Rob's 2 Cool Nephews

Brian as JFK

Scotty as "Gronk"

My (Rob) younger brother and his wife have 2 sons who are some of the smartest and most witty kids around. They love
   The first two are of Scotty and Brian dressed up for a "dress like a celebrity " day (something I love doing, but always as a superhero). Scotty dressed as a football player known as "Gronk" (I had to look it up). For those of you like me and Tom: "Gronk" is Robert James "Rob" Gronkowski (born May 14, 1989),is an American football tight end for the New England Patriots of the NFL.   Brian dressed as a young, casual John F. Kennedy.



The boys are into space, sports, cars, superheroes, reading, school, video games, the beach, and more. They each have their own sense of humor, and their favorite cartoon characters are "Hoops and YoYo." They introduced us to those two characters and we all send each other cards with the characters (all have funny sound recordings). Although we live 300 miles away, we keep up with their adventures through Facebook posts, emails and calls. Here are just a couple of recent pictures of the boys.
   The third picture is from the Pawtucket Red Sox game in Rhode Island. My brother, sister-in-law and the boys went to the minor league baseball game there to celebrate Father's Day. The picture is of Scotty and Brian with the PawSox mascot.

Hello from Dolly

Our friend Elvina calls our Dolly, our 8 1/2 year old Weimaraner, a "classy lady." We agree. We think that Dolly is one of the most beautiful weimaraners ever, and has very dainty and lady-like facial features. She's super-smart, knows lots of vocabulary words, is loving, trustworthy, affectionate and regal! I thought that this picture I took really made her look that way, so I had to post it.

Hello from Franklin!

 Franklin, our 9 year old dachshund loves to sit in the sun and soak it up, so he's been enjoying the warm weather lately. Now, if he'd only catch that second mole digging up the backyard instead of barking at it! :)

More Backyard Work!

lined the beds with small pavers

Tom continues to organize, plan, refine, construct, and beautify the backyard. Last week I put up a couple of pictures of some of the stuff that he was doing, but it wasn't completed. Here are some of the pictures of the finished projects. He lined the beds with stones that run along one fence, and around bushes and trees. He's done an amazing job!

Tom's homemade English garden

from the back fence looking toward the house

Happy birthday to Rob's Mom

Mom still loves her coffee!

Happy birthday to my (Rob) Mom. She turns 86 years old today. Of course, she lives 400 miles away, so cards, presents, and calls have to suffice - because she won't travel. Many of you know that my mom has dementia, and she can be onery (to put it lightly). As she's grown older, the person she was isn't there a whole lot.
  She's always been very feisty- and it's the Italian in her. She comes from a Boston Italian family. She's very talented with cooking, baking, sewing, making her own drapes, clothes, etc.; painting, drawing, yard work, etc. Over time, those things have waned as she has, but she's given a lot to a lot of people. Her condition makes her moods swing from high to low, and cause her to get argumentative when there's no argument, so it's difficult to talk with her and have a lucid conversation, and not get hurt by some mean things she says. But, she's still mom underneath. Happy birthday with love,  Mom! 

Some days mom  acts like she's in outer space! :)

Dad and Mom in 2006 (dad passed in 2008)

Mom at the White House

Dog Day Photos

Dolly

Every now and then I like to get a picture of each of our kids and post them all together.
Dolly, the Weimaraner always looks regal in her chair.
Sprite loves to sleep - especially since he's 16 1/2 years old. He sometimes wears tee shirts to keep him warm, since he gets cold (even in the summertime) from his kidney failure. Poor little guy.
Tyler (the black and tan) loves cuddling with all of our kids and jumped up on a chair with Franklin here.
There's nothing like the love of a dog!

Sprite

Tyler and Franklin

Video Blog! - How to Tell Time in Italy

Here's a short and funny video on You Tube that our friend Cathy sent to us: How to Tell Time in Italy. Enjoy!

LINK: http://youtu.be/mHyRCeKxhss

Go see the Man of Steel! It's Awesome!!!!!!!

Henry Cavill- an Amazing Superman!

