I noticed that my niece Ruthie's post title on her blog yesterday was "Blank", and she was saying how blank she was feeling inside...
... which I can totally relate to. It's just been sort of a bad news couple of weeks.
... and now I find out that I need to have surgery next week. Nothing life-threatening (I hope!), just icky and extremely annoying. I'll be in the hospital about five days -- in what sort of shape or mental condition, I don't know. Maybe I'll wish I were back feeling blank. This will, at least, be a test of whether I can keep the blog streak going.
Friday, June 10, 2011
Thursday, June 9, 2011
a good year to be a meteorologist
The Wild Spring, weather-wise, of 2011 continues.
Two days ago, we, here in the Twin Cities, had a high, record-breaking temperature of 103 degrees. Two days later, here in the middle of the day, the temperature is 60.
Believe me, the 60 feels way better than the 103. but it was kinda funny this morning. Our office building had a fire drill, and everybody had to leave the building and go across the street for a few minutes... and everybody was freezing standing out there!
... who knows what tomorrow brings? It would be nice to have some normal average spring days.
Two days ago, we, here in the Twin Cities, had a high, record-breaking temperature of 103 degrees. Two days later, here in the middle of the day, the temperature is 60.
Believe me, the 60 feels way better than the 103. but it was kinda funny this morning. Our office building had a fire drill, and everybody had to leave the building and go across the street for a few minutes... and everybody was freezing standing out there!
... who knows what tomorrow brings? It would be nice to have some normal average spring days.
Wednesday, June 8, 2011
it's a small world after all
It may be time to abandon any interest in American politics.
Can you imagine how ugly the 2012 campaigns will be? And can the American news media be any more inept?
If, for instance, you relied on TV news this week for your knowledge of what's going on in the world, you would hardly know about the wars that we are mired down in, about the complexities of the bad economy, about anything going on anywhere in the world... You'd think that the world's problems are no big deal.
Instead you would know in detail about the sexting scandal of a New York congressman named Weiner. You would re-learn, ad nauseum, how little Sarah Palin knows about U.S. history. You would hear, 18 months before the next Presidential election, would-be Republican nominees trying to out-do each other in their insane anti-government rantings.
But how to ignore?... do we just leave the future of the country to the under-educated and the wackos?
Can you imagine how ugly the 2012 campaigns will be? And can the American news media be any more inept?
If, for instance, you relied on TV news this week for your knowledge of what's going on in the world, you would hardly know about the wars that we are mired down in, about the complexities of the bad economy, about anything going on anywhere in the world... You'd think that the world's problems are no big deal.
Instead you would know in detail about the sexting scandal of a New York congressman named Weiner. You would re-learn, ad nauseum, how little Sarah Palin knows about U.S. history. You would hear, 18 months before the next Presidential election, would-be Republican nominees trying to out-do each other in their insane anti-government rantings.
But how to ignore?... do we just leave the future of the country to the under-educated and the wackos?
Tuesday, June 7, 2011
this is when i become old
I admit that I haven't felt well since May 8th. I try not to complain about such things since I have felt great most of my life, and I know I'm lucky. And I'm kinda like my mother, who hated to go to a doctor. I stay in denial and just hope that it all goes away.
But a month of feeling crappy is enough, so I finally went to my doctor and spent most of the day getting poked and probed and scanned. How I hate hanging around medical clinics!... especially when it all leads to unsatisfying answers.
... maybe this is just how it will be from now on. Maybe I won't ever feel quite the same again.
But a month of feeling crappy is enough, so I finally went to my doctor and spent most of the day getting poked and probed and scanned. How I hate hanging around medical clinics!... especially when it all leads to unsatisfying answers.
... maybe this is just how it will be from now on. Maybe I won't ever feel quite the same again.
Monday, June 6, 2011
PHL to CVG to MSP
Heading back home. We used frequent-flyer miles for this trip, and beggars can't be choosers, so we have a layover in Cincinnati instead of our usual non-stop flights. Whatever.
It's been a hard week, saying goodbye to a brother. In a way, I'm anxious to get back into my normal routine. In other ways, I never want to leave. I want things the way they used to be.
It's been a hard week, saying goodbye to a brother. In a way, I'm anxious to get back into my normal routine. In other ways, I never want to leave. I want things the way they used to be.
Sunday, June 5, 2011
laptopping into the night
I just need to sleep well again....
but, in the meantime, there were some highlights of this last full day with family before we head home --
...Breakfast at the Millville Queen Diner with my four remaining siblings; with my sister-in-law Denise and her daughter Kami; with my nephew Michael and his wife Tiffany; with my niece Ling and her boyfriend Rex; and with my Jerry. I love them all.
...An evening with my lovable cousin Bev and my wide-eyed, Gaga-loving grand-nephew James... and delicious cheesesteaks...
(James, who is graduating from high school in a couple weeks, is moving to Minneapolis right after that and will live with us until he is on his own.... He is very excited about the move, as only an 18-year-old can be...)
And now late in the evening, across the room from me here at the Country Inn, Jerry and my brother Davy are dual-laptopping, trying to find a cheap and not-scary hotel for Davy for Tuesday night in the Newark area, as he will be flying back to China Wednesday morning from Newark airport. Trust me, this is not a quick and easy task.
... I wonder if they would notice if I dozed off....
but, in the meantime, there were some highlights of this last full day with family before we head home --
...Breakfast at the Millville Queen Diner with my four remaining siblings; with my sister-in-law Denise and her daughter Kami; with my nephew Michael and his wife Tiffany; with my niece Ling and her boyfriend Rex; and with my Jerry. I love them all.
...An evening with my lovable cousin Bev and my wide-eyed, Gaga-loving grand-nephew James... and delicious cheesesteaks...
(James, who is graduating from high school in a couple weeks, is moving to Minneapolis right after that and will live with us until he is on his own.... He is very excited about the move, as only an 18-year-old can be...)
And now late in the evening, across the room from me here at the Country Inn, Jerry and my brother Davy are dual-laptopping, trying to find a cheap and not-scary hotel for Davy for Tuesday night in the Newark area, as he will be flying back to China Wednesday morning from Newark airport. Trust me, this is not a quick and easy task.
... I wonder if they would notice if I dozed off....
Saturday, June 4, 2011
what you do after your little brother's funeral
A difficult day after days of mourning and heartbreak. Tears can go on and on, but how does the recovery begin?
For my family, today, this is how we started. We followed our first instinct, which was to head to the ocean, to the Jersey Shore. Ocean City is the favorite of our family, so this evening we caravanned the 35 miles to the boardwalk, a boardwalk and an ocean that Ronnie had wanted to see at least one more time, even if he had to be pushed in a wheelchair. That wasn't meant to be.
So we, as part of our healing, returned to the familiar, enjoying every minute we had with each other: all of my siblings, some of my nieces and nephews. I felt so bad for the four of Ronnie's grandchildren that were with us, as well as for his two beautiful grandchildren in Minnesota, that they would never have any more time getting to know their grandfather. Yet I was also thinking how his blood runs through them all, and I see the beauty, the gentleness, and the love in each of them. Knowing this, and keeping our memories of Ronnie vivid in our minds, is how we recover. He won't ever really leave us.
For my family, today, this is how we started. We followed our first instinct, which was to head to the ocean, to the Jersey Shore. Ocean City is the favorite of our family, so this evening we caravanned the 35 miles to the boardwalk, a boardwalk and an ocean that Ronnie had wanted to see at least one more time, even if he had to be pushed in a wheelchair. That wasn't meant to be.
So we, as part of our healing, returned to the familiar, enjoying every minute we had with each other: all of my siblings, some of my nieces and nephews. I felt so bad for the four of Ronnie's grandchildren that were with us, as well as for his two beautiful grandchildren in Minnesota, that they would never have any more time getting to know their grandfather. Yet I was also thinking how his blood runs through them all, and I see the beauty, the gentleness, and the love in each of them. Knowing this, and keeping our memories of Ronnie vivid in our minds, is how we recover. He won't ever really leave us.
Friday, June 3, 2011
the strawberry shortcake story
Tomorrow, June 4th, would have been my mother's birthday. The next day. June 5th, would have been my father's birthday. Today, June 3rd, would have been my brother Ronnie's birthday.
I was only 3 1/2 years old when Ronnie was born, and I didn't know anything about "due dates" and things like that, but I do wonder if Mom and Dad were wondering late in that pregnancy whether their #4 child would have the same birthday as one of them. He instead, fortunately, had his own distinct birthday.
The problem, though, with having three birthdays in a row in the same family was making sure that each was properly celebrated, that we didn't develop birthday-overload. It's kind of like people who have a birthday on December 26: how do you properly celebrate a birthday when everybody is worn out from Christmas?
My parents came up with an ingenious answer. Instead of having birthday cake with the same traditions three days in a row, a tradition was started that we would have strawberry shortcake every year on Ronnie's birthday. It came during strawberry season here in NJ, and everybody loved strawberry shortcake in our family, so Ronnie's birthday became one of our favorite dates of the year. The tradition continued through his whole life.
While I was visiting Ronnie in the hospital a couple weeks ago, he was told by the doctors that because he was so susceptible to bacteria, he couldn't have any more fresh fruit and vegetables. The first thing he thought was, "How am I going to have strawberry shortcake on my birthday?" He, unlike me, always looked forward to that next birthday. And later he asked me sadly, "I'm still going to be here in the hospital on my birthday, aren't I?"
Well, he was wrong, he isn't still in the hospital today, his birthday. He's out of that place. I just hope that somehow in the spirit world, they have access to Jersey strawberries and Bisquick. For us that are left, we are all getting together this evening for a celebration of Ronnie, complete with strawberry shortcake.
Tomorrow, we bury this sweet man. On June 4th, our mom's birthday.
I was only 3 1/2 years old when Ronnie was born, and I didn't know anything about "due dates" and things like that, but I do wonder if Mom and Dad were wondering late in that pregnancy whether their #4 child would have the same birthday as one of them. He instead, fortunately, had his own distinct birthday.
The problem, though, with having three birthdays in a row in the same family was making sure that each was properly celebrated, that we didn't develop birthday-overload. It's kind of like people who have a birthday on December 26: how do you properly celebrate a birthday when everybody is worn out from Christmas?
My parents came up with an ingenious answer. Instead of having birthday cake with the same traditions three days in a row, a tradition was started that we would have strawberry shortcake every year on Ronnie's birthday. It came during strawberry season here in NJ, and everybody loved strawberry shortcake in our family, so Ronnie's birthday became one of our favorite dates of the year. The tradition continued through his whole life.
While I was visiting Ronnie in the hospital a couple weeks ago, he was told by the doctors that because he was so susceptible to bacteria, he couldn't have any more fresh fruit and vegetables. The first thing he thought was, "How am I going to have strawberry shortcake on my birthday?" He, unlike me, always looked forward to that next birthday. And later he asked me sadly, "I'm still going to be here in the hospital on my birthday, aren't I?"
Well, he was wrong, he isn't still in the hospital today, his birthday. He's out of that place. I just hope that somehow in the spirit world, they have access to Jersey strawberries and Bisquick. For us that are left, we are all getting together this evening for a celebration of Ronnie, complete with strawberry shortcake.
Tomorrow, we bury this sweet man. On June 4th, our mom's birthday.
Thursday, June 2, 2011
there are generations right behind us
It's late, and I'm waiting for Jerry. He landed at Philly airport about an hour ago and is driving down here to Millville to join the mourners.
Today was a lovely though uneventful day spent with my three sisters and my niece Becky. We don't need to do much of anything: we just need to be together to grieve for our lost brother. Tonight, we spent time with Ronnie's son Michael, Michael's wife Tiffany, and their seven children, and it was refreshing. James sang for us. We ate Dunkin Donuts. Delanda was scratched by their dog and had to be bandaged up. A couple of the kids frolicked in the pool. Plans were made for a family reunion in August. It was all about life.
Tomorrow probably would have been the date of Ronnie's funeral -- it was the logical choice -- but it would also have been his 61st birthday, and his wife Denise didn't want us to mourn his death on the date of his birth: the date of his birth should always be a celebration. So the funeral is Saturday. A good decision.
Tomorrow, on Ronnie's birthday, I'll tell you a story...
Today was a lovely though uneventful day spent with my three sisters and my niece Becky. We don't need to do much of anything: we just need to be together to grieve for our lost brother. Tonight, we spent time with Ronnie's son Michael, Michael's wife Tiffany, and their seven children, and it was refreshing. James sang for us. We ate Dunkin Donuts. Delanda was scratched by their dog and had to be bandaged up. A couple of the kids frolicked in the pool. Plans were made for a family reunion in August. It was all about life.
Tomorrow probably would have been the date of Ronnie's funeral -- it was the logical choice -- but it would also have been his 61st birthday, and his wife Denise didn't want us to mourn his death on the date of his birth: the date of his birth should always be a celebration. So the funeral is Saturday. A good decision.
Tomorrow, on Ronnie's birthday, I'll tell you a story...
Wednesday, June 1, 2011
those times when we need each other
The day started weird. I was so tired and spacey this morning at the airport that I lost my card in the ATM machine. I still have not been feeling well or sleeping well since my "off balance" day three weeks ago. I bought a muffin to eat on the plane and ate part of it and didn't eat another thing until late this evening. No appetite. And after spending part of the day with my sisters, my sister-in-law Denise (Ronnie's wife), and my nephew Michael, I went back to the hotel and slept for four hours. It helped tremendously.
It's late evening, back here in my hometown. I usually like being here. This time it's strange. Memories of Ronnie are everywhere. I am so lucky to have four siblings left, and I love them all so much. And I'm doubly lucky to have such a great extended family -- nieces, nephews, cousins. We've somehow all held together all these years. I treasure them all.
It's late evening, back here in my hometown. I usually like being here. This time it's strange. Memories of Ronnie are everywhere. I am so lucky to have four siblings left, and I love them all so much. And I'm doubly lucky to have such a great extended family -- nieces, nephews, cousins. We've somehow all held together all these years. I treasure them all.
Tuesday, May 31, 2011
as we gather
Tomorrow I head back to New Jersey, and this visit will be even harder than the last one was. Nobody wants to bury a sibling, especially a younger one. I told Ronnie in the hospital, "I'm the oldest of the six of us -- I'm the one that should go first." I guess he wasn't listening.
... and the family begins to gather between now and Saturday, the day of the funeral. Joan and Mary are already there. I get there tomorrow, followed by my sister Nancy coming from North Carolina. Thursday night, my brother Davy arrives from China. This is what we do. We are his family. The only good thing about funerals is getting to see people you haven't seen in a while.
