Vacation? Really

Much to my surprise, people want to hear more about my vacation. Of course, the problem is - as with many things - the more time has separated me from my alleged vacation the less I remember. I think, but I'll try.

For instance, I mentioned the ride to finally get to the resort and indoor water park. The fun really started when we got there. Well, fun if you were a kid anyway. Whomever coined the term "family vacation" obviously never had a family. Thus the title of my last vacation post. Why would I say such a thing? Because I HAVE a family and trust me, it was no vacation for me. It was probably less so for my wife. The kids? They thought it was great - but for mom and dad it was "welcome to the Zannini Family Traveling Road Show."

Putting aside the hurting on the family budget that our two days in the fake, indoor Florida sun cost us - let's think of what it cost us in effort. Like, say planning. It's safe to say that two days away with four kids takes about the same amount of primary and contingency planning as one of the Apollo moon missions. Maybe more. After all, NASA only had to worry about three adults and on Apollo they had bathroom facilities built right into the space suits. Not the case for the family in the trusty family van. But boy would that have been nice.

As parents, we all know the drill, the thrill and the dread of the words coming from our little precious treasures "I HAVE TO GO TO THE BATHROOM!" Of course, it's usually said immediately after we've gone past the last exit for 10 miles on a stretch of road where not only is there no rest stop, but the sides of the road either go up 50 feet of blasted rock facing on one side or down 50 feet on the other. The question is - what do you do?

Me - I pray. I think even if I didn't have a religious bent to me anyway, this is a place I would still pray. I'm praying for a lot of things, like for example, the wisdom to understand WHY we just let the kid drink the one liter juice bottle we had packed for her. Or maybe I'm wondering - why didn't we have her go to the bathroom * before * we left the house? I'm also praying that when we got the van we were smart enough to have gotten the seats Scotch guarded. I'm praying for the capacity to become a real life McGyver, and trying to figure out how to build a porta-potty from the baby's portable high chair and the cup-holders from the front of the stroller. Most of all I'm praying that every state trooper for the next 10 miles either falls asleep or has just had someone in a bright red sports car go by them at 100 miles an hour - that way no one will notice the gray Grand Caravan going by at 90 because the kid is now saying "Daddddddyyyy! I hap to go bad!"

Yeah, right. Vacation.

Vista SP1 Delay won't hurt Enterprise - DUH

And why is that you might ask? CAUSE NOBODY HAS IT INSTALLED. Don't just believe my rant - read it for yourself.

Computer World article

Don't Consume before Bed Time - Nightmares May Ensue

Yikes. It just keeps getting scarier.

http://jewishworldreview.com/cols/will062507.php3

Will we be a "sweet land of liberty" much longer?

It's no fluke.

So, Friday we went on a whale watch. This was the picture that was on the white-board in the kitchen when I got down stairs for breakfast. Thus, welcome to an 11 year old's (my eldest Halle's) rendering of a whale watch - and what the whales are doing (yes, that is a disco ball they've hung off the bottom of the boat).

The only bummer is that you don't see part of the picture that was erased by my 4 year old Chloe that showed other whales saying "Let's paaaaarrrrttteeeeeeeee". Unreal that Halle girl. Pictures from the whale watch to come...

"I met Nick Pedro, I met Nick Pedro"

So, Shanna and the girls went to Wal-Mart the other night to do some grocery shopping (yah, I know it still sounds odd to me too - but it's a Super Wal-Mart so it has groceries) as a quick hit before we got into our busy weekend. While she was shopping Halle (miss "I have to know everything that's going on") spotted Nick Pedro in the store and ran back and told the wife. So, being the rabid American Idol fan that she is - and wanting to mortify her daughters, she stalked him until he was in an aisle that she needed to go down for something. Then, nonchalant and all introduces herself (in this semi-manic) fashion to Nick Pedro, shakes his hand, told him she voted for him all night (not much of an exaggeration) the last night he sang. While this was going on, the girls (smartly) stayed back because they didn't want to really be associated with her. They waved and said hi though. Ah, what celebrity does to normal seemingly level headed people. What a trip - my wife Shanna - Nick Pedro groupie...