We saw "Man of Steel" yesterday, and in my opinion, as a superhero fan for more than 40 years - Henry Cavill is the perfect Superman. The director really captured the humanity of the character, and the emotional bonds he has with his Earth parents, the Kents, and his Krypton parents. The scenes of the young Clark Kent being bullied choked me up. He held back doing anything to his tormentors and stood his ground. In one of the first appearances of Clark, he does get back at an adult bully is a fun way.

   The LA Times said in an article: Henry Cavill trained hard. For five months before filming began, and continuously during the six-month shoot, working to turn his body into something more powerful than a locomotive, a physical specimen that looks like the work of computer enhancements but isn’t. Read the full LA Times Article
Amy Adams made the perfect Lois Lane- determined, gritty, impulsive and fearless. General Zod and Faora-Ul were convincingly evil. I thought Russell Crowe did a great job as Jor-El, too.
For the official movie website:  MAN OF STEEL OFFICIAL WEBSITE

Superman and Lois Lane (Amy Adams)

  
GREAT BOX OFFICE NEWS: According to ScreenDaily,  Man of Steel has done great overseas already! 

Spurred on by Wednesday’s record opening day in the Philippines, Warner Bros Pictures International’s Man Of Steel bursts into 24 markets day-and-date with North America. The Superman tale debuts in the UK, Mexico and South Korea and grossed $1.7m on its first day in the Philippines to set a new industry opening day mark. **

  IN THE U.S.:   Man of Steel Speeds to $21 Million Box-Office Debut; Superman Flick's Opening Day Looking "Staggering" 

 Clark Kent and mom Martha Kent

  I can't wait for the sequel.
  
For a great Behind the scenes video (13 minutes long) SEE BELOW or 
CLICK THIS LINK:   http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0770828/?ref_=sr_1

 

Our Friend Maggie's Story is Published!

I (Rob) work with an amazing webmaster, writer, outreach person who just had a story she wrote published in a collection!  Maggie Masetti (she wrote under the pen name of Maggie Allen) wrote a story in the Anthology called "A Hero By Any Other Name."  I already ordered my copy! - Rob
What’s Maggie's story about? “A Marvelous New World” takes place in the aftermath of Janine Spendlove’s story, “He was a Marvelous Man.” Her story made me wonder how the appearance of a real, live superhero would affect the comic book geek community, and I also liked the idea of those geeks getting a chance to become a part of superhero mythology themselves.
     Here's what Maggie said:
 Silence in the Library Publishing’s special anthology called “A Hero By Any Other Name” – is all short stories about superhero sidekicks. (It’s a companion to another Origins anthology with superhero stories.)Authors who have stories in A Hero By Any Other Name include: Aaron Allston, Michael Stackpole, Maxwell Alexander Drake, Jean Rabe, Janine Spendlove, Bryan Young, more, like me! (Pen name, Maggie Allen.)
This book has a cover by Denis Loubet and also has interior art by Mark Dos Santos, which is so cool. Having art drawn of my story? Again, so cool.
As you can tell, I’m super excited about this! If you are at Origins, you can pick up a copy for 10 bucks – otherwise it’s available on Amazon right now!
http://www.amazon.com/Hero-By-Any-Other-Name/dp/1489531262/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1371091184&sr=8-1&keywords=A+hero+by+any+other+name
     Here's a link to Silence in the Library Publishing's other project: We're working on a Kickstarter for another anthology, it's doing quite well so far and has some big names in it as well: http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/103879051/time-traveled-tales-a-speculative-fiction-antholog

