After changes upon changes
Posted: December 31, 2009 Filed under: Uncategorized Comments OffToday’s one of those days that has a lot of meaning now and will likely have even more meaning later. The correlation between those two meanings is what makes life so very interesting.
Shortly, Sandra will have her exit interview. Her job of more than 10 years is going away. The work’s gone to a team in India and so she’s coming home.
This early period we’re calling a sampler, trying to decide if this really time to retire and, if so, what do days and weeks and months and years of retirement look like.
We’ve both been blessed with good work for a long time, working at places where, for the most part, professional respect and personal integrity are standard practices. Friend ADP used to remind us that there is no such thing as institutional loyalty, just personal loyalty. Even in those Dilbert moments, of which there have been plenty, good people rose to the task and helped deflect the institutionalized cement-headedness.
But, that’s now headed for the past. Ahead is an open field of fear and wonder.
Making a virture out of a vice
Posted: December 30, 2009 Filed under: Uncategorized 1 Comment »I hadn’t started the day wanting to quit smoking. I’d started the day pretty much like most days. I got up early, had coffee and cigarettes for breakfast, and went to work. The only difference was that I had a sore throat.
Some time around noon on that day, 24 years ago, I had my last cigarette. I didn’t even think of it as my last. I can’t even remember thinking about it all. I just wanted to complain.
I wanted to complain about my sore throat to my wife, to my co-workers, to someone, anyone, and knew that if, I did, they wouldn’t have to say anything. I knew that they knew that, no matter the cause, my sore throat was being made worse by cigarettes and that I should stop smoking.
So, not thinking about that last cigarette, I didn’t have the next one.
By five o’clock, I figured I’d earned a right to complain a little bit. I complained and then quickly added that I’d not had a cigarette since noon.
By bedtime, I said, “Hey, I haven’t a cigarette since noon. Not bad.”
The next morning, well, you get the idea.
So, with no particular virture and propelled mostly by the desire to kvetch, I haven’t had that next cigarette.
Funny, isn’t it, that folks who never smoked never got the praises accorded to someone stopped. Greater accolades come to those who stop doing what they shouldn’t have been doing in the first place. How fair is that?
The rhythm of things
Posted: December 30, 2009 Filed under: Uncategorized Comments OffI’ve decided to let the whole decade thing go. Lots of people are writing interesting commentary on the previous 10 years, struggling to find a name for this era, let alone trying to identify the salient points of such an intense time.
That’s fine. It makes for some interesting reading, a chance to look back down the hill. I’m all for a healthy measure of reflection, but using decades doesn’t have a lot of resonance for me.
Turning 10, for example, was less of a milestone than moving from the sixth to the seventh grade. In the seventh grade, we joined a regional school system, meaning both a new school and a new school with kids I’d not grown up with. That had much more impact on my life than hitting double-digits.
Similarly, turning 20 was nothing special, but I sure do remember turning 21. (That I don’t remember large chunks of time afterwards is a story for another day.)
Other personal reference points, including our wedding date, birth dates of our children and grandchildren, death dates of my parents – all of these significant dates fill up our calendar from year to year, giving us joyful and sombre memories.
The 10-year chunk of time that’s passing, however, doesn’t have much more relevance than watching the odometer click over to 100,000 miles on one of our cars. (Even that’s less of a big deal since they added the sixth digit to the display.)
Sure, I remember New Year’s Eve 1999. We had a sauna and then a swim through the ice at the camp. We stayed awake until midnight, saw that the lights didn’t go out, and went to bed.
This year, we’ll head out with our three youngest granddaughters for First Night. If I start talking about the last decade to these kids, they’ll listen politely for a few minutes and then change the subject.
And that’s the way it should be.
The sky above and the earth below
Posted: December 28, 2009 Filed under: Uncategorized Comments OffWhile we try to find our direction, the north magnetic pole decides to go walkabout and head toward Russia.
Meanwhile, the Old Moon is going blue on New Year’s Eve, until it goes dark because of a lunar eclipse.
The lunar eclipse is on the other side of the planet and, anyway, it’s doubtful that we’ll get to see much of the moon’s fullness.
via National Weather Service Watch Warning Advisory Summary
Planning for adventures in the new year?
Posted: December 28, 2009 Filed under: exercise, hiking, new.year Comments OffIf you’re thinking about a hike on the Appalachian Trail in the new year, you might want to read this piece from the Sunday Boston Globe travel section – Doers and dreamers finish Appalachian Trail.
Keep in mind, though, that, in this past June, the phrase, hiking the Appalachian trail, picked up a whole new meaning.
Crime in suburbia
Posted: December 26, 2009 Filed under: crime in suburbia Comments OffFrom The Landmark (subscription required):
[Editor's note: There were 14 suspicious items this week.]
