Keep Cool

We're in the middle of our first heat wave here in the north east. It hit 100 today which is very unusual for Connecticut in June. So to all those out there, try to be like my friend Gary's dog Sheffield and keep cool.
(I love this picture)

United Flight 93 Metal Being Used To Build Navy Ship

After using steel from The World Trade Center to build the naval ship USS New York, the U.S Navy has once again stepped forward to honor the heroes of September 11th.

This time, scrap metal from a coal mining machine that sat on the grounds where United Flight 93 crashed will be used to help make the USS Somerset, named after the county where the 40 passengers and crew lost their lives battling terrorist on their hijacked plane on September 11, 2001.

Twenty-two tons of steel from a drag line crane were removed from the site and sent to Mississippi where it will be melted down and used to build the ship which is expected to be done by 2012.

Poor Ed McMahon...WHAT THE....

I'm sitting here watching the news and wondering if I've grown into a cold, heartless, bitter person. The reason I question this is because I have an over all feeling of disgust and nausea watching a news story about how Ed McMahon is on the brink of losing his 5 MILLION DOLLAR mansion to foreclosure.

All these people are saying "poor Ed". What about the thousands upon thousand of families who are losing there "average" homes?

I really do feel sorry that he's losing his home. I feel bad for anyone in this situation but this man just rebuilt his mansion after he had mold in it and after he won a 7 MILION DOLLAR lawsuit and now he's on Larry King crying "poor me". Maybe I just don't get it. He should have built a cheaper, smaller house. One that he could pay for. Not some status symbol. Families that would be happy to have a house the size of his garage are the ones in need of our prayers and help right now.

Show us a real family that's struggling to survive and feed their kids and are desperately trying to hang on to their little house. That's what teh news should be showing us. How about the people who are sick, lost their jobs and face foreclosure? What the news decides to show us is some man who's whining about blowing millions upon millions of dollars and now can't hang on to his mansion. Is there no shame?

O.K. I admit it..I'm growing cold, heartless and bitter.

My "Family"

I truly believe that family isn't who you are born with. It is who you let into your life and heart.

My best friend Joe is someone I call my brother. Many people live their entire life and never find a true best friend. I've been lucky enough to have actually found one. From the moment I met Joe I knew we would be friends. He has been at my side through some of the most horrible of times and right next to me at the most incredible moments of my life.
His wife Cynthia, son Colby (who is my Godson) and two daughters, Molly and Kelsey are as close to me as anyone could possibly be. I'm their Uncle Rick and their my heart.
I heard Colby come into this world. I held all three children right from their first days. We've decorated Christmas trees together, laughed at holidays and cried at tragedy. They hugged me as I lost my mother and they were the very first I was able to be "me" around without fear of being judged. But the hardest thing I've gone through with them was saying goodbye as they moved away to South Carolina.

I went to visit them this past week and the moment I saw them I felt so welcome that it was like coming home after a long time away. Even though we talk several times a week on the phone it's just not the same as being there. although I saw them just 6 months ago it was like only a day had passed the minute we laid eyes on each other. Life didn't skip a beat.
There's nothing like feeling all the hugs from the kids. I could never get tired of hearing the laughter, playing games and just seeing the magic in their eyes as only little kids could have.
I realized that I missed Cynthia's humor and warmth and fun. And what I missed the most is my best friend. The way we get each other's humor. The way he sees life. The way he actually listens and hears what I am saying and actually cares. It's a trait that not many have. He's unique in the best of ways and someone I'm honored to be "brothers" with.
These wonderful people I call my family show me the love that I think I've craved from a family all my life and for that I could never thank them or love them enough.

As the week ended and we all hugged at the airport and said goodbye I could feel the tears filling up in my eyes. I didn't look back as I walked away because if I did I think I would have lost it and I didn't want them to see me cry. It was a long and lonely flight home.

I'm sitting here typing this and it's unlike when I first saw them last week. Even though I've been gone for a day, it feels like months. I miss and love you all. Thanks for being my family.

