As I was eating lunch I saw the headline that Tim Russert died today of a heart attack. My prayers go to his family. In recent years Carey and I have become a huge fan of Russert’s work on Meet the Press. I appreciate how he pushed politicians and officials as well as his contagious love for the political game. He will be missed.

We hosted some friends as they vacationed in Southern California last weekend. We had a great time with them and found that it felt like we were on vacation too. Here are some pictures of their kids playing with the hose in our back yard. I only feel a little guilty that this happened just after the governor declared that our state is officially in a drought.

Carey and I have become members of the Arboretum of Los Angeles County for a year. Finding a place so lush with vegetation in Southern California offers a unique breather from the asphalt and power lines. I’d hate to see their water bill, however. Here are some pictures. I’ll be posting more as the year progresses I’m sure.

I’ve put up pictures from our trip in March on my Flickr page. Feel free to check them out. Slideshow.

A couple of days ago I had my birthday. I’m grateful for the cards, phone calls, e-mails, comments on my blog, and messages on Facebook. Carey made me a wonderful dinner and we had a great time talking before she went to work. Timbo then came over, took me out for ice cream, and we watched The Boxer (I’m on a bit of a Daniel Day-Lewis kick since There Will Be Blood). While I felt loved, I couldn’t shake the cloud of sadness that hung over me all day and continues to stay. This was my first birthday since my father’s death. When my mom called me in the morning, I missed hearing his voice. Their tradition was to call us early in the morning, usually getting us out of bed, and singing “Happy Birthday” before we knew what hit us. When I read the card Mom sent with a beautiful and humbling note, it hurt to not see his signature. I wish I could express how deeply I miss the man who gave me life. Lately I have felt numb, furious, or an ache that draws my attention elsewhere. The thing I want the most is for Dad to be alive and this wish tears me apart for two reasons. The simple reality of his death can incapacitate me at times. But the fact that what I want most is an impossibility, a baseless wish in this life, hurts as well. I can’t make myself stop wishing he was here and honestly, I don’t want that ability, no matter how much pain I feel.

Currently the Church celebrates the season of Easter, the period of the year that we most intently focuses on Jesus’ victory over sin and death. If I am honest, it is really hard to see that victory and hard to believe right now that God’s kingdom has won, is winning, and will win. My eyes aren’t attuned to see the Resurrection; death is far easier to notice. Death’s disgusting stench creeps into nearly any room I sit. In the past couple of weeks I thought that every Christian at their baptism should be given a piece of the empty tomb as a tangible reminder of Jesus’ victory. Instead, I’m left with the fact that Mom doesn’t have of a chunk of the stone that was rolled away—she has Dad’s ashes sitting on the nightstand next to her bed.

Please pray for me, friends. Pray that Christ would make his resurrection known to me, that I would have the faith to believe that death doesn’t have the final word. Pray that the beatitude that those who mourn are blessed because they will be comforted would be true. It’s hard for me to pray lately.

Carey and I returned on Saturday from a vacation where we camped with friends at Leo Carillo State Park, camped at Montana de Oro State Park by ourselves, and then saw friends in the South Bay and San Francisco. I’m working on editing the pictures and will post them soon.

Here’s the announcement of the “something new” I mentioned in my last post. (Sorry Eddy, my post didn’t mean only one thing).

I have a new blog. I’m still going to write on this blog. Lately I’ve written a lot of reviews and have enjoyed the process, but I don’t want The Space Between My Ears to be just a blog about reviews. So I started another blog for my reviews and commentary on the arts: The Space Between the Arts. I’ve put up all the reviews I’ve written this year as well as a couple of new pieces. It will be less personal and more focused than this blog. Might I suggest starting with my reviews of Ray Bradbury’s novel Fahrenheit 451 or the magical film Once?

The new blog does have an RSS feed and you can also subscribe to it there or by using this link.

Something new is coming from yours truly. Be forewarned…

Sir Edmund Hillary, a New Zealander who, with Tenzing Norgay of Nepal, first summited Mount Everest on May 29, 1953, died today at the age of 88. (His death will be recorded as January 11, 2008 due to the International Date Line.) For anyone who has enjoyed a panoramic view and thrill of accomplishment after ascending a mountain, a hill, or even a flight of stairs, Hillary and Norgay were the heroes.

Rest in Peace, Sir Ed.

For Christmas, my family (in-laws included) all chipped and bought me a new camera, the Nikon D40x. It’s the first SLR I’ve ever used and I feel like I’m learning to take pictures all over again—not only do I have to learn how to use the specific camera, but I’m also learning about utilizing so many more controls as I previously only used point and shoots. I am having a blast.

I’ve created a set on my Flickr site where people can look at some of the first pictures I’ve processed. You can view a slideshow of the pictures if you would like.