Just wanted to jot down particulars about the trip before we head out. We will be leaving from Bradley at 6:30 Sunday March 22nd. We arrive in Fort Lauderdale at 1:30 after a layover in NY. From FLL we travel by bus to Miami where we board the Carnival Cruise Line ship Triumph. Monday will be on the Sea the entire day. Tuesday in Ocho Rios Jamaica Wednesday in Grand Cayman Thursday on the sea again for the entire day Friday in Cozumel Mexico Saturday on the sea the entire day Sunday arrive in Miami in the morning and head home. [View Full Entry]

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On Friday, I drove down to New Haven to hang out with my cousin Cricky for the night at Yale. I hadn't seen her since I visited last December when she held her "Alco-Ho Ho Ho Party". (It was right before Christmas. I thought the name of the party was clever and aptly named.) Cricky, her boyfriend and myself all went out to eat at a Thai restaurant close to campus shortly after I arrived. Prior to this I had never eaten Thai food, but I'll try anything at least once. Other than the shrimp, I'm not really sure what [View Full Entry]

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Today is Tuesday the 13th of Jan. and I am still trying to get the hang of this blog site....so I will continue to blog until my fingers can blog no longer. As a re-cap of the past few days: -Saturday the 10th: Danielle and I went to Middletown to watch my brother Matthew's indoor track meet. He set a few PR's and even broke a Brookfield High School record as part of the Spring Medley Relay team. The meet was ended early because of a snow storm so we left at 3pm. -Sunday the 11th: My family, as well as [View Full Entry]

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I have returned from Mobile and am collecting my things for our trip. I am excited about seeing Jordan and all that awaits us in Australia and New Zealand. Jordan and I are packing small to minimize bagage. The heaviest item in my bags is this laptop and thankfully it is new and fairly lightweight. Then come the camera's, one video and one still. Jordan is trying to get his video camera delivered to me and that would lighten the load by several pounds and as it is very small. I hope it gets here or I will be taking mine. [View Full Entry]

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Before I start today's entry, I want to copy the comment Jodie tried to make about an entry: "I've tried everything to post a message on your blog. My stupid computer will not allow it. I wanted everyone to know that your story about the whale lip "bubble gum" is my first memory of my life. Period. That story/memory is a defining one, and has rewritten my life over and over again. It's inspired me and driven me to many of my goals and desires. Thank you so much for writing about it! Love you guys, Jo" She would have been [View Full Entry]

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Today started out cold and rainy and windy. We expected rain today so we thought it would be a good day to go to the aquarium. We started out to the Post Office in New London to get some inhalers for Rich that Jodie had sent. After yesterday's Post Office experience, we looked at Mapquest before we left! When we got to the Post Office, there were police and fire people all around. We heard someone call in, "There's been a bank robbery." We got our package and got out of there. We didn't hear any more about it! New London [View Full Entry]

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This revelling in gustatory delights of the last few days must cease! Alas and alack! Today, our goal is to visit a Post Office and then go to Mystic Seaport, an outdoor museum recreating an 1800's seacoast village where shipbuilding, whaling, and fishing were the predominant industries. As we were totally lost from the directions to the "nearest" Post Office, we noticed that the fire hydrants along the ten miles of rural road were insulated, wrapped in black plastic, and duct-taped for the winter. We got to see farms - dairies, Christmas tree farms, and wineries. Lots of places and businesse [View Full Entry]

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The goals for the first day were two-fold: to see contemporary art and to drive to Baltimore. The latter would take up most of the day. The art in question is at the Aldrich Museum in southwestern Conneticut. Getting there, though, entailed experiencing much of what this day would be like. The most efficient way of getting there is I-84. Tollbooth from hell I-84 in Conneticut is very much a Jeckyl and Hyde highway. The eastern half is a pleasant drive; the western half is utter hell. Before even getting there, I had to contend with [View Full Entry]

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I spoke to Jordan this morning, he was buying airline tickets. It feels odd that he is buying them for several reasons: 1. He is my son and only 24. 2. He is in Iraq 3. I am in Southington, Connecticut, USA We are looking forward to a great adventure in Australia and New Zealand. We are going to meet in Sydney. We have quite a few plans but also are going to wing part of the trip as we go so we can tour and learn. I do have a friend in New Zealand and hope to meet up while [View Full Entry]

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This is taken for a journal I have to keep from one of my classes this semester on the question of What is History? The first question that deserves personal reflection is what may seem as relatively simple and yet it is crucial. “What is History?” It is hard for me to state what my answer to this question was when I first entered university. The first time that I can remember answering this question was during my HIST 301 class which posed the question. At that time I had taken mainly survey level classes and I responded that history is [View Full Entry]

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