Category: Uncategorized Page 12 of 152

I heard the sound of the snowblower over the weekend and knew my neighbor – with whom I share a driveway – was working on clearing a path for our cars to get out our garages.  I wasn’t really in the mood to go outside, but he does most of the work and the least I can do is help out.

I bundled up, grabbed my shovel and bucket of salt and joined him on the front lines.  He used the snowblower on our drive and the drives of the houses on either side of us – as well as the sidewalks.  I shoveled the steps and walks of these four houses and put down salt as well.

He wrapped up the snowblowing, thanked me, and headed into his house.

I finished up what I was working on and though I was cold, I figured I had enough energy left to shovel the drive of the neighbors across the street.  They also share a driveway and I figured it would be a 2 for 1 good deed.

I headed over and got started and though the snow was light there was a lot of it.  I got about ⅔ of the way done when that neighbor came outside.

He asked, “Why are you shoveling my driveway?”

“Oh, just seemed like a nice thing to do – I had time,” I replied,

“She’s not here, you know,” he said – indicating his neighbor’s house.

“Oh,” I replied, not sure why that mattered, “I just figured I could help,”

“Are you working?” he asked and I was puzzled for a moment.  Of course I was working, what did it look like I was doing? They I realized he was really asking, “was I expecting to be paid?”

“Ummm… no,” I said, “I’m Anthony, I live just across the street,”

With that he finally recognized me and remembered me – I had helped him with his computer not long after I had moved in and he learned that I was a computer guy.

He then said he could handle the drive and I said not to worry, I could finish it up.

Then he asked me if I had any experience in installing video cameras.

(cue the red flag)

Apparently, someone has been breaking into his house and garage and stealing things.  He’s reported it to the police, but they can’t do anything without catching the thief in the act.

Uh-huh.

I told him honestly that I didn’t have any experience in working with video cameras.

He persisted, saying that he had already bought the camera and just needed it set up.  I told him again that I didn’t have any experience in video and when he asked if I knew anyone I thought for a moment and told him, “not local,”

He finally said he needed to go to the store – as in, get out of my driveway so I can take my “hey kid, do you want some candy?” van out.

I worked on the sidewalks and managed to get about half the block cleared before he pulled out.  He stopped at the sidewalk, got out, and came back over to tell me that price wasn’t an issue. That is, he would be willing to pay to install the cameras.  Great.  I told him again that I didn’t have any experience in cameras. He got back in the van and drove off – clearly disappointed.

I thought about this as I finished up the drive.

1. This is not the first time he’s asked me about this.  The last time was about 2 years ago and I told him the same thing – no experience.  Now, that doesn’t mean I couldn’t do it. I would read the directions and hit up google/youtube for anything I didn’t understand.  The point is, I wouldn’t be doing anything he couldn’t do. And if he’s been sitting on a camera for over 2 years and still hasn’t even tried – well, red flag there.

2. I cannot imagine anyone looking at his house, his van, and his truck in the street with a perpetual flat time and think “I need to break in there and steal some cool shit”   Nope – red flag.

3. He had dropped off his laptop to have me re-install the operating system.  When I was done, you couldn’t tell I’d done anything. Zero personalizations.  I mean, you’ve got to work at it to not change something. Nothing – like he’d never fired it up. I don’t know what the point of it was unless he was testing.  Red flag. Side note: he was also really into a Russian Anti-virus software – which has now turned out to (big surprise) be riddled with spyware.

4. I worked my butt off on that driveway and my back is still hurting today.  And not a thank-you. Red flag. That’s not why I did it, but who doesn’t say thank you?

So, that’s it for me and the neighbor across the street.  I’ll still help the nice lady that shares a drive with him, but I’ve had my fill of him. We were both disappointed in the other and I think that’s a good stopping point.

Over the past weekend, I was pretty much snowed in.  My car isn’t great in snow and I decided that I would just stay home.  But not always inside – there was snow to be shoveled. I share a driveway with my neighbor and he was out with the snow blower.  So, I grabbed my shovel and went out to clear the steps of my house and his – as well as the walkways in the front and back. When I saw him head down the sidewalk and do the driveways of the houses on either side of our houses, I went along and cleared their steps and paths as well.  Then I put down salt for all four houses.

