Disgruntled Grunts

I was talking to one of the managers who got a two week notice from one of his employees. After the notice, he didn't see him at work. A few days later he called him to ask if they could meet to discuss "knowledge transfer." Knowledge transfer is just a fancy name for turning over your projects to the next person.

Anyway, the guy showed up 30 minutes later. The manager learned that the employee come from home. In fact, the employee had been at home since he turned in his two week notice.

"Are you still getting a check?" he asked his employee.

"Yeah, of course. I gave a two week notice remember?"

"Then why aren't you coming to work?"

"You mean you expect me to show up for work after I've put in my two week notice?"

"Well, yeah. You're getting a check, right?"

With that the guy walked over to his desk, pickup up his notebook and dropped it, destroying the machine. Then he walked right out of the meeting.

So the manager terminated him.

But I don't think it's that bad. Now if he had thrown it at him, THAT would have been bad!

Talk about a disgruntled employee.

...dave
If a pig loses its voice, is it disgruntled?

Parking lot walk

Sometimes, for lunch I'll go for a walk. Since our building is in the middle of on-ramps and off-ramps, I end up walking through out our parking lot. It's huge. No, it's VERY huge. It's about an eighth of a mile from end to end. If I walk up and down all the ramps from end to end, I'll end up getting in five miles for the day.

My feeling sluggish is what inspired this little walk. Besides, I figured, I can bring along my Chinese flash cards and get some study in at the same time. Sure it looks weird, but hey, what do I care? I'm healthier and smarter for doing it!

Anyway, as I was trying to recall the meaning of the foreign Chinese character staring back at me on the top card, I glanced up at the rear trunk of a car. There, on the trunk lid, was a yellow ribbon magnet. I don't know why these folks have to tell us all about their favorite charities but they do. It occurred to me that I have never owned, or wanted to own, a bumper sticker or a magnet. I think they are rediculous. The only exception I'd make would be a magnet sticker that says "bumper stickers" with a NOT sign through it, you know, one of those red circles with a line through it.

I guess my mind wondered and I began counting all the magnets on the back of these cars. It was certainly easier than trying to figure out all those weird characters on my cards. In addition to the "My kid's an honor student" and the yellow ribbons, there were magnet stickers for teams, events, sayings, fish shapes, and evolution shapes. (I realized that magnet stickers is not correct. They are either magnets or stickers.)

It was then that it occurred to me. Wouldn't it be fun to collect all the stickers and then distribute them as I saw fit? You know, switch the fish magnets with the evolution magnets. Or switch the football team magnets. Or cover an entire car with all the magnets from the entire garage!

Wouldn't THAT be great fun.

...dave
A bumper sticker I might want to own: Hey lady, you are driving a car, not a phone booth!

Disaster communications

I was listening to NPR about what should be done in the event of a disaster for communications. Some guy interviewed said that if they charged $1 per month for three to four months, there would be enough money to buy disaster communication equipment.

What this means is a simple drop of a bunch of phones and a cell tower. "It's been talked about for years." said the interviewee. "Now we just got to put the do-it to it!" Hey, I like that!

That reminded me of another great quote some months ago about "pork barrel politics" going on. There was much discussion about what projects got funded and which ones didn't. The interviewee said it all depended on who contributed to what political group. They then switched to talking about representatives from various governments in foreign countries that really don't do much they are just "wined, dined and pocket lined."

Anyway, technology is never the issue. It's always politics. Even in big business.

Put the do-it to it! (I know I can use this somewhere.)

Wined, dined, and pocket lined.

I love this stuff!

...dave
Truth is not determined by majority vote.  ~Doug Gwyn

Stressed plants bloom

While having coffee this morning I overheard a discussion about plants and stress. The direct quote was: "Well, you know, stressed plants bloom."

The quote came from a guy that grows orchids. He should know. They are hard to keep alive. He said that if you have a plant that is doing poorly, place it in the corner and forget about it. He says his friend does this with his plants. The corner is by the door AND the trash can. I guess this gives the plant a subtle hint.

