Better to write for yourself and have no public, than to write for the public and have no self. - Cyril Connolly
Sunday, May 18, 2008
Bound to Happen
My Desktop PC died today. Well, the hard drive did anyway. It was bound to happen. It's a Dell 4400 Tower I bought through Hopkins faculty purchasing plan back in 2002. I was planning on buying a new one this summer through a similar plan at the new job, clean up the PC and give it to my niece, but that plan was put on hold for 6 months with the unexpected outlay of $2,500+ for the vet.
It was fine when I check email around 7:30 this morning, but by the time I watched the news, made some breakfast, read the Sunday NY Times, and took a shower, at 11:00, it was showing "System Failure: Boot Halted...."
1. Tried rebooting - no go 2. Disconnected every single thing, powered down, dissipated the charge, plugged everything back in and tried to boot up - no go. 3. Checked the diagnostic lights on the back panel, and looked up the code. A, B, and C were green, D was orange. That code basically translated to: "You're screwed - call Dell". 4. Called Dell support and got a nice guy calling himself "Ronnie" somewhere in the Philipines. 5. Used the diagnostics CD that came with the computer and ran diagnostics for 20 minutes. No errors and the BIOS was clean. 6. Ran Setup and discovered that the computer is not recognizing the hard drive AT ALL, which is why I couldn't do a cold boot from the CD.
I need to re-seat the hard drive, but I think I might just take it out, put it into an external disk drive, transfer my files to this laptop, and get a new desktop computer. I might be able to get a new hard drive for the old tower and salvage it for my niece, but I don't want to put a lot of time or $$$ into this thing, when buying a new tower is probably cheaper.
Too bad - it was a nice system and ran beautifully while I had it. Intel 4 processor, 512 RAM and 40 Gigs of storage. Seems downright paltry by today's standards doesn't it?
And here it is 2:10 on Sunday afternoon and I have very little to show for it so far....
What's weird about this flick, is that it is a completely realistic representation of my "flying dreams". I often dream of this exact sensation. Over fields, down mountains, across oceans and cities. Seeing it as a real life experience, makes me wonder - what it all means?
The tragedy of China's earthquake is generally resulting in some much needed good press regarding the government's response to major disasters, in spite of their inability to save lives (not their fault).
This is in stark contrast to the same government's squelching of recent uprisings in Tibet (and Xianjiang province). It's much better publicity in fact, than the closed door approach of the Myanmar government from the cyclone two weeks ago. Let's face it, the Chinese have plenty of military resources at their TOTAL discretion to deploy to disasters and quake zones, and as devastating as this recent disaster turns out to be, China won't turn down international aide if needed, offered, or requested for disasters (ummm...not so much for the Tibetan uprising) in light of the Olympic spotlight closing in on them.
Despite this, there has been some not unexpected grief stricken speculation in the media blaming the Chinese government for skimping on school construction, or claiming that other warning signs were ignored.
Look, I'm not going to deal with conspiracy theory here, and I won't disagree with the fact that the villages I visited in China were built on mud and bricks which couldn't withstand a heavy rainstorm much less a 7.9 earthquake, OR the fact that some of the recent high rise construction in boom towns is shoddy at best.
What I wanted to point out is that by FAR, by FAR, the most irrational, hateful, finger pointing accusation I have seen thus far has come from an organization within the US. A fringe organization known as the Westboro Baptist Church.
This is a so called "religious" organization, which seems to have built its entire mission based solely on hate for others (which, by definition, is about as unholy as it gets).
Hate against gays with their well publicized protests at US veteran funerals, hate against Swedes, Irish, Mexican or any other country that supports gay rights, and now they are turning their hate against a natural disaster and blaming the people of China!
But wait - it gets worse. This is a list from their website of their current press releases I will not even honor these issues with a link - they are obscene:
Thank God for the Great Killer Earthquake that He sent to kill thousands of stiffhearted Chinese rebels against God
Thank God for killer whirlwinds in Picher & Oklahoma
Thank God for the Great Cyclone
Thank God for throwing the new Wisconsin Medical Helicopter out of the air, dashing it to pieces, and killing a surgeon, nurse, and pilot
Thank God for killer whirlwinds in Missouri, sent by God in wrath & vengeance & retaliation
The Westboro Baptist Church makes the Klu Klux Klan seem enlightened. Why does the Baptist Church of America allow them to exist and make an entire faith look bad? Why does America let it exist?
Oh, right, First Amendment rights - silly me.
