I'll be here in sunshine or in shadow

Well now, here's the end of it. The summer is practically over this August Friday. Gone are my summer adventures, wasting time doing things on the computer, babysitting some great kids, trying to cook new foods, and me contemplating my summer days. I wish summer could last forever. It won't. I know. With all things considered, I do hope to continue this fun next summer: babysitting, adventuring, playing, cooking, and so much more.

So I hope all of you readers, if there are any, my friends and everyone else who may have come along this blog, I hope you stick around and continue this adventure with me.
In the words of Tennyson in Ulysses and
part of which was spoken by Frasier saying "Goodnight Seattle":

"... Come, my friends,
'Tis not too late to seek a newer world.
Push off, and sitting well in order smite
The sounding furrows; for my purpose holds
To sail beyond the sunset, and the baths
Of all the western stars, until I die.
...

"Tho' much is taken, much abides; and though
We are not now the strength which in old days
Moved earth and heaven; that which we are, we are;
Made weak by time and fate, but strong in will
To strive, to seek, to find, and not to yield."

I'll be here in sunshine or in shadow..

The end is near..

"Well I know that you're in love with him 'cause I saw you dancin' in the gym. You both kicked off your shoes. Man, I dig those rhythm 'n blues.."

Once again for old time's sake

Okay,

"Don't walk, run to Crosswire Motors!"

Muffy sure likes saying Don't walk, run to Crosswire Motors.

Hot Day in Seattle

Clear skies and 96°Fareinheit in Seattle but will be lowering towards the weekend and Monday. Should be partly cloudy/sunny until this time next week.
http://www.komotv.com/weather

Anyways, here's Johnny Cash with 'Ring of Fire' 1986.

I think Johnny Cash is like John Wayne singing. Both are great entertainers.

Love is burning thing and it makes a fiery ring. Bound by wild desires, I fell into a ring of fire.
I fell into burning ring of fire. I went down down down and the flames went higher. And it burn burns burns, the ring of fire, the ring of fire... :) haha..ok.

Later...

"Strolling down a shady lane with your baby mine.."

Chet Atkins on his guitar along with the voices of the Jordainaires perform the classic summer song (once featured on PBS Kids' Arthur) 'In the Good Ol' Summer Time'.



Later now..

'Hard Drive Not Found..'

Within the last few days, I have encountered a problem with turning on my computer. When I push the 'on' button, the Gateway logo stays on while I hear the continual sound of intermittent clicks of my hard drive finding itself.
While I recognize my problem, I am not able to completely fix this problem. After messing around with the innards of this Gateway tower, I have been able to fully turn on this system to save all of the important files and do as much work as I can until this gets fixed.
As I saved and backed up my files but more specifically my endeared Favorites and Links, I felt saddened and sober after looking at these memories (files) and storing them away until another day. It was as if this was my last day on the job and I was packing off to leave for my next job.
Anyways, I hope you'll enjoy your summer. I may not be blogging for some time. So until next time..
( just so you know '...' may mean "I'll never be back whereas '..; means "I'll be back". :)

Danny Boy by Barney Gumble from the Simpsons


From A Life Less Ordinary, Ewan McGregor and Cameron Diaz singing Beyond the Sea


The Beatles with Hello, Goodbye


Johnny Cash singing Ring of Fire


The Beach Boys 1965 with Barbra Ann

Before I Forget

Just a little less than a month ago was the 95th anniversary of the maiden voyage, iceberg collision, and sinking of the RMS Titanic. I don't recall anyone mentioning anything about it but I might as well now before I forget.

Now I have been thinking about 1997 Titanic movie as well as the 1953 version and the playing of "Nearer my God to Thee", the song believed to have been played by Wallace Hartley and his Titanic band while the ship was almost sunk. Quite powerful indeed, and his famous quote used in the 1997 movie:

"Gentlemen, it has been a privilege playing with you
tonight."

Many lives were lost and their stories of love, anger, hate,
business, richness, and humbleness; all portrayed in books, songs, movies.
So here is that clip from the 1997 movie of the Titanic band playing "Nearer My God to Thee."



Later...

One week ago Friday

Sorry I haven't posted for a week. It has been a long yet a short one; a hard one yet an easy one. Normal sunny afternoon -actually evening in Seattle. Friday and I'm bored out of my mind even though I have some work to do which I'm not doing. All my feelings in a few sentences.
Anyways, there are going to be some changes here in my spot and you'll notice them soon enough.
NBC Nightly News and ABC's World News were great and you should watch NN's netcast on MSNBC.com and WN's webcast at ABCNews.com. Nightly News's studio is being redone and according to Brian, they'll be ready by winter. Seems like a long time. I wonder how long it took to makeover ABC's WNT studio with Peter.
Remember Celine Dion and "Elvis"'s duet on American Idol. I liked it and the song, so here.



