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Still no internet service coming up on day 5. AT&T says they'll have me blazing tomorrow. In the interim a mini post from the treo must do. I tried to blog from a NYC hotel last night with a photo of the falling snow in Times Square but they had run out of user capacity on the server. Unbelievable!

Out of Service

I don't drink.
I don't smoke.
I don't do drugs.

But I do blog and when my internet access is interrupted I break out in hives.

I'm posting now through the miracle of a Treo Palm phone but the hunt & peck typing is a killer. Plus I have no idea how to add a photo.

AT&T will be making a service call tomorrow. In the meantime I'm filling up my journal.

Grace in Suffering

MICHAEL J. (JACK) CROSS COLCHESTER — Michael J. (Jack) Cross, 43, died in his home on Sunday, Jan. 21, 2007.

Julie's cousin died on Sunday night after a short battle with cancer. He was a young man.

Earlier this Summer his Aunt Jane asked if there was anything she could do for him? He responded by saying he wanted to see all of his relatives one more time. Jane organized a family reunion on short notice and we were all blessed to be part of a wonderful day.

"Dear God, thank you for giving Jack the time needed to be with those he loved. We are all angels in waiting, Lord. Bringing Jack back into our lives gave many of us a chance to recognize the tremendous love shared within the Cross Family. As with your love, this can never be taken away. For this we are grateful. God, please bless Jack and give him safe haven on his journey to eternal life."

Right to Life

I participated in the Right to Life March yesterday in Washington, D.C. It was a wonderful experience and nothing like I thought it might be based on news clips from the past.

There were no religious zealots condemning the rest of the world, and no pro-abortionist taunting me from the sidelines. In fact I didn't see a single anti-protester the whole day.

Not that I wasn't ready. I had a dream the night before that while I was marching on The Mall an anarchist confronted me. In the spirit of Simon Peter, I kicked the shit out of him betraying all my Christian values. Thank God that never happened; I would have embarrassed the entire movement.

No, there were just peaceful people marching politely down 4th Street and up Constitution Avenue on their way to the Supreme Court to say a Hail Mary. How much of a dog would you have to be to pick a fight with a guy saying the Hail Mary?

I got a feeling there are a lot of common misconceptions in life perpetuated by news that is told the wrong way. Check out the little quiz on abortion posted on the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops website. You might be surprised at what you know to be true.

No Need to Go it Alone

If you ever thought your relationship with God was just your own, do yourself a favor and attend the National Prayer Vigil for Life at the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception in Washington, D.C. You'll have thousands of prayer buddies!

On Sunday night, the notion of the "communion of saints" couldn't have been clearer to me. 7,000 of the nicest people you could ever hope to meet stood together for 3 and 1/2 hours to celebrate life and the Eucharist. When I say stand I mean it literally. There were 2 times as many people in the giant Basilica as there were seats.

Some people were standing in the stairways and hallways leading into the church. They didn't see a thing, but stayed the night. I didn't hear a single person complain, and no one left early. There was such a raucous applause at the end of the Mass I thought the organist was going to play an encore.

Kindred souls content to be with one another in the presence of the Lord. It was a glorious evening.

Years of the Winged Jewel

We hosted a surprise party for my mother today to celebrate 80 years of good living. So much love and laughter and many tears of joy. Our family is blessed to have such a loving and caring mother, grandmother and friend.

Years of the Winged Jewel

by

Jeanne L. Mullen

Like the hummingbird, she brings beauty, strength and sustenance to our lives

With the ruby light she moves in constant flight

Observing flowering color and form

Soaring and diving she inhales the energy and nectar of live

Searching sites she works to create her own destiny and that of others

Blessed with tenacity and perseverance she forever guards herself and her generation of offspring against the larger threats

With beating wings and blessed heart, she continues the miles of travel through life's journey

Providing all with a template of a fulfilling life:

Of love for one another

Of care for the beauty of the valuable earth

Of seeking connection with other beating wings and hearts

And of zest for life and its journeys.

We love you, Hummingbird

Happy Birthday

Sunshine and Daydreams

I was in New York City today and while on the subway I read an article in The Daily News about a homeless man who is being sued for $1,000,000. The elderly hobo camps outside of a posh antique store on Madison Avenue in the vicinity of Gucci's and he has made the sidewalk his private bedroom, bathroom and wet bar. Occasionally he has friends over for a party. As you can imagine, the patrons think "The Preacher" is quite vile and besides he doesn't know a damn thing about 1800's Biedermeier mantle clocks.

I've always had my suspicions that some of these guys make a pretty good buck standing on the street corner, but a $1,000,000? You know the homeless just can't catch a break. A guy finds a nice neighborhood, a warm subway grate and plenty of prospects who are absolutely loaded and boom....he gets sued. I guess nobody wants competitors poaching from their customer list.

