Yeah! For South Carolina

Today, the State of South Carolina showed itself as a state looking to the future. After emotional and somewhat heated debate, the bill was passed that allowed for the Confederate Flag "Stars and Bars" to be taken down from the capitol property in Columbia,  SC, and placed in a museum on the capitol property http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/south-carolina-confederate-flag_559e0307e4b05b1d028fb690?ir=Politics&section=politics&utm_campaign=070915&utm_medium=email&utm_source=Alert-politics&utm_content=FullStory&ncid=newsltushpmg00000003.  Governor Nikki Haley had promised to sign the bill quickly.  And, she did.  http://www.kcbd.com/story/29510871/south-carolina-governor-confederate-flag-comes-down-friday.  The best thing, in my mind, that although the flag is going to be relegated to a Civil War "relic room," there will be a ceremony that will treat the flag with dignity and honor. 

Why is this good?  Because although the flag's symbolism is mixed: "hatred vs. heritage" a ceremony to lay it to rest honors all:  It honors those for whom the flag symbolizes the heritage and the history of their family.  A ceremony also can be a rite of passage for those who view the flag as a symbol of hatred: A rite of passage ending an era of hate and racism, and starting a new era of forward thinking, future looking, respect and dignity embracing, inclusive and accepting people. 

It is symbolic that South Carolina leads the way: it lead the way into the Civil War.  It can now lead the way into a new era of compassion, acceptance and unity.  South Carolina has a burden to bear: to continue to move forward with inclusion, acceptance, equality, dignity, respect. 

What an outcome from an act of hate.

I Am Exhausted

Today was the day of the South Plains Branch of NASW annual ethics workshop.  We used, once again, the beautiful venue of the International Cultural Center at Texas Tech http://www.depts.ttu.edu/international/.  Our topics this year were about the LGBTQ community, and ethical and practice implications working with LGBTQ youth.  Both speakers, Ann Aiken, MEd, MDiv-eq, LPC and Adam McCormick, MSW, PhD, were excellent.

I have been on the workshop committee off and on for more than 20 years. I enjoy helping to put the workshop together:  my job is sending out announcements, developing sign in sheets, and helping with sign in.

For the most part, the workshop went off well.  Our refreshments in the morning did not include coffee, but Bonnie Anne Rudd, the chairperson, resolved that issue.  We started a little late in the morning, but all was well.

Our numbers were small.  We used to have 40-70 attend our annual meeting. Several things have happened to diminish that number:  We had a year of not very good presentations in a location that was noisy and not conducive to hearing the presenters.  The economy has effected employer's willingness to pay for attending workshops, and although our workshop was not very expensive, there are much less expensive online CEU opportunities. But our numbers were respectable.

And, today, our topic was a little risqué for this part of the world.  Last August, we had the morning speaker, Ms. Aiken, address our monthly CEU meeting about the topic, and she was well received, with many social workers saying they wanted to learn more.  But, we also had people who were so repelled by the topic, that they disengaged themselves from the group! That is really sad. Social workers are supposed to be open to working with any client, at least to do no harm, and send them to a more appropriate professional, if need be.  My thought is that the social workers present today were the ones who did not need to be there, and, as the speakers acknowledged, they were "speaking to the choir."  Although our social work ethics require us to be culturally competent, there are many professionals in this part of this world who are not culturally competent, based on a conservative "Christian" orientation. 

Usually, these workshops exhilarate me, recharge me.  Not so today. I was just glad the day was over with.  While I really appreciated both presentations, I was just tired at the end of the day.

I did stop at the Lifestyle Center before going home to do a PT routine.  My hip was hurting, although I spent most of my day sitting, which generally helps my pain, and although I did not have to walk far or spend a lot of time on my feet today.

So, I came home, and fed the cats, and used the workshop paperwork to update the email information we have for the communication network.

But, I am tired.  Not recharged. 

The one good thing I can say is that I worked on the baby blanket for my youngest grandniece. She is some 13 months old, and I hate that I did not finish the blanket before she was born, but it is what it is. 

But, I am not sure why I am so exhausted.  Maybe I am just getting old.

