Once Upon A Time

IMed Tiffany last night. It

IMed Tiffany last night. It appears she and Noah are looking for an apartment in Western New York. With the events of 9/11 they've decided they'd rather move back to the Rochester area than stay living in their apartment in Jersey City facing the missing WTC. Noah is able to do his job from anywhere (telecommuting) but Tiffany will need to get a new job. Plus friends Steve and Keb moved back to LeRoy this week. Steve had been tired of the hustle and bustle of his commute for some time. They purchased a house in LeRoy near her parents. So the NYC contigent appears to be all moving back to the Rochester area.

Tiffany is pretty shaken up by the events. Not only because she walked past WTC everyday during her commute to and fro work, but also because a girl she went to high school with died in the tragedy. Tiffany saw her at her 10 year reunion this past year and they had talked about how her classmate worked at WTC and commuted from her home in Hoboken. The two had decided they should visit sometime since they were living not too far from each other. Now that can never happen.

Saw this editorial article on Yahoo yesterday, entitled If This is Patriotism, Keep It. I found myself agreeing with many of his points. I'm all for patriotism. I'm all for supporting that men and women who have sworn their lives to protect this country. But I still have issues with Bush and his reactionary stance that is moving toward removing several civil liberties from the citizens of the US, a move that will NOT prevent future terrorist attacks from occuring. I cannot agree with a man who declares War (only Congress has authority to declare War) on an unnamed enemy. Not to mention in his attempts to show his support for Islam he shakes hands with a man who denounced the US and it Allies and proclaimed his support for terrorist groups less than a year ago.

Hello, George, is anybody in there? *taps on George's forehead*

I have real issues with jumping on the bandwagon with this man just because I'm angry at the events of Sept 11. I love our country but I distrust the man running it. And I have good reasons for my distrust. 3 more years to go....God help us.

Flipping channels I've stumbled upon

Flipping channels I've stumbled upon Jane Eyre on AMC....the one with a young Orson Welles as Edward Rochester. My favorite version. I'm not sure what year it was filmed, but it's definitely *much* older than me. Very dramatic, with Welles deep voice and the background music of the time. The tree being struck by lightning as Jane agrees to marry Rochester is probably one of the most memorable scenes of foreshadowing in a book that I can recall, lol.

I first read Jane Eyre when I was in 7th grade. I picked up the book at the library because the cover looked interesting. (I'm serious, lol.) When I showed Mom, she said it was a very good choice. And I voraciously read it--one of my favorite books of all time. Then a few years back I read Charlotte Bronte's Villette...enjoyable book, though not quite the masterpiece as Jane Eyre. In high school I read Emily Bronte's Wuthering Heights. That book never struck my fancy....not sure why. Perhaps I should read it again to see if I like it any better now. I'm sure I have a far different perspective 12 years later. LOL.

Athena has reminded me that I should read Pride and Prejudice again. Only problem is I lost my copy of it and will need to buy a new one. I think I read that in high school, or maybe college. I do own Northanger Abbey which is a clever little book by Austen. Her satire on young women's obsession for Gothic novels is rather a hoot.

What I'm reading currently is not a classic, but very enjoyable--J.D. Robb's Glory in Death. I finished Naked in Death last weekend. *g*

Since I'm just mindlessly babbling about books....I better head off and get some sleep. :)

Thanks to Grit kitty, I

Thanks to Grit kitty, I was pointed to the moving, emotional blog entry from Michael Moore describing his return to NYC.

More problems for the DC

More problems for the DC area. Tornados have struck in Virginia, Maryland and DC. Two people were killed in College Park, MD [University of MD] when their car was lifted in the air by a tornado and flipped. Also, there is word that a tornado passed close to the Pentagon. What next?

This whole thing gets more

This whole thing gets more complicated. Terrorists' trade in stolen identities. It seems the 19 hijackers may have been using fake identities, stolen from at least 12 men killed in Kuwait in 1990. The more details that come out, the more floored I am as to how elaborate and how far back this scheme goes.

