something

Why Why Why Why all this pompous scratching, all these cloned signs demanding that their noone is someone that you should make someone more.

How ridiculous is that? Why do I want to take your noone and then make him into a someone? Wouldn't  it make more sense for him to become a someone on his own in noble worldly ways so that the common man can support somoene and not trust those nothings turned to somethings by somoene else?

Why waste all that hope and optimism on liars! Such great culture, such diverse paths, such individual lives lived and saints walk the land, but the idiocy says you must recant - you must instead choose those approved by the machine. I will not choose the wisdom of the political machine when this something was once nothing duped us all. Once a liar - always a liar.

If you've been in love

If you've been in love then you know what it is to stare at the wall, stare into space, stare into your soul and miss miss miss your other. Whether it's an eighth grade crush or your husband, that desire and longing is what makes love so much more powerful than hate.

Wedding

Monday is the end of a big weekend for me; my brother married and I saw everyone in my family for the first time in nearly three years. While uneventful (mostly - I'll spare you the comments a few of my more choice family members sent my way), I am emotionally exhausted. Dealing with those that challenged me, and having to challenge myself, wore me out. Still, I'm glad I made it up there and helped my brother have a special weekend.

Leaving Everything?

I'm back from a weekend in the woods, where I took one of my classes on a ten mile hike on the AT and a jaunt through an abandoned WWII POW (later church) camp that has since been reclaimed by forest.

Central to our experience was using travel narratives to explore social studies content (in this case we modeled a westward expansion unit). We searched for meaning in attempting to uncover the truth and emotion behind the question, 'what does it mean to leave everything behind and travel into the unknown?'

I'm struck by the depth of the question, even unintentionally, as we think of those lost in nature, lost in themselves, or those that left their home for war and found themselves not in Germany, but in a small county in Pennsylvania, in the middle of forest, with nowhere to go for miles around. What drives us to to make these choices? What drives others to make these choices for us, whether politicians or land-owners, slave masters or tribal chiefs?

Survival is central to this theme, but then I wonder...where does learned helplessness fit? Not everyone survives....what allows some to make the impossible journey and what holds others to doom and death?

Reason and Passion

     And the priestess spoke again and said: Speak to us of Reason and Passion.
     And he answered, saying:
     Your soul is oftentimes a battlefield, upon which your reason and your judgement wage war against your passion and your appetite.
     Would that I could be the peacemaker in your soul, that i might turn the discord and the rivalry of your elements into oneness and melody.
     But how shall I, unless you yourselves be also the peacemakers, nay, the lovers of all your elements?

~ Kahlil Gibran, The Prophet
---
I'd like to return with some grand revelation or some marvelous experience to share, some vision of where I've been, what I've been thinking, and how I'm me, but also not me, but I return as I left. 

Friends lament the never-ending flow of words and ideas, the crowding out of nature and time with too many voices and obligations, but I  have stopped listening to myself and choose to ignore whatever secrets my soul whispers in the loud and quiet times of life. I live and do that which defines living, but I hide from life.

It's a strange thing, but I find myself here again without knowing why.

Gravedigger

  For what is it to die but to stand naked in the wind and to melt into the sun?
  And what is it to cease breathing but to free the breath from its restless tides, that it may rise and expand and seek God unencumbered?

  Only when you drink from the river of silence shall you indeed sing.
  And when you have reached the mountain top, then you shall begin to climb.
  And when the earth shall claim your limbs, then shall you truly dance.
~ Kahlil Gibran, The Prophet

Spasmodic convulsion (first draft)
Every neck muscle about to pop,
Ligaments scream in agony,
Flop sweat stings wide open eyes
of terror and fear.

I gasp for clean cool air and it crashes
Into my throat as broken glass,
Gouging and tearing flesh; a large
Mouthed bass hooked in the eyes on the
Bottom of the boat.

My violent shakes and protests
Give way to gray and the agonizing
Paralyzing fear of suffocation.
Soon I will be in the hands of the Gravedigger.

Courage is closed until I find freedom, courage, and strength to write for me as I see the world.

Perhaps I'll see you as the tides turn and sea becomes shore.

Charley

Giving up

Who is in denial? Both sides in this debate drive me bananas. On the right we have our warmongering Haliburton loving hawks who like nothing better than getting a hard on over the latest 'drone' weapon to come out of Pentagon over-spending. On the left we have people that voted to go to war, but have sensed popular opinion changing and realize that instead of having an agenda for the United States they can simply repeat what the average television soaked rat-infested city dwelling 'intellectual' considers morally right.

Is Iraq in civil war? You bet. Are we 'winning'? What's left to 'win'? Are we 'losing'? Well, when you had no real objective and withdrawal plan before you attacked I'm guessing this is an easy question to dodge.

