Ten Years Since 9/11

It was my second week of teaching (in my whole career) when I heard about the first plane. I remember going into my principal's office and watching the smoke pour from the first tower. I wish I'd kept a blog back then to remember the rest of the details. I do remember the kids having lots of questions. It was probably quite different then because most kids didn't have cel phones. If something like that happened today; it would be a different story. I saw a TV piece about how many of the soldiers who are currently in Afghanistan can barely remember 9/11 since so many of them were elementary kids at the time that it happened. The world will never be the same.

Happy Birthday C!

Today my friend, C, is having a very important birthday. I hope she has the wonderful day that she deserves. C is, to quote Cushman, a very roomy-hearted person, and I am very much looking forward to knowing her for many decades to come.

Eleven Children at the Zoo

My elder brother has been a manager, on and off, for many years now. I assume he's good at his job since he's smart and capable and always in demand by employers. However, I've never really had the chance to see him in the midst of his actual job (have you ever had the chance to watch your brother at work?). Recently had the opportunity to see his managerial skills in action. Only this time, it wasn't a bunch of engineers he was organizing, but a group of small children.

The occasion was Younger Niece's eighth birthday party. She picked Red Robin for her celebratory lunch, and then the whole crowd of us (nine little kids and two big ones) were off to the zoo. The car logistics alone were quite something, but we eventually arrived at the gates with tickets in hand. When you have a group of kids that size, and you don't really know all of them that well, the danger is that a kid could get left behind somewhere, and you wouldn't event notice. Thus some early cave teacher must have invented the first buddy system.

Standing in the mock African village (which looks disappointingly unlike M's childhood home), each kid chose a buddy, and then each pair of buddies chose a grown-up "keeper." This way, every grown-up only had to keep track of two kids. Luckily, Elder Niece and her buddy were willing to partner with M because it turned out that a strange man is too scary for most of the younger girls. I congratulated/kidded Elder Niece on being very brave, and she told me that Uncle M. is "NOT scary AT ALL!" And so we set off.

Each grown-up kept a general eye on his or her pair of kids, but it was my brother who was in the lead. He was also the one who gave general reminders such as "Please don't climb into the pig enclosure!" or "No running in front of strollers!" or perhaps "No petting that part of the bunny!" We stayed until it was almost closing time, and we saw some "really cool stuff." The highlights, as far as the kids were concerned, were a tiny snake eating an even tinier fish, the hippos moving ponderously around, and the lions calling out their sunset "song."

At last, my brother counted up the children one final time before piling them back into cars. He asked Younger Niece what she thought of the trip, and she said that "It would have been the best birthday ever except the one problem. You're the strictest dad EVER! But it was still fun." Nothing like the old mixed message from the budding tween. Grandma gave Younger Niece a lecture about gratitude, but I told me brother he should wear "Strictest Dad Ever" as a serious mark of pride. If that birthday event was the work of the strictest parent ever, then I hope to be one of those myself one day.

Congrats C & C!

In the midst of a crazy work week, I was very pleased to take a little time out for some good stuff. Our friends, C and C, had asked a few of us to serve as witnesses at their courthouse wedding, and I was thrilled to accept. Thus we found ourselves in a tiny, sunlit courtroom where a very friendly judge had just finished hearing cases for the day. The entire wedding, including the judge, couple, and guests, consisted of seven people. The couple and the service were so sweet that I actually got a little teary-eyed before it was over. There is something about stripping a wedding back to the bare basics that is really quite touching. Here's hoping that C and C have a very happy life together.

Baby Naming

A little while ago, I was lucky enough to be invited to a baby naming ceremony for our youngest friend, C. Her parents are members of a synagogue in Seattle, and it is part of their tradition for new baby girls to be welcomed and have their names announced for the congregation (I'm sure that's not the right work, but...). Lucky for the rest of us, friends as well as family are welcome to attend the Sabbath service which includes the naming.

