Our new house

Polska Wersja (Polish Version of this entry)

Since August 20th 2009 we live in new house. Well, it is not 'new' just new for us. The house was actually build in 1930's so there were lots of old things we (I :-)) needed to change. We are making progress. With face-book and nasza-klasa (Polish equivalent of classmates) I realize this blog is missing lots of info about this new undertaking that takes most of my energy and time. So here you will find some photos related to this project (not necessarily in order at the beginning ... I organize them one day ... think of it more like archive of pictures related to our new 'nest')

Those pics summarize nicelly our ongoing inside struggle ...

To My Child

Polska Versja

Just for this morning, I am going to step over the laundry, and pick you up and take you to the park to play.

Just for this morning, I will leave the dishes in the sink, and let you teach me how to put that puzzle of yours together.

Just for this afternoon, I will unplug the telephone and keep the computer off, and sit with you in the backyard and blow bubbles.

Just for this afternoon, I will not yell once, not even a tiny grumble when you scream and whine for the ice cream truck and I will buy you one if he comes by.

Just for this afternoon, I won't worry about what you are going to be when you grow up, or second guess every decision I have made where you are concerned.

Just for this afternoon, I will let you help me bake cookies, and I won't stand over you trying to fix them.

Just for this afternoon, I will take us to McDonald's and buy us both a Happy Meal so you can have both toys.

Just for this evening, I will hold you in my arms and tell you a story about how you were born and how much I love you.

Just for this evening, I will let you splash in the tub and not get angry.

Just for this evening, I will let you stay up late while we sit on the porch and count all the stars.

Just for this evening, I will snuggle beside you for hours, and miss my favorite TV shows.

Just for this evening when I run my finger through your hair as you pray, I will simply be grateful that God has given me the greatest gift ever given.

I will think about the mothers And fathers who are searching for their missing children, the mothers and fathers who are visiting their children's graves instead of their bedrooms, and mothers and fathers who are in hospital rooms watching their children suffer senselessly, and screaming inside that they can't handle it anymore.

And when I kiss you good night I will hold you a little tighter, a little longer. It is then, that I will thank God for you, and ask Him for nothing, except one more day............

10 years behind

Polska Werjsa

This weekend we celebrate our 10th years wedding anniversary. We will be in Gatlinburg on Friday, Saturday and Monday. On Sunday we will go to Biltomore Estate and ride horses. (10 years ago we went to Gatlinburg for 3 days for our 'honey moon')




View Larger Map

USA Education System is FAIR

Polska Wersja

I write some critical things about U.S. so I think it is time that I say something positive (see Juli, I can from time to time :-0)

In Poland, at least in Poland before ~1995 or so, professor at the University was God! Not only there was no syllabus but basically despite studying during entire semester, being good student that does all that is asked from him/her, professor could do whatever he/she wanted during the final exam ("Zaliczenie")

When I talk to my mother on the phone about my school, she is still used to that kind of thinking and when I am struggling in the middle of semester to get good grades, she says something like "But it is not the final yet right?" The assumption is, why are you worrying, this all does not matter, only the end does.

In U.S. professors are required and do provide clear guidance of what is expected from students during a semester and how will they be graded through out and at the end.

In the class called Public Economics (PA 652) we were informed right from the start about details of the course. The most important were 4 exams, with the 4th one being the final. We were told that only 3 best out of 4 will count and if we do well on first 3 and are satisfied with grade, we will not even go to the final.

Also, in contrast to Poland, there is respect of privacy of the student and random number are assigned to student and only particular student knows his/her number. This way student does not have to worry about being looked down because he/she did not do well on the exam.