Why I Podcast

People wonder why I take the time to sit behind a mic and do a podcast. They wonder what can make it worth the time I spend away from my family, or I loose in sleep. Well, read the following email (name withheld) and you'll understand WHY I podcast. It's not just me being silly - it's me doing for others what God has done for me.

Phillip, thank you so much for the opportunity to collaborate with you on the Martin Luther Pod cast. I hope i don't get too mushy here but back when I emailed and called you I wasn't holding out much hope for my future as a writer and only sat and listened to pod casts while eating and feeling sorry for myself listening to other people's writing's. Now, thanks in part to you giving me this opportunity, I have been given another chance at my dream and full credit goes to you for putting my name out there in the literary world. You did my script justice and I loved the sound effects, they were perfect! If you want me to collaborate with you on any other biographies please let me know and I will be happy to do them. I cannot wait to hear the next episode of Martin Luther and I am definitely looking forward to Pocahontas and especially Tutankhamen.
Thanks again, God Bless and keep pod casting,

So, any chance I might have to impact someone this way, I'm willing to take a few hours out of my life. The cool thing is, it isn't the first person that has done something because of the podcasts, there are actually two people that started their own podcasts after listening to the show as well. There are others that have sent in recommendations and when I've responded and done one of the proposed subjects have written to let me know how that impacted them - to let me know how it made them feel a part of something bigger - that made them more aware of their capacity to contribute. Really - what else can I ask for? My whole purpose in life is to see people become what God has made them to be. To see them reach out and touch what is possible in God and in their lives. The reason why I podcast isn't just to entertain, it's to reach people. I just pray like the Apostle Paul did - that I may speak boldly that the name of the Lord may be known and lifted up.

There is no such thing as a Vacation with Four Children - Unless You've Left them with the In-Laws

Well hello all (the three of you that read this blog I imagine). I've returned from "vacation" with the family. And, as the title of the post indicates I think the word vacation is a misnomer at best.

Now, for purposes of full disclosure, the vacation got off to a bad start. Unfortunately we needed to change our plans at the last minute to attend a funeral for my wife's step-brother's wife who just recently passed away due to cancer. And yes, it was not fun, and yes, we'll miss Susan. I will for certain, she was one of my favorite in-laws. But believe it or not, that wasn't the worst part of it. It was the travel.

We live south of Boston (about 40 miles give or take). The funeral was south-west of Hartford, CT. The vacation spot is in Danvers, MA - right on the border (literally) of NH. So, 2 1/2 hours of driving to the funeral, the funeral, grave site, collation afterwards - then 2 - 2 1/2 hours of driving to the resort (with the indoor water park - which was the reason we were going).

You know what it sounded like...

- Dad, how long is two hours?
- Dad, has it been an hour yet?
- Dad, are we out of Massachusetts yet?
- Dad, are we in CT yet?
- Dad, I'm thirsty.
- Dad, can you put on Jonathan Park (a series of audios that the kids are listening too for home schooling that's all science related and very well done...)
- Dad, can you put on Jonathan Park?
- Dad, can you put on Jonathan Park?
- Can we listen to Jonathan Park yet?

That was in the first 20 minutes. And that was the *good* part!

More to come (maybe provided I've sufficiently recovered) later.

The Plight of the Democratic Candidate

No, I'm not bashing Democrats unfairly. This is one place that the Republicans have never been hypocritical. They're richer, they're happy about it and they don't apologize for it. The Dem's on the other hand... not so much. Here's part of an article you can find on John Edwards

"The problem now facing the Democratic presidential candidate is whether the pileup of headlines, including the latest regarding hefty fees from university speeches reported Monday by The Chronicle, threatens to obliterate Edwards' dominant campaign theme. The former senator, who has been portrayed as the champion of the poor and the son of a humble mill worker, now faces the possibility that voters will have a different image: that of a millionaire trial lawyer who talks one way and lives another.

