But that is just my opinion.
C|Net is reporting that wireless operators are accelerating their plans to beef up the wireless networks. More capacity is needed to accommodate the growing numbers of wireless data users, a trend first started with the iPhone. While I see a need to upgrade the networks, part of the "problem" was created by the carriers themselves and they continue to grow it with the new rules regarding rate plans. I am referring to the mandatory data plans for mid level and greater smart phones.
At least two operators, AT&T (my carrier) and Verizon are making data plans mandatory for many of their smart phones. Now if a data plan is mandatory then that means people are going to be more prone to use it, hence putting a greater strain on the network. With the greater strain comes more expense to the operators and greater customer service issues and costs.
I take this kinda personally because I own two smart phones (one was issued by my work and one is my personal line) and while one has data (work) I do not use it all that much. If I am forced to have data on my personal line, then I will have data on two phones (a huge waste of money) and I will be tempted (heck, I will want to) use the data for trivial things, causing more of a load on an already stressed system. I think that is stupid.
To be honest I have a smart phone for the PDA functionality of it. I like having a contact/memo list as well as a few apps (world clock, TZ tool, converter, PW safe, Geocaching aid, calendar, e-book reader, dictionary, thesaurus, and some simple games) in my phone, but data is not really needed (although it has been helpful at times). Why does the mobile industry think that just because I have a smart phone I want/need data?
The telecoms industry is not stupid. They have been losing money on the rapidly declining land line market and are seeking to recoup some of that revenue. A lot of people I know have ditched land lines and are mobile only, saving $30-50 a month. Well, the telco's believe they should not lose that money, so they offer you wireless web for approximately the same amount. That increases the strain on the network, causing issues for the customer and the telco. Endless cycle of needing revenue to upgrade the network so you sign on more customers increasing the strain on the network so you cans spend that money to update the now horribly outdated and overstressed system.
I cut the land line to save money. Right now we pay a tad less for two mobile phones with plenty of minutes than we did for a land line, long distance, and one cell phone with half the minutes we have now (thanx to an employee discount). Adding data only would increase my monthly bill.
Rollnig out network upgrades is not cheap and we are the ones who pay for it. The telco's get a good deal from the companies who provide the equipment (I know, I worked for one of the largest for seven years and have been supporting them for almost seven more) and we get to pay for that network with increases in our mobile phone bills and more features we may not need.
I received notice that I would be charged for a data plan if I did not pick one for my Palm Centro on AT&T's network. The Centro is not even a 3G phone and I will get charged smart phone rates when the best data I can get is EDGE. Stupid.
Tuesday, January 26, 2010
Wednesday, January 20, 2010
Worth It?
I read an article on C|Net about PG&E financing rooftop solar panels for people's homes. The more I read, the more I liked the idea and wondered, could this work nationwide? I have read in a few places that without any changes to current power usage, rooftop solar panels could provide between 50-80% of all electrical power needed the average consumer.
Think of it. Every home equipped with rooftop solar panels generating power for that home to use, financed by the power company. You would be charged only for the power you use plus the cost of the solar panels. Or, the utility company could rent them to you. Most people would see a huge drop in their electric bills, even with the cost of the solar panels added.
Would this not solve one of the many problems we have with getting a kickstart on renewable energy?
Let's go one further. If you live out of the city in an area with a lot larger than one acre, have the utility company put up wind turbines in addition to solar to allow extra energy to be created for the grid. The land owners would not have to pay for the turbines and get free power (up to a limit, of course) for allowing the wind turbine to be on their property.
The more solar panels and wind turbines that are installed would drastically reduce the need on using coal to power the grid. It would also give the added integrity to allow more electric vehicles to be added and charged on the grid, reducing the need for foreign oil.
Would it work?
Think of it. Every home equipped with rooftop solar panels generating power for that home to use, financed by the power company. You would be charged only for the power you use plus the cost of the solar panels. Or, the utility company could rent them to you. Most people would see a huge drop in their electric bills, even with the cost of the solar panels added.
Would this not solve one of the many problems we have with getting a kickstart on renewable energy?
Let's go one further. If you live out of the city in an area with a lot larger than one acre, have the utility company put up wind turbines in addition to solar to allow extra energy to be created for the grid. The land owners would not have to pay for the turbines and get free power (up to a limit, of course) for allowing the wind turbine to be on their property.
The more solar panels and wind turbines that are installed would drastically reduce the need on using coal to power the grid. It would also give the added integrity to allow more electric vehicles to be added and charged on the grid, reducing the need for foreign oil.
Would it work?
Thursday, January 14, 2010
Urban Survival
A biological weapon is released into the public water supply causing 10's of millions of Americans to get sick and die. Public services as we know them cease to exist because the strain on the system is so great. Widespread power failures keeps you from going to the store, bank, or work. You are now on your own with what you have in your house and car. What do you do? How do you survive?
If you lived in the city and this were to happen, things would get ugly very quickly. Mob mentality would quickly set in and people would begin looting and destroying. Your safety would be threatened. Survival would be difficult. But not impossible.
In my previous post I mentioned "The Rules of Three" in survival. Most people think these apply when you are out in the elements, but the same rules apply in urban survival as well. Let's review the rules:
Three hours - this is how long the human body can survive exposed to the elements without shelter in extreme conditions without permanent damage.
Three days - this is how long the human body can survive without water under normal to moderately extreme (hot/cold) conditions without permanent damage.
Three weeks - this is how long the human body can go without food without permanent damage.
In an urban survival situation, if you are at or near home, your chances of surviving are much better. Your shelter is already there, but if it is winter and you just lost your heat, what next?
As you can see, the rule of three applies to urban survival as well. You need to get shelter first. Once that is secure, you need to assess your water supply and then your food. This is where it gets hard for the urban and suburban dweller.
Life in the city and suburbs is all about convenience. Microwave this, instant that, the internet...everything is geared for making life easier. There is nothing wrong with that. That is what you pay for. But if things got bad and you were without all these trappings, what would you do?
Living in the 'burbs, think about these things...especially when I hear about survivors of natural disasters. While these people suffer, the good news is that unaffected nations come to aid them. But what if it happened to you and no one came to your aid? You follow the rules of three.
1) Make sure you have shelter and are warm/cool. You can be exposed for up to three hours in extreme conditions before you suffer damage.
2) Make sure you have water for the next few days. The human body can only go without water for three days before it begins to show signs of damage.
3) Make sure you have food. This is last because you can go up to three weeks without food before you suffer any real damage.
Back in the days of The Great Depression (late 20's and early 30's) many poorer people took on a "packrat" mentality. They would tend to collect things and never throw anything away. While this is not normally a healthy lifestyle, in a survival situation this attitude becomes a necessity. When SHTF, nothing is garbage. Everything can be used beyond what it is designed for.
If you lived in the city and this were to happen, things would get ugly very quickly. Mob mentality would quickly set in and people would begin looting and destroying. Your safety would be threatened. Survival would be difficult. But not impossible.
In my previous post I mentioned "The Rules of Three" in survival. Most people think these apply when you are out in the elements, but the same rules apply in urban survival as well. Let's review the rules:
Three hours - this is how long the human body can survive exposed to the elements without shelter in extreme conditions without permanent damage.
Three days - this is how long the human body can survive without water under normal to moderately extreme (hot/cold) conditions without permanent damage.
Three weeks - this is how long the human body can go without food without permanent damage.
In an urban survival situation, if you are at or near home, your chances of surviving are much better. Your shelter is already there, but if it is winter and you just lost your heat, what next?
As you can see, the rule of three applies to urban survival as well. You need to get shelter first. Once that is secure, you need to assess your water supply and then your food. This is where it gets hard for the urban and suburban dweller.
Life in the city and suburbs is all about convenience. Microwave this, instant that, the internet...everything is geared for making life easier. There is nothing wrong with that. That is what you pay for. But if things got bad and you were without all these trappings, what would you do?
Living in the 'burbs, think about these things...especially when I hear about survivors of natural disasters. While these people suffer, the good news is that unaffected nations come to aid them. But what if it happened to you and no one came to your aid? You follow the rules of three.
1) Make sure you have shelter and are warm/cool. You can be exposed for up to three hours in extreme conditions before you suffer damage.
2) Make sure you have water for the next few days. The human body can only go without water for three days before it begins to show signs of damage.
3) Make sure you have food. This is last because you can go up to three weeks without food before you suffer any real damage.
Back in the days of The Great Depression (late 20's and early 30's) many poorer people took on a "packrat" mentality. They would tend to collect things and never throw anything away. While this is not normally a healthy lifestyle, in a survival situation this attitude becomes a necessity. When SHTF, nothing is garbage. Everything can be used beyond what it is designed for.
Survival Of The Fittest
Last weekend I was scheduled to go camping with PapaKilo at ESP but that just did not work out. While I was all game for it, the weather forecast was calling for temps near ZERO degrees Fahrenheit with a wind chill below zero. While I am far from a coward, temps that low can be dangerous so we skipped it.
Sad that we did since that was the last weekend in January we both had off. However, this weekend (if the rain stays away) is shaping up nicely and next weekend is looking the same. While I will not be heading out with my BiC (Brother in Christ) PapaKilo (PK as we call him) I will be able to try my hand at solo camping. I am looking forward to it.
All this desire to get back to camping has moved me to read more on survival tactics. One rule that has stuck in my mind since ever I heard it a few weeks ago is "The Rule of Threes":
Three hours - this is how long the human body can survive exposed to the elements without shelter in extreme conditions without permanent damage.
Three days - this is how long the human body can survive without water under normal to moderately extreme (hot/cold) conditions without permanent damage
Three weeks - this is how long the human body can go without food without permanent damage.
So, with this in mind, when you set up camp, you know what you need to do first. You need to get shelter and build a small fire, if possible...shelter first. Once this is done, you work on acquiring water and lastly, food.
While camping is enjoyable for me, I do have an ulterior motive. I am hoping to get to a point where I can hike into a secluded parcel of land with just a pack and survive a few days with just what I bring with me. Ultimately I would like this to include trapping small game (rabbit) or using a slingshot (wrist rocket) to bring down a squirrel to use as food. Of course I am no where near this stage yet. My current level allows me tent camp without a lot of the trappings of home life. I have not tried to build a shelter or get a good night's sleep without a blanket or sleeping bag. Right now I am in the process of gathering all I need to tent camp comfortably solo. Once I reach that point, I will work on "lightening the load" to allow me to backpack camp (carrying everything you need to your camp site on your back in one trip). Once I get to that point, then I can work on "survival camping" where instead of backing in with a full hikers pack (50 + lbs.) you pack in with a smaller hunters pack (25 lbs or less). Obviously survivalist camping requires you to pack less and what you do pack should be multipurpose. Pack as little and as light as you can.
Sad that we did since that was the last weekend in January we both had off. However, this weekend (if the rain stays away) is shaping up nicely and next weekend is looking the same. While I will not be heading out with my BiC (Brother in Christ) PapaKilo (PK as we call him) I will be able to try my hand at solo camping. I am looking forward to it.
All this desire to get back to camping has moved me to read more on survival tactics. One rule that has stuck in my mind since ever I heard it a few weeks ago is "The Rule of Threes":
Three hours - this is how long the human body can survive exposed to the elements without shelter in extreme conditions without permanent damage.
Three days - this is how long the human body can survive without water under normal to moderately extreme (hot/cold) conditions without permanent damage
Three weeks - this is how long the human body can go without food without permanent damage.
So, with this in mind, when you set up camp, you know what you need to do first. You need to get shelter and build a small fire, if possible...shelter first. Once this is done, you work on acquiring water and lastly, food.
While camping is enjoyable for me, I do have an ulterior motive. I am hoping to get to a point where I can hike into a secluded parcel of land with just a pack and survive a few days with just what I bring with me. Ultimately I would like this to include trapping small game (rabbit) or using a slingshot (wrist rocket) to bring down a squirrel to use as food. Of course I am no where near this stage yet. My current level allows me tent camp without a lot of the trappings of home life. I have not tried to build a shelter or get a good night's sleep without a blanket or sleeping bag. Right now I am in the process of gathering all I need to tent camp comfortably solo. Once I reach that point, I will work on "lightening the load" to allow me to backpack camp (carrying everything you need to your camp site on your back in one trip). Once I get to that point, then I can work on "survival camping" where instead of backing in with a full hikers pack (50 + lbs.) you pack in with a smaller hunters pack (25 lbs or less). Obviously survivalist camping requires you to pack less and what you do pack should be multipurpose. Pack as little and as light as you can.
Wednesday, December 30, 2009
Camping Christmas
My wife was kind enough to get me a gift card at Academy Sorts and I decided to use it to get me some camping gear. I did not get a lot, but I think I did okay for the amount I spent.
First thing on my list was a tent that I could set up by myself. While my Cabin tent would be nice, it is just too big to manhandle alone. With that, I decided to get a hikers technical tent. I chose the No Limits Kings Peak tent. While it states it is as two man tent, I figure it is more like a "one man plus his gear" tent.
The next thing on my list was a way to cook if a fire was not possible or practical. I saw the Timber Creek stove for $20 so I picked it up. I also picked up a bottle of propane for it as well.
I thought about getting a mess kit but I thought that I would wait on that (PapaKilo plans on cleaning out his gear and he told me that he would give me some of his older stuff he does not want) and get a cheap cookware set instead. I got a Timber Creek branded one similar to this sans the bowls and a little lower quality. Oh, mine is black instead of blue.
Before I left the store, I realized that I did not have the "footprint" (ground cloth/tarp) for my tent. Usually manufacturers sell the footprint separately, but I could not find one for this model so I picked up a 6x8 poly tarp instead. It would have been nice to find a construction site with so leftover Tyvex (I have read that Tyvex makes great footprint material) but that was not an option, although I will try to keep that option open in the future.
So after looking at what I have already, I think I am ready for a solo trip out.
Camping in January, anyone?
First thing on my list was a tent that I could set up by myself. While my Cabin tent would be nice, it is just too big to manhandle alone. With that, I decided to get a hikers technical tent. I chose the No Limits Kings Peak tent. While it states it is as two man tent, I figure it is more like a "one man plus his gear" tent.