... and the family begins to gather between now and Saturday, the day of the funeral. Joan and Mary are already there. I get there tomorrow, followed by my sister Nancy coming from North Carolina. Thursday night, my brother Davy arrives from China. This is what we do. We are his family. The only good thing about funerals is getting to see people you haven't seen in a while.
Monday, May 30, 2011
Ronnie
My brother Ronnie passed away this morning -- Memorial Day 2011. I admire his courage as he fought chronic leukemia all these years and especially the past six months of mostly being hospitalized. We will miss him always, more than we can even imagine right now.
RONALD CHARLES DIXON
June 3, 1950 to May 30, 2011
Sunday, May 29, 2011
email from france
My son Jon's European trip is coming to an end. He flies from Paris' Charles DeGaulle Airport, arriving back in the Twin Cities tomorrow. It will be so good to see him, yet I'll miss his funny travel emails -- like this latest one:
_____
Oops, I kind of disappeared for a few days, didn't I? We've been busy. We're in the Loire Valley now, as you already know, since I see it was mentioned on your blog. We're staying in this little town called Loches and it's pretty cool. The place we're staying at is really weird because it's kind of inside the castle walls of the old medieval part of the town. Driving to it is challenging, but it's cool otherwise. It's so quiet here! I liked Paris, but one thing it wasn't was quiet! Anyway, we're visiting a bunch of castles/palaces (the main thing the Loire Valley is known for) and stuff. Tomorrow we're going to this place which has 440 rooms, 85 staircases, and 365 chimneys. Probably about 1000000 tourists too. I am getting sick of tourists, but I guess they're still better than Minnesotans... unless the tourists are Minnesotans. The only other people staying at the place we're staying are from Ottawa, so this morning at breakfast we all complained about the rainy weather back home, while our hostess was complaining about the lack of rain here. Apparently there's been a big drought here for months. That means we've been having nice, sunny weather ever since we got to France, although the Loire itself is looking a bit low! Hopefully it will wait until Monday afternoon and then start raining here.
Tomorrow night we are dropping off the car at the airport and then staying in a hotel at the airport, because our flight leaves Monday morning. I can't wait to see this airport after all the good things I've heard about it! :-[ [Jon's sarcasm, of course -- We've only told him how awful that airport is. :-) ]
Glad to hear Uncle Ronnie is currently on the upswing!
_____
Also arriving back home tomorrow is my sister Joan after a weekend visit with our brother Ronnie in New Jersey.
_____
Oops, I kind of disappeared for a few days, didn't I? We've been busy. We're in the Loire Valley now, as you already know, since I see it was mentioned on your blog. We're staying in this little town called Loches and it's pretty cool. The place we're staying at is really weird because it's kind of inside the castle walls of the old medieval part of the town. Driving to it is challenging, but it's cool otherwise. It's so quiet here! I liked Paris, but one thing it wasn't was quiet! Anyway, we're visiting a bunch of castles/palaces (the main thing the Loire Valley is known for) and stuff. Tomorrow we're going to this place which has 440 rooms, 85 staircases, and 365 chimneys. Probably about 1000000 tourists too. I am getting sick of tourists, but I guess they're still better than Minnesotans... unless the tourists are Minnesotans. The only other people staying at the place we're staying are from Ottawa, so this morning at breakfast we all complained about the rainy weather back home, while our hostess was complaining about the lack of rain here. Apparently there's been a big drought here for months. That means we've been having nice, sunny weather ever since we got to France, although the Loire itself is looking a bit low! Hopefully it will wait until Monday afternoon and then start raining here.
Tomorrow night we are dropping off the car at the airport and then staying in a hotel at the airport, because our flight leaves Monday morning. I can't wait to see this airport after all the good things I've heard about it! :-[ [Jon's sarcasm, of course -- We've only told him how awful that airport is. :-) ]
Glad to hear Uncle Ronnie is currently on the upswing!
_____
Also arriving back home tomorrow is my sister Joan after a weekend visit with our brother Ronnie in New Jersey.
Saturday, May 28, 2011
while they cook
I'm not sure where Norm is, but Jerry and Tomoko are in the kitchen prepping for the dinner meal. Jerry is making one of his famous rhubarb pies, and I know that Copper River salmon is somewhere on the dinner menu.
Tomoko is a friend of Jerry's from when he lived in Seattle, back in the 1980s sometime. Tomoko has been married to Norm for several years now, and the two of them enjoy visiting Minneapolis, so here they are.
In 2005, I think it was, Jerry and I took a trip to Tokyo, and it happened that Tomoko was in Tokyo at the same time, visiting her mother, so we had her there as a tour-guide/interpreter for part of our trip. She was especially helpful with the Tokyo subway system, which is counter-intuitive at a glance, the map of the routes looking like spaghetti. And it's surprising how few people in Japan speak English!
Tomoko is a friend of Jerry's from when he lived in Seattle, back in the 1980s sometime. Tomoko has been married to Norm for several years now, and the two of them enjoy visiting Minneapolis, so here they are.
In 2005, I think it was, Jerry and I took a trip to Tokyo, and it happened that Tomoko was in Tokyo at the same time, visiting her mother, so we had her there as a tour-guide/interpreter for part of our trip. She was especially helpful with the Tokyo subway system, which is counter-intuitive at a glance, the map of the routes looking like spaghetti. And it's surprising how few people in Japan speak English!
Friday, May 27, 2011
mid-spring sports update
Lebron James is still a jerk (see my March 31 post), and now the jerk is in the NBA finals. Yep, basketball is still going on, and I bet you didn't even know that, did you? The final two teams are the Dallas Mavericks and the Miami Heat, and, even though I have no love for Dallas, I gotta be rooting against the Heat, Lebron's team. And I kinda like the Mavs' point guard, Jason Kidd.
... and there, under everybody's radar (unless you live in Boston, Tampa or Vancouver), the hockey playoffs continue also. We gotta go with Vancouver (if we watch any of the Stanley Cup games at all), or more specifically, against Boston (who knocked the Flyers out of the playoff) and against Tampa (one of those sunbelt cities that shouldn't even have a hockey team). And with Vancouver in the finals, we get to hear "O Canada!"
You, of course, do know that baseball is going on. It's spring, after all. Here locally, Minnesota fans are upset that the Twins, who have won their division most of the past several years, are deep in last place and, in fact, possess the worst won-loss record in major league baseball. The hometown hero, Joe Mauer, has been injured most of the season, and, well, nothing is going their way. The new stadium still fills up, though. My personal favorite team, the Philadelphia Phillies, is in first place in their division but maybe not as far in first place as they should be, considering that they have the most awesome pitching team in baseball. The hitters are asleep, though.
That's it for now, sports fans.
... and there, under everybody's radar (unless you live in Boston, Tampa or Vancouver), the hockey playoffs continue also. We gotta go with Vancouver (if we watch any of the Stanley Cup games at all), or more specifically, against Boston (who knocked the Flyers out of the playoff) and against Tampa (one of those sunbelt cities that shouldn't even have a hockey team). And with Vancouver in the finals, we get to hear "O Canada!"
You, of course, do know that baseball is going on. It's spring, after all. Here locally, Minnesota fans are upset that the Twins, who have won their division most of the past several years, are deep in last place and, in fact, possess the worst won-loss record in major league baseball. The hometown hero, Joe Mauer, has been injured most of the season, and, well, nothing is going their way. The new stadium still fills up, though. My personal favorite team, the Philadelphia Phillies, is in first place in their division but maybe not as far in first place as they should be, considering that they have the most awesome pitching team in baseball. The hitters are asleep, though.
That's it for now, sports fans.
Thursday, May 26, 2011
resorting to cat talk
Not a good evening for blogging because my brain is empty...
... I started to write about how tired I am... Instead of doing that, I took a two-hour nap...
... and in my grogginess, I just now started to write about taking my sister's cat (Tony) to the animal hospital where she keeps him kenneled when she goes out of town (She's flying to New Jersey in the morning to spend the weekend with Ronnie and our other family members there)...
... and I even considered saying something about that awful singer Scotty who won American Idol last night (No, I didn't watch).
That's when I realized I was desperate for something to write. I'll hope for better brain cells tomorrow.
... I started to write about how tired I am... Instead of doing that, I took a two-hour nap...
... and in my grogginess, I just now started to write about taking my sister's cat (Tony) to the animal hospital where she keeps him kenneled when she goes out of town (She's flying to New Jersey in the morning to spend the weekend with Ronnie and our other family members there)...
... and I even considered saying something about that awful singer Scotty who won American Idol last night (No, I didn't watch).
That's when I realized I was desperate for something to write. I'll hope for better brain cells tomorrow.
Wednesday, May 25, 2011
brief updates in my world
1) My brother Ronnie has been having a couple of much better days. He is off the ventilator, is alert, is in somewhat less pain than he was, and there is at least a small chance that he will be out of ICU and into a regular room by the end of the week. We, his family and friends, have been riding roller-coaster emotions the past week, when news one day is bleak and the next day is hopeful. It's amazing how resilient he is after what he has been through: there is a whole Ronnie that I never knew.
2) My son Jon, on his two-week European vacation, loves Paris and is now venturing by car out into the Loire Valley of France. I keep wondering what will happen with that Iceland volcanic-ash problem that is grounding a lot of flights in northern Europe. I'm hoping he doesn't get stuck somewhere over there. On the other hand, is there a better place to get stuck?
3) Because of the "stairwell waterfalls" the other day at our condo building, two out of the three elevators are out of commission. One of the two will be back in service by the end of June, the other not until September. Why must it take so long? Makes me realize how little I know about the complexities of elevators. In any case, we are using the stairs most of the time.
4) We have friends of Jerry's, Norm and Tomoko, visiting for a few days from Seattle, and it's fun to keep them entertained. Tonight we're all going to see Arsenic and Old Lace at the Guthrie Theater.
2) My son Jon, on his two-week European vacation, loves Paris and is now venturing by car out into the Loire Valley of France. I keep wondering what will happen with that Iceland volcanic-ash problem that is grounding a lot of flights in northern Europe. I'm hoping he doesn't get stuck somewhere over there. On the other hand, is there a better place to get stuck?
3) Because of the "stairwell waterfalls" the other day at our condo building, two out of the three elevators are out of commission. One of the two will be back in service by the end of June, the other not until September. Why must it take so long? Makes me realize how little I know about the complexities of elevators. In any case, we are using the stairs most of the time.
4) We have friends of Jerry's, Norm and Tomoko, visiting for a few days from Seattle, and it's fun to keep them entertained. Tonight we're all going to see Arsenic and Old Lace at the Guthrie Theater.
Tuesday, May 24, 2011
passing through a different joplin
When people in the mid-section of the U.S. wish for spring, we seem to forget about the wild storms that spring can bring, and this spring has been the worst. There have been a record number of tornadoes and violent thunderstorms, and the destruction has been unbelievable this year. Victims of this past Sunday's storms stretched from Arkansas to here in Minnesota.
The worst damage happened in Joplin, Missouri, a city of 50,000 people that Jerry and I drove through on our road trip last month. A major portion of that city has been destroyed and would look nothing like what we saw. And much closer to home, Sunday's storm did major damage in North Minneapolis, in an area where I lived for a while in the early '90s. Tom was visiting us Sunday, and we heard the sirens but didn't head for cover. I guess we should pay attention: this one was a little too close. Ah, sweet spring.
The worst damage happened in Joplin, Missouri, a city of 50,000 people that Jerry and I drove through on our road trip last month. A major portion of that city has been destroyed and would look nothing like what we saw. And much closer to home, Sunday's storm did major damage in North Minneapolis, in an area where I lived for a while in the early '90s. Tom was visiting us Sunday, and we heard the sirens but didn't head for cover. I guess we should pay attention: this one was a little too close. Ah, sweet spring.
Monday, May 23, 2011
zimmerman's 70th
Bob Dylan -- born Robert Zimmerman 70 years ago tomorrow in Duluth, Minnesota. Happy Birthday, Bob!
Sunday, May 22, 2011
shameful choices that people make in the voting booth
Minnesota disappoints me sometime. Every state disappoints me sometimes. But I don't understand how the voters of this generally progressive state could have elected enough "tea party" right-wing candidates in 2010 to give the Republicans a majority in both the state house and senate. Considering how these awful legislators are handling their majority, it might never happen again. They are being irresponsible in their fiscal duties while at the same time going for broke on the divisive "social" issues, knowing it might be their only chance.
Last night, they voted to put a "marriage" amendment referendum on the 2012 ballot, to let voters decide whether gay people should have equal rights, knowing that the majority, when given the chance, will always vote against the minority. The option to let voters decide whether a group of people should have rights is a major flaw in our democratic system. This is not about the institution of marriage, which is mostly a joke these days anyway: it's about people's need to be given permission to feel superior to somebody else.
So, in the next 18 months, we here in Minnesota will be subject to the hateful voices of the homophobic right-wing. We understand that those people will vote against us. What is more troubling is knowing how many people we consider our friends will also vote against us.
Last night, they voted to put a "marriage" amendment referendum on the 2012 ballot, to let voters decide whether gay people should have equal rights, knowing that the majority, when given the chance, will always vote against the minority. The option to let voters decide whether a group of people should have rights is a major flaw in our democratic system. This is not about the institution of marriage, which is mostly a joke these days anyway: it's about people's need to be given permission to feel superior to somebody else.
So, in the next 18 months, we here in Minnesota will be subject to the hateful voices of the homophobic right-wing. We understand that those people will vote against us. What is more troubling is knowing how many people we consider our friends will also vote against us.
Saturday, May 21, 2011
stairwell waterfalls
No earthquakes yet and I haven't noticed anybody disappearing into the air yet today, so let me tell you a disaster story of my own from this past Thursday morning.
I was walking out the door to go to work, and I heard the sound of loud rushing water. Our condo unit is right across from a stairwell, and water was rushing down the stairwell like a waterfall. Water was seeping under the stairwell door and was heading across carpet toward our doors on both the 2nd and 3rd floor (We have a two-story unit in a 22-floor building). There was no way to stop the water, it was moving so fast. I decided to get down to the office in the lobby to make sure they knew what was going on, but when the elevator opened, water was pouring down in it also. I ran down the other stairwell instead, and by the time I got to the lobby, water was creeping across the lobby floor. Maintenance people were going crazy, all in a panic.
What had happened is that a sprinkler-system water main on the 16th floor had ruptured, releasing tons of water, causing plenty of damage on all floors below. Two of the three building elevators are down indefinitely (Which means it's a good time to live on the 2nd floor and not the 22nd). Water did seep a little under our 3rd floor door, and right now we have heavy-duty industrial fans very loudly drying our the carpet 24 hours a day until the clean-up guys can lift the carpet and make sure all has been dried out and there is no chance of mold.
