Pre-Game Reality

I do not always listen to the Texas Tech football pre-game show.  I had especially stopped because the Tech announcers sometimes talk as if it is a foregone conclusion that the Tech team will win.  I was pleasantly surprised that their language included "we have to do this or else we will lose;" "let's hope this or that happens or doesn't happen;" "we were 3 and 0 last year at this time, and we know what happened last season;" "let's hope we don't see injuries like we had last year."

This is better. It is more realistic. There are times when the Tech announcers, in my opinion, spout so much braggadocios rhetoric it is sickening. It is okay to root for the home time.  It is okay to be supportive and encouraging and hopeful.  But to deny the facts and actually broadcast as if you assume the team is going to win is very bad journalism (if you can call radio sportscasting "journalism.")

Texas Tech football has taken a downturn since Mike Leach was dismissed as coach, and Tommy Tuberville was brought in.  There is less fan energy, and less overwhelming interest and local media coverage.  We road a big wave when Mike Leach was coach.  Having a winning season was not a certainty, but it sure felt like it was.  Now, we are back to reality.

Spoiled Cats

My cats are spoiled, no doubt.  When Sake was off her feed earlier this year, I started cooking chicken liver for her, and she has shown more interest in eating.

I started with buying one tub (which is about a pound of liver), but that did not last long. So then, I bought two and cooked them at the same time.  Sake got so, near the end of the batch, that she was less interested in it.  So now, I am cooking one tub at a time, and she seems to stay interested in it. It is not that much more work, really.

Sake is smart.  If I call "dinner," she does not always come out to eat.  If I call "liver" she makes a beeline for the kitchen and her food dish.

Changing Schedules

I usually do not let Haiku into the garage when I know I want to go somewhere, because Haiku gets on the top shelves and will not come down on command.  I sometimes can reach her, but my house step stool is so short, I can not reach to the back part of the shelf.  And, this is where she sits when she does not want me to get her down.

This morning it was raining, so I decided "what the heck," I could run errands later in the day, maybe the rain would stop.  So, Haiku and Sake both spent some time in the garage this morning, much to their delight.

Thus it was afternoon before Haiku came down and I could then get out of the garage with the Vue safely.  I could have done chores around the house while I was waiting, but I decided to read instead.  After I ran chores, I decided to finish the book I was reading.  When I get close to the end of a mystery, I get really eager to finish the story.

So, I did housework late in the day.  I do not like doing house work late in the day, but so be it, I did.  It does not hurt me to do house work late in the day, it is just a mental thing: I like to get my chores done early so I can relax the rest of the day. 

But really, what part of the day I relax, and what part of the day does not really matter, except to my psychological state: I like not having chores loom. And, sometimes, because I am really, really in a hurry to get the chores done late in the day, I do not always do a good job.  I did a good job today.  I do not regularly do "deep cleaning," but what I did was good. Part of that was I was listening to the Texas Tech pre-game show, and that held my interest, so I did not feel I needed to rush to get to something else.  Hmmm. 

Running Appliances

I used to be rather cavalier about starting appliances and then leaving the house.  Some months ago, a friend mentioned she has become more cautious about doing that, especially because her appliances are getting older.  I thought that was a very wise statement.

I am even more cautious now, given my recent history of problems with moving parts. It is time to be cautious, and let the appliances complete their cycle before I leave the house.  I can plan to run the appliances when I know I do not need to go anywhere.

Drying Electronics

Although I am adventurous about working on some computer things, there are a lot of electronic things about which I have no knowledge.

Recently, I was talking to someone who I know is very electronically and computer savvy.  She told me if I had a wet electronic device, such as a cell phone, I did not need a commercial drying product.  This person, who I trust explicitly regarding electronic devices, said to put the wet electronic device into an airtight (that is the key) container with rice, and let it sit some several hours (24 or more.)

Hmmm.  I grew up in a part of the world where the ambient environment was sometimes very humid.  My mother put rice in the salt shaker to keep the salt from clumping when it was humid.

This is an old solution to a new problem. 

