A Fishing Net?

I wasnt going to put anything up here for a few days, but hey, I love this picture I found at Foxsports. Particularly because I was at a Nationals game last friday, which was a whole lot more fun than I expected. Great crowd and atmosphere, lots of foul balls in my direction. But alas....none quite close enough. I saw a girl get clocked with one after it hit the upper deck and fell down on her. Then there were the famous people that sat near me, not that I'm particularly fond of them, but James Carville and Tim Russert are big names around DC (www.carville.info and MSNBC Meet The Press).

so the ball comes screaming toward us...and we all of course put our hands up and shriek (if youre a girl), or just put your hands up if your a guy...some people lose their popcorn...but then everybody wants to know who got the ball. not real sure why we all pay so close attention to this, considering we have no connection to them whatsoever, but then somebody lofts the ball up and the crowd cheers....maybe its more from the fact that we know theyre still alive and the ball didnt plant itself into their forehead permanently. Thats it.

so this picture....the guy opts not to go with the ball glove, and brings a fishing net? (for fun fishing net stories visit my friend Johns blog) I love the reactions...dudes are freakin out all around, one guy turns his back....so that if it randomly headed in his direction all that meat back there would soften the blow I suppose. The kid nearby is in the middle of raising his hand for protection....one would only hope he was fast enough if it really counted...

Juliana Theory

these guys rock out hard....one of the best live shows I've seen. (I didnt take these)

Hi Grandma

I just discovered that my Grandma reads this page...I didnt even know she knew about it. Well, enjoy! I wrote this last December:

How Can I Be Sure That I'm Alive?

It's the rain on the side of my face
With a slight chill, the glossy landscape surrounding me
The silence of snow, as it hypnotizes with its frozen dance
The complete pureness that it brings, leaving nothing exposed
It's the sun as it warms, as it guides and colors the sky
The paintings that it delivers, morning and evening
It's the stars, silent as well, though in seeming so restrained,
appear so powerful and vibrant, a force untouched, and so constant
The breeze, as it whips across the plain, over a dune,
through the trough of a wave
As it stirs the trees, the life that it brings, that it takes
If not these things then what else, to unwrap the essense of a soul
To unchain a spirit, to allow the sensation of life to enter freely
to be infused with it
I know that despite being alive, when I turn to such chances
For a glimmer of light, a touch of coolness, a blanket of warmth,
I'm not simply alive, but I'm truly living

Secret Message

7:30 Act like you know

The Wind and I

I have no words at this moment in time
The wind that stole my breath has brought me this rhyme
The dipping scape of vast hues and tones
Makes me stop and feel the sunset as it warms my bones
The wind that takes my breath from me
Gives it back to shrub and tree
a whistling song I'm granted then
From bending twig and creaking stem
Leaves join in and lend their clap
And then it's gone from whence it came
The trees then sit as if bland and plain
Their secret is safe, atleast for a while
Before the next gust comes and stirs up their style

London Calling

loose in Europe with a Camera...what could be better...

life by the numbers

thursday (6/9): 216 pictures developed (from Poland)
friday (6/10): 100+ emails to sort through (at work)
sunday (6/12): 18 mosquito bites (from the backyard)
monday (6/13): 4 granola bars (all I ate until 6 pm)
tuesday (6/14): 2 days in a row (that I went for a run. wow)

interesting pattern....dont ask what happened on saturday, I just couldnt do the math

a new leaf

looks like this page will take a bit of a different twist for a while...after being prodded by Amy to put my poetry up here, I'll do that....and more. I think I'll take some of my favorite poems and put them here too. I mostly like Robert Frost, Emily Dickenson, and Longfellow. I'll even put more of my poems too, why not. So here's my fresh new one...from just the other day.

Through The Doors

when given a choice, we sometimes relent
to a voice we know not to be heaven sent
but to know the difference is key for sure
in finding the path you might have ignored
the doors may be before you, open or closed
you may stand in confusion as the turmoil grows
studying the panels or looking through the crack
won't get you any further than a turtle on its back

If you turn the handle and take the step
you'll splash into an ocean you'll never regret
the water runs deep and refreshes the soul
it fills in the cracks and covers the hole
its movement is constant as the current grabs on
and takes you to places you thought were gone

So let it take you, and move you, and mold you, and make you

day 2

so, back here in Maryland again, day 2. I'm feeling a bit philosophical, as some friends of mine have been feeling that way too. Its good to reflect on life....but only so much that you dont actually miss it. Life is meant to be lived. (random thoughts I guess....) My photos should be up on the photo website soon, maybe by late tonight.

