Tuesday, January 20, 2009
Last Post
My hiatus was brief. I've decided to continue blogging, just in a more forward looking blog. If you are interested, you can read my not necessarily daily entries in Third Life, a blog where I will report what I am doing for living.
Monday, January 19, 2009
Day Two-hundred-and-three: Last LAL entry
Today was supposed to be a day of service, nationally. I chose for my service contribution to revisit an stretch of coast that my parents and I just happened to walk along last September on Coastal Cleanup Day. Of course, we were not aware of this until we were walking. Unfortunately, the people we met who were picking trash up never made it to where we walked.
Fast forward to today. I took three of my precious kitchen trash bags, Whole Foods plastic bags that I can't get anymore, and walked to that same section of shore. There is bad news and good news. The bad news is that I had almost filled two of the three bags on my way to the section. The good news is that the hillside was mostly clean. I only found one teen or tween hiding spot with a lot of cans and plastic bottles. I still filled all three bags and found another that someone had filled and just left.
There is still trash out there. Some of the things that I saw I couldn't get to. I'll have to jury rig a grabber on my tree trimmer the next time I do this. What I was able to pick up was mostly disappointing and some of it was disgusting. It is amazing that people don't care about their home, the U.S., any more than they do. I think fast food restaurants should have a surcharge for their packaging. I only counted the aluminum cans, 51, but I had to smash them to get them to fit in the bag. I brought the glass I picked up home to recycle. The cans and plastic I put in can and plastic bottle recycling bins as appropriate.
I'm sore from the golf yesterday, but it is a good feeling. I feel like I've made progress in a way. I feel healthier.
I've decided to take a hiatus from this blog. Well, I've decided to stop blogging to it in favor of a new blog yet to be started and more diligently adding to my Memories of Marilyn blog. It's been good practice and every once in a while I've felt pleased with an observation or turn of phrase, but... In short, I want to do something worth writing about. The important thing about Life after Layoff is life. I'm going to be focusing on living.
Thank you for your readership.
Fast forward to today. I took three of my precious kitchen trash bags, Whole Foods plastic bags that I can't get anymore, and walked to that same section of shore. There is bad news and good news. The bad news is that I had almost filled two of the three bags on my way to the section. The good news is that the hillside was mostly clean. I only found one teen or tween hiding spot with a lot of cans and plastic bottles. I still filled all three bags and found another that someone had filled and just left.
There is still trash out there. Some of the things that I saw I couldn't get to. I'll have to jury rig a grabber on my tree trimmer the next time I do this. What I was able to pick up was mostly disappointing and some of it was disgusting. It is amazing that people don't care about their home, the U.S., any more than they do. I think fast food restaurants should have a surcharge for their packaging. I only counted the aluminum cans, 51, but I had to smash them to get them to fit in the bag. I brought the glass I picked up home to recycle. The cans and plastic I put in can and plastic bottle recycling bins as appropriate.
I'm sore from the golf yesterday, but it is a good feeling. I feel like I've made progress in a way. I feel healthier.
I've decided to take a hiatus from this blog. Well, I've decided to stop blogging to it in favor of a new blog yet to be started and more diligently adding to my Memories of Marilyn blog. It's been good practice and every once in a while I've felt pleased with an observation or turn of phrase, but... In short, I want to do something worth writing about. The important thing about Life after Layoff is life. I'm going to be focusing on living.
Thank you for your readership.
Sunday, January 18, 2009
Day Two-hundred-and-two: Golf the beneficial way
In preparation for moving, at least moving on, my youngest daughter is inventorying the items she is keeping. She is being quite ruthless in her choices, choosing the bare minimum. While she was being ruthless, she asked me to do some data entry of the things she is keeping in her inventory Access database. I made primary key entries of 11 through 44 this morning after Banana Walnut waffles topped with fresh banana slices, blueberries, and maple syrup.
Then we hurriedly ate a leftover lunch of mashed potatoes, punk rock chickpea gravy, and chickpea cutlet. We took two of the cookies as a golf snack and delayed dessert. Then we raced to the golf course. My daughter assures me that everything in Davis is only ten minutes away. I must admit we made it in plenty of time for our 12:07 tee time.
We were paired with a father and son but although they were very courteous to us and even joined in conversation every once in a while, it was obvious that our somewhat concurrent playing the course was quite coincidental. They may have had a couple holes in which they bogeyed, one each, but most of the time they got birdies and pars. My daughter and I may have had one hole in which we bogeyed. Most of them were far worse than that. This is why we played golf the far more beneficial way. We got more exercise. Not only did we swing our clubs more, but often we went from one side of the fairway to the other allowing us to easily double our walking. At least we did walk. I only lost two balls but could have used a shirt like my father has, upon which it says, "It takes a lot of balls to play golf the way I do." Water still sucks. But like every other time I've played golf, there were a sufficient number of good strokes that keep me from giving the game up completely, just not on the same hole. Besides, being outdoors on a great day, relatively warm, clear sky and air, and truly pleasant company can't be beat. If golf has to be the excuse to enjoy that, bring more golf into my Life after Layoff.
After golf, we drove around Davis and did a little cardboard dumpster diving. My youngest daughter and her husband learned from the pros in the Domes about dumpster diving and even though it was for cardboard boxes from special cardboard recycling dumpsters, I could tell she has the gift.
Then she both interrogated and motivated me about my Internet business idea. She wants to see action and won't take any hemming and hawing or excuses for any lack of action. It was good to talk with her about it and in the off chance this discussion leads to a business, I wrote on the back of our dinner receipt the business we conducted. Some people hang the first dollar their business makes. I'll will hang the first business deduction, even if I don't claim it as a deduction.
Then we hurriedly ate a leftover lunch of mashed potatoes, punk rock chickpea gravy, and chickpea cutlet. We took two of the cookies as a golf snack and delayed dessert. Then we raced to the golf course. My daughter assures me that everything in Davis is only ten minutes away. I must admit we made it in plenty of time for our 12:07 tee time.
We were paired with a father and son but although they were very courteous to us and even joined in conversation every once in a while, it was obvious that our somewhat concurrent playing the course was quite coincidental. They may have had a couple holes in which they bogeyed, one each, but most of the time they got birdies and pars. My daughter and I may have had one hole in which we bogeyed. Most of them were far worse than that. This is why we played golf the far more beneficial way. We got more exercise. Not only did we swing our clubs more, but often we went from one side of the fairway to the other allowing us to easily double our walking. At least we did walk. I only lost two balls but could have used a shirt like my father has, upon which it says, "It takes a lot of balls to play golf the way I do." Water still sucks. But like every other time I've played golf, there were a sufficient number of good strokes that keep me from giving the game up completely, just not on the same hole. Besides, being outdoors on a great day, relatively warm, clear sky and air, and truly pleasant company can't be beat. If golf has to be the excuse to enjoy that, bring more golf into my Life after Layoff.
After golf, we drove around Davis and did a little cardboard dumpster diving. My youngest daughter and her husband learned from the pros in the Domes about dumpster diving and even though it was for cardboard boxes from special cardboard recycling dumpsters, I could tell she has the gift.
Then she both interrogated and motivated me about my Internet business idea. She wants to see action and won't take any hemming and hawing or excuses for any lack of action. It was good to talk with her about it and in the off chance this discussion leads to a business, I wrote on the back of our dinner receipt the business we conducted. Some people hang the first dollar their business makes. I'll will hang the first business deduction, even if I don't claim it as a deduction.
Day Two-hundred-and-one: Doing Davis
This weekend, without the holiday Monday, I decided to visit my youngest daughter. Her husband left to go fishing with his father at 5:30 AM this morning. I didn't leave until 9:00 AM and was at their house by 11:30. She was still in her pajamas, robe, and slippers. It was cool in her house, not cold, but she is used to Central Valley summers and their 100+ degree days.
After she went trough my pictures, transferring selected ones to her computer, we headed off to Sacramento for lunch and a hike along the American River. The Prius Navigation System took us on the scenic route, right down J Street. And scenic it was, especially all the motorcycles being ridden by "Wicked Wheels," "Iron Souls," and hundreds of other club members. Fortunately, a lot of them were already parked at the Convention Center. So, in addition to giving us something to look at, they slowed traffic to a crawl to give us plenty of time to look.
This was all my fault. My daughter let me pick the restaurant. I used the Prius Navigation System to select a restaurant that was on the way to the American River. We lucked out twice. Not only was the restaurant still in business but it was also good food.
Then after our 3.7 mile walk up and down the lazy river, we went grocery shopping for the ingredients she didn't have that were required for our evening vegan feast: vegan mashed potatoes and punk rock chickpea gravy from Vegan with a Vengeance, chickpea cutlets from Veganomicon, sauteed brussel sprouts from my daughter's brain, and gigantoid crunchy peanut butter and oatmeal cookies for dessert also from Vegan with a Vengeance.
The cookies really were gigantic. The batter made just 12 cookies but each cookie ad to be eight inches in diameter. The whole meal was fantastic. What's more, they have a waffle iron for the Banana Walnut waffles tomorrow from Veganomicon.
It also appears that my daughter is attempting to become her grandfather's favorite through completely unorthodox means. She is sympathetically joining her grandparents in their ladybug infestation. Since I only saw one and it was on her, until she knocked it off, maybe it is just her who is infested.
I was also informed that I get to be a cat person for about a month, the month that my youngest daughter and her husband are off training for their hike on the Pacific Crest Trail after they've given up their rental but before their longer term arrangement is available. (Their cats are named Humphrey and Napoleon. I'll let you guess which one is smaller and dominant. Maybe the larger one was named for the whale.) There are all kinds of new experiences in my Life after Layoff.
Actually, taking care of a cat won't really be a new experience. Before I met Marilyn, I had a cat whose name was Weldon for the street I lived on but who was called Butt. My daughter uses a bell to call her cats but an electric can opener works better.
Butt in a box.
After she went trough my pictures, transferring selected ones to her computer, we headed off to Sacramento for lunch and a hike along the American River. The Prius Navigation System took us on the scenic route, right down J Street. And scenic it was, especially all the motorcycles being ridden by "Wicked Wheels," "Iron Souls," and hundreds of other club members. Fortunately, a lot of them were already parked at the Convention Center. So, in addition to giving us something to look at, they slowed traffic to a crawl to give us plenty of time to look.
This was all my fault. My daughter let me pick the restaurant. I used the Prius Navigation System to select a restaurant that was on the way to the American River. We lucked out twice. Not only was the restaurant still in business but it was also good food.
Then after our 3.7 mile walk up and down the lazy river, we went grocery shopping for the ingredients she didn't have that were required for our evening vegan feast: vegan mashed potatoes and punk rock chickpea gravy from Vegan with a Vengeance, chickpea cutlets from Veganomicon, sauteed brussel sprouts from my daughter's brain, and gigantoid crunchy peanut butter and oatmeal cookies for dessert also from Vegan with a Vengeance.
The cookies really were gigantic. The batter made just 12 cookies but each cookie ad to be eight inches in diameter. The whole meal was fantastic. What's more, they have a waffle iron for the Banana Walnut waffles tomorrow from Veganomicon.
