A Strange Phenomenom

Earlier today, I had the television next to the computer turned to TNT while Law and Order was on, and I was perusing through the computer.  I frequently have the TV on when I am on the computer. 

All of a sudden, I thought the TV was talking to me.  This is a psychiatric symptom.  I do not think I am having a psychotic break.  At first I just disregarded this as inattention.  Then, I realized it was really happening.  The show was about half way when I turned it on.  I realized that the voice was describing action a person with a sight disability might not catch.  Hmmm.  I looked at the remote to see if there was a setting I could change (as in closed captioned or language) but could not figure it out. Hmmm.   TNT runs Law and Order back to back to back.  So, I watched another show while I messed around on the computer.  I was not planning to be on the computer that long, but the phenomenon disappeared with the third show.  I did not stay to watch it. 

Charitable Giving

I have a set of charities to which I donate regularly.  And, I also donate for specific and special reasons:  in memory of someone; in memory of a deceased pet; because of a special event or disaster.  For example a couple of years ago, the local Salvation Army http://www.uss.salvationarmy.org/uss/www_uss_lubbock.nsf extended their shelter hours during a very cold spell. Because of natural disasters like Katrina, Rita, Irene, or Isaac. For the holidays.  If a social service organization does something I especially like, I support them with a donation.

I have been watching a lot of the television coverage of Hurricane/Tropical Storm/Tropical Depression Isaac on The Weather Channel http://www.weather.com/.  They have, at times, talked to American Red Cross workers, and talked about how easy it is to donate to the American Red Cross: you simply text http://www.redcross.org/search/index.jsp?_DARGS=/jspf/modules/nav/primary-navtemp.jsp and it will result in a $10 donation, which will show up on your phone bill.  I think that is really great.  I suspect, especially when that first was introduced, they received an increase in donations. We love technology and what it allows us to do.  I sent in an idea to The Weather Channel: to add a link on their home page so people who check it can donate to The American Red Cross or the Salvation Army (one or both.)  We shall see if that gets added.

I was getting ready to write a check to the American Red Cross for Isaac relief, but checked my emails first.  As I am on the board of the local Catholic Charities organization http://www.cclubbock.org/index.html, I receive a weekly newsletter from Catholic Charities USA http://www.catholiccharitiesusa.org/.  They set up a special donation opportunity to help with Isaac relief, so I decided to donate through them, instead.

Not very long ago, the director of Catholic Charities, Diocese of Lubbock, commented that when there is a local emergency, the local Red Cross and Salvation Army get good publicity for their disaster aid. But almost always, Catholic Charities gets called, but does not get the publicity that the other two agencies get. I wonder what we can do about that.

Mandatory Evacuation

I have spent a large part of my vacation watching The Weather Channel http://www.weather.com/ broadcast of Tropical Storm/Hurricane Isaac.  I know that there have been areas of mandatory evacuations, yet some people did not evacuate, especially in Plaquemines Parish. http://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory/plaquemines-parish-long-history-disasters-17109583.  And, a nursing home did not evacuate.  What does a mandatory evacuation order mean?  Get out. 

I get it. I do not want anyone telling me to leave my home to the ravages of nature and hoodlums.  I want to think I can cope no matter what. I can imagine a couple of scenarios in Lubbock, Texas that would require an emergency evacuation.  I can imagine my initial instinct to want to stay, and try to take care of my home. But the truth is, sometimes, I am not as self-sufficient and powerful as I want to be.  And I need someone with more information, power, and authority to take care of me.

I understand that the logistics of evacuating nursing home patients is difficult, but it is a lot easier if it does not have to occur when the storm requiring it is putting its full force energy into the area. I think the administrators of any nursing home in Plaquemines Parish that did not evacuate when mandated, and had to be evacuated in the midst of the storm, should be investigated.

My hope is that everyone who did not comply with the mandatory evacuation order is now safe.  More importantly, my hope is that everyone who tried to rescue those non-compliants is also now safe. The rescuers are true heroes and to them, I offer my thanks and prayers.

Paté

I discovered a long time ago, that Sake and Haiku do not like paté style cat foods.  I try to buy chunky, and had to have another shopper tell me which of the Fancy Feasts http://www.fancyfeast.com/ was chunky (grilled, and now, gravy lovers).  This past weekend, I bought a can that said "chunky."  It is really paté with a little bit of chunks in it.

