We don't have to deal directly with state agencies very often. We don't often have to drive nearly 50 miles to wait while the office workers take their two-hour lunch break so we can spent $9.00 per hour per person to look up one death record. We don't often have to look up information in one book (or use a creaking DECpc 466D2 with a Foxpro database) to find out what book contains the death record, fill out a slip of paper, hand it to a person who goes into the back room to find the book that contains the record. We were fortunate. We found what we wanted, the death record of Sandra's great-grandmother in Dorchester in 1943. A copy of the record cost us 18 bucks. Other people waited longer and then had to leave without finding what they needed because they had to get back to work.
It was a fine day, though. The This Old House project was a fun and fascinating place. TV, as we know, changes the scale of things. The yard was smaller that appeared on TV. The house had wonderful details provided by the builders and designers. A few minutes into our tour, Tom Silva showed up to continue some of the finish work. A couple of people in our tour party got his autograph.
The stock market in general and the tech market in particular was shaken by IBM's announcement on Thursday that it missed its first quarter numbers. IBM stock is down more than 20% in the past year. IBM could shed as many as 10,000 employees.
Which means that it's a good time to get a dog. Or cat. Or whatever.
Saturday, April 16, 2005
Friday, April 15, 2005
The check is in the mail
Folks in the States (those who use check instead of cheque) know that this is a special day. Our tax forms must be filed by midnight tonight. This year we're ok on this. We mailed our forms a couple of weeks ago and so can look on today as the bright, though cool, spring day that it is.
Marley woke us early this morning with a fresh message from the dog satellite. The message was garbled, however, because he had his chameleon squeak toy in his mouth.
Today we're off to see the finished This Old House project in Carlisle. It's gonig to involve a good bit of walking, so my father decided not to come with us. After the tour, we're going to Dorchester to look up geneological records for Sandra's family at the state archives.
Diet does play a significant role in health. Perhaps we need one of these new refrigerators that maintains and even enhances the nutritional value of the food. Alternatively, maybe our food needs to be fortified with the strength of super-heroes. Or, we can always turn to classic Weight Watcher meals from 30 years ago, such as the Frankfurter Spectacular.
Marley woke us early this morning with a fresh message from the dog satellite. The message was garbled, however, because he had his chameleon squeak toy in his mouth.
Today we're off to see the finished This Old House project in Carlisle. It's gonig to involve a good bit of walking, so my father decided not to come with us. After the tour, we're going to Dorchester to look up geneological records for Sandra's family at the state archives.
Diet does play a significant role in health. Perhaps we need one of these new refrigerators that maintains and even enhances the nutritional value of the food. Alternatively, maybe our food needs to be fortified with the strength of super-heroes. Or, we can always turn to classic Weight Watcher meals from 30 years ago, such as the Frankfurter Spectacular.
Thursday, April 14, 2005
Pockets of reasonableness and harmony will appear as if from nowhere!
When I returned to work yesterday, I learned that two other guys had been sick as well. In all, there were four of us, including the guy who was sick early last week and probably brought it to the office. He had deadlines last week and felt that he needed to work through the illness. He made it his deadlines. There was little resentment among the rest of us. We have all done the same at one point or another.
I remarked yesterday that I sounded like Darth Vader on a speakerphone. At the time I had no idea that there was such a product.
Too much bean curd sheet roll or marinated jelly fish might not be good for us. (If people are eating so much marinated jelly fish that it's causing health problems, then they have more problems that the amount of marinated jelly fish they're eating.) I wonder when they'll turn their spotlight on American cuisine and its adherents.
Muffin can put away the Kevlar vest for a while. It looks as though Wisconsin is not going to allow hunting of cats for now.
And then, from the west, comes not just an organization, but a movement.
I remarked yesterday that I sounded like Darth Vader on a speakerphone. At the time I had no idea that there was such a product.
Too much bean curd sheet roll or marinated jelly fish might not be good for us. (If people are eating so much marinated jelly fish that it's causing health problems, then they have more problems that the amount of marinated jelly fish they're eating.) I wonder when they'll turn their spotlight on American cuisine and its adherents.
Muffin can put away the Kevlar vest for a while. It looks as though Wisconsin is not going to allow hunting of cats for now.
And then, from the west, comes not just an organization, but a movement.
Wednesday, April 13, 2005
Stops and starts
Today I'll return to work. I have a couple of things that I need to complete by the end of the day tomorrow, along with a few more that I'd like to get done. Sandra wasn't feeling well yesterday, either, and came home early. She reports that she's better this morning and will go to work. What a fun couple we are.
