The Norman Borlaug knows my brother

As many of you alread know, my younger brother, Ben, is working on his PHD in Plant Genetics at the Univeristy of Minnesota's Plant Pathology School. Well, this week he won an esteemed award - the M.F. Kernkamp award for most outstanding graduate student. This is huge and I am extremely proud of him. He's not only raising two wonderful children, but he's putting his amazingly bright mind to work for the betterment of mankind.

Norman Borlaug was in attendence. If you don't know who he is, well, he saved over a billion people with his work in plant pathology and genetics and is one of only five (5) people in history to have won the Nobel Peace Prize, the Presidential Medal of Freedom and the Congressional Gold Medal. The others: Martin Luther King Jr, Mother Theresa, Nelson Madela, and Elie Wiesel.

Blogging

Things have been wonderfully buys lately. In the last week I've been to a zoo, a conservatory, a carnival, a Rush concert, two Grace Potter shows and the Maryland v WVU football game. What a week! All of it was amazing except for the Terps game.

I'm in love with Grace Potter.

Family Ties

It's only Saturday, but it's already been an amazingly fun weekend. In the last 24 hours, I've taken my niece and nephew to a water park, an amusement park, a conservatory and a zoo.

Let me tell you, it is the most amazing and heart-warming experience to watch children's eyes widen and smiles brighten when they experience these types of good times.

Tonight, we are going to make dinner together - asado style.

I am truly blessed to have a close-knit family that I love and who love me.

Feelings of fatigue

Hi everyone. Sorry for the lapse in blog entries. My long weekend in Florida has thrown me off my schedule a bit. As for the weekend, I hope you all had a wonderful one. I did, for sure. I spent the weekend at a friend's house in Florida. He lives on the beach and has a pool and hot tub and what not. We definitely lived it up for a few days. Snorkeling, swimming, volleyball, etc...just a blast. Oh yeah, he had a big party too, to launch this website. You can probably imagine how crazy it was. 750+ people, a DJ, contests and games...a lot of stuff bordering on debauchery. It's no wonder I am dragging a bit today. ;o)

Oh yeah, I'll post pics later.

It's what makes a male walrus, a male walrus

I can't think of what to say that's appropriate and still has decorum.
Click here for ancient walrus penis.

Lunar Eclipse Tomorrow

If you've never seen a lunar eclipse before, you should wake up early tomorrow morning (or go to bed very late tonight for my West coast readers) and check the next one out. It's quite an amazing thing to see.

Dalton Carriker's dream moment

Earlier today, Warner Robins, GA won the Little League Word Series when Dalton Carriker, 12, hit a walk-off home run in the bottom of the 8th inning, to cap their come back victory, 3-2, over the heavily favored team from Tokyo, Japan. This marks the third straight year a team from the United States has won the championship.

All of this is great, but I have to tell you, the thing that got me wet in the eyes was Dalton's quote after the game: "I felt like I was flying, like Peter Pan," Carriker said, "I didn't know what I was doing."

Any time a young boy feels like Peter Pan, the world has to be a better place for it.

Congratulations, Warner Robins. Way to go, Dalton. Way to go!

Battle at Kruger

This is one of the most amazing videos I've ever seen.

It's an amateur video of a young buffalo, which gets attacked by a pride of lions, then a crocodile. After a few minutes of playing tug o' war with the buffalo, the lions claim their prize. Alas, the game is not over...a herd of buffaloes enters the fray and let's just say, they are very angry.

The entire scene is over 8 minutes long!

Snoopy versus Odie

Oh....my....god. I just saw clips of pit bull fights on ESPN and it was one of the most disturbing things I've seen in my life. Absolutely sickening.

Anyone involved in dogfighting must not have a conscious or must have no value for a dog's life at all.

I need to get these images out of my head. I'm going to go force myself to throw up and hope they just fall out.

Hipster Olympics

I thought this was really funny. Plus, it mentions both of my brother's names. Well, sort of: Benjamin and Gideon (my older brother is named, Gwydion). What are the odds? Enjoy

I made it. Now what?