There are a lot of street people in New York. Just as many in Chicago. And tons more in San Francisco. There are homeless people everywhere.

It's sad really. I can't imagine anyone chooses the life of a hobo. When I walk by I see alcoholics, drug addicts, and the mentally ill. Broken human beings scavenging through the city looking to make it through another day. Some are nothing more than animals. Others are people I know. People you know.

But somewhere in the past there was a little boy playing with friends in a schoolyard. There was a mom hugging her son as she tucked him into bed. There was a moment of sunshine and daydreams when it was good just to be alive.

Someone had asked "The Preacher" if he thought about getting off the streets. He said he did but had no place to go as his family was all gone. He might be right. Where would you go if you had no one to love or no one to love you?

God bless the homeless, and bring them another moment of sunshine and daydreams soon.

Memorex

I've been thinking lately about some of my favorite people, places and things - all proper nouns. This is part of a post-concussion exercise to make sure I can remember the pleasant things in my life. They say all your memories will flash before your eyes on your deathbed. If that is true, I want to make sure my mind is fully loaded with all the good stuff.

Here are five things I wouldn't mind seeing - other than Jesus - on my deathbed:

1. My Dad


2. Tara - childhood dog


3. A nice pair of tits


4. Homer Simpson


5. My 1st Little League uniform

If I could have one last thought it would be of my first date with Julie. I was 15 and she but 13 when we rode our bikes out to Shelburne Farms and back. Julie pedaled her 10 speed racer while I followed her for 7 miles on a Schwinn no speed bicycle built for the 4th of July parade - it looked awesome with red, white and blue streamers.

She was so beautiful I would have followed her for 50 miles. We were young and innocent with no bad intentions between us. No heavy petting, no making out, just the giddiness of love. We were happy to be together. Soul mates.

That's a nice thought. I'm going to keep it.

Tough Love

Have you ever loved someone so much you just wanted to crush them?

There are times when words just aren't enough. Everybody says "luv ya" today. Sometimes too frequently. People toss the phrase around like saying gesundheit after a sneeze. Once in awhile it rings a little hollow.

Maybe our fathers had it right by keeping a tight lip on the love stuff. If you are a baby boomer you probably remember the first time your dad said I love you in the same way you remember where you were when JFK was shot - it only happened once. Think of the anxiety Pops went through just to stumble over three little words. You have got to know it was sincere!

But what if you can't say the words? Not because of any emotional fears, but just because you don't yet have the vocabulary. Nathaniel fits into this category. At 2 years old he can mimic most words, but we still have to coach him through the love ("la-v, Jakers, not lubb").

He gives me hugs, and he yells out, PAPA! Lately he'll even offer a kiss. Good enough for me.

But not good enough for him. Saturday he really wanted me to know how much he loves me, so in a moment of excitement he jumped off the coffee table onto my head.

I was laying on the floor in the TV room watching the Colts and Ravens game when a 40 pound human brick dropped on my noggin. At first I thought he had shattered my teeth the impact was so hard. But no blood, no foul. I did suffer blurred vision, a 2 day headache and nausea - a classic concussion.

Realizing he had just decommissioned his best friend for the weekend, Nathaniel gave me a hug and asked, "Papa, okay?" I took that for an "I love you".

There is a physical side to love - pat on the back, bear hug, kisses, warm embrace and yes, a slug in the head.

When I was in 2nd grade my best friend was my neighbor, Bobby Giroux. We giggled at everything, did mostly nothing and always wanted to be together. When we saw each other we'd bounce off one another like super balls on the pavement.

One summer day, in a moment of passion, Bobby hauled off and punched me right in the face. I grabbed him by the shirt and threw him head first into the sidewalk. We both ran home crying.

Mrs. Giroux got us together later that same day to try to figure out what had happened between us. It turned out we just really liked each other a lot and didn't know how else to express ourselves.

So, Nathaniel, I know how you feel and I love you, too. Come back and watch the Patriots with me on Sunday. I'll wear my mouth guard.

Love,

Papa Moon

Under Attack

If President Bush is unsure how to deploy enough troops to canvas Iraq he should interview the CEO of the Girl Scouts of USA. 2.7 million strong, the Girl Scouts have the country under siege with their cookie campaign.

This week I was hit with email request at work (moms got in early to be the first to send out an email blast), a reminder in the weekly church bulletin, a mom and daughter hanging out a stop light hawking boxes (drove the "work for food" guy back to the homeless shelter), and twins greeting me inside the local Stop & Shop (they have a future at Wal Mart). I was afraid to go out this weekend for fear of having to say "no" to some cute little girl pedaling Thin Mints.

Despite some brilliant logistical moves on my part, we still wound up with a carton of Samoas and Peanut Butter Patties. A neighborhood scout got behind enemy lines and asked my wife if she wanted to buy a couple of boxes. You can never say no to the girl next door even at $4 bucks a box. Damn, those cookies are good!

