Disaster

The average person goes to the bathroom eight times per day. Eight times per day times 365 days in a year multiplied by my 30.5 years on this earth. Um, that’s a lot of bathroom trips.

Twenty years ago today, however, was probably the most memorable trip I ever took to the little boys room. And, since I was in 4th grade, I truly WAS a little boy.

Anyway, it was in the restroom of Jonesburg Elementary School in Jonesburg, MO where my principal said, “You know how we sent a rocket into space this morning? They think we lost it.” I was confused. How can you lose a rocket? I had yet to understand that “lost” could also translate to “destroy” “disaster” or “dead.”

For the next 15 years, the Challenger crash was the American definition of “disaster.” That is, until September 11th. When the Columbia shuttle crashed in the spring of 2003, it didn’t seem so bad. Yet the same sort of accident had set America’s understanding of “disaster” some 17 years earlier.

“Disaster” no longer equals a handful of astronauts dying. After 9-11, our definition changed. That is one of the horrible truths of the American mindset - until something tops the fall of the WTC, every other horrible occurrence will be judged as something bad, but certainly not to the scale of “disaster.”

Happy birthday, Mozart!

Today marks the 250th anniversary of the birth of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. Ask any random person on the street, classical music fan or not, and they can probably hum along with a Mozart song or two. His music is so intertwined with the world today that it’s hard to imagine a time before his music was around.

Yet, Mozart died and was buried in a mass European grave-not exactly a great final resting place for the man whose music would change the world. He died penniless and virtually unknown outside of his local area.

What does this prove? That what we do today may not even be recognized for generations to come. Mozart left something behind for all people throughout time to enjoy. What can you leave behind?

A Good Kinda Sad

All right, prepare to hear something obvious:

I have never had a baby.

Yup, no infants have ever sprung forth from my body.
Yet, after the last week, I think I sorta know what post partum depression might feel like.

A week ago, my editor and I finished work on the second edition of my autobiography, After This… An Inspirational Journey For All the Wrong Reasons. Friends, we have diligently been working on this thing for the past three years - and that’s a heck of a lot longer than pregnancy, unless you’re an elephant or something.

Anyway, this has been something I’ve laughed over, cried over, sweated over, gotten pissed off over, and pretty much every other emotion under the sun has, at one time, smacked me upside my stupid head. Now, it’s over.

While I’m very, very excited about having this in the hands of you, the reader, I’ve gotta admit I’m a little sad. Even though I’m excited for the future, this is something I’ve been anticipating for years. And now it’s almost here.

So, I celebrate the end of the working process, but I mourn it a bit, too. The solution? I start writing another. Actually, that’s not true. I’ve already started writing another, and I’m some 50 pages into it. Look for a release of my next book in early 2007. And thanks for helping to make this a reality, folks.

what i do

I do not like them on a train,I do not like them in the rain

Taiwanese scientists have created green pigs that glow in the dark. No, I’m not kidding. Goggle it if you don’t believe me.

So, some scientist (anyone want to bet he’s a stoner?) figured out that taking a protein from a jellyfish and injecting it into the embryo of a pig will produce (what else?) pigs that glow green in the dark. And apparently these pigs don’t just glow green, they ARE green, inside and out. Bones, organs, everything. I do not like this, Sam I am!

Seriously, folks. Do the world’s scientists have nothing better to do than crap like this? And how can anyone, in good conscience, financially support an educational institution (University of Taiwan) if they spend their money on this? Or, were the scientists shooting for Christmas pigs, but got distracted by those millions of people dying of cancer and were only able to get half the yuletide color combo?

It just goes to prove that even really, really smart people can also be idiots.
Note: According to researchers at Harvard (who apparently have better things to do with their time than create neon swine), the genetic manipulation to create these pigs isn’t harmful - just a waste of time.

What IF I'm Wrong?

There’s a popular story about Clarence Darrow, the attorney who represented the evolution side of the ancient evolution vs. creationism argument. When asked what would he say if he (Darrow) died and went to heaven and stood in front of God, Jesus and the disciples, he simply replied, “I would say, ‘Gentlemen, I was wrong.’”

Darrow’s name is associated with one of the staunchest political positions in U.S. history. His name will forever be ranked right up there in the evolution hierarchy with Scopes and Darwin.

