Museum of Natural History

The days have turned cold bitter cold but guess what? The coldest, and snow filled day we elected to drive up to the University of Utah and attend a play of sorts at the University of Utah's Museum of Natural History. Dianne had gotten a “deal” earlier in the year but the “deal” had the stipulation that the pass be used by the end of the year—literally the end of the year- December 31m 2010!! So, we bundled up and met Bridget, Gabe and Anakah at the university.

I had not wanted to go to the natural Museum probably because it is the museum, see it once and that is that—the bones are not going to change. The museum may add more displays but in the end the displays or just old bits of history of history dressed up and marched out for display and perhaps worst is the museum experience is all commercial. I see commercialism all through the experience,from they got Dianne to purchase the ticket for five to the “five pencils” for a dollar. It's all hokey. Anakah had come over earlier in the morning and went with us up to the University.

As we got closer to the university i noticed the snow began falling as the closer we got the more heavily the snow fell. We found parking--Dianne let me off in the middle of the street and then parked the van in a narrow parking slot--this way of parking was the only thing we could do. We linked up with Gabe and Bridget and went inside. As dry and boring as the natural might be I must admit I do love the building the museum is located. Turn of the century 20th century) architecture with huge rooms and mysterious hallways and doors. I was a little concerned as to the level of juice I had in my batteries. I cannot figure out when to plug the chair in or to run the batteries down as far as possible. So, I really did little ranging at the exhibits I think Bridget saw this and came over and began working on me to become more involved in the process. Bridget encouraged me to be funny and more animated by having me turnto my sarcastic nature as we wandered round the exhibits and found exhibits we could stage making me look the victim of the museum of natural history. i must admit I was totally surprised how will the girl handled me.

Dianne had specifically arranged this outing so we could see some sort of play or reenactment--we sat in front of where the 'stage was going to be and at the proscribed time, what looked like a lost theater arts major began making all kinds of noise and began a one man show--that is not quiet correct there were a couple of prop, a dinosaur and a mask of a dinosaur and much audience participation, kids acting out the part of a host of smaller dino's. I though the actor,at first was major camp and really bizarre but must confess that as the presentation proceeded was astounded at how much energy this kid put into his performance. Everyone loved him. The event was great and the trip was great managing to get me out of the house and into the pubic enjoying life. I doubt I would want to inflict this on Mark A. and/or Jasmine--but I actually Jasmine would actually enjoy the event. Next time I should ask them if they would want to attend. We went to the Shang Hi Cafe afterward and had a great meal--I was watching my power indicator slipping closer and closer to zero. But, I made it home, just barely--Anakah and Dianne made brownies, cocoa and an apple pie--it turned out to be a pretty good day. Thanks Dianne

Presents

I finally ventured out into the world yesterday—snow is forecast and I wanted to get enough done so I would not have to go out again until I have to return to work on Tuesday. Michelle and Dustin gave us some giftcards to Borders Books and since I have not had anything to read holiday I was getting somewhat desperate. I have also needed to get a new 'point and shoot' camera since I rolled over my last camera, over a month ago and with Christmas being over and having let my bank account rest a couple of days I figured it was time to spend some money on myself. I also needed to go to Sears to look at gas range tops. The gas top range is another blog post entirely.

The basic idea was sound but what I neglected to consider was yesterday was smack dab in the middle of the Christmas holiday and I guess everyone else wanted to spend their gift cards too. The stop at Borders went quick I got new Iain Banks,SF, which will get me through January for sure. I picked up the latest copy of Parabola for Dianne. Then to Sears. I found a parking space quick and easy enough but when I got inside I felt the chaos immediately. A constant low-range roar met my ears, teenagers wandered in packs looking like bored, lost vampires. Mother with stroller usually with two or more waifs in tow, some screaming, crying or just whining. I had to dodge kids and there as I made my way to Sears. There was also seniors in this group, people even older then. Some walking, some shuffling and some had wheelchairs of their own. I weaved in and out finally getting the giant department store.

“Appliances” were on the second floor and so were “Electronics” I noted as I pushed forward to the elevator and sure enough there was a family, multiple generations, which looked like zero to infinity. The looked t me and invited me to ride up with them in their elevator. I graciously but cautiously as the most senior family member, an ancient, local cultured conservative with perfectly coiffured silver haired who cracked in poor taste disability oriented comments as we lifts to the second floor. I ignord the old bat and bolted as soon as the door opened Kitchen Appliances. It took forever to find someone to assist me and they were of little help. I ended up being directed to the Sears website( which I could do a heck of a lot more comfortably from home) then over to electronics and actually purchased a small Kodak, point and shoot which should be fun till I roll over it. I had to leave as soon as I could—I was becoming more and more afraid of the Mall people, they were every where I had to go.

