Miscellaneous

Just returned from a great family walk, thugh I carried N. on my shoulders for about half a mile and now my neck hurts!

The girls are so funny, they are playing a game where A. tells them a letter and they shout out a word. I just heard "D" and of course they shouted : "DADDY!"

For "E" they said "ELEPHANT".

I want to try and figure out a way to go swimming, I am getting annoyed with my foot always bothering me after running.

Sometimes it feels like my life is tough with all these reponsibilities but times like tonight when I hear the girls laughing and see them smiling, it doesn't really matter.

Snowy

It snowed a little bit today though no accumulation to speak of. I am really tired today. We finally have all of our tax info together so this week I will be filing our taxes.

Sunday Evening

So N. seems to be improbing but J. still is pretty sick. Taking robitussin and children's motrin all weekend. Last night at 430am they both visited me and A. in our bed and of course ended up staying there.

I got them all bundled up and took them to Best Buy this afternoon, got them a Dora the Explorer dvd and I got the movie Serenity. Finished wathcing the complete series of Firefly (14 episodes). I would say I absolutely loved 4 of them. The characters were very well written and they really played up the romantic aspects (would they admit their feelings for each other, would they exchange a kiss, etc.). As I said earlier I did love the sci-fi parts, they did have quite a bit of horse riding and gunfights, Western type stuff which I did not particularly care for. The women on the show are all drop dead gorgeous and the one that the captain fancied, Inara had big brown eyes, was a brunette and really stole most of her scenes. The movie was very much in line with the tv show, and I enjoyed it.

N&J need to get better soon, being basically cooped up in the house all weekend was not much for for any of us. There was a little bit of drawing done and reading about dinosaurs but mainly we are all tired and want the whole family to get well.

A. had a tough weekend too, one of her patients died and she is not getting much of a break at work, she is glad tomorrow is Monday. Unlike me, Monday signals the END of her week.

We want to get a dvd with Cameron Diaz, some comedy, the title escapes me presently, it comes out Tuesday.

Must Love Dogs was pretty good, A. thinks this new dvd will be even better.


I have drank 3 cups of some special Chinese tea A. got from someone at work, and I drank so much water today and then got a headache which I swear was caused by the water. Is that possible?

I think financially in three weeks or so, February 17th, we will be in good shape, and that makes me very very pleased. I am trying to pay off all debts and start to stockpile more into retirement savings. I'd rather pay our retirement funds monthly rather than credit card companies.

N&J

N&J are still sick though their fevers are better. They have been good as far as drinking lots of water today and taking their medicine. Not sure if I will take them to Mass tomorrow.

Have been watching Firefly, some of them are excellent but I enjoy the sci-fi elements and not the western bits.

Coco Crisp is a Red Sox

I loved Damon and will miss him almost as much as my Mom, but Coco Crisp is a great player and is 6 years younger than Johnny D.

BOSTON, MA - The Boston Red Sox have acquired outfielder Coco Crisp, righthander David Riske and catcher Josh Bard from the Cleveland Indians in exchange for righthander Guillermo Mota, third baseman Andy Marte, catcher Kelly Shoppach, cash considerations, and a player to be named or further cash considerations. Executive Vice President/General Manager Theo Epstein made the announcement.
Crisp, 26, tied for fifth in the American League in 2005 with a career-high 42 doubles, while also establishing personal bests with 16 home runs, 86 runs scored, 145 games played, a .345 on-base percentage and .465 slugging percentage. The six-foot, 180-pound switch-hitter had 15 stolen bases in 21 attempts, marking the third consecutive season he has stolen at least 15 bases.

Running

Ok did 3 miles non-stop at the outdoor track last night, and it felt great.

Will be doing this for a while until $ saved for fixing treadmill.

J. has a fever still, 101 and a very hoarse voice. She is so adorable though, she says she has to be careful about how much she talks because she can;t lsoe her voice. When I ask her why she answered, "Because I love to talk".

Still reading the Henry Miller, it is pretty good.

Warm today, about 50 degreees. Had a great lunch at Chili's with B. and R. today.

No surprises

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- A majority of Americans are more likely to vote for a candidate in November's congressional elections who opposes President Bush, and 58 percent consider his second term a failure so far, according to a poll released Thursday.

Fewer people consider Bush to be honest and trustworthy now than did a year ago, and 53 percent said they believe his administration deliberately misled the public about Iraq's purported weapons program before the U.S. invasion in 2003, the CNN/USA Today/Gallup poll found.

Bush's Education Gap

From the Boston Globe 1-26-06:

Bush's education gap
By Derrick Z. Jackson, Globe Columnist | January 25, 2006

OUR COMMANDER-in-certitude went Monday to Kansas State University. The publicized reason was to defend ultra-secret domestic spying. For much of his speech and question-and-answer period, President Bush served juicy red meat in a red state where he slammed John Kerry in the 2004 election, 62 to 37 percent. He said:

''This enemy cannot beat us. They cannot defeat us militarily. There's no chance."

''In the short term, we'll stay on the offense."

''Congress gave me the authority to use necessary force to protect the American people."

''We're using all assets at our disposal to protect you."

In the question-and-answer period, there was a moment when Bush was caught confused about his assets in another arena. Someone asked Bush, ''Recently, $12.7 billion was cut from education . . . How is that supposed to help our futures?"

There was applause from the crowd.

Bush stumbled. ''Education budget was cut? Say it again. What was cut?"

The person said, ''$12.7 billion was cut from education. And I was just wanting to know: How is that supposed to help our futures?"

Bush said, ''At the federal level?"

The person said, ''Yes."

Bush said, ''I don't think we've actually -- for higher education?"

The person said, ''Student loans."

Bush said, ''Student loans?"

The person said, ''Yes, student loans."

