Only slightly back.

I'm back from vacation and I have tons of photos to share (the one at left was taken at West Quoddy State Park) and news that I have to catch up on. Unfortunately, thisisgina will be out of commission for a while. I did something to my back on Wednesday, and again on Saturday, and I spent all Friday and Saturday afternoons in the ER in Ellsworth, ME. I even had to go in an ambulance :(.

Anyhoo, I'm on some major drugs, and I can't sit in one place for too long, so I'm afraid I'm only slightly back from vacation. I'll post again as soon as I can.

I'm on vacation!

We arrived at about 1:30 AM yesterday. Lily was a dream, sleeping the entire 8 hour drive. She only needed to be fed once.

Passing thunderstorms have been forecast for nearly every day this week, and we've been lucky so far, with the storms staying west of us. Zachary and I were outside in the evening yesterday, looking at a beautiful sunset while listening to thunder in the distance. I hope our luck holds up.

We're staying close to home today. A nice long walk to the dock and back, and then lunch.

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Terminator Salvation

Did they really need to make another one?

I am reserving judgment at this point.

Note to Self: When Colonization begins in 2012, there's a PLAM in the Smithsonian.

NMAH | Smithsonian Wants to Believe! National Museum of American History Acquires X-Files Collection: "During a special ceremony today, the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History received a collection of objects from “The X-Files,” the television series and movie franchise. Twentieth Century Fox together with Chris Carter, series and film writer, director and producer, and Frank Spotnitz, series and film director and producer, presented an annotated script from the series’ pilot episode, FBI badges, posters and other objects to the museum’s entertainment collections."

The movie opens a week from tomorrow! Because I'll be in the middle of Nowhere, Maine, I'm going to miss seeing it on opening night. Hopefully I'll be able to dodge spoilers until I can get myself to a theater.

So, have you heard?

William Petersen is leaving CSI.

Since the showrunners don't have a replacement for him yet, I thought I'd poll my vast readership and get your opinion on the matter.

poll by twiigs.com

Sweet Baby Dreams

Sleepy Baby, originally uploaded by gina64.

Do you think this was a conscious choice?

"This undated image provided by the Michigan attorney-general's office shows Daniel Allen Everett. The 33-year-old Clarkston, Mich. man faces two 20-year felonies after authorities say he arranged a meeting for sex with an online contact he believed was a 14-year-old girl and showed up wearing a T-shirt that read: 'World's Greatest Dad.' Everett was arraigned Tuesday, July 15, 2008 in Novi, Mich. district court on charges of child sexual abuse and using the Internet to attempt child sexual abuse.(AP Photo/State of Michigan, Department of Attorney General)"

CNN Poll

You know, if they're not going to bring our soldiers home from Iraq, then perhaps they should send them to where they should have been all along: Afghanistan.

And while the Bush Administration has looked the other way, the Taliban has re-emerged:

"More American and coalition troops died in Afghanistan last month than during any other month since the American-led invasion began in 2001, the latest evidence of a strengthening Taliban insurgency that has menaced NATO forces and reclaimed control over some southern and eastern parts of the country.

The violence in Afghanistan has surged at the same time as the number of attacks and American deaths in Iraq have fallen. Among the American-led forces in the two countries, 46 service members were killed in Afghanistan, compared with 31 in Iraq, the second straight month in which combat deaths in Afghanistan exceeded those in Iraq.

A recent Pentagon report about Afghanistan painted a stark picture of security conditions inside the country, a militant force that had “coalesced into a resilient insurgency” and a central government in Kabul that still could not extend its reach into the hinterlands. An American commander, Maj. Gen. Jeffrey J. Schloesser, has said that militant attacks on coalition troops increased by 40 percent from January to May compared with the same period last year."

I know that the "War on Terror" is, by the nature of its enemy alone, going to be a complicated and protracted one; but we're making it worse. The choice to focus on Iraq and not Afghanistan, the seat of Al Qaeda, is going to come back and bite us HARD on the ass one of these days.

Blogging from my phone (I hope!)

I just figured out how to post here from my Blackberry. This could come in handy next week!
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Good morning.

07-13-2008 033, originally uploaded by gina64.

(my hands are getting less scaly with every passing day!)

The Weekend

07-13-2008 017, originally uploaded by gina64.

Lily had lots of company on Saturday: Her father, paternal grandparents, aunt and cousin visited for a while, and then cousins from her mother's side of the family came. If there's one thing this child is not short on, it's an adoring family.