The next thing on my list was a way to cook if a fire was not possible or practical. I saw the Timber Creek stove for $20 so I picked it up. I also picked up a bottle of propane for it as well.
I thought about getting a mess kit but I thought that I would wait on that (PapaKilo plans on cleaning out his gear and he told me that he would give me some of his older stuff he does not want) and get a cheap cookware set instead. I got a Timber Creek branded one similar to this sans the bowls and a little lower quality. Oh, mine is black instead of blue.
Before I left the store, I realized that I did not have the "footprint" (ground cloth/tarp) for my tent. Usually manufacturers sell the footprint separately, but I could not find one for this model so I picked up a 6x8 poly tarp instead. It would have been nice to find a construction site with so leftover Tyvex (I have read that Tyvex makes great footprint material) but that was not an option, although I will try to keep that option open in the future.
So after looking at what I have already, I think I am ready for a solo trip out.
Camping in January, anyone?
Camping Crazy
When I was a child, my parents took us camping frequently during the summer. Being poor, camping was our vacation and I knew no other until I moved to NC when I turned 24. I stopped camping when I became an adult with the exception of one time with my then girlfriend (who now just happens to be my wife) back in 1994.
Last spring the guys at church decided to camp out on some land owned by one of the guys in-laws. "The Farm" as it is know, is used mostly for weekend getaways (it has a nice cabin on several acres of land) and is far enough out that you do not hear any traffic and there is no glare from city lights.
I enjoyed the time spent with the guys and it gave me the itch to go out again. I really enjoy the outdoors but my wife is not so fond of the idea. That first time while we were dating was enough for her. My friend PapaKilo had e-mailed me a few times about trying to get together for a weekend of camping but we could never get our schedules to mesh. However, in mid October we both had a free weekend so we planned a trip out. PK has a lot of gear so he told me only to concern myself with a sleeping bag and my personal food/toiletries and that he could provide the rest. So with that in mind, he packed up his truck with a good but of gear and we headed out to Eisenhower State Park, on the Texas-Oklahoma border on Lake Texhoma. I had a great time. The tent he brought was a little breezy for my tastes (I later learned that PK, and experienced camper, did not like it much either) but I managed nonetheless. My cheap Wal-Mart sleeping bag that I had owned for several years was warm enough for the 45 degree nights while sleeping in just my underwear and a tee-shirt. I had a couple of changes of clothing (long sleeves, spare socks, underwear, and jeans) as well as a jacket but not much of that was really needed.
PK and I spent a large part of that trip thinking about camping with less and possibly even backpacking in someplace to spend a few nights. The thought was appealing. While I like to camp, I am not one to take more than I really need, although I do like to be prepared. The thought of spending a couple of nights in a small, light tent in a sleeping bag with just a mess kit to cook/eat out of, a multi-tool, an axe, MRE's or dehy food really sounded like a lot of fun. It was then I began to start looking at "minimalist" camping and what I found was pretty incredible. I know that one can survive with very few supplies in the bush but the lengths minimalist campers go to is really amazing. I read of one guy who got his pack down to about 15 lbs, that included shelter and water. I had no plans to go that far, but it did give me ideas on how I could camp and take less.
The week before Christmas, PK and I, along with his 10 year old grandson decided to head back to ESP (Eisenhower State Park) for the weekend. The weather forecast was for clear skies (no rain) with highs in the mid 40's and lows in the low 30's. PK asked me to bring my tent this time (a cheap "5-6 man" tent from Target...which really sleeps three people comfortably) and he would provide the rest. PK packed a bit lighter this time to allow for his grandson's gear and a little more wood since the weather would be cold, but he still packed quite a bit of stuff.
Knowing my sleeping bag was not really rated for those cold temps, I went to Wal-mart and bought a fleece sleeping bag to use as a liner for mine. I was glad I did. That along with a foam pad and a self inflating (very thin) pad kept me mostly comfortable.
PK liked my tent with one exception. The zippers tend to get stuck in the weather guard over it. It caused a few issues getting in and out of the tent but all ended well.
We arrived after the sun was down so we had to set up camp in the dark. PK and I set up the tent while his grandson looked for tinder and kindling. Once the tent was set up, I started working on a fire while PK and his son unloaded the truck. It was not too long until we were able to enjoy a cup of hot cocoa by a roaring fire.
That trip went very well. We had MRE's for lunch one day and brats for lunch the next. For dinner we had steaks and campfire potatoes. Breakfast is almost always instant oatmeal and dried fruit with coffee. While camping, I like to keep my meals pretty simple, but if you are out with a group, having a large meal at night is very nice.
The only real issue that came up during that trip was at approx 3 AM the last morning we were there, an SUV pulled into the park (we were the only ones in this section) and started making a lot of noise. It was also at this time I had to go take a leak (I am not sure what it is with me and needing to take a leak at 3 AM every morning) and realized it was really cold. I had slept in thermal underwear bottoms and a long sleeve tee-shirt and was comfortable the first night, but at that moment I was cold! There were still embers in the fire pit so I got close to get warmer and then jumped back in the sleeping bag. When I finally got out of bed at 7:00 AM, I noticed that the entire camp was covered in a thick layer of frost. One of the water bottles we had left out had about .5 inches of ice on top. It obviously got below freezing. Later on I found out that it was 25 degrees at ESP that night.
Last spring the guys at church decided to camp out on some land owned by one of the guys in-laws. "The Farm" as it is know, is used mostly for weekend getaways (it has a nice cabin on several acres of land) and is far enough out that you do not hear any traffic and there is no glare from city lights.
I enjoyed the time spent with the guys and it gave me the itch to go out again. I really enjoy the outdoors but my wife is not so fond of the idea. That first time while we were dating was enough for her. My friend PapaKilo had e-mailed me a few times about trying to get together for a weekend of camping but we could never get our schedules to mesh. However, in mid October we both had a free weekend so we planned a trip out. PK has a lot of gear so he told me only to concern myself with a sleeping bag and my personal food/toiletries and that he could provide the rest. So with that in mind, he packed up his truck with a good but of gear and we headed out to Eisenhower State Park, on the Texas-Oklahoma border on Lake Texhoma. I had a great time. The tent he brought was a little breezy for my tastes (I later learned that PK, and experienced camper, did not like it much either) but I managed nonetheless. My cheap Wal-Mart sleeping bag that I had owned for several years was warm enough for the 45 degree nights while sleeping in just my underwear and a tee-shirt. I had a couple of changes of clothing (long sleeves, spare socks, underwear, and jeans) as well as a jacket but not much of that was really needed.
PK and I spent a large part of that trip thinking about camping with less and possibly even backpacking in someplace to spend a few nights. The thought was appealing. While I like to camp, I am not one to take more than I really need, although I do like to be prepared. The thought of spending a couple of nights in a small, light tent in a sleeping bag with just a mess kit to cook/eat out of, a multi-tool, an axe, MRE's or dehy food really sounded like a lot of fun. It was then I began to start looking at "minimalist" camping and what I found was pretty incredible. I know that one can survive with very few supplies in the bush but the lengths minimalist campers go to is really amazing. I read of one guy who got his pack down to about 15 lbs, that included shelter and water. I had no plans to go that far, but it did give me ideas on how I could camp and take less.
The week before Christmas, PK and I, along with his 10 year old grandson decided to head back to ESP (Eisenhower State Park) for the weekend. The weather forecast was for clear skies (no rain) with highs in the mid 40's and lows in the low 30's. PK asked me to bring my tent this time (a cheap "5-6 man" tent from Target...which really sleeps three people comfortably) and he would provide the rest. PK packed a bit lighter this time to allow for his grandson's gear and a little more wood since the weather would be cold, but he still packed quite a bit of stuff.
Knowing my sleeping bag was not really rated for those cold temps, I went to Wal-mart and bought a fleece sleeping bag to use as a liner for mine. I was glad I did. That along with a foam pad and a self inflating (very thin) pad kept me mostly comfortable.
PK liked my tent with one exception. The zippers tend to get stuck in the weather guard over it. It caused a few issues getting in and out of the tent but all ended well.
We arrived after the sun was down so we had to set up camp in the dark. PK and I set up the tent while his grandson looked for tinder and kindling. Once the tent was set up, I started working on a fire while PK and his son unloaded the truck. It was not too long until we were able to enjoy a cup of hot cocoa by a roaring fire.
That trip went very well. We had MRE's for lunch one day and brats for lunch the next. For dinner we had steaks and campfire potatoes. Breakfast is almost always instant oatmeal and dried fruit with coffee. While camping, I like to keep my meals pretty simple, but if you are out with a group, having a large meal at night is very nice.
The only real issue that came up during that trip was at approx 3 AM the last morning we were there, an SUV pulled into the park (we were the only ones in this section) and started making a lot of noise. It was also at this time I had to go take a leak (I am not sure what it is with me and needing to take a leak at 3 AM every morning) and realized it was really cold. I had slept in thermal underwear bottoms and a long sleeve tee-shirt and was comfortable the first night, but at that moment I was cold! There were still embers in the fire pit so I got close to get warmer and then jumped back in the sleeping bag. When I finally got out of bed at 7:00 AM, I noticed that the entire camp was covered in a thick layer of frost. One of the water bottles we had left out had about .5 inches of ice on top. It obviously got below freezing. Later on I found out that it was 25 degrees at ESP that night.
Of Texas And Snow
As the year 2009 is coming to an end, we have had (to my knowledge) three snowfalls this year in the North Central Texas area. None have been significant. All have come over the past three months.
The first was just snow spittle and did not accumulate at all. The second came on Christmas Eve and totaled about one inch. It stayed until the next day when it began to melt some. It was completely gone by the 27th.
The third came yesterday and was the most beautiful on of all. It started as rain and slowly changed into medium sized flakes. It had accumulated to about an inch or so before I went to bed that night. I was hoping to get a picture but decided to wait until the next morning. Bad decision. This is all that is left of our snow:
Yessirree folk, the snow melted overnight as temps stayed in the upper 30's. It is forecast for a high of 50 degrees today and in the mid 40's the rest of the week. with lows in the mid 30's.
This is how North Central Texas gets snow. My wife, not liking cold weather, loves it. Me? I miss the WV snows of my youth of which, by the way, revisited as my mom reports the last snowfall was 15 inches. Nice.
The first was just snow spittle and did not accumulate at all. The second came on Christmas Eve and totaled about one inch. It stayed until the next day when it began to melt some. It was completely gone by the 27th.
The third came yesterday and was the most beautiful on of all. It started as rain and slowly changed into medium sized flakes. It had accumulated to about an inch or so before I went to bed that night. I was hoping to get a picture but decided to wait until the next morning. Bad decision. This is all that is left of our snow:
Yessirree folk, the snow melted overnight as temps stayed in the upper 30's. It is forecast for a high of 50 degrees today and in the mid 40's the rest of the week. with lows in the mid 30's.
This is how North Central Texas gets snow. My wife, not liking cold weather, loves it. Me? I miss the WV snows of my youth of which, by the way, revisited as my mom reports the last snowfall was 15 inches. Nice.
Monday, November 02, 2009
Busy Weekend
I start this missive off after a long and busy weekend, with a long week ahead of me (I am on call and we are starting a new pilot at work that should increase work three fold). It has been a rewarding weekend in many aspects, disappointing in others, but above all...GOD IS GOOD.
I got up as I normally do on Saturday and went out to place a few fliers in the neighborhood bordering the last known sighting of New Dog. I also did some geocache maintenance on two of my caches while I was out. It was a long time coming...one was missing and the other had a nasty log book that needed replacing.
As I was I did not spot New Dog, but to be honest, I did not expect to. I hope she is okay. I am sure she is hungry and prolly a little scared but I do have faith that we shall see her again. I sent e-mails out to friends, posted a note on the geocaching web forums, and even posted a note on Craigslist. We are trying. The only thing w are not doing is staying up and constantly driving the area looking for her. This is a big area with a lot large greenbelt that borders private property and the chances of finding her on our own (especially since we don't know where she is) is slim. But I know all things work towards the Glory of God, so I am going to keep praying.
While I was out I snagged one new geocache placed by my geobuddy Wayne. It was his first attempt and a geocache and he did a pretty good job. I suspect it will get muggled when the weather gets nicer but you never know...I have been fooled before.
After an hour or so of being out I came back to the house to get ready to go over to the church to help set up for our "Friends Day" celebration on Sunday. I helped set up some tables and chairs and actually fixed a couple of broken ones (with some help from a couple of other brothers) so we would have enough seating. I ended up leaving about 11:00 AM and came home to vacuum the house. I pulled a lot of New Dog's fur out of the carpet and that made me a little misty eyed, but it is all good. I pulled myself together and finished my task.
After vacuuming I washed a sink full of dishes and ate lunch. I had a little time left so I went to Home Depot and bought some winterized for the lawn. I got back and applied it to both ours and our neighbor's yard before going inside and getting another shower. We had a visitation/viewing at a funeral home in Dallas (on of all nights, Halloween) for a newer member of our church who succumbed to pancreatic cancer. He was younger than me, with a wife and two kids. I hurt for them.
After the viewing my wife and I went out to have a cup of coffee and chatted. We cam home, changed clothes and walked the dog before heading to bed.
The next morning we were going through our normal routine getting ready for church, with the addition of getting things for the "Friends Day" celebration and my wife getting ready early to go pick up a couple of single moms who have been attending church. Between the two of them, they have 10 kids and a van that seats seven or eight, so my wife goes to pick them up for church and Sunday School. The women are sisters and they both have said that the love our church has shown them has touched them deeply. Praise God!
Church went well. We had a lot of visitors and we were please at the way the day turned out. We stuck around long enough to eat, chat, minister and help clean up some before we left. We still had care group that night (I told you I was busy) and we still needed to walk the dog again. And of course I still needed to make my weekly call to mom.
After all was said and done, we were in bed by 11:00 PM and asleep shortly after. I woke up before the alarm (due to the time change) and waited until it went off before I started getting ready. I am not looking forward to this week at all but I know that I can manage because God never gives us more than we can handle. I sometimes wonder about that because I don't feel very strong sometimes, especially when things are mounting. Sometimes it seems we have so much to do and so little time to do it in, but then again I have to wonder how important some of the things we do really are.