Bush said, ''Actually I think what we did was reform the student loan program. We are not cutting money out of it. In other words, people aren't going to be cut off the program. We're just making sure . . . it functions better. In other words, we are not taking people off student loans. We are saving money in the student loan program because it's inefficient."

Bush continued, ''And secondly, . . . we're actually expanding the number of Pell grants through our budget."

Karl Rove should have told Bush that if you visit a university and offer a question-and-answer session, you might get asked about education. The question came two weeks after Bush gave an address at an elementary school in Glen Burnie, Md., to tout the fourth anniversary of No Child Left Behind. In that address, Bush said, ''We have a moral obligation to make sure every child gets a good education . . . It's not right to have a system that quits on kids. I mean, some schools may not think they're quitting on kids, but when you shuffle kids through the schools without determining whether or not they can read and write and add and subtract, I view that as quitting on kids."

It is stunningly clear that Bush and the Republican Congress have quit on the kids. The questioner at Kansas State was correct. In December, the Senate passed a $12.7 billion cut in loan aid, which would force college students and their families to pay much higher interest rates on their loans. Pell grants would remain capped at $4,050 for the fourth straight year, further depressing a purchasing power which has declined, according to the American Council on Education, from covering 84 percent of the cost of a public four-year college in 1972 to 34 percent today.

On the K-12 front, despite the immense budgetary authority originally granted by Congress to make No Child Left Behind work, Bush and the Republicans took the assets at their disposal and shuffled them over to what is becoming a needless, trillion-dollar war in Iraq. They shuffled them over to the needless, trillion-dollar tax cuts for the wealthy, cuts they still want to make permanent.

Because of those decisions, the gap between what Congress budgets for No Child Left Behind and what states and localities have to pay to meet its rules have sparked nationwide complaints from both red and blue states. The White House and its Department of Education beat back one lawsuit last year brought by the National Education Association, but it faces another from the State of Connecticut, one endorsed by 109 of the state's 169 school boards, according to last week's Hartford Courant.

Connecticut Attorney General Richard Blumenthal called the goals of No Child Left Behind ''worthy," but said ''the federal government must be held accountable for its education promises." Evasion of such accountability was abundantly evident in Bush's bumbling answer at Kansas State University. For all his certitude about tax cuts, war, and holding terrorists accountable, Bush never did say how the $12.7 billion cut in student loans was supposed to help our future.

Shaved

Shaved off the goatee tonight. Did not get a positive reaction from A. N. and J.


Hoping to do a long run tomorrow.

A. is off getting "microdermabrasia" for the 1st time.

tired- going to bed soon.

The Director who Films your Life?

http://www.okcupid.com/tests/take?testid=11683900315001458180

post your results!

Here are my results:

Sofia Coppola
Your film will be 65% romantic, 32% comedy, 26% complex plot, and a $ 33 million budget.
Relatively inexperienced (The Virgin Suicides, Lost In Translation) as a director, but already highly respected and connected -- her dad, Francis, directed all The Godfather movies, Apocolypse Now. Also, at last word she's dating Quentin Tarantino, so I'm sure he'll have some input into the substance of your film. Sofia's good at making the romantic drama that is your life. Who didn't have at least a lump in the throat at the end of Lost In Translation? She's already won one Academy Award for her writing, now she'll be the first woman to receive one for directing -- YOUR FILM!

My test tracked 4 variables How you compared to other people your age and gender:

You scored higher than 91% on action-romance

You scored higher than 45% on humor

You scored higher than 3% on complexity

You scored higher than 29% on budget

Snowball Fight

After we had a walk around he neighborhood we had a snowball fight on our fron t lawn. N. kept running up to me, telling me to close my eyes and then tossed snowballs at me. A. nailed me many many times. It was cold out, and there was some sleet falling for about 15 minutes.

It is always a great thing to here N&J laugh, and that happened a lot last night.


Finished the "Million Little Pieces" Oprah book club book last night. It was a tough book to read and I am glad it is over. Started Henry Miller's "Tropic of Capricorn".

Am growing tired of the goatee and am considering shaving it off. Undecided.

B. lent me another season 1 of Arrested Development dvd which I need to find time to watch.

My Mom is going to New Zealand which sounds really cool.

Not really sure why but I have been thinking about 6FU lately. I am curious as to what Peter Krause and the other actors are up to presently. And obviously, I miss watching the show. Might be time to break out some of the boxed set dvds afer cathcing up with Arrested Development and Doctor Who episodes.

And, there is a new Stephen King book out called Cell though I have not yet purchased it, hardcover is costly. I might need to see if the local library has a copy.

Bye for now.

Sunny Day....

courtesy of yahoo:

PARK CITY, Utah - In Egypt, a local variation of the "Sesame Street" gang encourages literacy and empowerment for girls in a sharply male-dominated culture. In an Israeli-Palestinian edition, the show sought to build mutual understanding. In South Africa, an HIV-positive Muppet helps teach children about AIDS.

"The World According to Sesame Street," a documentary that premiered over the weekend at the Sundance Film Festival, recounts the role of Muppets as goodwill ambassadors around the world in localized versions of the children's TV show that has been a U.S. staple since 1969.

The film by directors Linda Goldstein Knowlton and Linda Hawkins Costigan offers a behind-the-scenes look at the Sesame Workshop in New York City, where the stewards of "Sesame Street" offer assistance for overseas producers to tailor the concept to their own countries' needs.

Exporting American culture often is greeted with skepticism or even hostility, yet "Sesame Street" seems to find a warm reception wherever it goes.

"I'm sure there was some trepidation, but the fact of the matter is, this is a model developed over the past 36, 37 years, and it's an incredibly adaptable model," said Hawkins Costigan, 37. "It's so pliable to all these different countries, and the local researchers dictate their own curriculum. I haven't heard of a situation where the researchers weren't welcoming of it."

