The Toledo Blade and WTVG TV13 Toledo Present....

The Scripps Corporate and Community Spelling Bee to benefit "Read for Literacy"...When I was working in the Creative area of the office (Park or "Garden" level)on my very famous and successful "deployment project", I commandeered a desk within very close proximity of the proofing staff...the two ladies who single-handedly assure that every "customer-facing" Rootster is articulate and erudite in their written communications. These amazing women also assure that all materials produced for clients are grammatically accurate and all spellings are correct (not only for US customers, but also for Spanish,French, Japanese, and British English, just to name a few) These ladies have participated for the last two years in this spelling bee event for charity, there presence funded by donation to "Read for Literacy" by Root. This year, one of our two proofers is occupied in a very important and time consuming project and was not going to able to attend. This is where my close proximity to them and my penchant for writing, proofreading and innate spelling skill came into play. The ladies were aware of my "mad skills"; I have a reputation for being a little wordy but interesting in internal emails....on an impulse one day about two months ago, one of the ladies mentioned that the contest was coming up and the team was a "man" down...she suggested "You should do it this year!" Without a moments hesitation (or thought, really) I agreed. Not until later, when I started to discuss the process with them, and later still when I was issued my expansive notebook of the half of the alphabet I was to study, did I realize what I had gotten myself involved with.

I studied in my usual way...the method I have used since my high school years....wait till the last minute...(gasp! I KNOW....you must be so shocked!!!)...frantically pawing through page after page of word lists this past weekend and looking at the lists every chance I had during the day at work the last few days.....I was really starting to panic....there was no way that I was going to be an asset to the team (more like an "A**" I thought) I was worried that I would make Root look foolish since their name was affixed to everything involved with us being at the contest, and I was more upset about the prospect of letting the ladies down who had enough confidence in me to ask me to participate with them. Both of them were generous and kind as they assuaged my fears...."Do your best, and Have Fun" they both advised...."we know you will do just fine".

Today, as we were getting ready to leave for the competition, the lady who was not able to participate this year made a point of finding us to wish us luck. She also provided us with a mesh pouch with a half dozen small polished stones inside...each stone, she explained had a "power"...which it would impart to us, as we held them in our hands as we spelled. I was grateful for her thoughtfulness...and held tightly to one of the stones the entire time....feeling its smoothness and concentrating on its power (strength) it was easier for me to sit on the platform with the 34 other teams and actually feel that OUR team had as much of a chance as anyone else there to be successful.

We arrived at the venue in time for a very quick attempt at the lunch provided, the officials were introduced (one of them a teacher from the school district in which I was the Help Desk Tech before I came to Root) then all the participants were herded into the hall outside the contest room to be lined up for introductions and the walk to the risers where we were to sit. The entry was made through open double doors, each team being announced by business affiliation and then the individuals' names....they went to great lengths to make this part exciting and fun.....each team entered the hall through a cloud of "smoke" to the strains of some triumphant sounding musical fanfare (probably Rocky theme, now that I think on it!) The announcer was the voice of the Toledo Mudhens (who happens to be the sig other of one of our folks at the office) Our team was introduced as "The returning 2006 champions, Root Learning, team members Alma ******* and Vicki Timman"....I would be a liar if I said that this part was not fun (in a contrived sort of way)

We proceeded through the first round with the local celebrity talking heads who were participating for WTVG going out on the word "condolences"....we quietly offered ours as they left the platform. Round after round, continued to be successful....my teammate with her own set of "mad skills" assuring that we were right on with every word we were asked to spell. Ultimately we were in a small elimination group of four teams, where we finally met our killer word...."halophyte"...pronounced badly by the word guy....but that's OK....we still ended up with a very respectable 3rd....a little trophy to display in the office with our names engraved on it, and a good experience this year that will make it easy for us to accept next year, if Root decides to participate.

When we returned to the office, the folks there already knew how we had finished. The Creative team had already printed posters of congratulations and as we arrived we came upon them affixing the posters to every entry/exit door on both floors of our offices....no matter where we went, folks stopped us to congratulate...and also to hear the killer word....everyone was interested and excited that we made it in the contest as far as we had.

The photo at the top of this entry is of me and my teammate, proofer Alma...it was taken on the platform only a moment or two before the competition was to begin, so the quality is questionable at best, although it does generally reflect our positive attitudes as we embarked on this literary adventure this afternoon.

Hope you enjoyed my view of the day....that's it for now....till later, much love to you....

v

Labor Day weekend...

Everyone has had to work at least part of the weekend, with the young one working on Saturday AND Sunday and the firstborn working Monday....I even went in on Saturday, trying to get my head around the stuff that will be coming up fast and furious on Tuesday morning. The young one was off today and went to play "Guitar Hero" with a couple friends. I decided to do some sight-seeing....went to Maumee Bay State Park, Farnsworth Metropark in Waterville to eat my dinner (cut veggies with dip and a Jones Green Apple) by the Maumee River, and on the way home stopped at Fallen Timbers Monument in Maumee. Photos from the roam-around are on Flickr, if you are interested.

Well, back to it...stuff to get started before tomorrow morning...hope you had a relaxing weekend...till later, much love to you...

v

Hmmmm...

Who cares?

Currently thinking about.....

Interpol - No "I" in Threesome

- from the album Our Love to Admire (2007)

Through the storms and the light
Baby, you stood by my side
And life is wine
But there are days in this life
When you see the teeth marks of time
Two lovers divide
Sound meets sound, babe
The echoes, they surround
And know that we need is one thing
Now what is there to allow?
Babe, it's time we give something new a try
Oh, alone we may fight
So, just let us be free
And baby tonight
I see your lips are on fire
And life is wine
Now the windows are open the moon is so bright
There's no one can tell us what love brings, you and I
Sound meets sound, babe
The echoes they surround
And know that we need is one thing
Now what is there to allow
Babe, it's time we give something new a try
Oh, alone we may fight
So just let us be free, tonight
Through the storms and the light
Baby you stood by my side
And life is wine
You feel the sweet breath of time
It's whispering, its truth not mine
There's no I in threesome
And I am all for it
Babe, it's time we give something new a try
Oh, alone we may fight
And feathers bend like trees in the moonlight
Babe, it's time we give something new a try
Oh, alone we may fight
So just let us be free tonight

Some people really need to stop using the "mat"....

From the movie, Office Space (1998)

"It was a "Jump to Conclusions" mat. You see, it would be this mat that you would put on the floor... and would have different CONCLUSIONS written on it that you could JUMP TO."

- Tom Smykowski

____________________________________________________

I have been mulling over some occurrences recently....some interactions I have had with "friends"...folks that I felt I understood and trusted and that understood and trusted me....I have come to realize that there is a level of understanding and trust that I extend to people that seems not to come naturally to others, either because of their life experiences, some deep-seated self-doubt, a sort of protecting behaviour, because they have been hurt when trusting people before, or something else which I do not have the capacity to understand. All I do know for sure is that for these people, there is no question that all actions of others are first and foremost rooted in insidiously bad intentions...there is nothing that can be said or done EVER to change that ingrained, gut reaction. People like me get very frustrated with that sort of reaction....even when disappointed by people, I tend to let those things pass...there is nothing accomplished by holding grudges or keeping score...it only tends to hurt YOU and the person who you feel has disappointed you is often unaware of how serious you feel the injury was that they were responsible for.

My recent experiences have made me painfully aware that the wrestling match of trust that I have been having with a few of my "friends" can no longer continue....these people have already gotten their pre-release copy of the "Jump to Conclusions" mat and use it regularly with regard to me, and there is nothing I can ever do to change that behaviour. I feel like a failure as a friend for admitting that I am giving up the struggle, but that is something I will have to work through on my own....in the meantime, I will keep moving forward with my own good intentions and trusting attitude intact and hope for the best for the folks who insist on keeping their fatalistic outlook on people and relationships....

Till later, much love to you,

v

A difficult choice....

