HAPPY HALLOWEEN 2008

3rd Annual Great Pumpkin Contest 2008 (Updated Oct 31, 2008)

The 3rd annual HOSPITAL OF ST. RAPHAEL GREAT PUMPKIN CONTEST is officially underway. Last year we won with our beautiful "Cinderella's Coach" pumpkin. This year we decided to step out of the box and go in a whole new direction. With Marsha as our team captain we came up with the Hamburger Pumpkin.
Now the rules are simple. No cutting of the pumpkin is allowed. The pumpkin had to be turned in and put on display in our cafe by Monday the 27th.

With Marsha's vision we slapped a big old plain pumpkin, clay, paint, pins, foam paper and pumpkin seeds into a work of art. Even while getting the evil eye from some witchy co-workers (that have no life and hate anything positive) we still created a masterpiece as we fought off their accusations and moments of "ratism" (ratism: when you rat on co-workers to superiors because you lack true friends, a life and the ability to laugh.)

So here's to "Team Histology" for once again pulling off an incredible job!

The winner will be announced Friday (Oct. 31). It better be us. If it's not then it's fixed. Like that stupid Easter Egg Contest. You know, the one we should have won but didn't because someone stuffed the ballet box. You would say the same thing is you saw the ugly egg that won. Damn Them. (You think I still hold a grudge?) Only joking. They won fair and square. This time we'll win.. without cheating. (I had to throw that part in. Sorry).

UPDATE OCT 31 !! CONGRATULATION TEAM HISTOLOGY FOR WINNING 1st PLACE!

Our pumpkin is pictured below. It's the Incredible looking pumpkin. We made everything you see in the picture, from the fries to the pickle.
The other pumpkins are the competition.

"We interrupt this program... " The True Story Of The Night Of The Martian Invasion

The year was 1938. Television was only a vision of the future in the United States and the world as most homes got their entertainment and news from radio.
3 out of 4 homes owned a radio and in this particular year over 5 million radios were sold as it's popularity grew.
People were glued to their sets in large numbers as early as 1932 as they listened to news updates on the hunt for the kidnappers of the baby boy belonging to Charles Lindbergh, a national hero, went on. Then listeners were stunned as they listened to the live broadcast of the arrival of the airship "The Hindenburg" which suddenly burst into flames as it docked in New Jersey.'
But things hit a fever pitch in September of 1938 as uneasy Americans listened to broadcast from Nazi Germany as the dark cloud of war loomed over the world.
All these events were a pressure cooker that was about to explode on the night of October 30th, 1938, the night the Martians invaded Earth.

Orson Wells was a radio actor that worked for the Mercury Theater Group, which put on a radio show each week. This particular week being the week of Halloween, he felt his audience might enjoy hearing a play based on the H.G. Wells novel "War Of The Worlds".
Wells thought it would be fun to put on the play as though it was a series of news flashes which would interrupt a fake orchestra broadcast that was also staged by the Mercury Theater Group.

Wells and the group put on plays several times over the radio but this new "real time" format of making it sound like actual news broadcast was a first and last of it's kind for several years to follow.
Wells changed the setting of the novel from England to the tiny town of Grovers Mill, NJ. which was picked by blindly sticking a pencil into a map. He also saw it was near NYC and decided to use real locations and landmarks in the broadcast which in turn would bring far to much realism to the unseen events that would unfold.

The broadcast stated with an open introduction in which they announced the name of the play and that it was being put on by the actors of the Mercury Theater. It was never meant to deceive any listeners.
What Wells didn't count on was the listeners that would tune in late and mistaken this play for a real invasion from another world.
This exact thing would begin to unfold as listeners who tuned into a rival and more popular broadcast on another station listened to the act of comedian Charles Mccarthy. After McCarthy gave his popular comedy routine a singer was introduced. Many listeners began to change the station in search of other entertainment. This is when many people came across Orson Wells and the Mercury Theater's broadcast of War Of The World.
These listeners would begin to listen in, 10 minutes after the play started and what they heard would start a wave of panic that would spread for several hours throughout the United States. What most people heard as they tuned in to CBS radio was an orchestra playing and then the music suddenly stop and a voice is then heard saying "We interrupt this program...".

