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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
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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