I received a phone call from the young one at noontime, as I have several times during the past week since marching band rehearsals have begun. It started out much in the normal way, with noise in the background and the young one talking about the morning's activities....as is sometimes the case when you are caught off-guard, I was trying hard to listen to the phone call and continue with my work in progress as well...until I heard the words that stopped my heart..."I can't do it anymore...I'm leaving the marching band...going to talk to the director at 1 o'clock"....I was absolutely stunned, and obviously by the tone of the young one's voice, he was struggling as well. He did not want to talk to me about the decision at that time and had another commitment to keep before his meeting with the directors, so we parted phone company then... I was left to worry and wonder...what could have possibly happened this morning to make the young one want to let this treasured goal, finally achieved, go?

I discovered out later in the day that the stress of the strenuous rehearsal schedule had finally become too much for him to bear...he had come to the cold realization that even after all the challenges and obstacles he had overcome to attain this position on the drumline, he was not physically capable of maintaining the grueling energy level that participating in the band required. His admission to himself of his lack of preparation in that regard was probably the most difficult thing he has ever done...he is not one to give up when the going gets rough...but he realized in his heart that there was no way that physical fitness and stamina was going to magically be granted to him in the final few days before classes and performances officially begin.

He will be realigning his course work for this academic year to include Symphonic Band as his large ensemble (required of music majors) and has spoken of making it his goal to become fit enough to audition and participate in Marching Band next fall. Field percussion is a passion for him, and the lack of its presence this fall for the first time in four years will be difficult...but it will also be a motivating force...I look forward to watching his progress in this quest and participating if I can....please send the young one your good thoughts...his journey is just beginning....

Till later, much love to you...

v

Overexposed

Too much exposure? Too many hits? Coming back too high on the list of boolean search results from Google, Dogpile or Yahoo? How many people are you acquainted with that would like that to be their problem...in fact labour long and hard to make just such a thing occur?

I have decided that I have too many places to maintain content on and as a result, they all are half-hearted efforts and do not reflect my real abilities or intent as I keep a presence in cyberspace. For that reason, I am making a conscious decision to continue actively participating in only one social networking site (Facebook), one full fledged blogging site (Blogger), one site with a personalized domain name (tekkbabe.net) one photo sharing service (Flickr) and one flash blogging service (Twitter). I am not eliminating other sites where my name and presence appear, but over time they will become static and probably become defunct on their own.

In the over-abundance of places to "Put things", there is a significant amount of garbage being created...I am tired of contributing to mediocre content just for the sake of having a presence on every server on the internet. Goodbye to the many and here's hoping that the few I choose to support will contain content worth your effort to peruse.

Much love to you, till later

v

Everybody's Zooin' it....Toledo Zoo - August 11, 2007

Having a beautiful day and nothing in particular that I HAD to do, I decided to make a visit to the Toledo Zoo...haven't spent a great deal of time there since the kids were younger. Driving down to the Broadway entrance (back side) I recalled all the Mondays that I took the huge mob of kids (my own and the ones I was babysitter for back then) to the zoo for free, how much fun we had running willy-nilly from one end of the zoo to the other, having little snacks and when I was really "flush" everyone picking out a souvenir from the gift shop.

When I got inside the gates, I soon discovered that this particular Saturday was some sort of family day at the zoo...lots of families with youngsters with the accompanying wagons, strollers, whining and crying children and irritated parents....even at that, all I could do was smile....thinking back to my own kids and our own experiences....not much like these I was watching....my own brood was pretty even tempered and knew that if they wanted to continue to have fun activities to fill their days, they had better make every good effort to stay that way!

I walked to all the places that hold appeal for me at the zoo and captured them in photos (see the new Flickr entries for today) I was using my new camera, a pink Polaroid 5 megapixel (a small bump up from my 3.2 mpx HP Photosmart) I like it just fine, the pink is for a donation to Susan Kolmen breast cancer research, and it suits my recent "pinked up" appearance.....added bonus...the photos are really noticeably better than some taken with my old one.

Take a look at the photos if you like....bout all I got for now....more as time allows and interesting things present themselves....much love to you till then....

v

FINALLY...something worth writing about!

As those who know me know, the young one is now an official freshman at the University of Toledo as a Music Education major. His first large ensemble activity for the academic year is his all time favourite activity, marching band, having auditioned and been accepted into the UT Rocket Marching Band. Band rehearsals started Wednesday evening, with the young one only knowing that he was in the band, but not knowing what percussion position he would be serving in. He had been through several clinics at UT with the percussion line section leaders and the percussion professor. He had expressed his preference for instrument when asked, and was very nervous once the rehearsals began, not knowing for sure if his choice instrument would be the one he would actually be allowed to play for this football season. He has been through several days of arduous rehearsal time and until today was not absolutely positive whether he would be a "drummer" or a "cymbal player" in the UT marching band.......

UNTIL TODAY....when positions were finally announced.....and the winner is.....MY YOUNG ONE!!!! He is one of two freshman percussionists in the quad section of the UT Marching Band....now the pressure of unsure is gone and the pressure of overachieve can kick in...one that I know he is more than up to....a HUGE "attaboy" to the young one and here's looking forward to a fantastic Rocket Football season!

Till later, much love to you....

v

Water Fascination....

I had intended to spend another Saturday afternoon in Port Clinton today, but my favourite place to go there is the public beach, to sit in the sand and enjoy the water and sun; unfortunately the Ohio weather was not cooperating, with overcast skies and spotty showers all day. Instead of heading for Port Clinton today, I headed south to Findlay...to visit my favourite coffee house there and spend some time exploring the area, which is one with which I am becoming quite familiar.

For some reason, this summer I have grown into a "water person" of sorts....I am finding enjoyment being around it, seeing the waves lap the shore of whatever body of water I am at...walking the beaches and shorelines and enjoying the parks and picnic areas that are usually around them. This is an amazing thing to me; I, the person with the aversion, nay, fear of the water. I do not swim and become petrified to the point of tears when in a swimming pool, but the lakes and ponds, in being around them, seem to have some calming effect on my soul. I leave them feeling renewed and in touch with myself again...I imagine that this may be the reason that folks buy boats and lakeside homes....

In any case, today, I took a long walk along the top of the banks of the reservoirs outside of Findlay...after an iced tea at the coffee shop and a walk through the weekend event taking place downtown...the current photos in the Flickr album are from there...

That's it for now...still may make it to Port Clinton tomorrow, but first have to finish a job for a friend and get their equipment back to them...back to work for awhile...more later if there is anything interesting to say...much love to you..

v

It's not Hawaii, but the intent (and result) is the same....

With the weather this weekend as nice and cool for Ohio as it was, I made another trip to Port Clinton, with a bit of forethought this time so I could really enjoy my time there and be comfortable. I stopped on the way out of Toledo to pick up a book to read while sitting in the sun on the beach and assured that I had my folding chair snugly packed away in the trunk of my little car. The drive was nice...brilliant blue sky and bright sunshine giving the day such crisp detail and beautiful color that everything I saw seemed like a photo op to me, and I finally just had to force myself to lay my camera down and drive, or miss it all because of my obsessive snapping.

Once I arrived in Port Clinton, it was obvious that I was not the only one who was appreciative of our Ohio weather good fortune...the streets were thronging with folks on foot or in cars, so much different from the last time I was here when it was so ungodly hot and humid. I headed toward the public beach (it was a little before 11 AM) and I was surprised to see that there were many free spots in the parking area. As I locked up the car and got all my things together, I noted the cool breeze blowing across the road from the water...cool and felt good as it passed over my hot from the car skin. I loaded myself up with my supplies and crossed the street to the beach.

As I stepped upon the sand and looked over the beach, I was astonished to find that as far as sun worshipers went, I was one of only three there. I scanned from one end of the short public patch to the other...then stopped short, amazed at the tableau that appeared before my eyes....the scene, one that so many girls dream about....a light breeze, a small group of friends, a flowing white dress and a minister on the sand by the water...a wedding in progress....the beginning of a new chapter in two people's lives, just happened upon by the random decision to "go to the beach"....

