a start to some not-so awesome things

inspired by the latest blog that i had been introduced to and have recently started following again, i have decided to compose my own un-exhaustive list of some of the most disturbing, frustrating & awful things that i have experienced (and maybe you have to) in this lifetime. feel free to add your two cents...

#30 Forgetting your supposed "unforgettable" password 
 
hypothetical situation: a good friend calls and asks if you ever received his email. you tell him that you did not and inquire as to when he sent it and what it pertained to? he informs you that it was the directions to his bachelor party and he sent it a week ago. after straining your brain, you finally realize that your friend sent his email to your spam-ridden, inactive email account. while he is able to provide you with the information that was contained in the original email, you are interested to know what other "important" emails have been sitting in your inbox all these weeks & months.


you visit the email server that you haven't visited in over 3 months. after typing in your everyday user name, you  realize with each successive flashing cursor that you have NO IDEA what your password is/was, when you first created it years ago.


you then click on the forgot password? link below. now, you have to wait--only God knows how long--for the email that provides you with a basically indecipherable pass code (i.e. e7UVO0Il) that you must then copy & paste (if you're smart) into the original password box. at which point, you must create another original password that is at least eight characters (haven't psychologists proven that the human brain can only remember--AT MOST--data in sequences of seven digits?) and one that, ironically, you will probably forget again. 

it is intriguing to note that just about everything in our modern world seems to be password-protected. whether it is our bank account(s), car/garage door(s), or our federal loan summaries, there are good reasons why this is the case. it just stinks when you (i) cannot recall those 6-8 digits which no one gave us, but that i personally came up with because it was memorable.

note to self: what is your mother's maiden name?

back from "bah haba"

last evening, my parents, my sister (kaitlyn) and i returned from our four-day, three-night vacation in bar harbor, maine. not only did we have pleasant weather, but we also shared some fantastic memories (see incomplete slide show)

i oftentimes have difficulty sharing what it is that i observe or experience in a particular moment, weekend, or occasion, which is why i usually resort to the stream of consciousness approach. this occasion is no different:

dick fox & his 3 hr. fully-narrated tour...cadillac mountain (esp. the sun setting on the continental US)...yankee lines tour bus crew...the mountain that--for us--was anything but thunderous..."in the cool of the pool" and the 110+ degree jacuzzi water...popovers at jordan pond & "flying" CC potato chips...LOBSTAH ice cream...window shopping & stealing fun bumper sticker & t-shirt slogans...18 challenging holes of mini-golf at pirate's cove...sharpening of map reading skills...free adventures in acadia inn's dining room...tossing the frisbee whenever & wherever...planning for our 2014 reunion with the Wry family...acting like four children after hours and so much more...

one global GOOAAAALLL

i don't care if you're white, black or brown. whether you love or hate the US or any of the other participating countries. whether you've played or never played soccer or futebol before. no matter what your story is the fifa world cup, which happens only once every four years, will at the very least bring you g o o s e bumps...

may the 32 participating countries (players & fans especially) take advantage of these potentially unifying matches and use this universal platform as a diplomatic throw-in.

here's to what will be an incredible month of international soccer/futebol,

tk

(i am secretly routing for team ghana & south korea)

avatar

i couldn't wait until tomorrow to complete this blog entry, as i just finished watching the semi-animated film Avatar with my sister, Kaitlyn. if you haven't seen it yet/or you are looking for a good flick to kick off your summer, Avator is a great choice (especially given the fact that--like us--you can pick it up at your local redbox dispenser for $1 or so). as several critics have similarly described, this film's graphics are literally "out of this world" and absolutely incredible. not only was i amazed by director james cameron's attention to details, but also his ability to weave themes like human interconnectedness, environmental justice and foreign diplomacy (just to mention a few) into this spectacular motion picture. i am very particular about what type of science fiction/futuristic films i can handle, but this one has golden globe written all over it!

so kick up your heels, grab a bag of your favorite kernels and prepare your eyes as they begin to dance...

an eventful weekend & i'm BACK!

