Morgan: 43 things

I've never been really good at following through on my New Years resolutions...So what I've been doing is participating in 43 things for the last year. 43 things is a wonderful community were people set their own goals and give encouragement to other peoples goals. Once you have achieved something you move that item to the I've Done This! list. I've found it very effective for achieving short term goals and listing long term dreams. Here is a list of 41 things that I would like to accomplish...I need to add two new things.

Morgan's 41 Things

2008 is here can you believe it! The years are flying by...Remember 1998? 1988? 1978? 1968? Well I don't remember much of 1968 as I was born in November of that year.
Lets take a little trip in my way back machine. Ok get in the seat next to me, and strap in. Here put this tin foil hat on...it will help. Let me make some adjustments to the control panel, so we return to the correct date....and Whoosh!

1998
January 17 - Paula Jones accuses U.S. President Bill Clinton of sexual harassment.

January 26 - Lewinsky scandal: On American television, President Bill Clinton denies he had "sexual relations" with former White House intern Monica Lewinsky.

February - Iraq disarmament crisis: The United States Senate passes Resolution 71, urging U.S. President Bill Clinton to "take all necessary and appropriate actions to respond to the threat posed by Iraq's refusal to end its weapons of mass destruction programs."

February 23 - Osama bin Laden publishes a fatwa, declaring jihad against all Jews and Crusaders

March 27 - The Food and Drug Administration approves Viagra for use as a treatment for male impotence, the first pill to be approved for this condition in the United States.

April 22 - The Disney's Animal Kingdom theme park at Walt Disney World opens to the public for the first time.

May 26 - At 23 years of age, Bear Grylls became the youngest British climber to scale the top of Mount Everest and back down.

May 28 - In Encino, California, the wife of Saturday Night Live comedian Phil Hartman kills him and commits suicide afterwards

June 14 - The Chicago Bulls win their 6th NBA title in 8 years when they beat the Utah Jazz, 87-86 in Game Six. This is also Michael Jordan's last game as a Bull.

August 5 - Iraq disarmament crisis: Iraq officially suspends all cooperation with UNSCOM teams.

August 5 - Iraq disarmament crisis: Iraq officially suspends all cooperation with UNSCOM teams.

August 19 - Monica Lewinsky scandal: On the day of his 52nd birthday, U.S. President Bill Clinton admits in taped testimony that he had an "improper physical relationship" with White House intern Monica Lewinsky.

August 20 - 1998 U.S. embassy bombings: The United States military launches cruise missile Al-Qaeda camps in Afghanistan and a suspected chemical plant in Sudan August 7 bombings of American embassies in Kenya and Tanzania.

September 27 - Google is started. It becomes the biggest search engine and the second most commonly visited web site in history, following Yahoo!

September 29 - Iraq disarmament crisis: The U.S. Congress passes the "Iraq Liberation Act", which states that the United States wants to remove Saddam Hussein from power and replace the government with a democratic institution.

November 19 - Lewinsky scandal: The United State House of Representatives' Judiciary Committee begins impeachment hearings against U.S. President Bill Clinton.

December 16-December 19 - Iraq disarmament crisis: U.S. President Bill Clinton orders American and British airstrikes on Iraq. UNSCOM withdraws all weapons inspectors from Iraq.

December 19 - Lewinsky scandal: President Bill Clinton is impeached by the United States House of Representatives.

1998 was rough year for me as I started a new job at the Pentagon working in the Air Force Operations Group (AFOG) building the daily Ops briefing for Senior Leadership. I would arrive around 0300am and feverishly build, compile and arrange powerpoint slides as fast as I could, because our deadline was 0600 with the first dry run culminating in the final brief around 0800. It was very interesting observing many of these headlines unfold right before the decision makers. I worked there until January 2002 and never got a good nights sleep...but I loved it. That job taught me I could do anything! 1998 was also the year I met a good friend, Paul, who would later take over my duties at the AFOG. Paul and I still talk about the hardships we endured in the depths of the pentagon and we heartily agree, "We survived...and nothing will ever be as tough as our days as AFOGgers."

OurGirl: Rockin New Year's Eve

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HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Happy New Year, everyone! kick 2007 out on its ear. forget it! its time for fresh mistakes, fresh insights and fresh fruit. fresh fruit? oh yeh. i know your mad diet and exercise plan. i've been expecting you. i will see you wednesday, in the gym. you'll huff and puff next to me and the girl and we won't mind. you'll make us shiver in waiting for our turn at the shower stall and then we'll pester you for an electric plug. we'll keep this up until oh, about february. then me and my girl will have the gym to ourselves for the rest of the year.

'cause WE are serious. and this time, i actually am going to lose that weight. how am i so sure? oh please, A in Fiscal Management—need i remind you? because i totally can, you know. so sure am i that this doesn't even make my new year's resolution list, so here it is:

1. CONTENT OVERLOAD! oh, ive got the whole world in my hand with MY NEW IPOD CLASSiQUE! so completely sophisticated, this size of a cigarette case window to the universe can hold 80GB of content totally centered around BYRNE'S SENSE OF WONDER! i vow this year to explore strange new worlds. To seek out new life and new civilizations. To boldly download where many have downloaded before. itunesU? oh yeh! download the content, Scotty!
   