This got me thinking, I wonder if people are like plants? If so, I should be blooming soon. I'm working for a fool, my cube has been down sized, and my "personal comfort is never a factor." Wuhoo! It's time to start blooming. Can't be long now. I think I can see the door.

...dave
There is peace and rest and comfort in sorrow. - Soren Kiekegaard (Danish Philosopher, 1813-1855)

"Dave, personal comfort is never a factor."

I'm scheduling a business trip that includes part of my weekend. Some people get all excited about business trips. I don't. I usually spend more time in the airport than actually learning anything at the event. Travel has become a royal pain in the neck (some people have a lower opinion of it). I like my everyday routines.

It took me two months to get my director to "authorize" the trip. His initial objection to the trip was that it didn't immediately pertain to the job I do. He said that he prefers "just in time" education. I'm not really sure what that means other than waiting until the software arrives at the front door before we train anyone. The Enterprise has purchased this software months ago. "Just in time" was three months ago. At least, that was my argument.

Evidently, I convinced him, because after months of vacillating (he said Yes, then said No, then said He wasn't sure) he's said Yes. Just this week he gave me a thumbs up. Before he could change his mind again, I made all the arrangements. Since our Department Admin doesn't schedule trips for us, I had to do it myself. That includes registering for the event, getting the hotel, and booking the flight.

When I booked the flight there were several "authorized" flights available choose from. I picked the one I wanted. It was $20 more than the one above. It was with an airline I have frequent flyer miles, so I went for it. Besides, it had better departure and arrival times.

Well, within an hour I got a phone call about the $20 difference. "You know, Dave, personal comfort is never a factor in these things." he said. Well, yeah, I know. I'm leaving Sunday morning when I could be enjoying personal comfort in my bed!

"Now I want you to go and book the cheaper flight if at all possible. Otherwise, I want you to abide by company policy procedure in the future."

Dude you really need to get a life. Don't you have any REAL management tasks to do? Something that is really a value add? Twenty dollars? We are talking twenty dollars here. Are you hearing me? It's not about abandoning "policy procedure" because the web site would have never suggested a flight that didn't meet company SOP (standard operating procedure). Don't you get it? Are you always so clueless?

This guy is so insensitive, he must be paralyzed from the neck down.

...dave
An Architect without a manager is like, well, a fish without a bicycle.

Throwing Stuff Out

Nothing gives me greater joy than throwing stuff out. Not necessarily junk, although that's a joyful time for sure, but stuff that I haven't used in a long time.

I just went through my book shelf, well one of my book shelves, and discovered 20 books I've read that I will never refer to again. These are good candidates for disposal. So they're gone. Chucked.

I did try to recycle them, to prevent saddened trees, but it just wouldn't work. I checked Amazon and all of my books are already available for sale for one cent (in most cases). A used book for just a cent! What a deal.

The only thing I could think about doing is dropping them off at various coffee shops so that folks would have something to read while sipping. Naah. Too much bother. They'll go into the big bin in the garage. Pulp fiction has such a short life span.

Now that these shelves are cleared off I have lots of room. I'm making room for more books. I've got lots of journals, books on writing, and Chinese learning books. It feels good to give these new books a home. They were stacked everywhere and a pile looked like a leaning tower. They were getting dangerous. Someone could have walked under them and gotten killed.

...dave
Books are good company when you eat alone. - Dave Terry

Rita's Aftermath

I've been keeping up with Rita. It's sort of a one-sided relationship. She doesn't care much for me, or anyone for that matter. She tends to be short of ego-centric. But I've been very much interested in her. Even at work I've been stalking her.

Last night, while over a friend's house with a 52 inch TV, we watched the first reports of the destruction. I can't tell if I'm looking at Texas or New Orleans. They both look the same now.

In a way it is fortunate that Rita hit where Katrina was. Even though the flooding has broken the levies again, at least it's the same uninhabited areas.