Isn't that interesting.  As I age, I realize that there are a lot of tried and true solutions that take care of problems. 

The more things change, the more they stay the same?

Posting on Facebook

I do not usually post my stuff on Facebook.  But the car predicament was such a public incident, I did not see any reason NOT to post it.  I am not as embarassed as I was, and I am thrilled at the support and caring of my co-workers, family and friends.

Of course, the fact that my car and I seem to be none the worse for the wear makes it a lot easier to deal with.

The Plumber Came Early

As promised, the plumber came early today. He got on the roof, and cleared out the drain from the washing machine that connects to the main sewer line. I am so glad it is fixed.  I should have realized that might be a problem, when I was having other drain problems, but I did not. Oh well

Epilogue

At work today, there were very many people who checked with me about my well being, and how my car was doing.  I am so grateful that I work with such wonderful people. 

I know that part of the reason is that we are sometimes in very dangerous, or difficult situations. When people share these types of situations, especially repeatedly, they tend to form a bond.  We are not best friends. But we care about each other, and want to protect and help each other.

I was listening to something recently that discussed the psychological impact, on soldiers, of dealing with very dangerous or difficult situations, having no down time, going back to work as usual, and being faced with the possibility or reality of another dangerous or difficult situation. This is a recipe for post traumatic stress disorder.  It is also a recipe for people developing strong bonds with their group. I recognized this as what we have at work.  We do not have to be best friends. But when the chips are down, we are there for each other.

I see that in so many ways: we often have fund raisers to help people who are down on their luck.  My situation is not dissimilar to others who have had problems and need help. The players may vary, but we really are all in it together.  We  recognize and congratulate and celebrate.

This is a great feeling.

A Precarious Beginning

I did not sleep well the night of September 24, 2012.  I awoke several times starting about 2:30 AM September 25, 2012.  I moved from bed to sofa to bed.  I was up and reading before the alarm rang. I was still tired and went to bed for a while. Then, I got up and got ready for work, as usual, including the cat feeding ritual.

I thought I made the rounds in the house, securing doors and windows. Part way to work, I decided I did not check the back bedroom windows. I did not remember opening them the night before, but I decided to return home to double check: All was locked tight.

We are having a big accreditation survey at work next week.  Everything has to be clean and in "tip top" shape.  High priority is placed on cosmetics, and first impressions, so the parking lots needed to be cleaned. We have two parking lots:  The larger, west parking lot is close to the building entrance, where there are many reserved spots, and handicapped parking, but extends far to the west of the building entrance.  I park in the east parking lot, which is much smaller, and further from the building entrance.

The west parking lot was closed as of 4 AM 9-25-12 for cleaning, and later, striping.  Because of this, when I arrived, a little late for work on 9-25-12, parking was chaos.  I thought I found a spot, near a small ditch just north of the parking lot, but in the grass. I pulled in.  But decided I was not off the tarmac, and rolled in a little more. Thunk. Major Thunk. I could not move forward or back.  I got out, and saw that I had landed on the cement collar above a culvert used to drain the ditch.  The car canted down, and the left rear was off the ground.

I scrambled out the driver's door, to see the problem, then in then out, a couple of times.  I finally used the passenger side to get my cell phone, so I could make some calls for help, and let my co-workers know I would be late for treatment team.

A co-worker was sure we could lift the car and push it back, and rallied some others to help.  I was worried about the car rolling forward, and hurting people, and they were pushing but not lifting, so that was useless.

Other folks gathered. The correctional officers offered to get some chains and see if they could drag me out. I talked about it. More co-workers gathered, including my supervisor and several other social workers.  The more we talked about solutions, the more I decided I needed professional assistance.

I called a nearby wrecking service.  Their price was outrageous, but after talking to the correctional staff who had ideas about hauling the car out, I decided to spend the money, and have the extraction done safely and correctly. I did not want anyone hurt while helping me, and I did not want my vehicle harmed any more than it was.

The wrecker service told me they would send someone shortly, but there was a mileage charge because I was outside the loop.  They are located outside the loop, and the prison is located less then 2 miles from their yard.  I argued, but the dispatcher said "this is the way it is."  I needed their help.

