my pet, peeve

I would LOVE to have a pet and name it "peeve", if only i wanted a pet. which i don't.

As an adult, i am FED UP with 'other' people makeing or having a PROFOUND influence on my life. By 'other' people i mean those NOT in my 'inner circle'. 

The circle is small, and selective. I am FAR TOO PISSED OFF right now to comment more on this. In short, if you are reading this because you got linked to it in an email, you are IN the circle. 

Ok. I gotta go let off some steam. Dunno how I will do this, but if I don't, I will most likely blow a gasket.

Dammit. 

Snow Storm

My first storm as a 40 year old. Started mid afternoon Friday, ended right around this morning. This picture is of the snow that piled up on top of T's car in the driveway. Light and fluffy stuff. Very nice to shovel!B lent a hand, which was fun to watch. Dustings the rest of the day, adding up to not much.

Tomorrow we are supposed to receive another storm. I love it! Mebbe I will sneak out for a slight snowshoe hike late morning. Who knows......pics and GPS tracks if I do!

Peace, YO!

GPS breakthrough

so i went for a run along the AT this past sunday. or, rather....

This past Sunday I went for a run along the AT. I took my GPS with me and recorded the course. Took me until tonight to figure out how to plot it on a map that can be shared. here it is, from another site that does just that......i hope.

west hartford to norwich on AT

Widget powered by EveryTrail: GPS Geotagging

yep, looks like it worked just fine. hooray! next step is to figure out how to rig the GPS to my shoulder strap on my pack so that I can do this for more runs, etc.
stay tooned.
i am going to snuggle.

what gives?

i have been trying to come up with a hobby that will allow me to be close to home most of the time (skydiving is out, climbing is out, racecar driving is out, etc. etc.), and I think i have found it.

Running. It can be done both metaphorically as well as literally, and doesn't require much in the terms of gear.

Just takes time. Which I don't really have much of, but I will try to squeak it out here and there.

T is very helpful in getting me to enjoy my hobby, but I am not always 'comfortable' doing it. I would like to see HER enjoy something first, then allow myself the pleasure of a hobby. So far I have not been able to turn this theory into practice, but I am not giving up.

I have been trying to get out at least twice a week, and over the winter I want to (read: plan to) increase that to 4 times per week, even if it means twice in one day. I am looking into race schedules for next year so that i can set some goals. Yea, that will help keep me motivated! Sweeeet. I have asked for a buncha bright clothes for the dark hours, and some cleats for the ice. I should be all set. The only thing that is in my way is ME.

So what gives?

Do I decrease the amount of time I spent asleep, by getting up even earlier in the morning (right now i get up at 445 most days)? Do i decrease the amount of time I spend with my family by running after work, thus getting home later? Something has got to give, i just don't know what it will be. can i squeeze in a quick 20 minute run during lunch? can't go too far in 20 mins, but i suppose it is better than sitting at a table doing nothing, right? No room at home for a treadmill. No time/money to go to a gym. (funny, i have come up with several excuses/reasons why NOT, but no solutions.

I need to become more solution oriented.

silver linings

The roof of our hospital was set ablaze last week by some workers who are putting a new roof on part of the facility. I don't know who the architect was who designed the place, but he has a great marketing team...the roof is FLAT. which means, at least here in New England, that it WILL LEAK.

And it has. But now it has burned, too.

And we had to evacuate patients from the PACU down to med-surg, which made my afternoon very interesting. It was, though, one of those times where my past-life's leadership and calm under duress came in handy.

YAY.

See? Silver lining.

Another was today. I was sent to work in the scheduler's office, and was basically strapped to the desk all day. But at lunch i decided to get out and run up the local ski hill, and then some, and then do the stairs at the ski jump. Nice distraction, good pump in the legs, and I got to chat a bit with my dad.

Silver.

Lining.

WHAT??? how about a little research.....

just a smidge. would that be AT ALL POSSIBLE??? or is it too much to ask?

because i am curious, i visited our hospital's web page today, and poked around to see how the 'new look' feels. in a word; cumbersome.
but that isn't my gripe. i really don't care what the site is like, or how it feels, looks, smells, tastes. i just want the information to be accurate.
here is what i found:

A “Goody Bag”
Children who undergo surgery receive a “goody bag” with bubbles and other treats, including a special coloring book created by APD’s Gene Sobylenski.

I have been here for nearly FIVE YEARS. I have been ''awarded" Employee of the Quarter. I would THINK that they could get my name correct.

But no.

I gotta go.

At least i am not the only one...

