No fair.

The Bloomsburg Fair ended last night. It was sad because we didn't get to see or do as much as we wanted to and because this could be our last fair since we'll probably move after I graduate. This fair was odd for another reason. People around here are used to cold and rainy weather which rolls into town with the fair caravans. The locals call that "fair weather" and it happens each year without fail. But this year it was warm, in the 80s, and only rained once. And now, as September is winding down, it's time to start thinking about Halloween. It's time to decide on costumes, decorate the porch, gather pumpkins, and admire Mother Nature's wondrous color pallet.

Shadows.

Antique rides.

We were invited to a graduation party by one of my wife's college students. Upon arrival at her house we were greeted by the sound of an air horn followed by the source of the sound, a Ford Model T. The owner then offered to give us a ride through the countryside. So we climbed in the rumble seat and got a great view of early Fall in Pennsylvania.

Baby food.

Lili does not like to eat her food. She would rather play with it or, as in this case, wear it.

Alive Day Memories.

If you haven't seen it yet, Alive Day Memories is going to change your life. And if you have seen it, then you know what I am talking about. Alive Day Memories is a production of HBO Documentary Films in which James Gandolfini, aka Tony Soprano, sits down with several veterans of the war in Iraq to talk to them about their Alive Day and what they remember. Alive Day is the second most important and memorable, after their birthday, day in a soldier's life. It is the day that they almost died. Several of the veterans Gandolfini interviewed for this project displayed their horrific injuries and unbreakable spirits. It is truly amazing to watch these heroes talk about the day their lives were changed forever. This documentary is also the greatest argument against Iraq and for bringing the troops home I have ever seen. Do yourself a favor, watch it. And if you don't have HBO, rent it.

Fairly odd.

The inventor of pigs in a blanket proudly brings you sheep in a coat.

More fair.

Nothing says first day of Fall like pictures of livestock.

The fair.

Today is the first day of the Bloomsburg Fair. It's annual, week-long, and has been held since 1855. Last night was Free Friday, what could be described as a dress rehearsal if fairs had dress rehearsals. I was going to take pictures, but between the low quality of my cellphone camera and poor lighting conditions I was guaranteed to have the kind of pictures I get when the external camera button on my cellphone gets pushed in my pocket.

Twitter.

I have succumb to the evil that is Twitter. Resistance on my part was truly futile. And it's all Wil Wheaton's fault. Damn it, Wil! I am a blogger, not a twitter!

Supermarket.

Lili is happy to be grocery shopping with Mom and Dad.

Avast, land lubbers!

Shiver me timbers! Today is the Talk Like A Pirate Day. So pour yourself a pint of grog and sing The Official Talk Like A Pirate Day Song with some of ye maties.

Waiting.

This is a pic of a painting that hangs in an exam room at my doctor's office. It makes you wonder what's around the corner. It also makes you want to investigate, especially if you have been waiting for a while.

Public privacy.

In 1984 I was living in the Soviet Union and reading a samizdat copy of George Orwell's 1984. I didn't know where my father got a copy of that book in Russian (I figured it was from one of his decedent friends) and didn't care because if the authorities got wind of us having it, plausible deniability would be much easier. Back then I expected that Big Brother was watching me and that I didn't have any privacy.
Fast forward to present day, in 2007 I am living in the United States and posting on my blog. I make these posts because I want to express myself and because I want people to read them. However, everything I write is being stored in the vast memory banks of the blog hosting site for the purpose of creating the ultimate, all knowing database. Not to mention the fact that potential employees will Google my name in hopes of learning things about me that I might have left out of my resume. I don't have any drunk MySpace pictures and I'm too old for Facebook. So I feel somewhat safe with my on-line presence, but the fact that I traded Big Brother for Big Brother, Inc. disturbs me.

Last days of Summer.

To celebrate the end of Summer my wife and I took Lili to Knoebels, an amusement park in the middle of Northeastern Pennsylvania. Knoebels is a big part of the local lore; Summer doesn't officially start until you've been to Knoebels.

Extreme close-up.

Fifty seven hundred.

