We don't get much good news these days, so we should celebrate when we can. The decision of the IRA to put its arms beyond use is a great one. It doesn't wipe clean the misery caused by the decades of terrorism nor does it ensure justice for people of Ulster, but it's a start. More than 3000 people have been killed in the name of Jesus. It was brave of the IRA to make a step toward peace.
There is some interesting research news out of Harvard Medical School, supporting earlier work that indicated that the prefrontal cortex is one of the areas of the brain most affected by depression. This may lead to treatments that are faster-acting and more specific for each patient.
Twenty or so years ago, the computers we used (VAX/VMS) had a program called Phone. With Phone, you could send a brief message to another who was logged in. Almost no one used it. It was intrusive when you were logged in and useless when you weren't. We preferred email. Roll the calendar ahead a couple of decades. We still prefer email, we of a certain age, at least that's what the polls tell us. Young people like instant messaging, which is basically Phone with baggy shorts, a hat on sideways, and a skateboard.
Friday, July 29, 2005
Thursday, July 28, 2005
Dinner by candlelight
Sonoma is small, elegant restaurant tucked in a small, undistinguished strip mall just over the town line in Princeton, Mass. It's a fine place for a special dinner. Sandra and I went there last night to celebrate her birthday. We had just finished our starter courses when, outside, a thunderstorm was unloading noise and lightning and rain. We asked our server if they'd ever lost power while serving dinner. She said that it had happened once a long time ago, just after a number of meals had been served.
Sandra had the lamb and I had ahi tuna. Both came with colorful and tasty sides of mushrooms, root vegetables (beets, potatoes, carrots, turnip), and a flavorful risoto. We were glad that we had a few minutes to see our food because, in a short while, the power flickered once, came back, and then went out for good. (I don't remember the exact number, but a hardware engineer told me that if the power is out for more than about seven seconds, it's going to be out for a long time. It takes about seven seconds for a circuit breaker to reset itself. If the reset doesn't work, then a repair crew needs to fix it.) The staff brought extra candles to the tables and we ate in the dim light. Even the whispers of "What am I eating?" didn't diminish the romantic mood.
Sandra had the lamb and I had ahi tuna. Both came with colorful and tasty sides of mushrooms, root vegetables (beets, potatoes, carrots, turnip), and a flavorful risoto. We were glad that we had a few minutes to see our food because, in a short while, the power flickered once, came back, and then went out for good. (I don't remember the exact number, but a hardware engineer told me that if the power is out for more than about seven seconds, it's going to be out for a long time. It takes about seven seconds for a circuit breaker to reset itself. If the reset doesn't work, then a repair crew needs to fix it.) The staff brought extra candles to the tables and we ate in the dim light. Even the whispers of "What am I eating?" didn't diminish the romantic mood.
Wednesday, July 27, 2005
On a special day
The temperature just stepped over the 90° mark. The wicker rocking chairs on the front porch are, um, rocking in the strong breeze. Heavy thunderstorms are predicted for this afternoon and evening, but the radar shows nothing right now. It's quiet here, just the low hum of the room air conditioner.
I'm working from home today. I have a number of tasks that can be done at home just as well as in the office. With vacations during this month, several of the regularly scheduled meetings have been called off. I finished one bit of tidying up and am now taking a break for lunch.
Yesterday I learned of a permanent job at the company where I'm working. The job is with a group in White Plains, but they seem to be amenable to having someone working from afar. I've started my resume through the channels. In the meantime, I guess I should keep working as though I have a permanent job. A co-worker asked me if I'd be interested if I'd like to participate in a project that will take place in October. I said that I would if my contract is extended. She said that my contract would probably last long enough for me to retire.
How grateful I am that I don't travel this world of work, of home, of family, or of life, alone. Happy Birthday, Sandra.
I'm working from home today. I have a number of tasks that can be done at home just as well as in the office. With vacations during this month, several of the regularly scheduled meetings have been called off. I finished one bit of tidying up and am now taking a break for lunch.
Yesterday I learned of a permanent job at the company where I'm working. The job is with a group in White Plains, but they seem to be amenable to having someone working from afar. I've started my resume through the channels. In the meantime, I guess I should keep working as though I have a permanent job. A co-worker asked me if I'd be interested if I'd like to participate in a project that will take place in October. I said that I would if my contract is extended. She said that my contract would probably last long enough for me to retire.
