Rebuilding Together Sacramento

When I expressed to Janine Perry, my Kaiser physical therapist, that there were places in our house where I felt somewhat vulnerable to falls, she suggested I contact a non-profit agency in town called Rebuilding Together Sacramento.  Before calling them I checked out their impressive web site. Carolyn heard who I was checking out and mentioned that they had been very helpful in Long Beach upgrading the physical facilities used by Young Horizons.

I made a call to their main number and within two days I had met David Grantham, he had toured our house, and we had put together an estimate of what equipment we agreed I needed.  Two days later David and another installer had installed 5 grab bars and moved one.

They also installed a 4 inch toilet seat riser (with arms) that Kaiser had declared "not necessary".  Carolyn and I were both impressed with their work.

A 50's Valentine dance

The feedback we were getting on our ward activities was that they were all family affairs.  We needed some adult activities or at least some where we didn't have a million kids running underfoot.  So when the idea arose for a Valentine dinner/dance it seemed the perfect time for an adult/teen event. I'm not sure how the idea of a 50's dance at the same time arose but it was too much a part of the plans before anyone questioned it.

We had an excellent DJ available who just happens to be the son of one of the bishopric members.  We also had access to many of the same decorations we used two years ago.  We changed our serving method and found out that family style is a great way to serve a lot of people fast.

The Valentine card that was designed and decorated by the Activities Committee was used to take photo remembrances.  I ended up doing them by default and found out that I needed better fill-in lighting if I ever do this again.

Sleep Test

You've heard of the fellow who was going into the laboratory for a blood test and wondered what he should study?  Well, I went in for a sleep test and I guess I failed miserably.  That really surprised me because if anyone knew how to sleep it was me.  I could sit down to read a book and fall asleep; watch TV and fall asleep even with action thrillers; stop too long at a stop light and fall asleep; you get the idea.

Somehow that was a clue for my primary physician to request a sleep test for me.

I arrived at the sleep center which is in the Neurology department at the Roseville facility at about 7:30 pm.  This is a brand new building but the sleep center beds already look a little used.  As usual I was given a clip board and some questionnaires (what problem brings you here today?  Did you drink any caffeine today?  Etc.  About the time I finished, a lovely technician by the name of Brook opened a "staff only" door and invited me in and ushered me into one of the small bedrooms.

Seeing that I had a small duffel bag with me, Brook invited me to change into my sleeping clothes before we proceed any further.  She then left while I changed into a fresh set of pajamas and Depends (just in case).

When Brook returned I was wired up like someone in the ICU.  She claimed there were only 30 wires but I would have sworn there were twice that many.  I thought, I'm going to sleep wire up like that???  Fortunately, all the wires went from my head or body and ended in one of two boxes that were hooked together with a loop of shoelace that could easily be hung around my neck in case I needed to leave the room.  Which I did.  I needed one final trip to pee before I could relax enough to fall asleep.

I lay down on the bed under Brook's supervision trying not to damage or dislodge the wires.  The Brook goes into her control and observation room, wherever it is, and gives me an eery demonstration of just how good their telemonitoring is.  With the room lights out, I'm asked to move an arm, a leg, and then close my eyes, open them, blink 5 times, look from left to right & back several times.  She can track all this and do so in the dark.

Finally, I am ready for sleep.  It is 9:00 pm and I'm looking forward to 8 hours of uninterrupted sleep.  The wires are a bit of a   problem but soon I'm thinking "that's not my problem").  And in what seems like only a couple of minutes, my watch reads 11:00,  the room lights are coming up and Brook is saying, "Time to start your therapy."  I'm like "WHAT?  Tonight?  Are you sure I need therapy?"  When Brook responds, "Oh, yeah" I get the dreadful feeling that this night is going to be longer than I thought.

Brook then introduces me to a couple of masks, one that fits  pretty much over my nose and requires a chin strap to keep the mouth closed.  Another covers my whole face from the top of my nose to under my chin.  None of them feel comfortable but I select the one that feels least worst.  I ask again what this is for and if it's absolutely necessary.  Brook says its for "CPAP - Continuous positive airway pressure" and yes it's necessary.  She pulls the mask a little tighter on me. 


This time when I'm left alone I don't fall asleep.  Every time I think I'm relaxing enough to drift away, I get a panicky feeeling like claustrophobia or even suffocation.  After 45 minutes and no sleep I suggest this mask isn't going to work.  Brook comes into my room to discuss the alternatives.  The only alternative I'm really interested in is getting some sleep.  But she tries on the nose mask again. I shake my head again.  She says there are two more full mask styles which she then brings in.  I choose what I think will bother me the least.


This time for some reason I don't feel as panicky.  It's still more than I want on my face but I somehow drift off to sleep.  Much too soon the room light is coming on.  It is 5:00 am and with a smiling face Brook is disconnecting my oxygen tube and wiring harness.  There are still two more forms to fill out and my Sleep Test uh... Sleep Ordeal is over.  

