Sleepless in Seattle

I took a late day flight from Hartford to Seattle on Tuesday. Including a quick detour to Detroit, take off to touch down was just over 9 hours. I de-planed in Seattle at 10:10 pm (1:10 EST).

I was looking forward to a 20 minute ride to the hotel, some last minute prep work for Wednesday's meeting and a good night sleep. In the words of Mick Jagger, "you can't always get what you want."

Eight strangers piled into a Super Shuttle van driven by an optically challenged man who was totally unfamiliar with the streets of Seattle. Two hours later we were still together held hostage by a really distant cousin of Vasco de Gama. At one point I volunteered to drive the van, but "that's against company policy, Sir." It was also against company policy to let a passenger out of the van without signing the drop off sheet, but after I told de Gama to fuck off at 12:45 am (3:45 EST), he broke company policy.

I was fully cooked at this point. The hotel clerk sensing my frustration upon check-in offered a late checkout. "A hotel shuttle bus would be preferable. Give me a 5 o'clock wake up call." The last minute changes to my presentation would have to wait until the monring.

One eye shut... and then the other.. followed by a surprise test in Zoology after having skipped 3 weeks of class. I was in a horrible panic as the classroom bell rang with only half the questions answered when I realized it was my wake up call; saved by the ringtone.

Hop in the shower, shave, iron my shirt and draw back the shades - wow! Thank God for the early morning rise; the sunrise in Seattle was beautiful. How quickly my perspective changed. You don't think God would disguise himself as a wandering chauffer, do you?

Vasco de Gama, if you ever read this blog, I am sorry I swore at you...but you really do need to get another job.

The Next Senator from Massachusetts

She's only 1 year old today, but I see great things in Ayva's future. Happy Birthday, Ayva!

Love,

Papa Moon

Royalty

Today marks the 81st annual celebration of The Feast of Christ the King. Established in 1925 by Pope Pius XI, the holy day reminds us that Jesus is the ultimate ruler over all peoples and nations.

"Behold, he is coming amid the clouds, and every eye will see him..." Revelations.

Just for the Fun of It

The serious side of college football kicks in right after Thanksgiving. Rivalry week, conference championships and the BCS bowl games. But in smaller venues across the country 32 Division III schools are chasing the same dreams.

Unlike Division I where computer rankings and a committee decide who is number one, the non-scholarship football programs run a 5 round tournament beginning the 3rd week in November. Come December 16th after the final whistle blows at the Amos Alonzo Stagg Bowl, you know who is number one in Division III football without a doubt.

So who are you going to cheer for - Wilkes (3 kids from Dunmore on the team this year), Springfield (Johnny's favorite), St. Norbert, Mount Union (won 7 titles in last 10 years), St John Fisher, Occidental or Mary Hardin-Baylor? There are others, but you probably never heard of them either.

That's the whole point of it; these kids are playing purely for the love of the game. What fun.

Footnote - Springfield lost yesterday to St John Fisher 27-21 in Springfield, MA. It was a big win for the Cardinals from Rochester, NY as their only loss of the season was to Springfield College earlier in the year, 55-38. Good game to watch and great day to be outside!

Leftovers, Part 2

Friday, 11:32 PM - hot turkey sandwich with gravy, stuffing and cranberry sauce plus a side order of mashed potatoes.

Saturday, 2:52 AM - "take hospital tested Pepto - Bismol and feel good again!"

Anyone notice the resemblance between our refrigerator and the medicine cabinet? At least we're consistent.

Leftovers

And you thought I was kidding when I said we'd miss you for Thanksgiving!

Dear God...

Thanksgiving Prayer

For each new morning with its light,
For rest and shelter of the night,
For health and food,
For love and friends,
For everything Thy goodness sends.

- Ralph Waldo Emerson

Thank you God for...

My Dad, may he rest in peace.

My Mom, I love her dearly.

My wife, Julie, the most beautiful soul.

My son, John, the protector.