As listeners sat stunned in front of their radios they listened to a reporter who spoke of a huge meteorite that fell from the sky and crashed into a farm in Grovers Mills, NJ.
Then horror struck the hearts of thousands of listeners as the reporter told of an opening that was forming in the meteorite and then the sound of explosions and screams began as he shouted in a panicked voice that it was no meteorite, but an alien ship from Mars.

These "news broadcast" continued as people spoke of huge three legged "tri-pod" alien ships that disbursed poisonous gas and destroyed everything and anyone that stood in their path as they made their way to NYC.
Thousands of people began to panic as they flooded radio stations, news papers and police stations with phone calls. Several people in the actual town of Grovers Mill, where the fictional alien attack was happening, armed themselves with guns and hunted the woods of the invaders. When several men came upon a huge water tower in the dark they mistakenly thought it was an alien "tri-pod" and fired upon it.

It was near the end of the broadcast when Wells got word of the panic and interrupted his own broadcast to tell people it was only a play and not to panic.
Days after the broadcast there was a public outcry for something to be done about the mock news flashed filled program. Wells and the theater group were not charged with anything but CBS and other broadcast stations were told never to use the words "we interrupt this program" for dramatic purposes ever again.

Below is a link to the ACTUAL broadcast of Orson Wells and the Mercury Theater Group's "War Of The Worlds". When you listen to it try to remember that this was 1938, long before television and in a world that was already on edge.

http://www.freeinfosociety.com/media.php?id=186

"Today's Pumpkins"

It seems that the days of the classic Jack-O-Lantern are over. The days when a carved Halloween pumpkin consisted of two triangled eyes and nose and a smile that housed a couple of square teeth are long behind us. The Halloweeners of the 21st century wouldn't dare to go simple. In today's complex word we insist on our pumpkins to be just as complex.
Todays pumpkins are more of a work of art then some hacked out squash grinning back at us. Below are some examples of "today's pumpkins".

Ghost Caught On Video Shown On CNN

This is a story of a possible ghost caught on video and shown on CNN. I'm not to sure what to make of it but it's pretty incredible. Just press the arrow at the bottom of the video to start.

"Trail Of Terror 2008"

Last night I dared to brave the haunts on the "Trail Of Terror" in Wallingford, CT. This is a walking trail through the woods of Wallingford. It's heavily "haunted" with interactive scenes from such horror classics as The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, Friday The 13th and also a horrifying Santa's Village, graveyard and many other things that would scare the heck out of you.

Now I had the brilliant idea of bringing my 10 year old niece Lea and her friend Dominick with me. We got there before the Trail even opened and there was a line in front of us waiting to go in. We waited for about an hour and as soon as it was dark we were one of the first to enter, thanks to the more expensive "Speed Pass". This place is loaded with some of the scariest, fun filled Halloween excitement you could ever imagine.
I think people could hear my niece's screams of terror from 3 towns over. Her little friend Dominick literally was crawling up my back he was so afraid as we were taunted by Leatherface and his buzzing chainsaw.
We took a good 45 minute walk through twisted paths and old shacks as ghost, witches and some down right terrifying creatures of the night loomed all around us.
As we left the Trail I was partially deaf from Lea's screaming and little Dominick's finger's left a bruise where he was clutching my arm. But buzzing in the ears and bruises aside, this was a terrific time.

This place is not for the very young or the ones with weak hearts. But if you're looking for one incredible Halloween scare I would recommend this place in a second. Just get there early and still expect to stand in a long line... but the wait is totally worth it!

"HALLOWEEN" movie trivia

The movie"Halloween" is thought of as one of the scariest motion pictures ever made. The story centers around a homicidal maniac that escaped from a mental institution and begins stalking a teenaged girl while he goes on a murder spree on Halloween night.
"Halloween" is credited with being the first, and by far the best, of the "slasher films". But what isn't known by many is some of the amazing facts behind the film.

Halloween was shot in only 22 days in April of 1978. This was an extremely short time seeing that your average movie is shot in about a 4 month time period.

