collar) and says that Lucy has been spotted at the Moon and Something. My wife quickly figures that out, and she has made it to the Bar Down the street. I have no idea how she made it in the front door. The dog that is not my wife. She is not 21.

The leash in my wife’s hand probably clued the patrons as to her mission of the day. Apparently Lucy had stepped out for a beer.

Lesson learned here.

NONE.

Freak Show Countinued

Underwear bandit suspect arrested

SALEM, Ore. - A Marion County man is charged with numerous counts of theft and burglary. He is accused of stealing women’s underwear, and he was caught wearing it.Randall Giesbers of Salem was arrested at his neighbor’s home Monday night wearing nothing but his female neighbor’s panties. The woman’s boyfriend caught him, wrestled him to the ground and held him until police arrived.In Giesber’s garage, Marion County deputies discovered several large garbage bags full of women’s underwear, leading them to believe there are more victims.Deputies say Giesbers has no previous criminal history.

1. I imagine the boyfriend beat the intruder off.. This story says freak show before you even read the first word.

Deputies charged 47-year-old Randall Joseph Giesbers with burglary, theft, criminal trespass and possession of illegal fireworks. (What the fu** was he going to do with fireworks)

“There were some scrapes, bruises, and bumps as he was trying to detain him until we got there,” said Lieutenant Sheila Lorance of the Marion County Sheriff’s Office.
“It’s creepy. It’s just a creepy thing,” added Lorance.

Authorities later located large garbage bags full of women's clothing, underwear, shoes and accessories in the suspect's garage in the same neighborhood.

“I see him all the time, very nice man,” said neighbor Lee Mathieson. (Now you see him in a different light)

You Don't Send Me Flowers AnyMore

My wife recieved some flowers this weekend. It was a beautiful simple batch of flowers. They were so un expected that I literally tripped over them when I walked out on the porch.

Jenna was so happy and she anxiously read the note that came with it. The note said some thing like.

Congratulations on a job well done.

Dad.

Jenna called her Dad that day

And her Dad was somewhat dumbfounded as he did not send her flowers.

A Plan for the Improvement of English Spelling

For example, in Year 1 that useless letter c would be dropped to be replased either by k or s, and likewise x would no longer be part of the alphabet. The only kase in which c would be retained would be the ch formation, which will be dealt with later.

Year 2 might reform w spelling, so that which and one would take the same konsonant, wile

Year 3 might well abolish y replasing it with i and

Year 4 might fiks the g/j anomali wonse and for all.Jenerally, then, the improvement would kontinue iear bai iear with Iear 5 doing awai with useless double konsonants, and Iears 6-12 or so modifaiing vowlz and the rimeining voist and unvoist konsonants.Bai Iear 15 or sou, it wud fainali bi posibl tu meik ius ov thi ridandant letez c, y and x -- bai now jast a memori in the maindz ov ould doderez -- tu riplais ch, sh, and th rispektivli.Fainali, xen, aafte sam 20 iers ov orxogrefkl riform, wi wud hev a lojikl, kohirnt speling in ius xrewawt xe Ingliy-spiking werld.

Timbers vs Vancouver

Final Score Timbers 1- WhiteCaps 0

Very enjoyable night on the pitch. We arrived late to the game after a great after noon of watching Miss Planet Clare and her brother Hugh. We were the last ones in to the parking spot and the Minivan barely fit in. The walk up lines for the game were tremendous.

I love the Canadian National Anthem and of course the girl who sang the American version sang way too slow for the Timbers Army. The night was a bit steamy and the regulars arrived late and were in true form. Even Val and Blondie. We even had newly found Famous writer Sean and his lovely daughter. A perfect night at the Piggy. We brought a great friend to her first game in years and she seemed to enjoy the footy and even the beers.

To be quite honest the Canadian boys carried the first 20 minutes and it felt like the Whitecaps would break through. Number 9 Marlon James was an absolute menace and it seemed Cameron Knowles could not handle him. In the 30th minute Ryan Pore scored on a breakaway which could have been an own goal but he tallied anyway.

Nishimura almost chipped one in the 33rd minutes and Suzuki almost blasted one in in the 39th minute. Nishimura looked great today. Not sure why Scot with one T was not playing.

Cronin played fantastic all night long. The White Caps never really threatened except a few balls that went high or wide. In the 79th minute he scrambles and stopped the best shot of the night by the Whitecaps.

As always we loved the game and of course the result.

