V - Volume and Visitors

Volume – I am back in the office working after a week of working remote, part of it at home and part of it traveling to and from Costa Mesa. These last two days it has been real quiet and I tend to get more done in a quiet environment. The biggest difference is my boss in on vacation this week. You see he has a habit of sitting in his office doing all of his conference calls while on Speakerphone with the door to his office open and the volume turned all the way up. That means that the rest of us not only hear his side of the conversation but the entire conversation. Often I get up and close my office door, but because he has his volume up so loud I can’t get away from it. It reminds me of the people in their cars that feel that everyone sitting in traffic with wants to hear what they are listening to. Sometimes I just want to stand up and yell, “Turn it Down”, but where would that get me? Especially in traffic, I would probably only get either run over or shot.

Visitors – Are family considered guest. I know that when I go back to visit my family in Michigan I usually don’t get to do much of what I really want to do because I run around and see all the family and do all the activities they have planned. They go out of their way to entertain me and make sure I have a good visit. I just did the same thing when my sister and niece were here, making sure they had enough to do. So did I over book them? Did they get to do what they wanted to do?

Jammed Packed Few Days

How is it that we wait until we have out of town visitors to enjoy all that our region has to offer and then we try and cram it all into a short time? Five nights ago my sister and niece flew in from Michigan to spend some time with my mom and I. Here is the schedule we have kept:

Wednesday:
Plane arrives we go to my mom’s living place and surprise her. Spend a little time with her and then head off to my house to get them settled into the guest room.

Thursday:
I am up at 5am working from home for a few hours so that I can take my sister, niece and mom on our first outing. Because my mom is in a wheelchair I get to go with them because I am driving the “Mom Mobile”. We pick up my mom about 10:30am and head off to the Pacific Science Center. We have a great time there and then a quick walk over to the Seattle Center before we head north in rush hour traffic. We get my mom back to her place in time for dinner and then come home to work a few more hours.

Friday:
It was another early morning of work before we head out into an absolutely gorgeous day in the Pacific Northwest. Because the weather was nice we decided to do a walk on ferry from Edmonds and go over to Kingston to have lunch and then spend some time on the beach in Edmonds. The Edmonds and Kingston Ferry docks have great walk on access for wheelchairs. I sure got my workout this day pushing my mom up the ramp to the second deck of the ferry and then keeping her from sailing down the ramp on the other side and yes you get to do it all again on the return trip. After some quality time in the sun it was time to drop off mom and return home for a few more hours of work and getting the laundry done.

Saturday:
Up early to go and get mom and bring her to Monroe for the Parade. We were in the Parade for the Re-Elect Kirk Pearson entry. I pushed my mom down the street while my sister and niece helped hand out candy and campaign buttons along the route. After the parade it was over to Kirk’s for a BBQ and a dip in the pool before we took mom home and after we got back to Monroe the four of us headed over to the Fair for dinner and to look at the exhibits. We got home about 8:30 and we were all tired out from the long day.

Sunday:
A typical Sunday, up at 5am, out of the house by 6:30 on the way to mom’s to get her ready for church. Bring mom back to Monroe for church and after the 1st service take my mom over to visit a friend in Monroe. Back to Church until 2nd service is over then back to get mom and out for lunch. Finish lunch and take mom home and then finally get back to the house at 3:30pm. It was time for a little rest before needing to get online with our developers at 7pm. Finally crawled into bed at 8:30 and crashed.

Monday:
Cloudy day but today was Senior Day at the fair so up early to work a few hours then down to my mom’s to get her and bring her back to the Evergreen State Fair. As we left to go and get my mom the sky started to lighten. We ate lunch, my niece road a few rides, we walked through exhibits, played a few games, won a big stuffed animal and had Scones. The sun came out after a couple of hours and it was a great day. At 4:15 we left to take mom home and as we got about 5 miles out of Monroe the rain started up. I came home and did/doing a little more work and printing out my boarding passes for tomorrow.

Tomorrow:
I get on an airplane and head to Costa Mesa, CA for a few hours only to get back on a plane at 7pm tomorrow evening to fly back to Seattle.

I will be so ready and thankful for a next weekend, especially because it is 3 days and we have no plans.

Wheelchair Friendly

I have come to believe that Seattle is NOT a wheelchair Friendly city. My sister and niece are here visiting from Michigan and since my mom is pretty much happy just spending time with everyone, it is an opportunity to find activities for an active 9 year old that I can get my mom and her wheelchair around in. Because the weather was cool and wet and my niece totally enjoys science (she is so like me it is sometimes scary) I opted to take them to the Pacific Science Center.