Taki will generally eat paté if it is a flavor she likes. It was interesting to see her reaction to liver: she sniffed it tentatively, then backed off from it. 

Haiku likes human tuna, and so do Taki and Sake.  Sometimes, Haiku just sits next to the feeding area, even when there is liver out (which she likes) and has a hangdog look on her. She does not cry. She just sits.  She moves to eat, when I put out tuna.  She does not like tuna if the can is not freshly opened, although I do refrigerate it.  Taki started eating it after the can was opened, so Sake and Haiku do now, too.

When Haiku started eating at the feeding area, Sake was mean to her, and sometimes chased her off.  That is part of the reason I put a second feeding station in the bedroom.  Even now, sometimes, while Haiku is eating, something will happen (a loud noise, another cat just bumping into her) and she will run off.  Since Taki's arrival, if I bring her back to the feeding area, she will resume eating.  Not so before.

Haiku is a skittish eater, and I try hard to find her favorites.  Except for the paté issue, Sake is less so, but has become more picky with age... Both Sake and Haiku vomit salmon.  I think it is too rich for them.  Other than human tuna, they do not seem to care for fish content cat foods, although they frequently show interest in the fish I eat. 

Taki likes fish content food, including salmon foods.  But, if salmon foods areout, Sake eats them, and gets sick, so I rarely buy salmon flavored foods.

Feeding these cats can be an issue.  Less so, if I stay away from paté!

Danger and Concern

A few weeks ago, because Sake had seemed to be off her feed,  I bought some chicken liver and cooked it up for the cats (boiled it.).  Sake chowed down, Haiku was eager to eat it, and Taki was repulsed (hmmm, she has generally been nondiscriminatory about what she ate.)

I have continued to offer cooked liver to the girls.  Even though Sake's level of interest has declined, I still offer it, because she is not much interested in anything else. I still offer other cat food varieties, and tuna, so they have some options. Haiku still wants treats.

All the cats think that whenever I enter the house from being out, it is eating time. I should ignore them, but that is very hard for me, so sometimes, I give them a few treats.

A while back, I had some liver in cartons on the counter, getting ready to cook it. Haiku did something she almotst never does: she jumped on the counter in front of the stove top.  I have worked to teach the cats the stove top is off limits, and they usually obey, even though they get on other parts of the kitchen counter. That frightened me.

Tonight, I was cooking up a batch of liver, and I was very concerned one of the cats might again jump up to the stove top. Not one did for which I am grateful.   I do not want to have an accident with any one of the cats.

Hurricane Isaac

Maybe I am being too picky, maybe I have too much time on my hands because I am on vacation, but not much appealed to me on television today. But, I have spent a lot of time watching The Weather Channel http://www.weather.com/ coverage of Isaac, which is just a tropical storm, but moving slowly, and causing its own share of havoc because of the wind and deluge of rain.

I think that the pressure is on for The Weather Channel.  They missed the storm surge significance of Katrina http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hurricane_Katrina in 2005.   They down played the danger from Ike http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hurricane_Ike in 2008, and like the Galveston Hurricane in 1900, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1900_Galveston_hurricane, Ike was devastating to Galveston.

Unlike what happened in 2005 with Katrina, instead of waiting for the disaster and request for emergency services, the current plan is to put the emergency services in place ready to respond.  Evacuations are being called for early. 

The Army Corp of Engineers http://www.usace.army.mil/ has re-developed levees and gates and expresses confidence that they will hold.  As one of the forecasters has said, no matter how strong the gates and levees are, and no matter how well the pumps are working, if the storm stalls and drops enormous amounts of rain, the pumps will not be able to keep up.

The amount of effort, energy and money it takes to be prepared for a storm like this is unimaginable.  But if all that saves one life, it is well worth it.  

A Good Investment

I made a stop to The Dollar Tree http://www.dollartree.com/home.jsp today.  One of the things I wanted to look for was small plastic or nerf ball for the cats. Taki in particular loves to play with balls. We have many, already, but the nerf ball is being slowly picked apart. The small plastic balls disappear under furniture, and Taki has not figured out how to get them out from behind doors. (Taki does not know how to open doors, cupboards or drawers, and Sake and Haiku do not seem interested in teaching her.  Hmmm.) I try to remember to check under furniture regularly, and sometimes, she shows me she is trying to find something under a piece of furniture.

