Happy Halloween

It started out to be a homemade photoshoot complete with all of the lamps in the house, pointing at a plain wall backdrop, in the dining room. I just needed a new photo for my passport. The set up was so elaborate, I didn't want to waste it on a tiny portrait of myself. So Steph, Pumpkin and the four cats all took turns on the chair. This one of our cat, Sierra, seemed appropriate for Chills.

Blogging: Just a Small Note About Something Big

If you have a lot on your mind and enjoy writing about it, why not try blogging? It gives you a website of your very own which you can direct people to. And those people, friends and family - all can reply with comments. In a dynamic way, a blog site archives all your entries by date, and grows as you add more and more entries. A virtually limitless hard-drive online, so to speak. And you can update it, wherever you have access to the internet. I was skeptical about it, at first. Partly because the name is stupid. Kinda like... Google. But look at how hu-u-u-ge both blogs and google are. They are a part of life and the 21st Century. You gotta be in it, to win it. Or, at least, to be in the know. One of the biggest bloggers is Markos Moulitsas Zuniga who started DailyKos, which brings together a nation-wide community of people who are against the current state of America. Most blogs sites are free. All that is needed is registering your name and email. Personally, I prefer this site, Blogger.com, because it is clean, simple and free. My friend, Dave's site, on MySpace, is a bit heavy on the imagery, movies and music. But he likes it that way and it is fun to gather all your favorite things for the world to see. Young bloggers, like my brother, use xanga.com. WordPress and LiveJournal are also free. TypePad costs money, but gives you more power - like residing on your own domain name, managing your community of readers, and supporting podcast feeds. Think this is all geek speak? Well, haven't you heard? It's now cool to be a geek.

Ashuwillticook Rail Trail, MA

Ashuwillticook Rail Trail is located in the Berkshires of northwestern Massachussetts. It is a 11-mile paved path, traveling from the town of Lanesborough to Cheshire to Adams. Rail trails are old unused railroad track routes reborn into a paths for us to enjoy. Dogwalkers, joggers, rollerbladers, and bikers, can use them for healthy happy hearts. Conservation groups clear away the iron for recycling. Then, the pathways can be turned into a variety of surfaces such as dirt or pavement. Visit railtrails.org for a rail trail near you.