Lord of the Rings

If you recognize any of the pictures appearing before this text, you probably have seen the Lord of the Rings series and have formed your own opinion about the movie(s). If you don't recognize the pictures and have not seen the movie let me give you one hint: prepare for an epic.

We finished watching it on DVD last night, finally finishing the sixth disc (yes, two per movie). For a while there we thought it would take us 3 years to finish it, like it took the filmmakers that long to actually release all 3 films comprising the story "Lord of the Rings". I's been so long since I read the book that I can't properly evaluate how well follow.

According to the story, a fellowship of [7]9 including 4 hobits heads out on a dangerous and possibly fatal mission to return a magical ring to the volcano mountain where it was forged. I was never quite clear how that worked but magic doesn't have to be logical. The hobbits provide much of the comic relief while the human, the dwarf, and the [fairy] elf provide the excitement of the battle, the love interests, and the occasional philosophical discussion.

There is so much hokiness in the film that it could easily be a satire. For example, after battle scenes in which dozens or thousands are killed, our heroes walk around as pretty much the sole survivors. If I were in the same battles and always saw these thee always triumph, I would start asking questions.

Some of the scenery shots are absolutely awesume but with all the computer generated images, you really can't be sure you're watching real landscape or something generated for he show.

I think it could be a wonderful film when cut down to 2 hours or less.

Have a Safe Valentine's Day

Armani Exchange at the Arden Fair Mall here in Sacramento made the headlines today with this modest display in their front window:

A big heart displayed two weeks before Valentine's Day shouldn't be too surprising, should it? And the accompanying message is appropriate in today's society:

Give Love, Get Love, Practice Safe Love, Armani Exchange Supports National Aids Efforts. But it wasn't that message that had people calling the mall management and then the newspaper (apparently to little avail). Let's look a little closer at that heart.

I thought so! They're little red lollipops with the sticks removed! Compared to some of the photos that adorned the store, this was really a mild display. No wonder they haven't taken it down.

Happy two weeks before Valentine's Day everyone!

Still dialing 411 for information??

Are you still getting your information by pushing 411? Of course not, you have an iPhone3G and use Google on the Internet, right?

Well, for those of us who haven't yet made the leap to iPhone technology and don't happen to be in a WiFi area for our laptop, do we still dial 411 for the location of the nearest McDonalds or In-and-Out Burger?

A few days ago Carolyn showed me a Web page advertising Google's "new" 411 service called Goog-411 (making up innovative names isn't their forte). If you have phone service, you have access to Goog-411 simply by dialing 800-GOOG-411. For land lines add a 1 at the beginning. You will be connected to a voice recognition computer which will try to interpret what or who you're looking for. Not willing to take their word for it, I did dial 1-800-GOOG-411 and asked for various businesses. I was impressed with the artificial intelligence used by the computer I was talking to. I was also delighted to hear what I thought was background noise until I listened more closely. The computer was "thinking" and saying "boop beep blip plop do dee wap wap..." Just like we've always suspected, computers mumble just like humans.

I also Googled "Google 411" and checked Snopes for any listings. Both produced hits. On Google I found a very good review of Goog-411 and Microsoft's rival program 1-800-CALL-411. You can access that review at http://arstechnica.com/microsoft/news/2007/10/get-lost-a-google-411-and-microsoft-live-search-411-throwdown.ars The only problem with the review is that it is almost 1.5 years old, pretty old in computer development time. At Snopes I learned about 1-800-FREE-411, yet another service providing essentially the same thing.

I did a study of the three services. It wasn't extensive but it gave me a feel for what is out there. I think Google has improved their product since the ARS review. I don't think Microsoft has. Free-411 had the hardest time understanding "Carmichael" and seemed to have the smallest database, giving me a Roseville address for the nearest McDonalds. Goog-411 seemed to understand spoken words better than the other two but it was almost too quick to connect me to the business found. And I was disappointed that residential information is not provided at this time. Sure, you can get it with just 411 but you'd think the other services would want it for completeness.

Summary - I think this is a good idea but all three services need to work on their program. For one thing, I think that the computer voice should halt upon hearing that command (or STOP). Some thought will need to go into having a virtual menu that is extremely user friendly.

