No worries about the Red Wings. Not last night; they beat up on Phoenix 6-1 in Game 7, won the series and go on to face San Jose next. They played as well in Tuesday night's game as they struggled in game 6 Sunday afternoon. Maybe no more Sunday games on NBC. (Yeah, that'll be the day. The Wings are like the Yankees or Red Sox in baseball.)
I had a track meet in Florence Tuesday afternoon, and I left early to do some shopping in Iron Mountain. Shopko had advertised athletic shoes--buy two pair and get the cheaper pair at 50% off. But once I got there, I didn't really care for what they had. And I really didn't want to get two pair of athletic shoes, anyway.
What I really wanted to get was a spring jacket--something lighter than the heavy jacket I was wearing, the one I wore nearly all winter. After looking in vain for men's jackets, I flagged down a clerk and found out why. She said they don't have any now.
Hello? No jackets? Don't men still wear jackets in cool weather? I rolled my eyes, left, drove to K-Mart and walked to their men's department. No jackets there, either. They had various kinds of zip-front sweatshirts. But sweatshirts tend to get soggy if it happens to start raining.
Running out of options, my next stop was ***-Mart. Surely they would have jackets--I saw some there the last time I visited. The jackets were still there. I found one my size, pulled it on and started to zip it up. Uh-ohh. The zipper got stuck right at the bottom. After a few seconds, I got it loose and zipped it partially. But the zipper felt really flimsy. As I took it off, I noticed the fabric pull-tab at the end of the zipper was fraying. Brand new jacket, and it was fraying.
It's like that saying I use from time to time: "Buy cheap, get cheap." I wanted something better. Out I went.
But while I was at ***-Mart, I got another idea. ***-Mart had a Starter jacket, and it seemed well-built (even if it wasn't my size). Maybe I'll get a name-brand jacket. I went to the sports supplies store and came upon a Columbia jacket. Though it was on sale, it still cost considerably more ($29) than I had wanted to spend.
But it seems to be good quality, it looks OK (navy and gray; a bit subdued), and I bought it. I wore it during the track meet. It was sunny, temperatures were in the upper 50s, and I would have baked in the winter jacket. Nice and comfy in the new one.
****
An e-mail I got Tuesday sheds new light on S's situation. Apparently she has come upon a solution to the problem of where she and her girlfriend are going to live.
She and her husband currently live on the bottom floor of a two-floor house. With her growing relationship with the GF and her husband's opposition to it, she has been looking for another place to live. No luck to date.
But now it seems the woman who had been living on the upper floor is moving out. S plans to move up there with her GF and split household expenses and utilities with her husband. Otherwise, she explained, he wouldn't be able to keep the house--he's been out of work for a while. So they will be separated ... by a staircase. Talk about "Upstairs, Downstairs."
This may present problems with my future visits, but S said he's going to have to adjust to her having friends visit. Keep in mind that S has invited me to stay the night with them when I visit by myself, and I'll probably be seeing them from time to time this summer.
We (my wife and I) will visit them late next week, as part of that Milwaukee-Madison-Beloit trip. I said we would take her and the GF out for dinner on our way down to Milwaukee next Thursday. But we won't be staying--we're continuing south to Milwaukee that night.
Also, she changed her e-mail address. She was afraid her husband would intercept her e-mail. It has happened before.
****
I finally got a chance to experiment with Blogger's template designer yesterday. So far, so good. I made something I decided to keep for the time being. Maybe I'll experiment further. The mad doctor's lab is open again!
****
My wife went to a concert in Iron Mountain Monday night with some friends. An Army band was performing at the high school, and one of her friends had an extra ticket. While she was gone and I was watching hockey (of course), my older son called, and we talked for quite a while.
Life is going much better for him now. Besides his GF, he likes the area he is living in. We talked about plans for their brief visit over Memorial Day. (They arrive Saturday afternoon and leave Monday morning.) He says they will only need one room. Aha!
****
The sentencing hearing for my aunt's nephew (charged with theft from my aunt's estate) was scheduled to take place this morning. No news yet.
I wrote a victim impact statement and sent it to the district attorney's office Tuesday morning. A copy of it was sent to my cousin, who wrote back, saying we have done all we could. Maybe I'll get word later today.
Wednesday, April 28, 2010
Monday, April 26, 2010
Squares and colors
The itch to visit a quilt show was scratched once again over the weekend, as my wife and I traveled to Iron Mountain (a mere 50 miles away) to see a small quilt show at the new community college there.
Of course, I took my camera along to document the occasion. Some of you, I'm sure, have never seen a small quilt show held at a new community college. So I took it upon myself, etc.
Here's a literal overview of the event. It was taken from the railing looking over the stairway that connects both floors ...
Later, I'll show you some quilts I liked. First, though, some of my anarchic reactions to what I saw.
What struck me most of all is how similar many of the quilts looked. For instance, look over those along the top railing on the other side. Not much variety. I took along my camera to get shots of entries I like (it helps pass the time), but there was so few quilts that anything but ordinary that I didn't take many shots.
And I couldn't help wondering: Do most quilters only aspire to make the same-old same-old? Sure, there were variations--colors, patterns, the stitching--but it comes down to the same quilt blocks being sewn together. Squares, squares and more squares. And so many of the quilts were done in earth tones--browns, tans, oranges. Some had so little contrast between the dark and light area that it was hard to make out the pattern.
What's wrong with color? What's wrong with bright, cheery, vivid, happy colors? That's what I was wondering.
I also wondered: Do the dark, subdued shades these quilters chose for their creations mirror their personalities? And is that why I don't see that many bright, cheery, vivid, happy people at quilt shows?
For myself, I like colors--the brighter and more vivid, the better. So yes, I have a distinct preference in this matter.
But there were some quilts that I liked, and here are some of them. This one is certainly colorful enough ...
And so is this one ...
If I want to get away from the land of squares, I could just ride away with this one ...
Here's some fine stitching ...
A Northwoods scene captured on a pillow ...
And a genuine sewing cat depicted on a quilt ...
Of course, a sewing cat is something I get to see fairly often ...
One more thing to tell you about the trip. After the quilts and lunch, we went to the nursing home to visit my mom. But she wasn't in her room. After a brief search, we found her--in a large activity room with about a dozen other residents. They were watching a movie. The movie was ... "Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Squeakquel."
Moral dilemma: Should report them to the state for elder abuse?
****
After the nursing home, we did a little shopping and then drove home and had a pizza for supper. I watched hockey after that--two series ended Saturday.
Actually, I had hoped to do some writing, but my wife got to the computer first and battled Yukon Three Decks for a hour or two. After she went to bed, I sat at the keyboard ... and then Charlie came over and sat in my lap while I watched the late game (from San Jose). Maybe I didn't really want to write in the first place.
On Sunday afternoon, the Red Wings could have finished up their series with Phoenix. But they didn't. Phoenix ran over then 5-2, and game 7 takes place Tuesday night in Arizona. Will they win? Maybe. Maybe not. Depends on which team shows up.
The Coyotes won the first game of the series, mainly thanks to their captain, Shane Doan, who was like an enraged bull, charging after everything in red (except the Red Wings wore white that night; so much for that metaphor). He was like a runaway truck. Smash, crash, pow!
The Wings won game two, tying the series. Early in the third game, the Wings' goalie, Jimmy Howard, went out to dive for a loose puck. Doan was charging after the puck, too, but Howard beat him to it. Doan fell over Howard and slid into the boards, injuring himself. It is described as an "upper body injury." (I love how vague and uninformative NHL injury reports are.) Doan played no more in that game and missed Games 4, 5 and 6 entirely.
Maybe he will play in Game 7, Thursday night in Arizona. Maybe. Maybe not. Maybe the Wings will get their special teams in order, win the game and move on to the next round. Maybe. Maybe not.
Of course, I took my camera along to document the occasion. Some of you, I'm sure, have never seen a small quilt show held at a new community college. So I took it upon myself, etc.
Here's a literal overview of the event. It was taken from the railing looking over the stairway that connects both floors ...
Later, I'll show you some quilts I liked. First, though, some of my anarchic reactions to what I saw.
What struck me most of all is how similar many of the quilts looked. For instance, look over those along the top railing on the other side. Not much variety. I took along my camera to get shots of entries I like (it helps pass the time), but there was so few quilts that anything but ordinary that I didn't take many shots.
And I couldn't help wondering: Do most quilters only aspire to make the same-old same-old? Sure, there were variations--colors, patterns, the stitching--but it comes down to the same quilt blocks being sewn together. Squares, squares and more squares. And so many of the quilts were done in earth tones--browns, tans, oranges. Some had so little contrast between the dark and light area that it was hard to make out the pattern.
What's wrong with color? What's wrong with bright, cheery, vivid, happy colors? That's what I was wondering.
I also wondered: Do the dark, subdued shades these quilters chose for their creations mirror their personalities? And is that why I don't see that many bright, cheery, vivid, happy people at quilt shows?
For myself, I like colors--the brighter and more vivid, the better. So yes, I have a distinct preference in this matter.
But there were some quilts that I liked, and here are some of them. This one is certainly colorful enough ...
And so is this one ...
If I want to get away from the land of squares, I could just ride away with this one ...
Here's some fine stitching ...
A Northwoods scene captured on a pillow ...
And a genuine sewing cat depicted on a quilt ...
Of course, a sewing cat is something I get to see fairly often ...
One more thing to tell you about the trip. After the quilts and lunch, we went to the nursing home to visit my mom. But she wasn't in her room. After a brief search, we found her--in a large activity room with about a dozen other residents. They were watching a movie. The movie was ... "Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Squeakquel."
Moral dilemma: Should report them to the state for elder abuse?
****
After the nursing home, we did a little shopping and then drove home and had a pizza for supper. I watched hockey after that--two series ended Saturday.
