Things I miss about Baltimore

In no particular order:

1. Artscape
2. non-pretentious restaurants
3. the small town feeling (you always see people you know)
4. Hampden
5. The Wine Source
6. Orioles Games (Student night Fridays)
7. The people

Favorite Beer

Those who attended my wedding know that my favorite beer is Geary's Pale Ale from Portland, Maine, that my wife was so nice to order for our day. It has a strong very distinct taiste that I think you either love or hate. I love it. Of course, there are few beers I don't like. (Coors Light, Bud, being the exceptions.) What is your favorite beer? This may be difficult, since the three people who read this blog don't drink beer. But if you are out there and like beer, please share.

Wedding Season...the sequel

Last weekend wife and I attended another great wedding. This was my close friend's wedding and both he and his wife are Greek. I haven't downloaded the pictures yet, but they will be posted soon. It was particularly cool because I had never been to a Greek wedding before. There was lots of dancing, lots of food, and lots of Greek music. All in all a successful event. I attempted some Greek dancing, without success. I also attempted to take advantage of the open bar, very successfully. I had to leave the ceremony briefly to sit and get a drink of water so I didn't pass out from all the standing. While the bride and groom danced they were showered with dollar bills from the other guests. The reception was at a beautiful golf course in Quincy overlooking Boston. It was the perfect setting. In review, I give the wedding two thumbs up (four if you include wife's thumbs). I love Boston every time we go until I get in a car and try to get somewhere. Then I only like it. I am ready to take a few months off from the wedding tour and gear up for the Fall wedding season.

Panama

It is wedding season. Among the slew of weddings we have attended (are attending) this year, was one two weeks ago in Panama. To keep it brief Panama was a ton of fun. Rain forest tour complete with sloth and monkeys, tour of the canal, resort with cheap drinks, and a unique wedding, were all well worth the trip. The wedding was held in a church built in 1675, which for you historically challenged out there was about a century before our Revolution. It was beautiful, if hot. The reception was something as well, starting around 9:00 and going until 2:00 in the morning. Four different live bands (mariachi, marching, reggae and I guess what was a salsa band). It is always cool getting an insider view of other cultures and our brief look at Panama didn't disappoint.

Finally Recovered

So it was a hectic spring for me. Recovering from the election, inauguration bliss, finishing grad school, looking for a job, getting married, you know, busy. But I will slowly dip my feet back into the whole blogging thing, since I have received emails from the two people who read this...you know who you are. I have a few posts in mind, some more serious than others, but let me start with an ode to pub trivia.
I recently participated in my second pub trivia ever, and it was good. Sure we lost and sure there were not enough history trivia questions (when are there?), but its a great way to spend an evening. Most shameful miss: the name of the Dawson's Creek soundtrack and singer. It's hard to think of music when there is music playing loudly.

Obama--I Rise

Maya Angelou recited this on the Early Show this morning and it was powerful.

Maya Angelou--Still I Rise

You may write me down in history
With your bitter, twisted lies,
You may trod me in the very dirt
But still, like dust, I'll rise.

....

Out of the huts of history's shame
I rise
Up from a past that's rooted in pain
I rise
I'm a black ocean, leaping and wide,
Welling and swelling I bear in the tide.
Leaving behind nights of terror and fear
I rise
Into a daybreak that's wondrously clear
I rise
Bringing the gifts that my ancestors gave,
I am the dream and the hope of the slave.
I rise
I rise
I rise.

Shout-out-to-Molly

My friend Molly...a recovering Republican. Helped put this video together and is one of the people in the video. I thought it was pretty cool. There are several celebrities in it as well. It's short, check it out, and show a friend. Don't forget to vote, even if you live in a very liberal state...I don't want this one to be close.
If you are still undecided, well wake up. Ask yourself which candidate has offered positive solutions and stuck to the issues and which candidate has spent all his money and all his speeches bashing his opponent with ridiculous, dishonorable attacks? What type of person would you want in the White House? And if you need one more reason to vote it is racism. I am not one who believes we are still a racist country at heart. However, I was reminded today that racism is still very prevalent. I was in a gas station, getting my car fixed, and a black man walked in to ask if they could help him open his car because he locked the keys in it. The attendant asked him, "You mean you can't open it yourself? I thought all black people knew how to break into cars?" I was stunned, and shamefully didn't say anything, if this is the voting public I think we can't take anything for granted at this stage. VOTE!