It also appears that my daughter is attempting to become her grandfather's favorite through completely unorthodox means. She is sympathetically joining her grandparents in their ladybug infestation. Since I only saw one and it was on her, until she knocked it off, maybe it is just her who is infested.
I was also informed that I get to be a cat person for about a month, the month that my youngest daughter and her husband are off training for their hike on the Pacific Crest Trail after they've given up their rental but before their longer term arrangement is available. (Their cats are named Humphrey and Napoleon. I'll let you guess which one is smaller and dominant. Maybe the larger one was named for the whale.) There are all kinds of new experiences in my Life after Layoff.
Actually, taking care of a cat won't really be a new experience. Before I met Marilyn, I had a cat whose name was Weldon for the street I lived on but who was called Butt. My daughter uses a bell to call her cats but an electric can opener works better.Butt in a box.
Friday, January 16, 2009
Day Two-hundred: More leaking
I ran the dishwasher forgetting that its drain runs to the garbage disposal. I had another mess to clean up just after I finally put all of the stuff back under the sink. All the stuff is back out from under and drying again. Before I put it back under, I will have to take the drain apart and figure out where and what is the problem. Since it doesn't appear to affect the main sink drain, at least I can do the dishes the old fashioned way, by hand.
I went on a very short motorcycle ride to a motorcycle shop. I tried on a display boot that was supposedly my size. While it was difficult to get on, it did fit once I got it on. I had almost given up when I noticed an instep velcro strap. I also checked out saddle bags. I'm wanting to get the largest I can get without having to do any modification to the bike. After no one came around to help me, I left and rode home.
I'm making what I call Gerson Ratatouille for dinner. It consists of an onion, a few cloves of garlic, an eggplant, and a large can of diced tomatoes. While I never put anything else into it for Marilyn, I may try some other spices this time. I'm also thinking of cooking some linguine or spaghetti and using it as a primavera. I still have to wash the rice cooker or I would have had rice with it.
The first few days after I got back from my trip, I didn't feel like cooking. In fact, I was quite lazy. The last two have been different in some way. I actually cooked lunch and now I'm cooking dinner. If I hadn't already used it, this would be a good place to say I'm really cooking in my Life after Layoff. (Does this variant count?)
I'm heading out for my youngest daughter's place tomorrow morning. I will be taking two sets of golf clubs just in case we end up golfing. This means I won't be riding my motorcycle even though for other reasons I should. I also won't be taking it to the Bear Valley Lodge January 29th. I decided that skiing is more important than skiing on the 28th. This way I won't be alone on the trails, if there are trails. The day has been quite sunny and warm again. I've been able to see the Farallon Islands every day I've looked since I've gotten back. I do want to take a boat trip around them some day. Plans for the future are an important part of my Life after Layoff. (Since I don't go back and read my earlier posts, I don't know whether or not I've used this before as well. Someday I need to go back and take a copy of all my entries. Maybe I should start that soon. I don't know how long they let me add before they start deleting the earlier ones.
Enough!
I went on a very short motorcycle ride to a motorcycle shop. I tried on a display boot that was supposedly my size. While it was difficult to get on, it did fit once I got it on. I had almost given up when I noticed an instep velcro strap. I also checked out saddle bags. I'm wanting to get the largest I can get without having to do any modification to the bike. After no one came around to help me, I left and rode home.
I'm making what I call Gerson Ratatouille for dinner. It consists of an onion, a few cloves of garlic, an eggplant, and a large can of diced tomatoes. While I never put anything else into it for Marilyn, I may try some other spices this time. I'm also thinking of cooking some linguine or spaghetti and using it as a primavera. I still have to wash the rice cooker or I would have had rice with it.
The first few days after I got back from my trip, I didn't feel like cooking. In fact, I was quite lazy. The last two have been different in some way. I actually cooked lunch and now I'm cooking dinner. If I hadn't already used it, this would be a good place to say I'm really cooking in my Life after Layoff. (Does this variant count?)
I'm heading out for my youngest daughter's place tomorrow morning. I will be taking two sets of golf clubs just in case we end up golfing. This means I won't be riding my motorcycle even though for other reasons I should. I also won't be taking it to the Bear Valley Lodge January 29th. I decided that skiing is more important than skiing on the 28th. This way I won't be alone on the trails, if there are trails. The day has been quite sunny and warm again. I've been able to see the Farallon Islands every day I've looked since I've gotten back. I do want to take a boat trip around them some day. Plans for the future are an important part of my Life after Layoff. (Since I don't go back and read my earlier posts, I don't know whether or not I've used this before as well. Someday I need to go back and take a copy of all my entries. Maybe I should start that soon. I don't know how long they let me add before they start deleting the earlier ones.
Enough!
Thursday, January 15, 2009
Day One-hundred-and-ninety-nine: How many to go?
It's a good thing I have a different outlook on life right now. I was cleaning up the sink in the kitchen getting ready to do the dishes I couldn't cram in the dishwasher and I needed more dish soap. I opened the under-sink doors and saw the flood. Most of it was caught by the lazy susan until I just had to confirm where it was coming from before I cleaned it up. The new flood from the garbage disposal overflowed the lazy susan. Now I have all my under-sink stuff spread over the sink and counter top. (The wet things in the sink and the mostly dry things on the counter top.)
Oh well, the only reason I was working in the kitchen was to wash my rice cooker's insides, Panasonic SR-LE10, so I could try it out today. I can wait until tomorrow. After all, I made enough Pueblo Corn Pie yesterday to last a couple more meals.
After today, no more speech to fret over, for a while. I've decided that I will wing it with just the barest hints of notes, more to impose order than remind me what to say. I'm planning on organizing it somewhat like I learned to write a newspaper article way back in high school, the most important things first and then increasing detail. When the timer signals the end of my time is near, I will simply transition to my closing. The bulk of the speech will be reverse psychology so I can surprise them with my plans to do it again but the next time on my motorcycle. Once again, you can read the appropriate earlier entries in this blog to read most of what I will say.
Well contrary to my above paragraph I ended up writing the whole thing out and I'm glad I did. While it was commented on that I my page turning was noticeable I won the best speech. My burst of industriousness may have been strongly influenced by my double soy latte this afternoon. But, it came at a price. I essentially missed dinner and now I'm debating with myself whether to eat anything at all. Certainly I'm not going to have the baked potato I had planned to have. What I will do is fill the rest of this entry with my written speech, much of which didn't make it into my oral speech due to time. Well, who would have thought that time is still a factor in my Life after Layoff.
The speech: (I claim poetic license for any claim in which the reader may disagree with any of the wording below.)
Thank you Toastmaster Gelini. My fellow Toastmasters and honored guest:
I am a type-A personality, which many of you may know is all about deadlines and destinations. Typically if none are given to me, I impose them on myself.
Imagine what it was like for me for the first time in my life to have both the means and time to do something counter to my type. Of course, there would be trade-offs: by traveling by road instead of flying I would be spending less time with my and my wife’s families. What tipped the scales in favor of my driving, in winter, across country, was my experience at a local Whole Foods Market and the encouragement of my youngest daughter, including her loaning me her zero degree rated sleeping bag. At the local Whole Foods I noticed for the umpteenth time that they allowed customers to post material on their bulletin board and I finally really noticed it because I now had something to post, a Marilyn Westbrook Garment Fund flyer.
Tonight I’ll be telling you a little about my cross-country road trip adventure in the hope that it’s both entertaining and encourages you to set out on your own adventures.
First let me tell you what it is not. For one person it is definitely not less expensive than flying, even with a rental car thrown in for the length of time I was visiting. It was the hotel expense that put it over the top. The gas and food, most often junk food eaten while on the road, by themselves would have been cheaper. What can I say, I like showers. Then, throw in the casinos… After my modest losses at the first two casinos, I stopped throwing them in.
My preparation consisted of arranging for all my bills to be paid, except one; cancelling my paper, phone, and cable; collecting a lot of cash and then using my credit card—a lot; packing the day I left getting two and one half miles away only to return to collect a pair of jeans I intended to pack but were still in the clothes dryer; buying a set of chains for my Prius, which I learned later that some states have outlawed, including my destination states; and buying car chargers and adapters for my cell phone and iPods.
There is some wonderful scenery in Nevada, Arizona, Utah, and New Mexico. It took me four days and nights to see it, including a three-hour stop and walk in Zion National Park. After the Reno Whole Foods didn’t have any customer posting provisions and I was substantially less enamored with the whole casino thing, I pressed on to Las Vegas anyway. I’ve come to the conclusion that there are nothing but back roads between Reno and Las Vegas. My Prius Navigation System took me on one 13-mile stretch of pure washboard road the other side of Virginia City where my top speed was 13 miles per hour. Of course, the trip to Las Vegas took the whole day.
Even at that low speed, my best mileage was to occur later. The 500 miles from when I filled up in Farmington, New Mexico, to my fill up in Amarillo, Texas, was a phenomenal 57.6 miles per gallon. On my return trip I let the Prius average the whole trip together. The combination of high speeds into the wind and up hill made my mileage an average of 41 miles per gallon with a low at Colorado of 39 miles per gallon. After I passed the continental divide it was more down hill than up.
But my lowest speed was on my first trip into West Virginia to my parents’ place. It was lightly snowing the whole way from Columbus, where I’d been briefly visiting with my wife’s family. As I topped a crest of a smallish hill a pickup passed with their hazard lights flashing. I took that as a sign and slowed down to three miles per hour. Very soon I was glad I did as I was able to stop and not hit the truck stopped in front of me whose driver was helping get another car out of the ditch. At least it was the ditch side of the road and not the sheer drop off of the other side.
I spent over a month visiting and playing with mostly family. I played pool with my father, on his table, and at first only won when he lost. He had one shot where he sunk three of his balls. He claimed the championship by virtue of winning the last game we played. We played a lot of cards: cribbage, set back, gin, shiny pants gin, cut throat and mystery partner euchre. We embarrassed ourselves on my oldest sister’s, still younger than me, Wii Fit. And in a tradition that at least goes back over fifty years to my mother’s initiation into the Westbrook family, New Year’s Day we initiated my children’s spouses.
I think I ate at every vegan restaurant in Columbus. There aren’t that many. I also tried to eat vegan at an Applebee’s. I just didn’t think to ask that they not put cheese and bacon on their house salad. I should have been warned as my very first night on the road in Reno the person at the front desk didn’t even know what the word vegan meant.
I was struck by the combination of highway signs in Missouri. On the one hand there were the church related signs and quite often in close proximity were the adult super store and casino signs.
It was nice to be able to reach out and touch people by phone. It helped make a few of the hours pass more quickly. Of course, there were long stretches on my somewhat spur of the moment selected route that there was no cell phone reception. In those times I listened to all nine of the CDs that my daughters had bought for me: Garrison Keeler and Car Talk. I also listened to literally all of the music on my mostly audio book full iPod. I did not, however, listen to any of the audio books.
