How to be happy

The other day Carolyn and I were in the checkout line at Safeway with a few modest purchases when we happened to comment to the man behind us who had three pumpkin pies from the Safeway bakery, saying they looked really delicious. He beamed at the compliment, telling us that he had Safeway bake them up special for him. There was no indication on the packing that they were customer baked or being held for someone so I thought maybe he was pulling our leg. If he was, he never let on even after the checker scanned one of his pies while sending a runner to get one for us. Ours looked exactly like his and certainly wasn't "pre-ordered".

The incident got me thinking, however, that maybe we'd all be happier if we just assumed that everything is being done the way we'd ordered it. You know, "I called up Wal-Mart and asked them to stay open until 10:00 tonight so I won't have to rush over there." "I asked the library to keep a collection of newly arrived books so I can browse those first." "I've made an arrangement with the IRS to notify me early to start working on my income tax return. You know how I like to get it done early."

Set your expectations so they'll be met and you can't help but be happy.

Dry, Life Without Water - book review

For my shower this morning I probably used more water than many of the people described in Dry, Life Without Water use for a whole month. Water is so scarce for them that a bath might indeed be a once in a lifetime event. It's not, of course, that I am particularly wasteful with water or that the world has a particular scarcity of water but that it is so unevenly distributed. And I think the thing that struck me most about this book is that the writing talent is so unevenly distributed as well.

As explained in the introduction of the book, it is the result of a grant by GEF (the Global Environment Facility) to an organization primarily funded by Italy and administered by UNESCO. The project's goal was to showcase best practices in conservation and best practices in arid and semi-arid environments around the world. Several conferences were held and many papers were written, some of which appear in edited form in this book. So, by it's nature, one would expect the writing to be diverse. I would not, however, expect it to be as bad as it is at times nor would the diversity excuse the rather sloppy editing and typographical errors. The pictures, mostly National Geographic quality, are not always captioned and not always relevant to the story they accompany.

Some articles are pure political fodder (income redistribution thinly disguised as "conservation") and one is blatant wishful thinking about the role that the author feels women in that country should have regarding agriculture. The women, one gets the feeling, stand at the kitchen door and direct the men what to plant and where to plant, harvest and process it. Other stories leave more questions than one would expect in a book of this sort. For example, one author whines about a species being domesticated without giving any reason why that should be a bad thing for the environment or the species in question. What were the editors thinking? I would expect more from a Harvard University Press product. The book reads more like a collection of Harvard freshman social sciences essays.

On the positive side, the description of fog catchers wringing useful amounts of water from moisture-laden coastal fog is absolutely fascinating; the comeback of the Incan vicuna in Peru, Bolivia, Argentina, and Chile heartening; and the building of microdams in Pakistan inspirational. For the most part there are no ground breaking scientific discoveries illustrated in this book. They are indeed just "best practices" that require people to reconsider their longstanding traditions and adopt something that will allow them to live a little better on the land they have chosen to live on.

... try, try again

A few days ago I noted that our backyard squirrel had successfully negotiated his way to our bird feeder. But he quickly ran away when we tried to take a picture.

Well, he's back and he's really proud of his achievement. No amount of banging on the window or making movements inside, deterred him from his breakfast. And even after Carolyn had opened the back door he just looked at her like "what?" He finally ran away but as soon as we were back inside he demonstrated again and again his technique for stealing the bird seed.

Life is fragile

Today was my day to deliver Meals On Wheels. Carolyn took the opportunity to go with me to get a little feel for what it is like. I'm still so new at it that I can hardly tell her how it "usually" is. Still it seemed like my fellow volunteer drivers were a little more talkative than usual and it might have been because Carolyn was there so they felt obliged to fill her in for my sake.

One of the fellows noted that the routes aren't very large and it apparently takes some effort to keep them of any size at all. Some of that was due, he thought, to the poor administration of the program by the county but even more so was that we kept losing clients. A small portion is due to the clients not liking the service or the food but this veteran of over 5 years felt the biggest reason was death and deterioration of our clients. They get so frail they are moved into a medical facility or they simply pass away.

I thought about that and the one client to whom I delivered a meal last week who couldn't sit up on her couch and say hello to me like she had previous weeks. I held her hand and wished her a merry Christmas until I had to continue my route. I had hoped she was feeling better today. However, when I knocked on her door with the usual call of "Meals on Wheels" her son answered the door and told me his mother had died on Christmas day. He indicated it was something the family had sort of hoped for and was resigned to. But it did make me realize that every meal I deliver might be the person's last; every visit, the last I may see that person. It makes me treasure the opportunity just a little more.

