Silent House

This song is about a loved one who is suffering from Alzheimer's Disease. I think it can apply to anyone who misses someone else.

Apocalypse Soon

The Baneblade

Uncle Joe

Tough day for the whole family.

Schadenfreude

Couldn't have happened to a nicer team...



Meanwhile, BG takes down another Big-10 team. Hooray for the little guys!

Kelleys Island

Had a great time in Chicago.  But before I get to that adventure, here is a quick recap of the trip Sarah and I took to Kelleys Island.

We packed up some snacks and water and headed for Marblehead to catch the ferry to the island.  We had a nice a drive out Rt. 2 with wonderful weather.  We enjoyed the boat ride and arrived at the island ready to go exploring.  But first, we had to secure a bike rental for Sarah (I brought my bike over on the ferry).  Once that was taken care of, we were off in earnest.

We made our first stop at the glacial grooves.  After exploring around there for a bit we headed to the beach.  We had no intention of swimming; instead we parked the bikes and took a walk down the small beach.  We walked out on a long outcropping where Sarah discovered a water snake sunning on some rocks.

After a bit, we got back on the bikes and proceeded to a butterfly house.  It was small, but they had a nice collection of butterflies.  From there, we biked to a nature trail.  We spent an hour or so on the trail (taking a nice rest at the lookout platform).

After that, we made a brief visit to an abandoned quarry.  We would've liked to have spent some more time there, but we were starting to get worn down by the heat.  So we biked back to the downtown area and began to investigate our dinner options.  We have two very picky diets to plan for, but we finally found a place that suited us.  We enjoyed a nice meal (and I enjoyed a rum & coke that was way too strong).  

After dinner, we made a lazy walk back towards the pier.  Since we missed the previous ferry, we had time to visit inscription rock where we were delighted by the antics of the swallows who had made nests in the covering over the rock.  We watched as they zipped around low over the water snatching bugs as they went.  They would land at their nests just long enough to deliver the yummy food to the babies in the nests before taking off for another sortie.

Then it was time to catch the boat for the mainland.  We enjoyed watching the sun set into the lake as a great day drew to a close.

Here are the pictures from the day:

On the boat to Kelleys!



In the butterfly house.

An abandoned stone quarry.
At the quarry.

They are very serious about sidewalk use.
The ferryboat moored.
The harbor at Kelleys.
Inscription Rock.

Sunset at the harbor.



On the boat home.  Hot & tired, but a great day.
Enjoying the sunset on the boat ride.
Perry's Victory Monument visible in the distance.


The day draws to a close.

Lake Eries snuffs out the sun.

Heading to Chicago...

...for the weekend. Adele and I are taking the megabus to visit Carla. Going to hang out in the city friday night and saturday. On sunday...

SG-1!

A Few Pics From SC

We visited a firefighting museum.  I want my own special parking spot!

One of the boys Sarah babysits.  He is adorable!

Another of the boys.  He didn't want to go at first, but he seemed to like the neat hat!

Everybody gets to try on the hat!

A Few Pics From SC

A view of the Yorktown from the deck of a tall ship.

It was grey and windy that day.  A storm blew in later, canceling the baseball game we wanted to attend.

A few Pics From SC

A rescued red tail.

Sarah looking for toads.

A very strange looking tortise.

A Few Pics From SC

We visited an aquarium in downtown Charleston.  We saw a dolphin swimming in the bay.

Sarah makes a new friend!

Sorry, babe.  No prince for you. I'm afraid you're stuck with me!

The Troubles

I love this song, this band, this singer, this video. I've always meant to read more about "the troubles"of Northern Ireland. It's one of those subjects that defies a clear understanding as an outsider. I would imagine that we are creating a similar situation in Iraq. That's a lovely thought, eh?

Favorite Things....