The invitation to this event included some general hints on attire, but I wanted to make certain that I didn't make a mistake. I checked with some Jewish friends from work about the dress code. The two of them were guessing about what type of synagogue it might be, but they both agreed that generally conservative clothing would be appropriate. One suggested that I should just "wear what you normally wear to church" which left me to explain that I was just as much a stranger to churches as synagogues. Finally, they told me to avoid anything sleeveless or above the knee, and to wear a hat if I wanted to be really safe. Hat in hand, I set off for the synagogue on a Saturday morning.

I was most impressed by the welcome we received at the door. Not only was there a greeter there, but he handed us off to two people who welcomed us again and patiently explained what would happen and which books we would need. I've been to other religious gatherings where the feeling of being the stranger is very pronounced. In some places you get questioning glances and even cold looks from people who recognize you as an outsider. Here, however, people went out of their way to be kind.

We (the friends) all sat together and tried to keep up with the service. It took me a moment to remember that the books are read in the reverse order from ours, so turning to the correct page took a little time. Luckily, there were people around us who let us know when to stand, when to sit, and when to read-this-section-until-you-finish-and-then-sit. Wanting to not mess up meant paying close attention to the proceedings, but not one time did I feel that people were craning around to get a look at the outsiders.

The part where P, A, and their kids went up on the Bema (Bima?) was my favorite. They all looked so happy and proud to be there (was that an act to cover the nerves? I would have been very nervous). Baby C was perfectly behaved, never cried even once, and looked absolutely adorable in her little pink outfit. After the service there was a lunch where more people came over to chat with us, welcome us, and generally be friendly. All in all, it was a great experience, and I was very happy to be a part of such an important day. I'm still not a religious person myself, but it is very heartening to know that there are places where religion creates real community and encourages people to be their best.

Bicycle Birthday

On a regular Monday, I get to work just before 7am, teach two classes in the morning, prepare for the next day during my prep, teach three classes during the afternoon, and usually attend at least one meeting. Generally the students and I are a bit slow and sleepy from our weekend, but we get through and the week is off and running. Mondays are not usually my favorite days, but they are not terrible or depressing either. However, this Monday, was quite a bit different from normal. Thank goodness for Presidents.

Small Niece turned seven (seven!) about a week ago, and she decided to have a bike riding birthday to celebrate. Now many seventh birthday parties probably involve bikes, but that usually means a few turns around the local park. This was a SERIOUS bicycle birthday, and we estimate that about twenty miles were ridden. It was a wonderful sunny day, and we had a marvelous time.

We started out at my brother's house and spent some time arranging everyone on their bikes. There were two tandems, one bike with half bike on the back, and one mini-bike for the mini-grandma to ride. All in all, we made quite a picture going down the road. Our first stop was Gasworks Park where we met up with a few friends (and some people also took the opportunity to run up and down the hills). The next trip took us to a cupcake shop in Wallingford. We each got to choose our own flavors and a special topper for each little cake. M got a really horrifying bride and groom with badly mis-painted faces.

The last leg of our journey took us through the Olympic Sculpture Park. Now I am not a huge fan of the sculpture choices they made for that park (I think I am an art Luddite), but it does have two fantastic features (aside from the eraser of course). Any park that takes you along the water and gives you such an incredible view of the mountains has to be good. Finally, we made our way to The Old Spaghetti Factory. This was the perfect dinner destination for a huge group of hungry bike riders. We wolfed our food before heading back out to do the last bike stretch home. It was a wonderful day, but my posterior has still not returned to normal. Hats off to my brother and to my friends C and R who have the guts to do this kind of thing on a daily basis. Also, happy birthday once more to Small Niece!

New Addition

Happy birthday to our smallest new friend, baby C.A.! Baby C. was born just a few days ago, and we are very much looking forward to meeting her. Congratulations also to her parents and her newly promoted Big Brother. Well done P!