Holden
Monday, December 14
12:20 a.m. MassHighway sending sanders for Rte. 122A
7:34 a.m. Accidental 911 while changing phone batteries
7:42 a.m. Pole hit last night at Wachusett and Bullard needs to be checked
8:30 a.m. Male party in to station for information about previous resident of address; advised it’s CORI information and can’t be given out
10:00 a.m. 911 U-Haul truck ripped off awning at business on Main St.
12:49 p.m. 911 accidental call from Mayo Dr.
1:17 p.m. Open tube in the ground on Steppingstone Dr.
3:02 p.m. Party in to drop off old ammunition to be destroyed
8:18 p.m. Suspicious man around yard on Main St. wearing dark clothing; may have been in shed of home
Tuesday, December 15
9:47 a.m. Cat stuck in tree on Heather Circle; can of food under tree failed to lure it down
4:36 p.m. Chainsaw fell out of back of truck on Rte. 31
10:18 p.m. 911 Report of motor vehicle hitting deer on South Rd.
Wednesday, December 16
8:14 a.m. Large raccoon by front door on Yorktowne Terr.
8:47 a.m. Truck stuck at railroad bridge
12:02 p.m. Suspicious motor vehicle in lot on Main St.
2:40 p.m. Gun shots in wooded area behind residence on South Rd.; no contact
2:45 p.m. South Rd. reports hearing three gun shots in woods
3:05 p.m. Party trying to retrieve vehicle lent to ex-boyfriend
3:10 p.m. Two parties both calling about difficulties with each other; wife currently out of state; husband is in Holden
3:31 p.m. Another call regarding gun shots on South Rd.
3:50 p.m. Caller from Arizona regarding civil matter
5:52 p.m. Questions regarding motor vehicle accident, car hit deer, yesterday
Thursday, December 17
12:36 p.m. 911 hang-up; accidental; man cleaning phone
12:37 p.m. Suspicious motor vehicle on Chapel St.
4:09 p.m. Suspicious party dressed in black sitting on guardrail on Main St. reported; gone on arrival
7:06 p.m. Suspicious motor vehicles on Main St.; owners asked to remove them
9:04 p.m. Suspicious incident on Wachusett St.
11:43 p.m. Suspicious motor vehicle on Pilgrim Dr.
Friday, December 18
12:54 a.m. Rutland PD requesting traffic assistance with rollover accident on Main St.
2:20 p.m. Vehicle backed into bus at high school
2:22 p.m. Resident on Village Way locked out of home; had to break in
5:12 p.m. 911 Male party walking dog on Sycamore Dr. took ladder from property
Saturday, December 19
11:03 a.m. Check on vehicle in lot on Boyden Rd.
2:27 p.m. Repo man in town
2:57 p.m. Tree on power lines on Quinapoxet St.
5:24 p.m. Suspicious vehicle running behind Big Y
5:52 p.m. Resident who threw gloves at speeding car reports being screamed at by driver
9:57 p.m. Teens ringing doorbells and running away on Fox Hill Dr.
Sunday, December 20
12:46 a.m. 911 Suspicious burglar alarm on Cranbrook Dr.
8:46 a.m. Cars getting stuck going up hill on Shrewsbury St.
10:50 a.m. Water main problem at fire department
4:45 p.m. Motor vehicle lockout on Main St.
7:57 p.m. Low voltage complaint on Princeton St.
10:40 p.m. Power outage on Princeton St.; several calls inquiring about outage
Paxton
Tuesday, December 15
3:06 p.m. Report that vehicle passed school buses, West St.
10:05 p.m. Assist fire dept., smell of gas, location is in Worcester, Fairbanks Dr.
Wednesday, December 16
6:20 p.m. Caller reports brownouts at home, Bel Arbor Dr.
6:28 p.m. 911 hang-up call, Nanigian Rd.
Thursday, December 16
7:34 a.m. 911 hang-up, Reservoir Rd.
7:38 a.m. Report of suspicious male at bank ATM, Pleasant St.
1:55 p.m. German shepherd running in and out of traffic, Pleasant St.
Friday, December 18
3:48 p.m. Suspicious vehicle in driveway, person knocking on doors, Lincoln Cir.; OK, delivering flowers
10:07 p.m. Vehicle lockout, Meadowbrook Dr.
Saturday, December 19
10:26 a.m. Vehicle lockout, Richards Ave.
2:38 p.m. Three sleds, child’s hat and red duct tape found at Boynton Park
10:35 p.m. Male on ATV making noise on Camp St.
Princeton
Monday, December 14
8:00 p.m. Person at station requesting animal control officer on E. Princeton Rd.
Tuesday, December 15
1:43 p.m. Public service, Sterling Rd.
4:29 p.m. Request for animal control officer, Houghton Rd.
4:29 p.m. Traffic safety hazard, Houghton Rd.