   
   
2. WRITE A WHITE PAPER. why not? See A in Fiscal Management
   
   
3. LEARN A FOREIGN LANGUAGE. probably spanish. i'm addicted to Coffee Break Spanish.com. i've already got the first ten lessons downloaded. i'm looking forward to practicing w/morgie, whose spanish is heavily accented with a heavy southern twang.
   
   
4. BLOG THE HARVEST, CRUSH AND FERMENTING MORE THOROUGHLY THIS YEAR. this is the second year in a row i didnt blog continuously throughout the year. ugh. that hurts. but i have developed a kick butt soundtrack for it through project playlist.
   
   
   
   
   
   
5. FINISH MY VINEYARD BOOK IN TIME FOR MY HUSBAND'S BIRTHDAY. Shhhhh. he has no idea i've even started the book. i found a great online resource: blurb.com. this book is going to be awesome!
   
   
6. FINISH MY FIRST SAILOR VALENTINE. yeh. finally. three-four years ago, i was honing my skill and getting better and better. to the left is a little ditty i created a long time ago... then i stopped, cause the new job got in the way. no more! i'm gonna finish at least ONE this year. for the girl's high school graduation. sailor valentines info here.
   
   
7. SEE MY PARENTS MORE.
8. COMPLETE ONE WEE HOME IMPROVEMENT THING A MONTH.
   
9. BE A BETTER MOM.
   
10. BE A BETTER WIFE.
    

Adios Amigos and Amigas! ¡Feliz Año Nuevo a nuestros lectores fieles!*
*courtesy of babel fish translation

Morgan: Merry Christmas Blog!

I just wanted to wish everyone a Merry Christmas! Before the day was gone. And give Byrne the chance to craft a really fancy New Years Blog. I spent the holiday at home with the family. My Daughter came home from Rochester Institute of Technology and we caught up with her life. She's studying criminal justice up there and we are real proud of her.

The Boy on the other hand is another story...just kidding. The Boy received Rock Band for his Xbox 360 and we have been rocking out. Boy on guitar the Girl on Drums and me (Dear old Dad) on the microphone. Very addictive game, we had a lot of fun. I scored a 100% on Nirvana's In Bloom. Really difficult to describe how much fun this game is. Here is a video of the boy playing Foo Fighters, Learning to Fly on drums.

Developed by Harmonix, Rock Band is an all-new platform for gamers to experience music, giving players the chance to rock in the shoes of the biggest guitarists, bassists, drummers and singers of all time – as a solo superstar or as part of a hard rocking band.

Rock Band delivers four music games in one – challenging rockers to master lead/bass guitar, drums and vocals or play collectively as a whole band. Built on unprecedented deals with top record labels and music publishers, the music featured in Rock Band spans all genres of rock and includes many master recordings from legendary artists.

Rock Band songs :

1970s

• The Who "Won't Get Fooled Again" (master)
• Mountain "Mississippi Queen" (cover)
• David Bowie "Suffragette City" (master)
• Black Sabbath "Paranoid" (cover)
• Blue Oyster Cult "Don't Fear the Reaper" (master)
• The Ramones "Rockaway Beach” (master)

1980s

• Rush "Tom Sawyer" (cover)
• Bon Jovi "Wanted Dead or Alive" (master)

1990s

• Nirvana "In Bloom" (master)
• Stone Temple Pilots "Vasoline" (master)
• Weezer "Say It Ain't So" (master)
• Foo Fighters “Learn to Fly” (master)
• Metallica “Enter Sandman” (master)

2000s

• The Hives "Main Offender" (master)
• The Strokes "Reptilia" (master)
• Queens of the Stone Age "Go With the Flow" (master)

The only bad thing is there is no Bryan Adams or Summer of 69. And there is NO Stairway to heaven...So lets not forget to say Feliz Complianos to Jesus Christo!

Speaking of JC, I ran across an interesting artist Mark Lawrence who paints contemporary art...with Bible Verse...don't ask. I thought you might appreciate the art if not the entreprenurial spirit. Amen.

Versevisions

OurGirl: WOOOOHOOOOOO!!!!!!

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A-A-A-A-A-A-A-A-A-A-A-A-A-A-A

AAAAh. At last. oh, that squeal of astonished excitement you heard at 10:30am, thursday?