With months to go before the first primaries and caucuses, the growing perception about Edwards highlights a danger of modern presidential campaigns: In the 24/7 media environment, a few maelstroms of unconnected and unexpected headlines and images can quickly gather momentum and morph into a political storm that obliterates even a carefully crafted strategy and message.

"It's outrageous. He's trying to come off as Mr. Populist and Mr. 'I'm trying to help the poor,' and he charges $55,000 for a speaking fee? That's ridiculous,'' says Dick Rosengarten, Los Angeles-based publisher of the California Political Week newsletter. "Combined with the haircut, who's in charge of this guy's campaign? What are they thinking?'' " sfgate.com

And thus the plight of every Democratic candidate - how do we make believe that we really care about the poor - but still enjoy our millionaire lifestyles? (For reference - see my MA senators John Kerry and Ted Kennedy..)

Aww - John, nobody believes you? No kidding!

Overcoming the Pain of Childhood Loss

This was a conversation I had in a chat session today...

Jane: As an animal caregiver, if Malfoy gets lonely, I can Ferret-sit also :P

Phillip: I'll keep that in mind.
though he's usually pretty good left by himself.

Jane: You've trained him well, have you? Better watch it. Heartless Bastahds (editorial note: that's "bastard" to everyone that isn't in New England) become lovable when exposed to animals. Especially injured animals :P. L8r.

Phillip: Not a CHANCE!

Jane: lol!

Phillip: Besides, I had animals as a kid.

I had a pet gerbil named Snooper. Little bastard up and died on me - I was crushed. I was waiting on the steps for my dad to come home so I could take him to the vet because he'd been really lethargic for the past day. I kept thinking - if we could have only gotten there (to the vet), he'd be OK (before he croaked)- or he would have still been alive (after the fact). I was devastated over that little rodent. Never again. Closest thing I have now is my computer mouse - that's all I need thanks!

Meet Malfoy - My Ferret

Yes, I know, not everyone has a ferret - and I really don't either except for this cute little stuffed one that I have at work. Originally I was going to award people on projects I was the design lead for the "furry ferret" award, but the idea never really worked out. Instead, he's become my mascot.

So, how did he end up with his head wrapped? Well, I sit in an oddly configured cube space at the office - one shared with another person. My cube-mate, who's name is Edi, is a fascinating woman who has a great sense of humor. Thus, one day while I was out getting a root canal (ooo! fun!!!), Edi wrapped Malfoy's head in sympathy. I couldn't help but laugh when I came in the next day.

Of course, since then Malfoy has had various different looks. I've got them all captured and I'll start (with this picture) posting them. I guess it just proves that it's fun to have a ferret.

Oh, and if you're wondering why Malfoy... well, you need to think for a moment!

The Luck of the Irish?

Check this out...

Sox wearing their St. Patrick's day uni's in late April to honor Red Auerbach . Sure enough, Red's still got it (even though he's dead) and the Sox rally back off of Mariano Rivera to win 7-6.

Only one thing - they look like a bad Christmas tree ornament experiment!

Yahoo! I can fit into my shirt

Yes, I know I promised pictures (and I have them), and I even threatened to start a new blog for this (and I haven't), but I figured I do an update (for both of you that are reading this...)

Good news! I've lost around 6-7 lbs and my waist is down to 39" (don't ask me why I fit in size 34 pants - but I do - and no, they're not all under my belly. Anyway, it's awesome and I'm making good progress. The most fun is the fact that I can fit into a couple of shirts that I got at Christmas and now the buttons don't pull across my tummy! Yippee!!!

I'll keep more coming.

HA! Take that Viacom - and all the rest of you!

Check out this report on You Tube's traffic. Seems like those copyrighted clips aren't that big of a deal! So, bite me Viacom!

Someone with Everything... and Nothing

Well, the official report is out. Anna Nicole Smith (America's latest obsession that took over the news channels - how sad is that by the way) died from an accidential drug overdose.

No, it wasn't drugs like cocaine or something like that, it was the OTHER nine prescription medications that she was taking that did her in. Medication for pain (serious medication for pain). What pain was she in? What had she done to her body - other that the huge implants that I'm sure massively stressed her back - that would cause that much pain? But, I'm stopping too soon.