Just as there is outrage and protest regarding the KKK or any other racist or hate based organization, so should we all protest any pickets by the WBC and banish them, as they wish to banish anyone who does not believe as they do.
They may have the legal right to promote this hatred and bigotry, but we don't have to give them the moral right. Especially since they deny that to everyone else.
I think it's sad that a religion based on love and the acceptance of others (Christianity) could be so twisted into intolerance and hate. I don't believe in Jesus as a deity, but I do believe in him as an historical figure who preached love, acceptance and forgiveness. You can never go wrong with those ethics.
In this case, and in many others, the WBC seems to have lost their way.
I also believe in the laws of physics and nature, and that in the case of the cyclone in Myanmar and the earthquake in China, that bad things happen to good and innocent people simply because, in these cases, geology and weather respect the laws of physics, not the will of God.
I got to celebrate a week early last weekend by taking my Mom and her sisters out to brunch on a beautiful spring morning in the sculpture garden of the BMA, so I got by with a phone call this weekend.
So, other than a nice brunch and a card, what do you get for the woman who has everything? Well, how about a bright orange kayak? Yep, my soon to be 70 year old mum got herself a bright orange kayak this Mothers Day to use at our cottage, and my brother promised to improve the access and stability of the dock as his gift to Mom to help make all of our floatable toys easier to use. We already have a rowboat and an old wood frame kayak that my father built when I was a little kid - remember Folbots? The new kayak will be a great addition to gliding up the creek and sneaking up on the beavers and herons.
Speaking of toys, I now have two kitchen gadgets that I bought on a complete whim through Amazon.com's "Gold Box" offers. The first was a $12 George Foreman grill which I use all the time for paninis, and grilling chicken breasts or fish, but mostly for paninis. I used it a lot when I was unemployed over the winter enjoying a lot of yummy soup and sandwich combos.
Another daily treat I liked when I was "retired" for 4 months was a homemade "Egg McMuffin" every day before I went to the gym, consisting of a split English Muffin, an egg, and a piece of low fat Canadian Bacon. I don't own a toaster. I toasted the bread in my convection toaster oven, which was fine, but I need to watch it closely to make sure it doesn't burn, and it only toasts one side at a time.
Amazon.com Gold Box offered me this for $20: This thing works brilliantly.... I get a perfectly poached egg, hot Canadian bacon and perfectly toasted muffin. And the best part? I don't have to babysit it. Lock and load. I can fire it up and go dry my hair in the morning, and 4 minutes later = breakfast.
It's been a long week at Broadsheet. After a week in a knee brace and cructches, I got my knee "fixed" temporarily last Tuesday....
1. Wednesday night I hosted a "Pampered Chef" party for about 10 people.
2. Thursday was the Baltimore Blogger Happy Hour at my local watering hole - Doughtery's Pub The turnout was great, and as usual, there just didn't seem to be enough time to talk to everyone and catch up with everybody.
3. Friday, my parents arrived with my mother's two sisters in tow for the weekend. We grilled soft shell crab sandwiches and my cousin and his wife joined us. Nice evening to break in the new patio and garden.
4. Saturday, I took my folks on a tour of my new hospital/job, and then we met up with my aunts and cousins at the Ladew Topiary Gardens which were simply fabulous with the azaleas and spring plantings. Please go if you've never been there. It's one of Baltimore's best kept secrets I think. Afterwards, we headed to nearby Manor Tavern for a really nice dinner.
5. Sunday, I had made reservations for eight of us to have brunch at Gertrude's - in the Sculpture Garden of the BMA. Since my mother and both of her sisters are accomplished artists - AND since it was a glorious spring day - this was just about perfect. Mother's Day a week early.
6. The parents and aunties departed about 1:30, and that left me 2.5 hours to get ready for our annual Home Owner's Association meeting at 4:00. Long meeting, long evening, great neighbors.
7. Monday saw the crisis of our budget process at the hospital. Our Sr. Exec. team met for 5 hours Monday afternoon, and I came home to keep working on spreadsheets and had conference calls in my living room over my laptop well past 10:30 at night.
8. Tuesday - lather, rinse, repeat with the budget issues all day. From 5:00 - 7:00, I had a Board of Directors presentation to give to all my bosses, and their bosses. At 8:00 - I ran back home just in time to get reappointed to a seat on my neighborhood Board of Directors at our Annual Meeting.