Initiation

The day comes for all of us when you've got to step it up and join the fray. Nathaniel is progressing at light speed and today he earned a couple of stripes.

Anyone who has been to Julie's Kitchen for a pancake breakfast knows, if you can't catch you can't eat! Jakers botched the first griddle cake, but snagged the next two. The boy was hungry.

I think he's about ready to start fielding grounders, but we're going to have to work on keeping his eyes open.

Keep on Rockin' in the Free World

I haven't blogged all week and I haven't seen the grand kids in two - today I'm doing both!

The nice thing about having children around the house for a 2nd time is you get to pull out all the old junk you saved for "the children's children". The day has finally arrived, and Ayva and Nathaniel are knocking down the tunes on the Casio keyboard.

Our own kids are tone deaf, but hey we tried. I can't figure out if Nathaniel or Ayva have any skills yet because they keep pounding on the same note. Keyla has a lot of musical talent in her family, so we're pulling for the Heisson gene pool to win this battle.

Doe, a deer, a female deer...

Incomplete

32 bowl games later and the college football season is finally over ; the Senior Bowl doesn't count. The Championship Game stunk! Ohio State had a chance start and finish the season number 1 in the polls, but Florida dominated everything but the opening kick-off.

The Rose Bowl, Granddaddy of Them All (mandatory saying), wasn't any better. USC blew out Michigan eliminating any debate that Michigan was the 2nd best team in the country. In fact, given Wisconsin's win over Arkansas in the Capital One Bowl, you might argue that the Buckeyes and Wolverines weren't even 1 and 2 in the Big Ten. Wisconsin finished 12-1.

Notre Dame didn't belong in the Sugar Bowl; LSU owns New Orleans. The Orange Bowl was destined to failure following on the heals of what some have called the greatest college bowl game in history - Boise State's upset of Oklahoma in the Fiesta Bowl.

These weren't the wishbone Sooners of Bud Wilkerson, and even the Boise Booster Club wasn't plunking down a bet on the Broncos (who?). But 22 points in the last 86 seconds of the game, a hook'n ladder touchdown, an overtime comeback, the Statue of Liberty extra point and an undefeated rookie coach had the common man calling for a "Hoosier-like" champion.

But Hoosiers was a basketball movie, and Boise State plays NCAA football. Only in college football can you finish the year undefeated and wind up in 2nd place...or 5th. I think it is time to bag the bowls and bring on the playoff system. Let the boys settle it between the lines.

What's My Line?

• I am 1 of 12,000,000 of these in America.


• I am a white male.


• I am under 30 years old.


• I am a suburbanite.


• I do this from home.


• I use a pseudonym.


• I use a laptop.


• I have a broadband connection.


• I own a cellphone and digital camera.


• I get my news from the Internet.


• I spend 2 hours a week on my hobby.


• I am inspired by personal experience.


• I am not a journalist.


• I don't stick to a schedule.


• I don't do this for money.

Shining Star

"The star which they had observed at its rising went ahead of them until it came to a standstill over the place where the Child was." –Matthew 2:9

Today was Epiphany Sunday, or the end of the Christmas Season. During the 11 o'clock Mass at The Cathedral of St. Joseph in Hartford, soprano Bonnie Pepper sang an African-American spiritual song titled, "Rise Up Shepherd and Follow". Sung right after Communion, Bonnie's rendition was so beautiful it brought on tears and applause; quite unusual during a Catholic Mass. It was a wonderful ending to weeks of preparation and celebration.

Hold the Pickles Please

I don't spend a lot of Saturday mornings at the Mall, but yesterday some of the post Christmas clothing sales were too hard to pass up. 50% off plus a coupon got you a pair of wool dress slacks for under $40. That's a good deal, isn't it?

Well, after trying on 10 pair of pants and rummaging through piles of marked down shirts, I was ready for lunch. Juls and Jess were going through a similar buying spree on the floor above me and both agreed a good burger was in store. We took our new found savings (how does spending money turn into a savings?) to Red Robin for a gourmet burger.

We could have opted for McDonald's or Burger King. Both have dollar menus and for under $10 the three of us could have had an all-American lunch - cheeseburger, fries and a Coke.

But Red Robin has real food including lean ground beef, fresh vegetable toppings and hearty steak fries. Burgers alone cost $8 and up, but there is a world of difference. Just look at the description on the menu for their classic burger:

RED ROBIN GOURMET CHEESEBURGER - The original… and also the one upon which we have built our fame! Garnished with crisp lettuce, tomatoes, pickles, onions, mayo & Red’s pickle relish. You choose your favorite cheese: Cheddar, American, Swiss, Monterey Jack, Bleu, Provolone or Pepper-Jack.