Activities Committee idea

It's pretty standard procedure to announce upcoming events in our local church congregation by passing out a flyer two or three weeks before the event so people can "save the date", communicate the event to others in their household, and have all the pertinent data in writing so they don't have to try to remember what "Brother So-and-so said". It had been the practice to use a half sheet of paper (in other words 8.5 x 5.5 inches) for this flyer as it could then be stuffed into our Sunday programs which are standard 8.5 x 11 inch paper folded in half.

When we were called to work on the Activities Committee I experimented with a smaller format, namely 5.5 x 4.25, a quarter sheet. The Scottish blood in me calculated that not only could we get by with half the amount of paper (which the church would probably buy for us) but also half the ink (which we'd have to buy ourselves if we printed the flyers at home). It turned out that we could almost always put everything necessary on a quarter sheet and it would still be very readable. And it turned out that people actually appreciated the smaller notes as they didn't take up as much room on their refrigerators. And that got me thinking about the next stage - how about printing the notices on Post-It pads!

We're still trying to make the economics work out as there is a 10 pad minimum for most companies (100 pad for many) with 50 page pads, in other words 500 sheets. We generally need about half that. But with a big event like out upcoming 40th Anniversary party we might need twice that number. Costs range from $1.50 a pad to $5. We're probably looking at something about this size (4 in x 3 in):

This sample is all blurry because I've enlarged the small image they attached to the quote.

Just one small week

It's been just a week now since Barack Obama became President and a look at my mail would indicate either that (a) Armageddon has arrived or (b) the Savior has indeed returned. Mail from the Sierra Club, the ACLU, and Amnesty International would have me believe that with the flip of his pen, Obama has reversed everything that Bush and his administration have done in the past 8 years. The NRA, the Christian Coalition, and the Family Research Council for once agree with their leftist counterparts. Both continue to ask for funds to continue the direction of Obama or to stop the madness and listen to the electorate. Whether you like him or hate him, Obama has at least kept to his promise of change.

Quilting time

When I deliver Meals on Wheels in Folsom, I pick up the meals (or at least meet the delivery truck) at 48 Natoma, a senior/community center which attempts to do a lot of things for the community. Besides serving Meals in seniors in the center and being the drop off point for Meals on Wheels drivers, the center is a small art gallery with 5 or 6 different exhibits throughout the year. The current exhibit is best described on their linksite which you can visit by clicking on this photo of a quilt.



Current Exhibit: "Not Your Grandmother's Quilt"
January 16 - March 6, 2009


I found the quilt that greets you upon entering quite captivating.


This little nook in the gallery defies the exhibit name. Not only does it exhibit quilts which may indeed be just like those your grandma made but it also has a treadle powered sewing machine just like grandma probaby used in making that quilt.


Next to it is a modern sewing machine. Arrayed around this machine are quilts that really do fir the theme. Modern techniques of sewing and quilting are shown up close and personal. I didn't get pictures of all the quilts. If you're in the Folsom area and have some small amount of time on your hands, drop by 48 Natoma .

(click to enlarge)

And speaking of quilts, our youngest son and his wife have been spening some weekends with us working on a quilting project. This is a picture of a recently completed top for their first quilt. Each of the patters, emblems, monologue comes from a black t-shirt that Steven used to wear regularly. Having just lost 40 to 50 pounds, some of these t's just don't fir Steven any more.


Now that they're finished one they are in the process of designing a second one. This one has a Star Wars theme, most of the shirts coming from Lissa's collection.

Friends Annual Meeting

Once a year, towards the end of January, the Friends of the Sacramento Library (Friends) holds its annual meeting. The President and the Treasurer give reports on the accomplishments and fiscal situation of the organization, and the library representative responds and also gives a report on the development of the library. For example, this year she talked aboaut the groundbreaking for 3 new libraries.

I must say that our outgoing president Cherril had things timed down to the minute and was able to keep the meeting exactly to what was writing in the agenda. After the initial call to order and we conducted our usual business of approving the minutes for last year's minutes (as if anyone could really remember that long ago).

I gave my brief presentation aabout the financial situation for the friends. Like the rest of the country we have lost about 25% of our investments in the stock market and therefor some crazies have decided to bomb or shoot up the place.

Cherril then introduced our speaker and program today - Gail Tsukiyama. Gail has a real fan club behind here. We don't usually buy such an expensive program.

Gail is a very animated speaker. She described how she went about researching and bringing the characters to life. Often what she thought would be a small book turned out to be large and vice versa. She believes that everyone has one story in them so often the second book is the hardest. In fact, she feels that it gets harder with every main book because she holds herself responsible.