Grandkids' gifts

I don't know if it always works this way but it certainly worked this Christmas. We had the kids and grandkids over late Christmas afternoon/evening after their morning chaos of unwrapping presents and having to deal with the overload of gifts. All they had to deal with was the single gift from Grandma and Grandpa. And the adults could concentrate on the single gifts as well.

Here Jake and Grandma are carefully laying out the dinosaurs and farm animals in a manner that somehow makes sense to Jake.

And here Tiffany helps Tim carefully plan the construction of a Connex toy, then helps him put it together.

And finally, the two boys get to play with the ferris wheel that Tim has put together. It was a great evening.

The Three Bears' Christmas cards

Once upon a time there were three bears: Papa Bear, Mama Bear, and Baby Bear. They sat down at Christmas time to send greetings to all their friends, but especially to that little girl with the golden locks who had visited their house the previous summer.

Papa Bear chose a straight-forward, no-nonsense card with Merry Christmas and Happy New Year in big, bold, glistening gold and red coloring. He signed it Papa Bear.

Mama Bear created a card from materials she found around the house as well as her favorite craft store. She also included a double-sided letter that described the family's adventures for the past year in glowing, journalistic prose that would probably qualify her for a Pulitzer if Christmas letters were an accepted category.

Baby Bear sent a simple card on recycled paper that he purchased from the Sierra Club and included a brief note of how each member of the family was doing. He also included a couple of pictures to show how much he had grown since last year.

When Goldilocks got the three cards in her mailbox, she ran into her house all excited. And you could hear her say, "This one is just right. And this one is just right. And so is this one just right."

Merry Christmas to all

What a great way to spend Christmas eve and Christmas morning. We spent Christmas Eve with our kids and grandkids who live in the are. Tim and Jake are shown here waiting somewhat patiently to open their one gift for the evening.

This morning, we slept in then looked to see what was under our own Christmas tree.

Carolyn got a much needed purse, some lovely jewelry, a couple of blouse and jacket sets, and a scarf for accent.

I received just the basic necessities of life - food (dark chocolate bars), clothing (barbecue apron), and sex (Sex in the City - the complete series). What more could I ask for?

Christmas program solo

I was fortunate to have the opportunity to sing with our ward choir this morning as well as perform a solo for the ward Christmas program. The solo is called "How Far Is It to Bethlehem" with words by Frances Chesterton and music by Geoffrey Shaw. The words are as follows:

How far is it to Bethlehem? Not very far?
Shall we find the stable room, Lit by a star?
Can we see the little Child, Is He within?
If we lift the wooden latch, May we go in?

May we stroke the creatures there, Ox, ass, and sheep?
May we peep like them, and see Jesus asleep?
If we touch His tiny hand, Will he awake?
Will He know we'd come so far, Just for His sake?

Great kings leave precious gifts, And we have naught.
Little smiles and little tears, Are all we brought.

For all weary children Mary must weep;
Here, on His bed of stray, Sleep, children, sleep.
God in his mother's arms, Babes in the byre,
Sleep as they sleep who find their heart's desire.

I had not heard the song before but have fallen in love with the poetic simplicity of the message. I tried to sing it like I was telling the Christmas story and at least a couple of people heard it that way.

My Christmas kit

While some parents express frustration at the prospect of putting together toys for Christmas, I actually look forward to it. Of course, I don't mean the prospect of putting together toys at 2 am that Santa has just delivered or trying to put something together with an audience of 2 or 3 pre-schoolers "helping" with the tools or the parts. But give me a well constructed toy with good instructions and proper tools to put together at a reasonable time in a warm family room, and I really enjoy it.

This year Santa asked me to put together a workbench for Timothy and he delivered it to our house a couple days early so I had plenty of time to work on it. Although the box said it was made in China the instructions were clear and helpful. All the parts fit and appropriate tools were available. Things went even better when I supplemented the supplied tools with some from my own workbench.


The only instruction that left me a little puzzled was the following:

When assembling this item, you must tighten all screws simultaneously. Do not tighten any single screw completely as this may cause the item to become out of alignment. If this happens, it will require you to loosen all the screws and begin again by tightening all screws simultaneously.

Since there are 35 screws to be tightened, tightening all of them simultaneously presented a big problem. Fortunately, I had 34 elves helping me so on the count of three we tightened everything simultaneously.


It was easy to identify all the parts after they were all laid out.

I used a power drill/screwdriver to place but NOT tighten all the screws. All 35 screws were identical which made assembly easier.

