Picture Update

The July pictures are up and ready to be consumed. Most of the pictures are from the 4th of July (that feels as though it were ages ago?); apparently we didn't take many pictures since then (although there are a couple)....

First Night

Last night was Aidan's very first night away from his mother. Renee called us just as we were getting ready for bed. Aidan had another very lucid conversation with her and seemed to really enjoy the fact that she called. In fact, I think the phone calls from Renee (she called us twice yesterday and again this morning) have been really helping any anxiety Aidan might be having with Renee's trip.

Bedtime was one of the moments I've been anxious about since I learned about Renee's trip. He usually lets me put him to bed, but he also likes to connect with Mommy before he goes to sleep. Again, I think that phone call probably helped. And overall, he did pretty well; even better than I expected. But it was still fairly rough in spots. For example, he woke up crying at about 4:15 in the morning and started searching for his mom. He eventually fell asleep on the floor next to the bed for a few minutes before crawling back into bed with me. He awoke again about an hour later, but it was just a quick pop-up, look around, and then head on pillow.

Since he had some disturbed sleep, I let him sleep in this morning, although I did have hopes of returning him to school (and myself to work). But when he did awake (I sort of inadvertently woke him up by trying to change his clothes and diaper), he only wanted Mommy. But he soon realized that all he had was Daddy and that was going to have to work.

Aidan had been showing some signs of getting his appetite back yesterday, but he still had a cough. As of early last night, the fever seemed to be gone, although it was closing in on 100 again last night before bedtime. For some reason, perhaps his general good mood, I was hopeful that he'd be better today. But he hasn't eaten much so far and has also been somewhat lethargic. His temp seems like it's climbing back up, too. At this point, I'm not encouraged that he'll be able to return to school tomorrow. My biggest goal for the rest of the day is to get him to eat (and drink — he hasn't had many wet diapers) and for him to rest.

Hopefully we have a good night without Mommy; it's our last one. Tomorrow, we get to pick her up from the airport!

Going to California

Aidan and I dropped Renee off at the airport this morning. Renee is off to California on a business trip and will be gone for the next few days. This will be the first time that I will be with Aidan, just the two of us, for a substantial amount of time. I am both nervous and excited. But mostly nervous.

The original plan for today was for Renee and me to drop Aidan off at daycare first and then go to the airport. But Aidan's been sick with fever the last few days. Renee took him to the doctors yesterday and the doctor said there's a virus going around and Aidan will likely still be feeling the effects of the illness for the next couple of days. With that report, I arraigned to take off today and tomorrow from work. Thus the three of us were off to the airport.

On our way to the airport terminal the three of us got stuck in the parking garage elevator. We made it to the proper floor, but the doors didn't open. I used the call box in the elevator to call for help and we could see at least one person running to our rescue (the walls are mostly glass), however he was unable to do anything and motioned that it would be a few more minutes before someone else could arrive.

So we sat and waited. For some reason I decided to try and force the doors open. And they opened. It was quite effortless, actually. I don't think I have ever opened a door using less energy. Why I didn't attempt this earlier, I don't know; I guess I just figured that there was no way that I could possibly move those doors. Interesting lesson.

The three of us then walked into the airport terminal and Aidan and I escorted Renee to the security check-in. Actually, Aidan ran ahead of us and seemed to love the wide open spaces in the hallways (there weren't too many other travelers). Renee went through the security gate; Aidan and I waved goodbye to her. Well, I did anyway. Aidan wanted to get out of my arms and run around some more.

I focused Aidan's energy into running back to the car (we took the stairs this time). Even though I was officially home with Aidan because he was sick, I thought that he probably needed to run around. Especially with all the evidence that was displayed to me at the airport terminal. So I got Aidan into the car and offered to drive him to the park. Aidan didn't think it was a good idea. He refused to get into his car seat. Any and all alternatives I suggested were shrugged off.

