Bump

Snow fell during the night! Real snow four to five inches and it was snowing as I plowed down my ramp heading toward the train station—this must be March exiting like a lion. True enough the sun came up and vanquished much of the snow by noon only Northern exposed snow remained with clouds and cold temperatures. Its all good warmer weather should be in town for conference. This patch of weather is just a small bump in the road to Spring and Summer.

Save A Memory

I woke at three this morning thinking about my grade school in Boise, Campus School. Campus, so named because the school sat on campus, Boise Jr. College which later grew up to be Boise State University. Besides being a school Campus was also training platform cadet teachers at the college/university. I found a couple of years ago the school had been closed as a school and the building turned into offices for the university. Now I find the school, or building which housed the school is doomed for demolition! Something about wanting the buildings of the university to match and the architecture of the school (built in 1949) does not fit with the bright shiny new structures of glass and steel of today.

Coincidence I am sure but laying there in bed trying to force my brain to shut down enough to fall back a sleep I wondered if a website could be made to commemorate the schools existence. I have tried to link up with some of the students who attended Campus to no avail. I now just want to get some photographs of the school, maybe some events and maybe a place where students might come and write about their experiences and feelings of their time in those brick walls. I am going to go to Boise School District and see if there is a photo dump somewhere such photos exist. Maybe the university has some sort of files in the History Department or maybe the Idaho Museum group or what have you. I know these images are out there I just have to run them down. I cannot believe there is not more interest in such a project. I am going to talk with Kim, John, Tom, Linda, Leah, Paul, Bruce, maybe even Brent some of the folks I know who attended Campus and may have an interest in such a website. John is a historian (trained) and I still know how to contact him. Heck there maybe be a whole pile of images and stories at the University just waiting for a group just like ours. I know it sounds hokey but I would like to see some sort of alum program started—some of the best stories from the place like the “crossed crutches on the bible open to the 23^rd Psalm” or the time Harry Warr beat me up in music class or the great school carnivals where I would get my winter supply of comic books. I have also been thinking a lot about the hot lunches served in the auditorium(Campus did not have a gym). The great mashed potatoes served up with ice cream scoops. I hardly ever got “hot lunch” but I remember the ones I did get, hot rolls and mashed potatoes and gravy with what ever meat product they would serve and the 5 cent carton of milk served from the milk machine in the corner. Flag foot ball in the fall , soft ball in the spring, tetherball and marbles anytime else and the bus ride to and from school. There is a whole history here I cannot remember it all alone somebody help!

500 Words At A Time

I just checked my hit counter and it says I have had an average of 3 hits a day for the last week. He number is up from two. The two look to be from Salem Oregon( thank you Michelle for your consistent support) and one from Boise—Thanks Linda. The third visitor today was from San Francisco and I don’t know who the hell that could be.

So why do I do this silly blog, post after post? The first year was to see if I cold do the 500 words a day. I wanted to see if I could sustain the writing day after day week after week month after month and now year after year. Now I cannot stop—not that I want to—I just keep on typing. I am not blogging with the commitment I once did. I wrote every day regardless of anything else, I WROTE 500 WORDS . Now I can go days and maybe a week before I feel the need to wap something off at a terminal somewhere and load it up to my blog. Heather B Armstrong, just finished a 37,000 work book about her life as a blogger and Dr. Au just finished signing a book deal regarding her Internship and Residency and their capture on her blog. Maybe I believe that by my continued blogging I may just get something published. At least I am writing on a regular basis and more then I have ever written in life. I fantasize that if I had the opportunity to have my days completely to myself to write I could write on a focused committed level or atleast four hours every day maybe longer if I got really fired up; that would be a couple thousand words a day—sooner or later I would have a real live book.

I wrote a book once. I told my work mate about the book a couple of weeks ago. The rough draft took me a year to write. I called the book CMAT: Community Medical Assistance Team. CMAT was a rough accounting of a couple of years of my where I was associated with a medical services delivery program for low-income migrant workers in Southwest Idaho. I wrote the CMAT during the divorce of my first marriage. I used the writing of the book to keep me out of the bars and trouble. It worked more or less. I swore I would not even contemplate the revision until I had access to some sort of word-processor. When I did get such access to a word-processor I found the rewrite to be incredibly difficult and gave up and then I lost the manuscript during my second divorce.

Now I have a great computer system with great word-processor capability and if CMAT is ever going to sere the light of day I am going to have to write the whole thing again—I don’t know if I can and if I do, CMAT will not be the same volume as it was at the end of 1984. The new book will be similar: the characters the same, the chapters bout the same and maybe a whole lot more fiction then the original. I can do it if I start just 500 words at a time.

I Just get So Tired

I took off at 12:30 today! I took the whole four whole four hours I worked last night at the gimp-arama. I ended up taking the train over to the Galavin Center with milk crate of materials on my lap. Ironically the shop called a little after four saying my van was done. What a shock. I still blew off picking up the van thinking the stress of having to train all the way down to Sandy Station and drive all the way back downtown just was not worth effort. I must confess I was bit however by the time I got off the train last night at 9:30 and still had to motor my chair the six blocks back to the house. I left the box of materials with an acquaintance ho works for Voc Rehab and has an office not far from my office downtown. I was going to pick the materials up today but blew it off after deciding To cash in my hours today. I am going to load a couple of images I took at the event tomorrow when I get to work, where I downloaded the images.

I was pretty tired all day at work—I did some decent counseling but all in all I was pretty worthless sso I caved in and took the hours. I am a little suspicious of Tory and Kristin in how happy they sounded when I announced I was leaving—I did not know that Claire was leaving too for a two and half day vacation letting me know I was ,again, in charge while she is gone. Before I left she Claire informed me she had hired a new bookkeeper—an guy, maybe even older then me, and I am wondering if my days of being in charge during Claire’s absences are a thing of the past. This is cool, I saw him the other day when he arrived at our building for his interview. He is stately, well retired with lots of snow white hair. He is tall and drives an SUV and is probably a republican which should make for some interesting office discussions. This upcoming quarter should be interesting.

Out of the office and on my own I grabbed a quick lunch and then hopped a train South to retrieve my van. I had to go all the way down to 90^th South which seemed to take for ever. The rocking train and the lack of sleep soon had me nodding in and out of consciousness. I called Justine as I was leaving the Downtown station. Justine offered to have someone pick me up as I got into 90^th South. He has never offered such an amenity which kind of spooked me. He must be feeling guilty for what he is about to charge . Sure enough John the hack was there with my van when I got off the train. I was impressed. This was true service.