I was hoping to find some brightly colored balls, but did not.  But for a dollar, I bought a package of 8 table tennis balls.  I decided to just put them all out.  Taki has been playing intermittently all afternoon and evening with the balls. That is so good for her.  She needs the exercise and stimulation.  I am so pleased.

An Out of Sorts Day

I slept in.  It is the first day of my week long vacation, and I enjoyed sleeping in.  I took my time getting started today.  And, I took my time doing my regular housework.

I want to do some serious cleaning, and there is yard work a plenty.  But my hip hurts and it got hot this afternoon, so I deferred to creature comforts.

Sake has been persistent all day, wanting what?  I did get one of the really thick mats, on her britches, tended to for the most part.  There is another on the other side.

Haiku spent most of the day in the garage. She did not even come into the house at dinner time. It was late when she came into eat. And then, she was fussy about what she wanted. That is not unlike her.

The only cat who is acting like she normally acts is Taki...

So,  I was out of sorts, and so were the cats. 

Can You Believe This?

I am embarrassed by the comments the Lubbock County Judge, Mr. Head made recently. http://lubbockonline.com/filed-online/2012-08-24/head-wont-resign-regrets-comments-cause-negative-publicity-community

Can you believe this?  An elected official in Lubbock County with this kind of paranoid, conspiracy theory thinking and comments.  I am sorry. This is way out of line, way out of hand.  No such thing will happen if President Obama gets elected.  However, Mr. Head is part of the good old boy white politician network in Lubbock. He probably feels very justified at saying what he did, although he later tried to soften it by saying his comments were "taken out of context."  What context makes paranoid conspiracy theory comments correct political commentary? 

I think he needs to be recalled or impeached.  I am not sure which is correct for a county judge.  I am sorry to admit that I used to think Mr. Head was a reasonable man, and did a good job for Lubbock County  I no longer think that way!

Avoidance

Monday night, I told Sake, before I went to the Catholic Charities board meeting, that on Wednesday night, I was going to cut the mats out of her britches.

Tuesday night, I went to a book club meeting. So, I knew there was no way I wanted to tackle the mats.

Last night, I had a baseball game on TV.  Sake disappeared after dinner. And did not reappear until breakfast.

Tonight, I checked her mats while I was feeding, and they are still there.  And, she disappeared after dinner. This is so unusual.  Do you think she really understood what I said?

Doing the Right Thing

Today, at work, I was asked to "rubber stamp" sign some forms to help another program.  I accepted the forms, and said I would start working on them as soon as I finished what I was doing. And, I did.  I reviewed and completed the forms. But, I felt I needed to coordinate with the team members and check out the patients I did not know, in regards to whether or not the referrals requested of me were the right thing.

This took time. Filling out the forms took time, but the interviewing and coordinating took even more time, and I did not get it all done. I could have done the easy thing. I am glad I did the right thing.

A New Book Club

I joined a new book club.  An acquaintance suggested to the founder that I be invited, and I am so glad she did.  We had our second meeting tonight. It is a most congenial group.  We discuss, agree and agree to disagree.

We discussed the book, but it was not a real academic discussion. It was about likes and dislikes, preferences and feelings. All comments are welcome, and disfavor is welcome.

Many of us agreed we are in a book club to encourage us to read something that we may not normally read. We also agreed we are in the group to expand our horizon of acquaintances and friends. 

I expected to be there an hour or an hour and a half.  I was there almost two and a half hours. I did not get antsy until the last 20 minutes or so... (I get antsy in social situations really easily.)  Even then, my desire to engage was in tension with my desire to escape...

It Is Raining!

When I went to a meeting tonight, there were some distant clouds, but nothing well developed locally. When I left the meeting  at about 7:30 PM, there were thick, well developed storm clouds over the north of the city, and fair but cloudy skies to the south. I was hoping for rain.

I checked The Weather Channel http://www.weather.com/ about 8:45 PM and it showed showers over all of Lubbock. It must have been virga, because there was nothing on the ground, at least at my house.

I have been working on the computer, and checking the outside weather.  No rain, until this last check about 10:10 PM, probably 45 minutes after the last check.  The wind is up. I can see the lightning through the north facing window behind the computer.  The thunder is distant and rumbling low.

I am just grateful for the rain.

There are so many things for which I am grateful:  I have caring family. I have a job I like and at which I am fairly proficient.  I realize I like the members of the board of directors of Catholic Charities, Diocese of Lubbock, the meeting I attended tonight.  I am proud to be on the board of the agency, which was the reason I moved to Lubbock in 1977.  I have caring friends. I have caring co-workers. I have the company of wonderful cats. I have developed contacts for  a couple of book clubs. I love to read. I have other hobbies: kayaking, knitting, cross-stitching.