i think i may have just severely pulled my back muscle(s), as i quickly got up from my chair after chatting with a good friend of mine, and now i am having difficulty sitting up and walking around the house! it figures. why didn't anyone tell me that year 25 would be filled with so many aches and pains?!? after lifting boxes & stuffing envelopes for the diocese of fall river all day today (as well as jumping frantically on the Clifford moonwalk with my relatives and some other kids at my cousins' graduation party yesterday), i guess i should have seen this coming. why didn't anyone tell me that year 25 would be filled with so many aches and pains?!? luckily, my mother--whose expertise and services i rarely ever take advantage of--is a physical therapist and reiki trainee. i'm usually not someone who gives it to taking over-the-counter painkillers like Ibuprofen, but this pain is just too much and i really want to return to work tomorrow! my typing speed and accuracy are limited this evening and it is getting late for a potential work night, so i will

i wish you a pain-free week,
tk

friday's WONDERWORD mystery word = EXHAUSTION
(there may have been some extra un-circled letters, but just disregard them ;)

WONDERWORD

whenever i am visiting my family in taunton, massachusetts, this relatively quick & easy word puzzle (see left margin) has become a staple of my morning routine. for those of you who are unfamiliar with this particular puzzle, please let me explain how to play. each puzzle has a theme (i.e. heat wave), several words related to that theme that are embedded in the puzzle, and a final mystery word that can only be deciphered once all the words in the checklist have been found. as soon as you discover a word in the puzzle, you can either create small circles engulfing each letter of the word or you can circle the entire word with one single stroke. once all the checklist words have been found, there should be a few letters that remained uncircled. these un-jumbled letters together spell the mystery word, which is also usually related to the puzzle's theme for that day.

not only does this word game prime my mind for whatever the day has in store for me, but it also gives me a booster shoot of confidence bright and early. i know each one of you has your own morning rituals, which i hope you will continue to capitalize on. the important part of these rituals though is that they provide us with meaning and prepare us for the adventures that await us as we finish off our last spoonful of cereal or final sip of our favorite cold/hot beverage.

unfortunately, WONDERWORD does not appear in the weekend newspapers, so i will have to wait until monday to get another chance at circling.

in the meantime let's compare possible mystery words from sample puzzle in margin,
tk

a day in the life of ray

i'm excited to be positing this blog on the morning of game one of the 2010 NBA finals, which will tip off tonight at 9pm EST at the staples center in los angeles, california.

many of my closest colleagues and friends (especially Cavs' fans) have reminded me time and time again, since the Celtics knocked off the Cavaliers in what seems like months ago, how much they despise every member of this year's Celtics squad! to which i usually reply, "even Ray Allen?" well, i must say that they are certainly entitled to their opinions regardless of whatever off-court evidence i have at my disposal; nevertheless, i will present my case for the athlete and father who i have come to idolize.

it is news to no one that professional athletes are the first to be criticized for their obscene salaries and on- and off-the field antics; however, a lot less energy and attention is paid to the ways in which some of these male & female athletes assume exemplary roles in their families and communities. take for example, the late roberto clemente who played right field for the pittsburgh pirates from 1955-72 and who tragically lost his life in an airplane crash en route to deliver some emergency relief to victims of an earthquake in Nicaragua. moreover, olympic long-jumper and heptathlete, jackie joyner-kersee--recognizing the need to help youth, parents and families improve their quality of life--established a foundation with her husband and co-founded "athletes for hope" to encourage other professional athletes to get involved in their local communities. there are many other athletes (including former NFL quarterbacks, doug flutie and boomer esiason) whose biggest opponents are not the three-hundred pound linemen that they face every Sunday, but rather the incurable diseases that plague their children and families. all parties considered, i would undoubtedly include celtics shooting guard, ray allen, in this discussion and company. 

it was just hours before game 5 of the 2008 NBA finals, ray and his wife, shannon, received news from their 2-yr old son's pediatrician that walker had been diagnosed with juvenile diabetes. since my mother suffers from diabetes, i certainly can imagine the feelings of helplessness and uncertainty that surfaced probably immediately for ray and shannon. i guess it is particularly easy for me to empathize with their family.  



may walker allen, mary kerrigan and all those men, women and children who struggle daily with the discomfort and pain of diabetes have the support to help improve their quality of life.

Christ's comfort and hope,
tk