champions league final 2008 - bbq out in l.i. with will... squashed.

pdn photoplus expo 2007.

maine media workshops.

mentor series photo treks.

wilderness safaris.

- fyodor dostoevsky

if there is a sin against life, it consists perhaps not so much in despairing of life as in hoping for another life and in eluding the implacable grandeur of this life"

- albert camus

"there is no reality except the one contained within us. that is why so many people live such an unreal life. they take the images outside them for reality and never allow the world within to assert itself."

- herman hesse

"computers are useless. they can only give you answers."

- pablo picasso

"grief transmutes the soul into certain amounts of maturity, wisdom, and aloofness. grief brings about change...nothing allows the soul to sleep and wither or perhaps even die. it's not purely a matter of choosing the lesser evil, but more likely possessing the courage one needs to go on living."

hopefully, i was drunk or immortally high when i wrote this back in the 90's... at least, i would have some excuse or way to salvage my dignity. i guess that i was thinking about the faulkner line, "given a choice between grief and nothing, i'd choose grief."

didn't descartes drink absinthe and trip out the melting wax as he formulated in his emerald saturated mind the workings of cartesian dualism? heh... back then, 8 years ago, i had no notions about figuring out the greater universe, i was mainly concerned with peeling away my self-imposed emotional restraints. well more accurately, i rediscovered my own emotional limitations. i suppose that there was a disconnect between my mind and my heart - a dysfunctional dualism - where they would act in unison, but rarely touch.

hotel 265
265 de tham st., district 1 (X-pham ngu lao)
ho chi minh city
phone: 8367512

i stayed here on and off for about 5 weeks in early 2000. back then it was a haven for european and australian backpackers and budget travelers. now, i'm sure that it is teaming with american (usa) tourists and travelers looking for colonel kurtz.

quan an 22
duong lien tinh 15, khu pho 7
thi tran nha be
phone: 8738198

if it crawls, swims, or flies, then you can probably eat it here. whether you prefer turtle stewed in its own shell or snake heart and blood in a shot glass with rice wine, this restaurant can accommodate almost any exotic appetite.

sinh cafe
tourist service office (with locations in every major and minor vietnamese city)
52 luong ngoc quyen st.
hanoi
phone: 84.4.9261568
email: sinhcafevietnam[at]hcm[dot]vnn[dot]vn
website: http://www.sinhcafevn.com

sinh cafe is one of many domestic tourist companies in vietnam. you can rent cars, minibuses, and large buses. bookings for tours, hotels, and transportation are also available. there's also a money exchange service, but you will find better rates at the banks. the best deal is the taking the air conditioned buses to and from the various cities. i've taken buses from hanoi to saigon and places in-between.

phan thai hotel
44 hang giay st.
hanoi
phone: 84.4.8243667
email: camellia[at]hn[dot]vnn[dot]vn
website: http://www.oldquarterhotels.vnn.vn

i don't know how beckham will go from playing in front of 80,400 fans at the santiago bernabeu stadium to 8,000 at the home depot center in carson, california.

Speaking of boring, the FA Cup featuring Chelsea and Manchester United had all the excitement of tranquilizer dart.

The only sports contest worth watching this year will be the UEFA Champions League Final between AC Milan and Liverpool. =)