Thunder of Wade – Page 82

vacation: the bad

On July 25, 2010

And now for the bad. And I have a surprising amount of bad from this vacation.

1. My grandmother passed away. I mean, how much worse could can you get?

2. The drive was 10 hours each way. Which is pretty horrific all by itself. Add in my room-mate – who has been going to the same place on vacation for about a thousand years – still not being sure of the route to take. This is with years of experience, a map, and a freaking GPS. Which he argued with for the first 2 hours of the trip back before giving up and letting her guide us. He’s going to be pissed that I wrote this in the blog, but dangit, pick a route and stick to it. He knows how completely insane that indecision makes me because I’ve told him how insane that indecision makes me.

3. My room-mate and siblings argued with every single conversation they had. Every single one. I counted and it was all of them. Ugh.

4. I got bitch slapped and owned by the waves. I got in my time/distance, but it was rough. I looked good in my “Daniel Craig as James Bond” Speedos, but I was the ocean’s bitch.

5. My room-mate drove the Sea-Doo like an old man. Every time we got up to speed, he’d drop the throttle and we’d slam to a stop. I mean, seriously.

6. I had computer problems to fix. My uncle’s were easy to address on windows 7, but I had some vista issues on another machine that I could not surmount. Very frustrating.

7. Parking the Sea-Doo involved me getting into the canal and lifting on the machine while my room-mate pulled it onto the mini-dock. I did not smell very fresh afterwards and was quite sore.

8. We ate out at the same places we ate out at last year. And the wait on one of those trips? 2 hours. The food? Not worth a 2 hour wait.

8. We had plans to go places and do things, but ended up spending much of the time sitting in the sun. I was bored. A lot. And this was a bigger deal than it seems. I was just kinda of hoping for an adventure or two and it was just more of the same.

On the bright side, I wasn’t at work. But, sheesh. I know I’m really poor at relaxing, but the lack of fun on this trip was staggering. There’s got to be something more.

And just writing this has put me in bad mood. I think I need to go back and read about the fun parts of my trip again.

vacation: the good

By admin

On July 24, 2010

In Uncategorized

As I’ve done before, I kept notes on my vacation so I could update my blog when I get back to a computer. It usually ends up being the written equivalent of vacation slide show, and nobody wants that. So, instead, a few bullet points on the good of my vacation and then another post later on the bad. Also, I heard a new song: Sara Bareilles – King Of Anything Enjoy.

1. I went streaking on the beach at 3:30 AM. I mean, really, when else am I going to do it? And if you haven’t, I recommend it.

2. I swam in the ocean. A lot. At least a lot based on the amount of time I was actually at the beach. I did about 5 1/2 miles total. Would have done more, but the ocean was really rough.

3. The flight attendants and the passengers on the planes thought my origami was great.

4. My cousins were fun to visit with, even though the trip (grandma’s funeral) was rough.

5. I got to ride a SeaDoo and got tossed off. It was fun.

6. I got to try out a kayak. Pretty fun, but it wore me out.

7. The crab cake sandwiches were good.

8. The beach house we stayed at the second week had an outdoor shower. Nothing better than an outdoor shower to clear off the suntan lotion, sweat, sand, and just plain tired.

9. I was off-line nearly the whole time.

10. No sunburn, only a nice light tan. Thank you, SPF 30.

grandma

By admin

On July 24, 2010

In Uncategorized

I left for a vacation to myrtle beach at 8:00 on a Friday morning a couple weeks ago and my room-mate and I drove about 10 hours down there. We had checked into a hotel for the night and met up with his brother for dinner. That night, I got the call from my dad that my grandmother – his mom – had passed away. She’d been ill for a while and non-responsive – and not eating or drinking anything for several days – so it wasn’t a surprise, but sudden all the same.

Dad said he was meeting with the funeral director the next day and would have more information on the arrangements then.

The next day I helped my room-mate and his family check into the condo for the week and I then waited for the call with the news about the plans. Mom called me on my cell and gave me the details and I called a bereavement travel service that my room-mate’s company offers and made some travel plans to fly there for the service – since the visitation would be Tuesday and service on Wednesday – all in Illinois. I made a flight for Monday morning with a return trip to MB on Thursday.

I was at the MB airport bright and early, got checked in, and flew to Atlanta. There was a 2 hour layover, then on to Bloomington, IL. My folks picked me up and dropped me off to stay with my cousin. On Tuesday we met up at the church for the visitation. Grandma looked good – like I remembered her – but that didn’t make seeing her there any easier. My parents, my dad’s sister and one of his brothers and their spouses were up at the front to greet people and talk to them. The rest of the family – grand and great-grand children – sat in the pews and mostly kept ourselves. We were there for about 4 hours and there was a big turnout – grandma had lived in the town her whole life and had a lot of friends.

