Grandma + Mom
After the adventures of Niagara Falls and Love Canal we went over to the nursing home to visit my grandma. My grandma is an amazing women. She has always been such a sweetheart.. These days she is pretty quiet for the most part and has a little trouble formulating the words she wants to use to express what she wants to say. She just recently turned 90 years old!
My grandma was one of the main reasons I wanted to visit New York as soon as possible. I hadn’t seen her since I first moved back up north from Florida and before that it had been over two years. Time seems to have been going by so fast these past few years.
When we got to the nursing home I spotted her at once, she was looking around at the people going by and I walked up to her and gave her a hug. We pushed her wheelchair outside to the patio and just enjoyed the company. We colored some pictures in a coloring book and relaxed. Like I said before she doesn’t say very much these days but out of nowhere she did something hilarious. She looked at me and said “You’re beautiful”, looks to my dad and goes, “Isn’t she beautiful?”, and then she pulls the front of my shirt out and looks down my shirt and goes, “You’re old.”…. I almost peed my pants laughing. I look up at her still laughing and she starts laughing. I don’t know if she knew that I was laughing at that situation or just laughing with me but either way it was great to see her smile.
When we left the nursing home we drove about forty minuets to Hamburg to visit my mother. It was a short visit but I am glad I had a chance to see her. After that we went to dinner and finally went back to the house. That night we watched an old home video that I had never seen of my 1st birthday party. I was freaking adorable. The next morning I had the trip back to central, PA. It was another nice drive but it was good to get back. I wish my visit could have been a tad longer but I really enjoyed it.
Niagara Falls + Maid Of The Mist
On my second full day in the 716 we went to Niagara Falls. I have been to the falls a few times because it’s a pretty close by “attraction” to where I grew up. I have seen the beautiful tons of water falling many times but I have never had the experience of riding one of the boats, known as the maid of the mist, before. That was awesome. You go right up to the horseshoe falls and literally can feel the power of the water. I have always wanted to do it and I am so glad that I finally did. That is one more number crossed out on my TTDBID list. If you have a chance to do it, do it!
After we finished up our adventures at Niagara Falls we decided to check out a place called Love Canal. It was an old development area that had caused many people to get sick in the 70′s. I knew of the place but it was interesting to go check it out first hand. We had no idea what to expect but we followed the GPS to the place and found sidewalks that lead to nowhere. Every few yards a driveway that had no house and fire hydrants were covered with grass. Some people live literally a street away from this abandoned area. Is it safe? It’s very interesting…
… To be continued on next post…
Erie County Fair
At some point after my trip to West Virginia I realized that the longer I wait the harder it would be to squeeze in a trip to Buffalo to visit my family. I planned the trip and it ended up going great.
I drove alone and quite enjoyed the little journey. I’m not afraid to drive alone and very much enjoy the road and going long distances. Although 5 1/2 hours is not that long of a drive I still enjoyed it. I made good time and when I was about ten minuets away from the house I called my dad to get help with the last few directions to the house. It was hilarious how when I told him what roads I was on he got all excited like, “I KNOW EXACTLY WHERE YOU ARE, TURN LEFT, NOW RIGHT, AHH!”.. or something like that. Once I was just a couple turns away I knew where I was, pulled up and saw my little sister and dad running out towards the road. Still on the phone we hung up, grabbed my couple bags and we went inside. They had a cute cake waiting for me (even though it wasn’t my birthday) and we ordered our favorite local pizza from Tony’s. I was dead tired from the long day, I did get up at 3:30 a.m. and worked the whole morning before the drive. We went to bed early.
The next morning we met up with my aunt and cousins and went to the Erie County Fair. We ate lots of fair food, watched a hilarious balloon act, dancing native Americans, Chinese acrobats and saw a bunch of animals. My favorite part of going to the fair or any place with lots of people is simply the people watching. People are always so interesting and it’s funny how everyone has something going on.
…To be continued on next post…
Book Review: godless by Dan Barker
Dan Barker’s godless: How an Evangelical Preacher Became One of America’s Leading Atheists is quite a story. Foreword by Richard Dawkins, this is a book that should not be missed out on.
When I first picked up the book I had a different expectation about what it would contain. I was expecting the entire book to be about him losing his faith and developing into the man of reason that he is today. The beginning of this book does start out this way and various chapters throughout tell of his life but much of the book contains arguments, powerful refutes against the bible using logic and reason. I originally bought the book because I was interested in reading his story about losing faith. I was not expecting but was pleasantly surprised with all of the bonus arguments and information. It might have been better for me if his personal story was separated from the rest but I am happy to have read both.
One of my favorite ideas expressed in this book was the idea that it is impossible for a god to be omnipotent, omniscient and omnipresent. This is not a new idea but I enjoyed Dan Barkers wording and basic points made to convey the argument.
Whether you are a religious person or not it is a great read. I’m curious at how one of my religious friends might respond to reading it. Perhaps they will admit that they have had doubts. Maybe they will jump the fence? Maybe it will do nothing. Whatever happens I think it is good for someone to have some understanding about how the other side thinks.
I’m beginning to see that with understanding comes compassion. Dan shares his story about his faith and how he understands what it feels like to have a “relationship” with Jesus. His thoughts on what he was actually feeling has changed but he still understands that those feelings can be real to an individual. That is why I like him, he can relate and show compassion.
After reading this book I am contemplating the idea of purchasing some extra copies to share with friends and family.
I’m excited to start his newest book “The Good Atheist”.