I'm pretty excited because I got some money for my birthday....and I never used it, so now I'm going to get some CDs I've had on my mind: The Killers, MxPx, and of course the new Coldplay. Its been a while since I have bought new music. Finally I get to use it. hmmm....I feel I might have a poetic spell coming on too. Usually new music helps me out with that (and of course...moving experiences). I'll stick anything good that I write up here for your viewing enjoyment.

Tak!

Okay...back from Poland. Wow. what a trip. It will take some time for all of my thoughts to leak out. I met some amazing people, and really saw God work in the lives of everybody involved. I have some mad pictures to get developed, and maybe will have to start up a new site just to make them available. I helped with the fotografia workshop, so atleast we have some cool shots from that I can put up sooner.

My first real thought is how it is so different to live in an area with a lot of different languages very close together. Living in Maryland Mexico is so far off, but in Europe you dont have to go far to get into another language area. Reminds me of how God spread people out from the Tower of Babel, and why He did that. Think of how things went in Europe whenever rulers attempted to unify everybody in language and culture!? The diversity and uniqueness to each European nation should be celebrated as its own. I'm excited to be able to learn about Poland and become a part of its culture in some way. I'll have some good stories along the way, but for the big picture scoop, click on Hop's blog to the right.

off again

before disappearing to Poland for the next 10 days, I thought I'd leave you with a wonderful little piece of California:

.

camera

I've been on a photo-taking hiatus...for unknown reasons....but no more. My camera will be busted out in force the moment I get home this afternoon. too much of life is being missed....not being captured in its color, its richness. (new/old Lu'au pix are on the photo site now)

Food

I love lists. Ever see High Fidelity? (gotta love John Cusack) I'm always thinking about my next mix CD, and I have lists of music I want, music I love, music I have to make my friends hear, music I want to hear, etc. I think people like us (John Cusack and I) carry lists over into other parts of life....like...Here it is, my favorite restaurants (In no specific order). The food is definitely good here (atmosphere and who you're with helps too....)

-Pizza Nova, Harbor Drive, San Diego CA
-Huck's Waterside Cafe, Pascagoula MS
-Busara (Thai), Tysons Corner VA
-Yama (Japanese), Chain Bridge Rd, Vienna VA
-Grace's Fortune, Bowie MD
-Rivermill, Draper St, Blacksburg VA
-The Homeplace, Catawba VA
-Steamers, Chincoteague VA
-Squatters Seafood, Indian Beach NC
-Old Town Mexican Cafe, San Diego CA
-El Guadalupe's, Blacksburg VA
-Anthony's, Harbor Drive, San Diego CA
-Pot Belly's, Harbor Center, Annapolis MD (also in Crystal City VA)
-Burrito Brothers, Rte 7, Mclean VA
-Bottoms Up Pizza, Richmond VA

I'm sure I left something out.....but oh well. Ever wish instead of typing you could just plug the computer into your brain, and download it all? It would be so easy...I always have too many thoughts to make sense of, so it always gets so filtered down. I cant deal with more filtering this morning....

state update

In May: VA, MS, AL, NC, WV, CA, NV, DC and of course MD. I'll be honest, it feels weird to be home. SoCal stories on the way....

blah

I like the word blah. it can really describe a whole lot, really fast. Anyway, I feel like being mysterious tonight, so I'm going to describe my recent thoughts with single words.....they could be sentences, but the one word pretty much covers it.........displaced, awed, concerned, unprepared, confused, denial, awake, scattered, concerned, resolve. Understand? eh....maybe. Dont you hate it when you dont really know what I'm trying to say? Well, enjoy life when it doesnt throw you curve balls.

time zones suck. time travel would rock. I want to quit my life and just drive..........and drive.......of course I'll be back in time for work. Because I'm dependable like that.

third eye

I wasnt going to put anything up today....but here's a swing dancing story from a friend's site...that I thought was hilarious. enjoy:

**Spooky dance of the night:**This little chinese guy asked me to dance...As soon as we started dancing he said, "so your name is Amy"...I hadn't even told him. He proceeded to tell me he knew my name because his "third eye" told him. He said everyone has a third eye on their forehead that allows them to see deep within a person. As soon as he said it I put on my "spiritual armour" and he could not guess anything else about me. He seemed nice...but felt a little spiritual funkiness when he started talking 'bout the 3rd eye... He kept telling me he was incredibly rich...and he had 4 different jobs as his "main" job (meaning I think he was full of poo). He eventually asked me for my #... Didn't want to let him down, so I gave him A number...not my number....but A number.

