It's amazing the things that bring a man to tears. I try to present myself as a rugged tough guy who oozes machismo. But the truth is, if the mood is right, I can cry at a good soup commercial. If you know me, you know that I am a fan of Ronald Reagan. He was the president of my youth, and a man that stood for everything that I love about my country. Even though he has passed on, he continues to be a large figure in American politics and life in general. Just look at this past presidential election. Nearly every Republican candidate was claiming to be the "most Reaganistic" of them all, and even the Democrats were trying to tell the American people that their ideas were the best because President Reagan once said such-and-such and so-and-so. For some reason, maybe because of the fact that tomorrow we inaugurate an historic man as our new president, I've been thinking alot about President Reagan. But President Obama will not be historic for the reason you may think. Barack Obama will be our nation's first openly Marxist president. I'm sure that he is a good man who loves his wife and daughters, and I believe that he believes that his Socialist world view is the best course for our nation. However, Ronald Reagan stood for the freedom of the individual, for each person's freedom from government, and not one's reliance upon government. President Reagan believed that every man was free to determent his own destiny, just like our Founding Fathers believed. And when you listened to him speak, you believed it as well. Obama possesses the same ability to communicate a message that Reagan did. But what is that message? Freedom, as Reagan said, or serfdom, as Obama preaches?
OK, I'm rambling. I wanted to write about something that brought me to tears. One of the best ways you can judge a man is by his funeral. During President Reagan's funeral in 2004, former Canadian prime minister Brian Mulroney gave one of the eulogies. I've been thinking about a poem he quoted in the eulogy called "Am I Remembered In Erin?" by Canadian founding father Thomas d'Arcy McGee. So I decided to look up Prime Minister Mulroney's remarks on Google, and read them. I sat in my cubible at work and balled my eyes out remembering a great man, and asked myself if I would be remembered in my own Erin.
Take a moment to read Mr. Mulroney's short eulogy here. It's a great read from a great man about a great man.
And without further ado, I give you Thomas d'Arcy McGee's "Am I Remembered In Erin?"
Am I remembered in Erin?
I charge you, speak me true!
Has my name a sound - a meaning,
In the scenes my boyhood knew?
Does the heart of the Mother ever
Recall her exile's name?
For to be forgot in Erin,
And on earth, were all the same.
Oh, Mother! Mother Erin!
Many sons your age hath seen -
Many gifted constant lovers
Since your mantle first was green;
Then how in may I hope to cherish
The dream that I could be
In your crowded memory number'd
With that palm-crowned company?
Yet faint and far, my Mother!
As the hope shines on my sight,
I cannot choose but watch it
Till my eyes have lost their light;
For never among your brightest
And never among your best,
Was heart more true to Erin
Than beats within my breast.
Monday, January 19, 2009
Tuesday, December 23, 2008
Christmas Greetings
Ok, it's was August since I last posted. Sorry. My bad. But, my computer has gone KAPUT and I don't have a new one yet. But I've snuck on the church computer after candlelight service to give you this heart-felt message of peace on Earth, and good will toward men. So without further ado, I give you......a Peter Griffin Christmas.
Saturday, August 23, 2008
Please Welcome Back The Gorgeous, Glamourous, John White
Thank you, thank you, it really is good to be back. Oh, you're a beautiful audience. Except for you. You know who you are.
I've been unbloggified for more than a month because I've been tired, kids. Work has been DESTROYING me. My company won a major account to supply the office and breakroom supplies for Mount Carmel Hospitals. The East branch happens to be on my delivery route. This means that on top of my regular route, I now spend anywhere between two and FIVE extra hours a day inside the hospital, making deliveries to each individual person that orders something. Oy!!! My mom always wanted me to work in a hospital, but I don't think this is what she had in mind. The good news is that within the next couple of weeks, Mount Carmel will basically become its own route and a new driver is being hired to handle that abomination, er, I mean, that place of healing. The overtime has been great, but I'm too tired to do anything with the extra cash, so I just stare at it and wave it at poor people.