Actually, I had hoped to do some writing, but my wife got to the computer first and battled Yukon Three Decks for a hour or two. After she went to bed, I sat at the keyboard ... and then Charlie came over and sat in my lap while I watched the late game (from San Jose). Maybe I didn't really want to write in the first place.
On Sunday afternoon, the Red Wings could have finished up their series with Phoenix. But they didn't. Phoenix ran over then 5-2, and game 7 takes place Tuesday night in Arizona. Will they win? Maybe. Maybe not. Depends on which team shows up.
The Coyotes won the first game of the series, mainly thanks to their captain, Shane Doan, who was like an enraged bull, charging after everything in red (except the Red Wings wore white that night; so much for that metaphor). He was like a runaway truck. Smash, crash, pow!
The Wings won game two, tying the series. Early in the third game, the Wings' goalie, Jimmy Howard, went out to dive for a loose puck. Doan was charging after the puck, too, but Howard beat him to it. Doan fell over Howard and slid into the boards, injuring himself. It is described as an "upper body injury." (I love how vague and uninformative NHL injury reports are.) Doan played no more in that game and missed Games 4, 5 and 6 entirely.
Maybe he will play in Game 7, Thursday night in Arizona. Maybe. Maybe not. Maybe the Wings will get their special teams in order, win the game and move on to the next round. Maybe. Maybe not.
Friday, April 23, 2010
Sticky fingers
We are nearing the end of a sad episode in my family's life. My mother's side of the family, to be specific.
It will play out next week in a county courtroom in the Minneapolis-St. Paul area, when one of my aunt's nephews (from the other side of the family) will be sentenced on a charge of felony theft from her estate.
Let's clarify relationships. My mom had two brothers, and the oldest brother (my uncle) and his wife (my aunt) had no children. My uncle died over 10 years ago, and my aunt died in early 2007. Her will said the estate was to be divided among her nieces and nephews--I think there are 11 of us in all. One of her nephews was designated as the executor of the estate. This nephew is from my aunt's side of the family--not a blood relative of mine.
Some of the money was distributed, and I got my slice of the pie. But more pies were supposed to be divvied up. We waited and waited. And waited some more. We called each other, wondering what gives. We sent e-mails. Finally, as it became clear nothing was happening, we decided to take the executor to court; some of us (including me) paid money for an attorney. The cousins worked together, and so did my aunt's niece.
We were afraid we'd have to sue him in civil court, but we got lucky: One of the cousins had an "in" with her county's prosecutor's office. That office conducted an investigation and found the nephew had transferred some $214,000 from the estate into his business' account. It charged him with felony theft.
The defendant used every delaying tactic he could think of. He surprised us last July by pleading not guilty when officially charged. A court trial was scheduled for early March. Just before the trial was to start, he changed his plea to guilty. No trial.
Next Wednesday is the sentencing. We already know most of what is going to happen. As part of his sentence, the nephew will have to serve 120 days in jail followed by 10 years on probation. He has to repay the money he took plus interest through the sentencing date. (The interest rate is up to the judge.) Once he pays back the estate, he can serve the rest of the probation term without being monitored.
One of my cousins (who has been most involved in the matter, keeping the others up to date) recently wrote: "He [the defendant] does not have to pay all of the money by April 28, but if he does not make regular payments, the court can revoke his probation and place him back in jail."
The county attorney will file a separate civil order for restitution, requiring him to pay interest on the amount that remains unpaid after April 28 (the interest from before April 28 is covered by the sentence). If he doesn't pay that part of the interest, it would be a civil case--the rest of us would have to sue him in civil court.
"The $214,700 does not cover the personal property that [he] sold to himself. In theory, legal expenses incurred thus far come out of [his] share of the estate. I am not sure if [his] share of the $214,700 is enough to cover both the legal expenses and the cost of the personal property that [he] hasn't paid for (about $13,000 worth)."
So that's the situation, and next week we will see what we will see. I have no idea when ... or how much ... or even if ... I will get paid from my aunt's estate. Time will tell. Like many of those other uncertainties in my life, it is a situation that is completely out of my hands.
****
I didn't get inside to see that quilt show in Green Bay early this month, but I'll get my chance on Saturday. This time, it's a much smaller show at a community college about 50 miles away. Yep, the camera comes along.
We've got more travels coming up in two weeks. This one is a three-day trip to southern Wisconsin. First stop is Milwaukee, where we will be looking at a Dead Sea Scrolls exhibit at the Milwaukee Public Museum. My wife had been thinking we could go there this summer--but a week ago, when she looked at the museum's website, she was shocked to see the exhibit closes in early June. That meant some fast revisions to a trip we had already planned to Madison and Beloit, WI.
After Milwaukee, we're still heading to Beloit, WI, to see the Angel Museum there. My wife has wanted to see that museum for several years. After the angels are done with us, we take the interstate back north. About six hours and 310 miles later, we'll be back home.
A long day for the driver, certainly, but nothing I haven't done before.
It will play out next week in a county courtroom in the Minneapolis-St. Paul area, when one of my aunt's nephews (from the other side of the family) will be sentenced on a charge of felony theft from her estate.
Let's clarify relationships. My mom had two brothers, and the oldest brother (my uncle) and his wife (my aunt) had no children. My uncle died over 10 years ago, and my aunt died in early 2007. Her will said the estate was to be divided among her nieces and nephews--I think there are 11 of us in all. One of her nephews was designated as the executor of the estate. This nephew is from my aunt's side of the family--not a blood relative of mine.
Some of the money was distributed, and I got my slice of the pie. But more pies were supposed to be divvied up. We waited and waited. And waited some more. We called each other, wondering what gives. We sent e-mails. Finally, as it became clear nothing was happening, we decided to take the executor to court; some of us (including me) paid money for an attorney. The cousins worked together, and so did my aunt's niece.
We were afraid we'd have to sue him in civil court, but we got lucky: One of the cousins had an "in" with her county's prosecutor's office. That office conducted an investigation and found the nephew had transferred some $214,000 from the estate into his business' account. It charged him with felony theft.
The defendant used every delaying tactic he could think of. He surprised us last July by pleading not guilty when officially charged. A court trial was scheduled for early March. Just before the trial was to start, he changed his plea to guilty. No trial.
Next Wednesday is the sentencing. We already know most of what is going to happen. As part of his sentence, the nephew will have to serve 120 days in jail followed by 10 years on probation. He has to repay the money he took plus interest through the sentencing date. (The interest rate is up to the judge.) Once he pays back the estate, he can serve the rest of the probation term without being monitored.
One of my cousins (who has been most involved in the matter, keeping the others up to date) recently wrote: "He [the defendant] does not have to pay all of the money by April 28, but if he does not make regular payments, the court can revoke his probation and place him back in jail."
The county attorney will file a separate civil order for restitution, requiring him to pay interest on the amount that remains unpaid after April 28 (the interest from before April 28 is covered by the sentence). If he doesn't pay that part of the interest, it would be a civil case--the rest of us would have to sue him in civil court.
"The $214,700 does not cover the personal property that [he] sold to himself. In theory, legal expenses incurred thus far come out of [his] share of the estate. I am not sure if [his] share of the $214,700 is enough to cover both the legal expenses and the cost of the personal property that [he] hasn't paid for (about $13,000 worth)."
So that's the situation, and next week we will see what we will see. I have no idea when ... or how much ... or even if ... I will get paid from my aunt's estate. Time will tell. Like many of those other uncertainties in my life, it is a situation that is completely out of my hands.
****
I didn't get inside to see that quilt show in Green Bay early this month, but I'll get my chance on Saturday. This time, it's a much smaller show at a community college about 50 miles away. Yep, the camera comes along.
We've got more travels coming up in two weeks. This one is a three-day trip to southern Wisconsin. First stop is Milwaukee, where we will be looking at a Dead Sea Scrolls exhibit at the Milwaukee Public Museum. My wife had been thinking we could go there this summer--but a week ago, when she looked at the museum's website, she was shocked to see the exhibit closes in early June. That meant some fast revisions to a trip we had already planned to Madison and Beloit, WI.
After Milwaukee, we're still heading to Beloit, WI, to see the Angel Museum there. My wife has wanted to see that museum for several years. After the angels are done with us, we take the interstate back north. About six hours and 310 miles later, we'll be back home.
A long day for the driver, certainly, but nothing I haven't done before.
Thursday, April 22, 2010
New blog design tools? Cool!
I just had a chance to look over the "Blogger in Draft" site and immediately converted my dashboard to it. Blogger has some cool tools in there, and I can easily see myself poking around, experimenting in there.
Especially the Template Designer, which has the prospect of making very cool (in my opinion) designs and typography. One thing is: I have a hangup about the Georgia typeface--I really think it looks neat, with the serifs and the ascenders and descenders on numerals. And then I also like my pictures to be seen at full width--not cut off at the sides or shrunk down to fit.
Available picture width is something I have wrestled with for many hours. Maybe the adjustable widths in Template Designer will prove to be a permanent solution. After all (to be honest), I would have stuck with my basic Blogger template if it hadn't been so narrow (with so much empty space on the sides). I liked it otherwise.
So what are the winning ingredients for me? A cool background. Cool colors (literally--shades of blue and green). A cool header typeface. Large pictures. Bing, bang, and we're in business. I don't have time to get into the redesign project right away, but it may be sooner than later. If I can make the Blogger site look more attractive (by my highly subjective standards), then it's going to be more and more like home. And home is where I like to be.
Like now ... waiting for my wife to phone, telling me lunch is ready. Man does not eat by blogs alone, you know.
I also have to say (as I wait for the call--shouldn't be long now) that I am enjoying writing more by using my new approach: writing shorter, more personal posts to Blogger only and "for the general public" posts on the Efx3 and Vox sites. I can prepare those on Blogger, too, because of the autosave feature. All of a sudden, I'm not using Google Docs as much.