It was a very short ceremony...I had arrived at what had appeared from the distance to be the exchange of vows phase...in a mere few minutes the couple was in a passionate embrace, him holding her so tightly that he picked her up off her feet and spun her around, her flowing white skirt fluttering in the breeze. There were then hugs for all the half dozen attendees and the clean up of the cameras and other accouterments of the occasion, then the happy group started their short walk up to the exit from the beach and assumably to their luncheon celebration. The bride walked barefoot, carrying her sandals in one hand and holding fast to her new husband with the other. He, carefully assisting in her progress on the soft sand, looked at her with affection and chatted amiably with the others in the party, surely relatives or friends who were there to share the moment with them. I watched this procession with appreciation...what a nice day for a wedding and how happy they appeared at this moment...although I am not acquainted with either the bride or groom, I silently wished them luck and happiness....a leap of love and faith...but a crap shoot whether it will last a lifetime or die in a day...

I spent a long time on the beach after the wedding party left, reading Stephen King (Lisey's Story - great book so far, by the way) and napping when I felt the cool air from the lake make me drowsy. The unfortunate part of the great breeze was that it made me totally unaware of how long I was actually in the sun. When I awoke from my last micro-nap, I became aware that my arms and thighs were warm and staying that way, even with the breeze. When I opened my eyes, I could see that I was pretty badly sunburned....I sit this afternoon coated in Noxema to soothe the pain...hopefully I will not peel....and right now, my sunburn is a very stark contrast to my blonde hair that continues to get lighter the longer I am in the sun.

Today was much quieter and spent on the day to day things that have to be done to keep a civil house...the firstborn did not have to work today, and the young one worked open till 5 (just arrived home). I have some other things to get to, so am done with this entry for now...for more of what I have seen lately, check out my Flickr account at the right...till later...love to you...

v

No reason to be surprised....

Sooo....checking back here to see if I have posted something new...visiting to live a little vicariously through my entries, or just be a voyeur in my and my close acquaintances personal lives....noticing that it has been awhile since I have posted anything new....there is a reason for that....

I TOLD YOU SO!!!!

I have been struggling to find reason to keep on writing every day on this site and have found little to inspire or spur me on in recent weeks...until the dry spell passes, you can keep checking back or not...obviously it doesn't matter enough for a comment or encouragement...maybe I will get some golden flash of enlightenment...meh...who knows....

Anyway...be back sometime...when I have something I want to say...

v

Sylvania Ohio Activities - July 12, 2007

Today was the first day of actual tournament play for the Jamie Farr. Today was also the second annual "Takin' It to the Street" community festival, featuring food, a farmer's market, and music, including the regional entertainment personality, Eddie Boggs, shown in the photo, left. Hope you had an opportunity to participate in whichever event interested you...the second day of the LPGA will be taking place tomorrow.

Till then, much love to you....

v

The LPGA Jamie Farr Owens Corning Classic presented by Kroger

As happens every year in Sylvania, the LPGA is coming to town to take over Highland Meadows Country Club golf course to hold the Jamie Farr Owens Corning Classic presented by Kroger. The country club is but a stone's throw from my house, and I and all my neighbors will be favored with the following during this week:

- horrible traffic snarls from early morning until late in the evening
- constant fly-overs by helicopters, blimps and small planes
- lots of strange people wandering the streets of our small community
- media swarming the golf course and surrounding area all week long

I know that in principal, this is a humongous feather in the cap of the city, and even in the inconvenience, there are a lot of folks who manipulate this event to their financial advantage (you will see photos later this week documenting how that actually happens). I have exposure to the other side of the coin...the young one for several years was a member of the brigade of young people whose services are exploited to assure that this event is successful (yes, the vast majority of folks who will be bad mouthed and abused by the visiting "guests" are volunteers, unfortunately)...

So folks, as you visit our fair city, take advantage of our hospitality and amenities, and please remember that the folks that live here every day are holding out hope that this year, the impressions we leave on each other at our parting at the end of this week will be favorable ones.

More later....much love to you...

v

For more photos of the prep for the LPGA Jamie Farr Owens Corning Classic presented by Kroger, please feel free to click on the Flickr badge at the right to view my uploaded photos.

"A time will come when a politician who has willfully made war and promoted international dissension will be as sure of the dock and much surer of the noose than a private homicide. It is not reasonable that those who gamble with men's lives should not stake their own..."

-- H.G. Wells

Mount up...

In a frenzy of intense interest, the young one and the firstborn both have acquired older (but in very good condition) motorcycles...the young one a '77 Honda CB400 and the firstborn a '82 Yamaha Maxim 550. The excitement around these machines has the entire household abuzz with activities that range from finding places to secure them, going over them to assure mechanical integrity, procuring appropriate safety gear, registering them for tags, and last but certainly not least, beginning the process of learning to create a working relationship with these very different modes transportation.

The firstborn, as seems to be his way with all things mechanical, has taken to riding like a duck to water, after a very short learning period. The young one, on the other hand, has been challenged to master a whole new skill set (shifting, choke, hand breaks, etc, etc) before he can enjoy the thrill of the open road (so to speak). He has gone from frustrated to energized today, as he has taken some very huge steps to making his motorcycle riding goals become a reality. The photo, above, captures the spirit of our early morning driving session, which took place at the high school in the parking lot. The young one riding, and the firstborn getting wayyyy too much exercise, the young one was able to start the bike and put it into first gear and ride many series of runs first straight, and then with a little turning, around the parking lot. At the end, he was excited and pleased....he had that "smile that would not go away" under his helmet as he took it off at the end of his practice session for today...as he left for work, it was still there. I think his misfortunes at the onset of the experiment have served to give him healthy respect for his accomplishments now...it promises to be a great experience for all...

That's it for now...much love to you...

v

Crisis of blogging confidence....

OK, so I am beginning to question whether there is really any reason to keep coming back here and posting every day...to add cool links that I like and other content...to share what is going on in life in my part of the world. I have always maintained that the main reason that I blog is for me...and I have been more than OK with that since 2003, when I created my first blog here at Blogspot/Blogger to talk about the school levy in the district that I was working in at the time. Through the last several years of blogging, it has been responsible for the birth (and most likely death) of a friendship that I came to cherish very much and the loss of a job that I thought I would be in until I retired.

That is not to say that there has not been a great deal to be thankful for that has resulted from blogging...I have learned a TON...about the internet and how it works, and how to use it to your advantage, and about people...what motivates them...both positive and negative....

I know that there is a core group of folks that regularly visits here...I watch the traffic every day and smile to see that you return. I try to create content that amuses and engages you, as well as entries that reflect for you what is important to me and my peeps....if you like what you read or something pisses you off, make a comment...one thing I do know after years of doing this is that every blogger reaches a limit where the rationalization of "I really write for myself" doesn't ring true for even THEM anymore...I guess what I am saying is that I think I may have reached that point...some input would be welcome...everyone likes to be encouraged from time to time...but no worries...this is probably nothing more than a temporary malaise...the down time that bloggers are bound to experience eventually....putting out the thought processes here, for those of you who care enough to read...

till later, much love to you....

v

"In loneliness, in sickness, in confusion.....

...the mere knowledge of friendship makes it possible to endure, even if the friend is powerless to help. It is enough that they exist. Friendship is not diminished by distance or time, by imprisonment or war, by suffering or silence. It is in these things that it roots most deeply. It is from these things that it flowers."

This is for the people that mean the most to me, whether near or far...I think of you often and with love.....

v

And the winner is....(drum roll please...)

The Cavaliers Drum and Bugle Corps from Rosemont Illinois....after a few days away, the young one and I did our annual summer duty and attended the DCI All Star Revue at the University of Toledo Glass Bowl on Saturday night. The young one absolutely hates it that I take a million photos (not really...but several hundred...and video clips too), but after the event is over and we take a look at the photos that are the best ones, he is pretty happy that I do. I have a pretty good camera, and as a rule follow the "battery" (drumline) when the corps are on the field, so I usually collect a great bunch of photos of percussionists of each group that performs. The unfortunate part is that sometimes I do miss other things on the field, but that is not very often, and honestly the percussionists are what interest me most anyway (hmmm...wonder why?)

Today, I have my last day off from work and the young one and I will be heading back to UT for "Rocket Launch", orientation and registration for incoming freshmen and transfer students. We will spend most of the day there, talking to folks and getting things ready for his first quarter at UT in the fall...should be interesting and informative (that is the point, I think) and it will be nice to spend the time with the young one. If I take photos while on campus (that may be pushing the young one a little too much!) I will post them for you...there are also a few more drum corps photos that I really like that I would like to share, so I may be back to post them later as well....