I began construction with the bottom shelf and legs.

And completed the frame before adding the top, back, and vise.

And here's the finished product!

Well, except for the tools that Grandma and Grandpa will add.

Christmas caroling

We were delighted yesterday evening to hear the doorbell ring and to then be serenaded in a rousing chorus of Jingle Bells by Ed, Tiffany and the boys. I missed getting a picture of everyone bundled up against the cold and rainy weather, the two boys sporting bright Santa hats. A great little punctuation mark in the Christmas season.

Earlier in the day I had delivered Meals on Wheels alone for the first time and had taken a Christmas card to each of the households I visit. The first lady I delivered to acted like I had brought her a Christmas turkey or some other grand present. It truly is the little things in life that matter a whole lot.

Stamps, stamps, and more stamps

Sending out our Christmas cards this year, we were reminded about how much the Internet has changed our mailing habits. We pay 10 to 12 bills per month and write a letter or two, maybe send a birthday greeting or a charitable donation or subscription renewal and all these were done through the mail with the result that we would go through about a page of 20 stamps each month.

That's all changed now. 37-cent stamps that we bought before the most recent postage rate hike almost a year ago were, for the most part, still sitting in our drawer. Fortunately, so were dozens of 2-cent stamps. I estimate that at the rate we're using stamps we should run out of 37-cent stamps in about 3 years which, according to the history of postal rates shown below, should be about when the next rate increase will take place.

History of First-Class Stamp Rates

July 1, 1885 - Nov. 1, 1917 .02
Nov. 2, 1917 - June 30, 1919 .03 War Years
July 1, 1919 .02 Dropped back by Congress
July 6, 1932 .03
August 1, 1958 .04
January 7, 1963 .05
January 7, 1968 .06
May 16, 1971 .08
March 2, 1974 .10
December 31, 1975 .13
May 29, 1978 .15 "A" Stamp Used
March 22, 1981 .18 "B" Stamp Used
November 1, 1981 .20 "C" Stamp Used
February 17, 1985 .22 "D" Stamp Used
April 3, 1988 .25 "E" Stamp Used
February 3, 1991 .29 "F" Stamp Used
January 1, 1995 .32 "G" Stamp Used
January 10, 1999 .33 "H" Stamp Used
January 7, 2001 .34 Nondenominated Stamps Used
June 30, 2002 .37 Flag and Antique Toy Stamps Used
January 8, 2006 .39 Love True Blue and Lady Liberty Flag Stamps Used

* The date specified is the first day on which the rate became applicable. In some instances, the rate introduced was temporary.

Source: prc-webmaster@prc.gov.

E-Christmas Card

This isn't the first electronic Christmas Card I've received but it is one of the loveliest. It is interactive as well, making you feel a part of the process of opening the card. Here's wishing you a Merry Christmas!

Here's the Christmas Card.

DMTC - fund raising

It's really scary sometimes how much kids are paying attention when you least expect it. This was certainly the case with our grandkids during their recent attendance at plays produced by the Davis Musical Theater company.

Ed and Tiffany have a curtain installed across the middle of their family room for the purpose of allowing Tim and Jake to put on performances for the family. The curtain defines the stage for a "pretend" theater. This week, during the performance Tim came out in front of the curtain and announced that there would be a five minute intermission during which treats would be available for sale just outside the refrigerator. But even better was at the end of the intermission when he passed out slips of paper "describing the future plans for the theater" and asking for donations of pennies so the work can be completed.

Whether his experiences at the Davis Musical Theater Company have taught him anything about theater or not, they definitely seem to have taught him the importance of fund raising.

If at first you don't succeed.....

This squirrel has been trying for several months to get the bird seed in this bird feeder. As you will notice, the feeder hangs from a metal cane making access to the feeder difficult for non-flying creatures and is outfitted with a "squirrel proof" hood to prevent squirrels from climbing up the pole and onto the feeder. As you can also see, our squirrel kept trying until he indeed did get to the goal. He didn't, however, like his picture being taken and quickly ran away after Steven took this. He hasn't been back so we're not sure whether the seeds just weren't worth the effort or the camera was a greater deterrent than the bird feeder.

Christmas gift

What's better than a Christmas gift for the house? A Christmas gift for the house that comes with installation included. Steven and Lisa paid us a visit this weekend to make sure that their gift to us made it here before Christmas. Not only did they eliminate the postage cost, they also made sure that the present was installed and installed correctly. The grandkids noticed it immediately and wanted to play in it. However, that didn't last long as the outside temperature was in the low 40's. But it will be really nice next summer when they're through playing in the sandbox or when we've been working in the garden. Very handy. Thanks, Steven and Lisa.