A Plug For Office Depot

I live within walking distance of Office Depot http://www.officedepot.com/, and indeed, when I did not have back problems, I have walked there before.  I use them a lot because of the convenience.  Like any store we frequent, I have become familiar with the layout, and if for that reason if no other, I prefer it to Office Max.  I use Staples some, too, but they are further away.

Anyway, they were very helpful. I went comparison shopping Tuesday night. I started with Office Depot.  I am glad I did. The gentleman spent a lot of time answering my questions about the new technology (Windows 8 and 8.1.)

I went to Staples http://www.staples.com/ next. Like Office Depot, they had a variety of computers to look at.  Unlike Office Depot, there were very few that had prices marked. When the sales gentleman came to help me, he was not very forth coming with information, and his answers were the kind that someone who knows the jargon uses, without consideration for whether or not someone else knows the jargon.  He rattled off comparisons and prices so quickly, I could not digest the information.

I went to Office Max http://www.officemax.com/.  They had very few options from which to choose, and I could not even scare up a sales clerk, but I did not try too hard.

So, of course, I stopped at Wal-Mart.  I had some other things to pick up, anyway.  I went to the computer aisle, and there were several laptops, 2 customers, and a sales person describing the computers to them.  The prices were great, in the range I really wanted to spend, but not with the features I could get on the computers at Office Depot.  And I was unsure of the brands.

By then, it was  a little after 8 PM, and I could have gone back to Office Depot and purchased the computer.  But I had stuff to do at the house, and would not have had much time to start setting up the computer. So, I went back Wednesday on my way home from work, asked a few more questions, and purchased a computer.  (It came in a tiny little box.  I remember my first computer.  It came in a huge box!)

I did not start setting up the computer until after I took care of personal business.  I realized it would take me more than one night to set things up.  That was a little frustrating, but okay with me.

I realized that I needed a flash drive to make a recovery program.  I had some, but I was not sure they were compatible with Windows 8.1, and I did not want to take a chance.  I raced back to Office Depot, told the sales agent what I needed, and she made the correct recommendation! (This was such a quick trip, I did not shut off the lights or TV in the house!)

The other thing that Office Depot does, and many stores now do, is if there is a mail-in rebate attached to the sale, they provide a duplicate receipt for that exact purpose.  The one thing they do not do right though, is they do not show the itemized purchase information on the screen where you swipe the credit card.  That would be nice.  But I give them a high B at worst.

So, kudos to Office Depot.  They did good, not great, but good.

New Year's Resolutions 2013

I wrote about New Year's Resolutions last year.  Maybe this will become a tradition, that on December 31, I blog about New Year's Resolutions.  Doing something two years in a row is a sort of tradition in and of itself, already, wouldn't you say? 

So, I have already indicated I wanted to make a change or improvement next year, in a previous blog:  I want to read more books in 2014, than I have read in 2013.  I ended up reading 49 books this year.  That should be a goal I can keep, given the fact that I really do enjoy reading.  I am not sure that is a real improvement, because I frequently read a book when I should be doing chores around the house.  But I believe that reading is a very good past time, and it is not time wasted. I believe it challenges the mind and keeps your mind active, and helps you to learn.  Although, I have to admit, I read very little non-fiction.  But I like historical mysteries, and mysteries with a theme that gives me new information (a specific topic, culture, science.)  And, I have started reading more non-fiction. 

What Would I Do?

Reading the book, The Countrymen by Bo Lidegarrd, has brought home to me some questions about what would I have done in similar circumstances.

When I was a teenager, my mother and I used to argue about some of my plans and actions. I used to ask her for advise, and she used to be very angry about some of my thoughts and plans.  And, when I ultimately acted, not always according to her standard, she would be very unhappy with me.  I remember a significant interchange, during which she commented that I was the one child who asked her opinion and then went off and did something different. I told her that I respected her opinion, and changed my plan based on it.  We argued much less after that, I guess because she realized she had an ameliorating affect on me.

I am not brave. I am not strong. I have, over the years. capitulated when I have should have stood firm.

I cannot know what I would have done in Denmark in 1943.  Would I have been brave? Would I have whiffed out?  Would I have snitched?  Would I have pitched in? I do not know.

