Wonderful Sand Castles...Uhm...Sculptures!

My friend Lili sent this to me in an email. Thanks, Lili!

These are sand castles from the Sand Castle Competition at Harrison Hotsprings, British Columbia Canada. These are from the years 2004 - 2006.

They last until the weather takes them down. Harrison is well known for their perfect sand for building sand castles.

Click the photos. Some will enlarge, others not!

THANKSGIVING

Among other things, I'm very thankful today that mom is home. I'm also thankful for my family and my friends. I'm grateful for my dog, for my health and that of my family and friends. I give thanks for my life and, despite trials and tribulations and impending doom, I still have hope.

MOM IS HOME!

After almost five months in different hospitals, mom has finally gone home. Actually, she did about a week ago but I've been holding my breath hoping that everything would go well. I've finally exhaled. (A whole week without breathing! Try it sometime!)

Mom still doesn't walk the way she did before. She has to be very careful walking up an down the stairs and can't do it alone, but she is mobile finally!

All her memories have returned as has her appetite.

MOM'S BIRTHDAY IS IN A FEW DAYS! SHE TURNS 73! MY SISTER IS THROWING HER A PARTY ON SUNDAY! If you would like to add your birthday wishes in the comments below, I'll be sure she gets them!!!

Thank you, all!

I Come in Peace

Stuart Brown describes Norbert Rosing's striking images of a wild polar bear coming upon tethered sled dogs in the wilds of Canada's Hudson Bay.

The photographer was sure that he was going to see the end of his dogs when the polar bear wandered in.

The Polar Bear returned every night that week to play with the dogs.

May you always have love to share,
Health to spare,
And friends that care.

Thank You, I'm Officially Scared!

I just want to thank all of my well-meaning friends for your educational e-mails over the past year. I am totally screwed up now and have little chance of recovery.

I no longer open a public bathroom door without using a paper towel or have them put lemon slices in my ice water without worrying about the bacteria on the lemon peel.

I can't use the remote in a hotel room because I don't know what the last person was doing while flipping through the adult movie channels.

I can't sit down on the hotel bedspread because I can only imagine what has happened on it since it was last washed.

I have trouble shaking hands with someone who has been driving because the number one pastime while driving alone is picking ones nose (although cell phone usage may be taking the number one spot).

Eating a little snack sends me on a guilt trip because I can only imagine how many gallons of trans-fats I have consumed over the years.

I can't touch any woman's purse for fear she has placed it on the floor of a public bathroom.

I MUST SEND MY SPECIAL THANKS to whoever sent me the one about poop in the glue on envelopes because I now have to use a wet sponge with every envelope that needs sealing.

ALSO, now I have to scrub the top of every can I open for the same reason.

I no longer have any savings because I gave it to a sick girl (Penny Brown) who is about to die in the hospital for the 1,387,258th time.

I no longer have any money at all, but that will change once I receive the $15,000 that Bill Gates/Microsoft and AOL are sending me for participating in their special e mail program.

I no longer worry about my soul because I have 363,214 angels looking out for me, and St. Theresa's Novena has granted my every wish.

I no longer eat KFC because their chickens are actually horrible mutant freaks with no eyes or feathers.

I no longer use cancer causing deodorants even though I smell like a water buffalo on a hot day.

THANKS TO YOU I have learned that my prayers only get answered if I forward an e mail to seven of my friends and make a wish within five minutes.

BECAUSE OF YOUR CONCERN, I no longer drink Coca Cola because it can remove toilet stains.

I no longer can buy gasoline without taking someone along to watch the car so a serial killer won't crawl in my back seat when I'm pumping gas.

I no longer drink Pepsi or Dr. Pepper since the people who make these products are atheists who refuse to put 'Under God' on their cans.

I no longer use Saran Wrap in the microwave because it causes cancer.

AND THANKS FOR LETTING ME KNOW I can't boil a cup of water in the microwave anymore because it will blow up in my face... disfiguring me for life.

I no longer check the coin return on pay phones because I could be pricked with a needle infected with AIDS.

I no longer go to shopping malls because someone will drug me with a perfume sample and rob me.

I no longer receive packages from UPS or Fed Ex since they are actually Al Qaeda in disguise.

I no longer shop at Target since they are French and don't support our American troops or the Salvation Army.

I no longer answer the phone because someone will ask me to dial a number for which I will get a phone bill with calls to Jamaica, Uganda, Singapore and Uzbekistan.

