Cyrus F. Jones: 1916 - 2005

My grandfather passed away on Thursday, so I expect I will not be able to update the blog much over the next week or so. There will be a few things we'll need to take care of before the service on Saturday. His death was a blessing in some respects, as the great man he once was had slipped away almost completely over the past few years through Alzheimer's. I'll post some of my thoughts on the man he was and the disease he struggled with sometime over the next few days. For now, I leave you with his obituary, as printed in today's Herald-Mail:

Cyrus Francis Jones, age 88, of 254 Potomac Heights, Hagerstown, Md., died Jan. 27, 2005, at Avalon Manor Health Care Center following an illness of Alzheimer's disease.

Mr. Jones was born Dec. 12, 1916, in Brooklyn, N.Y., the son of the late Howard and Bessie Applegate Jones.

He was raised in Baltimore, Md., and graduated from the University of Maryland School of Pharmacy in 1939.

He is the former owner and pharmacist of Schindel's Pharmacy, retiring in December 1981.

He served in the U.S. Army Air Corps as a first lieutenant during WWII.

He was a founding member and lifetime member of Antietam Radio Relay Association (W3EHA). He was a member of Fountain Head Country Club, Exchange Club, Potomac Playmakers, Morris Frock American Legion Post 42 and Hagerstown Community Concert Association.

Survivors include his wife of 37 years, Joanne W. Jones; two daughters, Nancy Mayfield and husband, Richard, of Elkton, Md., and Priscilla Bernhold and husband, Terry, of London, Ky; one brother, the Rev. Kenneth S. Jones, and wife, Larocca, of Gaithersburg, Md. Other survivors are three stepsons, John "Buck" McCoy and wife, Cynthia, Donald McCoy and wife, Gina, and Timothy McCoy and wife, Anne-Marie, all of Hagerstown; seven grandchildren; and seven great-grandchildren.

There will be a memorial service at Douglas A. Fiery Funeral Home, 1331 Eastern Blvd. N. Hagerstown, on Saturday, Feb. 5, 2005, at 2 p.m. Family will receive friends following the service at the funeral home.

Memorial donations may be made to the Alzheimer's Association of Western Maryland.

Classic NES Game 3: Kid Icarus

Kid Icarus (1986), like Metroid, was a game that I never owned but instead borrowed from Robert. Although I am a bigger fan of Metroid, I believe I liked Kid Icarus so much because of its similarities to Metroid. Sure, Kid Icarus has a Greek mythology-based theme vs. a futuristic space theme, but both games were created by the same man (also creator of the original Game Boy and ill-fated Virtual Boy), and Kid Icarus was built on the Metroid engine. Plus, both had excellent soundtracks for their time, both scored by the same composer. So, both games had similar gameplay, and look and feel. It also shared a trait with The Legend of Zelda: you could buy items from little shops throughout the game.

One of the things I always liked about this game is that it has one of the most comical bosses I can think of, the Eggplant Wizard! These bosses, depicted in the above screenshot, hurled eggplants at Pit (the game's hero). If you were to be struck by one of their eggplants, you would be turned into an eggplant yourself--a giant eggplant with legs! And, the fun doesn't stop there. How does one free himself from the curse of the egglant? By visiting the hospital, of course! Yes, this game actually had a hospital room inhabited by a lone nurse whose sole purpose was to remove the eggplant curse. Comical, indeed!

"A scout is trustworthy..."

These are the first four words of the Scout Law, so I was naturally disturbed to see this article on the front page of cnn.com this morning. According to the story, the FBI is investigating the Greater Alabama Boy Scout Council for padding its membership rolls in a possible effort to bring in more funding from organizations like the United Way. And, they were pretty blatant about it, apparently making frequent use of the surname "Doe." Although this seems to be an isolated incident, and the Boy Scouts of America has certainly seen its fair share of controversies in the past, I am still a firm believer in its mission to help young people build the values of character and leadership.