Home network file sharing

Have you ever tried sharing files between computers on a home network?  I haven't tried all the combinations of operating systems and I've had the most experience between XP systems and between XP and Vista.  My experience is that it works quite well.  I've had few problems.

But (there's always a "but" , isn't there?) I'm having a heck of a time trying to STOP sharing!  We're in the middle of migrating our operations from an old desktop (approximately 7 years old) to a new laptop.  Sharing files seemed to be a good way to get  used to the new computer without a traumatic cutoff.  By sharing our most active files we could access them from either computer until we felt comfortable just using the new computer.  Then we would move the files to the new computer and stop sharing, right?  Wrong

Getting comfortable with the new computer - no problem.  Moving the files to the new computer - no problem.  Leaving a copy of the files on the old computer as backup but renaming and relocating them - no problem.  Cutting the strings between the new computer and these old files - no go.  I guess I'll have to delete the old files as I've tried everything else.  At one point as I was trying to stop the sharing I got the wonderful message "You can't stop sharing these files.  Reason: You are still sharing some of these files."!!!!

Well, it turns out I know nothing about how file sharing works.  I thought a shared file remained on the host computer while users logged onto other computers on the network accessed the file through the host computer.  But when I deleted files on the host computer it didn't affect the "shared files".  The system must copy the shared  files onto the file system of the guest computer. So I'm not sharing those files anymore and I didn't need to make my own copy.

Another drop

One of the places I have enjoyed in Sacramento for the past 8 years has been the close proximity of a nice gym. Up until a couple of years ago it was really convenient for Carolyn and I to drop in and exercise an hour or so.  It has been more difficult for me since she stopped going.

For the first couple of years since my Parkinson's Disease diagnosis I still made it to the gym 2 or 3 times a week for a half hour workout on the treadmill or the stationary bicycle followed by a 1/2 hour exercise with the strength machines.  For the past 6 months I have made it to the gym 3 to 4 times a month.  So I cut back my membership to that of a "senior connection" status which restricts me to MWF 1 to 4.  The past two weeks have shown me that I won't be using even this restrictive schedule so I've decided to drop my gym membership.

This now joins Meals on Wheels as things I no longer do.

Billboard of the decade

No.  Why do you ask?

Banana Oatmeal cookies

Yesterday we tried another recipe from Martha Stewart's "Cookies".  As we were putting the ingredients together I was struck with how similar the recipe appeared to our traditional family recipe.  So I decided to line them up together so you could see them both and compare.

Loveridge Family Recipe	Martha Stewart Cookies	Ingredient
3/4 C.	3/4 C	shortening/butter
1 C.	1/2 C	brown sugar (packed)
1/2 C.	1/2 C	granulated sugar
1	1	egg
1 C.	1/2 C	overripe bananas, mashed
1 tsp.	1 1/2 tsp	vanilla
1/2 tsp.	1 tsp	salt (omit if use marg.)
1 tsp	-	baking powder
1/2 tsp	1/2 tsp	baking soda
1 tsp.	-	cinnamon
1/2 tsp.	-	cloves
1.5-2 C.	1 1/2 C	flour
3 C.	1 C	rolled oats
1 C.	1 C	chocolate chips
1 C.	1 C	chopped nuts

There were other, subtle differences such as Martha Stewart specifying 1 C  of all purpose flour and 1/2 cup whole wheat flour and using chocolate CHUNKS instead of CHIPS.  But we didn't think such changes were meaningful.  As for instructions, the Loveridge recipe calls for adding everything in order and mixing as you go.  The MS Cookie book calls for mixing the flours, salt and soda together and set it aside.  Then mix butter, sugars thoroughly.  Add egg, vanilla, banana, flour mixture.  Then add oats, chocolate, and nuts.  The Loveridge recipe calls for 12-15 minutes at 350 degrees.  The Stewart recipe calls for 12-13 minutes at 375.  Both caution against overcooking.  The bottom of the cookie should be only slightly darker than the top.

The major difference between the cookies is all the spices.  And it makes the difference for the cookies to taste like banana-nut bread or nut-spice bread.  Personally, I find the banana cookies delicious but I  prefer the spiciness of the Loveridge Family recipe.

Schadenfreude

Schadenfreude is a psychological term meaning joy in the misfortune of others.  Naturally, as I sit here in my comfortable house, looking out the window at a perfectly blue sky and a comfortable 58 degrees, I wonder.  According to all the media the East Coast is suffering the worst snowstorm in decades and Southern California has had so much rain that houses are literally sliding down mountains.  I wonder.  Do I have schadenfreude?

And I've decided the answer is a clear NO.  I don't enjoy the misfortune of others but since there's not a thing I can do about the snow on the East Coast or the mudslides in Southern California, I might as well enjoy what I have.  There should be a psychological term for joy in spite of the misfortune of others.