Mondegreens

I subscribe to an interesting service called "A Word a Day" that emails me an interesting word every day to broaden my vocabulary. But I must admit that I tend to get more interesting, if not necessarily useful, words from other sources such as the books I read or other web services.

A mondegreen is a mishearing or misinterpretation of song lyrics. The word was coined in 1954 by Sylvia Wright in a "Harper's" column when she explained that for years she had heard the lyrics "Laid him on the green" as "Lady Mondegreen" from the Scottish Folk Ballad "The Bonny Earl of Murray". All this came my way courtesy of Snopes.Com, those wonderful people who punch holes in urban legends. In addition to that explanation they give some wonderful Christmas examples like

Fleas naughty dog,
There's fleas on your dad,
Fleas naughty dog,
Protect us and the fleas from my dad.

------------------------

Hark! the herald angels sing,
Glory to the New York King.
Peace on earth and then he smiles;
Goddamn sinners reckon so.

Joyful oily nations, rise;
Join the triumph of disguise.
With the jelly toast proclaim,
Christ is born in Bethlehem.

Hark! the herald angels sing,
Glory to the newborn King.
Peace on earth and mercy mild;
Goddamn sinners wreck a child.

======================

Go to this page for more examples.

It's official

It's a good thing that for some things, at least, I'm not easily deterred. After only two months, completion of several forms, and a couple of trips to the West Sacramento headquarters of the Sacramento County's Senior Nutritional Services, I am finally, officially, a volunteer for Meals On Wheels with official photo ID, route map, schedule, and menu. And I even have a regular route. Next Thursday morning I will be the official driver for the Folsom In route, which is serviced out of the Orangevale community center.

Stay tuned for my further adventures and explanations of how Meals on Wheels works.

Another final

The past four years, with only one semester break, I have taken an evening class at American River College. They've ranged from the entertaining and educational to the routine. A couple were so bad that I had to drop them fast, before I got soured on the subject or the idea of taking classes. And a couple I was able to take with Carolyn which made the class even more interesting.

This semester's Macro Economics class was a topic that I think I could find really fascinating but the class left a lot to be desired. There was virtually no class discussion. The teacher was continually missing opportunities to relate the material to current affairs or relevant near-term history. Although it was billed as a "hybrid" on-line class, it really ended up more of a truncated classroom class with the quizzes taken on-line but everything else done in class. And because we had half the in-class time that a regular class had we didn't even get quality lecture time.



But that's all behind me now as we had our final this evening. I don't even want to think about how poorly I did. But at least I know that no amount of additional studying would have helped.

Next semester I expect to be using my Friday's to sample the Renaissance Society at Sacramento State. Expect to here more about that soon.

Egg-zactly right

Shows you what I know! I was trying to be helpful at the local Sam's Club the other day. A couple of women were fussing around the eggs trying to find the right ones. They thought the organic ones were too pricey. I suggested the best bargain were the Grade AA Extra Large eggs packed in 18-egg cartons. Well, you would have thought I had suggested something obscene! "You can't cook with those eggs," one lady remarked with a shocked look on her face. "You'll get way too much egg if you use those." Just then she found the Large eggs (at twice the price) so the conversation ended. I put my Extra Large eggs in my basket wondering if I should tell the corned beef hash that my fried eggs are "way too much".

The woman was right, of course. I checked the USDA web site and found the following information:

Select by Weight (Size)
(U.S. Weight Class)

Size tells you the minimum required net weight per dozen eggs. It does not refer to the dimensions of an egg or how big it looks. Eggs of any weight (size) class may differ in quality. Most published recipes are based on large-size eggs.

Size or weight class - Minimum net weight per dozen
Jumbo - 30 ounces
Extra Large - 27 ounces
Large - 24 ounces
Medium - 21 ounces
Small - 18 ounces
Peewee - 15 ounces

Clearly, using Extra Large when I should use a Large egg is adding 1/4 ounce (1/2 T) of egg to my recipe. No wonder I can't cook a proper quiche or bake a decent cake. But at least my fried eggs turn out wonderful.

Rescuing chocolates

There are so many goodies in the world that just aren't worth the calories that when you do find one that is you want to do your best to enjoy it. One of the ones we've found are the chocolate truffles at Costco - little round balls of chocolate rolled in chocolate powder that simply melt in your mouth.