How grateful I am that I don't travel this world of work, of home, of family, or of life, alone. Happy Birthday, Sandra.
Monday, July 25, 2005
Alt-Tab, the boss is coming
Today, it's back to whatever passes for normal. I have a good bit of work work to address, along with some more personal business, so it's going to be a busy day. In the discussion of the report about goofing off at work, mentioned here a couple of weeks ago, a TV commentator noted the concept of the at-work personal day. Often, we're starting work earlier and staying later, such that we need time during the work day to get the stuff done that we can't get done at home - banking, web-based shopping, calls to the plumber, personal correspondence. I'm in the process of moving from one web hosting company to another and need a chunk of time to complete the task.
[The subject line refers to the trick of switching between programs, such as between your web browser and word processor, by pressing the Alt and Tab keys at the same time. That way, you can look like you're working when you've just been making your way through the American Girl web site for a birthday gift for your niece.]
Construction is underway for the new road at the camp. Many trees are down, bringing bright sunlight into the back of the camp. The contractor could very well have the work completed by the of this week. Adam and Lily spent the night at the camp on Saturday. Mike and Lynn will take the family to there for supper and swim this afternoon. It's good that the place is getting use.
My father's back is still bothering him from his fall last week. I went to his house to mow his lawn. He sat on the front steps and watched while I mowed. After a few minutes, he came over and pointed out a couple of things that I wasn't doing quite right. He went back to his observation post for a while longer and then, either satisfied or resigned, went inside.
Today's automated search for technical documentation jobs turned up listings for Gap Store Director, VP of Edication (their typo, not mine), Catering Manager, and Java Jedi.
Congratulations and a dose of virtual Vitamin I to friend Tania for completing the 2005 Ford Ironman USA in Lake Placid yesterday.
[The subject line refers to the trick of switching between programs, such as between your web browser and word processor, by pressing the Alt and Tab keys at the same time. That way, you can look like you're working when you've just been making your way through the American Girl web site for a birthday gift for your niece.]
Construction is underway for the new road at the camp. Many trees are down, bringing bright sunlight into the back of the camp. The contractor could very well have the work completed by the of this week. Adam and Lily spent the night at the camp on Saturday. Mike and Lynn will take the family to there for supper and swim this afternoon. It's good that the place is getting use.
My father's back is still bothering him from his fall last week. I went to his house to mow his lawn. He sat on the front steps and watched while I mowed. After a few minutes, he came over and pointed out a couple of things that I wasn't doing quite right. He went back to his observation post for a while longer and then, either satisfied or resigned, went inside.
Today's automated search for technical documentation jobs turned up listings for Gap Store Director, VP of Edication (their typo, not mine), Catering Manager, and Java Jedi.
Congratulations and a dose of virtual Vitamin I to friend Tania for completing the 2005 Ford Ironman USA in Lake Placid yesterday.
Sunday, July 24, 2005
Home again
The guy at the sub shop was good-natured when I tried to pay for my order with a Canadian $20. I mumbled tiredly that we were just getting back from Canada and that my money was mixed up in my wallet. The guy was good-natured and said nice things about his trips to Canada, but still stood there waiting for American money.
The vist to the Island was brief, but delightful. Sandra's parents are wonderfully warm and generous. We talked about family and friends and the tragedies abroad.
Sandra's parents rose to prepare us breakfast and see us off. Our trip back started before dawn, with fog stretching across the farm fields. We saw shots of lightning across the Island, drove through heavy rain and some strong wind on the bridge, and reached sunshine just outside of Moncton mid-morning. It was sunny and fresh the rest of the way. There's a wildlife preserve near Calais, Maine, where we saw baby eagles sitting in their nests, getting ready for their first flights.
Gasoline prices huddle around the C$1.00/litre, about US$3.00/gallon. Prices are bit lower on PEI because the prices are changed just once a month and so lag behind the general market.
As if we needed more reminders that the flatlanders rule U.S. 1 in Maine, we saw an old farm house converted into a bakery and espresso bar.
On the way home we paid a long-overdue visit to our dear friends, Pete and Mildred, in Maine. In our honor, Pete had arranged the delivery of a new lime and fertilizer composite which he had dumped on the hay field on the approach to their old farm house.
