family.photo.day

Well now that I am back in Boston I am looking through the pictures from my trip and there it was... a picture of the sunset that we looked at while we had our traditional beach family photo taken. What a nice place to spend the summer...

old.school.video.fun

I recently got a new computer and decided to go through all of the video I shot when I was in school to see if there was anything fun I could do with it. Here are the first fruits of that labor.

illegal.fireworks

As I sat on my parents roof to see not one but three professional fireworks displays (Laguna Hills, Laguna Niguel, and Aliso Viejo - for those who care) I was treated to another fireworks display. This display was so close I could feel and smell it. Why, you ask? Well that is just what happens when the next-door neighbors decide to fire off some illegal fireworks for the kids.

Now don't even get me started on the whole illegal fireworks thing. All of Orange County has a fireworks ban and as far as I can tell all of the cities around here have outlawed everything to the point of not even allowing sparklers for the children. I grew up here and am used to only having the occasional opportunity to fire off some good stuff (when I was a lad or when I am out of state somewhere like The South or Midwest) but no sparklers. Apparently the message we are sending is that the celebration of our nations freedom and history is best left in the hands of Professionals and I thought that we wanted to raise Americans who can take the responsibility of their freedom into their own hands and never be satisfied with the way things are and always strive for a better future.

day.at.the beach

Treasure Island beach in South Laguna. Yeah it was a beautiful day and I understand why everyone is constantly trying to move here. Images like this really remind me of the beauty in the world around me and I just wish I knew how to appreciate it in all that I do. Wow!

This one is for all of you stuck in the muggy weather Boston has been so fortunate to receive this past week.

slingin'.and.slopin'

What has Ryan been up to the first week of his vacation here in Southern California?

That's right, I helped my dad paint a house in Corona Del Mar. I guess some people would find this odd since I am supposedly on holiday right now (that's correct, I said holiday). In reality there is little I enjoy more that being outside on a sunny summer day near the beach spending time talking about life with my dad. I have to throw in a little bit of thankfulness that my dad and I have the relationship we do. I guess the years of haircuts, paint jobs, and Flamin' Hot Dorritos and Coke developed a bond that I really value and has affected my life in ways I will continue to discover as I continue to live.

polo.and.waterfire

So on the 18th of June I went down to Rhode Island to watch the Newport Polo Club play in Newport International Polo Series against a Scottish team. Good times to be had by all. I have never watched a polo match before and lets just say I didn't know what I was watching most of the time. The Newport gents won and we all cheered. Of course there was the traditional stomping of the divots at the half. Fun for all!! You just have to be careful of the "steaming divots".

After the match we all drove over to Providence to enjoy waterfire an every-other-weekly event along the canals in downtown Providence with floating bonfires all down the waterways and street vendors and performers for the enjoyment of the visiting population.

favorite.flower

A special post for someone special!



Images courtesy of the sisters.

air.and.space

The Smithsonian Air and Space Museum is my absolute favorite DC museum and I have included a few choice images from my slightly obsessive visit. I made a point to look at and photograph almost everything in the museum (see collage).


This entrance to the naval aviation gallery was photographed in honor of Evan my esteemed friend and Ensign of the US Navy and formerly stationed on an aircraft carrier.


I love this exhibit as it shows views of the earth from as close as the top of a hill to as far away as the voyager spacecraft at the edge of our solar system.


A classic inside look at the cramped quarters of early spaceflight.

vietnam

This picture was taken by my sister during my DC visit. I don't know but I really like it.

dc.in.the.rain

This picture was taken on April 17th in Washington DC when I was visiting my sister. It rained incessantly the first day but somehow that was perfect. We went to see all of the memorials. The rain and gloom in conjunction with the lack of tourists lent something of a more serious note to the monuments to the founders of this nation and the memorials to those who fought and died to protect the principles of our nation.

It seems like it isn't really the acceptable thing to lift our nation up as an example or praise our leadership these days. Especially if you live in Boston. I was privileged to attend a prayer meeting at IJM while I was in DC that pointed me to the fact that not all people in our country who are involved with policy making are greedy, self-centered, or even short-sighted. Here is a non-profit with all the integrity and professionalism you could imagine centering each day around hope for people who are treated unjustly. If that isn't the work of God than I don't know what is.