Browser wars

I switched from Microsoft's Internet Explorer to Mozilla's Firefox several years ago and have never regretted the move.  The few times that I have had IE forced upon me because some software installation required it, I have not been impressed.  And, of course, I keep IE available on my machine for those rare websites which insist on using it.

But a few days ago Google whose search engine I don't think I could do without and whose iGoogle is my home page advertised a free download of their browser Chrome.  They advertised a significant increase in speed and total compatibility with IE and Firefox.  In just the few days I have used it I can't verify its compatibility but I can certainly vouch for the speed.  If IE goes 20 mph and Firefox goes 30 mph, I would guess that Chrome goes 90 to 100 mph.  I don't know how they do it with third party gizmos and add-ins but they do.  Has anyone else had experience with Chrome?

Another browser that looks interesting is Apple's Safari.  So far speed is not it's forte.  The interface is supposed to be graphical like iPhone and iTunes and it is supposed to evaluate your most frequent or favorite sites so they are presented for easiest access.  With the speed of Chrome I'm not sure I'll ever find out just how good Safari is.

Preparedness

No amount of preparedness will make up for a relatively small amount of unpreparedness.

Today was the first day of the Spring semester for the Renaissance Society at Sac State.  I attended a class on the topic of humor.  Although it appeared that the class coordinator (not teacher as we are all expected to share that duty) had put in some time putting together a beginning bibliography and potential class outline, he had not done his homework regarding using the physical facilities in the classroom..

We must have wasted 20 minuteness trying to get his laptop to communicate with the classroom projector until someone suggested finding a student who might know something about it.  A student was found and problem solved in less than a minute.  Half an hour later when the coordinator wanted to  use sound he discovered again that his laptop wasn't communicating sound to the classroom speaker system.

Even when the problem wasn't connecting to the classroom equipment unpreparedness seemed the order of the day.  Rather than using Powerpoint to highlight his lecture points, he had simply entered them on separate pages of a Word document.  As a result, some of them filled the screen and overflowed while others were so small they couldn't be read,

I finally got so frustrated that I left the class during the break and there's a good chance I won't be back.

Random Activities Committee meeting

 

  

I'm finding that I'm not the only person who has to deal with Carolyn as a Random Event Generator.  This evening was our ward's Activity Committee meeting.  Carolyn is, of course, the chair of the committee and therefore the chair of the meeting.  The supposed purpose of the meeting was to iron out the final details of the Adult/Teen Valentine's Dinner Dance which is to occur on the 12th.  But actually more time was spent working on some of the decorations for the event.  We had people sewing lace, hot gluing lace, preparing the photo op sign.  People were on the computer, the sewing machine, the floor.  It certainly looked more like a craft event than a committee meeting but everyone also seemed to have a good time.

 

  

  

  

The large board is what couples will stand behind to get a remembrance picture of the evening.

Welcome, Jessica

I'd like to welcome my older daughter Jessica to our family of bloggers.  I think we now have 5 of our 6 children or their spouses blogging on a fairly regular basis which helps us keep in touch with what is going on in their lives.  We especially enjoy the pictures and projects and, yes, even the bunnies.

Jessica is a stay at home, working mother who has the energy and creativity we all wish for.  She also has a writing talent that could make her the Erma Bombeck of our time if we could just get her to publish.  The work she has done on her house and yard (with Jon's consent and assistance of course) is  just amazing and probably qualifies it for the designation "The Brimley Museum of Ecology and Modern Independent Living."  Hopefully, we'll see a lot about it on her blog.

So visit her blog and add it to your favorite places to visit.  The address is

	http://whenmomgetsbored.blogspot.com/

e-mail - withdrawal pains

Today I woke up our computer to find that we didn't have e-mail service. Our email service provider Surewest reminds me of the IT department of a mid-sized company.  They're innovative and usually rapidly responsive to reported problems.  But they can be eavily overwhelmed by complex problems. 

It would have nice to get an email saying they're having problems but, of course, they can't do that with the system problems.  I at first thought it was our computer or somebody messing with our email password.  Then I finally got smart enough to call Surewest technical support.  Their answering machine said they were aware of an email problem and they were working on it.

You know you're a real e-mail user when you go into shock when you lose your email.  I can't count how many times I've gone to write an email then remembered I can't.  It's just too much of my life now.

Friends of the library

Today, at the annual meeting of the Friends of the Sacramento Public Library, I was reelected treasurer of the organization.  Pictured above is Joanne Murphy, the 3rd president I have served under in this position.  This will be the 6th year on the board and 6th year as treasurer.  You'd think that by now I'd have learned my lesson.  Actually we are working on replacing me but it won't be easy.  The woman has some health issues but then so do I.

Santa Cruz handyman

We have come to really enjoy visits by Steve and Lisa for any number of reasons.  But one reason which I'm still a little surprised about is their talent for fixing things and their ability to actually do so. 