I remember one class in Poland, in school of music. The teacher gave each student his/her exam but left one at the desk. Then he wen on about how stupid this person is. That person was me. I knew it and most student knew as they all could just look around and see who does not have his/her paper yet. Those kind of abuses were not that uncommon. Professors at the Universities often gave F to students during the final exam despite the fact that this was A student till that final exam. Sometimes the professor would then do a "favorite" to half of the class that found itself with Fs and gave them "poprawke" - another opportunity to try to pass the final. He/she would say they will have this session at 9 am in his/her office only to show up around 1 pm ... again giving F to half of those who waited there.

So, God or not, but something should bless the higher education in America, for its fairness and respectful treatment of students at the very least.

My random number is 27. I already passed the class (must go to last two classes ... last requirement) I can try for A by taking final. Now, Polish students, are you envious of such treatment? I would be.

Exact fair treatment is all classes although finals are usually required, this arrangement is rather unusuall. The key is that all this is predetermined at the beginign of semester. There is a CONTRACT between professor and student. Netiher one can dismiss the contract or not obay it.

Terminator SG1

Polska Wersja
A cyborg (part man, part machine) is sent from the 31 century to present-day Midwest America to assassinate a seemingly innocent women whose child will play an important part in the world from which the killer came ...

.... the half man half machine's name is ... Shamick Gaworski ... production of this monstrous machine started last year in some dental labs in Midwest USA, reportedly in the state of KY, probably in the city of Lexington ... the year is 2008, 1028 years before the rise of machines ...

... his first dangerous ability is a killer bite with his lower left jaw .... just look at those!!!






See Final Result - April 30, 2008

Being of many things ...

Polska Wersja (Polish version)

I have been accused by Europeans (both new and old ... think Rumsfold) of being too Americanized while Americans give me a grief from time to time (like on YouTube) of being too European. [If you do not like it here, why don't you leave]

I was taken by a NPR "This I believe" yesterday and Yo-Yo Ma literally talking about himself in a way that I could only add "amen" to his words

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=87960790

I am not You You Ma (if I had his talent, I would stay in Music) but his approach to being a citizen of no country and yet all countries speaks volume to me.

Since I do not want to lose what he said, I am quoting his words here.

"All Things Considered, March 10, 2008 · I believe in the infinite variety of human expression.

I grew up in three cultures: I was born in Paris, my parents were from China and I was brought up mostly in America. When I was young, this was very confusing: everyone said that their culture was best, but I knew they couldn't all be right.

I felt that there was an expectation that I would choose to be Chinese or French or American. For many years I bounced among the three, trying on each but never being wholly comfortable. I hoped I wouldn't have to choose, but I didn't know what that meant and how exactly to "not choose."

However, the process of trying on each culture taught me something. As I struggled to belong, I came to understand what made each one unique. At that point, I realized that I didn't need to choose one culture to the exclusion of another, but instead I could choose from all three.

The values I selected would become part of who I was, but no one culture needed to win. I could honor the cultural depth and longevity of my Chinese heritage, while feeling just as passionate about the deep artistic traditions of the French and the American commitment to opportunity and the future.

So, rather than settling on any one of the cultures in which I grew up, I now choose to explore many more cultures and find elements to love in each. Every day I make an effort to go toward what I don't understand. This wandering leads to the accidental learning that continually shapes my life.

As I work in music today, I try to implement this idea — that the music I play, like me, doesn't belong to only one culture. In recent years, I have explored many musical traditions.

Along the way, I have met musicians who share a belief in the creative power that exists at the intersection of cultures. These musicians have generously become my guides to their traditions. Thanks to them and their music I have found new meaning in my own music making.

It is extraordinary the way people, music and cultures develop. The paths and experiences that guide them are unpredictable. Shaped by our families, neighborhoods, cultures and countries, each of us ultimately goes through this process of incorporating what we learn with who we are and who we seek to become. As we struggle to find our individual voices, I believe we must look beyond the voice we've been assigned, and find our place among the tones and timbre of human expression.

Independently produced for All Things Considered by Jay Allison and Dan Gediman with John Gregory and Viki Merrick.

