Tag: police

Trying to enjoy life one day at a time

Well, after taking some time to process it, I guess I can go ahead and say (officially) that I am not going to the police academy this year.  I just wasn’t high enough on the list, I guess.  But the people involved in the process have been highly encouraging and supportive towards me, and so I will make another effort whenever they put together another class, either later this year or early next year.

In the meantime, it has been a humbling experience to get back into the job hunt full-time.  And to be honest, a little depressing.  But since I am Mr. Silver Lining, I am trying to find the bright side of the experience and move on.

So there’s a few things I am doing to keep myself entertained while I continue the (seemingly eternal) job hunt.

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My family and the Kennedys

Wow.  Fifty years.

JFK in state at WH
President Kennedy’s body lies in state in the East Room of the White House on November 23rd, 1963. His honor guard in this photo includes one member of each of the five armed services. His coffin rests on the same bier that held President Abraham Lincoln’s coffin in 1865.

It’s hard to describe the relationship I have had with a President who died before I was born, or the way that relationship was shaped even as I grew up in Alabama.  But there was, and still is, a relationship.  It led me to make  speeches in high school that evoked Kennedy’s own speeches on public service.  It led me to defend JFK vigorously even when I was still a dumb young Reagan Republican.  And it led me to make a point of visiting his grave at Arlington when I finally had the opportunity on a class trip.  Where I wept.

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Little boy becomes superhero for a day

This story is just amazing.  It still seems like one of those things that happens in after-school specials or in one of those Hallmark channel movies.

Miles Scott, who at age five has already been fighting cancer for three years, lives in California and like many kids his age he loves superheroes.  He especially loves Batman and would apparently wear the costume quite a bit.  So the Make-A-Wish Foundation decided to turn Miles’ dream into reality by transforming San Francisco into Gotham City for a day.

But the most amazing part to me is how many people, many of them random strangers, became involved.  Literally thousands of people.

One of Batman’s creators drew the little boy a comic featuring villain Bane retreating from Miles as Batkid.  The mayor, the chief of police, the TV news, the San Francisco Chronicle, even President Obama, all got involved.  And thousands of strangers (many of them carrying Batkid signs and such) showed up to cheer him on as he “rescued” people from villains that included the Riddler and the Joker.

The links I included have a lot of good photos and video.  Watch, read, and try not to tear up.  I dare you.

-Geoff

We have come a long way indeed

Wow.

The new cover of Sports Illustrated talks about this amazing World Series win and features Big Papi and the three Boston police officers from some of the most iconic photos on the day of the Boston Marathon bombing.  Those same three officers had been on a previous cover shortly after the bombing.

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A lesson in contrasts

I think it is safe to say that the march of human rights has made steady though inconsistent progress over the last 100+ years. In the last 48 hours some interesting stories have popped up that have reminded me not only of how far we’ve come but also of how far we have to go.

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Your cry for the day

If you haven’t had a good cry lately, here it is.  I’m proud that this story happened in my home state and that the individuals involved did what they did out of love and compassion for both the animal and the officer involved.

Rest in Peace, Kaiser.

~Kelly

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Boston Strong

It’s been a little over a week since downtown blew up and everything went to hell, but since then Boston Strong has become the catchphrase for how we’ve all held up.  The whole tough New Englander attitude, some would say “crusty”, is well known.  We’re tough people and down through generations we’ve been through a lot.

I have no idea who it was who coined the phrase.  I hope it wasn’t some marketing VP somewhere who’s made a mint from it.  It has helped, and it has spawned Watertown Strong and Collier Strong, on their own indications of what we’ve been through separately and together and how we’ll persevere.

Check out some of the images, below the cut, that have come up in the last week plus that I’ve liked the best or that I think are the funniest representation of Boston Strong.

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Hopefully, things will settle down a bit now

Needless to say, I am thrilled that they found the two suspects and that one of them (apparently the younger brother) has been taken alive, which will hopefully give the investigators the chance to get all the details they need.  I sure hope so.  It will be nice to have a nice, calm week to settle down to a regular routine again.  Admittedly, after this past week, I almost wouldn’t be surprised to have Godzilla march down Commonwealth Avenue.  If that happens, I guarantee that I will not be one of the people who waits to get stepped on.

So yeah, tomorrow I am going to try to do some housecleaning, put up our new HDTV antenna, and do some good Portuguese home cooking.  Maybe I can get a decent night’s sleep tonight too.

Sleep tight, Boston.  Sweet dreams.

-Geoff