What I really need to do, though, is read more posts and get more involved with other blogs. My bloggy friends are special to me, and I have been largely ignoring them for way too long. Must correct that.
And, you know, not writing B as often also has an impact. Not writing such long letters so often opens up time and creativity for bloggy thoughts and ruminations. More food for thought. "It's an ill wind that blows no good."
Which brings up food ... and there's the phone call!
Especially the Template Designer, which has the prospect of making very cool (in my opinion) designs and typography. One thing is: I have a hangup about the Georgia typeface--I really think it looks neat, with the serifs and the ascenders and descenders on numerals. And then I also like my pictures to be seen at full width--not cut off at the sides or shrunk down to fit.
Available picture width is something I have wrestled with for many hours. Maybe the adjustable widths in Template Designer will prove to be a permanent solution. After all (to be honest), I would have stuck with my basic Blogger template if it hadn't been so narrow (with so much empty space on the sides). I liked it otherwise.
So what are the winning ingredients for me? A cool background. Cool colors (literally--shades of blue and green). A cool header typeface. Large pictures. Bing, bang, and we're in business. I don't have time to get into the redesign project right away, but it may be sooner than later. If I can make the Blogger site look more attractive (by my highly subjective standards), then it's going to be more and more like home. And home is where I like to be.
Like now ... waiting for my wife to phone, telling me lunch is ready. Man does not eat by blogs alone, you know.
I also have to say (as I wait for the call--shouldn't be long now) that I am enjoying writing more by using my new approach: writing shorter, more personal posts to Blogger only and "for the general public" posts on the Efx3 and Vox sites. I can prepare those on Blogger, too, because of the autosave feature. All of a sudden, I'm not using Google Docs as much.
What I really need to do, though, is read more posts and get more involved with other blogs. My bloggy friends are special to me, and I have been largely ignoring them for way too long. Must correct that.
And, you know, not writing B as often also has an impact. Not writing such long letters so often opens up time and creativity for bloggy thoughts and ruminations. More food for thought. "It's an ill wind that blows no good."
Which brings up food ... and there's the phone call!
Wednesday, April 21, 2010
Save the babies!
We had to take some proactive steps tonight to protect something near and dear to us.
Our lilacs.
Our lilacs are not particularly impressive, and the bush isn't big. But they're ours, and they really are getting bigger. Recently, with our very early spring, they budded out, and the buds are opening. Little baby lilac flowers ...
Meanwhile, our weather has been going back and forth. On Monday, it was nearly 70F (21C) as I drove to lunch. Today, it only got to the mid 40s (7C). And the weather forecast gave us fair warning: hard freeze tonight, with lows in the low 20s (-5C).
Normally, a hard freeze on April 21 isn't a big deal up here. But this hasn't been a normal spring by any means. Not only the warm temperatures but the near total absence of any rain.
By the way, take another look at the baby lilacs. See that blue thing in the background? That's our snow shovel. It's late in the season, but not that late. Last year, we got hit with 8 inches of snow (20 cm) at about this time.
No snow this time, but the skies were clear this evening, the air were dry, and temperatures started dropping after sundown. So we took precautions. My wife and I wrestled with a big blue tarp and spread it out over the baby lilacs, getting it in position with some clothespins. Once it was over, this is what the lilac bush looked like ...
My wife is also planning to plant some delicacies this spring that we both enjoy: rhubarb and asparagus. Both are perennials, so they should be able to stand up to late spring snows and frosts.
Whether they can stand up to hungry bunny rabbits and white-tailed deer, however, may be a different story.
Our lilacs.
Our lilacs are not particularly impressive, and the bush isn't big. But they're ours, and they really are getting bigger. Recently, with our very early spring, they budded out, and the buds are opening. Little baby lilac flowers ...
Meanwhile, our weather has been going back and forth. On Monday, it was nearly 70F (21C) as I drove to lunch. Today, it only got to the mid 40s (7C). And the weather forecast gave us fair warning: hard freeze tonight, with lows in the low 20s (-5C).
Normally, a hard freeze on April 21 isn't a big deal up here. But this hasn't been a normal spring by any means. Not only the warm temperatures but the near total absence of any rain.
By the way, take another look at the baby lilacs. See that blue thing in the background? That's our snow shovel. It's late in the season, but not that late. Last year, we got hit with 8 inches of snow (20 cm) at about this time.
No snow this time, but the skies were clear this evening, the air were dry, and temperatures started dropping after sundown. So we took precautions. My wife and I wrestled with a big blue tarp and spread it out over the baby lilacs, getting it in position with some clothespins. Once it was over, this is what the lilac bush looked like ...
My wife is also planning to plant some delicacies this spring that we both enjoy: rhubarb and asparagus. Both are perennials, so they should be able to stand up to late spring snows and frosts.
Whether they can stand up to hungry bunny rabbits and white-tailed deer, however, may be a different story.
Tuesday, April 20, 2010
New character in the wings?
I've written about this in two letters last week. It's no secret, and now it's time to officially spill the beans about a newsworthy phone call we recently had with my older son.
The phone jangled while my wife and I were watching a movie together in the living room. My son, of course. But it wasn't the usual "checking in" call. After some preliminaries, he got down to what was on his mind: Would it be OK if he visits us over Memorial Day weekend? Oh, by the way, he plans to take a girl along.
[Side note: I'm using the term "girl" because she is a generation younger than me. In point of fact, she is a mature, fully grown woman, and I'm very aware of that. So just don't get hung up about "girl," OK?]
Two or three months ago, he moved into a new apartment in the Detroit metro area. His old apartment was located next to an expressway and only had other apartments and condos nearby for company. Rather a sterile environment. Now he has moved closer to the city, further from the office, to a more urban area that seems to have tons of things within walking distance. Clubs. Restaurants. Stores. Shops. The feature that caught his attention the most was a comedy club he likes to visit--it's just a hop, skip and jump away from his new digs.
Shortly after moving in, he went out to meet some friends at this club. When he did, he discovered that a girl had come along with them. After all his attempts to find a GF via various dating websites, including several pay sites, it just happened like that. Surprised?
So they met, they got to know each other, and since then they have been hanging out, going out regularly and spending time together. As well as I can remember, she works in a mail room for a downtown law firm. (He told me, but the details are a bit fuzzy.) He had told us a little about her during an earlier call, but we were still taken a bit by surprise.
But it's about time. My son is 33 now and has been looking. But he is shy by nature (inherited it), and that hasn't helped the search. Plus, he can rationalize self-defeating behavior with the best of them. So we have had to be patient. So has his grandmother. For years, my mom has been hoping he would find a nice girl he could be happy with.
While they're up here, he told me, he wants to visit my mom at the nursing home and introduce the girl. If my mom understands what's going on, this news will make her very happy indeed.
I'm happy, too. I've always wanted him to find a nice girl, a good girl. I mean a girl who is good for him and who is nice to him. I definitely don't want her to be "good" good or "nice" nice. I want her to have flaws and imperfections. I want her not to be afraid of living and new experiences. I want her to interpret the world her way, not the way some authority figure or celebrity-maker decrees. I definitely don't want her to be a saint (or to think she's one). I could name names.
I want her to be a good friend for my son, first and foremost. And he to her, too. Hopefully, best friends. Someone he can open up to. Someone he can enjoy the little moments of life with. Someone mature enough to know that money and possessions never makes anyone truly happy or content. Someone wise enough to know that she doesn't know everything. Someone smart enough to keep learning new things and giving herself new challenges. Someone sexy enough to know that she is sexy just the way she is. Someone loving enough to give her love freely.
I'm really looking forward to meeting her. We've never had a daughter, you know.
****
All this could change my tentative plans for later this year. I have always suspected that once my son finds the right girl, things might move ahead quickly. So maybe there will be a wedding later this year. Or maybe not. I don't really know how kids decide these things nowadays. But I trust them, and I trust them to make the right decision.
****
Other notes.
I have been watching a ton of hockey lately. Maybe too much. I stepped back a little Monday night and watched a documentary with my wife. For a while. Then she went to bed, and I watched most of the West Coast game.
Gee, that volcano in Iceland is sure making an ash out of itself. There's a volcano in Alaska (Mount Redoubt) that blows off ash from time to time--I have teased B about that. But if that thing ever blows, we in the States will have the same fun that Europe is having now, with its air routes closed until the skies clear. Won't that be a mess!
We had a really quiet weekend. On Wednesday, it's back down to see my mom and ride with her to the doctor. The usual. Thursday, I'm back in that same neighborhood (the very same street, in fact) for a track meet.
The weather remains warm for this time of year and extremely dry. The weather authorities just put this area in a "severe" drought zone, confirming what we had suspected for some time. We have received only 0.36 inches of rain since the start of March. Normal for us is 1.7 inches in March and 2.2 inches in April. So that's less than 1/10th of normal rain so far.
No rain in the forecast this week, either. And it's been really warm for spring. The global warming skeptics keep carping about the cold when we have a normal spell of winter weather. They haven't been saying much lately. Small wonder.
Hey, I also heard from my friend in California, who said a trip out her way would be just fine. She's got a spare room and some ideas on things she could take me to see. Now I have to see if I really can get the time off. That's always the tricky part.
But it sounds like an open invitation, so if 2010 doesn't work, 2011 may.
The phone jangled while my wife and I were watching a movie together in the living room. My son, of course. But it wasn't the usual "checking in" call. After some preliminaries, he got down to what was on his mind: Would it be OK if he visits us over Memorial Day weekend? Oh, by the way, he plans to take a girl along.
[Side note: I'm using the term "girl" because she is a generation younger than me. In point of fact, she is a mature, fully grown woman, and I'm very aware of that. So just don't get hung up about "girl," OK?]