Like the other night...  We were all at Ed and Tiff's house and shuddering each time their refrigerator was opened or closed.  The door made a horrible sound of metal siezing up so I was positive that the hinge was going to blow up in shreds any minute now.  Tiff and I were thinking it probably needed some lubrication be we weren't sure how to go about finding where it was needed.  Steven took a pair of pliars, decided it was the lower door hinge, and tightened, loosened, or bent back a piece of metal.  Voila!  no noise.

Today, he and Lisa used their time today to replace a leaking kitchen sink faucet. We left for a meeting with the friends of the library and  returned to see the new faucet in place.  What do you think?

Renaissance starts again

The Renaissance Society at Sac State began another semester today with what they call the Rendezvous.  I think it is supposed to remind people what registration used to be like when each class had a table and you had to visit each table of the classes you wanted.  In our case we're only supposed to sign up for one class so the whole process can go really fast --- except there were so many people and my walker doesn't negotiate crowds very well. 

Thunder Cave

If you were in Mrs. Baldwin's class in the Taylor, Arizona elementary school during the 1950's you'll probably recognize this book.  According to my wife, kids looked forward each year ato reading this book with their teacher Mrs. Baldwin.  We have a copy of the book that was literally falling apart.  To see if it was worth rebinding I looked on a couple of well-known databases.  I had to use the author's name to even get this book to come up.

The book, written in 1932 and revised in 1945 is a classic in political and cultural non-correctness. As we were discussing the book the other day we wondered whether a rewire taking out the ethinic stereotypes and slurs would even have a chance of selling.  Come to find out that a so-called Millenial edition of the book was published in 2001.  In trying to put together the history by seeing what new and used books are available, it appears that a hard cover limited edition was first published then a much larger run of a large paperback version was published.

The paperback millenial (2001) version is selling new for about $40 and used for half that price.  The hardcover version is going for $80 to almost $300.  Likewise the 32 and 45 versions are definitely collector's items if they are in good shape.  We'lll probably never sell our book but it does look like it's worth rebinding.

Friends

A Book on Disk that I'm currently listening to has a quote that runs something like "A friend is someone who can disagree with you without being disagreeable."  I like that statement and hope that it applies to all my friends in relation to me.  I  would guess that the greater portion of people who I call my friends are or tend to be on the conservative side of the political spectrum while I'm a card carrying member of the ACLU.  I apologize if I've been disagreeable but I don't apologize for disagreeing.  That's the way we both learn.

Falling in love - or just falling?

At one of my Parkinson's Disease support group meetings recently there was a small discussion about falling.  One man boasted that he was on his 27th no-fall day while another looked blankly at the group as his wife said he usually fell 4 or 5 times a day but on good days might fall only 2 or 3 times. 

Having suffered a fall or two myself, I'm not anxious to be doing it several times a day.  The trouble with most falls is that they come as a complete surprise.  Like today when I was opening the rear door of my Highlander in the garage.  I somehow got off balance and couldn't move my feet fast enough to save the situation.   Next thing I knew I was sitting on my butt looking up at the world.  I had scraped my elbow and the back of my hand but that was the extent of my wounds.

 Time to reset my accident counter.

You know your kids are doing something right when they take the family to Wendy's and the grandkids almost beg to have a side salad with their kids meals.  Of course Tiffany makes wonderful salads herself so it shouldn't be surprising that her kids like salads so much.

And you know that scene from "Lady and the Tramp" where Lady and Tramp are eating the same spaghetti string so they meet in the middle with a kiss.  Camdan does the same thing with a french fry and his Mom.

Babysitting the grandkids

Something I haven't taken the opportunity to do for many months or even years is to tend two or three of my grandchildren all by myself.  Of course it is a whole new world now that I need a walker to get around and I'm unstable enough on my feet without carrying anything let alone a year and a half old toddler.

I did have the assistance of Tim and Jake and a bit of cooperation from Camden.  Probably the biggest problem was convincing Camden that he needed a little more help with things than his older brothers did.  Between playing board games, watching a movie, and having chocolate ice cream for desert, we managed to make the evening a pleasant experience for all.

Zero tolerance policy

Every time I see or hear the words "Zero Tolerance" I get so angry.  It can relate to businesses or government entities but it  usually refers to schools or school districts having "zero tolerance" for guns, drugs, gang behavior, or "offensive" clothing.  Recently I heard of a school board wanting to prohibit Facebook communication between teachers and students.  Undoubtedly this will be a zero tolerance rule as well.

I think ZT is a lazy man's justice.  You don't have to think about the context or mitigating factors.  It's simply "If A, then B".  ZT is quick and easy to administer and it is certainly fair if only in a draoconian way.

It's no wonder our kids grow up with little tolerance of our court system.  After all they lived under zero tolerance for 12 years so they're not going to cut government and especially the court system any slack.