Pranking All the Way

Last night we got M so good (as they say)! In keeping with a long tradition at his company, we went to his office after he'd left and made a significant impact thereon. In fact, we spread Christmas cheer from one end of the office to the other. About 50% of the things in the office got wrapped in festive paper. This included his white board pens, his keyboard and mouse, his computer monitors, and even the paper cup that was left on his desk! We created lovely winter scenes on his bookcases, and we even used a 1/2 life-size deer to add that special outdoor touch. There were garlands, lights, and Christmas tchotchkies all over the place. The best part was the door into the hall that was wrapped like a package ribbon and all.

Our friend, B, also had the brilliant idea to leave a "naughty and nice" list. M's name went in the nice column, and all the rest of us were naughty. It seemed like the perfect way to let him know who'd done the damage. I also left a Christmas card promising to help him clean it all up again. When he got home last night, I snuck the camera into his car where he wouldn't see it by accident. Judging by the email I got from him this morning, I think he was pretty pleased with our little prank! Hopefully pics will come out soon.

Thanks again Naughty People!

Birthday!

Happy birthday to my dear M who means more to me than I can say. Hopefully the next year will be very full of good thing!

Biking Against My Will Part 2

Now it's time to return to the story of how I had ten years scared off my life by going on a short little bike ride with my brother. If you're still with me by the end, then good on you :)

For a while we were just riding through neighborhoods (with only one dodgy moment), and then we were on a nice safe bike path. This was all fine, and I can absolutely see why so many bicyclists are so thrilled to live anywhere near an official path. Comparatively speaking they're so wonderfully protected from cars, and you don't hardly have to worry about driveways or speed bumps or dogs or semi-trucks turning out of shipyards (don't ask). After a while, I actually started to relax and chat with the family. However, the bit on the bike path did not last long, and soon we were on a surface street again.

Not just any surface street. More like a main thoroughfare in an industrial part of town. Granted, this road did have its very own bike lane, but that didn't help too much when you consider that most of the traffic on the road was huge trucks. A standard size car does not fill a lane, so when near a bicycle they can simply hug the center stripe. A big truck does not have this option since it fills the lane entirely. This led to one of two strategies on the part of the truckers. Either swerve out into on-coming traffic (lots of honking and excitement) or ignore the bikes and pass within a few feet of them (people on bikes nearly fall of from the wind and the terror). My brother and his friends (oh they appeared at some point, but I was petrified to notice) seemed unconcerned about the situation, but Big Niece and I were pretty much white with concern.

Eventually we left the industrial neighborhood. You would think that would be a relief, but since we'd traded trucks for the thick traffic of downtown Seattle on a Friday evening, we were still pretty much on edge. Add to all that the fact that there are NO BIKE LANES around there, and it was (amazingly) even more frightening than before. You have to just ride in a lane with the cars and hope it all turns out okay. I was literally vying with busses for space. Taxis and other cars cut us off on purpose. I do have to say that this is incredible exercise because you don't dare stop for a rest. The light is turning green so PEDDLE FOR ALL YOU'RE WORTH! You can see why the automatic bike was such a good idea.

After a while we made our way to the gathering place for the official ride. I felt like I'd been through the fire already, but really we hadn't even begun. Big Niece was also looking peaked, so we sort of huddled together and made fun of the other bicyclists (hey, I never said I was a GOOD influence) who'd gathered. Then, out of the corner of my eye I noticed a chocolate shop. It is a well-known fact that one of the best things for strained nerves is chocolate. We dropped our bikes with Elder Brother, and made a beeline for the goodies. The ladies in the shop were quite horrified by our attire (helmets and sweat), but they were (thankfully) still able to sell us orange bon bons.

Thus fortified by chocolate, we gathered our bikes and joined "the circling" as Elder Brother called it. Just as I was mounting up, I saw my first really bad reaction to Critical Mass. A man who looked like a bike commuter (button up shirt, slacks, backpack, serious bike) was slowly crossing the square to join the throngs. A pedestrian suddenly reached out just as the bike passed and gave the hardest possible shove to the bicyclist. There was absolutely no provocation. Great! now I had something other than cars to be anxious about! Luckily, the victim had excellent sense of balance (and self control for that matter) because he swerved a bit and then righted himself without falling over (or swinging around to beat up the shover).