There is so much good in my life.  And rain tops it off!

An Amorphous Sunday

Yesterday was a pretty typical Saturday:  chores, errands, and an evening out.  Today, there was no real plan:  finish laundry. Day to day stuff. Read, knit, watch TV. No special plans.

It was sunny and hot, gray and cool, and sunny and hot. 

Sometimes, an amorphous Sunday feels good. Sometimes, an amorphous Sunday feels out of sorts. Sometimes, an amorphous Sunday feel at loose ends. That what today felt like. Not bad. Not great. Just so.

The Cats and Weather

Sake is laying under the foot of the bed tonight. That is where she lays when she does not like the weather: wind, thunder and lightning, are usually the biggest culprits. She and Haiku have actually gotten into the crates in the closet when the weather has been seriously bad.  I leave the crates available to them.  I do not think Taki knows what to do. Maybe, thought, she would follow their example. She has learned from their example about other things. Including that she does not have to eat, just because some other cat is eating. She has lost a little weight (which she needed to do) because of this. She is still over weight, but she is not eating just to eat.

I hope the storms tonight are not too bad.  But, I am glad my cats can take care of themselves to some extent.

Gasoline

I only used 4.3 gallons of gasoline in my vehicle last week.  Usually, I  use between 5 and 7 gallons, depending upon how much I us the vehicle other than just going to work.  Last Sunday, I ran a bunch of errands. But, this week, I realized that I did not do much except for errands on the way home from work.   Interested.

The coming week will be busier.

The Rain and the Play

Tonight was the last night of the Lubbock Moonlight Musicals http://www.lubbockmoonlightmusicals.org/ summer presentations; the play was "The Sound of Music."  A favorite of mine. It was very well done. The play really does emphasize more of the politics of the time, because of a few additional songs.  The quality of the acting, the sound equipment, the choreography really has improved over the years.  I am glad to be able to attend these plays.

Last month, when I went to see "Fiddler on the Roof" I brought a light jacket, in case it rained.  If it rained harder that then light jacket could help, the play would have been cancelled.

The sky was threatening but I did not go prepared tonight.  The weather forecasts were that the storms would stay to the north.  The general director announced the same, and reported he was in touch with the National Weather Service http://www.srh.noaa.gov/lub/ in Lubbock.   The play had barely begun when the big drops started.  If you know about rain in Lubbock, these big drops usually signify not much of a storm, especially with the cloud cover being broken and not very thick.  But, it rained enough that we had to take a 10 minute break, which probably lasted longer than 10 minutes.  The orchestra pit is in the open, and they got the instruments into shelter very, very quickly.

I ran up to the car and got my poncho and blanket.  I was more prepared to stay than I realized.  Just as the play started to resume, so did the sprinkles.  But it was just that. The director said if they had to they would continue with just the piano, and the orchestra could leave.  The orchestra stayed.

As the play ended, the big drops began again. But stopped before I got to the car.

We desperately need the rain. I hope we get it.  Currently, we are getting a light sprinkle.  According to The Weather Channel http://www.weather.com the rain is a small band but there might be some heavy areas of rain.

Word Games

I love word games.  I love to play Scrabble http://www.scrabble.com/.  I am not a great player, but I still love to play. I am so pleased to be able to play Scrabble with many of my Facebook friends. I usually have several games going at once. I have some other word games I play:  On Facebook, I play Words with Friends https://www.facebook.com/WordsWithFriends.  On my computer, I have  Wordox  http://www.wordox.com/, similar to Scrabble, and Word Yacht http://www.hoylegaming.com/hoyle-games.aspx?gclid=CO6pkJuY8LECFelgTAodikoA_A
which is a Yahtzee style word game.

I love crossword puzzles. When I was a child, an uncle would visit on Sunday night to use our encyclopedias, dictionaries, and atlases to help him to finish the New York Times Sunday Crossword Puzzle.  I grew up thinking that that was what you do: complete it. When I went to college, I found people who worked on Sunday and Monday to complete the New York Times Sunday Crossword.  I thought that was what you were suppose to do. It is the hardest of the New York Time Crossword puzzles. And, I thought you worked until you completed it. I did not know otherwise.

