Walking from there to here

Originally posted at Walking from there to here

Much of the way, we walk single-file and quietly. There's no sidewalk from the Rutland line to the Route 68 intersection. Even through Jefferson, the sidewalk is narrow and, in some cases, still unplowed. Traffic was light, so we didn't have to shout to be heard.
Deer tracks in the snow on the roadside paralleled our steps for a half mile, occasionally disappearing down into a steep gully and to the open water of a small stream, and then returning, only to disappear again into the corn fields near Millbrook Road.
The woods still show the ravages of the ice storm, broken and uprooted trees out of the way but not out of sight.
Holden Hills has a sign urging people to think about their spring golf needs while young families were sliding and laughing on the snowy incline between the 11th and 12th fairways.
Sandra grew up in Holden and so brings stories to these houses along the way. At this one, a childhood friend who used to live here had a child with special needs and spent the next many years helping this little girl toward as normal a life as possible. That one used to be the nicest in house in town. You could tell by the architectural details that it had fine bones, but the clapboards now ache for refreshment and the fence along the side yard is falling upon itself.
Our plan is to walk the four segments of roadway that meet in the center of town. Last week, we walked up South Main. Soon we'll take on the segments that connect Holden with Princeton and Paxton. Each section is about an hour's walk and tells different part of the story of the town.
We walked on Thursday morning and so saw the NECN and Channel 5 news trucks hurry up to Rutland to bring us stories of the good news about Britney Gengel, that she was safe in Haiti, good news that, a day later, would be taking away and replaced ten-fold by fear.
Houses, as with the families within, are on their way up, on their way down, or just keeping on. The house that a friend's daughter owned a decade ago now needs fresh paint. A throughly deflated Santa lay on the front lawn of a ranch house. Even under the hard-frozen snow, you can see that many families have worked hard on their landscaping, making a yard and garden where there had been just rocks and overgrowth.
The new public safety building is coming along nicely. There is, however, little other construction going on for new, renovation, or repair projects. We didn't see a lot of the urgent For Sale signs that were so common a year or two ago. The economy, it seems, has stopped getting bad, but hasn't quite yet found its way to getting good.
So, it's noteworthy that a young couple would start a new old business. We had lunch in the Holden Spa, reopened by a young couple just this week. They're starting slowly, announcing their opening with just a flag outside the storefront. It gives them a chance to work through the details of the menu and familiarize themselves with the renovated and brightly-painted counter and dining area and the rear kitchen.
Starting a business requires at least twice the money and three times the energy that you'd planned. We can point with pride to those who take those risks and say that this how America grows. Without them, we'd have no place for a cup of coffee and a hot meal after a walk from the edge of town.

Crime in suburbia

From The Landmark (subscription required):
[Editor's note: There were 14 suspicious items this week.]

Holden

via front page of The Landmark, January 14, 2010

Monday, January 4

12:00 a.m. Vehicle observed leaving Mountview School
7:53 a.m. Pole struck, Princeton St.
8:58 a.m. Trash receptacles disrupting traffic, Shrewsbury St.
11:29 a.m. Caller reports someone cut him off in traffic
1:59 p.m. Phone line down, Reservoir St.
4:04 p.m. Caller with questions about unreported accident
6:37 p.m. Customer left gas station and forgot to pay
8:49 p.m. Caller reports no water in building; advised to call landlord about possible frozen pipes

Tuesday, January 5

12:21 a.m. Male with restraining order against him is at business on Reservoir St.; OK, he works there
6:07 a.m. Motor vehicle lockout with engine running, Scott Terr.
8:18 a.m. Motor vehicle passed school bus with flashers on, Main St.
9:13 a.m. Tree crew work disrupting flow of traffic, Reservoir St.
3:50 p.m. Joggers ran in front of cars, Main St., one jogger almost hit
8:22 p.m. Injured bicycle rider can’t make it home from Reservoir St.

Wednesday, January 6

1:39 a.m. Suspicious vehicles behind building, Shrewsbury St.; OK, working in building
6:09 a.m. Suspicious motor vehicle at Dawson Recreation area; looking for place to park for the day
9:15 a.m. Neighbor complaining about dogs
1:16 p.m. Report of inferior wash at car wash; advised to contact owner of business
2:36 p.m. Box lost off truck, probably on Main St.
3:27 p.m. Anonymous caller reporting poor driving habits on Main St.
5:59 p.m. Truck asked to move along, Salisbury St.

Thursday, January 7

1:46 a.m. Suspicious motor vehicle, Salisbury St.
2:47 a.m. Suspicious motor vehicle, Salisbury St.


1:19 p.m. 911 hang-up; just looking for phone number
2:17 p.m. Barking complaint, Sterling Rd.

