Thunder of Wade

The election came and went and while there was hope that things would turn out for the best, it was quickly dashed by the polls and media.  When the final counts were done, the United States was in the red. 

The years of attacks on education and the media came to fruition with a population that believed the lies and decided a fascist cult was the way to go. 

There’s a lot of anger and disappointment still – and a lot of blaming and fear.   And hope seems elusive.     I wonder if, when things start changing for the worst, there is some “buyer” remorse and the pendulum will swing back around.  But, I’m concerned that the fundamentals of the US will be eroded further to keep those in power from losing said power.

Right after the election, Jim’s job announced that the merger was going through – and the timing suggests that they were waiting to see how much they could get away with in the new political climate.  Which is not a hopeful sign.

For myself, there’s a meeting coming up towards the end of the month about a reorganization in our department.  There have been emails as well about more staffing cuts at UA and while I’ve “survived” 2 of these already, I’m more nervous about this round since the people making the cuts won’t know my value. 

Jim and I are also in the middle of a basement renovation project with contractors that are not as reliable as we had hoped.  So, the house is a mess and the project is creeping along slowly.

There’s just so much uncertainty right now and I’m feeling a lot of anxiety.  I can pivot with the best of them, but I’m worried this time I’m going to twist my ankle – existentially.

But, I’m still working hard and trying to keep up with the house.  This afternoon I’m going to rake leaves and this past weekend, I saw my folks and finished up an origami project to donate.   I’m trying, at least, to keep my chin up and keep doing what I do.  

Maybe there’s still a little hope after all.  Maybe that’s what hope is. 

I kept a daily journal about our vacation with detailed notes since we hadn’t traveled in a while, but it was so low-key, there wasn’t much to blog about.

1. On the trip down, while Jim was driving, we ran into stop and go traffic. It was a warm day and we had the A/C on.  I felt a sudden blast of hot air and realized something was wrong.  I looked over at the dashboard and saw the blinking temperature light – then quickly turned the A/C off and over to heat as I got Jim to pull over.    We got stopped safely, turned everything off, and I got out to pop the hood and let things cool down.  We waited about 15 minutes, then tried again – without A/C and with a close eye on the temperature.  It was a little scary to have this happen so far from home and at the start of the trip. 

2. There was a problem with the condo owner when we arrived with the pickup of they key (there was no key) and the parking pass (the gate couldn’t find it).   Once we got it sorted, the code didn’t work on the door.   I figured that it was related to the earlier check in time and the owner had to give us a temporary code to get in.   The condo was small and needed some renovations, but was fine for us and close to the beach.

3. While we mostly ate in, we did get sandwiches at a roadside market/restaurant called Black Bird.  The food was good and so was the dessert.  Jim also got a tomato pie which I skipped.  We also got Thanksgiving Dinner sandwiches at a restaurant called the Tattooed Moose.    It was pretty good, but the live band was lame.  Also, the clerk at the grocery store was on the spectrum and was amazed that we helped bag the groceries – and also proudly told Jim that tomatoes were in the produce section. 

4. We were at the beach nearly every day and spent a lot of time in the sun.  I swam in the ocean many times and was usually the only one out there since it was so cold.   At one point I told myself, as I retreated from a cold wave at the start, “Are you a sea god or are you a bitch?”  But, I swam strong and had fun – usually taking my suit off and holding it while I swam once I was in deep enough waters. 

5. We both did a lot of reading and bought more books when we went to Charleston for the day.  It was so quiet in the condo in the evening all we could hear were the pages turning.  This was before and after walks on the beach – where we were bold enough to hold hands while we walked.   And on a deserted stretch of beach at 6:30 in the evening, I was bold enough to strip down and walk naked across the sand – at least until we turned back towards occupied areas.