Two or three months ago, he moved into a new apartment in the Detroit metro area. His old apartment was located next to an expressway and only had other apartments and condos nearby for company. Rather a sterile environment. Now he has moved closer to the city, further from the office, to a more urban area that seems to have tons of things within walking distance. Clubs. Restaurants. Stores. Shops. The feature that caught his attention the most was a comedy club he likes to visit--it's just a hop, skip and jump away from his new digs.
Shortly after moving in, he went out to meet some friends at this club. When he did, he discovered that a girl had come along with them. After all his attempts to find a GF via various dating websites, including several pay sites, it just happened like that. Surprised?
So they met, they got to know each other, and since then they have been hanging out, going out regularly and spending time together. As well as I can remember, she works in a mail room for a downtown law firm. (He told me, but the details are a bit fuzzy.) He had told us a little about her during an earlier call, but we were still taken a bit by surprise.
But it's about time. My son is 33 now and has been looking. But he is shy by nature (inherited it), and that hasn't helped the search. Plus, he can rationalize self-defeating behavior with the best of them. So we have had to be patient. So has his grandmother. For years, my mom has been hoping he would find a nice girl he could be happy with.
While they're up here, he told me, he wants to visit my mom at the nursing home and introduce the girl. If my mom understands what's going on, this news will make her very happy indeed.
I'm happy, too. I've always wanted him to find a nice girl, a good girl. I mean a girl who is good for him and who is nice to him. I definitely don't want her to be "good" good or "nice" nice. I want her to have flaws and imperfections. I want her not to be afraid of living and new experiences. I want her to interpret the world her way, not the way some authority figure or celebrity-maker decrees. I definitely don't want her to be a saint (or to think she's one). I could name names.
I want her to be a good friend for my son, first and foremost. And he to her, too. Hopefully, best friends. Someone he can open up to. Someone he can enjoy the little moments of life with. Someone mature enough to know that money and possessions never makes anyone truly happy or content. Someone wise enough to know that she doesn't know everything. Someone smart enough to keep learning new things and giving herself new challenges. Someone sexy enough to know that she is sexy just the way she is. Someone loving enough to give her love freely.
I'm really looking forward to meeting her. We've never had a daughter, you know.
****
All this could change my tentative plans for later this year. I have always suspected that once my son finds the right girl, things might move ahead quickly. So maybe there will be a wedding later this year. Or maybe not. I don't really know how kids decide these things nowadays. But I trust them, and I trust them to make the right decision.
****
Other notes.
I have been watching a ton of hockey lately. Maybe too much. I stepped back a little Monday night and watched a documentary with my wife. For a while. Then she went to bed, and I watched most of the West Coast game.
Gee, that volcano in Iceland is sure making an ash out of itself. There's a volcano in Alaska (Mount Redoubt) that blows off ash from time to time--I have teased B about that. But if that thing ever blows, we in the States will have the same fun that Europe is having now, with its air routes closed until the skies clear. Won't that be a mess!
We had a really quiet weekend. On Wednesday, it's back down to see my mom and ride with her to the doctor. The usual. Thursday, I'm back in that same neighborhood (the very same street, in fact) for a track meet.
The weather remains warm for this time of year and extremely dry. The weather authorities just put this area in a "severe" drought zone, confirming what we had suspected for some time. We have received only 0.36 inches of rain since the start of March. Normal for us is 1.7 inches in March and 2.2 inches in April. So that's less than 1/10th of normal rain so far.
No rain in the forecast this week, either. And it's been really warm for spring. The global warming skeptics keep carping about the cold when we have a normal spell of winter weather. They haven't been saying much lately. Small wonder.
Hey, I also heard from my friend in California, who said a trip out her way would be just fine. She's got a spare room and some ideas on things she could take me to see. Now I have to see if I really can get the time off. That's always the tricky part.
But it sounds like an open invitation, so if 2010 doesn't work, 2011 may.
Saturday, April 17, 2010
Back home with the wind
Today has been a blast from the past. As I drove back east from N's place this morning, I was watching the car thermometer. It started out at 40 and didn't get any warmer. It got as cool as 37 as I neared home, about the time I ran into some light rain. But the main feature today is a strong wind out of the northwest, which really can bring on the chill.
"What happened to our summer?" I loudly inquired as I entered the office. "It's almost as if it's mid April out there!" We had been close to 70 two days earlier, the day the golf nuts were out. Later today, we got to the mid 40s, but the cold wind kept whipping.
Of course, it's the kind of weather we often deal with during track meets in spring. I've been at some meets when it's in the 30s, and I'm trying to take pictures that will show snowflakes dancing through in the air. All the kids who aren't competing or getting ready are bundled up in blankets or fleeces. And I stick my hands in my pockets when I can. That's part of a normal springtime in the U.P.
Today's chill isn't supposed to stay around long. We're supposed to get back to 60 this weekend.
My visit with N went well. She did have Versus on her DirecTV system, so I was able to check in on the hockey between movies. We ate at a Mexican restaurant (she didn't care for it) in Ironwood. As for movies, we watched Buster Keaton in "Sherlock Jr.," "Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon" and "Nude on the Moon." I had to cut CTHD short because it was getting late, and I wanted her to see Nude on the Moon, one of my Something Weird films. She enjoyed it as much as I thought she would. Will bring CTHD back next time, whenever that is.
Her dogs are getting increasingly friendly with me, much to her surprise--they often converge on me, looking to get their heads and necks rubbed. Here's something interesting: While we were watching the movies last night, they were just lying down here and there on the living room floor. But when we took a break to catch up on the hockey scores, they started walking around and getting excited. "Maybe it's all the testosterone," she opined.
Since I don't have to make that hurried trip to Oshkosh, my plans are minimal for this weekend. Maybe we'll drive down to see my mom--but we are already driving down to ride with her to a doctor appointment for her next Wednesday. Then, next Thursday, I have a track meet in just a few blocks away, so I'll be in the neighborhood again.
Frankly, a few quiet days would be welcome. I have a little writing I want to do, but not much. Relax and watch hockey--that sounds like a good game plan.
"What happened to our summer?" I loudly inquired as I entered the office. "It's almost as if it's mid April out there!" We had been close to 70 two days earlier, the day the golf nuts were out. Later today, we got to the mid 40s, but the cold wind kept whipping.
Of course, it's the kind of weather we often deal with during track meets in spring. I've been at some meets when it's in the 30s, and I'm trying to take pictures that will show snowflakes dancing through in the air. All the kids who aren't competing or getting ready are bundled up in blankets or fleeces. And I stick my hands in my pockets when I can. That's part of a normal springtime in the U.P.
Today's chill isn't supposed to stay around long. We're supposed to get back to 60 this weekend.
My visit with N went well. She did have Versus on her DirecTV system, so I was able to check in on the hockey between movies. We ate at a Mexican restaurant (she didn't care for it) in Ironwood. As for movies, we watched Buster Keaton in "Sherlock Jr.," "Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon" and "Nude on the Moon." I had to cut CTHD short because it was getting late, and I wanted her to see Nude on the Moon, one of my Something Weird films. She enjoyed it as much as I thought she would. Will bring CTHD back next time, whenever that is.
Her dogs are getting increasingly friendly with me, much to her surprise--they often converge on me, looking to get their heads and necks rubbed. Here's something interesting: While we were watching the movies last night, they were just lying down here and there on the living room floor. But when we took a break to catch up on the hockey scores, they started walking around and getting excited. "Maybe it's all the testosterone," she opined.
Since I don't have to make that hurried trip to Oshkosh, my plans are minimal for this weekend. Maybe we'll drive down to see my mom--but we are already driving down to ride with her to a doctor appointment for her next Wednesday. Then, next Thursday, I have a track meet in just a few blocks away, so I'll be in the neighborhood again.
Frankly, a few quiet days would be welcome. I have a little writing I want to do, but not much. Relax and watch hockey--that sounds like a good game plan.
Thursday, April 15, 2010
Nuclear option
This afternoon, I'm heading west, through the raindrops (rain is in the forecast, though it's partly sunny at the moment), for a visit with N. We'll enjoy supper and a few movies. We both have a good time, and it's something we look forward to. The visit has been planned for a couple weeks--we had to push it back two days, but it was always in the plans.
So was last weekend's trip to Green Bay with Janet and David. We knew about the quilt show for over a month in advance and made plans accordingly.
This weekend, if things don't go as they should in the next day or so, I may have to make another trip. Reluctantly. To Oshkosh.
Make no mistake: I don't want to make this trip. But it may be necessary.
It's about S, of course. Around April 1, she said she was going to get an apartment with her GF. She asked me to send some money to help with expenses. And I did, a day or so later.
It was complicated and round-about, though. I had to make the check out to a woman I had never heard of before, put it in an envelope addressed to her GF ... and mail it to S's home address. I mailed it ... and it apparently has not been seen since. (I also checked online with my bank--the check has not been cashed to date.
But I didn't know that until early this week, when I wrote S again--in her reply, she noted the check has still not arrived. On top of that, their home computer apparently has died. Bottom line: I wrote out a new check. This time, it was made out to the GF and was mailed to her at S's home. This time, I sent it out Priority Mail--inside the big envelope was a regular business envelope containing the check.
It was mailed on Tuesday. The clerk at the post office said it should get to Oshkosh the next day. But you have to remember we're in the boonies here. Still, I'm thinking it should arrive by Thursday. Which is today.
After I mailed it, I sent a text message to the GF (S sent me her cell number). I'm not a suspicious person by nature, but I told her, "Be nearby when the mailman visits. Wouldn't want any mail to get 'lost,' right?" You see, I am suspicious of S's husband, who doesn't want her to move out but but doesn't want her GF to be her GF, either.