Things are going pretty good until it was time for lunch. Of course I didn’t pack one so we needed to go to the little café they have there. We locate this small elevator that will take us to the 3rd floor where the café is. When lunch was over we needed to finish seeing some of the exhibits so we headed back to the elevator. Push the button; wait a few minutes, nothing. Push the button; wait a few minutes, nothing. Push the button; wait a few minutes, nothing. Get the picture here. So my sister goes down the stairs to see if she can ride it back up to us. Soon here comes my sister back up the stairs, the elevator is out of order.

I ask the guy working there how I could get out of there, He says that if I go to the other side of the building there is a ramp. I’m thinking ramp. Controlling a wheelchair going down a ramp from the 3rd floor to the 1st floor is going to be a good work out. I send my sister and my niece down the stairs and I tell them that I will work my way back to them. Off we go across the open deck to the other building. We get there and would you know it, the ramp is closed for construction. Here we are again stuck with no way to get down. Did you ever have one of those déjà vu moments; fire alarm goes off at the doctor’s office, elevator doesn’t work; try to get into the county court house and the lift doesn’t work.

Back we go off to try and find another access and there just isn’t one. So now I am looking for someone who works there and I happen to run into the guy who had just fixed the elevator. Thank God, I really wasn’t looking forward to doing a fireman’s carry down the stairs or something. Oh yeah, all of the bathrooms were on the 1st floor and we both had to go. So the elevator work, we got to the bathroom with no problems and life was good again.

I have come to the conclusion that Seattle is just not wheelchair friendly. Cobble stone sidewalks, steep hills and poor retrofits in the buildings just make it a struggle.

U - Useful and Umbrella

Useful – I think one of the best compliments I have ever gotten was when I was told, “You are handier than a shirt pocket.” I have been designed to be of use. I thrive on helping others reach their potential and in getting a job done. Does that mean I am never still? Does that mean that there are no unfinished tasks at my house? No, the fact is I would much rather do something for someone else than to do the everyday things around the house. I have had the opportunity to ‘do’ many things in my life time. I grew up with a handy man as a father and he and I did many things together. These skills came in very handy as a single woman. I have installed toilets, poured concrete slabs, repaired drywall, hung sheet rock, built a deck and installed many a light fixture and shingled roofs. It sure helps being useful.

Umbrella – as we approach Labor Day, I think about the 7 years that I worked Bumbershoot, the international music and arts festival held in Seattle. Each year I would work the event on Friday, Saturday, Sunday and Monday. I usually was either a stage manager or an assistant stage manager. As a stage manager I was responsible for getting the acts on and off the stage on time. Equipment had to be set and sound boards dialed in. I have had the opportunity to work with Ray Charles, UB40 and other noted group along with all the local talent that makes Bumbershoot original. It has been a few years now since I have worked at Bumbershoot, but I still have fond memories of working that event. By the way, a Bumbershoot is another term for Umbrella.

T - Tools and Tradeshows

Tools – “You need to have the right tool for the job.” Have you ever struggled to remove a Philips Head screw with a flat head screw driver? Yes it can be done but it sure is easier if you have the right tip. Our own tools are the same way. My husband is an extremely strong man; he has a set of arms that enable him to toss around hundreds of pound every day. If I tried to do that for an hour I would probably permanent damage something. Now ask him to sit at the computer and debug a technical issue and he might injure himself. We both have different tools and when we apply them correctly we are very successful. Just as you shouldn’t use a screw driver as a pry bar, we need to use the tools we are given for the right job.

Tradeshows – I really like the job I have now but there is one aspect that I miss, working a tradeshow booth. I am in my element when I am on a tradeshow flow smoozing the people that walk by and seeing if the products we have will fill there need. I have sold Wi-Fi networks, Barcode scanners, software and Ultrasound machines at trade shows. Sometimes tradeshows are uneventful but I have had some interesting experiences. There was the time I was in Vegas two days after I had gotten out of the hospital because I had pneumonia. Then there was the time I had a gentleman who worked for the US Government and asked me if we could configure a handheld computer to “blow up” on command. He wanted to be able to remotely detonate it to kill whoever was holding it. TRUE STORY. The oddest one was the day I taught two Surgeons how to start an IV using an Ultrasound machine; wait I’m not a doctor, I’m an engineer. Goes to show you how easy it is to start an IV if you can ‘see’ what you are doing. So if you ever need a professional smoozer, give me a shout.

S - Sports and Sault Ste Marie

Sports: here it is Olympics time I catch myself staying up too late at night watching to see if Americans win their events. It is too bad most of the events now all professionals, it is not that same watching the Pros play. Back in the “olden” days when it was only for armatures (we won’t get into the East German and Russian Training). That is why when the US Hockey Team beat the Russians back in the 70’s it was such a big deal. It was more about the one that truly sacrifices for a few years to win something that money could not buy. With the Pros playing are we not just buying the medals?