Reading About the Holocaust

I am not sure when the story of the Holocaust became an important story in my life.  I remember in junior high, my social studies teacher commenting on how the Jewish families probably talked about news at the dinner table, instead of frivolous things.  I had to raise my hand.  My family watched the news at the dinner table, and talked about it.

This teacher said something to the effect of "Of course, your family would." She then went on to tell me and the class that my Polish grandparents had been in a citizenship class that she taught. My grandparents had immigrated to the United States in 1903, and eventually become US citizens. I did not appreciate that then as much as I do today! 

I remember one time asking my father why his parents came to America. I suspect it was about this same time in my life.  He said my grandparents saw how things were and did not want to be a part of it.  I was not quite sure what that meant, but I had an inkling it had to do with the persecution of the Jews and other politics. While that was occurring during the time my grandparents immigrated, it was well before the Holocaust.

When I was in high school, one of our parish priests had traveled to Europe, to the what was then called the Eastern Block Countries.  He went to one or more of the concentration camps, and brought back pictures and information which he shared with us.  You must remember in the 1960s, access to the Eastern Block Countries was limited, and the information about the Holocaust was also limited to what was available in West Germany, France, Switzerland, Austria, the Netherlands, Belgium, Bulgaria and Hungary, maybe Czechoslovakia.  My history is fuzzy, what other countries would have been free enough to provide information about the Holocaust. But much of the history of the Holocaust was behind "the Iron Curtain http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iron_Curtain."

This same parish priest was really into Ecumenism, and one of his efforts included having the Catholic Women's Council do a Seder Supper during Lent. I was able to attend, and learned a lot about Passover.  I was also reading Chaim Potok's http://potok.lasierra.edu/ books, as suggested by my home town librarian.

So, when I went away to college, the person who eventually became my best friend had the soundtrack to "Fiddler on the Roof."  Her uncle was involved with show business, and this play and promoted it.  It became a favorite, and the story became a favorite.  I know the songs, and much of the dialogue of the movie, by heart. And the heartbreak, and injustices.  

Well,  before and while I was doing my social work internship when I was a social work student at Our Lady of the Elms, I did a lot of reading about the Holocaust, fiction and non-fiction.   I read everything in the small Millers Falls library, which was limited, and then branched out to what was available in the area libraries, including Greenfield and Springfield. My internship supervisor, who worked at the Franklin County Community Action Center, and who had been involved in the Southern Freedom movement, turned me onto several books, and encouraged my interest in the subject.

It is a subject that I have never tired learning about.  Be it Victor Frankl's Man's Search for Meaning, or now, the story of The Countrymen, it is a topic that I find fascinating, heartbreaking, and sure that when I see modern genocide activities, reminds me we cannot stand by and do nothing.

The Countrymen

I recently finished reading the book, The Countrymen by Bo Lidegaard.  This is a story about the Jews in Denmark during World War II. It tells about how the Danish people responded to the German threats against the Jews. It tells about how the Danish non-government responded to the German threats against the Jews. And it tells about how the country came together to help the Jews escape, as best they could to Sweden. And how Sweden opened its arms to the Jews, and offered material assistance to those who helped them to escape Denmark, when the Germans were trying to deport them to the concentration camps.

Years ago, I had heard what I learned was a myth, about when the Germans decreed that the Jews wear a gold star, as they had in other countries, everyone in Denmark, including King Christian, wore a star. Well, others smarter that I thought that to be the truth. It was not, but it exemplified the Danish attitude: they were countrymen all.

This is an amazing story about democracy, attitude, defiance, and politics. 

All of the countrymen who helped the Jews were so brave. And, as the story is written, it seems most of them did not think about being brave. They seemed to think about doing the right thing and being humanitarian. 

What a lesson we can learn.  There are still so many mass injustices in the world.  This is a lesson for us that when people step up, and do not back down to bullying and tyranny and hatred, but do the right thing, that something good can happen.

Being Compulsive Is Not So Bad

When I was growing up, and even into my young adulthood, my compulsiveness sometimes earned me some derogatory comments from people who knew me.  But, compulsive I was.

And, compulsive I am.  I not quite a perfectionist, but I sure do hate making a mistake. I also try to think in terms of contingencies, and try to plan ahead for things. At work and at home.