Made on a budget of of only $320,000, it became the highest-grossing independent movie ever made at that time.

The original script, titled "The Babysitter Murders", had the events take place over the space of several days. It was a budgetary decision to change the script to have everything happen on the same day (doing this reduced the number of costume changes and locations required) and it was decided that Halloween, the scariest night of the year, was the perfect night for this to happen.


Due to its shoestring budget, the prop department had to use the cheapest mask that they could find in the costume store: a Captain Kirk mask. They later spray-painted the face white, teased out the hair, and reshaped the eye holes. The original mask that was going to be used was a clown mask!

The film was shot in April in California but took place in October in Illinois. In the background street scenes the trees are green and full. Because of the low budget on the film the crew painted fake leaves and placed them on the ground to make it seem more fall like. When the scenes were finished shooting, the leaves were collected and used again in other scenes.
You could also see palm trees in the distance in some scenes and all the cars have California license plates.

The cast had to wear their own clothes from home while filming because there was no movie left over for wardrobe.

"Halloween" was Jamie Lee Curtis' first film. She was chosen by director John Carpenter because he was a huge fan of Alfred Hitchcock and Curtis was the daughter of Janet Leigh who started in Hitchcock's "Psycho".

The character of Laurie Strode was named after John Carpenter's first girlfriend.

The film takes place primarily in fictional town of Haddonfield, Illinois. Haddonfield, NJ is the home town of screenwriter Debra Hill.

Donald Pleasence, who played Dr. Sam Loomis in the film was paid $20,000 for 5 days work. Christopher Lee was the first choice to play the part but he turned the role down. He later said that it was the biggest mistake in his movie career.

The "Myers" house was a locale found in South Pasadena that was largely the decrepit, abandoned place seen in the majority of the film. However, as the house had to look ordinary (and furnished) for the early scenes with the young Michael Myers, almost the whole cast and crew worked together to clean the place, move in furniture, put up wallpaper, and set up running water and electricity, and then take it all out when they were through.

P.J. Soles, who plays Laurie's friend, says the word "totally" eleven times.

The now famous frightning music score was composed by John Carpenter in 4 days.

Carpenter's intent with the character of Michael Myers was that the audience should never be able to relate to him.

Even though "Halloween" is thought of as the first "slasher film", there is hardly any blood or gore seen in the movie.

Nearly every character in "Halloween" was named after someone that director John Carpenter knew or idolized.

From a budget of $325,000 the film went on to gross $47 million at the US box office. In 2008 takings that would be the equivalent of $150 million, making "Halloween" one of the most successful independent films of all time.

HALLOWEEN HUMOR #2

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Ghost captured On Film 2008

We're still haunting "Rick's Time On Earth" for Halloween. I'm posting some really good pictures where people claim to have captured ghost in them. CLICK ON THE PICTURE TO SEE FULL SIZE.

The above two pictures show footage from a closed circuit camera at the palace of Henry VIII (Hampton Court Castle) just outside London. Security was concerned about a fire exit that was often found open and checked the footage to find this ethereal figure opening and then closing the doors. The figure appears to be wearing long, flowing robes, and could be a woman - maybe King Henry's 3rd wife, Jane Seymour who died on the premises shortly after giving birth. This footage was taken in December, 2003.

This picture is a group portrait of Sir Victor Goddard's squadron. These men had served in the R.A.F. in WW II. If you look in the top row at the fourth man from the left you will see a ghost like face behind him.

Two days before this photograph was taken a mechanic by the name of Freddy Jackson died in an accident. Jackson's funeral had actually been held on the same day the group photo was taken. Squadron members have said they could recognize the face in the picture as that of Freddy Jackson. Did Jackson show up for the group photo even though he was dead?

This picture was taken at Boothill Graveyard. A man dressed up like a cowboy and had his picture taken to bring home as a solveinere. When the picture was developed he noticed that there was a man in the background standing close to a gravestone. The height of the man to the ground shows the man is half way below the ground.




When the woman that snapped this picture of her grandmother she was shocked to see her grandfather standing in the background. Her grandfather died years before this picture was even taken.