I have a lot of fond memories from my own scouting experience. Sure, there were some jerks we had to put up with, as was always the case in group settings growing up, but overall I gained a lot from scouting. I learned many skills that are still useful today and through that process I "learned" many values along the way, some without my conscious knowledge at the time. To this day, I still find myself blindly following the part of the Scout Oath that talks about "help[ing] other people at all times." In recent years I've jumped in to help out in several medical emergencies, car accidents, and the like. And, if the situation presented itself, I'm sure I'd gladly help an old lady cross the street! (I also partly blame the Boy Scouts for my habit of overpacking for trips, but, as they say, "Be Prepared.")

My only regret is that I did not stick with it longer. My heavy involvement in high school band took me away from scouting, and although I have many fond memories from the band years, I wish I would have made the time to stay involved with scouting as well. So, to make up for the time lost, I long for the day when I can pick up this book again and share the experience of scouting with my son. The values listed so matter-of-factly in the Scout Law are many of those that I wish to instill in him.

George W. Bush: Satan Worshiper?

According to this article, the people of Norway are under the impression that our president and his family are Satan worshipers! Sadly, some Americans may be under the same impression. This, of course, is all a big misunderstanding. Apparently the "Hook 'em 'horns" gesture, a sign of affection towards the University of Texas Longhorns, has a different meaning in Norway, where it represents a salute to Satan popularized by heavy metal bands there. Those crazy devil-loving Nordics!

French Fry, I am your father!

Hasbro has announced the release of the "Playskool Mr. Potato Head Darth Tater" and I must have one! Being that I am now a father, I can use that as an excuse to get one, too. (I won't tell anyone that the suggested age range for Darth Tater is 2+, considering my little one is just shy of nine months old.) The toy will retail for $7.99 and be available ahead of the release of Episode III. Have you ever seen something that looks so cute and menacing at the same time? It reminds me a little of the Darth Vader character from the old LucasArts game Night Shift (1990), which, incidentally, is the only title to feature both Star Wars and Indiana Jones characters in the same game!

Classic PC Game 3: Silpheed

Silpheed (1988) was a great arcade-style game distributed by Sierra On-Line. It was actually developed by the same Japanese company that made Thexder, the platform game whose hero could transform from a robot into a fighter jet. Silpheed was a vertically-scrolling shooter in which you pilot a spaceship with upgradeable weapon capabilities. It was fun to play, and the graphics were decent (especially the intro), but what made this game memorable was its sound. You see, at the time this game was released, most IBM-compatible computers were only capable of producing single-voice sound at a static volume through the much-despised PC speaker. Only Tandy computers (and the PCjr) were capable of better sound (3-voice with volume control). Game developers did experiment with digitized sound on the PC speaker (remember the "RealSound" technology on such Access titles as Mean Streets?), but it never quite sounded right.

Enter the Game Blaster. This was the first sound card I purchased. It was made by Creative Labs, who later went on to make the popular Sound Blaster series of cards. The Game Blaster was a Radio Shack exclusive, and came bundled with, you guessed it, Silpheed! So, it became the first PC game I experienced in breathtaking 12-voice sound. The Game Blaster was no match for the mighty Roland MT-32, but it did fit within my meager budget. I later upgraded to an AdLib card, which was supported by more games and had better specs (although still not as good as the MT-32).

While doing a little research for this post, I came across an interesting page that talks about the history of sound and music on the PC. It includes some audio samples, and you can even listen to a short sound clip from Silpheed as it sounded on the PC speaker, the Tandy, the AdLib, and the MT-32. There are a few samples from "RealSound" games there, too!

"Do not taunt Happy Fun Ball."

Next Monday, I'm going back to school. A lot of my friends at work are spending their 'waiting' time wisely by attending school part-time, so I decided to join them and do something productive with my free time. I'll be working towards a second Master's degree, this time in Technical Management at the Johns Hopkins University.