The next morning – Wednesday – we headed back to the church for the service. The minister didn’t know grandma, but my uncle had met with him and shared some good stories. Instead of using those, the minister instead talked mostly about himself, which puzzled and annoyed most of us. We then went to the graveside and told my brother-in-law that they should have at least broken the speed limit for grandma in the procession – she was known for having an unapologetic lead foot. The service at the graveside was quick and on the way back to the church for lunch… I broke down. I’d had some bad moments, but riding with mom and dad as we left the cemetery I started weeping. I guess it makes sense it would hit me then, but even having made what I thought was peace with her loss, the finality overwhelmed me and it was a bit before I could get control of myself again. After the lunch at the church, my sister and brother-in-law headed back to Ohio and I got dropped off at my cousin’s house. I had dinner that night with my uncle’s family and helped with some computer issues.

And then we talked about my uncle that didn’t show up at his mother’s visitation, funeral, graveside, or luncheon. There’s some bad blood there between his siblings, but I think we all thought that he would at least show up. My aunt sent him a text message when grandma passed – which sounds a little cold, but he doesn’t answer his phone and leaves his voicemail full.

So, he missed the whole thing – a chance to say goodbye and maybe mend some fences. Now, I can’t imagine my dad and his other two siblings forgiving this. Really sad.

My parents dropped me back off at the airport on Thursday morning and I did my trip in reverse, getting back to MB at 3:30. I wowed the passangers and the flight crew with my folding on the trips and now it was time to get back to my beach vacation.

A leak, a party, things created, and some guilt

By admin

On July 5, 2010

In Uncategorized

I went to give blood today in the early afternoon since I was off work. It was busy, apparently a lot of people had the same idea. The actual donation was fine, but while I was eating my cookies and having some orange drink in the canteen area, the guy next to me suddenly got up – clutching at his arm. He said something about having a problem and headed by into the donation area – leaving a trail of blood. I told a couple of staff people about it and they gloved up and got the area cleaned up. I headed on my way, thinking that it was the first time I’d seen someone have trouble like that. He was a little older, must not have “sealed” up quickly enough.

I went to a party on Saturday evening. A couple of friends were hosting and I had a nice time – which surprised me a bit since I’m not really an outgoing party person. But, I had some paper with me and a little origami magic will do wonders. I made a little person and a horse for a little girl that was there – she was amazed and managed to keep the figure intact longer than most 2 year-olds would have been able to do. I stayed pretty late, but started to get eaten alive by the bugs. No calimine or hydrocortizon to be found at home, but a little rubbing alcohol got rid of the itch.

I’ve been busy crafting things this weekend. Found a design for a brocade – a sort of spherical flower that takes 6 pieces of paper to build and can make some nice earrings. Provided the paper is small enough. 1 inch squares seemed to do the trick and while it wasn’t hard work, it was very detail oriented. I made two sets – and some soap – as gifts to someone who “has everything”.

A couple weeks ago I did something that has been nagging at me. It was after work and I had just left the building heading for the pool since I didn’t get to swim at lunchtime. I had my phone out, getting ready to make a call and tell a friend that plans had changed. Just before I started to dial, I saw a guy exit the building in front of me, head toward the street, then do a sudden 180 and head back. He saw I had my phone out asked if he could borrow it. I told him “sorry” and that I “had to make this call”. I kept walking and dialed – and made my call. It was only a few minutes later that I realized what was going on. The guy came out of the building expecting a ride to be waiting for him and wanted to use my phone to call and make sure he wasn’t stranded. Or so it seemed, based on the moments I’d seen his behavior.

Was my call critical? No, it could have waited. Was I worried he might steal my phone and run off? Not likely, when motivated I can move pretty fast and I know the campus very well. Would he have wasted my minutes? No, I’ve got a pile and have never come close to using them all in a month. Do I have a good reason for not helping?

Not really. Pretty much just selfish. Which I really try not to do. I guess I was just tired of things standing in the way of what I was doing. I had spent all day just trying to move forward and I saw this as not a chance to help someone, but an impediment to the rest of my day.

He wasn’t there by the time I went back that way – I guess his ride showed up.

So, it’s been bothering me a bit. I feel like I made a bad decision. Not evil, but just not what I should have done.

