This is our country

July 4th. America’s Independence Day. This is a day of hot dogs, baseball, apple pie and fireworks; all pieces of Americana. Little league baseball games, sipping cold lemonade on the front porch as the sun drops below the horizon, county fairs are all pieces of Americana as well. Washington, DC is my favorite piece of Americana.

I’ve been to DC various times for different reasons. The first time was in 8th grade on a class trip. I’ve been there numerous times to visit Brian when he lived there for four years after college. I’ve been there a variety times when I lived in Virginia, although I lived 2 hours away.

I love Washington, DC. I love how it was designed, its rich history, the monuments, the galleries, its tribute to the Americans who built this country and who died for it and most importantly, what it stands for. I love DC at night when the monuments are all lit up. I love how every year, millions of people come to visit DC and stand in awe of all of those things. I stand in awe of all of those things every time I am there, which, unfortunately, has not been in the past two years.

There are two times I visited DC that stand out in my mind in particular.

The first time was probably about 9 years ago, when I went to visit Brian, we were out and about sightseeing at night and taking pictures around the Mall. We wandered around for a while, finally settling on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial. We snapped pictures, talked and just sat there, quietly, thinking about that moment in time and other moments in time, in that very place.

On this night, we saw a couple of amazing events take place. First, there was this couple. They were dressed to the nines, he in his tuxedo, replete with top hat and cape and she in her elegant red dress. They sauntered around the Memorial, at the top of the steps, inching closer to the statue of Abraham Lincoln. As they moved around on that level, they began to dance together, gracefully. There was no music playing. Really, there was no sound at all, other than the distant sound of cars speeding by and some chirping of crickets, yet these two people were dancing to the sound of music in their heads. It was beautiful. It was awe-inspiring.

The second event that occurred this night was equally, if not more stirring. We were still sitting on the steps of the Memorial, although I believe we had moved up closer to the top and in the silence of night, we began to hear voices singing. Two young men, I think they were African-American and were probably in their late teens or early twenties were singing, while wandering around near the pillars, just in front of the statue of Lincoln. They were singing the Star Spangled Banner and they were singing it beautifully. In addition to their incredible voices, the sounds and the words of the song were echoing off the marble walls of the Memorial making this experience even more impressive. I can still see that scene and replay the sounds in my head. I will never forget them.

(a picture taken that night)

The other time I vividly remember in DC was the one July 4th we spent there, again, visiting Brian. I believe it was ’97, but I’m not entirely sure. If you’ve never been to DC to be a part of the July 4th spectacular, you are missing an unbelievable experience. We took the train to the Mall and walked past the Smithsonian and the Jefferson Memorial. Flying slightly above the grass were hundreds of thousands of fireflies. It was the first time I’d seen that many in one place and it was as though they were putting on a show before the show. Anyway, we continued to walk to the Mall to try to find a spot to sit down and watch, which is a feat in itself, since there are a few hundred thousand people there. We found the perfect spot, about 200 yards west of the Washington Monument, facing the Lincoln Memorial. We laid down on the grass, looking up into the sky, listening to the people around us and the music off in the distance. When the fireworks started, we didn’t need to sit up, or look in all different directions, we were able to lie there, on the grass, surrounded by thousands of people, taking in the sights and sounds while the fireworks display was going on immediately over our heads. For almost an hour, the blasts rocked the night sky, taking you higher and bringing you back down with expert execution. It was magnificent.

If you haven’t been to Washington, DC, I can’t stress enough how great it is to go there. I couldn’t imagine living there, but visiting has always been a pleasure. I think Americans take for granted this great city, its rich history and all the regalia associated with our nation’s capital because of what goes on there – politics. It puts a sour taste in our mouths to think of the bureaucracy and lies and deceit, while forget the good things that our government does, such as…ok, I can’t think of anything right now, but you know what I mean.

Anyway, on this 4th of July, I just wanted to remind myself of a piece of Americana that I love almost as much as apple pie.

I wish I could be as carefree and wild, but I got cat class and I got cat style

Sometimes, my cats are so funny, but still so cute, they remind me just how silly life can be.

Things I’ve learned from my cats in the last couple of days:

1. They will eat the carpeting if there is catnip on it.


2. Getting a good tan requires a nap in the sun.


3. Getting a good amount of sleep requires being comfortable.


4. Goldfish, the crackers, are excellent play toys, they taste great if you just lick them, but it sort of scares them when I step on one in the middle of the night and don’t know what that “crackling sound” is under my foot.


5. The warmest place to sleep is on the keyboard of the laptop, plus, they can IM my mom (I should've taken a picture of that!).
   

Squeaky is 7 years old now, but is still very playful…well, with me anyway, not so much with Cowboy. She sleeps right up against my feet and must be touching me at all times!

Cowboy just turned 18 months and he has so much personality, it’s pretty funny to watch and listen to him. He’ll even hold a conversation with you! He tries to get into everything, including, but not limited to: the refrigerator, the freezer, any and all cabinets, the washing machine and his favorite is the shower! He usually sits on the edge of the tub, occasionally poking his head inside to get a sprinkle of water. Sometimes, he comes right in and gets his paws wet…then chases Squeak around, so I have wet paws all over my desk and computer.