Well, they melt in your garage, too, if you happen to leave them out during the hottest days of summer. When we looked at them a couple of weeks ago to see what shape they were in, we found a solid lump of chocolate about 3 inches in diameter. Obviously not so easy to pop in your mouth. It wasn't even that easy to chip away with a knife - but worth it.

Well, I decided to rescue the chocolate. I put the lump in a 1 quart glass measuring cup and heated it for 1.5 minutes in the microwave. That melted it to a slightly warm, easily pourable liquid. I then sprayed Pam cooking spray on some silicone ice cube trays we bought from Ikea. I poured the chocolate liquid into the molds and set them in the fridge. Voila! Little chocolate candies that melt in your mouth.

An annual tradition

Last year we started an annual tradition in our ward and we managed to keep it going for at least the second year now. That tradition is a choir party very similar to the one we used to traditionally attend in Long Beach.

We had lots of delicious food brought by the choir members.

And "white elephant" gifts that ranged from a dozen lemons in a beautiful gift bag to some very elaborate gift baskets with notebooks, puzzles, and assorted candies. I don't think there was a worthless gift among the pile although some came pretty close. Of course we did the gift selection by drawing numbers and allowing two "steals".

But most of all this was a great opportunity to party with 20 other people, to eat yummy food, and sing Christmas carols around the piano which I, with ever decreasing dexterity and accuracy, accompanied.

The Littlest Nutcracker

This year we got to see two of our grandsons perform in "The Littlest Nutcracker" produced by Trix, a local dance and gymnastics studio. It was perhaps unfortunate that they were in two different shows which made it a long day for the boys. Tim played the lead male Fritz and Jake danced as one of the flowers toward the end of his production. I think that both of them really did a great job.
Of course the grandparents loved the show, delighting in the bloopers perhaps more than the things that went right. A couple of dancers walked reluctantly on stage from stage left and then just kept going off the stage on stage right. No amount of coaxing seemed to convince them their dance wasn't over yet. Another young dancer cried for her mother and as soon as her mother came up to the stage the little girl ran away from her to hug the 5 foot tall nutcracker statue in the front of the stage.

But where else can you enjoy seeing your grandkids, delight in the antics of little girls (and a couple of boys), and even enjoy the beauty and grace of the young women instructors in their tutus, leotards, and gauze skirts, all for only $3 a ticket?

The end is in sight

We received a rather interesting announcement in the mail yesterday, one that we've been looking forward to for some time.

And we'd like to say a big CONGRATULATIONS to our son Steven for finally completing all the requirements for graduation from UC Santa Cruz.

Curtain Call

The play is over. The set is struck. The performers have gone their several ways - some to other plays, others to get a breath or two before tackling another role or another of life's challenges. Steve and Jan, of course, are as wed to the DMTC as they are to each other - the theater being almost an extension of their physical bodies. They're still around.

Now that I've finished with my role in "Oliver!", the questions I get most often are "Was it fun?" "Will you do it again?" The first question is the easier. Yes, I had fun - although not at first and not consistently. But it was definitely more fun the more we all felt comfortable with each other, the more we felt comfortable with the play and the more positive feedback we received. I may indeed be getting too old to do it again. I don't mean too old physically but too set in my ways and too demanding of myself and others. I don't tolerate fools well and there is plenty of foolishness in the production of a play or the operation of a theater.

The time commitment was more than I expected. I compulsively kept a time log so I know the time I spent but I can't tell how representative that is of the rest of this cast or that of other musicals or plays. I spent slightly over 110 hours at the theater and another 45 driving back and forth to the theater so this amounted to a 155 hour commitment which is almost a complete month of full-time work. This, of course, doesn't count the endless hours of fretting about my lines or dealing with feelings of impending doom before each show.

Overall, it was a positive experience. I have much more respect and admiration for the people who plan, direct, perform in, and support plays. I think I will be more tolerant of mistakes and unfortunate accidents as well as more appreciative of a job well done. And I will treasure the all-too-brief friendships I made with cast and crew of "Oliver!". Thanks to you all!

Service with a smile

A few days ago I wrote about my Toyota Highlander getting it's first oil change. It was a very customary, routine event. I was treated very much like I have been at other dealerships and Jiffy Lube regarding oil changes. Certainly nothing like the service I always received from Ghassim.

Then I took the Highlander in for a "Platinum Seal Coating". This is anything but routine. We bought this package as part of the original purchase probably because we were so worn out and tired (it was late in the evening - most dealerships would have been closed) and having a car whose interior and exterior "repelled dirt" seemed like a good idea.