Till then (whenever that will be) much love to you....

v

Getting ready to travel

As unreliable a proposition as my Blackberry has become recently, even in my regular service area, I'm gonna give blogging from it a shot as I head off for a few days. Not doiing anything spectacular, but will post a llittle some thing here and some photos on Face.book as long as service will allow. Hopefully I will come back rested and a little tan......low expectations set, especially after the horror show of March

Will see what happens when I get there.....if you don't hear from me here this week, you will know the service sucked and I will back on Saturday for All-star Revue at UT with the young one

Till later, much love to you

V
--------------------------
Sent from Vicki Timman's BlackBerry Wireless Device

So nice to have this to fall back on when I have nothing I really want to say.....

The Apathetic Online Journal Entry Generator



With kudos to Lore Sjöberg (The Slumbering Lungfish - Dybbuk Hostel and All-Night Boulangerie) at The Brunching Shuttlecocks here is my blog entry for today...if you are a blogger and a little on the light side for content, check out the link above for a fill piece until you get your game back on....luv ya, mean it, 'bye! v

___________________________________________________

So it goes...

My life's been completely unremarkable these days. Today was a loss, but such is life. I've just been staying at home doing nothing.

Current Mood: jejune

Graduation - June 10, 2007

The young one graduated from high school today in a ceremony punctuated by a speech from the Salutatorian which glorified going for what you desire at all costs, and the address from the Valedictorian, which made a reference to "coming out of the closet". One of the assistant principals was recovering from an injury to her leg and was sporting an ACE bandage from ankle to knee, the super gave a nod of acknowledgment as he walked by to mount the stairs to the stage, and one of our school board members gave a very emotionally charged speech riddled with song lyrics and encouraging the graduates to live and experience life.

The young one was fortunate enough to sit in close proximity to his Sara and next to the Teague twins, two of his best friends at NV. The redundancy of cameras we had in our group (the firstborn and his Ann and myself) assured that we pretty much covered every possible battery failure and focus problem. Not all the media has been viewed yet, and the most important images are forever ingrained in my memory...my young one has graduated high school...heads off to college, to really start building for the rest of his life...I am so proud...and sad..and humble...such a wonderful child....such a talented young man...

Till later, much love to you,

v

Late Post - Rootsters Raft 10 Mile Creek in Sylvania

Root Rafting Update

The outstanding individuals who are featured in the photo above did indeed pursue their rafting adventure down the famous (in Sylvania) 10 Mile Creek as far as their rafts would allow. They passed under the bridge at Harroun Road and headed toward the Sylvania Country Club on the east side of Rt 23, and by all accounts were received with wry humour and without any suspicion of malicious intent. Once through the country club grounds (pretty much the golf course), they headed on into the back yards of the pricey properties of Corey Road. At that point the raft of one of our heroes sprung an unrecoverable leak and a second exhibited signs of taking on water so the trip was cut short.

Unfortunately for our hail and hearty men, they realized too late that noone had had the presence of mind to include a cellular phone or other communications device in their sparse provisions and once they clamoured through mud and tall grasses to the clearing, they were incommunicado, and disoriented, not sure exactly where they had arrived AT. They began to walk, rafts in tow and wet and muddied from their adventures, through the very affluent area. They happened upon a man working in his yard and bade him direct them to the nearest large roadway so they could begin to get their bearings. The man directed them vaguely toward Sylvania Avenue and Corey Road and that is the direction they headed. On the way, they noted a pizza delivery person retreating from a recent drop off at a home and asked HIM for directions and the favour of using his mobile phone to make a call to a companion of one of the rafters, who had agreed to retrieve them at the end of their trek. The pizza man was less than thrilled with being accosted by these strange individuals, and was even very much less inclined to hand his cell phone over to them outright. He dialed the agreed upon number, handed the phone to the rafter so he could talk to his companion for a few mere moments to indicate where they would perform their rendezvous, and off they walked again to travel to the agreed upon location. Once arriving at their spot to wait, they actually became acquainted with a family who was recreating in their yard with their children, who were very interested in their quest and talked to them for quite a while until their ride arrived. Interestingly enough, observed on their fence as the motley crew was departing was the sign “NO TRESPASSING”….and these were the NICE people!

Anyway, it is much cooler to hear the story from the guys who did the rafting, but this is the summary for you, in case you were wondering….hope you enjoyed visualizing their trip…it was very fun to watch!

Much love to you….

v

My Best friend's Daughter's wedding....

Through the last month or so, if you asked him how things were going, he would reply in his offhand sort of way something about wedding bills, wedding plans. Ask him how he felt about walking his daughter down the aisle, and "giving her away"; he would cavalierly comment that she was an adult and the soon-to-be husband was a long time boyfriend, so there was nothing new for him to be concerned about. He made it all sound so mundane...but I know him well and know better than that.

Today, under a perfect blue summer sky, with family and friends there to share it with him, his little girl got married....his baby..the apple of his eye...the only totally perfect female in the world, became the wife of some man who walked into her life and won her love. In the long walk from the Manor House to the gazebo in the shade of the tall oaks, I can only guess at the swirl of emotion in his heart...her passage into her adult life, the closure of a little part of his...taking on a new role in her life...still daddy, and always special...someday, "grandpa" to her babies with her new husband...

I was there only as a casual observer...a member of the public in a public place who "happened upon" this very personal and private event. All my love is with him and his family on this day....even at a distance, I felt joy at their joy...and pride and love for him, on this special day in HIS life as well as hers.

That's all for now....much love to you, on this day of love's celebration....

v

Natural selection in golf...

Pardon me....

While I yawn...so tired the last week or so, I barely make it to 8 PM before I pass out like a bear going into hibernation. Even with the recent heat in Ohio, I have been so drawn to my pillow that I have drifted off quite a few times without even making an effort at a meal, or even seeing the kids when they get home from work.

I have heard that stress will manifest in all kinds of ways, and perhaps that is what this is...I really am NOT usually such a slug...lots of things going on with the young one and school coming up in the fall, the new office and all the stuff that keeps coming up that needs fixed since the move...the death of a friendship that I treasured a great deal...I know...buck up...I suppose I will...but for now, I cope with my tiredness, and now, adding to the fun, a new symptom, periodic hives...whoohoo! Some people really know how to have a good time, eh?

Anyway...till later...much love to you...
v

Exactly what I was thinking, Drew!

Check out more from Drew at Where Are The Dogs Humping.com

Recognition and rehearsals begin...

May 30 was the last day for seniors at NV and yesterday was the "Senior Assembly" at the high school. The assembly is basically held so that the underclassmen and parents have the opportunity to learn of the accomplishments of the senior class and some very prominent scholarships are officially awarded to their recipients at this time.

Today, the young one will go to the Stranahan/ Masonic complex in South Toledo, transported by city school busses (legal issues require it) to rehearse for the actual ceremony to take place on June 10. I will not be able to be there to take photos (I'm sure that breaks the young one's heart!) so the next photos regarding graduation will be taken at the actual event. Keep the young one in your goods thoughts...he is participating in a rite of passage that we all have experienced, and having all the angst that goes with that...the end of one part of life, and transition into a new one...thankfully he has good friends and his Sara to share this experience with...it should be a good one...

Till later, much love to you...

v

Welcome to Sylvania, Rootizens!

Today I arrived at the new space very early, thinking that the IT folks would be as concerned and excited as I was about making sure that we were ready for the arrival of our users...our co-workers...The work today was fast and furious; many folks who work on laptops and all the folks in need of their security devices for the space (we have taken pains to assure that the areas are secured even though there are public access points in close proximity to them).

I am still at the office, waiting for an emergency issue to be addressed, then I will go home for the night. It is the lot of the IT person, and so very much it has been that of my bosses, to spend long and thankless hours at work behind the scenes to assure that things flow without difficulty for the staff of the organization.

Tomorrow, it will be better and I may even have an opportunity to put my desk together (have nothing more than a phone, computer and a bunch of junk on it so far) There are still contractors here working in the server room on persistent phone problems and another person is in the Birch Conference room addressing the final configuration of the multimedia there. The phone people and the multimedia guy will be back tomorrow, to be sure...the phones are still not right and there are still two conference rooms to work through.