...who notices things like this http://stuffwhitepeoplelike.com/2008/05/21/100-bumper-stickers/ .

there is some self-validation when i see sites like this one. ah. i am NOT the only kook around.

whew.

a good morning

This morning I was fortunate enough to have M, L, and J along with me for a sunrise hike up Mt. Cardigan. This is the hike that I went on a few weeks ago. Nice, short, sometimes steep, very windy (near and at the summit). We got to the top about 2 minutes before the sun broke the horizon. It was very rewarding! We brought some hot cocoa, so we enjoyed that while we greeted the sun.
I had stepped in a bunch of water about 20 mins from the top, and while we were sitting there, my shoe froze, and my foot started to go numb. The hike down generated just enough heat to keep it thawed out, and all was well.
About 5 mins down from the top, we met a couple of hikers headed up. How nice it was to know that we were the FIRST people up there today.
Thanks again, T, L, and J, with a ver special thank you going out to T for allowing us the freedom to take the hike!!!!

Love ya!
+1, G

the joy of leaves

T took the top two photos of B while he was playing in the back yard. Amazing to me how kids can find such joy in the simplest of things, like a pile of scratchy, dead leaves.












This last shot was on a day that B and I went to collect corn stalks from one of my friend's houses. We stopped along the way to get some shots of leaves, the river, and a covered bridge. Nevermind those subjects, this one was my favorite shot of the day. Surprised?

Google wins.

Often one to jump on 'fads' that others in my 'circle' don't, I opted for a gmail account a few years ago, and have never looked back. I love it. Not too much, just enough, of the things that make email so easy for me to use. IF i could access it from APD, which I can't. MUCH to my chagrin.
Even so, I found THIS today, and just had to pass it on. Remember that link from earlier this month, regarding the cell phone tracking of our carbon footprints? (I wonder if it includes the relative footprint of the towers, their construction, the network staff, their employees, etc, etc, that a person 'uses' by virtue of the fact that they are using a product.) ANYWAY....
The link on THIS is actually very interesting. I wish that I had thought of it.
Peace, yo!

When good ideas go bad

This entry is very unlike any other that I have done. It is not up-beat, informative, thought provoking, or enlightening. It is a RANT. Beware. Be warned.
I am presently at APD, having been asked to cover an eleven pm to seven am shift. I will get paid to sleep, if ever I get to sleep. I have been offered the empty bed in room one, but I can't seem to get my mind to shut off. I am hoping that putting some things down here will help to get them out of my head. My best friend says that it works for her, and I am willing to give it a try.
Things at work are getting more and more out of control. The lunatics are running the asylum, and management either has no idea that this is happening, or they do have an idea, but have chosen to do absolutely nothing about it.
My life at work used to be such that I could come and go on a daily basis, do my assigned tasks, leave at the end of the day, and be done with it. The goings on in other areas of the 'house' had little to no impact on me. Philosophies, practices, and politics had no place in my life. I had fewer headaches.
Recently I get one every day around 1400. Some days it lasts until 1900 or so, even if I take acetamenophen 1000mg PO. Nothing seems to touch it......and don't even get me started on the sleep thing. Insomnia is back. Well, I can fall asleep, usually at the drop of a hat if I have been idle (physically) for more than 5 minutes. Thing is that I don't STAY asleep. Last night I took Benadryl 25mg (1 tablet) before I went to bed, but then had a really strange dream that we were being forced to adopt one of the daycare kids. After I got to work, I had cotton mouth until I drank almost a liter of water.
But that isn't the problem. Sleep, mood, headaches, etc. are all just symptoms of the problem. My fear is that the problem cannot be fixed, either here or anywhere, so the only real resolution is for ME to get fixed. What I mean is that for my mental survival, it seems as though I must adapt my ways of thinking about work to make it such that work is tolerable, or even enjoyable, given the current circumstances, philosophies, and direction (or lack there of) that exists at APDMH.
Ok. I need to sleep. Or at least try. Ever tried to sleep in a hospital without medication? Especially when your day job has your brain very attuned to listening for things out of the 'norm'? Little beeps, changes in breathing patterns, changes in body positioning, etc. Yep. Maybe that's a reason I don't sleep well for very long; my brain is always listening.
Thank you for your time. Feel free to leave comments.
Peace, yo!

don't get warts!

Dropped Z off at football practice, then headed to the park adjacent to the town offices. B hadn't taken a nap, and we didn't want him to fall asleep before 7pm. The park gave him a big second wind, and he managed to stay awake until 8pm!!!

Editor's note:

I was signed in to blogger under one google account, and into picasa under another account, and the result was that my fonts and spacing and picture layout was, well, off, on my last post. Should have had my ducks in a row, with pictures at the ready, before I decided to post. 