And still, sometimes I face some derision.

Well, when I wrote about losing a file, and having created a back up without remembering that I did, that was my compulsiveness.

I should remember not apologize for my compulsiveness.  I am allowed to try to be compulsive and a perfectionist. But, I am allowed to make mistakes.  Is that a difficult life lesson for me to learn.

Haiku Was Pissy Tonight

I worked a little late tonight, then had an errand to run, but got home at a reasonable time. A little late. The cats got fed, I did some routine stuff, and then, worked on bills and emails. There were several bills, and lots of emails for NASW. Hmm, that might be a topic for a blog, what I do for NASW South Plains Branch communications.

Haiku joined me on the TV tray next to the computer, where I do a lot of my paperwork.  Usually, she is amenable to moving or letting me somehow work around her. Tonight, I was reconciling my checkbook.  And Haiku was really pissy about it. She kept grabbing at the pen, and crying as if I was bothering her.  She finally left. I hate to piss her off, but some things need to be tended to, and she could have sat there quietly without getting pissy.

She is back now, glad to sit next to me, but not wanting any hugging. Not right now at least. 

Parking Lot Rage

I hate crowded, busy parking lots.  One of my greatest peeves is the driver who stops, blocking traffic, waiting for an occupied spot to become available.  It really aggravates me, but I am generally patient and do not blow the horn, although I may mouth something.

Yesterday, when I was leaving a store, there was a car that was stopped partway into a row, waiting for a car to back out of a spot.  The driver was holding up traffic, there were several cars waiting behind her.  The driver in the car immediately behind her swung around and zoomed by her, looking at her and saying something all the while. He was so busy being angry at her he did not see me, and if I had not been paying attention, he would have hit me.  As he drove by the lack of change of expression on his face made me think he never did see me.

Sure, the first driver was inconsiderate.  But the second driver was no less so. This lack of consideration and blind rage is dangerous. 

March on Washington

August 28, 2013 is the 50th anniversary of the March on Washington by Martin Luther King, Jr.  and his followers http://50thanniversarymarchonwashington.com/.  This is the march during which he gave his "I Have a Dream" speech http://www.americanrhetoric.com/speeches/mlkihaveadream.htm.  Tonight, I watched several shows on NPR about this march and this era, including about Robert Kennedy  http://50thanniversarymarchonwashington.com/ and his assassination.  

Lubbock will have a commemorative march on August 28, 2013.  I would like to participate. I turned my ankle on Sunday, August 25, 2013, and I am not sure I can  make the march.  It is my hope that a large contingency of Anglo Lubbock citizens will join this march.  I suspect I will be disappointed.

Thinking About Writing

I have not blogged since 8-8-13.  I was not too concerned about that for the first couple of nights. A break, a day off, is not bad.  But last night, I tried to blog, and could not clear my mind enough to be able to write anything. This happens, more frequently than I would wish, but it happens.

During the last few days, I have listened a lot to the Gregorian Chant CDs that I have.  They help to mellow me.  I have to say, I honestly believe that my physical health as well as my mental health improves when I listen to Gregorian Chants. The first Gregorian chant I purchased was "Salve Regina" on a Philips label.  Later, I purchased "Gregorian Melodies, Popular Chants Vol 11," and "Gregorian Book of Silos" 

I was reflecting the past few days, how much more physically safe and sound, and calm I am, when I listed to Gregorian chants. I have a CD of bagpipe music that also contributes to my mellowness, but not to my groundedness. And if that makes no sense, I am sorry, I cannot explain it any other way.

At work today, I was thinking about my inability to blog, and that I needed to listen to some of the Gregorian chants, if not all, that I have.

Imagine my surprise, as I drove home, that NPR had a story about the music of nuns: http://www.npr.org/2013/08/13/211639502/life-as-prayer-the-singing-nuns-of-ann-arbor.  I like the comments of the sister who says: "We bring people back where the culture, sad to say, is selling them short," Sister Joseph Andrew says. "The culture is not saying you need silence; you need to calm down; you need to meet God in however you might choose to worship him. And I think when you turn this music on, something interiorly starts to calm down. And there starts to be a freedom to be able to really listen to God within."