I hope your day at work was much calmer and more relaxed than mine, although I really cannot complain...even in all the rush and push for help, users were kind, grateful and gracious....did I tell you what a great place this is to work?

Anyway...that's it for now...till later, much love to you...

v

Memorial Day, 2007

Today was an important day for me and mine for multiple reasons...it was officially the last event the young one will participate in as a student at Sylvania Northview High School...it was the first event to take place within the proximity of the new home of the company that I work for (the parade proceeded directly in front of the building) and being Memorial Day, it was a sobering reminder that I have two sons who are of the age that should the awful mess in the Middle East come to the point of requiring a draft, my sons would qualify.

I never, ever talk about this with the boys, but this really scares me...even the insinuation of a possibility that the draft may be reinstituted sends me into a horrible panic and an irrational thought process which centers around living off nuts and berries in the backwoods of some god-foresaken place where noone will ever find us. I cannot imagine the torture that mothers all over the US are going through right now...their sons and daughters who choose to serve surely make them proud with their commitment to our country, but either I am a selfish mother or they are terror stricken and horribly tormented every waking and sleeping hour, knowing the danger their children are in.

Walking around in the cemetery, looking at the sea of flags in the veteran's section and the spotty placement of flags throughout, seeing the living veterans from all the recent wars who were there to acknowledge the current and past sacrifices that men and women have made...will it ever stop? Will the young people of some generation in the future actually be able to grow to adulthood fully intact, without the loss of classmates, friends and loved ones lost in the cause of some war? I hope so...I pray so...

Much love to you

v

The greatest gift I never wanted...

Last fall, I experienced one of the most traumatic things I have experienced...after nearly ten years, I was forced to leave the job that I felt in my heart I was made to do...it was not something that I wanted or was prepared for and it made me heartsick to know that after all of myself that I had invested in this organization and this position, I was not wanted there any longer. Little did I know that at that moment of what seemed to be my greatest grief, I was actually being given the most rewarding and wonderful opportunity of my life.

In my search for a new place to add value, I was connected through several friends to the organization I now work for. It has been six months since I began my service there, and they have been the most challenging and exciting days I have spent in a long time. I have grown to feel connected to the people I work with in such a profoundly loyal way...I have observed them all in work and at play...enjoying each and every one of them for the talented and diverse group that they are. The creative nature of our business encourages personal growth and a true feeling of cohesiveness in our organization...we all have a common goal, which is to be passionate and to work with dedication that comes from having passion about what you do.

When I first came into the company, I thought our location was the coolest place that I have ever been able to work in, conducive to the creative process and nurturing in its attention to the comforts of the staff. After several months there, I found that we were going to move to a newer, better space....I was skeptical...but the intention was to provide a place where the clients who come to visit would be able to enjoy the complete experience of our organization, observing our creative processes and our eclectic spaces, while also having all the amenities available to provide for a comfortable and complete business visit as well.

Plans were excruciating in their detail, and a long time in process...many people throughout the organization were engaged to assist in creating detailed plans of action to address all the details of a very complicated move. Months of preparation and cooperation were required from everyone in the company, to assure that when the space was ready for occupancy, we were all ready to move without a hitch.

That moving week began last Monday and culminated in a final move of furniture to the new space on Friday. Starting Wednesday night, technology move strategies were coordinated by my two supervisors, with the rest of IT assisting as directed. My bosses dedicated several very long days and nights to getting our equipment moved, installed and configured in the new space, and then the extensive testing plan was executed. All of the core group of move staff worked at any task asked of them with diligence...again, the concept of working with a common goal in mind....to make this new space ready for clients and colleagues....our new home...official on Tuesday May 29.

As I walked around the space this weekend, executing my assigned tasks, I simply had to pinch myself.....this really IS the most extraordinary work space I have ever seen....and I REALLY WORK HERE!!! I am so very fortunate, and I know it...more than ever, I believe that everything happens for a reason, although the immediate one is not always clear....the gift I was given last fall was so much more than I could have ever anticipated...I have gained so much...lost little...and am grateful and growing every day...

I hope that anyone who can will keep checking the webpage for my company Root Learning and keep an eye out for the notices about the public open house to introduce our staff and company to the people of the area we have moved into...I would love to have you come to see this wonderful place and allow me to give you the grand tour....

Hope you are having a wonderful weekend...til later...much love to you...

v

Young Folks....

If i told you things i did before
told you how i used to be
would you go along with someone like me
if you knew my story word for word
had all of my history
would you go along with someone like me

i did before and had my share
it didn't lead nowhere
i would go along with someone like you
it doesn't matter what you did
who you were hanging with
we could stick around and see this night through

and we don't care about the young folks
talkin' 'bout the young style
and we don't care about the old folks
talkin' 'bout the old style too
and we don't care about their own faults
talkin' 'bout our own style
all we care 'bout is talking
talking only me and you

usually when things has gone this far
people tend to disappear
no one will surprise me unless you do

i can tell there's something goin' on
hours seems to disappear
everyone is leaving i'm still with you

it doesn't matter what we do
where we are going too
we can stick around and see this night through

and we don't care about the young folks
talkin' 'bout the young style
and we don't care about the old folks
talkin' 'bout the old style too
and we don't care about their own faults
talkin' 'bout our own style
all we care 'bout is talking
talking only me and you

and we don't care about the young folks
talkin' 'bout the young style
and we don't care about the old folks
talkin' 'bout the old style too
and we don't care about their own faults
talkin' 'bout our own style
all we care 'bout is talking
talking only me and you
talking only me and you

talking only me and you
talking only me and you

- "Young Folks", Peter, Bjorn and John

And so it begins....

Yesterday, the official move activities began for the staff at the office I work in. There has been a lot of "pre-work", and there have been many, many hours dedicated by a team of very competent and caring individuals to get us to this point. A very detailed plan is in place to assist in the move process and to take the guess work out of it all for the singular staff members...their responsibilities have mainly been to assure that their workspaces are packed in boxes assigned to them and their cubes in the new space, to get rid of the stuff that they really do not use or need to move, and to assure that they make contingency plans to either work or take time off during the time that the IT infrastructure for our company is in transition, during the physical move for us.


Today will be another day of packing and pitching, even though the "pitching" part has been going on for several weeks...as it has come to the time to "put up or shut up" on the physical carrying stuff out of the building, folks are starting to reassess what is truly important and what they can do without (there is something to be said for laziness, and the fact that if it does not fit in their assigned boxes that they are responsible for moving it themselves). My boss has been rushing about coordinating a huge amount of technology installations in the new space, and his responsibilities on the next bit of IT stuff (final back up and physical move of infrastructure) looms humongous on the horizon. The company is very fortunate to have him in the position at this time in their IT life....he is very intense and conscientious about his job and responsibilities...I have complete confidence in the fact that as long as he is on the tasks, the transfer of data and equipment will proceed without a hitch.

I will post more as is appropriate. Needless to say, once the move is complete (plans are to begin business as usual in the new space on Tuesday, May 29), I will post information here about the public open house, to afford anyone who is interested the opportunity to view this beautiful new facility and experience the people, so you can truly understand why this is the best place at which I have ever had the privilege to work.

Keep us in your good thoughts this week, as we will all be extraordinarily busy...the rewards, however will be monumental...

Much love to you...

v

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On a totally unrelated note...got a call from a friend yesterday...seems that some folks are a little less than bright when it comes to keeping their opinions to themselves...all I have to say on the subject is, first off, you may want to keep a low profile when you are not on your home court, and secondly, unless you are ready to put up, with most folks, you are better off to just SHUT UP, IMHO.
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And finally, the "Quote of the Day"

"The more you judge, the less you love."

- Honore de Balzac

Before there was podcasting.....

"Action and reaction....

"......ebb and flow, trial and error, change - this is the rhythm of living. Out of our over-confidence, fear; out of our fear, clearer vision, fresh hope. And out of hope, progress."

- Bruce Barton

How addicted do you have to be to dig coffee beans out of poo?