Eventually he told me (actually he signed it to me) that he wanted to play at the airport. Right. I forgot how cool airports could be. So we got back out of the car and headed back to the terminal again (we took the stairs). Aidan ran up and down the length of the airport a couple of times and then we were finally good to go back to the car.

We headed out to the park and spent a good two hours there (about an hour-and-a-half on the swings) and then headed back to the house for lunch. Aidan almost fell asleep in the car, but I figured that wouldn't be a good idea for him to go to sleep without lunch.

As I pulled into the garage, Aidan let it be known that he, contrary to my own thoughts, shouldn't get out of the car. Okay. I unpacked the car and started bringing things into the house, figuring eventually he'll want to come in.

We did finally make it into the house, ate a little, played a little and then headed upstairs to go to sleep. I read several books to him and the next thing I knew, I was the one who was asleep. I know this because I was awakened by someone (that would be Aidan) knocking on the bathroom door, which he closed couldn't open. Interesting lesson.

Thus far, I've napped, Aidan hasn't. Renee called us around this time to let us know that she's arrived safely. Aidan seems to have one of his most lucid phone conversations ever and tells her most about our morning and also seems to be accurately answering some questions from Renee.

Soon after the phone call, I figure it's time to try and get this nap thing to happen. I offer Aidan three things: we can ride in my car, go for a walk in the stroller, or go for a ride on a bike. Usually any one of those would put him to sleep. The easiest for me would be to take him for a walk in the stroller, as there's less to prepare and it's relatively easy to get him in and out without waking him up.

Aidan, of course, chooses to ride the bike, which is probably the hardest of the three to pull off. There's a lot of preparation and I have never successfully pulled him off of the bike without waking him up.

Thus, I ignore his request and try to pull a switch; I pull out the stroller. But I pull out the jogging stroller, which has bike-like wheels. The downside here is that the bike-like wheels needed air, so I had to fill up three tires, which was more prep work than I was really expecting. But Aidan crawled into the stroller on his own accord and we were off.

Except that about fifty yards out of our driveway Aidan says, "me want go home an ride bike." Great. We head back to the house.

Of course both of the tires on the bike are flat, so I have to fill those with air, too. I get our helmets on, put the child-seat on the bike, everything’s ready and we head off. Aidan loves it. I hear him laughing as though he's riding a roller coaster. I figure there's no way that he's going to go to sleep like this.

I make one circuit of the development and take a glance over my shoulder; it looks as though Aidan may be falling asleep. I head back to the house to try and devise a plan to get him off the bike and into bed. As soon as I stop the bike Aidan sort of wakes up and in between his head rolling around and his eyes involuntarily closing he tells me to keep riding. At this point, I still don't know how to get him off and he's partially awake. I needed more time to think. I get back on the bike and do one more circuit.

This time when I get back to the house, Aidan is pretty much out cold. Except I still don't know how to get his helmet off, the seat-straps off, him out of the seat without waking him (or spilling the bike). His head is so wobbly at this point I figure that I can try to move Aidan's head so that he's looking into the sky, thus making it easier to undo the chin strap on the helmet. But I was wrong. It only made it easier to wake up Aidan.

Yet Aidan seemed to want the helmet off. He actually helps me get him off the bike. I successfully picked him up (without spilling the bike) and he put his head on my shoulder, wrapped his arms around my neck, and pats me. I bring him upstairs and lay him in bed. Much easier than I thought. And kind of fun, too.

Interesting lesson.

Mowing and Dragons

Aidan developed a fever last night. Renee thought he felt relatively warm as she was putting him to sleep and in the middle of the night it seemed to get worse. He eventually ended up with a 101.3 temperature. We gave him some medicine to keep the fever down and kept him out of school today. But other than the fever, he really hasn't shown any ill-effects; in fact he's been in a generally good mood.

Renee stayed home with him today and Aidan seemed to enjoy the company of his mom. We've been rather busy lately just doing "adult" things and such. I guess we just haven't been giving Aidan much attention. So having a sick day with mom was probably a good thing.

