Cool License Plate

You may or may not know I drive a Yellow Nissan XTerra. I think a nice license plate like this would go well with my color scheme.

Too bad this kind of plate is what you are required to display when you have a drunk driving conviction. Maybe it's time to down a couple bottles of vino and go tooling around town.

It Seems I've Been Adopted ...

I've seen this cat hanging around the house. I think she's the one who had a litter of kittens in my garage when I was away on one of my trips last year. She's taken to napping on this chair on the front porch this winter. The porch faces south, so she gets the best exposure to the Sun.

She's welcome to it. The dog doesn't even notice her, even though she sleeps (indoors) only five feet away.

I'm not naming her or feeding her. Like I need another pet.

Maybe she'll control the chipmunk population.

Mick's Archeology Blog

Mick has started a new Blog while working down in St. John, US Virgin Islands. The link to it is on the right below my links to Hani's and Jason's Blogs.

Check him out.

True Confessions...

OK, I have a confession to make. First,I NEVER park in a handicap parking place. Never mind the "handicapped" get all the best places and just how often do you see an actual handicapped person parked in one. (In my mind those little blue tags hanging down from the rearview mirror don't count. You gotta have the license plates.)

But, I digress. Here's my confession: I ALWAYS use the handicap stalls in public restrooms. ALWAYS. I've yet to see a guy in a wheel chair waiting for one. Personally, when I'm in an airport waiting for a flight and I have a carry-on, a brief case or backpack and a coat I NEED more room than those normal tiny stalls provide. And sometimes the commodes are slightly elevated for ease of use. I feel like a King! They're always cleaner than regular stalls too.

Yet another disturbing look into the mind of me.

UNESCO World Heritage Site update

Upon further review:

Need to add on more UNESCO site visited last year. The Ming Tombs. Thirteen tombs of the Ming emperors in a huge valley. I visited the only one so far excavated. Guess I was underwhelmed and forgot about it. After all, I had just been to the Great Wall.

So the number of UNESCO World Heritage sites visited in 2005 was 15.

Looking forward to adding the Banks of the Seine in Paris next minth.

Everything Old is New Again

We were cadets once and young...

Former Ohio University Army ROTC cadets Ken, Russ and I got together this weekend. It was the first time Ken and I had seen each other in around 35 years. I hadn't seen Russ and his wife Jeanne in at least 20. It was a sweet time as we celebrated the Bat Mitzvah of Ken's daughter and the renewal of our friendship.

This is the best part of being alive.

More Peru Pictures...

My friend Paul (from the Inca Trail Hike) sent a CD of his photos from our trip. So, here are a few taken in places such as Machu Picchu where my camera died.

This is the City.

The Temple of the Sun.

The final climb to Huanya Picchu. Upon first viewing this little climb EVERYONE exclaimed, "Omigod!" It was a doozy.

Rita Cosby's Voice Drives Me Crazy!

Am I the only person who thinks Rita Cosby of MSNBC has an irritating voice? Her vocal cords sound like she has the world's worst case of laryngitis, but came to work anyway. How does someone like this get a network job? It's not like she's some fantastic investigative journalist. Some things I just don't get.

Apparently I'm pretty short on material. I need to get out of the house more.

First Post with New Wireless Laptop

Got a new Dell the other day. Signed on with Cingular Wide Area Network. Frees me up from the landline. Of course wireless is slower than DSL, but I aim to wean myself of Ma Bell's orphan. Pretty soon you'll only be able to call me on my cell. Of course, that's the only way you can reach me now. I don't pick up on all the calls shilling for aluminum siding or something or other.

This Just in From Kahlil Gibran...

"Your children are not your children.
They are the sons and daughters of Life's longing for itself.
They come through you but not from you,
And though they are with you yet they belong not to you.

You may give them your love but not your thoughts,
For they have their own thoughts.
You may house their bodies but not their souls,
For their souls dwell in the house of tomorrow, which you cannot visit, not even in your dreams.
You may strive to be like them, but seek not to make them like you.
For life goes not backward nor tarries with yesterday.

You are the bows from which your children as living arrows are sent forth.
The archer sees the mark upon the pathe of the infinite, and He bends you with His might that His arrows may go swift and far.
Let your bending in the archer's hand be for gladness;
For even as He loves the arrow that flies, so He loves also the bow that is stable."

Mick is Gone

Took Mick to the airport about an hour ago. The much awaited home visit is over. I know he'll be glad to get back to his work in the Virgin Islands. Who wouldn't? But, I hate to see him go. It was nice to have him around for a few days.

But, this is not his home any longer. He is off living his interesting life. Exactly what Jan and I wanted him to do. If it is his Kharma he will enter graduate school next fall. If not, something else. Time will reveal itself.

Funny, every species of animal at some point pushes it's young out of the nest. Except humans. We try to hold our offspring to ourselves for as long as possible. I consider that a flaw. I've said here before, the only way to growth is to break out of that comfort zone. The nest represents the comfort zone. I am proud of Mick and the way he is spreading his wings.

But, I still miss him. Hey, I'm only human.