Justine is great and doe great work but does this weird think of always having me write out the payment directly to him and that way either does not charge me insurance or cuts the price but I always feel kind of slimey when I am done. I don’t know why but I do. Today he knocked off $35.00 bringing my cost to $300.00 which feels steep but the price of a harness and the hours to repair the door motors…I guess it’s about right but I just cannot get ahead. There is always something which knocks me down. But, I have my van back and I am set for the weekend. The boss is gone and the Spring gets better every day.

Just Charge It!

When I dropped my van off at the shop last week to have the problem worked on I specifically got the impression the vehicle would be fixed by Monday, yesterday and for sure by today. I got a call a few minutes ago and guess what? The van will not even be ready until Friday this Friday!! So tonight I have work I have to do after five at the Gallavan center in Downtown Salt City that is cool because the Gallavan is just three or four blocks a way and I can easily make the roll over there even with a box of materials on my lap. Luckily the center is directly infront of the train station and I’ll just have to jump on the train to go home. I will still have to get from the train to my house which is blocks away. To make matters worse, for one reason or another my battery charger, for my power chair, did not work last night, so I have been trying to get enough of a charge to ensure I get home this evening, this means I have had to literally sit at my workstation plugged into the charger trying squeeze enough juice into my pathetic batteries. The charger is not working very good—same problem I have at the house but I am sure I have enough power to be OK.

ALittle White Van

Since I had so much time to myself yesterday—I did not go over to the offspring’s for dinner for all the reasons alitterated in the previous post. I was surprised I got out dinner so easily but having the van in the shop made a big difference.

Easter being a major Christian holiday I cannot help but think back to my clinic days when I was probably in contact with more Christians then any other time in my life. The medical director—the Captain, for reasons I will one day share with this audience, seemed to be a major Christian. I never have quite figured out if Mack was a Christian because his wife, Alice was a Christian or did Mack pick up his philosophy somewhere else. In any case he was, not only did Mack tote a bible he usually toted his Greek bible and he could read it too. Mary Foreman, maybe not a Christian by definition, was Roman Catholic, a practicing Roman Catholic, so practicing we referred to her as just Sister Mary. In fact, rumor has it that Mary did wind up in a convent somewhere. I was thinking of all these people yesterday and reached out to those I knew where they might be.

Jose I got hold of in the middle of his Sunrise service. Of course he just noted my call and got back with me about twenty minutes later following the service. I still don’t know how comfortable I am with Jose being a “born again”. Jose was I were pretty rowdy bring the youngest members of the team so when the word came down that he had accepted the Word I was floored. But Jose has kept the Spirit and grown in his faith. To where he has basically quit his full time work in Texas and has turned his life over to Christ and runs a small church in Mexico not far from Mission, Texas. Jose lives on both sides of the border and talks as if he soon will relocate entirely to Mexico.

Mac or the Captain, is now living in North Carolina which seems just wrong to me but for a major bunch or reasons but that is where he is. Captain is living in a long-term “care” facility. The facility is an intermediate care facility which means Mac has as much autonomy as heis going to get but probably is as much as he needs: all things being equal. Mac has a daughter living close by to make sure has what he needs and stays out of trouble. When ever I speak to the Captain there is a longing in his voice which nearly breaks my heart. Alice is gone, his past is gone and his days are all but gone,living in this antique shop waiting, waiting, just waiting.

We rode circuit everyday in Southwest Idaho to migrant health clinics. We traveled in a white six cylinder Chevy van—Jose has painted Mercy Medical Missions on the side with image of the world infront of an image of a cross. The three of us rode the circuit each day: Nampa to Boise, Boise to Nampa, Nampa to Parma( and lunch) and Parma to Homedale then back to our home base Nampa. In the little white van, to my knowledge now images of the little white van survives but I have included an image of little red van which brings back many memories.

Quiet Easter

I am just passing Eater more or less by myself and that is OK—Dianne is resting and the van is in the shop…till but we should have the van out shortly. Dianne will be going over to Bridge and Gabe’s for Gumbo and I am invited and I appreciate the invite but it’s gumbo in a non- accessible household and I have ranted on that before. So, here I sit on this almost warm Spring afternoon playing on my computer having a rather nice time.

Spring Showers

I was trapped in my van this morning, again. I decided to drive y van into work this morning. I have a meeting at lunch across town and it takes me an hour to get there if I take the bus but only 15 minutes if I drive, so I feel I am doing the tax payer a service if I drive in and drive to my meeting saving 90 minutes in travel time. When I got to work I opened my doors on the van and went to lower my lift and the lift started to act by itself, the opened door began to close and got caught in lift and everything stopped an I was essentially trapped in my van. Luckily the Mexican Embassy is located in the top of our building and they have lots of people always coming and going to their building and some of those folks stopped and tried to help. They don’t speak a lick of English but were willing to do what ever I pointed to. We eventually got lucky and they disengaged the lift from the door my lift and the thing worked and I was able to get out. While all this was happening I had managed to call my lift mechanic on my cell phone and is supposed to stop by the office this morning hopefully to see if he can get the lift working properly. I am afraid now the lift seems to be working correctly he will not be able to ascertain what is wrong with the lift and I will get trapped again somewhere sometime when I least need or expect the system to fail. Oh well, life always seems to be interesting. Luckily today the weather looks absolutely beautiful: clear to partly cloudy with temperatures in the 60’s—so even if my lift fails in the community I could still get round with the buses and train just fine.

So when I went to go home my lift failed again!! The only lucky part was I was sitting infront of a State building full of people who are supposed to work with problems like this. I had my cell phone hanging round my neck and called one of my friends , who I knew was still inside the building and they came out and tried to help but rally could not figure out what the problem was so one of the guys called a lift company I don’t use for a number of reasons and the owner came out and looked at the van and then said if I came to the shop they could fix it. Well, they disconnected my doors but were able to get the lift folded up and we bungeed the doors closed and I drove over to P Q…their people looked at the lift further and did find a problem with the wiring inside the door but they could not work on the lift then which was OK with me. These guys had worked on my equipment before and had not treated me very well, I wanted to go back to my mechanic, who is the fellow who actually installed the lift and knows it best. His name is Justine and I have worked with him for 10 or 15 years.