I must confess that once critical mass gets going you actually feel safer than before. The huge group works to shield most of the crowd from trouble, and the only real risk is from the press of bikes around you. The response of the people on sidewalks and in cars is quite surprising. I would say roughly one third just don't have any idea what to make of three hundred bikes taking over a street in downtown. The stare, literally with mouths open, as the crowd passes. You can almost see the tourists mentally filing away the story to tell back home.

About another third are royally, rabidly pissed off by the disruption. My poor sister-in-law got a nasty stream of abuse from one woman who did not like having to wait at an intersection. Cars do sometimes try to rush the mob hoping to make the bikes scatter, and those people who use their bikes to "cap" intersections really are taking a personal risk. The struggle for me is that I can understand why some of these people are upset. They were going along, following the rules, and suddenly things change on them. Nevertheless, that is no excuse for rudeness or hostility.

The last third are in love with the idea of all those bikes. They wave, they whistle, they lean out of their cars to take pictures. It's kind of a strange feeling to be delighting, confusing, and enraging people all in one go, but there you are. I guess I should just be glad that somebody is happy.

After riding just part of the route Elder Brother realized that his girls were all feeling like noodles. We left the main group, and headed back along the route we'd taken before. Since a few hours had passed by this point, the traffic was not nearly so bad, and the ride home was practically calm. Two of us did resort to walking up the last few hills, but we felt we'd earned a little wispiness. Upon reaching the house, both nieces and I agreed on three things:

1. That was scary (Small Niece did want to mention that it was fun too in her opinion)
2. That our bottoms were "mashed to mush"
3. That we needed lots of tasty food, and we needed it immediately

Elder Brother and his wife went off to a grown-up birthday party with his friends. The nieces and I went off to Whole Foods and then my house for a large dinner and a sleepover. No one got up early the next morning.

Critical Mass is certainly an experience. I can't say I agree with the law-breaking part of events, but I can certainly see why they want to make their point. Would I ever want to ride it again? Probably not, but at least I can now say that I've ridden my bike all the way down Spring street without stopping for anything. Yikes!

Biking Against My Will Part 1

Oh the things we do for love. Familial love in this case. My older brother rarely makes much sense to me, but I am very fond of him. Therefore, when he asked us all for just one thing for his birthday, we wanted to do what we could. However, that one thing proved to be much more complicated than I had expected. What he wanted was for all the family to ride Critical Mass with him.

For those who are not familiar, Critical Mass is a weekly bike ride that has gatherings in cities all around the country. The basic idea is that bike riders should forcefully remind the rest of the population that they too are allowed on the road and deserving of respect. To do this, cyclists will gather in a pre-planned location, and then ride around a very busy area en masse ignoring traffic signals, filling streets, and generally pissing off a lot of people.

Now, I am not the kind of person who willingly takes physical risks for fun. I am also not the kind of person who usually breaks rules. As you can see, going on this ride was more than a little conflicting for me. However, as I mentioned before, it was the only thing Elder Brother wanted, so I felt I had to participate. I swallowed my fear (and some of my moral code) and headed over to his house.

Fortunately I was able to borrow a bike from his extensive collection since mine does not fit in my car. Knowing me as he does, Elder Brother actually chose to lend me an automatic bike. I am not making this up. He actually gave me a 10 (?) speed bike that shifted its own gears. This is lucky because it turns out that paralyzing fear would have made it difficult for me to do this shifting on my own. But I'm getting ahead of myself.

When Elder Brother said he wanted the family to go on this ride, he wasn't kidding. Big Niece, Small Niece, and my sister-in-law were also planning to ride. All but Small Niece were feeling just like I was: conflicted. Small Niece has a disturbing lack of fear and is truly up for anything, so she was running around in her underpants grinning like, well, like herself when she's really thrilled.