Heritage dinner

One of the bonuses of being a grandparent is getting invited to all sorts of school and extracurricular activities.  One of the disadvantages in living 7 hours away from 11 of your  14 grandchildren is that you can't make it to 78.6% of such activities.  Unless you're Carolyn and are willing to go on the road for business and stay over to visit the grandchildren, thus allowing some parents to get some time off.

The activity we got to participate in this week was a Heritage dinner for Jacob's class.  The theme was centered around the family  In spite of his class being only 30 or so, the school cafeteria was filled with family members who enjoyed a great pot-luck dinner and a program that had at least one singing number from the class.  We were a little late so I'm not sure of the rest of the program.  They also displayed their artwork which featured home and family.

Thanks for the invitation, Jake.

And the floods came down

I think it was about 15 years ago when we lived in Long Beach.  We were sent home from work early because of predicted heavy storms.  I had to park my car about half a mile from home it was flooded so much.  Well, Long Beach was again hit with heavy rains yesterday.  Check out the pictures at www.lbpost.com/ryan/8026 About the only difference is the rain fell later in the day 15 years ago so it was harder to see just how deep the water was especially in the intersections. 

Here's a couple of pictures of my son Lee paddling his inflatable raft along his street.

I'm surprised he didn't get his picture in the paper, also.

Another resignation

Most of us think of April 15th when we think "tax time" but for some of us other dates are just as important or even more so.  For example, 1099-Misc forms have to go out the end of January to all  non-employees who have been paid more than $600.  That means that I as treasurer of the Friends of the Sacramento Public Library have to survey all of our branches and compile a list of the clowns, magicians, cyclists, weavers, artists, etc. who have been hired by the Friends branches during last year.  Last year I sent out 23 forms but this year the library took over the payments in late summer.  It looks like I'll be sending out 6 or 7 1099's.

Another date coming soon is the tax service season when the AARP tax advisers start helping the elderly and poor submit their tax returns.  That season runs from February 1 to April 15.  Of course these volunteer advisers have to be trained.  Some training started right after New Years.  Since I did this last year I attended the "returning advisors' class" which started yesterday and ends tomorrow.  I went yesterday and today but I won't be going tomorrow.  I resigned.

Physically, I'm having more and more problems keying but it is the mental exercise that finally convinced me I didn't want to fill out four or more tax returns every week from February 1 to April 15.  Last year it was exciting.  This year it is already drudgery.  It's sad to have to give it up but it wouldn't be fair to co-workers if I took twice as long to complete a tax return and it would certainly not be fair to our clients if I messed up their tax returns.

It's raining. It's pouring.

Maybe, just maybe we're finally going to have a little Sacramento weather after all.  For the past two months it's looked like Southern California's "marine layer" of clouds around here - no rain but no sun either.  Some have even described it as "high level fog" as opposed to the tule fog we often have in the spring where the fog hugs the ground and convinces drivers that "out of sight, out of existence" leading to some horrible accidents.

But today we had real weather, buckets and buckets of real weather.  It appeared to me that drivers were, on the whole, being somewhat more careful, especially when they couldn't see even with the wipers going at full speed.  Fortunately, the cloudbursts were exactly that - bursts.  In between, there was the steady rain that doesn't overwhelm the ground or the windshield wipers.  We could use more of that.

But which charity do I use?

Yesterday I listed some of the better rated organizations for donating to the Haitian disaster relief but I failed to give advice as to how to rate these charities. I've found a valuable resource is Charity Navigator a web siste that not only gives you the rating on a particular charity  you're interested in but also has such Top Ten lists as

• Least visited (asked about)
• Most swamped in admin costs
• Most asked for
• Supersized charities
• Low paid CEO's

Well, you get the idea.  It's a fun site to visit even if you don't intend to contribute.  But I hope you do.

How about money? Does money work for you?

In the wake of the horrible tragedy in Haiti and the almost relentless calls for aid (often to the Red Cross and almost always in the form of MONEY) I am reminded of my father's distrust of giving money to the Red Cross.  He was more than willing to give his blood or blood components to the Red Cross and he certainly was not a stingy person but every time the subject came  up between the two of us he would remind me that he didn't give money to the Red Cross.  When I would ask why not he would give a less than complete answer along the lines of "when I needed their help, they weren't there".  I never did hear the particulars but I still find it difficult to overcome that bias.

Being in the hospital administration business for 15 years, I had my share of run-ins with the Red Cross.  Interestingly, given my father's lack of hesitancy giving blood, my first run in was in connection with the blood bank in Utah and difficulties between their blood bank and ours at the hospital.  Later problems would surface based on their national management salary levels and each time my bias would be reinforced.

