Bawk, Bawk, Bawk...Alan loved seeing the chickens at Great Brook State Park 

What I'm reading - The poet of Tolstoy Park

I hope it has a happy ending !

Bill to put Maine in Atlantic time advances

Story contributed by my lovely wife.

5/5/5

Not sure what they call it, tres cinco ? I always feel like things are more alligned on days like today. 3/3/3 was a good day 4/4/04 was pretty good too.

Chicken or fish ?

when it comes time to go to a wedding, i can never remember what I ordered. I wonder if the kitchen just makes extra of both just in case? I was thinking you could solve this problem by designing a perferated (punch out) piece of paper as part of the invitation that you rip off and it says "chicken" or "Fish" or whatever, could even be the shape of animal. Number the back and tell people that there will be a drawing at the wedding so they remember to bring it with them.

Alan is working hard to help dig the test hole in the back yard.  

Garrett petting a baby dinosaur at the Musem of Science in Boston 

Stay to the right except to pass

Do you think anyone would pay attention if they started posting these signs in Massachusetts, perhaps it would help to reduce the amount of competition on the roads.

It's amazing the difference you feel driving the minute you cross the Portsmouth bridge into Maine.

GPS Determination of Course and Speed

So a cars spedometer can tell you how fast you are going by understanding the relationship between the tire, some gears and the road, but I was wondering how a GPS can figure speed when the reference point is constantly moving with the vehicle you are trying to measure.

I think I'll have to read this explanation a few times...

Huh? - great parody...or is it ?

Welcome to the world's most dynamic e-business marketing, design and consulting agency. We provide distinct clients with groundbreaking business strategies and cutting-edge designs to aggressively and creatively compete in a changing economy.

New Pond, Norwood Massachusetts. Good times...good tree. 

"This is Littering"

What a wonderful sign I saw recently on a drive down 495 from Maine.

Recently, along every bridge overpass, there are signs made from cups stuck into fences that create letters. "Happy b-day Angela" or "Welcome home Dan!"...you've got to wonder if the person that goes through the effort to construct these signs (backwards, so they can be read by oncoming traffic below) actually takes the time to take down and dispose of all the cups after the reader has seen the sign.

One person seemed not to think so and used the same cup technique to spell out "This is Littering Too."

I laughed out loud and said, "you know, they're right."

Ethos Marketing, Portland Maine - Developing written and visual communications that are compelling, tell the truth and drive results.

So, here is where I'm headed come June 6th. No sense rushing into things right ? We'll be on the move all through May anyway. Should be an interesting time. My family is my foundation, time to advance confidently...

"I learned this, at least, by my experiment: that if one advances confidently in the direction of his dreams, and endeavors to live the life which he has imagined, he will meet with a success unexpected in common hours. He will put some things behind, will pass an invisible boundary; new, universal, and more liberal laws will begin to establish themselves around and within him; or the old laws be expanded, and interpreted in his favor in a more liberal sense, and he will live with the license of a higher order of beings. In proportion as he simplifies his life, the laws of the universe will appear less complex, and solitude will not be solitude, nor poverty poverty, nor weakness weakness. If you have built castles in the air, your work need not be lost; that is where they should be. Now put the foundations under them. " - conclusion of Walden

Bayley's Camping Resort

...much more than a campground !

A spring afternoon at the beach...Pine Point in Scarborough, Maine. 

Come and listen to a story about a man named Jed
A poor mountaineer, barely kept his family fed,
Then one day he was shootin at some food,
And up through the ground came a bubblin' crude.

....Oil that is, black gold, Texas tea.

 

Big League Haircuts

I happened into one of these shops the other day and I gotta say it was pretty good. For the price of a regular haircut, I watched ESPN on my own personal TV and even got a 5 minute back massage on my way out !

Think they'd expand to Portland ?

Ethos -

The disposition, character, or fundamental values peculiar to a specific person, people, culture, or movement.

To be 6

So we were talking about buying our new house and Garrett asks me if we'll need one of the those "big giant boards that the man won on TV after hitting the golf ball across the lake and into the hole".

A few weeks ago we were watching some golf tournament and someone was given one of those giant check on TV for their efforts. Makes sense, right ? To buy a big house, you need a big check.

Alan is ready to move ! 

Flowers and Snow in April.  

Yes, it's April 13th and we still have snow in our back yard !! 

The Wiggles Named Australia's Wealthiest

The power of marketing to children.

Google Intros Q&A Service

"What is the air speed velocity of an unladen swallow ?"

Here's why Henry got up each morning...why do you ? 

Ding dong

The oldest bells in North America are in Boston's Old North Church. The bells were cast in 1744 and hung in 1745.

Uncle Louie

Starlight, star bright, first star I see tonight

What's up there...

One year ago, Luzern Switzerland ! 

