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!