POLAND

OK goodbye for now everyone, am leaving tomorrow for Poland and will be back July 10th. Very unlikely that I will be able to write anyhing in my blog while I am away.

We will be visiting lots of famous cities, Krakow(famous city), Auschwitz (Nazi concentration camp where it is estimated that 1.5 million people were gassed to death and/or burned to death), and Zakopane(mountains south of Poland where Pope John Paul 2nd frequently visited) definitely and possibly Czestochowa (famous: The Black Madonna - Czestochowa, Poland (1382)

The Black Madonna is a painting of the Madonna and Christ Child which legend states was painted by St. Luke the Evangelist. St. Luke is believed to have used a tabletop from a table built by the carpenter Jesus. It was while Luke was painting Mary that she told him about the events in the life of Jesus that he eventually incorporated in his gospel. The painting shows up again in 326 AD when St. Helen located it in Jerusalem while on a pilgrimage there. She gave the painting to her son, Constantine, who had a shrine built in Constantinople to house it.)

While very excited about going I also must confess to quite a bit of nervousness as I very much do not enjoy flying, especially when it is a long flight, in this case it is will be 10 hours of flying and then another 2 or 3 hours of a car ride before we arrive in tarnow, Poland. Tarnow is the town my wife was born and grew up in, it is closest to the city of Krakow.

Aga is doing most of the packing today and tonight so there will not be much to worry about tomorrow except for getting a taxi/van to the airport. We need to take the twins car seats with us in addition to our luggage. As it stands now, Nicki will be sitting next to me and Julia will be sitting with Aga.

So, again goodbye to everyone and take care. Will speak and or talk to all when I return in July.

Love,
Chris

Radiohead Setlist

Setlist:

Song 18-that was me and Brian he dedicated that to-we were sitting way up high in the balcony. I put (*) next to the songs I enjoyed the most. I am so unfamiliar with the new songs that I did not mark any of them with asteriks. Radiohead was very precise and very enjoyable, the only thing for me was that playing so many new songs without the new album being released made it difficult to enjoy those songs.



01 You and Whose Army?
02 The National Anthem *
03 15 Step
04 Morning Bell
05 Exit Music (For A Film) *
06 Open Pick
07 Videotape
08 Knives Out *
09 The Gloaming
10 Nude
11 Down Is The New Up *
12 Paranoid Android *
13 Bangers 'N Mash
14 Like Spinning Plates *
15 Spooks
16 Idioteque *
17 There There *

Encore 1
18 A Wolf At The Door [Thom, "Dedicated to people way up top"] *
19 4 Minute Warning
20 Bones *
21 Lucky [Thom thanks The Black Keys] *

Encore 2
22 House of Cards
23 Everything In Its Right Place ["Forever" scrolls across geometric shaped screens]*

Proverbs

From Proverbs 17:6

"Children's children are the crown of old men; and the glory of children are their fathers."

I like that quote a lot.

Well unfortunately Poland just lost 1-0 to Germany in the World Cup. Germany scored in the final 90th minute of the match, which really sucks. This means Poland will not advance to round two and so I will not be able to watch them play next week in Poland. Damn.

Getting ready to go get Chinese food with Bill, then tonight am driving him back to the airport as he is returning home to San Diego. It was a good visit, though a short one as per usual.

We had fun going out and listening to some good live music, also was good to catch up talking with him and see how he is.

Tomorrow I am yet again going to Chicago, this time for a steak dinner as some clients are in town for a conference.

The Legendary Pink Dots

The jazz concert was fun, we had dinner in Chinatown which was cheap and way too much food.

AS per usual, was able to talk to the singer last night, Yoko Noge, told her as always she sounded great and asked about her missing trumpet playe, John Watson, turns out he is in the hospital fighting cancer, she asked me to pray for him. When her third and final set of the night was over she stopped by our table to say goodbye!