It seems that Anna Nicole was also taking a couple of different anti-depressant/anti-anxiety drugs, and had been at least since the death of her son. Of course, being that she just had a baby, I could see something for a couple of days to deal with post-partum - but NOT a couple of weeks for the most part. That just isn't normal.

But we're not done yet. Anna Nicole was also taking human growth hormones - for longevity. Think about that. She was taking weight loss drugs - this a woman who had just had a baby 2 weeks earlier. Folks - that's wrong. Oh, yes, and one of my favorites was the drugs she was taking for alcohol withdrawal. So, hmmm, was she drinking right up till the birth of her baby? I mean if you're still taking the drugs for withdrawal - that makes it a pretty recent event - yes?

And still, there are more contributing factors. For example, Anna Nicole had an abcess in her *butt* from all the shots she was getting. Now boys and girls, I've been in the hospital for surgery. I've gotten so many shots in my butt that they had to flip me over to the other side because they ran out of places to put a needle in. Here's the thing. The abscess didn't form in the past couple of weeks. It indicates long term abuse. Constant shots of whatever kind that she was getting.

Lastly, it seems that Anna Nicole was fighting a fever and some intestinal problems. OK. Is anybody really surprised at this? Considering the massive abuse that this poor woman put her body through - I'm surprised it didn't happen earlier.

Now, am I happy that this poor creature died so young or so suddenly? No. But I also don't think it was sudden either. Anna Nicole Smith was the creation of US popular culture. She was everything that a star was supposed to be. She was beautiful (even without the implants - she was a pretty woman), she was a porn star - now something seemingly idolized by American Pop Culture, she had money, LOADS of it. There was literally nothing this woman wanted for, except one thing. And that's why she had everything - and nothing.

The one thing that Anna Nicole Smith, movie star, paparazzi magnet, millionaire and mother didn't have was something you can't buy. It was peace. She was a woman with no self-esteem. She was lost without the cameras following her. She wallowed in every excess, some to attempt to satiate lust, some to attempt to drown the pain that her lusts caused her. She drank to kill pain, she drugged to stop drinking. She was in pain because of the way she abused her body - she drugged to stop the pain. She was emotionally unstable, and she drugged to find some type of normalcy. Her life rather than being a triumph of a small town girl that made it big - is a tragedy of a small town girl that chose the wrong path that led to her literal destruction.

This ladies and gentlemen is the reason why the tenants of Christianity loom so large in this day. Love. Love for yourself the way God loves you. Abstinence from premarital sex. Moderation in drinking (though some would argue it's even better not to drink at all), and for that matter moderation period. Humility rather than attempting to be idolized. If Anna Nicole had just been able to grasp that God's love for her would help her, that his instruction would benefit her - she might still be alive. Of course, in order for that to happen, someone in the body of Christ would have had to live their life out loud. They would have been able to not be a caricature. They would have had to love - and carry the presence and love of God in a big enough way so that Anna Nicole would have asked about it.

I don't think we did. So, tragedy happened.

A little baby will never know her mother. The mother's life ended prematurely. But we can make it so that the other Anna Nicoles out there don't suffer the same fate. It's not just the famous, it's the people all around us that need us to LOVE LARGE. Don't preach, don't witness, don't where a "top ten reasons to be a Christian button" - LOVE. If we love, people will notice. When they do, love more. They'll ask. Then tell them why you love.

Now go get em.

Free at LAST! Look mom, no hair!

I'm tired as hell, haven't slept the better part of two nights, but I wanted to put this up. Look mom, no hair! Tis true - I shaved it all. :-D No more a slave to resin or anything else! At least for a couple of weeks. I'm going to enjoy it for now, and see how it goes. I'll also see if I can get a picture in the daytime. Something has got to help...

Employment, Fairness and Opportunity

I just got done reading a friends blog a minute ago. I honestly didn't know quite where to start to even begin to respond to her. But before I go on, let me set the scene.