It took me for ever to find my van but I was soon home excited to have my new book and a camera to play with—it finely felt like Christmas.

Yule Update

My last day of work was Wednesday, with the Holiday falling on Saturday, I had to use a day of work to enjoy the part of the weekend I would loose since the State has the day off the working day bwfore the holiday when the holiday falls on the weekend and since we already enjoyed having Friday off as part of of our regular three day weekend we then got the a day before the Thursday. I chose Thursday and I should be off work until January 3^rd all this next week.

I have not done much over my days off except cook, deliver Christmas gifts and do grocery shopping to be sure we had food in the house we would needed and wanted for Christmas Eve and Day. I HAVE watched too much television and not read enough but I am going to make up for this this next week...I hope. I have not drunk to excess not once not even a nip, as yet. I have eaten, however, a lot of fruit cake soaked in rum which may count to my alcoholic this holiday season.

Perhaps the most significant event I have experienced this season in rekindling my association with my mother's sister Elaine, who I distanced my self—not on purpose—from after my mom's death. The visit wasn't long but Dianne and went to her home with gifts,smiles and good cheer. Elaine looked great, as always, quiet, gracious and sophisticated. I was good and minded my P's and Q's. We left promising to have a meal together soon following the new year. The next most significant event we,learned last night at mind-night when Bridget called to inform Dianne and Me that the fetus she has been carrying is a boy!! I have to cave into the excitement wondering what having a grandson will be like. After so many granddaughters a grandson will be something new, and close—life, I think will change having a new grandchild round the house.

I have been dong a little more art since my vacation started. We are watching Anakah over the school holiday break. Anakah and I painted, Thursday when she was over, did some reading and went out to lunch. Anakah was was home Christmas Eve and over course we were over in the morning Christmas to watch her and to open our gifts. Gabe and Bridget put together great breakfast. The rest of the Christmas day we spent at the house watching recorded television programs. I did get Scrooged watched and a host of Bio's other recorded. I do want to get by a Redox and get some some movies to watch. Today, I have been cooking a little for breakfast but I intend to fix something serious for dinner. We cooked a roast Christmas day and with the left-over I want to make enchiladas. I have downloaded a recipe I found on the NET and I anticipate a good dinner. This is the update—pretty droll I know but tomorrow's post I hope to be better another Christmas story, something real, true and Christmassy. Oh and today snow is falling as I type. Merry Christmas!!

Christmas Booty

One more day till I am off for my Christmas/Solstice winter holiday. After tomorrow I will be out of the office until January 2^nd,2011! This is way too long especially for a call center with one operator but the time between holidays generally is nearly dead and if things really did get busy I could come in for a few hours in the middle of the week and return calls.

Today was the last day all then staff would be in the office so we had our office “holiday” party: we went round the corner to a restaurant, which was way over priced but nice to be out with staff for a holiday fling. Those who are giving gifts are also giving them today and I did mine...I gave out small tea cups I purchased at the Chinese market we went to on the weekend. I was surprised art how well the gifts were received. I by the same token got some pretty nice stuff a stocking from my Ala mater BSU, some giant pine cone and mini multi purpose tool—actually pretty neat stuff.

Christmas Miracle

No excuses except that it is Christmas and I am having difficulty staying focused long enough to write something. I kinda feel like a little kid during Christmas and I feel I am just too full of the season and its true!! Every year I sit hear at my phone line and am lucky to be part in someway 'Christmas Miracles' all over the Utah area-some of the miracles are more grand then the others but I feel they are all miracles. Sometimes it some one who gets their water or power turned on—unexpectedly, or their rent paid or a wheelchair found. Its not like everyone gets a miracle but the miracle does happen and many times I am lucky enough to be a past of the miracle in some small way.

Last week was the Christmas party put on by the Utah Independent Living Center (UILC), an organization I was part of for over ten year when I first migrated to the Salt Lake Valley. The UILC

is a good, no, great organization serving folks with disabilities. I cannot quite remember when I first did the deed but for one reason or another I began playing Santa Clause at the Center's Christmas function. I usually am paired with a “Mrs Clause” another employee of the Center and together, provide the back drop to holiday images. Over the years Kim, part of the Center staff, or sometimes Al or someone would operate a Polaroid Instamatic camera, taking images of the visitor with the Clauses and a few seconds later the little camera would spit out a developing snap shot: instant Christmas happiness. Verifiable proof that they were worth something, that they were,period. They sat with Santa and it did not matter that this Santa was in a wheelchair and sounded like he was making fun of the whole photogenic episode, somehow they managed to dressed up and leave the house, apartment of living center for a meal and a holiday gala and the, by god, had the Polaroid to prove it.