This is what happens, though, when I get the bright idea to post while trying to get B to settle down and go to sleep. 

I am happy, undeniably, to be here with him while he falls asleep. 

peace, yo.

gene

Football Update

This past Sunday, the Hartford Mini-Canes played a phenomenal game against Woodstock, at the Woodstock High School field. The weather held out nicely (although a bit windy), and a good time was had by all.

Except Woodstock. HA!

 

From Mini Canes 2008

The boys fought hard, on both sides, and we finally got to see how well we play defense

against a team that throws the ball. The result was a coupla touchdowns given up to

the other side. We need to work on our defense against the passing game!

However, we persevered, and learned how to read their plays. Here, Z can be seen making

a crucial tackle, just as the ball was being caught by his opponent:

From Mini Canes 2008

Final tally:

From Mini Canes 2008

The team moves to 3-2, and we look forward to cheering them on to victory when they

meet Winsor, away, this coming Sunday.

A nice hike in the rain.

Summit!

Yesterday I decided that I wanted to hike/run Mt. Ascutney. I see it every time I take the highways to work, but have never tried the hikes. So I did my morning chores and left in the rain and fog.

Took me almost 45 minutes to get to the trail head on rte 44 just outside of Windsor. I followed the "Brownsville Trail", listed as taking 3.2 miles to reach the summit. Drizzled lower, but then when I got into the cloud bank, the rain started to fall hard. At one point, I thought it was hailing, but it turned out just to be sleet. Phew.

The trail is pretty rocky, and there are many, many roots. Near the top there are several little bogs in the middle of the trail, and one of them swallowed my left sneaker. It is no longer as birght green as the other one....hmmmm.......

Made the round-trip 6.4 miles in just under 3 hours (2:54:15), which I am pleased with. Soaked, I dried off and headed home, feeling tired but refreshed.

Thank you, T, for 'letting' (encouraging) me to get out and play!!!! I love you, +1!

File this under "WHAT? Are you kidding me??"

Follow this link to the most rediculous item that I have found in the past several weeks.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2008/sep/29/carbonfootprints.travelandtransport

Egads.

End of Summer

Sandpiper is out of the water. What a hectic summer this was on the lake, what with the weather and surgery and all that.

Glad that we got to come aboard, even if just for a little while...

haircut for others

.Haircut.

thanx to babci's first few cuts and T's decision to go to a small barbershop, B's 1st cut outside of the house went well.

Except for me.

I prefer the curls.

Oh, what a weekend!

Saturday morning TMZBNME went to Woodstock, VT to participate in a Guiness Book of World Records event. A local organization, Zack's Place, was attempting to break the World's Record for the longest chain of wheelchairs.

Early Saturday AM B and I went to APD and borrowed a chair from the PACU. We all piled into the truck and headed off. Arriving at 830, we checked in, and obtained an extra wheelchair! BONUS! Now we counted as 2 instead of just 1 chair!!! M pushed Z, and T pushed B. I took pictures. Others can be seen in this album.


THEN we drove to Waterbury, VT, to drop off Z with Matt before heading to Plattsburgh to enjoy the Battle of Plattsburgh celebration with my parents.

In spite of the horrendous traffic re-routes, ma mere was able to guide us in to a nice parking lot only a few blocks from where mon pere was perched on a railing, waiting for the parade to begin.
Dziadziu regaled M with tales from the war, pointed out sights to see, and offered tid-bits of history, as is his wont. B walked around, rode around, and had a pretty good time. We spent a few minutes back on the boat, then headed out for Chinese buffet dinner. I, of course, ate WAAAAY too much. After we got home, we pretty much just mellowed out for the evening.

Sunday saw sparks flying, and much frustration at 65 Ry-Kris Lane. Turns out I am a bit of a nin-com-poop, and the proverbial straw had been placed. Ut-oh.....not the first time, not the last time, but hopefully ONE of the last times. This time.
At any rate, things all came together for Z's football game, his first home game. 2 pm is awfully late to start a game, ya know? I mean, ya gotta stop everything you have been doing and plunk yourself down for an hour and a half, then try to get back into the groove when you get back home. At least we didn't have to travel to/from the game! ok, ok, ok, enough grief. The game was a good one, but we were outplayed by the other team. One of the pharmacists at APD has a son who played against Z. In this photo, Z isn't just waving "hi"... he is screaming (as was the croud) "I'm OPEN, I'M OPEN!!!". And boy, was he ever. For a LONG time. More photos have been added to the mini-canes' album.
Alright. Enough for now. OH! Today M went to the Tunbridge World's Fair. Dunno if he had fun (I imagine he did!), since he went right to his room to do homework as soon as he got back. YAY!
Peace, YO.....geno