My friend is a bright, loving, funny and intelligent person. She loves computers, she is well read. She's probably taken more college courses than I have - and in subjects that I couldn't pass even if the teacher spotted me 30 points. She also happens to be legally blind (she has sight but requires some pretty serious glasses to be able to see not even quite adequately) and requires a walker (just like the one my mom has) to get around well.

Well, this friend works for people referred to her as a housekeeper as way to supplement her virtually non-existent income from the government. Which, because of what her medicine costs - and because the government covers it, is the place she is currently in.

Awhile back, my friend mentioned to me that she scored a cat sitting gig for someone. So I thought, cool! And I was genuinely happy for her. During the course of our conversation, she mentioned what she was getting per DAY. So I thought, hmmm, that doesn't sound right and I did some quick research. Turns out that what she was making a day is less than what a cat sitting company makes a VISIT. Not a long visit, just a visit. An hour visit is worth even more, and let's just say that the day rate a cat sitting company gets is about 10 times what my friend's rate is. Needless to say, I was flabbergasted. However, I really didn't want to rain on my friends parade. She LOVES animals. She loves to hang with them, groom them, feed them - you name it. Of course, given her experience with most humans, I completely understand the reason why she likes animals. At least the animals don't act like complete A*HOLES to her. But I semi-digress.

Recently, my friend informed me that she was going to be cat sitting again. Of course, I'm happy for her. I'm thrilled really. It's exciting to see that she's doing stuff and that for her, she's got a fairly good gig. But man, the fact that she was only getting what she was getting per day was just PISSING me off. I felt like the people that she was sitting for were taking advantage of her. I felt like it was unfair. And, let me say un-categorically, in my view that hasn't changed. I do; however, have a much better understanding of my friends view - and very possibly her employers view.

To whit, and to be short. My friend's view is that being blind and/or disabled, she constantly gets screwed, employers are willing to get someone else to fill her position in a heartbeat, and she has to take what she can get and be happy. Of course, considering that she is paid cash and her job competition is the huge pool of illegal aliens in the area she lives in, I can see her concern.

The employers (both whom seem to be older, one a senior and the other older than me at least), aren't as much doing what they are doing for their pet as much as they're saving some money AND doing something that benefits their pet. If they can't save money from putting the animals in a kennel - it's not worth it to them. OK. That's their choice. Of course, being older, they have a different view of money too. Like my mom for instance, who thought she was getting screwed because the guy (who did the job as a favor for my brother and worked dirt cheap) was charging her $16 an hour. Yah. Well, my dad never made more than $10 an hour, so you can understand where she was coming from. And while my friend's employers know money better than that - they didn't get houses in the area where they live without doing fairly well for themselves - they still know the value of a buck.

Before I go on to the rest of the story, I also want to say that her main employer treats her very well and pays her pretty fairly as a housekeeper. She pays her hourly - which is great for my friend - rather than by the job, and she pays her at a more than fair rate for unskilled labor (like, a tad more than the roofer got at my mom's house). I want to be clear on that. As far as that goes, it's pretty good.

Back to the rest of the saga. It seems, unfortunately, that my sense of justice and wanting to let my friend know (in my opinion) she was getting screwed caused a major meltdown and threatened to send her into a depression. This was something that I was concerned about, and it was the reason that I approached the conversation so carefully. For example, I didn't say "Hey friend, do you know that you're getting taken advantage of?" It was more along the lines of, "Just checking, but do you happen to know what cat sitting rates in your area are?" Of course, as soon as she saw the rates - she filled in the first sentiment herself, and as I mentioned this caused her a good deal of distress - which of course I never intended. Ah, you know the old saw "the best laid plans of mice and men..."

So, needless to say when I saw my friends blog I was oh, I dunno. I can't say I was upset, because I wasn't. I can't say I was stunned, because I've known my friend for going on two years now and I get how she responds to things. I can say that I was disturbed. Not because my friend was upset, but because how the SYSTEM in general has beat her down and convinced her that she should only take what she can get. Yes, you heard me.

