The Red Carpet -  by David@treeO.com | llbwwb posted

Who me? ... yeah, you.

Twice in one day

After I had posted the news report about the attempted Brinks robbery at our local bank last night, Judith and I sat down to watch the 10 o’clock news only to find out that someone was shot on I-95 just blocks from our home at 6:30 that evening.

After much thought I realized this isn’t that bad because I now know what to get my family for Christmas … riot gear and bullet proof vests.   Oh, and for Judith and Emerson, an armored stroller.

Police investigate attempted armored truck robbery in Murderwood, err ... Hollywood

WSVN-TV - Police investigate attempted armored truck robbery:

When I moved to sunny South Florida there were 40K people and it was a sleepy little town that was quite uneventful.  Now 25 years later there are 150K people living in Hollywood and it’s just like living in the Wild West.

There is not a night that goes by that we don’t hear either police sirens or gun shots.  Many a night we are woken up by the sound of helicopters hovering over our house. Our nice little city is in the news just about every day with everything from police scandals, rapes, robberies and murders.

Now the attempted Brinks robbery this morning was at the bank that I have been going to for the last 11 years.  If my bicycle didn’t have a flat tire I wound have been riding by the bank about the time this took place. 

Growing up in Brooklyn I never felt this sense of un-easiness that I feel for my own safety and my family's.  Things are really getting bad.

Something tells me he's not picking up his dry cleaning

DEADLY CONCENTRATION (by Cameratruth2)

Focus on the leaves and the fresh breeze

Now that's ironic.

Happy Monday to all

Colorfull world of mine

Music Monday

Maybe the irony is that nothing she says in the song is ironic.

She’s so practical

“Hope is generally postponed disappointment.” Dr. Laura

Our very close friend, Samantha

Losing chess REAL BAD in New Orleans

Photo Credit - Andrew George

Josiah loses another tooth

Girlie dons pig-tails

Belated birthday gifts

I just miss wearing sweaters

Fall in Splender by Lars Van DeGoor

Every year I collect photos of autumn and winter reminiscing about the change in seasons.  Living in South Florida I forget what month it is let alone what season it is.  It’s basically warm all the time.

Except for last year, the cold snaps usually last at a week or so.  Even the Christmas season is lacking.  Going into stores in mid-August when its 96 degrees and seeing Christmas trees and Santa Claus displays become annoying and confusing in a mind sort of way.  There have even been a couple of years that I have gone to the beach on Christmas Eve; it’s just not right I tell ya.

It’s like we are on a continuous vacation, people are riding bicycles, playing tennis, going to the beach all the time, everyone’s tan.  I live in a time-share infomercial … I miss the seasons, I miss wearing sweaters, I miss the down time of winter. 

I want to rake leaves with my boys, play two hand touch in the front yard, I want to sit around with my family and look outside and see two feet of snow.  I miss snow ball fights and sledding. I miss coming inside all cold and numb and having a cup of hot cocoa. You can’t drink hot cocoa when its 98 degrees without passing out and besides the pineapple gets funky and the umbrella starts to fall apart when it’s in hot liquid.

I just miss wearing sweaters.

A time to splurge and do something out of the ordinary

As you know, this past Tuesday, Judith and I celebrated our 8^th wedding anniversary. We decided to venture out to Downtown Hollywood and once again enjoy some fine dining at a very nice restaurant called Sage.  We had gone there last year to celebrate our 7^th and the experience was worth repeating.

While Echo watched the younger ones we took Emerson and headed downtown.  Being that it was a Tuesday night we practically had the whole place to ourselves.  Our waiter was very attentive; in fact he was the same waiter who served us well last year and as we expected, the food was superbly wonderful.

Judith and I shared oysters on the half-shell and baked artichoke for an appetizer and for the main-course Judith had the rib-eye with jumbo shrimp and I had the seafood stew.  We finished our meal off with a triple chocolate mousse and some coffee.  Restaurants like this don’t serve “Joe.”  Emerson slept through most of the meal except for his feeding time. 

Anniversaries only come once a year and it should be a time to splurge and do something out of the ordinary.  It should be a time to celebrate another year of happiness or at least another year of not killing each other.

Our romantic evening together ended with the both of us falling asleep holding hands, it was a perfect ending to a perfect evening.

Ice cold air

As many people know, when selling a car in South Florida, the #1 selling point is “ice cold air.”

This however, borders on the ridiculous.

Thinking about it, you would be the envy of all your friends come mid-July.

Look back Friday, a day late - Silas

The center?

The week started out with me hurting my back while lifting something I shouldn’t been lifting.  It’s ending with me biting my tongue. Not your run of the mill bite.  You know me; I have to go that extra mile in everything I do.

Yesterday I worked a twelve hour day and after work I was extremely hungry so I headed straight for Publix’s for some sushi. I was sitting in my truck wolfing down a vegetable roll and without any explanation my teeth, no one tooth caught the center of my tongue and basically filleted it.

At first, I’m thinking conch isn’t one of the ingredients in a vegetable roll but it quickly become evident that it wasn’t conch.  I drove home with a steady flow of blood pouring down my throat and felling like someone had stepped on my tongue.  I wasn’t happy.

Now it’s 7:00 in the am and my back and tongue hurt.  My only hope is that I dropped something on my foot today at work so Murphy can complete his dirty deeds aimed at me for the week.

Have a hectic day!

On the bright side, I have work :)

Simply put

A concept that is difficult to wrap your mind around

“When another person makes you suffer, it is because he suffers deeply within himself, and his suffering is spilling over. He does not need punishment; he needs help. That’s the message he is sending.”

-Thich Nhat Hanh (via oceanofmind)