After the program Gail stayed to autograph books. We had contracted with a small bookstore to provide a couple dozen of each of her books for people to buy and then get signed by the author. The bookstore brought the complete wrong book. Our office assistant made a quick run to Borders Books and brought back what she could. It wasn't much but every one helped.

Before and after the meeting we had cookies and a variety of beverages like tea, coffee, lemonade, and water.

Is it today yet?

I'm one of those people who need to know what time it is and what day it is all the time. Usually, I can be satisfied to know the time within a couple of hours unless I have an upcoming appointment. Then, I get really nervous if I don't know exactly what time it is and how long it takes to get to that appointment, and (if applicable) how long it will take to get ready for that appointment. I've tried intentionally to be late for meetings when protocol dictates that I should be the last one there but I can't do it. In such cases, I arrive early and declare the meeting in session when the appropriate time arrives.

Likewise, now that I'm retired I can usually get along with knowing what day of the week it is unless I'm paying bills or working on other paperwork. Then, I want to know what day it is and if possible what day next week will be, last week, and next month. Add to that compulsion the fact that I am cheap and don't want to buy my own calendar and you have my typical dilemma.

Fortunately, there are several resources on the web for printing your own calendar. They're easy enough to find assuming you want to cull through all the advertisements for photo calendars, commercial calendars, and software to produce calendars such as an organization might use to get the word out to members/employees.

My two favorite places are Calendar Home and Print Free. Both of them have monthly and yearly calendars of various formats including those with large boxes to write in information and those with large numbers large enough to see across the room. Print Free's site also includes greeting cards, business cards, and other handy forms. Calendar Home includes links to other types of calendars such as the Mayan or Chinese calendars, date calculators (what day of the week was the Declaration of Independence signed?), and even the link to order a Sarah Palin calendar!

If you have a favorite calendar site, please share it with us in a comment.

Discharged!

I had appointments today with both my Physical Therapist and my Speech Therapist. Somehow both of them decided that I had heard all they had to tell me and in most cases I had actually absorbed what I heard. I'm told that my physical coordination will probably never get better than it is now which isn't that wonderful. But the exercises Janine gave me will at least keep me limber and more able to make use of what coordination I have. Probably as valuable as anything she's given me was a couple of hints on sitting and standing more erect, countering my spine's curvature.

Karen, my speech therapist, really wanted to use the Lee Silverman protocol on me but it calls for 4 to 6 weeks of intensive voice training. It also appears to me to be focused on patients who are already much worse off than I am. With much less practice than Karen hoped for, I was able to pass all her milestones. It was actually quite easy for me once I pretended that Karen was either my singing coach or my stage director giving me instruction in hitting notes precisely and sustaining tones loudly in the first case and projecting my voice to deliver lines that could be heard in the back row in the second case. Funny how I can more easily accept direction from a coach or director than from a therapist. I need to share that insight with my daughter-in-law Tiffany who will be a speech therapist this time next year.

In any case, because there wasn't much more to teach me, both Janine and Karen said I didn't need any more appointments at this time and wished me good luck.

Whole Foods experience

It's probably a good thing that the Whole Foods grocery and deli isn't closer to us. We'd probably start shopping there regularly in spite of the fact that they're the most expensive store in the area.

I realized this the other day when Carolyn and I were driving by the store and decided to drop in. There were so many cars in the parking lot, we thought there must have been a sale on. Turns out the store wasn't especially crowded so maybe people park there for commuting purposes.

One of the things that make this store so unusual is the combination of a deli with a grocery store. They have a salad bar, a soup bar, a cheese bar, a dessert bar, and I'm probably leaving 2 or 3 others out. There are small tables with 2 or 3 chairs around them both inside and outside the store giving it a sidewalk cafe look. There is even free wifi for those who want to catch up on some Internet access work while on coffee break or lunch.

Another thing we enjoyed was watching the employees who truly seem to enjoy their work and work as if they saw this as their life's profession.

This young man was trying to temp us to stay around just a couple minutes more as he had a pepperoni pizza coming out soon and a chicken pizza soon after that.

This man gave us a sample of the large wheel of cheese you can see him working on. A wheel of cheese that large weighs about 80 pounds.

Back to work

Yesterday, Carolyn returned to work. And it seemed to agree with her. She wasn't exactly interested in cooking dinner when she got back home but then I wasn't either. So we settled for a night out ... at Taco Bell. Do we celebrate or what?