Well, you don't just take your car in for a Platinum Seal. You must make an appointment, something the service department has been after me for the past four months to do. I chose this day because Carolyn was out of town with a rental so I had other transportation available. I needn't have worried. "Would you like us to drive you home, Mr. Loveridge, or would you rather have a free rental car for the day?" No brainer there. Even when I explained that I'd probably not be able to return in the evening because of a college class, they said, "No problem."

All the paperwork was completed ahead of time making my stay at the dealership short. The next morning when I turned in the 2007 Camry for my Highlander they all but rolled out the red carpet. And the SUV looks brand new! The only problem is that everything is so "treated" that my hands slip off the steering wheel and I slip on the floor mats. But it is beautiful. I could go for this treatment every year.

Health questionnaire

By virtue of being a member of the Kaiser health care plan, I have been the subject of a small number of health surveys, a couple of them extending over several years. The latest one I filled out was one designed to track men of my approximate age group over a number of years. It was quite comprehensive asking questions about diseases across the whole spectrum - heart, lungs, stomach, and even the brain with questions about emotional disturbances and memory loss. It also included questions about the frequency and volume of my snoring - a question I had to have help with since I am usually totally in the dark (pun intended) about that.

I don't know if I'll ever hear about or get to read the results of the study but it does have one immediate result I do know about - I'm grateful to be in the shape I'm in compared to what I could have. As I go down the list of ailments and symptoms, I'm happy that I need to check so few. I haven't been hospitalized for 60 years and although my high blood pressure is serious, it doesn't prevent my having a very normal life. Pain in my muscles and joints is slowing my piano playing and computer keyboarding down but that also is hardly life threatening. All in all, I'm very blessed.

CADDIS - Rest in Peace

I just got word that a computer program for which the State of California has spent millions of dollars and 7 years trying to acquire and develop has been “killed”. The program, called CADDIS (California Developmental Disabilities Information System) was being developed for the state’s developmental disabilities agencies called Regional Centers. Word is that the failure to negotiate ownership of the source code was the proximate cause of death.

Seven years ago, many of us in the system saw a pressing need to update a computer system that was 15 years old and badly in need of enhancements to deal with the business and regulatory environment at that time. Now, 7 years later, our information system is even older, more antiquated, and less able to meet the needs of our environment.

So, am I sad about the demise of CADDIS? Not on your life! The way CADDIS had been constructed and the problems still existing with the program after these many years was a nightmare. Staff training and implementation at the regional centers would have cost several million dollars more and been not only a source of great frustration but a diversion from the real mission of the regional centers – provision and oversight of the care of persons with developmental disabilities. There never was any “Wow!!” factor of great things the program would give back in return for all the inconvenience of conversion.

With CADDIS’s demise, we now have a chance to start afresh using all the information and ideas that were developed in the past 7 years but without trying to hang it all on a foreign framework. We already have two robust systems – Virtual Chart and SANDIS – that could serve as a beginning framework for a new solution.

Striking the set

An activity connected with the show, Oliver!, that I was not previously familiar with is "striking the set". Timed, I suppose to capitalize on the energy of the last show and the relief that we don't have any further performances on the calendar, striking the set is imposed as an obligation on all the cast members (even if I did see some slink off before the job was done.

Costumes were returned to the costume department,


sets were disassembled and the parts moved to storage, dressing rooms and bathrooms were carefully and thoroughly cleaned,

and props were packaged up to be returned to the donors, stored in the props storage area, or simply thrown away.

I think the idea is to give the next production the closest thing we can come to for a clean slate. I would have felt better if I thought that the stage plans were already set for the next play so that we'd know for sure we weren't taking apart something that was just going to be put back together again.

Cast Party

In a weird schedule alteration, we had the traditional end of show cast part after the penultimate (next to last) performance. This left the last performance as somewhat anticlimactic.

The Isaacson's graciously opened their home to the cast, crew, and family members which amounted to somewhere between 25 and 30 people. Having a party after 11 o'clock requires either very tolerant neighbors or very well behaved partiers. In this case it must have been a little of both. There was very little drinking going on and most of the group were underage anyway.

Steve served up his famous stir-fry that included chicken, tri-tip steak, rice, bok choy, mushrooms, and who knows what else. It was delicious.

Danette had her faithful laptop set up in the corner showing pictures of the production while everyone sat around retelling significant events of the past 6 weeks.

The faithful four-legged family members Scruffy and Mrs. Leavitt acted just like the other guests including joining in on conversations if they felt they were being ignored.