Here's the rest of the schedule

8/8CHARLESTON 7 p.m.
8/12@ Montreal 4:45 p.m.
8/15@ Rochester4:30 p.m.
8/22MIAMI 7:15 p.m.
8/28@ Charleston (FSC)
5 p.m. 9/3ROCHESTER
7 p.m.9/7@ Austin
4 p.m. 9/11 AUSTIN7 p.m.
9/13 CLEVELAND5 p.m.
9/17CLEVELAND7:15

Charleston is going to be interesting as are the Rhinos and Montreal on the road. After that we have a pretty cake schedule. I'll let the soccer stuff to the soccer people. I love the game but love the sights and smells of the game.

Max and Sean's daughter having a ball doing magic trips, Timbers Army songs and even our own songs. The smells of the BBQ and the stink bombs and the clouds hanging over the cascades as we looked to the scoreboard that read. TIMBERS 1- Vancouver 0.

We have a guess the attendance contest every night and my original guess was 10780 which I adjusted upward later. 10783 loud and crazy tonight. Even the west end was up and in their face. And of course the post game where we acknowledge the lads and they do the same thing to us. PGE park is a fun place to be on game night.

A Quick Glance back to 1984 Numbers

HARPER:S INDEX (This was taken from 1984) Observations
Percentage of American teachers who say that if they could start over, they would not teach : 24

Percentage who said this in 1965 : 7. 1 (Something tells me this number has changed recently in the other direction)
Percentage increase, from the mid-1970s to today, in the number of resumes received each year by the CIA: 100 (This was during Reagan - Bet you it is on the down slope)
Number of states in which some part of the B-1 bomber is manufactured : 44 (Enough said)
Estimated percentage of all U. S. defense contracts that are awarded through fully competitive bidding : 5 (Haliburton et all bet you that has not changed)
Estimated number of defense-industry jobs that would be lost in the event of a nuclear freeze : 250,000 (Yeah defense industry jobs never leave)
Percentage of Americans who, in 1981, thought their chances of surviving a nuclear war were
Percentage of Soviet children who believe nuclear war can be prevented : 92 (They may have been right)
Percentage of American children who believe this: 65 (They may have been wrong)
Rank, among children's most common fears, of being home alone : 1 (well worth exploring)
Of getting up in front of their class: 2
Percentage of all playground injuries that occur on the monkey Bars: 55 (They have virtually dissapeared)
Number of bird species that have been sighted in Central Park since its opening in 1858 : 259
Bald eagle population of the continental United States in 1979 : 9,815
In 1982 : 13,825 (In the early 1980s, the estimated total population was 100,000 birds, with 110,000–115,000 by 1992;[2] the U.S. state with the largest resident population is Alaska, with about 40,000–50,000 birds, with the next highest population being the Canadian province of British Columbia with 20,000–30,000 birds in 1992.[2])
Percentage of all life forms known to have ever existed that still exist today: 10
Number of robots FAO Schwarz expects to sell this Christmas season: 10,000 Not a real big seller any more
Average amount stolen by pickpockets, per incident: $218
Byshoplifters : $72
Total number of recordings of "White Christmas" that have been sold : 150,431,669 (I tunes has helped a re emergence)
Chance of a white Christmas in New York: 23% Now 10 percent
In Minneapolis: 73% (Probably less)
Percentage of Americans who often feel they did something exactly right : 55 (I understand with the divirce rates what they are, This number is wrong)
Who often sing, hum, or whistle : 48
Percentage of Americans who believe their presence at a sports event influences its outcome 25
Percentage of libel cases in which juries rule against media defendants : 80
Percentage of those verdicts that are reversed on appeal : 60
Percentage of college men who say they might commit rape if there were no chance of being caught: 35
Number of American men who have surgery each year solely to improve their personal appearance: 500,000 (Gee whiz I wonder WTF happened to this number)
Average year-end bonus in 1983 for corporate chief executive officers: $98,424
Combined net worth of the 400 richest Americans: $125,000,000,000
Combined value of all the currency and coin in circulation in the U.S. : $175,000,000,000
Amount spent by the U.S. government on advertising in 1983 : $228,857,200
Amount spent by Coca-Cola: $282,150,000
Percentage of U. S. car owners who keep maps in their glove compartments : 50 (We now have Navigation)
Sunglasses : 23
Gloves: 0

Random Stupid Surveys

A new study shows it costs about $221,000 ($292,000 when adjusted for inflation) to raise a child. Does cost impact your decisions, when it comes to growing your family?