We listened to the rest of 1776 and discussed the improbability that the Americans would have won Revolutionary War. The year 1776 hadn't gone very well at all, with the loss of New York and large numbers of people signing oaths to the King. As with other recent histories of those times, the founders of this nation were keenly aware that what they were doing and saying was shaping the future. They were establishing something bigger than even they could imagine. Sandra and I listened to this history as we drove through the places where many loyalists had landed in southwestern New Brunswick.
One afternoon, while Sandra and Marian went visiting, I walked around downtown Montague. This town of a few thousand people improbably supports two large supermarkets, a car dealership, several other large, and many other small businesses. At the center of it all, of course, is the Tim Horton's shop on Main Street. I learned there that another building on Main Street was sold for $300,000 and that the local MLA had arranged for a new federal building to be built on that site. "The old boy network pays off again," remarked one of the patron.
To bring it to a decent size, the local phone book for the east end of PEI includes a reverse listing (by phone number) as well as the traditional listing by name.
Marley, who's looking fit and trim and is having a great summer, gave us quite a scare. After supper one night, he and I went for a walk to the shore. I'll skip the full details, but he became suddenly and severely sick accented with convulsions. After a few minutes, he crawled underneath a thick spruce hedge where he stayed, with labored breathing. We thought we were going to lose him. I was able to drag him from the hedge. As we prepared to get him to vet's, he rallied, stirring a bit and eventually gettting to his feet. He was quiet for the rest of the evening and into the next day, but was otherwise alright, eating his breakfast when the time came. Our best guess, based only on the fact that it makes a better story, is that he ate one of the small jellyfish that drift along near the shore.
The vist to the Island was brief, but delightful. Sandra's parents are wonderfully warm and generous. We talked about family and friends and the tragedies abroad.
Sandra's parents rose to prepare us breakfast and see us off. Our trip back started before dawn, with fog stretching across the farm fields. We saw shots of lightning across the Island, drove through heavy rain and some strong wind on the bridge, and reached sunshine just outside of Moncton mid-morning. It was sunny and fresh the rest of the way. There's a wildlife preserve near Calais, Maine, where we saw baby eagles sitting in their nests, getting ready for their first flights.
Gasoline prices huddle around the C$1.00/litre, about US$3.00/gallon. Prices are bit lower on PEI because the prices are changed just once a month and so lag behind the general market.
As if we needed more reminders that the flatlanders rule U.S. 1 in Maine, we saw an old farm house converted into a bakery and espresso bar.
On the way home we paid a long-overdue visit to our dear friends, Pete and Mildred, in Maine. In our honor, Pete had arranged the delivery of a new lime and fertilizer composite which he had dumped on the hay field on the approach to their old farm house.
We listened to the rest of 1776 and discussed the improbability that the Americans would have won Revolutionary War. The year 1776 hadn't gone very well at all, with the loss of New York and large numbers of people signing oaths to the King. As with other recent histories of those times, the founders of this nation were keenly aware that what they were doing and saying was shaping the future. They were establishing something bigger than even they could imagine. Sandra and I listened to this history as we drove through the places where many loyalists had landed in southwestern New Brunswick.
One afternoon, while Sandra and Marian went visiting, I walked around downtown Montague. This town of a few thousand people improbably supports two large supermarkets, a car dealership, several other large, and many other small businesses. At the center of it all, of course, is the Tim Horton's shop on Main Street. I learned there that another building on Main Street was sold for $300,000 and that the local MLA had arranged for a new federal building to be built on that site. "The old boy network pays off again," remarked one of the patron.
To bring it to a decent size, the local phone book for the east end of PEI includes a reverse listing (by phone number) as well as the traditional listing by name.
Marley, who's looking fit and trim and is having a great summer, gave us quite a scare. After supper one night, he and I went for a walk to the shore. I'll skip the full details, but he became suddenly and severely sick accented with convulsions. After a few minutes, he crawled underneath a thick spruce hedge where he stayed, with labored breathing. We thought we were going to lose him. I was able to drag him from the hedge. As we prepared to get him to vet's, he rallied, stirring a bit and eventually gettting to his feet. He was quiet for the rest of the evening and into the next day, but was otherwise alright, eating his breakfast when the time came. Our best guess, based only on the fact that it makes a better story, is that he ate one of the small jellyfish that drift along near the shore.
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