Seriously, I think she really was getting bored. Last week was especially bad as I was away for 9 hours solid each day. Now she can work with people all day and have lots of things to discuss with me when she gets back home.

For the next three weeks she will be taking off work around 2:30 to give her time to get to the radiation center for her radiation treatments. So far those haven't been a problem for her.

Inauguration Day

Just a couple of observations from someone who could possibly have watched (or listened to) 16 presidential inaugurations. I didn't, of course. I was too young or too indifferent for many of them.

1. Several newscasters made the point that this peaceful exchange of power is still far from universal in lands around the world including many countries that are our allies. And there are some where it might appear to be a peaceful exchange but it is only because there have been many "behind the scenes" actions setting up the transition. I think the most recent exchange of power in Russia or Cuba are two such examples.

2. I was struck by how much the inauguration was an American ceremony. I'm sure there were representatives from other governments in attendance but as far as I saw they were not specifically acknowledged.

3. The ceremony was strangely religious and secular at the same time. An invocation and benediction were pronounced on the proceedings and the oaths of office involved placing a hand on the bible but none of this is required by law. The Book of Common Prayer has been used in the past. And President Obama in his speech referred to America not as a Christian nation but a "nation of Christians and Muslims, Jews and Hindus, and non-believers".

4. We again have a President whose speeches are pleasant to the ear even if the message is not to our liking. This president doesn't need ghostwriters. He not only reads books but also writes them and his command of the language was evident in his speech. I believe it will be counted among the most eloquent.

5. Thousands of people stood out in 14 degree weather to catch a glimpse of the president or the presidential party or just to feel the spirit. Some would only see what was on the giant TV monitors and actually have a worse view then us at home. But they will have "been there" and will tell that to their children and children's children.

The whole affair made me feel very proud to be an American.

Geocaching south of Folsom Boulevard

Since we were planning to be in the neighborhood or the Friends bookstore with a couple of hours to spend adventuring, I downloaded a half dozen Geocaching cache sites. Interestingly, there appears to be a cache right on the Book Den' dock. Given the number of people watching us as we poked prodded lumps of garbage, I'm sure they wondered what we were doing. But we never were able to find the cache.

The next two locations were quite deserted giving us enough time to actually find the cache. One was close enough to a restaurant that we could smell their bread baking. We decided it was as good a place as any to eat. The place is run by Vietnamese and all the meat is either cooked "differently" or is some sort of sliced animal that does resemble anything we're familiar. We ate the sandwiches but we're on the look out for more familiar fare in the area.

Where have all the good books gone?

The Friends of the Sacramento Public Library held another warehouse sale yesterday. The books were figuratively flying out the door. This was one of our occasional "Bag Sales" where you can buy a common paper grocery bag full of books for $6. At that price you can almost afford to just scoop up the books and sort them out later. We sort of wonder if that happened with our hardcover fiction books. Normally, they just don't move except maybe those still on the national top seller lists. But this time by noon we had great gaping holes in the shelves where the fiction books were. There was a lot of speculation about who had bought them, but of course the cashiers weren't checking the bags, just counting them to determine the sales price. My own speculation is that some interior designers had heard about the sale and bought bags and bags full. They'll look good on shelves in model homes. Even if we have a housing slump right now it won't be here forever.

Did we buy anything? Yes, but we managed to limit it to 1 bag full. We found some children's books with a Newbery or Caldecott medal, some music books, and some books on tape. Last week's half price sale had thinned many of the really good books.

1099 time

It's that wonderful time of year when I have to convince 28 branch treasurers that I need a report from them more than they need some free time. The Friends of the Sacramento Library have to send out 1099 forms to jugglers, clowns, scientists and other people who perform at the various library branches (we have 28 of them) throughout the year. I give the treasurers 15 days from the end of the year which leaves me 15 days to consolidate the reports and create the 1099 forms. There are usually about 20 to 25 slips.

Fortunately, I can look forward to it as the last time I will be asking for these reports. The library has a new CFO who has decided that the Friends should make cash contributions to the Library so that the Library can hire the performers and pay them and prepare the 1099s at the end of the year. Yeeeeaaaayyyy!

The beginning of the end

This week Carolyn began her next (and hopefully last) phase of cancer treatments. She is supposed to have daily radiation therapy for the next three weeks. The first two sessions have been a snap. She's been in and out within 10 minutes. She is schedule for the treatments at 3:35 each day so she'll probably just call it a day when she leaves work and heads up to Roseville for her treatment.