One of the security officers took pictures on his phone.  I asked him to send them to me, and he did!  Thank you!

The car looks precariously perched, but really it was solidly stuck on the collar of the culvert.
The wrecker service sent a truck out shortly, and the technician was great!  He was very supportive and soothing to me. He scoped out the situation, looked at the options, and extricated the car from its predicament.  The Vue was resting on its frame on the culvert's concrete collar. When he moved it, there was no oil or other liquid visible, so I think nothing was broken. After the wrecker driver extricated the car from its precarious perch, he moved it to a safe place. He said he did not see scratches or damage under the car when he placed the chains.  He did not charge me mileage. 

One of the security officers asked me to drive the around in the vacated parking lot, to be sure it drove safely. The wrecker driver thought it was okay. My director rode with me and we both thought it was okay.  When I drove home and sometimes hit high speeds, it was okay. 

My boss stopped on her way in to work, and agreed to adjust my time to give me credit for being at work. Several colleagues stopped and offered support and commiseration. The social workers who stopped asked if there was anything they could do to help me, work wise. Many security officers stopped and wanted to help, but realized they probably could not.  The warden came out and apologized that the area was not marked.

Later in the day, a co-worker told me she recently hit a roadside mailbox, with no immediate problems, but some leakages appeared a couple of weeks later, so that is good to know. I will watch for later damage.

Throughout the day, co-workers check on me and asked about my car.  This is not the first time I have had a personal emergency at the prison.  And the same concern and support has been there, each time. I am reminded, over and over again, how close a community we are: people look out for and take of people because we are "all in this together." 

I went through a wide variety of emotions the day this happened: Fear, embarrassment, despair, relief, uncertainty, manic joy, contentment, relief.  

I am very blessed:  I am safe and uninjured. My vehicle seems to be okay.  I do have the economic resources to pay for professional services, although I would rather not. I have wonderful support from co-workers and friends. 

God loves me and reminds me that no matter how serious or dire the situation, he has provided me with the wherewithal to deal with it.  I am blessed.

Yeah! Shantel

I want to congratulate my colleague, Shantel, https://www.facebook.com/#!/shantel.gaydon who sends out wonderfully uplifting and encouraging comments on Facebook. She is an amazing women: She has so much energy to take care of her family, and has very active children. She is a great social worker, although she works in marketing. She does marketing from a social worker's perspective. She is so vibrant, so alive. And, Shantel is so open about her Christian faith. 

We need people like this in our lives who teach us it is great to be happy about life, who teach us it is wonderful to love God and ourselves, and who give us a reason to look forward everyday.

Thank you, Shantel.

New Post

Something happened to my connection to the blog last night.  It had a strange message for me, about signing in from another sight. I could get to the blog, but I could not actually post a blog.  That was frustrating for me.  I closed out and even rebooted the computer a couple of times, but no go.

Well, tonight, all seems to be well.

Hmmm.  The vagaries of the cyberworld.

The Laundromat

There is a 24 hour laundromat in my neighborhood, less than a half mile away.  I have used it before, when I have washing machine woes, and sometimes, to access their over sized washing machines.  I went this morning with a load of laundry, due to the drain problems I am having.

This is a fairly clean laundromat, although it is not really new, it is updated.  It was not busy.  People wait for their laundry in various ways: staring at the machines, talking to someone they know or strangers, listening to music, reading, doing word puzzles, eating.  I suppose the regulars get to know the attendant, and visit with that person.  I did not see an attendant today, and I am not sure there is always an attendant at this laundromat.  I am glad it is there, and that is so accessible and convenient.

Today's trip was painless.  I had to find some quarters. I loaded up, got to the laundromat, loaded the clothes, and worked the puzzles in the Sunday newspaper. The washing machine cycle was 25 minutes.  I really did not pay attention to time. I completed the Sunday puzzles, and the cycle was done, and probably had been for quite a while. 

The dryer is working, so I brought the clothes home to dry.

