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?

I walked in and the TV was on the floor…

13. February 2011 · 2 comments · Categories: daily life, television · Tags: , ,

The other day, when I got home from an appointment in DC, I entered the house to find our television stilling on the floor in front of the cabinet that normally holds it.  My 3-year-old angel had pulled it out and miraculously not been killed when it hit the floor.  I’ve been debating what to do in terms of a replacement — it doesn’t work anymore and is now in the electronics recycling at the local dump.  See, I personally don’t watch a whole lot of TV and really couldn’t care that I don’t have a TV in the house right now.  But, I’m not the only inhabitant of the house and we may decide to replace it.

I’ve been living in the stone age when it comes to TV, the set that was destroyed was a 27 inch SD television that my wife and I purchased about 7 years ago.  I know it doesn’t make sense to replace it with another SD set, but I get  dizzy when I think about replacement options:  Plasma, LCD, LED, Set-top-box upgrade, streaming, video on demand, what to do?

Plasmas are pretty much out of the question based upon power consumption.  We also don’t have the space for a projection TV.  So, that leaves LCD or LED.  If we go with a HDTV replacement, I’m leaning toward LED from a power use perspective.  But it occurs to me that there may be a better way.

I’ve considered simply getting a snazzy new computer with a hot shit graphics card and a nice display (maybe a 27 inch widescreen for example) and killing the monthly TV bill all together.  With hulu, netflix and pandora (for music) why do I need to pay for my TV?  Sure I can’t watch things in real-time, but is that a big deal?  Most people I know don’t watch TV in real-time anymore anyway.

So, it’s time for a poll.  Help me make my decision, please?!?

Rain and Coffee

18. August 2010 · 2 comments · Categories: Buddhism, daily life, good things, gratitude, hope, music, rain, self, slowing down, smiles, television, weather

Lobster Traps - Stonington, MEI was about to write a long winding post about my constant obsessing for changing things, but I don’t have that energy right now.  And I doubt that you’ve got the energy to read it anyway.  Instead I’m just going to say that I’m sitting in my dining room, drinking good coffee and listening to unseasonable cool rain landing on the roof of my house.

The raindrops make music as they hit the roof – some are big some are small, some are fast, others slow…it is a rolling and ever changing song of percussion for my ears this morning.

The house is quiet.  No television blaring in the other room.  No children screaming.  Only the sound of the rain, and my keyboard clicking away as I write a few lines celebrating the day.

I need to celebrate more often.  Celebrating the moments is key to living a happy life.  I’m going to resolve to keep these words by my bedside and read them each morning:

Waking up this morning, I smile.

Twenty-four brand new hours are before me.

I vow to live fully in each moment

and to look at all beings with eyes of compassion.

–Tich Nhat Hanh

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>

Bottled Water Taste Test

14. January 2009 · 1 comment · Categories: advertising, daily life, environment, green, television

This is great stuff.  We really need to get a handle on the whole bottled water thing.

« Older articles