What I'm Reading - The Winter of Our Discontent

by John Steinbeck

Henry says,

Only that day dawns to which we are awake.

Just do it

The best place to find a helping hand is at the end of your arm.

Shut up and say something

Amen, brother ! This is why I left high tech PR...

Lego my...

Put together a small Lego building set with Garrett after his birthday. It had a draw bridge, a trap door and 46 page booklet on how to put it together !!!

You decide.....Brad Bird, director of The Incredibles 

Is it just me, or was anyone else a little freaked out when the Director for The Incredibles came up to accept his Oscar and he looked scarily similiar to the main villian ??? 

Old Bars of New York

"We began our Forgotten NY bar tour on a bitterly cold February afternoon with temperatures in the teens and the impending Blizzard of 2003, which dropped 20" of snow, quickly to follow, with visits to McSorley's Old Ale House in the East Village and Chumley's in the West Village."

Spamalot on Broadway...a smash

"Someday, all this will be yours."

"What, the curtains?"

Python Comes to Broadway with Musical 'Spamalot'

If only

What do you think the world would be like if everyone
had to drive the speed you drive the day after a snow storm?

__________________________________
Celebrate Yahoo!'s 10th Birthday!
Yahoo! Netrospective: 100 Moments of the Web
http://birthday.yahoo.com/netrospective/

No injuries, no lost children, no food fights. I'd say it was a successful 6th birthday party ! 

Robots

Good movie and a great time was had by Garrett and his pals this weekend for his birthday.

Should I let it go ?

Should it bother me when parents get to cut out in front of the bus that they just put their kids on while the rest of us have to wait in the back while it makes 10 more stops?

Snowmobile Trail Report

Next picture will hopefully be of Dan.
TK

A reason to Boycott Sports Authority

Went to buy Garrett a new baseball glove today for his birthday. I was shocked and alarmed to see that the Rawlings and McGregor mits were Derek Jeter and A-Rod signatures.

Can you imagine !!??

I told the sales guy that he would make a bundle if he sold Sharpie markers next to all the gloves. He laughed...but I could see the wheels turning.

Garrett will love his new Nike baseball glove, endorsed by no one. It cost a few bucks more, but at least I can be sure that none of my money will make its way to the Evil Empire !!

What if ?

What if everyone had to always drive the speed you drive the morning after (or during) a snowstorm?

Please spell "humiliation" for a good cause

Heard a pretty good idea on the radio today. Brookline public schools is doing a fund raiser this week during the kids spelling bee. The kids do their thing during school and then at 2pm there is the adult Bee in which teams of 3 compete for a few prizes. The cost is $300 per team and the ad said that local business people, politicians and parents would be participating.

Sounds like a good way to raise money for the schools...and show kids that you don't have to know how to spell to be successful (kidding).

If it wasn't for a pretty loaded town like Brookline, I'd think it was great. How'd they come up with the $$ to advertise on the radio in the firsty place ?

Takes money to make money...

Save Toby

Shhhh...be vewy, vewy quiet. I'm hunting wabbit.

....you'll be seeing this on the news by the weekend. I'm sure the PETA folks will certainly be on the case shortly.

Its amazing how some things take off.

And most don't.

The Winter of Our Discontent - Steinbeck

just starting this book...curious to see what happens to Ethan after he gets off his high horse and takes a few risks. - TK

Ethan Hawley works as a clerk in the grocery store owned by an Italian immigrant. His wife is restless, and his teenaged children are hungry for the tantalizing material comforts he cannot provide. Then one day, in a moment of moral crisis, Ethan decides to take a holiday from his own scrupulous standards.

The Da Vinci Code, Special Illustrated Edition

Some truth, some fiction...the best kind of book.

What I'm reading

Saving Faith -

Danny Buchanan and Faith Lockhart are the greatest influence peddlers in Washington because they can do something no one else can: guarantee results. But when Buchanan's scheme is uncovered by Robert Thornhill, a zealous CIA chief, he is forced to spy on his clients and network of politicians to further Thornhill's grand plan.

Movin On

The times they are a changin'

Time to get on with it and see what happens.

Hunter S. Thompson - One last blast

Gonzo Writer Hunter S. Thompson's Family Might Follow His Wishes to Blast His Ashes From Cannon

Out on the trail in Maine. We didn't win the Poker Run but we had fun trying... 

Alan and Makayla say Hello 

Bus ride

A woman holding a baby gets on a bus. The bus driver looks at them and says, "Damn, That's the ugliest baby I've ever seen!"

In a huff the woman slams her money into the farebox and goes to the rear of the bus. The man seated next to her sees she's agitated and asks what's wrong.

"The bus driver insulted me!" she fumes. "That's outrageous!" says the man.

"He's a public servant and shouldn't be insulting passengers."