Plumbing Woes

Last weekend, the commode was leaking. I shut the water off, used the other bathroom, and was able to have a plumber come out. They found roots in the sewer line, and cleaned it out. I was really glad that I did not have other back ups. In the past, I had sewage back up in the shower!  And the bath tub, but I rarely use the bath tub.

Also, in the past, I was alerted to drainage problems because when the washing machine drained, it over-flowed onto the floor in the kitchen. 

Well, today, when I did laundry, the washing machine over-flowed when it drained.  Into the kitchen, and into the garage. 

As I was cleaning up the mess, I was going to put some wet stuff into the bath tub.  I discovered that there had been a drain back up, dried now, in the tub.

I plann to go to a laundromat tomorrow to do my washing, but the dryer is available.  I will call the plumber and get them back out here to root out the drain for the washing machine.  I understand how this works.  And it is not the plumbers' fault they did not discover this.  But it is an inconvenience and a hassle.

A Bye Week

This is football season. I enjoy following the Texas Tech football http://www.texastech.com/sports/m-footbl/text-m-footbl-body.html, although the aura and mystique is less interesting with Coach Tuberville than it was with Coach Leach.

When there is a home game, there is a buzz of excitement in Lubbock. The hotels are full.  There is a lot of traffic. There are a lot of visitors in the city.  When there is an away game, people have football parties, go to sports bars, and in general celebrate watching the game.

This is a bye week. It is kind of a let down. Nothing going on with Texas Tech football.  It felt like I was at loose ends because there was no football game.  That is weird.  I am not that invested in Texas Tech football.  Hmmm.

Multi-tasking

We all have heard about multi-tasking.  That is when you are trying to do more than one thing at a time.  Seriously dangerous multi-tasking occurs when people drive and talk, drive and eat, drive and change clothes, drive and apply make up, and one I was guilty of years ago, drive and read.  Yes, I really did that!  When I commuted to Chicopee from Millers Falls while I was in school at the College of Our Lady of the Elms, I frequently read while was on I-91.  Especially in the afternoon, driving home.  Driving to Chicopee, in the early morning, it was not very light most days.  But driving home, the interstate was not busy and I did read while I was driving.

I still do that some, when I am reading directions to get somewhere.  I sometimes talk on the cell phone.  If you have a hands free device, that is not much different than talking to someone in the vehicle.  I am so used to driving alone, that when I have someone in the vehicle, I miss turns because I am so busy talking. So, even passengers can be distractions.

One of the things I like about using a computer is the opportunity to multi-task.  When I am on the computer, at work or at home, I often have multiple applications running, and I switch from application to application. Most of the time, knowing my computer's limitations, I can manage this without overloading the computer. But sometimes, my multi-tasking efforts messes me up: I have too much running, and I make the computer freeze.  But the benefits of being able to multi-task outweighs the occasional freeze up.

The Front Gate

Today, I was talking with a co-worker about the pros and cons of working at the prison. As I left work, I was reminded of an incident, years ago.

It was quitting time, and I was leaving the prison unit, as was another social worker.  When we got to the front gate, a security captain was talking to a family member of one our patients.  The family member was very distraught, and wanted immediate access to information about the patient within.  The security captain firmly and calmly repeated to this family member that they could call the unit the next day, between 8 AM and 5 PM and ask to speak to a social worker to obtain the information the family member desired

The security captain never acknowledged that we were social workers leaving the unit.  I flashed back to when I worked at the county hospital.. If I had been in the vicinity of this situation at the county hospital, whether or not it was a patient about whom I had any information, I would have been dragged into the situation. .

One of the best lessons I have learned while working at the Montford TDCJ Unit http://www.tdcj.state.tx.us/unit_directory/jm.html is the lesson of boundaries.

My Brother the Blogger

My brother has entered into the cyber world by fits and starts. I will not describe his journey, because he has described it for us in his first blog entry: http://cnapikoski.blog.co.uk/. He sent out a cryptic email today about having started a blog and could we find it.  I could not. I knew it was out there but I spent 20 minutes on other blog entries that superceded his.  We had a nice conversation tonight, not only about his blog location, but how our lives are progressing.