Golfers, bowlers, and actors

I'm sure you've all witnessed the phenomenon - before a game of bowling, whether friendly or competitive, we have to hear everyone talk about the sore wrist, the bad back, or the sleepless night that will surely lead to a less than stellar performance. I'm not a golfer but I have heard the talk around the clubhouse in the same vein. At the athletic club where I work out, there is a lot of racquetball played. As part of the game preparation ritual players discuss why they won't be capable of moving as quickly, returning as accurately, or being able to keep up with the pace of the game. Of course, the motive behind all this is to "psych out" opponents and give them false hope that they stand a better chance against us.

But I admit I was surprised how much of this "pre-game" ritual goes on just before a play performance. In this case, of course, it is sore throats, nasal congestion, headaches, conflicting engagements, work stress, etc. that will certainly make my performance less than I had hoped. I find myself using my inexperience as a preemptive excuse for performance which by now shouldn't be influenced that much by inexperience. And I wonder, who exactly are we trying to psych out?

Mr. Fixit Man

It was just sitting on the kitchen counter when I first noticed it. It must belong to one of the grandkids but since we saw them all over the Thanksgiving holiday that doesn't narrow the field any. I was in the process of cleaning up some of the toys and other things that had been left around when everyone finally went home and I was ready to throw this toy purple pickup in the toybox with all the others. Then I noticed a remote control nearby with two buttons and a length of wire which ended in two frayed looking ends. Did that belong to the pickup? There was no sign that the two belonged together but at least the pickup was held together by screws rather than rivets so I could investigate further.

Removing the four screws that held the bottom and top halves of the pickup together, I found that indeed there was an electric motor inside with two now-bare terminals that looked like they might have once been soldered to a wire like that on the remote control. I peeled back the insulation on the wire and touched the two ends to the terminals. The motor responded. Now I knew what needed to be done and how to do it. Finding the soldering iron was a different matter.

Fortunately, the soldering iron was where I thought it might be although I don't remember using it since we moved here. The solder was equally easily found. Ten minutes later the wire was soldered to the truck, the two halves were reunited, and the toy truck was again as new - better maybe, because now there was a strain relief knot in the wire. A determined 3 year-old could still pull it apart but he'd have to try harder than before.

I don't recall being asked to fix the toy. I don't recall ever seeing it before. But that isn't the first time I've fixed something just because it was there. It's a good feeling, isn't it?

My favorite famous person

For some of us, the closest we'll ever get to fame is to know or be related to someone who has become famous. I feel that way with my connection to my sister RevaBeth Loveridge-Russell who recently won the 2006 Science Educator of the Year given by the Utah Museum of Natural History.

The following article, published in the Provo, Utah "Daily Herald", does a great job of describing what a great job my sister does and why she deserves the recent honors:

Building a learning playground for students
CATHY ALLRED - North County Staff
Wednesday, November 22, 2006

RevaBeth Russell begins teaching first period in Lehi High School classroom #105 at just past Fluorine before Oxygen by her wall clock. Each number, 1 through 12, is covered by its corresponding element from the Periodic Table according to its atomic number. The time spent in her classroom is an academic experience most students will never forget. Russell has won multiple awards for her talent and skill in entertaining, captivating and teaching her students.

"After great, great thought, you know I get some money with this latest award, I thought I would get a hearing aid for you guys, wouldn't that be awesome?" she asks the class. "And by the way I'm wearing a karyotype." A standardized arrangement of all the chromosomes of a cell, her "Designer Genes" T-shirt is part of the lesson on
chromosomes and replication that was being taught in her AP Biology class Friday. Visual and hands-on demonstrations, fun facts, sing-alongs, analogies from her life and mnemonic games are all part of the magical weave of scientific knowledge that Russell has created in her classroom for 24 years.

"Mrs. Russell places high priority on hands-on learning experiences," LHS Principal Chuck Bearce wrote in his recommendation for her latest award. "Students grow plants, hatch butterflies, and care for animals in her classroom." She grabs a large towel having a student hold one end and she the other, both twisting it until it has "condensed" to its smallest shape demonstrating part of the replication process for a chromosome.

"Let me finish this and then I'll get excited about something else," Russell tells the students after getting sidetracked onto telomeres, end caps of chromosomes.

At first glimpse, her classroom is a cluttered disarray of plants, posters, bugs, shells and bones but it is an attention deficit disorder person's learning layground. Long-dead cicadas, large brown bugs, are glued to the ceiling as though they are just crawling out of the air vent. Students have cut, constructed and colored paper into "viruses" and strung them on a continuous cord around the room above their desks. Signs, posters, witty cartoons about sciences abound in the room. "It takes Alkynes to make a world," reads a bumper sticker.

