After dinner shots - #Mudslides. :)

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What the heck is HE doing HERE? #wyliewalleye #portclinton

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Entered an interesting contest - perhaps you should consider it...

...it is called "Name Your Dream Assignment" and it is co-sponsored by Lenovo and Microsoft. I have created an assignment and you can register to vote for me...you can also create your own assignment and enter it for a chance to be chosen. Here is my assignment link:

My Dream Assignment

Good luck!

Till later, much love to you

v

....

"Even the older children became groping and purblind, and the young saw but dimly, and the children that were born to them never saw at all." - H.G. Wells, 'The Country of the Blind'

City of Toledo Communications Officer guy follow up

So, in the interest of making sure that I observe and comment fully, I wanted to post a tiny little blurb about what I heard on the morning news regarding the drama surrounding the communications guy for the mayor of Toledo. A very short interview was aired by a reporter from the ABC affiliate 13ABC, that featured him responding to a couple questions, in which it was revealed that after the incident was surfaced, Jason (the guy) served up his resignation to the mayor. The mayor, however, did not accept the resignation, stating that he attributed this as a mistake and the result of his lack of experience in the position. The very grateful and humble Jason publicly praised his boss (imagine that!) and made it very clear that he holds him in the highest esteem imaginable. He also has deleted that troublesome little MySpace account, from what was said in the story...which is good, because the guy who posted the excerpts that started this whole little thing on Swamp Bubbles[dot]com maintains that although he cannot say HOW exactly he was able to get the information, he did nothing illegal, immoral or fattening to get it...so that implies to me that one of Jason's "friends" on MySpace may have had loose lips (or not know how to clear their browser cache so that pages can't be reloaded without re-logging in)

In any case, no jobs lost, a magnanimous gesture from a public figure with an unquestionably colourful reputation...so all for the moment is right with the Toledo political world...I would suspect, at least for awhile, we will be hearing a lot of very positive press about the city, the mayor and the goings on in Toledo :)

That's all that is on my mind...my opinions and I label them as such...not presenting this as news AT ALL...just chatting on things I hear...till later, much love to you

v

Holy Mazoly!!!

Listening to the morning news talking heads as I am getting ready for work and I was so taken aback by this story that I HAD to post a comment!!

In the news is Communications Officer to Toledo mayor, the honourable Carty Finkbeiner, Jason Webber...postings on his MySpace regarding his experiences in his position, containing some very personal opinions and observations have been splashed across the airwaves. In a statement from him on the website Swampbubbles[dot]com, he has made what can only be construed as an apology, a statement of support for Hizzhonor and an explanation of the content...

"The blog entry that was posted was only a portion of a larger entry, which served to update readers of my private blog of then-current events. I have reason to believe that my private blog was hacked, since my account is set to 'Private.'...."

Hmm...another good lesson, apparently....nothing that you post on the "InterWeb" is ever "private", and you never know when it will come back to bite you on the rear...hard learnings to be sure...next time, I would suggest that Jason might want to write in a journal that he can lock in a desk drawer :(

In his defense however, this information is really nothing new as far as behavior of the mayor....but to have an active member of his staff make the comments online, even to his 'private profile' friends, was obviously very ill-advised. The worst part for him is that this content now persists, in many locations, and will follow him no matter where he goes in the future.

That's what's in my head this morning...till later lots of love to you

v

I'm changing the shape of my brain

For the last two weeks, I have been in transition at the company at which I work...after nearly fifteen years of providing technical support, I have had one of those "right place at the right time" opportunities present itself, which will cause me to work in an entirely different area of the business. The position is a new one and has come about in direct response to a time of exponential growth in our digital interactive group. The position that I will fill encompasses responsibilities in the Editing/proofreading area and also has focus in the arena of quality assurance. The department to which I will be assigned is the Editing/Proofing team, but my primary area of responsibility will be in working with the elearning products. I am also receiving training and instruction regarding the traditional products of the company, so that in times of vacation and overload in those areas I will be able to work with these packages as well.

I feel as though I am using parts of my brain that I have not exercised in quite awhile...and the training with the "women of the words" at our company has caused me to realize that they have forgotten much more than I have ever known about the English language. I have, however, re-found (is that a word?) my love of words and writing....and have also begun to explore other creative pursuits that have been neglected over the last few years...photography being the most prominent of those (although most folks would say that I have been keeping right up with that, considering the amount of photos that I take and post online :) ) I am excited about what the future holds, and honestly a little nervous...I have never held a role that has been as directly exposed to the external customer...the implication of failing in this position is the potential to impact the customer directly, and with that also impact our organization.