There was a time a coworker accessed the daily puzzle on line, and printed it for us.  I was embarassed that most days I zipped through the puzzle, although, sometimes on Friday, I had to use references.

About the time I went to work at the prison in 1995, I made some friends who also loved words, some who were not employed at the prison and some who were. Some of those friends enjoyed working on double crosstics with me.  They loved working on crossword puzzles with me. I did not know that crossword puzzles, and double crosstics were team sports, until then.  But they can be!  That was so much fun!  I miss it.

A Thunder Storm

I woke before the alarm went off this morning.  I am not sure why. It might have been an encroaching electric storm. I could not go back to sleep, so I got up.  I thought I saw some flashes, and checked the windows: no emergency vehicles near by.  It was lightning.  I did not hear thunder for some time. I decided to take a shower, although I know the risk of being struck by lightning if someone is near plumbing, since it conducts electricity, during an electric storm.  After the shower, the storm moved in closer, and was even over head at one point, judged by the lack of time between the lightning and thunder. The lights blinked three times, once long enought that I had to reset the microwave clock. The other clocks have batter back ups that help when there is a brief outage.

Tonight I checked the rain gauge. There was 3/4 inch in the gauge. That is good. We may get some more tonight or this weekend. That, too is good.

I do not want strong, damaging storms. But the rain is important for us, for the farmers, for the resevoirs. The kind of thunder storm we had today is the kind we want.

Classic Movies

I stumbled upon "Guess Who's Coming to Dinner"  http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0061735/on TV tonight. The movie was made in 1967.  Every time I watch it, I marvel at yet again some aspect or another that I did not notice the umpteenth times I have watched it before.

Tonight, one of my marvels about this movie is how much our world has changed since 1967. It has been 45 years.  Inter-racial marriages no longer cause the stir they used to.  The President of the United States of America is black. Integration is a fact, racism still exists, and sometimes is hatefully subtle and cruel as ever.

My personal world is very vanilla.  Although, I have to admit, I know a lot of gay or lesbians.  That does not bother me.  I do not have much color in my personal life. I would not object to color. I do not reach out much, so people who reach out to me are vanilla. But color would be nice.

I think this is part of what makes a classic movie: it makes us look at ourselves and how the story of the movie impacts us.

Recently, I watched another classic favorite, "Gentlemen Prefer Blondes" http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0045810/.  This movie was filmed in 1953.  There are a lot of stereotypes in the movie, and some fun is poked at stereotypes:  The dumb gold-digging blonde.  Her slightly smarter brunette friend. The dirty old rich man. The assumptions about available rich men. The "jocks." The movie really represented the cultural mores of the era regarding women and money.  When Marilyn Monroe talks about how much easier it is to love a rich man, or for a man to love a beautiful woman, she says something about society that most of do not want to admit:  these things ARE important, although are not always the defining aspect of relationships. 

So this is what makes a movie a classic.  It speaks to a human truth. One we all feel, know or think. 

I am not a big movie fan, but there are some classics that I really enjoy.

Adrenaline

Today was a very busy day at work, with several situations that were time sensitive or situationally intensive.  By mid-afternoon, I felt my heart racing and knew that the adrenaline was pumping.  It did not feel good.  I felt like I had too many balls in the air and was precariously juggling them with every chance of dropping them.  Things calmed down, and I worked hard to do relaxation breathing, and to slow myself down, organize and finish one thing before I started the next.  Just describing this has my heart pounding again. 

Work has become increasingly intensive and I am not sure how to slow things down.  I try to be methodical in my efforts, and prioritize. I combine tasks when possible, streamline to the extent I feel I am being lazy rather than efficient. But I can not get ahead.  I like to work ahead. I am keeping even. I realized, during a staff meeting on Monday that most of my colleagues are not even keeping even.  I mostly feel badly for the patients who are not getting the care they need because of this.

I had a very good job at University Medical Center http://www.umchealthsystem.com/, in Lubbock.  I worked there about three and a half years. For the most part, I was well received, and comported myself well enough to be thought of as a decent employee. 

The position involved being on call.  One weekend, I did not get paged until Sunday night. I had really de-stressed until the pager went off, then my adrenaline level went sky high, and I was "pumped."  I realized I had become an adrenaline junkie, and did not like the feeling. 

(I was always behind in my documentation for this position.  So, I brought it home.  Mack, my faithful canine companion, was alive then.  He would let me work about an hour, and then he became very restless and I would put the work up. He took such good care of me.)