I headed off to work in the morning with the intention of meeting up with Renee and Aidan near my office so Renee could run an errand. However, as Renee was leaving she inadvertently left her keys on the kitchen counter and locked herself out of the house. Luckily, she had her purse and cell phone with her (and some snacks for the two of them). Renee called me and then the two of them hung out in the back yard playing and eating until I was able to let them in.

Since I was home for lunch (Renee wasn't able to run her errand after all), I thought I would stay. Aidan liked that a little too much, as he wanted me to stay home and play with him ("No Daddy go back to work," he said). I promised that I would play with him later and that we could even do one of Aidan's favorite things after work.

Aidan and Renee were waiting for me in their rocking chairs on the front porch, as they do from time to time. Aidan was very excited to see me and chased me all the way into the garage.

After dinner and at Aidan's insistence, we pretended to be dragons. We placed a dish towel over our shoulders (wings, I guess) and ran around the house, roaring like dragons and pretending to breath fire. It was loads of fun.

But the most-favorite thing was yet to come. Because of my allergies and asthma, mowing the lawn is a chore in the truest sense of the word. Renee and I have thought about hiring someone to mow the lawn for us, which would obviously keep me from suffering through the process and it would also give us more time on the weekend to do fun things together (it takes about two-and-a-half hours or so to mow, edge, trim and sweep, effectively killing a weekend morning). But Aidan really likes it when I mow. He really likes it. In fact, I don't think we could find an activity that would really satisfy Aidan as much.

So, I continue to mow the lawn and after dinner, that's exactly what I did. Aidan couldn't have been happier.

And to close the whole night out, I read Aidan to sleep. He, of course, wanted to read a story about fire-breathing dragons (he probably would have also accepted a story about mowing the lawn, but I don't think we have any books on that).

It was a pretty magical night.

Cheese is the Devil

It has been a little over a month since I have stopped eating cheese and fried food. Not only have I lost some weight, but I am also feeling less tired. I no longer have that late afternoon craving for sleep.

I didn't really make a connection of this increase in energy with my new diet until I read an article that spelled it out for me.

In the article, they say, "If you're always gobbling down foods such as muffins, pizza, french fries and donuts, you may not be getting the vitamins and minerals needed to fuel your brain."

Well, that was me. And this further goes to support my theory that if any food really is evil, it has to be cheese. It is just so tasty and yet there really aren't very many redeeming qualities (nutritionally) that cheese offers. As personal evidence, I've lost at about eight pounds in four weeks with only two modifications to my lifestyle: no cheese, no fried food.

Additionally, there are other sources of calcium (such as spinach, tofu, chick peas) and other sources of protein (tofu, nuts, beans, eggs). All of which are much lower in fat than cheese and don't affect people who are lactose intolerant. So, really, there's no need for cheese, except as a nice tasty treat.

Anyway, as the article mentions, they recommend a diet rich in fruits, vegetables, and grains such as breads, cereal, pasta, rice and barley in order to increase energy and brain activity. They also recommend foods with omega-3 fatty acids, of which flax seed oil is a very good source (it's very easy to add to a smoothie).

Vitamin C (easily found in citrus fruits, kiwi, broccoli) helps fight fatigue associated with anxiety and stress. Chromium (found in such foods as apples, bananas, potatoes) helps maintain steady blood-sugar levels and helps the body produce energy. Potassium (bananas, seeds, nuts, beans) helps regulate the nervous system, which may boost mental energy.

Omega-3 fatty acids, which as I mentioned can be found in flax seed oil, are believed to enhance communication between brain cells, in turn improving concentration and memory.

Grains are packed with carbohydrates, a source of energy for the body and brain.

Oh, Micki

There has been a slight change in our bedtime ritual lately. Aidan used to need us to stay in the room with him in order to fall asleep. Now, we just tell him that we'll be back in a few minutes to check on him, leave the room, come back a few minutes later (he is usually still awake), leave the room again, and he usually falls asleep on his own.