Southwestern trip

My in-laws are gone ... for 6 weeks
Polska Wersja
They started a big trip in their makeup van across USA.

Larry took back seats out and made special folding bed (he had special mattress made for it)

It is really cool as the van resembles more now little RV (storage space is under the bad which folds easily so half of the back is still 'empty')

Read more about it on a blog I made for them - they just left today (I think. Larry postponed the departure by one day ... he wasn't ready ...)


http://southwesterntrip.blogspot.com/2008/03/southwestern-trip.html

Our Future Vacation House in Poland (Polski)

Polska Wersja
http://gaworskipolak.blogspot.com/2008/02/w-przyszlosci-nasz-dom-wakacyjny-w.html

Things you have to believe to be a Republican today (Polski)

It will be McCain vs. Hillary or Obama so it is time to start the hate email and web site exchanges right? :-)

Things you have to believe to be a Republican today:
Polska Werjsa

a. Jesus loves you, and shares your hatred of the environment, homosexuals, and Hillary.

b. Saddam was a good guy when Reagan armed him, a bad guy when Bush's daddy made war on him, a good guy when Cheney did business with him, and a bad guy when Bush needed a "we can't find Bin Laden" diversion.

c. Trade with Cuba is wrong because the country is Communist, but trade with China and Vietnam is vital to a spirit of international harmony.

d. The United States should get out of the United Nations, and our highest national priority is enforcing U.N. resolutions against Iran.

e. A woman can't be trusted with decisions about her own body, but multi-national corporations can make decisions affecting all mankind without regulation.

f. The best way to improve military morale is to praise the troops in speeches, while slashing veterans' benefits and combat pay.

g. If condoms are kept out of schools, adolescents won't have sex.

h. A good way to fight terrorism is to belittle our long-time allies, then demand their cooperation and money.

i. Providing health care to all Iraqis is sound policy, but providing health care to all Americans is socialism. HMOs and insurance companies have the best interests of the public at heart.

j. Global warming and tobacco's link to cancer are junk science, but creationism should be taught in schools.

k. A president lying about an extra-marital affair is an impeachable offense, but a president lying to enlist support for a war in which thousands die is solid defense policy.

l. Government should limit itself to the powers named in the Constitution, which include banning gay marriages and censoring the Internet.

m. The public has a right to know about Hillary's cattle trades, but George Bush's driving and military records are none of our business.

n. Being a drug addict is a moral failing and a crime, unless you're a conservative radio host. Then it's an illness and you need our prayers for your recovery.

How times changed (Polski)

Polska Wersja

I had to drive to Western Kentucky yesterday to give presentation about effective web design. One does not think of Kentucky as such a large state, certainly it isn't Texas (size of France) but nevertheless it take 2.5 hours to get from Lexington to Bowling Green.

I had lots of time to think about other things than school, work and how to manage it all ... thought about how things changed ... driving state car by plasma place where as a student I used to sell my plasma to make some money ... so needed back then, now giving presentations and while waiting for my turn, browsing real estate market in Poland seeing for some more realistically priced lots and properties ... [in my opinion they are experiencing there what one can easily compared to the .com bubble ... which should soon burst ... it was not enough to have a web site to be profitable, it isn't enough just to have land and put a world price on it to sell it]

While doing all that I drink $2 fancy star buck coffee never giving much though about those $2 I spent ...

2 dollars 15 years ago would be almost 1% of my entire money that I had in my pocket when I landed in Chicago in 1993. I valued 2 dollars much more back then especially that to earning another 2 was not guaranteed and was through hard "unstructured" work in hot and humid weather of Kentucky. I did not buy one single beer for the first year I was in USA. I love beer!

FYI, don't do the plasma thing. I hated it. I only did it every six months or so when they paid my good money (< 50 dollars)
Here are the reasons I hated it:
- at least 1 hour on medical exam
- at least 1 hour doing it
- do not like needles
- it isn't like giving blood, you have to pump your own blood with your fist so the blood goes for 15 minutes or so to the machine where the plasma is separated and then the blood is returned to your body .... You have to do this 4 or 5 times, depending on your body ... with 5 minutes breaks in between ... then your hand gets cold ... that's when blood is returned to your body ...

