There is a rising presence of gangs and violence in the Virgin Islands. While Mexico gets much of the press for the violence incurred by the drug cartels, the Caribbean is slowly catching up. 

Around the end of June, there was a daytime shooting at K-Mart. A teenaged man walked up… Read full post »

So you ended up with a surprise litter of kittens and you didn't know what to do. You didn't expect your cat to get pregnant but it all happened so fast and placing the kittens in good homes wasn't as easy as you thought. You didn't like the idea of taking… Read full post »

Trenton, NJ

 Tea Party. April 15, 2009.

"What is your name and what career do you represent?"

"My name is Scruffus and I'm a chemist."

 "List three duties of your job."

"I analyze samples, make reagents, and keep records." 

"What is the level of education needed for this job?"

"Bachelor's degree."

"What class in high school helpe… Read full post »

"Mom, what's a pagan?", my son asked when I walked in the door from work yesterday. I thought he was studying something in history. Trying to give my best off-the-cuff definition of a pagan, I explained that it was a broad term used to describe people who were non-Christians. 

When… Read full post »

My Camaro was a divine thing to drive. It gave me the feeling of getting away with something, a euphoric mix of naughtiness and irreverence. 

 The first day I saw it, I knew it would be mine. The radio was already tuned to a rock station when I first turned the… Read full post »

Spanning the Delaware River, the Trenton Makes Bridge in giant neon red letters proclaims to all, "Trenton Makes, The World Takes.". Hearkening back to the time when Trenton was a center of manufacture, these days the sign seems a bit of an anachronism. Trenton and many other American cities have dec… Read full post »

At work in the lab, there are times when I have to babysit a reaction or procedure in case something goes wrong, but usually, nothing exciting happens and there's plenty of time to think and write silly poems on the hood sash.   

Safety officer

inspected the lab poorly

Did… Read full post »

His eyes stared at the pavement. His skin was a soft warm brown color and looked so perfectly healthy in the bright December sun. He still carried the glow of life. He was dressed for a blustery day, but the weather was surprisingly mild. The sharp angles of the concrete steps… Read full post »

I had climbed 15 feet in the air and with an audience watching, it was now or never. I wrapped my thighs around the brass pole, crossed my legs and let go of the grip I had with my hands. Gently and surprisingly, I bent my body downwards, but I did… Read full post »

When the Jehovah's Witnesses come around, most people draw the curtains, put out the lights and refuse to answer the door. The day the Jehovah's Witnesses came to visit my grandparents was a little different in that the Witnesses in question were Grandpa's younger brother and his wife who traveled fr… Read full post »

Dad #1

My real dad is called only by his first name. I never call him dad. This industrial strength deadbeat has a colorful history and it's probably best that I don't know him better. He's made a few cameo appearances in my life. Mostly he preferred prison to parenthood. Once,… Read full post »

Is there a such thing as nature-deficit disorder? Can our children be harmed by a lack of exposure to nature and wilderness areas?

Growing up, I was lucky to live with my grandparents who owned four acres on a private lane bordered by about twenty acres of city-owned woods. The… Read full post »

Today is a day off for me because where I work thinks voting is important enough that they will pay you to stay home and go vote. That's one of the perks of working for the government. Although it is a day off, I didn't get to sleep in or anything… Read full post »

Granny sat comfortably in the chair just inside Mom's bathroom. She was covered in towels to keep away a chill. My sister was fixing Granny's freshly washed hair and I was working on Granny's feet. This was our ritual when I came to town. We would bathe Granny, my sister would… Read full post »

About seven years ago, I was talking to Grandpa and he mentioned how Granny's prescriptions were beginning to cost a whole lot. He listed the things she had to take every day and how much it cost a month to keep those prescriptions filled. Grandpa, nearly eighty years old, still worked… Read full post »

Using the Telenav feature on a Blackberry phone can get you to some interesting places by way of some even more interesting routes. We went to Stratton Mountain yesterday and the Telenav sent us down a dirt logging road to get there. A sign at the beginning of the road announced… Read full post »

I don't believe Bristol's pregnancy should be news but since it is, I have a hard time feeling any sympathy for her situation. It hits a raw nerve in me because I've been there and I wasn't greeted with a loving and accepting family. I got what most unwed teenage mothers-to-be… Read full post »

I went to Oregon for a class in radiochemistry (good times). I live on the other, more humid coast. I had some time one night after class so I decided to make the drive to see the Pacific Ocean. I'd never seen the Pacific Ocean in person before. The Pacific beaches… Read full post »

There was a story on yesterday about a couple who is in trouble with their city because they were running a swingers club for heavy people out of their home. The city was upset with them because they felt the couple was operating a business without a license and wanted their… Read full post »