Shortly after the incident described above, a position came open at the Texas Department of Health, now the Texas Department of State Health Services http://www.dshs.state.tx.us/.  It was a case management position. It involved no night, weekend or on call work. I had interfaced with the case managers because of my work at the hospital.  I applied and was hired.

I was thrilled.  It was a very good position.  Then, I moved on to the prison. There was the option of signing up for the emergency situation team, but I explained to my supervisor that I had done 15 years of on call, and I wanted to opt out. So, I did. 

Rarely, at the prison, is the atmosphere charged and I feel that adrenaline rush. There are few, if any "social work emergencies" except the kind that happened today. They were not emergencies. They were demands from state officials who were responding to complaints from patients, and these are considered "high priority" and have to be responded to ASAP.  There is usually no life or death situation in these.  It is just a kowtowing to power and authority. I do not want to belittle the complaints or concerns of the patients, but they are usually not life threatening.

I understand the importance responding to authority:  State officials want their representatives to see them as responsive. If we please state representatives, maybe they will consider budgeting and funding for the agency in a kindly vs. antagonistic manner. There have been times when I have contacted my state representative, and appreciate the "pull" that representative has had to provide me with the assistance I have needed.

Today, though, it gave me an adrenaline rush.  I am not complaining. I think I took care of my patient  as needed.  I think I dealt with it as well as can be.  I just wish I could take care of my patients without having to deal with these types of situations.

And I want to avoid any adrenaline rush that I can avoid.

Games

I have been watching a little bit of the XXX Games of the Olympiad http://www.olympic.org/. And, I just finished reading The Hunger Games.

Eerie parallels.  I think the eeriest for me was when an Olympic athlete was interviewed about his being chosen the flagbearer for the closing ceremonies.  The Hunger Games  included a lot of official publicity duties for the contestants.

Another parrallel: The 1936 Olympics http://www.olympic.org/berlin-1936-summer-olympics when Hitler wanted to use the Olympics as a showcase for his Aryan superiority philosphy.  What I have read about Germany during that time was that Hitler hid all the German policies while the games were in progress. How fragile the meaning of the games can be, if put in the wrong hands.

As with the Olympic games, the Hunger Games had Games Makers that design the look and feel of the games, and help to prepare the athletes. 

Doing some reading about The Hunger Games, it was as I thought.  The name of the country Panem was taken from the Latein "panem et circenses" http://thehungergames.wikia.com/wiki/Panem, literally "bread and circuses." This was the Roman policy of feeding and entertaining the masses to keep them from worrying about the real problems of the day. While that was not the purpose of The Hunger Games, they did serve to distract people from their everyday woes. And they did serve to keep the districts at odds with each other, so they could not unite and revolt against the central government.

I think it is so important to keep things in perspective, and to be knowledgeable about what is happening poitically around the world.

Little Scissors

I have a very small penknife that has a very small pair of scissors on it.  I use those scissors for trimming mats on Sake.  She did not like it at first, but over time, I know she has discovered that it can feel good to get some of those mats cut off of her, and sometimes does not object to my using the scissors.

Yesterday, I noticed a mat in the pit of her front leg. It was very hard. Today, I was looking for the little penknife, but I could not find it.  I looked very hard for it. It was not there.  So, as I was running errands today, I bought another one.

This afternoon, Sake was on the counter, and I felt for the mat. It was still there. She let me get the penknife and cut the mat off, without trying to escape.  It must have been bothering her. I am glad I replaced the penknife. And, if the other one shows up, I do not mind having an extra.

This Was Meant to Be

I decided to run some errands today.  Although Saturday is my usual shopping day, and I did go shopping yesterday, there were some things I wanted.  In the parking lot, I was approached by a woman who was asking for a handout. I do not usually give money, but asked her if she could use something to eat.  She said sandwich meat and bread, so I bought some for her, along with a bottle of mustard, and lettuce.

When I left the store, she was no where around. I even wandered around my car for a bit, looking for her.  I did not see her, nor hear her hail me. Nothing. 

Oh well, I do not usually eat white bread sandwiches, but I bought the food thinking this might happen, and it would not go to waste.

I had a book to drop off at the library.  Many Sundays, I go to the main branch, as the branch near me is not open.  But I have 4 other books to read, and did not need to go to the library to get a book, so I used the drop box at the branch near me.