The documentary grew out of the filmmakers' curiosity after learning about Kami, the fluffy yellow HIV-positive Muppet that debuted on South Africa's "Takalani Sesame" in 2002, causing a stir among supporters and critics in the United States.

The perky character, whose mother died of AIDS, was created after the Sesame Workshop's South African partners insisted the show had to help educate children about HIV and AIDS.

"That this American company and show we grew up on that we love so much, this American icon, really, is going around the world and doing these culturally specific co-productions was really, really fascinating," said Goldstein Knowlton, 40, an executive producer on 2002's "Whale Rider."

"Especially regarding Kami, we thought, they're using Muppets as catalysts for social change. That's remarkable."

"The World According to Sesame Street" centers on the South African show and two new incarnations, a joint effort to bridge gaps between Albanians and Serbs in war-torn Kosovo and a version intended to educate youths in Bangladesh, where many children leave school at tender ages to find work.

Popular characters from the U.S. original such as Big Bird may pop up on overseas versions, which also feature Muppets created to suit the local culture. The German incarnation features a large bear, while the Bangladesh show has a Bengal tiger and a collection of traditional puppets bearing no resemblance to Muppets.

Editions of "Sesame Street" have been created in nearly two dozen countries, including China, Japan, Mexico, Poland and Portugal.

For all the regional variations, the core of the show remains the same as the original "Sesame Street," fostering respect and understanding for people's differences.

It was a "slight rude awakening" after growing up on those "Sesame Street" lessons, Goldstein Knowlton said, "and then coming into the world and going, `Wow, people really don't like each other. They kill each other all the time.'"

Even so, the tenets of "Sesame Street" linger, said Hawkins Costigan, who grew up in a multiracial family and saw "Sesame Street" incorporate a multiracial cast.

"Watching it on television, I had no idea that people just didn't do that. That to me was completely normal. I think the show is part of the basis of me having friends from all over, friends from all different nationalities," Hawkins Costigan said.

OPtimistic

No not the Radiohead song, me!

Things are going pretty good, the week is off to a good start.

I managed to keep N&J occupied most of the weekend with birthday parties for their stuffed animals- Saturday a combo party for N's "baby unicorn" and Nana Sheila, and Sunday for J's "baby hippo". And our nice long walk Saturday night was great fun, and we even had a few races in the snow. I kept expecting one of us to slip and fall but that never happened.

We went to the grocery store and got pink lemonade and cupcakes for the occassions.

Mass was really not so great, N&J were very antsy and the sermon was basically just a plea for even more of a $ donation to rebuild some building. I never like those, I remember sitting through sermons like that back in Milton when I was an altar boy.

Have been reading about new Nike running shoes called Nike Air 360, they look good though lightweight, and pricy- they are $160 plus tax.

hmmm what else? OK how about this? N&J spend lots of time cutting pieces of paper into small pieces, then they draw on them and then tape them together, then they give them to me to take to work, telling me these items are "signs". Too funny.

Lord Byron

Today is not only my Mom's birthday, but also Lord Byron's. The below was sent to me from my friend B:

It's the birthday of romantic poet Lord Byron, born George Gordon Noel in Aberdeen, Scotland in 1788. Byron was the product of his father's second marriage. His father, nicknamed "Mad Jack," struggled with debt, made his living by seducing rich women, and may have killed his first wife, though he was never charged with the crime.

In 1809 Lord Byron traveled to the Eastern Mediterranean and kept a diary of his adventures and exploits. While traveling in Albania, he let a friend read the diary, and his friend persuaded him to burn it. He rewrote the story of his travels as a partially fictionalized book-length poem called Child Harold's Pilgrimage (1812). The book made Byron one of the most popular poets of his time.

He was also an outspoken politician in the House of Lords. In 1812, workers in the weaving industry were rioting and destroying machinery in Nottinghamshire because of poor wages and working conditions. The Tories introduced a bill to punish the destruction of weaving machinery by death. Byron fiercely opposed the bill, speaking on behalf of workers' rights, and published a poem on the topic that said, in part, "Some folks for certain have thought it was shocking,
When Famine appeals, and when Poverty groans,
That life should be valued at less than a stocking,
And breaking of frames lead to breaking of bones."

Byron wrote many more books of poetry, including Don Juan (1819), and lived a life of controversy and excess. When he died at age 36, several interested parties burned his unpublished memoirs before he'd even been buried.

Mom

Today is my Mom's birthday- happy birthday Mom!

We all love you.

Franklin

My friend B. sent me this:

January 17 was the birthday of Benjamin Franklin, born in Boston in 1706. Books were hard to come by when he was a young apprentice in his brother's printing shop, but he got hold of an odd volume of Addison and Steele's The Spectator and used it to teach himself how to write. He took notes on each of the pieces, then hid the book and tried to reconstruct the essays from the notes alone. He toyed with the idea of becoming a poet, but his father assured him that "verse-makers were generally beggars," and he turned his attention to the cultivation of virtue and the aid of humanity. He became better known than any of the leaders of the Revolution except George Washington; he signed every document associated with the founding of the Republic, and took Paris by storm when he appeared at court to secure an alliance with France. He invented bifocals and the glass harmonica, charted the Gulf Stream on his way across the Atlantic, and chased tornadoes on horseback. He was flirtatious on up into his seventies. In 1731, Franklin founded America's first circulating library so that people could borrow books to read even though they might not have been able to afford to buy them. He was the author, printer, and publisher of Poor Richard's Almanack, an annually published book of useful encouragement, advice, and factual information, beginning in 1732. It contains maxims such as "Early to bed and early to rise, Makes a man healthy, wealthy, and wise" and "In this world nothing can said to be certain except death and taxes.

Concerned

Evidently A. needs to wear a special heart monitor in the near future to check out her heart because she has some arrythmias/irregular hearbeats. I don't know all the details yet but know her family history regarding the heart is not so good.