Now I have no reason to disparage giving to the Red Cross for Haitian relief efforts but I'll probably look for another way such as one of the following:

ActionAid International
International Relief Teams
AmeriCares
Doctors Without Borders
Partners In Health 

We want our money back

What would you think of an auto dealer who gave you a $30,000 car because you needed transportation.  Then six months later called you up and asked you to come in and pay him $30,000 or sign a $30,000 loan agreement.  And if you want the loan you need to bring the pink slip in also.  You'd think him a little daft, wouldn't you?


Today I got an email from "Joe Biden" which read as follows:

Yesterday, President Obama announced our proposed Financial Crisis Responsibility Fee on the country's largest banks:

"My commitment is to recover every single dime the American people are owed. And my determination to achieve this goal is only heightened when I see reports of massive profits and obscene bonuses at some of the very firms who owe their continued existence to the American people...We want our money back, and we're going to get it."

The fee would recover every penny loaned to Wall Street during the financial crisis and stop the reckless abuses and excesses that nearly caused the collapse of our financial system in the first place.

My first response was, "It's a little late, don't you think?"  And my second was, "Gee, it must be great to be all powerful."  And my third response was, "Should we cut this administration some slack because the bailout was actually begun under the prior administration and these guys were still arranging the nameplates on their desks by the time the bailout was through?"

Almost as unbelievable is the response from the banking industry who, having gotten a free lunch, want to make sure it stays free.  It's not their fault there were no strings attached to the bailout money.  Real patriots, these.  But let one of their customers get a $100 due to bank error and they'll stop at nothing to get the money back.

News versus opinion

"When I was young" one of the things that used to bother me was older people starting sentences with "when I was young."  It was almost always a prelude to a remembrance which may have been a little shaky at best and downright false at worst.  Somehow in the past there were fewer "bad guys" around and those that were were caught and given their just punishments or run out of town on a rail.  There was no unemployment, at least for those who really wanted to work.  And life was hard but with enough faith in the Lord everything came out all right.

Well, when I was young and before we had television in the house we got our news from newspapers.  We knew that everything was really news and really factual except advertising and the editorial and op-editorial pages.  I also recall that politicians were criticized for their ideas, their bills, and sometimes for their tactics but almost never for who they were.  This was especially true regarding the president who was truly given the respect of the title The Honorable Mister President.  When we got television it was also clear that the news shows were news.  You could expect to hear the same things on CBS, NBC, or ABC, at least on the news programs.  There were shows devoted to opinions and they were clearly advertised as such.

Now today there seems to be no such thing as unbiased news unless it pertains to cats stranded in trees or an increase in rainfall.  Oops, take that back - the rainfall will somehow be tied to global climate change and the credibility or lack thereof or the current or past administration.  Politicians are the least respected class in our society with the President being the least of the least, at least among newscasters.  When I was young we used to marvel that other countries had "state" sponsored media outlets which broadcast 99% propaganda and may or may not have opposition sponsored media depending on the degree of independence and rule of law in the country.  We couldn't imagine newsmen who would sell their soul to sell newspapers or air time for their party.  That was what communists and fascists did, didn't they?  When I was young....  when did it all change?

LibraryThing part 2

I try not to repeat myself on this blog so this entry is going to be short.

A good friend asked me if I knew a good, inexpensive inventory program for books.  My first thought was the good all-purpose database programs of Excel and Access.  My second thought was I've answered this question before.  Maybe I should check my own blog before I write up the whole thing again.  Sure enough, almost 3 years ago I  posted blog entry: LibraryThing.com telling all about the website software called LibraryThing.  Click on the link and read my review or go to website: LibraryThing.com and find out for yourself.  The first 200 books are free and to catalog a library of 5,000 books is still only $25.  What a deal.

I'm getting old

Like hardening of the arteries, hardening of opinions seems to be a sign of old age.  And I'm really suffering when it comes to the Friends of the Library.  Let me give some context.

The Friends of the Sacramento Public Library is an auxiliary group associated with the library whose main activity is selling used books and whose main donee is the Library.  Each of the 28 branches of the Sacramento Public Library also has a Friends group associated with that branch with the same activity and donee restriction.  Also each branch is a part of the "system" Friends.  We have only one Federal ID number and file only one tax return.  We are a 501c3 charity which we pass along to the branch friends because we are all one.

Now along comes the Library Foundation with a main activity of raising money for the library.  They are paid.  Their board are movers and shakers.  They are centralized.  They want all donations to flow through them.  They want the Friends to be as organized as they are.  They are NOT part of the Friends and the Friends are NOT part of them.

So there is a "working partners" group to iron out some of the kinks in the relationship and to bring the Friends into a configuration that better reflects how the Foundation sees it.  Although there are some regulations that need to be followed, most of the reasoning behind proposed changes are related to "best practices" a phrase difficult to attack without looking like you'd rather have "worst practices".

I have not been a part of the "working partners" probably because my attitude was so obvious from the start.  And almost every proposal I hear from the group makes me glad I will soon be hanging up my Treasurer's hat.  Maybe worst practices is really what I wanted all along.

