And Then There Was Light

First, I would like to say, Happy 33rd Anniversary parentals.  Who woulda thunk it.

Secondly, I would also like to wish my cousin Christina a very happy sweet 16!  I wish you only the best and I am so thankful that I was able to help you celebrate your very special day.

Finally, for the first time in what feels like forever, the SUN IS FINALLY OUT!!!  I had almost forgotten what the heat of the sun felt like on my face.  Now that I've remembered, I've decided to spend my last week day as an unemployed person sunbathing.  Surprise.  But seriously, I don't want to look like one of those office building vampires who only see the sunlight when they go to take out their garbage or get their mail.  I gotta be true to my Greek roots and embrace the tan. :)

For real though, the rain the past couple of days has been NUTS!  Check out this photo that my friend Erinn tweeted last night. Now I'm not entirely sure where she got the photo from but what I can tell you is that this photo was taken on Sunset Hills Rd in Reston, VA.  That is approximately 4 miles from where I live.  I think the rain gods may be having a little too much fun.



Also, because I wasn't at home this past weekend, I wasn't able to congratulate my HOOS ON A VICTORY OVER WILLIAM AND MARY!!!!!!  WAHOOWA!  Honestly, if you guys had lost AGAIN to those sober twits from Williamsburg, shit was gonna go down.  For realz.  With that said, best of luck this weekend against Indiana.  If y'all don't win, well, lets just say that you'll probably find me in the Fairfax County morgue.  Ok Hoos, let's really work for two wins.  It's difficult for you, I know, but seriously, two wins puhleaseeee. I'd like to go 5-5 at least and that means that you all are required to win the easy ass games in your schedule...so FREAKING BEAT INDIANA!  kthanx.  Oh, and CMB, you all are awesome.  I just watched the video.  Great job!  :)  It feels weird that I'm not in their with you, but you all made me proud.  Again, well done.

Here's also an update on what I was up to all day yesterday.  For those of you who didn't know, I was at a 9/11 Summit, hosted by the Center for National Policy at the Newseum in DC.  The Summit was an all-day invitational affair that revolved around four documentaries and a series of panels that dealt not only with the actual events of September 11th, but also on the events that occurred afterwards, such as the Wounded Warrior Program which has gained a tremendous amount of recognition since the start of the War on Terrorism and the courageous acts of the people of Gulf Coast during Hurricane Katrina and the Oil Spill.  I will have another post, hopefully soon, that will deal primarily with what was discussed during this event.  I am not doing this because I feel the need to record what occurred but rather that certain issues and ideas were expressed that the American public should think about, especially on the 10th Anniversary of September 11th.  I cannot truly express just how honored I was to be at that event and have the opportunity to listen to the ideas of such profound and intelligent thinkers.  I may not have necessarily agreed with all of the opinions that were being expressed, but I could not have been more happy that such differing opinions were able to share the same stage and discuss their views in a respectable and intellectual venue.  The main themes of the event were Remembrance, Renewal, and Resilience...with particular emphasis on Resilience.  As with most bloggers, I am currently working on a 9/11 blog post with my own thoughts and feelings.  Again, this is not necessarily because I feel that somehow my thoughts and opinions and memories of the event are somehow more important than others, but rather because it seems to me that it is the elephant in the room.  It changed our lives profoundly, it changed the way our nation thinks, acts, and defines itself and yet, the very topic seems almost taboo.  Somehow I feel that by first reflecting upon the memories, not only of the day, but of the days afterwards, perhaps we can start to gain a better understanding of just what this means to us, as a nation, community, and individuals, and then begin to learn from it and perhaps teach our children, siblings, and younger relatives and friends what we think it means.  It's not enough to think back on the event and go, it's awful, but rather why it was so awful, how did we react, why did we react the way we did, and how that reaction has driven us to where we are today.  I do not know how many of you have seen the photos from the World Trade Center  memorial, but I think that memorial speaks volumes to the way in which the United States understands September 11th.  If you wanna share your story, memories, or feelings about 9/11, please feel free to do so.  I think its long overdue that my generation actually talk about it.

Alright, this wasn't exactly the most fascinating blog post but don't worry, I'm gonna be writing up about my uncle's wedding from last weekend soon and if anyone of you have ever heard me tell stories about my family, well let me just tell ya, this one takes the cake.