West Virginia Trip
The mini camping trip to West Virginia was a kind of spur of the moment thing, a quick little three day getaway to the “Wild and Wonderful”. I couldn’t help but hear John Denver’s “Country Roads” echoing through my head while driving in the beautiful West Virginia. It’s such a gorgeous state and one of the best drives especially if you like a good scenic view. The mountains and hills are so wonderful and I never got bored looking out my window as the country flew past my eyes.
On our first day we went fishing in a small river next to a farm. It was very nice, I really did need to get away from civilization, even if it was only for a short period of time. As we walked I did come across a few cows grazing near the water and despite the fact that they grunted and stomped at me I feel I have become closer to the species. When it started to get dark we drove back to the campsite (which was about 35 minutes hidden up and around a mountain) started a fire, cooked some hot dogs and had a couple smores. I forgot how much I love sleeping outdoors. It started raining and a nice thunder/lighting storm came over us about ten minutes after we snuggled up in our sleeping bags. As the rain lightly pitter-pattered on the canvas and the thunder rumbled above me I fell asleep so easily on that hard ground.
The next day we went on a couple adventures down the creek that followed a pretty waterfall. I am still sore from that event. The water was cold from the rain but felt really nice on my feet. We also found a trail and followed it for awhile. It led us to this small cemetery that seemed to be from the civil war. Many of the tombstones were unmarked, the ones that did have dates were from the 1860′s and I believe the latest one was from 1898.
I wish I could have stayed longer and I hope I can go again sometime in the future!
Less Than Jake in Fort Lauderdale, FL
March 7th, 2009 was a day so grand in the life of young Christina (me). I was living near Fort Lauderdale, Florida at that point in time and a band that had been a big part of my life’s soundtrack (if my life has a soundtrack) was going to be coming to town! Less Than Jake. Less Than Fucking Jake!? I was stoked to see these men play on stage.
Everything about these guys is awesome. I love the sound, the lyrics, the energy, the fucking trombone and Roger Manganelli’s hair! I played trombone when I was in middle school and high school so I feel a connection with Mr. Schaub. Unfortunately I can’t remember how to play anything but I still feel a connection. I can tell that these guys love what they are doing.
I should also mention that The Expendables played before LTJ and did an amazing job as well. At the time I hadn’t heard much of The Expendables music but I was very impressed. When they came on stage there was a sudden cloud that filled the room and all at once all that you could smell was marijuana, once again I was impressed. I’m now a fan.
I am so glad I was able to scratch this one of my “bucket list”. Less Than Jake has always been one of my favorite, I could see them a million times and never get bored. I’m hoping that eventually I will be able to see them play in their hometown, Gainesville, FL.
Have a listen?
If I Die Tomorrow
If I die tomorrow or at some point in the near future I will have wanted to shared this.
I am not afraid to die. I’ll be completely honest when I tell you that I get excited about the idea of dieing. Don’t get the wrong idea, I don’t necessarily want to die just yet but I wouldn’t complain if I knew it was going to happen tomorrow. At this moment I am alive and I want to make the most of it while I can.
Maybe I have a different idea than you do about what happens after we die but I have found no reason why I should believe that once we are dead some “soul” continues on.
Absolutely no rational reason for that idea.
Most of you don’t even want to try and think about the idea of nothing after life, to me it’s the most beautiful thought. It’s like the life of a flower, start as a seed, grow, bud, blossom, die and wither away. The dead plant eventually rots away nourishing the soil and feeding the worms. I guess in a sense the plant continues on forever.
Your mind will be gone, your memories, plans, hopes, thoughts, ideas and your life but some of what made up your body will still be around. We are born, we live, we die, we rot away. Nothing happens to our “soul” and time moves on. We have the ability to think and comprehend the world around us in ways that other living organisms cannot. But all that I can confidently believe that in the end we all simply die. I have no evidence that any other life after death exists or even could exist. So this the position I take. How can anyone argue that this isn’t the most beautiful ending? With only one life to live it truly makes me want to make the most of it, experiencing as much as I can in the short time that I have. I will try to make it better for others so they can do the same thing. I don’t need a book to tell me what is right and wrong.
Many of you believe that I am going to burn in some hell because I don’t share the same beliefs as you. I don’t know what to tell you. Just please do not waste time praying for me. I don’t want anyone wasting any more precious time on that sort of foolishness. Praying doesn’t do anything.
If I happen to die soon just remember I don’t want you to feel sorry for me.
I think that everyone should write something like this. I have seen people suffer from not knowing how someone felt, someone who died. They try and find answers and confirm that the person who died is content, that they decided to let go, ext. Well I am letting everyone know ahead of time that I was content. Celebrate my death by living! Try things that you have never tried before, love, help others enjoy life and don’t take yourself too seriously!
If I could choose I would prefer to be buried but only if I wasn’t in a coffin.. Hm, I am pretty sure that it’s illegal to do that, oh well. Actually now that I’m thinking about it, I would much rather have my body used for science, if it could be of any help. If my organs, blood, hair, eyes or whatever can be used for someone else that needs them, take them. As for the rest of my body, burn it I guess.. Smores? Ew, ha.. just kidding..
ALSO if I die don’t feel obligated to keep all my crap. Keep the stuff you could use or that you actually like and give the rest away.
Josh gets first dibs on all my crap, anything that he doesn’t want, my sister Kimberly can take, after that my dad can take the rest. Throw away the junk! I know I have quite a bit of it.
I LOVE YOU!
Josh I love you more than anything in this world!
P.S. Don’t worry I am not killing myself. This is just in case!! You never know.. things do happen!