With two weeks of caring and nuturing training from my team members on the Editing team I move forward into the coming week, with new challenges and projects to work on, and a huge amount to learn. Wish me luck as I continue in the great new mind-molding position...I may need to leverage some of my technical knowledge from time to time, but I will also need to get my writing and language muscles in tip-top shape...they will be active all the time now.

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

v

Changes

Oh yeah

Still don\'t know what I was waiting for
And my time was running wild
A million dead-end streets and
Every time I thought I\'d got it made
It seems the taste was not so sweet
So I turned myself to face me
But I\'ve never caught a glimpse
Of how the others must see the faker
I\'m much too fast to take that test

Ch-ch-ch-ch-changes
(Turn and face the strain)
Ch-ch-changes
You want to be a richer man
Ch-ch-ch-ch-changes
(Turn and face the strain)
Ch-ch-changes
You\'re gonna have to be a different man
Time may change me
But I can\'t trace time

I watch the ripples change their size
But never leave the stream
Of warm impermanence and
So the days flow through my eyes
But the days still seem the same
And these children that you spit on
As they try to change their worlds
Are immune to your consultations
They\'re quite aware of what
they\'re going through

Ch-ch-ch-ch-changes
(Turn and face the strain)
Ch-ch-changes
Don\'t tell them to grow up and out of it
Ch-ch-ch-ch-changes
(Turn and face the strain)
Ch-ch-changes
Where\'s your shame
You\'ve left us up to our necks in it
Time may change me
But you can\'t trace time

Strange fascination, fascinating me
Changes are taking the pace
I\'m going through

Ch-ch-ch-ch-changes
(Turn and face the strain)
Ch-ch-changes
Look out you rock \'n\' rollers
Ch-ch-ch-ch-changes
(Turn and face the strain)
Ch-ch-changes
Pretty soon you\'re gonna
get a little older
Time may change me
But I can\'t trace time
I said that time may change me
But I can\'t trace time

 

                  - David Bowie

This Longing

This endless longing as it was before
And all my angels came alive once more
They said \"hey, you in the dark\"

Another day spent in a broken shell
And all my demons they know all to well
They say \"god…you take your soul\"

This life was meant to take from your breath…
Away

I seem so empty
My endless longing goes on
I\'m living like I\'m lost these days

 

Written by Daniel Victor © 2005

Bad stuff....

In hard economic times I guess it is not unusual to see crime increase...folks are more desperate to make ends meet and sometimes desperation makes people do not good things...

In the news in the past week there have been accounts of two drug store robberies...one in Michigan and one in Northwest Ohio...why does this merit my comment, you may ask?  Well... the reasons are several, but the most important one is that I am concerned for the safety of my family.

Everyone in my house, save me, works at stores that are part of this particular drug store chain.  The store in Ohio that was recently robbed is the store that my older son once worked in and I have a friend that works there still.  On several occasions already, my older son has had run ins with shoplifters...and I honestly think once also pre-empted a robbery attempt...I am very afraid that the locations of the stores my family members work in are prime targets, should this rash of robberies continue...and this go \'round, from what I have heard, the perpetrators of the robberies are carrying guns.

Retail sales is a thankless area in which to work....customers are often rude and hostile...their view of sales people even up to the management level is that they are nothing more than servants.  Retail folks have to grow very thick skins and be very slow to rile...it does not serve well to be confrontational with a person who already sees you as nothing more than another fixture in the store.  Only someone who has worked in retail can truly understand what this is like, and more than that, understand the risks that are taken every day with safety, because retail stores for the most part are self contained entities, and the folks who work inside them are isolated and alone.

I pray that the person or people who are committing these robberies were recorded on surveillance camera and will be soon caught...I know it would not be a guarantee for the safety of my family members, but at least I would have some comfort in knowing that the latest batch of desperate people are not out there waiting to see if they can get away with a little more, in another store, where the innocent people who work there are just trying to make ends meet, just like they are....

That\'s all that\'s on my mind for now....be safe as the snow comes to Northwest Ohio...and say a little prayer to ask that there is an angel watching over my kids, just as a personal favour to me, if you could....much love to you till later....

v

A week into 2009

At the office and it is very quiet....I have just finished what for me passes for breakfast - a can of Bawls Guarana soda with another one waiting for me to start in just a little while.  It is a quiet start to the day and that is OK with me....