OK, what else is new? A couple of weeks ago I traveled to Morgantown, WV, to attend the White family reunion. This was the first such reunion that my particular branch of Whites had attended. Apparently, my great-grandfather didn't like any of his cousins, so he never told his son (my grandfather) or anyone else about the yearly gathering. But my grampa was contacted by a distant relative and the next thing you know, we were headed to Morgantown. In my Uncle Tommy's Sebring convertible was Uncle Tommy, my dad, and me. In my grampa's Taurus was Grampa, Gramma, Aunt Peg (Grampa's sis) and Aunt Janet (Dad's sis). We made the trip in about 3 1/2 hours and arrived realizing that we were the only people at the White reunion that were actually named White, with the exception of cousin OJ (no, not that OJ). It was your typical West Virginia family reunion. You know, good food and awkward silence. There were some folks there that made me say, "ARGH, I'm related to this person?!?!?" And of course there were a couple lady cousins that made me say, "DANG, why am I related to this person?!?!?" After doing the math, I figured that dating a fifth cousin is still just a little on the EEEWWWWW side. One cousin owned and operated a fitness club and a GNC-type store. But several of them couldn't spot a fitness club if it was in a police line-up with the Spice Girls. After the reunion, my grandfather took us on a tour of his childhood stomping grounds, including his high school, his old house, and the exact spot he proposed to my grandmother (AAAAWWWWWW). That spot, ironically enough, is in front of an area that is now known as White Park. Pretty cool, if you ask me.
Well, chillins, that's all for now. For those of the Lemonescient persuasion out there, it's only seven days until gameday. You-Know-Who is about to arise once again!!!
I've been unbloggified for more than a month because I've been tired, kids. Work has been DESTROYING me. My company won a major account to supply the office and breakroom supplies for Mount Carmel Hospitals. The East branch happens to be on my delivery route. This means that on top of my regular route, I now spend anywhere between two and FIVE extra hours a day inside the hospital, making deliveries to each individual person that orders something. Oy!!! My mom always wanted me to work in a hospital, but I don't think this is what she had in mind. The good news is that within the next couple of weeks, Mount Carmel will basically become its own route and a new driver is being hired to handle that abomination, er, I mean, that place of healing. The overtime has been great, but I'm too tired to do anything with the extra cash, so I just stare at it and wave it at poor people.
OK, what else is new? A couple of weeks ago I traveled to Morgantown, WV, to attend the White family reunion. This was the first such reunion that my particular branch of Whites had attended. Apparently, my great-grandfather didn't like any of his cousins, so he never told his son (my grandfather) or anyone else about the yearly gathering. But my grampa was contacted by a distant relative and the next thing you know, we were headed to Morgantown. In my Uncle Tommy's Sebring convertible was Uncle Tommy, my dad, and me. In my grampa's Taurus was Grampa, Gramma, Aunt Peg (Grampa's sis) and Aunt Janet (Dad's sis). We made the trip in about 3 1/2 hours and arrived realizing that we were the only people at the White reunion that were actually named White, with the exception of cousin OJ (no, not that OJ). It was your typical West Virginia family reunion. You know, good food and awkward silence. There were some folks there that made me say, "ARGH, I'm related to this person?!?!?" And of course there were a couple lady cousins that made me say, "DANG, why am I related to this person?!?!?" After doing the math, I figured that dating a fifth cousin is still just a little on the EEEWWWWW side. One cousin owned and operated a fitness club and a GNC-type store. But several of them couldn't spot a fitness club if it was in a police line-up with the Spice Girls. After the reunion, my grandfather took us on a tour of his childhood stomping grounds, including his high school, his old house, and the exact spot he proposed to my grandmother (AAAAWWWWWW). That spot, ironically enough, is in front of an area that is now known as White Park. Pretty cool, if you ask me.
Well, chillins, that's all for now. For those of the Lemonescient persuasion out there, it's only seven days until gameday. You-Know-Who is about to arise once again!!!
