Daylight is being Saved

It is here. The annual sleep deprivation event has arrived. A sure sign that Springtime is upon us, which it is!

Yesterday was another sign of Springtime. I noticed the trees full with budding leaves and flowers beginning to bloom.

Last evening as we walked Makayla and Chewie we heard the peepers singing in the not so cold evening.

Allergies are blossoming with the budding trees and flowers. But it is a sign that even with one week remaining, winter's grip is slackening and the world is bursting to life after the dark and cold.

Spring officially begins next Sunday but despite the slowness of the calendar, it is already fully underway.

Tsunami, Earthquake and Japan

I spent most of yesterday appalled by the destruction in Japan from the earthquake and resulting tsunami.

My prayers and thoughts are with the people of Japan as they begin to try to recover from the disaster and bury their dead.

It reminds me how quickly life can change from the routine of the day to terror and disaster. One minute, shopping for a meal at the well stocked grocery store; the next, clawing for life from amid the rubble caused by an earthquake.

I saw the news reports of the wall of water sweeping over the countryside carrying buildings, vehicles, and probably people into the oblivion of destruction. I couldn't stop watching it everytime it was played on TV. It reminded me how fragile the creations of man are when compared against the great forces of nature.

Pray for the people there--who were just going about living until life abruptly changed.  Send aid when you can.

Grand Lady of Space Set to Retire

Discovery Landing March 9, 2011

After 27 years and 39 missions into the fringes of the final frontier--the space shuttle Discovery rolled to a final stop on the Florida runway about midday on Wednesday.

An era ends.

The ABC news story summarizes it pretty well--but being the space head that I am, it still makes me sad that as a country we have so terribly lost our way and mortgaged our future that we cannot continue to lead the discovery of space which has already returned so many benefits to us.

And so, by way of celebrating an era and a good ship, here forom the news item is a summary of some of Discovery's accomplishments:

"Discovery flew both return-to-flight missions after its sister ships, Challenger and Columbia, were lost. It launched the Hubble Space Telescope. It carried John Glenn, one of America's first space pioneers, on his sentimental return to space in 1998. It assembled the first components of the International Space Station. It has flown more times than any other spaceship in history."

And as I stand  under the cloudless night sky and gaze at the points of light that are the stars and the constellations, I continue to wonder if God put them there to taunt us with their distance and difficulty, or to challenge us to praise Him for his magnificance.

Reflecting Daylight Savings Time

With the gloom and storms of the morning promising up to three inches of rain, I was fondly remembering Tuesday morning's blue skies and bright sun which greeted me as I exited the club after my racquetball match.

I was astounded at the clarity of the sky--in the cold dawn light, but I also noted that it was light. The sun (by almost 7 am, had cleared the horizon and was beaming brightly into my eyes.

It was a stunning scene as I drove from the club to work. I knew the sun would be burning into my eyes as I merged onto the already too full expressway which is Maryland Route 32 during the morning rush. But, I was looking forward to it.  Next week daylight savings time resets the morning clocks by an hour and I will not enjoy the morning sun in my eyes again until May.

Yes, yes, I know I will be enjoying the sun longer into the evening and that I won't be grilling dinner by my grill light, but still; being a morning person I enjoy the dawn and the sunlight in the morning , too.

I love the smell of the day breaking over the still slumbering world. Wet with dew and filled with the sound of the birds waking with the dawn. 

I enjoy driving to work with the headlights off and the sun cheering my soul as I begin another day of activities. Some days, I even drive to work with the top down on my car, just because I can.

And so, with the raindrops beating against the window panes, I return to the reality of now and prepare for my day. Not nearly as cheery as I was on Tuesday--but hopeful that the rains will not be nearly as fierce nor as drowning as they could be.

Really? This Much Press for a Bad Boy Actor?

The Charlie Sheen situation has finally driven me to the edge of my patience.