I had a copy of this song on cassette from way back when. I had no idea where it came from, when it was recorded, etc. It's a duet of Natalie Merchant (along with 10,000 Maniacs) and Michael Stipe of R.E.M singing "Candy Everyone Wants." It's a fantastic song. I love the Maniacs' sound and instrumentation - they certainly were unique. Anyway, as it turns out, this was a live performance at President Clinton's inauguration. It's certainly not the best performance you'll ever see, but you can see how much fun everyone is having.

Soda v Pop v Coke

This is the most interesting thing I have ever seen.

Ye gods

Dangerous.

Kent State

Today is Kent State Day.

I saw this picture on display at the Ohio Historical Center a while back and would like to share it with you all. Her name is Sandra Scheuer and she was one of the students killed. Something about this photo grabbed my attention and stuck with me. Maybe it's the way she stares directly into the camera?

My Favorite Things

Here's another song I enjoy. This one is by Beth Orton. Her videos tend to be a little strange and this one is no exception. I'm not complaining about Beth walking around in her underwear though.

My favorite things

That last article I posted is really depressing. This should lighten things up a bit.

I've discovered the joy of youtube. I've found all sorts of live performances and videos that I've never seen before. It's a real treasure trove. I thought that I would post some of my favorites.

This first one is from a band called Mazzy Star. People sometimes confuse the band's name with the lead singer, Hope Sandoval. (I did at first.) This is a live performance of "blue flower." I adore Sandoval's voice and the way she tries her best to disappear on stage. She seems to be trying to hide behind her hair and the mic stand, all the while clutching her tambourine like a security blanket. I have no idea how much of it is authentic versus manufactured stage presence, but that's the way she looks in just about any live performance I've seen.

I find myself listening to this song quite a bit, regardless of mood, time of day etc, but I think I enjoy it most in the morning just after waking up. It's a great way to start the day. It's also a good car song. Very driveable.

The live version is a bit laid back. None of the band members seems to have much of a stage presence, but that's ok, since Hope is a cutie and the bass player isn't bad either. Overall, it works.

This is really scary

This is the scariest thing I've read in a long time. What's especially worriesome is the bush administration and the republican controlled congress have been de-regulating and underfunding the departments we depend on to keep us safe (or appointing political flunkies to lead them). FEMA, FDA, EPA, the list goes on and on. Remember the tainted spinach? How about the farce involving the approval of the "morning after" pill? What about "heckuva job, Brownie," the horse lawyer who was at the helm of FEMA while New Orleans was washed off the map? Everything this administration touches turns to shit. It's like the anti-Midas touch. Thank god we elected some grownups last fall to reign this in....

http://www.horsesass.org/?p=2861

Feeling pretty good...

..about my decision. I was afraid I would be doing a lot of second guessing (not that I would EVER do anything like that...), but I am really comfortable with my choice. It was a good opportunity, but I don't think it was the right opportunity for me. I certainly would've learned a lot, but it would've been trial by fire for sure. There is still a lot that I would like to accomplish at WC. I am also afforded opportunities that would not have been available in MI. (training, networking, etc) Plus I wasn't thrilled with the location I would've been relocating to.

That's the short, short version. Thanks to all who chimed in, it actually did help to hear from multiple viewpoints.

In other news...I finally sold my soul to verizon and bought a cell phone. Email me if you'd like the number. My old number will stay active for the short term, but I plan on cancelling it before too long. No need to have two phones.

I get to see Sarah in a week. It has been way, way too long. Can't wait to see her.

Staying

I decided that I am really darn happy where I am.

Update

That museum I mentioned in my earlier post has contacted me. They have increased their salary and benefits offers. They have also indicated that they would be willing to offer a contract (which would do much for my piece of mind). They have addressed many of the concerns that I expressed. I am going to talk with them tonight to clear up a few other questions that I have.

So what do you all think? I am seriously considering taking the job.

Sticking around

For those that didn't know, I've been offered a job as Director at museum in western Michigan. For a variety of reasons, I've decided to decline that offer. While it would be nice to be in charge, I would basically have been in charge of myself. The organization is completely volunteer based. I also like the security and stability of my current job along with the generous benefits and time off. (I get at least 2 weeks vacation time a year plus boatloads of comp and sick time. This is important when you want to visit cute girls who live in South Carolina.) Add to the fact that would've been only a small pay raise and that it would be three hours away and you can see why I've decided to stay here.

