In Chains

2012-02-27

On our way back from Philadelphia, we stopped at National Civil War Museum in Harrisburg. This has been something that I’ve been wanting to do for at least fifteen years, ever since I started travelling on the Pennsylvania Turnpike and passing the museum’s billboards. The long wait did not disappoint; although not large, the museum had one of the best collections of Civil War artifacts that I have personally seen. More importantly – in my opinion – they were laid out in such a way as to tell a cohesive story of the War Between the States from the causes that launched the war through to reconstruction.

Play That Funky Music

2012-02-20

This week we made the trek across the wilds of Pennsylvania to see the Geologic Concert in beautiful Bethlehem. Although the drive wasn’t the most fun I’ve ever had, seeing a concert that we had been looking forward to for months with my wife and son was the most fun I’ve had in a long time. In celebration, today’s poem by Carl Sandburg ties into music and the city I grew up around, if not in.

Stillness of the Night

2012-02-13

Valentine’s day is this week, and it is a holiday that I’m normally horrible at. I normally forget to do anything and then make up for it by cooking dinner. However, when you cook dinner all the time it’s not really that special. Not so this year; the young son had to buy a present for his girlfriend for Valentine’s Day. This marks the 5th or 6th thing that he’s bought her; somehow it seems like every other week is some holiday that he has to celebrate by buying something. This time I decided to buy a little heart for my wife. Of course, we had to get cards. Then the boy insisted that I wait until Tuesday before giving it to her. It’s strange when your 15 year old is giving you advice on romance.

Movement in Shadows

2012-02-06

Today is one of those times that the words don’t flow as easy as they normally do. Usually, I think of a topic and start writing. Not today. I’ve sit and looked at a blank screen for the last half hour, knowing what I want to say but not knowing how to say it so that I don’t look like a complete ass. Or more of a complete ass than normal.

To Boldly Go

2012-01-30

I have this memory from childhood where I’m laying in bed with a bad case of the flu; Mom was working a weird nursing shift so she was sleeping on the couch, and Dad was at work. So I was pretty much on my own, miserable and unable to sleep. To pass the time, I read through a Time-Life book on the Space Race. This light blue book with an image of a launching Saturn V on the cover was the start of what has become a lifelong fascination with space exploration.