It's always something....
I was walking out the door to go to work, and I heard the sound of loud rushing water. Our condo unit is right across from a stairwell, and water was rushing down the stairwell like a waterfall. Water was seeping under the stairwell door and was heading across carpet toward our doors on both the 2nd and 3rd floor (We have a two-story unit in a 22-floor building). There was no way to stop the water, it was moving so fast. I decided to get down to the office in the lobby to make sure they knew what was going on, but when the elevator opened, water was pouring down in it also. I ran down the other stairwell instead, and by the time I got to the lobby, water was creeping across the lobby floor. Maintenance people were going crazy, all in a panic.
What had happened is that a sprinkler-system water main on the 16th floor had ruptured, releasing tons of water, causing plenty of damage on all floors below. Two of the three building elevators are down indefinitely (Which means it's a good time to live on the 2nd floor and not the 22nd). Water did seep a little under our 3rd floor door, and right now we have heavy-duty industrial fans very loudly drying our the carpet 24 hours a day until the clean-up guys can lift the carpet and make sure all has been dried out and there is no chance of mold.
It's always something....
Friday, May 20, 2011
before the earthquakes take down the internet
This has been a week of Rapture-and-Apocalypse jokes. There is a radio ministry that has nailed down the date of the Rapture -- tomorrow, May 21, 2011. The followers of the leader of this church/organization/whatever have quite their jobs and liquidated their assets to spread the word (I saw several billboards when I was in New Jersey last week). The "believers" will be taken into heaven tomorrow, while the rest of us will be subject to an earth self-destructing -- terrible earthquakes and such -- so I'm thinking I should get another blog post in before we all vaporize. :-)
By the way, the word "rapture", a favorite of the evangelicals, is never once mentioned in the Bible.
Assuming that the world doesn't blow up tomorrow, my family will be listening intently for word of my brother Ronnie, who has taken a turn for the worse this week and is currently on a ventilator. We are all trying to keep each other updated with phone calls, text messages, and Facebook postings and are still trying to cling to hope. And also assuming that the world makes it until Sunday, that is the day when the whole hospital where Ronnie is will be moving to new facilities. Moving all those intensive-care patients is a job I wouldn't want.
By the way, the word "rapture", a favorite of the evangelicals, is never once mentioned in the Bible.
Assuming that the world doesn't blow up tomorrow, my family will be listening intently for word of my brother Ronnie, who has taken a turn for the worse this week and is currently on a ventilator. We are all trying to keep each other updated with phone calls, text messages, and Facebook postings and are still trying to cling to hope. And also assuming that the world makes it until Sunday, that is the day when the whole hospital where Ronnie is will be moving to new facilities. Moving all those intensive-care patients is a job I wouldn't want.
Thursday, May 19, 2011
and suddenly that name will never be the same
Well, I personally always thought that Maria Shriver could have done better than Arnold anyway. What was the attraction?.. His keen intellect? oh please -- certainly not with those political opinions of his! His money? oh please again -- she's a Kennedy. His muscles? I bet it didn't take long to get tired of seeing him check out his physique in the mirror. The prestige of being Mrs. Arnold Schwarzenegger? Yeah, right.
The strangest part of the recent Arnold-and-Maria scandal is that he fathered that kid ten years ago, three or so years before he ran for governor of California -- so he knew that this info could come up during his campaign and governorship. It reminds me of the John Edwards scandal. Edwards fathered a kid with that nutcase woman in North Carolina while he was running for President. Do guys like this live in a total fantasyland where news like this doesn't somehow leak out? Or don't they know about tmz.com?
I saw Arnold once, when he was filming a movie (Jingle All The Way - don't rent it) in downtown St. Paul. What struck me about him was that he was way shorter than I expected him to be. I guess his towering image on screen was greatly enhanced. Apparently his character is real life was too.
The strangest part of the recent Arnold-and-Maria scandal is that he fathered that kid ten years ago, three or so years before he ran for governor of California -- so he knew that this info could come up during his campaign and governorship. It reminds me of the John Edwards scandal. Edwards fathered a kid with that nutcase woman in North Carolina while he was running for President. Do guys like this live in a total fantasyland where news like this doesn't somehow leak out? Or don't they know about tmz.com?
I saw Arnold once, when he was filming a movie (Jingle All The Way - don't rent it) in downtown St. Paul. What struck me about him was that he was way shorter than I expected him to be. I guess his towering image on screen was greatly enhanced. Apparently his character is real life was too.
Wednesday, May 18, 2011
never mind, he's in Bruges
Did you ever see that '60s movie, If It's Tuesday, This Must Be Belgium? I'm not particularly recommending it -- it's really lame -- but I thought of that yesterday, Tuesday. As I was writing about Jon being in Amsterdam, he was already on a train to Bruges, Belgium, where he and Chris will spend a couple days and take day-trips from there before heading to Paris later in the week.
How about the movie, In Bruges -- have you seen that one? It was a small indie movie from a couple years ago -- kinda weird, but I liked it. Jerry and Tom hated it (Too weird and occasionally violent for their tastes). Bruges is a beautiful city, very "old world" but also not too exciting for very long.
Another Bruges footnote: If you scroll down the left side of my blog and see the picture of Jerry, it's one I took of him as he was writing postcards -- in Bruges, when we were there several years ago.
By the way, Jon tells me that they liked Amsterdam. Who wouldn't?
How about the movie, In Bruges -- have you seen that one? It was a small indie movie from a couple years ago -- kinda weird, but I liked it. Jerry and Tom hated it (Too weird and occasionally violent for their tastes). Bruges is a beautiful city, very "old world" but also not too exciting for very long.
Another Bruges footnote: If you scroll down the left side of my blog and see the picture of Jerry, it's one I took of him as he was writing postcards -- in Bruges, when we were there several years ago.
By the way, Jon tells me that they liked Amsterdam. Who wouldn't?
Tuesday, May 17, 2011
going dutch
The reason I'm anxious to hear about his visit is that Amsterdam is probably my favorite city in the world. Jerry and I have been there numerous times, usually staying on a houseboat on one of the city's canals or on the Amstel River, and we got to know the city very well and love it... and I miss it.
The photo here is one that I took using a disposable camera. I had the photo enlarged and framed, and it's hanging on the bedroom wall. It brings good memories to wake up to.
Monday, May 16, 2011
Sunday, May 15, 2011
so whatever happened to thursday, may 12, 2011?
Last year, my niece Ruthie challenged me to blog something every single day (no matter how lame), and I have not missed a day since August 10, 2010. Ah, but Blogger.com (the blog site that I use, through Google) screwed me up this week! Their server or something went down on Friday, and it deleted my Thursday post. For those of you who were "lucky" enough to read it before it flew off into internet Never-Never Land, it was the one entitled "finally losing it", the one about me watching American Idol for the first time, at my sister Mary's house. I'm sure that it was a brilliant piece of prose, complaining about what a stupid show it is but how nevertheless I hoped that "Scotty", the most annoying of the final four contestants, would get voted off.
.... so, as far as I'm concerned, even though there is a missing day in the blog list, my streak continues.
*****
Added - 5/18/11 -- The May 12th post came back! Thanks, Blogger, for validating me.
.... so, as far as I'm concerned, even though there is a missing day in the blog list, my streak continues.
*****
Added - 5/18/11 -- The May 12th post came back! Thanks, Blogger, for validating me.
Saturday, May 14, 2011
PHL to MSP while Jon goes MSP to AMS
As I fly back to Minneapolis/St. Paul today, my plane will be passing my son Jon's plane in the air as he flies to Europe. One of the main disadvantages of extending my stay in Jersey is that I didn't get to see Jon before he left on his two-week trip. He flies from MSP into Amsterdam and will be spending his time in the Netherlands, Belgium and France. What a great vacation that should be. Have fun, Jon! Take lots of pictures...
Friday, May 13, 2011
before i pack the suitcase
It's amazing how exhausted, both physically and emotionally, a person can be after sitting with a loved one who is suffering. I go home tomorrow after this nine days of trying to keep my brother company in the hospital, and it is frustrating that he is really no better and that here I am leaving with him still in that hospital bed, not knowing what is next for him. I told him how helpless I feel, and he says that is what everybody tells him. Today I took his grandson James to see him, and Ronnie, even though he has some difficulty speaking, seemed to be saying goodbye to both of us. I really don't want to be saying goodbye.
Thursday, May 12, 2011
finally losing it
I brought my cousin Beverly to the hospital to visit Ronnie today. Ronnie isn't having a great day today and keeps apologizing that he isn't better company. The two of them did have a brief discussion about last night's American Idol, a program that she introduced him to a few years ago and which he has somehow stuck with. Me, I had to admit that I was an American Idol virgin until last night. My sister Mary also watches, and it was on while she and I ate pizza and Entenmann donuts, and I found it to be a really stupid show, but what the heck do I know? Somehow this is the most popular TV show in the country. Those judges are the absolute worst, in their attempts to out-gush each other over the four remaining contestants, all of whom are annoying in their own way. The most annoying was Scotty, and I'd love to see him get voted off -- but hey, look at me -- I must have been paying closer attention that I wanted to.
Wednesday, May 11, 2011
he wants to buy a vowel
I'm more or less back to normal and am back in the ICU with Ronnie. He had to have gall bladder surgery this morning, so I changed my plane reservation from today to Saturday. His surgery went well, especially considering how weak and vulnerable to infection he is. My sister Mary is with me, and we are conversing with Ronnie in his groggy state. A few minutes ago, he asked if we could have a sing-along -- "Michael, Row Your Boat Ashore" -- but we didn't get too far with it, and I'm sure that by now he doesn't remember that he wanted to sing. Ronnie has the twisted sense of humor that runs in our family, and he has kept us amused when he is on drugs or off. A couple days ago, in one of his loopier moments, he awoke from his drug-induced sleep saying, "I want to buy a vowel!"... Another time he woke up trying to remember the starting line-up of the 1969 New York Mets!
The hospital where he is, in Voorhees Township, New Jersey (just outside of Philadelphia), seems good, is very friendly... but in ten days they are moving the whole hospital into brand-new facilities. Can you imagine moving a whole hospital? It sure would be nice to have him out of here and back to some sort of normal life before that happens.
The hospital where he is, in Voorhees Township, New Jersey (just outside of Philadelphia), seems good, is very friendly... but in ten days they are moving the whole hospital into brand-new facilities. Can you imagine moving a whole hospital? It sure would be nice to have him out of here and back to some sort of normal life before that happens.
Tuesday, May 10, 2011
off-balance
I'm supposed to be here to spend time with my sick brother and ended up getting sick myself. Yesterday I woke up with a terrible dizziness (vertigo, maybe?) that led to a day of lying immobile on Mary's sofa and an upset stomach that had me barfing every hour or two. This is no way to take care of my brother!
Today I'm a little better, am trying to eat again, and may venture out a little later. Whether I can make it to the hospital where Ronnie is remains to be seen.
... and tomorrow I'm supposed to be going home. I may have to extend.
... a helpless feeling! I generally never get sick.
Today I'm a little better, am trying to eat again, and may venture out a little later. Whether I can make it to the hospital where Ronnie is remains to be seen.
... and tomorrow I'm supposed to be going home. I may have to extend.
... a helpless feeling! I generally never get sick.
Monday, May 9, 2011
Sunday, May 8, 2011
a day for mothers and mavericks
Well, what do you know? -- the laptop works today here in the hospital. Ronnie started out having a bit of a rough day, but at the moment he's doing relatively okay (with the help of drugs) and we're watching the Dallas Mavericks destroy the L.A. Lakers -- sweeping the Series. I despise the Lakers (last year's champions), so it's fun watching them get eliminated from this year's NBA playoffs.
Somewhere outside these hospital walls it's Mother's Day and if you are a mother reading this today, I hope you're having a good Mother's Day. Our mother died 24 years ago, and still there is no way to have a Mother's Day without thinking about her a lot. If you still have your mom, appreciate her.
Somewhere outside these hospital walls it's Mother's Day and if you are a mother reading this today, I hope you're having a good Mother's Day. Our mother died 24 years ago, and still there is no way to have a Mother's Day without thinking about her a lot. If you still have your mom, appreciate her.
Saturday, May 7, 2011
satisfying the angry mob
While I admit that I'm reading more newspapers and watching more cable news the past couple days ago than I normally do, which might be distorting my perceptions, I ask this: Isn't that enough about Osama bin Laden? Haven't we heard enough? Does over-reporting this story do anything more than piss off the wrong people?
... and what about all those people who are demanding to see photos of the dead bin Laden, with his head half blown off? It reminds me of the Blackhawk Down episode in Somalia back sometime in the '90s, when angry mobs in Mogadishu dragged the bodies of American soldiers through the streets, sort of like trophies. It's barbarism. Let's not be like them.
... and what about all those people who are demanding to see photos of the dead bin Laden, with his head half blown off? It reminds me of the Blackhawk Down episode in Somalia back sometime in the '90s, when angry mobs in Mogadishu dragged the bodies of American soldiers through the streets, sort of like trophies. It's barbarism. Let's not be like them.
Friday, May 6, 2011
life outside the ICU
Ronnie had a fairly good day today but is still confined to that one room in the Intensive Care Unit, and how hard that must be for him after all this time. Today they were able to get him out of the bed and into a special chair that had rollers on it, which I thought meant I could take him for a ride through the hallways, but No, he is still too vulnerable. His immune system is just not strong enough to handle the risk of further infections.
It all makes me feel a bit guilty when I leave him and go do something fun out there in The World. It also makes me appreciate the freedom I have and my health. How quickly life can change.
I had breakfast with my "niece-in-law" Tiffany today (and I thought about naming this blog post "Breakfast With Tiffany", but I thought that might be just a little too cute) and her 15-year-old son Dylan (who had just broken his hand the night before in karate class and went straight from his pancake-and-bacon breakfast to the doctor for xrays). Tonight my sister Mary and I took our grand-nephew James out to celebrate his 18th birthday and had a wonderful time with him. It's possible that James might come to Minneapolis to stay with Jerry and me for the summer; if so, you'll hear lots more about him.
It all makes me feel a bit guilty when I leave him and go do something fun out there in The World. It also makes me appreciate the freedom I have and my health. How quickly life can change.
I had breakfast with my "niece-in-law" Tiffany today (and I thought about naming this blog post "Breakfast With Tiffany", but I thought that might be just a little too cute) and her 15-year-old son Dylan (who had just broken his hand the night before in karate class and went straight from his pancake-and-bacon breakfast to the doctor for xrays). Tonight my sister Mary and I took our grand-nephew James out to celebrate his 18th birthday and had a wonderful time with him. It's possible that James might come to Minneapolis to stay with Jerry and me for the summer; if so, you'll hear lots more about him.