Still - the war in Iraq and its instability is of our making. Oppressive inhumane dictator or not, Saddam kept the peace. When you topple the only thing keeping people under control, what did you expect? Conf and red/white/blue bunting hanging from the minarets of every mosque?

Please.

We have a moral obligation NOT to leave. I hate that Americans are dying for that lying, manipulative douche in the White House (Dick Cheney, not Bush; Bush is too stupid to know right from wrong), but when you upset the apple cart you have a responsibility to right it as best you can. We've not done that.

Now, we're trying to do the bare minimum and not look completely incompetent in the process. Yeah, it's not working. Our hawks are fine being hawkish as long as they don't piss off too many conservatives. Buck up, admit that we screwed the pooch and do what we have to do to restore order.

By the way, that's going to mean calling in the U.N.

Tags: Courage, Iraq, Denial

Entertainment News- Novelist Kurt Vonnegut Dies at Age 84 - AOL News

Entertainment News- Novelist Kurt Vonnegut Dies at Age 84 - AOL News : There is no joy in mudville.

Stretch your mind and read his works. He'll challenge you to think differently about who you are and what you believe....

and you might come out the other side feeling and believing something new, or you might just strengthen your core philosophy.

Tags: Courage

Triumph

ADAA "Triumph" Wristbands   Wear "Triumph" to show your support & let people know they are not alone.
Through research, education and treatment, the Anxiety Disorders Association of America has been improving lives and providing hope for 25 years for the more than 40 million adult Americans suffering from panic disorder, obsessive-compulsive disorder, posttraumatic stress disorder, generalized anxiety disorder, social anxiety disorder and phobias.
Stay involved all year by signing up for ADAA's e-Newsletter, Triumph! - a free resource about anxiety disorders. Subscribe at www.adaa.org

If you would like a band, please send me your name and address. I'm happy to send you one.

Charley

Global Warming

After a recent comment, I feel it crucial to point out that:

a) my environmentalist concerns are not political concerns. I don't care who is in charge as long as they aren't ignorant enough to think that six billion people (and increasing at hereto unthought of rates) don't impact the world in an unintended and negative way. How many grains of sand does it take to tip a balance?

b) I don't care who is promoting the global warming or environmentalist cause (left or right) but the reality is as global citizens we have a moral and ethical responsibility to be stewards of what we've been given. To honestly look at what we've done to our own ability to live well on the earth, as a species, and not shake our heads is insanity. I don't understand why we're the only species that craps where it eats, sleeps, and reproduces.

Finally

It's here, and finally I can get two hours of peace every night as I lose myself in numbers and statistics. This is a family tradition taught to me by my dad, who was taught by his dad. It's something I learned next to him at my first major league ball game. He did this for me when I played baseball, and we did it together when we watched.

I never felt closer to him then at those moments. No arguments or walls between us. Just baseball.

http://hometown.aol.com/Cdittric77/test.pdf

Tags: Courage, Baseball

Global Warming Article- Scientists Approve Global Warming Report - AOL Research & Learn

Global Warming Article- Scientists Approve Global Warming Report - AOL Research & Learn : When bad things start to happen, and the government continues to support big business, oil, and traditional power supplies, remember that they butchered this report. Remember that our government negotiated to weaken the results of our own ineptitude.

Stop being an ostrich with its head in the sand. Be a leader.

Reckless Roaming

Reckless roaming in empty mind spaces, just hoping to stumble.

There are thoughts inevitable, pathways we must trod, prisoner to them without intent or design or even true desire.

Why struggle against that which is, behind clarity and fake bullshit appeasement? We are truthful, unique, bent forceful passionate insane and more real than sunlight or freshly turned earth.

There is no scent of green grass for us, no blossomed cherry tree, free of beauty we see ugly, feel pain, choose it to be it, to struggle with inside to better know outside

To make excuses we smile false smiles and write for false gods but find ourselves unwilling apostles but talking two faced and nodding all the time, still roaming recklessly in empty mind spaces.

----

First draft. In image:

http://hometown.aol.com/Cdittric77/reckless+roaming.pdf

Tags: Courage

An inconvenient truth

Reports from four fronts in the war on warming.

Justices Say E.P.A. has power to act on harmful gases.

Expert predicts very active hurricane season.

An Inconvenient Truth. Watch it, and then take action.

Tags: Courage, Global Warming, An Inconvenient Truth

Tortured Genius

You Are 70% Tortured Genius

You are smart. Brilliant in fact. And while it's a blessing, it's also a curse. Your head is filled with everything - grand ideas, insufferable worries, and a good deal of angst.

Are You a Tortured Genius?

The quiet and shared night

The quiet and shared night : The Blogfather has given us his weekend assignment - which time of day is your favorite?

I'm dredging up a past post for my answer. In the night under clouds or moon or stars I can feel the earth breathe. Concrete and asphalt shudders and settles, weary after a long day. The trees drink deep of quiet air and speak to one another on the wind. The grass naps in quiet slumber after a day spent praising the sun, and animals come or go as their way and nature permits.