Tonight when I return home I am taking N&J out, not sure yet what we will be up to this weekend, there is supposed to be a big snowstorm tonight so we will see how everything goes.

I am itching to watch the rest of Arrested Development too, and I have 4 old Doctor Who videos to watch, and a guy at work lent me a videotape of a show called "Robot Chicken", some kinda comedy show I believe.

So I need to watch all this stuff, entertain the children, and figure out when I will have some extra $$$ so I can call Sears and get the treadmill fixed. Running outside might soon be brutal as the weather is likely going to get real chilly!

preloaded iPods!

Aother article form the Boston Globe.

I have downloaded Desperate housewvies, a free episode of Monk, and Alfred Hitchock Presents on to my iPod recently.

IPods pre-loaded with video tread legal gray zone
By Chris Marlowe | January 20, 2006

LOS ANGELES (Hollywood Reporter) - A tiny Massachusetts company named TVMyPod is selling iPods that come with movies and TV programs already loaded on them, a practice that raises questions of legality as it addresses consumer demand for convenience and portability.


TVMyPod co-founder Vijay Raghavan said most people don't have the time or the technology to convert DVDs into the iPod's required format, which is what gave him and his business partner the idea to start the service.

DVDs have copy protection on them, however, and under the terms of the Digital Millennium Copyright Act it is illegal to bypass that technology. Raghavan said his company's process does not involve decryption.

He added that moving the content onto the device is a one-way transfer, which since the purchaser gets both the original and the copy is legal under the fair use provisions of the U.S. Copyright Act.

"It's kind of an obsolete law since Congress was not taking into consideration portability," Raghavan said. "These players are exploding on the market, but the legality of it can sometimes be in a gray area."

TVMyPod is not charging for its services yet, so customers pay only the actual cost of the iPod and whatever the price is on Amazon.com for their chosen DVDs.

Raghavan said TVMyPod will set prices when it rolls out its next offerings, which will include consumers sending in their own iPod and possibly a subscription service to keep the content refreshed.

Warm

It was really warm out yesterday, I did a long walk rather than run after all, due to some soreness. N&J watched some dance show last night and wore their ballet outfits, it was cute.

Really glad it is Friday.

Theo Epstein rejoined the Red Sox, though in what capacity the Boston Globe is unsure.

I watched three more episodes of Arrested Development, it is really funny.

N&J both hugged me in the morning, it was the first time J was up when I left for work in along time, she asked me "Why are you going to work in the middle of the night?" I told her it was early morning. Then they both waved to me out the window.
I really love starting my day this way, with them, they are the best.

Supposedly today is Tom Baker's (4th Doctor Who and my personal fave) birthday today, and he is 72!

Listening to the new Robert Pollard on my iPod today. Coolest song title so far: "Love is Stronger than Witchcraft".

Busy Day

It's been a very busy day at work so my time is limited.

I exchanged one of the three best buy gift cards to get Arrested Development season two.

The Red Sox still have no center fielder.

I hope the Steelers beat Denver this weekend.

Tonight I need to do my run!

More later.

Applebee's

OK at long last I finally persuaded A that the whole family journey over to the local Applebee's restaurant for dinner. It certainly helped that A had seen an ad on tv about the 3 things for one low price, ie. you get an appetizer, a main course and a dessert for like $12.99. We both got a kind of alfredo that had grilled chicken and really fantastic brocolli, a small caesar salad, and a chocolate dipped brownie that came with a teeny scoop of vanilla ice cream. N and J both got grilled cheese sandwiches, glasses oof milk, and side dishes of apple sauce. Then afterwards we went to a "play area" at the mall and N&J ran around for 45 minutes and clibed on stuff. It was fun to watch them. And earlier that day A found an amazing winter coat for next year for N that has a hood lined in fauz fur just like my orange arctic parka. I believe tonight she will go shopping to try and find one for J in the right size.

So my plan is to definitely run Tuesdays and thursdays- I was not sore last night from the morning run, just very very tired starting at about 2 pm and went to bed at 9pm. I have been having some trouble falling asleep lately and I wake several times at night.

I had a very disturbing dream last night in which for some reason I had to tie up and leave N near a bush near a house where there was going to be a bomb, but then she came home later and was unhurt. The dream disturbed me, I know that after dinner and play area time, we went to Carson Pirie Scott and N. bumped her head and ran to me crying, so she got hurt under my care, though not badly. Maybe I have a fear that N will get hurt and I will be powerless to stop it? I am not sure, I just know I need continue to keep a close eye on ehre, it is hard though, she is so active and fast.

This morning was pretty cool because even though I was quiet as a mouse getting ready for work, N woke up and gave me lots of hugs and said she just "had to get up" to wave to me out the window.

New Nike running shoes will be released in February so maybe I will go back to the Niketown store and use my Christmas gift cards if I can find something great. And, I just learned that Season 5 of Six Feet Under will be released on dvd March 28th. (saving pennies now)

Lastly, I want to take my friend Brian out for dinner to celebrate his recent birthday.

Arrested Development

This is such a clever show, edgier than Seinfeld and for some reason reminds me of the Larry David show on HBO at times.

I think Jason Bateman's acting in this is fantastic and I am eager to watch more episodes, hopefully this weekend if time permits.

Marriage helps Wealth

This is from the Boston Globe, intriguing!

Marrying for money, it turns out, works. A study by an Ohio State University researcher shows that a person who marries — and stays married — accumulates nearly twice as much personal wealth as a person who is single or divorced.


And for those who divorce, it's a bit more expensive than giving up half of everything they own. They lose, on average, three-fourths of their personal net worth.

"Getting married for a few years and then getting divorced is clearly not the path to financial independence," said Jay Zagorsky, whose study divided married couples' assets so they could be compared with singles.

Zagorsky, a research scientist at OSU's Center for Human Resource Research, tracked the wealth and marital status of 9,055 people from 1985 to 2000. Those people have been participating in the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth, which has repeatedly interviewed them about various aspects of their lives since 1979.

