I am: Resolute

I set up my cell phone e-mail so that I can directly add entries to my blog. This is a blatant attempt at meeting one of my new years resolutions - to blog more. O.K., to just blog. It has been almost a year (again) since my last blogging episode.

Today, I came home from work and my wife was writing a children's book. Not thinking about writing a children's book, not writing down ideas for a children's book, but actually writing a book.

That's where I need to be.

So the blog entries may not be long; they may not make sense; they might not be the best writing. But the idea is just to get in the habit again of writing everyday.


I actually do write a blog everyday. In my head. Usually while I'm in the shower. That sort of makes it difficult to produce it electronically. Maybe with all the advances in technology they can come up with the waterproof laptop and cell phone.

Some blog topics I have already written in my head: (Perhaps these will appear in this blog.)

• Portland Trailblazer updates/trade rumors / rants / raves / etc.
• My son's 15 minutes of fame on the local news, and what that exposure resulted in.
• The loss of another family member (not long after Sam).
• The phone call every parent dreads.

Test

This is a test.  I'm testing my mobile blogging skills!

Ram-Sam-sam

March 9, 2009.

This is Sam. Sam is a Flat-coated Retriever. Sort of a cross between a black lab and a Golden Retriever. Sam, like many humans, turned prematurely grey. I have better pics of him, but they are on my other computer. He started turning grey around the muzzle and eyes at about 5 years. About six weeks ago, he began losing weight. A lot of weight. Then he wouldn't eat. Then we found some things he would eat. Like soup, leftover pasta, eggs. One of his favorite things is to go for a ride in the car.

This morning, Sam took his last ride in the car. You see, Sam passed away last night, peacefully at home, with his family by his side. Sam had cancer. He was 12.

Sam had a gruff exterior, but he was a big softie at heart. He was a good cuddler. He liked to go for walks. He was grumpy sometimes, but he got over it quickly. To me, he was kind of a "plain" looking dog, nothing fancy. Black with a little grey. But anywhere we went with Sam, people always commented on how beautiful he was. I'll never forget the older man at Home Depot (Sam loved to go inside Home Depot) that went out of his way to come up and speak to Sam, and tell him what a beautiful dog he was. He asked a bunch of questions and petted him. He wanted to know how old he was and what breed. He was a very nice man and was completely enamered with Sam. Of course, Sam ate it up. He wasn't always well behaved, but when he entered Home Depot, he sort of knew he was on display, and was on his best behavior. Once, when we had to have a lengthy discussion at one of the service desks, he simply sat next to us, put his head down and watched the people go by.

We have six other dogs, in various sizes and shapes and ages. With all those dogs, and with Sam being a little bit quiet and reclusive, he didn't always get the attention he deserved. But he compensated for this by hanging out in our downstairs bathroom. That way, he always had the undivided attention of whoever happened to have to "go." We called him the "potty dog." Some of our friends even got used to having him stay in there with them when they did their business!

You would think that having one less dog in a 7-dog house wouldn't make much of a difference. But we notice it. It seems like we have a lot fewer dogs. There's definitely an emptyness in the air.

Don't worry, Sam. Grandpa will be there to greet you when you get to the other side, just as you will be there to greet each of us when the time comes.

We miss you, Sam.

....and boy are my arms tired.

Ok, so I'm not blogging every day. There you have it. It's out in the open. Are you happy now? So here's what I did last week, in addition to the normal things like work, housekeeping, etc.

Tuesday: Drove from Portland to Seattle, with snow almost all the way, to pick up my son and his wife who flew in from Jersey, then drove back.

Thursday: Stayed up till 2:30 visiting with the kids and their friends, who, by the way, know many drinking games.

Friday: Spent time visiting with a friend of the kids, and her kid, instead of going to a hockey game like I wanted!

Saturday: Got the car ready for the kids to drive back across the country while my wife (who is going with them) slept. (She works nights) Bought a new digital camera for her to take on the trip, since she doesn't have one of her own.

Sunday: Showed the kids how to put chains on the car, in case they run into snow. Had a big family get together at G'ma's, then sent the kids and wife on their 3,050 mile trek.

Monday: Found out I have to work in Seattle for a few days this week, so am scrambling to get packed, get the house ready, etc. The kids are in Cheyenne, WY and had a flat tire. Found out our AAA membership expired in mid-december.

Whew! Makes me tired all over again!

