Of all the things I've known or seen
There's nothing as wonderful as my Jo-Bean
When watching a movie she'll fall fast asleep
And in the silence my hand slowly creeps
Up to her head and pulls her hair 'hind her ear
"It's time for bed, my JoJo, my dear."
She kisses me softly and says, "Good Night."
I lock the door, then turn out the lights.
As I return I hear her breath softly,
She's probably dreaming of Starbucks Brand Coffee.
While caffeine creations dance about in her head
I curl up beside her, in our warm bed.
I think to myself how lucky I've been
To've found my one and my only, my darling Jo-Bean.


-- dedicated to my girlfriend, JoAnn*

* She just created her page, and hasn't put anything on it yet. :)

Friday Five:

1. What is your favorite type of literature to read (magazine, newspaper, novels, nonfiction, poetry, etc.)?
I oscillate between novels and nonfiction. Novels, currently.

2. What is your favorite novel?
Favorite novel would have to be The Lord of the Rings Trilogy.

3. Do you have a favorite poem? (Share it!)

The Road Not Taken

Two roads diverged in a yellow wood,
And sorry I could not travel both
And be one traveler, long I stood
And looked down one as far as I could
To where it bent in the undergrowth;

Then took the other, as just as fair,
And having perhaps the better claim,
Because it was grassy and wanted wear;
Though as for that the passing there
Had worn them really about the same,

And both that morning equally lay
In leaves no step had trodden black.
Oh, I kept the first for another day!
Yet knowing how way leads on to way,
I doubted if I should ever come back.

I shall be telling this with a sigh
Somewhere ages and ages hence:
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I--
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference.


Robert Frost

4. What is one thing you've always wanted to read, or wish you had more time to read?
I want to read more classic American literature (Catcher in the Rye, etc.) I also want to read a lot of books on mideval culture & history, and anything I can find on linguistics. I have a bookshelf full of this stuff waiting to be read.

5. What are you currently reading?
I am curently reading In The Hand of Dante, by Nick Tosches as well as rereading A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court by Mark Twain.

Kids say the cutest things.

Last night I took my niece out for a walk. While out, I paused to show her the stars.

"That one is Orion. See, those three stars are his belt, then his legs are below there. And above, you can see the stars that make his bow," I explained.

"Cool," she acknowledged.

I continued to point out more constellations. "That one is Cassiopia. It's shaped like a 'W'. Then, there is the Big Dipper, and right above us, way up there, is the Little Dipper. That bright star on the handle is the North Star. A long time ago sailors would use that star to navigate the seas at night."

She continued to stare up at the stars, her eyes twinkling back at them in awe. With her gaze still fixed upon the heavens, she asked me, "Uncle J, I don't understand. How do they all stay up there like that?"

"Well, all those little dots are big burning balls of gas, kind of like the sun. Some of them are even giant galaxies--full of billions and billions of stars. They are just really, really far away and that's why they look so small."

She looks at me and hesitates. "Yes, I understand all that. What I don't understand is why, when all the data seems to point to an expanding universe, some scientists still believe we are heading toward a Big Crunch. Wouldn't the red-shift data from the Hubble Telescope preclude that possibility?"

...


Kids say the cutest things.

My mom pointed out to me yesterday, that I need to add a couple more identities to the list from my last post. I am, indeed, also a son and a brother. To leave these out would be akin to saying water is not wet, for my family has done more to shape who I am than any other influence in my life. So, I offer my humble apologies for neglecting them yesterday.

Here is a short list of what my family has taught me over the years:

Dad: He taught me that providing for a family is much, much more than what you have in the bank (although having enough money can make it much easier to provide everything else).

Mom: She has taught me virtually everything I know about parenting. I won't be using this knowledge for many years, but when that time comes I know I will be very well prepared. I also know she'll be there for me for the times when I missed a lesson :-)

Nick: He provided me the opportunity to perfect my left hook :-). But, in all seriousness, I was an atrocious older brother. I specialized in emotional abuse instead of the more garden-variety beatings that make up most sibling rivalries. And for that, I am truly sorry. But, looking back on it now, I learned how fragile the ego can be--both mine and his. I would attack him to sustain my delusions of being an infallible genius, something I still have to work on at times... But, more importantly, I learned how strong the human spirit can be. In spite of all this torture, and many other difficulties in his life, he has grown up to be a mature, responsible, well-adjusted young adult with every indication of success ahead of him. The saying goes, "You can't keep a good man down," and Nick is one of the best. Way to go Nick, I'm proud of you :-)

Kory: He is about the best little (little) brother a guy could ask for. His greatest lesson to me is the joys of being a kid. When we're together I can be an 11-year-old and not feel guilty about it. (What does a stupid pirate say? "Sssss" :-P) Laughing at fart jokes and crashing airplanes are all in the course of a normal day, and it's a very refreshing escape from the drudgery that can sometimes be school and work. I'll give him a good tickling when I see him this weekend to show him I appreciate it, so you better watch out, Tinker :-D.

This is only a very short summary of how my family has influenced who I am today. It would take a volume on the order of "War and Peace" to write the complete version. (See, Ma? I didn't forget you guys!)

Welcome to my inaugural blog. Since I don't have much else to share, I will start with a brief introduction. I am an engineer. I am a student. I am a boyfriend. I am often lazy. Not necessarily in that order, and usually I am many of these at once.

I am getting my Master's Degree in Physics because it's convenient and will get me out of school the fastest and into the working world soonest. Then, hopefully, I will make my fortune and move out of the real world and into my own fantasy world, which I am creating as we speak.

I hope to build my own "Rivendell." Find a nice secluded plot of land in the middle of nowhere and build a home worthy of mother nature. There I will read, write, commune with the animals (No, not that. I'm not from New Hampshire...).

Most of all though, I hope to travel. The world is a beautiful place and life is too short to only stare at one small piece. It would be like trying to divine the structure of a patchwork quilt by looking at one thread in the corner--the very definition of futility. Travel is a humbling experience. Every trip forces you to take those truths that you thought were self-evident and reexamine them in the context of the cultures you encounter. Some are reinforced, but most are dashed to pieces, leaving you with a simpler and greater view of terra than you had before.

As I promised to keep this brief, I will write more as the will posesses me.