But here is the craziness: Why are they even considering a rebuild effort there? This doesn't make ANY sense to me. Building ten feet below sea level, near the ocean is irresponsible. Leave it a lake or make it a park but don't rebuild and put people in this bathtub.

It's like building a village at the bottom of a glacier, or constructing a house on a smoldering volcano.

The worst part of building in the 9th Ward in New Orleans is that the entire area is kept dry with pumps. Pumps that empty water over dikes. These people rely on these pumps to keep their homes dry.

Indeed some New Orleans residents are NOT going back. Now is the time to make the break for sure.

The Governor in Atlanta has decided to cancel the schools for the next two days in an effort to save fuel. Seems like a good idea. Some are asking: What am I going to do with my kids? I've got to go to work.

Well, that's an easy one - STAY AT HOME!

...dave
I have never let my schooling interfere with my education.  ~Mark Twain

Car Wash

Ruth, Eric and I decide to go on down to Sonic Burgers for dinner. If you've never been to one of these places, you ain't missing much. It has a drive-in like McDonnell's but they also have drive-ups, like the old days. You drive up to a parking spot and there to the your left is a screen with all the food items on it and a red button. The red button is for ordering.

Eventually, after you order, someone will come out with a tray that hooks to your car window. I guess they call these people "carhops." Anyway the carhop will give you the food, take your money, and make change. She has strapped to her waist an old fashioned money dispenser. You remember these things. The are silver and have four reservoirs of coins. When you pay, she'll dispense your change from this gizmo.. It's kind of a throw back. The only thing that would make the picture complete is roller skates.

Anyway, after the meal, we went to Barnes and Nobel in search of next year's journals. They keep the place pretty cold so we couldn't stay in there much longer than 30 minutes. Why is this? If feels like a morgue. Do they set the thermostat for the workers who are running around filling the shelves? Who knows? I usually have to get a cup of coffee to keep warm if I'm in there much longer than 30 minutes.

On the way back, Ruth says: "Hey does anyone mind if I run through the car wash? It'll only take 10 minutes." She likes to run through these car wash stalls. For some reason Georgia only has stalls, where you wash your own car, or "touch-less" drive through car washes at the gas stations. Which aren't any good because it's just water spray. How do they expect your car to get clean using just a hose? That's why we never get the car wash with the fill up of gas. In California, the car washes had brushes, they were usually free with a fill up, and were quick. Optionally, you could come back later, when it was less crowded, and punch a number into the machine from your receipt. This is a much better system.

Anyway, the only quick car wash here is these car stalls. You've got to have a roll of quarters for the machine. This machine has eight settings (wash, rinse, wheels, etc.) , and even a sudsing brush.

So while Eric and I sat idly by, Ruth jumped out to wash the car. (Well, It is HER car!) As she was washing the car Eric says he always views with suspicion people washing their car late at night. He supposes that they are washing homicidal evidence (blood) off their car. It would be a good scene in a mystery movie. He says normal people wash their cars in the day. I guess I've never made that connection. I'll never be able to look at someone washing their car in a stall late at night the same again.

Later Eric jumped out to help with the wash. After that, there were far too many people in the car stall for me too. So I let it slide. They were done after just six minutes. (Her record is four.)

Yep, we'll miss Eric when/if he moves away. Of corse, I could have done without the image of the murderer washing the blood off his car.

...dave
I can't wash my car. The dirt is the only thing holding it together!

Cool Tools

You've got to check out this web site called Cool Tools. What a quirky place to go for great stuff to see and do.

I know this is a brief post, and I'm not trying to scam you here. But hey, less IS more.

...dave
Sheesh, not even a quote here. (I'm trying to save computer power so that I can afford gas for work. Times are tough.)

Rita's Rage

I can't remember when I've ever seen such a mass exodus in my life. I was in Hawaii when Iniki hit in September 11th 1992. We thought it would hit Oahu and prepared by getting inside a windowless brick building with an I-beam the size of two telephone poles. The footings were a cube of five feet. We stood by waiting for the storm which never came. There is no where to evacuate in Hawaii. That storm packed 130 mile an hour winds. It cost in excess of $2 billion.

