I See What You Meme

What a week! It's hard to believe that last week at this time, we were all oblivious to the crazy events that would unfold.  First there was the earth-shattering news of the Boston Marathon bombings on Monday, followed closely by the Ricin-laced envelopes sent to President Obama and a Mississippi Senator.  Then, a fertilizer factory in West, Texas decimated a tiny town with barely 2700 people.  While we were trying to take all of this in, Boston was shut down for essentially two days as events we previously only witnessed in Jason Bourne movies played out on our television sets.  By the end of the week, my friends and I were emotionally exhausted and we were not even living in the cross-hairs of all this drama. We were merely spectators of unspeakable and unimaginable tragedy. When tragedy strikes, it is easy to think of everything that has gone wrong. You think of the sadness, the senseless violence. You think of lives that were changed in an instant.  I fo...

I look forward to listening to my podcasts every week.  During my time in the car, I catch up on a variety of news programs with topics ranging from the arts and culture to politics and religion.   I have learned so much from the Planet Money team . If you haven't checked out their stories on NPR or the stories they do in conjunction with the PRI program This American Life , you are missing out.  Planet Money covers topics from "Should we use a dollar bill or coin?" to "How did the United States get into a housing crisis?" With their stories, I have gained new insight into topics that are barely brushed over in most other media outlets.  One of the most important things I have learned is that any  current problem our country is experiencing related to money is complicated.  There is no quick fix. There is no easy answer. Yes, most of the causes of monetary problems come down to greed. However, finding a solution that works for everyone without major di...

What a week this is turning out to be! It started on Monday with Vance and Mark in surgery .  Both are doing well. At last report, Vance (the donor) had been released from the hospital.  Mark's body has taken the new kidney very well and he is on the road to recovery.  Thank you to everyone for the kind words and support for our family over the last few days. Of course, Tuesday saw a whole lot of shakin' going on.  The 5.9 earthquake that rocked Virginia (and much of the East Coast) seemed to cause some structural damage around the area but not a lot of injuries. As far as I know, there have been no reported deaths. All is well...for now.  While the quake was quite the jolt for all of us, I am reminded of how blessed we are when I think of those effected by the Japanese quake back in March. This was a minor inconvenience by comparison. There is no rest for the weary, though, because Irene is on her way.  There seemed to be much debate regarding the exact...

My job requires me to drive quite a bit on a daily basis. My time in the car on a given day can range from 60 minutes to almost three hours. I don't mind the driving but I definitely need something to occupy my time. I've tried books on tape (or CD) and I find them distracting. I really just need to READ if I'm going to enjoy a book. I do, however, love listening to podcasts. If you haven't jumped on the podcast bandwagon, this week's Follow Friday is for you!  First of all, if you've never heard of podcasts, they're basically radio shows archived and available for download on iTunes or on various websites. Many podcasts are archived editions of radio shows heard elsewhere. Some have never hit the radio waves but are produced by everyone from celebrities to your average Joe or Jane with a microphone and some basic sound editing equipment. The best thing about subscribing to a podcast in iTunes is that new episodes will download automatically to your comput...

It hasn't even been 12 hours since the verdict was reached in the Casey Anthony murder trial and already the world is in an uproar. If you don't know what's going on, look it up. Go to CNN  or Fox or MSNBC or some news outlet and find out the latest NEWS information on the murder trial of 2011.  Just don't go to Facebook. Twitter is not that different at the moment. I can't say that I'm terribly surprised. Facebook has a way of creating groupthink that is alternately empowering and scary at the same time . It's amazing to post a link to an article or a profound thought or (I don't know...hmm...) a blog and see your words, thoughts or submissions reposted by friends and even strangers.  Social media is a powerful force and I owe much of my support system as well as the success of our foundation to the wonders of the Internet.  At the same time, how many of you have seen this silly meme floating around lately:  "It's official.. signal at 12:2...

I make it a point to stay up to date on current events and international affairs. It just seems like the right thing to do as a citizen of the world. That's why this next blog post is devoted to one of the most important international events in our recent history. Yes, it's all over the news but I think that we can't really devote enough attention to a subject that impacts so many people in our country (not to mention the rest of the world).  Many people have their own opinions so let's take some time to analyze the facts.  What are we going to talk about today? The Royal Wedding!   Yes, that's right. The world is facing major earthquakes, radiation fallout, wars in the Middle East, a global economic crisis, civil wars in Africa, and a host of other issues but all that seems to be important in the mass media is Kate and William's pending nuptials.  To be fair, I love a fairy tale wedding as much as the next person and I think that William and Kate make an...

This week's musings are of a religious nature...inspired by current events. First, this week Pope Benedict made an official declaration that "the Jews were not responsible for killing Jesus."  First of all, I thought we resolved this in 1965 during Vatican II , ( The Sequel: This Time, it's Holier Than Thou) so I'm not really sure why the announcement is "news".  I know that the announcement coincided with the release of the Pope's latest soon to be best-seller Jesus of Nazareth, Part II (Seriously.  Everyone's got to publish these days.) but the more I thought about this bit of news the more it puzzled me.  As Christians, we believe that Jesus came to Earth as God in human form.  Aside from his short but amazing ministry, his primary purpose was to die for the sins of the world.  His death and subsequent resurrection is the tangible symbol of God's everlasting Grace.  Yes, his death was incredibly violent.  Crucifixion is a horrible ...

5 Things I Learned This Week: #1. Artificial intelligence will soon take over the world, as evidenced by Watson the Champion Supercomputer on Jeopardy.  Apparently we should set our calendars for 2045.  This is the date humans become irrelevant, immortal, or both.  Not sure what the Mayan calendar has to say about this.  #2. Artificiality (in all its forms) seems to be where it's at. If you can't compete on a cerebral level, try a corporeal one. Case in point: Camille Grammar's new gig on CNN and The Kardashian-palooza that was (apparently) 2010.  Further proof that Joan Rivers has just been a woman ahead of her time.     #3. Two fascinating men descended upon the Capital of the Confederacy this weekend.  World renowned Picasso exhibit premiered at the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts and Anderson Cooper spoke at the Richmond Forum.  I'm not sure about Cooper's taste in women but apparently Picasso dug the curvy...