Thanx for all the prayers for us and our New Dog. It means a lot. Keep praying and when I get some news I will make sure to post it.
I got up as I normally do on Saturday and went out to place a few fliers in the neighborhood bordering the last known sighting of New Dog. I also did some geocache maintenance on two of my caches while I was out. It was a long time coming...one was missing and the other had a nasty log book that needed replacing.
As I was I did not spot New Dog, but to be honest, I did not expect to. I hope she is okay. I am sure she is hungry and prolly a little scared but I do have faith that we shall see her again. I sent e-mails out to friends, posted a note on the geocaching web forums, and even posted a note on Craigslist. We are trying. The only thing w are not doing is staying up and constantly driving the area looking for her. This is a big area with a lot large greenbelt that borders private property and the chances of finding her on our own (especially since we don't know where she is) is slim. But I know all things work towards the Glory of God, so I am going to keep praying.
While I was out I snagged one new geocache placed by my geobuddy Wayne. It was his first attempt and a geocache and he did a pretty good job. I suspect it will get muggled when the weather gets nicer but you never know...I have been fooled before.
After an hour or so of being out I came back to the house to get ready to go over to the church to help set up for our "Friends Day" celebration on Sunday. I helped set up some tables and chairs and actually fixed a couple of broken ones (with some help from a couple of other brothers) so we would have enough seating. I ended up leaving about 11:00 AM and came home to vacuum the house. I pulled a lot of New Dog's fur out of the carpet and that made me a little misty eyed, but it is all good. I pulled myself together and finished my task.
After vacuuming I washed a sink full of dishes and ate lunch. I had a little time left so I went to Home Depot and bought some winterized for the lawn. I got back and applied it to both ours and our neighbor's yard before going inside and getting another shower. We had a visitation/viewing at a funeral home in Dallas (on of all nights, Halloween) for a newer member of our church who succumbed to pancreatic cancer. He was younger than me, with a wife and two kids. I hurt for them.
After the viewing my wife and I went out to have a cup of coffee and chatted. We cam home, changed clothes and walked the dog before heading to bed.
The next morning we were going through our normal routine getting ready for church, with the addition of getting things for the "Friends Day" celebration and my wife getting ready early to go pick up a couple of single moms who have been attending church. Between the two of them, they have 10 kids and a van that seats seven or eight, so my wife goes to pick them up for church and Sunday School. The women are sisters and they both have said that the love our church has shown them has touched them deeply. Praise God!
Church went well. We had a lot of visitors and we were please at the way the day turned out. We stuck around long enough to eat, chat, minister and help clean up some before we left. We still had care group that night (I told you I was busy) and we still needed to walk the dog again. And of course I still needed to make my weekly call to mom.
After all was said and done, we were in bed by 11:00 PM and asleep shortly after. I woke up before the alarm (due to the time change) and waited until it went off before I started getting ready. I am not looking forward to this week at all but I know that I can manage because God never gives us more than we can handle. I sometimes wonder about that because I don't feel very strong sometimes, especially when things are mounting. Sometimes it seems we have so much to do and so little time to do it in, but then again I have to wonder how important some of the things we do really are.
Thanx for all the prayers for us and our New Dog. It means a lot. Keep praying and when I get some news I will make sure to post it.
Friday, October 30, 2009
Still Heartbroken
New dog is still missing. I went to the park this morning before I got ready for work to see if I could find her. I pulled into the parking lot and got out. It was still very dark at 5 AM so I had a flashlight with me. I spotted something reflecting 100 feet away. It was a pair of dog eyes. I called out to the dog as if it was New Dog but this dog barked. A lot. I was not so sure this was our dog but I kept calling. I called my wife (who had been up since 2 AM...she is so upset over this) and she ran over and immediately told me it was not our dog. I have pretty bad night vision so I was not sure.
After that I walked the park calling out for New Dog but I did not spot her anywhere. Some of the dog food we set out was eaten but we are not sure if it was New Dog or some other critter. It was mostly gone but some was left, which is a New Dog thing to do.
Right about lunch time my wife called me and told be that the rescue organization who had New Dog before we did sometimes has to tranq dogs when the are hard/impossible to catch. I gave my blessing on that and my wife agreed but she said she has a bad feeling we are not going to see New Dog ever again. I don't really think that is the case. What I think will happen is that we will never be able to catch her but see her all the time. One thing for sure is that if someone ever catches her, she will try to escape and since she has been spayed, she is not good for making puppies any more.
We have run into a lot of people who have spotted her but none who have been able to catch her. One man said his daughter, who is sort of a Doctor Doolittle with dogs, was unable get her to come very close. He said that has never happened before.
I am still pretty emotionally drained, which is making me tired and a touch depressed. I am on call next week so I will be on pins and needles for that...a nice addition to this issue.
And what really is amazing is that we have all kinds of other issues going on as well. Some with family, some with work...a lot with church. I feel so overwhelmed I am not sure I can take any more. I know that God never gives us more than we can handle so I am secure that I will make it but the pressure seems so intense.
I also need to go to the park after work and put up a few flyers there. Hopefully some one will see her.
Well, I plan on going over to the park tomorrow morning when it gets light to see if New Dog is there. I doubt that she will be...I think she has moved on to another neighborhood and finding her on our own will be pretty difficult. I still plan on putting up some flyers in nearby neighborhoods but the best chance is for the animal control to find her and hopefully they will call. My wife has dropped off a flyer to them both.
We are still praying for New Dog to come home. We miss her so much.
After that I walked the park calling out for New Dog but I did not spot her anywhere. Some of the dog food we set out was eaten but we are not sure if it was New Dog or some other critter. It was mostly gone but some was left, which is a New Dog thing to do.
Right about lunch time my wife called me and told be that the rescue organization who had New Dog before we did sometimes has to tranq dogs when the are hard/impossible to catch. I gave my blessing on that and my wife agreed but she said she has a bad feeling we are not going to see New Dog ever again. I don't really think that is the case. What I think will happen is that we will never be able to catch her but see her all the time. One thing for sure is that if someone ever catches her, she will try to escape and since she has been spayed, she is not good for making puppies any more.
We have run into a lot of people who have spotted her but none who have been able to catch her. One man said his daughter, who is sort of a Doctor Doolittle with dogs, was unable get her to come very close. He said that has never happened before.
I am still pretty emotionally drained, which is making me tired and a touch depressed. I am on call next week so I will be on pins and needles for that...a nice addition to this issue.
And what really is amazing is that we have all kinds of other issues going on as well. Some with family, some with work...a lot with church. I feel so overwhelmed I am not sure I can take any more. I know that God never gives us more than we can handle so I am secure that I will make it but the pressure seems so intense.
I also need to go to the park after work and put up a few flyers there. Hopefully some one will see her.
Well, I plan on going over to the park tomorrow morning when it gets light to see if New Dog is there. I doubt that she will be...I think she has moved on to another neighborhood and finding her on our own will be pretty difficult. I still plan on putting up some flyers in nearby neighborhoods but the best chance is for the animal control to find her and hopefully they will call. My wife has dropped off a flyer to them both.
We are still praying for New Dog to come home. We miss her so much.
Thursday, October 29, 2009
Owner of a Broken Heart
That statement describes both me and my wife...New Dog escaped and has been missing for 48 hours.
Tuesday night after prayer, my wife and I went our separate ways. She had errands to run and I came home to take care of the dogs. My wife called and asked me to walk both dogs since she would not be home until late, so I agreed. Knowing that New Dog was not an easy dog to walk, I decided to walk The Golden first. I got the leash and poop bag and hooked up The Golden, I unlatched the door and opened it just a bit and New Dog ran out. She stopped in the yard for just a second then ran down the block. She stopped again and did her business and I almost got to her when she took off again. I saw her go down the street so I took The Golden back in side and ran after New Dog. I spotted her at the end of the block so I cut over to cut her off. She ducked into a yard and through an open gate. I circled around but lost sight of her. I called but I did not see her. I talked to a lady who lived near where New Dog cut through the open fence and she said she would be on the lookout for her. Later on I found out that lady actually went out on foot to help.
I went back to the house and got The Golden, hoping she would attract New Dog back to me. We went down the alley and cut through some trees into the pocket park and spotted New Dog. New dog spotted me and ran. That was the last that I saw her. My wife and I drove up and down the alleys of our neighborhood but never spotted her.
The next morning (Wednesda) I got up and went to the park to see if I could spot her. As I was heading towards the trees, something bigger than a Raccoon took off before I could get a look. It was still dark and I did not have my flashlight pointed in the direction of the noise. All I saw was a branch moving, but I heard whatever it was. You don't hear rabbits and most other small game is rather quiet. New Dog is lightning quick so I think it was her, but I cannot be sure.
I made up some fliers and put them up in the neighborhood. My wife called just about every agency she could think of as well as put the story on one of the missing pet web sites. Later that night we went out again but did not see her at all. We were beginning to lose hope.
On Thurdsay, I had to go into the office to work so my wife stayed home and manned the phones. About 1:30 or 2 PM, she got a call from the animal shelter saying that they spotted our dog on their grounds but were unable to catch her. The animal shelter is just a few blocks from our house and just across the street from the park where I spotted her. According to the shelter, New Dog had crossed the street from other park which is just across the street from the pocket park. Think of a large "+". This is the cross street area near our house. The upper left is the animal shelter, the upper right is the large park, and the lower right is the pocket park. (we would be just to the right of that). The lower left is a gas station that is pretty busy.
My wife arrives and animal control says the dog is in the field just north of the animal shelter. That is private property but the owner has been alerted so he is cool with my wife being there. My wife calls out to New Dog and she sees her! We know New Dog is alive and appears to be unharmed. The bad news is she still is avoiding my wife. My wife said it was not a run away of fear, but almost like a game of chase. New Dog crossed the field and ran behind a wooded area. My wife lost sight of her but animal control told her that New Dog follows the road and found the bridge to cross a creek that separated the field from a small subdivision. It was here that both animal control and my wife lost sight of the dog. After work I met my wife there and we looked as well as put up some signs. We were both hungry so we went to a local BBQ joint and "pigged" out, trying to regain some energy. We went to the big park across the street from the animal shelter with some of her food to try to see if we could get her attention. When we could not spot her, we left the food in areas where people might see her.
The animal shelter thinks that New Dog spent the night in the big park. I think that maybe she spent the night in the pocket park. I hope she finds the food we left her.
This will be the third night that she has been out. We know she was okay when my wife spotted her and that is a big relief. I hope we can get her back home soon. I miss the hairy beast.
Please pray that New Dog will stay safe even if we cannot catch her right away.
Tuesday night after prayer, my wife and I went our separate ways. She had errands to run and I came home to take care of the dogs. My wife called and asked me to walk both dogs since she would not be home until late, so I agreed. Knowing that New Dog was not an easy dog to walk, I decided to walk The Golden first. I got the leash and poop bag and hooked up The Golden, I unlatched the door and opened it just a bit and New Dog ran out. She stopped in the yard for just a second then ran down the block. She stopped again and did her business and I almost got to her when she took off again. I saw her go down the street so I took The Golden back in side and ran after New Dog. I spotted her at the end of the block so I cut over to cut her off. She ducked into a yard and through an open gate. I circled around but lost sight of her. I called but I did not see her. I talked to a lady who lived near where New Dog cut through the open fence and she said she would be on the lookout for her. Later on I found out that lady actually went out on foot to help.
I went back to the house and got The Golden, hoping she would attract New Dog back to me. We went down the alley and cut through some trees into the pocket park and spotted New Dog. New dog spotted me and ran. That was the last that I saw her. My wife and I drove up and down the alleys of our neighborhood but never spotted her.
The next morning (Wednesda) I got up and went to the park to see if I could spot her. As I was heading towards the trees, something bigger than a Raccoon took off before I could get a look. It was still dark and I did not have my flashlight pointed in the direction of the noise. All I saw was a branch moving, but I heard whatever it was. You don't hear rabbits and most other small game is rather quiet. New Dog is lightning quick so I think it was her, but I cannot be sure.
I made up some fliers and put them up in the neighborhood. My wife called just about every agency she could think of as well as put the story on one of the missing pet web sites. Later that night we went out again but did not see her at all. We were beginning to lose hope.
On Thurdsay, I had to go into the office to work so my wife stayed home and manned the phones. About 1:30 or 2 PM, she got a call from the animal shelter saying that they spotted our dog on their grounds but were unable to catch her. The animal shelter is just a few blocks from our house and just across the street from the park where I spotted her. According to the shelter, New Dog had crossed the street from other park which is just across the street from the pocket park. Think of a large "+". This is the cross street area near our house. The upper left is the animal shelter, the upper right is the large park, and the lower right is the pocket park. (we would be just to the right of that). The lower left is a gas station that is pretty busy.
My wife arrives and animal control says the dog is in the field just north of the animal shelter. That is private property but the owner has been alerted so he is cool with my wife being there. My wife calls out to New Dog and she sees her! We know New Dog is alive and appears to be unharmed. The bad news is she still is avoiding my wife. My wife said it was not a run away of fear, but almost like a game of chase. New Dog crossed the field and ran behind a wooded area. My wife lost sight of her but animal control told her that New Dog follows the road and found the bridge to cross a creek that separated the field from a small subdivision. It was here that both animal control and my wife lost sight of the dog. After work I met my wife there and we looked as well as put up some signs. We were both hungry so we went to a local BBQ joint and "pigged" out, trying to regain some energy. We went to the big park across the street from the animal shelter with some of her food to try to see if we could get her attention. When we could not spot her, we left the food in areas where people might see her.
The animal shelter thinks that New Dog spent the night in the big park. I think that maybe she spent the night in the pocket park. I hope she finds the food we left her.
This will be the third night that she has been out. We know she was okay when my wife spotted her and that is a big relief. I hope we can get her back home soon. I miss the hairy beast.
Please pray that New Dog will stay safe even if we cannot catch her right away.