In the mail the other day, Hopkins sent me a J-Card--their version of the ubiquitous student ID card. Anyway, I really got a kick out of the ridiculous letter they sent with the J-Card that included the following:

Take good care of your J-Card! Do not unnecessarily handle it. Do not trim the edges, punch holes in it, bend it, or alter the shape in any way. Do not affix stickers or bar codes of any kind to the card's surface. Be careful not to let it near magnets (including magnetized purse clasps)--this will erase the encoded information on your card and it will have to be replaced...

In other words, "Do not taunt Happy Fun Ball." This reminds me of all the over-the-top consumer warning labels out there, which collectively have inspired an annual award. So remember, kids, if your "Happy Fun Ball begins to smoke, get away immediately. Seek shelter and cover head."

"so my dad found my porn folder..."

I thought that title might get your attention! :-) Some of my co-workers who are usually just as bored as I am introduced me to a site I hadn't seen before: bash.org. It's basically a repository of reader-submitted IRC logs that are rated by the site's moderators. Some of the quotes are pretty hysterical, and I found myself laughing out loud on more than one occasion today. Here's one of the best quotes:

<LordChewy> so my dad found my porn folder
<LordChewy> and he was getting all pissed
<LordChewy> so its all like "does this surprise you? i'm not stupid you know"
<LordChewy> "i know dad"
<LordChewy> "what do you have to say for yourself?"
<LordChewy> at this point i stare at him straight in the eyes and say "C:Documents and SettingsRickyMy Documentsfaxessent faxes"
<LordChewy> and he just shut up
<kingKahn> what is it?
<LordChewy> its his porn folder

I also particularly liked this one for some reason, although it's only funny if you've played chess before:

<jeebus> the "bishop" came to our church today
<jeebus> he was a fucken impostor
<jeebus> never once moved diagonally

Looks like they have an XML feed too, so I may add a bash.org section to the H-Blog at some point. Anyway, leave a link or two to some of your favorite quotes in the comments!

Today's Project

This morning we found ourselves with an extremely rare weekend day with no plans. No places to go, no people to see (and no people coming to see us). So, I actually had a chance to work on a few computer projects. This all started the other day when I 'refreshed' my PC. After three years, this thing has slowed to a crawl and has started to act a little buggy. So, I formatted the hard drive, reinstalled Windows XP, and now I have what feels like a brand new machine. Well, maybe not brand new, but it doesn't take five minutes to boot anymore!

So, wanting to do something fun on my 'new' machine, I decided to tinker around with creating a site that could show all of our most recent blog postings on one page--sort of a 'one-stop shop' of new posts. My tinkering paid off, and I am proud to present the results: version one of the H-Blog! The whole thing is based on a nice little PHP script that pulls everyone's most recent posting from their Atom syndication feed, parses the data, and builds my little web page. I also set up a companion blog for this page so I could easily post relevant news at the top of the page. Anyway, I hope you find it useful when you just want to check to see if anyone has posted recently and don't want to go to each individual blog. I know I will!

Classic NES Game 2: Ice Hockey

I'm not a very big fan of sports games. I'm not afraid to admit it, either...I just generally don't like them. I'd much rather be shooting or driving. About the only sports game I find entertaining now is Mario Power Tennis. That being said, one sports game I did enjoy playing back in the day was Nintendo's Ice Hockey (1988). Part of what I enjoy about this game (and a lot of other classic games) is it's simplicity. You begin the game by building your team of four players, and you only have three player types to choose from: skinny guy, regular-size guy, and fat guy. I always liked a combination of skinny guys and fat guys because they look more comical than regular-size guy. The same holds true in today's games. You could actually cause your players to fight in Ice Hockey, although it's pretty lame compared to the fighting in later hockey games like NHLPA Hockey 93, which was immortalized in one of my favorite movies.