I can truly relate to what is going through their minds. Since we didn't have anywhere to go, I remember tracking the storm on the computers and conveying the location to the Branch.

Twenty-four hours from now we'll know just how ugly this store will be. All indications are that Galveston will be flooded, totally under water.

The Gas prices are threatening to be $4 by the end of next week! It's time to dust off the bike.

I was appalled when I heard what Former first Lady Barbara Bush said after visiting some of the hurricane evacuees at the Astrodome in Houston on September 5th 2005:

"What I'm hearing which is sort of scary is that they all want to stay in Texas. Everybody is so overwhelmed by the hospitality. And so many of the people in the arena here, you know, were underprivileged anyway so this (chuckle) – this is working very well for them." (Source)

This reminds me of the comment from a princess (misattributed to Marie Antoinette) who, when told that the people of the country had no bread to eat, replied, "Let them eat cake." This saying has become synonymous with insensitivity to the realities of life. History DOES repeat itself.

Do the very wealthy REALLY understand the common man's plight? I sincerely doubt it.

...dave
They had a profile of John Kerry on the news and they said his first wife was worth around $300 million and his second wife, his current wife, is worth around $700 million. So when John Kerry says he's going after the wealthy in this country, he's not just talking. He's doing it! -Jay Leno

World Trade Center PBS Special

We had a chance to see a PBS special on the WTC. What an incredible show.

The program focused on the history of the buildings and included how they were constructed. Some statistics:

15,000,000 square feet of floor space without any center columns.
It took 20 years for the WTC to become profitable. In the first decade it was mostly empty.
Once profitable the buildings netted $130,000,000 in 1987
There were 97 employees at Windows On The World (top of North tower).
The buildings disappeared in just two hours.
The floors descended at 135 miles per hour.
Seismic readings were picked up 40 miles away.

These are just a few of the interesting facts.

There were many interviews. Interviews of people involved in it's planning, construction, and even the Sky Walker, Philippe Petit, who walked the 130 feet from tower to tower (eight times), a quarter of a mile in the air. It took him eight months of planning.

A must see.

(Unrelated to the WTC but related to skycrapers, check out this story on "How to determine the height of a skyscraper.")

...dave
"... a building must be both background and foreground. As foreground, it must have some exceptional qualities. But it must also try very hard to knit into the fabric..." -Cesar Pelli

Windows

So I traded in my keyboard for a hammer. I'm done with computer Windows. I'm starting a new career, I'm working on house windows.

We've hired a paint crew to do the exterior of our house. During his walk-thru he discovered a rotted window frame and sill nose. So just before the meeting I went out to rip them out and put new ones in.

I stared on the sill nose. That's what they call it. It's the part that catches all the rain water. It's actually a tongue-and-grove piece that is nailed into the window frame. At first I considered just mixing up some bondo and slathering it into the chipped out frame. I'd had removed the damaged portion. But since the nose piece came out so easy, well at least after whacking at it with my crowbar, I replaced the whole thing.

Now it's finished. The new sill is in place, all six feet of it. The new brick sash, seven feet high, is also in. Whew.

If I'd only started with replacing the window sill and sash in the first place instead of playing around with just partial replacement, I'd have saved a lot of time. As it is, it looks like original.

I'm ready to conquer any remodel now.

Hey, these kind of windows were easy. I'm going to keep my hammer, forget the keyboard.

...dave
The most important work you and I will ever do will be within the wall of our own homes. -Harold B. Lee (1899 - 1973)

Primer Movie

Whoa dude! Check out Primer. What a trip, litterally.

Eric and I watched "Primer" several times. It's a sort of disconnected flick about time travel. What makes it so absorbing is the realistic dialogue and camera angles used. It's so mind blowing we had to watch it several times. It's definitely worth the time. It's wild.

We had to pause it several times to go over together what had just happened and how/why.