I've got all my teeth

just went to my sisters graduation from West Virginia University...and from all the speakers I've come back with the following basic points:

1. West Virginia jokes arent funny anymore
2. West Virginia football beat Virginia Tech twice in the last 4 years (they cant let it go. Who won the ACC this year...I wonder?)
3. The West Virginia economy is going to knock the socks off the rest of the country in the next 2 years.
4. Everybody that's anybody was raised in a small coal-mining town.

I'm not kidding. This is what we were told....many times....

Where were you...?

Okay, now that my brain has settled....think about how there are some things so ingrained in our memory, even if they didnt happen directly to us, we knew what we were doing at the very minute that they happened. It seems that every generation has one or two of those instances, where you can ask the question "where were you?" of anybody you come across, and they'll know exactly what they were doing. Here are some of the things that come to mind, spanning the last 60 years:

-Pearl Harbor is Attacked
-Cuban missle crisis (granted, it lasted longer, but unforgettable)
-Kennedy is shot
-The Challenger explodes
-9-11 Terrorist attacks
-Beltway sniper attacks

Notice they all have to do with tragic loss. The iron curtain fell in Europe, a good thing, but I'm a bit more fuzzy on what I was doing then. perhaps some people remember the Lunar Landing in the same light, but we certainly dont speak of the repercussions the same way. Totally different vibes are created. I know what I was doing when I learned of every single attack from the DC Sniper. I remember vividly. I remember the fear. the fear that had to be similar (though probably less intense) than that of the Cuban Missle Crisis. This last one on my list I grant is not as far reaching, and well known, but around DC it is.

The two that most influenced me would have to the be the Sniper and 9-11. In both cases we're confronted with a dark piece of information that something has gone drastically wrong, in a place dangerously close to our loved ones. The pentagon is attacked, federal buildings are evacuated, the city is a mess, another plane is coming in. Where is my father? Is he okay? Where will he be when this other plane comes in? Suddenly the fact that he works in FBI Headquarters isnt so exciting. Another shooting. This time in early morning at a PG county school while busses are unloading. Which school? Was it a teacher? Are they okay? Okay, so its not a teacher. So my mom is safe. But then I find the school is in my hometown. 3 hours before he struck I had driven past the very spot where the sniper supposedly made a "nest". According to the cops he was there then. waiting. creepy. very creepy.

Its amazing the imprint on our lives these evil people can make....

Bama

hmm...no massive cool pix today, I'm sifting through the debris floating in my head, figuring out whats good to talk about. traveling and then staying out late can cause a bit of a train wreck in your head if you're not careful (in case you didnt know). Anyway...just got back from a trip for work, and this trip has in so many ways re-ignited my desire to do well in my job. I wouldnt call it a passion (its not the same as the real passions I have), but more of a drive to do well. So for this month, here's the state list so far (I'm in VA almost every week anyway, so I dont know if that counts. Is DC a state yet?). States besides Maryland:

-Virginia
-West Virginia
-North Carolina
-Alabama
-Mississippi

I was only in Charlotte, NC during a layover, but that counts, right?. wow, I am tired. I double punctuated that last sentence on purpose. So of course I have lots of thoughts from sitting in a plane and stuff, but I'll save those for later. For now, check out this ship that I hung out around for a bit in Mobile. Its very impressive....wow, the things man has built...I mean this thing shot shells that weighed the same as VW beetles, and they had a range of 21 miles! It had devices that solved all sorts of algorithms....but not with computers....with little gears and dials and stuff. Mind-boggling craftsmanship.

www.ussalabama.com

schmooze

hey whats up? not much going on. I went with a friend to a DCBIA (District of Columbia Building Industry Association) awards dinner last night downtown. That was pretty cool, alot more fun than I expected. Mayor Tony Williams was there, and even Marion Barry. Cool food. Very elegant atmosphere, perfect for schmoozing and networking......

(yes, I have connections.....I hope I can get into more of these)