One of the best things about 80s team sports games is that you could pit the United States against the Soviet Union. It almost seems silly now, but growing up in the Reagan era you felt a real sense of fear towards the Russians, what with their communism and their nukes and their Berlin Wall. Remember movies like this one? Anyway, with Ice Hockey you could re-enact the United States' famous 1980 Winter Olympics victory over the Soviets. Good times, indeed!

Elegant Design

Ben was the first to comment on the new Mac mini, but I have a few thoughts of my own to share. Some of you my be surprised by this statement, or even outraged, but I have been secretly wanting to purchase a Mac for the past several months. In fact, I seriously considered purchasing an iMac G5 for Christmas. I don't expect to become a Mac fanatic (Wired refers to these people as members of the 'Cult of Mac'), nor do I look at the Mac to replace my PC, but it's something I'd like to have to play around with.

I've thought a lot about what I've come to refer to as 'Elegant Design' over the past couple years. My criteria for something that would fall into that category would be a product that does what it does well, doesn't suffer from feature bloat, and 'looks cool.' If I find something like that, I tend to evangelize said product.

Case in point: the TiVo. I'm sure you've all heard me talking about it ad nauseum. It handles the 'time-shifting' of television programs flawlessly. It does not suffer from superfluous features. And, it has the coolness factor. The well-designed and often-praised remote control actually feels good in your hand and after a day or two of initial use, you don't have to look at it to use it. The screens with their animated backgrounds are fun. Text is easily readable and navigation is intuitive. And, unlike my PC, it has never crashed!

Another product I own that I'm also in love with is the iPod. Like the TiVo, it does what it does well, and doesn't do anything it doesn't need to do. (Why would you want a flashlight that has a built-in black-and-white TV, siren, radio, and mosquito repeller, for Pete's sake, that probably sucks as a flashlight when you'd be a hundred times better off with a simple Maglite!) The iPod Click Wheel makes it easy to navigate through your music collection, the screen is readable, the menu system is simple to follow, and it looks cool. I am anxious to get an up-close look at the new iPod shuffle to see how it compares to the original and if it's navigation is intuitive since it has no screen.

This brings me back to the Mac mini. They've packed a lot of computer into a very small package. I figure I can tuck this thing under my desk and hook it up to my existing keyboard, monitor, mouse, and speakers with a nice KVM switch. At $500, I feel like this would be a better investment than the $1300 iMac, especially since I won't know how much use I'll actually get out of the thing until I have it. Although, I've found over time that things I originally thought were overpriced now seem like a bargain if they fit my criteria for 'Elegant Design.'

[UPDATE: Here's a nice chart that sums up Apple's latest business strategy of trying to penetrate the mass market.]

Classic PC Game 2: Leisure Suit Larry

Leisure Suit Larry (1987) was one of the first of many Sierra adventure games I fell in love with in my youth. It created quite a stir when it was first released as an "adult" game. Although by today's standards, I believe the game would only receive a 'PG' rating as a movie. In one of the earlier scenes where Larry has sex with a prostitute, the viewer sees a black box marked 'CENSORED' that bounces up and down. Hilarious! However, in 1987, it seemed a little taboo for us to be playing this game, and I think that was part of its draw. In a failed effort to keep us youngsters from playing such a provocative game, you first had to correctly answer a series of random questions that would prove you were old enough to play the game. Here's an example:

Richard Nixon was the _____ President of the United States.
a. last
b. funniest
c. thirty-seventh
d. first Negro

The best way to die in this game is to go down the alley next to Lefty's Bar. After getting roughed up by some thugs, your body is taken to an underground Sierra Online laboratory where you are rebuilt on an assembly line and reinserted into the game. I believe Ken Williams himself (co-founder of Sierra Online with his wife) even makes an appearance in this scene.

Overall, this game was a lot of fun to play. It led to many entertaining sequels and even a VGA remake. Plus, I'm sure anyone who played this game can hum the catchy theme song!

Seen Any Good Movies Lately?