The two of them are such complete opposites, but the do enjoy getting my attention and adoration. Most of all, I love having their attention and adoration.

A year has passed since I wrote my note

Now that my birthday is officially over and I’ve spent the day reflecting, I’m ready to share my year in review, as somber as it may be.

Lows -

Dating: On my birthday last year, the girl I was dating and I broke up. I followed this same girl to Houston just over a year earlier because I was in love with her. She broke it off, but I am the one who was stupid.

A few months and dates later, I started dating someone new and over the course of a few dates, I knew I wanted to spend as much time as I could with this girl. 4 months later, I had to break it off because I didn’t have enough time to spend with her. This was not an easy decision, but I had to be fair to be both of us. The reason I didn’t have enough time was…

School: I was having a very difficult time with the particular class I was taking at the time. I spent an entire weekend sitting in front of the computer doing research. Fortunately, she was working that weekend, however, it made me realize that if she hadn’t, she would’ve wanted time with me and one of two things would’ve happened: 1) I would’ve let my schoolwork suffer; or 2) I wouldn’t see her and the relationship would’ve suffered. I felt it was fair decision for both of us. I couldn’t give her all of myself at the time and she deserved better than that. I knew that my classes were only going to get tougher, so if this was an indication of things to come, I felt that the sooner I broke it off, the less painful it would be for both of, but particularly for her.

Work: It sucked. I didn’t get a raise after my first year and I started looking for new jobs. I actually had a few interviews, a couple of the positions I was very interested in, but was passed up for each of them.

Money: I went into some serious debt this past year and struggled at many times to pay my bills and eat. I’m not sure how I managed to make it without missing payments and killing my credit.

Social life: For months after the first breakup, my social life was non-existent. I would spend almost every weekend inside my apartment, either doing schoolwork or just trying to catch up on, well, everything! It sucked, period. Think about this - it was now summertime and I was inside...all the time.

Pets: My new cat, Cowboy, was a little hellion for about 4 months. I actually almost took him back to the SPCA. He was just too wild and terrorized my older cat, Squeaky.

Highs -

Dating: I dated someone that I really enjoyed spending time with and had a great 4-month ride with her. I wish I didn’t have to end it, but it was the right decision, I’m sure of that.

School: I graduated with my 2-year degree (finally!) in November and I can’t begin to tell you how relieved I was (can you say, “weight off my shoulders?”). Now I’m onto the 4-year degree and it’s kickin’ my ass!

Work: It’s much better now. I have received a significant upgrade in my responsibilities and I understand what my duties entail much more clearly. I am up for another review next month and I swear if I don’t get a raise, I might have to go postal (just kidding, I’m against guns!). A significant raise should be imminent, so I’m not worried.

Money: Somehow, through all of last year’s struggles, I made it and now I am paying off some of the debt I racked up last year. I’m actually paying it off at an alarmingly fast rate. I was able to scrape up enough money to buy myself a little vacation in NYC in November to see my friends and now I’m paying things off so quickly that I have money to do the things that I want to do this year as well – such as go on vacation with my friends in Cape Cod this summer.

Social life: It’s actually not much better, but I’m working on it.

Pets: It killed me to think what would happen to Cowboy if I took him back and someone else didn’t adopt him, so here he is now. He is still a little hellion sometimes, he doesn’t know his name, or the sound associated with his name, he bites, he scratches and he still attacks Squeak, but he is terribly cute and a little lover at night when I go to bed. He likes to snuggle and smush his nose into my chest while he purrs – how could I send that back? Squeak is still my little girl though and she knows it. She runs up into my lap when she is being chased because she knows I’m like home base. Once in a while, there is peace throughout the apartment, but not often.

Through all of the highs and lows of the past year, my emotional state has varied constantly as well. I think of myself as a very emotionally stable person, but this past year as been very trying on me. I won’t even begin to try to recap the whole year; I’ll just let you know where I’m at right now. Tired, frustrated, agitated, sad, lonely and stressed. However, after what I went through the past year, I know that I am on the upswing of these emotions and while I have a long way to go, I don’t feel as lost as I did just a few months ago.

Goin' to the Chapel and we're gonna get married...

Well, not really, because this was a Jewish wedding, and it wasn’t even at a Synagogue. I wrote about this wedding last week in this post. I wasn’t just in the wedding party, oh no. It was a whole weekend of wedding parties, because these people love to party…and party we did.

Have I mentioned I hate Halloween? Oh yes, I have. Nonetheless, part of this wedding weekend spectacular was the costume party after the rehearsal dinner. I was the hit of the party, which was completely ironic in so many ways: remember, this was a Jewish wedding; how much I hate Halloween; my lack of religion; and the fact that my costume idea was the only thing I could think of for this party. So a convict, Captain Morgan and Jesus walk into a bar… If you don’t understand why this is funny, well, I’m sorry you have to go through life feeling like this (and yes, I am holding 2 bottles of beer in the same hand – it was late, I was drunk, get over it).

