Over the holidays I had the opportunity to go back to my home state of New Mexico to spend an entire week with my family (I haven't spent more than a couple days with them at a time in years, so this was a very special occasion). One afternoon we decided to go though old family photo albums, and I believe that I've found some photos that best demonstrate who I am:

I just wanted to let you all know that as of a couple days ago I am the proud owner of a newly refurbished Nintendo NES gaming system, as well as all of the greatest accessories ever created for the Nintendo...including the duck hunt gun, power pad, and the incredible item shown in the photograph below. If you're lucky, I may let you come over and play it.

On August 17th, at 10:50am my mother removed my aunt Carol, her sister, from the life support system that had been keeping her alive for nearly a month. At 11:00am Carol passed away. A couple of you are aware of the background on why Carol was sick, and for the rest of you it is not important that you know. The reality is, death is a part of life and though this loss is difficult for those of us left behind to accept, it is comforting to think that the ones we love are in a better place. No longer in pain. No longer afraid. Today I stumbled upon a piece written by Socrates just before his execution that I found to be very comforting and very wise, so I thought I would share it.

"To die is one of two things, for either the dead may be annihilated and have no sensation of anything whatever, or, as it is said, there are a certain change and passage of the soul from one place to another. And if it is a privation of all sensation-as it were, a sleep, in which the sleeper has no dream-death would be a wonderful gain...if, therefore, death is a thing of this kind I say it is a gain: for thus all futurity appears to be nothing more than one night. But if so, the other hand, death is a removal from one plane to another, and what is said is true, that all the dead are there, and what greater blessing can there be than this, my judges? But this is clear to me, that now to die and be freed of my cares is better for me...but it is now time to depart, for me to die, for you to live. But which of us is going to a better state is unknown to everyone but God."

-Socrates

R.I.P.

Carol Walker Dickson

September 4, 1946 - August 17, 2007

I've known some people that are really fond of their plants. They pamper them, care for them, maybe even talk to them the way one would talk to their pet cat. But I've never seen someone actually have a dialogue with something that photosynthesizes. Until today. This woman was having a rather heated conversation with a bush for 4 hours! She was there from 9am to 1pm! Never moved, never took a break from the talk, she just kept going for 4 hours straight. That's pretty impressive. I mean, I can't talk for 1 hour with something that breathes, and she was able to do it 4 times as long with an inanimate object. Awesome! This hedge must have been a great listener.

Oh, and on a side note...I'm about 85% sure that this is the same crazy drunk woman that I met several months ago outside of Amoeba who was CONVINCED that I was her long lost daughter.

I went to the grocery store after work on Monday to pick up some necessities...apples, Limon chips, and a 4 pack of Monster...and while I was in the parking lot I saw this billboard (and I don't care what your opinion is of Oprah, this has to make you giggle):

I think I've developed an unhealthy addiction to educational television. I've always been a fan of educational stations...The History Channel, PBS, The Discovery Channel, TLC, National Geographic, etc. However over the past few months I've started watching an unreasonable amount mind broadening programming. A couple weekends ago I watched shows about World War II for 6 hours straight! I get really irritated when I know that I'm going to miss an interesting show that I've been waiting to see (yes, I'm one of the 5 people in America who still doesn't have Tivo). A lot of my conversations go like this:

Me: "Hey, did you watch that show last night about Romania?"

Other Person: "Ummm...no."

Me: "Oh, well it was awesome! Did you know there are several salt mines in Romania that together could provide enough salt for the entire world for 100 years?"

Other Person: "Hmm...I don't care."

I also don't discriminate about what types of educational programming I watch. I've watched shows about wars, ghosts, prisons, giant squid, babies born without faces, the loch ness monster, big foot, castles, jesus, satan, comas, Nefertiti, side shows, hand guns...the list goes on and on. Basically, if there ever has been a show made about a certain topic, I've probably watched it. And let's not even talk about my infatuation with Man vs. Wild or how stoked I get for Shark Week.

I don't watch an unusual amount of TV, usually just a bit after I get home from work and on weekends it varies based upon my schedule. But occasionally I go on education binges and will sit on my couch for an entire day soaking up knowledge from the tube. My addiction hasn't slowed me down from going out and such...yet. But I really think that if I could have it my way, I would sit on my ass all day and watch as many of these types of shows as is humanly possible. But is an addiction to educational TV really a bad thing? I mean, I can tell you the life story of Amelia Earhart, the suspected locations of Atlantis, and how to make a compass using only a pool of water and a leaf. I think that all and all, an addiction to educational TV may be a pretty ok thing.