Even if Burger King gives it to me my way, I don't think they can replicate the Gourmet Burger never mind the 5 Alarm, Guacamole or Banzai Burger. McDonald's "special sauce" has been reverse engineered in every kitchen in America. They got nothing!

So we each ordered a specialty burger, steak fries and a drink. I know this sounds suspiciously like the all-American lunch you can buy at McDonald's or Burger King, but believe me if you read the menu there is no comparison. Look at what Jessica ordered:

WHISKEY RIVER® BBQ BURGER - Basted with our patented Whiskey River® BBQ Sauce and lasso’d together with Cheddar cheese, crispy onion straws, lettuce, tomato & mayo.

20 minutes after ordering, an attractive and bubbly young lady brought a tray of food to our table. "Who ordered the plain cheeseburger?" she said.

$38 for a cheeseburger, fries and a drink. That's a good deal isn't it?

Imperfections

I read a press release on Tuesday from the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologist (ACOG) that I just can't get out of my mind - New Recommendations for Down Syndrome Call for Screening of All Pregnant Women. According to the press release, "the goal is to offer screening tests with high detection rates and low false positive rates that also provide patients with diagnostic testing options if the screening test indicates that the patient is at an increased risk for having a child with Down syndrome."

The article mentions different testing methodologies, the timing of each through the 2nd ("mid")trimester and recommends that all women regardless of age be tested. Conventional wisdom of yesteryear suggested only women over 35 be tested as they were deemed to be in a higher risk category of delivering an over-chromosomed baby. The extra chromosome produces the retards of the world.

So as I read the press release a question was lurking in the back of my mind - if the test come back positive, then what?

I know the answer.

But what I really wanted was for the same folks who advocate testing for Downs to be honest enough to list what people do as a result of the testing. You can do your own research, but some references I have seen suggest 80-90% of pregnancies diagnosed with a Downs baby are terminated. Sounds like they don't offer many options.

If you look up the definition of the word retard you'll find "a person of subnormal intelligence"; the emphasis on person is my own. I just can't separate the syndrome from the individual. The photo above is not one of a retard. It's a picture of my friend Christopher with his dad, John.

I often wonder where it stops. As science improves and more moms-to-be get tested we'll have fewer and fewer Christophers. I guess he has a few imperfections, but then again none of my kids went to Yale.

If this is all about weeding out the weak links in the search of perfection, what comes next? It's Downs Syndrome today, but what will it be tomorrow?

Jakers, Who is This Dude?

Nathaniel, I haven't had a chance to talk to you in awhile. I hope you had a Merry Christmas. I got tossed around like a salad for 3 days and people gave me a budgillion presents. I don't even know some of the people who gave me stuff, but I love the hugs!

Papa Moon said you got a set of drums from Santa. My Daddy has a guitar and promised to teach me how to play it once I start walking. I'll call you and we can jam together. Does Ayva know how to sing?

See you soon,

Cousin Hank

Over 50 Health Tips

I was listening to talk radio on the way to NH today and stumbled upon a show dedicated to health issues and non-prescription solutions to address what ails you. The topic of the day was colon cleansing and they used two American icons to illustrate the need to blow out the bowels - Elvis Presley and John Wayne.

Supposedly Elvis' heart stopped because his backed up digestive tract had shut down. Similarly, John Wayne had 40 pounds of impacted feces in his colon when he died. According to the radio host, The Duke was truly full of shit.

It was an interesting discussion until a woman called in to ask if her light brown feces was a sign of toxins at which point I scanned the dial for Rush Limbaugh (although he's full of shit too). Some stuff is best left between a patient and the doctor. In the military a security clearance was based on "your need to know"; the color of a woman's poop is something I never need to know.

I did do some research tonight on the whole cleansing thing and it turns out that most doctors think the impacted fecal matter theory is just a load of...er, a bunch of...well, crap. So what else can we do to stay healthy after 50?

It turns out there is plenty you can do to proactively add years to your life. Some examples include flossing, having sex 3 times a week, and increasing the time spent with friends. Sounds great except for the dental floss. Other positive intake items that have an impact on cardiac and cancer odds include daily cups of java, a sip or two of red wine and eating fish regularly. Okay, I'll give it a try, but why can't they come up with a fish that taste like a cheeseburger?

Finally, don't go out and buy a motorcycle. We all want to return to our youth, but squash the Harley dreams as the stats are stacked against you. Motorcycle accident are on the rise in the U.S. with 4,553 deaths reported in 2005. Care to guess which age group made up the majority of the fatalities? Correct, ages 45-54.

Rent a copy of Easy Rider, have a glass of wine and a rumble in the sack...and don't forget to floss your teeth. You'll live a little longer.

Happy New Year!

Welcome 2007, and best wishes to our family and friends. We love you all!

The Mullens