Came across an article at Reuters online the other day (Aussies go crazy for cat poo coffee) about the coffee phenomenon known as “Kopi Luwak”. This very unusual beverage mutant is the product of coffee beans that have passed through the digestive tract of the “civet cat”, which are then recovered, cleaned and coffee brewed from them. Supposedly the process of digestion does something to the beans that makes the coffee brewed from them much different in character (imagine that) with a much smoother and less bitter flavour (Coffee FAQs).

My question to you is this….How did ANYONE come up with the idea to fish the beans out of the poo to brew them into coffee in the first place? Was there some sort of coffee bean shortage, or did the civet cats eat all the coffee fruits before the beans could be harvested that year? And honestly, I know true coffee addicts will get a little crazy without their daily dosage, but really…..could even they get past the facts of its origins ….. and….is coffee made from cat poo coffee beans really worth $300 a pound?

This is definitely not for me, even if it was given as a gift….the only way I would ever try it is if I were tricked into it...in any case, that is my frivolous post for today….much love to you…have a great weekend…

v

Internet vigilante....surprised that I know one....

There is a person I became acquainted almost two years ago while blogging on MSN Spaces, someone who I became very fond of personally and came to admire very much in his chosen profession of author. I admired him so much in fact, that I dedicated a great deal of time and resources to the cause of getting his writing exposure, hopefully with the culmination of garnering him a publication contract. He has worked diligently to reach his goal and the story is that the heart and soul of his writing is the truths he has learned in his very difficult personal journey through life...the nature of the tale he has spun is the process that a person goes through to learn life lessons...and how that all changes you.

He has for some time used his MSN Space as a vehicle for his web presence. This is where I first encountered his work and got to know him, and where he has successfully built a small entourage of loyal followers of his progress. He has posted his works in progress there for folks to critique and peruse; supposedly without concern for space traffic or kudos....simply for the satisfaction of writing for himself.

Not long after we became acquainted with each other, MSN introduced a type of recognition that they were to bestow on the "Best of Spaces", to call out some really fine efforts of folks dedicating time to building a site and creating a network on MSN's Spaces community. The concept sounds good...recognition for quality and engaging content....it was however an obvious popularity contest, largely based on a user's ability to team build and generate traffic. Some users were very good at it and were awarded "Best of Spaces" multiple times...other spaces that were deserving but not highly traveled were slighted. The popular sites and their creators became the MSN celebrities, and they were being contacted by lots of folks who wanted to jump on the popularity bandwagon...coat-tail on the traffic...channel a little of the success their way by association...As a result, some of the "popular" bloggers got a little overly self-important and full of themselves...to the point of believing their press...how great they are...and in demand...and they started to act that way, trying to see how far the perks of being popular would get them (sound like a pretty old predicament?)

Some of the followers of the "Populars" knew what they were getting into and were OK with it...some others were naive and had no idea what was going on...still others were sucked in, then after the fact decided to be angry or indignant at the way they were treated...admittedly some of the contact was not proper, but for the most part a delete, disconnect or ignore would have protected them, but they decided not to do those things. This is where the whole thing gets bizarre and out of hand....some of these folks are "friends" of the person I know, and recounted I have no idea what, in I have no idea what context, to him. For reasons I really don't understand, he decided to take up a crusade, based on what he had heard, to right the wrongs, make a point or something else entirely. The details of this crusade, in his own words are available here (Diary of "Jane"), so I will not enumerate the details. I read this article myself just this morning...here are my reactions, in no particular order:

*********************

- so...even if you can rationalize "good intentions", is it ethical to intentionally deceive people to PROVE A POINT?

- the condescending "I knew it all along" attitude; is it really that great to be RIGHT?

- a "take down"..... and based on the heresay of your own network of internet "friends"...ever think that they were protecting their own reputations with YOU?

- Your own experiment is an interesting lesson in gullibility and internet deception

and finally....

- With this in mind, how manipulative and contrived are your other ventures?

*********************

This has been weighing heavy on my mind all day...the investment of time, money and effort I have made over the past nearly two years to quietly and loyally support this friend in his efforts may very possibly been totally rendered useless by this "experiment" and his disclosure of same. I am disheartened at this vigilante approach to proving a point...for me the only point it proved is that anyone can be deceptive and everyone can be deceived....

With a heavy heart I close tonight....still with much love to you....

v

Portable music…can cause your heart to stop?

I have seen versions of this story in several locations…it indicates that the electrical interference generated by specifically the “iPod” MP3 player can cause disruption of the signals from heart pacemakers and could potentially cause heart arrhythmia to the point of resulting in heart condition misdiagnosis and potentially death. (iPods can make Pacemakers Malfunction: Study, Now it’s iPods Turn to Mess with Pacemakers)

First off, this was a study conducted exclusively with iPods, by a 17 year old high school student at the Michigan State University Thoracic and Cardiovascular Institute. The results of the study were presented at the annual meeting of the Heart Rhythm Society in Denver, Colorado.

My favourite quote from the session was a statement made by Dr. Krit Jongnarangsin, a long-time friend of the student’s father, the senior author of the study and an assistant professor in the Division of Cardiovascular Medicine at the University of Michigan:

*****"Most pacemaker patients are not iPod users," Jongnarangsin said. For that reason, he said, it is unclear how often iPods cause misdiagnosis.

"This needs to be studied more," Jongnarangsin added.*****

I just loved that!!!!

SO…I guess it’s a good thing that you don’t see too many iPods in the nursing home, and it would be a good idea to rethink the whole MP3 player gift for Grandpa’s 80th birthday….I’m sure there will be more speculation and study….for the time being, if you’re old and listen to an iPod, be advised you take your life in your own hands!!! (tongue planted firmly in cheek!)

Till later, much love to you,

v

May 12, 2007 - NV Wildcat Prom

The young one's prom today....stressing out pretty much over....all the preparations have been made; there is very little that needs addressed, other than the last minute dressing and primping (I have found that GUYS do it too!) and then going to spend an enjoyable evening with his Sara and their friends.

I am posting this at about 2:30 PM EDT, after a morning of recreational travel, lunch and finally a visit to the florist with the young one. The photo included at the top left of this entry is the corsage that the young one will be presenting to his Sara at her house in a mere hour and a half...yes, hour and a half...they are meeting at her parents house to allow the obligatory photo-taking of the parents, then will travel to the fire station to have the group photographed with a fire truck (don't ask me...I have NO IDEA!) Then, it is downtown to the hotel where the event will actually be held, with valet parking, dinner and dancing, all financed by the industriousness of the young one's student government folks. At about 11:00 PM, it will be travel back to our town for after prom events at the high school till whenever...

I will be back to post more and an official PROM PHOTO after 6:00 PM sometime...keep the young one in your good thoughts for a fun but safe evening....much love to you...

v

____________________________________________________

6:00 PM

The young one and his Sara on their way. The young one and I arrived at his Sara's house at a little after 4:30 PM (my fault...story for a different time). There was lots of activity at the house...appliance delivery that they had been waiting for for some time had decided to occur at the same time as the young one and his Sara were getting ready to allow photos and then depart to start hooking up with friends. Sara's father and I retired to their very pretty and green back yard, and the photo shown here as well as quite a few others were taken. I will be posting the photos that I personally think are the best ones on Flickr so that they will cycle through my Flickr badge at right...

The young one was quiet but seemed happy as they departed his Sara's parents house on their way to their next stop, his Sara's best friend's house, to start gathering the entourage to head downtown. He hugged me tight and said "Thank you" when I wished him "Have a great time" and "Be careful"...he makes me so proud...and he and his Sara look so happy...I hope this night will be special and one that they will always remember with pleasure...sharing a very important milestone with the one he loves...what could be better than that?

Back with more later...will see the young one on his way from the dance to the after prom....till then...

v

Life is full of tiny little treasures…

I was at work today, happily addressing everyone’s concerns and needs, running (well, OK …walking fast) from one side of the office to the other, talking to all my friends and co-workers, just generally being a jovial pain in the butt….after the morning wave of immediate issues was taken care of, I sat at my desk at my computer to take a look at emails and update the help tickets to assure that everything I had done this morning was properly documented (with the exception of replacing the screw in a lady’s eyeglasses..that one was a freebie) As I was getting caught up, I became aware of the fact that although I had grabbed a “Bawls” for my breakfast to give me a jump start, I was feeling a little laggy…needed a little bit of “sweet” or something to get me back on track. That is when I began to dig in the never ending pit that is my purse to see what I could find.