Thursday, May 5, 2011
MSP to PHL
Nice flight to Philly, and it's spring here in South Jersey. I wish I were here for better reasons than a very ill younger brother, but you do what you gotta do, and he and I are having some good serious conversations. In between that heavy talk, we did a crossword puzzle together from the Philadelphia Daily News, thinking that ha! a Daily News puzzle would be easier than an Inquirer one (and maybe it is!), but we wouldn't have impressed anybody.
Staying with my sister Mary and using her computer to blog. My laptop wouldn't work with the hospital's Wi-fi, but I'll try again tomorrow.
I'm here until Wednesday. In between hospital visits, I have lots of people to see and moments to enjoy hearing South Jersey accents again and indulging in that South Jersey food that you just can't find anywhere else...
Staying with my sister Mary and using her computer to blog. My laptop wouldn't work with the hospital's Wi-fi, but I'll try again tomorrow.
I'm here until Wednesday. In between hospital visits, I have lots of people to see and moments to enjoy hearing South Jersey accents again and indulging in that South Jersey food that you just can't find anywhere else...
Wednesday, May 4, 2011
jersey boys
"Flashing strobe lights, loud gunfire, and authentic, profane, Jersey vocabulary are special effects used in this production ..." This is the advisory sign that greets you as you enter the theater to see the musical Jersey Boys, and the show lives up to the warning. If you ever happen to scroll back to my April 13, 2008, posting, you'll see that we went to see Jersey Boys for the first time back then, and it's become one of my favorite shows -- good story and good Four Seasons music, plus I'm a Jersey boy myself of course. Last night, I went to see it again with my friend Mary O., a co-worker of mine. A fun evening.
*****
Speaking of Jersey, I think I may be heading to New Jersey tomorrow to spend some time with my brother Ronnie. He has spent most of the past five months in hospitals, is currently in a different one in South Jersey, and is in rough shape -- extremely weak and discouraged. It's something I feel like I need to do, and I look forward to seeing him and talking with him. We'll probably use a different kind of authentic Jersey vocabulary, but who knows...
*****
Speaking of Jersey, I think I may be heading to New Jersey tomorrow to spend some time with my brother Ronnie. He has spent most of the past five months in hospitals, is currently in a different one in South Jersey, and is in rough shape -- extremely weak and discouraged. It's something I feel like I need to do, and I look forward to seeing him and talking with him. We'll probably use a different kind of authentic Jersey vocabulary, but who knows...
Tuesday, May 3, 2011
bin laden as fish food
... or maybe not. The sea creatures at the bottom of the Arabian Sea might be too particular to be nibbling at the corpse of Osama bin Laden.
Monday, May 2, 2011
and on a lighter note...
"The Lusty Month of May" from the 1967 movie version of CAMELOT, starring Vanessa Redgrave as Queen Guinevere....
Sunday, May 1, 2011
their version of freedom
In a year of political insanity, what is next?
The Tennessee State Senate has voted to ban the words "gay" and "homosexuality" in K-8 grade classrooms in the Tennessee public schools. The fear of these homophobic senators, apparently, is that if young students even hear those words, they'll automatically think, "Wow! How cool it would be to be gay!" and will somehow convert their sexual orientation immediately, and there will be no heterosexuals left.
That, of course, isn't what they're thinking -- even Tennessee senators can't be that stupid. Is it to keep young homosexuals repressed and isolated, leading to more gay teenage suicides? Is it to give permission to gay-bashers to beat up and kill these kids?
These right-wing radicals and Tea Partiers love to throw the word "freedom" around, but they obviously don't want people to have the freedom to be who they are if they happen to be outside the narrow version of "normal" and "acceptable" as determined by the state. Now even freedom of speech is gone in the Tennessee classrooms. I wonder how long it might be before gays in Tennessee would be required to wear pink-triangled armbands.
The Tennessee State Senate has voted to ban the words "gay" and "homosexuality" in K-8 grade classrooms in the Tennessee public schools. The fear of these homophobic senators, apparently, is that if young students even hear those words, they'll automatically think, "Wow! How cool it would be to be gay!" and will somehow convert their sexual orientation immediately, and there will be no heterosexuals left.
That, of course, isn't what they're thinking -- even Tennessee senators can't be that stupid. Is it to keep young homosexuals repressed and isolated, leading to more gay teenage suicides? Is it to give permission to gay-bashers to beat up and kill these kids?
These right-wing radicals and Tea Partiers love to throw the word "freedom" around, but they obviously don't want people to have the freedom to be who they are if they happen to be outside the narrow version of "normal" and "acceptable" as determined by the state. Now even freedom of speech is gone in the Tennessee classrooms. I wonder how long it might be before gays in Tennessee would be required to wear pink-triangled armbands.
Saturday, April 30, 2011
wet and wild
It's been an April to forget for many people: the late-arriving Spring, the rain, the gloominess, the storms. It's time to move on to the next month.
The tornadoes of this past Wednesday in the South, killing several hundred people, were just the worst of what was a month in those regions of continuous rains and a record number of tornado activities. On our trip this past week, we saw evidence from prior recent storms of tornado and flood damage in Oklahoma, Arkansas, and Missouri.
Here in Minnesota, this was generally a month of continuing Winter and dreariness. Last April was so beautiful we forgot that Aprils can sometimes also be like this one. Now, as the rains pour down one day before May begins, I'm wondering how many prayers -- from farmers, outdoors enthusiasts, garden-center owners, bikers, and all the rest of us -- are going up for an end to this.
My fear is that this late Spring will make for a very short Summer. This could be one of those years where we go right from Winter into heat and humidity.
The tornadoes of this past Wednesday in the South, killing several hundred people, were just the worst of what was a month in those regions of continuous rains and a record number of tornado activities. On our trip this past week, we saw evidence from prior recent storms of tornado and flood damage in Oklahoma, Arkansas, and Missouri.
Here in Minnesota, this was generally a month of continuing Winter and dreariness. Last April was so beautiful we forgot that Aprils can sometimes also be like this one. Now, as the rains pour down one day before May begins, I'm wondering how many prayers -- from farmers, outdoors enthusiasts, garden-center owners, bikers, and all the rest of us -- are going up for an end to this.
My fear is that this late Spring will make for a very short Summer. This could be one of those years where we go right from Winter into heat and humidity.
Friday, April 29, 2011
sleeping through the royal wedding
My sister Joan -- and many others, I'm sure -- set their alarm clocks for 3 a.m. this morning to watch Prince William and Kate Middleton get married six time zones away in London. I remember that Joan also did this back in 1981 when William's parents got married. Fortunately, she took a vacation day from work today and can sleep off the excitement later.
We were not motivated to skip work or be watching this spectacle live so we slept through it, but I do admit that we DVR'd it, just in case we want to fast-forward through it later, skipping the commercials, the delays, and the talking-head discussions of the role of the British monarchy in the 21st Century. There might be some moments in between that will be amusing or memorable.
Prince William, presumably the future king, seems like a cool enough guy. It's kind of a shame, though, that he's losing his hair already at such a young age and as he ages looks less like his mother and more like his father. And Kate should make a fine queen, if she can stick it out having to deal with those super-weird in-laws and Camilla. She might find out that a "fairy tale ending" isn't always so pretty.
We were not motivated to skip work or be watching this spectacle live so we slept through it, but I do admit that we DVR'd it, just in case we want to fast-forward through it later, skipping the commercials, the delays, and the talking-head discussions of the role of the British monarchy in the 21st Century. There might be some moments in between that will be amusing or memorable.
Prince William, presumably the future king, seems like a cool enough guy. It's kind of a shame, though, that he's losing his hair already at such a young age and as he ages looks less like his mother and more like his father. And Kate should make a fine queen, if she can stick it out having to deal with those super-weird in-laws and Camilla. She might find out that a "fairy tale ending" isn't always so pretty.
Thursday, April 28, 2011
the death of the birther issue
... or is it? Now that President Obama has had his birth certificate released to shut up the weirdo-fringe element about whether he was born in the U.S. or not, will the birthers just move on to some other stupid waste-of-time issue? After all, this wasn't really about where Obama was born: it was to remind the lunatics that he "isn't one of us" -- the transparent message being "he's not a true-blooded American -- he's not 'Christian' -- he's not white."
Cartoon candidate Donald Trump now wants to see transcripts from Obama's school years, the obvious implication being that he thinks Obama used Affirmative Action to get into Harvard. I'm a little surprised that Trump turned out to be this kind of person, courting the white-racist radicals. Luckily, there aren't enough of them anymore to get him elected President.
It's a shame there can't be any rational political discussion anymore or, if there is such a thing, that the media choose not to cover legitimate debate, preferring the "reality-show" attention-grabbers.
Cartoon candidate Donald Trump now wants to see transcripts from Obama's school years, the obvious implication being that he thinks Obama used Affirmative Action to get into Harvard. I'm a little surprised that Trump turned out to be this kind of person, courting the white-racist radicals. Luckily, there aren't enough of them anymore to get him elected President.
It's a shame there can't be any rational political discussion anymore or, if there is such a thing, that the media choose not to cover legitimate debate, preferring the "reality-show" attention-grabbers.
Wednesday, April 27, 2011
six for six
Greetings from Iowa City, Iowa, home of the University of Iowa. This was our last overnight on this trip and today we head through northern Iowa and back into Minnesota, about a five-hour drive to Minneapolis from here. The forecast there is for a rain-and-snow mixture once we get close to home, so that will bring us full circle through most imaginable weather experiences during this trip.
It's been a great road trip, though, and I'm glad we did it. We partly did it because I needed to get on the road and drive and partly because Jerry's ears have been so screwed up from this bronchitis that we thought it would dangerous for him to get on an airplane. The last thing he needs is eardrums bursting.
Cool oddities on this trip: We spent every night of the six nights in different Country Inn hotels in five states. We like Country Inns, and Jerry gets discounts at all of them. Each was different, but each was also the same, so it was kind of like coming back to something familiar every night.
The other oddity as we drove: I've had Sirius satellite radio in my car for five years and have usually been stuck on the same four or five channels out of a couple hundred, so we decided to listen to each station for at least one song or long enough to get the flavor of the channel. We found some good ones, but there were some that it was hard to make it through even one song (but we did it!) -- the rap channels, the country-western stations, the right-wing talk radio. But we made it.
The next words you hear from me will be back in Minneapolis....
It's been a great road trip, though, and I'm glad we did it. We partly did it because I needed to get on the road and drive and partly because Jerry's ears have been so screwed up from this bronchitis that we thought it would dangerous for him to get on an airplane. The last thing he needs is eardrums bursting.
Cool oddities on this trip: We spent every night of the six nights in different Country Inn hotels in five states. We like Country Inns, and Jerry gets discounts at all of them. Each was different, but each was also the same, so it was kind of like coming back to something familiar every night.
The other oddity as we drove: I've had Sirius satellite radio in my car for five years and have usually been stuck on the same four or five channels out of a couple hundred, so we decided to listen to each station for at least one song or long enough to get the flavor of the channel. We found some good ones, but there were some that it was hard to make it through even one song (but we did it!) -- the rap channels, the country-western stations, the right-wing talk radio. But we made it.
The next words you hear from me will be back in Minneapolis....
Tuesday, April 26, 2011
where to meet me
In St. Louis...
We've driven through periods of torrential rain the past couple days in Arkansas and southern Missouri and spent the night (at a Country Inn, of course) not far from the St. Louis airport that was damaged so badly by a tornado last Friday. Nearby are suburban communities that were hit even harder than the airport was and are still without power. It's been a weird spring for this part of the country. The rains and storms have been setting records, the kinds of records you don't want to set.
Jerry has a cousin who lives here in St. Louis, and we had a nice dinner and chatfest with her last night. After that, we stopped at the Ameristar, an enormous riverboat casino near our hotel, and had a fun if un-enriching time there.
Over the next two days, we will meander our way back to Minneapolis over some undetermined path. I asked Jerry how long he could keep up this life on the road if we had unlimited time. We both agreed that we wouldn't be ready to go home yet.
We've driven through periods of torrential rain the past couple days in Arkansas and southern Missouri and spent the night (at a Country Inn, of course) not far from the St. Louis airport that was damaged so badly by a tornado last Friday. Nearby are suburban communities that were hit even harder than the airport was and are still without power. It's been a weird spring for this part of the country. The rains and storms have been setting records, the kinds of records you don't want to set.
Jerry has a cousin who lives here in St. Louis, and we had a nice dinner and chatfest with her last night. After that, we stopped at the Ameristar, an enormous riverboat casino near our hotel, and had a fun if un-enriching time there.
Over the next two days, we will meander our way back to Minneapolis over some undetermined path. I asked Jerry how long he could keep up this life on the road if we had unlimited time. We both agreed that we wouldn't be ready to go home yet.
Monday, April 25, 2011
waking up in bill clinton's home state
Here is one of Bill Clinton's finest moments -- when he was first running for President, 1992, on the Arsenio Hall show.
Sunday, April 24, 2011
where you wouldn't expect to find us
It wasn't planned this way. We were heading north through southeastern Oklahoma (which is beautiful, by the way) and through the corner of northwestern Arkansas, thinking we'd spend the night somewhere in southwestern Missouri -- maybe Joplin. But then the rains came. I've never driven through such driving rain, water rushing all around us, driveways washed away -- a couple hours of that! So we realized, that's enough! and called ahead for a reservation at the nearest Country Inn (our fourth in four nights), which turned out to be in Rogers, Arkansas, a city that adjoins Bentonville. In fact, the exit off the Interstate was a Bentonville exit.
What's wrong with Bentonville, Arkansas, you ask? Why, it's the location of the world headquarters of that despicable company that Jerry and I love to hate -- Walmart! We are surrounded by Walmarters! It's not a good feeling!
Hey man, it was either that or drown out there on the road! I hope we made the right decision!
What's wrong with Bentonville, Arkansas, you ask? Why, it's the location of the world headquarters of that despicable company that Jerry and I love to hate -- Walmart! We are surrounded by Walmarters! It's not a good feeling!
Hey man, it was either that or drown out there on the road! I hope we made the right decision!
Saturday, April 23, 2011
#49
We started the day out in Oklahoma City and ended it here in Dallas. You know, it's funny but when, before visiting, I thought of Oklahoma City, my first thought would have been the bombing of the federal building on April 19, 1995, and, unless it's football season, my first thought of Dallas would have been the assassination of JFK on November 22, 1963. Today, in the same day, I visited the sites of both of those tragedies, and, curiously, I felt I had already been in both places before. Maybe my first thoughts from now on will be what these cities are really like.