Yet, don’t you just love his answer? “Gentlemen, I was wrong.”
I cannot count the number of times where I’ve been immoveable from a position… only to discover later that I was wrong. Folks, I hate, HATE being wrong. So, in an effort to lessen my “wrongness”, I’ve tried to adopt an approach of education. Teach me where I’m wrong; show me exactly how you have arrived at your stance. Then, maybe we’ll both learn something.

Woo hoo!

Woo hoo!
Okay, for those of you who’ve had to endure me talking about this for the last couple of years…well, the book is finally, finally at the printer! As of today, January 9, the manuscript has been E mailed, the hard copy of the manuscript has been dropped off at the Post Office and now we’re just going to have to wait until its all published up and ready for distribution! This blog, the web site, the monthly newsletter - trust me, if you have any communication with me at all, you’ll be one of the first to hear! Thanks so much for everyone’s support and encouragement throughout this process. I think this edition of my autobiography is going to knock your socks off!

My PSA For The Day

Carson’s alma mater, The Seeing Eye, Inc. in Morristown, NJ is always, always looking out for its’ dogs and grads. This news release was sent out today and every dog lover will want to be aware of this
.
According to reports we have received and that you might have heard in the news, anyone using dog or cat food manufactured by Diamond Pet Company should
discontinue its use immediately. The products are sold under the brand names Diamond, Country Value, and Professional.

Contaminated Diamond pet food has been linked to deaths of 23 dogs and the illness of many others as of Friday, Dec. 30, according to the FDA. The company,
based in Meta, Missouri, recalled 19 varieties of dog and cat food when they were found to contain a chemical present in a fungus on corn, a common pet
food ingredient. The chemical, aflatoxin, can cause symptoms of energy loss, lack of appetite, vomiting, fever, and jaundice. Severe cases can cause liver
damage and death. Diamond company officials say the recalled product was distributed in Alabama, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Maine,
Maryland, Massachusetts, Mississippi, Michigan, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina,
Tennessee, West Virginia, Vermont, and Virginia.
For more information on the recall, including specific date codes, please visit the Diamond website at www.diamondpet.com.

Goin’ to the Chapel

Okay, I need a favor from you folks. My friends, Debi and Craig, are getting married soon. They’re finalists in a radio station’s mega wedding giveaway thingy.
If you would, please help them win by voting for them! Here’s what to do:

Go to:
www.y98.com

Click on the button labeled Mega Wedding
Then, go down the list of the four finalists until you get to Debi and Craig.
Then vote for themThen wait for some good karma to kick in.
These are some really great peeps and I really want them to win! Thanks!

One Degree

Here in St. Louis, we have a kick butt place called The City Museum. In addition to making fun things out of garbage, City Museum also has some real oddball things. Today, they decided to sell one of these oddities: an albino two headed snake. On EBay, no less. So, if you have a cool $100K lying around, and you want a pet, then I know where you can get one!

I mean, how odd is our world when one can buy an albino two headed snake over his/her computer? The world gets one-degree stranger…

They Just Shouldn't

Today, a student at Kirkwood High School was killed in a horrible car accident. The little snippet on the news says that high speeds and lack of a seat belt are to blame. While that is a strong possibility, let’s not forget that a kid is now dead. And kids shouldn’t die. They just shouldn’t. Buckle up, folks…and watch that speed, too.

2006

Home. Fire. Movies on cable. NOT being out partying with all the amateurs.
That’s the way my New Year’s Eve was designed… and that’s the way it’s turning out.
Sweet!

So, was watching the news this afternoon and everyone is showing New Year’s celebrations across the globe. Obviously there are different time zones and the further east one goes, the sooner it gets to the New Year. Well, I’m watching these celebrations by U.S. soldiers in Afghanistan and Iraq this afternoon and thinking how cool it is that there are tons of different ways to celebrate the New Year. Moreover, how cool is it that it seems the New Year’s celebration is actually recognized worldwide? Not everyone celebrates Christmas, not everyone celebrates Hanukkah, not everyone celebrates 4th of July, not everyone celebrates Boxing Day (come on, Canadians, is this a real holiday?)… but, unless you’re some weird animal cult that divides time on a different scale than everyone else on the planet, you are celebrating New Year’s. And, how cool is that? We can barely agree on what to order at dinner most of the time, much less on religious and cultural celebrations, so this is especially cool to see folks around the world all celebrating the same thing.

Enjoy it, folks, and here’s to a great 06!