My daughter, Jessica, the lover.

My son, James, the righteous.

My daughter-in-law, Keyla, a flower in bloom.

My grandson, Nathaniel, pure joy.

My granddaughter, Ayva, pure love.

Sister Jeanne, so full of compassion.

Sister Pat, an enlightened soul.

Brother Joe, a servant to all.

Sister Jan, the gentlest of beings.

Sister Jen, a lover of joy.

Sister Mary, the purest of souls.

My father-in-law, Bill, the creative soul.

My mother-in-law, Gayle, forever nurturing.

Brother-in-law, Billy, the philosopher.

Sister-in-law, Lori, pure beauty and grace.

Brother-in-law, Tim, a gentle man.

Brother-in-law, Dan, everyone's friend.

Sister-in-law, Cheryl, lover of life.

Sister-in-law, Linda, warm and welcoming.

Brother-in-law, Rob, a dedicated man.

Brother-in-law, Allen, a guardian angel.

Geoff, kind and giving.

Kathy, a life saver.

Mark, Ed and Paul, forever a part of our family.

And for Kathleen, Weave, Mark, Cherie, Caitlin, Patrick, Alisa, Shea, Tyler, Jason, Erin, Henry, Drew, Marie, Heather, Steve, Jo Jo, Ian, Alex, Reid, Sean, Patrick, Annah, Andy, Ashley, Katie, Connor, TJ, Adam, John, Gayle and Valerie - lovers all.

And for Bob, Cathy, Sarah, Justin, Ray, Shawn, Diane, Greg, Katie, Nicole, Marie, Joel, Noel, Daniel, Buck, John, Bob, Mary, Nicole, John, Ellen, Christopher, Moira, Bambi, Dan, Greg, Sheila, Travis, Dianna, John, Marty, Andi, Jim and Kim and the countless other friends who have touched our lives.

And for cousins, aunts and uncles, both Mullen & Cross.

And for deceased great grandparents, grandparents, aunts, uncles and friends, for the love and memories they still bring to me today.

Dear, God save and protect all of those I love and touch their hearts so they will know they are always in mine.

Amen.

Travel Safe

Through the tunnel and over the bridge to Grandma's house we go. Gotta pay the keeper of the tolls, but the stuffing, gravy and pumpkin pie are sooooo worth it! Don't be in too much of a hurry to get to where you are going; it actually takes a lifetime.

All Aboard the Gratitude Express

Thanksgiving Day, 1986 - Riding the New Haven Line into Grand Central Station for the Macy's Day Parade in New York City. One of the many times we went to the City to watch Bullwinkle, Snoopy and Betty Boop float down Broadway.

I'm so thankful for having family and friends who wanted to share in the excitement. And I am grateful to have a chance to do it all over again with Nathaniel and Ayva. We're putting it on the calendar for 2007!

Henry's Firthst Toof

What runs through a dad's head when the first tooth appears:

Traditional braces - $5,980
Ceramic brackets - $500
Invisalign option - $1,400
Full mouth vinyl polysiloxane impression - $275
Complete record panoramic x-ray - $350
Intra-oral photography ("say aaah") - $225
Extra-oral photography ("say cheese") - $175
Total Cost - 2006 - $8,905.00
Adjusted for Inflation - 2021 - $13,244.75

"Hey, stop grinding your teeth! And take your thumb out of your mouth, goddammit!"

I'm Glad You're Thankful!

"Nothing comes without a sacrifice. I just wish I had known it was going to be me before I ate all the free grain!" - Tommie Turkey, November 15, 2006

PlayStation3 Revisited

And you thought the war in Iraq was out of control!

Our Lady of Divine Providence

Hail Mary,
Full of Grace,
The Lord is with thee.
Blessed art thou among women,
and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus.
Holy Mary,
Mother of God,
pray for us sinners now,
and at the hour of death.
Amen.


St Joseph Cathedral, Hartford, November 18,2006.

