Dark skies have been coming,
the clouds have been gathering
The wind is changing;
the barometer is falling;
a chill comes over my body.
I sit here confused.
If I look out my window,
I see the sun shining.
The tree tops are still,
and the birds are singing.
Why can't I hear them?
Why can't I feel the sun's warmth?
These are questions that haunt me.
This is the curse that consumes me.
My world is painted in shades of gray,
devoid of vibrant colors and
absent of joy and direction.
The clouds continue to gather,
the storm is upon me.
Dark skies are here.
Sunday, June 21, 2009
Thursday, June 11, 2009
Summer Book #1- Completed
I have been a David Baldacci fan for several years, but have just found the time to read this novel. If you like mystery and suspense, I am sure you will enjoy Simple Genius. It is filled with intrigue, misdirection and plenty of page-turning anticipation. I especially enjoy the way Baldacci can involve multiple plot lines in a way that remains intertwined and very easy to follow. Chapters are very short, 4-6 pages generally,which allows for the reader to easily retain the previous actions of the characters. The main characters, Michelle and Sean, are featured n several previous novels...but having read those novels is not a requirement to follow their story.
Baldacci is very good at using actual events and personal profiles to construct a story that is both believable and dare I say even probable! Of course he also adds a healthy dose of conspiracy theory to make things interesting.
MY RATING: A+ (A Must Read!)
The following is taken from davidbaldacci.com:
U.S. Release Date: April 24, 2007
A three-hour drive from Washington, D.C., two clandestine institutions face each other across a heavily guarded river. One is the world's most unusual laboratory, whose goals and funding are a mystery. The other is an elite CIA training camp shrouded in secrecy. Now a man and a woman are about to run a gauntlet between these two puzzle factories, straight into a furious struggle to exploit a potentially world-shattering discovery -- and keep some other secrets under wraps forever...
Former Secret Service agents turned private investigators Sean King and Michelle Maxwell have seen their lives splinter around them. Michelle lies unconscious in a hospital bed after a night of suicidal violence. And Sean is forced to take on a thankless investigation into the murder of a scientist just inside the CIA’s razor-wire fence near Williamsburg, Virginia.
Soon he is uncovering layer after layer of disinformation that shields a stunning world filled with elite mathematicians, physicists, war heroes, spies, and deadly field agents. Amid more murder, a seemingly autistic girl’s extraordinary genius, and a powerful breakthrough in the realm of classified codes, Sean soon learns enough to put his life at risk. Now more than ever, he needs Michelle to help him catch a killer, save an innocent life and solve a stunning mystery that threatens the very soul of the nation.
From Michelle's courageous struggle to defeat her long-buried personal demons to a centuries-old secret that surfaces in the heat of the action, Simple Genius pulses with stunning, high-intensity suspense.
Baldacci is very good at using actual events and personal profiles to construct a story that is both believable and dare I say even probable! Of course he also adds a healthy dose of conspiracy theory to make things interesting.
MY RATING: A+ (A Must Read!)
The following is taken from davidbaldacci.com:
U.S. Release Date: April 24, 2007
A three-hour drive from Washington, D.C., two clandestine institutions face each other across a heavily guarded river. One is the world's most unusual laboratory, whose goals and funding are a mystery. The other is an elite CIA training camp shrouded in secrecy. Now a man and a woman are about to run a gauntlet between these two puzzle factories, straight into a furious struggle to exploit a potentially world-shattering discovery -- and keep some other secrets under wraps forever...
Former Secret Service agents turned private investigators Sean King and Michelle Maxwell have seen their lives splinter around them. Michelle lies unconscious in a hospital bed after a night of suicidal violence. And Sean is forced to take on a thankless investigation into the murder of a scientist just inside the CIA’s razor-wire fence near Williamsburg, Virginia.
Soon he is uncovering layer after layer of disinformation that shields a stunning world filled with elite mathematicians, physicists, war heroes, spies, and deadly field agents. Amid more murder, a seemingly autistic girl’s extraordinary genius, and a powerful breakthrough in the realm of classified codes, Sean soon learns enough to put his life at risk. Now more than ever, he needs Michelle to help him catch a killer, save an innocent life and solve a stunning mystery that threatens the very soul of the nation.
From Michelle's courageous struggle to defeat her long-buried personal demons to a centuries-old secret that surfaces in the heat of the action, Simple Genius pulses with stunning, high-intensity suspense.
Sunday, June 7, 2009
Today's High School Graduates
The time has come for me to bitch and moan once again! I attended a high school graduation this past weekend and was just so disappointed at some of the things I saw. Excuse the "old timer" mentality, but when I was young, graduation was a time to be proud of your accomplishments. It was also a time that was very important for your family...often times because many relatives may not have graduated high school themselves. I saw very little of that pride this day.