With my story posted, I

With my story posted, I thought I could sit back and give a sigh of relief at having it finished. But it seems on SB2 our 'little miss plagiarist' complimented me on the story saying how happy she was to see it finished. I cringe at the thought that she's copying my 140 pages to paste it under her site. I had hoped to avoid her attention considering I had no torture or wounding of Mikey in my story. *frustrated sigh*

I manage to finish my

I manage to finish my fic. Then I try to post it in it's entirety and I screw it up. I'm so embarrassed. To top it off poor KT started posting her fic above mine and now it's pushed down by about 10 pages of text. Arggghhhhh......

If only I knew the password to the board....I know how to fix it! I hope Ranma reads her email soon. I feel like such a dork.

Managed to write a good

Managed to write a good chunk of the final chapter of my LFN fic--finally! My muse peeked it's head out despite the long trying week that I've had. Hopefully I'll finish it early tomorrow so I can be done with it. :)

Came across another informative article

Came across another informative article giving a fuller perspective on the extreme branch of Islam that has given rise to these terrorists led by bin Laden. Very in-depth, broadening my understanding of events and the Islam religion and various factions. Ground Zero and the Saudi connection. Thanks to the Schwartz report blog for pointing me to it.

I forgot the President was

I forgot the President was going to speak last night. Oh well. I was eagerly engrossed in reading my book instead. It's that not that I have no concern for what is planned for the upcoming months. I just don't care to listen to the foolish rumblings of propoganda spewed from our 'leader's' mouth when I can get the summed up abbreviated version the next day.

I can't help wondering how things might be different if Gore had been awarded the presidency. I don't have any real answers. But I know I would respect Gore's intellect far more than Bush's. I keep wondering if Barbara dropped W. on his head as a child. Or if he had too many drunken nights in college that diminished his number of brain cells.

As I've said before, and I'll say it again...the only good thing in this whole mess is that I have lots of respect for Colin Powell and some for Cheney. That's my only comfort at this point.

It's scary enough to look at the prospect of war having lived my life in the longest stretch of Peace. But to have that prospect knowing this country is being led by a man you do not trust to make intelligent decisions is even freaking scarier.

I'm now getting spam claiming

I'm now getting spam claiming I signed up for a e-newsletter from some website called shopwestfarms.com

I KNOW I signed up for no such thing. So I blocked the addy rather than unsubbing, since it will likely just get me more spam. I'm soooo tired of my addy getting sold around the internet. Most of this shit I don't open. This one I did only because it inserted itself between two emails I was reading. Who the fuck actually uses any 'services' these spammers send around? I mean what do they gain by flooding everyone's inboxes? Grrrrrrr.....

And if I see another 'story idea' that includes Ian and Sara (Witchblade) getting married/having kids, I'm going to scream. While M/N it can make for interesting angst if done properly, for Sara and Ian it makes no freaking sense at all. He's made from her stem cells for God's sake. And this twit wants to see if Ian would be a good dad. Ummm...he grew up with no parents, in the ruthless care of Irons. I don't think so!

Sorry...I'm in a rather pissy mood tonight. I needed to vent.

Just a quick note. Heard

Just a quick note. Heard a rewritten version of "Knocking on Heaven's Door" by a Germantown, MD firefighter named Mark Nelson (I think that's his name). It was given airplay on a local station, but may go national soon. He did one hell of a job. It's dedicated to the victims of Sept 11 and he's looking to sell the single giving all proceeds to charities that benefit the victims families. Keep your ears open for it. Had to give a shout out about it since he's from my town. :)

I started reading J D

I started reading J D Robb's (aka Nora Roberts) Naked in Death, the first book in her Death series. I finished reading Vengeance in Death a few weeks back and I loved it. So now I decided to go back to where it all started. I've read half the book already. I'm wishing I did not have to go to work and could just curl up on the sofa and finish reading this riveting book.