7:40 p.m. Caller reports overhearing teens who stole money from Holden officer at gym; money recovered
8:21 p.m. Branch or deer hit car, Salisbury St

Friday, January 8

10:07 a.m. Dog attacked by another dog and owner threatening owner, Main St.
12:49 p.m. Bank reporting irate customer
4:12 p.m. Found money dropped off at police station

Saturday, January 9

10:36 a.m. Aggressive driver reported headed north on Main St.

11:52 a.m. Christmas tree in road, Main St.

Sunday, January 10

12:54 a.m. Suspicious female walking on Rte. 68; just likes walking
1:21 a.m. Suspicious motor vehicle at Mayo School; just star gazing

10:45 a.m. Black dog loose in yard, Mason Rd.
12:56 p.m. Black dog found, N. Main St.

3:48 p.m. Coyote in area of Courtney Dr.
6:26 p.m. Suspicious motor vehicle behind Mountview; OK, man walking dog

Paxton

Monday, January 4

7:15 p.m. Truck blocking southbound lane, West St.

Tuesday, January 5

2:17 p.m. Person at station for assistance, locked out of residence, Crestwood Rd.
5:26 p.m. Loose dog, Village Rd.
6:54 p.m. Suspicious motor vehicle, Camp St.

Thursday, January 7

2:29 p.m. Suspicious motor vehicle, South/ Marshall Sts.
3:30 p.m. Female at station to speak with officer regarding gunshots near her property, Pleasant St.

Friday, January 8

8:12 a.m. 911 hang-up; child playing with phone

Princeton

Monday, January 4

7:50 p.m. Caller reports suspicious vehicle in front of his house, Hickory Dr.

Tuesday, January 5

8:22 a.m. Officer investigation, Town Hall Dr.

Wednesday, January 6

10:08 p.m. Assist Westminster PD checking out area of Gates Road for black pickup truck involved in road rage incident that involved a gun

Thursday, January 7

4:30 p.m. Dog with Fitchburg tags chewing through fence to get at chickens, Wheeler Rd.

Saturday, January 9

6:36 p.m. Caller wants police to advise people not to snowshoe on her property, Stagecoach Rd.

Sunday, January 10

11:31 a.m. 911 hang-up call. Child playing with phone, Rte. 140 N
5:21 p.m. Man and woman having loud argument, Esty Rd.
9:56 p.m. Missing black Labrador, Ball Hill Rd. Dog later returned

Rutland

Monday, January 4

3:05 p.m. Person wants to speak with officer, Main St.
4:04 p.m. Two-car motor vehicle accident, Main St.. Found it’s in Holden
8:16 p.m. Person at station with phone found at mall in Worcester. Owner located

Tuesday, January 5

9:39 a.m. Person at station to speak with officer, Main St.
12:52 p.m. Two loose dogs in neighborhood, Sycamore Dr. Ongoing issue
2:38 p.m. Person at station to speak with officer, Main St.
3:46 p.m. Motor vehicle lockout at business, Main St.
4:40 p.m. Person at station to pick up police report, Main St.
5:15 p.m. Police assist with motor vehicle lockout, Maggies Way

Wednesday, January 6

12:01 a.m. Person at station to speak with officer, Main St.

7:34 a.m. Suspicious unattended motor vehicle near kids at bus stop, Jamie Anne Dr./Irish Ln.
8:51 a.m. Suspicious motor vehicle parked at intersection, Main St./Ten Rod Rd.
9:48 a.m. Computer monitor in Fishermans Rd.
9:54 a.m. Person from Texas at station to speak with officer about resident who didn’t pay him for a dog he bought, Main St.
3:31 p.m. Person at station to speak with officer, Main St.

Thursday, January 7

10:12 a.m. Person at station to speak with officer, Main St.
1:25 p.m. Complaint about dogs in yard at home on Summerhill Dr. Ongoing issue
9:45 p.m. Person having neighbor issue and wants an officer, Maple Ave.

Friday, January 8

1:48 p.m. Five-gallon diesel fuel cans in Pleasantdale Rd.
1:56 p.m. Caller wants information regarding previous call, Maple Ave.
2:22 p.m. Trees on wires, Intervale Rd.

Saturday, January 9

11:47 a.m. Caller requesting assistance, locked herself out of apartment, Main St.

Sunday, January 10

4:50 a.m. Disturbance, loud noise, Maple Ave.

Sterling

Monday, January 4

10:02 a.m. Suspicious activity, Redemption Rock Trl.
10:07 a.m. Person dropped off keys found in field off Rte. 62 across from manufacturing business
11:24 a.m. Officer wanted regarding snow pushed into Cole Rd.
2:35 p.m. Suspicious email, Leominster Rd.

4:15 p.m. Nintendo game found in parking lot, Main St.