The water in the birdbath is frozen for the third morning in a row. Sandra covered the pansies that's she's planted along the driveway. We're expecting temperatures below freezing every night through the weekend. Everything warms quickly once the sun reaches it.
Apparently having solved all of their other problems, the Wisconsin might allow cat hunting. I know several cat owners, peace-loving folks, who would consider drastic action.
One has to know a lot about a lot, just to get along. We had to fill out some paperwork for the conservation commission. The form asked for the latitude and longitude of our camp. It sort of makes sense, given that the town doesn't even have its own ZIP code. Nevertheless, it's not the kind of information that you keep in your head, unlike, say, One hen, two ducks, three squawking geese, .... The commissioners were good-humored and agreed that they could find the proper with other map information we provided. BTW, we're somewhere around 72.1W, 42.5N.
I know of people who wrote college papers for other people as a way to generate some cash. It was hard work, because you really had to research and write the papers. Automation has greatly simplified that work.
The water in the birdbath is frozen for the third morning in a row. Sandra covered the pansies that's she's planted along the driveway. We're expecting temperatures below freezing every night through the weekend. Everything warms quickly once the sun reaches it.
Apparently having solved all of their other problems, the Wisconsin might allow cat hunting. I know several cat owners, peace-loving folks, who would consider drastic action.
One has to know a lot about a lot, just to get along. We had to fill out some paperwork for the conservation commission. The form asked for the latitude and longitude of our camp. It sort of makes sense, given that the town doesn't even have its own ZIP code. Nevertheless, it's not the kind of information that you keep in your head, unlike, say, One hen, two ducks, three squawking geese, .... The commissioners were good-humored and agreed that they could find the proper with other map information we provided. BTW, we're somewhere around 72.1W, 42.5N.
I know of people who wrote college papers for other people as a way to generate some cash. It was hard work, because you really had to research and write the papers. Automation has greatly simplified that work.
Tuesday, April 12, 2005
A year of RoasterBoy
What I see in that first entry of this journal, a year ago today, is a guy off-balance, but still confident. The loss of the job was a big deal, but there were also good and fun and hopeful things to do each day.
I had my annual physical early last week. My doctor asked me how I was doing. I told him that I am doing worse than I was a year ago, but better than I was 20 years ago. The doctor noted some test scores that confirmed my assessment, so I'm scheduled for follow-up visits over the next few months.
And then I got sick. Again. Another respiratory infection that has me sounding like Darth Vader on a speaker phone. I worked on Thursday and Friday, when I certainly not have gone in. Saturday, we had a few things to do in the morning, and it's been red pj-time since then. Today's the first day that I've felt anything close to as good as I did when I told my doctor I was feeling worse than I did a year ago.
So, I've been sick a lot this past year. There's something to be learned in that. I haven't learned it yet, but there's something in there.
When I was a kid, I was very interested in astronomy. It was around the time of Sputnik and before there were dogs, other animals, or people in space. (Today is also the anniversary of Yuri Gagarin's space voyage.) I read books and drew maps of the solar system. You can imagine my excitement when I learn that there's a TV show called As the World Turns. A whole show on astronomy. You can imagine my disappointment when I saw the actual show.
Yesterday's Red Sox home opening was a good time. It's a tough crowd, to be sure. Even the batboy was booed during the introductions. The Yankees handled it all with good humor and class, staying on the steps of the dugout and watching all of the events. It was quite a production, with the Boston Symphony and Boston Pops playing the national anthem, F16s overhead. It was great to see Bill Russell, joined by Bobby Orr, Richard Seymour, and Tedy Bruschi to throw out the ceremonial first balls. That the game turned out as it did (8-1, Sox) was an added bit of sweetness.
A year ago, I was just starting the process of copying my music collection to my iPod. I learned yesterday that the President has an iPod as well. Here's a bit of what's on iPod One.
Happy Birthday, Woody.
I had my annual physical early last week. My doctor asked me how I was doing. I told him that I am doing worse than I was a year ago, but better than I was 20 years ago. The doctor noted some test scores that confirmed my assessment, so I'm scheduled for follow-up visits over the next few months.
And then I got sick. Again. Another respiratory infection that has me sounding like Darth Vader on a speaker phone. I worked on Thursday and Friday, when I certainly not have gone in. Saturday, we had a few things to do in the morning, and it's been red pj-time since then. Today's the first day that I've felt anything close to as good as I did when I told my doctor I was feeling worse than I did a year ago.
So, I've been sick a lot this past year. There's something to be learned in that. I haven't learned it yet, but there's something in there.