Well listening to the Song "I Wish I had a Million Dollars" made me think I'll take 4. I just saws this note here.

ST. LOUIS -It's no secret that raising children can be expensive, but how about nearly a quarter of a million dollars expensive?
A government report released Tuesday says a middle-income family with a child born last year will spend about $221,000 raising that child through age 17.
The report by the USDA's Center for Nutrition Policy and Promotion identified housing as the largest single expense, followed by food and child care/education costs. The $221,000 in expenses rises to about $292,000 when adjusted for inflation.
USDA economist Mark Lino, who co-authored the report with Andrea Carlson, often hears people say children cost a lot when the annual findings are issued.
"I tell them children also have many benefits, so you have to keep that in mind," he said.
Families with more income spend more money on child-related costs, the report said. A two-parent family that earns less than $57,000 annually will spend about $160,000 on a child from birth through high school. Those with an income between $57,000 and $99,000 spend about $221,000 and those with higher incomes are expected to spend roughly $367,000 through age 17.

Well I find these numbers way low.

Lets see Here are some neccessities for kids.

1. 
   
   Soccer/VollyBall Camp


2. 
   
   Summer Camps


3. 
   
   I Pods and I Tunes


4. 
   
   Health F***ing Care. (That's a Pandoras Can of Worms)


5. 
   
   Food


6. 
   
   Supplies/Bus Passes/Pepperidge Farm Fishies


7. 
   
   Shampoo. (Estimated 500.00 per year over 20 years,,it adds up)


8. 
   
   Skateboards and Bikes


9. 
   
   Fines for stuff they break.


10. 
    
    And a giant accrual for all the change that dissapears fron Various change drawers.

And the crazy assumption this survery makes. Til they reach the age of 17. Lets face it that are not signing with a major league team at that age.

They are.

1. 
   
   Going to College


2. 
   
   Driving a Car.


3. 
   
   Eating alot more.
   

I guess I forgot about that yearly Tax deduction. And lets face it when kids are young they actually make you money because you can not go to a movie or hiking the Alps.

Still I think the figure stated above was for raising a dog.

SomeTimes Its Best To Not Plan AnyThing

The best laid plans simply some times go un laid.

We had nothing planned for yesterday but sometimes that works out perfectly. We decided to head to Forest Park and go for a hike. A hike right now is a luxury item and I was a bit tepid with my expectations as I am just coming off a busted ankle.

My wife and I pulled into Germantown road and the day was hot and dusty but Forest Park can be pretty forgiving with a constant canopy of Northwest Shade. In the first few steps I had a sharp pain in my ankle but I soon became adept at walking. We enjoyed looking at the trees and the patterns of the moss on the trees. After about a mile my foot started feeling pretty decent. We even progressed to a point where I actually ran the last mile; it was probably a 10 minute mile and my wife finished in front of me, but it may have been one of my favourites miles I had ever run. Its nice to get my feet in motion once again.

We then just headed up to the Skyline Tavern. I had never been there during the day and I was quite surprised. my wife and I shared a picture of beer and played a little horse shoes. The bar tender was nice enough to give me a large bag of ice to ice the foot. There is something to be said for a post run glow sharing a beer with your wife. A simple day, but wonderfully simple in a complicated world.

While sitting in the bar we got a frantic text from two friends that they were in need of some company to have a beer or two. We headed to the County Cork with a stolen hour to kill. I had not been to the Cork in awhile. It was great to see some old friends and have a Ploughman's platter. Another simple hour in a complicated world.

And you can not beat beats. The Ploughman's Platter has beets in some kind of beety, funky sauce and they are unbelievable. With a little salt. Another indescribable simple pleasure.

This post is basically about doing nothing quite out of the Ordinary. Its about sitting back and watching the world go by with somebody whom is special in your life.

Stone Man Willie

When i was a kid my Dad, and maybe my Mom and I am sure Doc (my grandmom's boyfriend who drove a Corvair) always alluded to some guy named Stone Man Willie. He as rumored to be in the bottom of the Court House in the middle of Reading Pennsylvania.

The Expanding past: As stories sink into the past they simply get bigger and bigger.

Well when we were kids we were told a story about some guy who turned to Stone when the embalming process took a drastically wrong turn. This guy was rumored to be made of stone and he was housed somewhere in Reading Pennsylvania.

Well I was always a little intrigued and to be quite honest a little bit afraid to actually view this monster that no way in this world was going to ever exist. Also as I got older I realized my Dad told crazy stories that had very little truth to them and my Mom somehow believed them and passed them on to us.