My neighbor really appreciated the help and I think our other neighbors did too.  We repeated this a couple more times over the weekend to try and manage the snow – and I did an additional round with the shovel to clear the “lake effect” snow.

It… was a lot of work.

Though the roads were mostly unplowed on my route to work today, I managed to find a path that was mostly downhill – and where it was uphill, I was able to get a “running start”.

Then after work, I decided to hit the pool and work off some stress.  Except, the traffic leaving campus and right around campus was terrible.  Gridlock, in some places. Every route I tried was nearly impassable. Then I remembered a street just past the mcdonald’s on Market street that would take me over to Carroll – and from there, it would be a direct shot over to the Rec Center.

Except, that street hadn’t been plowed.   At. All.

I was already committed when I realized my folly.  I got about a quarter way down the street and then slid to a stop.  I tried backing up, going forward, gearing down, I got out and pushed from the front and the back.  Nothing.

I was about ready to call for roadside assistance though my insurance and settle in for a long wait when a sensible 4-wheel drive vehicle pulled up behind me.  A guy got out, said he lived just down the street, and that he would go get a shovel. He was back in a few minutes and helped shovel the snow around my car. We tried pushing and clearing several times and at one point I asked if I could just borrow his shovel since I didn’t want to keep him.

He wouldn’t hear it and we kept working on it.  Finally, a little progress and I tried to drive forward again while he pushed.  Another guy came up and pushed too and I finally got enough momentum to get off the street and into the cleared parking lot of a drugstore.  I parked, then hurried back down the street to his house. I jogged up and said he was a lifesaver for helping me out. I shook his hand in thanks and he gave me his name.

“I’m Anthony,” he said as he pulled his hand back.  I started, then smiled even wider.

“So am I,” I said and his smile widened too.

Suddenly brothers, I offered a fist-bump that he returned and I thanked him again as I headed back to my car.

I skipped the swim entirely and just headed home with a longer, but safer route..   

Jim offered to drive tonight to get dinner and while I waiting for him and his all-wheel drive car, I noted my neighbor across the street was shoveling her drive.  I went and got my shovel to help her out – saying my ride was on the way, but that I’d do what I could. We worked for a bit until Jim got there and I tossed my shovel in a snowbank at my house.

When we got back, she was still working on the drive.  So, I said goodbye to Jim, got my shovel again, and went back over.  She and I worked for a while to clear the rest of the snow and when we were done she said she was going to buy me a cape since I kept coming to her rescue.  

I was a little out of breath when I went inside, but glad that I was able to help.

So, I’m a little skeptical of karma.  

But, if it’s real, that wheel was turning today.

And I’m keeping my shovel handy.

A couple days ago, I found a lump.  A very small and solid mass on the right side of my groin.  It’s painful when I put pressure on it and it’s right where the elastic of my Speedos hits me.  So, I didn’t know if the Speedo caused it – some kind of irritation – or if I noticed it because the Speedo was pressing on it.

I figured it was just some kind of irritation or ingrown hair – and if it had been on my arm or something I would have dismissed it with, “Eh, I got a bump, whatev”

But, well… it was just worrying enough to send me to the doctor.  It had been awhile since I’d been in to see my primary care doctor and the practice where he worked had been absorbed into the Cleveland Clinic.  They had also moved locations and so this was my first trip to the new office.

I called the new 800 number to make the appointment and was on hold for quite a while.  It took a while to bring up my info and still longer to get to the doctor’s appointments – but they were able to get me in pretty quickly.

I left work early today and went over. The check in staff were a little terse – even when I had my info ready and answered everything clearly and promptly. I waited a while and then a very dispassionate nurse took me back.  All the walls were white and the corridors were sterile and bland. The room was undecorated – a far cry from the perhaps over-decorated, but fun, offices they used to have.

The nurse took my vitals and was on her way with a brisk, but uninterested, efficiency.

When my doctor finally came, there was some confusion since I was being flagged as a “new” patient.  Once we got past that, though, the visit was fine. I described what was going on and he put on some gloves and checked it out.  And as I stood up to remove my pants he joked, “Okay, show me the goods,” – which helped put me at ease a bit.

And it’s not a big deal.  I’ve got a small cyst – most likely a minor skin infection or an ingrown hair – and he thinks a course of antibiotics will likely clear it up.  If not – and we’ll know more in two weeks – then surgery is an option. Though not a good one, based on the location. He also warned me not to try and pop or mess with it it, saying, “You’ll regret it,”

He led me back, noting that everything was white and it could be hard to find the exit. I remarked that there weren’t any landmarks. I made a follow up appointment with the decidedly-unfriendly front desk staff and I was on my way to pick my prescription.

So, I’m okay and I’m still happy with my doctor, but the rest of experience had me feeling like Patient #23761987

I got a text message the other day from a number I didn’t recognize.  All it said was:

Who R U?

I didn’t respond, of course.  As Admiral Akbar said, “It’s a trap!”  The sender was either confused/wrong or it was some kind of scam.  Either way, not worthy of a response.

But, it got me thinking as I near my next birthday. As I write this, I’m about 7 hours away from being 46.

Which, like most things I give any thought to, seems weird to me. Seems like a long time, but I don’t really feel like I’ve been around that long.

I try to take a zen approach to my days.  Learning from the past, but not dwelling on it.  Planning for the future, but not worrying about it.  I try to be in the moment and instead of some kind of “Anthony, this is your life!” or “What do I want to be when I grow up,” my thoughts tonight instead go to the small circle of the days around me.

Yesterday was a busy day at work and I felt like I was being pullied in a hundred directions.  But, I also got to swim after work and that mile in the pool washed all of the day away. I had a good burrito for dinner and went to Dick’s sporting goods for goggles.  Watched a new tv show and got a good night’s sleep.

I slept in today and then spent the day reading a great book and playing video games. This afternoon I went to the Art Museum.  My family was supposed to visit today, but the weather precluded that travel. I got to have dinner with Jim and his family since they are local and from there we went to World Market.  I had a coupon for my birthday and got a calendar and some chocolate.

Tomorrow will be another quiet day, I hope.  And then back to work on Monday to the first day of classes for the semester.

It’s not a huge or dramatic life, but it’s me.  A little art, the easy repetition of laps in a pool, good books, and warm friendship.   

My shoulders can be leaned on.  My heart has plenty of room. And with my feet planted, I can feel the earth turn under me.

That’s a lot of introspection from a random text  – and I think enough for tonight. I’ve got other stories to tell, but they can wait for another day.

Jim wanted to go to Cracker Barrel for dinner yesterday since he hoped that the gift shop might have something that his Mom might like for Christmas.  We got seated right away though it was a little crowded. We were pretty close to an older couple that was already eating and while we were waiting to place our order, I got out some paper and folded some small origami pine trees.   We ordered and waited some more and I folded a few more things since I had plenty of paper.

The couple were the best kind of people to sit near – if you have to sit near anyone in a crowded restaurant.  They spoke quietly to each other and the only time we heard them was when they shared a good-natured laugh. Delightful folks.

They finished their meal and as they were getting their coats on I leaned over and set the trees – one for each of them – on the table.

“Excuse me,” I said, “Before you leave, I made you some christmas trees,”

The woman picked hers up with a slight look of puzzlement as she studied it.

“You made this?” she asked.

“Yes, just now.  It’s three pieces of paper and a little glue later on will help hold it together,”

Her eyes lit up and they were both astonished at my little creations.    They thanked me and were delighted over the simple present. Both were all smiles as they left the restaurant.

It’s funny how the simple lines and folds of some paper can, suddenly, become a Christmas tree.  The shape is a pair of triangles at right angles. Stack three of those and it’s a pine tree. Add the appropriate season and it’s a Christmas tree.

I made up two more trees as I was finishing up my dinner and gave those to the not-quite-as-delightful-but-still-were-pretty-nice couple on the other side of us.  I also left behind some shapes for the server.