I am proud that my brother has entered the cyber world of blogging.  Go get 'em Chet!

LOST!

Oh my gosh! Can you imagine losing your checkbook and your checkbook register! Well, today, I thought  I did both.  I was going to the grocery store after work, and opened my bag (I do not have a purse. I use a fanny pack, because I like the flexibility of the strap options: on my shoulder; around my waist; clamped to a grocery cart.) and neither my checkbook or register were in the bag.  I knew darn well that I had had both the night before, because I had written a check to pay for a club membership.

Well, I went to the grocery store, and then went home.  I had to make several "circles" in the house until I figured out where I had left my checkbook and register the night before.  It was a stupid mistake, and no harm done, praise the Lord.

Writer's Block

Most of the time, my writer's block is due to a lack of subject. However, sometimes, it is due to other things. Sometimes, I have topics, but have a difficult time organizing my thoughts about those topics. More frequently, I have topics, but I am so very dog tired that I cannot organize my thoughts on those topics to write something.  So, sometimes, I store those topics and hope for a time when I can calm my brain, organize my thoughts, and make sense of what I want to say. Most frequently but not always, that time occurs on the weekends.

I am grateful that I have weekends to help me with my blogging.

Freedom and Empowerment

I work in a men's psychiatric prison.  There are many constraints to working in the prison. For many years, one constraint has been the locked restrooms.  Each ward has restrooms, and outside of each office suite there are restrooms.  These are all locked, and the keys to the restrooms were available from correctional officers on each ward, the nurses on each ward, and one set of keys for each office suite.

Can you imagine how difficult it might be to deal with having to find a key for a restroom when you are in urgent need of using the restroom?  And, sometimes, if you went to the ward, the officers made rude comments about your bathroom activities. 

Over the years, we have devised multiple strategies to have the office suite key available for staff: One staff member checks out the key, but shares it with others. One staff member checks out the key, and locks it in a cabinet that other staff have access to. These solutions have their upsides, but mostly their downsides.

Most recently, a staff member requested a bathroom key, and was denied. He was denied because the prison really tries to limit keys. But the key controller suggested that the bathroom key core be changed, so it is accessible by the key that provides access to the office suite area.

That was implemented Monday afternoon, late.  Wednesday, several of us in the administrative area, physicians, security staff, and clerical staff, as well as myself, remarked at how empowered and freed we feel because we basically have unlimited access to the restroom.

This is a small thing. But this is a reminder about how important the respect of human dignity is in  the grand scheme of things.

I find myself saying daily "YES" I have power: I have a bathroom key!

Emoticons

I heard on NPR on September 19, 2012, that it was the 30th birthday of the emoticon http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Emoticon.  Emoticons are keystroke symbols that came into use to express emotions consistent with the intent of the cybermessage being sent.

Since the advent of emoticons, things have become more elaborate, and there all kinds of cybersymbols that can be used to express feelings or ideas, even.  Some of these are available through symbol fonts, some are available as part of font functions, some can be attached based on a program that supports the symbols.

I rarely use these. I do not usually text, and emoticons are popular for texters. I sometimes chat, but rarely. I do not like the abbreviated spelling of texting and chatting, and I do not like the emoticons.  I think we should spell out what we want to say.

But, I am reminded that the English language is constantly changing.  The old English of Beowulf is not the English of the 21st century. And the English of the United Kingdom is not the English of Canada, or the United States, or Australia, or  New Zealand. We need to be flexible about the English language. And respect the expressions of those who use various symbols of expression.

Baseball

I am watching the Triple A National Championship Baseball Game between the Pacific Coast League and the International League.  The Pawtucket Red Sox are playing against the Reno Aces. 

This has been a great baseball experience.  It has the feel of baseball on the radio: low key, laid back, but good ball.  

The game is being played in at the Bull Durham Athletic Park http://www.stadiumjourney.com/stadiums/durham-bulls-athletic-park-s193/ in Durham, NC .  The telecast has talked about the history of minor league baseball, the story of the movie Bull Durham which was filled in the old Bull Durham Stadium http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Durham_Athletic_Park in Durham, NC.