Tonight Bill and I are going home to bbq and relax, and of course see the girls, and then tonight we are off to Chicago again, this time to go see The Legendary Pink Dots:

The Legendary Pink Dots are a British rock band formed in London at the end of the late 1970s and who, although distinctly non-mainstream, have been musically influential over the years. The band has, as its focal point, vocalist Edward Ka-Spel, who is, along with Phil Knight, one of the original remaining members of the band.

In 1984 the band transplanted itself to Amsterdam which led to a shift in the original lineup, the original bassist Roland Callaway leaving at this time.

Their music has evolved organically over time and it consists of such myriad aspects that easy categorization into a single genre heading is difficult. Their sound has often been described as an amalgamation of psychedelic rock, industrial, experimental, synth-pop and avant-garde. Some have compared certain of their works with the music of bands like Pink Floyd and Can. Since their formation they have released over 50 records and continuously tour the world.

Members of the band have also collaborated with Skinny Puppy's cEvin Key, forming a side-project named The Tear Garden.

And all that jazz......

Ok so Bill is here, tonight we are going out to dinner and then to a jazz concert, Brian as well. This concert is at a club in downtown Chicago called the HotHouse, I have seen this group twice before and they are really amazing, they are called Yoko Noge and the Jazz Me Blues Band.

Saturday morning's dance recital was really great, it was so rewarding for me to see the twins dance and be so happy that I actually teared up during their show. I took tons of pictures too, how could I not?

Then Sunday morning we picked Bill up at the airport, had lunch and then played with the girls and also watched some of the World Cup soccer on espn. We also managed to see David Ortiz hit his ninth inning home run with two outs and two striekes to win the game, espn showed that and we all went nuts, ummm yes me especially.

No cahnce to grill because it rained but likely will do so tomorrow before again driving to downtown chicago to see another concert.

So- busy, busy. And next Thursday the family and I all fly to Poland! Definitely going to Krakow and also to Zakopane (southern mountains), can't wait!

Nuremberg Trials

NOTE: Read only at your own discretion, this is graphic and disturbing. Though surely important in its own right and certainly sheds an insight into the evil of man.

As I have posted recently, in an effort to strengthen myself and my sensitive soul against my upcoming visit to a Nazi concentration camp, Auschwitz, I have been taking numerous trips to the local library and reading much about the Nazis, about World War 2, and about Poland and the concentation camps, the Holocaust and the attempt to commit genocide against all Jews.

I have read so much about these subjects that I felt it might benefit me to read about the Nuremberg trials, to see justice served. Unfortunately, in reading the graphic details of the Nazi atrocities and their utter evil and belief in themselves as a "master race" I am profoundly disturbed.

Simply, I will add this which came directly from the evidence and testimony of the Nazi war criminals, I was very much disturbed by this reading and am now left to think about this in addition to the other horrible things I have recently studied. Truly, when I think about my own life and the decisions and efforts I make to live I am left so sad to think that at one time there were people who were routinely killed and in fact hurt in such unimaginable and tortuous ways merely it seems for being born. So this is worth reading, if you have the capacity and stomach for it:

Description of a mass execution from the Nuremberg trials:

"We went directly to the pit. Nobody bothered us. Now I heard rifle shots in quick succession, from behind one of the earth mounds. The people who had got off the truck - men, women and children of all ages - had to undress upon the order of an SS man, who carried a riding or dog whip. They had to put down their clothes in fixed places, sorted according to shoes, top clothing, and underclothing. I saw a heap of shoes of about eight hundred to one thousand pairs, great piles of underlinen and clothing. Without screaming or weeping these people undressed, stood around in family groups, kissed each other, said farewell, and waited for a sign from another SS man, who stood near the pit. An old woman with snow-white hair was holding a one-year-old child in her arms and singing to it, and tickling it. the child was cooing with delight. The parents were looking on with tears in their eyes. The father was holding the hand of a boy about ten years old and speaking to him softly; the boy was fighting his tears. the father pointed towards the sky, stroked his head, and seemed to explain something to him. At that moment the SS man at the pit shouted something to his comrade. The latter counted off about twenty persons and instructed them to go behind the earth mound. I walked around the mound, and found myself confronted by a tremendous grave.