Friday, October 16, 2009
What Have We Gotten Ourselves Into
If you know us, you know we love dogs. We had Little Man (one of his many nicknames) for five years or so before we got The Golden. The two lived with us for 10 years before we had to let Little Man go. While we took great care of him, he had advanced renal failure. That, plus his severe allergies made him miserable.
We then were down to just one dog, The Golden for nine months or so until yesterday. While we had been talking about it for a few weeks, yesterday my wife adopted a dog from the humane society. It is a three year old Golden that was used in a puppy mill. She is adorable but she is very skittish. She tries to hide every time she gets the chance but she does not tremble nor does she cower when we pet her. So far we all like her, including our other dog, whom I simply call "The Golden". The Golden tolerates the new dog, mostly because New Dog does not challenge The Golden for Alpha-hood. But also she senses that New Dog is broken. Her spirit is just not there.
She needs a lot of work to get her to a point where she can function normally in a household. She reminds me of a character I read about in a fantasy novel, "The Guardians of the Flame". In that series of books, a warrior takes it upon himself to liberate every slave he finds. One, a dwarf whom was a slave to a very cruel man and has had his spirit completely broken, takes years to return to a "normal" life but even then he still slips into "broken mode" around those who freed him.
New Dog is like this dwarf in that she is broken and it will take a long time (if ever) to get her acting like a dog again. How people can treat animals this way is just something I do not understand.
Anyhooo, pray for us. I have a short fuse and it takes daily prayer just to keep it at the level it is now. Adding this to the mix is only going to test my mettle even more. God can do anything and I need him to help me be loving around this poor broken critter.
Just one thing to add. Even though my wife adopted this dog and she is more of a dog lover than I am, New Dog licked my hand and not my wife's. Maybe I am not such a bad guy after all.
Keep us in prayer. Pictures to follow. Sometime.
We then were down to just one dog, The Golden for nine months or so until yesterday. While we had been talking about it for a few weeks, yesterday my wife adopted a dog from the humane society. It is a three year old Golden that was used in a puppy mill. She is adorable but she is very skittish. She tries to hide every time she gets the chance but she does not tremble nor does she cower when we pet her. So far we all like her, including our other dog, whom I simply call "The Golden". The Golden tolerates the new dog, mostly because New Dog does not challenge The Golden for Alpha-hood. But also she senses that New Dog is broken. Her spirit is just not there.
She needs a lot of work to get her to a point where she can function normally in a household. She reminds me of a character I read about in a fantasy novel, "The Guardians of the Flame". In that series of books, a warrior takes it upon himself to liberate every slave he finds. One, a dwarf whom was a slave to a very cruel man and has had his spirit completely broken, takes years to return to a "normal" life but even then he still slips into "broken mode" around those who freed him.
New Dog is like this dwarf in that she is broken and it will take a long time (if ever) to get her acting like a dog again. How people can treat animals this way is just something I do not understand.
Anyhooo, pray for us. I have a short fuse and it takes daily prayer just to keep it at the level it is now. Adding this to the mix is only going to test my mettle even more. God can do anything and I need him to help me be loving around this poor broken critter.
Just one thing to add. Even though my wife adopted this dog and she is more of a dog lover than I am, New Dog licked my hand and not my wife's. Maybe I am not such a bad guy after all.
Keep us in prayer. Pictures to follow. Sometime.
Wednesday, September 30, 2009
End Of Summer Adventures
My wife and I returned last Sunday from a week in sunny Florida. This was the trip that we had to postpone due to my wife's surgery in April. It had been a while since we were in Florida that late in the year but overall I think it was a pretty good time to go. It was far from crowded and most of the restaurants were still open to tourists like ourselves.
We started off our trip on Friday. We drove to Meridian, MS to spend the night in a newly opened Drury Inn. If you have not stayed in one, don't laugh at the name. They are a mid tier franchise that is pet friendly. That is one of the primary reasons we keep going back.
When we arrived, it was raining. Texas had been soggy for a couple of weeks and we were hoping to move out of the rainy area for a while. Well, I guess we brought some of the rain with us so we did not go out that night. I had hoped to do a little geocaching then but that was not in the cards. I had to wait until the next morning (not really having enough time do do any "serious" caching since we had to check out at 11:00 AM and it was not light out until 7:30 AM, and we still needed to eat, get cleaned up and pack up the van) to do my caching and while it was not an expedition like I am used to, I did manage to get several before we left.
We hit the road around 10:30 or so and made pretty good time to the beach house in Cape San Blas. We had used this house last year and mostly liked it. A couple of downers were no Internet or mobile phone service and some maintenance issues (broken patio door and the overall cleanliness of the place) but those were mostly fixed this year. The owner now has wireless broadband and he fixed the broken patio door handle. The house in places was still not as clean as we would like, but overall it was better than last time.
One of the first things we noticed when we pulled in was a lot of standing water by the main road (SR-30E) and at the end of the cul de sac on which the house resides. The boardwalk was cut off from the homes by a large (make that huge) and deep pool of standing water. There were two sump pumps running 24x7 to pump the water out of the low spots but they had been running for over a week and the water never seemed to go down. We later learned that the last named storm that came through the area dumped a ton of water and it had yet to dissipate.
We got out of the van and were immediately attacked by swarms of mosquitoes. We were not pleased and wondered if our vacation was going to be ruined. Flooding, mosquitoes, and a long drive to pretty much any food, store or attraction did not sit well with us. My wife was visibly upset.
We were both tired and after we unpacked and made a well meaning, but futile attempt at getting to the beach, we turned in for hopefully a good night's sleep.
We awoke the next morning and I took our dog out to do her thing (after I slathered all natural bug juice on me). I walked over to the next cul de sac via the secondary boardwalk and noticed that it was flooded as well. I also noticed that the empty lot next to that cul de sac had not been improved upon since we were here 18 months ago. A local informed me that the developers went bankrupt and the bank has been looking for buyers for a long time. Not only did they go bankrupt, but the developers also had most of the tress cut down (some were not even theirs, but other property owners) removing a natural wind break that contributed to the damage from the last storm. The boardwalk that the developers were supposed to build that allowed access to the beach was never built so with this new flooding, everyone suffered with no quick way to the beach.
After speaking to a couple of locals and getting the low down on things (including the location of public access that was not flooded just about a mile away) I went back in the house to grab some breakfast. I filled my wife in on my findings and after breakfast we headed down to the public access.
We we arrived (with our dog), we noticed the park area was flooded as well...actually pretty bad. I have some pics I can post when I get more time. We were beginning to think that the locals were wrong about the access here but then I spotted a path leading to another part of the park and some additional parking and that area was 90% clear. We headed over and found that we could get to the beach from this location. Problem solved. While not ideal, it would work for a week.
Now that we had a way to the beach, we used that every morning and every evening to take 2-3 mile walks each time. Our dog (an older Golden Retriever mix) joined us about half the time. We would have taken her more but the walks were hard on her and the sand burrs were plentiful.
Each day my wife and I would pick a direction and drive to some small town to eat lunch and see the sights. The old coast has a lot of them to chose from and we decided to go to the closest ones on this trip. Things did not always go as planned but we did have a pretty good time and I was able to do some geocaching on our outings.
Our outings included trips to Apalachicola (known as Apalach to the locals), Port St. Joe, Wewahitchka (known as Wewa to the locals), St. George Island (known as SGI to the locals), and Carrabelle. Out of the six trips to little towns, we ended up eating in Apalach four times. The food there is really good. Wewa did not have much and neither did Carrabelle. SGI may have had some places that were okay but on that day we had decided to eat in Apalach so we did not look. Overall we had seafood for lunch each day and we cooked dinner that evening at home. It helped on the budget to do that.
By the time we left the beach to return home to Texas, the water had gone down enough that we could walk to the boardwalk from the rental but the water on the other side of the dunes was still forming a swamp so we could not take that route in concern for snakes.
Our trip back to Texas was uneventful. The rain followed us to MS again so that evening was a soggy mess. I did manage to get out the next morning to geocache a little, but I only got three. Once we hit the road it was smooth sailing all the way back to Dallas.
I took some pics, many which are on my Facebook page and a few I may post here. We enjoyed the stay despite the fact that the ground was soggy and flooded in places. It was not the best vacation, but it was not bad. Like all vacations, it went by too quickly but at least when I went back to work I was not on call. That pleasure comes next week.
We started off our trip on Friday. We drove to Meridian, MS to spend the night in a newly opened Drury Inn. If you have not stayed in one, don't laugh at the name. They are a mid tier franchise that is pet friendly. That is one of the primary reasons we keep going back.
When we arrived, it was raining. Texas had been soggy for a couple of weeks and we were hoping to move out of the rainy area for a while. Well, I guess we brought some of the rain with us so we did not go out that night. I had hoped to do a little geocaching then but that was not in the cards. I had to wait until the next morning (not really having enough time do do any "serious" caching since we had to check out at 11:00 AM and it was not light out until 7:30 AM, and we still needed to eat, get cleaned up and pack up the van) to do my caching and while it was not an expedition like I am used to, I did manage to get several before we left.
We hit the road around 10:30 or so and made pretty good time to the beach house in Cape San Blas. We had used this house last year and mostly liked it. A couple of downers were no Internet or mobile phone service and some maintenance issues (broken patio door and the overall cleanliness of the place) but those were mostly fixed this year. The owner now has wireless broadband and he fixed the broken patio door handle. The house in places was still not as clean as we would like, but overall it was better than last time.
One of the first things we noticed when we pulled in was a lot of standing water by the main road (SR-30E) and at the end of the cul de sac on which the house resides. The boardwalk was cut off from the homes by a large (make that huge) and deep pool of standing water. There were two sump pumps running 24x7 to pump the water out of the low spots but they had been running for over a week and the water never seemed to go down. We later learned that the last named storm that came through the area dumped a ton of water and it had yet to dissipate.
We got out of the van and were immediately attacked by swarms of mosquitoes. We were not pleased and wondered if our vacation was going to be ruined. Flooding, mosquitoes, and a long drive to pretty much any food, store or attraction did not sit well with us. My wife was visibly upset.
We were both tired and after we unpacked and made a well meaning, but futile attempt at getting to the beach, we turned in for hopefully a good night's sleep.
We awoke the next morning and I took our dog out to do her thing (after I slathered all natural bug juice on me). I walked over to the next cul de sac via the secondary boardwalk and noticed that it was flooded as well. I also noticed that the empty lot next to that cul de sac had not been improved upon since we were here 18 months ago. A local informed me that the developers went bankrupt and the bank has been looking for buyers for a long time. Not only did they go bankrupt, but the developers also had most of the tress cut down (some were not even theirs, but other property owners) removing a natural wind break that contributed to the damage from the last storm. The boardwalk that the developers were supposed to build that allowed access to the beach was never built so with this new flooding, everyone suffered with no quick way to the beach.
After speaking to a couple of locals and getting the low down on things (including the location of public access that was not flooded just about a mile away) I went back in the house to grab some breakfast. I filled my wife in on my findings and after breakfast we headed down to the public access.
We we arrived (with our dog), we noticed the park area was flooded as well...actually pretty bad. I have some pics I can post when I get more time. We were beginning to think that the locals were wrong about the access here but then I spotted a path leading to another part of the park and some additional parking and that area was 90% clear. We headed over and found that we could get to the beach from this location. Problem solved. While not ideal, it would work for a week.
Now that we had a way to the beach, we used that every morning and every evening to take 2-3 mile walks each time. Our dog (an older Golden Retriever mix) joined us about half the time. We would have taken her more but the walks were hard on her and the sand burrs were plentiful.
Each day my wife and I would pick a direction and drive to some small town to eat lunch and see the sights. The old coast has a lot of them to chose from and we decided to go to the closest ones on this trip. Things did not always go as planned but we did have a pretty good time and I was able to do some geocaching on our outings.
Our outings included trips to Apalachicola (known as Apalach to the locals), Port St. Joe, Wewahitchka (known as Wewa to the locals), St. George Island (known as SGI to the locals), and Carrabelle. Out of the six trips to little towns, we ended up eating in Apalach four times. The food there is really good. Wewa did not have much and neither did Carrabelle. SGI may have had some places that were okay but on that day we had decided to eat in Apalach so we did not look. Overall we had seafood for lunch each day and we cooked dinner that evening at home. It helped on the budget to do that.
By the time we left the beach to return home to Texas, the water had gone down enough that we could walk to the boardwalk from the rental but the water on the other side of the dunes was still forming a swamp so we could not take that route in concern for snakes.
Our trip back to Texas was uneventful. The rain followed us to MS again so that evening was a soggy mess. I did manage to get out the next morning to geocache a little, but I only got three. Once we hit the road it was smooth sailing all the way back to Dallas.
I took some pics, many which are on my Facebook page and a few I may post here. We enjoyed the stay despite the fact that the ground was soggy and flooded in places. It was not the best vacation, but it was not bad. Like all vacations, it went by too quickly but at least when I went back to work I was not on call. That pleasure comes next week.
Tuesday, September 15, 2009
Sadly, I Have Slacked Off, Yet Again.
I am not sure why I have so much trouble updating this blog on a regular basis. I normally have enough time to read news, browse Facebook, read my mail, work, be a decent husband, and keep my commitments to our church but sadly I let this blog go untouched for weeks at a time. No excuses. I am slacking off.
Time does not stand still just because my blog goes idle for extended lengths of time. My life rolls on and things continue to change all around me. I am not sure where to begin but I guess I can start with an update on the hobby I am passionate about, Geocaching. If you have been here before you know all about what Geocaching is so I will not bore you with the details. For those who are new, skip on over to www.geocaching.com and read a bit. You may find yourself a new hobby!
About a month or so ago I received an e-mail from a new geocacher having trouble with one of my harder caches. Being new, I was trying to be helpful but not give anything away. Long story short, he eventually found the 2 stage multi I own and we became friends. He and I have been out caching a couple of times and once more with one of his friends from church who was interested. Wayne (my new geocaching friend) is a Christian and has good values. His wife and mine share the same first name and we both are in the same basic age group (although he is a tad older than I am). But oddly enough, if we did not share the bond of Christ, I doubt that I would have befriended him (I can tell you right now this blog is going to rabbit trail quite a bit...I can see it coming! If you cannot stand blogs that do that, I am sorry but I have to tell this as I remember it).