Can you spot the ghostly image in this picture?



I posted this picture last year and felt I needed to re-post it because of it's "chill factor."
In 1995, as the town hall in Shropshire, England was being engulfed in flames, a man snapped several pictures of the burning building. After he developed the photos he notices standing amongst the raging fire was a little girl staring back at him. You could see her on the right side of the photo.
In 1677 on this very spot, several timber houses burned to the ground. A small girl was one of the victims of that fire. Could this be the same little girl? (click on picture to enlarge it)




This picture was taken in a living room in West Haven, Connecticut. When the picture was developed there was a blur going across the picture. When the blurred area was blown up, several faces of what appears to be Civil War soldiers in uniform could be seen.




This picture of a group of friends was taken on a man's cell phone camera. He intended to have seven people in the photo. When he looked closer he realized an eighth came to join them,

HALLOWEEN HUMOR #1

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Which Witch Is Which ?

Here's a look at some famous "Hollywood Witches". Let's see if you could tell which witch is which. Match the letter next to the witch with the correct name. The answers are in the comment section (press the "comment" tab under this post.) Let me know how you did.

1. Hermione, 2. Aunt Clara, 3. Hazel, 4. The Sanderson Sisters, 5. Elphaba, 6. The Halliwell Sisters, 7. Samantha, 8. The Owen Sisters, 9. Endora, 10. Queen Jadis, 11. Sabrina, 12. Glinda

Click On The Picture To See FULL SIZE

Halloween Riddles Part ONE

Here's some Halloween humor for you. Hope you laugh until you die... oops, I mean cry. What's a mummies favorite type of music?

Wrap.

Why do demons and ghouls hang out together?
Because demons are a ghouls best friend.

Why did the ghost get arrested?
Because he didn't have a haunting license.

Why didn't the skeleton dance at the party?
Because he no body to dance with.

What is a vampires favorite holiday?
Fangsgiving.

What do little monsters call their parents?
Mummy and Deady.

What instrument do skeletons play?
Trom-BONE.

Why didn't the skeleton cross the road?
Because he had no guts.

What's it like to kiss a vampire?
It's a pain in the neck.

How does a girl vampire flirt?
She bats her eyes.

Why did Dracula take cold medicine?
To stop his coffin.

What d you call 2 witches living together?
Broom-mates.

Why don't mummies take vacations?
They're afraid they'll relax and unwind.

Who did Frankenstein take to the prom?
His ghoul friend.

What's a monsters favorite dessert?
Ice Scream.

What happened to the guy who couldn't keep up his payments to his exorcist?
He was repossessed.

Why did the ghost go into the bar?
For the boos.

A Walk On Halloween Night

Seeing it's October I thought I'd start off the scariest month of the year with an original Halloween poem by yours truly:

"A Walk On Halloween Night"

It's a time of pumpkins, tricks and scares,
It's a night full of goblins, monsters and fears.

A pumpkin's evil grin by candle light aglow,
The sound of the fall leaves rustling as the cold wind begins to blow.

Ghost will rise from their cold, damp grave,
Looking for victims because it's a soul they crave.

Ghouls come back from the dead into the night,
Bringing you fear to add to the fright.

All creatures of the night are free to roam,
You begin to walk faster so you'll be safe at home.

In the distance you hear the hiss of a cat,
As you pass by a tree, the squeak of a bat.

For the one that walks alone they need to beware,
All eye are on you and that's something to fear.

Into your home you're now safe and sound,
But under your bed there's a monster to be found.

Witches on their broomsticks all will take flight,
And soar by the moon on this Halloween Night.

The Things Learned

"You don't know how much you could touch a person's life by simply sticking out your hand and saying hello."

This was said by Mark Bingham after one of his friends questioned why he would walk up to complete strangers and introduce himself.

This was one of many echos that was left behind when Mark Bingham passed away on United Flight 93. These echos still ring loud in clear through his friends who celebrate his life.

I had the honor of joining his friends this year as they reflected about their friend while celebrating his life.

This celebration wasn't one of tears and sadness. It was one of laughter, a few drinks and a lot of stories.