Notes so far: Jerry and I agreed that if we were forced (at gunpoint, no doubt) to live in one of these two cities, we'd pick Oklahoma City. And, only based on what we've seen so far, I've liked Oklahoma overall better than Texas.
But I've done my self-imposed duty and have seen Texas, making it the 49th out of the 50 states for me to visit. Oregon will be #50 for me, maybe later this year. My brother Davy, who lives in San Antonio when he's not in China, thought that I was saving Texas for last. I wasn't. I mostly just didn't want to come here while Bush was President. And now the current Governor of Texas thinks the state should secede from the Union, so maybe I got here just in time. Now I say, "Let 'em go!"
Notes so far: Jerry and I agreed that if we were forced (at gunpoint, no doubt) to live in one of these two cities, we'd pick Oklahoma City. And, only based on what we've seen so far, I've liked Oklahoma overall better than Texas.
But I've done my self-imposed duty and have seen Texas, making it the 49th out of the 50 states for me to visit. Oregon will be #50 for me, maybe later this year. My brother Davy, who lives in San Antonio when he's not in China, thought that I was saving Texas for last. I wasn't. I mostly just didn't want to come here while Bush was President. And now the current Governor of Texas thinks the state should secede from the Union, so maybe I got here just in time. Now I say, "Let 'em go!"
Friday, April 22, 2011
#48
We hadn't intended to drive this far, really. We started driving after work yesterday and landed in Des Moines, Iowa, where we stayed at a nice Country Inn. But it was a rainy drive, and it was not much better when we got up this morning and drove through Missouri to Kansas City -- cloudy at all times and a landscape that wasn't much greener than Minnesota.
But then we got to Kansas City -- stopped and had lunch at a place called Oklahoma Joe's BBQ -- and tried to drive away from the cloudy weather. Jerry was working his iPhone and checking weather forecasts, which led us to keep driving farther southwest, through southeastern Kansas, and suddenly the clouds were gone and the sun was sunny and the temperatures were in the 70s and things were green. It felt almost like early summer. That made this whole trip worthwhile, just to feel warm wonderful weather again.
After driving that far, what's a couple hundred more miles southwest to one of the three states I hadn't been to yet.? So here we are in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, in a brand-new Country Inn, where it is still 80 degrees outside at 9 PM.
... and, for all of those readers keeping count, that means that I only have two states to set foot in -- Oregon and Texas... (and hmmm, what state is just south of here?) 48 down, 2 to go.
But then we got to Kansas City -- stopped and had lunch at a place called Oklahoma Joe's BBQ -- and tried to drive away from the cloudy weather. Jerry was working his iPhone and checking weather forecasts, which led us to keep driving farther southwest, through southeastern Kansas, and suddenly the clouds were gone and the sun was sunny and the temperatures were in the 70s and things were green. It felt almost like early summer. That made this whole trip worthwhile, just to feel warm wonderful weather again.
After driving that far, what's a couple hundred more miles southwest to one of the three states I hadn't been to yet.? So here we are in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, in a brand-new Country Inn, where it is still 80 degrees outside at 9 PM.
... and, for all of those readers keeping count, that means that I only have two states to set foot in -- Oregon and Texas... (and hmmm, what state is just south of here?) 48 down, 2 to go.
Thursday, April 21, 2011
no iPad but a kindle
I was determined to buy an iPad2 last night, but, after calling around to various Apple stores, I found out that there are no iPad2s in stock anywhere in town. Darn, I say.
But then I stopped and got the mail, and there was a package from my nephew in Seattle -- an Amazon Kindle! So, while I am waiting for iPads to be available, I have a new Kindle to learn and enjoy. Thanks, Jeff! A nice surprise!
*****
We start on our little undefined road trip tonight after work. I'll have my laptop in case we have any exciting adventures. Or even if we don't have any exciting adventures.
But then I stopped and got the mail, and there was a package from my nephew in Seattle -- an Amazon Kindle! So, while I am waiting for iPads to be available, I have a new Kindle to learn and enjoy. Thanks, Jeff! A nice surprise!
*****
We start on our little undefined road trip tonight after work. I'll have my laptop in case we have any exciting adventures. Or even if we don't have any exciting adventures.
Wednesday, April 20, 2011
evening appreciation
How nice to be able to go home at 5 or shortly thereafter and to have a life back.
Last night: We went to a new place called The Inn for dinner, several blocks from us in downtown Minneapolis, then went home and watched a pay-per-view movie on TV -- The Tourist, starring Johnny Depp and Angelina Jolie, which I had extremely low expectations for and therefore ended up liking it quite a lot. Very entertaining. See it if you get a chance.
Tonight: I might go to the Apple Store and buy an iPad2.
Tomorrow night: Jerry and I plan on getting in the car and heading for parts unknown, maybe south of here (Missouri? that direction somewhere?) and being gone until Tuesday night. I'll keep you posted.
Last night: We went to a new place called The Inn for dinner, several blocks from us in downtown Minneapolis, then went home and watched a pay-per-view movie on TV -- The Tourist, starring Johnny Depp and Angelina Jolie, which I had extremely low expectations for and therefore ended up liking it quite a lot. Very entertaining. See it if you get a chance.
Tonight: I might go to the Apple Store and buy an iPad2.
Tomorrow night: Jerry and I plan on getting in the car and heading for parts unknown, maybe south of here (Missouri? that direction somewhere?) and being gone until Tuesday night. I'll keep you posted.
Tuesday, April 19, 2011
hangover 2
wow.... yesterday's Monday video was removed for "copyright" issues and I can't seem to delete it, so it's just going to have to sit there as a big blank. I'll make up for it next week.
The day after the tax deadline is always kind of a bust in our office. Some people don't make it in due to extreme hangovers and some of us with more minor hangovers that do manage to drag themselves into the office have productivity issues... I fall into the latter category.
But we had a great time with our traditional Tax Night Sip 'n Stroll down Nicollet Mall, ending with an over-the-top dinner at Manny's Steakhouse. I work with good people that work hard, so it's fun to end a difficult busy season with some wild celebration.
The day after the tax deadline is always kind of a bust in our office. Some people don't make it in due to extreme hangovers and some of us with more minor hangovers that do manage to drag themselves into the office have productivity issues... I fall into the latter category.
But we had a great time with our traditional Tax Night Sip 'n Stroll down Nicollet Mall, ending with an over-the-top dinner at Manny's Steakhouse. I work with good people that work hard, so it's fun to end a difficult busy season with some wild celebration.
Monday, April 18, 2011
you might find you get what you need
... and what I need, actually, is some sleep even if it is "too much like death".. By the way, guys, I think I want this song at my funeral. The funniest thing about this 1969 video is the David Frost introduction and comments at the end. What were the Stones doing on the David Frost show?
Sunday, April 17, 2011
coughing his brains out
Jerry has bronchitis. He coughs and the house rattles. He has been coughing like this for a week or more, and the doctor tells him it could go on another couple weeks, a month, who knows?
So I'm trying to avoid catching it and it's probably good that I'm spending all this time at the office, but that ends tomorrow and I'll be back to a normal at-home schedule... I think...
... and we are hoping to take some undetermined road trip next weekend. I need to get out of town, man, but I'm a little afraid these coughing fits of his are going to throw my little car out of alignment!
So I'm trying to avoid catching it and it's probably good that I'm spending all this time at the office, but that ends tomorrow and I'll be back to a normal at-home schedule... I think...
... and we are hoping to take some undetermined road trip next weekend. I need to get out of town, man, but I'm a little afraid these coughing fits of his are going to throw my little car out of alignment!
Saturday, April 16, 2011
workin' through the weekend...
.... and therefore reaching desperately for something to say that is out there beyond the office walls...
How about this bit of trivial news I was just reading about? -- Two daytime TV soap operas, All My Children and One Life to Live, are being cancelled after more than 40 years on the air. I've never been into any daytime soap (unless you count Dark Shadows back in the early '70s!), but it's kind of sad to see the soap era end. There will be four soap operas left when there used to be 19, but ratings are down, and, more importantly to network honchos, the average age of the viewers is 57 -- not a good demographic for sponsors, apparently. The really sad part of any of this is wondering what people are watching instead. Dr. Phil!?!
How about this bit of trivial news I was just reading about? -- Two daytime TV soap operas, All My Children and One Life to Live, are being cancelled after more than 40 years on the air. I've never been into any daytime soap (unless you count Dark Shadows back in the early '70s!), but it's kind of sad to see the soap era end. There will be four soap operas left when there used to be 19, but ratings are down, and, more importantly to network honchos, the average age of the viewers is 57 -- not a good demographic for sponsors, apparently. The really sad part of any of this is wondering what people are watching instead. Dr. Phil!?!
Friday, April 15, 2011
the "revenue" in the IRS
Yeah, I know. It's April 15th, the notorious Tax Deadline date (Except that this year the deadline was moved to Monday the 18th).
I gotta say this, though. Everybody hates the Internal Revenue Service, so it's an easy institution to bash and a popular whipping-boy for politicans and candidates. But I was noticing in the just-passed Congressional budget that part of the $36 billion in spending cuts includes a reduction in funds for the IRS, which means less audits and less money for enforcement of the tax laws.
Needless to say, I don't want my clients to undergo IRS examinations because IRS audits are a total pain in the butt, but speaking objectively to a Congress that is mouthing-off about "reducing the budget deficit" -- IRS audits bring in way more revenue than they cost. It's really stupid to cut the IRS budget. I'm sure, though, that the major corporations and executives who own our Congress don't want any more scrutiny. They win again.
I gotta say this, though. Everybody hates the Internal Revenue Service, so it's an easy institution to bash and a popular whipping-boy for politicans and candidates. But I was noticing in the just-passed Congressional budget that part of the $36 billion in spending cuts includes a reduction in funds for the IRS, which means less audits and less money for enforcement of the tax laws.
Needless to say, I don't want my clients to undergo IRS examinations because IRS audits are a total pain in the butt, but speaking objectively to a Congress that is mouthing-off about "reducing the budget deficit" -- IRS audits bring in way more revenue than they cost. It's really stupid to cut the IRS budget. I'm sure, though, that the major corporations and executives who own our Congress don't want any more scrutiny. They win again.
Thursday, April 14, 2011
the reward for being really terrible
This will be my last mention of the Minnesota Timberwolves for a while, since their last game of the season (finally!) was last night, and they ended up with a dreadful record of 17 wins and 65 losses, officially the worst record of all 30 NBA teams this year.
So what do they get for being the worst? They get more ping-pong balls in the "lottery" to draft the best college players, but 14 teams altogether have ping-pong balls bouncing around and the Wolves have never had good luck with the ping-pong balls (or basketballs, either) bouncing their way, so that isn't much consolation (The worst team has a 25% chance of getting the #1 draft pick).
One more thing: Even though they only won 17 games this year, that is two more than they won last year!
But, regardless, loyal fans that we are, we renewed our season tickets for next year. Hey man, the tickets are so cheap!.... and maybe someday they'll make the playoffs again.
So what do they get for being the worst? They get more ping-pong balls in the "lottery" to draft the best college players, but 14 teams altogether have ping-pong balls bouncing around and the Wolves have never had good luck with the ping-pong balls (or basketballs, either) bouncing their way, so that isn't much consolation (The worst team has a 25% chance of getting the #1 draft pick).
One more thing: Even though they only won 17 games this year, that is two more than they won last year!
But, regardless, loyal fans that we are, we renewed our season tickets for next year. Hey man, the tickets are so cheap!.... and maybe someday they'll make the playoffs again.
Wednesday, April 13, 2011
trumped again
Who cares what Donald Trump has to say? It seems like his every obnoxious uttering is making the news this day -- that he might run for President, that he thinks Obama wasn't born in the U.S., the stupid Celebrity Apprentice stuff, etc. ad nauseum. It makes me sorry I ever spent money in his three Atlantic City casinos.
The 2012 Presidential campaign could be a freak show. Can you picture the Republican Presidental debates? -- Donald with his hair, along with Sarah Palin and Michele Bachmann with their harebrains? They might be entertaining to watch, except for the fact that they could make dangerous candidates like Mitt Romney and Mike Huckabee look normal by comparison.
The 2012 Presidential campaign could be a freak show. Can you picture the Republican Presidental debates? -- Donald with his hair, along with Sarah Palin and Michele Bachmann with their harebrains? They might be entertaining to watch, except for the fact that they could make dangerous candidates like Mitt Romney and Mike Huckabee look normal by comparison.
Tuesday, April 12, 2011
spacy or spacey or both
I was feeling a little spacy and wasn't sure if "spacy" was the correct spelling or if it should be "spacey" as in Kevin Spacey, so I looked it up and, as it turns out, either is correct. And here is the first definition that I came across of the word with either spelling: "Stupefied or disoriented by or as if by drug use."
While I can't deny that this may be a good description of my current state of mind, I was thinking more about an outer space thing. Today, after all, is the 50th anniversary of the first man in space. Here I go dating myself again, but I remember how upset kids on my school bus were at the time it happened because the first man in space was a Russian (Yuri Gagarin) and not an American: it seemed to verify the fears that the USSR was surpassing us in technology, that the Sputnik was just the beginning and that they were indeed going to "bury us" one day. Now we say, the USS-who??? And whoever hears about the space program anymore? At one time it seemed like such a big deal.
While I can't deny that this may be a good description of my current state of mind, I was thinking more about an outer space thing. Today, after all, is the 50th anniversary of the first man in space. Here I go dating myself again, but I remember how upset kids on my school bus were at the time it happened because the first man in space was a Russian (Yuri Gagarin) and not an American: it seemed to verify the fears that the USSR was surpassing us in technology, that the Sputnik was just the beginning and that they were indeed going to "bury us" one day. Now we say, the USS-who??? And whoever hears about the space program anymore? At one time it seemed like such a big deal.
Monday, April 11, 2011
Sunday, April 10, 2011
nothing except for a few brief moments in the black forest
This weekend has been almost entirely here in my office working my tired old butt off, except for a minor break here and there.. Just one more week of this and then I'm back to my normal abnormal self.
Worked until 11 PM last night and was way too wired to sleep, so I found a free On Demand movie on TV -- The Fabulous Baker Boys, which I had never seen and which Joan had always told me I would like.. and I did. Got to bed about 2 AM. But awake at 6:30 this morning, Sunday, anyway -- a curse of getting old, I don't know to sleep anymore.... and thought what the heck and headed back to the office and have been here ever since except for Jerry picking me up for a dinner break. We went to the Black Forest Inn, a favorite restaurant of mine, German food.. and a gin-and-tonic for me.
So it's those little side trips that I'm appreciating right now. And if I had a life outside the office right now, that's what I'd be writing about.
