New Music

new albums from pete yorn and ray lamontagne being released on the same day? not sure i could be anymore excited at the moment. okay, that's not true ... but i am pretty psyched. to check out ray's new single, go here. to sample pete's new album, go here. both are in stores tomorrow!

Hershey

so, when i was approximately 10 years old, my family went to hershey park as part of our vacation (remember, i'm from rhode island, so pa is actually the proper vacation distance from my hometown). at this point in my life, i'd never been on a roller coaster. so, with child-like innocence and enthusiasm, i blindly followed my dad into line for the comet. the ride begins with the, now all too familiar, ascent into the clouds ... the climb right before the rapid descent where you feel as though you've left your stomach back at the beginning of the ride. however, having never been on a roller coaster ... i didn't know what this meant. and as we're climbing, my dad and i are chatting ... he's eyeing me up, wondering how i'm going to fare ... and i'm blathering on like a fool about the lovely weather. i actually don't know what we were talking about, but i do know that the instant we began to "fall" ... i yelled at my dad "you said this was supposed to be fun!". and so began my fear of the roller coaster.

in my sophomore year of college, i went to kings dominion and conquered this fear ... but i'd never been back to hershey park, until this weekend. and i was going to ride the hell out of the comet. but i couldn't start with that particular coaster ... i had to ease myself into it. so, of course, i decided to begin the day with one of the more scarier coasters. i didn't know this, though, until i was actually on the ride. why do most roller coasters look all innocent from the ground? i know the screams should give it away ... but, honestly, i stand there, waiting in line, and think to myself, "this isn't going to be so bad". and when i get off ... my legs feel like jello. anyway, a few coasters (and jello legs) later ... i got in line for the comet. i wasn't as nervous as i thought i'd be, since this was the last ride of the day, and i'd already been on some freaky rides. but as we started that climb ... i gotta tell you, i got a sinking feeling in my stomach. didn't end up being so bad ... i screamed, as usual ... but, i'd do it again. just not soon.

Thundercats

what's the next best thing to a transformer movie? although, i'm a little bit skeptical that the teaser makes it seem like they came from mars. couldn't we have come up with something a bit more original? like pluto ... what's wrong with pluto? have you heard that pluto was almost ousted from the planet family? okay, seriously, where was i? oh, yes ... iwatchstuff.com has posted a little somethin' somethin' about a thundercats remake. keep your pants on ... it's nothing as cool as a movie, but allegedly, it will be an animated series on the wb. thunder ... thunder ... thunder ... thunder ... CATS!

Manatee

i love when my little state makes the news, so i thought i'd post this cnn.com article about a manatee siting in greenwich bay, warwick.

FredNet

one of the guys, with whom i work, recently made the news due to his blog about frederick, frednet. you can read the baltimore sun article here. good stuff, guy!

Congratulations!

lauren and jon were married on saturday, august 12th ... and i just got some of the pictures. so, without further ado ...



lauren and jon



me and judy



me and chris

80's

so, i'm a bit of a sucker for 80's music. i know what you're thinking ... 80's music and a space freak, could such a cool girl really exist? yes, yes i do. :) but, no, really ... i love the 80's. is that why i find myself admitting (shamefully, though) to enjoying jessica simpson's remake of you spin me round by dead or alive? actually, looking at dead or alive's web site, i should, perhaps, rethink my enjoyment of the original ... but that's for another time. if you want to check out jessica simpson's version, which you probably don't, click here. then click on "click here to listen & vote!". you see, you could actually assist in picking her next single. that would be, like, so hot. that's sarcasm. maybe.

Space

two nights ago, i watched "aliens of the deep", directed by james cameron. the documentary explored the deepest depths of the ocean (you know, where the hydrothermal vents exist?) and provided glimpses of the incredible creatures (like those worms) that live down there. however, i thought the most interesting discussions in the film were those related to the comparison between underwater and space exploration. you might remember from one of my earlier entries, that i'm kind of a space dork. so, my fascination with this topic shouldn't be a surprise.

anyway, one of the scientists featured in the documentary was an astrobiologist, kevin hand, from the search for extraterrestrial intelligence (SETI) institute. he described, briefly, possible future missions to europa, one of jupiter's moons. the surface of europa is ice, ranging in depths of 20 to 100 kilometers, but the hope is that below the surface is an ocean containing life. the concept is pretty amazing and i spent a majority of yesterday reading more about the seti institute and europa. and you can, too. here and here. kind of makes looking for aliens cool, doesn't it?

Speechless

Courage

stones taught me to fly

love taught me to cry

so come on courage

teach me to be shy

'cause it's not hard to fall

and i don't wanna scare her

-cannonball, damien rice

Score!

it was a proud moment last night when i scored for the first time during my indoor coed soccer game. and why, you ask, am i so proud of a goal? only because it took me four months of playing and 500 million shots (that's a lot). tears were shed.

Gamble

on my knees, i’ll ask

last chance for one last dance

‘cause with you, i’d withstand

all of hell to hold your hand

- far away, nickelback

Welcome, Niece

born august 4th, 8 lbs 10 oz, and 21 inches long ... you're beautiful.

Hot

i feel like this today