We ended up not finding anything for Jim’s Mom in the store, but it was still a good trip.  

I’m always satisfied when I learn a new shape – and the trees are an “anthony original” –  but nothing beats the delight of giving away a small treasure to someone as a surprise.

——————

Back in October, one of my friends shared a link on facebook to some origami bats – some of her favorite creatures.    I didn’t have a chance to see her for a bit, but knew she’d be at a party hosted by some mutual friends in December.

I found a slightly more realistic bat design and some black paper – and set to work on learning how to make some bats.  Once I’d figured them out with test paper I got out the good paper and made seven for her. I put these in a big envelope and took them with me to the party.

When I saw her there, I gave her a hug and said, “I have something for you,” and held up the envelope.

“Did you make me an origami bat?” she asked. I was a little surprised she remembered, but recovered as I opened up the envelope and showed her the collection.

She lit up and was all smiles as she turned them this way and that – and decided she was going to make Christmas Bat garland out of them.

—————

Lastly, I made ornaments that I gave to my student employees – along with gift cards – for finals week/early Christmas presents.  They were all amazed by the ornaments and liked them I think as much as the gift cards. And those were Chipotle and Starbucks.

I’ve said this before, but it continues to amaze me how much people like these.  They are so easy to do – 12 pieces of paper, a few folds, and…well… some spatial perception puzzle solving.  But other than that, super easy. 🙂

It’s a pretty sweet hobby and I’m glad I’ve gotten to share it with people over the years.

Peacock, enforced art

A few months ago, I helped a grad student with her online survey.  It should have been an easy project, but there were a lot of edits to do, firewalls to surpass, and emails to deliver.  I was ready for it to be over long before it was actually done. And when it did conclude, she wanted to stop by and give me something as a thank-you.  I always feel a little awkward about that – unless it’s cookies – because this my job and I’m happy to help. I told her I was glad to have helped and her thank you – and future success – was all I needed.

I figured that was done with it, until today when I got an email from the department where she’s gotten her degree.  She had left something for me and I was asked to go pick it up. So, at lunchtime, I trucked across campus and found the office where I picked up a small gift bag.  I didn’t open it until I got back to the office, but saw there was a small post-it note with my building info on it. I guess she’d intended they deliver it to me – and the department decided I was going to pick it up instead.  Yeah, thanks.

Back at my desk, I opened the gift bag and found a nice gift box.  In the gift box was…

A jewel encrusted metal peacock statue.  

Upon further examination, I realized it was on a hinge and the torso would open up.  So:

A jewel encrusted metal peacock statue/jewelry box

There’s not a lot of storage area there – maybe a small ring or 2 M&M’s – and the whole thing is surprisingly heavy.

And… I have no idea what to do with it.  

I know she appreciated my help – and likely the project would have failed without me – but it’s such a strange thing.  I really would have been fine with just a thank-you. Or, you know, cookies.

So, thanks.  You shouldn’t have.  I mean, you really shouldn’t have.  🙂

————————

One of my recent projects was a rebuild/overhaul of a website.  There were many rounds of detail changes and some back and forth on the design, but I was pretty happy with the final result.

Except, not final.  Someone else joined the group I was working with and had a whole slew of changes.  Including the addition of a new section on their homepage.

While I was grumbling about it I realized that I didn’t have enough approved images to build that new section header.  The site is about bio-mimicry – the intersection of art and natural science – and I realized that I did have an image for that section.  Or, I shortly would.

I grabbed one of the origami projects I have in my office and found a good wall to photograph it against, then got out my phone and took a photo.  Downloaded, edited, cropped, resized and re-uploaded – to their website. Task = complete.

I don’t know how long that’s going to last there – I got yet another round of detailed changes today – but for the time being, my art is on the website.  

https://www.uakron.edu/bric/   (scroll down to see the picture on the lower right of the page)

I try to only use my powers for good – but clearly need to be more closely monitored.

I had to fire one of my student employees on Friday.

A few weeks ago, she was a no-show for her shift.  I called her and got her voice-mail – she finally sent me an email 4 hours after her shift was to have started.  Transportation problems.