My whole sleeping situation is messed up thanks to last night. As you may know, last night (Wednesday night) I had insomnia and I couldn't sleep the entire night. It made yesterday really tough on me, to say the very least. To make things worse, I had to fulfill my civil obligation to the city of Baltimore by serving jury duty. If you've never done this before and you get summonsed, do your best to get out of it. Unfortunately, I couldn't (long story, I'll spare you). The combination of exhaustion and the smell of the tightly crowded jury rooms was just about unbearable. I'd have almost rather been tied to a bed, flat on my back, with slowly dripping water coming down onto my forehead. One thing is for certain, thank goodness for my Blackberry. It may have been illegal to use in a courtroom, but I did - all day long.

For those of you who do not know, jury duty is akin to going to church for a very long Catholic wedding, playing golf on a very crowded city course on a Saturday in June, shopping the day before Christmas or waiting in the Grim Reaper's waiting room - literally. You sit and stand and sit and stand and pace and run your hands through your hair all freaking day long, just waiting and waiting for someone to call your number. It's so exciting in that brief moment when you hear, "285...285, will you please approach the bench?" Oh, the joy.

The room you're in is very hot and you have nothing to eat or drink and your in these hard, wooden chairs that clearly were not designed for the human ass. Eventually, your number is called for the last time, you're asked a ton of questions, and finally, you're interviewed one on one by a judge and either released or chosen to serve. This process takes a good 8-9 hours. I was one of the lucky ones as I was not chosen. The walk to my car was probably similar to how it feels to be released from prison. You know you're free, but you have a sense that any minute you could hear your number called again and have to turn right around. For, the people in the black robes, they run the show, and you have to do what they say.

The only interesting part of the day was learning that the courtroom I was in is used for filming quite often. Aside from several movies, it is often featured on the HBO show, the Wire, and was the main court room in the show, Homicide. Both are Baltimore-based shows. Finally, the court was made from marble that was donated by one of the Leo Popes and was actually shipped from the Vatican. Like I said before, it was exactly like being in at a Catholic wedding...all the way down to the walls and floors.

Due my lack of sleep from the night before, I went straight home (this is at 4:30pm, mind you), and after a small dinner, went directly to bed. I was hoping I could stay awake for a couple hours until maybe 8:00. I knew if I didn't, I would wake up earlier than I wanted. Of course, I fell asleep around 6:00pm. Hence, my banging away at my keyboard at 3:45am. I just woke up...my mind started racing about the things I had to do tomorrow and over the weekend and now Jonny A is officially screwed. HA HA

What a nightmare! Wait, I wish I were having a nightmare

I can't fall asleep. I can't fall asleep. I can't fall asleep. At least I have jury duty tomorrow instead of having to go to work. I can sleep all day in court. Can you be arrested for that?

My alarm is set for 3 hours from now.

History repeats itself...over and over

I've said this time and time again, the human race is flawed and will never reach a higher level of existance. We are incapable of it.

We are intelligent enough to understand what is right and what is wrong. We are wired in such a way that we are able to have a conscious about the things we do and feel guilty or ashamed when we truly do things that are wrong. We're logical enough to understand that science finds truth and fiction is just that, fiction. Yet, at the end of the day, we still hurt each other...CONSTANTLY.

I can understand their being a few folks who are defective and don't understand from right and wrong. Heck, I worked in a psychiatric hospital for more than three years and I saw plenty of people with true chemical imbalances in their brains that just simply couldn't deal with reality or had no idea between real life and fantasy. However, the bulk of us do. Most of us know not to kill or harm or disrespect each other. However, we do it all the time.

How long have we been killing each other over land ownership, power, belief systems, religious reasons, etc? While I can't give you an exact date, I can tell you this, the oldest books in the world all describe violent acts between humans. It's not like we've been killing each other for food like say a lion or tiger would if it came across a gazelle or deer. No, we kill for all the wrong reasons...basically, for no truly logical reason at all. I say this, because most of the crap we fight over, we made up to begin with.

History does repeat itself. Throughout recorded human history we've seen dominant cultures come and go. In the process, these ruling people tend to try to change what's around them to effectively assimilate other people into their way of doing things - if not remove them completely from existance. Sometimes these attempts are overt (see Hitler or the Holy Roman Empire) and other times they are more subtle (check out George Dubya's crusade to find "Weapons of Mass Destruction") which, any intelligent person can see, is really a means to aid in the spreading of Western democratic capitalism into the Middle East.

Humans are certainly smart and clever but also emotional. Too often we succomb to things like greed, envy and lust and we let these emotions or feelings drive our actions. By nature, we desire being on top, to be in control of the things around us and are always looking to dominate each other. What's up with that? I mean, I'd call it unnatural, but we are what we are...so, it must be natural. Right? Or, are we some freak mutation that shoudln't be here? Personally, I think we're doing out part and wouldn't be here if we weren't supposed to be. I don't mean this in a spiritual or godly way. I simply mean that things, everything, is here because it's part of a greater whole. It's just sad that we can't choose to play a different role. Or, can we? I'd like to think so...I just don't see evidence of it on a mass or grand scale.

Since we've been killing each other as far back as we can remember and because we've destroying our own home (by mining it's resources, polluting, etc) for as far back as the industrial revolution, what should make us think we have a shot at turning this ship around? I certainly don't see any signs of it. Perhaps what this Earth really needs is global abortion of it's human inhabitants. Again though, maybe we're doing our part in some greater cosmic equation. I don't know.

For those of you who read my blog, (thank you, by the way), you're probably wondering what, particularly, got up my ass today that I should write about such a deep topic. Frankly, it was the story of a beautiful 5 year old child who was lit on fire by random strangers, leaving him disfugured for life. Perhaps the assholes that committed this crime weren't wired right from the start. Since it figures to be a random act of violence, that's probably the case. But it got me thinking, could that be the case for the entire human race? That we're all wired wrong?

Yesterday, I wrote about a little girl I saw on an airplane. She was cute and not letting herself smile while her mother and I laughed and laughed. That was cool. I liked that moment in my life. It felt real. This stuff I've written about today, feels wrong...not real. I wish I could just scream at the top of my lungs to tell everyone to "WAKE THE FUCK UP" and have everything get better. Since that won't work, maybe my words, typed seamingly hopelessly into cyberspace, can help you wake up...or the next person. Or, at least look more closely at the things that happen in this world.

Be good.

Wish my Ravens could score like this

My beloved Baltimore Orioles lost today in the first half of a double header. The final score, 30-3. That's right, 30-3! This is the most lop-sided score I've seen in a baseball game in my life. Not to mention, the team they lost to sucks real bad...the Texas Rangers.

If you don't believe me, check it out for yourself. This is ridiculous.

We'll get 'em in game two which starts in a few minutes.

The Garden of Eden

I love stuff like this. Makes me wonder what it was like back then.

What you talkin' 'bout, Willis?

I saw a young child today, probably around 2 years old, sitting next to her mother on a plane from Chicago to Baltimore. As I always do with children, I smiled and waved and said "hi" in my most childish and playful voice. Most kids are quick to repsond to me with a smile, a wave, by hiding their face or some combination of the above. This kid was different.

Her stare would scare most people. Her brow was furrowed, her eyes were squinted and her lips crunched together as if to say, "I am not going to smile or wave, big guy, so you best be getting to your seat". Think, this kid, though older and slightly angrier looking. After about 10 seconds of feverishly waving, smiling and saying "hello" in my best kid voice, I glanced to her right to find her mom watching the whole thing and just laughing it up. I couldn't help but burst into laughter myself in aknowledgement of my participation in this comedic scene. The child's mother and I caught eyes and we laughed even more. It was a nice way to start my flight back home.

Throughout the entire time her mom and I were looking at each other and cracking up, the kid was stoically staring back at me, with the same, furrowed brow, squinted eyes and tense lips. Never broke stride, never wavered...just stared right through me, my laughter and all. It made for an even funnier experience as mom and I kept moving our eyes from each other to the kid and back. The laughs were loud and uncontrollable and this point and other people started to join in. Not the kid though. She was a barrell of seriousness on the end of a stick and wasn't about to give us the pleasure. Or had she?

Laughter rules, kids drool. Or something like that anyway.

It's a dog eat dog world

Now that Michael Vick has gotten himself into problems over his alledged attachment to the dark world of dog fighting, do you think he's done more to harm his own career or to altar the sports world's vernacular permanently? You might be thinking to yourself, "how could Vick's problems actually change the way we talk about sports?" While I don't have an answer for today, the question itself came to me today from the least likely of sources, Kevin Millar, the Baltimore Orioles own loveable clubhouse leader, designated hitter and first baseman.

Kevin Millar is in the midst of quite an impressive streak; he's reached base in an amazing 46 straight games! However, the streak almost ended today when he faced one of the better pitchers in baseball, Toronto's Roy Halladay. Millar, who had gone 0-3 in his first three plate appearances against Halladay, was relieved to see a different pitcher on the mound when he lead off the ninth inning. With his streak on the line, he promptly watched as four consecutive pitches missed the strike zone earning Millar a free pass to first base and continuing his consecutive games reaching base streak.

After the game Millar was asked about facing the venerable Halladay. His response struck me like a subpoena on a Friday afternoon in Springtime. He said, (it was) "a complete dogfight up there at the plate". For years, I've heard players, coaches and fans alike describe a game or a matchup within a game as a "dogfight". The term seemed to evoke images, not of dogs battling it out in a makshift ring in someone's backyard, but of men, usually huge men, fighting it out and scrapping with all they had and to their very last breath. Kind of like you'd imagine warriors or soldiers doing on a field of battle, but with pads and balls or pucks instead of guns and bombs.

This all changed for me today when I read Millar's comments.

The first thing I saw in my mind's eye, was a dog, mouth gaping, teeth flashed and with foam frothing out of his mouth. It was frightening. I mean, I wasn't physically scared, but I was shocked a bit by the fact that I actually associated the sentence in the way that I had, as nonchalantly as my mind had done it and with such a 180 degree difference from what I had always associated the pharse with. Could I possibly be the only person who's been affected this way by Vick's saga? I doubt it.

As a fan of Vick, (as an athlete only), I am ashamed and disappointed that society as a whole has fostered the type of behavior he's exhibited. As a citizen of the United States, we should all be ashamed for not making certain their are better laws and punishments in place to deter cruelty to animals. As a responsible human being, I am also ashamed in Vick's actions. All of us, at some point in our lives, have to start taking responsibility for our own actions. I have trouble believing Vick didn't know, instinctually, at the very least, that torturing and/or killing dogs (any animal really) is just plain wrong.

All of this said, Vick did what he did and he's being punished for it. His freedom, albeit temporaririly, is alomst certainly going to be limited at best and his career is potentially over. Finally, he's lost countless dollars from endorsement deals and is not receiving a paycheck. When added together, the combination of these punishments might sound harsh, but it's the price you pay when your in a position of celebrity in a capitalistic economy and therefore, should be expected. What shouldn't be expected, is its effect on the language we all speak and in the way we describe the challenges in front of us or in front of the sports icons we watch on a daily basis.

Dogfighting is wrong, but a good dogfight, on a field, court or course, is something all sports fans want to see. I'm not so sure whether I do any more. Certainly, I'll think twice before describing it that way.

Nature's candy

I just finished a peach and man, I absolutely and without question or doubt, love peaches. I'm talking about the plump, ripe, succulent kind. The ones that are slightly less-than-firm inside my grip. They are the best. They erupt with sweet goodness into my mouth. They're never tart, never sour and always delicious. I also love the word "delicious", by the way.

I'm going to dive into a plum now...the peach's erratic step-cousin.

Yellow, crusty toenails

I've been thinking about how to start this blog for the past week or so. Worried about whether or not the topic would be fun enough or my writing good enough for you. I sat in a metaphorical stupor just waiting for something to cross my path that I could use as entertaining fodder. Well, as it so happens, life gave me a tidbit I couldn't resist writing about.

For those of you who, like me, have toenail fungus (no, those are not my toes and mine don't look nearly that bad in case you were wondering), I have discovered a new remedy, Vick's VapoRub. That's right, an old standby for helping with cough relief, Vick's can also be used for removing fungus from your toes. I learned this from a dermatologist who recommended I try it as an alternative to nail lacquer or fungus-killing pills.

Of course, it takes a good six months to begin to see improvement and an entire year of daily diligence to fully grow out a fungus-free toe nail, but it has to be worth it. I mean, I like wearing sandals and being barefoot, but with crazy looking toenails, who wants to be around me when my dogs are unleashed? Furthermore, who wants to play footsie or lie next to me in bed when their own fungus-free feet might be mauled on a moments notice by my toenails of death? I for one wouldn't. So, I've decided to give it a try.

A little application once a day at bedtime and my toes are tingling with joy from the freedom in front of them....freedom from their fungal captors. Or, maybe they tingle from the menthol. Who knows? Who cares, actually? Frankly, the menthol helps to keep my room smelling minty and mentholy fresh. An added value to the whole process. To me, fresh, opaque toenails are the ends that justify my smelly, oily and patience-necessary means.