Amongst other great big lies where.

• If you can see the back of the leaves it is going rain. (My Mom)


• Cows stand up when it is going to rain. (Grandfather Hoover)


• Apples give you Carly Marbles. (GrandMother Hoover)


• Swimming Lions will bite you when you go over a bridge. (I made that up and Zach passed it on)
  

Well I lived my entire life thinking Stone Man Willy was a fabrication of Dad's.

Well I hijacked this story from the internets...

STONE (MAN) WILLIE
Stone (Man) Willie
In the year of 1895, a body of a man was taken to the Auman Funeral Home in Reading, Pa. He died in the old prison that stood in Penn's Common which is now our City Park.
Theodore C. Auman was intrigued with the possibilities of preserving the dead, other than placing them on a block of ice. He had found in an old German medical book a chemical formula for preserving meat. Until now, he had no means of experimenting. He seeked permission from state and local authorities to use the unclaimed body. In his first attempt, he used too much formula and the body became mummified.
The identify of Stone (Man) Willie has to this day remained anonymous. He was thought to be Michael Phohonski, a man who hanged himself in the same prison. Pietro Buccieri, a man who killed a nurse at St. Joseph Hospital in 1892. James Murphy from Wilkes-Barre, James Maypenny from Philadelphia, plus many more.
When he was arrested Oct. 7, in West Reading, Pa, for burglarizing the Morris Brown Boardinghouse. He gave the name James Penn, admitting it wasn't his real name. To this day, no one knows where the name Stone (Man) Willie came from.
The only time I saw Stone (Man) Willie was in 1972. He was in a lower part of the funeral home. He laid on a cot. There had been many myths about the dead man which were dispelled. His hair and fingernails do not grow. The body shrinks every year making the hair and nails longer. He was a white man , 37 years of age, 5' 10" and weighted 127 pounds. The formula that was injected into him has made his skin tone darker. We were told that every few years they give him a new pair of pajamas to ware.
Around 1994, the Auman Family sold the business to Service Corporation International, the largest funeral and cemetery company in the world. Theodore C. Auman III remains as president and manager. It was rumored, Stone (Man) Willie would be buried. Last week a call was made to Auman's and they said Willie was indeed still there but he is no longer available to be viewed.

As they say in Berks County.

It don't matter.

Here are some classic berks County Quotes about the Stone Man

Here is another cool story about Berks oddities.

I Read I Remember I Forget

“The Other” is a novel about a Kurt who goes off the rails and ends up living as a hermit in a remote forest in Washington State. The author is David Guterson, of “Snow Falling on Cedars” fame. The recluse is John William Barry, sole heir to a banking and timber fortune. John William, as his friends call him, is as old-school Seattle as it gets. His great-great-grandfather was a member of the Denny Party, whose members founded the city in 1851. In the Northwest, this is akin to Mayflower lineage. John William is a smart, troubled rich kid who loathes phonies and sellouts, beginning with his own “weaseling, demonic forefathers.” He’s the kind of guy who drops acid and chants, “No escape from the unhappiness machine.”

Well I was sitting and reading the back credits after finishing this book and I can honestly say I loved "Our Lady of The Forest" but I have very little recollection of it. So I took some notes on "The Other".

There are certain scenes from this book that stick in my head especially one of the opening scenes where JW and the author (Countryman) battle for 5th pace in a high school track meet. Its funny how friendships start and friendships endure.

Its a juxtaposition between building a life and building a cave and just plain hiding in it. Its also a nice little reflection how Seattle used to be before Microsoft and Starbucks, but more importantly it is a homage to male friendship. In this busy world it is a rarity that relationships endure years and obstacle, but somehow it works here.

"The Other" hints at portraying JW as a hero but I kind of view his as a completely wasted life, and more specifically a more wasted life lived by JW's father. He had a lot of money and a lot of luck but very little skills as a parent and a mentor. like the German population under Hitler, he just let it happen as a passive participant.

Snow Falling on Cedars was fantastic. I also believe that book was the right book at the right time but. "The Other" probably is a better book. There is plenty to glean from it it and some imagery I may never forget.

I need to get my brothers opinion.

107 Degrees of Supination

Okay I get it. It is hot. We have a family tradition of punching somebody in the arm when they state the obvious. I have heard the statement "boy it is hot" so many times. I do not even hear it any more. I only punch family.

Today it is going to be 108. How does 108 differ from 105. In my opinion it doesn't. Your just one more day sick of it. I did get out for a bike ride today and you know what, it is no big deal. It's kind of like riding a horse in the old west. it is dusty and you are thirsty.