PO = PIssed off

Just when I'm sorta thinking that the Post Office has evolved into a different organization, a service organization which really cares about it's customers and share of market, etc. they go and surprise me with an act so pissy that I wonder how I ever thought things had changed.

The latest is this:
We addressed one of our Christmas cards to 6310 Anywhere Avenue, Long Beach.  It was promptly returned with the notation that 6310 Anywhere didn't exist.  That was it, no help as to what the address might be, just the blunt "doesn't exist".  We suspect that the postman even recognized the address since it would be only two short blocks away.

We looked in our address database and, sure enough, the correct address was 6510 so Carolyn scratched out the old address and wrote in the correct one.   This time the card didn't make it out of Carmichael.  It was returned to us with a note attached to the envelope which read:

From 95608 - New postage required as was already attempted with address at 6310.  When corrected needs new postage.

And they wonder that so many people are using email more and more.

A Joyful Noise

Big changes for our ward choir this year.  The biggest for Carolyn & me is, of course, that the weekly choir practice is in our home.  For just a little inconvenience of setting up and taking down the chairs each week we get to have our house filled with pretty decent music at least once a week. This morning was the first practice for the year.  It appeared that about half the choir lost their way and never made it here.  But otherwise it was successful.

The other major change has to do with the choir's program.  I have really enjoyed singing in the choir because our director has been innovative in bringing numbers that challenged us but were also fun and new.  Well, I suspect someone has been reading the Church Handbook of Instruction.  There under Ward Choirs is this:   Choirs can be used to help members become more familiar with the hymns and to introduce them to lesser-known hymns. Our choir director used that quote almost verbatim in telling us what we'll be singing in the coming months.

This quote also from the Church Handbook lends support to that view: Choirs are encouraged to use the hymnbook as their basic resource because the hymns teach the truths of the restored gospel. 

Of course the Handbook also states: Hymn arrangements and other appropriate choral works may also be used. but that will not be emphasized this year.

Turbo Tax

We finally did it like we're supposed to - wait until we have the coupon for a discount on Turbo Tax before buying it.  Often in previous years we've purchased the software then when the coupon comes in the mail (and it always comes) we'd take it and the sales slip for proof of purchase back for the credit.

As usual I made a copy of the software for backup purposes then installed from the backup disk to verify that it is a good copy.  Installation went as expected except that it seemed to take a long time. 

But the thing that fascinated me this year was a question about why specifically I was using Turbo Tax this year.  There was a drop down menu so you couldn't just pick anything.  Curiously missing from the list was the reason I would expect a majority of users to select: "customer loyalty" or "liked the way it worked last year."  Curiously on the list was:  "a friend gave me a copy of the software program." 

Elephant Bar revisited

A few weeks ago I reported on our visit to the Elephant Bar, giving the place high marks.  Tonight we revisited the restaurant with some long-time friends who had moved to Sacramento shortly after we did.  Did the restaurant measure up to my previous evaluation?  Absolutely.  In spite of a long line of customers waiting, they honored our reservations and when the booth they initially assigned to us was too cramped, they graciously moved us to a table as soon as one became available.

The food was as good as before with the sole exception being Carolyn's tomato sauce which was rather plain.  But everything was served hot and timely. 

I didn't have my 20% senior discount card with me but Carolyn had hers.  Still they honored the card for us and our friends on separate tabs. 

I'm again impressed with the Elephant Bar.  They put customer service first.

Help! Somebody stole my feet

Well, they didn't exactly steal my feet.  And I don't know who I mean by "they".  But the fact is that I can no longer trust my feet and legs to do what I expect them to do if I just put things on automatic.  A good analogy might be that I'm a driver trained with an automatic transmission who now has to drive a stick shift - where the different gears change every time I start the car and sometimes while I'm driving peacefully down the road.

I spent an hour with my physical therapist this morning practicing "purposeful steps" and directed walking commands.  Fortunately, there is still nerve and muscle programming at the lowest level so I don't have to think how to raise my toes or lower my heels or bend my knees.  My brain or spinal cord can still handle simple commands like that.  They just can't handle a command like "walk to the front door, retrieve newspaper, return to favorite chair". 

When Janine suggested I think of a metronome when walking, I surprised her by pulling out my PDA and running the metronome program.  Then I surprised myself by walking down 3 or 4 hallways in the PT department using the metronome as a "pacer".  Maybe I should market a metronome/pacer to install on any sort of walker.  If it were smart enough, it could give an introduction beat, a warning beat, and even a HALT beam when my situation is completely out of balance.

Automatic bank transactions - can you trust them?