Worked until 11 PM last night and was way too wired to sleep, so I found a free On Demand movie on TV -- The Fabulous Baker Boys, which I had never seen and which Joan had always told me I would like.. and I did. Got to bed about 2 AM. But awake at 6:30 this morning, Sunday, anyway -- a curse of getting old, I don't know to sleep anymore.... and thought what the heck and headed back to the office and have been here ever since except for Jerry picking me up for a dinner break. We went to the Black Forest Inn, a favorite restaurant of mine, German food.. and a gin-and-tonic for me.
So it's those little side trips that I'm appreciating right now. And if I had a life outside the office right now, that's what I'd be writing about.
Saturday, April 9, 2011
what a news day it could have been
Today's quote:
"America is the only country that went from barbarism to decadence without civilization in between." -- Oscar Wilde.
If you were following the budget fight in Congress this week that almost shut down the federal government last night, you'd wonder if we are still at the barbarism stage. If you followed it all very closely, then you have a stronger stomach than I do.
Earlier in the week I was talking on the phone with an IRS agent in Chicago who literally didn't know if she would be working this week because it hadn't been determined yet whether her department was "essential".
It's always fun to find that you're a non-essential.
"America is the only country that went from barbarism to decadence without civilization in between." -- Oscar Wilde.
If you were following the budget fight in Congress this week that almost shut down the federal government last night, you'd wonder if we are still at the barbarism stage. If you followed it all very closely, then you have a stronger stomach than I do.
Earlier in the week I was talking on the phone with an IRS agent in Chicago who literally didn't know if she would be working this week because it hadn't been determined yet whether her department was "essential".
It's always fun to find that you're a non-essential.
Friday, April 8, 2011
live from new york, it's...
...friday morning and Joan's last day in New York, which I'm sure she's lamenting as she sits in her favorite 42nd Street (or thereabouts) breakfast place... But let me share with you the texts that she sent me late last night after she saw that new production of Driving Miss Daisy:
Joan: "Hi. Just met Vanessa Redgrave. She was very gracious and talked to me several minutes and posed for a picture with me."
Me: "Wow, that's impressive!"
Joan: "It was very cool. She held my hand the whole time she talked to me."
Me: "Such a classy lady."
Joan: "Very much so. Now I met James Earl Jones. Also very gracious and stopped and shook hands and talked to each one of us. Neither one does autographs but that was ok."
Cool, huh?.. I guess it pays off to hang out at the stage door.
Joan: "Hi. Just met Vanessa Redgrave. She was very gracious and talked to me several minutes and posed for a picture with me."
Me: "Wow, that's impressive!"
Joan: "It was very cool. She held my hand the whole time she talked to me."
Me: "Such a classy lady."
Joan: "Very much so. Now I met James Earl Jones. Also very gracious and stopped and shook hands and talked to each one of us. Neither one does autographs but that was ok."
Cool, huh?.. I guess it pays off to hang out at the stage door.
Thursday, April 7, 2011
driving miss joan
My sister Joan, who lives in St. Paul, texted me from her cab ride, JFK Airport to Manhattan, yesterday morning, excited that she was back in the city she loves for her twice-a-year Broadway getaway. She sees three Broadway shows in two days and hangs around stage doors and diners and museums and everything that is wonderful about New York City. It's become her reward to herself for working so hard and coping with life all year.
The shows she is seeing this visit: Catch Me If You Can, a musical version of the Leonardo deCaprio film from several years ago; Good People, a new play starring Frances McDormand (who I loved as the pregnant sheriff in the movie Fargo); and Driving Miss Daisy, a limited-time new production starring (!) Vanessa Redgrave and James Earl Jones. How great would it be to see them together?
She texted me earlier that she liked the first two shows and was in the first row for each. Tonight is Miss Daisy. She gets home late tomorrow night, and I'm picking her up at MSP.
The shows she is seeing this visit: Catch Me If You Can, a musical version of the Leonardo deCaprio film from several years ago; Good People, a new play starring Frances McDormand (who I loved as the pregnant sheriff in the movie Fargo); and Driving Miss Daisy, a limited-time new production starring (!) Vanessa Redgrave and James Earl Jones. How great would it be to see them together?
She texted me earlier that she liked the first two shows and was in the first row for each. Tonight is Miss Daisy. She gets home late tomorrow night, and I'm picking her up at MSP.
Wednesday, April 6, 2011
an empty-calories moment
Okay, I just had to do this. I closed my office door and turned off my phones and am savoring a Pepsi, trying to become more coherent before my next client shows up.
It's one of those days when things go wrong or need to be re-done or just find ways to keep us from making progress.
... Then my brother Ronnie called. He's back in a Philadelphia hospital, is in very rough shape, sounds awful, has me worried.... Makes it hard to concentrate on the fleeting necessities of a work day.
I've gotten texts today from my sister Joan, who is in New York, her favorite place in the world, for her semi-annual three-day Broadway-shows visit. I'll tell you more about that tomorrow. The client has arrived.
It's one of those days when things go wrong or need to be re-done or just find ways to keep us from making progress.
... Then my brother Ronnie called. He's back in a Philadelphia hospital, is in very rough shape, sounds awful, has me worried.... Makes it hard to concentrate on the fleeting necessities of a work day.
I've gotten texts today from my sister Joan, who is in New York, her favorite place in the world, for her semi-annual three-day Broadway-shows visit. I'll tell you more about that tomorrow. The client has arrived.
Tuesday, April 5, 2011
words of wisdom from marilyn manson
This morning's quote on the blackboard at the coffee shop...
"Times have not become more violent. They have just become more televised."
"Times have not become more violent. They have just become more televised."
Monday, April 4, 2011
feeling a little flabby this morning...
... and I don't know what made me think of Elvis for this week's Monday video. Here, though, 1970 in Las Vegas, he still looks and sounds relatively okay.
Diet re-starts today after a week of way too much junk. Or do I need a doughnut to get me started?
Sunday, April 3, 2011
north to anoka
OK, I came back to the office and stayed til past midnight and accomplished a lot but certainly couldn't get up early this morning and head straight back to the office, so Jerry and I got in my car and drove to breakfast at one of our favorite mom-and-pop breakfast cafes in one of the near-northern Minneapolis suburbs. After that, we headed north a little more to the city of Anoka, which in this urban sprawl is technically a suburb too ("outer-ring"), I guess, but at least has a real downtown and its own identity, sort of, and we strolled around the quiet downtown for a while, stopped at an ice cream shop and an antique shop and headed home...
... all of which is inconsequential, but the important part of spending a Sunday morning like that is that it gave me some therapeutic driving time and also gave Jerry and me a chance to talk without interruptions and one or the other of us having to go to work right away... So we got to catch up with how things are going in our world -- Should we go somewhere after April 15th? -- Isn't it time for the U.S. to finally give up and get out of Afghanistan? ... that sort of thing...
... and he had a 2 o'clock appointment to get to, and I needed to get to the office, so the morning was a nice break... We don't ask for much this time of year.
... all of which is inconsequential, but the important part of spending a Sunday morning like that is that it gave me some therapeutic driving time and also gave Jerry and me a chance to talk without interruptions and one or the other of us having to go to work right away... So we got to catch up with how things are going in our world -- Should we go somewhere after April 15th? -- Isn't it time for the U.S. to finally give up and get out of Afghanistan? ... that sort of thing...
... and he had a 2 o'clock appointment to get to, and I needed to get to the office, so the morning was a nice break... We don't ask for much this time of year.
Saturday, April 2, 2011
reasons to go back to the office on a saturday night
Sorry to bother you dudes with the debate in my head, but, look, I'm sitting here with Jerry and Clark and they have a Final Four game on, and everybody is sort of (actually, they are loudly) rooting for VCU, which I had never heard of til the other day, and I've already blogged three times this week about basketball and can't do again and I like basketball but I don't LOVE basketball and college basketball per se means nothing to me...
... and here's the deal: I'm sitting here thinking of work I could be getting done in the office, which if I did could mean I wouldn't need to work so much tomorrow -- Sunday! or I might end up working just as much tomorrow doing something else that needs to be done... but how nice would it be to have a day to f- off?
... and I just made the mistake of mixing a vodka-cranberry...
... and here's the deal: I'm sitting here thinking of work I could be getting done in the office, which if I did could mean I wouldn't need to work so much tomorrow -- Sunday! or I might end up working just as much tomorrow doing something else that needs to be done... but how nice would it be to have a day to f- off?
... and I just made the mistake of mixing a vodka-cranberry...
Friday, April 1, 2011
resisting the urge to be a fool
I'm trying to be relatively unpredictable -- for me, at least -- and not do some stupid April Fool's trick on here today...
... so I'll head in a different direction, and this is all true.
There is a kind of funny, kind of bizarre event tonight at the Loring Theater, which is a couple of blocks from our condo (The Loring has been around since the 1920 in various incarnations and with various names and is back to its original name). We won't be there because, first of all, we're going to be booing LeBron James tonight instead at Target Center and who knows whether we would even consider it anyway, but the event is called "Where Tammy Tied the Knot." You see, back in 1961 the Loring Theater became for a while some sort of Evangelical Center, and it happens to be where Jim and Tammy Faye Bakker, who met in Minneapolis, got married 50 years ago today, April 1, 1961.
Jim and Tammy Faye were televangelists back in the '70s and '80s until they met their evangelistic Waterloo with a sex-and-fraud scandal. Jim went to prison, but Tammy Faye, who in her televangelist days was known for her caked makeup, excessive eyeliner and loopy demeanor, went on to be some sort of pop celebrity and, despite it all, kind of likeable. She died a couple years ago.
So tonight is a sort of mock tribute to the Bakkers, with a showing of the documentary The Eyes of Tammy Faye and some round-table discussion, followed by an anniversary celebration, with attendees encouraged to wear 1961 wedding-reception garb. (Who thinks of these things?) :-)
... so I'll head in a different direction, and this is all true.
There is a kind of funny, kind of bizarre event tonight at the Loring Theater, which is a couple of blocks from our condo (The Loring has been around since the 1920 in various incarnations and with various names and is back to its original name). We won't be there because, first of all, we're going to be booing LeBron James tonight instead at Target Center and who knows whether we would even consider it anyway, but the event is called "Where Tammy Tied the Knot." You see, back in 1961 the Loring Theater became for a while some sort of Evangelical Center, and it happens to be where Jim and Tammy Faye Bakker, who met in Minneapolis, got married 50 years ago today, April 1, 1961.
Jim and Tammy Faye were televangelists back in the '70s and '80s until they met their evangelistic Waterloo with a sex-and-fraud scandal. Jim went to prison, but Tammy Faye, who in her televangelist days was known for her caked makeup, excessive eyeliner and loopy demeanor, went on to be some sort of pop celebrity and, despite it all, kind of likeable. She died a couple years ago.
So tonight is a sort of mock tribute to the Bakkers, with a showing of the documentary The Eyes of Tammy Faye and some round-table discussion, followed by an anniversary celebration, with attendees encouraged to wear 1961 wedding-reception garb. (Who thinks of these things?) :-)
Thursday, March 31, 2011
lebron james is a jerk
I typed "LeBron James is a jerk" as my post title because I'm sort of dreading the thought of seeing him tomorrow night when his Miami Heat team plays our lowly Minnesota Timberwolves. Then I typed "LeBron James is a jerk" into a Google search and was amazed at how many links there were with that exact title. So excuse me for being un-original, but if the guy weren't such a jerk people wouldn't be calling him a jerk...
... especially in Cleveland, the city that he betrayed last year by leaving their Cavaliers in a most insulting way.... and then remember how he (and the stupid sports media) made such a big deal about which other team would be graced with his presence? ... anyway, I've already devoted too much space to the jerk...
... and the Timberwolves, who now have a conference-worst record of 17 wins and 58 losses, just seem to be riding out their few remaining games anxious to get to vacation and the college draft. Jerry and I stopped at the Wolves-Chicago Bulls game last night, and it was so pathetic that we only stayed for about one quarter. The place was packed with Bulls fans, and there is nothing more obnoxious in basketball than Bulls fans -- unless maybe it might be LeBron James fans. We'll see how many of them show up tomorrow night.
... especially in Cleveland, the city that he betrayed last year by leaving their Cavaliers in a most insulting way.... and then remember how he (and the stupid sports media) made such a big deal about which other team would be graced with his presence? ... anyway, I've already devoted too much space to the jerk...
... and the Timberwolves, who now have a conference-worst record of 17 wins and 58 losses, just seem to be riding out their few remaining games anxious to get to vacation and the college draft. Jerry and I stopped at the Wolves-Chicago Bulls game last night, and it was so pathetic that we only stayed for about one quarter. The place was packed with Bulls fans, and there is nothing more obnoxious in basketball than Bulls fans -- unless maybe it might be LeBron James fans. We'll see how many of them show up tomorrow night.
Wednesday, March 30, 2011
equal madness for women
Oh yeah -- that was MEN'S March Madness that I was referring to in the previous post. It occurred to me afterward that there is also a WOMEN'S Basketball Final Four tournament, which I had heard nothing about this year (Not that I was listening!). It took some doing, but I was able to find out who the Women's Final Four teams are: University of Connecticut (of course! -- the one thing I know about women's college basketball is that UConn always wins), Notre Dame, Stanford, and Texas A & M. Okay. So there!
Tuesday, March 29, 2011
madness
Let's take a look around...
"March Madness" (college basketball championships) has been going on, and I'm mostly oblivious to it because I never have time for it in March and because there are just too many teams... Starts with 64 of the best teams -- who can keep them straight? -- and gradually pares down to what is now "the Final Four", the champions to be decided next weekend. I was just reading that this is the "most unlikely Final Four ever". Why that is, I don't know. Here are the 2011 Final Four teams: University of Kentucky, University of Connecticut, Butler University, and Virginia Commonwealth University. Enjoy it if you're into this.
what else..?
Well, Obama gave his "why we are in Libya" speech last night, and, although I mostly am a pro-Obama guy (primarily because who the potential alternatives might be), he has lost me on this particular issue. Our answers always seem to be in our bombs. He can maybe get away with this because Qaddafi is such a distasteful character, but what will he do when the Saudis start attacking their own protestors? Will we still have the same standards?
"March Madness" (college basketball championships) has been going on, and I'm mostly oblivious to it because I never have time for it in March and because there are just too many teams... Starts with 64 of the best teams -- who can keep them straight? -- and gradually pares down to what is now "the Final Four", the champions to be decided next weekend. I was just reading that this is the "most unlikely Final Four ever". Why that is, I don't know. Here are the 2011 Final Four teams: University of Kentucky, University of Connecticut, Butler University, and Virginia Commonwealth University. Enjoy it if you're into this.
what else..?