I haven't seen any good movies lately...at least, not many. I'm not saying that today's movies suck, although to some degree they do compared to the movies we grew up with (Star Wars saga, anyone?), but that I have not been to a lot of movies over the past year. When our son was born in April, that pretty much killed our chances to go to the movies on a somewhat regular basis. And, leading up to that, we were busy doing all the things you have to do to get ready for a new baby. So, we saw only a few movies in 2004. By my count, we've only been to the movies four times since our son was born, thanks to his grandparents who are always more than willing to babysit. Here's what we saw from June through December in '04:

• Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban
• Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story
• The Terminal
• Meet the Fockers

It's quite a change from the summers growing up when I'd go to the movies about twice a week. "My mom will take us to the movies if your mom can pick us up!" Does that sound familiar? One of the best times I remember having at the movies was way back in the summer of '87. If I recall correctly, Ryan, Ben, and I went to see Throw Momma from the Train at the R/C Theatres on Leitersburg Pike in Hagerstown, and we were the only three people in the theater! So, we ran around the theater for a little bit, and at one point we decided to lay down in the front of the theater and stare up at the screen. It only lasted until one of the employees came in and said we were creating a fire hazard. I can't see why it was much of a hazard since we were the only three people there. Surely if a fire had broken out, we could have figured out how to escape without tripping over each other.

Anyway, what good movies did you see in 2004? My only hope now is to catch them on video, although one movie that I'd really like to see is still in a few theaters...Calling All Grandparents!

[UPDATE: We did make it out to see In Good Company tonight (1/14) thanks to an aforementioned pair of grandparents. We both thought it was very cute. Definitely worth a rental if you don't get a chance to see it on the big screen!]

Classic Game Boy Game 1: Super Mario Land

Super Mario Land (1989) was one of the first games I got for the original Game Boy system and possibly my all-time favorite for that platform (at least my favorite single player game). I've always been a big fan of the Mario games since I first played the original Super Mario Bros. game on the NES. The Mario character actually first appeared in the Donkey Kong arcade game in 1981 and has been in an impressive number of games ever since. I've enjoyed most of the platform games Mario has appeared in over the years (with the exception of Super Mario Sunshine), and I love a lot of the non-platforms as well (Dr. Mario, Super Mario Kart, Mario Tennis). In fact, Mario, Zelda, and the Metroid character franchises are one of the main reasons I decided to get a Gamecube instead of a PS2 or Xbox.

I liked Super Mario Land because it was a relatively short game and could be won in a reasonable amount of time. This was very important back in the day, as there was no way to save your game. What I really loved about this game were the two levels where you were in a vehicle: first a submarine and then an airplane. It also had a funky Easter Island-themed world that was pretty cool. Anyway, I'll have to see if I can dig this game up one of these days to play on the Game Boy Player.

I Love The 90s, Too!

It's obvious given the past several postings that I'm a big 80s fan, but I also love the 90s, and apparently, so does VH1. In one week, they are premiering I Love The 90s: Part Deux. It seems like the 90s are turning into the new 80s when it comes to nostalgia. In fact, I got the 90s version of Trivial Pursuit for Christmas. We played this on New Year's Eve at Ben's house, and it was pretty fun, but certainly as difficult as all the other Trivial Pursuit games out there. One of the questions I answered incorrectly pertained to Biosphere 2, which was in today's news. I answered 'Biosphere' instead of 'Biosphere 2' during the game--I don't remember what the exact question was--but Rulemaster Tony wouldn't let it slide!

Anyway, be sure to set your TiVos for next week's shows!

Classic Arcade Game 1: Golden Axe

Golden Axe (1989) was one of the first arcade games I remember pumping quarters into until I either won the game or ran out of said quarters. On a handful of occasions during those lazy pre-driver's-license Hagerstown summers, Ryan and I had been known to ride our bikes clear across town and out to the Valley Mall. Keep in mind, this was before there was a Wesel Boulevard, so we'd ride through the alleys of downtown, past City Park, and all the way out Virginia Avenue to Halfway Boulevard. I think once we may have even taken the County Commuter bus to get out to the mall. Anyway, I believe it was during one of these treks to the mall that we discovered Golden Axe at Time Out, the mall arcade.