Wednesday, December 16
8:35 a.m. Public service, Sterling Rd.
9:12 p.m. Motor vehicle lockout, Clearings Way
10:00 p.m. Request for highway dept., Mountain Rd.
Thursday, December 17
9:56 a.m. Medical assist, Beaman Rd.
6:40 p.m. Officer assists with concert traffic at school, Sterling Rd.
7:16 p.m. Police assist with motor vehicle lockout with car running, Worcester Rd.
10:22 p.m. Blown transformer on Mountain Rd. with low-hanging wire and some power out, Thompson Rd.
10:22 p.m. Officer advises wires on Mountain Rd. are not a hazard, Mountain Rd.
Saturday, December 19
8:18 a.m. Assist fire dept., Westminster Rd.
Sunday, December 20
4:25 a.m. Request for highway dept. town wide
Rutland
Monday, December 14
12:47 p.m. Person at station to retrieve property, Main St.
3:40 p.m. Small dog loose all day, Prescott St.
6:53 p.m. Person at station requesting assistance starting vehicle, Main St.
8:46 p.m. Occupants of vehicle throwing snow/ice at on-coming cars, Main St.
9:56 p.m. Complaint about loud noise from apartment, Maple Ave.
10:25 p.m. Person wants to speak with officer, Main St.
Tuesday, December 15
7:27 a.m. Person at station to speak with officer, Main St.
7:25 p.m. Person at station to speak with officer, Main St.
8:58 p.m. Individuals into station to speak with officer, Main St.
11:04 p.m. Person hit deer, E. County Rd./Bushy Ln.
Wednesday, December 16
3:01 a.m. Report of car on road making lot of noise, Charnock Hill Rd.
11:30 a.m. Suspicious male walking down Vista Cir.
11:48 a.m. Person at station reporting missing keys in area of Pleasantdale Rd. near Paxton line
4:10 p.m. Arrest: — operating motor vehicle with suspended license, dropping cigarette/match on public way, possession of open container of alcohol in motor vehicle
Thursday, December 17
3:19 p.m. Report of vehicle tailgating another vehicle, Main St.
7:40 p.m. Motor vehicle off side of Fisherman’s Rd.
Friday, December 18
5:11 a.m. Report of dead deer on side of Barre Paxton Rd.
9:00 a.m. Person upset that people are working in building with no heat, Main St. Board of Health notified
11:52 a.m. Vehicle lockout, Main St.
1:21 p.m. Attempt to serve warrant, Main St.
1:51 p.m. Report of car on fire, Main St. near Holden line. Found to be overheated
4:15 p.m. Caller reporting strange phone call, Main St.
5:18 p.m. Person at station with lockout cuff found at Save-Way, Main St.
Saturday, December 19
8:23 a.m. Vehicle lockout, Cheryl Ann Dr.
10:36 a.m. Small dog running in and out of traffic, Prescott St. area
11:14 a.m. Skunk stuck in deck lattice, Clearview Rd.
1:46 p.m. Complaint about loose dog, Carly Cir.
3:20 p.m. Numerous calls about stuck skunk, Clearview Rd. Animal released
5:29 p.m. Distraught person outside in pajamas and bare feet, Pommogussett Rd.
7:08 p.m. Youths throwing ice at passing motorists, Pommogussett Rd.
Sterling
Monday, December 14
5:06 a.m. Burglar alarm at Historical Society building, Pine St.; no footprints surrounding building, door blown open by breeze
12:56 p.m. Jogger reports suspicious smell from large pink donation box, Boutelle/Greenland Rds. Box contained few bags of clothing; smell may have emanted from storm drain
1:46 p.m. Husky broke loose, Clintron Rd. Found 10 min. later.
2:47 p.m. 911 hang-up/misdial, Northeast Blvd.
3:47 p.m. Traffic stop, verbal warning, Rowley Hill Rd.
3:38 p.m. Caller’s two dogs missing, Redemption Rock Trl.
6:06 p.m. Person walked through caller’s back yard with flash light, N. Row Rd.; OK, male looking for his lost beagle
6:23 p.m. Traffic stop, verbal warning, N. Row/ Heywood Rds.
7:37 p.m. Suspicious activity, garage doors open, Newell Hill Rd.; OK, workers given lock code by owner
Tuesday, December 15
1:48 p.m. Two dogs in roadway, Princeton Rd. Animal control will visit owners
4:53 p.m. “Heavenly” the horse and “Mac” the pony running down Heywood Rd.; horse caught using grain, following tracks to find pony
10:16 p.m. Cat with jaw injury found, Wiles Rd.