Imagine

Perhaps you've noticed the photo at the top right of my blog page. Above is a bigger version. I took this photograph last May in New York. We were wandering through Central Park and my daughter mentioned she wanted to see Strawberry Fields. Located at the Southwest corner of the park, next to Columbus Circle, Strawberry Fields is a tile mosaic memorial to John Lennon. Every morning, there's a man that comes and places flowers and other items on the memorial, usually in some kind of design.

For some reason, the Photography Gods smiled upon me when I took this photo. I consider it one of my best. There's just something about the lighting and the angle. I took several other photos of the memorial that day, under the same lighting conditions, same flower design, some at a similar angle, but none more beautiful than this one. Just wanted to share.

I have some very interesting photos that show what light and angle can do for a photograph, and I plan on sharing them in a future post.

Super!

Wow! Six months since I started not blogging again! Ouch. So, I may have to re-name this blog. Or you just may have to get used to the fact that this may be cleverly concealed as a sports blog.

Anyhoo, a lot has happened in the world of sports since my last blog entry. In six months, we've gone through an entire NFL season, the NBA is about to have it's all-star break, and baseball is gearing up for (gulp) spring training.

Yesterday I watched the Super Bowl. So did a bunch of other people, apparently. I kept hearing all day today about what a great game it was and wow! that was the best Super Bowl ever! Uhmm, no, it was a great finish to a Super Bowl. The first three quarters were only ok. The Steelers were running away with the game. It wasn't until the 4th Q that the game got good. Don't get me wrong, I loved the whole game, but come on, it wasn't really a great super bowl until the last quarter. My wife even thought it was great game. She slept through it until about 10 mins left in the game. Says a lot for strong finishes, eh?

I still hate Kobe Bryant. Don't have any current reason, just wanted to point that out again. He scored 61 points tonight. Not saying he isn't a great player, it's just that I don't like him.

Maybe I'll start a "Cheers" and "Jeers" blog.

Cheers:

To the Steelers and Cards, for making it a great finish.

To Kobe, for scoring so many points blah blah blah

To Odyssey Marine for finding the HMS Victory - We can all stop holding our breath.

To the Association - for recognizing the talents of Portland Trailblazer guard Brandon Roy by naming him to the West All-Star Reserve team.

Jeers:

To (almost) all of the Super Bowl commercials (Except this one, which was NOT done by an ad agency!)

To Kobe Bryant, again, simply because I don't like him.

To...


You get the idea. I'll just have to come up with more Jeers next time!

A Few of My Favre Things

Warning - This post will contain a sports-themed entry. My rants about sports are usually better suited to other blogs, but you'll just have to indulge me. Or not, I don't really care.

I hate the Lakers. I hate Kobe Bryant. There's no particular reason I hate the Lakers. I just always have. There are many reasons I hate Kobe, but I won't get into those right now. That's a whole 'nuther blog, man.

Anyway, I hate Kobe. I think he should retire. I don't hate Brett Favre. I think he should stay retired. I think Elton Brand is just working on making his retirement as comfortable as possible.

I think the Portland Trailblazers will be the best team in the NBA. In about 3 years.

I think being a Seattle Mariners fan is a lot like being a Chicago Cubs fan. You can get excited about them. You can yell and scream for them. You can pour your heart and soul into them. But in the end, they'll only let you down.

I knew the Boston Celtics would be in the NBA Finals before the season ever started.

I think the NHL thinks it will be the next big thing in sports. It won't. I think NASCAR thinks the same thing. They have a better chance, but they're wrong, too. The next big thing in sports will still be the same thing it has been - the NFL.

I don't know why, though. Out of 10 headlines on the ESPN.com NFL page, 9 had nothing to do with actual football and 7 had to do with players or former players and their troubles with the law:

• Sources: Ex-Bronco Henry tests positive for pot
• Judge sides with Redskins in suit over team name
• Pacman appears before grand jury in Las Vegas
• Butkus says steroids tainting football, role models
• Redskins sign WR Kelly to 4-year, $3.3 million deal
• Northern Ohio police seek ex-Bengal Thurman
• DUI forces Stabler to take leave from radio job
• Jags WR Jones busted | Williams not guilty of DUI
• Scouts: Chargers have league's best RB corps

What's wrong with this picture?! I realize it's the off-season, but does anyone else see this as sort of a problem? I think Butkus should be more worried about chemical substances other than steroids!

I hear the MLB All-Star game is coming up! [crickets]

I think a 5 hour-long Wimbeldon Men's Final tennis match is just fabulous. Especially if you only watched the last 40 minutes of it like I did.

There's more, but I have to go water my plants before it gets dark.