On that day, another of my students had already requested the day off and there was no one left to cover the switchboard – except for me, of course.  So, I was on the phones for a couple hours while still trying to do my regular job – and ended up staying an hour later than I normally would have.

I told my student in an email – so she’d have it in writing – that a no-show/no-call was not acceptable and that if it happened again, her employment would be terminated.  The next time she was in she apologized and acknowledged that she got the note.

But then on Friday, she was a no show again.  No phone call, no email, no advance notice – nothing.  I left her a voicemail and got no response. I helped cover the phones again and then after her shift would have ended  – with still no contact from her – I made the decision and sent her a polite and carefully worded email terminating her employment.

I know I made the right decision, but I still feel bad about it.  I’m way too lenient on my student employees – partly because it’s a huge amount of work to replace one – but a second no-show after the warning left me with little choice.

I updated my colleagues and the other students and on Monday I’ll work on the paperwork.

Sigh.

I don’t ask for a lot of my employees and it it an easy job, but they at least have to show up.

I got the call today that my Honda was fixed and ready for me to pick up. I had started to get used to the Kia – and the Sirius was pretty nice – but it was good to get back to my car.  The body shop did a great job on the repairs and I was able to leave the rental with them for later pick up. Insurance covered all the repairs and the rental – which was nice and pretty easy.

I’ve still got a bit of “settling in” to do with my car – emergency pack in the trunk and umbrella in the backseat – but I’m good to go.  I’ll make some calls tomorrow to the rental place and the insurance company to make sure there are no surprises.

The cat is finally doing better too.  The “piller” failed terribly – the pills fell right out – but we got the routine down after a while.  He’s now off the meds and seems to be eating well. I had him on some wet food for awhile, but he’s off that now too.  Even when he’s healthy, he tends to eat it way too fast – and then throws it up. And while I’m pretty good at cleaning up cat vomit, it’s something I can do without.

He’s been sneezing a bit, but seems to be getting over that. I’m guessing he picked something up while he was in the hospital and I’ll take him back to the vet if he can’t clear it on his own.

And work is back to usual as well – though that’s less of a good thing. We’ve been working on an upgrade for the past two days and it’s not gone well.  Tomorrow we’ll bring the users back in and they all – every last one of them – have my phone number. My misfortune prone student assistants have been more prone than usual and I had three gone yesterday – which meant I was on the phones for two  and a half hours. I helped a lot of people, but didn’t get much of my regular job done.

So, things are back to my version of normal around here.  I’m listening to some good music tonight and I’m planning on getting to bed early – after I do a haiku, of course.  Only a couple of days left in the week and then I’m looking forward to the weekend. I think I’ve earned it.

I’ve got a bit of a stiff neck from the accident still, but I’m otherwise okay.  I’ll call the auto-body shop tomorrow to get that started – Hertz has called me twice about my reservation and I keep telling them I can’t commit to any time until Monday.  They also gave me a confirmation number much different than what I got from State Farm so who knows what’s going to happen with that.

I did note a little more damage to my car, but not much.  Again, very lucky all the way around.

In feline news…  I picked up Thunder today and brought him home.  He ate a little a while after he got home, then more later this evening – though he threw most of that up.  On the carpet, of course. Sigh.

I had to give him some pills earlier, along with some liquid medicine.   And I’d like to track down the first vet that thought it would be a good idea to have cat owners give their cats pills.  What kind of asshat thought that was a good idea? It’s a good thing Thunder is weak and that he loves – or at least “loved” – me.  What a nightmare that was – I basically had to sit on him and put him in a Vulcan mind meld headlock, then pry his mouth open. It took many attempts and I was swearing at the vet the entire time.  

And those youtube videos with “easy” ways to give a cat a pill?  Liars, each and every one. Those cats were drugged before participating.

So, I’m a little less worried about my cat – but until he’s back on a regular food schedule I’ll still be uneasy.  And cat vomit? Not any bit of fun.

Back to work tomorrow for at least part of the day while I try to get my car sorted out.  

Tonight, though, will be early to bed for me.  I’ll need extra time tomorrow for “pilling” the cat – and then bandaging me up afterwards before I go into the office.

