Momentous occasion.

Today marks the fiftieth anniversary of the phrase "In God We Trust" first being printed on a one dollar bill. Prior to that American currency was backed by a gold standard which required that the government keep enough gold around to pay for all the bills in circulation. Then eventually any mention of the gold standard was removed from the currency and "In God We Trust" put in its place. This meant the currency, which was printed by the government, was no longer the government's problem and that backing of the currency was God's responsibility.
Today also marks a change in the way Americans travel. The carefree days of going to the Bahamas, Canada, or Mexico for the weekend without anything more substantial than your driver's license are over. Starting today if you go to one of those countries without your passport you won't be allowed back in. This doesn't seem so bad if you think about the Bahamas, but imagine being trapped in Mexico or worse, Canada! Now I don't have anything against our neighbors to the North and the South, but as they say: home is where you keep your passport.

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.