In this game, you could pick from one of three characters: a dude with a sword, a hot chick with a sword, or a hairy dwarf with an axe. I always liked to play the dwarf because I thought his battle axe was pretty cool. One of the best parts of the game was that you could mount different animals that you could then use as weapons by whipping their tails, etc. Also, you were able to collect potion bottles throughout the game that you could use to dispense a killer bolt of lightening affecting all enemies on the screen if you were in a pinch.

When I first discovered MAME and the joys of playing old arcade games on my PC, this was the first ROM I searched for. It's not quite the same when you can just press '5' instead of dropping a quarter into the machine, and it doesn't feel like as great of an accomplishment to win the game when you didn't have to pedal 10 miles on your bike just to play the game, but it sure is a lot of fun.

Classic NES Game 1: Metroid

One of my favorite all-time NES games is the original Metroid (1986). I'm pretty sure I never owned the game cartridge myself, but I did borrow it from Robert for a while. In recent years, I've played through it again on the PC using the Jnes emulator. And, thanks to a Christmas gift from a generous friend, I now have the GBA version to play. Having never owned a Super NES, I never got the chance to play Super Metroid, although perhaps I'll check out an emulator version someday or they'll release it for Game Boy. I own Metroid Prime for Gamecube, but I'm partial to playing Metroid games in a 2D sidescrolling format. That leads me to the couple of other Metroid games they have for GBA...

Metroid Fusion is an original adventure that takes place after the events of Super Metroid. It has some incredibly challenging bosses, and, getting stuck on one, I've thrown the game back in the drawer where it's been sitting for a few months now.

Metroid Zero Mission is a remake of the original Metroid game with updated graphics, and it is AWESOME! If you are a fan at all of the very first Metroid, you will LOVE THIS GAME. It has the nostalgia factor but is updated to be on par with modern GBA games. It's sort of like when Sierra remade some of their original adventure games (SQ1, PQ1, LSL1, etc.). I hate to spoil things if you haven't played it, but the biggest shocker is that the game doesn't end when you defeat Mother Brain like it does in the original. Very cool. Plus, it's not as frustratingly difficult as Metroid Fusion, and, assuming you've played the original, it's much easier to find your way around.

Anyway, I'm quite happy that Nintendo is still coming out with Metroid games after almost 20 years...especially the 2D sidescrollers. Even though I'm partial to the 2D games, I'm anxious to hear, if anyone has the new Metroid Prime 2: Echoes for Gamecube, how the multiplayer deathmatch is. That could be very interesting.

Finally, while searching for Metroid stuff today, I found a cute little Flash game that combines Metroid with one of my other favorite characters from the land of Nintendo. So, I present for your enjoyment, Megaman vs Metroid!

Classic PC Game 1: Deathtrack

I've decided to devote a weekly (hopefully) post to classic PC games. I'll feature a different game in each post and do the same for classic NES console games and possibly arcade games.

Anyway, in no particular order other than what comes to mind each week, I present Deathtrack (1989) as the first game. This game sticks out for a couple of reasons. First, it is one of my all-time-favorite racing games. Such games are on my mind at the moment due to my current addiction to Mario Kart: Double Dash!! Second, I recall this being one of the first PC games I purchased with my own money. At the time, the only decent place to buy games was Babbages, and the only Babbages store around was in Lakeforest Mall in Gaithersburg. So, I guess my parents took me down there and I bought this game and probably a couple others. If I'm not mistaken, it may be the same trip when I bought my FlightStick. Good times!

Probably my favorite weapon from the game was known as a Terminator. The game manual described the Terminator this way:

Picture a high-explosive warhead strapped to a skateboard. Now slap on a rocket pack and launch it from your machine, and you have a Terminator.