ME.

i saw the email. i leapt out of my chair and bounded out of the cubbie—WWWEEEEEEEE!! an A, i got an A! A! A! A! —AAAAYYEEE! — with such enthusiasm that i slammed into walshie as he rushed back into the cubbie, alarmed something was wrong. i grabbed his shoulders—an A, WALSH! an A in FISCAL MANAGEMENT! "OH MY GOTTS" walshie yelled. my brother poked his head out of the cubbie and we exchanged the pat morita/ralph macchio acknowledgement:

i did it mr. miayagi! i did it! and my brother looked at me with pride in his eyes and nodded.

i think somewhere birds may have wept.

i dunno. something over the top.

its the cinderella story, the small town girl living in a lonely world taking the midnight train going anywhere, the never-been-kissed drew barrymore waiting on the pitcher's mound and then it happen! i wished and worked really hard for the a, but told myself the b would be fine. i know now what my husband felt when he went back to school. i appreciate anyone pursuing a higher degree. it ain't for babies or the fainthearted.

the relief is great. supposedly, this was the more challenging of the courses. i can attest that i thought it was a tooth-puller for a girl with a BFA. yeh, quit laughing. i admit, the last paper i wrote was in 1818 english, high school, circa 1982. HEY. really. that laughter is starting to hurt my feelings...

i am now 1/10 of the way there in the pursuit of my ultimate goal. we will see if i will be able to continue—i'm as cautious about the ability to finish as i was about this class. but i do know i am able to get in there, work hard and see it pay off. 5-7 page cost-benefit analysis paper? i'm your girl! what's next? bring it on!

HEY WALSH—MORGIE—check it out.
POST #69!
SENDING THIS ONE OUT TO YOU TWO.

Morgan: The Great Procrastinator

While Byrne draws inspiration from Gettysburg, I reflect on the great HBO mini-series Band of Brothers and think of how hard the Soldiers of the 101st Airborne fought against all odds. I recall one inspiring scene where Lt. Winters is leading his men across an open field in a bayonet fixed charge. He runs so fast he quickly out distances his men, climbing a steep dike he surprises a rather large contingent of German soldiers camped on the other side. He immediately opens fire and the sleepy Germans panic and try to flee, not realizing they have superior numbers. What results is described as a turkey shoot.

Another scene that is moving is during the Battle of the Bulge. Surrounded by a large counterattacking German Force, the 101st is tasked with holding the line. They dig into the frozen ground and with not enough ammunition or proper winter gear they do what they have to. Oh sure I'm sure there was a certain amount of bitching and griping, but that is every soldiers right. Facing bitter cold, fierce Germans, and a dismal Christmas, I can see them now hunkering down in their frozen foxholes peering through the dark trees...waiting. Persevering

And Crispin Crispian shall ne'er go by,
From this day to the ending of the world,
But we in it shall be remember'd;
We few, we happy few, we band of brothers;
For he to-day that sheds his blood with me
Shall be my brother; be he ne'er so vile,
This day shall gentle his condition:
And gentlemen in England now a-bed
Shall think themselves accursed they were not here,
And hold their manhoods cheap whiles any speaks
That fought with us upon Saint Crispin's day.

Shakespeare - King Henry V

Byrne was right when she described us as having our backs to the wall. Pressure mounting, we were faced with insurmountable odds...well at least I doubted my abilities to finish strong. Byrne is finishing up her masters degree and I was completing my last two classes. You see I have been pursuing my college degree for two-score years. While holding a full time job, working night shift at the Pentagon, fighting some of the worst traffic in America, and raising a young family may not be the same obstacles, they seemed daunting at times. I remember sitting in class pinching my hand, straining to stay awake when fatigue and sleep deprivation was sitting on my shoulders.

Entering this last class, Senior Seminar, I knew it would be my final challenge...it would take everything I had learned and the discipline of a Shaolin monk. It was to be an Online class. I prefer a normal face to face class, but this last class was to be fought in the virtual ethereal realm of the Internet. Upon reading the requirements I was stunned at the magnitude of what faced me. I felt like I was about ready to tackle Mt Everest with no equipment or Sherpas to help me. Damn! No wonder some people drop out of school with one class left...it was this class. For the first few weeks I treaded water, doing what was needed. I must have lost my focus or drive because by week four I felt myself drowning, and It paralyzed me with fear. I was going to fail. The paralysis only increased as the weeks went by. Why couldn't I just do what was needed. The time for withdrawing from the class was long gone and the Professor threw out another option of withdrawing with an incomplete. Was this how I wanted to go out? Finally in the last week something inside of me Clicked! I knew I had to complete this project for better or worse. It was OK to finish without complete mastery of the subject. I physically felt the need to finish what I had started 20 years ago. I sequestered myself in the basement surrounded by textbooks and shadows, and began the final push. Time was my enemy. The deadline loomed ahead of me getting closer and closer. I typed feverishly into the night, researching, rearranging, editing. I took off two days from work, unpaid. I could see the finish line right there on the horizon. I did finish. Printed my work and had it professionally bound, created a presentation and recorded audio defending my project and burned everything to a CD. Gathering up all the requirements I stuffed them into an envelope. I sat there stunned, my mind reeling thinking of what more I could have done. I hand delivered the package to the Professor that night. For a week I was petrified to look online for my grade. I felt my project was weak, could I expect a passing grade? What if I failed? Would I ever try again?

Tonight I logged on and went to the online grades...and there it was. A beautiful A.

I'm not sure whether to be ashamed it took so long or proud that I persevered and like a drop of water that never stops whittled away a mountain of courses to achieve my goal. I look back and with the gift of hindsight and think of everything I could have done differently, take more classes, study harder, try harder...and know that I did it my way.