Dad would have celebrated

02. May 2011 · 1 comment · Categories: america, dad, death, disgust, family, fatherhood, fear, frustration, gratitude, hope, incongruities, marriage, media, mortality, rants, struggles, television, thoughts, time, tragedy · Tags: ,

Papa Don's Little GirlDad would be celebrating today.

He was horrified to see his brethren die on that tragic day when the towers collapsed.  We talked in the days after the events of 9/11 about the job that the men of FDNY were doing.  I could hear the pain in his voice.

As a nation, we rallied around each other.  Many of us reacted in ways that we didn’t fully understand.  In retrospect everything seems different.  Ten years of war and a recession have changed my views.  Becoming a father has changed my views.  Meeting my wife changed my views.

I honestly don’t know how I feel about the death of Osama Bin Laden.  It’s almost meaningless to me.  There is an entire army of new recruits that has been formed over the past ten years.  And now to find out that he’s been “hiding” in a populated area?

I cannot celebrate.   The chest thumping is ugly.

I long for a day when the “threat level” is not orange.  What will a day that is “green” be like?  Will we ever see one?

When will it be safe to move on?

A Typical Morning with Reflections on Proper Shaving and Attire

02. February 2010 · 2 comments · Categories: america, chesapeake bay, dad, daily life, death, family, fatherhood, home, marriage, mortality, penn state, poems, self, sidetracks, thoughts

I wake to the sound of ocean surf and seagulls.  Not real ocean surf and seagulls, but the recording built into my alarm clock.  Although I live near the Chesapeake Bay, my home is not near enough to hear the waves or gulls.  Five-fifteen comes too early, I think as I hit the snooze button and acknowledge that I will not be getting up at the prescribed time.  A trip to the gym sounded good last night, but I will pass on exercise, again.  Thursday, I think; it could be any day of the week, really, they all blend into one anyway.

Those damned gulls are at it again and now I need to get up.  Beating the traffic depends upon it.  I have a commute that will last an hour at a minimum, and could be as long as an hour and a half on a bad day.  Getting on the road early means I can usually beat the traffic in the morning and has the side benefit of being able to leave before the end of the business day.

Pulling myself out of bed, I try not to wake my wife.  Following the shower I shave my face and the pesky widows peak on my forehead.  I’ve been cutting my hair with clippers for ten years to one uniform length.  Sometimes, I shave my entire head with the razor, but recently I have been too lazy to do it.  Several years ago, my wife had told me to shave off the widow’s peak, even if I didn’t shave my whole head.  Somehow, this is an improvement. More »

A retrospective of 8 years

11. September 2009 · 1 comment · Categories: culture, dad, daily life, death, environment, family, fatherhood, frowns, gardening, gratitude, green, incongruities, mr. grey, penn state, smiles, struggles, stupidity, thoughts, time, tragedy

Eight years ago today I remember exactly where I was when I found out about the attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon: Office Depot in Annapolis, MD. I was there to buy some paper so I could print out my expense report and send it in via snail mail to get paid for my expenses. I remember the kid behind the counter, jacked up hair, lots of piercings, in the Office Depot uniform – incongruous to say the least. He seemed like he was high, ranting and raving about planes flying into buildings in New York.

Green Park, London

As I walked out the door, I called my best friend and asked if he’d heard anything about this. “Yeah, I’m watching it on TV like the rest of the country,” was the response. The comment cut into me. It insinuated that I had my head in a hole or something. It had been a nice day up until this point. Sunny and warm, but the humidity had cleared out finally.

I spent the rest of the day trying to work, but overcome by the events – like the rest of the country. I was living in an apartment in a waterfront house on Spa Creek. I tried to fish some to get my mind off it, but there were fighter jets in the sky, patrolling the area since the Naval Academy was just down the street. That was the first time I realized the Academy really is a base.

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Open Letter to Mayor Dixon

11. August 2009 · 3 comments · Categories: Baltimore, cycling, daily life, death, good things, hope, injury, karma, maryland, struggles, television, thoughts, tragedy

To: mayor@baltimorecity.gov

Mayor Dixon,

I would like to thank you for your comments to WJZ regarding the Baltimore City Department of Transportation’s stated intentions of removing the city’s first Ghost Bike. I was glad to see you come out in support of the Ghost Bike memorial that was put in place on Sunday night by many of the community’s local cyclists.