I am tired of hearing on the news about this spoiled, rich, self-appointed Adonis actor who has an untreated drug problem and currently is getting more press than the war in Libya that is driving our gas prices into the stratosphere.

There!

He got fired for being an embarrassment. An embarrassment to himself, his family, the people who employed him and to humanity.

People lost their jobs and now the people who were trying to work with him and protected him for a long time are being vilified.

It is all very sick.

The news has been transformed again from what is happening in the world, to what sells.  And actors being bad, sells.

One college newspaper tells the story as follows:

"Pot, cocaine, heroine, crack and meth don't seem to be doing it for the average drug-user anymore. Always looking for the newest and greatest, a new drug has just hit the scene and seems to be the only drug of choice these days.


The drug is called Charlie Sheen. It can be snorted, smoked or injected intravenously. It has become extremely popular among high school and college students and is now the most common drug at UCCS.


When on the drug, students have described a feeling of "winning." The effects of Charlie Sheen resemble the symptoms of bipolar disorder. As such, users experience extreme bouts of winning on either end of the spectrum. It also renders users capable of curing diseases with their brains."

The whole Charlie Sheen 15 minutes of fame needs to run its course and be done and fade into a distant memory and be forgotten.

Spring Training Excitement

I guess upstate NY got hammered by snow this weekend and I'm thinking about being at Spring Training.  In less than two weeks, I am heading off to Sarasota to view two games and get really ready and into a baseball state of mind. (Yes, that is Florida with a capital "F")

I was watching the Orioles play the Yankees in my first televised Orioles game of the season from Spring Training last night.

I was looking over the stadium intently--and it looks very intimate. They set an attendance record with just over 8,000 people. Sadly, the game ended in a tie--a 0-0 tie. But is was baseball and the Yankees didn't win!

 Ties are allowed during Spring Training which makes the game interesting.

I could almost imagine the smell of the sultry warmth of the west coast of Florida in the evening and the smell of the grass of the stadium, and maybe even some flying bugs just to make things interesting.

It has to be better than getting into Kitty last night to go to men's group only to find the battery dead because it has been almost a month since I drove the car. Very frustrating. I just need to drive the beast a bit more. Ugh.

I also heard the dreaded "S" word used in the weather forecast for the weekend. No accumulation, just flurries. I am still hoping that the season is going to change over soon and we will begin seeing temperatures sustained in the 60's and above.

It is almost here--I can feel it.

Monday Musings - March 7, 2011

1. March is already a week old? What happened to February, did we lose it somewhere in a snowstorm?

2. The rains of this past weekend should really get off to a great start. Coupled with the moderate temperatures we should be mowing in a few weeks.

3. Paul Zukerman writes an interesting and thought provoking article titled: "Why Evangelicals Hate Jesus." Take a read--it caused me to pause for a moment and think.


4. Did you read the one about the college basketball player attending BYU who, when asked, admitted to having premarital sex with his girlfriend? He was suspended from the basketball team just before the conference tournament and may be kicked out of school for an honor code violation. My question--OK, yeah he did it and admitted to it. And being suspended from the team is the right thing to do, but there needs to be some mercy here too--we all sin, daily. Perhaps we are just lucky enough not to be breaking BYU's honor code when we do it.

5. Spring training continues to be exciting, and although the O's lost their second game, they do seem to be playing very well and lots of promises seem to be being fulfilled.

6. I watched most all of the four Indiana Jones movies this weekend, as they were playing back-to-back-to-back-to-back on one channel and it was raining all day Sunday.  I'm not sure if I'm proud of this ultimate couch potato achievement or not.  Although, I did ride almost six miles on our exercise bicycle to compensate (I was watching one of the movies as I rode). I think I need a new hat, lol.

7. Here's a thought--I like rain a whole lot more than snow! We received over an inch of rain this weekend--that translates into about 8-10 inches of snow. Any questions? Sorry to my family in upstate NY--you should have taken a short trip for the weekend to avoid the white stuff.