After this series of treatments she'll go in for a thorough physical 4 times a year for the first year; then 3 times a year for a year; then 2 times; then once. At that point they'll consider her cured. I real ly think she's cured right now but it's better to be safe than sorry.

We'll keep you posted on her reaction to the radiation.

Pinewood Derby time

Once again I am privileged to be a part of the Pinewood Derby if only as a supplier of tools necessary to saw, grind, rasp, and sand to the desired shape. This year both Jake and Tim have gotten it into their heads that they want their cars to be transformable into cell phones. Tim is looking at something like a flip phone ...



while Jake is going for the side flip T-Mobile model. (he wasn't that anxious to reveal all the details of his model).

There is one tiny hitch to the boys' plans - the official rules state that except for the wheels, there should be no moving parts on the car. The boys are trying to convince themselves that a good solid nail or screw in the right place will make any moving part immovable and could be removed after the race to "transform" into a phone.

Looks like we have another generation of engineers or dreamers. I don't know which.

United States of Paranoia

I wanted to include the picture above in my blog about being a volunteer tax aid. It seemed like a harmless enough thing and it showed a very modern, beautiful building. And I would also have included some pictures of the classroom, the hallway "coffee shop" and even the public service counter.

The reason I hesitated was this sign that I saw posted inside on one of the many bulletin boards:
Click on the picture and you'll be able to read the fine print which makes it clear that the "building perimeters, entrances, lobbies, foyers, corridors or auditoriums" are all off limits to photography of any kind without consent of an authorized official. Of course, I knew I had the card Bernell gave me naming me an authorized person.

Of course as someone famous said, "Even people with paranoia have enemies". Federal building have been targeted for hate crimes. And I would probably worry if someone were to come around my home or office and take pictures without my knowing why they're taking pictures . But have we gone a little too far? Are we so worried that a person can't take one little picture? Is one of my loyal readers going to turn me in?



Update:
Just for the fun of it, since there was a regulation cited, I googled that regulation. Here's what it REALLY says:

102-74.420 What is the policy concerning photographs for news, advertising or commercial purposes?

Except where security regulations, rules, orders, or directives apply or a Federal court order or rule prohibits it, persons entering in or on Federal property may take photographs of—

(a) Space occupied by a tenant agency for non-commercial purposes only with the permission of the occupying agency concerned;

(b) Space occupied by a tenant agency for commercial purposes only with written permission of an authorized official of the occupying agency concerned; and

(c) Building entrances, lobbies, foyers, corridors, or auditoriums for news purposes.

Now my blog is definitely for "news purposes" so I think I fall safely under paragraph (c) which seems to require no permission. What a relief!

Haven't we been here enough?

The "here" I'm talking about is the Kaiser Hospital/Medical Center on Morse Avenue which, thankfully, is convenient to our house. It is about 10 to 15 minutes drive time away. Many of our doctors also have their offices there so we've gotten to know the place rather well.

Well enough that we didn't need to make another trip down there after 9:00 last night except that Carolyn was suffering excruciating pain in her lower right back and bladder areas. She's a pretty tough gal so when she starts moaning in pain, you know she's hurting.

For the first 1.5 to 2 hours the care was miserable. They actually took Carolyn in within 10 minutes (which probably felt like hours to her) to give her a quick check-up and triage (patient evaluation & assigning priority). But then we sat in the lobby for another hour waiting for further action. When it came, it was like night and day. The medical assistant called Carolyn's name and motioned for me to come along as well. They never want additional family for the triage stage. We were led past the nursing station and into an exam/treatment room. A nurse called out, "I'll take her!"

A doctor arrived who looked younger than all of my kids but she seemed competent and confident. She explained that the symptoms sounded like kidney stones but that they wouldn't know for sure until Carolyn passed them. Not two minutes later, the doctor was back in the room apologizing for her first diagnosis and said that in this case it was clearly kidney stones that were causing Carolyn's distress. They could see the crystals in the urine sample.

Carolyn was hooked up to an IV drip to get some liquid into her body fast. They also gave her a narcotic to dull the pain and an anti nausea drug to counter the narcotic's tendency to cause nausea. By the time the liter of saline solution with it's piggyback drugs had finished dripping into Carolyn, she was feeling much better. With another prescription for pain medication and a directive to get lots of sleep and drink lots of water, Carolyn was able to walk out to the car with me. It was about 3:00 am when we finally got to sleep last night.