"You 're right! the woman says. "I think I'll go up there and give him a piece of my mind!"

"That's a good idea," says the man. "I'll hold your monkey."

Live Forever...just 20 more years to go.

Inventor Kurzweil Aiming to Live Forever

Better stock up. TK

No Brain, No Pain

Hissssssssss!

Since Garrett was born, the Patriots have now won 3 Super Bowls and the Red Sox have won the World Series !  

Big farmers in the land of Steinbeck

We proudly display giant sculptures by local artist John Cerney, who was assisted on occasion by Dong Sun Kim. These sculptures are a tribute to the hard-working people employed in the farming community of the Salinas Valley. Without them, our country would not be blessed with such abundance.

A smarter search engine

worth a try if your not finding what you need through Google

latest

There's been so much going on lately that i haven't had time to post. Not a lot has caught my eye recently anyway. I've got to keep my nose to the grindstone for the forseeable future.

The snow continues to fall and the news continues to cover every conceivable angle about it. 24x7 cancellation banners along the TV screen...on every channel. I wonder how the advertisers feel about getting 20% of their ad space deleted, not to mention the fact that as everyone is reading the names, no one is payaing ANY attention to the ads.

I smell some 'make goods' for the spring

It's the truth: Experts agree that money really can't buy happiness

"But it could rent it for a while" is my usual response to this statement

Even faster - fast food?

Now some McDonald's restaurants in Colorado, Minnesota, and Missouri are trying a system that's supposed to get people back on the road more quickly.

Ball Fight

Doug Mientkiewicz has the ball. The Red Sox want it back. Stay tuned.

Rinse and spit just not the same

Judge: Listerine no replacement for floss, despite claim by ads

Simple

Simple Man - (Lynyrd Skynyrd)
Written by Gary Rossington - Ronnie Van Zant

Mama told me when I was young
Come sit beside me, my only son
And listen closely to what I say.
And if you do this
It will help you some sunny day.

Take your time... Don't live too fast,
Troubles will come and they will pass.
Go find a woman and you'll find love,
And don't forget son,
There is someone up above.

(Chorus)

And be a simple kind of man.
Be something you love and understand.
Be a simple kind of man.
Won't you do this for me son,
If you can?

Forget your lust for the rich man's gold
All that you need is in your soul,
And you can do this if you try.
All that I want for you my son,
Is to be satisfied.
(Chorus)

Boy, don't you worry... you'll find yourself.
Follow you heart and nothing else.
And you can do this if you try.
All I want for you my son,
Is to be satisfied.

Unclaimed Baggage store

Find out where all the stuff that gets left at the airport ends up...eventually.

No pollen ? No problem

Have you seen these commercials ?

Not to miss out on a marketing opportunity, the good folks at Claritin have started selling its products as a way to help relieve sinus congestion due to head colds. Kind of a pricey solution (for consumers) if you ask me but you 've got to give them credit for trying to make sales during what is obviously their slow time of year.

What's next, sun tan lotion that helps soothe winter dry skin ? Hey...

Sgt. Peppers...who's who

The Sgt. Pepper album cover can be seen below as an image map. Simply click on the face of the person you wish to know more about and you will be taken to a short biography

Paper Clips

No Opportunity Wasted

"Turns dreamers into doers"

Finally, a "make over" show that's worth watching...and living.

Thoreau on Seeing - Landscapes

"Objects are concealed from our view not so much because they are out of the course of our visual ray as because there is no intention of the mind and eye toward them. We do not realize how far and widely, or how near and narrowly, we are to look. The greater part of the phenomena of nature are for this reason concealed to us all our lives."

"There is just as much beauty visible to us in the landscape as we are prepared to appreciate, - not a grain more."

Henry David Thoreau - Seeing - From the entry of Nov. 4, 1858: A rainy day.


It is up to the reader to determine what "landscape" they chose to apply the act of seeing towards....children, relationships and (most difficult) introspection are just as appropriate as the trees, grasses and hilltops surrounding Thoreau's Walden. - TK

R-E-S-P-E-C-T...find out what it really means to Pedro

one word..

Money

I mean how much do you really need to live large in the Dominican ? Please

Here's how the final days went down.

Ted's Happy Place

They just don't make them like this anymore...do you think Barry Bonds spends his off season putting together charts on hitting ?

Imagine if he did.

Merry Christmas !! 

Google Suggest

Google "thinks" while you type....cool !

Wanted : Birdnest in Manhattan, will work for food

Pale Male...long time resident Red Tail Hawk evicted from Manhattan perch

Better than new...bet you can't wait to put mile 88203 on this. 

17.158...Who knew ?

Maybe it was my imagination or just the pouring rain causing the car to hesitate, but I came pretty close to running out of gas on the way home last night. I thought I could make it to the next exit, but I'm glad I didn't.