Before I even started for home I had decided to take the more direct route, even if that meant driving through or having to hold up for some snow. The wind was something I didn’t plan on. Thank goodness there wasn’t snow. I would have been blown off the road. Instead, I was pulling tumbleweed sticks from the front of my car when I got back to Pacifica.
The worst driving occurred on the western slope of the Rockies, just after the Continental Divide. There I was wishing I had stayed in Georgetown as I was traveling down the expressway trying to stay in the less snow covered tracks and thanking my lucky stars that I was behind an RV with a trailer that also wanted to go slow. When I got down to the bottom and pulled off at Silverthorne, I was reminded by the fully snow covered town roads and the long line at the registration desk that it was ski season and a Friday to boot. So much for winging it and just stopping when I wanted to. But all my fears were unjustified. They had a room and it was a much better room than my previous night in a Topeka fleabag motel.
The next day on clear expressway roads during a period of cell phone reception, my father talked me into driving across Utah and Nevada on the “loneliest road in America,” US 50. It was great. There were long stretches through large valleys that I could see no other car on the road. Driving it on an early Sunday morning with less than a full tank of gas and no bars on my cell phone was a little worrisome but I made it to Reno much to early to stop at a casino hotel. (I hadn’t brought enough money to risk for that long without a substantial winning streak.) So, I pressed on.
I made it back to my house in Pacifica 44 days and three hours from the time I left. After 6,922 miles on the road, I was glad to be back to my home.
Would I do it again? Yes! I’m already planning on driving back to West Virginia in June to ride with my parents to Alaska. This next time I’m going to do it on my motorcycle. The road adventures continue.
Oh well, the only reason I was working in the kitchen was to wash my rice cooker's insides, Panasonic SR-LE10, so I could try it out today. I can wait until tomorrow. After all, I made enough Pueblo Corn Pie yesterday to last a couple more meals.
After today, no more speech to fret over, for a while. I've decided that I will wing it with just the barest hints of notes, more to impose order than remind me what to say. I'm planning on organizing it somewhat like I learned to write a newspaper article way back in high school, the most important things first and then increasing detail. When the timer signals the end of my time is near, I will simply transition to my closing. The bulk of the speech will be reverse psychology so I can surprise them with my plans to do it again but the next time on my motorcycle. Once again, you can read the appropriate earlier entries in this blog to read most of what I will say.
Well contrary to my above paragraph I ended up writing the whole thing out and I'm glad I did. While it was commented on that I my page turning was noticeable I won the best speech. My burst of industriousness may have been strongly influenced by my double soy latte this afternoon. But, it came at a price. I essentially missed dinner and now I'm debating with myself whether to eat anything at all. Certainly I'm not going to have the baked potato I had planned to have. What I will do is fill the rest of this entry with my written speech, much of which didn't make it into my oral speech due to time. Well, who would have thought that time is still a factor in my Life after Layoff.
The speech: (I claim poetic license for any claim in which the reader may disagree with any of the wording below.)
Thank you Toastmaster Gelini. My fellow Toastmasters and honored guest:
I am a type-A personality, which many of you may know is all about deadlines and destinations. Typically if none are given to me, I impose them on myself.
Imagine what it was like for me for the first time in my life to have both the means and time to do something counter to my type. Of course, there would be trade-offs: by traveling by road instead of flying I would be spending less time with my and my wife’s families. What tipped the scales in favor of my driving, in winter, across country, was my experience at a local Whole Foods Market and the encouragement of my youngest daughter, including her loaning me her zero degree rated sleeping bag. At the local Whole Foods I noticed for the umpteenth time that they allowed customers to post material on their bulletin board and I finally really noticed it because I now had something to post, a Marilyn Westbrook Garment Fund flyer.
Tonight I’ll be telling you a little about my cross-country road trip adventure in the hope that it’s both entertaining and encourages you to set out on your own adventures.
First let me tell you what it is not. For one person it is definitely not less expensive than flying, even with a rental car thrown in for the length of time I was visiting. It was the hotel expense that put it over the top. The gas and food, most often junk food eaten while on the road, by themselves would have been cheaper. What can I say, I like showers. Then, throw in the casinos… After my modest losses at the first two casinos, I stopped throwing them in.
My preparation consisted of arranging for all my bills to be paid, except one; cancelling my paper, phone, and cable; collecting a lot of cash and then using my credit card—a lot; packing the day I left getting two and one half miles away only to return to collect a pair of jeans I intended to pack but were still in the clothes dryer; buying a set of chains for my Prius, which I learned later that some states have outlawed, including my destination states; and buying car chargers and adapters for my cell phone and iPods.
There is some wonderful scenery in Nevada, Arizona, Utah, and New Mexico. It took me four days and nights to see it, including a three-hour stop and walk in Zion National Park. After the Reno Whole Foods didn’t have any customer posting provisions and I was substantially less enamored with the whole casino thing, I pressed on to Las Vegas anyway. I’ve come to the conclusion that there are nothing but back roads between Reno and Las Vegas. My Prius Navigation System took me on one 13-mile stretch of pure washboard road the other side of Virginia City where my top speed was 13 miles per hour. Of course, the trip to Las Vegas took the whole day.
Even at that low speed, my best mileage was to occur later. The 500 miles from when I filled up in Farmington, New Mexico, to my fill up in Amarillo, Texas, was a phenomenal 57.6 miles per gallon. On my return trip I let the Prius average the whole trip together. The combination of high speeds into the wind and up hill made my mileage an average of 41 miles per gallon with a low at Colorado of 39 miles per gallon. After I passed the continental divide it was more down hill than up.
But my lowest speed was on my first trip into West Virginia to my parents’ place. It was lightly snowing the whole way from Columbus, where I’d been briefly visiting with my wife’s family. As I topped a crest of a smallish hill a pickup passed with their hazard lights flashing. I took that as a sign and slowed down to three miles per hour. Very soon I was glad I did as I was able to stop and not hit the truck stopped in front of me whose driver was helping get another car out of the ditch. At least it was the ditch side of the road and not the sheer drop off of the other side.
I spent over a month visiting and playing with mostly family. I played pool with my father, on his table, and at first only won when he lost. He had one shot where he sunk three of his balls. He claimed the championship by virtue of winning the last game we played. We played a lot of cards: cribbage, set back, gin, shiny pants gin, cut throat and mystery partner euchre. We embarrassed ourselves on my oldest sister’s, still younger than me, Wii Fit. And in a tradition that at least goes back over fifty years to my mother’s initiation into the Westbrook family, New Year’s Day we initiated my children’s spouses.
I think I ate at every vegan restaurant in Columbus. There aren’t that many. I also tried to eat vegan at an Applebee’s. I just didn’t think to ask that they not put cheese and bacon on their house salad. I should have been warned as my very first night on the road in Reno the person at the front desk didn’t even know what the word vegan meant.
I was struck by the combination of highway signs in Missouri. On the one hand there were the church related signs and quite often in close proximity were the adult super store and casino signs.
It was nice to be able to reach out and touch people by phone. It helped make a few of the hours pass more quickly. Of course, there were long stretches on my somewhat spur of the moment selected route that there was no cell phone reception. In those times I listened to all nine of the CDs that my daughters had bought for me: Garrison Keeler and Car Talk. I also listened to literally all of the music on my mostly audio book full iPod. I did not, however, listen to any of the audio books.
Before I even started for home I had decided to take the more direct route, even if that meant driving through or having to hold up for some snow. The wind was something I didn’t plan on. Thank goodness there wasn’t snow. I would have been blown off the road. Instead, I was pulling tumbleweed sticks from the front of my car when I got back to Pacifica.
The worst driving occurred on the western slope of the Rockies, just after the Continental Divide. There I was wishing I had stayed in Georgetown as I was traveling down the expressway trying to stay in the less snow covered tracks and thanking my lucky stars that I was behind an RV with a trailer that also wanted to go slow. When I got down to the bottom and pulled off at Silverthorne, I was reminded by the fully snow covered town roads and the long line at the registration desk that it was ski season and a Friday to boot. So much for winging it and just stopping when I wanted to. But all my fears were unjustified. They had a room and it was a much better room than my previous night in a Topeka fleabag motel.
The next day on clear expressway roads during a period of cell phone reception, my father talked me into driving across Utah and Nevada on the “loneliest road in America,” US 50. It was great. There were long stretches through large valleys that I could see no other car on the road. Driving it on an early Sunday morning with less than a full tank of gas and no bars on my cell phone was a little worrisome but I made it to Reno much to early to stop at a casino hotel. (I hadn’t brought enough money to risk for that long without a substantial winning streak.) So, I pressed on.
I made it back to my house in Pacifica 44 days and three hours from the time I left. After 6,922 miles on the road, I was glad to be back to my home.
Would I do it again? Yes! I’m already planning on driving back to West Virginia in June to ride with my parents to Alaska. This next time I’m going to do it on my motorcycle. The road adventures continue.
Wednesday, January 14, 2009
Day One-hundred-and-ninety-eight: Alone again
After over a month of being with people, family, it just struck me today, my third full day of being home, that I am truly alone again. Other than it striking me, I have no idea what consequences it truly has. I think I have a built-in excuse for all my failings, my lethargy, ... Well, that and my cold. Yes I still have a remnant of that head cold. I am going out today for some Coricidin HBP. I keep wanting to do something else, anything else than what I'm not doing. (Now if anyone reads that last sentence and doesn't shake their head, then my writing truly needs improvement.) I can best explain that by an example: I need to finish my speech so I can get on with other things but I'm not really working on the speech. I'm just staying at home not doing much of anything because I am not but should be working on that speech. Then there is what I would rather be doing... Top's on that list is going for a walk.
The sun is shining brightly with an outdoor temperature of 60.3 at 9:30 AM PST. It's calling me. I'll report later this evening what I decided to do with this day in my Life after Layoff. It's good to have these dilemmas. By the way, I walked out of the Hotel Nevada with $72.50 worth of quarters as I saved all state quarters as well, both in memory of Marilyn asking me to "collect" state quarters and to go through them for bicentennial quarters I may have missed in the first round. It may not have been a winning gamble but it was a fun one.
Mid-afternoon update: I went out to get shaving cream and the Coricidin HBP. Then instead of walking, I went to the Chit Chat Cafe and had a soy latte while I read my $0.75 paper. I'll be doing both rarely but it was nice to get away from the house. Then I went home and spent over an hour putting together and baking the Pueblo Corn Pie. My oldest daughter's in-laws served this with a lot of other delicious food at Thanksgiving. It was so good I made it for my middle sister's family December 22nd. Now I'm making the full recipe for myself for dinner and beyond. As soon as I take it out of the oven, I am planning on going out to sit in the Sky Chair and relax while I work on my speech.
Instead of going outside, I ate some of it. It was good and it was a good thing I didn't go outside. My rice cooker was delivered. Now I just need to do my dishes and wash everything so I can use it. I'm looking forward to having rice and beans, cooking wild rice for the Mango Black Bean salad, and having rice ready when I want to eat it.