I love the night, walking without direction or guidance. I feel my feet connect to the earth in a way more sincere than any I've ever felt; no light, no sight, just smell, taste, and touch. My soul seeps down my legs, through my shoes and joins creation in a silent celebration of unity and life.

Sometimes, being an insomniac isn't so bad. :)

Tags: Weekend Assignment, Courage, Insomnia

Dali does me

Who Should Paint You: Salvador Dali

You're a complex, intense creature who displays many layers. There's no way a traditional portrait could ever capture you!

What Artist Should Paint Your Portrait?

 

Via: Patrick

Tags: Courage, Patrick's Place

Full Time Dad Wanted

Full Time Dad Wanted : Mary posted this entry, and really if you want to know what love is, truly is, take a gander at at the post. More after the jump.

Tags: Courage, love

The news?!?!?!?!?!?&*^#$(&*(#!

Oh, what we call the news!

What We Call the News | Send To Friends | Funny Animations at JibJab

Via: JibJab

Tags: Jib Jab, Courage, News

Donkey or Elephant?

You Are 32% Republican

You're a bit Republican, and probably more conservative than you realize. If you're still voting Democrat, maybe it's time that you stop.

How Republican Are You?

You Are 64% Democrat

You have a good deal of donkey running through your blood, and you're proud to be liberal. You don't fit every Democrat stereotype, but you definitely belong in the Democrat party.

How Democrat Are You?

 

Now, if only they had a pro-life democratic party, I'd be all set :).

Tags: blogthings, courage

What's in a name?

Via Dawn - every answer must start with the first letter of your first name.

Your Name: Charley

Famous Music artist/group: Coors, The ;)

3 letter word: Cat. I have two of them, Ulysses and Shiloh. They show up in my journal every now and again.

Color: Canary

Gift/present: Cap, as in baseball :).

Vehicle: Corvette, or the Corsair.

TV Show: Crossing Jordan.

Country: Congo

Boy's Name: Carl.

Girl's Name: Constance.

Alcoholic drink: Car bomb.

Occupation: Car Salesman

Flower: Crocus.

Celebrity: Charlie Chaplin.

Food: cuscous.

Something found in a kitchen: crockpot.

Reason for Being Late: car sickness.

Something You Shout: CRAP!

Countdown

The best news I've gotten in quite some time :):

From: Steve Kohlreiter
Subject: Countdown

Greetings: 
 
There are just 10 days until opening day of the baseball season for the 
New York Yankees!!! 
 
Steve K 
 
-------------------------------------------------------------- 
To signoff the YANKEES list, send 'signoff YANKEES' to: 
listserv@apple.ease.lsoft.com 
-------------------------------------------------------------- 

Tags: Yankees, Baseball, MLB

Just because he's awesome

Tags: Chris Cornell

Planes, Trains, and Automobiles

Back home in small town Pennsylvania after a draining weekend of delayed and canceled flights, impromptu mini-van rentals, closed highways, snow, ice, late night stays in cheap run-down Days Inns, and the complaints of twelve students.

Woo.

Still, my time in Portland was amazing (if not tiring!); the artful learning model they have in place works wonders and has created a school climate I only ever dreamed of seeing. It was a privilege to be there working with those teachers, their students, and even the students from my class.

I've posted the complete album from my trip; enjoy knowing that I've spared you from the three hours of video that I took.

Charley

Tags: Portland, Leonard Bernstein Center for Artful Learning

A few shots from Portland

Just a few images from Portland, where I am until Friday. I'm working at a fabulous middle school here.

Sunrise

Sunrise is the time to feel thaqt you will be able to find out how to help somebody close to you who you think needs help even if he doesn't think so. At sunrise everything is luminous, but not clear.

'A River Runs Through It', by Norman Maclean

Murderer

A snippet:

From John Taylor Gatto (1992) via Ayers (1995)

...the real lessons of American schooling, things like hierarchy and y our place in it, indifference, emotional and intellectual dependency, provisional self-esteem, and the need to submit to certified authority. For many students the experience of schooling is just this: Nothing of real importance is ever undertaken, nothing is ever connected to anything else, nothing is ever pursued to its deepest limits, nothing is ever finished, and nothing is ever done with investment and courage. This may not be the intention of policy makers, politicians, or administrators; it is certainly not the hope of most parents and teachers. Yet it is often what children live and learn.

...in effect schools murder the souls and minds of children by design, and that we fight a guerrilla war against genocide in the classroom our entire lives - a war we are losing badly.

--

Refuse to be a murderer! Encourage creativity, spontaneity, self-discovery, discomfort and challenging student centered learning. Teach so that others teach themselves!