The participants are now 41 to 49 years old, making them the youngest of the baby boomers.

Zagorsky cautioned that results could be different for older and younger Americans, who have faced different attitudes about marriage, divorce and living together without marriage.

Zagorsky's study, which is published in the current issue of the Journal of Sociology, defines wealth as the total value of a person's assets, such as real estate, stocks and bank accounts, minus liabilities, such as mortgages.

A big reason married people accumulate more wealth than others is simple economies of scale — one household is cheaper to maintain than two, Zagorsky said. Divorce reverses those benefits, he said.

"Divorce looks like one of the fastest ways to destroy your wealth," Zagorsky said.

David Popenoe, co-director of the National Marriage Project at Rutgers University, said people become more economically productive after they marry.

"They work harder, they advance further in their job, they save more money, and maybe invest more wisely," Popenoe said. "That's because, one can speculate, they are now working for something larger than themselves. They are working for a family."

Zagorsky showed that single people slowly accumulated wealth during the study, going from a median of $1,500 at the start to $10,900 in the 15th year.

Married people accumulated wealth much faster, accumulating 93 percent more than single or divorced people over the life of the study, Zagorsky said.

People who divorced started losing net worth four years before their divorces were final, Zagorsky said. That could be because they had separated before divorcing, forcing them to support two households, he said.

The study found that men fared better than women after divorce, holding about 2 1/2 times the wealth. However, in dollars, it added up to a difference of only $5,124.

"While men come out slightly ahead, divorce destroys wealth dramatically for both sexes," Zagorsky wrote in his study.

Getting Up

Find it hard to believe back in the early nineties when i worked in the factory I used to get up at 345 and drive for an hour to get to work to start at 5am.

I got up at 6am today to run and had a lot of trobule getting out of bed. And I had gone to bed at 9pm so it was surprising.

Anyway, I did the run- trying to stick to my Tuesday and Thursday running, and then a third day if possible. 3 days I think is good for now with the weather.

It was cold but I got used to it. There was no ice on the ground so it wasn't too bad.

Upstairs we need to buy a new dvd player- the old one keeps skipping and it is annoying to everyone.

MLK's famous speech

Verbatim! Enjoy, though I'm not sure his dream has transpired yet?

"I am happy to join with you today in what will go down in history as the greatest demonstration for freedom in the history of our nation.

Five score years ago, a great American, in whose symbolic shadow we stand today, signed the Emancipation Proclamation. This momentous decree came as a great beacon light of hope to millions of Negro slaves who had been seared in the flames of withering injustice. It came as a joyous daybreak to end the long night of their captivity.

But one hundred years later, the Negro still is not free. One hundred years later, the life of the Negro is still sadly crippled by the manacles of segregation and the chains of discrimination. One hundred years later, the Negro lives on a lonely island of poverty in the midst of a vast ocean of material prosperity. One hundred years later, the Negro is still languished in the corners of American society and finds himself an exile in his own land. And so we've come here today to dramatize a shameful condition.

In a sense we've come to our nation's capital to cash a check. When the architects of our republic wrote the magnificent words of the Constitution and the Declaration of Independence, they were signing a promissory note to which every American was to fall heir. This note was a promise that all men, yes, black men as well as white men, would be guaranteed the "unalienable Rights" of "Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness." It is obvious today that America has defaulted on this promissory note, insofar as her citizens of color are concerned. Instead of honoring this sacred obligation, America has given the Negro people a bad check, a check which has come back marked "insufficient funds."

But we refuse to believe that the bank of justice is bankrupt. We refuse to believe that there are insufficient funds in the great vaults of opportunity of this nation. And so, we've come to cash this check, a check that will give us upon demand the riches of freedom and the security of justice.

We have also come to this hallowed spot to remind America of the fierce urgency of Now. This is no time to engage in the luxury of cooling off or to take the tranquilizing drug of gradualism. Now is the time to make real the promises of democracy. Now is the time to rise from the dark and desolate valley of segregation to the sunlit path of racial justice. Now is the time to lift our nation from the quicksands of racial injustice to the solid rock of brotherhood. Now is the time to make justice a reality for all of God's children.

It would be fatal for the nation to overlook the urgency of the moment. This sweltering summer of the Negro's legitimate discontent will not pass until there is an invigorating autumn of freedom and equality. Nineteen sixty-three is not an end, but a beginning. And those who hope that the Negro needed to blow off steam and will now be content will have a rude awakening if the nation returns to business as usual. And there will be neither rest nor tranquility in America until the Negro is granted his citizenship rights. The whirlwinds of revolt will continue to shake the foundations of our nation until the bright day of justice emerges.

But there is something that I must say to my people, who stand on the warm threshold which leads into the palace of justice: In the process of gaining our rightful place, we must not be guilty of wrongful deeds. Let us not seek to satisfy our thirst for freedom by drinking from the cup of bitterness and hatred. We must forever conduct our struggle on the high plane of dignity and discipline. We must not allow our creative protest to degenerate into physical violence. Again and again, we must rise to the majestic heights of meeting physical force with soul force.

The marvelous new militancy which has engulfed the Negro community must not lead us to a distrust of all white people, for many of our white brothers, as evidenced by their presence here today, have come to realize that their destiny is tied up with our destiny. And they have come to realize that their freedom is inextricably bound to our freedom.

We cannot walk alone.

And as we walk, we must make the pledge that we shall always march ahead.

We cannot turn back.