I admit that the day started off rather nostalgic, as the ceremony was taking place at the high school football field, just as mine had some 25 years ago (sigh). It was a beautiful day and the sun was in full effect. Caps and gowns were plentiful and parents arms were well-stocked with flowers and gifts galore. My first disappointment came when I noticed that many, if not the majority, of students were wearing a myriad of everyday clothes and sneakers to the ceremony. Now, I am not a stuck-up prude, but I believe you should at least look presentable at such an occasion. Kids wore shorts at my graduation too (it was 90+ degrees that year), but they were dressy shorts with appropriate footwear...not cargo shorts or basketball shorts with flip-flops! Many of the kids were dressed nicely, and I commend them, and their parents for that. I had all but written this off to a sign of the times when I noticed him. He was walking proudly in the procession between several people dressed nicely. He was clearly wearing shorts, as was evident by his pasty white legs, and flip-flops...and was later revealed to be completing the ensemble with a t-shirt! What makes him different than any of the other slacker students you ask? Well, he wasn't a student...he was a TEACHER! I guess it does trickle down from the top.
Well, I figured that I'm only here to support one of the girls I used to work with, so no need to get so concerned. That's when the 2nd punch in the gut took place. As the school band begins playing a surprisingly good version of the National Anthem, I notice several people just ignoring it and still sitting...including my co-worker. As I glared at her, she looked at me and glibly said "I'm not very patriotic" and chuckled. The Army veteran in me only kept from punching her in the face because she was a woman, I was that mad. It's funny, because I know that bitch didn't work on Memorial Day...I guess she's patriotic enough to get a paid day off from work. Needless to say, I moved to the other side of the stadium and all but ignored her the rest of the day. You don't have to wear an American flag to make me happy, but show a little damn respect, and understand what the anthem is all about.
So, if you are still reading my drivel, you must be thinking it can't get much worse...well of course it did. Most graduation ceremonies include several student speakers, and they are generally boring as all hell. They usually spew forth the usual "we will never forget" and "we are the future" lines. This school mus have thought they would do something different. Apparently they found the dumbest rock in the class to speak, and I would insert a blond joke here, except she WAS blond! This brain surgeon-in-training got up and expressed her "fear" of going into the real world and surviving in college. OK, I can understand that, who isn't scared with that proposition? But she didn't cite the fear of college pressure or achieving more difficult goals, no...no...no! She is worried about her dirty dishes! As she claims, and please notice the quotation marks, "I've never made my own bed in my life" and "I don't even know how to load the dishwasher". This was part of her commencement speech. Her parents must be be so proud, and a couple of assholes! She also apologized for not citing current events in her speech because "I've never even read a newspaper, and I don't watch the news". At this point I almost cried. I was witnessing a young lady who, according to this school, was worthy of speaking on behalf of 500+ of her classmates.
Is this what has become of our younger generation? I admit, we were not choirboys when I was growing up, but we certainly had a respect for the way things are done. I couldn't even eat breakfast if I didn't make my bed, and this 18 year old dumb-ass doesn't even know how to make a bed! I was listening to the radio the other day, and the guests were talking about the difference between WWII and the wars we encounter today. Back then, people in the country would sacrifice everything to insure victory over tyranny and aggression. Times were simpler and the focus was unified and stalwart. Today's youth show very little evidence of that determination. We are a much more narcissistic and apathetic country. Freedom and progress are great, but thy come at a cost...our cost is the lack of respect and responsibility we have bred into our youth.
I served 3 years on active duty, and I was lucky enough to have been honorably discharged before the 1st Iraq War. I was ready and willing to fight to defend this country and what it stands for, and so were many of the high school graduates that day (they recognized those going into the military). If you are reading this, I am going to ask you for something in return for my service. If you are under 25 years of age, read about your country's history. Know why we have the freedoms we do, and know what it cost to achieve and preserve those freedoms. Don't just know who won what wars, read about the battles and the people that fought them. Learn about what was at stake and what happened to those countries that didn't stand up to the oppressors. If you are over 25, TEACH the youth of this country. Don't let them become that girl who never read a paper and couldn't make a bed. Teach those younger than you to respect those that came before them. Teach them the basics of please and thank you, and what that might get them in life. Don't let these kids end up screwing everything up. I'm still doing my part...are you?
Here endeth the lesson.