Arrr ... I shiver even now when I am writing this ...

OK, if you do want to do it, you should focus on something more noble about this process - Plasma saves lives. It used in hospitals etc.

And finally, it was close to Bowling Green that Monmouth Cave is located. That's when I proposed to Juli 10 years ago. Which reminded me to think for long time on the way back of ideas for our 10 years anniversary ... ideas that will be affordable that is ...

Times did not changed that much ....

Trip. USA - Poland - France. (Polski)

USA - Poland - France

www.shamick.com/index.htm

Odwiedziny Przemka z Rodzina

Zabawa

Polska Wersja - http://gaworskipolak.blogspot.com/2008/02/usa-polska-francja-listopad-2007.html

>>>>>Friday, Piatek 9 XI, 2007 <<<<<

http://gaworskipolak.blogspot.com/2008/02/usa-polska-francja-listopad-2007.html

OK, we are in Charlotte ... Iza & Malina liked the trip but Iza was already impatient towards the end of only 50 min flight. It is now 5.27 pm ... nice airport here ... we are going to eat something and on 7:04 a flight to Frankfurt is leaving ... Airbus.

>>>>>Saturday 10 XI, 2007 <<<<<

8 hours of across Atlantic ... we slept some ... 4 hours me ... Frankfurt is a horrible airport ... crowded, hot and confusing ... but we made it, Karolina picked us up. Now we are going to the play ground ... then to dinner ... we are so glad to finally be here in Poland. A bit tired ... Karolina has Internet ... OK, going to help with the kids ... they are tired too ...

Iza slept the whole time in Restaurant "Chlopskie Jadlo" ... but we had Barszczyk, Golabki and of course Polish Beer Zywiec ... Taxi in and Taxi out ... I start to like Warsaw ... and so does Juli. First day and so far so good ... We paid $75.75 plus $2,27 Foreign Transaction Fee
Times of cheap Poland is over.

>>>>>Sunday 11 XI, 2007 <<<<<

Maybe it is 3rd time the charm. This is our 2nd trip and everything is going almost perfect. The train was great!!!!!!!!! 1st class ... it took 5 hours but we did not notice ... we set, laugh, played with the kids, ate food and drank coffee brought from the near-by restaurant wagon, look through the window ... until it got dark ... which hided the snow on the ground that we saw in Poznan. Mother and father picked us up ... 1.5 hours to Ostrzeszow. Father, me and Iza together ... 1.5 hours Polish made Iza very scared and she asked "where is mommy ... sister ...daddy ... stop talking" :-)

>>>>>Monday 12 XI, 2007 <<<<<

Today on Monday Ciocia Henia & Artur visited ... it was great! Artur will visit us soon ... Tadek called, we talked 30 minutes ... he could not make it ... it was one of my greatest conversations ... I really like him. We then made a little snow man, kids helped ... Iza was without pants ... they still walk bare foot in the house to the despair of Babcia ... we took a walk later ... it was good, bought some beer at the end and "warm ice cream" earlier but one thing that now I noticed so much was CO2 in the air, it is dark at 5 o'clock ... smoke all around, it gets noticeable and it is smelly, almost hard to breathe .... USA should fight Global Warming here ... would make a bigger difference

>>>>>Tuesday, 13 XI, 2007 <<<<<

Today we went shopping. It is crazy now in Poland. People make so little but prices like in Europe (and also more expensive then in USA We went to Antonin to little castle for ice creams. We had good time there.

>>>>>Wednesday, 14 XI, 2007 <<<<<

We went to visit my father in his place. It was very nice.

