For once you have tasted flight, you will walk the earth with your eyes turned skywards

"For once you have tasted flight, you will walk the earth with your eyes turned skywards, for there you have been and there you will long to return."
- Leonardo da Vinci

My Dad used to take me by Addison airport when I was a kid, and we'd watch the Cessnas, Bonanzas, and other passenger planes land. Thinking about it brings a feeling of nostalgia, and eventually, one of my goals is to take flying lessons and earn a pilots license.

With that said, as a fan of aviation, I have the utmost respect and awe for our space exploration. Alan Bean (Omega Chi, Texas) was one of the twelve men to land on the moon during the six Apollo moon landings. Our ability, as a human race, to search for that higher endeavor and always explore is something that makes us great...our willingness to charge into the unknown.

Most recently, we have joined with the nations of the world to send humanity into space with the International Space Station. Though the ISS doesn't make the headlines of the Apollo mission, it consistently reminds me that there is much greatness out there in space to be found.

Tonight is a blue moon, and I look to the moon tonight with that same inspiration as ever. Recently, there have been a number of photographs taken from the ISS, which are just as awe inspiring, only the majesty is directed back toward our small blue planet.



Over the past several days I've been checking into the tweet feed of Doughlas H. Wheelock aka "Astro Wheels", an American astronaut on the International Space Station. While aboard the ISS, Astro Wheels is orbiting our planet at over 17,000 miles per hour and 180 nautical miles above surface. Lately, he has made several news reports for his twitter feed and the pictures he's been posting from the ISS.

These photographs are absolutely remarkable. First are a couple shots of the Northern Lights, or aurora borealis. I am hoping to see the lights first hand if I make it to Iceland next year in March.



Astro Wheels has also posted many pictures of random pictures around our planet. Anyone want to head to the Florida Keys?

"Heart Transformed"

I was quite moved by a story from the end of one of my pastor's recent Sunday sermons. It went like this:

"I want to close with a final story, a true story, of a friend of mine. And a rather strange adoption that he was led into. I need to give you just a brief amount of background so that you will understand the significance of this story.

I have been told, that if a child cries long enough--one person told me thirty days. If a child cries long enough with no one responding to their cries, eventually they will learn to stop crying. Believing that there is no one who will attend to their crying. And essentially losing their voice.

I have been told, and I have experienced also, the reality that, too much pain, or too much sin, and even too much success, can harden our hearts. Make us unreceptive to the hearts around us.

And what I'd like you to imagine for a minute this morning are those two principles combined. A voice that is lost, and a heart that is hard.

From living for fourteen years in a state run orphanage in Eastern Europe. And being thrown as a young child, intentionally, into a fire. And receiving burns from the middle of her stomach to the tips of her feet.

This was the girl that my friend and his wife felt called to adopt.

The doctors pleaded with them, counseled them not to do it. They said this girl was so abused, so neglected, that she had become so lost within herself that no one could ever find her again.

Except that my friend kept hearing Jesus say to him, "I can find her." And so they adopted her. With no particular training whatsoever. They invited her into their home. And they began to love her with the love of Jesus Christ that they themselves had experienced in their lives.

And over the years, she found her voice. And they actually discovered that she had not only a voice, but she had a tremendous laugh and a great sense of humor. She found, her laughter in addition to her voice. And over time her heart was softened. And she was able to both receive love and eventually to give love.

And one day she got married. And he shared with me recently that she is now expecting her first child.

The love of two people, sharing the love of God, through Jesus Christ, allowed that young lady to be healed. And in being healed, to be transformed.

That's the invitation, my brothers and sisters, that Jesus is extending to us in the Gospel. The invitation to invite and receive his healing in our heart. And being so healed to be transformed to be the people that we desperately want to be. The people God has created us to be."

- Reverend Jim Birchfield, First Presbyterian Church of Houston

Same Kind of Different as Me

I was recently loaned a copy of a wonderful book titled Same Kind of Different as Me, by Ronald Hall and Denver Moore.