Big Niece, on the other hand, was sitting in a chair looking like a rain cloud. When I asked her what was the matter she said that she didn't like the way some people don't wear helmets on these rides ("amen!" I thought), and she doesn't like the way people break the rules on these rides (again "amen!"), and she was worried that her pant leg might get caught in the chain ("oh crap what about my pant leg!" I thought). She seemed quite delighted when I admitted to having some of the same concerns. We then found a soccer sock to pull up over her pant leg, and then she actually brightened up enough that we could all head out.

We ALL put on our helmets (Big Niece would not have allowed us to do otherwise), we pulled up our soccer socks, and we got on our bikes. As we took off we looked like this. First me, trying to shake the cramp out of my hip because my bike was a bit too tall. Then Sister-in-law wobbling along trying to get the hang of her manual gear bike. Next was Elder Brother on the first seat of a tandem bike (and doing all the work). Behind him was Big Niece on the second seat of the tandem (still looking pretty anxious), and finally on the half bike attached to the tandem was Small Niece still smiling like a loony. We were off.

Snowshoeing with The Kid

As I mentioned in the last post, I picked up Big Niece on Friday evening. Our first stop was REI to pick out new boots and snow clothes. REI is just about the only store, other than bookstores, that Big Niece actually likes to visit. Most stores are sources of terrible torment for her because she HATES shopping for almost anything. However, REI is cool enough to overcome her aversion.

First we had to rent the snowshoes that she would use the next day. She found this interesting, and she became very excited when they brought out the kid shoes because they were orange! I wish I could get that excited about my favorite color. Next we headed upstairs to the hiking boots (you need good ones for snowshoeing), and we found a pair of lace-up, ankle-high ones in, get this, blue and orange! The thrill continues! Next came a pair of fleece socks (doggie print), a hat (blue), gloves (she was very offended that they were toddler-sized, but they fit so well she couldn't argue), convertible hiking pants (how cool is that! They zip off and become SHORTS!), and lastly a pair of gaiters to keep the snow out of her boots. Luckily most of the pieces were on sale, so we got the whole ensemble for less than the price of a coat. I offered to take it all to the car before we went on, but she wanted to carry the shoe box with her.

The next morning she was up at 7:30 (surprising because she's not usually a morning person at all) and raring to go. We kitted her out, tried to feed her some breakfast, and set off with a few of our friends towards the pass. We arrived there around 11am, and after a quick bathroom break we were on the trail. Then we hit our snag. About 3/4 of the way up the hill Big Niece was "Not having a fun time!"

She was hot, coughing a little, and even sort of tearful. I took off her hat and coat (she had many layers) and told her that we could go back to the car and wait for everyone else if she wanted. "No! I do not want to go back!" she said, so we continued on the trail at a slower pace. Soon after, we turned off the main road and onto a side trail that ran along the hillside. We also stopped and had a brief chocolate break. The combination did wonders for her spirits, and she informed me that "I'm having more fun now." After that we were golden.

She led the way for much of the rest of the trip. The pace she set was quite a good one, and I am still not sure what made her so unhappy at the beginning. Scrambling to the tops of little hills became a game with her. We at lunch on top of a tall snow drift, and made jokes about our bottoms freezing to the ground. We finished up with a little saucering near the car. When I asked her if she wanted to go again another time she said 'yes, but next time we should do a new trail so we can see new scenery." By the time we got back to town she was too tired to talk or even eat much dinner, but I can hardly blame her after having worked so hard. She really is a trooper, and we'll certainly take her again. After all, when you have that much cool orange snow gear you just have to make use of it.

Overheard

I picked Big Niece up this afternoon, and we went shopping for hiking boots (more on that later) and then out to dinner. She's been in a very good, but very funny mood. When we got home this evening she saw a cardinal-shaped candle (left over from the holidays I swear! I don't normally have candles shaped like anything other than candles) and she said something that struck me as very funny. "So I see you're a bird! But you're not a real bird! Good luck with that!" Keep in mind that I was in another room and she was speaking only for the benefit of the little wax figurine. She's definitely one of us.