I admit that the day started off rather nostalgic, as the ceremony was taking place at the high school football field, just as mine had some 25 years ago (sigh). It was a beautiful day and the sun was in full effect. Caps and gowns were plentiful and parents arms were well-stocked with flowers and gifts galore. My first disappointment came when I noticed that many, if not the majority, of students were wearing a myriad of everyday clothes and sneakers to the ceremony. Now, I am not a stuck-up prude, but I believe you should at least look presentable at such an occasion. Kids wore shorts at my graduation too (it was 90+ degrees that year), but they were dressy shorts with appropriate footwear...not cargo shorts or basketball shorts with flip-flops! Many of the kids were dressed nicely, and I commend them, and their parents for that. I had all but written this off to a sign of the times when I noticed him. He was walking proudly in the procession between several people dressed nicely. He was clearly wearing shorts, as was evident by his pasty white legs, and flip-flops...and was later revealed to be completing the ensemble with a t-shirt! What makes him different than any of the other slacker students you ask? Well, he wasn't a student...he was a TEACHER! I guess it does trickle down from the top.
Well, I figured that I'm only here to support one of the girls I used to work with, so no need to get so concerned. That's when the 2nd punch in the gut took place. As the school band begins playing a surprisingly good version of the National Anthem, I notice several people just ignoring it and still sitting...including my co-worker. As I glared at her, she looked at me and glibly said "I'm not very patriotic" and chuckled. The Army veteran in me only kept from punching her in the face because she was a woman, I was that mad. It's funny, because I know that bitch didn't work on Memorial Day...I guess she's patriotic enough to get a paid day off from work. Needless to say, I moved to the other side of the stadium and all but ignored her the rest of the day. You don't have to wear an American flag to make me happy, but show a little damn respect, and understand what the anthem is all about.
So, if you are still reading my drivel, you must be thinking it can't get much worse...well of course it did. Most graduation ceremonies include several student speakers, and they are generally boring as all hell. They usually spew forth the usual "we will never forget" and "we are the future" lines. This school mus have thought they would do something different. Apparently they found the dumbest rock in the class to speak, and I would insert a blond joke here, except she WAS blond! This brain surgeon-in-training got up and expressed her "fear" of going into the real world and surviving in college. OK, I can understand that, who isn't scared with that proposition? But she didn't cite the fear of college pressure or achieving more difficult goals, no...no...no! She is worried about her dirty dishes! As she claims, and please notice the quotation marks, "I've never made my own bed in my life" and "I don't even know how to load the dishwasher". This was part of her commencement speech. Her parents must be be so proud, and a couple of assholes! She also apologized for not citing current events in her speech because "I've never even read a newspaper, and I don't watch the news". At this point I almost cried. I was witnessing a young lady who, according to this school, was worthy of speaking on behalf of 500+ of her classmates.
Is this what has become of our younger generation? I admit, we were not choirboys when I was growing up, but we certainly had a respect for the way things are done. I couldn't even eat breakfast if I didn't make my bed, and this 18 year old dumb-ass doesn't even know how to make a bed! I was listening to the radio the other day, and the guests were talking about the difference between WWII and the wars we encounter today. Back then, people in the country would sacrifice everything to insure victory over tyranny and aggression. Times were simpler and the focus was unified and stalwart. Today's youth show very little evidence of that determination. We are a much more narcissistic and apathetic country. Freedom and progress are great, but thy come at a cost...our cost is the lack of respect and responsibility we have bred into our youth.
I served 3 years on active duty, and I was lucky enough to have been honorably discharged before the 1st Iraq War. I was ready and willing to fight to defend this country and what it stands for, and so were many of the high school graduates that day (they recognized those going into the military). If you are reading this, I am going to ask you for something in return for my service. If you are under 25 years of age, read about your country's history. Know why we have the freedoms we do, and know what it cost to achieve and preserve those freedoms. Don't just know who won what wars, read about the battles and the people that fought them. Learn about what was at stake and what happened to those countries that didn't stand up to the oppressors. If you are over 25, TEACH the youth of this country. Don't let them become that girl who never read a paper and couldn't make a bed. Teach those younger than you to respect those that came before them. Teach them the basics of please and thank you, and what that might get them in life. Don't let these kids end up screwing everything up. I'm still doing my part...are you?
Here endeth the lesson.
Thursday, June 4, 2009
Sanctuary
So, I've been a little depressed lately and I took a well-needed vacation from work. What I needed was a place I could go to just relax and not be annoyed by life passing me by. Well, I certainly found it today...my sanctuary. About 20 minutes from my house is the Tower Hill Botanical Garden (http://www.towerhillbg.org/), a place that I really thought was just another garden. In reality, it is a place where you can enjoy a wide variety of nature experiences. They a have a 1-mile loop walking trail, several different gardens and numerous areas to sit, picnic or just space out!I discovered this little place set apart from the main area, and the view (picture above) was just so peaceful. There was nobody else there, and I hope it stays that way, because I plan on making it my home away from home. It's a place I can go to do some reading, or more importantly, some thinking. I really need to take stock of my life...where I'm going and where I need to be. I wish I knew exactly what I need to focus on, but I suppose there wouldn't be any problems if I knew the answer to that question.
So, over the next few months, if I'm missing from twitter, or facebook, or anywhere else...this is most likely where I will be!
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