For the first Martin Luther King Jr. holiday in quite a while, I won't be working. Instead, I'm thinking about joining the National Day of Service, which is work of a different sort. I want to do something that combines exercise and environment. At the top of my list is to revisit the area that I know wasn't cleaned up on the Coastal Cleanup day back in September.
For the first day since my arrival home, I didn't make a "to do" list. I may have gotten less done but it was a better day.
The sun is shining brightly with an outdoor temperature of 60.3 at 9:30 AM PST. It's calling me. I'll report later this evening what I decided to do with this day in my Life after Layoff. It's good to have these dilemmas. By the way, I walked out of the Hotel Nevada with $72.50 worth of quarters as I saved all state quarters as well, both in memory of Marilyn asking me to "collect" state quarters and to go through them for bicentennial quarters I may have missed in the first round. It may not have been a winning gamble but it was a fun one.
Mid-afternoon update: I went out to get shaving cream and the Coricidin HBP. Then instead of walking, I went to the Chit Chat Cafe and had a soy latte while I read my $0.75 paper. I'll be doing both rarely but it was nice to get away from the house. Then I went home and spent over an hour putting together and baking the Pueblo Corn Pie. My oldest daughter's in-laws served this with a lot of other delicious food at Thanksgiving. It was so good I made it for my middle sister's family December 22nd. Now I'm making the full recipe for myself for dinner and beyond. As soon as I take it out of the oven, I am planning on going out to sit in the Sky Chair and relax while I work on my speech.
Instead of going outside, I ate some of it. It was good and it was a good thing I didn't go outside. My rice cooker was delivered. Now I just need to do my dishes and wash everything so I can use it. I'm looking forward to having rice and beans, cooking wild rice for the Mango Black Bean salad, and having rice ready when I want to eat it.
For the first Martin Luther King Jr. holiday in quite a while, I won't be working. Instead, I'm thinking about joining the National Day of Service, which is work of a different sort. I want to do something that combines exercise and environment. At the top of my list is to revisit the area that I know wasn't cleaned up on the Coastal Cleanup day back in September.
For the first day since my arrival home, I didn't make a "to do" list. I may have gotten less done but it was a better day.
Tuesday, January 13, 2009
Day One-hundred-and-ninety-seven: Before dawn
I got up this morning with a renewed purpose and an expanded "to do" list. I won't go into the details but I did make it up before dawn. I'm sure I'll get more of it done if I leave the TV off. Besides, other than my vast collection of movies, I'm not supposed to have TV. If Comcast ever comes back and tries to collect for my TV watching after I cancelled the service, I'll sue for them not putting on the trap like they were supposed to and thus enabling my TV addiction. I have to have better will power than that. Today will be a good test.
Renewed purpose meets a lazy day of summer. It is over 70 degrees out there. After I got my haircut, I had to walk down to the ocean. I only spent a couple of minutes because the sun was positively warm. I even had to take off my fleece vest. It was too hot with it on. Of course, it is also black.
I posted another flyer in the Palo Alto Whole Foods. The flyer I posted at my "stylist's" is still up. I was hoping to have to replenish the cards but it didn't look like any were taken.
I traveled all the way down to Fry's, in Palo Alto, for a rice cooker. They didn't have the model I wanted in stock and wouldn't sell me the display, so I just ordered it online. With shipping, it actually costs more but the time it takes to drive 50 miles round trip plus the $2.039 for the gas makes it more convenient to have it delivered.
I tried to make reservations at Marilyn's and my favorite cross-country skiing place, Bear Valley, for our upcoming anniversary. I don't know about skiing in my lack of shape or alone but I do want to do it. I will have to see if I can stay in Murphy's but that is at least an hour away from the trails. Around this time and specifically the 27th and 28th the Bear Valley Lodge is swamped with a school or schools from down the road. The last time Marilyn made the reservation, she must have done it much earlier.
I won't be posting my Toastmaster's speech, although I will write it out for timing. If you've read my posts over the last 45 or so days, you will have far more information about my trip than I will put into a five to seven minute speech. Except for my faulty memory of what I have written about as I don't reread the entries after I have published them, at least not so far, I have tried not to be too duplicative, even in the associated use of my Life after Layoff tag line. However, I have mentioned that I do now see the end of this blog coming. This doesn't mean that I won't be making daily blog entries again but it will be in a new blog with a new theme. Maybe several new blogs, just not all at once.
It's been a good day even though my "to do" list is mostly still in that category. Perhaps it is the two things I got done: my hair cut and my car washed.
Renewed purpose meets a lazy day of summer. It is over 70 degrees out there. After I got my haircut, I had to walk down to the ocean. I only spent a couple of minutes because the sun was positively warm. I even had to take off my fleece vest. It was too hot with it on. Of course, it is also black.
I posted another flyer in the Palo Alto Whole Foods. The flyer I posted at my "stylist's" is still up. I was hoping to have to replenish the cards but it didn't look like any were taken.
I traveled all the way down to Fry's, in Palo Alto, for a rice cooker. They didn't have the model I wanted in stock and wouldn't sell me the display, so I just ordered it online. With shipping, it actually costs more but the time it takes to drive 50 miles round trip plus the $2.039 for the gas makes it more convenient to have it delivered.
I tried to make reservations at Marilyn's and my favorite cross-country skiing place, Bear Valley, for our upcoming anniversary. I don't know about skiing in my lack of shape or alone but I do want to do it. I will have to see if I can stay in Murphy's but that is at least an hour away from the trails. Around this time and specifically the 27th and 28th the Bear Valley Lodge is swamped with a school or schools from down the road. The last time Marilyn made the reservation, she must have done it much earlier.
I won't be posting my Toastmaster's speech, although I will write it out for timing. If you've read my posts over the last 45 or so days, you will have far more information about my trip than I will put into a five to seven minute speech. Except for my faulty memory of what I have written about as I don't reread the entries after I have published them, at least not so far, I have tried not to be too duplicative, even in the associated use of my Life after Layoff tag line. However, I have mentioned that I do now see the end of this blog coming. This doesn't mean that I won't be making daily blog entries again but it will be in a new blog with a new theme. Maybe several new blogs, just not all at once.
It's been a good day even though my "to do" list is mostly still in that category. Perhaps it is the two things I got done: my hair cut and my car washed.
Monday, January 12, 2009
Day One-hundred-and-ninety-six: So much for early
I went to bed around 10:00 PM and woke up nine hours later. So much for my morning person persona returning. I guess I'm going to have to set an alarm clock to reset my habit to earlier. Maybe it wasn't the time zone changes after all. Maybe it was just the crappy beds. At least I got right to work when I did get up. (I hadn't washed my travel pillow case the whole trip and I don't remember when I washed the bed sheets before I left. They are washed now.)
If only the rest of the day had been as industrious as the first couple hours. Out of necessity, I did go grocery shopping. I did read the Toastmaster's manual on my next speech. (It doesn't fit what I've been asked to speak about, except the part where I'm to do it from memory without notes.)
Finally I gave up and rented a movie, "Burn Before Reading." I guess it was worth the rental fee but I wouldn't want to see it again or impose it on anyone else.
Even though today didn't work out to be the start of my next stage of Life after Layoff, I remain optimistic. Well, I remain hopeful. Well, I remain.
I am definitely going to bed early again tonight but 7:00 PM is a little too early. Well, maybe not. It is 10:00 PM EST. This would definitely either get me a lot of rest of get me up early. Morning person here I come.
If only the rest of the day had been as industrious as the first couple hours. Out of necessity, I did go grocery shopping. I did read the Toastmaster's manual on my next speech. (It doesn't fit what I've been asked to speak about, except the part where I'm to do it from memory without notes.)
Finally I gave up and rented a movie, "Burn Before Reading." I guess it was worth the rental fee but I wouldn't want to see it again or impose it on anyone else.
Even though today didn't work out to be the start of my next stage of Life after Layoff, I remain optimistic. Well, I remain hopeful. Well, I remain.
I am definitely going to bed early again tonight but 7:00 PM is a little too early. Well, maybe not. It is 10:00 PM EST. This would definitely either get me a lot of rest of get me up early. Morning person here I come.
Sunday, January 11, 2009
Day One-hundred-and-ninety-five: Early mornings and long days
I guess I've become a morning person again by virtue of still getting up on east coast time even though I'm in the west coast time zone. It didn't have anything to do with the cooing of morning doves, pigeons. They were a nice serenade when they weren't being drowned out with the trucks. Even though some of the furniture in the room had cigarette burn marks, I didn't notice any cigarette smell like I did in the previous hotel. Of course, that might have had more to do with my hour and a half in the casino.
However, the best part of the room was the full window neon night light. I don't think it kept me from sleeping. That may have been done by the flannel sheets. At least I hope they were flannel.
At least the room was clean. The bathroom had several signs, some humorous, that the shower had a tendency to switch between hot and cold without warning. I was watching for this when I took my shower this morning but I never got it to switch to hot. At best it was a lukewarm, which made the shower only slightly brisker than the room. When I got in last night, I noticed the perfect sleeping temperature, unlike the previous two nights, and didn't even bother adjusting the heater. The perfect sleeping temperature is definitely not the perfect getting up temperature.
I think I'm going to like being a morning person again in this Life after Layoff. I was always more productive but that productivity was always for the companies I worked for. Now it can be for myself. Here it isn't even 5:30 AM and I'm showered, dressed, and have half an entry in my blog.
I was able to get out of town around 6:50 AM. In the direction I was going, there was only one gas station and it was closed.
After about 50 miles on the road, the water pressure was getting so bad that I was contemplating visiting a tree, if there had been any trees. Every time I got close to making a treeless stop, there would be a vehicle. Plus now I was getting low on gas. Well not so low but certainly not enough to make it to Reno. Fortunately, Eureka had a gas station open and I filled up for $2.249 a gallon. My relief at finding gas made me forget to clean my windows of the salt and road dirt that had been on them since Colorado.
About 31.7 miles outside of Eureka, I picked up a convoy. It did cause me to slow down below the speed limit but that was just so the person following me could keep up. I was flagged down by a person driving a truck the next size larger than the largest pickup. He was on his way to Las Vegas using the back roads of Nevada. (However, I know from my Reno to Las Vegas all day trip on my way east that back roads are the only roads that go to Las Vegas, at least in Nevada.) I was able to whip out my atlas and discover he had missed his turn 24 miles earlier. Since he didn't speak English very well, he got the gist but missed the details in my non-translation. Anyway, he basically asked me to show him his turn. It was on my way and I became the leader of a two vehicle convoy.
For such a desolate area, there were a lot of animals, beyond the domesticated kind. I saw what had to be the largest herd of deer I had ever seen early this morning. This reminded me of the three wild horses I saw the previous day but forgot to report. I've also seen lots of crows, a couple buzzards (maybe vultures), and at least one raptor eating road kill.
For breakfast I had a truly huge bowl of oatmeal, unfortunately accompanied with hot tea. I'm sure the latter contributed to the water pressure already mentioned. (I didn't complete that story line because I feel it would be considered too much information.)