Wednesday, July 16, 2008
Two Weeks Late, But That's OK
I've not blogged in a while, and I'm not going to tonight. I just came across this JibJab video and thought is was appropriate this time of year. Enjoy.
Sunday, May 18, 2008
Watching My Diet
As I get older, I realize that I have to change my eating habits. So, with that in mind, I give you my new breakfast cereal of choice. Enjoy, Johnaholics.
Thursday, May 8, 2008
Gotham City--Been There, Done That
Well, Daddy's back from New York, kids. I'm sorry I didn't get you anything, but that's the breaks, Tatercakes. We split the drive to NYC over two days, mainly since we left Monday around 5:00 PM. We stopped in Clearfield, PA, which is just off I-80, at a Holiday Inn Express. It was a little pricey, as far as HIE's go, but it gave us a needed rest and a great breakfast (as great as breakfast can be with no bacon, ugh).
On Tuesday morning we began the trek to New York. The drive was pleasant and New Jersey doesn't smell nearly as bad as you'd think. Now, I've never been to NYC before, so my only experience with the City has come from watching Friends and CSI:NY. After successfully navigating the George Washington Bridge, next up was the toll booth for the Triborough Bridge. I found myself in the EZPass lane which does not accept cash. So I did what any real New Yorker would do. I whipped the car (so that I was perpendicular to traffic) across three toll lanes and forced my way into the cash lane. After finally getting to the Bronx, I took a wrong turn and ended up in God-Knows-Where, NY. With the help of guy at a gas station (3.999/gallon for REGULAR!!!) I somehow found my way back to where I was supposed to be. We crossed into Queens and found our way to Queens Boulevard and the Pan American Hotel.
After checking in and finding a very spacious room and a very UNspacious bathroom, I asked the concierge for directions the subway station and which train(s) to take to Yankee Stadium (or, as he pronounced it, Jankee Stadium). I quickly called Donnie to make sure I was on the right path and he verified that I was. So we headed to the Station for our first NYC subway excursion. After purchasing our 24-hour MetroCards for $7.50 a pop (cheap) the ride on the R-Train was pleasant enough. Until the train broke down. They herded us off and the train went away (I thought it was broke down). We waited for the next train, which after we boarded were immediately ushered off because it, too, was broke down. But somehow, it rolled away just fine as well. But finally a working train came to our rescue. However, we were told that this was an express train that would not be making any stops until...the Lexington Avenue station. Thankfully, that was precisely the station we needed to get off at to switch trains. We got off at Lexington and went down two levels to board the 4-Train to the Stadium.
We arrived at Yankee Stadium about 45 minutes before gametime and got to see the Yankees and Indians warming up. We took several pictures and awaited the start of the game. The game started out not-so-well for the Indians, but thanks to home runs by Jhonny Peralta and David Dellucci, the good guys prevailed, much to my sister's dismay.
On Wednesday we got up and had breakfast at Pop Diner. If you're in Queens, you have to go there, if only for the atmosphere. But the food was delicious and filling. For the drive home, I decided to drive across Manhattan rather than bypass the island by going trough the Bronx. DON'T EVER DRIVE IN MANHATTAN, people!!! It's amazing and beautiful, but it's filled with crazy people. Traffic signs are merely a suggestion, and if you have a non-NY or non-NJ license plate on your car, your are treated as a virus that must be eradicated. But we made it through without being killed or killing anyone ourselves, and a mere nine hours later, we arrived safely back in good old Mount Vernon.
We loved every part of the trip, and I will go back to the City one day, but I will fly. I've conquered the streets of New York, but it's a fight I don't want to have again. Fuhgedaboutit!!!
On Tuesday morning we began the trek to New York. The drive was pleasant and New Jersey doesn't smell nearly as bad as you'd think. Now, I've never been to NYC before, so my only experience with the City has come from watching Friends and CSI:NY. After successfully navigating the George Washington Bridge, next up was the toll booth for the Triborough Bridge. I found myself in the EZPass lane which does not accept cash. So I did what any real New Yorker would do. I whipped the car (so that I was perpendicular to traffic) across three toll lanes and forced my way into the cash lane. After finally getting to the Bronx, I took a wrong turn and ended up in God-Knows-Where, NY. With the help of guy at a gas station (3.999/gallon for REGULAR!!!) I somehow found my way back to where I was supposed to be. We crossed into Queens and found our way to Queens Boulevard and the Pan American Hotel.