Since then, I’ve been trying to be a little nicer to people where I can. Doesn’t really make up for it, but I guess it’s all I can do.

In other news… looking forward to a short work week. And I think it’s time for me to get off this computer and go enjoy the sunshine a bit.

everyone is okay

By admin

On June 29, 2010

In Uncategorized

I talked to my sister last night – the camper they were towing jack-knifed as a result of their SUV having a tire blow out. My brother-in-law was able to get the SUV to the median, but the hitch snapped and the camper tipped over. My sister said they were going to try and salvage what they could from inside the camper, but that the camper itself was most likely a loss.

So, bummer on the camper, but good to hear they are all okay. Except for my brother-in-law who hurt his foot trying to change the tire on the SUV.

The rest of the evening for me was video games and a little bocce outside. I lost, but it was a close match.

My room-mate is still having drama with a couple of his siblings, but I think that’s settling down a bit.

Work has been a little odder than usual, I’d better get back to it.

Party in da house

By admin

On June 28, 2010

In Uncategorized

Last week, my room-mate and I did a bunch of cleaning to get ready for his birthday party. We bought a lot of food and borrowed a table and chairs and on Saturday morning, I went and picked up the cake and 3 bags of ice. He also found out that his antique car was repaired and wanted to go pick it up to show to the party guests. I was less enthused about it since it would take up premium parking space and might distract the birthday boy from his guests, but he was determined and went along with it.

Another trip for more ice and hamburger buns and some time spent setting up the umbrellas and tables – and we were ready.

As the guests started to arrive, we set up a volleyball net and played a bit. Then a couple of games of bocce got the crowd going. It was a hot day, but we kept everyone hydrated and people took frequent breaks in the house.

When it was time to start grilling, my room-mate fired up the grill and immediately started to get distracted. Fearing disaster, I took over and did the cooking. I things turned out pretty well and I think everyone got enough to eat. My room-mate got a little choked up when we sang happy birthday and I know that it meant a lot that his friends and family were there.

I thought it was pretty cool how easily everyone connected – it turned out that one of my room-mates co-workers had also been a photographer at my co-worker/friend’s wedding.

But the event was not without some drama. My room-mate wanted to take some of his friends for a ride in the caddy – at the exact same time that one of his sister decided that she and her family were ready to leave. No one was willing to give ground, so there was some hurt feelings.

Also, his brother didn’t show. There was some kind of issue with time off or having to work – the story kept changing. I know my room-mate was pretty hurt by that and hasn’t returned his calls.

I did a lot of the cleanup that evening and we finished things up the next day. It was a good party and the success means I think we’ll be doing more of this in the future.

In other news… I saw on Facebook this morning that my sister and brother-in-law had some issues with their camper on the trip home. They weren’t hurt, but the camper is apparently in bad shape. I’m hoping to touch base with her today and find out what happened.

Finally, I came into work today to find one of my co-worker’s “uninterrupted power supplies” was going bad and setting off an alarm. Since he’s not going to be back in the office for 3 weeks, I did the most logical thing when faced with locked down computers and passwords and a really annoying alarm – I turned the whole thing off. Which he should have done anyway when leaving the office for three weeks.

About an hour later, he shows up – which was a surprise since we thought he was already gone. Apparently, he’s set up his computer to act as an intermediary for his email. And without that, he can’t get his email. Why someone would add another, vulnerable layer of complexity to a system that works better without it for the sake of a perceived convenience is beyond me. He bypassed the UPS and got his machines going again before he left.

Insert head-shaking here as I get back to work….

the plan

By admin

On June 24, 2010

In Uncategorized

I’ve got a personality quirk – well, one of many anyway – that makes me really enjoy plans. I’m generally fine with going with the flow when that’s appropriate, but if I’ve got a plan I’d really prefer to see that through. And I tend to get cranky when that plan is disrupted – based on a belief that the universe likes plans too and that disrupting plans usually lead to some degree of chaos.

Case in point:

I planned (see, here we go) to make a trip over to Target last evening for some items and then a bit to eat at burger king on my way back – and I asked my room-mate if he needed anything. He had a few things for me to pick up and also asked me to go to Lowe’s to re-fill a grill tank. Not terribly out of the way, but still – it was not in the original plan.

So, I head over to Lowe’s first, go inside to the customer service desk and pay for the exchange. I go back outside – with a disturbing lack of “someone will be out soon” – and wait. And I timed it, anticipating a problem. At 6 minutes I go back inside and then wait at the desk again for the clerk to be available. She makes a call and tells me someone was closing out a register and would be out there soon.