I kept checking my cell phone for a signal. Finally I got one on the other side of Fallon. This made the rest of the trip pass more quickly as I was able to use my unlimited weekend minutes to reach out and touch people, keeping them away from their productive work while they kept me entertained.
But my plans to overnight in Reno fell apart when I got there too early. I didn't have enough money to last all those hours if I didn't hit a major winning streak. So I pressed on. At least being this early meant that I would be in front of the returning skiers all the way to the Bay Area.
Around Roseville I finally made contact with my daughter. She and her husband were behind me on I-80. They had gone for a short hike in the Auburn area and were on their way to REI. As I couldn't stay long at their place and still stay ahead of the returning skiers, I just dropped some of the stuff off at their house and went on my way. Yes it was my intent to drop it all off but the overly large sleeping bag carrier right in front of my eyes didn't register. I did leave it in the car.
After 44 days and about three hours, I was once again home. On this trip I put about 6,922 miles on my Prius. I saw miles and miles of fourteen states, some more than once. While it is good to be home in some ways, I enjoyed every minute of the trip, even the illnesses. And I want to do it again, the next time on my motorcycle.
However, the best part of the room was the full window neon night light. I don't think it kept me from sleeping. That may have been done by the flannel sheets. At least I hope they were flannel.
At least the room was clean. The bathroom had several signs, some humorous, that the shower had a tendency to switch between hot and cold without warning. I was watching for this when I took my shower this morning but I never got it to switch to hot. At best it was a lukewarm, which made the shower only slightly brisker than the room. When I got in last night, I noticed the perfect sleeping temperature, unlike the previous two nights, and didn't even bother adjusting the heater. The perfect sleeping temperature is definitely not the perfect getting up temperature.
I think I'm going to like being a morning person again in this Life after Layoff. I was always more productive but that productivity was always for the companies I worked for. Now it can be for myself. Here it isn't even 5:30 AM and I'm showered, dressed, and have half an entry in my blog.
I was able to get out of town around 6:50 AM. In the direction I was going, there was only one gas station and it was closed.
After about 50 miles on the road, the water pressure was getting so bad that I was contemplating visiting a tree, if there had been any trees. Every time I got close to making a treeless stop, there would be a vehicle. Plus now I was getting low on gas. Well not so low but certainly not enough to make it to Reno. Fortunately, Eureka had a gas station open and I filled up for $2.249 a gallon. My relief at finding gas made me forget to clean my windows of the salt and road dirt that had been on them since Colorado.
About 31.7 miles outside of Eureka, I picked up a convoy. It did cause me to slow down below the speed limit but that was just so the person following me could keep up. I was flagged down by a person driving a truck the next size larger than the largest pickup. He was on his way to Las Vegas using the back roads of Nevada. (However, I know from my Reno to Las Vegas all day trip on my way east that back roads are the only roads that go to Las Vegas, at least in Nevada.) I was able to whip out my atlas and discover he had missed his turn 24 miles earlier. Since he didn't speak English very well, he got the gist but missed the details in my non-translation. Anyway, he basically asked me to show him his turn. It was on my way and I became the leader of a two vehicle convoy.
For such a desolate area, there were a lot of animals, beyond the domesticated kind. I saw what had to be the largest herd of deer I had ever seen early this morning. This reminded me of the three wild horses I saw the previous day but forgot to report. I've also seen lots of crows, a couple buzzards (maybe vultures), and at least one raptor eating road kill.
For breakfast I had a truly huge bowl of oatmeal, unfortunately accompanied with hot tea. I'm sure the latter contributed to the water pressure already mentioned. (I didn't complete that story line because I feel it would be considered too much information.)
I kept checking my cell phone for a signal. Finally I got one on the other side of Fallon. This made the rest of the trip pass more quickly as I was able to use my unlimited weekend minutes to reach out and touch people, keeping them away from their productive work while they kept me entertained.
But my plans to overnight in Reno fell apart when I got there too early. I didn't have enough money to last all those hours if I didn't hit a major winning streak. So I pressed on. At least being this early meant that I would be in front of the returning skiers all the way to the Bay Area.
Around Roseville I finally made contact with my daughter. She and her husband were behind me on I-80. They had gone for a short hike in the Auburn area and were on their way to REI. As I couldn't stay long at their place and still stay ahead of the returning skiers, I just dropped some of the stuff off at their house and went on my way. Yes it was my intent to drop it all off but the overly large sleeping bag carrier right in front of my eyes didn't register. I did leave it in the car.
After 44 days and about three hours, I was once again home. On this trip I put about 6,922 miles on my Prius. I saw miles and miles of fourteen states, some more than once. While it is good to be home in some ways, I enjoyed every minute of the trip, even the illnesses. And I want to do it again, the next time on my motorcycle.
Saturday, January 10, 2009
Day One-hundred-and-ninety-four: Skipping Utah
While I was talking with my father before I was out of Colorado, I happened to mention that my destination for the day was Salt Lake City. He recommended that I take US 50 as I-70 went 47 miles south to meet up with I-15 and further, US 50 would be a more direct route to Reno. Since I'm a visual person, when I next stopped for gas I checked his route out and liked it.
So, now it is 9:30 PM PST and I'm in Ely, Nevada. What's more I almost made it here before darkness. With the moon so big and bright, you could say I did. Really though, twilight disappeared with me just 35 minutes out of Ely. This was due to the 65 mph speed limit on US 50 in Utah, which I thought was real good. A more direct route and allowable speeds close to the expressway. I was even more impressed when I got to Nevada. The speed limit was 70 mph and that was really what clued me into the fact that I had entered Nevada. I expected to slow down for towns but they really were non-existent. They did reduce the speed limit on the curvy passes over the couple of ancient ranges US 50 crosses. (This is a really good metaphor for my Life after Layoff: Surprisingly high speed limits allowing me to go as far as I want.)
On the road to Ely, even once in Utah, I saw a couple signs advertising the Hotel Nevada and its free Wi-Fi. So, I bypassed the Best Western, which looked a lot like the Topeka motel I stayed in, and checked into the Hotel Nevada. Unfortunately, the Wi-Fi is not detectable in my room. So, right now I'm in the hall updating my blog. (By the way, the Hotel Nevada also has a casino. If they didn't the room would have been even cheaper than the hotel in Topeka. As it is, it is the most expensive place I've stayed so far.)
On the plus side, they did have real coin quarter slot machines. I slowed down my money donation by "collecting" state quarters. In the mix I found four double dates, bicentennial quarters.
The scenery on the way here was truly spectacular. Since I had so far to go and did not want to drive too far in the dark on potentially icy roads, I didn't take any pictures as I would have had to stop to give the camera an even chance to take something not blurred by salt encrusted windows. I have made a couple mental notes about it though. One, I'm going to have to make another trip when I can stop and enjoy the sights and take pictures to be able to point to and say the pictures just don't do it justice. Two, there is a reason there isn't a hiking trail the length of Utah, or for that matter Nevada. It could only be used by mountain climbing enthusiasts and even they wouldn't be enthused by the highest elevation I was on, 7,720 feet.
I ate dinner in the hotel's restaurant even though it characterized itself as "Burger Heaven." I had one serving of all you can eat spaghetti with meatballs and a marinara sauce, without the meatballs. I forgot to ask them to hold the cheese and was relieved when the cheese was served separately in a little shaker.
I also took the ice bucket down to the registration desk to be told that there is an ice machine on every floor but four, my floor. So I stopped off on three on my way back up. It had an ice machine but it didn't have ice. Then I tried the fifth floor. Its ice machine was full up.
I've debated pushing on for home in a long day tomorrow but I've now ruled that out. At best I would be caught in the returning from skiing traffic. At worst I would be fully behind it and driving in the dark. This gives me a chance to lose some more money in Reno, where I'm sure all the quarter slots are now quarterless.
Oh, I purchased a couple Power Ball tickets for tonight's drawing in Purchase, Colorado.
So, now it is 9:30 PM PST and I'm in Ely, Nevada. What's more I almost made it here before darkness. With the moon so big and bright, you could say I did. Really though, twilight disappeared with me just 35 minutes out of Ely. This was due to the 65 mph speed limit on US 50 in Utah, which I thought was real good. A more direct route and allowable speeds close to the expressway. I was even more impressed when I got to Nevada. The speed limit was 70 mph and that was really what clued me into the fact that I had entered Nevada. I expected to slow down for towns but they really were non-existent. They did reduce the speed limit on the curvy passes over the couple of ancient ranges US 50 crosses. (This is a really good metaphor for my Life after Layoff: Surprisingly high speed limits allowing me to go as far as I want.)
On the road to Ely, even once in Utah, I saw a couple signs advertising the Hotel Nevada and its free Wi-Fi. So, I bypassed the Best Western, which looked a lot like the Topeka motel I stayed in, and checked into the Hotel Nevada. Unfortunately, the Wi-Fi is not detectable in my room. So, right now I'm in the hall updating my blog. (By the way, the Hotel Nevada also has a casino. If they didn't the room would have been even cheaper than the hotel in Topeka. As it is, it is the most expensive place I've stayed so far.)
On the plus side, they did have real coin quarter slot machines. I slowed down my money donation by "collecting" state quarters. In the mix I found four double dates, bicentennial quarters.
The scenery on the way here was truly spectacular. Since I had so far to go and did not want to drive too far in the dark on potentially icy roads, I didn't take any pictures as I would have had to stop to give the camera an even chance to take something not blurred by salt encrusted windows. I have made a couple mental notes about it though. One, I'm going to have to make another trip when I can stop and enjoy the sights and take pictures to be able to point to and say the pictures just don't do it justice. Two, there is a reason there isn't a hiking trail the length of Utah, or for that matter Nevada. It could only be used by mountain climbing enthusiasts and even they wouldn't be enthused by the highest elevation I was on, 7,720 feet.
I ate dinner in the hotel's restaurant even though it characterized itself as "Burger Heaven." I had one serving of all you can eat spaghetti with meatballs and a marinara sauce, without the meatballs. I forgot to ask them to hold the cheese and was relieved when the cheese was served separately in a little shaker.
I also took the ice bucket down to the registration desk to be told that there is an ice machine on every floor but four, my floor. So I stopped off on three on my way back up. It had an ice machine but it didn't have ice. Then I tried the fifth floor. Its ice machine was full up.
I've debated pushing on for home in a long day tomorrow but I've now ruled that out. At best I would be caught in the returning from skiing traffic. At worst I would be fully behind it and driving in the dark. This gives me a chance to lose some more money in Reno, where I'm sure all the quarter slots are now quarterless.
Oh, I purchased a couple Power Ball tickets for tonight's drawing in Purchase, Colorado.
Friday, January 9, 2009
Day One-hundred-and-ninety-three: Snow day
It's amazing how the last ten or so miles having snow makes the previous 580 miles of clear road insignificant. I was really glad when the hotel I finally got to had a room, although from the long line I stood in to register had me on pins and needles. La Quinta is even cheaper than the Hampton Inn was in Indianapolis.
