End of a Decade...

Is this something to reflect on? I'll ponder it.

Quote of the Week...

When asked if she needed a break from holding Joelle when she was crying my grandmother replied, "I like holding a crying baby just as much as holding a happy baby."

Now that is refreshing.

From Around the Web...

I am home on paternity leave so in between my daughter's naps and feedings I've been doing what I like to call "putzing" around the internet.

Here are some articles:

American Babies Are Ruining Everything -- It amazes me that people think this way. I guess growing up in small town Dillsburg, PA and going to a pre-dominantly technical/business university I didn't get exposed to a lot of liberal/progressive social ideas.

What If Washington Were a Ghost Town -- I have had a non-sexual crush on Peggy Noonan for many years. And although I think she has spent two much time on the Upper East Side losing touch with the reality, her columns are worth reading.

Medical Care Confusion -- I also have a non-sexual crush on Thomas Sowell

The Exodus of Shame and Dignity -- And I have an all out crush on Dana DiDonato.

City View...

From the Penthouse on Bond Street - NYC

Joelle Grace...

Obsessing over Government...

On second thought why get all worked up???

This is what we want to paint on the wall in the baby's room.

Ali Spagnoli designed this for us.

Gratitude...

I'm just thinking out loud here (actually in print): Is it the right thing for us to say thank you and have a small amount of gratitude for those who have the highest percent of their income taxed to sustain the spending habits of our politicians in our federal, state and local governments?

The grandiose scale of government would not be possible without these people.

If they decide that their hard work and personal sacrifice is no longer worth it, there will be serious problems, not just for the politician's re-election chances, but for those whose welfare is depend on government assistance.

City Views...

50+ Stories up (touch it...go ahead, touch it)

Product...

Yesterday I had to endure one of my least favorite things to do - get a haircut. All my life my hair has never really cooperated; it is a struggle to style it, gel it, fix it, etc...the hair goes where it wants to go and I've become okay with that. Laura however does not concede as easily as me. You wouldn't think it but something as simple and insignificant as a haircut often causes marital strife. Yesterday was no exception. What is simple and insignificant for me, not for her.

A typical dude haircut should not be that difficult; a 20 minute task that costs about 12 bucks + a tip. Every time I go to a barber it looks like I got run over by a lawnmower or they are sending me to Iraq. High and tight pretty much sums it up. So now I endure the uncomfortable environment of a salon. I hate walking into those places. It is just not my scene. Typically I will get a good intentioned girl right out of cosmetology school who instead of high and tight wants to make my hair crooked and uneven with maybe a few chunks missing - depending on how much she is talking to me. I can't win.

The futility of it all has caused me to seek consolation in my beautiful, well-groomed wife who makes me appointments at the place she gets her hair done. This adds a twist to the ordeal: now besides getting a haircut I also have to endure getting shampooed. I really don't want anyone washing my hair. It is awkward and redundant because I just washed it 30 minutes before I walked through the door. Plus it reminds me of washing my dog Peppy (RIP) as a kid. I finally get comfortable with it and this time they throw me off by giving me a dude. Yeah, I have this dude dressed in a tight vest with no t-shirt underneath lathering me up and scrubbing me down. All I see is arm pit. It is B.S.

Atlas Shrugged...

Reading fiction is not all that interesting to me. I think I have read 5 fiction books in the last 10 years. I am trying to incorporate them into my reading habits to exercise my mind and escape from political issues and religious dogma.

Honesty, I feel too ignorant to analyze the book. I probably need to reread it and let it sink in. I feel competent to make a few comments.

The story was great - all 1000+ pages of it. I enjoyed the characters personality and how the author used words to describe there actions and reactions. I laughed out loud a couple times (humorous laughs and laughs of disbelief). Every spare moment I had I opened this book, i.e., on the train to work, waiting for subways, on the subway, waiting for Laura to get ready, etc. People who always had a book open were an enigma to me. Now I can understand.

"Redistributing the wealth" and "spreading it around" are phrases we have heard a lot over the past year. Atlas Shrugged gives a window into the way these people think which is really unknown to me. I can't believe some people believe it is moral to take (tax) one person to give it to someone else. I understand the necessity of taxes but to to want more and more to redistribute is very disturbing to me.

The book inspires me even more to invent something. I studied Civil Engineering in college. My first job was in construction management with a consultant that worked mostly on state DOT projects. I was so bored that I had to quit (but it took me a year to do it). I remember my manager asking me how it was going and during the course of the conversation he says, "well we can't all be rocket scientists." That attitude really should appall us.