I no longer buy expensive cookies from Neiman Marcus since I now have their recipe.

THANKS TO YOU I can't use anyone's toilet but mine because a big brown African spider is lurking under the seat to cause me instant death when it bites my butt.

AND THANKS TO YOUR GREAT ADVICE I can't ever pick up $5.00 dropped in the parking lot because it probably was placed there by a sex molester waiting underneath my car to grab my leg.

I can no longer drive my car because I can't buy gas from certain gas companies!

I can't do any gardening because I'm afraid I'll get bitten by the brown recluse and my hand will fall off.

Oh, by the way…

A German scientist from Argentina, after a lengthy study, has discovered that people with insufficient brain activity read blogs with their hand on the mouse.

Don't bother taking it off now, it's too late. :-)

Today's Encouraging Word

Today's encouraging word:

"If you're going through hell, keep going. "

~ Winston Churchill

I love this quote! Giving up when you're going through hell will just keep you stuck in hell!

Thanks to my friend Tom for sending this along to me today!

Oh, My! Was That Really Me?

When I visited my friend David (see last entry), he pulled out two photos he had taken of me more than 30 years ago!

These are the photos. In the first, mom is giving me a haircut. In the second, I'm walking in Milan with my sister.

Thank you, David! I didn't even remember my mom giving me haircuts! I hardly remember getting haircuts as a teenager!

Visiting David and Sohalia

David Mytton (at left in the first pic) was a very good friend of mine when I attended the American High School of Milan, Italy. I hadn't seen him in 30 years but the beauty of the Internet allowed us to find each other again and he and his lovely wife invited me to visit their home, which is in Palo Alto, between San Jose where I was teaching and San Francisco Airport, from where I was to fly home Friday night.

We had a wonderful time visiting, catching up, talking politics and social issues, all the while eating the homemade pizza they made. I felt as if I was back in Italy!

Now that we've seen each other, yes, it's obvious that time has passed, but at the same time, it's almost as if none has. What a wonderful thing it is to reunite with old friends!

Teaching Adobe Captivate in San Jose

Last Tuesday (Nov. 11), I taught a full-day preconference class at the eLearning Guild Conference in San Jose, California. The number of students? 54! The subject? Adobe Captivate.

It went remarkably well considering the number of students. I had to keep it slow to make sure students didn't fall behind, which happens all too easily in a class this big sometimes. I got very good evaluations on this class - yea!

More photos? Click here!

San Jose Sky

From my hotel room in San Jose this week, I took these photos. I love how the cloud cover stops at a certain point and lets the sun shine through in a bright layer. In the first photo, you can see where rain is coming down on the left.

A Very Good Philosophy

Though this is attributed to Charles Schulz, his estate has said he didn't write this. I still think it's a very good philosophy, whoever wrote it!

A Very Good Philosophy

You don't actually have to take the quiz. Just read this straight through and you'll get the point. It is trying to make an awesome point!

Here's the first quiz:

1. Name the five wealthiest people in the world.

2. Name the last five Heisman trophy winners.

3. Name the last five winners of the Miss America contest.

4. Name ten people who have won the Nobel or Pulitzer prize.

5. Name the last half dozen Academy Award winners for best actor and actress.

6. Name the last decade's worth of World Series winners.

How did you do?

The facts are, none of us remember the headliners of yesterday. These are no second-rate achievers. They are the best in their fields. But the applause dies. Awards tarnish. Achievements are forgotten. Accolades and certificates are buried with their owners.

Here's another quiz. See how you do on this one:

1. List a few teachers who aided your journey through school.

2. Name three friends who have helped you through a difficult time.

3. Name five people who have taught you something worthwhile.

4. Think of a few people who have made you feel appreciated and special.

5. Think of five people you enjoy spending time with.

6. Name half a dozen heroes whose stories have inspired you.

Easier?

The lesson: The people who make a difference in your life are not the ones with the most credentials, the most money, or the most awards. They are the ones that care.

Steve's Leaf-Raking Party

Today my friend Steve had a leaf-raking party! Most of us brought rakes and removed all the leaves from his leaf-laden property. It was a beautiful warm fall day, and the leaves were in fact falling! Look at them fall in the second video below.

Steve had prepared some wonderful chili (which disappeared in an hour!), delicious stew and a table filled with other delicious foods. There was plenty of beer and sodas too.

