Tangled in a World Wide Web

Many of you may be aware that last weekend I went to Montgomery for the Jubilee CityFest. Essentially, two days of concerts on three different stages across downtown. There were all types of artists and groups and music represented. Just a few acts that were there: LL COOL J Hinder 3 Doors Down Montgomery Gentry Candlebox Red Jumpsuit Apparatus Darius Rucker (former lead singer of Hootie and the Blowfish) Tone Loc Bow Wow Unfortunately, many of the concerts were happening at the same time. This means I didn't see everyone I wanted to and I had to choose in some cases. I missed LL Cool J and Hootie. I saw Hinder and Candlebox and 3 Doors Down. They were the main reasons we went anyway.  Friday night after the concerts ended, we went back to the hotel and discovered we had just missed LL COOL J, who was staying in the same hotel. We were a little bummed but it was cool to know that he was there.  Hinder was so awesome as was 3 Doors Down. Candlebox surprised me by doing a little mont...

How often we forget that Memorial Day is more than just a day off, a means to a three day weekend or the beginning of grilling season. In truth, it was established specifically to honor the fallen men (and later, women) of the militia.  It saddens me to admit that I, myself, have been guilty of treating Memorial Day like a pseudo-holiday. There are no presents to buy, no cards, and many companies don't even offer it as a day off. This is especially sad because so many families have, in one way or another, felt a loss associated with military service.  My grandfather was in the military ( 101st Airborne - Screaming Eagles ). He jumped at  Normandy  on  D-Day (June 6, 1944)  and again into Holland in September. He was captured in October and remained a POW until he was liberated in May 1945. Though he was not killed in action and lived a full life until November 1998, he gave much of himself overseas. Forced to  march in the snow for nearly three months , his feet were badly frozen a...

So, maybe I am a slacker. I was gonna send my mom flowers on Mother's Day and I had found a beautiful arrangement that was perfect. It was the perfect colors and I was excited about it. It was about $42 and I knew there would be other charges. I even added an option that took it up about another $5. When I started to check out, it jumped up to about $65. I thought, "Damn! Do I really want to spend that much on something that will rot in about a week?" I decided to hold off. Long story short, I tried again later, decided WTF.  It was now gonna cost $85. I just couldn't do it. Sorry Mom. Now, this doesn't mean that I don't think my mom is worth that amount. It just means I don't think dead flowers are worth that much.  Sometimes it's just Goodbye... After giving up on that plan, I found a great gift - one I've been halfway keeping an eye on for a while. It was a digital frame that was large (800x600), took all kinds of memory cards and a USB cable an...