There are two things that I want to invent (or create): a school (because i believe that the public school system will become irrelevant) and a way to make existing home energy efficient & self-sustainable.

City Views...

Upper West Side (105th Street), 5 stories up, looking south (with an eastish twist).

Word of the Day...

Somnambulist - a sleepwalker (courtesy of Dictionary.com and Ayn Rand)

$10,574...

This how much our schools in Babylon, NY spend per student. The national average is $6058 per student according to Sperling's Best Places. Many people are leaving Long Island because of the taxes. Since I have always rented I never really paid much attention to property taxes. Now that we want to buy a house we are seeing how the taxes significantly reduce the affordability of a home (well I should say a nicer home).

So I have been thinking about how i can get involved to monitor this situation. It would be hard to imagine taxes ever going down unless people started building/buying more expensive homes increasing the tax revenue. I guess budgets could be cut but this rarely happens right?

It is my understanding that Babylon is a union free school district. I'm not sure the impact that has on taxes. I do like the educational philosophy of the school board:

The Board of Education is dedicated to educating students to develop desired moral, ethical, and cultural values, to stimulate and expand a continual learning process and to cultivate an understanding and appreciation of the rights and responsibilities of American citizens, which will enable them to function effectively as independent individuals in a democratic society. The Board strives to maintain a comprehensive approach to satisfy the educational needs of the students of the district by meeting or exceeding the state's requirements.

The Board seeks to implement a variety of instructional methods and to increase the opportunities for the development of each individual's capabilities and personality. It is the district's goal to foster in students good work habits, integrity, self-discipline, individual creativity, originality, aesthetic appreciation, good sportsmanship, self-confidence and a sense of purpose. Extracurricular activities will be offered when possible to enhance the academic program.

The Board encourages parents and teachers to offer their expertise in helping to develop a school environment that is academically challenging, psychologically satisfying and socially fulfilling for students at all levels. The objectives of an educational program are best realized when mutual understanding, cooperation, and effective communication exist among the home, community, and school.

They stress the individual...very interesting and also the rights and responsibilities of American citizens. Wow.

Long Island is an expensive place to live so I get why we need to spend more per student. I think it should be the school boards goal to have every parent involved in the education of the students. Good schools raises property values. There is a school board meeting Monday night. I want to go but looking over the minutes from past meetings it doesn't look like they do too much. Maybe there will be light refreshments.

Interesting article...

"The president has cast himself not as a leader of reform, but as a cheerleader for “reform” – meaning anything, really, that can plausibly be called reform, however flawed." Clive Crook

Double Feature...

After a full week of work and a Friday night dinner date Laura and I watched Gran Torino. I have been wanting to see this since I first saw the trailer and it was part of a deal - I see "He's Just Not That Into You" and Laura will go with me to Gran Torino. It never happened until last night. What a great movie. It makes me want to live a better life.

As I was still processing the story, Laura suggested we watch "Changeling". She had already seen it in the theater and really wanted to watch it with me. My emotions can only handle a limited amount of manipulation so I didn't really want to watch another movie but I agreed. I can't believe it is a true story. I have been trying to figure out my beliefs on hell and judgement, doubting that there is an actual place called hell where people go. Watching this movie makes me doubt those doubts, and tepidly hope for such a place. Not just for the murderer, but for the liars, deceivers and manipulators of innocent souls.

We are just getting around to watching the movies that were up for Academy awards. There just isn't time during the week and we are usually traveling on the weekends. Our cable company offers movies "On Demand" and we have been taking advantage of this service. A movie costs $4.95 so it is like going to Blockbuster. So far we have seen "Slumdog Millionaire", "The Reader", "Man on Wire", "Gran Torino" (no nominations), and "Changeling".

I have no idea how the Academy decides/chooses/selects its award nominees but it seems these two movies were overlooked. Slumdog Millionaire had an energy and excitement that these two movies lacked. And I think it helped the the main characters were Muslim orphaned by the religious persecution of a dominant minority which set them off on their life journey. Whether or not it earned "Best Picture" is up to the experts. I saw it twice and glad it won.

The Reader was not at all what I thought it would be. The full frontal nudity and Kate Winslet seducing the 15 year old boy caught me off guard. I though she would be "the reader" helping blind children or something. My cynicism leads me to believe she won best actress cause she played a character who got naked, indulged a teenager's sexual fantasies, became a Nazi and killed Jews. Was her acting really that good? I don't think so. But what do I know?!?!

Maybe we will watch "The Wrestler" next. Honestly I thought Mickey Rourke was the Macho Man Randy Savage. I don't know if I was disappointed or relieved when I found out otherwise.

Snap into a Slim Jim, O yeah!!!

Intersection of Faith and Will...

I have been reading Bill O'Reilly's book "A Bold Fresh Piece of Humanity" on my grandmother's recommendation. O'Reilly is someone I respect but I do not watch or listen to his radio or tv programs. I did a few years ago but today I only tune in now and then when Dennis Miller is on. Hilarious. I did read "Who's Looking Out for You" but I don't remember one thing about it.

"A Bold Fresh Piece of Humanity" is about how the author's experiences, from his Catholic school days to his climb through the news media, has shaped his personality and how he approaches life. Most people probably don't give a rip about O'Reilly playing stick ball in Levittown, NY, or that he was a news anchor in Dallas, TX. What interests me the most about his story is that as he tells it, it makes me reflect on my own story and examine what I am doing to get to where I want to be.

Right or wrong, what I took from my Christian faith growing up was that we prayed for something we wanted to happen and it was in God's hands. What happened, happened and I dealt with it. I'm not sure why I accepted this way of thinking. This is probably why I do not have many "wants". I just go with it.

There is a proverb that says the purposes of man's heart are deep waters but a man of understanding draws them out. Now I am not going to exegete the word "purpose" here. I will (hopefully not haphazardly) amplify "purpose" into desires, will, passions and dreams. Whether or not this is correct is inconsequential to me because the message is true. I'm not sure how to expand on this at the moment but I believe there is a powerful explosion when the will intersects with faith.

Product Review...

"The more we share the more we have..." (an internet search credits this quote to Leonard Nimoy)

These are a few items I have tried over the past couple of months and wanted to share:

I bought the Iron Gym with a gift certificate I was given as a Christmas present. It is about 50 bucks and well worth it. I don't have a gym membership and because of time constraints on my schedule, probably never will. I may never need one again with Iron Gym. It does leave marks on a white door frame but that is my only compaint.

To supplement the Iron Gym, Laura bought me The Perfect Push-up for Valentine's Day. I was skeptical of these but I actually really like using them. I have not been very consistent but when I have used them I have felt the burn.

This may be a repeat but I can't get enough of the Cholula hot sauce. I like to try all kinds of hot sauces. Cholula is not the hottest but it is the tastiest. I put it on eggs, baked potatoes, rice, even pasta. There must be some chemical in the ingredients that causes addiction because I stock up on the stuff and cannot go without it.

If you want eco-friendly clothes and don't mind paying for it Nau may be something to check out. They recently went out of business and relaunched their products in October of 2008. I treated myself to a few items over the holidays. I say treat because it is expensive compared to shopping at stores in the mall. If you are a regular at Bloomingdales or Armani then maybe you think otherwise. A 100 bucks for a t-shirt is a little ridiculous. Nau has good end of season sales, sometimes even offering 40-50% off. That's when I check in to make a purchase. If you subscribe to their email newsletter "off the grid" you get an early heads up on sales.

I ordered a couple shirts last spring and they mistakenly sent me a double order. When I contacted customer service they told me to keep it or give them to a friend. It was because they were going out of business but still I though it was a nice thing to do. (Maybe that's why they went out of business, giving away product!)

Wisdom calls aloud in the street...

What I am about to post will probably label me a radical. I came across this article, Let's End Adolescence, a couple months ago and it definitely intrigued me.

I do not really have much experience with this other than looking back over my own adolescence and time in school. But it does make sense to me. How much time did we waste in school? And how bad were some of our teachers?

Wisdom calls out to the young.

Interesting...

Seeking to Save the Planet, with a Thesaurus

Walking with Wisdom...

My apologies...Walking with Wisdom has gone negative over the past couple of weeks. The current political climate and the grandstanding of politicians has been too much to bear. However, this is no excuse...we have more self-control and discipline than that. We have just refused to tap into it.

What I love about wisdom is the expanding definition. Wisdom is discipline, knowledge,understanding, insight, prudence, discernment, and discretion. Who does not need/want these? As we intentionally walk in wisdom I believe these aspects of it unfold in front of us.

Discretion is especially important in our current climate of economic tumult and cultural soul searching.

There is something intriguing about being discrete. Maybe it is my personality. Discretion is, hard to believe, very satisfying.