In all, I drove about 40 miles out of my way on my cross-country run today. I first tried to drop off a flyer at a Whole Foods in Denver. Then I thought to go by some casinos that Marilyn and I had driven by in 2004. The ones the Prius led me to were not the same ones so I didn't even stop.
The rest of this entry comes from notes, mostly complete sentences, I made while I was driving. They are in order and unedited, except for grammar.
I'm impressed with Western Kansas, particularly as the growing light reveals the mostly gold rolling hills.
Yes, I left before dawn with a destination set to post my last flyer in Denver. I should have driven an hour further last night. The hotel selection right off the freeway looks to be much better. Still, living and learning is a "good thing" in my Life after Layoff.
I don't know when I first noticed the similarities of names across the U.S., but I started thinking seriously on it after I saw a Humboldt sign today in Kansas. I saw a Humboldt Park sign in Illinois and, of course, there is Humboldt county in California. Other than the obvious source of things named Washington and Columbus, I wonder whether these other named things have a single person as their source or is it several people who are related or just happen to have the same surname. I suppose if I were really interested I could look it up on the Internet.
The sourdough starter that appears active will require a real test of baking with it before it is pronounced "alive." The natural sugar I used gave it a real interesting color. Until diluted with refined sugar, it will need to be used in darker breads.
It is now fully light and just after 8:00 AM. This is remarkable only because I'm just now catching up with the first truck I've noticed. I realized how nice it was driving without them. Now I will probably be going off and on cruise control and wasting even more gas accelerating up to my traveling speed.
As I approach Salina and find myself hungry for breakfast, I wonder what a vegan will find to eat in cattle country. Kansas, home of several meat barbeque sauces. Kansas, where according to one sign, one farmer feeds 128 additional people, including me. I just passed the "breakfast" exit. With the truck right beside me blocking my access to the ramp, I didn't have much of a chance. Oh well, as I passed the actual road, I didn't see any place serving anything I would want to eat. Dry Honey Nut Cheerios it is.
I am passing a huge field of huge wind turbines. I didn't see any turning. Oops, the field turned out to be much larger than I thought. Here on its western end a few are turning.
A first for me: an oil well junk yard. I wonder if they have any shoppers. "I only need a small tank that has no more than one leak..."
I keep passing beautiful raptors. [One made a prey dive right while I was watching.] I wish I knew more about them to be able to name the birds but not enough to make it a study. At least I recognize them as raptors.
There are a lot of exits in Kansas with nothing at the exit. I can't begin to guess how far away the nearest town may be.
I slowed down when a state trooper pulled up beside me even though he didn't seem all that excited by my 72 mph. My attempt to reset the cruise control at 70 resulted in a speed of 71. I was about to bump it back up that one mph when I passed a trooper who had stopped the car that was in front of me when I slowed down.
At 10:00 AM I stopped for a double dose of gas: fuel for the car and an early lunch for me. When I got back on the road the wind really picked up. It has become an effort to keep the car straight. On the bright side, it is really easy and quick to cut over to the passing lane. Unfortunately it is almost as quick to head off the road whenever something temporarily blocks the wind. I hate to think what this is doing to the wear of my tires. I know what it is doing to my mileage.
To break out of the depression I was getting myself into thinking of the last time I was in Denver, with Marilyn, I called my parents. I must have talked with them an hour. It worked. My father was giving me weather reports for the country, including Colorado. He suggested that I listen to a Denver radio station. The first good channel was Glen Beck. The second was Rush Limbaugh. I'm now on a Country and Western station that I'm not sure is a Denver station. It's amazing how many of the songs I recognize from the last time I listened to a CW station, over 20 years ago.
In all, I drove about 40 miles out of my way on my cross-country run today. I first tried to drop off a flyer at a Whole Foods in Denver. Then I thought to go by some casinos that Marilyn and I had driven by in 2004. The ones the Prius led me to were not the same ones so I didn't even stop.
The rest of this entry comes from notes, mostly complete sentences, I made while I was driving. They are in order and unedited, except for grammar.
I'm impressed with Western Kansas, particularly as the growing light reveals the mostly gold rolling hills.
Yes, I left before dawn with a destination set to post my last flyer in Denver. I should have driven an hour further last night. The hotel selection right off the freeway looks to be much better. Still, living and learning is a "good thing" in my Life after Layoff.
I don't know when I first noticed the similarities of names across the U.S., but I started thinking seriously on it after I saw a Humboldt sign today in Kansas. I saw a Humboldt Park sign in Illinois and, of course, there is Humboldt county in California. Other than the obvious source of things named Washington and Columbus, I wonder whether these other named things have a single person as their source or is it several people who are related or just happen to have the same surname. I suppose if I were really interested I could look it up on the Internet.
The sourdough starter that appears active will require a real test of baking with it before it is pronounced "alive." The natural sugar I used gave it a real interesting color. Until diluted with refined sugar, it will need to be used in darker breads.
It is now fully light and just after 8:00 AM. This is remarkable only because I'm just now catching up with the first truck I've noticed. I realized how nice it was driving without them. Now I will probably be going off and on cruise control and wasting even more gas accelerating up to my traveling speed.
As I approach Salina and find myself hungry for breakfast, I wonder what a vegan will find to eat in cattle country. Kansas, home of several meat barbeque sauces. Kansas, where according to one sign, one farmer feeds 128 additional people, including me. I just passed the "breakfast" exit. With the truck right beside me blocking my access to the ramp, I didn't have much of a chance. Oh well, as I passed the actual road, I didn't see any place serving anything I would want to eat. Dry Honey Nut Cheerios it is.
I am passing a huge field of huge wind turbines. I didn't see any turning. Oops, the field turned out to be much larger than I thought. Here on its western end a few are turning.
A first for me: an oil well junk yard. I wonder if they have any shoppers. "I only need a small tank that has no more than one leak..."
I keep passing beautiful raptors. [One made a prey dive right while I was watching.] I wish I knew more about them to be able to name the birds but not enough to make it a study. At least I recognize them as raptors.
There are a lot of exits in Kansas with nothing at the exit. I can't begin to guess how far away the nearest town may be.
I slowed down when a state trooper pulled up beside me even though he didn't seem all that excited by my 72 mph. My attempt to reset the cruise control at 70 resulted in a speed of 71. I was about to bump it back up that one mph when I passed a trooper who had stopped the car that was in front of me when I slowed down.
At 10:00 AM I stopped for a double dose of gas: fuel for the car and an early lunch for me. When I got back on the road the wind really picked up. It has become an effort to keep the car straight. On the bright side, it is really easy and quick to cut over to the passing lane. Unfortunately it is almost as quick to head off the road whenever something temporarily blocks the wind. I hate to think what this is doing to the wear of my tires. I know what it is doing to my mileage.
To break out of the depression I was getting myself into thinking of the last time I was in Denver, with Marilyn, I called my parents. I must have talked with them an hour. It worked. My father was giving me weather reports for the country, including Colorado. He suggested that I listen to a Denver radio station. The first good channel was Glen Beck. The second was Rush Limbaugh. I'm now on a Country and Western station that I'm not sure is a Denver station. It's amazing how many of the songs I recognize from the last time I listened to a CW station, over 20 years ago.
Day One-hundred-and-ninety-two: Flea bag motels
In keeping with my New Year's resolution, I'm going to bake the most of my arrival at a flea bag motel in Topeka. It's cheap. It has a TV with not only a picture that works but a remote that told me my room number. Further, the TV has multiple channels upon which I've found one with the National Championship Football game and another with a Roger Moore as Bond movie, "For Your Eyes Only." Then, to top it off the commercials on the two weren't completely synchronized. It also has a mini-fridge, which I'm not using after my use of my previous hotel's mini-fridge resulted in frozen soy milk and sourdough starter.
After leaving the somewhat frozen starter out of the cooler and just in the car and then leaving it out for just an hour or so in the room, I fed it. It had a yeasty smell and bubbled so maybe it is still okay. Finding the grocery store for the stuff to feed it was an ordeal. I finally saw one off the expressway before the exit to get to it and stopped. I drove around one exit in St. Louis following the Prius's Navigation System's instructions. I did find a Schnucks' Distribution Center but the closest Schnuck's grocery store no longer existed. (I really do have to get the data updated.)
Overall, the day was a good road day. I didn't pay attention to the actual distance but I was just this side of Indianapolis this morning and am now in Topeka, a four-state day.
The last time I was in Topeka was when I was on a consulting trip while I was a System Engineer with Amdahl 29 years ago. I believe my lack of memory of the details from that time has more to do with how unremarkable the experience was not a senior moment. Either way, this visit should join the previous one soon. I would never have thought that looking forward to a loss of memory would be something I would be doing in my Life after Layoff. At least it will make all my other stops seem better by comparison.
After leaving the somewhat frozen starter out of the cooler and just in the car and then leaving it out for just an hour or so in the room, I fed it. It had a yeasty smell and bubbled so maybe it is still okay. Finding the grocery store for the stuff to feed it was an ordeal. I finally saw one off the expressway before the exit to get to it and stopped. I drove around one exit in St. Louis following the Prius's Navigation System's instructions. I did find a Schnucks' Distribution Center but the closest Schnuck's grocery store no longer existed. (I really do have to get the data updated.)
Overall, the day was a good road day. I didn't pay attention to the actual distance but I was just this side of Indianapolis this morning and am now in Topeka, a four-state day.
The last time I was in Topeka was when I was on a consulting trip while I was a System Engineer with Amdahl 29 years ago. I believe my lack of memory of the details from that time has more to do with how unremarkable the experience was not a senior moment. Either way, this visit should join the previous one soon. I would never have thought that looking forward to a loss of memory would be something I would be doing in my Life after Layoff. At least it will make all my other stops seem better by comparison.
Wednesday, January 7, 2009
Day One-hundred-and-ninety-one: One thing worse
There is one thing worse than driving into the wind with snow spitting, road salt spraying, and lines of trucks, some of which cut over into my lane right in front of me going ten miles slower, and that would be being a truck driver. I'm going to have to get my window washer fluid topped off after today and I was only driving about four hours. Thank goodness winter travel is not a metaphor for my Life after Layoff. As bad as the road is, it will make the arrival that much better.
I had a great lunch time visit with my cousins. We talked about a lot of things, including some of the writing that he is doing. It's great that these memories are going to be available for others. He also talked about how he and my parents met, at a common aunt's funeral. It's even better when friendship with formerly unknown relatives can form out of what would otherwise been a sad event.
Even though I drove with my lights on all day because it was so gray, and my frequent windshield wiper running, I did stop before it became truly dark. The hotel clocks are on EST even though I am sure that Indiana is in Central time. It's so cold, I decided to bring in my gallons of water. The room has a refrigerator so I put the sourdough starter, the soy milk, and the cold pack in it.
So far, I've left something at every place I've stayed. The latest was the Metamucil at my sister and brother in law's. I took the jar out into the kitchen to have some and took the glass back into the bedroom to take my vitamins. After I took the vitamins I took the glass back to the kitchen and didn't take the Metamucil back, so it missed the packing I later did. Except for the Metamucil, I was quite orderly. I methodically checked everything and before I loaded the car, I moved the whole mess into the living room. My brother in law helped me move stuff out to the car. After the first trip out, he put on his coat.