Well, Obama gave his "why we are in Libya" speech last night, and, although I mostly am a pro-Obama guy (primarily because who the potential alternatives might be), he has lost me on this particular issue. Our answers always seem to be in our bombs. He can maybe get away with this because Qaddafi is such a distasteful character, but what will he do when the Saudis start attacking their own protestors? Will we still have the same standards?
Monday, March 28, 2011
dutch boys singing in english and french
This quirky but catchy 1969 song was by a One-Hit-Wonder group named Tee Set, and I didn't realize until I saw this video that they were Dutch and didn't know anything else about them -- it was just a song you heard on the radio. How young they look. I wonder how they look 42 years later.
Speaking of Dutch and French, my son Jon is planning a two-week vacation to the Netherlands, Belgium and France in May... I wonder if he would mind if his dad tagged along.. (Just kidding, Jon!!)... :-)
Sunday, March 27, 2011
picking up pixy stix
We ordered pizza, and everybody brought snacks and wine and Pepsi, and it was a nice relaxing but competitive evening that went late. I was sipping Pepsi all evening (wasn't in a wine mood), already getting a sugar overload, and Mark, one of the other players, offered me some Pixy Stix, which I had never heard of and of course everybody yelled at me for not knowing what Pixy Stix are. They are these straw-like things with colored sugar in them. I tried one, and then everybody yelled at me for not knowing how to eat them. You open one end and pour the sugar into your mouth, and it took me a while to figure that out and everybody thought I was a moron. This is a tough crowd.
... Just what I needed. More sugar. Straight.
Saturday, March 26, 2011
hanging out with wookies
My son Jon, my longtime co-worker Theresa, and Theresa's daughter Naomi and I did a night at the theater last night -- Shakespeare's The Winter's Tale at the Guthrie Theater here in Minneapolis. A good production of an odd play, all done very Guthrie-like, "modern" dress (actually the 1950s and the 1970s) -- and no, I don't understand the modern-dress thing either, but that's what they do these days. And I don't want to go on again about Shakespeare too much since I just had my Ides of March rant last week and I don't want you to think I'm a total nerd (Renaissance man, yes)...
... but one of the major cool things about the Guthrie is the building itself. Theresa had never been there, so it was fun showing her around. One of the things I like about the place is a sort-of futuristic, hidden bar on the 4th floor, with a very low ceiling, that for some reason always reminds me of the "wookie bar" in the first Star Wars movie. That's what Jerry and I call it, The Wookie Bar. I can almost picture Chewbacca on the other side of the bar....
... but one of the major cool things about the Guthrie is the building itself. Theresa had never been there, so it was fun showing her around. One of the things I like about the place is a sort-of futuristic, hidden bar on the 4th floor, with a very low ceiling, that for some reason always reminds me of the "wookie bar" in the first Star Wars movie. That's what Jerry and I call it, The Wookie Bar. I can almost picture Chewbacca on the other side of the bar....
Friday, March 25, 2011
oogling google in real time
Google is so impressive! But I suppose you already know that.
Blogger (blogger.com), the site I use to create this blog, is connected with Google (I'm not sure how this all works), and I'm impressed first of all by how the Google people recognize when I have posted one of these daily space-fillers. I mean, if you were go to google.com a few minutes after I publish this and type in "oogling google in real time", I bet that a link to this post will pop up. So who did it? Does somebody check to see if I've posted more words of wisdoms, or does it somehow automatically just know?
And you know that I like it when people post a "comment" about whatever I've droned on about. But there are "spam comments" out there too that you never see but which come through to my email. They sometimes are in Russian or have links to porn or some marketing link, and the reason you never see them is because Google somehow intercepts them before they actually get posted to my site. It's all very cool, except for maybe that slight eeriness of "big brother" watching.
*****
It's automatic, not a person checking. As soon as I published this, I went to Google right away and there it was already. Powerful!
Blogger (blogger.com), the site I use to create this blog, is connected with Google (I'm not sure how this all works), and I'm impressed first of all by how the Google people recognize when I have posted one of these daily space-fillers. I mean, if you were go to google.com a few minutes after I publish this and type in "oogling google in real time", I bet that a link to this post will pop up. So who did it? Does somebody check to see if I've posted more words of wisdoms, or does it somehow automatically just know?
And you know that I like it when people post a "comment" about whatever I've droned on about. But there are "spam comments" out there too that you never see but which come through to my email. They sometimes are in Russian or have links to porn or some marketing link, and the reason you never see them is because Google somehow intercepts them before they actually get posted to my site. It's all very cool, except for maybe that slight eeriness of "big brother" watching.
*****
It's automatic, not a person checking. As soon as I published this, I went to Google right away and there it was already. Powerful!
Thursday, March 24, 2011
on a hot tin roof
Yeah, it would be really irritating if I said something like "they don't make movie stars like they used to"...
... I remember back when I was in my early teens -- which means that Elizabeth Taylor was still probably in her late twenties -- one night hearing on the radio that she was in the hospital and possibly near death. Whatever it was that had her so ill, I don't remember, but she obviously survived that illness and other serious physical bouts over the year. She, like a cat, may have had "nine lives" (one more than her number of marriages), but she just finished the last one of the nine, and people are genuinely sad over her passing.
My favorite Elizabeth Taylor film was Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?, maybe followed by Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, but her greatest performances may have been her very public personal life, especially those wonderful love-hate years of her affair with and then later her two marriages to Richard Burton.
... I remember back when I was in my early teens -- which means that Elizabeth Taylor was still probably in her late twenties -- one night hearing on the radio that she was in the hospital and possibly near death. Whatever it was that had her so ill, I don't remember, but she obviously survived that illness and other serious physical bouts over the year. She, like a cat, may have had "nine lives" (one more than her number of marriages), but she just finished the last one of the nine, and people are genuinely sad over her passing.
My favorite Elizabeth Taylor film was Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?, maybe followed by Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, but her greatest performances may have been her very public personal life, especially those wonderful love-hate years of her affair with and then later her two marriages to Richard Burton.
Wednesday, March 23, 2011
another mystical evening
It's a snowy day, and everybody is saying, "How can this be?", but it's March and Minnesota, so just accept it, guys.
It was another late night at the office for me last night, and I need a break, so Jerry and I are going to drive down to Mystic Lake Casino Hotel and use one of my free-hotel-stay coupons and be away from here for an overnight. I wonder if that will be enough time for me to in any way unwind. I need to come back in 24 hours very refreshed.
Meanwhile on the other side of the world, my brother Davy in China is having a birthday today. Or, with all these time zones between us, maybe it was yesterday?.. (or tomorrow?)...
It was another late night at the office for me last night, and I need a break, so Jerry and I are going to drive down to Mystic Lake Casino Hotel and use one of my free-hotel-stay coupons and be away from here for an overnight. I wonder if that will be enough time for me to in any way unwind. I need to come back in 24 hours very refreshed.
Meanwhile on the other side of the world, my brother Davy in China is having a birthday today. Or, with all these time zones between us, maybe it was yesterday?.. (or tomorrow?)...
Monday, March 21, 2011
running on empty
I'm not a workaholic by nature, so it's hard working long hours over a weekend and facing Monday morning after that. Had a good break last night, though, celebrating my son Jon's birthday at Saji-ya restaurant on Grand Avenue in St. Paul -- Jerry and me, my other son Tom, and my sister Joan. And, as we were eating our Japanese dinners, Spring 2011 arrived.
Sunday, March 20, 2011
i've looked at clouds from both sides now
Darn. I was looking forward to seeing the moon last night. You know I'm kind of a moon freak anyway, and last night's full moon was supposed to be the biggest and brightest of the last twenty years. I've been reading some Facebook friends' comments this morning about how beautiful it was, but they are obviously in another part of the country. We went up to the condo's roof (22nd floor) to see it, and the sky was nothing but clouds all night. No moon anywhere in sight.
If I have to wait another twenty years to see a moon like that ("as big as a house", as they say in the movie Moonstruck), I might be on the other side of the moon by then, or, if I still happen to be here, another cloudy night will probably in the forecast. Some things aren't meant to be.
*****
Stormclouds of a different kind on the other side of the world, as American and French airplanes are bombing Libya. My friend Elke in Germany wrote me last night: "... before night falls, I want to write an email to you, telling you that I am sad, so sad about this bloody kind of spreading democracy." That makes two of us being sad. Do as we say, Qaddafi, not as we do. I wonder how many innocent people we will kill versus how many innocent people he will kill. And I wonder what kind of government will eventually replace him. Remember this -- In the '80s in Afghanistan, we were arming and supporting the rebels who became the Taliban.
If I have to wait another twenty years to see a moon like that ("as big as a house", as they say in the movie Moonstruck), I might be on the other side of the moon by then, or, if I still happen to be here, another cloudy night will probably in the forecast. Some things aren't meant to be.
*****
Stormclouds of a different kind on the other side of the world, as American and French airplanes are bombing Libya. My friend Elke in Germany wrote me last night: "... before night falls, I want to write an email to you, telling you that I am sad, so sad about this bloody kind of spreading democracy." That makes two of us being sad. Do as we say, Qaddafi, not as we do. I wonder how many innocent people we will kill versus how many innocent people he will kill. And I wonder what kind of government will eventually replace him. Remember this -- In the '80s in Afghanistan, we were arming and supporting the rebels who became the Taliban.
Saturday, March 19, 2011
evil and ugly too
Libya's Colonel Qaddafi, who until recently we hadn't heard much about since the Reagan days, now gets the prize for the World's Least Attractive Dictator (definitely not aging well!) in addition to apparently being Pure Evil (We always need Pure Evil enemies, you know, and Saddam Hussein is dead and Obama bin Laden is hiding in an unreachable cave).
After all his dictatorial years, Qaddafi has lately been facing massive protests and uprisings from his people, as are other dictators in the Middle East and in North Africa, and he is in the process of squashing that resistance. The world's leaders, led verbally by the U.S. and militarily by (so far) France and other countries and ostensibly fearing the coming bloodbath, are demanding that Qaddafi give up power to the rebels.
Without question, Qaddafi is a creep and deserves to lose power. But I'm also thinking, if the United States or France were facing a major rebellion demanding that their governments step down, do you think they wouldn't be bombing the heck out of their own insurrections?
After all his dictatorial years, Qaddafi has lately been facing massive protests and uprisings from his people, as are other dictators in the Middle East and in North Africa, and he is in the process of squashing that resistance. The world's leaders, led verbally by the U.S. and militarily by (so far) France and other countries and ostensibly fearing the coming bloodbath, are demanding that Qaddafi give up power to the rebels.
Without question, Qaddafi is a creep and deserves to lose power. But I'm also thinking, if the United States or France were facing a major rebellion demanding that their governments step down, do you think they wouldn't be bombing the heck out of their own insurrections?
Friday, March 18, 2011
into the abyss
This morning I had to drive to a client meeting way out in an outer-ring suburb; in fact, this suburb is so "outer" that it is almost not a suburb. A nice but unexciting drive.
... and what I notice, not for the first time, as I go from urban to rural --
-- It takes forever to get out of downtown Minneapolis. Downtown Minneapolis is not all that big, but the traffic lights seem to be timed to stop you at every possible red light. It took me almost as long to get out of downtown as it did to drive the rest of the 25 miles to the meeting. Why purposely mis-coordinate traffic lights? Just to irritate us? Think of all the time that is wasted, not to mention the gas that is wasted while we are idling at red lights!
-- The roads out in the outer burbs are in much better shape. The potholes here downtown are vicious already, and my little car is very unhappy about that, having hit some monstrous crevices.
-- But, as I was driving through the sprawl to that outer ring, I'm thinking, wow! whatever the urban problems might be, how can people live out here in the bland repetitiveness of the 'burbs? (I guess it's a good thing some people do live out there -- there is already too much traffic here downtown, and having more would just give me something else to complain about)
... and what I notice, not for the first time, as I go from urban to rural --
-- It takes forever to get out of downtown Minneapolis. Downtown Minneapolis is not all that big, but the traffic lights seem to be timed to stop you at every possible red light. It took me almost as long to get out of downtown as it did to drive the rest of the 25 miles to the meeting. Why purposely mis-coordinate traffic lights? Just to irritate us? Think of all the time that is wasted, not to mention the gas that is wasted while we are idling at red lights!
-- The roads out in the outer burbs are in much better shape. The potholes here downtown are vicious already, and my little car is very unhappy about that, having hit some monstrous crevices.
-- But, as I was driving through the sprawl to that outer ring, I'm thinking, wow! whatever the urban problems might be, how can people live out here in the bland repetitiveness of the 'burbs? (I guess it's a good thing some people do live out there -- there is already too much traffic here downtown, and having more would just give me something else to complain about)
Wednesday, March 16, 2011
et tu, dudes?
wow! How desperate for a post was I yesterday to resort to talking about my calculator blowing up? (Not that I'm going to guarantee that this one will be any more worthwhile!)
... and that Ides of March thing! Last night, we sat around at the office drinking wine and eating pizza, sort of celebrating that we had made it through the corporate tax deadline, and I mentioned something about it also being an Ides of March celebration. My comment brought mostly blank reactions, like, Hey, what's an Ides of March?
"Didn't you people have to read Julius Caesar or any other Shakespeare plays in high school?" I ask, and the answers were mostly No.
"So what did you read in English class?"
Watership Down, one person answers. (!) Another person says, "We didn't read Romeo and Juliet in English class, but we watched the movie." -- the Leonardo deCaprio version!
oh help!
... and that Ides of March thing! Last night, we sat around at the office drinking wine and eating pizza, sort of celebrating that we had made it through the corporate tax deadline, and I mentioned something about it also being an Ides of March celebration. My comment brought mostly blank reactions, like, Hey, what's an Ides of March?
"Didn't you people have to read Julius Caesar or any other Shakespeare plays in high school?" I ask, and the answers were mostly No.
"So what did you read in English class?"
Watership Down, one person answers. (!) Another person says, "We didn't read Romeo and Juliet in English class, but we watched the movie." -- the Leonardo deCaprio version!
oh help!
Tuesday, March 15, 2011
"beware...
...the Ides of March!" It's one of those important dates -- March 15, the corporate tax deadline -- that has ruled my life for the past thirty-some years... so it is good to see it pass. I should have listened to Shakespeare.
... and I somehow fried my calculator! The adding-machine tape, as it was coming to its end, unbeknownst to me, was rolling back around the spool and jamming up, and the machine had a meltdown. As it sizzled away, I wisely unplugged it and avoided burning the office down.
... so I'm getting used to a new calculator today, as this Ides fades into history.
... and I somehow fried my calculator! The adding-machine tape, as it was coming to its end, unbeknownst to me, was rolling back around the spool and jamming up, and the machine had a meltdown. As it sizzled away, I wisely unplugged it and avoided burning the office down.