There are those who are asking the devotees of civil rights, "When will you be satisfied?" We can never be satisfied as long as the Negro is the victim of the unspeakable horrors of police brutality. We can never be satisfied as long as our bodies, heavy with the fatigue of travel, cannot gain lodging in the motels of the highways and the hotels of the cities. We cannot be satisfied as long as a Negro in Mississippi cannot vote and a Negro in New York believes he has nothing for which to vote. No, no, we are not satisfied, and we will not be satisfied until "justice rolls down like waters, and righteousness like a mighty stream."¹



I am not unmindful that some of you have come here out of great trials and tribulations. Some of you have come fresh from narrow jail cells. And some of you have come from areas where your quest -- quest for freedom left you battered by the storms of persecution and staggered by the winds of police brutality. You have been the veterans of creative suffering. Continue to work with the faith that unearned suffering is redemptive. Go back to Mississippi, go back to Alabama, go back to South Carolina, go back to Georgia, go back to Louisiana, go back to the slums and ghettos of our northern cities, knowing that somehow this situation can and will be changed.

Let us not wallow in the valley of despair, I say to you today, my friends.

And so even though we face the difficulties of today and tomorrow, I still have a dream. It is a dream deeply rooted in the American dream.

I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed: "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal."

I have a dream that one day on the red hills of Georgia, the sons of former slaves and the sons of former slave owners will be able to sit down together at the table of brotherhood.

I have a dream that one day even the state of Mississippi, a state sweltering with the heat of injustice, sweltering with the heat of oppression, will be transformed into an oasis of freedom and justice.

I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character.

I have a dream today!

I have a dream that one day, down in Alabama, with its vicious racists, with its governor having his lips dripping with the words of "interposition" and "nullification" -- one day right there in Alabama little black boys and black girls will be able to join hands with little white boys and white girls as sisters and brothers.

I have a dream today!

I have a dream that one day every valley shall be exalted, and every hill and mountain shall be made low, the rough places will be made plain, and the crooked places will be made straight; "and the glory of the Lord shall be revealed and all flesh shall see it together."²

This is our hope, and this is the faith that I go back to the South with.

With this faith, we will be able to hew out of the mountain of despair a stone of hope. With this faith, we will be able to transform the jangling discords of our nation into a beautiful symphony of brotherhood. With this faith, we will be able to work together, to pray together, to struggle together, to go to jail together, to stand up for freedom together, knowing that we will be free one day.

And this will be the day -- this will be the day when all of God's children will be able to sing with new meaning:

My country 'tis of thee, sweet land of liberty, of thee I sing.

Land where my fathers died, land of the Pilgrim's pride,

From every mountainside, let freedom ring!

And if America is to be a great nation, this must become true.



And so let freedom ring from the prodigious hilltops of New Hampshire.

Let freedom ring from the mighty mountains of New York.

Let freedom ring from the heightening Alleghenies of
Pennsylvania.

Let freedom ring from the snow-capped Rockies of Colorado.

Let freedom ring from the curvaceous slopes of California.

But not only that:

Let freedom ring from Stone Mountain of Georgia.

Let freedom ring from Lookout Mountain of Tennessee.

Let freedom ring from every hill and molehill of Mississippi.

From every mountainside, let freedom ring.

And when this happens, when we allow freedom ring, when we let it ring from every village and every hamlet, from every state and every city, we will be able to speed up that day when all of God's children, black men and white men, Jews and Gentiles, Protestants and Catholics, will be able to join hands and sing in the words of the old Negro spiritual:

Free at last! Free at last!

Thank God Almighty, we are free at last!"

MLK

Sleep
Sleep tonight
And may your dreams
Be realized

If the thundercloud
Passes rain
So let it rain
Let it rain
Rain on him

Neutral

I feel like Switzerland during wartime- completely neutral.

Breakfast and church were the usual good methods to start the day and it was way cool that the Steelers won. The Bears lost and I just feel exhausted. And tomorrow should be a day off since it is a National holdiay, but my lame company does not give us the day off.

I figure a call to Sears to send over a repairman can help fix the treadmill though at a price of course!

N&J have been pretty good today, but wow I gain more sympathy and appreciation for A watching them all week, it really makes me so darn tired.

Downturn

Started off as a good day and then a downturn. N&J broke the treadmill so I will need to call someone to repair it, as I figured unable to attend my friend's birthday party, the Pats lost, and N&J were very difficult all day and all night so I am exhausted.

On the bright side, I ate very carefully again today and took them for a mile walk outside.

Tomorrow will be Mass in the morning and then maybe some projects at home.

Unfortunately I am going to have to run outside for a while in the morning, which will be tough because of the cold weather.

Snowfall

A bit of snow today and tonight I had a lovely walk outside with J. After A&N returned from grocery shopping we all went clothes shopping. A bought me a great rebbok running thermal shirt but it is a bit too small. With my changes in diet and getting up early to run along with the ab crunches hopefully I will fit into it at some point. A seemed to think I would at some point as she agreed to save it for me rather than return it.

N&J just went to sleep and now I am going to watch some dvds. Brian lent me a dvd of Arrested Development season 1 to watch and also I finally got Doctor Who's "Talons of Weng-Chiang" to watch.

This weekend I hope to have fun with N&J and watch the Pats and Bears playoff games.

At the store I noticed in a three way mirror how prominent my bald spot is becoming, it is depressing but inevitable that I am losing my hair. If I ever get slim enough I will shave it all off!

If I can up my running each week without incurring any injuries and feel my conditioning is good I am planning on registering for the 2006 Chicago Marathon. So I have run twice this week. My plan was three times per week so if I run tomorrow I will achieve that. I think Tuesday/Thursday and Saturdays are good days for runs. Perhaps a fourth day if I feel I need it.

I had water and tangerines for breakfast, salmon and brocolli(with some bacon and a few bites of mashed potatoes from Brian), though for dinner I had a small pepperoni pizza from Jewel. So not too bad, could be better obviosuly but I feel good with today's choices. And I again had a wonderful time with my family and that is comforting.

Stardust

(CNN) -- NASA's Stardust space probe is racing toward Earth, carrying a tiny payload of cometary and interstellar dust -- particles that scientists believe are leftovers from the creation of our solar system.