A live and large African turtle, dubbed by Russell as "Turtle," reposes in a backroom corner while the class listens to their teacher tell them when they have spaghetti for dinner at home they can show their families the anaphase process with rigatoni and spaghetti noodles.

"Overheads are so boring, I'm getting bored," she says and asks students to get out their hymnals. They sing "Diploid" by RevaBeth Russell to the tune of the Flintstone's theme song singing about games and chromosomes, ending with a loud "Yabba Dabba Do."

She takes out a box of unmatched socks asking students to find the homologous chromosomes as she pulls socks out and holds them up for the class. Eventually, she ends up with a pair of socks on her head, socks tucked down her Tshirt, her pants, a pair in each hand and a pair in her mouth. Sorting the socks becomes a lesson in genetics.

"What phase is this?" Russell said. "That's right, metaphase."

The bell announces the end of her first class ringing at nearly Beryllium past Fluorine. During the break, she is able to talk about her most recent award - the 2006 Science Educator of the Year given by the Utah Museum of Natural History. Russell remains modest about the attention and positions she has earned. "It's like when an airplane lands on time, it wasn't just the pilot, there are 60 other people that made that landing possible," she said, comparing it to her success in teaching.

Other honors she has won include 1997 Outstanding High School Life Science Educator, 1992 Outstanding Biology Teacher, 1994 Alpine School District Access in Excellence Award, 2006 Environmental Educator, a USA Today US Teacher Third Team 2002 and the 1996 Woodrow Wilson Fellowship Foundation High School Biology Teacher Award.

A self-proclaimed dyslexic, Russell harnesses curiosity and guides creative discovery through the wonders of science. "She teaches and reaches all children regardless of their learning styles," Brenda Peterson, LHS English teacher and department chair, wrote in her recommendation for Russell. "She is also affectionately known by her neighborhood children as 'Miss Wizard.' "

Biology Hymn
By ReveBeth Russell
Here is Mr. Nucleotide
Sung to tune of "If You Chance to Meet a Frown"
Here is Mr. Nucleotide,
Pentose for his nose
One eye is a phosphate,
The other is a nitrogenous base.

Congratulations, RevaBeth!!

First time for service

I'm happy to report that the quality assurance on my Toyota Highlander Hybrid was so well done that I have not had to take it back to the dealers since we bought it over 4 months ago. Although it has its little quirks (such as not cutting out the speed control immediately when I tap the brake), I have not been able to find anything wrong with it.

I was a little worried a week or 10 days ago when a warning light came on and the message "Maintenance Required Soon" appeared on the little display screen. A quick search through the owner's manual explained that that message was to let me know I had reached 90% of the mileage when an oil change is recommended. The message was fleeting, turning off within 10 seconds so I made a mental note to schedule an oil change when I had the time. At 5,000 miles the warning message changed to "Maintenance Required" and it didn't go off.

Yesterday, I managed to get back to the dealer for the oil change (which we had prepaid). I must admit that the service writers were efficient and friendly but the man in charge of driving the cars to the service bays was perplexed. He turned the key in my car but "nothing happened". I guess he had never driven a hybrid before and expected the engine to roar to life.

He wasn't the only person surprised by my car. After the oil change and the other maintenance due at 5,000 miles, my car was promptly returned to me. I turned the key and saw the clear message "Maintenance Required" staring back at me. Mine is likely the first hybrid of that model that mechanic has worked on and he either didn't know how or didn't know it was necessary to reset the warning. Let's hope that was all he missed.

The Frost is on the Pumpkin

Or at least on our lawns and roof. There was some rain yesterday but the skies cleared up in the evening making for a very cold night - for this area and time of year.

When we got up this morning we saw all the lawns covered with sparkling frost.

And little panes of "glass" were in the rain gutters.

Dark evenings

Now that fall is upon us and we're off daylight saving time, it gets dark pretty early. As a public service, I thought I'd let people know about this web site where you can order specialty lighted clothing. Just the thing for dull winter evenings! Sort of reminds me of the "gimmick" that every stripper has to have according to the show "Gypsy".


They even sell somthing they call a "Sit 'n Stare", displays in 6" and 12" squares or panels of 4' by 1'. The display reacts to music or other sounds in the room. Sort of sounds like something my brother Bernell made hundreds of years ago that we had in our family room. We would bring friends over to "watch" music.