Landscape of Virginia

I often wonder where and what my brothers from the early days are doing or thinking and the internet has been wonderful to be able to grant me answers to finding some of those guys and women. It all changes. That's what keeps it all so interesting. Many friends from that period of my life are in the west or on a island of one kind or another. The thing is I remained nearby. I'm not sorry for doing so, because I'm able to know where things are and how to get to them. The enjoyable event for me is having learned how to put together a decent painting. I really don't need to go anywhere else in order to do this little miracle. I'm thankful to my teachers for this wonderful ability. I may not be the very best at doing so but I am able to please myself at times... and I'm a tough critic of the visual arts.

The day ended itself with a meal in a Asian Restaurant which was really out of sight, which might have been my best meal in many a days, all to help a still suffering addict get clean. I hope he does, but we did have a great meal with another friend at the table. Many towns don't have the competition for the meal out buck that this town does have going on here but Charlottesville does have a lot of good places to eat out. This restaurant was one of the best I've been to , and it's right across the street from the downtown police station. It's called Asian Specialty and it is special because of it's quality of the food they served. Some of the best oriental food I've had here, it was all made on the premises and not frozen food heated up in a microwave before reaching us. This guy will return.

Autumn is here with a touch of winter to boot. It's come a little bit early for this part of the country but it's here none the less, its just not expected that's all. We're having a day of overcast skies with the promise of snow showers tomorrow and snow coming on the other side of the Blue Ridge which is only about a fifteen minute drive from where I am. The chill in the air made one of our students shout out "I smell snow" yesterday morning, and while I couldn't argue with the fact that one could detect the chilly moisture in the gray skies , it still was only forty some degrees outside. I think we just aren't use to the cold yet. This year the summer jumped directly into winter with nothing much in between. It's quite something to behold, one day seventy degrees and clear blue skies and then forty the very next day with heavy rains. One never knows, this sort of thing keeps life interesting at least and I am thankful for t...

We have ways in Virginia, we educate our students with the best demands on their performance and then we hardly pay their teachers for that favor. Our schools of higher learning have some of the best reputations in the nation and the world for that matter. And I rarely get that general minded because I know the world has their ears up whenever that word comes from US (A). But it's true, and our political season is one where the people of Virginia are able to elect the leader of this state one more time. I'm hoping they won't be swayed by talk of lowering taxes so people's votes depend only on having a few more dollars in their pockets. It's happened before with ending our car tax, and sure people got a lower bill but at what expense. Look at what bad shape Virginia's interstate roads are in and look at how paralyzed we are at taking new initiatives in transportation we are as a state. Look at what we get from not paying our fair debt, we are pay...

The days are shorter, the air feels like the air conditioner is on. The sun doesn't even seem nearly as bright or as stinging in it's rays every morning. Getting in the car and driving seems more reasonable when one thinks of putting on layers and biking to work. People who don't even own a bike ask me why I didn't ride to work today? I guess it must have been THE COLD MORNING AIR or perhaps I just wanted to just not put any effort into getting from home to work today. I suppose I shouldn't be so blunt or cold hearted, but then again why shouldn't I , what did others do to cut back on their carbon emissions anyway?

It was a warm morning, the day began with an impressive sunrise only to be continued with a terrific time in school When we went out to clean up our adopted street, I wasn't sure if we could even make a dent. But today, the day after a bus driver said she couldn't see even a spot of trash on the street of ours. And after that morning chore, we went to work at a local golf course. While on the greens we got a really nice cool breeze from a passing storm. Although the storm looked impressive there was no sound of thunder or flash from lighting. All the employees from the golf course were out doing their various jobs so I didn't see any reason why we couldn't go out and work on filling some divots. We worked for what seemed to be a couple of hot hours. I use the term we loosely because the students did all the bending and shoveling with the spades. I overlooked their work and it was judged to be good by the man who showed us where to work for the day. ...

  It's funny how as the old saying goes "when the student is ready the teacher will appear" and such an event happened tonight.  I heard just what I needed to hear in order to learn my lesson in relationships.   When it's going on inside my head and not in that outside world, it's open for interpretation by that committee for expected disappointment.   I'm just glad I sort of realized what was up before it bubbled up and popped open leaving me on the post expectation drainooohhh.      I heard it from a good group of people who know me well, better than one expert opinion I heard it from a group of experts just how I think and see events and blow them out of proportion all too well.   Especially when left to myself.      I learned that I will not invest myself thinking I am going to get anything in return whenever there isn't any response from the other party.       The party is over, turn off the lights and shut the door.