Then yesterday she had her first outing as she, her mother and I all went to the mall for a couple of hours. She slept through the entire trip.



For those of you who are wondering about the pugs, they are adjusting nicely. Mickey is infatuated with her but not overly excitable, and Marty? Well, Marty only has eyes for his mother.

The Puppy Whisperer

OK, anyone surprised by this development is an idiot.

Gary Busey Shakes Up Celebrity Rehab: "OFF-the-wall actor Gary Busey turned out to be more of a troublemaker than a mentor for the stars who checked themselves into VH1's 'Celebrity Rehab 2' last month."

Totally Awesome 80s Movie Clips

Journey at the Center of the Earth

Don't stop believin'!!

Happy Birthday to Me!

Rising Moon, originally uploaded by gina64.

So I got myself a new telephoto zoom lens for my birthday (today!) and it's so AWESOME. I can't wait to take pictures with it in Maine. And I can get some good shots of Lily without shoving the camera right in her little scrunched up face.

Vacationland

Maine, originally uploaded by gina64.

Just a little over a week to go before we're there! Woo hoo!

Bombs bursting in air.

07-09-2008 035, originally uploaded by gina64.

I went to a friend's annual Fourth of July party on Saturday. Her husband puts on a terrific show with (illegal) fireworks that he buys in New Hampshire.

These are images that I took of the display. They look more like something the Hubble Telescope would send back from space than a backyard fireworks display. I think they're kind of cool.

Next year, I will bring my tripod (which I found when I cleaned out my closet the other day!) and brush up on the proper camera settings before I go.

Good morning!

07-09-2008 040, originally uploaded by gina64.

Blurry, but cute.

XF Trailers

Two of the TV spots that are currently airing are included in the video. The second one is one I hadn't seen yet.

Woo!

In the News.

Just thought I'd share a few news articles I've read in recent days that I found interesting.

A family is selling their house and donating half of the proceeds ($800,000) to a charity that fights hunger in Africa.

Alcoholism and illegal drug use is on the rise among returning Iraq War combat veterans. Unsurprisingly.

Christie Brinkley's divorce trial gives new meaning to the word 'spectacle'.

A conversation with Barack Obama - Rolling Stone.

Need a smile?

Watch this.

Crazy Dogs

Sweet dreams.

07-05-2008 007, originally uploaded by gina64.

Lily is a good sleeper. And eater. And pooper.

She had her first Dr. visit today and she's doing just fine.

A few more shots:

"I think she likes you."

(WARNING, GROSS STUFF!)



I thought you might like this one, Beth!

Quantum of Solace Trailer

Oh YEAH.

TV Talk

Can you believe that I have been watching almost NO television, for days now?? There's been a lot to do to prepare for Lily's arrival, my weekends have been consumed with yard work, and I've been reading Philip Pullman's His Dark Materials trilogy (The Golden Compass is the first book), but mostly I haven't been watching TV because there has been almost nothing on that is evenly slightly interesting to me.

The TV landscape is absolutely awash with reality shows right now and for the most part, they're not my thing. I am, however, a big fan of Deadliest Catch, and I can't wait to watch it tonight to see if Phil has lung cancer or if it's just a punctured lung. Phil is the skipper of the Cornelia Marie and he fell in his cabin during a big storm in last week's episode and appeared to crack some ribs. But then he was really having trouble breathing and started coughing up blood. And the cigarettes he was smoking weren't helping the situation, either. We had a peek at some x-rays, but they're making us wait to see what's up.

Lately, if the TV is on at all it's tuned to Turner Classic Movies, one of the best cable networks, ever. They truly love movies and exist only to celebrate them. There are no commercials and most films are presented the way they should be, in widescreen, and there is often a discussion with a special guest after the movie. On Sunday nights they play silent movies and I usually have TCM on in the background while I mess around on the computer. For a look at what a typical month of TCM programming looks like, click here.

As they say, if you love movies, you'll love Turner Classic Movies.

Lily Margaret

Bow down to the power of The Chin., originally uploaded by gina64.

My niece Lily Margaret was born yesterday, June 30, at 9:00 AM. She weighed 7 lbs 13 oz and was 20.75" long. She's just a living doll.

For more photos, check out Lily's Flickr set.

With the arrival of our new family member and with her mother being in the hospital this week, I'm going to be a bit distracted and unable to post very much to this blog. But I'll do my best.

And I'll try not to post too many baby pictures!