I am old and cynical and perhaps I am not the best choice for Santa anymore but the folks rt the Center keep asking and I keep saying yes—it's a two hour gig and a lunch thrown in along the way. In years past we have bartered for good the Center had usually tires for my manual wheelchair, which were usually bald and thread bare by the Christmas party would roll round. But, the Christmas party is a great place to touch base with to touch base with a lit of old customers/consumers I have served over the decades—those still alive anyway and truth be told every year the number drops a little but I am still surprised to who is still among the living.

The Christmas miracle happened to me this year!! I mean I have been the recipient of my far share of miracles and some have been pretty spectacular as my miracles go but this years was special. I had gotten to the Center early enough to have gotten the proffered lunch and changed into the Santa suite and roared out into the crown when the song Santa Clause is Coming to Town and took my place next to Mrs Claus and started the picture taking and I was pleased to see Mary Lou and Tom,and the folk from the Deaf project and others. I was getting restless, I grew to thinking of how much longer I had to sit there with the itchy beard, smiling under beard smiles no one would ever see. Then it happened , my Christmas miracle, some little kids—and I mean little under five or so, still true believers. These kids were off spring of consumers or employees. This little girl marched right up in front of me held her arms up for me t lift her onto my lap... and I did and then she started rattling off what she wanted and she was positive I was going to bring. But I was touched with Christmas then and there for a split second, but that was all it took. She was so she sure I was he that he was be me for a short millisecond of time I melted and felt the holiday spirit wash over me.

My cynicism has returned, well not all of it, I know the miracle happened to me this year and I cannot forget it and I am charged to make sure I spread the cheer when and where I can all for a short , short time I was Father Christmas.

One more test

Remembering

It's funny what gets a person thinking. This morning as I was riding the train into work I was trying to catch a few extra winks of sleep as I sat with my eyes closed and them train rocked and thrashed itself down the rails. I opened my eyes at once set of especially rough rocking and pushed my glasses back up my nose the rocking had gotten so severe I had nearly lost my glasses. I was being watched by a young, university blonde who smiled at me when I caught her staring at me. I pushed my glasses back up upon my nose and closed my eyes and rocked back into twilight.

I believe I started wearing glasses when I was in the 3^rd grade, at least I can see the little glasses holder, which threaded on to the belt and snapped shut supposedly holding the glasses secure. When I first got glasses I needed them only for reading. I could see just fine without them. Glasses were not traumatic for me. I was not saddled with nick names like four eyes, or squint or anything like that. The problem I remember most was keeping a pair for over a year's time with out loosing them.

Our small farm sat back off the main road about an eighth of a mile, a huge hay field separated out house from the bus stop which we cut through each day. I don't exactly remember but seemed I would run between fifty or seventy yards and have to jump a ditch and then another distance of about the same and jump another ditch and finish about twenty- five yards, crawl under a fence and be at the bus stop. We could only use the field to cut through after the hay season was finished or if the fields were used that year for corn, when the corn was finally harvested, until, then we used to have to walk the road which was a great deal longer way to get to the stop. Come Fall I was all about running the field.

I cannot remember how many times I got home and would reach for my glasses to find the container empty and I knew that I had some where in the gigantic field lost my glasses.

Once the irrigation stopped flowing at the end of the Summer the field would turn tan and yellow as the alfalfa went dormant. My glasses were brown or black making them almost impossible to easily see. In the fleeting daylight I would retrace my steps, or what I hopefully thought were my steps and leaps and usually to no avail. Then having to tell my mom who always seemed to take the event in stride. I was really surprised I did not get yelled at more then I did. I even prayed at times, falling right to my knees and really believing that when I finished with my prayer I would open my eyes and the glasses would be right there...they seldom were. It would take a week or so but eventually Dr Florenz would grind me another set and I would be careful for a couple of weeks bu eventually I would loose those too.

My eyes have deteriorated over the years and now I wear glasses all during my waking hours. I have not lost a pair in years. But I could remember running across Johnson's field this morning as I was coming in on the train—nodding in and out of conciseness—remembering days of running on cold December mornings, along long time ago.