>>>>>Thursday, 15 XI, 2007 <<<<<

We went to the flee market in the morning. It was a bit cold but it was fun although the kids had to go back earlier. After dinner we went to inside playground where kids played. The same evening we stopped by Castorama and Carefour. Yes, as far as shopping, Poland is definitively in Europe … funny however how people’s shopping baskets are only covered on the bottom ….

>>>> Friday, 6 XI, 2007 <<<<<

We went to the cemetery and visited abandoned property where my mother’s parents used to live. It was cold. Later on we packed.

>>>>>Saturday, 17 XI, 2007 <<<<<

We are at the airport in Poznan. We got here “only” after 3 hours in the car … despite the fact it is only 120 km or so but in Poland there are no highways so you can’t really drive like in a normal country …

FRANCE

Bienvenue au France!!!!! With sunshine! Nice. We rented a car and went to Lille. We found Ville De ASCE with no problems. Jean and Michele welcomed us with a dinner. Laurence and Stephen were there two with their 3 kids.

>>>>>Sunday, 18 XI, 2007 <<<<<

We met with Lars and Amira. It was so great despite the bad and sad news how our “adventure” with CDNetPlay.com broke many friendships and destroyed or at least hurt people (including financially) ...

Then we went back to Laurence and Stephan house and later had great pizza. Boy, the French pizza is 100 times better than the staff we eat in USA! And that was “chain” pizza! My French is not so bad … I can communicate OK. I surprised myself.

>>>>> Monday, 19 XI, 2007 <<<<<

Finally we decided to call the doctor for Juli who is really sick since a week or so … he came to the house. How nice, and even without any insurance (as far as the country France sees it) we paid ONLY around $50 … That would be at least 100 times that much in USA and doubtful that one could get home visit. We wanted to go to the beach (to Belgium) but instead we went to the mall … bought a few nice foods, kids played … it was good to relax a bit. In the evening we had a great dinner. Jean and I picked up great big platters with see food (fruit de mere) and it was really good. Polish women (first name Balbina) was also invited to the Dinner. Juli and her have actually similar jobs.

>>>>>Tuesday, 20 XI, 2007 <<<<<

In the morning (well, after 10 am) we went to visit kindergarten where Stephan and Laurence kids are going. It was great. Kids were there for 1.5 hours and will correspond with this place in the future. The kids (with the teachers of course) made a big banner “Welcome” which they put on the windows. Malina were not that impressed with them and wanted to play in little toy-kitchen all the time but Iza participated and draw with them. All kids drawings were put together and made a little book which the kids gave Malina and Iza as gift.

Right after it, making my wife extremely angry, I insisted on going to the beach, to Belgium even though it started to rain … big time. But this is me being “Polish” and thinking it is somewhat cool for the kids to say “I was in Belgium” … hopefully they help me for it one day (maybe? Yes I know I am naïve)

Even before the trip to the beach, we had to pack really quickly and went to another family Juli knows, Gaston and Claudine

We had a nice diner in the evening. All kinds of wine, cheese … can’t get more French than that! It was great!

>>>>>Wednesday, 21 XI, 2007 <<<<<

Change of plants. We were to go to Paris today (that’s why the hurry to the beach in Belgium) but there is a strike going there so we will stay one extra day here. We are going to IKEA soon … we used to go there while we lived in France and “dream” of our house one day and how we will decorate it. It used to make us sad not to be able to have a house and our live …. IKEA is more than a store to us, it is something of a nostalgia. Before IKEA we visited Isabella’s place.

In the evening, Cecile called from Paris. We will not go there at all except for Friday to fly from it. It is a mess, people are “killing” each other to get to the metro. Only ¼ of trains are going …

>>>> Thursday, 22 XI, 2007 <<<<<

+8 degrees C. Sunny. Kids are starting to complain and are “missing our yellow house”
The fact that we are not going to Paris makes me a little said because kids won’t see (at the minimum) Eifel tower … of well, they will see it next time. We also saved some money on hotels (although Juli had a heck of time cancelling that hotel and not being charged)

Malina and I went downtown and had a good time. After lunch, we all went to IKEA while Juli and Gaston went to Auchan and Carefour to buy a few more things for USA (alcohol among others) I used IKEA free internet connection to catch up on blogs, emails and my school.