I called Justine and he was still at his office so I drove by and dropped off the vehicle. As I started off saying my letter that yesterday was a beautiful day and a warm day for the last full day of winter, so I took off for this meeting with out a coat or hat or any type of protective clothing. I had to drive my power chair for about four Sandy blocks in the evening traffic time as the sun began to set. It was a chilly ride to the train and it was even chillier from the train at my station home but I made it.

Wouldn’t you know it, rain this morning. Dianne made me wear my red plastic slicker. I balked at first but was very thankful by the time I got to work. The rain in Murray was just lightly falling but down town the rain was pouring but the red plastic kept me dry and now the storm has moved on and better weather for Easter….I hope!

Happy Spring an Happy Easter…

i FEEL TH sTRESS

There seems to be a cloak of stress hanging over the office. I sensed it when my partner came in this morning. Later when the boss got in and started machine gunning emails out and I got one , an email, right between the eyes. A CC for me regarding earlier email shot out last week sometime about meetings and things indicated or promised and could my website handle the information which will be generated by the information piece. I think I have the situation mostly all under control but I am not sure just enough to feel some pressure.

So on top of this my partner seemed to be doing the ‘silent treatment. She was handling a lot of personal calls from her husband and that is always a bad sign sense they have been apart for a while now and are figuring out what the net step is going to be. As we had to communicate, my work partner and myself we finally got some warm conversation going but there was definitely some stress.

Snow Surgery

Snow fell during the night and cold winds are blowing but Spring is just a few days away and last night’s and this morning snow is Old Man Winter’s last Harrah.

Yesterday Primary Children’s Medical Center hosted an open house where kids could come and dress as surgeons and such and mess round in the OR and look cool. Dianne took Anakah who looked like she, they, had a great time.

Chips

One of the best things about cold lunches are chips and I love chips like other people like chocolate. I am surprised movie theater do not sell chips like they sell popcorn. If I had a choice I would rather eat some kind of chip then popcorn swimming in some sort of butter sludge.

So today was a cold lunch day. I asked Dianne to pack me a bag of Fritos. I also grabbed what was left of a bag of frozen dogs and tossed them in my bag pack as well. When I got to work I saw Dianne had packed half the sack in one of those quart sized ‘ziplock’ plastic bags. I never got Fritos as a child. Fritos was one of those high ends that other kids got but not me. Sometime, during the pick-nick holidays like “Forth of July” of Memorial Day and we might be meeting with extended family members at Julie Davis park we actually had Clover Club potato chips—which I think might be some of the best made potato chips on earth. Rarely did we ever get potato chips in our lunch. We did if mom went to the “dead bread” store and the dead bread store had what I called ‘pig chips’. ‘Pig chip” where chips sold in large white unmarked bags and sold at a ridiculously low price. If fact that is how these chips got the ‘pig chip’ name. One time when I was with mom in the store and a pig farmer came in and asked if “the” chips had come in and the clerk said ‘chips’ had and if the pig farmer would pull his truck round to the back they would load the chips for him. Sure enough old Pigdonald backed up his 1957 GMC and they rolled barrels of these ‘distressed chips’ into the truck and the happy farmer sped away ,I assume, to where equally happy swine would receive the carbo delights.

I think of cold lunch I like best with chips would have to be the tuna fish sandwich. Potato chips not only adds a nice salty crunch to the tuna fish sandwich but can also save the tuna fish sandwich if the tuna has been mixed with a little too much mayo or salad dressing and the bread has taken in too much moisture. Potato chips placed on the tuna fish mixture and the bread if the bread can be separated from the tuna. The trips should be applied generously to provide the correct crunch, there by pulling the soggy sandwich away from the edge of sandwich hell. Fritos also works extremely. A little know fact is that potato chips also saves PB&J when too much jam has been used.

Today was corn chip, lots of them, with frozen dog in two week old buns wrapped in paper towels and micro-waved for one minute. I like being able to go out for lunch, I like being able TO go out for lunch but somewhere in the back of my mind I still love the crunch of good chips with the right sandwich from the depths of a crinkled brown paper bag.

Life Excitement an d Chinese Too

Sometimes life excites me so much I have a hard time sleeping. This morning I woke at 3:15 am and could not get back to sleep. I did manage to stay in bed till 4:30 my usual rising time but and I was darn glad to get up but I can tell I am going to be groggy all day and today is Council Day! I also have a Transportation meeting following Council but I really just need to take notes in that meeting and by then I hope I am in my second wind. I guess I am also relating that I am writing this early in my day before I am so wiped out that I will not be coherent.

I am really to be working at the job I am doing right now. I like what I am doing and good enough at the job that I have been doing this job to another similar to job for nearly two decades. In this job I am essentially an operator. I answer the phone and give our disability information for the State of Utah. I get a lot of calls from people to lazy to either look the phone number up themselves or two cheap to make a long distant call on their own dime and call in using our toll-free line thinking I will be able to connect them. I cannot connect them and many if not most of the calls have nothing to do with disability. Our Statewide number is listed in the “blue pages” of the phone book and we’re the first number these folks stumble upon. Many of the calls, however, are “good” calls people with disabilities or family members of folks with disabilities needs to know were they might go to get help specific to their disability. Sadly, many times, these folks have gone everywhere one can go with no resolution and I have to be the one to tell them they are SOL(Swift Out of Luck). Because I have done this type of work for so long I often can give them some information or advice which will help them make their next decision. Sometimes when I give the bad news it’s the best new for the people because they at least stop looking and hoping along that particular line of questing. The caller then can open another line of searching hopefully with better results. May times this is the consumers second or third “Information and Referral”(I&R) line and the operators just pass them on to another I&R , the consumer still hopeful if not more frustrated. I atleast stop their search and get them searching somewhere else. We recently hired a nother operator at part time for the time being. She is great, a fast learner and usually covers phones when I go for lunch. I hope to be able to switch this operator over to full-time and benefits soon but I cannot so it yet.

So I' m excited, everyday is exiting and I am getting to do new things , it seems, everyday. I sometimes wish I had more time or more energy to try to get everything done I would like to do. Speaking of which the best part of Council Tuesdays is Council always has a catered lunch…today it’s Chinese.

Riley

Nothing like a new addition to the extended family to see if your equipment is working satisfactorily; I have been working all day to print a decent image of Riley to send to grandparents and other extended family and friends who do not have access to a computer. Sure enough when I dumped the test images the dreaded banding was present: the light horizontal lines which show through the print job making the image les then acceptable in your eyes and most likely everyone else’s. I have done everything I can think of: going inside the printer, running the tests printing page after page of test prints. I was dismayed that some of the tests did not even seem to run. I even replaced the color ink cartridge, the tri-color cartridge, with a new cartridge I found lurking in the back of my desk but still no change the bands are still there. Then I enlisted Dianne’s help who basically did the same things I did but no improvement. Then we decided we would just print the images with the faithful old HP and that printer is printing only pink! So we worked on that for an hour with still no resolution. It looks as if I send any images of the newborn to Mother Smith, the newborn will be decked out with stripes.

Why cannot the equipment just work like the equipment is supposed to? One should not have to be a design engineer or a master tech support person—or have to purchase a new printer every couple of years just because you want to print images of the grand kids. Deep down I think filing printers is just another example of “planed obsolescence”.

Oh yeah, I have also been trying to get selected pieces of software and hardware to work. I cannot install “Quick Time” or my web cam…it seems my system is dying for the “Service Pack 2 or later” and can I figure out how to down load SP2 and install—HELL NO! Trying to download and install SP2 has taken up the other part of my day. I am now going to start asking neighbors and family if any has a copy of SP2 on disk. I was going to have MS send me one but the cost was $10.00—noway!

So here I sit with no printers working worth a damn and only one system recognizing a camera. I may not need it. Shelly is going to hook her web cam up hopefully for a Riley show in the near future. I just want to be ready.

Yesterday I got a new back pack—the one I got from the kids just never worked out and I needed something I felt comfortable with. I found a fine red backpack on sale at a Recreation Outlet- a recreation close out store. And I think the pack will be perfect for my needs, lots o zippered pockets, strong carrying loop small yet large enough to carry all of my stuff I feel whole one more.

I Just Wanna stay In

University of Utah’s medical center, rehab unit is doing a two month class regarding life with spinal cord injury(SCI). they meet once a week on Tuesday’s at 6:00, providing a meal and prizes and what have you. They even meet downtown Salt Lake right on the light rail line—in fact I am even presenting at one of these sessions. so I do not have an excuse not to attend these events except I just cannot do it on a regular basis. I work full time and when I am done with my 8 hours I am really done. I mean I could drag myself to such an event but attending the event is a challenge and one I would not fully enjoy if I did get to it.

I have been dipping back into the disability community more and more as I age—possibly hoping to find some answers to questions and challenges I am having regarding aging in place with a significant disability. I have joined a couple of disability websites with, what looks to be good forums and discussion groups. But I am post injury 40+ years and everything these folks are talking about either just does not hold much interest for me not I have dealt with the issue and moved on and most of the participants are the “young turks”, the” new twists” on the floor so there will be vats of testosterone looking for an outlet in one form or another. Usually wheelchair sports; basketball, hand bike or quad rugby. I am still trying to find a wheelchair volleyball team. I guess I would not be so cynical if all these rehab heads did not think sports was the healer for all things.

I know I am going to be getting a call one of these days wondering why I am not coming to the meetings. Why don’t these guys understand a full time job is a full time job and if you have a disability you do not necessarily have to hang with others who have disabilities to have a life.?

Just Shut Up!

I usually play well with all the kids in my sand box but lately I have been having an issue with one I have to play with at least once a month maybe even more frequently as this program I am affiliated with grows.

I have written about the reutilization project before—I think. I project designed to re- utilize all the assistive technology which is scattered round the community and best of all to get this assistive technology to consumers who can use it. There are six or seven of us in the area who are part of this team maybe even a few more.

Some of the players include Vocational Rehabilitation, Independent living, Center for assistive technology, Center for People with disabilities, my program an a few others. The local Center for Assistive technology had some extra space so the committee decided to house the operation there. This is where we would house the storage area, maintenance of equipment and distribution of product. The director of the CAT is a retired Air force guy and someone seems to want to control everything at what ever table he happens to be sitting at. Now that recycling program in his building he is beginning to usurp control of the project.

Yesterday at another meeting I attend at the building in question we toured the recycling program and this guy starts babbling on and on and even giving disinformation regarding program. I called him on a couple of the things he was saying and it got to be a bit of a shouting match. I do not know what it is with this guy but he just sets my nerves on edge and I come out swinging when ever we are together.

I am a bigger person then this and I am quite embarrassed at my actions and I don’t know what it was which pushed me over the edge like that. I would hate for word to get out that I was becoming a hothead and not being able to be worked with. I have called the director of the group I was with yesterday and apologized and she was gracious indicating she did not know what I was talking about and she said that no one else had said anything to her regarding the incident so I am off the hook for the time being. I am sensing something is happening to me and I cannot hold my patience for stupidity like I once was able to—sometimes I feel that time is just running out.

Stop The Music...Please!

FOX used to have a pretty good Tuesday and Wednesday night line up. Bones and House. There was some other offering, I cannot remember right now but now FOX is running American Idiot(Idol) Tuesday-Thursday I am going to have to really explore the other networks. I of course blame the writers strike for this type of reality programming but in fairness I must admit FOX was doing American Idol, sadly, long before he writer’s strike.

Sometime I get caught up in the “Idol” but for the most part I fine the show a boring, embarrassing example of American egocentrism. Even the most benign of the contestants are so caught up in the quest for fame and austerity they nearly have nervous breakdowns when their name is called to go home.

Even the Sara Conner Chronicles, the only science fiction programming I have access to, finished up their mini-season last night, of course with a “cliff-hanger”. The only hope I have left is to start trolling the other networks on hopes of finding something worthwhile. Who knows I may have to start reading in the evenings, writing or even art work. Daylight

Savings time starts this weekend so I am going to be having lots more opportunity to be outside so maybe I can get over to my neighbors and visit.

The writers strike is finally over, give us a break from reality TV, PLEASE give us something we can chew on.

Weekend

Seems for ever since I updated. I apologize. I will try to do better. There are more images of Riley but I am not able to access those from my office—if anyone has them please send to my Netscape account or office account if you have it, other wise I’ll try to get the images this evening or sometime when I can get to my My Space account.

This weekend was our 16/4^th anniversary—I took the day off on Friday just to spend the time with Dianne. Dianne had a doc’s appointment( which I attended with her) and spent the afternoon at the “free” movie place taking in Vantage Point and Jumper. Both movies were OK but not as good as I was hoping for especially Jumper. Jumper was wrecked by two noisy sitting behind us whispering and rattling their pop corn sack all the Way through the movie. Dianne was doing the Seinfield of “aheming” and turning round and looking (disgustedly) at the offender as I sunk lower and lower into my power chair. Following the movie we had dinner at Lieutenants the restaurant, which is in the same building as the movies. Lieutenants is a pretty much a hamburger shop or what used to be. It is supposed to look like a “malt shop” out of the 50’sor ,60’s. Lots opf red, white and black tiles, Coke images, a counter with soda jerks and lot and lots teenage help, some dressed in bobby sox and poodle skirts. The movie got out a little after six in the evening and so the first wave of kids were in attendance; Attached to the movies and restaurant is a skating rink. So there are tons of kids and teenagers hanging round the restaurant skating this way and that tons of energy. This kind of stuff used to never bother me in fact I loved the chaos and random energy. I just could not wait to finish my meal and get back in my van and head for home. This behavior is really bad and I just need to get a reality check.

We spent the rest of the weekend just hanging out, Talking bout kids and grandkids and watching Movies on Demand and having a pretty good time. We both agreed that we had had a great anniversary weekend and would have to do it again in another four years.

Riley Madeline, born last night after an eleven hour labor without complications: Shelly and Riley are doing fine. Riley came in at 8 pound 12 ounces and we all excited to finally have you here. We hope you love your new home. Welcome!

I Hate Vista Part 2

I was told by the bookkeeper here that we have a little extra money that we need to spend down so when we go to our funders we show them we really do need more funding, The boss asked me to spend a couple of thousand to get our budget levels more in line.

I have for some time thought if my operation only had a lap-top we could take with us to the various presentations and conferences we participate in through

out the year we could and show the people who stop at our booth or information table our website and how he website can benefit them or their consumers. The “Salesbank” page on our website is one of our strongest features people are always impressed with the “Salesbank”

We bought a system, an HP notebook. The system is nice and I have just got round to unpacking and getting the system to function. We bought the system from a vendor in Chicago which means I am on my own as far as back-up goes. The system came loaded with Windows VISTA WHIOCH I SPECIFIED THAT I DID NOT WANT! The sale guy yold me that all the systems ship with VISTA but there is a disk for XP Windows and I just have to install XP Office. I even saw what I thought was the software when I unpacked the notebook but I cannot find the software anywhere now. I have been busy the first part of this week and I hope to do a more formal search tomorrow but already I am getting nervous I may just have to live with VISTA after all but I sure don’t want to.

Grrrrrrr!

I HATE VISTA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!1111

Friday's Froth

I really wanted to post this yesterday but yesterday turned out to be a lost day which is quite rare for a Friday. We spent the morning working on the projects statistics which kept us busy and we wanted to have the data ready to submit for inspection by noon. But the phone calls just kept tumbling in. Not a million calls but calls which took a lot of time and thought, the last kind of calls I want to deal with on a Friday morning.

I was late getting up and out to the train but I was still first in to the office and I started my routine, in through the back door, up to the front turn on the lights unlock the front door and in to my office where I shuck my hat, gloves, two coats, flip on my system and allow the system to boot to the “pass word” screens” log in ad then head back to the kitchen and start coffee. I only make six cups today not expecting Tory-who is the only other coffee drinker in the office. I was going through my emails private and work emails when I heard the front door open and soon three laborers were standing in the door way to my office. The looked gruffy but OK. Then they asked if this was the Council office. The most burley, obvious the head guy informed me that the were there to look at the kitchen floor something about a split in the kitchen floor. He sounded like he was a cop following on a lead about a fictitious murder and was just their to get the boss off his back. My mind “clicked” and remembered the females of the staff standing round the new “linolioum job” we had done in the kitchen before Christmas. The seam was pulling part and the women were aghast they stood their arms folded under their breasts looking like they were staring a corpse outlined in chalk, clucking their tongues and wagging their heads in disbelief in disbelief of the shoddy work.

Now the three “floor guys” were standing round the same split looking like they wanted to mark off the whole area in yellow crime scene tape. I replied “yup” the women of the office were upset but I did not understand the commotion. I left them to their considerations and job and returned to my desk to finish my morning rituals.

I reached absently for my coffee mug and realized I still had not got coffee, realizing about fifteen minutes has passed since starting the brewing process-the coffee should be well done but now. I rarely wait this long to get my coffee. When I got back to the coffee pot , the boys were busy working on the parting seam: two kneeling down over the offensive crack spreading goop into and over the wound then scraping the goop and pressing the would closed. Burly one supervised. I then noticed the coffee pot, I had to look twice! There should have been a half a pot of coffee sitting there waiting for me. There was not! There was about half a cup sitting in the pot. They boys had helped themselves to my coffee. They had filled their thermal cups up to the top as if they deserved it or something. I drained the rest of the pot and turned off the machine and zipped back to my office to finish my morning ritual.

I was amazed! I was even more amazed that everyone I told just shrugged off the event from “ what are you gonna do? to So, they deserve it, just brew another pot. The event still kind of freaks me out but I have moved on another life’s lesson learnt never mess with the utility guys they run the world.

I Feel Gritty

I slept miserably last night, waking up ay 3:15 a.m . an was never really able to get back to sleep. The only stimulus I can pin the early hour wake up on is distress at work. I am supposed to produce a report but our production numbers are so low I am intimidated to write them down for the world to see. I having been working on the project all week and have finally got a general statistic of “calls” we have been sanitizing the documents all morning and should have something to hand in tomorrow, the time I committed to have final drafts ready for inspection and review. I am still responsible for developing some kind of “white paper” which will cover other aspects of my offices involvement in the community. This should just be creative writing and hope I can rough something out this afternoon.

But I am operating in a fog, I feel gritty, my eyes sting and I just hope I sleep better tonight.

Wash Wash Yum,

We washed the huge Comforter on our bed yesterday. To wash the comforter we take it to out local Laundromat this is the only place w know which machines large for the job. This Laundromat is above the norm in cleanliness, assistance if needed an the machines all work. Still, I have never got used to Laundromats and I used to have to visit one at least once a week. Large communal machines where one deposits the most personal things hey own to clean and wear! These things you wash in these machines you will put on your naked body. But you got to wash, you gotta have clean clothes to play nice in our society. Dianne as going to go by herself and do the job but I had been cooped up in the house all weekend, the day was nice and I would have hated to do this job by myself so I went. I am pretty useless on an event such as this except for morale support—I hold soap boxes. Quarters I am a pretty good clothes basket ferrying clothes from washer to dryer or dryer to folding table.

Today’s job went by pretty fast I knew it would—in times past I have spent more then four hours at such houses of wash. I made Dianne buy me dinner at skippers when finished. I figured I deserved.

IPOD HELL

I really hate being as dumb as I seem to be. A couple of months ago Dianne got an ipod Shuffle and to this date no music has come from the cute little ear plugs. I cannot figure out the little bugger. I had, at one point, thought I had found a way to add music and I added a ton of music from my computer’s harddrive but no music ever came out., So now I have a bunch of files on the ipod and I don’t know how to delete this music or add the right music. I suppose there were directions at one time but those have vanished and a few moments ago I found a set of directions on the INTERNT which might work. Now I just have to decide if I want to print the complete 32 page booklet. I don’t do well with directions I never have but I will give it a go the when I get frustrated I default to one the kids—Mark A or Bridget , someone who knows this culture, someone who is linked, naturally like I once felt linked to skateboards and bikes and computers, so very long ago.

White Out!!

Yesterday I went to Ogden—we had a conference we had to participant in. Nothing special , the usual sitting at a table, smiling, answering questions and wishing I was any where but there and specially back in the office. Actually the duty itself was not bad duty the problem was the duty was 50 or 60 miles from home on a day forecast to bring snow.

I left the house about 6:20 am thinking I had more then enough time to drive distance from my homer to Ogden. I was pleased thinking I was making good time I headed North from Salt lake county and I was relying on written directions which came with E-mail about the conference. And of course the ‘turn-off” which was supposed to be the “turn-off” was closed and so I took the very next turn off and realized I was on the entire other side of the city. I had to back track all over the city and I was actually late by the time I got to the conference center. The day was beautiful though, I had sun shine and it was pretty warm and I was beginning to think, to hope that the weather guy was just making things when the front moved into Ogden about 2:00 pm.

The skies just wept at first but soon the temperature dropped and the snow began falling, rather should I say blowing. I had hoped the storm would conform to th weather forecast and rush through in two hour but no way.

By 3:30pm winds were gusting torrents of white, powdery snow—producing “white-outs” and I began to get nervous as I contemplated my ride home.

By 4:00 pm I knew the snow would not relent and if I was going to have a ghost of getting home before dark. The last break had finished and no one else was going to come by so I packed my stuff and headed South. The snow was blowing so hard I was experiencing white outs o the point I ACTUALLY GOT LOST TRYING TO GET OUT OF Ogden Utah!!!

4:30 pm I had found the interstate was heading home. It was snowing badly, but I was cruising at 45 mph and I was beginning to think I might make it home by 5:30 pm but just as I was passing the Air Force museum I was hit by a wall of red lights, break lights and I was crawling. Snow was falling and being driven by the wind and all I could do was get comfortable listen to the radio and drive.

By 6:00 pm I was almost home, in fact I was directly my house on the interstate. I had two turn offs to go and I would be home but we were still crawling. I had worked myself all the way over to the far right lane and I ended up taking the off ramp on what I thought was the off ramp for my home and I was one ramp off. So I ended up driving the rest of the way home on back streets to my house. I made it home by 6:40Pm What a stressful long day!.

Hang Time

Today is absolutely beautiful! Today is the kind of day one could justify calling in sick for if nothing else, but to find a nice quiet place and spend the afternoon catching the sun’s rays on your face. We called it “Sun Beasting” in an old office I used to work force. There were a lot of us on staff with a history of spinal cord injuries and used wheelchairs for mobility. After the first of the year , usually in mid- to late February the first of the earlies ‘spring” days would make their appearance. Blue skied days, with no wind and plenty of direct sunshine.

Lunch hour and the hours just after lunch house was the best time sun beast. We had a place in the back of our building which was Southern exposed and entirely blocked from any wind. There was a long building painted white which abutted our back parking lot which made a perfect place to sit and catch the rays and heat refracted off this building. Many of us would sit and talk back there- the boss who used a power wheelchair for mobility always made sure she had some thing to write a grant or letter. She was always on the clock. Depending on the bosses mood we spoke of consumers we shared or projects we had in the “fire” or maybe challenges any of us had who were trying to live independently. This time of the year the conversation was usually about taxes and how badly were we might be bitten by the Federal Tax Bug. Most everyone got money back but not me I never did or have. I cannot quite figure that out—I would like a refund but not this year.

I have not sunbeasted since I left the Independent Living Center; however, I am fortunate to have a South West window which fills with huge suns rays in the later afternoons of mid to late February and beyond. So bright the dun almost blanks out my computer screen and makes me very sleepy. Remember, many of the staff are involved with the legislative process this time of the year and are often gone in the late afternoon hours leaving me nearly alone with the fresh pre-spring sunrays pouring in my window. I never sleep—that would not be right but on occasion I might nod. I call this time of the year “Hang Time”.

Ho Hummmmm

It is a gray, cold day. Not as cold as many of the days this winter but cold enough to keep me from going out and doing something productive. I was expecting more from the day due to the forecast on television. Sunshine and blue skies and temperatures in the 40’s and a great melt down of the huge drifts which have plagued me for the last few weeks. The temps are in the forties and I have to admit the snow is melting but would be melting so much faster if the sun was out. I cannot help any of this so I am going to just hunker down and watch a couple of the videos I received for my birthday last week.

I survived another week at the office—when I speak with the boss she lays to rest the stress I have been experiencing. But I still sense the heat is on and I am feeling a constant pressure to perform and I guess that is good and I should not feel too threatened. I have brought home some work which will help me be ahead next week and I may even get to it if the sun does not comer out.

I Feel Stressed

Something is happening at the office and I feel I am getting slammed and the feeling just sucks. The worst part is I am becoming visible to the boss. I would much rather keep my low profile and be as invisible as possible. It the whole manager thing: I just don’t do it very well.. Right now I am supposed to be purchasing equipment, refining stats and doing outreach and really I am not doing any of the things OK and I am trying not to let any of these demands stress me.

Last weekend was my birthday, that makes me an Aquarian. I have basically Always know I WAS as Aquarian but never thought about it. Bridget has been going through this Zen thing the past couple of months which has really helped out her anxiety. I doubt I have every seen the girl this mellow. I realized that hey, I am an Aquarius, my sign is water! Water, the flowing substance which just moves away from pressure. So what not focus on these traits and the Dao and let the pressure wash away the stress. Live in the moment and be the best I can?

The great Wasatch Front keeps getting pounded by snow but the snow does not stay long and I am pretty much back on public transit and I feel fine. More snow is forecast today but it’s almost three and I can see patches of blue in the west and its 33 degrees outside. I am beginning to feel more and more like Spring. To day is my long day I have the Russians tonight. Dianne’s coming in and we will both do the Russian this evening.

Secret passages

A couple weeks ago the, building which housed, the old Club DV8 burned and left the structure so compromised the building was immediately demolished. The speed with which the building was torn town was amazing, very X-Files especially that building. Club DV8 was a local icon as far as I was concerned, a monument to the 80’s and 90’s club scene. I had always wanted to check out the building but never got the chance. Immediately after the burn the building was blocked and people could not get near the place but last week when I went to buy my bus pass I was able to drive past what was left of the building site. I Was amazed to see how clean the place was but what really intrigued me was all the opening in the foundations where were obvious passageways or tunnels. Cool. These passages totally adds to the mystery which surrounds this building. I grabbed a couple of images—enjoy.

57

I’m fifty-seven today and the celebrations are done an I am sitting here fighting sleep waiting for my second wind to puff up and blow me into the rest of my Saturday. We did the luncheon at my current favorite restaurant Shanghi in Down town Salt Lake City. Mark m Gabe and Bridget and Ani Dianne made the dinner. Marr worked today but was able to breakaway long enough for the dinner. I really appreciated his efforts. Towards the end of the meal Kristy, Sommer and Jazzy showed up and had a brief visit before the meal broke up. I appreciated seeing the Kristy and the kids as well. I wish I could have had more time to visit.

Early on I visited with my Aunt Elaine and daughter Michelle. No snow today…yet, but more snow is coming the say, tonight and or tomorrow but today is bright, clear and cold. A beautiful Day.

Where's my Library Card?

I had planned never to comment on the writer’s strike. I am surprised the strike has gone as long as the strike has—so I figured all the other bloggers, comedians and pundits would comment and they have so I would not have to. But the now I have to it’s Thursday night and there’s nothing on.! I mean nothing!! Some of the networks are premiering their “New seasons” this evening really screwing viewing options. At least up to now` I could at last count on ABC and Ugly Betty Grays Anatomy rerun offerings. Now even that is gone with no end in sight. I am lost in a desert of TV viewing—I am even watching PBS with more regularity then I would like to admit. The Sara Conner Chronicles is kind of interesting and that’s most likely due to the slim pickings being offered, and the SCC’s is only once a week. I gotta find a book!

A giant storm arrived on my Battery Day!! Typical but I am not going to let a little snow stop me—after I have waited so long for these stupid cores. I can deal with a little snow, just drive real slow, right? I have called the vendor, Magic Rest, and they are ready for me. I have cleared the time away with Claire my boss and with Tory my partner. I just wish and hope the snow lightens a bit before I leave. But I am leaving.

I just got back. What a trip: driving in driving snow. At times the experience was like a whiteout. Everyone was driving OK no yahoos to speak of. The experience at the durable medical vendor was not too bad. Since we lost Dianne’s insurance I am left with the 20% co pay which was $60.00; expensive but the cost of doing business. here are some images of my day

Batteries

I got the call yesterday morning as I was messing round the house just being Saturday: washing some dishes, reading my novel and doing the daily crossword puzzle. The phone rang and I let the phone go to message and the retrieved the message interested to see the call originated from my durable medical provider.

My doc has scripted and my insurance provider has approved the aquistion of two brand new group 24, sealed batteries. I have set up a time of 1:30 tomorrow afternoon for their installation. I now will no longer have to charge my batteries, at my office, all day in hopes that I will get home. I have to admit, to my old batteries credit, that I have never been stranded but felt close a couple of times. Still, the power meter on my controller not blinking radically, like ‘save me, save me, plug me in immediately’ totally excites me. I now will not be ‘chained’ to my desk for hours at a time charging, just charging. I can go to meetings, on the train or straight to the meeting itself, and get back or on home with out having to fear running out of power and having to call someone and hoping they will be there to take the call and come to my rescue.

So I am folding clothes, messing round the house, waiting for the storm and my new batteries.

Another Friday

I went for half the day. I spent the morning at home burning up some comp time I earned last week. I took the van and everything worked fine. The office was relaxed with staff gone and going as I arrived. I minded the phone, dealt with my chronics and welcomed the weekend. The hours of daylight are becoming noticeable longer now--I drove home in the light almost.

Hooky Bob

I got away at my normal time this morning; the traffic was light and much safer. I was bundled in my redcoats, glove and cap and my new highway construction safety vest. I was warm, pretty safe as I trundled, down Third West, South to the train station. It’s ghastly cold and over caste this morning I am lost in my thoughts, much of the street is still snow packed, traffic has beaten the snow down to a fine layer of black and white ice. As I pass the bakery a semi pulls into to the bakery’s loading bay. I have a great view of the rear of the truck as I pass a large back bumper, with a step carved into the middle f the bumper and two large hook on each side of the step and a large towing ball under the step—“perfect” I thought to myself, “just perfect”. ( if this were a TV show you would see the image go all wavy and hear a harp strum from low to high notes on the musical scale. I would be eight or nine years old again and I would be staring at the Back of the Meridian Dairy truck as it rumbled away from our small red milking barn.

Each day twice a day we, my brothers, dad and myself would milk our five cows. Actually the time I am mostly writing of it was usually just my older brother Ross and me. We called the cattle into the barn in the morning, washed their bags and utter and strapped milking machine on each beast in their time, stripped them and pushed out of the barn as quick as we could. We would pour the milk straight from the milking machine into a strainer on top of the milk cans. When we were through we would tap the caps on the cans and roll cans out into the yard for the dairy truck.

The road which served our farm was not paved. The road was just dirt filled with ruts and holes. The county ran a grader down it a couple times a summer and called it smooth but it was passable. This road turned onto a much longer undeveloped road which ran up to the main road leading to the city about a quarter of a mile from our farm. In the winter following a snow fall, a substantial snow fall the snow on the road would be pressed down to ice as the vehicles drove back and forth day in and day out. The vehicle would proceed slowly down the roads trying to drive as safely as possible.

Each day about 7:30 a.m. we would leave the house for the long walk up to the bus stop. Fortunately for us this was also the same time the huge. Slow moving Meridian Milk would swing by and pick up our milk. On those dark, cold winter mornings following a snow fall it was great fun to wait for the truck to pass us then run from the passenger’s side of the truck, so the driver would not see grab on to the back bumper and ‘hooky bob’ up to the bus stop. Even though the truck was huge and lumbering it could eventually gain enough speed to make the ride up to the bus stop challenging enough to be dangerous.

But dangerous or not hooky bobbing was fun and I miss not hooky bobbing today, I miss not being able to physically do it even if I could find a truck or car to hang on to. But I have the memories and that sometimes is enough.

Can You See Me Now?

The snow had finally stopped yesterday afternoon and about four I got out of the house and started shoveling snow. It was a light powdery snow, very white snow and I had actually powered my power chair all morning to be sure I had the energy to the job. I put my red coat, gloves and watch cap and started shoveling the ramp. I had been at the job a few minutes when the neighbor from across the street came over carrying her snow shovel and soon we had the major part of the project done. Christine left but I stayed out and stayed out and dug my van and Dianne’s Audi of the snow. Shortly after I had gotten back in the house mark A called with an offer to come over and help me clear snow. I had not seen Mark in a couple of weeks so I had him come over and have him help me clear a little more snow and throw snow pellets on the drive way and ramp. If I had just waited Mark A would have come over and done the whole thing. But I glad I did what I did and got to know my across the street neighbor a little better.

I slept poorly through the night. We have a touch sensitive light system over our bed or reading and for one reason or another he lamps were going off about every ten minutes all night long, sleeping was horrid I missed my usual rising time at 4:3o and did not really make I up until 5:30—so I was way late and did not get out of the house until 7:00 about an hour later then usual which meant all kinds traffic add to the traffic that record snow fell yesterday and bull dozed few of the sidewalks I use were accessible. Huge ice flows have been pushed up over sidewalks, forcing me way out into the street. At this time in the morning traffic was brisk and deadly, I engaged sidewalks where I could, I was able to at least cross I-215, the “Bridge of Death” in the walk way. The snow had been removed partially and what was left was crusted and frozen hard. The ride was jarring but survivable. The snow was plowed so high at the end of the bridge that I got stuck. Luckily, I was highly visible, spinning there on the side of the road and soon two people had stopped their vehicles an were helping me rock myself free and soon I was on my way again. Again when I finally got downtown very little plowing had been done and I was at great risk getting to the office but I did and just about 40 minutes later then I usual. I can tell however, it’s going to be a rough week with sever cold and more snow forecast for the end of the week and the beginning of next, Oh! Oh! I almost forgot! As I was making my way to the train station this morning a truck pulled over and got out of his truck and handed me an orange Utah highway employees vest, a hyper visible garment street and highway construction crews for protection. He thrust it at me and a said, “hear I have two, wear this it will help make you more vise able. I immediately slipped the vest over my head and went on to catch my train.

Winter!!

The snow fell again during the night and this morning. Thank goodness I am home today due to the holiday; not much happening though—if I go out at all it will be to shovel my ramp and dig out my van for tomorrow and the rest of the week. I really need to be sure I have space clear under the ramp when deployed. I also need to be sure I can get to the sidewalk and the street so I can motor my power chair up to the train. I did the shopping yesterday and there is nothing I need to leave the house for. I am just staying inside and staying warm.

The neighbor is out with his snow blower, sometimes he will do my sidewalk but it does not look like I will be so lucky today. Sometime the ancients net door will also shovel in front of the house but not today. The storms look like it is moving on, the sun is tying to break free the heat would be welcome and so would what ever melting strength the sun would provide.

Dark Days

I hate to categorize any day a bad day, a completely bad day. I like to believe I can find goodness somewhere in any day which is presented to me but yesterday was close. The day was cold as I started off. I knew this was going t be so , hence I was not too distraught. I had an early morning presentation at the Veterans Administration med center on foothill. I was supposed to have had a half of tank of gas but as I got to 45 south I realized I was getting low but I thought I might make it to the VA and I would get some gas on my way back to the office when I had more time. I as I neared 3300 South I knew I was in trouble and I would not

be able to wait till after my presentation. I swung into a Sinclair station and went through process of downloading, pumping the gas and reversing the while process. Now I was running late but I was still sure I could get to my designation by the proscribed time. In fact I did get there in time, The V.A. Medical Center is Huge facility, buildings are numbered and quite scattered about. I found the right building and I was doing great until I went to transfer from the drivers seat to the power chair. As I was leaning into my power chair preparing to make the jump, my hand slipped on the back of the power chair and my hand caught the cord to my control unit and pulled the cord, which is the power connector, out of the controller. I was dead in the van. I just sat there staring at my non-functional chair just minutes before my presentation was to begin to the Social work Department. There was no one to be seen anywhere on this part of the medical campus. I had a phone number and a cell phone but found when I tried to use it the number was for a pager. It was just then someone exited Building 8. I flagged him over to the van and lo and behold it was Craig the guy who was hosting the event I was to present at. I had to talk Craig through the re-connection of the power to my controller but the time he had the time was late and the Social workers had to get back to work—I gave Craig a packet of brochures and gave Craig a mini-presentation. Hopefully I will be invited back next month or month after for the ‘real’ staff meeting.

Back at the office, I plugged my chair and went back to work—I had another meeting at 3:30 and I wanted to make sure I had enough power to make the rest of my meetings. The office became quiet, I noticed and realized I was alone—everyone had left the office for a speech up at the university. As I was getting ready to leave for my meeting and unplugged by chair and doing so caused my chair to slip into “non-movement”. This happens sometimes when I disconnect and I have to have someone unplug and plug in my chair and “reboots” my electrical system. No one was n the office and once again I am stranded with no one round and I am not sure w\hen anyone would be round. Lucky for me just as I was getting my cell out and Warren the building maintenance guy let himself in and I was able to talk him through the process and I was free again.

These are just two events which darkly colored my day there were others, believe me but this by far was the toughest day I have spent in a long while. So far today is better.