Sault Ste Marie – The Soo is located at the eastern tip of the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. This city on the St Mary’s river was founded in 1668 over 100 years before the United States became a country. Not much has changed in the Soo from when I was a kid; there are a few more hotels now that there is an Indian Casino on the outskirts of town. But still the largest event in the city is the I-500 Snowmobile race. The Soo is like a second home town for me. Both of my parents were born and raised in the Soo so we spent time every year there, most summers my older sister and I would spend at least a couple of weeks there with our grandmothers and cousins. Then I attended college in the Soo at Lake Superior State University. If you walk down the hall at the local hospital you will see a picture of my grandfather, Dr Husband, one of the founders of that hospital. My roots run deep in the Soo and yes, I can go home there.

R - Roses and Road Trips

Roses – Roses are synonymous with my dad, he had a passion for roses. The fence along our back yard was lined with various rose bushes because he was a tester for Jackson & Perkins. Our house always had fresh roses in a vase during the spring and summer. When my dad was first diagnosed with cancer it was a difficult time but we also knew we needed to stay up beat and hopeful. I lived out of state but I remember the call I got from my sister telling me the idea she had when he went in for his first surgery.

My dad came through the first surgery fine and was in his room relaxing when a florist delivered this long box with a big bow around it. He slid the bow off and removed the lid to expose the familiar green tissue paper. Slowly he pulled back the paper on one end to expose the ends of some rose stems. He then went to the other end of the box pulling the paper back and at that moment started laughing so hard that he choked and the nurse came running in from the hall. He proudly pulled from the box a dozen fresh cut rose STEMS. That’s right we sent him just the stems. All’s the nurse could say at that point was, “ I sure hope that means they love you.” For the rest of his stay those stems were proudly displayed in a vase of water next to his bed.

Road Trips – from Jr. High through High School, vacation time meant a road trip to some part of the country for Majorette and Drum Corp Competition. My mom and dad would load us four kids up into the station wagon and attach a rented popup camper to the back and off we would go. We traveled to Minneapolis, Atlanta, Kansas City, Milwaukee and Boston during those years. One year we flew to Seattle but that is not the same. On our trips we would head out early in the morning and only stop for gas usually. We packed bread, bologna and fruit and made sandwiches as we flew down the highway. I remember one trip however when we did make a stop, it was on our way to Atlanta and we stopped in Oakridge Tennessee to visit the American Museum of Atomic Energy. We spent the day touring this facility and learning all about Atomic Energy. I was totally fascinated but I will never know why my dad chose this spot out of all the other things around the country we could have stopped at.

Q - Quality Time and Quiche

Quality Time – Last weekend we went to lunch with friends and we somehow got on the topic of Country Music. I don’t like country and Kyle does so our friends asked us what we listen to when we are together driving in the car. We listen to each other. We turn off the radio, CD players, etc and enjoy our time together. We have driven for hundreds of miles together with no outside influences. It is in those times when we are riding along together that we have Quality Time. I think it started when we were dating, I know we have made major decisions after deep conversations while driving along. Quality Time for us is when we remove all the external distractions and just talk.

Quiche – I heard a radio announcer say a few weeks ago that Quiche needed a manlier name, something like bacon pie. Take Quiche Lorraine, it has eggs, bacon and a crush, = Man pie. I didn’t use to eat eggs, not sure why, but then I started eating quiche. Quiche is just one of those dishes where you eat it and you are satisfied and don’t over eat. . Oh and it helps that my cholesterol reading is so low that it barely registers and they don’t even bother to test it. I one time had a Heart Specialist tell me that with my cholesterol, heart rate, and low blood pressure that I would never have a heart attack. Bring on the Quiche

P – Parades and Pike

Parades – “I love a Parade” Music Man, 1927. That song could be my theme song. I don’t know what it is about parades but I so enjoy BEING in them. I was in my 1st parade when I was in the 3rd grade. It was the 4th of July Bike parade in our neighborhood. My sister, brother and I were dressed up as the fife and drummers of the Spirit of 76. I have paraded on a National Scale with a competition Majorette and Drum Corp. I have paraded on the local level with Jr. High and High School band. I have paraded with my church and now I participate in parades to get my brother-in-law the politician elected or re-elected. It doesn’t take much to get me in a parade. Just ask. I don’t know what it is but I just love being in a parade.