I could see his best friend's eyes light up as he talked about the time he spent with Mark. I could hear it in their voices as they spoke. I could hear the love they still hold for him and I could see how much they all care for each other.
This small, tight group of people is a perfect example of what true friendship is all about.

As I walked away from my new found friends I am overwhelmed at how much I've come to learn from a man I never met.

I've learned about the strength inside of me.

I've learned about pride and how to hold my head up high.

I've learned how to be me for the first time in my life.

But I now realize I learned something so important, not from Mark, but from his friends.

I learned about how important it is to show your friends and the ones you love how you feel about them.

I learned how important it is to celebrate your friends while they're still with us.

I also learned from meeting these new friends that sticking your hand out to say hello does indeed touch people's lives and this is something I promise I will continue to do.

Journeys, Paths and Bridges

There are events in everyone's life that I believe lead us to places we're supposed to be. Kind of pre destined journeys that maybe were designed by things we don't totally understand. I had one of those incredible journey's this past week.

I started this journey nearly 2 1/2 years ago. It began with a glimpse of a woman on the television news talking about her son Mark Bingham, one of forty people on board United Flight 93 that gave their lives to stop the terrorists that hijacked their plane and planned on crashing it into our nation's capitol on September 11, 2001.

A few days ago that same journey had me standing in front of the Marriott in San Francisco, all the way from my home state of Connecticut.
I was there to meet a few people I made friends with while walking this road. These friends were an important part of my life in how I've gotten to this point. Even though we've talked dozens upon dozens of times in the past couple years and supported me through one of the most liberating yet frightening points in my life, I never had the honor to shake their hands or look into their eyes and say thank you...until now.

As I rode the elevator up to the 39th floor to the View Lounge my heart was pounding out my chest because I was so nervous and excited about meeting these friends face to face for the first time.
The second we saw each other it felt like a huge weight was lifted off my shoulders. It was as though I was supposed to be there. The hand shake I planed on giving Todd turned into a huge hug with the feeling of old friends finally finding each other. It was as though I've known him forever. I still don't know if he realizes how his words, even though meant for his best friend, who he lost on September 11, 2001, effected me so positively 2 1/2 years ago. But what I do know is that every step I've taken since our lives crossed paths has been an adventure, from standing in a field on a chilly September morning in Shanksville, PA to letting my friends and family know who I am for the first time in my life.

The second important person I met the following day is someone I see as the heart behind this journey I've been on. His name is Joe. He's the person who I first came to talk to when I came across this man named Mark Bingham. Joe was Mark's friend and the one who first reached out his hand to help guide me in the right direction. Joe was someone I talked so many times and a man I could call a dear friend. Like Todd, I had yet to shake Joe's hand.
I owed Joe a lot, even though he would somehow always turn that statement around and say he wasn't the hero, I was. Joe was the man who put me in contact with Alice, Mark's mother. In turn, she was the one that walked me through the very first steps down a path that was life altering and told me to hold my head up high and to never look back.
Joe and I talked over the phone and internet more times than I could count. Over the past couple years we developed a true friendship.
Even though we never met face to face, he's been with me from the day I told my friends I was gay to the day I met Alice at an international rugby game held in her son's honor. From birthdays to the birth of his baby to understanding who he was and how we all faced prejudices in life. His view on life is so positive that I embraced it and learned from it.

As I walked up to the De Young Museum in Golden Gate Park to meet Joe and his family I was more excited than anything. From the moment I saw him looking out the front window of the building I recognized him. Although I've seen him in pictures shared over the computer, I was struck at how seeing him face to face for the first time seemed to have been like looking at someone I recognized as though I've been with them as a friend for years.
It was an instant feeling of friendship. There was no awkward moment, no stand off feeling when two people meet for the first time. It was a comfortable feeling as when long time friends come together.
I met Joe's lovely wife Liz and two beautiful children who all seemed to fit with ease into the group of wonderful people I've had the pleasure of meeting on this journey.