My friend is someone with passion, and in her earlier days she fought the great government dragon for truth, justice and the right way. Hell no, not the American way, who's government do you think I'm talking about? And, during that time she was shat upon. And that my friends is NOT right.

BUT. NEITHER IS SHE.

My friend's upbringing was a little traumatic (understatement), and because of that she is still working at "normalizing" her responses and understandings of some of the world. And this is where I think she is having a misunderstanding. In her blog post she ranted about the unfairness of society to disabled people. And, I can't say she is completely incorrect. What I can say is that MY FATHER WAS DISABLED. So, I'm familiar with what that means. True, my dad worked as a disabled person that wasn't acknowledge as disabled until he retired as a disable veteran. So, he didn't have that discrimination to deal with. But you know what? He had just as much discrimination to deal with as any disabled person or person of color, especially being of Italian heritage at the time he grew up.

My dad was discriminated against because he was a filthy wop - as was my mother. Even in the private school my mother went to (no, my grandparents weren't rich, my grandfather was a taylor who worked hard and scraped to make ends meet, but they sent my mom to the local catholic school), they were happy to take my grandparent's money - then treat my mother like dog crap. Unfortunately, in the 1960s it wasn't much different where I grew up. I was picked on virtually my entire grammar school experience because I was Italian. High school I was just picked on because I was short and fat - thankfully I finally fought my way through that crap by my senior year though.

So, here is where my friend's understanding breaks down a bit. I don't think that she realizes what all of us - regardless of race, color or disability - go through to get where we are. In part of her post she talks about her very bright friend who graduated with a 3.9 gpa and got interviewed by the CIA - but was rejected because he was blind. So now he sits living as a ward of the state, in his bedroom, in his parent's house, and eating himself to death. Hang on, let me get the fiddle out.

HORSE SHIT.

So, because he was rejected by one agency, by one company, he quit? What's with that? And, so what if he contacted more than one job. Why did he quit? Does he think that any of us - maybe with the exception of some people that go to Harvard or Yale and are born with a silver spoon in their mouth - don't get rejected? Can I tell you how many jobs I applied for before I got my first job in computer science? Or how long I had to wait? And back when I was looking for my first job, there was no internet. There was no virtual market. I went out and pounded the pavement. Company to company. I remember many days going to a city and going in and out of buildings, filling out application after application. Hitting every company in an office tower, and every company I could get to in a particular district. In a suit. During the summer. Carrying around a briefcase. Making call after call. Sending out resume after resume - the old fashion way - by TYPING them and using real paper envelopes. Was it easy? No. Did it work? HELL NO. It took me over a year to get a job and that was only because I had someone I went to school with refer me!

But here's the point. Her friend gave up. He shouldn't have. He should have stayed in touch with people he knew. He should have checked around with them. And here's the thing, I've emailed with this guy (though I didn't know the whole story). He's bright! You know what? With what he knows he can get a job. Sure, he's got special needs (though they can't be much more special than the woman that works where I am that has a guide dog AND a wheel chair because she's not physically able to walk), and yes that narrows his options. But does that mean there is no opportunity? NO. It means he has to work harder to find it. So, to her friend - DON'T GIVE UP. Is it going to be easy? Of course it isn't, but for anything worth it, it rarely is.

Now, as for my friend herself, why does she accept what she does? Simple fear. And she DOESN'T need to have it! OK, so her current employer doesn't want to pony up more dough. Fine. Like I mentioned to her, that's why people jump companies in a career. It's easier to get more money going somewhere else that needs to fill a need than in your current company in many cases. Does she have to give up her job? No! Of course not. But, what she can do is get a camera and take a picture of her sparkling work - then make a flyer!

"Do you want your home to sparkle like this? Call me! 999-555-1212 20 years of experience says I can do it for you too!"

Of course, my friend is limited because she's blind and has to rely on public transit. No problem, when a potential customer calls then find out if they're close to a stop. If they aren't, say thanks but I can't make it - do you know anyone that is near public transportation that might need some help? Bing! There you go, you even get a lead out of it. And, because they're coming to her, she can set the rate she wants - for cleaning or pet sitting.