LD

Light and darkness are expressions of morality. When I stay true to Natural Law, I am good and all is well. When i violate Natural Law - putting myself putting my uncensored passions before what I know is right, then inevitably nature will return to bite me in the ass.

I'm fairly convinced that humanity's ability to rationalize is why we walk paths destined to lead to hurt and pain.

I love the Taoist concept of order and balance, but how do you reconcisle the balance of good and evil when Confucius places a strict order and responsibility based class-system into the family system?

Yet it is inevitable that mother nature brings herself back to balance, she is only forced to when i cast off one of my wings.

Mother Nature is perfect. My dark side is spittle in the face of creation.

But at the same time, I wonder if our own lives are defined by the challenges we choose to cretae. Is this why wrong feels so good? So that when I have the courage to confront myself I see how empty good is when compared to fulfillment?

To destroy

What woud you say if I told you chose that word very carefully? Writing is, for me, very often (if not all the time) a self-destructive activity. I very clearly understand the concept of deconstruction to better understand something (think of my prior post to you on Pain - it talks about our need to deconstruct pain and accept it), but that's not how I view my writing. My writing destroys myself. It shreds my soul, my mind, my thoughts. It drains me of who I am.

 

What I didn't write about in that entry was that I am then free to be someone, something, somewhere else. I don't need to understand what comes out of my writing, because I don't write for clarity or understanding - I write to destroy so that I might rebuild. Reflection (something which I love) is best achieved when we stretch beyond the analysis of a problem (it's deconstruction) and truly destroy it in critique and weigh its moral and ethical implications.

 

Only then, after I've destroyed can I see what havoc or beauty I wrought and then determine how best to move forward in life, as a person, as a soul.

 

Or are our concepts so tied together - that you deconstruct to understand, and I destroy to see clearer, which then allows me to rebuild in a fashion I choose........

Paper and soul

14 February, early morning, 2007

Rebecca, a valued reader of my blog has the gift of insight. So many of the things she sees or keeps on clean page beg for some day's future reflection.

Rebecca shared her insight with me after another reader of her journal took my comment and did an entry on just a few sentences. After a long entry about her writing, I tried to picture Rebecca hammering out words for an entry a keyboard.

My mind froze because I knew she preferred to honor her words on paper before she shared them with us. So out of curiosity and the need to picture the author's writing process, I asked what kind of notebooks she carried around to observe other people. 'I do that!' I quipped silently as I read her entry, and so I wa to see if any other similarities existed as we wrote. To find them would give me confidence even when it wasn't looked for.

7 March, late night, 2007

So the question remains - what paper do I use to write? The simple answer is that writing for me is a self-destructive process. Every entry, every post drains me of something else to say or think. And then, of course, it is too easy to forget and overlook what it means to put words on a page: conviction. So many people think, but so few have the conviction to write and place the soul on paper.

Voldemort was on to something when he trapped part of his soul in his diary. I look back at the scattered journals I keep and it's so very clear that they don't chronicle my life, they chronicle my soul.

On the practical side, my journal is lined, though only faintly, which is somehow fitting for my dual self. I tend to write in journals others give me, and I write in fits and starts, depending on my soul's need to speak.

For musings of the moment, or random jottings, I use a moleskine; can you really go wrong using the notebook of Picasso and Hemingway?

I have one preference for my journals, however. I always write in cursive and I always use an ink well and stylus. I feel a part of humanity partaking in the great tradition of correspondence when I put nib to paper.

On a side note, what do you do when  you become concerned you are both light and dark? Do you hate one and love the other? Hate both? Love both?

Tell us of pain

For a friend, and written by Kahlil Gibran:

And a woman spoke, saying, Tell us of Pain.
        And he said:
    Your pain is the breaking of the shell that encloses
your understanding.
    Even as the stone of the fruit must break, that
its heart may stand in the sun, so must you know
pain.
    And could you keep your heart in wonder at
the daily miracles of your life, your pain would
not seem less wondrous than your joy;
    And you would accept the seasons of your heart,
even as you have always accepted the seasons that
pass over your fields.
    And you would watch with serenity through
the winters of your grief.
    Much of your pain is self-chosen.
    It is the bitter potion by which the physician
within you heals your sick self.
    Thereofre trust the physician, and drink his
remedy in silence and tranquility:
    For his hand, though heavy and hard, is guided
by the tender hand of the Unseen,
    And the cup he brings, though it burn your lips,
has been fashioned of the clay which the Potter
has moistened with His own sacred tears.

Pitchers and catchers report today!

An email tht I received this moring; the best news you can possibly get every year:

From: steven.kohlreiter@VERIZON.NET
Subject: Pitchers and catchers report today!

The subject line says it all. Pitchers and catchers report TODAY! 
 
-------------------------------------------------------------- 
To signoff the YANKEES list, send 'signoff YANKEES' to: 
listserv@apple.ease.lsoft.com 
-------------------------------------------------------------- 

Blogthings

Two for today!