Wednesday, December 16
1:24 p.m. Large falcon stuck in building, Pratts Jnct. Rd. Doors opened, wouldn’t leave; ceiling too high to reach with net; net gun needed
1:28 p.m. Man at station to speak to officer regarding possible restraining order violation, said he hasn’t paid child support; told that’s not a restraining order violation
Thursday, December 17
9:20 a.m. Caller heard alarm but unsure from where, Osgood Rd.; determined not an alarm, sound from strong wind hitting PVC piping in garage
Friday, December 18
8:10 a.m. Animal in caller’s garage, believes may be rabid, Matthew Ln.
1:22 p.m. Caller wants to speak with officer about bad check, Kendall Hill Rd.
8:11 a.m. 911 misdial/hang-up, Birch Dr. Caller was trying to dial a number in India and says may have hit 911 by mistake; officer dispatched, confirmed misdial
10:19 a.m. Caller says neighbor’s big black dog is “never on leash and poops in his yard,” and is aggressive with walkers, Woodside Dr. Animal control aware of issue; owner already fined
1:45 p.m. Man in station to surrender his deceased uncle’s World War weapons, Leominster Rd.
5:35 p.m. Caller reports two large horses in her yard on Heywood Rd., heading down N. Row Road
Sunday, December 20
3:10 p.m. Traffic stop, Greenland Rd. ATV driver in road without helmet and registration, and with three-year-old in front of him.
Making Christmas safe from children
Posted: December 25, 2009 Filed under: Uncategorized 1 Comment »It was probably my second Christmas. I would have just gotten mobile. The lights and everything about the Christmas were too attractive. So, rather than trying to keep me in control, my parents did what was most practical. They put the Christmas tree inside of my playpen.
Editor’s note: the image comes from a 35mm slide, scanned with the aforementioned scanner.
The quality of the pictures results from the state of the world at that time, as explained by Calvin’s father.
Dept. of Christmas – link dump
Posted: December 25, 2009 Filed under: Uncategorized Comments OffChristmas is about quality, sometimes about quantity. We blog; you decide.
First of all, Is it Christmas?
Then, talk to your Jewish physicist friend about the weekend.
Where are you in the The Four Stages of Life? (via Miss Cellania)
Or here, perhaps?
Should you be in the spirit of prayer:
And, …
MY DEAR SUSIE CLEMENS:
I have received and read all the letters which you and your little sister have written me by the hand of your mother and your nurses; I have also read those which you little people have written me with your own hands–for although you did not use any characters that are in grown peoples’ alphabet, you used the characters that all children in all lands on earth and in the twinkling stars use; and as all my subjects in the moon are children and use no character but that, you will easily understand that I can read your and your baby sister’s jagged and fantastic marks without any trouble at all.
If we knew what we were missing
Posted: December 25, 2009 Filed under: christmas Comments OffWe were Unitarians, barely, attending Christmas Eve services in Gardner some years and not others. I pretty much stopped going to church when I was 14, preferring the Sunday New York Times.
I never saw my grandparents, my father’s parents, go to church. The Finnish Lutherans were a strong force in some parts of the immigrant community, but seemed to have left us untouched. We have my mother’s confirmation certificate, written in Finnish, but that childhood experience seemed to have left her unharmed.
So, it’s in that spirit that we celebrated Christmas when I was growing up. My father picked up his parents at their three-decker in Gardner and brought them to our house on Christmas Eve. (My grandfather parked the car in his garage and didn’t drive after the first snowfall.)
We had a light dinner and opened our presents. For that reason, it was tough to get into the whole Santa Claus thing, even though my tribe hails from the place that claims to be the home of Santa Claus (via). Once, and I might have been five, I took a nap in the afternoon to see if we could pretend me into believing. It didn’t really work.
Some years later, I worked with a woman from Detroit. She grew up listening to Motown music and missed the Beatles invasion altogether. That’s how it was for me and Santa Claus, not knowing that I was missing something big. In my colleague’s case, she got Motown music; I got baked turnip.
Some Christmases weren’t flush. One year, we wrapped empty packages so that the space under the tree wouldn’t look so empty.
My father occasionally got some welding work at one of the Fitchburg paper plants. One time, he brought home a 4′ roll of wrapping paper, a light-blue floral print. For the next many years, all of our gifts were wrapped in that same paper.
Those weren’t particularly good times or bad times. They were just our times.
As powerful as the emotions can be around Christmastime, it’s good for me to realize that the long-lasting memories aren’t any more or less shaped by the holidays past. The joy and pain can be searing in the moment, but the sensations don’t usually last.
Dept. of Christmas
Posted: December 24, 2009 Filed under: christmas Comments OffOn our way to Mike & Lynn’s this evening and then over the river and through the woods to Adam & Jennie’s tomorrow.
That little puff of smoke that came from the microwave wasn’t welcome. Methinks we’ll be heading for the Wrestling Day specials.
We have, without a doubt, many, many, many more blessings than troubles, so it’s with a smile that we head out on this Christmas Eve.
Thanks to all my readers.