>>>>>Friday, 23 XI, 2007 <<<<<

We got lucky. Juli changed easily our last flight from Chicago do Lexington and not like we were to go from Chicago to Cincinnati. And we will fly earlier from Chicago!

We had no major problems in Paris except that we forgot (!) that you can’t have liquids in the carry-on and almost lost 2, 3 good bottles of wine. But the people let Juli go back and recheck the language.

We got to Lexington around 22.00. That one last language was not here but the airline brought it home next day. Malina felt asleep in Chicago and slept the entire last hour on the plane, in the car – Juli’s father picked us up – and slept till the “morning” … 4.30 in the morning that is …

Another jet lag … oh well, that is normal. It was a good trip (bit long and bit tired of living on suitcases)

Our dog was waiting for us at home. It is good to be home in our yellow house again.

Trip Cost

• USA Airways (all flights except one) – 3,422.76
• WingCentral (Poznan – Paris[Beauve]) - $200
• Train (1^st class) - $150
• Credit Cards Travel Expenses - $191 (including conversion fees)
• Bank Card Expenses (Debit) -$539 (including conversion fees)
• Car Rental – Avis – 5 days - $600 (400 Euros)

Total (at minimum) = $5,102.76

Mother and Dieter. Thank you very much for your financial substantial help! We appreicate it very much! We hope to visit you more often thanks to that financial help!

Malina Iza Famous Quotes. Updated 6/24

My kids say things that are profound (or simply funny). It is time to start to archive some of those before we forget ....

- Iza in the car "Daddy, you know what, poptars are close to my heart"
- Cacada - bug making lots of noise every 17 years - was making noise in our front yard tree. On one Saturday, the noise stopped. Malina said "Maybe they are here only on school days"?
- In the car on the way home from school, Iza is asking her sister for candy [they were sharing and Iza already ate hers] to which Malina responds "Iza, I can't give you any candy, my hands our sore"
- "Iza, it is not about winning, not about having fun, it is about trying longer ..."
- "Daddy, Do you know why I like Lexington? Because I can understand what people say here"
- To her dallies while playing ... "Anybody who died long time ago, raise your hand ..."
- On airport in Chicago ... "I think I am allergic to walking"
- "Sister, we can't go to the Eiffel tower because there are lots of strangers there and they are going to be there for a long time ..."
- "Don't go there sister ... the darkness is going to get you"
- In Poland in the car, during eating vanilla ice creams, "Sister, you can't say 'vanilla' very good because you spoke too much Polish ..."
- "I can't speak French, but I can sign it very well ... " (Happy Birthday in French)
- "Daddy, go to work and take some money, we need to buy the beautiful princess ... " (in famous store where they cried as if I was killing them because I refused to buy overprices princess)
- Iza falls what seems like all the time and most of the time she laughs about it, but this one time she felt and Maya was close to her. Maya may have touched her with her tail. Iza started to cry and said "Mommy, Maya was trying to kill me ..."
- I am not really good on closing my eyes ... (in response to repeating attempts to make Malina sleep)

Quotes I like. Ungoing ... (Polski)

Because "Shaminisms" are way overrated ...
Polska Wersja - http://gaworskipolak.blogspot.com/2008/02/cytaty-jakie-lubie.html