Basically two guys build a box in their garage that was supposed to be an anti-gravity device. Then it started acting strange. For example, it would continue to function AFTER the batteries were disconnected. Why? Then it began to grow four-year mold on things placed inside it in just a few hours. So they decide to build one and go back in time. Then it gets confusing when the double arrives.

Time travel would be truly cool. I need time travel. Then all the dumb stuff I've said and done could be reversed!

...dave
Time heals all wounds, unless you pick at them. - Shawn Alexander

Fruity Loops

Eric has been making technomusic. He uses a computer program that is very popular called Fruity Loops (don't ask, I don't know why it's called this).

Some of the stuff sounds great. I want him to publish it and/or release it at his website, well, one of his websites. (He's got a journal site and an art site. I bought one of his art pieces and have it hanging in my cube. This one seems appropriate for an office setting.)

So tonight, while Ruth was out getting groceries, we sat around and played Fruity Loops. They sound awesome. You've got to give a listen. Check out his site for some uploads.

...dave
"I've outdone anyone you can name — Mozart, Beethoven, Bach, Strauss. Irving Berlin, he wrote 1,001 tunes. I wrote 5,500." -James Brown

Cross-Cultural Skills

We spent the entire day in a Cross-Cultural Skills for Business class. It was fantastic.

First of all, our instructor has lived in India, Nepal, and Asia. She was born and raise in Los Angeles, California.

One of the first questions she asked the group was:

"How would you answer this statement: I believe I can live anywhere because I am honest and my intentions are good."

Rate it: Strongly Agree, Agree, Disagree, Strongly Disagree.

Then she gave her experience of causing a riot in a train station in India.

She administered some first aid to an old man. She was well-intended and sincere. However, the entire station focused on her and what she was doing. It started a fight between two men, then women, then a mob.

The problem? She didn't have the culture knowledge that would have helped her. A six foot five man came up to her and said: "You should not have done that."

One of the key issues is that there are overt culture indicators we can observe by glancing, clothes and language are examples. Then there are semi-covert culture indicators that we observe by looking deeper, by living in the culture we discover deeper reasons for behavior. Finally, the covert culture, the culture you don't and may never understand or see is, in fact, the real motivator of people.

In the train station riot in India, she didn't realize that the man she was trying to help was from a lower cast. She couldn't tell.

Then she focused on the four dimensions of culture.

Rules vs. Relationships

Individualism vs. Collectivism

Hierarchical vs. Egalitarian

Monochronic vs. Polychronic Time

The most frustrating situation is when you are at opposite ends of the spectrum from your teammate/workmate.

The important thing is to assume that there are differences and then look for similarities. Fact is, there will be differences when working with someone from a different culture. Most of the reasons why they do things can't be readily seen. They are often at the "covert culture" layer.

She gave the illustration of sitting on the beach, looking out over the ocean. You may be able to observe some things from your location but if you really want to see the ocean, you have to put on your snorkeling gear. So you jump in and observe fish you've never seen. This is the semi-covert layer. Of course, putting on scuba gear (thus staying longer) will let you go to even deeper levels. At those levels there are big scary things there. At this deepest level is where you really understand what motivates people. Understanding this layer is very difficult unless you speak the language and you've lived in the culture for years.

Before we left for the day we had one last assignment. We had to write something we learned that day in a single sentence that contains only eight, and only eight, words.

One team came up with a Yoda-type lesson: "At the scary fish layer true culture is."

...dave
The absurd man is he who never changes. -Auguste Barthelemy (French writer, 1796-1867)

Charlie and the Chocolate Factory

We subscribe to the Blockbuster DVD Internet program. You just go on line and queue up what you'd like to see and they send you the movies as they can. I think you can have three at any one time. You slip the DVD back in the provided sleeve and they send you the next one on your list. It's great.

We decided to watch the original Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. It's much better then the new one. In fact, the DVD includes interviews of the kids in the show. They are much older now. It was very interesting.