Zachary's First Football Game

Although he didnt' play nearly
as much as he would have
liked to, he went in for and
made some good plays.
Like with basketball, he
plays with all of his heart.
The Mini-Canes won the
game 22-0. Bradford, after
suffering a few injuries,
chose to forfeit the came.
Next game is this coming
Sunday in Hartford.
We look forward to cheering
him on again, and will be
posting more pictures.The album is located here:
http://picasaweb.google.com/boutdrz/MiniCanes2008?authkey=lJ_0Kleo-J0#

B and I had some time to kill while Z was at football practice last week. We went for a walk along a trail in a local park, and ended up on the "tetsu dori" (steel road). I couldn't resist.

what ever happened to....

ever get 'hooked' by something, and find yourself consumed by it? you spend most of your spare time researching it, looking for ways to further integrate it into your life.
then, almost as quickly as it began, it ends.
why is that?
an old friend of mine once told me that infatuation typically lasts 18 months. after that, if the interest remains, it will continue to interest you. if not, well, then not. seems simple enough.
i am not so sure.
right now, aside from being interested in improving my relationships within my family, i am not interested in much beyond keeping the kreb's cycle going. i am back to not sleeping. i am back to not wanting to eat, simply because when i do eat, i am headed to the head within 10 minutes. not fun. i went through a 'phase' when i really enjoyed reading. now i only skim articles online that i can finish in less than 5 minutes.
so i have been poking around, trying to find SOMETHING that i can be interested in and feel comfortable doing.
i have found running to fit. most of the time. i wish that there were more hours of daylight. but then that wouldn't fit with my need for more SLEEEEEEP. i can fall asleep, but can't seem to STAY asleep for more than 45 minutes. can't fall into REM (Rapid Eye Movement, not REM), which means that I can't get much rest, which means that i am typically cranky, sleep deprived, etc, etc, etc.
most important is eliminating the crankiness. this will GREATLY benefit my main goal of improving my relationships with my family.

CHaD Half Marathon

This past Thursday one of my coworkers asked me if i would care to be a part of a 3 person relay team to run the CHaD Half Marathon (www.chadhalf.org). After checking with my events coordinator extraordinaire, I agreed, and suggested that I run the middle section so that she could have the glory of the start and that our junior member (Ken...12 years old, i think) could have the glory of the finish chute.

WELL....as it turns out, the middle section is just over 6 miles long. Yep. I just entered a 10K road race. lovely. I haven't run that far in over 15 years.

Oh. did i mention rain? yep, it rained. the whole afternoon, and of course HARDER while I was on the course. I think i fried my mp3 player. 

At any rate, it was a great time. Here I am at the end of my leg, just after having handed the bracelet off to Kenny (12).

Tracey, Zach, and Bryce showed up and kept leap-frogging me on the course, so i would see them at these random places. It was a real boost for me to keep seeing my family out there, cheering me along, in the rain.

YAY, TEAM!!!!!

ok, going to try to sleep now. i hope i can get up in the morning!

peace, yo.

gene

more updates, and other stuff

two Sunday evenings ago i learned of this guy Carl Meltzer, a native of NH, who is attempting to set the speed record for completing the AT. He has since given up that goal (secondary to actue anterior tibialis tendonitis secondary to trench foot), but is still running the trail. Check in on his progress and blog updates at http://www.whereskarl.com/. It has been fun tracking his progress. As I write, he is in CT.

Last year at this time i was obsessed (sp?) with climbing. couldn't read enough about it, checked sites daily, looked at pictures from climbing sites around the world....THIS year it is Adventure Racing.
Yep. A bit insane i am.......
Have been checking a site from South Africa mostly. Pretty neat to read about stuff happening in such a far away land that still speaks the same language...... http://www.ar.co.za/

what else.....Mike started 10th grade today, and Zach is now in middle school (6th grade).
Bryce is as crazy as ever. Tracey is tied up in a crazy situation with new daycare parents. Will she ever get a break?????

peace, yo.

update

wow. just noticed that it has been quite some time since i posted. you probably already know that weeb fell along the hike and broke her right distal radius. (the big bone in her forearm that is on the wrist side). yea, we were both pretty upset by it. don't worry, kiddo...the trail will still be there next time. we'll just pick up at middlebury gap!!!

let's see...what else? Mame passed away peacefully. Mom and Dolly went down to FL to refresh, recharge, and relax. Weeb went camping along the Maine coast. T and I finished mulching the new garden in the back yard. B has coxsackie virus, which he likely got from one of the daycare kiddos. hey, it happens. for more info, go here
(http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/dvrd/revb/enterovirus/hfhf.htm)

presently i am sitting out on the deck, sipping some OJ. i am on call tonight, so OJ is about as strong as it gets. T had asked me to drain one of the pools, but then i had to lay with B to get him to settle, which of course made ME settle and knocked me out for about half an hour. the pool has been draining for almost 20 mins, but doesn't seem to be getting lower. ah, patience......

so now you are mostly caught up.