I love baseball history.  There are so many good stories. So many wonderful players. So much history that goes with baseball. So many great characters.

I love baseball. I probably should not be such a baseball snob, and watch whatever games are available to me in Lubbock. 

Changes and Perspectives

We are going through some major changes at work.  Today, one of my co-workers put it in perspective.  We can hope that these changes will make for some good things to occur.  Some of our staff have attitudes that their job is to do less work, and as little as possible.  Many of us see our roles as doing all we can for our patients and to support and help each other.  The co-worker said we can hope that in the recruitment process, a search for the "do more" attitude will prevail. 

I think it will.  I am excited about what may be.

My Catholicism and Blessings

I was born and raised Catholic, and practiced Catholicism until after I married Lisenby.  He was willing to go through whatever we needed to , so I could get married in the Catholic church, but only in name.  I would not suborn perjury.  I continued to be active in the church for a year or two after we were married, but was so alienated because of not being able to receive the sacraments, I finally gave up.

I have not returned to the church, although, from time to time, I think I want to.  In 2011, I was accepted on the board of Catholic Family Service, Inc. (now Catholic Charities, Diocese of Lubbock http://www.cclubbock.org/) although I am not a practicing Catholic.  I know Bishop Rodriquez had to approve.  And, I know that a former board member, Joe Hart, now deceased, gave an impassioned endorsement of my participation at some time in the past.  

Over the years, I have become so much more spiritual that I was when I was a practicing Catholic.  I understand my ephemeral nature, the power of God, and that he leads me daily to perform on his behalf in my chosen profession.  These are blessings beyond what I can measure.

I can not return to the Roman Catholic Church, because to do so would mean that I would have to lie about so many things.  I do not want to engage in duplicities to be in the Church. I wish I could reconcile my thoughts and beliefs with the Roman Catholic Church, but I can not.  The sad part is that I know the Church, an organization of man, is not as pure and pristine as it should be.

Having said all that, I can express my faith and perform my missions  of spirituality through my work as a board member of Catholic Charities, Diocese of Lubbock. For this, I am thankful.

Passion

I used to be passionate about things in my life.  Certainly, when my relationships started with my ex-husbands.  But other interests, too:  NASCAR racing; birdwatching; my dog Mack; even my job as a correctional social worker; Lady Raider basketball; rhyme and meter poetry.

I still have lots of interests: brass bands; reading; knitting; Lady Raider basketball; Yankee baseball; Red Sox baseball; Texas Tech football; NASCAR; birdwatching; kayaking.

But I do not seem to have passions anymore. I am not sure why. Nothing stirs me for more than a few minutes.  Many things stir me: patriotic music; sports; books; work; my cats.  But the passion is gone.  Is there something wrong with me? 

Schedule

I am nothing if not a creature of habit.  Oh, I can be flexible, but I do better when I keep to a schedule, or a schedule of sorts.

But, sometimes, on the weekends, I get way off schedule.  Although I was up reasonably early, today, for example, I had a very late breakfast.

Which puts me at having a late afternoon snack for lunch.  That is okay. Just different.

And, I have not done some of my usual Sunday things.  That is okay, too.  Just different. 

Sometimes change is good for us.

Grey and Cool

It is the middle of September.  We have had another hot summer, although not as hot a dry as last year.  Recently, we have had some grey weather, with rain and cooler temperatures. This has been a blessing. The cooler weather is good, and it makes it possible to open the windows and air out the house.

I am enjoying the cool day. 

Industrious

I was able to accomplish quite a bit at work today.  I am still behind, because of being on vacation, having a holiday last week, and spending a day and a half at training. So, I am still feeling a little overwhelmed.  But, I was industrious today, and was able to complete several tasks, field some unexpected situations and complete those tasks, and attend a 2 hour staff meeting.  I worked later than I had planned, and realized how tired I was when I left work.

I also realized I had some time sensitive chores which I wanted to complete tonight, at home. I have been able to tend to those matters, with some time to spare before I go to bed.  I am tired, and still have some daily routine things to tend to, but nothing difficult, and mostly all relaxing.