Oh, and I hit a milestone recently.  This post is #1401 – the one where I talked about getting a car accident was the milestone.  Though I was a little preoccupied to note it at the time.

I was on the highway last night, driving home from the animal hospital, when I saw the light of road flares in the right lane.  I was fortunately in the middle lane and didn’t have to get over, they had the lane closed due to a traffic accident.

The car in front of me had slowed down as we went past and we were going along at a bit below regular highway speed.

About a half-mile down the road, the car in front of me goes to a screeching halt – from 55 to 0 in a moment. I hit my brakes too and screech to halt right behind them.  I got stopped in time before I hit them, but the truck behind me couldn’t stop and ran into my car.

Which then threw my car into the car in front.

I got tossed around a bit – the seatbelt locked and the headrest did it’s job.  The airbag didn’t deploy, but my glasses were knocked off and I was… shaken.

I sat there for a minute, my adrenaline flooding my body as I tried to assess what was going on.   I didn’t seem to be hurt, but knew I needed some help.

I got out my phone and called 911, reported the incident and location.  The dispatch operator told me he was sending help.

And I waited.  We three vehicles were in the middle lane of the highway and it was far too dangerous to try and get out.  I had no idea if I was really okay and how badly damaged my car was.

I got the car in park, hazards on, windows down, and then turned it off.

Then I called Jim and let him know I was okay, but that I’d been in an accident. He and I were supposed to get together for a late dinner after my trip to the animal hospital – and I was going to be even later.

The battery on my cell was starting to fade and I told him I’d call him as soon as I could.  I switched to airplane mode to save the charge and waited.

The police arrived and got traffic routed away.  An officer directed us to drive over to the berm and to my surprise my car started right up and was easily drivable.   Once we were out of the way, the officer came back over and got my license and proof of insurance. She asked what had happened and I told her – she then nodded and said the car in front of me had told her the same thing.

And so I waited awhile.

She came back over and gave me back my cards and that accident reports. She said that I would not be cited, but that the truck behind me would be.  Another officer came up and asked me if I needed a tow or if I thought my car was drivable. I said I didn’t know – I hadn’t gotten out to see the damages.  He checked to make sure it was safe for me to get out and then we looked things over with his flashlight.

And… it was amazingly okay.  I couldn’t see any damage to the front and even in the light today there isn’t even a scratch.   The rear bumper is scraped up a bit and popped partly loose on the right side. And that seems to be about it.

The officer and I looked at the bumper and then at the Ford F150 that had hit me – the front of the truck was stove in where it had hit.  It was literally “You think this is bad? You should see the other guy.”

I got back in my car and the office told me to go ahead and start it up – and that he’d tell me when it was safe to pull out into traffic.  I did so and quickly got up to speed.

And then kinda lost it.  I was shaking and sobbing on the way home but made it home safe.  I turned off airplane mode and sent Jim a quick text – then plugged in my phone to start charging.  

He came over and gave me a hug while the last of the adrenaline washed out of my system.  He took me to get something to eat – I was 8 hours since my prior meal – and then over to his place.  

I gave my Dad a quick call to let him know and then called State Farm.  The claims clerk was very kind and pretty excited about the amount of information I was able to give him from the accident forms.   At least I made someone’s day.

We got me set up with an auto body shop and a car rental when I need it.  I’ll take my car in on Monday and get it worked on – in the meantime, it’s fine to drive when I’m able to pick up my cat.

So:

• I’ve got a headache and a little soreness in my upper back.  No vision problems or pain anywhere else. I think I’m okay, but I’m going to take it easy.
• I apparently panic pretty effectively.  I was very calm with 911. While I was waiting for the police I loaded up the contents of my glove box into the cat carrier in case I had to leave my car – and had my license and insurance card ready. When I got home, I parked in the street in case my car needed to be towed.  
• Nobody at the scene of the accident asked me if I was okay.  While I appreciate the efficiency in which the officers handled everything, a simple “Are you okay?” would have done wonders for me.

I’m okay and I’m lucky.  But I’m not going to call it a good day.