According the New York Times "Media and Advertising: This is Coors approach to advertising.

The campaign is meant to tease beer drinkers, piquing their curiosity until the introduction on May 15 of what Coors Light is calling cold-activated cans: The mountains on the cans’ labels turn from white to blue when the beer is the right (cold) temperature for drinking. The cans are a companion to the cold-activated Coors Light bottles introduced in 2007.

The imbiber needs insurance that their beer is actually cold. I can not believe that Coors is actually fawning to the idiot that lie with in us all. I will make no opinions or judgements. I just simply refuse to drink that stuff.

Now I need somebody to tell me when it is actually hot. I have a Bangles song stuck in my head. That should tell me it is hot.

Close your eyes and give me your hand

Do you feel my heart beating, do you understand?

Do you feel the same, am I only dreaming

Or is this burning an eternal flame?

I think my brain caught on fire.

Blind as Hell Faith

OREGON CITY, Ore. -- A Clackamas County jury on Thursday found Carl and Raylene Worthington not guilty of manslaughter in the death of their toddler daughter.

Carl Worthington was found guilty of criminal mistreatment, a misdemeanor carrying a maximum sentence of a year in jail. Sentencing was set for July 31. Raylene Worthington was found not guilty of that charge.

The Worthingtons, who believe in faith healing, were charged in the death of their 15-month-old daughter Ava, who died on a Sunday evening in March 2008.
The jury's verdict was read in the Clackamas County Courthouse in Oregon City Thursday afternoon, seven days after the jury began deliberation.

-------------------

Okay enough said. I do not believe this couple killed their child and I am a bit mixed if the the punishment actually fits the crime.

But think for a minute;

What would have this ruling been if the Religion in question was of Islam, Buddhism or Hinduism. I believe the ruling would have been drastically different. I literally believe this jury in Suburban middle America would have thrown the book at them but since this is a case involving Christian based religion the sentence came out accordingly.

We have schools that teach abstinence and feel it is the best way to not get pregnant. We have schools that teach that evolution is a myth. As long as it is based on a Christian religion its okay to do so. Same thing for this bizarre case.

If we march a man into War and he is killed there is no crime committed. I guess the same can my concluded in this case here. The jury is still out on that. Actually on second thought, The jury has ruled. And in my opinion. They did not get it right? And I have faith in that.

Jurors saw the Worthingtons as loving, caring parents, said 25-year-old juror.

I see them as negligant, and out of touch. With a life time of regret they must live with. and if they can live with themselves. I still have a problem with it.

If another non Christian faith came along and said, "The after life is so much more beautiful" ; we did the best we can. This would have been an even quicker trial with a different out come.

Life Shaking Music We are Going Nightswimming

We all have memories to songs that can not be explained. But when we can explain them it makes a bit of sense. But there is also a lot that goes unexplained.

I am a huge R.E.M. fan and I would always buy their music the day it came out. I still remember the day I was introduced to R.E.M. I was in grad school at William and Mary and quirky bird named Amy deposited in my pocket a cassette tape of both the Murmurs" and "Reckoning" cds. It was like a drug deal . But I loved that music more than anything. In retrospective that little cd influenced my musical taste from that day forward.

Somewhere along the line the CD "Automatic for the People" came out. It was a stretch of my life where I was busy raising kids and I bought the cd the day it came out as usual but I never really had a chance to listen to it. Really listen to it.

Somewhere along the line the song sunk in. I have no idea where. Seriously I listened to that CD occasionally over the years and I liked it but no particular track stuck out.

Then I saw it played live. Mike Mills on the piano and Stipe on vocals. it was at a half filled Clark County amphitheater. Wilco opened that night. WTF. But that performance literally brought me to tears. It was one of the most beautiful songs I have ever seen done in concert. I had tears running down my cheecks.

My fiance and I were deciding what song to dance to at our wedding. I suggested Nightswimming. I do not believe that Jenna had ever heard the song before. It had no particular meaning to our relationship. But its the prettiest song on the planet.

So an a picture perfect spring day the opening piano bars to NightSwimming once again brought tears to my eyes. It may have been the 5 of the happiest minutes in my life dancing to Nightswimming with my new wife.

Nightswimming, remembering that night.
September's coming soon.
I'm pining for the moon.
And what if there were two
Side by side in orbit
Around the fairest sun?
That bright, tight forever drum
Could not describe nightswimming.