First and Ten

By now you must have heard about the madness surrounding the release of Sony's PlayStation 3. Geeks and speculators alike stood hand-in-hand for three days to vie for a very limited number of souped up gaming machines.

When it was all said and done, the geeks went home to play the ulitmate version of Madden 2007 (more on this later). The speculators posted their $600 nugget of gold on eBay where bids were going for over $2 grand!

The premium bids on eBay would make the event newsworthy enough, but add to that folks getting stabbed, shot and robbed and you've got Presidential headlines. In Indiana a thug tried to rob one of the PS3 lottery winners and the gamer stabbed him with a knife - that's a win for the good guys. In Connecticut the bad guys triumphed. Outside the Putnam Wal-Mart a guy got shot while standing in line; I hope someone saved his spot.

In Manchester one lucky teen scored a machine from Electronic Boutique at Buckland Hills Mall. Ten minutes later in the parking lot five guys kicked the shit out of him and stole his PS3. So much for luck. If he bought it with a credit card he might have a warranty, but do you think anyone from MasterCard will stand in line for three days when the next batch is released? Give XBox a try.

Yesterday also brought about Warhol's "15 minutes of fame" for some. My nephew, TJ Cross, is one of them. Not only was he featured on the front page of our beloved Burlington Free Press, but he's the star of a short video clip. Julie talked to TJ last night and the boy is confused... and rightly so. He wants to keep gaming, but $2,000 on eBay? Hey T, I know you are still thinking about college, but if you decide to go bring along the article and ask them if you can get credit for macro economics. If they had used Intellivisions (PS3 in 1979) to illustrate supply and demand instead of "widgets" I might have passed my economics course.

So what is a PS3? Well, it is a gaming box. It is more advanced than Pong, Atari, Intellivision, Nintendo, PlayStation1, PlayStation2, XBox and XBox 360 so, you've just got to have it. You can play games on it ($70 apiece), watch movies with it, store digital photos, listen to mp3s, and access the internet. It sounds to me a lot like a personal computer without the keyboard. The Republicans should have hired Sony to run their last election campaign.

Mostly it is a very advanced gaming machine with extreme graphics and fast play. TJ's first pick for a game was Madden 2007. No doubt he owns Madden 2006 and probably 2005, 2004, 2003, 2002, etc. all the way back to the year he was born. Some hospitals now give you a copy of Madden at birth.

Buying the same game to play on a different machine may seem silly to some. But one way to look at the investment is the PS3 is a new stadium and Madden 2007 is a new season. For a little over $700 you can become Tom Brady, Bill Belichick, Robert Kraft or Paul Tagliabeu. I guess it's better than spending $1.2 billion to buy the Patriots. Who can afford to take that out of their IRA?

By the way, in case you are interested the improvements to Madden 2007 include the following:
- Added the "Statue of Liberty" and "Student Body Right" to the playbook.
- You can now choose a quarterback voice to say either "hut-hut" or "hup-hup".
- Roster includes a left-footed field goal kicker.

Heads or tails? You make the call fellas!

For He's a Jolly Good Fellow

I hate my brother.

The guy has finished ahead of me his whole life. He married first, had kids before I did, bought a house when I was living with Mom & Dad, drove a faster car, got a better job, won bigger trophies, beat me in every game we ever played and now....he gets to finish work first.

I'm not talking about getting out of work a half an hour early. The guy is done working (last official day was yesterday) and he's only 54 years old. Shit, I don't even think AARP wants him. He's still a candidate for term life insurance.

He's talking about living out the last years of his life without the stress and worry of the job. 30 years of stress free living! Who the hell deserves that?

Someday I'll be able to join him in retirement. Let's see, if I save 75% of my salary for the next 15 years and the government holds the current benefit levels of Social Security I could expect to golf with Joe in ....hmmn wait....if I save 85% of my salary....no that won't work.

Well, we can always look forward to Heaven. Does anybody know if Cain made it to Paradise?