As you know, the hit and run accident resulting in Mr. Yates’ death on August 4th 2009 has galvanized the cycling community statewide. While I am no longer a resident of Baltimore City, I was born in the city and have lived in and around the city my entire life. I have seen a great transform over the last 30 years as Baltimore has become a cleaner, safer, more family oriented city. I consider Baltimore my home town, as do so many Marylanders. I am writing to let you know that your leadership will help to influence attitudes about cycling across the state.

Every cyclist knows that there are inherent risks to riding on the road, and we accept those risks. Many cyclists do their best to ride in a manner that is both safe for themselves and for the others on the road. Still, according to the State Highway Administrations website seven cyclists die on the roads of Maryland annually. In addition over 650 cyclists are severely injured in accidents. These statistics are highly disturbing in large part because many of these accidents are preventable.

It is my opinion that the average motorist is not as aware of cyclists as they should be, as evidenced by comments posted on the news articles on baltimoresun.com. The truth is that Maryland law treats bicycles as any other vehicle. With a few exceptions, bicycles are allow on all public roads in the state by law. In addition it is incumbent upon cyclist to follow all traffic laws while riding on the road.

Our state highways are littered with roadside memorials put there by families and friends in remembrance of loved ones who died in motor vehicle crashes. From what I can tell, The State Highway Administration makes no effort to remove these memorials. The Ghost Bike project is intended to raise public awareness of the fact that a living and breathing person died while riding a bike in a manner similar to these roadside memorials.

I am respectfully requesting that you continue to give your full support to the cycling community by ensuring that the Department of Transportation does not remove the Ghost Bike memorial that was put in place on Sunday. Thank you for your continued support of the cycling community.

–

Best Regards

Damien <surname removed>

Great Morning for a Ride – Spoiled by Getting Online

07. August 2009 · 1 comment · Categories: cultural failure, culture, cycling, daily life, death, disgust, exercise, frowns, frustration, gratitude, health, incongruities, injury, irritants, maryland, media, mortality, smiles, struggles, thoughts, weather

Last night, before I went to bed, I checked the outside temperature – it was 69 F so I turned off the AC and opened the windows.  I woke up cold to the sound of my neighbor’s dog eating breakfast and the birds.  Good morning for a ride I thought.

I left the house at about 7:10 AM and it was about 60F (Weird weather for August in MD).  Not quite as cold as my ride two years ago but still a bit brisk as I got going.  No worries though, I soon worked up enough body heat to get comfortable.

I rode down to the end of the B&A trail, just north of US50 and took a break.  Spoke with a really nice older gentleman with what sounded like an Irish accent.  We both got back on the bikes at the same time, but of course, he smoked me as he pulled away.  No worries.

A few short minutes later, I passed another cyclist going in the other direction who seemed to know me, but I was not sure who it was.  I kept riding for a few more miles and suddenly there was a familiar voice next to me.  It was my neighbor who does triathlons.

We rode about 2 miles together making small talk about vacations, the neighborhood, and bikes.  One topic that did come up was wrecks.  He said he saw a woman get hit a few weeks ago at the intersection of the trail and McKinsey Road.  It sounded really bad.

I’ve had a few wrecks in my life, fortunately none involving a car.  They are never good.

So, I sit down at the computer this morning and find Johnny’s latest comment about a memorial for a cyclist who was hit by a truck in Baltimore.  Coverage is nicely compiled here.  The responses that are on the websites of the Sun are absolutely unacceptable.  The attitudes of many of the people toward this man’s untimely death seem to vary widely, but the most prevalent on is that it was his fault cause he shouldn’t be on the road.

Well, that just ticks me off.  Maryland law indicates that cyclists have the same rights to the road (and the same responsibilities in terms of obeying traffic signals and signalling their intentions).

I’m trying to get back to the good place where I was before I turned on the computer.  But it’s hard when I see people publicly and callously dismiss the death of someone who was simply riding his bike.

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