This has been quite liberating for Renee and myself, as we now have the evening to accomplish things that we weren't able to under the old bedtime paradigm (and we take advantage of this by doing fun stuff like balance the checkbook or doing the dishes).

Last night, Aidan put himself to sleep in our bed and he ended up on my side of the bed. Renee took her usual side and I ended up in the middle. At some point in the night, Aidan woke up and probably didn't like the sleeping configuration (he's quite particular about where things — and people — should be). Wanting the middle of the bed, he tried waking me up so we could swap places.

In a soft and sleepy voice, Aidan awoke me by saying, "Micki, Daddy. Micki." Which, of course, means "Excuse me, Daddy. Excuse me."

Eight Pounds Gone

Since my last update on my new dietary and nutrition habits, I have lost another three pounds, bringing the total number to eight.

As I mentioned in that previous entry, I've been doing this primarily by avoiding cheese (really, dairy in general) and fried food. I will still pan-fry food, so the limitation is really to deep fry. Also, I'm trying to make some other low-fat choices as well, such as not pan frying with butter.

I will have to admit that I did eat some pizza during the last two weeks, which is traditionally part of my company's quarterly kick-off meeting (it's not actually my company, but you hopefully know what I mean). Other than that, I don't think I intentionally "cheated." However, that one pizza-eating moment may explain why I only dropped three pounds during these two weeks as opposed to the five that I lost during the first two weeks.

Einstein's Dreams

For years, one of the most puzzling mysteries to me was how do they keep track of time in Star Trek. Or Star Wars. Or any of those science fiction stories where they are flying about at tremendous speeds so they can galaxy hop.

According to Einstein's Theory of Relativity, time slows down the faster you go. Thus, galaxy hopping at tremendous speeds would mean that the traveller would come close to not aging at all, while all the people on the planet the traveller will visit are aging at a "normal" rate.

And that's the most obvious problem. What about commerce and delivering perishables? Maybe a vaccine that would expire under in three days (now, that begs the question, what would be considered "three days") might last twice as long (or even half as long) under a different scenario. How can anything be accomplished? And how can anything be coordinated?

These are the sorts of things that Alan Lightman explores in his book Einstein's Dreams. The premise of the book is based upon the days preceeding Einstein's publishing the Theory and what his dreams might have been like.

All of the dreams describe different aspects of time and how these aspects, if they were made more intense, might affect humans and our general affairs; in effect, humanizing the Theory of Relativity. For example, would we try to travel faster so we could age more slowly? Would we try to hold on to a precious moment by freezing time? How would we conduct business if each center of commerce was centered on a different moment of time?

But would we even perceive that the flow of time has changed, as everything is relative. If time stopped for you and then started again, would you know that you just spent a year embracing your child, or would it feel as though it lasted only seconds? How could you deliver a package to someone with any expectation that it would arrive when you want?

Each dream has its own situation, its own interpretation of Einstein's Theory. Lightman is, at this point, trying to humanize the Theory with each interpretation.

Yet it is in this particular mission that I feel that Lightman misses the mark. Some of the stories are good and illustrate the humanity of the theory fairly well. But other stories are more abstract and feel as though they were written by a scientist, not a humanist.

I have read where others have compared Lightman's book to Calvino's Invisible Cities, which I feel is really unfair to Lightman and Calvino. Perhaps a better comparison would be to Anderson's Winesburg, Ohio.

Calvino's writing is much more intricate and vibrant and there is, without any shadow of a doubt, more humanity in any one story of Invisible Cities than in the whole of Einstein's Dreams. Anderson is more similar to Lightman in writing style, but even with Anderson's relatively dry descriptions, he seems more able to humanize his stories than Lightman.