Maybe that envelope with the first check really did just "disappear." Maybe. This one better not. Because if it doesn't show up in the next day or two, I reserve the right to the nuclear option: I would drive down to Oshkosh by myself and hand-deliver the check. I can text the GF along the way and find a place where we can meet. I'll hand off the check, maybe talk with her/them for an hour or so and then head back north. If it's around lunchtime, we'll do lunch. The drive is four hours each way, more or less, so the driver needs a break.
It would make for a long day. But my friends are my friends, and I'm going to be there for them. S knows that. I know that, too.
. . . . .
But in the end, after writing all this, it turned out all right. I got a text telling me the check arrived this morning. Good.
****
Last night I started a new baseball game with OOTP 11. This one uses the actual major league history and players up through the end of the 1949 season--before I was alive. Starting with Opening Day 1950, it's a brand new story. The game will play out baseball history after that. Everything will be rewritten, with new players eventually taking over and the baseball universe maybe spinning in another direction. Time will tell.
Outside of that, last night was the first night of the Stanley Cup playoffs. The Red Wings played in Phoenix, but the Coyotes hit harder, got three power play goals and earned a 3-2 win. Detroit has to stand up to the physical play, and I suspect they will when Game 2 is played Friday night.
So was last weekend's trip to Green Bay with Janet and David. We knew about the quilt show for over a month in advance and made plans accordingly.
This weekend, if things don't go as they should in the next day or so, I may have to make another trip. Reluctantly. To Oshkosh.
Make no mistake: I don't want to make this trip. But it may be necessary.
It's about S, of course. Around April 1, she said she was going to get an apartment with her GF. She asked me to send some money to help with expenses. And I did, a day or so later.
It was complicated and round-about, though. I had to make the check out to a woman I had never heard of before, put it in an envelope addressed to her GF ... and mail it to S's home address. I mailed it ... and it apparently has not been seen since. (I also checked online with my bank--the check has not been cashed to date.
But I didn't know that until early this week, when I wrote S again--in her reply, she noted the check has still not arrived. On top of that, their home computer apparently has died. Bottom line: I wrote out a new check. This time, it was made out to the GF and was mailed to her at S's home. This time, I sent it out Priority Mail--inside the big envelope was a regular business envelope containing the check.
It was mailed on Tuesday. The clerk at the post office said it should get to Oshkosh the next day. But you have to remember we're in the boonies here. Still, I'm thinking it should arrive by Thursday. Which is today.
After I mailed it, I sent a text message to the GF (S sent me her cell number). I'm not a suspicious person by nature, but I told her, "Be nearby when the mailman visits. Wouldn't want any mail to get 'lost,' right?" You see, I am suspicious of S's husband, who doesn't want her to move out but but doesn't want her GF to be her GF, either.
Maybe that envelope with the first check really did just "disappear." Maybe. This one better not. Because if it doesn't show up in the next day or two, I reserve the right to the nuclear option: I would drive down to Oshkosh by myself and hand-deliver the check. I can text the GF along the way and find a place where we can meet. I'll hand off the check, maybe talk with her/them for an hour or so and then head back north. If it's around lunchtime, we'll do lunch. The drive is four hours each way, more or less, so the driver needs a break.
It would make for a long day. But my friends are my friends, and I'm going to be there for them. S knows that. I know that, too.
. . . . .
But in the end, after writing all this, it turned out all right. I got a text telling me the check arrived this morning. Good.
****
Last night I started a new baseball game with OOTP 11. This one uses the actual major league history and players up through the end of the 1949 season--before I was alive. Starting with Opening Day 1950, it's a brand new story. The game will play out baseball history after that. Everything will be rewritten, with new players eventually taking over and the baseball universe maybe spinning in another direction. Time will tell.
Outside of that, last night was the first night of the Stanley Cup playoffs. The Red Wings played in Phoenix, but the Coyotes hit harder, got three power play goals and earned a 3-2 win. Detroit has to stand up to the physical play, and I suspect they will when Game 2 is played Friday night.
Tuesday, April 13, 2010
New character enters
I've written about this in two letters this morning. It's no secret, so it's time to officially let the cat out of the bag about my older son's phone call Sunday night.
My wife and I were watching a movie ("Ran") downstairs that night when he called. After some preliminaries, he got down to what's on his mind: Would it be OK if he visits us over Memorial Day weekend? And, by the way, he plans to take a girl along.
[Side note: I'll use the term "girl" because she is a generation younger than me. In point of fact, she is a mature, fully grown woman, and I'm very aware of that. So just don't get hung up about "girl," OK?]
My son moved into a new apartment in the Detroit metro area about two or three months ago, and he met this girl shortly afterward. It all started quite unexpectedly: He was going to meet some friends at a comedy club near his new place, and the girl came along with the friends. After all his attempts to find a GF via dating websites, including several pay sites and a few false leads that went nowhere, this is how it happened. Surprised?
Since then, they have been hanging out together and going out regularly and spending time together. As far as I can remember, she works in a mail room for a downtown law firm. (He told me, but the details are a bit fuzzy.)
Anyway, it's about time. He is 33 now and has been looking. But he is shy by nature, and that hasn't helped the search.
During his visit, he said, he wants to visit my mom at the nursing home and introduce the girl. For years, my mom has been hoping that he would find a nice girl he could be happy with. If she can understand what's going on, the news will make her very happy indeed.
(Preceding part transformed into a real blog post on 4/20/10)
****
I had to do some fast tap-dancing this afternoon for S. Because of her situation (estranged from her husband because of her new girlfriend and seeking an apartment), I sent her a check about a week and a half ago. But I found out today that she never got it.
Maybe it was too complicated. I had to make the check out to a woman I had never heard of and mail it to S's new girlfriend (the name on the envelope) at S's home address. It apparently never arrived--the bank says the check has not been cashed.
After finding that out today, I made out another check--this time to her GF--and mailed it to the GF at the home address. Then I took the envelope to the post office and sent it out Priority Mail. The clerk at the post office says it should arrive tomorrow.
I'm a little dubious about "tomorrow," but it should get there in a day or two. After getting back to the office, I e-mailed S and texted the GF to tell them that it's on the way ... again. So watch for it. OK?
My wife and I were watching a movie ("Ran") downstairs that night when he called. After some preliminaries, he got down to what's on his mind: Would it be OK if he visits us over Memorial Day weekend? And, by the way, he plans to take a girl along.
[Side note: I'll use the term "girl" because she is a generation younger than me. In point of fact, she is a mature, fully grown woman, and I'm very aware of that. So just don't get hung up about "girl," OK?]
My son moved into a new apartment in the Detroit metro area about two or three months ago, and he met this girl shortly afterward. It all started quite unexpectedly: He was going to meet some friends at a comedy club near his new place, and the girl came along with the friends. After all his attempts to find a GF via dating websites, including several pay sites and a few false leads that went nowhere, this is how it happened. Surprised?
Since then, they have been hanging out together and going out regularly and spending time together. As far as I can remember, she works in a mail room for a downtown law firm. (He told me, but the details are a bit fuzzy.)
Anyway, it's about time. He is 33 now and has been looking. But he is shy by nature, and that hasn't helped the search.
During his visit, he said, he wants to visit my mom at the nursing home and introduce the girl. For years, my mom has been hoping that he would find a nice girl he could be happy with. If she can understand what's going on, the news will make her very happy indeed.
(Preceding part transformed into a real blog post on 4/20/10)
****
I had to do some fast tap-dancing this afternoon for S. Because of her situation (estranged from her husband because of her new girlfriend and seeking an apartment), I sent her a check about a week and a half ago. But I found out today that she never got it.
Maybe it was too complicated. I had to make the check out to a woman I had never heard of and mail it to S's new girlfriend (the name on the envelope) at S's home address. It apparently never arrived--the bank says the check has not been cashed.
After finding that out today, I made out another check--this time to her GF--and mailed it to the GF at the home address. Then I took the envelope to the post office and sent it out Priority Mail. The clerk at the post office says it should arrive tomorrow.
I'm a little dubious about "tomorrow," but it should get there in a day or two. After getting back to the office, I e-mailed S and texted the GF to tell them that it's on the way ... again. So watch for it. OK?
Monday, April 12, 2010
Uncertain times
I don’t like living in uncertainty. Doesn’t matter: That’s where I live these days. Too many questions don’t have answers right now. Time will tell … but time’s not telling me. I’m not in on the secret. Wish I knew.
This post has been in the hopper for weeks, long enough for some of the concerns to resolve themselves and new ones to crop up.
Item 1: File under “resolved.” My wife wanted to take another bus tour, like her journey to Branson, Mo., early last fall. This time, she wanted to go to Nashville in mid-April. And she wanted me to come along.
I wasn’t so sure. I can take or leave country music. I like the old-timey stuff, with fiddles and steel guitars. “Modern country” doesn’t do it for me, especially when the entire string section gets in on the act. Fiddles are cool for country music. Violins aren’t. Besides that, it’s also the first week of the NHL playoffs. Maybe you know how I look forward to that.
I never had to decide. In the end, she decided “not this year.” That’s because of …
Item 2: My mom’s health is becoming a concern to the nursing home staff. During a recent visit, the head nurse asked me about “what-if” decisions if they can’t contact me. Should they (the nursing home) take her to the hospital in Iron Mountain (about five miles away) or keep her in her room, as comfortable and pain-free as they can? Because they can see her health is failing.
So can I, of course, especially since she broke her elbow last fall. She has worsened a lot since then. I have kept my thoughts to myself (outside of my wife, of course–and she agrees with my assessment). My mom has been at the nursing home for4 1/2 years now. If she makes it to late May, she will turn 88.
She surprised them by surviving her fall, and she is tough. But she is very frail now. She has been sleeping a lot, and it doesn’t take a lot of imagination to figure that one day she simply isn’t going to wake up.
But during our most recent visits, she seems more alert. It’s still very difficult to understand what she’s saying. But her mind still seems strong.
