Welcome Home

After time spent mourning those who did not return, we should also not forget those who were able to return home. Although most will search for some sense of normalcy, mentally, physically, and otherwise, just the act of returning is a huge step. For those who have served and have been able to come back home, I have not much to offer but my undying gratitude and a couple or three songs that speak to the simple things in life and the comfort of home. May you find solace and love from a grateful nation. Thank you.

Enlightenment? We Don't Need No Stinkin' Enlightenment!

While surfing the great idiot box in the wee hours this a.m. (talk about needing enlightenment!) I came upon the unbelievable results of a purely unscientific poll on MSN.com that asks a simple question: Scientist Richard Leakey says scientific discoveries will accelerate to the point that "soon even the skeptics can accept it." What do you think of Leakey's statement? The breakdown: 41% for "I agree, evolution is a fact"; 51% for "I disagree, my faith tells me God created life"; and 8% for "I do not have an opinion."

Color me astonished, dismayed, and pessimistic about our chances as a species. I've heard many bloggers' and posters' views on this, and so often the usual suspect's opinions are predictable. There are clearly two factions into which beliefs are split, so, just in the interest of starting a conversation, I now open up the forum here to YOUR take, but I would prefer fresh ideas, reasoning, even doubts. Does anyone have anything unique to say on this subject that has not been beat to death before? What say YOU?

Don't Try This At Home

Don't you just love how creative people can get with their emoticons?   :D

All In A Dream

Some nights (or days) are just like that. Ghosts from the past, houses that are long gone, neighborhoods that no longer exist. But I'm sure I was there. Could have sworn it. Doing remodeling in one of the bedrooms. Seeing my mother, clear as day. The colors of the old hippie beads hanging where the door to the closet should have been. Feeling the coolness of the wood floors.Then, there was one of my favorite coloring books in the corner, the one with the geometric fractal designs (yeah, I was a weird kid), and I thought that as soon as I got time I would do some coloring in it again. Seeing the banana trees out in the backyard just a few feet away from the bayou. And everyone was there, as it should be.

It was all in a dream, of course. I thought I had reached clarity a few months ago about this, with a dream that dad and I were sitting on the opposite side of the bayou and looking at a vast emptiness where the houses stood. And he told me that was all OK, that we would be alright. I woke up thinking that was true, and that I had reached acceptance in my mind. Only, this morning, I could have sworn....and I wake up with these two songs alternating in my head. Why? It's all gone now. But I thought for sure I was there. The music tells me I wasn't. But still....

Logically Fascinating

This chick has had her early birthday present, Christmas and New Year's all rolled into one. And, full disclosure here, I should probably just go ahead and rename this blog "Touch of Fringe" because of my obsession with this show. This is the third post in a row about "Fringe" but only because it's the best show on TV right now and has been so amazing the past few weeks that I can't get it out of my head. *Spoiler alert* If you are a "Fringe" watcher and you have yet to see part 1 of 2 of the season 4 finale, "Brave New World" STOP HERE.

But this entry is about more than just "Fringe". It centers on one of my all-time favorite actors, Leonard Nimoy. This incredible man has given so much to his fans; now, in his 80s, he is still giving. Not content to rest on his considerable laurels, he has come back to "Fringe" once more in the character of William Bell. And let me tell you, his return has made innumerable fans so very glad. "Fringe", Bell, chess, what more could I ask for? And, funny thing is, chess seems to be a recurring theme in my blogs as well.  Rumor is, he will also be returning in the next "Star Trek" movie, produced by J.J. Abrams, who is also responsible for the last "Star Trek" movie as well as "Fringe." What a sweet deal Nimoy must have hammered out with Abrams. Whatever he is being paid, he is more than worth it. From Spock to Bell, Nimoy has defined and inhabited characters in science fiction that will never be paralleled. He is truly one-of-a-kind, a  master of his craft.

Of course, I could continue ad nauseum, but I would rather just let the man's work speak for itself. Birthday, Christmas, and New Year's, I tell ya!























Mr. Nimoy, I have been, and always shall be, your fan, your admirer, and your friend. May you live long and prosper.