And perhaps that's the problem. Lightman is trying to humanize a scientific theory. So perhaps the subject matter doesn't really work with a humanistic style impossed on it. But I have a feeling that this is not true. Some of the best science fiction writers have made careers out of humanizing particular scientific theories. Therefore, I feel Lightman probably could have delved a little more.

Although I feel that Alan Lightman can write well and did a decent job of converting science into a (relatively and somewhat fantasic) pragmatic experience, this book really wasn't all that wonderful a journey for me. Perhaps it was because of my expectations (afterall, as I mentioned, I read that it compared favorably to one of my all-time favorite books). However, I really feel as though this could have been a much better book if there was just a little more "something" put into the writing. And what that "something" is, I can't say. More soul; more depth; more blood, sweat and tears; perhaps more humanity.

Grade: C+

For Whom the Tolls Ring

Last Monday night, a relatively obscure local government agency, Capital Area Metropolitan Planning Organization (CAMPO) voted to create toll roads in Austin.

The plan in general seems like it was put together in haste and really doesn't address any real issues, with the possible exception that it would potentially generate some income for the government. But that's if people actually use the toll roads.

I believe there are going to be seven toll road sections scattered around the Austin area. However, I can only really speak about the section near where I live as it's the only place that I have practical knowledge.

Here's the deal: There is currently construction on the intersection of MoPac (Loop 1) and William Cannon to extend MoPac over William Cannon, thus giving drivers the ability to avoid the light at the intersection. This will be the new toll area; basically, you are paying a toll to avoid one traffic light.

The toll is easily avoided by simply staying on the access road and going through the light — much as everyone has to navigate the area now.

However, this fly-over probably won't save much time if you are travelling north-bound on MoPac in the morning. The bottleneck isn't at the William Cannon/MoPac intersection with the traffic light. It's about seven miles further north where MoPac crosses the river and goes from three lanes to two in the process.

On the worst days, traffic is backed up from this point back through the intersection at William Cannon. Having a toll bridge (or even free access) at this point is irrelevant in terms of saving time.

On the best days, usually in the middle of summer when there aren't many people on the roads, the light cycles through quickly enough that I don't even really consider it an issue.

Therefore, in terms of the north-bound morning commute, there is very little to no incentive to use the new toll bridge.

On the trip home, when most people are travelling south-bound on MoPac, the fly-over has the most potential benefit, as the traffic light at the intersection with William Cannon does cause a significant bottleneck.

Yet the benefit here is only to get past this one intersection. Two miles further south is another traffic light, at the intersection of Slaughter Lane and MoPac. There is only one exit between the light at William Cannon and Slaughter, and not a terribly popular exit either, so I would guess that probably 20% or so of the traffic would take that exit.

Thus, with a still large amount of traffic bypassing one light and heading straight on to the next, there could be the very real possibility of a bottleneck at Slaughter and MoPac. And you paid a toll for the privilege of passing one light to get held up at the next.

Thus, the evening south-bound commute doesn't take advantage of the new toll bridge either.

Did CAMPO conduct any studies for traffic flow in these areas? I haven't seen anything indicating that they have. Additionally, as this is really the only way in and out of the Southwest Austin area, did CAMPO figure in the risk to side roads as traffic avoiding the toll road is inevitable and could be detrimental to these smaller roads? Again, I haven't seen any indications of such a study.

Either CAMPO did a bad job in getting information out to everybody, or CAMP doesn't really know the answers to these questions either. If the latter is the case, then this is indeed a half-baked plan. I am very curious if there will be any revenue generated from the new toll roads in this area.

Big Fish

A story in the science journal Nature suggests that 75% of the fish marketed in the United States as red snapper are actually of a different species.

Red snapper came under strict management in 1996 after its populations had been grossly over fished. Since 1996, efforts have been made to strike a balance with more sustainable fishing practices. However, the popularity of red snapper with consumers could have provided motivation to intentionally mislabel the fish.

"If you're buying one of these fish, you're very likely not to be getting what you're paying for," said Peter Marko, one of the researchers. "I worry that it means we're really scraping the bottom of the barrel when it comes to fishing these reef species."