Seeing as it's a novel on loan, I've remembered to jot down a few of my favourite quotes:

"The Word says God don't give us credit for lovin the folks we want to love anyway. No, He gives us credit for loving the unlovable. The perfect love of God don't come with no conditions, and that's the kind of love Miss Debbie showed the folks at the mission."

"Good medicine always tastes bad."

"The Word says God put ever star in the heavens and even give ever one of em a name. If one of em was gon' fall out the sky, that was up to Him, too. Maybe we can't see where it's gon' wind up, but He can."

"Our limitation is God's opportunity. When you get all the way to the end of your rope and there ain't nothin you can do, that's when God takes over. ... People think they're in control, but they ain't. The truth is, that which must befall thee must befall thee. And that which must pass thee by must past thee by."

"That's the good thing 'bout God. Since He can see right through your heart anyway, you can go on and tell Him what you really think."

"I had learned by then that rich white folks got a lotta rules 'bout forks. I still ain't figured out why they got to use three or four different ones and make a lotta extra work for the folks in the kitchen."

"Nothing keeps you honest like a witness."


"But I found out everybody's different--the same kind of different as me. We're all just regular folks walkin down the road God done set in front of us. The trust about it is, whether we is rich or poor or somethin in between, this earth ain't no final restin place. So in a way, we is all homeless --just workin our way toward home."

- Denver Moore

"I remembered what C. S. Lewis said of the clash between grief and faith: 'The tortures occur,' he wrote. 'If they are unnecessary, then there is no God, or a bad one. If there is a good God, then these tortures are necessary for no even moderately good Being could possibly inflect or permit them if they weren't."

"One of the phrases we evangelicals like to throw around is that Christianity is 'not a religion; it's a relationship.' I believe that, which is why I know that when my faith was shattered and I raged against Him, He still accepted me. And even though I have penciled a black mark in His column, I can be honest about it. That's what a relationship is all about."

- Ron Hall

Pearl Jam - Just Breathe

The Possimpible

The first thing that you need to know about success, is that it doesn't just come to you. Most people associate success with money and power, but really it's a state of mind. When it comes to success, the only limit is that there are no limits. All my life, I have dared to go past what is possible. Past the impossible, to the place where the possible and the impossibe meet to become: the possimpible. If I can leave you with one thought, it's this: nothing, and everything, is possimpible.

The Pale Blue Dot and the Dark Side of the Moon

This video is awe inspiring. Because we don't have many eyes out in space past the moon, most images of our planet are shot from near orbit or from the moon.

This video shows the moon passing directly in front of the Earth, taken by NASA's EPOXI spacecraft from 31 million miles away. If you look closely, you can see the Dark Side of the Moon.

As Carl Sagan said:

"That's here. That's home. That's us. On it, everyone you ever heard of, every human being who ever lived, lived out their lives. The aggregate of all our joys and sufferings, thousands of confident religions, ideologies and economic doctrines, every hunter and forager, every hero and coward, every creator and destroyer of civilizations, every king and peasant, every young couple in love, every hopeful child, every mother and father, every inventor and explorer, every teacher of morals, every corrupt politician, every superstar, every supreme leader, every saint and sinner in the history of our species, lived there on a mote of dust, suspended in a sunbeam.

The earth is a very small stage in a vast cosmic arena. Think of the rivers of blood spilled by all those generals and emperors so that in glory and in triumph they could become the momentary masters of a fraction of a dot. Think of the endless cruelties visited by the inhabitants of one corner of the dot on scarcely distinguishable inhabitants of some other corner of the dot. How frequent their misunderstandings, how eager they are to kill one another, how fervent their hatreds. Our posturings, our imagined self-importance, the delusion that we have some privileged position in the universe, are challenged by this point of pale light.

Our planet is a lonely speck in the great enveloping cosmic dark. In our obscurity -- in all this vastness -- there is no hint that help will come from elsewhere to save us from ourselves. It is up to us. ... To my mind, there is perhaps no better demonstration of the folly of human conceits than this distant image of our tiny world. To me, it underscores our responsibility to deal more kindly and compassionately with one another and to preserve and cherish that pale blue dot, the only home we've ever known."

