Category: Uncategorized Page 17 of 157

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.

Yesterday, when Thunder still hadn’t eaten, I took a half day from work to see if I could get him some help.  I called the vet first and since there was no change he told me to take him to the hospital.

So, Thunder went back in the pet carrier and into the car.  He’s not fond of car rides.

We get to the hospital and I get him checked in.  The first vet tech and the vet on call loved him and remarked that he was so handsome – and his purr was amazing.

The other vet tech – the one that came to take his blood – was not fortunate to get a purr from him.  Thunder hissed at her even before the needle stick and when she brought him back his neck smelled like alcohol.  She didn’t give the details, but said he would be justified in writing a bad review of her on google. He wasn’t hurt, I think he just got pissed off and knocked over the bottle of alcohol they were using to disinfect.

And then Thunder and I waited. For a long time.

I talked to him pretty much non-stop, we reviewed the causes of heart disease in dogs (there was a chart), and then I found a children’s book about a dog going to the hospital.  The vet came in to apologize for the delay and say that the blood work was close to normal. She had some paperwork to finish up and would be back soon – so, we finished the book.

And waited some more.  Cats are hard to read sometimes, but I could tell that he was glad I was there.

Then it was time to leave him there for the night while they got him going on an IV.  

I went to the counter to check out and on one side of me was a couple having their dog put to sleep and on the other was a guy who’s cat had suddenly gone blind.

Broke my heart to leave my Little Furry Buddy there.

This morning, I got a call from the vet and he said they’d put Thunder on an appetite stimulant and an antibiotic.  The vet suggested a radiogram as the next step and I gave the okay – we won’t know more until this afternoon.

The house this morning is quieter than usual.  And I miss my cat.

Last weekend, after the morning snows had melted off, I headed outside with my rake.  I’m old school – no blowers for me.

I got all the leaves in my yard bagged up and then headed next door to Kenny and Patty’s house and did their front yard. That was Sunday.  I had Monday off and got an earlier start in the day. I help my neighbor across the street – Jill – finish up her yard and together we did her neighbor’s yard.  That would be Alex. And then one more house down – I don’t know their name.

Next, my next door neighbor on the other side – Denver.  His family has a big yard with a huge tree – took me a while to get those to the street.  While I was finishing that up, I saw that his across the street neighbor – Laurie – was struggling with wet leaves in her yard.  So I went over and helped her finish those up, then worked on her neighbor’s yard – Peter.

On Tuesday after work, I went over to Jim’s house and did his front yard, then back home to rake all the leaves into the street – since I confirmed that the city would be picking them up Wednesday.  I also de-bagged my leaves since so wouldn’t need a special pick up.

When I got home Wednesday, the street was clear and all the leaves were in a giant pile – felt pretty good that most of those were there because of my rake. At about 12:30 in the morning Thursday, the city got those cleared as well – I woke up when I heard the truck – and today our street looks great.

———————–

I got a notice in the mail that my registration for my car was due in January and that my license was expiring then too.   Rather than put that off – and risk forgetting – I decided to do that yesterday after work. I did a little research and found that there were two types of licenses being issued – Standard and the slightly more useful Compliant.  

Took a little doing, but I managed to get enough documentation together for the Compliant one.  Passport, Social Security card, several pieces of mail and my homeowner’s insurance policy. I doubled up on the mail items, just in case, and was ready to go to BMV.

The line was pretty short and the clerk was friendly.  I think she was impressed that I had actually done my homework and had all the items with me and ready.  I got the paperwork filled out for the Compliant license, paid my fees for that and the registration, and got my photo taken.  20 minutes in and out – and I think I was the only one that got what I needed. Everyone else was turned away for not having the right documents or information for what they were doing.

Seriously, people, get your shit together.

The new license will be mailed to me in a couple weeks and I’ve got a document and my old license until then.  The sticker will go on my plate tonight and I’ll be good to go.

—————-

Everyone’s favorite feline is a little under the weather.  He’s normally a good eater, but hasn’t eaten in a couple days. And a small bit of wet food made him throw up.  So, today, I got an appointment and loaded him up in the car.

He yowled the whole way there, but settled down once we got to the vet’s office.  Thunder was very good and calm – purring up a storm even when he got a shot to settle his stomach.  The vet tech remarked on his purring and I think would have liked to take him home herself.

Thunder doesn’t have a fever or obvious discomfort – he’s just not eating.

I gave him some more wet food to try and I’ve got an antibiotic to give him tonight, just in case. He’s a little subdued, but other than not eating he seems pretty much his normal self.  If he doesn’t strap on the feedbag soon, I’ll get him back to vet.

He was such a good cat today – and I’m worried about my LFB (little furry buddy).

Time to dose him – and hope he keeps it down.

Edit: That could have gone better.  I think I got ¾ of dose in him and he nailed me with a claw.  He’s so quick….

It was inevitable, I guess.  The University of Akron had an active shooter on campus.

It happened overnight and I didn’t know anything about it until this morning when I checked my text messages and saw the alert and then the all clear.

Ironically, just last week our team was talking about our emergency text system and that we should perhaps send out another test.

I got more detail once I was up and online.  In one of the dorms last night, one guy shot another guy in what is called an “accidental weapon discharge”.  Neither were UA students and the shooter is in custody – and the victim is in the hospital with a gut wound.

No other details yet – other than that it’s over.

In the coming days and weeks, there will be a lot of questions.  Who were these guys? How did they get into a secured residence hall?  Who let them in? Why was there a gun on campus and who’s was it?  And why did it go off?

For now, my heart goes out to the students in the dorms.  What a terrible night they must have had. And all those that were responders trying to keep our campus safe and informed.  

No matter the detail of the circumstance – accident or intentional – we’re another statistic now.  

One more data point.    Shelter in place – this not a drill.