The budget was provided by Quaker, the oatmeal company. They put up three million. The plan was to come out with a candy bar about the same time as the move. However, when the candy bars hit the shelves they began to melt. There was something defective and they had to pull them from the shelves. Meanwhile the move took off.

Some mothers had issues with the bad kids in the show. They felt that the show highlighted bad behavior and gave kids ideas. Eventually, Gene Wilder was stopped everywhere he went. Mothers insisted that he answer one question or another about the show.

Gustaf, the heavy kid that got stuck in the tube, couldn't speak any English. The kids didn't see the candy room before the film so real their real surprise was caught on film.

I won't spoil any more of it but it's a show worth seeing.

...dave
Forget love-- I'd rather fall in chocolate!

Cloppy Clop

It's probably just me but...why do people wear loud shoes? Doesn't it bother anyone else? Especially in an office it seems ridiculous. Every time they go off to a printer, a drink, the bathroom, I hear them clop along, past my cube.

Why do people do this? Don't they hear themselves? Or is it like BO, you can't smell your own odor?

Especially in a woman do I find this revolting. It's kind of like wearing multiple bangles, yes, I know you're here, but do you have to keep reminding me? Each and every time you move your hand I hear what sounds like a wind chime. Is this really necessary? One is fine, okay, maybe two, but seven?

This reminds me of a scripture:

Isaiah 3:16: “For the reason that the daughters of Zion have become haughty and they walk with their throats stretched forth and ogling with their eyes, they go walking with tripping steps, and with their feet they make a tinkling sound."

An alternate rendering says "on their feet they shake bangles."

Anyway, this lady clops along. When she lifts her leg the clog slaps her heal, whack! I jump. Whack, whack, whack. She walks away. This is driving me crazy.

...dave
Boss: "You're wearing very noisy shoes today."
Secretary: "We all have to suffer for fashion. You have to listen to my noisy shoes and I have to wear them."

Boxster

So I took my Boxster in for another oil change...gets one every 5,000 miles. I can't take it in to Walmart where they charge just $16, including oil filter and oil. I've got to take it in to an "authorized Porsche dealer." Because, after all, who would trust the racing machine with anyone else.

Anyway, $135 dollars later, the mechanic comes in to the waiting room where I'm watching CNN on TV. He has a rather serious look on his face, like a doctor giving a patient bad news.

"Well, I heard some noises in your car. I don't mean to scare you but they concern me."

"Oh, really? What noises?"

"Some clicking noises in the rear left panel."

"Yeah, I've heard those before."

"We're not sure what they could be. Let me know if they get any worse."

"Yes, well, I will. Thank you doctor, er, I mean, Thank you."

"Oh, and another thing. Did you know your ignition switch needs replacing?"

"Well, no, but now that you mention it, it does stick sometimes. What would it cost to fix it?"

"About $350. Maybe, when you bring it in, I'll listen to the rear panel and see if I can hear anything."

I was about to get up but he still had this somber face. He looked like he was contemplating the significance of the world events in our modern times. But he wasn't.

"Ah, one more thing."

"Yes?"

"At 3,200 rpm the engine doesn't sound right. Have you ever had a clutch job?"

"Well, no."

"I've seen this before on the race track. They wind out and then blow up. It's a mess."

I thought he was talking about the driver, but he was talking about the machine. He thinks of the cars anthropomorphically.

"That's bad." It's the only reply I could offer. "What's the cost?"

"It's hard to tell. It depends on what the real problem is. It might be the clutch or something else. It takes 11 hours in labor. It may not be a problem. Let me know if it gets any worse."

It's not sounding good. I'm bailing.

...dave
"Middle Age - When you want to see how long your car will last instead of how fast it will go." -Anonymous quotes

Bowling

Someone decided that they would organize a bowling party. When the day came we had second thoughts, but hey, we said "Yes" so we went.

They had reserved several lanes.

When we arrived we payed and received stinky, impossibly loud shoes. I've never found out who came up with the red and green patterned bowling shoes, but it wasn't a haberdasher.