As I think this "San Francisco" part of this journey over, I come to realize once again of the incredible people that I've had the honor of crossing lives with since it all began 2 1/2 years ago.
From a man who proved that being gay made no difference when he gave his life to save hundreds if not thousands of people, to his friends and family that loved him unconditionally and shared his courage and love of life with me.
As I looked into the camera while being interviewed for a film about the life of Mark Bingham, I spoke of how a man who I never met. A man who gave his life to save so many people and how this man would save me nearly five years after he died.
This is why this man and these people are so special to me and why I call them my heroes.

It seems fitting that San Francisco is known for it's famous Golden Gate Bridge and how I crossed a major bridge in life by coming to San Francisco and finally met the people that were so important to me.
I know this journey will never end as long as I'm alive but crossing this bridge in life and seeing these people that made me feel so welcome makes every step, stumble and turn worth it.

(Below I've posted my original blog about Mark Bingham and how this journey started.)

Start Of A Journey "Mark Bingham Story Re-Post"

Hi! My name is Rick Clark. The last year my life changed for ever and through this change I decided to start keeping a record of who I am. Now, for me to say "who I am" is kind of important because to this point in my life not many people knew who I was.

I grew up in a large family. 5 brothers and 3 sisters. I was the 3rd youngest of this baseball team we called our family. We nicked name our house "The Clark Ark." I have a very close circle of friends. Now I have a lot of friends but I hold only a very few close to my heart. I have a saying that Family isn't who you are born with, it's who you let in to your life. I say that because I'm not to close to most of my blood family but I hold my best friend at the same level as I would a true brother. As time goes on I'll introduce you to who the people in my life are and how they played a role in me becoming me.

In the spring of 2006 I was depressed. I found myself totally alone again in my apartment in Wallingford, CT. I was alone by choice but at that point in my life I didn't realize that. The TV was on and it was showing a news broadcast. I'm still not sure if it was CNN, FOX... but it was one of those 24 hour news stations. I was half paying attention to it, feeling sorry for myself and not knowing why. Then suddenly a woman's voice caught my ear. Her name was Alice Hoglan and she was being interviewed. I heard her say she didn't want people to forget who her son was and what he did. It was like someone whispered in my ear and told me to pay attention. Her son was Mark Bingham. He was one of the 4 men on United flight 93 that stopped the hijackers from flying their plane into the Capitol on September 11, 2001.

For some reason that I can't explain I went to my computer. For these moments I forgot I was depressed and I typed the name Mark Bingham into search on Google. I already kind of knew who Mark Bingham was. I knew he was a hero and was on flight 93 but that was about it. When the search was complete there was a website listed. It was run by Mark's friend's and family. It was full of pictures and stories about who Mark was to them. I started reading and I was taken back by the love these people showed for him. There was even strangers who posted and thanked him. Then I came across something that would surprise me and change my life for ever. Mark Bingham was a 6'4, 220 pound rugby player, caring friend, devoted son and brother, business man and hero..who happened to be gay.

It was like something clicked in my brain. I read about him for hours that night. I saw so much of me in him. His belief in people and seeing the good side of them. Protecting the ones you love at any risk and when he was younger a fear I shared with him to this day...the fear of people finding out I was gay. The more I read, the more I felt my soul telling me it's time to tell your friends and family who you really are. I was afraid. I admit that dearly. I was afraid of the reaction, the backlash. I then came across a eulogy written by Mark's best friend Todd that was posted on the sight. It was the end of it that sunk deep into my soul and gave me strength. He wrote of fear. This is the end of that eulogy:

Fear can ruin a friendship. Fear can ruin a marriage. Fear can, at the very least, render a life completely and utterly mediocre.

We admire Mark because he had all of these wonderful qualities that I and everyone else here have talked about tonight. What I hope you realize that you love these qualities not just because Mark had them, which he did, but because you do, too. You just may let fear get in the way of how those qualities show up in your life.

Here's my challenge to you, the challenge I am giving myself. I challenge you to not necessarily be fearless, but to recognize your fear and to act anyway. To take action and make the most out of every single day. To not let fear of failure keep you from trying at all. To not let fear of rejection keep you from showing up every day of your life. I love you, Mark. I always, always will. I will make my life great, I swear I'll make you proud.

