Sippin' on my first Diet Vanilla Coke of the day while waking up to what promises to be a windswept, rainy Saturday...Just some random thoughts...Speaking of vanilla, I see Absolut has come out w/ a vanilla-flavored vodka now; haven't tried it yet, but will have to soon (no, not REALLY soon, its only 6am! :)...NFL Draft is today, will be interesting to see how, and what, the Pats do with their plethora (do you like that word?! :) of picks...they do have some needs to fill, notably interior defensive line depth, also linebacker depth, as well as running back...Does anyone remember the first album they bought? It struck me earlier this week, as I heard a cut from the first I bought several times, first time I'd heard it in a long time...are you ready?...don't laugh (hey, I was just a kid!)...from '74...Grand Funk's "Shinin' On"!...hey, it had their version of "The Loco-motion" on it, whaddya want?!...Celtics are in a battle w/ the Pacers in their first round series...it's been difficult for me to really get myself around this edition of the C's, and the NBA as a whole- it's NOT the league I grew up with, the style, if not the level, of play is not what "basketball" should be, in my opinion (which is why I prefer the college game MUCH more these days!)- but the other night, the C's held Indiana scoreless from the field for some incredible amount of time, like 14+ minutes...now THAT'S basketball!...Today is supposed to Boston's Earth Day stuff down along the river; NOT the best of weather for outdoor concerts, exhibits, etc...but rain IS natural, so I'm sure they'll enjoy! :) ...I guess that's enuf for now...and hey, a whole entry w/ NONE of my tedious introspection, running injuries, nor references to poiltics or religion (those'll all come again NEXT entry, hee!)

"Everybody's doin' a brand new dance now/Come on, baby, do the Locomotion/I know you'll get to like it if you give it a chance now/Come on, baby, do the Locomotion..."

OK- so my last entry read a lil like a Reading from the Gospel According to St. Kellie, so sue me! ;) Anyway...Patriots Day (no, not THOSE Patriots- the original ones!) today here in Massachusetts...also Marathon Monday (the Boston Marathon)...no, I didn't run it! I've never run a marathon, 26+ miles is VERY daunting...plus on my last few runs I've had a recurring, nagging-type pain in my left lower heel/Achilles area...ALMOST enuf to keep me from running, but not quite; its just enuf to make it pretty sore, running and walking, as well as to keep my mileage down by at least a mile+/run...I've had problems w/ that foot ever since breaking it my sophomore year of football in high school...its odd- I had to have my (other) knee scoped after my senior season, and I've had FAR less problems w/ that than w/ the foot, go figure...the outside of my left foot (the one I broke) rolls over/out VERY noticeably (I can never keep straight whether that is called pronation or supination!), has for years, and I suppose that is what contributes to this recurrent injury...I don't have it constantly, but it does tend to recur every so often...like anyone cares! ;)

Easter was nice, spent it @ my mother's...had a YUMMY dinner- lamb, veggies, a lil wine, strawberry shortcake for dessert! And such a pleasant day, too- sunny, relatively warm...just a nice day!

I updated my site recently...found a funny link for my Link of the Week, it's a takeoff on "Baghdad Bob," the- former- Iraqi Information (or Disinformation) Minister...as well as updated/spruced up my entire links page (took me awhile)...the NFL Draft is coming up this weekend...the Pats have a LOT of picks this year, not sure what they're going to do w/ 'em all...use 'em all on draft picks, use some as trade bait/incentives, etc...I find it a somewhat weak draft this year (tho' I'm no Mel Kiper!), but there does seem to be some depth of talent among defensive linemen, an area where the Pats could stand to shore up a bit (along w/ LB and RB)...and the Celtics are up 1-0 vs. the Pacers going into tonight's Game 2...just gonna finish this Diet Vanilla Coke, then beddy-bye! :)

"Peacekeeper take your time, wait for the dark of night, soon all the suns will rise/Peacekeeper don't tell why, don't be afraid to fight, love is the sweet surprise..."

"For God so loved the world that He gave His only Son..."

Good Friday. No, I promise this won't be a Bible-thumpin' revival meeting, just a few thoughts...whatever one's beliefs, in these troubled times sometimes it's good to keep one eye on things greater, more important than the day-to-day. Whether one is a Christian or not, the central message of Christ, of forgiveness, of sacrifice, of love, is a compelling one, one worth attempting to pattern our conduct- toward others, and toward ourselves- after, and that belief and/or trust in a Power greater than ourselves, however one chooses to define that Power, can be an uplifting, strengthening force in our lives. That's it! :)

"People get ready, there's a train a comin'/You don't need no baggage, you just get on board/All you need is faith to hear the diesel comin'/Don't need no ticket, you just thank the Lord..."

As the winter from hell keeps going...and going...and going...yes, we still have- new- snow on the ground, and may get a lil more Friday...feels- and looks- more like January than April...waaaaaaaaahhhhh!