Rather than go back and edit in my youngest daughter's and her husband's first White Castle experience into the day it happened or my rather uneventful last two entries, I will include it here. And to think, she actually ate two sliders. This is the person that wouldn't go with me to In and Out Burger, the premier fast food chain on the West Coast. The other stars in the video are one of my nieces, daughter of my brother in law, and my brother in law.
With the large lunch, the snacking on the road, and I definitely don't want to brave the cold to travel to a restaurant, so it's a good thing I'm not hungry. Unfortunately, I left some Clementines in the car. If I don't go get them, they will definitely be frozen by tomorrow.
I had a great lunch time visit with my cousins. We talked about a lot of things, including some of the writing that he is doing. It's great that these memories are going to be available for others. He also talked about how he and my parents met, at a common aunt's funeral. It's even better when friendship with formerly unknown relatives can form out of what would otherwise been a sad event.
Even though I drove with my lights on all day because it was so gray, and my frequent windshield wiper running, I did stop before it became truly dark. The hotel clocks are on EST even though I am sure that Indiana is in Central time. It's so cold, I decided to bring in my gallons of water. The room has a refrigerator so I put the sourdough starter, the soy milk, and the cold pack in it.
So far, I've left something at every place I've stayed. The latest was the Metamucil at my sister and brother in law's. I took the jar out into the kitchen to have some and took the glass back into the bedroom to take my vitamins. After I took the vitamins I took the glass back to the kitchen and didn't take the Metamucil back, so it missed the packing I later did. Except for the Metamucil, I was quite orderly. I methodically checked everything and before I loaded the car, I moved the whole mess into the living room. My brother in law helped me move stuff out to the car. After the first trip out, he put on his coat.
Rather than go back and edit in my youngest daughter's and her husband's first White Castle experience into the day it happened or my rather uneventful last two entries, I will include it here. And to think, she actually ate two sliders. This is the person that wouldn't go with me to In and Out Burger, the premier fast food chain on the West Coast. The other stars in the video are one of my nieces, daughter of my brother in law, and my brother in law.
With the large lunch, the snacking on the road, and I definitely don't want to brave the cold to travel to a restaurant, so it's a good thing I'm not hungry. Unfortunately, I left some Clementines in the car. If I don't go get them, they will definitely be frozen by tomorrow.
Tuesday, January 6, 2009
Day One-hundred-and-ninety: Ready for the road
Today I tried my non-drowsy decongestant and was able to function so I will start on my road trip back tomorrow. Other than popping pills, drinking hot liquids, and eating spicy foods, nothing much happened today. I did take a nap in the afternoon, which leads me to think that maybe I shouldn't make it such a long day tomorrow but I'm sure I can make it through Indiana.
Since I had so little to report, I was going to share my documentation of my youngest daughter and her husband eating their first White Castle sliders. From her face, it might be her last. I know my son didn't want a repeat after I took him to White Castle in 2004. They are definitely something to eat right away before the grease gets cold. In moments like this I'm glad I became a vegan.
When I say that I am ready for the road, I am really saying that I'm mentally ready. I have a lot of packing and loading to do. Hopefully I can do that after my hosts leave for work so I am the least disruptive and still make it to Springfield for lunch. Until my Life after Layoff, I didn't think of "ready" in stages. It used to be binary, I either wasn't or I was.
Since I had so little to report, I was going to share my documentation of my youngest daughter and her husband eating their first White Castle sliders. From her face, it might be her last. I know my son didn't want a repeat after I took him to White Castle in 2004. They are definitely something to eat right away before the grease gets cold. In moments like this I'm glad I became a vegan.
When I say that I am ready for the road, I am really saying that I'm mentally ready. I have a lot of packing and loading to do. Hopefully I can do that after my hosts leave for work so I am the least disruptive and still make it to Springfield for lunch. Until my Life after Layoff, I didn't think of "ready" in stages. It used to be binary, I either wasn't or I was.
Monday, January 5, 2009
Day One-hundred-and-eighty-nine: Lots of rest
Really there is nothing to say about today except I've spent most of it in bed. I'm trying to catch up on my rest in one solid block as the only way I know to beat a cold. This has pushed off my departure by at least a day but coughing or not, nose running or not, I will be driving to Springfield and beyond on Wednesday.
Now that I've started the leaving, I'm eager to complete it and start arriving. Arriving is not only my new year's resolution, it is my Life after Layoff.
(I did get up to see the second quarter of the Ohio State and Texas game. I'm making this entry during half-time.)
Now that I've started the leaving, I'm eager to complete it and start arriving. Arriving is not only my new year's resolution, it is my Life after Layoff.
(I did get up to see the second quarter of the Ohio State and Texas game. I'm making this entry during half-time.)
Sunday, January 4, 2009
Day One-hundred-and-eighty-eight: Cold in Columbus
Well, actually it is above freezing at 9:00 PM in Columbus. However, I have a head cold. If I didn't get it from my oldest sister, still younger than me except in Wii, I got it from her youngest daughter. Now I know that the Rhino virus is with us all the time and I probably got it by not getting enough rest. To this end as soon as I finish this entry I will be drinking a hot toddy and heading to bed.
I'm looking forward to getting the best night's sleep I've had in my Life after Layoff. I will try and sit up more in bed using multiple pillows and make sure I keep my forehead warm. If this doesn't clear it up tonight, I will get some symptom medicine so I can head out of here on time.
I want to make sure I have enough travel time built in so I can get back before my plants die after the watering I arranged stops. I also want to use my new toilet and see the work in person rather than by picture. (This anticipation is all part of my New Year's Resolution which I reported in yesterday's entry.)
I've enjoyed my visiting but with the Columbus crowd working, my sister-in-law is planning on getting up at 5:30 AM tomorrow, the visiting can quickly become an imposition, keeping them and me up way too late. Besides, I don't want to deplete their immune systems and give them an extra dose of virus on the side.
Tomorrow is a final get together, but it is more for my daughter and her husband. Many of the spouses of relatives won't be there due to The Ohio State University playing Texas. If I don't go, it will be because my cold will make everyone miserable not because I would prefer to watch my university win a football game. (Besides, I know how likely it really is that they will win. I believe!)
On Tuesday, I hope to stop in and visit my cousin in Springfield as well as make a healthy start on my trip home. (The hope is due to the status of my cold. I will call him tomorrow to let him know.)
I'm looking forward to getting the best night's sleep I've had in my Life after Layoff. I will try and sit up more in bed using multiple pillows and make sure I keep my forehead warm. If this doesn't clear it up tonight, I will get some symptom medicine so I can head out of here on time.
I want to make sure I have enough travel time built in so I can get back before my plants die after the watering I arranged stops. I also want to use my new toilet and see the work in person rather than by picture. (This anticipation is all part of my New Year's Resolution which I reported in yesterday's entry.)
I've enjoyed my visiting but with the Columbus crowd working, my sister-in-law is planning on getting up at 5:30 AM tomorrow, the visiting can quickly become an imposition, keeping them and me up way too late. Besides, I don't want to deplete their immune systems and give them an extra dose of virus on the side.
Tomorrow is a final get together, but it is more for my daughter and her husband. Many of the spouses of relatives won't be there due to The Ohio State University playing Texas. If I don't go, it will be because my cold will make everyone miserable not because I would prefer to watch my university win a football game. (Besides, I know how likely it really is that they will win. I believe!)
On Tuesday, I hope to stop in and visit my cousin in Springfield as well as make a healthy start on my trip home. (The hope is due to the status of my cold. I will call him tomorrow to let him know.)
Day One-hundred-and-eighty-seven: Leavings
After unsuccessfully trying to make some notes during the movie, "The Dark Knight," I gave up with just one incomplete sentence. After the movie, since I was now in a place with a broadband connection and fewer people, I thought I would catch up on my entries and just freeform this one without notes. Once midnight rolled around, I thought, "Surely I won't forget so much about yesterday that I can't make this entry and tomorrow's entry on the same day." If I ever get to yesterday's entry beyond "I saw a movie," we'll see if this is true.
I did have a secondary reason for postponing this entry, it was starting out too dark and melancholy. Knowing that it wasn't the movie and thinking that it may have been my tiredness, I decided sleep was the better choice for two reasons: an improved entry and avoiding a cold.
This day was all about leaving. While some who had left earlier returned, my oldest sister, still younger than me, and my oldest sister's daughters, separately and one with children, for example; more left and didn't come back. Then it was our turn. My youngest daughter, her husband, and I left for Columbus so they, and I, could visit with my wife's relatives and they eventually could get to the airport to fly home.
Leaving is harder than being left. It is also harder than arriving but if I have to do the former, it is good to do the latter in the same day.
Well, duh! This is both profound and stupid. Every day in my Life after Layoff has been filled with leavings and arrivings. Every moment I am arriving into something new, a situation, a place, a time. It's all in my perspective and I choose to look forward with anticipation for those arrivals.
Ever since the "Resolution Diner," I've been struggling with what my resolution should be. Now, I finally have it: "Make the most of all my arrivals." Again, I've impressed myself. This one I'll keep.
I did have a secondary reason for postponing this entry, it was starting out too dark and melancholy. Knowing that it wasn't the movie and thinking that it may have been my tiredness, I decided sleep was the better choice for two reasons: an improved entry and avoiding a cold.
This day was all about leaving. While some who had left earlier returned, my oldest sister, still younger than me, and my oldest sister's daughters, separately and one with children, for example; more left and didn't come back. Then it was our turn. My youngest daughter, her husband, and I left for Columbus so they, and I, could visit with my wife's relatives and they eventually could get to the airport to fly home.
Leaving is harder than being left. It is also harder than arriving but if I have to do the former, it is good to do the latter in the same day.
Well, duh! This is both profound and stupid. Every day in my Life after Layoff has been filled with leavings and arrivings. Every moment I am arriving into something new, a situation, a place, a time. It's all in my perspective and I choose to look forward with anticipation for those arrivals.
Ever since the "Resolution Diner," I've been struggling with what my resolution should be. Now, I finally have it: "Make the most of all my arrivals." Again, I've impressed myself. This one I'll keep.
Saturday, January 3, 2009
Day One-hundred-and-eighty-six: Star gazing
I'm making these notes in the wee hours of the morning of the next day because, now last night, four of us froze staring at the night sky. Each of us saw shooting stars individually and in pairs. Once three of us saw one. Then finally after a long dry spell, we all saw one. We then decided to quit, warm up, and make our way to our individual beds.
Even without the shooting stars, the stars were spectacular! The dusting cloud of the Milky Way was visible. This meant a lot of individual light points were also visible. While the hills cut off a lot of the sky, they also stopped all the light pollution except for the local housing complex, my parent's place. We star gazers went in early on and turned off all the lights that weren't being directly used by any of the occupants. The few that were left were shielded from my eyes by the brim of my winter fleece hat. The hat also shielded me from that half of the sky as well.