What Charley Means

C is for Cupcake H is for Honey A is for Almond R is for Rabbit L is for Love Bear E is for Eye Candy Y is for Yummy Kiss

What's Your Pet Name?

You Are 66% Misanthropic

Here's the truth: Most people suck. You are just lucky enough to know it. You're not ready to go live alone in a cave - but you're getting there.

How Misanthropic Are You?

Real Men

I've been busy, but this is something I saw and have harped on before, so I had to take a moment and at least bring this back to people's minds:

A friend of mine has contacts high up in the department of homeland security and he told me years ago in 2003 that the word in the department was that everyone wanted to go to Iraq, but real men wanted to go to Iran.

Sooner or later, it's going to happen. Everybody get ready for the return to Tehran.

Journal Tournament

I'll be playing in the next Journal Tournament. Will you?

Tags: Journal Tournament, Courage

The Pope has NOTHING on me!

You are a 98% traditional Catholic!

Congratulations! You are more knowlegeable than most modern theologians! You have achieved mastery over the most important doctrines of the Catholic Faith! You should share your incredible understanding with others!

Do You Know Your Baltimore Catechism?
Make Your Own Quiz

An Inconvenient Truth: Florida Storm Turns Deady

Two links - inextricably connected. Do something about your contribution, today - read the story, click this link, then act.

Tags: Global Warming, Florida, An Inconvenient Truth, Courage

Borderline?

Not Madonna, but Blogthings:

You Are 78% Borderline

Many signs point toward you having a borderline personality. It's probably a good idea to seek therapy. Or at least read a self help book.

Do You Have a Borderline Personality?

If only they knew my DSM IV number(s)! :)

Dawn's Meme

I pulled this meme from Dawn. She made it!

 

A     Apple or PC?

I’ve flirted with the idea of buying a Mac for productivity and general house use and having my machine be a gaming only rig, but haven’t pulled the trigger. For now, PC only.

 

B     Banking... online or in person, and if in person, drive thru or inside the bank?

Most of my banking is done online – very little is done in person, or even in drive-thru!

 

C     Coffee and Chocolate!  The two most important 'C's  Favorites please.

I’m a fan of any rich dark chocolate – I mean DARK chocolate. As for coffee, I’m a fan of the Seattle’s Best we have up the road at a little coffee joint.

 

D     Dogs.  Do you have one?  If yes, what kind and it's name and why you named it that.  If no, then if you had one what kind would you choose?

I don’t have a dog, actually, but if I did, I’d choose a Rhodesian Ridgeback; they are beautiful animals.

 

E     Elvis.  There was only one.  Favorite song, and if you ever or your parents ever, saw him live.

Never saw him live, though my mother-in-law had a ticket for the concert to be held right around when he died. As for my favorite Elvis song, I’m going with Satisfy Me J.

 

F     Flowers.  Do you have a favorite to receive and/or a favorite to give?

No favorite to receive, but I enjoy giving any kind, really.

 

G     Grandparents, do you have any left and if you are one, to how many?

I have two grandparents left, both on my mother’s side.

 

H     Handy or call for help?

Call for help – let the expert handle it; I’m not fool enough to waste my time learning to do something someone is better suited after an actual education.

 

I     IOU's any out there to a person, a friend or family?

I’ve got some IOU’s out there, and some have them out to me – what goes around, comes around, I say!

 

J     Jello.  Love it?  Hate it?  Favorite flavor?  With whipped cream or cool whip or neither?

Eh…..it’s not bad, and it’s not good….unless it’s chocolate pudding!

 

K     Kiss.  Do you remember your first real kiss?  Where, who?

Jen Gray, in the soup kitchen she and I worked at with our parents.

 

L     Language.  Do you speak any others?  Fluently or a little?

I’m passable at Russian, on a good day, and I can comprehend German, but can’t speak it as I lost most of the language to disuse

M     Mickey Mouse or Donald Duck?

Neither. I hate Disney.

 

N     Neighbors.  Do you know their names?  Occupations?  Phone numbers?  Or not?

I’m afraid I know nothing about them, and I’m not ashamed to admit I don’t care to, either. They are strange.

 

O     Olympics.  Do you watch?  Which is your favorite winter or summer?

I do watch and I prefer winter to summer.

 

P     Pluto.  What is your take on the planet being downgraded? 

I think it’s sad. Depressing, really.

 

Q     Quiche.  Have you ever had it?  Do you like it and what is your favorite?

I despise it, and yes I’ve had it.

 

R     Refrigerator.  Name three things in your refridgerator that you think are unusual.

Well, almost anything plastic counts, as just about anything we don’t want the cats to get goes in the fridge!

 

S     Safari.  Have you ever been to Africa on one?  A theme park version?

Done the theme park/zoo thing, but never been to Africa.

 

T     Telescope.  Have you ever looked thru a telescope? 

