Uncategorized

Please pardon the mess.  In the process of rebuilding the site, I’ve decided to change how I present the data on the home page.  Since I have certain sections of the site that I want to highlight (without flooding you with page tabs), I am going to create special featured sections that are always visible from the home page.  This will take some time, so the site is not going to look “finished” for a while.  Please be patient.

The site is back up and running.  Just need some cosmetic changes (but that is Monday’s job).

In honor of Valentine’s Day, the good folks over at GoldenRest have a very special offer for you.  GoldenRest is offering you $50 off any bedding or accessories during the month of February if you purchase an adjustable bed.  Buying a new bed is a sizable purchase, so start your research on the bed models available out there by visiting GoldenRest first.  In addition, they carry a wide array of linens, pillows, and more that you can purchase for your existing bedroom furniture.

Time is running out.  There is only two weeks remaining until this special offer comes to an end.  So check out the GoldenRest Valentines Promotion today and get your $50 off today!

E.T. phoned home. Why can’t the troops?

Why don’t you lend our troops fighting in the Middle East a hand by donating phone cards to them this holiday season. While you are home with your families and friends, our troops are separated by thousands of miles from theirs. A phone call home on Christmas Day might make a world of difference to them.

The USO and AAFES organizations are coordinating efforts for you to donate funds to this worthy cause. Just visit their websites and follow the instructions. There is no limit to how much you can donate.

Give the gift of happiness and love this year. Donate a phone card to our Troops this holiday season.

As you can tell, I have done some “spring cleaning” this week by deactivating and/or deleting websites that I have verified as “spam.”  Please note – while I don’t mind you creating a blog on here to advertise or sell a product, I do mind that if you are just cutting and pasting content from one site and adding it here.  If you are creating a mirror-site, that is different (just label your blog as a mirror site, and that you are the originator of that content).

As our current members and readers will notice, I have changed the display of the website this week.   I believe this new look provides a cleaner and more user-friendly layout.  If you look to the right, you will see that the site wide feeds for posts and comments have been increased from the five most recent to the ten most recent.  To the left, you will see some of our community members’ badges.  While they are static at the moment, once I receive a few more from our users, the ads will change each time you visit the main website.

Lastly, the biggest change will be the fact that I will communicate with you more through the main website and less via e-mail.  With the increased number of users, I believe it will be easier for me to make a single post on this site that you can all comment on, rather than me answering various e-mails when questions come up.  That doesn’t mean you can’t e-mail me if something specific comes up. 

Welcome to Blog-Now v2.0!

On May 22, 2009, I attended the National Maritime Day celebration in Baltimore, MD. Set aside to honor and reflect on the maritime industry and those who serve, the day was marked with speeches honoring those who served in wars and conflicts dating back to World War II and special guests participating in the ceremony. What made the event special was the vessel being used to hold the ceremony that day.

The Nuclear Ship (NS) Savannah is a one-of-a-kind vessel in the US Flagged fleet. Her keel was laid on May 22, 1958, and in one-year time, the ship was launched on July 21, 1959.

Her name and date to begin construction were chosen to honor the historic Steam Ship Savannah. On May 22, 1819, the SS Savannah set off to create history by becoming the first steam ship to successfully cross the Atlantic Ocean. Departing from Savannah, GA, her steam-powered paddle wheels and sails carried the vessel across the deep blue to Liverpool, England in 28 days.

The NS Savannah operated commercially for only a few years before being retired. While she was designed to be an active commercial and passenger vessel, her real purpose was to be a test platform and international emissary to show the peaceful application of nuclear power. However, due to her unique design and concerns over nuclear power at the time, her ports-of-call were limited.

She is now a floating museum.

If you notice in the toolbar above, there are pages containing many photos of the Savannah and pictures from the ceremony. Please take a few minutes to view the images. If you have any Savannah stories or photos to share, please feel free to comment and share with the rest of us.

(This site is under construction, so presentation might change during your visit.)