Soon I will address the emails that arrived overnight and review my notes from yesterday to see if there is anything that I need to finish up...that done, it will probably be time for others to arrive and the office will begin to hum with the activity of the day.

I am fortunate on this day to have a job to go to, in a place that I like and a home to go to at night.  My kids are there to share their experiences of the day, and when I lay down to sleep I know that, at least for today, we are safe and secure.  It is a week into 2009...I hope that this calm and steady feeling will persist throughout....and that you are experiencing it too....and you know, that as the year progresses, I will keep you posted on things from here ;)

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

v

Happy New Year

Fun times at the house the other night....family, friends, food and drink....photos on Flickr! Enjoy!

How can Christmas be holy and horrible at the same time?

The celebration of the birth of Christ is over, and the repercussions of the materialism sadly tied to the day have occurred. Much to my chagrin, again I become aware of seemingly perfectly normal adults (one in particular) who appear to have no grasp on reality and are lashing out like spoiled children at the perceived injustice they have suffered from the absence of an appropriate gift, one that it seems they believe they richly deserve.

I am hard pressed to understand the rationale for being angry for not getting a gift...tangible "thing" gifts are the choice of the giver...if they want to give and even more importantly if they can afford to. If a person does not receive a "thing" gift, then they can either assume that the person that they expected one from (which is a whole other conversation) either a) Did not want to buy one, or b) could not afford to buy one......my quandry is, why in the world would you EVER contact a person after the holiday to snidely comment about "the gift you did not get"? How self centered and horribly egotistical can a person be?

In the times we are experiencing now, folks like me and my family are much more likely to forgo gifts that cost money and do not expect to receive them either....our pleasures at this holiday this year were as simple as sharing a meal together in a house that is still ours, at least for now, with electricity, natural gas for heat and water still flowing in the pipes. Our luxuries include cable TV and internet access, and cell phones to keep us in touch with each other and the world around us. My kids are working hard, and not getting paid nearly what their efforts are worth, but are grateful for a steady income. My youngest and the firstborn's sig other both have the additional burden of choosing to pursue higher education, with the additional financial strain that adds. They are succeeding in their pursuits, and those who know their struggles cheer their victories and support them when they stumble....those who are unaware or blatantly detached have no concept of the challenges that they face as they remain true to their vision for their future lives.

So about this whole "wah, wah...I didn't get a present" thing....gifts are way more than stuff in wrapping paper, bought with money...put under the tree at your spiffy house so everyone can see with the number of boxes how popular and well liked you are....the best gifts are the ones that require your personal commitment, not a commitment of funds....your love, your time, your support and your encouragement are the gifts that your family should be able to always depend on receiving, and if there is anyone who should be "entitled" to be resentful about not getting gifts, it is those who do not received these most important ones...

We may not have had a house filled with tattered wrapping paper on Christmas day, but we had hearts happy and filled with love for each other, and gratitude that we made it to another anniversary of the birth of Christ together...a blessing well worth counting...

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

v

This is what makes this place so special.....

I am sitting at my desk, and hear behind me the sound of one of our sales managers arriving in my area of the office, one of his young children in tow....she is a sweet little girl of less than 5 and all the other ladies in the area \"OOOO\" and \"AAAHHH\" as she walks though the office, saying \"Hi!\" to all.  Daddy is here to drop off his \"Angel Tree\" gift - one of the things that we do here during the holiday season...and she is coming along to be with Daddy.

As I continue to work in my email, I hear them walk behind me toward the tree where all the folks here are depositing their gifts to give to kids during the holidays....as she talks with the ladies at the other end of the building, I hear the voice of our CEO, Jim as he walks toward her and her dad....

He immediately engages her in conversation...the kind of conversation that only that certain kind of person....someone kind, attentive and tuned in....can engage a little girl in...they talk about her and her daddy...her stuffed animals...and Thanksgiving....she is obviously absolutely enthralled that this \"grown up\" has taken the time to talk with HER...even with Daddy standing right by...the focus is on the little girl...and she is enjoying every second...and you can see from his face that Jim is enjoying it as well....and he would be able to have this same conversation with any of the children whose parents work here...he cares enough to know them beyond being employees...and it is obvious that it is something that he takes a great deal of pleasure in....

This is why, even in the every day world of work, this is a different and special place to be able to spend my days....there is a force here that goes far beyond the labour....and reaches into the hearts and taps into the spirits of every person who is here together to create the things we create....