If this series were ever to be filmed, I'd clamor to have Roy Dupuis play Roarke. Seriously, it would be a challenging role for Roy--an excellent fit. Roarke is not your average man. Complicated. Cunning. Lots of layers.

I've been told by others that while they love the J D Robb books, they don't care for Nora Roberts other books. I don't think I've read any of her books--so I wouldn't know. It was amusing that Waldenbooks placed this series next to Nora Roberts other books in the romance section. While there is some romance, the focus lies on homicide. Murder. Mystery. Intrigue. I think they put it in the wrong section. Even the romance has a roughness to it. An edge. It's not about two perfect people making the perfect match. It's about two emotional damaged adults connecting on a more primal level. A need. A passion. An understanding. They each can slip under the facade and help the other to heal. There's a goldmine of wealth in the characters of Eve and Roarke.

Damn it...I have to work. *sigh*

While surfing on the web

While surfing on the web tonight checking for outdated bookmarks, I found this interview that Claudia Christian (Babylon5) gave a few months back. I laughed because when talking about fan conventions she said, "They're the most brilliant fan-base that anyone could have and anyone who makes fun of it or denies it or pulls a Shatner on it is a bastard because these people love, love, love you and you can't look in the face of adoration and be cruel." Pulls a Shatner, lololol....oh yeah, his attitude is quite well known. *snicker*

I'm LOLing at Wil Wheaton's

I'm LOLing at Wil Wheaton's encounter with a twit at a Star Trek Convention. And also his feelings about William Fucking Shatner. Why am I not surprised? Hehehehehe......

Got my old 1987 Honda Accord fixed last week. My brother has been driving it these days since I have a new 2001 Accord. But replacing the waterpump did not do the trick and I fear the car is dead. It overheated this am during a 10 minute commute. I suspect it was the thermostat or the radiator sprung a leak. This evening when I opened the hood, there was coolant dripping from the hood. Not good at all. My poor first car sits at the mall parking lot, probably ready for Last Rites.

I tried to convince my Dad a few weeks ago that they should buy my friend Urvi's car since it has far less mileage. But he did not want to trade one old car for another. I think he may reconsider now, lol.

I am kinda ticked that Tom (mechanic) didn't diagnose the real problem. But I'll hold judgement until I learn what really happened. It is possible that the Radiator sprung a big leak after he fixed the waterpump.

*sigh*

So now the Green Accord becomes a taxi. Until we get another car or the old Gold Accord gets fixed.

Bomb Afghanistan? Well that's exactly

Bomb Afghanistan? Well that's exactly what Osama Bin Laden wants. An Afghan American speaks on the subject. A very informative must-read explaining the conditions in Afghanistan and Bin Laden's primary goal of creating a war between Islam and the West.

My parents arrived home yesterday after spending a few days in Virginia Beach. :)

Yesterday, I went to the Silver Diner with Karen/Lady Aeval for lunch. While waiting for her to arrive, I wandered a tiny bit in the area of the mall near the Silver Diner. I found a small family run shop that was selling flag T-shirts, ties, caps and scarves. The shop was doing brisk business as it is nearly impossible to find any American flags in the area. I'm uncertain of the owners' ancestry, but I suspected they may have been from the Middle East. I was very happy to see so many patronizing their shop [which normally does T-shirt printing of mostly touristy shirts...DC, Maryland, etc.]. Hearing stories of malicious behavior toward Arab-Americans has been ticking me off. They are not the ones responsible. They embrace freedom and democracy, as do all Americans.

At the Silver Diner, they had a Red, White, and Blue Plate Special. *g* We had a nice lunch, though much of our conversation surrounded the events of Sept. 11. It's going to be awhile before anyone can put the events of that day aside. And they'll never be forgotten.

While mentioning my lunch with Karen, I need to send out a Happy Birthday to her, for today is her birthday. *g*

We wandered around the mall, but no flags were to be found. But I was able to purchase two JD Robb books and an Eileen Goudge book. The Robb books are the first 2 in the Death series. And the Goudge book is the first part of two...I bought the second book a few months ago on a discount rack, got it home and was disappointed to know I needed to locate the first book. Eileen Goudge's The Last Dance is excellent and I highly recommend it. [I read it last year] I'll let you know about the others once I'm finished.