After pulling in and filling up, I noticed that I put in 17.158 gallons of gas...that's about all you could get into a 15 gallon tank.

Hogs Breath Inn

A nice place if you're in the neighborhood.

It helps that Clint owns the place too.

Not mine...but remember when ? 

Experts Urge People to Unplug Occasionally

Off ramp Ecosystem

I often wonder while driving around the circle that leads on or off the highway if anyone has every studied the habitat that is found on the inside of the roadway? It seems to be a perfect place to study the plants and animals that are clearly cut off from the rest of the world...similar to what Darwin found in the Galapagos, although admittedly not as extreme. I wonder what a turtle, mouse or other small creature thinks of his "world" which is surrounded by high hills, harsh pavement and huge loud vehicles that speed by waiting to crush anything that gets in its path?

Do any inhabitants make it out and then return to tell the tale of the world on the other side of the road ?

Do the birds tell their flightless friends what's out there ?

Or, are they content and safe in knowing that they are just as protected from invaders coming in as they are trapped in escaping ?

Or, do I just spend too much time on the road ?

The Maine Desert...and much more

Odd tourist attractions and hilarious stops for your next vacation or road trip -- Roadside America's favorite places and strange sights

Maine reading for kids

Lots of great stories here...including a family favorite.

"Lost On A Mountain in Maine," by Donn Fendler as told to Joseph B. Egan.

An inspiring true story. Twelve-year-old Donn Fendler tires of waiting for his father and brothers to join him at the summit of Katahdin, deciding to find his own way back to camp. A fast-moving fog obscures the path. He wanders aimlessly for two weeks, while rescue teams searched for him.

Paul Rezendes - tracker, photographer

OVERVIEW - Artistic, high-quality, large-format images of natural and rural American landscapes, especially of New England and the East. From intimate closeups to spectacular panoramas of national and state parks, wildlife refuges, seashores, forests, mountains, rivers, lakes, marshes, sunrises/sunsets.

The Volts Wagon

...seen on the back of an electricians van this morning.

Rameses II and the 10th Plague

Facts and fiction as old bones are brought into the light.

LUXOR, Egypt — Out of the blinding light of a fall morning here in the Valley of the Kings, American archeologist Kent Weeks led the way down a narrow, stone passageway and into the entrance of a tomb.

Live

An ounce of experience is worth a pound of theory.
New England proverb

Digital Camera Review

We finally made the jump. Here is a great site with a wealth of information and reviews on all the models and brands out there.

Sports Rage Has Yet to Reach the Ovals

The economics of fan hostility has yet to catch Nascar drivers, who still talk in Tobacco Road speak with their red-state base as a nifty camouflage for their Wall Street wealth as living, breathing commodities.

New Yor Times

....and not one mention of Tony Stewart, wow !

How To Steal Wi-Fi

And how to keep the neighbors from stealing yours.
By Paul Boutin

Hooters is Protecting its Assets

"We believe we are defending the integrity of our intellectual property rights"

What are two words that I'd never thought I'd see in an article about Hooters ?

There's nothing like going to see Santa at the Mall on a Tuesday in mid November !!  

Its the truth

I went sky divin',
I went rocky mountain climbin',
I went 2.7 seconds on a bull name Fu Manchu.
And I loved deeper,
And I spoke sweeter,
And I gave forgiveness I've been denying,
And he said someday I hope you get the chance,
To live like you were dyin'.
- Tim McGraw (or some other guy that wrote this for him while he was busy picking out hats)

November 17th - From my desk calendar

If one advances confidently in the directions of his dreams, and endeavors to live the life which he has imagined, he will meet with a success unexpected in common hours.
- Henry Thoreau

The Amazing Race 6

What's most amazing is that they continue to find contestants that we just love to see fail miserably (or is it just me?)

Too bad Boston missed its one shot at being in the show last night when (apparently) nothing worth showing happened at their connecting flights to Iceland. I guess no one from Massport played nice with the producers during filming.

Giving "Point and Shoot" a new meaning

HOUSTON, Texas (Reuters) -- Hunters soon may be able to sit at their computers and blast away at animals on a Texas ranch via the Internet, a prospect that has state wildlife officials up in arms.

Are you kidding me !!?? The only thing more boring than sitting in the woods all day waiting for something to come along (to shoot at) is sitting at a COMPUTER all day looking at the woods waiting for something to come by.

Wait until the anti bear-baiting folks get a hold of this !!

Garrett at soccer...go Dragon Crushers !!  

The Persuaders

Each year, legions of ad people, copywriters, market researchers, pollsters, consultants, and even linguists-most of whom work for one of six giant companies-spend billions of dollars and millions of man-hours trying to determine how to persuade consumers what to buy, whom to trust, and what to think.