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Inspired by my recent trip to Philly, I purchased a copy of “1776″ by David McCullough.  I have wanted to read this for some time now, as I heard it was a painstakingly thorough description of the American Revolution.  After starting it on the train ride home from Philly, I am fascinated more and more with each page I turn.  I look forward to finishing this and picking up some of David’s other historical works. 

On a side note, for some good historical fiction, try anything by William Martin.  His writing style is gripping and he compliments fiction with actual historical events.  Sort of like The Davinci Code for history buffs.

Earlier this week, Sarah and I took off for a couple of days to see Matt and Jess and their new apartment in Cherry Hill, NJ.  They were doing well, and their apartment was beautiful.  During our stay, we took a trip into Philadelphia (one of my favorite cities) and had lunch, went through the US Mint, and went to Humphrey’s Flag Store, almost directly across the street from the Betsy Ross House.  This is where I found the flag above.

This was not actually a flag during the American Revolution, but a political cartoon.  The sybolism and patriotism are what makes it popular as a flag today.  The history behind it is really worth a google search. 

As it was an expensive purchase for me, I want to keep it in great shape, so it will be waving proudly outside of my home only on Flag Day (June 14) and Independance Day (July 4).    If you can think of any other times it deserves to be flown, please let me know.

Shawn Grandy’s memorable call after the Celtics won the Championship was awesomely interrupted by Cedric Maxwell.  To hear the call, and to hear Cedric ruin some other great calls in history, check out this audio from WEEI’s “Audio Vault”.

http://audio.weei.com/m/20226852/max_ruins_every_call_throughout_history.htm

Earlier this year, Sarah and I decided we would finish the basement this summer.  What a project to undertake, considering the previous owners of the house had it “half finished” when we moved in.  The ceiling was dropped and the walls were sheetrocked (with plenty of imperfections over the years).  The basement had two rooms when we moved in, so the first thing to go was the wall seperating the two rooms.  With the help of my trusty friend Pat, we pulled a Ronald Reagan and said:

“Mr. Gorbachev, open this gate. Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall!”

So we did.  And it opened up the basement to one room.  After the initial clean up of that mess, the next step was to build a wall to box out the circuit breaker panel from eyesight.  Together with my Father, we built the wall and sheetrocked it.  This is where we stand tonight.  The next steps are to continue to apply joint compound to the holes in the sheetrock and, when it dries, clean out the gaps in the area where the cement wall meets the floor, and then fill it with hydraulic cement to stop the leaks and ensure a dry future for our basement.

Further updates as they happen, hopefully with some pictures!

I have decided that communication is highly underrated.  Can you imagine if people were able to speak to one another without fear of reprisal?  There is so much walking on eggshells and pussyfooting around people.  It is actually possible (and probable) that some people go to the grave thinking someone likes or dislikes them when, in reality, they haven’t the slightest idea.  It even seems that some people don’t care to know, often times those who mean the most to us. 

For the record, I want everyone and anyone who reads this to know that I will not lash out at something you have to say to me, I will listen.  I will think about it, then react in a reasonable manner.  Let’s see if we can start a trend with this.  If you feel the same, tell me and anyone you know.  Even if we can’t make this entire world a better place, at least we can make our own world a little better, and all it takes is a little communication.

Tonight Sarah and I went to MacKenzie Stadium to watch some good NECBL (New England Collegiate Baseball League) baseball. Sarah’s sister, Kate, was also there as a member of the Holyoke Sox Dance Team. Here is a photo I took of the opening day festivities. Clicking the photo will make it larger.

The baseball was good even though the Sox lost a close one 6-5. The seats were cheap ($6) and the food was very reasonable (we got a soda, water, 2 hot dogs and bag of chips for $11.50, also a Cheese Steak was available for $3.50). The kids were having a great time, the field looked great and the weather was perfect. We had a great time and will certainly go again when the chance comes up.

Thanks to Brian and Nadia, you can now delve deep into the deepest corners of my mind and find…nothing. But at least this website will give you something to do while waiting for the mail to arrive…for the next five years. So enjoy! And when you are done here, check out Brian’s brianirish.com and Nadia’s nerdia.com.

Sarah and I are going on a 4 day cruise in August on this ship:

with this itinerary:

1 Miami, FL 4:00pm

2 Key West, FL 7:30am 2:00pm

3 Cozumel, Mexico 1:00pm 10:00pm

4 Fun Day At Sea

5 Miami, FL 8:00am

Any ideas for good shore excursions are always welcome!