I'm juiced up after talking to my family about some trips that I'm planning to take this year, and when that happens, the "wanderlust" gets me. Blog reader Leeann recently commented about a trip she wants to take with her sons next year, and that further got me excited to think about traveling. I'm always ready to take a trip. And I'm not talking about the business trips to Oklahoma City and St. Louis that keep haunting me. I'm talking about a bonafide road trip or "Out West" trip. Those are my favorite kind!
Well, Leeann, first of all, as much as I enjoyed our big cross-country adventure, I have to say it was too much. We easily could have doubled the amount of time to see everything we wanted to see. Two weeks can do it, but you're not going to spend much time at each stop along the way. In fact, you won't be stopping much at all. I'll share the story of our stop in St. Louis. We wanted to go up into the St. Louis Gateway Arch, and when we arrived, there was a two hour wait. My wife wanted to wait, but I overruled and told her it would take us too far off schedule, since we were due to meet up with some friends in Cincinnati that evening. She was very disappointed. It was not one of my better husband-moments. This occurred right after we stopped at Ted Drewes' Frozen Custard, on Route 66. We arrived about 30 minutes before they opened for the day, and, again, I didn't want to wait since we had so much ground to cover. And, again, my wife was disappointed. So that's my advice, Leeann. Give yourselves plenty of time to visit each location. You never want to disappoint your boys.
Just before my daughter, Melody, started Kindergarten, I wanted to take her on a big trip out west, and I did what you are planning to do, Leeann, and that is to fly to a location and use that as your base. We had about 10 days, so we flew to Denver, Colorado. There, we visited Golden, which is a true Western town, and then went up into the mountains to visit Buffalo Bill's museum and grave at the top of Lookout Mountain. The road to the museum is full of steep inclines and switchbacks, and getting there is half the fun. From there, we went north to Boulder, then to Estes Park, near the entrance to Rocky Mountain National Park. We would've gone into the park, as it's worth seeing, but we were headed further north. We spent the night in Loveland, then continued our trek north into Wyoming, then East/Northeast into Nebraska. We stopped at Scott's Bluff and Chimney Rock, and eventually made our way to Wall, South Dakota. We arrived at dusk, so again we spent the night. The next day, we spent several hours at Wall Drug Store. We easily could've spent all day there. My daughter loved it. I love kitschy stuff, so I enjoyed it, too. We got Melody a pair of genuine cowboy boots (pink, of course), and I told her the story of how I had gotten a pair at this same place in 1997, and her Mommy, Teresa, got a pair in 2000. We had breakfast at the attached restaurant, and just had a grand time. Then we headed out and drove the loop through the Badlands National Park. It was pretty spectacular, the highlight being the prairie dogs we saw at the eastern entrance. It was time for lunch, so we went back to Wall Drug to eat and spend some more time there. Melody didn't want to leave, but we had reservations in the next town.
Deadwood, SD, is a real Wild West town and well worth the stop. There's plenty to see and do, and much of the town gets into the spirit of the town's history, with actors playing Wild Bill Hickok and Calamity Jane. Mt. Moriah cemetery has a who's who of western characters buried there. Plus, Kevin Costner owns a restaurant and casino there, with lots of memorabilia from his movies, particularly DANCES WITH WOLVES. Melody and I spend two nights there, exploring the town. During the day, we made a side trip out to Devil's Tower National Monument in northeaster Wyoming. It was featured prominently in the movie CLOSE ENCOUNTERS. It's also well worth the visit. We hiked around the base and saw some wildlife. Melody particularly liked the Native American Indian stories surrounding it.
Our next stop was Mt. Rushmore. While there is a bit of controversy surrounding this National Monument, particularly related to the Native Americans who were driven out of the area, Mt. Rushmore oozes with American pride. It was my third visit, and I still love coming here. We had a fine meal at the cafeteria, and I shared with Melody the description of the scene from the Alfred Hitchcock movie, NORTH BY NORTHWEST, one of my favorites, which takes place at the coffee shop at Mt. Rushmore. After hiking around, the next stop was the Crazy Horse Memorial. While it is not completed yet, it dwarfs Mt. Rushmore in size and is a spectacular site. It's almost too hard to gauge its size because of how far it is from the Native American visitor's center. It was very neat to meet several of the craftsmen that work there, and Melody bought a few handmade trinkets and souvenirs. That evening, we went to a real chuckwagon dinner and show at the Circle B Ranch.
The following day, we visited the Reptile Gardens. This is a neat park and a great way to see many unusual reptiles, snakes, alligators, and lots of prairie dogs up close and personal. The snake show was particularly fun, and the host of the show had his hands full trying to corral a few of the very poisonous snakes featured there. Even more fun was an alligator show. One gator got a little rambunctious and whipped his tail into the tank he was in and splashed much of the audience, including Melody. Later, we took a drive through Custer State Park where we saw a magnificent herd of bison. They are amazing creatures. We took about an hour of video and hundreds of pictures. Later, staying in the town of Custer, we ate at a local restaurant where I tried an elk cheese steak sandwich. It was VERY good.
Our last day in the area included a visit to Flintstone's Bedrock City, a small amusement park with very few rides obviously themed on the Flintstones cartoon. It was fun, but given the parks we've visited with roller coasters and thrill rides, this place was a letdown. We later traveled to Wind Cave National Park, and Melody greatly enjoyed seeing the cave.
After a little more than a week in the Black Hills area, we headed back to Denver, where we met up with some old friends of mine for dinner. Then we flew home the next day. It was a fantastic trip, and one of the most memorable that Melody has ever taken. She made a huge poster with a map and pictures of all of the places we went to, and she shared it with her preschool classmates, and it is now hanging framed on the wall in her bedroom.
So, Leeann, you can take a whole week or longer in just one area of this grand country of ours. I think focusing on specific areas and maximizing your time there is your best bet. It's hard limiting yourself, I know, but it's harder when you only scratch the surface of a bunch of places without really seeing them. That would be my advice. But definitely satisfy the wanderlust. You'll be glad you did, and you'll likely want to take more trips in the future.
Have a great evening, everyone! Stay safe out there!
Wednesday, February 5, 2014
Tuesday, February 4, 2014
Is She or Isn't She? Only The Ring Knows...and Her Husband
As a single guy always on the hunt for prospective matches, I'm very conscious of the ring finger on the left hand of women who catch my eye. I know, that makes me sound like a stalker or something, but, really, all it means is that I'm desperate. Just kidding. Let's try this again...
I tend to observe that some people I meet, though married, don't always wear a ring. I find this mystifying. When I was married, I was honored to wear the ring my wife gave me. It was important. It signified our commitment to each other, and it was a symbol of our love. Now, I can understand if, say, a ring was lost, or maybe one outgrew the ring and it no longer fits. But I find it surprising that there are as many as there are who only sometimes wear their rings, or not at all.
I recently attended a series of meetings at work and, during a slow moment, I scanned the hands of my colleagues and was amazed by how many didn't wear rings when I know they are married. One married couple, both of whom work in the organization, only occasionally wear their rings. I hate to think people actually do this, but I'm sure there are some who are actively trying to cheat on their spouse, and not wearing a ring allows them to get away with it. Now, I'm not asking my colleagues about why they might not be wearing their rings, but I do wonder.
I would never pursue a married woman. It isn't right, ethically, morally, or Biblically. Having said that, the wedding ring is my indicator as to whether a woman is married. If she's not wearing a ring, my assumption is she may be available. Let me also mention, though, that I'm still as introverted as they come, and to approach a single woman with the intent of asking her out, or even showing my interest, is not something I can easily do. It's much easier if there is a common friend or acquaintance who can introduce us to each other. But when one isn't available, or if we're not at a social event, this is much harder to do. For example, let's say I'm grocery shopping at, say, Wegman's in Columbia. I might be amazed at the number of single women shopping there on a Tuesday evening, if I were to use the lack of wedding rings as an indicator of their singleness. If I leaned a bit more toward the extrovertedness scale, I might actually have the nerve to do a little casual flirting. I might then very well embarrass myself and never be able to shop there again. OR, maybe I might just hit it off with some incredibly nice, somewhat attractive single woman, which could lead to a date and maybe even a relationship. You never know. For the record, though, I do not go to the grocery store to pick up women, even though I saw the Fonz take Richie Cunningham to the grocery store for that very reason once.
With that, have a great evening, everyone. Stay safe out there tomorrow.
I tend to observe that some people I meet, though married, don't always wear a ring. I find this mystifying. When I was married, I was honored to wear the ring my wife gave me. It was important. It signified our commitment to each other, and it was a symbol of our love. Now, I can understand if, say, a ring was lost, or maybe one outgrew the ring and it no longer fits. But I find it surprising that there are as many as there are who only sometimes wear their rings, or not at all.
I recently attended a series of meetings at work and, during a slow moment, I scanned the hands of my colleagues and was amazed by how many didn't wear rings when I know they are married. One married couple, both of whom work in the organization, only occasionally wear their rings. I hate to think people actually do this, but I'm sure there are some who are actively trying to cheat on their spouse, and not wearing a ring allows them to get away with it. Now, I'm not asking my colleagues about why they might not be wearing their rings, but I do wonder.
I would never pursue a married woman. It isn't right, ethically, morally, or Biblically. Having said that, the wedding ring is my indicator as to whether a woman is married. If she's not wearing a ring, my assumption is she may be available. Let me also mention, though, that I'm still as introverted as they come, and to approach a single woman with the intent of asking her out, or even showing my interest, is not something I can easily do. It's much easier if there is a common friend or acquaintance who can introduce us to each other. But when one isn't available, or if we're not at a social event, this is much harder to do. For example, let's say I'm grocery shopping at, say, Wegman's in Columbia. I might be amazed at the number of single women shopping there on a Tuesday evening, if I were to use the lack of wedding rings as an indicator of their singleness. If I leaned a bit more toward the extrovertedness scale, I might actually have the nerve to do a little casual flirting. I might then very well embarrass myself and never be able to shop there again. OR, maybe I might just hit it off with some incredibly nice, somewhat attractive single woman, which could lead to a date and maybe even a relationship. You never know. For the record, though, I do not go to the grocery store to pick up women, even though I saw the Fonz take Richie Cunningham to the grocery store for that very reason once.
With that, have a great evening, everyone. Stay safe out there tomorrow.
Monday, February 3, 2014
The Super Bore
I consider myself a fairly big football fan. I love to watch NFL Redzone on my Fios, which shows highlights of all of the games each Sunday. If my Pittsburgh Steelers are on TV, all the better. Since the Steelers are in the same division as the local Baltimore Ravens, however, I don't get to see my Steelers as often as I like. I was disappointed that they didn't make the playoffs this year, and it was hard for me to root for any of the other teams that did make the playoffs, but once the Super Bowl match up was in place, I easily chose the Denver Broncos as my team of choice. I don't really care that much, but the game is more enjoyable if you can actually root for one team over the other. I like the AFC.
Unfortunately, my team of choice failed to show up, and the Broncos were kicked in the gut by the Seattle Seahawks, who were playing in the Super Bowl for only the second time in their existence. The Steelers beat them eight years ago in a game that many thought was decided by the refs instead of how the teams played. Sure, there were a few blown calls, but they would not have made a difference. The Steelers were destined to win that day. Just as yesterday, the Seahawks seemed destined to thoroughly annihilate the Broncos. And they did. The Broncos must still be trying to figure out what hit them. The game was pretty much lost on the their first offensive play, which resulted in a Seattle safety and 2-points. The Broncos never recovered. Seattle rolled and won big, 43-8.
The game ended up being a gigantic bore. We've been spoiled for much of the past ten years, with many of the games being close and some even decided in the last few minutes, or even seconds. This year, with the game pretty much over in the first half, it was hard to watch any of it.
My daughter and I decided to go to my parent's home in Bowie to watch the game, and we planned to crash there for the night. On the way over, I stopped at Timbuktu, a restaurant in Hanover known for their delicious crab cakes, where I got several crab cake sandwiches. I first tried these crab cakes about 10 years ago, when my Aunt picked up a few of them and brought them over as a surprise. They are the size of a softball, if not larger, and are very tasty! They're a nice treat every once in a while. I wanted to surprise my parents. They were surprised, and we really enjoyed them. It was a pretty nice dinner to go with a Super Bowl. It's just too bad it became a Super Bore.
When the game was over, the only other excitement was the possibly of a big snow storm today. Unfortunately, the temperatures never dropped enough to allow for the big turnover from rain to snow, and we never saw any. I had hoped for a possible day off, but I should know better that to get my hopes up. There are two more chances of bad weather this week, so I hope we'll still get something.
In the meantime, we're back at home, and I'm too tired to stay awake.. I hope you have a wonderful evening and a better tomorrow.
Unfortunately, my team of choice failed to show up, and the Broncos were kicked in the gut by the Seattle Seahawks, who were playing in the Super Bowl for only the second time in their existence. The Steelers beat them eight years ago in a game that many thought was decided by the refs instead of how the teams played. Sure, there were a few blown calls, but they would not have made a difference. The Steelers were destined to win that day. Just as yesterday, the Seahawks seemed destined to thoroughly annihilate the Broncos. And they did. The Broncos must still be trying to figure out what hit them. The game was pretty much lost on the their first offensive play, which resulted in a Seattle safety and 2-points. The Broncos never recovered. Seattle rolled and won big, 43-8.
The game ended up being a gigantic bore. We've been spoiled for much of the past ten years, with many of the games being close and some even decided in the last few minutes, or even seconds. This year, with the game pretty much over in the first half, it was hard to watch any of it.
My daughter and I decided to go to my parent's home in Bowie to watch the game, and we planned to crash there for the night. On the way over, I stopped at Timbuktu, a restaurant in Hanover known for their delicious crab cakes, where I got several crab cake sandwiches. I first tried these crab cakes about 10 years ago, when my Aunt picked up a few of them and brought them over as a surprise. They are the size of a softball, if not larger, and are very tasty! They're a nice treat every once in a while. I wanted to surprise my parents. They were surprised, and we really enjoyed them. It was a pretty nice dinner to go with a Super Bowl. It's just too bad it became a Super Bore.
When the game was over, the only other excitement was the possibly of a big snow storm today. Unfortunately, the temperatures never dropped enough to allow for the big turnover from rain to snow, and we never saw any. I had hoped for a possible day off, but I should know better that to get my hopes up. There are two more chances of bad weather this week, so I hope we'll still get something.
In the meantime, we're back at home, and I'm too tired to stay awake.. I hope you have a wonderful evening and a better tomorrow.
Saturday, February 1, 2014
Jack Ryan: American Hero
While in Oklahoma City last week, one of my colleagues, Greg, asked me if I wanted to join him to see a movie one night to help pass the time. Since he and I love Oklahoma City about the same amount, which is equal to how much we enjoy getting a root canal, it didn't take much convincing and we decided to go on Thursday night. We went to the Harkins Theater in Bricktown, which is a touristy area of Oklahoma City, to see JACK RYAN: SHADOW RECRUIT. The movie theater was pretty dead on Thursday, and because the movie had been out for a while already, we were the only ones in the theater for the duration of the movie.
Jack Ryan is a character created by author Tom Clancy, and was previously played by Alec Baldwin, Harrison Ford, and Ben Affleck in other movies about the character. In JACK RYAN, Jack is played by Chris Pine, who is fast becoming a superstar, having most recently played Captain James Kirk in the new Star Trek franchise. Pine is a likable actor and convincing in this role. Kevin Costner, who seems to be making a bit of a movie comeback recently, is also in the movie, and he is enjoyable as Pine's mentor. Keira Knightley plays Jack Ryan's fiancee, and she is also very likable. One note about her, though. She is so thin as to appear sickly to me. Unfortunately, as long as our society glorifies thin bodies, as models or actors, too many young women and teens are going to think that's how they need to look. Anorexia is still a problem in this country. Someone get poor Keira something to eat.
The movie itself was very good, if not very believable. The plot has to do with a series of financial dealings and terrorist attacks that threaten to destroy the world's economy and cause a second Great Depression. Jack Ryan is recruited by the CIA as a shadow recruit who discovers the plot in his day job on Wall Street. He then travels to Moscow to figure out what's going on, and that's when the movie starts hopping. Ryan, at this point not a field agent, has his first run in with action and it shakes him up. Pine is quite believable as a fish out of water, and the scenes with Kevin Costner, his mentor, are well played. However, Ryan is quickly put into action and the movie quickly goes from tense and enjoyable to typical. Ryan soon becomes the only one who can figure out what is actually happening, and he discovers where a terrorist attack is to take place. He ends up in the center of the action, and again is the only one to figure everything out, including where the terrorists are, and he single-handedly keeps the plot from succeeding. Jack Ryan is more like James Bond.
I give the movie 2 and a half stars out of four. It was enjoyable enough, but way too predictable as it went along. Chris Pine is pretty good, Costner is good, and Knightley is good. But they're only good, not great. The Bricktown Harkins Theater was pretty nice, and is in a great location. Bricktown is full of great restaurants and things to do, and if you're in Oklahoma City, it's a great area to explore.
Have a great evening, everyone.
Jack Ryan is a character created by author Tom Clancy, and was previously played by Alec Baldwin, Harrison Ford, and Ben Affleck in other movies about the character. In JACK RYAN, Jack is played by Chris Pine, who is fast becoming a superstar, having most recently played Captain James Kirk in the new Star Trek franchise. Pine is a likable actor and convincing in this role. Kevin Costner, who seems to be making a bit of a movie comeback recently, is also in the movie, and he is enjoyable as Pine's mentor. Keira Knightley plays Jack Ryan's fiancee, and she is also very likable. One note about her, though. She is so thin as to appear sickly to me. Unfortunately, as long as our society glorifies thin bodies, as models or actors, too many young women and teens are going to think that's how they need to look. Anorexia is still a problem in this country. Someone get poor Keira something to eat.
The movie itself was very good, if not very believable. The plot has to do with a series of financial dealings and terrorist attacks that threaten to destroy the world's economy and cause a second Great Depression. Jack Ryan is recruited by the CIA as a shadow recruit who discovers the plot in his day job on Wall Street. He then travels to Moscow to figure out what's going on, and that's when the movie starts hopping. Ryan, at this point not a field agent, has his first run in with action and it shakes him up. Pine is quite believable as a fish out of water, and the scenes with Kevin Costner, his mentor, are well played. However, Ryan is quickly put into action and the movie quickly goes from tense and enjoyable to typical. Ryan soon becomes the only one who can figure out what is actually happening, and he discovers where a terrorist attack is to take place. He ends up in the center of the action, and again is the only one to figure everything out, including where the terrorists are, and he single-handedly keeps the plot from succeeding. Jack Ryan is more like James Bond.
I give the movie 2 and a half stars out of four. It was enjoyable enough, but way too predictable as it went along. Chris Pine is pretty good, Costner is good, and Knightley is good. But they're only good, not great. The Bricktown Harkins Theater was pretty nice, and is in a great location. Bricktown is full of great restaurants and things to do, and if you're in Oklahoma City, it's a great area to explore.
Have a great evening, everyone.
Friday, January 31, 2014
A Community We Call Home
I arrived home this afternoon and I'm really happy to be here. Oklahoma is so different from here, and from the people to the topography, it is nothing like home. When I left, Howard County was picking up the pieces after the Mall shooting. Being away took away some of the sting. I read through a number of local blogs to catch up and saw how much the community is still grieving.
I did not grow up in Howard County. I'm a Prince George's County boy, born and bred. My parents moved to Riverdale shortly after I was born, but needed a bigger house not too long after when my sister was born. So we moved to Upper Marlboro when I was 4. We settled into the community and lived there for the next 20 years. It was a great place to grow up. I'm sure Howard County was much like it. I loved my childhood. I had great friends, great schools, and a great neighborhood.
As I've documented here, my grandparents were killed in a car accident in 1987, and their deaths had a dramatic affect on my family. My mother really struggled with losing her parents. She needed a change. A major life change. She and Dad decided to begin looking at new homes. I was a (commuter) student at the University of Maryland in College Park, and even though I was still living at home, I was in favor of the move. My sister and brother weren't quite as enthusiastic, especially since it would result in them leaving the only home they had ever known (or could remember), and all of their friends. Mom & Dad targeted southern Howard County. The Scaggsville area reminded us of the community we would be leaving in Upper Marlboro, which was a cross of suburban and rural and cozy. They found a neighborhood just off of Rt. 216 just west of I-95, and began having a house built.
Over the next several months, my parents would make trips out to Scaggsville to see how the house was coming along. I made several trips, myself, since I could get there more quickly after classes at Maryland. At one point, though, shortly after the foundation was poured, we noticed how steep the backyard was. This was a problem. Fill dirt had caused it to be practically unusable. My father was livid, and complained to the builder. The builder assured us that they could level it off so it wouldn't be as steep. Soon, though, it became obvious that nothing could be done about it, and my parents again went to the builder and issued an ultimatum: fix the backyard, or the deal was off. The builder had not been truthful from the beginning, and they finally admitted it. The deal was off, and we did not move. It was a tough situation to deal with. We had all reached the point where we were either happy with the move, or had accepted it, and now it wasn't happening. Four years later, my parents did move, this time to Bowie, MD.
I met and married Teresa in 1999. She was a teacher... in Howard County. She taught Freshman English and a public speaking elective, and was a very popular teacher at Mt. Hebron High School in Ellicott City. A few years after we married, we bought our first house, also in Howard County. Ironically, it was only a few miles away from the neighborhood where my parents almost bought their house. When Reservoir High School was constructed, Teresa was one of the first teachers recruited to teach there. The fact that it was right down the street was perfect. It was a tough move for her, but she was excited to be a part of starting something new. The school opened in the Fall of 2002.
We loved living in Howard County. Teresa wanted her children to go to Howard County schools, which she believed were the best in the state. I had always like Howard County, and since I had almost become a resident back in 1988, it was nice to finally finish that process and settle here. Teresa stopped working after our daughter, Melody, was born in 2003. Unfortunately, Teresa died of a massive heart attack on April 17, 2004, while we were all walking around outside Reservoir on a particularly warm Spring evening.
The community rallied behind us. Mt. Hebron staff brought diapers and food, and Reservoir started a memorial fund which eventually became a scholarship in Teresa's name, and would be offered to one student each year that best exemplified what Teresa's definition of a well-rounded student should be. Grace Community Church, aptly named, hosted her memorial service. Grace would build a new church building just a few years later in the same area as the school. We had started attending Grace in the Summer of 2003 based on the reputation the church had in the community. Teresa, as a high school teacher, could see the affect Grace had on the students who attended and were active in the youth program there. Teresa, armed with that information, was convinced Grace would be a great place for us to worship, and so it was. I consider us so fortunate to have a church community like Grace's for my daughter to be a part of.
I've now lived here in Howard County for almost 13 years, and it's very likely I will surpass the 24 years I lived in Prince George's County. There's a sense of pride that has developed in me since moving to Howard, and I'm happy to call it home. It's my community. It's my daughter's community. And when tragedies occur in our community, it hurts. So we look forward to being a part of the healing process that our community will go through and overcome. This is home. And we love our home.
Have a great evening, everyone.
I did not grow up in Howard County. I'm a Prince George's County boy, born and bred. My parents moved to Riverdale shortly after I was born, but needed a bigger house not too long after when my sister was born. So we moved to Upper Marlboro when I was 4. We settled into the community and lived there for the next 20 years. It was a great place to grow up. I'm sure Howard County was much like it. I loved my childhood. I had great friends, great schools, and a great neighborhood.
As I've documented here, my grandparents were killed in a car accident in 1987, and their deaths had a dramatic affect on my family. My mother really struggled with losing her parents. She needed a change. A major life change. She and Dad decided to begin looking at new homes. I was a (commuter) student at the University of Maryland in College Park, and even though I was still living at home, I was in favor of the move. My sister and brother weren't quite as enthusiastic, especially since it would result in them leaving the only home they had ever known (or could remember), and all of their friends. Mom & Dad targeted southern Howard County. The Scaggsville area reminded us of the community we would be leaving in Upper Marlboro, which was a cross of suburban and rural and cozy. They found a neighborhood just off of Rt. 216 just west of I-95, and began having a house built.
Over the next several months, my parents would make trips out to Scaggsville to see how the house was coming along. I made several trips, myself, since I could get there more quickly after classes at Maryland. At one point, though, shortly after the foundation was poured, we noticed how steep the backyard was. This was a problem. Fill dirt had caused it to be practically unusable. My father was livid, and complained to the builder. The builder assured us that they could level it off so it wouldn't be as steep. Soon, though, it became obvious that nothing could be done about it, and my parents again went to the builder and issued an ultimatum: fix the backyard, or the deal was off. The builder had not been truthful from the beginning, and they finally admitted it. The deal was off, and we did not move. It was a tough situation to deal with. We had all reached the point where we were either happy with the move, or had accepted it, and now it wasn't happening. Four years later, my parents did move, this time to Bowie, MD.
I met and married Teresa in 1999. She was a teacher... in Howard County. She taught Freshman English and a public speaking elective, and was a very popular teacher at Mt. Hebron High School in Ellicott City. A few years after we married, we bought our first house, also in Howard County. Ironically, it was only a few miles away from the neighborhood where my parents almost bought their house. When Reservoir High School was constructed, Teresa was one of the first teachers recruited to teach there. The fact that it was right down the street was perfect. It was a tough move for her, but she was excited to be a part of starting something new. The school opened in the Fall of 2002.
We loved living in Howard County. Teresa wanted her children to go to Howard County schools, which she believed were the best in the state. I had always like Howard County, and since I had almost become a resident back in 1988, it was nice to finally finish that process and settle here. Teresa stopped working after our daughter, Melody, was born in 2003. Unfortunately, Teresa died of a massive heart attack on April 17, 2004, while we were all walking around outside Reservoir on a particularly warm Spring evening.
The community rallied behind us. Mt. Hebron staff brought diapers and food, and Reservoir started a memorial fund which eventually became a scholarship in Teresa's name, and would be offered to one student each year that best exemplified what Teresa's definition of a well-rounded student should be. Grace Community Church, aptly named, hosted her memorial service. Grace would build a new church building just a few years later in the same area as the school. We had started attending Grace in the Summer of 2003 based on the reputation the church had in the community. Teresa, as a high school teacher, could see the affect Grace had on the students who attended and were active in the youth program there. Teresa, armed with that information, was convinced Grace would be a great place for us to worship, and so it was. I consider us so fortunate to have a church community like Grace's for my daughter to be a part of.
I've now lived here in Howard County for almost 13 years, and it's very likely I will surpass the 24 years I lived in Prince George's County. There's a sense of pride that has developed in me since moving to Howard, and I'm happy to call it home. It's my community. It's my daughter's community. And when tragedies occur in our community, it hurts. So we look forward to being a part of the healing process that our community will go through and overcome. This is home. And we love our home.
Have a great evening, everyone.
Wednesday, January 29, 2014
Reflections Of A Family Christmas
While I'm stuck in OK City, I found myself looking through a bunch of old pics on my iPhone. They're not really old... A few weeks seems like old given the number of pictures I take, which is really easy with a cell phone. Anyway, the pics are of Christmas with my family, and I'm already amazed by how many things I received and already forgotten. That's pretty sad, really, but it was a nice reminder of a few things I can look forward to getting out of boxes when I get home! Enjoy...and Merry Christmas!
My new favorite mug!
A Griswold Family Christmas
Yes, we're really going!
Dad? Yo, Dad!?! Hello???
My brother, The Steel Chef
My daughter and my sister
Mom
Melody and a LOT of really big gifts
A two-headed hat?!?
Sunday, January 26, 2014
OK City Again...
I'm suffering from separation anxiety. I had to say goodbye to my daughter last night and I flew to Oklahoma City this morning. This is a quarterly business trip that I have to take, and I dislike it a great deal. I think I've made about 24 trips to OKC in the past five years, but I stopped counting at 10.
My daughter has a normal week of school, and she seems to handle these getaways better than I do. We're fortunate to have so much family in the area, so I'll have a house-sitter and baby-sitter while I'm away, and she won't miss a beat.
My daughter has a normal week of school, and she seems to handle these getaways better than I do. We're fortunate to have so much family in the area, so I'll have a house-sitter and baby-sitter while I'm away, and she won't miss a beat.
I, on the other hand...well, I don't take well to these trips. I hate being away from home against my wishes, and I really hate being away from my daughter. But it's necessary and required due to this job of mine.
So I'm in OK City all week, and regular posts will be kind of disrupted until I get home.
Hope everyone has a great evening. Hug your loved ones. You can't do it enough!
Saturday, January 25, 2014
Shooting Leaves Me With A Loss For Words
Today's events have left me with a loss for words. The shooting at the Mall in Columbia was a sad, disappointing, and terrible thing, and the fact that it has happened in our community has hit hard. This is my home, and I'm tired of it being harmed by those who don't seem to care. There is no place for this kind of violence, here or anywhere else. It's a sad trend, as there have been so many shootings like this one throughout our country.
I'll be praying this evening for peace, understanding, and and end to this kind of violence. I'm praying for the families of those who lost loved ones today in the shooting. I'm praying for the safety of our young people in this community. I'm praying for the continued protection of our police and security people, and I'm thankful that they are here to help and protect the community. And I'm praying for God's continued presence in our lives, as He is still in charge.
Rest easy this evening, Howard County. May you look to Him for comfort.
I'll be praying this evening for peace, understanding, and and end to this kind of violence. I'm praying for the families of those who lost loved ones today in the shooting. I'm praying for the safety of our young people in this community. I'm praying for the continued protection of our police and security people, and I'm thankful that they are here to help and protect the community. And I'm praying for God's continued presence in our lives, as He is still in charge.
Rest easy this evening, Howard County. May you look to Him for comfort.
Friday, January 24, 2014
Girlfriends of Widowers
I was reading a blog this evening from a man who experienced the death of his wife, and was on the healing road and in a new relationship. The blog entry centered on the "hostility" (in quotes because I don't think it's intentional hostility) that seems to exist from those women who decide to date and/or marry a widower (known colloquially as WOWs or GOWs -- Wives or Girlfriends of Widowers). If you care to read the blog, here is the link. I find the subject fascinating, since I am a widower, especially as I am trying to make that step from grieving husband to new relationship. For me, it will be ten years in April since Teresa died suddenly due to a massive heart attack. I've shared the story here on my own blog several times, which you can read all about here.
I hadn't realized just how difficult it might be for a woman to date me. The "baggage" I've accumulated as a result of being married before is one thing, but to include the years of grief, the years of depression, a young daughter, a family of in-laws, and still living in the same house my wife and I purchased over 12 years ago, all of it must be completely overwhelming to someone who I just met and might like to date me. How does one deal with all of that? Is it fair for me to bring all of this to the table of a potential relationship?
That's where this "hostility" comes from. The widower may find it difficult to to get past much of this stuff, or even if they do, or think they do, there's still the GOW who has to confront this same stuff and decide whether it's worth it to enter into a potential relationship with the widower. There's a competition that exists, whether the widower sees it or not, between the GOW and the dead wife. If the widower has any unresolved feelings for the dead wife, that's going to be an issue for the GOW. Even pictures, or personal belongings that may be in the widower's home that belonged to the dead wife, are going to be issues. The widower may not think anything of them, but I guarantee the GOW will.
I dated a wonderful young lady a few years ago. The relationship was quite serious, and we were discussing marriage. There are a number of factors involved in why the relationship didn't work out, in particular the fact she lived in Oklahoma and I lived here in Maryland, but early on, she had a very hard time with the fact that I had pictures of my dead wife still sitting out. We had already started "pre-marriage" counseling, and the subject came up during one of our sessions. I reasoned that the pictures were there for my daughter's benefit, not mine. I believed it was important that my daughter know and be reminded of who her mother was. The girlfriend said she understood, but she didn't like it. She asked me to "sanitize" the house by getting rid of anything that had either belonged to my wife, or reminded us of her. In fact, we planned to move to a new house upon getting married. In addition, she wanted me to begin making lifestyle changes, such as changing churches, before we got married. This was especially hard, since my daughter and I were fairly involved in our church. I dragged my feet, and she got angry. I figured it would better to just wait until she moved here and we could find a church together. She disagreed, and it came up that she didn't like that we went to a church that my wife and I attended together, and she wanted me to immediately look for a different church for us to attend. I just didn't understand why this was so important to her. I still don't. I mean, I do, but it just seemed like she was being insensitive. My attending our church had more to do with me and my daughter, not with my dead wife. But she wanted our relationship to be all about us, including where we attended church, and that meant eliminating everything having a connection to my wife.
I now realize that this is one of those things that WOWs and GOWs struggle with. It may not have anything to do with me, the widower, but the GOW is going to want to feel special. These changes are going to be important, and communication is going to have to be there. It's going to be hard for me, as a widower, to shut off that part of my life. And it will be hard.
I hope I will be able to find someone understanding of my previous life, just as I hope that I will be able to make that someone understand that they are special and our relationship is unique to us. It's something I pray about regularly. I believe God will help make the relationship work, if it's meant to be.
There is much more I can write about this subject, but I'm going to stop here. Stay tuned.
Have a great evening, everyone!
I hadn't realized just how difficult it might be for a woman to date me. The "baggage" I've accumulated as a result of being married before is one thing, but to include the years of grief, the years of depression, a young daughter, a family of in-laws, and still living in the same house my wife and I purchased over 12 years ago, all of it must be completely overwhelming to someone who I just met and might like to date me. How does one deal with all of that? Is it fair for me to bring all of this to the table of a potential relationship?
That's where this "hostility" comes from. The widower may find it difficult to to get past much of this stuff, or even if they do, or think they do, there's still the GOW who has to confront this same stuff and decide whether it's worth it to enter into a potential relationship with the widower. There's a competition that exists, whether the widower sees it or not, between the GOW and the dead wife. If the widower has any unresolved feelings for the dead wife, that's going to be an issue for the GOW. Even pictures, or personal belongings that may be in the widower's home that belonged to the dead wife, are going to be issues. The widower may not think anything of them, but I guarantee the GOW will.
I dated a wonderful young lady a few years ago. The relationship was quite serious, and we were discussing marriage. There are a number of factors involved in why the relationship didn't work out, in particular the fact she lived in Oklahoma and I lived here in Maryland, but early on, she had a very hard time with the fact that I had pictures of my dead wife still sitting out. We had already started "pre-marriage" counseling, and the subject came up during one of our sessions. I reasoned that the pictures were there for my daughter's benefit, not mine. I believed it was important that my daughter know and be reminded of who her mother was. The girlfriend said she understood, but she didn't like it. She asked me to "sanitize" the house by getting rid of anything that had either belonged to my wife, or reminded us of her. In fact, we planned to move to a new house upon getting married. In addition, she wanted me to begin making lifestyle changes, such as changing churches, before we got married. This was especially hard, since my daughter and I were fairly involved in our church. I dragged my feet, and she got angry. I figured it would better to just wait until she moved here and we could find a church together. She disagreed, and it came up that she didn't like that we went to a church that my wife and I attended together, and she wanted me to immediately look for a different church for us to attend. I just didn't understand why this was so important to her. I still don't. I mean, I do, but it just seemed like she was being insensitive. My attending our church had more to do with me and my daughter, not with my dead wife. But she wanted our relationship to be all about us, including where we attended church, and that meant eliminating everything having a connection to my wife.
I now realize that this is one of those things that WOWs and GOWs struggle with. It may not have anything to do with me, the widower, but the GOW is going to want to feel special. These changes are going to be important, and communication is going to have to be there. It's going to be hard for me, as a widower, to shut off that part of my life. And it will be hard.
I hope I will be able to find someone understanding of my previous life, just as I hope that I will be able to make that someone understand that they are special and our relationship is unique to us. It's something I pray about regularly. I believe God will help make the relationship work, if it's meant to be.
There is much more I can write about this subject, but I'm going to stop here. Stay tuned.
Have a great evening, everyone!
Thursday, January 23, 2014
Survey, Dating, Scout, and Stress...Just Another Day
If you read yesterday's blog, I posted a survey. It was really meant to be an attempt at being funny, but I'm not sure just how funny it really was. I admit to being very tired as I typed it out, and it may have been a poor attempt at humor. Thank you for indulging me, and for those that took the time to take the survey and answer the questions, thank you. The information you provided will go a long way towards helping me figure out who is reading this blog and why.
Nothing new to report on the dating front. I'm still waiting for that one woman to jump out of the pack and make an impression on me, or for any I've contacted to write back, or...well, something. I go through this every six months or so, and it becomes the same game each time. I lose more and more of my nerve to date when I got through this. It's disappointing in some ways, and it does affect my own confidence in myself, to some degree, to the point that I become too intimidated to contact some of these women who really seem to know what they want, to the exclusion of anyone else. I understand that they probably get flooded with unwanted attention from guys who absolutely do not meet their criteria, but sometimes they scare away guys who may come close, but due to the way the write their profile, I'm not sure I'd even want to try.
I went on a date a few years ago with a girl on a dating site where the young lady went on a rant about how every guy she went out with ended up not being her type. I looked over her profile and she had set no criteria for the type of guy she wanted to date. It was, pretty much, if you've got a pulse and hair, you're good to go. But that wasn't good enough for her once she got you out on a date. She never told me that I didn't fit her criteria, but I didn't go on a second date with her.
It's true that you need to really specify what kind of person you're looking for on these sites. It makes finding someone a bit easier. But there are still those people who truly believe they fit that criteria when they don't, and test the water anyway. So I guess it's okay to be picky in your profile write ups. And then, if you get past the "bouncer" at the door, maybe you'll really make a connection.
And maybe I'll win the next PowerBall lottery without buying a ticket.
Faithful Pup Scout returned home this morning after almost a week with my parents. I really missed her. I don't like to admit that to loudly. Scout is a cute little 10-pound white ball of fur of Maltese pup, and she is hardly the epitome of a manly dog. I always tell people she's my wife's dog, which is true. Teresa wanted a Maltese after meeting my Aunt's two Maltese pups before we got married, and after we bought our first home, we brought Scout home. Teresa died a little over two years later, and Scout became MY dog. And she loves me, just as much as I love her. She's a comfort to me. She's getting up there in age, and she's having her issues. She doesn't get around very well, and she sleeps most of the time. But she has her routines and she definitely is happier here at home than when she's elsewhere. Though she is content to be at my parent's, she tends to mope and act sad when she's with them. Then she goes nuts when she sees me after we've been apart for awhile. She was noticeably happy to be home today. And I was happy to have her.
I used to enjoy my Fridays at work, but tomorrow is just another in a string of stressful week ending days at the office. I don't like to go into details about my job here on the blog, but I will say that my level of responsibility has greatly increased in recent days, and some of the issues I'm dealing with have taken me way out of my comfort zone. That said, tomorrow I have to lead a large group of employees through a planning session that I have very little knowledge about, and I will be put on the spot. That's never easy, and being the introvert that I am, I'm not looking forward to it. So I've spent the afternoon worrying, which is stupid, I know, since there's nothing I can do about it right now. I keep trying to come up with ways I can get out of it that don't involve bodily harm to myself, or require me to lie, which I refuse to do ("My dog ate my homework" just won't cut it). So it looks like I'm on the hook. I hope the weekend provides relief.
With that, I hope you all have a wonderful evening. Good night!
***
Nothing new to report on the dating front. I'm still waiting for that one woman to jump out of the pack and make an impression on me, or for any I've contacted to write back, or...well, something. I go through this every six months or so, and it becomes the same game each time. I lose more and more of my nerve to date when I got through this. It's disappointing in some ways, and it does affect my own confidence in myself, to some degree, to the point that I become too intimidated to contact some of these women who really seem to know what they want, to the exclusion of anyone else. I understand that they probably get flooded with unwanted attention from guys who absolutely do not meet their criteria, but sometimes they scare away guys who may come close, but due to the way the write their profile, I'm not sure I'd even want to try.
I went on a date a few years ago with a girl on a dating site where the young lady went on a rant about how every guy she went out with ended up not being her type. I looked over her profile and she had set no criteria for the type of guy she wanted to date. It was, pretty much, if you've got a pulse and hair, you're good to go. But that wasn't good enough for her once she got you out on a date. She never told me that I didn't fit her criteria, but I didn't go on a second date with her.
It's true that you need to really specify what kind of person you're looking for on these sites. It makes finding someone a bit easier. But there are still those people who truly believe they fit that criteria when they don't, and test the water anyway. So I guess it's okay to be picky in your profile write ups. And then, if you get past the "bouncer" at the door, maybe you'll really make a connection.
And maybe I'll win the next PowerBall lottery without buying a ticket.
***
Faithful Pup Scout returned home this morning after almost a week with my parents. I really missed her. I don't like to admit that to loudly. Scout is a cute little 10-pound white ball of fur of Maltese pup, and she is hardly the epitome of a manly dog. I always tell people she's my wife's dog, which is true. Teresa wanted a Maltese after meeting my Aunt's two Maltese pups before we got married, and after we bought our first home, we brought Scout home. Teresa died a little over two years later, and Scout became MY dog. And she loves me, just as much as I love her. She's a comfort to me. She's getting up there in age, and she's having her issues. She doesn't get around very well, and she sleeps most of the time. But she has her routines and she definitely is happier here at home than when she's elsewhere. Though she is content to be at my parent's, she tends to mope and act sad when she's with them. Then she goes nuts when she sees me after we've been apart for awhile. She was noticeably happy to be home today. And I was happy to have her.
***
I used to enjoy my Fridays at work, but tomorrow is just another in a string of stressful week ending days at the office. I don't like to go into details about my job here on the blog, but I will say that my level of responsibility has greatly increased in recent days, and some of the issues I'm dealing with have taken me way out of my comfort zone. That said, tomorrow I have to lead a large group of employees through a planning session that I have very little knowledge about, and I will be put on the spot. That's never easy, and being the introvert that I am, I'm not looking forward to it. So I've spent the afternoon worrying, which is stupid, I know, since there's nothing I can do about it right now. I keep trying to come up with ways I can get out of it that don't involve bodily harm to myself, or require me to lie, which I refuse to do ("My dog ate my homework" just won't cut it). So it looks like I'm on the hook. I hope the weekend provides relief.
With that, I hope you all have a wonderful evening. Good night!
Wednesday, January 22, 2014
Survey Says...!
After writing this blog for the last several years, I'm very curious to find out more about you, the reader. With that in mind, I've put together the following optional survey. If you would please assist me by answering the following questions and posting them as a comment, I'd greatly appreciated it. You may answer verbally, if you prefer, but that's optional. If you have no interest in answering any of the questions, well.... that's okay, too. You may still read the blog. Thanks!
1. Please state your name.
2. What is your age?
3. What age do you feel like?
4. Are you a regular reader of this blog?
5. If you are not a regular reader of this blog, why are you reading it now?
6. If you write a blog, would you share a link to it here?
7. What is your best friend's mother's name?
8. Which shoe do you put on first?
9. Are you left handed? If so, do you bat right handed?
10. What is the strangest talent you possess?
11. Have you ever been tied up? Do you want to be?
12. How many different eye colors do you have?
13. What is your favorite flavor of fruit? Veggie?
14. At a movie theater, which arm rest is yours, the right or the left?
15. What is your favorite planet?
16. If you're staying in a room with two beds, which one do you sleep on?
17. Who is your favorite fictional character?
18. Who is your favorite non-fictional character?
19. What is your favorite age that you've been so far?
20. Are you smarter than the average bear?
21. Do you consider yourself a talker or a listener?
22. How many of each animal did Moses take on the ark?
23. Which celebrity do you most look like?
24. Which celebrity would you want to play you in a movie about you?
25. Do you wear a ponytail in your hair?
26. What number do you most look like?
27. What letter best describes you?
28. Do you have a pet? If yes, what kind?
29. Do you walk to work or carry your lunch?
30. Please do not take this survey at all seriously, and pass your answers to the person on your left.
Thank you! You're awesome!
Have a great evening, everyone!
Tuesday, January 21, 2014
IT'S A MAD MAD MAD MAD WORLD
I love snow days! This was a great day, with lots of snow, and schools were closed, and the Federal Government shut down... It turned into a fun day. Once I found out the government was closed, I got a few extra hours of sleep. I decided to get out of bed at 8:30. There was no snow outside at all, and I was concerned about the public perception of the government closing for no reason.
I watched the morning news and ate some breakfast. I had a few things recorded on the Tivo to watch, but, while doing my morning reading of the blogs, I came across Mark Evanier's blog about the new Criterion DVD of IT'S A MAD MAD MAD MAD WORLD, #17 on my list of favorite movies. It was due to be released today. I had already pre-purchased it from Amazon several weeks ago, and sort of forgot about it. I looked up the tracking number and it said it was delivered. So I went to the front door, and there it was! Hot dog! Now I knew what I'd be doing today!
The snow arrived about an hour or so later, and it came down fast. I decided that I had better go to the store and get a few supplies, since we really didn't have much in the house after being away all weekend. The grocery store was much more crowded than I imagined. I figured everything was pretty much shut down, but the store was hopping. I got what I needed and headed home.
I popped in the DVD and watched MAD WORLD. I've seen this movie dozens of times, but this edition is the most complete since it was first released in 1963. Directed by Stanley Kramer, the movie is a comedic tour de force, starring a who's who of comedy stars over entertainment history. And aside from the stars, it had cameos from just about every other comedian in Hollywood at the time. Spencer Tracy was the main star, and the only actor in the movie without a comedy background. Other stars include Milton Berle, Sid Caesar, Buddy Hackett, Ethel Merman, Mickey Rooney, Dick Shawn, Phil Silvers, Terry-Thomas, and Jonathan Winters. Others with cameos include Jack Benny, Jimmy Durante, Peter Falk, Eddie "Rochester" Anderson, Stan Freburg, Buster Keaton, Don Knotts, Jerry Lewis, Carl Reiner, and The Three Stooges.
When it was released, it clocked in at 202 minutes. It was trimmed down substantially shortly after, and much of the cut footage had disappeared. This edition of the movie includes much of this missing footage, and it was a lot of fun to see. I first saw the movie when I was a kid, and it I really enjoyed it. It obviously made an impression on me. The story is about a guy who committed a robbery many years ago, and he crashes his car way out in the desert of Southern California. A group of strangers witness the crash, and talk to the guy, played by Jimmy Durante, just before he dies. He tells them about all this money that's buried under a "big 'W'". The police show up, but the strangers decided not to say anything about the money to the police. Soon, however, they decide it might be for real, and it becomes a race to get to the money first. What ensues is craziness, as all of the characters make their way to where the money is supposedly buried, with the cops all monitoring them. While there is a lot of slapstick, the movie is hilarious because of the comedy genius of the stars. It's awesome!
The movie's length adds to the epic feel. The Criterion edition is well worth the price, and I highly recommend it. Check it out if you get the chance.
Enjoy the snow! Have a great evening, everyone!
I watched the morning news and ate some breakfast. I had a few things recorded on the Tivo to watch, but, while doing my morning reading of the blogs, I came across Mark Evanier's blog about the new Criterion DVD of IT'S A MAD MAD MAD MAD WORLD, #17 on my list of favorite movies. It was due to be released today. I had already pre-purchased it from Amazon several weeks ago, and sort of forgot about it. I looked up the tracking number and it said it was delivered. So I went to the front door, and there it was! Hot dog! Now I knew what I'd be doing today!
The snow arrived about an hour or so later, and it came down fast. I decided that I had better go to the store and get a few supplies, since we really didn't have much in the house after being away all weekend. The grocery store was much more crowded than I imagined. I figured everything was pretty much shut down, but the store was hopping. I got what I needed and headed home.
I popped in the DVD and watched MAD WORLD. I've seen this movie dozens of times, but this edition is the most complete since it was first released in 1963. Directed by Stanley Kramer, the movie is a comedic tour de force, starring a who's who of comedy stars over entertainment history. And aside from the stars, it had cameos from just about every other comedian in Hollywood at the time. Spencer Tracy was the main star, and the only actor in the movie without a comedy background. Other stars include Milton Berle, Sid Caesar, Buddy Hackett, Ethel Merman, Mickey Rooney, Dick Shawn, Phil Silvers, Terry-Thomas, and Jonathan Winters. Others with cameos include Jack Benny, Jimmy Durante, Peter Falk, Eddie "Rochester" Anderson, Stan Freburg, Buster Keaton, Don Knotts, Jerry Lewis, Carl Reiner, and The Three Stooges.
When it was released, it clocked in at 202 minutes. It was trimmed down substantially shortly after, and much of the cut footage had disappeared. This edition of the movie includes much of this missing footage, and it was a lot of fun to see. I first saw the movie when I was a kid, and it I really enjoyed it. It obviously made an impression on me. The story is about a guy who committed a robbery many years ago, and he crashes his car way out in the desert of Southern California. A group of strangers witness the crash, and talk to the guy, played by Jimmy Durante, just before he dies. He tells them about all this money that's buried under a "big 'W'". The police show up, but the strangers decided not to say anything about the money to the police. Soon, however, they decide it might be for real, and it becomes a race to get to the money first. What ensues is craziness, as all of the characters make their way to where the money is supposedly buried, with the cops all monitoring them. While there is a lot of slapstick, the movie is hilarious because of the comedy genius of the stars. It's awesome!
The movie's length adds to the epic feel. The Criterion edition is well worth the price, and I highly recommend it. Check it out if you get the chance.
Enjoy the snow! Have a great evening, everyone!
Monday, January 20, 2014
Matching Issues/Super Bowl Match-up
I've been on the latest online dating site for a little over a week now and I'm not having the kind of luck I expected. Actually, I guess it IS what I've come to expect. The only women that seem to be interested in me are the exact opposite of who I'm looking for. It's almost like a bad joke. I've laid out in my profile who I'm looking for, and it's as if these women are completely ignoring it. I just can't figure it out. Then there are the ones that I am attracted to. I've attempted to contact nine women who fit the criteria that I'm looking for in a match. Not one has returned the communication.
I'm a fairly intelligent guy. I'm not ugly. I'm above average, in my opinion. Yes, I have my issues, but I'm not advertising them. I've been told by women whose opinions I respect that I'm a catch. Heck, I've been married, happily married, in fact, though I've got that widower stigma attached to me. I'm a father, so I'm not scared of kids. What is there that's not to like?
So I'm second guessing everything. Maybe it is the widower stigma. Maybe it is the fact that I'm a father. Is it the facial hair? Do my ears stick out to far? Are my eyes too squinty? Are my feet too big? Is it because I bite my nails during sporting events? Is it because I'm a Pittsburgh sports fan? Am I just too picky???
I don't know anymore. Sadly, I've paid for a six-month subscription, so I'm going to have to live with this until July... or consider it a loss. Look out, ladies!