Anyway, there were several families there, moms, dads, sisters, brothers. We got some dogs and sat around conversing while others bowled. One of the kids brought a guitar and was playing at one of the tables behind the lanes. It was an all-around wholesome sight. One of the kids said: "I can't stand this. This looks like some magazine picture." Yeah, it did. It should have been in a magazine.

Several were there that we hadn't seen in a while. I know it drives the kids crazy for us old people to say it but I couldn't resist telling Thomas how much he'd grown.

After the dogs, fries, and frames, we left. It was 9:00 already. Us old folks usually don't stay up past 8:30. This was an exception.

...dave
If your parents never had children, chances are you won't either. -Dick Cavett

Pumpkin Spice

I'm enjoying a "sampler cup" of Pumpkin Spice here at Borders. They'll give you a sampler of any coffee they have. Sometimes I just get the sample. It's just enough coffee to top off lunch. But the best part is that I drink it free. I'm saving money. Ruth would be proud.

We've been getting all our work coffee from Peet's on the Internet. There is nothing better. We just order a box, it arrives, we ground it up, and tah dah, fresh, awesome coffee.

I've become overwhelmed with all the stuff I'm trying to keep up with. There is Chinese study, magazine reading, book reading, meeting preparation, and of course, The Blog. I can't wait until these 365 days are over. This was an experiment anyway. Since the Blog takes about 30 minutes to an hour of my time a day, I've decided that if I can't write it before coming home at night, I'll skip a day. At first, I wanted the blogs to be of substance, that lasted a week. Now it's just dribble.

But I digress...

The reason for this Border's visit is because they sent me a 30% off coupon. That 30% off! I can't pass that up. What book do I choose? How about: "Never Eat Alone." It's something I do frequently. Sounds like the book for me. What? $25! I need to start writing books instead of free blogs. Here's another book I could use: "Tiger MAC OS." $50?

I need to think this over. Maybe I'll go back and get another free sampler.

...dave
If it ain't caffeinated, it ain't coffee!  ~Author Unknown


Mug Mouse

A MugMouse is what I need. I have far too many things on my desk. I need to eliminate some stuff. What better way than to integrate my mouse with my coffee/tea mug?

It's kind of dicey though. You've got to slow a bit on the input. Otherwise you'll end up with a hot lap. But then again, maybe I need to slow a bit on the mouse clicks. I mean after all with 15-20 billion pages on the Internet and counting, I'll never be able to read all the pages on the Internet anyway, so what's the hurry?

...dave
"I can write better than anybody who can write faster, and I can write faster than anybody who can write better."
- A. J. Liebling (1904-1963)

Annie, Get your gun!

Today is Sunday. We've decided to go back up to the roof and patch up things so that at least is doesn't leak. When we got up there there was much more then we anticipated. We replaced about 30 composition shingles. There were several holes that we patched up first. We were up there for hours.

Tools were scarce. We had to use what we could find. Next time I come down I'm bringing my tool box, broom, and rake. The sorry wheelbarrow you see here I dug out from under a huge oat tree that landed on the shed. Like I said, you've got to use whatever you find.

Yesterday I took three showers. Last night we were out back having dinner (canned stew) when we heard voices in the house. We both looked at each other. I had my back to the house and so turned around when I heard: "Hey, anyone here?" There in the window was a guy with a shotgun.

Turns out, when he drove up and saw two cars he didn't recognize, he decided to get his gun. Trouble was he had been drinking. Alcohol and guns don't mix real well.

Actually, they are the parents of the kid that rents the house we have been restoring. They came by for a hot shower.

Even though the house doesn't have electricity yet, nor water you can trust to drink, they have gas which runs the hot water heater and stove.

Being thankful for small things can keep your sanity.

After finishing up the roof and the yard, I sat shirtless out on the front porch, just like those other folks I saw yesterday. Who would have thunk it? Me, a California dude, hanging out with the best of them on a Mississippi porch in the heat of the day.

...dave

Clean Up

Laurel Missippi is about 100 miles from the coast but still the distruction is everywhere. Most homes are in some way affected.