I resume my vigil. At 14:30, the clerk comes out and says she borrowed the keys to the propane tank cages. I stop my timer at this point, anticipating success. Unfortunately, the only cage with full tanks can’t be opened with those keys. She goes back in to get the manager and I restart my timer. The clerk and manager return with keys that work and at 17:19, I get my filled tank and head on my way.

I note the times here not because I’m going to call their corporate office and complain – it really wasn’t that big of a deal – but because I knew that this additional stop would be problematic.

Is there a deeper meaning to all this? Do I have a subconscious tap into the underlying order to the universe that allows me to construct smoothly executing plans so long as no one else interferes?

Unlikely, but it should be noted that I had no problems at either Target or Burger King.

paint and the neighbors

By admin

On June 22, 2010

In Uncategorized

My room-mate is unhappy with the painting he did in the hallway of the apartment. It’s got some reflective qualities to it and didn’t spread evenly. He thinks that in some light it looks like aluminum foil. So, he’s making plans to repaint – which is too bad since the paint he got initially is fairly expensive.

Our neighbors came back from their trip yesterday and they stopped over to pick up their mail. She had just been visiting her mother – who is very ill – and had an argument with her siblings that had her pretty upset. While she was in our hallway looking at the paint on the walls her phone rang and she got the news that her mother had just then passed away. She was understandably in shock and my room-mate walked her back over to her apartment with their mail.

I didn’t see him again for over 2 hours – he had put on his funeral director / grief counselor hat and was doing what he could to help them out. She and her husband have some rough times ahead with her siblings and with trying to sort out the arrangements, but she has already credited my room-mate with helping them through things.

In other news… I hit the pool again yesterday afternoon and did 18 laps, 1/2 mile. No records set, but I’m getting back to it.

father’s day weekend

By admin

On June 21, 2010

In Uncategorized

I had a meeting that ran late last Friday and I decided to postpone the drive to my parent’s house until Saturday morning. Instead of driving, I helped my room-mate with some yard work. I think I would have preferred fighting rush hour traffic. 🙂

On Saturday morning, I got up early and was on the road by 5:20 AM. I got to my parent’s house at almost the same time my sister and her family was arriving – so, we all had breakfast together.

My 5 month old niece spent the entire day being awesome and adorable. She’s learned how to roll over – but only in one direction. And she really has no interest in rolling the other way. My sister fed her some avocado and some cereal and most of the day was spent hanging out. We played a game and I made quacking noises like a duck to my niece that she really enjoyed.

My mom and my sister and I went together on some Father’s day gifts for dad – he wants to learn how to paint landscapes and we got him all the gear he’ll need to get started.

My sister and brother-in-law took the little baby home that evening and couldn’t come back on Sunday – the little one has started teething and was not amused. Instead, my Dad’s friend came over for lunch. He has a neruo-muscular disorder and is confined to a wheelchair. He’s very difficult to understand, but not mentally impaired. He and his caretaker had taco salad with us and strawberries for dessert. His caretaker was pretty cool and lunch was fine – but it was a little weird and awkward.

After they left, I hung out with my folks for a while before getting on the road. When I got back, I found that my room-mate had done some painting. The color is okay, but I’m a little concerned about the spills on the wood trim and the floor. I think we got things pretty well cleaned up when I got home, but the lighting wasn’t good and I’m hoping the landlord doesn’t complain.

People are strange

By admin

On June 18, 2010

In Uncategorized

1. On the drive into work I saw a guy on a motorcycle. On the back, riding as a passenger, was a plastic skeleton (about 1/2 life sized) with long dark hair and the right arm extended. It was flipping everyone off as he rode down the highway. Oh, and the skeleton was surrounded by small american flags. So, you know, he had that going for him too. It was great.

2. I had a training session today for a student group on campus. The person I was meeting was about 10 minutes late and didn’t have access to their office. So, rather than walk back to my office for the training or checking out a laptop in the student union – we instead snagged a kiosk and did the training in the hallway. It was a little loud and the computer was slow, but it all worked out.

3. I was hoping to get out of here a little early today – but then I remembered I have a meeting from 3:30 to 4:30 today. (FYI, I generally leave for the day at 4:00) Who schedules a meeting for 3:30 on Friday? I mean, I understand last minute and all that, but have they seen how nice it is outside?

4. I updated my twitter post today to comment on the weather and mention how it was a perfect day for streaking. Not that I did – though I did consider it – but I know it would have been nice based on prior experience.