Father's Day

Here it is, father's day and I am sad. Sad because My old man is dead and gone. I am amazed how many things I learned from my old man, things I didn't even know I learned until bang there it was. My dad was not really old but I was really young and what does a young man know about life? He did whatever he needed to do for his family. He worked hard, drank harder and rarely played but when he did he played hardest of all.
I learned right from wrong, truth and compassion from my old man. He taught me to be fair and watch out for those who couldn't watch out for themselves. I never had to wonder if my old man loved me. He loved us all even when we hated him. No strings attached to his love.
Some dad's are not so loving. I thank goodness that I had a dad who was.
My son and daughter called me today to wish me a happy father's day and I felt great.
Have you called your Dad? Do it now.

Tired of living? It's easy to do.

Wild horses couldn't drag me away from you. I look forward to each and every day knowing you are there. How lucky am I? Things are good even when they suck. I don't need a magician to know my future is bright.

Memorial Day

Remember all those in our country's service especially those in harms way.

happy Mother's Day

Hi Mom, Have a great Mother's day.
Have you called your Mother today to tell her how much she means to you?
Do it now!

The Rockettes

I have some wonderful memories of Radio City Music Hall. I was 8 or 9 when My family brought us to see the Christmas spectacular and I was amazed at all that I saw. Animals and people on stage and the whole Christmas theme just blew my mind. Then the "Rockettes" came on stage and that was all she wrote! They were and continue to be just beyond words. Their costumes and their precision are something to behold. My favorite was always the march of the wooden soldiers. Watching them fall one by one was a sight to behold and one that remains with me to this day.
My family went to the Easter show a few years later but that first visit is the one I will always remember.
When my children were about the same age we took them to witness the spectacular for themselves and I was able to witness the wonder all over again thru their eyes. My children are grown now but we still talk about the Spectacular from time to time especially around Christmas and Easter.
I was listening to NPR yesterday and heard that there are auditions for the Rockettes yesterday and call backs today. Good luck to all those who dream of becoming a "Rockettes".

R and R

Oh my goodness how I need some rest and relaxation! The world is going way too fast and I just need to get off for a short time. You know how it is sometimes you just want to veg and slide into another reality. I need to just not think for awhile. So until my brain kicks back into think mode I am gone.

Here comes the Sun

Today as I walked ouside I chanced to look up and there it was, right there where it belongs doing what it does best. Yes the Sun was shinning brightly and I could feel it's warmth on my otherwise cold face. to quote the beatles "little darling it feels like a long cold lonely winter, it feels like years since you've been here". Welcome back I missed you!

In Memoriam

I want to extend my deepest sympathies to the students and families of Virginia Tech.

Rainy day

The world has gone crazy! Weather, seasons, and people all crazy!

Blogs Unite Against Iraq War

"One Million Blogs for Peace" movement began on Iraq War's fourth anniversary with 217 blogs. They hope to have 1,000,000 strong by the fifth anniversary.



read more | digg story

Easter

Easter is almost here and I hope everyone has a safe and happy Holiday.
May the chocolate bunnies and the jelly beans be calorie free and may you Easter eggs be as colorful as the rainbow.
If you remember pause a moment as think of those serving our country to preserve our freedoms.

I -vs- We

Language can be confusing at times. Have you ever listened to someone who was responding to a question that you thought had a simple answer and were shocked to learn it was not so simple after all? What about trying to get answer to who was responsible for something? I have noticed the all of a sudden I begin to hear a very passive "we" instead of "I".
I struggle we responsibility at times, we( see I did it here) all do for many different reasons but in general I do own what I do. How easy it is to use the passive "we" to hide ourselves when confronted with our actions. I was listening to Public radio today and almost every politician used "we" instead of I when answering questions of any kind, never mind the questions asking who was at fault. It seems the only time our elected officials use "I" is when they want our vote and then it seems they lose the "I" and go back to the "we" after the election.
Now that the 2008 presidential election has started I will be interested in how those seeking election choose their words. Will they use I or we? Time will tell and we have almost a year and a half until the election.

A day of rest and a day of work

Sundays have always been a day to sleep in and then have brunch with friends. My parents were not much on Brunch. As a kid I had to go to church at 8am each Sunday or there would be hell to pay Monday when the nuns would ask why I was absent. Believe me there was no good answer to that question.
After Mass my mom would cook breakfast for all of us. Eggs, bacon, sausage, rolls, butter and assorted jams and jellies coffee for my dad and mom, the kids got milk. The conversation was very brief and usually restricted to sports. Dad was a Yankee fan. A big Yankee fan! So as you might guess I am a huge Yankee fan.
When I was young we spent the day pouring over the newspaper my parents reading the news and my siblings and I reading the funny pages. Then the games would come on the radio and after 1959 TV. We also went to Yankee stadium many a Sunday to watch the Yankees play ball. Most Sundays mom would head to the kitchen to begin Sunday supper as we watched the game. Soon the whole apartment would begin to smell great. I would become distracted by the cooking and wander into the kitchen and help mom peel potatoes and watch as she made bread. As a reward I would get to lick the bowl after she made a cake or some other sweet thing.
I remember my parents having parties with music and dancing. Singing songs from the old country, mostly Irish, sung by men with the sweetest voices I have ever heard. When I was around 12 or 13 guests asked me to sing a song for them and I sang a German song that my mom used to sting as I grew up and I loved. There were lots of kids at the parties and we all sang or danced the entire night. Music was always part of the parties and always sung live by friends and family. These were my first concerts, my first music heroes. I never learned to play an instrument and have always envied those who could. I will sing every once in a great while more for my own enjoyment than those who listen.

Blogs for Peace

If you have a blog please join the growing list here. One million blogs for peace.

Those were the days

My Mom used to cut chicken, chop eggs and spread mayo on the same cutting board with the same knife and no bleach, but we didn't seem to get food poisoning.
My Mom used to defrost hamburger on the counter AND I used to eat it raw sometimes, too. Our school sandwiches were wrapped in wax paper in a brown paper bag, not in icepack coolers, but I can't remember getting e-coli.
Speaking of school, we all said prayers and sang the national anthem, and staying in detention after school caught all sorts of negative attention.
We must have had horribly damaged psyches. What an archaic health system we had then. Remember school nurses? Ours was a Nun.

We played 'king of the hill' on piles of snow left by the Sanitation Department, and when we got hurt, Mom pulled out the 48-cent bottle of Mercurochrome (kids liked it better because it didn't sting like iodine did) and then we got our butt spanked.
Now it's a trip to the emergency room, followed by a 10-day dose of a $49 bottle of antibiotics, and then Mom calls the attorney to sue the City for leaving a horribly vicious pile of snow where it was such a threat.

To top it off, not a single person I knew had ever been told that they were from a dysfunctional family. How could we possibly have known that?

How did we ever survive?

St. Patricks Day

May the Irish hills caress you.
May her lakes and rivers bless you.
May the luck of the Irish enfold you.
May the blessings of Saint Patrick behold you.

I wanna be sedated

Ever get the feeling. It creeps up on you from time to time. One minute your fine then BAM! I wanna be sedated, I want to leave the real world far behind. Wouldn't it be nice. The Ramones had the right idea.

Ten Years After - I'm Going Home (live Woodstock '69)

When I got my orders to "go home" My buddies paid some band to play this song for me. The band did a horrible job but hell I was heading back HOME. I was so happy I cried like a baby. Enough said.

Edmund Fitzgerald

Gordon Lightfoot at his best.

Taking It to the Streets

Remember when?