Driving throughout the area I saw a good number of flags, including one on a PT Cruiser that was just huge. I was afraid he'd cause an accident or something. In my search for red, white and blue, I wandered over to Home Depot and a few other stores before arriving at the craft store Michael's. There I noticed Amy's car parked, so I expected to run into her inside. Which I did. Amy was going to buy some prints for the bare walls of her apartment, but the lines were way long. So instead we decided to rent a couple videos, hang out at my place, and eat pizza. [I gave up on my quest for a flag]

We rented Chocolat with Juliette Binoche, Judi Dench and Johnny Depp. A very enjoyable film, with poignant performances and a touching story that was both humorous and very human. I would definitely recommend renting Chocolat. You just may want to have some chocolate on hand to satisfy your urge for chocolate from seeing so much of it on your screen. Here's the brief synopsis: Mother and daughter arrive in a small French town {set in the early 1950s, I think?} to set up a Chocolatier. Despite the town mayor's objections to such evil during lent, the townsfolk find themselves drawn to the woman's magical creations.

We also rented the Gift, starring Cate Blanchett, Giovanni Ribisi (Friends), Keanu Reeves, Greg Kinnear and Hillary Swank. The Screenplay is written by Billy Bob Thornton--which should have clued me in that this was going to be a strange film. But Cate's performance, despite the films strange nature, pulls you in. She's amazing. This film is neither dull nor predictable. It's a creepy thriller set in a small Southern (redneck) town. Cate plays a widowed mother of 3 boys who supplements her Social Security benefits by acting as a sort of fortune teller, as well as listening to the townsfolks tell their dark secrets. Her psychic dreams lead her to assist the police in their murder investigation and put her in the position to be the murderer's next target. But who around her is the real killer? Like I said, bizarre story with some excellent performances by Blanchett and others. I'd cautiously recommend it to those who like unconventional murder myster thrillers with a bit of the supernatural (psychic powers) mixed in and to fans of Cate Blanchett.

Basically I give a big thumbs up to Chocolat and a lesser thumbs up to the Gift.

I think last night was

I think last night was the first full night of sleep I've had all week. I feel very refreshed and clear-minded, especially with the chilly morning air that has crept into my apartment with its windows cracked open.

I felt very relaxed until I read the headlines on Yahoo. Comments made by Pat Robertson and Jerry Falwell. Ignorant, hateful bastards who hide behind so-called religion. Sorry, I can't hide my contempt for them. Their words just reconfirmed for me why I think they are slime.

They place the blame of the attack on the US on "pagans, abortionists, feminists, homosexuals, the American Civil Liberties Union and the People for the American Way." Because of these groups ``God Almighty is lifting his protection from us." [Robertson]

Oh yeah. Sure. Haven't you guys watched all the 'Oh God' Movies? You know the ones--starring the late George Burns. Granted they were silly movies, but they did have some good points. In particular that there can't be good without evil. God hasn't removed his protection from us. We lost our protection when we were cast from the Garden of Eden, if you follow scripture. [I'm not saying I neccesarily adhere to this, lol.] Otherwise, you can look at God as the parent who knows he can't fix all of his childrens scrapes--he is forced to let them learn life's lesson's the hard way.

But what angers me is these so-called 'God-loving' men are preaching hate. They are preaching against tolerance and unity. They thrive to be divisive. At a time where we need to cast away the hate, look beyond the blinding anger, and find a way to move forward constructively, rather than deconstructively.

I read an excellent essay on the topic at Current Threads He expresses adeptly why this thirst for retaliation may only solidify these terrorist organizations more, in creating more martyrs for their 'cause.' [I use the word 'cause' loosely...since it's not really a cause, it's a blanket hatred for the US] He delves into what events and past foreign policy that the US participated in that may have contributed to such hatred.