Seems like it's just one thing after another. At least we can be grateful they all don't happen at the same time.

Volunteer Tax Aide??

I don't know what I've gotten myself into this time. One day about a year ago as I was walking out of the Carmichael library I saw a women I had gotten to know at the Renaissance Society (she and I were in a couple of classes together). I asked what she was doing and she explained that she was volunteering for the AARP as a tax aide. Then about six months ago, she called to verify that I was still interested in being a tax aide. She didn't ask, mind you, she VERIFIED. When she confirmed that I could work at the Carmichael library and could fit the hours into my schedule, I agreed. Then she explained that I would have to attend a 40 hour class in January to qualify for certification.

We had the first class session today. Taxes are BOOOORRRING. I don't know which I dislike the most - learning about the Taxwise program or learning about the tax system. I'm counting on enjoying meeting and helping the senior citizens who sign up for the assistance. Otherwise, this is going to be a one-time adventure.

Progress report

I hope you can see some of the progress I've made on my paper clock. I've completed two gears - the large motor gear and a smaller transfer gear. I've also completed most of the frame and the hanging bracket. Virtually all of the remaining parts are moving parts that require more than your usual care and precision. I'm afraid I haven't done too well on the first two gears although they look good enough from this far away. If nothing else this project is going to teach me patience.

Cheaper to drive?

Now that Carolyn is starting to clean up her projects around the house, organize and update her wardrobe, and catching up on office emails, she thought it would be appropriate to give the old Red Rocket a thorough physical. She had to get a smog check for the license and registration anyway.

Well, first it was a leak in the radiator, then a few drops of oil under the car, then the horn didn't seem to be working correctly, and finally the car sounded like a railroad train when the transmission was engaged. Yup, you guessed it. She wanted to drive safely and we're certainly not looking for a new car at this point. So Carolyn gave the go-ahead. Damages: just under $2,300.

Now that's less than the price of a new car for which we're really grateful but it would make a good down payment. Have we cleaned up all the problems for the next three years or should we start looking now for Red Rocket's replacement.

Open Source Competitioin

I'm always torn between an Industry stand and competition. On the one hand it is really nice that almost everyone uses Microsoft Office. If someone offers to send you a document, a spreadsheet, or a picture you're like to get it in .doc, .xls, and .jpg respectively. And if you have Windows and Microsoft Office you should be able to open all of these documents unless they have been further password protected the program. But I also think that competition also is good because it keeps people looking over theire should and trying to bring out new services before the competition does.

It was thus with a little interest and more chagrin that I received in my email today three files with the file extension .ods. It looked like the time had come to look at the Open Office system. For those who haven't heard, Open Office is a free program that matches the functions of Microsoft Office.

Loading the program was a snap. You'll find it here. The slowest part will probably be the download as it must transfer 181 MegaByles. At least it was for me. I'm going to play around with Open Source for a couple of weeks and report back.

If any of my readers have had experience with Open Source software and especially Office, would you please share that experiends with the rest of us.

You see what you are

Just a little follow up about the book I reviewed a couple of days ago: "Gavin's first year".

1. Jenny commented that Blub.com has been having trouble lately "slurping" pictures and text from several blogging engines including Blogger. That makes it less convenient to publish but doesn't eliminate the possibility. However, I had heard from someone else that there are several competing companies to Blurb.com.

2. I noticed as I shared the book with others that each person handled the book differently. Some noted the careful day by day organization, others the bright colors and candid poses of the photographs. Some would quickly scan the pages while others would go carefully day by day. It seemed to depend on the person's interest and skill set. A photographer spent more time with the pictures.; a scrapbooker with the page layouts. This afternoon I even share the book with the book binder who's teaching me the craft and, sure enough, he evaluated the binding and explained to me how it was put together. We see what we're trained to see.

I know I've heard that tune before....

It doesn't happen often but it does happen often enough that someone will ask me, "Do you have xxxx song?" Or I'll be humming a tune and want to play it on the piano. If it's a show tune and we have the corresponding music book for that show, it's usually easy. But usually it isn't that easy.

One of the projects I've embarked upon in the past month or so is to finally get a master index of the piano music that we have. iTunes has given us an index of the CDs we've collected. We got that as a byproduct of loading our iPods. This has also given us a backup of all these CDs. But there's no such product for Music books.