Reflections on Coming Out/a Creative Way/Teen Suicides

  Coming out of the closet can be a challenging process for many people.  I was reminded of  the process because June is Gay pride month. So, I feel it's important to share my personal story of how I came out to my parents. Since I was 4 years old, I've known I was gay. I was attracted to a man at church and I couldn't stop staring at him. He was so handsome, and every weekend I would look for him, but I kept quiet.
   Although a friend or two in high school knew (because they were gay, too) I kept it from my family and everyone else. It was frightening to harbor that secret in the 1970s and 80s.
   14 years ago, back in 1999, I made the decision to tell my parents and everyone else. I was tired of lying, hiding, and getting asked if I was dating a woman. I was in fact, fed up with it, because I had already dated a couple of guys and couldn't tell anyone. Telling my parents was tough... but thanks to my younger brother, it could have been much worse. I told my younger brother first and he was so supportive. He had me mail a letter to my parents (and he edited it first via email) and went to their house the day it arrived. He explained I was the same guy they've always known, but struggled to hide it for over thirty years. My dad continued talking with me, while my mother refused to speak to me for over 6 months. Then one day she called and said she just wanted me to fall in love and be happy with a partner.
THE CORRECT FAMILY'S REACTION: 
  I remember the reaction of a friend's parents in Maine when he told them he's gay. They said "thank God! We thought you were hiding a terminal illness!" THOSE are great, loving parents. 
WHAT HAPPENS A LOT:
  Fortunately, it has become a little easier for some kids to tell their peers and parents today. However, there are still some that get thrown out of their house, beaten, shunned, and even murdered by their parents. Yes, it happens and if you don't believe it, research it.  There are still so many teens that take their own lives because of hateful "preachers" telling them it's evil (and those preachers should be stripped of their position and JAILED). Gay teen suicide is a serious problem..
  According to the Huffington Post: Each year, one out of every three gay, lesbian or bisexual students in the San Francisco Unified School District reportedly attempts suicide. (And that's in a city that welcomes gay people- think of the statistics in towns and cities in Kansas for example). Read this article: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/06/06/lgbtq-youth-suicide-prevention_n_3398035.html
 TO GET HELP FOR SUICIDAL GAY TEENS:
   If you know a gay teen that is contemplating suicide, IMMEDIATELY CONTACT: The Trevor Project: http://www.thetrevorproject.org/. 
     The Trevor Project is the leading national organization providing crisis intervention and suicide prevention services to lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and questioning youth.   If you are in crisis or thinking about suicide you deserve immediate support please callThe Trevor Lifeline1-866-488-7386
HOW SOMEONE CAME OUT ON-LINE:

   Recently, one Facebook user wasn't afraid and he took a very clever approach. Reddit user RyanSmithN posted the following photograph, which he says he uploaded to Facebook to tell friends that he's gay: The photograph has since gone viral in the blogosphere since being posted on Reddit.

Last Night's Storms Stayed North of Balt/Wash- Not so today!

Thankfully the strong storms stayed north of the Baltimore\DC area last night. Thanks to meteorologist Justin Berk for the graphics and explanation below. 

The next line of storms is on the way this morning, though, and will be felt. Then with the atmosphere remaining unstable, we can expect another round again this afternoon.

   PER JUSTIN:  The storms overnight have mainly stayed north in central PA, while the band in Md did fall apart after crossing the mountains as seen here. *The HRRR model I have been showing had the storms overdone! Worth noting today when assessing it.
This morning's rough weather will likely ride along the mountains and into PA/NJ. The main source of energy will arrive this afternoon. I'm still evaluating how this mornings storms on the map may impact the development later...

TODAY'S FORECAST: 

 Severe T-storm Watch until 11am, 

Flood Watch until 8pm EDT tonight for Balt/Wash

At 8am today: There was a strong line of thunderstorms from York, PA southwest Over Route 81 (the Blue Ridge Mtns) and moving east. 

Clouds/Sun, showers/t-storms developing in the morning, breezy, humid. High 89
Some of these THUNDERSTORMS could produce DAMAGING WINDS, HEAVY RAINFALL, LARGE HAIL AND ISOLATED TORNADOES. Wind Gusts to 32 mph, Flooding Possible. (up to 1 inch of rain).

- A second round of thunderstorms is possible this afternoon.
THURSDAY NIGHT: Showers/t-storms could be Severe. Ending by 11pm. Low 62. 

Puppy Love: Tyler and Sprite

Tyler, our 1 1/2 year old mini black and tan dachshund is very affectionate, and when I was taking them to daycare one day, he decided to cuddle up with our 16 1/2 year old senior dachshund, Sprite. So, Tyler laid his head on Sprite's back. Very cute! 


 SHORT ATTENTION SPAN:
 - Tyler also acts like a baby because he has the attention span of  a gnat. He'll stay put for a couple of minutes and bounce around, looking at us, like "When are we going?" Where are we going?" "Can we go now?"  - this picture of him is one of those times.

LOTS OF RAIN:
On a different note, last weekend we had a cold front and Tropical Storm Andrea come by back to back, and they brought us 3 inches of rain- that's about 2 1/2 week's worth in 36 hours!