Pike – I grew up in Michigan. Starting in about the 7th grade my family would take our vacation and head off to the Northern Peninsula where we would rent a cabin and spend at least a week fishing for Pike, Northern Pike. I have so many memories I could share but the best one is probably the 1st one, our first night ever, first night of fishing for Northern Pike. My dad had rented a 12 v-bottom boat with a 5 horse motor stuck on the back. That first evening my dad took my younger sister, who was about 8 at the time and myself being about 13 at dusk we set off to a patch of reeds along the edge of the channel. We dropped anchor and started to fish. Now I had fished before, caught many, but mostly perch, bluegills and a few lake trout, nothing over 8 inches in length. That day we had stopped at the hardware store to get my dad a fishing license and the tackle, Red & White Daredevil Spoon with 12” steel leaders. I had only fished with worms and minnow prior to that. We also found out that anything under 22” had to be thrown back, WHAT 22” that is a huge fish. We had just barely arrived in our spot and stated casting our lines when my dad hooked his first Northern. He is really fighting this fish the line plays out and he is cranking the handle when all of a sudden he yells for me to grab the net. WHAT? Grab the net what net? I started to panic; finally I get a hold of the net and start to edge of the boat. I look over the side just as the fish comes to the surface. I almost jumped out the other side of the boat and my little sister is sitting on the very front and if she could she would have walked on water. My dad again yells for me to get the net and scoop up the fish. Not knowing what to do I dip that net in the water and go at the fish front on. Now anyone who knows fish knows that when you put a net in their face they don’t like that. You should if possible net them from behind.

So I have this fish in the net, just in time I might say as I lift it into the boat the hook becomes dislodge and the fish starts to flip around in the net. This fish is 30 inches long, almost half the size I am. There is no way this one is getting away so I fling that net upside down on the bottom of the boat trapping the fish in so it can’t get away. Well with all the flinging I also tangled those three prong hooks on my dad’s lures into the net so badly that we were done fishing for the night. My dad was so excited, frustrated and angry all at once. To this day my mom talks about my dad loudly explaining how to net a fish, she was across the lake and could hear him. Needless to say I learned to just hold the net up until he could grab the fish and he and I spent the remaining summers of his life out fishing together for pike each year on vacation.

My idea of clubbing

O - Oy vey and Osmosis

Oy vey – have you ever reached that point of total exasperation? When you are ready to pull your hair out or worse yet throw a full on fit? How can you possibly describe that feeling, which is where the expression Oy vey came from, it is that untranslatable expression. My husband, that favorite Jew of mine, (yes even his family converted to Christianity before his mother was born he is of Jewish blood) uses this phrase without even realizing it. This is one of those phrases that has crept into everyday language and across cultures in the US.

Osmosis – the unconscious process of assimilation. I must confess I have been assimilated into today’s culture in many ways and yet I am still a Baby Boomer at heart. I don’t have TIVO, a video game, or an iPod, I have very few music CDs and no music DVDs. I have not downloaded ringtones or music from the Apple Store. I would rather read a book than watch a movie. I don’t use Netflicks and seldom rent DVDs. I like Windows XP and command lines. I still use the phrase ‘cool’ and haven’t converted to ‘sweet’. So I guess I am not completely assimilated to today’s culture, but text messaging, twitter and blogging are necessities for me.

N- Nuclear Fusion and Normalize

Nuclear Fusion – the joining together of two nuclei to form more massive nuclei with the simultaneous release of energy, if you this about it, this is also the definition of marriage. You take two individuals that are powerful and full of energy in their own right, full of potential to accomplish so much. But then join the two to where they become one and there is an release of energy and potential that cannot be artificially produced and is difficult to control. But just like Nuclear Fusion if this energy is not controlled it can be explosive and destructive. Fusion reactions power the stars and if we could figure out how to control it we could power produce enough energy from eight gallons of water equivalent to 2,500 gallons of gasoline.

Normalize – is the process of cooling a metal so that it does not become brittle. Have you ever watched a black smith shape a horse shoe? The heat the metal to glowing red hot and then start to hammer it into shape. At just the right time the shoe is dipped in a bucket of cold water that cools the metal and then back to the furnace for more heat and then a few more hammer blows and another dip in the bucket. This process repeats until the shoe is at the right shape and the right strength. The heating of the metal until it is glowing hot releases the stresses inside allowing the black smith the ability to form it and shape it. The hammer blows shape the metal into a specific purpose. The hammer blows also induce stress and if too many are made at one time the metal itself will break. The dip into the water is the where the stresses are annealed and the strength and shape from the hammer blows are trapped inside. Have you ever taken a metal coat hanger and bent it back and forth until it broke? Ever notice how hot those ends got? That is what happens when the metal is not normalized or annealed.

I have found that in my own walk with the Lord that there are times when the pressures of the day are hot to the point that I am glowing, it is in that time that I am stretched, hammered and formed. But there is always a time where I am cooled and come out ready to work hard and I will not break. I have been made for such a time as this.