People were closely wedged together and lying on top of each other so that only their heads were visible. Nearly all had blood running over their shoulders from their heads. I looked for the man who did the shootings. He was as SS man, who sat at the edge of the narrow end of the pit, his feet dangling into the pit. He had a tommy gun on his knees and was smoking a cigarette. The people, completely naked, went down some steps which were cut in the clay wall of the pit and clambered over the heads of the people lying there, to the place to which the SS man directed them. They lay down in front of the dead or injured people; some caressed those who were still alive and spoke to them in a low voice. Then I heard a series of shots. I looked into the pit and saw that the bodies were twitching or the heads lying already motionless on top of the bodies that lay before them."

Note- this was the type of account that, no matter how often repeated, never failed to stir the tribunal.

Dance

Tomorrow is the twins dance recital, they had their full dress rehearsal/final practice yesterday. It was so cute when they got home tyhey laid down on the floor and said they were so tired. They really were, they both fell asleep at 7 oc'clock, which is an hour early for them.

Looks like it is supposed to be a rainy weekend, my good friend Bill arrives from San Diego Sunday morning and we are going to have fun. We plan to see a jazz concert in Chicao Monday night and then a rock concert Tuesday night, so it will be good. Hard to believe it is June 9th, only 13 more days until the family hops on that pland to visit Poland. Evidently there is a stray cat who lives in the barn at our house in Poland, he has been fed and taken care of by my wife's sister Anna. They sent picture of the cat, she is very cool, black with white paws. Reminds me that we are still planning on getting a cat of our own in August!

Well the Sox looked good last night, I managed to watch most of the game because all of my girls went to bed so early, Aga went to bed at 8 oclock even! varitek hit a monster three run homer and Schilling pitched brilliantly, they brought Papelbon in to close it out and he struck out Giambi and A-Rod which was sweet.

So glad it's finally Friday and looking forward to the weekend with the girls and Bill's upcoming visit.

Family Update

Things are good, we are all very excited about our upcoming trip to Poland, even me which is surprising even to myself! We have quite a few trips planned while there, in addition to spending time in my wife's hometown of tarnow, we are going to visit Krakow with the twins, we will go without the twins to the Nazi concentration camp Auschwitz, and also to the town where the past Pope is from Zakopane, which has mountains and lots of hiking. Our hotel there looks amazing so am very excited.

In other news, the girls had their last dress rehearsal for their upcoming ballet recital, it is this Saturday morning. Charging the camcorder now....

I am reading some books about the Holocaust and just basically trying to get as much knowledge in my brain so that I will not be completely overwhelmed when in Poland. It is an odd thing but I am well aware of the evil in the world and cruelty and yet the more I learn about the Nazis the more sad I get. It is fairly incomprehensible to me that human beings can be so barbaric towards one another. Even more shocking is the inability for many of the perpetrators to show any remorse. The Germans really hated the Jews.

More pleasant news is that I got the new Cheap Trick album and it is amazing, much much better than their last few albums. I am going to see them in September outdoors with both N&J (who yes do love Cheap Trick) and my friends B&R.

Gay Marriage!

From CNN, oh and yes I agree(in case you hadn't guessed!):

NEW YORK (CNN) -- President Bush this week urged Congress to pass a constitutional amendment banning gay marriage, at a time when the United States faces some of the greatest challenges in our nation's history.

So, logically, what could possibly better ensure the prosperous and bright future of working men and women and their families than for the Senate to work on a constitutional amendment that is guaranteed to fail?

It's clear that cynical, patronizing White House political strategists are trying to rally a conservative base that they believe is more base than conservative. They're wrong on all counts.

We're fighting a war against radical Islamist terrorists with ongoing campaigns in Iraq and Afghanistan, we're drowning in debt from our growing record trade and budget deficits and we're watching our public education system fail a generation of students. Congress has yet to act on an effective solution to our illegal immigration crisis as millions of illegal aliens flood our borders every year, and our nation's borders and ports are still woefully insecure, four and a half years after the September 11 attacks.