Wednesday, January 6

7:45 a.m. Request officer to be present in case angry female shows up at Town Hall, Park St.
7:50 a.m. Disabled motor vehicle trying to make its way down Chocksett, Albright Rds.
6:28 p.m. Puppy found, red collar with blue flowers, Sandy Ridge Rd. Lancaster Animal Control Officer picking up dog

Thursday, January 7

10:12 a.m. Stray blond Labrador-type dog in neighborhood, Rowley Hill Rd.
10:15 a.m. Motor vehicle accident, Princeton Rd. Two females transported to Clinton
10:35 a.m. Stray dog wandering near highway, Mortimer Rd. Owner later found
11:18 a.m. Caller wants to speak with officer regarding work crew on property, Patriots Way
12:39 p.m. Stray dog bothering workers on Justice Hill, Hardscrabble Rds.

Friday, January 8

8:35 a.m. Lancaster animal control officer found young dog that may live in Sterling, Leominster Rd.
11:20 a.m. Large puppy, possibly golden retriever, staying in roadway, Princeton/Beaman Rds.
11:25 a.m. Injured mourning dove, Bean Rd.
2:01 p.m. Dog in middle of roadway, appears disoriented, Redemption Rock Trl.
10:26 p.m. Assist members of the Worcester Gang Unit, Bean Rd.

Saturday, January 9

3:24 p.m. Male wearing ski mask walking dog in Osgood Rd. area; caller wants police to check

Sunday, January 10

11:15 a.m. Caller reports two dogs in her yard, Fitch Rd.

R.I.P. Huck 1913-2007

This sounds like almost a good idea

Machine Translates Thoughts into Speech in Real Time

By implanting an electrode into the brain of a person with locked-in syndrome, scientists have demonstrated how to wirelessly transmit neural signals to a speech synthesizer. The "thought-to-speech" process takes about 50 milliseconds - the same amount of time for a non-paralyzed, neurologically intact person to speak their thoughts. The study marks the first successful demonstration of a permanently installed, wireless implant for real-time control of an external device.

Which means that we're not too far from the day when our thoughts are no longer private.

"If women knew, if they even had the slightest idea of what men were thinking, they'd never stop slapping us."~Larry Miller

As the title of this journal says, ...

On Friday afternoon, I received a note from a friend, alerting me to job that would be a good match for me.

It's a part-time job, working from home on projects related to technical documentation standards, requiring a particular software configuration and broadband access. I have good setup for working from home, along with the other software and such.

So, on Saturday, I reviewed my resume with the plan to highlight my experience in these particular areas. In the process, I discovered a couple of grammatical and typographical errors. They weren't errors of fact, but errors in presentation.
You know the old joke, about to celebrate its centenary, "What worse than biting into an apple and finding a worm in an apple?"
I'd recently sent my resume in response to a few job postings and those copies had these errors.
I know how it happened. Each time I make changes to my resume, I wind up needing to tweak it in several places to keep it within the two-page limit. Adding working experience with a certain content management system or with PHP or Flash or Twitter means that something else has to come out.
For a while, I've used a functional resume that puts more emphasis on skills and experience and less on chronology. Age discrimination is a real presence in the job market. It's a challenge to show that one has 25 years of experience with UNIX without saying that one has been working with UNIX for 25 years.
Recently, however, I had a conversation with a trusted recruiter who said that most employers still want to see a work history.
As a result, in the process trimming this, adding that, and moving these items to the first page, it's pretty much guaranteed that there will be a few slips of the keyboard. No excuses, but it happens..5
Rule #1 of any kind of writing, of course, is using the spell-checker. The errors that I found, however, were things that a spell-checker wouldn't have caught.
No excuses, though.
This evening, I received a robo-rejection email regarding one of the jobs I'd sought. I can't be sure if the rejection was due to the flawed resume, my age, or, most likely, another candidate who was better than me. I get to learn something from each reason. And, as we know, learning life's lessons is just so much fun.

Happy 14th Birthday, Krista

Photo swiped from her Facebook page. It's time for us to see her as she sees herself, not just the way we want to see her.

Minds like an open window, sometimes

Both of my parents had good ideas, but operated on different planes. My mother lived and loved the life of the mind, celebrating books and ideas and discussions and people gathered for that purpose. My father saw life's fulfillment in a job well done, finding a good value for a product or service, finding satisfaction in the elegance of the basics.
Back in the 50s, my mother started a group that would bring her joy for the rest of her life, a Great Books discussion group in Westminster. It started in a rather formal framework, based on the classics from the Great Books Foundation. Over the years, the group drifted from the rigors of classical literature and on to books of their own choosing.
For most of its time, the Great Books group met in people's homes. There would be a light meal or just a snack. Sometimes, just a handful of people would gather; in other times, they might have a couple dozen.
Although our house was pretty much finished during this time, there was always more work to be done.
One summer evening, it was my mother's turn to host the group. It was a hot evening, so all of the awning windows had to be open.
It was also an evening when my father found a great deal and so arranged for delivery of a truckload of fresh manure that he'd use to fertilize the new front lawn.