In the grand scheme of things, a chick’s purse is one of those things that makes a guy totally cringe in horror…to be asked to look in a girl’s purse for anything is to risk the discovery of stuff you really don’t want to know about, let alone touch. My purse doesn’t contain too many of THOSE types of things (at least not out in the open..lol) but it does contain a lot of STUFF…geeky stuff…like my digital camera, batteries for said camera, my cell phone, my Blackberry, iPod(s)….etc, etc…. There is also a small amount of obligatory female type things…eyeliner, mascara, eyeshadow, perfume….and of course, there is usually some sort of gum…usually sugar-free and minty flavoured, to tide me over in a craving emergency. That is what I was going for today.

As I delved into the mysterious contents of “the purse”, I shoved stuff around, looking for the expected package of minty gum. I was almost ready to give up, when I came upon a little yellow wrapper with blue and red decorating it, at the bottom of the bunch of stuff. With glee, I fished it out to discover it was a piece of “Dubble Bubble” bubble gum. A smile crossed my lips as I recalled how that piece of bubble gum came to be in my purse…the point of this ramble…and I will share it with you now….

It came to be mine on the “Day of Flickr”, May 05, 2007, when I finally decided that I had taken enough photos of the cool windy day in Toledo, Ohio and found my way to Maumee, in the process of heading home. I decided I was sufficiently hungry to find a place to get something warm to eat, and as the idea formed in my mind, I was approaching Pizza Hut on Conant Street. Their pizza is one of my fatal attractions…I truly believe I could eat it for every meal (although I have not tried) so without a second thought I turned right and found a place in their very empty parking lot.

As I entered the store, laden with my purse, cell phone, car keys, and the flush of the cool air still painting my cheeks, a waitress approached me to ask how many in my party. Alright…that description really does not do her justice…a very sweet woman, not much taller than me, walked over to me and said, “Hi honey, let me get you a seat. Will there be anyone else with you?” When I indicated that I would be dining in the singular, she walked with me to a little table with two chairs, and said, “Ok, dear, how’s this table by the window for you?” , and them continued with, “You get settled and I’ll be back to see what you would like for lunch; can I bring you a drink?” All of this was said with a broad and genuine smile and a friendly tone in her voice; she was warm and welcoming and as a result, the restaurant felt warm and comfortable because of her presence there.

She brought me my drink, and then my meal, all the while making small snippets of conversation and kindly attending to my every need, even before I knew I had it. I observed her with the few other customers in the restaurant at the time, and she was exactly the same…kind, attentive and in tune to their needs…truly the personification of excellent customer service.

When she observed that I was nearing the end of my meal, she approached my table with my receipt. As she laid it down on the table near me, she reached into the pocket of her apron and said, “And here’s a little sweet for you. I always think that it is nice to end the meal with a little sweet…a habit that the old folks on the farm used to have years ago.” Then she laid a piece of bubble gum on the receipt. I looked up at her, smiled and said sincerely, “Thank you so much…that is my favourite bubble gum…has been since I was a little kid…it really brings back good memories.” She smiled in return and reached into her pocket, pulling out a second piece and laying it on the receipt next to the first. “Here ya go,” she said, “have another…you don’t have to chew it now, but take it along with you…Enjoy, honey! Thanks for coming in, and have a great day!”

I finished my meal with the hint of a smile persisting on my lips, and as I readied to leave, I dug into the pit of my purse for a tip. I had only two single dollar bills to leave and a ten to pay the 6 dollar bill. I really wanted to leave her much more…she made my experience there pleasant and comfortable. As I left, I waited for her to finish taking the food order from another customer, just to grab a moment to thank her again for all she had done for me on my visit to “her” restaurant.

As I found the Dubble Bubble in the bottom of my purse today, that lunch and that lady were what I remembered. As I unwrapped the gum and tasted its sugary goodness, blowing small bubbles with it like I used to when I was kid, I thanked the lady at Pizza Hut again in my mind…for giving me the opportunity to feel a little like a kid again, and for taking the time and making the effort to pass a little treasure on to every person she touches….not bubble gum, but her great attitude…it was a gift that I was very grateful to receive.

Hope you find a little treasure today and every day….much love to you….

v

"I can't stand the rain....

"....Against my window
Bringing back sweet memories
I can`t stand the rain
Against my window
Because he`s not here with me..."

-Tina Turner, I Can't Stand the Rain

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And there certainly has been a lot of it today...started heavy and loud at the office early afternoon and sporadically continued throughout the afternoon and evening. I however, had nothing to do with it, because I worked until very late tonight on a machine that is laden with adware/malware/spyware, trojans and viruses. The crap had such a chokehold on the machine at one point that even basic system functions were not available, and after several hours of cleaning and having new issues manifest, I finally started an alternate anti-virus/spyware product running and left for the night...good thing too... one of the first things it told me was that crucial files for our corporate anti-virus client were affected, and the behaviour of the machine told me that something was making sure that corrections were not easily going to be made to that situation. I look forward to going back in the morning to clean the machine the rest of the way...it will feel really good to get it working again without having to reformat the drive (which is often the more expeditious way to fix it, but where is the learning or the FUN in that?)

For now, off to bed...a very very long day today...much love to you...back tomorrow with more...

v

Getting to know you....

"....getting to know all about you.
Getting to like you, getting to hope you like me.
Getting to know you, putting it my way,
But nicely,
You are precisely,
My cup of tea.

Getting to know you,
Getting to feel free and easy
When I am with you,
Getting to know what to say
Haven't you noticed
Suddenly I'm bright and breezy
Because of all the beautiful and new
Things I'm learning about you
Day
by
day."

- from the musical The King and I
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In preparation for the company move to the new client destination, the cube walls all came down today. The columns that the walls attach to that also contain the data, voice and electricity for the spaces were torn down as well, making the office look very disheveled and in flux. In addition, the tiny barriers that (little did we know) buffered us from each other as we talked on the phone or to each other, now gone, created a very interesting "voices carry" sort of effect, causing some consternation for folks whose jobs depend on them conducting professional-type conversations on the telephone with clients. We will all have to be very conscious of volume levels, and courteous to each other...it will not be that long...only about two weeks...but it could definitely build or stress relationships, depending on how people handle themselves. I personally have to make a humongous effort to tone down, being a rather effusive person normally...I definitely don't want to add pressure to the folks around me who are already in a challenging situation.

My mantra during the day (at least for the next couple weeks!)..."less is more" and "don't harsh your neighbor's mellow"...wish us all luck...should be a real hoot!

That's it for now..much love to you...

v

Thirty years ago at this time....

On this date in 1977, the Norwalk Trucker class of 1977 was preparing for the last events of their high school careers. Prom was coming up and the graduation date of June 9th was fast approaching.

I personally was frantically putting all the last arrangements in place to attend BGSU in the fall. I had auditioned at several colleges with mixed reviews; my audition at BGSU had definitely gone the best and at this point acceptance to the college had been received. I had made the choice to declare a Music Performance major and decided that I would also take some programming courses, building on the little bit of BASIC I had learned in high school. That, more than my musical training fed into my adult life in technology...I had a penchant for it even then, although I did not see it as the work I would do later.

I think of this for two reasons...my own young one graduating in about a month, and contact that I have recently had with several classmates regarding the class reunion for the Class of 1977. I was a quiet one in high school (I know, can you believe it??) and not too many there knew me very well. It will be interesting to see where everyone has gone and what they have done...I feel sure that there are many successful folks in my class, because we had many very talented and bright people as members in high school.

Check out this link for Norwalk City Schools, including Norwalk High School, Home of the Norwalk Truckers (long story). This is my alma mater and my home town...lots of memories there, some very wonderful and some really awful, but all part and parcel of who I am...hope you enjoy...

Till later, much love to you...

v

More news on the "graduation front"...

When I got home yesterday, the young one helped me get all my crap from work in the house and situated, then we shared our days. He told me that interim grades were released today and that he is still on track to NOT have to take the finals at the end of the year. Unfortunately, however, because of the number of absences he has had this year (5..not a lot IMHO) he will have to attend classes on the "Senior Skip Day"...he looked at me with a wry smile and said, "Good thing I hadn't planned anything for that day, huh?" Nice he has a sense of humour about it, I guess.