I so agree, and have discovered I so want to live my life with this calmness.  After Ken and I divorced, Mack, my dog, and I developed a pastoral kind of life. It was idyllic. 

Then, I got involved in a relationship with Bob.  I did not identify it at the time, although some of my friends did, but the emotional turmoil of the relationship was convulsive.  It was not until I was finally out of it in 2006 that I truly realized how destructive it was.

I have returned to a more idyllic existence. I still have turmoil in my life.  I would not be human if I did not. But life is so much more pastoral, and idyllic.  The Gregorian chants help me have the existence. 

The Impact of Sports on Our Lives

There are very many impacts of sports on our lives.  I cannot begin to address all of those impacts, but there is one area of our lives that I want to address.  And I want to address it by talking about two movies that specifically highlight this aspect of our lives.

The United States fought a War Between the North and the South http://www.civilwar.org/education/history/civil-war-overview/northandsouth.html over economic issues, specifically, but not only, the issue of slavery. By war's end, the black slaves of all states in the United States were declared emancipated http://www.archives.gov/exhibits/featured_documents/emancipation_proclamation/transcript.html.

However, Blacks were not treated well, nor as equals, nor allowed to integrate into our society for close to a hundred years after the war's end.  Segregation was promulgated by "The Jim Crow Laws" http://www.nps.gov/malu/forteachers/jim_crow_laws.htm, not withstanding the fact that Integration technically became the law of the land in 1866 http://www.withylaw.com/history.htm.  There are still racial problems in the United States, not with just the Blacks, but that is one of the areas of racism the United States still faces.

Although there have been Black soldiers in wars fought by the United States, beginning with the War for Independence http://www.army.mil/africanamericans/timeline.html,  the United States military did not officially integrate until 1946 http://www.withylaw.com/history.htm.  Even then, integration was not widely nor uniformly implemented. However, the integration of the United States military opened the door for other types of integrations.

Sports in the United States was a venue which saw integration after World War II.  Yesterday, I went to watch the movie 42 http://42movie.warnerbros.com/,  which is based on the story of Branch Rickey, Brooklyn Dodger executive, choosing Jackie Robinson as the first Negro player in Major League Baseball. I do not usually go to the movies.  I went to see this movie the weekend it was released.  A friend of mine wanted to see it, and invited me to join her.  I enjoyed the movie more the second time, than I did the first, and saw things in it the second time that I missed the first time. And, I can tell you, I will see this movie many more times.

I have seen the movie Glory Road http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0385726/ multiple times on TV or DVD.  The story is about the 1966 NCAA Championship team, the Texas Western Miners, http://gloryroad.utep.edu/home.aspx, which started 5 black players in the championship game, the first such team to win a championship. Did Coach Don Haskins set out to integrate NCAA basketball on a grand scale? From watching the movie, he just set out to win.  And win he did. But that championship game is considered one of, if not the most important basketball games in NCAA history. 

These two stories are a prime example of how sports impacts our lives.  Integration was a long, emotional, hard fought, and bloody battle.  It did not go smoothly in sports any more than it went in many other aspect of our lives.  But sports has had a major impact on integration. 

Tired

I am very tired. I do not know why. I just am.  I worked overtime last week. I have worked long hours this week. Is that why am so tired?   I work overtime and long hours a lot. 

I think a lot of it is emotional:  Last week was a very emotionally distressing week in the USA.  And I followed it closely on the news. I really do not watch the news much, but I watch it more than I used to, when I got the newspaper.  But even if I got the newspaper, I would have watched last week's events on TV anyway.  I can feel the emotional drainage from the horrible news of last week.

Also, we had a difficult situation at work.  Our supervisor is out sick, and her substitute, today admitted she did not know the rules about the situation, although common sense should have prevailed and did not. So, two of us were put on the spot about a situation over which we had no knowledge and control, but were being asked to be accountable for, because the leadership in our department was not present.

That is so distressing.  I think the situation is resolved. I hope so. We do not need additional distractions at work. We are short staffed as it is, and these distractions take time and energy away from the task at hand.