It\'s a great place to work, no doubt....for so many reasons....but the little treasures like the one that I was privileged enough to observe this afternoon, really serve to remind why, every time they occur....

That\'s all for now....much love to you

v

My best received post on Webooks

Eight positive comments and five star rating ----

gal pal

hook up after work
meet at your place so you can drive your cool new car to the restaurant

I "OOO" and "Ah" and say "How sweee-eeet"
I ask about your day and about your life

You are more than willing to share all

You tell me of your wife
of your "friends"
and your struggles with your current love interest
in excrutiating detail

I have been through this before
this is not the first time I have been a "gal pal"
Your exploits do not surprise me

You are a man
getting older and unsure
with lots of bravado and the need for attention

to assure you that you are still
hot
and cool
and vital
and desirable

and ALIVE

and certainly NOT old


Because I do know
and understand

I smile dotingly
lean in to hang on your every word
call out the fact that the waitress is obviously smitten by you
stroke your ego

so when we part
you will feel great about yourself

and I will know that I understand you
much better
than you would ever suspect I could

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

Shades of Pet Semetary

Not unlike the Stephen King book, when all hope was gone and our family had gone through the horrible first days of coping with the assumed loss of our beloved cat Woz -

The young one rises early in his effort to be a good citzen and vote before he headed off to school. He went downstairs to retrieve his clothes from the dryer - and before he made it to the laundry room, turned on his heel and busted butt up to my room, where I was drying my hair, getting ready for voting then work. The hair dryer was on...at first I did not know that he was trying to get my attention...until he pounded HARD on my door and shouted MOM!!! I turned off the hair dryer, surprised - it was out of character for him to be so vocal and animated so early in the morning. I looked at his face...and asked him what was wrong...he looked at me, excitement in his voice...Woz is home!!! He is outside on the stoop! and then he headed back down the stairs...

I followed close behind... he already had his hand on the doorhandle, ready to let the cat in. I admonished him to wait...I wanted to check his condition before I let him in...with the information we had earlier received from a supposed eye-witness, I was concerned that he would be in bad shape and would need to be transported to the vet, rather than let into the house to roam about.

I looked out the side window by the front door...Woz was anxiously looking at the door, behaving in his normal I\'m hungry, let me in sort of way. As I opened the door a smidge to take a look at him, he nosed his way in, with Emma right behind. He took the alternate route through the family room to the kitchen and the food bowls. Emma took the direct route. We all were up at this point and followed close behind. In the light of the kitchen I watched as Woz and Emma both approached the food bowls...Emma arrived first...as Woz closed in behind her, she turned, hissed and took a swat...ah...so far so good...the couple was fighting as if Woz had never been gone....

I dropped to my knees near Woz as he hungrily devoured some food...a hungry guy after a week away from home. He tolerated me feeling him all over to see if he was hurt...no wounds...not anything visible or feel-able...only matted fur from sleeping out in the wet and weeds...he was a little skinnier...but otherwise appeared none the worse for wear...

Needless to say the family is counting their blessings...and Woz\'s lives...we figure he cashed one in on this little adventure....but he is alive, home and safe now...and we are relieved, happy and grateful...

Thank you for your support and kind words when we were hurting...I hope now that you will share our joy at Woz\'s return

Till later, much love to you

 

v

Our family's pain

Emma's home page and blog, please scroll to the bottom to read the most current entry.

Thank you for taking the time.

Much love to you,

v

I am going to stop offering.....

....because noone listens anyway....i know now what my mom always used to complain about...feeling like you are talking just to hear the sound of your own voice, because it is obvious that the people you are talking to are not absorbing anything that you are saying...

I am so tired of being \"the fish\".....when will it be my turn to be right?

For those who are interested....

...i have been away for a week and am now back home.  Had a nice time but only limited time to be away....

back to it...

Till later, much love to you...

 

v

 

If you are interested, photos are available on Flickr (link at right)

Root Learning is #1!

TOO FUNNY!!!!! \"The Toledo Blade On-line\" article about the Blade Corporate and Community Spelling Bee....what a riot! Also there must be something in the print version on the \"Local Section\" (the part previously known as ... Read More\"The Peach\", as I have had people calling me saying they have seen \"my picture\" in the paper ;) GO ROOT!!!!!

That\'s it for now...Band Day at UT and I am lucky enough to have gotten a ticket, so photos and an entry for the game tonight to come tomorrow...till later, much love to you...

 

v