Happy Birthday Dianne

Hey I am really am trying but I just not been able to keep blog updated, even during the weekends and usually those are the day I can get so of my best blogging don't know if the season is the problem or staying away from the computer because Dianne and I are doing too much stuff either out of the house or watch video captures or Redbox.

Like this weekend about he only thing I did with the computer was to writ my friend's weekly letter, update my Face Book account other then that We washed dishes, cooked—I did some fun cooking and watched a couple films and TV stuff. This is not good, my life is passing me by and I am lost in the Red box—Rd box is nice though to always have current, good movies and only a dollar a shot and sometimes even less or free. /why I have even let free coupons expire since I could not use them in time. Maybe it is because Dianne has been taking me to the train station in the morning because of the poo weather and I have not been having the adventures I have when I power my chair up to the bus stop. I did end up taking my chair in to have my castors replaced. $200.00 just like that and during Christmas but I sound better and the ride is even better as well.

So, today I am in for a half of a day. It's Dianne's birthday and I chose to give her my four hours of time the governor gave me for Christmas. I cannot think of a better gift then time. So we are going to have the afternoon together and make spaghetti for dinner.

Of note I got a weird email from my cousin that my morose and sick which does not sound good at all so I better make some time for /aun Elaine or I am going to be missing her for ever. I gotta fly...

Numbers

OK just a few lines to let people know I am still alive but just not posting like I should, and it not that I have nothing tom say because things have been happening and I have even been busy. I should make it a point to write every morning as soon as I get into work , signed into the network and have my coffee in hand-it seems if I do not then I am too tired by the end of the day and in some cases the morning. Today is not different except it is still morning and I'll have at least a paragraph to post today. In truth? I truth I am writing because I don't want to do what I need to do and that is to mess with the data from my program before my boss gets into work hi afternoon—she has been gone all week but today she is back and I had better have my numbers.

So I could write about Dianne driving me to the train station every morning, or the ARDC meeting I attended yesterday are the fact I have destroyed another digital camera!Buy I don't have time I gotta jump my numbers---pray for me!!

Spring Fever!!?

It's amazing what one week will do. The snow, which I groused about last week, is melting and melting quite fast—at the rate it is melting the huge piles of snow will be gone by the end of the week. I am sure, however, that by Thursday s new storm will roll in and the temps will drop and we'll be back to winter. What's really weird is I actually feeling like I have a bit of Spring Fever—I'm slow, dull given to long gazes out the window at the rain, warm rain falling slowly digesting the snow replacing the yuletide spirit with dead on Spring fever. Hopefully this too shall pass.

Snow Grief

I just got back from meeting out in the city—really just one but I bussed all over the city to get there in the cold, gray inverted Salt Lake City. I have this meeting every other month. Its a board of director meeting and the past year or so we have been having the meeting at a building a couple miles from my office and not served that well by public transit. Actually, it just seem like it is not served well but there are two bus routes which get me within 100 feet of the building the meeting is held. If I really try I can get to the meeting with in 45 minutes—I don't know why it just bugs me that I have to go all the way over there because the judge is in a wheelchair---so am I am. The judge chooses to use a manual chair.

I'm grousing because I had to travel a snow encrusted transit system today. Actually, I was pleased in that I I did not become marooned in snow drifts or ice flows not once.

I think I am also a little mad at myself because I was stupid. I was trying to catch the bus I needed to et to the meeting on the wrong side of the street and I know I must have missed two buses before a stopped infront of me and I asked the driver when th bus I needed (the 220) would be by...””Oh “she says,” you need to be on the other side of the street. You want the 220 outbound.” “Grrrr” I crossed the street and got the bus I needed in 10 minutes but I waited more then an hour in the cold winter air.

The meeting was OK but because I was late the kabobs were cold but edible==I was bout 20 minutes late. I had used much more power then I had planned in getting to the meeting and I could tell I was getting low and I would be dangerously low on power by the time I got back to the office if I did GET back to the office. (I really need to re look at figuring out a way to drag a charger along with so I could charge at times like this. But I made it tired, cold and worried bout my chair and getting home. I OK, I have charged for almost 90 minutes and I am back to 97% but that is quick charge and not deep but it should been enough especially if Dianne picks me up at the train station.

I have included with today's an image of my morning bus stop it's covered with snow and ice and not usable by a person using a wheelchair. The bus driver had to park in front of the drive way to the dealership because the snow was so bad. I spent 30 minutes calling the mayors office and sending him emails about the situation-- maybe something will happen.