Of course, my friend is trying to get out of the cleaning game right now. And I'm all for it. She's trying to get qualified to start training people on computers. I KNOW she could do that. Heck, she could do that with her eyes closed and her hands tied behind her back. Hmmmm, of course she does have an advantage in the eyes closed thing...

I still think that my friend has lots of opportunities - especially in the virtual world we live in. As long as she's willing to continue to train herself (like she does), I know that she could do work of all sorts - it's just a matter of believing she can - AND - asking for some help getting started. If there is one thing I've found about my friend it's that she is fearless with anything around a computer or using any software. With a little education, and without the need to replace her income doing what she's doing immediately, she could have some great opportunities to get some work for herself. Will it be easy? No. Will it be fast? No. Will it be worth it if she can sit in her home and make as much money for sitting at her computer as she does for having to shlep all over the metropolitan area she lives in and bust her hump? YOU BETCHA!

So, yes. This has been a long diatribe (otherwise known as rant). I know that what I've said will be looked at as being insensitive or possibly as me just being ignorant. I'll say no to the first, possibly to the second. But you know what? I just know too many people that have achieved so much because they had the right attitude about it. And especially in my friends case - she's got the biggest door opener ever on her side - GOD. And let me tell you, if God can take care of me, he can take care of my friend. And no, it's not all about attitude or positive thinking. It's got nothing to do with the mythical "law of attraction" that is talked about so much in motivational circles (the law of attraction works because the people that are practicing the principle of fixing a goal clearly in their mind and moving towards it are IN MOTION - nothing gets attracted to them - they just get out where they can run into the things that are appropriate for them!) What it is about for her - and me - and maybe you too, is finding out what God has for her. For looking at the gifts he has given her - then being in motion to put those gifts into action.

Oh, one last thing. Is it fair? No. Like I tell my 9 year old all the time when she says something isn't fair - "get used to it, life isn't fair." And it's not.

It's not fair that we live in a land where even if you're disabled, blind or whatever, you still have more opportunity than any other country in the world. It's not fair that my friend who lives on disability wages from the government is STILL getting a wage that is over double the yearly wage in India - in what she makes PER MONTH. It's not fair that we've been born in a country with freedom, with a democratic government, with liberty to speak our minds, with broadband access to the internet, with public transportation that is reasonable. It's not fair that we've been blessed by not living in gulags, that we haven't been disposed of because of our race or disability, that we haven't been put in a caste where we are considered "untouchable." It's not fair that we haven't been wiped out in a genocide, it's not fair that we have so much food, it's not fair that we have clean water to drink, it's not fair that we don't have 93% unemployment like some countries, it's not fair that we don't live under a cruel despot. There is so much that isn't fair that I barely have touched the surface of it - but - I rejoice that I've been blessed and I try to at least live well enough to be a blessing to those that live in circumstances that are not as favorable.

To wrap, I'll say this. There are still going to be people that discriminate. The road will not be easy. I don't have all the answers. God does. He didn't leave his people in Egypt. He didn't leave his people in Babylon. He's not going to abandon us either. Love God, love people, do your best, don't quit. And in all things - rejoice!

NO Kidding: Sun Blamed for Warming of Earth and Other Worlds

This is the literal headline on a story...

Sun Blamed for Warming of Earth and Other Worlds

NO KIDDING. Really? I can only hope that the writer did it on purpose... Here's the link to the article, you decide....

Live Science Article

Now *THAT* is a cute baby.

Need I say more?

You Know You're Really a Geek When...

You wake up on a Saturday morning because you've been dreaming (literally) of a GIMP vs. Photoshop feature comparison and not having it fully resolved in your dream wakes you. Sad but true.

It's Sophie's First Birthday!

Yes - this adorable totally cute little baby is now one year old! Hard to believe isn't it? Man, time flies. And yes, she always has had that much hair! (check the picture on 10-10-2006.

I love my baby. Hmmm, maybe we'll have another one...