The Sublime Roundabout

Thank you Ms. Sullivan! Here's a link to an interesting article on the going's on in Mont Belvieu: http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/nb/pasadena/news/6492010.html Here's the text: Mont Belvieu residents can expect to see construction along Eagle Drive well into 2011. During this time, Eagle Drive, the road that hosts all of the city buildings, public schools, Eagle Point Golf Club and a wave pool, will be transformed into a safe and scenic red carpet for Mont Belvieu visitors and residents. The $36.25 million project includes a complete restructuring and landscaping along the roadway, a third city water tower and well and the highly-anticipated Mont Belvieu City Park. “This area will be an asset to the city,” city planner Bill Cobabe said. “It’s an exciting time to be in Mont Belvieu.” The complete transformation of the roadway is composed of several separate projects, each addressing the same end-goal: to prepare and position Eagle Drive as the hub of the city. Road impr...

I don't know if this categorizes as a political post or not. So if I offend you easily please stop reading now. If on the other hand you just want to hear a random thought for the day, well then, my friend, read on... I am writing a grant application. This is for infrastructure improvements that are needed in our community. The federal government has decided that they will give us some money to improve things like sewers, water systems, drainage, etc. That's great. Because of the rural nature of ours and several other nearby counties affected by Hurricane Ike, the government has decided that some areas can get direct allocations of funds through their local COG (council of governments) - which is basically a place for exactly this kind of thing to happen. So - the fed notices a need (hurricane recovery) notifies the state that they're going to give us a billion dollars (it's actually more like 1.3 billion or something, but who's counting?) which notifies the COG tha...

Love, Ozzy

I just got this and it fit so well with what I had written earlier I want to post it here... Thanks for being a real man, dad.

I have related before the miraculous conditions under which I was born. I have also related how much my father means to me - how much of an influence he has had, and continues to have, on my life. In a larger sense, I would say that there is no greater miracle in this life than seeing some one's heart transformed through the gentle and sweet persuasions of the Holy Spirit. This is a miracle that few are able to behold. It is a privilege and an honor to be associated with a family where these conditions were conducive to such a miracle in my own life. I am NOT ignorant of my father's weaknesses. He is a man like any other. Even Superman had a weakness, one that was repeatedly exploited by those who wanted control over him or others. But I am reminded of the scripture that says (3 Nephi 8:1) ...he truly did many miracles in the name of Jesus; and there was not any man who could do a miracle in the name of Jesus save he were cleansed every whit from his iniquity... My father has...

For my sweets - Seven is a lucky number So the story goes But why it is so lucky No one really knows Why is seven so cool? Why not six or eight? All I know today is That seven is really great! Seven years ago A little girl was born Perfecting our family On a beautiful summer's morn You make us all smile With your stories and songs You make us all complete For to us you really belong You are sweet and smart and kind A true angel in our home And you melt your daddy's heart Wherever I may roam I love you, my sweets Happy birthday today! I hope your life is always sweet Come what may...

I am reading Dostoyevsky's Crime and Punishment. It's the first time I have read it and I am quite enjoying it. I am only a few chapters in, but already I am very interested in the outcome... Part of the development of the characters that has taken place so far involves several women: Dounia , sister of the protagonist; the mother of the protagonist (whose name I am not currently remembering); Sonia, a prostitute; the lady who gives the protagonist money for various trinkets he pawns to her; Marfa , the wife of the strange guy who tried to get with Dounia and who turned out to be a decent person... As Rodya , the protagonist, contemplates the letter informing him of Dounia's impending wedding, he comes to understand that women are capable of doing almost anything for the protection of their families. Sonia is a prostitute, selling herself for money on which her family can subsist - to avoid starvation, as Rodya says. Dounia , while getting married to the man she's w...

There's been a lot of hoopla in the news about North Korea. I'd like to weigh in on things - not from an official stand point but from the stand point of one who has been there and has family there, but is also an outsider. Because no matter how much I love Korea, how much my life is affected by things going on there, I will always be an outsider. It makes me sad, but I am OK with it. First, a little history. I promise I won't bore you too much - or at least I'll try not to... Korea is an old country. There are at least 5000 years of history, much of which is written. Genealogy and family blood lines are very important to Koreans, as is their sense of history. I won't get into the creation myths and things like that. Suffice it to say that they feel a great sense of pride in their national history. It is essential to their world view. They were not always united as a people. That's a relatively new phenomenon. It came out of the uniting of the Three Kingdoms of...