I have! I even owned one (a tiny one), and yes, I was a dork.

 

U     Umbrella.  Do you have one and what is its design?

I do. It’s orange and blue.

 

V     Vintage.  Do you have a favorite wine to share?  Or drink?

Eh. I enjoy a fine bottle of champagne, but wine doesn’t do much for me. I have had an Australian Riesling recently that was very good, though.

 

W     Willies.  What gives you the willies?  You know, that shudder you can't stop?

I HATE spiders. I will run like the wind to escape them!

 

X     X-ray.  Last one?  What body part and why?

I can’t remember this – my neck perhaps? A few years ago because I have some chronically sprained muscles close to my spine.

 

Y     Yolk.  How do you like your eggs?

I don’t like eggs J.

 

Z     Zodiac.  What's your sign and does it fit your personality, in your opinion?

I’m a Capricorn, and sometimes it does, sometimes it doesn’t!

A walk to The Spot

It's not going to be that cold I hear in my head, and I'm not going to need a jacket, but where is my hat? I have another one, all right I'm coming - quick, grab the garbage so you look like you're doing your part.

Why will he never fix this stupid door and why are these peanuts on the roof? Squirrels? Someone is feeding the squirrels on the roof? The roof? I am not sure what to make of that of that person of those squirrels of cracked shells and scattered crumbs in gutters and waiting on tar to be blown away.

I am an idiot I forgot my keys and I know if I say something I swallow my pride I always fight my pride it's a demon I cower in fright of. I am so glad she didn't make fun of me, I really am, and why am I always putting garbage in an overflowing dumpster?

I think it's cold, but not biting cold, just cold to feel the tips of my ears sharpen like ice cold razors cold and the sides of my neck tighten in heat cold. Warm coffee, always hotter than I want it to be coffee in a shop closing because its late but they have the paper! The Sunday Times! Light in a dark town!

This coffee is hot spilled and burning thumb. Time for it it's on my shirt and not my pants not my pants! Not my pants? Huh.

There is nothing like a warm walk in the cold and realizing that your heart is always beating with the heat of love and marriage. I love my wife even if I forget my keys.

-------

The weekend ends and I'm glad to find myself just about done. I have some planning to do in my Franklin Covey but then I'll be free to spend the rest of the night drinking tea and eating Bugles. Enjoy your Sunday night, all, and see you in the week!

Tags: Courage

The Web Celeb 25 - AOL Money & Finance

The Web Celeb 25 - AOL Money & Finance : If you're a web geek like me, this will definitely get you going. Look for another post later, should I catch up on all my school work.

Doh!

Tags: Courage, Forbes, Web Celeb 25, AOL Money & Finance

Snagged this from Confessions of a Hot Carmel Sundae:

1. Name a Catholic book that you want to share so much that you keep giving away copies: Crossing the Threshold of Hope, by JPII

2 Name a work of religious art you'd like to live with: Rembrandt's Descent from the Cross (I actually TOUCHED this painting!)

3. Name your favorite Catholic artist: Eh, I'm not particularly moved either way.

4. Name a work of Catholic fiction which has penetrated your real life: I'm going with non-fiction, because I can't get it out of my head: The Courage to be Catholic, by George Weigel

5. Name your favorite Catholic Musicians - male & female: Steven Curtis Chapman

6. Name your favorite musical: Les Miserables, Miss Saigon

7. Name a punch line that always makes you laugh: [during a written driving test]
Knock Knock!
Who's there?
Interrupting Cow
Interrupting......
MOOOOOOOOOOOO

Feel free to take and play along if you like :)

Tags: Catholic Meme, Courage

All the news not fit to print - 1/22/07

You have to make sure your dog is at least over three dog years before this treat!

You think your significant other has an unhealthy obsession? Think again!

Have you done your good deed today?

Creepy

Another virgin birth?

Tags: news, Courage

Blogthings bonanaza

Your Slanguage Profile

Aussie Slang: 50% Prison Slang: 50% British Slang: 25% Canadian Slang: 25% New England Slang: 25% Southern Slang: 0%

What Slanguage Do You Speak?

 

You Sometimes Don't Get Enough Sleep

You're often more tired than you'd like, and you're probably not getting enough quality sleep. Sleeping a little more could make you a lot more energetic and happy. Try having a bedtime, keep your bedroom cool, and only eat fruit before bed.

Do You Get Enough Sleep?