Todd Sarner

I actually started to cry when I read this. It was a line that spoke to me. The line that read "To not let the fear of rejection keep you from showing up every day of your life." I knew I could tell people now. I knew I needed to tell people who I am. I lived in that fear and I knew if a man could be like Mark, that could be so loved, so fun, so dedicated and so brave and be gay, that it had to be a good thing. Mark lived as Mark and I wanted to start living as Rick. I just didn't know how to start the ball rolling. That's when I emailed Mark's mother Alice.

I explained to Alice how I came across Mark's site and how I wanted to tell people about myself and was afraid. Thank God she emailed me back and that she was a caring, loving lady. She told me how Mark told her. He promised himself that he would tell his mom that he was gay before the sun went down one day. He did just that. Her email gave me strength and I decided to tell my best friend

Joe first. I called him and ask if I could speak to him face to face because I had something I needed to tell him. My heart was pounding just saying that over the phone to him. After I hung up I was almost panicked. I didn't know how I was going to do this. I read the line on fear that Mark's friend wrote and it somehow gave me strength so I printed it up. No sooner did I get to my living room that the phone rang. It was Joe and he said I'll be over in 5 minutes. I didn't expect him to come over seeing it was kind of late and a Sunday night. Now I was panicked. I knew I had to do it though. After he got here he sat down. I looked up out my window and saw the sun fading away. It was just peaking out on the horizon. I was totally lost in what I was going to say. My hands were shaking. I then took the paper I printed from Mark's site and read to myself what Todd wrote about fear. Without a word I looked up at my best friend and handed him the paper. I hardly got out "read this" before my voice cracked. He did and then looked at me kind of confused. I just blurted out "I'm gay."

The few seconds I waited for his reaction seemed like hours. I swear I felt Mark supporting me. I didn't feel alone anymore. Joe's reaction couldn't have been better. He showed me total support and I knew it came from his heart. His positive reaction helped me pave the way in telling my friends, coworkers and family who I was. It also made me realize that some of these people, especially Joe and his wife Cynthia knew me for years but never really knew me. As I told more and more people who I cared about it became easier. I did take out the words of Mark's friend Todd over and over before I did tell people. To this day I carry those words in my wallet. They are strength for me along with the heart of Mark Bingham and who he was and how he changed me forever. I never thought nearly 5 years ago watching the story of United flight 93 on the news that one of those heroes on that plane would be a true hero to me today.

On the weekend May 27th. I had the honor of meeting Mark's mother Alice face to face in NYC. It was at a Rugby tournament held in her son's honor called The Bingham Cup. She was even more incredible and caring then I could hope for. I met so many of Mark's friends and watched them play the game he loved so much. I realized at this point I finally arrived. I'm finally Rick.

Since that day I joined Alice Hoglan and Mark's friends and family in Shanksville, PA on the fifth anniversary of the plane crash and the terrorists attacks. Shanksville was the small country town where United Flight 93 crashed. Seeing the memorial site there was a surreal and moving experience. I will forever be thankful to Mark Bingham for being who he was and for what he did for this country and for me personally. Thank you Mark.

I would also like to thank Mark's Mom Alice for being a beacon in a storm for me and guiding me home. To Mark's friend Todd for words that gave me strength and showed me a new way to live my life. To Mark's friend Joe in San Francisco for the support and friendship he gave to me and to my friends who I love so much, especially Joe..my best friend. You're a true brother to me!

I'm honored to be part of a documentary about Mark's life. Here is the link to view the trailer and make a donation to the production.

http://www.markbinghamdocumentary.com/index.html

9-11 In Pictures

It was a promise we made seven years ago. It was made by so many of us. The day was September 11, 2001. The promise was "We Will Never Forget".
To uphold that promise I'm dedicating the month of September to the victims and heroes of 9-11.
I'm posting picture that captured that day and the days to follow.Through out the month I'll keep adding to this collection. Take time to look at these images and remember that day. Remember the ones we lost and the ones we promised never to forget.
If you would like to share any comments or stories on September 11, 2001 please do so in "comments".

(click on the image to see full size)