ON THE ROAD AGAIN ...

It's time for me to hit the road again and I don't mind saying that my schedule for the next few weeks is pretty hectic. Maybe I should take a cue from my nephew, Jackson, who enlisted some help for an excursion yesterday in a toy Fire Car, a bouncing contraption on springs at his local playground. He jumped right in, put his stuffed animal "Froggie" beside him, and off he went, bouncing up a storm. After several minutes, he became quite upset when his stuffed frog fell to the floor. "Froggie," he yelled, "You're supposed to be handling the stick shift. How can you do that on the floor ...?!?"

BABY'S FIRST SPYCAM ...!

It was a weekend of Firsts for my niece, Leah, and nephew, Jackson, here in Massachusetts: Their first, big joint birthday celebration, my niece's first birthday and the first time I, for one, have seen so many gifts under one roof. And the gifts, themselves, represented a number of firsts. Take Leah's motorcycle (pictured above). It's a fully motorized, pink Baby Harley-Davidson. It might be a while before she's ready to fully rev it up, but it's good to know she has the helmet just-in-case. Then there's Jackson, who received his own "iPhone," for his third birthday. Actually it's an iTouch but, thanks to my brother-in-law, it's already loaded with all his favorite songs and applications. It doesn't have a camera, but I can't help thinking of it as "baby's first spycam" ...!

HAVING THEIR CAKE AND EATING IT, TOO!

My niece, Leah, took the cake at her First Birthday party yesterday ... literally. My sister and brother-in-law wisely got a special "stunt cake" from one of the best bakeries in Massachusetts just so Leah could do what every new one-year-old should have a chance to do: grab her birthday cake with two hands and dive right in. Leah had a ball and, as for the rest of us, we enjoyed a special second "Leah" cake, and a third cake, as well, given that my nephew, Jackson, is turning three and yesterday's party was a joint celebration. Jackson, never one to be upstaged, took to the stage to sing his favorite song -- the Cramps' classic Goo Goo Muck -- accompanied by his father's band ...!

READY, AIM, FIRED ... HOW ONE VET SERVED HIS COUNTRY BUT LOST HIS JOB

Chances are that, like me, you've never heard of Adam Wagner until today. His story is not-at-all uncommon, the kind of thing that tends to happen during tough economic times but can break your heart nevertheless. Adam served two tours of duty in Iraq and returned home only to be told by his employer, Commercial Construction Consulting, Inc. -- a building engineering and construction company in Massachusetts -- that his job is no longer available. His parents were so outraged that they posted their son's story on the back of a truck and have been driving it around New England encouraging people who see it to express their opinion by either calling his old boss, James Kirby, at 617-330-9390, or sending him an e-mail at jkirby@c3Boston.com. I saw the sign this afternoon while driving around Plainville, Massachusetts with my sister and brother-in-law, and couldn't resist calling Mr. Kirby right away. Kirby's company, better known as C-3 (pronounced C-Cubed), prides itself on the fact that "the vast majority of (its) employees have a long tenure, and virtually all of the senior staff have been with the company over ten years." It would appear, however, that they draw the line when one of their own chooses to serve our country. For the record, I did try to get C-3's side of the story but only succeeded in getting Mr. Kirby's voicemail. I encourage you to give it a try, too. And if you're out there, Mr. Kirby, please feel free to chime-in, let us know if there is more to this story than meets the eye. Otherwise, shame on you.

SIBLING REVELRY ... IN MASSACHUSETTS

Love was in the air this morning in Plainville, Massachusetts, as I arrived to celebrate the birthdays of my nephew, Jackson, and my niece, Leah. Here's a photo of big brother, Jackson, who is almost three, kissing his sister, Leah, who is almost one. When I told Jackson that he's not the only one with a little sister, that my little sister is his own 'mommy,' he seemed pretty surprised. "But mommy is all grown up," he said. "Yes," I answered, "But she'll always be my little sister!"

THE VEILED LADY ... AT 30,000 FEET!

Ladies and Gentlemen, meet "The Veiled Lady," the woman sitting next to me today on United Flight #347 to Boston. Truth be told, there was nothing particularly unusual about her, but experience has taught me that it's always a good idea to whip out the Spycam early-on in a flight, just in case your seatmate does something nutty later on. The only problem is, she somehow figured out that I was taking her picture. "What are you doing?," she asked, "Taking my picture?!?" I couldn't very well try to pretend I was using my cell phone at 30,000 feet, so I just smiled and said, "Now why would I want to do something like that? Not that you're not photogenic, of course." She smiled at me, but I don't think she was convinced. Faster than you can say 'Privacy Please,' she pulled a sweatshirt out of her carry-on bag and used it to cover her face for the rest of the five-hour flight. Was it something I said ...?

EVERY DOG HAS HIS DAY ... AT 7TH AND MONTANA!

Man's Best Friend was out of control at 7th and Montana this morning. And if you don't believe me, just ask "Fletcher the Fetcher," a regular at Our Favorite Starbucks who is kept on a very tight leash ... by his dog. The fun began when "Fletcher's" car alarm went off. "That's my dog," he explained, "He's learned how to set off the alarm when I leave him in the car. It's his way of reminding me that I have to bring him a Blueberry Scone." And with that, Fletcher ran inside, bought a Blueberry Scone, and rushed it to his dog. The whole thing made me wonder, what does Fletcher's dog do when nature calls, ram on the accelerator and pull into the nearest rest stop ...?!?