Gender: male Member Since: February 09, 2007 Last Signed In: July 18, 2008 Profile Views: 2650 Blog Views: 5721 4th of July balloons Downtown's Fireworks This evening in my backyard Anybody know what these bugs are? Microscopic Parking Spaces Mission San Luis Obispo Stevenson Fire Pictures Got Cat Repellant? NTSB Prelim. Report for Kernville crash Pictures from the lunar eclipse last night. February 07 March 07 April 07 May 07 June 07 July 07 August 07 September 07 October 07 November 07 December 07 January 08 February 08 March 08 April 08 May 08 June 08 July 08 
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Here's an interesting article:
Los Angeles police sued for NOT seeking suspects' immigration status The article says: "Department policy prohibits officers from asking about suspects' immigration status, a stance strongly supported by Police Chief Chief William Bratton and Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa." Yeah, sounds like a really good policy to me. By all means, please allow an already bad situation to worsen. It goes on to say: "The policy has become a mainstay of police departments across the United States. Supporters argue that if police start enforcing immigration law, immigrants - legal or otherwise - will not report crimes or help police in investigations. "Without trust, the community is not willing to partner with us in reporting or solving crimes," said police spokeswoman Mary Grady." Great. So we are supposed to trust those that have already broken the law? And if an immigrant is legal, why should they have any fear of verifying their status? If you aren't breaking the law, you have nothing to fear!
I thought I'd change things up a bit here and share some memories of loved ones who are no longer with us, with the hope that others may do the same. After all we have nothing to lose, and only the caring, understanding and support of others to gain.
So here goes. My father died of cancer in 1989 at the age of 56. Cancer ate his body away which didn't seem fair especially since he was very active and outdoorsy. My old man taught me how to backpack and survive in the wilderness. He taught me how to work with my hands and use tools. He was a good guy. I was 24 at the time and completely ill-equipped to deal effectively with his passing. Of course I missed him terribly, but there was also a part of me that was relieved that he was gone. I would no longer have to worry about not being 'good enough', or have to deal with his discontent over my own life decisions instead of doing what he thought I should do. It was a time of great conflict and haunted me for many years with nightmares. Then one day something amazing happened. I was on one of my many road trips at the time and pulled off the road somewhere in Alabama to rest. It was midday, warm and sunny and I found this perfect old abandoned railroad (of course) and gas station in a very pastoral setting and settled in for a snooze in my truck. My father came to me in what I will loosely call a 'dream', even though it was one of the most real experiences I've ever had. His lips were moving but I couldn't hear what he was saying, I was aggravated that I couldn't hear him, but I fell back 'asleep'. It wasn't until several hours later driving down the road that I even remembered what had happened! It hit me like a ton of bricks and I realized, with great emotion, that my father was trying to tell me it was OK to have the conflicting emotions, and that it didn't mean I didn't love him or miss him. From that point on, I have not had any nightmares and only pleasant dreams of him. It was a great turning point for me. My mother passed away late in 2006 of Alzheimer's, just a few days shy of her 80th birthday. Having matured (somewhat) over the last 17 years since Dad passed away, I thought I was much more able to handle my Mom's passing. But it was much more difficult than I had imagined. Even though I hadn't been able to have a real conversation with her for over a year because of her disease, I felt a great sense of loss and loneliness now that both parents were gone. I felt like a child alone in the world. Luckily I have a very strong wife who understands me and is very compassionate and helped me make it through. Mom was an amazing lady. What can I say about her, except everything there is to say about a great mom. She raised me, fed me, clothed me, played with me and helped make me who I am. She was a professional seamstress and often made clothes for us when we were young. She had little labels that said 'Mad with Love by Mom' that she sowed into the clothes, and I wore them with great pride. When I was very young, before school age, I would be at home with her while she sowed. I remember she would make toys for me out of milk cartons, and I would fill my little toy trucks with the beans that she would use in her bean bag sewing. Seems like a lifetime ago. She was a very strong woman. When I ran off at 18 to elope, Dad was the one bawling and Mom was the voice of reason! BTW, I didn't end up getting married then! I miss them both and all the memories are pleasant, serene and reflective. Maybe I'll mention in a later comment what inspired me to make this blog in the first place.
Does anyone have Cingular service in BVS? I currently have Verizon and it works great, but I'm looking at Apple's new iPhone which is Cingular only. According to their coverage map it looks pretty good for most of the valley floor. But even they concede "Actual coverage area may differ substantially from map graphics, and coverage may be affected by such things as terrain, weather, foliage..."
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