I have attempted a database before but have always been discouraged by having to key in all the table of contents for the books. I don't think I'm even halfway through yet and already I have 2,800 song titles in the database. What has made the difference this time is being able to use our scanner and its optical character recognition software to automate probably 85% of the work. So far I've scanned or entered manually 35 music books with an average of 80 tunes per book. There are approximately 400 duplicates, bringing the total number of unique tunes to 2,400.

The Ultimate Bragging Book

One of the gifts we received this Christmas was a complete surprise. It is the ultimate in Grandparents' bragging tools - a 244 page, full color, professionally printed and bound book detailing Gavin's first year (and a little before then.



Like any "self-producing" product, this one isn't cheap. The books start at $12.95 but a book the size of Gavin's is well over $100. (I don't have the actual price because I thought it was a bit tacky asking the value of our gift.)


The book actually starts a little before Gavin made his appearance. There are ultrasound shots and progress of the pregnancy shots.


But mostly the pages are full of full color pictures of Gavin. Gavin sleeping. Gavin playing. Gaving having a bath. Gavin torturing the cat. Gavin getting lots of attention from Grandma & Grandpa, Uncles, Aunts, and even some cousins.


Wouldn't it be fun if every kid could have one for every year. It could be so much more personal and meaningful than any yearbook could hope to achieve.


The book ends appropriately with pictures of Gavin's first birthday. Can we hope for another book every year?

If you're interested in Self Publishing a book especially made up from you blog or other collections of features go to the website for Blurb: http://www.blurb.com/

Proud of our 39-year old Eagle Scout

Often, when a boy reaches the rank of Eagle Scout there is a special meeting in which the badge is presented to him amid much to do and ceremonies. Also, quite often some ambitious soul will put together a Shadow Box display of all the new Eagle Scout's merit badges, ranks, and other recognitions. Somehow, in all the rush to get Edward properly honored we didn't get around to making this Shadowbox display.

(click on picture for enlarged version)

But while Carolyn was going through all our family pictures recently she came upon a bag full of scouting badges. She had collected everything for a shadowbox but hadn't put it together. This time she didn't wait. She bought a shadowbox frame and as soon as Edward came to visit she roped him into finishing this lovely display. It still needs his picture in the upper right hand corner then it will be done. (and only 22 years behind schedule).

Carolyn promises to help any of her other Eagle Scouts put together their shadowbox display if they can come up with the badges.

Brrrrrrr

Well, we don't have to suffer from all the snow that is covering half of the nation but I took these pictures to show that we do have frost and the temperature gets as low as 28.


These weird apparitions in our back yard aren't teepees. They're Carolyn's attempt to keep our little citrus trees alive when the temperature drops below freezing. The sheets keep the wind chill factor from affecting the trees. She also strings old Chrsitmas tree lights under the sheets to provide real warmth.

Another puzzle clock

Quite often I used to get a puzzle for Christmas and the rest of the family and I would spend whatever time we wanted from then until the end of New Year's Day working on that puzzle. We didn't have a regular puzzle for Christmas this year but I did get "Make Your Own Working Paper Clock" which is turning out sort of like a puzzle. There are something l ike 150 pieces to cut out, score, fold, and glue. Once a piece has been glued into a 3 dimensional object then it is glued to other such objects.


Here I have three "beams" glued together and I'm working on the fourth. I believe this is the frame for the front of the clock.

The biggest problem I've had so far was following the instructions for using "latex glue". I stopped at an art store where they informed me they didn't carry such stuff and that the local hardware store should have it. There I was informed that "latex glue" meant "water based glue" and he suggested Elmer's White Glue. Well, I have more faith and experience with the PVA based glue I use for book binding so I didn't buy anything new. The PVA seems to be working great.

A Review of 2008

I was intrigued by an annual review that my niece Monique completed and displayed on her blog. I wondered how well I could fit into such a formal review. So I completed the review using the same questions. Generally, it went well but next year I'd probably make some minor modifications. Anyway, here's the review of 2008 as I saw it.

What did you do in 2008 that you'd never done before?> Began learning book binding and how to repair damaged books.

Did you keep your new years' resolutions, and will you make more for next year? I rarely, if ever, make resolutions on New Years. I believe that resolutions should be made as they’re needed.

Did anyone close to you give birth? Yes, our DIL gave us our 13^th grandson by the name of Camdan.

Did anyone close to you die? Yes. A good friend in the church choir and my cousin who played a big part in our moving to Sacramento.