He was sitting on the sidewalk, with his stroller full of stuff.  I had seen him hanging around the main library, when the homeless hung out their regularly.  They have been more or less chased away, now.  He was just sitting there, minding his own business.  He said nothing to me.  I started to return to the car, then went back to ask him if he could use some sandwich fixings.  He was a little hesitant, but said "I guess so."  I got the bread, meat and mustard for him.  The meat will not last long in this heat, but the lettuce would go away very fast.  I hope he can use the food. When I drove away he was staring in the bag, opening and closing it, I think, in surprise. Coincidence? I do not think so. I did not know it at the time, but I did not buy that food for the woman in the parking lot. I bought it for that man.

Road Art

Why are we erecting pointy metal objects as art on the side of the roads in Lubbock http://lubbockonline.com/local-news/2012-07-28/next-art-llano-outdoor-sculpture-be-installed-thursday  This makes no sense, especially because so much research and design has gone into making safer barriers, and poles and posts for signs, utilities, etc. that border the roads. This is the kind of thing Lubbock spends its money on, and later realizes it was not such a good idea.

Toilet Papering Trees

I do not get this. I guess when I was growing up, this was not an activity to which I was exposed.  But it is popular in Lubbock:  toilet papering trees.  It is rather disgusting to see the strands of toilet paper hanging from tree branches.  And unless the tree owner has a good tall ladder, it would be difficult to take down all the strips of tissue.  And even if the tree owner had a good tall ladder, it would take a lot of work to take down the strips of tissue. So, usually, the strips of toilet tissue are left to the ravages of wind, and less likely, rain.

A tree at the end of my street was "tp-ed", as we say, earlier this week.  I do not know why. I do not fault the residents.  I just wonder why.  And, I think of how disgusting it looks, every time I drive by.

I understand this can occur for any number of reasons, to name a few:  a politician who displeased someone.  A teacher or coach who upset a student.  An ex-date, an ex-romantic involvement, a rival sports figure, coach or athlete. A poker player who won, when someone else lost. A rival in a romantic triangle.  The list goes on.

On the other hand, given all the ways to express your displeasure at someone, toilet papering a tree is minimal in distress and damage.

Balsamic Vinegar

Some years ago, I tried a recipe that included using balsamic vinegar.  I shared this recipe with a friend.  That night, I had some very weird dreams.   Well, I did not think much about it.  The recipe produced a fair amount of food, and I ate a second helping the next day.  Weird dreams again.   I decided it was the balsamic vinegar.  I do not throw food away, if I can help it.  I threw that food away, and did not have weird dreams a third night.

I was eating out with friends tonight, and we were discussing menu options that included vegetables seasoned with balsamic vinegar.  I mentioned that balsamic vinegar gave me weird dreams.  The commentary on that was that I read mysteries, and work in a men's psychiatric prison, and balsamic vinegar gives me weird dreams. Go figure. 

Getting it Done

I do not like to wait to the last minute to get something done, although sometimes that happens.  I appreciate having deadlines, because that gives me a time frame in which I can work towards accomplishing something.  But I like to work ahead. I like time to do a task, being able to be planful and thoughtful, and if this is a routine task, to establish a routine.

Some people like deadlines and waiting until the last minute to accomplish something. While that gives me butterflies and queasiness, some people like the adrenaline rush it gives them. Not for me.

I am thankful for people who perform well "under the gun" so to speak.  I usually do not. When you work on a team, it is good to have people who plan and work ahead, and also people who work well "under the gun."

Sports

I have spent some time watching the Summer Olympics http://www.london2012.com/. Last night, I was able to watch the New York Yankees http://newyork.yankees.mlb.com/index.jsp?c_id=nyy play against the Detroit Tigers http://detroit.tigers.mlb.com/index.jsp?c_id=det, and lose. After that game was finished, I switched to the Boston Red Sox http://boston.redsox.mlb.com/index.jsp?c_id=bos&tcid=mm_det_sitelist play and win against the Texas Rangers http://texas.rangers.mlb.com/index.jsp?c_id=tex&tcid=mm_bos_sitelist, in Boston.

Tonight, the Texas  Rangers at Fenway game is again televised in Lubbock.  I am enjoying the game, although the Rangers are winning.  I have to compliment the Rangers announcers http://texas.rangers.mlb.com/team/broadcasters.jsp?c_id=tex.  Whenever I watch the Rangers, which is usually when they play the Red Sox or the Yankees, they are always fair, complimentary, and positive about the opposing team.  It makes watching these games very enjoyable for me.  The quality of the announcers is so good. They are definitely home team announcers, but so PROFESSIONAL.