Item 3: I still have never taken that first ride in a jet. I thought I would do that this year. Now I’m not so sure. One reason is my mom. There’s another reason, too.
In mid December, I wrote to a friend of mine–we’re just friends with a common interest–and told her maybe this year I will finally fly out to California. I didn’t get a positive response. I got no response at all. We’re still friends, still talk online, but she has never mentioned that. Guessing and trying to read between the lines, I’m wondering if she and her former boyfriend are back together. If so, fine.
Meanwhile, my first flight will be … who knows?
Item 4: I just don’t know where I stand with B. We are friends, and we still write each other several times a week. We spent a couple days together last July, and I thought that went very well. But it’s nine months later; we haven’t seen each other since, and there are no plans.
I was B’s first polyamorous partner last summer, and she seems to have taken to it like a duck to water. She now has a friend in western Canada and one near Philadelphia. She has been with the Canadian guy twice, and her first visit with the guy near Philly was last week. (She had a medical appointment in Philly and took advantage of the opportunity.)
But as for her and I, right now we are just close friends who write e-mails. The e-mails are G-rated, mostly about what we’re doing. They were more naughty last year–if I showed you a typical e-mail from last year and an e-mail from recently, it’s easy to tell which is which.
Complicating factors: I don’t get many chances to travel because of my work demands, and her busy season at work is in June and July–no vacations or days off allowed during those months. We met last year because her work holidays during the Fourth of July weekend worked out right. This year, they didn’t. Such is fate.
I miss her. I enjoyed our time together last year. But it takes two to make a date. Will we ever meet again? I just don’t know. You know that it hurts. But, again, she is a good friend, and it seems like genuine friendship to me. So maybe I just have to try harder to be patient and accept the fact that our paths won’t be crossing again, at least for the foreseeable future.
Item 5: All of a sudden, another friend, S, is at a major crisis in her marriage. My wife and I have visited her and her husband several times in recent years, and they seemed to be getting along well. They have been married about 20 years.
But S is bisexual, and for some time she has wanted to add a second woman to her relationship. She recently met a woman that she gets along with very well–she’s bi and poly, just like her. But her husband is having major problems with it–he is very Christian, not a bit poly, and he and this other woman don’t get along. Unfortunately he has taken a hard stand: her or me. S has also taken a hard stand, and it isn’t looking good. She tells me things are very tense in their house now. They are both headstrong people, and that doesn’t help, either.
I tried to get her to cool off and think things through before making big decisions. I said pointedly that her husband and I are friends, too. I also said I would rather have them stay together than she and I resume our own relationship (which certainly becomes possible if they split). All the same, she is looking for an apartment for herself and her friend, and that’s how things stand now.
I’m an easy-going guy, and I think people should try to get along and not make trouble for themselves. But that’s just my philosophy, and I can’t live others’ lives for them. All anyone can do is shake my head sadly when people throw away happiness.
Item 6: I will be visiting my other friend, N, this week. The only question here is: What is she going to make for supper before we fire up the DVD player? We have a movie night together about once a month.
If you remember, N is a widow who is three years older than me, and she lives about 100 miles away with her rescue dogs. Quite independent. She enjoys making me dinner, and then we watch a movie or two. The next morning, I’m driving home, and normal life resumes for both of us.
****
We got back Saturday evening from our first mini-vacation in a while. My wife, my son and I went to the Green Bay area on Friday. The main reason was a big quilt show in Green Bay. This time, my son wanted to come along so he could hit some of his favorite stores and buy stuff. My role essentially was that of chauffeur.
It seems to have been a big success: My wife was very happy about the quilt show–she thought they did a really good job with exhibitors and vendors. She and I were able to stay in touch because she brought along her TracFone–when she was done at the quilt show, she called me.
As she studied the quilts and booths, my son and I made the rounds. We visited Best Buy, Target, a video exchange place and then the Green Bay Packers pro shop at Lambeau Field. He wasn’t shy about buying things, either. The phone rang while we were at the pro shop.
(I never entered the high school gym where the quilt show took place, so no quilt photos this time.)
As for myself, I invested in a CD by Bob Dylan and The Band. That’s all. I nearly bought a book about Adobe Photoshop Elements 8 when we visited the Barnes & Noble bookstore, but I finally left it behind. I have a book about PE4, which I was using on my old computer–I had PE8 included when I ordered the new one.
My highlight was bumping into Nick, our Olympian, at Best Buy. I had talked to him (on the phone) a few days earlier, and he said he would be in Green Bay, but bumping into him was just dumb luck. (We are arranging an interview about his experiences in Vancouver, now that he is back home.) He was in a rush, so we just talked just briefly–unfortunately, we saw each other a minute or two after my son and I separated after entering the store–he didn’t see Nick, who graduated from high school one year after him.
Talking about Best Buy … did you know there is also a Best Buy in the Iron Mountain area? It’s true–right on the highway, across the river from Michigan. Yellow and black sign and everything!
You don’t believe me? Suit yourself, but you can’t argue with pictures …
This post has been in the hopper for weeks, long enough for some of the concerns to resolve themselves and new ones to crop up.
Item 1: File under “resolved.” My wife wanted to take another bus tour, like her journey to Branson, Mo., early last fall. This time, she wanted to go to Nashville in mid-April. And she wanted me to come along.
I wasn’t so sure. I can take or leave country music. I like the old-timey stuff, with fiddles and steel guitars. “Modern country” doesn’t do it for me, especially when the entire string section gets in on the act. Fiddles are cool for country music. Violins aren’t. Besides that, it’s also the first week of the NHL playoffs. Maybe you know how I look forward to that.
I never had to decide. In the end, she decided “not this year.” That’s because of …
Item 2: My mom’s health is becoming a concern to the nursing home staff. During a recent visit, the head nurse asked me about “what-if” decisions if they can’t contact me. Should they (the nursing home) take her to the hospital in Iron Mountain (about five miles away) or keep her in her room, as comfortable and pain-free as they can? Because they can see her health is failing.
So can I, of course, especially since she broke her elbow last fall. She has worsened a lot since then. I have kept my thoughts to myself (outside of my wife, of course–and she agrees with my assessment). My mom has been at the nursing home for4 1/2 years now. If she makes it to late May, she will turn 88.
She surprised them by surviving her fall, and she is tough. But she is very frail now. She has been sleeping a lot, and it doesn’t take a lot of imagination to figure that one day she simply isn’t going to wake up.
But during our most recent visits, she seems more alert. It’s still very difficult to understand what she’s saying. But her mind still seems strong.
Item 3: I still have never taken that first ride in a jet. I thought I would do that this year. Now I’m not so sure. One reason is my mom. There’s another reason, too.
In mid December, I wrote to a friend of mine–we’re just friends with a common interest–and told her maybe this year I will finally fly out to California. I didn’t get a positive response. I got no response at all. We’re still friends, still talk online, but she has never mentioned that. Guessing and trying to read between the lines, I’m wondering if she and her former boyfriend are back together. If so, fine.
Meanwhile, my first flight will be … who knows?
Item 4: I just don’t know where I stand with B. We are friends, and we still write each other several times a week. We spent a couple days together last July, and I thought that went very well. But it’s nine months later; we haven’t seen each other since, and there are no plans.
I was B’s first polyamorous partner last summer, and she seems to have taken to it like a duck to water. She now has a friend in western Canada and one near Philadelphia. She has been with the Canadian guy twice, and her first visit with the guy near Philly was last week. (She had a medical appointment in Philly and took advantage of the opportunity.)
But as for her and I, right now we are just close friends who write e-mails. The e-mails are G-rated, mostly about what we’re doing. They were more naughty last year–if I showed you a typical e-mail from last year and an e-mail from recently, it’s easy to tell which is which.
Complicating factors: I don’t get many chances to travel because of my work demands, and her busy season at work is in June and July–no vacations or days off allowed during those months. We met last year because her work holidays during the Fourth of July weekend worked out right. This year, they didn’t. Such is fate.
I miss her. I enjoyed our time together last year. But it takes two to make a date. Will we ever meet again? I just don’t know. You know that it hurts. But, again, she is a good friend, and it seems like genuine friendship to me. So maybe I just have to try harder to be patient and accept the fact that our paths won’t be crossing again, at least for the foreseeable future.
Item 5: All of a sudden, another friend, S, is at a major crisis in her marriage. My wife and I have visited her and her husband several times in recent years, and they seemed to be getting along well. They have been married about 20 years.
But S is bisexual, and for some time she has wanted to add a second woman to her relationship. She recently met a woman that she gets along with very well–she’s bi and poly, just like her. But her husband is having major problems with it–he is very Christian, not a bit poly, and he and this other woman don’t get along. Unfortunately he has taken a hard stand: her or me. S has also taken a hard stand, and it isn’t looking good. She tells me things are very tense in their house now. They are both headstrong people, and that doesn’t help, either.
I tried to get her to cool off and think things through before making big decisions. I said pointedly that her husband and I are friends, too. I also said I would rather have them stay together than she and I resume our own relationship (which certainly becomes possible if they split). All the same, she is looking for an apartment for herself and her friend, and that’s how things stand now.
I’m an easy-going guy, and I think people should try to get along and not make trouble for themselves. But that’s just my philosophy, and I can’t live others’ lives for them. All anyone can do is shake my head sadly when people throw away happiness.
Item 6: I will be visiting my other friend, N, this week. The only question here is: What is she going to make for supper before we fire up the DVD player? We have a movie night together about once a month.
If you remember, N is a widow who is three years older than me, and she lives about 100 miles away with her rescue dogs. Quite independent. She enjoys making me dinner, and then we watch a movie or two. The next morning, I’m driving home, and normal life resumes for both of us.
****
We got back Saturday evening from our first mini-vacation in a while. My wife, my son and I went to the Green Bay area on Friday. The main reason was a big quilt show in Green Bay. This time, my son wanted to come along so he could hit some of his favorite stores and buy stuff. My role essentially was that of chauffeur.