I always feel better when I think I have accomplished something!

Refreshing

We are experiencing a brief cold front: it blew in Friday night but Monday is supposed to hot again.  But yesterday, last night, today and tonight have been pleasant, refreshing. I stayed in last night, and listened to the Tech game, and was pretty tired afterward.  Tonight, I went kayaking, and feel so refreshed, I believe I will sit out, after a while, for  a while.

It has been nice not to need the air conditioner and to have the windows open, so we can have some fresh air inside.

Fortuitous

One of my most favorite musicals is The Sound of Music http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0059742/.
This morning, I stumbled onto the intermission, and finished watching the rest of the movie. (I have seen it so many times, I could pick up the story without effort.) I did not realize it was starting anew immediately upon completion.  I decided to watch it again. Well, at least part of it: it will work out well. The Yankee http://newyork.yankees.mlb.com/index.jsp?c_id=nyy&tcid=mm_mlb_sitelist games comes on part way through the movie.  I will have seen most of it, but just out of order.  Still, that is fortuitous.

Sunday Morning

Several years ago, I was visiting my brother, who explained that he generally keeps Sunday as a day of rest and relaxation.  I was at a point in my life when I was go-getting every day of the week.  I thought about that, and over the years, I have taken more and more time on Sunday mornings to relax, meditate, and take time for myself.  That has become such a blessing to me. 

This Sunday morning, I am especially enjoying the time for relaxation and introspection. I am blessed to have this luxury in my life.

Viktor Frankl

I receive a daily devotional.  While it is Christian-based, it does not always coincide with my particular perspective on my spirituality, and it sometimes is a little too conservative and fanatical for my taste. However, part of the reason for receiving it includes to force me to search my soul and expand my boundaries. I am selective of the issues I read, and even more selective of the message I incorporate or adopt for myself.  I have searched for other devotionals, but so far, have not found one suited for what I want.

Recently, the devotional I do receive has consisted of a series of quotes from Viktor Frankl http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Viktor_Frankl.  I remember, years ago, reading his book:  Man's Search for Meaning.  (It has been a long time, however.)  When I started working at the prison, I was reminded about that book, and the meaning it's message can have for the patients. I really need to read that book again.

Recently, I have worked with a large number patients who have very long sentences, and are stressing over this.  Additionally, uniquely, they have been, if not well educated, at least intelligent enough to conceptualize and think abstractly and existentially.  I have referred several to Man's Search for Meaning.  Recently, I spoke to a patient who had recently read the book. While he acknowledged he "got it," he also indicated he could not really generalize it to his situation. I understand this. That is why just reading a book is not the answer for patients. They need the perspective and reflection that a counselor can provide, along with exploring the meaning of the book.  Unfortunately, due to budget constraints, counseling availability where I work is minimal.

However, something is better than nothing, and I am reminded of how important Frankl's work truly is.

Cutting My Own Hair

Some years ago, I started meeting women who told me they cut their own hair.  I could not imagine it.  I wore a plain blunt cut, and thought if I ever cut my hair it would be so crooked it would be awful.

Some few years ago, my hair started getting wavy.  I changed my straight blunt cut to something with layers and waves. A few weeks ago, I the haircut I paid for was not quite to my satisfaction.  Over the course of a few evenings, I trimmed away at the hair I did not want,  and produced a cute cut for myself. 

This weekend, I cut my hair again. It did not come out quite as cute.  I need the nape of my neck shaved, and it is not as good looking a cut as I wanted.  But, it will do.  I will have to break down and get a professional cut soon.

Maybe I should be more concerned about the look of my hair.  I have never been fashion conscious, and it shows in my dress, hair, and lack of make up.  I am so glad that working in a prison supports professional but not necessarily attention getting style. And, it is nice that I am getting to the age in my life where I can say I have lived long enough, I deserve to be as individualistic as I want to be.

But of course, our age should not dictate that. We should always feel free to be as individualistic as we want to be. But for some reason older aged women are more able to get away with it!