Home Sick

I cannot believe we finally get a whole day back to school, and what happens? I get sick! I actually had to have a sub today so I could stay home and sniffle. What a huge waste of time! I am always a very grumpy sick person because it annoys me so much to be incapacitated. M just looks pale and stoic, but I turn red and raw and complain all the time. The only bright side I can see is that it's Friday and I should be recovered in time for work on Monday.

I Shouldn't Be Allowed in Public!

Last weekend I was with M at a Starbucks. We were patiently waiting for our drinks along with a small ground of other caffeine hounds. While twiddling our thumbs we noticed a bucket filled with bags of used coffee grounds. Starbucks gives grounds away for free so people can use them as garden fertilizer. M jokingly suggested that we could also save money by using the grounds to make our own fire logs (one of my favorite brands of fire log is made from grounds). I replied "yes, but we'd have to find a way to impregnate them with paraffin first." This was a "throw away" conversation only meant to amuse us while we waited. However, the woman standing in front of us with child took it very seriously. The moment I said "impregnated" her head snapped around as if it were a weathervane. She spent the next couple of minutes staring daggers at me until her coffee finally arrived and she was able to flee from the social misfit. I love being shocking without even trying.

Water Leak in your Mazda RX-7 Convertible

Answer #2 in the keyword analysis entries.

When my RX-7 was leaking inside the car without any visible source I searched and searched online for an answer. I could not find anything even close to helpful. Maybe this will save someone else some trouble.

Mazda RX-7 convertibles have excellent tops in that they do not tend to crack or leak. However, the shape of the top does necessitate a series of drains to move water off the top and to the ground without pooling in any unfortunate places. This means that your RX-7 has a little well on either side just behind the door. Each well leads to a small tube that allows the water to drain safely just under the car. If you park your car under trees or you let the car get very dirty these tubes can become clogged. Clogged tubes leads to water backing up the wells and pouring into the seatbelt assembly. This leads to a mysterious pool of water behind your seat. Luckily the cleaning of these tubes is reasonably cheap (about $200). Don't let them convince you to go in for dry-cleaning the carpets. I had only the slightest damp smell and even that is now gone.

Happy Birthday Little Brother!

My little baby brother is 25 years old today! Who would ever have imagined that the noisy pink blob would turn out to be a smart and handsome giant. I guess you really can't judge a baby by his grunting. It really does seem like only last week that we were building model houses and setting fire to them. How quickly time flies. Happy birthday J; you're the best of the best.

Hanukah Storm 2006 Part 4: What I've Learned

We are now a few weeks out from the storm and power outage, and I'm really hoping we won't have another experience like that one any time soon. However, with the weather being what it is these days (highly unpredictable) you just never know. While I would not say we were exactly unprepared for the Hanukah storm, I feel like there are many places where we could have done better.

First of all, most of the preparedness people tell you to have a three day supply. Three days worth of water, three days worth of food, three days worth of everything else you will need to get by. However, during this event many people were without power for a heck of a lot more than three days. Not know how long you might be without power was a major problem for many people. Without even an estimate people could not ration things properly. Do I burn a nice big fire now and assume my wood only needs to last a few days? Or do I let the fire go out during the day to conserve fuel? Therefore, my first goal is to have at least a week (or even ten days) of all the essentials.

Second, I need to buy real firewood and not just the fake stuff. Presto logs are fine for making a cheerful glow, but they do NOTHING to actually heat the house. This summer I am going to buy a whole cord of seasoned firewood, and it will not be fir which burns too quickly. I'm thinking maple or spruce might be good. I get the feeling there might be a lot of firewood for sale in the next year or two.

Third, I'm buying a battery-powered or crank radio. I know, I know I should have had one already. It was such a weird feeling to be completely cut off from information. The only way to hear the news was to drive somewhere, and we didn't want to do that too often for fear of running out of gas. A radio would also let us know if more interesting weather was about to come along, and it might also help with estimating how long the power would be out.