You see, I have another friend, Allen, who is a geocacher and also a fellow Christian and we are much more alike when it comes to geocaching. Both Allen and I like the harder, more challenging caches. Long, strenuous hikes, river crossings, dangerous tree climbs...we live for those things. The one area where Allen and I majorly differ in our geocaching style is that he loves puzzle caches and for the most part, puzzle caches annoy the crap out of me. But I digress.
Wayne is just the opposite. Wayne is more into urban caching where the only real exercise you get is walking from your car to GZ of the cache. While he and I have gone and walked a few times (3 miles or less), he made it clear that he is not partial to those kinds of geocacaches. Nonetheless, we still have gone out and cached together (once his style and twice mine although the one of his turned out to have a 1 mile hike involved). Why? Do I love the sport so much that I overlook mine and Wayne's differences? Maybe but I want to cover that a bit later.
Our first time out together, we went to Oak Point Nature Preserve in Plano to hike the new section they just recently opened up. One of the newer cachers (NatureNed) hid several that I was just itching to try to find. The trek would cover about 3 miles on a warm August day. Wayne did not have any of the waypoints loaded in his GPSr, so he tried using his iPhone to cache. He was not overly successful but he did manage to spot the caches shortly after I did. However he made it clear that he was tired and hot and needed to get something to drink. I understood. Wayne, while close to my age, is 50 and not in the best of shape. What he lacks in stamina, he does however make up with a lot of heart.
The next time that we went out, I told Wayne that we would do some easier stuff. So since there were several new caches along a paved hiking/biking trail in our little city, I suggested that we get those. The total walk was about two miles but Wayne was not really into the actual hike. He suggested we go back a drive to the caches but I convinced him to trek on. He made it and we again stopped for cold drinks before parting ways.
I was beginning to think he and I were not really going to click but the following week Wayne called me up and invited me to his church's men's breakfast. I thought it would be a great thing to meet more Christian men so I agreed. After breakfast, Wayne stated that one of the guys who was at the breakfast was interested in Geocaching and wanted to tag along with us if we went out. I told Wayne I was game and we decided to cache in West Richardson since that was one area I had not been in yet. Scott joined Wayne and I on a short two hour caching run that netted him five geocaches. By the time we found his last one, he was getting good at spotting them. It turns out that he and the rest of his family have been bitten by the geocaching bug and are now hooked. Welcome to the insanity, Scott!
Scott had an appointment that he could not miss so we drove him back to his car and Wayne and I took off to grab a few more caches. I was getting dangerously close to a milestone of 1500 finds and I wanted it to be memorable. I had picked out one and we drove around picking up caches until we grabbed 1499, then we headed off to get number 1500.
Number 1500 turned out to be a bit of hike for Wayne (.5 mile up and .5 back...1 mile round trip) in warm weather, but he made it okay. Actually if not for him I may not have been able to get this cache as he had one very important tool that made retrieval much easier. After getting number 1500 (a 4.5/4.5 out of 5/5 hide) I dropped him off and went on my way. Now to hop on that rabbit trail.
While I like geocaching (okay, I LOVE geocaching), I doubt I would spend my timing doing it with someone I did not like UNLESS there was a greater bond. In this case Wayne and I are very different. While he is not a fan of puzzle caches (like me) he has no desire to hike or take longer walks to grab caches...something I like to do. Instead, we pair up because the bible commands us to love each other. If I were not a Christian, I would not want to be around Wayne because we are very different. However scripture tends to command us to do things that are against our nature: Love our enemies, for meant to love their wives and for wives to respect their husbands, turn away from the lure of the flesh, etc. So with that in mind, I put aside my desires and focus more on others. When Wayne wants to geocache, I ask him where he wants to go and what he is looking for in a cache. And the same goes for Wayne. While he is far from in shape, he pushed on because he was respecting me.
That is what Christianity is all about...relationships. God commands us to have peaceful relationships with others just as we have one with him.
By the way, number 1500 cache "Mollydawg's Retrieval Nightmare" was a collaborative effort. I had some things Wayne needed, he had a few things I needed, and we both worked to retrieve the cache which is well worth the difficulty level (but I feel the terrain is over rated...it really should be no more than a 3 in my opinion). He felt a degree of satisfaction knowing he was part of the process to get a 4.5/4/5 cache he (nor I) would have ever gotten alone.
Time does not stand still just because my blog goes idle for extended lengths of time. My life rolls on and things continue to change all around me. I am not sure where to begin but I guess I can start with an update on the hobby I am passionate about, Geocaching. If you have been here before you know all about what Geocaching is so I will not bore you with the details. For those who are new, skip on over to www.geocaching.com and read a bit. You may find yourself a new hobby!
About a month or so ago I received an e-mail from a new geocacher having trouble with one of my harder caches. Being new, I was trying to be helpful but not give anything away. Long story short, he eventually found the 2 stage multi I own and we became friends. He and I have been out caching a couple of times and once more with one of his friends from church who was interested. Wayne (my new geocaching friend) is a Christian and has good values. His wife and mine share the same first name and we both are in the same basic age group (although he is a tad older than I am). But oddly enough, if we did not share the bond of Christ, I doubt that I would have befriended him (I can tell you right now this blog is going to rabbit trail quite a bit...I can see it coming! If you cannot stand blogs that do that, I am sorry but I have to tell this as I remember it).
You see, I have another friend, Allen, who is a geocacher and also a fellow Christian and we are much more alike when it comes to geocaching. Both Allen and I like the harder, more challenging caches. Long, strenuous hikes, river crossings, dangerous tree climbs...we live for those things. The one area where Allen and I majorly differ in our geocaching style is that he loves puzzle caches and for the most part, puzzle caches annoy the crap out of me. But I digress.
Wayne is just the opposite. Wayne is more into urban caching where the only real exercise you get is walking from your car to GZ of the cache. While he and I have gone and walked a few times (3 miles or less), he made it clear that he is not partial to those kinds of geocacaches. Nonetheless, we still have gone out and cached together (once his style and twice mine although the one of his turned out to have a 1 mile hike involved). Why? Do I love the sport so much that I overlook mine and Wayne's differences? Maybe but I want to cover that a bit later.
Our first time out together, we went to Oak Point Nature Preserve in Plano to hike the new section they just recently opened up. One of the newer cachers (NatureNed) hid several that I was just itching to try to find. The trek would cover about 3 miles on a warm August day. Wayne did not have any of the waypoints loaded in his GPSr, so he tried using his iPhone to cache. He was not overly successful but he did manage to spot the caches shortly after I did. However he made it clear that he was tired and hot and needed to get something to drink. I understood. Wayne, while close to my age, is 50 and not in the best of shape. What he lacks in stamina, he does however make up with a lot of heart.
The next time that we went out, I told Wayne that we would do some easier stuff. So since there were several new caches along a paved hiking/biking trail in our little city, I suggested that we get those. The total walk was about two miles but Wayne was not really into the actual hike. He suggested we go back a drive to the caches but I convinced him to trek on. He made it and we again stopped for cold drinks before parting ways.
I was beginning to think he and I were not really going to click but the following week Wayne called me up and invited me to his church's men's breakfast. I thought it would be a great thing to meet more Christian men so I agreed. After breakfast, Wayne stated that one of the guys who was at the breakfast was interested in Geocaching and wanted to tag along with us if we went out. I told Wayne I was game and we decided to cache in West Richardson since that was one area I had not been in yet. Scott joined Wayne and I on a short two hour caching run that netted him five geocaches. By the time we found his last one, he was getting good at spotting them. It turns out that he and the rest of his family have been bitten by the geocaching bug and are now hooked. Welcome to the insanity, Scott!
Scott had an appointment that he could not miss so we drove him back to his car and Wayne and I took off to grab a few more caches. I was getting dangerously close to a milestone of 1500 finds and I wanted it to be memorable. I had picked out one and we drove around picking up caches until we grabbed 1499, then we headed off to get number 1500.
Number 1500 turned out to be a bit of hike for Wayne (.5 mile up and .5 back...1 mile round trip) in warm weather, but he made it okay. Actually if not for him I may not have been able to get this cache as he had one very important tool that made retrieval much easier. After getting number 1500 (a 4.5/4.5 out of 5/5 hide) I dropped him off and went on my way. Now to hop on that rabbit trail.
While I like geocaching (okay, I LOVE geocaching), I doubt I would spend my timing doing it with someone I did not like UNLESS there was a greater bond. In this case Wayne and I are very different. While he is not a fan of puzzle caches (like me) he has no desire to hike or take longer walks to grab caches...something I like to do. Instead, we pair up because the bible commands us to love each other. If I were not a Christian, I would not want to be around Wayne because we are very different. However scripture tends to command us to do things that are against our nature: Love our enemies, for meant to love their wives and for wives to respect their husbands, turn away from the lure of the flesh, etc. So with that in mind, I put aside my desires and focus more on others. When Wayne wants to geocache, I ask him where he wants to go and what he is looking for in a cache. And the same goes for Wayne. While he is far from in shape, he pushed on because he was respecting me.
That is what Christianity is all about...relationships. God commands us to have peaceful relationships with others just as we have one with him.
By the way, number 1500 cache "Mollydawg's Retrieval Nightmare" was a collaborative effort. I had some things Wayne needed, he had a few things I needed, and we both worked to retrieve the cache which is well worth the difficulty level (but I feel the terrain is over rated...it really should be no more than a 3 in my opinion). He felt a degree of satisfaction knowing he was part of the process to get a 4.5/4/5 cache he (nor I) would have ever gotten alone.
Friday, August 21, 2009
Okay, I Just Need To Vent
Or "went" as one of my Swedish co-workers would say.
Sometimes IT can be fun, like when we get new technology to play with, but much of the time it can be a real downer. It is often a thankless job trying to make an often fickle OS play nice with the network. But we do it because thanks to Bill Gates, we have steady (well, as steady as it can be nowadays...) employment.
Sometimes we get an IT request that is so absurd, you are tempted to think it is a joke. Today, that happened. This is a true story. But before I can tell it, I have to give you a little background info, first.
The company I work for has many customers. The group I work with supports just one customer, one of the largest in their industry. This company has made a habit of buying up smaller companies that has technology it wants. Once purchased, the employees are absorbed or laid off. The assimilated employees usually go through culture shock as they try to grasp the way the parent company does business. You see, since they were smaller companies, they had their own IT department, local and on site, that did everything that was requested of them. As a matter of fact out of the three companies my customer has acquired in the past three years, two of them had IT departments two to five times larger than the industry standard. Needless to say, the mgmt of those companies were used to a little more "personal" support than what is normally offered. In other words, they are spoiled.
Now that they are part of the parent company, their local IT is mostly gone. The mgmt of these smaller companies now have to call the help desk like all the other employees. This is where my story begins.
A mid level manager from one of the acquired companies calls one of his local people for help. The local guy, not having any permissions to support IT like he used to can't really do much for the manager and tells him he will have to call the help desk. The manager goes ballistic. He wants to speak to a support person *NOW* and not the help desk. The local IT guy calls the account manager and tells him he needs help. Trying to make a good impression, the account manager passes the info on to my team (the wrong group to send it to since we only deal major high severity issues) and my colleague, being the good natured guy he is, calls the mid level manager. No answer. It turns out that he is traveling and is not in the office. Now worries, my colleague calls his mobile phone. Voice mail. He tries two more times and leaves messages. A couple of hours go by and my colleague gets a call from the local IT guy. My colleague and the local IT guy chat for a while and come to find out that the mid level manager has not called the help desk at all and does not have a ticket for his request. My colleague informs the local IT (remember, the local IT guy does not work for us...he works for our customer and does not have any admin permissions to their network) he needs to open a ticket to the laptop support team and they will contact the mid level manager directly. So instead of the actual customer opening the ticket, the local IT guy opens it for him with absolutely NO usable information in the ticket. No error message, nothing. There is not even a good description of the problem. Then we get the bombshell when we read the worklog of the ticket:
Ticket says, "Do not call him directly. You will have to have tech support call me (local IT guy) and give me the number they will be calling from. I will then forward this info to the customer so he can screen the calls.". It is also noted in the ticket that the mid-level manager is not to be contacted by anyone who is not the tech who can solve the case...he does not want his time wasted.
Our customer has purchased what is known as "VIP support". It is very special, dedicated support for the CEO, VP, and high level executives. Basically it gives them a local IT guy on call 24x7. At one time, local sites would submit people to be on the VIP list and since the pricing is per VIP, a large list became rather expensive, so our customer trimmed that list back to just a little over a hundred names (mind you they have well over 50,000 employees). Most upper management is excluded from that list so there is no chance a mid-level manager would be on it. But that is what this guy is expecting.
Now don't get me wrong. I don't want to see anyone go without support, but our customer has purchased a certain level of support and processes to match and that does not include anyone who thinks they are too good to talk to a help desk person the right to demand their own personal IT staff. Heck, I work in IT and I have to call the help desk when I have issues I cannot solve or do not have permissions to solve. Would I be happier with calling a Unix or Windows admin or the network guys directly? Sure I would, but I know I have to follow the rules. So does Mister mid-level manager.
I told my boss he is darn lucky my good natured colleague got the call and not me. I would have just told the guy (as politely as possible) that we had a help desk and he should learn to use it.
Okay, I feel better. On to the next bit of insanity that is called "my job".
Sometimes IT can be fun, like when we get new technology to play with, but much of the time it can be a real downer. It is often a thankless job trying to make an often fickle OS play nice with the network. But we do it because thanks to Bill Gates, we have steady (well, as steady as it can be nowadays...) employment.
Sometimes we get an IT request that is so absurd, you are tempted to think it is a joke. Today, that happened. This is a true story. But before I can tell it, I have to give you a little background info, first.
