Pray

Irish Ruin One

Cashel One

Sleeping
24"w x 8"h
acrylic on plexi glass
steve park

The Little Girl on the Stoop

The Little Girl On the Stoop
22"h x 10"w
acrylic on canvas
steve park

Jericho Gets Picked Up

So there is now officially work until the big wedding.  Jericho was picked up for a back 9 episodes.  This will take Lisa & I up to the end of April to mid-May, when we will then take a delayed honeymoon to the Emerald Isle.

Be sure to tune in on Wednesday at 8pm on CBS and keep me working.

Howard Dean's Best Friend Is An Inconvenient Truth

Went to see An Inconvenient Truth tonight and it had me thinking on two fronts. As someone who seeks out little bits of nature while living in Smog City, whether it be a hike in the Santa Monica Mountains, or a quick paddle out at El Porto; who enjoys being outdoors in general, I agree that something must be done with the environment (to keep It from getting rid of Us). Read A Short History of Nearly Everything by Bill Bryson. It was fascinating to read how the ocean curents do their magic, the glaciers carve the continents, how humans made it from the seat of life in Africa to Australia and how scientists discovered The Bends while building bridges in London.
It's pretty incredible to look at the scientific evedence out there regarding what we are doing to the environment and the daunting momentum we are creating that will make it that much harder to reverse. I feel that we humans are cruising right along toward an environment that will not sustain us any longer, at least not at the population levels we now have. Anyone with even a passing interest in science and learning would be impressed with the book and film, very informative and scary.
Other the other hand, it is one of the most impressive political films I've ever seen. If Howard Dean and the DNC are looking for a face for the Democrats to throw at the GOP in '08, he need look no further than his nearest movie theater. I didn't vote for Gore in 2000. I wouldn't necessarily vote for him now either, there are other sides to the political game than simply the environment but he is right now, Today, the single best thing the Dems have going. Sure the Republicans are going to say he's using scare tactics, they'll say what he's proposing isn't financially feasable, they'll find scientists somewhere to contradict Gore's information. In the six years since his defeat in Florida, Gore has loosened up and shown that he has a personality worth voting for and depending on his politics on the Hot Button issues he may have quite a few moderate Conservatives heading his way.
In 2007 Gore is going to be making a run at the White House to achieve his life's work of saving the world. After the Dems take control of Congress in the Mid-Term elections this year, due in equal parts punishment to the GOP for a mangled Bush 2nd term and Gore's campaign ad cum documentary, he'll cruise into office with a Congress ready and wiling to cooperate.

Lots o' changes... So little time

So it's been 7 months since my last post. Holy CRAP! OK, here is a synopsys of what's gone on...
- Brian Dunlap, Marine and CDF firefighter was killed in Irag by an IED. Brian died from an improvised explosive device while conducting combat operations against enemy forces in Taqaddum, Iraq. He was assigned to Marine Forces Reserve’s 2nd Battalion, 23rd Marine Regiment, 4th Marine Division, Los Alamitos, California. As part of Operation Iraqi Freedom, his unit was attached to 2nd Marine Division, II Marine Expeditionary Force (Forward). He died on September 24, 2005.
- Thanksgiving was in L.A. this year. Lisa and I took a drive up to Malibu and then headed to Harry Potter and had popcorn for Thanksiving dinner.
- Turned 30 with a birthday bash. Mom came out and joined my friends and local family for the festivities.
- Christmas and New Year's in Philly. Cold as all hell and a blast. Pictures and stories to follow.
- January 29, 2006, I proposed to Lisa...
- Lisa said yes!
- We picked a wedding date: April 6, 2007, our anniversary.
- We picked a site: Calamigos Ranch in Malibu, CA.
- We picked a officiant: Lisa's brother, Carmine.
- Lisa started a new job with the same agency. It's much less stressful and has great hours.

So now I have a little list of events to give more details on. Check back in a few days for pics and details from all of the above.

Until then, here is a random site to check out: http://www.under-tec.com/index.php

Scour the net

It's been too long since my last post and this one isn't really anything new, but I wanted to put some cool sites up for people to check out. Some are funny, some are serious, some make you think and some will make you feel pretty stupid.

Here they are:
Design: Staightline designs
Math & Logic: IBM.com's Ponder This
Game: PADI Skydiver
Funny: The Men Commandments
History: Abraham Lincoln's 1st Innagural Address

I'll update more on my life when I'm feeling it. Moving right now has me pretty drained and I can't put the thought into a good read.

The Depravity & Grace of the Human Soul

The past couple weeks have been a little rough for this country. Hurricane Katrina swept through south Florida then hammered the Gulf Coast, giving us all images of devastation we haven't seen here since 9/11. While my heart has gone out to all the victims of the storm, I can't also wonder about a few things.
Depravity:
> Politicians in both Parties - Why did the political finger pointing began before the eye of the storm got out of Louisiana and Mississippi?
> EVACUATE! - While I understand the inability of the poor to evacuate, I'm baffled by the people who could afford to evacuate and didn't. I grew up in north Florida and now live in Southern California. If given the choice of natural disasters, I would choose a major hurricane over a 9.0 earthquake every time simply because you can see a hurricane coming hundreds of miles away. This to me is A: stupidity, B: naivete at Mother Nature's power and C: stupidity
> Looters - I would be among the first people looking out for myself and my loved ones and looting the hell out of stores for food, water, diapers, batteries and other things to keep me alive. But the people who are looting TVs, stereos, Playstations and beer & liquor are petty thieves and fall into a very special class of asshole.
> Shooters - Who the hell shoots at rescuers? Seriously. Why would someone shoot at people trying to help you, even if it has been a long response? The first rule in an emergency operation is Rescuer Safety. Hundreds of firefighters, police and other emergency responders get injured and killed every year because the job in and of itself is dangerous. These men and women are rescuing people from toxic flood waters with any number of hazards. For all the political temper tantrums about slow rescue operations, those people should have been left alone to fend for themselves.
> Anarchy - Why did the city of New Orleans spiral into a mass of lawlessness? How many people trapped in a flooded city died from violent crimes? Is this country really this close to anarchy without a police presence?
Grace:
> Deamonte Love, a 6-year-old boy walking down the road near an evacuation point in downtown New Orleans, holding a 5-month-old, surrounded by five toddlers who followed him around as if he were their leader. They were holding hands. Three of the children were about two years old, and one was wearing only diapers. A three-year-old girl, who wore colorful barrettes on the ends of her braids, had her 14-month-old brother in tow. The 6-year-old spoke for all of them.
> Donations - Less than two weeks after the storm hit the Gulf Coast, private gifts have soared to nearly $700 million, a pace exceeding the response to the terror attacks of Sept. 11, 2001 (from Yahoo! News)
> Aid from the world - Impoverished Bangladesh, where millions live on a monsoon- and flood-prone delta, pledged $1 million and offered rescuers. Thailand, recalling U.S. aid after last year's tsunami, offered to send 60 doctors and nurses as well as rice as a "gesture from the heart."
They are among more than 90 countries, rich and poor, proposing assistance to victims of Hurricane Katrina, with Kuwait, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates contributing "very large cash" donations, the State Department said Tuesday.
The Bush administration eagerly accepted a German offer of high-speed pumps to reduce the floodwaters in New Orleans and a Dutch offer of experts on levee reconstruction. (from FOXnews.com)

There are more uplifting stories in the aftermath of Katrina, but the depraved stories get better ratings. Seek out the good ones and help in any way you can. You can donate to the Red Cross or the Salvation Army on their websites.

Thanks.