 

In 1977 (the year you were born)

Jimmy Carter becomes president of the US Most of the 10,000 Vietnam War draft evaders are pardoned by President Carter Singer Anita Bryant starts her "Save Our Children" crusade against gay rights Elvis Presley dies in his Graceland bathroom Congress creates a Department of Energy Anwar Sadat flies to Jerusalem in a dramatic gestureof willingness to discuss peace Orlando Bloom, Shakira, Sarah Michelle Gellar, Liv Tyler, and Ludacris are born New York Yankees win the World Series Oakland Raiders win Superbowl XI Montreal Canadiens win the Stanley Cup Swedish music group ABBA passes The Beatles as having most records sold Star Wars is the top grossing film The Shining by Stephen King is published "You Light Up My Life" by Debby Boone spends the most time at the top of the US charts Three's Company premieres

What Happened the Year You Were Born?

Tags: Blogthings

Monday morning question

Here's your Monday Morning Question!:

What movie have you seen recently that you consider to be one of the greatest of all time?

I'm going to stick with Gosford Park. It is an amazing murder mystery with an absolute masterful bent to story-telling. Are you an upstairs person, or a down? :)

 

Tags: Monday Morning Question, Gosford Park, Courage

Some blogthings

Carly posted a few blogthings she wanted us to complete and post on our sites, so here we go!

Your Theme Song is Back in Black by AC/DC

"Back in black, I hit the sack, I've been too long, I'm glad to be back" Things sometimes get really crazy for you, and sometimes you have to get away from all the chaos. But each time you stage your comeback, it's even better than the last!

What's Your Theme Song?

Your Five Variable Love Profile

Propensity for Monogamy: Your propensity for monogamy is medium. In general, you prefer to have only one love interest. But it's hard for you to stay devoted for too long! There's too much eye candy to keep you from wandering. Experience Level: Your experience level is high. You've loved, lost, and loved again. You have had a wide range of love experiences. And when the real thing comes along, you know it! Dominance: Your dominance is high. It's your way or the highway when it comes to love. You like to be very involved in your sweetie's life. No question, you like to be the one calling the shots. Cynicism: Your cynicism is low. You are an eternal optimist when it comes to love and romance. No matter how many times you've been hurt - you're never bitter. You believe in one true love, your perfect soulmate. And if you haven't found true love yet, you know you will soon. Independence: Your independence is low. This doesn't mean you're dependent in relationships.. It does mean that you don't have any problem sharing your life. In your opinion, the best part of being in love is being together.

The Five Variable Love Test

 

Tags: Courage, Blogthings, Romance, Love

TV News- Rosie's Latest Target Is 'Intoxicated' Abdul - AOL News

TV News- Rosie's Latest Target Is 'Intoxicated' Abdul - AOL News : This goofball should pull the beam out of her own eye before she starts looking for splinters in others.

This show is beginning to sound a lot like Fox News to me: all huff and no substance.

Get a grip, Rosie

 

Tags: Paula Abdul, Rosie, The View

Movie News- Lindsay Lohan Checks Into Rehab - AOL News

Movie News- Lindsay Lohan Checks Into Rehab - AOL News : You know, there are moments in life where you just feel like saying DUH! to someone else. While I feel pity for Double L in this situation, there is a certain smug satisfaction with seeing someone 'famous' become 'normal'. Does that make me a bad person? Maybe, but honestly, why do we live and die through celebritaunts anyway?

Tags: Lindsay Lohan, Rehab, Courage

Sucks to be the Attorney General!

How would you like to be Michigan's Attorney General?

They might have an opening now that Michigan passed a law concerning adultery and other sex crimes; The Attorney General admitted an affair in 2005 - doh!

I picked this up over at the Blogfather's.

 

Tags: Michigan, Adultery, Courage, By the Way

Blogthings, reflection, and whatnot

First, a little fun from our friends at Blogthings:

Your Mind is NC-17 Rated

You're mind is so filthy... you should should be washing every part of you out with soap. If your thoughts can go dirty, they do. Almost everything is NC-17 to you!

Do You Have a Dirty Mind?

Things have been a bit crazy as the students started back today. I'll try to keep posting! Here are some more photos from Hawaii. In here you'll see photos from Pearl Harbor, Diamond Head, and the conference. Enjoy!

Here's a little reflection for you:

Titus 1:2 In hope of eternal life, which God, that cannot lie, promised before the world began;

When things have you down, when life seems a bit too much, and when people challenge us because of our faith, this is our hope. It is our refuge, our bulwark, the rock that we have to weather the storm.

Some refuse to see faith as truth because they cannot see. The fallible refuse to accept what they can not accept as proof. There is an inherent flaw there, far more than that in which the fallible admits their error and looks instead to that which is perfect, which promises a hope of eternal life.

That's far more motivating to me than a world without purpose.

Tags: Blogthings, Hawaii, Diamond Head, Pearl Harbor, Courage, Faith, Christianity

Weekend Assignment #147, birthday, blogthings, and stuff

From our blogfather, John Scalzi:

I was wandering around the Web and found a Warning Sign Generator, and I thought it could make a fun Weekend Assignment:

Weekend Assignment #147: Make a Warning Sign For Everyday Life. Because life needs warning signs sometimes.