The company I work for has many customers. The group I work with supports just one customer, one of the largest in their industry. This company has made a habit of buying up smaller companies that has technology it wants. Once purchased, the employees are absorbed or laid off. The assimilated employees usually go through culture shock as they try to grasp the way the parent company does business. You see, since they were smaller companies, they had their own IT department, local and on site, that did everything that was requested of them. As a matter of fact out of the three companies my customer has acquired in the past three years, two of them had IT departments two to five times larger than the industry standard. Needless to say, the mgmt of those companies were used to a little more "personal" support than what is normally offered. In other words, they are spoiled.
Now that they are part of the parent company, their local IT is mostly gone. The mgmt of these smaller companies now have to call the help desk like all the other employees. This is where my story begins.
A mid level manager from one of the acquired companies calls one of his local people for help. The local guy, not having any permissions to support IT like he used to can't really do much for the manager and tells him he will have to call the help desk. The manager goes ballistic. He wants to speak to a support person *NOW* and not the help desk. The local IT guy calls the account manager and tells him he needs help. Trying to make a good impression, the account manager passes the info on to my team (the wrong group to send it to since we only deal major high severity issues) and my colleague, being the good natured guy he is, calls the mid level manager. No answer. It turns out that he is traveling and is not in the office. Now worries, my colleague calls his mobile phone. Voice mail. He tries two more times and leaves messages. A couple of hours go by and my colleague gets a call from the local IT guy. My colleague and the local IT guy chat for a while and come to find out that the mid level manager has not called the help desk at all and does not have a ticket for his request. My colleague informs the local IT (remember, the local IT guy does not work for us...he works for our customer and does not have any admin permissions to their network) he needs to open a ticket to the laptop support team and they will contact the mid level manager directly. So instead of the actual customer opening the ticket, the local IT guy opens it for him with absolutely NO usable information in the ticket. No error message, nothing. There is not even a good description of the problem. Then we get the bombshell when we read the worklog of the ticket:
Ticket says, "Do not call him directly. You will have to have tech support call me (local IT guy) and give me the number they will be calling from. I will then forward this info to the customer so he can screen the calls.". It is also noted in the ticket that the mid-level manager is not to be contacted by anyone who is not the tech who can solve the case...he does not want his time wasted.
Our customer has purchased what is known as "VIP support". It is very special, dedicated support for the CEO, VP, and high level executives. Basically it gives them a local IT guy on call 24x7. At one time, local sites would submit people to be on the VIP list and since the pricing is per VIP, a large list became rather expensive, so our customer trimmed that list back to just a little over a hundred names (mind you they have well over 50,000 employees). Most upper management is excluded from that list so there is no chance a mid-level manager would be on it. But that is what this guy is expecting.
Now don't get me wrong. I don't want to see anyone go without support, but our customer has purchased a certain level of support and processes to match and that does not include anyone who thinks they are too good to talk to a help desk person the right to demand their own personal IT staff. Heck, I work in IT and I have to call the help desk when I have issues I cannot solve or do not have permissions to solve. Would I be happier with calling a Unix or Windows admin or the network guys directly? Sure I would, but I know I have to follow the rules. So does Mister mid-level manager.
I told my boss he is darn lucky my good natured colleague got the call and not me. I would have just told the guy (as politely as possible) that we had a help desk and he should learn to use it.
Okay, I feel better. On to the next bit of insanity that is called "my job".
Friday, August 14, 2009
Slacking Off Again
Has it really been over two weeks since I last made a blog entry? Wow, time sure flies when you are busy. Between church events, work, on-call, and family, I seem to be short of time lately.
This week I am on call and I must say that it has been the busiest week I have had since I have been in this role. It has even been busier than the time I was on-call during month end report closing when my TL/colleague was on vacation. THAT says a lot.
Not only has each day been busy but each night has brought on special challenges and long hours. Monday I did not get to bed until midnight. I had a church meeting to go to so my TL covered for me for a couple of hours but I took over at 9 PM and did not get to a stopping point until midnight.
I did not get to bed until midnight on Tuesday as well. On Wednesday my wife had an outpatient procedure on her leg and I was away from the office for three hours but when I came back I was incredibly busy. I was so busy that I did not get to bed until 4:30 the next morning. I was able to sleep for three hours and was up again at 7:30 AM with an emergency call. I worked it until 8:30 AM and handed it over to my TL. I asked him if I could grab a couple hours sleep and he graciously obliged. The entire time I was asleep he was busy and when I came back online at noon, I was busy all day until 9:30 PM. I was able to go to bed early and got about seven hours sleep before I got up and started my day.
Today has been calm so far...only one new issue. While it has not been resolved yet, it should be. Mind you we still have two other open issues from previous days (including the mail issue from hell that is almost a week old and counting) but the total workload and stress level has been much lower.
My only complaint that I have today is that customers tend not to follow basic instructions very well. Example - we have a customer who somehow corrupted an Excel spreadsheet and needs one pulled from backup. The restore team pulls the file and puts it on a temporary share that the customer can access. The restore team e-mails the customer and informs them that the file has been restored and where to find the copy. The customer for whatever reason does not respond to the e-mail for several hours. I step in and e-mail the customer and tell them the issue has been resolved and the details can be found in an e-mail sent to them from the backup team. All I ask is that the customer test the solution and respond to the e-mail sent to them by the backup team, CC'ing me in the process.
What does the customer do? E-mail's me directly asking me if this is the newest copy of the file and if not, can I get them the newest one. They completely disregarded the e-mail and did not follow simple instructions. I politely responded back and told them again what I needed them to do. They are doing that now. I hope.
This week has also been plagued with vast amounts of mis (or poor) communication. We (my group) has to communicate and coordinate "high severity" issues across many teams and sometimes to other IT providers (even to our competition since our customer has outsourced their IT support to multiple companies) and it amazes me that I have been getting better cooperation from a certain competitor (whose three letter acronym I will not divulge 8^) ) than I get from my own company. I have been routinely told that "it is not my group's problem" when I assign a case or request a certain team to assist or troubleshoot. I am not trying to air dirty laundry here but it always seems to be harder to do business with your own company than it is with others.
It reminds me of the time I worked for GTE Mobilnet (a cellular provider under the umbrella of GTE Communications) and had a problem with my home service (aslo with GTE). I called up the local support (back before everything went to India) and told them my problem and just happened to mention I was a GTE employee. When asked which office I worked in, I told them the Morrisville, NC off and the woman said there wasn't any office in Morrisville office. I laughed and told her that there was and I indeed worked there and had been for over a year. She asked me where in Morrisville and I told her and after I mentioned I was with the cellular group, she became very cold and said, "Oh, one of those people who are trying to put her and her people out of work." Needless to say my home phone service took days to get fixed, all because some 19 year employee of a dying company and industry was offended that I worked for a more cutting edge goup within the same company.
I didn't get good serviced that day from someone in my own company and that type of thing happens today all the time. I can call up my contact at our competition and present an issue to him and he (as well as his colleagues) will work it and report back to me most of the time. Take a similar issue that my company is resposible for and call up my contact to hand it over to him (or one of his colleagues) and I will get poor customer service and people who will not follow established processes because they either don't care or are two busy to help. The only difference in today and back in my GTE days is that the person helping me is not in danger of losing his job to my group. It is I who is in danger of losing my job to them.
This week I am on call and I must say that it has been the busiest week I have had since I have been in this role. It has even been busier than the time I was on-call during month end report closing when my TL/colleague was on vacation. THAT says a lot.
Not only has each day been busy but each night has brought on special challenges and long hours. Monday I did not get to bed until midnight. I had a church meeting to go to so my TL covered for me for a couple of hours but I took over at 9 PM and did not get to a stopping point until midnight.
I did not get to bed until midnight on Tuesday as well. On Wednesday my wife had an outpatient procedure on her leg and I was away from the office for three hours but when I came back I was incredibly busy. I was so busy that I did not get to bed until 4:30 the next morning. I was able to sleep for three hours and was up again at 7:30 AM with an emergency call. I worked it until 8:30 AM and handed it over to my TL. I asked him if I could grab a couple hours sleep and he graciously obliged. The entire time I was asleep he was busy and when I came back online at noon, I was busy all day until 9:30 PM. I was able to go to bed early and got about seven hours sleep before I got up and started my day.
Today has been calm so far...only one new issue. While it has not been resolved yet, it should be. Mind you we still have two other open issues from previous days (including the mail issue from hell that is almost a week old and counting) but the total workload and stress level has been much lower.
My only complaint that I have today is that customers tend not to follow basic instructions very well. Example - we have a customer who somehow corrupted an Excel spreadsheet and needs one pulled from backup. The restore team pulls the file and puts it on a temporary share that the customer can access. The restore team e-mails the customer and informs them that the file has been restored and where to find the copy. The customer for whatever reason does not respond to the e-mail for several hours. I step in and e-mail the customer and tell them the issue has been resolved and the details can be found in an e-mail sent to them from the backup team. All I ask is that the customer test the solution and respond to the e-mail sent to them by the backup team, CC'ing me in the process.
What does the customer do? E-mail's me directly asking me if this is the newest copy of the file and if not, can I get them the newest one. They completely disregarded the e-mail and did not follow simple instructions. I politely responded back and told them again what I needed them to do. They are doing that now. I hope.
This week has also been plagued with vast amounts of mis (or poor) communication. We (my group) has to communicate and coordinate "high severity" issues across many teams and sometimes to other IT providers (even to our competition since our customer has outsourced their IT support to multiple companies) and it amazes me that I have been getting better cooperation from a certain competitor (whose three letter acronym I will not divulge 8^) ) than I get from my own company. I have been routinely told that "it is not my group's problem" when I assign a case or request a certain team to assist or troubleshoot. I am not trying to air dirty laundry here but it always seems to be harder to do business with your own company than it is with others.
It reminds me of the time I worked for GTE Mobilnet (a cellular provider under the umbrella of GTE Communications) and had a problem with my home service (aslo with GTE). I called up the local support (back before everything went to India) and told them my problem and just happened to mention I was a GTE employee. When asked which office I worked in, I told them the Morrisville, NC off and the woman said there wasn't any office in Morrisville office. I laughed and told her that there was and I indeed worked there and had been for over a year. She asked me where in Morrisville and I told her and after I mentioned I was with the cellular group, she became very cold and said, "Oh, one of those people who are trying to put her and her people out of work." Needless to say my home phone service took days to get fixed, all because some 19 year employee of a dying company and industry was offended that I worked for a more cutting edge goup within the same company.
I didn't get good serviced that day from someone in my own company and that type of thing happens today all the time. I can call up my contact at our competition and present an issue to him and he (as well as his colleagues) will work it and report back to me most of the time. Take a similar issue that my company is resposible for and call up my contact to hand it over to him (or one of his colleagues) and I will get poor customer service and people who will not follow established processes because they either don't care or are two busy to help. The only difference in today and back in my GTE days is that the person helping me is not in danger of losing his job to my group. It is I who is in danger of losing my job to them.
Wednesday, July 29, 2009
Dinner Is Served
It was not in the budget, but my wife deserved something a little special...just because.Tonight I grilled up Rock lobster tail and beef tenderloin filets. I crisped up some French garlic bread and put together a quick salad. It was the first time I grilled lobster (and only the second time I have ever had it) and it was pretty tasty. The only seasoning used on it was EVOO.
The steaks were dry rubbed with Cavender's Greek seasoning and nothing else. The turned out almost perfect. The were medium-well instead of medium but they still tasted great.
If the sounds of joy emitted from my wife's mouth are any indication, I think I did good.
Wednesday, June 24, 2009
Playing Catch Up
I do not seem to have the drive to blog as much as I once did, which in some cases may be a good thing. It keeps my out of state (but not out of mind) friends from growing bored with my posts. Nonetheless I do need to make a concerted effort to keep this as current as I can. So, with that in mind I bring you up to date.
My last real entries were shortly after returning from WV to visit family and friends. Some of it was venting (or "wenting" as Svenne would say) and some of it was just my normal jabbering on and on regardin my experiences. Not much more, if anything, to add there.
My wife contracted a local group to clean and stain our cedar fence. I could do it but I would not get it done as quickly as this team but truth be told, I have my concerns on what to expect. This company did the initial staining and I was not impressed with the results. When they came out this time to prep the fence (using a bleach mixture), they did not really clean it. There are still spots of bird poo on the posts and they failed to replace the caps they knocked off during the "cleaning" process. They even left a greasy stain in the driveway that I was able to remove. Nonetheless they are to arrive within the hour to stain our 4-5 year old cedar fence. Pray for me!
One item that has occured within the past few weeks is that my wife's boss sent me a rather substantial check for the computer work I have done for him off and on over the past three years. I have never charged him since my wife gets more hours given to her than she works, not to mention a more than fair bonus each year. I figured that we were even so I never pressed the issue. The receipt of a check for my services was more than I expected. I thanked him in person at church and he just smiled and thanked ME for being available to help him. I guess I saved him the house call that The Geek Squad would charge (if the links do not work, be assured at the time of this entry, TGS was charging $150-$300 for a housecall...the $150 was for first time PC set up which does not include installing/configuring antivirus or spyware. That is going to run you $100-$200 more). I am still amazed that people balk at my discounted rates (I charge A LOT less than TGS does and even less for my church family. I guess I need to just let them call the TGS and be done with it...but I digress.
I went geocaching on Father's Day since my son is not local and my pop has passed away. My wife was not overly happy, but she understood that I needed the time alone. I did a "creek crawl" a few miles south of our house that was fun, albeit a bit more strenuous than I expected. I did not finish it (I have five left to get, including a tree climb) but I did manage to get a serious tree climb and six others along the creek. I only saw one snake and kept my feet dry the first half of the hike until a misstep changed all that. But since I was already wet I continued on until I was too tired to continue. The trip back up the creek was easier and I only saw one water snake and it was small. I hope to finish this one next week sometime. It should be easier because I can park at the other end and hike a shorter distance to complete the series.
That beings me up to this week in which I am working from home all week due to the fact my office mate is on a much needed vacation. The bad thing is that I am also on call so it is all El Gee all day, for the next seven days. The good news is that the past couple of days have not been bad. I could offer more comments about my job but I won't...I am thankful to God that I am employed.