Microsoft Money is not some phony currency like Monopoly money but a rather sophisticated piece of software that has done a decent job of keeping track of our family finances for the past 10 or 12 years.  For banks that bought into their system they also provided one of the earliest and most reliable online payment systems.  Large payees would get electronic transfers while small payees such as individuals would get actual checks.  Now that many companies are setting up their own bill paying systems over the Internet, there are indications that Microsoft Money may be changing.

Trying to get ahead of the curve and automate my bill paying as much as possible, I have attempted over the past 3 months to sign up for automated bill paying with every creditor we routinely pay or at least those who have that as a payment option. 

It has been an interesting exercise as some companies want to tie that in with paperless billing while others don't care.  Some will accept only bank transfers while others prefer credit cards and others accept only credit cards.  Most, recognizing their savings in automated processing, accept autopay with no extra charge while others, notably government entities, want to charge a "convenience fee".  And there are still holdouts who haven't figured out Internet transactions yet.

My biggest frustration to date has been with our home lender Wells Fargo.  Setting up the automatic payment was fairly simple and straightforward.  But once I had set it up there was no indication in my online file that I had done so, no indication of the amount or date of proposed payment.  In fact, other than waiting for the payment to be taken out of my bank account, the only way I could tell I had an automatic payment was to try to make a non-automatic payment online.  That created a message like "You are already enrolled for periodic payment.  If you wish to stop or change this, please call customer service or use our encrypted email system." 

On the first of this month I received an automated notice from Wells Fargo telling me my mortgage payment was due.  In fact, I received three such notices on the 1st and another one the next day.  When the notice of payment hadn't come through by the 4th, I used their "encrypted" email system to ask what was happening. I'm pathologically anxious about paying bills late especially mortgage payments even though our mortgage says that late charges don't apply until the 15th.  Finally, on the 5th I received the email message that payment had been posted.  Is this going to be worth it?

Not always a pack rat

I've gotten a reputation, among our kids at least, of being a pack rat in the sense that when I am no longer using something I will often save it as a "backup" rather than discarding or recycling.  For example, when I put together a chest of drawers and have an extra screw or a pair of drawer gliders left over I will "save" them in our junk drawer on the chance that I'll need these parts in the future. 

Just for the record I'm not always a pack rat.  For Christmas Carolyn and I bought ourselves a telephone system to replace the hodge podge of equipment that we been using.  And I'll admit that I was tempted to hold onto our old equipment.  Tempted, that is, until I realized that some of it could benefit my bookbinding mentor Pat.  Pat's shop is about 50 feet from his house which makes it inconvenient to run into the house to catch a phone call.  He can't afford the ongoing charges for a phone company extension or answering machine.  Among our surplussed equipment was an answering machine as well as a base and satellite unit.  I took the equipment to Pat yesterday in hopes that it would work for him.

Pat called me today so excited that he could receive and make calls from his workshop, something he has wanted to do for years.  The answering machine will be useful when he can't get the phone even in his shop.  Now if I could just find someone who wants a 9 year old electric shaver.

The beginning of an end

I dropped off a bundle of 30 envelopes this morning at the post office glad they're on their way and wondering if this is really this last time I'll be sending them.  No, they weren't Christmas cards.  I hope to be around several more Christmas's and will probably be sending some cards each year.  No, this was my annual plea for reports from the Branch Friends of the Library who need to let me know which performers they have sponsored this past year so I can prepare Misc Form 1099's for each one to which we've paid more than $600.  Because we're considered one organization including all the branches, we have to add all the branch payments together.  If 5 branches each hire the same magician for $150 his total would be $750 so we'd have to send a 1099.  The library was supposed to take over hiring and paying the performers as of July 1, 2009 which would have cut down the number getting $600 but they didn't implement the change until Oct 1.  As most of the programs occur from March to October, it's possible that I'll be sending the same as last year.  The good news is that unless the library reverses itself this really will be my last time.  And maybe that will be sufficient to encourage everyone to send their reports in timely -  ha ha ha.

Another Atomic clock

You know how the word atomic seems to scare people away when it refers to power or plant irradiation or weaponry but somehow it usage to describe a clock doesn't raise such concerns.  Which brings me to tonight's word: atomic clock.

I actually read the instruction for something we purchased this year.  Carolyn & I purchased a indoor/outdoor thermometer and atomic clock.  The instructions start out by explaining that an atomic clock is one whose time mechanism is governed by the vibration of atomic particles.  They explain that such clocks are rather expensive and are actually located only in a few places in the world.  They then go on to explain that consumer "atomic" clocks get their right to be called atomic by being in regular communication with these atomic clocks.  It would probably be more accurate to call these consumer clocks "radio clocks" but then they would be confused with clock radios.

Previous indoor/outdoor clocks were always flaking out on me so I was not surprised when the outside temperature disappeared and it looked like I had bit into another bad apple.  But Carolyn used a bit of counter intuitive logic and actually moved the outside probe further away from the main unit.  Surprisingly, it worked!  And it has continued working for the past 2 weeks.  Who would have thought?