I believe most Americans are far more concerned about their declining real wages and the lack of real creation of quality jobs than the insulting insertion of wedge issues into the national dialogue and political agenda.

But President Bush and the Senate have decided they should take up a constitutional ban of gay marriage. Polls tell us most of us oppose gay marriage. Those same polls are also shouting to our elected representatives in Washington that we want real leadership and real solutions to real problems.

The president and the Senate's Republican leadership are now claiming that an amendment to our Constitution is necessary to save the American family. No matter how you feel about the issue, and many of us feel deeply, a constitutional amendment to ban gay marriage is utter and complete nonsense. It's an insult to the intelligence of every voter, Republican or Democrat, liberal or conservative.

The president and the Senate are focusing on one of the few reasons that has not been proven to cause divorce. They instead should look to financial hardships, and the lack of communication about family finances. The median family income is stagnating while gasoline costs and higher interest rates are eating up the family budget.

Nor is the Senate looking at the national tragedy of out-of-wedlock births: In seven states, more than 40 percent of our children are born out of wedlock. Nationally, more than one out of three of our children are born to unmarried parents.

Both political parties love to excite and enliven their so-called "bases" by focusing on wedge issues like gay marriage, abortion, gun control, school prayer and flag burning. Both the Republicans and Democrats raise these issues to distract and divert public attention from the pressing issues that affect our way of life and our nation's future.

Are these wedge issues really how Congress should be spending its time, especially given how little time politicians spend in Washington, D.C., these days? I'd rather see our 535 elected representatives and this president use their time to combat poverty, fix our crumbling schools, secure our broken borders and ports and hold employers accountable for hiring illegal aliens. And like millions of Americans, I am desperate for a resolution to our wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.

How can we tolerate elected officials who press wedge issues when 37 million people in the United States live in poverty, one in every eight Americans? Almost 18 percent of children under the age of 18 live in poverty -- 13 million children.

Nearly 46 million people live without health insurance, about 16 percent of the population, a number that has risen by 6 million since 2000. More than one in 10 children are uninsured, and one-quarter of people with incomes below $25,000 also lack any health insurance.

College costs are skyrocketing. There's been a 40 percent jump (inflation-adjusted) in tuition and fees at public four-year colleges and universities over the past five years, according to the College Board. The costs for brand-name prescription drugs have also increased twice as fast as the rate of inflation. In fact, over the past six years, the average rise in the price of brand-name drugs is 40 percent, according to the AARP.

But while these increases in the price of the basics make it harder for hard-working men and women to make ends meet, the president and Congress would rather drive wedge issues than work toward real solutions.

I wonder if the president's political advisers know just how ill-advised and smarmy this wedge issue looks to the millions of us who want solutions to the critical, urgent problems facing this nation. Worse, I wonder if they even care.

Holocaust

I have never seen "Schindler's List" or much at all about the Holocaust, in fact in a way if I am being truthful I could admit that I have avoided learning about it, aside from studying hostory in school and seeing tv shows such as "Band of Brothers", I know facts and details about what happened and yet I have always avoided seeing any visual evidence. While I know it is real I think I just do not want to see such terrible things.

As I may have mentioned earlier I will be going to the Nazi concentration camp Auschwitz in Poland this summer for the first time. In an effort to prepare myself I bought and read Elie Weisel's "Night" yesterday.

I have heard from my wife and her family some of the horrors of the Holocaust but when learning about such cruelty and utter evil I keep finding myself with not only an emotional reaction but also with asking "Why?" "Why did this happen?"

One of the thoughts I had which I sturuggle to reconcile is how not only the Nazis but the majority of the German citizens allowed this to happen, and in addition, when confronted with evidence about the mass killings of Jews both Great Britian and the United States firstly denied it was happening and secondly when asked to bomb concentration camps to destroy them and stop the genocide they refused. Unbelievable.