Well, the staining crew is here and they have asked me to have my neighbor move his SUV out of the way of the spray, but he did not answer the door (small wonder...it is 7:00 AM). I hope his vehicle will be okay.
My last real entries were shortly after returning from WV to visit family and friends. Some of it was venting (or "wenting" as Svenne would say) and some of it was just my normal jabbering on and on regardin my experiences. Not much more, if anything, to add there.
My wife contracted a local group to clean and stain our cedar fence. I could do it but I would not get it done as quickly as this team but truth be told, I have my concerns on what to expect. This company did the initial staining and I was not impressed with the results. When they came out this time to prep the fence (using a bleach mixture), they did not really clean it. There are still spots of bird poo on the posts and they failed to replace the caps they knocked off during the "cleaning" process. They even left a greasy stain in the driveway that I was able to remove. Nonetheless they are to arrive within the hour to stain our 4-5 year old cedar fence. Pray for me!
One item that has occured within the past few weeks is that my wife's boss sent me a rather substantial check for the computer work I have done for him off and on over the past three years. I have never charged him since my wife gets more hours given to her than she works, not to mention a more than fair bonus each year. I figured that we were even so I never pressed the issue. The receipt of a check for my services was more than I expected. I thanked him in person at church and he just smiled and thanked ME for being available to help him. I guess I saved him the house call that The Geek Squad would charge (if the links do not work, be assured at the time of this entry, TGS was charging $150-$300 for a housecall...the $150 was for first time PC set up which does not include installing/configuring antivirus or spyware. That is going to run you $100-$200 more). I am still amazed that people balk at my discounted rates (I charge A LOT less than TGS does and even less for my church family. I guess I need to just let them call the TGS and be done with it...but I digress.
I went geocaching on Father's Day since my son is not local and my pop has passed away. My wife was not overly happy, but she understood that I needed the time alone. I did a "creek crawl" a few miles south of our house that was fun, albeit a bit more strenuous than I expected. I did not finish it (I have five left to get, including a tree climb) but I did manage to get a serious tree climb and six others along the creek. I only saw one snake and kept my feet dry the first half of the hike until a misstep changed all that. But since I was already wet I continued on until I was too tired to continue. The trip back up the creek was easier and I only saw one water snake and it was small. I hope to finish this one next week sometime. It should be easier because I can park at the other end and hike a shorter distance to complete the series.
That beings me up to this week in which I am working from home all week due to the fact my office mate is on a much needed vacation. The bad thing is that I am also on call so it is all El Gee all day, for the next seven days. The good news is that the past couple of days have not been bad. I could offer more comments about my job but I won't...I am thankful to God that I am employed.
Well, the staining crew is here and they have asked me to have my neighbor move his SUV out of the way of the spray, but he did not answer the door (small wonder...it is 7:00 AM). I hope his vehicle will be okay.
Thursday, June 11, 2009
I Love Her, But Darn, She Is Cheap
I blogged recently about my trip to visit WV to visit family and friends. The trip itself is pleasant and memorable and usually enjoyable but there is one part of the trip that is hard to overlook: My mom and her frugality.
Now calling my mom frugal is a complement because in actuality she is not. She is not frugal or thrifty at all...she is cheap.
Frugal people make the most of what they have. I respect frugal. Using coupons to get higher quality items for the same price as the lower quality ones, watching for sales, reusing things that are safe to reuse, etc are all things I can understand but my mom takes frugality to a whole new level. She is cheap.
You have purchased cold cuts from the deli and had it presented to you in a a lightweight zipper sealed bag. My mom saves these to reuse. More than once. She also saves the wire ties that come on bread bags or come with some brands of garbage bags. When she moved out of the old house to the one she lives in how, she had BOXES of them. She even reuses paper plates if the are "not too dirty". Ewww.
Many years ago when my wife and I were dating we noticed while visiting my mom and dad that mom had some wooden utensils on the stove. There were several wooden spoons and spatulas and one pitiful looking wooden fork. Two of the three tines were broken off and it looked like it was flipping us off. My wife and I knew exactly what what one of their Christmas gifts were going to be. So that Christmas, my wife and I got mom a new set of nice wooden utensils. When we came to visit we noticed mom still had her nasty old set on the stove. I asked her what happened to the set we got her and she told me that they were too nice to use every day so she put them up. Mom has done this with many gifts we have purchased for her. Towels, cookware, dishes...she even does that with the gourmet coffee we get her. She only drinks it once a week. She used to mix it with her cheap stuff until I told her she was wasting it.
My mom shops at Goodwill, Big Lots, and Gabriel Brothers (if Big Lots carries irregulars, then Gabe's carries abnormals) and thinks Target is where rich people shop. She refuses to go to the doctor or dentist and only goes to the eye doctor because my sister works for one. She is a price only shopper and will buy the cheapest thing in the store when she needs to get something.
Now here is the ironic part. My mom is a QVC (home shopping channel) addict. She buys all kinds of stuff from them each and every week. She has a QVC credit card (why, I have no idea) and is always bragging about the latest gizmo she got from them. Candles, lights, cheap jewelry, knives, and cleaning supplies (which is ironic since her house is rather dirty most of the time). I find it amazing that someone as cheap as my mom will spend so much money on junk and none on health care. Go figure.
I have a motto: By the best you can afford and you will not be disappointed. That normally means that if something has a price range of $50 to $100, I usually spend $75 on it. Most of our electronics have been mid level unless we had no need for anything that nice. My mom usually buys on price alone. This year she really through me a loop and bought herself a HONDA lawn mower. Lawn equipment is the one area I always buy lower priced because I am very hard on it. It rarely lasts five years for me. Hearing that my mother spent over $300 for a lawn mower was a shock.
My mom has a small dog, a Shitzhu that is cute as a button. Mom has not owned a dog in a long, long time so my wife and I offered to give her some info to help her with the task of dog ownership. Not only has my mom ignored the advice we have given her, but she has decided that her non-pet owning friends are better suited to offer advice than we were. Needless to say the dog has been sick several times and it has take her vet to convince her that the things she is feeding the dog are not good for it. All this because she refuses to let her vet advise her on matters pertaining her dog.
At one point my mom was a pack rat in the worst way...a trait that she shared with my dad. After he died, I was able to get her to throw away a lot of what he had accumulated, but she was not so eager to get rid of the boxed of bags, ties, butter containers, plastic milk jugs, jars, and plastic ware. It took her basement being flooded last year for her to finally realize that she had too much junk. Thank to Elk Creek overflowing its banks and making a mess in her basement, she got rid of a ton of junk.
The horrible thing about my mom and her being cheap is that when she finally decided to spend money on something that she really needs (a new bathroom or her front deck for example), she gets over charged. Since she never shops around she takes the first offer that is made from the first available contractor. Thanks to this behavior, she has spent 3x as much on her deck and 2x as much on her bathroom as she should and to top that off, the quality was well below par.
All this leads me and my sister to try to convince my mom to move in with one of us. My mom has been very resistant so far to either idea. The thought of coming to Texas scares her enough she won't even visit. I have been out of WV for over 20 years and she has only visited once, 10 years ago. My sis is working on a plan but so far mom is not cooperating. I hope sis can convince her that moving is the best thing for her.
Sigh.
Now calling my mom frugal is a complement because in actuality she is not. She is not frugal or thrifty at all...she is cheap.
Frugal people make the most of what they have. I respect frugal. Using coupons to get higher quality items for the same price as the lower quality ones, watching for sales, reusing things that are safe to reuse, etc are all things I can understand but my mom takes frugality to a whole new level. She is cheap.
You have purchased cold cuts from the deli and had it presented to you in a a lightweight zipper sealed bag. My mom saves these to reuse. More than once. She also saves the wire ties that come on bread bags or come with some brands of garbage bags. When she moved out of the old house to the one she lives in how, she had BOXES of them. She even reuses paper plates if the are "not too dirty". Ewww.
Many years ago when my wife and I were dating we noticed while visiting my mom and dad that mom had some wooden utensils on the stove. There were several wooden spoons and spatulas and one pitiful looking wooden fork. Two of the three tines were broken off and it looked like it was flipping us off. My wife and I knew exactly what what one of their Christmas gifts were going to be. So that Christmas, my wife and I got mom a new set of nice wooden utensils. When we came to visit we noticed mom still had her nasty old set on the stove. I asked her what happened to the set we got her and she told me that they were too nice to use every day so she put them up. Mom has done this with many gifts we have purchased for her. Towels, cookware, dishes...she even does that with the gourmet coffee we get her. She only drinks it once a week. She used to mix it with her cheap stuff until I told her she was wasting it.
My mom shops at Goodwill, Big Lots, and Gabriel Brothers (if Big Lots carries irregulars, then Gabe's carries abnormals) and thinks Target is where rich people shop. She refuses to go to the doctor or dentist and only goes to the eye doctor because my sister works for one. She is a price only shopper and will buy the cheapest thing in the store when she needs to get something.
Now here is the ironic part. My mom is a QVC (home shopping channel) addict. She buys all kinds of stuff from them each and every week. She has a QVC credit card (why, I have no idea) and is always bragging about the latest gizmo she got from them. Candles, lights, cheap jewelry, knives, and cleaning supplies (which is ironic since her house is rather dirty most of the time). I find it amazing that someone as cheap as my mom will spend so much money on junk and none on health care. Go figure.
I have a motto: By the best you can afford and you will not be disappointed. That normally means that if something has a price range of $50 to $100, I usually spend $75 on it. Most of our electronics have been mid level unless we had no need for anything that nice. My mom usually buys on price alone. This year she really through me a loop and bought herself a HONDA lawn mower. Lawn equipment is the one area I always buy lower priced because I am very hard on it. It rarely lasts five years for me. Hearing that my mother spent over $300 for a lawn mower was a shock.
My mom has a small dog, a Shitzhu that is cute as a button. Mom has not owned a dog in a long, long time so my wife and I offered to give her some info to help her with the task of dog ownership. Not only has my mom ignored the advice we have given her, but she has decided that her non-pet owning friends are better suited to offer advice than we were. Needless to say the dog has been sick several times and it has take her vet to convince her that the things she is feeding the dog are not good for it. All this because she refuses to let her vet advise her on matters pertaining her dog.
At one point my mom was a pack rat in the worst way...a trait that she shared with my dad. After he died, I was able to get her to throw away a lot of what he had accumulated, but she was not so eager to get rid of the boxed of bags, ties, butter containers, plastic milk jugs, jars, and plastic ware. It took her basement being flooded last year for her to finally realize that she had too much junk. Thank to Elk Creek overflowing its banks and making a mess in her basement, she got rid of a ton of junk.
The horrible thing about my mom and her being cheap is that when she finally decided to spend money on something that she really needs (a new bathroom or her front deck for example), she gets over charged. Since she never shops around she takes the first offer that is made from the first available contractor. Thanks to this behavior, she has spent 3x as much on her deck and 2x as much on her bathroom as she should and to top that off, the quality was well below par.
All this leads me and my sister to try to convince my mom to move in with one of us. My mom has been very resistant so far to either idea. The thought of coming to Texas scares her enough she won't even visit. I have been out of WV for over 20 years and she has only visited once, 10 years ago. My sis is working on a plan but so far mom is not cooperating. I hope sis can convince her that moving is the best thing for her.
Sigh.
Always Bittersweet
I recently returned from my yearly pilgrimage to WV to visit family and friends. I always have stated that the trip has become bittersweet over the past few years. While I enjoy hitting the road and visiting family and friends, the feeling is short lived and I long to get back home to my wife and dog.
My trip has become rather routine and predictable over the past 5 years or so. Once a year, usually in late August/early September, I pack up the minivan with my cloths and more electronics than one person needs (camera, laptop, cell phone, PDA, cables, and power cords) along with some basic camping supplies and hit the road. My trip takes me from the city we live in through several miles of Texas FM (Farm to Market) roads until I get to I-30. From there I drive on I-30 through Texarkana until I get to Little Rock, Arkansas. In LR, I pick up I-40 and stay on it until I hit a little state park in TN. There, I find the flattest camp site I can find (I have gotten the same one the past 3 years) and park the van. Depending on my mood and the weather, I will pitch a tent or sleep in the van. The van has gotten the most use the past 4 years or so since the weather has been mostly wet but I have pitched the tent a couple of times. I will also build a fire if the mood strikes me but the past two trips I have not. Instead I have opted to go hiking/geocaching in the park until it gets dark. At some point I will grab a bite to eat, either in the park or at a fast food joint before I arrive.
After a good nights sleep (or fitful, depending on the weather and level of noise from other campers) I wake up, shower, eat, and get back on the road. I-40 runs all the way to the NC coast, but I jump off of I-40 in Nashville and pick up I-65. I take I-65 up past Bowling Green, KY until I get to Elizabethtown and then I pick up The Blue Ridge Parkway. The BRP is a wonderful and scenic highway that runs from E-town (as the locals call it) to Lexington, KY. If you plan the route properly you can see Martin's Castle, a real castle built by a man as a wedding present for his wife. I think it is now a pricey bed and breakfast, but at one time it was a private residence.
After that I pick up I-64 into WV, up to Charleston. At that point I make the last major turn off to I-79 to my home town just south of Fairmont. I really enjoy that drive. KY and TN can be beautiful. I am not forgetting that WV is one fantastic state, but KY comes in a close second.
Once I get into town, I stop and unload my gear at mom's house. We chat for several hours until we are both very tired then we retire to our respective rooms. Sleep comes quickly and sometimes the night is just not long enough.
The next morning (Sunday...I always start my trip on Friday) mom and I go to church at her very small country church. I think they have a normal attendance of about 15-20 people. It makes or church of 100 seem large.
After church we grab a bite to each, usually fast food (mom is not much for a nice sit down meal, much to my chagrin) and then we head back home. We chat and catch up on things and usually one or both of us will want a nap...most likely me.
The rest of the week is divided up visiting family and friends and helping mom with things she cannot do on her own. I have weeded her flower beds, cut down and trimmed bushes, removed tree stumps, put up ceiling fans, clean out her basement, removed storm debris, and countless other small tasks during my visits.