In last night's speech Bush said that 5,700 American soldiers will be coming home from Iraq by Christmas. This number is ridiculous because it is only a tiny bit higher than the number of American soldiers killed in Iraq since 2003 which, as of today, happens to be 3,780. Also the new withdrawal policy is based on the success of the new Iraqi government and its various infrastructures. This is like telling an employee that they'll get their bonus when Jimmy Hoffa is found. Both events are possible, but not bloody likely. Bush is just throwing a bone to the war protesters and the Democrats in Congress.

Web 2.0.

I recently discovered that I have not embraced Web 2.0 as much as I should. This is not to say that I don't use it. After all, I am writing an entry for my blog about it. In the past, I read a lot more than I wrote while browsing the web; I have visited countless sites reading what they have to offer without leaving a comment for the creator. This is a Web 1.0 trait which I find very hard to shake. Web 2.0 is about collaboration or, to put it plainly, leaving people comments. Some might argue that Web 2.0 is also about social networking which again requires that you actually leave people comments on their MySpace or Facebook pages when they leave comments on yours. In order to do this, you have to remember that blog pots (like this one), or whatever Web 2.0 content you happen to be reading, are not newspaper articles and do allow room for comment at the bottom.

Thursday the 13th.

There is a superstition about Friday the 13th being a day of bad luck. In fact, it is shared by several cultures throughout the world. However, I think that Thursday the 13th is far more menacing. Just think about it, Thursday The Thirteenth. It just sounds so threatening.

It's a reflection thing.

I was trying to take a picture of an amuzing sticker on the back of a Scion. After taking this picture I realized that both Lili and I are reflected in the Scion's black, shiny exterior.

Real Big Love.

If you haven't seen Big Love on HBO, this story about a polygamist on trial will have little or no meaning to you, but if you have been watching it as much as I have you'll understand the ramifications of this story.

Six years later.

It is hard for me to think of the events of 9/11/01, since it is hard to think of anything else today, without wishing that they never took place. I remember watching the Twin Tours fall and wishing that Seven Days, a television show about a time traveler who fixes things that went horribly wrong, were true. Now, I am filled with sadness for all the thousands of innocent lives that were lost that day. May they rest in peace.

Warning!

This is a sign I found in the petting zoo at the Luzern County Fair which kicks off the Fall fair/festival season in the area. I thought this sign was funny because the word "animals" can be easily replaced with the word "people".

Coffee news.

Thursday, Starbucks opened two new stores. As irony would have it, they are located in Bloomsburg and in Russia. With the overwhelming numbers of Starbucks in places like New York City, it is hard to believe that there are parts of the world still untouched by these beacons of civilization.

All tomorrow's signs.

While shopping at Wal-Mart I came upon this sign outside the bathrooms. Is it saying that tomorrow depends on the customer or the associate? If tomorrow depends on me, the customer, that's a little too much pressure for one person to bare.

Arrivederci.

Luciano Pavarotti, an Italian tenor, died at his home in Modena, Italy from pancreatic cancer. He was 71. Following Antonioni and Bergman, this is the third death of a great artist this year.

New hat.

Lili likes to keep up with all the baby fashionistas. Here she is enjoying a bottle of formula from Starbucks in her Old Navy hat.

Princess Lili.

Lili is wearing her aunt Melissa's tiara. Melissa is the First Runner-Up in the Luzern County Fair Queen contest.

Back to school.

When I was a kid, growing up in the Soviet Union, September 1st was the first day of the school year. All the kids would put on their uniforms and we'd gather in the school yard for the First Day ceremony. There would be a little speech by the principal followed by the ringing of the school bell. Every school had an electric bell but on the first day a girl who was starting first grade would be lifted in the air by a tenth grade, which was the final grade in the Soviet school system, boy and ring a big bell. As I was remembering these things, I wondered what would have happened today since this year September 1st fell on a Saturday. And then I remembered that we went to school 6 (six) days a week. This in turn made me wonder if we learned more because of the six day school week or because we were taught some subjects, such as English, at an earlier age. One day, I would like to explore this further.