This is Bowie to Bowie, is it cold out there in space?

Gabagool and gelato

Today, I found a nice new hidden gem near my house–Nundini’s Italian Deli & Food Store. From outside, the place appears like a normal warehouse, but once I stepped inside to Nundini’s it was like another world. I tried the Parma Panini for my lunch–made with a generous serving of prosciuto, fresh mozzarella, nicely salt and peppered and warmly toasted on a muffaletta.

As I waited for lunch to be served, I wandered throughout the store, browsing at the various Italian imports–numerous varieties of olive oils, wines, cheeses, meats, olives, all sorts of pastas, espresso beans, crackers, biscottis, a nice array of gelato and sorbetto, and a huge range (dare I say, a plethora) of sweets (including Lazzaroni chocolate bars with amaretti crumbles), and a whole case full of delightful looking chocolate truffles.

I was so pleased that I decided to buy some gabagool (capicolla) and some spicy sopressetta calabrese (a dry, cured salami, marinated in white wine). Yum! The capicolla will work superbly with a spinach, sun-dried tomato, and bocconcini pasta dish I’ve been scheming about lately.

Panic! at The Disco: Nine In The Afternoon

Odds and sods

The week has been extremely busy and looks to become even more exciting!

Yesterday, I had a deposition up in Dallas. Afterwards, I was able to stay up in BigD for the evening and watch the Dallas Stars playoff game (Western Conference Finals) with my folks. GO STARS! (Stars post to come).



Today, I'm going to the final performance of the year for the the Houston Symphony--the Domingo Rodrigo guitar concerto. According to the Symphony:

The Concierto de Aranjuez was Joaquín Rodrigo's first attempt in the concerto genre; it quickly became, and has subsequently remained, the most popular and recognizable of his works. Written for solo guitar and orchestra, it reveals the composer's great affinity for those two mediums, as well as his reverence for the long-standing traditions of Spanish Classical music.

A creative innovator linked to the great romantic tradition of the past, guitarist Eliot Fisk is one of the most exciting and unique artists before the public today. Known world wide for his adventurous repertoire and willingness to take art music into unusual venues (including schools, senior centers and even prisons!) he belongs, as his great mentor Andrés Segovia once wrote, “at the top line of our artistic world.”

To top that off, tomorrow morning I leave for Las Vegas for my buddies' bachelor party. The trip has all the makings of an amazing weekend: gambling, booze, food, women, and guns. I have been informed that there will be no other discussion about the goings on in Vegas...so that's all I've got to say about that. ;) The best I can do is provide some fat Elvis love.

Living Water

Water is the essence of life. While most people have probably heard that the human body is composed of up to 78% water, many would be surprised to learn that water-related diseases are the single largest killer of infants in developing countries. Diarrhea alone takes the lives of 1.8 million children every year. In Africa, six times the number of deaths result from lack of clean water than from armed violence.

As someone with a hydrogeology background, access to safe drinking water is an issue that I take to heart. That is why I support Living Water International, a non-profit organization that provides real, tangible support to developing communities by drilling potable water wells, and repairing pumps all across the world.

Garam Masala; Saté

For a while a several months ago my cooking habits began to venture across the seas toward Moroccan cuisine...chicken apricots and chickpeas slow-cooked in a tagine, ras al-hanut, and harissa sauces.

Recently, though, after a trip to my local spice store, I've discovered the joys of garam masala and saté seasoning.



Garam masala, a traditional punjabi seasoning, is a blend of cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, cumin carrdamom and coriander seeds, a few saffron strings black peppercorns, cloves, ground mace and bay leaves. The other night I cooked up some gulf bay Redfish seasoned in garam masala, with seasoned rice, roasted bell peppers and asparagus. The meal was delightful.



I also happened to purchase some Indonesian Saté seasoning. Perhaps the most famous and distinctive Indonesian spice, saté is wonderful for almost any type of grilled meat. I'm eagerly waiting my friends fresh gulf shrimp delivery connection to concoct some grilled saté shrimp skewers with peanut sauce for an afternoon of cold beer and spiced shrimp in the sun!