If all goes as planned, Stardust will release the 100-lb. (45 kilogram)capsule carrying the samples at 1 a.m. ET on Sunday. It would enter Earth's atmosphere about four hours later and parachute to the ground in Utah at 5:12 a.m. ET.

If there is a delay, scientists will settle in and wait for Stardust to make another orbit around the sun -- a trip that would take about another four years.

Stardust has been in space for just shy of seven years and made three laps around the sun, traveling 2.88 billion miles (4.63 billion kilometers).

The highlight of the mission came on January 2, 2004, when Stardust flew within 149 miles (240 kilometers) of the comet Wild 2 (pronounced Vilt 2).

Stardust captured particles from the comet's tail in a tennis-racket sized collection unit made with blocks of aerogel, a strong, lightweight silica glass that is 99.8 percent air and looks like frozen smoke.

"The fundamental reason for this mission is that we are collecting what we believe are the best preserved samples of the formation of our solar system and they are preserved because they formed these comet bodies beyond the major planets out beyond Neptune," said principal investigator Don Brownlee of the University of Washington.

Samuel Beckett

It was with the amazing success of Waiting for Godot at the small Théâtre de Babylone in Paris, in January 1953, that Beckett's rise to world fame began. Beckett continued writing, but more slowly than in the immediate postwar years. Plays for the stage and radio and a number of prose works occupied much of his attention.



Beckett continued to live in Paris, but most of his writing was done in a small house secluded in the Marne valley, a short drive from Paris. His total dedication to his art extended to his complete avoidance of all personal publicity, of appearances on radio or television, and of all journalistic interviews. When, in 1969, he received the Nobel Prize for Literature, he accepted the award but declined the trip to Stockholm to avoid the public speech at the ceremonies.

new Who

SCI FI Channel and BBC Worldwide Americas announced today a major licensing deal for the first series of the latest Doctor Who adventures.

The 13-part drama is about a mysterious time-travelling adventurer known simply as "The Doctor" (Christopher Eccleston) and his companion, Rose Tyler (Billie Piper). The Doctor and Rose risk death and danger, battling aliens and monsters.

The deal, brokered by Lisa Hofer, Director Co-Production & Sales, BBC Worldwide Americas, grants SCI FI Channel the first run rights for series one with an option for series two. The award-winning series will premiere on SCI FI beginning in March, airing Friday nights at 9.00pm.

Russell T Davies, Head Writer and Executive Producer told us: "The Doctor's made all sorts of journeys in Time and Space, but this is one of his most exciting yet! I'm a huge fan of the SCI FI Channel, and I'm delighted that Doctor Who is appearing on a channel that supports and enhances the entire genre."

"With its rich history of imaginative storytelling, Doctor Who is a true sci-fi classic," stated Thomas P. Vitale, SCI FI's Senior Vice President, Programming & Original Movies. "We're excited to add the show to our lineup."

Commenting on the deal Candace Carlisle, Senior Vice President, BBC Worldwide Americas, said: “The new production has fantastic storylines and production values and has already gained an iconic status around the world. SCI FI Channel is the perfect home for the show and will introduce Doctor Who to a whole new generation of fans in the US.”

In addition, BBC Video has moved the US release date of the DVD from February 2006 to July 4, 2006 to capitalize on the exposure from the TV broadcast. As part of the deal, BBC Video and SCI FI Channel have agreed to work together on joint marketing promotions to support the brand launch.

Burton Cromer, Vice President, Consumer Products, BBC Worldwide Americas said: “We are delighted to be working with SCI FI Channel on the launch of this exciting new take on Doctor Who. The additional marketing support from SCI FI, as well their ability to reach such a broad audience base, made moving the release date an easy decision.”

Executive Produced by Russell T Davies (lead writer) and Julie Gardner, the first series of Doctor Who attracted huge ratings and received critical acclaim when it aired on BBC ONE in March 2005.

Tuesday night

Well the Woody Allen movie held my interest and while it was a good movie, there were some glaring flaws. One major one is the ending, where it seems the moral judgment is approving what obviously are horrible crimes. Another is the fact that whenever there is a "heavy" sort of emotional scene, Woody started piping in this horribly old music. For one of the first times, I actually believed I could direct a movie and do a better job. Having said all that, I do admit it was a solidly good movie and it kept me intrigued throughout. I would recommend it, the acting was mostly good though I still remain unconvinced that Scarlett Johanassen is a great actress, she is cute absolutely but I think her part was too easy to play and just so-so.

The theater was in Evanston and had quite a large selection of snacks, including some kind of "kettle popcorn" which was delicious, and also they had swedish fish candies. Also, inside the theater there was quite a bit of leg room and the seats were huge, which made it very comfortable to relax and enjoy the film. Also, paramount to anything else was getting to finally spend a good amount of time with B and speak with him before and after the film.

What really touched me and was very very cool was when I got home both N&J were in their beds though they had been waiting for me. So they both told me they had missed me, gave me hugs and kisses, told me they love me. J had left one of her favorite stuffed animals on my night stand next to my bed and she told me he was waiting for me and she wanted me to hold him when I went to sleep! So I was very happy they waited for me and that they had missed me so much. A was enjoying some movies downstairs in the basement and was in a good mood as well.

So it is kinda ironic because while I enjoyed getting a break from my family when I returned and witnessed how very much they had missed me I was both touched and felt (as I occassionally do) that I must strive to live a great life and be an amazing dad. I feel I must be doing something right and doing an ok job so far for them to be loving and missing me so much. What a great feeling it is to have your daughters hug you tight and tell you how much they missed you!

Woody Allen

Going to see the new Woody Allen Film tonight with B.

Funny Girls

Funniest moment today- I was lying on the couch in the basement watching the NFl playoff game, and N&J were playing quietly for a while. I sat up at one point to check what they were doing and they both had found and put on red and white "Santa" hats and they were putting stuffed animals on my treadmill. They amazing thing is when I asked them to clean up they did so cheerfully!