9. Tonight: grocery shopping, fielding a phone call from an old friend and mentor who was stranded in an airport - down on her luck and short of options, another friend who needed lastr minute jazz CD recommendations for a gift, paying bills, and catching up on email and blogging.
In case you were wondering just how bad the cyclone devastation is in Myanmar, these are NASA photos from April 15 and May 5, 2008. It's going to rival the 2006 tsunami in death tolls.
The only filly in the race, and Hillary Clinton's favorite in yesterday's Kentucky Derby, finishes a close second after an extraordinary effort, collapses, and is killed on the spot.
I'm not a conspiracy theorist by any means, but this just strikes me as a little too "neat and tidy" end to a potentially volatile situation.
Granted, 55 years in prison is pretty awful, and even if she served a fraction of it, it would have been bad, but it just seems a little too convenient given the damage she could had, and might have done behind bars with a tell all.
I dropped the crutches after the weekend, relying on the knee brace for stability. The pain was still bad, but not crippling. At least not with plenty of Alleve on board.
Saw my ortho surgeon this morning and he confirmed the meniscal tears, but offered a round of intrarticular corticosteroids to see if/how long I can avoid arthroscopy. It's inevitable, and it may be sooner than later, but for now, numb is good. The pain relief was immediate and total. The knee feels a little weak, and it's still swollen, but I'm allowed to go back to the gym this weekend and I can focus on weights, Lifecycles, and swimming, and stay off the treadmill for now (not that I ever really used the treadmill for more than a brisk walk).
It remains to be seen whether or not I last a few months or a few weeks.
Am I the only person out there scratching their head over the Texas Polygamy Cult?
I mean, doesn't it seem just a tad backward to separate mothers from their small children and punish the VICTIMS of a male dominated, patriarchal, misogynous cult?
Why haven't any MEN been separated and taken away for the women and children's safety?
Doesn't it make more sense to leave the mothers and small children intact and separate the MEN from THEM? Not vice versa?
I'm just sayin.
These children stand to be far more traumatized by separating them from their mothers and the life they know, than by removing the really dangerous element in their lives - the men and cult leaders.
And just HOW will the state of Texas deal with 437 wards of the state? It's anyone's guess, but if they fail, THEY won't be charged with child abuse now will they?
I spent most of the day in the ER getting tests and a diagnosis of "acute meniscal tear". Being the overachiever that I am - I have two of them.
I've been having pretty significant knee pain for the last couple of weeks, but a couple of Alleve throughout the day and I was OK. I thought it was actually getting a little better over the weekend, but yesterday and last night I was in so much pain, I couldn't walk without hopping and limping. Having worked with the best Orthopedic surgeons in Baltimore, I was going to call my favorite knee specialist and arrange to see him sometime this week.
This morning, I got out of bed and it felt like pieces of glass were grinding in my knee. I got dressed, but as I was tenderly going down the steps to go to work, about 4 steps from the bottom, I felt a sharp POP, my knee completely buckled, and I fell the rest of the way down the stairs into the foyer. It felt like someone had leveled a shotgun blast to my knee. The pain was really exquisite.
After about 10 minutes, I managed to make my way out to the car and drove straight to the ER at work. I was sure I had ripped or torn something. I could not place any weight on the leg at all and had to call for a wheelchair.
After a few potential diagnosis, the MRI revealed the meniscus tears.
Thanks to a knee immobilzer, ice pack, crutches and narcotics (which I may or may not take later), it feels a lot better now, but getting around on crutches is not a long term option.
Now it's up to my favorite ortho guy to figure out how to fix it and make it better...
Just as I was about to post a picture of VP Cheney walking with the Pope and title it "Dumb and Dumber"...
I was totally humbled by this:
I was raised a Catholic, and even though I have long railed against the patriarchal dictatorship that is the Roman Catholic Church, this song still gets to me, and this performance is stunning.
It's stunning in its perfection, majesty, clarity, technique, and purity. You cannot listen to this, and not appreciate it for its artistry, even if you don't appreciate the message, context, or the recipient.
Truly, sometimes art is for art's sake.
PS I still think the Pope and Cheney are " Dumb and Dumber"
I've been asked to represent Maryland as a voting delegate at this year's national convention for the League of Women Voters in Portland, OR in June.
It's an honor to be asked, and we're hoping that one or more of the US Presidential candidates will show up to speak at the convention.
It's also fun, because I've always wanted to go to Portland, and to spend some time and $$ at one of the world's best bookstores.