Mislabeling fish and indeed other species as well (the Chesapeake Bay-style blue crab is actually imported from the Philippines), distorts the perception of a fish population, which in turn can contribute to the false impression that the supply of fish is keeping up with demand. Thus, efforts to ensure a sustainable fishing practice becomes useless and can even encourge overfishing. Additionally, the numbers of the fish in markets could mislead scientists when they conduct a species census.

Overfishing of red snapper may have played part of the role in diminishing their numbers. Other strong marketable species, such as shrimp, can interfer with stabalizing fish populations. Here's an example from the SeaWeb Briefing Book:

Until regulations went into effect in May 1998, for every pound of shrimp caught, more than 4 pounds of other fish species were caught as bycatch and discarded dead. Approximately 30 million juvenile red snapper were dying in shrimp trawls each year, ultimately sending the species into a severe decline. The population was unable to maintain itself because so many juveniles were lost before reaching reproductive age.

More Frequent

Aidan is using the potty more frequently now. Friday, after nap, Aidan used the potty at school. This morning, after waking up with a dry diaper, used the potty before breakfast.

Time to Change Your Browser

If you are using Internet Explorer, you should stop, as it is no longer considered safe to use because there are many security flaws with IE (in addition to sundry other issues, Microsoft allowed an older securty flaw back into the program after updating IE with a seperate fix).

The U.S. Computer Emergency Readiness Team recommends that Internet Explorer users consider other browsers that are not affected by these flaws, such as Mozilla, Mozilla Firefox, Netscape and Opera.

In case you are not familiar with Web design, supposedly there's such a thing as a "Web standard" and most browsers should render the same Web site the same way.

But that's in theory. Internet Explorer is (maybe was) the most dominate browser out there (about 90% of the readers of this site use IE). So I made sure that everything looked nice and pretty for IE users, and did my best to accomodate other users, but if it didn't display properly in other browsers, I wasn't too worried.

Now, it is just not reasonable to use IE. The latest problem with Internet Explorer is a big one, although it seems to be more or less under control. (The issue, in case you aren't aware, allows hackers to steal passwords, credit card numbers and other personal information when someone merely visits an infected Web site.) But despite the fact that this issue is being fixed, it does shed some light on just how vulnerable one can be using Internet Explorer.

Thus, I am going to have to put a little time into fixing up the site for Mozilla in particular (as Mozilla Firefox is what I'll be using)....

Five Pounds Gone

Since my physical (about two weeks ago) I've done my best to stay away from fried food and cheese (with the sole exception of a little bit of grated Parmesan on my pasta). I have also tried to choose low-fat options whenever possible.

As of this morning, it appears that I've lost five pounds! I have no idea how my triglyceride levels are, but the positive sign of weight loss is definitly encouraging.

A Funny Fourth

We had a fun and crazy Fourth of July weekend; the complete set of pictures will be posted at the end of the month, as usual. Instead, here's a sample of Aidan waving the flag on our front porch.

We spent a lot of time at several pools, tried to feed the ducks (although they were pretty much already fed by the time we got there), spent some time at the park and Aidan got to spend some quality time with Silas and the Sanders' Triplets.

Of course, we also went out to see fireworks. This was really Aidan's first time to see them (Aidan's first Fourth was spent in the emergency room, and last year he slept through the entire event). At first, Aidan was a little scared; it was obvious that he was breathing a little quicker. He also quitely mummbled "Aidan go home." But Renee was wonderfully soothing. Soon, Aidan was saying "Aidan like that one, that one, that one."

The fireworks were very well done and lasted about 25 minutes. I was quite impressed. However, the whole fireworks event was a little odd.

The event was put on by the Hyde Park Baptist Church. I guess they had some money to spend. Not only was the firework display quite phenomenal, they also passed out free ice cream sandwiches. And had free events like the Sock-Hop and a Moon Walk. They were also giving out free bottles of water and other treats like cotton candy.