Homecoming

Nathaniel is back at home! We're all so happy to see him. He isn't 100%, but he's working on it. A couple of cheeseburgers and a day with his toys and he'll be like new.

If he doesn't stop twitching I might have to change his nickname from Jakers to Quakers, but we'll give that a little time too. Welcome home, Jakers.

It's Just a Little Pin Prick

I stopped by to see Nathaniel at the hospital this morning on my way to a business appointment in Hartford. I only had a moment to spend with him. He still wasn't fully coherent, but he did recognize me. In a meek voice he said, "Papa, hug."

Papa hug - two words to make a grown man cry. I love, Nathaniel. And he loves me.

I visited with him again tonight, and he is making good progress. He talked to me and gave me more hugs. He walked around the room a bit as well. He still has the shakes, but all his vital signs are good and they took him off the IV and monitors. He'll be coming home soon I am sure.

On Sunday we rushed Nathaniel to the hospital after he exhibited signs of a stroke. Keyla had come into my room to tell me something was wrong. Nathaniel was sitting on the couch in the front room trembling and drooling. His eyes were constricted and his breathing was labored. He wasn't responding to his name and you couldn't get him to stand. His motor skills were impaired.

We rushed him to the Rockville Hospital emergency room and they quickly transported him by ambulance to The Connecticut Children's Hospital in Hartford. We thought he may have ingested an anti-depressant pill; we found one on the kitchen floor on Saturday night. Many of his symptoms could be explained by the side effects generated by antipsychotic drugs.

For two days he was out of it, sweated profusely and continued quaking. Late on the 2nd day the expectation was that some of the side effects would wane if he had truly swallowed a pill, however this wasn't the case. Last night the hospital staff shifted strategies and started to look for infections and neurological damage.

In the last 24 hours Nathaniel had a CAT scan, MRI, EEG, spinal tap, blood test and multiple urine samples. So far everything has come back negative although a few of the blood test are still outstanding. For all the machinery available a lot of it is still an inexact science. We might not ever find out what happened to little Jakers. So long as he is healthy when it's all said and done it probably isn't important.

Good night, Jakers! Sleep tight. Papa loves you.

__________________________________

Hello?

Is there anybody in there?

Just nod if you can hear me.

Is there anyone at home?

Come on, now,

I hear you're feeling down.

Well I can ease your pain

Get you on your feet again.

Relax.

I'll need some information first.

Just the basic facts.

Can you show me where it hurts?

There is no pain you are receding

A distant ship, smoke on the horizon.

You are only coming through in waves.

Your lips move but I can't hear what you're saying.

When I was a child I had a fever

My hands felt just like two balloons.

Now I've got that feeling once again

I can't explain you would not understand

This is not how I am.

I have become comfortably numb.

O.K.

Just a little pinprick.

There'll be no more aaaaaaaaah!

But you may feel a little sick.

Can you stand up?

I do believe it's working, good.

That'll keep you going through the show

Come on it's time to go.

There is no pain you are receding

A distant ship, smoke on the horizon.

You are only coming through in waves.

Your lips move but I can't hear what you're saying.

When I was a child I caught a fleeting glimpse

Out of the corner of my eye.

I turned to look but it was gone

I cannot put my finger on it now

The child is grown,

The dream is gone.

I have become comfortably numb.

- Comfortably Numb by Pink Floyd

Saddle Up

Jakers, we've got to get you back up on your horse! Get well, little buddy.

Love,

Papa Moon

From Russia With Love

On Saturday night we had a crowd over to help celebrate Julie's birthday and play a friendly game of Pictionary. It's a fun game if you have the artistic abilities of Julie, Jessica, Mimi, Keyla, John or James. It's pure torture if you can't even draw a circle.

I belong to the latter school of art. So does Cathy Giuliano. Her task was to get us to guess the word "Russia". She decided a caricature of Mihkail Gorbachev surrounded by onion domed spires would certainly remind us all of Mother Russia and get us to yell aloud "россия"! But collectively, our communist party had a hard time seeing the Kremlin in her imagery.