Now don't get me wrong. I have no problem with apprehending Bin Laden since he has had a role in other bombings, not to mention it is likely he very likely may have assisted in masterminding this attack. I just feel ill at ease about the talk of bombing Afghanistan--killing innocent people just to get one man and perhaps some followers.

For an attack of this magnitude on the US, it is unlikely that Bin Laden did this without some backing from a nation or nations. And it is clear that our government is considering this possibility given the wording of their decree to retaliate against those responsible. The word nation was included.

From a conversation with my brother Joe [BA in International Relations] he suggested that there is too much focus on retaliation and not enough examination of the possible fallout of such an exclusive focus. We need to consider other foreign relations. If we were to get bogged down in a war with Afghanistan or the Middle East, China could sit on the sidelines, biding their time since it would divert our attention from them and weaken our resources. Then we could be potentially vulnerable to them. They do have the largest army in the world. Blinding ourselves with an intense need for vengeance could be disaterous down the road--this is only one such possible scenario.

I'm not saying we should do nothing in response. But we need to consider the rammifications of our actions carefully before making decisions that could either ensure peace or plague several generations to come.

*Schnee uncomfortably casts the soapbox aside*

My candles have been burning

My candles have been burning for nearly 1 hour. Two are sitting atop the rail of my balcony. I have a triple wick burning inside along with another single wick. I had to set ones with high walls outside to keep them fom being extinguished by the light wind.

I didn't travel down to the Mall. Amy said it would be a risk she wouldn't take. I wish I didn't let her opinion sway my resolve. Instead it's just me and Brian indoors. Apartment complexes around here are not ideal for socializing.*sigh*

Today I chose to wear a gray-black dress. I even had someone ask why I was dressed up today. I shrugged it off, but the real answer was I had dressed for mourning. Yesterday I had worn red, white, and blue, with a black ribbon barette in my hair, along with many others here in the DC area--showing support for our nation and those who lost loved ones. But today I chose black. It even rained here...typical funeral weather. However, after noon, the clouds cleared and the sun returned with a definite chill in the air.

We received an email from Anthony at work. He and Scot are in Munich, their meeting having been cancelled. Anthony described how moved he was by the Candlelight Vigil in the center of Munich--the show of support and mourning for those killed in the attacks on NYC and DC. This tragedy has not only struck America, but also the world.

Still haven't heard from my parents. I hope they call because I'd like to know there is nothing to worry about. That they are just trapsing the countryside, enjoying their vacation.

My parents left yesterday. I

My parents left yesterday. I thought they were going to head home. But in calling my brother, I learned they hadn't gone home last night. Did they decide to go to Virginia Beach or Williamsburg Va like they had originally planned when they drove down here Sunday? For all the preaching to us as kids about letting them know where we were, you'd think they would have left a note or a voicemail message as to where the hell they went. LOL.

I'm considering going downtown to the National Mall tonight if indeed there will be a Vigil held. I'll just need to get a candle.

Also I should mention that

Also I should mention that my parents and I spent the afternoon in Harpers Ferry, WV. [The National Park] It was a beautiful afternoon to spend outdoors. Interestingly, we noticed a sign from yesterday or this morning that said "Closed due to National Emergency." But otherwise it was a nice diversion from all the tragic images we've been seeing.

While my parents watch the

While my parents watch the images again and again on the TV news, I choose to read accounts from those who witnessed these tragic events, told in their own words, from their own experiences.

Here's another of those entries: The Fine Line

Also, I don't think I mentioned that I talked with Kristina last night. She didn't arrive home until 7:30 pm. She walked all the way from her workplace where she had been evacuated from to the GW Bridge in Upper Manhattan. There she rode a shuttle across the bridge to Jersey. After walking more, a couple stopped their car and gave her a lift to FDU where her parents were able to pick her up a take her home. The thing she kept mentioning was the terrible smell that wouldn't go away. The one she could not forget.