Houston International Festival

I made it downtown yesterday on a wonderful Sunday afternoon for the Houston International Festival. After getting my bearings, I caught the end of a set by the Garifuna Collective.


Founded by Andy Palacio, a Garifunan from Belize, the Garifuna Collective exposed ears around the world to one of the smallest subcultures in Latin America. The music presented a unique blend of native, Cuban, Brazilian and African inspirations, all sung in the Garifuna language and structured by the traditional folk rhythms of Belize. Andy passed away in January of this year, and the Garifuna Collective continues to tour in his memory.

Malian guitarist Habib Koité took the stage next, and performed with his band Bamada. Habib who was raised in a musical family, learning to sing and play the guitar by watching his parents, has been described by Rolling Stone as "the biggest pop star of the West African nation of Mali." His sound is best described as relaxed and soothing--perfect for a Sunday afternoon.



The final act I saw was the Houston based duo of Spain Colored Orange. With an aural calaidescope of piano, trumpet and organ, Spain Colored Orange put a smile on my face when I realized that Houston could spawn such original and interesting sounds.

Dumas - Au gré des saisons

In honor of Le Habs recent victory, I present one of my newly discovered Montreal-based musicians.

Au gré des saisons tu verras
Tôt ou tard...Tôt ou tard
Que la vie me prend
Et elle me jette
Tôt ou tard...Tôt ou tard

Can't sleep, but there's nothing to do?

"I like to think that the moon is there even if I am not looking at it.” - Albert Einstein



For all my readers who suffer from insomnia, tonight you are in for a treat! If you happen to be awake around 3:51 AM (CST), hop outside for a quick look up at the night time sky. As you gaze at the moon, you will begin to see a partial eclipse. By 4:25 AM the eclipse will be full, and the moon should be red in color--what the Chinese once believed as the moon becoming consumed by celestial dragons.



The next chance to catch a full lunar eclipse is February 21, 2008, and after that the wait is longer: December of 2010. Who knows whether we'll be alive by then! Time for an early morning or a late night!

“Three things cannot be long hidden: the sun, the moon, and the truth.”
- Buddha

Liverpool Football Club

Though my big sister, Running Bear, may have dubbed me Blue Thunder, when it comes to soccer (football for my international readers), I'm a Red supporter. By that, I mean I support the Liverpool Football Club ("LFC"), the most successful club in the history of English football, and home to the greatest fans in the world (You'll Never Walk Alone).

After Liverpool was robbed by Milan in the Champions League final last May, the club manager, Rafael Benitez, was outspoken in saying that the club needed to approach the summer transfer period with intensity and fervor; signing truly world-class talent. The general consensus was that Rafa wanted the club to sign an elite Striker (or two!), and a left-wing.

Throughout the summer, rumors spread regarding numerous star atheletes. Whispers that Argentine striker Carlos Tevez, or Samuel Eto'o, or David Sevilla were signing with the club all turned out unfounded. One rumor, however, turned out true when word that Fernando Torres, the young and talented striker from Atlético Madrid was heading to Liverpool.



Apparently, mullets are still a rage in Madrid. Supporters of Atlético (whom Torres had played for his whole career) were so overcome with the anger and grief of potentially losing their only true superstar, that they protested in the streets of Madrid.


Ultimately, Liverpool offered £20 million, for the 23-year-old kid to play for Liverpool. On July 4th, 2007, Torres bid farewell to Atlético Madrid fans, and Liverpool officially confirmed his transfer to the club.



Last Sunday, on August 19th, 2007, Torres made a fitting debut appearance at Anfield (home of LFC). In a match of great importance against chelsea ("the blues", one of Liverpools' top rivals for the Premeire League title), Torres received an outlet pass from team-captain midfielder Steven Gerrard, quickly moved the ball past the chelsea defender, and scored a riveting goal past the goalkeeper into to the far side of the net.





Hopefully, we will see more of this world-class finishing that Liverpool has been needing for so many years in a striker. Perhaps Torres will become the next 20 goal scorer for Liverpool?