As for the picture of me in homage to "Singin' in the Rain" in front of the WWII memorial. I think there may be some truth here a man enjoying a rainy day and a memorial to men and women who fought with hope that a rainy day might be our biggest worry. Their dream may not yet be a reality but what a noble dream it is.

catching.up

I have recently been told that I tend to start a sentence or new topic by saying, "So, ..." I have a couple of theories where I got that strange habit. (By the way I am currently listening to Fall out Boy and in a Mexico T-shirt I got for my birthday and feeling far closer to 18 and just graduated from High School than 25 and just about to watch my first class of 18 year old seniors graduate). So, back to the topic at hand (see, I even do it when I type (which is really what I do as I don't even pretend that people can read my handwriting)). That is just too many parentheses! I can trace the first instance of starting with "so" in a note written to me during freshman year oh high school from someone who refers to his/herself as "-who else" and the recipient as "so-" after all, it was explained, I know who I am.

New paragraph because I can! There is a significant time gap (in the development of my "So, ..." Speech patterns) which I will now refer to as "the-lost-years" fast like that because I think it makes it sound more dramatic! The year is now 2004 and I begin to notice this girl and start actually conversing with her. I don't notice it then (whether because we are always careful and precise with our words when we begin relationships or just because we had everything to talk about ahead of us and there were no pauses or even because we were mostly face-to-face and that is better than the phone for eliminating strange pauses and continuity problems. So there you go, jump ahead 20 some months and here we are now.

So, I have some other stuff to say but that's for another post...

(I did it again!)

sister.and.friend

I am currently visiting my sister in our nation's capital and enjoying a few of my spring break days as a tourist and guest of two fantastic women who are a blessing to everyone they cross paths with. I am so pleased to see what my sister is up to and even more excited to see her interactions with her roommate and dear friend and even the housemates they met when they moved here.

I have been lavished with hospitality and a chance to hear my sister explain and ponder her takes on life's challenges and opportunities both personally and globally. From her work with at risk youth and her roommate's job with IJM. I can't help but be inspired that there is so much more to life than I often notice or admit.

There is much more to say but I am not really there yet and it is late and I am tired.

flotsam.and.jetsam

Just a little community service announcement. If you were not aware of the definitions of the titular words here you go:

Flotsam :
flot·sam
n.

1. 1. Wreckage or cargo that remains afloat after a ship has sunk.
   2. Floating refuse or debris.
2. Discarded odds and ends.
3. Vagrant, usually destitute people.

Jetsam :
jet·sam
n.

1. Cargo or equipment thrown overboard to lighten a ship in distress.
2. Discarded cargo or equipment found washed ashore.
3. Discarded odds and ends.

reading.again

I just picked up Raise High the Roof Beam, Carpenters and Seymour an Introduction again after a month long hiatus and I must say I am enjoying the whole sitting on the couch and reading thing. If you have never tried it I highly recommend it!

anachronistic

This picture is two weeks old but I like it!


I had the opportunity to make breakfast for some friends who came into town for a visit. As it turns out I love the making and eating of buttermilk pancakes with real Maple Syrup. Now that is what Sunday mornings were made for!

skating.failed

Sadly we missed the last day of skating by one day! March 17th. Well there is always next year... Besides, one out of three years ain't bad.

last.chance.skating

So outdoor ice skating on the frog pond in Boston Common is in its last weekend. Which also means that the first day of spring (the day skating officially ends) is fast approaching. What a mild winter we have had so far. Only one real snowstorm to speak of and several days of near springtime temperatures. In fact it has been so long since I have seen snow I am beginning to wonder if this whole New England winter thing is just a joke. OK, so it is still cold and the last two winters have proven that winter is indeed intense in this part of the country. I am eagerly awaiting the dawn of spring and the end of school and all that comes with that. Here's to spring!

guinness

Happy St. Patrick's Day from Boston!

only.in.boston

fun.with.dessert

So I got all excited to have my new squeeze bottles and sauce pan so I whipped up a new batch of caramel and made some sugar doodads for decoration. Nice!

darfur

Today we had a presentation from a man who has been to Dafur in Sudan on a couple of occasions and his talk and pictures were certainly moving and disturbing. The facts, most of which are readily available are appalling. I just wish the awareness movement would offer more in the way of practical ways individuals can get involved. Well here are some links I thought were useful when I was researching the topic to inform my students.