After checking in and finding a very spacious room and a very UNspacious bathroom, I asked the concierge for directions the subway station and which train(s) to take to Yankee Stadium (or, as he pronounced it, Jankee Stadium). I quickly called Donnie to make sure I was on the right path and he verified that I was. So we headed to the Station for our first NYC subway excursion. After purchasing our 24-hour MetroCards for $7.50 a pop (cheap) the ride on the R-Train was pleasant enough. Until the train broke down. They herded us off and the train went away (I thought it was broke down). We waited for the next train, which after we boarded were immediately ushered off because it, too, was broke down. But somehow, it rolled away just fine as well. But finally a working train came to our rescue. However, we were told that this was an express train that would not be making any stops until...the Lexington Avenue station. Thankfully, that was precisely the station we needed to get off at to switch trains. We got off at Lexington and went down two levels to board the 4-Train to the Stadium.
We arrived at Yankee Stadium about 45 minutes before gametime and got to see the Yankees and Indians warming up. We took several pictures and awaited the start of the game. The game started out not-so-well for the Indians, but thanks to home runs by Jhonny Peralta and David Dellucci, the good guys prevailed, much to my sister's dismay.
On Wednesday we got up and had breakfast at Pop Diner. If you're in Queens, you have to go there, if only for the atmosphere. But the food was delicious and filling. For the drive home, I decided to drive across Manhattan rather than bypass the island by going trough the Bronx. DON'T EVER DRIVE IN MANHATTAN, people!!! It's amazing and beautiful, but it's filled with crazy people. Traffic signs are merely a suggestion, and if you have a non-NY or non-NJ license plate on your car, your are treated as a virus that must be eradicated. But we made it through without being killed or killing anyone ourselves, and a mere nine hours later, we arrived safely back in good old Mount Vernon.
We loved every part of the trip, and I will go back to the City one day, but I will fly. I've conquered the streets of New York, but it's a fight I don't want to have again. Fuhgedaboutit!!!
Monday, May 5, 2008
Start Spreadin' The News, I'm Leavin' Today
Well, my little pretties, in less than an hour I will be on the road to the City That Never Sleeps. As a birthday gift to my sister, I am taking her to New York City to see her beloved Yankees take on my beloved Cleveland Indians. (They're only beloved to her because she thinks that Derek Jeter is dreamy.) Now, I know what you're thinking: "Gee, John, you're such a keen guy!!! Sacrificing your own time to take your little sis to a big league ballgame!!! You're swell!!!" Well, I have to let you in on a little secret. It's kind of a gift to myself as well. I've always hated the Yankees (except for the 2001 World Series, when we were all rooting for New York after 9/11), but I've always wanted to set foot on the hallowed ground of Yankee Stadium. This being the last year of the Stadium, and with the Indians' trip to the Big Apple so close to my Yankee-fan sister's birthday, I thought now was the time to get there and see the field that the the Iron Horse, Joltin' Joe, the Mick, Donnie Baseball and the Babe all called home.
Hopefully we'll get in some other sightseeing as well. I really want to see the Statue of Liberty and pay my respects at the World Trade Center. And enjoying a Nathan's Famous hot dog in Times Square is a must-do. If you little ones are good, maybe I'll post some pics of the trip on my next post, whenever that will be. Anyway, gotta go. If I can make it there, I'll make it anywhere.
Hopefully we'll get in some other sightseeing as well. I really want to see the Statue of Liberty and pay my respects at the World Trade Center. And enjoying a Nathan's Famous hot dog in Times Square is a must-do. If you little ones are good, maybe I'll post some pics of the trip on my next post, whenever that will be. Anyway, gotta go. If I can make it there, I'll make it anywhere.
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