Oregon is a mail-in voting state. All registered voters get their ballots several weeks before the election date. You can vote in the security of your own home, with all the information you want available at your finger tips. In the past, the paper would print a sample ballot several days beforehand so that people could make their decisions, note them on the sample ballot and then take the sample ballot to the polling place to jog their memory when they actually voted. Both P and I have voted. Done our civic duty. Participated in democracy. And it's a very good way to cut off the pollers and campaigners who call several times a night. They are too late! We've already voted!!! Now, if that would only work for the political commercials on TV.....
It's not enough that the full moon occurs tomorrow. We're having a lunar eclipse too. That will really bring out the crazys. And this close to Halloween.... Life is strange enough already. Doesn't need any help.
Wednesday, October 27, 2004
Saturday, October 23, 2004
Head Down, Nose to the Grindstone
It's been a busy several weeks. This is the last week of our fourth quarter coming up at work. It's one of those deadlines that a lot of projects seem to be pegged to. And all the paperwork for new part numbers, new bills of material, new drawings and the latest changes to existing assemblies all go through me. (Job Security!) Lots of details to attend to, to keep straight. The days go fast when you're busy.
Eric had his final football game of the season today. We're waiting for a report as whether or not his team was able to score a touchdown. If so, it would be the first of the season. Now, I don't want to say they are bad, but they must have built an AWFUL lot of character.
I ran across this web site earlier. I just hope they open a store in our neighberhood soon.
Eric had his final football game of the season today. We're waiting for a report as whether or not his team was able to score a touchdown. If so, it would be the first of the season. Now, I don't want to say they are bad, but they must have built an AWFUL lot of character.
I ran across this web site earlier. I just hope they open a store in our neighberhood soon.
Monday, October 04, 2004
Aging Gracefully
It's Eric's 9th birthday today!!! Happy Birthday Eric!!!
We (the grandparents) gave Eric and parental units, Troy and Jody, a ride to his flag football game last Saturday. A league for 3rd and 4th graders. I think the opposing team was mainly 4th graders.... they lost: 36 to 0. Eric's team look so small compare to their opponents. No joy in Mudville tonight. Erics team is organized through his school, Portland Lutheran, but they are playing in the local CYO (Catholic Youth Organization) league. There aren't enough Lutheran schools around to form a league apparently. CYO. It's been a long time since I heard that acronym. There were a several Catholic schools around and plenty catholic kids in the neighberhood when I was growing up. Lots of activities for them at the schools and churchs. CYO dances! And the sports leagues. We'd meet in competition every so often. Very tough competitors!!! Eric's team has four more games. If Saturday was any indication, they will be hard pressed to improve on their 0-3 record.
One of the reasons we took Eric and family to the game is that Troy fell a couple of weeks ago and broke his arm, just above his wrist. It's in a cast and a sling right now. The doctors slice his arm open and put a plate in to hold the pieces together. Apparently it was a clean break. That is good and that is bad. Its good because their aren't a lot of fragments and chips floating around. It's bad because the two pieces have a tendency to slide against each other easily. Hence the plate to hold them together until they heal. Just how long does it take for bones to grow? I'll have to get back to you on that one.... Troy is ambidexterous. He writes on the computer with his non-broke hand, but uses the broke one to move the mouse. So he's had to figured out how to use the Accessability features of Windows: he can use the arrows on the key board instead of the mouse now. It's a little bit slower, but then Troy never was the fastest typist in the world in the first place! Thats one problem solved. The bigger problem was that he couldn't drive. At least not until today, when he went back to the doctor for a follow up. They checked his progress, put a new cast on and cleared him for work and driving. Thats a big load off his mind, as he is the only one in the family that drives. And with a wife that works in a different location than he does, not to mention the activites of an almost double digit year old child......not being able to drive put a severe crimp in their life style. Things should get better now. Troy has fallen many time before but he's never broken any bones. This is a first. And he is the first to admit that it doesn't get any easier the older he gets. Each time takes it toll. Each time it takes a little longer for the bruises and memorys of the pain to fade. Betty Davis said it best: Growing old isn't for sissys!
Mount St Helens is acting up again. It's been almost 25 years since the last eruption. I remember it vividly. What a show (from a safe, 50 miles away)! It's hard to believe it's has been that long. Why is it that the older you get the harder it get to believe how long ago things happened. Sure didn't seem like that long ago!
Lots of earthquakes under the mountain, lots of steam being vented. The "experts" believe there is magma working it's way up from the earths core and expect it relieve the pressure somehow sometime soon. And soon could be any where from 12 hours to 12 weeks to 12 months. Ma Nature will put on the main show when she gets good and ready.
It's not nice to fool with Mother Nature......
We (the grandparents) gave Eric and parental units, Troy and Jody, a ride to his flag football game last Saturday. A league for 3rd and 4th graders. I think the opposing team was mainly 4th graders.... they lost: 36 to 0. Eric's team look so small compare to their opponents. No joy in Mudville tonight. Erics team is organized through his school, Portland Lutheran, but they are playing in the local CYO (Catholic Youth Organization) league. There aren't enough Lutheran schools around to form a league apparently. CYO. It's been a long time since I heard that acronym. There were a several Catholic schools around and plenty catholic kids in the neighberhood when I was growing up. Lots of activities for them at the schools and churchs. CYO dances! And the sports leagues. We'd meet in competition every so often. Very tough competitors!!! Eric's team has four more games. If Saturday was any indication, they will be hard pressed to improve on their 0-3 record.
One of the reasons we took Eric and family to the game is that Troy fell a couple of weeks ago and broke his arm, just above his wrist. It's in a cast and a sling right now. The doctors slice his arm open and put a plate in to hold the pieces together. Apparently it was a clean break. That is good and that is bad. Its good because their aren't a lot of fragments and chips floating around. It's bad because the two pieces have a tendency to slide against each other easily. Hence the plate to hold them together until they heal. Just how long does it take for bones to grow? I'll have to get back to you on that one.... Troy is ambidexterous. He writes on the computer with his non-broke hand, but uses the broke one to move the mouse. So he's had to figured out how to use the Accessability features of Windows: he can use the arrows on the key board instead of the mouse now. It's a little bit slower, but then Troy never was the fastest typist in the world in the first place! Thats one problem solved. The bigger problem was that he couldn't drive. At least not until today, when he went back to the doctor for a follow up. They checked his progress, put a new cast on and cleared him for work and driving. Thats a big load off his mind, as he is the only one in the family that drives. And with a wife that works in a different location than he does, not to mention the activites of an almost double digit year old child......not being able to drive put a severe crimp in their life style. Things should get better now. Troy has fallen many time before but he's never broken any bones. This is a first. And he is the first to admit that it doesn't get any easier the older he gets. Each time takes it toll. Each time it takes a little longer for the bruises and memorys of the pain to fade. Betty Davis said it best: Growing old isn't for sissys!
Mount St Helens is acting up again. It's been almost 25 years since the last eruption. I remember it vividly. What a show (from a safe, 50 miles away)! It's hard to believe it's has been that long. Why is it that the older you get the harder it get to believe how long ago things happened. Sure didn't seem like that long ago!
Lots of earthquakes under the mountain, lots of steam being vented. The "experts" believe there is magma working it's way up from the earths core and expect it relieve the pressure somehow sometime soon. And soon could be any where from 12 hours to 12 weeks to 12 months. Ma Nature will put on the main show when she gets good and ready.
It's not nice to fool with Mother Nature......
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