Tiffany emailed today and she too mentioned the terrible smell. She is freaked out by the missing WTC towers, missing from the skyline seen from her livingroom windows of her apartment in Jersey City. She is considering spending the rest of the week at Noah's parents in PA.

{{{Hugs and smooches to all

{{{Hugs and smooches to all my friends}}}

Phew...good news..... From Sue: I

Phew...good news.....

From Sue:

I just got done talking with Tiffany's mom. She said that Tiff, Noah, Keb, Steve, and Noah's sister Sara (who also works in NYC) are all fine. She said that Tiffany called her in between the first and second plane crashes and left a message on her answering machine that she found out that there was an explosion at the WTC and that she was ok. However, she did not tell
her mom where she was, and then her mom saw the second crash live minutes after listening to Tiffany's message. Apparently she was already at the hospital by then which is in upper Manhattan. Tiff did not know that the planes had crashed until lunchtime when she went out to lunch and all the TVs were on.

Sue

By the way...that excerpt was

By the way...that excerpt was from a 1999 email.

Sue is calling Tiffy's mom

Sue is calling Tiffy's mom to see what she knows. I was scanning old saved emails to see if she mentioned where Steve and Noah work. But to my horror I found this:

[excerpt about travelling to Columbia Presbyterian]
Besides the pain in the ass driving factor, there's the matter of $ 4.10 for NJTP tolls round trip, there's $ 4.00 for GWB toll and a day of parking in their visitor's lot cost $ 21.00. I didn't stutter with my typing, that's the correct amount !! :P So, it basically costs $ 30 a day just to drive there. Forget it - I'll just hop the Path to the World Trade Center, grab the A/C/E train to the hospital and be done with it.

Please let it be that she was not under the WTC during all this craziness!

My heart and prayers go

My heart and prayers go out to all the victims and their families.

I'm still waiting to hear

I'm still waiting to hear from Tiffany, Noah and Steve...and perhaps Keb. (I'm not sure if Keb was working NYC these days). I've left 2 messages so far. I suspect Tiffany may have been recruited to help in the hospital where she works. But I'm unsure about her husband Noah and Keb's husband Steve, who work for a computer company in Manhatten.

Please let everyone be okay.

when will the madness end?

when will the madness end?

Searching the blog directory.... First

Searching the blog directory....

First person eyewitness reports: [NYC]
Ultrasparky
andy's chest
laura holder
saranwrap
toothpickgirl
Flutter...Glub...Meow
allen plummer
analog to blog
three girls a guy and a blog
nosuch.org

DC
fredosite

And familiar to the fandom LFN, LJC. Here's her blog with entries on today's events.

Just IMed Captanne. She was

Just IMed Captanne. She was driving to Richmond this am to...get this....an anti-terrorism symposium. Talk about bizarre coincidences. I'm just glad she's another friend whose whereabouts have been secured. :)

Mona just checked in with

Mona just checked in with this:

Everyone is all right here in my area of DC. We're sort of all congregated at me and James' apt right now crowded around the computers and the TV. My father works at the World Trade Center - not in the towers but in another building in the center. He is fine - he would have been in a building right across the street from the towers when it happened but his boss just happened to have a meeting in midtown so he was in a diner eating breakfast when it happened. So I am so grateful he is ok and now in CT at his boss' house.

@~~}~~~
Mona/Chris

People are checking in..... Gigi

People are checking in.....

Gigi and Sherry (SCC) have both checked in. They work in DC. Here's Sherry's description of the scene she witnessed:

Checking in...

SCC

I returned back to work after lunch. Mostly we stood around discussing the events and listening to the radio for more reports. And checking the internet for more info.

I did get through to Tiffany's voicemail, asking her to phone or email me when she gets the message. I've not heard anything so far. She works at Columbia Presbyterian in NYC as a pediatric echocardiographer. I'm not certain where in NYC the hospital is located. I've also had no more updates from Kristina.