M and Z are with mimi and poppie in Hampton Beach. Been there since Sunday, will be coming home (i believe) tuesday night. we haven't seen z for almost 2.5 weeks. M has been gone for 10 days (by the time he gets home), so it will be really nice to have the whole family back again, if only for a while. i am certain that M will be off and running.

ok, off to surf. take care!!!

peace, yo!

Lunch stop an hour ago.

Lunch stop an hour ago. N 43 49.927 W 072 57.627 Now just crossed brandon gap. All a-ok.

N 43 42.773 W 072

N 43 42.773 W 072 51.706 First rest stop. No rain yet!

He needed a shoulder to cry on!

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GPS can only tell you so much....

Oops!

Those of you in the know know that if you turn onto Mascoma St. from Mechanic Street, you must go under a relatively LOW CLEARANCE train bridge.
It seems that these people did not do a route-recon before they sent their book-mobile to the hospital for their book fair. When I was getting to work, I couldn't make my typical left hand turn....this truck was wedged under the bridge.
So much for TOM-TOM......

Future development

APD is planning to expand their capacity to house elderly, wealthy people behind APD. The 'plan' is moving forward to allow APD to have credit or collateral so that APD can expand the hospital space and move forward to better serve the community. Or is some CEO just trying to leave a legacy????

Sandbox update

For those of you keeping score at home....
There is a saying in the house ("house", when used by folks in the medical community, often refers (as it does here) to the hospital. as in, 'is there a doctor in the house?')anyway....there is a saying in the house that we "all need to play nicely in the sandbox". many of us are getting very tired of this analogy. reasons are numerous, and of course opinions are like @$$holes....everybody has one....
Well, our group, being the most..shall we say 'outspoken' group, decided to bring our own REAL sandbox, complete with toys, into our office. since it's arrival about 2 weeks ago, it has been quite interesting to watch how different people come in and rearrange the toys, the sand, and even what gets added or taken away from the box. i have been in charge this month (May), so i have spent more than my fair share of time in the office.......eager to observe.
ANYway, when i came back after this past long weekend, an anonymous coworker had parted the sand, in the process burying all of the toys. the sign above was placed in the box....interesting to see how things change when no one is around.....
well, that sign didn't even last very long. soon enough it was destroyed, the toys uncovered, and life returned to the sandbox.
but not for long. it was interred again. and again. then uncovered. castles were built, a new civilization took hold, and once again cars, trucks, and even spongebob and friends are frolicking in the sand.
who knows what fate awaits the play area this weekend!

Say goodbye to the sink!

So we are redecorating the bathroom. Saturday morning found us taking the stuff out, then pulling up the floor after we removed the sink and counter. We scraped up the linoleum, but ended up leaving most of the backing. Waaay too hard to remove. Good glue.
So then T filled all of the holes, patched some rather large mistakes, then sanded. We exhausted the dust outside with a fan in the window, which seemed to help. B, of course, was in and out all day and into the night.
T primed and painted, and she is quite the perfectionist. It looks great in there!
PRoblems arose when we went to put the new sink in...as it turns out, the OLD sink musta been a custom jobbie....the drain (standard, store-bought sink/counter) does not line up with the piping.....OF COURSE NOT!
BACK in with the old sink/counter. Then the hot water supply line is busted. All of the goo that I had to take off in order to get the line off was actually holding in a leak! We have the new lines, but have not put them on yet....
OH!
here's a kicker.....when we took the interior trim off of the door....IT FELL INTO THE ROOM!!! That's right, boys and girls, the door was being held in place by the trim, and ONLY the trim...

Needless to say, we are VERY much looking forward to finishing the project this weekend when Weeb comes down.

Blue phone booth is already rented and will be delivered Friday. Stay tooned!!!

Ouch!

This happened while geocaching with Z and B. B was in the "BACKPACK!", and he and i were walking down a hill that was way too steep. shouldn't have been there. but we were.
B is fine. i will have some scars. no biggie.
anyway, hope ya'll have a nice day.
peace, yo!

gene

New Bouldering Site

New bouldering site!

Here are the rocks. keep the location a secret!!!

15MAY08 run, cache, climb. kinda....