What countries did you visit? Didn’t visit any but at least we renewed our passports in case the opportunity arises.

What would you like to have in 2009 that you lacked in 2008? A little more peace of mind about our kids careers and housing situation.

What date from 2008 will remain etched upon your memory, and why? Probably the election day will be the single most important because the United States electorate was finally able to elect as president a man for his ability to make changes and raise hopes without lowering expectations and providing national security while defending our basic rights. I am proud of my country for looking past Obama's race in making this selection.

What was your biggest achievement of the year? Making a major step along the way of learning a new craft – bookbinding.

What was your biggest failure? Not only not losing weight but actually gaining another 8 pounds.

Did you suffer illness or injury?! My Parkinson’s Disease, diagnosed in 2007 continues to keep me from enjoying life to the fullest.

What was the best thing you bought? Did I buy anything?

Whose behavior made you appalled and depressed? Proposition 8 proponents and opponents. Shameless behavior on both sides.

Where did most of your money go? Other than the 25% of our pension investments which vanished into thin air, our money went to pay living expenses, pay down our mortgage, and support the causes we believe in, including our kids.

What did you get really, really, really excited about? Anyone who knows me would really get suspicious if I answer anything other than “nothing”. Getting really, really, really excited is not my thing.

What song will always remind you of 2008? Huh?

Compared to this time last year, are you: much happier, richer, nicer? Certainly not richer but I’d like to think that I’m as happy and nice as I was last year, but probably not any moreso.

What do you wish you'd done more of? Lost more weight.

What do you wish you'd done less of? Gained weight.

How did you spend Christmas? Home with family around.

Did you fall in love in 2008? In the way I would define it, no.

What was your favorite TV program? The Daily Show, The Colbert Report, and Big Bang Theory in that order.

Do you hate anyone now that you didn't hate this time last year. No, but there are people I hate a little more than I did last year as more of their cruelty, stupidity, or simply duplicity has been exposed.

What was the best book you read this year? "Water for Elephants" by Sara Gruen. The word pictures are so precise you can smell the circus.

What did you want and get? To visit and be visited by my family and friends.

What were your favorite films of this year? Bagdad Café.

What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you? I was 64 singing, “Will you still need me, will you still feed me, when I’m 64?” And Carolyn was answering, “Yes, what would you like for supper?”

What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying? Perfect health.

How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2008. Huh?

What kept you sane? Normal, every day life.

Which celebrity/public figure did you fancy the most? Barack Obama.

What political issue stirred you the most? Gay marriage. As Chuck Lorre put it so well, "I believe that inherent within the God-given right to the pursuit of happiness, is the equally God-given right to the pursuit of unhappiness. That is why I support gay marriage."

Who did you miss? With my memory, I can’t remember who I’ve missed or whether they died or just moved away.

Who was the best new person (people) you met? I dislike the wording of this question because I’m no judge of which person is better than another. Most interesting would be a better category and I would have to say Brenda Crisler (Accountant) followed closely by Pat Bruno (book binder).

Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2008. A lesson I learn again and again is that growing old ain’t for sissies. It’s hard, painful work that gets you, if you’re lucky, back to where you started. Like the Red Queen in “Alice Through the Looking Glass”, you have to run hard to stay in place.

What are you most excited for in 2009? I’m looking forward to Carolyn not having major surgery and chemotherapy for the better part of the year.

What are you least excited for in 2009? Progressive disability which might limit my choices for volunteering, traveling, and visiting.

How to start a happy New Year

I don't know if she's expressed it quite like this but as Activities Committee chair Carolyn values two things - tradition and innovation. That might seem contradictory but it really isn't. Like this morning's "traditional" New Year's pancake breakfast, virtually everything was very traditional from the menu to the placement pattern of the tables, from the condiment table to the serving line. People seemed to feel very comfortable with these traditional arrangements.

The innovations this year were (1) a propane gas griddle that was a whole lot faster in putting out pancakes; and (2) a video projector showing slides of last year's activities in random order. We didn't know what effect the slides would have but I believe there was an overall positive reaction. It seemed that more people saw it as a conversation starter than a stopper. You could almost see their frustration at not being able to stop the show on a particular slide.

Here are a few candid shots of this morning's event.

Part of the kitchen crew ready to serve.

Notice the faces turned to enjoy the slides on the stage.

Almost all the seats are full at 9:53.

Even the smallest of the Klapheck family enjoys the breakfast.

Crowd starting to thin out.