The fact that the plane that crashed in Pennsylvania is suspected to be targeting Camp David or Fort Detrick disturbs me. My friend Trish works at Detrick and my friend Nicole's mom lives in Thurmont as does Chris and her husband. Camp David is just outside Thurmont--very close to Cunningham Falls State Park where I visited last weekend.

My parents, who are visiting, were thankfully cat-sitting for me since we were scheduled to have our toilets replaced. I was fearful my cat exit the apartment when the workmen propped open the door. I'm thankful of this because they could just as easily have decided to go downtown to DC for some sightseeing. In fact I had been considering that for my day off tomorrow. :S

9-11, a wretchedly tragic day

9-11, a wretchedly tragic day here in the United States. As Elliott on DC 101 FM noted, this date was probably chosen for it's Emergengy nature. 9-1-1.

Someone with a lot of power and influence coordinated this attack. Bin Laden rises to the top of the pile. Especially since the bomber from 1993 said had he had more money, the towers would not still be standing.

I was in my car driving to Baltimore with two of my coworkers. We were heading for the Convention Center in Baltimore. After leaving Burger King at 9 am, we started hearing the reports of the first plane, then the second plane. By the time word of a crash at the Pentagon was being reported, I decided we were not going to Baltimore today. Not with a series of terrorist attacks on 2 major East Coast cities. I wasn't about to chance it. So I turned around at the Ellicott City exit on I-70

We literally drove back in stunned disbelief. Every minute brought more reports from Peter Jennings and from locals in the DC area calling to say they saw the plane fly low over I-395 from their cars or office buildings. People whose loved ones called from the Capitol as they were being evacuated from it.

Dropped the girls at our workplace in Gaithersburg (25 minutes from DC) and then left for my apartment to let my parents know I had come back and was not in Baltimore. Our phones at work were out.

Logging on I found an email from my friend Kristina. She works in NYC for a magazine. Here's what she wrote:

Subject: New York under attack
Date: Tue, 11 Sep 2001 09:59:05 -0400

Love, Kristina

My friends Tiffany, Noah, and Steve all work in NYC. I pray they are okay in the midst of all this chaos. And Christine (Mona), Anne (Captanne), and all those in DC. [Including fellow Bloggee, Laurie]

I pray for all the victims of these crashes and bombing attacks.

I pray for those trapped on the missing airliner.

God help us all.

My parents are here. So

My parents are here. So I won't be blogging much the next few days. I only learned the possibility of their visit Thursday. And as of last night, they weren't coming until Monday. Then, this am Mom calls to say they can come in the afternoon. I quickly rushed to clean my mess of an apartment. :S

In between chores I sat down to finish reading Enjoue's story--except instead I found yet another 'story challenge.' I now regret ever posting a story challenge to the board. Ever since, half a dozen challenges have been posted--2 after I expressed that I would accept challenges via email and did not want them posted unless I approved their posting. All these 'challenges' do is push the stories down and in some cases the challanger simply outlines a story they want written. That in my opinion is not a 'challenge.'

So pissed off by this nth challenge, I spent a good bit of my time this am setting up a new board for story collaborations and seeking beta readers. Non-story posts. I really did not want a second board to keep after. *sigh*

I'm trying to finish reading Enjoue's story now. I admit I did take a glance at Danalina's story that is above Enjoue's. It's very weird and bizarre premise...creepy/horror, but of better quality than I expected based on her post. It will depend on what she does with it beyond the first chapter. So I'm going to end this entry now so I can finish reading the last 3 chapters of Enjoue's story. :)

Logging in my exercise time....I

Logging in my exercise time....I ran a mile on the treadmill on Tuesday, along with a bit of time on the bike and ab exercises. Tonight I did 20 minutes on the eliptical doing aerobic cross training, then went to toning class. We had a sub who did a decent job. I admit I enjoy doing varied stuff and having a sub usually guarantees you'll do new things.

I guess I'll finally blog about my brother and sister-in-law...I had been avoiding it, Found out last Friday from my mom that my SIL is expecting again. I was not happy to hear this.