Except for our talking, particularly to point out shooting stars that the others may have missed, most often one that I had missed, it was quite a meditative experience.
When I first moved to Pacifica, I was amazed at the greater number of stars I could see over the ones I could see from Fremont. Even when it's not overcast, it is nothing compared to this West Virginia night sky. This was the kind of night sky I would love to see every night in my Life after Layoff. I would never grow tired of it. However, I would grow tired. I don't think I want to regularly stay up past midnight, even for these glorious skies.
On a sadder note, tonight is my last night with my parents and sisters, until some future time as yet unknown. My oldest sister, still younger than me, didn't come back over due to a worsening cold. I don't know whether or not she will come back over tomorrow before I have to leave. I may just have to drop in on her to say goodbye. It will have to be short as I want my youngest daughter and her husband to see Marilyn's family as well.
My oldest daughter and her husband left this morning. Surely, and not so slowly this winter family gathering is disbursing, back to individual lives. I'm sure there will be other crossing of paths but probably not such a large one for some time, at least that I can attend. (But what is a Life after Layoff for if not this?)
Our long walk today wasn't particularly long, just rugged, even more so than my little jaunt down the hill on the walk yesterday. Maybe it was more so because this time the direction was up. Once again it was Docent lead as my father walked with us and told us about the land, people, and certain events. It was a slice of geographical and family history. (I really am going to have to take notes but don't see how I could have on this walk.)
We did walk over the former "bridge to nowhere," now properly serving its purpose to somewhere, crossing the creek so my father can get his ATV on the larger land portion of his 106 acres. Although given its ruggedness, I'm not sure what he is going to do or where he is going to go once he is over on his ATV.
I am trying two of my middle sister's ear plugs tonight. Hopefully they will allow me to sleep better in the few, shorter hours I now have to do so.
Even without the shooting stars, the stars were spectacular! The dusting cloud of the Milky Way was visible. This meant a lot of individual light points were also visible. While the hills cut off a lot of the sky, they also stopped all the light pollution except for the local housing complex, my parent's place. We star gazers went in early on and turned off all the lights that weren't being directly used by any of the occupants. The few that were left were shielded from my eyes by the brim of my winter fleece hat. The hat also shielded me from that half of the sky as well.
Except for our talking, particularly to point out shooting stars that the others may have missed, most often one that I had missed, it was quite a meditative experience.
When I first moved to Pacifica, I was amazed at the greater number of stars I could see over the ones I could see from Fremont. Even when it's not overcast, it is nothing compared to this West Virginia night sky. This was the kind of night sky I would love to see every night in my Life after Layoff. I would never grow tired of it. However, I would grow tired. I don't think I want to regularly stay up past midnight, even for these glorious skies.
On a sadder note, tonight is my last night with my parents and sisters, until some future time as yet unknown. My oldest sister, still younger than me, didn't come back over due to a worsening cold. I don't know whether or not she will come back over tomorrow before I have to leave. I may just have to drop in on her to say goodbye. It will have to be short as I want my youngest daughter and her husband to see Marilyn's family as well.
My oldest daughter and her husband left this morning. Surely, and not so slowly this winter family gathering is disbursing, back to individual lives. I'm sure there will be other crossing of paths but probably not such a large one for some time, at least that I can attend. (But what is a Life after Layoff for if not this?)
Our long walk today wasn't particularly long, just rugged, even more so than my little jaunt down the hill on the walk yesterday. Maybe it was more so because this time the direction was up. Once again it was Docent lead as my father walked with us and told us about the land, people, and certain events. It was a slice of geographical and family history. (I really am going to have to take notes but don't see how I could have on this walk.)
We did walk over the former "bridge to nowhere," now properly serving its purpose to somewhere, crossing the creek so my father can get his ATV on the larger land portion of his 106 acres. Although given its ruggedness, I'm not sure what he is going to do or where he is going to go once he is over on his ATV.
I am trying two of my middle sister's ear plugs tonight. Hopefully they will allow me to sleep better in the few, shorter hours I now have to do so.
Day One-hundred-and-eighty-five: First full day, 2009
Unlike the two previous mornings, this day started with breakfast, not walking. To make up for that, we did two walks. The first was up to my grandmother's rapidly detereorating no heat, no water, no lived in house. There are some things in it, but most of the good mementos are gone. I did grab a die, a wooden checkerboard piece, and a copper ring. What I would have really liked to have had is the Chinese Checkerboard, if it hasn't already rotted away. I certainly didn't see it in the short time I was there.
The second walk was almost the reverse of yesterday's walk. The changes were minor. A different walker or two and my choosing a road less traveled by going down a steep hill rather than walk back to the logging road so I could walk down the same logging road we had just walked up the day before.
The 1500 piece jigsaw puzzle I brought in Monday was finished today and put back in the box before I even had a chance to see it fully assembled. The puzzle solvers had already started on another puzzle.
The big event of the day was the Family Initiation of three new members by marriage and two close potentials. While the initiation consisted of several events involving dexterity, coordination, balance, trust, and good humor, one feat of skill was postponed, my father's favorite: threading a needle with one eye. What the initiatees did was so exciting to them that four out of the five ended up with wet pants. (Of course that may have been the direct result of using a funnel in their waistband to catch a quarter from their forehead among people who have handy glasses of water.)
I may reflect more on this initiation in future blogs as there were some differences from the one that Marilyn undertook 30 years ago. (Now I can publish most of an entry I've had written for some time in my Memories of Marilyn blog.)
While I ate breakfast and lunch, I didn't eat a real dinner. I did have the traditional family foods that are supposed to bring wealth or luck throughout 2009: sauerkraut, black-eyed peas, and pork. (I had the barest sliver of ham for the pork.) I did this to continue enjoying my Life after Layoff. Wealth is a significant key to being able to do so. Besides, I've been walking and can afford to go off my diet every once in a while.
The second walk was almost the reverse of yesterday's walk. The changes were minor. A different walker or two and my choosing a road less traveled by going down a steep hill rather than walk back to the logging road so I could walk down the same logging road we had just walked up the day before.
The 1500 piece jigsaw puzzle I brought in Monday was finished today and put back in the box before I even had a chance to see it fully assembled. The puzzle solvers had already started on another puzzle.
The big event of the day was the Family Initiation of three new members by marriage and two close potentials. While the initiation consisted of several events involving dexterity, coordination, balance, trust, and good humor, one feat of skill was postponed, my father's favorite: threading a needle with one eye. What the initiatees did was so exciting to them that four out of the five ended up with wet pants. (Of course that may have been the direct result of using a funnel in their waistband to catch a quarter from their forehead among people who have handy glasses of water.)
I may reflect more on this initiation in future blogs as there were some differences from the one that Marilyn undertook 30 years ago. (Now I can publish most of an entry I've had written for some time in my Memories of Marilyn blog.)
While I ate breakfast and lunch, I didn't eat a real dinner. I did have the traditional family foods that are supposed to bring wealth or luck throughout 2009: sauerkraut, black-eyed peas, and pork. (I had the barest sliver of ham for the pork.) I did this to continue enjoying my Life after Layoff. Wealth is a significant key to being able to do so. Besides, I've been walking and can afford to go off my diet every once in a while.
Day One-hundred-and-eighty-four: The end was near
The last day of the year started out with a snowy, windy, walk. This time my father wasn't with us so I had to be the one to slow the group down. At least I kept them from crossing the fence at the wrong place and walking five miles to Sand Fork, if they would have ever reached it.
Once home my mother convinced me to take some Metamucil for my opposite condition for what the label says it is for. Either my disease had run its course, or the fiber worked.
My middle sister planned a great five course mystery dinner titled the "Resolution Diner." The menu items, utensils, napkins, dipping sauces, dessert toppings, ..., all had strange names that if you thought really hard you might have been able to figure it out, such as: "Sleepy Relative" for napkin. I didn't do too badly, but only because I didn't have any dressing put on my salad, making it finger food, the only thing I had to eat it with.
Then we stayed up well past midnight. I'm no longer alone in the "pool room." It's now truly a dormitory. Since it's after 2:00 AM as I'm making these notses for this day's blog entry, I will undoubtedly not be sleeping the first day of 2009 away. All in all, it has been a great start for my first Life after Layoff New Year.
Once home my mother convinced me to take some Metamucil for my opposite condition for what the label says it is for. Either my disease had run its course, or the fiber worked.
My middle sister planned a great five course mystery dinner titled the "Resolution Diner." The menu items, utensils, napkins, dipping sauces, dessert toppings, ..., all had strange names that if you thought really hard you might have been able to figure it out, such as: "Sleepy Relative" for napkin. I didn't do too badly, but only because I didn't have any dressing put on my salad, making it finger food, the only thing I had to eat it with.
Then we stayed up well past midnight. I'm no longer alone in the "pool room." It's now truly a dormitory. Since it's after 2:00 AM as I'm making these notses for this day's blog entry, I will undoubtedly not be sleeping the first day of 2009 away. All in all, it has been a great start for my first Life after Layoff New Year.
Day One-hundred-and-eighty-three: Pre-breakfast walking
The day started with a Docent led walk around the farm. I used my hiking boots rather than my mud boots. The ground was mostly frosted but even though the mud was still very much mud underneath, my hiking boots actually finished cleaner than they started. (My mud boots are built for the cold a little better.)
The rest of the day has been a blur of eating, playing, jigsaw puzzle working, and the consequences of eating. I did do the fitness test on the Wii and came out, after the second time, with an "age" of 42. (Anything that makes me feel younger is okay by me.)
A little work was done, by others. My youngest daughter and her husband finished welding the "bridge to nowhere." In the process of pulling it to its eventual position a gate post was substantially rocked, both in the widening of the hole it was in and in the rocks used to fill that hole to keep it somewhat upright.
I slept in the multi-bed dormitory, a.k.a. pool hall, by myself, and will be doing so for at least one more night. (The rest of the New Year's celebrants are to arrive tomorrow.) This has allowed me to practice quite a few racks. I wish I could say its helping me but I'm losing as often as I win.
This has been another great Life after Layoff day. What little work was done was done by others. There was lots of laughter. And, all of my children and their spouses are here.
The rest of the day has been a blur of eating, playing, jigsaw puzzle working, and the consequences of eating. I did do the fitness test on the Wii and came out, after the second time, with an "age" of 42. (Anything that makes me feel younger is okay by me.)
A little work was done, by others. My youngest daughter and her husband finished welding the "bridge to nowhere." In the process of pulling it to its eventual position a gate post was substantially rocked, both in the widening of the hole it was in and in the rocks used to fill that hole to keep it somewhat upright.
I slept in the multi-bed dormitory, a.k.a. pool hall, by myself, and will be doing so for at least one more night. (The rest of the New Year's celebrants are to arrive tomorrow.) This has allowed me to practice quite a few racks. I wish I could say its helping me but I'm losing as often as I win.
This has been another great Life after Layoff day. What little work was done was done by others. There was lots of laughter. And, all of my children and their spouses are here.
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