6. We saw plenty of birds, tiny crabs, deer, and I memorably saw a snake the first day on the boardwalk (I didn’t tell Jim until we were back).   I didn’t see any fish – the water was too murky – but I did get grabbed by a kraken or maybe my immagination.   There were also plenty of bugs and it was either sand fleas, bed bugs, or mosquitos – but I got bit up pretty bad.  We washed our clothes in hot water and steamed our luggage when we got home, just in case.  Oh, and Jim picked up a lot of shells – including a few that were still occupied.  I was recruited to take them back into the ocean since we didn’t want to leave them on the shore. 

7. We planned a trip to Charleston for the day and drove into the city and found a parking garage near the shopping district on King street  – which was also close to the open air market.  We got lost a couple of times and when we stopped to look at the map someone would stop and ask if we needed help.  Friendly city.   We walked to the open air market first, stopped at Callie’s Hot Biscuits for an early lunch, then walked King Street.  We had places we wanted to stop at, but after walking for several hours realized that the art store was going to be too far.  We went back to the car and drove to the three story art supply store before heading back to the condo for dinner.

8. As is tradition for a beach trip, on one night when I woke up to go to the bathroom I then snuck down to the beach to streak across the sand and swim naked in the ocean.  There was no one around and it was a freeing experience, but it was also a moonless night and while I could see the condo, I had trouble finding where I had left my shorts.  I eventually found everything and rinsed off on the boardwalk at the outdoor shower before getting dried off and dressed again.  Despite the cold I wish I had stayed out a little longer before going back up to the condo and to bed. 

9. We were both careful with the sunscreen and aloe and neither of us got burned.  I got a little color and thought I looked pretty good by the end of the trip.  I ate a little healthier than I usually do and got a little more exercise and while I wasn’t strutting, I also wasn’t shy about being shirtless or sitting on the beach chair in my speedo after a swim.

10. We drove straight-through on the drive back and it was a long trip.  We took turns with the music and sang along – loudly and badly – but it was a nice coda to the trip.  The dogs were delighted to see us when we got home and we unpacked and got ready for the next day and back to work.    It was a good and low-key vacation that we both needed. 

One of my coworkers at The University of Akron- knowing that I like to teach origami – connected me with one of the program coordinators at Kent State University to see if I would be interested in particiapating in the Family Weekend Program on their campus. I had done UA’s family weekend in years past and I was signed up to it again later in the fall so it seemed like it might be fun.

The week before the event, Jim and I made a dry run to the KSU campus to see what the drive and parking situation were like. We found it easily enough and scoped out several parking lots that looked like they would work – then went to some of the shops in Kent to check out the town.

On the day of the event Jim agreed to go with me and help out – as long as I made it clear that he couldn’t help with the paper folding. We got there plenty early and got set up – and then waited for the people to arrive.

I had several projects ready and Jim set out the paper. Kent State students and their families began coming in – we ended up with about 25 or so total people.

As we got started, I introduced myself as the Director for Web Services…at The University of Akron. I let that hang in the air for a moment, then explained how I had come to be there – and then downplayed the rivalry as silly since we were neighbors. Then I took a drink from my bottle of water, where I had taped a GO ZIPS! sign to the bottom of the bottle. I got a good laugh and broke the ice a bit.

Most folks did pretty good with the folding, though we went over by a few minutes. I think everyone had fun and when the coordinator finally stopped by she said that she passed people in the hall that said they enjoyed it.

It was interesting to compare the two schools – even for the little we saw of KSU – and the rilvary is, indeed, silly.

But I did feel a little out of place being an alumn of UA and a long time employee. I was a stranger in a strange land, but I was welcomed none the less.

One of my colleagues shared with us in August that we was planning to retire at the end of September. He had been working with the team for 8 years – hired in towards the end of his career agewise – and had been through some major life challenges this past year. He was set to be financially secure and was ready for retirement.

Our little trio of “nerds among the marketers” was about to become a duo.

So, we had a month or so to prepare and extract all the notes and documentation we could from him. I was his direct supervisor so it was my job to balance the documentation efforts with continuing work on projects – mindful that we couldn’t really start on anything long term.

I also wanted to give him a good sendoff – so I arranged for a group of us to go to lunch to celebrate this week and sent around a card for people to sign.

He worked as a designer for us and had an art degree – but lost much of his art (and everything else) in a house fire. So, I got him a gift of art supplies to get him started creating again – now that he would have more time. He was deeply touched and at lunch told us all how much he enjoyed working with the team.

That was Wednesday and since we are usually remote on Thursday and Friday, it made the “have a good evening” goodbye a little more poingant.

The three of us stood talking for a few minutes as we wrapped up the day. And, in his case, his career with us.

But it was time for me to go so I stuck out my hand for a handshake. We shook hands and I wished him well.

As I walked out the door, it occured to me that it might be the last time I saw him. He lives a few cities away and wouldn’t have a need to visit campus. And, well, we didn’t have much in common beyond work.

Eight years is a long time to work with someone and our trio had been mighty. We solved impossible problems with unrealistic deadlines and I used to joke we could…

…brainstorm so hard that we changed the weather.

At least that one time.

So it felt like the end of an era and I was troubled a bit by it in the quiet of the evening.

But, that moment of introspection didn’t last. Today, while we were all working remote, I got a text message from him on what should have been his last working day. He had decided to go into the office today to turn in his keys and computer – something that is usually done on the last day of employment (the end of the month, usually). But, those keys he turned in had been for our old office and he never picked up keys to our new location. Since he never went in on weekends and was never the first person in the office, he hadn’t needed them – and just left his own office in the suite unlocked. Except today, everyone was remote and the main doors to the suite were locked.

He wanted me to come into the office to unlock the door for him. I tried to beg off until I realized he was already there and I decided I could make it work. It would be one last nice thing I could do for him before he left and save him a trip back to campus on Monday.

I met him at the office, unlocked the door, and helped him pack up his laptop to return to IT. We chatted a bit as he worked and when he was ready he gave me a big hug and thanked me. I walked him out and then turned to go to my car and head back home. He emailed me later with the “receipt” for his computer so I’d have it.

And that was goodbye – again.

Next week I’ll clean his office and get things ready for the next person. A replacement for his position has been approved and we’ll start that process soon.

I may not see him again – or I may run into him at some odd moment. Or maybe we’ll get the team – and all the members over the years – together again someday.

Things change and things end.

The Akron Equity March and Pride Festival was today and in the days leading up to it the Mayor’s facebook page shared information about roads being closed and the schedule for the day.

I knew better, but I opened the comments.

There was some excitement about the day and messages of support and kindness.  But they were far outweighed by the same, tired, old hate – and valiant attempts to counter that. 

“When is Straight Pride?” (Feel free to organize, get sponsorships and permits – and have your own.  Also, every other event is for straight people.)

“Why do we have to do this twice?” (Akron celebrates pride in August instead of Pride month so as not to conflict with other celebrations.)

“Why are my tax dollars supporting this?”  (They aren’t. There are sponsorships and donations.)

And then an assortment of bible verses and calls for banning the perverts. 

It was the same trash that always surfaces – from people who only repost Republican memes on their facebook pages and only have selfies and landscape photos.  The lack of real, human, connection is evident. 

It made me sad and vaguely angry to read those – which I guess was the point.

But, it wasn’t enough to deter me from attending.  Jim and I met up with our fellow Akron Zips to participate in the parade (aka the Equity March).  I talked to a few of my co-workers and we listened to the music and got some photos with Zippy while we waited for the parade to start.  

When it was time, I took Jim’s hand and we began our walk down the middle of main street. 

And immediately came to a halt as the marchers in front of us backed up.  Unfortunately, we got stopped next to a guy on the sidewalk with a megaphone who called on us to repent our evil ways or we would burn in hell.  

It’s one thing to walk past someone doing this – you just keep on walking – but we were stuck.  One of the people in our group started a positive chant to drown him out, but it was only partly effective.  We got moving soon after that, but it put a damper on things for me. 

A little further down was a guy wearing a sandwich-board that read “Are you right with God?”

He, at least, was quiet. 

We waved to people, Zippy was her usual 10% kangaroo and 90% ham, and we started a few more positive chants.   Jim had made a sign that said, “We won’t go back” and he got a few cheers from the spectators. 

As we got closer to the venue, there was another guy with a megaphone.  He was calling out bible verses and claiming were were condemned to hell.   He had a few people with him and the usual “Homo Sex is Sin” and “God hates fags” signs – and while there was crowd of event attendees trying to drown him out, there was only so much they could do. 

We got past him and on into the venue.  I saw more of my friends and waved to everyone – all the while holding Jim’s hand. 

It’s something I think we’d both like to do more often in public, but are uneasy to do so.  Pretty special to be able to do that walking down main street.

We reached the end of the parade route and got our picture taken.  As we started to explore the booths and vendors, we had to cross the parade route again.  A group of people walked past – all dressed in costumes and gear from the bad guys in Star Wars, for some reason. 

As they went past, I impulsively shouted,

“LONG LIVE THE EMPIRE!”

The stormtroopers turned towards me and raised their fists to salute me. 

It was a moment of geek pride for me. 

Jim collected a few different pride flags and I got a tote bag.  We didn’t stay long – the crowds and noise weren’t doing us any favors and anyway it was very hot out. 

We had to pass the “God hates fags” folks again, but there was music playing and it was easier to ignore them.

So, a good day with thousands of good people all happy we were there – and a few people who wanted us to be miserable and/or dead.  

I don’t get that.  I don’t get disliking or hating someone enough to get a megaphone and shout it at them.  I don’t like everyone, but I just can’t imagine doing that.  Or spewing that poison on facebook. 

What, exactly, is wrong with people?

We did our best to ignore them and they missed out on the hope and joy and love today.  

And it was a loss that they couldn’t understand.

Last weekend, we had a day of heat and sunshine.  It was early afternoon and I had finished my lunch – and with no projects or yardwork looming over me, I decided to sit outside and read. 

There’s a spot on the back patio that is secluded and gets plenty of sun.  I put on a hat to protect my scalp and then took off everything else.  With a book and a cushion to sit on, I got comfortably seated on the step and read my book.

It was quiet and I sat there peacefully sweating.  After a while, I finished my book and thought about going inside.  Instead, I got a broom we had near the door and swept off the patio – then moved the cushion to support my head and laid down on the concrete.

Now that I was stretched out the sun really started to heat me up.  I had a lot of surface area exposed, after all.

I didn’t sleep, but I drifted – the hat pulled down over my eyes.  I didn’t move or even fidget.  Even on the hard concrete, I was completely comfortable and at peace.  The only movement was my breathing.

I lay there for a while, feeling as though I was floating in the heat.  A vague thought about falling asleep and getting sunburned drifted through my head, but I let it go.  

And then, a bit later, I let the spell break and sat up.  I brushed off my back – and my backside – then gathered my book and cushion to cool off and get out of the sun. 

I got a little pinkish, but not burned.  And a little aloe after my shower took care of that. 

There are not many days of summer left and I don’t know if I can recapture the magic of that peaceful afternoon.  

Just me, my hat, and the sun.

Jim had ordered some furniture for the living room but after it was delivered he noticed that there was a defect in the fabric.  So, it needed to be remade and we used the defective furniture in the meantime. 

I was working from home on the day of re-delivery and saw the guys pull up their truck and begin to unload the boxes.  I met one of them at the door and he showed me the paperwork on a clipboard.    He said what I thought was “Pico” and pointed to his eye.  I told him I didn’t understand and he repeated it a few more times before I realized he needed to inspect or look at the existing furniture.

He didn’t speak any English. And I don’t speak any Spanish. 

The guy that was with him also spoke no English.

They conversed rapidly in Spanish between each other and I stayed out of the way.  They noted the defective patch on the chair, but the sofa looked the same.  I pantomimed that it was supposed to be taller and they checked the new legs – same size.   I texted Jim and he said the legs would be the same height, but the seat cushions would be taller.    Again with pantomime, I explained as best I could the difference and the three of us could see that the seats were higher. 

I got them some water since it was a hot day.  They appreciated it and I guess said thank you – though I couldn’t follow. 

They worked quickly to get the old furniture out and the new furniture in and assembled. 

When it was done, I looked things over and signed the paperwork for receipt. I got a “Have a nice day” from one of them – which may have been his limit of English – and they were out the door.  They cleaned up the packing material and were on their way.

I updated Jim and went back upstairs to my office to continue working. 

It was a frustrating encounter for me and I’m sure for the delivery guys as well.   If I had known some Spanish or they had known some English, I might have been able to help more. 

We might as well have been on different continents instead of the same room for all we communicate with each other.   How strange it is that language can split us up so easily.

When Jim got home his more detail-oriented eye noted a problem with the fabric on the back of the couch and he reached out to the company. So, if we can’t find a solution ourselves, I might see them again.  

I should see if I can get google translate going on my phone – just in case.

Today was the 2024 Maker Faire at the Wayne County Fairgrounds in Wooster, OH.  I had my car packed the night before so I was able to roll out early and arrived at the start of the setup window.  I parked right up front, grabbed a cart, and asked a volunteer where my booth was.  He was friendly, but not very engaged, and had a little trouble looking up the list.  He eventually found the booth and sent me on my way. 

I was glad I got there early since it took me a while to figure out how I wanted to set up my booth to be bright, colorful, and inviting.  Took me about an hour and when I was done I went back to the volunteer and asked where I should move my car to since I was right up front.  He thought about it for a moment, then decided it was fine just where it was. 

Which was not the case and I managed to mostly not hear the announcement as I headed into the bathroom about moving out cars.  Whatever, my foot was kinda bothering me so I didn’t really want to walk that far.

I was ready an hour before the event started and had time for the obligatory social media post.

And then, I waited for the people and turned myself – for 6 hours – into an extrovert.

I said hello to everyone.  Invited everyone to fold something with me or take a free item from the premade bin.    I was polite, engaging – even (gasp) chatty. 

The kids, as usual, were the best.    I made sure to encourage them and cheer them on when they got a tricky step right.  If things went completely sideways, I always made sure to give them the one that I made too. 

And I got to share some fun surprises.  If we made a box, I always added a small crane or frog before putting on the lid.    The wings on the bird always got a test “flap” and each frog was given a test “hop”. 

I had some good conversations with people and gave out my email address to a couple of people that either wanted an interview or for me to attend another Maker Faire.

To my delight, I had at least one person request everything on my board.    Including one firefly that one little boy did perfectly.  It was pretty great. 

Here’s the final count of the projects I did with people.  I was also folding things for the giveaway box the whole time so I don’t know how much I folded, but it was a lot. 

• Bird 5
• Box 19
• Frog 8
• Butterfly 10
• Flower 3
• Firefly 1
• Duck 1

The day ended up being 2 hours for set up, 6 hours of folding, and an hour to pack back up.  I got chided for not calling the coordinator over to sit at my table so I could walk around – but it seemed like I would be doing a disservice to those that came to the event.  I did take a short break at the table to have most of a sandwich, but that was it. 

So, it was a long day.  But a productive one.  I think people had fun and enjoyed learning something new.  

Might get some “future folders” out of it.

The closest Taco Bell is in perhaps not the nicest part of town, but they are fast and surprisingly accurate with the orders.  When a quick dinner is called for, I heed the toll of the bell.

Last evening, I was at The Bell and had placed my order at the kiosk.  This is one part of the pandemic that I didn’t care for at first, but a kiosk that is set up well is pretty nice if you are a little picky about your order.  

I stepped to the side to let someone else order while I waited  – and of course I had paper with me to fold.  I had started a crane when a guy came in to pick up a door dash order.   He was black, mid-twenties I’d guess, and dressed like he was working on a burgeoning rap career.  Hat off to the side, large gold chains, gold teeth, etc. 

I describe him only to paint the very different pictures between us  – me being the standard-issue Old White Guy.  Of course there is more to meet than meets the eye and the same can be said for this guy as well – but we both did what everyone does in these circumstances in that we just left each other alone and waited for our food. 

Except that the motion of a “test-flap” of the paper crane caught his eye and he looked up from his phone. 

“Did you just make that?” he asked, surprised, and I nodded and handed it to him to see it.  He put his phone in his pocket to try to get the wings to flap.  I gestured that he should hand it back so I could demonstrate – then handed it back so he could try. 

When he got the wings to gently flap, his eyes lit up.  

“That is raw!” he said and while I don’t really know what it means in this context, I’m assuming that it was positive because he was really excited.   He repeated it a few times too, for good measure. 

He flapped the wings a few times and then tried to hand it back to me.  I shook my head and told him to keep it. 

You would have thought I’d handed him a million bucks.  He was absolutely delighted and held it up – saying he was going to hang it from a string over the dashboard of his car. 

He sincerely thanked me and I said he was welcome. 

My food arrived and as I left I wished him a good evening.  He returned the well wishes – still marveling over the paper crane. 

I’ve said before how lucky I am to have stuck with this hobby – and that trip to Taco Bell just confirmed it.

He and I might never have spoken except for the gentle flap of a paper bird’s wings.  

Instead, I made his day.

While I like solving problems, I don’t like solving them more than once.  When I solve a problem, it should stay solved.

Which is why I don’t like plumbing.   Or software where I don’t have access to really fix the problem.

And today it was software. 

We have a program that is normally pretty awesome, but there’s an email problem where it sometimes puts people on a blocked list and then not tell anyone about it.   The emails fail, panic ensures – the usual.

The “fix” – if that’s what you can call it – is to contact the company’s support and request that the addresses be taken off the double-top-secret blocked list.

I’ve got a process to identify the problem when it occurs and I know how to report it to get it quickly resolved.

Except not anymore.

The company has added an AI layer to the support process and it is…not great.    When prompted, I put in my request knowing full well this was going to fail but not having any other option. And believe me, I looked for any other option. 

The bot replies that it isn’t allowed to access user information – big surprise – then asks if that answered my question.   (Really?)

I click the No button and it tells me that it is very sorry – and asks me if I would like to contact support. 

I tell it yes, and it offers chat, telephone, or email.  Since I have 25 addresses that need to be removed from the blocked list, Chat and Phone aren’t going to cut it. 

I select Email and it tries to redirect me – and then just sits there spinning.   I eventually realize that it’s trying to open a new browser window and I click to allow that.  But, by that point, it has forgotten what it was doing and reloads the page I’m on – right up to the point where it tries to hand off to the email support option.  I try reloading the chat to get it to trigger again and it keeps getting hung up.

So, I close the entire browser, reopen, log back in, and make my way back to the bot and this time I’m more vague on my request to just get past it.  I was tired of playing the game by that point and so was the AI.  It replied with “I”m sorry I can’t do that, Dave”.  We jump through the hoops again before it finally hands me to the email window.  

I put in the request quickly since I’m on familiar ground now and the system opens a ticket.  

So, I head over to the ticket system to see if I could have bypassed this by creating a new ticket directly – but, no, I can view and edit (and close! it helpfully notes) tickets, but can’t create them. 

I knew the AI couldn’t help and the AI knew it couldn’t help.  And I have to imagine the company techs that put this in also knew it couldn’t help.  

But here we are.  Trying desperately to make AI a useful thing instead of a hindrance or a scam. 

I, for one, welcome the inevitable rise of our robot overlords.  

But they aren’t here yet.