Jackie Robinson Day 42 and

The first Jackie Robinson Day http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jackie_Robinson_Day was celebrated by Major League Baseball in 2004, and was designated as a celebration annually in 2005 http://mlb.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20130410&content_id=44442254&vkey=news_mlb&c_id=mlb. This year, Jackie Robinson Day is 4/15/13.  If teams do not play on 4/15/13, they celebrate the next day.  If they are not in their home stadium on 4/15/13, they honor Jackie Robinson at their next home game.

If you do not know who Jackie Robinson is, he was the first Afro-American baseball player, hand picked, to play in the major leagues.  This occurred in 1947, and frankly he faced a lot of racism as he traveled with his team and played baseball across the country. He handled the situation with courage, grace, respect, and dignity. 

His number, 42, was retired in 1997 by Major League Baseball, but Mariano Rivera of the New York Yankees, whose number is 42, was allowed to continue to wear the number, as he did before the number was retired 

In 2007, Ken Griffey Jr. asked permission to wear 42 on Jackie Robinson Day in Robinson's honor.  In 2009,  all players were allowed to wear the number on Jackie Robinson Day. Now, everyone wears 42 on Jackie Robinson Day.

The movie "42 The Jackie Robinson Story"  http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0453562/  has a line: "Someday everyone will wear 42."  The point is symbolic: if we are all 42 we are all the same: race, creed, color, whatever, we are all the same.  The movie was nationally released 4/12/13, timing it to coincide closely with Jackie Robinson Day 2013.

I went to see the movie today.  I wanted to get to it early in its showing in Lubbock, because Lubbock is not a baseball town, and I did not think it would stay around long.  I was surprised by the crowd, including many women, even solitary women as myself, without a companion, in the audience. During the movie, when there were good baseball plays, the audience clapped (I did) like it was a real game.

I appreciate the struggle and pain Jackie Robinson went through as the first black player in Major League Baseball. But I can not imagine what that was. 

I am glad Major League Baseball recognizes him. And, that Major League Baseball (the national past time) recognizes its role in the integration of our nation.

I have to wonder what Thomas Jefferson, Jackie Robinson and Martin Luther King, Jr. would thing about Barak Obama being the President of the United States of America.

If anyone says that sports does not have an impact on our culture, they are wrong.  And, while it is not the end all and be all of integration, sports has had a very large impact on integration in this country.

Daylight Savings Time, A Funeral, and Monday In General

Monday is an especially tense day for me. I do not spend time on Sunday dreading having to go to work on Monday. I spend very little time on Sunday thinking about going to work on Monday. In fact, most Sundays, once I wake up, and decide it is not a work day, I do not think about work again. 

Until I wake up on Monday, and know that I have to go to work. But I am usually tense on Mondays. I worry about what I forgot about last week that I need to remember this week. I want to get as much work done as I can.  I am goal or task oriented, and I worry, that if I screw up on Monday, I will be behind the rest of the week.  So, for me, Mondays are tense.

I have long said that I do not do anything on a Monday night that feels like work: no housework, yard work only if it something I enjoy, no serious decisions.  Well, I have had to break my rule.  Once a month, I go to the Catholic Charities board meeting on a Monday night. But, I do try to keep my rule.

Today was an especially tough day. It is the first work morning after the change to Daylight Savings Time.  So, when I got up, 6 o'clock on the clock was 5 o'clock in the body. I dragged myself to work, and arrived on time, but barely.  I left work to attend the funeral of the husband of a co-worker, midday, and returned to work.

I stayed at work to accomplish all the tasks that I wanted to do this day.  Which meant that I stayed later than usual, but because of leaving for the funeral, I did not work overtime. 

After work, I had a couple of errands to run, so arrived home at about  6:45 PM. I fed cats and did homecoming chores, and could not wait to sit and just be.  

Even now, though, sitting and writing, I am having trouble relaxing my body.  I am in an upright chair. I think I need to move to a reclining chair to get the relaxation that I need.

Mondays are tough  Funerals on Mondays make them tougher. And the time change makes my body feel out of whack. 

May I Join You?

Sake really does not like her territory invaded by Haiku or Taki.  I get it. She was here first.  She is not longer the only center of attention.  And Taki can get so excited she jumps without regard for where she is landing.

