Water Cooler Conspiracy

I am convinced that in a very suttle, passive aggressive way, my officemates are trying to get me to gain weight. Goodbye raw foods hello homemade. I just went to get a glass of water and the enablers are hanging out over there talking about the Survivor episode from last night and eating a fresh pan of brownies. Yesterday, they had a box of chocolates. Two days before that, one of them came into the office after lunch with a steaming tray of cookies, fresh out of the oven. These people are killing me. Every time I go over there they immediately are like "oh you got to try this" or "she made these special".

It reminds me of the Seinfeld episode where Elaine complains that she is craving sugar all the time because they keep having birthday parties at the office. You have to have that obligatory piece of cake to be nice cause if you don't then you leave everyone with the impression that you don't like them. Dilema!!

So for my force feeding, sweet tooth co-workers here is my plan of attack. Think I am going to have to go with diabetes. Yeah, I'm fit as a fiddle and don't have diabetes, but what they don't know, will make them back off. If anything maybe they will start bringing me orange juice and I can convienently have some sweets when my "sugar is low" if I ever need to break my diet for a bit.

Dance Dance Dance

I remember the first time I saw "Singing in the Rain". I was about five or six, but remarkably that movie has always been in the top five for me. I always wanted to be Debbie Reynolds trying to keep up with the likes of Gene Kelly and Donald O'Connor during "Good Mornin" and who hasn't ever thought splashing through rain puddles like Gene Kelly's "Singing in the Rain" dance. Anyway to go with my latest kick on doing extremely random things (I know most people in my life are going to find amusing) I signed up for tap dancing lessons. I am warming up my jazz hands. Here I come and I'm bringin' it!

Misadventures on the River Wild

Hey party people. I am sorry I didn’t get these up sooner but the photo lab had trouble developing my extremely old disposable camera which was water damaged. They are not the best quality so I had to steal some.

My team of ace oarsmen and adventurers did awesome. We had lots of fun and there were even discussion of all of chucking it all and opening our own canoe shack/think tank. Before we hang a shingle though we'll get to this. Most of the pictures are in between the monster rapids and fallen trees since having a paddle in hand is a little more effective than a camera, but here’s what we did get.

I know the current didn't look very fast but these two right here were arguably the best team. We totally dominanted with our versatility trading off the steering and playing chicken with the trees...and guess who was chicken? That's right, the trees.

Next we mixed it up (ya know, keep the muscles guessing) with a little volleyball action....and there was when I was serving!

And Guessing!

And Guessing!

Man Down! It wouldn't be a good trip without a nasty injury I guess. This time it wasn't me!

I can't put it any other way than Great Lakes, Great Times, people!

Time For Another Adventure

I'm taking off for the wilds of northern Michigan as soon as I finish this entry! Plan on spending the day in a canoe tomorrow with my posse close at hand. We will brave the currents and steer through what ever clever obstacle Old Man River has to dish out... (downed trees, rapids, bears, other adventure seekers like myself?)

Needless to say it is going to be an awesome time. I've assembled an ace team, some of whom are coming clear from Idaho, and we have synchronized our sun dials and plan meeting up bright and early in the morning. One draw back to being in the great outdoors is that there won't be a Starbucks nearby but will settle for the sludge at the local greesy spoon in order to hit the river with enthusiasm. I'll take some pictures and hopefully get them up Monday. Hopefully the picture on the left won't happen, but what is it they say? if it doesn't kill you, it probably should have.

Hitting Lake Michigan after that because we need more of a challenge. Rip tides are fearce this time of year...seriously. Look it up. Hope to make it back injury free, but if it is a good trip, my track record has shown a definite correllation! Ah well! It will be worth it! Take care all!

See you down the trail!

I'm outta here!

Wide World of Velcro

On behalf of kindergarteners everywhere…Thank you George de Mestral

On this day in 1955, Swiss inventor George de Mestral received the U.S. patent for Velcro. Upon his return from a walk in the early 1940s, de Mestral noticed that cockleburs were stuck to his pants and his dog’s coat. The curious inventor examined the burrs under a microscope to discover their construction; when he noticed the hook shaped prongs, he was inspired to invent a new fastening device. One side had soft loops, just like the fabric of his pants, and the other side was a pattern of stiff hooks, similar to those that de Mestral had observed under his microscope. The resulting product was Velcro, from the French words “velour” and “crochet.”

A Day That Defines Us

This is a difficult day for many Americans. It is hard to not re-experience some of the emotions that we felt while watching the events unfold five years ago. If you need help just turn on Fox News or CNN and you can literally relive it today. I find it a little disheartening since it seems our country has many more enemies now but perhaps the general public is just more awake to what is going on in the world. In any case, one phrase has stuck with me in the time since September 11, 2001:

"Our Hearts Are Broken, But Our Spirit Is Not"

Below is an excerp of a personal email I’ve hung on to over the years. I’m not sure if the writer thought about the lasting impact it has had on me but he is wiser than he knows. I think it is worth sharing with you guys.

The events of the past week and our individual and collective reaction may shape your futures in disproportionate ways. Unfortunately, emergencies, wars, civil unrest and fallout from outrageous acts are defining our existence now as much as considered thought and planning. While people are fond of referring to catch lines like “necessity of being the mother of invention”, such notions miss the importance of maintaining the peaceful, nurturing environment that actually spawns the opportunity unique to our society that, like good health, goes largely unappreciated until it is gone or threatened.

In the scheme of things, the murderous acts of last week are reminders of our flaws and a wake up call to decent human values that atrophy without extreme external influences. There are microcosms of distressing events that I see almost daily in my practice. All too often people shrink and react in a disappointing manner even by their own standards. This is not a time for reaction; rather it is a time for reflection and careful direction of the abundant wisdom and resources that are ours. I hope you all will use your good common sense and intelligence to keep a balanced and critical perspective about the big question of what is now to be done. I’m concerned about the flag waving, vengeful attitude that is popular politically, but more in vogue than ingrained. It comes without deep resolve this is required to carry out the underlying message – eye for an eye and tooth for a tooth. One writer recently noted the end game there is to be blind and toothless. If we take the time necessary to envision and understand clearly we will ultimately benefit and enjoy our souls and our sustaining freedoms. Further sacrifice by loss of life is not the answer and it is as easy to see as looking at the losses in New York.

Keep your minds and hearts pure and intact – the world is too often impressed with zealots who would dictate our existence and shape us in their mold in order to achieve acceptance. The threat of such influence is constant and the only practical cure is in our deep and resilient resolve to stay the course or reaffirm why we are bothering with life and living and dying to begin with.

I hope this note has been as cathartic and confusing for you as me. Stay focused on the issues because the clouds are likely to be heavy for a while. Foggy, but slowly clearing later in the decade. I wish I could make it easier for you all, but old men have such foolish ideas that really make things more difficult. The trick is to survive the bumps and develop your own fortitude and character so the bumps are easier because of who you really are and not what I wish.

Tribute

To my brother-in-law and his unit which was deployed to Balad today:

God Speed

"The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing."

- Edmund Burke