When I was a kid, I was very interested in astronomy. It was around the time of Sputnik and before there were dogs, other animals, or people in space. (Today is also the anniversary of Yuri Gagarin's space voyage.) I read books and drew maps of the solar system. You can imagine my excitement when I learn that there's a TV show called As the World Turns. A whole show on astronomy. You can imagine my disappointment when I saw the actual show.
Yesterday's Red Sox home opening was a good time. It's a tough crowd, to be sure. Even the batboy was booed during the introductions. The Yankees handled it all with good humor and class, staying on the steps of the dugout and watching all of the events. It was quite a production, with the Boston Symphony and Boston Pops playing the national anthem, F16s overhead. It was great to see Bill Russell, joined by Bobby Orr, Richard Seymour, and Tedy Bruschi to throw out the ceremonial first balls. That the game turned out as it did (8-1, Sox) was an added bit of sweetness.
A year ago, I was just starting the process of copying my music collection to my iPod. I learned yesterday that the President has an iPod as well. Here's a bit of what's on iPod One.
Happy Birthday, Woody.
Sunday, April 10, 2005
Café, sans souris
Even more than the birds, the sound of the peepers are a sure sound of spring. We have peepers near from the small stream across the street and around the vernal pools near the camp.
The camp road wasn't bad at all, with just enough snow, mud, and water to make it interesting. My father said he'd to go there last week and the snow was still too deep. The water is high, but not running across the road. We have a platter of snow/ice, 25' in diameter, in the parking area. It'll be a couple more weeks before that's gone.
The lake is pretty much open. The northwest winds push the ice into our cove. The ice was still thick enough to support Marley. We called him back quickly. Twice, I've had to pull dogs out of a holes in the ice. It's not fun and I'm glad not to do it again. The ice was melting in the couple of hours that we were there, so we declared that April 9 was Ice Out Day. We haven't been rigorous about it, but, when we remember, we write these events on a piece of birch bark tacked to the wall.
Since our last visit a few weeks ago, half of a dead birch tree fell onto the steps going to the sauna. In all, we got through the winter with no great trouble.
The representatives of the conservation commission were coming to look at the site where we want to place our new septic system. Sandra and I got to the camp in plenty of time to get a fire going in the stove and to make some coffee, should the commission members want to stay for a visit. As it turned out, although they were interested in seeing the property, they didn't stay for coffee.
Remember the leopard in Hemingway's 'The Snow of Kilimanjaro'? The carcass of this great cat near the summit of Africa's tallest mountain. How did it get there? Where was it going? It's in that spirit that I pondered the fate of the dead mouse, inside our metal coffee pot, the cover snugly in place.
With the expected trepidation, we're declaring an end to winter. Yesterday we helped my father move the lawn-mower attachment for the tractor; he'll remove the snow blower shortly. Sandra picked up some gas stabilizer to add to our snow blower's gas tank. I'll wheel the machine up to the back shed. We'll also put away the snow shovels and other implements of destruction. The NWS says that we might see a few snowflakes, but only a few, tomorrow evening.
The camp road wasn't bad at all, with just enough snow, mud, and water to make it interesting. My father said he'd to go there last week and the snow was still too deep. The water is high, but not running across the road. We have a platter of snow/ice, 25' in diameter, in the parking area. It'll be a couple more weeks before that's gone.
The lake is pretty much open. The northwest winds push the ice into our cove. The ice was still thick enough to support Marley. We called him back quickly. Twice, I've had to pull dogs out of a holes in the ice. It's not fun and I'm glad not to do it again. The ice was melting in the couple of hours that we were there, so we declared that April 9 was Ice Out Day. We haven't been rigorous about it, but, when we remember, we write these events on a piece of birch bark tacked to the wall.
Since our last visit a few weeks ago, half of a dead birch tree fell onto the steps going to the sauna. In all, we got through the winter with no great trouble.
The representatives of the conservation commission were coming to look at the site where we want to place our new septic system. Sandra and I got to the camp in plenty of time to get a fire going in the stove and to make some coffee, should the commission members want to stay for a visit. As it turned out, although they were interested in seeing the property, they didn't stay for coffee.
Remember the leopard in Hemingway's 'The Snow of Kilimanjaro'? The carcass of this great cat near the summit of Africa's tallest mountain. How did it get there? Where was it going? It's in that spirit that I pondered the fate of the dead mouse, inside our metal coffee pot, the cover snugly in place.
With the expected trepidation, we're declaring an end to winter. Yesterday we helped my father move the lawn-mower attachment for the tractor; he'll remove the snow blower shortly. Sandra picked up some gas stabilizer to add to our snow blower's gas tank. I'll wheel the machine up to the back shed. We'll also put away the snow shovels and other implements of destruction. The NWS says that we might see a few snowflakes, but only a few, tomorrow evening.
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