A couple of years ago my closest friends took me geocaching and ever since I have made that past time a focal point of my leisure time in WV. My first year we only went out once, the second year we went out at least three times, and this year we only made it out once due to weather (this has been the stormiest/wettest Spring I remember).
I have rather fond memories of my trips back home but as I stated earlier, it is a bittersweet trip. Along about the third day or so, mom kinda shuts down. She does not speak much (maybe she has run out of things to say) and she does not want to do much. She seems disappointed that I will not sit for hours and hours watching TV or reading. Being an active guy, I like to do things and WV is a great state to do things in. I have tried countless times to get my mom out of the house but she firmly, but politely refuses to leave. So what I have tried to do is to spend the morning with her each day if possible and the late afternoon/early evening with friends. While not the perfect solution, it is better than going stir crazy in her house each day.
I guess one of the reasons why this trip is bittersweet is that while I know she loves me, mom does not many things to make me feel welcomed. Example. Most people keep staples (normal food items) around the house: Milk, bread, fruit, cold cuts, cereal, and junk food. Mom really doesn't. She does not drink milk and what she keeps is her own mixture of powdered milk and cheap fresh milk. She keeps only a quart at a time in her fridge. She does not normally keep cereal around (she does not eat it) so I bring breakfast bars in with me so I can at least have something for breakfast. The bread she keeps is the cheapest white bread (usually day old) you can get. She does keep cold cuts but most of the time it is ham. I am not a big fan of ham ever since my food poisoning incident 20 years ago. She rarely if ever buys turkey or roast beef. If she has anything other than ham, it is usually a very cheap brand of bologna. I like bologna as long as it is of good quality. Mom buys on price only. The only fruit I eve see her have are apples and sometimes bananas. I like them both but she rarely keeps them around.
On top of this, she rarely cooks. Her idea of cooking is throwing something in the microwave. Now I fully understand that since she lives by herself, cooking a big meal is not always the best choice, but most of what she eats can be frozen and she has a freezer to put it in (albeit it is full of her favorite frozen food...cheap frozen dinners). Is it any wonder I eat out a fair amount of the time I am in?
Most of the time when a person visits, the host will make sure the guest has things they like. Mom rarely does that. Now, when dad was alive, my trips in were great. Food was plentiful and in great variety. Now that he has passed on, mom fends for herself.
The general theme with my mom is cheap. Not frugal, not thrifty, but cheap. She used to buy these large cans of grapefruit juice (off-brand of course) to keep for breakfast. While not the best stuff in the world, at least it was juice. When I visited her the last time, I asked if she had any juice and she told me, "I stopped buying juice. Do you know they went up on price 17 cents? That is just ridiculous!" Mom has stopped eating and drinking her favorite foods just because they increased in price a few cents.
Knowing mom is tight with her money, I try to help her out. I buy our meals when we go out, even though my wife and I are on a tight budget. I want to do this if she would just get out of the house.
I have to give her credit though. When I came in this last time, she had all the staples and she even went out to eat twice with me. Now both times were fast food, but it is a start. At least one of those meals was good (T&L Hot Dogs...yummy. The other was LJS...greasy).
This little battle goes on each time I visit and progressively gets worse until the day I pack up and head back home. My wish is that she has some of my favorite WV comfort food (Pepperoni Rolls, WV hot dogs, Giovanni steak sandwiches) handy when I come in but each and every year (with a few exceptions) she just goes on with her life as usual.
Back when dad was alive and my wife and I were living in NC, mom and dad came down to NC from WV to NC to visit us and see the house we bought. It was not much to look at...1850 sq ft brick home (the only brick home in the neighborhood) that was nearly a perfect cube...I called it the Borg home. I only had a small front stoop up front (no roof) and a large concrete patio in back (again, no roof). It was not well designed but it had charm. Anyway, mom and dad came down one Thanksgiving shortly after we bought the house. My wife and I did everything we could to make mom and dad comfortable. We made sure they had coffee to drink (we were not big coffee drinkers at that time) and any food they needed we had on hand. Dad was not a turkey person so my wife and I made sure he had his favorite meat, ham to eat. We bought a small Smithfield ham and fixed it for him and made sure he took the leftovers home. He was thrilled.
Mom doesn't do that. The only reason she had things this time was because my sister made her buy them. Mom almost refused stating that, "He brings his own food in to eat". My sister just laughed because the only things I ever bring are yogurt and cereal bars...stuff I can eat on the road during my two day drive. I just bring enough to last me the week while I am in since mom doesn't keep cereal around.
When my last full day visiting arrives, mom and I both feel it. She does not want to let go of her oldest son who lives 1200 miles away and I hate leaving her, despite all her quirks. However, we both know I need to go. When dad was alive, every year he would try to get me to stay "just one more day" but staying one more day meant driving all day and night to get back home and we all know that is dangerous.
The day I leave to go back to Texas, I am usually up before mom, packing the van and making sure I don't leave anything I need behind. Now that I travel with a small army of electronics, this step is critical. More than once I have left shoes, clothes, hats, or books that mom had to mail back to me.
The trip back is the same as the trip to WV, albeit with one small change. The past two years my friends Block has invited me to spend the night at his and his sister's house instead of the campground. They live in Memphis and this adds about two hours to my trip but the offer of a dry place to sleep is too good to pass up. Block is a good friend who has stuck by me since high school.
Upon arriving back to Texas, I am tired but happy to be home. I kiss my wife, pet the dog, unload the van and begin to tell stories of my trip. My wife says I went on vacation, but I know that what I have been through is not a vacation. It is work and the enjoyment during that 9 days (four days of driving - two up and two back) is minimal. I eat food that I do not like, sleep in a home that is not comfortable (dust, mold, etc), and drive for 10 hours a day for four days. Yes, the visiting with friends and the geocaching is great, but far from a vacation. Vacation comes when my wife, my dog and I go to Florida. That is a vacation.
My trip has become rather routine and predictable over the past 5 years or so. Once a year, usually in late August/early September, I pack up the minivan with my cloths and more electronics than one person needs (camera, laptop, cell phone, PDA, cables, and power cords) along with some basic camping supplies and hit the road. My trip takes me from the city we live in through several miles of Texas FM (Farm to Market) roads until I get to I-30. From there I drive on I-30 through Texarkana until I get to Little Rock, Arkansas. In LR, I pick up I-40 and stay on it until I hit a little state park in TN. There, I find the flattest camp site I can find (I have gotten the same one the past 3 years) and park the van. Depending on my mood and the weather, I will pitch a tent or sleep in the van. The van has gotten the most use the past 4 years or so since the weather has been mostly wet but I have pitched the tent a couple of times. I will also build a fire if the mood strikes me but the past two trips I have not. Instead I have opted to go hiking/geocaching in the park until it gets dark. At some point I will grab a bite to eat, either in the park or at a fast food joint before I arrive.
After a good nights sleep (or fitful, depending on the weather and level of noise from other campers) I wake up, shower, eat, and get back on the road. I-40 runs all the way to the NC coast, but I jump off of I-40 in Nashville and pick up I-65. I take I-65 up past Bowling Green, KY until I get to Elizabethtown and then I pick up The Blue Ridge Parkway. The BRP is a wonderful and scenic highway that runs from E-town (as the locals call it) to Lexington, KY. If you plan the route properly you can see Martin's Castle, a real castle built by a man as a wedding present for his wife. I think it is now a pricey bed and breakfast, but at one time it was a private residence.
After that I pick up I-64 into WV, up to Charleston. At that point I make the last major turn off to I-79 to my home town just south of Fairmont. I really enjoy that drive. KY and TN can be beautiful. I am not forgetting that WV is one fantastic state, but KY comes in a close second.
Once I get into town, I stop and unload my gear at mom's house. We chat for several hours until we are both very tired then we retire to our respective rooms. Sleep comes quickly and sometimes the night is just not long enough.
The next morning (Sunday...I always start my trip on Friday) mom and I go to church at her very small country church. I think they have a normal attendance of about 15-20 people. It makes or church of 100 seem large.
After church we grab a bite to each, usually fast food (mom is not much for a nice sit down meal, much to my chagrin) and then we head back home. We chat and catch up on things and usually one or both of us will want a nap...most likely me.
The rest of the week is divided up visiting family and friends and helping mom with things she cannot do on her own. I have weeded her flower beds, cut down and trimmed bushes, removed tree stumps, put up ceiling fans, clean out her basement, removed storm debris, and countless other small tasks during my visits.
A couple of years ago my closest friends took me geocaching and ever since I have made that past time a focal point of my leisure time in WV. My first year we only went out once, the second year we went out at least three times, and this year we only made it out once due to weather (this has been the stormiest/wettest Spring I remember).
I have rather fond memories of my trips back home but as I stated earlier, it is a bittersweet trip. Along about the third day or so, mom kinda shuts down. She does not speak much (maybe she has run out of things to say) and she does not want to do much. She seems disappointed that I will not sit for hours and hours watching TV or reading. Being an active guy, I like to do things and WV is a great state to do things in. I have tried countless times to get my mom out of the house but she firmly, but politely refuses to leave. So what I have tried to do is to spend the morning with her each day if possible and the late afternoon/early evening with friends. While not the perfect solution, it is better than going stir crazy in her house each day.
I guess one of the reasons why this trip is bittersweet is that while I know she loves me, mom does not many things to make me feel welcomed. Example. Most people keep staples (normal food items) around the house: Milk, bread, fruit, cold cuts, cereal, and junk food. Mom really doesn't. She does not drink milk and what she keeps is her own mixture of powdered milk and cheap fresh milk. She keeps only a quart at a time in her fridge. She does not normally keep cereal around (she does not eat it) so I bring breakfast bars in with me so I can at least have something for breakfast. The bread she keeps is the cheapest white bread (usually day old) you can get. She does keep cold cuts but most of the time it is ham. I am not a big fan of ham ever since my food poisoning incident 20 years ago. She rarely if ever buys turkey or roast beef. If she has anything other than ham, it is usually a very cheap brand of bologna. I like bologna as long as it is of good quality. Mom buys on price only. The only fruit I eve see her have are apples and sometimes bananas. I like them both but she rarely keeps them around.
On top of this, she rarely cooks. Her idea of cooking is throwing something in the microwave. Now I fully understand that since she lives by herself, cooking a big meal is not always the best choice, but most of what she eats can be frozen and she has a freezer to put it in (albeit it is full of her favorite frozen food...cheap frozen dinners). Is it any wonder I eat out a fair amount of the time I am in?
Most of the time when a person visits, the host will make sure the guest has things they like. Mom rarely does that. Now, when dad was alive, my trips in were great. Food was plentiful and in great variety. Now that he has passed on, mom fends for herself.
The general theme with my mom is cheap. Not frugal, not thrifty, but cheap. She used to buy these large cans of grapefruit juice (off-brand of course) to keep for breakfast. While not the best stuff in the world, at least it was juice. When I visited her the last time, I asked if she had any juice and she told me, "I stopped buying juice. Do you know they went up on price 17 cents? That is just ridiculous!" Mom has stopped eating and drinking her favorite foods just because they increased in price a few cents.
Knowing mom is tight with her money, I try to help her out. I buy our meals when we go out, even though my wife and I are on a tight budget. I want to do this if she would just get out of the house.
I have to give her credit though. When I came in this last time, she had all the staples and she even went out to eat twice with me. Now both times were fast food, but it is a start. At least one of those meals was good (T&L Hot Dogs...yummy. The other was LJS...greasy).
This little battle goes on each time I visit and progressively gets worse until the day I pack up and head back home. My wish is that she has some of my favorite WV comfort food (Pepperoni Rolls, WV hot dogs, Giovanni steak sandwiches) handy when I come in but each and every year (with a few exceptions) she just goes on with her life as usual.
Back when dad was alive and my wife and I were living in NC, mom and dad came down to NC from WV to NC to visit us and see the house we bought. It was not much to look at...1850 sq ft brick home (the only brick home in the neighborhood) that was nearly a perfect cube...I called it the Borg home. I only had a small front stoop up front (no roof) and a large concrete patio in back (again, no roof). It was not well designed but it had charm. Anyway, mom and dad came down one Thanksgiving shortly after we bought the house. My wife and I did everything we could to make mom and dad comfortable. We made sure they had coffee to drink (we were not big coffee drinkers at that time) and any food they needed we had on hand. Dad was not a turkey person so my wife and I made sure he had his favorite meat, ham to eat. We bought a small Smithfield ham and fixed it for him and made sure he took the leftovers home. He was thrilled.
Mom doesn't do that. The only reason she had things this time was because my sister made her buy them. Mom almost refused stating that, "He brings his own food in to eat". My sister just laughed because the only things I ever bring are yogurt and cereal bars...stuff I can eat on the road during my two day drive. I just bring enough to last me the week while I am in since mom doesn't keep cereal around.
When my last full day visiting arrives, mom and I both feel it. She does not want to let go of her oldest son who lives 1200 miles away and I hate leaving her, despite all her quirks. However, we both know I need to go. When dad was alive, every year he would try to get me to stay "just one more day" but staying one more day meant driving all day and night to get back home and we all know that is dangerous.
The day I leave to go back to Texas, I am usually up before mom, packing the van and making sure I don't leave anything I need behind. Now that I travel with a small army of electronics, this step is critical. More than once I have left shoes, clothes, hats, or books that mom had to mail back to me.
The trip back is the same as the trip to WV, albeit with one small change. The past two years my friends Block has invited me to spend the night at his and his sister's house instead of the campground. They live in Memphis and this adds about two hours to my trip but the offer of a dry place to sleep is too good to pass up. Block is a good friend who has stuck by me since high school.
Upon arriving back to Texas, I am tired but happy to be home. I kiss my wife, pet the dog, unload the van and begin to tell stories of my trip. My wife says I went on vacation, but I know that what I have been through is not a vacation. It is work and the enjoyment during that 9 days (four days of driving - two up and two back) is minimal. I eat food that I do not like, sleep in a home that is not comfortable (dust, mold, etc), and drive for 10 hours a day for four days. Yes, the visiting with friends and the geocaching is great, but far from a vacation. Vacation comes when my wife, my dog and I go to Florida. That is a vacation.
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