5 may run & cache

went for a run out near DHMC (www.dhmc.org) today. found two geocaches, and then looked for some boulders to climb. didn't find those.....oh well, some other day, right? well, as i was getting back to the truck, one of our surgeons was getting out of his car, on his way to go bouldering! he gladly led me to a wonderful looking wall of stone. can't wait to get back out there and actually climb. didn't have time today, as i had to get back to the house to get M from school.
rock on....
gene

picture of sandbox toys in our office. we are constantly being told that we need to play nicely in the sandbox with the other departments. this comment ususally comes on the heels of us 'griping' about having to cover just about every department in the house.
ugh.

Test from cell phone. N

Test from cell phone. N 43 38.796 W 072 15.771

in the spirit of Employee Recognition Week

We have been asked to contribute something about ourselves that most people do not know. There will be a sort of human scavenger hunt to match people with their secrets. I am going to share mine here, so that anyone who plays and also reads this blog will have a sure bet for one of the answers.
Ok, get your best Cliff Claven voice in your head...

"hey there, Norm! Little known fact, Normy-boy. I once sang Tokyo Ondo to Paula Abdul and Emilio Estevez. In Japanese."

so there you have it.

yoi, yoi, sore!


peace, yo!
gene

testing the ability to post

from email. this could be very interesting, and might save some frustrations about being able to post when i want to post.....

peace, yo.
gene

sitting in the evening sun....

as the sun sets on yet another day off, I am wandering the web, looking for inspiration for more photos, opportunities, and the like. T is outside, too, cleaning up the last of the flower beds that need attention from the winter. summer is almost here! M is inside on the gazelle, z and b just had some ice cream and are getting ready for bed. tonight is a big night for B, since he will be sleeping in a 'big boy bed' for the first time!! yay!!! i don't expect to get any (much) sleep tonight. s'okay, though, since i have a VOD movie queued up.....some jean-claude van damme thing.
ok, time to go empty the wheelbarrow....

more later. just learned how to send a post via email, too. this could be fun!!!
g

taking some time

to explore 'better' ways to store my photos online. the picasa thing has become a bit too cumbersome, and i am checking things out.

B had a fever tonight. T gave him some meds and got him all set. he is sleeping now (as is everyone else), and I just can't seem to get up the energy to go to bed.

getting close, though.

ok, have a great night!

recent events

designed and built a sandbox yesterday. T and i layed pavers at the bottom of our deck stairs. we can do it!
pictures can be seen at www.picasaweb.google.com/boutdrz in the 'crash pad' album. i will be moving them soon, so if they are not there, look for one called 'home improvements'.
will likely be setting up a 'photoblog' in the near future. be on the look out. this one should be (eventually) worth telling your friends about. trying to get involved with some communities....if that really is such a thing.

anyway.....sleep well....more later...

peace, yo!
geno

copy and paste

ok. so i lifted this from an email that i received from a very good friend of mine who shares very similar views on most things......

A Billion - the true story about a Billion Dollars.

This is too true to be very funny. The next time you hear a politician
use the word 'billion’ in a casual manner, think about whether
you want the politicians spending YOUR tax money.
A billion is a difficult number to comprehend, but
one advertising agency did a good job of putting that figure into
some perspective in one of its releases.

A. A billion seconds ago it was 1959.
B. A billion minutes ago Jesus was alive.
C. A billion hours ago our ancestors were living in caves.
D. A billion days ago no one walked on the earth on two feet.
E. A billion dollars ago was only 8 hours and 20 minutes, at the
rate our government is spending it.

While this thought is still fresh in our brain, let's take a look at
New Orleans . It's amazing what you can learn with some simple division.
Louisiana Senator Mary Landrieu (D), is presently asking the Congress
for $250 BILLION to rebuild New Orleans .
Interesting number. What does it mean?
A. Well, if you are one of 484,674 residents of New Orleans (every
man, woman, child), you each get $516,528.
B. Or, if you have one of the 188,251 homes in New Orleans , your home
gets $1,329,787 for repairs.
C. Or, if you are a family of four, your family gets $2,066,012.

Washington , D.C .. HELLO!!! ... Are all your calculators broken??

we survived another one!