Weather Stories

As I have mentioned, I spent a great deal of time watching The Weather Channel http://www.weather.com/ this past week.  I would not say that The Weather Channel is my new best friend, but maybe I resumed relationship:  When there are serious weather events, I spend a lot of time watching The Weather Channel.  I check in with The Weather Channel almost every morning, and frequently get my news flashes from The Weather Channel. 

I do not think that their weather reporting is better than any other service. But they do continuous coverage during a serious weather event,  and sometimes, that is what I want. (When CNN  http://www.cnn.com/first started, they did continuous coverage of the news, and I liked that, too. They still do some for breaking news coverage, but not like they did.)  I do not watch much of the other programming on The Weather Channel.  Most of it does not appeal to me. 

I was impressed, during the coverage of Isaac, about a comment one of the broadcasters made:  Paraphrasing, the gist of his comment was New Orleans is low lying country, the storm was going to produce a lot of wind and rain, and no matter what precautions and preparations were made, there WOULD be flooding. Well, duh! Finally someone on The Weather Channel was honest and real.  A lot better reporting than sometimes in the past:

I do not recall anyone reporting, before it happened, that they foresaw the danger of the levee breech in Katrina in 2005 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hurricane_Katrina. There were plenty of people, after the fact, who talked about having forecast or predicted such a disaster. Maybe they did, maybe they did not. No matter. It happened. I have the sense people let their guard down, since the storm had passed, and this added to the problems.

In my opinion, in 2008, The Weather Channel downplayed the seriousness of Ike http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hurricane_Ike, which was "just" a category 2 hurricane.  But forces converged and Ike literally destroyed parts of Galveston. Storm surge, tides, wind and rains again compiled a devastating force. 

In 2011, Hurricane Irene http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hurricane_Irene was followed as it churned up the Atlantic Coast.  The coverage was good.  However, at one point, it highlighted on battening down and preparing New York City.  When the impact on New York City was nominal (no flooded subway system, Manhattan was not flooded) it was if the broadcasters took a collective sigh of relief and disappointment (no major catastrophe to report).  It seemed to me that they then under-reported the impact as Irene continued on into New England and Canada, until the horrific impact became known, and provided headlines again.

I understand that The Weather Channel is not just providing a service reporting the weather. They are looking for headlines to increase their viewership in a very competitive media market. So the disasters are the stories they want to report.  The reporters seem to really get excited about being able to report weather stories that include danger and disaster.  The reporters seem to express concern for the survivors and victims of these storms, but they also seem to be pumped about reporting the serious conditions, and indeed are looking for that to report.

Reporting possible weather disasters has to take a fine edge:  Certainly people need to be warned. However, if watches and warnings are frivolous or continually inaccurate and problem situations do not materialize, people will stop taking the warnings seriously, and eventually ignore them.  Calling for evacuations is a drastic step to take; yet, ignoring these evacuations orders repeatedly proves that people end up in harm's way, and emergency responders then put themselves in harm's way to rescue those who ignored evacuations orders.  Evacuations are costly to individuals and communities, and some people may feel they do not have the resources. And, many people feel it just can not happen to them, be it a tornado, earthquake, flood, hurricane or snowstorm. 

In my mind, the most responsible tact to take is a factual reporting of the weather conditions, and reminding people that they can not prevent weather. Their preparations should be to protect and take care of themselves, what ever that involves. And, no matter how good weather predictors try to be, they are not perfect, and unexpected weather conditions can occur with no warning.  Weather just happens.

Football Safety Measures

College football has instituted a rule that if a player loses his helmet, he has to sit out at least one play, and can not play if he is injured. Tonight, I am watching Texas Tech vs. Northwestern State on TV.  There have been several incidents of players losing their helmets.  The announcers are talking about the teams trying to figure out how to glue the helmets on the players' heads.  They also are talking about buckling the helmets on tighter or using two chinstraps.

I understand intellectually what they are saying.  But it seems to me, they have missed the point. If a player is hit hard enough to have his helmet leave his head, then he needs to be checked out.  What is the point of instituting a safety rule, and then devising ways to circumvent the rule and the intent of the rule.