You also had access to missiles, beams, mines, lasers, caltrops (sort of like medieval spike strips), machine guns, ram spikes, and wheel spikes. Besides weapons, you could spend your race winnings on auto parts (engines, brakes, tires, armor, etc.). When I first got this game, I only had CGA graphics, so the gameplay was in black-and-white. No matter, I still LOVED this game! Plus, it was like playing a new game when I finally upgraded to VGA.

Anyone else remember this game?

Hagerstown's Finest

I like to keep tabs on our hometown newspaper's website, just to see how things are going back home. My favorite section is the Community page. It's nice to see the name of someone I knew growing up listed in the Engagement or Wedding Announcements. It's even more fun to see some jerk-from-high-school's name listed in the Police Log!

However, the best part of this section by far is entitled Mail Call. See, the Herald Mail has a phone number you can call in and leave a message about just about anything, and they'll print your most stupid, ridiculous, or boring ramblings in the paper! People call in to complain about their neighbors leaving up their Christmas decorations too long, taking up all the parking places on their street, or leaving their dogs outside to bark all night. They call in to ask for cookie recipes or to register their disgust with the current price of gas. Someone called in to complain that someone used food stamps to buy subs at Sheetz. Someone else called in to tell the first someone to mind their own business. Then a bunch of other someones called in to support the first someone saying that since they pay taxes, it IS their business. It's usually very comical, makes most of the people from our hometown look like a bunch of backwoods hillbillies, and well worth a daily glance. Here is one of my favorite comments as of late:

About this devastation with the killer wave, has anyone asked if they think that maybe someone set off an atomic bomb under the water to create this? Nobody has asked this question yet.

Blogs, Blogs, Everywhere Blogs

Besides Kris and I starting our blogs yesterday, I'm pleased to announce the debut of Ryan's new blog, Pass the Potatoes. I also discovered that another one of our old Hub Band buddies, Joe, has a blog as well: SilentJoes Playground. I've added a section to the sidebar with links to all my friends' sites.

Perhaps all this excitement will guilt Ben and Robert into creating their own blogs too?

[UPDATE #1: Ben has successfully been guilted into playing along!]
[UPDATE #2: Even Bob, a.k.a. G.D. Thunder himself, has joined in the blogging madness!]

What's in a name?

You may be wondering why I decided to call this blog "Barley Fields". Perhaps you were able to guess from the tagline that the title derives from the popular Sting song "Fields of Gold". The quote is taken from this verse:

Many years have passed since those summer days
Among the fields of barley
See the children run as the sun goes down
Among the fields of gold

The song, bittersweet as it is, always reminds me of perhaps the last time our group of friends was all together for a substantial period of time: the summer after we graduated from high school and before we left for college. We spent many an evening that summer in the car, wandering the winding back roads of Washington County, passing the old farm fields as the sun set. We had no place to go, but we went there together. It reminds me of that saying about the journey being more important than the destination. Those were great times.

Now, as a new father, I feel a sense of the proverbial torch being passed to the next generation. Our time to "run as the sun goes down" without the weight of the world on our shoulders may be over, but surely we will find joy in seeing our own children laughing and playing among the fields of gold.

Joining the Club

My friend Kris unveiled his new blog today, and it was suggested that we all consider starting a blog as an effort to stay in touch. This seems like a pretty good idea considering that, since college, our group of friends only gets together once in a blue moon. And, by nature of us all being male, we're pretty horrible at keeping in touch otherwise.

So, it is with great anticipation that I present to you my blog, "Barley Fields". I shall try my best to provide you with regular updates to my somewhat uneventful life. We all know that nothing is worse than a site that never gets updated. I'm not naming any names, Ross...

Just like Kris, I also highly value my "old Hagerstown friends", as they've come to be known, as well as my college buddies that I see far less often than I should. I hope this blog will help us to communicate a little bit better than we have in years past as we hold on to the bonds of friendship formed long ago.