... so I'm getting used to a new calculator today, as this Ides fades into history.
Monday, March 14, 2011
Cooler Hund bringt Baby zum lachen
Translates from German more or less as "Cool dog brings the baby some laughs".... It might make you at least crack a smile. Have a good week!
Sunday, March 13, 2011
knowing where to start
I wonder how you know, when your city is destroyed by an earthquake or tsunami, where to start in the re-building process. I mean, how do you put your grief aside -- especially if you have lost your home and all possessions and maybe even loved ones -- and begin picking up the debris? I wonder that too when I see photos or footage of whole cities destroyed during World War II and reduced to nothing but rubble, and somehow those cities didn't cease to exist.
It would be so tempting to run away and start life somewhere else when faced by monumental tasks like that.
I must say, though, that of all the countries that I've visited, Japan gives the impression of being the most organized and practical. These people will figure out how to manage this disaster and will learn from it and be a model for the rest of us when we face hard times. But nobody should have to go through such awfulness.
It would be so tempting to run away and start life somewhere else when faced by monumental tasks like that.
I must say, though, that of all the countries that I've visited, Japan gives the impression of being the most organized and practical. These people will figure out how to manage this disaster and will learn from it and be a model for the rest of us when we face hard times. But nobody should have to go through such awfulness.
Saturday, March 12, 2011
springing forward
Tomorrow is one of the two days in the year when you realize how many clocks you have in your life -- unless all of your clocks are satellite-driven, of course. Otherwise you need to go from room to room and change each clock by one hour -- the bedroom clocks, the microwave, the oven, your computers, and then your car. It's not so bad when you get to move them back (in the fall) and gain an hour (that's kind of a good feeling), but this losing an hour stuff is kind of a downer. And it's too bad that it always has to come on a weekend.
But at least we, theoretically, gain an hour of daylight, and that might give some people hope of another summer somewhere out there in the future. A few minutes ago, I met my sister Joan for coffee, and she was feeling down, lamenting this "longest winter ever." She said that talking with me actually cheered her up. We wondered if that was a first! :-)
But at least we, theoretically, gain an hour of daylight, and that might give some people hope of another summer somewhere out there in the future. A few minutes ago, I met my sister Joan for coffee, and she was feeling down, lamenting this "longest winter ever." She said that talking with me actually cheered her up. We wondered if that was a first! :-)
Friday, March 11, 2011
ronnie is home
Had a good long phone chat with my brother this morning. He went home from the hospital yesterday -- for a long stay this time, we all hope! -- is still very weak but improving and just happy to he home after all those weeks in the hospitals. His dog is ecstatic to have him home.
It should be a good day to kick back and watch CNN, Ronnie -- Busy news day in the world: an awful earthquake in Japan. Libya turmoil persists, and there are now even rumblings of protest in Saudi Arabia. All this news from outside our country's borders might even knock Charlie Sheen off the front pages for a few days.
It should be a good day to kick back and watch CNN, Ronnie -- Busy news day in the world: an awful earthquake in Japan. Libya turmoil persists, and there are now even rumblings of protest in Saudi Arabia. All this news from outside our country's borders might even knock Charlie Sheen off the front pages for a few days.
Thursday, March 10, 2011
love is in the air
Kevin Love, that is. The star player on our generally star-lacking Minnesota Timberwolves.
We went over to the Wolves game last night because it was to be the game where Kevin could break the all-time (at least, modern times) NBA record for the most consecutive "double double" games by a player, a double double being at least 10 scored points and at least 10 rebounds in a single game. 52 games in a row. And he did it.
... and Timberwolves fans, looking at the Wolves' pathetic win-loss record, have so few reasons to cheer that Kevin got multiple standing ovations, and the atmosphere was fun. And then the Wolves even went on to win the game, trouncing the Indiana Pacers 101-75.
So how long will it be before some other team steals Kevin Love away from us? :-(
We went over to the Wolves game last night because it was to be the game where Kevin could break the all-time (at least, modern times) NBA record for the most consecutive "double double" games by a player, a double double being at least 10 scored points and at least 10 rebounds in a single game. 52 games in a row. And he did it.
... and Timberwolves fans, looking at the Wolves' pathetic win-loss record, have so few reasons to cheer that Kevin got multiple standing ovations, and the atmosphere was fun. And then the Wolves even went on to win the game, trouncing the Indiana Pacers 101-75.
So how long will it be before some other team steals Kevin Love away from us? :-(
Wednesday, March 9, 2011
tuesday, wednesday, whatever...
When I left work late in the evening last night, I got home and dragged Jerry out to the bar. You know?, I just needed to be somewhere in the outside world, which I sometimes forget exists. And the bar, "the 19", was surprisingly busy, I thought, for a Tuesday night. There was no place to sit and I'm no good at standing around with a drink in my hand, so we went outside on the patio and sipped our drinks under the heat lamps, keeping our coats on in 30-degree temps out there, and we hung out with the smokers and it was a fun crowd.
Only later did it occur to me that it was Fat Tuesday -- the end of Mardi Gras and all the other names that pre-Lenten festival has in much of the world. I doubt that Fat Tuesday was the reason this particular bar was busy -- maybe Tuesday nights are always like that, but I'm kinda surprised I haven't heard anything about Mardi Gras this year (Katie didn't mention it).
And today is Ash Wednesday, the beginning of Lent, and I really have no idea what Ash Wednesday is all about except that I know that people overnight go from partying to having somber and reflective thoughts. I'm not feeling particularly somber. I want to go back to the bar.
Only later did it occur to me that it was Fat Tuesday -- the end of Mardi Gras and all the other names that pre-Lenten festival has in much of the world. I doubt that Fat Tuesday was the reason this particular bar was busy -- maybe Tuesday nights are always like that, but I'm kinda surprised I haven't heard anything about Mardi Gras this year (Katie didn't mention it).
And today is Ash Wednesday, the beginning of Lent, and I really have no idea what Ash Wednesday is all about except that I know that people overnight go from partying to having somber and reflective thoughts. I'm not feeling particularly somber. I want to go back to the bar.
Tuesday, March 8, 2011
the cbs evening news with katie couric
Ruthie, my niece, thinks we're a little strange because we finally got a DVR on our cable TV, which she prodded us to do, and the program that we most consistently record and watch is the CBS Evening News with Katie Couric.
But hey, I'm working these late days, and there is something kind of weirdly comforting about getting home at 9 p.m. and watching the news that was on at 5:30 and skipping through all those pharmaceutical commercials and having Katie give us the news in that soft style that she has. It's just too bad that the only news lately seems to be Libya and Charlie Sheen, but apparently there isn't much else going on the world or she'd be telling us all about it, I'm sure. And the program always ends with a heart-warming, non-news wrap-up. Thanks, Katie.
But hey, I'm working these late days, and there is something kind of weirdly comforting about getting home at 9 p.m. and watching the news that was on at 5:30 and skipping through all those pharmaceutical commercials and having Katie give us the news in that soft style that she has. It's just too bad that the only news lately seems to be Libya and Charlie Sheen, but apparently there isn't much else going on the world or she'd be telling us all about it, I'm sure. And the program always ends with a heart-warming, non-news wrap-up. Thanks, Katie.
Monday, March 7, 2011
Sunday, March 6, 2011
reality is overrated
Too many people that I know and care about are sick. Where did all this cancer come from? Was it always like this? Is it the environment, the food we eat? Are people just living longer, and the chances of cancer increase with age? Are certain cancers just detected earlier and treated earlier? -- and we know that sometimes the treatments can be worse than the disease...
Where are the cures? Is there a certain dollar amount -- a trillion dollars, maybe? -- that would ensure or speed up the necessary research? Or would the medical establishment collapse if there were no more cancers? (I guess that was a brutal thing to say, but wow, but they sure make a lot of money on this disease)
My thoughts are with my brother today as he continues to struggle in that Philadelphia hospital. He just wants to feel normal again.
Where are the cures? Is there a certain dollar amount -- a trillion dollars, maybe? -- that would ensure or speed up the necessary research? Or would the medical establishment collapse if there were no more cancers? (I guess that was a brutal thing to say, but wow, but they sure make a lot of money on this disease)
My thoughts are with my brother today as he continues to struggle in that Philadelphia hospital. He just wants to feel normal again.
Saturday, March 5, 2011
where did i put that extinguisher?
It's easy to get so lost in the trees that you forget you're in a forest and that a forest fire might be heading your way....
... step back. step back.
Get in the car, go for a drive.... The roads are clear.
...March is always such a hard month. Some more than others.
... step back. step back.
Get in the car, go for a drive.... The roads are clear.
...March is always such a hard month. Some more than others.
Friday, March 4, 2011
ho hum, it must be time for another invasion
Every day I wake up happy that Barack Obama is President and that George W. Bush or John McCain are not, but that doesn't mean I can't be frustrated with Obama. Not sure that I'd give him more than a "B-minus" grade overall at this time, made a "C-plus"....
... and one of my main frustrations is that we're still mired in Afghanistan and Iraq. Our continued involvement there currently isn't much different than it would be under Bush or McCain.
... But now here comes Libya. The Administration announced this week that "all options are on the table", including a possible invasion if necessary, to remove the evil Qaddafi from power and restore "peace". Oh and what a coincidence -- they happen to have oil there in Libya.
... Don't do it, dude.
... and one of my main frustrations is that we're still mired in Afghanistan and Iraq. Our continued involvement there currently isn't much different than it would be under Bush or McCain.
... But now here comes Libya. The Administration announced this week that "all options are on the table", including a possible invasion if necessary, to remove the evil Qaddafi from power and restore "peace". Oh and what a coincidence -- they happen to have oil there in Libya.
... Don't do it, dude.
Thursday, March 3, 2011
ignoring the freak shows
Another case of the more outrageous the rants, the more media attention you get --
-- the Westboro Baptist Church loonies in Topeka, Kansas, who have made a creepy name for themselves by picketing funerals across the country of AIDS victims and soldiers killed in Iraq. They carry signs with slogans like "Thank God for AIDS", "Thank God for Dead Soldiers", "God Hates fags", "God Hates America", etc. They won a case in the Supreme Court yesterday that gives them permission, protected by their free speech rights, to keep doing this. I say, who cares what they to? The important thing is for everyone to stop giving them attention.
Back in the mid-90s sometime, I joined a counter-protest at a church one Sunday morning in south Minneapolis that was quickly organized because the Topeka weirdos (all or most of whom are family members of Rev. Fred Phelps [the hateful pastor of the church]) were going to be picketing the church for being gay-friendly. Hundreds of people, including the mayor and other high-profile people, descended on the church, inside and outside, to show support for the church. Local news people were all over the place covering the story. And there turned out to be maybe six or seven of the Westboro people carrying their pathetic signs. So what were we there for? Calling attention to them, which is just what they wanted. Of course.
The way to make these Phelps people go away is to totally IGNORE them. Every time they get media coverage, there are other hateful people watching ready to write checks to their so-called Christian church.
If, because of this Supreme Court thing, they show up on the cover of Time magazine next week, I'm going to cancel my subscription.
-- the Westboro Baptist Church loonies in Topeka, Kansas, who have made a creepy name for themselves by picketing funerals across the country of AIDS victims and soldiers killed in Iraq. They carry signs with slogans like "Thank God for AIDS", "Thank God for Dead Soldiers", "God Hates fags", "God Hates America", etc. They won a case in the Supreme Court yesterday that gives them permission, protected by their free speech rights, to keep doing this. I say, who cares what they to? The important thing is for everyone to stop giving them attention.
Back in the mid-90s sometime, I joined a counter-protest at a church one Sunday morning in south Minneapolis that was quickly organized because the Topeka weirdos (all or most of whom are family members of Rev. Fred Phelps [the hateful pastor of the church]) were going to be picketing the church for being gay-friendly. Hundreds of people, including the mayor and other high-profile people, descended on the church, inside and outside, to show support for the church. Local news people were all over the place covering the story. And there turned out to be maybe six or seven of the Westboro people carrying their pathetic signs. So what were we there for? Calling attention to them, which is just what they wanted. Of course.
The way to make these Phelps people go away is to totally IGNORE them. Every time they get media coverage, there are other hateful people watching ready to write checks to their so-called Christian church.
If, because of this Supreme Court thing, they show up on the cover of Time magazine next week, I'm going to cancel my subscription.
Wednesday, March 2, 2011
martin's boy, emilio's brother
If there is no such thing as bad publicity, can you imagine the value of all the news coverage that Charlie Sheen is getting these days? The more outrageous his behavior and his interview comments, the more he makes headlines, especially on the Internet, which then leads to more interviews, which leads to more outrageous rantings, which leads, well, you know.....
... and you already know all this, and everybody has Sheen-overload and still it keeps coming...
... But I'm thinking how cool it would be to be Charlie Sheen for one day -- to be able to say absolutely anything that pops in your f-'d-up brain, to be able to loudly badmouth anybody you want to badmouth...
... and, after all that, still have people (like, in Charlie's case, me) who want you to come back to your show.
... and you already know all this, and everybody has Sheen-overload and still it keeps coming...
... But I'm thinking how cool it would be to be Charlie Sheen for one day -- to be able to say absolutely anything that pops in your f-'d-up brain, to be able to loudly badmouth anybody you want to badmouth...
... and, after all that, still have people (like, in Charlie's case, me) who want you to come back to your show.
Tuesday, March 1, 2011
pacing the skyways
Some days are just kind of hyper, which works well if you happen to be surrounded in your office by too much work. Today was one of those days and turned out to be one of my most productive in a long time: 7 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. without a break -- with the adrenaline flowing.
But then you need to get out for a while, which is one of the great things about working in downtown Minneapolis. If you need to stretch your legs or get some mental perspective, there are miles of skyways snaking through downtown with never a need to go outside.
Today I could have run through the skyways to use up some of this excess energy, but I walked (briskly) for a few blocks and remembered what the outside world looked like and came back.
But now it's 4:15, and I'm back at the desk, and I need to maintain some of this momentum to work well into the evening.
Tomorrow, I'll crash. If I worked at this pace every day, I'd already be dead by now.
But then you need to get out for a while, which is one of the great things about working in downtown Minneapolis. If you need to stretch your legs or get some mental perspective, there are miles of skyways snaking through downtown with never a need to go outside.
Today I could have run through the skyways to use up some of this excess energy, but I walked (briskly) for a few blocks and remembered what the outside world looked like and came back.
But now it's 4:15, and I'm back at the desk, and I need to maintain some of this momentum to work well into the evening.
Tomorrow, I'll crash. If I worked at this pace every day, I'd already be dead by now.
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