It seems to have been a big success: My wife was very happy about the quilt show–she thought they did a really good job with exhibitors and vendors. She and I were able to stay in touch because she brought along her TracFone–when she was done at the quilt show, she called me.
As she studied the quilts and booths, my son and I made the rounds. We visited Best Buy, Target, a video exchange place and then the Green Bay Packers pro shop at Lambeau Field. He wasn’t shy about buying things, either. The phone rang while we were at the pro shop.
(I never entered the high school gym where the quilt show took place, so no quilt photos this time.)
As for myself, I invested in a CD by Bob Dylan and The Band. That’s all. I nearly bought a book about Adobe Photoshop Elements 8 when we visited the Barnes & Noble bookstore, but I finally left it behind. I have a book about PE4, which I was using on my old computer–I had PE8 included when I ordered the new one.
My highlight was bumping into Nick, our Olympian, at Best Buy. I had talked to him (on the phone) a few days earlier, and he said he would be in Green Bay, but bumping into him was just dumb luck. (We are arranging an interview about his experiences in Vancouver, now that he is back home.) He was in a rush, so we just talked just briefly–unfortunately, we saw each other a minute or two after my son and I separated after entering the store–he didn’t see Nick, who graduated from high school one year after him.
Talking about Best Buy … did you know there is also a Best Buy in the Iron Mountain area? It’s true–right on the highway, across the river from Michigan. Yellow and black sign and everything!
You don’t believe me? Suit yourself, but you can’t argue with pictures …
A new game, a new date
Oh, this is a red-letter day. The newest edition of my favorite baseball computer game has been released.
It is Out of the Park Baseball 11, and the links for the download were sent out early Monday morning. (I had pre-ordered.) Within minutes of seeing it, I was downloading the game. A few minutes later, I was installing it. And then I started importing my old league. But importing leagues is a process that takes a lot more than a few minutes--it was still chugging away as I left for work.
I'll probably be trying out the game tonight. It's one I enjoy a lot. The latest incarnation of the Northwoods League (all teams from our region) will be in operation, as we wonder whether the Iron River Ravens will do better than they usually do. Time will tell.
Meanwhile, fate has dictated a change in my plans to visit N this week. I had been planning on a Tuesday night visit (the final night before the Stanley Cup playoffs begin). But we are extremely short-handed at the office this week. The office golf nuts want to swing their sticks Tuesday afternoon--if I leave for N's place at 2, there would be nobody manning the store. Then, on Wednesday morning, someone has to drive north to get a picture up in Amasa. Guess I'm that somebody.
So it makes the most sense for me to stay here, at home, Tuesday afternoon and night. I wrote N this afternoon, suggesting we delay the visit two nights, to Thursday. That way, I will still get to see the Red Wings' first games of the playoffs at Phoenix (Wednesday and Friday nights). And it might be better for her, too--she's working part of Tuesday, and temperatures on Thursday may reach 70. Maybe we can sit outside for a while.
The last time I visited her on a warm day was last September. She was cooking a steak, and I do believe I stepped out of the car barefoot above the ankles (after undressing about 100 yards down the road). She got a charge out of that.
It is Out of the Park Baseball 11, and the links for the download were sent out early Monday morning. (I had pre-ordered.) Within minutes of seeing it, I was downloading the game. A few minutes later, I was installing it. And then I started importing my old league. But importing leagues is a process that takes a lot more than a few minutes--it was still chugging away as I left for work.
I'll probably be trying out the game tonight. It's one I enjoy a lot. The latest incarnation of the Northwoods League (all teams from our region) will be in operation, as we wonder whether the Iron River Ravens will do better than they usually do. Time will tell.
Meanwhile, fate has dictated a change in my plans to visit N this week. I had been planning on a Tuesday night visit (the final night before the Stanley Cup playoffs begin). But we are extremely short-handed at the office this week. The office golf nuts want to swing their sticks Tuesday afternoon--if I leave for N's place at 2, there would be nobody manning the store. Then, on Wednesday morning, someone has to drive north to get a picture up in Amasa. Guess I'm that somebody.
So it makes the most sense for me to stay here, at home, Tuesday afternoon and night. I wrote N this afternoon, suggesting we delay the visit two nights, to Thursday. That way, I will still get to see the Red Wings' first games of the playoffs at Phoenix (Wednesday and Friday nights). And it might be better for her, too--she's working part of Tuesday, and temperatures on Thursday may reach 70. Maybe we can sit outside for a while.
The last time I visited her on a warm day was last September. She was cooking a steak, and I do believe I stepped out of the car barefoot above the ankles (after undressing about 100 yards down the road). She got a charge out of that.
Sunday, April 11, 2010
The messy main desk
Maybe I'm getting this whole blog thing figured out.
I have three active blogs now, and I've been wondering what to do with them. Early this morning, as I tried to get back to sleep, I may have figured it out.
This one--Blogger--will henceforth be my main blog. I can write anything here, since nobody stops by to read it. Posts, vents, fantasies, secrets, wishes ... they all can go here. Projects that I start and don't complete. Stories with no point or rhyme or reason. That's what Blogger will be for.
And then, when I do write something for my friends and the blogosphere, that can be posted to Efx3 and Vox and/or wherever else I'm writing at that time. But Blogger is stable and increasingly friendly, it saves automatically (as does Google Documents, where I had been preparing posts until now--makes sense, since Google runs both of them), and maybe this is the way I'll try it for a while.
I mentioned Google Docs. It presently has several posts I have been working on for a while and that still aren't quite finished. One has been in the oven about a month. This is a problem I have--this perfectionism. You wouldn't think so, but I struggle with that. A lot of the stuff I do is sort of half-assed. I use a "good enough" standard--it's good enough for now.
But my writing is something I take pride in. I work hard at it, and I want everything to be just right. Every word, every phrase, every metaphor. I want them all to be just right. I read everything I write over, looking for things I can say better. I am my own worst critic, for sure.
But here, I can relax and just let it flow where it wants. If it doesn't make sense, so what? If it offends, that's your problem. If it isn't finished, then maybe it will be someday. Or not. Then, when something is ready for others to read, I can send it to Efx3 and Vox. But this is going to be the messy main desk where the real action takes place.
Yeah, maybe this can work.
I have three active blogs now, and I've been wondering what to do with them. Early this morning, as I tried to get back to sleep, I may have figured it out.
This one--Blogger--will henceforth be my main blog. I can write anything here, since nobody stops by to read it. Posts, vents, fantasies, secrets, wishes ... they all can go here. Projects that I start and don't complete. Stories with no point or rhyme or reason. That's what Blogger will be for.
And then, when I do write something for my friends and the blogosphere, that can be posted to Efx3 and Vox and/or wherever else I'm writing at that time. But Blogger is stable and increasingly friendly, it saves automatically (as does Google Documents, where I had been preparing posts until now--makes sense, since Google runs both of them), and maybe this is the way I'll try it for a while.
I mentioned Google Docs. It presently has several posts I have been working on for a while and that still aren't quite finished. One has been in the oven about a month. This is a problem I have--this perfectionism. You wouldn't think so, but I struggle with that. A lot of the stuff I do is sort of half-assed. I use a "good enough" standard--it's good enough for now.
But my writing is something I take pride in. I work hard at it, and I want everything to be just right. Every word, every phrase, every metaphor. I want them all to be just right. I read everything I write over, looking for things I can say better. I am my own worst critic, for sure.
But here, I can relax and just let it flow where it wants. If it doesn't make sense, so what? If it offends, that's your problem. If it isn't finished, then maybe it will be someday. Or not. Then, when something is ready for others to read, I can send it to Efx3 and Vox. But this is going to be the messy main desk where the real action takes place.
Yeah, maybe this can work.
Wednesday, April 7, 2010
One by one, 338 times
I just finished a major literary project: Today, I copied the last of my Efx2 and Efx2blogs posts over to Blogger.
Done. Finally. I have 338 posts over there, and I had been copying them one-by-one over the last few months. The links and photos don't work, but those can be fixed later. My objective was to copy my wordy creations before Efx2blogs goes dark.
Things are pretty dark at Efx2blogs, anyway. Just a few people are posting there, and the posts are few and far between. Whenever I logged in, it said I was the only person online. But I felt under the gun: The Efx2blogs.com domain registration will lapse late this spring. With so few people using it, I won't be surprised if the whole thing just vanishes under the waves for good. Glub, glub.
The magic date when the domain name lapses is May 18. That's according to a post made on March 28, 2009, by the guy who used to run the place. He rode in to the rescue just after efx3.com was created, causing mass confusion among bloggers who wondered aloud "Should I say, or should I go?" It really hurt the nice little community we had over there--some stayed, some went, and others found other things to do.
As I suspected, he hasn't been heard from since.
Why copy them one-by-one to Blogger? First, Efx2 never had a way you could archive your posts. Even Modblog, for all the problems I remember, was able to back up your posts--I know because I archived them to my hard drive. Someday, I'll start adding those to Blogger, too. Same with a few Vox posts that weren't cross-posted. But no rush. They aren't going to vanish in a few weeks.
Why Blogger? Because it seems to be the standard. You can export Blogger blogs and import them into Efx3. Would that duplicate some posts that are already there? Don't know--I have to ask Welsh Pixie. Nonetheless, the files will be there.
By the way... does Efx3 have an archive feature?
Done. Finally. I have 338 posts over there, and I had been copying them one-by-one over the last few months. The links and photos don't work, but those can be fixed later. My objective was to copy my wordy creations before Efx2blogs goes dark.
Things are pretty dark at Efx2blogs, anyway. Just a few people are posting there, and the posts are few and far between. Whenever I logged in, it said I was the only person online. But I felt under the gun: The Efx2blogs.com domain registration will lapse late this spring. With so few people using it, I won't be surprised if the whole thing just vanishes under the waves for good. Glub, glub.