Saki likes to lay on the bed, and to knead the afghan at the foot of the bed, or curl up in the middle of it.  Haiku and Taki like to snack in the other corner.  For the longest, when Haiku and Taki got on the bed asking for a snack, Sake immediately left.  Finally, a few weeks, ago, I caught her and gave her some snacks before she left, and she stayed.  I have continue to try to do this regularly, although sometimes, she just leaves.

This morning, Taki got on the bed asking for snacks, while Sake was laying on the other end.  Sake got up and sniff and nosed her way to the snack towel.  I called Haiku, and all three of them got snacks. 

This afternoon, Sake was laying in bed, and Taki almost jumped on her end of the bed.  I cautioned her to be careful where she jumped, and Taki came to the other end of the bed and got on the bed. Sake stayed where she was, rather than being disturbed by Taki on the other end of the bed.  Maybe we are getting it.

Chores

I have already commented on the fact that I am tired, due to the return to work after the holiday season.  I have spent much of the holiday season staying up late, and sleeping in. But that is not now possible.  I have to get up to go to work.  Last night, I set two alarm clocks, to make sure I did not sleep through the regular alarm.  I was doing that during the holidays.  But, I think my mental state allowed that.

I recall when I was young, adults told me I could train myself to wake up at a particular time. I did not understand that years ago, but as I became an adult, I did realize I could train myself to keep a schedule, or do something special regarding waking up, if I went to bed with my mind set as to what needed to happen.

Tonight, I am very tired.  I will probably set a second alarm again.  But before I go to bed, I have some chores to do. They are mindless and will not take very long.  But if I take care of them tonight, I will not have to face them in the morning.

That is the best thing to do. 

New Years Resolutions

It is New Years Eve.  Some years, I make a New Year's resolution. Some years I do not.  If I make a New Year's resolution, it is something that is usually creative and for my self improvement.   But, even as I make a New Year's resolution, I do not think I will keep the resolution. That is the really wrong attitude to enter into a resolution.  If you are going to bother to make a resolution, it should be something that you really intend to work on.  Since I am not sure I will work on something, it is not worth my effort to make a resolution. 

None this year!

How Important is Football in Lubbock, Texas?

Texas Tech http://www.ttu.edu/ is playing Minnesota http://www.gophersports.com/ in the Meineke Car Care Bowl http://meinekecarcarebowloftexas.com/ tonight in Houston, Texas.  The game will be aired by ESPN http://espn.go.com/.  After Coach Mike Leach http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mike_Leach_(coach) lead the football team to 9 bowls in 10 seasons http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Texas_Tech_Red_Raiders_football#Post-season_bowl_games, Coach Tommy Tuberville http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tommy_Tuberville had two disappointing seasons at Texas Tech, before the team qualified this year for a bowl game.  However, he ditched the team before the bowl game, going to Cincinnati http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2012/writers/stewart_mandel/12/08/tommy-tuberville-cincinnati-texas-tech/index.html. 

Kliff Kingsbury, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kliff_Kingsbury, former Texas Tech quarterback was celebrated upon his return to Lubbock as the new head coach for Texas Tech. But he will not coach the 2012 bowl game.  Interim Coach Chris Thomsen http://www.texastech.com/sports/m-footbl/mtt/thomsen_chris00.html will.

The Texas Tech Red Raider basketball game against North Carolina A&T http://www.ncat.edu/ started at 6 PM, and ran a little long, but the Red Raiders won. Because the game being aired before the Meineke Car Care Bowl ran into overtime, when I switched late to ESPN, there were a few seconds of the game being aired.  But it switched immediately over to the Tech game, and we were delighted by a kick off return touchdown!

So, how important is the football bowl game?  The Lubbock Avalanche Journal http://lubbockonline.com/ has headlined and highlighted information about the game for days.  In the December 28, 2012 edition, just under the banner, a small item was printed, indicating that the December 29, 2012 edition might be late, as the edition will be held to accommodate covering the entire bowl game.

I do not recall the newspaper ever being held to accomodate a political election.   Hmmm. Where are our priorities in Lubbock, Texas?