Have a great weekend.

This TGI Friday in Seattle

Sorry I haven't posted for a week now, although I probably nobody even reads this. Summer feels like it's coming in soon; and you can feel the Sun's ray of warmth agreeing. With people mowing their lawns and tending their gardens, planning July vacations, hearing baseball games on the radio, and seeing kids out playing in the streets and in the woods, you know summer will be on its way soon.
Anyways, it's a regular Friday afternoon here in the Puget Sound/Seattle area. Friday's traffic around the highways has started and is slowing people down as they try to head home. If I were a local news anchor, I'd be able to better show you the local atmosphere with it's clouds, sun, traffic, and people's faces showing their Friday feelings.

Photo from Chas Redmond flickr.com

Usually I get off the bus early but today I was last and I was able to better see the regular Seattle traffic as my friends head on home. And we were listening to Radio Disney and a song that shows the feelings of this local commute atmostphere in Puget Sound and across the nation, came on.

This is how we live in America with our cars commuting on highways and bi-ways; this song tells all.


It's Friday; TGIF. Have a great weekend...

Day of Mourning

Last night on ABC's World News, Charlie Gibson introduced a short memorial slideshow of the victims killed by the boy with a troubled mind in Virginia Tech. I thought it was quite moving.
Tonight World News' Persons of the Week are the killed students of Virginia Tech. Today was an official day of mourning in Virginia and people are displaying their suppport by wearing the VT's colors of maroon and orange. This morning on "Good Morning America", Diane Sawyer and Robin Roberts were wearing maroon/orange in support; I've been wearing orange today too.
Be sure to read "When the Networks Do the Right Thing" on ABCNews.com .
Today was also the eighth anniversary of Columbine. Ironic but the troubled boy probably wanted it like that.
Anyways...
Later

For Whom the Bell Tolls

"No man is an island, entire of itself; every man is a piece of the continent, a
part of the main. If a clod be washed away by the sea, Europe is the less, as
well as if promontory were, as well as if a manor of thy friend's or of thine
own were. Any man's death diminishes me, because I am involved in mankind; and
therefore never send to know for whom the bell tolls; it tolls for thee."

Last night ABC aired a special edition of "Primetime" with Diane Sawyer and Chris Cuomo. And the rich and heartfelt notes from the trumpet playing during transitions was courteous to the moment and the feelings across the nation and around the world.



Killer Seung Cho-Hui had a troubled mind. He was one the many killed on April 16 but he himself was a victim of his own doing and I cannot place his name with the names of those killed in this tragedy, which I believe have been revealed and the grieved family and friends notified.

These are the names of the victims killed in the massacre at Virginia Tech:

Ryan Clark

Emily Hilscher

Ross Abdallah

Jamie Bishop

Brian Bluhm

Rachael Hill

Jarret Lane

Minal Panchal

Erin Peterson

Michael Steven Pohle, Jr.

Matt La Porte

Julia Pryde

Austin Cloyd

Henry Lee

Mary Karen Read

Jocelyne Couture-Nowak

Reema Samaha

Waleed Shalaan

G. V. Loganathan

Daniel Perez Cueva

Liviu Libreschu

Kevin Granata

Partahi Lumbantoruan

Leslie Sherman

Matthew Gwaltney

Lauren McCain

Maxine Turner

Nicole Regina White

Dan O'Neil

Juan Ortiz

Jeremy Herbstritt

Caitlin Hammaren .

It is they for whom the bell of sadness tolls.

In Wake of the Virginia Tech Tragedy

Sorry I haven't been able to blog for several days now. So much has been happening in the news and the tragedy and feelings of grief upon all of everyone in America and the world right now.

I'm sure you know what you want to know of the Virginia Tech massacre so I won't repeat it again.
It was this morning that we learned the killer was Cho Seung-Hui and students were said to say he was known as a "loner."
I just can't understand why this had to happen but all I can do is pray for the family and friends of the dead.



In this tragedy, were stories of courage and comfort. I'm sure you know that Facebook was used as a means of communication between isolated students.
What I don't like about this tragedy is how people are trying to politicize the shootings and how it could have been prevented by increasing or decreasing the right to carry weapons. Idiots all of them, making darn politics out of sadness.

This week is a week full of history and has so many differences and similarities between then and now:
April 15 1961: the Bay of Pigs invasion occurred and ended on unsuccessfully on April 19.
April 15 1989: Students held demonstrations in the Tiananmen Square protests.
April 18 1906: Major earthquake in San Francisco resulting in a large death toll.
April 19 1993: the Waco Siege with David Koresh ended after 51 days.
April 20 1999: Two teenagers killed 13 other persons in the Columbine High School shooting.