Steve is one of the nicest, smartest (he won on Jeopardy and on Win Ben Stein's Money), he throws a mean frisbee and is a great 3D Animator. However, it's his great personality and loyalty that wins us friends over and make us willing to help him out whenever he needs it, just as we are sure he would do the same for us.

Thanks, Steve, for a fun day!

More photos? Click here!

House Breaks, House Fixed

A mighty wind broke our house this week. Well, at least a little piece of the house, specifically a piece of the flashing and a section of the soffit. The soffit had blown away and I had to look for it, finally finding it in my neighbor's yard.

Pic 1 - step 1. We're ready to put the piece of the soffit back in its place.
Pic 2 - Snapping the soffit section into place.


Pic 3 - Cut the flashing and starting to nail it in.


Pic 4 - ALL DONE!

House fixed! That wasn't so hard, was it?

Dogs in the Wind

Today was a gorgeous warm day and I had the windows down in the car. Of course that was the cue for my dog to stick his head out the window so that he could have the wind in his hair - and I mean the hair all over his body! So here's my question, not an original one: why do dogs love to stick their heads out of the window of a moving car but hate it when you blow air in their faces? If I blow air in the face of my dog, he immediately tries to stop me by licking my face!

In Rome

The Poster says: The World is Changing

Let's Kiss and Make Up

If these two can kiss and make up, why can't we all? McCain gave a wonderfully gracious speech last night, during which he said in all sincerity:

Senator Obama and I have had and argued our differences, and he has prevailed. No doubt, many of those differences remain. These are difficult times for our country, and I pledge to him tonight that I will do all in my power to help him lead us through the many challenges we face," McCain said. "I urge all Americans who supported me to join not only in congratulating him, but offering our next president our good will and honest effort to find the necessary compromises to bridge our differences.

Let's bridge our differences.

Obama last night said in all sincerity:

Let us resist the temptation to fall back on the same partisanship and pettiness and immaturity that has poisoned our politics for so long. Let us remember that it was a man from this state who first carried the banner of the Republican Party to the White House — a party founded on the values of self-reliance, individual liberty and national unity. Those are values we all share, and while the Democratic Party has won a great victory tonight, we do so with a measure of humility and determination to heal the divides that have held back our progress.

Let's bridge our differences.

America Wins!

The long campaign is over. Barack Obama is the new president-elect of the United States. In 2 1/2 months, Barack will move into the White House and start steering the United States away from the nightmare of the last eight years. It will take time and it will take our support, but he is a man of great intellect who knows how to surround himself with the right minds - that is how he won the Presidency, with intelligence and the wisdom to choose the right people to help him get there.

This is a historic moment, of course. An African-American is now President of the United States. Our history has included enslavement of those with dark skins, battles to keep slavery alive, and racism that still exists today, though luckily not at the levels seen in the past. This moment will be remembered in the history books. We will be able to talk with our children and grandchildren about how we voted during this election.

Thank you, thank you, thank you to all of you who have helped make this happen.

Obama's Last Pre-Election Day Rally....Right Here in Virginia!

This was in Manassas, Virginia, the site of the first major land battle of the American Civil War, fought on July 21, 1861. Little more than 147 years later, it is the site of the last presidential rally by the man who will be the first African-American President of the United States. The marvel of it is that he has reached this position on his own merits, without bringing race into the picture. Others have, yes, but he has not.

The Manassas police force estimates that 100,000 people showed up - the largest crowd of people ever to gather in Prince William County!

More photos and lots of videos? Click here!

My Boss Christine

This is my "boss" Christine who has been directing my volunteer work on behalf of Obama. Though I have not had a lot of time to dedicate (very busy with work), she has been nothing but gracious and grateful for my help. She is actually a Californian helping out in Virginia, mostly on her own dime. That's dedication!

Free Starbucks Coffee Day!

Starbucks had declared that they would reward anyone who had voted today. Turns out that it's against Federal law to reward anyone for voting. So...they have declared that anyone who comes into Starbucks TODAY (Election Day) can ask for a free cup of coffee. Go for it!

Obama's Grandmother Has Died...The Day Before the Election

Barack Obama's grandmother just died of cancer, the day before the election. What a shame she wasn't able to see the grandson she helped raise win the presidency of the United States.

Obama HQ Again

Sunday before The Election. I spent another few hours helping out tat the campaign center near my house. I love these photos because they show human race - every color, every age, probably every religion. This is AMERICA. I wonder what the McCain offices look like?