Some houses have just a few shingles missing whereas another may have an entire oak tree sliced right through the middle of it, like a knife to butter.

One home looked like Dorothy's home just after it landed in Oz. Upon closer inspection it seems that an oak tree was planted over a concrete storm drain many years ago. The previous rains loosened the soil and the storm sent the tree into the house. The weight of the mighty oak (six feet around) pushed the house right off it's foundation. The shift caused it to crush two cars parked below.

I spent most of the morning cleaning up one home. It too had a large oak tree (it would take two men to reach around it) that went through a green house. It is a twisted mess. There was glass everywhere. The owner said lightheartedly: "Well, I guess I can't salvage any of the windows."

In the town the single tool most needed is a chainsaw. Someone has already gone through town loping the huge tree trunks so as to make the streets passable.

Still, power lines drape through the streets like cob webs. Some lines have orange ribbons tied to them so that drivers can avoid becoming entangled.

Most homes still have gas. Gradually the power is coming back. Today some street lights are working.

As we drove through the streets today, nearly everyone was out on their porch drinking beer. One family had a BBQ going. Yet, a large oak tree rested against the peak of their house. Well, you still have to eat.

It's hot down here - 93 degrees with 77% humidity. I sweat standing in the shade. Everyone is shellacked with sweat. Without electricity there can be no AC. Without AC there's sweat. It's just a fact of life here.

After the heat of the day passed, we climbed back on the roof to repair. A small oak tree landed on the house and speared holes. We didn't notice it until we started cleaning up there. We were able to patch one roof but the sun left us before we could finish the other. By the time we got all our stuff off the roof, it was dark. So I washed the tar off my hands with gas by candlelight. Yikes!

...dave

Laurel Mississippi

We made it. No checkpoints either. Made another gas stop. This time the limit was $15. Crazier than last stop as people were entering the pumps from various directions. You had to back out and navigate back in to get to your pump. It could have been much more organized.

What a mess. Coming down the highway there were snapped trees everywhere.  Look at the size of those things! Some were laying across the road but obviously had been cut through for the cars to pass. The root system doesn't go deep, so the trees uprooted easily and fell over in the high winds.

When we got to the Hall (distribution point), the few there were very glad to see us. They said ours was the first relief to arrive.

Here you see some that brought 350 gal drum to refill some of the cars. Small gas containers were used for cars at home that were stranded as well as generators.

(Written on my blackberry at 10:00 on 9/2/2005.)

...dave

Birmingham Alabama

We've made it fas ar as Birmingham, Alabama. Gas is 2.99/gal with a limit of $25. Had to wait a half hour in line to get to the pumps. Craziness here. First you have to go in to the cashier to give your dollars, then back out to pump your gas, then back in to collect the difference. Nuts.

Interstate 20 was crazy. There were just two lanes most of the way. I really couldn't accelerate quickly nor could I stop too quickly. I've got so much bottled water in the van, I can hear it slosh around in the back. I hope the tires hold up. I pumped them up to 32 psi.

Just heard on the radio that there was an accident. It happened on 285 southbound just before I20. We were just there not two hours ago. Seems something fell off a truck and went through someone's windshield.

(Written on my blackberry at 4:00 on 9/2/2005.)

...dave

Relief Work

I got an opportunity to go in to help some in Mississippi tomorrow. So I'll go in to work for a few hours in the morning and then drive in.

Tonight I spent three hours shopping in Costco and Walmart buying water, food, and a generator. I've loaded up the van. The plan is to drive in for about seven hours. I've heard that there is a checkpoint. I've heard they'll let us in as long as we are bringing things in. Finding gas on the way in may also be a challenge.

There is no water nor power. Our goal is to drop off the supplies, stay a night, and ride back out.

I'll take some pictures. I've also heard that cell coverage is spotty so I'm not sure how much I can post here until I get back.

So, I'm going in...

...dave
Unknown
A friend is someone who knows the song in your heart and can sing it back to you when you have forgotten the words.