The magic date when the domain name lapses is May 18. That's according to a post made on March 28, 2009, by the guy who used to run the place. He rode in to the rescue just after efx3.com was created, causing mass confusion among bloggers who wondered aloud "Should I say, or should I go?" It really hurt the nice little community we had over there--some stayed, some went, and others found other things to do.
As I suspected, he hasn't been heard from since.
Why copy them one-by-one to Blogger? First, Efx2 never had a way you could archive your posts. Even Modblog, for all the problems I remember, was able to back up your posts--I know because I archived them to my hard drive. Someday, I'll start adding those to Blogger, too. Same with a few Vox posts that weren't cross-posted. But no rush. They aren't going to vanish in a few weeks.
Why Blogger? Because it seems to be the standard. You can export Blogger blogs and import them into Efx3. Would that duplicate some posts that are already there? Don't know--I have to ask Welsh Pixie. Nonetheless, the files will be there.
By the way... does Efx3 have an archive feature?
Sunday, April 4, 2010
Not my shtyle
Do I feel like an idiot today! An internet idiot, no less!
I did a not very bright thing. My only defense is that I did it with the best of intentions. The kind of thing with with the road to hell is paved.
It all started this morning when I got something from my friend N. Actually, it wasn't from her, it was from a website called shtyle.fm. (I am not making it a link because I don't want any of you to make my mistake.)
"Check out my photos on Shtyle.fm," the note said. "I've created a profile on Shtyle.fm to upload my photos, share files and make new friends and I want to add you as a friend."
N hasn't sent me any photos for a long time--the last one I got had her standing on a porch or along a street. It was some time ago. So, OK, a new photo. Cool. I hit the link.
It took me to Shtyle's website, which asked for my name and email and birthday. OK, so I become a member of a site that I visit once in a blue moon--it's happened before. What's the worst that could happen?
I got my answer later in the day when I got notes from S and B, accepting my friend request from Shtyle. The only thing is, I hadn't sent out friend requests to them or to anybody else. All I did was go to N's page on Shtyle, found out that she had not posted any photos there, hit a link or two and then closed the page.
Apparently Shtyle (how shtylish a name!) wants to be the next Facebook or else the next big thing in social media. Communities, songs, quizzes, jokes, video sharing--apparently it's got it all. Including my e-mail contact list.
So far, I haven't gotten any negative feedback. Not yet, at least. Maybe I won't. But I'm not very proud of myself. The thing is, they're my friends, and I want to protect them from bad stuff. Like predatory websites.
****
We have had a quiet Easter weekend, after an astoundingly warm week for late March. Normally in March, we are impatiently waiting for the last piles of snow to melt and the first robin to hit town, wearing a heavy scarf around his neck and steam coming from his mouth when he sings.
Not this time. The entire month of March was incredibly mild. We had highs in the 50s. We had highs in the 60s. We had a few days in the 70s. The snow melted away humbly--we didn't get any measurable snow during March. The first time that's ever happened.
In a normal March, we have a couple nights when temperatures drop below zero. We did get down to single digits several times. But the next day, we were back in the 40s or better.
Last week, I went out to get photos at a Little League tryout. It was mostly sunny, and temperatures were in the mid 70s. The kids and their parents were in T-shirts and shorts. It's the earliest they have ever held tryouts, one of the coaches said. The season won't start until the last few days of April--that's normally how long we have to wait for all the snow to melt and the frost to come out of the ground.
I told one of the coaches, "Well, I just hope the weather is this nice when we get to May." We both laughed.
Back to Easter. The temperature is a bit cooler now. Today it got up to about 60, which is still well above normal. We also had a little shower, the first rain we have seen for quite some time. It's really dry here, and authorities are worried about wildfires now that all the snow has melted. The grasses and fields are still dry and yellow from last fall.
Today, we went to church, and after that we stayed home. David came over and spent the day with us. For supper, we had ham, green beans and mashed potatoes. Certainly nothing elaborate, but the ham was tasty.
The highlight of my afternoon was that I had quiet time and remembered a favorite movie I wanted to see again--"Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon." An incredible film, for many reasons: a fascinating story, interesting characters, beautiful photography and music and mind-blowing action sequences. Plus, this was the first time I could play it on my multi-region DVD player, which gives me a great picture and sound.
During March, I learned that TCM was broadcasting many of Akira Kurosawa's movies to mark his 100th birthday. I had my DVD recorder working hard all month. I had earlier bought a number of Kurosawa's films on DVD--"Seven Samurai," "Rashomon," "Yojimbo," etc.--but many others I had only heard about. So I made the most of my opportunity and recorded everything onto DVDs for my own enjoyment.
I'm a fan of samurai and Japanese movies (including, yes, the monster films). I first was exposed to serious Japanese cinema back in the '70s while living in Milwaukee. The low-power PBS station in town (the one carried on UHF in the days before cable) carried international films including a series of Japanese films introduced by Edwin Reischauer, former U.S. ambassador to Japan. I watched as many of them as I could and got to know Kurosawa, Toshiro Mifune, Takashi Shimura and other stars of those films.
The development of cable, movie channels and DVDs has been an incredible blessing to film buffs like me. I finally got to the German impressionist films by Murnau and Fritz Lang, along with the Japanese directors' creations. Today, I have three different versions of the story of the 47 Ronin, including one partly made during World War II.
Not that I have any (ahem) yen to visit Japan someday. Let me work on getting out of the Upper Midwest first.
I did a not very bright thing. My only defense is that I did it with the best of intentions. The kind of thing with with the road to hell is paved.
It all started this morning when I got something from my friend N. Actually, it wasn't from her, it was from a website called shtyle.fm. (I am not making it a link because I don't want any of you to make my mistake.)
"Check out my photos on Shtyle.fm," the note said. "I've created a profile on Shtyle.fm to upload my photos, share files and make new friends and I want to add you as a friend."
N hasn't sent me any photos for a long time--the last one I got had her standing on a porch or along a street. It was some time ago. So, OK, a new photo. Cool. I hit the link.
It took me to Shtyle's website, which asked for my name and email and birthday. OK, so I become a member of a site that I visit once in a blue moon--it's happened before. What's the worst that could happen?
I got my answer later in the day when I got notes from S and B, accepting my friend request from Shtyle. The only thing is, I hadn't sent out friend requests to them or to anybody else. All I did was go to N's page on Shtyle, found out that she had not posted any photos there, hit a link or two and then closed the page.
Apparently Shtyle (how shtylish a name!) wants to be the next Facebook or else the next big thing in social media. Communities, songs, quizzes, jokes, video sharing--apparently it's got it all. Including my e-mail contact list.
So far, I haven't gotten any negative feedback. Not yet, at least. Maybe I won't. But I'm not very proud of myself. The thing is, they're my friends, and I want to protect them from bad stuff. Like predatory websites.
****
We have had a quiet Easter weekend, after an astoundingly warm week for late March. Normally in March, we are impatiently waiting for the last piles of snow to melt and the first robin to hit town, wearing a heavy scarf around his neck and steam coming from his mouth when he sings.
Not this time. The entire month of March was incredibly mild. We had highs in the 50s. We had highs in the 60s. We had a few days in the 70s. The snow melted away humbly--we didn't get any measurable snow during March. The first time that's ever happened.
In a normal March, we have a couple nights when temperatures drop below zero. We did get down to single digits several times. But the next day, we were back in the 40s or better.
Last week, I went out to get photos at a Little League tryout. It was mostly sunny, and temperatures were in the mid 70s. The kids and their parents were in T-shirts and shorts. It's the earliest they have ever held tryouts, one of the coaches said. The season won't start until the last few days of April--that's normally how long we have to wait for all the snow to melt and the frost to come out of the ground.
I told one of the coaches, "Well, I just hope the weather is this nice when we get to May." We both laughed.
Back to Easter. The temperature is a bit cooler now. Today it got up to about 60, which is still well above normal. We also had a little shower, the first rain we have seen for quite some time. It's really dry here, and authorities are worried about wildfires now that all the snow has melted. The grasses and fields are still dry and yellow from last fall.
Today, we went to church, and after that we stayed home. David came over and spent the day with us. For supper, we had ham, green beans and mashed potatoes. Certainly nothing elaborate, but the ham was tasty.
The highlight of my afternoon was that I had quiet time and remembered a favorite movie I wanted to see again--"Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon." An incredible film, for many reasons: a fascinating story, interesting characters, beautiful photography and music and mind-blowing action sequences. Plus, this was the first time I could play it on my multi-region DVD player, which gives me a great picture and sound.
During March, I learned that TCM was broadcasting many of Akira Kurosawa's movies to mark his 100th birthday. I had my DVD recorder working hard all month. I had earlier bought a number of Kurosawa's films on DVD--"Seven Samurai," "Rashomon," "Yojimbo," etc.--but many others I had only heard about. So I made the most of my opportunity and recorded everything onto DVDs for my own enjoyment.
I'm a fan of samurai and Japanese movies (including, yes, the monster films). I first was exposed to serious Japanese cinema back in the '70s while living in Milwaukee. The low-power PBS station in town (the one carried on UHF in the days before cable) carried international films including a series of Japanese films introduced by Edwin Reischauer, former U.S. ambassador to Japan. I watched as many of them as I could and got to know Kurosawa, Toshiro Mifune, Takashi Shimura and other stars of those films.
The development of cable, movie channels and DVDs has been an incredible blessing to film buffs like me. I finally got to the German impressionist films by Murnau and Fritz Lang, along with the Japanese directors' creations. Today, I have three different versions of the story of the 47 Ronin, including one partly made during World War II.
Not that I have any (ahem) yen to visit Japan someday. Let me work on getting out of the Upper Midwest first.
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