Anyway, the wedding weekend was fantastic; fun was had by all, glasses were stomped on, Mazel Tov’s were shouted, everybody held their peace and nobody said, “I don’t”. I would say that’s a successful wedding!

In unrelated news, I finished my paper – for the class I didn’t really understand the material – and received 223/250 points. That’s not bad for about 2000 words of BS! So, I have passed one of my last 2 classes and I just have to finish 4 more Supreme Court briefs to be finished in my other class. Then I go to NYC for Veteran’s Day weekend with the girlfriend to see my friends and I am off from school until January 9, 2007 – that’s almost 2 months of freedom. What will I do with myself? Well, maybe I’ll be able to spend some time keeping this blog updated. Ummm…don’t hold your breath!

Happy Halloween!

We are fam-il-y

My adorable nephew. Umm, I didn't teach him the finger up the nose thing, in case you're wondering!

Wishful thinking/A change is gonna come

Time for a Change, by (my father) in Buffalo, NY:

"Two things in life are always certain, death & taxes!" That's what we're told from when we were very young. The known and the unknown, you can count on that. Owning the same boat for many years gives one the sense of security and familiarity of knowing what you have and what to expect. I owned my Cal 25, Quick Getaway for some 23 years. Looking back on those years, I've single-handed all over Lake Erie, raced in just about every event in the area and had a ball doing it. I've got boxes of trophies, plaques, bowls, and plates or as my wife calls it, "a service for 12". It's safe, comfortable, easy to sail, and quick…what more could you want? It's fun, but the challenge is gone. We need new challenges to keep us moving forward. That's why after all the happy years with the Getaway it is time to move on. I need new challenges, I need to challenge my crew and that's the only way to get better. Fast is fun, faster is funner!

Moving on is tough, all those memories. It's like a first car, first house or first love. Contentment wasn't enough anymore. Sorry old Cal. I'll miss the simplicity of your rig, the feel on the helm and the years we spent together. I remember all too well when we spent that thunderstorm together in Presque Isle State Park. Anchored deep into the corner of the marina with lightning all around and the glow from the oil lamp flickering while I tried to read amongst the thunder claps. Or the time we got caught in a storm coming back from Dunkirk with waves as high as the top of the mast. We went through it together ol' Cal, survived it and arrived back home safe and sound.

My kids grew up on that boat. We'd swim off the stern when the wind died and had bucket wars in the August heat. When they got older they'd race with us and were great additions to the usual crew. Those are fond memories. Then there are the regattas with the crew. We knew what sail combinations to use, where to set the cars and who was doing what. We've seen this movie before! After years together, we knew the dance steps by heart, not a word was needed, we knew what came next. You've been good to us, I won't forget you; you'll always have a place at my table with the service for 12! The next owner will be very lucky indeed, in a well found boat with hundreds of safe miles under her keel, of that I am sure. It was with very mixed emotions the day I wrote the listing for my own boat. Parting is sweet sorrow.

I'm driving to Michigan this weekend to pick up my Beneteau Farr 25. It's new, fast and challenging, just what the doctor ordered. I'm up for the challenges ahead. I'm excited for the new adventure; a new chapter is about to begin. If the weather holds, we'll drop her in the water for a test sail before winter. To be continued…..

I couldn't have said it any better Dad.

Don't believe the hype

24 hours later and I am at home, moving around my furniture so it is back in place and writing my blog for the day. Hurricane Rita turned out to be a wimpy storm for our area, although not so much for the east Texas/western Louisiana coast. We had a light drizzle of rain this morning and a nice breeze, but it was hardly a hurricane to us.

We left College Station at 10am and took some back roads home, fearing the same traffic jam as when we originally tried to head up there. We moved along quite nicely until some areas that did not have power, therefore having signals which were not operating. This caused intersections to be used as stop signs and instead of a flow of people from each side moving through, 30-40 cars would have to sit and wait their turn, which slowed us all down. Nonetheless, we arrived at the parking garage to pick up the girls' cars and each drove to our respective homes. I had power and water, but no cable. S & A had neither and P had power and cable, but no water. Between our three of homes, we'll survive.

The only damage that I have seen so far is a tree that has fallen into the gate which surrounds my parking lot. The gate is holding the tree from collapsing onto the hoods of two cars, although by the time I took the picture, one of the cars had been moved out of the way Otherwise, there are a lot of small tree branches that can be moved by hand or foot and a lot of leaves lying on the ground. Maybe as we see more pictures, we'll see more damage in and around the Houston area.
That's it for now though!

Looks like we made it

At 1102 am, we arrived in College Station, without a hitch. We drove 75mph the entire way without a slowdown except for exiting! We did see a couple hundred cars ditched on the sides of the road by people who ran out of gas. There was also a considerable amount of trash left by people who were stranded. Fortunately, we did not run out of gas and we just filled back up, at a reasonable price and without a line! Here, the first high clouds are starting to move in, although the sun is still shining though them. Now, there is a distinct line of clouds, so it's sort of cool to see the difference right in front of you. Anyway, there is nothing else new to report for now, so I will try to keep a good track of what is happening and when and report it here as soon as I can.

Squeeky

In God's Country

The awesome beauty and the rare fact that I took an amazing picture.