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:

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- 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?

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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

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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