All of this was over-the-top fun. However, as the saying goes, show me something that is being given away for free and I'll show you a long line. And lines, as we all know, are less than over-the-top fun.

Just prior to the fireworks, there was an emotional sermon given by what I presume is the church's pastor. A lot of what he said didn't sit very well with me. But, to each his own. Considering this was an event sponsored and paid for by Hyde Park Baptist, I did my best to pay attention.

Ultimately, it was a very fun evening. Both Aidan and Silas were having crazy fun wrestling with each other and eating watermelon. Next year should be even more fun!!!

Still, I do have to quibble, because I gotta be me. Some of the things the pastor stated were far from absolute truths.

The sermon was based upon the foundation that the United States of America was built on Christian principles. I think he was also trying to establish a premise that would (more or less) demolish the idea of "separation of Church and State."

Really, this whole debate is set upon interpretation and perceptions. For example, Article XI of the Treaty of Tripoli pretty much should put this whole discussion to rest as it states fairly blatently (and was ratified by the United States Congress):

As the government of the United States of America is not in any sense founded on the Christian Religion.

Yet this statement obviously hasn't pushed aside any pursuits in exploring ideas that perhaps the U.S. was still built upon Christian principles. So there must be room for interpretation there somewhere.

As part of the pastor's evidence of how intertwined Church and State really are, he began to go through a number of items, most of which are taken from an e-mail chain letter. You can take each and every one of those items and interpret them as you like, to support any idea that you wish.

But let's just takt a look at a couple of them. The pastor mentioned — and I'm fairly certain that I'm really close to quoting this verbatim:

As you enter the Supreme Court courtroom, the two huge oak doors have the Ten Commandments engraved on each lower portion of each door.

Ok. Perhaps. But here's another view from Snopes.com:

The doors of the Supreme Court courtroom don't literally have the "Ten Commandments engraved on each lower portion" — the lower portions of the two doors are engraved with a symbolic depiction, two tablets bearing only the Roman numerals I through V and VI through X. ... these symbols can represent something other than the Ten Commandments.

Such as the Bill of Rights (which are the first ten amendments to the Constitution).

The pastor also mentioned that all 50 states mention "God" in their state constitutions. This is true, yet it would seem to be a bit of a stretch to absolutely consider these mentions of the Christian God.

Colorado mentions "Supreme Ruler of Universe;" Delaware mentions a "Creator;" Hawaii mentions that they are "Grateful for Divine Guidance;" Iowa mentions "the Supreme Being;" Maine mentions a "Sovereign Ruler of the Universe;" Massachussetts mentions the "Great Legislator of the Universe;" etc.

None of these or even the ones that actually do mention "God" or "Almighty God" define the type of divinity. Only perception and interpretation does that.

The Day My Life Changed

[Some of you may remember this entry posted on another Web site. I thought it would be nice to archive it here...]

July 3, 1998. It was an overcast and rainy day; somewhat cool for Texas in July. I am from New England and sometimes I get nostolgic for wearing heavy clothes, so I made it a point to wear a blue hooded sweatshirt and jeans, even though it was probably 75+ degrees (F). 75 feels cool after a few days of 100 degree weather...

I was finishing up my last few semesters of college and signed up for summer classes and what I hoped would be relatively easy courses. I didn't have a job, since I was studying so much. I had signed up for summer classes in lieu of a much more prestigious endeavor; I was supposed to be in Belize, photographing some archeologists at a dig on some ancient Mayan site. It was going to be my senior thesis and pave the way for my doing other photo ethnographies. I should have been returning from my adventures in Belieze by July 3. However, things didn't work out for me; I was unable to embark on the journey and I lost out on all sorts of scholarships, etc. because I just couldn't get everything together in time. Perhaps I'll make it to Belize some other time...