My brother Joe, my SIL, and their 1 year old Alexander live with my parents rent free. My brother has a good job, but a good bit of debt that he's trying to pay off. The problem is they continue to bounce checks, as each does not tell the other what they are spending. At this rate, my parents will never have an empty nest.

This child was not planned. It appears that this is their second case of the oral contraceptive failing. For something the is 99% effective, I have to be skeptical about it failing twice if taken properly each day. My feeling is my SIL did this on purpose [again?]. She has expressed that she wants 4 kids before the age of 30.[she's 24] My brother had expressed that he felt they would not be ready to financially commit to another child for at least another 2 years. Well that plan went to shit.

And to top things off their relationship had been somwhat shaky these last couple months. So I am definitely not pleased to hear they are bringing another child into the world. I'd like to feel more positive about the impending addition to my family, but I just can't pretend. I'm simply not happy about it for the aforementioned reasons.

*sigh*

Lots to blog...where to start?

Lots to blog...where to start?

Did a good bit of hiking this weekend since the weather here in Western Maryland has been absolutely gorgeous. Sunday Brian and I went to Cunningham Falls State Park near Thurmont. It was very peaceful and a feast for the eyes. I snapped some photos so perhaps one day I'll put them up on a website.

The thing I love about hiking is seeing all the parents who bring their children hiking. It's that sort of quality time that enriches the minds and hearts of children. It gives me hope for the future generations. The other thing about hiking in the DC area is the sheer number of different cultures you encounter. It is quite the ethnic mixing bowl. You see Indians, Slavs, Arabs, Scandinavians, Chinese, etc. It was funny because the number of foreign tongues I heard probably outnumbered the English words spoken. LOL.

Before and after the hiking, we stopped at 3 covered bridges in Frederick County [1 before, 2 after], as well as a fabulous 5 arched stone bridge that spans a river...perhaps the Monacacy? Snapped a bunch of photos at each site. My first covered bridge visit was last year in Virginia near Shenandoah Caverns. The funny thing that I've found is that they all look similar on the outside, painted a uniform red-brown. But the construction of each is different, showing a variety of truss constructs. [I know this only because Brian pointed out each type of truss construct.]

Today my friend Urvi and I hiked at Sugarloaf mountain. It was a quick hike, later in the afternoon. Where Thurmont is about an hour away, Sugarloaf is at most 20 minutes away. But it was simple joy to get outdoors in the comfortable late summer temperate day. I also snapped a wonderful view of Sugarloaf...I hope it comes out as good as it looked. The purple-blue color of the mountain towering over the yellowing green of the field, with a hint of blue peaking through the white puffy clouds. It was just an incredible picture perfect landscape.

*happy sigh*

Yeah...I think I'll leave the other stuff for another time...I'm just too content at the moment to even consider it, lol. :)

Reading Evhead's blog, I was

Reading Evhead's blog, I was pointed toward pirated-sites.com which currently is spotlighting a Blogger rip-off that even retains a javascript bug from Blogger. This site also allows for reporting of pirated sites. Beings stolen content is a pet peeve of mine, I figured I should give mention to this website that outs stolen website designs.

And I'm LOLing because Wil Wheaton (Wesley Crusher, Star Trek:TNG) has a weblog! And a humorous, snarky one at that. Gotta love it. I wonder if Cathy would convince Alberta to do one...hehehehe....now that would be a snarky, hysterical weblog! *snicker*

Anyhow, I was very entertained by the RL stuff of Wil Wheaton as seen in his weblog, so go take a peek. I definitely applaud the working actors out there. They go out there and make a living out of being a face on our TV screens, becoming story characters bringing fictional stories to life for our entertainment. And then they go home and have lives not that different to the average Joe Schmoe. Because 90% of all actors are not Tom Cruises, Meg Ryan's, J Lo's, or Jim Carrey's, etc. They don't lead terribly glamorous lives, and instead have family, friends, pets and retail nightmare stories, just like you or me. :)