April Fool's Day, that is....no pranks played on our family, as near as I can tell.
work was very busy, very stressed, and LONG yesterday. but i am not in charge this month, so it went better for me than it could have. elizabeth took it in stride, as always, and got us through the several crises of the day.
today is another story. off today, but have volunteered to work this morning to help avoid troubles. this means that i will get an early release tomorrow. yay....i hope that the weather holds out! On call tonight, so not much going on ....not that there was anyway... :)
have been taking more pictures...went through a period where i didn't even pick up the camera. i thought about that, and then just grabbed it and started shooting away again, even of people and family. this candid shot of B came out of it, which has turned into my new favourite shot.


check out his chubby feet! he is posed, saying, "cheeeeeeeze"! He will keep saying it until you take the picture. too cute. when viewed on a good (fairly good) computer screen, a reflection of his face is just barely visible. very cool.... i really can't wait for better weather to arrive so that i can take shots of people outdoors.....
ok. off to try to manage some pictures.

peace, yo!

little update

end of the month, waaaay too much going on these days for me to tell about right now. i was on call earlier this week, and was hoping that i would get called in so that i could update the blog while my patient regained his/her senses.
Lord knows i have been waiting for ME to do the same.
Enough for now. Just wanted to let my reader(s) know that i am still alive.

peace....bh

A brief update.

About 10 days ago or so, i came across a pamphlet announcing a photo contest to be sponsored by a local photography club, to be hosted at the Howe Public Library in Hanover, NH. Categories were to be B/W, Color, and Enhanced. I brought the paper home, but only mentioned it to Mike, suggesting that he enter a photo or three. The limit per person is 3.
He said that I should enter it, but that he wasn't going to do so. I left the pamphlet out and around, but never mentioned it to T. duh.
When i did, it was the day before the entries could be received. I hadn't decided which ones i wanted, nor had i mounted them. grrrr.
of course, as life has it, i wasn't able to get everything done in time to submit them on that day (last wednesday). There was, however, to be a 2 hour window on Saturday morning for late entries. I set my sights on that window. I asked T to take a look at 4-5 photos, and we narrowed it down to 4. As it turned out, one of them didn't look good as a 5x7, so i went with an alternate at the last minute.
Last saturday, B and I went to Hanover to get mat-frames for the photos. we sat in my parent's car and pieced them together, just like two homeless struggling artists. it was sobering.....
at any rate, i entered 3 pictures, one in each category. Here they are:



(Those of you with a keen eye will note that the one with the barbed wire is NOT in B/W on this post. It is, however, in B/W for the contest. Winners were to be notified by phone call on Wednesday, 27FEB08. Reception and public opening to be held on Saturday, from 1-4 or something like that.
Well.....
Last night (wed the 27th) my phone rang during dinner. I ignored it, as I was eating, and that seemed important enough. About 2 hours later I remembered the call, and checked the message. I was very surprised to hear a message saying that I had won an award, and would I please come to the ceremony at 2:30 this coming saturday?
WOW.
Thank you, THANK YOU T for 'pushing' me to submit. Thank you to Weeb for giving me the gift cert that i used to get my framing supplies.
I can't wait for Saturday!!!!!! I don't know which photo won, nor which category it won in. 3 places were to be awarded in B/W and Color, but only a 1st in enhanced.
I shall endeavor to keep you updated!
peace, yo!
gene

shhh...

wow. someone has been viewing the blog! my count is up~! cool!~!!!!!

more photo fun

yea, i can't seem to get enough. took some photos of drips from the roof today, then played with some in the HP Photsmart Premier software that came with our printer. pretty neat stuff!
ya think?

water shots

oh, and i have moved the moon shots into their own album. am looking forward to catching the eclipse that is due to be here this coming wednesday, 20FEB08.

Moon Shots

wow....

don't forget to whisper when you say it!
just checked my profile, and i have been on this blog for a year. give or take a few days. feb 07. neat.
i have been awake since about 245. made a bunch of Valentine's Day cards for the family, folded laundry, surfed the web. just about 5 now, not quite. almost time to get ready to go to work. Nurse Practice Committee meeting today. I have become the AV geek for that group, too. remember that geek, the one in school who would always run the film strip machine (....so remember to make sure that your chair is pushed in all the way, and use your manners at the table...beeeeeeep...see how proud Johnny's father is when he..ad infinitum...)
Mozart's Requiem is playing softly through the ear buds on my (((PINK))) mp3 player. if this seems all random and very rambling to you, keep in mind that i have been awake in the house for nearly 2.5 hours. this is following about 3 hours of sleep...so....even though my day hasn't actually started yet, i have been awake almost as long as i was asleep. i will start my day behind the curve. great.
basketball tonight, too. practice, though, which means that i can drop Zach off and then either go do errands or come back home. either one. i just don't like that feeling of being 'trapped' inside. need to be out and be active. too little of that going on these days, and i think that my brain is suffering. this suffering is shared, though, which is NOT a good thing.
okkkk.....REALLY rambling now. prolly best to stop here and get ready for work.
love to all who read this.
Happy Valentine's Day!!!!