FOX NEWS 5 NY : HOMOPHOBIA AT IT'S WORSE

I was outraged tonight watching FOX NEWS 5 NY. Several times on their little news briefs they mentioned a shocking song that was being played over the airwaves. Here I am thinking that it must be a song about something horrible like death and violence. During the evening news broadcast they showed the story and it was about a song by Katy Perry called "I Kissed A Girl And Liked It."

Fox covered this story as though it was the most horrible thing for any radio station to play. They never once mentioned all the rap songs that talk about violence to women and police officers. They failed to mention all it was about was affection between two same sexed people. So she kissed a girl and liked it. Hell, maybe more people should kiss out there in the world and maybe things wouldn't be so bad. They showed people saying that it should be taken off the radio. One woman said that she didn't want her kids listening to a song like this and another very ignorant woman who seemed outraged by the song. They never once mentioned that there are women who kiss women in the world or that this song shows the world is moving in a positive direction, away from hate. But no, FOX NEWS 5 NY decided to go in that dark, horrible direction and feed the machine just for a story.

I'm not saying that everyone has to agree or understand the fact that there are millions of gay people on this planet we all share. What I am asking for is that we give people the right to show or sing that gay people exist and are human beings with the will to love and not have to hide it from the world. What FOX NEWS 5 NY did tonight was spread even more homophobia in a world where it's running ramped already.

I am shocked and disillusioned by how bias and negative this story was covered. Guess what FOX NEWS 5 NY.. There's gay people all around you and your viewers so if you really want to shocked look at the person that's standing next to you... you just never know, they might have kissed the same sex before. Oh the scandal. Here are the lyrics they seem to find so horrible and offensive:

I kissed a girl and I liked it
The taste of her cherry chapstick
I kissed a girl just to try it
I hope my boyfriend don't mind it
It felt so wrong
It felt so right
Don't mean I'm in love tonight
I kissed a girl and I liked it
I liked it

E.T. The Extraterrestrial

It's been more than 25 years since a wrinkled little alien was left behind on the planet Earth and befriended by a 10 year old boy named Elliott.

Tonight, after a very long time, I watched E.T. The Extraterrestrial on Nick At Night. I was pleasantly surprised how this film held up to the test of time and still oozed magic and wonder.

I remember seeing this movie as a teen. It was a time in my life where it felt my whole world was falling apart. I just lost my father and my mother was horribly injured in a car accident at the hands of a drunk driver. I remember sitting in the movie theater and I found a way to step out of reality, even f it was for just a couple hours.

Time has gone by and like so many magical things from the past I forgot about this movie and how it made me feel inside as I sat in the movie theater so many years ago.

I found myself still mesmerized when E.T. took Elliott on a magical bike ride across the moon.
My heart still choked up when Elliott, who believes E.T. has died in the hands of the government agents, tries to come to terms with his death.
I found myself remembering how I sat at the edge of my seat in the movie theater as E.T.'s rescuers raced their bikes around government agents in a heroic rescue.
But what still was the most notable moment was when Elliott says goodbye to E.T. as his spaceship awaits. The dialog between the teary eyed Elliott and the thankful alien still pulls my heartstrings as it did back then. I think it goes down as one of the most moving moments in motion picture history when E.T. tells Elliott "I'll be right here" as he touches Elliott's heart.
Not until now did I realize that dealing with the death and sudden loss of my father back then was the reason I found this so moving for me.

This movie is a pure treasure and one of my most favorite films of all time. It's simple Steven Spielberg at his best and I movie that will always be special in my heart.

"Happy Memorial Day 2008"

It's Memorial Day and as far as I see it, it's the unofficial start to summer. It's a time for cook-outs,parades, the beach and the sun.
But let's take a moment to remember all the men and women in our armed forces who served and are serving this country. If you agree with this war or not we need to support these brave people who are putting their lives in the line of fire.
So to all our military present and past I salute you and your families. I wish you all a safe and speedy return home and everyone a Happy Memorial Day.
Peace.

Happy Mother's Day : Lessons Of A Mother"

Every mother has lessons for their children. These lessons go beyond washing behind your ears, saying thank you and please and sitting up straight. A true mother instills lessons of life in their children without the children even knowing it. I look back at my mother and I could easily zone in on the lessons that I've learned.

She taught me strength through living. Never to stop walking forward. She was a true believer in the fact that no matter how hard things get, they will so enough get better. I learned this after my father died. My mom tried her best to pull together the pieces of a broken family. I remember thinking it looked like a juggling act. I remember being so afraid on the inside but I also knew she would figure things out. She had to swallow her pride more than once to keep things going but she never showed us that she was worried. There was always a smile on her face for us. I look back and now I could understand that inside she must have been so frightened and tired and knowing her she must have figured that showing these emotions would get her no where.

She taught us to find the humor in the worst of times. I was blessed with a mother with a terrific sense of humor. Even in her last days, laying in bed sick, she still made us laugh. She always had a good story to tell. From growing up in Maine to being the first of her friends to "wear pants" out in public. I could sit and listen and laugh with her for hours.

My mother had a huge heart and opened it up toward everyone. But that heart was something you didn't take advantage of because behind it was a very strong willed woman who didn't tolerate being taking advantage of.

Our lives in the Clark house was nothing short of a soap opera. It was something new every day, From the good to the bad she showed us unconditional love. My siblings and I (there were nine of us) put her through the ringer more than a few times and no matter what, she never stopped loving us.

I find myself using these lessons in my life. I look at them as more then lessons but as gifts from a woman I knew loved me and my brothers and sisters very much. To ignore or forget these gifts would be nothing short of a disgrace to the very person who gave them to us through love.
I'm so thankful for her and love and miss her so much. So here's to you mom.
"Happy Mother's Day".

When A Friend Leaves

People come and go from our lives all the time. It's just a fact of life. But when the ones I care about leave is when I realize how much that fact of life sucks.

My friend Kenny moved away this morning to the San Diego and I thought I would write something here in his honor. Kenny not only provided me with some of the best pictures I've posted on this blog in the past year but far more importantly he gave me true friendship that I'll always cherish.

From meeting me at top of the Rockefeller Center Building after I ran up the entire stairwell to the fun we had to exploring NYC to just hanging out watching Project Runway marathons, you were a high point to me this past year (minus the time my train ran over that lady when I was heading into the city to see you).

I don't think we thank out friends enough or tell them how much they mean to us so I want to take this time to say I'll miss you when watching the pups, or The Soup. I'll never look at NYC again without thinking about you.

So thank you for the friendship and smiles. Even though we'll talk on the phone and the computer I'll still miss you my friend.

I wish you all the happiness and successes at what ever you do! I'll see you soon, I promise.

STANDING UP

I was half asleep coming home on a train with one of my best friends Saturday night. We were in NYC at a goodbye celebration for another friend who’s moving to CA. It was now late and we were on the last train out of the city.

I could hear the group of young people who were seated near us. One of the girls and her boyfriend were relishing in a public display in the form of an argument. At first the girl was being cute with her insults toward him. I think she was trying to get a charge out of the people sitting around her more than she was from him. I could tell she liked the attention she was drawing.

I felt myself sinking in my seat as I started to fall asleep from the rocking motion of the homebound train when I could hear the loud, arguing girl try to “out cute” herself in her insults directed at her boyfriend.
“You have AIDS” she said to him over and over. A comment like this alone is harsh and ugly. Suddenly and to my surprise, my friend literally leaped from his seat and confronted the pair. Outraged he protested the exchange of insults. He told them they were way out of line with their comments and to stop. Now you have to know my friend to really appreciate this. He’s a schoolteacher that has a pretty cool demeanor.

The girl had a look of total shame. Her boyfriend, trying to save face told my friend to sit down. My friend stood his ground and again told them, in his most intimidating “schoolteacher voice” that their comments were out of line and unacceptable. You could suddenly hear a pin drop on the crowded car.

My friend’s point couldn’t be argued with. This was one of those moments when someone took a stand and spoke out against something they believed wasn’t right. He refused ti sit idle as these ugly comments were being made. He later told me that he shocked himself. He said he couldn't sit quietly anymore and listen to the thoughtless comments. It also showed that you never know who’s around you in public and how your comments could offend and even hurt someone.

A moment later the girl approached our seats and with tears running down her face as she apologized. She said she didn’t think of how cruel her comments were. She told us that she knows someone with cancer and that she woul feel horrible if she heard people making fun of them and that she was ashamed of her actions.

As she left the train at her stop the girl looked back at us with tears still in her eyes and smiled as my friend returned the smile and blew her a kiss. I think at that moment we realized that this train ride may have changed this girl for the good, even if it's in a small way.

My mom always told me "You are who your friends are." Unlike the family you're born with, you choose your friends and they choose you. I believe in my heart that I have an incredible circle of friends. They’re a group of people that I’m proud to call not only friends, but my family. They are my friends because of their heart and integrity. This is one of those times where that point shines bright.

It's Halloween...no wait... It's ComicCon NYC 2008

They say that there's a million things to do in NYC. Today I found a doozy. My friend convinced me to go to the World Series of Comics.. Comic Con NYC. This is like Geek Christmas to some people. To others it's just plain old fun. Now they describe this as an event where all the comic book artist, writers, toy makers, sci-fi makers all get together and show off their work. How I describe it is a Revenge Of The Nerds ala Trekkies meets The Comic Book Guy. This is a once a year event...THANK GOD.

As I made my way into the Jacob Javitz Center I was met by a line that held THOUSANDS of waiting people (no joke). As we slowly crept into this massive building I took in the sites and sounds of dorkism. From the dozens of Storm Troopers to Elf Women to men wearing superhero costumes, enjoying the fact they found under-roos that fit them and being brave enough to wear them in public. The funny part was how much these people were getting into these characters. You could see some of them had that "I believe in the force" look in their eyes.

Once I got into the Javitz Center it became more entertaining. I saw some middle aged man dressed as a Star Trek Officer. I bumped into so many Spidermen that I wish I had a can of bug spray on me. I even came across a whiskey bottle carrying Banana. I still have no clue about that one.

One cool highlight was having some guy strike up a conversation with me while I was in line. It turned out to be actor Seth Green. The bad part of that was it was the first 2 minutes I was in the building..and it was down hill from there.

Now I'm being a little harsh on this whole thing but I'm only poking fun. I actually had an OK time. I think a lot of us have some geek inside of us. I met some incredibly talented artist for DC Comics and Marvel Comics. And everyone there was having a good time so all the power to them.

As for me, it was one of those once in a life time things. I say that because if I did it again I'd probably die. (OK, that was a little harsh).

Here are some pics from the day. The red headed guy is Seth Green by the way. Check out the Banana Man also.

(click on the pictures to see full size)

With You: The Mark Bingham Story

My life has taken me in all direction. I've seem some incredible things and met some fascinating people but two years ago this month I met a group of people that forever changed my life in a wonderful way.

Alice Hoglan is the mother to United Flight 93 hero Mark Bingham. Mark was one of 4 men who was believed to have rallied the passengers of United Flight 93 after their plane was hijacked on September 11, 2001. These 40 people gave their lives stopping the terrorists on their hijacked plane from crashing into out nation's capital.
Mark inspired me to take a step that was more like a jump without a net. But as my toes left the cliff I realized that Mark's mom Alice and his friends Joe and Todd would be my net and help me land on my feet more grounded then I ever thought possible.

A documentary is being made about Mark's life and with great honor I was ask to be part of it. It's still in the work but it's expected to be released in early 2009. I was sent a trailer to the documentary about this extraordinary man.
Chick the play button and check it out. (I'm the guy in the gray t-shirt and blue cap with Mark's mom Alice on the rugby field)


Director and Producer: Scott Gracheff is an Emmy-Award-winning documentary filmmaker.

A Picture That Makes Me Smile

I was going through some of my pictures and I came across this one that makes me laugh every time I see it. It's of my best friend Joe's two daughters, Molly and Kelsey. I left my camera at their house one day and when I got the camera back I found this picture on it. I couldn't stop laughing.

Joe and his family (Cynthia, Colby, my godson, Molly and Kelsey) moved away to South Carolina a couple years ago. Even tough I see them several times a year I still miss them all so much. Now and then it helps to bust out the pictures for a good laugh. I'll see you guys in May! I can't wait.

Some Spring

My friend Kenny who is an incredible photographer decided to send me some "spring" and I'd thought I'd share it with everyone else. Thanks Kenny!

APRIL FOOL PICTURE TEST

I thought I would have a little April Fool Fun with everyone so I posted a few pictures labeled A-M. Some of these pictures could be REAL some could be FAKE. All could be REAL and all could be FAKE. Take a look at them and you try to guess what is what.
To find the answers just click the COMMENT link at the bottom of this post. Let me know how you did.
To see the actual size of the pictures just click on them and hit the back arrow to return to the post.

4000 Men and Women Lost

4000 SOLDIERS DEAD.

Our prayers and thoughts are with the families and friends of these fallen men and women.

I'm not going to preach if we should be in Iraq or not. I just wanted to take a moment to honor our fallen brothers and sisters.

May we all find Peace and Hope and have our soldiers come home as soon as possible.

Happy Easter 2008

The Great Easter Egg Contest 2008

The competition is on again at the hospital I work at in New Haven, Connecticut. Now you have to understand that myself and my co-workers are on a winning streak that we have every intention on keeping up ( we won “The Christmas Tree Decorating Contest in 2006, “The Decorate A Halloween Pumpkin Contest” in 2007 and the now famous “Decorate A Gingerbread House Contest” in 2007. As the “team leader” Marsha put it, “It’s not about winning a prize, it’s all about WINNING.” Now that’s the spirit I’m looking for in the fight for the gourmet Easter Basket (The prize).

The contest this time is “Decorate A Easter Egg”. The hospital gave us a Styrofoam egg. Marsha, the mastermind behind this project, went with the “Easter Beagle” theme. The final product is just stunning! OK, I might be a little bias on this seeing that WE WANT TO WIN!

“Want to win” might be an understatement when we look at the bigger picture. As a “back up”, incase Marsha didn’t come through with a finished product (I won’t even start to tell you about the “Kentucky Derby Hat Decorating Contest” in 2007), Scott and I came up with the “Peep” bird house made out of a back up egg. Now this egg is ingeniously done up like a bird house with a family of Peeps sitting in a living room watching a television.

Between the Easter Beagle and The Peep House there’s no way we could lose, unless a backlash against our mega talents comes to light from the people who are haters of the cool. Now I’m not selling the other eggs short. They’re all wonderful pieces of work and art. We have a couple of Humpty Dumptys, a couple of Birds, and a Hot Air Balloon among other entries.

The bottom line is that this contest is once again all in fun. All the eggs are really nice (ours are better) OMG I can’t stop pushing our egg! OK, I have a better grip. The other eggs I really like are the Hot Air Balloon and the Yellow Bird (they’re NO WHERE close to the imagination and quality in our egg) DAMN!! I DID IT AGAIN. Just look at the pictures of the eggs and make your own choice and don’t be bias.
VOTE FOR US!!!!!!!!!!!

Update (March 20th): We got the news this after noon that our stunning egg DIDN'T win the contest that was sponsored by the Cafeteria. "Now what egg won?", you might be asking yourself. The Egg designed by the CAFETERIA!

To show we're not sore losers I just wanted to say that I can't express how happy I am for the Cafe for putting on this contest and how thrilled we all are that their egg somehow won. After all it was a..... nice egg. It was yellow. Yellow is.... nice. Oh, and it had a sign on it asking "How are the pancakes?" Even though none of us understood this apparent inside joke we all agreed that pancakes are .... nice. So let's all give a hand to the winning egg (cough *fixed* cough).

I hope that the next contest the cafe FIXes up for us is just as fun. The lesson we all learned from this is that we shouldn't use our talents and skill to create a work of art. We should lower our exportations and think "simple" and throw in a pun on a sign that no one gets and stick it on our entry and make sure that the people judging the contest work with us so they could make us the winner over the far superior masterpieces .... OH MY GOD.. I'M SUCH A SORE LOSER!

(secret message to Lisa) "The climate is changing".. there I said it! Damn you Lisa.

(click on the image to view full size)

Daylight Savings Time Trivia

It's that time of year again. We're all going to "spring ahead" one hour on March 9th for the start of Daylight Savings Time. Now for those few out there who might be asking why we do such a crazy thing with our clocks here's some answers and useless facts (OK, they could be useful if you're on a game show like Jeopardy.)

Benjamin Franklin was the first person to suggest the idea of Daylight Saving Time. He thought that by changing the clocks ahead in the summer it would give the working man some time to spend with his family while the sun was still high in the sky. This idea wasn't taken to seriously by most people of the time.

In 2008 most of the world follows Daylight Savings Time in one way or another. The change in time has proven to save energy. But if that's not interesting enough for you, here are some facts about Daylight Savings Time you might not know.

Last year the date to change back to Standard Time was pushed from the last week in October to the first week of November. This change effected Halloween trick or treaters in a positive way. Halloween night more children are struck and killed by cars than any other time of the year. The number dropped drastically after the change because it was still light out when most kids went trick or treating. Also more candy was sold because more children went to door to door for treats because they had more time.

In September 1999, the Palestinian West Bank was on daylight saving time while Israel had just switched back to standard time.

West Bank Palestinians prepared time bombs and smuggled them to Arab Israelis, who misunderstood the time on the bombs.

As the bombs were being planted, they exploded—one hour too early—killing three terrorists instead of the intended victims—two busloads of people.

Patrons of bars that stay open past 2:00 a.m. lose one hour of drinking time on the day when Daylight Saving Time springs forward one hour.
This has led to annual problems in numerous locations, and sometimes even to riots.

For example, at a "time disturbance" in Athens, Ohio, site of Ohio University, over 1,000 students and other late night partiers chanted "Freedom," as they threw liquor bottles at the police attempting to control the riot.

Widespread confusion was created during the 1950s and 1960s when each U.S. locality could start and end Daylight Saving Time as it desired.

One year, 23 different pairs of DST start and end dates were used in Iowa alone.
For exactly five weeks each year, Boston, New York, and Philadelphia were not on the same time as Washington D.C., Cleveland, or Baltimore—but Chicago was.

And, on one Ohio to West Virginia bus route, passengers had to change their watches seven times in 35 miles!

The situation led to millions of dollars in costs to several industries, especially those involving transportation and communications.

Extra railroad timetables alone cost the today’s equivalent of over $12 million per year.

So remember to set your alarm clock to the right time and try to find time to make up for the hour of sleep you're about to lose.

USS New York

Every now and then something pops up to remind us of September 11, 2001. Today the USS New York, a naval assault ship, was was christened. This ship is not your ordinary navy ship. This ship was built from 7.5 tons of steel from The World Trade Center. The slogan "Never Forget" is painted on it's bow along with two gray bars representing the twin towers. It seems so fitting that they used the steel from the towers in this ship because this ship's main purpose is to help fight terrorism. It's ironic that from a building that terrorist help knock down a ship rises from the rubble to stop the very people that lead this horrible act.

The billion-dollar, 25,000-ton vessel is 684 feet long, 105 feet wide. It is the fifth in a new class of warship, designed for missions that include special operations against terrorists. It can carry a crew of about 360 sailors and 700 combat-ready Marines to be delivered ashore by helicopters and assault craft.

USS New York's prospective commanding officer is Cmdr. F. Curtis Jones, a native New Yorker. It is to be commissioned, essentially added to the fleet, next year. It could be used as part of peaceful missions or as part of war, said Adm. Gary Roughead, the Navy's chief of operations.

That it could be used in war did not bother Lee Ielpi, president of the September 11th Families' Association, whose son, Jonathan, a firefighter, died in the attacks. The ship won't be used for war "unless you bother us," he said in an interview.

"We're sending a message that we're standing strong," he said, adding: "This ship, as it cuts through the water, is going to send a ripple. That ripple will say, 'We cherish our freedom.'"

Also from the twisted steel of the World Trade Center are steel beams that are the foundation of the Freedom Towers that's begun to rise in the spot the WTC once stood. The use of the steel seems settling in many ways. It shows us that we will not soon forget the victims and heroes of that day.