Thank you for your patience. This was my first ever writing project (not including my thesis) to ever span multiple chapters. I hope you enjoyed it. As you can tell, I left the novel with some questions unanswered. After a little break, I might start working up a sequel to this story. In the mean time, I plan to restructure the website to make the story easier to read, as well as go back and address some of my grammar errors. I have two friends that are professional editors that said they were interested in reading/reviewing the novel as well. If they do, and I rework the story, I would publish a final draft on the site for download.

If you catch any errors in the novel, please feel free to point them out to me. I can take criticism quite well, since that only improves the writing style for next time. Thank you once again. Hope you have a great New Year!

When is a good-bye a good-bye?

Jackson jumped out of his chair, knocking over his beer on top of the pictures. “What the hell.” gasped Jackson as he turned around to see the silhouette of a person behind his chair. “Bill? Is that you?”

Watching Jackson look back at his table, “No, you haven’t had too much to drink. It is me, Jackson.”

“But how? How could you … you’re dead!”

“Not quite…” Chambers started to say.

“Yes, you are. We found your remains… at least… dust from your remains.” Jackson stuttered.

“Interesting. That’s must be what Father was talking about…” Chambers wondered aloud.

“Father? Are… are you an angel?” Jackson said surprised.

“Umm… no…” Chambers started to say before being interrupted by Jackson again.

“You’ve talked with God? What is heaven like,” Jackson continued to ramble excitedly, then turning to concern. “Are you here to take me with you?”

“No!” Chambers said, slightly agitated. “Jackson, I need you to stop for a moment and listen to me. I’m not sure how much time I have.”

“What are you saying…” Jackson started to say.

“Jackson, listen. It’s hard to explain, but I am ‘alive,’ just not … physically. A figure that calls himself ‘Father’ rescued me after I was thrown off the train…” Chambers said.

“Rescued? How?” Jackson interrogated.

“I don’t fully understand the process myself, but he released my biological energy from the physical body, and then transported it to his location.” Chambers tried to explain.

“So he took your soul?” Jackson responded. “Who else did he take?”

“That’s why I am here. Father saved young Barbara, Darren, and Chen, as well as a few others…” Chambers said.

“Chen? Chen … yes, we found similar dust with DNA traces in dust where they disappeared too.” Jackson chimed in.

Chambers, talking aloud to himself, “The dust must be the atoms left behind…”

“So I should assume any other case like yours that pop up we can attribute to this ‘Father’ figure you talk about?” Jackson said.

“I don’t know if there will be any more, but even if there are more cases, don’t assume that the person has been saved. Exhaust all options. That is your job as an investigator.” Chambers instructed.

“Well, I will still think this is the effect of the alcohol, but I do feel a bit better about losing the case to the unsolved mystery guys. How do I explain all of this to them?” Jackson said reaching for the photos.

“You can’t!” Chambers shouted. “You can’t talk about this to anyone. Think how it would look…”

“What? Crazy?” Jackson interrupted. “Which part… the fact that the missing people had their souls taken, or that I found this out from a glowing apparition in my home?”

Sighing, “Jackson, please…”

“No, Bill. Stop and listen to me for a moment!” Jackson continued. “You just think that you can pop in here, tell me all of this stuff, and expect me to remain quiet?”

“I THOUGHT you were the right person that I could tell this to. Obviously I’m mistaken.” Chambers grumbled.

“No, no, you’re right. It’s … it’s just this is all overwhelming.” Jackson retorted.

“I’m sorry, Jackson. I wish there was another way I could have told you…”

“I know.” Jackson mumbled.

“… However, I need to get back.”

“Where do you go from here?” Jackson asked?

“I’m not really sure. Father wants me to take care of Barbara until he figures out how to return her back to her normal self.” Chambers said as he began to fade away.

“WAIT! Will I ever see you again?” Jackson blurted…

Unfortunately, Jackson could not hear him.

He stood in the middle of his room for minutes… like a statue. Listening. Listening for Chambers’s voice, but hearing only the crackling of the fire and periodic drops of beer as it rolls off the edge of his table.

The end?