Sometimes, when I watch a national broadcast of baseball, the announcers are so negatively biased against a team, it makes the experience almost unpleasant.  Well, really, unpleasant, except I get to watch a team I care about. 

Go Red Sox!

Invictus - I Should Have Known

I should have known.  I was very interested in the movie Invictus, http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1057500/, the story of Nelson Mandela and his support of the South African Rugby team, in an effort to unite the country.  It is a great story, and I love the poem, Invictus http://www.poemhunter.com/poem/invictus/.  I even use it as a therapy tool with my patients at work.

I should have known, that the movie was based on a book, John Carlin Playing the Enemy: Nelson Mandela and the Game that Made a Nation.  Well of course it was.  So that book is now on my "to read list."  I was not surprised that the Lubbock library did not have a copy, but I will order a copy through inter-library loan.  And, if I think it is worthwhile, I will order a copy for myself.

Texas Tech Museum Today

I went to the Texas Tech Museum this afternoon.  There was a lecture by Eddie Dixon, sculptor from Lubbock http://www.celebratingtexas.com/tr/lsl/110.pdf.  He specializes in sculpting Afro-Americans, but has done plenty of other sculptures.  The lecture was poorly advertised, and there were mostly staff and Museum board members present.  I may have been the only real "guest."  Everyone else seemed to know each other.

Mr. Dixon was invited because of his sculpture of a Civil War Hero, 1st African American Congressional Medal of Honor winner William Carney, who served in the 54th Massachusetts Regiment during the Civil War http://www.historynet.com/william-h-carney-54th-massachusetts-soldier-and-first-black-us-medal-of-honor-recipient.htm. This was in conjunction with the temporary exhibit at the museum: Civil War Era Drawings from the Becker Collection,
http://www.depts.ttu.edu/museumttu/exhsch11.html#jun12. I found the drawings interesting. 

It was a good afternoon activity, and the museum is air conditioned and free.

Cat Stories

I was late getting home tonight.  Not too late, about 45 minutes.  But the cats knew.  Haiku and Taki were waiting at the garage door when I entered the house from the garage.  I suspect they hear the garage door, so know to be waiting.  I brought some items into the house with me, including refrigeratables, so took care of that first.  Then I went through the bedroom, to the computer room.  Haiku and Taki were waiting at their feeding station in the bedroom, but both dashed into the computer room behind me.  Then, returned to the bedroom. So, I fed them quickly, then took care of the other cat chores, including feeding Sake.

Sake is not as anxious to be fed. She frequently checks out the food, then retires from the kitchen, only to return 10 or 20 minutes later to eat.  

I have a walk in shower in one of the bathrooms of my house. I keep a bowl of water on the floor of the shower, for the cats.  Three times tonight, when I went into that bathroom, Taki was sitting in the shower.  I have no idea what that is about.  I know she likes to bat the water bowl, moving it around.  Is she trying to get cool on the tiles?  Does she like being in a "cave?" (This brings to mind a question, how do cats cool themselves.  I know that dogs pant, and exchange heat from their ears and the pads of their feet. Hmmm http://www.dwmtech.com/CATS/coolcats.htm or http://www.thecatsite.com/a/keeping-cats-cool.)

Internet Anonymity

Yesterday, on the radio, I heard a piece on Internet anonymity. Specifically, Twitter anonymity, as people can use aliases.  The piece included the fact that people are more likely to be aggressive, contentious, or rude when they have the protection of anonymity.  I thought it was an interesting piece, because it hearkens back to when email and instant messaging first became possible. We were encouraged, in the early days of home computer usage, to sign on with an alias, to protect our privacy (little did we know.)  Back then, people started firing quick and unthought out responses to emails and instant messages, which would later come back to bite them.  This occurred in business as well as personal correspondence.

Now that we are on email, instant messaging and sights like Facebook, LinkedIn, or whatever social networking site out there, in full open identity, some of us are more careful about what we reveal about ourselves, and what we say.   Maybe because it is not novel, but more, I suspect because our identity is attached, we do not hear about emails dashed off in haste that come back to haunt the writer.  Although, many people are still caught being inappropriate in their email, social networking and chat sites. It seems, though, Twitter still allows that anonymity, so it happens more on Twitter.

I guess I try to use the adage, if I would not say it to your face, I will not put it on the Internet.