For those who haven't heard about my adventure driving to the interview....

They got a lot of snow the day I was there for the interview. While I was driving to the museum, a semi-truck switched lanes in front of me. So I switched lanes as well. While doing that, I had a patch of ice/slush and went into a skid, probably around 60 mph. I managed to keep the car pointed in the right direction, but ended up in the median, narrowly missing a guard rail in the process. I also nearly ended up in the oncoming lane, but thankfully I was ok there too. The car came to rest in the median, with no apparent damage. There was no way I was going to be able to get the car out of the median, so I had to wait for a tow truck to winch me out. Before too long I was back on my way, a little shaken, but very thankful not to be hurt. As I drove away, I realized that I had the steering wheel over at 45 degree angle, but I was going straight. As it would turn out, I just needed a (severe) alignment correction. So I ended up staying in MI for an extra night. Alls well that ends well.

I guess I'm pretty comfortable with my decision. It does leave me with a bit more freedom if I should decide that I need to relocate in the next year or so.

Sunny SC

Still here in sunny SC. I was supposed to return to the great white north today, but the weather cancelled those plans. So I have to spend another night here in SC with Sarah. What a bummer. ;)

Have had a great week. Much more laid back than my last visit here, but we've had plenty of good times. Spent a lot of time outside. The weather has been in the mid sixties the entire time I've been here, although it did rain today.

I have pictures that I will post once I return home. Hopefully that will be tomorrow afternoon, but we will have to see. To all my friends back home, stay inside where it's warm!!

EVERYBODY PANIC

Idiocy in Action

Morons.
This sums up my feelings pretty well.

It must suck to be that scared all the time. I wonder if this climate of fear that has taken over our culture will ever pass? McCarthyism took about a decade to wind completely down, and that is the nearest example I can think of. (at least from our recent past)

It's amazing but I think the country responded much more rationally to the Civil War, when, you know, there was actual combat happening in the country, than we have to 9/11. At least in the Civil War the North invaded the correct country (the South) instead of, say, Canada.

Weekend in Asheville

I've been meaning to post some of the pictures I took during our weekend in Asheville. We rented a cabin in the outskirts of town, it was a nice little place. All the comforts of home and then some (satellite tv and a hot tub!). It even had a "fireplace."

We had a great time. It was very relaxing and the weather was great. We spent a lot of time outside wandering up and down some trails but spent time indoors as well. She worked on school stuff, I on painting.

It was totally worth the 9 hour drive. I get to see her again in 1 week, as I will be flying back to Charleston. Good times.

Cooking

Here's a virtual tour of the cabin starting with the kitchen. Sarah cooked a tasty dinner saturday night.

Fireplace

This is the strange little electric firplace space heater. It was marginally effective, but gets points for effort.

The Living Room

The Dining area and Kitchen

The View of the Back Porch

The creek

The cabin was very isolated. At times the only thing you could hear was this small brook that ran in front of the place. It was ver, very quiet and a little unsettling at times. I loved it.

Mountain Climbing

Ok, so it wasn't much of a mountain. But it's certainly bigger than any hills I'm used to! The weather was great and we spent most of saturday outside. As we were making our way up, we would occasionally pass signs that reminded us that we were in nature, and there might be bears lurking about. Didn't see any though. Good times.

My Girl

Sunset in the Blue Ridge Mountains

What a beautiful place.

Sarah cooking dinner after I arrived in Charleston.

Sarah being cute (she's good at that). This was before she realized and accepted the fact that that I was going to do the tourist thing and take a lot of pictures. We ate at this restaurant my first full day in SC. Seeing as I was in the south, I decided that fried chicken and sweet tea would be the best way to go. I wasn't disappointed. I also sampled some fried green tomatoes. They weren't too bad.