google

i am hooked.
i have been using the email (gmail) and the calendar for the better part of a year. i have been very impressed. i am also starting to use the "documents" function. it allows you to work on and store documents (word, excel, powerpoint) online. this lets me work on projects either at home or at work. not that i take work home often, but i tend to bring home to work (like now!). the files are secure, but can be 'shared' with others, either as view only or as a contributor/collaborator.
at any rate, i just wanted to pass this along. if you aren't 'in deep' with your email, i recommend switching to gmail. ok, enough for now. have a great day.
geno

insomnia

man. technology is great. imagine if i wasn't able to use a computer at times like this when i simply cannot stop my brain long enough to fall asleep.
i don't know what i would do. probably eat ice cream and watch stupid infomercials. not a good combo.
i have spent the better part of 2 hours putting google through it's paces. signed up a new account for work use. ...

ut-oh. low battery warning. sleep tight! (ice creeeeeeeeam......)

:D

Barstool economics

Heard this on the way home last week while listening to the Sean Hannity radio show. How do we get 'them' to understand??? Maybe this will help:

Bar Stool Economics
Suppose that every day, ten men go out for beer and the bill for all ten comes to $100. If they paid their bill the way we pay our taxes, it would go something like this:
The first four men (the poorest) would pay nothing.The fifth would pay $1.The sixth would pay $3.The seventh would pay $7.The eighth would pay $12.The ninth would pay $18.The tenth man (the richest) would pay $59.
So, that’s what they decided to do.
The ten men drank in the bar every day and seemed quite happy with the arrangement, until on day, the owner threw them a curve. “Since you are all such good customers,” he said, “I’m going to reduce the cost of your daily beer by $20.”Drinks for the ten now cost just $80.
The group still wanted to pay their bill the way we pay our taxes so the first four men were unaffected. They would still drink for free. But what about the other six men - the paying customers? How could they divide the $20 windfall so that everyone would get his ‘fair share?’ They realized that $20 divided by six is $3.33. But if they subtracted that from everybody’s share, then the fifth man and the sixth man would each end up being paid to drink his beer. So, the bar owner suggested that it would be fair to reduce each man’s bill by roughly the same amount, and he proceeded to work out the amounts each should pay.
And so:
The fifth man, like the first four, now paid nothing (100% savings).

The sixth now paid $2 instead of $3 (33%savings).

The seventh now pay $5 instead of $7 (28%savings).

The eighth now paid $9 instead of $12 (25% savings).

The ninth now paid $14 instead of $18 (22% savings).

The tenth now paid $49 instead of $59 (16% savings).

Each of the six was better off than before. And the first four continued to drink for free. But once outside the restaurant, the men began to compare their savings.
“I only got a dollar out of the $20,”declared the sixth man. He pointed to the tenth man,” but he got $10!”
“Yeah, that’s right,” exclaimed the fifth man. “I only saved a dollar, too. It’s unfair that he got ten times more than I!”
“That’s true!!” shouted the seventh man. “Why should he get $10 back when I got only two? The wealthy get all the breaks!”
“Wait a minute,” yelled the first four men in unison. “We didn’t get anything at all. The system exploits the poor!”
The nine men surrounded the tenth and beat him up.
The next night the tenth man didn’t show up for drinks, so the nine sat down and had beers without him. But when it came time to pay the bill, they discovered something important. They didn’t have enough money between all of them for even half of the bill!
And that, boys and girls, journalists and college professors, is how our tax system works. The people who pay the highest taxes get the most benefit from a tax reduction. Tax them too much, attack them for being wealthy, and they just may not show up anymore. In fact, they might start drinking overseas where the atmosphere is somewhat friendlier.
David R. Kamerschen, Ph.D.Professor of EconomicsUniversity of Georgia

Welcome Back

Strange days, indeed. Or rather....things are going along just like normal. Hard to tell some days.
Bryce and I are awake....he's sitting next to me at the table, eating 'yum yums'. This of course could mean anything from pieces of fruit to pizza, and anything in betwen. He is a bit under the weather these past 4 days or so, and has decided that the end of the world will arrive as soon as he takes his medicine.
He tries desperately to get away from us, covers his mouth, wiggles all around, and then spits it out once we are actually able to get it in his mouth.
Not fun for any of us. Too traumatic. I am certain that he will be alright later in life, but right now i just want him to stop this awful coughing. i wish that i could record it and post it on the site......
ok, he has crawled lovingly onto my lap. lets see how long this posting lasts now....
yesterday, or at some recent point, he got ahold of my cell phone, which in itself is nothing new. what he DID do, however, is new. he managed to take several pictures of himself, AND SAVE THEM........here are his first published works: