Exxpose Exxon

As I was reading through the news for the day, I came upon an article about Exxon and a short cartoon talking about Exxon and global warming. The movie is linked to below. Exxpose Exxon Movie It's entertaining, yet poignant. I recommend that everyone check it out, think about what it really means and what you can do to make a difference. Even small changes can make a big difference.

Pond Temperature Update

It didn't seem right to make this update along with the Rome series of posts, so here it is separately. The pond temperature is holding steady. Current pond temperature: 52 degrees I guess this will be an easy winter for the goldfish outside.

#3 The Pantheon

Stop number 3 on our tour of inspiring Roman moments is the Pantheon. Rebuilt in 125 AD after the original structure was destroyed, it has stood for almost 1900 years. That alone is amazing. Doubly amazing is the fact that it has been in use that whole time. Originally, the Pantheon was a temple to all the gods. In the 7th century, it became a Church, which it remains to this day. The Pantheon is the oldest structure in the world with its original roof intact. It has a dome that was unmatched in size, in Western Europe, until Brunelleschi's dome of the Duomo of Florence was built in 1436. Michelangelo studied the dome of the Pantheon while designing the dome of Saint Peter's Basilica in the Vatican. So much history revolves around the Pantheon. Standing there, you are connected to the many historical figures that stood there in the past, by your shared awe at the structure and its beauty which has transcended the millennia.

#2 The Pieta

Once again, I'm returning to our trip to Rome to give you a moment that impacted me. That moment was the viewing of the Pieta. The Pieta is, quite simply, the most inspiring sculpture that I have ever seen. The sorrow in Mary's face is so real that you want to reach out and comfort her in her moment of anguish. Jesus, on the other hand, looks so life-like and detailed that you feel like he died and was turned into the statue that you see, to forever memorialize his storied sacrifice. The awe I felt at seeing this sculpture, which Talli and I saw on both of the days that we went to the Vatican, is hard to describe. The grandeur and its impact on me was much greater than I had expected. I can hardly imagine what possessed the mentally disturbed Lazlo Toth that defaced it in 1972. Apparently he struck it repeatedly with a hammer while declaring that he was Jesus Christ. I am unconvinced. Somehow, I don't think that Jesus Christ would go around smashing statues with hammers. Now it is protected behind unbreakable glass to protect it from art hating loonies.

Grand Opening!

On Saturday, Talli and I were driving past Petsmart when I noticed a grand opening balloon. Seeing the opportunity to check out some of their products and maybe snag a freebie or two, I convinced Talli to stop in. It turns out that Petsmart was having a grand opening for their Pet Hotel. So, we took a tour, to see if Hunter would like it, and got him some free stuff. We picked up a frisbee, a kerchief, some treats and a free nights stay. Unfortunately, all the squeaky toys were already taken. After the tour we of course had to take a peek at the fish. Of course I took a look at the feeder koi that they save and I didn't find any that were too special. There was one that was white and yellow that was interesting, but I wasn't going to buy just one fish. So, I took a look at the small koi tank. Those koi go for a whopping $3.99. Well, usually they all look the same and they're nothing special. What did I see though? A blue doitsu! You can see him in the picture. They don't have scales except along the dorsal and lateral lines. In other words a much different type of fish then I normally see. Oh and for an additional $0.26 I picked up that yellow and white koi. All in all, a good stop.

#1 The Colisseum

Here is the first in my collection of the most impactful (not a true word, but useful) moments that Talli and I experienced in Rome. The Colisseum is first because it was the first sight that we encountered. It is also the most recognizable. This site was so impactful to me for several reasons. First, it dominates its surroundings. Second, it is an amazing achievement that wasn't equaled for almost two thousand years. Third, the amazing number of people and animals that died there is staggering. It would be hard to imagine if I wasn't there to see it testifying to the brutality of humanity, which I'm afraid has still not been assuaged in us today...

Martin Luther King, Jr. Day

Happy Martin Luther King Jr. Day. I'd take the time to write about Dr. King, but, in a few paragraphs, I could hardly begin to detail what his life meant to the civil rights movement and this country. I honor his sacrifice and hope that our country can continue to honor his memory by furthering his dream of equality and non violence. On a different note, the four fish in the pond are all still alive and swimming! It's been almost two months now since they were released. The pond temperature: 52 degrees It looks like the pond will finally drop below 50 degrees soon. So far though, the fish are eating away in preparation for the coming cold. I was also very lucky today. I opened up my email and saw that I won a Godaddy prize pack from The Family Tech Show during CES. What did I win? A mouse pad, pen, puzzle and a Family Tech Show t-shirt! Sounds great to me.

We Have Returned!

Talli and I are back from Rome. It was an amazing trip. I have to say that it was very good to have some time off. We were able to relax a little while enjoying another country. That's my kind of vacation. The food was good, but double what it should have cost. Still, we had a lot of fun. We didn't leave Rome to explore the surrounding area, but even so, our week there wasn't enough to even see half of what Rome had to offer. The list of places that we went to is extensive, so I'll just list a few: Coliseum Pantheon The Vatican St. John the Lateran Spanish Steps Roman Forum Fountain of Trevi What are the top places we went to? A good question. I'll think that through and post some pictures of the most impressive places or things over the next few days or weeks as everything here falls back into place. Thanks for all your patience. I've been sleeping at nights rather than than posting lately. Had to catch up all those lost hours from the vacation...

I Am Superman!

Well, I took the Superhero Personality Test and here are the results... Your results:
You are Superman

Superman 70% Green Lantern 70% Spider-Man 70% The Flash 65% Robin 55% Supergirl 55% Iron Man 50% Hulk 40% Catwoman 40% Wonder Woman 35% Batman 20%

You are mild-mannered, good, strong and you love to help others.

Click here to take the Superhero Personality Test
I've always liked Spider-Man more and I'm equally like him, but I guess I must have answered one key question which makes me Superman. Not too bad I guess. As you can tell, we're back from Italy. I'll post on that later...