For all my students, future and former, that might stumble upon this journal - beware:

Extra credit: Ever ignored a warning sign you should have paid attention to?

Oh yes. That big red one at the middle of a four lane entersection. T-boned. Winshields + foreheads - seatbelts = serious hospital time. Not fun!

And this one comes from Bloglines:

You Are 67% Addicted to the Internet

In your opinion, life without the internet is hardly worth living. Could be, but you probably need a bit more fresh air and sunshine to think clearly.

Are You Addicted to the Internet?

Bible Verse of the Day: Acts 28:28: Be it known therefore unto you, that the salvation of God is sent unto the Gentiles, and that they will hear it.

The implied message is that everyone not a Jew will hear the word of God. One slight propblem there, though, in that people either have to be listening, or choose to listen, and many don't do either. Yes, many millions of gentiles have heard the call of salvation, but not all have. The word requires the will of the hearer to choose to listen, choose to hear, and then choose to follow.

Those somehwere in the middle might be worse than those that never hear, or choose not to listen....after all, they do not believe, whereas those in the middle claim belief, but fail to follow. That might vex me a bit more if I were God.

Oh, more photos and fun birthday stuff coming tomorrow.

Charley

Tags: Weekend Assignment, Courage, Bible, Faith, Catholicism, Blogthings

Social Networking

Joe posted this interesting tidbit on social networking over at the AIMPage blog. He inquires about our use of social networking sites.

In response, I'm proud to say that I maintain only two sites outside Courage: the first is a facebook profile designed to keep an eye on my students; as future educators they have no room for error when it comes to exposing private information in a public space. The second is my AIMPage, which is designed at the moment as an extended member profile and funnel to Courage.

I do not maintain, nor will I, memberships at MySpace, Friendstir, etc.

I've seen far too much go wrong than to be comforted by the statistics Joe mentions in his article. Somehow, numbers fail to convey the ugly side of social networking.

Tags: Courage, My Space, Friendster, Facebook, AOLJournals, AIMPage

What's your Accent?

 

From Lily, at The Facts of Dreaming

What American accent do you have? Your Result: The Inland North You may think you speak "Standard English straight out of the dictionary" but when you step away from the Great Lakes you get asked annoying questions like "Are you from Wisconsin?" or "Are you from Chicago?" Chances are you call carbonated drinks "pop."
The Northeast
Philadelphia
The Midland
The South
Boston
The West
North Central
What American accent do you have? Quiz Created on GoToQuiz

Tags: Courage, meme

Technorati Buzz Monitor

Something I picked up in my email today while trying to warm up in Hawaii. While the temperature might be 80, these conference rooms are a robust 55. Somebody send me an electric blanket via federal express?

Anyway, now that AOLJournals has tags rolled out, I thought this a fun read.

Tags: Technorati, Tags, Courage

Hawaii Update

The night before the big presentation and I'm a little nervous. Somehow, after reviewing your material and preparing for all contingencies, something still manages to sneak up on you.

Hawaii itself has been fabulous, and we had the opportunity to clinb Diamond Head, starting in the crater and reaching the summit after a surprisingly strenous hike. I pity for the women I saw tackling this trail in high heeled shoes. Or maybe not.

The sessions here have been reasonably well, and I'm looking forward to a nice combination of work and play as the conference winds down. Good food, good friends, and hopefully good turnout at my session. Enjoy these pictures of Diamond Head and the view of Waikiki from our hotel balcony.

Tags: Hawaii, Waikiki, Courage, Education

Happy New Year!

What a whirlwind! The end of semester nearly did me in, with grades, interviews, and application reading, as we are hiring a new professor next fall. All that ended the 22nd, and three days of frantic shopping later, Jillian and I celebrated our first Christmas as a couple, alone, quietly, here in Gettysburg.

Typically you'll find us amid the wrapping paper and ribbons and boisterous din of family (both sides) for days on end. This year, given all our travel, and the time Jill had to take off for foot surgery and traveling to my conference, we stayed home.

The included photographs will show just how delightful that Christmas became for all of us - cats included!

After a week of sleeping, sleeping, and more sleeping, I realized that I had to present at a conference in under a week. I promptly began to stress out like nobody's business. Thankfully, the night before we depart, all is done (sort-of) and we'll be in the air tomorrow morning. I'll try and update from the road as best I can.

Oh, and the video footage will be coming soon, but for now, the included photographs also document some still footage from the 2007 Trivial Pursuit World Championship. I will not tell you the winner until the video footage is compiled, edited, and distributed. I will tell you that it was a nail biter of a game that literally came down to the last four rolls of the die.

Shall we take bets on the winners?

Oh, and did I mention my conference (January 5-10) is in Honolulu, Hawaii? How lucky can I get?

See you on Waikiki Beach!

Charley

Tags: Christmas, New Years, Hawaii, Education, AOLJournals, Courage