John did guess "Dick head." His answer made a lot of sense to me, and if Pictionary ever comes out with an x-rated version of the game Cathy is on my team.

Duty, Honor, Country

A salute to all Americans who have served in the armed forces this Veterans Day.

Today is a bittersweet day in that we recall with thanks all those who heeded the nations call to serve, and yet morn the loss of life of many a fallen hero. Veterans Day began as Armistice Day in celebration of the end of World War I, "the war to end all wars"; 9 million men died in World War I. The great philosopher Plato stated 2300 years ago, "that only the dead have seen the end of war."

Yesterday I watched the dedication of the National Museum of the Marine Corp on C-SPAN. It was the Corps 231st birthday. It would have been the 25th birthday of Cpl Jason Dunham.

Cpl Dunham was killed in combat near the Syrian border on April 22, 2004. He and his men had just stopped a convoy of cars trying to escape their pursuit. As Dunham was searching one of the vehicles an insurgent jumped out and grabbed the corporal by the throat. During the hand-to-hand combat he yelled out to his fellow Marines to "watch his hand". Moments later an enemy grenade rolled out onto the ground. Cpl Dunham dove on the grenade to shield his fellow Marines from the blast.

The most stoic of military men were moved by the story. Jason's parents were on hand for the dedication and the announcement. There was a brief moment where there was a visual exchange between President Bush and The Dunhams. You could feel their heartache.

President Bush announced yesterday that Cpl Dunham will be awarded the nation's highest military award - The Medal of Honor.

I am humbled by the thousands of Cpl Dunhams who display such extreme acts of bravery in the split second moment between life and death. What is in a man's soul that would allow him to lay down his life for the good of another? Put in the same situation, what would you have done? I don't know the answer.

Would You Believe?

On Tuesday morning I was walking an empty beach in Florida with storm clouds rolling in. It was the perfect setting for a contemplative stroll - crashing waves, sea birds soaring and a warm steady wind.

I was searching for an epiphany. Waiting for that magic moment when the direction my life should take lay in front of me. I held a broken sea shell to my ear, and instead of the ocean I could hear Robert Frost reciting "The Road Not Taken".

Try as I might however, nothing was coming to me. No streaks of light bursting through the clouds. No voices whispering in my ear. Nothing but jumbled thoughts of work, family responsibilities and our household budget.

And then with the shifting wind came a sudden intuitive realization - buy the new Time-Life Get Smart DVD Collection. It includes all 138 episodes on 5 disc plus bonus interviews with Maxwell Smart, Hymie and Agent 99.

The idea was so random I thought I was having a breakdown. I stopped walking and sat on the beach to reflect on why my roaming mind would cough up such a thought in what I believed was a pivotal moment in my life.

After all, here I am closing in on 50 years and instead of reading the Bible cover-to-cover for the first time, I have a strong desire to watch re-runs of Agent 86 battling KAOS. Sorry about that, Chief.

I think I am just latching on to a memorable moment of my past instead of forging ahead into an unknown future. The last time I watched Get Smart it was 1972 and I was sitting in Shawn Robbin's living room smoking a Marlboro with Bob Picher. It was a moment of bliss - no job, no responsibilities, and no cares...and loving it!

Ah yes, the old reminiscing about the past to get through the future trick. That's the 2nd time I fell for that this week!

Okay, so I won't buy the DVD collection, but I'll probably rent a copy from Blockbuster. In the meantime, I am going to take a walk in the woods. There's an epiphany waiting for me somewhere out there and at the beach I missed it by that much!

What I Did on My Summer Vacation

I know we're creeping up on Thanksgiving, but this week is my Summer vacation. So here is what I did today:

* Slept in until 8:00. Had the alarm clock turned off and awoke instead to Nathaniel yelling, "Papa!"