The coolest part of his day was when he was summoned to the classroom of one of the senior class advisors. She indicated that the grade point average that he has maintained throughout his high school career has qualified him to be awarded the "Honors Medal", which he will wear with his cap and gown (and other stuff, I hope!) at graduation. Further, all honors medal award winners are seated in the front rows of the arrangement during the ceremonies, which means a great deal in a class the size of his. I am extraordinarily proud of the young one and the continuing recognition he receives for his accomplishments...only our family knows how hard won they all are and how much he truly deserves them. The photo included with this post is of his Honors Medal...I look forward to posting a photo of the young one wearing it with his cap and gown in about a month from now.

Off to participate in the "Day of Flickr"...should be exciting to watch it take shape....

Back later...much love...

v

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Interesting aside - The website "How Many of Me?", which supposedly searches for names, based on criteria you provide and tells you how many exist in the US of the combination, indicates that I DO NOT EXIST - just an FYI.
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Back from photo snapping and finally done sorting through the several hundred I took, to share my choices with you in my album on Flickr named "24 Hours of Flickr" Only one photo can be submitted by each participant...the one shown here at the right is my choice. It is a sculpture from the Sculpture Walk at The Toledo Museum of Art called "Wings" by Carl Mille. It is one of many pieces outside the museum on the grounds; photos of several others are also in my album.

If you have time please take a look at the pool of photos for the project...at this writing we are nearing one thousand submitted. As the pool populates, it should be quite interesting to view them all.

Till later, much love...

v

Yep...(courtesy "gapingvoid.com")

Aldus...what's in a name...

I am working on a project in the office that has me revisiting legacy Mac software, circa 1990 and up. These applications, although primitive by today's standards, were cutting edge in graphic design and publishing in the day, and required a top of the line Mac to work correctly. Top of the line at that point was just edging up toward a PowerPC processor, with screaming speeds of 100mhz or more. The machines were also equipped with massive storage drives of 4GB and RAM as much as 128 MB. Sadly, today, cell phones, video game consoles and mp3 players are of higher specs than that.

The software of the day for designers and publishers consisted of such things as QuarkXpress, Photoshop, Illustrator and Aldus Pagemaker, Persuasion and Freehand. I have always wondered about the company name "Aldus"...where it came from and what their logo stood for. As I have been digging all over the internet looking for links to these legacy pieces of software, I have gotten an answer to my question...here it is:

from the website Dead German Project: Aldus Manutius:

"....While Aldus Manutius was justly famous as a grammarian and humanist, his greatest contributions to the world of information were as a typographer and editor. Aldus was tutor to Alberto Pio, Prince of Capri, who later funded the Aldine Press in Venice. It was at Aldine Press that innovations in typography, printing and publishing opened the world of Greek and Roman classics to the masses...."

Makes perfect sense now, doesn't it? If you are interested in finding out more about Aldus Manutius, follow the link above to the Dead German Project. There are many links included with the feature article on the page, including external links to samples of his printing work. It is definitely worth a few minutes of your time, and you never know, it may show up as a Jeopardy question some day!

That's it for now...till later, much love to you...

v

Yes sir, "May" I have another (day of rain)?

Our April contributed greatly to the whole "May flowers" thing..we had some snow and flooding rains right through last Friday. Saturday evening, more rain moved through our part of Ohio, cooling down our wonderful pre-summer day and taking some of the warmth away from Sunday that was there the day before.

Today, the trend continued, with early morning cloudiness and the promise of rain in the afternoon and early evening. I really did not pay much attention to the talking weather head when he advised that some weather in the afternoon could be severe...severe for the most part for us is some rain, and a little wind that may bring down a few tree limbs or the like or every now and then take down power for a little while.

This afternoon, true to my earlier information, it began to rain...a cold rain, but not heavy, and the sky was overcast but not really threatening. As the afternoon continued, it became darker and darker outside, almost to the point of feeling inside the office like it does sometimes in the early morning when I come in...definitely needing the ceiling lights to chase away the dark. As the darkness fell, the rain could be heard pummeling the roof of our building...soon the rain sounds began to ring out with a more solid feel...and a trip to the windows revealed that hail was falling and bouncing off the building, coming to rest on the grass. The icy pellets were large enough to be easily seen from the second story windows...our guess was that they were about quarter sized.

As the time edged up toward 5 o'clock, the weather alert sirens sounded, indicating the imminent approach of damaging severe weather and urging folks to seek safe shelter in whatever protected area was available. Everyone in our office moved from the second to first floor, taking refuge in the Production "team room" (read storage area), which had just been cleaned (a convenient coincidence). As the sirens blared, nearly all of us fired up the cell phones in attempts to reach out to loved ones to assure that they were safe and taking the proper precautions to stay that way.

As soon as the sirens stopped, many of us decided that since the most severe of the weather was south of our location and predicted by the National Weather Service to continue that way, we would head home (northerly direction for me). The rain and hail was done for the time being, although the skies still indicated that there was more rain to come (see photos, Flickr album, right). I made it home without incident, and the next significant bout of rain hit just as I was getting off the expressway. By the time I got home, that rain storm had subsided and it was simply drizzling, the storm clouds continuing to move to the east. The storm for us was pretty much over except for the cool air that remained, the result of our area being on the Low pressure side of the storm front. It seems that this will continue throughout the night and the next day or so will also be cooler. Hopefully the warm air will return for the weekend; until then I will simply be happy if it stops raining long enough for us to enjoy the flowering trees for a few days before the petals drop off.

Hope that the severe weather missed you, and that May began pleasantly and with all the promise of a wonderful summer to come. Till later, much love to you....

v

Before you know it.....

...the young one and his Sara will be going to their Senior Prom. The young one and I went out tonight after I got off work to shop for a suit or tuxedo to wear to the prom and after, as he needs a dark suit for performances with the bands and orchestra at UT. After a lot of groaning, grumbling and trying stuff on, we found a great Etienne Aigner black lightweight wool, two button suit with black pleated and cuffed trousers. After picking out a nice conservative tie (it is for the young one after all) we were all set, and went home to try everything on for effect, which turned out to be quite good.

He is ready, clothing-wise, but still a little reticent about the whole proposition. He is not much on the whole "dancing, schmoozing" thing and so far that is about all that he is seeing will be happening on that evening. I know once he starts making some of the other arrangements (flowers for Sara, etc) he will get a little more into it...and he'd better start doing those things soon.....its never good to do that stuff at the last minute!

That was pretty much the high point of the day...work was busy and good...but as it is called "work", it is what it is....glad to be home for a little downtime...hope you get some of the same...till later, much love to you....

v

You ever wondered?.....

In the company at which I work, we have several different areas of specialty which contribute to the materials the company produces. One of the departments consists of a group of very interesting guys who do the programming for the interactive content area. These guys are eccentric, irreverent and very creative, and provide a lot of amusement and interest to the area in which my cube resides.

Today I overheard several of the guys talking about some things pertaining to internet and the like and one of them speculated about the origins of the term "boolean search". In my early days, I remember being trained on pure boolean search on the internet, including the practice of inserting (+),etc right into the search blank. The discussion piqued my curiosity...I consider myself a pretty proficient and efficient searcher on the internet, and I was kinda interested to find out where the name of the search type came from too.

Come to find out, the "Boolean search" is named after George Boole, (1815-1864), an English mathematician. The word "Boolean" refers to "a combinatorial system that combines propositions with the logical operators AND and OR and IF THEN and EXCEPT and NOT". Make sense now? Yep, I thought so too. If you want to know more about George Boole and his contributions to abstract algebra, do a search, boolean, if you will, for his name.

That's it for now...much love to you...tomorrow, staff development...should be very enlightening....

v

Some folks just know how to have a good time....

Came home from work today and the firstborn and his Ann favoured me with all the stuff they have been observing on CNN throughout the afternoon, since they worked in the morning. Not the least of these is a very short video that I was finally able to get converted and posted of the lovely and talented President Bush, in all his glory, at an event today for Malaria Awareness. Check out the video by clicking on the link at the right.

Hope you enjoy...not much to say after THAT...later..

v