Forth, I'm buying three or four more hot water bottles. I know this may sound strange, but since we have a gas water heater this is one source of heat even when the power goes out. I didn't remember about this until our last cold night, but a couple of hot water bottles in your bed will keep you happy for a few hours.

Fifth, I'm becoming The Candle Queen. It's not that we were in danger of running out of candles, in fact we had a good number, but I want enough to have actual light. If you sit in front of the fire with your one little tea light you can't see well enough to do anything, and you might as well just go to bed even though it's only 5:00pm. If, on the other hand, you have five or six nice tapers burning then you can actually read for a little while or play cards (I need more of those too) or do the dishes in comparative comfort. I like the Trader Joe's dripless tapers. Two bucks for half a dozen, and they DO NOT make the kind of mess that you get from emergency candles. Another note, scented candles are nice in a normal setting, but when you are burning several at once it can be a little overwhelming.

Sixth, I need to work out a better way to cook during black outs. We do not have a gas stove, so this is our biggest challenge. The fireplace produces some heat, and you can wrap things in foil and throw them in, but you can't boil water to save your life (when it's 48 degrees in your house a cup of tea IS a question of life or death!). M was very clever about using the alcohol burner on the fondue pot (okay for indoor use!) but it is very slow and the fuel runs out quickly. He also used a camp stove and the BBQ grill outside, but if it had been raining or snowing this would not have worked. Maybe we could work out some sort of hook in the fireplace? Must think on this one.

Okay, I think that covers it. Before I go shopping did I forget anything important? I always try to be prepared, but sometimes it's hard to know what you might be forgetting. What was that wonderful Rumsfeld quote? "You've got your know knows..."

Hanukah Storm 2006 Part 3: Fun in the Dark

Three nights in the dark really changes your perspective on what counts as amusement. For example, tending the fire can be a really absorbing task when you don't have much else going on. A sink full of warm dishwater can be quite appealing when you are in no hurry to get on to something else (and its 50 degrees in your house). We spent quite a bit of time on conversational odds and ends, but even that gets tough when you are cut off from your usual sources of new information. My confidence in our compatibility is bolstered by the fact that we did not get on each others nerves even when we were stuck inside and huddled by the fire all that time.

The outage reminded me of how much in a hurry we usually are. When there are so many things that need doing, and so many amusements, you are constantly trying to wrap up and move on to the next. It was almost forcibly relaxing to not have another thing waiting. Nevertheless, I can see why TV seems like such a miracle in the third world. I find it pretty exciting too now that we have it back.

Hanukah Storm 2006 Part 2

Only one more couple in our circle of friends is still waiting for power. It turns out that our 65 hours was not too bad when you compared to others. Some areas are not going back up until FRIDAY OR SATURDAY. I cannot imagine having another three or four days to go. I keep thinking over and over how lucky we are to have heat and light again. It reminds me how tough life must be for people who never have the help of electricity to get by.

This morning as I was leaving our neighborhood I saw a huge crane working on levering a massive tree out of a backyard. Fir trees have once again been the bane of our area. I have always believed that the shallow root system of firs was what caused them to fall so easily. However, a biologist recently pointed out to me that many of our native varieties have shallow roots. Therefore, the mystery of why they fall remains. Nevertheless, I do feel vindicated in my refusal to consider houses with tall skinny firs nearby. The realtor thought I was nuts (and I probably am) but it turns out I was right about the trees.

I will never forget the sight of a 50 foot plus fir tree broken off and fallen across the road. The only thing holding it up was the power lines it had crashed through on its way down. There were probably 20 feet of headroom between the tree and the road. Emergency services had placed a "road closed" sign just in front of the tree, but some clever, clever person moved the sign to the side, and everyone was just driving UNDER the tree and the (live?) power lines. Talk about taking your life into your hands. We are very lucky to have come out of this whole thing with so little trouble.