• I have no special talents. I am only passionately curious. - Albert Einstein
  
• Anyone who conducts an argument by appealing to authority is not using his intelligence, he is just using his memory. - Leonardo da Vinci, 1452-1519.
• What luck for the rulers, that men do not think. - Adolf Hitler
• God does not care about our mathematical difficulties. He integrates empirically.- Albert Einstein
• He who can no longer pause to wonder and stand rapt in awe, is as good as dead; his eyes are closed. - Albert Einstein
• May the conscience and the common sense of the peoples be awakened, so that we may reach a new stage in the life of nations, where people will look back on war as an incomprehensible aberration of their forefathers! - Albert Einstein
• How can it be that mathematics, being after all a product of human thought which is independent of experience, is so admirably appropriate to the objects of reality? Is human reason, then, without experience, merely by taking thought, able to fathom the properties of real things - Albert Einstein
• The bigotry of the nonbeliever is for me nearly as funny as the bigotry of the believer - Albert Einstein
  
• Nationalism is an infantile disease. It is the measles of mankind. - Albert Einstein
  
• "I celebrated Thanksgiving in an old-fashioned way. I invited everyone in my neighborhood to my house, we had an enormous feast, and then I killed them and took their land." - Jon Steward
• Life is a long lesson in humility. - James M. Barrie
• "Knowledge and timber shouldn't be much used till they are seasoned." Oliver Wendell Holmes
• Religious war is like children fighting over who has the strongest imaginary friend - www.cafepress.com
• "Timelines are dangerous. What we need is a 'horizon'- a withdrawal strategy named after something that no matter how long you head towards it, you never quite reach it. " 08/08/2008 Jon Steward

"No man ever steps in the same river twice, for it is not the same river and he is not the same man." Heraclitus

Did God have choice? Updated

What really interests me is whether God had any choice in the creation of the world.

Polska Wersja http://gaworskipolak.blogspot.com/2008/02/czy-bog-mial-wybor.html
Had She? If she did, it means she is independent of the fruit of her creation. If it didn't, she can not be omni powerful, by definition.

Such as simple question, but what a depth. If you answer yes, it means that She has absolute control, which means she could have stopped Holocaust and Tsunami, but she chose not to. If she did not have a choice, then she isn't omni powerful, one is wasting the time to pray for "safety, prosperity, health" etc.

Good luck with answering the dilemma above, and you waste your time looking for any discussion about the answer to this dilemma in any church on this one of billion of trillions of rocks that She created. All you end up at the end is "God knows better" ... or something really stupid like "Collective Punishment" of God ... as some ultra right Christians would claim ... "God sent Tsunami because those people turn away from God" ...

Go figure, apparently God is such a monster that instead of flipping his thumb and making all the people who turned from him drop dead, he just choses to kill all ... and he can't find a better way but do an earthquake ...to accomplish her 'objectives'. But oh well, that is kind of his "historic" approach right, after all he also destroyed Sonoma the same way ... Does anyone actually believe there were no 1 or 2 years old babies in Sonoma? How can a baby be a "sinner"?!!!!!

PS. You may have noticed I always refer to God as She. It is not a feminist approach or anything like that. I am just tired of "Old Birded Man sitting on the cloud" ... Why does God have to be a Man?!

So see you can get closer to God by reading quote from Einstein, then from going to church every Sunday ...

"This man's God does not have to communicate with him through intercessors, ministers, or saints, or angels, but rather, through the quietness of his own mind, the beauties of his garden, the refreshing rain, the wispering breeses through the trees, the warm touch off a loved one's hand, the innocence of the questioning look of a child. This man's God is all Nature of which he is truly a part. To talk with Him, then, is to talk with himself, and be aware that God's presence is constant. To him, this is what is known as 'prayer.'"

Tornado Shelter Finished (Updated)

Process of creating Tornado Shelter from crawling space roughly 15 feet by 8 feet and final height 6.5 feet.






Original height of crawling space 42 inches. Added 38 plus 6 or so for concrete floor. Entrance from Garage. Pictures tell the story

"Don't try this at home" :-) (Put it another way, it ain't worth it ... so much work for little storage space ... the only justification is the 'tornado shelter' but I hope I will never know if that justifies my effort in building it)

Thanks,
Shamick P. Gaworski