Though I didn't get the chance to watch either of the championship games yesterday, I was happy with the results. I'm not exactly a big Broncos fan, nor do I care for the Seahawks. But Super Bowl match-ups are measured by the team's success in the Big Game versus the Pittsburgh Steelers record six Super Bowl wins. The 49ers have been sitting at 5 wins for quite a long time, but I certainly don't want to see them tying the Steelers record. The Patriots have had a lot of success over the past dozen years, and they are one of the Steelers hated rivals, so I don't want them winning, either. The Broncos won a few Super Bowls in the 90s, and the Seahawks played in one but lost to my Steelers, so seeing these two teams play, and knowing one has to win, will have almost zero impact on the Steelers record.
With all of that established, I'm rooting for the Broncos since I'm an AFC guy. I actually like Peyton Manning as a player, though I think he's totally over-saturated in the media. He's the pitch man for everything from pizza to banking. He's practically the face of the NFL. The Broncos have an exciting offense and you get the feeling they should be able to move the ball against just about any team.
I still don't care for the Seahawks, even though the Steelers beat them back in Super Bowl XL, in January, 2006. It's the fact that the Seahawks team, coach, and fans still blame the officials for their loss in that game. They still complain about it. They totally discount the Steelers play in that game, and the fact that the game wasn't even close for most of it, regardless of the officiating. I hope the officials call a great game and the Broncos win big. Maybe that will put it to rest.
So I'm off to bed, hoping for a blizzard tomorrow!
Have a great evening, everyone!
I'm a fairly intelligent guy. I'm not ugly. I'm above average, in my opinion. Yes, I have my issues, but I'm not advertising them. I've been told by women whose opinions I respect that I'm a catch. Heck, I've been married, happily married, in fact, though I've got that widower stigma attached to me. I'm a father, so I'm not scared of kids. What is there that's not to like?
So I'm second guessing everything. Maybe it is the widower stigma. Maybe it is the fact that I'm a father. Is it the facial hair? Do my ears stick out to far? Are my eyes too squinty? Are my feet too big? Is it because I bite my nails during sporting events? Is it because I'm a Pittsburgh sports fan? Am I just too picky???
I don't know anymore. Sadly, I've paid for a six-month subscription, so I'm going to have to live with this until July... or consider it a loss. Look out, ladies!
***
Though I didn't get the chance to watch either of the championship games yesterday, I was happy with the results. I'm not exactly a big Broncos fan, nor do I care for the Seahawks. But Super Bowl match-ups are measured by the team's success in the Big Game versus the Pittsburgh Steelers record six Super Bowl wins. The 49ers have been sitting at 5 wins for quite a long time, but I certainly don't want to see them tying the Steelers record. The Patriots have had a lot of success over the past dozen years, and they are one of the Steelers hated rivals, so I don't want them winning, either. The Broncos won a few Super Bowls in the 90s, and the Seahawks played in one but lost to my Steelers, so seeing these two teams play, and knowing one has to win, will have almost zero impact on the Steelers record.
With all of that established, I'm rooting for the Broncos since I'm an AFC guy. I actually like Peyton Manning as a player, though I think he's totally over-saturated in the media. He's the pitch man for everything from pizza to banking. He's practically the face of the NFL. The Broncos have an exciting offense and you get the feeling they should be able to move the ball against just about any team.
I still don't care for the Seahawks, even though the Steelers beat them back in Super Bowl XL, in January, 2006. It's the fact that the Seahawks team, coach, and fans still blame the officials for their loss in that game. They still complain about it. They totally discount the Steelers play in that game, and the fact that the game wasn't even close for most of it, regardless of the officiating. I hope the officials call a great game and the Broncos win big. Maybe that will put it to rest.
So I'm off to bed, hoping for a blizzard tomorrow!
Have a great evening, everyone!
Sunday, January 19, 2014
Driving in a Blizzard
We awoke this morning to blizzard-like conditions. It was snowing to beat the band, and the wind was howling. We checked out of the Sleep Inn in Johnstown, PA, made our way to Denny's for breakfast, and prepared our agenda for the day. We originally thought we would visit the Johnstown Flood Museum, not to be confused with the Johnstown Flood Memorial, which we visited yesterday. The Museum, though, turned out to be closed on Sunday. Plan B would be a visit to the Flight 93 Memorial, just down the road near Somerset.
We stopped at Walmart for a few supplies, then headed south to the Lincoln Highway, and ten miles east to the memorial site. It's a sobering place, fitting right in with the rest of our "dark" weekend (Johnstown flood and dead Hollywood star Jimmy Stewart). It's essentially a large field with a series of information boards containing information about what occurred on 9/11/2001, and in particular, the fate of Flight 93, which went down here after the passengers and crew decided to try to stop the terrorists who had hijacked the plane. The site looked like a frozen wasteland, with snow drifting all over the road, the wind blowing, and overcast skies. We got out and walked around, but it was intensely cold, and we made our visit a short one.
We stopped at Walmart for a few supplies, then headed south to the Lincoln Highway, and ten miles east to the memorial site. It's a sobering place, fitting right in with the rest of our "dark" weekend (Johnstown flood and dead Hollywood star Jimmy Stewart). It's essentially a large field with a series of information boards containing information about what occurred on 9/11/2001, and in particular, the fate of Flight 93, which went down here after the passengers and crew decided to try to stop the terrorists who had hijacked the plane. The site looked like a frozen wasteland, with snow drifting all over the road, the wind blowing, and overcast skies. We got out and walked around, but it was intensely cold, and we made our visit a short one.
The rest of our day, and our trip, was not really planned. We decided to go visit my aunt and cousin in Uniontown, PA, my father's hometown, about an hour or so west and completely out of our way, but we were in no hurry to end the trip quite yet. We ended up on a lot of back roads, which our GPS, "Michelle", seems to prefer, so though we were making good time, we had to be careful since the roads were not in the best of shape. In addition, there were plenty of people driving excessively slow on these roads. We finally arrived at my Aunt's place at around 2:30. She was happy to see us, and fed us lots of good, home-cooked goodies, like veggie soup and pepperoni rolls, plus peanut butter fudge. We felt bad about our short visit and eating up her food, but she claimed it was worth it to see us. Then we began the long trek home.
Shortly after entering Maryland, just past Frostburg, the snow completely cleared out and we had smooth sailing all the way. We stopped in Hancock, the traditional halfway point of the trip from Uniontown to home, and had dinner at the old Park 'n' Dine restaurant, one of our favorites. My family has been stopping here since the 60s. Unfortunately, the food was not very good. I always get the hot turkey sandwich with mashed potatoes, dressing, and gravy on top of everything. The stuffing, though, looked like it had been sitting out all day, and the turkey was all dark meat. The fact that the restaurant would be closing about an hour after we arrived might have something to do with poor food, but I was disappointed. We continued down the road after eating, and we arrived home at around 9:30, tired and happy to be home.
We're thankful the Lord gave us a wonderful trip, despite the questionable weather and not being able to do much of what we had planned to do, but the snow was awesome, and there is a bit of comfort associated with traveling in adverse weather. Don't ask me why. I was also very pleased with our new Jeep. It ran great, and the weather ended up being the best test for it. I was happy with how it handled, and I never felt worried or uncomfortable while driving it. It's a solid 4-wheel drive vehicle.
Have a great evening, everyone!
Saturday, January 18, 2014
Jimmy Stewart's Hometown, Indiana, PA
My daughter and I spent the day at the Johnstown Flood Memorial, a rather depressing place which details the flood that wiped out the town in 1889. There is a short film that shows what happened on that fateful day.
After spending the morning in 19th Century Western PA, we went to 20th Century Hollywood in Indiana, PA, the hometown of my favorite actor of all time... Jimmy Stewart! It was a great time as we made the best of a snowy, cold Winter Day.
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