Wikipedia
Save Darfur
Darfur: A genocide we can stop
Darfur Information Center
BBC Q&A Story

ode.to.the.canceled

Humor on so many levels
and a chance to laugh each time.
Awkward yet confident you lived.
Belly laughs you inspired.
Looks of confusion and disgust too.
Entertainment!
Brainchild of Michael Hurwitz
And blessed by Opie.
Star studded and filled with fresh blood.
How we waited for you to return
Each time you teased us.
Twenty minutes a week,
Scarcely sufficient.
Brilliant!
Inspired!
If only rupert and neilsen were so enlightened.
You will live on in DVD form:
So static.
Unchanging.
Missed.

weekend.in.connecticut

I spent Friday night and Saturday in the postage stamp size state of Connecticut visiting my girlfriend's Mom and both Grandmothers. Her mom has an amazing new house on a lake that is so full of random crap that it is almost painful to spend time there. Mind you this is not the normal accumulation of 50 some odd years but a true sentimentalist/packrat if I have ever met one. There is enough furniture to make the 5 bedroom, 9 room house she moved out of feel on the verge of cramped and downright overwhelms the 3 bedroom 5 room open floor plan lakeside cottage she now calls home. Despite comments from her kids that range from encouragement to pair down the collection to outright threats to never visit until something is done about the mess things persist. Fortunately for me, the house has a state of the art kitchen that was clean and usable (after I sorted through the 40+ knives and dozens of miss-matched pans and lids) with a great dual-fuel range and pristine granite countertops that could bring a tear to your eye.

Oddly cluttered lodging aside the weekend was a great time to relax and just enjoy some time off together (have I mentioned that I don't have to be back at work until the 27th!?!). The views of snow flurries and sunshine over the lake out of the large windows certainly has the power to refresh and renew the spirit.

On our trip back to Boston we stopped in to visit both grandmothers. One in a retirement apartment complex and the other in assisted living surroundings. Both remarkable women and well into their 90s. I don't know about you but that is impressive no matter where you are from. Then a nice drive back listening to a little of this and especially some of that to cap off the night re-watching the final episodes of the most brilliant TV comedy in recent memory. I think that qualifies as a brilliant start to a week of vacation.

couting.down

We are talking minutes now, about 15 according to the clock on the wall. Unfortunately that is about 5 minutes slow compared to the actual time but that is how the school likes it.

matter.of.hours

It is 8:16 am on Friday February 17 2006 and I only have a matter of hours left until I am released into the wild for a full week of "whatever I want, gosh!" That's correct Midwinter Recess as it is so lovingly named is about to begin. I have no firm plans and I am thrilled by that. 5 hours and 51 minutes to go!

fun.with.light

I was just reading an post on one of my favorite tech news sites and saw this link to a page describing the building of a small device known only as the "throwie". I may have to embark on a manufacturing binge this week.

the.day.after

I know the title makes it sound so ominous. As if I were about to discuss the aftermath of a horrible big budget Hollywood movie or perhaps the outcome of an event to important as to require a wrap up show or constant network news coverage that bumps the Olympics. That last statement is a reference to the recent snow storm we had here in New England. As is turns out the local CBS affiliate here in Boston chose to run coverage of the storm from 5 am to 1 pm. Yes that's right 8 solid hours of coverage! All of this for people who spent the day inside their homes watching the snow fall outside through their windows. What is it exactly that prompted NBC's affiliate to bump Olympic coverage for storm coverage. Just imagine yourself as someone who actually only has the major networks over the air. You are trapped inside all day because a few feet of snow are accumulating.

Here is the scenario: You turn on the TV to entertain yourself since you have some extra time and what is offered to you? Nothing but storm coverage. You can hear how the storm is affecting your town and the town next door. You can hear what happened to the idiots who decided they needed to drive around during the peak of the storm. There are stimulating pictures and audio of reporters out in the storm (the self-same storm that the Mayor's office announced previously and warned against travel unless absolutely required) being pelted by winds and snow. OK so you get the point that it seems completely absurd to bump the most anticipated sporting events in years off the air only to show footage of the snow. It wasn't just NBC, CBS and ABC either! The local WB affiliate, the FOX affiliate, and the UPN affiliate also spent the whole day dedicated to the snow. One of the stations even kept their entire meteorology team on the whole day. Really! I know it makes no sense.

The real reason that I titled this entry as I did was in reference to V-Day. I am so blessed to be surrounded by the love of friends and family that the day has taken on new meaning as each year passes. I also want to point out that I enjoyed a delicious meal of duck breast, oven roasted potatoes, and green beans with toasted pecans and shallots. Thanks go out to my special someone for that and the delightful evening we had.

So in the end the title that loomed ominous initially turns out to be a petty rant followed by a fond memory from a holiday with heart.

after.work.work

After work listening to the decent soft jazz at Panera. Sure there are things I'd rather be doing than grading homework but it's not all bad.

espresso.royale.cafe

So nice to sit in a coffee shop on a sunday morning.