Congrats to Syracuse on winning their 1st men's basketball championship Monday night! I can think of at least one native of upstate New York who thought it was pretty good :) ...(and if a Big East team was to win this year, at least it wasn't UConn!)

I was watching the news while working out today...the street scenes from Baghdad, Iraqis rejoicing, celebrating their release from the decades of Saddam's sadistic tyranny...stomping on portraits of the dictator, tearing down his statues, it was very reminiscent of the fall of communism in Eastern Europe not all that long ago...no matter one's feelings about the action, all but the most anti-Bush cynics can't help but feel a sense of satisfaction and joy for the new-found freedom these people are enjoying, for the first time...surely the weeks, months, and even years ahead are going to be challenging for Iraq, but their nation sits on a tremendous natural resource, one whose proceeds can go toward rebuilding and enriching the nation and people of Iraq, rather than toward elaborate palaces, payments to suicide bombers, and developing weapons of destruction, mass or otherwise.

"Ain't that America, you and me/Ain't that America, something to see/Ain't that America, home of the free..."

Well, another weekend spent back at the same old, same old...agh...oh well...sittin' here sippin' on a Diet Vanilla Coke (STILL can't get enuf of it!)...I FINALLY got around to updating my website a bit, added some newer pics (I probably didn't do the best of jobs editing 'em, sigh...and I HAFTA get a digital camera soon!) as well as just tried to spruce up the look of the site a bit, make it a bit more aesthetically pleasing, if not interesting (I still have more work I wanna do on it...tweak my "Links" page, do a lil more work with/on some of my Gallery pics, and more), hopefully folks will like the newer pics, and newer look (say "Yes!", pretty please?! lol :)

Is there a better, more exciting tournament/series/whatever than the NCAA basketball tournament? Yes, for a single event, nothing tops the Super Bowl (even when the Patriots aren't in it!), but for a running tournament/playoffs kinda deal, in my opinion, NOTHING tops the excitement, the sense of urgency, of the NCAAs; not the NBA or NHL playoffs, not the World Series, I've never gotten caught up in the World Cup thing...one loss and you're done, a team that catches fire late can make an incredible run, the intenisty, the emotion...next to a (Patriots!) Super Bowl, the one sports event I'd give anything (well, almost anything!) to attend would be a Final Four...good luck to Syracuse and Kansas Monday night...

You can't help be feel so proud of the way our troops have conducted themselves in Iraq; so professionably, so honorably, so nobly, with such respect and consideration for Iraqi civilians and non-combatants, and even Iraqi troops who surrender with honor...what a stark contrast to the abhorrent acts and actions of some of the Iraqi military/terrorists...our troops, and all those of the Coalition, are the best examples of their generation, and are deserving of our prayers, our admiration, and our respect. God bless.

"I won't give you up or let you down/And I won't be gone when you come around/I won't ask you why when you can't explain/And I'll never leave you like a sunny day..."

First: it appears the awaited "Battle for Baghdad" may be near. I pray that it be as quick, and as casualty-free, as possible. I came across an interesting piece in, of all places, the Village Voice (hardly a pro-"establishment" publication) by a confirmed protestor and critic (whose name escapes me at the moment) who nevertheless could not bring himself to protest our current actions in Iraq, not because of WMD or oil concerns, but for the credible, and horrific, reports of the brutality of Saddam's regime upon it's own citizens, stretching back for decades. I hope that those who oppose our actions there at least recognize the horrors of the current Iraqi regime, and the lengths that coalition forces have gone to to minimize civilian casualties, and at the VERY least, will pray for the safety of coalition forces, and Iraqi civilians and non-combatants.

Anyway...it's been back to the same old, same old this week, back to the grind, but I enjoyed my previous two weeks free! The weather, especially last week, was quite nice here! I didn't really go anywhere, just hung out around town, but it was nice just to hang out, go out a bit again, see what an- almost!- normal social life is like again, do some reading, even a little writing again, and more. Tho' I didn't get to see a few friends I would have liked to have seen (and you KNOW who you are!), I met a few new, fun people, went to a couple of new places, I had a couple of VERY nice nights out with some VERY nice company, out for a few drinks, catching some of the NCAA games- DON'T ask how I'm doing in my bracket, agh!- and more...thanks, D.! :) Got in some good workouts as well, dropped a few pounds I'd put on over the winter (yay! Now I hafta keep 'em off, and maybe a few more!), even got around to taking some newer pics, which I hope to post on my next website update (look a lil pale in some of 'em, tho', ick!) What I learned from having that time free is that I NEED to take/make more time for me; there is so much more going on out there, so much to see and do, so many people to meet and see, so much life to savor and enjoy, in large ways and small, that leading such a narrow, focused life as I usually do, simply going from Point A to Point B to Point C then back, is sooooooo limiting (not to mention boring!) For those friends I didn't get to see, I missed out, AND SO DID YOU!; for those new friends, etc...I made, thank you, and I hope to keep those relationships alive and thriving!

"I know where you're going/I know where you've been/When it comes to playin' games/You will always win..."