Howitzer

"The reputation of a thousand years may be determined by the conduct of one hour." - This is a bit unfair. Nonetheless, you can not justify disappointing conduct with prior admirable conduct.

"As soon as I jumped in the closet, it came down and that little baby flew out of my hand," he said. "I seen him leave my arms. That's how strong the wind was."

Immediately after digging himself out, Robinson joined family members at the Cedar Creek Mobile Home Park frantically digging through the rubble all around them for little Ayden.

"I thought he was lost," Robinson said.

Several long minutes later, someone found the boy under a wooden board, unconscious. He was rushed to the hospital, where miraculously emergency room workers found only minor injuries. "He's really blessed to be here right now," said Ayden's mom, Ciera Robinson, as the boy's grandmother sat nearby giving the baby a bottle. "He's good now. He ended up with a lump on his head. It wasn't nothing major."

By Emery P. Dalesio, http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/42636273/ns/weather/

I'm trying to imagine the fear and desperation Jonathan would have felt after seeing the baby leave his arms, and disappear into the windstorm of debris. Certainly, the whole family was desperate enough to search through the rubble for the baby, despite the seemingly impossible odds of finding Ayden.

- Howitzer

This is a great video, and it shows how much coaching goes into technique in football.

Lastly, my brother's not doing so well at school, and I haven't had any time to call him to talk to him about it. Cue guilty big brother feelings.

- Howitzer

It was time to go shopping for jeans.

I finally got some financial breathing room, after a grueling January/February paying for outrageous Boston apartment fees for my next lease. I headed over to a mall in Natick one sunny day, in search of the closest JCPenney's. I had always bought my jeans from their low-cost Arizona brand. And by low-cost, I mean it. Their bootcut jeans cost $12-$15. I'm not sure why there's price variation on pants that are exactly the same, but different colors. I don't even think the price difference is due to the color difference. In any case, the previous set of Arizona jeans I bought lasted through all kinds of damage. They started out kind of rough and thick, but after 3 years they were soft and warm to wear. They still didn't thin out though, through wear and tear. I liked that they felt thick and protective when I put them on, so I felt like I should replace both of them with the same "model". Which I did, for $12 and $15. Sweet.

Since I was spending so little on those two jeans, I decided to try on some more expensive jeans. Expensive, meaning Levi's, which aren't that expensive compared to some other designer stores, like Express. The first thing I noticed was that the Levi's bootcut jeans were a lot tighter on me. I didn't like it at first, but then I saw in the mirror that the jeans fit me a lot better. It was like the jeans were cut for my legs, and not in an emo-punk-tight-as-leather-jeans way. I never realized that jeans could fit like this. I'm glad that I tried on the Levi's, and they're now sitting on my chair, to be worn tomorrow. $35, which isn't too bad.

It's quite odd that I've built this connection with my motorcycle, but I did the same thing with my car back home. I guess I tend to connect with my mode of transportation. Come to think of it, I've built the same connection with my skates. I think of them like an old buddy. Whenever I hold them, they're like an extension of my body. I feel content when I touch them. That said, I don't hesitate to lay them on the ground (blades covered, of course), whereas other people buy special bags to hold their skates.

I used to think it was vain of people to grow attached to their possessions. You know how there are countless stories/fairy tales of greedy rich men who die surrounded by their wealth, but miserably alone? Those stories stressed the importance of non-material wealth, and dismissed material wealth. Well, I now realize why I grow attached to my objects, and I'm not ashamed to say that it happens. I'm able to enjoy many activities with my objects, and share many experiences with them. While I certainly wouldn't sacrifice life and limb for my things, I do feel a certain amount of emotional attachment.