Patriots won by the way!

Catching Up

N&J - occupied

Me - catching up on Seinfeld dvds- 40 episodes to watch and now on episode #6 so far.....

Million $ Baby

It is now 1:54 am and I just finished watching Million $ Baby.

Quite a movie.

coincidence

My Mom called me today and asked if I got my birthday present in the mail from the UK from my sister and I said no, when I arrived home from work I saw a box on the front stoop as I pulled into the driveway. Yes, the gift had arrived, and I love it. Thanks J!!!

King Tut

King Tut exhibit starting at the Field Museum in Chicago in May of this year!

Can't wait!

O'Reilly on Letterman

http://onegoodmove.org/1gm/1gmarchive/002750.html#002750

Robert Pollard

Robert Pollard (ex-Guided by Voices) will play a show at Cabaret Metro on Friday March 31st. Tickets go on sale this Saturday at noon. I loved GBV and have pre-ordered his solo disc, will possibly get a ticket for his show if it is reasonably priced. His shows usually last at least 3 hours, so if I go it will be a long evening of music and witty commentary.

ie. "Kids, listen to Uncle Bob- don't pay money to go see Radiohead. Go see Built to Spill or something instead. Anyone like the Strokes?"

No concert

Well no Strokes concert after all, turned out A. was upset about me going so instead I just went home, played with N&J, had a nap, then listened to the new cd and also the new Echo cd. N&J really love the new pink blanket we got, and I just discovered it is a king size blanket, I napped on the couch in the living room and they covered me with it and even placed some of their stuffed animals on top of me. J found her tiny hippo stuffed animal which she named "baby daddy chris hippo". Funny. And I could not find a mini phillips head screwdriver yet so I was unable to start playing my electronic roulette game that Brian gave me for Xmas. I need the screwdriver to remove the back cover to insert the batteries. I know for a fact I will be palying my lucky number 34!

Watched more of that Oprah, shows about really obese people, 500 and 700 pounds. They basically lived in their beds. Then they got motivated and lost hundreds of pounds. Oprah said to eat breakfast every day and never eat anything(not even a grape) after 730 pm. That is how she lost weight. Oprah seemed to lose and gain weight often over the years. I think she looks healthy now, plus there was a show about her training and running the Chicago Marathon, so yeah! I still really want to do it again, hopefully next year.

I put a few concerts on the calendar at home for MARCH and cleared it with A, she claims it is fine, so there should be no ruffled featehrs this time.

It would have been cool to see the Strokes again but so far I am not loving their new album. The first song is amazing but unfortunately it is the best song on the whole thing. Great guitars on that first track.

The Echo album is very much a return to their eighties sound, whereas the last two albums focused on acoustic, mellow songs. I am really enjoying this album presently.

I have been wearing the new shirts A gave me for Xmas to work this week and the guy in the cubicle next to me keeps grabbing the back of the shirt near my neck to check who made the shirt, and he keeps saying the shirts are so cool. Whatever.

Big news on the Doctor Who front is that an announcement was made that the current season will feature return appearances form K-9(the robot dog) and Sarah Jane Smith.

I told that news to J at home and she went absolutely nuts as I fully expected to happen.


Need to try and figure out how much it costs to go to Disney World, N&J want to go their for their 5th birthday. And A said if I go to Poland this summer she will try and get me over to Zakopane (Southern Mountains) for hiking and outstadning food and drinks.

And, after two weeks of haphazard checking, I finally manged to get Red Sox tickets for a single game in May, I emailed my Dad but he didn't really acknowledge it, suppose he is busy with work per usual.

New music

the new Strokes cd is really good but the new Echo & The Bunnymen cd "Siberia" is AWESOME!

:)

Rock n Roll

Thinking about rock n roll always conjures up the lyrics "rock is dead they say, long live rock!" by the Who. Lately there surely has been a veritable cornucopiae of rock. And no I do not know how to spell cornucopiae, so I winged it.

Yesterday downtown we all walked from Michigan Avenue to Rock n Roll McDonalds, where we were astounded to not only discover that a blt club was on the menu, but that there was upstairs seating in kind of german bauahus chairs, with cool tables and windows. So we had a leisurely meal and enjoyed talking and looking out the windows at the city. N & J were on their best behavior with the promise of oreo mcflurries as a special treat. Got some cool Lance Armstrong nikes and then further shopping enabled us to get a gorgeous soft pink blanket, which made its way in the evening downstairs to the basement for movie watching.

Today, more rock n roll. The new Strokes cd comes out. While I did not rave about the single "Juicebox", I am sure it will be a strong rock album. I hope to pick it up today. Out of nowhere, I got an email from the Strokes fanclub and got a ticket to their "small club warmup tour", still on the fence about going. It's at Park West, which oddly enough, is a venue I have never been to, even though I lived near it for numerous years.

Finally, the new iPod and the joyous fact that this one actually has a battery life of longer than 3 hours, means that rock n roll is being played as I type this.

Listening today:

John Lennon "Oh Yoko" (my love will turn you on)
Led Zeppelin "Kashmir"
the Who "The Punk Meets the Godfather"(i'm the punk with a stutter)
the Strokes "Last Night" (she said)
Ramones "Blitzkrieg Bop"(shoot 'em in the back now)

Downtown

Planning to drive downtown after breakfast with N &J to hit Niketown and walk around and look for horses/carriages.

N&J made groovy bracelets with bells on them at the arts and crafts hour at Borders on Saturday and when they do not wear them, they put them on their stuffed animals, which I find amusing.

I am all caught up on my Doctor Who now and so will watch Million Dollar Baby finally and Seinfeld dvds next.

Wishes

Lots of love and a blessing to all for the new upcoming year!

:)