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2006-03-07t18:09:05Z
| RE: Death. Faith. Family. Life. My Creation. Philosophy. Rambling. The death of my father has been hard on me. I say that with some guilt because I know that it must be harder yet for my mother and my relatives who have been living with my father. And yet, it is a true statement, and I must forgive myself for focusing on my feelings for while. Here it, more than three weeks later, and I am still weepy. I am relatively young and have personally experienced only a few other family deaths: My father's father, then my mother's father, my mother's mother, my brother Alan, and my father's mother. None of the deaths so far have hit me as hard as the death of my father. After one of the visitation wakes, there was a family gathering at my aunt Angie's house: My body said I wasn't hungry, but I ate and ate and ate and ate —because my spirit said I was. During this period of grief, I have noticed other changes in me. I move more slowly. My vision seems narrower. I seem calmer and more patient. My words are gentler. I have time disorientation. My thinking is short term. I close my eyes more. My breathing seems to stop more. I have become part ghost myself. I have proclaimed before that change trumps fixation. If you lose a job, then you must resolve to get another job. If you lose a unique, irreplaceable, priceless possession, then you have to say that it was just a thing and move on. If you are knocked down, then get up. However, if you lose someone you love, then I think it is harder lose the fixation and accept the change. (If I were to lose one of my children, I think I would miss them more than I would my own arm.) You want to grieve as much as possible because you do not want to ever forget. But you will never forget! You need to grieve in order to heal, in order to accept the change. Take your time. It is, after all, only three weeks since my father died. I have proclaimed before that joy trumps sorrow. I would like to think that death is not a heavy ink that blots and stains our lives, but rather that death is a vital pencil that provides line, form, and shade in the drawings of our lives. And I would like to think that there are other pencils --such as love and laughter, hope and enthusiasm, duty and necessity-- which add volume, texture, and brightness to our lives. All of us eventually experience the passing of loved ones --whether through death or some other distance-- but it is more important that we all try to live richly, lovingly, and meaningfully during our fleeting lives. Upon reviewing my father's life, two words seem to come to my mind: duty and joy. Duty: He was a father of eight who, for his family, moved to America where, with humility, he worked hard for many years. Joy: He was vigorous, happy, enthusiastic, and had many interests. You might think that duty and joy oppose each other, but actually they complement each other, and each makes the other more vital. "Start by doing what's necessary, then what's possible, and suddenly you are doing the impossible." -Saint Francis. There are many ways to die, but lately I have been thinking of two particular ways: to die beloved or to die unloved. The best example of this comes from A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens, when the Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come shows a future where Tiny Tim dies beloved and Ebenezer Scrooge dies unloved. It is death that makes you appreciate the importance of how you live. Your inborn gifts and your environment are moot --a roll of the dice. "Whatever you do will be insignificant, but it is very important that you do it." -Mahatma Gandhi. My father served and protected, he lived with vigor and joy, he loved and was beloved. Thus will I remember my father and thus will I live and follow his example. This I swear.
2006-03-13t18:58:29Z
| RE: Chicago. News. Politics. U.S.A. (America). I'm ashamed that I wasn't even aware of this issue until I heard that my niece and her husband were in this huge march right here in Chicago (Protesters Rally Against Illegal Immigration Bill [cbs2chicago.com/topstories/local_story_069125525.html]). HR 4337, aka The Border Protection, Antiterrorism, and Illegal Immigration Control Act of 2005, dehumanizes immigrants. This is amazing since this country was founded on the back of immigrants. If a fellow human being is in need, then I'm going to use my instincts and judgment instead bureaucracy. Related links:
2006-03-23t18:21:26Z
| RE: Family. Play. Games for Kids [defectiveyeti.com/archives/001591.html] lists some games that kids and adults can play. This is important stuff.
2006-03-23t19:18:31Z
| RE: How To. Make. How To Make a Secret Hollow Book [how2dostuff.blogspot.com/2006/02/how-to-make-secret-hollow-book.html] is pretty simple but I love looking at pictures of someone actually makingone.
2006-03-23t19:46:49Z
| RE: Cyber Life. I know that there are a lot of Web 2.0 desktops/portals out there but Fold [beta.fold.com] has a nice feel.
2006-03-23t19:47:06Z
| RE: Money. Quirky. Unusual Business Ideas That Work [uncommonbusiness.blogspot.com] shows that making money can be quirky.
2006-03-23t19:48:53Z
| RE: Cyber Life. Cyber Tech. Free Gratis. Free Libre. Microsoft. Open Source. OSSWin [osswin.sourceforge.net] lists open source projects that work on Windows. Some of them are too obvious.
2006-03-23t19:53:06Z
| RE: Hardware. How To. Re-surfacing CDs so they work again [instructables.com/ex/i/2EC632F40B1E1029BC4A001143E7E506/?ALLSTEPS] --using Brasso?! It looks like toothpaste or car wax will work as well.
2006-03-27t19:34:38Z
| RE: Chicago. Food. Q08of10. I'm eating one of their sandwiches as I write this. From the outside S & S Deli looks like a typical Chicago fast food place. They makes subs as well as Chicago style hot dogs, beef sandwiches, and such, but they offer several surprises. As soon as you walk in, you immediately notice how tidy and clean the place in. The way they take your order, wrap your sandwich, chat with you, etc. is so meticulous and warm that it makes you feel properly civilized. Additionally, they are also a convenience store with a large selection of ice cream.
2006-03-28t18:15:19Z
| RE: Animated. Cyber Life. Live Action. NSFW. Video. I'm not sure what to do about all the videos out there. It's more like surfing TV than the web. I think I'll just collect them and then periodically post a bunch of them at a time.
2006-03-30t16:33:08Z
| RE: Kids. Mind. Science. This fascinating study might explain why "smart" kids are usually perceived as "nerds". If other kids (H and A) have a much larger prefrontal cortex than the "nerds" (S) for years before the nerds peak at 12 years old, then the nerds (while smarter) have a lot of catching up to do. The other kids may also have some resentment at the nerds for becoming smarter in that time frame. Why Some Kids Are Smarter [technologyreview.com/BioTech/wtr_16641,304,p1.html]
2006-03-31t15:40:01Z
| RE: Education. Politics. Sex. U.S.A. (America). I can't believe this is happening right next door to me. No More Free Prostitution [metafilter.com/mefi/50525]
I took the time to reread Rep. Cynthia Davis' letter several times. This is a whacky person pushing buttons. I'm for personal responsibility but sex education and contraceptives are good things and do not interfere with personal responsibility any more than seat belts. Sexually transmitted diseases are dangerous, period.
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![[PHOTO: George Hernandez]](/h/Media/zMisc/GHLogo.gif){kind=small}
![[PHOTO: Protesters by the Calder sculpture at the Federal Plaza in Chicago]](http://www.georgehernandez.com/h/aaBlog/2006/media/03-13-HR4437_March_in_Chicago.jpg)
![[GRAPHIC AND CHART: brain development from 7 to 19]](http://www.georgehernandez.com/h/aaBlog/2006/media/03-30-PrefrontalCortexOverTime.jpg)