April 15, 2013

I debated about posting on Facebook but my thoughts are so scattered and so many, it would be a long post.  Plus, I'm not looking for sympathy, I'm just looking to express my thoughts.

I was sitting at my desk today and a co-worker was standing there when an alert came to my phone.  I didn't look at it until another co-worker commented that there had been two explosions in Boston.  It immediately hit me that the Boston Marathon was still running.

I started looking online for information and first went to CNN.  They were reporting that people were injured at the finish line.  My heart sank and I'm still sad to the point of wanting to cry.

As I compose this, this I know: two people people are dead; many people are injured; some people are having amputations; and many people are emotionally scarred for life.

I've watched the news footage many times and one of the first thing I noticed is that when the explosion occurred people ran away but the police officers ran to the scene.  They didn't hesitate.

The second thing I noticed is that it occurred at the 4 hour 9 minute mark of the marathon.  This means that the elite runners had already finished the 26.1 mile course.  It also means that the slower runners would not be able to complete the course.  I'm sure that for many of them, completing the Boston Marathon was on their Bucket List.  I'm also sure that many of them didn't qualify for Boston but raised money for a charity to qualify.

I'm hearing stories that as the runners were diverted away from the finish line many of them ran to local hospitals to donate blood.  Yet another set of heroes.

I guess what really is tearing at my heart is the fact that many of the injured were in the crowd of spectators cheering for a friend or a family member to complete the 26.1 course.  Runners know that it is the crowd that can give them the extra spurt of energy to keep going when you want to quit.

Will Rogers said it best, "We can't all be heroes, because somebody has to sit on the curb and applaud when they go by."

 

I think we're all waiting to hear the outcome of today's events.  It's a reminder that bad things happen to good people and none of us are safe.

 

 

Instagram Flowers

Beauty In Nature

The air in H-Town has been full of pollen.  The Cal Mobile had a yellow tint to its gray color.  A storm blew through town the other day and washed the pollen off of everything and some of the neighborhood pollen collected in front of The Calvinator's Crib.

We were finishing our walk and with the Instagram app, I snapped this photo.  I posted it on Facebook and received several compliments.

Saturday Something To Do

You know...some Saturday nights I really prefer to stay home and sit on the couch, watch the telly and rub The Calvinator's tummy.  Tomorrow night (3/23) will be a different story which means it really must be something worthy of me not sitting on the couch.

Outreach United is having a fundraiser titled Outreach Goes Vegas.  A $40 donation gets you some gambling chips, open bar, lite bites, eye candy and fun.  AND it's all for a good cause.  For more information, click here.

I hope to see you there!

"I Wanted To Be A Boy Scout.."

Congratulations Anderson Cooper on being presented with the annual Vito Russo Award at the 24th Annual Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD) Awards.  Anderson was recognized for his stature and accomplishment as an openly gay journalist.

Madonna, dressed as a Boy Scout presented Anderson with his award after her comments on injustice and bullying. 

"[The bullying epidemic] is no different from a white supremacist hanging a black man from a tree before the Civil Rights movement. It's no different than a member of the Taliban shooting a young girl in the head for writing a blog about the importance of female education. It's no crazier than an Iranian gay man being hanged for falling in love with a man. I don't know about you, but I can't take this sh*t anymore. That is why I want to start a revolution. Are you with me? It's 2013, people. We live in America -- land of the free, home of the brave -- that's a question, not a statement."

To read more about the event, visit Huffington Post here and here.

Source: AP

Source: Getty Images

Valerie Harper - Today Show Interviews

Last week I posted some comments about Valerie Harper's recent diagnosis of a rare type of brain cancer.  Yesterday on Today Show, Savannah Guthrie interviewed Valerie.  The interview made me cry.  Crying on a Monday morning before going to work isn't a good way to start the week.  Here is Part I

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And today Part II was aired.

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Valerie's attitude is remarkable and admirable. And miracles do happen. Hang in there Valerie!

Saturday Snickers

Things I saw this week that made me smile.

And there is this story about a beaver in Oregon City who was escorted back to the creek.  It must have been a slow crime night in Oregon City.