8. As we were driving on Saturday, I noticed crocus and snow drops were blooming on some of the yards in the neighborhood.

9. The birthday party for Jax on Saturday, was also attended by four of the family's dogs--I forgot to mention that Makayla and Chewbacca also were in attendance.

The Celebrations Went on and On

Jax had a great birthday--from all indications.

Blowing Out the Candles

Jeremy, Nicole and Luke at Discovery Zone

Grandma and Luke

On an Adventure in Egypt

It started early and continued into the night as family and friends celebrated the special guy's birthday and the completion of his third year on the planet.

We began as a group at the Discovery Zone with Lucas and his family and spend a fun filled--but at times tense couple of hours. Some of our group forgot the most important thing about group activities--stay in sight and so there was an all out search for one of the guys which ended happily. It was good practice for Disney World which may happen sooner than later it appears.

The actual party was a masterpiece--decorations were themed for Scooby-Doo, Jax's favorite character and an adventure created by Tina and Patrick highlighted the afternoon as the kids searched for clues to discover ,Who stole Jax's presents--complete with ghosts and twists and turns.

The kids had as much fun as the adults did watching them find the presents.

Scooby Cake

We even enjoyed some comic relief as we rounded up some escapees--the dogs decided to go for a stroll.

A great day of fun and celebration.

Happy birthday Jackson.

Jax Turns 3

Jax, the miracle baby turns three today!

Jax

What a ride it has been with this dynamic kid.

He has developed and grown so much during this past year it is hard to express it all.

But mostly--he remains the miracle baby with the straight line of a faint scar on his chest--to remind us all that he is truly a special child of God. And one upon whom many prayers have been said and blessings given.

The coolest thing happened after church last Sunday. Jax and Ethan met in the hallway surrounded by throngs of people--among them Jeremy, Nicole, Lucas, Mike, Nicole, Chris, and me. But when Jax found Ethan--for whom he had been seeking among all of the people there was the most awesome expression of love I have seen in a long time. A true, unabashed hug of two brothers who, thought they can fight like enemies, truly love each other and look out for each other.  I call them, the Haslup Boys.

Happy Birthday Jax--and may you always be blessed more than you realize.

Congressional Reprieve--A Sad Commentary on America

A couple of days ago, Congress passed another continuing resolution. I believe most people in America barely blinked an eye at the passing of the CRA, as it is called.

However, passing the CRA is significant. It allows the government to continue functioning--at least for another two weeks. This year's budget battles represents everything that needs to be fixed in our system.

The government is working without an approved budget. Congress is supposed to approve a budget and forward it to the President for signature and execution.  Sadly, neither the Democratic controlled congress (before January, nor the newly divided congress seems to know how to get through this process.

Here is the rub--the new fiscal year began on October 1, 2010--over five months ago. People forget that if the formerly fully Democratic-controlled Congress had done its job, we would not be in the position of playing partisan politics with the newly Republican-controlled House squared off against the Democratic-controlled Senate and the President.  But, alas, they didn't take their responsibilities seriously enough to put the work and functioning of this great nation ahead of personal politicking.

What is the impact? Inefficiency! In the end there is going to be a huge amount of waste, ineffectively spent fiscal funding, and maybe even a total governmental breakdown.

Article 1 Section 8 of the Constitution begins to define the powers of Congress as follows:
The Congress shall have Power To lay and collect Taxes, Duties, Imposts and Excises, to pay the Debts and provide for the common Defence and general Welfare of the United States; but all Duties, Imposts and Excises shall be uniform throughout the United States;

As this is the first of  about 17 statements regarding what the congress is supposed to be doing, I would surmise that it is fairly important. Without a budget, none of the items listed can be accomplished. Congress is so focused upon internal politics that they are failing to accomplish their Constitutionally mandated mission.

Write your senators and representatives and remind them to get back to work governing this great land and providing "for the common defense and general welfare of the United States."

Whose fault is it?

It does not matter--they all are at fault.