Through several complicated moves, the previous three months or so had proven to be pretty rough; I was homeless for the month of April (well, I was able to couch-surf). By the beginning of May, I had moved out of a friend's place and moved into a cockroach infested/air condition deprived Co-op (the Sandia Co-op). I was stone-cold broke at this point and needed to find some work.

I finally found a job, as an extra on a movie set (the movie was Varsity Blues ); It was one of the hottest Mays on record; the tempurature was regularly over 100 degrees and I had no air conditioning. I was working from 6 PM to 6 AM. I had classes from 10 AM to 2 PM; I slept until 5:00 or so and then went off to work. I was hot, exhausted, and virtually brain dead; my studies suffered.

Then came July. I had finished the first summer session in unspectacular fashion. I had a short break from classes; essentially just the July 4 weekend, classes resumed July 6. The job had ended, so I could go back to some sort of regular sleeping pattern. But, on this rainy July 3, my friend Christine called me up to go see a band. I had never heard of them before, it was raining, and I was tired. I really wasn't in the mood to go. But I also had nothing better to do; I acquiesced.

By the time we got there, the band had already started. It was still raining out and the club had the air conditioner on; the cold air on my wet skin made me glad I had my sweatshirt on. We found a couple of seats on the side of the small cafe/bar and started to watch the band. Soon, Christine got up to go to the bathroom; then again to smoke a cigarette outside; once again she got up to get another beer. It was during one of Christine's absences that I noticed someone sitting at the table next to me. She was very beautiful and it was hard for me not to stare at her. She was with several friends, so I figured that I would only be able to appreciate her from afar.

The band decided to take a break, and so did Christine; I guess another cigarette had to be smoked, or she was in need of bladder relief. Either way, I was, again, left alone at the table. One of the beautiful girl's friends must have noticed this (and/or my staring at the beautiful girl) and invited me over to their table. We introduced ourselves and almost started a conversation, but the band started up again... it's hard to talk over a good band.

Christine eventually came back and I went and sat with her. The beautiful girl got up and went to the back of the club (for what, I wasn't sure), so I decided that I would follow... under the disguise of needing another beer. She, too, got another drink, although I think it may have been water. She started to sway to the music. I watched and sipped a Guiness. Eventually, she went back to her seat. So did I.

The band finished its set and Christine went up to the stage to say hello to the singer, whom she apparently knew. The club was relatively quiet now, as people were filing out to go home... I was still siting at my table, waiting for Christine. The beautiful girl and her friends were still sitting at their table talking about something; I overheard a little bit of it and it made me laugh. They soon included me in their conversation and we followed some strange, convoluted, inebriated storytelling; I can't even remember what was said. Soon, there were just four of us in the club, sitting around the table telling our stories: Christine, myself, the beautiful girl, and her friend Johnny. It was very late (sometime after 2 AM) and we all decided that we were hungry and decided to meet at a restaurant on Kerby Lane. Johnny had no idea where that was, so we did our best to give him directions...

Christine was riding with me and on the way to the restaurant, she decided that she didn't want to go. Since her place was on the way to the restaurant, I dropped her off. I eventually got to the restaurant; the only one there was the beautiful girl...

We were seated, saving a space for Johnny, and proceeded to order... she couldn't make up her mind what she wanted; I asked her if she was a Piscies (indecision being a trademark characteristic of Piscies... I should know. I am one). She said yes.

Our food came and we ate and made nervous conversation. Johnny never showed. It was still raining out and I walked her back to her car. She opened her car door and sat down in the drivers seat, her legs still outside the car.

"If I gave you my number, do you think you will call me?" I asked. She said yes. She reached into her car and pulled out a pencil and paper. It was still raining and it was hard to make my name and number clear. She gave me her number too.

She stood up, perhaps to shake my hand, maybe to give me a hug. I am usually to indecisive; choosing between two options is usually more problematic for me than taking the only option. So I chose one and stuck to it. I kissed her. She may have been shocked, but she kissed me back. It was still raining.

Six years later, this beautiful girl is now my wife...