The League is paying my registration and hotel costs, but I am responsible for getting there and for my meals (it's a volunteer organization after all). Since I am on the Board of Directors for the Baltimore League, my new job is letting me attend as "Community Service" instead of making me take vacation time, which I thought was really generous of them.
So anyway, I thought I would pop on to Southwest.com and use a free RT award I earned to get out to Portland. Not so fast - there are no Rewards flights available for the dates and times I need to go. Same old story. And - Southwest's regular fare to Portland is a whopping $730!
On to United Airlines.
I have a $200 voucher from my trip to China thanks to a delayed flight out of O'Hare, and since I racked up a LOT of miles on my UA frequent flier program going to China and back (and Air China is a UA mileage partner, so the six Air China flights I took in country counted as well), another cross country RT can only help, and their regular fare to Portland is only $454 - so that makes the fare with the voucher applied $254 - perfect.
Not so fast. The small print on the voucher informs me that I can't redeem it on the Internet, only over the phone. Once I found the flights I wanted using the website, I called their reservation line and spent an excruciating 25 minutes with an automated voice leading me through complicated message trees, and was never given an opportunity to redeem the voucher or enter a code. In frustration, I hung up and tried again. And again.
Finally, I figured out how to get through to a live agent in the Philippines or some other far off place who booked the flight for me, and when I asked her how to redeem the coupon she said I had two choices. One - go to United ticket desk at BWI (??!!!) in the next 48 hours. This seemed really ludicrous. Or two - mail it in and wait for the reservation to be confirmed via email.
I started trying to find a flight at 3:00 PM - it's now 5:30 PM
Why does this sound like it's going to end badly???
Ten Organic Items that are worth the hype. The reasons why they are, are a bit scary...
1. Apples 2. Baby Food 3. Butter and Milk 4. Cantalope 5. Cucumbers: This one scare me, because I LOVE cucumbers. Of 42 common vegetables, it's the 12th most contaminated food. 6. Grapes 7. Green Beans 8. Spinach 9. Strawberries - the MOST contaminated produce in the US 10. Winter Squash
"I’m not exactly sure when it happened, but my will has been broken. I’ve realised that covering Mrs Clinton's campaign without explicitly stating that it has turned into a win-at-all-costs operation fueled by phony outrage, hypocritical proclamations and absurd notions of who is electable and who is not is an exercise in deliberate deception, and I can't do that. Perhaps I am weaker than my colleagues, but a certain fatigue sets in when trying to sort through it all.
This is no longer a campaign based on ideas. It is a campaign focused on tearing down Mr Obama. We all know that’s her only shot at the nomination. I’m tired of pretending otherwise,"
Today was my one month anniversary for the new job. It's a thrill ride, and I'm still figuring it out while quickly getting overwhelmed in an avalanche of projects. On top of that, this is budget week for FY09, and I have more than 50 cost centers to budget for with no insider knowledge of the real story behind the rolling budget spreadsheet information I am trying to analyze. I'm getting a lot of support from my CFO and VP, as well as my managers who feed information up to me, but I have a couple of long evenings and a working weekend ahead of me.
Overall, I am LOVING the job. Every day is different, tons of interesting projects, great people to work with, and a focus on strategic development and expansion. If I can keep up with the pace being set - it'll be great. I turned one of my vacant positions into an "Operations Coordinator" post. Someone who can do facility project management, create and execute Gantt charts, and be my go to person for all the facility renovations and site development I need. I have an ideal internal candidate, so I hope it's a slam dunk. I really need the help - the detail work is a total time suck.
I'm still getting out and about visiting all of our locations. Today, I went to visit a site in Perry Hall, where a retiring physician is donating his practice to us. Think Marcus Welby. Seriously, bad oak paneling in the office, mismatched furniture, exam tables from the 60's, and the bathroom has avocado fixtures that looked like they came from the Brady Bunch. All it needs is a crocheted toilet paper holder with the doll on top of the tank. I met with the contractor, architect, telecom rep, and our IT person to review drawings, fixtures, locations of data drops, connectivity through a T1 line, and placement of PCs, printers, copiers, scanners, the construction of ADAaccessible facilities, and updating equipment that was older than me. We've hired the staff that work there now into our payroll, but the site doesn't even have email, so it's hard for me to communicate effectively with the manager.
On the way back to my office, going down Belair Rd., I passed the "Perry Hall Animal Hospital". Located immediately next door to it, with an even bigger sign, is "Tom's Tropical Fish and Taxidermy".
