Just more stuff going on.

My dad is still in the hospital, they kept him overnight for observation. It appears he is just suffering from some inflamation. He's doped up on morphine too.

I guess in response to Dan's post, New England was different. They have a lot of unique problems that we don't have here in Metro DC/Baltimore. And many problems that we have in Maryland are not unique to where we are. I was not complaining about drug use/abuse/recovery, but more of the quality of service. It just appeared that people that work in fast food and whatnot in New England put more pride into their work. That's just an example.

Many social ills need more money thrown at it. The drug eppidemic in Baltimore is not unique, but the numbers are staggering none the less. About 1 in 11 people in Baltimore is addicted to at least one illegal drug. Other cities with similar numbers per capita... Gary Indiana, Camden New Jersey, Chester Pennsylvania, Birmingham Alabama. That is just four examples. My cousin in Wisconsin is fighting a drug addiction. He has been in and out of rehab since he was in high school. My cousin has avoided going to jail, something that I believe he needs to expirence to make some of the rehab stick. I wish more money that is being sent to Iraq was being sent to cities, to try to fix social ills. My solution. Get the hard core addicts into jail like rehab centers, keep them there for 2-5 years, give them job training, but keep them away from the drugs. I know that won't be easy, but it could be done. And the dealers need to be shut down, permanantly, forever. Again, not an easy task. More police, more jails, longer sentences, are neccisary to shut dealers down.

And I was equally as shocked at the 31 Marines that were killed in the plane crash. I imediately thought of Alex, I hope he is coming home from Iraq soon. I believe that the war in Iraq is completely senseless, I never supported the war, from planning to now. However, I do support the troops. I don't hold them responsible for what is going on over there. I hold the command staff responsible. I just hope that Rumsfeld will personally sign the condolance letters. Oh wait. He rubber stamps them.

The guy with the commuter train in California may get his suicide wish, via the State of California lethal injection table. I'm glad to see he is being charged with 10 counts of murder. A deputy sheriff was killed in the train wreck. And when I hear about law enforcement officers dying, I think of Jason's murder on September 17 2001. But with each passing day, I realize that life does move on. I hope that this sick person is brought to justice.

I guess I need to point one thing out. I just found I liked New England more than the mid Atlantic. I liked the snow, I liked the friendly people, I liked the radio. I do have a friend base already, and I know I can make more friends up there if I just left. The hardest thing is to leave my family behind. My parents in their old age really have become co-dependent on me. Yes, the Baltimore project is keeping me here, but I would not be doing that if it was not for my parents. The shock and surprise of Maine having TWO urban-rhythmic radio stations (think WPGC), the amazement that MA can support nearly 1,000 Dunkin Donuts, the fact that six states are within two hours of a certain spot, these things all have some neat appeal. I also realize that there are certain problems that span the nation, from California to Maine, Washington to Florida and every point in between. However, I see how the New England region copes. And I appreciate the difference enough that I could easilly see myself living there. But for now, Maryland is my home, and at night as I sleep, I will dream of a new life in New England.