Last night I was watching "World News With Charles Gibson". Charlie usually ends with "I hope you've had a good day..." but last night he ended "I wish I could say it's been a good day; it hasnt..."
Tonight Charlie is reporting from Virginia, be sure to watch him.
You can see excerpts of this on ABC News Now which is presently reairing it intermittently. Click on the link on the front page of ABC News.

We must think to realize that Cho Seung-Hui was a person with feelings and a heart but made a hurting choice that resulted in this.
We must also remember that those killed in this tragedy are humans and they had families and they deserve the right to rest in peace, without politics.
Here is a photo slideshow from ABCNews.com of those killed.

It's a sunny yet hard and rough evening here in Seattle but the sorrow and grief from across the nation in Blacksburg, Virginia can be felt everywhere today and in the days to come.

To the families and friends of those killed at Virginia Tech, all I can say is this verse from the Book of Numbers.

I Almost Forgot; It's Good Friday

Well now I just realized I said TGIF but I didn't leave you guys a song for the weekend. I was thinking of "Yesterday", "When I'm 64" and their many different arrangements and performers, mainly the Beatles.

However, I decided not so. I could give other classic pop songs some other time.
I don't think this song is the full version I know but it's the best I can find on YouTube. So here's Elvis Presley with "How Great Thou Art."



Have a Good Friday and a great Easter Weekend.

Lot's of updates/Seattle afternoon

In the News:
The British sailors taken captive by the Iranians spoke out today and talked about their "confessions" which were actually forced statements. Now the Iranians are saying the words spoken today by the British sailors were dictated. Hmph... What do the Iranians who took the British sailors think? We're not stupid. On the same subject, I think about what I would do if the same thing that happened to the sailors happened to me. Would I outright refuse to lie or would I go along with the captors and do what they say? And somehow, I think of Johnny English and the exciting scene in Westminster Abbey.

Anyways...
Here are some videos of things being talked about on the 'Net. First is Bill O'Reilly and his very fiery and angry shouting match with his colleague Geraldo Rivera on Bill's show in FOX "News" or "Faux Noise". They were fighting over the causes and faults in the story of a drunken illegal alien that killed a young girl.



Now this next video is of a guy bowling with and spinning a ball spare, if that's what it's called:



Finally are two NBC News reports, this first one from the Today Show. The last video is a great report from NBC Nightly News about the American Idol "Sanjaya phenomenon."
Speaking of this Sanjaya phenomenon, this is a joke from Jimmy Kimmel on "Jimmy Kimmel Live":

"[Sanjaya Malakar] is still in the running and there seems to be a lot of
outrage about this. Some people are saying it’s because of a website that
encourages people to vote for the worst singer, and I hope not. I don't like
that. This is not a joke. We are voting for American Idol here... I mean, I
know it was funny when we re-elected President Bush, but this is serious."

It's TGIF and a wonderful sunny afternoon in Seattle with the current temp. at 77°F.
Have a great weekend..

Really Mad

You know, I'm really mad at this "seanlover5678" idiot :@. Therefore to release my anger, here's a song conveying my feelings on the matter. Just play the player on the right. Go ahead and sing along.

Boring Sunday

For the first time in a long time, I have been bored on a Sunday. *sigh* Sundays in Seattle. Usually on Sundays I have a lot of work to do, but not today. The sun is shining down on Seattle and the grass and trees are responding by slightly waving around. The sky is mostly cloudy but you can tell there is blue behind it. Then there's the buzzing sound of a lawn mower. I haven't heard that sweet buzzing sound in a long time. Someone is always mowing their lawn whenever I'm bored, as if a lawn mower and my boredome were adherent.

It's also opening day for the Mariners tomorrow.

Anyways, I'm planning on starting something new here. A special series involving an important issue to schoolkids in private and public schools across the nation will begin this week. More later...

It's April 1st

Happy April Fool's Day!

Feeling Sober (as in sad)

Once again, I am quite sorry that we (I) haven't posted in quite a while. (I mean seriously, my colleagues) Anyways, yesterday on the Today Show, the Teletubbies crew made an appearance. I thought it was rather interesting so here's a video.

When you were a small, little kid, did you ever make an imaginary spaceship that took you to the moon? Well I was taking out the trash and when I looked in the recycle bin, I saw my cardboard spaceship my brother and I made together. We made it out of a Gateway computer box and painted green spots here and there and rightly called it "the CowJumper." I think it had something to do with the cow that jumped over the moon and since Gateway boxes were white with black spots, like cows. Farewell dear spaceship. I had fond memories of traveling to the moon and meeting strange and funny creatures there. So that ends an era of space travel to the moon for my brother and I.

Also on a sober note, (I don't know if I should be talking about this). Have you ever been able to know your great-grandmother? I have known my great-grandmother.
You see, I'm from New York and I have a lot of relatives there and in the Philippines. Hmm, haven't told you I'm a New Yorker. Anyways, I've visited her in both places. And now, well... : (
She passed away a week or two ago. May God bless her.