In addition to "Night" I also read Weisel's acceptance speech when he won the Nobel Peace Prize for his book and he concluded by imploring the world to never again allow genocide to occur, and yet not only is it happening even right now as I type this but it has been going on. Serbia, Rwanda, I doubt I can ever accept the inaction to stop this.

So I know I will find it very very troubling, emotional and very much thought provoking to walk around and see Auschwitz where 1.5 million Polish Jews were killed either by gas or by burning in the creamatorium, but we must honor the dead and remember the past.

One thing I have never ever forgotten is when I met my father-in-law in Poland about 11 years ago for the first time I heard a story about how when he was a little boy he watched the Nazi take babies and kill them by bashing them into brick walls. How can anyone get memories like that away from their eyes?

Cool Papelbon!

"Jonathan Papelbon, who recorded his 20th save in 20 chances in Friday’s 3-2 win against Detroit, became the fastest rookie to reach the plateau in major league history, according to the Elias Sports Bureau. Papelbon did so in the Sox’ 52nd game, blowing away the previous mark of 76, established by Kansas City’s Mike MacDougal in 2003."

I LOVE THIS GUY!!!!

I've got happy feet!

I forget where that quote comes from but I know it is a Steve Martin movie.

The race at the lincoln park zoo was great today, we had a blast and the girls were very co-operative.

Yesterday we had pictures done for their upcoming ballet recital.

Other than spending the weekend having fun with the girls, which aside fron the race included lots of outdoor stuff including trips to the park and the swimming pool, I bought a new grill and grilled, grilled and then well yes I grilled some more.

Less than three weeks until we all visit Poland......

Nomar!

It is amazing but for the first time in many many years my Dad got tickets for us to see the Sox play, the game is Friday July 28th against the Los Angeles Dodgers, I really wanted to go to that game because it will be Nomar's return to Boston. ANd he was my favorite player for many years.


Well the twins "graduated" from Catholic pre-school yesterday, A. videotaped it and I watched most of it last night, they were very happy. They sang a few songs and then the teacher called their names and they walked over and got little diplomas. They even sang "Take Me Out To The Ballgame"!!!

Our a/c got fixed thank God, evidently it was out of freon so now that it is fixed we are no longer in the basement all the time! We had been going down there to try and stay cooler.

Took the girls to the library again Tuesday and after that mowed the lawn. Our grass is growing so fast because it is spring and because of all the rain.

I've been pretty sore from that race on Memorial Day but I managed 6 miles after work yesterday. I decided I am going to buy one of those belts that has a water bottle attached to it, almost purchased one last month but they are ridiculously overpriced, $35 or so. But I never ever want to run a race again with having my own gatorade and/or water.

My sister J. is having her appendix removed today, most likely the surgery is all ready done, hope she is ok.

It is amazing how fast time goes by I still remember changing diapers and giving the girls bottles and now they are writing and reading and talking about going to their new school next year. I am still happy that they are so innocent and happy, I just wonder how long that will last.

Reading or watching the news is so depressing, the world is not at all the same palce it was in the seventies when I was growing up. Now so many kids have no manners and swear a lot, and of course the news always focuses on the negative things like kidnappings and murders. One thing that I will never understand is how grown adults can hurt little kids. And of course I wonder how my girls will survive and pay bills since taxes are going to continue getting worse thanks to Bush and his Iraq war. I am wondering if and when Bush will decide to attack Iran. Great way to spend money. (Sarcasm)

The library is a good place, the girls still of course really love using the computers but I have finally got them to spend mopre time reading books with me, there is a corner of the library with beanbags where we can all sit and read, it is very relaxing.

What I really loved was I asked the twins what they like best about their Daddy and they answered that they like how I always read to them and take them to races, they told me I look much slimmer and am a very fast runner, which is funny yet touching all in one. I think I am finally beginning to understand how important a fmaily and doing good for your children really is. I know over the last five years I have spent a lot of time with them and tried to give my wife a break whenever possible but a lot of times that felt like work, and now it is felling like fun, I am loving spending time with them especially since they are getting older and we have fun plaing, reading and talking to each other.