* Skipped brushing my teeth, didn't shave and never showered. Wore the same shirt I had on yesterday; I did change my underwear.

* Sat and ate Fruit Loops with Nathaniel. We grouped the loops into colors and counted how many we had in each scoop before chowing down. Jakers has his limitations, but "purple..one, two, free" was his battle cry.

* Deposited a couple of checks in the bank. When I walked in the teller asked if she could help me. I told her she could and that I would like to make a deposit and get a new debit card. "I can deposit the checks, but you'll have to talk to someone else about the debit card." So much for helping me.

* Took Truffle to K-Mart to buy a bag of dog food. I had every intention of sticking to a list of dog food, baby formula and milk. An hour later I walked out with $200 worth of crap including matching pajamas for the kids, 2 movies and a box of animal crackers.

* Made baloney and cheese sandwiches for Keyla and me. We chatted over lunch and I explained to Keyla how shopping makes me depressed. To make myself feel better I buy a lot of stuff I had no intention of getting when I walked in the store. The next day after realizing I just blew a wad of money slated for a bill, I return to feeling blue.

* Watched the movie "Cars" with Nathaniel and Ayva. We made a tent with blankets and a card table and sat inside. I dozed off about halfway through, but Nathaniel brought me back by wacking me on the head with a flashlight.

* Worked on editing a few photos I took in Florida. There are a couple of awesome bird shots and a few closeups of an alligator. Julie and I floated within a paddle's length of a sunbathing gator to get a nice eyeshot. I hadn't intended to get that close, but I wasn't paying attention. Julie was giving me the Laura Petrie, "R-o-b" as I hung out of the canoe with the camera.

* Sat down with a glass of cold milk and a handful of mint Oreo cookies. Still haven't brushed my teeth.

* Laid down for a 30 minute nap. Felt like kindergarten all over again.

* Took a photo of the kids in their new Sesame Street PJs with Amma Juls.

* Said a prayer to thank God for such a wonderful day, my family and all that He has given me. I am blessed.

New Moon Rising

I go away for a couple of days, forget to vote and the whole Congress gets turned upside down. Sorry about that President Bush, but I really did need a vacation. I hope I get to keep my tax cut.
Do you really think the Democrats will work with President Bush to move any part of his agenda forward? How about buying into the President's claim that he will embrace the Democratic leadership?

Nancy Pelosi has referred to the President as an idiot and a liar. Today, President Bush offered Ms. Pelosi the services of a Republican interior decorator for her new office. I don't recall a similar offer to Denny Hastert, so the comment struck me as quite sexist. My guess is if these two are to get along they'll have to do more than kiss and make up.

I'm not vying for a new scandal, but they may want to french kiss and make up. For the good of America they need to be deeply committed to doing what is best for the country and a patriotic tryst just might work.

If Clinton's infidelity fired up the Republicans, and Foley's sexually overt predatory emails energized the Democrats, does logic dictate that a bipartisan extra-marital affair would unify the country?

Okay, so this might be a little extreme. Maybe tea and crumpets in the White House Rose Garden would be a good start. I think I'll drop a line to my newly elected Independent Senator, Joe Lieberman, to see if he can broker the deal.

Keep a watch on C-SPAN!

We'll Be Right Back!

Letters from the Moon is shutting down for a couple of days so I can spend some time with the Birthday Girl - Julie. We're going to Florida to sit on the beach for 3 days. We've both committed to doing a whole lot of nothing. I can't wait!

When the Saints Go Marching In

Last night was All Hallows Eve (Halloween), the evening before All Saints Day. We're not talking about a tribute to Archie Manning and a football team, but rather the celebration of a much loftier crew - God's Squad.

Fairway hackers try to mimic Tiger Woods. Phantasy hoopsters pretend to be Lebron James. Me, I am going to see what St. Alfonso had to say about keeping a moral compass. God knows I could use some tips.

Happy All Saints Day - go team go!

Image above St. Anne with the young Virgin Mary.